Quest The Opportune Time

[Anchor]

63rd of Spring Ryker's Point The Stormwind swayed in the strong winds that buffeted the crew aboard, rocking slowly from side to side. All the sails were rigged up so that the ship would stay near Ryker’s Point, the chosen ‘haven’ for Braten and his crew. They were not moored to the small rock that poked up above the surface though, having spent a good few days there and already concluded whatever business they had within the caves. No, they had been waiting for the smaller ship that now swayed beside the Stormwind, sails also rigged but loosely, as if ready to let loose in an instant and take the ship far away. Clouds meant that they were sheltered from the brunt of Syna’s glory, which might have been something to be thankful for if it weren’t for the dark sky in the distance growing nearer. The waves were taller than usual in the wind, which howled with its breathy voice, causing both vessels to bob furiously atop the surface of the sea as if eager to dash away from the scene. Perhaps this was in the best interests of both captains, as not too far away and rapidly approaching were a good deal more ships riding the waves, their bottoms casting shadows into the waters below like so many clouds of their own. Most of the crew was below decks, the unfortunate few chosen for lookout duty staring at the horizon, grizzled hair whipping their face and boredom a dreary painting on each of their faces. In the ship’s belly things were a bit better, loud voices all over the place roaring their thoughts and emotions over gambling, food, and arm-wrestles. The latter was a particular favorite pastime, with large numbers of unwashed men focused around one or two competitions and placing bets as to who was most unnaturally strong. Money changed hands frequently, but the competitions themselves could last chimes as men with sweaty foreheads grumbled and pushed while around them the din of commotion pushed forcefully against the ears of all there. It was a wonder that those few who had decided to rest were managing to do so, though in many ways it made sense as their snores were just as loud as the shouting gruff voices over by the tables. Everyone was contributing to the noise, which sat heavily between the wooden walls and forced itself on all present. In wild contrast, the captain’s cabin was eerily quiet, being only occupied by the captains of the two ships present. One sat behind a small wooden table, leaning his bulky frame back against the well-crafted chair. He was short by most standards, but that did not mean he was small. Broad shoulders and bulky arms more than filled the chair in which he sat, and clad in a thick rough garment that made him seem even slightly larger. Dark red hair spilled out from his scalp and chin, wild and unshaven locks that hung from his head and further increased his presentable size to the point where one could be forgiven for thinking he was doing it on purpose. A meaty hand stroked the beard near his chin as he frowned thoughtfully at a piece of paper rolled out on the desk before him, mouth forming a thin line that wavered between disapproval and interest. He finally spoke after a chime, his rough and gravelly voice shattering the silence that permeated the cabin. “You’re asking a lot of me,” he stated, shifting his weight to one side and ceasing the movement of his hand. “Understand that even though I pirate in spite of the Svefra hunting me down, I still make my peace with the sea god. Prayers, offerings, anything that will appease him I do so that we can sail another day. Contact with those blue-eyed devils can’t be helped, but fortunately it seems we haven’t earned too much bad credit yet. If I do as you say, we’ll be asking for trouble from Laviku. The god will paint our hides with bright glowing targets for the Svefra if we’re lucky. If we’re not, he’ll throw our carcasses into the sea and watch as his children feast on what’s left of us. Neither sounds very appealing at the moment.” The other man in the cabin leant forward at that point, his eyes swirling color from blue to green from beneath his hood. Leaning forward brought him right over the table, for he was a good deal taller than the bulky captain opposite, though much leaner and less imposing. A dark blue cloak with runic symbols painted along the hem draped from his shoulders, hood pulled up over his head and covering most of him. His stubbly chin looked starkly bare when compared to the cascading beard on his counterpart, and his face as well looked generally smaller and had less presence. Yet there was a hard look to it that was difficult to ignore, jaw set and eyes burning with intensity. “Think of it as a gamble,” he offered. “There is a chance that you will not survive afterwards, but gods are very fickle beings. Laviku is just as likely to brush your shoulder with a mark as kill you, if not more likely, and if that’s the case then you’re fine. From what I hear, your crew is perfectly capable of handling itself.” Nodding slowly, the red-haired captain shifted his weight again and unfolded both his arms into the chair. “That it is. I’d like to see those boys and girls alive though, and you can’t guarantee their safety. Beasts, Svefra, storms, they can handle all those just fine. There’s no way to handle a god.” “It’s a calculated risk, captain Braten, as all things are,” was the even response, voice smoother and quite compelling. The lean man’s long fingers intertwined as his elbows rested on the edge of the table, careful not to assume a more possessive position. “If the cards turn against you then there is no way to avoid the wrath of Laviku and you will all die. However, if you get lucky, you’ll live to reap the benefits and have nothing more to deal with than the more frequent nuisance. Either way you’ve been dealt your hand, it’s your choice how to play it.” A meaty finger tapped the paper unrolled on the desk, Braten’s brown eyes still soaking in the details. “This map looks awfully populated to be genuine. A good deal of it is unreachable too, in parts of the ocean where any man I sent would drown or get eaten before he even laid eyes on anything, not that he could because of the darkness at that depth. You say that this is the gateway to a world of wealth, but for all I know this could be some great con with a fancy presentation.” “I assure you this map is entirely genuine, captain Braten.” One of the long fingers unhooked itself to point at a couple Xs near Alvadas, slightly east of the city. “I’ve already been to these and collected what was there, and I can tell you that you will not be disappointed. True many of them are unreachable to us, but there’s also a large amount that are well within our reach too. You won’t find troves of riches, but each one is well worth a small fortune if sold to the right buyer. And I’m sure that in your experience you know a good deal of buyers who’d pay well for what you’d find.” The tall man leaned back, sitting up straight in his chair as he looked directly at Braten. “Don’t forget that I’ll also give you a good deal of money once the deed is done. It won’t buy you your own city, but with the mizas you’ll be gaining from selling those artifacts you could set yourself and your entire crew up for life away from the sea, where Laviku’s curse will have no bearing on you anyway. Braten’s eyes swiveled up to meet the tall man’s, brown eyes still frowning and wary. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want to convince me,” he stated frostily. “I’m putting my followers’ lives on the line for what is right now nothing more than words and promises and a scrap of paper that’s not even mine yet. It is true that there is risk in every deal, but right now I’m not seeing enough hard facts that prove I’m not falling prey to some great scheme.” Though he was not as tall as the man opposite, when the red-haired captain leant forward it was distinct and imposing. “Faith is a commodity, and right now you haven’t earned enough of mine for me to be willing to throw my life and those of my crewmates on the line for your word. Do you by any chance have something you can show me that will change that?” For a long chime, nothing happened. The tall man’s eyes swirled from green to red in an instant, and the two stared each other down. Then a long and bony hand reached into the dark blue cloak and retrieved two things. One was a small sack of coins which jingled as it hit the desk between them. The other was a dagger, about the length of a forearm and white as snow. The hilt was nothing more than a wrapped piece of leather, and there was no metallic gleam in the torchlight at the sharp edge. Runic symbols looking vaguely similar to the ones painted onto the cloak wove and interweaved along the length of the blade, forming a distinctive pattern that was nearly like a signature. “Tooth,” was all the tall man said. “You might not be able to read what they say, but even you should recognize the design. It was recovered near Alvadas, not three bells from Patchwork Port. Take a look.” With an elegant flick of the wrist, the tall man flipped the dagger so that he was holding it by the blade, offering the handle across the table. Gripping it, Braten brought the weapon closer to his face and regarded it critically. He ran a large finger across the edge of the blade, feeling the carved runes in the surface as if it would somehow verify that they were there. A chime passed as he inspected it from different angles, feeling the texture of the leather binding and weighing it in his palm. Then he brushed the tip of his finger along the edge so that he could barely feel the blade beneath it, applying no pressure at all and just barely touching the tooth, but when Braten brought his finger up to his face a long line of red had appeared where the blade and finger had touched, already bleeding. There was no way any normal dagger, no matter how long a smith had spent sharpening it, would have made a cut like that with practically no pressure applied, especially a finger as calloused as Braten’s. Nodding with approval, he handed the dagger back to its owner, ignoring the drop of blood that had swelled on the tip of his finger. “Very well,” he exclaimed, any wariness and apprehension gone from his voice. “You speak the truth. Sorry to have doubted you.” Reaching over, he lifted the sack of coin with his fingers and weighed it in his palm, opening the drawstring and taking out a miza. The gnosis was there to see, bare and plain. He returned that to the bag and the bag to the table. “Your coin is decent too, it’s good to feel the weight of some mizas every now and again. Very well, you have yourself a deal. I’ll do as you ask, and I speak for my crew as well. They’re behind me. We’ll be there on the date you mentioned, and we’ll be sure to take care of any who show up.” Before the tall man could reply and the two could shake, the door burst open as a crewmember shoved it to the side, his grizzled face riveted on Braten’s. “Svefra,” he said, “and lots of them. Ten chimes out at most.” There was no fear in the words as they were spoken, only a sense of inevitability and, oddly enough, anticipation. Scowling, Braten stood up, rising to his not-so-impressive height. “Blast, I was in the middle of conducting business. Can’t they find a more convenient time to show up?” he groused. “Gather the crew and loose the sails, I want every knot this vessel can manage. The less we have to deal with the blue-eyed demons the better. How many does it look like? A few pods, about fifty or sixty of them?” “Crow’s nest says it’s like the land itself is reaching for us. She says at least a hundred ships, maybe more.” “Looks like they called a gathering on you,” the tall man said, standing up as well. “Those numbers will be difficult to deal with, especially if their best is at the front. I heard there was a storm in the south Suvan too, so you’re looking at more than just the denizens of the north sea. If you would like, I can grab their attention as well, maybe divert a couple dozen towards my own ship.” “Fine, whatever,” Braten replied shortly, sliding some papers out from beneath the map and sliding them into a drawer in the desk, slamming it shut with gusto and then turning towards a weapon rack on one side of the cabin. Lined up were multiple throwing axes, each one a solid make. There was little elegance to their design, being quite thick and weighty, but practically they were more than adequate. Picking up several, he slid four into various holds and sheaths strapped to his shoulders and waist, gripping the fifth in his large hand and heading towards the door. “Just make sure you get out of this alive, I already agreed to do as you ask and the last thing I need is to have wasted these past seven days waiting for a deal that went and died. Take your map and get to your own ship.” The tall man’s eyes were as blue and still as the calm ocean while he shook his head. “You have no need to worry about me; I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. As for the map, keep it and the coin as an advance payment. I’ve also circled a few locations I think you should visit before the deadline, based on some information I’ve gathered about what’s hidden there. Also, you be sure to get out of this alive as well, you’re too large a part of my plan to just up and die. Head towards the storm, the smaller vessels will be more likely to capsize and they’ll be preoccupied with their own problems on top of chasing you down.” Nodding, Braten followed his crewmember out of the cabin and onto the deck, the tall man close behind. “It was a pleasure doing business with you Vafres. Now scat and live to pay me again.” Vafres nodded as well, walking briskly over the edge of the Stormwind and perching on the railing, watching as his ship was already turning away with unfurled sails. The storm had traveled nearer in the time the two captains had been conversing, and though there was still some distance between Ryker’s Point and the dark clouds the wind had grown quite a bit stronger, pushing hair and filling the sails. Then, in a feat that was out of normal human capabilities, the man named Vafres leapt the distance between the Stormwind and his ship and landed gracefully on the deck, turning back and nodding at Braten once before attending to the matter of drawing attention while getting away. As for the Inarta, he had his own ship and crew to worry about. Walking to the deck of the Stormwind, he gazed off into the distance across at the approaching Svefra swarm. It was as if the Flotilla itself had decided to come after him. A forest of masts and a wall of sails crept across the water, each one its own boat and carrying its own crew of people trying to kill him. There was nothing quite like knowing that there was a horde of people crying out for one’s blood, that they’d mobilize a whole army in the hopes of killing one man. It was a profound feeling that would reach into the depths of any man, regardless of the expression of that sensation, and make him realize just how much he was hated and by so many. Braten grinned. ~~~ OOC Alright all, finally got around to this. Sorry that it’s a week late, but I had to take care of some things in my office and in RL. This is the start of the quest The Opportune Time posted up and ready for action. Yay! However, don’t – I repeat, DON’T – post in this thread. So many have signed up for this quest that I have to split it into two threads so I can keep up with everyone and we don’t all crowd a single thread. XP On that note, there are a couple things you all have to decide amongst yourselves. People are organized according to role and capability, with the best fighters in the front getting progressively less proficient farther back and the medics hanging back at the far rear. This means Razkar is on his own with his two NPCs on the front line. The competent fighters will be close behind him, and those of you who are novices and aren’t medics will be behind them. Don’t worry, you will all have the chance to do something, but sometimes it’s more fun doing it in groups. I already PMed about this so hopefully you have a vague idea as to who you’re bunking with. Secondly, there are actually two ships you can go after, not just Braten’s. What this means for you is that you have to choose which one to chase (the choice is OOC, don’t ask your captains to change course IC). Each one will present its own challenges and has its own crew and target to deal with. In terms of combat difficulty I think Vafres’ ship will be a little harder, but both are unique in their strengths and I will make sure everyone survives this quest. That’s why we brought medics. The ship descriptions and their challenges will be included with the links to their threads. One last note on time limits in RL. In each thread, I will make a post once everyone else in that thread has posted, addressing separate groups with separate frames so that each section can progress at its own speed. However, if not everyone has posted in a thread for a week then I will start typing my reply then. This is so that the threads don’t take as much time as an epic. This is just a fun domain quest that many of you Sylirans are just itching to get over with anyway. With luck we’ll finish this by the end of May at the latest in time for Summer. So once you’ve decided who you’re sharing a ship with and who you’re chasing after, let me know in a PM and I’ll give you the go-ahead to post. Happy writing everyone, and good luck! Braten’s Ship – Stormwind Streamlined and large, this ship was specially designed to both hold a large number of people and move quickly in the water. It can’t hold as much cargo, but the result is a ship that’s perfect for a non-Svefra pirate like Braten. It is heading for the growing storm, so chasers expect to be bailing your boats or helping out in some way until you catch up. Once aboard, you’ll be facing mostly large and strong specimens of all races using large weapons, with the occasional ratty thinker thrown in. Braten himself has mastered the throwing axe, and is currently the strongest in his crew, so those hoping to fight him be prepared – or come with a lot of backup. Vafres’ Ship – Unknown This ship isn’t nearly as efficient as the Stormwind, being smaller but just as fast. The crew is smaller in number as well, not greatly so but enough for it to make an impact. However, they make up for their number in skill and dexterity, though they don’t work at all as a crew and more as individual fighters. Expect a fair amount of magic as well, either enchanted weapons or personal magicians in the crew. You’ll have to work together to bring these people down. Vafres himself is knowledgeable of quite a few magics and combines his weapon and magic to great effectiveness. Be careful, as he’s bound to have several tricks up his sleeve. On the bright side, nice clear skies.