[IC] Keratia: Story of the Surf, Tales of the Deep

[Lucius Cypher]

Nox returned to her senses upon your tap, nodding at your command. "Aye captain." She summoned Nox back to her since he was beyond her normal telepathic link, giving him the new orders and sending him back to the ship, this time going inside. "Defiantly some sort of captain's quarters. Large bed, a writing desk, closet, chest, tables, even a bronze bathtub. All of it in ruins of course, not to mention this room seems to be partially flooded. There's a lot of water pooling by the door keeping it shut, looks hard even if we were there ourselves, let alone for Nox. Let's see... Lock on the door too. Surprised that it is locked though. No drowned in here but- Shit!" Immediately Nyx stood up and snapped her fingers, recalling Nox back to the familiar realm. At that same moment, the crew could hear a haunting song all the way from the cliff side coming from the ship.

Nyx gritted her teeth as she looked at you. "I'm sorry captain. As Nox was about to look through the closet when a hand reached out to him. He was able to avoid it but... I got hasty and called him back before I could actually get a good look at it. Some sort of white hand though. It looked like it was coming straight out from the closet though." As Nyx spoke, Hurrik also tried to get your attention. He pointed down towards the bit of water between the beach and the ship, where it was rocky but calm. From those shallows, drowned stood up, almost completely hidden by the murky waters. They began to walk around the beach and into the ship itself. There was at least six of them that rose up from the shallows.

[rush99999]

Talogan watched as Nox once more flew down to the shipwreck and entered the wreck itself. As he listened to Nyx describe the general layout of what appeared to be the captain's quarters of the ship, Talogan also considered the task ahead of them. They were outnumbered, had no easy way of approaching the shipwreck, and had no clear way of telling what was leading the drowned. The coming battle would test not only his mettle, but also that of his crew. Just as Maglubiyet had intended most likely. "Shit!" Nyx exclaimed suddenly.
Slightly startled by this, Talogan quickly turned towards her as the sound of singing emerged from the shipwreck. "What's wrong?" Talogan asked when Nyx returned to her body.
"I'm sorry captain." Nyx said. "As Nox was about to look through the closet when a hand reached out to him. He was able to avoid it but... I got hasty and called him back before I could actually get a good look at it. Some sort of white hand though. It looked like it was coming straight out from the closet though."
Talogan was about to reply, but stopped when Hurrik called for his attention. Talogan followed Hurrik's pointing finger down to the shipwreck, where the drowned had come out of hiding to answer the call of the song. "Hmm..." Talogan said as he watched the drowned move around below. "Haunting song. White skin. Commands the dead..." A moment later, Talogan turned to his crew. "I know what's commanding the drowned." Talogan stated. "We're going to be dealing with a banshee."

[Lucius Cypher]

Your crew quietly murmured among themselves as you told them what must’ve been controlling the drowned. Hector looked rather nervous while Nyx and Hurrik were deep in thought about a banshee’s strength and weaknesses. “We’ll definitely need holy water.” Hurrik said. “Whether for the banshee or drowned, holy water will keep them down.”

Nyx nods as she looks at your sword in particular. “The drowned will go down like any other zombie will, but a banshee isn’t as affected by mortal weapons. And I’m not sure if my own spells will be entirely effective, nor will it be a good idea to rely solely on my magic to put the monster down.”

Hector chimes in after he calmed himself down. “Aye captain, why don’t we go with Hurrik’s first plan? Maybe smash up the boat a bit, give that ghost less cover to work with. I-I don’t know much about banshees but ghosts like them don’t like sunlight right? We attack in the day, knock some holes in the ship for light, ought to keep her at bay.”

[rush99999]

“We’ll definitely need holy water.” Hurrik said. “Whether for the banshee or drowned, holy water will keep them down.”
“The drowned will go down like any other zombie will, but a banshee isn’t as affected by mortal weapons." Nyx said as she glanced towards Talogan's blade. "And I’m not sure if my own spells will be entirely effective, nor will it be a good idea to rely solely on my magic to put the monster down.”
"Getting our hands on some holy water would certainly be a good move." Talogan said with a nod of agreement, a small smile playing across is lips as pleasant thoughts of ransacking a coastal temple drifted through his mind. "And I'm sure those silver arrows we plundered from those elven merchants would be effective against the banshee as well."
“Aye captain, why don’t we go with Hurrik’s first plan?" Hector said as he regained control of his nerves. "Maybe smash up the boat a bit, give that ghost less cover to work with. I-I don’t know much about banshees but ghosts like them don’t like sunlight right? We attack in the day, knock some holes in the ship for light, ought to keep her at bay.”
"A good idea, Mr. Hector." Talogan replied. "And one that will certainly be used in the assault. Though we should find something other than oil flasks to make holes in the wreck, lest we risk burning down the entire ship and any plunder that lies therein." Talogan turned away from the wreck then, and looked to the others. "Unless any of you feel that there is more to be done here, I think it's time to return to Red Shard." Talogan said. "We have much to do."

[Lucius Cypher]

The crew had no other comments to make beyond mulling the strategy to approach the wreck. If they go by sea they could potentially avoid most of the drowned until they get to the boat itself, at the risk of putting themselves at risk against the ocean’s rocky waves and unforgiving stones. If they try and climb down they would have to fight through the veritable hordes of drowned, but it’s less of a risky travel. And of course they have no idea what to expect inside of wreck proper aside from a Banshee, and Nyx was rather adamant that she has never heard of a banshee who would control the undead. The primary counter argument is that while the banshee might not specifically command them, they are the o lay undead with a sense of sentience, compared to the drown’s entirely nonsentiant existence.

Soon the group would reach the forest again, taking the path that Hurrik had cleared for a faster trek. He had Hector and Johnathan gather up some sizable branches so he can shape them into pitons once they reach the ship, in the event they approach the ship by cliffside. Nyx also had Nox take time the skies once more to scout more, noticing a rather large fleet moving towards Red Shard. Not pirates, likely merchants, but they had quite the escort. “Seems like some big shot has shown up to Red Shard, Captain. Can’t make out the emblems from here however.”

[rush99999]

Talogan raised an eyebrow when he was informed of of the large fleet that was approaching. This made Talogan feel rather uneasy, as large approaching fleets always tended to make him feel. This time though, Talogan couldn't set course for the horizon and order Nyx to throw a gust into the sails. Not while his off his ship and his crew was separated. "How far away is the fleet?" Talogan asked. Once Nyx had given her answer, Talogan spoke again. "Keep Nox in the air." Talogan said. "If you can start to make out the emblems, inform me immediately." Once he was back in Red Shard, Talogan would lead the way back to the Kraken.

[Lucius Cypher]

"Hmm... Two three... Five seven... If I had to say, about nine miles off. Given the winds and tide they'll be here in an hour or so." Nyx said as the group continued onward. The group would arrive back to Red Shard before the ships would arrive, but by the time you'd reach the Kraken even you could see the fleet on the horizon. They were quite big indeed; it's doubtful there was enough space in the port to anchor all of them. And yet they were still coming. Meanwhile on the Kraken itself you could hear Tayang whipping your men into shape. You could tell that they had brought some new weapons, heavy crossbows, and Tayang was training each one of them to be tougher and faster. At the moment he was training Kulee, attacking him with a flurry of axe swings while Kulee was trying to adapt to using his new anchor maul. "Don't be a coward! Fightin with a maul ain't like a sword, you gotta commit! If your afraid of taking a hit than stick to a bowgun!"

Tayang's taunting managed to get Kulee to go on the offensive, pushing Tayang back a bit before he struck Kulee's knee and brought his axe to the goliath's neck. However the dwarf stopped short of actually hitting him. "But don't get reckless neither. Trust yer armor to take the hit so you can attack without flinching each time I take a swing at you. Go take a breather. Derrick!" Just as Tayang called up Derrick he would notice the group and raise his hand to stop Derrick. "Aye captain, welcome back. I see that everyone is still alive. Find out anything interesting?"

[rush99999]

Talogan was glad to see that the members of his crew he had sent off to acquire better equipment had returned already. As he boarded the Kraken, Talogan watched as Tayang and Kulee engaged in some combat practice. Kulee fought well, but it was clear that he would need some time to get used to his new maul. Meanwhile, Tayang fought with the same amount of skill and competence he always fought with, one of the reasons Talogan had selected him for the role of first mate. Tayang held back his full strength though to keep himself from actually harming Kulee. Talogan nodded approvingly at the constructive criticism Tayang gave Kulee before sending him off to take a breather.

When the first mate called for Derrick, Talogan finally decided to catch Tayang's attention. "Mr. Iron Guts." Talogan said.
"Aye captain, welcome back." Tayang said as he waved Derrick off. "I see that everyone is still alive. Find out anything interesting?"
"We have learned much from our outing." Talogan answered. "But I will explain all in good time. For now, have the crew make ready to set sail. Certain preparations for our assault on the wreck require us to travel elsewhere. Also, I am sure you've noticed the large fleet on the horizon. I am unsure of their intentions, so I wish to err on the side of caution and take our leave before they arrive. I will be charting a course if anyone needs me." With that said, Talogan descended below deck and went to the ship's map room. Upon arriving, Talogan pulled out a map of the Transanic and laid it down on the table. He located Red Shard and then began looking for somewhere nearby that he and his crew would be able to plunder holy water from.

[Lucius Cypher]

"Aye aye captain." Tayang nods to you and looks to his crew. "You heard the captain! Weigh anchor, hoist the sails, we're shoving off!" The crew would get to work. They would be able to get the ship out of the port in twenty minutes. In those twenty minutes you'd find out of two locations where one could plunder holy water: there was an abandoned temple to the south shooting past the shipwreck, and a small fishing hamlet to the north. The abandoned temple used to also serve as a lighthouse, but as one can imagine such a remote location away from the securities of a town meant that one day, it's clergy was attacked and killed. It hasn't been in operation for many years. Could be filled with bandits, or wild animals, or some monster. But there's also a good chance that there's holy water there since being so close to the sea, they likely have a blessed well. So long as it hasn't be dried up you could draw holy water from it easily. The fishing hamlet would certainly have the holy water, and was far away enough from Red Shard that the most you'd have to worry about is perhaps the hamlet militia. There was also a temple there, and frankly the temple was likely the only major land mark in said hamlet; it's otherwise a small time fishing village.

By the time the Kraken would be ready to leave, you were close enough you could see the fleet were Doros Merchant ships. They were excellent targets for larger, more powerful pirate crews. Most Doro ships were massive wooden freighters, ships designed for maximum cargo hold. While stable and had a vast amount of cargo, they lacked personal defenses; rarely would they have cannons when they can fit more cargo, and even their armor was only good against rough weathers and not weapons of war. However like any Doros merchant fleet, it was guarded by at least three Frigates. Compared to the Kraken, the Frigates were bonefide warships; fast, extremely maneuverable, and had a full broadside of cannons to rip apart any ship that would tread too close to their caravan. While relatively low in armor, what they lack in sturdiness they make up for in speed, a common design philosophy in Doros boats. Still, it was unusual to see so many together. More so since it seemed to be a lone freighter being protected by seven Frigates. They were still a fair bit of ways away, but they were certainly heading to Red Shard.

[rush99999]

Talogan emerged from below deck just as the crew were making the final preparations to set out on the ocean once more. He looked to the fleet still on the horizon, now close enough to be identified as a Doros merchant fleet. The specific composition of the fleet in question made him feel even more uneasy. A lone freighter escorted by seven frigates. At best, someone of great importance had come to visit Red Shard. At worst, the seven frigates had come to put an end to Red Shard's more lawless aspects, with the freighter there to carry supplies for the frigates. Whatever reason such a martially focused fleet had for coming to Red Shard, Talogan wasn't sticking around to find out. The captain ascended to the bridge, where Kulee was already at the helm. "Time to get underway!" Talogan declared to his crew. "Our destination is a fishing hamlet to the north! Mr. Fishbones! Put us to sea and then hard to starboard! Ms. Orocho! Throw a gust into the sails once we're pointed in the right direction! The rest of you to your usual places! Get to it!"

[Lucius Cypher]

Your men were quick to their positions. Your crew expertly diverts the ship out of the port and into the open ocean, and once northbound Nyx throws a gust of wind up into the sails. It would allow you and the crew of the Kraken to leave Red Shard before the Doros ships would fill up the port. By the time they would drop anchor, your ship was already across the horizon. The seas were steady and the winds were somewhat favorable, so you would approximate it'll take at least two hours before you'd reach the fishing hamlet. If Nyx used the rest of her second level slots, she would be able to cut time down to about an hour and thirty minutes, again assuming the current winds stay the same as they are. As your crew was busy manning the rigging Kulee looks to you. "So Captain, what are we looking for at this fishing hamlet? Don't imagine we're raiding them for supplies, though I sure wouldn't mind some fish for my favorite soup."

[rush99999]

Talogan watched as the fleet became smaller and smaller as the Kraken sped away. When the fleet was little more than a series of dots on the horizon and the ship returned to its normal speed, Talogan turned to face the direction the ship was heading in and looked out at the passing coastline. From the looks of things, it would take two hours to reach the hamlet. Though he could have had Nyx shave a quarter off that time, Talogan decided against it. There was a chance that her spells would be needed later.

"So Captain, what are we looking for at this fishing hamlet?" Kulee asked. "Don't imagine we're raiding them for supplies, though I sure wouldn't mind some fish for my favorite soup."
"It's the hamlet's temple we're after." Talogan said in response to his helmsman's question. "We need holy water for our fight with the undead at the wreck. The temple should have a good supply. Once we make port, I will announce our intentions to the leader of the hamlet and warn them of the consequences that interfering in what happens at the temple will. Once that's out of the way, we will ransack the temple, plunder its holy water and any treasures it may have, and slaughter any of the clergy who refuse to turn from their false gods and revere the Mighty One instead."

[Lucius Cypher]

"Aye aye captain." Kulee says as the ship sails towards the hamlet. The travel was largely uneventful aside a bout of bad winds, ensuring that it truly does take about two hours before the crew arrives to the fishing hamlet. It looked much like what one would expect; a small encirclement of huts right outside a pier, with the largest building being the temple. It was a humble wooden temple, only different from the huts as it was a log cabin as oppose to sticks and straw. There wasn't many people here at all. Or rather, there was no one here at all. Tayang was the first to spot this. As the ship came close to the docks, Tayang approached you. "Captain, don't see any villagers here. Tis the middle of the day so I suspect most of the fishermen ain't here, but I don't see no fishwives or anything. Ought we moor and find out where everyone is at?"

[rush99999]

When the hamlet came into view, Talogan opened his mouth to order the black flag hoisted up the mast. But before he could, he took notice of something rather odd. The hamlet was empty. Not a single soul could be seen among the huts and cabins of the hamlet. Talogan raised an eyebrow at this. Where was everybody? At a time like this, they should have been working. But nobody was there. Something wasn't right. "Captain, don't see any villagers here." Tayang said as the first mate ascended to the bridge to speak with the captain. "Tis the middle of the day so I suspect most of the fishermen ain't here, but I don't see no fishwives or anything. Ought we moor and find out where everyone is at?"
"Bring us in." Talogan said with a nod. "And have the crew ready themselves for anything. There might be more to this hamlet than I originally believed."

[Lucius Cypher]

The crew docked on the ship. Hurrik, Hector, and Johnathan would stay behind to guard the ship at Tayang's orders. Nox and the others, who've been upgraded, would come with you into the hamlet. Sure enough it was quiet. Kulee notes however it may have not been willing. "Look captain." He points over to a basket of fish that was knocked over near a hut. The fish were still flopping around, gasping for life. Very recent. "Ought we look through some houses or just head straight to the chapel?" The chapel was none too far ahead, only about fifty feet away from the docks. It's doors were closed and doesn't seem to be any noise coming from it. Only the sound of the ocean waves and the creaking of the Kraken. Not even any sea birds around to pick at the fish that was ripe and ready for the taking. Many of your crewmen sans Tayang seemed on edge, gripping their weapons with fear.

[rush99999]

With a rapier in his main hand and a hand crossbow in his off, Talogan led the way down the gangplank as the ship pulled into the harbor. There was a strangeness to the hamlet that was putting most of the crew on edge. All was quiet. No signs of life could be seen or heard, not even the usual caw of the seagulls were present. It seemed to Talogan like all life had simply vanished without a trace. But then Kulee pointed out a bucket of fish that had been knocked over, its recent happening proven by the still living fish that had spilled out. Soon after, Talogan noticed foot prints around the temple. "Ms. Orocho." Talogan said. "I need eyes in the air. Have Nox fly a ring round the hamlet, then send him down through the chapel rafters. Let me know if anything notable is spotted. The rest of you, let's go investigate the huts and see if this hamlet is truly as abandoned as it seems." With that said, Talogan led the way to the nearest hut. Once there, Talogan knocked on the front door. As he waited for an answer, Talogan channeled the divine power of Maglubiyet to heighten his senses on the off chance it picked something up.

[Lucius Cypher]

Nyx nodded at your command, sending Nox off to fly around the area. Everyone else armed their weapons of choices began to investigate the area. The first hut you knocked on had no response, nor did your divine senses pick up anything from the hut itself. However at a glance, and despite being beyond the furthest reaches of your divine sense, you could sense a faint presence from the chapel itself. Not entirely unusual, such places were usually sanctified as part of their official ordination. But that was just the thing: the church was not sanctified. It had negative energy readings signifying that it had been desecrated instead. And soon you'd hear a gasp from Nyx as she sent Nox inside the chapel.

"Captain it's... A massacre inside. Someone killed all the clergy inside. Made some effigies from their remains... I only see one survivor and she's... Not looking good."

[rush99999]

It didn't surprise Talogan in the slightest when his knocking garnered no response from within the hut. He was fairly certain that the hamlet was completely empty. What did surprise Talogan though was that his divine senses had picked up energies strong enough to be detected from outside the effective range of his senses. Even more surprising was that the energies marked the chapel as unhallowed ground. Talogan watched as Nox made his way inside, then turned to look at Nyx as she gasped. "Captain it's... A massacre inside." Nyx said. "Someone killed all the clergy inside. Made some effigies from their remains..."
"Such is the fate of those who revere false gods." Talogan remarked, slightly disappointment that someone else had murdered the clergy before he had the chance to do so.
"I only see one survivor and she's... Not looking good." Nyx added.
"I see." Talogan said. "Well then. Let's go take a closer look." With that said, Talogan led the way towards the chapel.

Talogan looked to Nyx, and spoke to her after making sure her senses weren't with Nox. "These effigies, what do they look like?" Talogan asked. Once he had received his answer, Talogan would ask Nyx if she knew anything about the effigies. Talogan would also dig through his mind for any piece of information regarding the effigies described to him, in the hope that with their minds combined, they could identify the people who did this.

Rolls and Information

Movement: Talogan leads the way towards the chapel.
Crew Orders: Talogan requests information on the effigies from Nyx.
Action: Talogan uses the help action to give Nyx advantage on any necessary checks she must make.

[Lucius Cypher]

"They look like eyes. Or rather, just one eye... Wait... Not just an eye. Compound eye. Like, many eyes inside one eye... Bloody hells captain. I've heard of something like this. It's the Symbol of Kosm." Nyx explained as the rest of your men returned from their checks. There was no one in the other huts. However they found signs that whoever was in there, they left in a hurry. Things were left tossed aside, dropped, or simply left carelessly unattended. Tayang looks to you. "If I had to guess captain, the folks here saw something and raw off. Whatever showed up went to the temple, if what Nyx says is true and all of the clergy inside got killed." You could tell that most of your men were nervous. Even Tayang was tense. If this was simply a case of another pirate crew beating you to raiding the hamlet, you could trust your men to keep their cool, but from what Nyx explained, magic was afoot. And your men were certainly a superstitious sort.

"Kosm," Nyx would begin to explain. "Is a sort of... Old one I guess you could say. Not exactly a god but just as powerful. Said to be able to grant people eldritch wisdom in the form of eyes. Special magic eyes that let them see things, understand things, in ways that no mere mortal can. They're the sort of being that mad men and those desperate for power would try and appeal to to gain insight on things such as immortality." As Nyx explained this she gripped her dagger tightly. "Even wizards like me have thought about trying to contact her. It's fairly easy. You just need to pray near the ocean and ask for Kosm to grant you eyes... Though I valued my ability to control my mind more than free knowledge. What should we do captain? From what I can see, it doesn't look like whoever attacked this place bothered to actually take anything. Just... Desecrate it."

[rush99999]

"They look like eyes. Or rather, just one eye..." Nyx said. "Wait... Not just an eye. Compound eye. Like, many eyes inside one eye... Bloody hells captain. I've heard of something like this. It's the Symbol of Kosm."
"Kosm." Talogan said. He had a feeling there was something sinister about this place. But now with confirmations of recent cultist activity, Talogan's feeling was proven right.
It was at that moment that the rest of the crew returned from checking the huts and reported that no one could be found. "If I had to guess captain, the folks here saw something and ran off." Tayang said. "Whatever showed up went to the temple, if what Nyx says is true and all of the clergy inside got killed."
Talogan nodded in thanks for the report before turning back to Nyx. "Tell me more of this Kosm." Talogan said.

"Kosm," Nyx began to explain. "Is a sort of... Old one I guess you could say. Not exactly a god but just as powerful. Said to be able to grant people eldritch wisdom in the form of eyes. Special magic eyes that let them see things, understand things, in ways that no mere mortal can. They're the sort of being that mad men and those desperate for power would try and appeal to to gain insight on things such as immortality." As Nyx explained this she gripped her dagger tightly. "Even wizards like me have thought about trying to contact her. It's fairly easy. You just need to pray near the ocean and ask for Kosm to grant you eyes... Though I valued my ability to control my mind more than free knowledge. What should we do captain? From what I can see, it doesn't look like whoever attacked this place bothered to actually take anything. Just... Desecrate it."

Talogan looked about at the crew members assembled before him. He could tell their superstitious natures were making them nervous, as it tended to do from time to time. "Whoever did this is gone now." Talogan said. "And if there is any foe still here, we should be able to deal with them well enough. The people of this hamlet were nothing more than fearful fishermen and the priests of false gods. We are pirates. Salt-scarred scourges of the sea. We face danger such as this all too often and always come out on top. And while they may have the patronage of an eldritch abomination, Maglubiyet himself watches over us. No creature of the Far Realm could ever hope to match the Mighty One's true divinity, so what hope would the servants of Kosm have of matching their strength against ours?"

From what he could tell, Talogan had done a good enough job of talking the jitters out of his crew. And so Talogan decided it was about time they got to work. "Mr. Collins. Mr. Fishbones. You stay out here and look around the hamlet some more." Talogan ordered. "If you find anything useful, valuable, or edible, leave it at the Kraken's gangplank and have the men watching the ship make it ready for inspection on deck when I return. The rest of you will follow me into the chapel. Take whatever booty you can find, but remember why we came here. Admittedly, we might not find any with how desecrated this place is. But we might as well make sure." With that said, Talogan led the way into the chapel. While his crew got to searching, Talogan picked out the survivor that Nyx ha mentioned earlier and made his way over.

Rolls and Information

Action: Talogan bolsters the courage of his crew. He rolls a 23 in the attempt.
Crew Orders: Talogan orders Kulee and Oliver to search the huts for plunder while the others follow the captain into the chapel and search it for loot, though holy water takes priority.
Movement: Talogan leads the way into the chapel and heads towards the surviving member of the chapel's clergy.