The Story so far...

[Mr_Praetorian]

"Nobody fires a shot until we have orders from the Captain of the Ship." Snapped Faerlan.

"Aye." replied Vulgora, cracking her knuckles.

[Squall255]

"Alright alright. Nobody fires a shot." Alexius says as he looks over at Faina and the fear and horror still in her face. Suddenly there is an explosion of fire upon the deck of the opposing ship, near the waterline on the right hand side.

Energy Ball Augmented to 10PP: (DC 19 Concentration check to Manifest w/out display: , pass)
Damage: Ref Save DC 21 for 1/2.

As a note: it does not look like Alexius initiated anything. There was no flare of power around him, and his concentration seemed to be on Faina, not the ship, though he did glance over at the ship the moment before he looked at Faina. Also, Alexius has yet to manifest Fire, he has only used Lightning and Sonic so far.

[Mr_Praetorian]

The explosion immediately grabbed everyone's attention. Though the thick fog obscured most of the incident, the blast was no less vivid, or loud. Within the seconds, the ship began to slip beneath the waves. As the ship sank, Caelian, with a bit more willpower than earlier, made his way up to the the deck, and watched it sink. His face was blank.

"Look's a powder explosion, from here. Hard to tell though, what with the fog." Said, Niles, squinting his eyes and looking out into the distance.

"Couldn't be a powder explosion, there's not enough black smoke for that." Replied Sarelani, pulling out a magical telescopic device. "The fact that it was a merchant vessel notwithstanding, who in their right mind would put the powder room near the waterline."

"Good eyes, Sarelani. If that was a powder explosion, the hull would have ruptured and exploded out all around, but only one side went off, right?"

"Something is amiss." replied Niles, scratching.

"I'd say so." Replied Faerlan, looking directly at Alexius.

(Anyone who beats a DC 20 spot check notices that Vulgora has pulled out one of her Khatars, and has exchanged looks with Faerlan at least twice).

[Zanaikin]

(spot check... I can take a -20 circumstantial penalty here, roll a 1, and still make it)

Faina was still caught in surprise by the sudden explosion aboard what she already considered a 'hostile' ship when she noticed Vulgora drawing arms with her peripheral vision. She sighed and turned about, looking between Vulgora, Faerlan, and Alexius with stern disappointment mixed with some annoyance and a trace of anger. Before anyone else can stop her, Faina already went on full ranting mode.
"Vulgora, just what... do you think you're doing?"
"Faerlan, may I remind you that our guests here are provided to us by the city of Sasserine in order to assist with the mission at hand."
"Has a dozen days at sea already made both of you forget the reason why we're here? Are you intending to perform the jobs of the Crimson Fleet for them by starting a fight that'll possibly sink our own ship faster than they can? Or telling Demetrius in your death that you failed the mission just because you had to teach the newcomers some manners? We are here to unify our strength and bring the fight to our enemy, not to start fights amongst comrades! Learn to think with your head for two seconds rather than with your pride!"

"...and you Alexius. Know that while you are not part of the Platinum Dolphins and thus not subject to Faerlan, Tann, or mine command, you are still aboard the Sea Wyvern under the hospitality of Tann and his crew. Therefore I suggest you either learn to respect the other officers aboard this ship, or learn to swim yourself back to dry land! Because you job here certainly isn't to provoke confrontations for the enemy's benefits!"

(not exactly 'diplomatic' in the sense of the word, but I want to get the Professor Minerva, or better yet Cote [if you had CSW Calculus] effect through: Diplomacy 33)

(readying action to cast Kelpstrand on if this gets out of hand - and I'm certainly not stupid to start casting already, just gesturing at them in an accusing manner while mentally preparing myself)

[Mr_Praetorian]

"This isn't about pride, this is about how we run this ship. I don't know how you run things when you're scouting. But, on this ship, nobody opens fire until the Captain of the ship gives the command! That's not you! That's Tannhuaser! A commander should damn well know that!" Snapped Faerlan, as he looked over at Faina.

Everyone else on board was far too confused to follow.

"Oh, I get it! He's a psion! No wonder their wasn't a semantic display." Said Niles, rather absent minded.

"Besides, you think this one'll follow your rules? He's an agent of chaos this one is. He follows nothing but his own whims, and my intuition tells me that his impulses are going to get us killed."

"Not surprising that he ended up with the Crimson Fleet, is it?" echoed Vulgora, eyes fixed on Alexius.

[Mr_Praetorian]

(Spot Check: )

Tannhauser was just about to being slowly steering the Wyvern away from the damaged vessel when the explosion occurred. "I never gave any orders!!" he shouted from the helm. As the argument broke out he handed control of the helm to a sailor next to him and gave orders to steer away from the wreckage, lest anything that survived climb aboard his ship. He ran down the stairs to the main deck and flared the glowing orb in his armor to its maximum brightness as he shouted, "THATS ENOUGH! ALL OF YOU!" Turning to Vulgora and Faerlan, "Vulgora, stand down." He walked back to the stairs and turned back towards them, "Now, there will be no more bickering, arguing, or threating amongst my crew. AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"

[Mr_Praetorian]

"Aye, sir." Said Faerlan, as Vulgora re-sheathed her khatar. "Make sails, and lets get the hell out of this fog!" He barked, breaking the grip of shock that had come over the crew. Though still confused, the sailors were quite willing to leave the fog.

[Squall255]

"What the hell are you all TALKING about? I didn't fire anything. I said alright. Fire isn't my style anyway! You all should know that by now. Thunder and Lightning, that's my element." Alexius says, surprised that he is being suspected. Bluff check if required, though he technically isn't lying:

Also: the no display means that there is absolutely NO indication that the effect was related to me. Tann and Faina would not know what Psionics are, and therefore have no way to tie what happened on the boat to me. Cmon guys, inchar/outtachar knowledge.

[Mr_Praetorian]

Most of the crew seemed to ignore his comments as they went about their duties, though they all still looked quite confused.

"You know, Faerlan, it is possible that came from something or someone else." Niles said.

"Sure." Faerlan responded, continuing to glare Alexius before walking up and taking his place behind the helm.

"Getting back to the mission." Niles replied. "Captain, Caelian and I have been looking over the maps here, and we've learned that we're going to be coming up to a bit of a fork in the road. Essentially, the Elspire Sea ends at a breaking point made by a jagged mountain-ridden island, and splits off in two directions. If we head West, then we arrive back in the ocean, but, according Caelian, we'll be in for more of that storm. The other option takes us South West, and a bit more in the direction of our destination. The problem, is that it will also land us smack dab in the middle of Galthireon Protectorate territory. Captain?"

(Know: History, Local, or Politics (Nobility) to learn about this kingdom)

[Squall255]

(How about one of each? History, Local, Nobility in that order)

DM Response: Alexius knows that the Galtherion Protectorate has a long history of socio-political upheavals, and has gone through a cycle of oppression, revolution, and reorganization many times since the original Galtherion province was established roughly 105 years ago. In its current state, Galtherion is a tyrannical monarchy, just how they started nearly a century ago.

[Zanaikin]

Faina: "As far as I know, there are no Platinum Dolphin outposts in Galthireon, and probably for good reason. The true rulers there are a pompous and greedy lot, downright tyrants when you come down to it. If we're lucky we can pass through without much problems. If not? We could be quarantined there for who knows how long for some stupid reason and the organization would have no means of bailing us out. I'd suggest taking west. The dangers of nature are far more predictable in comparison to the depth of human mistrust and greed. Besides, we've already managed through that storm once, and we can definitely do it again with some effort and care."

[Mr_Praetorian]

"I'd have agreed with Faina, the Storm will be rough. But I'm fairly certain that we already faced the brunt of it." said, Caelian. "If you want, I can send my companion ahead to scout? Captain?"

[Squall255]

"The anarchy of nature cannot stand to the chaos created by human hands. My vote is for the storm. I'll see what I can do about some of the worst of the winds. This exposure may have triggered something." (Read, I just found out that I know a power called Control Air, I can decrease the speed of wind by up to 60 MPH for 12 min in a 50ft. radius for a cost of 8 PP)

[Mr_Praetorian]

Despite the opinions that came rolling in, Tann seemed distracted by something, and made no reply. Several awkward moments went by as his crew and companions watched him stare off into space. Eventually Faerlan broke the silence.

"Alright lads and lasses. Make for the storm, we've weathered it once, and we'll take 'er again!"

And so, the ship sailed off, due for the storm...

[Mr_Praetorian]

Week 2, Day 6

The rest of the trip through the Elspire sea went shockingly peaceful. It was a rare occasion indeed, to sail through such waters without encountering any form of piracy. Perhaps the Protectorate had finally managed to the ones who usually stalked the waters, or maybe the 'Wyvern was just lucky. Either way, the ship was was almost out, and nearing the "fork" which Niles had spoke of. To the South-East, the sea opened to the vastness of Galtherion territory, while to the South-West, the storm could already be seen.

Caelian eyed the storm cautiously. "Something's not right." He announced, looking back at those at the helm. "Something about that storm is, wrong..."

Before he could say any more, a sailor on lookout duty interjected. "Sails ahoy! Two miles and a quarter from the Stern! Drommond Class Warship! Look's like she's attempting to close!"

(Detect Ship: King's Saber; Dromond Class vessel; armed with 8 light bombards (4/side), and two heavy bombards (mounted on the main deck); the ship is moving to slow to close, unless the 'Wyvern was to slow down.)