The Unknown: A Game of Fear, Ignorance, and Adventure

[Caimekaze]

Spoiler: OOC

I just wanted to say that this is a truly awesome RP, very fun.

So, thank you Zemalac, for running this. I can't wait to see how this goes.

Keil sprawled on the deck, giggling. He turned to Derlan, who was sitting on a crate. He looked flushed and less composed than normal, lacking his usual gravity. "Hey, tha*hic*anks for getting me out of there. That was a little dangerous~!"

Something was definitely odd. The boy was obviously drunk, but his voice was much higher than usual, moreso than a boy should be able.
"But I'm ti~ired nooww... *hiccup* Niighty niiighty Deeeerlan~!" With that, the boy semi-flounced over to the painted elf and kissed him on the cheek, before giggling again and descending down below the deck.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Raven parted his way through the crowded streets of Tyb in silence. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon but if anything the streets seemed busier as merchants made a last ditch attempt to sell their wares before nightfall.

"Excuse me, good sir!" a voice near him tapped his ears.

Raven turned to see an old merchant standing in front of a cloth stall gesturing politely at his wares.

"By the lords!, what do we have here?. My trained eye tells me that you must have been exploring the pits of Bekl'thalesh, what else can explain the ruined condition of your robes?. Fear not for I, Magdesh, will sell you my finest hand woven robes, made right here in Tyb, for a very affordable fee just for the distinguished gentleman such as yourself"

Raven instinctively sighed at the merchant and turned to walk away from the vendor but he didn't get very far. He knew that his robes were tattered and was badly in need of repairs, if not he needed a new robe itself. There was no point avoiding the merchants considering Tyb was the last stopping place before the Unknown Continent. He sighed again before addressing the merchant;

"Sure why not?"

After much haggling and animated gesturing both buyer and seller walked away happy. Magdesh had his shiny money and Raven had a flowing new robe. Despite this though, Raven's mood hadn't improved in the slightest. The events over the past few hours combined with the daunting journey ahead and possibly new adventurer's who may be less trustworthy than the original lot, weighed heavily on his mind.

As dusk fell upon the port region of Tyb, Raven found himself on the pier staring back at the Cepolada. Her sails were folded and the few crew that had returned from the various taverns were slowly going about securing the doors and lighting the torches for the night watch on board.

Raven ran his fingers through his hair as he walked up the gangplank leading onto the main deck, "Home Sweet Home!" he muttered.

 

[Shapsters]

Derlan was dead tired, his heart was beating so fast it felt as though it would burst from his chest. Kiel said some slurred, high pitched words before stumbling off towards the rooms.

"Hey... Ticky, sorry about... picking you up... had to get out of there." Derlan was panting as he apologized, "That went... well eh?"

 

[Zemalac]

Ladies and gentlemen: Thank you for your patience as we worked our way through everything that happened in Tyb. I tried to make sure that everyone had at least a small event happen--if I missed you, my sincerest apologies. If you're disappointed because you weren't involved in a major event, don't worry. They mostly involved getting shot at by assassins and bounty hunters, which isn't exactly healthy.

We're almost done with the stuff in Tyb, and then we'll set sail for the Unknown Continent and get the main voyage underway (the voyage will probably consist of several time-lapse montages in between secret action rounds and a few other events).

Unfortunately for those of you who are impatient, the setting sail will have to wait for a week. I'm going to be out camping in the wilderness for about five days, without internet. Or even a computer.

Hang in there. When I get back, things will pick up. If you want to roleplay coming back to the ship and chatting about what's happened in the city, be my guest. Don't mention anything that happened during the night, though--I'm still working through that.

In the meantime...enjoy these vaguely ominous scenes. Some of you might get what they're about: some might not. Some of these scenes might not have anything to do with what's going on, in fact.

"No."

It was not what the wounded man wanted to hear. He wanted more men, he wanted ready blades willing to spill blood, and he wanted vengeance for the bandages on his face and hand. His other men, the dead men, he did not care about. They had failed. He would not.

And now this man, this fool who did not understand the need for personal reprisals, would deny him.

"No," said the man facing him, looking out from behind blued lenses hanging from the brim of his cap, "You failed. What is more, you lost five men in doing so."

"I did not fail," growled the wounded man. "I demand a chance to--"

"You will demand nothing," interrupted the man with the cap. "You are on thin ice, my friend. Try not to fall through." He paused, and the other man caught a hint of the criminal malevolence behind those crystal lenses. "I will, however, allow you to deliver a message for me. Do this well and you might redeem yourself in my eyes."

He had nothing to lose. "I will do what I must."

The man smiled with his mouth, but the blued lenses flashed malice. "Tell DuPont we will pay the price," he said. "Perhaps a professional will succeed where you failed, eh?"

The color drained from the wounded man's face, making the red skin around the bandage stand out even more. Arguments flashed across his face, wild denials and accusations, but all he said was, "Yes, sir."

"Good."

______________________________________​

There were two boats, both in Tyb harbor and both sailing quietly. One was lurking in the waters, not approaching the dock, and the other was making its cheery way towards the pier and civilization. The first was low, black-marked and shadowed in the mist with three dark-cloaked men playing cards and listening: the second was small, old but well-kept and sailed by a crew of one.

"Hallo the boat!" came a shout from the smaller boat.

There was a lengthy pause.

"Hello?" said one of the dark-cloaked men. He spoke with an accent--southern Illarym, with a touch of Veras.

"Are you with the harbor authority?" Without waiting for a reply: "Can you direct me to the docks, please?"

"North north east of your position," said the dark-cloaked man. "Same direction you're going."

"Thank you," said the man on the small boat.

The mist closed around them once more, and one of the dark-cloaked men turned and said, "Strange fellow. Fancy being out here in this weather."

"Well, we are," said another.

"Yes," said the first, "but we have a reason. Namely, to take your money. I raise you three silver."

"Oh, it's on."

______________________________________​

He clutched at the bolt in his chest, surprised beyond all other feeling.

______________________________________​

On the Proving Grounds of Verdan, two monks examined the scarred landscape, covered in a smoldering ruin that used to be a target dummy.

"See here," one said, bending to pick up a comparatively uncharred fragment. "One of his fingers survived."

"I am sorry, master," said the other. "I will do better next time."

_______________________________________​

One plus one can equal three, you know. It all depends on the ones you use.

 

[MasterSqueak]

Marneus crossed the gangplank back onto the Cepolada, noticed that it was getting late, and headed down to the hold without a word. An hour later, after Veneratio was fed and he had practiced his sword swings, he retired to his cabin.

He stared at the wall, unblinking. After he finally blinked, he got on his bunk, ignoring the discomfort from being in his armor, and drifted off to sleep.

 

[Dragonrabbit]

Reeko walked casually onto the Cepolda's deck. His pockets were slightly bloodied, but he showed no apparent wounds, his pockets also seemed to be budging slightly, he had made some small acquisitions apparently. He walked swiftly into his cabin, and returned a short while later, clad once more in his vest, he smiled at a crewmen who was staring at his bloodied pants, "I guess what they say about sailors is true, eh?" The sailor quickly looked up embarrassed, "Err, no... sorry, it's just... the blo..." He looked at his feet and continued stammering awkwardly, by the time he looked up Reeko had disappeared.

 

[Bluedemon322]

Due to time confusion, disregard this post

Spoiler: OOC

hello everybody

 

[Bluedemon322]

EDIT: Sorry

 

[Shapsters]

Bumpity bumpity

Spoiler: Don't...

Don't do that... The Unknown does not need to be bumped, it's users know about the RP and it isn't always fast moving. Also Zemalac is on vacation and it will probably not go anywhere for 10 days. I am not being a jerk, but do not bump this thread unless it is with a nice meaningful post.

Thank You

 

[Zemalac]

I have returned from far-off lands, bearing several square feet of sunburn and lacking a few pints of blood. Damn mosquitoes.

Over the course of the day I have been running some actions that were taking place during the day in Tyb and during the night. One of those actions, taking place during the night, has reached the point where it really can't be classified as a secret action any more. As such, events are transferred to the thread.

Read further, and you'll see what I'm talking about...

In circumstances such as these it is usual to say that it was a quiet night. Unfortunately for the purposes of drama, any night spent near a city such as Tyb is not a quiet one. Waterfront taverns spilled out into the streets, forming irregular shapes of light where the more sober members of the staff put up torches and lanterns. Alcohol flowed freely in the midnight ways of Tyb, sailors staggering from one bar to another with the happy delirium of the contented drunk. Noise washed over the Cepolada in gentle waves, distant laughter and sea-spray and wooden joints creaking in the night forming a continuous melody that lulled some to sleep and made it nearly impossible for others.

Then, in the night, indistinct amid the sounds of a busy harbor, was another sound. A bell, ringing briefly, sounding a harsh note against the drink and sea. It woke some on the ship: some who rolled over and dropped back into slumber, some who muttered and glared furiously at the ceiling, angry at the interruption of their dreams, and one who listened further and rose to investigate...

Soon afterwards, a more coherent sound: a roared command, ignored for a crucial instant; "FREEZE!" Nearby, sleeping figures were jolted into the half-conscious wakefulness that occurs when woken suddenly in the middle of the night.

And in a certain cabin on the Cepolada, Marneus Calgar held his sword in a firm grip and charged from the doorway. A man dressed in dark clothes, face concealed by a mask and blood streaming from his wounds, leapt wincing to his feet from the wall where Marneus had thrown him. The masked man didn't hesitate in the face of a fully armed and armored knight bearing down on him: instead he ducked his head and launched into a sprint powered by adrenaline, rage and fear. Marneus swung his sword, flat first, and the masked man ducked beneath it. The blade careened off the close walls of the cabin and plowed through woodwork like it was splintery cardboard. Marneus, expecting an impact that did not come, was thrown off balance for a crucial moment.

The light shifted as a cloud removed itself from the face of the moon, giving the masked man a clear (if somewhat shadowed) view of the room: there was the steel back of the knight, huge in the cramped confines of the cabin and already turning but hampered by the close walls, but his gaze was drawn more to the figure crumpled against the opposite wall, lying in a small pool of blood--the boy, Keil.

The masked man had a pistol in one hand and a bloody knife in the other. The knife had already served its purpose: now the pistol would perform for the crowd.

He didn't aim. Flight was too important now, but nevertheless the shot had to be made: for honor's sake, so it never would be said that he didn't try every option available to him.

He pulled the trigger. The hammer came down, striking sparks, and the muzzle flash bloomed smoke in the darkness. Whether it hit the boy or not he couldn't say, but at least he'd made the effort.

The shot rang out through the ship, and where bells and shouts had failed to wake the ship (for those are public sounds, and therefore someone else's problem), a close gunshot was a more personal and threatening thing that made people roll out of sleep, groping for weapons in the dark.

The masked man ran down the corridor in the darkness, crimson droplets trailing him like a gory mist...

In summary: there's been a fight in Keil's cabin. Marneus is there, trying to capture a masked man who dodged around him and fled through the open doorway.

This is not a minor event, people. Please don't post something saying, "I knock the masked man unconsious with a single blow." Post your reaction to events, certainly, but some actions have to be determined by my dice.

Note: If someone posts something that breaks the above rule, please assume that they got a PM from me allowing them to do so. If they didn't, I'll gently remind them that there is no god-mode in this game. The reminder may or may not include bullets, depending on the degree of the crime.

Murders in the dark...la lala la...murder makes the world go 'rooooooouuunnd...

 

[MasterSqueak]

Marneus retrieved his sword, and glanced at Keil. It was too dark to tell the exact types of his wounds, but they were severe. He looked to the door, but knew he would never be able to catch up with the masked man while in his armor.

Marneus could think of only one thing to do.

"Help, we've got a man down! There's been a murder attempt!"

 

[Shapsters]

Derlan heard a bullet and quickly sobered up, he snapped a piece of wood off of a nearby barrel and ran toward the shot. He saw Marneus at the doorway and looked into the room. He saw the bloodied body of his young friend and he dropped the piece of wood and slowly walk toward him,

"Aw shit... aw fuck me kid. What happened for the love of-" Derlan dropped to his knees and looked at the teen, "I'm sorry kid, look what I have done, look what I have FUCKING DONE! Fuck! It's ok kid, I'm sure the wounds aren't too bad, just hang in there!

 

[Flying-Emu]

Ticky's eyebrows shot up as he heard a semi-familiar voice scream some poppycock about a murder. Rolling out of his bed in nothing but his smallclothes, he quickly snatched his belt. AS he ran towards the increasing commotion he snapped it into place, patting the pouches with an amused smirk. The message was cryptic, but he could assume.

Ticky peeked around the door; A bleeding Keil, a wailing Derlan, and an armoured knight rushing towards a black-cloaked figure greeted him. "Oh dear." He whispered, slipping into the room. Ticky took a deep breath and went into action.

He pushed Derlan off of Keil's body and assessed the boy's wounds. It was hard to be sure, but better safe than sorry. "You! Man, Derlin, whoever you are! Run to my room and grab my pack; it will be hanging on a peg just opposite the door!" Derlan stared blankly at him for a moment "Did I stutter? If you want the boy to live, go! And do not touch the wine!"

 

[Caimekaze]

Keil was in pain.

That was the easiest way to describe it. He'd suffered a staggering amount for someone his age; quite frankly, he was lucky to be alive. It had all gotten too much for him.

He let unconsciousness slip up to him, uttering a a small whimper and a single tear as he did so.

 

[Shapsters]

Derlan stared for a moment before he ran out of the room, he jumped into Ticky's room and grabbed the bag. He reached his hand in briefly and grabbed the bag, as he ran back into the room he threw the bag to Ticky.

"There, patch him up dammit, I cant let him die!"

 

[Dragonrabbit]

Reeko's eyes slammed open. Something was afoot. Footsteps, gunshots, and incoherent screams. He shot up, in his bead, and quickly rolled out of it, he reached under his bunk, and removed to daggers, one in each hand. He grabbed his vest of a hook on the wall, and put it on as he burst through his door. He ran toward the source of the noise, Keil's cabin.

As he entered the room, Reeko tried to take stock of the situation; Keil was dying, Ticky was doing docterly things, Marneus appeared to have just gotten out of combat, and Derlan was running around like an Elf with no brain. He looked at Marneus who looked like he need something to do, "Yo! Shiny Pants! What the Hell is going on here?"

 

[MasterSqueak]

"Yo! Shiny Pants! What the Hell is going on here?"

Marneus grit his teeth.

"What does it look like? Someone tried to murder one of the other members, Keil, I think is his name, the attacker escaped, Ticky(Wait, where did he come from?!) is trying to help Keil, and whats-his-face is panicking."

He paused before pointing at a thin trail of blood leading out into the hallway.

"Whoever he was, he was kind enough to leave us a trail to hunt him down with. Now, seeing as someone else is watching over Keil now, I can give chase."

He started following the trail as fast as an armored knight could.

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Raven sat bolt upright at the sound of gunfire. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The air was silent again but not for longs. Yells and running feet echoed through the corridor. Something was happening on board the ship.

An intruder?he thought with a frown as he hastily grabbed his sword and bolted from his room. There was a good deal of commotion coming from the fore section of the passenger quarters, raised voices and shuffling feet. He could make out the gnomes voice and that of a panicking elf. It was coming from Keil's room.

Raven burst in with his sword in hand and a spell on his lips.

In a corner, Ticky was kneeling over the prone body of Keil. Derlan was overlooking the whole process with a nervous gait. Nearby was the fully armored knight Marneus who was having a conversation with the Reeko.

"What does it look like? Someone tried to murder one of the other members, Keil, I think is his name, the attacker escaped, Ticky is trying to help Keil, and whats-his-face is panicking."

Raven overheard the Knight speak. "Another murder attempt?" he mused aloud. A quick glanced revealed that there was nothing that the wizard could do for the stricken lad, he was beyond the aid of magic. Whatever the gnome was doing, be it medicine or gnomish alchemy, was probably going to be more effective than anything else. He turned to Marneus;

"I will assist you in searching the ship. The criminal couldn't have gone far"

 

[Dragonrabbit]

"What does it look like? Someone tried to murder one of the other members, Keil, I think is his name, the attacker escaped, Ticky is trying to help Keil, and whats-his-face is panicking."

The knight made his way into the hall, the wizard, who had just arrived followed in suit, and Reeko after them. He started to jog, "No offense mates, but if anyone can catch this guy now, it's me." He aimed his eyes downward at the blood trail, carefully making sure not to lose his daggers, which he still had in his hands. He slid past the mage, then the knight, "Right, let's move out then." He took off at full speed, running just as fast as he did back home, when he was chasing deer.

Whatever you do, don't trip. Whatever you do, don't trip. Whatever you do, don't trip.

 

[Zemalac]

The masked man fled through the ship, unerringly making for the upper deck and the gangplank. His pursuers pursued, as such people usually do. Dark-clad feet pounded over the planks, blood trailing down the legs and planting scarlet edges on the woodwork: moments later an elf with purple skin careened over the same floor, following the red trail. Shortly thereafter a wizard hurried past, a dull sword in his hand and sparks flickering between his teeth as he muttered. Last in the train of pursuit was the knight, moving with the unstoppable momentum of a Merdallan charge, armor rattling the floor with every step.

The masked man stormed up the broad steps of the ladder, using one hand to hold his bloody side and the other to climb. As he started the final sprint over the deck to the gangplank, Reeko launched out of the hatch behind him--the elf hadn't so much climbed the steps as flown up them.

The deck was littered with crates and mysterious objects stored in cargo nets, mute evidence to the universal fact that even dockhands will stop working for the night when it gets too dark and the job goes on too long, no matter how much you're paying them. The masked man jumped over them when he could and dodged when he couldn't, eyes focused on the gangplank and the dim streets of Tyb where, as countless generations of smugglers could tell you, it is child's play to hide anything.

Reeko didn't so much dodge the unloaded cargo as flow around it. He vaulted and leapt, springing from one crate to another with the skill of a gymnast, trying to think of the boxes and barrels in terms of the trees and overgrown trails of the Sunset Jungles. It was remarkably easy: he only lost his footing once, and his recovery was nothing short of elegant.

A final leap and he was in front of the masked man, between him and the gangplank.

The dice have spoken, and Reeko caught up with the masked man. Raven is shortly behind the elf, but not on deck yet, and Marneus is even further behind (armor is kind of slow, you see). This encounter between the masked man and Reeko comes under the heading of Player vs Player combat, as explained in the Rules and Guidelines [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/362.117578#2227450] post. If you don't feel like clicking links, the basis of it is this: all players involved PM me what they want to do, and I roll dice to see to what degree their action is successful, and then I write up a narrative describing what happens. This doesn't necessarily mean that the combat involved multiple players, only that two or more important characters are involved. If that makes sense.

Everyone not involved in this brief encounter, continue roleplaying.