Episode 61

The air here is chilling to the bone. Crew members are seen dressed similarly to eskimos; wearing heavy furs to keep themselves warm. The ship’s deck is littered with ice and snow. The crew surrounds the party as they are teleported aboard. A tortle with a chipped shell, scarred face, and pegged leg introduces himself as Captain De’Lon. He welcomes them to the *Iron Jaw* and states that there are a few main rules:

1. They must obey the captain’s rules or be thrown overboard.
2. They will be given shifts. This is not a Luxury ship, they will work as part of the crew.
3. Once they reach the frozen sea, no one is to look directly into the water and no singing at night. If they fall overboard, they will not be rescued.
4. There is a ritual, *Vera’s Ritual*, that everyone must complete in the mornings. If they fail to do so, they will be fed to the *Iron Jaw*.

Captain De’Lon turns the party over to Wix, a plump owl aarakocra. He leads them down to their quarters while giving them more information about the trip. The frozen sea is 2 weeks away. The closest they can sail them to Promhull is by the northwestern side of Ostend, which is 6 days from the border of the frozen sea. There are three decks, the first is the Main deck, second is the Gun deck, third is the Mid-deck.  He tells them to not touch the cannons unless permitted. The mid-deck is where they will be sleeping. He leads them through some storage areas to the aft end where bunked hammocks line the interior. Blue hammocks are for seasoned crew, but the party is allowed to sleep in any other color. It’s a first-come, first-served kind of sleeping arrangement. He warns them to not sleep under Ronny, he is a drunk and tends to piss himself when he sleeps.

Wix mentions that there is a deck below the Mid-deck, but they are forbidden to go down there. They will be lashed if they do. It contains secret cargo. He leads them to the Galley where the party is offered warm mead. It is thick and doesn’t taste fantastic. As they drink, Wix informs them of the bells and their meanings:

1. Three high-toned rings signals that the ship is under attack. It will be the party’s job to defend them.
2. Three low-toned rings signals a shift change.
3. A medium-toned bell will ring twice per shift, signaling their meal times.

He also describes *Vera’s Ritual:*

1. Whisper “Razgriz” into your left palm three times
2. Close your hand into a fist with the thumb pointed up
3. Strike the left fist with the back of your right hand twice
4. Say “sleep as we pass over”

The ritual is meant to ward off the “Beast of Obsidian”. It’s a creature that has the capability to bite a ship in half. According to legends, it arrived alongside the breaking of continents.

The party is sent around the ship to work. Seipora can be seen intermingled with the crew, seemingly confident in this type of environment. After a long day, they are relieved of their duties. The hammocks are worn and dirty, but warm from the previous bodies. Lily cleans them before everyone settles down for the night. K sleeps on Kova. At some point everyone hears a muted pulsing/humming sound from below the deck.

They are woken by the bells and some of the night shift. The captain looks at them expectantly as they all rise to the Main deck. The party does the ritual, some with little effort.

Time skip 2 weeks

[party gets to know the rest of the crew, including Ronny. Some get to know him a little too well.]

Despite Wix's warning, Ingred decides to venture to the bottom deck. She waits until everyone is asleep. The door at the bottom of the stairs is secured with an unusual lock, but it doesn’t stop her from entering. The room is filled with crates and barrels. A red glow leaks from a door at the end of the cargo hold. Peeking in reveals a frosted curtain that blocks most of the light. Behind the curtain, Ingred sees thick veins that are seemingly dug into the bottom boards. They lead into a massive glowing heart that rests in the corner before branching out and running into other various parts of the ship. As she slowly backs away, the veins whip out to try and grab her. They brush against her, but she manages to avoid their attacks. They do not follow Ingred through the doorway. She escapes the bottom deck unseen.

The party has arrived in the frozen sea. The ship travels through the path of least resistance, where the ice is weak and cracked. With some luck, the ship makes good time. Near the end of one of their shifts the party sees a crewmate vomit off the side of the ship. He looks down into the water after wiping his mouth. The crew yells at him and the captain just shakes his head as the man is yanked into the chilling waters. They witness ice shelves, flows, and orcas as they travel deeper into the frozen sea. Eventually a land mass is spotted in the distance.

The crew lights the ship’s lanterns as the sky gets dark. Many creatures are attracted to the lights, including various fish and squid. A blue blur whips around the ship, hunting these attracted creatures. A spot of blue, bioluminescent plankton grows behind the ship. A giant flipper reaches out from it and slams the top of the water, creating massive waves that rock the ship. Captain De’Lon looks terrified. He spins around to the crew and asks who didn’t do the ritual? A crewmate speaks up, saying he slept in and must’ve forgotten. Wix takes the wheel and suggests that the party shouldn’t watch what happened next. The captain pulls out a cutlass and quickly kills the man. He drags his body around the deck to create an odd symbol with the blood, murmuring gibberish all the while before tossing the corpse overboard. Their shift ends. The people in the night shift are disturbed from the display, but they seem to be familiar with it.

Ingred tells Lily about the heart.

They arrive at their destination the following morning. The sails are lowered and row boats are brought out for the party. Wix approaches the group and tells them that this is as close as they can bring them to Promhull. They should come to the coastline when they’ve completed their job. Use the flare when they need to be picked up. Captain De’Lon sends them off.

They arrive to Ostend proper. Lily stalls as she takes her first steps on land. She pulls out her stone, which begins to act as a compass. They decide to follow it. There’s not much snow as they begin their trek, however it reaches their knees after a few hours of walking. The wind is harsh and it gets dark fast. Wolves can be heard in the distance. The party finds a flat area with a large boulder to block the wind. Seipora sets up the dome. Marisol sticks her hand outside of the dome with the ring off. She says it feels like burning. Ingred gives them a lecture about why they shouldn’t eat snow straight off the ground.

The party takes watches.

They are rudely awoken by the sudden biting cold as the dome pops. Anthos mentions that he saw 6 yetis during the night. They continue their journey. The region becomes more and more like a Tundra the deeper in they travel. They see many animal tracks and push into the afternoon. Marisol draws the terrain as they walk. Anthos brake checks her occasionally. He stops suddenly and quietly warns the party that something is burrowing towards them. Soon after trying to divert the unknown creature’s attention, they realize that an encounter is inevitable. A large white lamprey-like worm with a hard carapace emerges from the snow and locks onto Marisol.