Action Thread 2: Boarding the Seahawk / Departing Karagonia

[Argennian]

~ Captain Billings starts to lead the party west across the beach when a female voice calls out from behind. "OVER HERE, WE NEED HEALING!" It is the High elf Lauranna calling out as she makes her way over some fallen trees to the edge of a thicket. It appears she has found someone that’s still alive and kneels down in the brush out of view for a closer look. Two sailors that are somewhat close by rush to her side. Billings hands off a potion from his large belt pouch to one of the sailors that was helping Shanny along and without any additional order needed, the crewman races back over to where Lauranna and the others await.

After a moment, the group continues to make its way across the remaining stretch of sand to where the longboats await. The few sailors there rush forward and offer their assistance. Lying in the sand nearby just above the tide line, apparently fallen where they once stood, are what looks to be the bodies of four dead sailors. Their eyes are wide and their mouths agape, as if screaming horridly in eternal silence from the great beyond. Their faces and exposed skin on their arms and hands have very strange-looking dark spots on them, almost like the markings of the plague. Already inside the largest of the longboats, lying motionless on a stretcher is the armored dwarf that fought the demon. He somehow still clutches the massive war hammer to his chest and the weapon is still glowing red, albeit very softly in comparison to before. His once magnificent plate armor no longer glows, let alone shines from its previously-polished state and appears to have a nasty-looking green taint upon it.

The sailors begin lifting the party dead and wounded into two of the boats with guidance from both the gnome couple and the older half-elf woman. Sheba continues to cry and whine as they place Gentleman Billy in what must be the captain’s longboat, right next to the still form of the armored dwarf. Without further a due, Sheba jumps in next to him and sits down to nuzzle her still-unconscious master. When the sailors lift the young nobleman into one of the boats, he starts to stir and mutter incomprehensibly, his hands reaching up and fumbling for something that isn’t there. After a few moments, however, he loses consciousness again and becomes quiet. Billings helps Shanny into the same longboat and she moves over to sit next to the young man. The sea captain then turns around to assess the situation. When the sailors present finish loading up the other survivors, he begins barking orders. "That one's ready," he exalts as he points to one of the longboats that’s already full. "You men get that one back to the ship now. Tell Arak to pull anchor and prepare to sail north when we get everyone aboard."
"Aye, aye, cap'n!" they respond in unison as they shove off and begin settling in to row the overloaded skiff back to the waiting merchant vessel.
Billings then looks to some of the other sailors gathered. "You men there! Go and help the others still up there and get ‘em back here fast!"
One of his men points to the dead sailors lying close by. "And whatin bout them, cap’n?"
A look of both anger and regret crosses the captain’s visage. "Shanny says not to touch ‘em, lest we risk bringing death upon the ship and us all. So get some lamp oil and douse ‘em good. If’in we can’t bury ‘em at sea, we’ll burn ‘em here on the beach!"

Billings turns to the party and assesses each of you with a quick but calculated stare. He then turns to look back to the elder half-elf woman. He makes eye contact with her and motions backs towards you with a nod of his head. She looks to each of you quickly and nods in the affirmative. Billings then turns to address you. "Alright then, we ain’t got no time to be checking who’s who and collecting passes. We’ll just have to do so once we get underway. So go ahead and climb aboard these boats here. We’ll be departing straight away when the others make it back."

The sea captain then moves out to go up and meet the group with the High elf Lauranna that's just now clearing the broken tree line. They're carry someone small on a stretcher, perhaps a halfling. Billings continues to bark orders briskly in an effort to speed up the group’s departure from the beach...



HPs/Status: Bog* 6/9 ; Caelvanna 2/8 ; Emm 6/6 ; Griffo* 5/10 ; *Hartnid 9/9 ; *Ulrich 8/8 ; Lauranna 3/3 ; Thalion* 5/5
WIH (primary/secondary): Bog – longsword* (1st spear thrown); Caelvanna – short bow (reg. arrows fired-13, silver arrows fired-8); Emm – scimitar/SC (threw spear); Griffo – longsword/shield (reg. arrows fired-15); Hartnid – flail/SC; Ulrich – staff/SC; Lauranna – short sword/SC (thrown 3 daggers*); Thalion – longsword/dagger (SC = spell component/spell to cast)
MO(all grouped together with Capt Billings and his men): 1: Bog, Thalion, Ulrich, Griffo, Caelvanna, Hartnid and Emm, 2: Lauranna just about to join the party at the longboats

[Alethan]

Without saying another word, Bog climbs into one of the awaiting boats and sits down, closing his eyes.

It feels good to be resting on your own accord, and not because of some blasted cold club or exploding daemon.

[tkrexx]

Emm will follow the Half-Orc into the longboat, still carrying the child. As best she can she will wrap her cloak around them both.

[Nuke66]

PM sent

[dmw71]

Caelvanna takes pause as she approaches the boat, suddenly realizing how much she prefers land to the sea. 'Ah,' she mutters, as she boards the ship.

[SocraticLawyer]

Ulrich gets on the boat.

[Thalion]

Thalion grimaces, his whole body hurting but not as much as his pride, as he struggles to get into the boat.

As he does so, he manages a weak smile at Bog.

"We sure kicked that thing's butt, didn't we?

OOC: Sorry about the delay. Finally got access to a laptop here at the rehab center last night. Been trying to follow along on Iphone but I just don't have the patience to actually try to write something using it. 1st kidney surgery scheduled for tomorrow, and if everything goes well, will probably be released to go home maybe Thursdy or Friday of next week.

[Argennian]

Thalion grimaces, his whole body hurting but not as much as his pride, as he struggles to get into the boat.

As he does so, he manages a weak smile at Bog.

"We sure kicked that thing's butt, didn't we?

OOC: Sorry about the delay. Finally got access to a laptop here at the rehab center last night. Been trying to follow along on Iphone but I just don't have the patience to actually try to write something using it. 1st kidney surgery scheduled for tomorrow, and if everything goes well, will probably be released to go home maybe Thursdy or Friday of next week.

OOC: No worries brother, and sorry for not following up with you via pm! I had assumed that Thalion was still in but it's all official now. I know all about using the 'ol smartphone for that. Sadly, that was my only regular resource here for a long time.

Best wishes going to you on your surgery tomorrow. Very happy to hear that things are moving forward and just worry about getting better and back on track. Come on back whenever you're feeling better, the front door is always open!

[Alethan]

Without opening his eyes, or even lifting his head, Bog smiles and nods.

"That we did, friend."

He opens his eyes and looks at Thalion, "Glad we both made it out of that mess alive. That thing liked to never die..."

[Nyctos]

Griffo looks at the longboat and gives a sigh remarkably similar as Caelvanna. His sigh however is in regards to the height of the side of the longboat. He begins to struggle over the side, made more difficult by his weakened state.

[Alethan]

Noticing the halfling's struggle, Bog reaches over and offers Griffo a hand.

[Argennian]

As Captain Billings moves out to collect the last of his men from the tree-line, a couple of sailors carrying a stretcher arrive with a still-smoldering halfling occupant upon it. Lauranna the High elf is with them and joins the party members as they begin to climb into the three waiting longboats. Two sailors begin pouring lamp oil on the bodies of their dead mates lying about. Billings returns with his remaining three men but stops when he sees that one of the dwarven clerics has not moved into the boats. “You there, master dwarf. There is no more time, we must be off.”
Hartnid stands his ground and shakes his head defiantly. “No.”
Billings looks at him incredulously. “No?”
The armored dwarven cleric raises his head and looks the sea captain and each of the other men in the eyes. “You heard right, I said no.”
The sailors look nervously at each other as Billings considers him for a moment and then acquiesces. “Very well then, son of Moradin. Even if me and the lads could make you, we would not try. Tis a free country, or at least it used to be. I bid you farewell then,” he says with a slight bow and turns to address those remaining sailors with a silent hand gesture to move out.

Hartnid walks down to the boat where his cousin awaits. The sailors by the boat move away nervously and give him room. Ulrich fixes his approach with a grim look. The two cousins speak quietly and quickly amongst each other. Hartnid finishes and Ulrich nods back mechanically and regretfully. Hartnid turns and marches defiantly back east. Billings watches him go for a moment and then gives a hand signal. Two of his men toss torches to the dead, pock-marked sailors on the beach and they begin to burn. They return and each set to pushing the boats out and away from the sandy bank. The boats become free of the beach and a set of sailors jumps in to man the oars. The trio of boats all drift back and turn west towards the waiting merchant ship. Billings looks over to consider Ulrich as he watches his cousin march up the beach and out of sight into the tree line.

The longboats make their way through the mild surf and move closer to the ever-looming merchant cog. The cooler air coming off the water serves to help clear everyone’s minds and senses. The young nobleman starts to waken and stir. He begins calling out the same name over and over. “Lath… Lathalamas…” The older female half-elf moves over to comfort him. The gnomes move to assist her as he starts to become frantic. “No, no! Lathalamas!!” he cries and starts to struggle. The boat rocks back and forth and a sailor moves up to help the others hold him down. Shanny feels her way over and touches a charm to his forehead. He flops down on the stretcher, instantly asleep. The occupants settle in again and the sailors row to catch up with the other boats moving closer to the awaiting ship.

The three longboats come alongside the dark-colored merchant cog and the sailors that were rowing move over to grab onto the massive cargo net hanging off the side. One by one, the sailors help each and every one of the passengers up the nets, one from above and one from below. The sailors on the ship throw down ropes and one at a time lift out each of the stretchers with the loading boom. The party makes its way safely upon the deck of the Seahawk, along with Billings and the others. The captain begins barking orders with obvious practice and the party is ushered back and away to allow the veteran sailors room to scamper about to secure the ship in preparation to sail. To the east on the beach, the oil driven fires on the corpses of the dead sailors all but recedes as another bank of thick fog rolls in from the west and past the Seahawk towards the coast. The whole scene takes on a surreal and eerie calmness in the fog. Sailors scampering about, some tend to the wounded and bring them below for continued care and examination. Others move about the masts and nets and prepare to deploy the sails while others secure the longboats and items gathered from the scene. The surviving, conscious members of the party are all left to look about to each other as the merchant cog’s massive sails snap to in the predawn breeze and the ship begins to move north away from the coastal valley…

[Alethan]

Bog glances back at the shore. He mutters a quick prayer for his aunt and grinds his teeth in anger as he contemplates revenge on those who have brought this disturbance to the land.

[dmw71]

The Seahawk, Calevanna thinks to herself. As the boat casts off and her body disagrees with the rocking of the craft in the water, she quickly realizes she would much rather be flown than taken by sea. "Oh, well." she sighs.

[tkrexx]

The Druid takes the small child to whatever corner she can find, hoping to be out of the sailors' way. She seats herself with her back to the corner and offers the girl a sip of water, and again wraps her cloak about both of them. We should try to rest, child, she whispers. We will eat when the sun rises. She tries to take into memory the faces of the Seahawk's crew, but she knows she is too weary.

[Nuke66]

Lauranna watches the wounded being loaded before following the burnt halfling below deck.

[Argennian]

The Seahawk responds willingly to the ministrations of her veteran crew and the merchant ship noticeably picks up speed. Visibility is nigh 70-80 feet in the rolling thick blanket of coastal fog as the huge white sail on the massive main mast stays taut and the double set on the foremast are swiveled into place to push the ship forward with a slight tack to port. Sailors move about silently on both the fore and stern castles as others keep constant watch into the fog. The stretchered and wounded are all moved down two ramps at the rear and into the main cargo hold. The older female half-elf and Sheba, the gnome couple, as well as Shanny, follow Lauranna and the stretchers of both dead and wounded down into the hold. Bog, Caelvanna, Emm and the young child, Griffo, Thalion and Ulrich remain to the rear of the main deck, just in front of the stern castle.

After detailed conversations with the men at the wheel, Captain Billings comes over to update the party members present. “We are underway and headed north for the moment. I am still at a loss to know what in the nine hells happened to you all back there. I must admit that we were surprised to find any of you still alive. Although the fog was very thick and may have concealed most of the light from that blast, it will not have softened the thunderclap that followed. It shook the Seahawk good and was probably felt all the way south at the main Karagonian port. That’ll include the Royal Navy blockade, of course. They’re probably already en route to investigate. We will slip north up the coast and then turn west just before dawn. With any luck, we will miss any unfriendly ships and be out of sight over the horizon before the morning sun breaks up the fog.”

Billings then steps up closer and considers your party with sharp yet respectful consideration. “Just so we get it out of the way now, I still need the remainder of those passes. One of my men will be collecting these. Billy’s sister has vouched that each of you were present at the meadow and also on the trail when... it happened. Please understand I mean no disrespect and would hope you appreciate my position when I say they still need to be verified. Once confirmed, all doubt will be satisfied and you will be allowed to move freely about the ship. If any of you are injured, make your way down to the infirmary and see Shanny. Behind you is the stern castle. Inside there is a large banquet room in the rear. There is food and drink waiting there, as well as more comfortable seating and accommodations. There are open bunks inside the main room of the forecastle up ahead, as well as down in the hold. I only ask you stay out of mine and Shanny’s quarters, as well as the enclosed forward hold. I lost five good men back there. If the weather out on the bay gets rough, I may need a hand or two on the riggings…”

Billings watches you as his man approaches you for the pass...



OOC: Ok gang, for anyone's character that has not already done so, just needed to confirm that the rest will hand over their passes here!

[Alethan]

OOC: again?

Bog unceremoniously throws his folded letter at the man collecting them when he asks to see his.

"Are ye collecting them now? Or do we need to show it to ya every time we come to a port if we leave the ship?"

[Argennian]

Bog unceremoniously throws his folded letter at the man collecting them when he asks to see his.

"Are ye collecting them now? Or do we need to show it to ya every time we come to a port if we leave the ship?"

Billings nods in relief as he inspects the ticket and then puts it in his belt pouch. "They will not be needed again, Master Bog. You are a free man and friend of the people here."

OOC: again?

OOC: I don't believe these had been collected In Game yet. Please disregard if you had already done this on the beach and I missed it

[Alethan]

OOC: sorry, thought I did that when boarding the ship. Guess not. He was pretty tired from all the happenings going on.