storm at sea | part ii

[groundrules]

Thar she blows — part II of the Storm at Sea travel arc, lasting until 5 August.

RELEASE THE KRAKEN

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SUMMARY: as allied pirate ships Pariah and Queen Zanyra sail onwards, mad captain Quicksilver Sam uses the artefact of the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company to call out to the notorious power of the haunted Crossing seas. He craves retribution from the crew of his former, drowned ship, the Storm at Sea — which rises up along other sunken vessels, all manned by undead sailors. With them is a vicious kraken. They attack, seeking Quicksilver Sam’s relic. So should you. Some characters dragged underwater reach a deserted dimension where time behaves aberrantly. To survive the two-three-day skirmish, keep your ship afloat and moving, hijack a few other vessels, fend off the undead and kraken, capture Quicksilver’s artefact — and breathe.


SAFE AT WA(TE)R | NAIL’EM TO THE MAST | STICKY FINGERS | THE STRANDING

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SAFE AT WA(TE)R

Quicksilver Sam’s Pariah continues into the black waters of the Crossing seas, escorted by ally Caladan Kreil’s Queen Zanyra and distantly pursued by Maximilian Hawk’s Concord of the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company. Characters can cross between the Queen Zanyra and Pariah by rowboat, until great storms darken the skies. Afterwards, reckless fools can risk their necks in the growling winds and drumming rains and traverse the rattling, thick chain that binds the two ships.

Quicksilver Sam joins the deck of the Pariah with a small box he opens to reveal a cut-out, impeccably preserved and warded human tongue. Once unwarded, the artefact seems to intensify the storms, while Quicksilver shouts out:

”Two years be, when the seas, them… they… broke’n’sundered and… was then. Then, when all of you! All of… all of you dead under the briny deep, you watched, and you plotted, and you… was then! We all broke bread under the black flag, and we were brothers… brothers of the Storm at Sea. Was enough coin in the coffer for everyone, but you, you had the greed in you, thicker than blood of our covenant, or water of any womb! You turned! You put me out to die, and now, look where you are? You lily-livered scurvies, you wake up now, look around you! You put me to sea? Left me to die? Samuel Vane, you thought me, I was for drowning? You look me in the eye, and you tell me so again, because I’m here for you! I’ll be ruin for you, Storm at Sea, I’ll cleave you!”

■ The tongue artefact summons up dozens of sunken ships from the Crossing, which take under an hour to fully emerge. They are manned by reanimated sailors — many whom you may have encountered as cored bodies underwater.


■ The Storm at Sea also rises, staffed by Quicksilver Sam’s now revenant crew. The vessel spearheads the undead offensive and approaches the Pariah — leaving her within reach for infiltration. Wei Wuxian will report back after engaging undead first mate Augustus Silvering.

■ The tongue relic also calls up an immense kraken, whose tentacles can be recognised as the ‘coral’ strings that had bound the sunken ships. The kraken is neither living nor dead and composed of the coagulated dark water that characters have previously encountered. Kraken meat is comestible but not seafood. It unexpectedly tastes of succulent white fish, best paired with a Sauvignon blanc and served generously with lemon, rosemary and dill. Do not overcook on the bonfire of your sinking ship.

■ You may end up locked inside cabins or brigs, whether ‘for your safety’ or at the first sign of insubordination against the on-edge captains.

■ You’re in danger as long as you remain within the Crossing seas. To steer the boats, take occasional shifts from exhausted pirates and learn to helm your vessel with navigational help from your companions.

■ (Wisps of) agitated spirits linger in the Crossing — some maliciously seek to push you overboard, while others protect you. Most are petrified. These remaining spirits are more akin to afterthoughts of emotion, which you can calm down, exorcise or ignore.

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NAIL’EM TO THE MAST

When you can’t beat’em, try again with a torch, a harpoon and a better attitude:

■ The kraken and undead violently attempt to reach the tongue artefact and sink the Pariah, Queen Zanyra and nearby Concord. Your enemies have hardened skins that require extra hacking, but regular weapons still work. Fire is especially efficient.

■ The kraken slams and sweeps its tentacles across the deck to drag ships underwater — do use cannons and primitive explosives.

■ The undead mount rowboats or swim to climb onboard. Fortunately, the storms impede your attackers, earning you respite between fresh assaults. Assume one-two hours' rest between attacks.

■ Extensively touching the living kraken tentacles slowly depletes your stamina and/or magical strength.

■ Consider taking Viktor’s steampunk boat and setting up primitive dynamite to sink these ships before their undead crew can reach you. Beware the storms.

■ You can infiltrate undead ships at any point, but can only commandeer one if you group up to man it.

■ Use diving suits that let you breathe four hours underwater and light up white for alert, red for danger, yellow for the urgent need to return on land and green-blue otherwise.

■ Bad news for the Pariah: on top of the undead, the kraken and the mad pirate, you are dealing with the incensed Hawk and Caladan Kreil, both whom send men to stop Quicksilver Sam’s summons at all costs.

■ Magical communicators are prone to glitches or disruptions amid poor weather conditions.

■ A school of mermaids is drawn to the kraken and the Pariah — warn them off with lights or lure them away with baits of food or blood. Speaking with them reveals they want Quicksilver’s artefact.

■ Those wishing to avoid violence can head to the more distant Concord by rowboat, under a white flag. Maximilian Hawk believes you are refugees aboard the Pariah and Queen Zanyra and will offer sanctuary. The sleek, highly disciplined and martial Concord faces significantly less attack, and you can spend a more peaceful time below deck. Alternatively, pair up to persuade the crew to give up chasing the Pariah, and convince Hawk and first mate Lattimore the ‘ancient power’ pursued by the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company should arguably never be found.

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STICKY FINGERS

Moments after his speech, a rattled Quicksilver Sam retreats with the tongue relic in his heavily guarded and magically warded cabin.

■ Group up to capture the tongue with minimal damage to ship and crew. Ideally, some characters can distract the guards or attempt to lure Quicksilver out.

■ Helpful tips: despite his questionable sanity, Quicksilver Sam has shown high regard for manners, women and his ship. The pirate guards are loyal, but skittish before the supernatural.

■ During the diversion, lift the wards or forcibly infiltrate the cabin by breaking the door in. Careful, as Quicksilver appears to have purchased a Taravast special — a small caged white owl, which paralyses in place those who meet her gaze. Someone should distract the bird or cover her cage to break her trance.

■ Everyone can hunt, but Five and Wrathion get final joint custody of the tongue. They have decided to ward and box it. This will see the kraken and sinking ships gradually lose power, then submerge within two days. The tongue stays with the duo. Given Kirk’s previous reveal, the group could choose to trade the tongue in with Maximilian Hawk and the Dawn’s Reach Trade Company.

■ If the tongue is ever brought near the heart possessed by Kaneki Ken, the two artefacts will briefly thrum in synchrony.

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THE STRANDING

Some characters captured by the kraken’s tentacles and pulled underwater lose consciousness, only to mentally wake up in the dimension of a perfectly silent, deserted and seemingly interminable beach island.

■ Characters experience time differently here, shifting between younger and older states every few hours. Up to you whether these changes are mental, physical or both, and whether your character is aware this isn’t their natural form.

■ Several mute, humanoid tar figures roam aimlessly. They largely ignore newcomers, but peacefully stop them from entering the dark sea waters.

■ The island sky is despairingly grey. There are no animals or plants.

■ Characters find they lose more of their memories, the longer they linger — particularly if they start to be politely but incessantly followed by tar figures, which gradually assume their form.

■ You can occasionally find human footsteps and writing in wet beach sand. The writing spells out children’s limericks.

■ Time passes differently on the island — dealer’s choice whether faster or slower than in the real world for your character.

■ Characters can wake up into the real world, if their bodies are rescued from where they’ve sunken underwater, remaining alive for up to two days in the vicinity of the kraken.

■ Characters may initially experience light amnesia and a sense of listlessness and estrangement from their bodies, once they have left the island dimension. This dissipates within a day’s time.

■ You can only reach the island once. Characters can be brought underwater by the kraken without entering the beach dimension.

QUESTIONS

NPC CONTACT

Comments

[chosenbylight]

((ooc: requesting a follow-up thread with mr briggs, if i may??))

[sansdoute]

( At your service! Set something short up, Mr. Briggs will follow your lead! )

lmk if you need me to change/add anything!

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin watches in horror as Quicksilver produces -- not a piece of a mirror, as he had assumed it might be, but what appears to be a human tongue in a box. As their Captain raves about brotherhood, and the Storm at Sea. The name of a ship, he supposes, from the way he is shouting about ruining them. His stomach clenching in dread as the skies begin to darken even further than they have already, the seas beneath their vessel beginning to churn restlessly.

This is -- not a good sign.

As the captain makes a somewhat dramatic exit towards his cabin, leaving them all to only imagine what may be coming next, Anduin turns toward the rest of the onlookers. His eyes meeting those of a particularly familiar member of the crew...]

Mr Briggs. [Anduin takes a quick step to catch the man up, lest he consider making any similar flight below deck himself.] You told me before that you were a -- purveyor of artefacts, did you not?

[sansdoute]

( He is stunned in place, watching the savagery of Quicksilver Sam's... unravelling with what can only be described as increasing, overwhelmed terror. A tongue, a human tongue. And then, the marks on that box, the Dawn's Reach Trade Company.

He knows he has lingered long behind the rest of the audience, startled out of his stupor by the boy who... oh. Oh, Mr. Briggs has seen this young man before. And he is asking...

A tongue, is all he can think of, a tongue, a tongue. )

I am... ( Breathless. Making haste to fish out his kerchief and pass it neatly over the cold sweat that lines his forehead. This does not bode well. Quicksilver is insane. ) Yes. Yes, I... among my many... duties and years of experience at sea. Yes.

[chosenbylight]

[It is -- strange to see Mr Briggs, who had been so proud in their previous conversation, so obviously shaken. Then again, their captain had literally just produced a box containing a human tongue, which obviously held magical properties. And while Anduin is not entirely experienced in the art of piracy, he has a feeling that this is not something that happens on a regular basis.]

Mr Briggs...

[Anduin does his best to pull himself together.]

In your years of experience at sea -- have you ever seen anything like this before? Anything like. That?

[He's not exactly certain how to describe the artifact, so he leaves it there, searching the older man's face as he continues:] Do you know what it is? Where he came by such a thing?

[sansdoute]

( Good God, but the boy assumes — it insults him, almost, enough that his mouth tightens in a line, and he rewards the question with a calm, measured shake of his head. )

How should I know how he came about such a... such an obscene slap to the face of goodness? I am not a butcher of men, lad. God still sees us at sea. We are a respectable institution.

( As all pirate ships should but aim to be. ) I suppose it may not have originated with that... monstrosity, but its box had the engravings of the Dawn's Reach Trade Company.

[chosenbylight]

The Dawn's Reach Trade Company...

[Anduin echoes the name, though it takes a moment to be able to place it.]

Captain Hawk's Dawn Reach Trade Company.

[It's all starting to come together.] That is the fragment? A -- tongue?

[Anduin looks equal parts curious and repulsed.] What do you know of the Dawn's Reach Trade Company? What -- exactly do they trade in?

[sansdoute]

Anything they can set their sights or their hands on, lad.

( It is unclear from the pinched quality of Mr. Briggs' voice if he is disgusted by the practices of the Dawn's Reach Trade Company or faintly envious. All the same, carrying on: )

Weapons, spices, politics, archeological finds, slaves, magic... if there is a will, the Company finds a way. They have men in every port, on every continent.

( A shrug, careful: ) And where they lack them, they contract. I suspect this is how Master Vane must have entered their service. The Company don't lower themselves to alliances with... ( Now, what to call their distinguished profession? His tongue's slack, careful. ) Privateers.

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin's expression is dark as he listens to this explanation from the other man. This does not sound good. Moreover, though, it sounds -- vaguely familiar.]

Have you had dealings with the Company before yourself, sir?

[Best to throw in an honorific. Mr Briggs seems like the sort of man whose mood could benefit from being reminded of his place, and just because Anduin is a king, he is not their king, nor has he forgotten his manners.]

Or -- perhaps with a man who calls himself the Merchant? From what I understand, it is he who procured our passage aboard the Pariah.

thanks for eating the previous tag, dw

[sansdoute]

Myself and the Company? Bits and bobs of service, lad, whenever they could be knelt deep enough to admit even their considerable resources did not equip them in every area of expertise.

( A fine moment, if nothing else than for its scarcity. Men of means so often linger in the assumption that coin will settle all their accounts. His smile turns nostalgic, rueful. )

The... Merchant? Quite. All this trouble for you, and he wouldn't spare you a name. I suppose you mustn't have earned it, then? I see.

( In a feline, knowing way, he sees all things. )

Your... Merchant is a formidable man. Only one I have heard of to make gains in Sa-Hareth, selling salt to salt-makers. But he is, regrettably, of the Ellethian disposition, and they prefer to keep to their own.

( Then, hastily: ) Of course, this is not to call me unwilling. If this is a manner of asking after my servuces on his behalf, I would be glad to quote you a general estimate, if you describe the work.

dw does not love us n_n

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin does his best to remain composed. To pretend that he is not hanging onto every new scrap of information that Mr Briggs offers.

Given their present circumstances, he supposes that he should be more concerned about whatever it is that their captain had just triggered with that tongue. But being pragmatic, and assuming that they do survive this situation (which is the goal...)

It would be useful to know what Mr Briggs has to say on the subject of their mysterious patron.]

I have learned that it is certainly not wise to cross the man. Or his opinions. Although it is as you say, even as patron of our expedition, he tends to keep his cards to his chest.

[Anduin raises a quizzical eyebrow.] Even his name. Although you say that he is known to you, sir? Through your current employ?

[sansdoute]

As I've said. Through various... business ventures, past.

( Naturally, any man of sense will guard the details of his work with diplomacy. But he appears at least tame before the mention of the Merchant, neither injured nor irritated by his existence, as he had been with the Dawn's Reach Trade Company.

God be good, but there can only be one such arrogant parasite. )

Merchants often require solid, reliable and discreet men of logistics. We handle all there is to be troubling at ports, or terminals or customs. We bring wares in, we take them out, we seek their legitimate transport within a citadel, we secure delivery or resale. At times, we even guarantee their passport papers.

( Or forge them, as one does. ) We are invaluable. Your patron recognises our efforts and our contribution.

[chosenbylight]

[As he has said. Anduin ponders this for a moment, before:]

Do you mean to imply, sir, that The Merchant is a member of the Trading Company himself?

[It would explain quite a lot of things. Namely: his pseudonym, but also the connections he has had along their travels as well. His considerable resources, as Mr Briggs has explained, for providing for their group.

It would also open the door to a great many questions as well, however...]

[sansdoute]

Certainly not that I am aware, no. ( His brows perk up, amusement battling the part of Mr. Briggs that is sworn off to permanent and petulant indifference. Imagine that.

He starts, slowly, to pace along the deck in search of a retreat, the storms only gather and darken and thicken, the signs of aggression brewing in the air. )

There are more merchants in this world than the one wretched company. ( Long may Mr. Briggs capture their coin, God merry and willing. ) I don't know that they have been involved, although with such entities, you can never truly say.

( The financial history of the territory being long and vast. )

[chosenbylight]

Yes, of course there are.

[Ease off, Anduin. Before you seem too desperate for knowledge on the man.

Glancing up at the clouds himself, Anduin begins to follow the other man along the deck, unease brewing within him as he turns his attention once more to the situation before them.]

Please, Mr Briggs. In confidence, I must ask you one more thing...

[Anduin turns pale blue eyes upon his companion, looking at once very young, and wearier than any 19-year-old has any right to be.]

It is my understanding that Captain Vane's venture is under the commission of the Trading Company. When they found that he was after a specific item -- something which has been lost for a long time or perhaps only ever mentioned in myth -- the Company gifted him with this ship, this crew, a set of coordinates, and a fragment of the item that supposedly reacts to the whole.

It is very likely that the fragment in question was that tongue, Mr Briggs. Which is why I must ask you very plainly, is there anything you have heard of in your experience that might fit such a description as that, sir? Because whatever it is, I have a notion that we do not want either the Captain or the Company laying their hands on such an item...

[sansdoute]

( What devilry of concern is this, when they are blasted by sea waters and a monstrous creature emerges? If Mr. Briggs' temper sharpens, it's with an edge of fear, of quiet but building concern for his personal survival.

But they are close enough to shelter that he can afford, the door in sight, to spare Anduin another glance: )

Lad, I've told you all before. I spent my time largely in Captain Kreil's employ. I don't know the private matters of Captain Vane. I am here to assist Captain Kreil, following the righteous reward promised for his service.

( Very righteous indeed, if his services are required. ) So that he may deliver the good ship Pariah to safe harbour, once he has obtained it, without concern for... ( A slow cough. ) Bureaucracy.

( And the absence of ownership papers and questions over the ship's provenance and previous captain. )

This is my role. Logistics. Papers. The import of items and sometimes people. Not the private affairs of one madman or the other.

[chosenbylight]

The reward promised for his service.

[Anduin's tone is -- not hard, exactly. But sharp. He realizes he is losing Mr Briggs' attention, but this is important, however his conversational companion may think otherwise. Lives are at stake. And this ship is all Anduin and his companions have just now, standing between them and whatever is brewing out there in the deeps.]

You did say so, didn't you. That they do not enjoy the spirit of competition. That is it, isn't it? Captain Kreil has been promised the Pariah. In exchange for what?

[A beat, before:] If that is the case, then surely as his man of business, you must know.

[sansdoute]

I do know. The Pariah is Captain Kreil's just reward for the business of guaranteeing Captain Vane an escort during this travel.

( And then, with a shrug, as if even he understands perhaps the reward is not to the scale of the deed. But he was not there, for pirate negotiations, and men make their trades as it pleases them. If Caladan Kreil took advantage of the loose wits of a deranged man, so be it. )

These are troubled waters, after all. And I imagine Captain Vane must have known to expect pursuit from the Company.

( Perhaps even pursuit from whatever menace he has just summoned upon them. One that Mr. Briggs, scuttling, is determined not to let catch him. )

Now, excuse me. I would sooner be alive when I provide my services. The human touch.

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin frowns, deeply troubled by the implication that Captain Vane has come along -- perhaps knowingly -- with the sole intent of commandeering the vessel. He had thought the two captains were supposed to be friends. What sort of friend simply allows a man to commit this sort of suicide mission, and for what? A second vessel?]

Wait -- Mr Briggs, tell me one more thing. I must know: What will happen to the Queen Zanyra when Captain Vane acquires a second ship in the Pariah? To her crew?

[A beat:] To her passengers?

[The Merchant's agreement, as far as Anduin understands, had been with Quicksilver Sam. He does not know how far agreements stretch, as far as pirates are concerned...]

[sansdoute]

( This fool will see them both dead, won't he? A frustrated sigh, but Mr. Briggs relents just as he opens the creaking, long-suffering latch to enter the hull. )

I imagine the Queen Zanyra's more than competent first mate assumes command of her, while Captain Kreil learns to steer the new vessel. Typically, this is the task of the more experienced sailor.

( To learn the weight and capability of swerving and accelerating and halting a new vessel, with new protocols. )

As for the rest... your agreement was with Captain Vane. That I am aware, you have no deal in place with Captain Kreil. But that is your private matter and no concern of mine.