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| Action Id: 3448 | Crisis: | Participants: Ari(RIP), Belladonna, Sebastian, Tenebrae and Celeste | |
| Status: Resolved | Submitted: June 11, 2019, 9:16 a.m. | Public: True | GM: Pax |
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Economic Resources: 100 Military Resources: 250 Social Resources: 100 Action Points: 50 |
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Action by Ari(RIP)
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.
Action by Sebastian
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.
Action by Belladonna
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.
Action by Celeste
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.
Action by Tenebrae
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.
Result
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.