Thora was up early, still a little jumpy about the night before. A visit down to the stables to see their horses was a calming moment that allowed the dwarf to refocus on what had to happen. Based on the state of Kranz’s antique shop, it might be a little while before anyone noticed him missing, but the thugs in the street might start talking when they came around. Thora knew that getting out of town needed to happen as soon as possible, so spent part of the morning prepping the wagon for a quick departure. They just needed to pick up some of their gear from the shops, then find the next ship out of port.

Later, when the crew made their way to the docks, it seemed a lot busier than Thora expected. Thora had read about sea ports and ships, but this was the first time actually being this close to the real thing. The dwarf hadn’t realized how many people were needed just to sail around on a river! The masts of the tall ships rose high into the sky, while riverboats lazily rocked with the rise and fall of the waves against the docks. There were a few crusty old dive bars nearby, teeming with sailors on leave, and crew members crowded around somebody who must have been the dockmaster. Thora had no idea where they should start.

Duanne, on the other hand, was right at home. As a sailor, the wizard had seen enough of these kinds of places to know who to talk to and how to get some discounted passage. The tortle hadn’t sailed these waters in particular, but luckily enough found a boatswain that he had served with on the west coast. Bosun Creeg was not a close friend, but was willing to put in a word with the captain, assuming they would be willing to pick up some duties on the ship. Creeg brought the group over to his ship which seemed to be hastily making ready to set sail.

“Capt’n, have a word?” the bosun called out, trying to get the large man’s attention.

The ship’s captain was a tall sort with a thick beard, not unlike Thora’s. He moved confidently, shoulders back, barking orders as he went. As he closed in, towering over the dwarf, Thora got the distinct impression that this was a man who was used to being listened to. He reminded the dwarf of a drill sergeant from back in the day.

“Duanne, this is Captain Trevin”, Creeg said, gesturing to the imposing presence that loomed over the dwarf. “Captain, Duanne served with me, back a few years, good sailor, and a good medic. They’re requesting passage, sir.”

“Look, I’ll speak plainly with ya” stated the captain, skipping the pleasantries. “I need to set sail, and right away. I’m short the hands I need for the voyage and could use the help. If you lot will pitch in, do what I say, when I say it, then welcome aboard the Twain’s Folly! Creeg, put ’em to work.”

“Aye, aye, capt’n”.

Creeg began bringing them around the ship to get them oriented while some of the dock hands helped get their wagon and horses into the hold. Outside of Duanne, none of them had really worked a ship before, but it seemed like a lot of the work mostly involved tying and untying ropes.

“Over there, that’s Glug and Spoon” pointed the bosun, directing their gaze towards a few fellows who were working the deck. “They do most of the work here on the crew. You’ll meet Doch later, he’s likely fixing up a meal for the boys before we get under way. You’ll be thankful to have something in your belly, but probably not too thankful, if ye catch my drift.”

The two deck hands grunted and nodded as they went about readying the ship for sail. Whatever their talents may be, conversation didn’t seem to be one of them. They passed by some large weaponry affixed to the starboard and port sides of the ship.

“Now, you keep your hands off the harpoons, unless your told” the boatswain mentioned, pointing out the harpoon gunnery stations. “We don’t want you accidentally taking out a mast!”

As they entered the cargo hold to see where their things were being brought, they noticed that the hold was not quite as full as usual. A large man by the name of Rayn Daggit was going over their wagon, itemizing the cargo onto a list. A raised eyebrow was all the cargomaster revealed as he came across the caged imp amongst their belongings.

As they met and spoke with the various members of the crew, it became clear that something was out of the ordinary with their early departure. The captain had held some sort of secret meeting late last night and suddenly rang the crew to leave a day early. A big pay day, apparently, for a stack of carpets? Whatever the reason, luck was with them to have a boat leaving so early with room enough for their stuff!

A good day’s work

That first day on the Twain’s Folly was tiring work. Thora was still trying to get used to the slight rocking of the ship as it moved through the waters, but the ship was generally very stable and the river waters were much calmer than a wider sea might have been. The smell of the air out here was wonderful to take in, when there was a break in tasks, and Alandal’s drumming to the crew’s shanties made sure that all were in great spirits. The coast line zipped by as they glided along the river waters, small farmhouses dotting the landscape that they would have otherwise been riding through at a much slower pace.

As the evening wore on, though, strong gusts of wind started to push hard against them. Rain began in small drops, but then quickly became a downpour. From the cargo hold, Thora could hear the sounds of the splashing on the deck and feet moving quickly. Rushing to the deck, the dwarf found the sky had covered itself in dark clouds, the storm causing the waves to rise up much higher than usual. The tempest seemed to arrive unnaturally quickly, upon them in moments.

“All hands, secure all loose gear!” shouted Captain Trevin, his voice scratching as he tried to be heard above the storm winds. “Strike the royals, and batten the hatches! AND HOLD ON!”

The captain lashed himself to the wheel, trying to keep the Twain’s Folly moving forward in the storm. The crew, including Thora, began rushing around the ship, securing whatever they could find. Thora noticed rigging high up that needed attending and began a quick climb of the mast. The storm caused the ship to violently sway, sending the dwarf out on a beam, hanging in mid-air from the main mast. With the rain coming down hard and the wood already soaked, Thora’s grip faltered. Slamming into the deck below with a massive thud, the soldier grimaced and placed a hand over a now-likely-bruised shoulder. Perhaps staying closer to the deck would be more helpful!

Duanne, with his years of experience on the waters, was as focused as Thora had ever seen him. The tortle was showing Alandal how to properly tie down to the deck and shouting at Zearach something about sails and rigging. Having failed at the high mast work, Thora decided to follow Duanne’s lead and started working the ropes to tie off whatever the crew needed. Might be best to just listen and follow orders right now.

As quickly as the storm came upon them, it was gone.

“That storm didn’t feel right,” Duanne said, suspicion in his tone. “In all my years, ain’t never seen me a storm come up out of nowhere like that.”

“Do you think we should mention this to the captain?” asked Zearach, his voice clearly indicating he didn’t trust the man completely.

“Indirectly, maybe. Let’s see what happens.”

The tortle moved to the helm, finding the captain still lashed to the wheel, eyes focused on the waters ahead.

“Nice work, lads” the captain congratulated them. “Not bad for some rookies. We’ll make sailors out of you yet!”

“Thanks, cap’n”, replied Duanne, easing his way into the conversation. “Was just wondering… is there something or somebody that might not want you to be getting to where you’re going? Some kind of rival? Or anybody that knew where you were headed?”

“None that I know of and the only folks I told about leaving early were you lot” the captain replied, giving Duanne a quizzical look. “What’s all this about?”

They had no answers for the captain, only suspicions. And not even really great ones at that. Was it the cargo they took on? Was it a personal vendetta against this captain? Thora was unsure what could possibly cause somebody to send a magical storm after a ship, especially if it was over some carpets? Perhaps it was time to take a look around.

While Thora was below decks, trying to see what might be hidden in the hold, the others went about their tasks around the ship. When the dwarf returned empty-handed, the bosun was standing near the back of the ship, a fishing line hanging into the waters. Zearach had not been successful, apparently, but Creeg was having better luck. The line was taut, as if something extremely large was snagged on it. Creeg was braced against the railing, straining to keep a hold on his fishing rod, with Duanne and Zearach both trying to keep the large bosun from going overboard.

As the group pulled together, the large form below broke the surface of the water, yanked out of the depths and onto the deck of the Folly. Thora had not idea what it was, but it was enormous. It flapped around, taking multiple of them to hold it down.

“A tuna?” said Duanne, incredulously. “What is this doing in a river? There shouldn’t be any tuna here.”

The tortle moved to the side of the boat and ran a claw through the water, tasting it. The water was brackish, too salty for these parts. Suddenly worried, the wizard closed his eyes and murmured something. When he opened his eyes again he was staring hard into the water, following some sort of line out into the river water ahead of the ship.

Suddenly, Spoon’s voice rang out across the ship.

“CAPTAIN!!! WHIRLPOOL AHEAD!”

A crushing grip

Ahead, where Spoon was pointing, lay a large broken bridge, the stone support columns the only remnants, still rising out of the waters like ancient petrified sentinels. The waters swirled and crashed upon the stone supports, threatening to pull the Twain’s Folly in. Captain Trevin, reacting immediately, began to yank hard at the tiller, trying to turn the ship to starboard and avoid the pull of the vortex.

Near the center of the whirlpool stood another ship, almost up against the stone pillars, with giant tentacles grasping its deck from below. Screams could be heard from the crew as they were picked up and dragged into the depths.

“To stations, men!” shouted Captain Trevin, his voice loud and firm. “Turn the harpoons and fire!”

The deck hands Glug and Spoon immediately ran for the starboard harpoon gun, while Duanne shouted out orders for the rest of them. As they all took positions and began to try to attack the beast crushing the other ship, a loud crack was heard as its hull crumbled in on itself. Sailors shouted out in horror as they went tumbling into the churning depths.

Duanne, noticing the flailing arms in the water, sent a floating disc out to the crew, trying to save those that he could. Thora and the rest of the crew fired at will, trying to beat back the tentacles that were grabbing at the sailors of the crushed ship. Magic, arrows, cannons, harpoons… none of it seemed to be able to stop the thing from continuing its horrific destruction and killing.

A sudden snowstorm appeared out of nowhere, directly above the giant creature, sending swirling blasts of cold and snow down upon the creature. Glancing back, Thora saw Duanne focused intently ahead, the tortle wizard’s arms gesturing through the air, guiding the winds to slam again and again.

A sudden loud splashing sound was the only warning as a massive tentacle shot out of the waters and grabbed onto the prow of the Twain’s Folly. Thora’s flaming sword swiped across the tentacle, trying to beat it back off the ship. Possibly sensing the danger his flames posed, the tentacle changed tactics and grabbed onto Thora, squeezing the dwarf in its grip. The soldier could do little more than hold back the crushing weight of the massive tentacle wrapped around him.

More tentacles reached up, grabbing the deck and starting to crush against the hull. Within moments, the ship would be destroyed if they didn’t do something fast!

“Get those things off my ship!” shouted Trevin, directing his crew to focus on the tentacles, all while trying to slow the pace of the Folly enough to avoid wrenching the ship while it was grabbed.

With renewed focus, the crew beat back the tentacles one by one, loosening the grip of the sea monster upon the Twain Folly’s hull. Duanne managed to free Thora from the grip of the monster, allowing Thora to leap over a railing, bringing a flaming sword down hard on one of the tentacles, cutting deep. As they beat upon the last grasping tentacle, a huge shape suddenly reared out of the waters, its beaked maw slamming against the hull as it tried to reach for any morsels it could. Even with the fearsome eyes of the beast looking at them, the warriors focused on releasing the grip on the Folly until finally Thora’s blade was able to sever its pull.

All attention turned to the huge head towering out of the water. Alandal, Duanne, and Zearach took their shots, trying to finish the creature. Turning to face the massive beast, the dwarf ran, leaping as high as possible in an arc that took the soldier over the railing and directly onto the great creature’s head. Thora shifted and balanced, trying not to fall into the watery depths below as the slimy creature squirmed beneath the dwarf’s feet.

“Finish it!” shouted the captain, pointing to a spot above the eyes of the massive beast.

Not one to disobey orders, the dwarf drove the flaming sword deep into the kraken’s head, blood and gore spraying up into Thora’s face as the shortsword pushed in, all the way to the hilt. A gurgling scream of anguish from the creature came out as it began to slide away back into the waves. Thora had only a moment to react and leap back to the ship before the massive form slid into the water and was pulled into the vortex of the whirlpool.

The deck crew immediately went to work as Captain Trevin brought the ship closer to shore to set anchor and make repairs. Thora sat against a coil of rope, breathing heavily, soaked from the slimy wetness of the creature’s tentacle that had nearly crushed the dwarf. Duanne’s tales of the creatures of the deep sea that he called “sharks” suddenly seemed much more reasonable after having just witnessed that… thing… reach up for them from the water. Bad memories flooded back but Thora shoved them to the side. There was no time for that now!

Grouping up with the others, the dwarf found Duanne and Alandal speaking to each other about what had just happened. The wizard was putting the clues together and had come up with a possible theory. Given the salty water and the sudden appearance of a whirlpool and deep-sea creature, Duanne believed that the whirlpool had actually been a portal from another location in Rhime, likely in the deeper sea. The creature must have travelled through it, targeting the other ship.

“And I spoke with the crew of the other ship” continued the tortle. “Both told a tale same as ours. A mysterious priority cargo in the middle of the night, a fast run. They left only an hour before we did.”

This couldn’t be a coincidence. Why would somebody be trying to send ships off to their destruction on the river? What were they after?

Credits

• Cover image: “Kraken”, by Eiich Matsuba, sourced from ArtStation