Viridos, Chapter 1

[Requiem]

Malachi, darkgreen

"KILLING CLOUD OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!"

That one little phrase was music to his ears. It meant that he had an opportunity. He pulled his spore mask from his trunk, pulled it on and set off out of his cabin, pulling the door shut tightly behind him. He had two options, he could help batten down the ship, or he could engage in his other task, which he had yet to have an opportunity to do.

"Alright Aleria, you've been hiding well enough, but I'm going to need your help soon, we're going to need to be forgotten." He said with a smile unseen. It was always interesting, becoming The Man With No Name, simply because while it was active, nothing changed, people recognised him and accepted him as who he appeared to be. After the minute had passed, he would just be a ghost of a person, there but not there.

As he moved about below deck, he closed off sections of the ship, making sure than any spores that did manage to get down would stay in an area where they could be removed. This was a dual purpose effort, both as it was accurate and being killed by spores would be highly embarrassing, and also it made it easier for him to make his way to the powder magazine, using the chaos of the ship to his advantage.

Malachi finally approached the gun deck and turned to Aleria, giving her a slight nod. The process of the advent was quick, and practically unnoticeable, which was good, considering its purpose. He dropped down to the gun deck. Sailors were running about, pulling cannon ports tight, too busy to worry about a sailor preoccupied with keeping the powder barrels tied down tightly.

He quickly poured a few alchemical mixes into the powder barrels that he'd acquired before he left for the trip. Primarily powdered charcoal, with a few other trace elements that amplified the charcoal's carbon properties. It would essentially ruin the black powder, making it incapable of firing properly. Mixture applied, he placed his hand over each barrel and summoned up a small amount of his power, shifting the compound into the barrels. His time was almost up.

Thankfully the job was done, he made his way back up a deck where he was supposed to be. With any luck, the charcoal mix would do its job. If not, well, The Silver Shadow would have a few more holes in it than Ozzimus would like. With nothing else he could do for the time, he made sure he was seen locking the ship down. He had a few other bits of sabotage that he needed to accomplish, but for now they weren't quite possible.

 

[Jack Shade]

Back in Port, shortly after the departure of the Sea Wraith




Only moments after Ozzimus had boarded his vessel Volok, his Draken cannon operator, thundered towards him. Over his shoulder, a wispy shark with coal-dark eyes swam calmly at his pace. After years at sea with the scale-face, the captain had grown wise to the subtle muscles along the draken's snout and eyes, enough to determine he didn't need to defend himself. Years had tested Volok in loyalty, but it was hard to forget he had originally boarded the ship as an enemy pirate.


"Volok." The captain acknowledged, leaning back on the balls of his feet.


"Captain, we have an intruder. Shortly 'fore you came aboard, Wailer heard a noise from the Gallery."


Ozzimus was already moving, brushing past the draken and drawing his blade. "Wailer and Gretch went in, but they aint come out yet."


The door to the state's room was slightly ajar when the draken and captain reached it. Mustard had drawn his blade as well by now, flanking the captain.


"See to the cannons," Ozzimus ordered Volok, "We will soon hear their shouts and I want you to be sure they all have clear throats." Volok hesitated, his orange eyes darting from the door to his captain.


"But captain..."


"That's an order, Volok," Ozzimus asserted, reaching forward and laying the flat of his palm on the rough door, "I don't expect to be repeating orders."


"Aye...captain." Volok relented, stepping away from the door and lumbering away. Ozzimus nodded at mustard, the unspoken command to come if called, and pushed open the door.


Wailer and Gretch were not dead, although the latter was sprawled over the carved frostwood table like some distasteful throw-rug. Wailer was finding it hard to live to his namesake with the edge of a blade tickling his bobbing Adam's apple. The stranger was seated in the stately chair Ozzimus would ordinarily take. By the intruder's garb of drab brown linen wrappings and the sun-burnt bronze of his skin, Ozzimus placed his origin in Kaustir…already far from home. He held the scimitar casually to Wailer's throat, but lowered it to his side when the captain entered.


"S-Sorry cap'n," Wailer murmured, " 'e came through the window, 'e did. Took us by surprise."


"Hush," the stranger said, all but his amber eyes hidden, "The captain and I will take it from here."


Wailer glanced back at Ozzimus before dragging Gretch off the table and toward the door. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ozzimus held up a hand and shook his head, bidding the pirate leave him with the stranger. When both men had departed, the Kaustrian indicated a chair at the other side of the table.


"You're a hard man to find, Captain. Rest assured, your crew suffered no permanent damage. It was essential to enter here unseen…especially in the den of the Navy." The scimitar vanished, sheathed and the stranger put both hands on the table, leaning forward.


"If you will permit me to be direct, how do you propose to take the Sea Wraith? A ship like this," He indicated the walls around him, "Is perhaps best at sinking things, no? But my employer is after a specific cargo the Sea Wraith will have. I am authorized on their behalf to offer you a fair reward for the retrieval of this object, but my employer has some…concerns about your ability to acquire such a prize. We assume, of course, that it would be easier to take it from the decks of a ship than the bottom of the Prosperos."

 

[Desaecula]

~`~`Back in Port, shortly after the departure of the Sea Wraith`~`~



The captain looked over his cabin at the situation. Between Wailer with his throat on the chopping block, and the idiot Gretch slumped against the table, HE had little choice but to listen.

"come away, Wailer." he said, motioning for his man to edge around the desk. Wailer made a bit of a fumble with his feet and stood by his captain, ready to turn around, when Ozzimus caught his shoulder.

"say a word out of this cabin and I'll gut you me'self." he said threateningly. Last thing he needed was him to blab to the crew. Wailer stopped and his lip trembled, ready to say somethign when he grunted, apparently regaining his resolve as they left.

And listen Ozzimus did. intently.

He spoke only after a moment of silence, eyes closed and listening to the hushed sound of his Aux speaking to him.

"Wisdom, Whispersilk." he muttered.

"So. you're telling me this deal to steal the monolith from the expedition party comes from kaustir?" he said, trying to hide a smirk. He knew it. No doubt the Burning Czar himself had his designs for the thing.

"My ship isn't the only weapon in this siege, Man of Kaustir." he said, crossing the room with a few bold steps and setting his hands on the table, he glared with the Temper only a ship-captain could.

"I have men on the Sea Wraith clattering along with them until the time comes to strike. Sabotage and subtlety before hand, cannons and blades after. and if by chance my men muck up the operation, it's not impossible for the SIlver Shadow to haul it up from the bottom of the sea, seeing as how i had no intention of dragging this fight out into the deep waters. In-sight of land and unable to abandon ship safely, The Crew of the Sea Wraith will have no choice but to fork it over." he finished his words in a hushed mere whisper as he stood upright again, his cloak billowing around him.

 

[Thomas McTavish]

E'rdaan, darkgreen

​

So, the client had moved to Riven. Luckily, there were several others in Hosia who knew the human he had made a deal with. It had been several hours worth of journey, but it was worth it to see the majesty of Riven. E'rdaan could've sworn Ilium had wove the place herself. The merchant, who had said his name was Kergos... or was it Hergos? One of the names that ended in -gos.
"Help me find our merchant friend." he asked of seemingly no one.
No reply came, but a small spider flew from it's hiding spot on the Forest Kin assassin. It darted around the trees of Riven with ease. The Aux, a spider named Skraak, was and always had been the assassin's companion, no matter what hell the pair went through to obtain an objective. Skraak spoke very few words ever, but always got his point across. "Found." it hissed in E'rdaan's mind. "Follow." Doing as told, the assassin followed the path of his tiny friend. Eventually arrived at a healer's hut, in which the merchant was trying to sell things to the healer that resided within.
"C'mon. Ye cannae find a better deal on Deregen Root anywhere but with me. Ye hear? I know it's nae what ye're after, but it is a good deal."
"I need not you stankin' Deregen Root, Nergos. Now unless you 'ave Tarnish'd Grinton sap, we 'ave no deal."
Nergos! That was it. He was close. Kergos, Nergos, Hergos, it was all the same in different accents. "Nergos, wait! I have the Tarnished Grinton sap ye wanted!" The Pegulian born merchant poked his head out.
"It's aboot time, ye arse!"
E'rdaan removed one of the vials of sap from his satchel, handing it to the merchant. "That'd be a vial of Kausterian scorpion venom owed to me."
The merchant scowled but nodded, reaching into his own pack and removing a vial of a yellowish liquid.
"Here. Now off with ye."
Taking the vial from the merchant, E'rdaan turned and walked off, Skraak perched on his shoulder.
"Hungry."
"I am too, Skraak. Le's see if we can find someone to fix us up a meal, eh? And a new client."

​

 

[Falcon]

Ayanne Marshden, green

Even as she dealt with the chaos whirling around her, as she shouted at people, and handed supplies to those blocking off the ship from the spores, as she ran around after more masks and handed them out, and shouted at more people to tighten their mask straps, her mind was whirling. Like performing surgery every second in this situation was precious, there was little more she could do than lend strength but others. Her mind spun, she wished she had spent more time talking to the others on the way here, now she didn't really know who was capable of what.

It was then she spotted the Captain standing on the quarterdeck and she knew. Ayanne pushed her way through until she reached him.

"Captain Valyrin?" she announced herself shoving past those with him and stepping close so she could be heard, "No one aboard knows this ship, her crew, or their capabilities as well as you do, and I'm hoping you know the passengers' abilities as well."
She had been watching the half-kin since coming aboard and had witnessed first hand how well he ran his crew. With that he had earned her respect and for him she made a conscious effort not to curse. She had yet to make that assessment of others. "I don't presume to tell you what to do, but if there are those on board who can summon rain to wash the spores away, or wind to push us north, or a barrier maker, or someone who can raise waves or any combination of things. Better north with uncertain waters than sitting here waiting for death."

She was rambling and she knew it, but she kept going, throwing out everything she could think of in hopes it would spark an idea. "Or we could turn port. I know there's not enough time to go back, but port . . . If someone could create a ramp of some sort in the water before the fisherman's bane, a barrier or raise a sunken ship or something, we could use wind to launch ourselves over the acid. It's already in our favor that way. We could beach the ship and take cover in the cargo hold. The hull in that area's designed to keep out water, surly it'll keep out the spores as well, if it doesn't get torn . . ." She realized the flaws in that idea even as she spoke, ". . . or . . . or . . ." she was out of ideas now, "Whatever it is, Captain, whatever you think is best to do, I can boost the immune systems and energy reserves of those doing it, buy some extra time while the rest take cover in the hold. . ."

 

[Nue]

Falir Rhodaaki​

Falir looked out onto the luscious town of Hoesia from atop his farm. He worked on the outskirts and plains in order to support those who made their zesty profits there. He liked it, it was quiet, simple work. He always liked it when it rained, for it meant that the plants receive the water needed to grow. It also meant a time to cool down. It's nice to feel the cool, soft water touch his face after a long day's work. He would then rush inside before the rain becomes a little bit to much. and would sit inside and fiddle with the fire, have a sip of tea, and rethink about what he might do when the rain settles.
Today was one of those 'rainy days'.
Falir is already inside, drinking his tea, brewing a couple of poisons here and there, while thinking, constantly thinking, about everything his mind could possibly conceive, mainly desolation. Falir works on this farm alone since he was of the age of 7, and with that came not only the need to continue tending to his previous master's plants, but also the new need to defend himself and the farm, for a lot of people want food for free. Luckily he was intelligent enough to remember what his master stated and taught him about how to make traps and poisons to 'keep the pests away' the pest of course being thieves. At first, he was found quite unsuited for such an encumbering task, but after three years, he could mange to suitably defend himself while maintain keeping a friendly face. and so here it became, the constant struggle to meet the demands of supplying the demand, defending from thieves, and dealing with loneliness and isolation. occasionally, a courier or a wandering traveler would come to pay homage to the farm, Falir would always offer them help or hospitality, no matter who they were. At the end of 6 months, a group of men in caravans and wagons by the dozen would come to Falir's farm to retrieve the storage for Hoesia. Those days were good because Falir at least had help for his job. Falir is what is called a 'Yearler' which is basically a year-round food grower. He does the basic staple crops, such as wheat and corn, in the warmer days while during the cold days, where most farmers would close up for the year, prepare what little is needed for the next, and relax for the next round. Yearlers, such as Falir himself, do that, but would instead set up plants that would actually grow better in the colder days, such as berries, some fruits, and herbs. and make a bit more currency than expected.
While he thought to himself about himself. He was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by some heavy breathing. Falir stopped his daydreaming, placed down the tea, and opened the door. He was thrilled to see that a person was at the door! He hasn't seen a person come to his farm in nearly 4 months. He was a courier. A young human boy, with big green eyes, a small, pale face, and brown hair that was pelted downward due to the rain. It was presumed by Falir that he was doing this because he was looking to make some extra money perhaps by running in the rain to deliver letters. Falir immediately offered him inside for a drink and some warmth for a while. He showed him to the herbal tea Falir had sat upon the table, obviously thirty looking, the little courier turned around and gave him a look of desperation. "Can I have some of it?" Falir put his hands on his hips and smiled. "You may, do you need anything to warm you up?" he spoke as the boy grabbed the biggest cup he can find, and proceed to fill it with the tea. Falir went into a storage room and pulled out a large blanket to wrap around the boy for the time being. He then sat down quietly, without a sound, and went back to his cup to drink.
There was a long silence. It was finally broken when the boy, finished from his drink, turned to the kind Anima. he asked him nervously. "Umm, excuse me sir...is your name Falir Rhodaaki?" he turned to the boy slowly. "Yes."
"These are for you, you know, you are a really lucky man Mr. Rhodaaki." He said as he pulled out the mail, this batch was noticeably larger than usual, on top of it, a huge golden box, wrapped in velvet silk and stamped with the seal of Viridos. Baffled at the mail, he turned to the boy "And why is that?"
Well, you see that small box on top there, yeah that one? It means someone in a high place wishes to speak to you. It could be the Jade Prophet herself!"Falir nodded as the boy got up from the chair and took of the blanket. "Thank you for the hospitality Mr. Rhodaaki, but I must go, I have other people to see!" Falir nodded in acknowledgement as the boy left the house and waved at him. he waved back briefly and went to clean up the mess the boy made. afterwards he took a look at the box and wondered

"I wonder what Viridos wants with me."​

 

[Saphen]

Ash of the Heartwood

The ground shook with the drumming of hooves as Ash galloped through the woods. His eyes were set straight ahead but there was no play in his run this day. Their heart thumped in rhythm to his stride as the exertion pushed him forward, his will would not be so easily broken. Edelon was their new destination and even though the easiest route was to follow the river their path was deep in the forest. They didn't want any interruptions in their journey to see the Jade Prophet and they certainly didn't want to find him before they were ready.

Ash did not bury thirteen people he realized as he ran harder...as if trying to get away from the truth. Cora had returned into his body but she couldn't stay silent when the one she cared for more than anything was in pain.

"No...that isn't true," thought Cora to him but even as the mental whisper passed into his mind she knew he would never forgive himself. As far as he was concerned he had just killed thirteen Crux and Aux alike, burning them alive in one fiery cauldron. "It had to be done," he reassured himself aloud but even Cora remained silent in this matter. Neither of them were really sure what the right thing to do in that moment was but a decision had to be made.

"TREE!" Cora shouted in his mind and with only seconds to react Ash jumped high into the air. The tree had fallen and was laying on it's side, if not for Cora he would have tripped right over it or worst. Landing gracefully on the other side he looked at the fallen giant. Poison puss oozed from a hollow in the center of it's trunk and Ash knew he couldn't leave it like this. Ash touched his waist, causing the spear that was wrapped around it to uncoil and straighten. It had been a few days since he needed to use Prudence but much of the wood needed to be removed for the tree to have any hope of returning to Ilium.

Gripping the spear in both hands he plunged it's point, the head black with silver edging where it was sharp, into healthy wood right outside of the poison. Being careful to not allow the poison to drip deeper into the tree he cut pieces of defiled wood out in small chunks. It was time consuming but every time he plunged the spear into the tree it became a little less corrupted. Pieces of vile landed on the ground in a pile of sludge and dead wood, a pile that would have to be purified before he left. Moving closer to the trunk, now that he had gotten most of the poison out, he gripped the spear much closer to the head. The rest of the shaft coiled around his arm allowing him to use the blade with more dexterity. He looked into the now deeper opening in the trunk and began to whittle out smaller pieces of wood that still had poison in them. Once that was done he stared at the trunk, sweat beading down his cheeks but he was happy for the labor.

There was something about physical effort that always made him feel better and as he turned to look at the pile of poison he saw Cora standing behind it.

"When did you get out?" he asked curiously but she only smiled at him "You were too busy to notice...feel better?"

He thought for a moment "Yes...actually I do," there was that smile again, the one that always reassured her that he was ok. Ash went back to the now healthier tree "I know you have fallen my friend and that your time as a tree will soon end, but you will return to Ilium purified and until then be shelter for the children of the forest." Ash rested his hand gently on the trunk, he felt Cora's presence near him and he was at peace once more.

Turning back to the pile he sat down on the floor in front of it, holding his hands over the wood as he closed his eyes. His hands were alive with heat once more, the living embers not passing his wrist as he plunged them into the pile. A loud hiss, a few crackles, and then ignition as the poisoned wood started to be purified. The poison was slowly burnt away, the wood turning to ash, and any that was left on his hands instantly met the same fate. After a while the only thing left was dust, his hands slowly returning to normal but just before the heat vanished he ran his hand over his spear head. Cleaning it of any poison that might have been on it before wrapping it back around his waist. It tightened like a snack as the head of the spear rested flatly on his side.

"You won't win," they thought at once before continuing their journey to Edelon and just like that they were gone.

 

[Wanderfool]

Gripping the wooden railing of the side of the Sea Wraith, Aela flinched against the wind that whipped around the boat. The sails above shook violently in different directions only adding to the cacophony and panicked din on the deck as sailors rushed around hidden behind the flimsy masks everyone hoped with all their might, would hold out long enough to save their life. It was a hopeless fancy, but even Aela found herself hoping that the mask would put up enough of resistance against the deadly spores that were approaching at an alarming rate. The ship lurched up as a wave battered at the nose of the ship, the figurehead of a woman fighting a inevitable destiny. In this moment the ship was going to cut right through the cloud, glancing at her Aux she felt a dread settle on her shoulders. What a twist of fate.

Everyone had something to do, everyone on the boat had a place to be or a job to handle. A station to man. Except for herself, she was just an outsider looking in on as time ticked on. Something about the situation was very surreal, causing a sort of sickness to take root in the pit of Aela's stomach. This was so very wrong, unjustified in a way. Her fingers itched for the cards that were tied to the sheath of her sword. A sword that had been given to her by her father off in Kaustir. Her home. Was she to die like this? Chasing a ghost shipment as a stowaway on a navy ship? Leaning over the edge she took deep measured breath feeling the panic sink in. That instinct to run away from anything that threatened her sense of normalcy kicking in. That is how she had always dealt with things, Aela ran away and never looked back as she disappeared in whatever camouflage she created for herself.

Turning away from the vast sea, she shouldered past sailors as she worked her way to the back of the ship where stairs would lead into the bowels of the Sea Wraith. What the hell was she going to do now? There was no where to run, and her fate was approaching in the form of a black cloud that would eat away at her insides until there was nothing left to her but blackened remains. Panic welled up in her chest as she was pushed back by a sailor who was carrying a length of rope.

Freezing in her tracks... Aela stared up at the quarterdeck where the captain stood unmoving. Not to far from him a girl was trying to what sounded like reasoning with the captain. Aela could only hear snatches of her voice over the din, but before Aela even realized what she was doing, her legs were moving on their own accord.

"Whatever... Captain... you think... best to do... the immune systems... of those doing it... some extra time... take cover in the hold..."

Now in a full sprint, Aela had her eyes locked on the helm managed by a higher ranked navyman no doubt. He hadn't made any attempt to do anything but follow his captain's orders on what to do with the ship itself. Turning her head slightly, she realized the cloud was already losing some of its power as it was moving at a speedier velocity, as if it had a mind of its own. When storms moved, they lost power. Making a terrified, desperate decision she bounded up the steps to the fo'c'sle and shoved her way to the Helm.

Quickly wrapping her hands around two handles of the helm before someone could tear her away and throw her overboard, she pitched the ship to the left. Water from a large wave covered the main deck as she made the abrupt turn.

The ship now traveled parallel to the black cloud, this choice could either save them or kill them all.

 

[Seth Bloodmoon]

"Captain Valyrin?"

Those words caught the half-Kin's attention, drawing his light brown gaze to the woman. He quickly put a name to the face, Ayanne. As she spoke he listened, casting one eye back towards the spore cloud. He should be kicking himself for his moments of apparent indecision. There were lives on the line. Truth be told he didn't know much about the abilities his passengers might possess. That had been a mistake, as he realized now.

Just as Valyrin was opening his mouth to respond to Ayanne's suggestions and ideas as he caught sight of a woman sprinting for the helm. Before he could even shout a warning the woman had managed to get ahold of the wheel and jerk it sharply, causing the Sea Wraith to lurch in the water. Several sailors almost fell with the jarring motion the woman's actions had caused. The captain, however, kept his footing with ease and shouted "Get that woman off the wheel, now!"

"All unnecessary personnel below deck, NOW!" sailors shouting his command down the ship for those that might not be able to hear. Then his gaze shifted back to Ayanne, "Rally the healers and purifiers and be ready. I will need all of you if we can't break away before the spore cloud can reach us." With that said he strode towards the helm, scowling beneath his breather mask. By now Rhys had managed to pull the apparently panicked woman, Aela, away from the wheel and was doing his best to hold her in place so that she could cause no more trouble

"We sail north, it is the safest option at the moment!" the words shouted to the helmsman who, once more at the wheel, promptly obeyed. Whether they would continue in that direction would remain to be seen, once they were safe... Surely there would be heated words on the matter between Ironblood and himself. Oh he had a feeling it was an argument he would lose, but at the very least it would be perfectly clear where he stood on the matter.

Now he turned his attention to the sails, Zephyr once more settling upon his left arm. In that moment Crux and Aux were one as Valyrin concentrated. In that moment a south wind began to pick up, completely unnatural seeing as the current wind was blowing from the east. The south wind filled the Sea Wraith's sails, urging the ship northward. With Ilium's blessing it would be enough to push them past the spore cloud before it could engulf the ship. If it wasn't... well hopefully the masks would be enough with the aid of the healers and purifiers on board.

 

[Falcon]

Ayanne Marshden, green

Ayanne barely needed to bother moving. The captain's orders rang loud and clear in spite of his mask, and as she turned to follow his orders she could see someone already carrying the task out, calling all and any who could help. She was glad of it, It saved time, precious time that they needed desperately. That, and it left her free to stay by the helm.

When the Captain turned to join with his Aux and the wind began to change Ayanne realized what he was about to do. "Let her go!" she snapped at the sailor holding Aela, and then, "And if you know any at all who can help with the wind, find them!"

A bare second later she turned back to the captain, and readied herself for what she had promised to do. She had given her word, her word would be kept. Moving swiftly behind the man she raised her right hand and placed it firmly between his shoulder blades before beginning to murmur to herself. There was a soothing, chanting sound to the words, though at the speed she was speaking the words themselves were unintelligible. Her mind raced. What would he need? He would need to focus, what energy she could give him because in her experience advents could be draining, a boost to his adrenalin couldn't hurt at this point, and neither could buffered immunity to poisons.

A feeling rose in her stomach. A small voice nudged the back of her mind. She ignored it.

The words of her spell began to take effect even as the south wind fueled the sails. A light seemed to pour from the palm of her hand and be absorbed into his system as she worked. A warmth flowed with it.

"You need my help," the voice whispered.

Not yet. The timing had to be perfect, and she had no idea what boosting her own energy would do as she was trying to boost someone else's. Sweat broke out on her brow. She was drawing deeper and deeper breaths as the seconds ticked by. Her own energy was leaving her, fueling the spells. "Patah!" she cursed softly as she finished laying in one spell and picked up yet another.

"Let me help," the little voice begged. It was a choice. If she used it now she'd be out the boost to heal any serious injuries later, but if she didn't, there might not be anyone left to heal.

As the Captain's winds grew stronger, reached what Ayanne thought to be their peek, She let her Aux do as it had asked and her own Advent kicked in. The boost of energy the joining brought with it was powerful, refreshing. It brought clarity and her chanting grew faster as her spells no longer drained her. The spells were stronger now. The light and warmth leaking out of her hands as she worked leaked not only into the Captain, but those standing near her as well. When his advent kicked out she would try to push the spells fueled by whatever was left of her own advent out across as much of the deck as she could, just in case.

Ayanne was in no way shape or form naive enough to think she might be affecting his advent, but she was feeding him what he needed to keep it strong. His southern wind filled the sails, and carried the boat north. If only it was enough. She prayed it would work, and prayed the others on board would be able to chip in where and how they could.

It was lucky, Ayanne thought, that the woman from earlier had turned the ship when she had.

 

[Jack Shade]

*Back in port, shortly after the Sea Wraith disembarked*

The Kaustrian was silent, tapping one long, calloused finger on the Pegulian wood. What he lacked in voice he communicated in action, reaching into the folds of his clothes and retrieving a weighty coin purse. For a moment the sack dangled at the end of two bobbing fingers before dropping to the table with the sound of greed.

"Consider it a gift in good faith," The Kaustrian said, "The smallest token of my employer's means." Reaching up quickly, he pulled a silver chain from around his neck, from which danced two small scroll cases, and put them on the table beside the coin purse. "One of these contains the route the Sea Wraith will take, seeking the ruins for Lady Ironblood. A sail on the horizon makes a wary captain, especially in dangerous northern waters. The other scroll is a map to an island near Kaustir."

"Why not the ports of Avarenth?" Ozzimus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not the ports of Hosia?" the Kaustrian replied, "Yours isn't the business transacted in city ports, pirate."

"I did not take the Burning Czar for a man of such fearful guile."

The Kaustrian was silent for a moment, the smallest twitch of his sword arm drew Ozzimus to his own blade. "So long as the right coin lines your pocket, what do you care of its requirement?"

"I do not," Ozzimus admitted, "Do not mistake my observations for disinterest."

Reaching into his clothes again, the Kaustrian withdrew an envelope, sealed in red wax, and handed it to Ozzimus. "Inside you will find my employer's offer. I am confident you will find the payment generous, provided you can deliver."

The captain did not reach for any of the items, his eyes instead rested on his guest and the hand caressing the handle of the Kaustrian scimitar. "I am not the only pirate in Prosperos. Why the Silver Shadow?"

Shrugging, the Kaustrian stood and pushed over the Gallery window, perching on the sill. "Convenience of location," he answered, "And consider this more a business opportunity than a simple retrieval. My employer would like to measure your worth. Till we meet again, captain."

The Kaustrian leaped out of the window and dropped.

Only then did Ozzimus see his aux, artfully hidden among the grays of his swaddle. The massive spider was still, almost like jewelry, but there was no obscuring the glimmer of intelligence in those myriads of eyes.

Ozzimus latched the window, turning back on the items left behind with a scowl.

A stranger and a spider. Never a good way to begin employment.

 

[Asmodeus]

"Stoopid fish..." Konkon muttered as he squinted at the Water Fairy on the end of his fishing line.

"Eh? Yew got a speech impediment or wha'? Speak up!"

"Get in mah belly."

"There's a bloody spore storm comin', Mister! We're all gonna di-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Konkon stumbled as the ship suddenly surged northwards on an arcane wind. As he fell the jerk of his fishing line catapulted Sprig up onto the deck. Fox and fairy collided and the two rolled down to slam into the mizzenmast.

The Sea Wraith sped beyond the spore cloud, its black touch felt only on the rearmost decks, where sailors ducked for cover and clutched their masks like holy symbols to their faces. The healers dashed amongst them - Gomyar and Kozoul swooping on those who fell. Pulses of healing magic lit the ship like fireworks.

"Aaaagh!" Sprig opened his eyes and found himself pinned beneath Konkon. Close-by were a band of sailors all blinking at him behind their masks. "Please, Sirs! Can I 'ave a mask?" The nearest sailor raised his hands in panic. There were none left. "Ah dun wanna die!" The hobbler flailed and cried as spore clouds swept across the desk. But just then came a jolt and the press of hot metal to his face.

Sprig looked up to see a giant Man-Bull standing over him, his huge hand clamping the mask down. "Freshly soldered, boy."

"Ow! Ow, ow ow!"

Khanaan kept the fairy pinned and fixed the jury-rigged mask over his face. As he did so the spore cloud howled past by the stern and rolled inland, dispersing among the shoreside trees like some crashing insect wave. The noise abated, leaving only the racing breaths of sailors, the flap of sails, the creak of wood.

And up at the helm, the shape of Captain Valyrin was clear, with Ayanne's hand on his shoulder.

They had saved the day.

 

[Desaecula]

"creeping, crawling, skittering, skulking, black marketing bullocks." Captain Lorados cursed as he turned away from the latched window. "spider aux from a Kaustirian?... senseless all of it." he muttered.

The letter in his hand burned his fingers as he touched it. not literally. but the very existence of this paper made him uneasy. he disliked feeling frail, and in those moments before he opened the envelope that is exactly what he felt. A dagger slipped out of his sleeve from beneath his bracer and he took it's silvered handle, long from age void of any jeweling or decoration. slitting beneath the seal and the paper, he removed the wax seal without breaking it, making a note to keep the stamp for himself. Perhaps even silver himself a copy of the grand stamp of the Burning Czar.

"waste not want not, whispersilk." he chuckled to his aux, whom promptly stopped uttering caution in his ears.
-------------------

The envelope read, and the maps sprawled out on the table, He eyed the bulging sack of gold on his table and smirked. within his drawer, locked by key, he placed the envelope, pressing the wax seal delicately into a tin box with a scrap of linen to protect it. He took the gold to the safe held tight in the wall of the captains cabin, and taking only a handful of coins, locked things up and went out onto the main deck.

-------------------

Volok, Wailer, And mustard where standing by the main mast, sharing uneasy looks and shaking their heads as they muttered to each-other.

"Save the whispers for the taverns on-shore boys." he said loudly, announcing his presence alongside the five gracefully quick steps he took towards the men. He looked between VOlok and Mustard.

"I take it ye've told Mustard all about our little.. altercation?" he said disapprovingly at Volok, who only nodded once in affirmation.
Mustard spoke up first, meeting his captains gaze with a shiver in his spine.

"Ozzimus, The crew ain't not going to appreciate going after our own Port." Mustard said with an urgent hiss to his low hissing accusation at Ozzimus. Only His dedication to service and ferocity in past battles kept Lorados's sword from slicing his belly open right then and there.

"I agree with you." Ozzimus said, and promptly sat down the handful of gold on the barrel between the men. "eighteen shining gold pieces so fresh from the gold-smithy in Kaustir the edges are still flat and straight." He announced to them.

Wailer blinked and his jaw dropped open a slight. Volok's eyes glittered with the greed of a pirate, Remembering Why Ozzimus was worth following. mustard grabbed his chin and tongued his teeth to keep himself from more.. reckless movements.

"Disperse it between each-other and get back to work. The deep sea winds will require every rope and sail we have in perfect balance to get the speed i require to get ahead of the Sea Wraith!"

And with that he turned his attention back to the wheel, Guiding the Silver Shadow out into the open waters.

 

[Wanderfool]

"Get that woman off the wheel, now!"

Aela felt her entire body being wrenched from the helm just as her fingers slipped from around the polished wood of the wheel. The ropey arms of a sailor held her at bay, and it felt as if her entire body had been drained of all its energy. The black strands of her hair hid most of her face as she looked at the planks of the deck at her feet, the roughness of the sailor's hand held her arm, his own arm around her waist. Taking quick breaths she felt the sword at her side burning through its sheath as her survival instincts overwhelmed her. If there was any a time to start running it was now.

"We sail north, it is the safest option at the moment!"

The captain known as Valyrin, directed his crew with a natural ease that most seasoned sailors had. The man seemed to be unfazed by whatever possesed Aela do what she did, either that or he was waiting for the time to pay her his full attention. Whatever the case was Aela knew that she was going to be in some big trouble. Olane danced in and out of the corner of her vision, sitting up on his hind legs. Bright green tail swishing, he signaled to Aela that he was ready. The aux was incredibly elusive, even without using any advents he was able to stay out of sight, even with his neon fur. However Aela just slouched further against the grip of the sailor.

"Let her go! And if you know any at all who can help with the wind, find them!"

A familiar screech of a voice sounded off beside Aela and her restraining companion, she still had no name to place on the face but she recognized the girl none the less. Aela could feel the sailor's uncertainty as his grip loosened for a moment, but his loyalty to the captain won over. Something that the girl said caught Aela's attention.

The wind...

She realized that the wind had changed its course, not by much but Aela could feel the resistance of a sudden southern wind that blew her hair in different directions. There was a bit of commotion in the distance but it was accompanying a sigh of relief. The cloud was gone, at least Aela could only assume as she refused to look up at the moment. Just as things were beginning to calm down, something in the air changed. It became electric, refreshing almost, and for some strange reason Aela's adrenaline was being pumped through her veins faster than it already was. Albeit it wasn't by much, there was still a change. In fact she felt totally re-energized, this time Aela did look up to see the girl standing beside the captain, her hand on his shoulder. Was she the source?

Then the ship surged forward, knocking back quite a few of the sailors aboard as well as the man that held her at a safe distance from the helm. The sudden surge caused him to fall back into the guard of the ship, grunting from the impact, his grip was loosened allowing her enough leeway to wriggle free. Within a few breaths the ship had ceased the spontaneous movement forward and calmed to a steady pace, the sails filled with a slight wind, And Aela had her sword drawn pointed at the sailor who had begun to encroach upon her once more. His face an angry mask as he stepped forward. Aela sent the tip of her black blade into his throat. The sailor's moxie faltered, but his gaze stayed trained on her.

"Do not make another step forward or you will make a bloody mess of things."

Aela was a stowaway, obstructer of the peace, and now an aggressor; things had taken a nasty turn for a "simple" innkeeper.

 

[Cerulean]

As soon as he was settled in, he was busy making/repairing any gear he could. The men and women needed to be ready, or at least have good tools to survive. Everything from a single nail to some sailors lucky sword had passed through his little corner of the ship. He had his window and found that the sea had a distinct smell. A good one, he found it to be. The sound of water reminded him of home, as work began to take hour after hour of his time. Khanaan even fashioned a little mask for himself, just to make sure there was one in his size. These waters were beautiful but dangerous.

"KILLING CLOUD OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!"

"Moo-what?"

His head popped past a bunch of boxes below deck. A knowledge of ships wasn't something within his forte, a look out of his little hole was the remedy to the ignorance. He must have been on the starboard side, because the cloud was coming right towards him. Moving into action, he immediately grabbed his beloved hammer and two nails.

"Lets do some work Hammy!"

With a single stroke, each time, the nails went in perfectly. If spores were going to get in, it wouldn't be through this hole. He looked around, trying to think of what to do next. A couple of ideas batted around his head but indecision would not do well for the other crew members. Choosing a plan, Khanaan goes for his custom made mask. Thankfully, it's pretty damn comfortable. Sprig could probably use one too...

-----------------------


"Don't lose this, little one. It just barely saved your life."

Khanaan looked out over the boat, seeing what the rest of the environment was. The spores had passed, and it seemed he had survived. A life even managed to be saved to his need to make sure everyone had their gear. Score one for the ship's quartermaster. Hopefully, there is some rum on this rig.

 

[Boss Frost]

Konkon stumbles slightly, right back down onto his rear. He was unused to having the mask on his face, and lay down as the spore cloud washed over the lot of them. One of his fingers plugged his bottle of rum, hoping to at least save that. As a bonus, the water-fey that he had noticed was well and clear of the ship's underside. He rolled over, off of Sprig and to his feet. He looked over, watching the spore cloud leave - though the sigh of relief was shared by the sailors, he instead rose his voice in a cheer: "Alrigh'! Score one fer the fox! Take that, ocean!"

Konkon proceeds to celebrate with a dance of victory, twisting and going about like a kit given a shiny new toy. His arms rose and fell like pumping pistons, knees high in the air as he prances about. While the mood seemed somber to some, victory over a deadly adversary was enough to give the fox reason to celebrate. He rose his head to the sky: "Praise Illium! This callsh fer a celebration!" Looking about at the relieved faces, he asks: "Anyone...? No-one?" With a shrug, he turns a little too quickly, smacking Sprig in the face with his bound tail. He pointed out to sea to laugh in it's general direction, his voice muffled by the mask still on his head: the sailors might have put it on a little too tightly, as he begins to choke afterward.

After righting himself, he inhales deeply. He places a hand on his hip, turning around to offer his hand to the fey that he might have inadvertently injured a moment before. "Yer not the prettiesht thing I've caught, but sss'prolly better this way, yah?" He chuckles. "Glad to git yeh out the water, there..." He gestures, pointing towards the bioluminescence-enhanced shoreline. "Fishhhermen's Bane. Coulda had you belly-up in a good bit of time." He crouches, getting face to face with the fey. His bottle of rum sloshed about on the end of his finger - CLEARLY stuck. "...You thirshty?"

 

[Asmodeus]

Sprig had been trying to get the freshly-soldered mask off. Then he had been hit in the face by a bushy fox tail. And when at last he wrenched off the hot metal he was confronted with a grinning face and a sloshing bottle of rum.

"Gimme a bleedin' second, will ya!?"

He hurled the breather mask at Khanaan, and watched it bounce off his bull pecs. Then he scrabbled around and got the fish-hook out of his cloak. This he threw at Konkon, with similar effect.

"Yeah, Fisherman's Bane! Yer all bloody Fisherman's Bane! Thick 'eaded Navy lot sailin' around like yer own the seas! Who the heck leaves an anchor 'alf-raised? Got snagged in the chain, din't I? Dragged for three bloody days, screamin' me 'ead off. And I only get saved when some tosser with a fishin' rod decides he's ready for suppah?!"

As he babbled he pulled his cloak around him. The bright blue garment was the size of a full grown adult. It swamped him.

"An' why the bloody 'ell would I be thirsty? I've been drinking sea-wa'er and munching on barnacles for 'alf a week, thanks to you lot!"

The hobbler fairy slid around to the other side of the mizzenmast and crossed his arms, putting his back to Konkon. It was from here that he had sight of the quarterdeck, where Captain Valyrin and Ayanne were recovering from their advents. "Ere, Miss! Tha' was great! Ye saved me life, wot with yer quick thi-- oh..."

Sprig went quiet when he saw Aela below the helm, holding a blade to the throat of a sailor.

"Oh cripes..."

 

[Kooriryu]

Kozoul, Viridosi witch & Riven bee keeper
Onboard the Sea Wraith

The half kin's eyes dilated at the encroaching billowing deathcloud. She had the rushing feeling of wanting the comfort of her hut in Riven, the soothing buzz in the Hive anything from home than this entirely inconveniencing situation. This was not the adventure she had signed up for. Kozoul's mind was stumbling over itself, every possible course of action to her did not seem worthwhile in the potential damage and chaos it could inflict upon the passengers and crew of the Sea Wraith. The beacon that was finding Lady Ironblood and consulting her for guidance was all the witchling could concentrate on without utterly unravelling in front of the crew.

---

The abrupt churning of the boat northward nearly flung the twiggy little half kin over the railings. It was then Kozoul expertly decided that standing on the barrels was not the best option no matter how strong she assumed her grip was on the mast ropes. Her eyes had long given up searching desperately for the cinnbar cloak and instead focused on every sudden movement on deck. She did not see who had changed the trajectory of the Sea Wraith but seeing the ship's first mate restrain a struggling woman near the steering wheel answered the question before it had fully formed. Where in this godforsaken ship are you, Lady Ironblood?

Kozoul observed the second-in-command manhandling the girl a moment longer, with the majority of the crew otherwise engaged the first mate looked to be unsure of how to proceed with the usurper.

The following was almost too fast for Kozoul to keep up with. In all her time in Riven tending to bees and the ailments and wishes of Riven folk, she never dreamt things could go sour so quickly. Lady Ironblood had promised the Riven witch many things for participating in this mission, she was made aware of the possible hindrances but what Kozoul had not accounted for was for them to happen so quickly. And in such rapid succession!

She could feel Hagmother Drala's derision all the way from here. Silly half-elf, I have taught you all of this and still your mind is like the mud at the banks of the Prosperos! How did I teach you to be so lax in your judgement? So dull in your actions? Your potential is wasted if you cannot put it into practice!
Those would be the words Drala would have shouted into her ears. "...Assess, Kozoul you half-wit! Assess assess... ! The girl has a crew member at sword point, what can your magic do here?!" she murmured to herself.

The girl had to be put down. Not killed... necessarily. Neutralized. Nullified. Subdued.

... Subdued! The one choice of words set off a spark in her head and that sparkle ignited a firecracker in her mind. It was time to put the Sea Wraith's burly crew to her advantage! Quickly, Kozoul made her way around the barrels that lined the ships' railing and where once she was resigned to be bounced around and against the muscled flesh she now utilized them as her camouflage. Who would notice one as tiny and thin-limbed as she amongst the rippling sinews of the crew?

She was at the scene of the treachery but the crew was too dispersed near it for her to venture out farther to stop the girl. Biting her lip in concentrated effort to abide by her teacher's phantom admonitions, Kozoul made as quietly as she could to rummage through her large sleeves for the powder satchel she needed. Pouring out a small, yellow pile of fine dust the witchling brought it to her mouth to speak an entreating incantation upon it in a tongue spoken only in hallowed whispers.

" Kelth weyoveth thun dargaphonen sil thath'r polos neuth...!" The last syllable was spoken like a puff of air, sending the yellow dust flying out of her palm. It hovered a moment and, almost alive, it snaked through the air in tendrils, clawing through the space between them and the girl faster and faster, neatly slithering up her nostrils.

Viridos... Riven was known as an apothecary and alchemist's heaven. Many sought cures, antidotes and remedies for things inflicted upon others. Kozoul however, all too-familiar with how to reverse effects, was more interested in what a mixture of the Viridosi forest's plants could cause in conjunction with her magic.

As it turned out, the roots of 4 plants and the dried leaves of 3 with an incantation used for sleep with a slight change in modifying verbs in the language produced a very potent paralytic sedative.

 

[Falcon]

Ayanne Marshden, green

Ayanne took a deep breath and then another one. The last final push to send the spells in a wash over the deck had occurred after her time limit was exceeded, meaning the moment the advent had cut out she had started draining herself dry. That added to her earlier spell fatigue and the shear number of spells she had been working at one time left her dizzy and disoriented. Her legs shook and her ears rang for a moment. When she tried to take a step back she fell to her knees instead.

By the time she regained her senses the woman who had tried to take over the helm had a sword out and was pointing it at the sailor who had held her out of the way some very few minutes prior. What was this mutiny? No, the girl was a passenger and by the look of things only a little younger than herself. Treason then? or . . .
"You weren't supposed to be here in the first place, on this ship I mean." Ayanne tried to rise back to her feet but with a groan sank to her knees again. A few more minutes and then she'd be able to walk, but until then . . .

She couldn't finish her thought. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the slightest trace of a spell residue, what seemed to be yellow dust, slid up the nose of the woman who was holding the sailor hostage. Yellow . . . She felt there was something important there she should recognize about the color, but-

There wasn't time for that now. There were possibly other people injured. She needed to concentrate on the areas where she could do some good. Clutching her healer's bag to her side she rose shakily to her feet and very cautiously began making her way up the deck towards the mizzenmast. Other healers were already seeing to the worst of it and besides, she had thought someone had been trying to speak to her from there. It seemed as good a place to start as any.

 

[Tegan]

Ironblood tilted her face upward to her sliver of reflection. In one hand, she held a small mirror above her head, the other hand was occupied with awkwardly unravelling the gauze that had dressed it. Her cabin was barely enough to accommodate a stringy hammock and her field supplies and with each sway of the sea, Ironblood found herself and her vials shifting along, until the wall halted her.

The alchemist caught a brief reflection of her body when one such shift caused the mirror to angle down. Her clothes had changed, the robes of her station, contaminated by the black spores, were cast overboard. The sensible tunic, breeches and cloak belonged to Ayanne. Despite the heat of her cabin, Ironblood sighed with pleasure, let herself sink back into the hammock. She basked in sheer the weightlessness of the fabrics compared to her robes.

The silver pendulum around her neck hummed. "One would mistake you for an ordinary person."
Ironblood allowed her hand to drift down the length of the tunic, caressing each shell button, tracing every frayed seam. "Yes, a convincing illusion."
"I think you like this disguise. Perhaps you will want to keep it." Ironblood stared at the ceiling and wondered if there would ever be a time she would not be in costume.

The Previous Night

A sailor shoved past the Lady, cursing her for being in the way, she tumbled forward, then was seized by her shoulder. As she was pulled back, Ironblood could hear the familiar barrage of reprimands at her carelessness. Was it just her memory playing tricks, or had Calla finally come?

Upajjhaya Calla...

Ayanne Marshden, cheeks flushed with anger, pressed a breather mask to Ironblood's face. The half'kin pulled away to protest, wrench the claustrophobic thing off. It was wasted on one such as her. But the healer was gone, off to help others. Ironblood stood alone on the rear deck, unmasked as the Killing Cloud swept over her. However, the poison in her lungs came to no surprise. The sudden lurch of the ship, followed by a sudden acceleration sent Ironblood tumbling down the steps. This time with no one to catch her. Liquid pain burst from the crown of her head, followed by blood, then darkness.

The alchemist made her way through the narrow corridor, arms outstretched to steady herself against the walls when the Sea Wraith rocked. Just ahead was the stow away--Aela's cabin. Valyrin had ordered her confined there until they returned to Hosia. No doubt for a trial. By now, the effects of Kozoul's sedative would be wearing off. Posted just outside the wooden door was a sailor Ironblood did not recognize. His gaze was uneasy, even for someone on guard duty, and there was an odor about him, black smudges on his hands...Charcoal?
The sailor's eyes never left Ironblood as she hurried past him, up to the security of the deck's chaos.

The two avians circled high above the coastline, communicating with swift signing. They flew back to the Sea Wraith, anchored over a mile offshore. Ironblood's dousing had proved fruitful. They left behind a portion of coastal jungle that had decayed to black.

***​

"GANGWAAAAA—" Niyashi hollered as she soared over the sailors guiding her in with orange flags. "—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

"AAAARGH!"

"CRAZY BITCH!"

The crew members on the main deck jumped to dodge her as Niyashi landed briefly in a crouch before riding the momentum into a full run. Such a maneuver was hell on the joints, but as a Hosian courier, her body was more than adequately conditioned. Niyashi skidded to a halt when she reached Ironblood on the forecastle. The alchemist studied a unfurled ley line map, her pendulum held over it.

"Lady!" Niyashi gasped as she knelt forward, grasping her knees, shaking from exhaustion and adrenaline. By now, Niyashi's scene had caused quite a stir on the deck. "We've found it!"

It was time for a true test of their wills.