Tales of Fantasy & Wonder Vol. 1

II - Shipwreck

Shipwreck

Game II                                                             July 26th 2017

Having been kept secured with Jhor in an enclosed cargo hold below decks, Xammy manages to slip out of the wrist manacles on the second day after leaving the Ruins of Karnath. The manacles where linked to a longer guide chain bolted to either wall on which Jhor is still bound, so after a brief consultation with the man-at-arms Xammy peeks out of the stable like door to survey the bowels of the ship with a cantrip will-o-whisp, hoping to find the turnkey for Jhor's bonds.

The key is nowhere close, so he ventured toward a swaying lantern near an open hatch as a voice called out. An old shipmate asks why he is hiding down here (mistaking him for any other crewmate) when there is work to be done for the coming storm. A rope is forced on him and he is giving the task of taking it to the fore of the ship to help the others crewmates.

Finding himself marched up onto the decks to play the part for the half blind old crewman, Xammy eyes a brooding storm in the far west as the sun sets behind it. Moving quickly with the rope to the prow head and the men securing the ship against the rising winds, he looks further north and then to the east, noting the outlines of distant islands reflecting in the dying sunlight. He continues the act as 'crewman' for some minutes, with most men too busy to pay attention to his release from the holds until Capt Hafson lays a hand on his shoulder and brings him back to his cabin.

Capt Hafson suspects that Xammy is a wizard of some from his past association with Gherlen. Making him take a seat in the merchant captain's cabin, Hafson asks Xammy if he knows anything about wizardry, to which he feigns any knowledge. Having a few of Gherlen's possessions still on board, Hafson introduces a green volumed spell book, followed by Xammy's scroll case (being confiscated with other possessions since Xammy and Jhor were first shackled below decks). Seizing the opportunity to somehow use the book for egress, the mage apprentice remembers some few words of magic, if he has anything to read to make them effective.

Wily to the dangers of magic and its practitioners, Hafson calls for another mate, 'Patches' to join the interrogation by taking a seat beside the wizard and cleaning his nails with a dagger casually. Three pages are ripped from the book, and the captain covers the body of writing with his free hand, only revealing the larger titles of the spell passages as they are held up. He demands to know the contents, especially if it can help them from the gathering storm in the west. The pages contain an alteration spell (Alt self lvl 2), a ward of evil (Prot. Evil lvl 1) and the strength of the hare's jump (Jump lvl 1)

Understanding each page and professing their true application to the captain, Xammy offers to try the ward against evil here in the cabin, to keep away any malevolent influence that might be responsible for the wild weather. Patches warns the captain that the wizard might be the origin of the bad luck that seems to have followed them the entire journey. Unable to make up his mind, Hafson has the wizard bound more securely and returned to the cargo hold.

Jhor quizzes him on the chance he snuck any tools back under his robe, then about the situation above decks. Even below the growing ferocity of the storm can be felt as the ship swings over the crest of mountainous waves. Halfway through another plan to escape their bonds as water pools up under their feet, the ship careens sideways, knocking Xammy out cold as his head meets the ceiling.

There are vague memories of torrential rain and white lightning in the skies, an arm under his own to keep him above water, the impact of wooden flotsam being thrown in the wrath of the sea storm. However, when he opens his eyes to suck up air the skies are bright blue morning and patrolling seagulls calling back and forth. Rising from the beach with layers of kelp over his chest and mouth, Xammy peels it away from his face, revealing a torn page from Gherlen's green volume (Prot. Evil). The high tide line of the beach shows evidence of a wrecked ship, along with a lone body blurring into the sand.