[Game Thread] Elegy of a Penal Ship (Fair Maiden)

[Humble Athena]

Reia watches and listens in amazement as the Captain makes his announcements. At first she scowls, thinking his attitude rather harsh, but then she realizes that there really is no other way. A Captain, especially the Captain of a prison ship, needs be strong and in command so that he does not lose control of his ship in the dangers far from the safety of land and civilization.

It's nothing personal.

Afterward, one of the fellow passengers speaks to the 'gentlemen', and she raises one eyebrow slightly. It takes her a second to realize that she hasn't actually been excluded, merely mistaken. Hey, that's a good idea! She thinks, giving a quick glance to the newly unshackled ex-prisoners, and the many men she's surrounded by in general.

"I'm Rei." she introduces herself, pronouncing it 'Ray' and thickening her voice so that she may more easily continue to pass for a male. She returns the smile as any carefree soul would do. "Not exactly the transport I was expecting, but she seems solid enough, and it's clear the Captain has a heavy enough hand to keep 'trouble' in line." She takes a moment to be grateful that she was freed from her shackles prior to enlisting on this journey. She'd hate to have begun it with that mark of shame and distrust hanging over her.

As the passengers disperse, Reia stares towards the bow. She'd like to talk to the Captain directly, but is afraid of getting off to a bad start with someone who doesn't seem to have a lot of patience. There's no guarantee that things will be any smoother with the First Mate, but it seems like a logical first start.

After the young man with orcish features speaks and departs, she steps up in his place. " 'ey, Sir!" she greets, offering up her hand and a friendly grin. "I'm Rei. Technically, I'm a passenger, but if you've use of an extra hand, I'd just as well keep occupied with something useful. I ain't got any ship's experience, but I'm a fast learner and won't be picky 'bout any chores you send my way."

[Amos]

Having to pause in mid conversation with the fierce looking half Orc, Olly tries to continue by explaining his 'loss' of a true order to follow. Only to be interrupted once again as Lydak excused himself to his duties. This of coarse left him to ponder on his own circumstances again, the order he left. He still had his faith in the god they worshiped, but his backing of the brotherhood itself had been shaken by the devious and greedy ways in which they acted.

This downward spiral only lasted a short while though as two new comers entered the scene, one a young man who looked kind enough, the other, clearly a young women trying to hide that fact about herself. True, her clothing was less than reveling, but still showed her feminie qualities all too well.

"Pleased to meet you both, Brother Olly Windermere at your service."

Occ: Sorry Zev, I thought I had posted a response to you, but obviously it never went through.

[Rekal]

Tate nods at each introduction. Lydak, Ray, and...Brother Olly Windermere. "A pleasure to meet you. Since we will have plenty of time underway to get better acquainted, I'm going to go see about stowing my gear." He waves over his shoulder as he heads to the door that leads below deck to claim a bunk.

[AlwaysCivilMike]

With the evening wearing on everyone moves downstairs and grabs a hammock. The groups seemed to pair off with the ‘non’ criminals taking one side of the room and the others taking what was left. While none of those who came in chains were armed, there was no mistaking that most were of the type that you did not want to meet them in a dark ally. As soon as they had gotten their shackles off, they had all pulled together to talk in private, many looking around as they did so to make sure they were not being overheard. The armed guards that walked around keeping an eye on things did not miss this as they to talk in private. One thing was for sure, it was going to be a very VERY long journey.

The evening went without incident as everyone seemed to keep to themselves. Lydak made a showing every now and then to the others he had met that day while he walked the decks on guard duty. There was quite a bit of tension in the air as this was the one chance for the ‘free’ men to try and stay with the civilized word. Once the ship set sail, it was the Savage Coast or bust and everyone knew that. Perhaps that was why the captain had put more men on the watch than normal. Either way the night came and went and the dawn of a new day greeted everyone. With the new day came a bustle of action as the crew readied the ship for departure. The captain was busy bellowing out orders to pull this or tie off that when he heard a feminine voice behind him say:

b'ey, Sir!" she greets, offering up her hand and a friendly grin. "I'm Rei. Technically, I'm a passenger, but if you've use of an extra hand, I'd just as well keep occupied with something useful. I ain't got any ship's experience, but I'm a fast learner and won't be picky 'bout any chores you send my way."

The captain, with the first mate right next to him, turned to see whom had addressed him. He looked at her….all of here….and then glanced at the first mate and said “Sighlee, what do you think? Do we have room on the crew for such a fine looking sailor?” Sighlee looked at Rei, his gaze never left her face, and then shrugged saying “I suppose we could. It is a long trip.” The captain turned back to her and gave a big smile saying “Why darling, it looks like you have a job. The first chore will be to help *glances upward* them set the sails. Do you think you are….man…enough for it?” He gave a slight laugh but quickly stifled it. Sighlee did not laugh but just stared at her to see what she would do.

 

Lydak readied himself to climb the rope ladder to one of the masts but feels an arm grab his shoulder. Turning he finds himself looking into the face of the first mate Sighlee. The man pulls the half orc off to the side and speaks quietly to him saying “I don’t want you going up there. We need guards on the deck to keep an eye on those newly crowned free men. Those thugs have been talking together and I don’t like it one bit. Keep your eyes open and report to me of any problems. Keep a good grip on your weapons . Do you understand? .”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Down below…..

Downstairs in the barraks Tate and Brother Olly are stowing their gear for the day when they hear some noise on the opposite side of the room. Turning they spot a few of the ‘free men’ standing there talking. One of the men notices them looking and says in a not so friendly voice “You got a problem priest?” The other two men with the one who spoke turned to look at who their friend had addressed. Both men smiled and one with grease hair said “Those be mighty fine clothes you got there. I don’t suppose you would be willing to part with them would you?” Tate and Olly notice that he men are in typical tan shirt and pants that are the ‘uniform’ for prisoners.

[Amos]

Olly had just finished his morning prayers, the final phrase ending with the words "whoever you are?". Finishing up his daily ritual, the Cleric made to check that his gear was secure when he heard someone talking rather louder than required for such close quarters. Turning to look, he was surprised by the amount of venom he received from only glancing in their direction.

"A problem ... no my good man, I should think not, why, do you?" Olly turned to face them straight on before looking at his garments. As too my clothing, these humble garments are all I own and mark me as a man of the cloth. So I must decline, I'm not willing to part with them at this time."

 

Diplomacy Roll (24)

[Humble Athena]

"Aye, Captain!" Rei grins at the Captain's challenge, then turns to look up, up, up at the masts and the men on them. She takes a moment to observe them, not only what they are doing with the sails, but how they move along the ropes and beams to do so.

Once she's got a clearer idea of what is being done, she launches herself up and skyward.

 

Perception : 15
Climb: 15
Acrobatics (to try to avoid damage if she should fall): 7

[Rekal]

Tate watches the exchange between the former prisoners and Olly warily from the corner of his eye. Just what I expected. Scum. He steps closer to the Priest's side as Olly tries to diffuse the situation and faces the three dirty men with a bland expression.

[zevonian]

Lydak wore light robes over his shirt and breeches that day. Loosely tied, they hid whatever he wore attached to his belt. "I understand. The new free disc..discuss? Some talk of what they can do now they are free. Some talk of what...how you say...they can get away with. I remind you that my primary training is in empty hand striking. But I have other weapon to use as needed." He goes silent, awaiting further orders. Upon getting naught but a dismissive grunt, he turns and goes about slowly walking around topside. With nothing requiring his attention, Lydak stands under the crow's nest and intently listens to all that he can.

ooc Is it too chaotic on deck to Take 20 on a Perception check? If so, then a Take 10 would be just fine.

[AlwaysCivilMike]

BELOW DECK.....

The three men at hearing the priest talk to them move around the hammocks and approach Olly and Tate. They look the priest up and down and one said "Them be clothes not fit for a beggar" The other two laughed and the three turned and started heading towards the stairs. The one who had asked about Olly's clothes looked back with an odd smile on his face but it was soon lost as the men ascended the stairs. Moments later the only sounds were that of the footsteps above.


ABOVE DECK......

With Rei high on a mast with several other sailors the sails were unfurled and the wind grabbed the giant vessel propelling it out to sea. Many of the men who had been prisoners stood on the port side staring off at the port....at civilization...what was now slowly vanishing from sight. Lydak would glance off to the right and see Sighlee staring not at the vanishing shore but at the men at the port side. His eyes fell away and he caught sight of Lydak looking at him. The man nodded and turned to move back where the ship's wheel was and her captain. If there is one thing Lydak could tell about the first mate is that his was not a fool.

With the ship's sails fully out the crew all climbed down from the masts and went about their tasks. Reia moved up to the captain and just stood there with her hands crossed in front of her. The captain glanced at his first mate and then chuckled saying "That was a fine job you did up there....find job indeed. I have known better sailors than you refuse to go to the top sail. If you keep this up, I might ask you to join my crew." At this comment the captain smiled broadly. Reia's eyes would flicker to the first mate and with the most slightest of movements the man shook his head. He was not saying no....it was more of a warning to the woman to be careful what she said. The captain, not seeing this exchange, said happily "Well then, on to your next task. We need someone to help out in the kitchen to prepare the noon day meal. Do you think you are up to that ask?"


THE EVENING........

 

With the journey now well on its way and land out of view, things on the ship start settling down to a pattern. The crew swabs the deck, pulls ropes when ordered, sow spare sails that need it and make preparations for the next meal. The armed guards walk the deck looking for trouble but everyone seems to be in a good mood at the moment. Even the ex prisoners were laughing up a storm as they passed around a small bottle of wine and played some kind of dice game for small coins. To anyone observant though, the whole scene was like the calm before the storm in more ways...then one.

On deck the lanterns of the other three ships could be seen before and after the Fair Maiden with signals being passed back and forth from time to time.

 

Feel free to carry on conversations even if I moved things forward. Ask any questions to any person you want.

I will need a perception check (no take 10 or 20 for this one) for your night watch. There are about 4 guards on duty in the evening.

Riea will be given typical ship duties like mopping, sewing and such. For now you can add this into your posts. If you help out with dinner, then you can bring Lydak his food while he is up on deck doing his rounds. You don't have too of course. These are just options.

What does Olly and Tate want to do on the ship while they travel? Read books? Preach to the heathens? Sing songs of beautiful women? TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME? Both of you of course know that even if the confrontation below deck did not turn into anything...you did NOT make any friends there.

[Rekal]

Tate watches the three men leave and turns to raise an eyebrow at Olly. "That ended much better than I expected." He comments with a nod of respect.

OOC After the conversation with Olly ends, Tate will go above deck and find some place out of the way with a good view to settle in and prepare. Prepare for the rigorous task of watching the sailors sail, the waves roll by, and the sun crawl across the sky. Watching, napping, and chatting with the odd idle sailor or guard when he gets bored.

[Amos]

"Indeed, but I wouldn't turn my back on any of them, the gods only know what goes through their depraved minds."

With the situation diffused, for now, Olly headed up top to watch the ship leave its moorings. The sun was now high and as he exited the bowls of the ship he could hear the endless calls of the gulls and other seabirds. Being one who always enjoyed new experiences, the cleric pulled out his journal and started writing about everything he saw. He never planned on recording his journey in detail, yet he found himself doing just that every time he came across something new or unexpected.

As the morning drifted towards the afternoon, Olly again experienced something new. Having never been aboard a ship, the young man had never before experienced the pleasure of sea sickness. The majority of his day had been spent leaning over the rail, emptying the contents of his stomach until he was left dry heaving and weak.

With nightfall now upon them, the cooler temperatures and hints from the crew as to what not to eat, where not to sit, and how to breath deeply seemed to calm his nausea. His spirits rose at seeing everyone else enjoying themselves as he made his rounds, asking all those who would spare a minute or two about their various faiths and beliefs, hoping that he could possibly find some solace in the good works of another diocese, or altogether different church.

[Humble Athena]

Reia beams at the Captain's praise, then tilts her head thoughtfully when he speaks of hiring her on as crew. She's still trying to figure if he's serious or joking around, when she catches the First Mate's subtle signal. Well, now, what's he worried about? Think I'm going to insult the Captain? I do know better than that.. Following that thought, she bows her head, a slight flush across her cheeks.

"Such an invitation would be quite an honor, good Captain. Sadly, I've my heart set on explorin' the Coast, crazy as that might sound."

At the request to help in the kitchen, Reia gives another affirmative nod. Not quite as exciting as being up in the sails, to be sure, but men have got to eat, after all. She is more than happy to bring meals to Lydak or any of the others who guard, though carrying food without spilling it is a slow process until her legs get accustomed to the motions of the ship. She exchanges light banter with any who are willing, while keeping in mind that they need to keep attention on their task.

"So, you're a halfbreed too, huh?" she starts, the first opportunity she has to speak to Lydak alone. "Isn't it great to get away from there, and out here where it doesn't matter?"



As the days go on, she launches herself into any task assigned with the same enthusiasm, taking it all in as a grand experience for learning, though she prefers those tasks that keep her above deck, in the open saline breeze. When there are slow moments, she asks the crew about navigation, mermaids, and any other thing that strikes her fancy, though she tries to keep her questions to herself when those around her are busy.

[zevonian]

Lydak only speaks when spoken to first. The First Mate clearly knew of the Orkin gift of good night vision, and would be assigning as many night shifts as daytime ones for Lydak's guarding duties. It was during one of these various shifts that a young person who's name he failed to remember brought him a meal. This was as surprising as the notion of a woman being on board a vessel, for he had been told that many sailors would refuse to travel with them. Must be an exception due to the vessel. But then she had her questions, and those seemed to be the most curious things of the whole day.

He took a moment to fully comprehend her wording before giving a reply. "You say...halfbreed...like it is bad thing. You not happy with your...lineage? I...last month I was with my brothers of the Order. Now I am...guard for prisoners. This is not my...idea of what the word great means."

ooc Perception check: 25 Good time to have darkvision, I bet.

[Humble Athena]

"Oh, I'm sorry." Reia apologizes quickly. "You're a free man, so I assumed... that you'd chosen to come." She seems both embarrassed and confused by the misunderstanding, but she doesn't press for further details.

"It isn't that I'm not proud of my heritage." she explains. "Just that life would be easier if I were one or the other. People would be... more accepting." She blows a puff of air at a loose strand of hair in front of her eyes, then shakes her head. "I assumed you were here for the same reasons I am. That'll teach me good." She gives an embarrassed little laugh. "I'd best leave you to your watch, I suppose. I hope the food's alright."

[AlwaysCivilMike]

RIEA....

The route of a ship was medicine to some, dire boredom to others. And so it was with the Fair Maiden as one day slipped into the next. Riea, her excitement at being on a ship bubbling over, made the crew laugh out loud at all of her questions. Seeming to be caught up in her excitement they found themselves eager to teach her anything she wanted from mending sails to how to actually pilot the large ship. When the captain or first mate were not on the deck, they even gave her a turn on the wheel. Mine you, just standing there holding the wheel still was not much of a challenge, but knowing that you controlled the direction of such a huge vessel certainly was intoxicating. On this night she was standing next to Henry and Pol looking out at the moonlit waves as the ship followed…and was followed..but the other ships in the convoy. Both men explained to her about the stars and how you could pilot the ship at night by them when the captain stepped up onto the back of the ship holding a handful of maps all rolled up. The first mate was behind him as they discussed their course.

At seeing the two men standing next to Riea the captain gave a glare you could even see in the moonlit. He glanced at the first mate who rolled his eyes and before saying “So, Henry, you have the toilet area cleaned up have you?” Henry went a bit white at the comment and said sheepishly “Ah, no sir. I was teaching…” The captain said “Enough! I don’t pay you to teach someone something while on duty. You can show the little lady all about piloting the ship when you are on YOUR time.” He looked at Sighlee and said “Why don’t you escort our little crew member downstairs to insure he gets a GOOD start on his work.” Sighlee said “At once captain.” He glared at Henry and pointed to the stairs downward. The young man lowered his head and started walking without another word followed by the first mate. Pol, suddenly very interested in something high above did all he could to avoid the captain’s glare.

The captain glared at the retreating soldier and then turned back to face Riea. He looked down at all the maps in his hands and then back up to her. He smiled but it was not the normal over the top smile but one of irritation. “So, you are not busy enough then? What say you take these maps and put them in my cabin. *Gave her a stern look* You be bloody careful Riea for these maps are our lives so don’t be going and spilling anything on them. There is a map bin on the left side of my desk. Stack them up there carefully…..and DON’T touch anything else!” His glare took her in before he moved up and started to use an instrument to check their position with the stars.

LYDAK, TATE, and OLLY......

The half-orc strolled on the deck that was mostly empty. In the distance he could see the captain talking to a few other people. To the side he came across talking quietly (Tate and Olly) as they looked out at the sea rolling past them. Just then a third man was seen on the opposite side of the ship looking over at the three of them. The man all three would recognize as one of the newly freed men. Almost timid like the man walked over to where the three others had ended up next to each other and said “Ah…good evening everyone. It sure is a beautiful night isn’t it?” The man seemed like he was ready for you all to rip his head off just for talking to him. Taking the man in you would see the typical brown, dull looking clothes that all of the past prisoners wore. There was nothing overpowering or intimidating about him though. What could cause such a man to be grouped in with the other vile men is a mystery to be sure.