Year: 1491, Month: Tarsakh, Date: 22nd
I rise up from the dock, as lonely as a cloud, and slowly float to the the top floor of the boat. If I could see Celery, I would form a misty hand and wave at her. I enter a room at the top, dead centre of the boat, through the cracks between the aged wood forming it's side. I hover near the ceiling in the room waiting for Leotard to stop concentrating on the spell and turn me back to normal.
I coalesce back into my natural form. Unfortunately as I was floating near the ceiling, I drop like a stone, but luckily land in a hammock, one of many rigged up in the room. Leotard! The least he could have done was given me a warning before dropping me like a stone.Before moving further, I rotate my head slowly from one side to the other to check on my surroundings.
All appears safe, it looks like crew's quarters, but there's no one inside. As I contemplate what to do next, the hammock fastenings start to give way (presumably they're not built to take the weight of a Knight in full armour), and I leap off the hammock, landing on my feet. These Boots of Striding and Springing, that Gundren generously gifted to me, are wondrous. My dismount from the hammock was as graceful as a Panther's, even if I do say so myself. Unlike when Chello fell off the roof of a building, which was more like a cart horse.
Now what do I do? Our plan went only as far as getting us all on the boat. We seem to have forgotten to plan any further than that. Oh well, as I was taught, no (battle) plan survives first contact with the enemy: we just didn't bother planning that far ahead! I decide to wait until the boat leaves its moorings. I hope the crew will be too busy to come back to their quarters for the whole cruise to give me time to reconnoitre the upper parts of the boat.
The wait seems to go on forever, but eventually I feel the boat swaying beneath my feet, and it accelerates away from the dock to the sound of a drum beating the cadence for the oarsmen. I go to investigate where I am. I carefully open the door, take a quick look out, and step out into a corridor. There are doors to either side of the room I have just left, and one at each end. I listen at the door on my left, but there's no sound, so I carefully try the door. It's not locked, so I open it gingerly and step inside. This is just another set of quarters for the crew.
I move to the door on the right, and go through the same routine. No sound, try to open the door but its locked. I give it a gentle barge with my shoulder. The door flexes under the weight but it doesn't open. I feel I can break through the door if I had a little run up, so I take a few steps back to the other side of the corridor, and accelerate towards the door, leading with my armoured shoulder. Crunch! The door gives way, although the lock is still intact and connected to the frame. How's that for subterfuge?! I quickly make my way through the open door, and close it carefully behind me.
As I enter the cabin, the first thing I notice is an overpowering smell of Lavender and Roses. Is this a boudoir for ladies of the night? If so, I better make my search quick and make my escape. Surely, no one will notice the slightly damaged door! The cabin is very ostentatious, there are rich purple curtains covering the portholes. There is a bed, but also a hammock - why on earth would you need both? On a table there is a jewelled hand-held mirror, and an elaborately decorated silver decanter on with matching silver goblets. Against one bulkhead is an iron stove, but its unlit and cold. I think about pouring myself a drink, but stop - the owner would know someone has been in if I take a drink.
There is a portrait of a human man in green leather armour with a tentacled demon on his shoulder hung up on the opposite bulkhead. How very strange. As I look further round the room I see there is a large glass tank full of water which appears to contain the very same tentacled demon as in the picture.I am sure it is staring at me! I stare back, I won't be intimidated.
With one eye keeping watch on the tentacled demon, I search around the room. There's a fairly obvious wooden chest built into the underside of the table. I give it a quick check for traps but don't see anything, so I open it. Click! I flatten myself to the floor as a rather sharp and nasty looking needle stabs out from the chest, over my head, and back into the chest. Although I didn't find the trap, this all seems rather obvious and maybe a diversion? Well shall we see? I hit the chest on the side with the pommel of my sword. It breaks into pieces, but there's nothing there. Whilst sifting through the broken chest I notice the tentacled demon out of the corner of my eye making its way up the tank towards me. I give it a full on death stare, and it sheepishly goes back down to the corner of its home. Keeping eye contact with the tentacled demon, I search its tank for anything, but come away empty handed. I clearly won the battle of wills between the water demon and I, as it remains cowering at the back of its tank.
Surely there must be something in this room. Why go to all this effort to lock the door and have a fake trapped chest? I sit down on the bed to ponder, all the while staring at the tentacled demon.
There's sound in the corridor outside but I'm so deep in my pondering that I don't notice. A rather grandly dressed, noble looking Dragonborn comes through the door. I begin to stand and draw my sword, until I recognise Celery. I explain I've been looking for clues, but have not found anything so far. Strangely, Celery doesn't berate me for making so much mess. I point out the tentacled demon to her in the picture and the tank, and tell her to keep an eye on it. Celery laughs at me and tells me its no demon, but a harmless octopus. Celery wonders why the octopus is here, but the man in the picture isn't as she hasn't seen him on the boat. Celery looks strangely at the octopus and the tank and then says she'd like to set it free as its mean to keep the poor creature trapped in the tank. Celery checks the water its in, which is salty. She looks very disappointed and explains to me that the octopus will die if she releases it into fresh water. I have no idea what she's talking about.
Celery explains that she needs money to gamble with Enya like the rest of the guests on the Grand Dame (Enya is my new name for Enna that I will use in my journal. Enya is a Tiefling bard famous throughout Faerun, and I like to think Enna could be Enya in disguise). Celery explains that there is a lady dressed head to toe in purple who they think may have some information that could help us, but she will only speak to those who she is playing a game of Sava with. I hand over 500gp to Celery.
Celery says Leotard and Chello seem to have blended right in with the crowd of Nobles, and are busy drinking and gambling. The seem to have forgotten why we came onboard!
As she goes, she explains that the door at the end of the corridor to our right is a ballroom and from there there are stairs leading down into the main auditorium where the guests are all gambling. Celery suggests I'm not dressed appropriately and would stick out like a sore thumb if I was seen, and, since everything is under control down below, that I should remain hidden up here until one of my companions comes for me. I agree and say I'll be waiting in one of the crews quarters.
Before retiring to the crews quarters to wait, I check the remaining door. There is a large brass plaque with the word 'Bridge' on it. That sounds important, and is probably full of people, so I quietly track back to the crews quarters and wait.
It seems to take an age before Celery returns. She quickly relates to me what has happened. The lady in purple is called Atallia, and she volunteered to Enya that she had information that we might find useful, if we follow her to somewhere safe when she leaves the boat. Enya agreed she would follow once the boat docks, and then proceeded to lose the game of Sava to Atallia. After the game, Celery and Enya gambled until the boat is almost back to Yartar. Celery returns the 500gp to me, along with a profit of 40gp. Apparently Enya kept the 40gp she won. That sounds like the sort of thing a shady bard might do - I will have to delve deeper into Enya's background. Maybe she is a famous bard in disguise!
Our plan to get off the boat is for Celery, and Enya to disembark as any normal guest to the Grand Dame. Enya will come up and make me invisible just before the boat approaches the dock at Yartar so I can make an exit unseen. As for Chello and Leotard, they can work it out for themselves. I will be interested to see if they managed to learn anything whilst drinking and gambling.
The boat docks, and lady Atallia disembarks quickly, and sets off at a brisk pace away from the dock. Invisible, I take a run and leap from the boat to the dock side. I turn and check if I was heard , but if I was, no one makes a move to investigate. I speed up to join my companions as we follow Lady Atallia through the streets of Yartar. After a few minutes, Lady Atallia ducks into an alley way. Enya follows Lady Atallia into the alley, while the rest of us loiter around the entrance to the alley way so as not to spook her.
Lady Atallia explains to Enya that she was coerced into helping abduct Nobles from the Grand Dame by a fellow that goes by the name of Oosith. She says he is a very ruthless man, and his intentions can only be nefarious. Lady Atallia is terrified of Oosith, who has threatened to kill her if she doesn't do as he directs. He has reinforced his threats with violence and has caused her pain and suffering. Oosith knew Lady Atallia was popular on the Grand Dame and is using her to seduce young nobles and lead them to where he can overpower and abduct them. Oosith tells her which Nobles to seduce, but she does not know why he selects the ones he does. He always takes young men. Oosith himself stays in the sewars, and avoids both the Hands of Yartar and the Town Guards. He is
guarded by 'fish' people, and once they have taken their 'catch', she doesn't know what happens to them. Lady Atallia offers to show us where she leads each 'catch' to. She wants to be free of Oosith, but is powerless to do this herself, and is hoping that, in exchange for the information she has provided, we can stop Oosith and free her from his clutches. She leads us to a sewer grate a short distance away and says that she brings the poor boys to this grate, and here they are abducted and taken down into the sewers. She then says farewell, and quickly hurries away.We've had a long day, Leotard and Chello have drank too much, and need to sleep off the effects of the alcohol they have drank. Its a bit late to find an Inn and wake up the Innkeeper, so we decide to camp in the garden of the house where the Harper's portal brought us.
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