RuneScape Forum Archive | Into the Ashlands (RP)

George Rozas

Posts: 35,406 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Wulvash simply nodded in response to the order, proceeding to - assuming she did not resist - shepherd Griselda below deck. He would lead her down to where he knew the brig was located, having found it only the day before, and only when they were on their way (and out of earshot) would he speak.

" You shamed yourself with your display, human, " He commented, his tone betraying a hint of exasperation beyond his usual stoicism. He had not heard her monologue of wolves and sheep, and was unaware of what possessed her to perform her gruesome execution. " I do not know what demons haunt you, but with our grim destination ahead we cannot afford to sour relations further. "

Either Griselda would continue the discussion along the way or they would reach the brig in continued silence, where Wulvash would disarm the mercenary of her sword and any holdout weapons she had, then lock her in one of the cells. This was all, of course, assuming she didn't lash out at the drakonian - which wasn't necessarily out of the question. I am Inferi.

09-Nov-2018 03:12:04

Inferi

Posts: 35,939 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

As was usual, Zensira made no response to the non-targeted question about her constructs. It wasn't that she cared about it at all - as it was not her place to do so - but rather that she had received no order to proactively answer questions that, although certainly intended to ask about what she had done, were unspecific enough that answering them with truth could still perpetuate the ongoing lie. Her Master also did seem to care about it remaining a secret, and so saying anything about it also went against what he had told her to do.

Remaining nearly motionless on the bed, she gave no indication that she had heard or that she cared about the discussion. It might seem odd to those that were not yet aware of her nature, although it was entirely normal when compared to her behavior so far this trip. Done in by the dubious doings of destiny.

09-Nov-2018 04:34:21

Azi Demonica

Posts: 5,600 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Up above, Wulvash’s halberd prevented another pirate being killed, the arguments of killing them all not applying for the moment. Griselda let her arm drop, sword slipping off halberd, letting the momentum twirl in her wrist and she sheathed.

If a human eats human flesh, it is cannibalism. If a being not a human eats a human, it was also considered cannibalism. This revelation surprised Caspara. Being covered in scales, a scaly face meant that there was only so much expression that could be shown. So, she did not have an inherent ability to read facial expressions.

Taking one last look at the dead pirate, Griselda’s fingers flicked as she performed a slight, brief, dismissive wave of disgust. “Little...monster.” She followed Wulvash.

“Wolves hunt sheep,” Griselda commented to her big guide. She had only a longsword and dagger, which she yielded without issues.

* * *

Elsewhere, Annie’s questions led her to another question when the wounded man appeared, inquiring about watery tentacles. Octavius did not answer Annie’s first question, as attention was focused on Royce, but the centurion did not know the source of the watery tentacles. He shrugged in bed, the drow also not talking very much.

09-Nov-2018 09:08:00

NotFishing

Posts: 16,946 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Crew Quarters

Royce looked at Annie with a quizzical expression. Perhaps he was befuddled at the fact that she had not seen the large tentacles which pulled down an entire ship? Or perhaps, as an educated noble, he was merely befuddled at her grammar. Who could say?

Then he looked at Zensira, and his expression was equally quizzical. It was clear he had suspected it was her, but she had not spoken out, and neither had anyone else.

"Never mind, then." He said to the room, limping out.

---

To the Brig

The walk went without incident, though they did pass Master Darius along the way, who did not acknowledge their presence as he stepped past them. When they reached the brig itself, it was guarded by a single crew member, and the cells were empty. After Wulvash relayed the orders from Vanick and the Captain, the man nodded and let them in.

Wulvash would show Griselda to a cell, and the crewmember would lock the door. That done, there was nothing else to do save head back above deck.

---

Above Deck

Darius appeared on deck. "The fighting has stopped. Why are we not underway?" The red-robed pyromancer questioned.

An annoyed expression crossed Robert's face, but it quickly faded. "The prisoners need to be dealt with and the enemy ship needs to be searched."

"Kill the prisoners and burn the ship." Darius answered, unblinking. He turned to look at the two mages, and ignored the glares from the crew and the mercenaries. "You two, I ordered you to remain below deck."

Wylan frowned. "We were needed up here."

"And if you died?"

Kennith frowned as well. "If the battle above deck was lost, we would have had to fight anyway."

"Enough!" The Captain cut in. "All three of you, below deck. We still need to search the other ship - we'll be be able to take some of its food. In the meantime, we'll set up a block on the-"

(continued) Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

09-Nov-2018 14:43:05

NotFishing

Posts: 16,946 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

"Hold it!" A loud, deep voice interrupted.

Everyone turned. It was the pirate captain, who was now tied to the mast. An eye was blackened while his nose and mouth were bloody, but he had awoken. "Spare my crew," he demanded.

"No." Robert answered without hesitation.

"Spare my crew, and I'll have some information for you."

Darius's eyes narrowed. "What sort of information?"

"You think I stumbled across you by chance?" The pirate questioned with a laugh, which quickly devolved into a cough. "I know all about your expedition."

"And what..." a fireball appeared at Darius's fingertip, "...do you know?"

The pirate was undaunted. "You, the ship's captain, that mercenary captain over there... all of you will swear by every god and every law you've ever known that this lot," he gestured to the pirates, "will be allowed to live, and given back my ship. You'll also take me with you to the Ashlands. I've always wanted to go there, and you'll be able to use me a hostage against my crew."

"What does a pirate care for gods and laws?" Robert demanded.

If the pirate was not tied, he would have shrugged. "Not much, I suppose. But you do. Not all of you will make that pledge lightly, and if you're the sort of person who'd break it then I can't imagine your crew will be eager to follow you."

"The fate of these pirates does not concern me," Darius said, turning to Robert. "The information this man has might."

"I agree," Vanick said reluctantly, glancing from Darius to the pirates. Robert still appeared to be on the fence.

If Wulvash had returned above deck, he would have made it back shortly after the pirate captain's interruption. He and the other Drakonians would both have the option to weigh in, if they wished. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

09-Nov-2018 14:57:48 - Last edited on 09-Nov-2018 14:58:04 by NotFishing

NotFishing

Posts: 16,946 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The Reveal

Nobody appeared to have any interest in intervening.

"Of course," the pirate continued, "I expect to be kept to alive, and my ship to be left in working condition for my crew. Can't have any loopholes."

"Fine," Robert muttered, clearly unhappy about it, but wanting to know why his crew had been attacked. Placing one hand on his heart and the other in the air, he reluctantly swore an oath, while Vanick and Darius did the same.

"I'm not a real pirate," the enemy captain confessed. "I'm a sellsail. Sometimes a privateer for the dwarves. Now, the captain of that other ship, he was a pirate, but he's dead now. Anyway, I was hired to intercept your ship and make sure it never reached the Ashlands."

Robert's eyes narrowed. "Who hired you? Why?"

"Some highborn. Talendrian accent."

Darius cursed.

"What's the matter?" Vanick questioned.

"Not here," Darius answered, aware of the eyes on them. "Later."

Robert nodded. "In the meantime..." he signaled two of his crew, "...take him down to the brig."

---

Alicia had finished her sweep of the ship, returning with a few more prisoners. Soon, supplies were being transported over. The arms and armour of the captured pirates were either distributed among the crew, stored away, or thrown into the sea.

Wulvash was also given the pirate Captain's armour. Arenar Company's Quartermaster pointed out that, even though it wouldn't fit the overgrown lizard, he could probably get a good price for it. As for the Drakonian twins, they were given first pick of the spoils, mainly because nobody really wanted to get into a dispute with them over it.

Finally, once they had taken all they could off the enemy ships, the pirates were herded back onto it, and sent below deck. They weren't allowed to show their faces above deck until the ship was out of arrow range, and indeed many of Royce's archers kept their bows trained on the enemy ship. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

14-Nov-2018 01:34:20 - Last edited on 14-Nov-2018 01:55:09 by NotFishing

NotFishing

Posts: 16,946 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Soon enough, the ship was moving again. Onward to Varia. It would not be long before the island came into sight.

With its massive imposing fortress and bustling town, it was Gara's strongest naval base, and there had rarely been a time when an Earl of Varia did not serve as admiral. The ship glided into harbour just before sunset, mooring itself at the dock alongside countless other ships.

Nearly everyone on board the ship then proceeded to disembark, leaving five crew and five mercenaries behind to keep an eye on things. Annie, Zensira, and Octavius were all well enough to join them, if they wished. The Mages chose to remain on the ship, continuing their isolation.

There were many options. Like most of the mercenaries and crew, they could find a tavern, where they could unwind and listen to gossip. The Captain and Commanders were going to taverns as well, though it was for a more practical reason - recruitment.

They could also seek out shops or a marketplace, to sell or buy some goods. Wulvash, in particular, would need a place to sell the Sellsail Captain's armour, and it might be possible for a blacksmith to resize the enchanted gauntlets.

Lastly, they could simply remain on the ship. With so many people gone, it might be possible to poke around, though of course anything that was truly valuable would be carried on one's person. Alternatively, they could attempt to speak with one of the prisoners (either Griselda or the sellsail Captain) or one of the mages. Of all the mages, Darius was the least approachable, but one of the others might be willing to share something if they were approached away from the others. Beneath the gold, the Bitter Steel.

14-Nov-2018 01:51:33 - Last edited on 14-Nov-2018 01:56:38 by NotFishing

Azi Demonica

Posts: 5,600 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Although they had first picks to spoils, neither of the twins cared much. They weren’t in it for the money or riches, or even the adventure. It was mostly a means to try to find their missing sister, assuming she was still alive.

“Hm... What do you think Luna would like?” Xavakuun asked his sister, snooping around the pirates’ wares.

“What? Oh, probably something magical and mysterious,” she replied, rummaging through some wares here and there. She found some wine and dried meats, and helped herself, but like her brother, didn’t take anything of value. Like most of their kin, they preferred to be cut-off from most of the world. If something wasn’t Drakonian-made, well, why bother?

If there was anything arcane in the pirates’ stores, well, Xavakuun clearly did not find it. Maybe that was best.

“We’re not really here for loot or money. Just to find our sister, if she’s still alive,” Xavakuun had said to the other crewmates. “Take whatever you want. Oh, and don’t be afraid of my sister here. She has a sharp tongue, but she really cares deep down.”

“Aw, fff uck!” Caspara shouted, having tripped on something and smacked her jaw against the floor. She stroked her chin as she sat up. “I just wanna KI LLL something!” Sudden, unexpected pain was a great mood modifier. On the bright side, at least the siblings weren’t bickering this time.

After the loot was done with, the pirate captain’s wishes were honoured.

The political mystery up above was not noticed by the twins, the centurion, or the gray maiden. Perhaps someone would find out details about it?

* * *

14-Nov-2018 02:58:46

Azi Demonica

Posts: 5,600 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Eventually, the fortresses of Gara came to view. Once the ship docked, many left to spend time in Varia.

“G ooo d evening!” Octavius exclaimed to the skies as he left the ship. “Fighting and living sure makes me thirsty! Wouldn’t wanna...waste the day in jai lll ... Hah-hahh!” Like most others, he headed for the tavern, unless something significant happened along the way.

As for the twins, they remained on the dockyard for now.

“I wonder if we can find someone with a logbook or timesheet or something. Perhaps Luna took a ship some time ago that was noted somewhere somehow,” Xavakuun remarked, unsure of where to start his next investigation.

“Because obviously there’s just gonna be a book with passengers’ names in it? Of every ship that passes by? That Luna just happened to be on?” Caspara bitterly mocked.

“Well, we have to try something. How hard is it to not notice a gangly, albino Drakonian? Even if the news is several months late, I’m sure a brief note or clue would be recognizable in regards to an albino Drakonian. Let’s ask around, see if there’s anything...”

Xavakuun would wander the docks, asking various Gara personnel who looked seaworthy if they happened to know about logs regarding passengers and ships, if there was any clue about an albino Drakonian...

Brig

“You were quiet during my test,” Griselda remarked in the sellsail captain’s direction, hands clasped behind her back, or perhaps she was talking to herself? She stood tall next to her bars, skeletal-like visor seemingly portraying her constant scanning of the environment. Despite being behind bars, she remained solemn. “Your...little monsters...surrendered much faster than they should have. Sheep in wolf pelts.”

She couldn't know why he was quiet during her test, and it wasn't something she could keep to herself.

14-Nov-2018 02:59:01 - Last edited on 14-Nov-2018 03:02:30 by Azi Demonica

Jul

2011

Annie1227

Posts: 51,224 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Annie was looking at the fortresses of Gara came to view as the ship docked. She decided to get off this ship to explore this place. She followed Octavius off the ship with everyone else who was getting off the ship and heard his comment. She repiled to him,"I agree with you. It's nice to get off this ship and hopefully we don't need to fight anyone." She didn't know if she was going to follow Octavius or go one her own to explore. -Dances-

14-Nov-2018 03:18:41

Forums

Into the Ashlands (RP)