Session 10

> *"Enter at your own risk my friend, the Isle of Storms knows no ally. You may leave in a bucket, or on a list, nothing more"* - **Captain Faenor's warning to Caspar upon the Dragon Sighting**
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## Travel Risks

### Location(s)

* Val Royeaux
	+ The Ghastly Tome
	+ Lady Aveline's
	+ Gharen's Tannery
	+ Dockyards
* The Blood Viper
* Ostwick

### Characters

BalbusCaspar

Drystan

Elora (joins)

Kynedrin

Vay

**As the dust settles within the Ghastly Tome, the Party makes the best of a bad situation, returning the property and extracting a request for future such items, should they find any, from their owner. Parting ways with Holgun and Felrin, they return to Lady Aveline's one last time. A heartfelt farewell is shared, parting gifts given, before they head to the dockyards in search of travel. Finding a captain willing to take them on, the trip is fully typical of one featuring our adventurers - dangerous, chaotic, yet entirely endearing all at once. Making port at Ostwick, the party readies themselves for whole new adventures.**

## Session

### Nothing Is Ever Simple

As the ship set off, the group set about their tasks with eagerness, though Drystan and Vay struggled now and then to keep attached to the rigging through the rough winds that occasionally buffeted them. Balbus proved an able hand in the kitchen, while Caspar made quick friend with Kell down in the lower decks, helping him to maintain the mountain of weaponry and items that needed tending.

An hour or so later as the Captain relaxed, taking in the sights around him in his special 'Captain's Chair' up on deck, a cacophonous roar boomed across the water, ricocheting off of the various hills and mountains that framed the Waking Sea. Elora nocked an arrow, as the rest of the crew instinctively ducked. Caspar and Kynedrin had re-emerged, and Caspar immediately drew his greatsword in preparation for a fight, actively taking a defensive position. As he stared straight up in the skies, a great blue form swooped down out of the skyline, piercing through the clouds. As the group took in the sight of their first dragon, it continued to descend down to a fairly distinct island not too far off of the southern coast. As more roars exploded from its position, storm clouds appeared to form above it and strike down at the island. Caspar looked around at everyone else, who just carried on with their jobs now that they had figured out the threat, and was utterly perplexed at how they weren't concerned.

A hand clasped his shoulder, as the good Captain comforted him. As long as they didn't steer toward the island, and the Dragon wasn't feeling peckish, they were safe. Almost as if to confirm this point, the ship lurched to one side as their direction changed, steering clear of the new arrival. Caspar was still agitated, asking why nobody seemed to be treating this like more of an issue, it was a goddamn dragon. He said that none had been seen for centuries, so how was it treated like a garden variety nug. Chuckling to himself, Faenor said that this was the Dragon Age, for hundreds had emerged from seemingly nowhere, and so this was nothing new to them.

Calmed slightly, he turned to observe the island as they passed, stating out loud that he had now made a bucket list. Laughing half-heartedly, Faenor again intervened, saying that the 'Isle of Storms' is a dangerous place for any adventurer. Any attempt to reach it in the past has never worked out well, and the same fate would befall him. He may go in seeking a bucket list, but he would leave in a bucket, or on a list, nothing more.

The next few hours passed without incident, everybody going about their business. On another foray up on deck, Caspar and Kynedrin, along with Drystan and Vay as they continued to learn from Elora up in the Crow's Nest, took in the beautiful sight that emerged on the coast to their left, their first sighting of major civilization north of the Waking Sea. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, this was the first time Caspar had seen his ancestral home in several years. Regaling his dwarven companion with tales of his youth, though Kynedrin likely paid little attention, he loved every moment of it. The gleaming red and almost mahogany dome of the College of Magi, home to the College of Enchanters and seat of the Grand Enchanter. The large open plains outside the walls, occasionally marked by tourney practice and jousting grounds. The city itself stretched far beyond his vision, able to fit a city the size of Val Royeaux at least once within its limits. Large towers and buildings stoked a few more memories in the mind of the now reflective warrior, feeling a longing for home that had long since faded to his knowledge.

More time passes aboard the Blood Viper, though a storm does pick up, forcing the crew to batten down on deck and the cook to grow cautious, Balbus helping her to keep everything upright and not spilling or burning anything. Drystan and Vay left the rigging, feeling all to at risk, something Elora gladly chided them on as she kept up top in the Crow's Nest. A heavy haze descended across the water, meaning her keen elven eyes were of much use down below, helping to guide them through rough murky waters.

Suddenly from up ahead, two large forms broke the mist cover. Huge, hulking metal constructs rested upon the water, seemingly shiplike in design but otherwise alien to everybody nearby. The flickers of red and orange emanated from somewhere to their front-left, most likely a place on land. As the crew readied themselves, many heading below to grab weapons, which Caspar, Kynedrin and Kell all noticed and headed up themselves, a huge explosive blast echoed out, rattling everybody nearby. Something on one of the constructs belched pure flame as a projectile was hurled an indeterminate distance to come crashing down nearby the flickers, which the Party presumed to now be fires in a coastal town. Not knowing where they were, Elora rapidly descended the rigging to run to Faenor, who was bolt upright in his chair. Reman was struggling to keep the ship still, the captain seemingly having called for anchor for the time being. Filling him in on what she saw, his eyes widened and he ran to the front with her. Able to make out the forms, a sense of dread appeared to come over him.

Trying to calm everyone down, as the rest of the Party stated their concern, he asked them all what they knew of the Qunari. Nobody seemed to know a thing, with Elora saying they were just from stories back home and nothing real. He affirmed to her that they were in fact, very real, and that they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible, the ships being of Qunari make. Another explosion rang out, causing Elora to demand that they go to shore and help whoever they were attacking. He sternly, but appreciatively, said that such a thing was out of the question. Nothing they could do would have any effect, they were lucky to still be alive. The hulking constructs ahead of them would likely tear them to shreds before they got anywhere close, meaning it will have all been for naught. Looking around, he asked where they currently were. Nobody could give him an answer, so he took a few moments to figure it out, then muttered "**Kirkwall"**. This still meant nothing to the Party or Elora, though he explained it was a nearby city of the Free Marches. Expressing confusion as to why anything would be happening here, but that it didn't bode well if something was, he then ran back to Reman and helped to guide him through a fortunate nearby crevasse. It was a very tight and difficult navigation, but they made it through as the sounds of the explosions slowly faded into the background.

### A New Location

As tensions gradually lowered and everything returned to normal, the fog parted and Ostwick grew closer and closer. The City-State completely dominated the nearby landscape, gigantic double curtain walls perfectly encasing it and hiding it away from the sea. The nearby bay was the only apparent form of seaward access, an informal dockyard having been built for that express purpose. Excited to be nearing their destination, but also entirely unsure of what their next plan of action was, the Party set about preparing. Keeping to his post on the rigging, Vay examined the beautifully blue waters that eventually gave way to the darkness of the growing deep. Elora had been doing the same, and peering closer she began to see the forms of long wrecked ships jutting from this patchwork darknesss, some coming dangerously close to the surface. While many were of regular makes, the wood long since rotted and covered in moss, there were others that bore the same designs as those that were seen near Kirkwall. Their curiosity piqued, the two Elves kept scanning until the ship made anchor.

Captain Faenor asked Elora to grab some supplies from the shore while the rest of the crew brought up their own items to trade, and she eagerly joined the Party as they ventured down onto the makeshift docks. Drystan stayed behind, the oddly chaotic events of the last two days having caused him to take a little while to compose himself, a crisis of conscience looming over him. Oddly buoyant to be back on land, Elora began to play a few notes on her crude pipes, only to be joined in song by Caspar who sang of swords and blades, having such things on the brain after spending a day maintaining an entire ship's worth. Getting carried away, and causing many passers by to look at them strangely, they made their way through the intimidating fortified gatehouse, where numerous figures seem to peer down at them from up above, and headed down the main avenue. Nobody really knew where to go, but they were fortunately able to make their way towards a trade section of the city, following the sound of activity and the telltale signs of salesmen shouting offers.

Elora made straight for a stand displaying fruit and vegetables, purchasing a couple of apples from an old saleswoman, who struggled to reach down for them at times. While she was doing this, Caspar made straight for a bookshop that he had spied, intent on expanding his collection. A bespectacled young man in dapper clothing greeted him, as Caspar asked for any books he had on Qunari, or on the city itself. The repeated mention of Qunari over the next few sentences seem to make the man uneasy, and he warned against saying that word too loudly to the slightly inattentive Nevarran. He went inside and managed to produce two tomes, one on the Qunari Wars, and another that was a general history of Ostwick. Intense haggling followed, before Caspar was able to get the books for less than their worth, eager stowing them away in his backpack.

Balbus and the others caught up after looking at some other stores, before they decided they wanted to get straight onto finding out where this lyrium smuggling chain was. Constructing an elaborate plan, upon which they would use to infiltrate the operation and destroy from the inside out, Balbus and co all decided on codenames. Balbus, Caspar, Elora, Kynedrin and Vay were "Forest", "Deep Albatross", "Seagull", "Ice Mountain" and "Ranger" respectively, though Vay and Kynedrin opined it would be more fun to simply observe whatever happened next, and sat it out. Balbus and Elora made themselves look as unkempt as possible, putting mud and dirt on themselves and messing their hair up significantly, in the classic infiltration way. Spending the next half hour or so searching around more decrepit parts of the city, Balbus and Elora found a pair of clearly desperate, dishevelled individuals that they thought could be a tip. Asking for "Some Blue", having remembered the phrase from back in Halamshiral, the duo originally just looked at them dumbfounded, stating they had no idea what they were talking about. Thrown by this, and taking a moment to recompose his appearance, he simply asked again, this time receiving an answer of "In the forest"...