Session 10

Through yes-and-no questioning, it was gleaned from the skeleton that it meant no harm, and that the key to its shackles could be found on the captain or the first mate. Trance and Mischief went to go check the remains. Sylas played- and lost- a few games of tic-tac-toe in the sand, the skeleton using its toe to make its marks.

Trance found the key, as well as a well-worn rifle, and went back to the group. Mischief tarried in her task, most of her time spent admiring the captain's ornate sword.

Trance freed the skeleton, and Sylas provided paper and ink for it to scrawl using its finger. It was gleaned that the skeleton had been the personal slave - and possibly the plaything- of the captain. It did not remember its name or where it came from, but it did remember that its ship had passed through a storm before crashing. It had been sailing on a sea of water, as bizarre as that sounded. The only thing it wanted was the release of true death. Trance felt a painful connection to this poor creature, referring to it as "she" and "her," even though its gender was unknown. She was conflicted on whether to grant its wish or not. When Sylas and Alarac felt they could learn no more from it, Alarac raised his greatsword to smite. Trance left the room so as not to witness the strike. She strode out to find Mischief, initially to give her the rifle, but the skeleton weighed heavily on her mind. She told Mischief in a choked voice that she had found the key, and the skeleton was being destroyed anyway, so don't worry about it. She started to walk away, but turned back to give Mischief an awkward, tearful hug. She blubbered about how she and the skeletal slave were the same, and how she had wanted to die, but was glad she hadn't. She wept for the kindred spirit. Gathering herself, she quickly pulled away, wiping her face, clearing her throat, and apologized. Mischief just awkwardly reassured her, and Trance strode away, muttering about Helena having her flask.

Alarac, moved by the skeleton's strife, took one of its ribs to remember it by, and inscribed "SLAV" on it, as that was the word it had written to describe itself.

The party was leaving the captain's quarters when Trance bumped into Helena, and she held out a paw for her flask. Helena returned it, mostly empty, and Trance drained it. Everyone went to see what Mischief had found.

Alarac picked up the fancy, bejeweled sword, examining it. He noticed Trance perched on a nearby crate, eyes dilated staring at the sword. He offered it to her to examine, and she clutched it covetously. "Is gift? For me?"

Before Alarac could respond, Trance thanked him profusely in Tabaxi, and offered her old saber in a trade. He shrugged and accepted it.

As the party left the wreck of the ship, Umi stopped to open the small chest she found in the map room. It contained silver pieces and a necklace with a wooden pendant inlaid with electrum.

It was agreed that the group should head back to camp and leave the large chest for shipworkers to haul, so they gathered the rope and any other gear they had left about, and set off. On the way, they came across the skeletal remains of the bulette. Trance felt poorly about wasting so much of its body, so she took one of its teeth, having little time to recover anything else. They arrived at their campsite not long after.

Once a fire had been lit and the sun had set, Trance regaled the party with a tribal tale about the evils of the Shaveskin. Helena took offense and huffed off to bed. Trance shrugged, crawling into her own bedroll and cuddling up to her pretty new sword, as was her custom for "getting to know'' magical objects. The group slept soundly through the night.

The next day, they continued towards the ship, but saw dust and agitated birds rising from the green copse of trees they had passed through days before. Worried for their crew mates, the party ventured into the trees. They found workers studiously chopping down trees and working them into boards. Everyone seemed fine, and Sylas spoke with a couple of them, hoping to find the ship doctor among them. Of course, he was not. While they conversed, Trance slipped off to search for herbs in the underbrush, but only managed to find a clump of yarrow.

When she returned, she paused in passing Helena, nostrils flaring.

"You smell annoyed."

"Feh! No more than usual." But she was, Trance could tell.

"I want you to know, I do not see you as evil." She went on to explain that she had used the Dalaa'baxi on all of them, and considered them all worthy. That she did not see all human-like beings as inherently "bad." Helena just nodded, and told her not to worry about it. That out of the way, Trance finally remembered to hand off the old rifle to Mischief. She already had a pile of firearms before her, having just received them from other party members. She seemed overjoyed.

Accompanied by a couple crew members, the party returned to the ship for a long rest. Trance immediately curled up in her box, draping her cloak over the top. Sylas may or may not have prestidigitated a cucumber briefly into the box with her, unsettling the cat deeply.