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

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( Her surroundings grow sharper in focus as he steps closer into her space: Grace Three dozing off on a corner, only one uneaten berry on a floorboard near her muzzle. A small basket of half-eaten orange bread, with the peels spread out on the table she works at.

Emilia looks up at Five upon his entering, and answers: ) Candles.

( If asked by those unaware of her origins, it is easy enough to explain away, granting her a degree of defense. No one can actually tell the candles are imbued with magic once she has spelled them. But Five does well know by now, and so she moves to clarify. )

They are spelled with charms for different needs. Guidance, clairvoyance, restoration.

[ When she doesn't try to chase him off, he comes closer, head tilted as he examines her progress. There's no point it remarking how late it is to be making magic candles, but he wonders if it's because she's been suffering from similar nightmares. He's familiar with the technique of keeping busy to stave off sleep.

It's only when he's hovering over her shoulder that he notices the wolf hanging out in the corner, and he's thrown enough to ask. ]

Is that one of Diego's?

( Emilia nods the once. )

Grace Three. She has taken a bit of a liking to me.

( Though the road was not seamless at first. At first the Graces reminded her of Domenico, reminded her of Vittoria and that singular, mournful howl she heard in the nights following her murder. She still doesn't know why her twin really struck the bargains she did. )

[ Five can't help but scoff lightly at 'Grace Three', because even now that name is still both ridiculous and so predictable. Overall he's had to tone down his criticism of the wolves, as often as they've proven useful.

They don't like him as much though after that whole 'locking Diego in a room' episode, and he keeps it in the corner of his eye as he turns back to consider her. ]

Diego must have too. The wolves are practically a second family to him now.

[ He can say that with zero jealousy. It's annoying but fine. ]

( Emilia can't help but nod in agreement. Diego attached himself rather quick, too, if he named them all after his mother not shortly after acquiring them. He's a bluntness that Emilia appreciates, Diego. But also a tender heart beneath some of the bluster.

She can understand, to a degree, why Five would be protective. )

I take it you are not a fan?

( Of the wolves. Of Diego taking a liking to her. She does not say which. )

[ Five has wondered if Diego told her the significance of the name. They all have their own coping mechanisms, but their mother was a robot and it still boggles his mind how the wolves remind him of her. Not to mention their history with numbers in his family. ]

It doesn't matter if I am.

[ He means the wolves, but he's open to leaving that ambiguous. He's not a fan of most things, and yet he's still hanging around like they want him here. It's this or work on equations to keep from falling asleep, and he honestly needs better light in his room. Which brings him back to the candles. ]

How do they work?

A bit like alchemy.

( Emilia seems content to answer his questions about the candles. Mostly, she likes that she can. She has a lot of raw power, and little training: a deliberate choice her family made to keep her in the dark. There are spells she works like muscle memory from an older life, and magic she improvises as she goes.

But this is familiar to her. It's simple, but it's effective. She likes plans that are simple: less can go wrong.

She points to the wax. ) Melted wax for water, solid wax for earth. The fire of the flame, and the air to feed it. A representation of the elements. Witches in my world have a special connection to the earth. We can channel its powers into our own. In this case, channeling some of it into the candle so it can work like a spell. ( she adds some sage, a sound like wishbones snapping over the cauldron. )

[ He seems to consider that for a moment; trying to make it make sense with the random books he's read and his time living with Hermione. The trouble he has with magic is that no two types are the same. From Fox and his tattoos, to Hermione and her wand, and the mirrors. None of it relates to each other in any way he can follow.

Not knowing how they work, he shouldn't trust them. But he can't think of any nefarious scheme Emilia would be trying to pull by making magic candles that supposedly enhance something. Maybe it's not really magic at all, and this is just a creative way to get high.

It's hard to tell without seeing it work, but if she's got something that would help him focus, he'll at least hear it out. ]

What, is it like... meditation? Or do they put you in a trance?

Only if the candle is spelled specifically for meditation.

( It would require different ingredients, different intentions, and different colors — though the making of it remains more or less the same. Emilia points to the two candles that she has already completed. The beeswax she's brought with all the way from Taravast should ensure longevity. )

These are candles spelled for clarity and focus. Alertness.

( She picks one of them up. )

The final component is somatic: I just need to light it.

[ He raises his eyebrows and hovers closer, looking at the one in her hand longer than he might have if he wasn't still shaking off the dregs of a nightmare during what little sleep he managed to get. It doesn't look particularly impressive, but that's the annoying thing about magic objects, isn't it?

He feels entirely too gullible that it's so easy for him to just accept what she's telling him. But he's been out of coffee for far too long. Maybe it's time he looked into creative alternatives. ]

You don't say. [ Just so happens to be exactly what he needs. ] ...How long does it last? Do you have to stay near it, or is lighting it the only thing you need to do to activate it?

[ He's clearly dying for a demonstration, but he's tired enough to think he's being entirely casual about this line of questioning. ]

( He is the most casual man alive... !

Emilia recalls what Celestia one said: arcane symbols increase the potency of a spell. Witches often use them to enhance their source of power. Since returning her cornicello to Wrath, she has not needed much supplementation. Her source simply exists, an endless well in her very core.

With a swish of her hand, the candle is lit. Energy radiates from it and toward them, renewing. )

It lasts for as long as the candle burns. The radius is five feet, so as to not disturb those who do wish to sleep. ( She doesn't know that she'd trust to keep her eyes closed, but she also has trust issuesTM. )

[ He bobs his head while he mentally notes those simple instructions, and lifts his gaze to her when the candle lights up, probably looking far too much like a kid witnessing a magic trick.

After a slight hesitation, he steps closer, until he could reach out and grab it if he tried. She didn't say where the magic comes from, if it's something to do with the light, or the heat, or a fragrance. Something else. He can't decide, but he keeps near and thinks... he can feel it. Fascinating. ]

...I kind of wish I knew about this sooner.

[ That eerily sounded like a compliment, but she didn't have to explain it to him. He's distracting her from her work. ]

Are these all for you?

Yes. I like to be prepared.

( The fresh waves of grief made her reckless at the start of this all, long before Sa-Hareth. Backed into several corners, she played what clumsy hand she could and assumed responsibility for the risk. But her preference, always, is to consider every angle. To amass as many weapons in her arsenal as she can.

Even those that don't look deadly.

Emilia looks up from her cauldron at him, not without unspoken understanding. )

You only need ask, Five. ( She can spare one candle. Yes, even for him. )

[ That offer is unexpected, even with all of his obvious interest, and his expression says as much. He was fairly sure she only tolerates him, so he'd at least expected her to want something in return.

Still. Asking is hard, he has to work up to it. He's more curious what she's preparing for. ]

You've noticed, haven't you?

( His question is met with tenseness. It gathers at her shoulders, nestles in the space between her ribs. A strange relief his question is so vague as to allow for some ambiguity in return, even as she gives him an unequivocal nod. She made the mistake of closing her eyes, and seeing.

The nightmare took hold before she could do anything but yield. )

It only grows worse the closer we are to it.

( To the Crossing. )

[ He thankfully didn't have to clarify what he meant. The last thing he wants to do is admit that he's trying to stay awake because he's been having nightmares.

First the dreams, then the magic compulsions. He's been through it too many times to believe it won't happen again. ]

How do you defend against something invading your own mind?

By training it. The way one might train to wield a weapon.

( It's the only way. Their minds are too vulnerable to attack, and have been long before this, like the lighthouse. Before that with the practices of the Attaryl. Possession. The thrall of mermaids and goddess knows what else. Magic wards only go so far in this world. )

Wrath is well-versed in mental barriers, although mainly from our world.

( She knows the two of them are close, and Wrath is good target practice. She first learned this the hard way, but it's also how Emilia was ultimately able to resist demonic influence. Why she was able to fight the lighthouse's influence. )

[ He gives her an odd look. It... never occurred to him to ask Wrath about mental barriers, but it should have. No one in his family has ever been able to break one of Allison's rumors, and Five fallen for every compulsion since he came here. ]

I suppose he would be. [ He just assumed it had something to do with being a demon. ] He taught you?

We have an arrangement.

( Pride is far from her greatest sin, but it does wound her ego a bit to think of how rusty she'd been when they picked up their training again. She is not about to admit easily she still has a way to go. )

It's grueling work. ( Frustrating, and frankly brutal. But worth it, if her mind and emotions remain hers. )

[ And it didn't prevent her from having to stay up all night making candles. It still manages to bother him that he hasn't learned anything to protect himself that he didn't already know, considering the amount of time he's spent with Wrath. ]

An arrangement. [ He raises an eyebrow. ] I thought it was more than that.

For the training, Five.

( The arrangement is for the training.

Emilia holds up a candle in offer. She knows it's what he wants, whether he thinks he's being subtle about it. But she thinks they will both be more comfortable with framing it as a transaction, and she is betrothed to the king of bargains. ) A candle for transportation next time need arises.

[ There's the barest hint of a smile at her emphasis, almost teasing. He still wonders about that training, if it's something he could learn for as often as he's fallen victim to magic, but he stops short of asking when she proposes a trade.

It's obvious on the face of it that she's doing it for his benefit, so he won't have to ask for that either. He studies her and the candle for a silent moment before he reaches for it. ]

Fair enough. [ There are plenty of people who can do something similar to what he does, including Wrath, but his way is the most efficient. Cleaner, without the use of magic. And a surprisingly equivalent trade, considering some of his past deals.

He feels the weight of the candle. It might be all in his head, but the light has given him a boost of energy. ]

Well, at least that's a short term solution. [ Leaving right after he got what he wanted might give the wrong impression, but conversation doesn't come easy to him. So after one more appreciative nod, he takes a step back. ] You know how to reach me.

Edited 2022-07-10 12:01 (UTC)

( She is not flustered.

She is Emilia di Carlo. The bad bitch that went toe-to-toe with demon princes to secure a devil's throne and her vengeance. Slayed a netherworldly snake, albeit almost died in the process. The point is she does not fluster. Except her cheeks do feel a bit warm.

Still. Five has seen nothing.

Nodding in return, she tells him in a measured tone, )

Likewise, Five Hargreeves. ( Doing business with him was adequate. )

[ Five gives her a curious look when she uses his full name. Then again, she could be attempting to save face and put back some comfortable distance between them. He can't say he doesn't appreciate the effort. It's refreshing, really. She didn't press him on why he's insistent on getting her magical sleep-cure, and he rewards her by not fishing for more information about things that he's already assumed.

If it works, it won't be the last time he seeks her out, so they may as well set a precedent. So without any further pretense, and for no other reason than he can, he grips the candle and blinks away in a flash of blue. ]

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