Across the Northern Seas (closed)

[Valkyrie]

6th of Summer Alea Davenport Early in Spring only a few had seen the dim flash that flared up in the southern skies and many wondered if it was only lightning or something more .Many of the people in the city of winter had taken note of these reports and interested mutters exchanged theories beneath the haze of pub fires. Interested whispers is how it stayed as Avanthal had problems of its own to deal with. The warm temperatures had come melting the cities beauty and its pride. With trouble and difficulty settling on the land there was no time or resources to investigate suppositions and light flares. The city couldn’t afford such an endeavor. But then on the 66th of Spring a fleet of ships anchored in Avanthal’s port and the reality came to light. The fleet was of Denval origin and spoke of their city’s demise. Many were astonished at the tales the ship’s passengers told and Whitevine healers carefully tried to tend to those who had been blinded by the immense flash. The fleet was melancholy but not defeated and bound for new places to settle. As the reports were carefully compiled many began to think of sending scouting forces to the site of the blast and seeing what could be recovered. Quietly resources and crews were put together throughout the remainder of the Spring season though little was said or revealed to the general public. Even amongst the Denvali fleet only a few were told of the intention to return to the city. At the end of the season the Denvali survivors returned to their ships and sailed east to find a new place to settle. The season turned and summer came and still Avanthal suffered its own share of despair. The desire to investigate the space Denval previously occupied had not suffered however and planners decided to invite passengers aboard and begin the journey. On the first of the season flyers were posted on buildings advertising the impending journey and inviting citizens along to aid the endeavor. It encouraged people of all profession to attend and partake in the excitement and adventure of investigating Denval. The flyer instructed citizens to report at the dock on the 6th of Summer to volunteer their skills. The morning of the 6th came as warm and soggy as the days preceding it. First mate Kreuger Coolwater stood on the end of the dock with his arms crossed on his chest. He chewed his lip thoughtfully as he exchanged looks with crewmen of the other ships that would be sailing to Denval. Each was trying to judge what the day would bring and what would be the results of their efforts. As Syna’s light crept above the sea’s horizon the port began to wake up and citizens of Avanthal attempted to go about their tasks as well as the melting conditions allowed. A few noticed the waiting crewmen and approached recalling the flyers around town though some’s steps were more purposeful then others. “Taking volunteers for the ship to Denval! Come all you miners, you farmers, you hunters! We won’t turn you away! Everyone will be of use on the journey! Whether you be seeking knowledge, hope to rescue to the remains of the city, or just a lust to see the world you will be satisfied on this trip! Come see the great smoking ruins of Denval!” Kreuger’s voice rang out first as the crewmen began to call for participants for the journey. Though he was a serious seaman he was still a Vantha had a flare for dramatic words. His voice rose and fell as jovially as though he were advertising for a carnival.

[Alea Davenport]

Alea had been waiting for this day. She had been one of those to see the flash of light, and the compass she wore on a chain around her neck led credence to her worst fears. She had not known what it meant at the time, but if something happened to Denval, she had to know. She had turned down her chance to go with her childhood friend and the only Denvali in Avanthal at the time, because she had to know what had happened to the city that, despite all her wishes to leave it, had been and would always be her home.

When the ships arrived later in the season, she had been relieved and overjoyed to meet her parents, who had followed her to Avanthal to escape Denval's destruction, an event which was marred only by the news that her sister had perished in the great storm. Since that time, Alea's ears had caught every mention of Denval, every whisper of a plan to find her city. She was Denvali. If anyone was going to investigate the ruins of the city, it would be her. (Especially since that good-for-nothing Oluse had gone off with his Drykas friends instead of trying to find out what had happened to their home.)

Since the flyers went up, she had been anxious to get underway. The past two days had been spent packing, saying goodbye to the few acquaintances she still had in the city, and convincing her parents that she would say goodbye with more than a hastily scrawled note this time (but she was still taking the cat). One the morning of the 6th, she walked toward the harbor, leading her Gilding. The horse's saddle bags were packed with her meager possessions, and her cat, who seemed more attached to Beast than to Alea, was curled up as usual, riding on his back.

Alea approached the ship with a sense of grim determination... or at least that was her intention. It was a bit hard to maintain focus when she had to continuously guard her her hair from Beast's wandering teeth. She tried at first just holding his mouth closed with both hands, but aside from making walking rather awkward, it also cause the horse to fidget, which disturbed to cat, who emitted some rather annoyed sounds. Knowing that if her cat ran off Alea would probably miss her boat, she resigned herself to ducking and dodging to keep her hair out of Beast's reach.

She arrived at the ship in time to hear the tail end of the sailor's speech. The "great smoking ruins of Denval" made her flinch. This was her home he was shouting about. Would a little respect be too much to ask? Fortunately for everyone involved, she was still in the habit of not talking, and so refrained from making a scene. She led beast right up to the shouting Vantha and stood there, waiting to be acknowledged, periodically shoving the horse's faintly glimmering head away from her.

[Valkyrie]

Kreuger turned away to shout towards a muscular Vantha man as Alea approached him. Turning back he eyed her quietly. Though they would of course take anyone it was the habit of all sailors to measure up prospectives. You didn’t survive out on the seas without knowing the measure of those you might rely on one day, and the sea had a funny way of making everyone necessary. “I s’pose your interested in coming along? Well alright then, like I said we will take anyone. You may be a slip of a girl but I’m sure you’ve got some talent or other. Welcome aboard, err, what’s yer name?” Kreuger placed his fists on his hips and cocked his head at the young girl before him. However Alea replied he would accept with a small nod and pursed lips. “Take your critters up on the boat. Horse will have to stay in the cargo hold I’m afraid, but we’ve got a few stalls prepared. Your kitty can stay with you in cabin four. We ship off at dusk so make sure you’ve attended to what you need to before leaving.” He instructed before turning to another woman passing by and ignoring Alea's presence. Behind Kreuger there was a wide and solid plank leading up to the ship that would hold the weight of Alea’s horse. Boarding the ship Alea would find it fairly empty of crew and have to discover the way to the cargo hold and cabin by herself. The top deck of the boat was clean and clear of most objects besides a few piles of ropes. In the center of the deck there was a steep ramp down, leading to the lower levels. The mid-level of the ship would reveal to be cabins, Alea’s number four was second down on the left with the number scrawled in charcoal on the door. Beside the ramp was yet another ramp leading down to the cargo hold. The ramps had been installed on top of the stairs specifically to allow animal transportation and would be removed upon sailing. The door to the cargo hold was left open for passengers to stow their belongings though a thick chain wrapped around the handle implied that it was capable of being tightly locked. The door was low and originally built for only human passage so moving Beast through the opening would present a challenge. The cargo hold was one large space without any walls to divide it. Boxes of rations and supplies were stacked near the entry way and further back there appeared to be a dozen stalls; the fresh wood scent implied that they had been recent additions. The first two stalls were already occupied by a cow and a tall Frostmarch mare. To each stall a small piece of paper had been nailed with hastily scrawled instructions to indicate the name of the animal and owner. For some odd reason illiterate readers were instructed to mark the paper with an ‘x’. A small chunk of charcoal on a stool seemed to be the only writing utensil around. Alea would have the remainder of the day until sunset to explore the ship or attend to any matters on shore. When she investigated her cabin she would find a miniscule six by six compartment with a fur hammock hung in a corner, a small table with a single drawer for belongings, a chair, and a wooden basin for holding wash water. The cabin also came with a small, round window in the wall that overlooked the water. When dusk approached most passengers would come to the deck to wave goodbye to their loved ones as the ship lifted anchor.

[Alea Davenport]

"Alea Davenport." She gave her name to the man quietly, though with a touch of pride. She almost laughed at the idea that her cat stay in her quarters. The little monster would as soon tear here face off than sleep peacefully in her bed. No, much better to keep the cat with the horse, who he at least seemed to have made friends with. She led the Gilding down the ramp, walking casually through the low door. She had not expected Beast to stop short just outside it.

Turning back to see what was holding the animal up, she realized that she could not actually see her horse's head, since it rose above the top of the doorframe. She frowned at her horse, walked back toward him and looked into his eyes, determination written all over her face. "You're going to have to go through that door sometime, so let's not make this difficult."

Unfortunately, "difficult" was Beast's middle name, so to speak. He stubbornly refused to go forward when she pulled. She tried shoving his head down so that it would fit under the door, but he resisted, shaking her off with a snort. She thought briefly about going behind him and slapping his rear, but she decided she could stand to save the suicide for another day, when something soft was behind her instead of hard wood on all sides. Moving back down into the cargo hold, she put her hands on her hips and sighed, trying to think of a way to trick her horse down here.

Stupid horse, always making her life difficult. Throwing her into snow drifts, making her fall on her face, chewing her hair, and now this! Wait a minute... that gave Alea an idea. Grabbing a lock of her long but not well-kept hair, she held it out toward Beast, letting the end dangle tauntingly. Sure enough, this method of antagonizing Alea was more appealing to the Gilding, and he slowly stepped down after her, ducking his head to get at the hair. Fortunately, she was quick enough to keep it out of his reach.

Having triumphantly maneuvered her horse into one of the make-shift stalls, she removed his saddlebags, and found an appropriate place in the cargo hold for her belongings. She would not need most of them until the journey was over, and they would be safer if they were all together, wrapped up safely in the saddlebags. Finally, she took the charcoal and deftly filled out the paper with the relevant information. Owner: Alea Davenport. Name of Animal: Beast (and Tom the cat).

Feeling relieved to have the hard part of settling in finished, she went to check out her cabin. It was smaller than some places she might have slept, but bigger than what she'd been used to recently. Overall, she found the cabin cozy, and felt she might almost be happy, having this small space to call her own. The gentle rocking of the ship in the harbor felt peaceful, like a lullaby, and she decided it couldn't hurt to take a quick nap. She took the compass she usually wore on a chain around her neck, and stowed it in the desk. Denvali Forever, the inscription said, and she prayed it would lead them safely home. With these thoughts in her head, she heaved herself (with some difficulty) into the hammock (falling out once or twice before she got the hang of it), and slipped into a gentle doze.

~*~

Sometime later, she awoke with a start. There were voices in the distance. Were they already underway? Had she missed her last chance to say goodbye? Rolling out of the hammock (or rather, flailing until it deposited her on the floor), she scampered up the stairs (the ramps had been removed already), and burst onto the deck. She saw with relief that they were still docked. There was quite a crowd gathered on the shore, and several passengers were fighting each other for space by the edge of the ship, so they could wave goodbye.

Alea was about to go back below decks, not really seeing the purpose of long goodbyes. But just as the ship started to lift anchor, she heard her mother's voice. "Alea! Be careful! Have a safe trip!" Acting on impulse, she rushed to the edge of the ship, viciously elbowing her way past the other passengers, not caring at that moment who she bruised. When she reached the front of the small crowd, she scanned the docks for her mother. There! In the front, her parents, waving. She waved back wildly, overcome by emotions she would barely acknowledge. "Goodbye Mother! Goodbye Father! I'll come back! I'll see you again!"

Of course, she had no way of knowing that was true-anything could happen on this voyage-but she had to believe it. Somehow, inexplicably, her annoying parents had become so important to her. Leaving them this time was about more than wanting to see the world. This was about her home, and theirs too, and so their parting was all the more bittersweet.

Her father, usually so stoic, raised his hat to her and called out, "Good luck, Alea." Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, but fortunately before anyone could see, she was shoved aside by other passengers who wanted their turn to say goodbye. Before much longer, the crew had lifted the anchor, and they were underway. Taking deep breaths, Alea tried to composed herself. There would be time for sentiment later...eventually. For now, she had to prepare herself. This was going to be a difficult journey, but also the most important one she'd ever taken. She would be ready to meet the challenge.

[Valkyrie]

The ship lifted its anchor with much grating and hubbub from surrounding passengers. Some had never been on a ship before and were excited by each and every new activity. A buzz of apprehension and excitement circled through the group as passengers floated from watching sailors perform tasks to waving goodbye to their loved ones. Finally, though, the ship was on its way and began to pick up speed as its sails slowly filled to pull it away from the docks. Passengers remained at the rails of the deck to watch those they cared for and perhaps those they did not slowly become smaller and smaller. The ship sailed amidst a fleet of other ships all bound for the mystery of Denval. First-mate Kreuger watched the decks of the other ships as the fleet slowly sailed around an icy jut that finally blocked the last vestiges of Avanthal from sight. Kreuger continued to watch the other ships as the small figures turned their attention to the first-mate in their midst. The fleet had done some coordinating in their decisions of what was best. Now it was time to fulfill his part. He turned around to face the passengers slowly turning away from the rails and cleared his throat loudly. “Passengers! Welcome aboard! We have a few things to discuss before we begin the duration of our sail. Well, one thing really. These cold waters are a dangerous place to sail. Ice lies below the water waiting to scrape holes into our hull and sink us. The ice we see on top waits to freeze around us and lock us in our tracks to starve us out. Not even the melt in Avanthal can effect the terrible grip of the Northern seas so if you have been missing ice there will be plenty to see on the first leg of our journey. Now that we have established how dangerous it is while we are in cold waters, I am sure you will all understand why it is so imperative that we keep you passengers nice and safe below and out of the sailors’ way so they can perform their tasks unhindered. So, effective immediately, you will all be sequestered to your cabins until we reach warmer waters. If there is good weather we will occasionally allow you above deck for air. Food will be delivered to your cabin at the appropriate meal times. I hesitate to ask, but, any questions?” Kreuger smiled broadly as he wrapped up his speech. Now would be the time to figure out who was a trouble-maker and who wouldn’t bother him and his own.

[Alea Davenport]

Until the last sentence, Alea had every intention of sitting quietly in her cabin. But then he asked if they had any questions, and Alea felt compelled to respond. Raising her hand, she did not wait to be acknowledged before she rattled off a list as it came to her head. "Will we be allowed in the cargo hold?" was her first concern. Her animals were the only friends she had left, and she wan't about to let them get lonely. Or rather, she wasn't about to let herself get lonely by being cut off from them.

Shortly after, it occurred to her to wonder, "And how long will it take to get to 'warmer waters'?" She vaguely remembered her original journey to Avanthal, which was the first time she'd been on a long journey by sea. In the intervening half year, she'd forgotten how cramped and restless she felt after such a long trip with nowhere to go. She could already feel her legs beginning to itch with that old restlessness, and the thought of being cooped up below decks with nothing to do was almost unbearable.

[Valkyrie]

Kreuger starred at Alea silently for a few moments as though trying to decide if she was trying to cause trouble or not. He apparently decided against it when he answered, “Yes you will be allowed in the cargo hold. How long it takes depends on what kind of weather we run into. Twelve days if things go well. Longer if things don’t.”

Kreuger looked around at the crowd again to see how the others reacted to his answer. Many of the passengers seemed to shift uncomfortably where they stood, moving their weight from one foot to the other and back. Most were Vantha and accustomed to the freedom of going where they chose, few liked the idea of being below deck that long with only meager promises of breaks for fresh air.

“Is that it?” Kreuger asked quietly though his voice carried clearly across the deck.

[Alea Davenport]

Twelve days. That didn't sound... too bad. It wouldn't be much different from how she'd been spending days in Avanthal, if she could have free access to her horse and cat. It half-occurred to her that this, the start of an adventure, was the perfect opportunity to start fresh and make new friends. But she was still heart-weary from everything that had happened in spring, and she just wasn't ready to open up yet. Only a couple days ago, she'd had an energetic encounter with an old rival, but it seemed her recovery from the melancholy days of spring had lasted only as long as she had been around him.

She waited quietly for the captain (not captain? first-mate? as if there was a difference) to finish instructing the passengers. Then she filed down to the bunks with the rest of them. She sat in her cabin, waiting for it to sink in that she was really leaving Avanthal. She had expected to feel more strongly than this, but it seemed that, for her, everyone who made Avanthal worth living in had already left her, either for the Spires or for some mysterious city of blue men, or who knows where. Leaving for Denval, for home (even if there might not be a home there anymore) just felt right.

[Valkyrie]

7 – 13 Summer

That night, as soon as all the passengers had made their way below to the cabins, the door leading up to the top deck was closed and locked. Apparently they were quite serious about wanting to keep every below and “safe” as they put it. Perhaps they just wanted to keep track of people. Perhaps they wanted to keep everyone out of the way of the work of sailing. Perhaps they actually cared about everyone’s safety. It was difficult to know. The night passed quietly as everyone made themselves comfortable in their cabins.

The morning of the seventh came uneventfully and quiet. The small portholes in the cabins were the easiest way to keep track of the time of day. At the end of the cabin a small galley produced meals three times a day, usually the same barley mush with salted fish and root vegetables. The first full day of containment passed quietly enough. Most people tried to make the best of it and developed small games to play, a handful of passengers had brought roughly carved wooden dice or playing cards along that helped pass the time. Sea sickness set in fairly quickly for those unused to sailing. The muffled sounds of vomiting could be heard on occasion through the cabin doors.

The second day, the eighth of summer, passed similarly to the previous one. The cargo hold soon became used as a means of exercise, being the only large space available. The few animals that were stored in the cargo hold were initially spooked but eventually became used to people jogging past or attempting to lift crates and many of the people doing so claimed they were preparing their bodies for the adventures ahead. The passengers still tried to fill the time with games and conversation though their enthusiasm was waning. The question of what they were doing there and what kind of trip this would really turn out to be started to creep into minds.

On the ninth of summer the passengers saw no sunrise. The sky was black and ominous. By midmorning, or what they judged to be midmorning, thick sheets of icy rain constantly slapped the deck and vicious waves lashed the sides. That was when the days began to blur together. Time could only be deciphered through varying shades of black and occasionally green. The rain was unrelenting and the waves made the ship lurch and rock. Many, if not most, became sick from the sharp swaying and quickly filled the buckets they had been given to collect waste. One man couldn’t take the horrid stench that quickly permeated every inch of the cabin level and insistently banged on the top deck door for help and fresh air. He pounded on the door for close to a bell becoming hysterical towards the end and leaving bloody handprints. After that bell the door opened and strong hands pulled the man through the opening. The door was firmly shut afterwards and the man was not seen again. No one tried to bang on the door after that.

Each day passed slowly and seemed like a deeper level of misery then the day before. The majority of the passengers either stayed closed off in their cabins, tightly wrapped in their hammocks to avoid being thrown around by the rocking, or sitting down in the cargo hold to avoid the terrible smell. A few women had taken the initiative to wheedle an empty salt fish barrel from the galley and placed it in the hallway for people to empty their waste buckets into. It was firmly lashed to the wall so that it would not tip over. Though the barrel helped keep things from becoming messy it made the stench worse. The worst aspect of those terrible days had to be the boredom. Few had realized what a terrible ailment boredom was for the mind. There was not much enthusiasm for games, little else to do, and even littler to talk about.

It seemed as though it would go on forever and had already been going on forever. The night of the twelfth saw the rain begin to slacken and the waves became gentler. It was hard to determine if the hellish storm was really over or if it was just a cruel lull. But the rain continued to decrease until suddenly it was realized that the persistent sound of thudding rain had ceased. People did not know if they should offer praise to Morwen, Laviku or Zulrav so some chose to give prayers to all three. The morning of the thirteenth allowed the passengers to see the first sunrise they had seen in four days. Was it really only four days? It seemed like it had been much longer. Syna had never looked so beautiful.

OOC :

Quite a few days pass here so feel free to use the information I gave to do whatever you would like. You are free to make up passenger NPCs. It is up to you whether you would like to do one post or several to cover the time. When you are ready for my next reply please just mention seeing the sunrise and I will continue things from there. Let me know if you have any questions.

[Alea Davenport]

The 7th of Summer

Alea had intended to spend the voyage as she had spent most of spring, avoiding all human company and keeping to herself. But with little to do, it was more difficult to distract herself from the boredom and abject loneliness, and so when some friendly Vantha sat with her at the midday mealtime, she was only too ready to make their acquaintance.

The first was a girl a few years older than Alea, who sat down and promptly introduced herself with a friendly smile as Natania Coolwater. She then took the liberty to introduce the other two. The older boy was Kodak Frostfawn, and Alea recognized him vaguely from when she had worked in the hold. He tended to be one of the more, er, "free-spirited" members of the hold. He had a good enough heart, but a bit of a tendency to find excuses to get out of doing any real work. With these two came a shy-looking boy who was a little younger than Alea, who Natania introduced as Lirael Snowsong.

The group invited Alea to play card games with them after the meal, claiming they needed a fourth player. It was fun, and the Vantha were certainly interesting to be around, but somehow it felt surreal. Alea had never really had many friends before, and wasn't sure how to act in even a small group. She was especially out of practice since she had spent the last season shunning human company. To distract herself, she focused on the game, but she couldn't help but notice certain things about her new friends. The interactions between Natania and Kodak reminded her of her friends Lixue an Ly, but the memory of her last encounter with them made her feel...less than cheerful, so she decided to distract herself by asking something that had just occurred to her.

"So, why did you all decide to come on this trip? Do...do you have some particular interest in Denval?" Alea knew why she was going. She could still hardly believe her home was gone; it had been fine when she'd left less than a year ago. It just didn't seem right that a Denvali should fail to investigate, and since Oluse had run off to the city of blue men, she was the only one left.

Kodak and Natania exchanged looks that Alea couldn't quite read, and the Frostfawn answered first. "It's an adventure! We couldn't pass up the chance for one of those, could we?" Kodak grinned, but to Alea it seemed a slight bit forced. There was something he wasn't telling, but Alea didn't think she could get to the bottom of it by pressing him now.

Natania just nodded, looking as if she were trying to keep her expression under control and having difficulty. Alea remembered what had happened to the Coolwater Hold in the Djed Storm; most of Natania's family had drowned without a chance to escape. She couldn't even imagine what Natania had to be going through; Alea's home was gone, but at least most of the people she knew had made it out safely.

In an effort to pretend sahe didn't notice Natania's discomfort, and to give her some time to recover, Alea turned to Lirael. "And what about you? Are you the adventuring type?" She tried to smile in a friendly manner, but she just didn't have the skill for it that Natania did. Fortunately, the boy seemed kind, if shy, so he smiled back.

"I thought I could help. Vantha get lonely without songs to remind them of Morwen and Avanthal, and I know a few songs," the boy said in a soft voice.

This, for some reason, struck Alea as a brilliant idea. "Maybe you could teach me some of the songs, and we can sing them to pass the time." The boy agreed that this was an excellent idea, not having ever heard Alea's singing voice. He soon came to regret it (though was too polite to say so), as Alea's off-key and clunky voice butchered the Vani lyrics and sawed at the ears of the two older Vantha. Lirael winced, but tried to encourage Alea. Kodak tried to salvage the situation by correcting Alea's pronunciation, which helped a little, but Alea's Denvali tongue couldn't quite get the hang of the light and lilting Vani accent.

Alea also seemed to think, the louder the better when it came to morale-boosting songs, not understanding that Vani music was soft and sweet and beautiful, no matter how many times Natania tried to explain. By the end of the evening, there had been a little improvement in Alea's rendition of a song that, she was told, was a prayer to Morwen, but they still convinced Alea to let Lirael give a solo performance. The Vantha went to bed feeling comforted, but Alea was having strange emotions. She felt like...they hadn't liked her singing very much...

OOCI have six more days to get through. Bear with me if it takes a while ^_^