Four Elves Take A Ship

[Lysan Cloud]

Seeing the last mage disappear, Lysan looks around to take stock of the battle. The enemy is obviously being routed quite well. Never one to take pride in killing, he nonetheless takes some pride in thoughts of how many lives he may have saved by distracting the mages. He also takes note of his companions' positions and whether they could use a hand or not. (spot check for locations and danger level)

[Auroa]

Auroa says casually "I'm not worried, even if he were not a capable warrior. I know you would not dare return home without him. If for whatever reason you did forget I'm sure my friend and I could revive that memory and secure him back onto this ship." The lithe lavender lady turns toward the Captain and says in a thick luxurious voice "If you have no need of me then I have need of you..." then with the steely edge of command "I need to know where I can set up two infirmaries. All injured and dead even the enemies will be brought to me for inspection before disposal."

[Kal'esrïl Melarn]

The two men fell before him more or less exactly as Kal'esril had expected of them. In his mind it was as significant a victory as pushing over a pawn in the human game of chess and just as worthy of celebration. A split second investigation of the one still moving while sheathing one of his short blades was enough to assure the Drow that the Human wasn't going anywhere very quickly anytime soon. Since the objective didn't require his immediate death, and would lead to it irregardless, meant Kal quickly dismissed the Biir from his thoughts as he turned to the door they had been guarding.

It was unlocked Kal paused momentarily. The pause had many uses. If somebody were inside and intended to come out and check on the sound the one guard had made it would give them time to get to the door. If they had heard it but didn't know what to do it might give them a moment to dismiss the sound and return to a state of unpreparedness. If they were standing at the ready, prepared to defend themselves, the pause might set them off their rhythm. Irregardless, it was an advantage to his next act. He opened the door and calmly let it swing open as the ship listed back on the swells of the sea.

There was nobody within but Kal thought nothing of it, better safe than sorry, and moved forward. He sheathed his second blade and looked around to take stock. Casks of oil and crates of coal for lamps, cooking fires, and heating braziers. A pair of boxes filled with candles were immediately beside the door, no doubt a matter of supply for the captain and ship wizard if this one had such. Just above that hung a uncasking hammer. Kal'esril could only smile a razor thin, and threatening, smile. Moments later an uncapped cask flew out the doorway, passing over and spilling oil on the wounded man before clattering to a stop in the now dark hold. Another followed it at a different angle, then another and another. One more required Kal'esril to step around the edge of the door and throw the open cask up the steps the door stood in before he disappeared into the room again. Some smashing followed as the Drow broke open the crates of coal and then smashed open a set of casks to flood the floor with more oil.

He exited the room with a pair of oil casks under his arms. "You have a nice evening now, you hear." The Drow quipped as he passed the quietly moaning survivor of his assault. It was time for the withdrawal of Drow forces from the enemy vessel and with a lovely parting gift as well. A nice, warm fire. About halfway back through the hull (defenders always retreated to the rear of a vessel so the only practical exit would be at the fore of the same) he smashed one of his casks against a brace and made sure the oil got spread around a bit. The last one was then pierced with one of his short blades twice to allow a more controlled leak. Using the controlled leak, Kal'esril laid down a trail of oil the rest of the way to the stairs leading up.

A quick application of flint and steel later and the cargo level of the Zhentarim vessel looked like the pits of the Nine Hells, shedding light on the empty space that had once contained the Drow arsonist, now an empty stairwell...

[Ilyrana Sevayni]

The wild elf nodded to herself at her airborne companion's nonchalance. She saw now the lights were going out, along no doubt with the hope of their enemies of an easy take over. As always you are an asset, my friend. You see no other ships approaching? If he wanted to fly above them rather than assist physically, she was hoping he'd continue to make himself useful as a lookout. You do not own a dragon of any sort, after all, and they follow their own hearts.

She glanced over at the captain, catching the phrasing, but not entirely understanding why it was put that way. So strange. She frowned slightly. "I wasn't worried for his life, Captain. Merely being late to depart."

With that, she turned back to keep an eye on things. The captain called for lines to be cut, and she headed over to assist with that. Auroa's declaration did make her half turn her head as she left though to stare at the girl.

"We cannot waste time on the enemies. Barely time for comrades." She knew the girl was a healer of some sort, but healing the enemies would waste magic and time, neither of which was in good supply. She turned, deciding the captain had better deal with that anyhow, and continued her path to the nearest bonds to be cut to free their ship.

[Lysan Cloud]

Seeing the end of the battle progressing before him, Lysan has a brief thought of taking down a few more enemies out of sheer spite. However, not being one to continue a fight longer than necessary, he looks instead for his companions. He quickly spots Ilyrana and Auroa on the ship and looks around for Kal'esril. He circles low around the enemy ship, keeping an eye out for Kal, and watching for any of his ship's crewmen that may need aid, either from a stubborn enemy, or from the sea. He also takes note of any identifying marks on the ship, as he is curious who it is and why they would want to attack their ship. Are they only pirates? Or perhaps something more sinister? Lysan was nothing if not Curious... Some of his elders would say suicidally curious. But, he was still alive was he not? As that thought crosses his mind, he barrel-rolls and bellows forth a joyous, laughing victory shout, then continues he search.

[Warlord]

-Search- Check is successful for Lysan, except in the case of Kal'esril. He does, however, see that the interior of the ship is now on fire.

The Captain takes Auroa's statement of not being worried stoically. He didn't feel like pointing out to her that if he got himself killed through his own choices the Drow were reformed enough not to hold him responsible for it. "It wouldn't be a matter of forgetting him m'lady, I assure you." He started to turn away, thinking he had some things to see to and the full-bloods would want to return to their room when Auroa continued. What she said brought him up short. "I'm sorry... we do most of surgery on a mess table in the aft of the underdeck. We don't have one space that would be suitable for a infirmary, let alone two... and did I hear you correctly? You want the dead? The enemy?" He pulled at his open collar, more of a habit than discomfort apparently. "This is... most abnormal. Prisoners... don't happen."

"If he's alive, ma'am, he's already aboard. It's in his nature to listen while he can." He responded to Ilyrana. Meanwhile the Pseudodragon piped into her mind. Nothing you lot will ever see, nothing coming for you. The captain nodded thankfully to Ilyrana when she stated his thoughts exactly. "We don't know when we will be in to port, let alone a port where we can properly resupply. We're not flagged out of the most popular of ports, after all. Wasting resources on enemies is a kin to throwing them overboard... which incidentally is what we usually do with enemies."

Lysan's joyous bellow was greeted by the marine archers who still sat the rigging, their own shouts floating up to the winged elf to celebrate his pointy death from on high abilities.

[Auroa]

Auroa smiles sweetly "A blanket will do to divide the mess hall. I just need them not to kill each other. Yes, I want the enemy. While I do not like violence what I like less is violence being thrust upon me like an unwanted lover. So I want to find out who we were attacked by and why. I also want the dead for there maybe things they are willing to divulge that the living will not. Also don't worry I have no desire to waste the ships supplies or my healing magics on them." With that she turns toward the entry to the underdeck "Thank you captain I am sorry for the difficulty this presents" Auroa heads out to start to the prep of the mess hall.

[Kal'esrïl Melarn]

Kal'esrïl had nearly missed his ride. It merely made him smile, a flash of predatory white in the darkness of shadows he currently cloaked himself in, as the event bespoke of extreme efficiency on his House's vessel in the area of defense. Couldn't be disappointed in that, no sir. The Drow ranger had come out from his errand to find the situation on the top deck of the vessel almost identical to that which he had left below deck. The sharks were going to eat well that night and the panicked cries from the crew of the enemy vessel indicated the Zhents were having a hard time deciding between the aquatic predators and the flames even as he stood there considering the matter.

The motion of his own vessel pulling away was what drew his attention back to the matter at hand: escape. Leaping the distance with another boost from his still carefully held natural levitation ability Kal'esrïl just managed to grab the last of the wood work on the aft of the Sable Drake before it got out of range. His natural abilities would keep him out of the water far longer than any of the unfortunate souls about him but even it wouldn't last forever. It took him a few moments to really get a good hold, the vessels rocking motion and the fact that it was quickly gaining speed working together to prevent any easy climb. Once some semblance of a cruising speed had been reached the Drow began to shimmy sideways toward the rear quarter line of the vessel and upward.

So focused was he on making sure he didn't end up in the sea he came up just as surprised to find himself almost nose to nose with Ilyana as she no doubt was to see him at such close range. Of course, Kal'esrïl Melarn was as well trained as any Drow of the Underdark when it came to schooling his expressions so that they didn't give away any emotion but the ones he wanted to present, so instead of widening his eyes in shock he merely smirked at point blank range, shot her a wink, and asked. "Looking for me?"

[Ilyrana Sevayni]

She'd seen to cutting a few bonds, mainly because that distracted her from the ongoing banter about seeing to the enemies' medical needs. Preposterous, and she'd said her piece on it. Kal'esril no doubt would find the notion amusing as well.

Ilyrana sheathed the blade she'd been using to free up their ship now that all the bonds had been slipped. Leaning on the railing, she looked at the other ship, burning and beginning to flounder. She did not feel badly for them, they had attacked unprovoked. If the drow was still on board, well......that was his problem now. Though she shuddered to think about reporting that to the matron and the others. Could be a right mess if she decided it was their party's fault.

She frowned over this, and caught sight of Nikxor circling ahead. Ilyrana was distracted just long enough that when she looked back, the object of concern was standing on the opposite side of the rigging, his face only inches away. To say she was surprised was an understatement. Ilyrana took a step back, it took her that long to realize that was not an enemy. Her teal eyes were wide as he winked and smirked at her.
"I......was um, I mean was not." She frowned, then regained her composure. Being startled did not sit well with her, and she chided herself in losing focus. "Was told you could handle yourself, Kal'esril. I see it so."With that, the girl offered him her hand and arm to climb back over to the deck with, bracing herself as needed. She still didn't trust, but it was good to see their first encounter neither took anyone down, nor left anyone behind. It was also better to have him aboard than dangling.

[Lysan Cloud]

No one on the boat seemed too worried, so Lysan decided to get back before it got too far. Even he could not stay aloft forever. Feeling pleasantly alive with the remains of battle adrenaline flowing through his system, he looks for a decent place to land back on his ship. Coasting down and folding his wings, he looks to his compatriots and the captain and asks, "Any idea who they were? Or were they just Pirates? Rather well armed, pirates, if so. I don't think those mages were standard crew for a pirate ship."

[Auroa]

Auroa passes through the door leading to the mess hall. As she walks the corridor she hums one of the simpler tunes about the lady to calm her mind and aid in forgetting the battle. Once in the galley she looks around asks simply"Excuse me. Who is in command of this galley?"

[Kal'esrïl Melarn]

Kal'esril smiled in a way that said 'ah hah, got you' as he eyed Ilyrana. "So, which is it? You were and I can rest assured that one of my allies was trying to discern my whereabouts and well being or you were not and I have to be extra careful to make sure I never get caught holding the bag? Are all Wil... er, Green Elves prone to behave thusly?" He asked the last little bit in a sad tone. He then moved away from her to meet Lysan's arrival. Fortunately this meant just a few steps across the command deck.

"To answer your question, friend Lysan, yes and no. The beings we fought were, for the most part, your standard pirate. But today they were sailing under the colors of a group known to my people well, the Zhentarim. They also refer to themselves as the Black Network and are closely allied with the Church of Bane, a Human deity of tyrrany and power lust. We have had political, social, military, and ideological differences with them since the Nation was in its founding stages. Their patronage would account for the arms you cleverly noticed as well as the presence of those wizards. There is not a pirate band on the waters today successful enough to afford a half dozen of those." He glanced back at Ilyrana, a glint in his crimson eyes before looking back to the tallest of the Elven quartet. "I would think that a couple of questions as to their goal would not be out of line, would you not agree Captain of the Guard?"



((Final Scene Declarations)) Kal'esril will question the highest ranking of the remaining prisoners, with or without assistance from the others. When made aware of Auroa's demand she be given the rest of the prisoners he will look askance at it, make sure several eyes stay on hand to see what she's up to, and let her have them for the peace of the Alliance))

[Ilyrana Sevayni]

Ilyrana was rarely one to be prone to sputtering, but she nearly did so at his words. He had spoken of her people as if they were not honor bound and trust worthy. They were.....well mostly to eachother. As he turned and walked away she glared at him, but spoke the truth, quietly. "I was."

It was pointless sometimes. She was actually trying to be nice, and he didn't even take her hand up offer. Ily ran a hand through her hair, and turned away partially from the others, listening intently though as it was explained who had attacked them. Great...enemies of the Drow already. She had a feeling they would interfere quite often along the future paths. Checking the sky for her friend, she sighed.

((Final Scence: Ilyrana will go assist with any on deck things, avoiding the questioning and Medic area while she collects her thoughts))

[Lysan Cloud]

In response to Kal's answer: "Well then. I think I will join you and see what we can find out from those we have captured. If someone hired those pirates specifically to attack us, then it would be good to find out who, why, and how they know of our new-founded alliance."

(final scene declarations) Lysan joins in the questioning of prisoner(s), then busies himself learning all he can of ship operations with whatever time is left before gaining port.

[Auroa]

(final declaration) Auroa heals the sick crew and prisoners. Even though she is as sweet as sugar to all in her care she saves her magic for only the worst of the crew.

[Heal Skill checks]