Back on the docks outside of Spinrifter, you ask Eugene about Kithmali. <Hmm? Oh! What do you want to know?> Listening for a moment, he frowns as only an illithid can. <Words of wisdom, huh? Hmm... Do not piss off the knollosi. I know they look like gnolls, but they do not like to be called that. If you ask them about it, you'll get a long lecture about their culture and heritage and such. You have been warned.> Pausing, he lifts his pipe and takes a long drag from the stem before blowing a cloud of smoke out through his mouth-tentacles. <As for getting to Kithmali, the easiest way is to go to Tayrik and look for the biggest swamp on the planet. That's the Denesne of Sakkhara. Interesting place, that. Kind of wish I could trade with them, but the lizardmen do not trust my kind. Kithmali is - currently - the next state to the North of Sakkhara. If you look in the mountains to the North-east of Sakkhara, and East of Kithmali, you'll find a small valley. That valley is a Spelljamming port that only has land-docks.> He takes another drag on his pipe and continues. <If you have a ship that lands on water, you'll want to use a port on the coast to the West of Sakkhara. Bonewatch is the name, for reasons I will explain later if you really want to know. That is where I have to land if I want to trade with Sakkhara. Like I said, they do not like my kind. I trade with factors in Bonewatch, and they trade with the Master Traders of Sakkhara.>
"Thank you Eugene. Before we continue though, when I asked you earlier about the Scro you seemed agitated. You said you would explain in the tavern but you never showed up. What do you know?"
<Hmm? Oh, the scro... yeah...> To your surprise, he suddenly takes a much longer, much deeper draw on his pipe, then blows out a cloud of smoke so big that it covers the docks for a moment. That cloud doesn't disperse though. Instead, images begin to form in the smoke. <That is a long story, but I suppose I do not have anything better to do,> he mutters. <The scro. Well, the first thing you need to know is that scro are really just orcs. They claim they are not, but they are. Orcs - like every other species in existence - come in a variety of skin colors. Scro happen to be rust-colored, like many of the hobgoblins I have seen. The story of the scro involves the elves,> he said, his mental tone irritated. <The elves have a navy. Not a huge presence in this sphere, but it is there. Have you ever seen an elven ship? They are interesting,> he adds, rolling his eyes. Gesturing with one hand, he transforms the clouds using his abilities to form pictures, with color! <They grow them,> he tells you. <Some kind of weird plant. Feels like ceramic once they treat the hull with resins and such, but the wings are still alive. Their ships self-heal. They have to actively trim those wings to keep them from becoming overgrown, you know.> He pauses, sighs deeply, and goes to take another drag on his pipe, but stops, frowns, and looks into the bowl. <Oh, I ran out of skudgeweed.>
As you wait, he pulls out a pouch and stuffs the bowl with an odd-smelling herb. It is but a moment's work to refill his pipe and relight it, but he keeps talking the entire time. <So the elves have a navy. And they do not get along with certain other races. Humans were, a hundred and fifty odd years ago, neutral in matters of interstellar politics. But the elves were on one side, and as they hated the humanoids, the orcs and goblins were firmly on the other side. I do not know who started the conflict, elf or orc, but it became known as the First Unhuman War.> His tentacles twitched in amusement. <Humans named it that, mind you. The Elves call it the War of Goblinoid Aggression, and the Orcs call it the Elvish Purges. Things were in balance for a long time, with the tide flowing back and forth in dozens of spheres. Each side recruited allies from various ground-pounder groups, but neither could gain the upper hand.> Shaking his head, he begins to puff on the pipe as he holds the flame to the bowl. Slowly, it lights. <Then someone messed up. I never found out the details, but apparently a goblinoid ship from one sphere or another attacked a dwarven settlement, and the dwarves reluctantly joined in on the side of the elves.> Blowing out another cloud of smoke, he shrugged as only an illithid can. <After that point, the war quickly went bad for the orcs. They found themselves being driven back on several fronts, and eventually the war was lost. Several groups were banished by the elves to less than desirable planets. One of those groups was the scro. They were red-skinned orcs, and were not happy with how the war went. The biggest issue the goblins, orcs, and hobgoblins had was communication and organization. There wasn't a clear leader most of the time, and co-ordination between ships was never good. Four goblinoid ships were usually lost to every one the elves lost, but the elves had a harder time filling their ranks after each loss. Goblinoids don't care what hulls they use. Elves are far pickier and won't take non-elves onto their ships as crew. The scro resolved to get their revenge, and set about training in secret. They created their own hull types, and formed a very militaristic society. Most helmsmen among the scro are not scro themselves, but orcs, goblins, or hobgoblin priests or mages hired for the job.> Another image resolves itself in the smoke cloud. <Mantis ship,> Eugene says, gesturing to the red ship in the image. <While several races use the scorpion-ships, only the scro use the mantis-ships. They were designed and built specifically to tear the wings off of an elvish man-o-war. Over the centuries, the scro have grown bigger, stronger, more organized, and more militaristic. But the scro are few, so they must rely on other humanoids to join their cause. They recruit goblinoids from any planet that has them, and focus on one thing: removing any presence of the Elvish Imperial Navy from whatever sphere they happen to be working in.> Shaking his head, he takes another drag on his pipe, blows out a cloud of smoke, then uses his powers to disperse the clouds. <And if you will not join them, then you are against them.>
Taking a step back, Ohmen lets shiro drive the conversation forward, all the while watching and listening with intent… the way in which the smoke formed and shifted some what mesmerizing, its effect broken as Ohmen quickly reaches out to stop Wisdom from approaching it, the raven keen to peck at the wandering smoke, and thoughts made manifest… Waiting for a moment of mental silence, the kind vacant of Eugene’s voice, Ohmen subtly speaks and gestures.. ‘Thak you Eugene... These 'Scro'.. their story reeks of revenge, denial. However, in their anger, in their chaos, there is opportunity… Resentment, much like fear is an emotion all too easily warped and reaped by those willing and patient. If we are to find someone willing to pay for the Scro’s destruction. It will be the elves. The raven to his side suddenly shakes its head eyeing the smoke with further curiosity. “Oh how mortals B-Bicker. How they YELL for silence and then BLame others for the noise with further words.”
Drew looks at the rest of the group, "i'm good to do whatever you guys decide, and i am definitely ok with being a lookout."
Drakk listened to Eugene intently before saying "Would you happen to have an extra map for us to get to Tayrik with? If so we would be very grateful.". After Eugene answered Drakk, the group set off back to their ship to make sure there wasn't anything that needed fix before departure, while Drakk wrote up a contract for them all to sign. Later that day, as the sky grew darker on Vyapor, Drakk walked out of his quarters with 2 pieces of parchment in his hands. He called the entire group together and let them read over the contract he was holding, it said: Charter of Service for Maxim 37 Article 1. All crewmen are expected to contribute in ship duties, combat, and any other tasks pertinent to completing any bounties, missions, or dungeons we may face. All crewmen are expected to work as a team, and are not to do anything to harm or anger other members. (Addendum) Crewmen do not necessarily have to like each other, but the dislike may not interfere with work. Article 2. Rules of service are as follows: Stealing of any kind will NOT be tolerated, this is the same for Murder, Betrayal, Slacking off, Physical infighting between crew members, Scamming, and any other illegal activities. If you break something aboard the ship, you will be held liable for the damages UNLESS the crew can agree that it was done in the best interests of the Crew. The members of this charter will NOT be held liable for any injuries acquired on the job UNLESS it was due to a crew member's negligence in which case they will pay for it. Finally, death is a possibility on this job and the crew will not be held liable for horrible fates, including, but not limited to, Mangling, Asphyxiation, Beheading, Dismemberment, Suffocation, Burning, Freezing, Melting, Dissolving and more. Article 3. We hold these truths to be self evident, that not all salaries are created equal! Payment is as follows. All Crewmen will receive 1 percent of total profits earned from trading endeavors. Additionally, if you pay in money to invest in trade goods, you will get an additional sum equal to the percentage you paid. Certain crewmembers will receive extra profit modifiers of their contributions based on job. A Helmsman receives 1.5 times as much as they out in. A Craftsman will receive 2 times as much. The Captain will receive 2 times as much. A Craftsman or Captain who is also a Helmsman will receive 2.5 times as much. And if a Captain is also a Craftsman and Helmsman, will receive 3.5 times as much. Any rewards from bounties will be divided up fairly amongst crew members after the bounty is complete. (Addendum) If the mission is not completed, YOU WILL NOT GET PAID!!! In determining payment first the entire crew will get one percent of the total profits. Then any investors will be given the remaining profits divided up based on contribution and profit modifier. In the event of death, payment will be given to next of kin, if any. If there are no relatives known of, payment will be given instead to the crew, (Addendum) unless another beneficiary is specified at signing. Sign Here.___________________________________________________________________________________________ After the group read this, Drakk said "I think it would be wise to have a service charter for our crew and all future crew. That way it can protect us on a legal front and assure payment for everyone. What do you think of this? Are there any addendums I need to add?"
Tucking the note which he has quickly written up into a cloak pocket, Ohmen takes a step closer, The note reading: - First go to Tayrik. - Find the Biggest swamp, This is Denesne of Sakkhara. (Lizardmen) -The next state north is Kithmali. -Look to the mountains North-East of Sakkhara and East of Kithmali, to find a small valley. -This is the ONLY spelljamming port that contains land-docks. For water, Head to a port along the western coast. Bonewatch. ---- Now, with a darker and later sky dwelling above Ohmen first listens to Drakk, allowing the kobold to put forward his ‘Contract’. And Despite the fact Ohmen was an adept and fast reader, He takes his time. Dissecting each word and phrase. Re-reading them several times before leaning back to look at Drakk... ‘Are there any addendums You need to add? ‘Yes’. Ohmen hisses. ‘ "We need not have a captain until necessary. And these terms can be redecided or changed upon by all collectively if and when needed."
Bang hearing the voices of his crewmates, leaps from the cabinet, showering the room in breakfast cereal. "WOO, LETS GO!" Bang declares in excitement. He then pauses for a moment as he sails to the other end of the room, landing on Drew's head. "Where are we going?" noticing a piece of cereal on Drew's head bang picks it up and devours it as he awaits a response
Bang, noticing most of his money is still on the table, uses those funds to deposit it in the communal funds, preferably for use in mechanics and ship maintenance
Drakk addresses Ohmens addendums before asking everyone if his new wordings would work for them. (For reference) Charter of Service for Maxim 37 Article 1. All crewmen are expected to contribute in ship duties, combat, and any other tasks pertinent to completing any bounties, missions, or dungeons we may face. All crewmen are expected to work as a team, and are not to do anything to harm or anger other members. (Addendum) Crewmen do not necessarily have to like each other, but the dislike may not interfere with work. Article 2. Rules of service are as follows: Stealing of any kind will NOT be tolerated, this is the same for Murder, Betrayal, Slacking off, Physical infighting between crew members, Scamming, and any other commonly illegal activities. If you break something aboard the ship, you will be held liable for the damages UNLESS the crew can agree that it was done in the best interests of the Crew. The members of this charter will NOT be held liable for any injuries acquired on the job UNLESS it was due to a crew member's negligence in which case they will pay for it. Finally, death is a possibility on this job and the crew will not be held liable for horrible fates, including, but not limited to, Mangling, Asphyxiation, Beheading, Dismemberment, Suffocation, Burning, Freezing, Melting, Dissolving and more. Article 3. We hold these truths to be self evident, that not all salaries are created equal! Payment is as follows. All Crewmen will receive 1 percent of total profits earned from trading endeavors. Additionally, if you pay in money to invest in trade goods, you will get an additional sum equal to the percentage you paid. Certain crewmembers will receive extra profit modifiers of their contributions based on job. The Helmsman and other Ship Specialists both receive 1.5 times as much as they oput in. A Craftsman will receive 2 times as much. (Addendum) The extra salary of the Craftsman only applies if he actively worked on the product. The Captain will receive 2 times as much. A Craftsman or Captain who is also a Helmsman will receive 2.5 times as much. And if a Captain is also a Craftsman and Ship Specialist, will receive 3.5 times as much. Any rewards from bounties will be divided up fairly amongst crew members after the bounty is complete. (Addendum) If the mission is not completed, YOU WILL NOT GET PAID!!! In determining payment first the entire crew will get one percent of the total profits. Then any investors will be given the remaining profits divided up based on contribution and profit modifier. In the event of death, payment will be given to next of kin, if any. If there are no relatives known of, payment will be given instead to the crew, (Addendum) unless another beneficiary is specified at signing. (Addendum) This charter can be changed if a Seventy Five percent majority of the group agrees that something needs to be ammended. Sign Here.___________________________________________________________________________________________
Drew is a little confused as to why Big Bang attached to him (both metaphorically and literally), but Drew didn't mind, as long as the bunny man didn't eat Drew's hair. "It seems good to me Drakk. As long as I am free to leave whenever I feel like it, I will gladly sign they charter." Drew smiles at Drakk, knowing the little kobold exerted a lot of time and effort into putting this charter together. "Oh, and Big Bang, I am perfectly fine with you being up there, just please don't eat anything that is a part of me, Okay?"
BigBang looks down at Drew, noticing a piece of cereal in Drew's beard. His hand flashes out causing Drew to jump, only to find some small fingers pulling out bits of cereal from his beard. "Why would I eat you? I dont eat person, thats what Garutis does. Also when was the last time you washed up? Your stinky" Bigbang chuckles at the last part "Drakk im ready to sign the contract, if I had a signature. Would a paw print do?"
Shiro, Eugene did... not have a spare map. But as it turns out, your group already has one. You found that out back at your ship. Drakk has all of his celestial navigation charts and books lying on the tables in the helm room. One of those books happens to be a book full of maps of the worlds of this sphere, which Drakk did not even know he had! A quick look through it turned up twenty-seven pages of maps for Tayrik! The Geonomicon wasn't kidding, that planet is big! Luckily, you can rule out most of the maps quickly. A previous owner made notations in the book for locations of "current" spelljammer-friendly ports. Catch is, the map book is at least a hundred years old, so some of those countries may not exist anymore. Likewise, you don't know when those notations were made, so some of those ports may not exist anymore either. But by using the charts to locate the ports, Kithmali is pretty easy to find, as is the Sakkhara Demesne to the South of Kithmali.
Drakk looks to Bigbang and Drew and holds out the charter for them to sign. Drakk wished Bigbang would write his name but he figured if need be they could like his pawprint to the mark so he was fine with it.
Kithmali: If ever there was a country that deserves a mention in this text, it is the Holy City-State of Kithmali. Part Theocracy, part republic, and completely odd. In theory, the High Priest of Fate - the Oracle of Kithmali - rules the City-State. In practice, most day-to-day operations are actually governed by a more Oligarchic or Republican council known as the Council of Governance. The actual number of council members varies depending on who is Oracle at the time, but when I was in Kithmali there were seven people on the Council: The Oracle, the Defender of Kithmali, four Guildmasters, and three "elected" citizens. I put that in quotes because those elected citizens usually come from a very limited group of individuals. Kithmali is not a large country, encompassing Kithmali City, the Palace of the Oracle, and a chain of islands surrounded by the southern reaches of the Gnollrun River. Once much more prominent in world standing, the current Oracle seems to make things work, but is not much respected more than a hundred miles away from Kithmali... ***** Of course, there is one catch about this information. None of you know how old it is. The Geonomicon does not have a publication date, and it feels like some parts were written years, or perhaps even decades, before other parts...
Standing up, Ohmen waits for the other voices to subside before speaking in a strangely clear, soft yet purposeful tone. ‘I, Ohmen. Agree to the unbinding Charter of Service for Maxim 37.’ He proceeds to do a slow open gesture, the open palm of his gauntlets motioning to those seated and standing alike. ‘Let these, Izema. Drew. Drakk. Shiro. Act as witnesses to these words. That is all.’ “There.. Can be so much more meaning behind the words spoken than written. Behind the face, In the mind. See it.’ The raven whispers, whether to itself, Ohmen or those around can only be inferred.. Either way. It is loud enough for all to hear.. Perhaps purposefully, perhaps not. Letting the words settle in the air and sink into the ship’s walls, Ohmen takes a step back from the table with a deep breath, waiting for the central conversations to quiet down. ‘Alright. Lets get operating. We can discuss and quibble once moving. I will take the first helmsman shift.’ And with that, He slowly walks to the helm room, looking over the celestial maps and complex charters plastered over, seemingly every available surface… whilst Wisdom hops from map to map, the raven’s beak following their lines and ink, her eyes filled with intent fire, the changeling walks over to the helm. First placing a singular hand onto its cold, smooth cut surface he takes another deep breath… The voices, His voices… once again begin to scream. ‘Why did you agree? Kill them all. Take the ship. You act like you have to prove something to them. Kill them all!’ They scream and claw. Closing his eyes. The changeling tries... tries to focus on the raven who stares at him knowingly, tries to focus on the nearby voices from the rooms behind... ‘No. I will not. I can not.' ‘You are weak’ They spit. ‘And blind anger, senseless rage is strong? You act like I have something to prove to me’ ‘That's because you do. The world, this all. It is a game. You are a piece on it and you know it.’ "Then I play it in patience." Gritting his teeth, ablaze with the antics of a temporarily crazed, divided mind, Ohmen forces himself into the Helm. The feeling instantly washing over him, numbing his mind and forcing him to close his eyes. Silence. Reopening his eyes, Ohmen can feel the pure, indisputable weight of the helm and ship in his mind. The voices, his voices pushed away.. For now. Focusing, he quickly sets the destination of Tayrik in his mind's eye. A reflection of the map’s in front of him. Tapping into the helm Ohmen waits until the ship is primed and ready for take-off before finally it finally lurches from the ground. They were off.
As the ship lifts from Port, Bigbang scrambles up the mast and into the crows nest, looking around in the hopes that he can spot whatever is headed there way.
Drakk shook everyone's hand before saying "Finally! Now we can depart for Tayrik! Ohmen you can take the first shift on the helm, let me help you map our course.". Drakk quickly went to the helm room and pinned up his star charts for reference and showed Ohmen their route. With a lurch, the ship sprung from the docks and headed upwards through the atmosphere. Suddenly the clouds parted and the heavens unfolded before them. The majesty of the heavens was unmatched by worldly things and Drakk lingered for a few moments to gaze upon them. Taking Calabash out of his pocket dwelling in Drakk's robe, Drakk lifted him up for him to see, and much like his master, be too seemed entranced by the sight before him. Through Drakk's life he had always dreamed of being amongst the stars but had never thought it possible. This trip was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him, and Drakk was eternally grateful to the Moonsister for it. To Drakk, the stars were like the kin he never had aside from Izema. As Drakk gazed into the celestial art before him, he remembered there was work to be done and reluctantly tore himself from his imagination to begin. Heading into his quarters, Drakk quickly set up his Lapidery tools on the small table inside, however he did not have to forsake his kin entirely and slide the table over near the window and latched it in, as was customary with furniture in spelljammers. And while he worked, Drakk stared out into the heavens beyond....