>TM 4 >LS 2 >PS ON >PL58 >SM6 >CP ON >FO OFF >------L-----------------------!---------------------------R δ275δ Next morning you bid farewell to Tzai and his family Š before accompanying Chinn to the docks. Moored at a Š jetty by the old harbour wall is a sleek-prowed Š merchant trader called the ιVargasι that flies a Š Suhnese flag. Chinn takes you aboard this vessel and Š you meet with Gemulkin in his cabin at the stern. He Š is wiry man with a hooked nose and close-set eyes Š that gives him an expression of sly and cunning. Yet Š his voice is deep and resonant and you can tell that Š he is someone who is used to commanding respect. By Š way of introduction you present him with the scroll Š that his cousin gave you, and he smiles as he reads Š it. "If I had a Nobel for every favour I've done him over Š the years, I'd be a rich man," he says, jokingly. Š Then he furls the scroll and places it in the drawer Š of his chart table (erase this item from your ιAction Š Chartι). "Welcome aboard, Grand Master. Pay no attention to my Š jest. I owe my cousin more favours than I care to Š remember. You're welcome to sail with us to Suhn on Š the noon tide. All I ask is that you work your Š passage." You agree to Gemulkin's terms and shake his hand to Š seal the deal. He calls for one of his crew to come Š and show you to your bunk, but before you go with him Š you bid farewell to Chinn. He thanks you again, not Š only for saving his life but also for curing him of Š his distrust of foreigners. The ιVargasι sets sail on the noon tide. It is carrying Š a valuable cargo of silk, and Gemulkin is anxious Š that it should arrive safely in Suhn. He expects the Š voyage to last four days. During your first day Š aboard you help the crew with their duties and listen Š to their tales about the Sea of Winds. Gemulkin has Š ordered the crew to be especially vigilant on this Š voyage for pirate raiders from northern waters have Š become more daring of late. The ships of the Freedom Š Guild patrol the Sea of Winds to deter buccaneers, Š yet they cannot guarantee safe passage to any ship Š once it passes beyond Shuri Point. On the morning of the third day the lookout sights Š Shuri Point in the distance. As the ιVargasι swings Š around this rocky cape, you see a storm brewing on Š the horizon. A cluster of black clouds hover Š menacingly over the sea, discharging bolts of Š lightning that arc back and forth between the shore Š and the surface of the ocean. If you possess Elementalism, and wish to use it, turn Š to β329β If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn Š to β191β If you possess neither of these skills, or if you Š choose not to use them, turn to β76β