Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
28
Renown
Human
93 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Mariana Eadburg on Nov 30, 2022 19:59:29 GMT -5
The creaking of the ship's timber frame continually grated Mariana's ears as the rough seas tossed it about. The bar keep that had pointed her towards this ship must've been angrier than she imagined, this was likely the worst ride on a ship she'd ever experienced. Luckily, voices above indicated the ship was about to make land. Mariana rose from the cot she'd been trying to nap on and went up the small ladder leading to the ship's deck. Above the small crew seemed as tired of the sea as she was. The three men on duty lazily went about their work as a slight breeze carried the spray of breaking waves up as mist over them.
It was a pleasant view from here as a full moon shown over the horizon of the Luna Inlet they were about to disembark upon. A few small torch lights on the shore indicated the receiving crew was waiting and ready to unload the cargo. The captain, a portly old dwarven fellow, folded his telescope with a gruff "Humph!"
"Don' like the look uh this landin... Men on shore look ta be sleepin, torches still burn though. You better be worth somin' with that axe lady, may be a fight ahead." He was a grim fellow, and his words were full of doubt and concern in equal measure.
Mariana laughed at the statement. Not only was she somewhat familiar with the halberd she held but Octavia would be flying nearby and easily summoned if things got rough.
"If it meant I didn't have to stay on this boat any longer I'd fight a dragon to take that shore. Men are easy." She exuded confidence, mostly feigned, as she spoke.
"Humph." Was all he returned.
The ship finally floated into a small dock and the first sailor disembarked from the ship to tie it in place. As soon as the rope was secured the man fell dead on the dock with an arrow sticking out of his neck and a pool of blood growing beneath him. Out of the woods near the dock charged a group of four bandits with various weapons raised. They stopped close to the ship and one stepped forth revealing himself as the groups leader.
"I extend my humblest apologies for the life of this poor sod here, now, I'm a nice feller so I'll break a deal with you. This ship, for the lives of those on board..."
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
33
Renown
Moonglade
an good boi
791 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Nov 30, 2022 22:20:11 GMT -5
It had been awhile since he had been on a ship, but it felt good to be back on the seas again. Gerhart smiled and took a big, deep breath of the salt spray enjoying the wind through his hair. This was a simple protection job, shouldn't be too hard right?
Gerhart quickly had made himself useful on the ship, what little experience he was gaining from being on ships kept him from being entirely dead weight. "Come on now, it's not so bad on a ship."
He shot a grin over towards Mariana as he was lifting cargo up from down below deck. On his third trip up he sees the arrow land in one of the men, immediately dropping the box to run over. He quickly tried to do what he could for the man, but there's really not much he can do by the time he gets there. The man is already gone.
Gerhart stands to look over the side of the boat. "If you wanted to broker a deal, you probably should've started with that rather than killing an innocent guy. That doesn't make me wanna do much more than come down there and kick your ass."
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 7, 2022 13:16:21 GMT -5
Maximilian von Vlaculea He hated traveling by sea. He enjoyed having the earth beneath his feet, or at least some kind of land dwelling animal as a mount, but his own two feet were certainly his preference. Unfortunately, this ship seemed to not exactly be engineered for a safe, cozy and luxurious form of travel. The only upside was that he had enough experience traveling by sea that he could at least keep the contents of his stomach down, though it felt like serpents writhing and thrashing around in his gut the entire time.
Neither being in the ship nor on deck seemed to alleviate his symptoms better than their alternative, but at least being above deck allowed him to do a little bit of people watching and distract himself from the violent sensations in his abdomen. Although the sailors Manning the ship seemed to have no issue, the others who seemed tasked with the same mission as he were a mixed bag. The young woman did not seem any more pleased with their tossing and turning on the waves as Maximilian was, but the other fellow looked like he was at home on the sea. Maximilian would have given anything to have that level of comfort out here, especially considering this was the best way to travel across long distances and between continents.
When they reached the docks, Maximilian immediately felt something was amiss, confirmed by his companions who seemed to have noticed before he did perhaps due to his preoccupation with how dreadful the ride was. Walking over to the side to join Gerhart there, he appeared down and saw the sailor who had been killed, and the other man standing there who seemed to be issuing some sort of ultimatum regarding the ship for the lives of those on board.
He took care to squint as if he were having trouble seeing, to conceal his unusually colored eyes. It was helpful if people didn't immediately assume you were some supernatural badass off the bat, although he was far from what he had been before arriving in this world.
"Friend! I see our companion has clumsily tripped into an arrow and met his untimely demise. And you want the ship? I fear it isn't ours to give! But me and my companions here would certainly be willing to step off and get out of your way. It isn't as though we could carry it on our backs anyways, am I right?"
His tone was congenial and mellow, completely devoid of any judgment or hostility. He was either some world-class diplomat, a world-class coward, or had seen way too much in his life that something like this did not seem to alarm him the same way it would most others.
| Race: Dhampir | Job: Adventurer | Alignment: Neutral Good |
"There is no such thing as square one. You're starting over with more knowledge, wisdom and understanding than before." —Maximilian von Vlaculea
|
|
Adventurer
IS OFFLINE
28
Renown
Human
93 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Mariana Eadburg on Dec 7, 2022 21:13:17 GMT -5
Mariana was glad to have backup aboard if it came to a fight, though with the really tall guy trying to talk his way through they might avoid it still. His proposition worried her slightly, he couldn't really mean to leave the ship to a group of bandits did he? More importantly, fighting off bandits was more fun than most things she could think of doing right now, losing that chance would be decidedly uninteresting.
The bandit leader cocked his head to the side, as did the captain and Mariana, at the statement the tall fellow made.
"Huh. I've not had the pleasure of robbing someone so eloquent as yourself before, though you seem intent on robbing me of the opportunity. Careful though, too much talk and a loose arrow might just fly into that mouth of yours. Wouldn't want two accidents in one night, now would we?" The bandit leader called back, seemingly indignant or enticed one by the tall traveler's words.
He did seem like the type to carry some wealth on him, to Mariana...
"Oh, and you there! Kicking my ass won't be so pleasurable when you've got an arrow stuck up yours!" He pointed to Gerhart with a wide grin.
The captain broke through the three of them and moved close to the side of the ship. He had a face of steel, if he was scared it surely didn't show.
"Ye mongrel's want to ave my ship? Only thing a mine you'll get's ma shit!" He gave a rude gesture over the bow of the ship to the bandits as he finished.
The bandit laughed and his men joined in, following his lead despite not knowing why he was laughing.
"Aye aye captain, we'll take all your shit! No problem there, right boys?" The bandits men laughed louder, finally in on the humor.
If they had hoped to avoid the fight entirely, the hopes of that were gone... but... an idea came to mind. Attacking from the shore would be opportune, even just getting off the ship before the fighting began would help. She chose to follow the tall fellow's lead, giving Gerhart a wink and tug on the sleeve as she did.
"My friend here does not speak for all of us!" She gestured to the captain. "Let us three ashore and we'll walk away, no questions, no reports, just forget it all happened."
The bandit thought for a moment, looking to a few of his men and making slight gestures as he did so.
"For the three of you, go on and hightail it, I'll get my fill of bloodshed from ol' shit stain there."
|
|
The Expedition
IS OFFLINE
33
Renown
Moonglade
an good boi
791 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Ser Gerhart Stanislav on Dec 8, 2022 19:31:37 GMT -5
Maximillian and Mariana certainly had the more subtle and cunning response. Honeyed words were an easy distraction and it seemed as if it was working for a moment. He notices the wink and sleeve tug, though unfortunately Gerhart didn't fully pick up on the meaning. While she likely meant to take them off the ship and onto even ground, the young and sometimes often impulsive adventurer took it as a sign to go.
When the bandit was looking between his friends, Gerhart stepped off the railing of the ship and launched himself at the bandit captain. He aimed to land a falling axe kick to the bandit's shoulder to slam him into the dock.[1]
"Let's see how tough you guys are actually fighting somebody who can fight back and not surprising some innocent sailors." He looked among the group and drew his swords with a flourish. Being in the middle of a group might not be the most advantageous position, but he kept his eyes on each one, ready to defend. He'd seen and practiced with Shaa and Zarius enough to know how to fight groups and how to deal with people who fight dirty.
At the very least, Gerhart was confident that as usual he has annoyed the boss so much that he and his lackeys will be more focused on kicking his ass that the others can easily pick people off.
1. Grounding Strike
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2022 14:11:17 GMT -5
The tall, dark complected Dhampir walked down the gangplank of the old ship and surveyed the shore. A group of bandits was gathered around, their rough laughter and jeering carrying across the water.
As he watched, another man ran off the ship and attacked one of the bandits. The Dhampir considered stepping in to help, but something held him back. He usually was not one to get involved in fights or confrontations, preferring to stand back and observe. He was curious to see how the situation would play out, and he knew that he was more than capable of defending himself if necessary.
So he stood back, putting distance between himself and the action, and opted to watch quietly as the man who had leaped on the bandit captain delivered his strike, his eyes narrowed in thought as he waited to see what their female companion did next and whether the man from their ship could gain the upper hand in the fight or not.
|
|