BBG: Chapter 34

It was three days later, as we sailed east toward Cadfael Island, that the fight came upon us. As it turned out, there were only four ships. One was from Cadfael Island, a Galley with a Prow that reached up in the shape of a pearlescent seahorse, the Nacre Seahorse, according to the nameplate. At the prow stood a man with a long blonde beard in Magical Breastplate Armor with a Magical Bastard Sword that was both plus three in nature and that was about all I could make out from the Deck of the Hammerdown. He was accompanied by a man in Chainmail that was Plus Three in nature, with a Longsword of a similar level of power. At the rear of the ship, all the way back beyond the crew, a Ship's Mage in a Robe of Spell Resistance Plus Four and also a pair of Bracers of Armor Plus Seven.

Then there was the other ship, an older Frigate whose name was familiar to me. The Barracuda, a Zhentarim Vessel. Funny enough, that ship's former crew had been slain during the attempted Zhentarim takeover of Daggerford, if I remembered correctly. It certainly wasn't Captain Herab or First and Second Mates Weirdnog or Nobla at the prow, but a full-blooded Orc in Green-Dyed Leathers with a Plus Five Enchantment on them. He also had a Plus Three Keen Shortsword of Shocking Burst and a Plus Three Dagger of Fleshgrinding. Next to him was a Human First Mate in Studded Leather Plus Four with a Plus Three Warhammer of Shock and Force. Behind all of them was an Ogre Mage as the Ship's Mage, with a pair of Bracers of Defense Plus Seven and an Amulet of Natural Armor Plus Four.

Beyond those ships, the was the Searazor, a ship belonging to the Umberlant Temple of Red Sails in Luskan, Captained by Thurgrim Wavedelver, still likely stinging from his defeat at Hearthharbor. His second, however, seemed green, a lot more so than the Man I had slain fighting on Tearheim. He was wearing a Plus Two Nimble Breastplate of Swimming and had a Keen Longsword of Icy Burst Plus Two for a weapon, alongside a Buckler Plus Three, from what I could see from here. They didn't appear to have a ship's mage, though, or if they did, he was below decks.

It was the last ship that concerned me, though. The Umberlant Carrack Divine Maelstrom, with the flag of the enemy fleet aboard it. I could see, aboard the Divine Maelstrom, the Nimble Mithril Fullplate of Swimming Plus Four and the Thundering Icy Trident of Shocking Burst Plus Four Clad Form of a Woman that smacked of Priestly Might. That had to be Puissant Undertow Montcalm, the Leader of the Umberlant Expedition. She had by her side an Elven Bladesinger in Leather Armor of Sailing and Anchoring Plus Five with a Keen Longsword of Shock and Thundering Plus Three. I couldn't see any other magic items, but that didn't mean anything from this distance. Standing behind them both was a Ship's Mage in a Robe that I couldn't identify on Sight, with a pair of Bracers of Armor Plus Seven and a Staff of Striking Plus Three.

The Divine Maelstrom was the assignment we were given by Jarl Ullrsson, and as the ships fanned out and began to launch projectiles and spells at each other, that's where we headed. We would definitely need to do so, as a chorus of chanting rose up from the deck of the Divine Maelstrom, and suddenly a Huge Water Elemental formed out of the Waves to bring both watery fists down on the deck of the Hearthharbor Surprise smashing half a dozen Halfling Marines off the decks to their watery graves and stopping the advance of the ship cold. The Hin Blade pulled up alongside the Hearthharbor Surprise to render aid, but that had effectively taken two of our more martial ships out of the fight for the time being.

"Pour on Sail! We have to board the Divine Maelstrom! They can't be allowed to summon more elementals!" I commanded.

"She's going as fast as she can! Anymore and she'll start coming apart!" Warned Selima from amidships.

"Sail her apart then!" I ordered.

Selima turned and nodded to Shavariel, who turned toward the loaned crew that we'd been given for the battle. They weren't much, perhaps thirty Northmen all with sailing experience but lacking a berth on a Ship at present. They would do, though, and as Shavariel began to badger them to pour on sails, they leaped to like they hadn't needed to be told what to do, largely because they didn't.

"Come on, you heard the Captain, put your backs into it!" Demanded Shavariel as the Loaned Crew began to hop to. As we picked up speed, the boards of the Hammerdown began to creak under the added strain, something that Selima kept in check with judicious use of Mending Cantrips. That was just a stall, though, not a permanent fix, as Janessa told me when she spoke up.

"There's a limit to what Selima can do with Cantrips, Robar. I hope you have a plan." Warned Janessa.

"The plan is to get to the Divine Maelstrom before the ship breaks apart!" I growled out.

Janessa looked unimpressed, but she didn't have time to say so before a flaming speck flew up from the deck of the Divine Maelstrom, arcing up and out over the ocean to cross between our two vessels. It was clear what that was, a Delayed Blast Fireball aimed right at the Hammerdown. If that hit us, we'd be in a bad spot. Ships are basically a bunch of wood, rope, canvas, and tar. In other words, highly flammable tinderboxes.

"Janessa!" I called out.

"I see it!" Insisted Janessa.

As she said that, Janessa began trying to counter the Delayed Blast Fireball. With effort, she incanted a counterspell in the Mystical Language that Spellcasters tended to use and reached her hand out, snuffing the delayed blast fireball out just before it reached us. However, our troubles weren't over just yet, as the Divine Maelstrom launched a trio of Ballista Bolts at us from its deck-mounted Ballistae. As a Caravel, the Divine Maelstrom was armed with two light and one heavy Ballistae and could pack quite a punch.

"Shit hard to port!" I ordered.

"Hang on!" Cautioned Selima, as she yanked hard on the Ship's Wheel.

Going as fast as we were, though, even with the Magic that had been built into the Hammerdown, it was still a challenge to turn like that. As it happened, we didn't quite make it, and the Heavy Ballista Bolt managed a glancing blow on our Starboard Side, skipping off the Hammerdown's Right Hull and sending splinters about that shredded into two of our lent crewmembers, killing them with wooden shrapnel. We were still afloat, however, and now began to dodge the follow-on shots. Five more of our Loaned Crew fell, three to an ill-timed ballista bolt trailing chains behind it that had tried to hit our mainmast, but wound up shredding three crewmen instead, and three to arrow fire from the Crew of the Divine Maelstrom. Thankfully, Janessa kept up her part, countering the spellfire from the Enemy Ship's Mage as we closed, and some of our crew managed to kill some of theirs as well with arrows or thrown javelins.

Finally, however, we had closed the gap between our vessels, one last exchange of arrow fire from both the Divine Maelstrom and our own Loaned Crew scythed through the air, downing crewmen on both the Divine Maelstrom and the Hammerdown, then we had a straight shot into the Divine Maelstrom's port side with our ram.

"Brace for impact!" Called out Shavariel.

Then there was a crunch as our enchanted ram slammed into the port side of the Divine Maelstrom, splitting boards and enmeshing our two ships. I leaped with the momentum, allowing it to carry me over the side and onto the deck of the Divine Maelstrom, Discordant Note and Aremeg's Wisdom out and ready. Almost immediately, I was met by a rush from a trio of Crewmen in the teal cloaks of the Umberlant Church, covering over their Studded Leather Armor. They all seemed to be wearing Amphibious Studded Leather Armor Plus One, and wielding Rapiers of Shock, Plus One, all three seemed to also have Amulets of Natural Armor Plus One and Rings of Protection Plus One too. It wouldn't help them, as I struck a pose, playing up the Swashbuckler Angle.

"Come on then, stand fast and die ye bloomin' dogs!" I bellowed, affecting my best Piratical Performance.

The three of them charged, and almost immediately, Discordant Note screeched into the throat of the first to try and attack me. The second wound up having his legs cut out from under him in a riposte as I dodged his clumsy thrust, while the third's blade struck the bulwark of Aremeg's Wisdom. I plunged a follow-on thrust that finished the Second Pirate, even as I parried a cut from the third and riposted with a slash that took his throat out. In the span of a few seconds, I had dispatched three Pirates that were clearly some of the Umberlant Church's best. What's more, that cleared the way for Shavariel, Selima, and Janessa to board after me. We'd made a foothold on the Divine Maelstrom to pour boarders through.

Now we just had to keep it in the face of the inevitable counterattack. . .

XXXX

Puissant Undertow Juliana Montcalm watched on as she directed Umberlee's Servant in its ongoing battle against the two ships from Seahearth. She grinned in satisfaction as the Servant of the Queen of the Waves reached out with both hands and hauled up on one of the two ships, the smaller of the two, capsizing it with a mighty heave. Unfortunately, as the seconds played out, several of the Halflings aboard had managed to make it off the ship, swimming for their miserable lives. True, the Sea Queen's Servant slew many, but even if the ship had been capsized, Juliana estimated that roughly half the crew had survived, including the Captain.

Nearby, however, their Zhentarim Allies under Captain Azog had managed to board the formidable Sembian Carrack. The Flagship of the Fleet of Seahearth, the Seahearth Slingstone. It was possibly the heaviest single ship currently in the battle. As she watched, Captain Azog and his First Mate, the Northman Reaver Freki, engaged the Commodore of the Seahearth Fleet in battle, with their Ship's Mage, the Ogre Mage Tarnroth, facing off against the Halfling's Ship's Mage. That, Juliana judged, was a fair enough fight that it did not require her intervention.

Instead, it was the Galley of her Ffolk Minions from Cadfael Island, the Nacre Seahorse, that required the most aid. It had been engaged by the two Northmen Longships from Tearheim, the Iron Drakon and Bloody Spear. The Young Jarl Ullrsson clearly wished to avenge the death of his father and had led his warriors with a fury, though not unintelligently. It was a shame he was so wedded to that Hoary Old Fool, Tempus. If he had been a proper Umberlant, then none of this would be happening to begin with. Juliana, however, couldn't deny a certain measure of respect for the Young Jarl, though. However, respect would not stop her from seeing him slain in the name of Umberlee.

Looking over to the Searazor, it had been engaged by the two enemy ships that were clearly Mercenaries of some sort. However, she would wager the Searazor's Crew, and Brother Thurgrim especially, against any two Mercenary Crews in the world. Like as not, they would soon lose their appetite for battle once they had been fed enough of their own blood. No, she would have to call up help for Captain Bannon and the crew of the Nacre Seahorse. She had already expended some of the miracles of the Seventh Circle today, controlling the weather to ensure her fleet reached the enemy before they could arrive at Cadfael Island, casting Greater Scrying to keep track of the enemy's movements to ensure they could not bypass her fleet, and most recently, summoning the Servant of Umberlee to attack her foes. She could cast one more before she would need to save her last expenditure of seventh-circle power.

"Umberlee! I beseech you, pour forth the fury of your waters to smite the Heretics!" Incanted Juliana, stretching her arm forth and calling upon Umberlee to lend her the power she required. As she did so, a torrential waterspout formed under the hill of the Bloody Spear, knocking the longship up into the air and sending Northmen scattering off the deck before the ship plummeted back to the waterline with a crunch. Satisfied, she had tipped the scale of the Nacre Seahorse's battle in the favor of Captain Bannon, Juliana turned her gaze back to the wider battle.

"We have boarders, my Lady." Intoned Filveryl Swiftcutter.

Her first mate was an Elven Bladesinger who had been banished from Evereska after slaying the scion of a Noble House of Darthammel, whose Mistress was serving her first term as Blade-Major of the Swords of Evereska at the time. She did not appreciate her nephew being slain by a Commonborn Bladesinger like Filveryl, and so the sentence was banishment. Juliana had found Filveryl drinking in the Copper Coronet of Athkatla around two years ago, back when she had first gained her position as Darkbreaker and had begun gathering a crew. She'd been impressed by his slaying of a Shou Lung Martial Artist in the Gladiatorial Pits and hired him on.

"So deal with them. You have Alejandro with you, yes? And the Crew?" Questioned Juliana.

"Alejandro has his hands full. He has already had a number of his spells countered. Including several of the fifth circle." Answered Filveryl.

"That's interesting. Who does the enemy have that is capable of such feats, I wonder? Could we be facing the ones who slew Xommyrru?" Queried Juliana.

"It seems likely, My Lady." Nodded Filveryl.

"How many of them are there?" Asked Juliana.

"Four powerful opponents, but they are leading a crew of less powerful Northmen Warriors who seem to be a match for our own crewmen." Warned Filveryl.

"Very well. It seems I shall have to take matters into my hands personally after all." Nodded Juliana.

Indeed, if Filveryl was a deadly Elven Duelist, then Alejandro was a similarly deadly sorcerer. He came from a powerful bloodline, a LeShay, one of the primordial progenitors of the Fae. His sorcery ran deep enough that Juliana had seen him personally slay a Mature Adult Howling Dragon in Combat. If he was having his spells countered, that was a problem. One that might very well require her and Filveryl as well as Alejandro to counter.

And with that, she headed down to the amidships where the noise of steel on steel filtered through the din of the greater battle out in the sea, Filveryl trailing behind her. She would lend her power to the ongoing fight and then return to directing Umberlee's Servants in battle with the Heretics. They would simply have to do without her until she could return. This was as it should be. After all, did not Umberlee sort the weak from the strong with her wroth?

Shaking her head at that thought, Juliana descended into the fray below to bring Umberlee's Fury upon the heretics in a more personal manner. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, here's the next chapter. We have part one of the Battle of the Jannath's Tears Archipelago right here, and already it's looking to be bloody thanks to various clerical magics being cast to do things like summon a Huge Water Elemental to attack ships, or conjuring a waterspout that can knock a Longship fifteen feet into the air. Fortunately, Puissant Undertow Juliana doesn't have more than one more Seventh Level Spell left, which she plans to use in battle. Also, fortunately, Alejandro Garza, the Ship's Mage of the Divine Maelstrom, is only eleventh level, and so Janessa has been able to counter most of his spells all right. This is still going to be a tough fight.

At any rate, the next chapter will be part two of the Battle of the Jannath's Tears Archipelago, as Robar and Company take on Puissant Undertow Juliana Montcalm, Filveryl Swiftcutter, and Alejandro Garza. I'll also have some more images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .