Lady Red (log)

Day 1, early morning.

After all our preparations and having spent the last weeks studying spells, scribing scrolls and making magic items, it is with a feeling of relief we're finally setting sail.

It is a beautiful morning and a soft wind slowly bring our two ships out to sea, almost majestically. The stress to get every thing done in time and to take care of all things to be left in Sasserine is slowly replaced by anticipation of the long journey ahead. The fabled Isle of Dread, our destination, full of dangers, treasure and unknown knowledge waiting to be explored, here we come.

Day 1, noon.

It took several hours of uneventful sailing before I begun missing the library of the Witchwardens. Thankfully I have my alchemical laboratory. A few hours of moving stuff around, without really accomplishing anything, made me feel better. I put up a simple map of our voyage on the wall by my bed and marked our progress so far. It's not much more than a dot as of yet. I also made sure the nest for Rara Avis is set safely next to the window. Night time my dear peregrine falcon sleeps indoors with me.

The course is still north, and we're making good way. It's still a funny feeling to be traveling north when our destination is so far to the south.

Day 1, evening.

When the first day at sea was nearing it's end, the shocker lizard of Liamae, the Jade Ravens sorceress, brought a message from Lavinia Vanderboren in which she invites us to dinner this evening.

Day 1, after midnight.

We took in most of the sails and lay alongside the Blue Nixie. Some ropes was tied between the ships and a seat was attached to them using a pulley. This was used to ferry the guests to the dinner and let the crews visit each others ships. I, of course flew, to the other ship. Jennike was planning to swing over but somehow she managed to dive head first into the sea. I was mostly surprised she didn't just swim across in the first place. She's almost aquatic anyways.

The guests included, apart from our little clique, Avner Meravanchi, Skald, Urol Forol and Father Feres from the Sea Wyvern, and Lavinia, Captain Sarim Pepper, and the Jade Ravens from the Blue Nixie. Kirith??? was disappointed that she wasn't invited. I sensed that she has a better upbringing than she admits. It seems she's trying to hide her family background. I should know. Amella Venkalie stayed on the Sea Wyvern to keep an eye on things when we were off.

During dinner I sat between Avner and Father Feres. It's awful that my brother don't know our relation. That womanizer couldn't keep his hands to himself. In the end I had to leave the table to get away from him. The father wasn't the most interesting conversationalist either. But everyone wasn't as unfortunate. Aiken flirted with Lavinia (or was it the other way around), Jennike went for a swim with Kaskus Kiel, the druid of the Jade Ravens, and Blood seemed to get along all to well with Liamae. After dinner a few of the crew gathered with some instruments and there were dancing. Captain Pepper asked me, and I accepted immediately, to some extent to avoid Avner. After dancing we conversed and I found him quite interesting. The old Captain has a lot of stories to tell.

When the evening was coming to an end and we were returning to our ship Aiken, the show off, were to walk on the rope between the ships. When he was midway the rope snapped and he fell, not that far though, since he grabbed on to another rope and avoided a big splash. At the same time something fell from the crow's nest. I flew over and it turned out to be a steam ???. A quick web held it in place. It had the very bad taste to use an acid spray on me! I gave it a couple of magic missiles and then it cast stinking cloud. Since I couldn't see, it I couldn't harm it anyway so I flew out of the cloud and started dispelling it. When the stinking cloud was gone the steam??? had died from bullets and bolts.

When we discovered that the rope had been cut through an investigation was started. Someone was behind these sabotages and we was set to find who. My good bird of pray, Rara Avis, had seen a glass jar with a creature cramped inside, in the crow's nest, but had no idea of when it appeared or how. My main theory is that someone with a way of using invisibility did it. Going through the ship with detect magic didn't give any results, but it's not that hard to hide magic items from detections. Kirith??? and Skald were among the suspects. We will have to keep an eye on anything suspicious. It could damage moral among the superstitious sailors. Their world is full of bad omen.

Day 10, afternoon.

We sighted a merchant ship. They told us about a ship full of goblin pirates that had demanded toll but let them go when it was payed.

Day 13, noon.

We will soon arrive at Fort Blackwell. I'm definitely looking forward to some fresh supplies to improve on the cuisine.

Day 13, evening.

As we entered Fort Blackwell, I really looked forward to visit a new town. It turned out that it wasn't really a town but rather a village surviving on the passing trade. Father Feres asked if anybody would encompany him to the Heronious monastery. I and some others, but not Blood, did. It was a rather small missionary station, much smaller than I expected. The others Stayed ashore, drinking and whatever it is sailors do during a short shore leave. I returned to the Sea Wyvern and my laboratory and bed.

Day 14, morning.

We left early in the morning and as we turn south we are finally traveling in the correct direction.

Day 17, noon.

Rara Avis spotted a ship just beyond the horizon that is on a course that will intercept us.

Day 17, evening.

The ship has kept it's distance but is now trailing us. It seems they can use the weak wind better than us.

Day 18, morning.

The goblins are still following us, but keep their distance.

Day 19, morning.

Skald noticed that during the night the goblin pirates, who's ship has blackened sails, had crept up to quite close to us. But still didn't attack.

Day 19, afternoon.

I suggested to the captain that we try to fool the pirates that we loose speed and get behind the Blue Nixie as they probably won't attack as we have two ships against their one. To make sure we still had a way of communicating, Aiken sent his parrot familiar to live with Lavinia on the Blue Nixie. They didn't react during the day.

Day 20, late morning.

The pirates apparently got closer during the night but still made no move to attack. Perhaps just to make sure that they wouldn't loose us during the night. Father Feres has taken ill. It seems he has a fever and has been put in bed.

Day 20, noon.

Father Feres is getting worse. Since Jennike is visiting the Blue Nixie, Blood has been trying to take care of him, so far with limited success.

Day 20, afternoon.

It turns out that Father Feres doesn't have the fever but is infected with a embryo of a magical beast. I've read about those. They impregnate their victim and then their offspring grow within the host until they are bigger than the host body and burst out causing the death of the host in a messy way. Cinnamon flew off to get hold of Jennike and make sure she prepares remove disease at dawn.

Day 20, almost midnight.

The pirates closed in on us again during the early hours of the night. The captain tried to use one of the very good tricks I suggested, but failed to carry it through. This time I think they saw through us and now they know we are trying to provoke them to attack.

Day 21, morning.

Finally the pirates have left us alone. Jennike used her remove disease spell with great effect. It seems we got rid of two problems at once.

Day 22, afternoon.

We have reached the mouth of a greater river. We went upstreams to get fresh water, when the wind failed us. We had anchored for the night when we were attacked by an ooze. Sadly it killed Skald, but I saved Soller Vark from the same fate. It cost us a potion, but that is a small price for a life.

Day 23, morning.

I have identified the items we got from the wreckage that the ooze brought with it. It turned out to be a pair of gauntlets of ogre power and a ring of mind shielding. At least the gauntlets might come in handy.

Day 23, noon.

Someone thought it funny to pretend to bee the ghost of Skald. I'm growing tired of those tricks to lower the morale of the crew. We will make sure we get to the bottom of this. Is that a good phrase when on a ship?

Day 23, afternoon.

Our unknown saboteur tried to poison Cinnamon. I hadn't filled my mind fully with spells during the morning so I added detect poison to my repertoire for the day. It turned out to be arsenic in her fruits. I will use that same spell on every little space on this ship to find where the saboteur has hidden his poison so we can find out who it is.

Day 23, evening.

I have worked very hard to try to find out if there is any poison, or more specifically arsenic aboard this ship. Several hours spent detecting. There were some bad looks from some of the crew when I left the forecastle cargo hold after hours of searching and spelling for their good. To make sure that they knew I did what was for their own best I decided to talk to them. They didn't seem to get comforted. Well, they should learn to mind their own business, anyway.

Day 23, very late evening.

When I at last got in bed for my well deserved sleep after a particularly hard day of tedious spell casting, Cinnamon suddenly appeared with a wand and asked to get it identified. She had been following Father Feres all day and found out some suspicious facts. He didn't pray much. His prayer book was worn on the binder, but the pages were practically unused. After yet another hour of hard work I identified the wand as a wand of healing. I will finally go to bed now.

Day 24, noon.

We have tried to find ways to find that saboteur...

Day 28, evening.

Jennike has finished talking to fish and is now down below talking to the ships cats. I don't know if I should be envious that she can talk to the cats or if she's just gone nuts.

Day 29, evening.

Today Jennike and Cinnamon spent the afternoon swimming after getting really messed up from searching the dirtiest place they could find on the entire ship.

Day 30, morning.

Finally it's come to search the entire cargo hold. It's going to take the entire day. It'll be me with Aiken for heavy lifting, Cinnamon with Jennike for the lifting and Amella with the cargo manifest.

Day 30, noon.

This is taking a very long time. Luckily enough Aiken move the heavy crates for me.

Day 30, afternoon.

About the same time as we found a crate that should have been very heavy but moved quite easily anyway, I noticed that the sun that sipped through the trapdoors had shifted and the ship was taking the waves in a different way than it should, had we stayed on the right course. It turned out that it was Rowyn Kellani who, disguised as Peter Blood, had ordered the new course straight at land. She kept the crew from realizing what was happening by using a bardic trick to keep them listening to her. We foiled her plans and after a quite hard fight we succeeded in subduing her. She's in an awful state. Her hair is a mess, her skin looks kind of sick and she's hurt from the fight, not to mention her mental state. She's all "you'd better kill me". She really needs to change her ways and straighten up. Somebody should make sure she gets a new look on life. And I mean someone other than Avner. Not that it wouldn't be a good project for him, but I'm not entirely sure of his intentions. I brought Rowyns books with me as I thought I would have a lot of time on my hands, but I haven't been bored enough to make me reread those works of questionably literary quality. Now I can at least return them to their, former if not rightful, owner

Day 31, morning.

It's been decided that I should make some alchemical lead that Cinnamon then will add to some of the shackles on board. Those will then be used to keep Rowyn from getting her spells back.

Day 31, evening.

I've finished making the alchemist lead. It's good to be done with it, but now I have to decide how to handle this whole Rowyn affair. I feel responsible for getting her into this trouble she is in. It would be easier just to keep away, but Jennike and my conscience keeps nagging. I might visit her anyway. Her books wasn't worth discussing, but she might have some interesting stories to tell. Maybe she even knows some spells I don't. She might even teach me, but that would make it look like I'm only after her spells. Maybe I should keep away, anyway...

Day 32, morning.

I have made up my mind. She's in trouble and I have to help her. She might be evil, but who knows what lies ahead. She might get through this with a new look on life.

Day 36, morning.

Today is the big day of exploring. Old temple ruins, here we come!

Day 36, noon.

We met a basilisk as Urol Forol had been talking about. We were well prepared and it fell quickly. We entered the complex and found three more beings, all evil, which we slew. Now I must record our findings. I will write more of this expedition when we're back on the boat.

Day 36, evening.

There were a firewall trap in a very interesting map room. The map was actually a model of a city that this structure once were part of. Sadly enough it had seen better days, as had the city, nowadays hardly more than ruins, but it was interesting to study anyway. There also were another map room far better preserved, but of an unknown city. I also found an almanac in the form of a large circular stone table. There were also several interesting wall painting. Forol and I copied all of them between us. Now I have something to do during this long journey, as if I hadn't before; talking to Rowyn and making sure she's doing well, checking the navigational charts and correcting them if need be (It also makes sure Forol won't get us too far off course.), refining magical items in the laboratory. I just hope I get it all done before we get to Farshore. I will start on Aiken's gloves soon enough.