Meridia; Prologue: Kindling the Fire
 

No one remembered the time before the Divine Treachery. All records of that Golden Age of Men and Elves were lost in the fires of dark gods. Yet the Golden Age, the Forgotten Age, spanned many years, had many stories to tell. All forgotten, all lost... The problem with forgotten legends is that not all the old tales have ended. And one yet brewed across the lands and seas. One story-book evil resided yet in the world that no child had yet heard of...

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Captain Brenu stepped aboard the Castle, flag ship and capital palace of Trinia. The Castle was a vast ship, fortified, tied down, and practically built into its housing at the drydocks of Dalia. Its five levels of cannons bristled menacingly as it gave the cerimonial salute to the incoming guests, from across the land as they stepped aboard it. It was hardly recognisable as a ship anymore, so many extentions had been built, new quarters added on, yet the shipwrites insisted she was still seaworthy. Brenu had his doubts. He watched from the docks as the adventurers filed up the gangplank into the ships intereror. He had even seen a Druthman go by. He wondered by how much these rumors had been exagerated, to get such a calling. Or perhaps the governments knew things he had yet to learn. Perhaps the priests had divined some greater truth that only the privilaged few could grasp, that had told them that their nations very existance, their own livelyhoods, were at steak. Or perhaps, if Dalia had ever cared to make an international call for aid before, this would have been the turnout anyway. He still was unsure why the call had been made. Ships had been sent to Hietga and Don'Chais asking for aid in an obscure mission few knew anything about. He the least. Reguardless, it would be a side mission to his own trade runs, and they would have to wait a while. The Trade Winds were unforgiving. They'd have to complete the full Devil's Cycle before they reached the South Eastern waters where, rumor heald, the Scellians had found something. Reguardless, he had speant too much time here on the docks, he followed the rest up the gangplank and into the ship's hull.

OOC: Well, someone's got to go first...

BIC:

The Castle certainly resembled its landbound counterpart, a massive floating construction that looked like it could stand against anything the world threw at it. As he boarded the gangplank, he looked at the others around.

Well, we've got a pretty motley crew here... everyone's from everywhere... just like the Black Pearl.

Here he clenched his teeth in unbidden rage. Yes, the treacherous dogs of the Black Pearl... too corrupt to even stay mutinous for long. After they had tossed Captain Crow off on some abandoned island, they had set sail for Trinia, to report his death due to pirate attacks. Likely, they would have accepted his report and promoted him to captain, given his outstanding track record in the past.

But fate had been cruel. He'd been lucky to escape with his own life, after he overheard the crew plotting to off him and go rogue. So, he assassinated the assassins, but he knew that staying on this ship was certain death. As they'd neared Trinian waters, he cast off on a skiff in the dead of night, silently vowing revenge on that pack of knaves who'd ruined his life.

Then he'd heard a call for a good crew. Figuring that he could get by using a false name and a disguise, he'd signed up, and here he was. But it wasn't what it was cracked up to be... Sure, there was glory and adventure to be had (most likely), but also a great deal of personal risk and worst of all - contact with the naval officers who knew him and Crow. He wanted out, but he knew that the guards wouldn't let him.

"God, the only way it could get worse is if..."

He saw a familiar face among the crowd. A very familiar face.

Me and my big mouth...

OOC: hehehe... ideas begin to churn in the deep recesses of the werewolf's mind. Lets see where this goes...

Syphrin held a wide brimmed hat in her hands. She had worn it earlier, trying to disguise herself and draw the least attention possible. <But I guess the only way I'm gonna be able to fit in such a world would be to keep my head high, and act like I belong here.> She put on a confident look on her face, she was thankful for her good acting skills, which was her lifeline, <and the way I can pawn poor saps out of their money.> She chuckled to herself.

She turned to lean against the guard rail, observing everything going on. She looked at the hat, considering throwing it in the water, as if that would cut the final tie to her previous life.

Aras stood high above everyone else on the ship. He was hanging from the middle of the main mast of the ship, his shuriken embedded into the mast. Aras was watching everyone else from above, curious about his new ship mates. Aras couldn’t stop himself from swinging around a little, since he was told this ship was going to go to Hietga at some point. It’s been a year and a half since Aras has been home to see his mother.

OOC: Aras = poor sap by the way

A blue blur was overhead. It grabbed a pole, spun, flew off, grabbed a collum, slid down then jumped onto a ledge and dropped down several of them before resting on the ground.


Raj bowed slightly and said, "Thank you, thank you, I'm a showoff, thank you, thank you."

"Another sea voyage, they don't pay me enough for this," Kia sighed as she boarded the ship. She had spent the better part of five months on various ships doing various tasks as per her client's requests. She didn't really care who or what she had to kill, as long as her payment was received. As one poor captain found out, not paying her resulted in permanent housing on the ocean floor. She removed the scarf that was covering her mouth and breathed in the warm air as she sat on top of a few boxes near the main mast. "Perhaps this trip will be more eventful than the last..."

About to board the ship, Krim wandered along the dock slightly distractedly.

With any luck, no one on the crew would be able to tell he was half-Scellian. That would save a lot of trouble. Wow, this was a big ship, and....

A large wide-brimmed hat landed on his head.

"What th'..." he took the hat off and looked up. "Hey, lady, 's this your 'at?"

OOC: gh0st, the key word was considering.

Corgan smiled as he walked up the plank to the new ship. After that nasty battle on his last ship with a sea demon, he was lucky to be alive. He walked on deck and looked around. <Ha, a new day, a new ship, a new beginning. Things are looking up after that last cruise...> Corgan thought.