Skyraiders, vengeance and a wedding.

Session 10

from the journal of Jarl Skalder,
10th of Charissa
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Looking at ramp leading to the top of the skyship nakes my stomach lurche Seems like the days on a sea going vessel and the subsequent bad health were just the appetizer for the grandest ship voyage of them all. A voyage hurtling through the air at great speed, on a warrior ship commanded by tough trolls. I pray to all the passions in case any are listening. Slowly i drag my way up the Drakar's deck and subconsciously scan the surface for the safest place.

But lets start from the beginning, the previous day was spent getting ready for the voyage to Travar. We stay hidden as the plan obviously dictated. I spend the day focusing and getting attuned with empowering my second spell matrix, I can feel that soon enough I will fill it up with better spells. Forward back to the morning, thankfully a pleasant day. We smuggle Omaron towards the awaiting troll ship.

With one mighty bellow from the Captain, the skyraiders heave and the ship lifts off! What speed and sound the wind makes as the land below rushes away! For a mind-perplexing second it seems like the ground is falling and us standing still, but soon the eyes focus and the greatness of it all fills my mind, flying! I cling to the railing but soon the waves of fear dissipate and instead of sickness I eventually grow calmer and the fear is replaced by a sudden rush of good being, I feel exhilarated! Seems like air is much more my element than water.

The hours rush by, I can barely move off the side of the ship, and looking around I seem the same of my companions, transfixed, doubtlessly for them this kind of travel is for them a new experience as well. Seemingly lost in reverie, we are startled back to reality with a loud bellow from one of the crew, we follow his finger to where he points to a single line of black smoke in the horizon. The ship banks to one side, masterfully controlled by the crew and soon we arrive to the source of the smoke.

A destroyed hamlet comes into view below us, the burned houses and charred pile of bodies in the centre lead only to one conclusion - Theran slavers. The skyraiders almost in unison decide their next move - we hunt down the bastards! The ship speeds off, the raiders rowing doubled in strength and timing. Pretty soon the Theran ship is spotted in the horizon, we rise up above it, gaining further momentum for the dive downwards. Then at some unspoken moment the rowing stops and the ship swoops downwards like a seagull in a majestic dive. We hold to the sides of the ship as the crew laugh heartily and curse and pray to the passions. Some dozens of yards before the ships would pass close to each other the trolls that were not manning the ship leap off our vessel and land deftly on the Theran ship taking the Therans by total surprise and preventing them from cut the ropes that will soon grapple their vessel and lock it to our Drakar. The ships now stand side to side, grappling hooks tying the two ships together, the Theran deck rapidly filling up with Theran soldiers from under the decks and with troll skyraiders from our ship. The battle commences, more than a hundred man, elves and trolls fighting at close quarter, falling off the side of the ship would mean certain death. We join the fray.

The battle rages, we stand confused, unused to the heaving and rolling footing and the strangeness of trying to fend your enemy when every second you have to keep balance. The screams and showers of blood as another troll axe finds purchase in some miserable Therans chest do not help. Though we do not pull off much of a show, we did at least keep the attention of many of the enemy soldiers on us, as the skyraiders cut through the rest. Ahmok and myself are grievously hurt, and Elessar recieves a nasty wound from a lucky Theran swipe, but we hold our ground. Pretty soon it is us and the skyraiders that stand victorious.

The trolls free a hundred or so slaves the Therans had locked in the hull, and soon the captain of the enemy vessel (an elf warrior named Skie) walks the plank. The Therans that surrendered are locked up on the troll vessel, and the troll second-in-command takes over Captain duties on the captured vessel. After we heal, we are given a generous share of the spoils of the battle and ordered to join the slaves on the second ship, the first vessel heading off into a new, unknown direction. We make landing a few hours walk away from the city walls, its quite late in the night and grudgingly we start the final leg of our journey. Pretty soon the walls of Travar are in view, and after the usual routine at the gates we finally get behind the city walls. I never had rested so fitfully until that night.

Morning dawns and a visibly agitated Omaron spends the whole day getting ready to meet his future parents in law. More good news reaches us as Gehebu, Wilks and the rest return from the decoy mission. An assassin was indeed sent but they where ready for him, hopefully that was Vistum's last attempt at treachery. After much walking around and admiring the great city of Travar, we head off to Omaron's future wife Rhianna's family lodge. We are welcomed as guests in the fine house, us standing uneasy in unfamiliar clean clothing as Omaron lays down a great speech to his father-in-law (a wealthy merchant by the name of Ronal) on our bravery and the odds we went through with him so he can finally meet his beloved. Ronal treats us like guests of honor and pretty soon we are left free in the magnificent house, watching the complex preparations for the wedding as Omaron seals off the wedding dowry exchange.

And what a wedding it was, a whole night of merriment, jest and much laughter. The party lasting till the following morn, wine flowed in abundance and we take our fill of delicious food; welcoming the change from troll slop on the airship and dried jerky. I don't even remember how I ended back in the inn, one of my companions must have helped me over. I wake up with a smile as I slowly remember the night before and waving the last goodbyes to Omaron after he gave us our pay. Its certainly been one great adventure and one great start for my newly started adventuring career, we had actually pulled it off with all our limbs intact.

I meet the other guys and Ajisha downstairs, all of them chatting loudly and clinking their bulging bags of silver in hand. Seems like we agree to have some much needed time off, I nod then get myself some breakfast...

Deranis

Session 5

Deranis

The orc head stopped rolling, its hideous face permanently stuck in an expression of fear and horror, its tongue sticking out. Slowly Ahmok (whose blade had just sent the orc’s head flying from its shoulders) and the rest of our group lower their swords and survey the battle scene. A remaining 2 Scorchers quickly leg it away from the bloodbath.

After cleaning up our wounds a bit and collecting the spoils of the battle (some basic orc gear and 90 or so silvers) we arranged with our captain to let us keep the orcs’ horses even though space on the Ugly Duck was already limited. The horses should get us a good coin or two. We tied up the two remaining unconscious orcs, one of them clearly the leader.

Following the battle were an uneventful couple of days and nights, in which we healed our injuries, cleaned up our gear and engaged in some personal training (I even dedicated some time on my read and write magic skills, so much has happened in the last few months that I had totally neglected my arcane studies). I even tried my luck in wheedling out some info from the orcs and only managed to get the leader’s name – Bashraka.

Dawn of the 25^th saw us on the ship’s bridge looking at a much more happening part of the river. Now a lot wider, the river had more barges and small ships plying their trade, as well as quite a number of T’Skrang fishermen. Pretty soon the outline of the docks of the outpost-city Deranis was in sight. We bid farewell to the fellow travelers of the Ugly Duck, especially to some fellow named Doriam who had taken quite a liking in our adventurous spirit and passed to us some trinkets he had hand made.

As expected from an outpost town, Deranis was one confusing mesh of settlers and traders and tradesman, merchants and porters, of every race. Everyone was buying, selling and trading, while a constant flux of new settlers sorted out their packs, another group would leave the city on their next leg of the journey. Compared to the quiet days idling on the Ugly Duck, this was quite overwhelming. We also got news from the Ugly Duck captain that he is hanging his captain’s boots and selling off the ship, maybe return to adventuring. I am sure our paths shall meet again. Also at the docks was a large T’Skrang vessel, the famous Andante, boarded on which where its even more famous adventurers, Adagio the renowned Elementalist and Captain Triel-Fin the Swordmaster.

Our stay in Deranis was meant to be a short stop while Omaron sells some goods, the money essential for his next purchase in another city. Things did not turn out that way at all.

I ended up on cargo guard duty at the docks, while Ahmok and Elessar went to ransom the orcs at the constabulary and get the bounty for the orc ears, The ransom money was quite paltry considering the risk involved and that this same orc group had already wrecked and attacked other barges upstream. Omaron was having an even worse day, as he got the bad end of vicious rumors being spread by some unknown miscreant. These totally unfounded rumors; of him being a pirate fence, or Theran sympathizer and worse made the Deranis merchants (a gullible lot let me tell you) avoid Omaron like the Red Plague. In short we where stuck. Without the money, we were at the end of the line and an increasingly frustrated Omaron asked for our help to get him out of this situation.

After a lot of asking around, bribery and threats we finally found the root of the rumor, a disrespectful inn by the name ‘White Hand’ where a human Troubadour was plying his trade with song and lyre, spreading the rumors on Omaron. From what Elessar told me afterwards, himself, Ivor and Zaphon found out the direction in which the Troubadour had fled, doubtlessly satisfied with his job and not wanting to be around when Omaron finds out. They quickly pursued him and after a long hard ride made it to a non-descript inn at a toll bridge outpost. There they cornered the bard and since he was not listening to friendly advice, he soon received painful advice from Elessar as he was making another hasty retreat. Now with the Troubadour securely bound, the trio made it back to the city. The bard confessed he was paid to spread the rumor, but did not disclose by whom (except that it was an old dwarf) or where.

Once at the city things did not go well though, the city guards obviously inquired about the harsh treatment, and the bard’s quick tongue and Ivor’s uncouth manners quickly meant that the Troubadour was out of it scot-free while Ivor had to cool off the night behind bars. Doubtlessly this will be the first night of many in lock-up for our rowdy Weaponsmith.

The situation unresolved, Ahmok and myself went again on the hunt for the minstrel, before he leaves town again. Cornering him at ‘The Inn at The End of the Road’ we conned him into drinking a bit more than he should have, and pretty quickly was dozing in bed in a room above the Inn. Quickly we sent word for Omaron to come interrogate the source of all the hassle. Next morning, Glanson (the Troubadour’s name) woke up with Omaron and Gehebu and a few of our group around his bed. We left Omaron to deal with the situation. After some time Omaron was just as unsuccessful at getting out the name of the old dwarf who paid Glanson to start the rumor and reluctantly he let the bard go.

Stuck once again, we finally opted to start our own rumor to discredit Glanson and after a whole day running around in inns, our Troubadour Ajisha was starting to get some results. That evening Omaron finally managed to sell his goods, and we pocketed the silvers from the loot and the horses. I am quite glad we will soon be out of this town.

Jarl!!