Heroica RPG - Quest #27: Badger Badger Badger

[Khorne]

Happy to be at sea again, Eric decided to go upstairs and enjoy the wind that propelled the ship and the waves that battered its sides. He was glad to have the salty smell of the seawater craddle in his nostrils once more. As he went upstairs, the words of the first mate rung through Eric's head. Ale! There was ale aboard this ship. Well, of course there would be ale, this were pirates after all, but to have it offered for free... With that, Eric rushed towards the galley to have some ale.

[Etzel]

"I'm not sleepy, I actually feel quite rested."

[Quarryman]

"I'm not sleepy, I actually feel quite rested."

"No wonder, considering that you slept through the whole second journey through the sewers, and then continued to sleep all the time until we finally woke you up here."

[Peppermint_M]

Tesni stopped for a moment. The day and lateness of the night crashing into her. "Yeah, bed soun's goo'." She stumbled to a cot and fell like a tree onto it.

[Darkdragon]

Eric heads out of the cabin while everyone else chats about what to do. He goes straight to the Galley to get some food and drink. The deck is just as it was when they walked to the cabin - busy with the sailors doing what they needed to. Nobody waved to Eric though, a few times he thought he saw a sideways glance but he couldn't be sure.

When he arrived at the eating area he saw the cook was still awake, strange but who was he to judge? He could smell some sort of soup cooking, probably fish, and behind the counter was a small array of rums. He didn't see any ale, but the first mate had said it would be there so he would probably have to ask for it. There was only one other patron in the room, sitting sullen-faced at a table with his own bottle of rum...and no cup to pour it into.

What does Eric do next?

[Khorne]

Eric strode straight towards the bar, not really caring about the other customer.

"So do you have any ale 'round here? If you don't, I'll settle with a bottle of rum. As long as there's alcohol in there, 's all I need."

[Darkdragon]

"Why yes of course, ale it is."

The old man grabs a mug and reaches down behind the counter, when he comes back up the hands the full mug to Eric.

"Be careful with that, the ship has a tendency to rock and roll a bit at times, wouldn't want to waste perfectly good ale on the floorboards. It is forbidden for passengers to take the drinking cups outside the mess though, we lost too many cups and people over the side at the Yule party last season. Is there anything else I can get for you? Some soup maybe or some bread? As you can see there is plenty of places to sit but you can also stand here and talk I don't mind. My name is Abe but people call me Cookee usually I guess because I cook for them. Is it still dark outside? I don't get out of here very much and it is always pretty dark in here but I do like the sun. Do you like the sun? There is a special deck where you can fish, that is where some people go to fish or just sit around in the sun but it can be dangerous out here in the waters. Have you been on the sea before? You don't look like a sailor to me but I been wrong before yes indeed. Once I even added some flower petals to the soup and boy was that wrong the crew was angry with me that day except for the first mate he didn't seem to mind."

Cookee spoke so much, it was like he was longing for company on this early morning. He asked so many questions, but never waited for an answer and it was apparent he might go on talking indefinitely. Eric saw that there were a few empty tables he could sit at or he could stand at the counter, or he can finish his pint and head back to the cabin of course.

[Khorne]

Eric eyed Cookie suspiciously as the man just seem to go on rambling and babbling for ever.

"Riiiight. I don't really give a damn about your stories, old man, so I'll just go sit over there" the Nord said and nodded towards the empty table as he spoke his last words. "And just for the record here, I have been at sea before. Multiple times. In fact, I was practically raised at sea. I mightn't look like one, but I am a viking, infamous northern pirate folk." If Eric would've been able to shoot lighning with his eyes, the bartender would've surely gotten it. Eric felt genuinely insulted by the man's remarks. Angrily, he stepped towards the empty table and sat down, drinking his beer.

[Darkdragon]

Cookee recoils a bit. When Eric stomps away, Cookee pulls out a plate and pint. He puts some bread on the plate and fills the pint with ale. He brings it over to Eric's table and sets it down.

"My appologies sir, I was just talkin'. Here's something for you so you don't have to be bothered to get up for a refill. I'll keep the ales commin', don't you worry."

He quickly heads back to his counter and starts loading up the cooking pot for breakfast stew.

[Darkdragon]

The ship sails on.

In the party's cabin, the light breaks through the door cracks and the room starts getting warm. The cabin becomes pretty stuffy and the heroes who spent the last day stomping through a sewer, fighting sewer creatures, and hiding in barrels are starting to smell a bit...ripe. Soon after sunrise the stench combined with the sun and the ringing of the Timekeeper is enough to awaken them.

Bing Bong Bing Ding Ding DIng Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding

Looking around the room, Tesni is the first to notice that Eric is not among them. His bed doesn't look like it has been touched either.

What will the heroes do this morning?

[Peppermint_M]

Tsni stretched with bone popping cracks and whole self extending distances covered. "A bed was certainly welcome, now I think a bath is in order!" She looked around the room. "No sign of Eric, we'll need to find him before we do much else."

[Quarryman]

Tsni stretched with bone popping cracks and whole self extending distances covered. "A bed was certainly welcome, now I think a bath is in order!" She looked around the room. "No sign of Eric, we'll need to find him before we do much else."

"I couldn't agree more, I feel horrible, let's go get clean."

[Darkdragon]

Tesni and Namyrra look around the room for a pitcher of water to wash up with. They begin to get frustrated when they don't find anything, and Tesni hits the wall at the end of the room with her fist. The sound that comes from it isn't exactly normal and instead of bruising her knuckles, the wall springs forward slightly. She grabs ahold of it and pulls where it is protruding and it's a door that swings open!

Behind the door is a washtub and some sort of metal piping, a towel some exotic cleansing bars. Namyrra walks over and turns the golden knob on the pipes and water starts flowing out of it and into the tub. It smells like seawater...but it's water nonetheless.

If there had been any doubt before, this was a sure sign that this was a smuggler's ship.

[Quarryman]

"Great! Finally we can wash this dirt off!" Namyrra then proceeded to take off all her clothes, jump into the tub and scrub herself vigorously.

[Peppermint_M]

"Ha ha! Bathtub! Not as good as a lake, but hey!" Armour and leather go flying and Tesni took a leap into the tub.

[Khorne]

The galley was oddly quiet, safe for the shuffling of metal pots and creaking of the wood. The atmosphere was tense, no doubt a conqequence of Eric's earlier behaviour. The kind cook did as he had promised and regularly came to Eric's table to fill his cup with more ale. While he did so, he steered away from Eric's gaze as if he was ashamed to look at him. As soon as he was finished filling the cup, he shuffled back to his bar, taking care of the stew.

As he drank his ale, the Nord took out the paper scroll Nab Knees had given him. He glanced at it and studied it for a while. Then he suddenly become very aware of his surroundings.

Eric sighed. He wasn't much of a talker, but he detested the deadly silence far more. Despite his mostly cold outward behaviour and appearance, he actually liked some livelihood and personal warmth at times. However, it could make him come across as soft in the eyes of others, Eric usually bars any outward help or warmth from strangers and locks himself up in his own fortress of solitude, safe from the troubles of the world, caring only about himself. How different he had become since he had been forced to leave home. What an impact his lone travels had had on his personality. Cold and calculating, ever ready to claim what he deemed what his.

Eric grumbled and looked up. First he glanced over his back, to the other patron in the galley, then he adjusted his look towards cookie once more. Begrudgingly he opened his mouth and started to speak. Actually, it would be better to classify it as 'mumbling'. He adressed the other loner.

"What brings you here?" To which the other patron looked up surpringly and looked around, as if to determine where the noise came from.

"Who? Me?" he replied.

Eric simply nodded and rolled his eyes. He would regret this, but he couldn't stand the silence any more. It made him think, and bad things always came up when he had time to think. "Ja, du. Why are you here?"

There was an aggressive sneer and tone in Eric's voice as he posed his question the second time. The other loner was visibly taken aback by it, but he started to speak nevertheless.

OOC: It would've been a shame not to talk to any of the other guys here. Otherwhise the picture and build of this galley would've been kind of pointless and I didn't want to have that .

[Darkdragon]

Eric drinks his ale in silence, pondering the events of the past day and becoming lost in his thoughts in the silence of the galley. He pulls out the parchment from Nab Knees and opens it up. Inked neatly are all renditions of all of the symbols he saw in the sewer with information on each of their meanings. There are some symbols he did not see there too. After studying the symbols for a bit, he finally decides to talk to the other man in the room.

Eric rolls the parchment back up and stores it under his outter shirt, then heads over to the other table. The old man looks really nervous and is fiddling with a shiny object while drinking rum straight from the bottle.

"Oh hello." He takes another drink of rum and sets the bottle down, looking up at Eric. "Have a seat if you like...I'm just waiting to get off this ship. I've been traveling for so long. Spent all my money on the voyage and so I couldnt even afford to leave while we loaded up at the last stop. I'm headed to Havelstam."

He fiddles with the items some more, turning it over and over in his hands. It looks like some sort of locket with a long silver chain attached to it. Looking down at it, he continues talking.

"I need to get to my wife's father, it's what she would want. I miss her so much. Why did you have to go Elana, why did the gods take you from me?" He takes another drink of rum and seems to recall the man sitting accross from him, he looks up at Eric again "What about you, you seem to be at home on this ship but not with the crew?"

Meanwhile, in the party's cabin....

Maurice still sleeps soundly as Tesni and Namyrra enjoy the hidden room. Tesni leaps into the tub and water flies everywhere, but Namyrra just laughs and grabs soap and the brush from the shelf.

[Khorne]

Eric rolls the parchment back up and stores it under his outter shirt, then heads over to the other table. The old man looks really nervous and is fiddling with a shiny object while drinking rum straight from the bottle.

[...]

He fiddles with the items some more, turning it over and over in his hands. It looks like some sort of locket with a long silver chain attached to it. Looking down at it, he continues talking.

[...], he looks up at Eric again "What about you, you seem to be at home on this ship but not with the crew?"

[/i]

Eric had trouble listening to the man's story. Even though he did not want to, memories of his own past and similar stories started to well up. Quickly, he downed his ale and gestured Cookie to bring another one. Inside, he was torn again. He wanted the memories gone forever, start with a clean slate. However, his memories were pretty much all he had left of home, his people and those he had loved and cared about.

Normally Eric couldn't care less about sad figures like this one. He wasn't interested in their pathetic little lives, but somehow he felt compelled, curious, maybe even intrigued to ask the man for more details. Eric then started to speak, quietly.

"The gods can be cruel patrons indeed. But I believe there is reason to their cruelty towards us. The gods are as stringest parents, testing us, pushing our capabilities in order to rise up above ourselves. For long, I was a suckling at the breast of the almighty pantheon, but past events have taught me things might be different. They placed things in another light. By losing everything, we can start anew and gain so much more. By respectfully casting aside the gods, we are free to forge our own destiny. By leaving the warmth of home and the love of our parents, we truly can become independant and become gods ourselves. That is what I believe. That is what I seek ..." Eric was surprised by his sudden monologue. He never really did care to share much of his ideas or views. They never really mattered much anyway, as the views he had were generally those shared by the traditionalist Northern populace. The raid on Jolly Roger's cave and the events there left a mark on him however, he felt changed, more mature.

Eric looked down at his chest and saw his pendant hanging there, suspended from his neck. He took the silver twin-headed axe jewel in his hand and muttered once again "... a god, that's what I will become".

The Barbarian's cold nature resurfaced and he glanced around the room, making sure none of the other Heroes had come in. Noticing they were not around, he answered the loner's question. "The sea is the only home I have left, it's a home none will ever take away from me. The men serving on this ship, ..., they are my kin. We are one."

Eric then posed a question himself, curious to the nature and story of the man's silver trinket. "What is that your holding over there? What happened to Elana?"

[Darkdragon]

He tries to follow what Eric is saying, but the rum and sadness mix to stop so much comprehension. He grasps onto what he can understand though, glad to have some company of a man that seems to have as heavy a heart as himself.

"A god you say? Well, I hope you won't hurt people as much as some gods seem to do. My poor wife, she was most devoted to her church and family. We moved far away from Havelstam soon after we were married, to set up a parrish in the mountains. After many long years in the savage lands, we finally managed to really help some of the orc natives and tought them to be kind.

Last year though, Elana became ill. She was getting worse by the day. None of our medicines would help her, her body felt like it was on fire and she tossed around and did not eat or sleep. I sold almost everything we owned, including this locket, to bring a healer out to help her. The healer did not arrive in time, and she was gone. The gods took her from me! Took one of their most loyal servants and forced me to live the rest of my days without her!

Now I am headed to deliver this locket to her father. He was never happy that we left, he said to me

"You better keep her safe. You are her husband and her father now."

I have failed him, I have failed her, and I will probably be arrested as soon as the ship docks. If I'm arrested, what will happen to the locket? What will happen to Elana's memory?"

He downs the rest of the rum from the bottle, Cookee quickly replenishes it and brings another ale for Eric. The cook moves so swiftly and quietly the two men hardly notice he was there. Johan sits staring glassy-eyed at the locket again. Turning it over and over in his hands.

[Peppermint_M]

The salty water wasn't the best and it was at a wrong temperature. Not warm and not cold, altogether a bit nasty. However it was not as nasty as what they'd been wading through...

"You know, this isn't as good as a lake for a good bathe." Tesni commented.

[Quarryman]

"And certainly nothing compared to the hot springs we have back in my homeland of Fenario, you should come try them one day, they really do wonders to ease up stiff muscles."

[Peppermint_M]

"Well, we better go see where Eric got to." Tesni jumped out of the bath and grabbed her gear.

[Darkdragon]

Tesni and Namyrra finished cleaning off the sewer scum, blood, and who knows what else. Now that they were smelling fresh as ladies should, they dressed and headed to the last place they heard Eric talk about, the Galley. Heading out of the cabin, the sun was high overhead and the two could see many crew members and a few passengers wandering the deck. On the way to the galley they passed the fishing deck and saw a sign about renting fishing poles for the day.

Heading down the stairs, the girls entered the dark room full of tables and stools, obviously they had found the right place. There were a few people in here having some stew and ale, but not as many as one might expect on a ship this size that was full of people. To their surprise, they spotted Eric off to one corner sitting at a table with a man they had never seen before. The two seemed to be ...talking and drinking together.

As they head toward Eric, the man behind the counter stops them with an unexpected friendly smile.

"Welcome ladies. Can I get you a drink? How about some mushroooom soup?"

[Khorne]

Noticing Namyrra and Tesni walk in, Eric stopped talking. He turned around and adressed the two women, his usual calm and cold demeanour having returned.

"Where's that sorry cleric of ours?"

Not really caring much for an answer, Eric stood up. The long night and drinking had made him tired. He needed some sleep.

"I bet he's still in his bed, right? I'll just go see then."

With that, Eric strode to the cabin and lay onto one of the beds that didn't look like it had been occupied yet.

[Quarryman]

"Wonder what crawled up his megablocks and died.. strange guy for sure. Tesni, do you have any idea?"