Ari is going to lead a very special Whale Hunt in honor of the late Alrec Magaldi. The goal is to bring along the Pravus Black Fleet, along with whomever else comes along, get in training and morale exercises, and catch a big one. Specifically, the goal is to catch the biggest whale ever, sell the blubber and what not, then make a showpiece of the whale's enormous skeleton, showing it in Arx and in Lenosia before creating a permanent memorial in Setarco.

Sebastian will be attending both to honor the late Admiral Alrec Magaldi, as well as to boost morale amongst Pravus' fleet. He'll likely be absolutely no help with the whale hunt itself, but if successful will be spruiking the victory of the Black Fleet far and wide, spreading the game of Pravus' great fleet.

Duchess Belladonna Pravus favors loyalty like very few things in the world. As such, admist such a heartfelt display by Ari Corsetina in honor of his dead friend, she will ask the man to kneel, and she will knight Ari as one of Setarco's finest. As she uplifts her loyal warrior, she makes sure to let everyone know exactly why this is happening, and how good men of Setarco deserve good things happen to them. She will do so in a way to boost the morale of her men in the Black Fleet, as well as Ari's own friends and crew.

Celeste attends the whaling expedition, taking her place upon the flagship and wearing her uniform as Setarco's general. She mostly stay out of the way, but when it comes time to either reel in the biggest whale ever, or spread the tale of its capture, she'll help with that. In Alrec's name, so none think that Pravus forgets its own, she will spread word far and wide of the hunt and spread stories of Alrec's remarkable service in Pravus.

Tenebrae brings along some Truesworn to help hunt the whales. Having experience with such things in the chilly north, she will be able to suggest plans of attack and give the orders to carry them out. Her sailing skills also helping in coordinating vessels and crews.

The whale hunt itself starts out uneventfully, or at least as uneventfully as anything involving the entire Black Fleet setting sail from Setarco can; it's a great many moving pieces to get all lined up properly, and there are a few false starts. But Ari perseveres, and soon enough the fleet's underway.

Whales aren't as common in the southern Arvani waters as they might be. Oh, there are some down further south in the Saffron Chain, and certainly quite a few to be found far to the north off the coast of the Everwinter. But 'not as common' certainly doesn't mean 'none', and with a fleet of their size, as they spread out, several of the ships manage to spot and trail whales.

It's only as they reach the farthest point from land on their planned journey that they hear the sudden cries from the crew, and turn to find that the rest of the fleet is seemingly missing. And the water beneath the ship is an ominous color -- the deep crimson of fresh blood. The blue sky darkens into an unnatural purple overhead, like a vast sea of bruised skin. And where once were white clouds, now the sky is mottled with black, like a gangrenous rot slowly spreading overhead.

And on the horizon, a ship with blood-red sails cuts through the waves on a path that will take it straight to them.

Ari feels it first: a presence somewhere around them. Beneath them. A vast, endless and malevolent hunger, a bottomless void that could consume the world and not be filled. It isn't long before Celeste, too, feels it, and then Sebastian as well. A cold, hungry, impersonal regard measuring them, as though considering their worth -- as minions, perhaps, or only morsels.

Some indeterminate amount passes of what might have been time, back on normal waters; here, it's both an instant and an eternity that passes as the red-sailed ship draws ever closer. And then just as the other ship draws within sight, suddenly, the sense of that impossible, horrible attention from beneath turns from them, and the red-sailed ship turns its course aside. As it cuts past the Setarcan flagship, a woman with golden-red hair leans out from the rigging where she's perched, offering a smirk and a little salute towards the group assembled on the deck of the flagship. "What a pleasant surprise," she calls out, her voice carrying clearly despite the distance. "I /do/ think we'll have to speak, you and I. But some other time, hm? Don't let me keep you!"

And as the ship sails past, the sky clears, the waters returning to normal. Yet the flagship is a good bit farther than they meant to sail, and the course the shaken crew has to set takes the better part of an hour to rejoin the rest of the Black Fleet.

The fact that on the way back, they manage to capture the largest whale out of any ship in the fleet? That's probably just coincidence.

During a previous @action of Alrec's, the Tortorici family - formerly a line of Pravus some 300 years ago or so - were encountered and made an offer of assistance to House Pravus in exchange for either vast wealth or marriage and ennoblement to bring them back into the Compact. Celeste and Belladonna have discussed this think the time to bring in a new line of Prodigal nobles is not now. So they're gathering up assistance to broker a deal that will allow the Tortorici to come back in as prodigal commoners with a plan in motion for bringing them up to nobility after the Compact has had time to see their value.

To that end, Celeste is organizing a diplomatic overture to negotiate with the clan. Pravus will offer bringing them back into the compact in exchange for their loyalty and assistance. At such time as it's mutually agreed upon, after Tortorici has proven their worth in the eyes of the Compact and politics are such that the Compact can stomach a new House, Celeste will marry the man of their chosing to ennoble him.

Admiral Alrec facilitates the negotiations as best as he can, introducing the Tortorici's own general(s) to a taste of the kind of access to ships and training they can expect to receive once they join the compact.

Ari hears of this effort and gives a small contribution to the cause.

Viviana is going to play games. Why? Because it is more fun than negotiating marriages. Here are the rules:

She will try selling House Pravus as desirable overlords. More riches to improve their lands, more power to crush their enemies, more beautiful people to have fun with. Also, she will bring wine, because wine makes everything better.

Bend the knee, win amazing prizes!

Refuse, and she goes to your neighbor. Not a threat. Not at all. But maybe if you don't want a Setarcan overlord backing your ambitious ways... maybe the guy living just next to you does. RELAX! Not a threat.

But it kind of is.

Now bend the knee.

First to the Tortorici -- and then to any other tribes that treat with them, visit or he has contact with during their time on the Saffron Chains, Sebastian tells a story: it's a tale, weaved from a variety of truths and rumors. He speaks of the long history of the Pravus family the strength -- and yes, darkness -- they were forged from. That their ancestress, the Grand Duchess Procella Pravus demonstrated their families ability to take what was needed, to rule where needed, and to demonstrate strength where needed.

The smooth-tongued Voice talks of the Duchess Belladonna Pravus, and the ties he makes between her and Procella Pravus are unmistakable -- he describes them in similar fashion, talking of their respective strengths, their love and loyalty to their families and those that serve them -- of their ability to get and hold what is rightfully theirs.

This strength, he tells them, is what is needed for their own.

A great darkness is on them: he doesn't need to tell them that: they know.

Pravus will be the iron fist that shelters them, but also the silk that binds them.

As a Pravus responsible for more than ten thousand 'commoner' prodigals with claims to ancient noble heritage, Sudara is warmly supportive of Celeste's endeavour. She'll gladly pitch the treatment of the Truesworn as proof that the Pravus are capable of long-term cooperation with and tolerance of prodigals, and can speak favourably with regard to Celeste herself - while Sudara personally stands as proof of the House being willing to make unconventional marriage alliances that work out well. As an expert diplomat, she'll do what she can to ensure that things go both smoothly and quietly. Managing this without fuss or widespread notice seems wise, in the present climate.

While Celeste busies herself with the Tortorici, Duchess Belladonna has other plans: she wants the rest of the Abandoned of the Saffron Chains to bend the knee and join the armies of Setarco when called upon, effectively multiplying the prowess of her army by a few magnitudes over the course of a few weeks.

But how?

The Compact allows for many competing Houses to justify cooperation and preservation in the name of a higher good. The Abandoned lack such lofty, communal aims, and as such are vulnerable to predation. They are a multitude of individual domains fighting against each other, full of ancient vendettas that the Duchess aims to exploit.

The premise of Belladonna's strategy is simple: she will take the Swords of the Evening, her own force, to the Saffron Chains, and offer to assist strategic Houses putting old enemies down for good in return for their fealty.

She will do so, and expand her army, move to the next territory. This is all in an attempt to consolidate power in the region before going against the Children of the Centipede, which believes are a much harder foe to face against.

The vassals of House Pravus and many Lycene peers are extremely relieved that House Pravus does not bring Tortorici into Pravus' service through marriage, though it does make matters more difficult with Tortorici, as some loudly proclaim they are getting a terrible deal and should hold out for better terms. But then Viviana and Belladonna are shopping their neighbors, and while this could technically, technically be considered by some in the Compact as treasonous (it's a gray area, since talking to the shavs to bend the knee is not treasonous, but other negotiations are by treating them as a foreign power rather than just outlaws), it's also highly effective in driving the threat home that if they don't bend the knee, they'll be crushed on behalf of their neighbors. Aside from the implicit threat of force (and the actual use of force), Sebastian, Celeste and Sudara make compelling cases for joining House Pravus- and Setarco IS booming, with House Pravus ascendent throughout the Lyceum. It's a compelling case.

Of course, there's a few diehards that argue vehemently against bending the knee to Pravus without nobility, but on the 13th day of negotiations, the three of them have been found to been torn limb from limb into unrecognizable chunks of flesh. Very sad. Tragic accident, clearly. All of the Pravus delegation was accounted for and couldn't have been responsible, but that also is enough to go from 'maybe we should weigh our options' to 'nope nope, we'll sign up now'.

Ari is going to take his Velenosa Letter of Marque, the Corsetina Merchant Fleet such as it is, and the Galleys he commands of the Pravus Black Fleet (which I can't codedly add to the action, but OOC and IC I'd otherwise have full permission from Alrec to do), and go hunting pirates. Capture all he can, bring them back to Lenosia for adjudication by Velenosa per their privateering laws. He will ask that his payment come in the form of ships he captures, when he comes up with Cogs and Galleys that are servicable for the Corsetina fleet. Otherwise he'll take the money.

Two longships are captured with some impressive privateering, and some battle with different Abandoned pirates. But then there's something that Ari finds that's different. Very different indeed.

The sea is so calm and windless that his ships need to go to oars to pursue the great dromond in the waves, a ship flying no flags and clearly piratical that rumors said raided and sunk three different merchant men. But something is very wrong when he catches up to the ship. The ship stops, and there's no action on board. In fact, there's no one on board at all. It had been moving, but it's as if everyone that had been on the ship had completely vanished. The decks are wet, as if waves had crashed over it, but there hadn't been a recent storm, and his men are terrified with a sense of creeping dread aboard the great ship. Aside from it being Abandoned, inside the cabins, it's decorated with clothing and fabric that is done in Corsetina style- as if this ship was already owned by the Corsetina family, but that's impossible. Inside the captain's cabin it's decorated almost as if it was for him specifically, practically how he would have done it himself if he had commissioned it.

He has a new dromond, but it's unsettling. Very unsettling.

Domonico will be drawing up a series of exercises, from moving as a fleet, to rapid changes in fleet formations and a few 'friendly' competitions (short races and chases etc).
Before commencing the exercises, Domonico will gathering the various fleet commanders and captains, getting to to know them and allowing them to meet each other before briefing them on the various exercises.
The actual training will take place in Lycene waters and Domonico will be focussed on getting the best he can out of the ships under his command, allowing the individual fleet leaders leeway to make decisions but still directing them to work as a whole, united fleet. He'll be running his command from the flagship of the Malvici fleet, the brand new, top of the range dromond Sea Hawk (named for Francisco Malvici), which is armed with siege weapons in the form of light catapults and ballista.

Under advisement from Admiral Alric, Ari will bring the Pravus fleet of Galleys he commands, those under the Black Fleet, in a spirit of full cooperation with the grand Lycene fleet that Commodore Domonico is attempting to put together. His daughter having the role she does, he'll gladly help.

Aahana brings the ships that House Volkov has available to the training exercises. While nominally in command of the ships she is leaving the operating of them to the captains, giving them instructions to fully co operate with the instructions and orders from Domonico.

What Aahana will be focussing on in particular will be making sure these exercises and war games are viewed in the best possible light. She'll cite the benefits in improved relationships between the City-States of the Lyceum and even further afield (with observers from other fealties), the improved efficiency that united fleets will have in defending the Compact and the benefits of learning from experienced naval commanders.

Miranda is going to be staged upon Domonico's ship, wherever he is. She will be observing as representative of Rubino-Zaffria to help Lysander organize their own Navy if it should be needed. In addition, she will be assisting Santi with combat techniques for boarding parties and close up combat.

As Domonico's protegee and the commander of the Saik military forces, Neilda brings the humble and yet proud collection of the Saikland's naval might. She attempts to learn the identities of and get on with her new comrades as much as she can (for it is planned by her mentor, and she is a dedicated student), and in turn learn all she can about warfare from them.

The Malespero fleet joins the exercises - and Beatrice joins in person as Domonico's Special Advisor. Combining her management expertise with Lycene personability, she knows how to create an environment in which large, diverse, complex teams of people work together to create success.

Beatrice becomes one of Domonico's fixers. She plans, recommends strategy, and anticipates problems while liaising with and mentoring junior officers to mediate disputes among and within the fleets. She focuses on ensuring the engagement has established a communication structure for the House fleets that gets leadership the information it needs to make sound decisions without choking the effort with unnecessary bureaucracy.

And she does it while wearing a really fancy hat.

The Fleet of Caith may not be very large but Armani Gilden knows her way around a ship and has been convinced to join the exercise, if nothing else to determine if Domonico can walk the talk.

One of these participants is not like the others.
Regardless, that's not going to stop Jasher from politely introducing himself and taking part as a guest participant and observer. He hasn't brought ships, but he's brought himself and a handful of fellow Thraxian sailors to participate alongside Santi in boarding actions, personal combat, other such things that require getting hands dirty, and overall work alongside people who aren't Thraxians while getting to know something of their quirks.
It builds teamwork and it's educational!

Determine to put his own fleet to the test, Admiral Alrec Magaldi joins Commandore Ari Corsetina showcasing the Pravus galley fleet and commanding the fleet to absorb as much as they could and to dedicate time to cross-training with the other houses so that they could work together better.

Aisha is going to have the Invernos take part in Dompnico's training. She herself does not take part in the training but she does lead the Inverno troops and such by direction.

General of Gemecitta's Armies, Duke Consort, and Voice of Gemecitta.... are very large titles for a former Grayson Prince, but, that doesn't mean he's sitting on his laurels. He commits Gemecitta's fleet - which despite being land locked they have some ships! - to partake in these exercises. Practice sessions are extremely important and the last major conflicts of the darkwater certainly reduced the number of capable sailors - new ones need to be trained. When Domonico approached Aiden upon these competitions, Aiden immediately stood behind the idea. He knows the merit of military drills and learning strategies that cannot be taught any other way than doing. He voices his approval and will send the Commande of the Navy and all captains besides, to attend. It's not a request, it is an expectation. Besides, they'll get paid for it.

Santi is there for when things get bloody. He will be spearheading training in personal combat; boarding actions/repelling boarders, marine landings and the like - with a specific eye towards the unique complications that come with fighting on ship: confined spaces, fewer options for protective equipment or cover, using the environment to your advantage (AKA When in doubt, kick 'em overboard), and how to disable a ship by targetting specific lines or rigging.

While Valenzo is no longer a Southport navy man, he's always glad to answer the call! The Tasty Terrapin is a fast and agile little ship, perfect for exactly these kinds of exercises -- and her Captain will use all of his impressive sailing skill to keep his ship on the move as the fleets try and catch her, with his rough and tumble crew more than happy to join in on the mock-combat training for those who manage to board.

Assisting her fellow Malvici, Caelis will bring down a few of her ships from the Valardin Navy to assist in her cousin's training endeavor.

A touch of the exotic is brought to the fleet's maneuvers: longships flying the colours of the Truesworn arrive to take part. Their crews seem eager to learn all they can, and are happy to share the insights gained while serving aboard their distinctly un-Lycene vessels.

Waldemai will be bringing his tools along on Domonico's adventure and patching up any difficulties with armor among the members of the party and putting new edges on everyone's weapons as the lulls in battle permit. He also has his battle hammer and his own armor along just in case.

At Lord Domonico's request. Dariel has organised a feast to be held after the conclusion of the exercise. Which is lucky because Dariel certainly doesn't have any naval skills he could possibly contribute. After checking that the feast is actually to be held on dry land Dariel organises enough fine food to feed a navy, sufficent entertainment and plenty of alcohol for all. Dariel spends his time making sure everyone is enjoying themselves after a hard time at sea. He plys people with drink, food and company so they make the most of it.

He'll be learning from the others on board. Having recently come back to the city, he wants to support his brother's work so will be staying with the fleet. He'll be learning from others and meeting the other Captains and Admirals around. Helping in part with some logistics to support the navigation on-board with his brother.

Lord Domonico Malvici's naval exercises go much better than one would reasonably expect, with so many different navies with different traditions participating. There's a surprising lack of conflict between the different proud navies, with no altercations that one might expect from blows to pride as one navy or another scores victories in the drills, and it goes frankly suspiciously well. Most of the navies involved expected -something- to go wrong, but near as they can tell, nothing did, and all show enhanced readiness. It's disquieting to some when absolutely nothing goes wrong.

While in Setarco, Sebastian (and the others traveling with him) will be undertaking a bit of a tour. They will be making deals with shipwrights and small towns and villages to create network of easily obtainable military resources. Additionally, particularly while traveling through the larger villages and Setarco itself they will be talking up the military and the amazing, important work they did during the Gyre War to encourage more people to join. Sebastian, as Voice of Pravus, will be using his Charm and Propaganda skills to generate the sort of buzz that will resonate with the people long after they've gone.

Pasquale enjoys a good morale tour. He's not the most energetic fellow in most circumstances but he's a fair hype man when it comes to military matters, and he aids Sebastian in the recruiting effort. Spreading the word about the benefits of serving House Pravus, how a soldier can advance themselves, and sharing his own personal story of the destruction wrought by the Gyre and the need to fight such forces. He compels the populace to aid his liege lords and ladies in these troubled times.

To assist the Setarco diplomacy effort, with his next trade run Ari will make a specific effort to get goods marked as from Setarco to sell in Arx. Further, he will emphasize to the crew he has on that trip the stories of the recent battles around Setarco, and how this ship played a role in it. Emphasizing to them, so they'll spread the word, that a strong Setarco, strategically positioned, is for the good of all.

Admiral Alrec Magaldi is personally taking charge of the tour to showcase the fleet to Lord Sebastian and his guests. Drawing from debts and favors owed to him in the city of Setarco as the minister of productivity, the admiral invites its citizens to attend as well, making a block party of the whole thing. The Setarco sailors wear their best uniforms between standing ceremonially, they show their abilities as sailors, in honor to not just the voice of Pravus but also the city of Setarco. After an award ceremony, sailors mingle with the general population to enjoy the festivity. Booths are raised for recruiting efforts, taking advantage of the tour and good spirits.

It's remarkably successful, the propaganda campaign. Word spreads about Pasquale, Sebstian, Ari and Alrec, and they all become significantly more well known. ((Fame bump, work roll added))