westwhere | no man's sea

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no man's sea

Avast ye — sprawling til 18 June is part I of the Storm at Sea travel arc, which doubles as a test drive. Participants don’t need an invite to reserve or apply over 10-17 June.

Try to label if you’re a test drive tourist or an old timer — and don’t hesitate to leave an OOC note to opt out of random NPC piraaaaaaaargh interaction. Test drivers can post both log and network prompts. Have fun!

NO MAN’S SEA

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AHOY! SCALLYWAGS

Departing Ke-Waihu, the existing party joins paranoid pirate king, turned stalwart saint Samuel Vane — the feared Quicksilver Sam — aboard the Pariah.

Test drivers awaken anguishing at sea, floating on rafts, or on minuscule patches of deserted land. They are collected by two pirates and the recalcitrant sorceress Karsa — who supplies translation and communication devices. She explains the newcomers were summoned into the land of Akhuras by warring undead factions. Karsa’s master, the elusive Merchant, ferries newcomers east to beacons hoped to return them home. He has secured them passage on the pirate vessel Queen Zanyra of ’Wet Rope’ Caladan Kreil, an associate of Quicksilver Sam.

The Pariah and Zanyra meet at sea, a day’s travel away from Ke-Waihu:

■ Characters overhear that Quicksilver Sam seeks to reach the haunted Crossing Seas and ‘settle an old score.’ Long-term ally Caladan Kreil supports his cause.

■ The two vessels make daily supply and crew exchanges by rowboat. The Pariah’s passengers must give the passcode: flaunted like gold to board the Queen Zanyra. Staff of the Queen Zanyra must speak the words before the blind man to access the Pariah. Forget your passcode and fall at the mercy of whoever patrols the decks!

■ Tasks await all passengers: diligently clean and polish decks, climb tall masts to sew torn sails, banish a preposterous number of seagulls, fish, read post or… dubious novels to sailors, count loot, guard the decks, clean cannons or serve as boat lure for shark fishing. Medics and cooks can practise their natural trades, while musicians and entertainers should amuse the crew.

■ By all means, grab thematic garments from crew coffers. Also available: daggers, swords and rare pistols.

■ Characters may notice both ship crews are spirited, but grow weary when Quicksilver Sam fitfully orders his five on-call priests to carry out protection rites, or to ‘exorcise’ evil from random staff — through ineffective bitter potions, shrill chants and requests to sit in unusual luck-incurring poses, or to commit some mundane, repetitive task. Let’s bore the devil away.

■ Treat senior crew with respect: some pirates are equally drunk on rum and fleetingly authority and reward perceived slights with a 24h-stay in the brig. These fine accommodations fit two and annul powers while there. No dinner.

■ Sleep where you can: hammocks and rotting mattresses can be found in great common halls beneath decks. The sick and women (naturally, ill omens at sea) can share the four private cabins of each ship. Sumeragi Subaru has his own cabin aboard the Pariah.

■ Each night, expect drinking beneath the halls and a pirate’s greatest hobby: gambling. Conmen might lure you into an ‘innocent game’ that sinks you deep into debt, winning your valuables, favours, or kidney!

■ Ladies are afforded a wide, begrudging berth and some authority over the crew.

■ Accommodations: fresh potions are readily available to ward off sea sickness, and magically resilient oranges are on hand to counter scurvy. As woe would have it, the long-serving Mr. Ishmael has passed, and his earthly remains have been retained aboard the Pariah for Kaneki Ken. Viktor receives a leashed emotional support albatross — a large, loud but docile bird that flies above him counter-current to balance him, whenever the ship’s sway threatens his footing.

OBJECTIVES

■ Discover why good Quicksilver Sam is intent on his haunted travels. The captain declines audiences, but try to get information from the two crews.

■ Please share the information gained via network…!

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THAT SON OF A BISCUIT EATER

Trouble starts to brew, within days at sea:

■ Be on the lookout while on watch duty: on a handful of occasions, new faces appear aboard. They fail to offer the passcode — and attempt to injure characters, throw them overboard, or to enter the captains’ lodgings. Sound the alarm or seize intruders!

■ After interrogating an infiltrator, Caladan Kreil sends word that the assailants hail from the Concord, a war vessel of the Dawns’ Reach Trade Company that is pursuing the pirate ships at distance under the command of Maximilian Hawk. A credit to his name, Wet Rope Caladan has the spy hanged.

■ Prepare to get drafted for double watch duty, as both Caladan Kreil and Quicksilver Sam bolster defences. Tensions escalate, with pirate crew questioning the loyalties of newer recruits.

■ A few days later, at dawns, the silent, swift and massive Concord approaches close enough to fire its cannons at both ships and send vicious militia to climb aboard. Defend your ship!

■ The Concord withdraws by midday, after lightly damaging its opponents. Help with repairs and enjoy some rum — you’ve survived your first sea scuffle!

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MOLLYWICK

Just short of entering the Crossing, where the seas are dark and highly opaque, the Queen Zanyra and Pariah encounter a stretch of vibrant, lushly forested land.

■ Both vessels send crew over for a few hours, with captains urging quick incursions. Pair up to collect berries, scant mushrooms and sweet water. Curiously, no animals are found.

■ Veteran sailors say this is the Neverflight isle of myth, where sea kings have buried their treasures. Pirates share legendary coordinates of long lost loot, archived as riddles or poems. Grab a shovel and a-digging you go!

■ …ah, but don’t linger too long. What pranksters your sailor friends are. Within hours of the island’s appearance, the earth beneath your feet crumbles and quakes, and the land starts to sink. Evacuate or call for help to get out of here — as the great white whale Mollywick submerges in the waters with the Neverflight island it carries on its back. Hopefully, you don’t go under with them.

■ If you’ve threaded out a treasure dig, drop a line to receive some especially deplorable loot. You deserve it.

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THE CROSSING

The Pariah and Queen Zanyra — frequently chained together to avoid separation — creep into the Crossing : a stretch of eerily silent waters, dark and volatile.

■

■ Slowly, a thick, nearly impregnable fog dawns during the day, covering the sun and leaving the skies a desolate slate. Dreadful storms spark at night.

■ Strange, talking carps jump on board, offering to tell you your future. Caution: they only make bad luck readings (request yours) that turn true. They appear wherever their target flees and are exceptionally annoying, until either the moon rises, or you apply the superstitious cure of throwing salt on them.

■ Nightmares haunt you — your own, or glimpsed memories of ships crashing, sinking, falling to storm. Note: only your character suffers these memories/nightmares, but everyone else can experience their exhausted grumpiness, come morning.

■ Be wary, when pairing to cross over to the other pirate ship: you may find another rowboat beside yours, its sailor begging for an oar or ladle. If you give him one, he shovels water into your boat with inhuman speed — desert your vessel and swim quickly to a pirate ship, before undead hands pull you into the sea.

■ While alone on deck, characters might hear sweet, coaxing voices that urge them to walk the plank into the water. Break your brethren from this spell, or watch them fall into the arms of man-eating mermaids.

■ Now and then, the ships are shaken by long, whips of something lashing from the depths.

■ Pirates become increasingly skittish and on edge. Priests perform countless protection rites and exorcisms on both ships.

■ At night, a handful of undead men climb aboard. They lack awareness and are in a clear state of discomposure, looking to catch the living and drown them. With toothless, rotting mouths, some rasp, This is kinder.

■ As you officially enter the Crossing, beams of light erupt in the horizon, showing the distant silhouettes of several ghost ships.

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NOTES

TEST DRIVE QUESTIONS

OLD-TIMER QUESTIONS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A.AHOY! SCALLYWAGS

[When the pirates talk about women being bad luck, they might actually be speaking of women like Winnie. Winnie flits back and forth all around the deck and below, chatting up anyone who will listen.

She seems very excited about this all, talking at length about the books she's read and the stories she's heard and how exciting an adventure this is bound to be. She really seems taken with the pirate idea, even dressing up in--gasp! pants! And the blouses and a big ol' hat, a bonafide pirate queen. She is delighted.

She can often be found telling stories or reciting poems to cast and crew alike, her knowledge of new ones seemingly endless. She has no problems pointing out to someone and asking out aloud:] Hello, dear! Yes, you there, come here! What would you like? A poem, or a story? What kind? Go on, give me a theme, I know so many fairy tales and poems and riddles, let me share one with you!

[look at her eager lil face, how can you say no??]

B. Look Out Below!

[Winnie's gleefully climbed one of the masts to sit and sew a sail, whistling cheerfully or singing a tune as she does so. She seems to be having fun!

At least until she finishes and goes to try and get down, slipping from the mast. She doesn't even scream, only given a semi-startled 'oh!' of surprise. The ropes, luckily, seem to catch her up, leaving her all caught up in them and suddenly very glad she'd gone for wearing pants for right now.

She also doesn't appear very scared or concerned, simply waving a free hand at anyone below]

Hello! Excuse me, would you be a dear and help me down? I think I'm a little stuck.

C. THAT SON OF A BISCUIT EATER

[oh, a fight, is it? Winnie tries to stay in the background and out of the way, not particularly interested in all this hubbub going on.

That doesn't mean she's an easy target though. It doesn't take long for her to shoot an enemy trying to advance upon her... actually she doesn't even blink

The pirate drops and Winnie's face is almost scarily blank as she watches him collapse on the floor.

She blinks slowly, head titling as she observes the life leaving him like some cold-blooded scientist squishing a bug. Or a snake strangling the life from its prey. The only emotion that shows after a moment appears after a shudder as she steps back, brow furrowing and a pout settling on her lips as the blood pools and touches the tip of her boot]

Oh, these boots are practically brand new! How rude to get blood on them! These pirates truly have no manners!

[Winnie seems far more distressed over that fact than anything else here, balancing on one legs and wiping her boot on a relatively clean part of the man's clothes to try and get the blood off before it can dry]

Edited 2022-06-04 00:50 (UTC)

( Scantly seen by his crew, Quicksilver Sam all but haunts the deck at hours when his people are certain to sleep away the fumes of last night's drink, or to rush and bruise themselves in the battle for the choicest cuts of the midday meal.

He appears all but sickened, possessed. Pale, wild-eye, his prayer beads caught in a tight hand, clutched severely. He hears the girl before he sees her — knows, instantly, that she has surely been delegated the tasks traditional to her sex, and rolls his eyes at the sheer pedestrian superstition that still commands half of the crew.

There is no trouble women can bring. Only the dead. Peacefully, he calls out: )

Woman. There is work for you below the deck too. There's no need for this.

[The sudden voice startles her only a little and her singing cuts off, but she beams brightly down at him as she waves her hello]

Oh, well the rest of the crew seemed reluctant to do it themselves, so someone had to do it!

But I don't mind the work! It's refreshing to work so hard. [Even from there she could see he didn't look too well and she frowns in concern]

My name is Winnie, by the way! Pleased to meet you, sir! If it's not too presumptuous to ask, are you feeling alright?

( Someone had to do it. As if he doesn't employ a great wealth of (dis)honest men, perfectly equal to whatever task the Pariah sets before them. A good ship, she. Sturdy. Strong. At hard wind, she barely flinches. )

I have never walked a better man. ( This, with dry lips and eyes sunken, and a look to him of deep-dug pallor. ) Come down. This is a good ship, fairer than her sister passed. We don't want you on your conscience.

( Great old fall that this would be from the mast, and she a woman fair and frail, by the looks of her. And suppose Samuel Vane never learned at a fancy school with virtuous gentlemen, but he knows the women they keep, he knows how she'd fit among them. How they'd all crumble down. )

[Winnie just nods as if that was a perfectly believable thing to say. If he's 'never walked better' he must've been truly gruesome before, obviously.

She moves carefully now, climbing down with her little sewing kit held in her teeth until she can jump down the little bit to the deck proper. She takes the kit in hand and smiles brightly at him]

As you say. I think it's a truly wonderful ship. Do you know how she came about? Did you win her in a game, or have her commissioned, or...? [She trails off, curious]

( No reason to bar the girl's passage, when she lands. He stands aside, affording her a wide berth, so she might arrive on deck without trouble or obstacle in sight.

At the last moment, he extends a hand, should she want it, when she raises herself to stand. A gentleman, by any other name. )

As her captain, would I not know how she came about?

( And this being his answer, eyes steeled, perhaps there's reason to suspect he withholds the details of the Pariah's origin for his own pleasure. )

She joined our family three years gone. She is a beauty.

[She takes the offered hand, because it's polite and expected to do so and she is nothing if not a bunch of scripts running in conjuncture with each other.]

She is! I've never seen a finer ship. I'm so glad you were agreeable with the Merchant to give us passage on it.

If there's a way to repay you, do let me know. I'm not sure what the Merchant is paying you and I cannot hope to match it, but I can do my best to help somehow.

( He rights her on her way, helps her to her balance and her footing — it is, after all, expected. And though he never achieved personal polish at a finishing school, though he lacks for the skill to recite pretty poems and make a spectacle of himself with a sword — he can prevail to summon the base charms of a young man, faced with a beautiful woman: )

Your comrade, Sumeragi Subaru, is putting in the work. You thank him. ( And carefully after, half-muttered, as if he nearly speaks to himself: ) I'm an honest man, always was, an honest man, deal's a deal, is right a deal. An honest man —

( But he catches himself, as if he finally remembers he is in company, and the girl still waits at his pleasure. Tension leaves his body in a rushed haze. )

We can always do with more passengers. What we need are fewer ghosts.

Winnifred Prismall | Original | Old Timer

look out below, but before she slips

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*on our conscience, wow

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C

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scallywags

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ahoy! scallywags.

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