Thank you for getting this far! lol
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I would be forever grateful!
Your support and love and loyalty are more than I could ever as for already!
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Himora walked silently across the empty deck of the massive trade ship.
His two Officers followed with just as little noise.
The ebb and flow of the current rocked the ship ever so softly under the veil of the pale moonlight. The trip had been tedious thus far. Himora was glad for a bit of a reprieve… The first leg of their journey up til this point had been… chaotic.
A story for another time.
Tonight was a good one, simply in that they had seen not a single sign of danger about for the greater half of it. This unfortunately was about to change. The last tenday had been one for the books. It seemed that from their very offset from the Lustrian Cape, they had been beset by not only wicked weather but pirates and sea-faring beasts alike.
While it was true that both pirates, and sea creatures were a real, and persisting threat to nearly any vessel that chose to move by sea, there seemed to be a rather large fluctuation in the numbers and occurrences as of late. In all actuality, this was a larger part of the reason that had seen Himora and his kin hired in the first place. In Himora's eyes, it was also a good opportunity to make a long and arduous trip North to Garth Verlore that much easier.
To go on land would have seen the group traveling for a far greater length of time over and through some rather unforgiving territories in the less civilized Northernmost end of Lustria. From there, they would have had to trek over the Western border of Zentram, and through the Enfrasecca Swamp lands, a journey that Himora would rather not undertake. So by sea, it was, and he was more than sure that his fellow Officers would agree.
Himora had managed to garner himself and his companions passage aboard a renowned CTS -Coastal Trade Ship- known as Korath's Haste. The Captain -Gideon Karath- was a well-known, and trustworthy man. He had taken on the small band without hesitation once he had spotted the hue of their skin and the glinting, hallowed steel of the razor-sharp khopesh swords that hung from their hips. He knew the sea better than 80% of the Captains who chose the trade route as their life's calling, and he knew more about how very and completely dangerous that route could be and often was.
Sell Swords were a must-have for any ship that wished to travel and who did not have fighters or an escort ship of their own.
The three were well worth their weight in gold simply because combat seemed to be a prerequisite to making the trip in either direction from the Lustrian Cape all the way to the solemn Port Nixa far to the North on the Western coast of the Kingdom of Naeri. Himora was glad to see how amicable and welcoming the Captain was. He didn't for a moment believe that the Captain's men actually trusted him or his people, but he knew that at that moment, they were needed.
They all knew that like it or not, this temporary partnership would be both equally and mutually beneficial to both groups. Himora and his would receive room and board, and the Captain and his crew would receive a handful of more exceptionally trained sword arms. The deal was struck.
They had set sail that following dawn just over a week ago.
Himora and his two companions were of a particularly reputable Sea tribe known to land dwellers only as The Shell. Theirs was a kind yet militant people. Raised and educated through a strict caste system, they one-and-all were trained to be the very best at what they did. Quite literally in fact. Be it Oceanic Tinkology, Weapons Mastery, or a slew of other trades. Himora and his Officers were of the latter.
This trio was not one to be taken lightly.
The tribe of the Shell was known far and wide for their great and varied feats of craftsmanship, engineering, and swordsmanship. They were also known for and rather easily identified by their almost pearlescent, soft blue skin, jet-black hair, and brilliant, blazing yellow eyes. The "Servants of the Shell" were a strange and beautiful lot. They found their home among the great and vast stone reefs that populated the deepest depths of the ocean floor, known as the Darkstone Seabed. This was located beneath the mouth of the inlet that made up the greater part of Grootawe, the Crater Coast.
The sea had seemingly gifted these people with Aetherial abilities that were very unique to their kind and kin. If somehow one could get close enough, you might be lucky enough to catch the occasional pulse of soft blue, marine, or even lavender Aether as it wound its way through the tribal tattoos. Runes and symbols were one and all. Dozens of them were strategically placed from head to toe, literally starting with the sides of their smooth and perpetually shaven Mohawk-styled heads. Their hair was either let to flow freely as it was or kept in a series of intricate braids and locs. The faint glow of Aether danced along the tattoos that wrapped their arms, backs, and legs.
Their natural scent was of soft sea salt and driftwood.
Their temperament was that of either a creeping fog or a raging storm.
There was rarely an in-between. Himora seemed to be the exception to this rule of nature among his people. From a very young age, he had been obsessed with the idea of walking on and exploring the surface world. His people were detached and distrusting of the majority of the land dwellers that they came in contact with, and the better part of those encounters occurred only at the market.
Himora had wanted to learn any and everything about the greater world around him. He knew that there was more to life than just the ever-dark depths that his kind tended to stick to. He knew that only the brightest, strongest, and most adaptable of his people were granted the title that which would allow them to travel to and walk freely among the people and creatures of the surface world.
He knew that one day, he would find himself among those few and elite.
He was typically right in his predictions and calculations.
Twenty years later, here on a ship he stood.
Above the waves.
On the surface.
The title was his now to carry with pride.
He and his team were members of the Night Guard.
They were bound for the great North.
A new life and a grand adventure.
This ship, for him and his companions, was an experience that most of his kin could and would only dream of. In a tendays time, they would arrive at Port Nixa, and from there it would be just a weeks trek to Garth Verlore. They were some of the best that their people had to offer.
A fact that would be tested that night.
The irony lay in the fact that Himora and his team were slated for night watch this evening. A task that they not only enjoyed but preferred thanks greatly to the comfort that they found in the dark of night, as it reminded them without a second passing, of their ever-dark home far below and to the East.
At sea, there were no street lanterns.
No shop windows with candles or lamps ablaze with Aetheral flames.
There were only the waves, the wind, the moon, the stars, and the blackest of black darkness. What light they did have came only from the moon as it peered through the clouds and the dozen or so Aether lamps that lined either side of the ship at all times. This was more than enough. The trio needed very little to no light to be effective. Light from the surface could only wish to reach the depths from which he and his hailed, and what light did make its way was always Aetherial in nature or provided by the myriad of bioluminescent life forms that populated the area.
The Shell tribe was one of those life forms.
The ink that they used for their tattoos was made from the blood of the colossal Aether eels, whose blood would flair in random and erratic patterns. Initially, it did very much the same thing when the people of the deep first took to using it, but over many a generation they learned to manipulate the light that they gave off in order to communicate with one another.
Tonight this would come in handy.
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Windrom was excited.
The pirate Captain had gotten word from a pair of his best men of a particularly high-value C.T.S that was due to pass through what he considered his territory, a group of 6 small landmasses to the North of Lustria known as Strengilande, which translated roughly to "The String of Islands."
Windrom was known and feared around those parts. He had appeared suddenly about a decade prior with his fleet of 20 ships filled to the brim with sea-bound rouges and ruffians from the West, and within a tendays time, they had taken control of Strengilande, claiming all of the islands as their own. Before his arrival, the islands had all each been individual ruling bodies with intricate systems and cultures of their own. With his arrival, came forced unification under his banner.
One by one their individual flags had fallen.
One by one, they raised and flew their new flags, an ebony black banner with a prominent flying burning barrel at its center.
On one side, Strengilande had been better for it.
Their trade, fishing, and imports seemed to prosper.
On the opposing side, Windrow and his small army ruled with an iron fist.
A heavy and greedy iron fist.
There was but ONE real rule though that was to be followed.
Any and all coin that made its way to any of the six islands had to at first touch his palm in one way or another.
Windrow had eyes, ears, and more importantly, BLADES everywhere, and on every island. People who lived in fear could be easily bought he was quick to learn. Without exception in most cases. In the other cases? Well… let us just say this: The sea is vast, and its many occupants are ever hungry. A body was a simple thing to rid oneself of.
Many a Captain and crew had vanished following the skirting of this single and all-encompassing rule. But alas, Today Windrow would be that much richer. He was going to take this ship himself. He didn't fully trust any of his underling generals to the task. No. This one was far too important to risk any mistakes.
Karath's Haste would be slowed this night.
He chuckled at his own little pun.
Just as the sun had sunk below the horizon, Windrow had ordered his men into action.
Phase one was on…
His mighty ship, The Siege Arm, leaped ahead of the others as his Pirate Mages activated their spells and shot Aether-infused wind burst into the large black and red pinstriped sails. To his port side was his 3rd in command. To his starboard was his 5th. His 2nd and 4th had been left in charge back at his stronghold in Strengilande, to carry on his rule in the event that he were not to return.
He was not one to simply not return.
Ever.
Windrow's raids were the stuff of legends!
The trio of ships shot North then made a slight adjustment, pointing the heads of their raiding vessels due North-East. Windrow planned on cutting the trade ship off just before it came within sight of Port Nixa. He figured by that point their guard would be at it's lowest as it's trip be close to it's end. He figured he would help end their trip just a bit sooner. According to the intel that he had received, the C.T.S would be manned by about fifty men give or take. He figured the roster would break down to something along the lines of:
20 Fighters.
10 Crew mates.
10 Auxiliary workers
And the last, the Captain himself and his elite guard.
Windrow figured among them a few Mages.
No reasonable Captain would ever leave port without at least a trio onboard.
Windrow's count was as accurate as it could possibly get.
But he could not have known who the good Captain Karath had hired this time around. Had he had known of the three Shell tribesmen aboard, he would have likely rethought his plan of attack. But alas, with the knowledge he DID have, he set his masterful plan in motion.
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Captain Gideon Karath.
A man of integrity, dignity, and honor.
Gideon was a renowned and respected Seamen known far and wide for his hundreds, if not thousands of completed trips up and down the Western coast of Enverdolmol. Whispers of his name could be heard from the dankest corners of the lowly bars and inns to the most prestigious and decorated establishments. His reputation was one of promptness, fair trade, and undying loyalty to his crew, merchants, and clientele alike.
Captain Karath was a man with many talents and skills to his name.
What most men and humanoids alike did not know about our dear Captain was that he was above all else, a strategist. Negotiating both the seas and the marketplace took a sharp eye and an even, clear mind.
There were cutthroats on either side of the fine line.
The greatest difference between the two was that, as Pirates would slash at one's throat more literally, Merchants tended to aim their slimy blades and tongues for one's coin purse…
Karath was always fully prepared for both, and this night was no different.
From his position far above the deck of his ship in his crow's nest, even farther above his sleeping crew, he spied the approach of three vessels.
"Oi, Pirates… Just as planned."
He chuckled to himself as he turned and threw one of his legs over the rim of the lookout bin. He glanced below and watched as the three Shell folk that he had hired suddenly stood as one and walked across the deck towards the rail on the port side of the ship. They dropped their deep blue robes as one and leaped with ease onto the arms-width railing.
"It'll be one hell of a night!"
With that he rolled himself out of the lookout point and into a free fall, grabbing a hold of a drop rope as he did so, he rapidly dropped to the deck some 60-odd feet below. The jump would have severely injured, if not flat-out killed the average man. Captain Gideon Karath was far from average. He was from a long and varied line of sea dogs. Nearly his entire ancestral line had been bound to the water by one life path or another.
Fishermen.
Sailors.
Divers.
Captains.
And even Pirates and one point in time.
You name it, and the odds were that this man would have an
Uncle of an uncle, or a cousin of a cousin.
Odds would be that that someone, whoever it was, had been one for the way of the waves. Odds would also be that they had some of the same or very similar abilities that our friend Captain Gideon Karath here had.
His bloodline was tough, weathered, and powerful. He would surely showcase that fact this very night. As one would imagine, the impact of his landing was not a very soft one, but alas his inherited abilities would make it feel to him as if he had jumped from no more than 10 feet. The Karath family line was known for one thing alone outside of being wave-bound, and that one thing was their inert ability to absorb and redirect kinetic energy.
Karath hadn't needed the drop rope that he had grabbed on the way down, he knew that his landing would automatically be softened. He had grabbed it just to slow himself a bit more than what was typical. The pressure plate that he would soon land on needed a VERY specific amount of pressure applied. He slowed himself just enough to match that requirement. Upon landing on the plate, it sunk in just a handful of centimeters lower than it had been, this activated the intricately laid out alarm system that he had invented and installed for situations just as these.
Pirate ambushes.
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Below deck, 150 men were awoken from their slumbers as hundreds of tiny bells began to magically chime from the ceiling a half dozen feet above their heads.
The pressure plate above, and Korath's subsequent pressing of it had triggered a complex system of ropes, levers, weights.
These were all attached to the bells.
These bells were enchanted and could only be heard by his crew men.
75 Swordsmen, 40 Archers, 20 Medical Mages, and 15 Nautical Mages all dressed and readied in unison. Soon their trap would be sprung. It was time to set their plans in motion. It was time to rid the sea of a few dozen or so pirates.
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Hey all! and thank you all again for being so patient with me this month!
❤️💪💜💪🤍💪🖤💪💙
I have been hard at work, and I have 3 new chapters coming out pretty dang soon! -2 more with this being the first- I hope you all love the new charters, and are both just as excited and ready as I am to began the second parts to some of our cast!
Only a few more introductions to goooooooooo! 😁😁😁
I love you all so much and I look forward to seeing you all back here in Enverdolmol very soon! Our would is ever growing, and the stories must go on!💓💖
and so they will.
until next time folks!
I hope this both finds and leave you well.
One more smile yeah? 😉
Stay safe.
Stay healthy.
Stay vigilant.
-Redd.