002 - Of Claws And Wings

13th Mirtul 1357 ctd.

As they pass through the Cloud Giant graveyard, Thoma records everything on his mobile stone.   After they have travelled through, Mary and Sarah go to bed and so do some of the other guests. Thoma makes a mental note of the stars he can see. Lox is also gazing up at the stars, trying to remember the constellations. Meanwhile, Elionar is listening to Eldridge 'Fearless' Sykes boast to Spurious Plotius Pantera.   Moldrig, on the other hand, spikes his own milk with brandy, which Elionar watches and follows as the tipsy young goblin makes his way down to the galley. Once there, Moldrig raids the galley for poison and manages to find a small bottle. He also takes a handful of flour and then runs directly into Elionar. After a short interaction, Moldrig heads to bed, spilling milk and flour as he goes. Elionar cleans up after him and then heads to bed as well.   Lox notices Thoma in the rigging, and is the second to last guest to go to bed. Thoma climbs up into the rigging and waits until everyone goes to bed, then practicing techniques when the deck is cleared before heading to bed himself.  

14th Mirtul 1357

Thoma goes up to breakfast early the next morning. Lox is already up with the sunrise, and notices that the stars are different to the ones he saw the night before. He has an argument with the captain, who tells him not to worry about it.   Moldrig rigs up a bucket of the door to make sure he'll know if someone has entered his room. Up at breakfast, he tells Niko Varis that there is something wrong with the milk and that he shouldn't drink it.   Elionar joins everyone else at breakfast, and the guests all sit around eating and getting to know each other. Everyone watches as Lidia Orellana and Spurious Plotius Pantera have an argument and Spurio storms off.   Moldrig strikes up a conversation with Villiam Partanen about like in the bog, and that he reads The Art of The Deal. Thoma talks to Lidia about boats. She asks him whether he thinks that Eldridge is a normal pirate, which on closer inspection he doesn't.   While Elionar watches Moldrig pretend to read The Art of The Deal, Lox investigates people's rooms. Looking for Sarah and Mary's rooms, he finds his way unknowningly into Thoma's room and finds a keg of gunpowder.   Suddenly, the crew spots a group of giant eagles coming in fast towards the balloon. Most of the guests run below deck, including the pirate Eldridge. Thoma climbs the rigging, and Elionar gives Moldrig the Sheild of Faith, before the eagles attack.   The attack is brutal. Moldrig is scared and casts darkness around himself, making life more dangerous for Elionar and Lox. Lox, in fact, goes over the side and turns into an eagle to continue the battle. One of the eagles manages to puncture the balloon, sending everything flying sideways, in response to which Moldrig has a panic attack. Elionar loses his grip on the railing but manages to catch some of the rigging at the last moment and pulls himself back up.   Thoma kills most of the giant eagles (although Elionar kills one and Lox does some damage) and then pulls out his waterskin to cover the hole made by the eagle.