Well Damn...
Mar. 1st, 2010 08:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
realsorienIt's done! I didn't think I'd be this quick. :)
In our last episode our heroes managed to fend off another attack by forces of the Montaigne, who were apparently bent on either revenge for the sinking of the ‘pirate’ vessel by Erik’s ship, or on the recovery of the cross that said vessel had been bearing. Of course, by the time of their assault the cross was already a simple lump of gold and a pile of cut gems.
The assault was two-pronged, with a Porte` sorcerer of frightening ability opening a rift within the volcano above Aarensfolk. This act, the first part of their attack caused the mountain to start to erupt; Erik was able to stop this (after consulting the Skald) by throwing a rune-marked stone through the portal in the magma. What exactly happened when it went through, nobody knows.
However, what happened in the real world was quite telling- A second portal had begun to open in the harbor, and a ship started to come through. As far as they could tell, this was the same ship that attacked them previously, also arriving via Porte` sorcery. But just as the prow of the vessel became solid within the real world the portal it was passing collapsed, slicing the prow off the ship and effectively ending the assault.
With this matter settled, things calmed down within the town and the preparations for the wedding of Erik and Zora proceeded. The event came and went as peacefully as you might expect for a Vestin ceremony, and soon enough Erik and company were planning their next voyage. Naturally, this isn’t simple. With the attack on the town and Illyana’s ill-considered jibe-turned-challenge to Bjorn, Erik’s brother, the town Jarl has decided that Erik and Bjorn shall endeavour to ‘end the threat to Vestin by Montaigne once and for all’.
Bjorn leaves first, to scout the coast of Montaigne. Erik and company leave about a week later, just after receiving word from Madame Dubicet- she has a mission for them in the Midnight Archipelago. They send word back that they’ll look into it, but make her no promises as to results. Thereafter they set sail for Avalon to obtain new cannons for the ship.
Avalon lives up to much of its mysterious reputation, with unnatural fogs and the sighting of a mysterious floating castle. The cannons are purchased, but there will be a ten day wait while the fourth is cast. This leaves them with time to kill, and with Erik’s restlessness within a city they soon put to sea once again, this time for the Highland Marches.
For much of the time Erik and Illyana partake in the fine scotch and odd games of the region, golf being a particular focus- it seems much more fun to them when played drunk! Zora uses the time in a manner perhaps more productive; she tries to learn about the Sidhe. The only problem with this is that every source she finds seems to contradict the previous one consulted...
We pick things up with Illyana, who is in wolf-form running through the woods...
She’s running in the woods, though she doesn’t recall how she got thee, or directly why; that doesn’t really seem to matter. Ahead of her there is a man, just barely visible running. She’s chasing him, and she knows that if she doesn’t catch him she’ll never get out of the woods. He seems to be Ussuran, but she can’t recall having seen him from the front, nor how she came to be chasing him. He’s armed with pistols, one of which he’s already fired at her, missing.
He starts to outdistance her; an impressive feat given the speed of a wolf. She keeps track by his scent, easily following the traces he leaves as he passes through the undergrowth. He crashes through a hedge, shortly followed by Illyana- He draws up short, faced with a precipice! Illyana-wolf walks out of the woods, facing the man, who wheels his arms to keep from falling. She starts forward, really not knowing what she’s about to do when a third figure joins the scene- another wolf, this one larger, pure white and male! It faces her with a snarl...
Erik has, on a whim, decided to go out into the woods for a bit of hunting. Gaining wisdom, he’s checked and made certain that he’s not going to violate any laws by doing so. As he follows the game trails within the semi-wild forest he comes across Illyana; she’s unconscious and fully dressed, sprawled out along the trail. When he checks, he can’t find any obvious injuries, nor does he scent alcohol on her breath. Through all of this she doesn’t rouse. He hefts her over his shoulder and carries her back to the ship, puzzled.
For Illyana, the scene with the man-and-wolf has faded into mist. She doesn’t wake, however. As Erik travels, he considers that perhaps he should find a healer to assist; there is definitely something strange going on. Then a touch of mischief crosses his mind. He knows that Illyana and Zora really don’t see eye to eye. It might be fun to get Zora to help!
It doesn’t take him long to find his new bride, who has just made her appearance on the street. She’s been continuing her research into the Sidhe, but is still running into contradiction after contradiction.
“Zora! I have a problem you might be able to help with!”
“Oh? What?
“I found Illyana in the woods when I was hunting. She was like this, unconscious, when I found her.”
Zora nods, and the pair continue back to the ship. They settle Illyana in a cot, then looks her over. As Erik before her she can’t find anything definitively wrong with the Ussuran woman.
“It could be a drug, or magic. I’ll try to rouse her.”
She gets some smelling salts from her kit and runs them under Illyana’s nose. With a start she wakes, almost sneezing at the pungency. She blinks, obviously confused as to where she is.
“What... Where am... What is going on?”
Erik looks at her. “We were going to ask the same of you; why were you in the woods?”
“I was in the woods?”
“Yes. I found you unconscious there and carried you back here.”
“I do not know how I got there... But I had the strangest dream...”
Illyana goes on to tell them of her dream, as well as how it ended. She recalls it very clearly, far more clearly than seems quite normal for a dream.
Nodding, Erik leaves Illyana to collect herself, and with Zora goes to find his Vestin friend once again. He asks the man if it’s possible that the Sidhe are possibly involved.
“Well... Was there mist?”
“Yes.”
“Then probably.”
Erik looks at Zora and says what they’re both thinking: “I think we should be leaving.”
With that, arrangements are quickly made for the ship to leave port. Mainly the plan is to try and get out of the reach of Sidhe influence, but Erik is also desirous of some seabourne hunting. A day passes with no other ships sighed and no troubles bothering them. This peaceful interlude doesn’t last, of course.
The next morning Zora wakes, only to find Erik unconscious; it is obviously not natural sleep that afflicts him. She gets up and quickly finds Djiel. She prepares a purgitive, and with the warrior’s help feeds it to Erik who promptly vomits. Now awake but very weakened Erik is told of what’s happened to him. He doesn’t recall having eaten or drank anything out of the ordinary, and nobody else seems to have been poisoned.
He staggers upright, vaguely noticing that the bucket he just filled is totally empty and clean. He flinches at the brightness of the morning, then makes his way to the galley. Once there, he asks if anything had been done differently the evening before. With the negative answer, he orders that the stores be checked immediately. “If you find something gone bad, dump it over the side.”
The word is passed to Erik’s first mate, who looks around the deck talking quietly to himself. “Hmm... For this I’ll need someone I can trust... You! I can trust you.”
Illyana blinks. “Me?”
“Yes.” And he proceeds to one of the water barrels and drinks a dipper out of it. He gets one of the crew, and has them drink out of the next! “Get help if I act weird or if someone won’t drink- that’ll be the poisoner!”
Naturally with Erik out of sorts a ship is then spotted. Upon closer inspection it’s a ship they’ve seen before- it’s purple, red and green. The Dancing Piper, Captain Arrow’s vessel! Zora isn’t keen on contacting the mad captain again, but at Djiel’s insistence she hails the particolored vessel to see if Arrow has a physician aboard. He does, and the ships start to maneuver closer so the doctor can cross.
This gets complicated when Djiel gets ahold of the wheel- he turns it experimentally, and the ship turns! This fascinates him, so he does it again- first three degrees to port, then three to starboard. They keep pace with the Piper, but don’t get any closer. Finally getting the grinning warrior clear of the wheel actual progress starts to be made. Djiel continues grinning like a cat with a canary. “Thlee degees poot!” he says, nearly giggling.
Then Illyana watches as one of the crew passes out. She yells to Zora, who manages to get the man to vomit up what he’d drank quickly enough to prevent undue harm. “Thanks,” he says. “Its THAT one!” He points out the offending barrel. Zora checks, and the contents smell faintly and disgustingly of fish. The crew start to heft it over the side, but she stops them. She takes the time to carefully empty it, and finds a disturbing greenish slime at the bottom and gets a sample. The barrel is then hefted over the side.
By this time the vessels have come together. A shouted conversation later and the doctor is sent across on a gangplank. He looks Erik over and is shown the goo from the barrel; he mixes something from his bag and has Erik drink it. It tastes of cinnamon.
“Well, that should help.” He says. Erik just lies back, and Zora nods. “So what was the poison?”
“I believe it was a bowel poison. If it was, he should be fine. If not, I did the wrong thing. But I’m fairly sure it was a bowel poison.”
After a bit Captain Arrow swings across on a line to talk. Once there he starts to put moves on Zora, at least until she tells him that she’s married. He then starts in on Illyana, who manages to stay polite in her refusal, then locks herself in Erik’s cabin, away from Arrow’s unwanted approaches.
Captain arrow then talks some with Zora, and finds out that they might be going against Montaigne; he actually gets a touch saner, and comments that Montaigne is the most powerful navy on the water, and it’s madness to face them. Zora assures him that they’re not going to attack, and being assured he goes right back to being a nut. He decides that he will ‘protect’ them, and accompany them to wherever they are headed.
“We’re headed for the Avalon capital,” Zora tells him.
“... Excellent! Just where I was headed!” Grumbles are heard from the Piper’s crew. “Just where I was headed, I say! Lets make haste!” He has his vessel run parallel to the Vestin ship, and orders the cannons of his vessel moved to the side opposite; he then (through Zora) has the Vestin guns moved likewise, effectively making for a larger, less maneuverable ‘ship’. Time passes, and Zora has him show her something of navigation- as it turns out he DOES have some skill at it, and passes on some useful talent to her.
The ships travel together through the rest of the day and the following night. With morning Erik is feeling much better; he comes up on deck and gets briefed by Zora on what’s been going on during his incapacitation. He manages to convince (or effectively gets Arrow to convince himself) Captain Arrow to return to the Piper, and the two ships move apart. It isn’t long after this that a disturbingly familiar heavy fog rolls in, moving in defiance of the solid breeze driving the two vessels.
Erik orders soundings to be made, so that the Piper’s crew will know where they are and vice-versa- a horn blown regularly from the Vestin vessel, a bell from the Dancing Piper. The sounds are strangely distorted, emphasizing the unnatural nature of the fog.
They sail on, the soundings seeming to indicate that the ships are moving apart; soon the lookout calls down that he’s spotted land! Its NOT Avalon, or at least not the Avalon they’re seeking. It’s off to starboard, and seems to be an island. Consulting all of the charts they have on board, no indication of an island can be found.
Then, a ship is spotted. Its the Piper, but Captain Arrow can’t seem to tell that he’s on the other side of the Vestin vessel, and he orders cannons to be fired! The volley fails to damage the ship, but one cannonball hist the side and sprays Erik with splinters. Now fed up, Erik cuts his arm and paints a Rune on the rail; lightning flashes down between the two ships, the stunning light and sound enough to show each ship the other. Arrow calls off the next shot, obviously shaken.
“Why do you do that? You could carve into rail rather than cutting yourself.”
At Illyana’s question, Erik gestures to the ship’s rail. “We only have so much rail!”
“You only have so much skin. You could have rails sanded smooth after.”
Erik doesn’t respond to the logic of this.
This leaves the mystery of the island.
“Is likely a Sidhe isle; I do not know if we can avoid going to it.”
Zora replies, looking defiant. “Well, if they want us they’ll have to come get us!”
Illyana is shocked. “Do not say such! Is like invitation!”
And with that the quartet find themselves in what appears to be a Vhideli traveling circus, within the main tent of the show! Each of the four are as stunned as the others at this turn of events, so much so that Illyana doesn’t even toss an ‘I told you so’ at Zora. They seem to be standing just out of sight of the performance area, perhaps in the performer’s waiting area. In the ring there is a juggler, who is tossing multicolored balls of fire rather than more mundane implements. He completes his performance to the applause of a moderate crowd, and the troupe leader, who they’d not seen initially, calls out.
“Thank you for your considerate applause; and now it is time for the highlight of the show: the amazing performing wolf!”
There is more applause, but no wolf appears. The troupe leader looks at Illyana.
“Come on; that’s your cue!”
Illyana spares a glare for Zora. “I will get you for this.” Zora glares right back, and Illyana heads for the ring. As he goes, she shifts to wolf before the audience can see her; strangely, she didn’t will the change- it just happens. As if she’d been performing the act for years she goes through the routine with the ‘trainer’, looking for all the world to be a well trained natural wolf.
As she finishes the performance, there is a scream from the entry of the tent. A huge white wolf, perhaps the same one she saw in her dream leaps in and goes for her throat! She adroitly avoids the lunge, dodging to the side. Using her ability to speak to animals she asks the beast, “Why are you attacking me?”
The answer is as confusing as it is unexpected: “Why did you not return?” It prepares to attack once again, and...
She wakes. She’s on the deck of the ship, surrounded by her companions!
“... What happened?”
“You cried out and collapsed. Are you all right?”
Illyana nods to Erik and looks herself over. “I think so. It was another dream.” She tells them what she experienced, leaving out the added irritations between her and Zora.
“Well, what should we do?”
“I do not know, Erik.”
“What would be your instinct?”
“I am still trying to grasp what is happening.”
Erik looks at her with slight irritation. “For someone who can turn into a wolf you’re overthinking this- what is your instinct?”
Illyana closes her eyes for a moment, gathering herself. She considers what Erik is asking, and suppresses the amusement at his assumptions of what her magic is like- he knows as much of her gift as she does of Laerdom- only what is visible.
“If I were alone... I would seek Wolf.”
“You’d go to the wolf?”
“No. I would go to Wolf. Capitalized. He is... Like a king. He serves Matushka.
“Do you need to go home?”
“This is not about my needs.”
“But it is. Do you need to go home?”
“... No. I think... Remember the night I took long walk back in Freiburg? That night I learned new form, that of owl. I was... Called, I think, to a place of Matushka’s power. A great old oak in a clearing deep in the woods. I think it is oldest oak in world. I might be able to find it again in maybe any woods, if I am to find it.”
Erik nods. “Then we go to the woods.” He orders the ship onto a heading back to Edinborough.
That journey passes quickly and uneventfully, and they manage to get dockage with no fee as long as they’re not in port for long. All four head out, walking deep into the forests surrounding the fortress-city. Unfortunately... Illyana can tell that she’ll not have any luck. In fact, she feels unwelcome. Erik continues to badger her on her needs, and partly to placate him, partly because she feels that it’s the proper path she tells him that his quest is paramount at the moment. He accepts this, and they make their way back to the ship. Zora, already irritated by having to go through all the hoops is now fuming.
“Is there a problem?” Erik asks her.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We came all this way for NOTHING.”
“So? We didn’t know it was for nothing.”
“We wasted our time!”
Erik is now getting more and more amused by his bride’s irritation. Grinning, he picks her up and slings her over his shoulder.
“Put me down.”
Erik just grins and keeps walking. Neither Djiel nor Illyana say a word.
“Put. Me. DOWN.”
If anything, her protests just make Erik more amused, and he doesn’t pay her demands any attention. So Zora just hangs over his shoulder and smolders.
As the quartet is about to board, there is a sound echoing through the air that absolutely gets their attention- the howl of a wolf. Illyana can tell that it’s only a few miles distant, deep in the woods. She sighs with a glance towards Erik.
“We leave in the morning.”
“Da. I will be back; worst case I can catch up.” She shifts to wolf-form and lopes off into the night, seeking the source of the howl.
Erik watches her go, then sets Zora down. She GLARES at him, then heads for the cabin they now share. Erik starts to follow, but stops when she growls, “If you think you’re sharing the bed TONIGHT...” And she slams the door.
Erik just grins more and comments, mostly to the air, “well, it seems a good night to get drunk!”
As is his wont, Djiel slipped off before this scene and finds an open tavern. From there he purchases a keg of whiskey, quickly returning to the ship just as Erik starts to notice his absence. Djiel notes the look on Erik’s face and fetches two mugs of ale, handing one to Erik. When that is finished, he passes over the next.
As the pair are so engaged they see a man approach the ship. He is long-haired and a bit wild-looking, and has his sword drawn and ready. As he comes up the gangplank, Djiel interposes with his spear at the ready. The man glances Erik’s way.
“Have your man stand aside if you value his life.”
“Why? What is your business here?”
“Saving yours.”
Puzzled, Erik has Djiel let the man board, and the pair follow him as he goes belowdecks to the crew’s quarters. He goes down the rows, eventually stopping at one man- He looks his target over, then with a swift slash beheads the sleeping crewman!
All this occurs without a single person stirring.
With Erik’s anger rising unheeded behind him, the stranger rifles through the dead man’s things- he shortly produces from these a blackened cross. He hands the curious item to Erik. “You can thank me later. He was going to kill you tomorrow.”
With that, and without a single further word he leaves as strangely as he arrived.
Erik wakes his first mate. “Up. UP! I want the crew on deck, EVERYONE, right now!”
Leaving the hapless man to wake the rest of the men, Erik and Djiel go and rouse Zora as well, letting her know what just happened. Quickly enough the crew is assembled; Erik fetches the corpse and head, laying them out on the deck.
“Who sailed with this man?”
Two indicate that they’d sailed with him, under Erik’s father the Jarl as well as with Bjorn. Nobody else has, and those two were only for two journeys.
“Search his possessions and the ship. I’ve been told that he planned to kill me; I wish more proof of that.”
The search is carried out, but only Djiel finds the evidence. Hidden in the man’s bedding is a flattish bottle containing a greenish powder- the poison used on Erik earlier! Seeing it, Erik nods with a grim expression. “Wrap the dog in his bedding. When we sail we’ll feed him to the sharks.”
The corpse is dealt with and watches on deck are doubled. Erik goes ashore once again, this time to his Vestin acquaintance. He wakes him, explaining the situation and asking if he knows anything. His friend doesn’t know the significance of the cross, nor does he have any idea who the stranger was. Erik gives him a detailed description and a few gems, asking him to find out anything he can.
“Can’t I sleep a bit longer?”
“You can sleep when you’re dead.”
The man sighs, and makes his way out to try and find things out.
Back out in the woods Illyana has followed the howls. She knows she’s getting close, and one last howl gives her the location. She finds herself in a very familiar setting: a clearing in a crescent around a stony precipice. She sniffs about, but she can neither scent another wolf nor find any prints other than those of the local wildlife. She gives up and turns to head back to the ship and there is a man there- the one from her dream- looking at her face to face!
“Remember me!” He says, then is gone into mist.
Illyana blinks at the rapidity of the encounter, and after shaking her head searches a bit more- she finds nothing that proves that he was there. With that, she lopes back towards the docks. SHe startles the guard at the gangplank, arriving as a wolf. “Woof.” she says to the man, who turns and asks a fellow crewman if they know any wolves. With that Illyana changes back to human. He jumps of course. “Why... You... Mmph.”
She boards and heads to sleep, not seeing Erik about. Djiel is on watch, but she can’t talk to him and expect an answer.
The morning dawns cool and quiet. Erik comes on-deck, having slept the night in his cabin in a chair. Djiel goes to bed when Erik appears, and the morning preparations to sail begin. Illyana is up soon after and tells Erik what occurred in the woods.
“I think that this is your mystery to solve.”
“Da. But I wish I knew more of what it was about; I have pieces only. And I have a bad feeling...” She trails off.
Erik goes once again to find his friend, but he’s not to be found. Likely he is out seeking the information that Erik asked him to find. Zora also goes into town, but she’s after information directly. She ends up in a church, where she learns a bit of what the cross represents, but doesn’t mention that the cross is black. She is told that it is a Vatacine Cross, the symbol of the Church. The priest can’t tell her any reason why such a thing could be found connected to attempted murder.
One other thing she finds out with certainty- the man Erik and Djiel saw was the O’Banion! King of Inish, it is said that he went mad (or at least madder) a few years back and started killing men, seemingly at random. The first of these was a man who simply approached to ask a question; without blinking, the O’Banion killed the man with a single sword-thrust and simply walked away.
She returns to the ship, sharing with the also-returned Erik what she’s learned. A moment after she finishes Illyana comes up to Erik and asks what happened during the night; she gets a quick recap. She recognizes the Cross, but doesn’t know of its significance in relation to what has taken place. She does note that the cross being black is NOT usual.
Shortly before they put out to sea, Erik’s friend finally arrives at the ship. Unfortunately, what he’s learned is less than but roughly the same as what they’ve already learned. Farewells are said, and once again the ship puts out to sea. The course is to pick up the final cannon from Avalon, then to points beyond.
And the latest 7th Sea set ends here. We return to the Buffy Horror Campaign next time!
In our last episode our heroes managed to fend off another attack by forces of the Montaigne, who were apparently bent on either revenge for the sinking of the ‘pirate’ vessel by Erik’s ship, or on the recovery of the cross that said vessel had been bearing. Of course, by the time of their assault the cross was already a simple lump of gold and a pile of cut gems.
The assault was two-pronged, with a Porte` sorcerer of frightening ability opening a rift within the volcano above Aarensfolk. This act, the first part of their attack caused the mountain to start to erupt; Erik was able to stop this (after consulting the Skald) by throwing a rune-marked stone through the portal in the magma. What exactly happened when it went through, nobody knows.
However, what happened in the real world was quite telling- A second portal had begun to open in the harbor, and a ship started to come through. As far as they could tell, this was the same ship that attacked them previously, also arriving via Porte` sorcery. But just as the prow of the vessel became solid within the real world the portal it was passing collapsed, slicing the prow off the ship and effectively ending the assault.
With this matter settled, things calmed down within the town and the preparations for the wedding of Erik and Zora proceeded. The event came and went as peacefully as you might expect for a Vestin ceremony, and soon enough Erik and company were planning their next voyage. Naturally, this isn’t simple. With the attack on the town and Illyana’s ill-considered jibe-turned-challenge to Bjorn, Erik’s brother, the town Jarl has decided that Erik and Bjorn shall endeavour to ‘end the threat to Vestin by Montaigne once and for all’.
Bjorn leaves first, to scout the coast of Montaigne. Erik and company leave about a week later, just after receiving word from Madame Dubicet- she has a mission for them in the Midnight Archipelago. They send word back that they’ll look into it, but make her no promises as to results. Thereafter they set sail for Avalon to obtain new cannons for the ship.
Avalon lives up to much of its mysterious reputation, with unnatural fogs and the sighting of a mysterious floating castle. The cannons are purchased, but there will be a ten day wait while the fourth is cast. This leaves them with time to kill, and with Erik’s restlessness within a city they soon put to sea once again, this time for the Highland Marches.
For much of the time Erik and Illyana partake in the fine scotch and odd games of the region, golf being a particular focus- it seems much more fun to them when played drunk! Zora uses the time in a manner perhaps more productive; she tries to learn about the Sidhe. The only problem with this is that every source she finds seems to contradict the previous one consulted...
We pick things up with Illyana, who is in wolf-form running through the woods...
She’s running in the woods, though she doesn’t recall how she got thee, or directly why; that doesn’t really seem to matter. Ahead of her there is a man, just barely visible running. She’s chasing him, and she knows that if she doesn’t catch him she’ll never get out of the woods. He seems to be Ussuran, but she can’t recall having seen him from the front, nor how she came to be chasing him. He’s armed with pistols, one of which he’s already fired at her, missing.
He starts to outdistance her; an impressive feat given the speed of a wolf. She keeps track by his scent, easily following the traces he leaves as he passes through the undergrowth. He crashes through a hedge, shortly followed by Illyana- He draws up short, faced with a precipice! Illyana-wolf walks out of the woods, facing the man, who wheels his arms to keep from falling. She starts forward, really not knowing what she’s about to do when a third figure joins the scene- another wolf, this one larger, pure white and male! It faces her with a snarl...
Erik has, on a whim, decided to go out into the woods for a bit of hunting. Gaining wisdom, he’s checked and made certain that he’s not going to violate any laws by doing so. As he follows the game trails within the semi-wild forest he comes across Illyana; she’s unconscious and fully dressed, sprawled out along the trail. When he checks, he can’t find any obvious injuries, nor does he scent alcohol on her breath. Through all of this she doesn’t rouse. He hefts her over his shoulder and carries her back to the ship, puzzled.
For Illyana, the scene with the man-and-wolf has faded into mist. She doesn’t wake, however. As Erik travels, he considers that perhaps he should find a healer to assist; there is definitely something strange going on. Then a touch of mischief crosses his mind. He knows that Illyana and Zora really don’t see eye to eye. It might be fun to get Zora to help!
It doesn’t take him long to find his new bride, who has just made her appearance on the street. She’s been continuing her research into the Sidhe, but is still running into contradiction after contradiction.
“Zora! I have a problem you might be able to help with!”
“Oh? What?
“I found Illyana in the woods when I was hunting. She was like this, unconscious, when I found her.”
Zora nods, and the pair continue back to the ship. They settle Illyana in a cot, then looks her over. As Erik before her she can’t find anything definitively wrong with the Ussuran woman.
“It could be a drug, or magic. I’ll try to rouse her.”
She gets some smelling salts from her kit and runs them under Illyana’s nose. With a start she wakes, almost sneezing at the pungency. She blinks, obviously confused as to where she is.
“What... Where am... What is going on?”
Erik looks at her. “We were going to ask the same of you; why were you in the woods?”
“I was in the woods?”
“Yes. I found you unconscious there and carried you back here.”
“I do not know how I got there... But I had the strangest dream...”
Illyana goes on to tell them of her dream, as well as how it ended. She recalls it very clearly, far more clearly than seems quite normal for a dream.
Nodding, Erik leaves Illyana to collect herself, and with Zora goes to find his Vestin friend once again. He asks the man if it’s possible that the Sidhe are possibly involved.
“Well... Was there mist?”
“Yes.”
“Then probably.”
Erik looks at Zora and says what they’re both thinking: “I think we should be leaving.”
With that, arrangements are quickly made for the ship to leave port. Mainly the plan is to try and get out of the reach of Sidhe influence, but Erik is also desirous of some seabourne hunting. A day passes with no other ships sighed and no troubles bothering them. This peaceful interlude doesn’t last, of course.
The next morning Zora wakes, only to find Erik unconscious; it is obviously not natural sleep that afflicts him. She gets up and quickly finds Djiel. She prepares a purgitive, and with the warrior’s help feeds it to Erik who promptly vomits. Now awake but very weakened Erik is told of what’s happened to him. He doesn’t recall having eaten or drank anything out of the ordinary, and nobody else seems to have been poisoned.
He staggers upright, vaguely noticing that the bucket he just filled is totally empty and clean. He flinches at the brightness of the morning, then makes his way to the galley. Once there, he asks if anything had been done differently the evening before. With the negative answer, he orders that the stores be checked immediately. “If you find something gone bad, dump it over the side.”
The word is passed to Erik’s first mate, who looks around the deck talking quietly to himself. “Hmm... For this I’ll need someone I can trust... You! I can trust you.”
Illyana blinks. “Me?”
“Yes.” And he proceeds to one of the water barrels and drinks a dipper out of it. He gets one of the crew, and has them drink out of the next! “Get help if I act weird or if someone won’t drink- that’ll be the poisoner!”
Naturally with Erik out of sorts a ship is then spotted. Upon closer inspection it’s a ship they’ve seen before- it’s purple, red and green. The Dancing Piper, Captain Arrow’s vessel! Zora isn’t keen on contacting the mad captain again, but at Djiel’s insistence she hails the particolored vessel to see if Arrow has a physician aboard. He does, and the ships start to maneuver closer so the doctor can cross.
This gets complicated when Djiel gets ahold of the wheel- he turns it experimentally, and the ship turns! This fascinates him, so he does it again- first three degrees to port, then three to starboard. They keep pace with the Piper, but don’t get any closer. Finally getting the grinning warrior clear of the wheel actual progress starts to be made. Djiel continues grinning like a cat with a canary. “Thlee degees poot!” he says, nearly giggling.
Then Illyana watches as one of the crew passes out. She yells to Zora, who manages to get the man to vomit up what he’d drank quickly enough to prevent undue harm. “Thanks,” he says. “Its THAT one!” He points out the offending barrel. Zora checks, and the contents smell faintly and disgustingly of fish. The crew start to heft it over the side, but she stops them. She takes the time to carefully empty it, and finds a disturbing greenish slime at the bottom and gets a sample. The barrel is then hefted over the side.
By this time the vessels have come together. A shouted conversation later and the doctor is sent across on a gangplank. He looks Erik over and is shown the goo from the barrel; he mixes something from his bag and has Erik drink it. It tastes of cinnamon.
“Well, that should help.” He says. Erik just lies back, and Zora nods. “So what was the poison?”
“I believe it was a bowel poison. If it was, he should be fine. If not, I did the wrong thing. But I’m fairly sure it was a bowel poison.”
After a bit Captain Arrow swings across on a line to talk. Once there he starts to put moves on Zora, at least until she tells him that she’s married. He then starts in on Illyana, who manages to stay polite in her refusal, then locks herself in Erik’s cabin, away from Arrow’s unwanted approaches.
Captain arrow then talks some with Zora, and finds out that they might be going against Montaigne; he actually gets a touch saner, and comments that Montaigne is the most powerful navy on the water, and it’s madness to face them. Zora assures him that they’re not going to attack, and being assured he goes right back to being a nut. He decides that he will ‘protect’ them, and accompany them to wherever they are headed.
“We’re headed for the Avalon capital,” Zora tells him.
“... Excellent! Just where I was headed!” Grumbles are heard from the Piper’s crew. “Just where I was headed, I say! Lets make haste!” He has his vessel run parallel to the Vestin ship, and orders the cannons of his vessel moved to the side opposite; he then (through Zora) has the Vestin guns moved likewise, effectively making for a larger, less maneuverable ‘ship’. Time passes, and Zora has him show her something of navigation- as it turns out he DOES have some skill at it, and passes on some useful talent to her.
The ships travel together through the rest of the day and the following night. With morning Erik is feeling much better; he comes up on deck and gets briefed by Zora on what’s been going on during his incapacitation. He manages to convince (or effectively gets Arrow to convince himself) Captain Arrow to return to the Piper, and the two ships move apart. It isn’t long after this that a disturbingly familiar heavy fog rolls in, moving in defiance of the solid breeze driving the two vessels.
Erik orders soundings to be made, so that the Piper’s crew will know where they are and vice-versa- a horn blown regularly from the Vestin vessel, a bell from the Dancing Piper. The sounds are strangely distorted, emphasizing the unnatural nature of the fog.
They sail on, the soundings seeming to indicate that the ships are moving apart; soon the lookout calls down that he’s spotted land! Its NOT Avalon, or at least not the Avalon they’re seeking. It’s off to starboard, and seems to be an island. Consulting all of the charts they have on board, no indication of an island can be found.
Then, a ship is spotted. Its the Piper, but Captain Arrow can’t seem to tell that he’s on the other side of the Vestin vessel, and he orders cannons to be fired! The volley fails to damage the ship, but one cannonball hist the side and sprays Erik with splinters. Now fed up, Erik cuts his arm and paints a Rune on the rail; lightning flashes down between the two ships, the stunning light and sound enough to show each ship the other. Arrow calls off the next shot, obviously shaken.
“Why do you do that? You could carve into rail rather than cutting yourself.”
At Illyana’s question, Erik gestures to the ship’s rail. “We only have so much rail!”
“You only have so much skin. You could have rails sanded smooth after.”
Erik doesn’t respond to the logic of this.
This leaves the mystery of the island.
“Is likely a Sidhe isle; I do not know if we can avoid going to it.”
Zora replies, looking defiant. “Well, if they want us they’ll have to come get us!”
Illyana is shocked. “Do not say such! Is like invitation!”
And with that the quartet find themselves in what appears to be a Vhideli traveling circus, within the main tent of the show! Each of the four are as stunned as the others at this turn of events, so much so that Illyana doesn’t even toss an ‘I told you so’ at Zora. They seem to be standing just out of sight of the performance area, perhaps in the performer’s waiting area. In the ring there is a juggler, who is tossing multicolored balls of fire rather than more mundane implements. He completes his performance to the applause of a moderate crowd, and the troupe leader, who they’d not seen initially, calls out.
“Thank you for your considerate applause; and now it is time for the highlight of the show: the amazing performing wolf!”
There is more applause, but no wolf appears. The troupe leader looks at Illyana.
“Come on; that’s your cue!”
Illyana spares a glare for Zora. “I will get you for this.” Zora glares right back, and Illyana heads for the ring. As he goes, she shifts to wolf before the audience can see her; strangely, she didn’t will the change- it just happens. As if she’d been performing the act for years she goes through the routine with the ‘trainer’, looking for all the world to be a well trained natural wolf.
As she finishes the performance, there is a scream from the entry of the tent. A huge white wolf, perhaps the same one she saw in her dream leaps in and goes for her throat! She adroitly avoids the lunge, dodging to the side. Using her ability to speak to animals she asks the beast, “Why are you attacking me?”
The answer is as confusing as it is unexpected: “Why did you not return?” It prepares to attack once again, and...
She wakes. She’s on the deck of the ship, surrounded by her companions!
“... What happened?”
“You cried out and collapsed. Are you all right?”
Illyana nods to Erik and looks herself over. “I think so. It was another dream.” She tells them what she experienced, leaving out the added irritations between her and Zora.
“Well, what should we do?”
“I do not know, Erik.”
“What would be your instinct?”
“I am still trying to grasp what is happening.”
Erik looks at her with slight irritation. “For someone who can turn into a wolf you’re overthinking this- what is your instinct?”
Illyana closes her eyes for a moment, gathering herself. She considers what Erik is asking, and suppresses the amusement at his assumptions of what her magic is like- he knows as much of her gift as she does of Laerdom- only what is visible.
“If I were alone... I would seek Wolf.”
“You’d go to the wolf?”
“No. I would go to Wolf. Capitalized. He is... Like a king. He serves Matushka.
“Do you need to go home?”
“This is not about my needs.”
“But it is. Do you need to go home?”
“... No. I think... Remember the night I took long walk back in Freiburg? That night I learned new form, that of owl. I was... Called, I think, to a place of Matushka’s power. A great old oak in a clearing deep in the woods. I think it is oldest oak in world. I might be able to find it again in maybe any woods, if I am to find it.”
Erik nods. “Then we go to the woods.” He orders the ship onto a heading back to Edinborough.
That journey passes quickly and uneventfully, and they manage to get dockage with no fee as long as they’re not in port for long. All four head out, walking deep into the forests surrounding the fortress-city. Unfortunately... Illyana can tell that she’ll not have any luck. In fact, she feels unwelcome. Erik continues to badger her on her needs, and partly to placate him, partly because she feels that it’s the proper path she tells him that his quest is paramount at the moment. He accepts this, and they make their way back to the ship. Zora, already irritated by having to go through all the hoops is now fuming.
“Is there a problem?” Erik asks her.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“We came all this way for NOTHING.”
“So? We didn’t know it was for nothing.”
“We wasted our time!”
Erik is now getting more and more amused by his bride’s irritation. Grinning, he picks her up and slings her over his shoulder.
“Put me down.”
Erik just grins and keeps walking. Neither Djiel nor Illyana say a word.
“Put. Me. DOWN.”
If anything, her protests just make Erik more amused, and he doesn’t pay her demands any attention. So Zora just hangs over his shoulder and smolders.
As the quartet is about to board, there is a sound echoing through the air that absolutely gets their attention- the howl of a wolf. Illyana can tell that it’s only a few miles distant, deep in the woods. She sighs with a glance towards Erik.
“We leave in the morning.”
“Da. I will be back; worst case I can catch up.” She shifts to wolf-form and lopes off into the night, seeking the source of the howl.
Erik watches her go, then sets Zora down. She GLARES at him, then heads for the cabin they now share. Erik starts to follow, but stops when she growls, “If you think you’re sharing the bed TONIGHT...” And she slams the door.
Erik just grins more and comments, mostly to the air, “well, it seems a good night to get drunk!”
As is his wont, Djiel slipped off before this scene and finds an open tavern. From there he purchases a keg of whiskey, quickly returning to the ship just as Erik starts to notice his absence. Djiel notes the look on Erik’s face and fetches two mugs of ale, handing one to Erik. When that is finished, he passes over the next.
As the pair are so engaged they see a man approach the ship. He is long-haired and a bit wild-looking, and has his sword drawn and ready. As he comes up the gangplank, Djiel interposes with his spear at the ready. The man glances Erik’s way.
“Have your man stand aside if you value his life.”
“Why? What is your business here?”
“Saving yours.”
Puzzled, Erik has Djiel let the man board, and the pair follow him as he goes belowdecks to the crew’s quarters. He goes down the rows, eventually stopping at one man- He looks his target over, then with a swift slash beheads the sleeping crewman!
All this occurs without a single person stirring.
With Erik’s anger rising unheeded behind him, the stranger rifles through the dead man’s things- he shortly produces from these a blackened cross. He hands the curious item to Erik. “You can thank me later. He was going to kill you tomorrow.”
With that, and without a single further word he leaves as strangely as he arrived.
Erik wakes his first mate. “Up. UP! I want the crew on deck, EVERYONE, right now!”
Leaving the hapless man to wake the rest of the men, Erik and Djiel go and rouse Zora as well, letting her know what just happened. Quickly enough the crew is assembled; Erik fetches the corpse and head, laying them out on the deck.
“Who sailed with this man?”
Two indicate that they’d sailed with him, under Erik’s father the Jarl as well as with Bjorn. Nobody else has, and those two were only for two journeys.
“Search his possessions and the ship. I’ve been told that he planned to kill me; I wish more proof of that.”
The search is carried out, but only Djiel finds the evidence. Hidden in the man’s bedding is a flattish bottle containing a greenish powder- the poison used on Erik earlier! Seeing it, Erik nods with a grim expression. “Wrap the dog in his bedding. When we sail we’ll feed him to the sharks.”
The corpse is dealt with and watches on deck are doubled. Erik goes ashore once again, this time to his Vestin acquaintance. He wakes him, explaining the situation and asking if he knows anything. His friend doesn’t know the significance of the cross, nor does he have any idea who the stranger was. Erik gives him a detailed description and a few gems, asking him to find out anything he can.
“Can’t I sleep a bit longer?”
“You can sleep when you’re dead.”
The man sighs, and makes his way out to try and find things out.
Back out in the woods Illyana has followed the howls. She knows she’s getting close, and one last howl gives her the location. She finds herself in a very familiar setting: a clearing in a crescent around a stony precipice. She sniffs about, but she can neither scent another wolf nor find any prints other than those of the local wildlife. She gives up and turns to head back to the ship and there is a man there- the one from her dream- looking at her face to face!
“Remember me!” He says, then is gone into mist.
Illyana blinks at the rapidity of the encounter, and after shaking her head searches a bit more- she finds nothing that proves that he was there. With that, she lopes back towards the docks. SHe startles the guard at the gangplank, arriving as a wolf. “Woof.” she says to the man, who turns and asks a fellow crewman if they know any wolves. With that Illyana changes back to human. He jumps of course. “Why... You... Mmph.”
She boards and heads to sleep, not seeing Erik about. Djiel is on watch, but she can’t talk to him and expect an answer.
The morning dawns cool and quiet. Erik comes on-deck, having slept the night in his cabin in a chair. Djiel goes to bed when Erik appears, and the morning preparations to sail begin. Illyana is up soon after and tells Erik what occurred in the woods.
“I think that this is your mystery to solve.”
“Da. But I wish I knew more of what it was about; I have pieces only. And I have a bad feeling...” She trails off.
Erik goes once again to find his friend, but he’s not to be found. Likely he is out seeking the information that Erik asked him to find. Zora also goes into town, but she’s after information directly. She ends up in a church, where she learns a bit of what the cross represents, but doesn’t mention that the cross is black. She is told that it is a Vatacine Cross, the symbol of the Church. The priest can’t tell her any reason why such a thing could be found connected to attempted murder.
One other thing she finds out with certainty- the man Erik and Djiel saw was the O’Banion! King of Inish, it is said that he went mad (or at least madder) a few years back and started killing men, seemingly at random. The first of these was a man who simply approached to ask a question; without blinking, the O’Banion killed the man with a single sword-thrust and simply walked away.
She returns to the ship, sharing with the also-returned Erik what she’s learned. A moment after she finishes Illyana comes up to Erik and asks what happened during the night; she gets a quick recap. She recognizes the Cross, but doesn’t know of its significance in relation to what has taken place. She does note that the cross being black is NOT usual.
Shortly before they put out to sea, Erik’s friend finally arrives at the ship. Unfortunately, what he’s learned is less than but roughly the same as what they’ve already learned. Farewells are said, and once again the ship puts out to sea. The course is to pick up the final cannon from Avalon, then to points beyond.
And the latest 7th Sea set ends here. We return to the Buffy Horror Campaign next time!
