We decide to continue onto the boat. Balthazar gathers us around on the deck and tells us what he heard in his horn. INSERT HORNS RAMBLING The voices sounded excited. Laden was excited to see B. Laden is coming up the stairs to the read to the captains quarters.
Go amongst the cre and find information about Laden. The crew by and large is less than eager to talk to us about themselves or laden. They keep to their tasks
Talking with the captain…
K has always been on this boat, staying toward the coast, never going to the center which is always covered in mist. Rumored to be monsters there. Where it gets its name, Lake of Voices. Every once in a whil he can here the voices on teh wind, can hear them clearer as you get closer to the center. No words, more liek singing.
He seems reluctant to talk about Laden.
B: What’s the story with Laden? B senses unease with the crew
Captain (Kitto): He did just join us, not really crew.
We get teh sense C isn’t thrilled that L is here, trying to play it cool.
Boat’s name is Ysbryd
At the mention of the Sun King, K kind of goes rigid and looks to L. Of course we’ve heard of him, but hes doing his own thing. We’re just merchants doing our own thing.
S to K: Why did you allow us on your ship?
K: looks down at L, who’s strutting about the deck, “it was just hospitality, no reason to say no.” L sees us up and comes waltzing onto the poop deck.
L: Whats going on up here? How are we doing today? What’s the word?
B: just remarking ont he quality of the boat, the nature of the lake. Exciting, mysterious. We were wondering, since we don’t know much about you, why are you on tehis vessel? What brings you aboard?
L: Well, I’m here just to make sure eveytone on the cre can stay safe during these troubled times. Just looking out for everyone./ That everyone feels safe and not worry about conflict. Keep things smmooth and make sure everyone keeps runmmnig and justice be done.
B: We’re strangers. What are these troubled times? How does your presence male people feel safer?
L: I’ve seen combat, I’ve seen the treachery of humans and tehre’s much turmoil in these lands, we know the world is changing at an ever increasing rate. You’ll find out more when you get to the city. Just here to make sure your stay on the boat is comfortable and enjoyable and that you arrive at your destination.
B: When we spoke earlier, it seemsed you were especially curious about my horns. They were given to me by the Sun King. What do you think about that?
K is shocked as he hadn’t seen them yet. L looks at him and stammers and doesn’t know what to say.
L: that’s a great gift
S: Really? [She takes out Mali’s horn] Have you ever seen this one before?
L gets really uncomfortable and nervous. Stammering, “I’ve heard stories of horned beings.
K looks really nervous and awkward.
Storr puts it back in her bag. She talks about Mali and how she’s not with us anymore.
L steps back “You know, I mean no harm. I do’t appreciate this kind of behavior. Here we belief in justice and order and threats are no way to run a kingdom.
B: Oh please, don’t understand my friend. She was just giving you all teh information.
…..
B: Did you replace somebody? Who dispatched you?
L: Just city business. You’ll find out when we all arrive in a few days.
B: what’s going to be like there?
L: Just to the city, where you suggested.
B: Main port of call?
L: No, just alarge dock system, we’ll pull in there and go about our business.
We see that the other folks are trying to lean back and listen at this point.
B apooogizes. We’ve had a few run in lately and are suspicious of strangers. Where would you recommend we go once we’re there?
There’s plenty of food. I ahven’t actually spent much tim inside the city.
B and S catch Kitto raising an eyebrow and shaking his head. L seems to be misrepresenting what he’s saying. Not lying
B: Are you from the city?
L: No I am not
B Where are you from?
L: It’s a long way awya. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.
S: We are well traveled, aren;t we?
L: No its such a small place, no one’s ever heard it. It’s unlikely you’ve ever been there. I have work to do, so if you don’t mind. He heads downt eh stairs and disappears.
Kitto takes a big breath and looks over at us and goes back to steering.
B and Storr and Silas head to the fore deck to chat. We decide to send K and Bran back to K to chat, since K was a sea-faring fellow and Bran is charismatic as fuck.
They go back to teh aft deck. K talks up the angle of being a seaman. Kr sees there are visible tattoos: one forearm has an anchor, and one with a mermaid in a heart that says MOM across it. Kr uses that as an in to talk about his tattoos. So he removes his shirt to show him his. As he does this, Kitto looks and sees them and his eyes get a little bit wide, the sea roughens a little, there are chimes on the wind, a mist comes up off of the water. Kitto is like, “What is that tattooed across your rippling pectorals?? You’re drawing the voices towards us, or perhaps the voices are written on you?”
Kr does have any more sense of what he says than we do.
Laden comes up and says “Whatb was that??”
We St, Si and B see Laden go back up there, we rush back up to join them.
L says “Not to worry, just a patch of wind, sometimes the lake is fickle.” down plays it and leaves.
We discuss our next approach with Kitto.
Weshare our true suspicions. We can help him. We don’t trust L. No one here seems to.
He looks at us and says, “L is not alone. There is another on board below decks right now, and they’ve been sent by the Sun King who is besieging the city as we speak. I don’t know what their plan for you is, but that’s where you’re being taken.”
B: What can you tell us about this other passenger
K: I don’t know, he stayed down below in my quarters the whole time. I really just saw him get on boar. He’s an older gentlemen with a beard and a pipe. I didn’t hear him speak.
Storr wants to sneak down to the ship’s waurters. She remembers that ship’s quarters are pretty tight, K are down the same steps that L went down. Certainly possible to sneak down there, but you would have to be very stealthy in a boat like this. We put a pin in that plan.
B: Kitto, I think that we should travel to teh center of the lake. Doesn’t have to be right now. Leave that to you. We understand you’re fearful, you’ve had your set oath. But as you can see, we carry the voices with us. We can’t guarantee safety, but we think you’ll come out better on the other side. We want to find a path to confront the Sun King.
K looks at B long and hard, and ponder at the decision. “These two things seem very different to me, and I need to think on it.” He’s not sure about the bigger thing, but would love to get rid of laden. Not sure what that would entail. You’re talking potentially about a big undertaking here. Fearful but also fascinated by the center of the lake, 1. Prtectng him from Laden. What does that mean? How is that related to 2. going to the center of the lake?
L and his compatriot are set on us going to the city, and we can’t do that.
He shows some willingness to try going to the middle of the lake to cause some chaos and get the upper hand on L and his friend and maybe get rid of them. L isnt a great sailor and defers to K for navigation.
L’s friend isn’t necessarily a secret, but they just received these two travelers. L is the spokesperson, they all know about the other fellow. We could mention this to L without issue.
We take the afternoon and speak to the crew. Silas and Arthen put on a bear show and do some tricks that Arthen knows to ingraciate them to the crew. We’re invited to a meal with Laden down below decks.
Krambler can’t really smithy much on the boat.
Storr feigns sickness to get out of the meal. She says she’d like to go down below, and be alone, not feeling sociable. We head down to the galley, Storr is directed to find some blankets and lay down somewhere. Copyn is L’s friend.
He goes into the captains quarters, there’s some talking, the two of them come out and he joins us at the table.
We ask about C. He’s cheerful and personable enough, maybe a little awkward. Doing some research, fascinating to be out on the lake, to hear the voices, he finds it fascinating.
B: what do you think about the rumours about the lake? Strange stuff happens. What do you know?
C: The lake is certainly strange, and there are some strange powers and old ancient things, not sure how they all interact. But sure that getting to the bottom of it would be fascinating, valuable, enriching.
Silas: Have you thought about travelling to the center?
C: Fascinated at the prospect, but wary too. There are times that people can meddle with things beyond them and face dire consequences. I’ve seen some of the results of that.
B: Respectfully, you seem that you’ve seen some years and have seen many things. We are of but a handful of years. We must take action.
As B says this, C gets a glint in his eye, as if he knows something we don’t. C chuckles and says something like “Yes yes, well, we’ll see”
Storr meanwhile gets up and stealthily moves to the doorway of the quarters. Storr tries the door handle and finds that it is locked. Storr goes out interrupts, and apologizes, asking about a privy.
L: No no, here you just sort of hang over the edge.
There’s a few jokes about diarrhoea.
B askas Silas how Arthen is faring.
Silas saus he seems to have taken to the sea. Surprised he hasn’t jumped inot the lake, judging fro the swim we had back at the marsh toen.
B: have you L and C been there?
L: No, we’ve just been assigned to this vessel.
Copyn resembles an apothecary type. Clothing not made for fighting, comfortable, leisurely.
B: C, you’re a learned fella clearly, I have something to show you, you’ll get a kick out of this. He takes out a vial of black water and shows it to him.
C: Freezes looks to B and teh vial and back to B. “May I hold it?”
B: puts it away unser the guise of his own protection “Perhaps later”
Kr: Who;s your employer?
L: Just assigned out here as safety.
B: What’s the governance of the city like?
L: There’s a council, power folk about. People are mostly asked for consensus.
B: Always nice when polkiticians act in good faith.
L: The morality of teh people in power is unquestionable.
B: I’ve heard an aphris,=m once in my travels, stated by someone very mch like you, “war is peace” What do you think of that?
L: I’m not really sure if I follow that. War can certainly lead to peace so long as the good vanquish the wicked, but in the meantime, war can be a terrible thing.
B: Who are the wicked?
L: The wicked are those that fight against the movement of progress and would prolong human suffering by their own greed or selfishness.
Silas: Do you travel much? See the mountains? Lakes? Tundras?
L Prefers the __ to a howling wilderness of danger and chaos, danger and uncertaity.
S: Well, we all have our skills [and stuffs his face]
L: [how uncouth]
B asks if he can save some boullabaise up to bill the pony. Silas has already dumped some in his satchel for Arthen.
Chill conversation continues. L offers us a place to rest. We can coordinate an evening turn toward the center for next thursday.