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 Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2010 8:20 am
Trouble at the Docks Seven docks are spread around Priyal in a semi-circle. Just above those docks are eight warehouses that store the goods brought into the city. 12 ships are capable of being in the port at one time, but right now one is permanently in use as a drydock to make repairs on a ship, the Crystal Rose. The Rose is anchored for the next four months. There are a total of 9 ships unloading or taking on goods right now. Each ship that enters the port is unloaded by its own sailors. The freight is stacked on the dock nearby until counted and sorted. Then the goods are moved to the proper warehouse by dockworkers. Dock guards do have patterned patrols day and night as they are supposed to keep trouble to a minimum. Dockmaster Torm oversees the freight from the moment it is placed on the docks. He is responsible for the movement of goods into the warehouses, the repair of ships, and even of sending out the goods to the vendors. Of course he has those who help him as he cannot be in more than one place at a time, but he knows when, how, and where anything moves and nothing does without his permission. He has drafted as sailor from the Crystal Rose, Winchester, to help as he needs it. In this case, he will be helping find out why there are more problems lately than there ever have been. He would like to eventually be First Mate of the Rose but for now he is considered to be one of the best sailors on the ship. He takes orders but is not afraid to voice his opinion if he thinks it is wrong. Captain Jamison is the Captain of the Crystal Rose and although he appreciates Winchester's sailor skills, he does not always care for his blunt attitude. He believes that sometimes work should be done without verbal input. Orders are given for a reason. The problem :Both theft and sabotage are causing trouble at the docks right now. Food stuffs have even been broken into and eaten. Are these events connected or simply random? Noone seems to know for certain, but Dockmaster Torm is fed up with it all. Not just an item or two, but entire crates are either disappearing or being damaged beyond use. It seems that the rarest of supplies, those with limited quantities, are usually what seems to be touched although this is not always so. Reward:A personal auto-encounter with a special NPC ghostling during the Metaplot that has a chance of being caught. What you need to do IC :
Post #1 : Write an interaction with Dockmaster Torm getting all the information you need. Meet Winchester and gain his help. He will do anything you need done, limited to what a sailor of his skill would be capable of. He will travel with you not only as guide but to help defend you should the need arise. Post #2 : Check each ship for information. Look at the sailors, the goods, the ships, and any trouble that occurs there. Describe what you see as well as give ship names and feel free to name sailors, dockworkers, and describe the area. Post #3 : Check the people who have access to any of the docks and warehouses and see if anyone knows anything. Include the old fishermen who sit on the docks day or night. Perhaps they have seen something or nothing. It is up to you to create the atmosphere of the warehouses and people there. Post #4 : Check the freight lists for clues to where specific goods are located and who has opportunity. Search every nook and cranny of the warehouses and see what is going on. Post #5 : Check the security guards. Find out when their patrols are, the routes they walk, when they exchange shifts. Post #6 : Find out if the trouble is occurring during the busiest or quietest times on the docks and in the warehouses. Post #7 : Talk to Winchester and discuss what you think if happening. Then write up a formal report for Dockmaster Torm. Post #8 : Report to Dockmaster Torm. Give him a written report and explain to him what you have discovered. Include the security patterns of the guards. He will take it to the Mayor who wants this problem solved. The Dockmaster needs to have received a physical report in his hand when you turn in your information. OC Notes : You can use this form for the report, but the length is up to you. Just be sure to include all the information asked for or that you have figured out.
[quote="Docks"]
[b]Trouble :[/b]
[b]Clues : [/b]
[b]Guard Locations & Patterns :[/b]
[b]Solution Recommended : [/b]
[/quote]
There should be at least 4-6 decent paragraphs per post. Have fun with it. Play with new characters. Play with the NPCs listed below as you see fit. Play with descriptions of the area. It is up to you to create the small details that make it live. And if it is longer than what has been outlined, additional perks might be rewarded. NPCs that you may freely control are : Dockmaster Torm, Winchester, Captain Jamison. They may have information or clues that you need or they may have nothing at all to tell you. You decide, but only Winchester will travel along with you. One post a week is sufficient, but if you finish the quest sooner, simply let me know.
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:14 pm
The Priyal wharf is a bustling place of commerce. Built in the shape of half a hexagon, it boasts eight warehouses and twelve docks which are rarely empty of ships berthed to deliver and take on more cargo. The southern tip of the wharf faces out to sea.
The dock is noisy place. From shouted orders on shipboard to crewman unloading their ships, to dock foremen shouting directions to dock workers moving the cargo from the piers to the warehouses. Adding to the human voices, is the neighing of horses and the steady march of their hooves as they pull loaded dray wagons from the ships to the warehouses.
On the southern tip of the wharf is a two story building which houses the Dockmaster’s office on the top floor. With large windows all around, it provides a grand view of the sea and several of the ships docked to either side. In the level below, the most valuable cargo is stored. There is also a small office on this ground floor for the dock guards to write their reports. More often than not, there is a dock guard in close proximity to the building which helps with the security of the valuable items stored here.
To the west are two similar sized buildings. Not quite as tall as the center building, they are one story, but like barns, were built with lofts inside for extra storage. Turning the corner of the wharf lays the largest of the warehouses. This single story building is long and wide with huge doors at either end that are wide enough to drive a team and wagon through. Lumber, extra masts and large items like wagons and small boats are stored here.
To the east of the dockmaster’s office are three buildings built so close together only a cat could walk between them. Around the bend from these buildings is a single warehouse that equals the length of the three previous buildings end to end.
Within the perimeter of the warehouses lays the town square and a variety of shops. Many of the shops, like sail and rope makers, provide supplies for the ships. Others, in the guise of pubs and female establishments, provide a place to relieve a sailor of his freshly paid earnings.
Of the twelve docks, only two are empty today. The first dock is occupied by the Crystal Rose, who is currently careened(*) over to have planking repaired on her hull. At the next pier, Dockmaster Torm keeps the starboard dock empty to allow boats to maneuver in and out with men and supplies for the Crystal Rose.
On the port side of the pier, the Lonely Bard is moored. The Bard is a small two-masted vessel with a very high and ornate stern and is used mainly for local coastal traffic.
At the next pier, Captain Shamus’ ship, the Morgan is moored. Having just arrived that morning, he’d been in conversation with the Dockmaster to have his cargo moved to the warehouse after his crew unloaded it from the ship to the dock, when Sarah came to visit. On the other side of the same pier, a 3-masted brigantine named the Wanderer is waiting for her next cargo. She had arrived a few days earlier. Having been unloaded and her cargo already moved to the warehouses, most of her crew is in town enjoying shore leave.
The next pier sits in front of two single-story warehouses. Moored here is a small packet(**) named the Kestrel. She is a small ship that carries mail and supplies to and from the coastal towns. Sharing the same pier is the Lady Amber. Her new cargo has been loaded and the crew is preparing the ship to sail with the morning tide.
Between this dock and the next, the wharf forms an angle jutting out into a large expanse of water. In this bend in the wharf is the Dockmaster’s office.
At the next pier sits a privateer(***) named the Ravenswood. It is a clean, sleek ship hired to sail with, and protect, the Flying Hart which is moored on the other side of the pier. The Flying Hart, a colorful galleon, carries valuable cargo to and from many ports and is never at sea without an armed escort.
At the next pier, only the Pengatira is moored. A three-masted schooner, she carries cargos that need to travel fast.
At the last pier, an old ship, the Tempest, sits moored as a permanent resident. Her captain has seen many years protecting the mainland and while both ship and captain are no longer sea-worthy, the town welcomes both to live out their days in the harbor. The Captain never leaves his ship and the townspeople allow him his disillusion of believing he is still at sea. Old friends and sailors visit the Captain and provide whatever supplies he needs. Only a few of the townspeople will go near the ship though. Strange things seem to happen around the ship and some claimed it is haunted. (*) Careen: to cause (a vessel) to lean over so that she floats on one side, leaving the other side out of water and accessible for repairs below the water line;
(**) Packet: a small vessel usually employed to carry mails between ports
(***) Privateer: a private warship authorized by a country's government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. Privateers were only entitled by their state to attack and rob enemy vessels during wartime. Dock 1-Crystal Rose; Dock 2-empty; Dock 3-Lonely Bard; Dock 4-Morgan; Dock 5-Wanderer; Dock 6-Kestrel; Dock 7-Lady Amber; Dock 8-Ravenswood; Dock 9-Flying Hart; Dock 10-empty; Dock 11-Pengatira; Dock 12-Tempest
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:19 pm
Waves slapped against the wooden hulls of ships tied to the docks. Bare masts rose above fog that rolled in like a blanket to cover the wooden planks. In the predawn light, a gas street lamp glowed like a light house beacon. Only a few dock workers were up this early. If any had looked up as they passed the street lamp, they would have thought it odd that the glow of the lamp extended up above the frame and seemed to sit on top of it.
The Spectral spirit sat on top of the street light watching the old man shuffle by. She knew his routine like she knew so many of the others that passed by her favorite perch. From here she could see over the heads of the living, through the bare masts of the ships and out to sea. Faint memories drifted by much like the fog that rolled across the wooden docks. Dreamer remembered coming to these docks when she walked as one of the living. In those days, she came to watch for the ship that would bring her love back home to her. She lost herself in her memories while the dock below her awoke with busy workers.
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:23 pm
The warmth of the sun burned off the morning fog. By mid-morning the docks were bustling with ships being loaded and unloaded. Faces turned to watch the sweatered girl weave her way through the busy dock workers. Her long fisherman's sweater hid her slim form, but her snug fitting jeans belied what was hidden by the bulky top. Whistles and cat calls followed her passing as she stepped over ropes and dodged toppling boxes.
It wasn't Sarah's first time on the docks among the randy dockworkers. Their reactions brought a smile to her face. The respectful ones knew her since she was a child coming to greet her father's merchant vessel. The others voicing lewd suggestions would be put in their place by those that knew and respected her father.
Sarah found the dock where her father's ship was berthed. She could easily distinguish his booming voice over the din of the sailors unloading their cargo. Finding his blue coated figure was an easy task as he stood half a head taller than the stout Dockmaster that he that he was in conversation with. Coming within earshot of their conversation, Sarah could hear Dockmaster Torm venting again about the mysterious thefts that have been plaguing the cargo stored in his warehouses and on the docks.
“I've asked for more help to find out who's stealing my cargo and giving my docks a bad name, but they say they can't spare any more men right now," said Torm.
Seeing his daughter approaching, Sarah's father said, “Torm, you should have Sarah snoop around for you. She always has her nose in everyone's business.”
“Poppa! I do not gossip!” Sarah objected.
“Didn't say ya did,” her father replied. “You just seem to have a knack for knowing things.”
Torm nodded a greeting to Sarah and she nodded back. “Shamus, you know the dock's no place for a girl wandering about by herself,” Torm replied to her father's suggestion.
“Then send one of your men with her,” Shamus said in an off-hand manner. “I'm just saying, if you want to know something, send the girl to snoop around.”
Sarah was mildly amused at how her father was referring to her like some bloodhound to set on the trail of a jail escapee. But she had to admit he was right. She did seem to have a knack for finding things out when she set her mind to it. Coming out of her own thoughts, she realized that the Dockmaster was eyeing her thoughtfully.
“You might have something there, Shamus. Folks might not pay much mind to a wharf brat hanging about asking questions. The authorities certainly haven't come up with anything.” Turning to fully face her, Torm said, “So girl, are you up for it? You think you can find out who's been stealing my goods?” Before she could respond, he added, “Do you have time to snoop through all my warehouses and check all the ships in dock? If'n you're going to do this, you need to be thorough.”
This was a switch, Sarah thought. Normally she was always hearing 'the docks and ships were no place for girls'. 'Too dangerous,' they'd say. Now they were actually inviting her to go exploring, which is what she's always wanted to do. “You can depend on me, Dockmaster. I'll give it my best shot.”
“Fine then. I'll send Winchester with you to keep you out of trouble.” With a wave of his hand, Torm sent one of his dock boys to find the sailor from the Crystal Rose. “Well then, girl, here's the gist of it. It started with crates being broken into. Mostly food, at the time, so I blamed the wharf brats. Despite the beatings I laid on them, they're still denying it. Then entire crates and boxes went missing. I reported it to the dock guards, but they're more interested in breaking up fights then keeping an eye on my cargo. Doesn't appear to be any pattern in what's being taken or where it's being taken from. It appeared for a bit that the rarer items being brought were what the thieving blaggards were after, but other items have come up missing now as well.”
“What sort of rare items?” asked Sarah.
“Winchester can fill you in on that. He's been recording the cargo manifests to my books.” Everyone turned their attention to the sailor that stepped up to their small group. Sun-tanned, with collar-length brown hair and blue eyes, it was easy to see that the man was an able bodied seaman. The loose fitting shirt and vest could not hide years of working aboard a ship. Torm did the introductions and filled Winchester in on what Torm wanted him to do.
Sarah could see objections cross the sailor's face. She was sure that escorting a girl around the docks wouldn't be the first choice of a man who'd rather be back on his ship and heading out to sea. Winchester looked as if he was about to voice an objection, but he seemed to change his mind and said nothing.
Turning to Sarah, Torm added, “The Lady Amber's cargo has already been loaded. I'd suggest starting with her since she'll be the first to set sail.”
Shamus looked between his daughter the sailor. “Don't just stand there. Get on with it. Dockmaster Torm and I have business to discuss.” The Captain dismissed them both with a wave of his hand.
slight edits - 10/9/2010
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Posted: Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:25 pm
With the sun high in the sky and the heads of the dock workers bent to their tasks, no one noticed the faint glow still sitting above the street lamp. Even if someone chanced to look up, they'd assume the sunlight was playing tricks on their eyes.
Dreamer rarely listened to anything going on with the living. Today though, one conversation kept drifting up to pique her interest. The white Spectral idly watched the young woman in conversation with the two old sea dogs. In her day, a female would never have been seen in the warehouse district. At least, not a respectable female.
When an engaging young sailor joined the group, Dreamer felt a change in the wind. Something was amiss here. When the young woman walked off and the sailor followed, the Spectral's curiosity was tinged with concern and she followed.
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Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:46 pm
Sarah could tell Winchester wasn’t happy with his new task, but there was no arguing with her father or the Dockmaster. Striding off in the direction that Torm had indicated where the Lady Amber was berthed, she didn't bother to see if Winchester would follow. Hearing the sailor's footsteps soon behind her, Sarah figured she'd have to find a way to deal with his attitude. She was going to need his cooperation if she was going to make any headway in this endeavor. She steeled her nerve to break the ice and set things straight with this sailor.
“I can see that you’re not pleased with your assignment.” Receiving only a grunt in reply, she continued, “You looked like you were about to object. Why didn’t you?”
Winchester lengthened his steps to move up and walk beside her. “Aye, I was going to object to babysitting a Captain’s daughter while she played detective. But, seeing as what the Dockmaster currently had me doing, this was the lesser of two evils.”
Sarah didn’t take offense at being referred to as an evil. The sailing life bred a prideful lot and most sailors saw women as just someone to tend their homes and raise their children. And for those that never married, well, a woman was just someone to relieve those long nights at sea alone.
“And what would be worse than escorting a captain’s daughter around the docks?” she asked with an amused tone.
“Sitting inside all day recording cargo. I’d rather be outside doing anything else. And I certainly wouldn't mind being back aboard a ship, even I don't get to sail with her. There are a few that I wouldn’t mind getting a closer look too.”
Sarah had to agree with that. She didn’t like being stuck inside all day either. She remembered the few times her father had taken her to sea with him. Winchester broke into her mental reminiscing with his next words.
“And if you don’t mind my saying so, Miss,” said the sailor, “I don’t think you’re going to get much out these sailors. They aren’t going to give the time of day to a slip of a girl asking questions.”
“I've already thought about that,” said Sarah. “I haven’t lived all my life around these docks and not learned anything.” Sarah thought she saw a hint of smile on the chiseled face. Perhaps this salt of the sea wasn’t going to be so hard to work with after all. “I have an idea if you’re willing to give it a try.”
“I’m listening.”
“Well, since everyone already knows you’re working for the Dockmaster, you can say you’re out doing inspections. And since these old sea salts won’t pay no mind to a girl tagging along to take notes for you, I can be snoopy and they’ll just think I’m gawking at their ship.” Sarah waited hoping that her idea was acceptable.
Winchester appeared to be mulling the idea over. “Aye, that would work,” he said slowly.
slight edits - 10/9/2010
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 7:57 pm
Dreamer floated along just ahead of the pair on the dock. If either had looked, the small glow of the Spectral would have been lost in the morning sunshine. Seeing the two turn onto the pier by the Lady Amber, the Spectral drifted down and settled on the bowsprit to watch. Dreamer could feel a contentment in the old ship.
Only those that worked and lived aboard a ship understood the spirit of a ship. It wasn’t quite as sentient as the dead that wandered among the living in Pryal, but its happiness, or discontent, with its captain or crew could be felt by those sensitive enough to listen. This was a well-loved ship and she would protect her crew against all dangers of the sea.
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Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 8:21 pm
Sarah glanced back at the three-masted ship docked on the opposite side of the pier of her father's ship as they walked by.
“The Wanderer,” said Winchester, answering her unasked question. “The cargo she brought in is already stored in the warehouse waiting disposition. We haven't heard yet what her outgoing cargo will be.”
“Most of her crew must be in town then.”
“Aye. And the next ship is..”
“The Kestrel,” said Sarah. “I know that one. She's been delivering the mail as long as I can remember. Most of her crew would be local folk. I don't expect our thief would be one of her crew, but we'll have to check her out before she leaves tomorrow.“
Winchester didn't reply. Sarah wasn't sure if she'd irked him by interrupting him, or if she'd actually earned a tidbit of respect from him by knowing the ship.
As Winchester and Sarah walked up to the next pier that jutted out from the wharf, Sarah could see the profile of the Lady Amber that was tied up on the off side. The Lady Amber was a small two-masted vessel built for sturdiness and long life rather than large cargo or speed. She was a ship a Captain could be proud of.
Where does the Lady Amber hail from?” asked Sarah.
“From a collection of islands south of here. It’s a fortnight sailing in good weather. She makes the crossing every couple of months. Brings island goods to trade for medicines and other supplies.”
“She's a pretty ship,” Sarah said. “Looks well cared for. The Captain must be proud of her.”
“Aye.”
And that Captain, a tanned older man, was standing at the foot of the gangplank giving orders to one of his crew. He appeared dressed rather casually for a Captain, thought Sarah. If it wasn't for his demeanor and the respect showed him by the crew, anywhere else he might be mistaken for just another sailor. The Captain turned at their approaching footsteps.
“Winchester!” greeted the Captain. “What brings you away from the dour paperwork that Torm has you toiling at each day?” Sarah noticed a slight accent in the Captain's voice. It had a pleasant ring to it.
“Captain Tyoca.” Winchester greeted the sea captain with a nod of his head. “The Dockmaster wants some rechecking ogfthe cargo,” replied Winchester. Feigning a casualness that he was just following orders, he asked “Do ye mind if I take another look at the cargo?”
“Not at all,” said Captain Tyoca. “You're always welcome aboard.” Looking past the sailor, the Captain said, “and who's this?”
“This is Captain Shamus' daughter.” Leaning closer to the captain, Winchester lowered his voice, but still spoke loud enough for Sarah to hear. “She thinks you have a pretty boat.” The Captain chuckled at his ship being called a 'pretty boat'. “Do ye mind if she comes aboard?”
Sarah bristled at the insinuations that she knew nothing about ships, but she held her tongue. No one gossiped more than a sailor after a few tankards of ale. If this got out, she'd soon lose any reputation of being more than 'just a girl' around the ships. Her only hope was that the Captain would follow the routine of most ships and keep his crew on board the night before departure. Keeping them on board meant that they would ready and sober when the ship was ready to set sail in the morning. She had suggested that Winchester do the talking and she had to follow his lead.
“Come along then, the both of ya.” Captain Tyoca continued talking to Winchester and their conversation ranged from the cargo to the weather expected on the sail home. Sarah had to admit, the ruse of her being ignorant of ships worked well. No one paid any attention to her as she looked over the ship and watched the crew. When she dawdled to look at something, it was just assumed that she was just gawking at something she knew nothing about.
The Captain took them into the hold for Winchester to check the cargo against the Captain's manifest. Afterwards, the Captain gave Sarah a tour of his ship. Sarah had been right in her thinking. Captain Tyoca was proud of his small ship. Sarah could see the care that was taken to keep her well-ordered and water-tight. Even though the Lady Amber showed a bit of age from the worn sails, Sarah was sure the ship had a long life ahead of her under the loving hands of Captain Tyoca.
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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:57 am
Dreamer's attention turned to the activity on the wharf when Winchester and Sarah boarded the ship. Sailors unloaded crates and barrels from their ships and stacked them on the docks. Torm's dock workers loaded the same crates and barrels onto wagons and the horses hailed it into the warehouses. Cargo destined for a sea voyage was brought from the warehouses and stacked on the pier to be loaded on a ship by it's crew.
Constant comings and goings of the living, striving to reach their life's goals. What mattered of these dreams of the living. Their true destination was to become one of the dead and wander forever.
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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 12:12 pm
Leaving the Lady Amber, Winchester and Sarah shared their observations. They agreed that there was nothing on the island bound ship to raise any suspicions. Turning off the pier and walking towards the southern point of the wharf, Sarah suggested that since they'd be passing the Dockmaster's office on the way to the next ship down the line, they could stop in so she could get paper and pencil to jot down notes. Winchester agreed. Sarah was glad that he did. She didn't like the idea of having to play the starry-eyed girl on every ship.
Walking up to the weather-beaten, Winchester tried the door knob, found it unlocked, and they walked inside. Most of the light in the room came from the windows facing the sea. An assortment of crates, barrels and sacks were stacked to the left of the door. The middle of the room was occupied by a large desk and behind it were stairs to the upper level. The back wall of the room had three doors in it. A large heavy wooden door provided access to a locked storage area for cargo deemed too valuable to left in one of the larger warehouses. The dockmaster had been sending more items to be stored here when the rarer items seemed to be the target of the thieves. A smaller door to the right hid a small room containing a wash basin and toilet. A similar small door on the other side of the heavy door led into a small room. This room sometimes found use as a holding cell when the guards brought in a suspect, but didn't have time to take them immediately to the jail.
At the desk sat one of the dock guards. Looking when up the door opened, his blue eyes twinkled over his bushy mustache and rounded beard.
“You two are as unlikely a pair as I ever woulda thought to come walkin’ through that door.”
“Hi, George,” Sarah said with a smile. “Long time no see.”
George had been a sailor in his younger days. He'd spent many years on a variety of ships before Sarah met him as one of her father's crew. Finally giving up life at sea to stay at home with his family, he took on the occupation of one of the dock guards. It allowed him to be near the sea he loved and provided his family with a husband and father at home each night.
Sarah was glad it was her old friend that had his duty in the office building at this time of day. Any other guard would have been hard to deal with. Some of them had elevated ideas of themselves because of their position of authority on the docks.
“Aye, it’s been awhile. How's your father? I heard the Morgan was in dock.”
“Dad is doing good. He got in late last night. We left him a bit ago, talking to the dockmaster.”
“And Winchester, I know you haven't come to visit with an old, though I do call you my friend,” said George. “ I be guessing that you're here on Dockmaster's business?”
“Torm wants me to do some checks on the ships in dock. Miss Sarah, here, needs some paper and a writing tool,” said Winchester.
Nodding his head, the guard pointed to a table by the wall. “You’ll find what you need there.”
Sarah walked over and gathered what she needed from the table. “And how are you doing, George?”
“Fair to middlin’,” he replied. “Thank ye for askin’.”
“You know, Winchester was telling me about the problems you’ve been having with cargo being broken into and stolen,” Sarah said. She could see the guard stiffen up with defensiveness. Stepping closer with a look of wide-eyed curiosity, she asked, “Who do you think is doing it?” It wasn’t often that the guards were asked for their opinions and George's defensiveness attitude changed to being happy to share his own ideas with this unexpected audience.
In the midst of the guard's embellishments of his own exploits, Sarah was able to determine that the guards used to do scheduled rounds of two on patrol during the day and two others at night. Generally one guard would be walking the docks and the other would be patrolling around the warehouses. When it was thought that scheduled patrols were to easy to judge where a guard would be, they decided to try random patrols and added more guards. They thought changing the patrol patterns would thwart the thieves, but the thefts seem to have gotten bolder and more diverse. Sarah had hoped for a lead to follow, but she noticed that her old friend seemed to avoid actually pointing suspicions in any direction.
When they left the Dockmaster’s office, it wasn’t long before Winchester said, “Guards! They blame everything that goes wrong on the sailors.”
“And the sailors blame everything on the guards,” countered Sarah. She was about to say more when she stopped and stared at the next ship they were going to visit. The darkly painted ship was such a contrast from the light colored Lady Amber, but it was the cannons she saw in the open gun ports that made her stare.
“Privateer,” said Winchester. “Eighteen carronades and two long guns.” Sarah looked up at her companion intending to question his source, when he said, “The crew likes to boast when they’re in the pubs.”
“Why would a ship be so heavily armored? We’re not at war.”
“No, but there are still pirates that plague the shipping lanes. The Ravenswood,” Winchester indicated the dark ship, “and the Flying Hart on the other side, are both owned by the same trader. He does big business and he keeps his cargo safe by sailing with an armed escort.”
“The crew likes to boast when they’re in the pubs,” said Sarah, mimicking Winchester's words.
“Aye. But, as free as they are with their tales in the pubs, I doubt that they’ll be as willing to let us on their ships.”
“Maybe they have something to hide,” suggested Sarah.
Winchester’s comment was cut off by shouts and yelling coming from a group of men gathered by the warehouses in front the Ravenswood. Without a word Winchester and Sarah ran to see what the rumble was about.
Muscling his way through the circle of dock workers, Winchester found himself in the center of the crowd that backed up to give him space once they saw it was the Dockmaster's man. “What’s the uproar here?” demanded Winchester.
A young boy in tattered clothes was held by the scruff of his shirt. “This thieving wharf rat tried to make off with the goods,” growled one of the dock workers. Mumbles of agreement accompanied the statement.
“No sir! I wasn’t tryin’ to take nothin’!” protested the lad, trying to wriggle out of man's grasp.
“I don’t know, boy,” said Winchester, “there’s an awful lot of witnesses here that seem to disagree with you.”
Looking at the fierce eyes around him, the youngster fell silent.
Sarah felt sorry for him. Hie was disheveled and dirty and she guessed he hadn’t had a decent meal in quite a while. If he was stealing anything, it was probably just something to barter for food. Sarah knew that it would be a waste of time to try to speak up for the lad. She'd likely be tossed off the wharf for speaking up. Possibly the same fate that was planned for the young thief. She hoped Winchester would take the boy and treat him fairly. Glancing past the mob, she saw crates that had been pried open and their contents spilled on the ground.
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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 4:57 pm
Dreamer was more right than she knew about the circumstances within the city. Some would reach those lofty goals. Others would not. Fate would pick those allowed to fulfill such aspirations in life or death. Few would ever understand it though.
The dark figure dropped down behind the mast, little to nothing seen. The sailors nearby barely noticed anything but their work. So in a way, this could be considered an opportunity. For mischief. Sliding carefully behind the boom that was swinging the load high overhead, the shape hesitated for a moment. A knife gleamed as it took a couple carefully placed swipes across one or two of the ropes attached there to guide the direction the load was being pulled. The weight immediately began to fray reducing the thickness bit by bit. Moving back silently, the dark figure found a good spot at the edge of the sails to watch the fun begin.
For a long moment nothing, then as the freight swung out over the dock itself and those standing before the ship, the netted crates began to shake more than normal. A loud snap was suddenly heard as several sailors jerked their attention upwards. They knew the noise of a breaking rope all too well. It led to deaths. Crate after crate tumbled free, falling directly towards those standing before the ship on the dock.
"Look out! The rope snapped!"
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OOC A couple notes of importance...
1. If you don't move, you will be crushed. The freight is falling in your direction and around you. It can be avoided.
2. The figure could be seen as a shadowy shape- very nondescript as if a figment of imagination or something not really tangible. If approached it would hide behind something and is then gone.
3. There are clues as to what has happened here. Look for them, but what were the real intentions supposed to be? Merely mischief or something even more subtle? You decide, but it is now a part of your story. XD
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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 8:33 pm
Dreamer watched the couple leave the pier and enter the Dockmaster's building. Nothing seemed amiss here. Perhaps she had been wrong in what she thought was a foretelling in the wind.
She watched the couple leave the building, lost in conversation as they strode towards the ships across the southern point of the wharf. Dreamer was beginning to lose interest in them.
She felt the evil in the wind before she heard the creak of the wooden boom as the weight of it's netted load shifted. Dreamer lept to the air, flying as fast as her little wings could beat to warn those on the docks even though she knew she would not be in time for some. When the first wooden crates crashed to the dock, Dreamer doubled over in flight. A memory of pain came rushing over her.
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