Road to Kebnegard, Chapter Twenty-Two

Hiring Sailors
Tuesday, April 17th, 988 AD

We leave the Chamber of the Twelve Doors and go back into Kevel. Reynaldo goes to the Harbormaster to try to get some sailors. The Harbormaster recommends three: Heino, Vladimir, and Iuli. Reynaldo interviews them while Wong stands behind him, pretending to look after her interests, but really just trying to catch flies.

Reynaldo: So, what's your experience?
Vladimir: I've sailed for a few years, mostly around the Baltic.
Reynaldo: Could you guide a ship to Gotland?
Vladimir: Probably, although I've never actually been there.
Reynaldo: Could you teach people to sail while sailing?
Vladimir: I think so, but I've never been asked to do that before.
Reynaldo: If you sign up with me--
Wong: (clears her throat)
Reynaldo: Us. If you sign up with us, your payment would be passage to Gotland or somewhere on the eastern coast of Sweden as well as food.
Vladimir: That sounds fine.
Reynaldo: Great. Welcome aboard. We leave tomorrow at first light.
Vladimir: Which one's your boat?
Reynaldo: You'll know it when you see it.

Next, Reynaldo interviews Heino, who's all of sixteen.

Reynaldo: So, what's your expereince?
Heino: Oh, you know, years.
Reynaldo: Years, huh?
Heino: Oh yeah. I've been sailing since I was, uh, you know... five?
Reynaldo: Right. Where have you sailed to?
Heino: Oh, you know, here and there.
Reynaldo: You've never sailed a day in your life, have you?
Heino: ...okay, no, I haven't, but I'd really like to learn.
Reynaldo: Sorry, kid. We're not a school.
Wong: Wait, I thought we were gonna get taught?
Reynaldo (sighs): Sorry kid.

And finally, Reynaldo interviews Iuli. [[ Reynaldo]]: So, what's your experience?
Iuli: I've been sailing to and from Gotland for years now.
Reynaldo: Oh yeah? That's great. Do you think you could teach some of my companions while sailing to Gotland?
Iuli: Totally, totally, but listen. I've got a problem.
Reynaldo: Oh?
Iuli: I maybe, kind of, sort of owe some money that I maybe, kind of, sort of don't have. I gotta get out of here as soon as possible.
Reynaldo: Well, we don't leave until tomorrow morning.
Iuli: That's fine, that's good. Here's the plan: You're gonna throw me out of here, pretending you didn't hire me, right? And then tomorrow morning-- What time are you sailing, exactly?
Reynaldo: At first light.
Iuli: Okay, great. You sail at first light. I'll be on the boat.

Reynaldo and Wong throw him out of the inn and make spurious comments about his mother.

Wong: You know you never actually hired him, right?
Reynaldo: Yeah.

Regardless, Reynaldo settled on both Vladimir and Iuli.

Later that evening, Reynaldo and Vera went gambling. Reynaldo tried to get the dice to roll in his favor, but couldn't and finally left, 10 gold down.

Pirates
Wednesday, April 18th, 988 AD

At sunrise, Wong pulls the Valgae Leya out of her pack and says the magic word. Vladimir is there already and we all get ready to sail. As we pull up anchor, Iuli comes running from the city with a mob behind him. He jumps onto the netting and Reynaldo recognizes the guy he lost money to the night before in the mob. He helps Iuli onto the boat and salutes the guy.

Anna talks to some fish in the water to ask about sea monsters. They say there are some really long snakes called Myosar to the east and some flying-tentacly things that flew north. While down underwater, Anna finds a magical iron hat. She brought it up and Vera tries it on, but nothing happens. Iuli says the long snakes are called Myosa and are descended from the Midgard Serpent. Anna then Divinates about the kind of monsters we can expect on the Baltic. God echoes the warnings about the flying-tentacly things that the fish were talking about.

After only a few minutes of sailing, a pirate ship shows up on the horizon. Captain Coldfin of the pirate ship tells us to give him our booty. Reynaldo takes a page from Gunther's book and says that instead they should give us their booty and we won't take their ship. Coldfin smiles and then tries to throw a bag onto our boat. Reynaldo flies into the air to catch the bag as Anna and Wong fear most of the pirate sailors. Reynaldo catches the bag, but is Lightning Bolted by the pirates' Finnish warlock, Lini. Reynaldo drops the bag and feathers inside of it start to become men who try to float onto our boat. Coldfin jumps onto our ship and the party starts to fight him. Iuli asks for a long sword and when is offered a short sword, he says he can't use it. He finally gets a long sword and he, Vera, Shara, Conrad, Stepanova, and Wong fight the Feather Men as they land in the boat. Reynaldo Magic Missiles a lot of them before they reach the boat as well as going after Lini. Anna and Coldfin go blow to blow on the Valgae Leya, but when he sees that he's losing, he jumps under water and Anna follows him. They continue dueling under the boat, and after Lini runs away, Reynaldo helps Anna. We finally capture Coldfin and Shara charms him. He gives up his gold and silver then jumps overboard. We take the pirate ship, shrink down the Valgae Leya, and force the pirates to swim to the Estonian shore.

We sail to the island of Sarema where we sail the weapons we confiscated from the pirates and then sleep on the boat.

Storm
Thursday and Friday, April 19th and 20th, 988 AD

There is a storm that grounds us for two days. Moishe and Anna use this time to heal us all up.

Grell Attack
Saturday, April 21st, 988 AD

The storm finally subsides and we leave Sarema. After a few hours, Vera, from the Crow's Nest, spots three strange things on the horizon. Reynaldo gives the order to circumvent the objects., but the objects disappear. Reynaldo casts Fly on a protesting Conrad so that he can fly ahead of the boat and therefore become a second look-out.

Suddenly, three flying brains with tentacles attack the ship. Conrad fights one over the sea and the other two come at the guys on the boat. Their tentacles paralyze everybody but Reynaldo (because of his Axe of Free Action), but most of the party get a few good licks in, as does Iuli. Conrad is paralyzed as well, but because he can fly, he can ram the brain with this sword. Anna comes out of her paralyzation and the three of them take care of the three Grells, or so Iuli says they're called.

After the battle, we see Gotland on the horizon.

End Chapter Twenty-Two
Previous: Road to Kebnegard, Chapter Twenty-One
Next: Road to Kebnegard, Chapter Twenty-Three