Banded and Lost: The Frost Raker

The signs had been coming for days. The peaceful druid especially noticed an oddity that had taken place while she was on the streets. A horn had sounded without any noise. Lady Silverhelm and the woman, named Astra, stopped in their steps. The feeling stirred within everyone around them. It was unsettling but no one could place what was wrong. The townspeople collectively felt their stomachs drop and could do nothing but stare and try to find the source of the wrongness. The horses drawing the wagons stopped as well, throwing their heads back in distress. Dogs and cats were silenced. Not even the flap of the bird's wings disturbed the grave-like quiet.

They needed answers.

They all knew that the best way to get answers is to go to the local taverns. Always rich with information and loose lips, the group was sure to find what they needed.

Lilya walked in first. The halfling, dressed in green ambassador robes, had a hand laid on her wolf companion, Akela. She made smooth conversation with the people around her and was able to secure a table with a good vantage point. Akela walked next to her, intelligent eyes taking in everything around him.

Following her was Astra, the slim elf that noticed the problem in the first place. She was a very sweet thing, though she did have a problem with speaking her mind a little too freely. She stood out in the tavern because of her fiery red shirt and long wooden staff she never went anywhere without.

Rowan and Perrin were next. They walked as close to side-by-side as they could in the crowded building. Rowan, the lean but muscular human, seemed small next to Perrin’s large stature. He looked almost completely human save for his pointed elf ears. While Rowan’s eyes darted around the room, absorbing everything, Perrin simply stared ahead. He only broke his gaze to give a polite nod to the people he walked around.

The most obviously misplaced person in the group was Phay. Her matching white hair and skin marked her as an underworld elf. They were a rare race in general but never seen in a town so close to the sea. Her black cloak swished around her as she tilted her chin up, daring anybody to question her presence. Nobody did, probably realizing how much that black cloak could hide.

It wasn’t hard to get information out of the barkeep. She was a chatty young woman and was a local. She knew all the legends.

They needed to find an iceberg in the hundred feet above sea level ringed by icy peaks. This would have been a great description except that the iceberg was located on the Sea of Ice. True to its name, the Sea of Ice was a long stretch of water that was filled with sharp chunks of ice that made sailing nearly impossible.

The Crimson Knight is what she was called. She lived on a treacherous sea of ice. Legend had it that she possessed magic abilities more powerful than most mages alive. That was who they needed to find. She was supposed to have more information on the horn than any other person alive.

One Captain Lastrade agreed to take their small band of warriors out on the Sea of Ice in hopes to find The Crimson Knight. He was a no-nonsense kind of man with a smirk in place of a smile and skin as broken as the ice around them. Years of frostbite and exposure had painted a gruesome picture of his journeys on his face. They boarded his boat, a ship grand in promise, if not luxury. The Frost Raker.

The Frost Raker was a small ship but large enough to do the job. It was manned with a crew of 40. Most of these 40 men were charged with the task of stroking the oars through the choppy water. The old wood of the boat cut through the water with an ease it should not have been capable of given its age. But the worn boards had obviously been well-maintained over the years.

It was the poetic beginning of a grand journey. A group of adventures set out to battle the odds and save as many as they could from the mysterious phenomenon that threatened the peaceful existence of the people.

It didn’t take long for everything to go completely sideways and crazy because this particular group of adventurers are chaotic in the best, and messiest, way.

The drow was not a fan of the swaying of the boat. Phay’s white skin turned a nasty shade of green and she had to stop herself from losing her lunch over the side of the boat. The crewmen had language not fit for any company, though Rowan was trying to memorize the creative curses as fast as she could. Astra, the plant loving druid, tried to calm herself with the once living wood that made the boat up. Eventually, she gave up and started to make shapes with puffs of magic smoke to entertain herself and Lilya. Perrin instantly set himself to work, helping the crewmen with jobs that needed to be done.

They were all distracted when the first hit came.

A massive appendage came sweeping over the deck of the ship. Two crewmen were slammed into the side of the boat and Rowan was pitched straight overboard. The entire ship panicked. People without weapons either scrambled for something to defend themselves or ran to secure all loose items down. Lilya drew her bow and knocked an arrow instantly while the rest of the team readied themselves to do magic.

Perrin ran to the edge of the boat to see if he could spot Rowan. She was thrashing in the water, desperately trying to keep her head above the water.

Two arrows from Lilya hit the octopus right on one of the tentacles as Phay shot a bolt of lightning from her hands. The creature jolted in pain and slammed a tentacle into the side of the boat. The spray of freezing water came up from the sea and landed in Astra’s hair. With a concentration the girl rarely possessed, she took a deep breath.

She didn’t seem to notice the rocking ship and slick floor as she stood silently with her arms outstretched. In seconds, where once stood an elf, was a multicolored octopus with rings lining its eight appendages. Before anyone had a chance to react, Astra, now a giant octopus, threw herself into the water and propelled herself quickly over to Rowan. She flung out an arm trying to grab the panicking fighter but Rowan was able to quickly squirm out of her grasp. Astra barely managed to get out of Rowan's way as she tried to bite the tentacle reaching out toward her. Astra spun a circle as if frustrated and continued trying to snatch up the thrashing human.

A crewmember, one of the few who wasn’t an oarsman, grabbed an axe that had been discarded. He let out a roar and swung the axe into one of the many tentacles now attached to the ship. The tentacle jerked and the body of the sea creature finally appeared, ready to face his opponents. With the body above water now, Lilya had a perfect target. In quick succession, she knocked two arrows in a row and let them fly off the bow. They hit hard and embedded into the octopus's head. It stilled, then sank into the ocean as much as it could. The suckers from the tentacles held fast to the ship, carrying the corpse.

The other creature, scared and outnumbered, jetted a stream of pitch black ink and disappeared in the water.

Perrin threw a rope overboard and Rowan latched onto it as fast as she could. With her climbing and Perrin pulling, she was on the deck quickly. Akela ran over to her and Rowan curled into his thick fur gratefully, soaking in the warmth.

Astra, now human, ran up to Rowan. “Why didn’t you let me put you into the boat? I was trying to save you!”

She glared back. “You. Were. An Octopus. We were fighting octopuses Astra! I didn’t know it was you!”

“Well then, next time, I’ll tell you that I’m going to save you before I turn into something incapable of speech.” Astra stalked off with her nose in the air and tried to look like she didn’t care. She failed when everyone saw her shooting worried glances at the water-logged Rowan.

Rowan looked up from her position huddled with Akela when Captain walked up to her.

“Follow me,” he said in his mangled voice. “I can help.”

Warily, Rowan rose. She laid a hand on the hilt of her short sword and followed him below deck. Perrin followed a few steps behind. But she didn’t need to worry. Captain led her to a private room and took out a small tea kettle. Placing it over his newly lit fire, he turned to the pair (and dog) still standing in the doorway. “You can come in. I won’t bite.”

Akela hadn’t had any negative reactions to the man and that seemed good enough for Perrin. He settled down in a chair and beckoned for Rowan to follow. She rolled her eyes but sat down cross-legged on the floor. However, she positioned herself to be able to run away quickly.

The kettle whistled and Captain filled a cup with steaming water before mixing a bit of powdered herbs in.

He tried to hand the cup to Rowan but Perrin grabbed the cup first, sniffing the tea and gazing at it hard.

“I have no use to poison the girl. It would serve to do nothing except get me killed and have me lose my pay.”

Satisfied with the answer, Perrin handed the cup to Rowan.

She screwed up her face immediately after tasting the drink. “What is this?”

Captain gave a crooked smile. “Ginger and marigold tea. Helps with hypothermia and muscle spasms. Save you some trouble later on.” He pointed to his desk, where many dried plants laid. SUre enough, bothe ginger and marigold flowers were among the mess.

Rowan finished her drink and was very obviously exhausted. She forced two glasses down before she couldn’t handle it anymore.

If Perrin had to carry her to her bed that night, everyone knew better than to say anything. And if Rowan slept in the next morning, coming out of the room with a hand braced on Akela’s back, well, there was no need to point it out.