Forums / Roleplaying / The Stormborn: The Ghost Ship

As the ship reaches the port, a thick fog descends upon the Stormborn, and then voices can be heard, a ship with black paint on it's wood and black sails on its mast pulls towards the Stormborn, it shoots ballista projectiles from the sides.

"MAN YOUR STATION!", roars Septim.

Septim retrieves his bow and begins to shoot at ghosts on the other ship, but it does nothing, ballista shots have no effect and even a shot from the catapult goes through the ship.

Erunion stands on the deck, staring at the enemy and muttering under his breath in the Naergothrendarin tongue.
"Why do I bloody get myself into these bloody messes all the bloody time? Bah!"
Seriously annoyed, Erunion threw several dozen balls of fire and left them suspended around the black ship. The fire quickly burned away the mist, allowing the crew of the Stormborn to see the ghost ship.
Not that many of them wanted to.

Erunion approaches Septim;

"Seven hells! Why did Silverwind of all people become a ghost??? This is a serious issue."

Deathuelf was working as hard as he can but he hasn’t seen a wound like what the swords of the ghost crew.

*Plato enchants them with blessed water of ZeTa, which he collected from a merchant before they started on this trip*

"This should have more effect on the ghosts, but it if not, we will have to wait until we find what it's weakness is."

*Plato sighs*

*Charley was hoping that his new blessed arrows would have some effect on the ghosts but would be careful not to become overconfident and get injured or killed because of it.  He prepared himself for the future battles that would come in the future.*

[[Charley then slaps Plato for pointing out the English mistakes >_>]]

"I was just getting up to go on my rounds and tripped over your boots on the floor, landing on you.  Next time clean up the floor before going to bed before I break my neck."

*Charley walks around the edge of the ship with his bow and arrows on him as he gazes out into the darkness of night*

*The night passes by and morning arrives.  Charley saw nothing unusual during the night watch and headed to bed to rest until he got into his normal watch position high up on the ship with his bow and arrows.*

Charley had luckily been up high in his watch position but out of arrows.  He had been barely holding off the ghosts with his sword but was relieved to find out that they fled once again.....Charley then climbed down to find out what else happened

Charley proceeded making new arrows to replace those that were lost.....

Charley saw the huge beast that he thought was a myth and almost dropped his weapons in shock but quickly pushed his emotions out of the way and readied himself for battle. 

He had a different strategy for this beast.  He would fire special arrows that had oil on the tips...the oil would not come off in the water so after hitting it enough times he would launch a fire arrow and turn it into some oriental BBQ.  But in order for this to succeed....he had to live long enough to fire enough arrows.

"Bloody hell! Ghost ships and Sea monsters Galore! This bloody thing is going to die!"
Abnormally ticked off, Erunion pulled out his bow and started firing. Wherever an arrow hit, it tore through flesh and turned a patch of the creature into ice. Erunion then sent another arrow to the frozen area, this one, however, causes explosions.

As the men continued their fight, they noticed large chunks of the creature shattering and breaking off...

[[OOC: This happened BEFORE the fire arrow flew into it.]]

Septim jumps out onto the beast and stabs his longsword into it's stomach, he then draws his gladius and stabs it higher, he uses this technique to climb to the beast's eye, where he stabs his gladius into, it doesn't go deep enough, so he uses his spatha to really blind the beast, he takes his longsword and falls to the deck with his gladius in hand, as the beast thrashes about Septim draws a small oak crossbow with an ancient arrow from the times when the western empire was a seafaring empire and shoots it into the beast's head, the flesh on the creature melts away as it catches on fire, it slams Charley to the ground as it shrieks in agony and melts away, as it falls into the sea Septim casually walks to the side of the ship and grabs his spatha as the creature's head goes by. Septim sheaths it on his back and sheaths his gladius on his right side. Septim turns to his sailmaker, Grubbs.

"Help the crew repair the broken mast as quickly as possible...", says Septim.

Charley doesnt mind....hes just unconscious, bleeding, and has splinters from the shattered mast jammed in his body.....

Two days later the mast is fully repaired. The Stormborn pulls off towards the Eastern Continent and experiences no further trouble on the way there. Upon docking a dark skinned man with a black beard approaches. He begins speaking in a strange language, and Septim speaks back in the same language. The black bearded man laughs and pats Septim on the shoulder, and Septim laughs as well. Septim asks the man a question and the man responds. Septim walks back to the ship.

"We go to Uthava, twenty miles southeast of this port...", says Septim.

But the injuries came at a cost.....Charley's memory went blank from the trauma and came to answer by the name "Ernie." The iris' of his eyes changed to a piercing shade of orange.

Ernie spent a lot of time recovering from his injuries and infections that occurred from no medical treatment but still managed to go on watch when needed......

[[OOC: We had a doctor >_> but he must have fallen overboard]] X_x

Ernie had been healed enough to grab his longbow and climb up to his normal lookout post.  He then looked at the wreckage but could not see if there were any survivors.

[[OCC:I've not fallen overboard just been busy]]

Gets his medic stuff and helps the survivor more.

Septim goes out in front of his men, knowing the Ghost Ship is near.

"The Black Staff hasn't the power to destroy the ghosts, it has the power to make weapons work on them. Everybody, bring me your weapons..."

After charging every sword, arrow, and dagger with the Black Staff, Septim charges Firengard, his gladius, and his spatha. Septim then stands at the front of the ship in preparation for combat, the Ghost Ship nears, and when it grows close enough the ghostly hooks grapple the side of the ship and a ghostly voice roars, "Slay me Septim so that my misery will end!"

The ghostly warriors go across the ropes and land on the other side, they begin fighting the crew.

Septim blocks a blow and parries another, he draws his gladius to uses it to deflect while he uses his longsword to attack. He deflects a blow and stabs Firengard into the ghost, the ghost looks down at the wound with satisfaction.

"Thank you", says the ghost before disappearing.

Septim continues fighting the ghosts, and each one he destroys is happy to go, but doesn't go down without a fight.

Arvious wonders WTF? as he sent a fireball from his enchanted wand and it hit a ghost right in the face, he smile and disappears from the ship.  Then, Arvious dropped his wand.  Standing in front of him, was not a ghost, but someone from the past.  Ten years past.  Arvious felt hot blood run through his body.

"So... you survived."

"Just barely.  The ghost ship was the perfect place to hide.  See this blade?"

Plato took a hard look at it, and saw it was a sword enchanted by the black staff.

"My king enchanted my blade.  I stowed away on this ship, killing the ghosts that found were I hid, knowing it was a matter of time until they ran into you."

The spirits seem endless, the amount of souls lost at sea are almost infinite. Aeron Silverwind approaches Septim, the old Northern warrior of great skill in life was even greater in death. He draws his ghostly longsword.

"Let us finish this...", mutters Aeron, "Good luck, for both our sakes..."

Aeron charges Septim, and Septim blocks with his longsword, he parries the blade and stabs, but Aeron dodges with inhuman speed. Septim draws his gladius in time to block another of Aeron's quick attacks and stabs back with his longsword, again he dodges. The battle goes on, no ghosts help Aeron, as they still hold to their code, no interference. Towards the end, the gladius is broken, Septim attempts to draw his spatha, but to no avail. He blocks with his longsword, and after a few blocks he is thrown to the ground, Aeron walks towards Septim.

"I guess your luck wasn't great enough", mutters Aeron.

But Septim is not paying attention to Aeron, Septim looks to his right, and he sees a spear laying next to him, he grabs the spear and drives it through Aeron's ghostly neck, Aeron, struck by surprise, hasn't time to react. He falls to the ground and Septim approaches him, as he melts away he yells, "Check the hold!"

Septim lets his friend pass, and rises. He picks up his longsword and walks over to the ghost ship, where hundreds of ghosts walk from the hold. Septim battles his way in, a few of the crew joins him, Hasgar, Bestor, and Vershun. The four cut through until almost to the hold, Hasgar is cut down.

"Leave him!", roars Septim, "Or his death will be in vain."

The trio begin cutting their way into the hold, most of the ghosts now being fishermen and clam divers, they were easy to put to rest. They reach the hold, where a pillar of green light rises from a circular hole in the ground, they fight to the hole to see a pool of ghosts trying to reach the light, where they are sent into battle against the Stormborn's crew. Septim takes the black staff from his back.

"Now to use the second word the old man gave me!", roared Septim, "Aluvaska!"

He smashes the pillar of light, and the light glows brighter, a fire erupts from the hole and begins spreading from it.

"...RUN!", yells Septim.

The trio runs, and when they reach the deck they jump half the distance between the ships. All three grab a rope hanging on the side, as they climb the ghost ship burns with a green glow, when Septim and the two reach the deck, Septim orders that all available men get to the bottom, the ghosts had disappeared. Septim too runs down and helps row, and as the longship goes away from the ghost ship, the ghost ship explodes in a green light, the ghosts from the pool are freed from their aquatic prison, and they go up towards the sky, knowing that whatever path awaits them, it is up there.

***

Septim returns to his castle, where Rufus and an unexpected guest awaits him.

"I am Prince Vassius Revilar of the Western Empire, and I am here on behalf of my father, Emperor Verdelet Revilar", says the unexpected guest.

Septim doesn't bow, he turns to him.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?", asks Septim.

"You have rid the world of a vile threat", says Vassius.

"Oh yes, that", says Septim.

"In reward for your services to the Empire, I reward you with one million gold coins and the title of Duke of Cidel", says Vassius.

Cidel was a well renowned duchy known for it's craftsmanship and great metal working.

"Thank you sir", says Septim.

"Your ceremony will be in one month, at Hessondus", says Vassius.

***One month later***

Lord Septim of Cidel approached the great palace of Hessondus, his great light grey cape with the seal of Cidel in black trails behind him, his grey tunic and dark grey pants stir whispers, as it is custom for Lords to wear red at their ceremonies. He walks to the throne at the end of the massive throne room and kneels before the Emperor, the Emperor lifts his longsword with a little difficulty, in his old age it is rather hard to lift it. But he holds it above Septim's head.

"Lord Septim of Cidel, Captain of the Stormborn, slayer of ghosts, do you accept the title of Duke and the rewards that come with it?", asks the Emperor.

"Yes", says Septim simply.

"Then I now name you Duke Septim of Cidel and the surrounding lands!", says the Emperor gladly.

Septim had been born into a poor family and had worked his way up, where everybody else in the room had been born rich, he was of a different species to them, of a different planet, he would never be able to befriend them, but he didn't want to, his true friends were his shipmates, he had learned that a long time ago.

Septim rises, bows, and turns. With the same step he had as he walked in he exits the building, his face not showing a single emotion. Upon leaving he walks to his horse and goes off on the road to Cidel.

[[OOC: This is the end of The Stormborn: The Ghost Ship. Arvious, you may finish what you were going to write if you wish, I will start the next story in a few minutes. The position of Second in Command is reserved for Erunion.]]