IceAndWave/SeaborneShakedown
Seaborne Shakedown
In which new players are old friends, purgatory intimated and a new thread begins...
The 23rd Day of Resplendent Wood, Realm Year 763
The ship back to Tideholme from the Blessed Isle was larger, and slower, that those that Sian and Cassia seperately took to get to Othakaar in the first place. A large, slow ship, carrying approximately 30 passengers and carrying a large cargo, the Hydra's Tooth is a hefty merchantman. Unfortunately, this means that it wallows in the often-rough seas north of the Blessed Isle.
Sailing out of Othakaar's harbour, several sleek vessels showing the Peleps flag are visible, more than usual following the recent scandal that rocked the city. The governor was found earlier that day to have commited honourable suicide - five times.
The sea is choppy, whitecaps visible in all directions as Othakaar fades into the sea-mist, and the ship's crew, a rough lot of sailors, get on with their business while the passengers are left more-or-less alone on the fore-deck that houses their quarters and what open space they are provided.
Sian leans on the railing, gazing out at the sea and letting his thoughts drift with the waves.
Cassia appreciates the fresh air she's getting on this trip, much better than the stuffy holds of the last one, but ..she really wishes it was less rough.. "Is it usually this rough..?" she doesnt look too happy.
Sian looks across at this half-spoken comment. "Rougher. This is fairly mild."
"Rougher...ugh."
"This is nothing. Just hope that we don't get any of the worse weather."
The majority of the passengers appear to be staying in their quarters, the passage apparently to rough for them. The remainder is an odd mix of merchants and thieves (the former are better dressed than the latter), as well as travelers and adventurers.
Cassia looks throughly unimpressed at the thought of worse weather.
Sian seems somewhat uncaring of either, gazing back out at the sea again.
Cassia settles herself back down to watch something that doesn't rock so much as the horizon.
Sian finds the motion rather soothing, whereas everyone else seems to be turning slight shades of green.
The wind gusts into the large canvas sails, sailors overhead moving with rapid competence over the swaying ropes and calling out to each other. The entire ship has been abuzz with the news that fully three Exalted are onboard.
Sian has made no move to identify himself as such, and thus has probably been a bit overlooked. He remains where he is as the other passengers gossip.
Cassia is sitting quietly, ignoring the gossip and the occasional offer she recieves. She really wants the voyage to be over soon.
Venia agrees with Cassia, even as the ride disagrees with her. It will be nice to be on solid land again, but she still has this feeling it's all a bad dream, and she should wake up any time now.
The wind picks up somewhat when Othakaar has fallen out of sight, driving the Hydra's Tooth faster through the waves, but increasing its wallowing as the ship's keel cuts deeper through the waves.
Sian is even more relaxed, in direct opposition to everyone else.
Cassia closes her eyes. Then decides its better with them open.
Venia isn't asleep. She is dead, and this is Hell's opening act.
A lookout calls out, his words lost on the wind, and the ropes suddenly become a hive of activity, with sailors pulling and unknotting hundreds of cables, reeling the sails in for some reason.
Sian looks up at them with mild curiousity.
Somewhat to the relief of many of the ship's passengers this leads to a noticeable reduction in its movement. The crew, however, appear anything but relieved.
Cassia likewise looks up. This shouldn't be happening. The lack of rocking is good though.
Out of the mist to starboard a large shadow looms, emerging a bare hundred feet away as an impressively armed trireme, flying the Peleps flag. On deck is what appears to be a half-talon of marine troops, while a large armoured figure stands on the prow, bellowing out commands to the Hydra's Tooth to come to and prepare for boarding.
Venia cradles her head in her hands. What did she do to deserve this level of annoyance?
Cassia watches with interest. What could they want..?
Rows of oars are pulled in as the trireme comes alongside. Boarding planks are lowered to the lower central deck of the large merchantman, the Peleps commander taking about half of his troops on board and talking (read: ordering) the captain of the Tooth to submit to an inspection for contraband by the Imperial Navy. Unsurprisingly, the captain acquieses.
Cassia subtly makes sure her Collar is hidden, and remains sitting where she is.
Sian watches all of this with mild worry.
The soldiers, all dressed in Peleps' livery, spread out across the ship, while the leader remains standing next to it's central mast - the sword he wears strapped to his back apparently capable of cleaving it in two with a single stroke. Sounds of argument, swiftly silenced, rise from some of the hatches. The captain looks aggrieved, but wisely says nothing.
Venia rather unsubtly doesn't do a thing but look anguished and pretty.
There is a loud, one might even say rude, knocking at the door to Venia's quarters. A brusque voice says, "Open up for inspection, in the name of the Scarlet Empress!"
Venia makes her way shakily to the door, opening it and looking blandly at him. "What?"
"We're inspecting the ship for contraband. Move aside!" the soldier shoulders his way past Venia and begins to look through her things, turning stuff over while his comrades wait outside.
Venia taps her fingers on the wall, waiting for him to finish ruining her careful packing and get out.
After several minutes, during which every container is opened and emptied onto the floor, the soldier finally leaves Venia's quarters. All across the ship similar events are occuring, rooms being opened and ransacked, the cargo being searched.
Meanwhile, on the foredeck, soldiers call all of the passengers in the open out and begin to conduct pat-down searches.
Venia'll stop the guard if things seem to be going farther than patdown, as she has enough trouble without someone falling dead in front of her.
Cassia will reluctantly allow it, while subtly trying to get them to pat down her more feminine features, rather than finding her gifts from Asura. Or a few other things that might be hard for her to explain.
The merchants and thieves are, unsurprisingly, unwilling to submit to being searched, one in particular protesting bitterly until a soldier pokes him none-too-gently with a spear-tip. The search is rapid but thorough, and the merchant is left having to explain precisely what this pouch of jewels was doing in a hidden pocket of his tunic.
Cassia and Sian are both searched perfunctorily, but nothing suspicious turns up beneath the pat-down, somewhat to the relief of both of the Dragon-bloods. Belowdecks, meanwhile, Venia manages to prevent any of the soldiers suffering a painful death from accidentally searching the wrong way.
Approximately an hour after arriving, the soldiers depart, a few of them with bloodied weapons. The Hydra's Tooth is let free of the trireme and the giant warship peels away, sailing back on its patrol.
Sian lets out a slow sigh of relief.
Thankfully, while the ship was being searched, the weather calmed down noticeably, and while the wind remains strong the sea is much flatter and the ship rolls far less. The captain and crew do not share the weather's now-sunny disposition.
Cassia relieved by both the lack of finding things and the lack of rough seas. She starts to watch the water a little.
Venia goes back to bed. If there's anything else important, it will just have to wait like everyone else.
"So, is that kind of thing normal?" she asks Sian.
The ship gets back underway, sails unfurl and fill with wind, and it begins cutting its way through the waves on the journey towards Tideholme.
Venia finally decides laying in bed isn't helping, for once. Maybe she needs someone else's? Anyway, time for a walk on deck... maybe that'll ease her mind.
Sian is, of course, still standing at the railing. What a coincidence! Not.
Cassia is perched on a small coil of rope, watching the sea, coping much better now its calmed down, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind.
Venia obviously settles down next to Sian, though sends Cassia a coldly appraising glance.
Sian looks at her after a moment. "Long time no see."
"Mhm. Seems you've had better luck than me in the meantime."
"Not really. I'm still doing exactly what I did last we met."
"Ah. What about your friend there?"
"Hrm? Friend?"
With her full sail spread, the Hydra's Tooth slices through the water, albeit somewhat slower than many of the other ships plying this route. A youngish-looking man (barely old enough to shave it looks like) walks slowly up to Cassia, and gazes out at the sea before getting up the courage to say, "Um... Hi."
Cassia turns to him "Hi." she's still keeping half an ear on the other conversation though.
Venia shrugs. "Apparently I misunderstood."
"I'm here alone, yes."
"Rarely for long, if past experience is any guide."
Sian musters up the briefest smile. "True."
"What was that all about, with the soldiers, earlier? Do you think the captain was smuggling anything?" The boy looks slightly excited by the idea, smiling at Cassia in what he probably hopes is an endearing manner.
Cassia has seen endearing smiles before. Has spent a significant proportion of this last year avoiding the results of one considerably more endearing. "I wouldn't know."
"Oh," the boy looks away. "My name's Ridel, by the way. I'm going to the north to see if I can find some of the treasure I've heard about."
"So, did the truce work out? With the blizzard spirits," Venia asks
"It did. Both sides have agreed to stop complaining so much."
"Mhm. Anything I should be aware of this time? Fire butterflies on the rampage?"
"Not that I know of. I'm on my way back, so there's nothing planned but a long, cold trip."
"You had to remind me of the cold..."
"This is a boat to the North, Venia. Yes, there is cold." Sian states the obvious.
"Cold is when your breath steams in the air. The North is not cold, it is frozen."
"Guess so, if you're not used to it." He shrugs a bit.
"Well, I may get the chance to get used to it this time..."
"Ah, treasure. Well, good luck." Cassia barely pays attention.
"I'll see you around, then..." Ridel walks off, looking somewhat less upbeat than he did a few minutes earlier.
"Oh? How so?"
"Transfer. Might be a while."
Cassia goes back to watching the sea and listening to Sian and Venia
"Ah. Staying in Tideholme?"
"Probably. I doubt there are that many Cynis interests elsewhere."
"Mhmm. If you're ever in Whitewall, you're welcome to stay with me for a while. Assuming I'm there, of course."
"A generous offer. I'll keep it in mind."
Cynis? Hmmm. I wonder what Asura will say about that... Cassia thinks.
Sian nods slightly, and goes back to watching the sea, falling silent.
Venia is likewise quiet.
The 26th Day of Resplendent Wood, Realm Year 763
The rest of the four-day journey is relatively uneventful, at least compared to the brutal Peleps shakedown. Eventually, Tideholme appears on the northern horizon, the tide currently ebbing out forcing the Tooth to dock at the Low Port.
A gang-plank is lowered for the passengers to depart (their passage paid in advance), while the crew and dockworkers get on with the serious business of unloading the many tonnes of cargo carried by the large vessel. The passengers are left to unload their belongings themselves.
Sian has only a small pack, so has little unloading to do.
Venia doesn't have much with her, so this isn't too bad... Definitely a time to miss her assistants from home, though.
Cassia likewise has a small pack, so unloads her belongings with herself.
Tideholme is much as it was when Cassia and Sian left just over a week ago. Small, as far as cities in Creation go, but large in terms of Northern population centres. The smell of the sea (or, rather, rotting seaweed) carries some distance inland, and large numbers of burly men walk back and forth, some carrying canvas-wrapped loads, and others not.
Venia mostly follows in Sian's wake, letting him cut a path into the crowd, then splits off to her rather modest lodgings, getting settled there.
Sian locates his usual inn, talking to Descant for a while before getting comfortable in his room.
Finally, Cassia wanders up to the palace.
