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 Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 3:35 pm
Cuthbert Thoreau and the strange sailors. An RP featuring Owlied's Cuthbert Thoreau and his cursed map, and kotaline's white chess stunteds, led by their king, Crispian, and their queen, Cliodhna. The place is the docks of Clearbarrow, and the time is midmorning. The weather is clement, but there are signs of a storm blowing in later that day.
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 3:57 pm
There was a cold sea wind blowing in the harbour that morning, the smell of brine and salt stung the nose, and the lap of the waves was choppy despite the relatively fair skies. The weather, so pleasant, was bound to turn sour later, and the sailors knew this. Bad weather could be blamed on anything, from strange tides to sour spirits, and sailors were a superstitious bunch, Who knew what spooks would jinx a voyage? Best not to set sail until they saw the storm blow over, not today, no matter how fair a morning may seem.
Who knew what spooks would seek to commandeer a voyage, for that matter? King Crispian and Queen Cliodhna did, from their hiding place amongst the ropes and barrels, they held court, holding their white robes up daintily so as to avoid the muck and filth that stained their subjects' togs as best they could. Carefully, a pawn peered out, waiting to find an accostable sailor as Cliodhna directed her men. It was always Cliodhna. The queen was very much in charge, despite Crispian's Panyma-given right to rule.
"And hwhat," she pronounced haughtily, "Do hwe still need?"
"Sailing hats!" offered the pawn.
"A ship," mused the knight.
The bishop cleared his throat. "A navigator," he suggested drily.
Cliodhna glanced at the bishop. "Sailing hats are frivolous, hwe have hats aplenty. So do hwe have many ships at hour disposal. Hwhere hwill hwe find a navigator?"
The king spoke up this time. "Look for a man with a map."
Unanimously, the white chess court peered at the Clearbarrow street, six tiny round heads peeping from a clever hiding place. What they needed, as per the king's instruction, was the map-man, chosen by destiny for royal employ.
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:13 am
"There's quite a chill today." Cuthbert breathed to no one in particular, tightening his grip on a snug claret scarf. Two thin arms clutched desperately to one another for warmth, though he'd assure any chuckling men it was the high wind which stirred him and not a looming fear of the dark and churning ocean.
'Swallowed them up, it did...'
He closed his eyes for a moment, oblivious to the commotion of hard-working men as they hauled heavy sails and skillfully unmessed ropes that seemed to stretch on for miles. The groaning of boats, punished lurching waves, nearly brought a faint to the young cartographer.
One might ask why he'd return to a place which had nearly destroyed him only a month ago, and the simple answer was money. Cuthbert had been commissioned, and despite mother's protests, had gone back to work rather promptly. This particular map, a straight forward route from Clearbarrow to the southernmost point of Yirui, was due for delivery at half past and, true to his reputation, the boy had arrived early. He paused a moment to squint at the rapidly graying skies.
He hadn't been so close to the ocean since his return...
"Out of the way, paper boy --" Barked a stout sailor as he and several men of equal size and opinion pushed their way past, heavy ropes in hand. They were new to this port and Cuthbert couldn't help but tremble as he recalled once more why this place felt so unfamiliar.
'Gone. All of them.'
...He pushed the voice away, absently bringing his hands to his chest pocket, revealing the edges of a crumbling map. Despite the confusion it sometimes caused, the damned thing had yet to leave his side. Paper boy, indeed. No matter, the commissioned map was filed neatly in his side bag, safe from misplacement and the moldy smell beneath his jacket.
Pulling up his collar and tucking a few windblown strands beneath his cap, and with one hand retreating to the satchel at his side, Cuthbert surveyed the line of ships before him. Now he had only to find his Captain and deliver the map... little did the young man know, he was the object of equal scrutiny.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:37 am
Luckily for the the royal court, their search was not a difficult one. Their target was marked by more than the map he was delivering, and it wasn't long before the knight turned his head in the direction of their prey, intoning, "I smell death."
The pawn sniffed the air as well. "Why, so do I! Your majesties, we smell death in the air!"
"It is a plague, perhaps," suggested the bishop. "The smell is unusually strong."
"Follow it!" the Queen demanded. "Enough hwith the navigator, hwe desire to know the source." The knight and pawn obeyed, leaping from their hiding places and scurrying out in the direction of the scent. After a few minutes of frantic dodging and scurrying, smelling the air and dragging the slower pawn behind him, it was the knight who found the source and halted, looking up at the individual that was carrying the tang of death. The pawn, not expecting the sudden stop, crashed into his back, clutching his head before he looked up at well. "Oh!" he said at the sight of the parchment the man carried, "This death-smelling man has a map! The scent has led us to a navigator after all, praise the king and queen." The pawn, who was better at relations than the stoic knight, jumped onto the man's boot, knocking at the leather like a human might knock on a door. "Hallo!" he called skywards. "Hallo, their Majesties are in need of your service!"
The bishop watched from a distance and frowned, drumming his fingers on a barrel. He had been hoping to find a Plague at the end of the source, one who might be able to aid them. Humans were not of much use on long voyages unless they came in bulk. However, he dutifully reported, "Your Majesties, they appear to have found the source from a human."
"Are they dead?" the Queen queried.
"No, they appear to be alive."
"How peculiar."
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Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:46 pm
Had Cuthbert been fortunate enough to know for certain the nature of his map, the troupe of chessboard characters would have been far less startling. Unfortunately the boy hadn't the foresight to investigate his grim predicament and stared openly at the wee pawn knocking upon his boot. His eyes grew wide as he inched backwards, squinting at the curious party.
He dragged his sight, first to the left, then the right, fighting back a curious laughter. Was anyone else to witness these... these...
When Cuthbert realized they were neither mice nor man, a surreal tickle of panic urged him into action.
"Oh! Back, I say, back!" He shouted, removing his hat swiftly and shaking it towards the pint-sized pair as if trying to spook them off. He surely wasn't crazy; these tiny harbingers of death were a bad omen and spoken of often.
They were Plague-kin.
Luckily he'd made such displays before, often in the face of pigeons and crabs, and so his outburst was given little more than a snicker and a wave by passing men.
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 7:38 am
"Hwhat are they doing now?" The Queen demanded to the Bishop, who was still watching from their hiding place.
The Bishop squinted and hesitantly offered, "The human appears to be challenging our knight to a duel."
The Queen sounded perplexed. "A duel? Explain."
The Bishop hadn't the foggiest idea why a human might challenge an excito to a duel, especially using a hat instead of a sword. However, the Queen did not like being kept waiting, so he invented rapidly on the spot. "I believe that some humans have a high opinion of honor," he offered, "This one may be judging us to see if we are worthy of his work." He glanced sidewise at Her Majesty somewhat apprehensively, but she seemed to have accepted his explanation.
"Hwe see," she acquiesced. "Hwell, inform us of the victor." Humans were so troublesome, she thought. No Plague would have dueled her knight, she was sure.
Meanwhile, the Knight and the Pawn had come to a similar conclusion, and the Knight was fending off the hat with as many parries as he could, while the panicked Pawn fluttered around them, squeaking out explanations. "Good Sir, good Sir, is this duel necessary? We simply seek to employ you in honest work! Oh! Good Sir, Her Majesty is not the most patient of women, might we please simply get down to business? Good Sir!"
The Knight had a more direct approach, and with a thrust, attempted to pin the hat to the earth, giving Cuthbert about as hard a stare as a Phasmas could give, one not seen, but felt.
"Listen to the Pawn," he ordered in his gravelly voice. The pawn stopped talking and simply wrung his hands in worry.
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2012 9:54 pm
In times like these men were expected to prepare for anything. Cuthbert should have gained better bearings from his time on the cursed ship but it would appear he was still the soft, quaking boy from before. Thus, his surprise at the terms 'duel' and 'Her Majesty' smoothed his ruffled coat and returned the silly leather cap to his head. Suddenly overtaken at the cheeks by a ruddy foolishness, Cuthbert steadied his temperament and bent at the knee, holding both hands out in lieu of a white flag.
"My apologies... little sirs." He stammered, quite unsure how to continue this unexpected conversation. "...but I'm afraid I don't understand the nature of this meeting."
He could hardly believe he was talking to these little ghosts. Perhaps he'd gone mad from map-rot. Weeks of bedridden loneliness could have done him in... regardless, with such gentle pleas, he may as well sort this out like a proper gentleman.
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Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 12:23 pm
The Pawn sighed and cleared his throat dutifully, relieved that at least the Map-Man had ceased his panicking. The knight stood down warily, but hefted his sword so as to be prepared at a moment's notice, staring at Cuthbert and frowning. The Pawn glanced at his companion with some trepidation, but went on, "Good Sir, we merely wish to recruit your services! Our Royal Majesties are in great need of a navigator such as you, and when we were discussing how to find one, we suddenly smelt the strong whiff of death and followed it to your good self." He finished with a bow. "Will you not accompany us to our Monarchs?"
The Knight nodded curtly, adding "If you attack them, you will fare considerably worse than before." The Pawn gave a nervous, giddy little laugh, wishing the knight would be less abrasive. The Queen couldn't get mad at them if she were killed by a human Map-Man, but she would be furious if they failed to procure her a navigator entirely.
"Luckily, I think that we are past the point of attacking each other," he remarked weakly, and the Knight shrugged with a clank of armour.
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 7:26 pm
Quite a threat, thought the young Thoreau, testing the leather strap at his side with an anxious sigh. He knew well he smell of death... even now it crept toward him as if to beg 'go on, go ahead.' Regarding the Map and the Pawn with a wary smile, Cuthbert did a very sensible thing. He let his satchel to the earth where it coughed and crumpled, revealing a tightly bound prize.
"I could imagine no greater honor than that of serving your Monarchy, little sirs..." This sudden change of heart was not uncharacteristic of Cuthbert. Any amount of force of sway met with a bit of persistence left him doomed, and Mother was very much to blame. The man child breathed, dabbing anxious perspiration from his frowning brow with a free sleeve. Though his words were true, an obvious song-like warble crippled his speech. He would prefer talent be his mark and not the scent upon him.
Cuthbert dragged his bag along gently, shifting weight on his heels. "...I don't suppose... there's a court room?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 5:44 pm
The pawn looked immensely relieved, even as the knight looked slightly disappointed. "Yes!" babbled the pawn, "We have a court of course, but we are from Imisus, so it is currently somewhat makeshift, and certainly not large enough to fit a human like yourself. You can kneel outside of it, and their Royal Majesties will apprise you of your mission, good sir." He scampered off to guide Cuthbert, the knight following behind and glancing back every so often.
They arrived at a certain pile of ropes and barrels, and within, there was indeed a makeshift court, complete with a king who stared rather benignly up at Cuthbert, and a Queen, who was rather more sharp and appraising."Hwell," she said imperiously. "hWe presume that this is the navigator?"
"Yes, yes, your royal majesties!" the pawn proclaimed, bowing ebulliently. "He has said that he will help us."
"Excellent," the Queen admitted, which was rare enough praise from her. "Navigator, hwe need use of your finest royal ship, your crew, and of course, hwe need you to sail us to hImisus. I expect to depart by the end of the day." The tone in her voice did not leave room for disagreement. Clearly she expected Cuthbert to arrange this impossible list of chores.
"We would also like a meat pie," the king added slowly, making one of his very rare contributions. The rest of the court all murmured in excited agreement, except the Queen, who scowled.
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:20 pm
Unable to shake the feeling that this might all be a dream and still completely flabbergasted at the lack of attention drawn by the parade of Plague-folk, Cuthbert lowered himself to the wooden ground below and, dust be damned, right onto his backside. From a professional sense he understood why they needed him and it wasn't in his nature to disagree with a client but Cuthbert was not an important man nor was he particularly fanciful. Luckily for the stunteds, his curious nature kept him firmly in place.
He normally didn't have the patience for such silliness.
"I'm sorry, little Queen, but I'm afraid your requests are beyond my means. Your map would be a simple undertaking, yes, but..." The young man held his tongue and brought his fingers to his temples. Did the little coal creatures really need an explanation? What was she the Queen of, anyway?!
Cuthbert hummed away that horrible, anxious feeling. Despite his efforts, he simply couldn't dismiss his desire to please. How difficult would it be, really, to sneak the little mites onto any ship and claim it high ranking?
Not difficult in the least.
"I suppose I could buy you a meat pie, it would only take one to feed the lot of you." He mumbled, digging through his satchel, careful not to disturb the map as he clawed his way past parchment and leather in search of coins. They reminded him of pets, really, and it seemed almost cruel not to give them a treat. If one could get past the eerie associations, they were nearly cute. Perhaps the shiny pence would lessen their expectations. "... I don't expect I'll be receiving payment for my efforts?" The boy joked in a weak tone.
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