Bounea |
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The Maywind |
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Mitlan |
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Arianna |
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Dwendel |
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Hedarum |
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Galamor |
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Cidran |
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Gregory |
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Shops of Silton |
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The Fate of Many
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It was upon one summer night that a great storm took hold of the southern seas. Thunder and lightning competed with crashing waves in a boast of might. The storm reached as far north as Cambridge and spread as far south as to cover the Silton Islands. Towns folk everywhere retreated to their homes and burrows while the lighthouse men fought to keep their flames bright.
It was on this unfortunate night that the Maywind, a merchant ship, found itself deep at sea. The unexperienced Captain Philip had underestimated the storms potential. And now the ship had been tossed about throughout the day and into the night, in what seemed to be a storm that would never end.
The crew was a mix match of sailors and passengers. The sailors worked fiercely, but over time had grown fearful and exhausted. Not long ago, one of their own had been pushed overboard by a crashing wave. Once hitting the treacherous water, he had never resurfaced. And so in an effort to conserve strength and sanity, one of the sailors suggested they begin working in shifts, allowing some men to rest. And that's what they did.
This continued on for many tiring hours with no end in sight. Many of the able passengers, who had done their share of the work, were now below deck in the crew quarters, taking their turns to rest. They laid soaking wet with the taste of sea water on their lips as the boat rocked back and forth. They ranged from elves to gnomes; men, women, and children. Their only tie as they laid there was that they all wished to live. They sat, wondering if the roped off cargo would hold. They listened to the groans of the ships frame and to the continued roar of the wind. Men were shouting to each other on the deck above. Shouting about how they could not find the lights of shore and whether or not they were still on course.
Then, when things seemed as though they could become no more dim, there was a tremendous slam. Sailors and passengers were thrown to the floor alike. Men shouted about the ropes giving away. One sailer's voice could be heard above the rest, "Captain, we've struck something!"
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Those below scrambled to ready themselves. Hedarum, the gnome, checked on the children while Dwendel and Galamor gathered their things. But Cidran, the elf, didn't move. He simply sat in his bunk and listened as the ship rocked, his eyes closed.
"Help!" a man cried out, the storm nearly drowning out his call. The captain's eyes were wide with fear as men scrambled about. He didn't flinch. Arianna, who was near the captain, heard the call and began working her way across the treacherous deck.
"There's nothing down there!" shouted out Galamor who had made it to the edge of the ship and was leaning over. His beard blew in his face and sea water filled his eyes, but he was correct.
Another sailor near him agreed, "Aye Captain!" He looked back at the helm, "We've not struck land!"
Dwendel reached the helm where the captain and a few other sailors were massing. As it was obvious that the captain was preoccupied, Dwendel turned to the next sailor and shouted, "Sailor Williams, what is going on?"
Williams shook his head with fear in his eyes as he looked on, "We may have sailed west as far as the Razor Mountains... the spine under the sea!"
The captain turned to Williams and shouted back, with a hint of anger in his voice, "No! We are not that far off course! And someone tighten down the ropes!"
It did not need to be said, for they all knew: No one had ever sailed beyond the Razor Mountains and lived to tell of it. The underwater jagged rocks would tear through anything that braved their waters.
The captain shouted out, "We stay on course! We sail on till we reach the shores of Cambridge!"
"That," Williams said quieter, his eyes still fearful, "Or it's the very dragons of the sea swimming about below us."
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Militant hung half overboard, his right fist clinging tight to a rope fastened to the deck. His right boot was wedged between two of the railing's supports. He cried for help, water splashing over him.
Galamor, who was near the edge of the deck, ran to meet up with Arianna to help aid in a rescue. "What do you need?" Arianna shouted out while carefully placing her steps.
"What do you think? Pull me back!" Mitlan called out. He struggled to climb back on board but eventual stopped for fear of loosing his grip.
Galamor who was less patient with his footwork, slipped on the wet deck and was knocked over by a crashing wave. The wave carried him back across the deck bound back for the sea. Galamor desperately scrambled to find footing or something to grip onto but was helpless.
"I've got you sir!" a man named Borneo called out, grabbing a fist of Galamor's shirt while clinging tight to a rope with his other hand.
Down below, Cidran opened his eyes to see Dwendel rummaging through objects in the room. The two boys and the elf watched for a moment until Dwendel finally spoke up, "I need something heavy. Something that will sink right away." He continued to search around frantically a bit more until noticed that Cidran had a large coil of rope amongst his things. "We could use that," he said looking up at the tall man. "We need to tie people off so we don't loose anyone else." Cidran, quite calmly took the coil and pulled his boots on.
On the deck, the storm continued. "We should turn back captain," William said in a earnest tone.
"Get out of my way!" Captain Philip snapped back. "We ARE on course!"
But just then, the boat shook suddenly as it had before. The sudden stop was followed by a long and deep moan which turned every face pale. They knew that the frame would not handle much more.
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Hedarum scampered down the slippery stairs just as Cidran was walking up them. They glanced at each other as they passed but said nothing. Reaching the cargo hold, the gnome began the daunting task of climbing over barrels and boxes searching for any signs of leaks. But their load was great that evening and most of their hold was buried. After some time, Hedarum looked down at the ankle deep water and wondered if it could have accumulated from above.
Dwendel, the other gnome on board, entered the cargo hold also looking frantic. Without waisting a moment, Dwendel started scavenging, snatching up nails, blankets. He emptied barrels by turning them over and spilling their contents out into the wet floor. They were mostly full of fine clothing and decorations but it seemed to make little difference now.
Cidran reached the helm, seeing the storm and the panic all around. He spoke up for the first time, clear and loud, "Is anyone readying a lifeboat?"
William looked over his shoulder, pulling his hair from his face, "There's only one. And she's not all that big."
Cidran spotted the half flooded boat off in the corner. It certainly wasn't all that big.
Galamor and Borneo reached Arianna and Mitlan. "Help me get him up here!" the dwarf shouted pushing his way in while trying to keep his footing. Borneo and Galamor reached down and grabbed Mitlan's arms and legs and pulled with all their might. Mitlan could feel his grip failing as the weight was lifted. But in that moment, just before the men gave a final pull, Mitlan looked back down below to see a terrifying sight. As one great wave reseeded, long jagged rocks could be seen shooting up all around... but then were gone under yet another wave. Mitlan was lifted, and to his great relief, was pulled over the railing and back onto the deck. They all fell to the wood floor together with Galamor and Borneo letting off some nervous chuckles. But not Mitlan.
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Hedarum splashed about the teetering, cargo hold until reaching stairs. There was a great deal of shouting above. The gnome climbed the stairs, reached the stormy deck, and made his way to the outer railing. Down below, the waves trashed against the boat without ceasing. But Hedarum did not have to pear long to spot the razor stones hidden below. It was as he feared. "Rocks off the port bow!" he yelled as loud as the storm permitted.
The yell reached the ears of those on deck. Arianna went to the captain and the sailors around him, "This ship will not make it! We must get off!" The rest of those on deck gathered around. She went on, "The life boat can't hold us all. Let the children take the boat. Let us take barrels and rope them together. It's our only chance of survival!"
"I'm making a raft!" Dwendel declared, joining the crowd. "Grab a hammer and help me out before we go down with the ship. Theres not much more we can do."
"Have you seen the size of those waves!" a strong voice shouted above the rest. It was Galamor the dwarf who stepped forward now. He looked around with security in his eyes, "No one would survive in the row boat. Or a raft. So we are going to have to sail out of this storm."
There was a moment of silence. The crew held tight to whatever they were near as the boat rocked up and down. Finally, William spoke up, noticing that some men were already preparing the life boat if it should be needed, "What say you captain?" William squinted at the men working. It looked like one of them was sleeping in the boat.
But the captain said nothing. He clung tight to the wheel his eyes fixed ahead. It was unclear if he could even hear them anymore. William looked around at the other sailors and then turned back to Dwendel, "I'll give you a hand with your raft."
Hedarum spoke up, "You're going to have a rough time. The hold is starting to flood a bit."
Borneo, slammed his fists on the railing, "It would be suicide to leave!" He nodded to Galamor, "The dwarf's right. Those who plan to stay better start bailing and patching leaks."
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Dwendel, William, and Arianna departed below deck to construct their raft with Hedarum shouting behind them, "I've seen the rocks out there! Your raft won't stand a chance! You must listen to reasoning!"
"Let them go," said the captain, his eyes still fixed ahead. They shifted back and forth rapidly searching for surfacing rocks, "Better half a crew then a mutinous one."
Hedarum looked ahead squinting, unable to see much of anything in the continues rain, "How can I help?"
"Give Norwall a break," the captain ordered. Norwall was up in the crow's nest calling out potential rocks. Though it was likely he couldn't see much more then they could. But it was something.
Down below, Borneo rummaged around the cargo hold looking for the source of all the water while Galamor watched the others. Corbin, a merchant who was traveling with them, owned most of the cargo and was quite unhappy with them tearing apart his crates. William tried to reason with Corbin, telling him how all his valuables would mean nothing when everyone was sitting on the bottom of the ocean.
"Men, don't despair. If we work quickly, we can survive this yet!" Dwendel piped up while aiding in tying some barrels together. The rafts would have to be small enough to fit up through the hatch. Arianna made a point to leave extra rope hanging for hand grips when the time would come.
"Look here," Mitlan called out over to Cidran. Both men were in the dumping rain with their hair plastered to their faces. "We got a dead body in this boat!" he said with a grin. "Help me throw him overboard. We don't have room for dead weight, right?"
Cidran looked back over his shoulder at the captain who was preoccupied, "It's not that the crew's lives don't matter to me, Mitlan. It's just that I won't take the risk in what I see to be a fools errand."
Mitlan nodded, "Aye, you're right." The two men climbed into the boat with the sleeping man, Mitlan watching him closely. Mitlan poked him a couple of times, "ello. Are you alive, mate?"
"What are you doing?!" Norwall called out from above. Hedarum and the captain both looked over to see two men hoisting down their only life boat.
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"How can I help?" Galamor asked the captain, watching the life boat slipping away.
Captain Philip spat in their direction. "Cut them down for all I care."
Mitlan and Cidran worked feverishly to lower the boat. Gregory, the sleeping man, didn't move much. Mitlan called out to his partner, "Looks like he's dead. At least we've got ourselves some meat to eat if we live to survive this night!" He laughed to himself.
Cidran didn't look back, "Let's just lower this boat quickly or we'll be taking along more dead weight."
Their boat hit the water to their great relief. Cidran began to untie the ropes while Mitlan watched their passenger. He gave him a poke. To their surprise, the man sat up instantly screaming, "The finger of death? Ahhhhhhh!!! The reaper has caught up with me! The reaper! I don't want to die!" With that, Gregory began scampering about rocking the tiny boat.
"I understand the great loss for you," Dwendel sympathized with Corbin below deck, "But it won't keep you from drowning." Corbin watched as his crates were torn apart and his precious cargo was spilled out into the flooded hull. Dwendel looked earnestly into his eyes, "Come with us and perhaps my friend the governor may help compensate your loss."
Just then, there was a deep groan, as ship must have been scraping along something. Corbin looked around fearfully and then back at Dwendel. He let go of the valuables he had been gathering up and then walked away, "It doesn't matter. We're all going to die anyways."
Hedarum reached Norwall in the crow's nest with some effort. "What's the news from below?" The bearded sailor shouted while clinging on for dear life.
"Some of the passengers have decided that running into rocks with a small life boat and a raft hastily fastened together will be safer than trying to navigate out of this mess with a large ship!" Hedarum shouted back. He nodded to Norwall, "Cap'n's ordered me to relieve you for now."
"Fine by me!" Norwall squinted in the rain, looking all around at the tremendous storm. He shook his head, "Darnedest thing I've ever seen!" He slapped Hedarum on the shoulder and began to climb down. Then he stopped and reached with both hands for his belt and handed up a spyglass, "Here. Though it won't do you much good. Bloody thing's all fogged up!"
Suddenly, there was a great crash. The crow's nest was flung violently. Norwall was whipped from the rope ladder and hurled helplessly into the sea. Hedarum could do nothing but watch.
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Through the thick rain, Hedarum squinted trying to spot Norwall's body. He looked through the spyglass but could see nothing. The tool was just as useless as Norwall has described. Without the aid of a spyglass, one could only see crashing waves.
Hedarum turned around in dismay. He looked for a rope to tie himself to the mass with when he spotted something in the distance.
Dwendel held a rope tight while William tied it off. The ship moaned as the waves beat against it grinding it further along rocks beneath. "We should make a rudder so we can keep it heading for shore," Dwendel suggested, "And we better do it quickly, she doesn't sound like she will hold much longer".
Arianna returned from the kitchen with a small knife for cutting the rope. William held out the strand to be cut and talked over his shoulder to the gnome, "That's a bit beyond my crafting abilities. I doubt I could pull anything together that would be of much use." Arianna cut off the excess rope and stored away the knife. "Looks good to me," William approved giving the raft a few tugs. "Let's see how she does in the water."
Cidran kicked the row boat away from the ship as a wave almost smashed them together. The men began rowing desperately to gain some safe distance. "This could be a long trip so we'd better take shifts," he organized. "I'll row first. Gregory's been sleeping so he can keep watch for rocks and Mitlan can be the first to try and get some rest."
Another great wave carried the row boat up and to a frighteningly steep angle before residing. Gregory clung on for dear life calling out, "A rather short trip the way I see it! We're going to get crushed against those rocks over there!"
"Should we stay near the ship, or get away?" Mitlan asked nobody in particular. Another great wave was forming ahead.
"I think it's best if we keep our distance from the Maywind," Cidran suggested while trying to get a better grip in preparation. "In this rain, they may not see us and just as easily run us over."
The wave reached them and almost capsized their tiny vessel. Upon residing, Mitlan vomited over the side. The rocks seemed to be the least of their worries at the moment.
"I see him!" a voice could barely be heard. "He's alive! I see him!" The crew of the row boat looked over to see Galamor pointing past them. "See if you can save him ya bloody cowards!" They followed his aim just in time to catch a glimpse of Norwall before a wave hid him again.
Hedarum turned to face the captain who met his gaze. The gnome struggled to find his voice. "Rocks." He tried again louder, "We're heading for rocks!"
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"Saving Norwall spells certain doom!" Mitlan shouted in the rowboat as his side lifted up. "We can't save him. We're barely alive ourselves!"
But Cidran's eyes were fixed. When the wave resided, he took hold of the oars and began rowing towards where they had seen the sailor. "One of you two take an end of a rope, tie it to the boat, and get ready to perform a rescue."
"Leave him be!" Mitlan shouted over the storm. "This is a fool's errand and will kill us all!"
"What?" Gregory shouted back, "The pool baron will fill a mall?"
Mitlan reached past Gregory and grabbed the oars from Cidran. Rocks jetted up all around creating a forest to navigate through. The boat struck one and almost capsized from the impact.
"You're right," Cidran said coming to grips with their situation. "It is too dangerous. We need to take care of ourselves. Let's keep rowing."
On the Maywind, down in the cargo hold, Dwendel helped Williams drag the raft over to the steps. The problem quickly became apparent. "This here raft, isn't going to fit up the stairs," Dwendel pointed out looking around. "We better use the cargo lift. Williams, why don't you take Arianna, go to the top and open the doors. You can throw me down the rope from the pulley. I will attach the raft and come help you hoist it to the deck."
"Quick, bring your raft up top," Galamor shouted from the top of the stairs. "I need your help to save Norwall before he drowns."
"Norwall fell overboard?" William called out shocked.
They sprang into action. Galamor found the cargo hoisting system and prepared it while William unlatched the trap doors on deck. They lowered the rope to Dwendel who tied off the raft. When the gnome had joined the others on deck, they all pulled together. Their efforts were however met with an unfortunate flop as the knot slipped and the raft fell to the floor below.
But their disappointment was soon interrupted by a larger concern. "We are going to hit! Abandon ship if you can swim!"
"What!" Borneo called out, quite certain he had heard wrong.
The captain gave the wheel a full spin and it kept on spinning. "Rudder's torn out! Hedarum says we are heading straight for rocks. There's nothing we can do!"
"Abandon ship in what?!" Borneo screamed back, "This is all we have!" His mind raced as he searched for a solution, "Maybe I can fix the rudder."
Then off in the distance, they appeared. Rocks stretching up taller then their very ship. They were spread out before them like a fan. The boat certainly heading straight for them.
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"We could use some help here!" William called out. Dwendel and Galamor rushed back down below deck to attend to the raft. The captain and Borneo came at William's call and readied to lift the raft.
"Where's Corbin?" the captain called out while looking around.
"Maybe he's down below, looking after the boys." Borneo suggested while wrapping the rope around his arm for a better grip.
"I doubt that," remarked captain Philip. "William, why don't you go round everyone up and get them up here."
Galamor and Dwendel refastened the rope as quickly as possible. William passed by them calling out, "Make sure that's secure this time. Another drop like that and we won't have a raft to lift."
"Look over there!" Mitlan called out in the rowboat "Let's get to those rocks and to land!" The other two men squinted while clinging tight to the boat. The rocks were long and sharp, like the blades of swords jetting up and out every which way.
Cidran nodded a slight approval and helped Mitlan row. It was obvious that Norwall was gone and he knew they would not last much longer in the water.
"Steady men!" the captain called out. The raft was level with the deck now. "Set her down gently." They lowered the raft in once piece and took the moment to catch their breaths. William reached the deck with the two boys, Anthony and Marcus. They looked plenty scared and didn't look much better after seeing the raft and the storm. The captain made an announcement, "Alright men. There's a lot of us and only one raft."
Corbin surfaced from below, "We should roll dice to see who goes and stays."
Borneo nodded in agreement but William objected, "It's our raft! We put it together."
"From my supplies!" Corbin shouted back.
"Enough!" the captain shouted over everyone looking back at the nearing rocks, "William, Arianna, and Dwendel will take the two lads. The rest of us are just going to have to swim for a while." Corbin was about to refute the order but the captain reached for his sword and so he backed off. "If you are going to go, you had better go now!"
They lowered the raft, with the five passengers aboard. The raft hit the water and to their relief, it held. Those in the raft used a pair of board, which Dwendel had snatched, to paddle away from the Maywind. They could only watched as the great ship continued on its course for the rocks. And then eventually, struck.
A wave lifted the Maywind up and upon its decent, a rock structure nearly as tall as the ship was there to meet it. The stone tore through the ship like a toy. Sailors jumped into the water while others were thrown. Someone called out for help but no one was certain of who was where. Galamor clung to the helm as the rear of the ship lifted up. But his grip quickly gave away.
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Icy... cold... darkness. Galamor tumbled under water, kicking and swinging his arms for all he was worth. His hand found something solid and gripped it. It led to a torn floating piece of the ship, and that to air. The dwarfs head merged from the water gasping. He wiped the water from his eyes to reveal a horrible sight all around him. The Maywind was in two pieces, both of which were nearly sunk. Scattered debris littered the sea all around with cries for help filling the air. Still trying to catch his breath, Galamor tried to call out to the distressed men. But a wave tossed over his structure plunging him underwater yet again.
Arianna clung tight to their shifting raft while trying to hold the boys close. The waves slapped the raft about violently, each one threatening to tear their structure apart. "We must make it to those rocks as quickly as we can!" she insisted while Dwendel and William paddled.
"We're certainly near land," Dwendel reasoned. "We need to use your compass so we can paddle to shore." Arianna either didn't hear him or didn't care. Dwendel tapped her bag letting her know he was going to help himself. "Here," Dwendel said pulling out a decorative compass and handing it to William, "You use it. After all, you are sailor."
William stopped paddling with a fearful look on his face. He kept his tight grip on the raft with one hand and with his freed up hand, reached for the compass. Another great wave suddenly lifted the boat up and the compass slipped between their hands. The device hit the water with the slightest plunk and was gone, only to be interrupted by yet another enormous wave.
The rowboat wasn't having much better luck. For as much as the men rowed, it seemed as though they were truly at the mercy of the waves. One wave would take them closer to the rocks while another would carry them away.
When the row boat was closer to the rocks, Gregory grabbed the rope, which was tied off to the boat, and flung it out. To everyone's surprise, the rope looped over a stone and actually held. The men pulled the boat in close quickly and began climbing onto the stone formation. Cidran called out, "Gregory, Mitlan, help me pull this boat up a bit to keep it from being swept ed away." Only then did he hear the calls for help. Had they only now started or had he just not heard them before.
Hedarum could hear the cries as well, still being tied to the crows nest. Though details were hard to make out below with the storm all about. Seeing as the boat was not likely to shake about any further, and as it was rapidly sinking, he unfastened himself and made the long leap down. The water hit hard and immediately spun him about. He surfaced only to be buried by another wave.
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"We should all hold the boat here and wait for the storm to die down," Gregory suggested as the three men pulled the lifeboat up onto a large, flat stone.
Cidran nodded, himself drenched, freezing, and nearly exhausted. He looked around at the terrifying mess that surrounded them, "I agree. We can't row in a storm like this. And if we tried, we'd end up with the same fate as the Maywind."
But not everyone was out of the treacherous sea. Galamor and Hedarum kicked and splashed about relentlessly trying to keep their heads above water. Galamor spotted and recovered his floating structure. Once he had grabbed on and caught his breath, he began kicking again for the rock formation. Only a moment later, Hedarum resurfaced near him completely disoriented from the pounding waves. The gnome spotted Galamor and his plot of wood and made for him.
"William," Dwendel called out on the raft. The sailor was clinging on to the raft with little thought on much else. He turned to the gnome with a look that said he knew he was about to die. "William," Dwendel called out, "Do you have a compass?" The sailor though for a minute and then his expression turned to disgust. He shook his head, though Dwendel did not know if he was earnest or not. It didn't matter. Dwendel took one last look for shore and gave in, "Arianna is right. We should go to those rocks. Someone could climb to the top and search for land from there. It's our only hope." And so they did.
The raft reached the rock mass and William roped them to a stone. Dwendel had intended for only one to venture onto the rock structure but both William and the two boys had insisted on getting off the raft as soon as possible. The rocks shot up and out in every direction. William started climbing up, not bothering to see to the raft. The two boys tried to follow him with a great deal of difficulty. It was not long after that a piece of ship debris washed up onto the rocks carrying a dwarf and a gnome. Their flotation device was shattered upon impact leaving them clinging to the rocks as the wave resided below.
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Galamor helped Hedarum get his footing and together they climbed across the rock's face making their way over to the crew with the raft. The waves would beat against them forcing them to stop and cling on tight every so often. The dwarf would find grips around the gnome, shielding him from the blasts and saving him more then once. To everyone's great delight, they did eventually reach the rest of their party safely.
When they got there, Cidran was trying to loop his rope to a stone above. He obviously meant to climb it. "We should stick together," Galamor suggested seeing the beating waves and the forceful winds, "We have much better chances that way." Cidran missed his target and the rope fell around him. Ignoring the dwarf, he tried again.
"Has anyone seen Captain Philip?" Dwendel asked the group, more aiming at those just joining them.
Hedarum shook his head, "We couldn't hear anything with the waves beating down on us."
"Well then out best bet is to climb to the top of the rocks and see if we can see land." Dwendel said as he watched the elf continue hurling the rope up. The rope finally caught on something and held. Cidran tied himself to the rope and began climbing.
One of the children began venturing to follow when Arianna pulled him back. "Stay close to Dwendel and with the raft," she ordered. "You're much safer with them." She looked up watching where Cidran placed his feet and hands and followed shortly after saying, "I won't be gone long."
Those who waited below helped Dwendel pull the raft up farther from the waves and rested it near the rowboat. Dwendel was turning his attention back to the two climbing above when someone coughing could be heard. The party looked down to find a man clinging to the rocks below them.
The two elves reached a surface near the top where they could stand and look around. The storm's rain dulled their vision terribly making every direction look more or less alike. Arianna tried searching through her spyglass without aim. Then Cidran saw something. "There," he said pointing off into nothing. Arianna looked with her tool and saw it. It was a faint light. She lowered her scope and squinted, looking with her own eyes. Something was wrong. The light was far too high on the horizon for a lighthouse. She had sailed all up and down southern shores and had never seen this before. It was as unnerving as it was relieving.
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"We should head for that light," Arianna said while putting her spyglass away but still watching it. Then she turned to Cidran. Then she added, "All of us. Together."
Down below, everyone gathered around the edge to see who had washed up on the rocks. Dwendel recognized the man first by his trimmed beard, "It's the captain." The gnome stood up and looked for a secure climbing rout. "Come, let's help him up."
Galamor the dwarf headed down first, being the strongest, followed by Hedarum and then Dwendel. Grips and footing were plentiful, given the way the stone were stacked across each other. The captain was no more then twenty feet below them when a large wave surprised them all. The impact swept away Galamor's footing in an instant leaving him with nothing to do but grab onto something. He found Hedarum's ankle. Now a gnome's ankle is poor support for a falling dwarf and in so quickly slipped from its place on the rock. Unfortunately, Hedarum was not much of a climber and so had been holding Dwendel's hand for support. Neither were given proper time to release and so the three short men tumbled helplessly one after the other, all three of them landing directly on top of the captain.
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"Don't suppose either of you brought some rope?" Galamor asked, laying on his back looking up. The captain was grinding his teeth in pain while the rest rose to their feet. Now they were no better off then he had been.
Hedarum looked up at the cliff they had fallen from and shouted, "Hey, you guys!" Faces appeared above. He signaled with his hands, "Throw us some rope!" And the faces withdrew. Those below clung together enduring several thrashing waves before a rope was lowered.
Hedarum and Galamor went to work quickly securing the rope around the exhausted captain. When they were done, Dwendel gave the signal to hoist him up. The captain was slowly raised to safety.
Cidran climbed down from the peak and joined the others. He rolled his eyes, having seen the clumsiness of the dwarf and gnomes, but in the end decided to pitch in and help pull them up. The captain was the heaviest by far. After that, pulling up gnomes felt like lifting a basket of bread. When their group was all back together on the same rock with the boats, he shot Arianna a look. Certainly she would show him a little respect now.
So there they were, their backs to the rock and storm all around them. There were eleven of them then and boats only enough to carry eight. None could know how long the storm would last or what dangers awaited them beyond that. There was a light in the distance that no one knew of, but gave them hope of land. And hope was what they needed.
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"Williams... Galamor," Dwendel spoke. "I would suggest that you take the strongest swimmers and go in the raft. Head for the light and see if we can get to land."
Galamor, who stood next to him and was as exhausted as the rest, nodded understandingly, "Agreed."
"If you reach land," Dwendel added, "You can send someone back for the rest of us."
William didn't need to force anyone. Hedarum pushed his way ahead insisting to go. Mitlan was not far behind him. "I don't want to die out here," Mitlan whispered to William, "I'm going too."
"We're not going in that," Galamor announced. Everyone could see what he was talking about. The raft was a tattered mess. It had held together as long as it could but its usefulness had run out. "I suppose we take the rowboat."
The group helped lower the row boat into the uncertain sea. The waves, though still unruly, seamed a bit less intimidating then they had before. Perhaps the storm was finally settling. Or perhaps they had merely grown accustom to it. The boat reached the water. Mitlan, Hedarum, Galamor, and William climbed in and pushed off. The rest could only stand above and watched.
"What's going on?" asked the captain, propped up against the rock with eyes closed.
Dwendel borrowed a dagger to cut off some of his cloak and used the cloth to bandage the captain's cuts. "They found a light," the gnome explained. "They are taking the row boat and going to find land for us."
Phillip cringed and reached out for the nearest body. He found Marcus and pulled the boy close, "Tell Borneo they can have the life boat! You hear me! I want them all off my ship!"
The pounding rain had turned into an impenetrable mist. Where there was once thunder and lighting, there was now an eerie silence. William looked about hopelessly, "We've lost the light. It's just gone. Either behind something or it went out... or it's this blasted mist." Their little boat floated on slowly. The men rowed, unclear of the direction any more. They rowed for what must have been an hour with no sign of anything and nothing to be heard.
Then, unexpectedly, they reached a wall. It was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. They could not see the top of it nor how far it spread in either direction. William shook his head and whispered, "Where the devil have we sailed to?" As they drew nearer, it was apparent that the formation was stone but abnormally orderly, much like a castle wall only more naturally formed. Some large stone poked up out of the water near the base. The men found a place to tie off the boat near one of these large rocks.
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The Uncharted
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Cidran watched the silent fog from their island of rocks, "And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Their party was cold, wet, and tired. Cidran would now add impatient to their list.
Dwendel dug around in his sack looking for something. He emerged with a few sheets of parchment, "We should build a fire if we can. They'll be looking for a sign to find us again.
Arianna spoke up, "Agreed. Who knows how long this fog will keep up. There has to be something to burn around here. At least it would keep us warm."
"I'll leave you to that then." Dwendel handed over the dry paper, "If you don't mind, I'll have a look at our raft."
Meanwhile on another rock, the small boating party sized up their dilemma. "These cliffs are no shore of Bounea." William said feeling the wall with his hand. "We've crossed beyond the Razor Mountains!" He barely believed the words as he spoke them, "No one has ever come back from the other side. Surely we are all dead men."
They all knew the stories as well as he did, but felt no need to darken their spirits any further. The mountains were full of monsters. The blizzards would kill you were you stand. Everyone knew this. But for as many terrible stories they had heard of the mountains, very little was actually known about the lands beyond them. They were said to be cursed and uninhabitable. And simply that those who ventured there never returned. This being true or not, it was certainly true that they would have to cross the Razor Mountains to get home. And that would be dreadful.
"I think we ought to have Williams stay with the boat," Galamor said while testing the sturdiness of the rock wall. He studied the splits in the rock and how the creases came together. There was clearly no way through the wall but plenty of good grips and hold for climbing.
"Well, someone will have to climb it," Hedarum pointed out. He pulled his spyglass from his sack to offer whomever. "Who's our best climber?"
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"We won't find any comfort from whatever lies at the top of this wall," William warned. Hedarum watched the sailor carefully. William was clearly a superstitious man who had heard a great deal of stories. He went on, "We'd be fools to climb it. The land's cursed."
"William," Hedarum interrupted. "The rest of our group is freezing on that rock. Can you find them and bring them here?"
William knew what the gnome was up to. He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "You're right. That's probably... you're right."
"Anybody think to bring some spare rope?" Galamor said looking up. No one answered.
"I'll climb it," Mitlan said as no one else was volunteering. And he began.
"Now just a minute," Galamor insisted taking the spyglass from Hedarum, "I'm on it." He found a good route and started up as well.
"There's something wrong with the tool," Hedarum said to them, not being far below. "You may not find it all that useful." And he watched them climb up into the mist.
Not far away, with much care, Dwendel had repaired the raft. The rope and boards were still solid. Shifting and pulling had just loosened the structure. The gnome had tightened and realigned it and now it was as good as it had been on the deck of the Maywind. Looking up from his achievement, Dwendel noticed there was still no fire. "I remember Galamor and Hedarum floating up to the rocks here on some driftwood. Maybe we can use that to..."
Dwendel was interrupted by a flash of intense light. A flame shot straight up into the mist, lighting up the sky above them like the sun and then vanished. Dwendel followed the source back down to Cidran who stood on a tall rock with his bow drawn. "Now I've seen everything."
William looked up from his rowing to see a quick flare of light in distant mist. He adjusted his direction twords the light and kept rowing.
Mitlan and Galamor continued climbing. The two men found themselves so high that they could see nothing but mist below them and thus could no longer judge how far they had traveled. After a few breaks to catch their breath now and then, they reached a point where hand hold grew few. They had stopped to plan their course when Galamor noticed roots in the wall. They were not large enough to climb from but it was a change in sensory. The dwarf looked around to see if there were any larger plants about when he spotted something in the fog. Something dark against the rock about a stone's throw to his right. It did not move.
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The raft pushed off with Gregory leaping on at the last moment. "Don't leave me behind!" he had called out and no one was in much of a mood to argue. Gregory, Philip, Dwendel, and Cidran now made a full party and they pressed on into the fog. Arianna watched from the rock, keeping the children close. They would wait for William to return.
The crew headed for the mysterious light in the distance. They took shifts rowing with their rough boards, calling out every now and again for whoever might be passing by in the boat. A distant voice turned out to be William who met up with them. They redirected him in the direction they had come from and, upon his return, set out again. With more calling out, both parties were able to locate the base of the wall.
Hedarum, who had guided them in, directed his concerns back above him. "Well, what is it" he called out again. He had been waiting for quite some time with no response. Fearing the worst, and feeling uneasy being alone in the mist, he ventured up the wall after Mitlan and Galamor. The grips were large and sturdy making it easy for a gnome to scale. He worked his way quickly, stopping only for a moment at a time to shake off his hands and then press on again. The boat parties could eventually be heard arriving below the fog as continued. Dwendel shouted out from below for direction. Hedarum called down to them letting them know where he was and what he had heard. He pressed on upwards with nothing in sight. Surly he must be near the strange sight by now, he thought as he searched around. Up above him, some loose pebbles rained down. He was not far behind.
Galamor reached the top of the ledge clinging to a fist full of roots. He pulled himself up cautiously not knowing what to expect above the stone formation. The wall out of his way, he could see the shining light in the distance. He could see everything.
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