Friday September 23rd, 402 (2:30 a.m.) [9]:
Konishi and Ydoran drop the rope ladder over the side of the ship and climb down to the pier below*, slipping over to the escape boat and crawling in. After five minutes of scrutinizing every possible aspect of the vessel and nearby dock, though, they’re forced to throw up their hands, as there’s no sign of where the previous occupants have gone. Sitting for a moment to contemplate their situation, facing each other in the boat with dejected looks on their faces, they hear a slight splashing sound from under the dock, out of place amongst the rhythmic lapping they’ve gotten used to hearing during their search.
With lightning reflexes, Konishi reaches under the dock beside them and grabs hold of something, a creature that splashes and thrashes the instant it realizes it’s been discovered. With uncompromising strength, the ronin hauls in a man by the hair, who had been swimming underneath the dock toward the shore and just happened to surface briefly for air somewhere between the ship and the boat. The man is dressed in a dark shirt and dark pants and has an ugly face with close-set eyes and a puckered scar running across his upper lip. When he realizes he’s caught, the man relaxes and slumps into the boat to face his captors with a crooked smile.
“Pretty late for a swim,” Konishi begins, his left hand on his sheathed wakizashi’s hilt. “Cut to the chase – what do you know?”
“You want dirt, I got dirt,” the waterlogged scoundrel says, “Strange talking to you after all this – I’s the guy that hooked around and got you mixed up with every mank from here to Copper Bank. Nothing personal, you get? Sercate’s orders, do or die.”
“Okay, stop talking,” Konishi says, massaging his temple with his right hand. “Tell me, where is Sercate right now. We want to see her tonight, before dawn. Give us a location, a direction, whatever.”
“Oh, she’s gone, long gone, boss,” the man (who later identifies himself as Bishop) replies a bit cagily. “Enemies in town, no good here. Big cargo heading out east, she’s gone to join it no doubt. You saw the weapons in the ship belly I guess, well it’s a fully belly this time, too much with all the live bait, she’s got a wagon train she’s catching up to, has to be so. She’d be dropping her load at Fenwood Reach a few days east, where the lizards lie. They say they’re planning a raid on Blackwater soon, don’t know their beef. That’ll be a blood show I tell you, they won’t know what hit them.”
“I don’t know where that is,” Konishi growls, “Spill it,”
“I can’t say, as I don’t know how to say, but the jolly cap must have a map, check his room.”
Will Ydoran ask anything here? What will the party do now? Note that in order for Ydoran to re-memorize to full power he’ll need to rest until morning (say, around 9:00).
J
* There’s a bit of a stretch here, in that a ship of this size would most likely have to have been towed in before it could be moored since it’s not able to be oared. We’ll assume Caleb was able to manoeuvre the ship into place very slowly and, presumably, with not insignificant damage to the wharf just to get close enough that a ladder could be used.
I’ve decided to expand on Ydoran’s chosen plan of action just to give James more to work with. Please find a revised entry below:
Friday September 23rd, 402 (2:30 a.m.) [9]:
“What do you mean?” the scholar growls following Bishop’s claim that he had the party mixed up with every mank in the area, grabbing the scoundrel’s collar and pulling him in close for the answer.
Bishop’s cagey nature when asked about Sercate’s location elicits a suspicious glare from Ydoran after Konishi asks where their target may be found. Without any hint of a trail to follow there seems to be little hope in catching up with her now. Perhaps it’s best to regroup at the ship, locate the map in question, and plan for our next confrontation.
With that, Ydoran will plan to return to the ship to inform the others of what they’ve learned. He’ll also explain to the slaves in the hold that they’ve been freed from their captors and that in the morning, Ydoran will see to their release and safe passage into the city. Ydoran will also check Kai’s progress on healing the others perform a thorough search the captain’s quarters and the remainder of the ship with Konishi, utilizing the group’s wand to help reveal any hidden features in the ship. After he’s finished searching the ship Ydoran will use the remaining hours before sunrise to rest and re-memorize to the extent that time allows (in order):
[Ydoran will pick up his studies where he left off when he has a spare moment in the following days, whatever spells in this list remain unmemorized]
When the sun is up Ydoran will venture into Blackwater with Konishi, aiming to secure an audience with a local magistrate. He’ll inform them of the group’s recent victory over the slavers and of Sercate’s plan to attack the city. Ydoran will ask for an armed guard to help offload the slaves from the ship and transport them into a safe haven within the city walls. Ydoran will then seek to regroup aboard their moored ship to discuss the group’s next steps with the rest of the party.
“Search him, and then we bring him back with us. I’m sure we can make some room in the hold.