Aboard the Red Horizon part 1

Life, Relocation

20CA
3/1 10:00

20CA
7/1 20:00

Once on board and the Red Horizon had set sail, First Mate Jasper Hart rounded up the volunteer crew of Samaritans to figure out where they will be most helpful. The Oddbasilians were asked to assist with ship maintenance, the clerics were asked to help with morale, Barnaby Imigin was asked to help with maintenance and upkeep, and Josh Beck was asked not to mess anything up. He discovered Adeline had adequate sailing knowledge, Aurum was somewhat trained, and Ryz would be instrumental in maintaining morale, as well as be an eager volunteer.

Settling In

An aide to the Ilengalese ambassador, Alais Binorin, surfaced requesting when dinner will be served. Frustrated but putting on his most professional face, First Mate Hart replied "6, as always." Alais descended after a beat. Looking to Liana Pinea, Hart asked if he could assist with managing the ambassador envoy - Pinea accepted. Everyone started performing their duties, getting into routine and learning the flow of their responsibilities. The first lunch and dinner on board was self segregated as people hadn't quite mingled together. Captain Roger Winmore Knotley made appearances as he helmed the ship in rotation with First Mate Hart. As the days went on, everyone except the Ilengalese envoy intermingled more and more. The children of the envoy - Fia Leobella, Lynnam Leobella, and Mialli Dorra - played and ran around the ship periodically. One day, Mialli and Lynnam had a disagreement, fighting over a small doll. The argument ended over a slap from Lynnam and left Mialli crying. Ryz came down the stairs to console her. She juggled and cajoled the child with their charm which helped her calm down. As most of the crew and passengers noticed this interaction, spirits were lifted on the ship.

Out of Season

A few days into the journey, a pink fog began hovering over the water level. In the evenings and at night the fog would lift higher into the air and would waft over the deck. The gentle glow and soft chill it gave was exciting and comforting to all but the crew. For the next two days the fog slowly condensed into pink, ephemeral tendrils. The more they condensed, the more diligent the crew performed their duties. By day four, the crew would do their duties continuously, only requiring the volunteers to do so once in the morning and afternoon as usual. It was clear that the fog was a reason to be on the lookout, but none on the crew gave any indication that it was to be feared. On the fifth day, the fog had coalesced into relatively solid forms. Ryz noticed that the way it flowed and hovered atop the water was similar to how the weave felt when they cast spells. As the day went on, there crew continued doing their rounds. As the sun set, and the fog began rolling over the deck, Adeline noticed the crew was settling into position to maneuver.

Encounter: The Heron Captain

It seemed The Heron Captain was active earlier than expected. Thanks to the vigilance of Captain Knotley and his crew, the initial attack was not as devastating as it could have been. The misty tendrils that hanged above deck of the Red Horizon coalesced into large, pink, ephemeral chains. As they settled on the deck, a large, pink, ephemeral anchor splashed out of the water off the starboard side of the ship, sailing far overhead. Captain Knotley called for evasive maneuvers. The anchor splashed down into the water just off the bow, missing where the bulk of the people on board were standing, but not enough to dodge the chain entirely. Unfortunately, the children of the Ilengalese ambassadors were there. As the anchor's chain hit the deck, Mialli Dorra was hit hard, almost killing her outright. She ragdolled and fell overboard. Fia and Lynnam Leobella could only look on in horror. The anchor pulled the chain taught shortly after splashing back down into the water, slamming the ship to a halt. Thanks to the quick actions of the crew, only two people were hurt when the ship was slammed to a halt; Nava Beck, who received only a minor bruise when failing to keep her footing, and the young Mialli. Aurum ran to head below decks and retrieve his armaments while Ryz and Adeline bolted to the bow to save Mialli. As they ran, from the chain stepped a large, imposing, ethereal figure weilding an anchor and cutlass: the Heron Captain had stepped aboard. Acting quickly, Adeline grabbed the two kids, still in shock, and brought them to the stairs to hide before tying a rope to her waist and diving overboard. Aurum dashed his way below decks, calling for Josh and Barnaby to head topside. He quickly donned his armor and began making his way back up. Ryz protected the scared children and assisted Adeline in her return to the top of the ship. Once the unconscious child was safe on board, Ryz cast a spell, healing the child. As the three friends reunited with a wave of relief, Adeline and Ryz moved to join the fight. First Mate Hart fired a shot from a magic pistol that seemed to both injure and annoy the Heron Captain before darting over to several deckhands tring to heave a chain off of the deck. Captain Knotley jumped from the helm and into his quarters where the rustling and clanging of equipment could be heard. The Heron Captain thrust out his arm, from which another chain came flying out hitting the deck near the First Mate. Once embedded in the deck, the chain pulled taught and the Heron Captain flew towards the crew. Once there, he swung his anchor wide, hitting all of the crew members there, knocking two of them overboard. Josh could not overcome his fear, unable to bring himself to get to the top deck. Barnaby stayed by him, casting what little offensive magic he could muster. Ryz and Adeline worked to keep crew members and passengers safe while firing off attacks. Aurum and Captain Knotley appeared flanking the Heron Captain. Aurum's sword ignited with holy light as he slashed at the Heron Captain, briefly bifurcating him. While no sound came from the Heron Captain's mouth, everyone could see the agonizing scream and overextended jaw from his mouth as he recoiled in pain. As his angry gaze turned on Aurum, Captain Knotley fired off two shots from the collection of magic pistols he gathered, barely missing the Heron Captain as he recovered from his pained movements. The crew managed to hoist several of the ethereal chains off of the deck, beginning the process of freeing the ship. The Ilengalese ambassadors, and their guards, locked themselves away in the glass room. Ryz fired off a spell at the Heron Captain, but he seemed to shrug off its effects with his anger. Adeline fired an arrow and watched it sail straight through him, confirming their suspicions that they needed magic for this fight. The Heron Captain swung his anchor at Aurum, smashing into his armor and severely wounding him while also hitting many more crew members, and knocking another into the water. As Aurum recovered, two more shots could be heard blasting out from Captain Knotley as he pulled two more pistols from their holsters. These two ripped through the Heron Captain's back. As they did, the Heron Captain and his ethereal chains began to dematerialize, returning to the light, pink fog it was before.

No time for a breather

Without missing a beat, Adeline and the First Mate Hart tied lines to themselves and dove into the water to rescue the deckhands who were thrown from the ship. They were able to rescue them before they drowned. Ryz and Aurum healed up the wounded on board as Captain Knotley began to fume. He stormed below deck, leaving everyone in stunned, awkward silence. Adeline slipped down after him without anyone noticing. Captain Knotley pounded on the door to the glass room for a moment before boiling over and deciding to fire at the handle, unlocking the door. He slammed it open with a swift kick and stormed in. He berated the ambassadors and their guards, his angry yells echoing through the ship, though the exact words could not be heard. It was a brief reaming, after which he left no room for reply, storming back to the helm, slamming the broken door behind him. The crew assessed the damage to the ship and got it moving as quickly as possible. Thankfully no one was killed, but the encounter did leave several people shaken. The life of a sailor...

_{To Be Continued}