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[Sandy]

Four heroes returned the plead of the Ziegfrieds to gather ingredients for a cure for their comatose matriarch. Those four were:

Bartholomew Docken (played by Brickdoctor)
Level 13 Ranger *scary*
Power: 18
Health: 19/19
Gold: 289
Inventory: Mockthril Longbow (WP:5), Dread Hat (lower level enemies won't attack directly), Potion, Phoenix Essence, Mead, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll
Cinna the Dark (played by darkdragon) *Party Leader*
Level 10½ Mage
Power: 15
Health: 14/14
Ether: 14/14
Gold: 0
Inventory: Nimbus Broomstick (WP:5, ranged), Pongcanis Mage Staff (WP:5), Shadeaux Staff (WP:4), Quarterstaff (WP:3), Amethyst (Darkness), Scroll of Sleep, 6 Grand Potions, Tonic, Phoenix Essence, 2 Smelling Salts, Bedroll, Shovel
Thormanil Nihai (played by swils)
Level 10½ Barbarian
Power: 17
Health: 17/17
Gold: 25
Inventory: Thundering Shadeaux Axes (WP:6, lightning-elemental), Tongue on a Stick (WP:1, Miss>Aim), Dull Greataxe (WP:3), Potion, Pickaxe
Thothwick (played by Professor Flitwick)
Level 3 Rogue
Power: 9
Health: 9/9
Gold: 72
Inventory: Whip Chain (WP:6), Shuriken (WP:5, ranged), Potion, Venom, Fire Bomb, Bedroll

They arrived to the Ziegfried Manor, where the peculiar butler of the house was waiting for them.

"Ssshhheeelooo, ssshhheeerrrooossshhh. Pleeessshhh eennntrrr. Ssshhhooossstrrr ssshhhooo whhheee."

How will the party respond?

[Professor Flitwick]

"Here's hoping I won't get thrown into a prison cell for half of this Quest. Now then, what is this gent saying...?"

"'Hello, heroes. Please enter. Then, something something something?'"

"Uh, yes, we'd like to enter to meet the Ziegfrieds, please."

[Brickdoctor]

Professor Flitwick, on 24 November 2011 - 04:59 PM, said:

"'Hello, heroes. Please enter. Then, something something something?'"

I whisper to Thothwick,
"I believe 'Schuester' was the butler's name, and then after that he says 'show way'. 'Hello, heroes. Please enter. Schuester show way.'"

[Darkdragon]

"Hello. We are from Heroica and have an appointment with the Ziegfrieds. Yes, please show us the way."

[swils]

"Right then, Schuester is it?  Let's see if we can't help ya out.  Lead on!"

[Sandy]

Schuester nods and leads the party inside the manor. There is a somber aura of sadness and silence hanging in the air. Even the echoes of their steps have a sad ring to them. Schuester leads them upstairs and into one of the smaller bedrooms. There they find the five remaining members of the core family of the Ziegfrieds, standing around a large bed where an elderly woman is lying.

A woman clad in blue emerges from the group and approaches the party. She speaks in whispers.

"You must be the chosen heroes. I am General Sourceress Beth Ziegfried, the one who posted that quest bill. I must say that my mind was changed about your organization after your colleagues saved us from that awful curse some time ago. Our family's matriarch Zelda had gone missing, and thanks to the other champions we found out that my father-in-law, Zed, was behind her disappearance. Zed had made a pact with a demon living under our house, and apparently he was feeding souls to that foul creature - with his own mother being the latest victim. We managed to pull Zelda out of the demon's clutches just in time, but as you can see, she has been lying comatose ever since that incident. Her  physical injuries have been healed a long time ago, but apparently the demon did something to her soul. That leads to our problem: how to fix a soul?"

Beth walks the party over to the bed, where they get a proper look at the Grand Wizardine. She is breathing sparsely, and her complexion is pale and doughy.

"We've searched for something, anything that would heal the damage that the demon caused, and just the other day I came across this recipe."

"I found it from one of Zelda's old books that she brought with her to Eubric from her oriental hometown of Salmanda. Unfortunately the ingredients are as Salmandan as the recipe itself, so we require your help in gathering them. The only place you could probably find them here in Eubric would be the Invision Guildhouse, but those fumeheaded alchemists have never liked us wizards. You can always go and try to persuade them to give the ingredients to you, but most likely you will have to sail all the way east to Salmanda. We can of course lend our ship, The Flouncy Phoenix, to you for the trip. Captain Squidraken has sailed the distance many times before."

"Now, before you decide your favored course of action, are there any questions in your minds that I could answer?"

[swils]

"Well, I don't wanna go assumin' time isn't of the essence, but you said Zelda's been like this awhile, right?  Do ya think we'd be wastin' too much time if we went and at least asked the Guild if they could help us?  I mean, if yer cap'n has a schedule to keep, then we should probably head straight to the docks... but if he's on our time, I think we should at least *try* to seek local help.  Though, if we'd be missin' something big over in Salmanda by not heading directly there, like, say, a rodeo that only comes 'round once every hundred years or so, where demons ride around on undead unicorns, tryin' to rope a golden scorpion.... Then yeah, we should probably hustle on to Salmanda... Ha!"

[Brickdoctor]

I'm with Thormanil here. In addition, might there be any dangers we might face on Salmanda that would pose a considerably greater threat to our well being as compared to the dangers on Uland? *cough*factions about to erupt in war, houses using innocent heroes to provoke conflicts, bioluminescent warriors with giant eyes, hugely cute and deadly bears...*cough*

[Sandy]

Brickdoctor, on 25 November 2011 - 06:11 AM, said:

In addition, might there be any dangers we might face on Salmanda that would pose a considerably greater threat to our well being as compared to the dangers on Uland?

Beth shrugs her shoulders.

"I cannot say, since I have never visited Salmanda myself. In fact, none of our family has, although my sister-in-law Chesterine talks about it constantly. But with the way she is, she couldn't possibly travel that far. Our ship is not going anywhere without you, so you surely have time to check the alchemists first, but our matriarch's condition is deteriorating rapidly, so I cannot say how long she will last. Even with our magically enhanced ship, Salmanda is a week's travel from here. So whatever you do, please be decisive."

[Professor Flitwick]

"The poor dears. Their family has been put through quite a lot recently. We can't let them loose another member of their family.

"Time appears to be of the essence. The Guild of Invision would be unlikely to give up ingredients that would help a member of the Ziegfrieds. They would likely see through any lies we may offer them; these clearly aren't your average household ingredients. I believe we should travel to Salmanda, in order to find these ingredients. This far off island may prove more hospitable than the secret Alchemists."

[Sandy]

"So, have you decided if you want to try the Alchemist's Guild first or sail directly to Salmanda?"

[Darkdragon]

"Yes, let's travel to Salmanda to fetch the ingredients. I do have a question about the amount of ingredients though - how many undead unicorn horns will it take to reach the two ounces of powder, if you know? Also, are there any precautions we should take as far as the environment or being prepared for the lands of Salmanda?"


ooc: sorry all, I was very sick yesterday.

Edited by darkdragon, 26 November 2011 - 05:00 PM.

[swils]

"Seems times a little shorter than I thought. Alright then!  Unless Chesterine has any useful information she can share with us, I'm fine with heading straight to Salmanda."

[Professor Flitwick]

"I've previously stated I think we should set sail for Salmanda, so that makes it at least a majority. Unless Mr. Docken would like to speak up and make it unanimous?"

[Brickdoctor]

I had assumed that two votes with one being that of the Party Leader out of a maximum possible four votes constituted a majority.

But, yes, I'm in favor of sailing for Salmanda.

[Sandy]

"Very well. I shall send a message to Captain Squidraken to prepare the ship for a long voyage. Good luck finding all the ingredients, and please return with haste."

The party bid farewell to the family of mages, and made their way to the harbour. It was not hard to find The Flouncy Phoenix, thanks to it's elaborate figurehead. The ship had two masts as well as oars, but the party could only see two figures on the deck.

And what sort of figures they were! The other had dark red skin and had a squid-like head, while the other was some sort of a man-fish. Merfolk were not a common sight even in the "melting pot" of Eubric Freeport.

"You lot! *gurgle* What are you staring at? Are you the landlubbers I'm supposed to ferry off to Salmanda? Then get on board already! *slurp* *gurgle*"

Captain Squidraken introduced himself and the only other sailor on the ship.
"This is Jaws, my aide. *gurgle* He's a real fishhead, so I can't trust him with any other task than mopping the decks, but that does not matter *slurp* since The Flouncy Phoenix runs by magic. That's right, in this ship the oars do row themselves, and the sails always have wind in them. We will reach Salmanda in no time at all. *gurgle*"

The party witnessed the power of the ship themselves as it took off and sped out of the harbour. The Free Islands were soon behind them, and ahead the glittering Crystalline Sea.

Squidraken showed them a map that described the route from Eubric to Salmanda.

"We will sail east all the way past the Fang Coast and the north coast of Pyr *slurp*, then through the Strait of Seirenes, *gulp* and from there it will only be a while until the golden domes of Salmanda will glisten in front of us. *gurgle* Do you lot have any questions about our trip or the destination? I've been there many times, so I am sure I can answer whatever you think of asking. *gulp* *slurp* "

[Professor Flitwick]

"My word. What a vessel... and Merfolk too! My, my, my, the Ziegfrieds have quite a few resources on hand..."

"Other than 'how long should it take?', I can't think of any other questions, Mr. Squidraken. Or do you prefer Captain Squidraken? Ah, I guess that was another question!"

[swils]

"The man ... err, the squid..man..."

Thormanil pauses for a moment

"Right, the captain said we'd be there in no time at all, Thothy!  Relax and enjoy the voyage!"

Looking towards Squidraken, Thormanil asks in a slightly nervous tone,

"We, uh, can relax, can't we, Cap'n?  I've heard rumors back in the Hall that the waters around the Free Islands aren't the friendliest.. But we're on a magical ship, so we'll be fine and well and back on land without any sort of incidents... right..?"

He looks around the craft, admiring its beauty and exquisite design, while at the same time harboring some apprehension.  As a child, his father had always taught him to use bright, colorful lures when fishing..

[Darkdragon]

Cinna looks around in wonder, lost in curiosity of the ship itself, she hardly notices the strangeness of the captain and his first mate.

"What an amazing ship. How fast does she move?" She peers down at the map. "This straight, looks a bit tight there, do you think we'll have any problems getting through? I've not been across the ocean myself before."

[Sandy]

swils, on 28 November 2011 - 02:15 AM, said:

"But we're on a magical ship, so we'll be fine and well and back on land without any sort of incidents... right..?"

darkdragon, on 28 November 2011 - 04:09 AM, said:

"This straight, looks a bit tight there, do you think we'll have any problems getting through? I've not been across the ocean myself before."

"Let's see... *slurp* If we don't encounter any pirates in the Crystal Sea, we only have to worry about the seadragons of the Fang Coast, the giant crabs residing north of Pyr and the sirens nesting at the strait. Other than those, I expect this to be an uneventful trip. *splat*"

And unexpectedly uneventful it was. No pirates, seadragons or giant crabs attacked The Flouncy Phoenix as it sailed east for a week and a half. Only when they started to approach the Strait of Seirenes, the captain called everyone on deck.

"Listen up, landlubbers! *gurgle* We've gotten off easy so far, but the nests of the voracious sirens are ahead of us. *slurp* *splat* Sirens - half birds, half women - are known to lure lovelorn sailors into a razor-sharp death with their enchanting song, but for some reason it only works on those who have romantic feelings towards women in general. Now, me and Jaws here are known lovers of the ladyfolk *gulp*, so it is not safe for us to remain on deck. I need someone to steer this wheel, though, so anybody who does not fancy women should confess up now. Do not worry, I will not judge you. *slurp*"

How will each party member respond? Do they wish to stay on deck, or hide under it as the ship passes the strait? At least one person will need to stay on the deck to steer the wheel, though.

[Darkdragon]

"What a long and yet uneventful voyage. Thank you for the safe ride so far, captain. I'd love be happy to steer the ship while all the men-folk hide from the Sirens. By the way, do they do anything other than sing and try to lure men into the sea? I mean, should I be worried about things hitting me in the head and such?"

[Sandy]

darkdragon, on 28 November 2011 - 04:42 PM, said:

I'd love be happy to steer the ship while all the men-folk hide from the Sirens. By the way, do they do anything other than sing and try to lure men into the sea? I mean, should I be worried about things hitting me in the head and such?"

"Thank you, fair mage. *gulp* Oh yes, if the sirens spot the ship they will surely attack you in a fit of jealousy. *gurgle* Let us hope it will not come to that. Does anyone of you menfolk want to stay behind as well? *slurp*"

[Professor Flitwick]

Sandy, on 28 November 2011 - 05:06 PM, said:

"Thank you, fair mage. *gulp* Oh yes, if the sirens spot the ship they will surely attack you in a fit of jealousy. *gurgle* Let us hope it will not come to that. Does anyone of you menfolk want to stay behind as well? *slurp*"

Thothwick walks over to Captain Squidraken, whispers something in what he presumes to be a Merfolks ear, and stands next to Cinna the Dark, remaining on deck.

[swils]

"I'm not usually one to turn tail or hide, and I hate the thought of leaving ya up here, Cinna, but yer plenty strong, I've seen it.  There's few things I love more than a strong drink and a good fight, but those sirens've got a pretty solid idea of what it is.  I'd need a damn good pair of earplugs to stand a chance against 'em.  Maybe a pair of blinders, too.  Hah!  I'll be right below deck, you just holler real loud if ya need me!"

[Brickdoctor]

I will remain on deck.