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Post by Strigus on Apr 16, 2018 20:19:28 GMT
The Golden Age of Piracy may have ended, but the Saphhire Lady was carried on its footsteps. The crew not only got by, but found their situation downright lucrative compared to their previous wages under the East India Trading Company. It was precisely this success that was currently boring Captain Siobhán Meredydd belowdeck, as Blake the Bosun estimated the current value of their cargo, despite how meager it was this early in their current venture, and how it would divide out among the men- or crew, more accurately, given the unusual gender demographics aboard the ship. Accounting may not have been particularly exciting to Siobhán, especially when run through in the bosun's dry manner, but it was a necessity for her to personally see to such affairs after the previous mutiny over wages. It was certainly not unwelcome when a distraction from these affairs came.
"Captain!" called a hoarse voice, shortly before Matthias, a relatively old man with a bushy grey beard, burst in. "A ship's been spotted on the horizon, and she looks alone." This was a rare opportunity indeed in these days, with most respectable merchants signing on with a larger company and keeping in groups. On the other hand, none of Siobhán's underworld contacts, of which she had plenty, had mentioned an smuggling activity in this area. If their business wasn't strictly legal, interfering probably wouldn't upset any of the Captain's associates.
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 17, 2018 4:07:33 GMT
A feral grin spread across Siobhán's face as she unfolded herself from the small writing desk that was one of the perks of having a captain's cabin. "Tell First Mate Anand to bring us about and hail her. Best not to attack unprepared!"
The well-maintained wooden steps creaked softly under her feet as she ran to the upper deck and swung herself into the rigging to get a look at the ship for herself. Dignity, in the democratic environment of the Sapphire Lady, wasn't something that any of the crew except perhaps the bookish Sailing Master was overly concerned with.
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Post by Strigus on Apr 17, 2018 4:31:35 GMT
Despite the low hoarseness of Matthias' voice, he was able to achieve surprising volume as he bellowed, "Pursue!" up. Before the Captain had even gone above deck, she could already feel the ship turning toward her prey. Clearly the rest of the crew was a eager for the excitement as Siobhán was.
Once on the deck, Siobhán could clearly see the ship moving at breakneck speed. It would seem that the Sapphire Lady turning unexpectedly toward them had spooked the vessel, whatever her purpose was, and she was now giving everything she had as she raced toward the sunset. Unusual behavior, but then a lone ship changing course directly another lone ship was suspicious. Perhaps the Sapphire Lady had even acquired a reputation as a fearsome pirate ship. Or, perhaps the prey was up to some illicit activities and was jumpy at the thought of being caught. Regardless, the crew didn't need to be ordered, and began speeding up in pursuit.
"Cannons are still out of range, Cap'n. E'en so, should we fire a few warnin' shots and put up ol' Roger? Or'd you rather keep up the chase? I reckon the Lady'll be able to catch her 'fore she can get safe."
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 17, 2018 6:11:01 GMT
The wind whipped Siobhán's hair, teasing fiery strands out from under her feather-bedecked (magnificent, in her opinion) hat. Squinting slightly, she held a hand out for a spyglass. A ship changing course for another was not so unusual as it might seem; captains would often sail close enough to exchange flag-encoded information about nearby dangers and news from the mainland. That the other ship was paranoid enough to flee immediately, without any kind of attempt to see what the Lady wanted, was interesting. The suspicious part of her wondered if it might be a trap. It seemed unlikely, with no land or other ships in sight, but it paid not to make any assumptions of safety on the high seas.
"Can ye see her flags?" she called up to the lookout -- from this distance, and heading into the light, her unaided eyes were having trouble making out the details of the ship's construction, let alone any other signs of its identity and purpose. She could taste the sea, salt and copper, like blood in her mouth. Her eyes watered. "Chase 'er a bit longer, me lads and lasses, but keep well out of her range. I would see if she's worth taking before we run up the Roger."
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Post by Strigus on Apr 18, 2018 3:05:03 GMT
The East India Company's flag flew proudly from the ship, though flags were often deceptive. Siobhán knew that herself with the innocuous flag her own ship sported. It's model was strange, but as the sun's harshness retreated a bit more down the horizon she was able to identify it as a fluyt. An older model, but still in use, noted for being a dedicated cargo ship. Its wartime capabilities, and by extension ability to ward off a pirate attack, would be limited, as would its speed while fully laden. Indeed, the Sapphire Lady already seemed to be gaining on them. Something they seemed to notice as well and, as if in answer the Captain's question, her strained eyes could just make out tiny specks hitting the water to create tiny upward splashes in the distance. They appeared to be dumping some cargo to gain speed, or perhaps to slow their pursuers.
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 18, 2018 4:06:31 GMT
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The other ship looked like a perfect target, and her flying John Company's flag only sweetened the pot. Too perfect a target, mayhaps, but Siobhán hadn't turned pirate to stop seizing the day by the throat.
"Full speed ahead!" she called. "Starboard cannon at the ready -- and let's run up the Roger!"
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Post by Strigus on Apr 20, 2018 4:20:11 GMT
Charisma 2 + Leadership 2 r2SZ8prR
As the Captain roared her ordered over the howling wind, the sailed shifted slightly and the ship began her pursuit in full. The prey had continued dumping crate after crate of cargo into the water, and began to speed up as well. Even so, the Sapphire Lady was faster, slowly but steadily making progress toward it. Any noticeable gains took time, however, and the sun was nearly down. After a short while, the ship was theoretically in range, though it would clearly be a difficult shot. Closer range, however, would have to wait until the sun was fully set, which might limit visibility and also make for a difficult shot. By this time, Matthias had come up, and was standing beside her. He knew the decision of whether to fire now or wait was running through her mind, so didn't speak, but his presence was enough for her to know he was waiting expectantly.
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 20, 2018 23:58:20 GMT
Damn. Siobhán winced slightly every time another crate went splashing into the deep, depreciating the other ship’s value. Again the suspicious part of her mind spoke up — how much could the cargo be worth if they were willing to dump so much of it? Then again, perhaps the other captain was merely smart enough to realize that partial profits were better than none, and was dumping the least valuable items first.
If this kept up, though, there might be nothing left to salvage.
Well, not nothing, the pirate captain amended. There would always be a sailor or two willing to turn pirate, lumber and hardtack to replenish the Lady’s own supplies; maybe even a passenger to hold hostage, though that was perhaps too risky for the crew’s liking. Nonetheless, Siobhán had far more faith in her gunners than she did in a stranger on another ship.
”Fire!” she bellowed, then turned to Matthias. “And get out one of the nets if we have the time. I’d see if we cannae fish one o’ those crates out the drink and take a look inside ‘er.”
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Post by Strigus on Apr 24, 2018 16:05:16 GMT
Gunner at 2 Dex + 2 Firearms BNBoI9Gz
Remarkably at such a distance, The Sapphire Lady lobbed cannonballs with incredible accuracy. The first shot struck the prey's main mast, splintering it and crippling their movement. Unless they had a dramatic plan of escape up their sleeve, any hope of escape was shattered with the mast. It would still take a bit of time to catch the ship at this distance, but she was effectively dead in the water.
Matthias returned above deck with a net, and when he began fishing for one of the closer crates the crew took notice. Normally they might hesitate to shift from pursuit, but given the success of the first show they veered slightly starboard and helped him to seize the crate. Pulling it up, he wasted no time in prying it open, revealing sugarcane as its contents. Not worthless, to be sure, but certainly not valuable enough to warrant the other ship's behavior. Not illegal either, nor even particularly uncommon.
The cannon had stopped firing after such a successful shot, but at the Captain's word would continue. The rest of the crew wordlessly awaited the Captain's next decision. It was not unusual to put an enemy vessel to the sword if they fled, encouraging others to simply surrender and making their jobs much easier. Of course, this skittish ship had fled even before putting up the Roger. As the Lady continued toward her, and the crew occupied itself with the tasks at hand, but Siobhan knew what was on their mind. ···
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 24, 2018 22:22:07 GMT
"Prepare for boarding," Siobhán ordered as the Lady sped towards the other ship. "No need to waste more shot." Her gunners had done an excellent job; perhaps the rest of the crew would agree a small bonus was in order for them.
It was the contents of the crate that were bothering her, now. The sugarcane seemed like confirmation of her hypothesis: if that was all that was on the ship, they wouldn't have fled so quickly. There must be something else in the other ship's belly, something worth all the trouble. Her heart pounding, Siobhán raised the spyglass in her hand to her eyes once again, hoping to make out the name on the ship's side as they drew nearer.
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Post by Strigus on Apr 25, 2018 2:09:51 GMT
First, Perception: YlSeUi7e If successful, Int + Linguistics
Unfortunately, despite the amazing rolling on the second one, the first one was a botch, meaning the second won't be used.
Looking through her spyglass, she strained to catch the letters... B... R... I... G... before the ship shifted and she could make it all out. It was the Brigand Dragon, a mighty warship-turned-pirate ship when it's Captain, Immanuel Stone, went mad and began killing his officers. Without a qualified leader, one of the crew rose up and took the ship by force, rumored afterward to have been possessed by the spirit of Captain Stone when, after being run through several times, he was finally thrown overboard and keelhauled. This ship was clearly not a warship, but Captain Siobhan had no doubt that the same crew, or at least another crew with a similarly merciless bend, would be awaiting them.
Having fetched a boarding axe, Matthias asked, "We taken prisoners, or just crates?" ·······
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 25, 2018 8:07:11 GMT
Shite! Damn! Fuck me in the arse! Siobhán's eyes were wild, her face white as the foam on the churning waters in their wake. It must have been a trap all along, the Dragon's crew must have heard of the Lady, must have spotted her and decided to get rid of the competition. The sugarcane in the crates seemed deeply ironic now, a sweet bait to draw the Lady in-- Siobhán took a deep breath. They couldn't have counted on her gunners blowing their main mast off. Or maybe they could have, she realized, beginning to panic again; maybe the prize that the Dragon was after was the Lady herself. What pirate wouldn't want to get off that wallowing fat hog of a ship? All of this flashed through her mind in an instant. She whirled around, coattails flying, as Matthias' words floated over her shoulder. " Unless my eyes deceive me," she hissed, practically shoving the spyglass into the man's stomach, "that ship is the Brigand Dragon! If we don't turn around, they'll board us! We'll be shark dinners!" Gesturing expansively at the horizon, she added, "Would you like to see for yourself?" Hope asking Matthias to double-check isn't too metagame-y; this was fun to write but it made me wonder if I should just not look at dice rolls until after I've got a post drafted, because it was a real challenge to try not to argue with fate.
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Post by Strigus on Apr 25, 2018 18:50:07 GMT
I'll allow it, but also make a leadership roll as well to keep Matthias, and by extension the crew, from questioning the Captain's competence. Sound fair? Matthias' Perception: ZDH9gc|C So 1 success - a one = Failure, but not a botch Siobhan's Charisma+ Leadership Ditto. 1 success - a one = Regular run of the mill failure.
"I can't quite make it out, Captain," Matthias replied. He had some skepticism in his voice. "No need to overreact, though. I don't care if its the Flying Dutchman, though, we've got her crippled. Let's move in for the kill. If I hadn't seen you in action before, Captain, I'd say hysteria's taking root." Given the crew's previous experience with mutiny, there was a touch of threat to this comment.
The rest of the crew seemed to be following Matthias' lead, or rather hadn't made any changes since Siobhan's moment of panic. They had finished arming themselves, and sailed forward ready to board. ·····
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Post by Siobhán Meredydd on Apr 27, 2018 5:55:06 GMT
Siobhán bit her lip. Her heart was still pounding, but Matthias had a point; she wasn't doing the crew any favors by panicking.
"Well..." she conceded. "This is a democracy. Alright, lads -- let's give them hell." And wouldn't that be something, if her crew took out a crew arrogant enough to name their ship after something that was more than likely a myth? Nervously, she rubbed the pommel of the sword at her hip. Siobhán still couldn't shake the twisting in her gut that usually meant she was making the wrong decision. And yet. Perhaps it wasn't much of a decision after all; if she tried and failed to hold them back, her being voted out of office was the best of the possible outcomes.
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Post by Strigus on Apr 27, 2018 17:03:10 GMT
As the Sapphire Lady reached in other vessel, the real name came into view as the Brigaki djilia. Several of the pirates were eager to go, and as soon as boarding distance was reached swung on wide arcs and hurled themselves onto the enemy vessel. "NO QUARTER!" Matthias bellowed, though he wasn't on that first wave- he had lived long enough to know the glory gained from being first was short-lived, but the risks were very real. Sure enough, a few of the crew fell to pistol shots, which rang deafeningly even over the roar of the waves.
Gunman from the Lady returned fire, the survivors of the first wave were sparring with the crew of the prey ship, and another wave was making ready to board. Siobhan could feel Matthias trying to steal her influence, and he had practically pushed her to be among the second wave onboard. Though it would increase her chances of dying so he could take over, it would also restore her authority to the ship, so she went along with it. Mid-swing, she watched an enemy take aim at her, following her carefully with his gun before a deafening BANG resounded, and he collapsed. At least she still had the support of some of her crew.
Landing, with sword drawn, the Captain had no trouble finding a combatant, as the enemy crew surged forward. One crewman in particular raised his cutlass and slashed toward her.
Initiative: Siobhan: fYAoyO|2 + 4 + 4 = 15 Enemy: + 3 + 2 = 14
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