Storm King's Thunder [CLOSED]

[ramonlimon2]

"What fun? Why, sightseeing of course! We're going to look around and see what our gracious hosts in this town have to offer!" Aseir is clearly caught in the excitement of his own words, getting louder as he goes on. "And there's no telling what we'll find--lucrative deals, beautiful women, buried treasure! There's no business like show business after all, isn't that how the song goes?"

He leans in for a stage whisper, "and if we're really lucky we might uncover the dirty little secrets that run this town."

 

[DarkHorseAsh]

Raven watches Lecuis go, moments later spotting a man glance between them and the bard before disappearing into an alleyway. he stiffens, giving a quick glance around before hissing, "man over there is watching the tiefling. Come." And hurrying towards the alleyway he had gone into

 

[TableTopical]

Hearing Raven, and seeing him start rushing toward the alleyway, Snikket glances around nervously, and starts to follow.

 

[ramonlimon2]

Aseir just sighs at the interruption and rushes off in pursuit

 

[Baba Luga]

With Raven, Snikket and Aseir hustling into the crooked alley, it's not long before they spot Raven's quarry at a bend up ahead. He turns to face them with a decidedly vexed look. He has the pale features typical of the Illuskan humans from this region, and the spiral designs on his garment are familiar to Snikket, chosen of Kossuth, as folk protective symbols—intended to ward off fiends or other malicious beings, but not tied to any particular deity or faith.

The man speaks some unfamiliar words and vanishes. A moment later, Raven spots him briefly up on the rooftop above, before he's gone again. With the skulker out of the way, the view is clear through the alley ahead as Lecuis, having taken the long way around, strolls by the far mouth of this shortcut, noodling at his lute without a care in the world.

 

[DarkHorseAsh]

Raven leans against a wall huffing slightly as he glances around the narrow space. He hisses in frustration as he sees the figure on the rooftop, glancing nervously over at the others with a muttered "sorry"

 

[TableTopical]

Snikket shrugs. Glancing up at the rooftop, Snikket debates their next move. "A merchant man maybe.. We follow, or go to ship?"

 

[DarkHorseAsh]

Raven shifted on his heels with a hesitant "Do not leave tiefling alone. Not here."

 

[Theseiroth]

Lecuis realizing the time, looks for a short cut back to the bar

 

[Baba Luga]

The appointed time for boarding the Snapdragon having rolled around, you are out on the correct pier at Dragon Beach as the sun is sinking in the sky. The chill has picked up with encouragement from the sea air, when Doctor Lurr arrives bundled in a fur-collared coat. He nods in salutes and leads forward, up the gangway and onto the long, level deck of Captain Suljack's ship.

She's a single-masted vessel, about sixty feet long, with two rowboats. A few ballistas poke from ports in her sides, and there's another, more decorative ballista mounted at the bow. She flies the black and purple colors of Ship Suljack, with a banner depicting a skeletal dragon.

You're greeted by the quartermaster, a young half-elven man named Elmer Uldvald with a knowing smile that verges on a leer. Like the rest of the small crew—maybe ten in all—he wears the black and purple and has a number of tattoos, dracoliches prominant among them. The deck hands who run about preparing the ship for departure seem in danger of distracting from your exoticism: one of them is a bugbear over seven feet tall, a few others clearly have some orcish blood, and one woman looks like she might hail from the reclusive Reghed tribes beyond the ice-peaked mountains to the north.

Doctor Lurr seems eager to speak with Captain Dagmaer Suljack, who stands at the rail by the fore ballista, looking out to sea through a spyglass, but Uldvald demurs that the captain is busy and instead directs the Doctor to the stern, where a small group of Neverwinterese guests stand sipping from glasses. The four of you are apparently to go belowdecks until the time comes for your grand debut. As Uldvald leads him away, Doctor Lurr turns back to you. "I'll have things covered up here, laying the ground work." He nods his head towards the dignitaries. "Just tell me, what order do I announce you in?" Giving Raven of the Forests another look up and down, he amends that, "On second thought, maybe you'd better come over here with me, Raven."

 

[DarkHorseAsh]

Raven ducks his head down with a soft, "Yes, sir." As he slinks over to the man's side, ducking his head down in an effort to slightly hide the collar.

 

[Theseiroth]

"I would like to go last. Tug the heart strings with a ballad of Long lost love I like to call ''Voracity', it'll be spectacular!" Lecuis looks confidently over at the dignitaries, trying to catch the eye of a young woman in particular to little avail. "Of course, I'll accompany everyone else's shows with the usual music, unless someone has a different idea."

 

[TableTopical]

Snikket nods. "Lecuis play the usual mysterious music for Snikket Flame Seer act. Snikket will go first, then others with more action."

 

[Baba Luga]

As Lecuis reviews the group of visitors from Neverwinter, he sees:

• A human man and woman, apparently in their fifties, dressed in a fashion befitting nobility, accompanied by a bright-eyed, dimpled woman in her twenties wearing a fine dress in the latest Waterdeep style. They are accompanied by a handful of servants.
• A human woman in her thirties, wearing a plain, dark green dress cinched at the waist with a broad leather belt. This is the costume of a sensible merchant.
• A balding halfling man who wears gold and white robes adorned with ersatz gold coins, the vestments of a priest of Waukeen, the goddess of commerce and merchants

Noting Lecuis' interest, Doctor Lurr says, "Sir Tam Fishbanner Baronet and Lady Fishbanner, with their unmarried daughter. Sure to be important people to know in Neverwinter. I hear their family seat is famed for its grand odeon in the old style. If all goes well here, perhaps you perform there some day."

 

[ramonlimon2]

Looking around at the ship and crew, Aseir lets out a low whistle. "Should've gone to the Soundings. There's definitely an interesting story here, but now I'm not sure we'll ever get it."

 

[Theseiroth]

Ignoring what the others are talking about Lecuis smiles at the young woman and blows her a kiss as he makes a whispered kiss sound next to her ear

 

[Baba Luga]

The young woman locks eyes with Lecuis and raises her eyebrows, then startles a bit at the sound of his cantrip. She smirks and rolls her eyes, but then glances back at him once more.

Doctor Lurr grabs the hand Lecuis used to blow his kiss. "Ah, ah!" he says teasingly. "I asked Von Anvil and Angelica to make the wagon ready, but please, let's not have another episode like back in Loudwater. Aseir, do keep a tight rein on our devilish friend's cupidity, won't you please?"

With that, he locks arms with Raven and follows Quartermaster Uldvald over to the group of visitors from Neverwinter. The Fishbanners take note of the approach and stand ready for the introduction. The woman in green and the halfling priest continue their conversation until Lurr and Raven have crossed the intervening length of deck. Captain Suljack is still up at the bow, now speaking with a tawny-skinned human man who has a hook in place of one of his arms—likely another member of the crew. The bugbear and some other hands are making ready to push off from the docks.

The quartermaster presents Doctor Lurr and his "creature." The Doctor removes his hat and makes an elaborate bow, which the Fishbanners acknowledge. The Baronet regards Raven passingly, as if there were nothing new to see here, while Lady Fishbanner avoids looking directly at the tabaxi. The Fishbanners' daughter, Tambjorg, smiles at Raven and leans in. "Your friend is an impertinent rascal," she murmurs, with a laugh. The halfling priest, Father Cuffonree Grinditch, wishes you well and comments on the weather and the view. The brown-skinned woman in green, Ursula Eastwood, is introduced as a magnate of the Neverwinter fur trade. Raven recognizes an ermine hand muffler at her hip. She has no reservations about expressing her interest in Raven and, taking his hand, begins asking questions about his homeland and his travels.

Meanwhile, one of the half-orcs on the crew, his long dark hair in braids, raises a hatch and shows Lecuis, Snikket and Aseir to the belowdecks. It's quite dim down there; only a few low lanterns provide light. Lecuis immediately notes that all of the bulkheads that would normally divide storage bays have been removed, leaving a long, open galley punctuated by three outward-facing ballistae on either side of the ship. Only the fore cabin remains intact, probably reserved for Captain Suljack herself.

Towards the rear of this deck, a few members of the crew are struggling to lift a barrel onto a stand. One of them, a young elf, noticing Lecuis, points to his own purple and black shirt, then to his own head, and gives the tiefling a thumbs up.

The ship rocks as it launches from the dock. The door of the fore cabin bangs open, and a tall, middle-aged human man strides out. Quite pale and handsome, with long, nearly white hair, he wears a ruffled yellow shirt and gray velvet jacket. A patch covers one eye. Bound for the stairs up to the main deck, he stops suddenly, turns on his heel and looks Lecuis, Snikket and Aseir up and down with admiration. "The folk of the circus!" he exclaims. "Very nice. Very nice. I have often envied your lives. Peregrinations, peccadillos, adventures, obfuscations. A marvelous excuse for the odd dalliance, and then, on to the next town! Am I far off, sir?" He reaches up, shifts his patch from the eye it was covering over to the other, and winks down at Snikket.

 

[TableTopical]

Instinctively, Snikket slips into his circus persona and nods at the man. "Yes yes, the Doctor takes Circus places far and wide. On these journeys Snikket has learned many things, including how to speak to the flames of Kossuth." He pauses, staring at one of the nearby lanterns, before looking back up at the man. "They speak of confidence and charisma, but also whisper of hidden doubts. Is this true, Mr....?"

 

[Baba Luga]

"...Ludlow," answers the white-haired man with the eye patch. "I am honored for the glimpse into your craft, my seer, and eagerly anticipate more shortly." The sailors wrestling with the barrel look at each other, seemingly surprised and amused that Snikket has no idea to whom he's speaking.

Although Ludlow's tone is playful and could be taken as teasing even, Snikket senses that his excitement about the circus life is quite sincere. The business with the eye patch, showing that both eyes work just fine, suggested a desire to be seen as equal by those of you practiced in the arts of legerdemain and showmanship.

Mr. Ludlow excuses himself and bounds up the stairs. "Hello!" His voice echoes down as he calls out to those above deck, Raven and Doctor Lurr included. The doctor frowns and says, "Who's this now?" while Ursula Eastwood, the fur trader, waves back and shouts, "Good afternoon, Mr. Ludlow."

 

[Baba Luga]

Down below, with the barrel set right at last, spirits are dispensed into a large metal bowl, into which one of the crew, a half-orc woman with terrible teeth, also squeezes several handfuls of lemons. Other ingredients are added before the young elfin admirer of Lecuis' hair fills three earthen mugs with the punch and brings them over for you. He introduces himself as Amberbeam and promises the beverage will keep you warm up on deck. You have quite a while to wait before you're called up to perform.

Meanwhile, on deck, the Snapdragon is heading speedily away from the dock and out into the bay. The sun hangs low in the sky to the west, casting its rays on the tall, branchlike spires of the Host Tower of the Arcane Brotherhood that looms over the city of Luskan. All the fawning and questioning over Raven has at last subsided with the arrival of Mr. Ludlow. The quartermaster, Elmer Uldvald, escorts you fore, through the still-active crew, to join Captain Suljack herself. She's a tough-looking woman in her sixties who wears a heavy wool sea coat who looks somewhat pained when she smiles in greeting.

Mugs of strong boozy punch are served and the parties are soon reconfigured so that Raven and Doctor Lurr are speaking with the Baronet and his family, while Mr. Ludlow and the Captain chat with the fur merchant and the halfling priest of Waukeen a few paces away. Familiar as he is with the Doctor's mannerisms, Raven can see that Lurr is not terribly pleased with this state of affairs, as Sir Fishbanner holds forth at length on myriad dry topics. Lurr makes a few attempts to maneuver over to the Captain's group, but is thwarted by the noble's loquacity.

Finally, with Luskan a good ways off, though still visible, everyone is treated to a glorious sunset, followed by another repositioning to chairs that have been set near the ship's mast. Doctor Lurr rises to address the small audience, while some members of the crew summon Lecuis, Snikket and Aseir from below. After touting the circus in general, and promising great success in Mirabar in the coming weeks, he gives Snikket the Fire Seer a grandiloquent introduction, and steps aside to polite applause from the Fishbanners and other observers, indicating that Snikket and Lecuis are to begin the show. Some of the crew look down from the sails above or from their stations keeping watch over torches that provide evocative lighting now that the sun has set.

 

[TableTopical]

As Lecuis begins to play a mysterious tune, Snikket slowly steps out into the space that has been cleared for their performances on the main deck, surrounded by the crowd. He exaggerates more of a hunch than even his kobold frame naturally gives him in an attempt to seem older than his 12 years. "Yes, yes. Snikket comes from deep underground in the caves of the Kobolds. Once Snikket was a priest of a dark god, but with the flames of Kossuth, Snikket saw the light and came above ground." Snikket whispers a word in draconic under his breath, and the flames of the torches around him start to glow blue. "Now Snikket travels the world with the circus, listening to the whispers of the flames and seeking out the wisdom in the ashes."

Snikket pauses and tilts his head, as if listening to something no one else can hear, and slowly shifts his glance to Tam Fishbanner. "The embers speak to me, and tell me of a deep pain in you, and a future of continued greatness m'lord" Again he pauses, and this time looks towards Miss Eastwood. He whispers again under his breath, and the flames in the torches turn green. "And you m'lady, the sparks whisper of success, wealth, and someone very close to you on this very ship."

 

[Baba Luga]

The audience watches with anticipation at the strange lights and eerie music. Sir Fishbanner's eyes register surprise. His daughter smirks and blushes, looking around from face to face. The Baronet clears his throat and speaks up. "And what do they say, my little seer, about my suit for the losses we suffered in the eruption of Mount Hotenow?" Lady Fishbanner rolls her eyes and sighs audibly. Raven and Aseir recognize Mount Hotenow as a volcano that eupted nearly thirty years ago, destroying a large portion of the city of Neverwinter. Snikket, on the other hand, is completely unfamiliar with the volcano or its eruption years before he was even born.

 

[DarkHorseAsh]

Raven grimaces, knowing that snikket knows absolutely nothing about this. He crouches down, before hurtling himself over to Snikket's area of the deck. he snarls, pulling gums back to show his teeth and snapping his jaws about, trying to look as threatening as a very skinny, collared tabaxi can.

 

[Baba Luga]

As Raven lunges forward, there are gasps from those seated around him. Doctor Lurr's jaw drops; he seems on the verge of getting up himself. But the sounds of surprise soon transform into mutters of confusion. "What's going on?" asks the priest of Waukeen. "Does he have distemper?" Sailors snicker down from their perches on the spars above.

Snikket now stands with Raven just inches away, putting on this strange, clearly faked fit of rage. Doctor Lurr has his face buried in one hand. The Baronet sits sternly, frowning as he waits for the answer to his question about his claim.

 

[TableTopical]

Snikket stares blankly at Raven, briefly cocks his head to the side, and steps around the Tabaxi before continuing to speak with the Baronet. "Yes, yes. Snikket sees it. The sky darkening with ash... destruction.. sorrow" He pauses, walking over to one of the torches and staring at it for a long second. "The flames have taken their toll. You are in their favor m'lord. The portents favor your claim."

Snikket bows to the baronet, before walking back to Raven and patting his head. "Now sit boy, you've been a bad kitty"