HMS Karnak
Owned by Hythe Maritime Services, this is a relatively new appearance on the Sarodin Sea; a tour boat. They don't carry any freight (except for supplies) and cater to sailing around passengers in as much luxury as possible. The rates are such that mere mortals could never afford them.
It is doing a full circle, going east from Avale to GICOM, then Stjordvik where the party boards. The next major stops will be Kolinet, Tuzic Brac in Vilda, and Beljovac in Haza.
Cabin Plan
| 14 | Leandro Minardi – boarded in Stjordvik | 13 | Used as linen closet |
| 12 | Harpin & Reb – boarded in Stjordvik | 11 | Butch & Regius – boarded in Stjordvik |
| 10 | Dr. Linus Windlesham – boarded in Avale | 9 | Rosalie Otterbourne – boarded in Avale |
| 8 | Jacqueline de Bellefort – boarded in Stjordvik | 7 | Salome Otterbourne – boarded in Avale |
| 6 | Linnet & Simon – boarded in GICOM | 5 | Marie van Schuyler – boarded in GICOM |
| 6a | Louise Bourget | 5a | Mrs. Bowers |
| 4 | Major Gowen – boarded in Avale | 3 | Neb Jabituya – boarded in GICOM |
| 2 | - | 1 | Clarissa Easttocam – boarded in Stjordvik |
Event
Day 0 – At the docks
A short, human girl with a bob cut, dressed in a pale blue shirt and a white skirt suddenly appears next to you. “Hi there, are you mister Reb, the Regatta winner?” Before you have even started your answer she continues, “I’m Eranul Sweet, call me Era, everyone does. My company would like to offer you, and your three friends, free passage to Haza on one of our deluxe ships.” The perky girl looks at you expectantly.
The tickets come with a short list of ‘ship conduct rules’, among them; magic does not work on the ship and passengers should refrain from trying to cast any spells. For the safety of all passengers no weapons should be worn outside their cabin.
Day 1 – At the docks
As you arrive you are directed to the correct pier. As you approach you can see the ship has been extensively modified; the bottom sails have been removed and a new deck has been created from where the captain’s cabin used to be up to the middle mast. A new captain’s cabin and quarter deck has been built on top of the old one and a narrow walkway has been built between the middle and aft mast so sailors won’t need to walk on the new passenger deck.
At the pier two gangplanks lay extended from the ship and a sailor shows you to the one for newly boarding passengers. You see there are three people waiting in line, some of them have brought quite a bit of luggage.
The lady in front of you has a rather regal bearing and classic features. Her hair is shortish and done up in curls, she is wearing practical but high-quality clothes, the type that’s sold by Caeles Emporium. It’s hard to pinpoint her age; she could be anywhere between her mid-thirties and late forties or even early fifties. Next to her is a medium sized trunk and a valise. She nods at you as you join the line. [Olivia Williams]
At the front of the queue is a short, dark-haired, clean-shaven gentleman with a large nose, wearing a pince-nez. He is dressed in a rather unconventional, if not to say, haphazard style, none of his clothes seem to match, and his pants look to be a little on the short side. He looks to be in his forties. Next to him sits a large satchel that has seen better days. He stands there tapping his foot and then speaks to the sailor at the gangplank; “I paid a lot of money to be a passenger on this vessel, I should be able to board now, if it’s about my luggage, then I’m sure it’s fine to leave it here and have it moved aboard later.” The sailor tries not to roll his eyes, “as I said, guvnor, boardin’ is not allow’d till I get the say so, apologies.” [Steve Coogan]
Between the other two in the line stands a beautiful young woman, likely to be in her early twenties. She has an expensive haircut framing her face, the way the hair is styled it reveals one ear with a pearl and silver earring. She is wearing a short skirt and a cotton top in a faux nautical style. Two large trunks and two valises stand next to her as she waves a fan to cool herself. [Emma Mackey]
As you stand there, waiting for boarding to start, a dwarf with a small and well-trimmed salt and pepper colored beard and mustache and hair of the same color, wearing a khaki-colored outfit and a monocle, marches with ramrod straight posture down the pier and up the other gangplank, pausing just long enough for the sailor there to give him a, not even halfhearted, salute. [Peter Ustinov]
Boarding still hasn’t started and the gentleman at the front is getting more and more impatient. Then a young couple, about mid-twenties, comes walking down the pier, arms linked. The well-proportioned, handsome man has brown hair, a small mustache and wears casual but clearly well-tailored and expensive clothing. The woman looks quite stunning, her hair is not quite shoulder length and frames a beautiful face. She wears a thin, white, sleeveless summer dress with a slim belt of golden loops and carries a small parasol to cover herself from the sun’s rays. [Armie Hammer, Gal Gadot]
As they make their way to the gangplank the young woman in line with you suddenly speaks out; “Linnet? Is that you? Heironeous on a stick!” “Jacqueline!” the other woman replies as she hurries her way over and they air kiss each other three times. The man joins them now and Jacqueline gives him an icy “hello, Simon”, as he stands there, looking rather awkward. “What are you doing here, Jaq?” Linnet asks. “I spent the last six months here, clearing my head, you know, but I’ve had enough of Sormark and decided to go to Haza or some place like that,” she answers, “but what about you? It’s so weird running into you here.” “Uh, well, we’re on our honeymoon,” Linnet explains as she looks at Simon and then back to Jacqueline, “we’re doing the full tour around the Sarodin Sea.”
“And we’re booked on the same ship?” Jacqueline says as she looks at the couple and then up at the heavens. “You know what,” she continues, “I’m in no rush, I can just take the next ship out, I can stay here a bit longer, probably for the best.” “Don’t be silly, you shouldn’t do that on our account, if anything, we should get a later ship,” Linnet replies, “please, just join us, there was always going to be a point where we’d start running into each other again, right? Simon it’s not going to be a problem, is it?” He just nods and doesn’t say anything. “That’s that then, come on, we’ll have a fun trip, to be honest it was getting a little boring, I’m glad you’re coming,” Linnet tells her, “Oh! And you can borrow Louise tonight to do you up for the grand dinner, have to look splendid, right?”
After a few more this and that’s the couple make their way up the ship, Simon still looking anything but happy. Then Eranul comes rushing down the pier. “My deepest apologies, dear, valued passengers, boarding will begin within five minutes,” she half calls out, half pants as she passes you and rushes up the gangplank before the man at the front of the queue has a chance to speak his mind to her.
A minute later someone else comes walking up to the ship. It’s a man with an olive skin, a hawkish nose, probably in his forties though it’s hard to tell. He wears orange pants that are very wide above the knees and a long-sleeved black shirt. Many differently colored pieces of fabric have been wrapped around his chest over the shirt. His dark hair has been done up in a knot and a number of small wooden sticks tipped with silver are pushed through the knot. He gives everyone a nod as he makes his way up the ship. [Fisher Stevens]
Then there’s activity at the top of your gangplank and you see Era giving a sign to the sailor at the bottom. The impatient man at the head of the queue immediately races up the gangplank and disappears from view. One by one everyone makes their way up until you are all aboard. As you set foot on the ship you feel your connection with the magic of the weave disappearing. You have arrived in what seems to be a dining room, though there’s a large mast next to one of the walls and two sets of stairs going down on either side of it. The wooden floor has been covered by thin marble tiles and potted plants stand around the room.
Standing there, waiting for everyone to get near is Era and she is flanked by a human girl and a halfling girl, dressed in the same outfit that she is. “I would like to officially welcome all of you on the HMS Karnak,” she tells the assembled group, “These are my assistants, Joy and Camelia, and together we will endeavor to make your journey as magical as possible,” she laughs at her own little joke.
“Your luggage is being brought to your cabins as we speak, so in the meantime I’ll give you a short tour of the ship,” she says, “this is the dining room though it can also be used for other purposes.” She looks around and then back at you. “Tonight, we will be having a Grand Dinner with the captain,” the tone of her voice making it clear this is a special occasion, “everyone dresses in their finest and it’s always an enchanting evening.”
She walks over to a door, opens it and steps through. “This is our game room, we carry a large assortment of games and our tables are custom made to deal with the motion of the ship,” she explains. On parquet flooring made of two varieties of wood stand a number of tables and a cabinet holds quite a few card and board games. Potted plants stand in the corners.
She opens a door on the opposite wall, “this is our exercise room. You can, of course, exercise on deck as well, should you require any help bringing something from this room up to the deck, please let us know.” You see some exercise equipment; most look almost unused. “Behind that door there is the bathing room,” she points, “please note that due to the realities of ship life, warm water is only available at certain hours.”
She then walks to a set of large double doors that stand open in the wall of the game room and steps through. “This is the drawing room,” she tells you as she makes a sweeping motion. You see a floor covered with a number of thick carpets, each with a unique design, three comfortable looking couches, large chairs, a few tables, and a fireplace, of all things. There is an almost full bookcase up against the wall, potted plants around the room, in one corner of the room stands a piano, another holds a well-stocked bar. “It’s a perfect place to relax and be comfortable and talk with your fellow passengers,” Era tells you. All the rooms you’ve seen so far have paintings hanging on the walls and they all seem to be bucolic landscape works.
Seated on one of the couches are two ladies, both reading a book. One looks to be in her sixties at least, though her hair is still mostly dark with a few grey locks that have been expertly teased out. She is wearing tasteful but understated clothes; they are quite expensive, though most people wouldn’t be able to tell. The same goes for her necklace and matching earrings of what only look to be semi-precious stones. Next to her sits a woman, probably in her fifties, her black hair is straight and frames her face, her fringe almost reaches her eyes. Her clothes are practical and of good quality and she wears a simple necklace. [Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French]
“And these are two of our passengers,” Era, tells the group, “Lady Van Schuyler, and her nurse, Mrs. Bowers.” They both give a friendly nod but then return to their books. “One more quick stop to go,” says your guide as she opens the far door and a mild wind blows into the room. Beyond the door is the ship’s deck, sailors are busy loading supplies and getting the ship ready for the coming journey. Next to the railing is a set of stairs which Era walks up.
“This is the Panorama Deck, exclusively for the use of our passengers,” she explains as she motions around. You see a number of lounge chairs and some low tables. “There at the end, called the ‘aft’ on a ship, is the captain’s cabin and on top of that the quarter deck with the steering wheel, those aren’t accessible to passengers,” she explains. Two of the loungers are occupied at the moment.
You see what you think are a mother and daughter, both half-elves, both attractive. It’s hard to guess their ages but were they human you would say mid-fifties and early twenties. The elder of the two is wearing very short shorts and a sleeveless top that shows quite some cleavage. The younger is wearing a skirt that comes to her knees and a short sleeved, buttoned up blouse. [Sophie Okonedo, Letitia Wright]
“These are another two of our passengers,” Era tells you, “Ms. Salome Otterbourne, the famed novelist and her daughter, Rosalie.” Salome puts down her fruity drink and looks at the group, “it’s so nice to meet some new traveling companions,” she says as her eyes slowly glide from person to person, “ooh, and two half-orcs, how marvelous! I must say, aren’t we lucky, so tall, those rippling muscles, those thick brows, I hope you’ll be spending a lot of time on deck here.” “Mother!” the daughter exclaims and shakes her head in what seems to be a much-practiced move.
“Well, that’s the tour, let’s get you all to your cabins and settled in,” Era says smoothly as she guides everyone back down and to the dining room. The stairs down are carpeted and so is the corridor that holds the cabins. Next to the mast is a small desk, Joy is sitting behind it. “There will always be someone here should you require anything,” Era informs. Keys are laying on the desk and she hands them out to each of you. “You will find the daily schedule and an itinerary of events in your cabins,” she says, “please come and see me here if there’s anything you need.” With that she leads everyone to their cabins.
The beds in your cabins are the most comfortable you have ever slept in and the towels are the fluffiest you have ever seen. A large fruit basket is set out on the table, next to a saucer of sweets, bottles of different drinks are available in a cabinet, and a bell pull allows you to call for assistance from the desk.
Day 1 – Grand Dinner
As you leave your cabin you see a pretty halfling girl come from cabin 6a and knock on the door of cabin 8. “Madam, it’s Louise, I’m here to help you prepare for the dinner,” she calls out. Her reddish hair is very short, keeping both ears free, you see modest earrings in both. She’s wearing a simple light blue dress with a slightly darker blue vest over top of it. [Rose Leslie]
In the dining room the tables have been set together to form one large table. Name plates show where everyone is supposed to sit, new passengers sit the closest to the captain. The ceiling is too low for chandeliers but many candles are set out to provide a lovely atmosphere.
The gentleman with the sticks in his hair has changed into an even more intricate and colorful costume, he’s talking with a gnome gentleman. You see a middle-aged gnome with a neatly coiffed beard and dark rimmed glasses. He is wearing silk pants and a jacket, both black and embroidered with black thread in a rose motif. Under the jacket he wears a puffy shirt with ruffled collars that extend from under the shorter sleeved jacket and a high collar that extends over the jacket’s collar. [Russell Brand]
When he sees the four of you arrive he immediately makes his way over. “So nice to meet all of you, you’re the adventurers and regatta winners, right? It’s such a pleasure to have such characters of substance, and I mean that in all possible ways, to join us on this trip. I’m Dr. Linus Windlesham, you might have heard of me.”
The lady who was just ahead of you in line has changed into a beautiful but modest blue dress with a fur collar and matching blue hat. She wears a bronze broach just under the collar. She introduces herself as Clarissa Easttocam.
The dwarven man who you saw at the docs wears something that looks a lot like military parade dress, including epaulets and a large dagger in a sheath on his right leg. He’s a few glasses in already. During dinner he introduces himself as Major Gowen.
Lady Van Schuyler has changed to a classic full-length evening gown of dark red ponson velvet, her jewelry is very tasteful and understated except for a ring she wears on her left hand. It’s not overly big but it’s a platinum band set with a large number of small, flawless diamonds. Poets might say it blinds any who look directly at it. Mrs. Bowers is wearing a high collared dark orange dress and a very nice set of necklace and earrings.
Salome Otterbourne is wearing a short-sleeved black and gold dress with a matching extravagant hat. She made her face up so her eyelids are a light green and her lips a light rose red. Rosalie Otterbourne is wearing a sleeveless black dress woven with a silver thread. She wears her hair up and has leaf-shaped, silver earrings in.
The captain is a tall man with a large, bald head who is wearing a rather elaborate white uniform with gold buttons and markings, he looks rather uncomfortable as he stands near one of the walls and looks at the gathering.
The impatient gentleman from the queue has changed into another rather improbable outfit. It isn’t all that suited to the occasion, the pants look quite the worse for wear and the jacket is at least one size too small.
Jacqueline wears a sleeveless satin red dress with large ruffled shoulders and a drooping neckline, showing quite a bit of cleavage. Her hair has been styled and done up and she wears two small golden earrings in each ear.
Last to arrive are Simon & Linnet. Simon wears black evening dress in the latest GICOM style. Linnet wears a sleeveless silver dress with two sets of straps, one set over her shoulder, the other set over those, going behind her neck, the shoulder straps run down to a deep cleavage. Her hair has been coiffed and braided at the back and her earrings are sapphires dangling from a short silver chain.
As dinner starts Era takes care of the proceedings and goes around the table letting everyone introduce themselves. Mrs. Bowers makes a noise when Linus speaks, clearly there is no love lost there. Lady van Schuyler has clearly seen a lot of the world and often mentions “My dear, departed husband, the ambassador.”
Leandro is rather noncommittal when asked just about anything but he does mention that he has trouble sleeping on boats, Dr. Linus says he has something help sleep. Mrs. Bowers is not at all convinced about this concoction. Lady van Schuyler then mentions that Mrs. Bowers prepares something for Marie that works wonders, puts her to sleep immediately.
The whole dinner is a great success with amazing food and friendly conversation, covering a variety of topics. “It’s interesting how you forget certain things completely only to be suddenly confronted with them. Mammoths can remember,” Lady Van Schuyler comments when served desert.
After dinner everyone moves to the drawing room where drinks are waiting. Butch drinks a little too much, Reb keeps it modest, Regius drinks no less than eight drinks, and Harpin doesn't drink any alcohol tonight. Era plays piano and sings, one of the maids accompanies her on the flute. There is some dancing, Major Gowen tries to ask Rosalie but she gives him a withering look. Salome asks both half-orcs and Regius dances with her.
Dr. Linus comes over to the party to tell them about an exciting opportunity. “My newest creation, I call it Windlesham Wonder Water, is the best yet. It uses virdanium leaves, they’re extremely powerful, mixed with shavings of mandrake root, and a tincture of orchid. It works wonders for a variety of maladies such as lung diseases, gout, flu, back pain and other aches, women’s, uh, issues. There’s a huge market out there, more demand than we could ever satisfy. The only problem is that virdanium only grows on the flanks of Mator’s Spikes and it’s quite expensive to transport here. If I had a partner who could fund this then I’d be more than happy to split the profits, say 80/20.” The party has some questions but does not immediately invest.
Reb talks with Major Gowen and recognizing a fellow soldier he is only to happy to talk. When asked about his background in the Otteun army his chest swells as he tells the fighter "23rd Infantry Regiment, Upper-Khaler, 'von Geber'". The battle master has heard of them, they are one of the best regiments in the very large Otteun army. “Should have killed every single bugbear," he says when queried about some of his experiences.
He then asks about the dagger on his hip. The dwarf is only to happy to show him and takes it out of the sheath. Regius sees this and yells “weapon!” and tries to dive on top of them, failing spectacularly. After this embarrassing spectacle the Major continues and tells Reb how he has a large collection of weapons, he brought a number along. Both weapons he took from his enemies as well as beautifully crafted ceremonial weapons such as this one.
Harpin immediately goes up to Salome Otterbourne, he is a big fan of her work and brought his own copy of her novel, Abstinence and the Hamlet, and gets it signed. They discuss a number of things though the half-elf's attention always wonders toward the two half-orcs in the room.
Butch manages to talk his way into the kitchen and has a long conversation with the chef, Michael Farmcan, a true genius. They clearly share a passion for cooking and the half-orc comes away from their conversation with many ideas.
At the end of the evening Jacqueline and Linnet are quite deep in their cups recalling things from their past. “You were such a little sneak; I don’t think there was a door you couldn’t open. Remember that time you opened the door to your father’s study that one night?” “We said we’d never talk about that again. And I’m not the one who stole the pears from the orchard every year.” “Remember when we tricked cook into baking that wax pie?” Both almost fall down giggling. “The smoke! The smoke!” “Stop it, I can’t breathe!” “Oh, Minny Boulé!” “Oh gods, Minny!” Gales of laughter. “I haven’t thought about that for so long, poor girl. I almost feel guilty.” Drying her tears. “We used to be real little shits, didn’t we?” “I can’t believe we got away with all of that.” Simon keeps his distance from the both of them, looking not at all happy.
Day 2 – Games Night
Our friends wake up pretty early and when Reb goes for breakfast he sees Simon come out of cabin 6A, wearing shorts and a shirt. The man whispers: “Linnet has a headache I’m afraid.” And together they go up to the dining room. When the fighter returns to the cabin he tells Harpin about what he saw and the warlock immediately thinks about using this information to stir things up.
It’s quite hot today as the ship makes it way up north. Jacqueline is on deck wearing a long white skirt and her white top is knotted up, leaving her midsection exposed. Leandro Minardi is unshaven and dressed in yet another pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt that don’t match. Salome is on her customary lounge chair, her daugher beside her, and comments about watching the shirtless sailors work, eliciting a groan from her offspring.
Not long after dinner Reb goes to see Major’s weapons. He has indeed quite the collection, all carefully kept in sail cloth. The dwarf is taking his time, showing every single piece in detail and giving their history, clearly he enjoys being able to show off his prizes. Harpin joins them and tries to memorize all the weapons on display.
After dinner a game night has been organized by Era and it starts with a challenge to arrive with something surprising. Butch brings Remi, his pet rat. Harpin arrives on roller skates, something he has been tinkering with. With the ship's movement on the water the gnome rolls this way and that. Reb brought the deck of bone cards he found on Nolla Isle. Regius 'brings' Ulaa’s Inquisition. Harpin is declared the winner.
Our friends have been teamed up with other passengers, "to better get to know each other", Eranul explains. The next challenge is for them to name their teams. Which leads to these names:
- Team Burning Passion – Reb, Clarissa, Simon
- Team Brains & Beauty – Harpin, Linnet, Linus
- Team Divine Love – Regius, Jacqueline, Neb
- Team Boat Buddies – Butch, Louise, Rosalie
The games then really start and there's quite a variety of them. Fun is had by all and they declare themselves all winners when the final game has been played.
Having played Petals Around the Rose, Reb looks for a rose and takes a few petals from it and goes down to the cabins. There he sees Jacqueline has also fallen prey to major Gowen showing off his weaponry collection. "It's a really impressive collection Major," she tells him standing in the doorway, rolling her eyes at the fighter. Reb puts the rose petals on Regius' pillow and makes himself scarce after his prank.
Day 3 – Kolinet Excursion
The next morning Butch leaves his cabin and sees Simon at Jacqueline's cabin door. After breakfast everybody gathers at the gangplank when the ship makes port. There's a rather awkward moment when it turns out both Salome and Lady van Schuyler are wearing a rather similar outfit with a large sun hat. Major Gowen is wearing a full khaki outfit and a pith helmet. He wears a short sword on his hip.
Era explains that Linnet and Mr. Minardi won't be coming along. Simon explains, 'headache', when people wonder why his new bride isn't coming. And then everybody is off the ship and all the spellcasters feel very relieved for the presence of the weave once again. Harpin then proceeds to polymorph Reb into an Aarakocra and tells him to try and fly, leading to quite some attention.
Everyone gets to spend some time in Kolinet and after a lovely lunch in the Woolfson Taphouse, the local guide, Jassindra, brings them to the temple complex, a donkey cart has been arranged for those who don't walk well. The huge stone is a more than impressive sight and when entering the Hall of the Ancients, most are brought to their knees; it's so overwhelming.
Everyone is then free to explore, some remain inside, others go out, some up the wooden stairs to the top of the rock. Regius immediately tries to write his name on the wall, but Harpin stops him before he even gets started defacing the centuries or millennia old walls. The gnome then just wanders around the rooms. Lady Catherine seems to really enjoy the place, so he lets her take the lead and comes to some rooms with very interesting inscriptions on the walls, trying to figure out what it all means.
As Harpin exits the complex he sees Marie van Schuyler and Rosalie Otterbourne standing there just as a large boulder comes crashing down, missing the vikontica by just inches. The impact is very loud as the rock bounces away without hitting anyone. Mrs Bowers, carrying two cups of water, was just coming from the temple and she rushes over. Salome Otterbourne was sitting in the shade and goes to her daughter.
Simon and Jacqueline come up from down the road as Reb and Butch make it to the edge at the top of the rock and and look down to see what happened. They then try to find where the rock came from, soon finding the spot, it's hard to tell if the boulder just fell or was pushed. Major Gowen arrives from around the rock and makes his way over.
Then Clarissa Easttocam joins the two at the top of the rock and also has a look with them at where the rock fell and declares that it was made of flint. Later, Harpin asks her how he how she knows this, and she explains that her husband is an archaeologist, and she picked up a thing or two. Louise then appears from around the other side of the rock and rushes over to the scene of the accident.
Neb then comes up from down the road and eventually Linus also arrives at the top of the Rock and asks what is going on. Regius tries to cast a sending spell to Leandro, to see if he is actually on the boat. There's no answer; it's impossible to tell if the spell failed, or if he just didn't answer.
On the way back Regius invites Salome to dinner that evening, she is more than happy to accept and afterwards she invites both of the half-orcs over to her cabin. Era mentions the tunnel tournament being held the next evening. And so some people play a game to prepare; Clarissa, Leandro, Linnet, and Jacqueline. Simon and Linus play a game of towers. Neb and Rosalie are playing nine man morris. Major Gowen and Salome are over in a corner having a private conversation and Marie van Schuyler and Mrs. Bowers are reading books as usual. Harpin teaches people Gnomes and Knights, his favorite game.
The warlock then asks the Major about his weapons, who is only too happy to show them off again. As the gnome quickly counts if they're still the same number as last time, the dwarf goes off onto some more stories about the weapons and their provenance. Regius spends his night in Salome's cabin, and his performance is quite impressive. Shame for the others that the walls aren't that thick.
Day 4 – Tunnel Tournament
The next morning when the half-orc leaves Salome's cabin he sees Simon coming from Rosalie's cabin. Simon tells him: "I was returning a book". It's one of those typical days at sea where everybody just lounges on the deck and does whatever they want. After dinner the tunnel tournament is won by Clarissa Easttocam and Mrs. Bowers, beating Harpin and Reb.
And it turns out that major Gowen found more victims; Simon and Linnet try to extricate themselves from his cabin, "you sure have a beautiful collection, Major," they tell him and secretly make a face like 'is he ever gonna let me go?' Regius saves by engaging the dwarf in conversation and then showing him his Zahar-Gund-Tarâg hammer. The Major immediately wants to buy it, offering no less than a thousand gold pieces for it, but the half-orc declines, for now.
Day 5 – Sandy Deck Tournament
In the afternoon a fun Sandy Deck tournament is held which is won by Butch and Jacqueline. Harpin goes to the Major once again to ask about his weapons, and gets another lengthy showing. When he leaves he sees Salome coming from the cabin shared by Regius and Butch. She doesn't really explain why she was in there. Harpin suggests to her that maybe it was to look for inspiration for her next novel. When Butch checks later, nothing seems to be missing.
Day 5 – Murder!
Some time after the ten o'clock bell, there is a loud scream coming from one of the cabins downstairs. A number of people are still up in the drawing room and gaming room, including our friends. Many people now rush downstairs to see what's going on. The first on the scene is Rosalie Otterbourne, coming from her cabin, she walks into Marie's cabin and goes pale.
Butch and Regius arrive just after and see Marie van Schuyler lying on the floor in a pool of blood, a dagger sticking from her lifeless body. The cleric tries to find a pulse but to no avail. Leandro comes out of his cabin, his shirt is on back to front, he stays out of the now quite full cabin #5 but looks inside.
Clarissa then arrives, her hair done up for bed, she enters Marie’s cabin and consoles Mrs. Bowers. Linus comes out of his cabin next, still dressed, he looks inside but keeps his distance. Reb now also arrives from upstairs together with Neb and Simon and they are told what happened.
Then Linnet opens her cabin door, she's in her night clothes, and she is stopped by Simon from going into the cabin with the body. The major steps out of his cabin dressed in yellow pajamas, wearing a black sleeping mask on his head. Louise arrives down the stairs next, together with Salome Otterbourne.
Reb asks the Major about his weapons. Does he lock his room? Yes, he does. But the murder weapon is definitely one of the Major's, the assassin's dagger, as he called it. He goes to check his collection and it is indeed, gone. Jacqueline still hasn't shown up, so Harpin knocks on her door and then asks Simon for the key, who doesn't take this implication well, he has no key, of course.
Jacqueline finally opens the door, very sleepily, dressed in her night clothes. Harping pushes himself past her into the cabin, she almost falls over but manages to steady herself as the warlock looks for anything untoward. He finds an empty sherry bottle and two glasses with still a little residue in them
Butch goes over to Joy, who was posted at the table with a view down the corridor and asks if she saw anyone enter cabin #5. The girl is very distraught and close to tears, she tells him she was busy with things and didn't see anyone enter.
The captain arrives and asks to speak with Reb and Harpin. He tells them that he would like them to lead some kind of Investigation into the murder and find out what happened. He thinks that they are, probably, the ones most suited to the job. He's clearly uncomfortable with this all, but he definitely wants it wrapped up before they make it to the next port.
Our friends then tell everybody to go to the dining room. Butch and Reb get a master key and go and check every single one of the cabins to see if they can find any clues. A thorough search of Marie's cabin shows it definitely is has been rifled through. Nothing seems to be missing, though they will need to ask Mrs. Bowers to make sure. When they get to the jewelry they find that the ring she wore to dinner the first night is no longer there.
Harpin starts questioning passengers. Asking Jacqueline, if she took anything to sleep, she says she didn't.He then checks if there's any blood on her hands; there isn't. Next he accuses her of having sex with Simon, which completely incenses her.
The party then uses cabin #2 as an interview room, speaking with every passenger separately, trying to get as much information as possible and maybe catch them in a lie. If the murderer slipped through a porthole they must be quite acrobatic so Regius decided to surprise every passenger at the end of their interview by suddenly throwing a sock filled with sand at them, those who manage to catch it must be quite spry.
Things start to become a little clearer and when Joy comes to tell them that she might have seen Jacqueline go into Lady Van Schuyler's cabin, she's just not sure about it, she explains, in tears. All this focuses their investigation and prompts another searching of some cabins, now with more direction, this time finding things they missed earlier.
They now have a pretty good idea of who committed the murder but no real idea of why. They decide to wait till breakfast and then reveal all to everyone assembled. Harpin makes a big show of it and at the end accuses Linnet of the murder. This to gasps of all those present but the evidence provided is strong enough that she admits to it and she curses Marie but won't say why she did it.
The captain thanks the party for their help and Linnet is given house arrest, being put into cabin #14, with Leandro getting an upgrade to cabin #2. When they get near Tuzic Brac captain Neuben let's our friends know that he's had another think and instead of handing her over to the authorities here he thinks it's better she should face justice in her own country. So she'll be kept on board for the rest of the trip and then brought to GICOM.
The rest of the trip starts a little muted but once everyone gets used to the new reality it is still quite pleasant and relaxing before finally making it to the party's destination.