Aboard the Rackenprow

[Tale Weaver]

(do not post in this thread unless you are in the ship clan)

The eyes of Captain Dystrano Tong roved about over the frothing sea, missing nothing. Two gulls flew on the updrafts to the port side of his ship. The sight of the birds cheered the weasel, they were of the type one only saw when land was near. True the lookout had not yet called "land ho" but he would soon enough. They had been at sea for over three weeks, making their way across watery tracks on a southerly course. It might be a few days more, but soon they would make their port call. The crew needed new supplies of fresh food and water. Most of them were salty sea beasts, used to going on months with rations of hardtack and little water. Tong desired to keep his crew fighting ready and so proper nourishment was an essential. Some sixth sense inside of him told the weasel that it would not be long before cutlass, spear, and dagger would come into play.

Thus was the life of a seafaring rouge such as Dystrano Tong. He had learned many attributes in his days and often relied upon a silver tongue and a sharp blade to see him on the gaining side of his endeavors. He reflected on their previous venture as a slim smile came over his features. He had hired the Rackenprow and her crew out as a merchant ship, taking a tidy sum of the cargo as his own through various means. Now his eyes were set on a larger target. He needed a land fall to call his own. A home base of sorts. The shore they were heading towards would provide him with he needed.

"You there!" The Captain wheeled from where he had stood with his paws on the ship's railings. He faced the crew beast who was before him, a smallish rat. "Ackab is it?" The Captain fixed the rat with a glare. After a moment he relented. "Go fetch that ferret Rusalia and and Jamal. Bring them to my office."

With that the Captain turned his back on the crew rat to stare at the sea. He would make his way to the ship's office after a few more minutes of remembering past exploits.

[James Gryphon]

Ackab Lekker had never had a long temper, and for a moment, he was very angry, as he looked at the weasel captain's back.

"Who does he think he is, treating me like that?"

Back in the home country, a commoner would not have dared to even speak to such as himself, and yet here was this weasel, disrespecting him, acting as though he didn't recall Ackab's name, and giving out orders as though he were addressing some one-eyed louse-ridden wave vermin.

Even as these thoughts raced through Ackab's mind, though, the rat had already begun to calm down. He knew that the captain wasn't seeking to offend him, not like the last one had. It was only the weasel's regular way of addressing the ship's crew, and with the strain of interacting with all those filthy creatures, it's no small wonder if he couldn't keep everyone on board straight.

Anyway, Tong might have been a commoner, but that didn't mean he was common, reflected the rat, and given that he had done Lekker some substantial favors in the past, it wasn't unreasonable to request a little help in return, even if it was done brusquely. After all, when all was said and done, Ackab did very little work on the ship. All of the crew knew it, and the rat in turn knew that most of them resented him for it.

All this thought process took only a few seconds; then Ackab strutted across the deck, his sharp vision looking out for the beasts that the weasel had requested. He found Jamal and Rusalia about half-way along the ship, and spoke to them loudly, in what he supposed to be an authoritative tone of voice; though a neutral bystander would have thought it rather squeaky. "I have orders from the captain. You're to come with me to the office."

[Unimaginative]

Rusila Bonny had been staring at several Dolphins who were leaping out of the clear blue water when Ackab approached her. In a shrill voice but authoritative manner, the small rat said "I have orders from the captain. You're to come with me to the office." Rusila, still watching the Dolphins, took a moment to register what Ackab had said. She stopped leaning against the side of the Rackenprow and looked at the Rat, her earrings clattering as they were knocked together by her sudden turn.

"Did 'e say what for?" The Ferret said, her mind instantly full of gems and gold, though she knew that it was probably to yell at her, Ackab, and Jamal. That wouldn't stop her from hoping though, or using this lack of gifts as the Casus belli for a mutiny. Not waiting for an answer, she pushed through a group of crewbeasts that were between her and Dystrano Tong's office.

[Jasper]

Blackness; an endless and beautiful void. The cool sea breeze blew softly, soothing and energizing in the same moment. A long satisfied sigh drifted softly from the mouth of Jamal Dadkan Qaar. A rough splash of salty water broke the rare moment of peace the weasel was enjoying, yet he kept his eyes closed, looking into the chasms of his mind. Jamal was balanced precariously on the rail of the ship, one of his skinny arms was extended to a rope, grasped firmly by his bony fingers. He allowed his mind to wander between every inch of his frail body: his calmed mind, his relaxed shoulders, his exhausted arms, his aching legs. Without warning red anger flurried up inside him like the moment when water begins to boil. In the blackness of his vision he saw flashes of a rough sea, his small boat flagging as it struggled through the storm that was much to powerful for it, and the heads of his friends passing below the waves as he alone made it to the Rackenprow. The cries of birds awakened him from his visions and his eyes opened, full of wrath and wicked energy. It began in the tips of his fingers and spread slowly through his spidery veins: energy ferocious enough to drown out a thousand days and nights. Every fiber of his being was caught up into the boiling rage that filled his mind and banished his past comforts. He released a yell into the waves, a challenge. The storm had failed to take the son of Abuknu Qaar once; let it try again. By the gates of the dark forest, let it try a thousand times more! His victorious cry was taken by the waves. The small cry of a grain of sand on the endless beaches. Jamal lifted his head to the skies and breathed again, anger draining from his tired limbs as the gulls swirled in the uncertain winds around the ship. Their cries brought him back to the ship he had been accepted into.

As though taken from a trance, Jamal turned to the sea of disgusting creatures he now lived with. He would happily admit to being one of the most disgusting of them all, but that didn't matter to him. He had worn his sleeveless sandy colored vest since he had first put out to sea. Its baggy pockets were lined with sand from his homeland; worthless grainy dirt that he valued beyond any golden earrings or necklaces. His curly black hair fluttered in the breeze. He was made for this life.

He heard a brief conversation to his immediate left. Turning, he recognized the rat who had helped him aboard for the first time. Ackab the rich. Ackab the lazy. Yet Jamal felt a certain connection to his fellow sea beast. While the other creatures seemed to require Jamal to prove himself in some way, he felt that in some way this rat did not. Even this recently since the storm had landed him here, Jamal felt he had found an ally. There was only one thing about Ackab that Jamal did not like. That was his background. It was easy to tell that this rat was at one point a rich beast. Perhaps he was rich even now. Jamal pictured a cabin lined with priceless treasures and shook his head. He remembered all to well having to watch his people starve on the desolate beaches he had lived on. His close friends had passed in his arms, and there was little he could have done about it. In his mind, creatures like Ackab were, in some twisted way, to blame for his people's suffering, for his own suffering. Nonetheless vengeance awaited him in the lives of another creature. One day Jamal would take that delicious vengeance, and the land that would soon be sighted was the perfect opportunity for it.

Jamal's focus now shifted to the other creature on his immediate left: a decorated and shifty female ferret. He could not say he liked the ferret; quite the opposite in fact. The way Rusila Bonny wore all that jewelry, particularly the necklace with gemstones, disgusted him. Hearing Ackab's orders, Jamal immediately complied, stalking towards the cabin like a hungry wolf. Or perhaps it may have been better to say that he stalked towards Rusila, who was standing along the way to the cabin. Swaying side to side with each step he advanced; one eye wide open and the other half closed in a squint. His cheeks were pulled into the sides of his mouth like a skull and his grimy white teeth contrasted with his black fur as he grinned intimidatingly. Like the spawn of satan himself, Jamal advanced. Yet as soon as it developed, the moment had passed. The ferret had focused entirely on Ackab and was already heading towards Dystrano Tong's quarters. Jamal sighed and relaxed. Nodding as he passed Ackab, he patted him once on the shoulder and continued towards the cabin. It was proving to be a glorious day for sailing!

*Judge this one please  *

[Tale Weaver]

The Captain's office was lit by the light of candles, glowing in red glass sconces on the table and walls. The room smelled of herbs, candle smoke, and charting ink. Two small windows let in shafts of light that sparkled as the ship heaved forward and back through the waves.

Captain Tong lounged in his chair, his eyes expertly flicking over the charts in front of him. They would soon reach the southern coast. Ah, the southern coast! Such tales he had heard throughout his years at sea. Tales of land for the taking, ample food supplies, enough to live like a king! Long had it been his goal to reach the fabled southern shores and now here he was, with his goal within a claw's reach.

There were other creatures in the southern lands. Encampments, roving bands of thieves, performers, and vagabonds. He had also heard that some parts of the region they were sailing towards were patrolled by bands of mercenaries. None of them best stand in his way if they knew what was good for them. Dystrano had grow up taking what he wanted, using his wits to get him ahead. This would be no different. Soon he would be the ruler of the southern coast!

Where were those crew beasts? Had that rat not gotten them in order yet? The Captain's eyes moved to the door and narrowed. He had left it open half way and expected those he had summoned to be right outside by now.

"Hurry it up! I haven't got the whole of me life teh wait on ye me beauties!" His voice rolled like silk though it was heavy with the accent of a seafaring beast. The Captain waited for those he had called to make their way inside.

[Jasper]

Jamal stood in front of the cabin door, with Ackab and Bonny on either side of him. Jamal was no veteran to the ways of the Rackenprow, and he did not know Captain Tong well enough to confidently enter the cabin. As a young weasel, Jamal had been the servant of cruel masters, and he knew well that it was best not to be the first to enter if that master was having a bad day. However, Tong had taken Jamal on board when he could have easily sailed off without him, and Jamal was deeply in debt to him as a result. Where Jamal came from, owing a life's debt was no laughing matter. It was for this reason that he decided to enter first and display his loyalty to the great Tong: a loyalty he believed was not uniformly shared among the crew. Jamal wanted to show Tong that he could be counted on in a pinch, and with luck this might lead to rewards and position later. With luck Jamal could work his way close enough to the top that if everything went bad in this voyage, he would assume command of the ship. Scowling at Rusila and her excessive decorations and nodding at Ackab Lekker and his dangerous looking blade, Jamal moved past both and pushed the door open.

The door creaked slightly as it swung forward. Jamal bowed his head as he entered. He was truly impressed by the atmosphere within the cabin. In his sandy homeland even the chief's dwelling was rubbish in comparison to this beautiful homely cabin. Extravagant candles, windows and light from the opened door illuminated the impressive setting. Jamal took very little time to take all of this in. He knew it was important not to stand and gawk whilst there were two beasts behind him and the Captain directly in front of him. Jamal stood to one side to leave room for Rusila and Ackab and did his best to look loyal and powerful. This effort was largely wasted given his thin frame and skeletal features. Instead of the desired effect, Jamal looked much more like a grim skeleton with dark burning eyes than a useful ally. Nevertheless, his eyes burned with zeal and loyalty; qualities valuable to any pirate captain.

In his village it had been forbidden for lower creatures to speak to an especially high ranking leader unless first spoken to. Remembering this lesson, Jamal focused his attention on Captain Tong, and stayed entirely silent, waiting instead for Tong to address him about whatever it was the Captain had summoned Jamal for.

[Unimaginative]

*
Rusila fidgeted to the right of Jamal, nervous about being called up by the captain. Was it a promotion to first-mate? Then why were the others here? Had they done something wrong, and were going to be killed? Honestly, Rusila thought I should probably be running away screaming if the captain wants me. She glanced at Jamal, and decided to make his life miserable until the captain called them in. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, however, the door swung open, and Jamal entered confidently.

Not wanting to be outdone by the Jamal, who she thought was a filthy creature, she put on a brave face and followed him into the grandly decorated cabin. Despite having been in their before, she was always impressed with the beauty and grandeur of the captain's quarters, and couldn't help but glance around in awe before focusing on the captain.

Even a pirate without loyalty to their captain, such as Rusial Bonny, would mind themselves in front of the captain, and following Jamal's example she gave a slight nod of her head. Licking her lips, the only sign that she was nervous, she glanced backwards at the door, waiting for Ackab.

[James Gryphon]

*
Ackab hung back and waited to allow both of the creatures in front of him to enter the cabin. "Save the best for last", his tutor had always said. What's more, that thing -- Jamal, a weasel, he corrected himself -- had touched his shoulder. In the home country, such a gesture from a low-born beast to himself would have been grounds for... that was then, this is now. Ackab knew that he was far from being in the position he hoped to return to, and right now he could not afford to turn down anyone who was willing to consider his side of things. Still, whatever the weasel's potential as an ally, he was not at all sure Jamal was sanitary, and it took a few moments of intense scrutiny to verify that nothing had gotten onto his fine garment. It would not do to meet a captain, especially this one, looking any less than perfect... besides, there was the principle of the thing.

Satisfied with his inspection, Ackab Lekker nudged the door, which had begun to close, back open with his boot, and treaded into the room, taking up a position directly in front of Dystrano Tong. He had seen the inside of the cabin before, and wasn't especially impressed, although he supposed it was probably the best the captain could do given the circumstances. A brief glance over the room revealed nothing that he hadn't seen before. That done, he nodded casually to the tall weasel, and said, "Well, I brought them here for you. What's this about, captain?"

[Tale Weaver]

Tong eyed each beast as they entered his office. His expression seemed almost warm in the red candle lit room. With one paw his twirled the end of his curling mustache while the other went for his dagger. He played with the weapon casually, turning it over in finely manicured claws.

"Well, I brought them here for you. What's this about, captain?"

The Captain sniffed and raised his eyebrows at the question. What was this rat's name again? Something Lekker was it? Well, at any rate, this rat had pluck to speak to a captain of a brigand ship in such a tone. Hopefully this pluck would continue through the assignment he would soon be given.

"I'll tell you want this be about Lekker." He spoke in a calm, almost soothing tone. "You three come closer an' cast a glance over me map." The Captain waited until they had all had the chance to come nearer. Then he leaned forward and slammed the point of the dagger into the parchment map.

BAM!

The blade hammered heavily into the solid wood desktop.

"The southern shores!" He leaned back in his chair and sucked in a deep breath. 'That's the land for us mates. We can set ourselves up good and proper. Live off the fat o' the land. Take what we want and burn the rest!"

He leaned forward again, resting his elbows on the map. "I need you three to help me get the crew behind this idea. Once we run aground we'll need to clear off anybeast else who's laid claim to the shores. I want the whole thing! The others in the crew we'll use to help us get what we want. Then all of us will live like kings and queens!"

He hoped the lure of fine living would take all three beasts in. They didn't need to know that the captain saw them as disposable as well. First he would use his crew to set him up right then they would either continue to serve him or die.

"What do you say me buckos? Care to lead the crew into this new age of golden living?"

[Jasper]

Jamal listened to his captain's plan in respectful silence. If someone had been staring into his eyes, they would have observed them flickering with passion and ambition. Every day since he could picture it, he had dreamed of living as Dystrano Tong was presently describing. Large battles, loyalty and power: this was language Jamal Dadkan Qaar could understand. He was incredibly willing, eager even, to aid his captain in this campaign. That wasn't all though. As Jamal looked up and down his captain, he could see that, where lesser beasts might be overreaching in this plan, Tong was entirely capable of carrying it out.

Every inch of his appearance was encouraging to Jamal. His captain was a weasel, like Jamal, and Jamal believed weasels were the superior species in the world of vermin. They were crafty, quick thinking, ruthless and power hungry. Rats were simple creatures, easily pleased and slow witted. Ferrets were too shifty to be counted on. Stoats were odd outliers in the typical hordes Jamal had experience with. Weasels weren't like that. You could always count on them to be ready for anything. They always had a plan, and were always willing to carry it out. That wasn't all. Tong's powerful arms were covered in tattoos, and his clothing was composed of bright shades of yellow and violet. His face was decorated with a small goatee and a curly mustache, giving him a carefree and confident composure. The dagger vibrating slowly back and forth on the table displayed Tong's careful and calculated nature. The blade was so clean it could be used easily as a mirror, and the lavishing green gemstone in the pommel of the handle was carefully polished and kept in the highest of quality. Yet in all the extravagance, Tong also had the standard sea boots of a corsair, and Jamal could personally recount seeing the captain going about the ship entirely barepawed. He believed this was a reflection of his captain's experience as a sailor; he felt comfortable and at home on the Rackenprow.  This perfect mixture of qualities gave Jamal complete confidence in Tong's buoyant plans.

Jamal recognized opportunity when he saw it, and he believed he could come out of all of this as a very rich weasel. Power, wealth and revenge were all beckoning before him, and all he had to do was step up to take it. Not for his father, relatives, Tong, Ackab, or anyone else. No, this was for Jamal, and purely for Jamal. He would be loyal to his captain to the end, and should Tong fall, Jamal would step into his knee high sea boots and take the position he had always dreamed of.

His eyes burning with the very idea of all of these delicious and vivid images, Jamal took the initiative to be the first to step forward. He formed a fist with his left hand and grasped that fist with the long thin fingers of his right hand, and held them before his chest as he stood before his captain. His voice did not seem to even match his frame as he spoke as though he was uttering a verse to the creator himself. His deep, full and almost musical bass declared humbly:
"I am with you captain, to the death. All will be as you have said, or else I die in the attempt to make it so."
Jamal touched his clenched left fist to his chest to relay his sincerity, and bowed his head and stepped back. He seldom spoke his intentions as truthfully as he had just now. Without any doubt in his mind, Jamal embraced the idea that he would gladly lose his own life on the Southern Shores for Captain Tong. He had come from nothing, on a hungry wasteland of a beach, and now he had the chance to prove that he had become more than a thin, hungry excuse for vermin. He felt as though all the wasted lives of his ancestors had prepared him for this moment. He could feel them from above; hidden somewhere in the dark corners of the cabin. He felt they observed him with pride. When he carried his worn weapon into battle, he would carry all of them with him.

*Judge this one please  *

[James Gryphon]

*
Ackab reflexively twitched when the dagger slammed into the desk. The move hadn't been entirely unexpected; he had seen other corsairs at work, and expected that this one had meant to do something with his blade, but it was unexpected enough. "Better stay alert around this one," he thought, somewhat absently, as the weasel began speaking.

Lekker wasn't used to dealing with the spontaneous, at least, not when it was coming from somewhere else. For the most part, he expected that those around him would continue to live their dull, mindless little lives, following some base instincts, waiting for something to react to. Not much had risen to dissuade him from this theory -- barring that entire experience of being 'exiled', which was unexpected -- until now.

Furthermore, there was now a lingering question in the rat's mind -- curiosity, mixed with a trickle of fear. "Is that weasel faster than me?" So far Ackab had never encountered anyone who could move as quickly as he could in combat -- not even that poser Zayfa Defty, who he put an end to on the dueling ground a few seasons back. (That his opponent having been poisoned might have had something to do with this decisive martial superiority never crossed Ackab's mind.) And yet, that dagger...

Well, he just wasn't keeping an eye on things. Life aboard this hulk was getting to him, that's all. If the weasel, or anyone else, were to threaten him, of course he would have what it took. He'd always gotten by before. Anyway, slamming a glorified knife into a piece of wood was very different from fighting an armed opponent.

In that occupation, Ackab Lekker knew he was the best.

In spite of his brief reverie, he did manage to catch the rest of Dystrano's speech. "Live like kings and queens"... as though a ship captain would know anything about that. Ackab had seen the King once, although he'd never personally met him, and he knew from experience that high living bore little resemblance to anything this weasel's mind was likely to conjure up. "Burn the rest"... indiscriminate destruction of property, for no purpose, was a waste. For the most part, you let the peons keep their worthless trinkets so that you can enlist their service into acquiring and maintaining greater things.

Still, Tong seemed to be on the right track as far as using the others. That the weasel probably thought he was using him as well, Ackab assumed; such was the way of courtly politics. However, it was a slight indignity that the rat was willing to tolerate for the time being. Dystrano's plan, while somewhat lacking as to fine detail at the moment, wasn't a bad one, and Lekker saw it as the opportunity he'd been looking for. He could attract wealth from such a mission, and sufficient followers from the crew to give him a good start towards building up a band of his own... or perhaps, if he could get in deep enough, and find a way to manipulate this captain, he could convert the entire company and its profits to his uses. Anything was possible.

Ackab had rested on this ship for a long time, content to drift along with the rabble. Now he was waking back up to the possibilities inherent to his destiny. There was a whole kingdom waiting for him, and this adventure was the perfect stepping stone for his journey there.

He watched the weasel-thing pledge his undying fealty to the captain, which more than a little irritated him. What made Dystrano Tong so special to attract so many followers, especially when he, Ackab Lekker, was around? Rationally, though, he supposed it would take more activity from himself than he had been giving, to get that kind of attention. Anyway, if Ackab could manipulate the captain into his bidding, then all of the captain's allies would go the same direction. If not, then it was as his tutor always said: anyone can be bought. Undying fealty was all well and good, but it tended to waver in the presence of sufficient wealth. Anything that he didn't have now, he would have when this affair was finished.

The ferret had remained silent, so Ackab figured he might as well respond to the captain's question, rhetorical though it may be. "We're with you all of the way in this venture, captain... if someone else isn't, they'll have my blade to answer to."

[Unimaginative]

***
Rusila grinned at the thought of resting on the sand of the warm South Coast, lost in thought as she stared at the quivering blade in the table. This could be a chance to further my goals, passing it off as my idea to crew beasts, and maintain this facade of loyalty for the captain, and his loyal pets like Jamal. She though, glancing at the Weasel.

I think I have a good idea of how these creatures work. She thought to herself, staring at Dystrano's dagger once more. Jamal is merely a follower, who needs someone else in control, and Ackab believes he can do no wrong. I'm the only creature here who can actually manage anything. Not even Dystrano can- Rusila's thought was interrupted by Jamal speaking up.

"I am with you captain, to the death. All will be as you have said, or else I die in the attempt to make it so."

Rusila barely hid her derisive snort at the Weasel's dramatic statement. She'd always had issues with those who made everything dramatic. Especially when that creature was a filthy Weasel.

Perhaps Rusila's hatred of Weasels is what made her unwilling to peacefully follow Dystrano Tong's lead, or perhaps it was just because she would rather lead herself, but the Ferret was not content to follow Captain Tong. However, the Southern Coast idea certainly had its merits.

"We're with you all of the way in this venture, captain... if someone else isn't, they'll have my blade to answer to."

More drama. Rusila sighed, irritated by how annoyingly theatrical everyone was being. When she spoke to confirm her 'loyalty' to Captain Tong, she would be simple and to the point. Though, the captain did enjoy theatrics from what she could tell. Perhaps it would serve a purpose to be dramatic and flashy.

Rusila Curtsied, making sure her jewelry jangled, then said in a loud voice. "Cap'n, I stand by you on this, and will do whatever is needed to make sure the crew willingly follows you to the Southern Coast."