7th Sea- Last Of The Set!
Oct. 15th, 2008 04:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
realsorienI've finished the writeup of the fifth run! Yay! This one finally hit the more-usual pagecount of around 10 pages, so we're in the swing of it now. Read on!
We rejoin our unlikely band of adventurers as they make final boarding on the Dancing Piper, an unflagged vessel they've hired to take them back to Reisburg. The Piper it should be noted is painted in a riot of colors- the hull is bright purple with a red arrow, the decks are blue, the sails are a bright yellow, and an odd pattern is mottled about elsewhere in green. It at least SEEMS seaworthy, but her captain seems at least a touch mad; it remains to be seen what her crew is like.
Shortly the vessel is sailing out of port under clear skies. As they do, the captain goes into his cabin; when he returns he's changed hats! Formerly wearing a normal captain's tricorn, he now sports a bright yellow version with a huge purple feather! "I have to have my sailing hat on when we're at sea!" He says cheerily. Illyana becomes even more convinced that there is something lacking in the captain's sanity. Fortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that the crew is quite competent at their duties.
As they sail out on relatively calm waters, Erik notices that Djiel is perhaps not quite ready for shipboard travel; in fact, despite is dark skin he is looking decidedly... Green. Not really being able to help himself, Erik decides to 'help' the poor native by offering food and eating salted pork in great, greasy bites. Djiel manages to keep his gorge down, but isn't enjoying the treatment.
Despite such entertainment the sailing is smooth and the weather good; a small difficulty for Our Heroes is that in addition to not being able to understand Djiel, none of them can understand the crew either! At least the captain can speak Eisen. The lookout calls down something from the crow's nest to the captain, who talks with some of the crew on deck. When asked, he tells the three passengers who can understand him that a ship has been spotted!
Illyana makes use of the spyglass she obtained from the slaver fort; focussing in, she sees that it is a large Castillan vessel, and its course is away from them; she mistrusts the situation despite this, having developed a dislike of the nation and its perceived tolerance of slavery. The captain orders the ship to 'run silent,' whatever THAT means, and eventually the ship is lost to sight behind them.
Later that same day, the captain invites his passengers to dinner in his cabin; all accept, at least those who can understand him or can be told. The remainder of the day passes uneventfully, and even Djiel is feeling better. They all gather in the captain's cabin, and the meal is begun; the first course? A cherry flavored gruel. Not intolerable, but not great either. Next up is 'twice-cooked broccoli,' which turns out to be a heavily peppered dish- where everyone else is a bit hesitant at the dish, Djiel dives right in, shoveling it into his mouth... And finding out about the pepper! He manages to swallow, but his mouth now feels like its on fire! He looks around with a panicked, trapped look on his face, and Erik hands him a tankard of mead- the entire thing is drained in a moment, soon relieving the fiery sensation.
After this brief sideline, the meal continues. The third course turns out to be the main- roast suckling pig! To most here this is a real treat, and they soon dig in; Djiel goes especially for the brains of the beast. This is too much for Zora; she excuses herself, claiming to be 'a vegetarian' and steps out on deck. This doesn't slow the others down in the least. "I am not fond of brains," says Illyana. "they are usually too grainy in flavor. But, is okay." With the decimation of the porcine offering the meal soon concludes.
Out on deck, Zora is watching ahead of the ship, and notices a squall line building. Seasoned in the ways of the weather from her own time sailing, she knows they're in for rough seas. She re-enters the cabin and informs the captain; "That's impossible!" He says. "Its not storm season!" As if weather follows the seasons in rigid formation...
Erik looks for himself; he notes that the crew is reacting properly and competently to the coming weather, and is impressed. "Can you do anything about it?" Zora asks. "Yes, but we are to distant now. We must be closer." He replies.
In far less time than any would like (except for Erik), the storm is upon them. Erik makes his way to the prow of the ship, where he'd earlier noted the marks of another Runecaster on the deck. He carves his own Rune, and reaches out with his power to calm the wind and waves; he is successful, but this simply means that the ride will be rough rather than dangerous. This is unfortunate for Djiel-the-landlubber, and he ends up being led belowdecks to the hammocks by Illyana, who has the foresight to also bring a bucket... The storm passes with little harm in an hour, and by then Djiel is out cold.
The next day brings clear skies and the lookout calling down that land has been sighted! Now, their course shouldn't take them near land until they reach the coast of Theah... So this isn't normal. Zora is certain that it isn't normal, and says as much; she asks the captain about it, and HE has no idea how or why its there either! Worse, it turns out that he's the navigator! ...Or at least that's what the crew lets him think, is a possibility...
The captain is thrilled at the find, and wants to immediately go ashore and explore the mysterious atoll; Erik is equally enthused. Zora is guarded in her opinions, and Illyana thinks that this is a BAD idea. She's not happy, but being Ussuran, that isn't unusual. Its decided that the isle will be explored. Erik, the captain, Illyana and Djiel will go in the ship's longboat, while Zora, having the same suspicion as Illyana that the crew just might not mind leaving their obviously-dotty captain behind, stays aboard the Piper.
As they take the longboat in, Erik and Illyana notice something unusual on the bottom... Its a kind of hump that seems somehow... Unnatural. Erik, despite not knowing how to swim, dives down. He can't tell what it is, and soon forced up by lack of air. Illyana attempts to change to sealform; "This could be surprising," she says, then grimaces in frustration when her ability fails her again! "Yes. Very surprising..." Drawls Erik. She glares at him, then dives down. Clearing some of the sand and detritus away from the object, she finds that it is a hatch! Mechanical, with gears and structure to it that certainly doesn't belong on the bottom of the sea! She comes up and relays this information; the Captain posits that its of Syrne origin, that ancient, mysterious culture that has left ruins and artifacts all across the known world. Erik goes down again. he can't budge it alone, nor can he and Illyana together. Erik gets Djiel, who ALSO can't swim, to help.
Eight tries later, eight trips up for air and struggling with the wheel of the hatch later, Erik and Djiel finally break it (locked with a catch that they all missed) loose! Its an airlock! ...Not that any of them know what that is. Not being able to talk underwater, Illyana points up so that her companions will surface with her. "There are stranger things between heaven and earth, Horatio," She (badly) quotes Hamlet, "Then Man has ever seen; I think we have found such a thing..." They decide to enter the strange portal, realizing that there must be a way to get rid of the water once inside- if there wasn't, it was rather stupid to put a hatch on the bottom of the sea!
They hyperventilate and dive back down, entering the cylindrical chamber. They shut the hatch, and after aa comedy-of-errors playing with a set of levers they find at the other end of the cylinder, the water gurgles and drains away. Now they're in a cylinder with two closed hatches on the bottom of the sea! Fortunately, they get the second door open, though something breaks in one of the levers...
Once past the second hatch, they find themselves in a passage that leads to a spiral stairway leading down. There are lights that look like gas-lights in glassed- off recesses on the walls, and the whole effect is rather otherworldly. They follow the stairs down, and at the bottom in a largish room they are faced with a strange archway, apparently made of stone.
Erik walks forward towards the arch, and when he does he steps on a tripswitch; the portal suddenly FLARES with soft, greenish light! Nothing like the bloody-red, accompanied-by-screaming light of Porte magic, fortunately. Before trying anything particularly stupid, they decide to go back up-and-out to fetch Zora- they don't want to leave her behind if they end up a great distance away!
They get back to the airlock, but they have some trouble getting it to work in reverse- their earlier manipulations had damaged the mechanism! Eventually, they do get things to work, and they're soon on the surface once again. Zora and their gear is fetched and the situation explained to the captain. "I'll stick around for one day and 12 minutes, then we're gone..." With that, the quartet once again make their way down, soon again facing the strange arch-portal.
Again Erik steps on the trigger, causing the swirling field of light to reappear. Without waiting, he strides forward through the field... And as his foot leaves the trigger it snaps off with him halfway through! He falls to the floor on the other side! Djiel, seeing him collapse leaps forward, triggering the field himself with exactly the same effect! Zora and Illyana check their fallen comrades, both avoiding triggering the 'portal'; both are deeply unconscious, and cannot be roused.
For Erik and Djiel the situation seems VERY different, however. Erik finds himself suddenly back home amongst his kin, who are quite glad to see him! They feast his return, and listen to his tales of adventure, especially to his descriptions of Djiel and his devastating prowess in battle. Djiel likewise is home, and his homecoming too is celebrated, with the chief's daughter being offered to him as a bride! He too tells tales of adventures with the 'White Devils' and their powerful magics!
Meanwhile, Zora and Illyana have no real idea what to do. "Maybe if we put them through again?" Suggests Illyana. "We could wedge switch somehow..." She makes the attempt, managing to wedge the switch with one of her axes; moments later, the switch pops back up, damaging the blade of her axe in the process. Some thought leads to the idea of chopping rock loose from the walls to pile on the switch to hold it down. As her axe is damaged anyway, she might as well try.
It takes some work, but enough stone is gained in this way to weigh down the switch. Zora and Illyana each grab one of the boys and drag them through... And they pass out while Erik and Djiel awaken!
The boys are left rather bewildered for a moment; Djiel was headed for his wedding, and Erik was in the midst of revelries! Of course, they now are faced with a new situation- Zora and Illyana unconscious on the floor, and the portal lit and active behind them!
Now... Zora finds herself aboard her old ship! She's confused, but not all that upset with the situation. Illyana finds herself back home at her familial estate. She, like the others remembers where she'd been and what had happened, minus the passing-out part, and KNOWS something is wrong. Especially when she notices that the shrine to Matuska is missing. She tries to force herself back through force of will... And succeeds!
However, back in the cavern Erik and Djiel have come up with a cunning plan to try and revive their comrades... Namely, to toss them through the portal! Illyana wakes just in time to yell "NO!" as she's tossed back through! And she's out again, but this time she's in the Fhideli caravan that she arrived in Reisburg with! Back in the chamber, Zora does reawaken when tossed through.
Once again. Illyana tries to force herself back. On the first try, she is suddenly back home again; knowing that she CAN do this, she tries once again. And as she does, she suddenly KNOWS how she found herself with the caravan! But the knowledge is gone from her mind when she comes to in the chamber.
She wakes in Erik's arms, just as he's getting ready to toss her back through the portal again! "I would ask that you not throw me again..." She says, and he sets her down.
The room itself has changed; there is a ring of lights high up on the ceiling, and of course the portal itself is glowing in its arch. There are no stones piled on the portal-switch, either. The stairs are glowing solidly, rather than lighting as they step on each tread. Djiel leading, they make their way up to determine what else has changed, And there IS a change; at the top of the stairs they are confronted by what appears to be a Clockwork Man! Illyana swears quietly, as its frighteningly familiar- near her home, one of the regional rulers makes such creations from ancient knowledge... And he is totally mad. They try to talk to the creature, but it speaks in what is gibberish to them. It does step aside for them to pass at least.
They find themselves in a room like the airlock, but it is totally dry and there is a dial that was not present in the other chamber. "The whole room moves?" says Illyana; Erik just shrugs. They manipulate the levers again, but nothing happens. Then Erik has a brainstorm. He spins the dial, and the water starts to flow in! Finally, they crank the door open and... They're back underwater at the island! It at least looks to be the same island. However, the ship is gone! They swim back down, passing once again through the airlock. But here is now another problem to deal with- the clockwork man is barring their way!
They try to talk with the thing, but the result is essentially the same, though the creature seems a bit more on the hostile side than previously. First Illyana then Zora try to slip past the thing, but it interposes and blocks Illyana, though Zora manages to get past. Djiel then takes a swing at the creature, missing; its return swing strikes him solid, delivering a strong electric shock as well, stunning him momentarily. After this display, Erik grins... He has carved a Rune into his hand and with that power blasts it with his OWN lightning!
It sparks, gears grinding and seems hurt- Zora strikes at it from behind but misses, and Illyana takes the opening created by the Erik's blast and SHOVES the thing, causing it to overbalance and fall down the stairs! Unfortunately, if falls into Zora so that she goes down the stairs as well! She is slightly hurt, but the fall seems to have done little to the infernal machine.
The thing gets back to its feet, then punches a fist through one of the (gaslight?) light-panels- there is a grinding sound, and the lights, aside from the stairs, go out! It then starts manipulating something under its arm and shakes, soon falling to the ground with a hissing sound coming from it. It turns out to be dissolving itself with an acid!
Now they're in a room with a non-working portal, stairs that light, and a mechanical man eating himself away with acid. They can't get the portal to work, so they head up the stairs. With luck they'll at least be able to get to the surface. There is another change here too- another doorway has appeared! Inside is a small room with a table, upon which rests a strange gyroscopic device. Illyana tries to activate it, and it spins... and does nothing else. "This thing is fucking useless." She says. Erik just looks disgusted.
Djiel continues to play with the gyroscope, repeatedly winding it up and releasing it to spin and jump wildly about, eventually getting it to spin and ricochet off a wall- this apparently breaks the thing. He grins, thinking "White devil does great magic!"
While this goes on the others try to decide what to do. For the most part the consensus is that they have NO idea. Going out and up leaves them castaways on an uncharted island in the middle of nowhere with little chance of rescue, while remaining down below could be just as deadly with no drinkable water or food. Djiel, having given up on the broken gyro-device does what nobody else has so far done- he looks as where the clockwork man punched the light out. Inside, there is what seems to be a plunger or pull-switch! He reaches in and pulls it back out... And with a grinding sound and a shaking of the room the lights return!
Now that things seem to be working again the decide to try the portal again; it once again flares to life! They get what little remains of the mechanical man to weight the switch so the portal stays active, and all at once pass through; they awake in the original room they visited! The pile of rock is once again on the pressure switch, and there is no ring of overhead lights. There IS a burnmark on the floor about where the clockwork man dissolved itself. None of them want to stay any longer and they make their way back up the stairs.
As they do... Illyana stops. "Bosche Moi. It was not space we go through. it was TIME!" She shudders. They get to the airlock as fast as they can, and the damage they find there confirms it to be the first one they encountered. They cycle through once again, and soon are on the surface! Nearby, they see the captain now rowing back to the ship!
They yell to him, and he stops. "You're back! So what happened?" He asks. Instead of an immediate answer they ask how long they were gone. The answer? "One day, 13 minutes..." SO close to being marooned!
Once they get back to the ship, the rest of the voyage is uneventful. They find the coast of Theah near Castille, and follow the coast- they reach the city of Reisburg, and aim to go up river to Freiburg once again. Erik tries to make portage, but runs (once again) into the language barrier. Illyana fortunately is there, and manages to find out that there are two river barges leaving in the morning. The harbormaster recommends the one captained by Olga; Zora gets the name, actually. Illyana talks with Captain Ogla and makes arrangements for their passage. It will be 3 guilders each.
Erik spends the night on the docks, which means Djiel does as well. Illyana is there as well, as if she gets a room for the night she'll not be able to afford the portage to Friesburg on the morrow. Zora finds her own accommodations. While Illyana sleeps, Erik shows Djiel how the exchange system works for the various coins; this comes about when Djiel starts going into the inn and ordering ales for Erik! The first time he pays with a guilder and gets a mittful of copper back. The next time, he tries to pay with a copper- this doesn't work, and he once again pays with a guilder- the barman is getting exasperated at making all the change! After Erik's tutelage he goes back for another, and the barman gets that 'oh God, not again' kind of look, but Djiel then counts out exactly how much is required! Progress is made.
When morning comes, Erik pays the fare and they travel up the river towards Freiburg. The voyage is quiet, and eventually the can see the tower rising in the distance, and the squalid slums are visible shortly thereafter. Djiel is... Nonplussed at the sight, and tries to ask in gesture about what he's seeing. Erik nods and shrugs, unable to really communicate more than that the situation is wrong.
One of the beggars swims out to the barge; the captain shouts him back; "No closer, I warn you!" He keeps coming, and she draws a pistol. "You'll not board, understand?" Before she can fire Erik stops her. "There is no need," he says. He indicates that Djiel use the butt of his spear to knock him back. Djiel does so, and the swimmer is forced back, stunned. "See, now was that do difficult? Erik says. The captain just scowls.
Eventually they disembark. Once on land Erik's mood finally bottoms out. He wants revenge as much as Illyana, and heads straight to the manor. For a time they are harassed by the merchants, but when Erik draws his axe they scatter. They keep going, and can see that the manor still stands, though rather worse for wear. There are boarded-up windows and fire damage, but for the most part it looks intact. ... Perhaps lived in as well?
They pass through the gate and up to the doors. Erik pounds on them, and soon is greeted by Armand's voice inside! The sound of many locks being undone is heard, and soon they are within Erik's less-than-pristine dwelling once again.
Armand tells them of the aftermath. He saw them dragged off, and unfortunately Erik's shieldmen were dragged down and killed in the fight. The brigands didn't bother with Armand though- as old and apparently infirm as he was, he had no value as a slave. They didn't bother searching the manor all that thoroughly either... Which is strange, as Armand certainly shouldn't have been able to stop them.
One good bit of news- all of their possessions, at least those that were in their rooms, are still here! This does lighten the mood a little, but there is still the desire for payback in the back of people's minds. Armand prepares a meal, and gets assistance (unrequested) from Djiel. As it turns out the 'savage' is quite useful in the kitchen. When he serves, Erik insists he join them, which he does reluctantly.
After the meal Erik makes plans to go off with Zora to arrange carpenters to repair the damage to the manor. Illyana simply decides to have a HOT bath. Civilization is a wonderful thing! Before Erik heads off to arrange the labor, he sees Djiel moving to curl up by the hearthside. He stops him, and leads Djiel upstairs to the bedrooms. He indicates the bed, and Djiel is shocked at the softness when he lies down on it! He's asleep in moments.
With that, Erik and Zora head out on their errands. They have another encounter with guards at the bridge, and after some surliness they cross and head to the carpenter that the guards indicated. Erik is getting more and more fed up with the way things are run in Freiburg. "I think I will one day bring my brethren to this place and sack it, and take over. THEN it will be run right!" He growls to Zora.
The guards were at least a little bit helpful in the search for a carpenter. Molly is her name, and with 200 guilders from Erik she's HIS carpenter! She'll get a crew together and will come to the house in the morning after she's completed her current work.
Their next step is to find servants for the house to help armand. Molly has no ability to help, but they endeavour to persevere.
When Illyana finally finishes her long soak in the bath, she dresses and talks a bit with Armand. "So, did anyone come back after we were taken?" Armand shrugs. "Is place being watched?" "Oh, more than likely." "Damn. Then we need guards, if only for short time. How to arrange that?" Armand replies, "Commission the city guard, they're available..." Illyana decides to arrange this. At about the same time Djiel has come down and has started to clean, despite Armand's protests.
She goes to talk to the guards and finds out that Erik has already said 'NO' to the idea of guards being hired. She finds out that the manor is within gang territory, and that the guards know very little about them. When she asks about informants and other sources on the gangs, they suggest that she speak with Herr Proust of the Rosicrucians. They give her directions and she pays to cross (5 copper) and heads there.
Meanwhile, Erik and Zora have tried for more information. Zora raises Erik's ire towards the guards once again when she tries to pay for information- Erik is thoroughly fed up with the Freiburg guards! They head to a messenger service to contact Erik's kin, and negotiate for the written message to be sent. All is arranged and the message is prepared. It might take weeks, but Erik will have a contingent of well-trained men on hand... He's paid for the messenger to remain for a week to await a return message if required.
And that's the end for now. Next up? The Buffy Horror Campaign!
We rejoin our unlikely band of adventurers as they make final boarding on the Dancing Piper, an unflagged vessel they've hired to take them back to Reisburg. The Piper it should be noted is painted in a riot of colors- the hull is bright purple with a red arrow, the decks are blue, the sails are a bright yellow, and an odd pattern is mottled about elsewhere in green. It at least SEEMS seaworthy, but her captain seems at least a touch mad; it remains to be seen what her crew is like.
Shortly the vessel is sailing out of port under clear skies. As they do, the captain goes into his cabin; when he returns he's changed hats! Formerly wearing a normal captain's tricorn, he now sports a bright yellow version with a huge purple feather! "I have to have my sailing hat on when we're at sea!" He says cheerily. Illyana becomes even more convinced that there is something lacking in the captain's sanity. Fortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that the crew is quite competent at their duties.
As they sail out on relatively calm waters, Erik notices that Djiel is perhaps not quite ready for shipboard travel; in fact, despite is dark skin he is looking decidedly... Green. Not really being able to help himself, Erik decides to 'help' the poor native by offering food and eating salted pork in great, greasy bites. Djiel manages to keep his gorge down, but isn't enjoying the treatment.
Despite such entertainment the sailing is smooth and the weather good; a small difficulty for Our Heroes is that in addition to not being able to understand Djiel, none of them can understand the crew either! At least the captain can speak Eisen. The lookout calls down something from the crow's nest to the captain, who talks with some of the crew on deck. When asked, he tells the three passengers who can understand him that a ship has been spotted!
Illyana makes use of the spyglass she obtained from the slaver fort; focussing in, she sees that it is a large Castillan vessel, and its course is away from them; she mistrusts the situation despite this, having developed a dislike of the nation and its perceived tolerance of slavery. The captain orders the ship to 'run silent,' whatever THAT means, and eventually the ship is lost to sight behind them.
Later that same day, the captain invites his passengers to dinner in his cabin; all accept, at least those who can understand him or can be told. The remainder of the day passes uneventfully, and even Djiel is feeling better. They all gather in the captain's cabin, and the meal is begun; the first course? A cherry flavored gruel. Not intolerable, but not great either. Next up is 'twice-cooked broccoli,' which turns out to be a heavily peppered dish- where everyone else is a bit hesitant at the dish, Djiel dives right in, shoveling it into his mouth... And finding out about the pepper! He manages to swallow, but his mouth now feels like its on fire! He looks around with a panicked, trapped look on his face, and Erik hands him a tankard of mead- the entire thing is drained in a moment, soon relieving the fiery sensation.
After this brief sideline, the meal continues. The third course turns out to be the main- roast suckling pig! To most here this is a real treat, and they soon dig in; Djiel goes especially for the brains of the beast. This is too much for Zora; she excuses herself, claiming to be 'a vegetarian' and steps out on deck. This doesn't slow the others down in the least. "I am not fond of brains," says Illyana. "they are usually too grainy in flavor. But, is okay." With the decimation of the porcine offering the meal soon concludes.
Out on deck, Zora is watching ahead of the ship, and notices a squall line building. Seasoned in the ways of the weather from her own time sailing, she knows they're in for rough seas. She re-enters the cabin and informs the captain; "That's impossible!" He says. "Its not storm season!" As if weather follows the seasons in rigid formation...
Erik looks for himself; he notes that the crew is reacting properly and competently to the coming weather, and is impressed. "Can you do anything about it?" Zora asks. "Yes, but we are to distant now. We must be closer." He replies.
In far less time than any would like (except for Erik), the storm is upon them. Erik makes his way to the prow of the ship, where he'd earlier noted the marks of another Runecaster on the deck. He carves his own Rune, and reaches out with his power to calm the wind and waves; he is successful, but this simply means that the ride will be rough rather than dangerous. This is unfortunate for Djiel-the-landlubber, and he ends up being led belowdecks to the hammocks by Illyana, who has the foresight to also bring a bucket... The storm passes with little harm in an hour, and by then Djiel is out cold.
The next day brings clear skies and the lookout calling down that land has been sighted! Now, their course shouldn't take them near land until they reach the coast of Theah... So this isn't normal. Zora is certain that it isn't normal, and says as much; she asks the captain about it, and HE has no idea how or why its there either! Worse, it turns out that he's the navigator! ...Or at least that's what the crew lets him think, is a possibility...
The captain is thrilled at the find, and wants to immediately go ashore and explore the mysterious atoll; Erik is equally enthused. Zora is guarded in her opinions, and Illyana thinks that this is a BAD idea. She's not happy, but being Ussuran, that isn't unusual. Its decided that the isle will be explored. Erik, the captain, Illyana and Djiel will go in the ship's longboat, while Zora, having the same suspicion as Illyana that the crew just might not mind leaving their obviously-dotty captain behind, stays aboard the Piper.
As they take the longboat in, Erik and Illyana notice something unusual on the bottom... Its a kind of hump that seems somehow... Unnatural. Erik, despite not knowing how to swim, dives down. He can't tell what it is, and soon forced up by lack of air. Illyana attempts to change to sealform; "This could be surprising," she says, then grimaces in frustration when her ability fails her again! "Yes. Very surprising..." Drawls Erik. She glares at him, then dives down. Clearing some of the sand and detritus away from the object, she finds that it is a hatch! Mechanical, with gears and structure to it that certainly doesn't belong on the bottom of the sea! She comes up and relays this information; the Captain posits that its of Syrne origin, that ancient, mysterious culture that has left ruins and artifacts all across the known world. Erik goes down again. he can't budge it alone, nor can he and Illyana together. Erik gets Djiel, who ALSO can't swim, to help.
Eight tries later, eight trips up for air and struggling with the wheel of the hatch later, Erik and Djiel finally break it (locked with a catch that they all missed) loose! Its an airlock! ...Not that any of them know what that is. Not being able to talk underwater, Illyana points up so that her companions will surface with her. "There are stranger things between heaven and earth, Horatio," She (badly) quotes Hamlet, "Then Man has ever seen; I think we have found such a thing..." They decide to enter the strange portal, realizing that there must be a way to get rid of the water once inside- if there wasn't, it was rather stupid to put a hatch on the bottom of the sea!
They hyperventilate and dive back down, entering the cylindrical chamber. They shut the hatch, and after aa comedy-of-errors playing with a set of levers they find at the other end of the cylinder, the water gurgles and drains away. Now they're in a cylinder with two closed hatches on the bottom of the sea! Fortunately, they get the second door open, though something breaks in one of the levers...
Once past the second hatch, they find themselves in a passage that leads to a spiral stairway leading down. There are lights that look like gas-lights in glassed- off recesses on the walls, and the whole effect is rather otherworldly. They follow the stairs down, and at the bottom in a largish room they are faced with a strange archway, apparently made of stone.
Erik walks forward towards the arch, and when he does he steps on a tripswitch; the portal suddenly FLARES with soft, greenish light! Nothing like the bloody-red, accompanied-by-screaming light of Porte magic, fortunately. Before trying anything particularly stupid, they decide to go back up-and-out to fetch Zora- they don't want to leave her behind if they end up a great distance away!
They get back to the airlock, but they have some trouble getting it to work in reverse- their earlier manipulations had damaged the mechanism! Eventually, they do get things to work, and they're soon on the surface once again. Zora and their gear is fetched and the situation explained to the captain. "I'll stick around for one day and 12 minutes, then we're gone..." With that, the quartet once again make their way down, soon again facing the strange arch-portal.
Again Erik steps on the trigger, causing the swirling field of light to reappear. Without waiting, he strides forward through the field... And as his foot leaves the trigger it snaps off with him halfway through! He falls to the floor on the other side! Djiel, seeing him collapse leaps forward, triggering the field himself with exactly the same effect! Zora and Illyana check their fallen comrades, both avoiding triggering the 'portal'; both are deeply unconscious, and cannot be roused.
For Erik and Djiel the situation seems VERY different, however. Erik finds himself suddenly back home amongst his kin, who are quite glad to see him! They feast his return, and listen to his tales of adventure, especially to his descriptions of Djiel and his devastating prowess in battle. Djiel likewise is home, and his homecoming too is celebrated, with the chief's daughter being offered to him as a bride! He too tells tales of adventures with the 'White Devils' and their powerful magics!
Meanwhile, Zora and Illyana have no real idea what to do. "Maybe if we put them through again?" Suggests Illyana. "We could wedge switch somehow..." She makes the attempt, managing to wedge the switch with one of her axes; moments later, the switch pops back up, damaging the blade of her axe in the process. Some thought leads to the idea of chopping rock loose from the walls to pile on the switch to hold it down. As her axe is damaged anyway, she might as well try.
It takes some work, but enough stone is gained in this way to weigh down the switch. Zora and Illyana each grab one of the boys and drag them through... And they pass out while Erik and Djiel awaken!
The boys are left rather bewildered for a moment; Djiel was headed for his wedding, and Erik was in the midst of revelries! Of course, they now are faced with a new situation- Zora and Illyana unconscious on the floor, and the portal lit and active behind them!
Now... Zora finds herself aboard her old ship! She's confused, but not all that upset with the situation. Illyana finds herself back home at her familial estate. She, like the others remembers where she'd been and what had happened, minus the passing-out part, and KNOWS something is wrong. Especially when she notices that the shrine to Matuska is missing. She tries to force herself back through force of will... And succeeds!
However, back in the cavern Erik and Djiel have come up with a cunning plan to try and revive their comrades... Namely, to toss them through the portal! Illyana wakes just in time to yell "NO!" as she's tossed back through! And she's out again, but this time she's in the Fhideli caravan that she arrived in Reisburg with! Back in the chamber, Zora does reawaken when tossed through.
Once again. Illyana tries to force herself back. On the first try, she is suddenly back home again; knowing that she CAN do this, she tries once again. And as she does, she suddenly KNOWS how she found herself with the caravan! But the knowledge is gone from her mind when she comes to in the chamber.
She wakes in Erik's arms, just as he's getting ready to toss her back through the portal again! "I would ask that you not throw me again..." She says, and he sets her down.
The room itself has changed; there is a ring of lights high up on the ceiling, and of course the portal itself is glowing in its arch. There are no stones piled on the portal-switch, either. The stairs are glowing solidly, rather than lighting as they step on each tread. Djiel leading, they make their way up to determine what else has changed, And there IS a change; at the top of the stairs they are confronted by what appears to be a Clockwork Man! Illyana swears quietly, as its frighteningly familiar- near her home, one of the regional rulers makes such creations from ancient knowledge... And he is totally mad. They try to talk to the creature, but it speaks in what is gibberish to them. It does step aside for them to pass at least.
They find themselves in a room like the airlock, but it is totally dry and there is a dial that was not present in the other chamber. "The whole room moves?" says Illyana; Erik just shrugs. They manipulate the levers again, but nothing happens. Then Erik has a brainstorm. He spins the dial, and the water starts to flow in! Finally, they crank the door open and... They're back underwater at the island! It at least looks to be the same island. However, the ship is gone! They swim back down, passing once again through the airlock. But here is now another problem to deal with- the clockwork man is barring their way!
They try to talk with the thing, but the result is essentially the same, though the creature seems a bit more on the hostile side than previously. First Illyana then Zora try to slip past the thing, but it interposes and blocks Illyana, though Zora manages to get past. Djiel then takes a swing at the creature, missing; its return swing strikes him solid, delivering a strong electric shock as well, stunning him momentarily. After this display, Erik grins... He has carved a Rune into his hand and with that power blasts it with his OWN lightning!
It sparks, gears grinding and seems hurt- Zora strikes at it from behind but misses, and Illyana takes the opening created by the Erik's blast and SHOVES the thing, causing it to overbalance and fall down the stairs! Unfortunately, if falls into Zora so that she goes down the stairs as well! She is slightly hurt, but the fall seems to have done little to the infernal machine.
The thing gets back to its feet, then punches a fist through one of the (gaslight?) light-panels- there is a grinding sound, and the lights, aside from the stairs, go out! It then starts manipulating something under its arm and shakes, soon falling to the ground with a hissing sound coming from it. It turns out to be dissolving itself with an acid!
Now they're in a room with a non-working portal, stairs that light, and a mechanical man eating himself away with acid. They can't get the portal to work, so they head up the stairs. With luck they'll at least be able to get to the surface. There is another change here too- another doorway has appeared! Inside is a small room with a table, upon which rests a strange gyroscopic device. Illyana tries to activate it, and it spins... and does nothing else. "This thing is fucking useless." She says. Erik just looks disgusted.
Djiel continues to play with the gyroscope, repeatedly winding it up and releasing it to spin and jump wildly about, eventually getting it to spin and ricochet off a wall- this apparently breaks the thing. He grins, thinking "White devil does great magic!"
While this goes on the others try to decide what to do. For the most part the consensus is that they have NO idea. Going out and up leaves them castaways on an uncharted island in the middle of nowhere with little chance of rescue, while remaining down below could be just as deadly with no drinkable water or food. Djiel, having given up on the broken gyro-device does what nobody else has so far done- he looks as where the clockwork man punched the light out. Inside, there is what seems to be a plunger or pull-switch! He reaches in and pulls it back out... And with a grinding sound and a shaking of the room the lights return!
Now that things seem to be working again the decide to try the portal again; it once again flares to life! They get what little remains of the mechanical man to weight the switch so the portal stays active, and all at once pass through; they awake in the original room they visited! The pile of rock is once again on the pressure switch, and there is no ring of overhead lights. There IS a burnmark on the floor about where the clockwork man dissolved itself. None of them want to stay any longer and they make their way back up the stairs.
As they do... Illyana stops. "Bosche Moi. It was not space we go through. it was TIME!" She shudders. They get to the airlock as fast as they can, and the damage they find there confirms it to be the first one they encountered. They cycle through once again, and soon are on the surface! Nearby, they see the captain now rowing back to the ship!
They yell to him, and he stops. "You're back! So what happened?" He asks. Instead of an immediate answer they ask how long they were gone. The answer? "One day, 13 minutes..." SO close to being marooned!
Once they get back to the ship, the rest of the voyage is uneventful. They find the coast of Theah near Castille, and follow the coast- they reach the city of Reisburg, and aim to go up river to Freiburg once again. Erik tries to make portage, but runs (once again) into the language barrier. Illyana fortunately is there, and manages to find out that there are two river barges leaving in the morning. The harbormaster recommends the one captained by Olga; Zora gets the name, actually. Illyana talks with Captain Ogla and makes arrangements for their passage. It will be 3 guilders each.
Erik spends the night on the docks, which means Djiel does as well. Illyana is there as well, as if she gets a room for the night she'll not be able to afford the portage to Friesburg on the morrow. Zora finds her own accommodations. While Illyana sleeps, Erik shows Djiel how the exchange system works for the various coins; this comes about when Djiel starts going into the inn and ordering ales for Erik! The first time he pays with a guilder and gets a mittful of copper back. The next time, he tries to pay with a copper- this doesn't work, and he once again pays with a guilder- the barman is getting exasperated at making all the change! After Erik's tutelage he goes back for another, and the barman gets that 'oh God, not again' kind of look, but Djiel then counts out exactly how much is required! Progress is made.
When morning comes, Erik pays the fare and they travel up the river towards Freiburg. The voyage is quiet, and eventually the can see the tower rising in the distance, and the squalid slums are visible shortly thereafter. Djiel is... Nonplussed at the sight, and tries to ask in gesture about what he's seeing. Erik nods and shrugs, unable to really communicate more than that the situation is wrong.
One of the beggars swims out to the barge; the captain shouts him back; "No closer, I warn you!" He keeps coming, and she draws a pistol. "You'll not board, understand?" Before she can fire Erik stops her. "There is no need," he says. He indicates that Djiel use the butt of his spear to knock him back. Djiel does so, and the swimmer is forced back, stunned. "See, now was that do difficult? Erik says. The captain just scowls.
Eventually they disembark. Once on land Erik's mood finally bottoms out. He wants revenge as much as Illyana, and heads straight to the manor. For a time they are harassed by the merchants, but when Erik draws his axe they scatter. They keep going, and can see that the manor still stands, though rather worse for wear. There are boarded-up windows and fire damage, but for the most part it looks intact. ... Perhaps lived in as well?
They pass through the gate and up to the doors. Erik pounds on them, and soon is greeted by Armand's voice inside! The sound of many locks being undone is heard, and soon they are within Erik's less-than-pristine dwelling once again.
Armand tells them of the aftermath. He saw them dragged off, and unfortunately Erik's shieldmen were dragged down and killed in the fight. The brigands didn't bother with Armand though- as old and apparently infirm as he was, he had no value as a slave. They didn't bother searching the manor all that thoroughly either... Which is strange, as Armand certainly shouldn't have been able to stop them.
One good bit of news- all of their possessions, at least those that were in their rooms, are still here! This does lighten the mood a little, but there is still the desire for payback in the back of people's minds. Armand prepares a meal, and gets assistance (unrequested) from Djiel. As it turns out the 'savage' is quite useful in the kitchen. When he serves, Erik insists he join them, which he does reluctantly.
After the meal Erik makes plans to go off with Zora to arrange carpenters to repair the damage to the manor. Illyana simply decides to have a HOT bath. Civilization is a wonderful thing! Before Erik heads off to arrange the labor, he sees Djiel moving to curl up by the hearthside. He stops him, and leads Djiel upstairs to the bedrooms. He indicates the bed, and Djiel is shocked at the softness when he lies down on it! He's asleep in moments.
With that, Erik and Zora head out on their errands. They have another encounter with guards at the bridge, and after some surliness they cross and head to the carpenter that the guards indicated. Erik is getting more and more fed up with the way things are run in Freiburg. "I think I will one day bring my brethren to this place and sack it, and take over. THEN it will be run right!" He growls to Zora.
The guards were at least a little bit helpful in the search for a carpenter. Molly is her name, and with 200 guilders from Erik she's HIS carpenter! She'll get a crew together and will come to the house in the morning after she's completed her current work.
Their next step is to find servants for the house to help armand. Molly has no ability to help, but they endeavour to persevere.
When Illyana finally finishes her long soak in the bath, she dresses and talks a bit with Armand. "So, did anyone come back after we were taken?" Armand shrugs. "Is place being watched?" "Oh, more than likely." "Damn. Then we need guards, if only for short time. How to arrange that?" Armand replies, "Commission the city guard, they're available..." Illyana decides to arrange this. At about the same time Djiel has come down and has started to clean, despite Armand's protests.
She goes to talk to the guards and finds out that Erik has already said 'NO' to the idea of guards being hired. She finds out that the manor is within gang territory, and that the guards know very little about them. When she asks about informants and other sources on the gangs, they suggest that she speak with Herr Proust of the Rosicrucians. They give her directions and she pays to cross (5 copper) and heads there.
Meanwhile, Erik and Zora have tried for more information. Zora raises Erik's ire towards the guards once again when she tries to pay for information- Erik is thoroughly fed up with the Freiburg guards! They head to a messenger service to contact Erik's kin, and negotiate for the written message to be sent. All is arranged and the message is prepared. It might take weeks, but Erik will have a contingent of well-trained men on hand... He's paid for the messenger to remain for a week to await a return message if required.
And that's the end for now. Next up? The Buffy Horror Campaign!
