Summary 15: The Spy Among Us
"You truly are a beautiful person, and your beauty grows with each passing hour".
Garland lay on his side staring at his bed partner Crimson and caressed her hair whilst she slept. After the passing of several minutes Garland slowly rolled out of bed and donned the disguise of Baltar. Quietly leaving the room he made his way towards the deck, where at this hour he was certain everyone was sound asleep. The night sky was scattered with stars and a full moon, the wind was calm and the Glaive was motionless. Garland was at peace as he leaned over the starboard rail and pulled from his attire his journal and quill.
"I fear that I might have gotten myself way over my head. Perhaps I should have heeded the warnings of the apparent witch who boarded the Sea Wyvern and murdered my brother. I should have stayed in Sasserine and remain ignorant to many dangers that were unfolding around me. Instead I chose to ignore the warning and the apparent threat upon my family and though cleverly disguised, trouble has still managed to find myself whilst out at sea on what could be the grandest of adventures in ones life. What started as a simple plan of sailing to an island to claim the riches has turned out instead to be a nerve racking and nearly fatal experience.
If my brother was still around, we would have solved the many problems that had sprung up in but a few hours. Instead days have passed and one problem grew into two, followed by three and so on. I believe were we lucky to have found out about the lying Father, and Crimsons methods though cruel do serve other more promising purposes. So our journey continued towards the Keep of Heironious to deliver a package that we believed to be very dangerous. Rather than leaving the sea to claim the package, we kept it locked up in the hold and agreed to open it when at port to see what possible dangers would have been unleashed had we presented it to the Church of Heironious. After docking and passing a short cargo inspection Gustave and I located a quite and scarcely populated area and pried the box open. Nothing happened. Peeking inside Gustave discovered three parchments all in a writing that neither of us understood. Returning to the Glaive we handed them to Crimson who has embraced both the ways of a clergy and as a Paladin. She was able to determine that the parchments were maps of Portals in the surrounding areas to another plane and scrolls to teleport there. Confused as to why this would pose any danger to the Clerics of the Temple, we decided to pawn the parchments and add the coinage to our pouches. With a few days remaining till we departed the crew took the opportunity to spread their legs, shops & dine while my persona Baltar took change of over seeing the re-stocking of our supplies.
Things went well for the next few days, but I must admit watching Captain Cindel pilot my ship disturbs me slightly. I long and ache to take my Captaincy role back, but we're still to close to Sasserine and to the spies who are clearly keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any Gansworth news.
I believe it was upon the third day out from the Heironious Keep that I felt ill whilst heading towards Crimson's chamber which was just the start of further problems to come. Though I eagerly waited our 'private' meeting... apart of me didn't want to show any signs of weakness to her. I took the opportunity to speak with the Druid onboard and he assured me that all was fine and that I required rest. Taking his suggestion I saw Crimson and planned on resting afterwards, but my illness progressed to cause pain and Crimson used her own divine might and found out that I had been poisoned. As she spoke those words I immediately feared the worse and someone on board had discovered my true identity and was attempting to finally do away with me. Crimson used her soothing tone to calm my nerves and she further detected that the poison used was venom found in snakes. Thus began a long investigation which led us to the druid Urol himself, the very gnome who moments ago told me that my health was fine. Within the cargo hold held a crate full of venomous snakes and spiders, and thus we began thinking of the methods of delivery and a motive, but both Crimson and I came to only one conclusion... t'was Malerna the cook. The only way this toxin could infiltrate the body was through digestion. We spent several minutes questioning her and her whereabouts for that eve, along with that pompous Meravanchi and the cabin boy Tavey who delivered the food to the crew. Unfortunately the more questions we asked the more did we begin to suspect that a doppelganger had boarded the ship and was impersonating Malerna whom happened to be in two places at once?
Signally the Blue Nixie to dock along side the Glaive a meeting took place between the leaders and of course everyone but myself to discuss the problem at hand. We determined that the doppelganger must have been the one to damage the pulley system several days earlier, or that it was possible that each ship housed one of these creatures set on dismantling this expedition. Thus began the long investigation into the personal possessions and questioning of the crew, only to reveal nothing out of the ordinary except for a few things. We found out that Lefty was once a member of the Krakens Society which obviously did not bode to well with Crimson, Jasper informed us that another expedition from the Krakens Society was also making their way towards the Isle, and Captain Amella was in fact seeking out her ex-fiancé Vanthus to do away with him. Though somewhat disturbed by most of this information we did not find anything that related to the current situation. We took the investigation one step further and questioned the three animals on board the ships and as luck would have it, Mayor Meravanchi's horse revealed that whilst a large commotion occurred on ship several days earlier... a mysterious figure hid by the crates within the hold that was the horses temporary home. Though this gave us further information it was not useful at that time leaving us at their mercy. We could do nothing more than await another attack or sabotage from the creatures and attempt to put an end to their lives.
That night I was heading once again to Crimson's chambers when I heard a scream for help from the deck. As I hastily made my way their, I heard the splashing coming from the waters below. Running to port side leaning over I saw Malerna naked in the water, arms wailing about as she was being attacked and eaten by a large white shark. With little else I could do I noticed her clothing on deck not too far from the rope ladder. That is about when the rest of the crew from both ships their way on their decks and found out about the tragedy. Motioning Gustave over I began o speak to both him and Crimson about Malerna and her clothing on deck. We came to the conclusion that it was possible that she took an unauthorized dip late at night, or perhaps she was accompanied by someone else... possibly her murderer. Having Crimson remain on deck with the crew members Gustave and I ventured below to once more check out the crew quarters for possible evidence or better yet a doppelganger. As luck would have it we noticed within the chambers of Gavin a pile of wet clothing and several potion vials were missing. With no further evidence we spoke with Crimson who then tried as she might was not able to convince Gavin to confess to any of the incidences that were occurring on the ships.
We were all about give in and allow the crew to return to their chambers when Crimson thought of something. Perhaps the intruder once again was hiding in the cargo hold because of the 'commotion' that we were currently engaged in. Believing her idea to be sound we went below and after a through check revealed nothing we returned topside. Luckily Gustave came up with one final solution, that though we have checked the ships from top to bottom we never actually checked the underside of the ships. Diving into the water I noticed an odd coral like structure attached to the ship. Surfacing I signaled Gustave to join me in determining what the coral was, only to find out that it housed a gruesome creature. It was nearly identical to the creature we fought within the underground trap alongside Max. We attempted to attack the being to no prevail as it kept its distance and fired magic at us. Oddly enough nothing happened, but we retreated to gather Crimson and her aid before attempting another confrontation. As the three of us approached the creature it looked at me once more and asked that I kill Gustave. From that moment on my body was no longer under my control, but my mind was strong and fought the influence allowing me to misaligned my strikes and thus missing Gustave throughout the battle. I could not live with myself had I killed him once more, even if it would have been two accidental deaths. The remaining battle was fairly easy as Crimson and Gustave destroyed the evil creature controlling my body. We thought all our problems were over and we could finally sail in peace... boy were we wrong.
We sailed several more days without incident as expected. Our worries were over with until the Blue Nixie stopped suddenly in her tracks. A thick fog blanketed the ships, more so around the Nixie and Captain Cindel began turning the Glaive around to begin circling the Nixie. What we all saw as we approached was something unimaginable. What I can only describe as climbing up the side of the Nixie's hull was a massive blob. Its size was incredible and it seemed to leave behind it a trail of scorched wood. Realizing the danger that the Nixie was in, Captain Cindel hastened her approach and began docking procedures. Crimson and I were ready to board to aid the crew of the Nixie. As we boarded I noticed that Gustave had already suffered great injuries from a possible attack by the blob that was focusing on devouring the mast. Taking charge I ran in throwing my buckler at the creature and backing away to see what harm the metal of the shield would take. To my surprise none, but I clearly aggravated the thing and with a speed I thought impossible the creature charged at me lashing out with a long tentacle. Everything went dark for a short time but I remembered my eyes fluttered open to the sight of Crimson's bosom's as she leaned over me to treat my wounds. I apparently was brought to near death while the blob had turned around and continued its feasting. Gustave took the time to instruct the crew to fire their arrows at it in hopes to distract it. This gave me enough time to quaff an enlarge potion that I had been keeping for just this occasion. Running in and out I swung with all my might piercing the blob causing it severe pain. It attempted to retaliate and charge at me once more, however I managed to keep it at bay with my weapon. I then saw Crimson in all her glory, as she approached the blob touching it and infusing it with dark energy. I had never seen such bravery and selfishness which I must admit both made me appreciate her more, and nearly gave me a heart attack. With Gustave and his men firing arrows at the creature, and Cimson by my side the combined efforts prevailed and we destroyed the blob before it could cause further damage to the ship or injuries to the crew.
That was yesterday afternoon and I can't help but wonder what else we must endure. What began as a simple expedition has turned out to be a life altering experience. Death, warnings, enemies and danger surrounds us. I've come close to death myself on numerous occasions… I fear that sooner than later tragedy will strike again."
Garland lay on his side staring at his bed partner Crimson and caressed her hair whilst she slept. After the passing of several minutes Garland slowly rolled out of bed and donned the disguise of Baltar. Quietly leaving the room he made his way towards the deck, where at this hour he was certain everyone was sound asleep. The night sky was scattered with stars and a full moon, the wind was calm and the Glaive was motionless. Garland was at peace as he leaned over the starboard rail and pulled from his attire his journal and quill.
"I fear that I might have gotten myself way over my head. Perhaps I should have heeded the warnings of the apparent witch who boarded the Sea Wyvern and murdered my brother. I should have stayed in Sasserine and remain ignorant to many dangers that were unfolding around me. Instead I chose to ignore the warning and the apparent threat upon my family and though cleverly disguised, trouble has still managed to find myself whilst out at sea on what could be the grandest of adventures in ones life. What started as a simple plan of sailing to an island to claim the riches has turned out instead to be a nerve racking and nearly fatal experience.
If my brother was still around, we would have solved the many problems that had sprung up in but a few hours. Instead days have passed and one problem grew into two, followed by three and so on. I believe were we lucky to have found out about the lying Father, and Crimsons methods though cruel do serve other more promising purposes. So our journey continued towards the Keep of Heironious to deliver a package that we believed to be very dangerous. Rather than leaving the sea to claim the package, we kept it locked up in the hold and agreed to open it when at port to see what possible dangers would have been unleashed had we presented it to the Church of Heironious. After docking and passing a short cargo inspection Gustave and I located a quite and scarcely populated area and pried the box open. Nothing happened. Peeking inside Gustave discovered three parchments all in a writing that neither of us understood. Returning to the Glaive we handed them to Crimson who has embraced both the ways of a clergy and as a Paladin. She was able to determine that the parchments were maps of Portals in the surrounding areas to another plane and scrolls to teleport there. Confused as to why this would pose any danger to the Clerics of the Temple, we decided to pawn the parchments and add the coinage to our pouches. With a few days remaining till we departed the crew took the opportunity to spread their legs, shops & dine while my persona Baltar took change of over seeing the re-stocking of our supplies.
Things went well for the next few days, but I must admit watching Captain Cindel pilot my ship disturbs me slightly. I long and ache to take my Captaincy role back, but we're still to close to Sasserine and to the spies who are clearly keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any Gansworth news.
I believe it was upon the third day out from the Heironious Keep that I felt ill whilst heading towards Crimson's chamber which was just the start of further problems to come. Though I eagerly waited our 'private' meeting... apart of me didn't want to show any signs of weakness to her. I took the opportunity to speak with the Druid onboard and he assured me that all was fine and that I required rest. Taking his suggestion I saw Crimson and planned on resting afterwards, but my illness progressed to cause pain and Crimson used her own divine might and found out that I had been poisoned. As she spoke those words I immediately feared the worse and someone on board had discovered my true identity and was attempting to finally do away with me. Crimson used her soothing tone to calm my nerves and she further detected that the poison used was venom found in snakes. Thus began a long investigation which led us to the druid Urol himself, the very gnome who moments ago told me that my health was fine. Within the cargo hold held a crate full of venomous snakes and spiders, and thus we began thinking of the methods of delivery and a motive, but both Crimson and I came to only one conclusion... t'was Malerna the cook. The only way this toxin could infiltrate the body was through digestion. We spent several minutes questioning her and her whereabouts for that eve, along with that pompous Meravanchi and the cabin boy Tavey who delivered the food to the crew. Unfortunately the more questions we asked the more did we begin to suspect that a doppelganger had boarded the ship and was impersonating Malerna whom happened to be in two places at once?
Signally the Blue Nixie to dock along side the Glaive a meeting took place between the leaders and of course everyone but myself to discuss the problem at hand. We determined that the doppelganger must have been the one to damage the pulley system several days earlier, or that it was possible that each ship housed one of these creatures set on dismantling this expedition. Thus began the long investigation into the personal possessions and questioning of the crew, only to reveal nothing out of the ordinary except for a few things. We found out that Lefty was once a member of the Krakens Society which obviously did not bode to well with Crimson, Jasper informed us that another expedition from the Krakens Society was also making their way towards the Isle, and Captain Amella was in fact seeking out her ex-fiancé Vanthus to do away with him. Though somewhat disturbed by most of this information we did not find anything that related to the current situation. We took the investigation one step further and questioned the three animals on board the ships and as luck would have it, Mayor Meravanchi's horse revealed that whilst a large commotion occurred on ship several days earlier... a mysterious figure hid by the crates within the hold that was the horses temporary home. Though this gave us further information it was not useful at that time leaving us at their mercy. We could do nothing more than await another attack or sabotage from the creatures and attempt to put an end to their lives.
That night I was heading once again to Crimson's chambers when I heard a scream for help from the deck. As I hastily made my way their, I heard the splashing coming from the waters below. Running to port side leaning over I saw Malerna naked in the water, arms wailing about as she was being attacked and eaten by a large white shark. With little else I could do I noticed her clothing on deck not too far from the rope ladder. That is about when the rest of the crew from both ships their way on their decks and found out about the tragedy. Motioning Gustave over I began o speak to both him and Crimson about Malerna and her clothing on deck. We came to the conclusion that it was possible that she took an unauthorized dip late at night, or perhaps she was accompanied by someone else... possibly her murderer. Having Crimson remain on deck with the crew members Gustave and I ventured below to once more check out the crew quarters for possible evidence or better yet a doppelganger. As luck would have it we noticed within the chambers of Gavin a pile of wet clothing and several potion vials were missing. With no further evidence we spoke with Crimson who then tried as she might was not able to convince Gavin to confess to any of the incidences that were occurring on the ships.
We were all about give in and allow the crew to return to their chambers when Crimson thought of something. Perhaps the intruder once again was hiding in the cargo hold because of the 'commotion' that we were currently engaged in. Believing her idea to be sound we went below and after a through check revealed nothing we returned topside. Luckily Gustave came up with one final solution, that though we have checked the ships from top to bottom we never actually checked the underside of the ships. Diving into the water I noticed an odd coral like structure attached to the ship. Surfacing I signaled Gustave to join me in determining what the coral was, only to find out that it housed a gruesome creature. It was nearly identical to the creature we fought within the underground trap alongside Max. We attempted to attack the being to no prevail as it kept its distance and fired magic at us. Oddly enough nothing happened, but we retreated to gather Crimson and her aid before attempting another confrontation. As the three of us approached the creature it looked at me once more and asked that I kill Gustave. From that moment on my body was no longer under my control, but my mind was strong and fought the influence allowing me to misaligned my strikes and thus missing Gustave throughout the battle. I could not live with myself had I killed him once more, even if it would have been two accidental deaths. The remaining battle was fairly easy as Crimson and Gustave destroyed the evil creature controlling my body. We thought all our problems were over and we could finally sail in peace... boy were we wrong.
We sailed several more days without incident as expected. Our worries were over with until the Blue Nixie stopped suddenly in her tracks. A thick fog blanketed the ships, more so around the Nixie and Captain Cindel began turning the Glaive around to begin circling the Nixie. What we all saw as we approached was something unimaginable. What I can only describe as climbing up the side of the Nixie's hull was a massive blob. Its size was incredible and it seemed to leave behind it a trail of scorched wood. Realizing the danger that the Nixie was in, Captain Cindel hastened her approach and began docking procedures. Crimson and I were ready to board to aid the crew of the Nixie. As we boarded I noticed that Gustave had already suffered great injuries from a possible attack by the blob that was focusing on devouring the mast. Taking charge I ran in throwing my buckler at the creature and backing away to see what harm the metal of the shield would take. To my surprise none, but I clearly aggravated the thing and with a speed I thought impossible the creature charged at me lashing out with a long tentacle. Everything went dark for a short time but I remembered my eyes fluttered open to the sight of Crimson's bosom's as she leaned over me to treat my wounds. I apparently was brought to near death while the blob had turned around and continued its feasting. Gustave took the time to instruct the crew to fire their arrows at it in hopes to distract it. This gave me enough time to quaff an enlarge potion that I had been keeping for just this occasion. Running in and out I swung with all my might piercing the blob causing it severe pain. It attempted to retaliate and charge at me once more, however I managed to keep it at bay with my weapon. I then saw Crimson in all her glory, as she approached the blob touching it and infusing it with dark energy. I had never seen such bravery and selfishness which I must admit both made me appreciate her more, and nearly gave me a heart attack. With Gustave and his men firing arrows at the creature, and Cimson by my side the combined efforts prevailed and we destroyed the blob before it could cause further damage to the ship or injuries to the crew.
That was yesterday afternoon and I can't help but wonder what else we must endure. What began as a simple expedition has turned out to be a life altering experience. Death, warnings, enemies and danger surrounds us. I've come close to death myself on numerous occasions… I fear that sooner than later tragedy will strike again."
posted by Adimarchus | 5:58 PM
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