353rd Day, Midday. Olic Haversham

The boys from the Randy Trollop stand a watchful eye around the ship day and night. They are a bit overzealous with their cudgels, but have erected a temporary shelter out of sailcloth to block out most of the Glow, so maybe that’s just their nature. The leader of the detail is Yorgi, almost seven feet tall and with long white-blonde hair, yet the voice of a 12-year-old girl. He doesn’t say much.

The crew continues their dour mood for the next few days, but tempers and recriminations are starting to dissipate, and purpose begins to take shape. Rather than stay at the warehouse where the dark deed occurred, they silently elect to stay aboard the ship, and the familiar locale seems to do the crew some good. Upon hearing your plan to travel towards the dwarven territories, Roland announces his intention to leave the ship. He has heard of a vessel bound for the Shattered City, and means to take part in a hunt there. Taz rounds up some potential crewmembers, given that the ship is feeling shorthanded now. There is a young lad, no more than 14, named Fairfield, who has never left Shadowhaven but fancies himself something of a dab hand as a cook and an able climber, and is willing to learn the ways of the ship. There is a rough looking orc, with their typical underbite and a penchant for laughter that is more unsettling than comforting, who makes no bones about his pirate career, and proudly shows prison brands for three separate islands which he escaped from. There is a former classmate of Xisco’s, Hoyle, whom it appears wishes to travel, but offers little evidence of his readiness beyond his velvet robes and credentials with the Athenaeum. Xisco does not remember the chap fondly. And finally, a skylerman named Vuyen, who comes from common stock, wears a stocking cap with a pompom and ends most sentences in “ey?” regardless of their interrogatory nature.

The Courier, a weasel-faced fellow named Morelund, makes his appearance a few days after the death of Tooly. Xisco tries to give him the runaround, but he sees through the young man’s ploy. Luckily, the ink had just finished drying on the forged documents, and they pass muster. A bank officer comes by to establish the credibility of the papers that afternoon, and goes to cancel the debt in light of lack of funds. Tooly’s estate is in the clear.

The new cargo, wooden and bone flasks stored in fibrous netting to keep them from rattling, is safely aboard. After paying the crew, and covering related costs, the crew has netted about 2900 cogs. Tooly’s share is put into a chest containing his equipment, belongings and skull, so that it might be returned to his family. The rest is divided up amongst the shareholders and the crew paid.

Greenbottom seems to have a good handle on the operation here. He has agreed to take care of Platt, but in the interest of keeping him alive needs some money to cover Cecelia’s vig. He has set Pierre and Platt up on the same small island, only approachable by rowboat, and has a guard detail to protect them just in case. Greenbottom is not a man for half-measures.

Jay seems irritated at the slow rate of the plan to kill Cogsworth, and suggests putting the piemakers to work using the dwarf’s money. “That’s what I’d want you to do if it were me. Mainly because the dwarf was the only one who knew his way around a weapon. You’d probably just make a mess of it. Unless the lizard (the way he says it doesn’t seem an insult, or at least not more of one) wants to do it.”

Harmony makes a place for herself, and gets to know the crew.

Blendin takes a day to chat with an old friend. The Swoose seems happy to see him, as does Quint.

Jorana seems to recognize something about Gardner, and welcomes him much more openly that before. He is fed, a rare rite in the Temple of the Winds, and his windcharm is reblessed to fortify it further against danger. They refuse his offers of direct payment, but he notes the alms box as he is leaving.

Xisco makes use of the Choirhall for entertainment, and tries to forget his guilt over not being there to help his fallen comrade. It mostly seems to work.

ooc: So, I hope everyone realizes we’ve been at this a fucking year. This is officially the 1989th post. I’ve not done a word count, perhaps once we break 2000. Kudos to you guys for making this an awesome game to run, and here’s hoping we can keep it rolling for quite awhile more.

So, although I normally wouldn’t assign points without completion of some kind of group goal ‘on screen’, I figure the roleplaying this section has been particularly good, and the plan, although not complete obviously, is initiated. It seems the death of a party member inspired some varied and emotional responses. I’m going to go ahead and do a session reset (back to starting bennies) and grant 2 points each. This isn’t a complaint. It’s a complement.

Everyone except Harmony made 364 cogs. Gardner double that. Ship purse, after expenses, 3963. Yes, I included squid money. Yes, that is a net gain of ~200 cogs for the ship, but you’re all pretty well off. I’ll have to fix that somehow. Cargo is valued at 1560 cogs here, more or less depending on destination.

Oh yeah, Harmony and Xisco have both hit a level. Ding. Bphage, Sam, send me your advance via whatever method you deem appropriate.

The silkfarm is tooling up. Pierre requests about 300 cogs for improvements to speed its preparation. You can check on this investment whenever you are in town. Greenbottom will be looking to it. He has requested an advance of 200 cogs to appease Cecelia for a few weeks, with the intent of taking the next portions of the vig out of the investment. It’s up to the crew what they want to do on these. Bphage, feel free to ooc your opinions (not that I have to ask for that).

If the crew wants to complete any other tasks before departing that is fine, but the ship is prepped for flight anytime.