conversations: human
conversations:  It was time to leave, word was that the Dark Empire's forces had been seen in the surrounding woods, the town was no longer safe, and nobody wanted to stick around to see if the evil king might win and enslave them all as zombie minions, shuffling about for the rest of their days.  There was no gold to be made as a mindless zombie after all...
  
  Hurriedly the ship was untied even as the last crate of valuable merchandise was loaded aboard.  As the ship passed out from the coast however, a great black dragon could be seen circling about the giant mountain that supported the great mining industry of the town.  Worse, an even more immense red dragon sat upon the mountain staring up at the black, roaring a thunderous roar that shook the very mountain with its might.  Quickly the boat was pushed away from the docks.  No need to be near any of that.  Suddenly walls of force sprang into existence all about the red dragon, it's flames curling in upon itself.  Even more infuriated the red dragon shrieked, but the black dragon was already descending on other prey.
  
  Then there was a hum.
  
  The unnatural sort of sound that makes your hairs stand on end, that warns a man that something not wholy natural is about to occur.  The taste in the air, that salty-sweet taste.  That was the taste of magic!  The sky darkened, and red lightening arced though it with even more ferocity then the dragons below had shown.  Rain of a striking violet falls heavily upon the whole of the settlement as the water near the shore seems to drain into nowhere, pulling the ship with a startling ferocity towards the shallow beaches.  Almost immediately as the waters begin to drain though, a truly gargantuan creature bursts from the foaming and seathing water of the coast-line. With a roughly humanoid looking frame it has 6 arms, long thin and bony looking, each arm ending in a mass of tentacles. A large bulbous head atop it's shoulders sports a mouth full of an impossible volume of fangs, all dripping with venom that cracks and spits and it drips onto the ground before it. 16 eyes in stalks swivel on it's head, a large central eye scanning across the field of battle before it. As it pulls it'self from the water it reveals 6 legs, each one ending in flippers more than feet. A great stench of wet rotting matter wafts over the battlefield.  Already it was happening too fast, too much too...  Somehow it all felt like a dream, it was all a dream, it must be right?  The water that had been drawn to the point lapsed against the creature with all the momentum it had gained, and the sea rolled back throwing the ship further out to sea.  Dimly you remember the black dragon charing the humanoidal aberration, and then the whole world went dark.
  
  Slowly the rhythmic lapsing of waves on the hull roused you, back on the coast rivers of blood still dripped into the seas below, but there was no sign of that creature, had it been a dream?  Had it really all been a dream?  This far out even the dragons would be indiscernible, but somehow you felt you'd know that uncanny image if you saw it again...
  
  Still, the ship seemed undamaged, and if there had been a storm it had passed, and a merchant knows that if anything's real it's gold, and time with the gold that could be made with it was a-wasting.
   
   Spoiler 
  
  +1 skill point of Forbidden Knowledge
  
  "What do you do?"
   
conversations: drack:
conversations: human
conversations:  Fast-quick  The thoughts were rashing to emerge, to escape into words. But a captain is only captain as long as he keeps his cool and temper. The situation was most decidedly not under control, but appeareances were paramount. I adjust my coat, hold my hat down and gaze upon the screwed up situation at the coast.
  
  "Mr Creedy!"
  
  The yell is loud, my voice tying itself to that of the opera singers, a strong bass that raises respect and for a moment eveeryone in the tripulation stands aside. Within the ship I am more fearsome than the dragons, specially if those dragons are far away.
  
  "Aye, cap!"
  
  The old salty crow is a good aide. Good with numbers and times, he can keep track of proper tea time even under a thunderstorm. Nerves steeled with rum. Rum was ever present in Creedy, in fact it most certainly sapped from him, he wasn't a sneaker, but he would immediately fail if he attempted it from downwind. Creedy, the rum soaked bastard, was most likely flamable.
  
  "Play to the sails."
  
   He was also handy with a drum. And as the percusion started rumbling the crows started to climb the nests, maning the mast and letting the sails loose. I let Pazu, my small raven familiar, out of his favourite fold under my coat's neck and after bribbing it with a pintch of corn bread he flies to the crow's nest. He will keep an eye on the situation while I go to take the helm. I don't normally do it, limiting myself to ster our helmsman Mr Spade, or try for he is a bad mouthed piece of hell that could trash a peacock's tail in a staring contest. Mr Spade though only mumbles a little as I take the helm. There is little to no insult in it. That can't be good.
  
  "Okay maggots, listen up, we are getting out of here. Now. So give me some cloth and I'll make the rest you sightseeing bastards. We've done this before, get moving now."
  
  As they run to order, to their credit they do not dwell in disarray but man their posts swiftly, I turn to Creedy once again.
  
  "Tell my wife I want the cargo secured, inspected and checked. Anything that seems remotely magical or interesting is to be put aside for when I've got time to check on it. If any of those shovelheads was wise enough to get leather as instructed she can seize it and work on her designs. Then she can work on upping the value of the wares."
  
   
   Spoiler 
  I am moving away as soon as the ship is ready, and fully loaded, my familiar is at the top of the ship looking at stuff while the cohort is inspecting the cargo. Should I post their sheets somewhere by the way?
   
conversations: thethird:
conversations: human
conversations:  The water is water, the cargo is secure and accounted for, and the ship itself seems to be ready to sail.
   
   Spoiler 
  
  Where are you going?  What are you doing?  😛
   
conversations: drack: