1. Introduction; A Decent Proposal

[Adapt]

Jarek - thief

Jarek will ask around among the crew to see if any of them have any wine, a pair of dice, or some cards. Using this as a pretense, he will size them up a bit and see if any of them look suspicious.

[rredmond]

Igli smiles at the others and listen to Kalanos speak to them, at whatever appropriate opening will ask "anything exciting happen while on the water? Ever see any action?" He'll unconsciously squeeze the haft of his battle axe as he asks the question.

[tumblingdice]

Day 7, Moldain, Thaumont 7th, morning, Volaga River, Eastern Karameikos

Kalanos lifts the anchor as you settle into your seats, and the boat begins to drift. "Shove off," he yells as soon as you're clear of the banks. His men lower their oars into the water, and within no time settle into a rhythm, moving smoothly up the river against the current.

The sounds of Kelvin soon fade as you make your way east along the Volaga. Rolling hills flank both sides of the river, with an occasional farm visible in the distance. You can see people on ladders repairing roofs, or in the fields clearing brush, and even a yoke or two of oxen trudging through the mud. Before long, however, the Dymrak Forest begins to close in on the southern side of the river.

Kalanos keeps his men busy, but lets them chat with you provided they don't break their stroke. Some of their rowing songs are enough to make Marion blush, but other than that they appear to be a group of ordinary guys. Ordinary guys with no cards and no dice on them.

Around ten o'clock or so, Kalanos opens a bottle of wine, takes a pull, then hands it to Jarek. He motions for you to pass it around. "It's noon somewhere," he says with grin. Must be a joke amongst the homesteaders. "Help take the chill out of this rain here."

Maybe you're moving too fast, or maybe you're too far from the shore, but Soldath doesn't catch a single fish. He does, however, pull up a pair of women's undergarments. The crew bursts out laughing at the sight of them dripping water on to the deck. Evidently the milennial celebrations were quite crazy throughout the whole grand duchy.

"Hey Serj!" one of the rowers says, elbowing the man next to him. "Didn't your wife lose a pair just like that?" Serj flushes red, jumping to his feet. "Look here, you rotten son of a---"

You hear a thud, followed by the sound of wood scraping against metal. The boat lurches to a halt, throwing you off-balance and knocking Serj back into his seat. The rest of the rowers struggle to hold on to their oars.

"Dammit!" Kalanos yells, rushing to the front of the boat. "What the hell was that? Drop anchor," he orders, as the boat begins to slip downstream. "Drop anchor!"

Actions?

[Scalydemon]

Marion - Hobbit

A flashing thought runs through her brain about taking off her heavy banded Mail in case the boat capsizes, but she doesn't. Instead she grips her trusted magical spear 'pigsticker' in her right hand and slings her small round metal shield with a red triangle painted on it onto her left arm and assumes a defensive posture. She begins peering about for signs of a visible enemy.

[greyarea]

Tret, rogue

Tret stops his yammering. His hand gripping his bow, the other getting an arrow, he prepares for action should there be the need.

[Spanningtree]

Soldath

What the watery grave!?! Soldath will lose his grin regarding the undergarments and grab ahold of something to stabilize himself. He will look in all directions.

[rredmond]

Igli hefts his axe looking around for an opponent.

[badams30]

Athelstan - Fighter

Question - in relation to the banks of the river, are we centered in the river, or closer to one side or the other? Do we have any idea of the depth of the water here? And on the south bank is the forest, is the opposite bank open, what is the terrain? (sorry for all the questions... Athelstan is a tactical kind of guy...)

[tumblingdice]

Athelstan, the boat is about 80 feet from the right bank, and maybe 100 from the left. The northern shore is still rolling hills and farmland, not forested. You guess the river is probably ten to fifteen feet deep, but you can't be sure because the water is dark and moving pretty quickly.

[Adapt]

Jarek - thief

Jarek strings his bow and uncaps his quiver. He looks around for the highest place that he can safely climb (is there a mast on this thing?) and will attempt to take position there.