Tarkaz looks up at the raven, "Well, that was weird...and a little unsettling....." clenching his large fists the Minotaur cant shake the chill running down his back...he cant decide how to feel about the bird above him and the words it spoke
Garutis is still mesmerized by the spittle floating up and down. The others are still working on the wood rope stick thrower that has no interest or appeal to Garutis. However he also is hungry, and starts rummaging through his pack. He pulls out what appears to be the thigh of something vaguely humanoid, but it’s hard to tell as it is raw and skinless. Garutis takes off his helmet, revealing hair that looks like the thick coat of a wooly mammoth, and a bear like a tangled bush. He then begins to eat his food...
With his large nostils Tarkaz get a whiff of...something... "What is that...smells like rotten or raw fleah...." Looking around a moment he sees the barbarian eating, "that explains it" he says as he sees Garutis take alarge bite, blood running down his chin
Garutis sees the bull man looking at his “meal”. Hurriedly Garutis holds it to his chest “me no share, bull man eat grass”
Giving a snuff through his nostrils Tarkaz stares at rhe neanderthal, "One of many dietary options, rotten meat is definitely not however...some of us know what cooked meals are" Turning back round the Minotaur inspects the trigger once more
With another deep breath, one so cold that it was almost visible in the form of a frosty steam Ohmen looked toward Rasmus, his mind throbbing and veins pulsing as raw magical power was siphoned from them as if the ship was a plumped parasite reeling it in for direct consumption. His face completely cast in shade to the point where it was nothing more than a dark patch Ohmen spoke out “Such is the unfathomable complexity of the Celestia… It is no wonder those below have faced skywards with watering eyes for Millennia, Me, or rather.. Us being amongst them, our minds cast toward those miraculous bounties waiting out here within the void to be reaped… and wait they will until the sky is ash and the stars align, a time when all mortals doomed to die will be but dust cast aside by some greater cosmic whim… Knowledge, however, prevails.” As Ohmen’s almost whispering voice trails off Rasmus can see the figures cloak, now as dark as the void which surrounded the ship fatten itself upon the unease within the room. Next he can now feel the weight of both Ohmen’s eyes placed upon his silver shackles… “The mortal strive for power, influence and authority over one another leads to many finding themselves amongst… undoubtedly tragic circumstances... “ “I too am chained down… Neither by physical shackles or crushing guilt, but by rather my own design and by extension the grasp which mortality holds over us all…” “Let the burdens of dogma, expectation and others hold you down no longer… You fear liberation, You let your perception of salvation be within belief Rasmus...” Ohmen slowly lifts himself to his feet. Only now does it become clear how freakishly tall and slender the figure is especially when partnered with the huge draping cloak that trails behind him like the burdens he talks of. Approaching ever closer in silence Ohmen can feel the fast pulse of Rasmus’s heartbeat disturb the air before he looks toward him and stretches out a thin, long arm to help lift the self-proclaimed Helmsman fully to his feet and to the point where he is now forced to face the changeling head-on. “Like my own, Your salvation is instead within Action. Action we must be willing to take no matter the consequences” “The world will not wait for you to pursue freedom, Act sooner lest you find yourself rotting here when merciful oblivion comes knocking.” Staring now directly into Rasmus’s eyes one of Ohmen’s arms recedes into his cloak before emerging clasping a minuscule stopwatch… Its more metallic surfaces are coated in rust yet its pointing hands still dragged themselves forward in the pursuit of infinity… ‘Click’ ‘Click’ ‘Click’ ‘Click’ “4 Seconds have passed Rasmus. 4 Seconds more of being but a puppet to another's will.” Ohmen proceeds to crush the stopwatch into his palm before pressing it into Rasmus’s wrinkled hand... Despite its metal rim being bent and the central crystalline surface being all but shattered in a web of cracks the ‘Click’ ‘Click’ ‘Click’ still endures in such a way that it almost aligns with the beat of the humans racing heart… Suddenly Ohmen’s hood collapses down in a sort of shivering motion once again revealing a plump cheery halfling who now wears a slight smile on his face as it were a piece of clothing. “Good Day to you my man Rasmus! I Ought to be off then for another meal” The halfling proceeds to tap a small wristwatch a few times... “close enough, to lunch I go!” he shouts before going to leave the room, his walking becoming more of a wild jig.
Okay, one at a time here... Izema: Seek gives a delighted laugh and replies in kind! "How wonderous (delight), and not at all childish (young)! Few, if any, outside of my own race (Vanara) even try to learn finger-signs (delight)! Truthfully, I would welcome (embrace) a chance to spar with another trained (well? honorably? you're not sure what that sign means) in the arts of the body and mind! First, however (serious), I should show up the top-nest (important? enjoyable? Again, you're not sure about that one). There is a ladder to the first-mast over there (serious). From there, cross the brace-line to the main-mast (balance?) and join me at the top!" Turning about, he leaps up and forward, grabbing onto the mast about eight feet off the deck and quickly scales it back to the top! ***** Tarkaz, Drew: Frowning, Kia eyed the raven with concern. "Hmm, yes, that one-many is of concern. Stories-tales I have told about ancient-old things long buried-hidden and now released-freed. This makes me wonder-think. I must ponder." Having said his piece, the kenku wanders off towards the hold. Captain Naresh continues to eye the raven with a worried look, but finally manages to pull her gaze away from the bird and back to Tarkaz. "For now, I will assume the pair of you will handle refurbishing our weaponry. Should you need any supplies, let me know and I will see what I can dredge up." Making up her mind, she returns to the ship's wheel. ***** Garutis: As they pass by the warrior, a few of the crew make horrified faces at the smell of his... food... Perhaps the party may wish to do something about Garutis' eating habits? The haunch of zebra he is munching on has seen better days, and is definitely starting to turn green. Luckily for Garutis, he has a cast-iron stomach and isn't likely to get ill from it. ***** Ohmen: Rasmus contemplated what Ohmen said and cast the mage a stern look. "I am getting a suspicion that there is more to you than meets the eye," he mused. "Had I more time, I would consider delving into that, but I have better things to do. After all, Moonstrider will be repaired soon, and Moonsister will be mine to captain once again. Speak not of situations you know nothing about," he cautioned the enchanter. Meanwhile, Wisdom is perched high up on one of the spars, right next to Ohmen's viewpoint from the mast. However - and this is important - once he has stood up, Ohmen can no longer look through the ship's "eyes." He can still feel the connection to the helm, can still exert a small amount of control, but without physical contact he cannot influence it as effectively. ***** Drakk: "My people?" Letting out another of those almost chirping laughs, the kobold shook her head. "Not much to tell, really. Most of the populace of Silgis are kobolds, like me. We mine ore and gems and trade them with spelljammer ships for foodstuffs we cannot grow ourselves. Beyond that, there is not much to tell about us. Our homes are built into the cliff walls of the canyons, we eat a lot of fish and mushrooms, and ultimately serve the great dragon Silgisarrikenizenikarith, who lives in one of the biggest underground caverns." Smiling, she casts Drakk a wink that reeks of conspiracy. "Silgisarri likes mutton, if you were wondering. While she likes having us around, she also likes us to explore the sphere and meet new people. I think she has ideas of creating some vast trading empire, but a lot of other races do not want to trade with us. Still, we persevere."
Nodding at the captain Tarkaz then looks at Drew, "Lets take a look at this trigger now that the rope is in place" Bending down and then kneeling the minotaur inspects it closer and fiddles with it some, "Ah ha! Its a little lose, off balance ans can definitely use some oil" he exclaims excitedly, "Should be an easy fix" He then instructs Drew to also take a look to see what the minotaur was talking about, "why dont you give it ago, after youre done we can test it" Stepping back he lets the human get busy Spoiler Trigger Mechanism
Drakk listened eagerly before replying "The thought of more of my people sharing the same interests fascinates me! I cannot wait until we arrive at Silgis, I look forward to seeing all our people have to offer, mundane as it may be. Also would you happen to know if there is some sort of instruction manuals for this ship, guides to some of the world's we may encounter, and the like? I would be very grateful if you had some I could borrow!".
Tarkaz/Drew: Once the trigger mechanism has been rebalanced and greased - the oil turned out to be too thin, but there was a jar of goose grease in the storage locker that worked fine - the trigger appears to be functioning properly once again. Do you want to give it a try? There are only 24 bolts on hand for the ballista. Drakk: Sandy gives the matter a bit of thought before raising one hand and waggling her talon in mid-air. "Kind of yes, kind of no? I don't have anything on ships or this ship specifically, I'm not a shipwright or engineer or mage. I do have this though." Reaching into one of the nets lining the walls, she rummages around and pulls out a battered book. Embossed on the cover is the title: Geonomicon: Travels in the Arcane Inner Flow. Handing it to Drakk, she shrugs and casts him a apologetic look. "Not much, I know. It is a travelogue about some of the spheres along a path known as the Arcane Inner Flow. Basically, a well-traveled path from system to system. More of a guidebook for tourists than anything really useful to scholars, but I enjoyed it."
Drakk takes the book gratefully and says "Thank you so much for all your help Sandy! I look forward to reading through this!". With that final word, Drakk sets out towards the main deck again. He gazes around in awe at the beauty of the sky around him. Taking a few minutes to gaze at the sky, Drakk finally heads to his quarters to start reading through the book, starting with the section about Silgis. Noticing some rustling within his belt pouch, Drakk opens the flap to let out Calabash, his small yellow gecko. Calabash crawls around for a few moments, before settling down on Drakk's shoulder to fall asleep.
Tarkaz looks at the number of bolts, thankfully he knew that one did not need to actually load it to test it, "let us just draw it back and then release it" Turning the lever back he cranks the rope back until it locks into place with the trigger, with a deep exhale he releases the trigger...
Izema hurries to the ladder and heads up. it's a wonderful view from the top stars as far as the eyes can see he wonders if he can see the border of the material plane from here maybe beyond. well no matter. "i do have a few questions i was considering going for a swim earlier before the water drained out (disappointment) what happens if some one falls off the side(earnest sincerity)? also what are we on a look out for(confusion)? other ships like ours?"
The ship being still somehow bonded to him was yet another strain placed upon his mind to join the others Ohmen slowly turned around to face Rasmus… The halflings' red cheeks were fat, covering much of his bulbous face which housed two large blue eyes and a crop of well groomed hair. “Suspicion leads down a sloped path,delving down such a path will bring no good to you for it is one that gives birth to dread. Let no such emotion plague you Rasmus.” The halflings cheerful, boisterous voice seems out of place speaking in such a way, his charm and accent having receded almost entirely. Drifting back around the halfling speaks once more before exiting the room. “Speak not of situations you know nothing about… To know nothing of a situation is to be powerless. And powerless I am not.” Allowing a burst of new emotion and expression to flow through his features once more the halfling leaves the room, the oversized black cloak’s end slithering behind. ---- Arriving to the top deck is Ohmen who remains changed as a halfling. Cheerfully the halfling briefly looks around before skipping further onto the deck. Arriving within the strange darkened lighting, illuminated by a more raw unfiltered light Ohmen needs not call to Wisdom, for she had already noticed his presence and responded by fluttering down to his left shoulder. Being such the size she was the halfling found himself off-balance, weighed down by the settled bird who now runs its beak through its feathers a few times before leaning in closer to Ohmen’s ear. Seconds later the halfling orders the bird, who now hops off his shoulder and onto the wooden deck… It is clear what the bird has done, evident by the fact the halfling now turns to face the ballista and those around it, eyes laying on both the Kenku and captain at the wheel for a moment more than the others. Stubby legs propelling him forward the halfling steps up behind the others taking in a huge sniff of the air upon seeing Garuits tuck into his meal. Even for a halfling, the manner in which he savagely attacked the rancid food was slightly off-putting. Letting his presence be further known if not already the halfling speaks in a voice loud enough so that any and all upon the deck could hear him. “So lads, Wen’s Lunch eh? I'm Starvin out ‘ere, My Stomach has gotta be as empty as this big blackness…” With a chuckle, the halfling's eyes move to the captain. “So Ma’am, if you don't mind me disturbing such a busy captain at work, you got any plans for us lot out here?”
Releasing the trigger right as Ohmen began to speak a loud *WHOOSH* sound cracked and echoed out as the arms and rope of the ballista in a blink of an eye released the eye with empty payload outwards! "Perfect!" Tarkaz exclaims while slapping Drew on the back, possibly harder than he intended almost making the human stagger forward from his kneeling position, "Sorry Drew!" Tarkaz lets out a laugh, "Overly ezcited about this working again properly" As if on cue upon hearing Ohmen mention food the minotaurs stomach begins to rumble, he had been hungry before but the work had made his stomach forget for a time, but not now. Turning towards the speaking Halfling Tarkaz walks over to him, and looks him over. "Small lad you are, how was the chair?" Inquisitively he asks, curious of the affects on the magic user, "Your raven is beautiful, odd speaking however"
Drew smiled at the Minotaur's excitement, but when the halfling/grim reaper/changeling mentioned food, Drew also realized he was hungry.
Garutis rises, clearly having taken a nap after his meal. Garutis looks around, and considers what to do next. He has also noticed the crew making funny faces, and whenever they make a funny face garutis pounds his chest and bellows “U CHALLENGE WOODS KING?”
Hmm, sounds like everyone is on the top deck now in some location. This should make things a little more fun. We'll start with Izema. High up in the crow's nest, the Varana winks at Izema. "Hmm, useful (amused) questions, both of them! Let us begin with the simple (serious) one. What are we looking for. Pirates, bandits, brigands, monsters (dislike? hatred?). We aren't heavily armed, and even with the addition of you and the others, we are undermanned for a serious battle (disappointed?). As for the issue of falling overboard (highly amused? joking? Something is off with this gesture but you don't know what), well that is easy to explain." He hands you the end of a spool of rope. "Hold this, please."
Izema takes the rope he was planing to try this but thought better of i. he wraps the rope around his waist and brases himself