Starday Predawn, Fireseek 8, 591 Common Year

All is still and calm just before sunrise. Indranil and Frost are on the bow, Ragnbjorn and Ferro are on the deckhouse, and Noch and Dale are on the stern. The northern winds continue to blow steadily, but the two moons continue to shine down through the clouds. On the riverbank the four everburning torches have been covered so as not to attract any unwanted attention. Suddenly, a javelin hurtles through the air and strikes Ragnbjorn. He grunts in pain, struck in the right elbow.

Noch yells, “It came from over here!” and hurls himself to the starboard side of the boat. Cursing under his breath Noch swiftly fires an arrow in that direction. A splash is heard from the dark waters, as if something were diving back into the waters.

Dale also fires off the starboard side, but then says, “Nothing. It got away again.”

Nothing more is seen or heard. Ragnbjorn however, finds that his wound is more severe than he thought, as blood from his severed artery forms a growing pool upon the deck.

Ferro cries, “Get Father Gar! We need a healer immediately!”

Indranil yells as loud as he can, “Fire! Foe! Awake! Awake! Father Gar to the roof!” At the same time he sprints towards the deckhouse, leaps up to catch the upper edge of it, and clambers up onto the roof next to Rangnbjorn.

Indranil looks back down to the deck and yells to Frost, “Awaken Father Gar and get him up here now!”

He removes his belt and ties a cloth tourniquet above Sir Ragnbjorn’s bleeding elbow and manages to slow the bleeding to a trickle. He lays Rangbjorn down and elevates his arm while covering him with his cloak. He checks to make sure that Ragnbjorn has no other injuries.

Ragnbjorn pulls out a small vial from a utility pocket on his shirt with his left hand and uncorks it with his teeth. He swallows it and the bleeding stops completely, though the wound is still open and raw.

Ragnbjorn pulls out another vial and consumes it as well.

Frost ducks into the deckhouse and practically throws himself down the stairs into the hold yelling, “Attack, attack! Man down! Cleric, we need a cleric up on deck!”

Up on deck Dale continues to search the river for rogue lizardfolk. He turns to Noch saying, “I don’t see any…” He then sees that Noch is approaching him with a lizardfolk javlin and backs away just as Noch thrusts into the space where he had just been standing.

“You motherless goat-sucking whoreson of a traitor!” yells Dale as he drops his bow, whips out his shortsword, and stabs Noch in the belly. Unfortunately, though it penetrates Noch’s leather armor, it is a shallow wound.

Ferro, hearing the sound of fighting, takes up her bow and runs back to the stern. Seeing Noch and Dale locked in combat, she pauses, uncertain of what to do.

Indranil yells down to Noch and Dale, ”Cease your fighting and stand to guard us and do your jobs. Don’t make me come down there.”

Already awake, Newt is at full alert and jumps out of her hammock and heads topside with the others. As she does so she reaches out with her mind, seeking others’ minds starting with Indranil’s, then Dale, then anyone near Dale and tries to find out what is going on. As she runs up to the deck, she looks quickly for a knife, club, or other handy weapon, just in case. Sgt. Apone pulls her aside saying, “Where are you going? Get below deck girl!”

“But I want to help!” Newt pleaded, half crying in frustration, to the Sergeant. 

Lorindel grabs his bow and quiver and heads topside. He sees that Dale is down and Noch has his sword out and is reaching for a lizardfolk javelin. His bow ready he yells, “Noch, stand down!”

Rain jumps up from her hammock and immediately a name comes to her lips in a whisper, “Noch!” With her right hand she grabs her masterwork dagger from under her pillow, where she places it when she sleeps, and also her other daggers. With her left hand she draws her shortsword. She follows right on Lorindel’s heels but moves to the opposite side of the doorway.

Rain notes the blood dripping from Noch’s blade. “Whatcha doin’ Noch?” she asks.

Fingol grabs his longsword and buckler, then runs topside. He heads to the bow and sees that no one is there. Yelling, “Father!” he races back through the deckhouse to the other side in order to head up the ladder to the top of the deckhouse.

Gar bolts upright at the alarm. As he jumps out of bed and runs to the roof he says a little prayer for protection because he didn’t bother to put anything on. He heads up the stairs leading to the roof of the deckhouse as Lorindel and Rain cover Noch. Frost also comes out and takes up a position between Noch and the deckhouse.

Snoop quickly slips into Arameks jacket as Aramek invokes his Mage Armor, “Sorch-Kiraso!” He grabs his light crossbow, and heads up on deck behind Gar.

Ragnbjorn drinks a third potion that causes his wound to close completely. He gets to his feet saying, “I am going to finish this. Stay back Sir Indranil.”

Ragnbjorn takes up his bow and nocks an arrow and walks over to the edge of the deckhouse next to Ferro to look down on the stern. “Noch! There’s no use pretending anymore. The jig is up. Who do you work for? Surrender and tell us what you know, and I am sure the Prince will be merciful. I know you will probably not accept this offer, but I make it in good faith. Otherwise, we will put you down.”

Noch looks around him. Ragnbjorn, Ferro, and Indranil have him in their sights from the top of the deckhouse. On the stern, Lorindel, Rain, Fingol, and Frost block his way. Gar and Aramek have reached the top of the deckhouse and already Gar is sending out a wave of healing power, further healing Ragnbjorn and even Dale begins to stir where he lies at Noch’s feet.

Noch bows his head, shakes the blood off of his sword and sheathes it, but then he quickly throws the javelin into his right hand and hurls it at Ragnbjorn yelling, “Nerull take you all!” At the same time, Ragnbjorn, Indranil, Fingol, Lorindel, Frost, and Ferro fire their arrows, Rain hurls her knife, and Aramek fires a magic missile at him.

Noch’s javelin rebounds a few inches away from Ragnbjorn’s chest, where a bluish field of energy flares up. Rain’s hurled dagger bounces off Noch’s leather cuirass, Frost and Fingol’s arrows miss; but Aramek’s magic missile strikes him right in the chest, and four other arrows pierce him in the right foot, left leg, neck, and forehead. Noch crumples lifeless to the deck.

Dale climbs to his feet and backs away as quickly as he can. “That bastard tried to kill me with one of those javelins! He… he stabbed me! This is the second time today I’ve almost died!” Dale wails. 

Rain moves over to Noch, picking up her dagger on the way. She stoops down to be sure he is dead and disarms him of his weapons.

Gar looks down, satisfied with Noch as a dead porcupine.

The sun finally begins to rise over the horizon as Ragnbjorn comes down and everyone moves aside. There is a fierce look in his eyes. “Rain, step away and put his sword down. He’s gone.”

Rain immediately stops her search, having already placed Noch’s sword down on the deck opposite herself. She stands back at Ragnbjorn’s order.

Ragnbjorn looks back to Gar and Aramek atop the deckhouse. “Can either of you detect magic?” he asks.

Aramek immediately replies to Ragnbjorn’s question. “Yes, my lord. He immediately intones, “Rivelighu!” He then senses the presence of magic on Noch.

Fingering his little Green Man, Gar calls upon Obad-Hai to reveal the presence of any poisons. Still standing atop the deckhouse, Gar senses that there is some within Noch’s tabard.

Indranil clears his throat politely, “Father Gar, could you please see to Sir Ragnbjorn? He took a grievous wound and while he has been drinking some strange potion I suspect he may require your aid sooner rather than later. Perhaps you two could move to the bow away from this devil so as not to resurrect him by accident?”

Rain stifles a slight chuckle at Indranil’s comment.

Lorindel says nothing as he walks back towards the deckhouse, shaking his head in disgust.

Gar responds to Indranil’s chiding, “Yes, Sir Indranil, I agree, and Dale probably needs some more healing as well, but first things first. Milord, there is poison inside Noch’s tabard – likely in a hidden pocket on the inside. It is Banelar Essence, a poison distilled from the venom of the Banelar. They are evil dark purple nagas infamous for their use of black magic.”

Aramek vocalizes, “Hmm,” as he begins to get a sense of magical forces around Noch’s body. Then, “Uh-huh” as he figures out what he’s sensing.

“My lord,” Aramek says as he turns to Ragnbjorn. “I detect seven magical auras, the strongest one of only moderate strength. His leather armor and long bow both have a faint magical aura and his quiver has a moderate emanation, but I can’t pin down the particular school. However, within his tabard I detect four faint auras, at least one is transmutational and at least one conjurational. More precise than that, I cannot be. Would anyone care to check?”

Ragnbjorn replies, “Aramek, I’m a ranger, not a magic-user. Your schools of arcane classification don’t tell me anything about what we might find. Still, I thank you for letting us know what to look out for.”

Ragnbjorn turns to Rain, “Would you like to do the honors Rain? See what he’s got in his pockets, but do it carefully.”

Rain nods her head slightly in affirmation to Ragnbjorn. She kneels down next to Noch’s body and resumes her methodical search, laying everything found out on the deck next to the short sword.

“Please be careful around the poison, Rain,” chimes in Gar as he comes down the ladder to the main group to get a better look at what she finds. His curiosity is killing him.

Rain lays aside Noch’s two daggers, one of which was the masterwork dagger given by the Prince just a few days before for exemplary service. She then finds five vials in a pocket sown inside Noch’s tabard. Each has a raised seal so that someone thumbing the seal will know what it is. The first one is clearly marked “poison.” The second has the word “Pass” impressed on the seal, this is the one identified as belonging to the transmutation school of magic by Aramek. The third has the word “Cure” impressed upon it, this is the one Aramek identified as belonging to the conjuration school. The fourth has the word “Cure +” impressed on the seal. The fifth has the word “Dark” impressed on the seal. When Rain takes up the quiver, there are 13 arrows in it. It doesn’t otherwise seem very remarkable, though the quiver itself registers as having a moderately powerful magical aura to Aramek. Rain finds that Noch’s belt pouch contains 20 Keoland silver hawks.

Sergeant Apone drops Noch’s pack down beside the corpse. “You better check this out as well,” he says.

Aramek doesn’t detect anything magical emanating from the pack. When Rain goes through it she finds – in addition to the standard bedroll and other gear everyone else has – a camouflage cloak suitable for the marshes, a set of picklocks and other related tools of excellent quality, 116 Keoland gold eagles, and 100 platinum highlords such as were made by the Sea Princes before their fall. This last brings gasps of awe from all the guardsmen who see them.

Ragnbjorn lets out a low whistle. “Alright everyone, you all see what is here and how much. Everyone will get equal shares as per the standard arrangement when we get back to Westkeep. All the gear, including magic items, will be sold or redeemed by the Prince. The proceeds will be added to the monetary treasure. I will take two shares as the military leader of this expedition. Fingol, Father Gar, and the Marinus brothers will each get one and a half shares. Sergeant Apone will get one share. The rest of the squad will each get a half share. Since Noch was our man and we had to put him down, this will not be shared with the crew of the Javan Queen or the delegates. Sorry Captain.”

“Quite alright,” replies Captain Olnut who had come out of the deckhouse along with his First Mate to stand beside Ragnbjorn and was still waiting to find out what all the commotion aboard his ship was all about.

Ragnbjorn anticipated the Captain’s query, “One of our own turned against us. We took care of him. I think that’s all you need to know. Your boat is safe now.”

Captain Olnut nods, “Much obliged Sir Ragnbjorn, much obliged.”

“Now, for the time being we will put some of this to good use until they can be sold or redeemed. The rest will be kept safe. Dale, since you seem to need it, why don’t you put on Noch’s armor? I suspect it will give you better protection than what you’re wearing now with all the arrow and sword holes in it. Sir Indranil – that was an excellent shot to the head. I suspect it may have been the killing blow. Would you like to take up Noch’s longbow, since it seems to be magical? Ferro, go ahead and take that masterwork dagger, since you got a hit on him. Frost, you got a chance to fire a shot, you go ahead and take his other dagger. Someone tell Sir Lorindel that he can have the cloak for a while if he wishes. I believe he went into the deckhouse. Fingol, I worry about that quiver, but would you mind taking it for now? Use it if you wish, maybe you’ll find out what it does, but be careful. We have no idea if any of these contain cursed magic. Finally, Rain, I would like you to take responsibility for the rest of Noch’s gear and his silver, gold, and platinum. I guess that makes you the squad treasurer for the moment. How would that suit you?”

Gar raised his eyebrows at her assignment, but stifles any comment.

Rain chuckles at Ragnbjorn for making her the treasurer, then quickly sobers and says sincerely, “Sure thing Sir, I’ll keep track of it.”

She puts her hand on Noch’s shoulder and says quietly with sad emotion where only those directly around her can hear, “Goodbye friend Noch. Regardless of the outcome it was a pleasure to serve with who I believed you to be. I now take what was yours and thank you for the gifts. Rest well my friend.”

Rain takes Noch’s pack and begins filling it with the rest of the gear, taking care in its packing. She then takes it down to her hammock and sets it next to her own pack for safekeeping. She then surreptitiously checks that she is not being watched and then switches her shortsword with Noch’s, checking it further as she does. She notes that Noch’s shortsword seems to have a much better balance than her own. It is at least of masterwork quality though it does not look special otherwise. She then moves Noch’s belt pouch with all its coins into her own pack, making sure that it is well hidden. Finally, she moves the vials marked “cure” and “cure +” to her own belt pouch.

Indranil goes off to find Lorindel in the deckhouse with a troubled look expression on his face. “Dear brother, how are you?” Indranil asks.

Newt, so eager to get on deck just a short moment ago, sees the brothers begin a conversation of a troubling nature to at least one of them. Newt quietly pretends to busy herself with tidying while trying to listen in.

“I find this traitorous business distasteful; but I am more disappointed with myself,” Lorindel replies. “I saw Noch as a bit of a loner and tried to befriend him. I can’t believe I misread those signs so miserably. You needn’t trouble yourself on my account, Indranil. Once I’ve had a moment to collect myself, I’ll be fine.”

Indranil responds, “Trouble myself? Nay brother we are family. But what I really wanted to tell you was that last night during a dream I was visited by Ehlenestra herself!”

Indranil takes a moment and observes all the hustle and bustle in the deckhouse. “Brother, let’s not discuss this here. I will tell you more in private. Let’s go find Ragnbjorn.”