The Oakdell Circle

Chapter Six

The evening moon shone bright upon the Silent Rudder as it coasted through smooth waters with the island to its starboard side. It was shortly after the evening meal and most of the party had congregated topside to enjoy the nice evening. Samash leaned his bulk against the ship's rails looking out to the sea while Kuku and Goilon played a game of dice off to his side. It looked like an easy enough game to play. From what Samash had gathered you had to roll each number on the dice sequentially starting from one and going up all the way to six in order to win a set. From there he got lost in the convoluted minutia of scoring and rules. Pulling his hands from the railing he turned back towards the deck of the ship and his friends. He looked down to Goilon and Kuku. "I'm going to talk to the captain. Figure out exactly what his plans are for our disembarking and what not." Goilon looked up and nodded thoughtlessly to Samash while Kuku focused on shaking up the die before his roll. Samash smiled inside.

In his bunny slippers the barbarian made his way up to the helm where Captain Dagger was with his helmsman. He was greeted with pleasantries as he came up, carefully maneuvering his way through ropes and bights to make his way over to the captain.

"Quite the fashion choice, friend," Dagger said looking down to Samash's footwear. He tipped his tri-corner hat in greeting as Samash approached.

Samash nodded his greeting in reply. "Well it's after dinner and if I'm not traveling overland or killing something I like to be comfortable. Besides, they remind me of home and my family. They used to belong to my little sister. She gave them to me when I set out on my initial journey as a convict."

Dagger nodded his understanding but was obviously stuck on something. He crossed his arms in thought and pointed to the slippers. "Your sister you say? You're a pretty big guy and those look like they fit pretty well."

Samash shrugged. "Half-sister. She was an orc."

"Well alright then. What can I help you with on this eve?" asked Dagger as if the whole conversation was explained and resolved with that tidbit of information.

"I was wanting to get an idea on how we're going to do this drop off and pick up. I know you can only get so close to the coast without risking wrecking the ship," Samash stated in his all-business tone, arms folded across his own chest.

Dagger nodded hearing his concern. "We did leave without going over that, didn't we?" The captain placed his hands on the hilts of his daggers that were his namesake as he looked over the ship. "We've got the whaleboat Bilben requested slung to the side that we'll lower you all down in once we get to where we're going. I plan to drop anchor a half-mile offshore, that's as close as I can safely get us." He paused to scratch his chin thoughtfully. "You'll have to row to shore but you'll feed right into the river.

While you all are doing your thing me and my crew are going to head further south to pick up some cargo. Once we're done we'll head back to you and drop anchor to wait for you. If you beat us back we'll see your campfire and we'll ring the bell to let you know we're back." Dagger watched Samash take in all the new information. He could see the half-orc processing it in his head. "You good?" he asked.

Samash nodded. "So, if we don't see you on the horizon make camp on the beach. Got it." Dagger chuckled to himself. He admired Samash. The obvious brute of the group yet willingly stepping forward to fulfill the role of leader. He clapped a hand on the barbarian's muscled arm.

"Just make sure that when you finally leave the river that you moored the boat somewhere safe and hidden. You don't want enemies finding it and you definitely don't want the weather to damage it. You know how the storms can be on the island." Dropping his hand from Samash's arm he asked, "How is your elf friend? Did the medicine help?"

Samash looked out onto the deck and nodded his head in the direction of Goilon and Kuku. "Looks like she's doing much better," he said as he smiled. Ari and Tamar had just come up from below and joined Goilon and Kuku. They weren't playing the dice game but they were crowded around to watch it. The barbarian's expression softened seeing his friends together.

"Good to hear. We get passengers like that every now and again. No sea legs," replied Dagger. "I keep a healthy stock of ginger and peppermint on hand in case we run into this. Don't want it slowing us down."

Samash turned his gaze back to the captain, his soft pleasing expression gone again. "You said you were going south to pick up some cargo. I'd like to know what cargo we'll be travelling back with."

Captain Dagger's face now went stone cold. It seemed that Samash had asked too many questions. "Let's just say that we don't know everything about you and you don't need to know everything about us. It's better for everyone if you don't ask too many questions like that."

Samash nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. He had touched a nerve but also possibly found a red flag. He stood there silently staring down the captain.

"I'll tell you this much," Dagger succumbed, "We don't work exclusively with Bilben or his ilk. Our usual jobs come from the Silent Hand, hence the ship's name, the Silent Rudder."

"The new thieves guild coming up in Port Nyanzaru?" Samash asked in wide-eyed surprise.

"The same. Our cargo can be questionable at times and highly sought after at best. But if you aren't comfortable with that you're more than welcome to swim the rest of the way. I don't think you'll find another ship to take you on all the way out here."

Samash stood there and thought for a long moment. He thought about all the different situations they could end up in with this crew of pirates. They are well put together pirates though he thought. "Fine," he finally said, "but if any of your cargo is a threat to me or mine, I'll destroy it myself." With that he tromped off from the helm to join his party down below on the deck.

"I would expect nothing less, Mr. Samash," the captain called behind the half-orc as he traversed the slippery stairs of the ship. Samash just shook his head and continued on course, bottling the rage that wanted to ebb forward and smash things. So many crates and barrels.

"So you roll one die each time and you're trying to get a one through six in sequential order to win?" Tamar asked Goilon as he shook his die in his meaty dwarven hand. He nodded.

"If ye get a number that isn't sequential ye have ta start all over from one," the dwarven hunter added. He was in a fine embroidered vest of green and gold with shorts to match. His typical hunting hat was down below with his blunderbuss Big Medicine exposing his red short cropped hair.

"If you roll a three out of turn, though, you get a free roll to try again," interjected Kuku as he looked up from the game and saw Ari for the first time. "Oh, hey there! Are you feeling better now?" he asked politely.

Ari nodded coming down to her knees to be on their level. "Yea, de ginga seemed ta ave done de trick. Tank ya fer askin. Mind if mi try?" Goilon ignored the request at first and rolled his die as they all watched with anticipation as it came up on a five.

"Drats," called out Goilon, "I was trying fer a two." He scooped up the dice and extended his hand out to Ari. "Might as well try, lass, I've got ta start all over." Ari smiled. She took the die from his hand and shook the die like she'd seen Goilon and Kuku do, rolling it out onto the wet wooden deck. Everyone watched as the dice rolled out and bounced, coming to a stop on the ones side. Ari threw up her arms in victory and smiled. "Mi win!"

Samash walked up behind them and smiled down to everyone. "Hey guys, I've got some news you all may need to know. Where's Chaucer?" The party looked around for the grung. Over on the port side they saw him, nestled in a pile of ropes talking to a crewman who was working the rigging. Chaucer went on and on while the man seemed to not even acknowledge that the little grung was even there. Samash called over to Chaucer and waved for him to join the group. Chaucer hopped out of the ropes and immediately padded over to the group, the crewman looking relieved to get some respite from Chaucer's prattling on. As he joined the group Goilon and Kuku stood up, everyone fixing their gaze on Samash.

The half-orc rubbed the back of his neck in hesitation. "I was talking with the captain just now and I found out some disturbing information. It turns out they're pirates, thieves on the open waters. They'll be picking up some cargo while we're searching for the crown but I don't know what the cargo is." Samash thought for a moment. "It could be stolen goods, slaves, monsters – who knows. I just want all of you to be aware so that we're not caught off guard by anything unexpected when we return to the ship."

"Sounds like my kind of people," said Tamar with a grin. "Wasn't Bran a pirate too?" she asked, ears folding back at the mention of the thief.

Kuku nodded. "He sure was. When we were imprisoned together at that camp he would talk about getting back out onto the sea and how he longed for more adventure."

"So what is being said is that we travel with somewhat unsavory characters quite often," remarked Chaucer, hand inside his vest breast fold as he talked. "No offense to Tamar, but it isn't like these pirates would be the first time we've been in the company of thieves and vagrants. Did we already forget about the assassin we used to travel with?"

Samash nodded considering his words as Ari chimed in. "Jus cause dey get mixed up in someting doesn't mean we ah condonin ah supportin wha dey do." She stood now having been the last one not standing. "We ave done some questionable tings ahselves. Sometimes de nature ah a situation calls fe dat. Itis de nature ah de jungle. Ya roll wid it ah ya get rolled ova." Samash watched her as she spoke, her full lips, exotic eyes, and upturned button nose distracted him for a moment. He furrowed his brow wondering why he'd gotten so distracted by her features. He admitted that she was a beautiful woman, but of course she was, she was an elf. In his mind he wrestled with what might be feelings for the druid he'd not previously felt and what that meant. He shook his head clean as he came back to the conversation.

"Fine," he finally said, "You've all made your point. Just remember that just because we have traveled with questionable characters and maybe done a questionable thing or two doesn't make us like them. We need to stay true to our own moral compass as best we can as the situation allows." Samash stepped back and moved to sit atop a nearby barrel. "I need to be able to look myself in the mirror and say that I did my best to do what was right and good. It's important to me."

Goilon approached Samash and patted him on the back. "I support ye, lad. I'll help ta make sure that we are always doing what's right in any given situation. Tis a noble code an I think it's worth keepin ta." The rest of the party nodded in agreement with the exception of Tamar who looked on past the party.

"No promises," she said flatly. Stepping out of the group she told them, "I'm going to see where Kevin and Adora are off to. Feel free to continue without me." Tamar walked off down the deck with tail swaying, peering up to the crow's nest to see if her fairy dragons were perched up top. Samash looked on after her.

Kuku spoke up. "Look, there's nothing we can do right now about whatever cargo they are going to get. Even if we attacked everyone on board and took them prisoner we have no way of working the boat. We need them." The penguin patterned monk ruffled his feathers once more before continuing on. "Let's just focus on being good passengers and preparing for our own trek down the river and into the jungle."

Ari nodded. "It'll be good ta get back ou ta de jungle. Afta all de city time an de astral ting I could really use some time in de forest." The elf smiled thinking about it and toyed with one of her beaded dreadlocks.

Samash nodded his head in agreement with Kuku and stood up from the barrel. "Thank you, everyone. I knew there was a reason I thought of you all as family." He smiled with his tusk filled grin and stepped away, "I'll be down below prepping my equipment. I encourage all of you to do the same. The sea can be brutal on metal and leather."

A lone tabaxi stood silently on the hilltop overlooking the sea, a single silhouetted ship on the horizon. A nasty scar ran down from his forehead over his eye and down his cheek. A patch covered the eye that had been scarred, his deep grey fur contrasted against the pink scar. Lighting a pipe he pulled a drag from it and released the smoke into the night air, whisps floating off in the breeze. He watched as the ship skirted the coast and anticipated the moment he would make himself known to the now famous Oakdell Circle. More scars ran up his arm and he had no tail to sway, a small nub where it had once been. In his mind he would see to it that the party he followed would soon look worse than him – especially their rogue Tamar.

"Traitor," he scoffed thinking of Tamar as he emptied his pipe and tamped out the smoldering remains. "You've gotten to run free far too long, girl. When next we meet you'll be coming home with me, Valen Sunseeker – the Mangler." He unsheathed his daggers and checked them for sharpness, cutting into a nearby tree. He smiled to himself running a clawed finger along the blade, drawing blood. Valen had been waiting for this upcoming moment ever since he took the contract from the cult of Acererak, loyalists to the lich that were outraged at the defeat of the Devourer at the hands of the Oakdell Circle. Grinning with anticipation he pulled his hood up as he went over to an awaiting pterodactyl, saddled and bridled. Stepping into the stirrup he swung himself onto the beasts back and pulled the reins tight, pulling its head skyward. The winged beast let out a loud cry and leapt into the air on flapping leathery wings back towards the island interior.

Storm clouds had quickly moved in over the Silent Rudder. The rain came down sideways as waves splashed up onto the deck of the ship. The crew of the Silent Rudder scrambled in the wind and pelting rain to tie down riggings from pulled sails so that they could drop anchor. It was light out but the sun hid behind the dark storm clouds. Ari was taking twice the amount of ginger root now to keep herself only mildly nauseated. The party stood together on the deck out of the way as the ship was being prepared to drop the whaleboat and party into the inlet, storm or no storm. The rain pelted their face and drenched them and their gear as it pounded down.

Captain Dagger waved them over towards the whaleboat in a hurried motion. As a single unit the party moved quickly across the slippery deck and over to the whaleboat. In a loud voice he yelled out instructions to them. "Be careful you don't miss the boat and fall off the side. Sometimes sharks like to swim close to shore," he started. "Remember to stash the boat somewhere safe. You'll need it to get back. We'll try to be as quick as we can about our business so that we're already here when you return." The party nodded their understanding and began climbing over the side of the Silent Rudder and into the small boat. "Be careful out there. Return in one piece," he finished.

As the last of the Oakdell circle loaded onto the boat two crewmen worked the rope and pulley system to lower them down into the choppy water. Ari almost threw up as they hit the water harder than anticipated, Tamar rubbing her back to reassure the druid. Once they unhooked from the Silent Rudder Samash and Kuku took up the oars and began the long trip into the inlet and the mouth of the Olung river.