Quest The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Haunting yourself as the real thing.

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An inland sea created by Ivak's cataclismic fury during the Valterrian, the Suvan Sea is a major trade route and the foremost hub for piracy in Mizahar. [lore]

The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Cascade on August 24th, 2012, 10:25 am

Anchorage Flotilla
Early Morning, 30th Summer 512 AV

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The waters were peaceful. The mass of ships tied together seemed to be one with Laviku’s domain as it went along with its God’s whims, to be led to wherever he wished. Residents and visitors were only starting to rise from their beds. At the sixth bell of the day, the Anchorage Flotilla was not yet busy. The air was still misty as Syna was only starting to rise.

Just the previous night, Bob Barton and his companions had tied their ship to the flotilla. It was their first morning to travel with the mass of ships. Bob was one of many who were still in bed. Sleeping in a ship’s cabin, he would be awoken by a nasty, high-pitched scream—and it was followed by more, only to dwindle away eerily and somewhat naturally.

Up on the ship’s deck, a middle-aged woman with a very worried expression looked around. She huddled under a thick coat, frozen in place on the deck of the ship that Bob had been sleeping in.

In the Flotilla, all the decks of the tied ships could be walked upon liberally. The woman had been passing by when she heard the now-too-familiar screams. This woman, a long-time resident, just stood there, deep in thought. If Bob thought of going on deck to investigate the strange screams, he would run into her.
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Bob Barton on August 24th, 2012, 7:20 pm

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This would be Bob's second time passing through the Flotilla and it never ceased to amaze him. The way that the people can trust each other to allow them to walk freely on their ships?!? That said something when compared to cities like the dangerous Sunberth and even safe Syliras as two complete opposites. The svefras of the Suvan...are...complete barbarians. At least Bob can sleep a little bit better when he thought about those stinking pirates a bit. He was not only living in one of their ships thus making him a less desirable victim in a sense, he would also have no problems killing and claiming "compensation" from anyone stupid enough to attack him. If and when Jinsen wakes him up once he detects the intruders.

However it was not Jinsen that woke him up this morning. It was a high pitched scream. Wait forget that, it was many high pitched screams. If it was only one, Bob would have been able to ignore it but what he heard was enough to tell him something was going on. Something bad. He did not get through so many troublesome events this long if he did not at least act a little bit prudent. Bob quickly got up and got dressed making sure that he had his armor on well before arming himself up with his weapons. While not even he himself could see those easily concealable and hidden weapons, just knowing that they were by him made him feel confident enough to check out what was going on outside especially when that stupid dog that was supposed to act as his sentry was still sleeping blissfully unaware of anything else.

Bob would have kicked it awake to teach it a lesson if not for his intentions to remain hidden. Ignoring it he walked off, taking care to not make a sound when his feet went over the wooden ship. Even with his constant boasts that he is a Zeltivan, Bob never had anything to do with the ships while he was there. That meant he had no proper sealegs to get through. By some miracle, he did not wake anyone else in the ship up even with the creaks and squeaks! He was not done yet though. As far as he knew it was safer for him in the ship that out. Bob continued walking slowly, carefully to make as little noise as possible until he was near the deck.

Peeking out only leaving his head as visible as he did not even want it to be, Bob took a look around. For all the screams that he heard it was as peaceful as it could be at the Flotilla. Everything was just fine. No one running and screaming with the chaos. Perhaps these people really are barbarians and the screaming some sort of wake up call. Somehow Bob missed that the last time he came around...but wait! It looked like he missed something else today as well when his eyes spied on some shaky lump on the deck. Looking closer, it was a woman. Some, damsel in distress?

What exactly she was trying to hide from, Bob could not find when he made another sweep with his eyes. The ships was eerily empty when compared to how things were during the day. Clutching his weapon and taking care, Bob quietly shuffled forward not wanting to bring any attention to himself until he reached the woman just in case whatever it was she was hiding from is still around. Hopefully she would notice him earlier or not scream out when he finally whispers "what are you hiding from?'
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Cascade on August 30th, 2012, 2:31 pm

When he spoke, she jumped in surprise, though she refrained from screaming. Still grasping the cloak tightly around herself, she turned around, her aged face contorted into fury. The woman looked like she was about to slap him, but instead she hissed at him. “You do not sneak upon a person that way, mister dwarf!”

Her accent was heavily Fratava. Judging from her features, and the dancing mark of the Laviku on her shoulder, it was evident that she was one of the Svefra. The woman looked him up and down, evidently judging him.

“I am not hiding from anyone. You cannot hide from the dead,” she said sternly. The woman could tell he was not a resident of the Flotilla. “You do not know about the dead who currently walk through these ships? I advice it would be best for you and your companions to leave immediately, lest one of them decide to stow away on your ship.”

With that, she turned away from him and started to walk. Bob would need to be more specific if he needed answers from her, or if he wanted to investigate the screaming.
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Bob Barton on August 30th, 2012, 4:10 pm

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Mister dwarf would concur that it was not nice to sneak up on people the way he did but given the situation, eerie screams and scared hiding people "I thought it would be safer if I did? Are you alright Miss pi-vefra?" Just almost he brought in that good old Zeltivan hatred to the pirates. Bob was more worried about the screams to look her over as she did to him, using his time to better look around again. Despite what she said, she is hiding from something. She might not be worried or frightened by it based on how spirited she was in telling him off, but she was hiding from something.

Something that he could not find despite Syna's light. "The dead that walks?" he asked. He saw no one walking or being around because he would have had his weapons prepared already. If it was what he thinks she meant then he doubted that there would be any problems for him. He knew nuits and they are pretty fragile. If they had magic, so did he. And "I don't think they would be able to stow away without us knowing or throwing them overboard later" Bob assured with a laugh. Well probably they would not throw the nuit overboard like that since it would make sure they get more dead. They might not need to breath but there are still things that would eat weak, defenseless corpses.

But of course Bob was way off with his assumption given how the woman reacted to that and he chased her. If it was not nuits, the dead can only be...ghosts. Anything but that were things that he was confident of surviving! Bob was getting a bit worried even when he had his weapons with him. "Just how many are there?" he asked because he knew that "the last time I was here things were normal." Very normal if normal was looked at as the lack of screams and hiding people. With what little he knew he decided to ask the woman more to see if he should take her advice and tell everyone to leave immediately.

Ghosts only stay behind for reasons of their own and here she is suggesting them as a collective. "Why are they here?" he asked since the ones ferrying him and Jason to Syliras assured them that it would be a safe trip. In other words, since his last time "what happened here?" If it was something really big and bad these ghosts would be just like all the other ghosts that has terrorized Bob. It could have been that horrible storm but normally the people who suggested that it happened all over the world were drunks, or idiots that Speakers and gamblers alike would not believe.
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Cascade on September 2nd, 2012, 6:58 am

The woman looked at him incredulously. The disdain in her expression was now more apparent than ever. She could not tell why he couldn’t understand though, and she was blind to the fact that she herself was being as vague as possible.

“Ghosts cannot be thrown overboard, you silly man,” she hissed at him. “I don’t know how many there are. I do not count them. They are the victims of the terrible storm… surely you know about the storm I am speaking about?”

Thinking about the storm made her feel dizzy. Sighing, she closed her eyes took a moment to regain her composure. The next moment she spoke, her voice had lost its indifference and was now filled with what could only be interpreted as sadness.

“My daughter is with them… if only… if only there was one to help them move on,” she said in a barely audible whisper. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him once more. “You are a half-man, but you look able. My name is Ceona of the esteemed Whitewave clan, protector of the Anchorage. Help us, and I will help you back. I know the Flotilla better than anyone, and I will get you anything if you ask.”

It was a practiced speech. She wasn’t offering him the deal because she thought he knew how to deal with ghosts (she had no way of judging this), but because out of desperation, she would have asked anyone interested.
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Bob Barton on September 2nd, 2012, 4:08 pm

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Yes she was very vague but her spiteful response at least filled in the blanks for Bob. The Flotilla had a ghost infestation. Those were the dead that Bob had no way of running from, hiding from or fighting back. That was the reason why he was afraid of them. Not only he could not hide from them, he also could not defend against them and they were all as proven from the ones he ever encountered, evil. The only thing tying them to the world as Bob believed from his experiences was to hurt the living. A better motivation for them would arise from the fact that the Suvan was also hit by the storm. An informative statement since Bob thought it only happened in Alvadas.

Obviously the amount of deaths would be many if not more in the open sea compared to a city protected by a god. Possibly a lot of pirates would have unfinished business too or just felt that it was unfair that they were the ones taken from life. If pillaging and looting meant nothing to their immaterial hands they could always go to the other thing that they were known for. Terrorizing and killing. The name Ceona or the so called esteemed Whitewave clan meant nothing for Bob who only ever passed through the Suvan to get to more civilized cities. It only told him that she was a pirate and her daughter was a pirate. Or was her daughter a pirate when she said "...with them? Do you mean the ghosts have your daughter or your daughter is a gulp ghost?"

Either one did not sound good but Bob would be more likely to help, or find someone else to help if it was the former. What if her daughter joined the collective malice of the ghosts? Then Bob might find himself joining them later too. "I don't know what sort of help you'd expect from a half-man" but Bob would agree that he was pretty able. However "if you know things and can get anything, shouldn't you know and be able to..." what was it? "...help the ghosts to move on?" If the woman thought that dealing with ghosts meant being possessed and terrorized, she had the right man but she probably did not which is why Bob had to correct her that "I'd like to help if they think I can" and if there was some reward behind it "but I don't know how."

Offering a reward was good and all but if it was only that, Bob would have gambled with some of the other pirates. Now Bob was going to need more and if the woman was desperate enough, she is going have to satisfy Bob's request "I'm going to need to know why all this is happening" because otherwise he would not be able "to help."
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Cascade on September 6th, 2012, 2:25 pm

“My daughter was taken by the storm,” she answered, not wishing to go further down that topic. She assumed that one statement would be able to answer any more questions about her daughter.

The half-man did have a point, though. What did he have that would help? The woman was just about to walk away, defeated, when she decided to give him another chance.

And this time she looked at him differently. She delved into his aura, her eyes and mind focused on the task—and she gave a slight gasp at what she saw.

“You carry one of the cards with you…” she whispered with realization. “Perhaps something led you here? I hear the cards bring its owners together, but I never knew it was true…”

Her voice trailed off as she continued to ramble, and Bob wouldn’t understand it. And if Bob asked about her hushed words, she wouldn’t delve further. She didn’t have enough information about it either—or perhaps she just didn’t want to share it. At that moment though, Ceona Whitewave realized why the ghosts had been even more restless the night before.

“My daughter was a collector of the cards,” she explained. “I don’t know where she hid the rest, but the seers have told me they led her to ruin, led her to be taken by the storm. Take yourself to the north point of the Anchorage, there you will her old ship… and convince her that those damn cards are not worth being tied to this world. If you allow her to leave this world, I will give you what you want most… as long as it is to my ability.”
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Bob Barton on September 6th, 2012, 7:13 pm

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That was actually the answer that Bob needed to his question but it still left him unsure if he should be afraid or relieved. Would meeting and then talking to or trying to kill a ghost be more harder than needing to kill a whole group of them if that was what this Ceona was asking? How would Bob even kill a ghost? With all those times he met any ghost he was attacked, abused and terrorized except for that Lucerne in Sunberth since she seemed a friendly enough person but...that would never change the fact that she was a ghost and all ghosts to Bob are bad! The only way he knew to beat a ghost was to use another ghost but can Bob find any that was willing to help him among the mass of jealous undead? He thought a little bit about what he wanted to do with what he just learnt and what he could actually do while svefra appraised him of his capabilities, gasping before he was able to come to his own conclusion.

"Cards?" Bob asked as confused as he would be everytime Ceona said something. Being a gambler himself there was no reason why "I shouldn't be carrying cards then? I don't understand...?" what she was talking about cards and how they were supposed to bring their owners together. Were these some sort of calling cards? Bob had none of those since his interest was in the playing type. Everything she said did not make any sense even when he asked "what cards Ceona?" leaving him to wait for her to finish her rambling and only taking out the card asking "this card?" if she pointed it out to him. It was an odd thing that Bob found in Zeltiva being useless since it was incomplete but he kept it anyway since it intrigued him since the first time he found it in the shop. The challenge that was presented to him for trying to collect and complete the so called cursed deck was not something that he would look away from either being the gamesman he was.

So her daughter was trying to collect the cards as well. "Right." There might be some similarities with Bob and the pirates after all but does this mean what Raleaph said about a curse was true? The seers if they werenot some pirate frauds and Ceona's daughter's death by the storm seemed to suggest that. Bob believed that this was going to be an opportunity to unravel some of that mystery surrounding the cards Raleaph refused to indulge him. Although Ceona did not answer any of his questions earlier, he felt that now would the best time for him to ask. "Ceona..." hoping that he was not crossing any boundaries with the pirate that claimed to be able to get what Bob wants most to the best of her ability "...can you tell me your daughter's name, and how her ship looks like?" Despite what he did not know about ghosts, he knew people and "I can't really help her if I don't know who she is, or which one of those many ships belong to her." Hopefully the child of the Whitewave would have no malice like all those other ghosts and be more like the nice one Bob met in Sunberth. Happy to have a nice and friendly conversation with a fleshling.

And once he was done asking the obvious questions, it was time to get to the questions he really wanted answers to. Keeping it to the topic of her daughter Bob asked "what did she like so much about those cards to keep her here like this?" and in order to stress the importance of his question he asked again "what are they worth to her?" If Ceona refused to answer he would remind her that "its going to be hard to help her move on if I don't know why she doesn't or how the are affecting her this way."
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Cascade on September 11th, 2012, 3:06 pm

A foul expression appeared on Ceona’s face as Bob showed her the card he had with him. She recognized it immediately, and nodded in order to let him know that she was referring to that one.

“Liana. That was my daughter’s name,” she replied, albeit cautiously. “Her ship’s called Antoinette. Its name is painted on its side, so you won’t miss it. Or you can just ask around… they will know. I cannot tell you what binds her to the cards, mister dwarf. Had I known, I would have helped her move on some time ago. I only hope that meeting another with the card will convince her to share her story to you. All I know is that they were given to her by travelers who passed by the Anchorage, and her obsession with them drove her to madness.”

At that point, the residents of the Anchorage were already leaving their homes for another busy day. The moving town was starting to come alive, and Bob would not have a difficult time looking for someone to show him towards the right way. Ceona pointed towards the North as well, giving him a head start.

“I assume by your questions that you are willing to aide us. I wish you Laviku’s grace.”

With that, she left him behind to search for the ship.
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The Ghost of a Good Thing [Bob Barton]

Postby Bob Barton on September 12th, 2012, 6:39 pm

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Whats with the face, whats with the face?! The card was pretty or Bob would not have shown interest in that particular deck out of so many other curiosities in that store. Apparently the svefra did not share in her daughter's taste. It is probably good that Bob is going to meet this Liana. Anyone, pirate or not, is probably a good person if they liked cards. Good as in Bob should be wary about any attempts to trick him of his stuff like he would. Keeping the card away as soon as Ceona verified it Bob waited for her to explain to him everything before assuring that "I'll do my best for your daughter lady White..." whale? Mane? For a moment there Bob forgot that it was white "...wave" but fortunately he remembered that all these svefrans liked to have strange seaish names. "I just hope she would be as welcoming as you put her" based on their mutual interests of...gambling! What else could Bob think she wanted the cards for?

It was as if all that time talking Bob forgot about what was happening around him until he saw so many people passing by him. Men and women going to get on with their lives without showing any concern about those who lost theirs and were screaming from the night before. Maybe he should have just minded his own business and crawled deeper into his bed when he heard it but then...he would have missed out on this interesting thing. His starting point would be "there? The Antoinette right?" he asked confirming as he tried to look for it among all the other boats at the direction. A Wavestar here below the only star in the sky which is Syna for most, a Seawind which was annoyingly blocking the cooling ocean breeze from the dwarf and even an odd Robert Alexandra near the center which did not look like it belonged...anywhere but no Antoinette sadly enough. Bob would find it eventually so he set off with a "same to you" even if he did not really give a crap about Laviku or his grace.

Since Ceona told him it would be easy enough to find it with the help of other people Bob asked around on his way about "where can I find Liana's ship" or "where's the Antoinette" if not "point me to the north" relying on where he was sent to. He was like a jellyfish drifting aimlessly in the ocean but when some of the people started to say he was close he begun to change his questions a little bit to those like "I heard a Liana is collecting some cards" and "have you heard of a Liana Whitewave" which if was not accurate enough was added with a "Ceona's daughter" to see if he can find out more about the ghost girl he was going to meet. He might as well get started, and prepared for a hopefully not another dangerous ghost encounter but he might as well take some precautions. Precautions like asking "do you know what she does" or a "do you know who she is" to prepare himself with a rough plan of action.

Maybe he should look for one of those people who can control ghosts as well like the creepy little girl he knew back in Zeltiva but if there was such a person in the Flotilla why did Ceona, the woman who could find anything not use them? Oh well. If Bob really needed such a thing then probably Kelwyn would lead him to one. One with a big sign that he could identify like a ghost in a crossed circle? Ghosts were after all, lost causes lingering in the world because they did not want to accept it.
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Bob Barton
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