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Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2020 23:12:30 GMT
The ship continues along the shadowpath with Barrett and his helmsman constantly checking and rechecking their maps. The Antelope sails amid crashing waves beside a shoreline made of jumbled giant rocks with stunted pine trees growing between the cracks. They pass a small bay where six ships from Amber's navy are at anchor. The flag of Lord-Admiral Daniel Karn flies from one of the ships. Barrett and the Amber vessels exchange messages in semaphore before sailing on.
"That there's the last spot of shelter before Deiga," Barrett tells those on deck, "Any ship on this path that was damaged by storm or pirates would come to this place to rest and repair. An excellent spot to lie in wait for enemy ships."
Speaking of storms, about an hour later, the ship is assailed by a great one. Giant waves toss the ship around like a cork while Barrett and his crew work hard to keep the Antelope from smashing against the rocky shore.
"To the pumps! To the pumps!" the captain yells commanding the passengers to work the machines needed to empty the fast-rising seawater in the ship's hold.
"Princess Lorelei, you mentioned something about securing the hull? This might be a good time to use the spell and reduce the workload on the guests!"
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Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2020 23:25:25 GMT
Brian: The ship is small and well organized. After the patrol, you now know the best places to defend and attack whether against raiders from the sea or people on the ship.
You find lady Shelly moaning and green with sea-sickness. Life at sea didn't agree with her even before the storm hit. She takes a break from puking into the seven inches deep of seawater filling the cabin to say: "The pumps. Get the pumps working before we sink!"
Eivor and Kat: Quiet contemplation and carving are interrupted by the storm. The women see saltwater spilling into the room from the deck above and under the door. Thankfully the hull has yet to sprung any leaks.
Calvera and Lorelei: Thoughts and meditations are interrupted by cold winds, and a huge wave that strikes the ship broadsides dousing them both with saltwater. One of the ships' sails tears off from the wind and is quickly lost in the rain, taking a rope with it.
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Post by Brian on Oct 25, 2020 23:36:31 GMT
Brian runs for the pumps to start drawing the water out and back to the sea.
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Post by Admin on Oct 26, 2020 0:30:03 GMT
Brian finds himself to be second to the pump. The cook had managed to get there first and is turning the crank.
"Boy, it's too rough to feed ya," he says with a smile.
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Post by Brian on Oct 26, 2020 0:40:53 GMT
Brian smiles at the cook and gives him a soft laugh.
"Good to be working with proper professionals for a change." He starts to crank the pump right away. "You guys have to do this often?"
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2020 1:49:55 GMT
As the storm intensified I made my way to the wheel to help the helmsman. Eventually taking over for him completely, I am a Prince of Amber, if I can't hold the wheel on my own one man more or less will make no difference but another man in the rigging might.
If Barrett manages not to sink us I won't kill him. I watch the compass, listen for his orders and feel the wind.
I did love the madness of the storm. The waves breaking over the bow, the wind lashing the sails, the cold rain on my bare skin and my feet gripping the deck. Its like being at the head of a cavalry charge. There are few things like it. Its good for us to be reminded that there are things even stronger than us. At the same time I knew I was safe, the Unicorn had a task for me, the Pattern sent me guides I would not drown here. But if this was a true shadow storm, and as it intensified I though it might be, a little order couldn't hurt. I deepened my breathing and brought the pattern to my minds eye, picturing it laying superimposed on the compass.
Barrett could see us safely through the storm, I would make sure the sea itself didn't fly apart.
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 26, 2020 4:21:39 GMT
At the Captain's prompting, Lorelei moves to the center of the deck and presses her back against the main mast. Thrusting her hands skyward, strange syllables flow from her lips as she slots the needed lynchpins to cast 'Seaworthy'. A silvery-blue light cascades from her body and flows across the deck and over the sides, as well as up the mast. The entire ship shudders as it undergoes tiny shifts, even the masts and spars are properly wrighted, 'though it could do nothing for the missing sail. As the magic took hold, not only did the sea simply stops entering the ships, that which had already entered was forced out. A side benefit they would later discover is that the hull has also been scraped clean of barnacles and other growth... Every surface that was part of the ship continued to be bathed in the silvery-blue light... As long as the spell holds they could not sink, could not be capsized...
Lorelei yelled back to the Captain, "That should hold until we drop anchor, provided we remain on this shadow-path." Deep down she knew the changes she had put the ship through, strengthening it, beginning at a level below the fibers of wood and sail; they would not revert when the spell ended, but they were not proof against future damage once it did end... .
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Post by Katerina on Oct 26, 2020 8:40:07 GMT
Kat does as she is told. Reading will hopefully keep her mind from the rocking of the ship and the water coming in from the boards above. If she wasn't with some of the Gods and Goddess now, she'd be praying to them to save her from a fate at the bottom of the expanse of water that they called a sea here. She just hoped that they wouldn't encounter any really dangerous waterspouts. These Gods and Goddess sure did live their lives dabgerously. A particularly large volume of water comes down from the ceiling just missing Kat and she looks up from the book nervously. "T his ship thing will not fail us, right?" She asks Eivor as she continues her carving. " Should we not go up top in case we drown down here?"
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Post by Eivor on Oct 27, 2020 7:56:24 GMT
"There are enough princes up there already," Eivor comments, "though if you feel like being swept overboard feel free. Personally, I'd rather rattle around in here. If we hadn't got a Rebman princess with us I might be more included to grab the ropes, but I'm sure everything's under control."
It's difficult to tell if Eivor is being sincere or not, but she continues carving as if nothing was amiss.
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Post by Katerina on Oct 27, 2020 8:08:17 GMT
"I'm not sure what a Rebman Princess is or why that's good. Is she the one who came out of the water with the big demon? I'd have thought that being able to walk underwater would mean she wasn't really concerned about this ship thing." Kat asks aloud.
More privately she wonders why the Warrior Goddess Eivor was deliberately absenting herself and Kat from the others. Was there bad blood between them just like the ghosts who were killed by other Gods? Everyone did things for a reason and Kat guessed there was a secret there that the Goddess did not wish to tell. Still the thought of being swept up into the water by a waterspout equally did not thrill her much either.
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Post by Admin on Oct 28, 2020 3:59:30 GMT
The winds howl, and the great waves crash. The ship bobs on the sea and is tossed back and forth through the darkness of the black clouds overhead. Lorelei's spell ensures the ship stays afloat, Calvera and the crew keep the ship from smashing up against the rocks, and Brin and the cook keep the pumps working.
They all lose track of time during the storm. How many hours did the sea rage? Long enough, the cook had to leave the pump and rest his aching back, leaving Brian to finish the work.
Eventually, the winds die down, the waves retreat to ripples, and the Antelope floats at rest in the water under a blazing orange sun and mauve sky. Of the twenty crewmen, only 15 remain, with five swept overboard and from the 15, eight are feverish from exhaustion and need to be taken off duty. Also, Eivor cuts herself with her knife.
"A close run thing," Barrett says, "And a bad time to be shorthanded since we have been thrown off the path. I don't know where we are now."
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Post by Brian on Oct 28, 2020 4:06:54 GMT
Brian makes his way out and checks on the condition of the ship. He frowns a bit and looks to Barrett " Do you need to go to port and load up with extra people or do we have enough to make it to our destination?" He checks on the other guests on the deck "Captain did we have a bad omen that I missed before I boarded?"
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Post by Admin on Oct 28, 2020 4:18:36 GMT
"Port?! What port?!" Barrett says in agitation, "There ain't no civilization as far as the eye can see. We can limp along and hope to find somewhere hospitable but how long will our food and water last?
"Aye, we're all been cursed since the castle blew up - the first time that is, the second time was just squid gut icing on the cake!"
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Post by Eivor on Oct 28, 2020 8:37:36 GMT
"Rebma is the undersea kingdom, mirror of the realm above. They can command the waves, or so it's believed. Her guardian is not a demon, merely a denizen of another place. If it was demon, I would have let you know," Eivor replies. "If she has deigned to take a ship, I trust she will do her best to keep it afloat."
When things are at their worst Eivor continues to carve, frowning with concentration, and even when the ship lurches and her hand slips she merely bandages the wound calmy and resumes her work.
When the storm eventually passes, she packs up her tools and stretches.
"Right, time to get some air princess. Let us see how things stand."
With that, she goes out onto deck to assess the damage.
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Post by Lorelei on Oct 28, 2020 11:40:44 GMT
Lorelei turns to the Captain. "We lost a sail and some rigging. Now that the storm has past, how long will it take to hoist a replacement?"
She did not speak her concerns that a ship in the condition this one started in might not carry that much cloth, or rope, in their sail-locker. Then there was the matter that of the original twenty crew-members only seven were fit to work at this time, or defend the ship. The remaining sails would move them, but it left them at a sever disadvantage should they need to run.
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