The Unknown: A Game of Fear, Ignorance, and Adventure

[Khedive Rex]

The afternoon sun strolled over the midheaven as Tiber stretched and yawned. Really, it was an atrocious hour to awake. Initially the stigmas of tardiness and sloth associated with waking up in the late afternoon had to be dealt with but, certainly more pressing on Tiber's mind, was the unresolvable irritant that he'd woken up during the hottest portion of the day. Dissappointment trickled through the ice elf's frozen core, he'd missed his favorite part of the morning. Five'O'clock, sometimes six, the brisk misty hours that raced to him just before the sun got out of bed. The dim tranquility comforted him like a love letter from home before everyday he settled into the routine of living in a human world. Come noon they scurried and pattered in their personal ovens, room to room, floor to floor, heated and humidified so none of the humans felt uncomfortable while they jogged through their obstacle courses of mindless and mundane routine; but in the darkness before morning, the world was Tiber's. Cool, patient, stoic beauty folded into the crest of every midnight blue ripple on an ocean of possibility, literal and metaphorical.

He doubted any of the crew appreciated it, most wouldn't even know it existed. Except the other Ice Elf perhaps, what was his name? Ko'el. Perhaps it was time he made acquaintance with that one ... It couldn't be today though. He had business today.

Tiber stepped out of his cabin and ascended stairs to the upper deck. Warm thick sunlight oozed across his being as he stepped out of the arch and into the human world, he was used to it by now. Anyway, the deck was the place to hear the newest news and on a ship like this if you didn't keep up with events they had a funny way of catching up with you. He sureveyed the scene with a discreet ear until he chanced on two crew hands discussing a carved skull left on the ground in Raven's hallway.

"I hear it some sort of divine symbol." The first said "Like Mr. Raven was conjuring sometin'."

"Don't be daft," the other said nervously "If Raven were conjuring some sort of evil spirit he'd have carved the symbol in his own bloody room and avoided the accusing gazes. Amiright?"

"No see, den he'd have had to have invited the ting into his room. First rule of magic is you never invite spirits in. Your home is your last defense and once they been invited they can come and go as they please.

"Oh, what do you know about magic Carl!"

The pair continued but Tiber had heard rather enough. It was no mystery to Tiber why the symbol had appeared or who carved it, but it's presence obviously worried the crew. For good reasons, he supposed. The split skull was the symbol of Avem-Sernad, the twin-faced god of life and death. Not exactly a friendly figure. If anymore of his symbols showed up Tiber feared the crew might mutiny. And that meant it was time to deal with the situation. He would have to talk to Raven first, that would be a powerful alliance if he could arrange it. And so, with a quick glance in both direction to see if anyone was watching him go, Tiber set off back into the subterranean world of cabins and hallways.

As he neared Raven's cabin he saw Rhee, the new girl already standing in the doorway delivering a thumbs up. Human beings could behave so odd sometimes. Tiber didn't have time to wait and, anyway, his discussion was best had in private so he didn't hesitate as his stride brought him right next to the woman.

"Greetings." He said formally, catching the Illyarm by surprise. "I didn't mean to startle you, my name is Tiber. Just Tiber. I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other on this trip. However, at the moment I must speak with Raven. I do hope you'll forgive my breifness now with the promise of a drink later." With that Tiber bowed, crossed his arms behind his back and crossed through the open door into Raven's apartment.

 

[MasterSqueak]

Spoiler: OOC

The afternoon is not in the morning. It's after...well, noon. Is it an elf thing?

 

[Khedive Rex]

Spoiler: OOC

The afternoon is not in the morning. It's after...well, noon. Is it an elf thing?

Spoiler

No, its a three AM thing.

During first draft of the post the line went "the stigmas of tardiness and sloth associated with waking up in the late afternoon had to be dealt with but, certainly more pressing on Tiber's mind, was the unresolvable irritant that he'd woken up during the hottest portion of the day. Dissappointment trickled through the ice elf's frozen core, he'd missed his favorite part of the day."

I didn't like that I had basically used the same phrase twice to describe the same idea in sentences that were directly adjacent so I decided to change the first to "Portion of the morning." Looking back, I probably should have changed the second.

 

[MasterSqueak]

Spoiler: OOC

The afternoon is not in the morning. It's after...well, noon. Is it an elf thing?

Spoiler

No, its a three AM thing.

During first draft of the post the line went "the stigmas of tardiness and sloth associated with waking up in the late afternoon had to be dealt with but, certainly more pressing on Tiber's mind, was the unresolvable irritant that he'd woken up during the hottest portion of the day. Dissappointment trickled through the ice elf's frozen core, he'd missed his favorite part of the day."

I didn't like that I had basically used the same phrase twice to describe the same idea in sentences that were directly adjacent so I decided to change the first to "Portion of the morning." Looking back, I probably should have changed the second.

Spoiler: OOC

What I meant was, it's morning for our characters, yet Tiber is apparently waking up late afternoon.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

"I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of each other on this trip. However, at the moment I must speak with Raven. I do hope you'll forgive my briefness now with the promise of a drink later."

Rhee let the man pass, she wanted to meet the man that could warrant such a symbol, but it would have to wait. "Rhee Dharmack." Sadly Tiber closed the door behind him leaving any chance to hear...well out the door.

"The hell's goin' on here?"

Rhee's heel made a solid thud, "Follow." She then headed towards her bedroom stopping the man as she grabbed her boots and weapons. When she left, her eyes scanned the halls to still see if he would follow and headed for the deck. The morning air was still moist and left a rather nice smell, and with the sun just rising, it had the makings of a perfect picture. Too most sailors though, It was just another day of S.S.D.D, except for death threats and the scheniving. She grabbed a hold of the rope ladder and headed up to the crow's nest. A sailor that was already up there looked confused as her head popped up over his horizon.

"Me have shift."

He nodded in approval, and started climbing down the other side. She was about to take the only seat but decided to leave it to the man who might have strangely decided to follow. She did however reach for the bottle of booze that was left up here and a sniff told her why.

Now to address the situation at hand.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Spoiler: OOC

The afternoon is not in the morning. It's after...well, noon. Is it an elf thing?

Spoiler

No, its a three AM thing.

During first draft of the post the line went "the stigmas of tardiness and sloth associated with waking up in the late afternoon had to be dealt with but, certainly more pressing on Tiber's mind, was the unresolvable irritant that he'd woken up during the hottest portion of the day. Dissappointment trickled through the ice elf's frozen core, he'd missed his favorite part of the day."

I didn't like that I had basically used the same phrase twice to describe the same idea in sentences that were directly adjacent so I decided to change the first to "Portion of the morning." Looking back, I probably should have changed the second.

Spoiler: OOC

What I meant was, it's morning for our characters, yet Tiber is apparently waking up late afternoon.

Spoiler: Oops...

Yeah. I'll have to fix that. Thanks for pointing it out. And for PuzzledPirate, sorry to push your character out of the way. Plot stuff is happening. I'd explain more if I could.

 

[MintyNinja]

Glancing around quickly Rokya noticed a door close down the hallway, and a well-tailored figure disappear behind another door. His attention was pulled to the woman next to the door as she stomped her heel and said, "Follow." The sound resonated in the back of his mind as he noticed a light mark in front of the door. Gotta get more sleep, he thought to himself.

A moment passed and he realized the woman had moved on. Realizing he was now alone in the corridor he checked his belt, Let's see what that mark is. Rokya took a moment to examine the carving; it was nicely done, although he couldn't recognize it. Must have some sort of meaning to the Mage, he's the obvious recipient.

Realizing that maybe the woman had some idea what was going on, he thought to take her up on her offer. Was it an offer? Is one word really anything? Making up his mind quickly enough he hurried up the ladder to the upper deck. He looked around but only caught a glimpse of someone leaving the Crow's Nest. Can't have an empty Nest, she's probably up there. He climbed up to the Crow's Nest with a practiced step and met the strange woman drinking. Booze for breakfast, you know you're a sailor when...

"My name is Rokya, yourself?"

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

Good, he showed up.

Rhee quenched her thirst and quickly followed it by hissing, Where in the hell did they buy this stuff? She waited patiently for the man, watching him slowly sway in the wind. When he finally met her at the top, Rhee offered the seat.

"My name is Rokya, yourself?"

She was glad that he was at least polite. Hopefully I can put my trust in you, unlike the filth that they seem to call liquor on this boat.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Spoiler: Clarification

Right well since this update happened mid conversation between me and DragonEarl I am making the call that in my particular case, time of day is irrelevant; as in time did pass and it is early morning but it doesn't affect my current and or future conversations

"I was wondering if you had some thoughts about what happened. You know, just to bounce around some ideas. After all perhaps a mage such as yourself might have a theory above us mere dwarves."

Raven considered the question carefully before answering. "Well it's hard to say what with the crew we have and all but it could just be an unfortunate series of events..a coincidence even. It's hard to think anyone would bring all this misery and death upon themselves and others when sharing such a small space as this ship."

Raven noticed the dwarf's thirst and was about to offer another pitcher of wine when a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Excuse me!" Ravens said polity to Alexis as he stood to open the door. Outside a woman with a vaguely familiar face - perhaps part of the new expedition crew - greeted him with a blank stare.

"You, LOVED," she said simply before giving him a thumbs up sign and gesturing to a carving on the floor.

Raven frowned at the woman, initially unaware at what she wanted or meant, but soon his face turned into a look of surprise as his eyes fell onto the mysterious carving on the floorboard near his cabin door.

"Sons of Dys!". He muttered softly to himself as he knelt for a closer look. The simple skull-like face was carved delicately into the wood, a split running down from the centre, one half light and one half dark. "The symbol of Avem-Sernad; the Twin-Face, god of Life and Death." he muttered aloud this time while scratching his head. "Should I be flattered or insulted by this graffiti?" he added getting up to his feet. "This is.."

"[...] at the moment I must speak with Raven. I do hope you'll forgive my breifness now with the promise of a drink later."

At the mention of his name the wizard turned to meet the newcomer, the ice elf Tiber who was hastily addressing the new member of the expedition. Raven sighed a long sigh, he had a feeling he knew what this visit was going to be about.

"Master Tiber, this is a pleasant surprise!" he said cordially as the elf entered his quarters. "As you can see.." he gestured to Alexis who was still busy with the pitcher of wine "I already have company..but I take it from your mannerism that you have something urgent to discuss?". The wizard paused to look at Alexis.

"I am sorry old friend, perhaps we can continue this discussion at a later time?" He stood to open the door for the dwarf.

 

[Fingerprint]

It was early morning, though the exact time was unknown to San. The little sleep that he'd had during the night was seemingly sufficient for now. San, through choice, would not be up at this hour but he knew the importance of catching the early morning gossip of the crew. Walking along the corridor, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, San could overhear a few voices, though at the moment he would prefere to keep himself to himself. With that in mind he wandered past the small collection of people, a girl, an ice elf, a dwarf and a man. He recognised the ice elf to be Tiber but as for the rest of them he had no idea. He slipped by like a shadow - the only one who could have noticed him would have been the girl and she showed no sign of acknowledging his brief presence.

Out on deck there was the early morning commotion of the shifts swapping over and plenty of idle gossip to be heard. San had not spent a lot of time on boats, occasionally when he was strapped for coin he had climbed on board merchant ships, preferably one just stopping for the night, and do some looting but for now he just sat and watched the crew do whatever is it that needs doing.

There was plenty of talk but one particualr conversation grabbed his attention.

"D'you hear, last night there must'a bin a spirit or ghost or summit walking through the rooms 'cause when some of the others woke up this morn' there were some picures dug in to the floor"

The other sailor looked up and said, "Yeah, Beau was sayin' somthin' like about that. He reckons that them drawings was of Avem-Sernad!"

"I tell you what, if more of these thing keep happening on this boat then I'm going to be tempted to bugger off. I could handle the explosions and attacks by pirates and so-on, but when it comes to offending the gods then I think I might just 'ave to jump off an' take my chances with the sharks." The first man replied.

San looked around absently. Well, this could be interesting.

 

[Caimekaze]

Keil looked up at the sound of his door opening.

"Excuse me. Boy. Come with me. I'd like to have a little chat with you. And mind that you keep it between us?"

"... I would love to. However, I am currently confined to my bed. Please do come in, though. Close the door, we can talk in here."

 

[Flying-Emu]

Ticky coughed, a hint of embarrassment in the sound. "Yes. Well, of course." Damn, why hadn't he remembered the boy had been wounded? Nothing to be done. He closed the door, sliding the latch into place with an oddly final-sounding click.

"Now. First, allow me to congratulate you on your survival and wish you good health." His voice was a tad distant, as if contemplating his next move. "I feel it is in our best interest to enter into an agreement... You share your information, and I refrain from sharing your little... secret... with the crew. I fail to see why you kept it thus, but then again, I fail to see why you Big Folk do half the things you waste your time on."

Ticky strode to the boy's bedside, peering over the edge. "Someone wants you dead. Normally, I couldn't care less about your well-being. But I was nearly killed in their attempt on your life, and I care very much about that. Do you know why you would be wanted dead, boy?"

 

[MintyNinja]

As Rokya climbed down to the deck the stabbing pain of hunger made it's presence known. I guess it wouldn't hurt to take an early breakfast. Now where's the mess hall? he thought to himself. A quick thirty minutes later and he had a tough loaf of bread that he brought back to his room.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Tiber exited the doors of Raven's cabin with a final bow and a word of thanks. It was a quick meeting but one most worth the time. Tiber now had only to speak to Dr. Nexaddo, whose dwellings he set off for at a stoic pace.

 

[Zemalac]

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The Doctor shot up from his pillow and felt his chest. He couldn't feel any bullet wounds and there wasn't anybody in his room with a gun. So, he thought, what could be making such a gods-warring racket this early in the morning? The rapping came again and Jemalkin sighed as he realized it was just someone at the door. He was still on edge after the night in Tyb, though he didn't like to think that such a thing could affect him so much. Without a doubt, this kind of stress would lead him to an early death.

"Hold on, be right there," the Doctor called. Now fully awake, he vaulted out of bed, wrapping himself in his blanket to cover his bed attire and almost tripping on it on his way to the door. After undoing the deadbolt--he'd gotten one of the carpenters to move it down to a reasonable height--the doctor peered out at the finely dressed elf, Tiber. His face immediately lit up.

"Ah, Mr. Tiber, please come in, come in."

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

It didn't take long for Rhee to grow bored in the crow's nest. It started off with being antsy against the chair followed by constantly patting her pockets to see if anything had fallen out. She refused to try the half-empty bottle again and it only raised her blood pressure to see it near her; her arm arched it far. While it was amusing to watch the bottle and contents fall in slow-motion, the excitement ended as soon as it hit the water.

The rest of the shift went by with her constantly checking her silver compass, the direction being consistent, checking that the metal and grooves were dirt-free. Her eyes shot to the left after hearing a strain on the ropes over the wind and flags above. A head popped up over the wooden base bearing news of freedom from her post. She grabbed a loose rope and tumbled towards the deck. The man was about to protest but was silenced by the beautiful site as he followed it all the way down. When her boots made a satisfying slap against the polished wood, she headed below deck to find the dusty bottle she had just remembered in her room. As an afterthought, she would visit the wounded boy she had overheard about earlier.

It didn't take long to find the boy's door, she knocked on the top of the door frame as she entered the room, The fuck, why does he get a spacious room? She looked a little lost at first, not realizing the others actually meant boy. She shrugged and pulled out and greeted the bottle first, smiling when she turned it to see a finely aged label of wine. She grabbed the closest chair, and sat already popping the cork.

 

[Saskwach]

...and the world returned. Jonas ached even more now, but he was certain it would fade. Worse has happened, he thought as he considered his missing arm. He rolled out of bed - what kind soul had left him there? - and padded out into the corridors.
He was groggy, and the ship layout had blurred into shadows and blood since last night, but he knew the way to Keil's room.
Nearing the door, he heard voices - at least two. They seemed to be talking earnestly. He shouldn't bother them. Etiquette demanded privacy. And what would he say? How could he explain his misplaced feelings? "You bear a certain resemblance..." was facile. Keil would never understand. Why should he? Why should a boy bear that? Jonas knew, having seen Keil's gaze, that he had already seen too much of the underside of the world. No. This story was not to share. Suddenly Jonas felt hot and breathless.
He turned, and made for the stairs above. The afternoon sun bore down through the door above, seeming like a gateway to the heavens. Jonas scaled the stairs, keeping his view from the light and watching his unsure footwork.
On deck there was a certain measure of activity. Not enough to keep a man from quietly regarding the water. He made for the nearest parapet, leaned over and contemplated. Out of a shirt pocket appeared a pipe, which he lit and chuffed on.

 

[MintyNinja]

Rokya groggily opened his eyes. It was still morning, but the light was peeking in from his porthole at a higher angle. That'll have to do for now, he thought as slowly dressed himself. As an afterthought he strapped his shortsword to his hip and left the cabin and then made his way to the sunlit deck above.

The crew were noisily bustling about, a story or song on their minds as they went about the day's work. Amongst the pleasant commotion Rokya could see two more members of the expedition. There was a short, rat-faced man in dark clothing observing the crew, and a taller man leaning against the ship's railings. A moment of contemplation was wasted once Rokya realized that the taller man was missing his right arm, which meant he was Jonas Thrace, the one-armed swordsman that fended off nearly twenty assassins the other night. His mind was made up.

As he walked over he abruptly changed course so as to arrive on the man's left side, away from his missing arm. It wouldn't do me any good for him to be nervous of my presence, he thought to himself.

"Greetings," Rokya said as he reached the railing. "My name is Rokya Nasheel, may I presume you to be Jonas Thrace?" He offered his left hand for a handshake, It's not my sword arm, but it's easier.

 

[Fingerprint]

San had heard all he needed to hear from the morning's gossip, now he was just sitting and watching the crew and his surroundings. A man who seemed to be missing an arm had come into view and was now just looking out to sea. San hadn't seen the man before but the way he seemed to be in a little discomfort with his arm suggested that it'd only happened recently. Just as San was wondering this another human appeared, trying not to make a sign of recognition - so as to aviod a conversation - San kept his gaze on the crew. It worked. The second man continued on to the one-armed man. He made himself a cigarette and remained quiet hoping to get some information.

 

[Saskwach]

"Greetings," Rokya said as he reached the railing. "My name is Rokya Nasheel, may I presume you to be Jonas Thrace?"

Jonas' eyes narrowed. The man before him - average height, average build - possessed a deep tan and fine enough clothing that it was possible that he hailed from the Illarym empire - and the upper echelons of that godsforsaken place. His hair was jet black, true, yet Illarym nobles and merchants never tired of dyeing the blond hair that nature had given them. The name was incongruous, but Jonas had never studied Illarym naming traditions.
How curious, thought Jonas, that this mysterious newcomer should appear concomitantly with a gnome. It may have been a coincidence, but Jonas had learned since losing his sword arm never to shake with a man whose descent he didn't know; he'd sooner dip his arm into a snake pit. Jonas stayed his hand for the moment.
"You've come a long way, stranger. I presume you're of Illarym stock?"