Completed The Pirate Ship

[Markus Andres]

ooc NoteThis is the event that takes place on the 27th of Winter. I have gotten permission from Accolade to run it as a solo thread.

27th of Winter 513 There was a strange feeling brewing in his stomach. It was excitement mixed with anxiety. He could feel the excitement in his hands, trembling ever so slightly as he closed the formation and got moving. For something very big was going on. The orders had been brief: Form up and march. Every single knight in the yellow company under Taylor Brudt had been mobilized. Markus was only one of many knights marching in close ranks towards the still unknown destination. He wore the heavy armour of the knights, almost every ounce of skin on his body was hidden underneath a solid layer of good Syliran steel. A pair of weapons strapped to his left side. The bastard sword he always carried, but also the cold iron dagger that Fallon had gifted to him back when they had still been dating. The young knight had many times considered getting rid of the dagger, because all it did was remind him of Fallon. There was no stab of sadness that she were gone, he was too focused on the mission ahead of him. But outside of missions, when alone, there he felt her absense the most. It must be something big for them to mobilize the entire company. Fifty heavily armoured knights showing up wherever they were needed. Thoughts swirled in his mind, was there a riot going on? Another major catastrophy happened like the warehouse burning down in fall? Only time would tell and although they moved quickly as the civilians knew that now was not a good time to obstruct the knights. Markus saw they were moving towards the harbour. He had marched this way many times from and to guard duty. Although today he moved mucher swifter. Eager to get to their destination. Prove their worth as knights. Defend the city from whatever threatened the stability. Markus was certain no matter what he found, he would take it on with a raised chin.

[Markus Andres]

Arriving at the docks together with the rest of his wing made him realize what was out of place. A large ship had run aground, or on purpose docked, a place where it most certainly was not supposed to be. A cold wind swept in from the sea and Markus shivered as it struck him. Syna's rays were not as warm this time of year, but she still did warm the knights as they appeared. But still, the cold wind went straight to the bone. There were spread murmurs amongst the knights around him as they saw the ship and knew where they were headed. It was a very large ship. Several decks tall and capable of carrying a large cargo. Or a large army if there was a need. It was a majestic sight and unless there was a problem it would be a nice addition to the Syliran fleet. There was a pair of large masts, the sails flapped in the wind as it looked as if the rigging had been destroyed or knocked loose in the impact with the bolder. There were a pair of crow's nest at the top of each mast. Markus had seen huge galleons in Zeltiva that reminded him of this ship. Large aft- and forecastles. But this ship seemed much smaller. Probably a cromster. Markus had never had much interest for different types of ships. They looked amazing, but they were not his interest. The knights spread out into their individual wings lead by their sergeant knight. Taylor Brudt was already on the scene with two wings of his company. Waiting for the rest to show up. Markus never liked the knight and his attitude towards the knights and the virtues he lived to uphold. He was too rude and perhaps cynical for Markus' taste. Yet he held a grudging respect for the knight. The stewart knight called the ten sergeant knights present to him. Markus assumed he informed them of the situation and issued the necessary orders to take care of the problem. Close to fifty knights waited for their orders as their superiors talked it through. 'Yes ser.' Ten voices called out in unison as ser Brudt was done and the ten sergeant knights turned to their respective wings. Markus looked at his sergeant knight as he approached him. Tyr Rhanan was a good man and an excellent sergeant knight. He had more than earned Markus' respect in the time Markus had served under him. 'We got the honour of being the first wing on the ship. We will be accompanied by another wing who will move to the bow and we will go to the aft. If we encounter any resistance we signal to ser Brudt to send in the rest of the knights. If we encounter no resistance, we move below deck and search the ship compartment by compartment. Markus, you got the front. Any questions? - Good. Move out. Ser Brudt, my wing is ready.' ser Rhanan finished and Brudt simply nodded in return. The five knights moved and soon after another five moved in behind them. Markus was not surprised that he had been chosen to lead the assault. He did enjoy the recognition of his skills as a warrior. He also did note that this was a very cautious approach to the ship. Only two wings to investigate the ship. Might be a trap to magically blow up the ship and take down an entire company if they did not go about it carefully. It made sense. The thought did occur to Markus that if it was a trap then he would most certainly not survive. The young knight brushed those thoughts aside, no use worrying about something that was beyond his control. Orders were orders and he just needed to focus on carrying those out to the best of his abilities, always. He would also prefer he be the one who sprung the trap, than a fellow knight.

[Markus Andres]

Each row brought them closer. Markus at the stern of the small boat that carried them closer. Rowers pulling them closer with the strength of their arms. The oars dragging through the water. Closer. Ever closer. The trip to the ship had been tense. Any moment some pirate scum might pop up and unload a crossbow bolt at the advancing knights. Or worse, a fireball. Markus could feel as his heartbeat steadily quicken as adrenalin started to run in his blood. Ever since Sahova Markus had had a dislike of travelling by boat. It made him uncomfortable, but he tried to block it out and remain focused on the task at hand. His personal problems came second to the needs of the knights. Always did. The knight right behind Markus had his own crossbow out and was using Markus to shield him in case of incoming fire. Simple tactic. Markus had his heater shield between him and the ship. The row boat touched the ship and many hands grabbed hold of the larger ship. Though wary of anyone preparing an ambush, they moved swiftly and soon Markus had his shield thrown over his back and he began to climb up the side of the ship. One hand hauling him further up the ship and he could feel the strain as he was effectively pulling over a tenth of a ton up the side of a ship. His right hand got a hold of the edge of the deck itself and Markus looked down at the other knights. Nodded grimly and pulled himself up. ”Wysar watch over me.” He murmured under his breath. It helped to ease his mind of the possible impending doom. Up on the deck the knight rolled. There was no enemy war cry. He did not feel the searing pain as a blade pierced his skin. That was a good start. He got on his feet and immediately his left arm drew the shield and the right brandished the bastard sword. Looking vicious he was ready for their attack. Eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. Feeling his heart thudding in his throat. Felt the rush as the adrenalin roared through his veins. But he kept his calm the best he could. Remain focused on the task at hand. First, find signs of life. A pair of solid masts. Open cargo hold. An aft castle, a pair of stairs leading up on either side. A single half open door. Probably leading to the captains cabin. There was no signs of life. Just an abandoned ship. ”Clear” As soon as his called out, another knight appeared behind him and took position at 45 degrees angle from Markus. Their bodies providing cover for the knights as they climbed on board. As each knight appeared they covered more and more angles until all ten knights stood on the deck. Ser Rhanan was the first to break the silence and ordered them to move out. The wing Markus belonged to moved to the aftcastle in a close formation. Each one knew their position. They all knew where the others were at and ready to move to assist should something happen. Though none of them particularly enjoyed being on the ship. Did not enjoy the prospect of a ghost ship hitting ground in Syliras' harbour. Markus saw the hand signals from Rhanan and two four other knights nodded as two went up the stairs and Markus took the several steps down the stairs leading to the aft castle and plowed through the door with his shield leading. It opened with a loud crash as it slammed against the inside. Sword pulled back ready to viciously stab the first person who attacked. But no attack came. It was getting a bit unnerving. What had happened to the people who had manned the vessel? The captain's cabin looked as if it was still inhabited. The center had a large table with several chairs positioned around it with a slightly more decorated arm chair on the opposite side. With soft velvet arm leans. One of the chairs closest to the door had been knocked over, either a sign of struggle or just from when the ship ran aground. Markus would not speculate about that now, his job was to secure the vessel. As they moved through the narrow corridor, Markus noticed several smaller rooms on either side. Peeking inside as he moved by he saw nothing but empty bunks. Probably the higher ranking people slept there, in relative comfort near the captain. Markus moved into the cabin itself. A little amazed at how spacious it seemed. For a knight used to living in 20 by 20 quarters, this was quite familiar. Only wood instead of stone. Markus moved to the right around the cabin, opening chests and closets as he moved. There were many small things, but nothing that stood out. A rather old cutlass with a ornate bone handle and looked like the blade had a dull edge. The other knight moved around the left and found a dresser that he opened at only old clothes and fleas in the different drawers. There were several simple bronze lanterns with burnt out candles and the wax had pooled and dried at the bottom. Sergeant knight Rhanan moved into the room after the pair of knights and looked about, looking for papers or any clues as to what had happened. A shipping manifesto if that existed. Was this a merchant ship that had been attacked? Or a pirate ship who had gotten what they deserved? Sergeant Rhanan however moved to the knocked over chair and put it back up again. A little compulsive action Markus had noted he often did. Markus could hear the creaking wood as a pair of heavy knights moved around above him. It was the only sound on the entire ship. Everything else was silent as a tomb.

[Markus Andres]

”We moving below deck now, ser?” Markus looked at ser Rhanan. The sergeant knight nodded and turned to leave the cabin. Markus heard the heavy steps of knights moving down stairs. The methodical thuds and the sergeant stopped once he left the door and quickly spoke with the other two knights. Markus overheard them report finding nothing of interest other than a light ballista. Which wasn't unusual. Be foolish to sail without any sort of protection at all. 'Let us get below deck. Andres, you're up front again.' ”Yes ser.” Markus moved past the sergeant knight and took position by the stairs leading down. Before Markus looked down it struck him. Markus coughed as the putrid smell struck. Incapable of breathing at first. ”What a horrid stench. Why can't we ever be sent to a nice place, ser?” The ser ignored Markus' question. Probably for the best. It took several seconds before he could breathe normally again and the other knights waited patiently for Markus get a move on. He looked into the dim light that the open hatch brought into the darkness. There was no signs of movement. Just darkness. It was just like during the djed storm of 512, just another trip into the caves around Syliras. Markus took the first step and the wooden stair creaked loudly. Protesting the weight of the knight. The next step went no better. The third step broke. The two hundred and fifty plus heavy knight stepped right through the wood and Markus felt his knee collide with the next step when he lost his balance completely. He let out a surprised yell that turned painful when his head hit the edge of the hatch. Markus shield hand tried to catch an edge. Only to catch nothing and the knight tumbled down the steep stairs and lay sprawled on the wooden floorboards. His blurry vision looking up at four knight looking down at him worried. Ser Rhanan yelling at him. ”I.. I'm okay. His voice barely above a whisper. ”I am okay ser!” He repeated with more force. He could see the relieved smiles appear on the heads above. Markus groaned as he got up on his elbow. He could feel warm blood smear the right side of his face. But worst of all. The smell was ten times worse down here. Every breath was like eating rotten flesh. It burned all the way down into the lungs. Markus coughed as he got up on his knees. Right leg seemed fine. Left leg. Not so much. Was a dull throbbing pain in the calf. It was tough to get up. The air was heavy and it stuck to his throat. The armour was heavy and it was always tough getting up after having fallen. Markus took a deep breath, immediately regretted doing that, he stuck the blade into the ground and used it to push himself up. As the fresh air from the hatch and the cold wind struck, Markus had, for a brief moment, fresh wonderful air. ”Petch me it reeks down here... Something died down here, something definitely died down here.” There were few tiny cracks between some of the deck planks. Giving Markus small glimmers of light in the darkness. Markus once more turned to the divine for help in this darkness. Priskil, the beacon of hope and the lady of light. ”Lady Priskil, please grace me with but a fraction of your divine power and shine a light in the darkness for me.” As for prayers went, it was heartfelt and it was short. Even though she probably were too busy to hear his prayer, Markus still felt more confident moving into the darkness with the possibility of Priskil watching over him in the darkness. Every step hurt, every step meant more darkness closing in on him.

[Markus Andres]

Markus looked for orders and ser Rhanan seemed lost for a moment. Markus had throughoutly trashed the stairs down. Only the top two steps were still intact. Either Markus had to go on a diet, stop being a marine knight or those boards had been rotten. Markus was just happy that his buttocks had not been pierced by any of the vicious jagged pieces of wood lying about. Only thing he found wrong was that his little finger had a big splinter in it that he simply tore out and blood dripped from the finger as he looked up. Then realizing that half his face was still smeared in blood from where he bumped his head against the deck. Seeing the horrified faces looking down at him, Markus added a little bravado to calm their nerves. ”It probably looks worse than it is, ser.” 'Well- it is your face.' - Markus only smirked and conceded that it was a rather excellent insult and that he had walked right into that one. But it was only because he was his superior that Markus didn't retort in kind. ”Very funny, ser, thank you.” Markus put as much sarcasm in the voice that Tyveth might allow him before he would smite him where he stood. ”Well, I suppose i will head towards the stern until I run into the other wing, ser?” Rhanan seemed to think for several long moments. He obviously did not like the idea of Markus moving about on his own without backup. But it was either that or Markus staying there doing nothing until the other wing found him. Markus knew which one he preferred. Eager to get to the bottom of this mystery. 'Yes, do that.' Markus nodded as confirmation and looked once more into the darkness below the deck. Nice and creepy. Markus took a deep breath, regretted doing that, and moved into the darkness, the dull pain in the left leg showing as he limped. Only the few cracks in the upper deck gave him any light. But it seemed the further from the hatch he moved, the worse the stench got. He knew he was moving towards the aft, but it be best he made sure his back was clear before moving to the stern and meet up with the other knights. Those stationed by the hatch could warn him should anyone come at him from behind. He heard something move about in the darkness. Shuffling lightly as he moved closer to what appeared to be a door. It had been tightly secured. Markus sheathed his blade and started trying to force the door open. Often crashing his shoulder against the door and he could hear it creak and budge a little more for each time he hit against it. Finally he forced it open enough to take a peek into the darkness. But enough light shined over his shoulder for him to see the outline of boxes and worst of all. Movement along the floor. Through the slightly open door, a creature moved. Markus spun about to see a small malnourished rat flee in terror from the knight. Markus shuddered and once more got to work on forcing the door open. Every time it moved a bit more, but he needed just a little more push to get started and Markus knew where to turn for that extra bit of power. Although the stench was distracting, Markus put his shoulder against the door and focused on that other part of himself that he could not see. As always he was amazed to feel how his djed or energy moved about within himself naturally. But natural was not what Markus needed right now. He needed strength and that was what he would get. Slowly focusing until he could feel djed move around inside of him and when he felt the control was there. The needed focus to force the djed in the direction he wanted it to go. He struck. Pushing it into his powerful hip and tried to focus it into his right leg. As those muscles tensed with the added strength and began pushing with all their added might. His armoured shoulder scrapping against the thick wooden door. Markus felt the door give away and whatever had been blocking it pushed away with a loud noise as it tipped over. Markus grabbed onto the frame to stop him from falling into the room. Markus took several quick breaths. Each one more disgusting than the previous. But he would live. Into the darkness he peeked and felt his thighs burn from the exertion and abuse. Markus leant against the door frame and recovered. Didn't want to push his luck. Catching his breath he drew the Bastard again and stepped into the room.

[Markus Andres]

The shield leading, limping leg in front. The tip of his blade touching the rim of the shield. Poised to strike quick and hard. Into the darkness. Armour creaking. Mouth was a thin line. Dark green eyes sweeping back and forth. Desperately seeking a source of light or a reason to retreat. Darkness enveloped him as the reach of the light fell short. He stepped on something. Something that crunched under his feet. He looked down to see what it was. Something moved in the darkness. Scurrying across the floor. Right at him. With a surprised yelp Markus reacted. His sword was thrust out from his body. Soon a rat was pierced upon the Bastard. Squealing pitifully for several long moments before its life had been snuffed. Markus swung the sword down and the carcass of the rat was thrown off the blade and landed with a dull thud against the hull. The room seemed situated just below the captain's cabin. Markus took another step and something crunched beneath his feet. Markus looked down and first then noticed the almost literal ocean of rat skeletons. Markus shuddered as he moved further in. First seeing the crate that had been used to block the door. Then a lot of small desks, tables, open barrels, crates with the lids pushed aside. There was a table to his left. That was all he could see in the dim light that turned dimmer for each step into the room. Every crunch beneath his feet sent a shiver up his spine. He had walked into a tomb. A cemetery for rats. Many torn apart in the darkness under the deck. Markus felt his neck hair stand on end as the chilly wind blew in from behind. Giving a much welcome gust of fresh air. Bones rattled in the wind and Markus closed his eye. Trying to keep it together. Keep moving forward. Look for survivors. Look for an explanation. His sense of honour forbade him retreat out of the room. But he did throw a glance out of the cargo hold. It would be so easy to just leave. He exhaled sharply and the fine white mist had him turn back towards the darkness again. Markus felt nauseous. He put his right hand on the table to steady himself. His fingers touching something hard and rough to the touch. What happened next he was at a loss to explain. Somehow his eyes reacted to the darkness in a new way. His sight enhanced to see better in the darkness. Each source of light enhanced to allow for a better sight. The outlines of the various tables and stacked boxes much clearer to his enhanced sight. His eyes went over the room and that was when he saw the hollow skull of a man, the body perched against the wall and a table like he was sleeping. Markus backed away. Quickly. Darkness enveloped him suddenly. His enhanced vision disappeared. Closing in on him. Eyes went wide in panic. Frantically stepping back. Left leg wincing in pain. Back crashing against the door frame. Shield and sword poised to strike again. Heart beating loudly in his heart. Knuckles white as bone as they clenched the hilt. Eyes did not avert from the skeleton that just stared at him. The sudden panic had him see movement all about him. Something moved in the darkness still. Something terrible. He could tell. He could feel it in his bones. Many long moments passed. Nothing attacked. No fiend came for his throat. Nothing moved, but the darkness and the fine white mist that was his shallow breaths. The gentle waves moving the ship ever so slightly. Markus took a deep foul breath and pushed away. Heart still pounding like there was no tomorrow. Markus slowly moved crept forward. Steeling his resolve and silently cursing himself for letting a mere skeleton scare him like that. It was just the remains of a human being. Nothing more. Nothing less. Why had he gotten so scared in the first place. What had caused his vision to suddenly change? He looked to the table where his hand had touched. There was something there, a small skull of some sorts? Looked feline. About time he went out and got a lantern before his heart burst in his chest. He could already imagine his tombstone, here lies Markus, defeated by the skeletal remains of rats. Markus made it back to the broken staircase. One crunchy step at a time. ”Hello? Anyone up there? Any chance you got a lantern? Sort of dark down here.” Brown haired fellow popped his head out. Markus could not get a good look on him, Syna was blinding him as he looked up. He only got a quick confirmation and half a chime later Markus had a lantern in his left hand. Shield strapped to his back again. With a firm resolve he made it to the skeleton. Dead. Bare bones looked as if they had been picked clean. With all the rat carcasses around and the two he saw earlier, it was easy to guess by what. Though the many rat skeletons Markus had no clue. Cannibalism, probably. It had been very unnerving to stand in the darkness surrounded by nothing but death. In the dancing light of a lantern... things looked much much worse.

[Markus Andres]

Many crushed bones. Fine powder sweeping about as the occassional gust of wind brushed it across the wooden floor. The skeleton still looking unnerving. But it did not evoke a primal fear in Markus as it had before. Only a reaction from his guts. Felt like vomitting, but he kept it down. Markus only felt pity for the man. For those bones. Small teeth had bit into the bones. He could imagine the horror if he had been alive as they started devouring him. A horrible death. Markus attention was taken away from the skeleton as something reflected off from his bony hand. Something small with a silvery gleam to it. Almost as if it was liquid. It looked enticing in the dancing lights of a lantern, but he was not the type to steal from a dead man just to sate his own curiosity. He did lower the lantern to get a better look. When he saw an eye staring back at him, Markus almost flung the lantern at the skeleton in surprise. This time, his spine held itself together and did not retreat. Giving it a closer look he saw that the eye was not staring at him. It was just staring out into the darkness. Something nasty was going on here. This looked either like the work of a madman or a wizard. Probably both. Markus turned away from the corpse and his strange weapon. Markus sort of wished he had never seen that corner. There was the skull of some small feline in a small metal container. Weird circles had been etched into the cranium. Too precise. Too methodical to be the marks of hungry rats. He almost reached out to touch the skull. But something stopped him. Perhaps it was the larger bone on his right that caught his attention. With the sword he poked the bone gently, as if he feared it would jump up and attack him. It had long carved circles going around the bone again and again until most of the bone was rough with ridges and valleys. Why was this man obsessed with carving circles? This table was littered with many objects. Bones and other skeletons. Another skull of a feline, the etching not yet completed and many of the circles incomplete. A small wooden box caught his attention. He opened it and held the lantern close. Teeth. Human or humanoid teeth. Yellow and some even black from rot and misuse. Each with their own small etched indentation around them. A hole had been drilled through the teeth and a silvery piece had been pushed through the center of the teeth. Effectively creating a necklace. Markus closed the box and moved on. Everything on the table had been carved and etched with circles. A large fang from a huge predator. What looked like parts of a human skull with lines etched around the hollow eye socket. A hip bone with similar etches. A broadsword with a bone handle like the cutlass in the captain's cabin. Reminded Markus of when he fought Razkar. His weapon handles were also made of bone. The last skull was unbearable to look at. It was child sized. Markus fought the urge to vomit and quickly turned to leave the room and meet up with the others. When he heard a call out from somewhere in the ship. He jumped on the spot in surprise when he heard the voice. Rats were crushed when he landed. 'Andres, where are you?' He recognized the voice, ser Rhanan. He poked his head out and looked as ser Rhanan and an additional two knights behind him moved closer to his position. ”In here, ser! You might want to take a look at this. I think we should call for a mage knight to determine what we are looking at, ser.” 'What the petch...' A rare swear from the sergeant. But those were perhaps the three words that had come to Markus' mind the most since stepping into this room of death and depravity. Some messed up person had had his work station here and spent his days defiling corpses. ”Ser, what about the rest of the ship?” 'Nothing of interest, really. But you are right, we need a wizard to take a look at this. We are moving out, the other wing will remain onboard while we report back to stewart Brudt.' ”Yes ser.” The sergeant left the room. Markus could see he was eager about getting away from there. Markus felt the same eagerness. They would be off the ship soon enough and a short, yet uncomfortable boat ride back to the docks and he would be away from this terrible room. Away from the child sized skull that just lay there. Etched markings around the top. Markus closed his eyes and tried to push the image away. Fought to keep his breakfast in his stomach. The hull carried on seemingly forever. The pain in his left leg was diminishing, but still gave an occasional dull pain for every step. Markus sheathed the Bastard and carried on. Each step up the stairs to the deck was wonderful. Wonderful light of Syna gracing the young knight. Getting out into the open air of the deck. Markus took a deep wonderful breath of fresh air. He turned his head skyward. It was going to be alright. Then he took two limping steps to the right and unleashed the contents of his stomach into the suvan sea. Another glorious day in the service of the knights.

[Radiant]

Markus :

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	+3 XP
Investigation	+4 XP
Intelligence	+2 XP
Planning	+1 XP
Endurance	+1 XP
Body Building	+1 XP
Flux	+1 XP

Lores

Lore Earned

A Strange Large Ship Stranded In The Docks

An Abandoned Ship Filled With Skeletons

Madman's Lair Of Horrors

Taylor Brudt: Stewart Knight

Tyr Rhanan: Sergeant Knight

Loots

+4 Shield Points

Notes :

My, that was a tense horror/thriller thread! I truly enjoyed it. Good job, Markus. I know he felt terrible IC, but still an amazing thread, haven't had one of these in a while.

My radiance is not bright enough?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, beam me a PM and we can work it out.