Land, Ho! [M]

[nephero]

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

---

   It had been an... interesting few months, to say the least. The first day's rocky start had somewhat cemented a few opinions amongst both passengers and crew, and though the wind continued to remain on their side, close quarter animosities were bound to grow. Still, fear of punishment served to keep many in line, and it was with some relief that Amryth didn't actually have to make anyone swim home. Several of her guests had found ways to make themselves consistently useful, a much greater bonus to the venture than she had ever expected.

   Still, despite the fact that they had made it thus far with great speed, there was no hiding the bodily relief that washed over her frame as the call rang out from above:

   "Land ho!"

   Immediately, the deck was alive with a flurry of crowded movement. The entire crew looked a bit like a shaggy carpet; as they had continued south, the winds and water had grown colder and colder. Breathing through wool cloth tied around their faces had proven invaluable, as several sailors had coughed up an alarming amount of blood after being above deck in the frosty air for too long. Others still learned to wrap their hands and fingers as well, and though it felt treacherous to many to put slippery cloth over their feet, it was more treacherous indeed to go barefoot as in warmer climes. A dead foot couldn't find purchase any better, and more than a few moments in the water proved any rescue attempt fruitless.

   The mages on board had been relegated to providing heat whenever possible in between keeping the sails full of wind, and Amryth was still under the effects of a warming charm as she pulled a spyglass from her many coats and peered out onto the horizon. Though it was clouded with heavy fog, she could make out the outline of raised earth, small mounds curving like an idle drawing against the backdrop of a grey sky. As the Solar Halo continued her approach, the nearest of the mounds seemed to be part of the source of the fog: huge plumes of white vapour was pouring out from the top, and Amryth had been around Yoreiq enough times to recognize volcanic activity when she saw it.

   The thought of hot steam seemed almost a siren song. Amryth tucked her spyglass away again and turned to the helmsman.

   "Bring us into the steam. Give the mages a rest from keeping our bones from freezing over."

   The helmsman nodded silently, shivering lightly as he turned the Solar Halo in the path of the fog. Moving southeast would help keep them from going against the winds directly, and hopefully wouldn't drain the mages too terribly to keep them going forward. However, the closer they got, the more Amryth realized what a futile hope this had been: the winds practically roared towards them, and while the air had warmed by quite a bit, the bite of the air remained the same for sheer force. The mast groaned, caught between both magical and naturally generated winds, and the sails snapped back and forth an alarming amount.

   "Flatten the mainsail!"

   "We're trying captain!"

   What had once been a gathering to view the horizon, it was now utter chaos as the sailors scrambled against the sudden elements. Where had this wind even come from? It seemed like in the span of only a few minutes they went from coasting along to being battered from the south, the waters growing frothy like a rabid dog's jaws. Amryth continued to shout orders, and through the shrieking winds she could only just make out similar shouts from the other three ships. All four vessels pulled east to curve around one of what appeared to be a series of small islands, each one black and glowing with liquid fire, more heavy steam rocketing from bubbling crevices.

   It was... unnatural. She'd seen volcanoes before, of course, but never in such a sequence where every last island in the chain seemed in constant eruption. Even the smallest was showing violence.

   "Get us away from here," she growled, eyes fixed on the islands. It would take some doing; while they couldn't dare approach any closer to the islands, they also couldn't afford to present the starboard side to the rough waves. One bad swell and they could very well capsize.

   Luck, however, seemed to be on their side, and Amryth muttered a prayer under her breath for their good fortune as each ship curved to pass the smallest of the isles. The winds hadn't let up one bit, but at the least they wouldn't run the risk of catching any molten spray.

   "Good job, gentlemen," she began, when a deafening groan cracked through the air from somewhere right beneath their feet. Amryth's eyes widened, her blood running icy cold as she realized only moments before what was about to occur.

   "FULL AHEAD!" she yelled to the mages filling the sails, but it was entirely too late. The groan intensified, only to snap as the bottom of the ship was pushed up and inwards. There was a short burst of screams below deck, before they too were consumed by the cacophony of the Solar Halo being snapped in half. Scalding hot water jettisoned upwards in a small but entirely destructive geyser.

   Calls to abandon ship rang out, and as if through a haze, Amryth saw in slow motion the smallest of their escorting ships was similarly engulfed. Sharp shards of wood scattered into the air as if shot out of a cannon, at such a velocity that nearby ships' sails were shredded on impact. Several dark, limp bodies fall to the decks below. What crew that hadn't been in the path of the boiling stream scrambled for the lifeboats, crowding onto them in a fevered hurry to get out of danger. Several more men were toppled over the deck and down into the water, and for a horrified moment Amryth wondered if they burned or froze. None of them resurfaced.

   There was no structure anymore, she already knew that. No amount of barked orders could be heard over the screams of terrified men, the roaring of the winds and the sounds of wooden shrapnel clattering to the water's surface. Still on autopilot, Amryth stepped to the helm and took hold of the wheel, staring at her helmsman for a long moment before jerking her head to the side and towards the lifeboats. Not to be told twice, he bolted from his station, allowing Amryth to take over holding the Solar Halo steady.

   All she needed to do was keep them steady. Just for a few minutes more.

—

Summary: Well, shit. What are y'all gonna do now?

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

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

In a split second, everything had gone to hell.

Joseph awoke to the sound of screaming, the ship's lurching throwing him off his bunk and onto the floor. He cursed loudly, hastily throwing on his cloak and bag before rushing towards the top deck. He was just barely able to make it to releative safety before the gravity of the situation hit him like a sack of bricks.

The ship's hull had split in two, boiling water rushing into the lower deck where he'd just been. Sailors and crew alike were in a state of panic, pushing and shoving one another in their attempts to make it to the lifeboats. Some unlucky men fell overboard, their screams faltering as they sunk beneath the steaming waves. Others lay dying on the deck, bodies impaled by wooden shrapnel. The captain stood at the ships helm- confirming Joseph's suspicions that it had, in fact, been a woman who caused this mess.

His face twisted into a scowl as he saw the Connlaothian boy had made it onto the nearest lifeboat, and was now in the process of helping another straggler onboard. The passing of time hadn't endeared the youth to him in the slightest- quite the opposite, "Yeah, okay." Joseph muttered, gritting his teeth as he aggresively pushed his way onto the vessel. "Of course he made it out. Of course he did."

Once safely aboard, the Serenian could only look back at the ensuing carnage in a stunned silence. Joseph was no stranger to death, but to see this much in once place was still a bit difficult to process. Now the lifeboats were beginning to fill up, and those still on board the Solar Halo were getting even more desperate in their attempt to flee the wreckage...

[Kingfisher]

Truly, not all seemed so desperate.  Samuel was never a man prone to panic and was in no way squeamish at the process of death; he was after all the cause of much himself.  Instead, he braced against the mast as the ship bucked once again, peering out at the tumultuous sea, studying the minor vulcanos.

The demonlord had long since eased his hold on his black arm, glaring yellow eyes flickered out of viscous lids along his shoulder, chattering steel-gray teeth smiling from his forearm.  So a passing observer might be forgiven from missing the odd wooden coin flipping though his left hand as he made for the edge of the vessel, casting the little amulet away, skipping it toward the nearest blaze.

The device burned almost instantly, gone in an orange flash as the seal was released.  The air roiled and sulfuric clouds gathered and grew as something that lurked on the other side of existance sought its entry into reality.

The grand servent emerged from the other side through what most could only describe as a tear in their visual perspective; a rip and a blink and there it came, a being with five screaming mandibles and a dozen eyes ringed behind that.  Scales shivered under a forest of flailing tendrils that sought the beings master.

Samuel held a hand out to the beast, a signal calling the leviathan toward the Solar Halo and the serpant slithered toward the great ship.  Only as it came along side, caressing its master's outstretched hand, did the creature's size register with a number of men around him; just as wide as the carrack but almost a dozen times longer.  The assassin turned to the Halo's crew: "Go to the lifeboats if you wish but you may find this option safer."  Offer made, an unseen signal between the two horrors saw him drawn up to his perch atop the serpent, gripping a bundle of tendrils as if they were the beast's reins.

Leenane, sadly was in a far worse situation, having been sleeping below deck with the geyser had torn through it.  Her strawberry hair fell about her neck as she stuggled to her feet, seeking a clue as to her situation.  Dread came quickly; the captain had sailed them directly into an active volcanic hotspot.  What had possessed her to try that?  That was a question that could wait as the surge had wiped out the main ladder, stranding many below deck.

She tried to give orders to the other men, even as barks of panic drowned her out.  She kept at it until the jostling brought an elbow into her face and she tasted blood on her lips.  Reelling, she did not hear the crunch of timbers above as one of the spars above tore loose, falling through the weakened deck above.

A mess of falling wood and other wreckage bore down on her and she almost immediatly lost all feeling in her leg as she was pinned.  Most of the others were too elated by the route to 'safety' to notice the bloodied woman beneath the mess as the clambered back up toward the lifeboats...

[GoblinFae]

Imogene had been sleeping fitfully when he was suddenly and violently ejected from his bunk to tumble across the rolling floor. Dazed and confused it took the exhausted and drained mage a few moments to even comprehend where he was and that the world was not currently spinning solely because he had taken quite a smack to the head just then. The captain had kept him quite busy over the past weeks supplying warming spells and charms on the crew to the point that he'd learned to catch winks of sleep standing up against the nearest available semi-solid support. It was far from what he had been hired on for but far be it from him to not help his fellow man as best as he could.

None of that mattered now though as the ship heaved and rocked unnaturally beneath his hunched form. It was then that the screams and shouts around him seemed to register. Whatever was going on was not according to plan. It was his duty though to record their journey and so without a second thought he grabbed his rucksack of writing supplies and headed abovedeck.

It took a moment to gently nudge aside the usually over-excited but clumsy explorer from the top of the stairs but as Imogene completed his ascension he too found himself struck dumbstruck in awe. A soft gasp escaped him as a creature beyond his own imagination nuzzled one of the crewmates like a playful cat. The sheer size of the behemoth alone! It was beyond comprehension! And to summon it so easily. Such thoughts sent a shiver down Imogene's spine. He was not a mage cut of the same cloth but power recognised power and he made a mental note to take care when interacting with Samuel in the future.

He in turn was shoved forward suddenly as others flooded up from below deck screaming of a hull breech. The jolt was enough to send the mage scurrying forward though. It was not however to the lifeboats that he headed though but to serpent and master. There was just so much to see and he didn't know if he'd ever get such a chance again...if he'd even live long enough to experience such a thing. At least this way he could die saying he had.



Ondeck Segari had been in the process of helping rein in the sails when the main mast suddenly gave a mighty crack and under the power of galeforce winds splintered in two. It came down with a heavy crash, crushing crew and ship beneath it without any form of poetic justice or rhyme and reason. The rope lines as they whipped through his hands cut deeply and it was lucky that he released them when he did before he lost his fingers in the same way the man beside him did.

The giant of a man did not take even a moment to hesitate at the horror. He was battle-hardened himself and had seen enough death to last several lifetimes. All that could be done now would be to help the living. There had to be survivors if there was ever to be any mourning. With bloodied hands he aided getting others into lifeboats, urging the dazed, overgrown puppydog-faced and empty-handed boy into one of the boats and away from where he stood at the top of the stairs. The poor lad as big and burly as he was had turned out to be quite the clumsy but eager fool. Wilbur didn't even have his coat on as he stood there gobsmacked so before he rushed him into a lifeboat, Segari gave him his and ordered one of the other sailors to take care of him.

Still the more he helped, the more Segari worried. He squinted out across the chaos around him and yet still did not spy a now familiar stock of red hair. It was then that he remembered Diarmaid had been put on cleaning duty below decks with the sharp-toothed and nasty band of brothers they had both made a point to avoid.

On somewhat unsteady legs for all the ship's rocking he thundered down the steps fighting against the other men as they rushed against him to escape. First, he headed to the sleeping quarters, hoping by some luck that his quiet companion was there but no luck. He paused only long enough to grab both their knapsacks. Segari thanked the mountain far back home that Diarmaid was an organised man. There simply was not enough times otherwise to stop and grab anything else.

The giant continued onward, calling out for the younger man even as he did his best to wade through debris and running bodies. He scowled as one of the larger Adelan men sneered at him and shouldered roughly past him, the brothers following close behind on their way up. They appeared to be unperturbed by the current chaos and perhaps rather gleeful about it. Segari did not have time to think much on them but he was almost positive he saw at least one of them shouldering bags of food from the galley.

"Diarmaid!" he shouted once more, his deep timbre like the crash of rocks on a mountainside as his search became more frantic. The creaks and groans of the ship's hull were becoming concerningly louder and he did not wish to be below deck when they met their end in the same fashion the mast did earlier.



Much further below deck, the band of Barker brothers had been forced on swabbing and mucking duties, not of course that some of them had actually been doing much working, leaving the majority of the labour to others. The chaos that erupted around them in a matter of minutes though set grins on all their faces as they did what they did best, reveled and made themselves profitable amidst it.

Gam made his way tot he galley, the twins Benas and Cian close on his heels. Much of the upper deck had caved in already here, the main mast slanting down into the lower belly of the ship. They raided the stores collecting three sacks of dried beans between them. Gam also snuck two parcels of salted beef into his tunic when his brothers weren't looking. He laughed too as he stepped over the prone form of the now very dead cook. He'd never liked the man who always gave him a less than satisfactory portion come meal time and often accused him of stealing food. Seeing the other man's splattered brains under the beam certainly set a brilliant grin on his face as he whistled and stepped on the man to keep on walking. The trio made their way abovedeck to reunite with their brothers and secure a longboat all to themselves. Years growing up in a sea village had more than prepared them for handling the roiling waters. The fact that a single drop would instantly scald to the bone was just a spicy challenge for them as they remained in good spirits.

It was Enoch though who was the last to join the group. He had lagged behind having found Leenane pinned and delighting in his former taskmaster's misfortune. He had paused long enough to taunt her and even offer fake concern before promptly kicking her in the head hard enough to hopefully knock her out if not kill her. That was one less frigid bitch he had to worry about at least. If the captain was too stupid to save herself then let that make two less useless shrews. There were plenty more where they came from and potentially where they were going too.

[nephero]

   Everything had gone to shit in a blink of an eye. There was no order except whatever order panicked people looking for direction allowed. Several had already climbed into full lifeboats and began lowering to the roiling waters, while still more had a bare moment's hesitation before running for the side with the aquatic abomination. It seemed, for many of the sailors anyway, that self-preservation had won out over their feelings towards demonically summoned monstrosities.

   Below decks was, unfortunately, far worse than a choice between lifeboats and a leviathan. Several of the crew shoved at one another as if that would help them get above deck any faster than the danger behind them, while even more had seen what the passengers were up to and had started filling their pockets with anything that they could fit. After all, it'd be so easy to simply pretend that everything of value had been lost.

   This had its own share of casualties, of course. It was just as easy to pretend a fallen beam or shard of wood had done the dirty work. It hid the knife wounds in the back quite well.

   Diarmaid stood for a moment in mild shock at the dead sailor at his feet, who had gotten it into her head to do something of that nature, it seemed. Diarmaid wasn't even sure what he had of value-- his bag was still in the sleeping quarters, that had all of his earthly possessions of any kind-- and even if he had his bag on him, "value" was hardly the word he'd have used for anything inside.

   That was how he'd ended up on this sinking ship in the first damn place, after all. No one just packed up their life for adventure and heaping piles of gold because they already had heaping piles at home. Not that Diarmaid needed heaping piles, all he'd wanted was a chance to earn enough coin for his ever-growing family. Between his younger brothers, the girl they'd all adopted as their sister, and now...

   The memory of a gentle smile shook him out of his stupor. He needed to make it home. He absolutely needed to make it home, and if anyone else planned on stabbing him in the back, well...

   He eyed the corpse at his feet. There'd be far more than that, if it came down to it.

   He sucked in a breath, and a shout from somewhere above gave him renewed direction. He'd know that voice anywhere. It was hard to mistake his gigantic friend for anyone else on the ship, though Diarmaid was, somewhere deep down, mildly surprised the giant could raise his voice that loud. Diarmaid bolted towards the calls of his own name, pounding up the stairs and sword still drawn and stained red. Last thing he wanted was for Segari to get stabbed while he was busy looking for him, and given he knew the Barkers had been below decks, too...

   He ran even faster, finally breathing some relief when he spotted his friend, but not stopping at all in his pace. He slapped lightly at Segari's arm with his free hand, gesturing upwards.

   "We gotta go--"

   Diarmaid skidded to a halt, however, at the sight of fallen timbers and the faintest splash of blood. The sparky sailor girl. Diarmaid for the life of him couldn't place her name at that moment, but that didn't much matter. He shoved his sword back into its scabbard, knowing he'd regret the cleaning later. It was more important however to get the wood off of her, pulling the fallen beams with a roar of effort. It was made easier with Segari there, and Diarmaid was able to hoist the woman up and over his shoulders to continue their flight up to the deck, just as water splashed and rolled through the galley below.

   Everything was still in chaos, and Diarmaid initially moved towards the lifeboats, only to hear distant screams and cracking below as the smaller wooden vessels proved no better at handling the ocean than the ship itself. Other lifeboats had managed to get away and were rowing in earnest towards the far shore, but between Diarmaid, the unconscious Leenane and Segari...

   For a panicked moment, Diarmaid feared they were too late. But then the other side of the ship caught his attention, where others were (very carefully) climbing over the rails and onto...

   ...Well. That fuckin' thing was definitely big enough to carry the three of them and then some.

   "Over here!" he shouted to Segari, and ran for the side where others were still evacuating. The doctor (again Diarmaid couldn't place his name, but he more than recognized that heavily scarred face) did a double take of the trio of them and cursed loudly under the surrounding cracks and screams.

   "Let me take her, you get on, I'll lower her down--" he was ordering, but Diarmaid heard only half of his heavily accented words. Still, it was enough to get the gist, and he gestured for Segari to board the... whatever the hell that thing was and shortly followed, both men reaching up to bring Leenane down onto the creature as well before being joined by the doctor who immediately began tending to her in earnest. It didn't take much looking around to see that there were not many still alive to try saving.

   Clinging onto the beast's back as they were, Diarmaid looked to Segari if only to keep from staring down into the watery abyss below them.

   "You okay?"

—

Summary: Well, shit. What are y'all gonna do now?

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

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

"Row faster, damnit!"

Joseph grimaced. At the speed they were going, their lifeboat would not make it. The lifeboat creaked and shuddered under the strain of the heat, and the steam wafting off the ocean would likely cook them if they didn't reach cooler waters soon. The boats behind them were in even worse straits- some had begun to fracture apart, and others were coming close to capsizing in the churning water. One unlucky vessal was hit by a piece of The Solar Halo's mast as it collapsed, the screams of it's passengers silinced instantly as they fell into the boiling depths.

"It's pointless. We're going to die here." the Connlaothian boy said miserably, barely audible over the panicked yelling of those still aboard the ship. It was obvious from looking at him that the teenager had barely made it to the lifeboat in one piece. His clothes were torn and ragged, and his once neatly parted hair was tangled and frayed. The skin on his shoulder was scraped and bloody, and he was clutching at a large burn on his arm. A large splinter had been embedded into the boy's left eye socket, and a white ooze mixed with the blood already dribbling down his cheek. "This is Ansgar's punishment." he uttered horsely, staring blankly ahead of him. "I never should have left home..."

"Will you shut up?" Joseph sneered, standing up abruptly. Two orbs of light materialized in the palm of his hand, prompting the Connlaothian to shrink back meekly. "You can jump overboard if you want to die so badly. I intend on living through this."

With a flick of his wrist, the navy-haired man sent the orbs flying towards the nearest lifeboat. They circled for a moment, then zipped into the boat's oars. Immediately they stopped rowing, wrenching themselves out of the hands of their masters. The two men cried out in panic, one falling overboard in his attempts to snatch them back as their tools came to life and swam towards Joseph. Soon they had propped them selves on the edge of the lifeboat, as if awaiting orders. "Alright men!" Joseph commanded, sending two more balls of light into the oars they already possessed. "Bring us to shore, double time!"

Bobbing in what could have been interpreted as a salute, the four enchanted oars began to row at a rapid pace. The lifeboat was soon skimming through the water, greatly outpacing the others. As the Solar Halo shrunk behind them, a monstrous shape rose from the depths beneath it- probably some horrible beast looking for an easy meal. The boat whose oars had been taken screamed panicked obscenities at them, but they couldn't be heard clearly over the sound of Joseph's raucous laughter. "Later, suckers! Hope you know how to swim!"

[Trenzalor]

Over the few months that the ship was sailing to their destination, Cato, Mira, and Cadian all did their best to stay out of trouble in their own ways. Mira would wander around the ship and help out anyone willing to accept her help. She wasn't the best at everything she did but she approached everything with optimism and enthusiasm so it wasn't all bad. Cadian just avoided everyone he could, occasionally doing some secret volunteer pest control and eating any living creature not on the crew compliment He did his best to stay out of sight and out of mind. Cato had enjoyed talking with Wilbur so he did his best to talk to them more, but he's a shy one so if Wilbur was busy with something, Cato wouldn't bother him and would look for just any random thing to do.

When someone calls out "Land ho" and everyone on the crew start moving around to prepare for land fall, it manages to wake up Cato and Mira who were asleep. Cadian doesn't need to sleep so he just starts moving up to the deck to observe and stay out of the way.

Mira used her miracles to keep some of the people below deck warm and when Cato observed all of the fire magic going on he quickly managed to figure out how it works. He quickly started to use his new found pyrokinesis to keep the lower decks surprisingly warm so some of the other mages could relax on keeping the others warm. Cadian was silently observing Cato and wondering if he might be useful since he was benefiting massively from Cato's blanket heating. Cadian could expend the effort to raise his body temperature on his own but with Cato heating the place he didn't have to so he saved his energy.

When Cadian sees that the captain is heading into a natural steam area he quickly goes below deck and starts prepping himself for trouble. He doesn't know what that is, but if it's steaming the water then it isn't good. As the ship start to rock and shake and groan from everything going on outside, Cato and Mira both realizes that something is going wrong and they aren't sure what to do.

The moment the three hear the cracking of the ship they start springing into action. Mira starts rushing up to the deck to see if she can spot a place where the people will be safe. She quickly spots the beach and begins reciting something under her breath. In a moment there's a portal open to the beach with the cliff and Mira starts ushering people to go through her portal before she has to jump through and close it, lest it start shooting steaming water onto the beach. Cadian on the other hand doesn't really care about the other people so he does his best to sneak out during all of the chaos. Cadian sprouts a pair of wings out of his back and starts flying towards the beach, shrinking himself to make it harder to see him and easier to fly there.

Cato does everything he can to hold the ship together, but even he can tell that it's a lost cause. He's struggling to keep the ship together long enough for people to escape but he still too afraid to use his strength. But something important changes that. As Cato hears the sounds of people screaming in pain and dyeing, he snaps just a bit as he resolves to stop this. He can't save the ship but he can save the people. Suddenly, there's a massive burst of energy that radiates out from Cato. Anyone who can use magic to some degree can feel the massive aura that just exploded out of Cato, even if they can't see him. Even those already on the beach can feel the massive burst of energy. The burst doesn't do anything though. Cato is filled with a desire to save as many lives as he can. With his telekinesis, Cato manages to hold the boat in place on the water. He hasn't stopped it from sinking, but he has delayed it since he can hold it on the water but not move it to shore. Cato flies very quickly out of the ship and the strain, for the first time, is clearly evident on his face. As is the fear in his eyes as he quickly starts trying to save as many lives as he can. Cato grabs onto people with his telekinesis and starts levitating them up to him in the air, high above the dangerous waters. He also creates a large fireball to keep all of them warm. He does this for as many people as he can* as fast as he can, which is fairly quickly. He doesn't save everyone but he certainly saves a lot of people. Cato Stays behind a bit longer than others to try and save anyone still caught in the destruction, but once everyone left is safely in the air or dead, Cato starts moving himself and the people he did manage to save towards the beach where everyone seems to be going, making sure to keep the people he's carrying way above the danger and warm. Once he reaches the beach he sets everyone down and his aura begins to fade as the adrenaline starts leaving his system and the emotion starts draining from his face as he struggles to contain his emotions again.

*if you want your character to have been picked up that's okay.

[Kingfisher]

Leenane had seen the Barker, and had wordlessly cursed him just before the blow.  She remained totally unconcious even as she was pulled from beneath the wreckage.  Only once she had been brought to greater safety did she begin to stir, but even then, she was totally unaware of the world and the debt she owed to the two brutes.

It was a coin toss whether her first concern when she woke would be her injuries or revenge...
Samuel kept vigil from behind the head of the serpent.  He counted out and kept track of the men and women that made it to safety...though it proved increasingly dubious whether it was true "safety."  He stayed even with the ship easily enough as the deck thinned.  He could not see below deck but is was doubtful many were still alive as crumbling vessel consumed those who were to slow.

That left only the Captain, who stayed steadfast at the helm.  Trusting the beast's gentle feelers to hold their varius passangers, he released his hanful of tendrils and based toward the creatures tall.  Guided by an unspoken order, it arched its length so that the Master was level with the rear castle and the man stepped over the railing.

"Captain," he called in a clear voice so that she might hear him.  "The crew is accounted for.  It is time to abandon ship."  He hoped she would not be so stubborn as to go down with the ship; still, if she proved to stubborn, he would cut the tiller ropes from the ostentatious wheel's post.

[GoblinFae]

Six of the Barker boys paddled in perfect unison together, while Alasdair sat in the bow to keep watch. Despite the chaos going on around them, they all seemed in good spirits as they sang out a sea shanty in their native Adelam dialect. Strong muscles, used to the labor of navigating stormy seas in small skiffs and canoes fell into the constant rhythm with ease, guided the longboat to shore  with ease. The fact that some of the obstacles were less fortunate crewmates sinking or scrambling around them did not seem to even phase them. Instead they laughed as sailors in one of the boats quarreled over what direction to turn causing them to hit a rock broadside and crack in two.

They were not the first to arrive to arrive to shore; by some sorcery or another others had already arrived without boats, but they definitely were not ones to stumble about in shock and horror as several other nameless faces seemed prone to do. Instead at Alasdair's orders they grabbed up their pilfered goods and began to trek further from the shoreline and up towards the top of the colossal cliffs that had first greeted the Solar Halo's arrival to uncharted shores.

Mira was forcibly shoved out of Alasdair's way without a second glance, his brothers laughing as they passed. Only Enoch paused long enough to place a gentle hand to her shoulder as he leaned into her ear to whisper, "take care where you step. Can't have the pretty one getting all roughed up now can we?" He chuckled, moving on with a playful wink for anyone with eyes to see.

"What a bunch of lazy owls and cowardly spiders!" Fasial growled loud enough to be overheard as he stomped passed the sheeple.

"What do you expect from a bunch of weak-livered Serenians? They don't know ass from head anyway!" Gam laughed back. "You lot coming or not?" He shouted back towards the group, walking backwards a few steps as he did before turning to follow his family. The children could do as they saw fit. Live or die, none of it mattered to the Barkers unless you were family and even then red waters run deep and there was always a bigger shark hungry for the kill.


Segari hesitated only for a moment as he took in the beast before him before steeling himself and climbing onto it. He reached then to help pull the others on, only letting go once he was sure both men were secure aboard and unlikely to fall to their broiled deaths.

The giant then looked out at the carnage before him and felt a deep sadness seed within his belly. There was just so much death and horror. His people had feared the sea for millennia, for with it came the cruel raiders of the north. Horrors such as these only further underlined that cultural fear. Perhaps it had been a mistake to come. Sure work was work and this was an opportunity to do something but...

Thoughts of laughter and babbling brooks, of stew with too much bread and bitter crabapples, of skin as pale as smooth river gems and...he blushed before feeling a sadness tug at his heart. It was not as if he would ever likely see the elf again. That was also assuming of course he even survived this mess. But thoughts of home and dreams of things that could not be had no place here. They would only serve as distractions that threatened survival. He had to live in the here and now.

Segari startled at Diarmaid's words. The man had proven himself capable with a sword and as a good ally in the thick of things. It had relieved the old giant's heart to see his friend still in one piece. He patted the man on the shoulder, only then wincing at the pain flaring in his palms. He looked down at them, flexing them and grunting softly at the angry sting.

"Had worse," he rumbled deeply like stones in a tumbler. "Keep sharp," he nodded at the other man. "That mountain looks errum," he paused, stumbling over finding the right word in common and flushed. Although whether that was from the elements or his own fumbling was hard to say. "Angry."

The giant turned to view his companion headon. "Hmm are you alright?"

[nephero]

   There was so much death.

   It was like the fog of time had been rolled back: screams sounded the same in any language, and for the barest moment Clarence could swear he could smell the winds of home, tainted with the smell of arcane fires burning flesh. It was enough to distract him only for a moment, but that moment was a moment too long. Shaking his head with an angry growl at himself, he moved along the... THING'S back to those who had managed to make it to the upper decks before all hell broke loose below.

   Leenane had been knocked out, but a quick check showed she was still breathing, well in the care of those who had carted her up. He'd need to get a closer look, but not now. He had to move on.

   There was a cluster of sailors with scratches. No.

   Scrapes. No.

   Bruises. No.

   A broken arm. He'd have to set that later. No.

   One woman looked almost made of ash, clutching at where a piece of wood had embedded in her chest. Even through the layers of her clothes, even with the wood, he could see how her blood spurted in a steady, forceful rhythm, getting weaker by the second. Clarence's hands felt frozen as he clung to his bag and knelt down beside her. She didn't even seem to notice him, focused entirely on the chunk of ship she carried with her.

   Weakly, she pulled at it, but even if Clarence hadn't been there to stop her, he was sure she never would have managed it. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small glass vial and popped the cork.

   "Easy, easy," Clarence wasn't even sure he was speaking the southern dialect anymore, but it hardly mattered. She wouldn't have understood her own mother. "Drink."

   He pulled her head back to open her mouth enough to drop the vial's contents, and some instinct still present made her swallow. Clarence put the empty vial away and stared hard at another nearby sailor with minimal injuries.

   "Stay with her."

   "I don't know what to do," the sailor said, his voice high and panicked.

   "It doesn't matter. Just stay."

   He stood up again and moved on, the cold in his hands creeping up. He took a deep breath and let it out long and slow, glancing around and counting how many faces he could put names to. Another breath, full of salty steam and the tinge of iron, and the cold steadied long enough for him to carry on, kneeling down again and again to apply cloth, to apply pressure, to apply analgesic, to bark orders to those nearby to at least hold their comrades steady as he pushed needle and thread through their skin.

   So much for the might of magic, he couldn't help but think to himself, staring out across the waters to where others had already made it to the beach. Fire and brimstone were little comfort when your own corpse was failing you.

   Eventually Clarence made it to the head of the beast, where their captain had been pulled-- a bit unceremoniously-- from the ship and onto relative safety. Clarence knelt down to check her for injury, but was quickly swatted away.

   "Stop your fussing," Amryth snapped, staring at all those on board the behemoth. "I'm fine, help them."

   "I was going to whether you ordered it or not," Clarence snapped right back, which seemed to take Amryth by surprise, because she didn't swat him again as he finished checking for more serious injuries. Her side was tender, but there was no telling right that moment how bad that actually was. No time, at any rate. "Stay put and don't do anything stupid."

   "A bit late for that," she replied, all harshness gone, and again Clarence noted how similar despair sounded in any language, as well. He stood once more, and began the slow trek back down the beast's spine, stopping for those he had delayed on earlier, hoping against hope he had the bandages to spare.

   A fool's hope, perhaps.

   It was hard to tell the passage of time. The skies were dim and grey, the sun was nowhere to be seen, and for all anyone knew it took hours before everyone still living was on shore. Lifeboats, all in various stages of damage and usefulness, were strewn over the beach, but even those with no sailing experience knew there were far less of those than there should have been. Even more bodies were on the shore, pulled from the vicious waters only to take their final rattling breath. Some weren't even recognizable, their skin melted by the heat of the waters. Clarence walked as swiftly as he could along the shore, slipping here and there on ice of all goddamn things.

   He knelt down again, looking into the remaining eye of Hrodebert. Even through the dirt and blood and sweat and terror, it was easy to see how young he was. Entirely too young, Clarence thought, to be faced with something like this. But then again, who in their shared homeland wasn't?

   "Easy, son," he said quietly in the Connlaothian dialect, directing him to swallow a vial of analgesic before pushing him to lay down on the beach. "We need to take that out. It's going to hurt. Just hold onto my shirt and keep as still as you can, soldier."

   Removing eyes was never easy. But letting that fester would sicken the boy even quicker, and Clarence wasn't sure of the chances of anyone here whose injuries became infected. If the ship had been in order, if all their supplies still existed, if if if...

   Clarence pulled a sharpened spoon-like instrument out of his bag.

   "Keep very still."
   
   For all the hopes of glory there had been, it was hard to see how any of that could come to fruition now. All of the ships that had sailed from Essyrn were demolished, and very few crates of supplies had survived the journey from the holds to the beach. To the west, only one lone path led up the cliff face, high above the gathered heads of the survivors below. Winds whipped white snow off the edge, to fall almost cruelly soft upon those below.

   The only thing that was certain now, was that they could not stay where they were.

---

Summary: There are more injured than there are those whole. The ships are gone, and very few lifeboats could stand a chance back out on the waters again. Supplies are limited, but a path leads upwards, where several passengers have already gone up, leaving the others behind. What will our Explorers do?

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

[Eckhart_Von_Musel]

Joseph paced along the shore, a bit dirty but otherwise no worse for wear. His boat had been among the first to arrive, which gave him a chance to survey their new surroundings. They'd certainly landed in an tough spot- stuck in between a boiling sea and an icy wasteland. Looking outwards to the sea, he could count at least five more lifeboats approaching the shore...

The approach of the sea monster, however, was unexpected. Joseph instinctively stepped back, reaching into his coat tenatively. As it drew closer, however, the man could make out small figures clinging onto the creature's back. Upon realizing the beast had passengers, he slowly let go of the blade he kept concealed. Did that mean there was a beastspeaker on the crew? A summoner? A shapeshifter? Joseph had been trying to keep track of the abilities of each mage onboard the vessal, but this was new to him.

As the serpent got close enough for the survivors to disembark, the navy-haired man greeted them with outstretched arms. "Nice ride!" he called, grinning from ear to ear. "When I saw that thing from the lifeboat I was like; 'Those guys are fucked!' But man, riding it?" Joseph laughed, as if in disbelief. "Which one of you set this up? Come on, I gotta know!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hrodebert Von Baumgartner dragged himself out of the lifeboat, immediately collaspsing onto the rocky shore. Everything blurred as he stuggled to pull himself into a sitting position, his left eye throbbing uncontrollably. The young man couldn't help but wonder how much of what happened was even real- the sea monster could have been a figment of his imagination, and he was positive the rat sailing on a piece of drifwood had been a hallucination. Clumsily he felt around the beach, before remembering all his possesions had been left behind on the Halo. His heart sank as the gravity of their situation fully sunk in.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when the doctor approached him, nor was he able to mount any objections to his treatment. He could only nod helplessly, drinking the bitter liquid he was given without question. Letting himself be pushed down, Hrodebert awaited the knife...

Hrodebert attempted to steel himself, but his resolve was quickly drowned out by a blinding pain. The boy screamed in agony as he felt the inside of his eye socket being scraped away, trying his hardest not to pull himself away. After what felt like an eternity the knife was lifted, and the young man felt himself pass out...

[Kingfisher]

The great beast had been surprisingly quick to get to shore; he had seen the state of a number of the crew; one, the pink haired woman for one, had a bruise along her temple and was bleeding from one ear; her leg likewise was misshapen, crushed beneath heavy timbers; a small mercy she stayed unconscious.  So the serpent had plowed forward, picking up some of the debris and lifeboats in its bow wave...

As the survivors piled off onto the beach, the demonlord took note of those who were already there.  The first concern was the tedious curiosity of the blue haired mage.  Before he could notice, Samuel dismissed the creature, which purred contentedly before coiling away and dissolving into a deep black mist.  The assassin's demonic arm began to calm down at the release of it's master's magic, hiding its nature once more.

The Captain was in no mood to take command but the unfortunate band was in a sorry state.  Taking note of the Barkers, and their pilfered provisions, the demonlord glanced around.  Finding none he knew well enough to trust at his back, Samuel quickly darted after them.  "Hey!" he shouted at their backs.  "That's not just yours; you would do well for yourselves if you handed those sacks over."  It was neither a request nor a question...

Leenane, despite her rescuers' attempts at gentleness, was eventually jostled fully awake and instinctively reached for the man with his hands under her armpits.  She was not especially strong to begin with but she gripped him so tight, she might have apologized to him had she not been so distracted.

"My leg," she hissed, stuggling to make sense of all she was experiencing aside from that.  "Something's wrong with my leg!"  It was as though some sadist was in the process of driving white hot needles into every square inch of flesh below her knee.