EE-3-10 - A Captain's Blessing

SUMMARY

As the party tries to sleep, it becomes clear to them that Ariel’s attempt to cleanse The Spear has not worked. After Thorstag and the crew are woken up by the commotion, he levels with them that they need to talk to the crew about what is going on. The party meets with members of the crew to make it clear that the issues that have been happening since they boarded will leave with the party once they land in Riven later that day.

SHOW SPONSORS

This episode is brought to you by Gabe and Jeff, over at Inter-Party Conflict, Fred on Fyre, Evora Dawn, MotoGhoul, and Polka Dancer. If you'd like to join them in supporting the show, consider joining our Patreon.

CAST

Damian - The DM

Chris - Rem

Christa - Ariel

Chantalle - Kenina

Caitlin - Tempest

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MUSIC

A huge thank you to all of the musicians who allow us to use their work. If you are interested in learning about them, check out our Music Page.

Fimbulwinter – Vindsvept (Intro)

Tavern Loop 1 – Serpent Sound Studios (1:11)

Ocean Waves Ambience – Fusehive (1:40)

Sea or Ocean Waves – Fusehive (1:42)

Adventure Cello – Monument Studios (2:22)

Crowded Tavern – Michael Ghelfi (2:59)

Nightfall – Dark Fantasy Studio (7:55)

Dread – Dark Fantasy Studio (9:33)

Nightfall – Dark Fantasy Studio (16:10)

Unknown Terrain – AndySV (19:20)

Home – Dark Fantasy Studio (22:51)

Action Cinematic Beat #15 – AndySV (29:38)

Medieval City – Michael Ghelfi (30:51)

On the Shore – Incompetech (31:14)

Scary Horror Ambience #6 – AndySV (32:09)

Ossuary 1 – Beginning – Incompetech (35:25)

Secret Place – Joel Steudler (38:15)

Steampunk Submarine – Michael Ghelfi (39:56)

Hidden Realm – Joel Steudler (42:44)

Dreams Become Real – Incomepetch (43:47)

Untold Stories – Serpent Sound Studios (52:12)

Steampunk Engine Room – Michael Ghelfi (52:19)

Sea or Ocean Waves – Fusehive (52:26)

Steampunk Submarine – Michael Ghelfi (52:52)

Steampunk Engine Room – Michael Ghelfi (52:52)

Earnest – Incompetech (53:05)

Wind – Monument Studios (57:19)

Untold Stories – Serpent Sound Studios (57:23)

Sea or Ocean Waves – Fusehive (57:25)

Undertow – Scott Buckley (1:02:27)

Pieces of a Memory – Vindsvept (1:03:41)

Docks District – Tabletop Audio (1:03:44)

Horse Carriage A – Monument Studios (1:09:48)

Last Stand – Vindsvept (Outro)

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This episode of Adventures in Aurelia is brought to you by Gabe and Jeff from Interparty Conflict with Red on Fire, Vorodon, Motokool, and PolkaDancer on Patreon. You can join them in supporting the show at patreon.com/slash adventures in Aurelia. I'm Chris, I play Rim.

SPEAKER_05 0:39

I'm Krista, and I play Ariel, Asmar Divine Soul Sorcerer.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

I'm Caitlin, I play Tempest, a Water Genasi Ranger.

SPEAKER_03 0:47

I'm Chantel, and I play Kanina, a Tiefling Sorcerer. I'm Damien, and I'm the DM.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

I'm Steven John Drew from Better Podcasting, a podcast about podcasting, part of the Gunage Network. Just like the show you're checking out now. Shows on the network are individually owned, and opinions expressed may not reflect others. Find fantastic Geeky shows at GunageGeek Network.com.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

Previously on Adventures in Aurelia, our adventurers drew closer to the town of Riven and the Guild Hall. Members of the group began thinking about the future of their adventuring part. With Rem staying in the cabin to keep Ariel company, Ariel takes advantage of the private time with him to try and figure out his intentions with the group and see if he'll stay with her after the current mission is over. Meanwhile, Kanina sought out Tempest to more directly ask her to join the guild and continue with them, wherever their adventures take them. We've already pre-uh determined what your guys' watch order will be in the ending of the last episode. And we had Tempest first. We rolled a 12 for her watch. Tempest, as everyone else turns in for the night. And you set up for your first watch. What do you do to keep yourself occupied during the next few hours?

SPEAKER_04 2:31

Um, I mean, it's not a huge room, and there's a lot of us, so probably just sitting up in bed, fidgeting with something. Go ahead and roll me a perception check.

SPEAKER_02 2:46

23. Evidently, being the first one to take watch and being just still awake from the day before, as you sit in the bed, I imagine staring at the door, just seeing if it's going to be opened or anything, you gradually notice the the sounds of the ship kind of change. It starts out, you can tell that the people that are outside up later are probably uh hanging out, doing a bit of a light friendly drinking and general carousing. You hear groups of conversation from the outside, but through the metal sides of your room, you can't make out any distinct voices. Over the next few hours, you just gradually begin to notice that the sounds of conversation have kind of faded to the point that only every once in a while you hear someone either walk up to the bow of the ship, probably taking a look at what's out in front of them, or climbing up onto the area that's above your guys' room. As far as you can tell, no one stops and spends any significant time in front of your guys' room or anything. And your time for watch comes to an end. Kenina had said that she would be taking watch after you.

SPEAKER_04 4:01

Tempest gets up off of her bed, goes over, and gently wakes up. Nina. Oh, it's that time already, huh? Yeah. So far, nothing exciting's happened.

SPEAKER_03 4:14

I see, I see.

SPEAKER_04 4:15

Well, have a good rest.

SPEAKER_03 4:17

And Canina will try her best to uh be vigilant. She's very intent on kind of paying attention to any footsteps that might be pacing throughout the halls at night. She doesn't know exactly what was written on the note that was left outside our door, but she is curious as to what kind of uh feelings are being stirred up on the ship. So she's uh looking to be maybe a little more confrontational about it if she gets the chance.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

At this point, you've officially made it to the 11th of Monanon. During your watch, time transitions over to after midnight on the next day. Go ahead and roll me a perception check as you're listening for footsteps that come alongside your door.

SPEAKER_06 5:05

Six.

SPEAKER_02 5:06

Where is it that you would choose to be for your watch?

SPEAKER_03 5:10

I think she would set up fairly close to the door because she does have the intention of making sure that we're keeping guard. She's also keeping an eye on the room because there's always that underlying tension of whatever specter had appeared reappearing suddenly. So she's like probably doing a very bad job of trying to keep an eye on the door, trying to keep an eye on the room, and perhaps not being as uh all watchful as she thinks she is. Would you be kind of sitting or standing at the doorway? Probably sitting. She knows she's in for a good amount of time for watch, so I think if she's standing, she'd probably be a little too restless and maybe a little too loud for the others.

SPEAKER_02 5:48

As you're sitting there, trying to keep pace of the people that are walking by. No one that you hear seems to be stopping in front of your guys' door at all. But after a couple hours, you notice that kind of as you've stared at this door, there have been shadows that gradually pass in front of it as you hear people walking across towards the front of the ship. And as you're sitting there, a shadow kind of sweeps along the bottom edge of this door.

SPEAKER_03 6:16

Doesn't seem to be stopped. If it doesn't pause longer than perhaps some of the other passing footsteps, I don't know if she'd be very suspicious at all.

SPEAKER_02 6:27

After a moment's kind of hesitation on your end, it occurs to you that there are in fact footsteps that have accompanied this movement from the front of the ship towards the back of the ship. And we approach the end of Kanina's watch.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

I think there might be a little almost disappointment there, because I think Kanina was hoping perhaps something more might happen, but at the same time she's relieved that nothing terrible has occurred. Because again, there's that sense of wanting to know what's happening with the people on the ship, but also having that lurking fear of something reappearing inside of our rooms. But she will be glad that nothing bad has come to pass, and she will go ahead and wake up the next watch.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

Okay. The next person that was going to be taking watch was Ram.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

So she'll walk over and kind of jostle him from his little setup on the floor. Just be like, huh, time for watch.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

Rim's eyes will just slowly open as if he was going to be awake anyway, and he'll nod and say, Alright, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 7:25

Nothing unusual happened.

SPEAKER_01 7:26

Okay. Get some sleep. Rim's actually gonna stand up and walk to the door, and he's gonna open it just a little bit so he can see out into the hallway, see if anybody's there.

SPEAKER_02 7:36

You see someone standing at the bow of the ship.

SPEAKER_01 7:39

Are they just looking out over the water?

SPEAKER_02 7:41

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Okay, we'll close the door back, but he's actually gonna leave it like a crack open so he can see. If he sits in the right spot of the room, he can see like through the door to see if anybody like touches it. And he's just gonna sit there and just watch the door for now while he listens.

SPEAKER_02 7:54

Within the next ten minutes or so after you sit down and you're staring out this slit that you've left in the door, you see a dwarf very quickly, because of how limited your line of sight is, pass through it as the person that had been standing at the bow of the ship heads towards the main area of the ship. They didn't pause for anything. Not that you noticed. Go ahead and roll me a perception check. 10. About two hours into Rem's watch, you notice that the area outside the doorway where you had been keeping an eye on, on the floor, starts to darken a little bit. You don't hear any footsteps associated with this. What you're seeing is kind of shadow form on the floor of the hallway. So like somebody's standing in the hallway? That would be kind of what you would infer, is that it seems like someone is standing behind where the crack in the door is to where their shadow is cast into the space in front of it.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Would I remember where the light sources outside the door are? So I can kind of where they.

SPEAKER_02 9:03

There's more light sources on the main deck of the ship, which is on the opposite side, because the crack in the door faces towards the bow of the ship.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Okay, so Rim will quietly stand and like take very slow steps towards the door, but he won't open it or anything, but he'll be you know prepared anything happens.

SPEAKER_02 9:22

As you approach the door, oh another perception check.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

17.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

As you kind of lean in towards this door, the shadow that was there fades away. Does a 12 hit? No. You feel suddenly a very cold sense of loss emanating from behind you.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Okay. Uh I'm gonna spin quickly to face the direction behind me, drawing my pick, which I was, you know, had a hand on but hadn't drawn yet. And as I do, I'm gonna yell, intruder!

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Everyone that's asleep, go ahead and roll a perception check. With disadvantage. Ariel.

SPEAKER_04 10:05

Five.

SPEAKER_02 10:06

Canina.

SPEAKER_04 10:07

Three.

SPEAKER_02 10:08

Tempest.

SPEAKER_04 10:08

So, you know, it was going to be another 23, but with disadvantage, uh, that's a nine.

SPEAKER_02 10:16

Rem whirls around, shouting intruder, and the words kind of catch in his throat a little bit as he goes to say it. And what is floating in front of him, staring him down, is a shade. Just like the one that he had seen a few days ago. And you just hear.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

So if I was close to the door, this is kind of floating between the two beds.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

It came up as right behind you as it could.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

Okay. And nobody else is budged. I'm guessing everybody's still sleeping. Tempest might have rolled a little bit in her sleep. I'm still close to the door though. Yes, you are right in front of the door. Is the door in metal? Yes. I'm gonna strike the door with my worn hammer as hard as I can, try to make it make a noise.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

At this point, we are going to move into initiative. Okay. Is this going to be Ram's action?

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Can I make it a bonus action?

SPEAKER_02 11:12

It's not an attack, but you can make it a part of your attack to hammer at the door.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Uh, as a bonus action, I'm actually gonna cast Divine Favor. Basically, it allows me that on my attacks I can do an extra 1d4 of radiant damage. Having remembered that my attack from the previous attack didn't do anything. So I'll slam my hammer into the door and just yell like loud. And then I'll turn and take my second swing at the shade.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

I want you to roll an attack at the door.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

See if I can.

SPEAKER_02 11:43

There is no there is a reason for it.

SPEAKER_01 11:45

Okay. Maybe uh 22.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Alright. And then damage, I'm guessing. No, there's a reason for wanting an attack on the door. And go ahead and roll your second attack at the shade.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

That's a net 20.

SPEAKER_02 11:59

You know what to do with a net 20.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

15, 21 points of standard damage, and six of divine.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

I'm curious. What is the wording on your divine favor?

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Uh player empowers you with a divine radiance until the spell ends, your weapon attacks deal an extra 1d4 radiant damage on a hit.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Okay. Go ahead and roll for initiative. Everyone can go ahead and roll. Ariel.

SPEAKER_04 12:31

22.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

Kanina.

SPEAKER_04 12:33

13.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Rem 6. Tempest. 20. Ariel, Kanina, and Tempest. Roll Perception with Advantage. Ariel. 13. Kanina. 18. Tempest.

SPEAKER_04 12:47

23!

SPEAKER_02 12:49

Thank God. Three of you as Rem takes the blunt end of his war pick that's like a hammer and slams it against the metal door. Wake up to this massive crashing. And though it takes a few moments to process what is happening in front of you, you see that Rem is currently facing off with another one of the shade creatures that had attacked Ariel a few nights prior. Another, you say, does it look different? I don't know that you got a good enough look at the last one to distinctly make it out, especially considering it is a vaguely incorporeal, blackened shadow form. Much of like we would think of a ghost in our own world.

SPEAKER_05 13:36

Because it was sucking my face out, how close was its face to my face? Like, would I notice anything different?

SPEAKER_02 13:44

All that you had seen was a black emptiness underneath its hood. Rem. This is a 16 hit. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 13:52

Because I don't have my shield.

SPEAKER_02 13:55

You take nine necrotic damage, and I need you to roll a constitution saving throw.

SPEAKER_01 14:01

21. And I also have to roll a concentration check.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

Four. You will lose your spell. It is your turn. My turn. Yes, they've they've all spent their turn waking up.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

I am going to attempt to circumnavigate the shade, never leaving five feet of distance, but like work my way around to place myself between Ariel and the shade. And then I'll take another two swings, even though I don't have my thing anymore. That is eleven. Eleven is going to pass right through it. Okay. And seventeen. Uh seven piercing.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Alright, is that the end of Rem's turn?

SPEAKER_01 14:51

For now, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

Ariel, it is your turn. You are now awake. You see Rem facing off with one of these shade creatures that you had been attacked by just a few days prior, and you have seen Rem move around the room to put himself in between you and the creature.

SPEAKER_05 15:09

I'm going to make sure that the spear's right with me because I've been keeping it so close and with it still covered, grip it tightly because I feel like it's trying to get to that. Go ahead and roll me a perception check. 16.

SPEAKER_02 15:24

You do believe that you feel the spear underneath the wrappings that you have given it.

SPEAKER_05 15:28

And then I'm going to reach out, snap my fingers, and yell light upon you and cast guiding bolt at it. 17 to hit?

SPEAKER_02 15:41

A 17 will hit.

SPEAKER_05 15:43

I'm casting at level one, so it's just 4d6. So it's 17.

SPEAKER_02 15:50

Ariel kind of leans off the side of the bed with one hand on the spear to see the shade around Ram, thrusts out her other hand, screaming light upon you in Celestial. And a bolt of light shines from her hand, hits the shade right at the center of its massless mass, and it is vaporized. The shade that was in the room appears to be gone. All four of you are awake. What do you guys do? Let's start with Ariel.

SPEAKER_05 16:21

Um, she's gonna grab the spear and put it in her lap, grab her staff, put it like in front of her. I'm imagining that she's like crisscrossed, like I'm sitting right now on the bed and hanging on to both of them and just looking, like speechless, just looking at everybody else, like what the fuck?

SPEAKER_02 16:43

Tempest, what are you doing?

SPEAKER_04 16:45

Uh I think she would be probably like one foot down on the ground, kind of in that half standing up, like getting up, one foot on the ground, one foot still on the bed. You know, going to reach for something, but it all happened very fast and just heavily breathing because Adrenaline.

SPEAKER_03 17:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:07

Kenina.

SPEAKER_03 17:08

I think Canina's much in the same state. Uh, since she was probably uh prone on the ground, she'll go ahead and hop up, kind of. I think she's uh at this point just like wide awake with the shock of the noise, and then all of a sudden seeing the shade vaporize in front of her eyes. So she'll uh look around and just be like, Whoa, what happened here? Like, where did it come from?

SPEAKER_01 17:31

Rem. Rim's gonna be still standing where he was, kind of trying to blink away the after images of having a very bright light in a very dark room go off. But he's gonna also take a second to cast his divine sense, which acts like detect good and evil, which allows him to see if there's any Fey, fiends, elementals, or celestials within 30 feet of me, already knowing that everybody else lights up anyway, looking for people I don't know, as he's still scanning the area for any kind of enemy. He's not like he's still in the heightened sense of like there could be more.

SPEAKER_02 18:02

Do you know what it is, or do you get an overall sense of all of them?

SPEAKER_01 18:07

It says for the duration, you know if there is an aberration, celestial, elemental fey, fiend, or undead within 30 feet of you, as well as where the creature is located. It is blocked by a foot of stone, an inch of common metal, or a thin sheet of lead, or three feet of wood or dirt. I would know also if I'd consecrated an area if it was close to that area, but I haven't.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

Other than what you expect with the three other people that are in the room, nothing kind of lights up for you.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

You don't know whether that is because the room and the ship that you are on is enough to block your ability to see, or if there's another reason. Like nothing being there.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

I think that lasts to last 10 minutes with concentration.

SPEAKER_05 18:52

Ariel's gonna reach down to her staff and just like cast light and light the room up so it's not dark anymore. Everyone go ahead and roll perception.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Ariel.

SPEAKER_05 19:07

I got a crit. 20, so 22.

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Kenina. 17. Ram. 24. Tempest. 22. All of you hear the slam of a door as it bangs open and footsteps running across the main deck of the ship. What the fuck was that? Who's banging on shit? And then moments later, your guys' door bangs open. Good thing Rem is no longer standing directly in front of it. What happened? He's really bright in here.

SPEAKER_04 19:45

Dina, do you wanna deal with him?

SPEAKER_03 19:50

Uh well, uh well calm down, Thorstack. We've uh we we've handled it. There's uh everything's good now. Handled what? All of a sudden there was just CLARANG! Uh, we just had a bit of rowdiness. Uh we had another uh visitor. We dealt with it. Things, huh? Yes, things. Things are taken care of, huh? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:17

He kinda takes a step in and pulls a door behind him, squints at you because it's really bright in here for him. Did it have to be so loud? You know they're all gonna know, right?

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Well, um, it's either that or imminent injury. So, we're sorry for the trouble. But I think what was done was very necessary. Look, if if if all goes to plan, we'll only be here for this last night, and then we should be pulling into port tomorrow, right? If we're still on track.

SPEAKER_02 20:47

Yeah, assuming we're still on track, about half a day away. He kind of pushes past Ariel and looks out the porthole. Where is y Oh yeah, there's the lighthouse. About half a day away.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Yeah, so uh we we shouldn't hopefully cause you any more trouble. I I know it's been a bit of a a rough journey and all of us are a bit on edge, but uh we're we're almost through this. We'll we'll just keep vigilant watch for the rest of the night and uh we should be good, hopefully, by the time day comes.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

Yeah, I'm gonna hurry up and get out of here and uh go try to put fires out and hope they didn't wake up literally everybody else.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

Hoping that clang didn't travel all the way to the bottom of the ship where most of them sleep.

SPEAKER_03 21:29

Well, uh, yeah, sorry for the trouble if anyone was disturbed. Hopefully Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

It's not a rough close, but the door is closed.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

At least it didn't break the door.

SPEAKER_03 21:41

I think Kenita's definitely thinking to herself, it's just like, I don't think they're gonna be very happy if I try to come back on board the ship again in the future.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

So I think that also would alert Ariel that her attempt to decurse the item didn't work.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

How would uh the DM here describe necrotic damage affecting a person?

SPEAKER_02 21:59

Like a

SPEAKER_01 22:03

So he'd like look a little paler, maybe some circles under his eyes.

SPEAKER_02 22:07

You know, it's it's like there's cold because it's cold out. And then there's like cold because you've gone through trauma.

SPEAKER_01 22:15

I'm just wondering, because like you did almost one quarter of his help. Did a lot more to the shade, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_05 22:22

So last time the shade came, you had said that I rolled well enough to like know what it was, and I had explained to them what it was. And now the second shade happened. Um, would I know if this was like it would can only come in the dark or something like that?

SPEAKER_02 22:40

You believe that it could exist in the light, but it would pose a much less significant threat.

SPEAKER_05 22:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 22:48

I'm gonna look at Rem and you seem pale or something, you like he's a little paler than at this point it wouldn't you wouldn't know if it's just lack of sleep or actual damage.

SPEAKER_05 22:57

But I know you were fighting it, so I'm gonna be like, Rem, are you okay?

SPEAKER_01 23:02

I'm I'm fine. Are you okay?

SPEAKER_05 23:04

Yeah, it didn't touch me. Did it? Did it get you?

SPEAKER_01 23:07

Uh it it it hit me, but I'll be okay.

SPEAKER_05 23:10

Ariel's gonna get up and come over and place her hand on you, and you'll feel a warmth, and I'm gonna cast cure wounds. Six plus two! Eight! And then I'm gonna, after I do that, say, Alright, I think uh basically for the rest of the night, I would feel more comfortable if we could just keep some sort of light on. Um, I can keep a light on, uh, and take a turn at being awake.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

No, it's it's okay. You can get your sleep. It's still my watch. He'll pull out the lantern that he has, the footed lantern.

SPEAKER_04 23:45

Don't I have a sword that glows?

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Yes, you do.

SPEAKER_04 23:49

Tempest reaches under the bed and pulls out her sword, unsheathes it. Just like you can use this as a nightlight.

SPEAKER_01 23:54

I got a lantern. Light the lantern of revealing and place it in the corner so it kind of spreads the light across the room. Thank you, though. You might need that.

SPEAKER_03 24:03

If you want light, I can always light a fire.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

But that's what the lantern is.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

Could be a little brighter.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

I I don't think Thorstagger would appreciate fire on the ship.

SPEAKER_05 24:13

Alright, well, I'm probably gonna write some notes down. I'm not gonna fall asleep right away, so uh.

SPEAKER_02 24:19

Everyone go ahead and roll perception. Ariel.

SPEAKER_03 24:24

Fifteen.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Canina.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

Three. Ram.

SPEAKER_02 24:27

Fourteen. Tempest.

SPEAKER_03 24:29

Twelve.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

Everyone except Kanina notices, and this might just be the way the conversation flows as you guys are talking, that outside the porthole, the shore and the water around you is starting to turn a light pink hue.

SPEAKER_05 24:45

Um, we notice that the sun's coming up and we're just Ariel's just not sleepy after everything, and she's got her journal out and she's writing down the fact that it didn't come after her first this time that she knows of, that um, it came in the dark. Um, she writes a description and notes that it's looked basically like the last one or very similar to, and that maybe has nothing to do with the Grimfang dream that seemed very real, and not sure now if it's actually targeting just me or if it's just going after the group of us because maybe and she's gonna leave it at that, like I don't know anymore.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

With Ariel staying up and writing in her journal, I believe Rhyme is planning to stay up just through the day, finishing out his watch, right? He's he's a little on edge, so yeah. Do Canina and Tempest opt to stay awake or do they try to go back to sleep?

SPEAKER_03 25:43

I think at this point we're probably both too adrenaline filled. Yep. So we're it's one of those instances where you're like having a nightmare or you're dreaming of falling, and then that jolt just causes you to wake up so intensely that you just can't really go back to sleep. And in this case, the the nightmare was quite real and very much a dangerous threat.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

So it's about five minutes after Thorsteg left.

SPEAKER_03 26:13

Uh hello? Canina will walk over and open the door.

SPEAKER_02 26:17

Oh, oh good, you're still awake. Are you guys okay?

SPEAKER_03 26:21

Yeah, yeah, we're we're uh just had a bit of a rough night. We're all a bit on edge still, so uh.

SPEAKER_02 26:29

Yeah, I heard what happened. I mean, first I heard this loud plang! And then when I came up, uh Thorsteg actually c caught me coming out of the out of the galley and uh t told me that uh the things happened.

SPEAKER_03 26:45

Yes, uh things indeed happen. Uh we we dealt with it very swiftly.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

And Ziggle kinda looks past King. You guys all good too?

SPEAKER_01 26:55

Could use some coffee.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

Coffee? Um, oh okay, I'll get I'll get something made. Yes, it is early, but I think I think I'm up for the day. Morning. I'm up for right now.

SPEAKER_03 27:06

Any other requests? Uh no, I I I think we're good. Thank you for checking on us.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

Okay, I'll I'll be back in uh ten minut ten minutes or so.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

Alright, we'll see you soon. I mean we'll gently close the door and wait for her return. She's just got it wasn't anybody who was angry at the sudden uh loud noises coming from her room.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

Uh about ten minutes goes by and you hear another light tap on the door. Hey, I brought I brought the I brought the coffee. Oh yes, yeah, thank you so much. They also brought some toast. Just ca to toast was easy. I've got some bacon and eggs going down there. Uh it's keeping everyone else that woke up busy right now.

SPEAKER_03 27:49

Ah, th thank you. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 27:51

Or you know the weird thing, they're like, they're only upset because they got woken up early. They kinda don't seem to give a shit that you guys are under attack or anything. Just that you made them wake up before the sun came up.

SPEAKER_03 28:04

Yeah, I guess uh I can see that. People are sometimes a little hit cranky when they don't get their full night's sleep. Well, full night sleep is important.

SPEAKER_02 28:11

To be fair, they also don't seem to give a shit that you guys were like being hunted by something, apparently, but at least they don't s they they they they're more pissed at whoever made the loud noise.

SPEAKER_03 28:21

Well, yeah, we we're sorry about all the trouble we've caused so far, but uh, we're almost at port. We should be gone later today, so they won't have to worry about us causing too much disruptions.

SPEAKER_02 28:31

Ziggle like puts a hand out and up to put it up on Canina's shoulders. Like, I'm gonna miss ya, you know, with you guys going home today.

SPEAKER_03 28:39

Yeah, it's it's been nice calling it.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

Okay, home today then.

SPEAKER_03 28:45

It's where we always return to, so it's uh it'll be nice to get back. It's been been a while. I don't remember if you mentioned how long have you been out? Uh yeah, we've been out now, I think for about a month or so, and all the weeks start to blend together when you're on the road, you know?

SPEAKER_02 29:00

Yeah, I'm sure these boat journeys don't help. They take up like almost a week on their own.

SPEAKER_03 29:04

But it's it's been nice being back on the ship here with everyone and getting to see some familiar faces.

SPEAKER_02 29:10

Come to think of it, I don't remember the last time I went like home home. I should probably go back to getting breakfast ready. Oh yes, please. Bye, Nina's friends. Bye. I'm sure I'll see maybe one of you at breakfast. Bye! And she walks off. What do you guys decide to do in kind of the time between Ziggle bringing you guys coffee and some toast and like I guess a mixture of seeing the sun fully come up and hearing the ship kind of start to get moving?

SPEAKER_03 29:42

I think at this point, especially with the addition of the coffee, Nina is wired and about bouncing off the walls, so she's gonna start her usual morning routine, maybe with a little bit more uh intensity than usual, and she will eagerly look to uh Ariel and Tempest. And she's like, You guys want to join?

SPEAKER_02 29:59

In the room?

SPEAKER_03 29:59

Yes, in the room.

SPEAKER_01 30:00

Rim will try to move to one side of the room and get out of the jumping jackway while sipping a cup of black coffee.

SPEAKER_04 30:06

Tempest is still just laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Nora's cleaning off her. She's not tired. She's just uh not eager to exercise.

SPEAKER_03 30:17

Yeah. Nina's uh probably also just used to Tempest rebuking her uh invitations to join for early morning exercise.

SPEAKER_05 30:26

The reason my strength is only 11. Ariel's gonna get up and be like, yeah, I could really use something to slightly take my mind off of this. Yeah. Oh, you know the routine by now.

SPEAKER_03 30:38

And oh god.

SPEAKER_02 30:43

After about an hour, if you were to look outside of the porthole, you'd see that the sun is fully up at this point. If you were to actually take a look out of the porthole towards the shore, you'd see that the city of Ribbon is starting to become more clear. It still seems to be a few hours away, but it's starting to be distinct from just a spot on the coastline. There's a knock on the door. It's still gentle, but a little more firm than when Ziggle had been up about an hour, hour and a half ago.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

Rim will open the door and look out.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

Rem opens the door pretty much right as Thorstag, once again, like, is in motion of putting his hand to the door. Oh, oh! They thought I thought you guys were just gonna, I don't know, be be uh just gonna stay in here and ignore the rest of the boat. Uh, you're missing breakfast.

SPEAKER_01 31:37

Oh yeah, uh Ziggle came by a little while ago.

SPEAKER_02 31:39

No, like breakfast is is made now. Like eggs and bacon and and some potato thing. And then Ariel's stomach grumbles really loud.

SPEAKER_04 31:50

Yeah, that's enough to get a tempest to sit up and start putting her boots on. Bacon?

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Uh, Rim will look into the room and see everybody kind of shuffling around and be like, uh, we'll probably be in there five minutes.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

Okay, uh, I got I don't know, it's it's kind of like I got something to ask you guys. Oh yeah? Will you like, I don't know, say something? What do you mean to them, the people on the boat, the crew. I don't know. I think if you guys were to like actually say something about what the fuck's been going on since you got here, like from you guys firsthand account, it might do a little good to I don't know, help put them at ease and okay. You're starting to think that the boat might be kind of cursed or something.

SPEAKER_04 32:38

What do you want us to apologize?

SPEAKER_02 32:41

I mean that would be a start. It's not us doing it though. Yeah, but it's my boat. We can at this point I got about four crew members that are about ready to get off and riven and find a new boat to work on.

SPEAKER_05 32:56

Maybe we should at least just reassure them that when we get off the boat the problem comes with us.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

We we can definitely uh probably say something.

SPEAKER_02 33:05

I'd I'd appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 33:06

And we can still keep it alone. Fairly uh vague and should like wink at Ariel about, you know, everything that's going on. And we'll just say that's like official guild business, you know?

SPEAKER_02 33:18

Yeah, sure, sure. Well, what whatever you feel like's gonna do something, maybe field a couple questions, because I wouldn't be surprised if people are asking things, but like I thought I kind of handled things the first time, and then when I was trying to handle things this time and listening around, and Ziggle came over and talked to me, and that's when I found out that like some of the crew are just like, yep, this boat's cursed. I'm getting off the boat and not coming back. So if you could say something so that they know that it's about you guys and not about the iron cask here, I'd greatly appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

We know how superstitious sailors can be.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Tempest has glared at Ram. Kittle just be like, um, I can stay here with Ariel if you guys wanted to grab breakfast and then bring some stuff back later on.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

It might be good to for all of us to be seen. Just just to let him know that we're not hiding some super big secret in the room with one person.

SPEAKER_05 34:15

Well, that will be up to Ariel, yes. Um, Ariel's gonna look to Thorstag and say, we'll we'll be up for breakfast and have a talk in five minutes. Uh, I'd like to discuss with my friends here before we go out there.

SPEAKER_02 34:35

Uh yeah, sure. I mean, uh, we we got like four or five hours before we reach the city. So as long as you do something in between now and then, because I don't think any of them are so desperate that they're gonna swim.

SPEAKER_05 34:51

I mean, are most people eating breakfast right now? Would it be a good time to like when everybody's gathered?

SPEAKER_02 34:56

I mean, a decent amount of them are doing the little after breakfast chat too.

SPEAKER_05 35:01

Yeah, and word talks, so. Okay. And then Ariel's gonna wait for him to leave before she does says anything else.

SPEAKER_02 35:08

Picking up the hint that this conversation is kind of over, he turns, walks away.

SPEAKER_05 35:14

I'm gonna listen and make sure I hear footsteps of walking away.

SPEAKER_02 35:18

Oh, he he walked away. Like, he just left the door open and and you heard him walk back towards the main deck of the ship.

SPEAKER_05 35:25

So, my request is, and she's gonna look at Nina. I don't want to let anybody know that what I carry is evil or could be the cause of all the situation to keep anybody from trying to get it, grab it, throw it overboard, whatever. So we can say that we fought Grimfang. He was incredibly evil, and it could be that something's chasing us. And we didn't know that until after we were aboard the ship and it appeared in our room. And we can put it on that instead of an object that people might try to get.

SPEAKER_03 36:05

Yeah, I do remember you mentioning that you wanted to keep everything about that item uh pretty under wraps. I've definitely been doing my best to kind of honor that. Um, what you feel is important about keeping it secret is valid, and I was I was just planning on saying it was gild business, and if we wanted to bring up Grimfang, that's that's perfectly fine too. I think that's a decent idea, but uh we have to be prepared to, you know, pin the truth on how much we know in front of a lot of people.

SPEAKER_05 36:34

I just mean like if we get pushed against the wall with questions, we have some sort of story where they're all on the same page to fall back onto. I'm perfectly like happy with saying it's just guild business.

SPEAKER_01 36:46

But if we get pushed and keep it vague and not mention the spears specifically.

SPEAKER_05 36:52

Or even an item.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

I still think it'd be good for all of us to make an appearance to uh quell some of the uproar that we've created here.

SPEAKER_03 36:59

You think there's anything we could do or offer that might kind of help ease tensions?

SPEAKER_01 37:04

Um, I think the best thing would be letting them know that when, you know, we're leaving, and most likely that will go with us. Not much you can do but let them know that they're probably safe, that it's not the ship, it's not the the trip, it was simply a passenger.

SPEAKER_03 37:20

Yeah, I certainly feel bad because like Tempest was saying earlier, it's not really something that we're necessarily like causing, but it it's definitely the air is a lot different on the ship this time for this trip than it was last time I was here. Everyone's a lot more tense. So I'd I'd love to see the the cheer kind of restored before I leave, but I'm sure they all still love you, Nina.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

So I'm sure that you letting them know that everything's gonna be okay will definitely ease many of them.

SPEAKER_03 37:49

Yeah. I definitely want them to feel like they can be reassured by our presence rather than, I guess, nervous around it, because I feel like, especially if we're representing the guild, then we have to kind of uphold a certain type of uh presence.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Yeah, we'll definitely have to probably field a few questions they might have. I think letting them know that, you know, this is not the impending doom of the ship will definitely help raise spirits.

SPEAKER_03 38:13

Well, I'm ready to go face the crew whenever you guys are. Anita will follow closely behind.

SPEAKER_05 38:22

As will Tempest. Ariel's gonna make sure she has both her staffs strapped to her and go out too.

SPEAKER_02 38:29

What does Ariel do with the spear?

SPEAKER_05 38:32

Uh, the spear's still bound, and it's gonna be strapped to her back with her staff not bound, but right close to grab. That's also strapped in a way that she can just pull it out. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 38:46

You guys make your way out of your room for the first time as a group since you set foot on the iron cask. You guys notice as you head across the main deck, it's not very large, but I imagine, especially the way that you guys left your room, you're kind of almost in a single file marching order as you do so. And the two dwarves that were on the deck kind of spread out and make way as you walk by.

SPEAKER_03 39:15

Nina will turn and wave at them cheerfully and just be like, Good morning.

SPEAKER_05 39:18

Ariel's gonna make note to rub both the horses' noses as she's walking past them.

SPEAKER_02 39:26

The dwarves don't return quite the cheerful candor that Kanina meets them with, but they do give a respectful kind of nod of the head and a grunted short morning. Ariel kind of takes a couple steps to the side, scratches Princess on the nose, and gets a excited kind of nose rub into her hand. Then she turns around, no name kind of brushes against her arm, too. You guys walk into the galley, ziggle kind of as suddenly a group of people, because most of the people coming into the galley don't end up being in a group. Oh, it's it's all of you. You guys came down for breakfast, right?

SPEAKER_05 40:12

Yeah, good morning.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

Starving. Well, here, help yourselves help yourselves. We kind of do like I know you've been taking like plates and trays of food up because you've been wanting to stay isolated. I've even seen you leave the room since you got here. Anyways, we kind of do it like buffet style. So just take help yourselves. Eggs, bacon, potato thing, punk of bread, butter. Not necessarily in that order.

SPEAKER_03 40:42

Yeah, everything looks delicious as usual. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_01 40:46

So Rim's gonna kind of stand there for a second and scan the room with all the other people eating.

SPEAKER_02 40:51

There's like three people in this specific room at this point. There's probably a handful that are down in their quarters at this point. You hear uh noise from the room next to the galley. Rem had already walked through there before and knows that it's like kind of the loading staging area for where they get stuff down here for shipments. Um, since you guys are about to make port, you could surmise that what they're probably doing is getting things ready to be offloaded from the ship as they get here. And there would have been a few that are up above.

SPEAKER_01 41:27

So Rim's gonna turn to Ziggle and be like, hey, uh, is there any way you could get a gathering of those that aren't necessary at their posts right now?

SPEAKER_02 41:36

Uh I mean I could try.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

I'd appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 41:41

That'd be more like Thorstag's thing, but I can give it a shot. Where where do you want them to go? When do you want them to go there?

SPEAKER_01 41:47

Well, I'm just trying to get the the group of those that, you know, aren't actively having to do a busy job, those that could, you know, gather for just just for a few minutes for me to say a few things and then they can go about their day.

SPEAKER_02 42:00

Yeah, I'll I'll go down and yell into the quarters and t tell them to get their asses out of bed and you don't have to be mean about it.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

Just let them know that, you know, if they have any questions about it.

SPEAKER_02 42:08

Tell them to put their dicks away and come up here.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Let them know if they have any questions about anything that's happened the last few days. We're gonna talk about it.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

Alright, uh you g you gu you're adults, you can feed yourselves. And Ziggle walks away. You notice that Ziggle's got a little bit of a like not quite a limp, but an odd gait to her. A little bit of a of a waddle, kinda like one of the either knees or hips. Doesn't work quite quite as good.

SPEAKER_03 42:39

Is this something she's had even from my previous time on the ship? Yes. I think uh Kanina will take the the quick uh break between when ziggle leaves to uh quickly stalk up on some of her cooking. It's because she knows it'll be a long time before she'll have her cooking again, so she'll enjoy it while she can.

SPEAKER_01 42:58

Rem will just have some bread and butter.

SPEAKER_05 43:00

Ariel's having eggs. I thought about it, but I was like, they wouldn't be doing that.

SPEAKER_02 43:07

Tempest eat bacon.

SPEAKER_05 43:08

Lots of bacon.

SPEAKER_02 43:10

Does Tempest eat anything but bacon?

SPEAKER_04 43:13

Hmm. I had some of the toast that Ziggle brought earlier. Okay. But now bacon.

SPEAKER_02 43:19

Those of you that ate quickly are able to kind of stuff your faces before Ziggle comes back. And those of you that took a more normal, leisurely pace with your food are about halfway through your meal, as as Ziggle hobbles back, shortly followed by five crew members.

SPEAKER_01 43:38

How big is the crew complement? Uh seventeen. Okay, and you said there was like three here and five more just walked in? Yeah. Let's go about half here. Around half. Okay, so room's gonna wait, and then after everybody's kinda in the room, you're gonna stand up and look around the room and be like, uh, first of all, I'd like to say a few things. I'd like to thank you first. For uh allowing us to take this journey with you all. Uh, I know there's been some rumors flying around, I wanted to put some to rest. Uh we were sent out by the guild to investigate a few things. Uh ran into some trouble uh with a band of gnolls out in the forest. In the uh interest of the guild, we were bringing back some items and some news about what happened. It's possible that uh we might have angered someone on our way. I wanted to first let you know that the events that have been happening in the evenings are nothing to do with this ship, and that we as the the guild are definitely going to be investigating what might have caused them. I can assure you, Thor Stag is on board with this and knows that this ship is safe, and it will continue on its normal course after dropping us off in Riven. If uh anybody has any questions, I can do the best I can to answer them. I know Kanina is a good friend of all of you and would be more than happy to answer questions too if you don't feel comfortable asking in a group. Is there uh any any issues that I can help with right now?

SPEAKER_02 45:10

What is it?

SPEAKER_01 45:11

Uh not completely sure ourselves. Seems to be some sort of malevolent spirit.

SPEAKER_02 45:16

Spirit, huh?

SPEAKER_01 45:18

Uh seems that way, yes. We're not quite sure. We're definitely going to be uh discussing it with our leaders at the guild.

SPEAKER_02 45:26

How's it getting here?

SPEAKER_01 45:28

Again, not completely sure it seems to to appear. We've as we have fought it a few times. It's never left any kind of corpse behind for us to investigate. So it may be traveling through the spirit realm. How's it know where you guys are? I'm not sure. Again, that's something we're going to be discussing with our leaders when we reach the guild.

SPEAKER_02 45:51

How can we be sure that it's gonna stop when you guys leave?

SPEAKER_01 45:55

Well, I'm pretty sure that it's after us in general, as it hasn't attacked any other crew member on the entire boat. It has only appeared with us. I believe it to be following us specifically.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

A number of the people around nod, and uh someone else speaks. I was like, well, you you do have a fair point there that it hasn't seemed to harm uh it hasn't harmed anyone else in the crew, has it? And everyone else kind of shakes their head and it's like, no. It seems to be tied to uh specifically the knight.

SPEAKER_01 46:30

It seems to be a creature that does enjoy darker times. It's hard to pin down, doesn't seem to have we haven't really been able to to view it. It's dark and uh seems to attack from the shadows.

SPEAKER_02 46:43

What is it that has led you to believe that it's a malevolent spirit? What what authority do you have on that matter?

SPEAKER_01 46:52

Uh well, having been attacked by it personally, I can tell you that it has a, should we say, fiendish touch or actions. It seems to actually suck the life from you, more than, say, like a stab or a bash wound. My own personal experience through the vine tells me that it is an evil creature.

SPEAKER_02 47:13

I see, so you've uh felt it directly.

SPEAKER_01 47:17

Yes, it has uh directly affected me.

SPEAKER_02 47:20

How about the rest of your companions?

SPEAKER_01 47:24

I am unsure. I just know what I myself have built. Has it attacked any of you?

SPEAKER_03 47:30

Uh, it certainly made attempts the the first night, and we did suffer some injuries. She won't say exactly if it was Kanina or Ariel is still eating and just shoveling food into her mouth. Kanina will like side-eye Ariel, but if she's not speaking up because she didn't expect her to, she'll just be like, uh, so yes, we've we've been affected by its attacks before.

SPEAKER_02 47:55

Ariel. Go ahead and roll a deception check.

SPEAKER_05 47:58

Oh wow, I actually have a good deception. Seven. Because I have a plus five. What's the quiet one have on her back?

SPEAKER_01 48:09

They're my weapons. Staff, and another one is a walking stick, I believe. You fight with a bed sheet.

SPEAKER_02 48:16

Nicely made.

SPEAKER_01 48:18

She likes to keep her staff safe.

SPEAKER_02 48:20

And clean.

SPEAKER_01 48:22

I'm willing to just use deception for that.

SPEAKER_02 48:24

She doesn't want the wood to get all scratched up. I'll go ahead and let Rem curl. I feel like this is a little bit more persuasion than deception, but I'm going to give you advantage because Ariel is more or less helping you out. Okay. 16. You see him squint. Hmm. You know, I understand a number of you to be magic users, something that I myself cannot claim any knowledge of. So, I suppose I will leave things there. You assure us that as you leave the ship today, that your problems will be going with you.

SPEAKER_01 49:10

I believe they will be. I cannot be.

SPEAKER_02 49:12

Is there any assurance that you would like to offer those of us as the crew that by staying on here when you guys leave, we won't be in any further harm?

SPEAKER_01 49:24

I cannot make a positive 100% assurance of that. However, if it does follow us off the ship, I can tell you that removing yourself from the ship only keeps you in the same area that I believe that the spirit will follow.

SPEAKER_03 49:39

And if it helps ease your minds, we could always send a cleric or some such to help inspect the ship from the guild, if that would uh put your minds at ease.

SPEAKER_02 49:50

Kind of as Ram is talking. I think that that would be a good arrangement. We will be here for at least over the night, and I think that that should give you time to work out arrangements with your guild to make sure that the vessel that we travel on will remain safe without you.

SPEAKER_03 50:14

Yes, we'll do our utmost to make sure that you feel secure in our leaving and that we're taking our troubles with us. We we really are grateful for you allowing us passage so suddenly, and I'm I'm very happy to be back on board the ship and see everyone again. But I know I know it's been a bit troublesome, and we do we do apologize for the ruckus that we've caused on this journey, but we are truly grateful and we're only hoping to change things for the better. But uh Kanina will be very much, I think, uh, turning on the charm, presenting, you know, a big old grin and like looking each person like in the eyes to try to give them like the best assurance that she can that she will be trying her utmost to make sure that nobody here is going to be troubled.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

Rim's gonna walk over to Ziggle and say you guys are gonna be in port for a day or so.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

We're always in port for at least a day. Uh sometimes two. Sometimes it depends.

SPEAKER_01 51:13

I take it that's when you take a chance to reprovision.

SPEAKER_02 51:16

Reprovision that guys and girls on the ship go take care of any of their own business. Uh, that's normally when we get paid. And uh that's when people go buy some of the good booze.

SPEAKER_01 51:29

Can I ask a favor of you? Sure. He's gonna reach into his pocket and pull out 20 gold and hand it to her. How discreetly is this? He's trying to do it so that the whole crew doesn't see, like, he's not like he's definitely walked aside with her. People could glance over and see that he's talking to her, and he's gonna be like, use this, and he'll hand her the 20 gold. He's like, Grab the the crew something and tell them, you know, after we've left that it was from us as uh uh an apology. It could be booze if you believe that's the best, or uh some sort of confection. I'll leave it up to you.

SPEAKER_02 51:59

Ooh, I've got ideas.

SPEAKER_01 52:02

Alright.

SPEAKER_02 52:02

Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 52:03

We'll then actually walk out and go out on the deck.

SPEAKER_02 52:06

At least half the people that had gathered around seem to get the idea that this meeting is over. Turn and begin heading. You know, some go up onto the main deck, some go back down to the quarters. Where does the human go, the one who's been speaking? He goes down below deck.

SPEAKER_03 52:23

I think Canina will go ahead and follow him.

SPEAKER_02 52:25

Okay. What do Ariel and Tempest do?

SPEAKER_05 52:28

Ariel's going to go up on the deck, and she wants to watch us come into port. So she's gonna go just stand and think and watch that. And Tempest?

SPEAKER_04 52:41

Tempest would probably just go back up to that spot that she had been sitting in the other day. Okay. Above deck and um sort of space out again because exactly the same thing happened as last time.

SPEAKER_02 52:52

Okay. Kenina follows this guy down below deck. You know, you're now down on the the engine deck, which is also where the crew quarters are.

SPEAKER_03 53:04

So she's not being weird or stealthy about it or anything. She's just kind of following at a casual pace in the direction that she thinks that he's gone. And if he's still within talking distance, more or less, uh, she'll she'll call out to him.

SPEAKER_02 53:17

I imagine that as he started to head down the stairs, you were able to kind of close the distance and catch him as you're about halfway down the stairs before he enters the side that his quarter is on. You can say something to him.

SPEAKER_03 53:32

Hi there. Um, I noticed that you have quite the vested interest in the ship and whatnot, but I don't believe I've sailed with you in the past. What's your name?

SPEAKER_02 53:41

No, uh, I do not believe that you and I have met before this journey. My name is Benedict.

SPEAKER_03 53:46

Yes, and I'm Canina with the Guild of Adventurers.

SPEAKER_02 53:49

Ah, guild guild members. I I gathered from that conversation and a little bit that I picked up from Thorstag earlier that you are uh somehow related to Sival's Guild of Adventures, doing some sort of official guild business.

SPEAKER_03 54:05

Indeed we are. Nice to see that Thorstag's picked up some new crew members who uh take such uh good stance about supporting the ship.

SPEAKER_02 54:15

I believe that we should all do our parts to support the ship. It is, after all, how we make our living.

SPEAKER_03 54:21

So, how long have you been on the Iron Cask? Uh, the crew picked me up about a month and a half ago. Have you been liking your journey here so far then? Have you liked working here?

SPEAKER_02 54:31

I have gotten to see more of the coast than I am used to. I uh I come from Thumeria, and usually don't get to travel so far north as Port Norsaul. In fact, this is the first time that I've been in Port Norsaal in the last few decades. It was nice. I got to drink some uh nice elven wine for the first time in quite some time. It's much cheaper up north than it is down in Thumeria.

SPEAKER_03 54:56

Yes, I would imagine so. But I do appreciate uh you stepping up and listening to uh what we had to say. And you posed some very valid questions.

SPEAKER_02 55:05

Well, I I had a vested interest, especially given that once we are done here, our next stop will be Thumeria itself, which means that it would be the perfect time for me to make my leave from this crew, if that were to be my fate. And I'd like to live long enough to have that option.

SPEAKER_03 55:23

Yes, I see. Well, I'm sure that with our leaving, then any danger that would be abnormal upon the ship will have passed. So hopefully you'll be able to stay with the crew, uh, long into the future, and perhaps I'll meet you again if I come back on board the Iron Cask.

SPEAKER_02 55:39

As I said, I am not one to claim to understand the magic side of things, so I don't really have much to do other than believe that you guys are honest people. Thorsteg certainly seems to trust you, and I I do very much feel that if you are able to have a cleric come and cleanse the ship to make sure that things are pure, that I will at least feel safe getting home.

SPEAKER_03 56:06

Yes, of course. We'll do our utmost to make sure that you can feel safe and secure when you leave port.

SPEAKER_02 56:11

I appreciate you at least going out of your way to make it seem that way. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some business to attend to.

SPEAKER_03 56:18

And from Kanina's impression of him, uh, he'd he seems pretty upfront and straightforward with everything he's saying, correct? Go ahead and roll me an insight check. Canina rolled 23.

SPEAKER_02 56:28

As far as you can tell from your impressions, he seems to be up front. And you don't get the hint that he is lying about his like lack of knowledge in the field. So it seems that he is being honest with essentially trusting your guys' opinion in the matter.

SPEAKER_03 56:48

Yeah, Canino will leave it at that. She just kind of had uh an interest in meeting this individual who was so very outspoken about like the crew and kind of the uh the state of the ship. So she she was interested in this new face that popped up. And like she says, um she is hoping, you know, if she does uh board the Iron Cast in the future, you know, she'll be able to meet him again, you know, and foster better relationships than she did this time. She trusts in Thorstag's uh hiring capabilities and in his judgment of people.

SPEAKER_02 57:18

You have more faith in Thorstag than I think even Thorsteg has in Thorsteg. So, where is it that Rem was heading as he went back up to the main deck?

SPEAKER_01 57:28

Just out onto the deck to look out over the water.

SPEAKER_02 57:30

Okay. Fairly shortly after you head out to the upper deck, Ariel comes up, seems to be doing much the same as as yourself. Then a few moments afterwards, Tempest comes up and you see her head up on top of the deck that spans over the two rooms that you guys have been staying in. Thorsteck comes out to uh speak to you guys. So I uh I heard you had a meeting, and he's talking to Rem.

SPEAKER_01 57:55

Yeah, we uh decided I as you uh said to talk to at least part of the crew. Hopefully the information can disseminate to those that are busy at jobs.

SPEAKER_02 58:05

Yeah, from uh from what I heard, uh, it went well, well might not be the best word for it. I heard that that a couple people were kind of grilling you guys, but it seems like your answers at least were satisfactory. Uh I mean I know you just kind of volunteered the ship for it, and you hadn't really said anything to me, but I guess there's gonna be uh a cleric coming on board.

SPEAKER_01 58:29

Uh something Nina suggested to help quell some of the fears that something might linger behind.

SPEAKER_02 58:35

I I see. Uh I'm not much of a religious person myself, uh, but hey, if if it makes everyone else feel better, I'm not gonna say it's not gonna make me feel a little like warmer and fuzzier inside knowing that someone came and blessed their holy energy on this on the ship. Who knows? Maybe it's gonna do fuck all for the evil spirit thing, and that's all tied to you guys regardless, but maybe it like maybe the ship does a little bit better, maybe a little bit luckier as we go on just because of this. It's possible, yeah. It could turn me into a real superstitious man real quickly here.

SPEAKER_01 59:14

Again, I like I said, I know you uh you sailors and your superstitions are kind of tied.

SPEAKER_02 59:20

I try to avoid the superstition part. That's why my ship here runs on its own power instead of relying on things like the winds and the currents.

SPEAKER_01 59:29

Yeah, it's been kinda nice here. Been rather nice not to have to be at the mercy of the wind and the current.

SPEAKER_02 59:39

Real solid ride, too, don't you think?

SPEAKER_01 59:41

Yeah, has been uh has been nice.

SPEAKER_02 59:43

Almost feels like being on the ground. Uh, so you know we're gonna be back in uh in just a couple hours. We're gonna be we're gonna be making port. Y'all uh thinking you're gonna get your stuff ready here soon?

SPEAKER_01 59:55

Yeah, we'll probably start packing up and gathering things, putting them in the wagon, get ready to offload.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:00

Yeah, it looks like your your friend, the uh the the one with the things, uh is kinda staring out to the front of the boat lost.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:10

She's got a lot in her mind.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:12

Okay. You know, I was just thinking, uh, I'm not gonna go talk to her. I don't think I have anything to say that's gonna be helpful. Someone might want to go talk to her. And he kinda turns around and walks off as Kanina comes out onto the main deck. Oh hey, Nina. It seems that things are a little better now.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:31

Yeah, hopefully we cleared the air a bit. Seemed like it went well.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:34

Yeah, it turns out uh you volunteered us for a blessing.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:38

Uh yeah, we we uh we offered uh having a clerk from the guild come by to help maybe uh ease some tensions, cleanse any, you know, lingering bad spirits.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:47

Yeah, I've never had this ship blessed before. Depending on how it goes, maybe that's a thing we do.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:52

Yeah, hopefully, uh, it certainly will lift moods around here. Is it expensive? Um, it shouldn't be. I'll I'll make sure that I arrange for them to come by free of charge.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:03

Oh, I assume that you were just handling this one. I mean for future ones. You volunteer does I didn't sign up for it.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:10

Would need to know if it's expensive.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:12

No. You were like the wrong branch of the guild and the wrong like class and everything to speak with much authority on this. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:22

Well, you know, I really couldn't say.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:25

So you're taking care of this one, right? Of course. Okay. Just you know, if if you were signing us up for something and you didn't know how expensive it was gonna be and and Thorsteck got a bill, I might be coming to the guild and grabbing uh grabbing Canina and putting her on the ship until she works off the bill. If you catch my drift. Oh yeah, no, no, I totally understand what you're saying. No, no, no, there should be no bill. Okay, good. Oh, uh, I was telling telling uh the old cranky one.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:59

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:00

Yeah, sure. You know, we're gonna be making port here in a couple hours, so you guys might want to think about getting your cart and everything ready.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:07

Oh yeah, we'll definitely get it all packed up and ready to leave, so we'll try to kind of uh make haste and onboarding.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:14

Oh, and and also your friend, uh, she's lost. Huh? Who? Lost? Uh, the one up at the bow. Oh, I said something about her to Rem and he said that she's lost.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:25

Huh. I'll go say hi to her. You'll just see Nina walking out just like, hey Ariel, how's it going?

SPEAKER_05 1:02:31

Ariel will turn and be like, oh hi. And then turn back and just watch the poor. Are you excited to get back to Riven? Yeah, I've been waiting. Yeah, it'll be nice to finally get back after all this time. Yeah, I I just really want to, you know, speak to the guild and not have to carry this anymore, hopefully. Yeah, it's been quite the burden on you. Well, on all of us, but yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:54

Well, you've certainly I think you've taken a bit more upon yourself than the rest of us have had to, so.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:00

Well, I watched it, you guys watched me. I mean, we're all sharing this burden.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:05

And Canino, like, put her hand on your shoulder, kind of like a show of solidarity. She'll go ahead and just be like, well, uh, Thorsax said that we should probably start getting ready to pack up so we can uh be ready by the time that we land in port.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:16

Alright. Yeah, I I kind of was just not trying to rush back to the room since you're already questioning uh like, yeah, we don't have to rush back to the room, but I'm sure you want to see Princess and maybe feed them some more snacks. I'd like to go back to the room. I was just trying to, you know, act.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:32

I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:32

Well, it's good to get some fresh air. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:35

Is there anything that you guys would like to have handled before you guys leave the iron cask? I think we've made our pieces best we can. Time moves to early to mid-afternoon. At some point, you guys went and took some time to get the cart ready. A few members of the crew helped you guys get the horses that were stored kind of in the bow of the ship, unhitched from the kind of makeshift posting that was made for them, and getting them back down and kind of getting the cart reoriented so that the horses can be hitched to it, and getting it pretty much ready to be the first thing off once you guys land in port. A reasonable way away from the docks, you guys notice that the ship's engines make a drastic change, and the force that you guys have been feeling for the last few days pushing you forward suddenly shifts. You lose your balance slightly as the ship starts to rapidly slow down with the sound of the engines being flipped into reverse, and all of a sudden the the gentle forward turns into just a wake off the bow starts spraying up a lot more heavily as the amount of resistance changes, and you come reasonably gently up to the dock and meet it with a slight bump. A number of crew at the dock are there ready to rig up the ship and get it all tied down to the docks, and they help you guys get your cart off of the ship, onto the main dock, and point it in the direction of the rest of the city. Thorsteck comes out before you guys manage to take off, comes over to Kanina. You know, even with all the shit that's gone on over the last week or so, it's been nice having you around.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:35

Yeah, and it's been great to be around. Hopefully we'll meet each other and season the future.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:40

And he takes a step forward, wraps his arms around Kanina, and lifts her up, giving her a hug.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:47

Nina will hug back with surprising strength. Oh, oh. She definitely like does the full embrace though, with the expectation that it will be a while before she sees him again. So, gotta give a hug that'll last.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:00

May our may our paths cross again. Hopefully under I'd say happier sir hopefully happier circumstances is kinda what I'm going for, but like the circumstances were fine. It's the residual issues that you guys were dealing with. So hopefully, you know, under under better residual issues.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:19

Well, hopefully uh us leaving today and sending out a cleric will help clear the air a bit. Yeah, hopefully we'll meet in the future. Farewell, Thorstag.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:29

Thorstag walks over to where Rem is. Rem, Captain? I respect you. Thank you. He holds out a hand. Rem will grasp it. And he gives a firm handshake.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:40

And may your travels be uh easy and bountiful.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:44

May your crew stay healthy and take care of the evil spirit thing. I hope to. He walks over to Tempest. You're kinda mopey. I hear that. I'm sure that wasn't very helpful. It was nice having you upboard. You didn't get in the way too much. Been quite the ride. Hopefully, uh, if you run into her again, tell Seeks I said hi. I'll be sure to do that. Good. He holds out a hand. And Tempest shakes his hand. He gives a firm handshake to Tempest. He walks over to Ariel, who I assume is up like petting Princess. Yep. He's standing like three feet away. Goes, you know, I didn't see you too much. So I don't have many opinions on you. But you seem to care a lot about the things you care about. And I can get behind that. It's good to care. You got a lot of faith in whatever you got going on. I do hope that the evil spirit thing does leave my ship with you gone though.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:45

Oh, it will, don't worry.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:46

I hope so. And he reaches out to give a handshake. Steps in as much as he needs to.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:53

Ariel's gonna notice like his his nervousness. And she's like, oh, it it's okay. And then she's just gonna nod at him. But it's kind of a thing. Okay, and then she's gonna come over and give him the dainty little handshake that she knows how to do.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:14

You know I'm not royalty, right? It's kind of a thing. Fair point.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:19

That she's gonna stand there with her hand out waiting.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:24

He grasps the tips of your fingers between his like thumb and index finger. It just gives a little little shake. I hope you guys are okay. Whatever you got going on. You kill that evil spirit. Yeah, with one hit. No, I mean you killed the evil spirit, the one that's after you.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:42

Oh, hopefully no more come.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:44

Yeah, but if it happens, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:46

We got it. We're strong. And we have to be.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:50

I'm trying to root you on here, okay?

SPEAKER_05 1:08:52

Don't worry. We have Kosane looking after us as well.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:56

I don't know who that is, and he turns and starts walking away.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:00

That is as socially awkward as I expected it to be. It makes the most sense.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:05

And there's like a whorf master that's over talking to Thorstag and another one of the dwarfs that you'd seen him, you know, talking with right before you guys got to port. They have uh a number of scrolls and notebooks that they're going through to get everything all handled. And uh he he looks kind of over the car. You guys are free to go!

SPEAKER_03 1:09:30

Kenina will start um jumping up into the driver's seat of the horses, and she'll start to uh get them ready to ride and just be like, Oh, everyone on board. Who wants to sit up front with me?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:41

Ariel's hopping up there. She wants to be close to princess.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:44

And I guess Kenina's driving.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:47

I have vehicle proficiency.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:49

Kenina takes the reins, and you know where the guild hall is from here. You've you got from the guild hall to here before, only now you have a cart to do it. And you take the cart back to the guild hall.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:04

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Adventures in Aurelia. You can help the show out a ton by sharing episodes on social media and telling your friends. Leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser, tell us what we're doing right or what we could improve on. Your review will get you featured in our next Night Watch. Lastly, we'd like to thank the artists who allow us to use their music in our show Monument Studios, Dark Fantasy Studio, Michael Gelfi, Tabletop Audio, Scott Buckley, Joe Steedler, JDB Artist, Alexander Nacarata from Serpent Sound Studios, Windswept, Adrian von Ziegler, and Kevin McLeod of IncomboTech.com. You can find links to all of these wonderful artists at Adventures in Aurelia.com/slash music.