Fantasy Skyworld: Age of Sail

[Saturn_moon]

INEJ BAYAUT
On board the Maiden's Revenge​

As soon as Historia's feet crossed the threshold, Inej swiftly shut the door behind them, barring the girl from any further attempts to enter the room. Seeing Cinder approach, she pinched the bridge of her nose and took a slow, deep breath. Gods give me patience. The sun had since set, the sky darkened to a dusky blue. Lightning sparked above, bright flashes muted by a dense sea of grey clouds, accompanied by the heavy scent of petrichor. One second... two second... three second... four second... Another flash. The storm was at most a mile away and based on the wind's speed and direction, the young woman guessed it would be upon them within the hour.

"Unless you're here to tell me that you've blown a hole into the hull of the ship or that the rest of the crew had been taken hostage by the Ridolfite Navy, neither of you should be up at the helm." She snapped before giving Cinder a suspicious side glance. "Why are you back anyway? Don't tell me you've already lost all your money at the tables."

It was then Inej noticed several workers approaching the docks below with a cart filled with large wooden crates. Captain Mercer had notified her before disembarking of a large shipment that would be delivered to the Maiden although he had conveniently left out what exactly that shipment would consist of. She sometimes wondered how the Captain expected the crew to trust him so wholly when he barely trusted them.

"Sal! Addam!" She called out. "Break's over. Time to get to work!" No response. Sensing something was amiss, Inej hurriedly searched the deck only to find a bucket and mop abandoned by the foremast where she had last seen the deckhand. Realisation struck and anger rose in her like a tide. For Sal's sake, she hoped the man had found religion because it would take a divine intervention to stop her from murdering that petulant man-child with her bare hands after she hunted him down.

Firelie II-CinderRadcliff-II welian Selee-01
Mini mention: Darth

 

[Archie]

The walk from the Emporium to the ship was more than twenty minutes. Captain Mercer had almost made it back to the safety of his vessel by the time he was interrupted. It was downpouring. Sixty men, wearing the plain green uniform of the Army of the Principality of Altersdale approached him, led by an officer bearing a tricorn. This was Colonel Lionheart Rutherford, Captain Mercer knew. He was the son of the only other noble family in Altersdale besides that of the Prince, and, though he had a reputation for being a stern and competent officer, naturally rose to his position mainly due to his name.

The men stopped before the captain, forming two lines and shouldered their flintlock muskets. Lionheart approached, stopping before the captain.

"Prince Reese cordially invites you to dinner, sire" said the colonel. He grimaced as he said those words, this order clearly making the man of duty feel uncomfortable, but it was his obligation to carry it out.

"Your attendance is not optional"

It was raining, so no one could hear what was going on aboard the Maiden's revenge, which was not far away. Soon, however, the plot would be revealed. As the thunder got closer and closer to Altersdale and the wind accelerated, out of the clouds descended a massive 102-gun ship of the line bearing the Ridolfite naval ensign, along with two frigates and three freighters. Inej and Captain Mercer both knew that ensign - it was Realizzatore, the flagship of the Ridolfite Classis (Fleet) XXVI. Realizzatore descended from the skies, making for the dock right beside Maiden's Revenge.

 

[Jackson123]

Robert took the cuppa of baijiu, stares at the clear liquid for a brief moment and chugged the shot in one gulp, grimaced. It's a little weaker than the Erguotou he used to when he worked as a cabin boy for a merchant trader, during their stay in Zhao he had plenty of these liquor. But it's still baijiu nonetheless, these Kaoliang liquor (Sorghum liquor) may look bland, but just one sip can make you feel the fire from the throat to the stomach.

"Hmm. tis a good one.” He said, savouring the alcohol aroma that filled his nasal cavity. The cat had it's paw on the table trying to knock the cup away, but Robert move it away before that could happen, making the grey tabby let out a disappointed meow. Robert downed few more shots and he start to relax and lose his inhibitions, feeling more confident while also lightheaded, the world is swimming and he feel detached, like he's sitting inside himself listening and seeing things.

"You...you know, Tenryu, in Zhongdao there's this old idiom..."砍頭不過碗大個疤", you cut my head off that's but a scar the size of a bowl...In the navy, the food is bad, the wages...wages are insultingly low and the work is hard. In piracy, there is plenty of loot, it's fun and easy and we are free and powerful, what's the worst that could happen? a rope around your neck and you get a quick death, 且壯士不死即已，死即舉大名耳，王侯將相寧有種乎? That's what I'd say!"

Perhaps it's the Zhao liquor bringing back old memories, Robert starts quoting stuff from those old 'Huaben', he heard them ages ago from the Pingshu (storytellers) one would find throughout Zhongdao whose tales took one sitting, sort of like bard but without music, Robert learned a lot of his Zhongdaoese from those stories back then.

Archie

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Cecily’s smile seemed to light up her face at A’miel’s dismissal of the poor state of the coins and at his apparent interest in the dessert she planned to make for him. Lord A'miel was her first foreign client and she was eager to please him, and please him she would in whatever way pleased him. She seated herself close by his left side, not at the table, since that was not her place, but nearby. She seated herself so that she could observe both the main door and the smaller, less obvious rear door by the bar out of her peripheral vision.

Now seated, she finally paid attention to the other man sat at the table. He was dashingly handsome, his aquiline features like a hunting hawk's and his dark eyes full of secrets and mysteries. She caught him observing her and she blushed bashfully, but she overcame the sensation and smiled brightly at him. These past weeks of travelling with Lord A'miel had given her no opportunity to enjoy herself, perhaps this man might be willing indulge her. Her mental fantasy was suddenly broken by the distant sound of thunder and the more immediate sound of rainfall. Oh dear. She hadn't planned on a sudden change in the weather, neither Lord A'miel nor she were dressed for rain and she hadn't thought to bring so much as a parasol, let alone an umbrella.
"My lord,", she quietly spoke up, when a break in the two men's conversation arose, "I think I hear rain. If it pleases you, I shall find you either an umbrella in the market or a carriage to drive you to the ship when you are ready. Which would you prefer?"

The Dark Wizard Ticl

 

[Archie]

Tenryu grinned widely when Robert made his quips. "Shuoda hao!" (well said) he yelled in Zhong. Though he was Furoshi, not Zhong, years of service in the Zhao and Sheng fleets had made him fluent.

"Ye shuoda dui le" (and said rightly), he continued. "How they took advantage of us in the imperial navy, and now we're free. Men like us could have gone far in any navy, but that damned military examination held all the men of talent back" lamented Tenryu. The Military Examination of Zhao, based on that of past dynasties, combined memorization of the Nine Military Classics with what could best be described as a powerlifting competition; to get a degree, you had to deadlift a 400 pound rock, do tricks with a 120 lb halberd, or shoot from horseback with a 150 lb bow. The test was rigged by design; the Zhao knew that only the Jandar bannermen could draw bows that heavy, and only the Zhong bannermen could lift such weights, as both elite social castes practiced those increasingly pointless feats of strength from childhood. Worse, since neither of the two banner communities were renowned for academic achievements, they were allowed to cheat on the written portion. In order to get any command higher than captain in the Zhao navy, one had to have a degree. All this meant that talented recruits like Robert and Tenryu were stuck at the ship level, while high command was in the hands of borderline illiterate bodybuilders. The system was such a failure that most of the Zhao Navy's best admirals, including the renowned Su Hanying, were in fact civilian officials appointed by the Emperor to bring some semblance of intelligence to the admiralty.

As it turned out, the renowned admiral Su was Tenryu's chosen topic of conversation. He took another shot of baijiu then changed the subject.

"I want to talk a mutual enemy of your captain and my Emperor; Su Hanying" the imposing samurai continued, growling as he uttered that name.

"My lord's agents have discovered he is voyaging to Alcakbay with a very important package. If your crew helps us end this man, Yangkang Emperor will arm your ship with our new weapon"

Tenryu produced a paper manuscript, that read in Zhong "Metal Rocket". The diagram displayed a rocket launcher, similar to a traditional Zhong wooden rocket array, based on the Sejang hwacha, except the rockets were tipped with metal and had sharpened points.

"The weight and shape of these rockets allows them to breach the deck of a ship, exploding below deck, usually on the level of the guns. Metal shrapnel then decimates the enemy gunners, and ignites the powder they're using to fire their guns"

He sat back, pouring two more shots for the pair.

"Please help me arrange a meeting with your captain" he said with a bow, suddenly remembering his samurai manners and delivering a quick bow.

 

[Saturn_moon]

INEJ BAYAUT
On board the Maiden's Revenge​

The storm arrived with a deadly vengeance and by the time the crew had finished loading the delivered shipment on to the Maiden they were all soaked to the bone. Winds buffeted the side of the ship and rain pelted them continuously in the face until it hurt. Inej had just signed off on the transfer papers and was about to dismiss the crew when an imposing shadow slowly descended from the clouds above. Everyone else seemed to have noticed it too and were staring intently at the strange shape with a look of curiosity and fear. Retrieving the spyglass from her satchel, she held it up to her eye to get a better look. The heavy downpour severely obscured her vision but flying high above the monstrous vessel, she could just make out the familiar ensign of the Ridolfite Navy.

Inej’s blood ran cold. From its shape and size, the young woman knew without a doubt it was none other than the Realizzatore, one of the Ridolfite’s navy most powerful ships, and it was flanked by five smaller vessels. “Fuck me running.” She muttered under her breath. “Dima,” She shouted to the man nearest to the flagpole. “Lower our colours, now.” Captain Mercer and crew were still nowhere to be seen and she had no idea where Sal and Addam had run off to. As the only ranking officer presently aboard, the Maiden’s Revenge was now her responsibility and gods be damned she wasn’t going to let them be captured by the military. They would send word to those on land once they made it to safety. If they made it to safety. Panic gripped at her heart, but she pushed it away. Emotions were the bane of rational decision making.

“Cinder, untie the ship then raise the topsails.” She said to their carpenter with fierce determination in her eyes. “This wind is going to cut right through our main sails, and I can’t have that. Historia, get below deck and make sure all the cargo is tied down. After that, I want you manning the starboard cannons. Do not fire unless they fire at us first. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.” Inej swerved back around and faced the remaining crew, most of them were still glued to where they stood, eyes fixed on the approaching fleet. “The rest of you, if you would like a chance of seeing daybreak, I highly recommend you listen up! Half of you will follow Mr Radcliff and the other half with Miss Vinheima.”

With the orders given, Inej sprinted back up to the navigation room and tore through the shelves searching for the map she needed. Her studies of Altersdale’s geography had led her to discover numerous caves scattered across the coast including one that was accessible only from the bottom of the island. Committing the cave’s position to memory, she snatched up her flying goggles and ran back out to take her place at the wheel. “Everyone remaining on deck, get your safety lines hooked up immediately! I expect it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

II-CinderRadcliff-II Firelie

 

[Jackson123]

"Hmm....armour piercing rockets..." Robert glanced at the blueprints while taking a sip of the liquor. Taking on a Zhong admiral would not be an easy task, in fact it's almost suicidal, he hasn't been drunk enough to even think an admiral would undertake a voyage without a fleet of escort.

The Zhong dynasties were never interested in sky-faring, in their own words, "Our Celestial Empire possesses all things in prolific abundance and lacks no product within its own borders. There was therefore no need to import the manufactures of outside barbarians in exchange for our own produce", the country was founded on agriculture since the beginning, and the land was so vast that it did not have to resort to outside sources. The feudal dynasty had a long lasting emphasis on agriculture and the suppression of commerce, in the past they also had a history of imposing national seclusion policy to prevent foreign invasion and to maintain the self-sufficient peasant economy, there is a fear in the dynasty that coastal people trading with foreigners will jeopardise the foundations of their feudal rule.

"I'll need to know more before I could bring this matter to the captain. What resistance should we expect if we were to attack them?" Still, the Zhong warships are not such opponents that one can underestimate, of course Robert had never seen that expedition fleet with hundreds of those massive, 9-mast 12-sails “treasure ships” carrying thousands of crew each, he had only seen the remain of a rudder--just that rudder is already 4 times larger than a regular rudder, at least two times larger than a Ridolfite first-rate ship of the line. The technique to build those massive ships had been long lost after centuries of national seclusion, but the deep-rooted craftmanship is there. Besides the local pirates would not be fond of foreigners messing around in their territory either, that armada of six hundred Junks and Lorchas lead by Lady Cheung of the Zhong Pirate Confederation, while they lack in training and weapons were half working, are still a force to be reckon with to say the least, especially if the Maiden were to have one hand tied dealing with the navy.

Archie

 

[II-CinderRadcliff-II]

Cinder laughed at her remark, waving his hand in dismissal.
"The only thing lost at the Emporium was the water in my flask, otherwise Steel would have used it to wash down the piss-soaked beer he drank." He unironically remarked before looking at Inej and her cold expression. Before he could give an answer as to his early return he took notice of the skies as rain began to pour down, the raindrops clinking against his armor slowly at first. His callused hands reached for his hood before pulling it over his head, the individual metal armor plates unfolding like an armadillo shell as a means to better protect his head; the raindrops hitting the cold metal before splattering or slipping off of his armor. His eyes focused in on a patch of clouds as they progressively got darker in color, and as a ship emerged from the clouds it took but a few seconds to recognize the ships insignia. His eyes went wide before a scowl hardened over his face, listening to Inej give out orders to whatever crew was aboard the ship before giving a nod. He turned back around and ran down the stairs as his feet skipped some of the steps, then skidding across the wet floorboard towards the rope that the ship tied down. By the time the momentum from running down the stairs stopped making him slide on his feet he reached the rope, his hands rushing to untie the only rope keeping the ship from drifting away from the dock. His mind remained sharp and focused despite the high amounts of adrenaline in his blood, untying the rope successfully and tossing the boarding plank onto the dock before hastily making his way to prepare the top sails. The crew assigned to hurriedly prepare the ship to sail helped, and as the sail opened Cinder attached his safety line onto the main mast of the ship before grabbing onto whatever railings or rope he could, giving the signal to Inej that the ship was ready to sail. He could only hope that Captain Mercer wouldn't kill them afterwards for the hasty getaway.

Saturn_moon Firelie And whoever else is on Maiden's Revenge

 

[Weazel]

Iskandar El-Amin
Aboard the Maiden’s Revenge

He had been on watch when they first made their approach to Altersdale. Iskandar had been to the port in the past, during his many years of wandering, but this was his first time as a crewman of the Revenge. Though he was technically supposed to be amidships, he’d allowed himself to wander towards the port railing, and had been gazing out aft when the cry of “land ho!” went out. It wasn’t long before he could hear the telltale stomping of their executive officer below decks, and the half-gnoll quickly made his way back to his post before the giant of a man had reason to turn his ire on Iskandar.

Thankfully, Tavish was unable to resist a good drink, and thus by the time the first mate made his way onto the deck, barrel of booze in hand, Iskandar was in his position, looking proper busy like. He tried not to jump when the man bellowed out to summon all hands. Naturally a large man would have an equally large voice, but it still surprised the half-gnoll sometimes just how loud Tavish could get. Thankfully, his position on deck allowed Iskandar to simply turn and march aft towards the summon, as opposed to the mad dash he could hear taking place below deck. No one wanted to be the last sailor on deck when the first mate called.

Perhaps it was the drink, perhaps he’d gotten a little sleep for once, perhaps it was just he was excited to feel solid ground beneath his feet, but regardless, the mate seemed to be in a better mood today. Of course, even Tavish’s good moods were things to be weary off, but it was straight on to business once the man’s barrel was emptied. They needed crew to remain on the ship while the majority disembarked. Of course, most wouldn’t actually want to miss the chance to get off the Revenge, even for a short time, but the implication was that if no one stepped up people would be volunteered, one way or another.

“I’ll stay aboard, sir,” Iskandar said. It wasn’t a difficult decision for him. He could see the Royal Emporium from here, he could imagine that was were the crew were headed. Such a place would not be conducive to keeping his image as a devout Azar man. Besides, he could probably use a little rest himself. But, unfortunately for the rest of the crew, one man does not a watch make. In the end, he was joined by the surgeon’s mate – Historia – the newest cabin boy – Addam – one of the deckhands – Salvadore – and their navigator – Inej – who was also officer in charge. Once the majority of the crew had disembarked, he excused himself below deck, ostensibly to watch out for any attempted stowaways in the cargo hold, but also to give himself a chance to relax.

Alone again, the half-gnoll allowed himself to release the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He liked a lot of his crewmates, they were good people, but he still sometimes felt nervous when they were all gathered together. He’d never been one for crowds, which might make one wonder why he’d fallen in with pirates. Wandering was in his blood, he figured, and this was simply one of the easiest ways to wander. Besides, it wasn’t like he disliked the work. It was decently fulfilling, largely long stretches of busywork to keep the Revenge going punctuated by brief bursts of excitement when they raided another ship. Right now was a chance for downtime though, so he allowed himself to lean against some crate or another.

He hadn’t meant to close his eyes. Didn’t intend to actually nod off. He’d actually thought he’d been sleeping well lately. He was awoken by the sounds of an approaching storm, and shouting up on deck. It was just in time, too, as they were just about to start loading the ship with cargo. He took this opportunity to climb back up to the gun deck. Before long, there was more shouting above, but he couldn’t make it out over the sound of the rain hitting the deck above him. He sauntered over to one of the gunports and peered out. What he saw chilled his blood more than the rain ever could.

A ship had appeared out of the storm. A Ridolfite ship to be precise, one of their largest and most powerful. If there was anything Iskandar wanted to avoid more than anything else, it was capture by those slavers. He’d throw himself over the side and into the bottomless sky before that. Before long it was chaos on the deck above him, evidently he was one of the last to become aware of the situation. This time he did hear Inej shouting over the din, sending Historia down with half the remaining sailors to man the starboard cannons. That left him on port.

“Fasten down the cannons!” He called to the men as they descended, if things were going to get rough the last thing they needed was a loose cannon. “Load ‘em with chain-shot, prep all cannons to fire on the Navigator’s orders!” There was no way they could take such a large ship in a fair fight, even if they had all hands available. Their best bet was to damage the masts and rigging of the vessel enough to disable it and better facilitate their escape. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, but Iskandar thought it was better to be safe than sorry.

He didn’t know how much experience Historia had with cannons, but he would have to trust Inej’s judgment on that matter. The half-gnoll half marched, half ran to the port side cannons and set to work himself as the gun deck exploded into a fury of activity. He usually found it best to lead by example. He’d just have to hope anyone lost would see what he was doing and be able to follow along. He really wished Smiles was here, and depending on how these next few minutes went, he thought he might just end up wishing that a whole lot more.

Saturn_moon II-CinderRadcliff-II Firelie
Also mentioned Rage Selee-01 welian

 

[welian]

Salvador Hierro

Overview

Location	Taking Addam to church, whatever that means
Tags	Selee-01
OOC	I'm not saying I left an opening for Addam to leave but I totally left an opening for Addam to do the smart thing and leave.

Salvador didn’t get nearly as far in his adventures as he hoped. His plan was to bar-hop around the town, spend the rest of the night in a woman’s bed (he’d pay extra for Addam’s first time, if that’s what it took to get the boy’s tongue wagging) and then miraculously be back aboard the Maiden’s Revenge just before sun-up.

The heavy rain was a damper on his plans, however.

“Alright, never mind, this was stupid…” Sal sighed, defeated. The two of them, in the time between leaving and the storm starting, had gotten to line of homely shops just outside of the port, but not much further.

He patted the coin purse tucked inside his waistband. Unlike SOME idiots who brought their whole month’s salary ashore, Sal made sure to use his last remaining brain cells to only bring a few coins. He’d bluff his way through everything as usual.

“Let’s go in here,” Sal said to Addam, not even looking behind him to see if the boy was still following. Which was a mistake, really, because had he looked behind at that exact moment, as the lightning struck, he would have possibly seen the silhouette of a certain big-ass ship with a choir of cannons pointed at his current home and place of employment.

Instead, Sal was looking at a small chapel, a little plaster-and-wood place. He wasn’t exactly a moral man, but his mother was diligent about observing the high holidays and dinnertime prayers.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. The candles were lit, which meant someone was nearby to attend to them. There was a roof, and doors, and if he pled his and Addam’s case, then there might even be some bread or soup for free. It wouldn’t be whores and beer, but would the Captain really be all that angry if Sal took Addam to a church? Would Tavish slit his throat in front of clergy? Nah, probably not. For a fuck-up, this was probably a safe bet. What's the worst punishment they could give him? Doing Iskandar's laundry?

He opened the door and was relieved to find that it wasn’t locked. Now, he looked behind him, the rain coming in sheets. Sal was still oblivious to the ship’s peril.

“After you, twerp.”

 

[Archie]

Joint post between Mira and Gus

Mira cut the cards quickly; while not a gambler, she was a woman with extraordinarily skilled hands, and she used those nimble fingers to toss out cards fast enough that even an individual with eyes like a hawk would not notice anything amiss. Sir Lewis was not an individual with eyes like a hawk - even if he had not been drunk with wine and confidence. When he flipped his cards it was with a satisfied smile, and he started the game by pushing all of his acquired chips into the middle, almost matching the note which Gus had had signed by Lewis.
Gods, you better know what you’re doing… Mira had had to fight not to allow her jaw to fall open once she’d seen what Gus had written on the note - even if the cowboy had an almost unparalleled skill with the cards, Mercer would murder him if his actions somehow landed the Captain in a ten thousand-pound debt. Not even the surgeon would be able to save him if his body ended up tossed from an airborne ship.

“I hope you are aware of what you signed up for, boy.” The nobleman smirked, Gus drunkenly smiling back and letting his fingers drum a soft tap-tap-tap onto the table’s wooden surface, the gesture unnoticeable if one had not been searching for it. Mira had been, and she pushed all her remaining chips into the middle before even turning the first card laid face-down surrounded by poker tiles and the borderline unreadable note. “All in, then?” Lewis was practically purring now - a man with his affection for good deals looked at the drunken cowboy and the blushing woman with the gaze of a starved snake waiting for its next meal. Too bad this snake was going to go hungry.
“Cards.” To her, it felt as if the tavern had gone silent, the only sound breaking through Mira’s thundering heartbeat being Tavish’s roar for the available crew to join him. The cards went face-up as all players had bet their entire stack - A ten, jester, queen. All hearts. Depending on the cards Gus had swiped, he could be set up for the very best hand of the game… was what Mira would have thought if she had any idea how to actually win in poker.

The barmaid came over to deliver another round of drinks, but Gus waved his hand, palm facing inwards, below his neck - the signal that he wanted to close his tab. He knew this game was already going to be over. From the deck, he had taken the other two face cards, all of the correct suite. Lewis no doubt had an excellent hand or he would not have bet, but Gus had the best one possible.

When the rest of the cards flopped upwards, they were a Queen of spades and a four of clubs. Robert smirked.

“I’ll take you up on that gambling credit now. I bet 10,000 more, on Captain Mercer!” he declared, raising his wine and spilling a little of it in his drunkenness.

Gus returned the grin, allowing himself to drool a little just to come across as a bigger fool.

“I’mallin!” he moaned as if he were totally wasted.

“Tenthousandoncredit!”

Lewis placed his cards down first. A queen and a jack.

“Full house, queens over jacks” he said, sitting back with a satisfied smirk.

Gus straightened his back. His drunkard’s grin vanished. He stopped holding his breath, and his face went back to its normal color. He grabbed his bandana hanging around his neck, wiping off his drool with it.

He set his cards down. King and Ace of hearts.

Lewis set his drink back on the table so hard the glass cracked. His eyes widened. The merchant was clearly in shock, and needed time to process what had just happened. His mouth hung wide. Though he was a rich man, ten thousand pounds, plus the three thousand he had lost in cash, was no paltry sum. When most people bet in gold coins, thirteen thousand pounds was without a doubt the single biggest pot anyone had ever assembled in this tavern. Six hundred pounds bought a shipload of opium - for thirteen thousand, you could buy this entire establishment.

Other spectators - including the three gamblers who just went bust were watching the game. Gus rose from his seat.

“I think we’ll be needing our master at arms” he said, his words no longer slurred, turning around to see what Sterling was up to - talking to some well dressed twink by the looks of it.

“Steel! You done with that pretty boy yet? Come over here and figure out how Lewis is gonna make good on his debt of ten thousand!” Gus knew there was no way Lewis would agree to pay ten thousand, but that wasn’t the point. Just like what would have happened if Gus lost, the debt was leverage for other favors, in this case free resupply.

“Y-you cheated!” Lewis exclaimed, his face red as he pounded his fist on the table.

“You can’t prove that. I can prove this” Gus retorted, contract in hand.

JoUhWrites Ticl

 

[Darth]

The Captain
The Streets of Altersdale
Interactions: Archie Mentions: N/A​

On his way back to the Maiden’s Revenge, Captain Mercer picked up his pace as the gentle mist of rain from before soon became a deluge. He’d forgotten to take his hat which was currently sitting alone on his desk. His long black hair soon became drenched, sitting soggily on his head, stubbornly sticking to his cheeks. At least the repulsive smells of the city were soon drowned in a flood of rain. Mercer never quite cared for the urban sprawls.

There was, however, a smell from which many city-goers find dreadful that Mercer himself quite enjoys. Though he’d scarcely admit it, but the smell of battle has a unique odor that not anything in the world can truly reproduce. Blood and burning; sweat and sulfur. The thrill of battle was potent, and enough to drive good men to bad deeds. One might talk of the “horrors of war,” but Mercer revels in the clashing of steel and the exchange of broadside cannon. Driving one’s sword through another man’s flesh. A guilty pleasure, but Mercer would be a liar if he denied it. Though Mercer has lied more than he’d care to admit, he owes much of his success to clever deception. The “Sable Fox,” has been known to be cunning, luring his foes into traps before waiting patiently to deliver a decisive blow. In battle there is but one perfect moment to seize victory, failure in this often proves fatal. A mistake that many of Mercer’s enemies neglected to avoid. Perhaps the Captain has an obsession with the art of making war, among many other infatuations. Even now, Mercer still longs to temper his mind and sword in the fiery crucible.

Mercer had nearly set his foot on the docks before the sound of booted-feet and a familiar voice coerced his attention. Mercer wheeled about and found himself opposed to a host of some sixty-men. They gathered themselves into line, clad in the pale green uniform of Altersdale and heavy bore muskets at their shoulders. At the head of their detachment stood a tall officer, resplendent in a brighter green frock coat accented with gleaming white sleeve collars and epaulets. His head was topped with a broad tricorn with bleached feathers. The voice was unmistakable, Mercer met this man long ago. In fact, the last time they met, he could barely be called a man. This was Colonel Lionheart Rutherford of Altersdale’s own Royal Army.

"Prince Reese cordially invites you to dinner, sire.”

His words sounded as if they tasted sour when they fell from his lips. Mercer knew Rutherford to be a man of honor, yet the order he’d been given was rather clearly not within his preference.

Mercer felt a rise of frustration in his throat, and was even tempted to draw his sword. Mercer has become quite accustomed to ensnaring his foes and doesn’t take too kindly when the tables are suddenly turned. Unlike other opponents, Mercer hasn’t had the pleasure of knowing the Prince’s true worth. Mercer was more acquainted with the young lord’s father who, to Mercer’s knowledge, had recently succumbed to an affliction. Yet even still, Mercer had no quarrel with Altersdale. Mercer had an inkling that something else was awry. Mercer composed himself before speaking, restraining himself to a more apathetic disposition.

“It’s been some time Mr. Rutherford, it appears you’ve been promoted since last we spoke.”

Mercer observed the wide-eyed soldiers, many wrapping white knuckles around their muskets.

“I do quite enjoy fine dining, though, it is my preference to receive an invitation a week ahead of time. So I hope it wouldn’t offend your lord if I should decline for the time being.”

Just as the words left Mercer’s mouth, a massive shadow descended from the storming clouds. Lighting streaked across the sky and the brief flash of light revealed a behemoth. The Realizzatore. A beautiful flagship of the Ridolfite fleet armed to the teeth with at least one hundred guns. As she took her place beside the Maiden’s Revenge in port, five other ships appeared on her flanks. It seems they meant to cut off Mercer’s route of escape.

“Your attendance is not optional.”

Mercer gritted his teeth as he slowly moved to join their host...

 

[Selee-01]

Salvador Hierro

Overview

Location	Taking Addam to church, whatever that means
Tags	Selee-01
OOC	I'm not saying I left an opening for Addam to leave but I totally left an opening for Addam to do the smart thing and leave.

Salvador didn’t get nearly as far in his adventures as he hoped. His plan was to bar-hop around the town, spend the rest of the night in a woman’s bed (he’d pay extra for Addam’s first time, if that’s what it took to get the boy’s tongue wagging) and then miraculously be back aboard the Maiden’s Revenge just before sun-up.

The heavy rain was a damper on his plans, however.

“Alright, never mind, this was stupid…” Sal sighed, defeated. The two of them, in the time between leaving and the storm starting, had gotten to a line of homely shops just outside of the port, but not much further.

He patted the coin purse tucked inside his waistband. Unlike SOME idiots who brought their whole month’s salary ashore, Sal made sure to use his last remaining brain cells to only bring a few coins. He’d bluff his way through everything as usual.

“Let’s go in here,” Sal said to Addam, not even looking behind him to see if the boy was still following. Which was a mistake, really, because had he looked behind at that exact moment, as the lightning struck, he would have possibly seen the silhouette of a certain big-ass ship with a choir of cannons pointed at his current home and place of employment.

Instead, Sal was looking at a small chapel, a little plaster-and-wood place. He wasn’t exactly a moral man, but his mother was diligent about observing the high holidays and dinnertime prayers.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. The candles were lit, which meant someone was nearby to attend to them. There was a roof, and doors, and if he pled his and Addam’s case, then there might even be some bread or soup for free. It wouldn’t be whores and beer, but would the Captain really be all that angry if Sal took Addam to a church? Would Tavish slit his throat in front of clergy? Nah, probably not. For a fuck-up, this was probably a safe bet. What's the worst punishment they could give him? Doing Iskandar's laundry?

He opened the door and was relieved to find that it wasn’t locked. Now, he looked behind him, the rain coming in sheets. Sal was still oblivious to the ship’s peril.

“After you, twerp.”

Addam Kirtle​

Addam rubbed his shoulders as he shivered, nodding in agreement with Sal’s statement regarding his intelligence. Why were they even out here, when he could be sleeping in a warm hammock? It made little sense to him. The rain was soaking into his flesh, just like

that night when he woke up bruised and battered in the ally cold shivering and parched

When he woke up.

Addam followed Sal, briefly glancing behind him just in time to behold the gigantic ship approaching the Maiden’s Revenge.

His eyes went wide, bulging almost out of their sockets. When Sal disappeared into the church, Addam dived after him with an inhuman spluttering.

“T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t...” Addam gasped. “T-T-T-T-T-T-THE-TH-TH-T-T....” He tried to slow down, but his treacherous tongue failed to obey. He grabbed Sal’s arm, and dragged him back into the street. Addam continued to stutter, almost shouting as he gestured wildly towards the pier.

A bolt of lightning illuminated the docks, and the titanic ship that loomed above the Maiden’s Revenge.

Addam began to pull him along, clearly hell-bent on getting Sal and himself back as soon as humanly possible.

 

[Archie]

Tenryu smiled when Robert directed the conversation to Su Hanying's protection.

"Interesting, he has very little. He's travelling aboard a Jandar banner ship, forty gun, with no other escorts" Tenryu stated. "My ship and yours could probably take him alone. That arrogant fool has won too many victories, he's getting sloppy"

Tenryu sat back.

"Of course, if we're afraid of the gunnery of the Zhong banners that will be surrounding him, we could always jump him when he's in the city. He'll be travelling along streets, probably without an escort. The fact that he's travelling so lightly means secrecy must be a priority for him - whatever package he's delivering, he doesn't want anyone to know about it".

He poured another shot of baijiu then chugged the remainder - quite an alcoholic achievement given that it was forty proof.

"So, what do you say? Let's put the bastard to sleep?"

Jackson123

---

As Addam and Sal made their way back to the ship, they were blocked on the docks by a woman clad in a brown overcoat. Shew drew a long blade, facing both of them.

"Frumentari, your mission is at an end" she declared, facing Sal and approaching the pair through the rain.

"And to think you were so close to your warship" she said, glancing at the Ridolfite 102-gun ship of the line descending from the skies before looking back at the pair.

"But I never fail to collect my bounty. Hand over the package or I'll kill you. Painfully. Don't think I won't be able to. I've never not been able to"

Finally, she turned to Addam, staring at him and levying her blade at Sal.

"Come peacefully. Life with the Brokers isn't as bad as you've been told, and they're serving a good cause. In any case, all that matters to them is that your brain's in tact. If you don't come with me, I'll shoot you in the leg and catch up eventually, and I'm not even getting paid less for it"

Selee-01 welian

 

[Ticl]

Steel inwardly winced when he heard his name called. But he supposed he should head his Boatswain’s commands, that was his payer after all. And he shouldn’t upset the paying man. “I’ll be seeing you…A’miel,” he hummed at the other man before dragging his gaze up towards the boy’s handmaiden. “Good day, sweet girl.” he winked cheekily at her, noticing how floppy and blushy she’d become. Lovely to see the pale skin of a pretty girl blossom with bashfulness, like Sterling’s mere presence was enough to have her panting. But that may just be her personality, silly thing.

And with that Sterling pulled away from the pair and silently sauntered towards the gambling table. Which was currently roaring with a drunken battle of who won, who cheated and who owed who. Thankfully, Steel slipped between the men just before Gus’ less than careful words made their merchant uncooperative.
“Play nice, Durango,” he mused playfully, seating between the growling drunk and the clear headed Boatswain, the one that looked quite pleased with his quick accomplishment. But Steel wasn’t about to praise him so openly, not when he wanted this man to agree and comply.

“You can’t possibly expect such a humble man to pay that large of a sum so suddenly,” Sterling objected with feign sympathy, curling a dangerous arm around the Merchant’s shoulders. “Friend, let me assess the damage and I’ll decide something appropriate.” He assured, snatching up the sloppily signed document and glancing over it lazily. Almost as if he himself hadn’t already read the same writings a thousand times over. Guzman’s words were poorly chosen but it said what it said, even if it was edging on not so official grounds. He tutted, glancing over the edge of the paper to stare down the prey, prey that looked suddenly nervous.

“The paper doesn’t lie, you owe my boatswain.” he started, placing the document in front of them both, acting as some sort of guide. “However, fortunately for you it doesn’t exactly state in what form or over what period that payment shall come. Durango is, obviously, terrible at being specific.” He shot the mate in question a stiff look before tapping icy fingers against the table, making sure to continually point out the Merchant’s own signature. Scratchy but real, pressed against the Maiden's seal, waxy and permanent.

Out of the corner of his eye, he only just remembered who was watching their negotiations unfold. Almira, the doey eyed thing. Most likely surprised Gus’ otherworldly plan didn’t land him in debilitating debt. Thankfully Mercer wasn’t around to see how close they’d been, and Sterling himself wasn’t about to out his friend… for a sum of some sort, of course. “Considering your past dealings, I’m certain a steady supply of certain goods will keep these deviants quiet. Especially those of weaponry, carpentry and… uh what is it that you wanted, dear one?” He raised his brow at Mira, tilting his head expectantly, this was her chance and he was offering it on little less then a sliver platter.

Archie JoUhWrites Captain Hesperus The Dark Wizard

 

[welian]

Salvador Hierro

Overview

Location	The docks, not far from the Maiden's Revenge or the warship that Sal apparently now works on (Sorry Mercer!)
Tags	Selee-01 Archie
OOC	LORE REQUEST: Regional accents, plz.

It could have been a great evening, probably! Sal was out of the rain for all of two seconds before Addam yoinked him back outside.

“Ouch! Okay, fine, I get it, you’re scared of church too, but –“

He really did think about punching Addam. The thought absolutely crossed his mind. It would be unbecoming for a thirty-ish year old man to strike someone half his age, but truly, Addam was being annoying, and Sal was deeply regretting ever trying to convince him to join him in playing hooky.

Lightning struck again, and Sal smelled the ozone and saw the ship, the massive gunship sliding into the Maiden’s metaphorical DMs and asking Hey gurl wat u doin 2nite.

Not that Sal knew what DMs were on account of this world not having the Internet, but whatever.

“Ah.”

Sal grabbed Addam’s hand and made a run for the ship. Just like Addam interrupted his rest at the church, however, someone decided to interrupt and, well, the surgeons would not have been surprised if Sal had impaled himself on a woman’s sword for the third time that year.

The deckhand stood stupidly on the docks, blinking the rain out of his eyes.

“Ah,” he said again, still awkwardly holding Addam’s hand, staring at the feminine mercenary before them. How was he going to explain this? To her? To Captain Mercer? And on top of that, if Historia’s gift to Addam got wet and smeared, how would he explain that?

Pray tell, higher powers, how does one explain two men, soaked to the bone, holding hands, and one of them is shirtless?

… And why did she assume the warship was his? It was hers! Right?

“Ma’am, I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” Sal’s childhood accent had been diluted by years of travel, but he could still play up a backwater colonial hick.

“This ‘ere’s my son, Mateo, and he’s dumber than a sack of shit, my ‘pologies for swearin’ front of a strong and fine lady such as yourself.”

He patted Addam affectionally on the back and pulled him close, his arm over the poor kid’s shoulder. Inwardly, he was projectile vomiting all the liquor he’d need to drink to pretend he never said those words.

No shirt, no sword, only enough money for – well, hm.

“But if you want help lookin’ for your bounty, and he’s s’posed to look like my kin here, well, I know where you could find some young boys with no families, if you catch my drift.”

Gag, gag, gag. Why did he keep talking? He should have stopped talking. This was awful. There’s no way she’d fall for it. Best case scenario, she saw them come from the church and assumes he’s talking about a monastery. Worst case scenario, well…

He tried to seem relaxed, but his fists were clenched and he stood on the front of his feet, ready to carry Addam up to the ship like a slaughtered lamb if he had to.

 

[Saturn_moon]

INEJ BAYAUT
On board the Maiden's Revenge (getting the hell away)​

Before the topsails were even fully raised, the ship suddenly surged forward having caught a strong gust of wind. Taking the cue from Cinder, Inej carefully steered them out of port. "Steady." She called out to the crew. "We don't want to seem like we're running." Even if we are. While the Maiden's Revenge had made quite the reputation for itself amongst the skyfaring community, that reputation was largely tied to Captain Mercer and Tavish. With neither on board on the moment and their flag lowered, they could have passed for a random merchant ship which was exactly what Inej was hoping for.

A tense silence fell over the deck, as the Maiden’s Revenge and the Realizzatore drew closer and closer like two dancers seeking each other out on the dance floor. When the ships’ paths crossed, several sailors manning the sails of the Realizzatore glanced their way, brows raised quizzically, likely wondering what mad crew would choose to set sail in this weather. Inej’s heart pounded in her chest and her hands were gripped so tightly around the wheel her knuckles had gone white. She kept her eyes fixed doggedly forward, paranoid that if she spared a look back the navy would realize who they were and start firing. If any of them recognized the Maiden, they gave no indication of it.

Once she was certain that there was a good distance between themselves and the fleet, Inej immediately pulled the lever next to her, flipping the ship’s magnetic charge and causing them to sink. To anyone watching from land, it would have looked like the horizon was swallowing the Maiden whole. Lower and lower they went until they could see across the underside of Altersdale. Miles of bedrock and overgrown roots that trailed down like tentacles stretched ahead of them, much to Inej's chagrin. Navigating along the underside of any island was less than ideal because often everything looked the bloody same and though they were now out of the rain, the winds were relentless. But with little choice, she pushed the ship forward. “We’re not out of the woods yet. Eyes up and sound out if you see anything that might vaguely resemble a cave entrance.”

II-CinderRadcliff-II Firelie Weazel

 

[MrReaves]

Before they could give into the temptation of a relaxing bath, there was still coin to be made- they were pirates, after all, and the promise of bounty alleviated all fatigue. Smiles had kept quiet during Gus' conspiratorial whispers about draining the coffers of a gambling merchant, too occupied with repeatedly uncovering the bottom of her tankard, but now the boatswain had lured her bathhouse date Mira into the game with a vague promise of ingredients.

As they quietly concocted a complicated plan full of signals and statistics, Smiles sat back and enjoyed the sight of her crewmates getting fired up- regardless of whether they won, it felt good just to see them having fun again; "Fun" had been in short supply for too long. Smiles' closest approach to fun in the last months had been hurting heads about the most effective firearm builds with Iskandar in the armoury (everyone knew swivel guns more than made up for their lack of mobility with sheer firepower!).

Pretty quickly, though, it turned out they would need a fourth- so she gave in to Mira's request to back up Steel, smirking as she admitted that card games weren't her forte (especially not under inebriation) but that she would do her best. She accompanied the three sharks to their prey, thinking that the sight of two tipsy lassies taking part might make their opponents more confident in betting (if they figured out she was a lass).

Through the fog of firelight and ale, Smiles took note of Gus offering drinks for the table; not something he'd do out of the goodness of his little pirate heart, but a tactical move she wouldn't have thought to make. The boatswain always seemed to have these cunning little maneuvers at the forefront of his mind; she couldn't blame Mercer for giving him rank.

She didn't have a great deal of luck with her cards in the game, but in fairness, her role was not to bankroll the table, just to keep other players out of Gus' hair while he focused his efforts on the merchant. At any rate she wasn't doing worse than Mira, whose attempts to play the floozy made Smiles struggle to keep her laughter in. Steel skirted the edges of the group much resembling a lizard waiting to strike at a fly, ready to jump in if the game needed a shakeup but preoccupying himself with another decently wealthy-looking young man.

She only caught half the conversation, but Smiles could tell Mira was getting heated by the merchant's laconic commentary. Much like herself, Mira had never handled snobbery very well. As the game progressed Gus began to feign greater drunkenness, and the gears of the grift continued to turn. There was drinking, poor hands, shouting, a piece of paper was pulled out and signed- but Gus kept the table focused on him, kept the merchant in the game by playing the easy target.

A moment of tension after Gus' fantastical final hand was revealed erupted into a drawing of weapons- Smile' hand flashed to the short blade at her hip, ready to strike out like a viper at a moment's notice. The threat of Gus' flintlock kept the peace long enough for Steel to swoop in and play the vital second part of the grift; authenticating the signed contract and the debt they were now owed. Of course, the merchant received the oh-so-kind offer to repay not in cold cash, but in a great deal of supplies.

Smiles contently put her cards down, enjoying the comedown from the thrill of the chase even though it reminded her of old times. This would be a story to tell the folks back at the ship, who at this point were surely bored out of their skulls.

JoUhWrites Archie Ticl

 

[JoUhWrites]

Almira Fjederborn
​

Sir Lewis’ teeth gnashed together, his already purple visage darkening with anger. By now he must have realized that the game he was so sure of winning had been a set-up, Gus now moving gracefully as a feline and Mira practicing deep-breathing with eyes twinkling with joy and relief. A quick glance behind confirmed that the farm boys were hooting and looking at Gus as if he were a god reincarnated in the shape of a scheming pirate, and even the bald man looked joyful despite having lost a substantial amount of money.
“You- you-!,” Whatever poisonous words were about to exit Lewis’ mouth were quickly cut off by the appearance of a man even slimier than the gambling rancher, and Mira turned to Steel with a barely-contained smile. The dark-eyed man had curled himself around the noble, effectively turning predator into prey with one twist of his sinewy arm. Mira was once again reminded that despite how gentle Sterling could be with her, he was a dangerous person. One made even more dangerous when he turned those dark eyes on her.


“Ah, yes!” She exclaimed, twisting so that she could reach the medicinal bag around her waist. In it was a hastily-scribbled list of the items she’d gone ashore for. “Okay, so we’re gonna need at least three weights of valerian root - or extract, if that’s all you have -, powdered Myrrh, at least a bucket’s worth of leeches, and I think Robert might have asked for some nepeta... Maybe you should just take the entire list. Please.” As Mira pushed the piece of paper towards the disgruntled noble, her gaze swiveled to Sterling’s exposed fangs smile, “... or he hits you. To get the money you owe. It’s going to hurt.”

The noble, who had stilled somewhat under Steel’s touch, shook the arm off and turned to Gus with a drunken growl. “Write up a new contract, you scoundrel. And get your dog to stop touching me.”

As Mira’s heart stopped its frantic pounding, she took notice of how rain smattered hard against the Emporium’s thick windows. She burrowed back into the softness of her chair, grateful for the tavern’s heat. Now that her mission had been accomplished, there was no further reason for her to stay in the busy establishment - but even if the whisper of a warm bath tempted her, the promise of a cold shower of rain was almost an equally strong deterrent. No matter what she chose to do however, it was time to depart from the gambling table; staying close to Sir Lewis after his devastating loss was like staring into the barrel of a shotgun, and perhaps she could convince her gambling partners to slink back to the ship in order to pick up something to protect them from the rain. Unlikely - seeing how Smiles was the type of person to enjoy getting wet (no, not that way, you nasty), Gus had his wide-brimmed hat, and Steel might want to return to his charming company. Still, it would be worth a try, hopefully their win had put them all in the same good mood Mira was in.
The elven woman pushed herself off the chair, stumbling slightly as she did so, and tried a smile towards the slimy nobleman who was busy mumbling out curses Mira was sure would haunt her dreams for a while. “Good game. Eh, should we start making our way back to the ship… in order to be there when the merchandise arrives?”

Interactions: Archie MrReaves Ticl
Brief mentions: The Dark Wizard Captain Hesperus Jackson123

 

[Archie]

Matilda's carriage approached the gates of the castle under heavy rainfall. The lady herself had to get out into the rain to show her face. Once the guards saw who it was, the gates to the castle swung open.

Castle Mycroft hung off a cliff on the far side of the harbor. On every side, the view was of the skies below. The green on blue sigil of House Mycroft hung in at least one place in every large room. Green-uniformed soldiers, flintlock muskets shouldered, patrolled through the hallways. Once Matilda's carriage made its way in, the trio occupying it were greeted by a middle aged officer with five o'clock shadow. He swung open the doors before extending his arm, indicating to the party that was supposed to proceed upstairs. He led them up several flights of stairs before they reached a study, even more elaborately decorated than Matilda's. On each wall there were paintings of Prince Rufus, the secessionist leader who crowned himself monarch of this island once he had broken free from Aeternian rule. He was not naturally an imposing character, with a slender, short frame and blonde hair like his son, but his personality was fearsome. Unlike most shorter monarchs, Rufus made no effort to make himself appear taller in his paintings.

"Rufus had no time for insecurity" Matilda explained, looking at the paintings. Having led visitors into this room before, she knew exactly where their attention would float first - towards the paintings. One in particular displayed Rufus next to the late Ridolfite Emperor Amadeo II, who had backed the principality's independence struggle against Aeternia. Amadeo was an imposing character himself, standing almost a foot taller than Rufus, something the painter made no effort to conceal. Even more imposing, however, was one of the men depicted in the Emperor's vast entourage, who must have been almost eight feet tall. His muscles bulging through his uniform and his skin an Atagan black, he stuck out in the crowd of imperial officers like a sore thumb.

"Who's that?" Luke asked, his eyes wide in awe of this ornate chamber, having evidently never been here before. A servant brought him and Matilda towels to dry themselves off, but in his case, having been driving a carriage from outdoors for the better part of twenty minutes, a towel would not have helped much.

"That's Gandolfini" Matilda replied. "Back when he was much younger, and much easier to control"

Matilda stopped one of the servants before he could leave.

"We are here to see the Prince and Count Gandolfini"

"They are having dinner, my lady" came the response.

"Then perhaps we should join them"

Matilda, knowing this castle well, threw open the double doors of the study, into the dining room. A long ebony table lined with silverware that was actually silver was flanked by twelve chairs. The rug displayed House Mycroft's colors, while lord Rufus's painting hung above the door through which Matilda had entered. The back of the room, and the right wall, were both open, supported only by columns. The room was protected from the rain by an overhang with an extendable awning - fully extended at the moment - and by curtains, but not from the wind. A servant stood by the table at all times, torch in hand, evidently foreseeing the need to re-light the candles in this weather. Both walls opened outwards towards the sky - the view was nothing but dark clouds interspersed with lightning.

Three men were in the room. First there was a face familiar to Matilda, the handsome but slight figure of Prince Reese. He was already seated at the head of the table, jolting as Matilda shoved open the doors. He looked lost, scared, and had good reason to be. Standing over him was the massive figure of an aged but still buff Count Gandolfini, his head showing even more battlescars than that painting illustrated decades ago which depicted him shortly after his gladatorial career. The third, who had just walked in, was Captain Mercer.

---

Colonel Rutherford's patrol led captain mercer through the streets, four men casting a drape over both their officer and their captive in all but name.

"I know you don't mind the rain" the colonel said to Captain Mercer.

"But Gandol- prince Reese doesn't want you to show up to dinner drenched" he added, narrowly saving himself from a slip of the tongue. Though the unit was on foot and not in carriage, it took them only a little longer to reach the castle than Edward, Matilda, and Joan, as they started from the nearby docks to begin with. Once inside, Rutherford led Captain Mercer upstairs through the opposite staircase as the one leading to the Prince's study. When he approached the twin doors leading to the dining room, Rutherford sighed.

"Apologies for this, captain Mercer" he remarked before signaling to the guards to open the doors.

---

Gandolfini glared at Matilda when she entered the room with her small entourage. He clearly was expecting only one other dinner guest. An awkward silence settled in for several seconds, broken only by the servants using the kitchen entrance to bring a series of steaming chicken, duck, cattle, and ciel dishes to the table.

"Who is this?" Gandolfini asked, his glare turning to Reese. He was clearly irritated, but his movements remained slow and deliberate, his words drawn out. Colonel Rutherford moved his hand towards his pistol, clearly bristling at the domination of Altersdale's monarch by a foreign dignitary. Curiously, there was not a single Ridolfite soldier in this room, or, as far as the Maiden's visitors could tell, the castle. The ex-gladiator was sending a message that he didn't need protection, not even in his old age.

"T-this is Lady Matilda. She owns a tavern" said Reese. The young man was apparently perceptive, or at least knew where to look: he noticed Rutherford's gesture and waved him off.

"Then how did she get past your guards?" Gandolfini asked, talking about Matilda as if she weren't even there.

"She..." Reese started, "she's more than just a tavern owner". Gandolfini was practiced enough in politics to know what that meant. He took his seat, fumbling uncomfortably in that chair which was too small for him, and too low to the ground for his legs.

"Captain Mercer, Lady Matilda, and... you, please take a seat" Reese commanded, not knowing Edward's name. The prince rose, as if to re-assert his role as the host of this dinner despite the dynamic which had just unfolded between him and the foreign count. Luke hung back for a moment, visibly uncomfortable in this crowd of dignitaries. Matilda looked back after taking her seat and rolled her eyes, waving him over.

"Why are you here?" Gandolfini asked Edward and Matilda bluntly as soon as everyone had been seated.

Obsidian , Darth , animegirl20

((Part 2, dealing with the tavern coming tonight or tomorrow morning))

 

[Archie]

The bounty hunter stared at Sal, squinting her eyes as he tried to explain her way out of the situation.

"Enough talking!" she proclaimed, grabbing her hilt, charging at Sal, and simultaneously drawing at him in an effort to decapitate him. She knew that the boy she was after was much shorter than this elite Ridolfite agent so there was no danger of damaging her cargo. Evidently she was in a hurry, as a platoon of Ridolfite marines was in the process of dismounting from Realizzatore, and what looked like hundreds more from the transport ships docked beside it. Merchant's revenge, meanwhile, had set sail, and was on an unknown course, a development that seemed to bother the bounty hunter as she glanced briefly at the unfurling sails. Now she was all alone in a sea of redcoats.

welian , Selee-01

Gus grinned as he watched Steel, and even Mira, work the wholesale merchant into free resupply. He knew it was best he stay out of the negotiations - that was Steel's job, and, after all, Lewis Nisbalt would have some bitter feelings in the wake of being 'cheated' out of so much money. Instead, he turned to the nobleman who was standing in Steel's old spot. Having focused on the game, he was totally oblivious to the fact that this was the Maiden's new passenger. He was accompanied by the cutest looking Furoshi maid - surely a harmless person.

"Fancy a game?" he asked the man, hoping he had not noticed what had just transpired at the table, though realistically there was no chance of that. But, the man appeared to be very wealthy and it was worth a shot.

There would be no game. While Mira and Steel were collecting payment, and Robert was talking to his old comrade in arms, a dozen green-uniformed men - the army of Altersdale - burst into the tavern. At their head was a drenched officer in his thirties who removed his tricorn and took out of it a slip of paper.

"By order of the prince, the following persons-" he started. The patrons in the tavern were too loud, however, for anyone to hear him, and too drunk to stop being loud.

The officer drew his pistol, firing at the ceiling. In an instant, the room went silent.

"By order of the prince, the following persons are to accompany me!

Tavish McConors
Robert Archibald
Sterling Jarvis
Almira Fjederborn
Historia Vinheima
Marie Carmine
Cinder Radcliffe
Guzman Ruiz Trinidad Santiago y Molina Moctezuma Garc- you know who you are!"

He crumpled up his note and put it back into his hat, drawing his rapier and other pistol. The officer seemed totally unaware that Tavish and Cinder had already left the building, and that Historia had never entered. Green-coated men continued to stream into the building, bayonets atop their muskets.

"And on what charges are the crew of the Maiden's Revenge being arrested?" called out Tenryu Masaoka in a booming voice. The large pirate captain stood up, left thumb probing the guard of his katana, ready to draw it at a moments' notice.

"No one said anything about an arrest" replied the commander.

"I suppose Prince Reese sent a platoon of armed men to invite nine random sailors to dinner" quipped Lewis Nisbalt, drawing laughter from the crowded room. Though the merchant had just lost a boatload of supplies and was red in the face from rage and drink, he liked the idea of a pirate crew being arrested no more than any other notable in this town - their businesses depended on pirate customers.

"Silence!" shouted the officer. His voice carried well - he was no doubt used to barking orders on the parade ground. Tenryu seemed generally impressed that the man could bellow almost as loud as a samurai, and raised a cup of baijiu in his honor. The front row of the platoon of soldiers dropped to one knee, as both lines levied their muskets at the crowd.

"These persons shall accompany me or there will be violence!" shouted the officer.

JoUhWrites MrReaves Jackson123 Captain Hesperus The Dark Wizard

 

[Rage]

Tavish 'Bloodbeard' McConors
-
Location(s) - Evening Road | Church
​

Some may be busy - rushing to whatever locations' for all sorts of purposes'. Personal, business or private matters to attend towards however it was not so simple. Some may come from a more... extreme and bizarre purpose to perform. As the large, grand 'Royal Emporium' had been once such place; one where a particular Pirate Crew belonging to the grandiose ship of 'The Maiden's Revenge.' At the moment, some of it's crew was perform various tasks.'

Walking down the road within the Port of 'Altersdale' - One man of high rank belonged to the Pirate Crew headed down. An imposing tick on his furrow brow whilst his tangling locks fell over his face where a pair of smoldering eyes looked forward; dwarfing all where a majority of folks' parted out of his way. In one hand; his fingers twirled, flicked and launched a singular coin in the air only to snatching it from the air.

At the moment.... Tavish was debating in his mind What did the lasses want? What did the lads' want? What was happening at the ship? All of these questions' guesses and answers' were being pummeling into his mind... A migraine was beginning developing which made him halt for a second; his sight traveled towards a back-alley before he said to himself in a low, whisper as his head tilted upward.

"Tis Annoyin'." Shifting his attention; his footsteps begun to taking him towards it and in a matter of moments; he had left. His feet then broke it's usual-pace as he broke out into a sprint which turned to a hop - Conventionally some worker for one of the many kitchens' was taking out trash to a large container that was within the ally but the young, teen heard a stomping charge and yelped; dropping to the ground only for the large man to suddenly jump up onto the container before launching himself high up.

"W-W-Wha-" He couldn't believe what he had seen as he watched the Tavishs' legs' seemingly disappear from sight which made him blink... once... then twice.... then three times... Before he proceed to take a wift of the garbarge in his hands' only to gag at the wafting smell of it; he was alive.... but what in the world was that?

---

Moments; later - Tavish was leaping from rooftop to rooftop - His powerful legs absorbing the brunt of his leaps as he swiftly traveled. Many didn't look up but some did notice the hulking figure darting, twisting and hopping around akin to a massive beast but he did halt... *Sniff... Sniff...*

"Storms' a coming... If I find a scratch... Young Miss. Bayaut will be doing laundry for a week." Muttering a growl where he felt the rain begin to come and he felt a seemingly bestial calm well up and waft over him as he continue to move towards the docks... His intent to get back to the ship but he was noticing something... Soldiers'... Altersdale did not have many troops of this kind... More of mercenaries and roguish criminals could be found unless... No... These troops were... They belonged to...

"Da Prince." A grin shifted onto Tavishs' features when he watched a platoon of them passing by whilst he kneel from one of the rooftops to look at them... They were armed well... Interesting. Shifting around where he then disappeared elsewhere til his leather-booted feet came crashing down onto something...

The tiled-rooftop of some church; he was not one who was devote to a deity... But as he traveled towards the side to leap towards another rooftop... He paused and looked as he saw something... A woman... with a sword... That... was not surprising... but what was surprising was the fact that Sal... The crew member who was suppose to be on the ship had been....there.... A large-tick grew on the massive man's brow... His attention shifted towards someone else... Adam... 'Thief's Child'... wasn't on the ship....

'.... She is gettin' a week; regardless...' He grumbled before he slowly walked to the symbol of the church - A broad-beam of some kind with 3 points angling above it; he observed the scene for a moment... Til he saw that she launched herself; preparing a strike at Sal with a temper-fueled attack... but it was stopped... By what?

*BANG!* The destructive and snapping sound of a gun-shot suddenly rung aloud from above; the female bounty-hunter looked and noticed that the tip of her sword had been blasted off by something... Which her attention shifted to look at the origin of what may've caused it which she looked up and saw him.

A hulking man - One hand holding a large-pistol that could fit those large hands and in the other; a grasping the handle of a sword... Possible of a large-kind considering his size before he leap off the roof... And then... *Thoom!*

Slamming down infront of the church's door as the stone beneath him suddenly proceeded to crack underneath the heavy impact.

Rain was falling hard only to rise to his full-height - Tavish McConors took a step forward and snapped his head back. His hair; wet from the storms' rain twisted and wrapped around his face. Those stone-cold eyes shift from one... to... another.

"Leave Lass... Touch one of them...and you won't be anywhere aside from the ground." A firm statement was done as he took another step followed by another - The pistol was fired only to be stored and his grip on his sword tightened; preparing for confrontation... He knew that it was gonna happen but... Captain Mercer said to atleast try words... for once.

Interactions -

Archie

welian

Selee-01

 

[JoUhWrites]

Almira "Mira" Fjederborn
​

The bubble of pride and joy which had enveloped Mira burst uncomfortably fast, and did so with a bang. The bullet which had entered the tavern's ceiling left a hole from which dust and splintered wood rained down, coating their winning cards in a fine layer of sawdust. Mira watched it with a sense of dissociation clouding her mind, noting that it’d been a long time since she’d seen snow… and then the man who’d fired the pistol spoke her name and everything seemed crystal. The general’s green uniform turned a muddy color from the rain, the soft plume of smoke trickling out of his pistol and filling her nostrils with the scent of powder, the drumming of the soldiers’ feet making the wooden floor vibrate with their impact.

She felt like throwing up, green eyes impossibly wide as she stared at the men. Where are the exits? There seemed a thousand doors inside the warm building - scattered over two floors nonetheless - but as the army spread out, she realized there was no way she’d be able to get to any of them unnoticed. Not that she’d leave her crewmates, anyway (she had enough guilt as it was). Instead she attempted to curl in on herself and disappear - not an easy feat for a woman of her height - and looked to Gus and Steele, the silver-tongues. They’d be able to talk their way out of this.

Except, no. Mira remembered the scars on their bodies, the fire in their eyes. Her gaze flitted to Smiles - the firecracker of a woman. With them there was an equal chance that they’d respond to the indiscreet threat with an overt one of their own, and then there’d be more than one hole in the Emporium’s walls. As well as in the civilians around them - the farmboys, for example, with their hungry eyes and newly born hope. Mira did not want to be hands-deep in their guts trying to fish out a misplaced bullet.
“There are too many of them,” she croaked, throat dry from sawdust and fear, “We’d be dead in seconds.” She didn't relish the idea of bouncing from one slippery noble to another - especially not in the company of the damn army - but as the floor trembled one more time as the soldiers fell to their knees in unison, there seemed to be no other option. Unless her three comrades decided to completely disregard her words and want to go out in a blaze of glory. Mira's slender hands found their way to the knives sheathed in their boots, her fingers curling around their handles as she discreetly pulled them to waist-level. Just in case they decided to be dumbasses.

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[The Dark Wizard]

A'miel vi d'Amaris

~Noble, Kind, Handsome, Cruel​

​

A'miel was having a good time and then like static something gnawed at the back of his mind. His interactions with the crew of the Maiden's Revenge had been entertaining so far. However, before he could reply to Steel, the static buzzed in his head again. With a sigh, he turned where he was sitting to watch the commotion. What an unpleasant show and unnecessary show of force to just escort everyone to see the Prince.

Either the Prince was a fool or this new character before them, was a fool and just compensating for something with his overt use of his authority. Fools he could work with, even if he could not tolerate them long, they were born to be but stepping stones for the ascension of his goals. His headache buzzed again, that darn static. He was acquiring a headache.

Prince

Mentions of Arrest

Accompany.

They were being summoned to the highest authority this port had. He didn't have a goal beyond just showing up and bringing the cargo to the Maiden's revenge, but this he supposed he could work with. His Uncle, the Duke, didn't give him much else to do, so he decided that he'd make something to do on his time off. He gently got up from his chair and lightly patted and dusted his fine attire with his hands before casually walking over to the Officer, and standing near him, uncaring that there was a line of soldiers aiming their guns.

"Good day to you Officer, I'm sure there is no need for you to threaten these folks with violence." He could show him real violence. Oh, he could show him so many things that would put him in his place, but words would suffice. "I'm not sure what the Prince's business is with these people, but currently you have interrupted my business and enjoyment with all your shouting and threats of violence" he explained, his voice slightly annoyed. "So instead, what we will do is, that you will escort me to the Prince immediately and let him know that A'miel d'Amaris is here. I am not currently impressed with your intelligence capabilities as an independent port if no one knew I was here." he further explained, his words honeyed and sharp. "If you really need these people, then I'm sure they will come willingly, but do you really want to risk an international incident with House d'Amiel?"

 

[Captain Hesperus]

Cecily amused herself by slowly smoldering as she watched Steel walk over to and talk to the gambling merchant. The blush that slowly crawled up her body accelerating as she watching him drape an arm over the other man’s shoulder. What she wouldn’t do to be the subject of that draped arm.

Her fantasy was interrupted by the door smashing open and a dozen armed men rushed in, soldiers with an officer leading them. The officer’s words were lost in the noise of the bar, but his pistol’s retort quickly silenced the room so that he could be heard clearly. Cecily gasped, her hands dropping the bag of persimmons onto the table. Keiko’s left hand delved into her sleeve and lightly grasped the hilt of the kyoketsu-shoge and she prepared to attack.

Lord A’miel rose, unperturbed by the raw violence exuded by the soldiers, and advanced on the officer who had read out a list of names that included that of the delicious Steel. Cecily timidly rose to her feet and followed in A’miel’s wake, keeping herself behind him and peeking out. The better to close on her potential victims, the better to observe their blind spots, the better to be in a position to slay them all, should her lord command.