Aboard the Jenivere - Serpent's Skull

A half orc of savage appearance and dress boarded at Bloodcove after a lengthy discussion with the first mate. With her greenish-brown complexion, black hair and short tusks that protruded from the lower jaw, there was no question of her heritage, but her startling golden eyes with the vertical pupil slits were most off-putting. It wasn't just her features however that concerned Alton Devers. The half orc was armed to the tusks. An enormous black machete was sheathed over her left shoulder, with longbow and quiver strapped over her right. A wicked looking dagger with a sawback blade was worn openly, tucked into the heavy belt atop the dark green lizard-hide armor. On her back she carried a pack full of gear that labeled her for what she was. A hunter. It didn't take much imagination to believe that this imposing female had taken down whatever lizard might have provided her the armor she wore, and the black jaguar fur she kept tied up in a bundle was unlikely to have been a gift from some rich trader.

Despite her bestial appearance, she dealt with the situation calmly. It seemed that this was not the first time she'd encountered potential roadblocks because of her mixed blood. The explanation and a pouch full of coin was apparently enough to convince the man of her honorable intentions aboard the Jenivere, but it was clear enough that he was going to keep a wary eye on her the entirety of the voyage. It hadn't been necessary thus far.

She kept to herself most of the time, though frequented the common areas to listen quietly to the stories the other passengers may tell. When asked, she introduced herself by her name alone, but after determining that the interest was merely friendly or curious in nature, went on to say that her mother is of the Zenj people of the Mwangi Expanse. Kali'chatu wasn't forthcoming about the rest of her story, though no one has dared press her on it yet. Her demeanor doesn't give the impression that she's hiding anything, only that she's very cautious about her interactions with others. Undoubtedly learned from past experience.

Any who've chosen to observe her behavior would have noted that she always seems to be near when any of the crew or passengers might be in need of aid, unobtrusively lending her assistance without a word or expectation of thanks.

Waiting for the Jenivere to dock was a spiky haired unkempt youth with a look of irritation on his face. His hair seemed to be greasy and cropped short as if it were a nusaince as opposed to anything else, and although the sun betrayed a reddish tinge, it appeared in most other lighting to be a dark brown to black. He wore a pair of spectacles at the end of his nose, and his premature beard was far from being well attended.

All over, he was covered in pockets. His reddish brown cloak had pockets on the inside and out, his leather armor had straps that held in objects, and his pants had belts and pouches of various odd substances all the way to his ankles. He carried a backpack that seemed so full, that the pack itself groaned when he moved, wishing for a more reasonable master. He wore simple riding boots but his gloves were made from black leather, and nearly went up to his elbows, where his shirt sleeves were tucked into the ends of them.

Also, despite the fact that he seemed perfectly cogent, he smelled like a distillery.

The overall effect seemed to tell everyone who looked at him with an appraising eye two things. He liked to collect small objects, and he took them all with him wherever he went. One benefit taking it all with him is that it would seem to confuse any thieves as to where any of his valuables were. Or if he really had any.

After insisting to the crew that he talk to the captain right away, he ended up talking to Alton within minutes of their arrival. He explained that he felt ill just by being in such a abominable country, and he desired to be off to Sargava as soon as possible. After finding out that he had to wait seven days for the ship to be refitted with supplies and for it to receive all of its cargo, he also insisted on boarding right away and never got off the ship since, despite a day and a half of "sea sickness" which was reprised after they got underway a week later, or whenever they left any of the other ports along the way.

While on the ship, he spent a good degree of time in the hold, having sequestered a small portion of it to use his things, and when he was not sleeping or there in his hold, he spent the rest of the time hanging out with the crew, listening to their stories and at times lending a hand to the various tasks that they needed done, especially when working with wood or leather. His hands were extremely skillful in nearly everything they did, and he even did some carving on the bow to accentuate and restore the figurehead on the bow of the ship, much to the captain's delight, particularly because he did it for free.

Deklan Greenfellow is a member of a small order of wizards dedicated to unearthing and preserving ancient and forgotten knowledge. The order was established some years ago and lived in harmony with a nearby town. Twelve years ago, a new high priest emerged within the primary temple of the town. He fostered fear and suspicion within his follower, making them deathly afraid of the what the arcane wizards were up to. One night in a religious thrall to this puritannical demagogue, a large portion of the town set out to massacre the blasphemers, raze their buildings and torch their library.

The elder mages of the order, overall a fair and just lot, were researchers at heart and had no experience with combat. In their panic, they unleashed an ancient necromantic spell from their archives,a spell that left the entire mob as a pile of shrunken, smoldering wretches before they expired. The mages were horrified by results, but viewed them as a necessity, as preservation of the archives had priority over all else.

The order fled, seeking to avoid repercussions from larger forces and the loss of additional life. They took only the knowledge and artifacts they had unearthed so far, otherwise starting over from the beginning. Finally, twelve years later, they have reestablished a secure, hidden base of operations. Agents are now being sent out into the world to resume the mission. These agents have been trained and equipped for their task- to explore, discover, and return back with their findings. Due to the recent events the order has a new emphasis on secrecy, and agents have been issued cover stories that would explain their activities.

Deklan, the most promising of the group of young new agents, had drawn the most dangerous assignment: to explore and survey the Mwangi expanse and surrounding areas. This was a task he had been prepared to undergo more than a decade ago, but events had delayed what he viewed as the start of his life. For this, he still maintains a considerable degree of bitterness toward those who express unthinking "faith".

He will freely volunteer that he is a surveying the area for a wealthy lord from Varisia, who is interested in hunting new, exotic game. The elders have advised him that one path to success is to fall in with a group- preferably one with some noble or lawful tendencies. Of course, a little greed in companions is never a bad thing- having your companions count out the gold while the real treasures are ignored makes things much easier. Deklan believes there are several individuals on the Jenivere who fit this prescription quite accurately, and he hopes to join up with them on a more permanent basis once they reach Sargovia.