Open Chronicles Off the Coast Of Cortos

[Lucius]

Castia - Western Cortos

Lucius clung to the underside of the pier with a grip fierce enough to cause the wood to groan. There was a knife between his teeth, and above him he could hear footsteps resounding.

"Well where the bloody fuck is it?"​

The voice above called out with no small amount of anger, Lucius shifting just slightly to gaze through the thick slats of wood. He could make out the figure standing directly above him, his smart coat and grandiose hat making him out as one of the Admirals in Castia's navy. Besides him stood a soldier dressed in simple armor, blade handing at his side.

Lucius frowned for a brief moment, but didn't allow himself even a breath.

"She's due tonight Admiral, The Cicala is a treasure Ship, not a scoo-"​

There was a loud slap as the Admiral struck the soldier across the face. Lucius winced slightly, glancing over towards his fellow crewmembers who were clinging to the docks only a few feet down. Both of them were scowling, their expressions those of men who had been punished by similar means just a few short weeks ago.

"I know what she is. Just make sure she gets here safely."​

The Admiral Hissed, the sound of his boots tromping down the pier echoing out after him.

For a moment more Lucius clung to the pier, his muscles flexing as they strained. After a moment he let go with one hand, reaching out and slowly crawling towards the edge of the pier. Once there one arm was flung over the edge of the dock, and in a quick lithe motion he pulled himself up and onto the Pier. A frown touched his lips, gaze flickering towards the harbor and the horizon beyond.

The sun was still a few hours from setting, which meant they had time before the Cicala actually arrived. By his own reckoning that would be just enough time to recruit a few others.

He'd sent Peyton and the Blackheart up the coast, lying in wait until they could get the Treasure Ship out of the main harbor. The crew with him was enough to run the Cicala itself, but taking it? Well that was still up for a debate. A debate he and his First Mate had had for hours until he'd finally laid down the final word. He just hoped he'd been right, or that he could find a few mercs looking for coin.

 

[Tyrenlil Swiftwind]

His patience seemed to wear thin, he had been on deck of the Blackheart for some time now. He began to flip one of the many knives he kept on his person. His saber hanging from his hip. He hadn't been with the crew for long but he liked it here, the captain seemed fair enough. He had already gotten paid upfront, he wondered if the captain had done this for all the crew, how many men had gotten their pay and run for that matter. Knowing the captain, none to few.

The sea air smelled divine, he looked up to the crows nest seeing guls circling above pecking at the lookout in the tower. Under his left glove he had a hidden crossbow that had saved his life more than he would care to acknowledge. His bow and arrows were below deck next to his cot. He had gotten in a fight with one of the existing crew early on in the journey, the man tried to claim his blackwood bow for himself, Tyrenlil, or as the crew began to call him, Tyr, did not like his things touched. The time in the brigg was worth it though, he had established that he was no push over, and by the scar he left the man, he was not one to be so easily triffled with.

There wasn't much to do as the cabin boy was scrubbing the deck already, they were anchored now, waiting. It was the waiting that killed him, he was promised cut of some grand treasure. He was very loyal, as long as the coin kept flowing.

 

[Dante Carlisle]

Dante Carlisle emerged from the inn late that evening, to the point where the sun had almost set. The previous night of heavy drinking led the man to sleep well into the day, a pounding headache only subsiding after a hearty meal prepared by the innkeep. It had been four years last night; four years since he returned home to find his family dead. Four years since he'd lost all trace of that damned sorceress, who'd up and vanished since committing her foul deed.

Dante had had no luck finding her, and had at this stage began to amble from town to town, taking odd jobs in the hopes that it would lead him to where he needed to be. His search had lead him back to Cortos, signalling that any hope he had had finally expired. Nothing good ever happened in Cortos, not for him.

Looking across the docks, his eyes rested on quite a large ship. On the deck, a regally-clad man had just slapped a soldier, barking at him before storming off towards the helm. Dante shook his head, before beginning his walk along the seaside. Cortos had once been a beautiful region which he'd been proud to call home. It had since been corrupted by politicians and raving priests.

As he passed by the Cicala, a man called out to him, looking down from the deck with his hands on his hips. He too was dressed in naval attire, though was not the man who'd slapped the soldier. The man was thin-faced, scrawny. His voice cracked as he spoke.
"Move along then, vagrant!"

Dante halted, taking a quick look around, before turning back to the young officer. "Are you speaking to me, boy?"
The young man nodded, descending from the deck to stand a few feet away from the mercenary. He puffed out his chest as he spoke again
"This vessel is transporting precious cargo, and I'll not have any of the rabble nosing around 'ere!"
Dante moved in a shot, lunging at the young man, seizing him by the shirt and pulling him in. Dante raised his other arm and slammed an armored elbow into the officer's nose, sending him to the ground.
' Caught me on the wrong day, y'little shit'.
The young officer cried out, crewmates making their way over to investigate.

Dante began his descent from the ship, briskly walking as he heard a couple of men call out after him. He was doubtful they would pursue, given how frantically they seemed to have been getting the ship and its cargo in order. As he came back to the pier, his eyes were caught by a man pulling himself to ground. Dante raised an eyebrow, but wasn't too bothered. If the man had anything nefarious in mind, it was hopefully at the expense of the Cicala and its crew.

 

[TheDungeonMaster]

"Here I arrived at a land split between two raging rivers that poured out into the endless sea. Light is bled from the sky the clouds golden as the sun begins to sink behind the horizon turning day into night. The smell of salt filling the nautical air. The cawing of gulls overhead. Every piece paints this dock a beautiful picture beaconed by a wonderous noise of water slamming against land in an eternal struggle. It's a wonder that a place always moving can stay in one place at the same time."

Tying the creased leather string into a knot, Penny tenderly slipped the small brown journal inside her shirt pocket the charcoal pen in her hand soon following. The girl hasn't been in Cortos for more than a day and already she could tell there was an adventure to be had. Docks were always the best places to find new inspiration. Sailors just have a knack for fabricating their stories in the same way an author might recant an experience.

Krakens, Mermaids, Sea Demons (do those exist?) if it exists you better bet your arse a sailor has seen or at least heard of it. All she had to do was listen and write eventually what she was looking for would find her.

Dante moved in a shot, lunging at the young man, seizing him by the shirt and pulling him in. Dante raised his other arm and slammed an armored elbow into the officer's nose, sending him to the ground.
' Caught me on the wrong day, y'little shit'.
The young officer cried out, crewmates making their way over to investigate.

"Yep! Called it! THAT's where I need to go!" Penny for just a moment started walking toward the ship but stopped herself realizing she should probably write this down.

"As I approach a ship its crew crawling over it like ants on a hill I appear to have discovered a squabble! A conflict of interest! When one member of the pack is harmed will the others attack? Or is their cargo more important?" Penny shot a glance at the body of the vessel her eyes squinting as she desperately tried to see inside. Nothing.

"If I want to see what's happening...I'll just have to get closer." Once again the Journal disappeared into the author's shirt a call to action forcing it to hide. Penny started sprinting across the dock her plan about to be put into motion. If this goes right...her job will be done for her.

 

[Lucius]

Well shit.

Lucius returned to the docks to find that the Cicala had apparently already returned. His lips thinned as he noticed one of the officers starting an altercation with someone on the docks. The Pirate Captain shifted on his heel for a moment, glancing up and down.

His head kicked to the left, and he quickly motioned to some of his crew.

Three of the men who took a step to the left and quickly headed down the other side of the docks. Lucius himself along with two others headed down the central wharf, moving towards Dante Carlisle. As their steps quickened he quickly passed by TheDungeonMaster, slipping towards the gangplank.

The Pirate Captain watched everything around them like a hawk.

His eyes scanned the men still remaining aboard the treasure ship, the docks around them. He watched for guards, soldiers, anything that might pose a threat. Behind him he could hear the sound of men offloading cargo, a wall of people forming around the market just off the wharf.

It was time.

Commotion began to call out after Dante as the crewmembers drew up their fallen officers. Lucius watched it, then let out a quick birdcall. An echoing sound reached out over the docks, and then the crew members with him suddenly ran and leaped from the dock and onto the side of the Cicala.

With a quick reaches of their arms they pulled themselves up the side of the treasure galleon, Lucius jumping right behind them.

Calls of alarm went up, but by the time the first pirate hit the deck of the ship it was already too late.

 

[Tyrenlil Swiftwind]

The men on the Blackheart began to get restless as the wait continued, no sign of the Cicala. Some of the crew had already taken up to drinking, Tyr who didn't have an aversion to drink himself knew better than to drink before a boarding. He over heard a conversation between two of the crew.

"Da Cap'n is proly longer gone by now, why shud we's be here waitin for hims to show, we's could take the ship fur ours own" one man spoke

"Aye, hes proly siting ina cage sum mers. We sposed to jus sit ere en rot?" The other replied

"I erd da first mates a woman! Yous believes that? A woman ain got no place on a ship if it ain in the crews bed. She proly in the Cap'ns bed waiting fur im now. Should be easy nough takin da ship" The first man said.

"Aye, we shud go pay her a..."

Tyr slammed a knife into the table the two men were sitting at he could only imagine they had been new to the crew by the way they spoke.


"From what I heard, that woman you speak of has been on ships since she was little, she's got more knowledge of the Sea in her little toe then you have knowledge of all the things you both know combined"

The first man made an attempt to stand up, Tyr put his hand on the man's shoulder grabbing the muscle tendons and making sure to apply force to his pressure points, the man got the gist and Tyr pressed on the man's shoulder to make him sit back down.

"Furthermore..." Tyr continued "What makes two idiots like you believe you could convince the crew to turn against the captain and the first mate"

The second man rose quickly to his feet

"I ain no igget!" The man yelled taking a swing at Tyr

Tyr dodged left of the man's punch throwing his knee into the man's solarplex, as he did this he pivoted not giving the man time to recover ha grabbed the back of the mans head slamming it into the table. A spray of the man's blood likely from a broken nose splattered on the table, he fell to the floor unconscious.

The commotion rallied the rest of the crew, an older crewmember who had been with the Blackheart for some time burst through the door.

"What's going on in here?!" The man said to which Tyr, replied swiftly. "We were having a bit of friendly conversation and this one drunk forgot his sea legs and tripped"

Tyr and the crewmate looked to the other man. Tyr with daggers in his eyes.

"Aye twas just as he says" the first man replied

Lucius
Dante Carlisle
TheDungeonMaster

 

[Dante Carlisle]

((My bad, I misunderstood and had the Castia arrive early. Hope this still works okay!)

The voices of captains and laborers grew louder as some of the Castia's crew bagan to pursue the mercenary. Dante quickened his step, satisfied with the thrashing he'd given the admiral, but wise enough to know he couldn't take a full crew on head first. He knew assaulting that man had been foolish. Normally he was a man to act on reason, but the week's events had taken their toll on him. Acting out felt natural.

He frowned as a few men approached him, lead by a dark-haired man. The slid by swiftly and silently, not bothering with the mercenary as they approached the Castia. Sticking close to the walls, they skilfully manoeuvred to the side of the boat, moving out of Dante's view. Dante hugged the wall now, watching the Castia from a point where he felt he'd made himself hidden. The crewmates who'd pursued him stood by the foot of the ship, brandishing clubs and blades. They didn't dare stray from the cargo they'd been charged to protect, as much as they may have wanted to give Dante a good thrashing. He rested a hand on his greatsword, eyeing the ship to see what the men who'd passed him were planning.

He heard a birdcall, and all hell broke loose. The dark-haired man and his allies mounted the ship, and the Castia's crew cried out in alarm. The guards who had been watching for Dante rushed back aboard, and Dante stepped out from his hiding spot.

Looking behind him, the mercenary saw a young girl, seconds before she rushed by him. She looked young, too young to be a member of the crew who'd attacked the ship, surely? Folding his arms, Dante watched the calamity play out. He had less reason to worry about the Castia's crew now, and watching a few pirates overthrow an entire ship would make for great entertainment.

Lucius
Tyrenlil Swiftwind
TheDungeonMaster

 

[TheDungeonMaster]

Well, things had escalated quickly. A pirate attack right on the docks! Who would have guessed these scoundrels to be so daring? Danger aside a pirate raid made for great material! But if she wanted to be as accurate as possible she'd need to get closer...welp guess it's time to put her plan into motion...

Penny had planned to wait for the crew to start talking about their departure but with the Cicala being raided and all, it was likely only a matter of time before- "Hoist the anchor!!" Wow! She's really gotten good at making these predictions! Whether or not the Cicala could actually make it out of the dock intact was irrelevant all that mattered was that she would have a way of slipping into the action.

Penny took a good distance between her and the edge of the dock trying to gauge how much speed she'd need for a good running start. The sounds of battle and spoil muffled her footsteps as she charged off the stone pier her sleeves flailing in the salty wind as her hands stretched out in front of her desperately reaching for the chain rising out of the water. Her slender fingers grabbed hold of the slippery metal her legs quickly hugging the chain as well.

Now she was being hoisted up onto the ship a pretty solid plan if she did say so herself. There are probably easier (and much safer) ways of getting onto a ship but...this whole thing was risky from the get-go. If your going to do something stupid don't half-ass it! Go all the way! Pulling herself up the side of the Cicala Penny rolled onto the wooden deck its fine smooth craftsmanship the mark of vigorous attendance. Whoever owns this fine heap clearly takes pride in it.

Standing up Penny took in all the Cicala had to offer, All the little designs lining the floor, the subtle detail put into how the masts were built into the vessel, even the condition of the sails as they caught the salty air in a thick blanket of white. The Cicala would have been peaceful if it weren't under attack. The time for appreciation had passed, now it was time to burn this image into history.

"As I stand here on the edge of battle and plunder careful not to find myself struck in the heat of another's passion a find a sort of calmness in the noise around me. Conflict melodies well with the crashing of waves and fire burns even brighter in the orange light settling below the earth. The sky's pink hue grows darker and the stars draw closer to us the cold of the night following close behind. What could they want? What treasure lies beneath the deck? These questions flood my mind as I tiptoe forward the weight of my fear being dragged along by the strength of curiosity."

Dante Carlisle
Tyrenlil Swiftwind
Lucius