War-overlord
Responsible
Undefeatable Hero
Presidente of Isla del Tropico
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posted May 22, 2006 09:17 PM |
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Captain's log (ICTC storytable) Chapter two
FoG
9th day of the third month 940 YSD
We were a third suncycle out when we met up with our escort. The Sparkseeker is a slightly smaller ship designed for both scouting and skirmishing. The leader is an Under-captain and until we meet the other trio of war vessels I will be in command. We set sail immediately for a rendezvous point which was being arranged with the other three ships. Harkot at Bol Grin had told me that communications had been lost with trio but they were confident that they could be restored eventually.Whereas 4 days before I had been expecting nothing out of the ordinary it was clear now that we are going to be players in a larger theatre. Still, the lack of information grated on me.
Clotrag gave me a report saying that everything is normal but from what I had already seen the fire in the sailors hearts is still strong. The day started to get hazy. I knew that this part of the Southern Juekesh was not susceptible to strong hurricanes however the large province sized fog banks that roll off the Hereshian platueaus have a tendency to glide a long ways with the currents and engulf this area. Rumours speak of a supernatural origin however I am not willing to give much credence to that.
We rounded a series of rocky islands. They've been explored but offer nothing but 2 dozen varieties of stones, pebbles, and rock. Immediately after we passed the islands the haze we'd been under turned into a heavy fog. Our charts were still good for these parts so we merely slowed down and took soundings more frequently.
We were quite a ways out when I began to hear a whining sound coming from below decks. The other wolves caught it and soon it seemed the entire pen started whining and baying. This was highly unnerving as we did not know what was the cause. We found out mere moments later what it was; the smell had returned. Like a disease insinuating itself into a healthy organism it began to permeate our nostrils and shake our determination. We still had a day to go until we reached a likely rendezvous spot with the other three ships and my apprehensions began to weigh on my thinking.
I used a low Beluga horn to signal the Sparkseeker to come close to our ship. At this point I had the choice of continuing on or returning to the rocky islands. As I did not have enough information to make a good judgement I decided to continue. The baying continued and I decided to slow down even further.
The sun was still out although there wasn't much light that was penetrating down towards us through the fog. The raider captain meanwhile was trying to soothe the wolves, to no avail. We listened to a good amount more of that unnerving baying before the fog began to dissipate.
As the haze lifted I predicted that we would be emerging from the fog soon. I was right, and I was looking forward to knowing more about our present situation. A few seconds later and we were drifting out of the fog and able to take in our present situation. My heart surged when we saw a high masted ship in the distance, about our own size. This was it. Our mission was to seek and destroy. There would be no waiting interminably on this voyage, our destiny stared at us from a space of an hours sail.
The fire in my heart was quenched however when we saw another ship of the same size.
And another.
Three total.
I examined them closely and started to weigh calculations in my mind. Would we need to return to Bol Grin and set up a defensive formation?
We emerged from the fog a bit more and the picture became clearer.
Three more.
Total of six.
and another.
Suddenly we were entirely clear from the fog and I felt as if I had been punched in the gut by a giant.
The horizon was filled with ships. no flags, sails barely in order, some of them burnt. All of them churning through the waves as if propelled by a force of pure evil.
I barely had time to form a thought before a most hideous moan accosted us. It seemed to permeate the air from every direction. A thousand thousand souls crying for absolution…begging for eternal rest. I felt my guts begin to dissolve within me. The sound seemed to permeate our bodies and cement the paralysis that had overcome us a mere moments earlier. Was this some powerfull magic that we hadn't encountered yet? The ringing doubt and uncertainty paralyzed me even more.
"Today…" It was Mur'fass. He was on the foredeck and his arms were outstretched "Today, we go to Fugarass!"
Nobody spoke. They were all as stunned as I was. I knew that they needed leadership at this point but I had none to offer. What could 2 ships do against 3 or 4 dozen? We were going to be enslaved. My entire life had been a journey to this one point here where I would now go to serve a new overlord.
I thought of my mate…my mind was a chaotic jumble, as I knew everybody on the ship's were.
"Rejoice!" It was Mur'fass again. "For today Fugarass will welcome us into his fiery embrace"
I was now pummeled even harder by the reality of our situation. Clotrag was standing nearby and I could hear his breath was as quiet as mine.
"Clotrag what is your assessment of this?" I spoke in a voice that I hoped the crew could not hear.
He answered in a voice that had had it's entire lifeforce stolen from it.
"This is unreal…unreal….just unreal…"
unreal…
I stared forwards at our very real and approaching destiny.
unreal...
That's it! This can't all be real. There's no way that they could get a force this size so close to one of our best outposts without being noticed. This must be some type an Deathlord illusion. Some of them, maybe most of them must be some type of imaginary creation spawned from a Deathlord enchantment. Whereas before my soul had been absorbed into the complete and annihilating futility of our situation, a small flicker of hope was now ignited.
My training began to assert itself. Remain calm and think. My first priority….
"We shall bring glory to our households…"
…was to shut Murfass up.
"Today…" he continued
"Today…" I spoke in a voice that I was thankfull to Fugarass did not fail me. "Today when I woke up I saw a message scrawled upon my door…in glowing embers"
I had no idea what I was doing. Murfass was startled though, perhaps he had never seen anybody steal his show before.
"It said…" my mind left me.
and then it returned.
"It said when the seven albatrosses are drowned in the lake of fire. So shall you be called home…and not until then. With the fire of Fugarass so it is written."
I meant to say was written. Well I didn't have time to clarify that as I was now progressing to the final phase of me not knowing what I was doing.
"Mur'Fass prepare the incendiary pillars"
This was a spell that Mur'Fass knew. It had no relevancy to the present situation but I knew that he would be distracted in the process of following an order that he couldn't refuse on either practical or moral grounds.
"Clotrag prepare the ship for a full turn. I'm going to give you the signalman to help you with the oars.
"All mariners to the oars." I bellowed
I went down deep inside me and pulled out the strongest voice I could.
"ALL MARINERS TO THE OARS"
"Clotrag I want you to arrange short sprint shifts. We need some distance between us and them, as much as you can get."
I needed to look like I knew what I was doing and also like I was in command. I hoped severely that I was accomplishing this.
I took the signalman's flags and signalled myself for the Sparkseeker to make the turn. A full retreat.
Soon we would be heading north to attempt a link up with the other three ships. I sent out an albatross immediately for Bol Grin, appraising them of our situation. I knew that it wasn't in my place to do so but I urged an immediate evacuation. I wasn't familiar with the island that Bol Grin was on so I didn't know if retreating to the interior was an option. I also didn't even know if the Deathlords were aware of Bol Grin. Nevertheless I wasn't going to be the one that lead them back to it. I included in the note my route of retreat and made a prediction as to where I could intercept the other three ships. If I had been informed of the plans my superiors had put together I could have made a greater effort to align my own route with the three ships that we are supposed to meet. Once again I felt a bitter taste in my mouth at the intransigence of the naval command.
My plan now was simple in the planning yet uncertain and complex in the execution. I needed to find out what was real out of all that I was looking at and then I was going to join all the forces at our disposal and attack the Deathlords at their weakest point. Ah, but the thousands of swirling details and any one of them could completely destroy our chances of success. The most important detail that all this hinged on was whether or not the Deathlords would follow us, whether they would try to find and destroy Bol Grin, or whether this was an actual invasion on the Southern Jugand. If I continued south I knew that they would not follow me at all. My thinking therefore was that if I could lead them away from Bol Grin, the forces there could organize a counterattack. Unfortunately this required leading them back the 10 days towards Southern Jugand, which carried risks of it's own.
I now had a free moment to think about what we would do. The first thingthat we had to do was to try and figure out what was real and what was not in that terrifying mass of ships that was stalking us at a horizens distance. I called Clotrag and Murfass to a conference on the foredeck.
"This is an illusion" I told them.
Clotrag appeared struck and I could see a small surge of confidence begin fill his spine.
Truthfully I wasn't sure if it was an illusion but I needed to instill some type of hope in my crew and this was the only hope we had.
"We need ideas on how to figure out what is real and what is magical."
The signalman was already off from the first sprint of the rowing duties so I called him up to the foredeck.
"What is your name?" I asked him.
"Juruhrbin"
"Your new assignment is sit at the rail and begin studying those ships."
I turned to Clotrag. "Clotrag I want you to find the next 3 men with the best vision and assign them the same task. I too will be staying on deck. Murfass if you have any ideas I need to hear them now."
He was silent. He was intensely concentrating on the ships though so I knew that he was paying attention to what I was saying. I eventually dismissed them to their assigned duties and started making a mental checklist in my mind of things that we can do to prepare for the eventual showdown. The truth is however that at this point all we can do is run. Why had the scouts not picked these abominations up? I stopped asking myself why and tried to focus on the preparations for the inevitable conflict.
The weather had turned windy and it was now whipping against us. This was good because it dispelled all the fog in the area and because our limbs are mightier than the artificially imbued corpses that were following us. Our hard pressed sprints had gained us a few hours and I ordered a shift to begin regular rowing schedules. We could still see the outlines of the deathlords on the horizon although because it was night-time and they are cool by their very unliving nature we were not able to make out many details.
Despite our dire predicament I was cheered by the fact that our 4 watchers were still able to make jokes with each other, most of the jokes being at the Deathlords expense. I am currently standing watch with them and searching for clues as hard as they are. I am 4 hours into my sleeping shift and will probably continue in observation until I drop from exhaustion. Once more I make the rounds and ask for assessments.
I asked Mur'Fass to remain on the Foreship scoop. He refused so I gave him a direct order not to go to the foredeck under penalty of arrest. The last thing I need is some suicidal fanatic undermining my efforts to save this ship and my homeland. I feel the pen start to drop from my hands. At last I will get some rest. My first mate will wake me again after I've had a short rest.
KK*
10th day of the third month 940 YSD
The fourth suncycle sleep that I managed to catch were enough to revive my body and replenish my stores of adrenalin. It was the later that enabled me to jump to my feet as Clotrag entered my quarters to wake me, and the events of the day have produced a steady flow that is pumping through my veins still.
I headed onto the foredeck to see for myself if Clotrag’s report was indeed accurate. It was not that I doubted his word, but my mind was consumed with questions of reality and illusion. The sun was low in the sky, its pink entrance hovering over the water and highlighting the deathlords’ ships that were thankfully further in the distance than before. Although the knowledge that our manpower enabled us to widen this gap sedated me, the expanse made it more difficult to ascertain the true size of the enemy’s force.
I approached Juruhrbin, the signalman still sitting on the rails with his eyes directed at the horizon, and asked for his appraisal of the fleet of ships. The four watchers looked at each other before answering, a sign that I probably wasn’t going to like what I was about to hear. “Eyes on me” I barked at them, expecting an immediate reply regardless of its content. “Yes Captain” they chanted in unison, their fists pounding heavily against their chests. I forgave them for their previous digression, knowing full well that they had been on duty now for two shifts and I had not been in a position of power long enough to have forgotten the dull ache that this can impart on a person.
As I had directed my first question at Juruhrbin, it was he who responded for the group. He reluctantly told me that the numbers of the ships had not wavered. That when both the moon and sun were in the sky they had been able to clearly identify 34 of them. They noted too that each had unique characteristics signifying that if they were in fact illusions they were sophisticated ones, and not just copies of other vessels. Some of the ships were smaller than others, and only 12 of the 34 appeared to be as large as the Sparkseeker. That at least was comforting news.
The fog was settling in once more as the wind fell silent. I ordered Clotrag to find suitable replacements, sent the watchers to their hammocks, and headed for the navigator to see exactly just how far from Bol Grin we had led them. Looking at the maps with a clear head, I noticed that my first estimations had been overly optimistic, and that the channels of water curled around and swung back in towards the Northern end of the outpost. If they did not know of its location however, we would still be far enough past it that it would remain hidden. Although the first bird had not yet returned, I instructed Clotrag to send another Albatross to Harkot informing him of the situation.
I stood on the foredeck and considered my options, the sea spray biting into my cheeks and arousing in me a sense of purpose. Ironically, while staring wide-eyed at the hand that would probably tear my soul from my flesh, I felt as though my life finally held some meaning. There was no turning back. I could not tackle the pursuant vessels without reinforcements, so I was, and still am, committed to following the prearranged path towards Jugend, and I am hopeful that the Sparkseeker and I will not be alone when we reach the rendezvous point.
While staring into the depths and hoping this hope something disturbing happened. I was thanking Fugarass, watching the glorious fire display erupting from the volcanic islands around us, when I heard muffled voices below me. I could not mistake the distinctive quiver of Mur’Fass and readied myself for a confrontation should he disobey my orders and surface. I did not have to face this however as it was not the priest who climbed up on deck but Mariner Taigord. This shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did but it was some time since I’d had reason or the luxury to pursue my suspicions regarding his loyalty. This was a wake up call.
I saw him notice me before his body was fully visible, and I was amused by the fact that he could not retreat. His face was blank, a disciplined expression of deceit that he was noticeably proficient with. I was unsure of whether to confront him about his conversation with Mur’Fass or to keep this knowledge hidden. A direct address would probably have just result in more lies, so I let him go and later went to see one my more trusted mariners issuing him with surveillance duty. I need to discover the link between Taigord and Mur’Fass, I cannot think of any reasonable explanation for their paths to cross except through premeditation. This was the first disturbing event that occurred today, the second was soon to follow.
While pacing along the deck, looking to the sky for some guidance, it came. A loud whirring sound grating through the fog, a magical flash of an arrow imbued with the scent of the dead, pierced the sky high above a nearby volcano. All eyes lifted to it. And all faces fell as its target was revealed. I will never forget that sound, or the sight of our messenger’s feathers falling into a lake of fire. An albatross drowned.
W-o
11th of the third month 940 YSD
Yesterday is a day I will never forget. After everybody saw the albatross die in the volcano cauldron, the crew started seeing me in a different way. After a day and a half, I’m still not sure whether I like it or not. Before yesterday, the crew obeyed and respected me as a military officer, now however they follow me like I am the emissary of Fugarass. Even Mur’Fass treats me like I was the Priest-Elder.
Last night Clotrag came to my quarters to give me the night report, among other things. When he was done with his report I asked him to sit down.
“Any ideas or suggestions on our next move?” I asked him.
“You could start by predicting us winning the battle against the Deathlords, seeing as your last one came true,” he said with a slight chuckle. I didn’t like it, but it made sense
“Don’t joke like that, you know as well as I do that I made that up, just to shut up Mur’Fass. In a gear he would have had the crew ready to jump in the Cauldron of Tor’Karth.”
“Aye, he has a sharp tongue. Still after today I think you would get them to do the same in half a draw.”
“That is another thing I wanted to talk about, the crew seems to thing I’m the avatar of Fugarass and I don’t think I like it.” I said.
“Like it or not, it would be better for the morale and discipline if you played along,” he replied.
“Agreed. Any ideas on what we are going to do with the Deathfleet?” the crew started to call our pursuers the Deathfleet
“Aye, I’ve been thinking about that. You said that the fleet is a magic vision, not?”
“I certainly hope so, but I’m almost starting to doubt that,” I said almost mournfully.
“If it is, then our weapons would not harm the ships, would they?”
“That would make sense,” I replied.
“In my eyes, the only way to find it out is to try to hit one of the ships with something and see if it takes damage”
“Nice idea, to bad our ship is to small to have a ballista or a catapult and getting close enough to throw a lance would be awful risky. I’ll think about this though. But now I think it would be best if we get a good night sleep. Dismissed Mr. Clotrag”
Clotrag saluted and wished me goodnight as he left.
This morning, I saw that the gap between us and the Deathfleet had gotten even greater. The ships were almost dots on the horizon and distinguishing individual ships was near impossible. I immediately went down to the rowing deck and told the rowers to slow down and a few draws later I had the Sparkseeker be signalled the same order. Both crews seemed reluctant to slow down and they had every right to do so. Still, our death it may be, but we can’t afford to let the Deathlords lose track of us.
It wasn’t until late afternoon, that an idea came to me. It wasn’t going to be easy and it meant risking our greatest trump, our Siege Turtle. The enormous reptile and its rider have been following us since we left Bol Grin. Like al of their kind, the turtle had a unspoken blood bond with it’s rider and the only time the two were apart was when the rider slept aboard either Wrath’s Blade or the Sparkseeker. The plan was quite simple. I could send the Siege Turtle with two or three Lancethrowers to “sneak” near enough to the Deathfleet to test if they were real or not, then let them return to report. I risked them getting caught, but it was better then risking the entire ship. It was like the ancient proverb said; ‘If you do not shoot, you’ll always miss.’
I signalled the Turtlerider and with no apparent effort the turtle, that followed us from a minor distance, came alongside.
I saluted the rider and after he had saluted me back, I asked him.
“How long would it take you to go to the Deathfleet and come back, while carrying three passengers?”
The rider whispered something to the turtle and the reptile raised its head so that the rider could climb on its massive shell. The rider climbed to the middle of the shell and glanced to the fleet on the horizon. The thought for a moment and at last replied.
“If we returned immediately when we get there, it would take about three quarters of a suncycle.”
“Alright, come to my cabin in a load, I have a special mission for you”
After that I called Clotrag to get me three Lancethrower volunteers for a special mission and to send them to my quarters.
A small load later they stood in my cabin, al four of them. I explained my plan, and ordered them to “test” at least 16 of the ships. I also specifically told them to be very careful and that if they were caught they would likely be tortured and or executed.
Two loads ago they left and if my estimation is right, they should be back next morning. I pray to Fugarass that I have made the right choice.
FoG
12th of the third month 940 YSD
The morning brought no news of the reconaissance mission. I had given them flexibility to approach under their own terms so I was not worried yet.
The morning did bring with it a strong snapping wind though. It would blow inconsistantly and then gale and then subside for a while. It might have been some of the crosscurrents that met in this area although it was pretty strong for that. I found out it did have a good effect though when Clotrag came to me with some good news about the watchers. He requested my presence on the foredeck, saying that I should hear the watchers report in person. His voice suggested excitement and I caught it too.
It was Jurhurbin that summarized the report.
"Whatever is controlling these illusions hadn't planned for these type of winds. We can't necessarily tell which ones are real but several we know now are fake because the sails didn't react to this morning's weather like they were supposed to. I've identified 4, Mukhera has identified 3, Brogown has identified 2, and Odden Brrihmgout has identified another two. We've prepared a list and some pictures.
"Excellent, we needed a bit of good news." I told them. "That tall flagship, the one with the dragonskull on the front, is that real?"
"Can't say for sure. If there's a Deathlord on it, then he's a clever one."
By mid afternoon our watchers were getting excited over something else. They called me up to the deck and I watched the action as it occurred. Several of the ships, approximately 7, broke off from the main group and took a tangent. After awhile they circled around and malingered in one part of the ocean until they started to drop out of sight. Finally they resumed the previous course and pretty well stayed at the horizens edge until nightfall. I wondered if this had something to do with our reconaissance mission.
We changed course slightly to make it easier for the Turtle to meet us again in case this was true.
The sun set and I grew uneasy until we finally saw the code flares that our Turtle was sending us. We changed course and finally were able to talk to the men that had gone out the previous night. They looked exhausted and demoralized.
"The first thing that we did was we came in from behind and simply surfaced under one of the vessels. Just as you suspected, it was an illusion. We could pretty well see right through it. Our actions didn't dispell it though."
"Which one was it?"
"The two mast with the red gilding on the side."
"The one with no row ports?"
"Yes sir"
"Continue"
"We must have caught their attention though because immediately a strange effect appeared in the sky above us, like a…I don't know…a frame of visual confusion."
Murfass had come in and was listening to us by this time.
"It sounds like a simple observation spell." he added.
"Immediately several ships broke off from the main group." The Turtlerider continued.
So it was the turtle that caused the disturbance, I thought to myself.
The rider continued. "They had this new tactic I'd never seen before. They had these giant skeletons armed with long snaring chains and rasping knives. They merely dropped several of them overboard when one of their ships was above us. Most went straight to the bottom but several actually managed to land on the turtle and inflict massive damage to it's neck. As we had on our diving horns we couldn't really respond well, so we surfaced briefly and fought a terrible battle against these creatures. Meanwhile though the rest of the ships saw us and started to close in on us. We finally dispatched these diving skeletons and depite being weakened our turtle gave it her best and finally managed to evade them and come back here. Our reconassaince misison was a failure though."
I thought over what he had said.
"It wasn't a complete failure." I told him. "Do you remember what ship the skeletons came from?"
"It was the large flat rower with the improvised sail rigging. It looked heavy and well armored."
So the final contribution the mission had made had been the identification of one fake and one real one. Plus we discovered a new tactic and confirmed the use of another one (the illusions). On the whole though this was not good. We still had two dozen ships to go before we could come up with a decent battle plan and because our communications had been cut we only had a tiny chance of ever meeting the other 3 ships, who were themselves lost.
I had been brewing on an idea all day long. The longer I thought about it the more that I realized it was the only real option left. I consulted with Clotrag and we decided to put the plan into action.
W-o
13th of the third month 940 YSD
If the winds stay the way they are now I can put my plan into action in the late afternoon. If my calculations are correct, we should arrive at the Halberd Reefs in the early afternoon. The Halberd Reefs are the most treacherous reef known in Mara’Xash, only the tips of the reef surface, but barely a hands length beneath the surface the reef is a bed of corral spikes and boulders. I plan to lead the Deathfleet right over this reef, hoping that they wreck their ships on the reef. I hope that we will be able to navigate through the reef, with that I will have to rely on the skill of my mariners and my officers. Still it will be at least half a suncycle before we actually reach the reef, I will inform the crew of my plan in a little while, I have to eat my breakfast first.
I have just informed the crew of my plan. I had the entire crew pulled away form their duties to hear the plan, I also had the under-captain of the Sparkseeker come over to the Wrath’s Blade to do the same. I still have the luck that of most of the crew still believes that I have some divine guidance. It made it a whole lot easier for them to accept my plan, any others who would have come up with the same plan would have been dismissed as having lost their mind, yet I pulled it of. After I had revealed my plan, my status among the crew was pointed out even more. Immediately after I stopped speaking, one of the crew members shouted : “If our favoured captain believes in this plan, we can only triumph !” After that the whole crew joined with cheers, bellows and roars. Even after I had sent them back to their duties, the aura of excitement lingered. When I wanted to return to my cabin, the Navigator attracted my attention, even though he failed miserably to hide from the rest of the crew. As I neared him I could clearly see that the excitement of rest of the crew, had not rubbed of on him. The two black tattooed stripes that ran vertically over his eyes, which marked his as a member of the Tidal Hawk clan, made him look extra grim.
“You do realise that we could wreck our ship, if we carry this through ?” he asked, rhetorically. “It is quite clear that they have never been to the Halberd Reefs.”
“You have, Genjis, you can get us through.”
“Flattery won’t help you, Captain,” he replied. I never meant to flatter him, just to reinsure him
“Are you taking your tall stories back then ?” a mariner shouted from a lower deck.
“Don’t interrupt us !” I shouted back a the interrupter.
“He’s right, I’ve often bragged how I steered my last assigned ship through those reefs,” Genjis sighed. “I’ll do it, Captain. But we’ll need to reef the sails to a quarter and have the rowers stand down. I’ll also need several lookouts on several points on the ship. But even then can I not guarantee that we’ll be able to pull it of.”
“I’ll have the First Mate arrange it,” I said.
While I was writing this, I heard a splashing thump op on the deck. As I opened the door of my quarters, I saw an Orc rushing towards me. It was the Lancethrower I had whipped days before. I could see the panic in his eyes. “Should follow, Sir… ” was all he could say. I followed him to the fire brazier on the front deck, the same we used to sacrifice the black dolphin nine days ago. “By the smouldering crest of Fugarass,” I uttered, as I saw the scene. In the brazier contained a considerable amount of oil and in that puddle lay an albatross. The wooden shaft still stuck out of it’s chest.
“The second albatross drowned…”
“In a pool of liquid fire.” Mur’Fass finished my sentence. I hadn’t noticed him coming along side of me
“We should send this little messenger to Our Burning Lord” he said solemnly. I nodded my agree. Mur’Fass held the orb on his staff near the puddle of oil. As his eyes flamed, the puddle caught fire. The fire quickly cleansed the body. Mur’Fass already turned away.
“Have you treated the wounds of the Siege Turtle, Mur’Fass ?” I asked him.
“Yes, I have used one of my most potent salves. The wounds should be completely healed tomorrow morning,” he replied. “May Fugarass lead us through these reefs”
“I’m sure he will, Mur’Fass.”
“I’m not, The Volcano Lord has been silent to me for the past few days. His influence seems to be spread thin in these parts, it took me a lot of effort to evoke even that small fire.” then I noticed that Mur’Fass seemed very tired, his eyelids were darkend with shortage of sleep; even his beard seemed to be more grey then before
“You should get some…” was as far as I got. Mur’Fass slumped and collapsed on the deck. As he dropped his staff, the small light in the orb died out.
“Get the priest to his quarters,” I ordered two Mariners, “Have someone keep watch over him at all times and write down everything that he may say in his sleep.”
As I saw the two Mariners carry the unconscious priest, I felt a sudden rush of anger. No doubt the Deathlords had something to do with the weakness of Mur’Fass. My anger was still boiling, like the foam around my tusks at that moment, when I heard the Navigator call out: “Reef the sails ! Cease rowing at once ! The Reefs are near ! All lookouts to their stationed posts !”
I knew I couldn’t afford to loose myself in bloodlust at this moment. It took me great effort, but I managed to calm myself.
While I am writing this we are navigating our way through the reef, for a third of a suncycle now. It is a haphazard mission, the best way to describe the current state of the ship and the crew is : Organised chaos. Every few draws, one of the Mariners bellows out to Genjis to manoeuvre the ship to port or starboard. Only to miss a spike of corral by less then a hand width. Up in the two masts of the ship, the Mariners are keeping the sail in the most preferable state. Genjis is manning the helm of our ship, along with two handpicked Mariners. Their job is the hardest, they have to steer while trying not to damage the hull or the helm itself.
<The rest of the page is covered by a large blot of ink>
KK*
14th of the third month 940 YSD
I feel so alone here. The Isle of Miroa haunts me, and although I try to banish the memories of failure from my mind, they linger like the dull ache of a cheek battered by the hand of a foe. Most of the crew is uninjured in body, but their spirits have been shattered. The bloodlust-fuelled delirium that was leading us through the maze of coral has been exhausted, and its loss has left us feeling empty and weak. Murfass’s lack of consciousness has exasperated this, and as of yet none of his breath murmurs have resembled coherent words. There is no sign forthwith of Fugarass’s protection.
I am writing this entry upon a rock. The well of ink is glistening in the firelight and resembling the deep pool of helplessness swelling within me. I must gain control of my thoughts.
The impact of our ship upon the reef was a violent, chaotic confusion that I am not even sure of all the details myself. I am going to confer with the first mate and the cleric and record the precise details in the unlikely event that this will required in a judicial setting. For right now though my mind is occupied by our current surroundings.
It has been some time now since we moved ashore. As far as I can tell there was no loss of life during the impact, and there is no rain in sight. The island we are stranded on is large; to the west lies a great mountain range, its imposing stance covering a large proportion of the landscape. The beach itself is soft sand, and there is enough vegetation to offer some protection from the elements. It is here that we have made camp. Scouts have been sent in all directions, and as we have only one more bird with us I am waiting for more information before risking it.
I have enough to worry about at the moment. Seven of the Deathlord’s ships are closing on us. They seem to move quite freely through the reefs which suggests that they are merely illusions. Just what their purpose or capabilities are is still unknown however. The stench of the dead is growing stronger… The Ashwolves are unsettled, as the gentle sway of the ocean no longer sedates them, they howl at the moon, each note sending another shiver through me.
I must maintain focus. Some promising news came through examination of the maps. The island we are on is large, although unnamed. It stretches far to the west reaching out to the passage, its beaches sharing the same body of water as Bol Grin. This is clear water, a few rocks but no reef. No ship either…
…Clotrag just informed me that Murfass has opened his eyes, his orb glows once more. I must see him without delay.
FoG
Recapitulation of the Crash
I have just consulted with Clotrag and some others and I have compiled a full account of what happened during the crash.
From all reports the impact with the reef could not have been avoided. I was below deck making my last entry when we hit, the collision spilling ink, and my hopes of a clean escape with it. Immediately I heard commands being shouted up above. We still had a chance to escape and I knew that Clotrag was already organizing mariners to try and pry our ship off the reef.
When I came to the deck there were already a few Orcs overboard. They were using the long oars to try and pry the ship loose although I really didn't think that would be helpfull until we had an entire team working at the same time.
Suddenly there was the most horrendous lurch and the sound of splintering wood. One of the deathlords ships had collided with us and that is when all chaos broke loose. I immediately recognized it as the 2 mast merchant vessel we had nicknamed Fatty. It drew low in the water and I was surprised to see it make it as far as we had.
Some Orcs had already brandished their weapons and were either standing on the reef or were swimming towards the ship to prepare an assault. Clotrag told me later that he was trying to get the Orcs to stay back until he could organize a unified assault.
Irregardless that final horrendous collision was a deathknell so I gave the command to abandon ship. There was so much confusion though that I doubt anyone heard it. Mostly this was caused by several shadowy shapes that were leaping onto our lurching ship.
One of them landed nearby but was moving too fast for me to see clearly. I found another Orc nearby and we immediately went into battle formation, although there was confusion as to which role we should play. Typically when we are facing a more powerfull creature
, one Orc serves a deterrent and distraction role while the other readies his lance for an impalement. It only took me a moment to pull my double-handed battle hammer off my back and I brought it against the shadowy shape in a bludgeoning maneuver to give the other Orc time enough to proceed with the impalement. The creature was inhumanely strong though which automatically let me know that I was dealing with one of the blood-suckers. He slipped underneath my hammer and floored me with a severe gash across my legs. My legs only suffered small injuries but my armor was bent and ripped apart in the process. I had no idea what happened then but I found out much later that the other Orc, who's name was Binghal of the Oregrinder clan.had carried through a successfull impalement. These bloodsuckers are actually quite light and Binghal had merely tossed him overboard. Since I hadn't seen any more about this particular bloodsucker I assumed Binghal tossed him onto the wet side and not the coral side. Perhaps the bloodsucker is still wading around underwater with the barbed lance still stuck in him.
There were four other bloodsuckers besides the one that Binghal had just taken care of. One was unfortunate enough to land near the main entrance to the hatch to the Ashwolf pen. The orcs merely kept him at bay long enough for the pen-keepers below to unleash the wolves. He was ripped to pieces although we are currently examining the wolves to see if the bloodsuckers bite has affected any of them.
These blood-suckers have this method were they move swiftly enough to get two claws in an opponent and then they merely rend the opponent apart with their enhanced strength. With the lurching ship and being heavily outnumbered though they were unable actually kill anyone. Later on, when the ships broke apart the 3 blood-suckers saw that there was no back-up and they merely lept onto the rigging and fled back to their ship.
The seperation
I heard another hideous crashing sound then and I saw the Deathlord ship was pushing away from us.
I found out later that this was actually our War Turtle that had done this. Nobody though has since heard of the turtlerider and we are still hoping for contact.
I was suffocating at this time for the Deathlords had already blown their noxious numb-vapors towards us. Our firmly grounded ship was also starting to break up on the reef so I grabbed whatever important possessions and navigational tools I could, tied them into a sack and roped it around my belt. Next I made my way to where Murfass was. He was in a sad state, for he had been knocked off his bunk and was still unconscious. I hastily assembled whatever possessions of his looked important and put it in my bag. I then hefted Mur'Fass out of his quarters. Once on deck I ordered the nearest Orc I could see to help me chop off enough planking put Mur-Fass on. By the time we finished I could already hear the sea sloshing around the deck below ours. I lashed Mur-Fass to the planking and threw him overboard myself. I followed immediately afterward. We might have been the last ones to leave.
Through shouts and other means of communication were mostly able to stay together as a group although several of the Ashwolves got lost. They are hardy creatures though and not unaccustomed to water and I don't doubt that we will see them again unless the deathlords capture them. The waves were picking up though and we began to fear somewhat when clouds obscured the moon for half a sun-cycle.
When dawn arose we saw an island in the distance and we made for it. We could also see at least two deathlord ships fixed on the reefs and another one breaking up and I was overjoyed to find that we had at least done a decent trade of three for one. There were several others though that were still moving around and I decided to try and examine them later as best I could.
There was no sign of the Sparkseeker or our own now demolished ship.
After we waded ashore I was filled with a deep sense of foreboding. If we had gotten to shore so easily, what about the masses of animated corpses that were spilling out of the three wrecked ships. We have an advantage on the sea due to our long experience with the ocean but on land things are more uncertain.
W-o
15th of the third month 940 YSD
I’m writing on the second day on this island. All the scouting parties I’ve sent confirm it, this island is uninhabited, save us. Like most islands in Mara’Xash, this one is covered in lush mangrove jungles, thickets and beaches. Al resting on a dormant volcano. There is fruit a plenty in the mangroves and the fishing isn’t bad either, which makes food one less worry. Also it’s refreshing to have fresh food for a change, the dried and salted fish and fruit which make up our ship rations are nutritious but very plain
Our makeshift camp is shaping up quite well. Using the wreckage of our ship and several trees we’ve cut down, we constructed several cabins. I’m particularly happy with them, as they came in quite handy during the downpour of last night
There are just enough cabins to house all the of the crew save the guards, as officer in charge I share my considerable smaller cabin with Clotrag and Genjis and we will be joined by Mur’Fass when he has recovered. I have our camp constantly guarded by ten or more Orcs, we still don’t know what happened to the bulk of the Deathfleet, which makes such precautions necessary. The Ashwolves nest by the fireplace, they’ve dug a shallow pit which they use as a communal burrow. Our Ashwolves now number seven, five of which escaped along with the crew, the other two have made it to this island on their own, which leaves one still missing.
The recovery of Mur’Fass yesterday was short-lived, while he did wake up for a moment, he collapsed again as he tried to sit up. He did the same thing very late last night and this morning, which shows us at least that he is fighting his illness. Like Genjis joked this morning, ‘Mur’Fass is to rockheaded to let some illness keep him down.’ It’s near noon now, but I’ll have to stop writing for the time being, I’m leading a huntingparty and we’re to leave in a few gears.
The hunting was a success. We took the last of the Ashwolves with us, the rest was issued to the scouting parties. The Ashwolf, which turned out to be Bladefang, sniffed out three Brushhorns and several Junglegeese. Though a few of the Geese got away, we’ll have enough food for tonight. As we came back to camp, I issued all the fish caught today to be dried and salted, we will need rations of we are to stay here long. I then learned form the guards that five of the Deathlord’s skeletons washed up on shore. They were quickly taken care of by the Guards I’ve posted, it appears we are not yet rid of these intruders of our lands. Yet for now, we can only try to hold this camp and take care of whatever will wash ashore. We’ve learned that the Deathlords have more in store for us as these flimsy bonecreatures and I’m sure that at some point we’ll have to deal with the Lords themselves, though I pray to Fugarass that we’ll be given a ship by then. It is no more use writing now, there is nothing more to report of and I need to get some sleep as I will be leading an early morning scoutingparty.
FoG
16th of the third month 940 YSD
Things have taken a drastic turn for the worse....
My scout party started out early this morning with 3 ashwolves and 5 mariners. Clotrag meanwhile set out with a similar scouting party in the other direction and then we split the remainder into a hunting party and group tasked with using whatever tools we had available to make a raft.
Our group set out first. We followed the beach for half a suncycle until we came to an unpassable outcropping, so we decided to head inland. After a short while we rejoined the sandy beach and were shocked at what we saw. Standing upright and oblivious to the world was a motley assemblage of the dead, strewn down the beach as far as the eye could see. It was mostly comprised of skeletons, along with a few giant skeletons such as the turtle rider had described. And lastly there were animated corpses of a multitude of different races and origins. I also spied several goblins and several larger humanoid corpses as well as others I couldn't even identify. They were thinly spread at the moment and did not appear to be in direct command from their deathlords, so I decided to use this opportunity to the fullest.
Instantly I formed a battle plan. I sent a couple of our youngest recruits further up the beach. They were to approach via the jungle and then either cause a distraction, or hopefully lead some of the enemy into the jungle for easy destruction later by the re-united scout party.
The second party, which was going to be led by me, was to move a small ways up the beach and prepare for an ambush.
The third party, comprised of the ashwolves that we had brought, were to launch themselves directly onto the beach and charge while my party came in from the jungle for a flanking maneuver.
As I and a few others crept through the thick vegetation, I reminded them that our survival on this island was tenuous, and that if we were to survive we would have to annihilate anything from the deathfleet that washed up on our shores.
I finally saw the ashwolves charging up the beach and it brought back the most wonderful memories of my own time in the cavalry. I gave the order then and we came down screaming from the jungle cover. Even when facing a group of charging ashwolves the dead were slow to react. I was sure now that they were beyond the control of one of their deathlords.
I was impressed with our ashwolves. They seemed even more savage than the crew that I had led. The first 3 corpses were easy work. As they went down I noticed seaweed and other ocean debris strewn about and mingled with their bodies. Next we encountered a giant armored skeleton and tore it to pieces followed quickly by 2 or 3 vaguely humanoid creatures. The easy part was over now and we got into a battle formation to sweep the beach. In mass we moved together and met a row of assorted creatures. It was tough going this time and our caution in not losing any members was starting to eat away at the time we had.
Brogath had been injured against the skeleton warrior and I saw him fall back to cut the heads off the deathslaves, thus preventing their easy re-assimilation into the deathlord army. I took a moment to look down the beach at how the first group was doing. I could only see one of them though, with several creatures in pursuit. The plan had been successful, although I worried because I did not see his partner.
My immediate surroundings called my attention again and I refocused on the deathslaves who were just now finally succombing to our combined efforts. I was dripping with sweat when the final corpse was rent in half with a hideous ripping sound.
I got a space to breathe and noticed that farther down the beach though I could see that the remaining enemy had formed a solid wall of festering flesh. We only had a few moments before the group would be rushing us.
When the dead outnumber the living it is an exceptionally dangerous situation, for they react differently than a normal opponent. One of them will willingly sacrifice himself so that another will gain the opening to cut you down. I gave the order to retreat and my company gladly agreed. We jumped into the canopy and made for the rocky outcropping that we had skirted earlier in the day.
All in all it was a successful sortie. We cut down 14 deathslaves and a giant with only one loss on our side whom I found out later was named Salgoan. Some of the animated corpses apparently had been rock ogres who felled him with thrown beach debris soon after he had appeared.
Our day's travails were not over though. On our way back we cut inland and Juruhrbin quietly drew my attention to a distant tree. Perched amongst the upper branches of the tree I could see a lone bloodsucker. Even at this great distance I thought I could make out his long narrow face staring at us intently.
He was far out of range and I knew that he was unaware we had seen him. Another gamble presented itself. In soft tones I commanded everyone to ready their lances. All we had to do was knock him out of his tree so when we had moved within range I gave a subtle command and the entire company whisked our lances at the bloodsucker spy. We must have all missed because I could hear him fleeing amongst the treetops, scampering branches along the way.
This was bad news for us now because they probably knew our approximate location. We made haste to retrieve our lances and return to the camp. Night was about to set when we arrived. I was completely relieved when we were re-united with our main cohort. A scouting party that I had sent in the opposite direction brought back no news of the deathlords so I knew that we would have to focus our future attentions on the side that my party had explored.
A hunting party though came back with several ground birds as well as some rodents and a pile of vegetables that looked remarkably similar to our Berga gourds.
I gave orders to make haste in both eating and then breaking camp. They knew our general location now and it was obvious that we should move to a new location, especially considering night is their ally and not ours. Mostly though I was worried about meeting one of the deathlords without Mur'Fass's assistance.
My plan now is to keep moving. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to knock away at the deathlord army piece by piece until we were either reinforced with more troops or until we can claim ownership of the island, although right now I am weighed down with pessimism, as we do not yet know how many we face..
Tomorrow there will likely be more action.
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Vote El Presidente! Or Else!
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