Adventuring of the Oceans (IC)

[Cymru]

It is the first day of summer, in Rach. All of your characters end up looking at the notice board in Achuak, looking for a job. All at their own time, for their own reasons.

The notice board is used to post job offers, official notices by the council, etc. All notices, with except those coming frome the council, are stamped with a date, and removed a week(10 days) after being put up.

Today you see 4 notices on the board;

One by the council of Arcaniss, marked with the usual rune seal of the Arcaniss' council;

"Want an easy job? High profits, high risks, and great growing opportunities? Join the Local Council of Arcaniss Marines! Interested? Report to the recruitment office located in every port town."

On by the council of Vaex, marked with the usual bow seal of the Vaex' council;

"Seeking brave adventurers to stop piracy on the Achuak-Vutha trading route. Check with the local Arcaniss or Vaex marine recruitment office for more information on this high profit job"

And further below, two grubby notes by independant captains;

"Seeking experienced figthers and seaman for treasure hunting trip in the coastal regions of Achuak, leaving asap. Report on deck of the Duke's Hound."

"Captain with map and directions to the 6th continent is searching for brave sailors willing to accompany him on his quest for limitless fame. Report at the Flowing Bottle Inn in the town port."

[Hastuur]

Maxxon the Red

Maxxon awakes on a dune of grass and sand this day, just the way he likes it out in the open. After spending some time lingering around he comes to the message board to look at the posts. He spends a lot of time looking at it as some of the longer words are sort of difficult to him. But he takes his time and sounds them out silently to himself. Anyone nearby will view this and if he notices them he gives a nod with a smile as if it does not embarrass him.

Not interested in the local public service jobs he is intrigued by the two bottom posts.

"Hummm...." He scratches his heavy beard in thought while munching on a large piece of bread. "I will try The Duke's Hound first". He then quietly heads off to find the port, assuming it to be the name of a ship.

Character discription

Spoiler

Show

Maxxon stands at 5ft 11in and 180lbs. Stocky on a well built frame, brawny, rugged. Short hair that is not combed at all. Clothes are worn and tattered at the bottom from weather and travel. Has a full moustache and beard.

[Gmonkey]

Vincent stands before the notice board a little after noon, a newly bought orange scarf around his neck and a shiny new knife tucked into his boots. He whistles a broken tune to himself as he weighs up his options:

Well, let's see what we've got here, Arcaniss and Vaex marines recruiting? Mmm, maybe not, dunno if military life would quite suit me.

What else? Heh, oh great, another fool wants to go looking for the 6th continent, but this one has a map! And I'm sure it wasn't made by some bloke in a pub trying to make a quick buck.

Hmm, treasue hunting trip might be a giggle?

Then out loud

"Worth a look anyway, to the hound!

With that Vincent spins on his heel and strides off towards the dock, ducking and weaving his way through the crowd.


[Description of vincent:

Spoiler

Show

Vincent stands a little short at 5'7", he wears a pair of sturdy boots when on land, though generally goes barefoot on deck. A mismatch of clothes picked from port towns and traders here and there include a baggy pair of trousers (in a splendid purple) tied off with a green silk sash and a short sword in an embellished sheath on each hip.
Rather battered leather armour covers his torso, a wide brimmed leather hat completes the ensemble. There are also a myriad of daggers attached around his person (you can never have too many knives)
He has relatively handsome features, striking blue eyes and prominent cheek bones under shoulder length blonde hair normally tied back with a strip of leather, he's a little thin (or scrawny, dependign on who's describing him) which he always says "just leaves less of him to hit" but what muscle he has is iron from more than one stint at a rowing berth and far too many battles, battles that also have left his torso with more than a few scars

[ixious]

Exhausted from his morning labors, Raiyin walks toward the message board, a few coins in his hand.

One..Two..Three...three silver for 10 days of work, I can barely eat on this.

He lets out a sigh before putting the coins into a small pouch on his belt. Leaning on his spear, bits of fish and kelp dried to it, he reads the posts.

"Let's see, the usual banter to get fools to throw their lives away to the military; a seemingly noble task that is likely the exact same as the one before; and these two..."

Looking closer at the final two, he grips his coin-pouch and walks off toward the docks.

"It's another fool's quest for treasure, but at this point, I am just that foolish..."

[description]

Spoiler

Show

Dressed in a white cotton vest, bare chested, and green (think grass-stains but as a dye) canvas pants. His feet are covered by sandals, but show evidence of years bare against wood. Tall, and muscular, with green piercing eyes, he has olive skin and wind-blown dark black hair. He wears a hemp choker adorned with an a plain looking piece of quartz close to his neck. His right ear is pierced with a dark silver stud through it. Possibly the most evident "trait" though would be his tattoos. Up each arm runs black serpentine dragons, their heads rearing on his wrists. Above his right pectoral muscle is the Abyssal word for "Hero" inked to look as if carved into him, and barely visible on his lower stomach is the top of a intricate design hidden by his pants. His walk is confident, but worn, and he leans heavily on his spear.

[Tichrondrius]

Jackson

The young man known only as Jackson appeared soon, looking for a job on the sea. It called to him, and he had a bit of experience... "Hmm..." He muttered to himself.

"Marines? I don't think so... I... hmm, The Duke's Hound? Treasure?" Jackson's glittering gold side was getting to him, and he looked back and forth between the two notes posted by separate captains. Two paths his life could take, treasure or fame?

Finally, the young man decided that it was better to die unknown in a pile of gold then face the times of harsh fame. It was this way he ended up on the Duke's Hound.

Spoiler

Show

Dressed in a loose fitting white cotton shirt with flared sleeves, loose fitting pants and boots with a sash for good measure. His right ear is adorned with two hoop earrings. Shoulder length black hair touches his shoulders and his eyes are a pleasant color of blue. Theres really nothing 'fishy' about him so to speak that you can gather just by looking.

[Ezeze]

Halcyone breaks the surface with a gasp for air and a sprinkle of droplets. She throws her hair back out of her face and treads water for a moment in silence. When she has regained her breath she looks at the thing in her hand. She'd been underwater, in the ruins of an old sunken ship, swimming up and down its length until something shiny had caught her eye. She'd grabbed it and gone, knowing how long it would take her to get back to the surface, but on closer inspection "It's a rock." It is indeed a rock - old, and dirty, with a little bit of lichen on it. "Oh, but it looked so pretty underwater. It shined and caught the light just so and threw it out again in..." She stops suddenly and looks around "Who am I talking to?" As she paddles back to shore Halcyone can't help but muse - her entire weeks efforts have been futile. For a shipping town there are a surprisingly small number of shipwrecks off of its coast, and all either already picked clean or else out too far out for her to get at. She lays on the beach for a time, a ways down from the town proper and therefore afforded some measure of privacy. "C'mon Fharlanghn. You know I believe in you, but what would other people think if you let one of your followers starve to death so far from home?" She keeps her hands busy toying with the rock in question, removing some of the dirt and trying, abet unsuccessfully, to remove the lichen. When, in defiance of her very best efforts, the rock persists in being a rock, Halcyone drops it in the sand. She briefly considers trying to make a few copper singing and shivers, despite the warmth of the sun, at the memory of the last time she tried to do that. By the time she walks back into town Hal has been brooding on her prospects for a while now, and they seem dismal. On a whim, because some of the greatest events in history owe their origins to someones whim, she checks the notice board. Her eye skips over the first two official documents, not even taking them in, and settles on the notice asking for treasure hunters. "oooh! Salvaging on a ship! I bet you can get out a lot further out on one of those!" She glances around, thanks Fharlanghn that no one was close enough to hear her, and starts off at a skip to the Duke's Hound wondering why anyone would need to be an experienced fighter to swim around with their eyes open.

Spoiler

Show

A link to Halcyone's Character Sheet and a cut-and-copy of her description:
Halcyone is tall for a Sea Folk, but with a fairly average build beyond that. Her clothing consists of a simple leather shirt and breeches, armored slightly for protection in rough water, decorated with a sash of seaweed passing over her right shoulder down to her left hip and netting draped over the legs. She goes barefoot when she can, but has shoes tucked into her bag for when she can't. Her skin is tanned from exposure to the sun to a shade only slightly lighter then her copper-colored hair. A string of sea shells has been braided into her hair, which is kept out of her face by a practical piece of leather tied at her hairline.

[Cymru]

Nedric;

You are already part of the crew of the Duke's Hound, as wizard protector you are already a trusted and loyal crewmember.

All the others;

As you walk into the harbour square, you see that not many boats are in it... You see 2 Arcaniss Marine caravels, 2 Vaex Marine caravels, 1 Ironclad with a unpronouncable dwarvish rune name, and one shabby looking dhow with "The Duke's Hound" as it's name. On the deck you notice 1 crewmember and the captain checking the rigging, and generally waiting for a new crew.

The captain is a ragged looking elderly human, who probably has seen to many years of the ocean..

[Hastuur]

Maxxon the Red

Walking along the pier he stops at the access ramp to the boat. Not remembering if he should just walk on or is it good manners to be invited. This will probably take a little more time than it should while others arrive. he stands there looking at the boat thinking...................

[Gmonkey]

Hmm, have seen better ships, but it looks serviceable. And the captain looks like he's been on a few voyages. Well, time to introduce myself

"Ho there the ship"

Going up the gangplank, Vincent calls to the captain

"Pleasure to meet you Cap'n, my name would be Vincent. Saw your notice on the works board, I figure I've got the skills and the experience.
Have just finished a berth on the Swift Wave and need to get out on the water again, can talk to her captain if you want a recommendation but I know my way around deck, can patch up rigging, set a course, pilot a ship through most anything short of a storm, generally make myself useful.

[ixious]

Walking up to the ship, Raiyin sighs, and turns to the Rugged Monk, giving an apparently fake smile at first, evolving into a look of admiration,

"She looks to have seen better days, but I guess she serves the purpose, name's Raiyin." Sticking out a hand to Maxxon. Raiyin makes eye contact with Maxxon, assessing his muscular build and apparent physical prowess before going back to looking at the ship. Under his breath he whispers "If it be just us two, it might be a challenge keeping this old man alive, these seas are far from kind. I feel we are up to it, don't you think?" His eyes glimmer, almost glow, before he walks up the plank. Coarsely, as if in forced bravado, he says over his shoulder "Might as well greet our new employer.".

[Hastuur]

Maxxon the Red

As he finally determines how to approach his though is broken up by the shorter man dressed lavishly (in his opinion). Maxxon startles a bit at the other man talking to him and takes his hand is a hard shake in return. "Maxxon the Red, greetings" he says to the body painted man. "my teacher once said to me that age is expeeriance, but I don't know what he meant by that". He then yells out "Ho there the ship" and walks the ramp aboard. He listens to Vincent address the captain. "Can you use another sir? I am Maxxon from The Red Bell Monastery and am looking for a job if you can please." He looks at Vincent to see if anything he said could have been in bad communication while taking a nervous bite of bread.

[ixious]

Letting the monk go first, Raiyin walks up slowly.

Giving the captain a nod once the monk is finished,

"I too wish to join your voyage, my net and my spear are at your service" giving a slight bow

[Tichrondrius]

Jackson

A fresh faced youth joined them not long after. "Captain! Are you the Captain of Duke's Hound?" Jackson called out, and then continued, "I go by the name of Jackson, and I've always dreamed of a life at sea!" The boy was still standing on the shore, not yet having went to the boat.

[ixious]

Giving a grin "You appear dressed for the job already, and armed to the hilt." Looking at the captain, "So when do we set sail? You have two strong backs" Looking at Maxxon, "a jester", giving an off-look to the flamboyently dressed rogue, "and the future captain of his own ship, ready for battle", walking down and putting a heavy hand on the shoulder of the boy. The smile on his face looks more convincing, but the sound of false bravado still echos in his voice.

[Cymru]

The captain smiles, seeing how his new "crew" is getting along... As the greetings have exchanged between all the members; het start "Well, good to see a few well abled bodies in town. 4 of you, 1 out of my old crew, makes 5. One extra will do the trick". He scans the harbour square with a calculating gaze, and continues "Once we find 1 more crew member, we set sail. You all look able, and wanting to earn some coin." The captain then stares at Vincent "You, boy, shall be the petty officer in command of this crew. You'll also man the rudder, and teach 'm all from your experience".

He then faces the group again; "Once we set sail, I'll show you what we're after"

[Hastuur]

Maxxon the Red

Maxxon leans over to Raiyin and whispers "Do he mean we are going to have jobs or just stay here?"

He smiles at the captain and gives a thumbs-up. he's ready to go it seems.

[Gmonkey]

Laughing at the beast of a man named Raiyin, "Remind me to tell you the one about the sailor, the mermaid and the whale, though I draw the line at people throwing pies!"

Vincent takes a good look at his crewmates for the forseeable future, and is pleased with what he finds, the two giants looked capable of handling two or three men apiece and this Raiyin seemed to have seablood in his veins as well. The boy (suddenly realising he's a few years senior to the lad), the young man would prove his worth over the next few weeks, either he'll catch the bug and never want to leave, or he'll jump ship at the next port and waste his life a farmer.

Nodding, "Well in that case cap'n, would you mind showing us around, I'd like to get a feel for the lady before we set sail."

[Cymru]

The captain cracks a first smile "Off course Vincent, Although, there is not much to show... It but a small wee boaty..." He opens a hatch located just in front of the mast "This is the hatch to the lower deck, which is empty but for a few weeks worth of water and food. By the time we get back here, or any other port, it will be filled to the brim with gold..." He slams the hatch shut "On deck, we've got the main mast, and in on the back side, a small stern castle. On top of that, the wheel, inside there; sleeping bunks. You'll need a full 4 or 5 person crew to handle this old lady, so during the night we drop anker"He gestures at the deck "There would be room for a catapult and a balista. But, I don't have the money, and it would weigh us down to much"

OOC; the dow's dimension 60ft*20ft, the main deck is 5 ft above the water, the lower deck is 10 ft high

[Gmonkey]

"Small but effective. Any bigger and we'd just have to split the gold more ways. Ahem, speaking of which, how *are* we doing pay, shares of loot I assume?

[Ezeze]

Halcyone walks at a leisurely pace along the dock, inspecting each of the ships from a distance. When she notices The Duke's Hound she lingers a little longer, looking it over. The men on top all seem involved in conversation with one another. Not wanting to be a bother, she climbs the ramp between the dock and waits to be noticed, taking avid interest in the other's conversations.

[Would have checked again sooner if I had known how quickly this was going to get moving]

[Cymru]

"Honest sharing the loot is good, I get double share, for providing this beautifull lady, and the map" Noticing the lady on the dock the captain shouts out; "Looking for me lass? Come aboard and state your business"

[ixious]

Raiyin, leaning over to Maxxon whispers "Patience is a virtue, The early bird catches the worm, they contradict, but both are true..to a point, so I guess we wait, and hope no one else is after his treasure."

Smiling at the colorful man, Raiyin says heartily, and again not very convincingly, "Hahaha, I look forward to it.." Listening carefully to the captain, Raiyin's face and hands skew as if to try and mentally "map" everything the captain says. (Autohypnosis, taking a 10)

As the captain finishes his "tour", Raiyin stares off toward the sea, his mind wanders, and his face relaxes to one of concern.
I do hope we leave soon, we have strength and experience aboard this vessel, any more people are just more ways the treasure is split, if there even is any. The ship seems sturdy, and I can catch enough fish for a few days if anything were to go wrong........That colorful man does seem quite nimble, I must watch him carefully, but he will come in handy I am sure...but with these dimensions.....

This mental rant continues for a while.......snapping out of it right around the time a mermaid on legs walks toward the ship.

Spoiler

Show

color is said, italics is not said, but possibly apparent on my face. Player is patient and wants everyone aboard and bonding, character is getting antsy mostly because it is taking everything in him to act social.

[Ezeze]

Halcyon's attention is jerked from the rest of the crew as the Captain addresses her. She comes aboard and, faltering just a little since she doesn't know how much respect the old man will be expecting, she starts "there was a notice on the board that you were looking for treasure hunters?" then, for good measure, she adds "sir."

[Cymru]

The captain looks at Halcyon appraisingly; "Better stick to that "Sir", Lass. And yes, I'v got one more position on this crew to fill in... Think you could add anything to little band of men?" He grins "If you answer yes, we shall sail this minute"

He then glares at the other men and shouts rather unexpectedly "The girl here reminded me; you better all be calling me Sir, or Captain, understood? And you heard me, if she says "Yes", you'd better get this ship going!"

[ixious]

Shaking out of his daze, "Sir, yes sir!", and gives a slight bow to the new woman, assessing her just as he had the others

Tall, slender, and a tinge of the merfolk in her, another one to help find the treasure, useful "now let's get going....sir"

[Ezeze]

Halcyon smiles, displaying a mouth full of dagger-like teeth "I think I could help, sir. Been a treasure hunter all my life, and I know a little magic." She nods, feeling a little more confident "Sir, it would be a mistake not to take me." After a few seconds passes she realizes exactly what she said, and starts to blush (Bluff-27) but she hides it well.

[Tichrondrius]

Jackson

Jackson smiled bashfully at the attention and went along with the rest of the group. At the words of the Captain, he saluted and said, "Yes, Captain, sir!" And was about to get back to work. Before he did, however, he noticed Halcyon, and muttered a small, "Er.. hi. I'm Jackson." Before mentally berating himself. Now she probably thought he was hitting on her, and she probably got that all the time, and... was he hitting on her? He just wanted to acknowledge another person who was a little more of the sea- like him.

[Gmonkey]

"Well, cap'n, looks like you've found your last member. So with your permission: Jackson was it? You stick by Raiyin, he'll talk you through setting the mainsail, we need you two up the rigging and putting some canvas on. Maxxon, cast us off. Little miss, I'm sorry I didn't get your name, but keep an eye on those two unfurling the sail, we'll have you up on the rigging soon enough.

Captain, do you want to take the wheel?"

[ixious]

Eyes getting big for a moment, walking casually over to Jackson, and whispers "i have no idea what to do, please tell me you do." before standing tall and awaiting orders.

[Ezeze]

Halcyone doesn't get a chance to answer Jackson before Vincent begins speaking. She waits for him to finish then says "It's Halcyone, or Hal if you prefer." She smiles at Jackson in way of both a greeting and a parting and sets to work getting the ship going - she doesn't always know what she's doing, but she's pretty good at faking it.