Chapter V: The dangers of a voyage at sea

[Terra Artemos]

As Terra moves up the stairs she suddenly feels something brush by her hair. Stopping for only a moment she sees something moving quickly toward her in the dim light. She stikes at to with her dagger, a matallic ring sounds out as the blade impacts on the object, diverting it from its path towards her head. Terra hears some sort of a beast roar behind her, with only a glance she sees the thing coming up the stairs behind her. She quickly goes to one knee ducking beneath the beasts arm.

As suddenly as the beast appeared it turned back to Capher. Terra rose and only wonder if Capher understood now what she was trying to tell him earlier.

'I am grey. All but those like me see only darkness and light, they do not see the grey between them. In this greyness I dwell. I would not wish this fate on any other.'

Terra Artemos Character Description

[Capher]

The suddeness of light filling the stairway made Capher's eyes blink.  He slowly focused and realized that everyone, his friends, were there; Talia, Terra, Koldar and Avour was hugging Talia as if she would never let go.  Even the ice mage Haj, who had created the light. The strange woman, Issa, had her back turned and looked liked she wanted to walk away.  All of it warmed his heart.  It made Capher smile.  He saw Terra standing there looking strange at him, as did all of the rest.  He looked at himself. "What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Capher.

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Suddenly there is light, a voice saying: "As you command!"

The mage whom they met only - was it today, was it yesterday? - has used his magic skill to lighten up the area where they are standing, just by holding up his hand. Talia looks pleased at him, though she has a strange feeling seeing the light coming out of his hand - somehow.

Seems to be nice, this guy, despite his sinister look, and his abilities which I don't know and therefor fear.

But Capher, still standing before her troubles her more. He seems not to know, to what he had transformed just now. The change to Biums mate was quite funny, but this?Deep in her heart Talia is still terrified. She likes Capher very much, and her feelings misguided her never before. Probably he is not a human by birth, but that shouldn't make a difference.

Softly she loosens her grip of Avour - and Avours - and turns to fully to Capher.

"Capher you just changed into a  Demon, it was a terrible sight, but you stopped just in front of me, calling my name, before you changed back."

And hesitating a bit, she asks: "Are you ok?"

[Capher]

"I changed into a demon?  Are you sure, Talia?  It is not that I am doubting your word, its just not me. And more troubling is that I do not recall doing so, if I did."  He looked around at the others and asked. "Is what Talia said true?"

Capher's mind was in a whirl; Yes I shapeshift, but I would never, have never shifted into a shape that would be considered evil.  Dangerous, like a Cartashian bear, but evil, never... and yet I have never known Talia to lie, or tell tales.  So I must have.  I shape shifted into a demon.  But why?"

Capher's face became ashen and a very concerned look came over his face.  He looked at Talia.  "This is very troubling.  I am concerned about these events.  You are the second or maybe third who has asked me if I am ok?  I think Terra was the first or was it Haj and then Terra, I am not sure.  But now you ask me.  Terra said she noticed a darkness of my soul.  I passed it off as being tired and weary.  

We have battled many a foe, gone through many adventures, some to last a lifetime, yet we have such a long way to go yet.  Milkengrad is our next destination.  Then onto the Tandala Mountains.  There deep inside I hope to find Kuriks Anvil.  However if I continue to act strangely, even dangerously to the group, then you must tell me.  I may have to do something, what, I am not sure, right now.  But I will not endanger your lives.  By me.  It is still your decision whether or not you come with me.  This task I must do.  You are not obligated.  I will pay you for services rendered and then if you feel that you have helped me enough, you may go your way. I have already put you in much danger as it is.  And I am afraid that, it has only been the tip of the iceberg.  I will hold no ill will toward anyone who wants to leave.  I have come to know...and love you all."

Capher then became silent, lost in his thoughts.

Capher.

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Talia looks at Capher, who is standing before her, his face ashen and very worried.

Putting a hand on his shoulder she says to him:

"You didn't harm me, Capher, this demon stopped in front of me , said my name and then you changed back to your human form. Don't worry now. I for my part won't leave you."

And then her humour is back, despite the weird situation and she adds grinning:

"Well, it is not so easy to leave you now, where should we go on this ship full of furious dwarves? You have to bring us out here first!" and she turns to the others: " Maybe we should hold our little conference elsewhere and change the theme to a more urgent one?Btw, could any of you tell me what has happened meanwhile? I for my part was in the kitchen and improved the dwarves meal."

***Astropic of the day***

[Capher]

Dwarves The dwarves ran out of the rudder room, they ran into their fellow dwarves and told them what had happened.  Several of the dwarves told them about the ones that did not survive and pointed out their dead and mangled bodies.  They all were in the cooks cabin.  The cook served them as they discussed what they should do next.

"Aye lads, the Captain sure played us for fools.  Locking us down here with these humans or demons or whatever..." The cook said as he spooned out their food.

"True, but what do we do now?  We have tried to go above board but the captain has the doors bolted shut.  We have shouted and yelled for help, but no help comes.  Has the Captain sealed our fate, that's what me mates want to know?  Master cook you know him well, has he done this to us?"

Suddenly some dwarves burst in.  They were all doubled over and groaning. "Uhg, cook what have you done?  Our insides feel like the forges of Urtengor."  One of them starting farting and the smell wafted up and stung their eyes.

"Oooh, Phichor, get your but out of here."

"I am sorry, ooh, I feel sick."  And he threw up right there.  Then the others started feeling the same.  Many started farting, and then they started throwing up.

The Cook replied. "I have done nothing! It must be that mage. Though that woman in here was awfully suspicious.  I wonder.  He had not eaten yet, so he carefully sipped some of the soup.  He did not taste anything different, except that it tasted better than any soup he had made.  He was quite proud of himself.  He then repeated. "My soup is good. It must have been the mage."

Then they all cried out. "We are cursed!  We are cursed!" Some yelled running out of the galley, throwing up, and farting. They ran up the stairs to the top of the ship and began pounding on the door.  "Let us out! let us out! We are cursed! We are cursed!"

The sickness tore at their stomaches so bad that some took their daggars out and started to chop away at the wooden door in the vain hope that once they got out the curse would stop.

Outside, the men who were guarding the door heard the yells and began shouting.  "It sounds like our mates, what do we do?" they began asking each other.

"Go get the Captain!" Someone yelled.

Capher.

[Capher]

"You didn't harm me, Capher, this demon stopped in front of me , said my name and then you changed back to your human form. Don't worry now. I for my part won't leave you."

Capher thought upon her words. Why do I not remember? And why did I change in the first place.

"Talia, thank you for your vote of confidence, but I am still concerned.  Why did I change in the first place?  Oh, well it is over for now.  Now what did you mean when you said you improved the dwarves's meal?"

Suddenly Capher heard yelling and screaming coming from above them.  He looked around and said. "I think we should prepare ourselves for round three."

But no dwarves showed up.  In fact the yelling and screaming turned into what sounded like someone vomiting after too much drink.  And then the smell wafted down the passageway.  Capher's sensitive nose wrinkled in disgust.  He looked wide eyed at Talia.  "What did you do to their meals?"

Capher.

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

"Nothing dangerous, I just added a laxative powder to their meal. You know, I'm not a healer, but every Shendar knows the basics of how to use common herbs. And this one is luckily cheap and quite effective, normally you use it as sun protection mixed with oil, the laxative effect is only secondary...it will last for two hours or so and then fade away. In these two hours we have to find a solution. Well, I thought" and with these words Talia addresses the mage, " I thought we could say, that you enchanted them, you will take it away in about two hours, but you can cast this spell again every time you want to. This way we can put pressure on them to do what we want. Would this work? What do you think?And how should we tell them, that you are the cause of their suffering?"

[Terra Artemos]

Terra listens intently to Talia and Caphers keeping an eye on Capher, then speaks her mind.

"Capher what she says is true. However it is also true that it is not a topic for this place and time. Rest asured I will see you to Milkengrad, and there we will need to talk.

I also think it a bad idea to go all the way to Milkengrad with these dwarves. We should have them drop us a the nearest port clear of Strata, from there we can get a more trustworthy ship, or travel by land.

Lets return to the rudder room and plan our next move."

Terra turns and decends the stairs retuning to the rudder room, taking a quick glance a Capher as she goes.

'I am grey. All but those like me see only darkness and light, they do not see the grey between them. In this greyness I dwell. I would not wish this fate on any other.'

Terra Artemos Character Description

[Capher]

Capher nods his ok to Terra.  "Well lets go to the rudder room." Haj leads the way with the light still in his hands, Terra follows him and Capher waves Talia and Avour ahead of him.  Koldar follows behind to watch our backs.  Where Issa went is anyone's guess.

Capher.

[Hajarian Ryelliin]

Hajarian turned his gaze to Talia, as he began to head back to the rudder room. "For telling them about this curse that I supposedly placed on them, I could always summon up a familiar messenger to inform them. Should they decide to attack it, though in their current condition they don't seem very battle worthy, the loss would be of no concern to us." Turning his crimson gaze back to the front, he quickly leads the group down the barely lit corridors, back to the rudder room, his light the only thing keeping them all out of complete darkness.

"Capher," the mage asked quietly after a few moments, "tell me, how is it that you perform these shifts of yours? The only ones whom I know to be able to do such feats are Magi and Shapeshifting Dragons. And I have seen nor felt no sort of spell come from you to show that you are casting shifting magic. Please, inform me as to how you do it so naturally." In the darkness, one could not see the slight grin that appeared across the magi's face.

- - - - - -
Hajarian Ryelliin
Ice Elven Magus -10th Circle

[Capher]

As we walked to the rudder room, Haj askes Capher how he can shapeshift.  Capher thinks a moment and replies.  "I have been able to shapeshift ever since I can remember.  It comes naturally to me.  How I do not know and normally I do not do it unless I am in danger or want to go about unseen.  This shapeshifting to a demon though, that I have never done before, at least not that I can remember.  That concerns me.  As far as a magi or dragon.  I have never studied magic, though I somehow know some and I have not seen a dragon in a very long long time."

Capher told Haj the truth.  He never did study magic, he did not need to.Magic to him was as natural as breathing air.  And the last time he saw a dragon was hundred of centuries ago, during the Dragon Storm and of course when he saw thousands of dragons die during the year of darkness.  That was a terrible price to pay.  His family had died during that year.

Capher.

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Slowly it hits Talia what the ice elf had said: There are only two possibilities to shapeshift: Either you are a strong mage, or a dragon.
But Capher never behaved like Talia thought mages would do. He shapeshifted, yes, but he did never perform other magic things, like Haj did f.e. with the light.

The only other possibility left: Capher a shapeshifting dragon? I took him always for a human, though I never knew it. I kissed him on his cheek in that inn!! Did I kiss a DRAGON???But he is nice and caring! I thought dragons care only about themselves. And I like him very much, darn, what a tohu wabohu! Maybe I have to learn, that the others are not what they seem to be as well!

With a short glance Talia looks a all her friends, pondering, if there might wait other surprises.

Her thoughts are interrupted by Caphers answer: Magic is natural to him and he never saw a dragon for a long time.
"I never saw a dragon for a long time" - so he did see some already, well, Koldar said he did too.

With a deep sigh she puts the troubling questions aside and concentrates on the present.

***Astropic of the day***

[Koldar Mondrakken]

Koldar gives Talia a short but strong hug not hiding his happiness to see her well and free, however he notices that his hand closes firmer around the hilt as he watches Capher.
Koldar notices some change in behaviour, not necessarily something you might lay your hand on but there was definetely something dangerous lurking in the truthful and polite mask of Capher as Koldar had get to know him. The knight utterly hoped that his tired mind was only playing tricks with him or Capher might be as stressed as he is, but still an uneasy remained.

When they return to the rudder room Koldar addresses Terra, happy to occupy his mind with more important issues.

"I don't know but I think it is time to seek the Captain. With half his crew 'cursed' and the other half being on deck it might be easy to persuade them that they brought great danger upon their poor souls for attacking us. When we're quick, and very lucky, we might get out of here."

Koldar ponders a moment remembering the old maps of Santharia and the geography of the southern part he he had to study as he was an apprentice.

"I guess the closest port north would be Varcopas though Chyllkis or even Elving would be better as it saves us several weeks we'd have to travel around the Aetryam Sea to reach Sanguia but first things first.
Let's persuade this treacherous captain that he better leave us offboard or he'll end in a even more serious mess!"

In the rudder room Koldar drops his coat and checks the two windows that lead the rudder ropes on the outside of the ship. Lurking through one he looks if there's some easy way to climb the board wall and groans a bit about the two peds fall that would lead to sealevel.

[Capher]

Capher silently said a prayer, thankful that Koldar, though beaten up and weary, was back in control again.  Capher walked off to the side, sat down and lowered his head.  His brows furrowed as he concentrated on all that had been said and done. Am I losing my mind?  Has my age finally caught up with me? Why are my friends saying such things and looking at me, as if I were a stranger?  Could this Mage be the reason?  Capher looked up and peered at Haj.

Capher tried to recall if he had ever met the man.  He had not. He pulled out his journal and wrote in it.Master I am troubled. I need your wisdom and guidance. I am shapeshifting without knowing why and I shapeshift into beings I would not knowingly shapeshift into. I need your assistance.

Capher waited for the reply.  Usually the reply was immediate but this time there was no reply.  Nothing! The page remained blank.  Capher stroked his forehead his mind filled with questions and concerns but no answer came.  He sighed a deep sigh.  His shoulders drooped and he felt so old...Maybe it is my time? he thought.

Capher.

Edited by: Capher at: 2/11/03 6:12:49 pm

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