Episode 2 – The Sea Swift
| The Assassins |
Argos - Rogue 1st level LE (NPC) Craven - Fighter/Rogue 1st/1st LE (PC) Keldirk - Rogue 1st level NE (PC) |
| Locale | At the docks in a hidden cove somewhere in the Olman islands. The trio have been waiting for a ship called the Sea Swift for some time. It has been arranged that the Sea Swift will carry them to Chathold, capital city of the Prelacy of Almor. |
| Date | 5th Ready'reat 581 CY (Common Year) |
Craven, Keldirk and Argos are sitting on their backpacks on a rickety jetty, waiting to be picked up. Keldirk is in a foul mood at being kept waiting and Craven and Argos are hung over from last night's farewell celebrations.
| Argos | Good party last night, eh? |
| Craven | (rubbing his bleary eyes) Yeah, not bad... I finally went all the way with Kymm. |
| Argos | Yeah? How was she? |
| Craven | Ummm, I don't remember. |
| Argos | (laughs heartily) That'll teach you for entering drinking competitions with Angor. I knew that Half Orc would drink you under the table. In fact, with all that money changing hands, I ended up doing quite nicely. |
| Craven | I hope you intend on sharing it, then? |
| Argos | Did you share Kymm with me? |
| Craven | Share her with you? No chance. She has taste! (smiles) |
| Argos | Taste? Her? That's a laugh. She's had every guy on this island... twice. I heard that once she took... |
| Keldirk | Don't you idiots ever shut up? |
| Craven | (to Argos) What's his problem? |
| Argos | Dunno, maybe his mummy didn't kiss him goodbye. |
| Keldirk | (scowls) Listen. I've been waiting here for over an hour and the last thing I want to hear is your incessant drivel. So shut your traps, or I'll shut 'em for you! |
| Craven | Actually, Argos, I know there's one fellow that Kymm hasn't had... (laughs) |
| Argos | (laughs) |
Keldirk picked up his backpack and walked down the jetty, away from his fellow assassins. One thing he thought he could rely on was that assassins worked alone; free to act without having to deal with others. The irony was that although he was finally getting off this island, away from the restrictive rules and procedures, he was being sent out with two other assassins. It felt to Keldirk as though he were being punished.
The two friends, Craven and Argos, continued their banter on the jetty while they waited. Keldirk began to clean his knives for the third time this morning.
It was several hours before a small row boat pulled into the cove and docked at the Jetty. In the boat were three wild-looking men.
| Man #1 | Yo! Top mornin', eh? Me name's Red Tum and I'm to be takin' yer to The Swift. She's a beaut; sturdy as a galleon and as fast as a gull. |
| Keldirk | (hands Red Tum his backpack and enters the boat) About fucking time you showed up! |
| Argos | (enters the boat carefully) |
| Craven | (enters the boat and almost retches as it rocks from side to side) Shit! Can't you keep this barge still? |
| Red Tum | Still? Ha! This aint nothin'. Just wait lad... just you wait. The Needles' Eye - now there's a strip o' water where you'll be battlin' to keep yer lunch. |
The small boat was rowed out of the cove and across a coral reef, eventually coming along side a large ship called The Sea Swift. The three assassins climbed a rope ladder and were welcomed by the Sea Swift's captain and his huge, humanoid first mate.
| Captain | Welcome aboard. My name is Captain Thrush and before you begin with the jokes let me warn you. The last man that joked about my name lost his tongue. This here (pointing to the Ogre to his left) is my first mate, Flim. Flim is a crazy son of a bitch, and like me he has no tolerance for smart arses or lay abouts. Stay out of our way and do exactly as you're told. Understand? |
| Keldirk | Why the fuck are you late? We've been waiting on that bloody jetty since daybreak. I hope you can sail better than you can take instructions. (gesturing to Flim) Doesn't he ever stop drooling? |
| Craven | (whispering to Argos) That Keldirk’s a cheery chap. |
| Argos | (smiles) Yeah, always out to make friends. |
| Captain | (restraining Flim) Don't question me, you little turd. I am the captain of this ship and if... |
| Keldirk | I don't give a flying shit who you are or how crazy your ugly friend is. All I care about is getting to the mainland as quick as possible. You're being paid good money to do just that, so stop your pathetic threats and power plays and start sailing this barge. (points to one of the crew) You! Take me to my cabin. |
| Craven | (to a flabbergasted Captain Thrush) I'm Craven and this is Argos. The walking mouth is Keldirk. Don't worry about him, he was born on the wrong side of bed. |
| Captain | (to another of the crew) Take these two land-lubbers below. |
The Sea Swift carried the three assassins across the Azure Sea for a little over a week. Keldirk stayed mostly to himself, only communicating to the others when required. Captain Thrush gave Keldirk a wide berth, preferring to deal with Craven and Argos. This more than suited Keldirk who spent long hours polishing and honing the edges of his arsenal of knives.
Argos and Craven were rarely apart and spent many hours sparring with wooden swords below decks. Craven found sleeping difficult and eating an almost impossible task. He became known among the Sea Swift's crew as "The Fish Feeder".
One morning, as Craven was feeding the fish his breakfast, out of the thick fog emerged a large ship. Arrayed along its bow were scores of armed men, preparing to leap aboard the Sea Swift.
| Crewman #1 | Pirates!! Arm yourselves! |
| Crewman #2 | Get the captain! Where's Flim? |
| Craven | (wipes his mouth, and draws his father's sword) This will get the kinks out. Argos! Get your lazy arse over here... call Keldirk, too. |
The pirate ship came alongside the Sea Swift with relative ease. A swarm of armed buccaneers jumped and swung onto the Sea Swift, several falling to crossbow bolts fired by the Sea Swift's defenders. Before long, both Argos and Craven were fighting for their lives.
Craven was joined in combat by two men, little more than children. They were poorly trained but had the advantage of being used to fighting at sea.
| Craven | (wins the initiative and lands a solid blow against one opponent with his sabre, while parrying with his rapier) |
| Pirate #1 | (sends a stroke out wide, nearly hitting his comrade) |
| Pirate #2 | (stabs at Craven, but the blow is turned aside) |
| Craven | (his confidence growing as he realises that these two are no match for his skill, lunges first with his rapier before slashing down with his sabre, killing one of his opponents) |
| Pirate #1 | (dies) |
| Pirate #2 | (looks at his fallen comrade and attacks furiously) |
| Craven | (parries a clumsy blow and kicks the young pirate overboard after stabbing him in the stomach with his rapier) |
Meanwhile, Argos was engaged in a struggle with a large, dark-skinned pirate wielding a massive club. Argos was struggling to fend off the rapid blows of his larger opponent and had been pushed back against the ship’s railing.
| Argos | (steps sideways, narrowly avoiding being brained by the huge club) |
| Pirate | (smiles) I’m going to crush your head like a melon, little man. |
| Argos | (having no desire to reply, he waits for the man to begin his backswing before darting in and stabbing the man in the thigh) |
| Pirate | (drops to one knee, but manages to complete his strike. He hits the now off-balance Argos in the chest, knocking him to the ground, winded and badly injured) You’ll die for that! |
| Argos | (crawling backward, trying to place as much distance between the dark skinned man as he can) Craven!!! |
Craven had just finished his fight with the two pirates and was looking for another opponent when he heard Argos’ plea. He saw the tall pirate move towards his friend and moved to intercept.
| Craven | (steps over the body of the first pirate he killed, slashes, and grazes the shoulder of the dark skinned pirate) |
| Pirate | (turns to face this new threat) |
| Craven | (lunges with the rapier, piercing the pirate’s chest near his heart) |
| Pirate | (drops the club and collapses to his knees, clutching his chest over the fatal wound, blood bubbling from his mouth) |
| Craven | (to Argos) Are you ok? |
| Argos | (breathlessly) I... don’t think... I can stand... |
| Craven | Let’s get you below. |
Craven sheathed his sabre and helped Argos to the hatch, while fending off several pirates with his rapier. Most of the pirates were engaged with Sea Swift crewmen so few paid the two assassins any serious attention. When they reached the hatch, Keldirk opened the door.
| Keldirk | (smiling) I hope there are some left... |
| Craven | Get out of my way, I’ve got to get Argos below. |
| Keldirk | What happened to... Down! (reaches into his tunic and pulls out two throwing knives) |
| Craven | (drops to his knees, pulling Argos down with him) |
| Keldirk | (throws the two knives at a pirate approaching Craven from behind, killing him instantly) |
Craven, stands and continues to take Argos below
| Keldirk | (to Craven) Don’t mention it! |
| Craven | I won’t. |
Keldirk retrieved his knives from the dead pirate and was scanning the area for another target when he noticed a second ship approaching. As far as he could tell, none of the Sea Swift crew had seen the new threat. Keldirk spotted Captain Thrush near the mast battling two pirates, and quickly made his way toward him.
Keldirk had spent most of his youth aboard boats and had little trouble negotiating the debris and swirling melee to reach the Captain. As Keldirk approached the mast he saw the Captain still fighting; both of his opponents sported wounds and the Captain appeared uninjured. Keldirk, never one to wait, grabbed one of the Captain's opponents around the neck and buried his dagger into the middle of the man’s back. The man died, without knowing what hit him. This distracted Thrush's other opponent long enough for the Captain to finish him off.
| Keldirk | Thrush! There is a second ship approaching! (pointing starboard) |
His words were drowned out by the sound of splitting wood and the crash of one ship colliding with another. All people on the deck were sent sprawling and several fell overboard... fighting ceased as everyone looked around to see what had happened. Amidst the chaos, a lone figure stood upon the prow of the second ship, oblivious to the rocking of the boats and began to speak.
| Man | I am Kincaide, leader of this motley crew of freebooters, it seems that you have failed to reach an understanding with my representatives. Who is the Captain? |
| Thrush | I am! |
| Kincaide | Thrush, my good man... how wonderful that we should meet again after so long. I trust my arrival has not inconvenienced you. |
| Thrush | What have you done to my ship you son-of-bitch? |
| Kincaide | Never mind, my friend. We broke her above the waterline; you should be able to fix her provided we reach an amiable agreement... |
| Thrush | I see. |
| Kincaide | Do come aboard my ship and let's discuss terms. |
With that, Kincaide turned and went back onto the deck of his ship. A second man stepped forward and began to order the pirates back onto their own ship.
Craven had just managed to get Argos into their cabin when the crash occurred. He was sent flying against the far wall, and hit his head on one of the beams and fell unconscious.
Keldirk was left alone while the crew of the Sea Swift worked to clear the deck of the bodies and repair any damage to the upper deck. Several men were sent below to make sure they were not taking on water and others were retrieving their crewmen who had been knocked overboard. All the activity was co-ordinated with amazing efficiency by the Ogre, Flim. After several minutes the Captain returned and spoke to Flim. The humanoid, grunted and smashed his fist down against the railing, obviously the Captain’s news did not make him happy. The Captain gestured to the second ship and more pirates came aboard the Swift. The pirates ignored the stunned Sea Swift crew and went below decks. Captain Thrush addressed his crew.
| Thrush | It seems that we have been allowed to sail free, provided we pay our hosts the required tariffs. So I want none of you to cause any trouble. (he turns and looks directly at Keldirk) Especially you! |
| Red Tum | You're joking, Capt'n! Aint ya? |
| Thrush | No, Tum, I aint. We're badly outnumbered and Kincaide has got himself a spell-weaver that can see through the fog as if it were a clear day. We're to do exactly as he says, pay our dues and swallow our pride... for now. Don't worry lads, we've powerful friends and this matter aint over 'til I say it's over. Now, tend to the wounded and throw the dead overboard. Flim, get the Patchin' Crew onto that hole! |
| Flim | (nods) You heard the Capt'n; git to it or I'll flay ya alive. |
The crew of the Sea Swift went about their business and before long Kincaide's two ships were gone... along with a sizeable 'tariff'. Keldirk had tried to keep Kincaide's men out of their cabin, but Thrush himself ordered him aside. A fight almost ensued but Flim stepped in and Keldirk begrudgingly stepped aside.
The pirates stole Craven's rapier and a great deal other things besides. Keldirk and Argos managed to keep the pirates from their most prized of belongings; the diamond garrottes.
An hour after the Kincaide's ships left, Craven awoke.
| Craven | What in the nine hells hit me? |
| Argos | We were hit by a second boat... you knocked your head on that beam. |
| Keldirk | Thrush made a deal and more pirates came aboard. They went through the boat like stewed kali beans. They've taken all of our setup money, Argos' crossbow and your sword. I tried to stop... |
| Craven | My sword! They've taken my father's sword. (looks to Argos accusingly) You let them take my sword? |
| Keldirk | (answering for Argos) Argos was barely conscious himself; if there's someone to blame then it's that spineless Captain of ours. He's the one that struck the deal. (Shrugs his shoulders and begins to leave) Anyway, it was just a sword. We've still got our Family heirlooms - so be thankful. |
It took Craven several days to calm down. His father's sword was the only thing he had of his former life. Now it was gone. Over the days Craven began to understand Keldirk's way of thinking; they should be thankful the Diamond Garrottes weren't discovered. If they had been stolen there would be hell to pay.
The Diamond Garrottes were used by the assassins to remove the faces of selected victims after which time they were sewn into The Vilus Corumdak. It was considered a personal insult to The Marque de'Ahb if an assassin lost his or her garrotte. Every assassin knew it was safer to risk their lives in trying to reclaim the lost artefact, no matter what the odds, than it was to announce it's loss to the Family. To lose your garrotte generally meant your death.
It took the crew of the Sea Swift two full days to patch the huge hole in the hull. During this time Argos remained in his cabin recuperating, Keldirk watched the repair crew and Craven tried (unsuccessfully) to get his sea legs. Captain Thrush was in a foul mood and the assassins decided it would be best if they left the matter of compensation for another time.
Once repairs were complete, Captain Thrush ordered the sails set and the Sea Swift lurched into motion. The ship crossed the Azure sea and traversed the Sea of Garnet without incident before entering the waters of Relmor Bay. Captain Thrush assured the assassins that they would be on firm land within three days.
Late one evening, as Keldirk and Craven were above deck discussing the twin moons, a massive ball of fire erupted off the Sea Swift's prow. Both assassins shielded their eyes against the conflagration but as quickly as the fire ball appeared, it vanished... leaving the assassins and the Night Crew temporarily blinded. Just as their vision was returning a booming voice shattered the silence.
| Voice | You trespass in the waters of The Overking. Lay down your arms and surrender to the might of The Imperial Navy! |
Craven and Keldirk blinked, trying to regain their vision, and peered into the darkness. Both had weapons drawn when the silhouette of a huge warship came into view. Upon its bow, illuminated in a ghostly white light, was a large uniformed man. To his left was a small child holding a large pole, the top of which sported a limp crimson standard. To the man's right stood a robed figure holding aloft a twisted staff that was the source of the eerie light.
The crew of the Sea Swift scrambled to their posts, nocking crossbows and making preparations for another conflict. The Night Steward told his crew to calm down and ordered one man to go and notify the Captain.
In a matter of minutes Captain Thrush emerged from below, dressed in his customary leather armour, holding a small wooden box. He walked across the deck to the Imperial Warship.
| Captain Thrush | I am Captain Thrush the master of this vessel. I seek passage through the waters of the Overking. |
| Voice | Such passage is not granted cheaply. Only the Sharks of Ivid may sail these waters freely. |
| Captain Thrush | I have gained passage in the past and understand your terms. (opens the small box and withdraws several gemstones extending his hand to the uniformed man) |
| Voice | What is your destination? |
| Captain Thrush | Chathold. |
| Voice | (nods to the robed figure) |
The robed figure extended his hand and magically the gemstones lifted from Captain Thrush’s open hand and floated gently to the waiting hands of the uniformed man. Once the gems were in his possession the uniformed man looked them over before passing them on to the robed figure who scrutinised them closely. When he had finished, he nodded to the uniformed man and The Sea Swift was allowed to continue.
Two days later, just before dawn, a crewman woke the three assassins.
| Crewman | Get your things together; we have prepared a landing craft to drop you off outside the port. It will be leaving as soon as you are ready. (leaves) |
| Craven | Great! Another bloody little boat. |
| Keldirk | (looking out the porthole) Looks pretty rough out there. Good thing we haven’t had breakfast. |
| Argos | (laughs) |
| Craven | It’s a small boat... you guys are lucky I haven’t had breakfast. |
| Normal Text | Character's words or descriptive text if part of a paragraph |
| Italic Text | Character's thoughts or actions if surrounded by parenthesis |
| Bold Text | Character is shouting. |