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Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
[mod]Potential NSFW Content[/mod]​

The Hakseer

The docks of Clar Karond were all but empty of slaves and corsairs as Viseryn rode along the stone quays atop his jet-black steed; it was early in the year even for most of the hardened raiders, but Viseryn had insisted - a longer season meant more chance for slaves and spoils. Pennants and flags could be seen in the near distance, fluttering in the wind, thick with salt spray, and a forest of spears pointed towards a sky of roiling clouds the colour of slate, thick with the promise of rain. The young Druchii noble had his chin high as he traversed the numerous wharfs, piers and jetties of the City of Ships, guiding his horse with the barest touch of his knees. Behind him, slightly to the right, he knew Sinthair rode in silence, a constant presence which grated against him - despite the order for the powerfully built elf to accompany him officially coming from his father, the Flesh-Flayer knew that it was his mother’s protective streak which had given him the shadow.

“So, Thornblade, what do you think about ... Oh, of course, you think whatever my father tells you to think.” He shook his head, and grimaced. He had long ago tired of baiting his shadow; it was just a boredom reflex which surfaced now and then. He put it out of his mind; starting to grow more excited at the oncoming voyage the closer he got to The Bloodwrack, he urged his steed to move faster, although kept his noble bearing.

Finally, he emerged onto the slip where the vessel he would captain for the next two seasons awaited him, bobbing serenely in water akin to a black mirror. Finally, he could make out the emblems on the salt-stiffened flags - the half-moon of Clar Karond’s guards, the Vaulkhar’s emblem of a manacled slave, the five headed hydra of House Tagarys. A new banner was unfurled as he approached, a flayed human skin with blood painted onto it in the symbol of Khaine’s rune, a short, swarthy druchii holding it. Viseryn snorted upon seeing Cailas, one of his father’s retainers, and then slid his gaze over to the tall, graceful elf next to him, dressed in ornate armour and flanked by the Winhaerys twins, more of his retainers. He jerked the reins to stop his horse when he was less than ten feet from the patriarch of House Targarys, lazily swinging from the equine beast. Taking his sword from the high-canted saddle and belting it around his waist, he turned to his father.

“Father,” he nodded, before turning his gaze to the newly refitted ship.

“You are late, Viseryn,” Rhaego frowned, before drawing his son close to him and striking his face. “Do not do it again. Prove yourself worthy of my name.” With that, he had his own steed brought forward, a large, brutish nauglir by the name of Malignant, and spared one last superior look at his son before riding off.

Snorting in derision, Viseryn strode to the gangplank and boarded the ship. It truly was a masterpiece of druchii shipbuilding; obviously sleek and swift but large enough to hold a crew of fifty corsairs, one hundred slaves and the treasures taken from them, not to mention all the basic provisions a dark elf crew could need for a long period. Three masts rose from the slightly-sticky deck, with fine sails of black cloth emblazoned with the five headed hydra of House Tagarys, a dark green with ruby-red eyes, and thick black rigging spanning between them. The figurehead at the front of the vessel was an intricately crafted wooden medusae bloodwrack, bestial mouth wide and snakes curling around her shoulders, and her serpentine lower half coiled around the wooden spur which connected her to the forecastle. On deck, at regular intervals, weapon racks with cutlasses and spears rested easily, and between them there were a dozen bolt throwers, with stores of bolts - long, five foot bodies with heads of either razor-sharp, serrated steel for killing people, or sickle-shaped heads for cutting the rigging on enemy vessels - beside them.

Nodding in approval, the young noble finally looked at the group of eight druchii assembled before him, three of whom were obviously part of the corsair crew, and behind him, Malvrose strode onto the deck and proclaimed, “Dreadlord Viseryn Targarys, known as the Flesh-Flayer, Captain of the Bloodwrack".

---​

OOC:

Everyone but Ghouly:-

OK, so, you are all aboard the deck of The Bloodwrack. This will be an introductory post, so I’ll want your thoughts on your new posting - what do you think of accompanying Viseryn (whom all of you apart from Thornblade have never met) on his Hakseer? What do you think of the ship? Do you talk to the others or stand in solitude and observe whilst you wait for your new lord? And what do you do when he boards the ship? Do you want to delve deeper into the events which brought you to this point?

Ghouly:-

Obviously, your character has been following Viseryn on his way through the city. What are your opinions on the journey - anticipation or irritation? What is your opinion of the young noble? How do you react to the fanfare of the departure? What is your opinion of Rhaego and how he treats his son? Do you regret being bodyguard to Viseryn, or of taking employment in Rhaego's House? Is the ship worthy of the noble, or is it too much/more than he deserves? How do you think you compare to the other retainers?

---​

TheBloodwrack_zps0a224495.png

---

[mod]The Rules[/mod]​

1) As GM, my word is final. If you have a problem with a decision I have made, by all means send me a PM and discuss it with me - I’ll happily do that, and try to solve any issues. I will not, however, be bullied into decisions by people in the OOC thread (I don’t expect this would happen, but I thought it wise to put it in!). I also reserve the right to decline and/or ask for changes to sign-up sheets (but I will only do this to bring them into line with lore/in cases of sheets which really do not fit the roleplay)

2) To maintain the high quality of roleplays on Carpe Noctem, I would like to impose a limit of four sentences in accordance with the rules of the roleplaying forum (in cases of dialogue, I will make exceptions, but please don’t take advantage!)

3) Explicit language and graphic violence is accepted (in fact, I pretty much expect it from Druchii!). The IC Thread will include NSFW, so please be aware of that if you visit the site at work!
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Arkeith stalked the corridors of the ship, instinctively moving from shadow to shadow as he made his way to the armory. Heavy robes hid in arms and armour, draped over pauldrons they give the illusion of bulk and his hood hid his features.

For obvious reasons the sailors avoided this strange silent elf.

Reaching the armory he grabbed a crossbow and some bolts, hanging them from his waist, already there hung his Sabre which was a finer weapon than he had bore in a great many years, a great gift from Lord Rhaego and his dagger which hung next to it.

"Speaking of Rhaego the young master should be arriving soon." he thought to himself.

Arkeith made his way to the top of the deck, taking a moment to survey the ship.

"A Grand Vessel." he thought to himself, the Elf of course had never had a Hakseer cruise for himself but in Targarys's service he had sailed on a number of the House's ships as something between a sailor, a guard and a watcher for decades.

The Bloodwrack was a far more impressive vessel by far.

"Then you had to be stupid enough to get yourself noticed." he thought to himself with no little annoyance "Stupid enough to draw the attention of the young Lord and his father."

Arkeith grimaced thinking of the rumors he had heard...well more than rumours, he had spent days extracting information from certain individuals so as to learn as much as possible of his new master and hoped he wasn't half as mad as he sounded.

"Still...service is service."

Seeing the ship's captain he moved quietly to stand near to the man, although not too close, ignoring him and the other corsairs.

Arkeith waited in silence for several moments as the other Retainers arrived, his eyes locking on the robed individual as he considered the unusual garb for a warrior before switching his gaze to the new arrivals.

From his questioning of certain individuals Arkeith recognized Viseryn immediately even before the Highborne was announced.
Truthly he felt awkward around his new master, he had not sworn his loyalty to this man in person but to his father.

"Will he be intelligent enough to extract oaths from us?" he pondered to himself.

Smoothly Arkeith dropped to one knee, ensuring that he remained multiple sword lengths away from Viseryn as was proper according to Hithuan.

"My Lord." he welcomed, his voice a sibilant whisper.
 

Shareya

Vampire Count
True Blood
Dec 16, 2012
1,379
Rythia had explored the vessel at her leisure until her temporary Lord arrived and thankfully news traveled ever so quickly on a ship and so she had more then enough time to prepare herself.
It had not taken much effort for her to strike up conversations with many elves who belonged to the crew. Most of them where male and none of them desired to risk a fight or a argument with her at such a early time. After all even though their chances to bed the noble where low it was better then nothing.

"Oh, harsh."

The words slipped from her lips when she saw Viseryn be struck by his father and that was enough to spark her interest. After all many parents use this voyage to remove their more undesirable children while others took the opportunity to prove just what a wonderful offspring they have. It was ever so hard to tell to what group Viseryn belonged to.

"My Lord."

Her greeting was uttered silently with a deep bow and a sweet smile that dripped with venom that promised both pain and pleasure. While her features might have been on full display, her body was still hidden away by the dark leather armor that she quickly had learned to adore. Anyone present can also see the curious Elfbow that hangs from her shoulder and the pair of vicious daggers that her belt carries.
 

Count Vashra

Lord of Shadows
True Blood
Sep 29, 2013
1,717
New Zealand
Karochi walked onto the ship. He went over to the prow, and found out who the steersman was. Haviing established that, he looked over the armoury. Good. There was enough weapons and armour to keep him well stocked. He then went back to the dockside of the ship, and observed his fellow retainers. There was an elf with an orb on the back of his head, which he would need to investigate, an extremely beautiful female elf- No! he thought. He summoned is will and resisted the beauty. he knew he needed to keep a clear mind, undistracted by physical appearances. there was also a hooded elf whose features were concealed, but Karochi could see he was wearing a crossbow, presumably with bolts, and had grey armour. Another retainer had long white hair to the waist, a hard face, and was heavily armoured, also wearing a sea dragon cloak, and carrying a hand bow with ammo. Karochi saw he had a bag of gold. This will be interesting, he thought. Maybe I can bribe him. The final retainer looked very plain, until Karochi noticed a scar running down the left side of his face, and his right eye looked blind. He was wearing a sword that had a serpent wrapped around a skull at the hilt. He was also wearing a gray Hadrilkar, and a sea dragon cloak. For al this finery, the armour was a dull studded leather. Karochi suspected that this elf was a vicious fighter, going by the scar, the blind eye and the sword, which he realised was Asur. Karochi finished observing the retainers and catalogued their probable mental states and cleverness based on their looks, and looked over to the dock. There was Lord Viseryn, with his guard, who looke impressive, and certainly someone who Karochi did not want to face in combat. He went to the side of the ship, three sword lengths away and knelt respectfully. "My Lord. Karochi Nag'Har at your service." Or perhaps the other way around, by the time this is over? Karochi wondered in his head.
 

Zephyr

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Mar 3, 2008
2,522
Rotterdam
Tenril clicked his tongue as he looked around. The vessel was seaworthy true, but where was the booze?! There were many Corsairs aboard and at open sea tempers would rise, tempers that would not be drowned with fancy bloodwine. Even worse, the seals clearly marked the crates of wine as 'noble property' and opening them would mean certain death.
Tenril spat on the floorboards and cursed. As predicted by him earlier this week all had been thought about but for the typical things only those that had spent their lives at open sea would have. Or a bunch of alcoholic Corsairs...
"Well Snappy, let us see how long this golden bucket floats." He laughed out loud and slapped his cloak like anyone would pat a good friend on the shoulder.

He walked up to the main deck just in time to see a young Druchii get smacked in the face.
So this was the young upstart eh?
He would have to see whether the kid would hold up or crack mentally, or die, or get eaten. Anything was possible.
Tenril made a deep bow as his new Lord announced himself and glanced around at the other retainers. One big guy in thick black robes that would sink like an anchor if thrown overboard. And a comely lass..."oh shit" mouthed Tenril, his thoughts immediately interrupyed. This voyage was NOT going to be easy was it?
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
Sar'geth the Three-Eyed glanced about him suspiciously, his natural eyes darting at the other retainers nervously whilst his lidless orb discretely watched the sailors and soldiers behind him, stationary in his hat. A sadistic sneer coursed through his mind as he saw the impudent boy who was going to be his master was humiliated, but he never allowed it to reach his face. The boy was a medium for his survival plans. In lieu of the respect Sar'geth never gave anyone simply because of their status, Rhaego might have had his acknowledgement as a significant individual - the lord seemed formidable enough - but his son, according to the whispers of the town, was utterly mad. Sar'geth just hoped he wouldn't die at the start of the mission. It would be awfully inconvenient if the vauvalka had to reveal his plans and nature and attempt to take charge (which would carry a high risk of failure) or find a new commander to manipulate, rather than just guiding this crazed child to serve his own purpose. The young whelp looked like he could hold his own in combat, though, and inspired fear into his servants. Fear was good, as it was the closest thing to respect any Druchii would ever feel for their master. It meant that Viseryn would have a chance of not being stabbed in the back the instant they were out of the port, though assassination was always a possibility amongst the dark elves.

This trip should indeed be productive, Sar'geth thought, if all goes well. I'll have to be careful to ensure my plans don't go awry at points of turbulence on this journey. The raiding season had barely begun, and now was a dangerous time for a young elf to journey on their Hakseer. However, the boat seemed very well equipped: robust, full of useful provisions and equipped with an expert, discipline crew, it seemed rather adept indeed for its size. Whilst it did not boast the full military power of a Black Ark, its maneuverability could make it just as useful.

Sar'geth glanced around at his fellow retainers. They seemed an odd bunch: a bizzarely shaped large man garbed in cloth, a spitting lunatic talking to his own cloak, a sly - but perhaps not too much so, considering her comment on Viseryn's punishment - noblewoman with a strange bow and a clearly intelligent observer who was now hailing his new lord Well, he seems to be the most useful of the lot; I'll have to admit, they don't look promising, Sar'geth pondered. Then he saw that a burly bodyguard had accompanied Viseryn. Ah. This one looks tricky and powerful. I'll have difficulty influencing Viseryn with this warrior around. Perhaps this lackey might be...disposed of early on in the journey, if he proved to be troublesome? Sar'geth hoped foul weather and enemies would do the job for him. He didn't want to exert himself without his work being extensively planned beforehand.

Sar'geth bent to one knee and bowed his head, five sword lengths from Viseryn. "I am at your command, my lord," he stated, his voice carrying across the wind over the boat. A faint smirk dared to touch his lips, thankfully unviewable due to his head's position. It faded as Sar'geth rose up once more, in acknowlwedgement of Viseryn's authority.
 

Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
Viseryn looked down at the retainers with a disdainful sneer on his face. “My father must hate me more than I thought to have assembled such a poor showing for my Hakseer. Spineless toadies and boot-lickers” He snorted, shaking his head, although his gaze lingered on Rythia and a vicious smile touched his lips, replacing the condescending sneer he had held on his face. “Prove myself worthy of his name indeed; he’s a disgrace! Bedded half his slaves, I’m sure! Perverse freak; I’m sure he’s put his bastards in their bellies before having them killed!”

Shaking his head, he brought himself back to the present and looked down at them once more, shaking his head. “You need to prove yourselves worthy of me! This will be a long season; I plan not to be back in Clar Karond until this time next year; spending the season of Savagery on the seas. You will be swearing oaths of loyalty to me until then.” Nodding to himself, he then looked to the Master. “Master Kourla, get the Bloodwrack ready to sail. Every minute is important, and I want to stop at what was Mathlann’s temple before we leave the Sea of Malice.” He turned on his heel, and strode towards where he knew his quarters would be, leaving his retainers on deck, including Sinthair and Cailas, who kept a blank look on his face.

“Yes, Captain!”

---​

The following days as they traversed the Sea of Malice were relatively uneventful, yielding little more than the sighting of sea witches - an auspicious start to the journey, Kourla said. Viseryn cared little whether they were auspicious or not, and found himself bored. To relieve that, he ordered his retainers to play dice with him, trying to figure out what kind of retinue they would be.

On the third day, in a fit of rage over how long he felt the journey was taking, he ordered the corsairs to restrain Tenril and had them strip him of his armour and bind his hands, before having him chained to the central mast, standing on the balls of his feet. Viseryn grasped his beastmasters whip and cruelly gave his retainer ten lashes, tearing the flesh of his back. Once his anger was vented, he growled “Fix him up and send him below. I don’t want that wound festering; he’s to be on his feet by tomorrow!”

He then turned and stalked back to his own quarters.

---​

Ten days after they had left Clar Karond, Master Kourla bellowed from the foredeck; “Captain Viseryn! We’re at Mathlann’s temple!”

“Good,” the young lord said, before turning to look at Cailas, who had been his shadow on the boat just as much as Sinthair, assessing him quietly. “Follow me,” His father’s retainer nodding, Viseryn made his way to the forecastle, where Kourla had gathered the retainers and a group of six corsairs, who were looking cruelly at them, on opposite sides of the deck. Unceremoniously, the ships Master grabbed Cailas and thrust him into the group of corsairs, before standing at Viseryn’s right shoulder. Cailas moved angrily towards the young noble, but more corsairs mounted the forecastle and stood between them whilst Viseryn spoke.

“We stand above the temple of Mathlann, Lord of the Deeps, which was sunk so long ago. I wish to give him an offering. It is up to you here who will be sent to the Deeps to meet him. Make your decisions quickly; Mathlann is not known for his patience!” The corsairs and Cailas drew their weapons and launched themselves at the retainers.

---​

OOC:

OK, so, this will be the first (easy!) combat situation! You will post what you attempt to do - i.e ‘Viseryn hacked viciously at the corsair, trying to take his head from his shoulders’, albeit with more description, and I will tell you whether you are successful or not.

Everyone -
At points during the RP, Viseryn may have fits of rage and take it out on you! Have fun with that! This will be randomised (using an online number generator, using the list on the first post of the OOC thread as the order).
OK, so - Firstly, what’s your impression of Viseryn after the first meeting? What do you do during the dice games? Attempt to let your lord win, or try to win the money yourself, regardless of how he may feel about that (there will be no penalties for this)? What do you do for the rest of the time whilst the corsairs sail you to Mathlann’s temple - train, laze around, follow Viseryn, or try to ingratiate yourself with him*? What do you think of Viseryn’s random attack on Tenril? And, obviously, what do you do when you’re attacked by the corsairs? (details about them are below)

- 1 x Corsair repeater handbow and cutlass
3 x Corsairs with cutlass and dagger
2 x Corsairs with two daggers
Cailas - bastard sword, plate armour, helmet.

All the corsairs wear light armour and sea-dragon hide cloak. Cailas will be the most difficult enemy; don’t expect to be able to defeat him by yourself. He is at least twice as old as any of you!

Zephyr -
I’m sorry you happened to be the one whom the number generator chose this time, but I’m sure the others will get their turn!
So, you’ll need to think about the same things as the others, but please go into more detail about your thoughts on the punishment - what do you think whilst it’s happening and when you’re recovering? You will also need to bear in mind the injury when fighting, but it won’t be enough to put you at any real disadvantage.


*All attempts to ingratiate yourself with him at this point will be rebuffed with coolness, so be sure to mention that if your character attempts to do that
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Arkeith shook his head after his first meeting with his new master, the man seems an arrogant and spoiled brat.

"Disappointing." he thought to himself as he left the other retainers and went to his room to meditate, this voyage was not looking promising.

---​

Arkeith spent the next few days training, moving through various sabre forms before progressing to dual-weapon forms using a borrowed cutlass or dagger in his off-hand, some of the more serious veteran corsairs had even volunteered to practice with him having heard the rumours that the retainer was a former assassin.

When invited to the game with Viseryn and the other retainers the Supposed-Assassin diced for a short while before stating that such things where not to his tastes before respectfully, but sternly, turning down any other invitations and removing himself from the company of the others instead returning to solitary contemplation and training.

---​

On the third day he watched as his Lord acted like a young madman, sadly confirming the information Arkeith had gathered on the boy, and punished Tenril harshly.
The elf had been unable to find anything that Tenril had done wrong which paid only to feed Arkeith's annoyance, after-all punishment for punishments sake was wasteful.
Arkeith considered what would happen if it had been he in Tenril's position and suddenly his mind turned to counting off all the highborne he had murdered over the years, he stopped after only the first dozen names and shrugged uncomfortably banishing the thoughts before they led to an ugly conclusion.

---​

Arkeith was in the armoury, spending some time checking the quality of the weapons, when the Corsair showed up and banged on the door to get the retainer's attention.

Frowning he looked up and noticed it was one of the younger men who had took part in one of his sparring sessions.

"Sir." he said respectfully, a number of the men had been respectful since hearing the rumours and then observing his skill with a blade, "Master Kourla says the Captain wants you and the others up top."

With a shrug he put the crossbow he had been testing back "Very well." he replied, following the corsair to the deck.

The retainer was with the others as he listened to Viseryn and Arkeith remained standing silently as the Corsairs leapt at him and the other retainers.

"What?" he thought to himself with shock, he had served on ships for decades and never been so boldly attacked.

However outwardly he appeared utterly relaxed, his expression almost bored.

In a swift, fluid movement he tore his sabre from it's sheath, appreciated it's perfect balance as he fell into a sideways stance with right leg forward and with his left hand resting on his hip.

Stepping forward and with a twist of his wrist Arkeith brought the blade slashing horizontally in a blindingly fast cut aimed at the throat of the closest Corsair, confident that the longer sabre would let him outdistance the sailor's cutlass.
 

Shareya

Vampire Count
True Blood
Dec 16, 2012
1,379
Rythia's smile simply grew wider and wider when she listened to her new Lords words. Of course she had expected him to be young and bashful but this was quite something else. The long year might be much more interesting then she first had dared to hope.

"It's almost as if he is trying to tempt us all to slice his throat open." Her comment was made casually and without any real hostility in her tone.

The rest of the day the young noble simply spent speaking to the crew and getting to know them a bit more while considering Viseryn's plan.

--------------------------​

The second day the young elf spent staring at the sea witches whenever they appeared. After all she had never seen them before and what better way is there to die then to be embraced by such a creature while slowly being pulled into the depths of the sea.

Yet when a game of dice was offered she eagerly joined and not even once did she try to let someone else simply win. Instead she used her wits and charm to try to influence the game as much as possible.
Slender fingers had toyed with the dices while the nobles gaze jumped from elf to elf and each word was coated with the sweetest nectar. Of course as her mother had instructed her tongue slipped from it's home to wet her painted lips just at the right time while her gaze turned slightly more hungry, eager. In the end all she desired was to distract them as much as possible while trying to win the game without having anyone glare at her for taking their gold.


The third day however made Rythia raise her eyebrow. She had seen both her father and mother punish servants and salves just to entertain themselves but rarely did they lay a hand on their retainers without good reason. Such actions where dangerous and unreasonable but yet even this seemed to make her lips pull back so her smile could grow once again.

--------------------------​


When all of the retainers where summoned again she had expected the noble to punish someone at random again or perhaps do something else dangerous and painful so they can prove their loyalty to him. But not in a thousand years did she imagine that her Lord would waste blood and flesh in such a reckless manner.Yet the game was already started and no one had the time to properly object at the young Lords decision.

It had not taken Rythia long to determine that most elves she serves with prefer their blades and so she made no attempt to meet the charging Corsairs. Instead her slender legs quickly took her back and towards the edge of the ship and while at first it could be seen as cowardice the female Druchii wasted no time with drawing her beloved bow.

"First." The word was muttered just as she had set loose a arrow that was aimed at the Corsair with the repeater crossbow. How she desired it to impact against his chest, how she yearned to see his features twist when he realized his armor was useless and how she wanted to hear his screams when her poison started to rush through his veins. It was of course not lethal but for that quite painful, clearly meant for capturing slaves.
 

Zephyr

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Mar 3, 2008
2,522
Rotterdam
"Fuck..." Tenril felt like he was hung over and if he could make his mind believe it was the truth all for the better. He tried to look around in the gloom of the...well wherever it was. Somewhere below deck.
He had taken the punishment with his head held high as possible and no sound escaping his lips.
Though his back burned like hell at least he did not have to bear the extra pain of humiliation for being a wuss. Well the punishment had been sort of humiliating but he had taken it well.

He did not hate Viseryn any more than he already did, it just confirmed a weakness in character he had spotted earlier.
Playing dice revealed a lot about character. Tenril had won a few times figuring that letting the noble win would have been clear attempts at ass-kissing not taken kindly. But it seemed the brat had not liked losing.
Tenril felt that's probably why had been whipped like an animal. Brat.

His back flared up and he hissed through clenched teeth.
"They do not pay me enough for this crap Snappy.", he said to his cloak. It was draped around a small table or chair, he could not see which. Maybe it wasn't dark and it was just the pain that darkened his sight.

The cabin was cool and dark and Tenril was grateful for that at least. The cold felt good on his wounds.
He had been thrown in here for healing. Big joke. They had just patched him up as best as could be managed AND he was expected to be back on his feet next morning. Some healing. He could have done a better job by letting someone piss over his back.
He chuckled to himself and roared with laughter as his back flared up again. Laughing was close to crying anyway and he figured that if anyone could hear him they would either respect him or at least think he was crazy and therefore not to be messed with.

He would be back at work the following day. Not that it would be easy but he refused to show any weakness in front of the others. He was a Corsair for Mathlann's sake! He had served Fellheart himself and would not break under the command of a young upstart.
"Beasts can be broken Viseryn...I however will not."

---------

The next day Tenril walked on deck and performed his duties as normal like nothing had happened. Though his back hurt he refused to show weakness. He had survived worse. Also, he had to win the respect of persons he deemed far more important; the crew of the Bloodwrack. The TRUE captains because no matter how much Viseryn thought himself captain, the whole ship would answer only to itself in the end. Corsairs were like any Druchii, a treacherous lot, but there was honor amongst equals. A strange brotherhood of sorts between those that knew what a real raid was about.
Tenril snorted whilst climbing a mast to fix some rigging; Viseryn thought himself tough? Let's see how the pup reacts in a situation that would test his abilities. Far away from all that he knows and nobody to save his hide. Tenril sighed and slid back down to the deck.
There had better be good plunder ahead.

---------------

Kourla had come over to him. He was to follow him. Surely not another random punishment so soon? Jumping overboard started to seem like a good alternative...
He was surprised to see the other retainers and some crew, gathered like there would be some meeting.

It all went really fast and he could not help but laugh as Cailas got thrown into the ring like a discarded rag.
"An offering to Mathlann? Perfect!"
Tenril quickly drew both his sabre and short sword, the latter in his off-hand. He grinned wickedly though a shadow of a doubt, and a painful sting from his back, clouded his confidence.
He knew the corsairs in front were no match for him or the other retainers. Young upstarts on their first voyage, BUT he was still injured.
"On the Tower of Blessed Dread we had pups like you for breakfast!", Tenril yelled as he lunged forward at the one armed with daggers, his two weapons almost blurring together as he weaved a deadly dance forwards.
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
Sar'geth kept to himself on the journey, his secretive nature ensuring that contact with the other retainers, crew and Viseryn was brief. The vauvalka noted that the presence of the sea witches meant there was no escape from - as the next few days proved - Viseryn's madness. An ugly thought persisted in his mind: What if Malekith wanted to kill me all along, and just has a sick sense of humour? Even now, I bet they're laughing at us retainers desperately trying to stay alive. The likelihoods are death by monster if we jump off the boat, or death by madman if we stay on deck. Those are not appealing choices.

He decided that playing at dice would only serve to antagonize the already bloodthirsty Viseryn, yet cowardice would no doubt make the noble inclined to decapitate his retainer. Sar'geth therefore chose to play in the first round, where he conveniently lost a small amount, allowing him to retire from the game with a smaller risk of death than he would have if he had stayed on to play.

Come Tenril's torture, Sar'geth's suspicions about Malekith killing him in an amusing way were almost entirely confirmed. Viseryn's actions were extreme in the highest degree. It was a wonder he had not been put to death by his father in the first place.

When all the retainers were summoned and the command to slaughter allies was given, Sar'geth blinked in shock. This was beyond madness...the boy must have lost half his brain. He had presumably brought slaves; why weren't they being sacrificed? Perhaps Viseryn was under the effects of some spell? Had he intoxicated himself on the previous night? All these thoughts were cut short as the mindless automatons of death charged towards Sar'geth and he readied himself for combat.

This was going to be difficult. The wizard didn't want to reveal his powers - It's too early; not yet! he thought in panic. But he could still use his more subtle spells. Sar'geth stood in a defensive stance and readied his lakelui to defend himself physically if need be from the soldier rushing towards him - a muscled corsair with a cutlass and a dagger - and quickly muttered the cantrip Englightened Visions under his breath. His discreteness meant he would almost certainly remain unnoticed in his attempt to turn the onrushing corsair against his as yet unoccupied fellow to the left of him, who was armed with two daggers. From there, Sar'geth would hopefully command his thrall to decimate another cutlass-and-dagger soldier not currently in combat. The mage didn't intend to attempt to maintain the spell for too long, as there was a small chance the corsair would eventually break free of it, and as Sar'geth's concentration would wane, this chance would become more likely. In short, after killing two other corsairs, Sar'geth wanted his minion to commit suicide.
 

Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
The corsair Arkeith had taken against tried to move inside the assassins fighting arc, placing him in an advantageous place where his short weapon would be better suited to the fight. Unfortunately, he was jostled by one of his comrades, and couldn't manoeuvre himself into the position eh wanted to be in by the time that Arkeith's sabre flashed down like lightning. His throat was torn cleanly, blood spilling onto the deck profusely.

It was with fierce precision that Rythia's arrow sped through the air, propelled as it was by the elf-bow. The druchii's eyes widened as he saw it, but he couldn't move aside in time. He could only watch and howl as the arrow pierced armour and flesh, until it hit the back of his armour; the head still had more than enough momentum to force it's way through his backplate as well. He fell to the deck screaming from the pain of the wound, but the poisoned tip had passed through him so quickly he wasn't affected by it as she had no doubt hoped, although his breathing was heavier, laboured, and hisses of pain escaped his mouth.

The flurry of blows between Tenril and his chosen opponent were fast and furious, the sound of blades colliding ringing across the battle. Both elves attempted to break the block of the other, their weapons flashing in a wild dance, but neither elf seemed capable of outmanoeuvring the other. Finally, the other elf stepped back, trying to get Tenril to follow after him, daggers scraping against one another and a vicious grin on his face.

Sar'geth managed to cast his spell unobtrusively, and the corsair who had been rushing at him slowed slightly, sending his cutlass down in a sweeping attack against his fellow sailor and slaver. Not a sound passed his lips as he did so, but the other corsair saw the blow coming and cursed vehemently, breaking off from his own charge for a sideways roll, evading the blow by half a foot and then coming back to the fight with a snarl tearing itself from his throat.

---​

Viseryn stood on the edge of the foredeck and looked on with cold detachment, his fingers dancing like a conductor, Kourla looking on with only mild interest, as if the matter didn't concern him in the least. Cailas launched himself at the young noble, but a corsair intercepted him and kicked him squarely in the stomach, sending him reeling back into the mass of the other combatants.

---​

OOC:

Enemies remaining:-

1 x Corsairs with cutlass and dagger
2 x Corsairs with two daggers
Cailas - bastard sword, plate armour, helmet.

Just to remind you all, combat action successes are based on dice rolls. I feel really bad for Tenril that he scored the lowest so far, but the dice gods work in mysterious ways!
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Arkeith was given breathing room with his initial success as he felled the corsair, the former-assassin felt nothing and turned away swiftly to survey the melee. His eyes found Tenril and he frowned seeing the retainer struggle against a single insignificant foe.

"That makes no sense...no retainer would be hired who lacked the skill to dispatch such a foe." he thought "Unless...his wounds."

Arkeith felt a flash of annoyance for his new master but dismissed it immediately and turned his gaze to another figure of interest.

Cailas with his heavy armour and large blade.

"I could take him with the dagger...trap his sword with my own and find a weak point but I'd never get close enough...I'll need help."

Swiftly Arkeith made his way to Tenril, he didn't insult the corsair by offering help but instead silently took position near the wounded man and got ready to launch a support attack on his opponent encase the other retainer failed.
 

Shareya

Vampire Count
True Blood
Dec 16, 2012
1,379
Rythia looked horrified when her arrow clearly made it's way through her opponents armor a bit too well. Yet at least she was able to take comfort in the simple fact that one of the Corsairs was no longer a real threat.

"Second...second..." The noble mumbled to herself while being in no hurry to draw a new arrow. After all if her actions received too much attention it was only a matter of time until someone engaged her in melee combat. For at least some seconds she stalked in the background, waiting.

"Him."
Again she mumbled while her hungry eyes fell on a certain retainer.

Carefully a new poisoned arrow was drawn before getting aimed at Cailas. Just like before Rythia did not hesitate with pulling back the string far before sending off her dangerous attack that is yet again aimed at the males chest.
 

Count Vashra

Lord of Shadows
True Blood
Sep 29, 2013
1,717
New Zealand
Karochi spent his time observing the other retainers, watching how they behaved and looking for the most easily manipulated. When Viseryn ordered dice, Karoth had a quiet laugh. Dice was easy for him. he could do it blind, in fact, and so he accepted the order an dplayed, looking to take the largest amount for himself.
When Viseryn strung up one of his retainers, he realised that this lord was just completely nuts. he would have to be controlled in some way. However, this did increase his chances of making an alliance with the victim, if he survived.
He could see that the female elf was good, and he particularly enjoyed laying her in dice. Perhaps he could deepen their relationship, he thought.
When the retainers were ordered to attack the corsairs and kill them for sacrifice, Karochi realised that his lord was truly insane, but knew that resisting would result in his own death as well. Karochi was last to attack because of the surprise, but he recovered and and selected the corsair with the cutlass and dagger as his opponent. He rushed towards him in a blur, and attempted to knock both weapons away with his own two short swords and kicked with all his strength at the corsair's midsection.
 

Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
Cailas turned at just the wrong moment, allowing the arrow to pierce his plate armour with a sickening shlllk; metal pierced metal and split flesh as Rythia's arrow punctured his chest, the long wooden shaft protruding from the right side of his torso. A strangled cry, filled with rage and pain, was expelled from his mouth. Gritting his teeth against the pain, aided in this by the numbness of his skin - a side-effect of centuries of applying the toxic nauglir-slime so that he could accompany his lord - he used the hilt of his sword to break the arrows shaft and turned to look at Rythia, eyes ablaze with madness. He roared at her and started striding over to her, slower than he had been, clearly injured, but still able to fight.

The corsair with the cutlass and dagger snarled at Karochi, and attempted to block the other druchii's attack. His blades were knocked away, but he managed to keep hold of them, and it only took him a second to recover. However, in that time, Karochi had kicked out. The corsair twisted, spinning mostly out of the way of the attack, but the foot still caught his stomach and winded him. He snarled again, and then stepped back on the defensive, cutlass held before him defensively and dagger ready to lash out when he had an opening.

When Viseryn gave the order for a sacrifice to be made, Sinthair was not surprised; he had been with the young dreadlord long enough to know of his random madness and brief insanity - indeed, he bore the scars to remind him constantly - but he also knew that there was a deep, shrewd cunning beneath the façade. Bearing this in mind, he shrugged off any misgivings he had with regards to the order and drew his draich from the long sheath on his back. Seeing nearly all the other corsairs engaged, and knowing of Cailas' fierce reputation, the bodyguard stepped forward and swung his draich down with all of his extraordinary might, even for an elf. He aimed to slice one of the dagger-wielding corsairs from nape to navel. The corsair wasn't quick enough to outmanoeuvre the draich-wielding bodyguard, and the blade cut quick and clean through bone and flesh, but became jammed and he couldn't quickly retrieve it.

---​

Enemies remaining:-

2 x Corsairs with two daggers
Cailas - bastard sword, plate armour, helmet (wounded)

1 x Corsair with cutlass and dagger (under Sar'geth's control)
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
Sar'geth noticed his minion faring badly against his fellow. The mage decided that it would be wise to let the cutlass-and-dagger wielding corsair under his control continue for a while, at least until Sar'geth thought it was no longer guaranteed to be safe and successful to maintain the spell.

The mind-shackled sailor made to attack a corsair armed with two daggers who was not preoccupied with fighting Tenril. Sar'geth didn't care about the other retainers; the unoccupied soldiers were a far greater threat to him, and he didn't want to get his hands dirty when others could kill his enemies for him.

Sar'geth calmy directed his servant once more at their former colleague. As he launched himself with brutal strength, expert precision and alarming speed at his foe, eager to deliver the killing blow, the cutlass-wielding maniac fought like he didn't care for his own life. He didn't.

Sar'geth glanced around to see how the others were faring. He noted Tenril's struggle with another dagger-wielding raider, and Cailas' plight when faced with poisoned arrows from Rythia. Ah, so she does bite, Sar'geth thought, and chuckled to himself. Sight was extremely valuable in combat. It told you whether you should crush your enemies under your feet, or flee with your tail between your legs. Or send your enemy off to die on the blades of their friends.
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Seeing as only a few Corsairs were left Arkeith no longer felt concerned for the injured retainer and took a moment to observe the battle once more, his past training reminding him to remain perceptive of his surroundings.

He noticed that a third corsair appeared to be fighting for the robed retainer, Sar'geth.

"How did he manage that?" Arkeith wondered then dismissed it as something to ponder later.

Karoth seemed to be holding his own and the brute who had arrived with Viseryn was dispatching foes in his own hamfisted fashion.

Tullaris was yet unblooded.

All-in-all the balance was definitely in the retainer's favour.

Arkeith's eyes found the female with the bow and followed the direction she was focused to see the heavily armoured Druchii, who appeared injured, moving towards her.

The slightest hint of a smile touched the elf's lips.

"Deal with this." he hissed at Tenril, it was less an order and more a statement, he was sure the other elf could handle it.

Darting off he nimbly moved around the others, keeping his sabre ready to shift into a guard if required, whilst moving Arkeith drew his dagger in his left hand.

Positioning himself to the rear of Cailas, hoping the man's helmet combined with his injuries would slow him, Arkeith launched a vicious overhead strike at his opponent's head. At the same time his dagger remained in a defensive position.
 

Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
Once more the corsair, under Sar'geth's sorcerous influence, leapt at his former comrade, blades blurring in a flurry. Unfortunately for him, the corsair was ready for him, and blocked his attacks with contemptuous ease, grinning at him maniacally. "I don't know what, in the name of the Night Mother, you're doing, Lithuan, but you're piss-poor at it!" With a chuckle, he swept low underneath the enchanted druchii's blades and kicked at his legs, scoring a glancing contact which set Lithuan stumbling backwards, before he stood steady again, ready to meet the twin-knife wielding corsair.

The sabre soared through the air ruthlessly, and connected with the back of Cailas' helm with a jarring riiiiing which resonated over the foredeck. The rear of the helmet bucked under the strength of the blow, sending Cailas sprawling onto the blood-soaked deck, the back of his head injured - blood could be seen flowing steadily from beneath it - but the elf was resilient, cursing them all in the name of the Night Mother, Khaine and Drakira, Queen of Vengeance, his voice loud as he found his feet. He twirled unsteadily, and lunged at Arkeith, but the blow to the back of his head had thrown him off completely and he stumbled again, falling over his own feet and crashing loudly onto the deck once more.

---

OOC:

Jeez, TDK, I'm sorry you're getting such bad rolls :( Get, you're a lucky SoB; Cailas was supposed to spin around and attack you, but he failed that and fell over -_-

Remaining Enemies:-

2 x Corsairs with two daggers
Cailas - bastard sword, plate armour, helmet (wounded)

1 x Corsair with cutlass and dagger (under Sar'geth's control)
 

Shareya

Vampire Count
True Blood
Dec 16, 2012
1,379
When her arrow struck home Rythia found herself leaning forwards before allowing her eyes to nearly fall shut while her lips mimicked a kiss. Such a simple taunt that hopefully served to distract the retainer by fueling the fires of his hatred for her.

Thankfully her reckless behavior was at least somewhat rewarded with the assassin drawing Cailas's attention and his blood. This did allow the female to focus her own attention on something or someone else without fear of being ran through by a large blade.

''You.'' The nobles lips drew back to display the elves usual wicked grin. How little she cared for the corsair that fought the one named Lithuan as instead her hungry eyes where captured by the second dagger wielding raider.

This time she had no desire to risk the male coming too close to her and so when she prepared her bow with it's poison arrow she wasted no time with sending it flying towards ...his crotch. Seems someone is under the impression that there has not been enough screaming yet.
 

Get of W'soran

CN's Lord of Masks
True Blood
Apr 23, 2008
9,239
Behind the Throne
Arkeith remained silent as Cailas spun but as the heavily armoured druchii collapsed disorientated by his injuries the assassin broke his silence.

Arkeith began a chilling chant, the words praising Khaine and declarations of faith rarely heard outside the temple. The words didn't carry far but his victim definitely heard them.

Ensuring that he didn't miss the opportunity Arkeith struck like a viper, thrusting his sabre at Cailas's throat, the dagger still held in a defensive guard.
 

Duke Danse Macabre

The Duke
True Blood
Sep 16, 2010
3,696
Sunderland, United Kingdom
*Watching the fight begin to flow around him, drawing his sword he elected to strike last, first to charge, first to fall and Tullaris would have the measure of those around him.

Confident in his full plate and helm he strode purposely across the deck, his Draich resting effortlessly across his right shoulder in one hand cross the deck backhanding one of the corsairs contemptuously across the face with his steel gauntlet.

Coming closer to the one they called "Cailas" he hefted his blade in both hands, moving like liquid silk from years of practice he fainted left just out side of striking distance before twisting around full bodied to the right, leaning down into the blow, his right leg extended he brought his Draich around in a glittering arc, his hair spilling from his helmet twirling beautifully behind him as he delivered what would be a devastating blow aimed at cutting the elf down the length of his body before he could regain his feet*
 

Zephyr

Master Necromancer
True Blood
Mar 3, 2008
2,522
Rotterdam
Tenril snarled, the pain in his back was seriously hindering him. His normally fluid and graceful swordplay reduced to something crude.
'Think man, think. If you cannot fight fair...fight like a true corsair!".

Tenril grinned as he feinted towards the fast warrior, making sure his opponent had to parry him in a wide legged stance for balance. He spun dexterously on the toes of his left leg to make sure his right could connect as hard as possible with the other Druchii's groin area.
 

The Dread King

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Jan 28, 2012
1,897
Sar'geth sighed in frustration as the incompetent fool that was his slave failed once more to kill his colleague. Rythia, however, seemed to be engaging with that enemy, and Sar'geth took his chance. A double attack would surely kill the dagger-wielding corsair who had twice fended off Sar'geth's soldier. However, the mage made a careful note to himself not to continue the spell for too long. The risk of Lithuan escaping from the effects of Sar'geth's spell was microscopic, yet slowly increased as time went by. There was a greater threat, though: Sar'geth had to channel magical energy to Lithuan to maintain the mind control, and if he upheld the power of the spell for too long, others would start to notice what he was doing. Already, Sar'geth suspected he was getting a few looks, though all it looked like was that he was continuously cursing under his breath and that the corsair in front of him had gone mad. However, if he persisted in casting, sooner or later, someone would realise that the retainer was adept in the arcane. That could have...undesirable consequences.

An instant after Rythia fired her elf bow at the corsair armed with two daggers, Lithuan leapt at his former comrade from the flank and rear, approaching them diagonally, cutlass raised above his head ferociously to hack into his opponent's back, knife in his other hand prepared to defend himself. This time, he was utterly determined to kill his foe. In his mind, there was no second option, no alternative possibility. Lithuan would slay his enemy, or die trying.
 

Malochai

Moderator
Staff member
True Blood
Aug 4, 2010
3,072
England
The arrow from Rythia’s elf-bow streamed through the air, and hit the druchii’s leg as opposed to the original target of his crotch. He spun to glare at the female highborn, and then suddenly jolted; shock and pain radiated through him as Lithuan, still under Sar’geth’s control but now with a crazed and manic look in his eyes, sunk his cutlass clean through his flank, shattering ribs and piercing his heart. He didn’t even have time to react to the poison spreading through his body before he fell, dead, to the ground. Crimson blood flowed, almost black in the harsh midday sun.

Arkeith’s sabre flashed out and tried to slash the nobles throat, but Cailas had enough energy to bat the blade aside with his armoured hand, forcing it just off target and sending it into the wood of the deck. A triumphant grin split the swarthy druchii’s face for a second, before Tullaris’ draich split him neatly in half down the centre, bright crimson blood liberally coating the deck, severed guts slipping gorily amongst it. Even Viseryn blanched slightly from his position several feet away, before composing himself and clamping his mask of cold indifference down once more.

Tenril’s kick impacted solidly with the corsair’s groin, and he howled in pain, falling to his knees. He clutched his crotch instinctively, and then looked up fearfully, cold realisation sinking into his mind - he was dead; weapons dropped, in such a vulnerable position. Rather than take the possibility of a long, painful death, he crawled backwards and clutched a knife as he did so, sinking it deep into his chest. With the last of his strength, he threw himself over the side of the vessel into the black mirror of the Sea of Malice.

---​

OOC: Just cleaning up now!

Remaining Enemies:-

1 x Corsair with cutlass and dagger (under Sar'geth's control)
1 x Injured corsair (collapsed on deck)
 
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