Yesterday, our doggish heroes set sail on the high (and highly acidic) seas. Here's last time.
As promised, Zanna of the Four Audacities sets the heroes up with transport from Waterdog Port to Port Matthew. Specifically, they have passage on the Shivering Star, a vessel that transports goods between the two cities and also takes a handful of passengers. More importantly, the Star has a brig, meaning they can easily transport Pickles von Shadow without her becoming a safety concern.
They meet at the docks and Zanna introduces them to Camryn Otterhound, the captain of the Shivering Star. He greets them warmly if curtly, and tells them not to talk too much now - they'll need things to discuss in the nights ahead. He takes them aboard to meet the other officers and see their quarters.
Up on deck, a parrot with brightly colored plumage is up in the rigging ordering sailors about. Otterhound whistles to her and she slides down, and he introduces her as Tally, his first mate. Downstairs, he shows them their quarters, and they meet another parrot, this one with grey feathers, taking an inventory of the goods. He is Joey-Boy, the Quartermaster.
The heroes divide up the quarters and secure Pickles in the brig (Gelert Sausagedog and Peppa Papillion room together, Petunia Pibble and Amaranth von Rex (Pickles' captor) do as well, and Boomer Pitbull and Dire Newfoundland each have their own berth, seeing as how they are lorge). They drop off some of their gear - in particular armor and weapons - and continue exploring.
Sausagedog is fascinated by the sailors up in the rigging and how they effortlessly swing from place to place, and decides that once the voyage is underway he's going to try that out. All of the dogs marvel at the smoothness of the crew and their work; everything is fast and precise, and so busy. They do see one cat standing on the bow of the boat behind the masthead, testing the wind and sniffing the sky. They are informed that this is Jinx von Rex, the ship's Sailing Master. Captain Otterhound says that she might keep to herself during the voyage, but doesn't elaborate.
The heroes also meet the Archaidchilde twins, Perda (the Ship's Magician) and Otame (the ship's Medic). Perda is a green-scaled gecko, while Otame is black and yellow and has a big shell. Boomer wonders to himself how they are siblings when one has a shell and one doesn't, and then muses as to why dogs don't have shells before concluding that he'd quite like one. In any case, Dire asks Perda what the function of Ship's Magician is, and she tells him that it's similar to a Gunnery Master. "Oh, that kind of magic," he nods.
At six bells, the voyage gets underway! The sailors launch into shanties to help keep the time as they work. Joey-Boy continues going over inventory, while Jinx moves through the ship but generally stays behind the masthead staring out into the sea. Sausagdog does climb in the rigging, but then grabs the wrong rope and tumbles toward the deck. A very large cat catches his ankle, and tells him that those ropes aren't tethered strongly enough to hold weight. Somewhat chastened, Sausagedog heads for the deck for now.
Boomer is feeling a little seasick, and so Dire goes to find Otame. He finds the twins sitting on deck; Petunia has already struck up a conversation. Perda is painting swirls and symbols on the back of Otame's shell - "this one is for our mother," she explains. "This our father, our aunts and uncles, our siblings, and so on. We do this every voyage." Petunia is fascinated, not just by the ritual but by the paints that change color as Perda adds different salts from pouches on her brother's belt. Turns out Otame is an alkalaist, capable of mixing salts to magic effect.
Dire approaches and asks Otame for a seasickness remedy. "Always one," he says, chuckling kindly, and hands Dire a piece of root. "Chew it, don't swallow, it'll help." Dire returns this to Boomer, who finds the taste peppery and spicy, but it does settle his stomach. Feeling better, he comes on deck to enjoy the voyage.
A few hours in, they hear Tally yell from the rigging: "SWELL! SWELL TO STARBOARD!" All of the sailors on deck start running around faster, and Tally slides to the deck and points to Boomer and Dire. "You two! You're big and strong! Quick! Go there the railing! Help, or we might capsize!" She has them push down on the railing as hard as they can, and being good dogs, they oblige, shoving and grunting...and then hear the laughter behind them. They turn and see Tally and the other sailors cracking up, and realize they've been pranked. Dire growls a little, and Boomer blushes. "I'm sorry," Tally laughs. "I couldn't resist. But thank you for keeping us afloat!"
That night, the heroes sit with the officers to eat. As it's the first night of the voyage, they eat the good food, the stuff that won't keep. Otterhound asks Peppa to give a blessing, which she does, and everyone talks about their days and about the ship. Otterhound thanks Dire and Boomer for their gallantry today, prompting a fresh round of growling and blushing, and says that he allows Tally one such prank per voyage. Sausagedog explains their quest to take Pickles back to the Monarchies, and the conversation turns to the dogs themselves. Boomer reveals his criminal past, and Otterhound stiffens a bit. Dire, noticing this, says that he, too, used to be a criminal, but he's trying to change, be a good dog, and protect his people. Otterhound doesn't pursue the issue, but Peppa hears him tell Joey-Boy to make a full inventory and cross-check it. Peppa doesn't mention this to anyone; it's probably a good idea with Dire on board, really, and Joey-Boy looks thrilled by the idea.
At night, the heroes go up on a deck and look up at the sky. They are all amazed by the spectacle - sure, they've seen the night sky before, but out here on the water it's just so big. Boomer opines that it makes a dog feel very small - are there other dogs out there in the vastness? Could they, here, visit those other dogs, or could those dogs come here? Do the dogs on other stars know about Man - perhaps that's where Man went? Dire agrees, maybe Man figured the dogs here could handle things and went to see to other dogs. In any case, yes, they might be specks in the cosmos, but there was turkey to eat, and that was enough for Dire. Petunia relates another story, one about the Hundred Pups, who ran from the monster chasing them. When they started, they were white with black spots, but over the journey, their coats changed, and now, as you can see, they are black with twinkling white spots.
At this, they turn and see Jinx von Rex, the Sailing Master, standing quietly with them. She says that she's heard that story, but the way she heard it there was a cat involved, someone who watched the puppies from afar and helped guide them when they lost their way. Petunia says she'd heard a variation with a horse, too, and this evolves into a discussion of horses, riding, and the relationship between riding and mount as well as Man and Dog (and Cat). The heroes go to bed with their minds full of new knowledge and their hearts full of new friends.
The next day, things start off well enough, but in the afternoon as storm blows up out of nowhere, increasing in intensity from rain to thunder to lightning to wind that shakes the ship. The heroes are told to go below deck and let the sailors handle this, and Tally springs into action fluttering around and ordering the sailors in their work. Dire goes to check on Pickles, who spews hatred and bile (literally and figuratively). Peppa and Sausagedog watch as best they can from the corridor, until Peppa gets too seasick and retreats to her room. The storm wails for hours, and it's after dark before things really calm down.
At this point Perda comes downstairs with a pot of "storm soup," a thin broth to help the sailors (and the heroes) regain their strength and composure after the storm. She recommends getting some rest; the worst is behind them.
The third morning, Otterhound calls the characters into the officer's mess for breakfast and informs them that the storm has blown them off course and they'll need to ration food a bit more tightly. Joey-Boy is sitting with an abacus making calculations about what they have and how long it'll last. Otterhound says that Jinx is making calculations to figure out how far off course they are, but since the storm didn't break until nearly dawn she hasn't had a chance to really get her bearings yet. In any case, he says, they'll be fine. At worst they'll be a few days late, but every voyage carries these kinds of risks, and they have contingencies. Worst to worst, they'll just sail due north to the coast and restock.
The rest of the third day passes uneventfully, but the mood on the ship is a little more serious. Sausagedog tries to climb into the rigging again, but Tally tells him to get down - the ropes and wood are still slick and he doesn't want anyone falling. Sausagedog, newly chastened, decides to work on wall-running in the corridor for a bit.
The fourth day, tragedy strikes. In the afternoon, the heroes are scattered about the boat - Peppa and Petunia are on deck, observing; Boomer is below deck in his cabin; Sausagedog is running along walls; Dire is sitting with Pickles telling her stories. And the cry goes up: "MAN OVERBOARD!"
Peppa and Petunia go running, and see that Joey-Boy has fallen overboard! Tally yells at the sailors, "Bring her around! Weigh anchor!" and other boaty-speak that she gets right even if I don't. The heroes can't do more than watch at this point, and Joey-Boy, floundering in the Acid Sea, starts to scream, a noise that will linger in their nightmares.
Boomer Pitbull, however, is not going to wait. Dire ties a rope around his waist and Boomer dives into the Acid Sea, swimming with all his might toward the stricken parrot. As he does, the heroes see dorsal fins cutting through the water! Petunia hurls magic missiles at the sharks to drive them away from Joey-Boy, but they reach Boomer and start attacking. Boomer rages, takes the dagger from between his teeth and stabs one in the head. It swims away, wounded, but there are more, and the blood in the water isn't helping matters.
The sailors - with a bit of help from Peppa's Haste spell - get a lifeboat into the water and Dire and Peppa join them (much of Peppa's healing magic requires her to be closer to the target, and time is assuredly of the essence). Sausagedog works with the sailors to lower a second lifeboat, and Petunia continues hurling magic at any shark she can see. She glances over and sees Perda trying to cast a spell, and Tally yells to her "where is it?!" Perda yells back "I don't know, it's not working!" Curious.
Boomer continues to swim, ignoring the sharks biting him, and reaches Joey-Boy just as he loses consciousness. Back on the lifeboat, Dire pulls with all his considerable might, and Peppa casts a Healing Word to revive Joey-Boy. Boomer swims, towing the parrot, and together they manage to get into the lifeboat and away from the sharks. Crisis averted. Peppa casts enough healing magic at Joey-Boy to save his life, and he rasps "the winds" before passing out from the pain.
Back on board, Boomer and Joey-Boy are taken to Otame's infirmary along with Peppa. Otame shows Peppa how to wipe the caustic waters of the Acid Sea away with a salt preparation that neutralizes the acid, and Peppa offers healing prayers.
Some hours later, Boomer is up and around, if in a great deal of pain. Tally rushes to him and hugs him (gently), and thanks him. "Joey-Boy is my friend," she whispers.
At dinner, Otterhound brings out a slim bottle of wine and pours everyone a small glass. "My father, Giorgios Otterhound, gave them this on my first voyage as captain for the Pugmire Navy," he says. "He told me, 'don't drink it on your first voyage - you'll know when to open it.' It never felt right until today." He raises a glass to the heroes. "You risked yourself to save Joey-Boy. As far as I'm concerned, you're crew." Humbled, the heroes drink. But then the discussion turns a little more serious.
Joey-Boy will live, but Otame doesn't want to jar him with powerful healing magic until he's rested a bit. None of the crew know what he meant by "the winds," but Otterhound suggests he might just have been delirious from pain. What's worse, though, is what happened with Perda. She was trying to cast a Magic Skiff spell. It's a simple spell, any Ship's Magician knows it. It conjures a small lifeboat in the water, much faster than lowering one, but it failed, and she isn't sure why. Petunia muses that someone could counter the spell, but there aren't any other artisans or mancers on board that anyone knows of. Peppa says that some Unseen creatures possess such a power, too. Tomorrow, then, they'll search the ship carefully and see if they can find anything.
That night, Boomer walks on the deck and Dire joins him. Boomer tells him that he's never really felt mortal before - he is, in the parlance of Man, an "absolute unit" and is very hard to hurt. But today he felt his own mortality, swimming the endless ocean. Dire hugs his friend, reminding him that he isn't letting any of them go without a fight.
The next morning, the heroes wake to an awful stench. It permeates the ship, an odor like rotten garbage. They come up on deck and Otterhound quickly calls them to the officer's quarters, and explains - every scrap of food on board has spoiled overnight, even the hard tack, even the food Otterhound has in his own quarters. But Dire checks his pockets - the jerky he carries is still fine! And indeed, some of the heroes brought food with them, and that hasn't been touched. Peppa ventures that whatever did this, it might have set the effect up before the characters boarded, or didn't know about their food. Otterhound asks if Pickles could be responsible, but the characters figure that if Pickles was capable of any magic they'd have seen it by now.
Otterhound says that they need to head north, immediately. They still have water, but that won't last long. He intends to tell Jinx immediately (Jinx generally doesn't come indoors). Petunia talks to Amaranth, and reminds her that she can join them in the officer's mess. Amaranth says that she's been eating with Jinx, but Jinx has seemed less interested lately, so maybe she'll join them tonight.
The heroes donate what food they have to the rations, and everyone tightens their belts as the ship changes course to head for land. But how far from the coast are they at this point?
