Reckonings: Umberlee's Belly

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Bringing the Sea Gypsies Aboard

Sariel is bringing up the rear when he senses the sibilant voice and slithering shadow of Nephys.

"My mistress has need to be discrete, Sariel. She and Cortez are laying a trap for a ghost that has taken Shadross. They cannot use whispers to speak candidly with their troops, which leaves me...and you."

The serpent twines itself around the dragon's shoulders and speaks softly of their plan.

"The ghost has taken the bait, and should be taking steps to exchange the captive Demon Cutter for the Smiling Serpent. They fear the impetuous Tobrek Naen will interfere if he is not advised, and Ciera cannot send a whisper to him alone. You must find him before he finds Shadross and spoils everything."

[DeepShadow of FoS]

In the Demon Cutter...five feet from a hungry troll

The six men and the boy stood quietly in the knee-deep water, their empty eyes echoing with stolen pain and grief. It had felt like several minutes since the snapping of timbers had heralded the ship's imminent sinking, but the water remained at their knees. Finally the Ghost sloshed over to the doorway and the steady stream gushing through the cracks. Eyes followed him, transfixed, as he brought a handful of bitter water to his lips and drank deeply.

He closed his eyes. "So that's what shame tastes like."

Klem was halfway through cursing the Ghost for a crass thug when he trailed off. Others, about to take up the slack, suddenly realized why: they'd never heard the Ghost speak before. Only Ratling, the Ghost's longtime confidante, was ready to speak the fatal words.

"It's true? That's where the water comes from?"

The Ghost nodded. "When I was a boy in the desert wadis, I snuck water onto the refuse piles at the oases, and return over the seasons to see what strange plants had sprouted. That's what this place does: it waters the seeds of pain and doubt that we keep hidden, the refuse of our lives, and gives it form in spirit. Harrin can call that spirit-form into our world, and he did so with the captain's greatest shame."

Dellen buried his head in his shaking hands and let out a stifled sob. "So what are we supposed to do? We're on a ship full of men with such regrets and pains, three thousand lifetimes of it! If guilt's a weapon in Harrin's hands, what's to be done for any of us?"

The question passed from man to man like a hot coal none of them would touch, until it came back to the Ghost.

"What indeed? I think the real weapon was the fear that the secret would be discovered. Had Shadross told Cortez or anyone else of his secret, I might have lost its hold over him."

The others nodded uncomprehending, until Red Skaldos suddenly held up a hand.

"Wait, are you saying you think we need to share our...secrets...with each other?"

"I'm saying that if shame is a weapon we must give Harrin, it might be best to blunt it first."

The men stared hard at him, coughing uncomfortably. "This whole ship's locked down, you really think this is the best time for this?" Tally grumbled.

Ghost shrugged. "It needn't take that long, if we face it with courage." He drew a deep breath. "My greatest shame is that when my sister fled her wretch of a husband, I helped my father kill her to spare our family name. Now our family is an empty lie, borrowing false honor from old laws twice as heartless as when they were written."

The men stared at him wide-eyed as he expounded upon the greatest shame of his life. He heaved a sigh of relief and looked around at them again with a haggard smile.

It was Red who finally took up the challenge. "I see messages...on the walls, the deck, all over...they warn me about things. Started since we came here, and at first I thought it had to do with those ghosts all over. But no one else sees 'em, not even that horse-lord what with his spirit-sight. I-I don't know where they come from, really."

Duranc sighed. "I've only seen them the last hour or so, but they've warned me about everything, just in time. They led me here, to free all of you."

The men gasped and muttered prayers at the thought that someone--something--in this world might actually be an ally. Tally held up a hand.

"Red," he said, "Wha'bout Kit? Was that from this...writing? Is Kit an imposter? Or a turncoat?"

"I...I don't know. The writing's been right about everything else...middle of a fight, I didn't question it. Afterward I realized it could have been a trick, that I'd been duped into helping split the crew apart."

Ratling snorted. Red bit his lip, bracing for another racist litany from the boy who swung between hate and terror of their half-orc first mate. The Ghost turned toward the boy with a wave of his hand.

"Right then, your turn."

The boy stared at him. The Ghost kept his hand outstretched, waiting.

"What'm I s'posed to say?" Ratling sneered at the hand.

"The whole story. About Kit. Should I start it for you?"

"Bake-headed desert filth. You promised!"

"I kept your secrets as I kept my own, with silence. My secrets are revealed now, as must yours be. We must share them so they cannot be used as weapons."

Ratling shook and fumed. "I trusted you."

"Shows good judgement," the Ghost murmured. "Why don't you start with Chessagol, and the Wonderday riots. Wasn't that the last time you saw your family--"

"Rotten liar! Ain't told y'nothin' bout that!" Ratling clenched and unclenched his fists as he fumed.

"--0no, but you sure know fireballs, don't you--how they sound and smell? Your father had a...what was it, a 'whole mess o' half-breed halfwits to keep him safe?' They didn't keep him safe, did they?"

Red blinks as he realizes what he's hearing, and recalls aloud a Chessagol beggarmaster slain during the riots for opposing the thieve's guild. Ratling sloshed over to pummel the Ghost about the shoulders.

"Stupid! Stupid, the rotten lot of them!" Ratling sobbed, flailing madly. "Shoulda let me stay!"

Hands pinioned the boy's arms as he spewed curses at Ghost and Kit and Cortez and the sun and moon.

"I could have helped! They were supposed to save him, but the big ugly brutes just tossed me out the window!"

Red gasps and lets the boy drop as he realizes what he's hearing. "They...they saved your life! Pap went down in flames, nothing you could have done!"

"They didn't save him!" the boy screamed. He gave one final thrash and then slumped in defeat. "Why did they bother with me?"

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Ciera and Shadross, whispering over the seas
"Captain Shadross. Captain, I must speak with you! Captain Shadross, answer!"

Aboard the Smiling Serpent, Shadross anxiously awaited the shipment of treasure that would ransom his men from the thrall of the ghostly pirate Harrin. "Er, this is Shadross. What's the problem, my little...lady?"

"Cortez has told me of the deal you have made with the scheming Harrin. Indeed this creature has outsmarted all of us! But now his cleverness may yet prevent his escape: Anders's mist-creature punctured the hull of the Demon Cutter in its search for Harrin. Harrin is about to lose his bargaining chip to the waves forever."

Shadross rolled his eyes and pulled out a gem the size of his thumb to roll between his fingers. "Well, fix it! Harrin's not going to leave his precious gold in the claws of the shark-folk, and it won't be loaded for another half an hour. He insists it be aboard the Serpent before he gets rid of the bilge-brine."

"Shadross, this is a phantom ship! Even I can't repair shadow-spirits. We may never be rid of Harrin...unless you can convince him to dismiss the water."

Shadross swore out loud, but forced his voice to a whisper for Ciera's sake. "Harrin's not gonna give up those men!"

"He won't have to. He'll still have his magical control of them, but he'll lose that if the men are about to drown; they can't be compelled to destroy themselves. So if they ship sinks, the men will either be dead or free, and neither one is of use to Harrin. Moreover, the sahuagin are eager for the ship to sink, and a frenzy's too great a delay. I fear Draga will regain his faculties...and he'll learn of Harrin's duplicity."

Shadross swallowed hard. "Dupli--don't worry about any of that! Harrin wants out of here, he's not about to let a handful of fish-freaks scut it for him!"

"He'd better act soon, before the ship's phantom decks drop too far below the level of the real one, and men are trapped underwater."

"Miss Ciera, I--"

"Shadross, please! I fear Harrin may be too great a fool to figure any of this out for himself! You need to talk to him right away!"

"I'm on my w--hold a moment, Ciera! The water's gone! Looks like Harrin's smarter than you take him for!"

"...Indeed. Why don't you find out the price of his beneficence?"

"Uh, yeah, I'll do that!"

Cutting off his whispers with Ciera, Shadross pocketed the gem of air he was fiddling with and dove over the side for a meeting with the sahuagin. There would have to be a change in plans.

[Ciera relays all of this to Nephys, who relays it to Sariel. Hopefully Sariel was able to stop Toby from wrecking everything? I'm assuming in this post that he's no longer on the Serpent.]

[Nathan of the FoS]

[Ciera relays all of this to Nephys, who relays it to Sariel. Hopefully Sariel was able to stop Toby from wrecking everything? I'm assuming in this post that he's no longer on the Serpent.]

OOC: In a conversation with that many oddities, surely Ciera would suspect something? Or maybe not; I forget if she can see Shadross, or just hear him. Without body language it would be much harder.

Sariel was last seen helping Sea Gypsies escape the sahuagin; I presume he's still involved in that.

Finally--hoorah! More postage!

[DeepShadow of FoS]

[Ciera relays all of this to Nephys, who relays it to Sariel. Hopefully Sariel was able to stop Toby from wrecking everything? I'm assuming in this post that he's no longer on the Serpent.]

OOC: In a conversation with that many oddities, surely Ciera would suspect something? Or maybe not; I forget if she can see Shadross, or just hear him. Without body language it would be much harder.

Sariel was last seen helping Sea Gypsies escape the sahuagin; I presume he's still involved in that.

Finally--hoorah! More postage!

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, but both Cortez and Ciera know full well they are actually talking to Harrin. Harrin is being played.

Speaking of being unclear, I was referring to Toby no longer being on the Serpent. Nephys came to Sariel when he was wrapping up with the Gypsies, so that he could find Toby before Toby found Shadross. Hopefully that will clear up the last post.

[Nathan of the FoS]

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, but both Cortez and Ciera know full well they are actually talking to Harrin. Harrin is being played.

Ha! Aha-ha-ha-haaaaaa!!!

Fun.

Speaking of being unclear, I was referring to Toby no longer being on the Serpent. Nephys came to Sariel when he was wrapping up with the Gypsies, so that he could find Toby before Toby found Shadross. Hopefully that will clear up the last post.

OOC: Yes, muchly. Thanks.

IC: As the last of the Sea Gypsies is towed to the seaweed island, Sariel twitches slightly as Nephys whispers. Getting jumpy, he thinks. I wonder if we'll get a chance to rest tonight--or any time we're in this hellhole/.

Nodding in response to the snake's message, he leaps into the air and scans the ships for the figure of the vengeance-bound Toben; seeing him aboard the Smiling Serpent and heading for a hatch, he swoops, calling his name. "Tobrej! Tobrek! We've got information."

"What the devil?" the avenger asks, scowling. "Harrin's here, and..."

"And has got the advantage, temporarily," Sariel says quietly. "We're going to turn the tables, but we need him to break this alliance against us. Delay your vengeance, Tobrek. We've need of you elsewhere."

OOC: Is that fitting for the situation?