Chapter 2 - Session 9

Illusions of Power and a Burning Resolve

Events and Actions

The party continued their voyage aboard "The Green Gull" towards Port Sardina, with Captain Radulf and his crew sailing the vessel under Werner De Rendal's supervision. Two days in, they remained an estimated two days from their destination. Captain Radulf reminded Werner of their agreement: his crew was to be freed one day out from Port Sardina, set adrift in the ship's jolly boat to make for shore on their own. Wary from the start, the party had taken care to keep the southern sailors from bunking together or having too many chances to conspire; watching them now, the crew's diligence and Radulf's evident concern for his men only reinforced the sense that this was simply a merchant trying to save his own skin and his crew's, and that honouring the deal was his best chance of getting them all home safely. Nicolas, the young priest, conducted services; of Radulf's crew, only Bob, the sole one still devout, attended.

Cosimo Cellini Scivio suggested Nicolas keep an all-night vigil, but Nicolas declined, needing rest to bless the crew for their independent voyage; Cosimo volunteered for the watch himself instead. Riu privately asked Nicolas to curse Radulf's crew should they rejoin the Southern forces; Nicolas refused to curse men who had never taken up arms, but agreed to redouble his efforts to win them over, promising to address them all — believers or not — in one last sermon before they departed. Mani, meanwhile, kept up the quiet rapport he had been building with Bob, checking on him daily and bringing him food, and confided to Nicolas his own growing doubts about the Divinity of Two — doubts tangled up with the black stone, the invisible medallions, and the old women the elves had once spoken of. Still turning the question over that night, Mani slipped below decks to quietly renew a private dedication to Mistress Clara back in the Capitol; a ship offers little privacy for such things, but he made do.

The following morning, after a night without incident, Captain Radulf laid out his charts to show how far they had come and gave his final advice for the day: the prevailing currents and winds in this open stretch ran from east to west, meaning they would have to beat southeast against them, but once clear of the Channel Islands proper the winds and currents here were far steadier than anything they had fought through so far, so a straight if slow run should be possible. Nicolas delivered his farewell sermon, urging Radulf's crew to embrace the Divinity of Two — power, success, and life itself came from the Two, he told them, and without their blessing a man's days, and his family's, were numbered — and inviting any who were tempted to question Bob, their one devout shipmate, about what the faith had truly given him. Before their departure, Knick Nab and Cosimo searched "The Green Gull" for sabotage, paying particular attention to the earlier cannon-fire breach in the hull, but found it soundly repaired and no sign of tampering anywhere else. The party returned Radulf's crew's basic kit and clothing from their lockers, then added a sack of rice, fresh water, a cooking pot, and a share of hard tack; Radulf balked at the raw rice as useless until Werner explained it only needed a couple of days' soaking to be edible, and their three cheap knives were handed back last, as the captain boarded the jolly boat. Werner De Rendal controversially decided to keep Captain Radulf's compass despite Riu's objection that it broke faith with an otherwise fair parting; Mani sided with Werner, arguing it was a legitimate spoil of war and that Radulf, within a day's sight of land, hardly needed a compass to get there.

As Radulf's boat departed, Cosimo unleashed a dramatic display of illusion magic: he loudly "cursed" any "heretics" among Radulf's crew who might rejoin the South, conjuring an illusion of a sea creature beneath their boat and a celestial display — sun fading to moon fading to cloud — in the sky above, claiming it was the intervention of the Mother and Father. The spectacle proved almost too convincing. One of Radulf's sailors — not Bob, who had nothing to fear from a curse aimed at heretics — panicked so badly that he nearly capsized the jolly boat, until Captain Radulf knocked him senseless with an oar to restore order. Salter, the carpenter's mate, hid behind Nicolas in fear. Nicolas himself was awestruck, and when Cosimo knelt before him afterward, kissed his ring, and declared himself merely "a vessel" of the Two, Nicolas blessed him outright. Knick Nab, overwhelmed by the divine display, fell to his knees, cried out that the Two truly existed, and tore off his own headband, revealing his long and pointy ears. Only Werner De Rendal noticed, and though he tried to place what he was looking at through what lore he had, he got no further than "abomination." When Knick Nab proved too dazed by religious rapture to cover himself back up, Werner set his own hat on Knick Nab's head to hide the ears and got the ship moving again; Noddy, watching from the crow's nest, saw the whole exchange and needled Knick Nab afterward as the ship's new "Captain Stewart."

"The Green Gull" continued its journey, making good progress under the steadier winds — enough that the party began, for the first time, to feel they knew what they were doing. Later, Noddy spotted land (Port Sardina) and, closer at hand, a warship ahead, flying no flags. Shortly after, he sighted a smaller vessel some distance behind it, seemingly pursuing it. Noddy sent his familiar, the seagull Pocket, ahead for a closer look, but the bird was blown back before it could get near. Suddenly, a violent shudder struck "The Green Gull" — a drastic 180-degree wind shift, now blowing strongly towards the land. Noddy lost his footing on the fighting top's unguarded edge and went over; Riu climbed up to help and became entangled in the rigging himself, twisting his ankle badly before Cosimo climbed up to help bring them both down safely. Riu treated his own ankle with a quick healing rite to keep it from slowing him down.

With the wind now dead against them, the party reefed the sails rather than take on the far larger task of furling them outright, buying time to work out what had happened while staying underway. A closer look with the spyglass showed a fort perched above a narrow bay that commanded the approach to Port Sardina; neither strange ship flew any flag, leaving their allegiance uncertain and raising real doubts about opening fire on what might turn out to be a Northern vessel. Observations then revealed the warship was fully ablaze from bow to stern and heading rapidly towards the port, its deck piled with cargo and a lone figure crouched almost invisibly at the stern — possibly a fire ship meant to run in beneath the fort's guns; the smaller vessel trailing it, its crew visibly bracing the sails taut for speed while two figures at bow and stern gestured over the water, was suspected of magically controlling the wind. Closing the distance would also put "The Green Gull" within range of the fort's own guns, a risk the party weighed alongside everything else. After a tense debate over whether to strike at the smaller ship — the likelier source of the wind magic — or the burning warship bearing down on the port, the party settled on the warship: it offered a fallback, since they could still turn for the smaller ship if boarding failed, whereas committing to the small ship first would give up any chance at the other. They briefly considered heating shot for their swivel guns to spread the warship's fire further, but discarded the idea for want of time and a fire of their own to heat it with, and held shooting out the warship's rudder in reserve as a last resort should boarding fail outright. Mani quoted the "Rules and Regulations of the King's Navy" on the duty to engage, and Riu judged that ramming the warship early enough could still knock it off course before it reached the channel.

Their plan took shape as they closed the distance: Salter would cut the warship's rudder lines and make fast a tow rope to "The Green Gull" to drag the rudder — and the ship's course — off true, while Werner stayed at the helm with him to hold their own vessel in position. Mani, Cosimo, and Knick Nab would board the flaming vessel itself to deal with the figure seen crouching, barely visible, at its stern, and to fight through to the wheel or the anchor if either could still be reached. Nicolas was told to keep watch on the smaller ship and call on whatever divine help he could against it. As "The Green Gull" pulled alongside, the warship became fully engulfed in flames from bow to stern — the heat of it washing over the boarding party even before they set foot aboard — and "The Green Gull" itself began to catch fire from the intensity.

NPCs & Creatures

Captain Radulf: Captain of the captured Southern merchant ship, "The Green Gull". Negotiated for his and his crew's freedom, gave sailing advice to the last, and knocked one of his own men senseless with an oar to avert a capsizing.
Radulf's Crew: Four sailors from "The Green Gull," including Bob, a devout follower of the Two and the subject of Mani's daily outreach.
Nicolas: Young priest of the Divinity of Two, accompanying the party; profoundly shaken by Cosimo's display of power.
Salter: Carpenter's mate from the "Advance", assigned to "The Green Gull".
Pocket: Noddy's familiar spirit, inhabiting a seagull; sent ahead to scout the pursuing ship but blown back by the sudden wind.
Figure on Warship: An unidentified individual seen crouched almost invisibly at the stern of the burning warship, amid piles of cargo on its deck.
Crew of Smaller Ship: Crew of the tiller-steered pursuing vessel — two sailors bracing the sails taut for speed, plus figures at the bow and stern gesturing over the water, suspected of controlling the wind.
Sea Creature (Illusion): An illusion of a sea troll or sea serpents created by Cosimo.

Locations

The Green Gull: The prize ship under the party's command.
Channel Islands' Waters: The general area of travel.
Near Port Sardina: A fort perched above a narrow bay commanded the approach to the port; the location of the climactic encounter with the unidentified warships. Closing on the ships would bring "The Green Gull" within possible range of the fort's own guns.
The Burning Warship: A three-masted warship flying no flag, spotted heading for Port Sardina; became fully engulfed in flame from bow to stern as the party closed, its deck piled with cargo and hiding a crouched figure at the stern — suspected of being a fire ship meant to run in beneath the fort's guns.
The Smaller Pursuing Ship: A much smaller, tiller-steered vessel trailing the warship by several hundred feet, its crew bracing the sails taut for speed while two figures at bow and stern gestured over the water — suspected source of the sudden, unnatural wind.

Conflicts

The Compass Dispute: Werner De Rendal's decision to keep Captain Radulf's compass led to a disagreement with Riu, who argued it broke faith with a fair parting; Mani sided with Werner, calling it a legitimate spoil of war.
Cosimo's "Curse": Cosimo's illusory display and "curse" on Captain Radulf's departing crew caused panic on their boat, subdued only when Captain Radulf knocked the panicking sailor unconscious.
Near Fall from Crow's Nest: The sudden wind shift caused Noddy to nearly fall from the unguarded fighting top. Riu was injured while assisting, twisting his ankle in the rigging.
The Boarding Debate: The party argued over striking the smaller, likely wind-controlling ship or the larger burning warship bearing down on Port Sardina. With neither ship flying a flag — leaving their allegiance uncertain — and the fort's guns within possible range, the party weighed the risk of firing on a potentially friendly vessel before settling on the warship as the option that preserved a fallback.
Impending Confrontation: The party prepared to board a burning warship and deal with a smaller, potentially hostile, magic-using vessel. "The Green Gull" began to catch fire.

Learnings and Discussions

The party continued to struggle with advanced sailing but managed a day's travel successfully under Captain Radulf's guidance and later on their own with his advice, learning that the winds and currents beyond the Channel Islands were far steadier than what they had fought through so far.
Nicolas demonstrated his oratorical skills but declined to perform curses, choosing persuasion over condemnation.
Mani voiced his growing doubts about the Divinity of Two — tangled up with the black stone, the medallions, and the old women the elves had spoken of — while continuing to build a quiet rapport with Bob, the one devout sailor among Radulf's crew.
Cosimo's powerful illusion magic was displayed, attributed by him to the Divinity of Two, which deeply impressed Nicolas and other party members; Cosimo knelt before Nicolas afterward and was blessed in turn.
Werner De Rendal observed Knick Nab's long and pointy ears after Knick Nab removed his headband in a moment of religious fervor, but could learn nothing more specific despite drawing on what lore he had.
The party discussed naval regulations regarding engagement, with Mani quoting from the "Rules and Regulations of the King's Navy."
The nature of the wind change was debated, with suspicion falling on the smaller ship engaging in weather/wind magic; Riu judged that ramming the larger ship early enough could still alter its course, and Mani used his knowledge of engineering to confirm that a collision at that size difference could indeed knock the larger ship off its heading before it reached the channel.
Strategies were debated for dealing with the fire ship and the smaller vessel, ultimately settling on the fire ship as the option that left open a fallback against the smaller one.
The party weighed heating shot for their swivel guns to spread the warship's fire further, but abandoned the idea for lack of time and an onboard fire to heat it with; shooting out the warship's rudder was set aside as a fallback if boarding failed entirely.
Mani speculated that an expenditure of magical power this large was unlikely to be an isolated event, suspecting it was tied to something bigger unfolding that day.

Items Gained

Captain Radulf's Compass: Taken by Werner De Rendal.

Items Lost

Rice, Water, and a Cooking Pot: Given to Captain Radulf and his crew, along with a share of hard tack.
Knives: Three cheap knives returned to Captain Radulf and his crew.
Basic Kit and Clothing: Radulf's crew's personal effects, returned to them from their lockers before they departed.