The Last Voyage of the Riana Red, Part 1 of 3 (Closed)

[Daske Baggywrinkle]

The military man looked at Daske as he approached. “I noticed you had a cutlass when you came on board,” he said. “Know how to use it?” “Not really,” admitted Daske. “Would you like to learn?” “Sure,” he said immediately. “You willing to teach me?” “That I am,” the man said. “I'm retired now, but I used to teach soldiers how to use the cutlass. It would be good fun to go through some of the exercises again.” “Great!” Said Daske. “I'll be right back. It's in my sea bag.” “No need,” the man said. “We'll start with footwork first because that's the most important thing you will ever learn about using a cutlass. Or any other sword for that matter. By the way, I'm Jules.” The man stuck out his right hand. “I'm Daske,” he said, shaking the man's hand. They moved off the poop deck and down on to the main deck where they had more room. “Now, you're right handed. So put your right foot a little forward pointing at me.” Daske slid his foot forward and turned it so that it was pointing at Jules. “Now turn your left foot ninety degrees to the left.” Daske did this and had to catch himself to keep from falling over. Jules laughed. “It takes a little getting used to. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Your head and chest should be facing your opponent, which would be me in this case.” “Now flex your knees just a bit and bounce a little on them. You don't want to be stiff-legged in a sword fight.” He did a circle around Daske examining his stance. “Extend your right arm toward me as though you were pointing your sword at me, but don't extend it all the way. Keep a little bend at the elbow.” He adjusted Daske's arm a little until he was satisfied that it was correctly positioned. “Good. Now move your right foot forward a half pace. Shift your weight to the right leg and bring the left foot forward the same distance. Keep it at a ninety degree angle. There! You just moved yourself closer to your opponent.” “To put some distance between you and your opponent, just do the same thing in reverse. Move your left foot back half a pace and then follow with the right foot, and you're at the same place you were at before you moved toward me. See how that works? Now practice moving toward me and away from me, two steps at a time.” Daske tried it. He moved forward toward Jules. Step,step. Step,step. Then he moved backward, away from Jules: Step,step. Step,step. It was a simple two-step maneuver. He was soon doing the two-step all around the deck, forward and backward. “Keep your knees bent,” said Jules, laughing at the man shuffling back and forth around the ship. “Keep your back foot ninety degrees to your front foot. Keep your head and chest upright and always facing your opponent.” Daske worked on the forward and backward maneuvers for half a bell or so and then realized that his legs were getting tired and had begun to tremble from the strain. Jules noticed it too. “You are making your legs do something they aren't used to doing. That means you are using the muscles in new ways. And that means your legs are gonna be sore tomorrow morning.” With that he turned and headed below decks. Before he disappeared from sight he turned his head back to Daske and said, “Tomorrow night we'll try it with a sword.” And then he was gone.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric withdrew his hand as it became apparant that she did not wish for help. He stood where he was, however, to make sure she got up without any problems anyway. “It’s fine. I should have been looking where I was going. It has been a longer day than most.” She was covered in sweat, and seemed rather agitated, no doubt due to her duties and taxing work. She looked Alric over once, and commented in a polite, but firm manner. “What takes you to Sylrias? If I am right in assuming you are a passenger.” Alric responded quickly, rethinking his original intent of heading below deck. "The adventure of getting there mostly. I grew up in Alvadas, actually. And this is the first time I've ever left the city. I still find it hard to believe that so many things remain stationary outside the walls! It's fascinating, really. Although, I suppose you're used to it. So, it might only be fascinating to me." Alric observed her a bit more, suddenly coming up with an idea. "Tell me, are you still on duty or are you free? Because if you are free, I'd very much like to pick your brain. Figuratively of course. But, still, I was hoping to learn a bit more about ships and sailing and all that while we were crossing the Suvan. I understand if you'd rather not, though. Being on a ship's crew seems like daunting work."

[Ciryn]

The ship rocked slightly beneath their feet. Ciryn raised an eyebrow questioningly. “I’m not sure I would consider being at sea stationary,” she paused. “Though compared to a whole life in Alvadas, I suppose it might feel that way. Things on the ship seem to stay where you put them, but I can’t say I have gotten completely used to always moving.” Ciryn’s thoughts drifted. The sea was so open, but there was only so much space on the ship. They were always moving and the sea was always moving, but she could only walk so far before there was nowhere to go. Seven days. Hopefully she wouldn’t get bored by the end of those seven days. She knew she had more to learn and more to see, she had barely begun, but still, the ship was just dead wood. The trees in Taloba were all so different. The sea was suppose to be an adventure. Hopefully it would liven up by the end of the week. “I’m free, but I’m afraid my knowledge is currently limited to the basics. This is only my first time on a ship and I haven’t decided if I like it or not,” Ciryn paused. She had not decided if she liked him or not either. Picking my brain figuratively…as opposed to what? Her mind summoned up images of crows. “But fire away, I’ve learned enough that I can explain a few things.”

[Daske Baggywrinkle]

Daske went below and turned in for the night. OOC : I'll let you two chat until one of you turns in for the night. My next post will take place tomorrow evening. So one of you can flip to tomorrow morning if you want to do something with the morning and afternoon. Otherwise I'll jump us to the evening.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric nodded his head appreciatively at the woman's openness to inquiry. He was glad that she was willing to indulge him for a while. Now, what to ask? She had said that she was new, so she might not know much. Still, surely she knew a few basics. So, he thought he might ask a few questions he had at the start of this little journey. "Thank you, I'll try not to keep you long." said Alric, a smile on his face. "Now, what has been bothering me the most, is how you get the sales to work in you favor. How do you move forward when the wind is coming in from a different angle? I have a few guesses, but nothing solid. Also, the ranking on the ship. How does that work? I know the Captain is the one in charge, with the first mate as the next in line. But I'm quite confused on other positions. Or are there other positions? Is it that everyone else shares duties?" oocwell, I apoligize for not posting yesterday, things came up. Ciryn, how about we leave this chat short? Or, in your next post, you can kind of glance over what might be a longer conversation like "Ciryn and Alric spoke for another thirty minutes, learning one another's names and talking about the basics of sailing" or some such? That way our characters have had more than 5 minutes interaction and we can get this done before winter ends.

[Ciryn]

Well, you can’t sail directly into the wind. It’s all about angles really…” Ciryn described sailing patterns and gave a brief lecture on the chain of command before she realized the time. They had discussed the basics in sailing and exchanged pleasantries, including names, and it had gotten late. She did not usually retire this early, but she was tired and now had an idea of what work tomorrow carried. “You’ll have to forgive me, but a cramped cot awaits me and it has actually begun to sound appealing,” she gave a quick wave before heading below decks.

[Daske Baggywrinkle]

As Jules had predicted, Daske's legs were sore the next morning from the previous night's exercise. The morning went by quickly enough. Daske found himself again raising sails and lowering sales and trimming sales whenever they made minor adjustments to their course. Eventually he realized that all this sail management was intended to maximize the amount of wind the great sails would capture. The yards (he had been told that the cross bars on the masts, which actually hold the sails, were called 'yards') could be turned a little bit one way or other, although not nearly as far as his Casinor. The crew could also put out smaller triangular sails on the sides. In general it was a constant balancing act to maximize the wind they caught. He was sent up to the crows nest in the afternoon. This was a small platform about two thirds of the way up the main mast. He got to it by climbing up the mast itself, a tricky maneuver as it turned out. There was quite a bit of swell on the sea this day, which had the effect of pitching the boat over one way and then back and over the other way. The actual angle of heel was not very large, but it seemed like it was from the crows nest. One moment he would find himself over water on the starboard side. The next moment he would find himself over water on the port side. In between he found himself rushing from one side to the other. He spent several long, slow hours clinging to the mast for dear life and trying very hard not to start vomiting, which seemed likely to draw the wrong kind of attention. He was supposed to be watching for other ships. But he didn't do much actual watching on this particular day. That evening he found Jules on the poop deck again. Daske had brought the fine new cutlass he had purchased in Alvadas. Jules finished his conversation with the second mate and then joined Daske on the main deck. “So,” he said without any introduction. “Take out your sword and let me watch you advance and retreat.” Daske demonstrated the quick two-step forward and backward movements, holding his cutlass steady in front of him. As he did, he noticed one of he passengers watching intently from the poop deck. “Passable,” said Jules. “Now lets talk about stance.” He took out his own sword, which happened to be a short sword. “There are three defensive stances, also called guard stances.” He must have seen the disappointed look on Daske's face because he went on to say, “Now I know you want to get into some real sword play. But the first priority is simply staying alive, and that means knowing what to do when your opponent attacks.” He had assumed the position he taught Daske, with his right foot slight in front and pointing toward Daske, his left foot sightly back and pointing to his left at ninety degrees. Suddenly he bent his knees and extended his sword arm out straight in front of him, bringing the point of his sword up against Daske's chest. “If you can't keep that from happening, all the sword play in the world ain't gonna keep you alive.” He resumed the basic fight stance and demonstrated as he spoke. “First guard: Hold the sword out directly in front pointing at the enemy. Step back with the left foot, bend both knees and let your weight settle back on to your back foot. Now drop the point of the sword to the front and raise the sword arm to shoulder height. Keep the sword arm loose and free with the elbow slightly bent.” He demonstrated this several times and then had Daske practice it. After fifteen or so minutes, he seemed satisfied that Daske understood the stance. He resumed the basic fight stance and continued to demonstrate as he spoke. “Second guard: Step back with the left foot and bend both knees letting your weight settle back on your back foot, just as we did with First Guard. Now, raise the hilt of the sword to a height just above the crown of the head, while and the same time bringing the point of the sword to the left and pointing down at a forty-five degree angle.” He demonstrated it several times and then had Daske practice it. “Third guard,” he said. “Move the hilt off to the right and bring the point of the blade up to a height slightly above the top of your head.” Again, he demonstrated and then had Daske practice. “Now,” Jules continued. “Assume basic stance. Move into each guard position as I call them out.” “First guard!” Daske hesitated then moved into position. Jules stepped forward and adjusted his arm. “Second guard!” Daske moved into position and Jules again adjusted his arm and sword positions. “Third guard!” Daske moved into position. For the next thirty minutes, Jules called out one guard position after another, mixing them up. By the time they quit, Daske was able to assume any of the three guard positions almost without thinking. Then Jules explained the use of each. “First Guard defends the right side from the elbow downwards.” He nodded at Daske who assumed the First Guard position and could see that it did indeed protect the right side of his body. “Second Guard defends the crown of the head and the whole of the right side.” Daske confirmed that this was indeed the case. “Third Guard defends the right side above the elbow.” Daske thought for a moment and then asked, “What about the left side?” Jules laughed. “If you are advancing and retreating correctly, your entire left side will always be behind you and well out of your opponent's reach. Which is to say, you don't need a left-side guard. Now if you mess up by, for example, simply stepping back to move backward instead of doing the two-step, you will expose the left side of your body. Then you will die. So don't do that.” “Let's review,” Jules continued. “You have learned how to advance and retreat without losing your balance or exposing your left side. And you have learned the three basic defensive stances. Next time, I'll teach you two cuts and a point, which makes up your basic offensive repertoire.” OOCAlric, I mentioned that Daske notices a passenger watching his sword practice. If you'd like, go ahead and make that yourself and maybe get a point or two XP for sword practice. Or not. Up to you. Ciryn, you could have your character watch too, of course.

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric bid Ciryn good day as they parted ways. He had enjoyed the chat, and had learned much. he found 'tacking' rather interesting. By a method called tacking,the ship moved in a zigzag-like pattern to make head way. A sailing boat could not sail into the wind in a straight line. Or, at least, that was what he had been told. After the chat, he headed below deck to engage the other passengers in conversation, before long the night had come and gone, and Alric found himself greeting a new day. He ate breakfast from his own rations, and escaped his quarters while the other two travelers still slept. As he came above deck, he noticed the man from before, the first one he had spoken to on the ship. He was being taught by someone he thought he had not seen before. The man was teaching the first man how to fight with a sword. More specifically, a short kind of sword that Alric did not know the name for. However, Alric found the lesson extremely interesting. He had bee interested in swordsmanship for a while now, but had never found the opportunity to learn about it. Now, however, seemed like a perfect opportunity. The instructions given were wonderfully clear, and easy to understand. Not only that, but the first man was able to give a clear visual representation of what to do. Alric absorbed as much as he could about footing, proper defensive positions and even about the two people. He repeated every word that was said under his breath to get into his memory, and when they were not looking, would repeat the first man's (which he wished was called by name so he could learn it) movements. All in all, it was a very poor understanding just overhearing the conversation. However, Alric did his best at it. And made sure to keep it discreet. When it appeared that the two were done, Alric decided to make the first man's acquaintance. Perhaps he could even ask to join in on his lessons next time? He approached the tall, scar-laden man with a cheery gait, and held out his hand in a friendly manner. "Hello there, I believe we've actually met before, but it was rather brief and we did not get to introduce ourselves. My name is Alric Wilmot."

[Ciryn]

After her brief meeting with Alric, Ciryn had gone below decks and spent her first night attempting to sleep while rocking back and forth at sea. Luckily, she was tired enough that the new experience went by quickly. The morning was then met with a new set of tasks and some slightly stale bread. Most of the crew spent the morning raising and lowering sails and tending to any and all things needed. During a slight lapse in the day’s labor, Ciryn noted the man she had been paired with on the first day practicing with a sword. She did not know how practiced he was, but he was performing basic defense poses and if he was a beginner as it seemed, he was doing quite well. Ciryn was skilled with a dagger, but she lacked enough knowledge about swordsmanship that she found it interesting and beneficial to watch the exchange. She was able to observe for a bit, picking up snippets of advice, but was unfortunately whisked off to more work, sooner than she would have liked.

[Daske Baggywrinkle]

Daske frowned. He was tired and sweaty. What he really wanted was to go to bed. But here was The Dandy standing in front of him with his hand held out, apparently intent on striking up a conversation. To make matters worse, the man had used up at least two days worth of cheerfulness in one sentence. Daske found cheery people irritating. But then, he found most people irritating. Nonetheless, he figured he'd better at least be civil. Especially since this was a passenger. He sighed and shook Mr. Arlic Wilmot's hand. “Yes, Mr. Wilmot, I remember you,” he said. “I'm Daske. I hope the voyage has not turned out to be too terribly dull for you.” They made their way toward the forward deck. The sun was low in the Western sky barely showing through the gathering clouds. The west wind was gathering strength as well and would see to it that the clouds overtook them before long. Daske guessed the swells were running around four feet. If they got much worse, they would be in for a rough ride. The disturbed sea extended to the horizon in every direction with no variation. It was a strange feeling to realize that they were days away from the nearest land. It was even stranger to realize that beneath them the sea fell away hundreds perhaps even thousands of feet into darkness. They were like a tiny piece of flotsam being tossed about on a compassionless sea. Daske felt small. He asked Alric, “Are you from Alvadas going to visit Syliras? Or are you from Syliras returning from a visit to Alvadas?” That sounded awkward even to Daske. Polite conversation had never been one of his strong points.