[The adventurers Griffolk Ethyn the Dragon-Shaman, Corhim Sparkledingle the Gnome Wizard and Fangorino the Barbarian are on a mission to follow Baroness Partick and have been onboard the galleon known as the Dementor for several weeks now.
Recently Mr and Mrs Baleworth went missing, presumed taken by the vampires lurking in the ship's hold, and Sparkledingle has talked to the new Bosun, a middle-aged fellow called Redthorn who also happens to be a Harper Agent.]
DAY 27 (16) cont...
Sparkledingle returned to Griff and Fangorino and told them everything about his talk with Redthorn.
Eventually they all returned to their cabins.
DAY 28 (day 17 of the voyage)
After all the excitement of the day before, the Dementor settled back into a sort of routine.
A day of sailing, good progress was made.
DAY 29 (day 18 of the voyage)
A day of sailing, good progress was made.
DAY 30 (day 19 of the voyage)
Today Gingols the Sane finally snapped. He had been wandering around on the deck for a while unnoticed until he suddenly attacked Sparkledingle who was standing with his friends at the rail.
Whatever prompted this sudden violence was very ill-advised as Fangorino chopped him with his axe as he rushed in. Then, as Sparkledingle cast Mirror Image to confuse him, Griff shot the (presumably now) insane wizard in the head with a crossbow bolt and that was the end of that.
Shortly afterwards they searched his cabin and found his journal that, in spidery letters, documented his decent into madness.
The captain, quite drunk, finally turned up. 'What's going on?' he burped.
As they explained he led Griff and Fang back to his cabin, where the drink was. Sparkledingle decided to go back to the surgeon's cabin and look at the potions again. Most were unlabeled or too mysterious to risk, but he took a few that he thought would be useful.
After that he went to look at Mullmaster. The First Mate was chained to the wall in the infirmary. He looked malnourished and dehydrated. He went to talk to Cookie who said, 'I don't know what to do with him. He doesn't eat.'
They then went to offer him food and water, but he was not interested.
Later still Sparkledingle went to the captain's cabin where he found them all rolling around as drunk as lords.
DAY 31 (day 20 of the voyage)
No alarming events today.
A day of sailing, good progress was made.
DAY 32 (day 21 of the voyage)
Today Yoram Pelloto was found dead by a sailor on the morning watch.
The rogue and card-sharp had been hung from the rigging.
DAY 33 (day 22 of the voyage)
Today Sparkledingle noticed that a lot of the crew were sleeping on the deck now, or even up in the rigging if they were either agile or fearful enough.
He went to talk to Redthorn.
'Having fun yet?' asked the Bosun bleakly.
'The crew appear nervous.'
'That they are, young gnome,' agreed Redthorn. 'My instructions are to simply make sure we get to Calimport. If we can make it there, all will be well.'
DAY 34 (day 23 of the voyage)
Today Jilley Hidescore came to them. She had had enough, she told them.
'I'm filled with dread!' she exclaimed. 'Every night I don't sleep a wink, how can I, knowing what is just below my cabin?'
She went on, 'we have to do something! Let's go down there with bags of garlic and sort them out! Are you coming?'
They calmed her down a bit before she could march off to her death. Other plans were discussed.
'Well, we often think about sinking the ship...' said Sparkledingle.
'Yes!' Jilley cried. 'Let's do that! I'm all in!'
Sparkledingle then went to bring Redthorn down to their mutinous cabal. No one was entirely sure how to sink a ship though, and while Sparkledingle had a book on engineering it was more geared towards building houses.
'Anyway,' said Redthorn after joining the others in looking at diagrams of stonemasonry. 'Sink the ship if you want, but we are headed to Calimport. I have friends waiting there.'
'Hmm,' put in Griffolk. 'How about we just sink it a bit? Like, just put a foot of water or so in the lower deck?'
Redthorn, who could still smell the drink on young Griffolk, sighed and said, 'well, aye. If your going to try that, I'm manning the lifeboats.'
Finally Jilley Hidescore yelped and said, 'oh, enough! I'm taking matters into my own hands.' And off she went.
Corhim went to his room to study. Griff went to talk to his sort-of friend Midshipman Krondor, but she was still, either deliberately or not, completely oblivious to everything going on.
'What's the big deal?' she said 'It's no skin off my nose if passengers disappear.
Dangerous place the sea. Captain's business, not mine.'
Griff then went to Midshipman Alise who was a decent fellow and unlike Krondor very unhappy about the situation. Griff put all his cards on the table;
'In theory,' he enthused. 'Running water in the hold could get rid of the vampires without sinking the
ship!'
Seeing Alise's skeptical look he went on. 'Don't worry, it's all going to be fine! Its a secret haha, but we have a harper agent on board, it's all sorted!'
Alise was not convinced.
'If I see you doing anything to endanger the ship I'll have you clapped in irons!' he snarled before going back to his work.
DAY 35 (day 24 of the voyage)
Today Jilley Hidescore took the jolly boat, and with two of the crew sailed off into the mist before anyone could stop them.
DAY 36 (day 25 of the voyage)
Today one of the other sailors went missing. They later learned it was their friend Bobby Shafto.
DAY 37 (day 26 of the voyage)
In the morning the brave companions arose and went on deck. None of them were sailors, but they could tell something was wrong. The ship was barely moving and what sails there were on the masts were hanging like useless rags. There was no one working the ship at all!
The truth was that with three sailors missing the ship was now unsailable. They went to the Captain's cabin and found him drinking himself senseless with two of the marines.
Around ten in the morning Baroness Partick arrived on deck and ordered her six silent guards to start sailing the ship. Sparkledingle knew that this did not bode well and went to talk to the one that had taken over the wheel. He was met with silence.
Just then the last two sailors (who were Darfellen, a race of seal-like people) stripped off on the deck and jumped into the sea.
Redthorn, also on deck, looked from the wheel to the sea, wheeling around in confusion and fear. His plan for Calimport was looking a lot less likely now.
Sparkledingle tried the captain again, but he was roaring drunk.
'Well,' he declared. 'It looks like I'm the captain now!'
It was no surprise to anyone that the silent guards ignored him.
Corhim, Griff and Fan decided to go and confront the Baroness. Redthorn declined to join them. 'Well, we've not changed direction,' he muttered. 'We are still going towards Calimport...'
So, without the Harper Agent, they went and knocked on the Baroness's cabin door. Mr Nice opened it, looked at them, then slammed the door shut.
They then played a bit of open and shut with the door as they knocked again and again. On the third round Fang tried to intimidate Mr Nice. The strange tall and green-skinned being was unimpressed.
They then went and had their lunch, and without having any better ideas they went back to the door and this time when it was opened, they attacked.
Mr Nice was massive, and although young Fang was far from small, initially he was badly beaten by the giant and fell back into the corridor in a bloody heap. The door was slammed shut.
A potion was applied to the barbarian and he was up and raring to go for another round.
The door was opened and this time Griff used his dragony fire breath. Mr Nice did not like that at all and walloped Griff with his mighty fists, making his head ring.
Corhim cast Grease and Mr Nice fell, making him an easy target for Fang's axe. Just as it looked like they were finally winning, as Fang roared in barbarian rage, beating down the green-skinned giant with a rain of heavy blows, a female voice behind them demanded,
'What is the meaning of this?'
Behind them they saw the Baroness, with several of her silent guards. Things had just got a lot more complicated.
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