westwhere | storm at sea

storm at sea | part ii

Thar she blows — part II of the Storm at Sea travel arc, lasting until 5 August.

RELEASE THE KRAKEN

SUMMARY: as allied pirate ships Pariah and Queen Zanyra sail onwards, mad captain Quicksilver Sam uses the artefact of the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company to call out to the notorious power of the haunted Crossing seas. He craves retribution from the crew of his former, drowned ship, the Storm at Sea — which rises up along other sunken vessels, all manned by undead sailors. With them is a vicious kraken. They attack, seeking Quicksilver Sam’s relic. So should you. Some characters dragged underwater reach a deserted dimension where time behaves aberrantly. To survive the two-three-day skirmish, keep your ship afloat and moving, hijack a few other vessels, fend off the undead and kraken, capture Quicksilver’s artefact — and breathe.

SAFE AT WA(TE)R | NAIL’EM TO THE MAST | STICKY FINGERS | THE STRANDING

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SAFE AT WA(TE)R

Quicksilver Sam’s Pariah continues into the black waters of the Crossing seas, escorted by ally Caladan Kreil’s Queen Zanyra and distantly pursued by Maximilian Hawk’s Concord of the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company. Characters can cross between the Queen Zanyra and Pariah by rowboat, until great storms darken the skies. Afterwards, reckless fools can risk their necks in the growling winds and drumming rains and traverse the rattling, thick chain that binds the two ships.

Quicksilver Sam joins the deck of the Pariah with a small box he opens to reveal a cut-out, impeccably preserved and warded human tongue. Once unwarded, the artefact seems to intensify the storms, while Quicksilver shouts out:

”Two years be, when the seas, them… they… broke’n’sundered and… was then. Then, when all of you! All of… all of you dead under the briny deep, you watched, and you plotted, and you… was then! We all broke bread under the black flag, and we were brothers… brothers of the Storm at Sea. Was enough coin in the coffer for everyone, but you, you had the greed in you, thicker than blood of our covenant, or water of any womb! You turned! You put me out to die, and now, look where you are? You lily-livered scurvies, you wake up now, look around you! You put me to sea? Left me to die? Samuel Vane, you thought me, I was for drowning? You look me in the eye, and you tell me so again, because I’m here for you! I’ll be ruin for you, Storm at Sea, I’ll cleave you!”

■ The tongue artefact summons up dozens of sunken ships from the Crossing, which take under an hour to fully emerge. They are manned by reanimated sailors — many whom you may have encountered as cored bodies underwater.

■ The Storm at Sea also rises, staffed by Quicksilver Sam’s now revenant crew. The vessel spearheads the undead offensive and approaches the Pariah — leaving her within reach for infiltration. Wei Wuxian will report back after engaging undead first mate Augustus Silvering.

■ The tongue relic also calls up an immense kraken, whose tentacles can be recognised as the ‘coral’ strings that had bound the sunken ships. The kraken is neither living nor dead and composed of the coagulated dark water that characters have previously encountered. Kraken meat is comestible but not seafood. It unexpectedly tastes of succulent white fish, best paired with a Sauvignon blanc and served generously with lemon, rosemary and dill. Do not overcook on the bonfire of your sinking ship.

■ You may end up locked inside cabins or brigs, whether ‘for your safety’ or at the first sign of insubordination against the on-edge captains.

■ You’re in danger as long as you remain within the Crossing seas. To steer the boats, take occasional shifts from exhausted pirates and learn to helm your vessel with navigational help from your companions.

■ (Wisps of) agitated spirits linger in the Crossing — some maliciously seek to push you overboard, while others protect you. Most are petrified. These remaining spirits are more akin to afterthoughts of emotion, which you can calm down, exorcise or ignore.

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NAIL’EM TO THE MAST

When you can’t beat’em, try again with a torch, a harpoon and a better attitude:

■ The kraken and undead violently attempt to reach the tongue artefact and sink the Pariah, Queen Zanyra and nearby Concord. Your enemies have hardened skins that require extra hacking, but regular weapons still work. Fire is especially efficient.

■ The kraken slams and sweeps its tentacles across the deck to drag ships underwater — do use cannons and primitive explosives.

■ The undead mount rowboats or swim to climb onboard. Fortunately, the storms impede your attackers, earning you respite between fresh assaults. Assume one-two hours' rest between attacks.

■ Extensively touching the living kraken tentacles slowly depletes your stamina and/or magical strength.

■ Consider taking Viktor’s steampunk boat and setting up primitive dynamite to sink these ships before their undead crew can reach you. Beware the storms.

■ You can infiltrate undead ships at any point, but can only commandeer one if you group up to man it.

■ Use diving suits that let you breathe four hours underwater and light up white for alert, red for danger, yellow for the urgent need to return on land and green-blue otherwise.

■ Bad news for the Pariah: on top of the undead, the kraken and the mad pirate, you are dealing with the incensed Hawk and Caladan Kreil, both whom send men to stop Quicksilver Sam’s summons at all costs.

■ Magical communicators are prone to glitches or disruptions amid poor weather conditions.

■ A school of mermaids is drawn to the kraken and the Pariah — warn them off with lights or lure them away with baits of food or blood. Speaking with them reveals they want Quicksilver’s artefact.

■ Those wishing to avoid violence can head to the more distant Concord by rowboat, under a white flag. Maximilian Hawk believes you are refugees aboard the Pariah and Queen Zanyra and will offer sanctuary. The sleek, highly disciplined and martial Concord faces significantly less attack, and you can spend a more peaceful time below deck. Alternatively, pair up to persuade the crew to give up chasing the Pariah, and convince Hawk and first mate Lattimore the ‘ancient power’ pursued by the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company should arguably never be found.

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STICKY FINGERS

Moments after his speech, a rattled Quicksilver Sam retreats with the tongue relic in his heavily guarded and magically warded cabin.

■ Group up to capture the tongue with minimal damage to ship and crew. Ideally, some characters can distract the guards or attempt to lure Quicksilver out.

■ Helpful tips: despite his questionable sanity, Quicksilver Sam has shown high regard for manners, women and his ship. The pirate guards are loyal, but skittish before the supernatural.

■ During the diversion, lift the wards or forcibly infiltrate the cabin by breaking the door in. Careful, as Quicksilver appears to have purchased a Taravast special — a small caged white owl, which paralyses in place those who meet her gaze. Someone should distract the bird or cover her cage to break her trance.

■ Everyone can hunt, but Five and Wrathion get final joint custody of the tongue. They have decided to ward and box it. This will see the kraken and sinking ships gradually lose power, then submerge within two days. The tongue stays with the duo. Given Kirk’s previous reveal, the group could choose to trade the tongue in with Maximilian Hawk and the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company.

■ If the tongue is ever brought near the heart possessed by Kaneki Ken, the two artefacts will briefly thrum in synchrony.

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THE STRANDING

Some characters captured by the kraken’s tentacles and pulled underwater lose consciousness, only to mentally wake up in the dimension of a perfectly silent, deserted and seemingly interminable beach island.

■ Characters experience time differently here, shifting between younger and older states every few hours. Up to you whether these changes are mental, physical or both, and whether your character is aware this isn’t their natural form.

■ Several mute, humanoid tar figures roam aimlessly. They largely ignore newcomers, but peacefully stop them from entering the dark sea waters.

■ The island sky is despairingly grey. There are no animals or plants.

■ Characters find they lose more of their memories, the longer they linger — particularly if they start to be politely but incessantly followed by tar figures, which gradually assume their form.

■ You can occasionally find human footsteps and writing in wet beach sand. The writing spells out children’s limericks.

■ Time passes differently on the island — dealer’s choice whether faster or slower than in the real world for your character.

■ Characters can wake up into the real world, if their bodies are rescued from where they’ve sunken underwater, remaining alive for up to two days in the vicinity of the kraken.

■ Characters may initially experience light amnesia and a sense of listlessness and estrangement from their bodies, once they have left the island dimension. This dissipates within a day’s time.

■ You can only reach the island once. Characters can be brought underwater by the kraken without entering the beach dimension.

QUESTIONS

NPC CONTACT

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( The Jim he knew took a little while to learn, because one drink shared on a shuttle was only the introduction, not a window into his soul. There's so much more Bones has yet to know about him, a future ahead for the two of them that he's been a little afraid to ask about, but this future!Jim has the same spirit, the same intensity, the same tender heart.

Leonard's ribs creak, but he squeezes Jim again, as if he can leave the impression on his bones of safety and security, of never being left alone. )

You're not getting rid of me yet, ( he complains hoarsely, ) I'm not leavin' you.

[ He's been telling himself all night that it was fine, this was fine, he'd have managed and found a way to deal with this, but the truth is, it wouldn't have been fine. He's not sure how long he could have handled looking into Bones's eyes and not seeing that recognition, even if it might come with a different level of proximity between them.

The words are necessary reassurance, and he nods mutely, in the process sort of wiping his tears on Bones's shirt. Oh well, that'll dry. ]

'm sorry.

Nothin' to be sorry for, ( he chastises him softly, not minding the wetness on his pilfered shirt.

Bones leans back only once he feels Jim is ready, meeting the edge of Jim's wet, scruffy jaw with his torn cuff. His other hand strays across his nape, an excuse to stay close while he fusses. )

I should be apologizing; I'm the one who forgot you like a bad holofilm.

[ If nothing else, Bones's words get a chuckle out of him, warmth spreading through him as Bones wipes his tears away, fussing over him like only he could. ]

Don't be silly. That wasn't your fault.

[ He can't apologize for something that wasn't his doing. ]

How are you feeling? Do you hurt anywhere?

( Bones catches himself neatening Jim's shirt like a mother hen and lets him go at last, offering up a tiny, rueful smile. )

Mostly aches. ( He rubs again at his chest, quick to assure Jim, ) But that just means you did exactly what you were supposed to.

( Anxious hesitation crosses his features then, because for all that he's got his memory back... )

...I still feel... I don't know. Not all myself. I saw some things while that creature had ahold of me.

[ Meanwhile, Jim's hands are still holding onto Bones's shirt and he makes no move to let go just yet. It's not like Bones is trying to move or go anywhere, so it's fine.

He looks down, lips pressed in nervously. Even if it was necessary, he still doesn't like that he's the cause of Bones's aching. ]

You did?

[ He seems surprised, mostly because it really looked like Bones was completely passed out throughout all that. But apparently not. ]

Do you want to talk about it?

( Bones settles his fingers in the crook of Jim's elbows, closing that circuit of contact with a soft squeeze; I'll be okay in the way he tips his head aside to seek Jim's dropped gaze.

He wets his lips at the question, tasting salt, and at first wants to shake his head. No, he'd rather not relieve that cold, lonely place. But he's trusted Jim with so much, and isn't about to start cultivating the habit of keeping anything from him so he nods, sighing slowly. )

Probably ought to. ( Taking a hand away at last, he reaches back to give the hammock behind him a pat, and Jim a light tug, so they can have a seat side by side, feet dangling like a couple of schoolboys on a swing. He needs it more than he's willing to admit, the feeling of Jim's solid presence as his side, before he starts describing the beach he was washed up on and what he saw there. )

[ Jim would argue that Bones doesn't have to share anything, no matter how much it might help to talk about it and share the load. Everyone needs their own time to process things, to be ready to talk about them, and it's no different even if he knows that Bones trusts him.

(Would trust him even more, if he knew him better. But there's no point thinking about that.)

He sits on the hammock with little prompting, one hand resting lightly on Bones's back, offering a grounding touch, though not quite a hug. He listens in silence to the whole thing, looking admittedly puzzled. ]

It only took me a few seconds to get to you. [ Which felt like hours, but anyway. ] So it sounds like a dream or hallucination, but if you saw others there, and they also remember the beach...

[ It's probably a magic thing. That's gonna give Jim headaches, isn't it. ]

( Jim's touch is so helpful, a tether to the present as he revisits yesterday. He finishes, )

Then maybe it truly did happen. My mind, my... consciousness was somewhere else.

( Disturbing, but he's here now, not there, and there's no use getting wound up when he's sitting safely with Jim. Bones shudders bodily, shaking his head as if to rid himself of a case of the willies. His hand leaves his lap to wrap briefly over Jim's knee, meeting his gaze. )

Thank you for pulling me out of there, Jim. You saved my life.

[ It is disturbing, even more so that it took Leonard's memories like that. At least, Jim assumes it's a unique ability that the kraken possessed, which opens up a roll of concerning possibilities of things that may yet happen to them while they're here.

He sets those thoughts aside easily and focuses again on Bones, attention drawn back by the hand on his knee. Lightly biting his lips, his fingers curl into more of a fist into Bones's shirt. ]

For a moment there, I really thought I'd lost you.

[ He honestly believed he was just bringing back Bones's dead body, that he was too late. In that sense, he supposes, he has magic to thank for keeping him alive in that sort of stasis. ]

( He feels his eyes start to sting, the telltale tightness in his throat as his heart drops right to the floor. Bones brings his hand up to clutch at Jim's shoulder, moving farther to grip his nape like Jim is his lifeline in a raging current, brow to brow and full of fire. )

Never, y'hear? ( it's a fierce hiss, a swear against the universe for daring to take him away. )

I'm not leaving you, so you're stuck with me, whether you like it or not.

[ Jim looks up to meet Bones's gaze, his own eyes wet with the trace of fresh tears, but he doesn't cry outright. He's never been much of a crier, at least nothing loud and sobbing, just a quiet tear that rolls down his cheek, a tightness in his shoulders that makes him shiver just a hint— like now.

He doesn't say anything, doesn't think he could if he tried, and instead just nods silently, letting out the quietest shuddered breath, ducking his head again to curl into Bones, burying his face in his shoulder. ]

( Bones whuffs a soft, shaky sigh of affection, cradling Jim's head, fingers curled against his scalp as he slings his other arm around him in a protective embrace.

It was terrifying enough to know that he'd lost something important, memories of a life long past the ruin of his old one, but to know now of who he lost in the process, understanding the sudden gulf carved out between them... He snuffles quietly himself, sinuses crackling, heart aching, and drops his wet cheek against the crown of Jim's head. )

I'm here. ( The urge takes him and he leans into it, pressing a kiss to Jim's salty hair, ) I'm here, Jim.

[ The touches help, the proximity helps. The tight hugs definitely help, not just for the warmth of Bones's presence, but feeling him solid and moving, reminding him that he really is alive.

He lets out another shuddered breath, this time ending with a sob, a quiet nod as he clings like a child to Bones, pressed up to him like he can't even bear the thought of giving the doctor his personal space back. He's just going to latch on for a while there, cry it out a little more, hopefully for long enough that he'll stop making a complete mess of himself for the rest of the day. ]

( As far as he's concerned, Jim is plenty allowed to make as large a mess of himself as he likes, after everything they've gone through the past day. Hell, the past month; tossed out here, separated by time and then suddenly by memory, even possibly by death.

Bones's heart flip-flops in his chest, and so he holds Jim for as long as he needs, petting his hair and murmuring quiet nothings to him, because it selfishly helps Leonard too: the weight of Jim's head on his shoulder, his fingers curled tight in Leonard's shirt, his body pressed warm and close. Eventually, as Jim's sobs quiet, leaving them swaying gently in the hammock, Bones cautiously draws back-- not enough to break contact, just enough to wipe away the tear tracks from the Captain's cheeks with his thumbs, to study his red-rimmed eyes and meet his gaze. )

I, ( he declares, smiling tremulously, of course meaning 'we', ) could use something to drink. Let's go see if there's some water tanks on this vessel.

However long they stay like this, it does help, especially when Bones doesn't complain, doesn't even try to shift, letting it all wash over him and eventually subside into a more peaceful sort of silence. He's sure he could have easily fallen asleep like this, especially with how little sleep he got during the night, but Bones mentions drinks, and honestly, he could probably use that too. Maybe something to eat, while he's at it.

Yeah, [ He nods, letting Bones wipe his cheeks before he moves to get out of the hammock. ] Come on.

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storm at sea | part ii

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