Chapter Three - Life on the Ocean's Waves

[arkahm]

As Sindu steps onto the docks he politely catches the attention of a dockworker, "Pardon good sir, would you happen to know the location of a temple or shrine to Wee Jas in your fine town?" On finding the answer to his query he tells his friends he will see them in the morning and proceeds to the directions given by the worker observing the sites as he goes. It will be nice to see how they handle the worship of our god here.

[Trogdor]

By the Graveyard

"I'm sorry, we don't have a temple or anything," the dockworker says. "No real worshipers here. A priest of Wee Jas comes in once a year to bless the graveyard and collect the year's offerings. And there's a small shrine there; I think the sexton tends it." He then gives Sindu directions to the town's graveyard.

A short walk inland brings the monk to an open field surrounded by a low stone fence. grave markers fill about two-thirds of the space, with occasional larger crypts visible. Next to the graveyard is a small stone house, behind which is a small structure that must be the shrine. Sindu knows that this arrangement is not uncommon in small or mid-sized towns. In most places like this, there are few actual worshipers of Wee Jas. Many respect the Lady, and pay homage at funerals. But that's typically not enough to warrant posting a priest to serve them. Such places have a small shrine built that's tended by a local - usually an undertaker or sexton. However, occasionally the shrine will be attached to the temple of a friendly church and tended by its acolytes.

This shrine seems typical if its kind. The workmanship is simple, but respectful. The structure is old, but well cared for. It's a small roofed building, open on one side, the better to allow larger funeral services. The walls are adorned with symbols of Wee Jas and a few quotes from her holy books, and there are a few places to kneel in prayer. A small locked box stands by the opening for offerings. It's a simple structure. But, truth be told, it's more than Sindu expected to find in a place like Fort Blackwell.

[Trogdor]

Aboard the Sea Wyvern

Chanur returns to the Sea Wyvern later in the evening, but not too late. He hires a boatman from the dock, knowing there will always be one like him around when a ship is in dock. There are always people who need to get back to the ship. And often it's worth a few pennies to get there without bothering to call for a boat from the ship.

He arrives into the main cabin to find her sitting in a chair reading a book. The table contains a pile of papers pertaining to the ship's stores. Clearly she's spent some time this evening reviewing the state of provisions on the ship and your current plans for resupplying. Next to the papers is a plate with a half-eaten ship's biscuit and a glass of wine.

Amella looks up a Chanur enters. "Well hello," she says. "I hadn't expected you until tomorrow morning." Then she catches a whiff of what the captain is carrying and she raises an eyebrow. "Is that real food?" she adds, switching topics. "It smells delightful."

OOC

Berek: Feel free to deduct what you think is appropriate for your debauchery. Also, you can get whatever wine or whiskey you want here. It tends to be pricier than in Sasserine (+10%), just because of its remote location. But the place acts as a resupply port, so prices aren't unreasonable.

I'm not going to track supplies in any great detail. So get what you think would last Berek and pay what seems reasonable to you based on quantity and quality.

[Chanur]

Chanur gives Amella his best smile.

"Hard at work it looks like. And with just a biscuit? I thought you might be hungry, and was hoping you would sup with me."

Chanur grabs another of the chairs in the small quarters and makes room on the table for the food.

"I appreciate you staying on board so the rest of the crew could go on liberty. A better mate I could not ask for. So how is Tavey liking his lessons?"

[Trogdor]

Aboard the Sea Wyvern

Amella gestures at the ship's biscuit. "I was saving my appetite for tomorrow when I could get a proper meal," she says. "Thanks for keeping me from having to wait." She rises and clears one end of the table for them to sit at.

"It's what any first mare would do," Amella adds when Chanur praises her. "The captain gets to go on shore first, while the poor first mate languishes on board doing all the hard work." She smiles to show that she's not really serious. "Tavey's enjoying his lessons," she adds. "He's a natural sailor - not surprising, given that he's been on ships almost since he was born. So he's known the ropes and the sails for years now. But I could never get him to pay enough attention to the blade. And like it or not, that's part of being at sea." She sits down and leans back in her chair. "Thank you for helping with that. He's heard stories about you fighting the pirates that owned this ship and wants to do the same some day." For a while, at least, Amella seems to be relaxing her usually stern demeanor.

[Chanur]

Chanur grins at Amella's comments.

"It's all true, praise Procan for first mates!" Chanur tosses her a wink.

"Tavey is a good lad, I am rather fond of him. Its true knowing how to handle a blade is important for any sailor, I just hope he never has to use it. On another note, its been nice to have you on board, and I don't just mean as my mate. Tell me more about yourself. What are your plans when this expedition is over?"

Chanur rumages in his chest for a bottle of Brandy and some glasses. Then fills them both and slides one to her.

"I'll poor you talk." Chanur flashes her a friendly smile and leans back in his chair.

[Trogdor]

Aboard the Sea Wyvern

Amella digs in to the meal Chanur has brought, enjoying the fresh ingredients, so different from what they've had these past days on the ship. She seems more relaxed than she has in a while, perhaps because the ship is at anchor in a friendly port. A dark cloud passes over her face, however, when Chanur asks he about her past. She puts down her knife and fork and sits back in her chair. "I don't often talk about my past," she says after a long sigh. "But I suppose you deserve to know."

"I've been a sailor since my early days," she says in a quiet voice. And about six years ago, I lost someone I was very close to. This was up north; a good ways off from Sasserine. I sailed with him on his ship and we did some harmless smuggling. Nothing violent, just a little blockade running." Though this was years ago, you can still hear the sadness in her voice. "We both knew there was some risk. But the worst we expected was impounded cargoes, fines, and maybe some imprisonment. And that probably would have been the case if we'd been caught." She shakes her head and takes a swig of brandy to settle her nerves. "But no, we weren't caught; we were betrayed!" She slams the glass to the table. "Double-crossed by a bunch of shifty, bastardly gnomes. They'd have gotten me too, but for chance. I was called ashore unexpectedly to deal with a problem with some of our more delicate cargo." She stares out into space now, as if seeing something that Chanur can't. "By the time I got back to where the ship had been anchored, it was gone. All that was left were the bodies of the crew, floating dead in the water." She takes a few deep breaths and then pours herself another glass of brandy.

"I spent the next few months trying to find the gnomes that did it," she says in a calm, almost resigned tone. "But they'd disappeared. I suspect that they sailed far away. I never did know where they'd come from originally." She takes another drink. "After about half a year, I signed up on the first ship that took me out of there. It happened to be sailing south. Tavey was the orphan of the ship's former bosun. He was basically the ship's mascot. We took to each other; and when the ship got paid off after about a year, he came with me." She shakes her head and laughs a quiet laugh.

"That's all there is to tell," Amella adds. "Well, almost everything." She takes another deep breath. "I told you when we first met that you reminded me of someone I knew. Well, it was him. You remind me a lot of him. And I suppose I resented you for the similarity. It was like you were slapping his death in my face." A weak smile crosses her face. "I'm sorry for that si-, ... Chanur."

"What am I going to do after this trip?" She shrugs. "Find another ship, I suppose. It's all I know."

[Chanur]

Chanur listens intently sipping his brandy. His face darkening as she recounts the betrayal and the horror the gnomes brought. Its the end of her tale that truly shocks him though when she mentions that he reminds her of him.

He refills his glass and drains it completely refilling it again.

"There is a special place in Hades for traitors. If we ever meet these gnomes I will be sure to send them there post haste. I..I am truly sorry about your friend." Chanur looks at her his face filled with sympathy.

"My life is filled with losing people I care about. My parents died when I was young, and I spent a lot of my life like Tavey, a ship rat learning the ropes. I sailed for Lady Vanderboren's father. He gave me a chance when I had nothing else, and I owe him a great deal. I sailed on a ship that was lost completely, I had taken ill right before setting sail and missed ships movement. I lost what had become my defacto family then.

These people I am with now The Sea Wyverns...they are good and trust worthy people... I am lucky to have found them. I trust them with my life and would die for any of them. You can trust them as well, they would never turn to treachery, you are safe here. I...I'm not sure why I told you all that, I guess turn about is fair play."

Chanur places his hand on Amella's knee and looks her in the eyes.

"You have a place on this ship as long as you want it. I hope you don't resent me still."

[mysticknight232]

Wavedance is content to enjoy the meal with his shipmates. He doesn't get as roudy as the last time the crew were together, but he is tired. He also knows Chanur's desires to return with a meal back to the ship and Daerith isn't present either so he figures to wait until the second night to let loose.

After enjoying wine with his friends, he begs his leave telling the rest of the crew that he intends to be up early in search of magic stuffs in the morning. Wavedancer intends to find an average inn where he can spend some time alone with his thoughts. The men and women of the crew are his friends...but when you're couped up on a ship for months on end, a nice quiet evening alone will do wonders for you own morale at times.

After checking in for the evening, he instructs the innkeeper that he will take the room for a second night as well and then heads towards the common room enjoying the drink and entertainment provided. While he does not possess any diplomatic powers, he certainly listens to any noteworthy information passed along by other ship's crew or the locals.

While purchasing his first drink of the night, he inquires of the barkeep if he knows of any magic shops in town...public or otherwise. He provides the barkeep with a couple gold as a tip for the information provided.

[Trogdor]

At the Blue Macaw

Wavedancer enjoys a few drinks with the crew of the Sea Wyvern. But eventually he opts for a quieter place to stay. A quick walk a little farther into town shows that the Blue Macaw, a picture of a blue tropical bird on the sign hanging over the door, seems more what he was looking for. This inn seems to cater to the passengers of visiting ships, rather than their crews. In fact, as he steps inside, he can see several of the passengers of the Sea Wyvern enjoying a meal or a drink in the common room. A few moments of conversation with the elderly man behind the desk tells him that while he's a bit late for getting a room, they still have several open. He settles on a comfortable room overlooking the street for one gold coin a night.

After stowing his things in his room, the sorcerer heads down to the common room and orders a drink, asking the bartender if there is a magic shop in town. "I'm afraid not," he says, giving Wavedancer his drink and taking the tip. "But the alchemist's shop always keeps a few scrolls and potions handy, and sometimes more. Depends on what ships have been through. And Bart, that's the alchemist, works with a couple of people in town that have magical training. They don't want to be pestered by every ship that comes in. But they'll usually scribe a scroll for extra cash if Bart asks 'em. The shop's across the street and four doors down. You can't miss it. Bart has a bunch of stuffed beasties in the window.

OOC

It'll be easy to find the alchemist in the morning.