The Timeless Traveller: This week’s update

The adventure is fast approaching a climax, and this week saw the following things happen:

It is 3.00pm, and the group has decided to go to the vault to replace the original dagger with the substitute they have created. It was placed inside a chest that would attract little attention. Disguised as Hooded Men, Vale (the Shepherd), Mankare (the Shadowmancer), Callistra (the Hunter), Bumble (the Stormshifter), Johnny-Baptiste (the Cheat), and Munch (the Songweaver) made their way there. At the entrance, they were joined by Ragnar (the Berserker) and Nordian (the guard commander). The latter ordered the guards to open the door, but the were very reluctant to do so.

The group meet up with Ragnar and Nordian outside the ship's vault.

Ragnar spoke to them. His polite menace proved to be very persuasive, and the door was opened ... with his assistance. Ragnar remained outside to ensure that no one could interfere with what was about to happen and the rest of the group entered the vault.

Inside the vault, the group could see two guards next to the statue in the centre of the room. The two guards from outside also entered the vault, and the four guards directed - and escorted - the group to a place just past the statue where they could leave the chest they were carrying. Whilst the guards were somewhat distracted, Johnny-Baptiste attempted to hid behind a pillar but was seen and told to re-join the group

Vale's spirit familiar - a large dog - was sent outside the vault to join Ragnar, and Bumble attempted - unsuccessfully - to hid by leaning against the wall of the vault. At this point, Johnny-Baptiste drew a chalk circle around the chest, and the rest of the group began to chant. This confused the guards, who asked Nordian if this were permitted. He nodded to them, and they stood back somewhat bemused.

Vale pulled a rat from inside his coat, and Callistra drew her dagger to disembowel it as a sacrifice. This caused consternation amongst the guards, and during the hiatus, Bumble tried to substitute the fake dagger for the real one. This proved difficult as the hands of the statue holding the dagger had pressure-sensitive buttons. Seeing this, Munch used a spell to amplify Callistra's chanting so that the guards remained distracted. By a magnificent sleight-of-hand, Bumble made the substitution ...

Bumble replaces the real dagger with the fake one.

...and this triggered the voice of Herne - Callistra's god - to be heard by her. The voice implied that he was about to appear and 'hunt' everyone in the vault, but Callistra was able to placate him by promising to find better prey for him.

Herne appears inside the vault.

Events had caused complete confusion amongst the guards, and Johnny-Baptiste and Munch used the opportunity to try to steal objects from the vault as the group went to leave. Munch unsuccessfully attempted to take some gold that was near the base of the statue, but did manage to pick up an snow globe that contained snow made from diamonds. He was spotted by a guard, who moved to stop him. Johnny-Baptiste used this diversion to grab some jewellery and gold from a basket that was on the floor of the vault.

Everything became very confused, very quickly. Bumble whispered into the ear of one of the guards about the High Priestess, which caused the guard to begin to draw his sword. Nordian intervened and stopped him and then ordered Munch's arrest. To avoid this, Munch transported himself to a nearby flaming torch. Callistra rushed forward and seized hold of Munch, crying out as she did, that he was suffering from an illness of the mind. This claim was backed up by Vale, who used his power to enter other people's minds to calm the guards down.

Callistra defended Munch and threatened any guard that attempted to grab hold of him with her bow. At the same time, Mankare pulled forth a spirit from a nearby shadow, and this rushed around the vault causing further confusion, especially when Mankare shouted, 'It's going for the gold!' Vale began to move towards the door and Johnny-Baptiste joined Callistra in restraining Munch.

Nordian ordered the door to the vault to be closed, but Ragnar stopped the guards from doing this by quietly refusing to move whilst at the same time running his thumb along the blade of his axe as if testing its sharpness.

Ragnar 'persuades' the guards not to shut the door of the vault..

Whilst this was taking place, Callistra wrestled the snow glob from Munch's grasp and he teleported himself away, crying out, 'I only wanted to hold it!' Mankare them produced two more shadow spirits, which joined the first in rushing around the vault ... and during all this confusion, Bumble managed to 'acquire' a bejewelled egg just before he left by the door.

One of the guards now attempted to shut the vault door again, but Vale interceded by planting fear in the guard's mind. Nordian called upon everyone to calm down, and the situation began to de-escalate, especially after Nordian had picked Munch up and said, 'We are done here,' as he left the vault.

Nordian carries Munch out of the vault.

Before leaving, Callistra returned the snow glob to its rightful place, and then joined the rest of the group as they used the portal to go to the barracks and prison cells. Once there, Munch admits that he is a kleptomaniac and Nordian placed him in one of the cells. Once this is done, the rest of the group returned to Johnny-Baptiste's room.

As soon as they are in the room, Callistra and Mankare examined the dagger. It exuded a feeling of evil and a small of hot iron, and when Mankare spoke to it in Abyssal, he heard a voice in his head that told him that there was an evil spirit trapped in the dagger's blade.

Munch had been left in a prison cell, and out of curiosity, he tried the cell's door. As he did so, he heard an explosion and the guard began screaming. The door to the barracks and prison had been blown open ... and two Hooded Men appeared in front of Munch's cell saying, 'We were looking for you!' Munch used a spell that was intended to confuse the two men ... but as soon as he did, four more Hooded Men appeared.

To get away from them, Munch teleported himself through the drain cover in the centre of the cell block ... and fell four metres into a sewer! As he ran along it to get away from his pursuers, he realised that toilets were connected to the sewer. Using his water vision to look through one of the toilets, he saw a flame that he could teleport to. However, before he could, he was surrounded by the Hooded Men, and they demanded to know where the book was. They threatened to kill him if he didn't tell them where it was ... and he used a break in their threats to teleport to the flame that he had seen earlier.

Munch confronts two Hooded Men in the sewer.

Munch found himself in a toilet, and from there he made his way outside ... only to be confronted by two Hooded Men, one of whom shouted, 'The bastard's here!' whilst the other attacked him. Munch attempted to avoid injury by repeating the fact that the book was in the chest that was in the vault. His attackers grabbed him, manacled his hands together, and began to drag him along the corridor. Seeing a portal ahead of him, Munch broke free and asked to take him to Johnny-Baptiste's room.

Pursued by the two Hooded Men, Munch reached the door to Johnny-Baptiste's room ... and cast a spell that laid a sheet of ice behind him! Munch threw the room door open and began to tell everyone what had happened. Despite slipping on the ice, the two Hooded Men grabbed Munch and pulled him towards the portal. The rest of the group set off in pursuit ... and found themselves in the ship's main hall! Using her tracking skills, Callistra followed the route followed by the Hooded Men through the room. Along the way, she asked two people who are sitting close to the route if they had seen anyone answering the description of the Hooded Man ... and they replied that they had headed in the direction of the toilets.

As the group contemplated what to do next, the ship's clock chimed 4.30pm.

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There was lots of action this week ... and next week looks as if it is going to be even more exciting!