The Journey Home
Windy in the Wind is surprised and a bit saddened by the fact that Rurik and Keleni didn’t make it, but seems happy that Mara is joining the journey. The sailing down to Ravenforge takes 20 days, as Ash once more shortens the journey again. As they reach the waters where they med the Kraken last time again, Windy in the Wind again does his ritual with the goat and the flour, which seems to please the Kraken. Ansgar asks about why he does this or how he came up with it. He tells them that the Kraken spoke to him when he was a young sailor, with his first ship in these waters, demanding a sacrifice. He had a goat ready, so he cut its throat and threw it overboard, which seemed to please it. Ash asks what the flour is for though, and he admits that it spilled over when he first made the sacrifice, and he doesn’t want to take the chance to NOT do it, in case it makes a difference.
The rest of the journey goes well, no Harpies this time, as Windy in the Wind takes the long way around, but they can be spotted in the distance. Coming into Ravenforge, after almost 6 weeks at sea in total, Mara jumps off the ship the first chance she gets, before the ship has even docked properly, saying her goodbyes, laughing maniacally, and disappearing in the streets. Windy in the Wind is glad she is gone, as she spent the whole journey holed up in her bunk, laughing randomly, staring into nothing. The party agrees that she is disturbing. Hopefully she makes her way back home. Throk comes up from below deck, bag in tow, telling the captain that he thanks him for the opportunity, but the sea life isn’t for him. He finds it dreadfully boring, and he is sure that one day, the goat and flour trick will not satisfy the kraken, and he doesn’t plan to be around to find out. Ash asks him where he will go, but he is unsure, maybe south, maybe east, wherever the road will take him. Ash tells him that in the meantime, he should apply to work at the Lucky Duck, a local inn here in Ravenforge. He can even use her as a reference. The other party members think this is a splendid idea, as they immensely enjoyed his cooking. He thanks her for the tip, says his goodbye to the party, puts the bag over his right shoulder, and ventures into the city.
Thervan shows up by the docks as the party says their goodbyes to Windy in the Wind, having spotted the distinctive ship approaching from the horizon. He leads them up one of the shortcuts in the cliff next to the docks, and brings them to his office. The desk is clean this time around, no interesting notes or documents to be seen, but across the hall they can see Bertram Honeypot working with some papers.
The party shares their experiences with the forgedragon, the Sunken, Calamity, and the loss of their companions. Thervan is shocked by this revelation, having heard nothing about this group of inter-planar invaders, but promises to look into it. He also promises to give Rurik and Keleni a proper burial, but Ansgar asks if there might be someone in the city that might be able to bring them back. They’re free to look of course, but those with that kind of power are few and far between, and he knows nobody in the city capable of such a feat considering the power needed to bring back someone who has been dead for three weeks. In either case, he holds the Sjelestein in his hand, thanking the party on behalf of his colleagues, and speculates that since this is merely a shard of the Sjelestein, and it can cast any Enchantment spell, then there might be more shards out there that controls other aspects of the different schools of magic. But he tells the party not to worry about it now, they have earned their money, and a rest for now. If something were to come up, there will probably be someone else he can ask for help.