Year 2, Day 2-4

The following day we descended from the airy reaches of Sharn's towers and headed to its port that serviced traffic on The Hilt. A for more pleasant journey than our previous forays through the fecal coated sewer systems when we had to enter the lower levels of Sharn. During our journey, though, the group learned that we were being watched. The press of people on the thoroughfare kept me from charging after our spying friends, whoever they were, and they had disappeared down a side alley. Resigning myself to the fact that we wouldn't be able to deal with them right now, we headed to our boat's slip, and boarded.

After setting out on our voyage that day, we relaxed. I particularly enjoyed the trip as it was the first time I had been on a water vessel since the Last War. Nothing scares - no, scratch that - concerns me more than falling into the water and having to seriously concern myself with the threat of drowning or being eaten alive. Who knows what beasts lurk in the depths of the aquatic abyss? As it was, our ship was serving as a cargo hauler and diplomatic transport, as several emissaries and noble family members were occupying the other available cabins on board.

On the second day, I headed to the stern of the ship to practice with my spear. Despite the seemingly tranquil trip I had learned my lessons all too well in a hard school and wanted maintain my skills. Towards the end of my session I heard mutterings coming from amidships where a crowd of passengers and crew were gawking at a shiver of sharks seemed to be swimming alongside the boat. They were bursting from the water in explosions of foam and almost seemed to be behaving like dolphins. Kaellana was nearby so I assumed she must have been communing with the creatures, or even controlling them. Noticing the group of spectators I realized I could probably use the diplomats and nobles to spread the tales of my acrobatics skills by bursting into an impromptu tumbling routine.

Needless to say, I was successful and rewarded with two whole gold pieces for a trifle of effort on my part. Meanwhile, I think Aramel had headed to the stern of the boat and was discharging magical energies into the sea for fun while Arad tried to start some sort of diplomatic incident with one of the other passengers by assuming someone's visage. More importantly than what they had gotten themselves into, I had been approached by middle aged gnomish lady and invited to her room later on in the evening for a further display of my skills. Knowing that the group was surely being hounded for our involvement with the Cannith didn't detract from my desire to entertain myself so I took her up on her offer.

Later that night I want to her chamber wearing my tumbling costume (skin tight and maroon with silver piping) and performed a few more of my routines, delighting her with my strength and flexibility. When she moved from her cabin's couch to her bed I knew things would be moving apace and wasted no time and delving further into my repertoire.

A satisfying time later we parted company, but before we did she pressed a small ring into my hands telling me that if I was in need of help, I should approach her family's house, Ixango, for assistance.Her boon had been completely unexpected but I recognized that it was simply my warblade appeal at work that had allowed me to amaze her so.

The following day would have been of no importance save for a singularly strange occurrence. I was walking along the deck on a constitutional when out of the blue, an octopus plopped down on my head! I quickly disengaged the wet creature and tossed it into the sea, but not before catching a glimpse of Kaellana glaring at me from down the deck. Realizing I had seen her, she spun around and ran off. It was truly bizarre behavior but the more I think about it, she must have summoned that creature onto my head for some reason, though what her motivations are elude me as she rarely speaks to me in any detail. I ignored the event as a random occurrence, after all she was a woman. And an elf.

The last night on board the ship should have been peaceful but we were awoken by a blood curdling cry. Leaping to arms we burst forth from our room, well save Aramel who was assisting his crusader companion with donning his armor, to be confronted by a swarm of skeletal fiends. Leaping into the fray we pulverized bone while Arad managed to assume command of two of the reanimations. Kaellana called upon her animal friends and with all of our attacks combined, we managed to defeat the skeletons. Rushing above deck we found the on watch deckhand slain, his blood spreading in a black pool under the moon's glow. We then eventually managed to awaken the captain who seemed oblivious to the entire attack, somehow our party had been the only ones to realize anything had been awry. Explaining the situation tersely, we showed the captain where the creatures had been fought, and where they had come from. Using quick thinking, Arad made his two skeletons lie on the floor as if they had been killed. Later on once we had the cabin to ourselves, we placed the skeletons in my bag of holding for when they might be needed later.

With our captain's assurance that a double watch would be set, we settled in for the remainder of the night as we floated to port, and the beginning of our next adventure.

-A.N.-