The Aftermath

[OGRE MAGE]

Through The River Okeanos
Early Evening, Cloudy, Cool

The ship continues to sail towards the hump in the water ahead, the odd form becoming easier to see as it gets closer. Though Valkrina cant tell what type, the carcass definitely looks like it was once a whale or some other large marine creature. The surface of the water around the mass is a torrent of activity, as smaller creatures splash and tear at the dead carcass, feeding on the rotting meat just below the waterline. The horrible stink hits your senses well before the ship arrives on the scene.

Singing even louder now, to inspirit her allies, Valkrina tries to list off all the benefits they might gain from such a find, if they can only chase away any dangerous feeders already assembled at the watery dinner table. The others scatter around the vessel as they approach, trying to find anything they can use as range weapons as they get closer. The only thing any of them find that might work is the bundle of long oars stored in the bottom of the ship.

Euripides tries to ignore the excitement, the Atlantean continuing to concentrate on his vision. The longship cuts through the water at a fairly quick rate of speed, those with any sailing knowledge would guess the current rate at about 10 knots. With the anomaly in the water directly ahead, the boat looks as though it will hit the stinking mass almost head on if something isnt done to alter her coarse and speed.

dscn0169.jpg (133.6 KiB) Viewed 1003 times

Actions?

positions:
Drest AC:7 2/7
Akhilleus AC:4 11/11
Valkrina AC:6 8/8 1/1
Apollonius AC:8 3/5 0/2
Euripides AC:5 7/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 2/9 0/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9

[Paladin]

Apollonius Triton

"We're moving too fast to do anything with this beast," he declares. "Our best hope is to avoid it altogether. If we each take an oar and dip them together on the port side, as fast as we're moving we'll veer starboard and miss that thing. Ship oars as soon as we come close to avoid snagging on the carcass and we should bob around it. That's my suggestion, for the two coppers it's worth."

He'll take an oar and stand ready near the stern in case the others attempt his plan. If they opt to take another route, he'll hold onto the oar for defense or use as a push-pole.

[Rex]

Drest

Drest grabs an oar and follows instructions.

[shaidar]

Xenos joins in with the oar work.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus too.

[Scott308]

Euripides Nereos

Oh! Give me one of those. Euripides follows his fellow Atlantean's directions, knowing that hitting the carcass could bring their journey to a very sudden halt.

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Will stick an oar through the oar lock and pull back in unison with the others to cause a drag effect on one side and a swerve around the creature.

Valkrina 1-3 strength test [1d6]=2

[subaltari]

Hakon

If the ship has a rudder astern, Hakon will dash past Apollonius, grasp the rudder and haul it to the right (starboard). If not, he'll deploy an oar and heave with the others to starboard.

[OGRE MAGE]

Through The River Okeanos
Early Evening, Cloudy, Cool

The growing concern about a head on collision with a dead whale carcass gets the group moving much quicker around the inside of the Viking longship. Apollonius suggests they each grab one of the oars and attempt to direct the ship away from the obstacle. Drest, Xenos, Akhilleus, and even Euripides follows suit, with Valkrina actually using one of the oar locks to insert her oar. Unfortunately, sticking the oars into the water at this speed does almost nothing to slow or divert their current path.

Hakon and Mikhail race towards the rudder arm at the back of the vessel, both of them altering the steering mechanism at the same time, sending the ship slightly off coarse and to the side of the undulating carcass. Oddly, they don't see any other aquatic creatures feeding off the meat like they thought they might, and by the time the ship is far enough away where they feel safe again, they believe they have figured out why.

kraken.jpg (51.24 KiB) Viewed 978 times

Looking behind them as they pass, several long and dangerous looking tentacles rise up out of the water to envelop the carcass, sucking it down into the sea. It quickly disappears below the waves as if the thing had never been there at all. Mikhail looks around nervously when he notices the craft slowly realign its course again, this time without any hands moving the rudder arm. He looks into the eyes of the others with confusion. "Where are we headed? One of you must know something?"

Actions?

positions:
Drest AC:7 2/7
Akhilleus AC:4 11/11
Valkrina AC:6 8/8 1/1
Apollonius AC:8 3/5 0/2
Euripides AC:5 7/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 2/9 0/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9

[Paladin]

Apollonius Triton

"Suppose I need more sand in my pants," Apollonius mutters, replacing his oar and shrugging. "Figured she'd heave to with a little dip, as fast as this current is flowing. It's just too much. Glad they turned that rudder, though." He watches the tentacles rise with a shudder.

"That's a right beast." Apollonius sends Mikhail a sideways glance and smiles. "We'll all be surprised together, hey?"

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Stops the inspiring song, instead sings a dirge. She bows to the kraken and tossed some offering into the water, perhaps one of her whalebone pipes she has carved.

"You should all provide an offering in lieu of a sacrifice." she says to the other crew then takes her place back in the benches watching the great tentacled beast flail in the sea.

[Rex]

Drest

"That is unreal, it must be the size of a town."

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

"We're lucky there was that while for it to feed on.

Who's sailing the ship? Is this thing moving on her own?"

[subaltari]

Hakon

Hakon gasps and exclaims something in Norse, for several moments awed at the size of the terrible sea-monster. Then following Valkrina's reverent example, rummages in his big belt pouch and comes out with a small rattle of wood and rawhide, filled with dried beans and carved with the likeness of a bear's head. Without bowing to the kraken, he tosses it over the stern rail in that direction.

He is just as vexed as Mikhail about the ship's seeming ability to direct itself. At first Hakon grabs his black totem and eyes it suspiciously, then slowly another thought comes to him. "It's something about the ship herself. Look for runes carved in a hidden place, or some device secreted aboard." He begins to search.

[Rex]

Drest

"Perhaps its out tokens? We know they are magic."

[shaidar]

Xenos

"I would imagine it's these tokens, they saved us from drowning. We could test the theory by throwing them all overboard" he says deadpan.

[subaltari]

Hakon

"I would imagine it's these tokens, they saved us from drowning. We could test the theory by throwing them all overboard" he says deadpan.

Hakon's bearded face distorts in a scowl... which slowly turns into a smile.
"Xenos, now that you are back to life you amuse us with your words! They sound like utter folly but make a perverse sense, blast you. Verily, the witchery of my token saved me as it did you, but I deemed it would only affect our bodies and not be strong enough to move a mere boat, let alone this stout knarr."

The Viking goes forward to inspect the ship's figurehead and bow, then work his way back along the centerline, clinging to his theory that there may be some other dweomer laid upon the vessel itself.

[Bluetongue]

Valkrina

Maybe not the ship. Maybe the totems acting as some strange magnet that lures the wind and pulls us in a certain direction?

I wonder if we all gathered in one ship of the ship, the vessel would noticeably tack that way and if we ran to the other another discernible movement would happen as the totems are huddled together and generate more pulling power than us bring scattered around the ship in random places?

If the ship was magical, why anchor off Onja Cot?

She offers a plausible (at least in her peanut brain) alternative thought.

also the advice she gives about offerings to the kraken thing are based solely upon her cultural tradition and superstition and not from any actual knowledge, as in it is rp not religious knowledge. Not to say any of her thoughts couldn't actually be true.

[OGRE MAGE]

Through The River Okeanos
Early Evening, Cloudy, Cool

As the ship continues to surge through the surface of the water, offerings are made to the massive beast that nearly devoured them all in one huge gulp. Fortunately, once the monster disappears back below the waves, it is not seen again.

Wondering if their magic totems are responsible for leading them further out to sea, the party finally concentrates a bit more effort into discovering their greater function. Explanations are made to the newcomers that the entire party should have drowned after their last failed endeavor at sea, and that the totems are likely what saved them. When all of the totems are gathered close together, a slight magical hum can be detected from the black wooden charms.

Looking over the ship from stern to bow, Hakon finds no indication that she is imbued with magic in any way. No runes or sigals can be found inside or out. The ship continues on its southwestern direction, defying the strong currents of the River Okeanos until they finally reach slightly calmer waters just before darkness envelops them. While areas are made ready for sleeping, Mikhail continues to look out over the water towards the south. “I wish I knew where those trinkets of yours are taking us. If my navigation skills are accurate, I don’t believe their are any other land masses in this area. I hope the color of your totems doesn’t indicate that we are heading straight for the Black Gulf!”

Actions?

Can I get a night time watch list along with you next actions, please?

positions:
Drest AC:7 2/7
Akhilleus AC:4 11/11
Valkrina AC:6 8/8 1/1
Apollonius AC:8 3/5 0/2
Euripides AC:5 7/7 2/2
Xenos AC:5 2/9 0/2
Hakon AC:4 4/9

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus

Akhilleus looks at the amulet, then at Mikhail, then at the sea. "The Black Gulf? What's wrong with that place?"

He will take first watch.