Sailing the Seven Seas

Ascending Earth 02

As the companions travel further south and the second month of spring begins, travel on the isle gets warmer and greener. There is no longer frost on the grass in the morning and every field is being worked by farmers. Unfortunately the spring rains also come, and everyone spends a number of days traveling while soaking wet. Tycho and Izumi spend much of their time riding together but by no means ignore everyone else. Udo discovers that Sarah is truly interested in what he has to say about the Immaculate Faith. Sarah is also fascinated by all of Severen's travels in the East and makes him tell her countless stories. Cad and Ankara have shown some interest in each other but whether it was out of boredom or true attraction, it can be hard to say.

The companions arrive at the city of Noble in the late afternoon of Ascending Earth 2. Aden informs them that the ship was planning on leaving on Ascending Earth 5, assuming nothing had changed. He suggests that they find an inn to stay in until then and that he will go find the ship's captain to make sure everything is still on schedule. The group finds an inn near the docks and while everyone else is getting settled and eating dinner, Aden goes out to contact the captain. He comes back a few hours later and confirms that they will be leaving at dawn on Ascending Earth 5. They can load up their baggage on the 4th and bring their personal affects with them the morning of the 5th. Besides that, the companions have a little time to do whatever they are interested for the next for days.

For the remainder of their trip to Noble, Udo is unchanged from the beginning of the trip, the fight on the road and burial of the family having done nothing to dampen his spirits. Udo spent a significant amount of time talking and discussing various matters of The Immaculate Faith, as well as life in general, with Sarah as they traveled and he seemed genuinely interested in her way of life and in her as an individual, far more genuine curiosity than expected from a dynast. He didn't spend all of his time with their latest companion though, as he also made a point to spend some time getting to know the companions he intended to travel with for a much greater length of time, both dynasts and the retainers that traveled with them. Tycho and Udo found themselves to be the early risers of the group, often spending mornings watching the sun rise and discussing their favorite books while waking up to tea, or whatever else the group preferred in the morning. While Izumi often joined Udo and Cad in bird watching and generally appreciating the budding nature of spring as the season progressed.

Udo lets Sarah tag along with them as they get settled at the inn and pays for her final meal with the traveling companions and makes sure she gets a healthy and most likely finer meal than she is used to, or is likely to receive during her service at the Immaculate Temple. Once they had all finished eating, Udo escorts Sarah to the Temple and speaks with the monks there to ensure that Sarah finds her place among them in a way that is convenient and best for all the parties involved. Udo spends the night in solitude at the temple, praying and meditating on the travel that was behind them so far as well the much greater task that still lies ahead of them.

The next morning Udo is back at the inn before most of the exalts have risen from their beds, and joins the group for breakfast before they go their separate ways to enjoy the city while they have time. Udo decides to spend the day getting to know the city, and is more than happy to have anyone join him who wishes to, he goes from shop to shop though he buys very little except for the occasional small trinket or unique taste of the local culture. He spends a sizable amount of time at the docks and speaking with several of the local sailors, as he has never been on a voyage such as the one they are about to embark on and feels he should learn a bit about what to expect other than his brief sailing knowledge learned mostly out of texts. He also seeks out several merchants or sailors from abroad who may have news and information from the further reaches of Creation, specifically off the Blessed Isle, searching for nothing in particular unless anyone is offering up bits of knowledge about their anathema target in the South.

On the 4th Udo makes sure that his travel pack is well stocked with all of the basic travel supplies that are needed, as well as a few extra supplies that might come in handy in the unforgiving deserts of the South. Double checking with the crew that everything is stocked for the journey across the sea, though he trusts that won't be a problem as he is confident Aden found us a more than adequate crew to guide us in the naval side of the journey, and he is quite certain that other members of the group are far more qualified than he to inspect the quality and readiness of the naval supplies. Other than that he makes a stop at a local Imperial book store and browses the selection, choosing a couple of books he has not read before to help pass the lulls they might experience at sea and to give him a more refreshing read than the Immaculate Texts he always carried with him. Other than that he considered himself ready to set sail, though if any of his companions offered an entertaining way to pass the time he would likely be happy to join in. (As long as it was suitably virtuous of course)

--FyreFly 21:22, 10 April 2012 (EDT)

Tycho was up much earlier than most of his travel companions during their time in Noble. He had not been to the city before, and was eager to explore the city and its culture. The influence of other cultures was prevalent, being a port town, and the always curious Tycho was interested in experiencing and learning about it. He tagged along with Udo for some of the day, but branched off on his own later in the afternoon searching more specifically for the cultural influence of the south. He talked to any sailors or frequent travelers to the south, looking to build a list of contacts he could use when they reached the south.

He had saved the resources to hire one more retainer, and was keeping his ear open for a good fit. He didn't expect to find one in Noble, but any names, recommendations or pieces of advice he could get now would help him when they arrived.

Kirkland 17:23, 13 April 2012 (EDT)

Cad spends the rest of the night on the 2nd drinking and socializing with whoever is willing. After several rounds at the inn, Cad, Ankara, a few other retainers, and any Dynasts that wish to join in explore the town a bit more, though they avoid getting into too much trouble. As the drink continues to flow, Cad and Ankara's flirtations become less subtle. At the end of the festivities, a drunken Cad almost heads to bed with Ankara, but the two ultimately let good sense get the better of them and head to their own sleeping quarters for the night.

On the morning of the 3rd, Cad decides to spare himself an awkward conversation and dodges any encounters with Ankara, striking out after breakfast with Udo, hoping to better familiarize himself with the enigmatic holy man. Although he and Udo have a fine time perusing the markets, Cad's plans to avoid awkward conversation do not play out. The two find some common ground discussing bird species native to the Blessed Isle, spurred by a crafts store selling bird feeders. Cad spends most of this night drinking with Aden and getting into whatever trouble naturally follows; such occasions are not scarce in their history and it's a fairly average night.

The morning of the 4th brings a hangover and a massive breakfast worthy of a Dynast's appetite. After eating, Cad packs up and heads to the dock. Being the group's most experienced sailor (at least among the Dynasts), Cad stays for awhile after loading his baggage and oversees the ship's preparations. Satisfied that things are being taken care of, he grabs dinner with Tycho and his retainers (and whoever else). Dinner is mostly spent discussing differences between the Heptagram and House of Bells (while taking mutual jabs at the Spiral Academy). After dinner, Cad and Ankara have a brief conversation which begins awkwardly, but after the two openly acknowledge their near bedding, it takes on a more relaxed tone. Still conflicted over his lingering prior relationship, Cad refrains from attempting to take her to bed this night (although he wouldn't necessarily resist attempts from Ankara), but the two have had enough wine at dinner to acknowledge some degree of mutual attraction and agree to "leave all possibilities open." The night again ends on a somewhat awkward goodnight, but the tension is quickly washed away by the hustle and bustle of the morning as the group prepares to set sail.

Dan 18:20, 24 April 2012 (EDT)

Udo's trip to the temple with Sarah went smoothly. The temple was short staffed and needed help with basic cleaning and cooking. They explained to her that it would be a simple life of mundane chores and silent contemplation and prayer, but she would never go hungry or cold. She seemed pleased and accepted the offer to become a member of the temple. The other travellers wpent the night drinking in their inns common room. The thought of a few days of rest and relaxation encouraged them to stay up late, but all of the days of riding dissuaded them from exploring what Noble had to offer for the evening.

The next day all of the exalts went out to explore the markets together. They found the items from the South were cheaper than elsewhere on the Isle, but they were probably cheaper still in the South. Later in the afternoon Tycho and Izumi split off to explore alone. Not long after that Cad and Aden decide to see what trouble they can find and start to explore some of the other taverns and bars.

On the morning of the fourth, everyone ended up going down to the ship together. Aden introduced them all to Captain V'Neef Alisi. Captain Alisi is a tall attractive woman with an obvious wood aspect. If the companions had to guess, she was probably 20 years their senior. Her ship, The Surly Girl, as a large 2 deck, 3 mast merchent ship. As far as any of the companions could tell, she was in great shape. The wagon was taken below deck where it was secured with the other cargo. The horses were taken to a nearby stable to be loaded with the other animal cargo the next morning before they left. It was best for the ship and the animals if they were loaded up for the least amount of time possible. Captain Alisi showed the exalts where they would be staying. They would be staying in a room with below deck with 10 bunk beds. (10 total, not 10 sets). There were some small chests to store items and rope to tie down anything else that was to be kept in there. She explained that they could take their meals with her in the captains quarters. Their companions would be sleeping in the crew quarters (hammocks) and eating with the crew. (Yes, there is enough room for the retainers to sleep in your room if you prefer). Assuming there are no questions, she instructs you to be on the ship and ready to leave by dawn the next morning. Assuming good weather, she expected the trip to take about 20 days. Only about half that time would they be away from the sight of land.

On the fifth everyone loads up and they leave on time. The first half of the trip is spent sailing west (or near west) within sight of the Blessed Isle. After about 10 days, the ship turns south for a straight shot at Paragon. The night of the fifth day from leaving the sight of the Blessed Isle, the ship sits dead in the water with no wind. Most of the traveling is done during the day, so the captain orders that they will wait to see if they wind comes back in the morning.

Besides a few crew members, the only ones awake when the lookout calls out that he spied a ship were Tycho and Izumi (luck of the draw).

--Macabreengel 11:05, 1 May 2012 (EDT)

Tycho and Izumi lay awake together in one of the lower bunks, burrowed in blankets. While the others in their room slept, these two had given into temptation and engaged in activities expected of any young dragon-blooded couple. Tycho had barely heard the lookout's call over Aden's incessant snoring. At first he thought it was nothing, some typical sailing activity. He looked over at Izumi, not sure if she had drifted off to sleep as she clung to him. He lay awake for a bit, and as some scuffling and talking continued on the decks above him, he was too curious not to take a quick walk. He slowly inched his way out from her grasp and under the covers, until she mumbled, "Where are you going?"

He whispered back, "Sounds like something is going on upstairs, thought I'd take a walk." He grabbed some cloth hanging from a post near the bed and wrapped it around himself as a makeshift robe. She just groaned in response, not wanting him to leave. "It'll just be a moment," he said before quietly heading for the door.

He made his way to the main deck, slowly walking around for a bit, enjoying the fresh air and letting his eyes adjust to the moonlight. He spotted two crew members talking at the far end of the deck and made his way toward them. One of them was looking through a small telescope, the other turned and greeted Tycho as he approached. Tycho replied, looking out onto the calm sea and leaning against the wooden railing, "Good morning. How's the watch?"

"Seems we've spotted something on the starboard side," the sailor reported.

"A ship?" Tycho guessed.

The second officer lowered his telescope and chimed in, "Possibly."

Tycho thought for a moment. He was no sailor, but in the dead of the night with no wind, and having not seen a ship at all that day, this development concerned even him. "Tell the Captain if you haven't already. Mind if I take a look?" he asked, extending his hand to take the telescope.

Tycho looked out onto the open sea, directing the telescope where the sailor told him to, trying to see what they saw.

((If you're making a roll, I'd like to use a willpower point AND, if I can convince you it's an Investigation roll, I would spend 2 motes of personal essence on my Investigation excellency to add 2 dice)).

Kirkland 19:14, 3 May 2012 (EDT)

((Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe Dragon-Blooded Excellency use is 1 mote per 2 dice - maximum equal to ability score. --FyreFly 20:49, 3 May 2012 (EDT) ))

((No, you are correct. --Macabreengel 15:37, 10 May 2012 (EDT)))

Udo spent his time aboard the ship making conversation with the crew, in his typically awkward manner, it was his first true sailing trip and therefore first time meeting a veteran crew, an opportunity he didn't want to waste. Taking it further Udo began to help the crew with some of the daily tasks aboard the ship, learning the basics of sailing and slowly moving up to more advanced sailing tasks, he figured there was no better way to learn than diving in and doing the task. He was relatively confident the crew wouldn't allow him to screw anything up, fortunately he did not and had grown into a reasonable help aboard a sailing vessel. (I intend to buy Sail 1) Other than that Udo busied himself with further getting to know his companions for the trip to the south and reading the new texts he'd picked up in Noble.

--FyreFly 20:48, 3 May 2012 (EDT)

Izumi pulled her blankets tighter around her has Tycho slipped out of the room. The room wasn't cold, but she had gotten used to the added warmth of a second body. Up top, Tycho caught the telescope tossed to him by the first sailor as the second went off to wake the captain. With the help of the sailor, Tycho quickly pointed the telescope in the right direction. Using a telescope at night with only the stars and some of the moon was difficult, but Tycho's eyes adjusted quickly. Either because the object was closer, or because his eye sight was better, Tycho could tell for certain that it was a ship. The ship's sails were down, but they were rowing, which explained how they were making any progress over the sea.

"Wake the men! Tycho, is that you? Go wake your companions. I dont know if its trouble or not, but I dont like to be caught unprepared," barked Captain Alisi as she burst out of her cabin while pulling her captain's coat on over her sleeping clothes. Uncharacteristaclly she had her wavecleaver and powerbow with her.

--Macabreengel 15:37, 10 May 2012 (EDT)

Tycho nodded to the captain and dashed back to the sleeping quarters as instructed. He stomped down the stairs, clapping his hands and announcing, "Wake up, wake up!" He moved toward his own bed and began gathering his equipment, grabbing his breastplate, gloves and staff as the others groaned at his loud entrance.

Having just drifted off to sleep, Izumi whined, "What are you doing, what is it?"

"A ship has been spotted rowing toward us. Not sure of its intentions just yet, but we're not taking any chances. Wake up!" he proclaimed again, nudging the other dragon bloods who had so far ignored him.

Once he confirms everyone is awake, Tycho heads back up to the main deck by himself, putting on his armor and awaiting further word from the captain.

Kirkland 17:36, 14 May 2012 (EDT)

Udo was quick to rouse from sleep, not really over hearing the conversation held between Tycho and Izumi, but he gathered that it was necessary for them to wake up. Udo sat up in bed folding his legs up under him and righting himself on the bunk as he blinked a few times watching Tycho head back to the deck with armor and weapon in hand.

"Sorcerers are always such bearers of bad news..." Udo mumbled to no one in particular.

Udo hopped off the bunk gracefully and stretched his legs a bit as he turned to grab his armor and began to quickly don the lightweight steel. Once secured he quickly grabbed his bow and two quivers full of arrows which he slung over his back and in a smooth, practiced motion drew a single arrow from his quiver. Izumi was grabbing her rifle and about to head up the stairs, but Cad and Aden were slightly slower to rise with Aden still blinking the sleep from his eyes and Cad having drifted back into a light sleep. Udo lightly lifted the notched end of the arrow and faintly brushed the feather under Cad's nose causing him to snort once, and with a second nimble tickle of the feathered arrow Cad snorted harshly and sat upright in bed with a start.

"Tycho says wake up." Udo spoke with an amused chuckle before heading up the stairs to the deck of the ship.

--FyreFly 18:58, 14 May 2012 (EDT)

Unbeknownst to their bunkmates, Cad and Aden had been doing some drinking earlier in the evening and were quite hungover, or still drunk, one of the two. Aden refrained from chucking an empty wine bottle hidden in his sheets as Tycho burst into the room but just barely. Slower than everyone other than Cad, Aden pulled on his clothes and armor, grabbed his daiklave and was about to head out the door of the cabin when he noticed that Cad had gone back to sleep. He grabbed the empty wine bottle, noticed that there were a few drops left, took a final swig, and chucked it at Cad. "Get the fuck up Cad!" he shouted as he went up the stairs.

Up on deck it was organized chaos. The crew was all armed with bows and cutlasses. They were prepping the sails (although there was still no wind), getting buckets of water, lighting torches, and taking defensive positions. The first mate was holding the wheel of the ship, and the captain was standing next to him holding a powerbow and with a wavecleaver on her hip. The ship at drawn closer and was more defined, but it was still difficult to make out its flag. As the companions approached the captain she spoke, "Well they are flying an Imperial flag, but I do not recognize the haraldry of the House. They are not currently on a course to ram us, which is good because it could sink both ships. They will be close enough to hail soon. Be ready."

--Macabreengel 14:47, 23 May 2012 (EDT)

Cad, finally roused by the antics of his companions, groggily strapped his armor on, still in a bit of a daze. He hadn't taken Udo's first wake-up call too seriously in light of Udo's strange mannerisms and his bleating hangover.

"And here I was hoping Udo had just developed a sense of humor..."

When he heard the full extent of the hustle and bustle upstairs, he finally snapped into action, grabbed his wavecleaver daiklave, stuffed it quickly into its sheath, and ran up the steps. Cad knew full-well the methodical madness of a ship scrambling to defend itself, and although he quickly spotted the ship in the distance, he decided not to make any rash judgments. He shouted to his default point man, Aden.

"What's all the panic?" Having some naval experience, Cad also kept an eye out for any way that he might be useful while shouting to Aden.

Dan 21:57, 23 May 2012 (EDT)

Udo roused quickly and made his way near the captain of the vessel as she briefed the crew on the situation, he narrowed his gaze to look on the approaching ship and the banner it flew. His powerbow was in hand and a quiver rested on his back and on his hip both full of arrows, Udo procured an oil lantern from their bedchambers which he held low so his eyes would adjust to the darkness, and wrapped tightly around the hand that held the lantern was a thin bolt of cloth suitable for tearing and preparing his arrows to be lit aflame and fired if the situation should call for it. Udo looked down to see that Cad had finally roused from his slumber, glad the most experienced sailor among their group had joined them on deck should the situation turn sour. For now he quietly awaited word from the captain.

--FyreFly 21:59, 28 May 2012 (EDT)

At about 100 yards out, half of the oars pulled into the ship and there was some other movement on deck. The deck was designed to protect the rowers from enemy fire, so it was very difficult to see what was going on. Izumi, Tycho, Udo, and the captain readied their weapons in case of an attack. Cad and Aden handled the hilts of their daiklaves impatiently; if something happened they would be of no use for a little while. Izumi's familiar floated nearby.

Then, without further warning from the approaching ship, the tireme's crew released a barrage of arrows at The Surly Girl. (Begin combat. Let me know if there are any charms or anything you want to do with initiative. Then I will post initiative order. I decided against mass combat. The crew will mostly be fighting each other unless you choose to engage them or I pull some off to throw in your way, etc.)

--Macabreengel 11:30, 6 June 2012 (EDT)

Tycho watched from the edge of the ship's deck as the trireme approached, trying to discern their motive like all the other sailors watching their approach. Their intentions became very clear as they stood and readied their bows and unleashed a volley of arrows toward The Surly Girl. Tycho nodded to himself; he wasn't surprised at all by the sudden attack, though he had held out a small hope that it was something innocuous like a ship in distress until now.

While some of the sailors around him had ducked for cover, Tycho remained stationary, staring out at the oncoming ship as the barrage of arrows approached. He twirled his staff in his hand, the blue orb at the top began to glow as essence flowed and charged around it. He swung his staff above him as the arrows descended onto the ship, lightning cracking from the orb and disintegrating arrows as they fell around him.

After the initial volley of arrows fell, he swung his staff back around, the orb glowing brightly as he sent a bolt of lightning flying toward the attacking ship. It arced in the same trajectory the arrows took; he aimed to strike the center of the boat, hoping to puncture the hull or set the ship on fire, or both.

Join Battle: 6
Base Dodge DV: 4
- Unless you deem my description a parry stunt (Base Parry DV: 4). In this case I would use my Archery Excellency to add 4 dice to try to boost my DV.
Lightning Staff Streamer Attack
- Spent 2 motes of personal essence (8 remaining) on excellency for 4 dice
- Spent 2 motes from essence battery (18 remaining) for lightning streamer
- Spent 1 Willpower for automatic success
- Dex(2) + Archery(3) + Accuracy(2) + Excellency(4) = 11 dice + 1 Willpower
- Damage: 10L

Kirkland 12:42, 11 June 2012 (EDT)

Udo was justifiably nervous of the oars being pulled up and made sure he was no more exposed than he had to be, he set his oil lantern on the deck at his feet as his other hand tightly griped his jade powerbow. When the barrage of arrows was released towards The Surly Girl he ducked down further to ensure his cover, tearing the cloth he had brought with him in two and dipping the edges quickly in the oil of the lantern at his feet. He wrapped each of the cloth pieces around the tip of an arrow with practiced motions, once secured he notched both arrows into the drawstring of his bow and began to stand, leaning forward slightly as he did to dip the oil soaked cloth into the lanterns flame as he drew back the string and took aim with his flaming arrows.

"On your mark captain."

Join Battle: 5

(Since weapons were already drawn prior to Join Battle I figured readying the flaming arrows was a reasonable action to take during Join Battle, let me know if you feel differently.)

--FyreFly 20:53, 11 June 2012 (EDT)

Cad winced as he saw the bow strings being drawn back by the opposing ship's deck archers. Having just recently come up the steps, the vaulted back over the edge of the staircase, ducking slightly below the actual deck level, as a form of cover. As the arrows began to rain down, he started considering his ranged attack options, a bit frustrated at his inability to be of much use. He still kept an eye open for anywhere his naval experience might come in handy, but it seemed the Surly Girl's crew had things pinned down pretty well. He muttered to himself as he crouched behind part of the staircase wall.

"Well this trip is going about as well as I expected."

Join battle: 7

Dan 19:50, 14 June 2012 (EDT)

Tick 1

Aden was the first to react, but there was little he could do. "Incoming!" he shouted as he dove for cover and drew his sword.

Tick 2

The Captain acted only moments later. "Return Fire!" She shouted as she took aim at one of the crew members on the other ship. Her shot struck home just as the enemy arrows began raining down around them. Luckily between the cover provided by the ship and the darkness, few arrows hit.

Tick 3

Udo: Udo held his bowstring semi-taunt as he stayed in a half crunch behind the cover of the ship as the opposing archer's arrows stuck harmlessly into the wood of the ship, even before the last of the arrows fell he straightened with his legs first, before his torso followed. Udo stood tall and took a deep breath as the last of the arrows fell around him ignored, with the perfect form of a seasoned archer he let both flaming arrows fly from his bow at two separate targets. (2 Attacks, Speed 4, Accuracy 8/7, Damage +10L, -2DV.)

Izumi:

Both of Udo's shots struck home despite the darkness and cover. His first shot pierced through the enemy archer's shoulder, and the second went right through the soldiers eye. Both targets went down and disappeared behind the walls of the enemy ship. Meanwhile, Izumi took careful aim and released a bolt of lightning, which caught another archer in the shoulder. The enemy was down three, but there were plenty left yet to fight. (1 die stunt for Udo).

Tick 4

Cad: Lacking a ranged attack effective at 100 yards, Cad ducked his head with a reflexive flinch as arrows pelted the deck around him, despite already being well-covered. As soon as there was a break in the storm, Cad began moving toward Aden, hoping to rendezvous and strategize with someone else he was fairly confident wasn't going to be engaging in ranged combat just yet - Elemental Bolt Attacks were still no good. On top of that, Cad still didn't know what the hell was going on, having woken up only moments ago. Cad wondered privately if it was a coincidence that this seemed to happen to him fairly often. Regardless, Cad moved towards Aden cautiously, but not at the risk of cover. He is otherwise delaying his action, waiting for an opportunity for his skills to become useful or for the enemy to get a bit closer; in range of his Essence-wielding capabilities.

Dan 18:34, 16 July 2012 (EDT)