Saturday, April 03, 2004
Major Richard Skelton's Journal, issue 1
7th of March, 1814 A.D.
Joined the crew of the infamous Jinga Tahn. It has been entirely too long since I have been involved in such adventures as suit a gentleman of my character and particular talents. They are an odd, mismatched bunch, but that suits me fine. The Captian, Blackpowder Pete, is a fellow Englishman, although it appears he hails from a less enlightened time. There is also a Kraken mage aboard by the name of Aquillikae...I hope I shall be able to learn more of the occult energies of this world from him. My greatest hope is that this voyage will be an interesting one.
9th of March
We set sail from Baltimus today. We are off to investigate a ghost whom the crew had previously encountered. Aside from an experience I am loathe to recall in Essex many years ago, I have seldom had chance to examine a spirit. I am told that this ghost is, indeed, very real, capable of manifesting in the physical world.
11th of March
We arrived in Caleb's Rock today. Less than vastly interesting.
12th of March
In Tuck. Sailing onwards.
14th of March
At the tip of Terratose. We visited Wrasselton. We've been asking around about pirates(the crew encountered a pirate raid earlier, before my entrance into the ranks of the ship's officers on the 7th), and ghosts. Little learned of importance. We shall spend the next two days pirate hunting.
17th of March
Sailing for Jomba Town, we encountered a pirate vessel, the Wicked Wanderer. Battle was joined, and at last we boarded the other vessel. Steel clashed against steel, and arcane might was summoned up. The impressive savage Karn engaged the enemy captain directly, a man who was not above low blows and dirty tricks - and who almost did the Ugak in. I believe, as odd as it may sound, that the Atani, Serenity, a vocal pacifist, was the one who spared Karn's life by hurling a rock at the head of that beastly pirate. In the end, we prevailed, and took the Wicked Wanderer, a brigantine, as our prize.
18th of March
We arrived in Jomba Town. We asked around about the man called O'Connel, supposedly the one whom Jomba's ghost was after...and the slave trade, which Jomba rightfully opposed. Much of the population of the town is Irish, which I suppose explains quite a bit. Apparently, black hair dye is also a valued commodity here.
23rd of March
Set said for Caresia. We arrived, started asking around if anyone here knew anything about the slave trade. Little luck. Street urchin attempted to steal my pistol. Gave him a coin instead. Something to be said for an entrepreneurial spirit.
27th of March
We encountered the Spanish privateer the Spanish peacock at sea. Had dinner with the pleasant but foppish captain. Exchanged tales of the strange. In his travels near the Floatsom Sea, he claims to have come across both ships manned by the damn, as well as catching distant sight of a Kracken Greatship... We also arrived in Baltimus, where we sold the Jinga Tahn. The Wicked Wanderer shall be our new home. The Captain, sadly, objected to the rechristening of the ship...
28th of March
We were in negotiations with the East India Company today. Went well enough - we were really just informing them of our intentions to act as undercover agents to root out the slave trade. We also sold a magical hook that we'd recovered from the Wicked Wanderer. Hopefully, none of us will never regret that sale. We set sail then, to return to Jomba Town.
1st of April
We encountered a ghost ship, which pursued us. Perhaps wisely, perhaps not, Blackpowder Pete chose to evade it. In the process, however, we got quite lost, not finding our bearings until almost a day later.
4th of April
We arrived in Jomba Town. Questions were asked, and few answers were received. Myself and Aquillikae went on maneuvers with the marines.
5th of April
We set sail for Baltimus once more.
7th of April
We arrived in Baltimus once more. We set sail to an exotic destination, and with a new goal - we would try to reach the Teeth, as Aquillikae assured us that if we could but get him to the geyser, he would by then be capable of flight, and we could visit the Archmage Tressa the Red, who likely knows much about these lands and what must be done to undo the flooding - and return us loyal servants of the King to the empire.
8th of April
We spotted sails, but they escaped us. We also arrived in Lanos.
9th of April
We arrived in Bristo, and continued on. We encountered a sunken manor on what had once been a hill. Our aquatic officers went down to investigate...and brought up a magic ring. Sadly, said ring was cursed...very interesting, but hardly useful.
10th of April
We spotted, once again, a whale that has been trailing us for some time. I have begun to fear that it follows our ship with amorous intentions.
12th of April
We arrived in Azy Cay. Everyone took a chance to relax and unwind.
14th of April
Bluth's Crown. I will never cease to be amazed by these stones here...I hope someday, before I return to earth, to have learned enough of their power to replicate Bluth's spirit pact back on Earth. What a feat it would be. Hrm, perhaps that explains Stonehenge... At any rate, we asked around about the archmage, and got few answers. Tomorrow, we head to the Teeth...
20th of April
We are now sailing along the shores of Toranth Ka, the Savage Land. That continent reminds me entirely too much of India, although the savages are bigger, and we lack a Company of His Majesty's Infantry to accompany us. I hope we do not encounter more trouble than we are capable of handling.
27th of April
We encountered, at long last, the teeth. With luck and the amazing skill of Black Powder Pete, we managed to navigate the teeth(in the process, recovering a dolphin masthead of arcane nature from the wreck of an unfortunate ship), and came upon the geyser in the centre where the Archmage supposedly dwelt. First, Ash tried to swim up the geyser. Amazingly, it worked. However, he came back down half an hour later, apparently having failed Tressa' "Tests of the Elements". Determined that we should all visit the Archmage, we devised a wise plan of ascent. A cannon shot was fired, secured to a rope, to the top of the island. Karn then climbed up the rope, and hoisted the rest of us up. We encountered the rather annoying parrot Ash warned us of, who told us to leave. Obviously, that was not an option.
We entered the keep in the centre of the airborne island. We then defeated the Earth challenge - a riddle challenge, where we had to touch the key to open the door - the key was, in fact, Azy Cay on a map. The next challenge was similarly easy - stepping on stones representing creatures related to the element of fire. Trivial. Then a swimming challenge, where we once again used Karn's brawn and my brains - the savage swam through, and then pulled the rest of us through by rope.
And waiting for us on the other side...perhaps one of the most beautiful women in existence. We had expected Tressa to be a wizened old woman, but she was instead a mature lady of surpassing beauty. Much was discussed. She told us that she had been working on stalling the rise of the waters - which was caused by a leak, a hole between worlds...it appears the extra water in Caribdus was coming from earth! Which, of course, means that earth would eventually go dry if the problem on Caribdus was not solved. She warned that nothing could be done until the Sea Hags were defeated - and tolds of a way it might be done. We would need water from Earth - easily enough done. We would also need the Hag's true names. Much more difficult. She advised us to look for the Tears of Lis, a magical artifact that might reveal to us the Hag's names. It was last known to be in the possession of Thomas D'Iringo, aboard a privateering vessel in the Grey Isles. And, of course, we would need many and mighty allies to be able to actually battle the Hags...perhaps that Kracken Greatship? She bestowed upon me much honour and a gift of a book containing the spell of Beast Friend as well... I will always be indebted to her. There is beauty and kindness present on Caribdus such that I had not imagined.
And then we left, with fond hopes of returning soon. We paused on our exit to attempt to retrieve magical sails from inside the Teeth, which Tressa had told us of...it went less than well. Ash and Aqullikae both went down, and were both savaged to within an inch of their lives from sharks...beyond my capability to heal as of yet. From such a high to such a low...what shall we do now?
Joined the crew of the infamous Jinga Tahn. It has been entirely too long since I have been involved in such adventures as suit a gentleman of my character and particular talents. They are an odd, mismatched bunch, but that suits me fine. The Captian, Blackpowder Pete, is a fellow Englishman, although it appears he hails from a less enlightened time. There is also a Kraken mage aboard by the name of Aquillikae...I hope I shall be able to learn more of the occult energies of this world from him. My greatest hope is that this voyage will be an interesting one.
9th of March
We set sail from Baltimus today. We are off to investigate a ghost whom the crew had previously encountered. Aside from an experience I am loathe to recall in Essex many years ago, I have seldom had chance to examine a spirit. I am told that this ghost is, indeed, very real, capable of manifesting in the physical world.
11th of March
We arrived in Caleb's Rock today. Less than vastly interesting.
12th of March
In Tuck. Sailing onwards.
14th of March
At the tip of Terratose. We visited Wrasselton. We've been asking around about pirates(the crew encountered a pirate raid earlier, before my entrance into the ranks of the ship's officers on the 7th), and ghosts. Little learned of importance. We shall spend the next two days pirate hunting.
17th of March
Sailing for Jomba Town, we encountered a pirate vessel, the Wicked Wanderer. Battle was joined, and at last we boarded the other vessel. Steel clashed against steel, and arcane might was summoned up. The impressive savage Karn engaged the enemy captain directly, a man who was not above low blows and dirty tricks - and who almost did the Ugak in. I believe, as odd as it may sound, that the Atani, Serenity, a vocal pacifist, was the one who spared Karn's life by hurling a rock at the head of that beastly pirate. In the end, we prevailed, and took the Wicked Wanderer, a brigantine, as our prize.
18th of March
We arrived in Jomba Town. We asked around about the man called O'Connel, supposedly the one whom Jomba's ghost was after...and the slave trade, which Jomba rightfully opposed. Much of the population of the town is Irish, which I suppose explains quite a bit. Apparently, black hair dye is also a valued commodity here.
23rd of March
Set said for Caresia. We arrived, started asking around if anyone here knew anything about the slave trade. Little luck. Street urchin attempted to steal my pistol. Gave him a coin instead. Something to be said for an entrepreneurial spirit.
27th of March
We encountered the Spanish privateer the Spanish peacock at sea. Had dinner with the pleasant but foppish captain. Exchanged tales of the strange. In his travels near the Floatsom Sea, he claims to have come across both ships manned by the damn, as well as catching distant sight of a Kracken Greatship... We also arrived in Baltimus, where we sold the Jinga Tahn. The Wicked Wanderer shall be our new home. The Captain, sadly, objected to the rechristening of the ship...
28th of March
We were in negotiations with the East India Company today. Went well enough - we were really just informing them of our intentions to act as undercover agents to root out the slave trade. We also sold a magical hook that we'd recovered from the Wicked Wanderer. Hopefully, none of us will never regret that sale. We set sail then, to return to Jomba Town.
1st of April
We encountered a ghost ship, which pursued us. Perhaps wisely, perhaps not, Blackpowder Pete chose to evade it. In the process, however, we got quite lost, not finding our bearings until almost a day later.
4th of April
We arrived in Jomba Town. Questions were asked, and few answers were received. Myself and Aquillikae went on maneuvers with the marines.
5th of April
We set sail for Baltimus once more.
7th of April
We arrived in Baltimus once more. We set sail to an exotic destination, and with a new goal - we would try to reach the Teeth, as Aquillikae assured us that if we could but get him to the geyser, he would by then be capable of flight, and we could visit the Archmage Tressa the Red, who likely knows much about these lands and what must be done to undo the flooding - and return us loyal servants of the King to the empire.
8th of April
We spotted sails, but they escaped us. We also arrived in Lanos.
9th of April
We arrived in Bristo, and continued on. We encountered a sunken manor on what had once been a hill. Our aquatic officers went down to investigate...and brought up a magic ring. Sadly, said ring was cursed...very interesting, but hardly useful.
10th of April
We spotted, once again, a whale that has been trailing us for some time. I have begun to fear that it follows our ship with amorous intentions.
12th of April
We arrived in Azy Cay. Everyone took a chance to relax and unwind.
14th of April
Bluth's Crown. I will never cease to be amazed by these stones here...I hope someday, before I return to earth, to have learned enough of their power to replicate Bluth's spirit pact back on Earth. What a feat it would be. Hrm, perhaps that explains Stonehenge... At any rate, we asked around about the archmage, and got few answers. Tomorrow, we head to the Teeth...
20th of April
We are now sailing along the shores of Toranth Ka, the Savage Land. That continent reminds me entirely too much of India, although the savages are bigger, and we lack a Company of His Majesty's Infantry to accompany us. I hope we do not encounter more trouble than we are capable of handling.
27th of April
We encountered, at long last, the teeth. With luck and the amazing skill of Black Powder Pete, we managed to navigate the teeth(in the process, recovering a dolphin masthead of arcane nature from the wreck of an unfortunate ship), and came upon the geyser in the centre where the Archmage supposedly dwelt. First, Ash tried to swim up the geyser. Amazingly, it worked. However, he came back down half an hour later, apparently having failed Tressa' "Tests of the Elements". Determined that we should all visit the Archmage, we devised a wise plan of ascent. A cannon shot was fired, secured to a rope, to the top of the island. Karn then climbed up the rope, and hoisted the rest of us up. We encountered the rather annoying parrot Ash warned us of, who told us to leave. Obviously, that was not an option.
We entered the keep in the centre of the airborne island. We then defeated the Earth challenge - a riddle challenge, where we had to touch the key to open the door - the key was, in fact, Azy Cay on a map. The next challenge was similarly easy - stepping on stones representing creatures related to the element of fire. Trivial. Then a swimming challenge, where we once again used Karn's brawn and my brains - the savage swam through, and then pulled the rest of us through by rope.
And waiting for us on the other side...perhaps one of the most beautiful women in existence. We had expected Tressa to be a wizened old woman, but she was instead a mature lady of surpassing beauty. Much was discussed. She told us that she had been working on stalling the rise of the waters - which was caused by a leak, a hole between worlds...it appears the extra water in Caribdus was coming from earth! Which, of course, means that earth would eventually go dry if the problem on Caribdus was not solved. She warned that nothing could be done until the Sea Hags were defeated - and tolds of a way it might be done. We would need water from Earth - easily enough done. We would also need the Hag's true names. Much more difficult. She advised us to look for the Tears of Lis, a magical artifact that might reveal to us the Hag's names. It was last known to be in the possession of Thomas D'Iringo, aboard a privateering vessel in the Grey Isles. And, of course, we would need many and mighty allies to be able to actually battle the Hags...perhaps that Kracken Greatship? She bestowed upon me much honour and a gift of a book containing the spell of Beast Friend as well... I will always be indebted to her. There is beauty and kindness present on Caribdus such that I had not imagined.
And then we left, with fond hopes of returning soon. We paused on our exit to attempt to retrieve magical sails from inside the Teeth, which Tressa had told us of...it went less than well. Ash and Aqullikae both went down, and were both savaged to within an inch of their lives from sharks...beyond my capability to heal as of yet. From such a high to such a low...what shall we do now?
