Private Tales Seafarer

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

Brun detested the sea, most dwarves did. But they had been looking to open more mines and build more cities, so one particularly stupid dwarf who happened to be wealthy built a ship and sailed for Kiva. The fool had been lost for months. Now Brungrorlum Greyforged and his crew had to build a ship and sail for kiva. But Brun wasn't as stupid as the previous dwarf, and he built a ship that was sturdy, impossible to capsize and easy to handle. This ship had three bodies, one main hull with two smaller ones on either side, connected by beams and a single bridge for each one. Each of the side pontoons, as big as Nordenfiir longships, had two masts with big, triangular sails, the main ship was more along the lines of a quinquireme, a massive warship with four banks of oars, each bank being fifty oars with five dwarves to an oar, it had four masts, also with the huge, triangular sails and a large ram at the front. The pontoons had oars on the outside, two banks of twenty, still five dwarves to an oar, and ballistae mounted all along their decks. This was a warship of epic proportions. That and it had large, scorpion ballista like tubes that launched nets for grabbing Kivren who bothered them out of the water to be flayed and gutted then thrown back into the sea as a warning to leave them alone.

They cast off, and the eight sails filled with wind, and they were off to Kiva.

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

The sea was gentle this day, and the warship glided easily along its gentle swells. Much of the journey seemed futile, with nary another ship on the horizon. And yet, due ahead, heavy walls of fog—or perhaps low-hanging clouds—obscured one’s vision. The first fingers of darkness were curling over the farthest reaches of their vision, when a dark shape appeared to materialize in the mists ahead.

When the curtains of moisture parted, they revealed the body of a derelict ship. A galleon, judging by its size and shape. Only, something was far more off about the ship than its apparent absence of life. Its mast held the remnants of tattered sails, blackened with filth from the years the ship must have been adrift. Those strands of cloth waved uselessly with the breeze.

As the dwarven ship moved closer, an eldritch glow emanated from the stern, its source the rear windows of the captain’s quarters. The eerie light illuminated the ship’s name, plated in gold: Kiva’s Fury. It was the only part of the ship that looked right, if you didn’t count the fact that that particular ship supposedly sank a long time ago.

The stench of rot and decay permeated the vessel’s immediate proximity, no doubt caused by the deteriorating wood of the ship. How was it afloat?

Brungrorlum Greyforged

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

Brun watched the ship approach, and he ordered all available ballistae remain trained on it, and the resumed to head straight for it, if anyone was aboard, and they noticed this, they'd want to turn the ship aside, else be rammed to splinters by the aggressive, dwarven warship. The ship rowed steadily, adding onto it's already substantial speed, making it more than fast enough for ramming. Each of the pontoons had smaller Rams, but these were more to keep them intact, rather than do any substantial damage. They had no time for pirates of drifting dead ships. They'd ram them or get them out of the way. Kiva's Fury, though large, was in bad shape, even if it was a ghost ship, and the dwarves were well known for their military discipline, so taking either ship was out of the question.

The dwarf ship, named The Sea Hammer, sped onward, unafraid.

(The basic idea is that the two crews both get stranded on Kiva, if that's alright with you.)

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

The Kiva's Fury's crew was, largely, below deck at that moment, and perhaps they were unaware of the impending collision. Regardless, as The Sea Hammer closed in on the galleon, the wind seemed to whistle as it picked up speed around them. With it came a banshee like keening, high-pitched and disembodied. Beyond it was land, just far enough out of reach to keep the ship afloat.

Around the ship, the air was rife with rot--and the smell only worsened as the dwarven ship drew nearer. Then, when it almost seemed to be too late to move, Kiva's Fury lurched forward, gliding effortlessly and unnaturally atop the water. Beyond it, the beach was alight with a campfire and tents were set up atop the sand.

A single figure stood away from the rest, just outside the light of the blaze. Though from this distance, she was little more than a feminine silhouette--with what appeared to be a triad of greenish-blue glows near where her head ought to be. Two teal, and one green, to be exact.

Brungrorlum Greyforged

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

The Sea Hammer's rowers were allowed to return to the normal pace as opposed to ramming speed, as the other ship, now beached, was much further away. The dwarves were curious, but cautious. So the fighting crew got ready for landing while the ship maintained normal speed. It was a strange day already, and Brun had no intention of taking any unnecessary risks. So they kept going forward, to land on the beach to rest the rowers and hopefully restock their freshwater and food. And to find out what the hell was happening.

The ship eventually beached, as the high tide reached its highest point, it's ram coming ashore, and the pontoons keeping it steady. The oars were pulled in and the sails furled, while the fighting crew disembarked, ready to defend their friends.

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

By the time The Sea Hammer beached, all eyes were upon it. A spark of flame briefly illuminated the silhouette, revealing greened flesh and fiery locks as Maeve lit a cigarette. Its ember brightened as she inhaled, and then she moved. Sand shifted beneath her boots, slowing her movement as her boots sunk into it. She crossed in front of the fire and her crew followed. A funeral cacophony surged above the tide lapping at the shores as the mixture of undead men and women took up their arms and loped after her, rictus grins twisting their cadaverous feature.

"How brave ye be, wee dwarf, chargin' at me ship," the kivren cooed. Her disembodied voice carried hauntingly upon the air. A smirk teased her mouth upward. "Come t' brin' us grub?"

Brungrorlum Greyforged

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

"Oh the contrary," he says as the armoured dwarves armed with roundshields and spears formed a disciplined line behind him, whilst the fore and aft port side ballistae took aim at her crew. "We're here for comrades who have gone wmissing here, and we have no time for the restless dead or pirates. Leave us be and we shall return the favor."

His stout head was hidden behind a thick, fully encasing helmet. He, like all the other dwarves, wore a uniform armour of a mail hauberk under a skirted vest of scales, with a cut down the front starting at the crotch to allow for movement. His hands were covered by gauntlets of plate and graves and Sharon's protected his shins and feet, like the others. Only difference was that his helmet bore a horizontal crest of firey red, marking him as the commander. In his hands was a hybrid battle-axe/warhammer, a dangerous weapon to be sure.

"And what business would you have attacking my ship? As it seemed clear was your intent. What good would it do you?"

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

"Ye're kiddin', aye?" Maeve asked incredulously, a crimson brow arching upward. "How am I attackin' yer ship, when we've been on this beach fer hours 'n me ship--" she swung an arm outward toward Kiva's Fury "--be o'er thar?"

When she gestured, her body swayed as if she were inebriated. Her crew broke out into rabid laughter, exaggerating her bewilderment by grabbing their guts and rocking back and forth. As if this urged her onward, Maeve stepped closer to Brungrorlum. Bending at the waist, she brought her eyes to his level and grinned wildly, revealing sharp, blackened teeth.

"Or are ye sayin' I be th' liar here?"

The ghoulish creature straightened up, crossing her arms over her torso as her gaze swept over the aggressive dwarves that disembarked from the ship.

Brungrorlum Greyforged

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

"you said it yourself that we charged your ship, how could we have done so if it was all the way over here when we did it?" He countered. "Unless there is another ship that supposedly sunk a long time ago in these waters crewed by the undead, your ship is the only one out here besides ours. And I doubt that undead, unsunken ships are very common in general."

His logic was solid, simple and straightforward. "Whether you are a liar of not is yet to be determined. But I don't make a habit of taking dead people who walk at their word."

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

Maeve stared blankly at the dwarf for a long moment. She’d been referring to her crew, not her ship which lay in deeper water; the shore was far too shallow for a galley with a draft of five feet. Running Kiva’s Fury aground would be a waste of time. Her brow furrowed again thoughtfully. It wasn’t an argument that she had the wherewithal for at the moment and so she lifted her shoulder upward in a shrug.

“Spin it whatever way ye like,” she said finally, but her voice was still malicious. Her crew’s laughter ceased, and they shifted their stances. Hands fell to the hilts of blades as they waited to see what would happen next.

“Ye can farrg off wit' that. Wha' do ye wants?” the zombie mer-creature hissed. “Unless ye wants trouble?”

Brungrorlum Greyforged

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

"We're here for a missing dwarven crew. They sailed this way in search of new resources, and got lost. And tell your rabble to get their hands off their swords unless they want to be run through by a wall of angry dwarves with spears. Those rusted children's toys won't get you far in a fight against us, so don't bother thinking about it. And there's the ballistae to consider," then he turned to the crew member next to her, "if think a rusty sword will do anything against a five hundred pound draw weight crossbow you have another thing coming."

The lines of armoured dwarves behind him punctuated this by striking their shields once in unison. "Now you tell me, do you want trouble with us or no?"

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

The corner of Maeve's mouth twitched slightly, her jaw tensing with thinly veiled ire at the dwarf. To her and her crew, it was a nice evening on the beach, on one of the islands as near to the Grotto as she ever truly bothered to go--though she was very much considering a trip home if only to see how she would be regarded now, after some time had passed.

"Boastful, aren't ye? Ye can shoot us all ye wants, we be dead," Maeve said, unfazed. "Tell me, were all th' dwarven strumpets on that ship?"

A rasping chortle left the ghoul standing closest to her at the implication of her query and the kivren abomination lifted her hand suddenly, fist closed, to silence the offender. Maeve did not feel like a fight tonight, but if that was what it came to, then she would do whatever was necessary to see to it that her crew were safe.

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

"Yes, I figured that out by the horrid stench that comes from everything around you. As for whores, not really, we left them at home to entertain our wives." He says, his voice laden with sarcasm. This earned a collective chuckle from the armored dwarves.

Then he spoke clearly. "As I said earlier, leave us be, and we will leave you be. We won't be here longer than a few hours anyway."

And with that he turned and walked back to the ship along with twenty of his soldiers, the rest remaining there to combat the undead pirates should they prove to be unintimidated by their uniform show of strength. He helped some workers and crossbowmen down from the ship, they would collect fresh water and food.

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

Maeve snorted at the dwarf and rolled her eyes. She responded to his words with an exaggerated shrug. Being civil was, by far, not her strong suit and yet she didn't seem to have much of a choice in that regard. At least, not at that precise moment. Glancing over her shoulder, those glowing eyes fell upon the dark silhouettes of the trio of dinghies her crew had used to disembark from the Kiva's Fury.

The deathsinger wasn't intimidated by the dwarves in as as much as she was vexed. A few hours was a dreadfully long time to put up with their attitude, which she found more akin to the coldness of her kind than she truly wanted to admit. Snorting, she turned away. She wasn't so naive as to think she could take on that many at once--she'd done worse in the past, but that was in water, not on land. When Brungrorlum returned to his ship, the pirate asked of the dwarf's crew:

"Rum?" she offered, doubting the offer would be expected.

 

[Brungrorlum Greyforged]

"We prefer ale." A dwarf responded. He called for a keg to be dropped, and one came down from the ship by being tossed by another dwarf still aboard. "How bout an exchange? Our cap'n's a little mistrusting and uptight, I apologize for that standoff on 'is be'alf. So sure, we can try some rum, why don't ye try some good dwarven ale?"

Many of the dwarves were certain that she was waiting to stab them in the back and kill them when the opportunity presented itself. But they wanted to give them an opportunity to prove inhostile, despite their captain's aggressive attitude.

 

[Maeve Blackwood]

Maeve rolled her shoulder upward and she could have sworn she heard the joint crack. Nonetheless, she waved a hand at one of her men and he ran back toward the camp to fetch a couple bottles while the dwarf mirrored his actions in the opposite direction.

“I’ll try anythin’ once,” she said and amusement flickered in her ethereal gaze. “Even dyin’, as ye can see.”

The kivren tried her best to sound cordial, but friendliness wasn’t her forte. She simply had no desire to fight, especially when night had already fallen. Could she and her crew take care of themselves? Certainly. The entirety of her ship’s men were not on the beach at present, but allowing the dwarves to believe they were was fine by her.

“I can nah say a grumpy wee dwarf gets under me skin.” As she spoke, the ghoul returned, dragging a trunk with one arm and his other, having come unattached, caught between his rotting teeth. Maeve rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“A wench keeps her maidenhead better than ye do yer limbs,” the captain teased.