CAMPAIGN: Queen Arkwyn's Crown (D&D5e)

The clouds are thick and black, and swirl above, dropping gradually more and more rain. There is little to no fog or must underneath them. In the context of high winds, these clouds might look terrifying, but the wind is still not bad at all, so it seems most likely that this storm will deliver a lot more "wet" and "dark" and rather less "violent".

The Crow's Nest is small, but looks relatively safe. It is deep like a cup, rather than flat like a saucer, and there seem to be lots of places to hang on.

The eye-patched woman nods and smiles and says nothing more when she sees Hyne climb to the Crow's Nest. She continues readying the sails.

The Yanorin's mooring ropes are free, and the rowers begin pushing it away from the docks. Five of the oars are manned by two crewmembers each, but the sixth is being handled by just one fellow. He is a big brute, but his oar obviously lags behind the others.

Half of the merfolk jump off the back of the ship into the water.

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

"Can you man the crows nest?" Calls the woman

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

The Yanorin slips out of its berth, and into the waterway between the many docks. It moves quickly towards the harbor, and the open water beyond.

From his high perch, Hyne can see the city all around. he can see the castle to the east, the temples to the west, the market directly behind.

On the docks he can still see Skoth and the other pirates loading supplies onto the Flying Eye Goddess.

Rain drizzles down on Hyne. The wind is still gentle

Visible ahead is the King's funeral ship. it is now at the mouth of the harbor. a bit of smoke is curling up from it.

The Yanorin seems to be moving fast. The rowers are working hard. The merfolk eldar is standing on the back, shouting in some mer language, "Heehii Heh! Heehii Ffuuhii! ... Heehii Heh! Heehii Ffuuhii! ... Heehii Heh! Heehii Ffuuhii!" he repeats the same chant. Apparently the merfolk in the water are pushing the ship.

Hyne can't help but glance about him at the city which seems smaller. It is a very different experience from what he is used to having been trained to survey from the ground and fit together smaller bits of information to form a larger picture. Now he is high and can see all about him.

He takes advantage for a moment. He looks back to the docks and to the other ship to see if there is anything in particular he should be wary of.

{{1d20+3+3 Perception}}

Afterward he yells down to report based on his study of the clouds, "There won't be a huge storm just yet, I don't think! But I'll still keep an eye out."

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

Newbie Newtype rolls...

• 1d20+3+3 Perception: 17 + 3 + 3 ⇒ 23

From this lofty angle, the city does seem to shrink. The taverns and inns might be busy with people escaping the rain, but none of that is visible. The market and temples might be full of secrets and plotting, but from here they look quiet and still. The castle with it's new queen might be full of danger and intrigue, but from here it just looks like an ornate expensive doll's house.

Srappa and its troubles seem to be slipping into the past as the Yanorin slips out of the harbor and into the open ocean.

One more trouble lingers.

The King's funeral ship is now near at hand. Hyne can clearly see the flames, which have jumped from the pyre to the sails, and are spreading across the deck. The rowers are now all standing, old and grim and silent. They are arranged in a ring around the edge of the ship's railings. Whenever one of them is touched by the flames, their hair or clothing catching alight, they spread their arms, and topple backwards ceremoniously, splashing into the waves, and sinking without any apparent attempt to swim.

Oxnar the paladin stands out among them, both for the fact that he is wearing plain trousers and and a white undershirt in contrast to the dark blue shades worn by all the old cultist rowers, and because of his body language.

While the others stand piously awaiting their drownings, Oxnar has climbed as far as possible away from the flames, and is perched precariously on the nose of the figurehead.

For the moment, Hyne can't help but glance to the storm on occasion as if looking for answers to what it might do. At the same time he finds it welcoming as he leaves the city which laid bare as a massive trap for him.

Soon the flickers of flame spark in the corner of his eyes, distracting him from his watch to witness the ritual taking place at the funeral. Men that steadfastly welcome themselves to the scorching embrace of flame then allow themselves to be pulled with the strong grip of the heavy waters. He can only imagine it is one of the pirate rituals.

But Oxnar doesn't seem to be part of it. As much as Hyne would like to leave Oxnar to get out of his own mess, he doesn't think he can get away with being so complacent as long as he's tasked with being a watch. He yells to the other watchmen, "The man in the white shirt on the other ship! It looks like he's going to go overboard soon!"

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

The other sailors look, but most of them are too busy getting the sails fully ready and starting the ship to tack into the wind.

"Damn them," says the one-eyed woman, who is still working on the rigging below Hyne's crowsnest. "The King weren't an Umabarleeist."

Another cultist topples sizzling into the sea.

Tip is helping stow the oars, now less useful in the waves outside the harbor. She keeps glancing towards Oxnar.

The six merfolk who had jumped into the water to push the ship now climb up the anchor chain, and immediately Tip calls out to them in mer-speak, and two of them immediately jump back into the water.

The other mer-folk seem agitated by the sight of the burning ship and the people on it. The Eldar hurries into the Captain's door, and soon both he and Captain Crawford emerge and go to the railing to watch.

Another burning cultist splashes. Only three remain.

The two merfolk in the water surface close to the funeral ship, and gesture towards Oxnar. He starts as if surprised. He looks at them with apparent fear, then back at the the fire with greater fear. He seems about to jump.

The three remaining cultists abruptly stop standing trance-like waiting for death. Two lunge towards Oxnar and drag him off the figurehead before he can jump. The third, clothing already smouldering begins throwing burning debris at the merfok in the water.

The Yanorin is rapidly approaching its closest pass to the funeral ship. The winds are beginning to increase.

{{1d20+3+3 Survival to predict how the wind current is going to continue}}

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

Newbie Newtype rolls...

• 1d20+3+3 Survival to predict how the wind current is going to continue: 12 + 3 + 3 ⇒ 18

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb

The wind is blowing in the opposite direction that the Yanorin is trying to travel. Hyne can see that the ship is nimble, and the crew is clearly very competent as they move the sail to tack back and forth. Faster wind could mean faster progress, in spite of the fact that they are sailing against the wind. (but if the speed of the wind continues to increase too much, things get dangerous)

Oxnar struggles against the two cultists who are holding him.

The third cultist, hair now on fire, finds a spear somewhere and begins jabbing at the two merfolk when they try to come close to the ship.

Hyne licks his thumb then juts the wet appendage into the air to feel the air blowing against it: the wind is travelling toward the backside of the ships. At the moment, there's no fear of the embers from the other ship blowing towards this one.

After noticing Oxnar being grabbed he wonders why they're forcing him to become part of the sacrifice. It is when the merfolk begin being attacked that he calls over to his shipmate while reaching for his bow, "They're attacking our men! Permission to fire back?"

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<TheGiz> oh hai doggy, oh no that's the straw that broke tjhe came baclsb