Frost Bites - Part One

The journey into shadow was made by ship. The Beast was rigged with her strongest sails and Ruby has promised a short trip to colder climes. While the vessel has been undergoing renovations to ensure quick access to cargo holds via overlarge hatches on the main deck, and the Rebman Merrisol has installed some unique organic beds along the railings (covered and insulated), what also can catch the eye is the metal covering at the bow. Looking like part of an enormous blade of grey metal, it shields the nautical figurehead of a kraken and Undine. Probably cuts down the Beast's top speed, but is bad news to things in the way.

The passage out of Amber lacks peril and is as easy sailing as it can be. But beyond her influence, the Beast is carried within the grip of the Pattern by her Captain. Shadow nodes of Golden Circles are avoided, though the course of the ship was initially headed for the path intended for New Kitezh. None of those scuffs-in-the-carpet are heeded though, and the Beast sets a new destination that's referenced from a particularly chilling looking charcoal drawing that a cabin boy holds for Captain Incarnate to reference. Then the passage upon the water gets choppy and far less easy.

The Beast climbs steep and treacherous waves, requiring most everything to be firmly lashed down, and people warned to have a place to anchor close at hand. Fog collects around the vessel. Then air becomes frigid, with frost threatening to form on the rigging and there's a bite to inhalations to the lungs. The trip goes through a number of turbulent phases as the canvas above flaps harshly with contesting gusts of wind. The ship barrels through it and the wind howls. The water below is as dark as the gloom above, though at least the stars are out, and they're wheeling beyond the capacity of a sextant to sight by, or the rational mind.

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