Nikink/PoA769RespAir14
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14th Resplendent Air
Night. The air is cold and calm. Snow clouds keep the stars and moon obscured. A day or so has passed since the yacht turned onto the River of Tears... Wooooo-ooooo
The Exalts and crew sleep peacefully as Jade Wisdom stands a lonely watch above decks. The darkness proving no obstacle to his essence enhanced vision.
Then a huge explosion rocks the boat! It lurches like a drunken Solar to starboard causing the Jade Wisdom to clutch at the railings or lose his footing.
Everyone on board wakes up within moments. Jade Wisdom runs to the hold where he estimates the explosion occurred. Savvy takes control of her frightened followers and hopes the ornate table in her room floats. The panicking crew inform her of Jade Wisdom's dash below decks and she goes to find him.
Jade Wisdom stares in horror at the damage to the hull and then looks around for supplies with which to begin makeshift repairs. He grabs some canvas, rope and broken barrel to start slowing the icy water's entry. As Savvy enters the hold he yells for her to tell Phinnae to try to steer the boat closer to shore.
Scarred staggers around the yacht in a drunken haze. Something doesn't feel right to him. And he wishes that everyone would stop screaming for a minute, as his head really hurts.
Unfortunately no amount of paying to the Great Maker seems to be helping the hapless Jadeborn plug the gaping hole in the hull. Giving up he grabs some floating barrels and rope and makes for the deck. As he emerges upon the precipitously leaning deck, he sees that just about everyone is jumping into the water; Phinnae has taken to her Deadly Beastman Form and flown above the confusion.
The Exalts and Jade Wisdom manage to save the slave girls and sailors from drowning with gourds, barrels and tables, and they all paddle to shore.
They clamber up the muddy and icy bank with some difficulty before collapsing exhausted under some trees. Groany is shivering uncontrollably and turning strange shades of blue which causes Savvy some concern. They all see Taros' yacht give one last shudder and sink beneath the waters of the River of Tears.
Jade Wisdom searches the area for some old wood to make a fire. Its feeble heat is far better than nothing and soon all the bedraggled survivors are huddled quite close. The Jadeborn's essence sight and darkvision is unable to detect anything or anyone suspicious nearby.
After a few minutes, Savvy asks the sailors if that's ever happened before. The seven sailors sit silently for a minute then look at her in a funny way, and say "no".
Everyone is in a bit of shock. Except Scarred, he's too drunk for shock. Savvy leans back and looks at the sky for a while. The clouds part briefly to reveal a full moon, and she can feel her inner beast stir uneasily at the sight. Jade Wisdom realises his supply of tea has sunk to the bottom of the river and feels his spirits sink.
Scarred gets a bit hungry and wanders around for a few minutes to find some food. He returns with a reasonable supply of fruit and berries. In the meantime, to help keep the girls warm, Savvy has become a large bear. This slightly unnerves the mortals, but serves it's purpose in keeping Groany especially warm.
Scarred offers some of his alcohol to the despondent Artisan, and is surprised when Jade Wisdom accepts. They and the sailors get very drunk...
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