Post by Varga on Apr 4, 2023 16:24:44 GMT
The Adventure on the High Seas,
In which barbarians aren’t too lucky in love, mages – in life, and pirates – in reading the room.
Two ships sailed west, making full use of the favorable wind. Trying Times was a solid brig. Two masts, full rigging. The metal of its ballista and mangonel shone in the sun with a bashful glint of weapons thirsting for battle. Her captain stood at the wheel herself, grinning at the horizon.
However proud she was of her ship, it was easily overshadowed by Avernus. The trading ship, its weapons dismantled and lent to Fort Ettin, was cutting the waves effortlessly. Its hull appeared to be coated in stone, out of which the figurehead, a golden dragon, was emerging like fire from a volcano. The sails, pearly-white and weightless, blended with the clouds above so perfectly it was difficult to say where the masts ended and the sky began.
Tazmuck Leathertail was walking up and down the upper deck, shouting orders at his newly recruited crew, evidently enjoying his current situation. Varga was leaning against the foremast, in the shade of the crow’s nest, looking more and more enamored at every decisive “Cut two reefs!” and “At the double!” barked by the dragonborn captain.
Back on Trying Times, Ivan tried his damnest to catch the captain’s eye, Oziah did her best to help him out with her prestidigitation, while Veridian did his best to thwart them both by putting scandalous signs over Ivan’s head.
In other words, the voyage continued in perfect harmony.
In the early afternoon, just before the first dog watch, the lookout of Avernus noticed what appeared to be two brilliant white clouds moving against the wind. A quick glance through a looking glass confirmed his suspicions.
“Two ships dead ahead!” He shouted, leaning over the railing of his seat.
As both ships beat two quarters, everyone except for the adventurers on board sprang into action. The pirate ships did not change course, and appeared to be quite confident taking on both Avernus and Trying Times, despite being outclassed by them. With both sides eager to enter the battle, the ships drew closer remarkably fast, with both Dawnland vessels making at least ten knots each. In less than half an hour, the crews could already see each other’s weapons and armor, and the especially eagle-eyed sailors could just discern the enemies’ facial features.
Lady Oziah mounted Deimos and flew ahead, taking on the captain of the Broken Star. As two barbarians watched her in wistful anticipation, Veridian, who so far was lounging in the shade with all the confidence of a sea dog, stood up, and, with a barely perceptible gesture, called down the big guns.
Before either of them can react, both pirate ships were struck with a meteor storm. The crew of Windmazer, the brig that was closer to Trying Times, didn’t even have the time to jump off board when the molten rocks rained on the upper deck, taking them all out in one moment of fiery inferno. Only the captain and two mages were left standing.
The smell of burning wood permeated the salty sea air. On the Avernus, Varga was leaning against the railing, looking at the burning ships with disdain. She felt someone else’s gaze on her and turned to see Taz, in his shiny black Agragathys armour, looking at her with a curiously cocked eyebrow.
“Hey. Where’s your fighting spirit?” He asked.
Varga growled. “I’m just annoyed that we’re stuck here, while the action is out there!” She gestured at the enemy ships.
Taz chuckled, proud smile plastered on his face.
“Watch this,” he said, and turned back to the crew. “Put up the stun'sls! Full speed ahead!"
The sailors put up the extra sails, and Avernus lunged forward. Varga had to hold on to the railing to keep her balance. However, her eyes couldn't rest on the captain too long, because the third enemy ship, a mighty dreadnaught, appeared out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Oziah has been dealing with the captain of Broken Star.
"Who even are you?!" The man screamed in shock and horror.
"They call us adventurers," Oziah deadpanned.
The captain's stance wavered.
"Oh, shit," was all he managed to say before Anima Ultionis pierced him through and he collapsed dead on the deck. Deimos carried his rider to the flagship, where the captain already bared his bluish longsword, runes glowing across the enchanted blade.
"Finally, a worthy opponent!" He growled. He parried Oziah's strike and was quite upset to see her fly away before he could retaliate. Deimos managed to dodge a lightning bolt from Broken Star, but a fireball from its caster was a bit too much.
The mage raised his fist in celebration, but a ballista bolt tore his entire arm clean off. Face pale with shock and pain, he turned to see what hit him, and saw Ivan's grinning face as the barbarian was handling the boarding contraption with such ease as if it was a hand crossbow.
Seeing her friends succeed so, Varga turned to Taz with a wide grin.
"Let's ram the fuckers!"
There was a moment of more than justified hesitation, and then another couple of such moments. Maybe it was the barbarian's confident stance, or the knowledge that he was currently wearing the armor this exact party had procured in hells, or just the thrill of the battle, but after maybe the sixth moment of indecision, Tazmuck turned back to the helmsman and shouted:
"Keep us on course! Go straight at 'em!"
Varga grinned even more gleefully, like a kid who was just given a candy they were perpetually asking for. She picked up her mastiff, Mancatcher, like he was a lap dog, and caught whatever rope was the closest.
The next moment, reinforced hull of the Avernus rammed at full speed into the side of the dreadnaught, its figurehead dragon quite poetically piercing Dragon Tail's gun deck. If the enemy flagship was a smaller ship, the impact would have surely snapped it in half like a twig. At the moment of collision, Varga jumped forward, using the momentum in her favor, hitting an enemy sailor on landing. Or rather, landing on an enemy sailor.
Broken Star took a page from the adventurers' book, and rammed Trying Times. However, Avernus was already too engaged to turn back and help her compatriot. In one swift jump, Taz jumped over the railings, and onto the deck of the dreadnaught. Nine Lives Stealer slashed left and right, eventually finding the ship's mage and striking her down. The other mage, - her brother judging by the similar facial features, - screamed and shot a disintegrating ray at the captain, but Taz was too quick on his feet. It wasn't his first boarding.
The dreadnaught's arcane weaponry shot at the upper deck of Trying Times. Luckily for the adventurers, Taz wasn't the only seafarer around. Ivan quickly dodged the blast, and tugged Veridian down with him. Lying prone on the deck, the wizard immediately retaliated with a fireball of his own, and that one found its mark easily. Veridian got back up on his feet, and if the crew of the Broken Star would care to notice the glimpses of arcane magic in his eyes, both them and their ship might have lived another day.
But the fight aboard the Dragon's Tail was far from over. The three adventurers (and a dog) were witling down the opposing crew, but not without taking a hit or two themselves. Varga looked progressively impressed with Tazmuck's fighting: yes, he wore armor, but with his dexterity he didn't seem to need it.
The enemy captain, realizing the hopelessness of his situation, barked an order to the last standing crew member. The man disappeared into the hold, a moment later the entire upper deck went up in a fiery explosion. It happened in a blink, and although the adventurers' reflexes were as good as ever, their armor was a bit too bulky to allow them to dodge the worst of the blast.
Varga, being the only unarmored person around, jumped over the railings and hung there for a moment, holding onto the ship's side. As the worst of the blast passed, she climbed back up, picking up Manny turned back into a statuette by the explosion. Tazmuck was shaking his head, regaining his bearings after what amounted to a fireball in the face. The half-orc looked into the hole where the enemy captain stood a moment ago. It went all through the hull, and the ship's insides were getting flooded with seawater. Deimos was nowhere to be seen, and there was a suspiciously dark figure down in the water. Varga shrugged and dived through the remains of the ship into the murky depth. She picked up Oziah and the captain's body and swam to the surface, just in time for Dragon's Tail to finally sink, and Avernus to right her course.
The enemy captain, or what remained of him after the blast, was irreversibly dead, and so Varga discarded the body, keeping his beautifully made sword as a souvenir. Oziah quickly returned to consciousness after resurfacing, and the adventurers returned to their respective ships.
Back at the harbor, Varga watched from a distance at Ivan's attempts to ask the captain of Trying Times, but the woman seemed too preoccupied with the state of her ship to be interested.
The other barbarian sighed, shook her head, and approached Tazmuck.
"Hey, do you want to go for a drink sometimes? And maybe, you know… a bit of arm-wrestling?" She asked, much milder than she usually talked. She almost sounded… hopeful?
Taz was still reeling from a successful battle and how well Avernus has shown herself.
"Oh, sure!" He grinned happily. "Can my boyfriend come, too?"
Varga contained another sigh.
"Yeah, sure thing."
In which barbarians aren’t too lucky in love, mages – in life, and pirates – in reading the room.
Two ships sailed west, making full use of the favorable wind. Trying Times was a solid brig. Two masts, full rigging. The metal of its ballista and mangonel shone in the sun with a bashful glint of weapons thirsting for battle. Her captain stood at the wheel herself, grinning at the horizon.
However proud she was of her ship, it was easily overshadowed by Avernus. The trading ship, its weapons dismantled and lent to Fort Ettin, was cutting the waves effortlessly. Its hull appeared to be coated in stone, out of which the figurehead, a golden dragon, was emerging like fire from a volcano. The sails, pearly-white and weightless, blended with the clouds above so perfectly it was difficult to say where the masts ended and the sky began.
Tazmuck Leathertail was walking up and down the upper deck, shouting orders at his newly recruited crew, evidently enjoying his current situation. Varga was leaning against the foremast, in the shade of the crow’s nest, looking more and more enamored at every decisive “Cut two reefs!” and “At the double!” barked by the dragonborn captain.
Back on Trying Times, Ivan tried his damnest to catch the captain’s eye, Oziah did her best to help him out with her prestidigitation, while Veridian did his best to thwart them both by putting scandalous signs over Ivan’s head.
In other words, the voyage continued in perfect harmony.
In the early afternoon, just before the first dog watch, the lookout of Avernus noticed what appeared to be two brilliant white clouds moving against the wind. A quick glance through a looking glass confirmed his suspicions.
“Two ships dead ahead!” He shouted, leaning over the railing of his seat.
As both ships beat two quarters, everyone except for the adventurers on board sprang into action. The pirate ships did not change course, and appeared to be quite confident taking on both Avernus and Trying Times, despite being outclassed by them. With both sides eager to enter the battle, the ships drew closer remarkably fast, with both Dawnland vessels making at least ten knots each. In less than half an hour, the crews could already see each other’s weapons and armor, and the especially eagle-eyed sailors could just discern the enemies’ facial features.
Lady Oziah mounted Deimos and flew ahead, taking on the captain of the Broken Star. As two barbarians watched her in wistful anticipation, Veridian, who so far was lounging in the shade with all the confidence of a sea dog, stood up, and, with a barely perceptible gesture, called down the big guns.
Before either of them can react, both pirate ships were struck with a meteor storm. The crew of Windmazer, the brig that was closer to Trying Times, didn’t even have the time to jump off board when the molten rocks rained on the upper deck, taking them all out in one moment of fiery inferno. Only the captain and two mages were left standing.
The smell of burning wood permeated the salty sea air. On the Avernus, Varga was leaning against the railing, looking at the burning ships with disdain. She felt someone else’s gaze on her and turned to see Taz, in his shiny black Agragathys armour, looking at her with a curiously cocked eyebrow.
“Hey. Where’s your fighting spirit?” He asked.
Varga growled. “I’m just annoyed that we’re stuck here, while the action is out there!” She gestured at the enemy ships.
Taz chuckled, proud smile plastered on his face.
“Watch this,” he said, and turned back to the crew. “Put up the stun'sls! Full speed ahead!"
The sailors put up the extra sails, and Avernus lunged forward. Varga had to hold on to the railing to keep her balance. However, her eyes couldn't rest on the captain too long, because the third enemy ship, a mighty dreadnaught, appeared out of nowhere.
Meanwhile, Oziah has been dealing with the captain of Broken Star.
"Who even are you?!" The man screamed in shock and horror.
"They call us adventurers," Oziah deadpanned.
The captain's stance wavered.
"Oh, shit," was all he managed to say before Anima Ultionis pierced him through and he collapsed dead on the deck. Deimos carried his rider to the flagship, where the captain already bared his bluish longsword, runes glowing across the enchanted blade.
"Finally, a worthy opponent!" He growled. He parried Oziah's strike and was quite upset to see her fly away before he could retaliate. Deimos managed to dodge a lightning bolt from Broken Star, but a fireball from its caster was a bit too much.
The mage raised his fist in celebration, but a ballista bolt tore his entire arm clean off. Face pale with shock and pain, he turned to see what hit him, and saw Ivan's grinning face as the barbarian was handling the boarding contraption with such ease as if it was a hand crossbow.
Seeing her friends succeed so, Varga turned to Taz with a wide grin.
"Let's ram the fuckers!"
There was a moment of more than justified hesitation, and then another couple of such moments. Maybe it was the barbarian's confident stance, or the knowledge that he was currently wearing the armor this exact party had procured in hells, or just the thrill of the battle, but after maybe the sixth moment of indecision, Tazmuck turned back to the helmsman and shouted:
"Keep us on course! Go straight at 'em!"
Varga grinned even more gleefully, like a kid who was just given a candy they were perpetually asking for. She picked up her mastiff, Mancatcher, like he was a lap dog, and caught whatever rope was the closest.
The next moment, reinforced hull of the Avernus rammed at full speed into the side of the dreadnaught, its figurehead dragon quite poetically piercing Dragon Tail's gun deck. If the enemy flagship was a smaller ship, the impact would have surely snapped it in half like a twig. At the moment of collision, Varga jumped forward, using the momentum in her favor, hitting an enemy sailor on landing. Or rather, landing on an enemy sailor.
Broken Star took a page from the adventurers' book, and rammed Trying Times. However, Avernus was already too engaged to turn back and help her compatriot. In one swift jump, Taz jumped over the railings, and onto the deck of the dreadnaught. Nine Lives Stealer slashed left and right, eventually finding the ship's mage and striking her down. The other mage, - her brother judging by the similar facial features, - screamed and shot a disintegrating ray at the captain, but Taz was too quick on his feet. It wasn't his first boarding.
The dreadnaught's arcane weaponry shot at the upper deck of Trying Times. Luckily for the adventurers, Taz wasn't the only seafarer around. Ivan quickly dodged the blast, and tugged Veridian down with him. Lying prone on the deck, the wizard immediately retaliated with a fireball of his own, and that one found its mark easily. Veridian got back up on his feet, and if the crew of the Broken Star would care to notice the glimpses of arcane magic in his eyes, both them and their ship might have lived another day.
But the fight aboard the Dragon's Tail was far from over. The three adventurers (and a dog) were witling down the opposing crew, but not without taking a hit or two themselves. Varga looked progressively impressed with Tazmuck's fighting: yes, he wore armor, but with his dexterity he didn't seem to need it.
The enemy captain, realizing the hopelessness of his situation, barked an order to the last standing crew member. The man disappeared into the hold, a moment later the entire upper deck went up in a fiery explosion. It happened in a blink, and although the adventurers' reflexes were as good as ever, their armor was a bit too bulky to allow them to dodge the worst of the blast.
Varga, being the only unarmored person around, jumped over the railings and hung there for a moment, holding onto the ship's side. As the worst of the blast passed, she climbed back up, picking up Manny turned back into a statuette by the explosion. Tazmuck was shaking his head, regaining his bearings after what amounted to a fireball in the face. The half-orc looked into the hole where the enemy captain stood a moment ago. It went all through the hull, and the ship's insides were getting flooded with seawater. Deimos was nowhere to be seen, and there was a suspiciously dark figure down in the water. Varga shrugged and dived through the remains of the ship into the murky depth. She picked up Oziah and the captain's body and swam to the surface, just in time for Dragon's Tail to finally sink, and Avernus to right her course.
The enemy captain, or what remained of him after the blast, was irreversibly dead, and so Varga discarded the body, keeping his beautifully made sword as a souvenir. Oziah quickly returned to consciousness after resurfacing, and the adventurers returned to their respective ships.
Back at the harbor, Varga watched from a distance at Ivan's attempts to ask the captain of Trying Times, but the woman seemed too preoccupied with the state of her ship to be interested.
The other barbarian sighed, shook her head, and approached Tazmuck.
"Hey, do you want to go for a drink sometimes? And maybe, you know… a bit of arm-wrestling?" She asked, much milder than she usually talked. She almost sounded… hopeful?
Taz was still reeling from a successful battle and how well Avernus has shown herself.
"Oh, sure!" He grinned happily. "Can my boyfriend come, too?"
Varga contained another sigh.
"Yeah, sure thing."
