By the Light of the Sun and Moon [M] [Explorer Event]

[nephero]

TW: At any point in any Explorer thread there may be obscene language, violence, blood, threats, bodily harm and seasickness.

---

   
   The tang of the salty air carried a current of electricity that sank deep into your bones and settled in your ribcage. Even the most hardened sailors had to agree. There was always a small thrill when a ship moved out to sea, but this particular moment had everyone moving as if raw lightning was under their feet. It was a heady cocktail— a mix of trepidation, a dash of exhilaration, and a pinch of hesitation... all shaken up with the knowledge that their benefactor had deemed it necessary to set sail at night rather than in the daylight hours when everyone could see.

   Scuttlebutt was it was part of some ritual, as it had to wait until the full moon. Others still said it was for security, as it was hard to hide four ships pulling out of port and all heading in the same direction. This last part seemed to be the favorite of the rumors, as even the Captain believed it to be true. This was no small task they were setting off on, after all. Anyone who had known anyone who had seen that obelisk in the Meeting Place knew something big was happening, and not everyone who had an interest in treasure had seen fit to sign up. By setting off at night, it would be easier to douse the lights and disappear on the open ocean if the Solar Halo and her escorts appeared to be being followed.

   Either way, it was far too late for second thoughts. Everyone aboard had had plenty of time between the signing of their contracts until now, and the Captain had made it crystal clear that this would be no pleasure cruise. Which was more than obvious, given that the sailors not only needed to turn to their duties in dim lighting, but they also had the added challenge of working around just so many passengers.

   The Solar Halo was no small ship, thankfully. There was space plenty in the crew's quarters, hammocks set up between posts to bed down in with ladders leading up the posts three hammocks high. The cargo hold held only the essentials, carefully calculated to last the long journey once final stops had been made and leaving plenty of room for whatever would be brought back. But while the Solar Halo was a beautifully crafted ship (truly, their benefactor had spared no expense), it was not made for leisure. The deck, alive with the flurried movements of the crew, did not hold much space for idle congregation. The three other, smaller ships that had also been commissioned had even less space for such things.

   This was the part that made the Captain most nervous. An added passenger or two was no issue, but for this many... at least for a fair share of them there could be assigned chores such as helping in the kitchen or scrubbing the floors, but the voyage was calculated to be a very long one, and there was nothing in the world that Captain Amryth hated more than bored, useless, whining, useless passengers. She almost wished that the group had been placed on the other accompanying vessels, but she knew such a feat would have been impossible. It was far easier to keep a group in one place on the largest of the four, rather than attempting to make work difficult for all the vessels involved. Plus, the additional money for care and keeping was too good to pass up.

   Surely, looking at the state of her guests, any behavioral discrepancies was nothing a few barked orders couldn't cure. Squaring her narrow shoulders, Amryth took a deep breath and stepped forward, descending the stairs to the main deck and leveling a stern, harsh glare to the gathered group still lingering by the banisters as the port shrank further and further into the late night gloom.

   "If you are all done sight-seeing, we have work to do. Usel— mm." She took a moment to collect herself, her full lips pursed in careful thought. "Esteemed guests, if you would direct yourselves to either the crew's quarters or the mess. I'm sure with such a distinguished and varied collection such as yourselves you will find a way to keep one another occupied. Quietly."

   Amryth began to ascend back up the stairs, when seemingly struck by another thought. She looked over her shoulder, a dark thin eyebrow raised as she stared at each one of the gathered gaggle.

   "I have supplies for registered passengers and crew only. I will not tolerate the sudden addition of another, is that clear?" She scowled at the group. "So keep it in your trousers."

   Another pointed glare, and Amryth ascended again, returning to her actual duties of managing her crew and hopefully never to return to another moment of babysitting again.

---

Summary: All of our brave explorers have been loaded into the flagship, the Solar Halo, and summarily been banished belowdecks to keep the hell out of the way once the ship has left the port far behind. The Solar Halo and her three companion vessels are now in the open ocean headed due south with no expectations of stopping until they find what they are looking for. This presents all player characters with an equal opportunity to mingle and get to know one another, and I highly suggest your characters do so in case they find a problem only one of them can solve. B)

Explorers Event Posting Order
Nephero, EckhartVonMusel, ForeverUnforgiving, Trenzalor, Sarang, Kingfisher, GoblinFae

Explorers Roster and Current Status

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Amryth dissapeared from view, and the deck soon cleared as passengers slowly shuffled below deck. A tall, navy-haired man lingered for but a moment, staring wistfully as the port slowly vanished into the distance. Eventually, he too would depart for the ship's lower levels.

The mess was fairly crowded when Joseph Stonebridge stepped inside, the low hum of conversation echoing across the room. The Serenian had hoped to grab some food while everybody else was getting settled, but it seemed that most of the others had the exact same idea as he did. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. "Of couse..."

Scanning the room for an empty seat, Joseph made his way to one of the small tables in the center of the room. There was a bag on the chair he'd spotted, likely left there by someone to claim it as "their" spot. Moving it to the floor, the man sat down lazily. He raised his hand to the table, and small ball of light appeared in his palm. Absent-mindedly twirling it in his fingers, he gazed idly across the room...

"Will you cut that out?"

An angry whisper across from him caused Joseph to look up. Sitting at the other end of the table was a young Connlaothian man, a small plate of cured meat set in front of him. His face was boyish and clean-shaven, with short brown hair neatly parted to one side. From the looks of it he was barely out of his teenage years- a deserter, or perhaps an escaped mage. The man stared nervously at the spell emanating from Joseph's fingertips, eyes wide. "You shouldn't be doing that kinda thing." he said softly, a hint of fear in his voice. "Not unless you have to."

The Serenian raised an eyebrow, reaching to scratch his goatee with his free hand. "Oh?" he said flatly. "Why would that be?"

The Connlaothian quickly looked at the plate of food, seemingly unwilling to meet Joseph's gaze. "It's... not right." he said finally. "I-I mean, there's a time and a place, and-"

Joseph snorted, smiling in disbelief. Was this kid for real? "Maybe this is the time and place." he challenged, eyes narrowing. His tone was jovial, but laced with venom. "I'm bored, yeah? So I'm gonna cast this spell to pass the time."

The boy's mouth thinned, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, well..." he said quietly. "That doesn't sound neccisary to me..."

It was at this point that the Serenian leaned forward, bringing his hand closer to the young man. The ball of light jumped from finger to finger wildly, before finally resting on Joseph's thumb. "Well..." he said caustically, the smile on his face growing rather nasty. "Why don't you stop me then?"

[TheUnforgiving]

Serish leaned her head back on the crew hammock and tried to get some shuteye.  She'd been halfway to Serendipity when she'd seen the advertisement for this expedition and had turned back south and made the best speed she could on foot.  This opportunity -- or, more precisely, the gold on offer for joining -- was too good to pass up.  To say nothing of the artifacts that she could bring back and sell to Serenian mages and other antiquities collectors.  A few cultural baubles, or even just one of any magical significance, would go a long way towards ending her existence as a broke drifter selling her swordarm for a pittance to grubby peasants and swindling merchants.  A nice flat in a merchant district or a small manor amongst the city councillors were far more suiting a mage of the School of Sunrir than making camp on the side of the road or scrounging silvers for a tiny room at a cheap inn, even if she hadn't actually completed the trial that would make her a fully vested mage. 

No, that last ordeal -- and the last time Serish had set out on an expedition like this, less than a year ago -- had seen her bound to a demon, hunted by ghouls, recapturing a frigate from necromancers, slaughtering her way through a tribe of orcs, being chased through the catacombs of a forgotten temple by zombies, meet her father, and learn she was the obscurely prophesied herald of the doom of all Le'raana.  All to give the Necromancer Lord Ancin the perfect opportunity to literally stab her in the back with a life-sized dragon statue and kill her.  Serish wasn't sure if that was a good omen or bad for this expedition.  At the very least this one was starting out a lot less comfortable.  When she'd first set sail from Cerenis to the shores of the Moraki desert, Serish slept in one of the staterooms, being the closest thing the ship had to a first officer after she'd cut her way through the reanimated corpses of its officers and crew.  Top bunk on a triple-rack of rough canvas hammocks, breathing the stale below-decks air of a merchantman that smelled more than faintly of an overcrowded stable, listening to dozens of other crew and mercenaries chatter was far removed from that and Serish didn't particularly look forward to several months of it. 

:You could always kill the first officer and take the cabin that way.  If Ancin has fled to this new land and we recover Ymunth's skull, it won't matter anyway,: Xaraea mindspoke lazily.  The demon's bloodlust rivalled her pragmatism and that often made it difficult to determine if such suggestions were serious.  If it wouldn't have immediately gotten Serish thrown overboard, it would've been a good idea.

Her daydreams of sleeping on a real bed with a window to let in the clean sea air were interrupted by the sound of passing footsteps.  Serish had deliberately chosen a hammock well away from everyone else so her nap wouldn't be disrupted by people pacing back and forth or talking loudly right next to her.  She cracked open one baleful eye to see who had dared wake her.  Four women of heights that suggested Adelan origin and concealing themselves with heavy traveling cloaks walked briskly past the foot of Serish's hammock in a tight diamond formation.  Serish caught a glimpse of auburn hair poking out from the hood of the woman leading the group, but other than that she couldn't tell much about them except that they were armed and they were looking for something; it was in the way they moved. 

Xaraea made a thoughtful noise. :Hmmm...:

:Who are they?: Serish asked.

:I...don't know.:  The demon's mindvoice demonstrated as much surprise as Serish felt.

:You don't know?  Since when do you not recognize a uniform?:

:I've no interest in identifying every petty mercenary troupe and traveling circus on the planet,: Xaraea responsed waspishly.  :What I don't recognize is who sent them.:

Serish's mindvoice became suspicious.  :They're summons?:

:No, they're mortals, but they're marked by a deity, which is almost certainly why they're here.  The trouble is I can't say which.:

:'Can't' as in 'forbidden' or 'can't' as in 'I'm not sure'.:

Xaraea scoffed. :The latter, obviously.  The mark is...familiar, resembles a few I know but matches none.  It's too new.:

:Too...new?:

Impatience crept into Xaraea's mindvoice and Serish got the distinct impression of the demon tapping her foot.  :A deity's mark...has qualities similar to a fine wine, a character and a vintage.  The precise circumstances of a deity's existence, any significant events it has experienced, shape the mark it leaves on anything it touches, as does the deity's age.  I recognize elements of the character of this deity, but it is far, far to young to be any I know.:

:How young?:

:Half a millennium at most.:

Serish tracked the women as they made their way to one of the pools of shadow left where the oil lamps could not reach, even further from the rest of the passengers than Serish was before stopping to converse in whispers.  :'Hmmm...' indeed.:

Suddenly, she felt Xaraea's presence retreat from her mind, as if the demon were trying to hide herself, something she had never done before.  Why would she?  No one had ever seen she was there, watching and hearing everything as Serish did.  At first she thought one of the cloaked women had realized Serish was surveilling them, but the four continued their conversation uninterrupted.  But Serish's blood ran cold when Xaraea's mindvoice came back quiet and tense, a harsh whisper from a distant corner of their shared soul: :It can see us!:

[Trenzalor]

Mira so far has been enjoying this. She's never been on a ship this big before so the opportunity to be a part of something like this is new and exciting. She can't wait to see everything that there is to see on this new continent. She views the whole expedition through a starry eyed lens, or at least should would if it weren't for the fact that she had her blindfold on. But she can handle that. It's just her personal cross to bear and she's managed it for this long, so bearing it longer is just what she's accepted will happen, even if she doesn't like it. As the boat sail across the sea Mira keeps her shaded eyes out on the open ocean and just stares out at the horizon. She doesn't know anyone here so she knows that she's going to have to make some allies if she wants to stay alive through this, but that's for later. Right now she just wants to appreciate the pure beauty of the open ocean. Even though she's sail before the sight never really gets old. It's quite the sight to see for someone who's never really lived near the open ocean. However her sight seeing is interrupted when she hears the captain of the ship addressing everyone else who's hear on the expedition as well as her. She turns to look at the captain and listens to what they have to saw. When the captain tells them to go down below the deck Mira is a little bit disappointed but she doesn't want to make the captain mad so she just shrugs and goes along with it. She was getting hungry anyway so a trip down to the food sounds good to her. She walks down deeper into the ship with a slight sway in her hips as she walks along. To anyone who looks at her, they'd see a very voluptuous woman with long blond hair wearing long but tight blue and white robes walking towards the mess. However the strangest part about her is the fact that she's wearing a golden blindfold, and yet she doesn't walk around like a blind person. She seems to walk like a regular person. Once Mira gets down to the mess she grabs some food and she sits down at an empty table if any exists and starts to eat her food, not much caring for else beside her food.



Cadian looks out all of these sacks of flesh with the same bored glance that he gave every being that didn't offer him anything interesting to think about. No new features that he can plainly see, no one sticking out because of their obvious strengths or weaknesses. Just a bunch of random adventurers who he couldn't be bothered to absorb, so he doesn't bother until one of them decides to prove that they might be worth the effort to get a sample of. Cadian was a strange case, even when compared to to this lot. He had barely any documentation and what he did have was really sparse on the detail, bu it was all legitimate so there wasn't any reason to not hire him. It just sort of seemed like he had no reason to be hear. But he knew his reasons. He didn't need anyone else to know though, so he wouldn't really be talking about it. So far he's been really standoffish and has barely interacted with anyone beyond what is absolutely required of him to do his job. Whenever anyone looks at Cadian they'd see an average sizes elf with green hair, blue eyes, and pale skin who's wearing leather armor. However something about his would seem, off. There's nothing explicitly wrong with his appearance, he just doesn't act like he should. He never seems to blink, his chest doesn't rise and fall, stuff like that. Just something's kind of vaguely off about him. When the captain addresses the passengers Cadian listens but he doesn't really care. So long as he doesn't draw attention to himself he's perfectly fine just doing what the captain is asking them to do. Cadian doesn't need to eat, so he instead starts heading for the passenger area. He's content to just wait there until they get to their destination.



Cato isn't doing so well on the ship. he's a bit green around the gills and is hanging to the railing of the ship for dear life as he tries to get used to being out on the open ocean. He's never been on a boat before in his life so he doesn't have anything even close to sea legs. He does his best to grit his teeth and bear the sickness, but he's having to put effort into keeping himself from losing his lunch over the side of the boat. He did hid best to prepare for this but nothing he did could have prepared him for how it could actually feel. He's slowly getting used to the feeling of the boat rocking beneath him, bu t it's going to take a while to adjust before he can completely ignore it like everyone else seems to be. When the captain addresses everyone on the boat Cato does his best to pay attention and when they're finished Cato nods in understanding to himself. He sighs in resignation as he lets go of the railing. he starts carefully making his way towards the mess so that he can try and get some food into himself to settle his stomach. He's a bit wobbly on the boat but he manages to work his way deeper into the boat without falling over or overturning his stomach. He enters the mess and carefully gets some food before quickly finding a table so that he's less likely to sill his food on the floor. He sits down at the nearest table he can find, regardless of whoever is sitting at it. Once he's pretty sure that he's stable, Cato slowly starts to eat the food. Sitting at that table is a young man with short, ruffled brown hair. He wears long black pants, a black long sleeve shirt, and a black caplet that goes does to his elbows. He has red eyes and a resting bitch face. However none of those are his defining feature by far. The thing about his that would probably catch someone's eyes is his massive aura. Energy is pouring out of every inch of his skin like there's no tomorrow. He just oozes pure power, literally. It can be felt throughout the entire ship. Anyone on the ship who can sense energy knows Cato's exact position. Even if someone can't sense energy, there would still seem like there's something strange about Cato. Like he just doesn't belong there.

[Sarang]

Juno had never been on a big ship. It was only the second time on the water in her life. The first time had only been a little while ago when her brother arranged a spot for her on a ship that brought her from Thanatos to the mainland. It was a strange world outside of the jungles, one full of things, areas, and people that were unknown. Juno now was on that big ship she had heard about from that little advertisement and it was a huge adventure. Exciting, thrilling, and new.

It was a shame that they had to be below deck, she wanted to see the water, climb the masts, and greet the sky. Maybe later she could sneak up unseen. Right now there was too much to see, all these differences were overwhelming. All these people who didn't look like her. So many light skins, dark hairs, colored hairs that looked like the beautiful flowers and animals of her home.

A million questions formed in her mind as the ship swayed as the top of the trees in the wind. It was calming, a piece of home albeit different. Like why was this person over there wearing something to cover her eyes, why did that one over there feel different and out of place, what about the one that looked like she was always in her mind or those really pale or really tall people. Who were they, where did they come from? Had they come here for adventure too?

Her sea-blue eyes wandered, taking everything in. But she got restless, wanted to know more. Her eyes fell on one of the hammocks that were hanging on top. She had chosen one at the bottom but not regretted it. Those looked so much better.

Without thinking she walked up to one of them, she climbed up the timber that held the hammocks between them and jumped inside, swaying back and forth. A giggle bubbled over her lips. Yes, this was a lot better. It only took a moment until she noticed someone approach and look up to her. She peeked over the edge of the fabric, her white hair hanging into her face halfway covering her ebony skin. She grinned but that was hidden behind the fabric.

"Hi! This yours? It is so cozy, so much better than mine. Can I have it?"

[Kingfisher]

Samuel stopped a moment to examine the young woman that had addressed him.  Despite the oppressive darkness of the cabin, the assassin's corrupted golden eye could see with shocking clarity; a Thanati girl, not much younger than him but much more innocent.

The demonologist was not known to socialize much; he had even made it a point not to involve himself in the fight about to break out in the galley.  Still, it would not do to be completely aloof, given the nature of the expedition so, offering a small smirk to avoid overselling his friendliness, he shrugged.  "It's no bother.  I hadn't staked any claim on any particular sling."  After all it was not as though anyone would be keeping there hammock in perpetuity.

Examining the other hanging beds, Samuel found one at similar height to the girl and without so much as a running start, vaulted up into it, being surprisingly careful not to crush his satchel.  Rolling over, he wondered aloud, "What brings you  all the way from a Thanatos to some Serenian ship in the middle of the Gods forsaken ocean?"

Leenane accompanied the freeloaders; the crew would take shifts to ensure there were enough sharp minds and sharp eyes on duty at all times.  Still, she found herself quickly frustrated by one of the passengers seeming to go out of his way to be a nuisance.  The atmosphere had suddenly grown tense and the sailor knew she had to act to dispel it.

Giving a click of her tongue advanced toward the Serenian, gripping his wrist and exploiting the opportunity to pull the spell slinger's hand aside.  "Ya know, when the Captain said 'quietly,' I'm pretty sure she meant that any poor fucker looking to start a fight would find himself on a long journey to the bottom of the ocean."  She offered a sickly-sweet smile, as lighting arced between her fingers.  It would not have been enough to be lethal, just enough to illustrate her menace.

Scanning the rest of the congregation, Leenane dropped her facade.  "That goes for the rest o' you sorry shits. Anyone looking to start somethin'?  They've overstayed their welcome and can walk home."

[GoblinFae]

It was certainly a truly motley group of explorers that had gathered on the deck of the Solar Halo, bathed in the light of the full moon to hear her esteemed captain's vitriol before being sent scurrying their separate ways. Towards the back of the group had stood a group of seven men, all similar in build and appearance: dark, muscled, and heavily scarred with eyes so dark blue they almost looked black.

A crew member bumped into the tallest of the group as they made their way to retreat downstairs and received a menacing, warning grin that displayed a mouthful of sharpened, pointed teeth. The young man was quick yo drop his gaze and scuttle away as the other men in the group chuckled and flashed their own sharp teeth, the excessively scarred one even going so far as to hiss and lunge before laughing.

They were a group of thugs, brothers from the eastern coast of Adela, known for their pride and prowess in a fight and who cared little for their fellow man if it did not serve their own purposes. They shoved past the other explorers without any regard for who stood in their way, nearly bowling over the woman with a blindfold as the twins raced down the corridor to the mess hall, their youngest brother, Gam thundering down behind him with his heavy footsteps. The trio barreled in, throwing elbows and squawking at each other in their own tongue to claim food for themselves and seats at the table, their hands dipping into each other's plates and anyone who dared sit close to enough to them.

Alasdair, the leader who had been knocked into earlier, and their younger brother Fasial followed soon after in time to see the feisty woman telling off another man with a display of her fire. Fasial snorted and stepped up behind her with a grin. "Yeah, and who's going to make us, eh? You? I'd love to see you try, woman." He bared his teeth at her, just itching to fight and relishing in the idea of a new tussle.

Domas shuffled in last, rolling his eyes at his brothers on his way before Alasdair stopped him. "Where is Enoch?"

The younger man shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear before sighing and pointing up at the ceiling. "Captain."

Alasdair equally rolled his eyes murmuring an "of course," before joining the squabbling trio of Barker brothers with Domas and slapping Gam's hand away from his plate with a growl as Cian belched loudly and continued talking with his mouth full.



While all the others made like sheep to their pens, Enoch zeroed in on a wayward lamb and sidled up to her. He was easy on the eyes and fair-voiced, having been quite the lady's man back in his village growing up, a fact he still used to his advantage in his encounters over the years with the opposite sex, (and on occasion his fellow man).

"You know," he purred, leaning onto the ship's rail by the ravenhaired captain's elbow, "there are plenty of ways to prevent new additions that could find me in your pants...or other places. I would be more than honoured to show a strong woman such as yourself the true talent it takes. You need only say the word....or don't." Enoch winked, biting the corner of his lip as grinned down at her, excuding self-confidence in spades.



Wilbur stumbled as large men knocked into him and bounded down the hall, before he was able to right himself. "Not like the grub's gonna vanish if you blink, y'all," he called out good-naturedly. Despite the man's tall, muscled stature, that gave him an intimidating presence, he was an absolute clumsy sweetheart who couldn't intentionally hurt a fly.

He made himself a plate before looking around the room for a place to sit. There seemed to be two separate groups both on raucous missions to seemingly squabble and outshout each other so he instead lopped his way over to where a young man with red eyes was sitting. Poor kid looked rather out of his element.

"Hi! Mind if I join you? Seems the other folks are going a bit sea-crazy already, eh?" Wilbur plopped down in the seat across from the young man and held out his right hand to shake. "Name's Wilbur but all my friends call me Wilby. Sooo what brought you aboard the Solar Halo? Adventure? Money?

"For me it was uh," he flipped his hands in a 'you know how it is' gesture, "my employer. He's hopin' wherever we end up there's some interesting artefacts to bring back for sellin'. See I'm an antiquities courier. What about you?"



Elsewhere, a well-put together mage scholar in a long pale-green robe had popped his head into the mess hall long enough to grab an apple before scurrying back out to avoid the loud, booming voices creating a racket. Imogene instead scuttled off with his rucksack of supplies and scrolls to the crew's quarters. Some people it seemed had already begun to claim bunks and settle in for the night.

Surveying the room revealed at one corner a quartet of shadowed figures that Imogene nearly missed if he hadn't caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Some of the hammocks were already occupied with resting crew and passengers. And in another corner, seated against a mast support was a giant of a man with a long red beard and blue face tattoos that was looking rather green. Poor man was curled up, head resting on his knees and rocking slightly.

Imogene could only shake his head at the poor sod. They'd barely left port and it seemed that the gentle rocking of the waves was not doing this man any favors. The mage chose to leave him and instead try and find a quiet bunk to read and sleep. The morning would provide plenty of opportunities for conversation and introductions. What he needed now was some good introverted time to himself. He headed in the direction of the quartet and made to take one of the bottom bunks when he noticed the topmost one occupied.

"Sorry to bother you, do you know if anyone is sleeping here? Or do you mind if I do? I promise I don't snore if that's any help," he tried to joke, his tone gentle and easy-going.

[nephero]

   Amryth had hoped that her passengers would have had the sense to understand just how little she wanted to bother with them. She had hoped that, perhaps, this time, they'd be a smart bunch and wouldn't need a second telling. She had hoped, in some silly, foolish part of her, that this would not be the longest journey she'd ever made, and not just because it was to the ends of the damned earth.

   But of course, she was immediately disappointed. The man by her elbow was trying his hardest to be thrown over the rails and into the ocean. Amryth was tempted. They weren't that far from land, yet. He looked like a strong swimmer. He might survive.

   But the money, though. Amryth pressed her lips together in a tight line, drew a deep breath through her nose, and slowly let it out again. In an instant, she had the man by his ear and twisted it hard, pulling him along back down the stairs. Her long legs proved quite the challenge to keep up with, and soon she was all but hurtling the fool into the mess along with the rest of his little parade of idiocy.

   "I see you above deck before our arrival, son, and you'll regret it."

   The captain glared hard at Enoch, before transferring the same glare to everyone gathered, having taken in the scene and fairly furious to see that "quiet" apparently was lacking in several vocabularies.

   "Congratulations, everyone. Since I cannot seem to trust the lot of you to behave like grown adults for more than five minutes, everyone present will be scrubbing for the remainder of the voyage. Miss NicFiacc,"

   Amryth gestured sharply to Leenane.

   "Will be giving you your assignments. Anyone found lacking will be flogged, and I've half a mind to let her be the one to do it."

   Another sharp turn, and Amryth returned above deck, muttering under her breath the whole while, just as another crewmember was making his way down. The heavily scarred man took only a moment to look over his shoulder at the captain's back, before turning to look at those gathered in the mess with a 'really?' expression.

   "For the record," Clarence said in a thick Connlaothian accent, "I got nothing for salt and vinegar burns."

   The doctor pushed through into the galley, deciding that the better plan it seemed was to keep near the cook, the pair communicating in what appeared to be a complex series of grunts and mumbling while otherwise completely ignoring one another.

—

   If Diarmaid had known what was about to happen in the mess hall, he might have been very glad that he'd chosen to go elsewhere. The initial orders had been entirely enough: he'd done regimented work before, and had very little trouble following orders when those orders were a simple "stay out of the way". The Serenian made a bee-line for the crew's quarters, his stomach too tied up in knotted worries to manage anything close to the smell of food. Several other passengers seemed to have the same idea, and he quickly tossed his bag into a hammock to lay his claim.

   Beside him was what he could only describe as a miniature mountain huddled against a support. Diarmaid considered leaving the man to his own devices, but a second glance at him showed just how ashen the giant looked beneath his fiery beard.

   "You... doing okay?" Diarmaid asked, already regretting his hammock choice if this guy was going to be sick the whole damn time. It was going to be a long first night.

—

Summary: Already, tensions are high! Everyone who was present in the mess hall now has additional chores for the remainder of the journey, as to be determined. Those who rebel against this order can expect to be whipped, and it doesn't seem like the ship's doctor is much interested in making that less painful for anyone. Those in the crew's quarters seem to have lucked out: they have no such assignments and are free to keep to themselves for the time being.

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

"S-stop it, will you?"

The Connlaothian shrunk back in his seat, cowering at the sight of the magic orb. Joseph snickered. "I already told you, alterboy. You'll have to- hey!"

A woman's voice cut through the air, and Joseph felt his hand being pulled away from the young man. He slowly turned his head to see another Serenian, electricity jumping between her fingers as she chastised him. Joseph returned her smile, nostrils flaring angrily. "Is that a fact? Well sweetheart, I'd hate to have to throw you overboard, but if that's what you want..."

The Connlaothian stared at the two mages, face beginning to pale. "Ma'am?" he said quietly. "I don't think that's helping."

Before the situation could escalate further, the Captain had returned below deck. Scowling, Joseph pulled his hand out of Leenawn's grip. He folded his arms cooly, leaning back in his seat. The young man across from him straightened up in his chair, giving Amryth his full attention. Once the captain had left, the Connlaothian looked to Leenawn dutifully. "I... have some basic woodworking skills." he said slowly, as if unsure whether it was his place to speak up. "If you had any jobs that involved fixing things, I'd be more than willing to take them."

"Kiss-up." Joseph muttered under his breath, giving the boy a nasty glare. "Never catch me speaking to a woman like that."

[TheUnforgiving]

Aliza gestured for the others to disperse.  They needed to observe the crew assignments and rotations to locate a suitable and untravelled section of the ship where they could conduct their nightly prayers without interruption.  It would also do to know where and when someone might accidentally fall overboard.  Their task was to report the expedition's progress and findings, unobserved themselves if possible, and to do so they'd need to blend into the background, move amongst the bustle of the crowded ship while more interesting matters drew the limited attention of those aboard.  The size of the ship and conspicuousness of a small group roaming around necessitated they split up.  Eswild would try to find someplace that would afford her a good look at the sky without being conscripted into makework by the officers so she could chart a copy of the ship's course while the rest would make their way through the rest of the ship to gather whatever information they could.  While the other set off on their own initiative, Aliza made her way towards the hold to manifest the cargo. 

Serish watched the four women scatter through the narrow slit of one cracked eyelid while she continued pretending to sleep.  She didn't get the sense of anything particularly sinister about them, let alone some watchful presence, but Xaraea had always had a better feel for the finer details of cosmic forces than she did.  If Xaraea said something was using those women as a gateway...well, Serish was perfectly happy for them to go bother someone else for the rest of the voyage.

After the four women departed, she felt Xaraea's presence re-enter her mind.  :Ugh.  Whatever that thing is, it will almost certainly be spying on the whole expedition.  It wants something.  But what?:

"Hey, are you asleep up there?"

The mage (Serish didn't need Xaraea's finely-honed magical senses to determine that much) was still looking up at her expectantly.  She hadn't moved, hadn't looked down at him or otherwise made any effort to acknowledge his presence, but it was easy to tell from the quality of his voice that he was just standing there, waiting for her to answer. 

:Does he ever stop talking?: Xaraea muttered bitterly.

"If I say no, will you stop talking?"  Serish answered, still not moving.  When she was met with a moment of stunned silence, she continued before the mage could formulate a response.  "Good.  I'm exhausted and need a nap.  Keep that up and we'll get along just fine."

[Trenzalor]

Mira has no idea why everyone is in trouble all of a sudden. As far as she knows everyone was minding their own business, only being a small bit rowdy when all of a sudden the captain comes down and says that everyone hear has to work or else they'll be publicly spanked. Mira blushes slightly when she imagines it, but she dismisses those thoughts quickly. She isn't really in that kind of a mood right now and she doesn't intend to be the victim of a public flogging. However without a job she has no idea what they want her to do, So Mira finishes up her food and once she's done she walks closer to the person who's assigning the jobs so that when a job is assigned to her she knows for sure what she's expected to do.

Cadian doesn't really know that all of this is going on. Once he gets to the bunks where they're going to be staying her just picks a corner and sits in it. He doesn't have the drive to make friends with the other passengers so he's not very intent to talk to others. Plus, that one kid in the mess hall feels like trouble to him, so he doesn't plan on going around there unless he has to. As he sits in his corner he starts fiddling with his fingers in a semi-random fashion.

Cato is doing his best to keep his food down as the boat rocks from side to side. he's doing a decent job but he'd really rather the journey be over sooner rather than later. He's not used to being on the boat yet so he's very carefully eating his food. However he's surprised when someone comes over to him and tries to strike up a conversation. This isn't something he's particularly used to outside of his shop. He looks up at Wilby with his slightly sick face and he gives the person a polite wave. "Oh, h-hello. Sure, you can join me if you want to." Cato's voice is a little bit shaky as he talks. It's partly because of the sea sickness and partly because he's nervous about meeting new people. "It's nice to meet you Wilby. I came hear because I thought it would be interesting to go to someplace that very few people have been to before." Cato listens to Wilby telling him why he's going and Cato nods politely. "I'm just sort of a general helper. I'm a psychic, so I can do a few things with my power to help out, so that's what I do." Cato does his best to look like he's engaged with the conversation, because he doesn't want Wilby to think that he's being ignored. Cato's noticed that if he doesn't put conscious effort into looking like he cares, people will think that he doesn't and that makes them very mad, so he doesn't want to do that. When the  captain comes into the mess and says that everyone is in trouble and needs to do chores, Cato is very confused. He hasn't done anything that he thinks would upset the captain, so he wonders why they're being punished. He looks over at the person who's supposed to be handing out chores and wonders what's going to be assigned to him.

[Sarang]

With a bright smile Juno watched the man, he looked fascinating, interesting, like he had a lot of stories. Stories she wanted to hear about. Curiosity made its way up her spine, crawled over her dark skin, and as it reached her head it lit a spark in her blue eyes. Despite being in a top bunk, she noticed that he was tall, definitely taller than her but that wasn't much of a surprise. The most interesting to her though was the red skin, the different coloured eyes, the veins visible on his face. She had never seen anything like that before and she couldn't wait to ask him about all of it.

But as he simply jumped into his new chosen hammock her eyes widened in wonderment, oh he could jump high. Nice. She also had not been aware that her people were known outside of the island, because she didn't know much about the existence of others outside, which had made her trip so far into a never-ending moments of firsts.

She grinned widely, her teeth splitting her face into two once more. "Adventures! I really wanted to see what was going on outside of our Island. So who could say no to the bulletin? I couldn't, obviously. Or I wouldn't be here."

She chuckled and sat back slightly in the hammock swinging it back and forth gently as she peeked over to the man. "So what are you? Who are you? What made you come here? And what is... Gods forsaken?"

She heard some noise outside but didn't pay too much attention to that, after all her highly unusual conversation companion was more interesting than that.


@Kingfisher

[Kingfisher]

"I suppose adventure is as good a reason as any."  Still, his associate's words quickly gave way to her curiousity, and the adventurer sorted through her questions, guaging how best to respond.  "I guess for me, this is more a matter of curiosity.  I'm..."  What should he call himself; What was Samuel Nevin to the island girl.  "I dabble in academics."  Vague, but close enough to true to serve his needs.

Finally, the demonologist got around to his introduction; "Samuel Nevin; a pleasure to meet you."
Elsewhere below deck, far enough away to be ignored, Leenane had been given the unenviable task of wrangling the unruly passengers and giving them work just to keep them out of trouble.

She had not really planned to put the Connlaothian anywhere in particular but he had volunteered his experience.  Turning to him, the sailor nodded, "Aye, you can be carpenter's mate.  Plenty o' wood workin' that needs doing on a ship at sea.  Good to have a second set of hands makin' repairs."

Shifting her attention to the troublemaking mage, she continued.  "You on the other hand; my guess is you got know skills to speak of other than being a right toss, so might as well put yer hands to better use, swabbing the deck every day."  Turning to the brothers, she added, "Same goes for you pair, the rest o' the crew will be right glad to leave such singular work in all your capable hands.  Except you," she added singling out the one the captain had dragged down.  "Boss wants you as far from her as possible, so you'll be muckin' the bilge."

Obvious problem elements spoken for (unless they had a paticular problem with their asignments) Leenane's attention shifted to the other's present.  The one with the blindfold she almost doubted she could put anywhere, same held true for the seasick youth.  They had not really done anything terrible either and she felt the urge to just leave them be.  The larger man, "Wilbur, right?"  She had vaguely heard the name amid the commotion.  "If you feel like pulling your weight, you might be able to run line topside.  It came as more an offer than an order.

[GoblinFae]

A pained hiss spurted from Enoch as he was dragged below deck but the grin that lit up his face at such aggressive treatment spoke of how much of a deterrent the actions actually were for the tall man. He stood smugly with arms crossed upon his release as if he had not just been dragged in in total humiliation. If anything he looked like the cat catching the canary and still on the prowl for more as he looked the captain up and down.

The orders being handed out only made his brothers roll their eyes but otherwise ignore the rest of the passengers and crew. They weren't interested in the squabbling ants around them even though it was one of their own that had caused this mess for everyone. The work assigned to them would be sorted out later when whoever ranked lowest in their group was forced to do it for the rest of them. Such was the way of things for the Barker boys; might makes right and to the victor went the spoils of freedom.

With the captain out of the way, Enoch's gaze shifted to Leeanne. With a tilt of his head and a boyish grin, he addressed her innocently. "Under your close and thorough inspection I assume? I can assure you, you won't be disappointed."

Behind her, his younger brother Fasial rolled his eyes, already bored having not gotten the fight he had been looking for and instead moving to join brothers and their hoard of food.



Wilbur listened with genuine attention as the boy spoke. Poor lamb's voice was shaking like a leaf, invoking a sense of protective pity for the dear in the werewolf. Probably was another forgotten orphan in the world if someone so small was looking adventure in the dangerous unknown such as this. Even he was afraid, if Wilbur was being honest (and he always tried to be).

His attention was quickly snapped away to the commotion behind him though. The moment his name was called, he was on his feet so fast that his knees collided with the underside of the table causing it to rattle and shake the plates on it all forward towards Cato's lap. Wilbur's head snapped to the side in bewilderment to offer the lad a quick apology before nodding his head perhaps a smidge over enthusiastically towards the lady in charge.

"Aye, I can do that, ma'am!"

And the werewolf certainly had every intention of fulfilling his duties to the best of his very clumsy and oafish abilities. It would be a miracle of the captain or the crew didn't decide to just throw him overboard or dangle him off the side as fishbait for the number of times he would likely tangle within ropes, get int he way of others, or just make an absolute mess of things. Wilbur was living proof that it takes more than braun and an earnest heart to succeed in life.



For a single moment, Imogene could only stand there, brows raised bemusement at the sheer rudeness before quickly recovering. All he had asked was if a bunk was taken, there was no need to snap at him after all. It wasn't as if he was looking to make advances on her, she wasn't his type and even if she was, he wasn't the type to jump that fast. If anything, he was rather oblivious to such advances most of the time.

"So sorry to disturb your imminent slumber," he replied in the same soft tone he had enquired in earlier. Imogene crawled into his bunk and once settled with a small smirk to himself he snapped his fingers, illuminating an orb of pale green energy in the palm of his hand. He purposely positioned it at shoulder height and just outside of his bunk enough to cast light and shadows on his top bunkmate's form. A large tome lay across his as he scribed upon a smaller scroll atop it. No other sounds came from him other than the occasional sigh and the scratching of his quill upon parchment.



The ill giant of a man slowly turned his head at the question revealing deep indigo tattoos on his cheeks and forehead as well as the long, full fire-red beard that obscured the majority of his lower face. The man before him was equally tall it seemed but of a far slimmer build than himself and hair in an even deeper shade of red.

Segari bowed his head in a quiet affirmative before licking his dry lips and taking a quiet gasp of air with a noticeable wince. "The ocean shakes more than mountains," he replied in a deep, gravelly voice reminiscent of thundering stones rumbling about. The giant placed his first two forefingers of his right hand to his forehead in greeting.

"Segari." He looked up expectantly at the other man.

[nephero]

It was no secret to the crew that their captain was in a foul mood. Even if she hadn't dragged one of the passengers belowdecks by the ear, all it took was one look at her expression when she emerged again to know that it was simply best to put every effort into sailing the ship and nothing else. Scuttlebutt travelled quickly enough, though, and several sailors were either pleased to have some free help, or thoroughly incensed that they'd have to add babysitting duty to everything else.

Amryth had hoped, small though the hope had been, that she'd be able to pretend their guests didn't exist for the majority of the passage. At least until landfall when the passengers theoretically were able to get off her ship and do their own damn job. A sentiment that was shared by a fair number of the crew, especially those who learned they'd have to be teaching someone to not screw things up.

---

Diarmaid grimaced in sympathy at Segari's predicament. Sailing took a lot of getting used to, and even the numerous riverboats that wove between Serendipity's provinces and northern Adela were nothing in comparison to the sheer chop.

"Diarmaid," he replied with a short nod. He looked around the quarters, still grimacing. "You... want me to get you a bucket? Or ask for a root to chew on?"

---

Summary: Opinions, it seems, of our Explorers are quickly tanking above-deck. Crew sentiments mean a lot less trust between the parties, and even less generosity. The crew is less inclined to assist any of our Explorers with their tasks, and those not currently facing punishment will be more often than not ignored. Whoops!

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Joseph glared at Leenane, a putrid grin on his face. "Use my hands to swab the deck." he growled. "Sure. I can use my hands to swab the deck. No problem." He stood up, picking up the bag that'd been by his chair. Slinging it over his shoulder, he stalked away angrily. The Connloathian gave the sailor an apologetic look, before shrugging and returning to his meal...

~~~The Next Morning~~~

The sun had barely come over the horizon when Joseph was dragged out of bed, a mop and bucket thrust into his arms as he was led up to the deck. All around him sailors were busy at work. Mixed in were some of the other passengers, who mostly seemed to be in the way. In the corner the Connlaothian boy was already busy hammering nails into a piece of wood. "I bet he woke up early so he could help." he thought, a sneer creeping onto his face. "Probably gonna shine the captain's boots when he's done. Shitty little brown-noser..."

"Oy!" one of the sailers barked angrily. "Don' just stand there! Get to work!"

Joseph muttered something nasty under his breath, outstretching his hands and letting a small orb of light materialize in each. He rolled them in between his fingers for a moment, before finally flicking them towards the mop and bucket...

"...And presto."

Immediately the tools sprung to life. The mop lifted itself up, it's yarn twisting into tiny legs and walking towards him. The bucket's handle shook as it began hopping forwards, water sloshing about inside. Soon both stood at attention, each looking up at Joseph as they awaited orders. Or at least, Joseph assumed they were looking up at him- neither had eyes, so there was no real way to tell. He smirked. "Alright soldiers." he said snappily. "Clean the deck."

The mop lifted a few strands of yarn, giving the man a sort of odd salute. The bucket waggled it's handle in acknowlegement. Joseph shooed them away, and soon they began swabbing the deck of their own accord. The Serenian watched them for a time, before quietly slinking below deck once more ...

[TheUnforgiving]

Serish woke up tired and sore.  Even after months of roughing it on the road, she hadn't had a night's sleep so uncomfortable as that hammock.  The rocking of the boat and the confined space of the lower hold had left her feeling queasy and the way the hammock had pressed into her shoulders had left her with large knots in both of them as well as her neck.  Ordinarily, she could count on one of Xaraea's divine (or perhaps unholy) massages, but what with Serish sharing quarters with dozens of other people, that wasn't an option.  After realizing lying in the hammock all day wouldn't make the pain go away, she rolled out of the hammock and dropped feet-first onto the deck to start looking for her boots.  Someone had stacked them with a bunch of other shoes up against one of the support pillars for the deck which...was probably fair.  Serish had kicked them off while in her hammock and let them fall to the floor before she'd gone to sleep, and the sound of someone tripping over them in the dark and breaking their neck probably would've woken her up. 

She grabbed her boots out of the pile and trudged over to an open hull hatch in her stockings, sinking down against one of ribs.  She basked in what little breeze wafted through the hatch, closing her eyes and leaning her head back.  She'd forgotten how stuffy ships got below deck, which only made worse the unholy smell of having dozens of people crammed into a middeck that had probably only been cleaned twice in its life.  Serish had been trained through the brutal expedience of being thrown in some mouldering dungeon or crypt and left to make her own way out, and many of those had smelled less noxious than this ship. 

Serish missed having the run of the ship she had on her previous voyage, being able to stand on the top deck and while away the afternoon watching the endless sea go by.  Unlike the overbearing captain of the Solar Halo, Idrastea hadn't spent her time coming up with useless makework.  She'd been grateful for Serish's company and Serish had found her a decent travelling companion as well.  She'd been a proper wizard, master of the arcane in a way Serish really wasn't.  Serish could blow things up, freeze them, send them flying across the room with terminal speed, and smite them with a thunderstorm like the fist of an angry god, but those were things that just happened.  The academic technicalities had always been beyond her, but Idrastea rattled them off with a breathy enthusiasm, which wove in with her gift for identifying and connecting arcane concepts on sight.  Serish understood what she was saying, but could never add anything to the conversation.  Idrastea didn't seem to mind, or maybe she hadn't noticed.  It was cute in its way.  She'd been cute.  Short blonde hair, perky attitude--

:I don't have to listen to this,: Xaraea groused, then retreated once more to the hidden corner of Serish soul where she resided.

"No, wait," Serish called after her, not realizing she'd spoken aloud, but it was too late.  She could only feel the echo of Xaraea's presence and Xaraea wouldn't even acknowledge Serish's attempts to draw her back out.  Serish let out a heavy sigh.

"Romantic troubles, eh?" asked the man who'd claimed the hammock beneath Serish's.

Serish glanced over.  He'd rolled himself over onto his belly and had his chin propped up in his hands to give her a knowing stare, elbows digging into the canvas fabric of the hammock.  Serish looked away and ignored him, but he wasn't having any of it.

"C'mon, I know that sound.  What's his name?  What's got you on the rocks?"

"She isn't here right now," Serish muttered sullently.  "And, right now, I wish I wasn't either."