Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
Skinning and hosting by the epically talented Kaons, and functionality fanciness by the coding magic of Neowulf. If you ever see either of them around, make sure to show them some love!
Whining under her breath that they didn't have time to stop and harvest any of the sharks for her to take back to the Tavern, with a flick of her wrist Flora's daggers returned neatly into her hand. Placing them back neatly against her belt where they'd be safe and easy to access, the girl turns to eye her all-male companions.
"Lure them." Flora votes, perhaps unsurprisingly. "If we go looking for them, they'll surely have the advantage on us, especially if we don't know where we're going. But we'll see them coming if we're out in the water flashing our sales like a harmless merchanter."
Flora recalls her daggers and votes to disguise the ship!
Just walk away, don't make me say
The only words I owe you: I told you so, I told you so
idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword
Well, mission accomplished! No thanks to Koa, but that's neither here nor there.
And then they're off, plowing through the ocean and kicking up spray, and damn if our boy doesn't feel like a storybook swashbuckler already. Though the newly minted sailor in him wants very much to chase the pirates and follow that horizon, he can't help but agree in this instance that Flora probably right. "Only concern is, how brutal are these pirates? If we're boarded, can we reasonably protect the crew? We can't afford to sink them outright - we need information."
He's pacing now, hands clenched behind his back, a srs soldier, brow furrowed in thought. "Best bet might be a counter-boarding. If we can take their ship, we blend in. It'll give us more opportunity to find their nest. And if they think we're merchants we could even get them to do the work for us, and bring us aboard."
Koa agrees with the disguise plan, and suggests they try to get captured so they can take over the pirate ship from within.
Feeling quite pleased at his echo shark mauling, Jack eyes up Flora for a moment before Koa comes marching past, all military precision and order in the ranks. It's all the captain can do not to stick out a foot and trip his ass up. Instead, leaning casually against the side of the ship and chewing on a small stick of peppermint bark, he tilts his head.
"Counter-boarded a lot of pirate vessels in your time, have you?" he rumbles to Koa. "Lurin' is the best bet, it's true. Don't need the whole ship, though. Don't even need the whole crew. Get any cur on his own an' he'll sing in exchange for his life." And then on the way to the pirate base with them. Huzzah, and whatever.
Jack also votes to disguise the ship and lure the pirates, but he suggests only trying to capture one of the pirate crew to get information.
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
Hadama nodded in acceptance as the unanimous decision of pretend to be a merchant vessel was rendered. He gestured to the captain, who conveyed the orders to turn the ship to the north, following the currents that the last vessels which had disappeared had taken. ”It will take us a day to reach the place the last reported ship was attacked.” Time which they could use to their advantage, though that could wait a minute as he considered both Koa’s words and Jack’s rebuttal.
”Brutal,” he answered Koa first, a slight frown furrowing his brow. The report from the mer who had seen it happen had been quite clear on that. ”A few were taken, but most of the sailors were killed aboard their own vessel.” And the fact was simply that both Jack and Koa looked far too dangerous for any pirate not to kill, just to be on the safe side. ”But every sailor aboard the Blessing can also fight.” Not necessarily well, given that they were NPCs, but they’d all volunteered knowing that a fight was inevitable.
” Jack is right. We do not need most of them alive.” The crimes they had committed against Torcher citizens were deadly serious, and though the peaceful King had not come to the decision lightly his will was adamant now that he had made it. If they attacked the disguised Hel’s Blessing it was as good as an admission of their past misdeeds. ”Try to take one. Perhaps two. No more.” He paused in thought, then gave a slow nod of agreement to Koa. ”But if we can take their ship intact, using it to sail into their base would be easiest. Let us try it.”
They had a plan: kill any pirates that attacked them and steal their boat! What could possibly go wrong?
The Tidebreaker turned to Flora and tilted his head in acknowledgment of her suggestion. ”We should disguise or hide the ram, and make the Blessing a more tempting target. Create false damage, to make her look slower. Less able to run. As if she had survived a Sea Panther or Ghost Whale attack.” There were plenty of extra supplies in the hold for repairing damage after the presumed fight: extra canvas and sailcloth, ropes, and lumber, paint and tar. With one round day to prepare, how convincing could they make it look?
Disguise the ship!
Disguise or hide the ram
Create false ghost whale/sea panther damage to the hull
Create false damage to the sails
Other ideas welcome!
It's all a lot of posturing if you ask Flora; not that she minds, of course. A day the Doubletake nearly whines, and though Jack will be treated to the girlish flush of annoyance, Hadama and Koa might only notice the slight frown on her lips as she huffs and gazes around the ship.
"If it comes to it..." Having slept with 75% of the participants in this little voyage, the innuendos were going to fly, apologies 'dama. Twisting the ring on her finger, the Doubletake suddenly vanishes, before reappearing a few meters away from where she'd just been. "..I can slip on board anything that gets close without them knowing." She purrs, before sidling back to the group and listening to the King's suggestions.
Though what Flora wanted to do was destroy the sails, given that Hadama had said only to create false damage, the Doubletake immediately opted to disguise the ram. "You and you, c'mon." Bobbing her eyebrows at two NPCs members of the crew, the Doubletake nods over her shoulder for them to follow.
Flora, who was an expert at contouring her own face, planned to apply the same principle to the ram of the ship. Using paints and other found materials on board, she'd try and create an optical illusion to make the sweeping point appear far less sharp and long, while adding camouflage the colour of the water and sky to try and break up its overall shape.
Flora takes the ram!
Just walk away, don't make me say
The only words I owe you: I told you so, I told you so
While Hadama along with the captain and the crew of the Blessing make their final decisions, Jack (of course) rewards himself on an echo shark well-murdered by lighting a cigarette and idly smoking by the railing of the ship. It isn't often if ever that he's aboard a vessel he's not captaining, and to call it strange is an understatement.
Nevertheless, with their course set and a new list of things to take care of, the smuggler squints up at the sails. "I'll take those," he says of creating false damage to the sails. Nodding to a couple of crewmen, he instructs them to climb the masts with him.
Of course, damaging the sails properly will ruin their trajectory, however light it might be, so rather than actually cutting the canvas, Jack opts to mark the sails with smudges of ash and charcoal, creating the illusion of tears and scorches.
Jack takes the sails!
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword
Koa listens with the quiet docility of a soldier as Jack interjects, his clenched jaw the only sign of resistance. But the Captain, he's sure, knows much better, and while the Dragoon may be nervous about their chances if they're boarding, he's well enough trained to nod affirmation and follow a superior's orders.
With jobs doled out, Koa has no issue taking on the weathering of the hull. His father is a woodworker, after all, and while the young man may lack the ability to create very much, messing things up he can do. He will have some sailors join in, setting up rigging so they can hang down on the side of the ship and sand the boards to make them appear weathered, with darker paint applied in areas to create the illusion of a deeper gouge.
Flora was many things, and among them was seriously artistic. All of that practice with makeup had given her a seriously good eye for changing outlines with the help of a little painted light and shadow and under her expert directions the ram soon took on the outward appearance of an oddly-proportioned figurehead. It would fool any but the keenest-eyed lookout from a distance, and even then only if they were paying close attention.
Unsurprisingly, Jack knew his way around a set of sails. Creating false damage was a bit different from the more usual task of repairing them, but the dashing captain had been around the seas enough to know what maritime monster attacks should look like and what sort of wreckage they would leave. Painting and smudging sails that were either tied up or at full bell was no easy task, however. The results were certainly passable from a cursory inspection, but looked a bit odd up close.
And then there was Koa and Hadama. As it turned out, the art of making something seem weathered and damaged without actually damaging it was harder than it looked. Hadama offered his assistance from the water, doing whatever tasks Koa asked down near the waterline so the sailors wouldn't be put at risk of being swept away by a large wave, but either because the sea spray interfered with the paint or the motion of the ship made sanding specific sections difficult, the work was, at best, rather sloppy.
By the time the sun had drifted to the west they had entered the waters where the last pirate attack had occurred. The buckets of paint were cleared belowdecks and Flora's food was being distributed to the crew The lookout called down that there were islands north and west, just barely coming into sight in her spyglass. As she turned to scan the other direction, her voice raised again, this time with more excitement. "Ship ahoy!" And it was cutting across the waves towards them.
The Hel's Blessing held her course, limping along like a wounded bird while the other ship ate up the distance between them. Sea chases were slow, drawn-out affairs and so time sped up until the sun sank below the horizon to the west in a fiery blaze while the first stars of evening were winking into view on the eastern horizon. The Blessing's white sails reflected a bloody hue from the dying sun, but the black sails and dark hull of the pirate vessel blended eerily into the gathering dusk. It was close enough now to see individual pirates swarming the rigging and the rails, loading cannons as they prepared to board.
And then a call came down from the pirate lookout: a warning shout as they gestured to the hull of the Hel's Blessing, and then up to her sails. A dashing figure in a long coat and tricorn hat gestured imperiously and the black ship began to turn, cutting away from the Blessing as the pirates broke off pursuit, clearly sensing something amiss with the 'damaged merchant' and turning to flee.
"After them!" The captain of the Hel's Blessing commanded the steersman and the bosun passed down orders as the ship shed its pretense of fragility and turned to the chase!
Due to some bad rolls on our part and the pirate lookout being far too good at his job, the pirates figured out something was wrong and have broken off to try and run! However, they came close enough the the Blessing has a chance of catching up to them.
In order to improve the Blessing's chances there are several options:
- Magic! - an end-based check to use wind or water to increase the ship's speed
- Assist the riggers - a dex-based check to scamper into the rigging and help the crew adjust the sails
- Assist the pilot - a str-based check to help the pilot wrestle the wheel around for more efficient turns
- Assist the lookout - a luck-based check to watch the enemy ship and swiftly read their maneuvers
Please roll for yourself and put the result at the bottom of your post. Less than 3 is a critical failure (it will cost a success point). Less then 10 is a simple failure (no penalty, no aid). Ten and over is a success. 18-20 is a critical success (aka 2 success points). The Blessing needs a certain number of success points to catch the pirates before they escape into the night!
Listen, if it doesn't look great then Jack's going to blame the crew he's got helping him out. (And don't be offended - he'd do the same whether it were the Blessing or the Ark, so all's fair in love and betrayal). Regardless, what happens happens and, as the pirates turn tail and flee, the good captain is ready, eyes like blue flint as they track the vessel.
The dark sails and hull remind him of his own ship, even if the Ark's sails are a sun-bleached crimson, and whether it's too close to home for him not to take personally is anyone's guess, but he acts accordingly anyway. Unsurprisingly, Jack opts to use his magic, bending the flow of air to fill the Blessing's sails, even as he calls for the crew to unfurl them in full.
Jack chooses magic and he rolled a (respectable but nothing special) 10! He'll take it.
Air manipulation: Can create and control the air. Must be within a 30ft radius.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
It's all very dramatic for like a minute or two, and then it becomes very drawn out again. Though Flora doesn't say anything, there is something that seems utterly delighted that it had been the sails that had given them away and not the ram. Of course that it was Jack, or I'm sorry, the crew who had fucked up, was just the cherry on top.
But then there's suddenly a lot of scrambling and voices calling out for various things to be done, and for someone who normally worked on her tan while she was aboard ships, this was a lot. With Jack off to waggle his fingers at the sails and presumably Koa scrambling at the ropes, Flora opted for the one position that seemed to require as little movement as possible.
"Hey," She purred trundling near the lookout and waggling her eyebrows. "Mind if I have a peek?"
Flora rolls a (lucky) 13!
Just walk away, don't make me say
The only words I owe you: I told you so, I told you so
idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on his sword
Well, he tried.
It seems like things are going to work out until the ship turns tail and runs. Not what Koa would have expected from pirates, but then again he supposes they are at their cores all villainous cowards, so maybe this is exactly right. Regardless, the young man is quick to jump into action as a cry goes up, looking around for tasks to do and settling on one that seems his speed. Koa may not be the fastest or the smartest snail in the shell, but the young man prides himself on being rather strong. So as a sailor struggles with the great wheel the boy is ready to assist, grabbing hold of wooden prongs and wresting the thing in the requesite direction to get where they need to go.
Starting off on a high note, Flora might not have known much about boats, but she knew a lot about people. Through the lookout's spyglass she was able to read the body language of the piratical pilot and keep the Blessing from falling behind as she called out her intuitions about where the enemy ship was turning and cutting into the wind, preventing the marauders from being able to steal the wind from their own sails.
Which wasn't going to work anyways, because the pirate hunters had Jack with them. His magic filled the sails from behind so that the Hel's Blessing could sail directly ahead without having to worry about tacking. The swift little fighter was making good headway and had closed roughly half the distance between their prow and the pirate's stern.
Unfortunately, even with their stat bonuses added in Koa and Hadama weren't able to do much to improve their ship's speed this round. The dragoon's footing just wasn't solid enough on the decking to provide enough leverage, but at least he didn't get in the way! The mermanta swam grimly alongside the ship, attempting to use his water magic to speed the current beneath her hull, but he was unable to add anything to the push already provided by Jack's air magic.
The pirate vessel was leading them a merry chase into the sunset, the dark-hulled vessel taking a long, curving tack towards the west and the islands that were now close enough to see some details on even as twilight obscured their interiors.
"If we don't catch them before they turn into the channels we'll have to slow down," the Blessing's captain called out, frowning fiercely. "Or risk the keel. Or worse, an ambush if they have friends. Haul together now!"
Not quite enough successes, but the Hel's Blessing is slowly catching up! One more round on the chase, and don't be afraid to change tactics!
- Magic! - an end-based check to use wind or water to increase the ship's speed
- Assist the riggers - a dex-based check to scamper into the rigging and help the crew adjust the sails
- Assist the pilot - a str-based check to help the pilot wrestle the wheel around for more efficient turns
- Assist the lookout - a luck-based check to watch the enemy ship and swiftly read their maneuvers
Please roll for yourself and put the result at the bottom of your post.
Stat modifiers are: 10-19 = +1; 20-29 = +2; 30+ = +3
Less then 10 is a failure to aid. Ten and over is a success. The Blessing has 2 success points, but needs a few more to catch the pirates before they escape into the islands!
Though Flora certainly wasn't afraid to change tactics, if something was working, why change it? Besides, the Doubletake was rather happy to be perched in the lookout, shouting out observations and instructions with Koa and Jack scampering about below and Hadama....well, she couldn't really see him in the water, but he was probably there somewhere.
Describing what she saw to the crew and basing many of her assessments on body language alone, Flora held the spyglass carefully in one hand (so as not to drop it or ruin her mascara), while steadying herself on the mast with the other. Despite the wind racing at her thanks to their speed, she was able to keep her eyes from watering too much so they wouldn't distort the images she was seeing on the other ship.
Flora continues to be a lookout!
Flora rolled a 9 + 3 = 12 !
Just walk away, don't make me say
The only words I owe you: I told you so, I told you so
Having placed himself up in the rigging where he can keep an eye on the crew and the sails without getting in their way, Jack continues to focus his magic. And another fuck you too, because he's in the swing of things now, or so it feels, and the breeze he'd conjured up grows to a steady gale sure to fill the sails and mess up Flora's hair.
Another advantage with using magic, he supposes, is that where the wind would usually just blow wherever it pleased, Jack is able to direct the current of air directly into the Blessing's sails. And if that ain't enough to catch them up to the pirates, he doesn't know what will be.
(Naturally, Jack is not currently considering that anything might hinder their efforts).
Jack continues to use magic to fill the sails!
He rolls 14 + 1 = 15 !
are the angels on their way? i’m in the dirt
Jack being an Abandoned is common knowledge these days, however his Telepathy remains a well-kept secret:
Magic: Passive Telepathy | The user can read the surface thoughts and emotions of those within a 30ft radius. Control is excellent. Note: "Thoughts and emotions" include anything written in a character's narration in a post.
Type: Grey | Rank: Mastered
Also branded with a small star tattoo beneath his left eye.
