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westwhere2022-06-22 08:59 pm
groundrules) wrote in westwhere2022-06-22 08:59 pm
the concord
THE CONCORD
The vessel Concord of the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company once more appears in the horizon. She has learned her lesson from the previous scuffle and the minor charring her sails took at the hands of Sumeragi Subaru: she remains at a cautious distance from the pirate ships. Quicksilver Sam concludes the Concord’s reticence is unlikely to persist long term and asks a delegation of characters to deliver two gifts to captain Maximilian Hawk, in hopes of deterring further aggressions.
He entrusts the peace-bearing party with two items: an especially small scroll, rolled to the length and width of a thumb, and a modest, worn and a heavily locked wooden box to the size of a man’s palm. The scroll, if unravelled, only shows, 39.42116 N. The box cannot be opened, but weighs very little.
✘ OBJECTIVE: deliver the gift to Maximilian Hawk and retrieve his answer.
■ Travel by rowboats to the Concord, bearing large white flags. The Concord will not attack the incomers, but beware hungering, long-clawed mermaids and sharks within the Crossing seas.
■ Once within reach of the Concord, characters are welcomed by a small armed escort that insists all weapons must remain on the rowboats. They check that this instruction has been carried out. Those who refuse to give up their weapons are not allowed on the Concord.
■ The Concord is large, magnificently well attended, clean and armed with the most modern cannons and navigational instruments. The crew comprises trained sailors and graduates of a navy school — the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company’s own academy. Deck patrols and sails and cannon inspections are diligently undertaken every few hours.
■ You reach the Concord by noon. Marcos Diaz is received by first mate John Lattimore for an initial parlay (please wait for NPC thread). Lattimore introduces the newcomers as refugees from the Pariah to the crew.
■ Captain Maximilian Hawk is in deep strategic congress with his employers at the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company until evening. During this time, you remain under escort but can chat with sailors, enjoy a canteen meal, or take a tour of the ship’s deck. Characters also have supervised access to a guest cabin, the captain’s library or the medical bay, as needed. Use your time wisely to learn the lay of the land.
■ Noteworthy on deck: two sailors laundering uniforms and restitching membrane-thin diving suits that allow breathing underwater for two hours; a brawl that leads to four disgruntled men being taken down for jailing in the brig; several sailors carrying or taking tally of small boxes containing delicate, thin white powders (if they are inspected: opiates); two sailors drawing up a perfectly serviceable small steampunk boat to repair its rudimentary engine. Note: no further information or clues are forthcoming on any of these items — they exist as props for your getaway.
■ Come evening, Jim Kirk is finally received to present Maximilian Hawk with Quicksilver Sam’s gifts. (NPC thread link forthcoming!).
■ Discretion seems to have lost some value as everyone waits out the outcome of Jim’s talk in the captain’s cabin. It appears lips have loosened, and the crew has learned that the newcomers aren’t refugees, but representatives of the pirate ships, when a sailor recognises one of them from the Concord's previous altercation at sea. Several sailors spark a brawl, flinging accusations and demanding retaliation for the injuries they sustained when the Concord was singed. They progress from verbal to physical blows, which their superiors try but ultimately fail to calm down.
■ Smooth talk your way into being allowed a clean exit, or better yet, SOS Jim and run. Grab any weapon or valuable you can find, and jump either on the boat you came in, or on the partially fixed steampunk tanker that’s been set at sea. Row and shield to bide Viktor time and cover, if he’s up for tackling the last of the boat's engine repairs.
■ Beware cannons! And head back to the Pariah and Queen Zanyra, you delinquents. Marcos and Jim Kirk can share any learnings.
PLOTTING
no subject
"Mercenary, love, not bandit."
Wrong line of work, and he's not going to fondly reminisce over a time where he'd been lightfingered, as a boy and young-not-quite-man. Today, he's all business!
In the business of nosiness.
"Do you know what it is they're mending? Large as they are, it's certainly no long undergarment that I'm familiar with."
no subject
He shoots an eyebrow up, smile quirking in amusement at the corner of his lips as he glances sideways at Licyn. Briefly, because he's just as interested in what those sailors are doing.
"I'm not familiar with this particular model, but it looks like a diving suit of some kind. Wouldn't surprise me if it's got some unique properties I'm not familiar with."
He turns a little to face Licyn pointedly. "You're friendly. I've noticed. Have you tried chatting them up and just asking?"
no subject
"Now you and I are thinking alike." Hardly enough time on the ship to get to chatting up every interesting face or situation, but now that the earliest and easiest of the introductions and tensions are settling, Licyn's ready to be friendly. Ambling closer with the gait of a man come used to the movement of a ship underfoot, nothing so steady as land, given said land is not actually the back of a whale.
The two sailors, soldiers? Whatever one called those working for the business that these men did. Both glanced up, scowling suspiciously at first at Licyn and his friendly grin, the relaxed line of his shoulders, the lackadaisical cant to his head. Ready for a fight or a complaint, and so he gestures.
"Mind if I have a seat with you? Looks like whatever has you occupied won't end anytime too soon, and the row over here was exciting." A shake of his head, and a glance overboard, lips twitching into something like a frown for the sake of the performance. Easy social interaction, and he's already inviting the commentary, the snide statement about stamina and his return laugh, the wink for the taller sailor with his chapped hands and the suit draped over one lanky leg, "Welcome to test it anytime, love. Probably not while wearing whatever that is, unless there's some new play from your port of origin I've yet to be introduced to."
A lifted brow, and Jim's as easily invited to the conversation and the blinks and laughter Licyn invites at his expense, the sailors not ready to forgive and forget, precisely, but willing to take that frustration and vent it on ignorance to their own sense of superiority.
"Nae, nothing of the kind. 'Less you're into frottin' underwater," the shorter, broader sailor says, his grin not exactly kind, but his posture relaxed from when they'd first approached.
"Or making your package easier for one of the bloody mermaids to latch onto," says the taller sailor, nose wrinkling as he shook his head, bending it forward again to return to his mending of the suit in question. "Right nonsense, that's all you are, Chaed. Don't listen to him if you listen to anyone else here."
"What! Jus' sayin' what you're thinkin', Lahontan."
Lahontan lifted his head, shooting Chaed a deadpan glare. Licyn watches the interplay, settling his elbows on his knees, letting his arms drape forward just as he leaned in the same direction.
"Underwater, you say?"
Chaed shoots him a smirk, Lahontan rolling his eyes and glaring at Jim for no discernible reason beyond him being someone else present and having the honour of not being Licyn. When Lahontan spoke, he directed his question to Jim.
"Where do you think the tears came from?"
no subject
"The mermaids?"
Or the sharks, or... whatever else exists in that ocean. He's not especially eager to dive too deep in there, especially knowing he'd likely wouldn't be able to come back up.
"So they're diving suits. Don't you have a... head gear?" He gestures a hand up in front of his own face. "To be able to breathe down there, or something."
no subject
"The mermaids!" Cries Lahontan, as Licyn offhandedly mentions, "Anything that thin is going to be thin on protection. What, do you stick your head in a bucket and leave everything else out?"
Lahontan continues speaking to Jim, shifting his foot to nudge at the much larger head casement which looks nothing so much as a glass-fronted and metal backed helmet.
"Now why would you be wanting to know about that? Plan on helping out with repairs belowdecks? You should, that bloody ship and whatever hellions on it is why we're in such a shit situation—"
"Aye, planning on skivving down to y'r skinnies and sliding in to these?" Chaed held up the suit he was patching, smirking at both Licyn and Jim by now.
no subject
"I'm too curious for my own good," he smiles faintly, fading as he glances back to the suit. "And that's, ah... a tempting offer. I'm not very good with ship repairs, though. It's unfortunate these waters are infested, it would be interesting to be able to explore the depths with these."
He stands up again, arms crossing with casual interest. "So these allow you to stay underwater, even without air? For how long does that last?"
no subject
Chaed snickered, then leans over, leaving the suit in his lap. He picks up the helmet and tosses it to Jim where he stands, allowing for another, longer look.
"Two hours, gettin' close an' personal w' e'ry toothed thing down there. Like a bit o' danger, do ya? The both of ya. Wouldna recommend going down without a pal."
Licyn smiled, leaning in a touch. "Oh? Sounds like I'd better hope for one of you two to head down with, should curiosity win over common sense while I'm on board. Unless you're feeling adventurous?"
He looks to Jim, quirking a brow and offering a lazy, curious smile. Less for the superficial, obvious reason, and more for has this been useful, should we remember this as one more avenue out? Expecting none of that to be understood, he simply wonders at the answer to the question, surface level. He can ask again later.
no subject
Looking back to the helmet, he gives it an overall glance, then hands it back before the sailors start getting suspicious of his keen interest. His gaze meets Licyn's, and his lips curl into a wide, amused smile.
"Oh, I never go down without a pal," he grins cheekily, then shrugs. "Sounds adventurous enough. Maybe if your Captain leaves us waiting for much longer, who knows. We'll see."
no subject
"Never been one for inaction," he says, shaking his head. His smile turns rueful, but he's also looking back toward the straggling line of their little group, and the first mate who's re-emerged from a conference with his captain. "Think you're up for a chat with the man in charge, love."
Nodding his head to the first mate, and flashing a wider grin to the two sailors. Lahontan scoffs, but Chaed grins right on back.
"Catch you later, if I'm lucky."
It's heading away, chattering on about the weather (when will it turn, what he makes of those clouds, is it a curse, and so on) not so much for answers, because those are works in progress that don't have much to do with him or Jim, and more curious to the effect of, "Think there's any reason to keep an eye on where they store that equipment?"
no subject
"It wouldn't hurt," he says, glancing to the captain and first mate. "Things have been quiet but tense, and we don't know if that will last. It depends on how my talk with the captain goes, too. We might need the means for a quick getaway."
He looks back to his companion. "Just keep an eye on them. I've spotted a boat they're working on too, so that's an option. I'd rather we stayed out of the water if we could help it; it's dangerous down there."
no subject
Not his best weapon either, but it did carry the benefit of reach. Not his first choice of action either.
The sharks, and the mermaids, were not friendly enough he wanted to be in an element he didn't have at least an even standing on. Wolf or man, water was not his realm.
"Think that boat's functional? It doesn't look like it's one relying on sails."
no subject
He glances over, eyes not lingering so he doesn't show too much interest to anyone possibly watching them. "It looks like it's powered by some kind of motor. That should help, if it's in working condition. At least we wouldn't be reliant on tide and wind."
no subject
Asking after the power source guess in an easy, conversational tone, winking at one of the sailors who glances their way with narrowed gaze.
"Because whatever it is will need feeding, and if we lack the right ingredients for a meal, we're dead on the water."
no subject
The technology is a little ancient to him, but it certainly doesn't look like magic. The main issue is getting on it in an emergency and only then realizing it doesn't work, but as a last resort, it's definitely an option.
"I've got one last trick up my sleeve, if worse comes to worst." He walks as he speaks, making sure they're somewhere slightly more secluded so he can open his coat and show Licyn a glimpse of a bottle holding a miniature lifeboat. "I found it with an instruction to 'break at sea'." And by found he definitely means stole, but minor details.
no subject
"If you're going to trust your life to untested magic," he says, smiling, "Put the odd suit and helmet on first. That you at least know will work as intended. This? Might as well crush you upon its breaking open. Magic is trickier than anyone likes to think."
Or his justifiable paranoias from his own life means he trusts nothing untested, and nothing found (or stolen) out of convenience. Not to play his life on, at least.
"Take care, love. It won't go back in once it's out."
no subject
That's all he means, because he dislikes things when he doesn't know how they work, but sometimes he just doesn't get the luxury of testing beforehand. This might turn into one of those situations.
"I know." He shoots Licyn a small smile, tucking his jacket back into place. "Don't worry, I don't plan on using it unless I absolutely have to. But I'm not gonna let us get locked up or end up dead at sea if there's even one last wild plan I can try."