"Get back to work yea lazy frost rabbits, yea works like your legs
were chewed off by a by a mountain yeti! You too Spartin there’s sails to be mended,
get off your land loving behind."
Saying this the captain of the Icy Barnacle went back into his cabin on
the large river raft. Looking over the map of the upcoming river he rubbed his sun
bleached yellow beard. " This ain’t gona be easy" he mumbled to himself. In
all his years of being a electrum shipper he hated going threw the upcoming rapids most of
all. Reaching into his dirty blue jacket he pulled out a hickory pipe from one of his
poorly stitched on pockets, it was brown with a black onyx end that was worn smooth by its
daily use in the cold mountainous air. Opening a soft leather pouch at his side he took
out some rich brown tabacco a commodity in the Spine of the World. Stuffing it in his pipe
and lighting it up with a low burning candle he turned and looked out the valuable glass
windows of his raft. All his life he had lived in the shadow of the Spine of the World
mostly though it was being a fishermen on the great Ice Lakes but when rich veins of
electrum were found all along the Raven River he packed up and went to richer grounds.
Every since then ten of his forty years were spent on the wide rivers of the Raven
transporting precious metals. Still even though he was not getting the metals himself he
was getting paid top coin for an armed transport downstream.
He indeed had a fine and loyal crew, the best of sailors from Luskan to
Neverwinter all accomplished seamen and more so swordsmen. His raft even carried some
artillery a small ballista capable of putting a hole in any raft, also he carried some
magically enchanted barrels that would explode on a hard impact with anything. A favorite
tactic of his was to drop a barrel in the water if he was going up river and being pursued
by river bandits, nothing compared to the look on a captains face when his raft was sunk
by a harmless looking barrel. Captain Snowpipe, as his crew called him, smiled at the
thought of drowning pirates. Snapping back to reality he bent over and took a small mirror
out of a padded draw, this and the enchanted barrels were treasure that he had traded his
services for. Looking into it he saw how much he had aged lately his tanned leather skin
was worn with wrinkles from the strong winds that blew up and down the river. His blue
eyes were back in there sockets from the glaring sun of the north, still he was strong man
just as able as any in his crew.He also wore an old silver loop earing that contained a
minor shocking grasp. In his long life he had claimed the lives of some of the most
fearest beasts in the north including two Frost Giants and small tribe of yetie’s
that slaughtered his men.
Stroking his beard he wondered if he should shave it off, maybe make
look a  little younger get a maiden
for his arm. As he was imaging his wife he was awakened from his dream by a shout from one
of his men.
"Captain there a body in the river"
yelled Spartin while pointing up river.
" Be carful men it could be a trick, Spartin get a hook pole."
Warned Captain Snowpipe as he walked out onto the front deck.
"Okay Leafer bring her a bit to the left, "
Snowpipe yelled to a navigator at the end of the raft. Leafer simpily yelled
"aye"
back to him. When Spartin hooked the slowly passing form he noticed that the figure was
half naked and more then likly dead. Looking for the okay from his captain he started
bringing the body in threw one of the straps on its back pack. Getting Taranalite a strong
fiery red haired man to help they both pulled the body over the rail like a piece of bait
not unlike how a fishermen of Raven Claw lake would catch a giant killer carp. "Well
what do we got here"
Spartan said sarcasticly. Removing the black hair from the humans face Spartan bent over
to check for any breath, he coudn’t find any, then checking for a pulse he was
surprized when he got one.
" Quick Marlen get down here,"
Sparten yelled to the cleric who served as healer and lookout. Like a cat the young blound
man scaled down the ropes that lead to the lookout tower. Once on the deck he told Sparten
to get out of the way, feeling around the man’s bear chest he unclasped the back sack
that had stayed on surprizently firm. Touching his ribs he felt they were broke
"going to have to go about this a different way then uusual, Captin I’m going
too need your pipe if you don’t mind."
"Ay darn that’s me last charge, ay well I like someone to do the same for me,
but at a price mind ye."
Taking it from the captin he gentally slide the onyx end down the man’s throat then
yelling aloud
"waterfall,"
water came out the other end of the pipe where tabacco would normally be then it crumpled
to a white powder in the mans mouth. Coffing, the man stood up straight and opened his
eyes,
"easy boy you had a hard ride ya still got to rest."
Said Marlen as he fumbled around his neck under his sweater.
"Here we go"
he said as he took out a holy symbol of the Ice God Laminite, whispering some archance
words and laying one of his hands on the young man, Marlen finshed and a ice sheet flowed
from his hand and covered the mans chest.
"The boy will rest now will question him later when he’s fully rested."
"Yeah well he won’t have to worry to much about drowning anymore"
said captain Snowpipe with a glum look on his face.
"And why’s that"
asked Marlen.
"That pipe I used to have had another enchantment besides the one I showed you
scurbs, thought ye might be dying to get it. Turns out once its last charge is used bloody
wizard made it so it crumble to a magic powder that forever allowed the user to breath for
long amounts of time under water. Well now I’m kicking me self because I forgot
always thought the last charge would be used on me."
With a sigh the captin turned around and headed for his cabin but before he left he said
his characteristic
"Oh well ye can’t win em all."
* * *
Sca awoke to a dark room, he thought
he might have been dead but he was covered in blankets. His head still throbed from the
impact with the log but his chest felt extremly better, indeed this was a odd situation.
Grabbing hold of his senses he reviewed his surroundings, he was in a cabin of some kind
with a bizzare transparent shielding. Also there was a counter built into a wall and all
arond him empty hammacks hung, even above him. Rolling off the bed he perred into the
tranparent window, reaching his hand out as to pass through it he was still amazed when it
hit somthing. Only once before had he seen such a substance, and that was long ago in his
childhood in one of the many street markets. Looking out he saw it was night time and he
was still not far away from where he was last night, now that you think of it I’ve
seen a lot of night lately Sca chuckled to himself. Looking around the fifteen square room
he was disarayed when he didn’t see it anywhere, finding a door in the darkness he
gave its handle a tug but it held fast. Thinking to break it down he back up and started
charging toward it. Just as he was about to hit the door it swung open and Sca barreled
over the old captain. Immeadatly the rest of the crew that was sitting around and talking
on the barge jumped up and restrained him with minimum effort. Stading up and rubbing a
bruise in his neck captain Snowflake said
"Its okay fellas, sit him down, probaly just an acciedent, and I hope fer yer sake it
was. Now since yer piping with energy why don’t ye tell us your story boy."
Once Sca was freed he looked around and saw he was on the a river but
he was a on a large barge with a huge sail and holes for oars. Also he was ancored off a
sandy beach with a small fire burning on it.
"I take it this is the Raven River and this is your campsite,"said Sca.
" Well the boys got eyes that’s always nice to know, but do you have a name to
pleasure us with." Said Spartan in his usual sarcastic tone.
" Don’t mind him boy, come here and sit down, have some of Leafer’s white
leaf tea, it good stuff" Chuckled captin Snowpipe as he waved for Leafer to bring
some over from the fire he was tending.
"My name is Sca, Sca Glacierwind, I lived in the lower mountains of the Spine of the
World since I was a child. My mother rasied me and taught me everthing I know. At that
point Sca remembered what he had read in his mother’s book, it had told him about his
people, how people wouldn’t understand his powers and would be afarid of him. That
was why he was never shown his parents powers until he was alone in the mountains with his
mother. The book had also told him that these powers were not uncommon in his fathers
family. His father had to teach his mother and only because she had some natural ability
could she handle the wielding of such powers . She told him that his father was a great
psionic, far greater then she could ever be because of his extrordinary talent. But Sca
had this natural talent also and with much training he could become as great as his
father. But because of the superstitions of there people he was unable to share his skills
in fear that they would kill him. So he tryed to live a normal live as a soldier, using
his powers when ever he could without attracting attention but doing some good.
Looking up at captin Snowpipe he said " I am a fighter of some
skill, I use a trident or a long sword and perfer not to wear any armor."
"Well that’s great now we no everthing about you now what about your story, how
did you come to be face down in the Raven?"
" Well ah whoever you are, when my mother died I left the mountains and headed along
the river to find a town, Bremanton, it was destroyed along with its habitants long ago I
was going to see if it was rebuilt. As I was heading down the river I was attacked by a
hellish beast bird, I managed to defeat it, but I was unable to dive in the river because
of somthing in my back pack then I hit a tree anchored between two rocks when it dropped
me into the river." After saying this he looked over to captain Snowpipe to see if
this met his standards.
" Ay boy, ye defeated a Peryton, lived in the wilds of the Spine and was almost
killed by a log, I got to give you credit.
" Saying this Spartin and the rest of the crew burst out laughing, after a few
seconds so did Sca.
" Well boy, or man now, let me finish the story fer ye, as if it wasn’t dramtic
enough. After you passed out you must floated down river, not to far I’d say, anyway
we fished you out a the water and you had a beating heart but a silent wind, if ya now
what I mean. Me being the nice chap that I am used my pipe, which is a magic pipe, to save
your life. And as it turns out it was my last charge in the thing and that means the last
person to use it gets the last bit a magic as well in the form of a crumpled to dust pipe.
Which was luckiy for you because the dust gives the last user the permanet ability
to breath a long time under water. So I figures with saving your life in all you owes me
quite a bit, and with your, shall we say reputation, I’ll let ye work for me until we
go’s back to Bremanton."Saying this captin Snowpipe sat back and waited for an
answer.
"Yes" said Sca " but first I like to know yer name sir."
"Oh yes its captin Snowpipe. Although I suppose it's really not that fitting now that
I don’t have a pipe." The captin mused to himself. " Well welcome aboard,
lets start making introductions.
~ By: James Smeaton |
