Something went wrong long ago. The exact details are lost, and even the broader strokes are...
Spelltide: Changing Seas
- Thread starter Bailey Matutine
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
-
- Tags
- exploration pathfinder sailing
- Created
- Status
- Ongoing
- Watchers
- 27
- Recent readers
- 0
- Threadmarks
- 8
-
Statistics (5 threadmarks, 2.4k words)
User Total Bailey Matutine 5 -
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Character Creation 1
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Something went wrong long ago. The exact details are lost, and even the broader strokes are argued to this day. A few things, however, are agreed upon. The Imperial Elven Magocracy fell. The majority of the elves chased either up into the mountains... or under them. The actions of that conflict tore great holes in the landscape, both physical, and mystical. The seas, once wide passages to the riches of distant lands, were closed by wild surges of magic that twisted the path of any ship that might try to pass through them, and twisted the forms of anything that might touch the waters. The once great trade ports of the eastern coast have transformed to battle fortresses, the first guardians against the more dangerous creatures birthed by those waves. The gods, though. All the old gods are dead, or else gone. New gods rose that day. Some of the generals that fell, or leaders that didn't. Others came about later.
All of that is history, though. The present is a more recent story. For now, let's focus on yours. It begins on the coast.
You are a:
[X][RACE] Wilmian: Amphibious folk who resist the transformations imposed by the changing seas with their own mild shapeshifting abilities.
[X][RACE] Weaverling: Spiderlike folk with extra limbs, and a great familial loyalty to the ships they live upon.
[X][RACE] Big Human: A fairly adaptable folk who can make themselves accustomed to any environment.
[X][RACE] Small Human: A lucky and nimble folk, who can find themselves at home wherever they go.
[X][CLASS] Armsman: Warriors who use the strength of their soul to transform objects into weapons.
[X][CLASS] Shapehunter: Combatants who use their arcane presence to supplement their battle abilities.
[X][CLASS] Speerscildan: Guardians who use a divine connection to find and thwart threats to their charges.
[X][CLASS] Librarian: Scholars who use their diverse knowledge to enact mundane miracles.
[X][TRAIT] On a quest to uncover the secrets of the past.
[X][TRAIT] Hired to defend an expedition into the heart of the continent.
[X][TRAIT] Traveling with a group on a journey to find your fortune.
[X][TRAIT] Fleeing an unfortunate childhood in a land where none know you.
Hello all and welcome to Spelltide! Set in a world of my own design, this quest will be loosely run on the Pathfinder system, although I will be abstracting many of the numbers and mechanics for the sake of the story. If you're looking up a race or class you don't immediately recognize, don't bother; they are a creation of my own design. If you have any questions, ask, and I may or may not answer...
All of that is history, though. The present is a more recent story. For now, let's focus on yours. It begins on the coast.
You are a:
[X][RACE] Wilmian: Amphibious folk who resist the transformations imposed by the changing seas with their own mild shapeshifting abilities.
[X][RACE] Weaverling: Spiderlike folk with extra limbs, and a great familial loyalty to the ships they live upon.
[X][RACE] Big Human: A fairly adaptable folk who can make themselves accustomed to any environment.
[X][RACE] Small Human: A lucky and nimble folk, who can find themselves at home wherever they go.
[X][CLASS] Armsman: Warriors who use the strength of their soul to transform objects into weapons.
[X][CLASS] Shapehunter: Combatants who use their arcane presence to supplement their battle abilities.
[X][CLASS] Speerscildan: Guardians who use a divine connection to find and thwart threats to their charges.
[X][CLASS] Librarian: Scholars who use their diverse knowledge to enact mundane miracles.
[X][TRAIT] On a quest to uncover the secrets of the past.
[X][TRAIT] Hired to defend an expedition into the heart of the continent.
[X][TRAIT] Traveling with a group on a journey to find your fortune.
[X][TRAIT] Fleeing an unfortunate childhood in a land where none know you.
-\-|-/-/-|-\-\-|-/-
Hello all and welcome to Spelltide! Set in a world of my own design, this quest will be loosely run on the Pathfinder system, although I will be abstracting many of the numbers and mechanics for the sake of the story. If you're looking up a race or class you don't immediately recognize, don't bother; they are a creation of my own design. If you have any questions, ask, and I may or may not answer...
Wilmians
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Wilmians have enlarged eyes, eight head tentacles, fused beaklike teeth, elongated limbs, lengthened fingers with webbing they can pull taut into fins, and at around their shins their legs open up into four bony tentacles each that they can walk on as claws, birdlike, and which can extend similar webbing as their hands to better swim through the water. Although they are only consciously able to use their innate shapeshifting to change the color and texture of their skin, they are saturated with the magics of the changing seas and can resist externally originated transformations with ease. Their language uses these abilities to convey nuance, and they are skilled at camouflage or disguise. Wilmians by Bailey Matutine
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Character Creation 2
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
You are a Wilmian Armsman on a quest to uncover the secrets of the past. You met Captain Smythe three weeks ago, when she was putting this expedition together. She plans to sail her ship, the Gentle Hand, up the river from the port fortress of Verdanlamp to investigate one of the ancient battlefields, where she believes a cache of tomes may have escaped the various purges of arcane knowledge. Her hope is that something in those pages may provide the abjurists and necromancers who defend Verdanlamp a much needed edge in their never-ending battle against the creatures from the seas. Your role, as a student of the past, is to use your knowledge to help turn up clues that may show where the cache was buried.
In addition to the various crew necessary to the operation of the Gentle Hand, you are joined by a Weaverling Librarian fleeing an unfortunate childhood, a Big Human Shapehunter hired on as a guard, and a Small Human Speerscildan who signed on to find her fortune.
Before you leave, you make sure to:
[X][TRAIT] Find a replacement for your duties as a guard at the spellwell, where copies of all spells known to your village are carved.
[X][TRAIT] Inform the new creche mother that unfortunately you can not serve as her creche guardian.
[X][TRAIT] Say goodbye to your crechemates, who just returned from a salvage patrol, and accept their care package.
[X][TRAIT] Show the new caretaker of the village storeroom how to maintain the books in the air room.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your waveblade.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your khopesh.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your falcata.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your flambard.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your various outfits.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your stash of alchemical items.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your camping supplies.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your writing supplies.
In addition to the various crew necessary to the operation of the Gentle Hand, you are joined by a Weaverling Librarian fleeing an unfortunate childhood, a Big Human Shapehunter hired on as a guard, and a Small Human Speerscildan who signed on to find her fortune.
Before you leave, you make sure to:
[X][TRAIT] Find a replacement for your duties as a guard at the spellwell, where copies of all spells known to your village are carved.
[X][TRAIT] Inform the new creche mother that unfortunately you can not serve as her creche guardian.
[X][TRAIT] Say goodbye to your crechemates, who just returned from a salvage patrol, and accept their care package.
[X][TRAIT] Show the new caretaker of the village storeroom how to maintain the books in the air room.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your waveblade.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your khopesh.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your falcata.
[X][EXPOSURE] Practice with your flambard.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your various outfits.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your stash of alchemical items.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your camping supplies.
[X][GEAR] Pack up your writing supplies.
Character Sheet
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Name: (Bi)ru Rusha-(Gu)tha
Race: Wilmian
Class: Armsman
STR:16 14 DEX: 16 18 CON: 14 INT: 14 WIS: 18 20 CHA: 12
Wilmian Physiology: Wilmians can swim in the water as fast as they can walk on land, and breathe equally well in either environ. Wilmian eyesight, adapted for underwater activity, has continued acuity even in low light conditions. However, Wilmians who spend too long on dry land without submerging themselves in water can find themselves succumbing to landsickness.
Wilmian Shapeshifting: Wilmians are saturated with transmutational energy, and thus have a chance of throwing off the effects of externally based magics that transform them. In particular, the waters of the changing seas can no longer transform them at all. Additionally, all Wilmians can use this energy for either disguise or camouflage.
Wilmian Upbringing: The Wilmian lifestyle grants a great deal of experience with outdoor skills, and exposure to a number of languages.
Unusual Exposure: Armsmen are familiar with a great number of weapons that most others might never use. They are proficient with all martial weapons and a growing pool of exotic weapons. You are familiar with the waveblade.
Combat Trance: For a limited amount of time, Armsmen may slip into a trance where their awareness of weaponry as a concept grows. While in this trance, they gain a bonus on some combat related checks as well as perception checks and certain appraise checks.
Combat Reflexes: With enough training, you can react to openings your enemies give you with enough speed that you can still react to the next opening.
Scholar of the Past: You make a study of ages long gone. You gain a +1 trait bonus on knowledge (history), linguistics, and knowledge (geography). In addition, you know one bonus ancient language.
Quartermaster: You know how to maintain a storeroom. You gain a +1 trait bonus on appraise and disable device checks, and on craft checks to maintain or repair existing objects.
EQUIPMENT: 1 Gold, 12 Silver, 4 Copper
Waveblade, Shark Leather Armor, Reinforced Shell Buckler, Explorer's Outfit
Masterwork Backpack, Waterproof Bedroll, Loose Robe, Slippers, Shovel
Waterproof Case, Journal, Book of Letters, Papers, Ink Bottles, Inkpen
Race: Wilmian
Class: Armsman
STR:
Wilmian Physiology: Wilmians can swim in the water as fast as they can walk on land, and breathe equally well in either environ. Wilmian eyesight, adapted for underwater activity, has continued acuity even in low light conditions. However, Wilmians who spend too long on dry land without submerging themselves in water can find themselves succumbing to landsickness.
Wilmian Shapeshifting: Wilmians are saturated with transmutational energy, and thus have a chance of throwing off the effects of externally based magics that transform them. In particular, the waters of the changing seas can no longer transform them at all. Additionally, all Wilmians can use this energy for either disguise or camouflage.
Wilmian Upbringing: The Wilmian lifestyle grants a great deal of experience with outdoor skills, and exposure to a number of languages.
Unusual Exposure: Armsmen are familiar with a great number of weapons that most others might never use. They are proficient with all martial weapons and a growing pool of exotic weapons. You are familiar with the waveblade.
Combat Trance: For a limited amount of time, Armsmen may slip into a trance where their awareness of weaponry as a concept grows. While in this trance, they gain a bonus on some combat related checks as well as perception checks and certain appraise checks.
Combat Reflexes: With enough training, you can react to openings your enemies give you with enough speed that you can still react to the next opening.
Scholar of the Past: You make a study of ages long gone. You gain a +1 trait bonus on knowledge (history), linguistics, and knowledge (geography). In addition, you know one bonus ancient language.
Quartermaster: You know how to maintain a storeroom. You gain a +1 trait bonus on appraise and disable device checks, and on craft checks to maintain or repair existing objects.
EQUIPMENT: 1 Gold, 12 Silver, 4 Copper
Waveblade, Shark Leather Armor, Reinforced Shell Buckler, Explorer's Outfit
Masterwork Backpack, Waterproof Bedroll, Loose Robe, Slippers, Shovel
Waterproof Case, Journal, Book of Letters, Papers, Ink Bottles, Inkpen
Preparations
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
You are (Bi)ru, a valued member of the community in Rusha. Your job, at least until now, has been to sort and store the goods brought in by the salvage teams and traders as well as maintain the pumps that keep fresh air in the dry chamber, where you store books and the like. Now the job will fall to (Ta)ru, your creche-mate. After demonstrating the function of the pumps and how to perform a maintenance cycle, you stop at the coral that marks your creche mother's gravesite. With a quick thanks to (Gu)tha, you turn towards Verdanlamp and set out. Legs jetting like your lesser cousins, the octopus, you travel the ten miles between your village and the docks of the fortress in only a few short hours. Waving to the guards to assure them that you are an expected visitor and not another attack from the deeps, you use one of the ladders set aside for this purpose and climb aboard the dock. From there, it doesn't take long to identify the Gentle Hand and approach the gangplank. You are shown to your bunk, and directed on where to store your equipment, after which you have liberty to explore the town or otherwise entertain yourself until preparations are complete and the entire crew is on board.
To pass the time until then, you:
[X] Go shopping for
-[X] Write-in
[X] Get to know
-[X] the crew
-[X] the captain
-[X] your bunkmate
[X] Explore
-[X] the battlements
-[X] the wharfs
-[X] the shore
[X] Look for a
-[X] hot meal
-[X] cheap drink
-[X] good library
Please vote for as many options as you wish. The most voted options will occur first, until time runs out.
To pass the time until then, you:
[X] Go shopping for
-[X] Write-in
[X] Get to know
-[X] the crew
-[X] the captain
-[X] your bunkmate
[X] Explore
-[X] the battlements
-[X] the wharfs
-[X] the shore
[X] Look for a
-[X] hot meal
-[X] cheap drink
-[X] good library
-\-|-/-/-|-\-\-|-/-
Please vote for as many options as you wish. The most voted options will occur first, until time runs out.
Start of Book One: Verdanlamp
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Beginning of Book One: On The River Magnolia
Having stowed your gear, you briefly greet one of your bunkmates, a small human by the name of Teritha, who is arranging her own gear into the space she's been given. Half your height, she still has packed a considerable bulk compared to your own gear. Along with the large shield and armor she's packing away, she seems also to have brought several sacks full of various things. Right now she's organizing what looks like an array of flasks, carefully packing them away with cloth to stop the ceramic from rattling with the motion of the ship. From her cheerful chatter, you get the impression she's expecting the expedition to be something of a festival chant. You can't quite bring yourself to remind her that such stories usually have a fair amount of danger for the people actually in the tales.
You leave Teritha behind to head out onto the deck, and get the attention of Captain Smythe, making sure she knows you've laid bunk. The dwarf, talking with a big human you don't recognize, uses her hands to quickly adjust her braids in an approximation of the wilmian signal of acknowledgement without breaking her conversation. The color and texture of her beard and head hair would make that grudging acknowledgement, but you make allowances for her lack of nuance. You explore the deck and make yourself known to as much of the crew as you can, making certain they know you're here, and available if they need an arm overboard. You get a good impression of the names of the crew already on duty, and feel confident you can repeat the information later if required.
Greetings made, you decide to stop in at Verdanlamp's library. Last time you were here, the history you were seeking was being restored due to water damage, and you're hopeful to taking a quick look at it. You page through quickly and take some relevant notes, before going to the maps section and doing up a quick transfer sketch of the river you'll be taking. That's when you hear the ship's bell, so you set everything back where you found it and begin your return to the Gentle Hand. On your way out of the library, you bump into a weaverling who apologizes profusely for the collision. It is with some awkwardness that you each realize you are both walking in the same direction afterwards, and this is when you introduce yourselves to each other. Upon hearing Chirrt Gentlehand's name, you realize that you will soon be crewmates. You reintroduce yourself with a bit more joy, and continue on your way.
As you begin your journey the next morning, you focus on:
[X] Putting your all into the tasks that Captain Smythe sets you around the hull.
[X] Bonding with the other members of your expedition.
[X] Going over your notes and writing down what you can recall of the region you're going to.
[X] Practicing with your waveblade to stay sharp.
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Party Composition
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Race: Weaverling
Weaverlings have four arms, four legs, and a layer of fluff over their bodies. They can craft a great many things out of their webs. The majority of weaverlings live on ships, taking the names of said ships as their family name.
Class: Librarian
Librarians are learned seekers of wisdom who use their collected knowledge to accomplish great feats. There are few tasks they can not bring their intellect to bear on. In particular, they are able to use what they know of various traditions of magic to craft scrolls.
Trait 1: Fresh Start
Something happened that you'd prefer to move on from.
Trait 2: Caregiver
You are skilled in anticipating and meeting the needs of others.
Weaverlings have four arms, four legs, and a layer of fluff over their bodies. They can craft a great many things out of their webs. The majority of weaverlings live on ships, taking the names of said ships as their family name.
Class: Librarian
Librarians are learned seekers of wisdom who use their collected knowledge to accomplish great feats. There are few tasks they can not bring their intellect to bear on. In particular, they are able to use what they know of various traditions of magic to craft scrolls.
Trait 1: Fresh Start
Something happened that you'd prefer to move on from.
Trait 2: Caregiver
You are skilled in anticipating and meeting the needs of others.
Race: Big Human
A people who are able to make themselves at home in any environment. Although not quite as lucky and nimble as their smaller cousins, the big human drive to adapt can give them an edge in suiting themselves to nearly any circumstances. There is a great camaraderie between the two human peoples, tracing back to the end of the magocracy.
Class: Shapehunter
Shapehunters are warriors with an arcane influence who use their mystic abilities to bolster their fighting skills. They have a variety of spells available to them useful in fields of conflict. In particular, they can change their very bodies, taking on more capable forms.
Trait 1: Mercenary
You're here to get paid, and to live to spend your coin.
Trait 2: Scholar
You have read up on various arcane mysteries.
A people who are able to make themselves at home in any environment. Although not quite as lucky and nimble as their smaller cousins, the big human drive to adapt can give them an edge in suiting themselves to nearly any circumstances. There is a great camaraderie between the two human peoples, tracing back to the end of the magocracy.
Class: Shapehunter
Shapehunters are warriors with an arcane influence who use their mystic abilities to bolster their fighting skills. They have a variety of spells available to them useful in fields of conflict. In particular, they can change their very bodies, taking on more capable forms.
Trait 1: Mercenary
You're here to get paid, and to live to spend your coin.
Trait 2: Scholar
You have read up on various arcane mysteries.
Race: Small Human
A people who are able to make themselves at home in any environment. Although not quite as adaptable as their larger cousins, the luck and nimbleness of small humans can give them an edge in thriving under nearly any circumstances. There is a great camaraderie between the two human peoples, tracing back to the end of the magocracy.
Class: Speerscildan
Speerscildans are almost perfect bodyguards for the nobility through their divine abilities. By focusing on the ideals of safety and protection, they can call upon various spells that will keep those around them safe from threats both seen and unseen. In particular, they have a knack for unveiling hidden assailants.
Trait 1: Treasurehunter
You're keeping your eyes open for any opportunity that may come up.
Trait 2: Shopkeeper
You have a supply of additional goods to help you on your journey.
A people who are able to make themselves at home in any environment. Although not quite as adaptable as their larger cousins, the luck and nimbleness of small humans can give them an edge in thriving under nearly any circumstances. There is a great camaraderie between the two human peoples, tracing back to the end of the magocracy.
Class: Speerscildan
Speerscildans are almost perfect bodyguards for the nobility through their divine abilities. By focusing on the ideals of safety and protection, they can call upon various spells that will keep those around them safe from threats both seen and unseen. In particular, they have a knack for unveiling hidden assailants.
Trait 1: Treasurehunter
You're keeping your eyes open for any opportunity that may come up.
Trait 2: Shopkeeper
You have a supply of additional goods to help you on your journey.
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Setting Sail
Bailey Matutine
(Verified Pooka)
- Location
- Pelican Town
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The next morning sees the Gentle Hand sailing up the mouth of the River Magnolia. Captain Smythe, in recognition of your need to submerge yourself in water on a daily basis, assigns you the task of inspecting the hull for signs of damage or decay. In addition, you take it upon yourself to write up as much as you can about your destination and the route there, and share with your companions.
Day One:
Upon waking up, you thoroughly examine the ship's exterior, making sure that nothing from the changing seas had implanted itself in the vulnerable wooden underside of the Gentle Hand. You find what looks like a colony of ordinary barnacles, and, borrowing a knife, carefully remove them from the hull. Task complete for the day, you return to your quarters and write extensively about the course of the River Magnolia, referring to the map you sketched previously and making marks and notes between the two. You mark down the locations of known hazards on the river, names of settlements along the banks, and expected travel times between various locations. When you try to fill in the historical information, however, you find you've hit something of a writer's block, which leaves you in a poor mood for the rest of the day.
Day Two:
Performing only a more cursory inspection on the hull, you throw yourself again into your writing. Today, the words come much more easily to you. The battlefield that is your destination is a day's travel overland from the nearest point you can bring the ship, and it is nearly at the heart of the human lands, where the great battles that ended the magocracy took place. Memory is long in those parts, and magecraft is distrusted. Unlike the shores, where magic is necessary enough for defense that to shun it is pure foolishness, the kingdoms towards the center of the continent mainly consider magic a tool of elven oppression, some of them outright banning any and all magic within their borders. Most simply criminalize the more despicable schools of enchantment and illusion, while employing speerscildan guards to make sure nobody is trying anything subtle. You tell anyone who strays close details as you write them down, making sure to warn Sam and Chirrt that they may be under suspicion if they do anything too overt in the wrong town. Luckily you don't have any sorcerers, or worse, wizards, in your group.
Day Three:
The hour you spend in the morning inspecting the hull flies by. You have writing to get back to. Based on what you've pieced together, the battlefield you're headed to has been largely left alone because of the remnants of a large working which keeps a storm raging across the edges. The continual storm has turned the outlying area into something of a swamp, making any treks inside a daunting enough proposition that without a specific reason to venture inside, most people would just as soon not bother. You write down records of the two expeditions which turned back, noting that they didn't fail so much as suffer loss of morale. With a smaller group and a more specific motivation, you shouldn't suffer the same problems. That's when your writing stalls out. Setting aside your writing for the day, you head above deck and lend a hand to Chirrt, who is crafting silk rope for the ship's use. With another body to help coil it up, Chirrt can focus on production. The two of you discuss the different ways that your people store arcane writing. Wilmians tend to use scrimshaw for more portable arcane writings, and carving for more permanent forms. Weaverlings, by contrast, tend to store everything in their webs, through one way or another. You remind Chirrt to make sure to use paper scrolls around the more superstitious inlanders, as they might not recognize the silk scrolls for what they are, and mistake reading from a scroll for casting a spell.
Day Four:
After checking the hull in the morning, you reorganize your notes, rewriting areas that came out in a jumble the first time around, and putting them in a neat progression based on immediate relevance. This takes all day, but by the end of it, you have something to present tomorrow.
Day Five:
After presenting Captain Smythe with your writings, you go over the information contained within for the benefit of the crew and the other members of the expedition force. By the end of the day, everyone aboard feels a little more prepared for the journeys ahead.
Day Six:
You awake to the sound of great booms in the distance and cries of alarm.
In response, you:
[X] Grab your blade and prepare to repel boarders.
[X] Make sure your bunkmates are awake and prepared for battle.
[X] Peek out the door and assess the situation.
[X] Go back to bed; you're here for your learning, not your blade.
Day One:
Upon waking up, you thoroughly examine the ship's exterior, making sure that nothing from the changing seas had implanted itself in the vulnerable wooden underside of the Gentle Hand. You find what looks like a colony of ordinary barnacles, and, borrowing a knife, carefully remove them from the hull. Task complete for the day, you return to your quarters and write extensively about the course of the River Magnolia, referring to the map you sketched previously and making marks and notes between the two. You mark down the locations of known hazards on the river, names of settlements along the banks, and expected travel times between various locations. When you try to fill in the historical information, however, you find you've hit something of a writer's block, which leaves you in a poor mood for the rest of the day.
Day Two:
Performing only a more cursory inspection on the hull, you throw yourself again into your writing. Today, the words come much more easily to you. The battlefield that is your destination is a day's travel overland from the nearest point you can bring the ship, and it is nearly at the heart of the human lands, where the great battles that ended the magocracy took place. Memory is long in those parts, and magecraft is distrusted. Unlike the shores, where magic is necessary enough for defense that to shun it is pure foolishness, the kingdoms towards the center of the continent mainly consider magic a tool of elven oppression, some of them outright banning any and all magic within their borders. Most simply criminalize the more despicable schools of enchantment and illusion, while employing speerscildan guards to make sure nobody is trying anything subtle. You tell anyone who strays close details as you write them down, making sure to warn Sam and Chirrt that they may be under suspicion if they do anything too overt in the wrong town. Luckily you don't have any sorcerers, or worse, wizards, in your group.
Day Three:
The hour you spend in the morning inspecting the hull flies by. You have writing to get back to. Based on what you've pieced together, the battlefield you're headed to has been largely left alone because of the remnants of a large working which keeps a storm raging across the edges. The continual storm has turned the outlying area into something of a swamp, making any treks inside a daunting enough proposition that without a specific reason to venture inside, most people would just as soon not bother. You write down records of the two expeditions which turned back, noting that they didn't fail so much as suffer loss of morale. With a smaller group and a more specific motivation, you shouldn't suffer the same problems. That's when your writing stalls out. Setting aside your writing for the day, you head above deck and lend a hand to Chirrt, who is crafting silk rope for the ship's use. With another body to help coil it up, Chirrt can focus on production. The two of you discuss the different ways that your people store arcane writing. Wilmians tend to use scrimshaw for more portable arcane writings, and carving for more permanent forms. Weaverlings, by contrast, tend to store everything in their webs, through one way or another. You remind Chirrt to make sure to use paper scrolls around the more superstitious inlanders, as they might not recognize the silk scrolls for what they are, and mistake reading from a scroll for casting a spell.
Day Four:
After checking the hull in the morning, you reorganize your notes, rewriting areas that came out in a jumble the first time around, and putting them in a neat progression based on immediate relevance. This takes all day, but by the end of it, you have something to present tomorrow.
Day Five:
After presenting Captain Smythe with your writings, you go over the information contained within for the benefit of the crew and the other members of the expedition force. By the end of the day, everyone aboard feels a little more prepared for the journeys ahead.
Day Six:
You awake to the sound of great booms in the distance and cries of alarm.
In response, you:
[X] Grab your blade and prepare to repel boarders.
[X] Make sure your bunkmates are awake and prepared for battle.
[X] Peek out the door and assess the situation.
[X] Go back to bed; you're here for your learning, not your blade.