Surfing and losses

To Nicolos of Kor Volcas:

   Its with regret that I write this. I have failed utterly and have put good people into bondage and likely caused the deaths of many, if not all, our companions. I’m sending this from some room in an estate in Dion near to Olympus. I know not how I got here. The last memory I have was swimming ashore with a few of the Athenian hoplites and Niobe. Our keel boat smashed by the roiling waves and currents as Poseidon and Oceanus struggle further to sea.

   As I wrote in the last letter, we were within half a day of making landfall near Dion, the port closest to Olympus proper. Oceanus boiled up out of the ocean and the giant king’s vessel appeared out of the storm haze to our aft.  Suspecting that Oceanus had significant control over currents, weather, and other elements at sea, I ordered the sails reefed and the oars deployed. I cut the wheel over and made a run for the shore. The opposing ship is close enough that any currents or harmful wind will affect us both, hopefully tireless oars will let us pull away if slowly.  We successfully open the distance, taking advantage of the onshore wind and oars. Oceanus draws several watery creatures from the depths, and they flow upon the deck.  Alexandra immediately summons a mote of purple arcane energy to assault one of the watery creatures, its left reeling from the contact.  The two undazed elementals attack Erix and Silenos with limited success. Oceanus bellows in rage and surges after us, enraged by our attempt to escape.  He attacks the Dadylus with great jets of water, but our reinforced hull stands up well to the onslaught.  Several hoplites get one of the keel boats free and get arcane storm wounded crew into the boat.  Several hoplites lay into one of the watery elementals, with limited success.  Lady Thalia invokes some sort of banishment and two of the elements vanish as if never there. She also fortifies herself with a draught of well being after the stormy assault.

 Niobe moves to mid deck and makes some preparations for possible combat. Kyros also amid deck moves to the rail to see if he can spot the banished elementals. Silenos summons his healing spirits amid deck to save downed crew. He attempts to help me by getting a handle on the currents, but Oceanus has made that near if not impossible. The giant king, Apolyon, screams from the prow of his ship entreating his men to get closer. His vessel comes after us, but ultimately isn’t as quick and the gap opens somewhat. Ouroboros moves to mid decks and rallies the remaining crew of soldiers, his cadre of crew gather close to help repair or fight the Dadylus as needed. I’m focused on driving us ahead of Oceanus and Apolyon and opening the gap as much as I can. We pick up more speed and the gap open slightly. Another elemental surges back onto the deck, it might be the one that Alexandra had stunned before, a roiling human sized blob of water, looks like every other to me. Oceanus vents his rage raising a massive wall of water ahead of us, this wave is massive and frightening. The wall of water is at least 200 feet in height and extends well beyond our ability to maneuver around.

Thalia assists encouraging the few remaining crew to do what they can.  The injured crew moves away from the Dadylus in one of the keel boats. Hopefully they will be able to avoid Oceanus’s wave. Niobe summons a golden orb and launches it at the watery creature, it is visibly injured and suffused with light making it a clearer target. This apparently helps Kyros, as he stabs it shortly thereafter. Silenos on the aft castle, sets and arrow alight and takes aim at Apolyon’s sails. His arrow hits home and sets the sails to smouldering, hopefully they’ll catch fire.  Silenos’s companion sinks its teeth into the elemental, having some effect. Apolyon’s vessel fires the facing ballista at us, some hit some miss. While we are hit the hull stands up well. Ouroboros grabs the elemental and drags it to midships, while pummeling it in the face.

I’d heard that the Dadylus could ‘dive’.  I try the same process used to start, stop the oars, to no avail. The wall of water looms closer, the only thing I can think to do is to try and slew the Dadylus and use the face of the massive wave to drive us at Apolyon’s ship. They shouldn’t expect that, perhaps we can gain some advantage.  Alexandra wisely heads below deck. Oceanus surges forward but seemed confused by our maneuvering. He laughs in rage at our folly. Ouroboros and crew do some short-term mending to the hull, buttoning us up as best they can. Thalia summons some emboldening energies which dance briefly around Ouroboros, Kyros, Erix and herself. Niobe finds a place to hold on mid ships. Silenos flies and latches on high to one of the centrals masts.  Apolyon’s ship drives closer, also apparently confused by what I’ve got in mind. Ouroboros, grasps on to the central rail.

The Dadylus is a lovely ship and can handle what I’m asking of it; we slide up the on-rushing wall of water as I let the bow dip and the oars help us complete the turn bringing us into line with Apolyon’s vessel and with the wave acting as a boon to our propulsion. Alexandra peers up from below decks at all of the rapid rolling movement, and again wisely drops back below deck and holds tight. Oceanus is mightily confused and reacts by assaulting us with jets of water again.  Striding out of the wave comes a welcome sight. Poseidon himself has arrived and counters the jets of water before hurling his trident. Oceanus attention is pulled quickly toward the god of the oceans. The hoplites all find places to hold on and prepare. Thalia moves to the command deck to get a better vantage point. Niobe moves up to the forecastle, takes aim at Apolyon and wings the giant with an arrow further enraging the king of the giants. Kyros makes his was to Ouroboros and braces. Silenos also lets loose at Apolyon, but misses. Given the distance and the rapid change in our position, its not a wonder. Ouroboros moves to the forecastle, standing and staring at Apolyon.

I take aim with our ram to midships on Apolyon’s vessel, with our speed this should even up some of the footing or so I hope. Alexandra emerges from below deck and comes to the forecastle. She summons a seed of fire which streaks across the space and bursts amongst the sails, lighting them afire and scorching a couple of the giants on board. Its here I have this vague feeling of something happening, its like I can recall a dream where it happened, but clearly it didn’t. I feel like the serpent of the oceans wound around Oceanus, surged forward striking at Ouroboros and dragging him from the deck. But moments later Ouroboros is still standing on the forecastle turning slowly to face Apolyon. I also feel like there was a tussle between Kyros, Niobe, and a few of the hoplites, as Kyros attempted to follow Ouroboros into the sea. A couple of the hoplites did seemingly get flung by Kyros off the forecastle to midships. I don’t trust my recollections of events, too focused on getting us on the right line.

  Silenos looses again from the aft castle, striking Apolyon twice. This causes Apolyon to lose his stuff, as he can be seen and heard railing against the sea, Oceanus and even Kronos. Not sure what he’s saying, but it is certainly filled with venom and passion.  At the last moment Apolyon’s ballistas fire, ruining our sails completely, but that won’t matter in a moment. We strike Apolyon’s ship aft of their forecastle. We didn’t entirely sever their vessel, but it was a near thing. Both ships are lodged quite firmly together in a single mass.  The hoplites make ready for boarders as this becomes a different kind of fight.

  I move from the command deck to mid ships and lob the largest of the goat statues onto the forecastle. I shout for Kyros and Erix to make use of the horns.  Hopefully someone will get on and the terror the beast inspires will help keep the deck clear. Apolyon does some shouting of his own, I don’t follow any of it, but a hot moment later he lands with a thud on our mid deck after stabbing at some of the hoplites on the fore castle. He also summons some sort of Spartan specter to the midships near to Silenos. Kyros hurls his spear, striking Apolyon before pulling the left horn of the goat, revealing a long slightly curved horn blade. He then leaps at Apolyon who brushes him aside with an armored shoulder. Thalia causes an orb of purple static to appear near the front of the giant vessel, encompassing two of the greater giants there. One seems shaken and dazed, both seem somewhat injured by the assault. Niobe is significantly pragmatic, she shoots and kills two of the ballista crew, rendering that device in operable.

Lady Alexandra hurls that grey ray of dissolution at Apolyon’s vessel. Thalia’s sash flares for a moment and the ray is cleaved with the second being directed at Apolyon himself. Both are vessel and captain are devastated. Apolyon is enraged with Alexandra’s interference. Silenos strikes at the specter to little effect, then with a rush of wind he moves across the deck and shoots at Apolyon, striking him; but is ignored. The hoplites a mid-deck reform and strike as a phalanx at Apolyon. They hit the giant king, but are too mostly ignored. Erix jumps astride the goat on the foredeck, commanding the hoplites there as they brace to repel borders. Each hurl their spears and make ready with the seconds. The giants find the welcome unappealing. One of the leading giants is struck by terror and moves back allowing his fellow to advance, the goat seems to be working. The hoplites stab out at the approaching giants but are soon wrapped in weighted nets. Apolyon takes a swinging back hand to Alexandra, pitching her over the side and into the water, where she is sucked below in the swirling currents.

  I dash with winged feet over the side, and transport Alex back to mid deck, before diving headlong into the rent in Apolyon’s ship. I’ve got to see what I can do about the command crew which is trying to direct the ballista. I find myself standing amongst slave rowers and one whip wielding slave master. I lose track of much of what goes on. Not long after I enter the ship, I can hear another splash into the water of someone being tossed or falling into the sea. The creaking and splintering of wood is all around me, so I can’t make out many details. A few moments later, the hatches to the deck open and two of the command crew come to investigate. One is a large man with a massive club, the other a lean dark skinned person. I’ve heard Alexandra and you describe the drow, this must be one of those people. The bald man says something taunting, I reply in kind. In the next moment I lash out kicking over a nearby lantern with candle, creating a dark space in the middle of the ship as the flame gutters out. I leap over some stored barrels and crates, rolling forward to sink my blade take deeply into the bald man. He’s forced to take a knee in pain. I might have been a little premature in taunting him however.

  In a moment he was up again swinging his massive club which connects repeatedly. I’m dazed and somewhat confused. His Drow companion steps sideways and fires some small miniature ballista at me. The small dart lodges in my shoulder and for a moment the world spins and I fall to the floor. I’m able to shake off the worst of the effects, though I still feel dazed and sluggish. With regrets I subtly invoke invisibility and my father’s gift to transport myself out of the hold and into the air amongst the sails as the hatches were left open. Its not long before both folks clamber back on deck, staring up into the masts, I quietly extract myself and rush away from the ship, still feeling what ever was on that dark coursing in my blood.

  As I said I’m not sure what happened while I was below decks on Apolyon’s ship. But what I see now horrifies me. Our second keelboat is in the water and the hoplites are pulling Niobe in while pushing away with the oars. Three giants stand on the deck of the Dadylus with Silenos being the only companion I can still see. While I’m still taking this in, I see one of the giants, hands outstretched and cupped like a child with an insect, lose those hands to an unbelievably large shark breaching the water and severing them mid forearm in one clean bite. Silenos fires twice at Apolyon as he strides back to his vessel. He’s struck twice to the face, falling to his deck.  Slaves run to help as giants return with a net full of hoplites turned slaves. Two giants remain on the Dadylus, swinging at Silenos, but failing to connect.  I try and move Silenos to the keel boat, only Perseus is moved. Silenos remains on the ship.  Enough of the slaves manage to get Apolyon’s feet underhim, and man one of the ballistae. They fire at Silenos, barely missing. That’s enough for Silenos and he dives into the sea vanishing into the waters. I dash forward to try and snag the once again figure sized goat. One giant takes pity on the one missing his hands and cleaves his skull with one massive axe blow. The other makes ready to do similar to me but is stopped by Apolyon who lets me take my toy and leave. I grab the figurine and head to the keel boat. The Dadylus lost. Our companions lost. I strive to guide the keel through these god and titan tossed waves and currents. But honestly, it’s a nearly lost cause. I get us close to shore before we are finally broken. I clearly recall seeing several of us pull ourselves onto the shore, panting, bloodied and collapsing in the sand.

  Now it is morning, and I find myself in a small well-appointed room. The worst of my own injuries have been bandaged. There is a note on a near by table, requesting me to see out the lord of Dion. I’ll have to take an assessment of myself and equipment before I undertake any such effort. I know I had to get this out to you, so someone knows of our fate and the folly of my choices which killed so many. There will be vengeance if I can manage it. But I fear it won’t be swift. I’ll write again once I’ve taken stock. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my failings this day.

With remorse,

Gyasi