Adventure 5

       Aboard the Athan Miere the adventurers regrouped, telling Skrim about the treasure found. Captain Saber interrupted to tell them they can't leave their inventory on board, because the Arythean merchants wanted anything but to be mistaken for pirates, plus it could be cursed. They piled the treasure horde in a box big enough to bury three people in, and loaded it aboard the sailboat to bury on the uncharted island. On Verdana's command, the entire collection of booze was under lock and key, out of reach of the crew, which concerned Chuntaka more than any danger he had faced yet. With the help of Pokko, Quinn's thieving monkey, Chuntaka created a diversion while Pokko attempted to search Verdana for the keys to the crate of liquor to no avail. Gathering their gear, they set off on their small sailboat to what looks like a calm beach on the second largest island, just south of New Zephyr and Spice Way. Dali received a pep talk from Verdana on the ways of magic, empowering young Dali to embrace her brand of violent and destructive magic, and Quinn was loaned a used set of gunsmith tools with the promise they'll be returned.

     
       The waves became too much for the sailboat as it approached a sandbar, creating waves 10 feet tall. As the sailboat lurched the band of pirates saw the head of a beast Quinn had only heard of in legends back home. A sea creature with a neck 20 feet out of the water and two sets of fins where it looked like its legs should be. Not only fighting a beast thought dead for millions of years, but also fighting the waves that came every 30 seconds, the crew attempted to grab their treasure horde, and tip their boat back over in two feet of water. Two or three of them fought the monster as two more grabbed their gear and got it safely to shore. Skrim climbed the beast before getting knocked off by another ten foot wave, as Castillo landed blow after blow with his new rapier and shortsword combo. Chuntaka remembered the potion of waterwalking, and assisted Quinn, who had no problem of movement with his trained sealegs, in grabbing the chest.

       With their boat brought up on shore and Nessie slayed, they went inland to find a spot to bury their treasure. A map was drawn with ease as the adventurers realized they were being stalked. Before they could act, a band of veloceraptors  attacked the stalker, revealing a bipedal tiger swinging an archaic spear around. As the crew joined in, the battle is short-lived; the tigerfolk male picked up the carcasses and motioned for them to follow. As they walked deeper into the lush, moist jungle, many hunters with their prey join in the journey, before they stop at a massive grove of thick trees. The adventurers looked up, and saw a web of net bridges 100 feet above them. Climbing behind the hunters, they are amazed at the amount of tiny huts nestled into the trees near the canopy of the forest. They are first met with silence, which can't be helped by the fact none of them understood their language. A shaman came out, and welcomed them as the first guests to ever grace them. He spoke slowly, but understandable to everyone who listened. With many questions coming from everyone, the adventurers answered truthfully and were awarded truth in return. Chuntaka's keen ears picked up hints that the spice was not a plant, but was actually the tigers. This clan was called the Rakshasa, and had many cubs playing around that were far from the years where they would hunt this forest, as their ancestors had for thousands of years. Raman, the shaman, told them they would protect the spice with their life, and explained that a smaller clan must have been captured on the main island in order for the South Zephyrian Trading Company to acquire the essence of Ravana.

       Ravana, thousands of years ago, was a demon turned thirsty conqueror, who turned his once human disciples into likenesses of him: giving the race of the Rakasta, bipedal tiger folk with backwards-facing hands with grace to spare. Erecting seven temples in the most remote corners of the world to store his wealth, they were guarded by his Rakasta disciples. All died out for reasons untold, except for the inhabitants of the unnamed islands the adventurers had been scouring. Cursed with no means of leaving the islands, the rakasta made this paradise their territory.

       With a month before the Athan Miere came back for them, the adventurers explore the islands, learning how to get between them (all but the main island, which was magically and geographically cut off), hunting with the males and feeding the curiosity of the tiny cubs. Even Skrim, a rat riding a dog, was well-liked. At the end of the month, they made a journey to the smallest, most recognizable island in the chain. Its peak was estimated at being 2 miles above sea level, taking two days to climb up the ancient pathways to the zenith. Atop the mountain, they are met by a tribe of monks in meditation in a completely gold, open temple with a waterfall running through it. The monks display their tiger-style, as many tales are exchanged in the days before the Athan Miere is spotted on the horizon. Telling the rashasa clan and the monks goodbye, they converse about what they are going to do. Castillo voted to run and forget the entire situation, while Skrim plotted to ransack the town as the rakasta take on the soldiers of the SZTC, and leave with as much treasure as they can hold. This becomes the consensus, and as they board the ship Quinn greets no one, walking past the Arythean crew as he climbs down to the hull, and blows the lock off the booze chest with his last bullet. Bottles are passed around to the severely sober band of pirates. After the situation is explained to Verdana and Captain Saber, revealing what spice really is and what the rakasta are up against, the mood on the ship becomes very serious. Verdana believes it is time for her to step on land for the first time, gathering a pack and ordering the misfit band of animals and men to assist her to the council atop the mountain. Their well-being is on the line if anyone sees what cards the adventurers are holding, with fortunes untold, their lives, and an endangered race at stake on the table.

Adventure 4

       As the adventurers laid in their swaying hammocks, the coffee finally wore off and they had the chance to sleep before their departure tomorrow, where they would embark on finding a new harbor and securing the location for the South Zephyrian Trading Company. Midst the calm ocean setting, Dali was in a fit of terror as she dreamt:
     
       She was just outside of a farm, that looked like any other until she walked closer to the fence. She noticed all the farm animals were bipedal, not much different than her elegant, lizard-human hybrid race of the Vishkanyas. As she leans in to hear the whispers of humanoid-cattle she is repelled as they whisper "just for the masters...waiting for the masters...masters are coming" but can't hold attention too long as her head jerks towards where someone was screaming her name: it was Skrim. The male ratfolk had a leash around his neck, and was clawing at the ground to try and stop being pulled into the barn behind him. He yells repeatedly for her to run, and uncontrollably, she does just that.
   
       It was then morning and the ambassador/amateur innkeeper, the ever-pleasant but down on himself Therion, had made them a meal made from hardtack and ham, and a drink of his own creation. Kahlo, made from rum, light coffee beans, coca and banana was just up Quinn and company's alley (all but Castillo, who couldn't stomach it). Sitting down in the long, ranch-style inn, Chuntaka noticed Skrim isn't at breakfast. Back in the open sleeping room, Skrim could not be wakened. As the rat rolled to the side the fox noticed a dart in the side of Skrim's neck, no longer than 3/4". He pulled it out and Skrim slumped in his hammock, no sound could be heard save for Kane, Skrim's  riding husky, whimpering, knowing that something was wrong with his master and best friend. By this time everyone had made it back to the hammocks. Talking about what to do, Quinn notices a similar dart in the neck of Dali, who becomes dizzy and has to take a seat when it's pulled out. Upon everyone freaking out looking at each others necks, they notice Castillo and Quinn don't have one, only Chuntaka and the other two. Bringing the three darts to the magic shop after Chuntaka and Dali recover, the potionsmith whispers intently that they are arcane in nature, but would need much further inspection to figure out what they do, given most of the animal-hybrid adventurers didn't react too badly.

       Therion giving his promise to take after Skrim, the party leaves for the dock to pick up their adventure gear. Upon arrival Captain Saber asks where the rat was, and after the party hinted that his sickness was not natural, Verdana threw a fit yelling at them to not let Skrim stay alone on this island. Chuntaka and Castillo bolt towards the inn, competing against each other for Verdana's approval. The challenge is too much for Castillo, resorting to tripping and pushing the kitsune out of the way, which the fox-boy dodged easily. Back on the dock with the unconscious Skrim, Verdana was standing her ground against Uncle, stating that there was no way the ratfolk wasn't getting on board with them.

       Once on board the Athan Miere with New Zephyr behind them, Captain Saber cheered up a bit, but before he could tell the crew what was in store, Chuntaka asked to see him in his quarters. In the dim light the kitsune brawler revealed the gleaming golden box with the serpentine cat embellished upon it. After answering Saber that he had found it in the monkey's alarming huge treasure trove, the captain answered Chuntaka's questions. This was the spice, a drug for the wealthy and privileged, unlike any other. Saber did not know what it did, or how much it actually cost, but he was delighted to know what it actually looked like. He told Chuntaka they were headed for a small, caved island in search for the burnt orange, black and bright yellow tea leaf-shaped spice. Telling the crew and adventurers they were trying to go in to business for themselves, trading spice across the seas, becoming wealthy and affording a fleet of ships, they went on to play liar's dice until they arrived at the island.

       Chuntaka, being mischievous and cunning by nature, went on a campaign to infuriate Castillo by flirting with Verdana, the windfinder of the Athan Miere. Castillo was pushed to the point of making a bold move on Verdana, who wants nothing to do with him. As she prepared a spell to cast on him, he took the opening to attack her lips, landing a kiss before he was teleported onto the sailboat being pulled by the Arythean ship, slamming into the deck from 50 feet up. The rest of the adventurers, along with Captain Saber, joined him on the small sailboat when the island cave was in sight. Saying that these islands, and land in general, were damned, the captain did not accompany them, but reminded them of what they're looking for. Walking into the cave circumscribed by azure-blue waters, Dali lit the way with her dancing lights and the sunrod the party received in their adventure pack earlier. They reached a beach inside the large cave entrance, which a flock of giant crabs was hiding in. After a gritty battle of shooting off claws and escaping pincers, the party agreed the only way further into the cave was to dive into the water. Dali and Chuntaka volunteered, swimming 60 feet under before reaching the beach on the other side, made completely of pummeled rock. After telling the others where to go, they reached the cavern with little problem, reaching the rocky inner shore and shining their lights over their head.

       What they found looked like a last stand and a massacre mashed up together. Skeletons laid about that showed exactly what they were doing in their final hour. Two had dice cups still turned over, four more had bottles in their hand around a campfire long gone out, human bones scarcely piled in the cauldron from no doubt their last meal. As the adventurers' eyes lock in on the treasure, they saw a pirate captain still embracing his treasure horde as if it were a warm bed. Quinn O'Malley's curiosity got the best of him, going over to the dice cups to see what their rolls were, and to his surprise the hand grabbed him. As the skeleton crew reanimated back into life, the dead captain announced no one is getting near his treasure, given it's rightfully his even in death. Chuntaka, Quinn, and Castillo leapt into a swashbuckling fight, the strikes of the kitsune, the gunslinging of a buccaneer, and the dazzle of a rapier/dagger combo against the rusty cutlasses of the long dead. Dali began to cast offensive spells, felling the bones of those touched, as the onslaught of the massive skeleton crew ensued. Panic comes to Castillo when the bones of a scallywag skeleton began to rise again shortly after cutting it down. O'Malley used his cutlass and pistol as Chuntaka engaged the captain. The damned man swung at the fox with a large falchion, and Chuntaka answered with furious swipes, leaving the captain in pieces as the other skeletons turned to dust. The adventurers began to look around, Chuntaka and Quinn finding a pair of skeletons with their heads together, one bullet hole entering a skull and exiting the other. Quinn grabbed the pistol and rifle, broken as they were, and hoped he had better luck the next time he repaired a firearm. Dali warned the party the treasure had a curse on it, sensing the magic that came from within the trove. Castillo, Quinn, and Pokko the monkey paid little heed as they laid out the items and had Dali check them individually. She found only one truly cursed item, a topaz the size of a man's fist, in which Quinn and Castillo argued couldn't possibly be cursed because it's so large and worth so much.

       Finding the pirate treasure of a lifetime consisting of magical weapons and a ring, gold and rubies, the crew swims and walks their way back to the sailboat where Saber waits. After explaining there was nothing in there that resembled spice, the captain is even more puzzled about what the spice is, saying that the box it's in on the ship is too light, and has wards and magic all around it. As they climb back on to the ship, Skrim is just gaining some consciousness, Kane licking his face from the spot he hasn't left the entire time. With a bit more loot, and a lot more questions, they begin to circumnavigate the chain of islands looking for a harbor for the expedition of spice, and the seemingly untrustworthy but profitable South Zephyrian Trading Company.

Adventure 3

       As the sun rose up and the adventurers groaned, the captain opened his cabin door and asked "up early or out late?" with a hearty laugh. He then told them that the crew was taking the morning off to recover, all but Verdana the windfinder, who was dead-set on reaching the dock of New Zephyr before they ran into any more pirate trouble. Skrim instantly fell asleep in the crow's nest, while Chuntaka went to look for a bottle or two to help pass the morning along. Quinn began talking to Verdana when Castillo and Dali exclaimed that there was something climbing the side of the ship that was attached to their fishing poles. Quinn quickly got a shot off from his pistol, then went to swing on a rope to the lower deck to engage in battle. A giant octopus boarded the Athan Miere, and began to wrap and tentacle-slap everyone on deck. Skrim attempted to jump from the crow's nest on top of the sea creature, to no accord, fumbling 80' to the wooden ground below as the sorceress showed off her new abilities of ranged touch attacks. The battle was quickly over, as Chuntaka used his lightning-quick fists to indent the brain of the giant octopus. Mid-afternoon rolls by and the crew comes up laughing, talking about the amount of steamed octopus the ship is going to have tonight. In a game of liar's dice that evening, 500 gold and a bottle of dragon's punch whiskey laid on the line, collected by Quinn in a 2-pip bluff showdown.
 

       By the next morning they could see land in the far-off distance, jutting into the azure sky. Mid-afternoon they docked on the island claimed as New Zephyr. The dock and inlet were barely wide enough for the slip-stream design of the Athan Miere, making it clear to the adventurers why the current setup was not satisfactory. The island was a more primal land than they were used to, with lush forest creating a wall where the white sand beach ended. The water was as light a blue as one could describe, and the small settlement did not look out of place- being that all the structures were made from deforested trees and thatch. The settlement itself was no bigger than most town squares, hosting an open market, a blacksmith in the open air, a shack hosting a variety of magical items, and an inn, all in front of a low-lying megaplex lacking in windows as well as multiple doors. First stop was the magic shack, where they met an old woman under a thatch roof held up by four small tree trunks, with impromptu shelves taking up every bit of spare space in the abode. Buying alchemists fire and potions for the job ahead, the woman began to whine about the monkey in this area that stole everything shiny it could get its hands on. Without hesitation, an orange, wiry monkey snatched some gold out of Dali's hand when giving it to the woman for her wares. Chuntaka threw a knife, attempting to stop the monkey, but luckily failed, as Quinn and Castillo put their heads together and agreed that following the monkey to his nest of shiny things (undoubtedly gold and precious items). Quinn laid a trap the monkey couldn't resist, shiny stones on the ground. As the monkey jetted off, hands full, the adventurers ran after it. Running up and down fallen trees, across rivers and thick underbrush, Chuntaka is the first to climb after the monkey when they finally reach its tree. The entire crew climbs the tree, gazing upon a treasure horde like no other they've had the privilege in taking part of. Among the gold, copper, and precious metals, all identifiable by the adventurers, the only unknown item was a small, golden rectangular box with a strange clawed, serpentine but feline insignia on the top sliding piece. Chuntaka quickly put this in his robe as the monkey, Pokko, took O'Malley's hat and began to chew on it. As he took it back from the small tamarin monkey, she climbed up on Quinn O'Malley's shoulder and fit perfectly. With a new familiar with a pirate-esque lust for the shinier things in life, they head back to the settlement not far away, but invisible because of the vast forestry. Skrim climbs a tree and looked overhead, seeing the bald mountains in the distance and the insurmountable jungle this chain of islands possessed.

       Back at the settlement, they walked past a large fence made completely of stripped rain forest trees, with a group of men coming through its only gate with seemingly nothing in their possession. Dali and Skrim followed the men back to the large, windowless building. Trying to gain entry to the guarded door, they were quickly shunned, and reunite with Chuntaka, Quinn and Castillo who were dropping raw materials off at the blacksmith. All together, they head to the inn, where they met Therion, the innkeeper. Only having wine to serve, Skrim made the old man's life difficult until he lost his temper and Skrim simmered down. Therion told them the settlement had only been there two months, him being the ambassador for the South Zephyrian Trading Company, but not busy enough given there weren't that many visitors. Therion was convinced this was to be some day the best vacation spot in the world, and he would have a world-class resort ready for the influx of wealthy travelers. The inn was not ready yet, having only a one-story tavern at the front and a large room full of hammocks and lacking walls right behind it. The roof was made out of an oiled windsail to keep out the rain, and hung from the ceiling were mosquito nets, making the gentle breeze of the mild tropics blow gently over every patron of the inn. Talking to Therion long into the night about a manner of enlightening things, he offered them a drink made from the beans here, called coffee, which was exported heavily to cities. As he was pouring everyone a small teacup-full a lady walked in, accompanied by Uncle, who chimed in asking Therion to pour her a cup. They all sat at the inn's largest round table, Uncle clearly taking the position of silent sidekick which was strange to the adventurers. She introduced herself as Lady Kaliska, current president of the South Zephyrian Trading Company, and their employer. Her poise, calculated answers, and casualness of what goes on on the island made some of the party very suspicious, but nonetheless no one backed out, especially after she claimed their reward would be a percent of the profit made on the island if they succeed. Wanting to oversee the loading of cargo onto the Athan Miere, she bids them goodnight and walked out the door. Therion broke the silence offering the "lads and lady" a stay at his soon-to-be resort, costing them only the promise that they'll tell their friends about his establishment. Chuntaka walked out the door to the dock to find Verdana, who was shouting orders at the SZTC soldiers carrying the cargo up the gangplank. Chuntaka asked if she had a moment, and they walked together. After they were a good distance away on the beach, he reveals the tiny, golden box. Before even pulling it out all the way, it's shoved back in by Verdana's hand. She spoke in a harsh whisper "they would kill you for much less, don't show this to anyone and get rid of it safely as soon as you can." 

       Telling him that the island is cursed, as every Arythean has repeated to the party at one time or another, Chuntaka walks back to the inn to join in another game of liar's dice, or sygerrik d'aemar ("game of deceit") in the old tongue. After everyone's lust for gambling is temporarily quenched, Castillo walks out to talk to Verdana. Audible to the entire patronage of the inn, he is shot down again and again by the windfinder, telling her "you have braved much on the high seas, as have I, but you have never felt a storm like me." After resorting to yelling at him, Verdana goes back on board the Athan Miere and tells Castillo to go away. Laying in hammocks under the over-sized awning in the moist air, Dali usurps the sound of the ocean and trees, asking why Castillo is so bad at women. He says that he falls too hard, and does things that even scare him, but promising her that "Veridana" will soon be his, as he is already hers. Dali tells the tale of her fleeing her homeland to save her life, as her family is taken down one by one for political power. Skrim interjects, saying that she's safe here from that, but not safe from anything else, these traders were not to be trusted. They all agree they've only been told half-truths and partial lies by the SZTO so far. In the morning they will set out on a small sailboat to navigate the gorgeous, but choppy, waters of the islands in search for a decent harbor. Unknown dangers await as they finally pay back their end of the bargain, with heads spinning of endless possibilities and the rush of coffee, they try to fall asleep. 

Adventure 2

       Over breakfast the merchant man asked for the adventurers to call him uncle, and that he worked for the South Zephyrian Trading Company, a well-connected company of vessels. The job that he generously put on the table for the rag-tag crew, he announced with little remorse, is a very dangerous one. They're headed for a newly discovered chain of islands, in the middle of tumultuous seas that hinder navigation (except for those skilled or determined enough), to embark on a search for a better harboring bay. The current harbor of New Zephyr, the settlement established by the SZTC, was hardly worthy of the high-priced goods from the isle, being it a small inlet that can barely fit an Arythean schooner. Uncle said there had been attempts to search the islands, but there had been indigenous hostility when they reached close enough to shore, among other complications (like that of the SZTC sacrificing themselves to the dangers, hence why they hired a motley band of dockside dwellers). As Skrim asked what exactly they were exporting, the merchant gleamed calculatingly before answering: "there is a rare and desired spice, among exotic wildlife for the most wealthy of pet-lovers and palettes." He continued to explain that the bigger the operation was, the more a chance of it going awry, thus why he picked up a small operative in a trade port instead of hiring an army or professional mercenaries. Just as he invited them to a tour of the ship, the woman in silk garments that was standing on the platform walked in with the captain. The captain, an Arythean man grizzled with the look of someone who has never been out of the sun, greeted the adventurers with a hearty handshake, and introduced himself as Saber. The woman began to introduce herself as Verdana, an Arythean windfinder, before the flashy duelist, Castillo, slid to his knee to meet her hand with his lips. As he began to profess that he has only seen candles in his life, and that she was like looking at the sun for the first time, he pulled the same rose out of his sleeve from his failed attempts the night before and offered it to her. She incredulously stared at him for a second before saying he smelled of a man that had been hanging in the lowest form of dockside culture there is. With that Skrim, Quinn, Dali, and Castillo began to stroll about the ship. Seeing that the entire crew, male and female, had stripped to their pants to reveal brown, tanned skin and black tattoos, Castillo replicated. As the rest of the gang were confirming their reasons for not adhering to the new dress code, a tall, bipedal fox climbed out from the galley, bottle in one hand and scratching his face tufts with the other. The lizard woman, the ratfolk, and the kitsune took each other in for a moment, before a crewmen laughed and said that the fox had come on board in the most peculiar of ways: a princess far west had traded the crew of the Athan Miere 50' belts of silk, a hot commodity among tradesfolk, in exchange for smuggling her out of her land. When the crew of the Athan Miere opened the basket in which the princess was supposed to be stowed in, all they found was a kitsune named Chuntaka, passed out drunk. When the crew began to beat him in anger, he fought back using his fists as well as two kama, all the while spinning kicks high and tripping kicks low to clear the room of any adversaries. At this sight the crew still standing began to rejoice, telling him that his fighting style was great. A friendly exchange of kicking, kneeing, elbowing and grabs went long into the previous night.

       A day of fishing and bathing in the wake of the boat ensued, while Verdana wove spells to create wind, making the ship go faster than any ship the adventurers had even seen. A freak sea storm hit and everyone went inside for a dinner of caught fish and fruit. The sleeping quarters were a labyrinth of net hammocks, wherein every scrambled for the topmost bunks. Being the slowest to understand the dilemma, O'Malley laid on the bottom-most bunk, only for his back to hit the floor. Skrim did the same thing, but didn't bottom out due to his small size.

       The crew woke up to yells, and scrambled to get on the deck to see what the crewmen was yelling about. There was a ship on the horizon, and it looked large. The crewmen closest to Quinn assured him the crew was ready, and always prepared for the worst. All hands on deck, the crew paced around making sure everything, including the three cannons, muskets, and potion bottles, were all in order. Within a few hours the ship had come up alongside them, turning at the last moment to strategically place their ship within 10 feet of the Athan Miere. The captain of the pirate ship announced through an amplifying horn that they were after their ship, and were also curious to see if Arythean women were so tan beneath the silk trousers. As the pirate crew laughed loudly and smashed their swords against the side of their ship, Quinn and a crewmen took the opportunity to fire off some shots, to no accord. Before anyone could react, alchemists fire was thrown on the deck of the Athan Miere, heavily wounding a crewmen and catching Dali on fire. When the crew was over their shock, they saw the pirates had thrown rope bridges across using grappling hooks, and were attempting to board. With the ship so close, a cannonball was too dangerous to let off, so the crew of the AT had to fight man to man to fend off the siege. Dali, rolling out the fire, began to cast spells on the oncoming crew as Quinn, Chuntaka, and Skrim (riding his Husky, Kane) rushed to the rope bridges to fight the oncoming pirates. Holding them off to the best of their ability, the pirates were too great in number to stop completely. The fight came aboard the Athan Miere, Quinn firing his secondhand pistol, Chuntaka slicing with his kamas, Skrim and Kane charging the bridge, all felling opponents left and right. The pirate captain attacked Verdana solely, draining her of energy and sleeting her with ice. She fought back, poisoning his breath and throwing him back with her power over the wind.

       As the fight raged on, Quinn got a chance from battle to fire his pistol and slice his cutlass simultaneously, cutting a rope bridge and sending the pirates on it to the depths. All of the sudden Verdana ordered for the crew to retreat from the bridges, as a wall of wind and water shoots up, severing the remaining ropes and throwing Skrim's small rat body 30 feet into the air back aboard the ship. The Athan Miere then teleported to the other side of the pirate ship, going in the opposite direction. The crew of the Athan Miere switched the sides of the cannons, which were far enough away from the target to use now. The AT was now severed from its captor and was going in the opposite direction, so the ships were not going to be side by side for long. Castillo, Dali, and Skrim swung to the other ship from ropes hanging from the sails, where Dali caught fire to the ship, Castillo pushed over barrels of kerosene and gunpowder, and Skrim skimmed over their loot, taking a sword and musket. The pirate captain turned his attention to the newcomers, but before he could attack, Verdana teleported on board to stop him. As he approached the windfinder he was blown nearly to particles; 50 feet away, Quinn had lit the wick of the cannon with his flint-pistol, aimed true, and slaughtered the pirate ship, killing the captain. All back aboard the Athan Miere, the crew realized none of their own were killed, and began a celebration that would last the whole night.

     With drink aplenty, and an influx of gold due to their contracts, a friendly game of liar's dice quickly turns into a high stakes, winner takes all battle of who is the best bluffer, and who can smell out a fable when they hear it. Because of their voluminous drunken game, they're kicked out of the dining hallway by Captain Saber, who calls them scally-scum who better be able to work tomorrow, and Verdana yells profanity that they won't soon forget. On the deck they go, sitting on the wooden floorboards with their own bottles, playing more and more rounds where small fortunes are won and lost in the lamplight. As some are shaking their heads and others laugh heartily at the weight of their purses, it's quickly hushed by a unanimous groan as they see the sun peeking up over the horizon.

Adventure 1

   
       In the small, smoggy town of Skur, the most southern part of a barren continent in which the North reaches its pinnacle, not much is going on. Though be it the end of the work week, it seems that no one is celebrating. The seas surrounding this bay town have been over fished due to the lack of alternative meals in the region, and the only trading that goes on is that of the northern fur trade. Together this causes dismay and hunger to the sailors, deckhands, and fishermen for hire about the town. The only pitch of relief is that of the local bar, where they can drown their sorrows in the cheapest, most potent, and certainly the most questionably sanitary drinks. On a fog-surrounded night there is an omen of bitter frost, the only gift from the North Skur ever receives, that will certainly roll in and stay for many months to come. The bar is alight with lanterns that offer no mirth, as does nothing in the establishment. Few men speak over a hush whisper, even the barkeep appears to be a menacing mute. One can hear the soft notes of a slim, strange guitar coming from a bar patron who looks to be the only one in a good mood, as he attempts to entertain a couple low-lives with not much luck. For the past couple weeks there have been new regulars that are far from the average lowly presence one finds usually in the bar, as the night drones on the three men and one woman grab each other's attention, as one man grabs all of their interest.

       At the bar Quinn O'Malley, a young man in travelling clothes strokes his red beard and fiddles the cold iron of his hand-me-down flintlock pistol, as a means to occupy his mind on anything other than what he could have possibly just been served by the grunting, glaring but otherwise accommodating barkeep. His eyes follow the swaying of a full-handed barmaid, not being able to explain the trashy-to-hot ratio she possessed, or why it was such a treasure. As his neck cranes to follow her last movements out of sight, he realizes what is sitting to the left of him, ordering a whiskey and asking for the cleanest glass the bar had to offer. The slight startle was due to a rat-folk man named Skrim Ninnec, a scurry rodent looking a little rough around the edges, but brandished in tried-and-true armor and well-equipped for a scrap, travel abroad, or even a crusade. The rat-folk bristles as the hand of a squat, balding man in the silken robes of a merchant strokes his coarse fur, and asks Skrim if affording a drink is all he desired. As the rat replied defensively, the man interjected with a daring proposal. If Skrim only showed up tomorrow morning, he would receive 500 gold, plus even more for getting the job done. As Skrim takes a gulp from his alarmingly overflowing glass, the man turns to Quinn and repeats the offer, asking the young man if he wants to retire after only one job, living comfortable for the rest of his life. Quinn shyly agrees to meet tomorrow morning aboard the Athan Mi'ere, but not before questioning the man of his intent. He replies that he has been scouting promising talent for the last three weeks, before his ship sailed out. The two new colleagues stare as the man walks away calmly to a table hosting a lizardly woman who seems to have fallen asleep atop her ale and potatoes. As he gets Dali Onasys to come to, she tells him to go away, but changes her mind as he chimes "500 gold, and a possibly 50,000 if the job is up to standard; now wouldn't that eradicate the struggle in your life?" Before dropping back to her pillow of potatoes she can't stop the whirlwind of thought if a sorceress had ever made that much treasure.

   
       An hour drones on as everyone cautiously sips their drink, all except the brave throat of Skrim, who takes a gulp and immediately is flushed in heat before coming out into a mere headspin from the gasoline-esque shoe polish the barkeep had overflowed into his stained glass. The soft notes of the bredea instrument are drowned out by the slurred shouting of a man that was sitting at a table listening for some hours. The man yells "What did he talk to you about?" in an escalating crescendo until a slam ends his shouts and the bar falls even more silent. The tan, mustached man donned in an open blouse and shapely slacks jumped up from his perch on the table to smash his instrument in the man's face before an acrobatic cartwheel over the drunken man's head to run out the door. The mutters climax before the man, black hair pasted greasily to his gaunt face, streaks of blood and wood stuck to his skin, points at Skrim, who is playing a game at the bar that consists of how small of sips he can take of the whiskey. The man mutters audibly as he approaches the rat-folk, speaking directly to Skrim only when the man grabbed him by the fur. The sentence was punctuated by the lightning-quick shattering of the full glass on the gaunt man's face, followed by a punch from the scrappy fist of the armored rodent. The man improvises a weapon as well, but is too weak and wobbly to commit the act of throwing a chair at Skrim, who although is inebriated, side-steps the throw with ease. As rotting tables collapse, with the two-man brawl to follow, patrons begin to leave, running out with each other's coin and attempting to barricade themselves from the angry patrons who hadn't had the idea to steal gold until the others had already acted. Skrim stomps on the man's gut until he passes out buried in a halved table. All the while Quinn had finally gained an audience with a barmaid by the name of Maeridan, whom dropped valuable information, saying that strange, nicely dressed folk had frequented the bar for the last couple weeks, but the squat, balding man had only visited the bar once, that very night. Before Quinn attempted a peck on the cheek for his new found heartthrob, she blocked his scruffy face to alert him that her husband, the barkeep, was only allowing the talk because Quinn had left such a generous tip on the table earlier that night.

       Climbing over the labyrinth of overturned tables, Skrim is assisted by O'Malley, who carries the near- comatose sorceress Dali on his shoulder, they head together to the inn across the bay, since the one above the bar had been closed ever since the patrons complained about blood dripping down into their food, drink, and cards from the ceiling. On the way they approached the yelling of a man to the three story window that was flung open, but seemingly speaking to no one. Coming in closer Quinn recognized him as the tanned, flamboyant man who fled the bar earlier that night. As his coos for love, his last night on earth, spreading his fantastic genes into the next generation, among other fairly good reasons for coitus, a young woman appears at the window, correcting the man that he has been calling her the wrong name and she doesn't want to talk to him. Before she could say another word, a grappling hook attached to her sill, and the nimble man swung an arc that one could tell was just bragging because of how non-functional it was.Taking off his hat, slicking back his hair, and pulling a rose from his sleeve he entered the window. Moments later another window a story below shattered. As the mass rolling on the ground like a ball unwinds, it suddenly sprung into a leaping run, as the mustached man bolted for his life from a man wielding a musket. As they disappear into the distance, Quinn, Dali and Skrim made their way to the open inn.  After explaining to the innkeeper that they needed multiple rooms an entire night and explaining that the situation was not what it seemed, she grumpily charged them nearly nothing. They all headed to bed for a couple hours before the sun rose, wherein they shuffled all their belongings into their packs and scrambled for the dock.

       One by one they climbed the gangplank to board the ship, greeted by the bald merchant with an assurance they would come, and a small purse clanking with the promised gold. Looking around, they see this schooner, the Athan Mi'ere, is of a different breed than the ones the adventurers had journeyed on before; the sails were broader, the sides had intricately cut holes big enough to fit a cannon through, the front of the vessel resembled a bit more of a bayonet than a bow, the captain had an assistant meticulously moving nautical instruments, and the sail closest to the stern had a slender lady in drapes of satin meditating on a platform, facing directly into the biggest sail. Slight impressions of her translucent silk were found on all of the crew, men and women alike.

        Just then hands slam on the port side of the ship, with a quick grunt a mustached man is standing on the deck railing, looking about as he removes his hat to slick back his dark curls before donning his feathered hat again. The bredea player had a look on his face of self-satisfaction that one would never associate with the man that was first run out of the lowest-grossing establishment on record, then shunned out of a midnight reverie by his targeted lover, then chased down the bay by a musket wielding maniac. What could the job possibly be? Why is this ship not have one scallywag in sight (except for that of the adventurers), and who was this mysterious man with seemingly gold to spare? As he invites them to sit with him at breakfast, the motley crew of adventurers follows, eager for what happens next.
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