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

[Zemalac]

Doctor Nexaddo exited his room, having recovered from the night by means of a rather long nap. It had been a long night, one the Doctor would rather not remember, but even after hours of rest he couldn't shake the feeling of blood on his skin. Not something that would go away any time soon.

He stepped through the hatch to the topmost deck, cursing humans' penchant for ladders, and was wiped clean by the cool breeze coming off the sea. A scruffy carpenter snapped at him to move, and the Doctor delivered a stare full of ice in reply. The carpenter hurridly found work elsewhere.

He just needed company. It always made him feel better to be around people. It gave him something to occupy his mind when he wasn"t working on his research. His eyes were attracted to a familiar face moving slowly through the crowd--the wizard he had encountered last night. Before the man got closer, the doctor tried to prep himself up for the first impression. He thought of Daernab falling into the water bucket back home, always made him laugh and put a smile on his face. Though the events from last night seemed to dull it around the edges. Once the magician got closer Jamal jumped into his traditional introduction.

"I believe I never formally introduced myself," he said to Raven del Cid. "My name is Doctor Jemalkin Nexaddo. Though I have a fascination with nicknames, and if you think of a name that you believe better suits me then I would prefer you call me that."

 

[Caimekaze]

Well, this is an improvement. To be fair, not much of an improvement, but still. Bedridden, weak and wounded is better than bedridden, weak, wounded and unconscious.

... Urgh.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

The mage turned to face the familiar voice.

"Doctor Nexaddo, a pleasant surprise!. I wasn't expecting to see you for a while. Your wounds have fully healed I hope?". Raven rubbed his chin thoughtfully "A nickname huh?. Well I might have to sit on that for a while, but I trust you do not mind me calling you Nexaddo?".

A smile suddenly spread over Raven's face.

"It feels good to be alive doesn't it?. I can't believe thatwe are finally putting this unpleasant business with the dark agents behind us."

 

[MintyNinja]

After unpacking his belongings, Rokya made his way up to the main deck, Plenty of time to be cooped up in that closet during the trip. Climbing the last stairs he saw a bandaged man conversing with what appeared to be a gnome, or a very short human... or a very sickly dwarf. It didn't matter, as never one to interrupt conversation, Rokya dodged and ducked his way around carpenters and guardsmen alike to the prow of the ship for the relative quiet.

Taking in the sea breeze while attempting to ignore the scent of gull droppings and dead fish, Rokya noticed another smaller figure also enjoying the quiet. Deciding that standing quietly off to the side could be seen as suspicious or even threatening in some cultures, Rokya said, "Greetings, master gnome. My name is Rokya Nasheel, of Lomar, I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Rokya offered his hand, but seeing the ink smudges he offered a polite bow instead.

 

[Khedive Rex]

Tiber stretched in his cabin, fingers nearly scratching the low cieling. As he felt his arms and legs burn from a night of all together too much action he repeated the silent mantra that marched perpetually in his wake. "You haven't gotten me yet-" He popped his neck and pulled a stoat book from his coat pocket titled The Divine. He flipped through its pages stopping finally on a mural of a woman with sparks in her hair standing over a forge. "-Kriyat, goddess of metalurgy and war. You'll have to do better than that."

The gods hated Tiber, he was pretty sure. One man would not stumble on as much turmoil as Tiber had by himself; it required divine intervention. Which of the dieties intervened so enthusiastically was a mystery to Tiber but he deduced that whoever did it was a bastard. He further deduced that none of the other gods seemed interested in objecting on his behalf and, thusly, they were all bastards by association. Therefore, it didn't really matter which one of the gods he cursed. So he'd purchased a book listing every major and minor diety of the age so he could impune the honor of whichever one seemed most responsable at the time.

"Fuck you Kriyat." Tiber said aloud. "You and your ... Botahn Hounds? I don't know what those are but I'm guessing you were last on the 'Holy Animals' line. Go fall in a forge. Amen."

Tiber put the book on his bedside table and began to undue the buttons on his tuxedo. All things considered he hadn't faired to badly last night. There were crew members sitting in their bunks recovering from near fatal gunshot wounds, and at least one crewmember who would not be recovering any time soon. The smell of sweat covered his pale blue body, but that was it. No scars, bruises, no blood, there was only the feeling of being unclean and sore to remind him that last night was hellish.

With a flick of his wrist he deposited his emptied tuxedo onto a hook on his cabin wall. He stretched one more time before turning his attention to his spare suit; the one that didn't look and smell like he'd tried to run a marathon in it but had been stopped halfway by a pool of whiskey. It was an unfortunate thing that. All the time laying the whiskey ice trap and only one person ever came through, and of course he was moving to fast to control himself. There was something almost all humans had in common, they didn't know how to maneuver on ice. Tiber considered it the man's own fault he'd fallen into the ocean, it certainly wasn't intended by the trap maker.

"Huhh... I need a cool shower." Tiber said rubbing his eyes. Of course, there were no showers on the Cepolada and the entire crew was ship bound. Which didn't leave him much to do besides transfer all of his lapel pins from his first tuxedo to the tuxedo he could actually wear in civilized company.

About twenty minutes later he stuck the last pollished button onto his replacement lapel and smiled widely. He'd had a brilliant idea about ten minutes ago and now he was about to see it come to fruition.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Tiber mounted the final steps to the deck of the Cepolada with a confident amused air. Ship workers looked at him nervously, always turning before eye contact could be made. One of the younger guards pointed from the dock, mouth narrowly agape. It was almost certainly the first time he'd seen an ice elf in swim trunks.

Tiber's lapel pins shimmered in the sunlight as their home swung from Tiber's arm. With a flick he deposited the tuxedo against the railing on the side of the boat. His arms burned one more time as he stretched them far above his head. The cool Tyb wind was bustling by and Tiber scaled the wooden railings with glee. Workers on the dock were astonished to see a lightly muscled blue man dive from his perch and peirce the frigid waters with a masterful swan dive. They were further amazed when the miss-pigmented fellow broke the surface again and began washing himself in the tide.

"Hey!" one of the workers said after a moment of confused paralysis. "It's freezin' in there. Get out before you die."

With a graceful bend Tiber started a lap around the Cepolada. Once he'd finished two he returned to the old dock worker, grabbing the lowest rung of a ladder as he neared.

"Quite." was all Tiber said as he ascended back to the deck. The water was above freezing, so he couldn't get a truely satisfying swim in, but he no longer smelled like sweat and spirits. Which was an accomplishments of sorts.

 

[Zemalac]

"Doctor Nexaddo, a pleasant surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you for a while. Your wounds have fully healed I hope?" ... "A nickname huh?. Well I might have to sit on that for a while, but I trust you do not mind me calling you Nexaddo?"

"Of course not," said the Doctor. "It is my true name after all. I just find nicknames make everything more...personal. As for injuries, the only wound I truly received was sleep deprivation, and that has been made up in full." He chuckled, and gestured to Raven's chest. "I am more surprised to see your especially fast recovery. Judging by the amount of blood that was in your lungs just this morning, would it not be best for you to get more rest today?"

"It feels good to be alive doesn't it? I can't believe that we are finally putting this unpleasant business with the dark agents behind us."

"Well, I do not know what lies in death so I can not tell you if it is better to be alive," Nexaddo said. "Though, it is good advice to seize the day." The gnome waved his hands as he spoke, gesturing to emphasize every point. He continued, "With every day comes new opportunities for friends, love and adventure. As for the dark agents, should we be certain that they are being left behind, as it is to the unknown we are headed?"

Raven took a hasty step back from the Doctor's waving arms, drawing Nexaddo's attention to what his hands were doing. He flushed and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "I apologize for that," he said. "I am rather excited for the travels ahead-- I have been restricted to a research lab for a while now, and it is a fantastic feeling to be on the move." The subject changed like quicksilver. "For what reason are you headed to the unknown? Discovery, riches...escape?"

 

[Flying-Emu]

Ticky raised an eyebrow at the approaching... well, whatever it was, it wasn't a gnome, and Ticky was in no mood for the shenanigans of one of the bigger folk. "Yes, yes. Nasheel, you say? Odd name, that. I am called Tickyvanillius Leviticus the Third, although most folk (very rudely, I might add) shorten it to Ticky. I assume you're the replacement for our last crewmember?"

Ticky eyed the man up and down. "Well. Let's see if you last any longer than the last. I'm assuming you have combat experience of some sort, or some other useful skill? If so, inform me; I prefer to be aware of all my assets." He paused. "I do not like surprises, and I have had enough on this trip as is."

 

[MintyNinja]

"I am called Tickyvanillius Leviticus the Third, although most folk (very rudely, I might add) shorten it to Ticky. I assume you're the replacement for our last crewmember?" "Is there another name you'd prefer? Master Leviticus the Third is quite a mouthful. Although I can see how 'Ticky' can be seen as a slight. By the way, what happened to the last crewmember? I'm embarrassed to say that I only know of our destination and the potential for financial gains." Rokya stepped closer, to the side of the gnome as a view of the docks was presented over the railing.
"Well. Let's see if you last any longer than the last. I'm assuming you have combat experience of some sort, or some other useful skill? If so, inform me; I prefer to be aware of all my assets." "Combat experience? Can't say much for combat, maybe an augmented argument, but nothing life and death," Rokya said, hastily answering the gnome's questions. "As for useful skills, I'd have to say that my knowledge of languages is extensive, enabling a larger client base. Aside from that, I'm just another fool seeking riches in the wild."
"I do not like surprises, and I have had enough on this trip as is." "What do you mean? What kind of surprises have occurred so far? I'm fairly certain you aren't talking about Deslock handing out cake." A small laugh at his own imagination, Definitely no cake from that one.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

"I am more surprised to see your especially fast recovery. Judging by the amount of blood that was in your lungs just this morning, would it not be best for you to get more rest today?"

"Actually I am feeling quite fine" Raven replied with a smile. "A little sore but none the worse for wear. The healer was nice enough to pump me with some medication for the bleeding and cream for the ligament tears. I have been cleared for active duty as is"

"With every day comes new opportunities for friends, love and adventure. As for the dark agents, should we be certain that they are being left behind, as it is to the unknown we are headed?"

My fears exactly doctor, but you know what they say. "There is nothing to fear but fear itself". Besides why fret over the future that is vast and unwritten?. We make our own destinies I like to believe and whatever will be, will be. Nay?"

"For what reason are you headed to the unknown? Discovery, riches...escape?"

Raven smiled at the question. "Ah!" he said simply followed by a long pause. "It's a bit of this and that. Mostly I like to think of it as an opportunity for personal growth. I mean, this is an expedition of a lifetime..to sail to the unknown continent with renowned explorer Tyrone Deslock. Who would say no to that?" he leaned closer to whisper to the doctor. "I also hear that there are rumors of sun stones scattered on the island. Archeologists have been familiar with the existence of sun stones for ages but to actually find one and bring one home..those shiny rocks will gain enough coin to pay rent for the next five years I would imagine." Raven's voice trailed off as he stared into the port.

"Anyway!" the mage said after a lull in the conversation "I have to get back to my quarters. After everything that has happened I might have to do inventory of my stuff and gather some of my energy. For all we know there could be pirates lurking on the way out of Tyb and I should be ready to cast my best fireball" he said with a slight grin before nodding to the doctor and moving towards the entrance of the lower deck.

 

[Zemalac]

"I mean, this is an expedition of a lifetime..to sail to the unknown continent with renowned explorer Tyrone Deslock. Who would say no to that?"

"I would suspect any sane person," said Jemalkin with a self-deprecating laugh, "but who am I to judge?"

A the mention of riches a sparkle lit the doctor's eyes. He wasn't exactly sure what a sun stone was, but his funds had been low for a while now and he wouldn?t mind anything that might be able to level things out a little. The conversation continued, with Raven del Cid explaining what the stone supposedly was (little enough information, but the Doctor didn't mind that overly much), but eventually the discussion tapered off and the wizard made his excuses before leaving.

As he was turning away Jemal remarked to Raven's back, "I hear you held off quite a few pirates on the way to Tyb. I have faith you would be able to do it again. Raven Del Cid, It has been a great pleasure to meet you, and I believe I have already made a friend on this expedition."

Raven vanished down the hatch and the Doctor grinned, a cheerful and guileless expression. He turned to see who else was top deck that he could introduce himself to--quite a few people were on the Expedition, and so many of them were just blurred faces and half-remembered names.

 

[Fingerprint]

After finding an empty room to unpack his belongings, San headed up to the top deck. He really didn't want to have to introduce himself to anyone but at the same time he knew that sooner or later he'd have to.

Knowing that there were still going to be provost guards in the area San was careful to go unnoticed as he walked through the corridor - though that was more or less standard procedure for him. Opening the door onto the main deck he saw that the provosts had all but gone and the few remaining were unlikely to spot him what with all the other expedition and crew members around, so with a little less caution he walked out onto the deck enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Standing by the port side he lit a handmade cigarette and began to survey his surroundings. Painted elves, dwarves, men, orcs, gnomes, the lot. All of them either milling around or talking amongst themselves. Though it was none of these that caught San's immediate attention because climbing up what was still remaining of the earlier scaffolding and just coming into sight was an ice elf, dripping wet and in shorts no less -
An ice elf, it's not often you see them in this neck of the woods. And certainly not when they're dressed like that. He thought to himself with his eyebrow half raised.

Calmly he finished his cigarette and wandered over to the ice elf who by now was stood on the deck.
"It's a rare sight to see your kind in Tyb; I can only assume you're on the expedition too."

 

[Khedive Rex]

"It's a rare sight to see your kind in Tyb; I can only assume you're on the expedition too."

Tiber turned to locate the source of the question and found a human standing calmly next to him. The person was slim and non-descript, the kind of figure you could forget easily enough. There was an air around him though, as if he'd cultivated this image painstakingly, purposefully.

"The weather is very nearly intolerable, for my kind anyway. I daresay I've found the coldest place in the city," Tiber said giving the ocean below him a glance "and even that is only ... satiating. You're right though, I'm a member of Mr Deslocke's expedition. Tiber. Just Tiber. I must say sir, you have exceptionally quiet steps. I didn't even hear you coming."

 

[Caimekaze]

Okay. That is it. I can not take this any longer, I am getting out of this bed.

Keil started to turn towards freedom, winced and fell back.

"Oh good lord ow. That does not work. Mother fu-... Blast."

 

[MasterSqueak]

Marneus was standing outside Keil's cabin when he heard talking from inside. Pushing the door open, he looked in.

"Mother fu-...Blast."

Marneus nodded at Keil.

"I see you're awake."

 

[Fingerprint]

"The weather is very nearly intolerable, for my kind anyway. I daresay I've found the coldest place in the city, and even that is only ... satiating. You're right though, I'm a member of Mr Deslocke's expedition. Tiber. Just Tiber. I must say sir, you have exceptionally quiet steps. I didn't even hear you coming."

San listened with quite interest - though it could have easily have been thought to be the opposite.

"Yes," he mused, "I would expect the water to be cool at this time of year. My name is San, by the way." He kept his voice and words at a minimum and with a sense that he knew exactly what he wanted to say without anything more than was necessary.

 

[Captainguy42]

Ko'el stepped onto the deck and breathed in the fresh air, the stoves the crew had lit for "warmth" had made the lower decks unbearably hot. Damn these southern races and their desire for heat and comfort. On his way up he had heard one of the crew members mentioning that they had seen a someone swimming in the water, Ko'el wish he had thought of that first, how ever his current condition would not allow for a swim. He began to take a easy stroll along the deck, relaxing a bit now that he was cooler.

As he walked about he spotted Dr. Nexxado and walked over to him.

"Greating's Doctor, I imagine you've been had a busy night?" he asked.

 

[Caimekaze]

"I see you're awake."

Keil jumped a little, then flinched. "Ah! Master knight! Oh, you must have heard my little outburst. I am sorry about that. I really must thank you for your actions last night. Had you not intervened, it is very likely I would have perished. So, thank you, sincerely. I am indebted to you." Keil's whole face lit up in a genuine smile.

The young boy slowly propped himself upon a pillow. "You, err... Would not happen to have a novel of some kind in your cabin by any chance, would you? I was planning on purchasing several before we left, but that hardly seems likely now. Which is a shame, because lying here without anything to do is remarkably dull."

 

[MasterSqueak]

Marneus shook his head.

"I'm afraid I don't. I prefer to spend my time practicing with my blade."

Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes.

"I recall you said you had secrets, and how they were not relevant to the expedition."

He opened his eyes, giving Keil a pointed look.

"I believe that some secrets became relevant last night."

Something in Marneus's posture shifted, and he abrupty changed the subject.

"But the matter at hand is your recovery. I shall inform the doctor you are awake and attempt to procure you some reading material."

With that, Marneus left the room and closed the door behind him. Stopping a passing crew member, he asked where Doctor Nexaddo was.

"Oh, uh...I think I saw him talkin' to that magical fellow somewhere back that way."

Marneus nodded his thanks and walked off the way the sailor had pointed.

 

[Dragonearl]

Aleix was just passing through the crew quarters on his way to meet some new folk when he heard the voice of Keil wafting through a cabin. He made his way to the source just in time to see Marneus the knight leave towards the upper deck. The dwarf nodded politely as the knight passed.

"Crazy cookie, wearing a suit of armor in such a heat. He has to be mad!." Alexis muttered staring after the disappearing metal figure.

"Well hullo laddie!" he called out cheerfully seeing Keil sitting on his bed. "It's good to see you awake and some colour in your face. You had us all worried for a second, had been gone a long time you had. Lucky the mage and knight decided to stick by your side, especially the mage. He almost died trying to save you from those things." The tone in Alexis voice grew deep suddenly. "It seems you have friends in high places..or at least you gave the impression that your hide was worth saving. Now if it was up to me, I wouldn't have been so generous but either they know something I don't or you must be one lucky lad. So which is it?"

 

[Caimekaze]

"Either they know something I don't or you must be one lucky lad. So which is it?"

Keil frowned. He didn't really like this newfound game of vague accusations. "I would expect any of us to fight for the others. We are a team on this expedition. Now, if they know something you do not, then they know something I do not."

The boy's frown melted into a more distracted expression. "He really risked his life for me...? Ah! How is he now? Is he alright?"