|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun May 18, 2014 11:06 pm
Here There Were Dragons 〖〗 Here There Be Pirates The Age of Dragons is long gone, leaving those that populated the lands nearly extinct. Some dragons, though, took to the seas and have made homes for themselves on distant islands, keeping their treasures there and feasting on sea travelers. Many dragons have gone into hibernation, falling asleep for decades at a time in their hoards of treasure waiting for a time when they will rule the skies and land once more.
Now, the Age of Pirates is upon us. Bloodthirsty, ruthless, cutthroat men and women board ships and sail the seas looking for the treasure that is in such short supply inland. They've discovered some of these countless island treasure troves and taken from the dragons, with disastrous results. Dragons are awaking to find their precious jewels and treasures taken. Angrily, they retaliate against the pirates, burning ships, devouring people, and stealing what is theirs back.
Currently, naval forces from kingdoms all around are trying to both corral the pirates and put a stop to their thievery and exterminate the dragons once and for all. Will these two forces work together in the face of their foes or continue to fight each other over silver and gold? ɗead ɱen ʈell ɳo ʈales
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 23, 2014 2:55 am
[OOC:] Just going to go ahead and post. Cause I wanna! xd
The open seas were such an alluring thing. Many a youth threw away their life to join pirates or navy and go on the adventures that awaited amongst the waves. Many ships accepted these innocent lads, ripping away their innocence and childhood. But most of the pirates and naval officers awaiting these bright young souls were not the best caretakers. Especially the pirates. The lad to them were soldiers, meat shields to throw at the navy and dragons. That or boys to be sold to the slave markets for profit.
On one of these ships was one of the more devious pirates. Known for ransacking ports and stealing away daughters and selling them to the highest bidders on the black market. He was a man rotten to his core and usually went nameless, only known as the 'Black Soul' of the sea. And he was truly living up to his name today. He was pushing is crew as he always did, but making one work much harder. A 'prize' of his conquests. A beautiful young woman dressed in rags and confined with shackles. Her decadent chocolate hair pulled back into a bun, emerald eyes dulled and needing sleep. She was currently on her knees and scrubbing the deck while the men ran around and maintained the ship. "Keep scrubbing girl! Then I want dinner prepared once you're done," he commanded, laughing heartily. The girl could only sigh.
"Yes, sir," she mumbled quietly, going back to her scrubbing. The rocking of the ship made it easier spreading water around. In the beginning the motion would have made the girl seasick, but by now she was used to it. It had been almost four years being a prisoner on this ship. Black Soul had even forced her to be tattooed with his pirate flag insignia on her left shoulder. Bold black ink forming a very generic skull and crossbones with his name on a scroll under it. A permanent label for his 'prize.' It had been quite a painful experience, having given the girl nightmares of the horrible pain. But those had faded with time as well. Now all she dreamed of was the most elusive thing she could think of. Her freedom. But Black Soul was a good pirate, as well as a man who could cheat Death out of the spirit's own robe and scythe. Either the navy would have to come from her, or another pirate would have to defeat this man and take his loot, and her, away from this grungy pirate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 3:03 am
[OOC: I left it nice and open for you if you don't wanna get into a battle quite yet XD]
Vito was having a particularly awful day. He'd picked up some new recruits at port, and all but two of them appeared to be completely useless. One of those two was a woman named Rosiana who seemed less weathered, but he'd hired her because he was trying to strike a few deals with disloyal naval officers. They were rich men who wanted to be richer, and Vito could help them do that so long as they kept him out of the noose. This woman had a mysterious background, though rumors had flown pretty quickly across his ship that she was a princess of a foreign land, chased into piracy by assassination attempts and the like. Vito didn't care. So long as she did her job, she earned her keep, and that was that.
They were out on the open water, where Vito felt his most comfortable. Ports were good for quick drinks and women, but he always felt antsy with solid ground beneath his feet. The Maiden's Curse was a sturdy ship who'd weathered through decades of battle and plunder; he trusted her with his life. It was one of only a few pirate ships that traveled freely with women working on its deck--they were supposed to be bad luck--because its first captain had been a woman. The story went that a beautiful woman had fallen in love with a pirate, who was chased from her by the law. So, she had her own ship made and sailed the seas in search of him. Instead of finding her lover, her ship was attacked, and she was captured. Before she was taken prisoner, she cursed the ship supposedly to only carry those who had love in their hearts and truth in their words. There were all sorts of stories the crew liked to tell of disloyal men who'd been tossed off the sides into storm waters and disappeared, supposedly expelled by the spirit of the original captain. Vito was still standing on the deck, though, and he was sure there was no love in his heart. Truth on his tongue, perhaps.
"Captain," Vito's first mate, a short and stocky man with a red face from years of drinking, said. "We've spotted another vessel coming towards us."
"Did you identify the colors?" Vito asked.
"Yessir Captain. Black Soul's sailing still it seems." Vito pressed his hand into the wood of the helm. Of course he would encounter Black Soul on a day such as this. Black Soul was ruthless and a menace to pirates and navy alike; he was generally hated by the pirate community, and banned from many free ports--not that he stopped there.
"We can't afford to lose another day on our time, so we cannot alter course so drastically. Raise the flags, let it be known what ship we sail, and tell the crew to pray that Black Soul isn't in the mood to fight today." His first mate obeyed the orders and went scurrying down to the decks to do what needed to be done. Though not quite Black Soul, Vito had earned a fair few ill sounding nicknames in his time, and the Maiden's Curse was a force to be reckoned with. Either this despicable man would ignore them, thinking it best not to quarrel with one of the most prominent forces on the sea, or he would be tempted by the idea of defeating the Maiden's Curse and would engage them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 11:48 am
Black Soul sailed the waters, drinking and partying as he steered. The seas were good today and the captain was itching to take down a ship. As he sailed, his first mate came to him and told him of a ship. A famous ship. The Maiden's Curse. The drunken captain laughed heartily. The man's ship slowly turned to point towards the Maiden's Curse. Black Soul wanted another ship on his list of victories. No doubt such a victory would make him richer.
As she felt the ship turn, the enslaved princess looked up. She could see another ship on the horizon. She knew what was about to happen. She quickly grabbed her bucket and brush, heading down below deck to hide. It was usually the safest place she could go while the cannons duked things out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:43 pm
"Damn," Vito muttered as the other ship altered its course, bringing the vessel in a parallel path to the Maiden's Curse. Cursing once more, Vito surveyed the area. There would be no turning away from this fight with Black Soul. There were no ports close enough for the Maiden's Curse to run towards, and she wasn't fast enough to race with her cargo hold packed the way it was. If we hadn't have taken on the extra provisions we might have been able to steer away and run for it, he thought angrily, running his fingers over the helm wheel. Then he took a deep breath and looked towards the main deck. "Prepare the canons on the port side! Any man not needed to keep the riggings be on a canon! Bring up the gunpowder from the cargo hold and be ready! These canons have gotten us through before and they can do it again, or else you'll be feasting underwater tonight!" The ship was immediately a flurry of activity as men ran between the decks, obeying the captain's orders. Vito called one of his crewmen over to man the helm and descended to the main deck himself, standing near the bow of the ship by the figurehead of the faceless woman carved in the front. Looking across the sea, he saw a storm brewing, but it was too far. It wouldn't be able to chase Black Soul from his prey, but it might serve as an escape for Vito's crew later.
Rosiana heard the orders shouted from her cabin, which she'd been given to uphold her special place as the navigator of the ship. It elevated her above the average crewmen which suited her needs just fine. She left the quarters and watched from the doorway as the other crewmen loaded the canons with gunpowder and cannonballs, setting out further supplies. Some men were also loading rifles and pistols, others were inspecting the sharpness of their blades. Most men had cutlasses, the typical sword of the sea. The occasional man had curved arakhs or other blades. Rosiana herself had a shiny rapier, which was good in an unfair fight, but a fair one necessitated her own set of pistols. The captain shouted at the men to continue their preparations, but Rosiana did not move. She'd rather avoid the fight, even if the ship was forced to face it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:57 am
Black Soul smirked as his ship slowly encroached on the Maiden's Curse. "Give them a taste of the triple guns." he ordered to his first mate. The man saluted and went to the bow of the ship and pulled a lever. From the bow came two three barreled cannons. "Fire!!" Black Soul ordered. One of the barrels ejected its projectile, then it rotated to the next barrel while the first was reloaded. Of course this was only rotated fast enough as human hands could turn the gun, light the fuse, and reload the last barrel. But even for all those steps, it still fired pretty fast. And with two of them, Black Soul mused he'd be eating his feast tonight using that figurehead as a throne.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:45 pm
"Incoming!" one of the crew screamed, and Vito was able to duck as a cannonball came whirling past his head. It smashed into the deck, closely followed by two more, and Vito glared at the holes. Peering down one, he saw that the cannonballs had gone through the next deck as well, which meant they could possibly have gone all the way down to the cargo hold and damaged some of the goods. I'll deal with that later. The Maiden's Curse was not equipped with bow facing cannons, since it was an older ship with a more traditional design. But... "Turn her three knots starboard and ready the cannons for firing!" Vito shouted to the helm as another set of cannonballs went flying past the mast, one catching the side and scraping the wood harshly. The mast wasn't going to fall any time soon, unless another ball managed to burst right through it.
The ship turned and with that slight turn, the Maiden's Curse was nearly lined up with Black Souls vessel. "If you can look down the neck of the cannon and see the wood of that rat's ship, fire!" Vito shouted to the crew on the cannons. The first few cannons began to fire, other crewmen hurriedly reloading the canons as soon as they went off. "When we're in complete shot range, I want someone on the anchor to drop it!" Vito shouted over his shoulder, still standing at the bow. He continued to shout encouragements to the men on the cannons as they took aim and shot at the other ship.
It was Rosiana who obeyed the captain's most recent order. The anchor was on the starboard side, after all, as far from the cannons as she could get. She prepared the ropes, set the anchor against the opening in the ship's side it would go through, and nodded to the man who'd grabbed the other anchor on the port side. He was more of a boy, actually, probably also avoiding the canons for the sake of his life. When the man on the helm shouted down to lower the anchors, Rosiana and the boy pushed the heavy weights over the sides, watching the ropes unfurl and hearing the splashes as they hit the water. They hit the bottom nearly at the same time, which was excellent. The Maiden's Curse only listed towards the starboard side for a brief moment before straightening out again and stopping in the water.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:50 am
Black Soul laughed heartily as his triple cannons tore the other ship up. Then the other ship began to retaliate. Now Black Soul was an arrogant man. He had gotten a bigger ship every time he had defeated a famous pirate. But with all these upgrades, his ship had become very large. Thus a larger target for his arrogance. Cannonballs tore into his ship, making him growl. "Alright men! Right face the ship! All decks blaze!" he commanded. The ship slowly turned and, side facing the Maiden's Curse, let all the cannons on that side fire at full tilt, leaving the triple guns dormant. Black Soul was determined to sink that vessel.
The princess below looked up at the deck, wondering what was going on. She knew there was a battle, but with who? A cannonball suddenly crashed through her wall, her screaming and shielding herself from the debris. The girl peered through the hole that was now in the side of the ship, looking to the other ship in the distance. As she stared, she suddenly heard some creaking and cracking. The chocolate haired girl poked her head out of the hole and saw cracks forming along the ship. She blinked a little, leaning on the wall, then wishing she hadn't. The wall gave a few more cracks before it caved into the ocean, her losing her balance and falling with it, along with a few crates of supplies. The girl plunged into the cold ocean, surfacing and clinging to one of the crates as she coughed from the water. The battle raged on before Black Soul's true colors showed through and he turned tail, inadvertently leaving his most precious 'prize' adrift in the water. The princess watched as Black Soul's ship pulled away from her. She couldn't call out to them, the cannon fire drowning out her voice and splashes. And soon the vessel was gone, leaving her to bob there with the small crates of food and things, leaving her to wonder how long it would take sharks to notice her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:27 pm
Vito continued to shout his orders, and their cannons reloaded faster than Black Soul's could. His ship was larger than average, which burdened it, and the cannons were slower due to their larger size. However, the smatter of cannonballs that did make it to the Maiden's Curse lodged themselves and dropped debris into the ocean. His men stood their ground, though, and soon enough a series of well aimed shots tore a hole in the side of Black Soul's vessel, actually dislodging a portion of the ship's side, throwing cargo into the water. The ship lifted up its anchors and began to run. "Captain, orders!" one of the crewmen called out and Vito sighed quietly out of relief. "We stood our ground as long as we needed to, and it paid off. Count this as a victory for us. Now, I want a longboat in the water to collect any cargo that they might have dropped we could use. Provisions, goods for sale, whatever you find bring up for appraisal. I also want a report of major damage to the ship and any repairs we might need next time we make port." A handful of the crew shuffled towards a longboat beside the anchors, unroping it and letting it swing over the side before they hopped in.
Amongst those in the longboat was Rosiana, who'd been called over from her spot by the anchor. She had a certain amount of authority on the ship, but at the moment she did not feel like fighting. Plus, if she could sneak some treasure into her own cabin, she could slowly being to rebuild… No, you are not yourself. It is too dangerous to start that. One day, you shall return home and you will have all that you desire. For now, you must play your part. Once in the water, Rosiana found herself perched towards the front of the longboat, scanning the waters. They picked up a barrel of water, a crate with no indication of its contents, and then… "There's a person!" Rosiana shouted, and the longboat steered towards the crate. A girl was hanging off of it, and once they were close enough, Rosiana reached out towards the girl to help her into the boat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:49 pm
The princess clung to her crate that was floating in the ocean. The water was so cold and she was so tired. The girl sniffled a little. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be back with her father and in her comfy warm bed and her once lavish lifestyle. But as she began to succumb to the cold and the want to just sleep and dream of home, she heard someone shout. The chocolate haired girl looked up to see someone reaching for her. She reached out and grabbed onto Rosiana's hand. Once she was in the boat, one of the crew got a blanket around her to help her warm up. She was soaked to the bone and her clothes definitely weren't meant to keep her warm. But she was very thankful someone thought to rescue her. "T-T-Thank you..." she said through her chattering teeth. She was still so cold.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:27 pm
Rosiana was the one who lifted the girl into the boat, wrapped her in a blanket, and rubbed her arms as they began to row back to the ship. [b}"There, now. We'll get you back, and I have some clothes you can change into. Afterwards, the captain might want to see you," she said softly to the girl, hoping to keep her calm. Even as she warmed up there was some danger that the girl might come to her senses and fight against them. When the ladder was cast down for the crew to climb back up, Rosiana sent the girl ahead first, climbing up right behind her. As soon as they were on deck, Rosiana escorted the girl to her own cabin, as small as it was. She went through a trunk and pulled out some clothes she rarely wore--a skirt and blouse that would me much warmer than what the girl currently wore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2014 10:23 pm
The girl let the pirates get her back tot heir ship, not fighting them. Though she did have trouble climbing the ladder. Her wrists were still shackled together with thick iron restraints. She tried to look around the ship, but a woman quickly escorted her off the deck and down below to a small cabin. She waited, looking around a bit before she was presented with clothes. The exiled princess looked tot he clothes before looking to Rosiana. She suddenly felt rather self conscious. Of the chains around her wrists, and of the tattoo on her shoulder that had marked her as Black Soul's property. Thankfully the blanket obscured it at the moment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 2:32 am
Rosiana caught sight of the chains that she hadn't noticed previously and sighed, holding the girls hands in hers. She concentrated with what little magic she had command over while in her form. The locks on the chains slowly burned and soon the metal clattered to the ground, steaming with heat. Rosiana's eyes had turned an inky black and were slowly returning to normal, the only negative side effect of trying to use magic while in human form. It took a lot of practice for her, as it wasn't natural for dragons to command the vast power they had while in such...inferior forms. Their magic was also very dangerous, and if she overextended herself she could very well accidentally shift back into dragon form and, well, that would be bad. When her eyes were normal again, she opened them and smiled at the girl. "Please keep that our little secret. The crew are already uncomfortable with my presence here, I doubt knowing I can do a little magic would set them at ease. I'll leave you now, to change in private, and return with some food and water. You must be hungry." Rosiana took care when opening and closing the door, knowing that any passing crew might try to sneak a glimpse at the new arrival, before heading to the gallery to get something for the girl to eat.
Vito stood once more at the helm, staring out across the ocean with a small smirk of triumph. He was glad to avoid a further scrape than he wanted. The crew were making repairs to the ship from where Black Soul's canons had damaged it, and they would soon be back on route.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2014 3:51 pm
The girl shifted uncomfortably before Rosiana gently grabbed her hands. She watched with fascination as the locks began to smoke and steam before her heavy shackles clattered to the floor loudly. The girl was a little startled by the noise, taking an instinctive step back and looking down at the piece of metal that had once restrained her. She then looked to her wrists and flexed her hands, turning them over as if to confirm they were off and her hands were free. Soon Rosiana spoke again and the girl nodded loyally. She wouldn't do that to someone who had just freed her from the device that had kept her bound for many many years. She had sort of gotten used to then being on her wrists. It was rather strange that they were gone now. But as her host left, the girl watched the door close, then slowly shed the blanket that had been wrapped around her. Once that was gone, then she began to change into the clothes that had been set aside for her. They were so much nicer than the rags she had been wearing. After she was dressed, she smiled and gave a small twirl. The skirt she was wearing flowed ever so nicely and it felt good to wear such nice clothes again. And the blouse's sleeve even covered the hideous tattoo that she had been forced to get. So hopefully no one would see it so she wouldn't have to explain it. The girl then sat on Rosiana's bed and sighed softly, wrapping the blanket back around herself. Maybe they'd let her rest before putting her to work. At least that was what she hoped she'd be doing. She didn't feel very good about going to see the slave markets up close.
But as the girl thought more on her fate, fatigue was settling in to her malnourished frame. She found her eyes feeling heavy and her head very foggy. Maybe her host wouldn't mind if she rest. Just a quick little nap shouldn't hurt... So the girl eased herself down onto Rosiana's cot and nestled into the blanket before falling asleep.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Riding_The_Stars Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
