Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

15th of Ashan, Freezing Weather
Nearing Viden’s Sea, On the Way To…
Continued From Here

“Keep her steady Mr Farlow!” Their captain called. Fifteen straight trials of being chased with the wind behind them, they’d found themselves entering the cold waters that stood around the mouth of Viden's nearby sea, having to slow for the ice and more treacherous waters that lay ahead of them around the north of the world. Their pursuers hadn’t let up, flying their skulls and bones, it didn’t take a genius to see the merchant vessel was in for it here amongst the icebergs, the uncertain treacherous shoreline following the north most tip of the world offering no safe harbor or escape.

Sailors looked exhausted, cold and tense, even the ones that had been saved had lost their celebratory mood. Ae'garn on the other hand had been loving the adventure, it had been fifteen trials of chronicling a chase in the captain's journal, which Ae’garn had imagined from the stories would have been much more dramatic! Really what it had come down to was a long battle of seamanship and who had the best crew, captain and navigator. All fun stuff for the journal, if only he wasn’t freezing cold!

“Cap’in we still ain’t losing her, she’s definitely gainin',” someone high up from their crow's nest shouted.

They had the weight at over one thousand tons, with two cannons, two ballistas and two catapults they had some firepower, facing a brig with sporting four cannons, and a ballista or two. A smaller, faster ship, the brig was gaining on them now, slowly but surely, especially as the wind was shifting, and their sails weren’t much good into the wind. The brig was turning slower, the captain had worked that much out, even though it should be moving faster. Their pursuers were not able to quickly adjust to subtle changes in wind direction, that their own ship had made better use of. Perhaps it had a damaged rudder or something else was hampering it. Ae'garn didn't know what half of this meant, but he'd overheard them all speaking about it more than once, and was hanging on every word!

“It’s been a good run of luck Mr Heggan, but the wind has turned against us, roll out the canons. Bring us in closer to the shoreline and those icebergs Mr Farlow.” For anyone watching, taking the heavier ship closer to the coast was a gutsy move, but then Ae’garn had seen that before from the captain, when he’d saved the crew from the ailing ship, by risking his own to save more lives. It did give them slightly better access to the wind headed that way.

They were going to try and out turn the brig closer to the coastline, Ae'garn worked that much out, looking at the ice with wide, excited, and equally nervous eyes. “You’ll want to hold on to something,” the captain looked down to Ae’garn, and tapped the young Sev’ryn on the head, “I hope you are getting all this down lad!”

losing on the coast, Ae’garn did as he was told while he could, holding on to the railing, and his pen! Some of his writing went off the page as the ship lurched sharply right, and he felt queasy in his stomach with the sharper rocking on the deck. “Iceberg aft!!!” The hull lurched slightly as it passed by a chunk of the ice.

“Come on lads keep up!” The captain slapped Ae’garn on the back and made for the wheel, the device used to steer the ship at the rear of it. “I’ll take over thank you sailor!” Ready to take the helm personally, Ae’garn had to scamper to keep up with how fast he moved, standing on the highest point on the deck, they could see the sailors race about to change the sails, and rigging as they moved. It was like a painting Ae'garn thought, how they all raced about seemingly in another world, he was completely out of his depth and loved it!

The captain seemed the most skilled helmsman here, Ae’garn noted how he steered the ship. Long before he’d need to turn, or even think about turning the captain had, as each correction took a long time to change the direction of the heavy ship. Ae'garn was furiously writing all of this down in the chronicle, which no doubt was why the captain had asked for them to follow him! The pirate ship didn’t follow them toward the shoreline, and so was dropping back slowly. The pursuers tried firing their cannons but hit nothing but ice, spraying water up into the air thankfully out of range. A cheer went up from the deck and shouts for the captain followed.

“Everybody brace!” The captain shouted, and Ae’garn did but nothing happened, still nothing, the wheel had been turned but the delay of course meant the impact was not felt for a while. An iceberg cutting across the right side of the ship, the hull shook violently, men thrown to the deck, Ae’garn lost his footing and slipped to the floor. The sailor holding the chronicle he was writing in helped him up, and he looked about as others scampered about to see the damage, “Damage report Mr Farlow!”

“She’s taking on water captain, we can’t take another hit to starboard!” The ship's mate announced, the captain ordered Farlow below decks to contain the leak. Big ships were often able to close off sections, a sailor beside Ae’garn told him not to worry, explaining they'd be fine.

“We’ve got all we can out of the wind,” the captain looked back at the ship on their tail, they hadn’t let up, only buying themselves some time and distance. Handing the wheel back to a mate of the deck, he walked off briskly to inspect the ship, or maybe he had another plan?

“Keep up lads!” The two chroniclers in toe, their legs still barely able to keep even half time with how fast the old man moved.

atching an updraft of wind the pirate ship was gaining on them, so the Captain did another gutsy move and took her in a sharp turn around the Viden coastline into their channel, not knowing what he'd find. He took personal command of the riggers, ordering how he wanted the sail exactly to make the most of the slight crosswind now. Heading into Viden waters true enough, no heed paid to what was on the other side until it was too late. Cannon fire could be seen and heard ahead, their pirate hadn’t just been chasing them, he’d been headed here!

Ae’garn gawked at the naval battle going on ahead of them, three ships each side firing in line, three pirates and three of Viden’s navy holding them from escaping the channel. The pirates didn’t have the same discipline it seemed, as their line was already moving in different directions to try and surround the line of Eidisi naval ships. Ice cold water sprayed his face, shaking his wandering mind back to the present.

“Orders Captain!”

“Straight on through Mr Heggan! Full sail!”

Through choppier seas and eventually smoke, or splintered debris their ship sailed, the thunder of a naval battle in earnest coming to their ears. Full speed they were passing the first pirate, wondering how they’d react, everyone watched and waited…. the pirates barely turned, busy as they were on the Eidisi, but they did notice this new arrival.

They reacted just as you’d expect, “everybody take cover!” One of the mate’s signalled, a line of cannons blasted the railing and side of their hull, a ballista shot lodging itself firmly a few feet from Ae’garn, barely missing a sail mast. Phew, one of the sailors thanked U'frek, saying if it had of hit the sail, the three mast ship would be at a crawl! Ae’garn said a small prayer to the god of the seas himself, bowing his head and giving humble thanks. Writing in this environment was thrilling!

In the middle of the three pronged attack, the Eidisi boats held the firing line, while the pirates circled it left the Eidisi exposed in the stern or rear of their ships, but was absolutely merciless to whichever pirate ship happened to be the choice of the line's target, and the line got to fire cannon and ballistas from both sides which was a great advantage as the damage mounted.

“Mr Heggan, what’s say we answer them!”

“Aye Captain,” and so they readied their own guns and lined up their siege weapons.

“Steady… steady… release!”

boom of their own thundered out, along with two thuds from their siege weapons being sent. They’d only had time to ready the one cannon, their ballista and catapult doing the work too, turned toward the pirate’s on their left port side. It didn’t do a lot of damage as you might imagine but got their attention, as they were reloading again, the pirate ship was exchanging fire the opposite way with the Eidisi, caught between the two ships as it was.

“Brace!” The captain said again, because they were about to receive another broadside, the ship they were facing must have had four cannons at least! Unknown to Ae'garn, cannons were still a rarity on the sea because the black powder took so much time to produce, what wasn’t a rarity was the hail of arrows and crossbow shots striking them as they got closer. A man near Ae’garn was hit and he fell back prone. It all suddenly seemed far less fun, when people were yelling and screaming in pain.

Four cannons hitting their carrack again tore good chunks out of the port side, most of the damage was taken by their heavy ship’s hull, all but one shot, which skirted across the deck crushing a couple of sailors, and making a mess of the topside.

Ae’garn’s head was down, barely able to keep himself from becoming a nervous wreck! “Stand up lad, everyone stands even the chronicler!” The captain walked among the men issuing orders and standing like a king Ae’garn thought, despite arrows flying in, cannon ball and anything else! Well if he could do it, so could his chronicler!

A cheer rose up, and Ae’garn had to rush to the railing to see what they were shouting about. The pirate ship’s powder keg was hit from another Eidisi volley, the ship suffering several explosions which tore up wood, the deck, sending pirate’s overboard and pluming thick black smoke into the air.

Woooooosssssshhh

Oh dear.

Sadly that last catapult shot struck the mainsail! Glass shattered all over the deck, spraying shards everywhere, catching several of the men, and fire from whatever they’d hurled caught the fabric! The man in the crow’s nest was stranded up their alone!

“Can you climb?” The captain asked Ae’garn, who gulped.

“Y.yes.” Nervously he mumbled. Qylios give me courage, he said under his breath as he began.

hatever was going on around them, they now definitely had their own problems! “Up you go lad, chin up!” His sense of adventure and his nervous disposition were at loggerheads. Ae’garn was acrobatic but he couldn’t climb well, he moved swiftly at first and then got tangled up in rope and rigging in between steps. The young Sev’ryn was swaying about in the breeze, and the fire burning above him that he was climbing towards, wasn’t exactly helping him keep his nerve!

Another climbed behind him and another behind them, passing water up in a chain, which the little Sev’ryn threw onto the burning sail trying to save it. Other sailors were doing the same of course the other side. All the time the man in the crow’s nest screamed frantically for them to hurry, as the flames crept closer to him!

Hold on tight Ae’garn, he told himself, the burning ropes above becoming more perilous and the wind not helping one bit. At least the cannon fire had stopped coming at them. Smoke following their ship and a damaged sail, was giving their pursuer time to catch up of course, following them straight through the naval battle going on, firing at other ships as it did so. Another bucket was passed, and Ae'garn threw the water over the flames, dousing more of the burning mainsail, what had fallen away below was being stamped on by the crew so it didn’t set the rest of the ship alight.

What Ae'garn did notice is how the others held the rigging, wrapping his arm around it like they did to secure himself, it helped make sure he didn’t fall while he climbed, almost. Fingers slipping on the next bit of burned rope, it came loose and he almost fell. Looking down with open eyes at the deck, he saw the captain looking back up waving him on. Each bit of the burned rigging had to be tested by his grip to make sure it could hold his weight, something a skilled climber would know, and Ae’garn had just found out.

To their left, the Eidisi lost one of the ships in the background, its stern giving way and it slowly sinking. The crew of the doomed ship dived into the water, but with the weight of the ship going under around them, many would be pulled down with it.

ailors and screams on the wind, thrown clear to a watery end, he couldn’t help but watch the boat in the distance sink. “Chiren cast those who harm us into your eternal embrace, let them know no safe harbour.” The Sev’ryn said quietly, till a sailor shoved another bucket into his waiting hand. Throwing it into the flames, Ae’garn was almost on top of them. Between the two lines of sailors, they’d saved some of the mainsail and more importantly the man in the crow’s nest, who thanked Ae’garn as he climbed down the burned rigging.

Having saved their ship from being dead in the water, they all proceeded to climb down, and there were some shaking of hands, following a rub of Ae’garn’s often messy hair. No time to rest as their pursuer was closing to weapon range from the front, it had fired again but was still short, not by much this time. The captain had to think fast, Ae’garn picked up his chronicle and his pen together, watching and waiting for the captain’s word.

The captain paused, looked behind them with his spyglass, then looked around them at the battle. “If we leave they will be two to three, if they catch us we’ll be outgunned.” Deciding based on what was around him, Ae'garn got a momentary insight into some tactics.

Feeling that shiver of familiar nervousness, his hands were sore from climbing and face cold with Ashan's watery spray. That was nothing, people around him were injured and being bandaged, having arrows or wood in them, it was a mess. Some of his idealism was hurt there and then, but he knew in his heart this captain would win out, he’d get them through. Right?

“Draw weapons and prepare to board!” The captain called to the crew, “drop the sail and turn us about!” He called to those on deck. Ae’garn gulped, and was passed a cutlass, “know how to use this lad?” The captain said, and Ae’garn shook his head. Pointing to the ship they were slowly turning to face, the captain laughed, “we’ll today’s a good day to learn!”

urning left them a sitting duck for the forward canon on the chasing ship to take more than one shot straight into them, feeling uneasy on his legs, Ae’garn was already nervous enough! The captain had ordered everyone to take cover and prepare. Ae’garn huddled down like the rest of them, he guessed this was an exception to the everyone stands on deck rule… whizzzzzzz



Came another cannon shot, a few arrows following it, but most going wide at this range to the narrower front of their ship. Ae’garn wiggled his pointy nose, the deck was beginning to look worse for wear! He hoped he’d not be swimming in a few bits time!

“Hold fast!” Cried one of the Mate’s rallying people up, Ae’garn didn’t feel rallied, he felt a sinking pit of dread at having to use this cutlass thing. Trying to have a shot with the bow instead, which fell harmlessly in the water blown off course by the wind, at least the arrows were free… Oh they were so close, was he really going to do this???? Gulp.

“Ready yourselves!” They could all see the pirates aboard the other ship jeering at them, waving their weapons in the air, moving alongside them, arrows were obviously exchanged at this range hitting true, crossbows were even more fearsome, and the captain made good use of timing. Just as the pirate ship docked, beginning to roping them in, the captain ordered a line of crossbowman to shoot. Several pirates running across the wood they were using to board were thrown into the sea. Ae’garn had a shot with his bow too, and he actually hit someone in the leg this time! Feeling immediately bad that he’d done it.

Then they came jeering and shouting like a bunch of wild dogs, but the captain had ordered the second cannon moved. “Now mr Heggan!” They fired their own cannon straight into the boarding parties wooden planks, cutting off half the pirates from boarding, but doing damage to both ships’s sides! They’d need every advantage, as at the moment frightened passengers and merchant sailors were trying to fend off vicious pirates who probably outnumbered them.

Ae’garn saw a man struck down in front of him by a pirate who then glanced his way, he wanted to run, but where could he run to? Putting the bow down, he drew his cutlass and charged, the man did the same! This was it…

To be Continued Here!

Story 4/5

Collaboration 0/0

Structure 5/5

9/10 Experience Awarded

Your Knowledge
Sailing: Slowing For Ice
Sailing: Angling Yourself With the Wind
Sailing: Navigating Dangerous Shores
Sailing: Sailors Change the Sails/Rigging
Sailing: How A Ship Is Steered
Ranged Combat (Shortbow): Can't Miss The Ocean
Ranged Combat (Shortbow): Actually Hitting Something, For Once
Discipline: Writing In Chaos
Climbing: Getting Tangled
Climbing: Holding On
Climbing: Working Against the Wind
Climbing: Throwing Water While Climbing
Climbing: Testing Burnt Holds
Tactics: Analyzing the Situation
Writing: Keeping A Chronicle
Acrobatics: Losing Your Footing
Acrobatics: Holding A Book On A Topsy-Turvy Deck
Ship Hierarchy: Captain
Ship Hierarchy: Ship's Mate
Ship Hierarchy: Lookout
Ship Hierarchy: Sailors
Ship Hierarchy: Chronicler; That Guy Writing a Book Getting In The Way While Everyone Else Fights to Survive
Ships: There Are These Things Called Rudders

Fame:

Devotion:
+1 U'frek (Praying)
+1 Chrien (Praying)
-5 U'frek (Praying to Chrien)
-5 Chrien (Praying to U'frek)
(Sadly these two really hate each other. Check out the religion and blessings guide entries for them!)

Fame:
+1 Good Deed (Putting out a fire)
+1 Good Deed (Shooting a pirate)

Loot:
Cutlass
Notes:
Ae'garn is a really quiet fellow! I'd like to see him say more things and utilize more emotion in the future threads. Overall everything was pretty upbeat! Unfortunately I had to subtract a point because the thread had no real conclusion/ending.