Captain Grummond found Deslock lurking in the shade beneath the foredeck, quietly smoking something that spewed foul black smoke.
"Explorer Deslock..." the captain began, before he was forced to stop talking and cough away fumes. "What the
hell are you smoking, sir?"
"Sorry about that," Deslock said, tapping out his pipe on the railing. "It's just tobacco."
"Tobacco, my ass," the captain growled, but low enough that Deslock couldn't make out what he was saying. When the explorer just looked at him expectantly he gave up the inquisition and resumed his businesslike mien.
"We need to leave with the tide, Explorer Deslock," he said. "You need to start getting your crew together now."
"Right, right." Deslock took out his watch and glanced at it. His eyes widened.
"It took me a while to find where you were hiding," the captain said dryly, but Deslock barely heard him. He was already sprinting for the gangplank.
He was met on the docks by a man in a gold suit. Judging by the large men wearing darkened chainmail and the Buron coat of arms standing behind him, he was an official of some kind.
"Explorer Deslock!" the man in the gold suit beamed. "So good to meet you again. I see I've arrived just in time to see you off on your little Expedition."
"Er...yes, yes indeed," Deslock said, trying to remember where he knew this man from.
"I'm sure you'll be wanting to speak to the crowd for a little while, so I'll just get out of your way," the man said with an annoyingly knowing chuckle. He moved away, and Deslock saw the crowd that had gathered to see him off.
He was impressed. Of course, about four-fifths of the crowd could be accounted for by normal city people wanting to see a show, but the rest...the rest were people who were
interested in the Expedition. There were a few representatives from the University at Ver Arcana, of course, since that was where Deslock had received a large part of his funding, but there was also a crowd of other important-looking people, only some of whom he recognized. There was the man in the gold suit, a threesome of cowled monks, a few finely-dressed Illarym glaring suspiciously at everyone else...and, of course, a few priests to bless the Expedition. Deslock wasn't sure why the clerics always showed up. He made a point of never asking them to come, and they always responded by sending high priests with bellowing voices and aggressive eyebrows. He'd never worked up the courage to ask them why they'd come.
The priests were busy chanting and waving smoking incense at the ship. Deslock seized his chance to address the crowd without them in the way.
"Good morning, gentlemen," he said, and paused. "Grummond?"
"Sir?" asked the captain from behind him.
"Get me a bullhorn."
Once properly equipped, Deslock resumed speaking. "Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to embark upon the greatest, most ambitious exploration this world has ever seen," he began. "Today we set sail, on the good ship
Cepolada, for the Unknown Continent. While we're gone there I plan on giving the place an actual name, thus ending centuries of scholarly debate." He began speaking louder to be heard over the shouts of the people from the University, none of whom seemed to be in agreement about what the Unknown Continent was actually called. "But that really isn't important today. We are setting out into the unknown with paper, pen and compass, and we will return bearing maps and stories. Gentlemen, today we sail to make the unknown known."
There was a faint cheer from the crowd, and Deslock began to pace as he spoke.
"It will be dangerous. It will require courage, wits, and a sense of adventure that I am sure none of you are lacking." He stopped and faced the assembled Expedition members.
"And at the end of the day, we will have gone where no one has gone before, done things no one has done before, and brought the light of civilization to an untouched wilderness."
As they cheered no one heard him mutter, "And may the gods forgive us for it."
He raised his voice once more, shouting, "For glory and knowledge, men! Captain! We sail!" He turned and charged up the gangplank, the captain following him and the other Expedition members flowing into their wake. The crowd, which had been expecting a more lengthy speech, didn't react quickly, and when the uncertain cheering finally started sailors were already casting off the lines.
Deslock stood at the rail and watched the people on the docks as the ship slowly began pulling away. From this distance, when all the people looked so small and the landscape so vast, he could almost forget about all the commonplace sins that comprised humanity.
At some point a band had arrived to play as the Expedition set sail. The trumpets and drums rang out over the water, sounding proud and adventurous, while the man in the gold suit waved his arms in front of them and pretended to be conducting the music. A nice touch, that.
"Explorer Deslock?"
Damn.
Damn. Every time he managed to get some time for contemplation, someone needed to speak to him.
Every time, like some sort of nefarious clockwork.
"Yes?" Deslock turned and beheld a slim, almost effeminate youth in fine clothes and an incongruous bakerboy's hat and eyepatch. Wonderful, another weird one.
"I am Keil Toren, sir, and I was informed that you had accepted me upon your Expedition."
Deslock stared at the boy for a moment, then waved a hand in dismissal and turned back to the rail. "Sure," he said. "Why not. Find a bunk or something and leave me in peace."
Deslock watched the retreating city for a full minute before a disturbing question occured to him.
How did he get on the ship without someone noticing?
He pondered that for about half a second before determining that he didn't care.
Hands clasped behind his back, the Explorer listened as the sound of the trumpets slowly faded away.
Metagame said:
Deslock may have interrupted a few conversations here, but you can continue them on the ship if necessary.
It is now Act Two, which takes place on the water. Act One was mostly character creation, which was kind of unseen by anyone reading this thread but which took a lot of work on my part. Thus I feel justified in calling it an entire act.
I wasn't able to work a description into the narrative, so I'll tell you now that Captain Grummond is a rather tall and burly orc.
Also, Keil Toren is another player character. With him on board there isn't actually anyone to pick up in Tyb, so the stopover there will probably be a bit shorter than anticipated.
In the meantime, you're on a boat.
