[center]Stros M'kai Coastline 25th of Midyear, 4E 205[/center] T'ozun was a man of fairly simple pleasures in life; a good cup of wine, a young lass, and the open seas was easily his idea of the best things life had to offer. Maybe he'd add a good fight on the list as well. The sun was sinking and T'ozun, High Admrial of the Yokudan fleet and currently in charge of overseeing operations in Stros M'kai, was currently enjoying the second of his vices when the sound of knocking came at his door. "Who's that?" the sultry voice of T'ozun's current bed partner. Grimacing in annoyance he shrugged before calling out loud. "What is it? I told you lot that I'm not to be disturbed!" "Admiral! It's the Dominion! The coastal watchtowers in the south have spotted their sails on the horizon!" "What!" T'ozun rather quickly and unceremoniously fell right out of bed, hitting his elbow on the hard wood floor rather hard. "Dammit, a man can't get a moments peace?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Several minutes later and dressed in a far more appropriate form of dress, T'ozun was fast walking down a narrow corridor toward the buildings fortified forge. Which at that moment also served as the headquarters of Ali-baba's partner and long-time friend; Magharebis. "This is not good, not good at all!" The little old man complained. He was a breton of some years, frail, bent with age, and pale as chalk despite having been living on Stros M’Kai for nearly a decade. "Relax, leave the defenses to us, and we'll make sure you precocious research is kept safe." T'ozun said in an attempt to calm the man. "Now what is it that's so damn important? Temijen likes his secrets." "Ah, well, you will see." Magharebis came to the end of the hall, a large reinforced set of double doors now baring their path. Magharebis walked up to the doors and waved a ringed finger before a sigil that was planted in between both sets of doors. The doors screeched open slowly, the sound reverberating throughout the hall. Once the doors were opened Magharebis quickly went through the arch, and T'ozun followed, noting the many forge works fashioned by Dwemer metals scattered about. Magharebis walked up a dais and approached a single pedestal and removed a single gold orb from the structure. He handled it with such care as if it might shatter should he hold it too tightly. "If the Altmer only knew of what we planned to build..." He said as he turned to T'ozun. T'ozun nodded grimly as he he took the orb with almost equal care. "I shall find a place of safe keeping for it until the mer are pushed back from our shores." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ [center]Battle of Stros M’Kai 26th of Midyear, 4E 205 [img=http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2012/07/Rome-2-Sea-battle-concept-art2.jpg] [/center] Sails billowing, timbers creaking, water spraying high from her prow, [I]The Hammer[/I] leaped across the swells with the grace of a dancer. All the multitude of sounds blended together in a musical chorus, both invigorating and inspiring, and it occurred to young Captain T'ozun that if he had hired a band of musicians to rouse his crew, their work would add little to the natural music all around them that was Hunding Bay. The fight was on, or it soon would be, and every man and women aboard felt it, and heard it. The sounds of faraway booms could be heard from the distance and they were only growing louder. The watch tower warning had given the ship's hidden there months prior in the near countless ship-sheds dotting the northern coast of the island little time to move the Yokudan fleet into position, Temijen had been wise not to rely on the harbor. Sailing north then west, had forced the T'ozun to lure the altmer ships to the harbor using a small token defense force. The Yokudan flagship [i]The Hammer[/i] was among the the fleets heaviest Baghlah class ships. The fortified forecastle housed the ships staring piece of weaponry, Ali-baba's designed rapid fire dwemer ballista, which only today would have a taste of its first true battle. T'ozun felt there would be no end of 'practice' for the weapon in the battle to come, of that we as certain. T'ozun stood forward and starboard, holding fast to a guide rope, his dark black dreads waving in the wind, his black shirt half unbuttoned and flapping refreshingly and nosily, bouncing out enough to show a tar-black scar across the left side of his chest. "They are close," came a woman's voice from behind him, and T'ozun half-turned to regard knight-captain and spell-sword master Saffara, mistress of the Order of Diagna chapter house in Stros M'kai. "Your magic tells you so?" "Can't you feel it?" the women's answered, and gave a coy toss of her head so that her near neck-length red hair caught the wind and flipped back behind her. Her blouse was as open as T'ozun's shirt, and the young man couldn't help but look admiringly at the alluring creature. He thought of the previous night, and the night before that, and before that as well-of the whole enjoyable time stationed at Stros M'kai. Saffara was around his age, just past thirty summers, attractive, sometimes brazen, sometimes coy, and just enough of each to keep T'ozun and every man around her off-balance and keenly interested in pursuing her. Saffara knew her power well, and T'ozun knew she knew it, but still, he couldn't shake himself free of her. Saffara stepped up beside him and playfully brushed her fingers through his thick hair. He glanced around quickly, hoping none of the crew had seen, for the action only accentuated that he was quite young to be captaining a ship, much less admiral of the Yokudan fleet. His build was slight, for a Redguard, wiry yet strong, his features boyish and his eyes a delicate light brown. While his hands were calloused, like those of any honest seaman, his skin had not yet taken on the weathered, leathery look of a man too much under the sparkling sun. Yet Temijen had tasked him personally as Admiral over the high captains, after long ago learning of T'ozun's maritime genius. Saffara dared to run her hand under the open fold of his shirt, her fingers dancing across his smooth skin to the rougher place where skin and tar had melded together, and it occurred to T'ozun that he typically kept his shirt open just a bit more for exactly the reason of leaving a hint of that scar, that badge of honor, that reminder to all that he had spent most of his life with a blade in his hand. "You are a paradox." Saffara remarked, and T'ozun merely smiled. "Gentle and strong, soft and rough, kind and merciless, an artist and a warrior. With your lute in hand, you sing with the voice of the sirens, and with your sword in hand, you fight with the tenacity of a redguard weapons master." "You find this off-putting?" Saffara laughed, "I would drag you to your cabin right now," she replied. "But they are close." As if on cue-and T'ozun was certain Saffara had used some magic to confirm her predictions before she'd offered it-a crewmen from the crow’s nest shouted. "Sails! Sails on the horizon!" Indeed the scene from even this far away revealed smoke and fires along with ships aplenty. The watchtowers had been unable to give a proper number due to the still dark night at the time, but it seemed the Aldmeri Dominion had set to sail their entire fleet. However, if T'ozun guessed right, he should still hold the numerical advantage, along with the Yokudan's latest secret weapon. Roughly three hundred warships hedged around [i]The Hammer[/i], one hundred and twenty of which were Baghlah class ships with great sails, all armed with Ali-baba's dwemer ballistas. In the center of the formation of warships was the heart of the fleet, the dromonds their medium-sized galley, fast, nimble, and eminently suitable for Yokudan style warfare. All if not most double masted, but with the ensuing battle ahead, these were already being pulled up least they become a target, their rowers well covered from attack. In the close combat engagement of naval combat offered the ships superior maneuverability to even elven ships, which still relied on the wind power alone. A supremely athletic and strong people as a rule, the Yokudan fleet harnessed their greatest asset of all in naval warfare for their ships, the redguard's themselves. The The dromonds are already pulling ahead, the sound of Ra-gada war drums played a steady beat now, working in prefect concord with the flow of the oars. As the Yokudan fleet neared 500 feet they had already long since been spotted, elven warships moving in to intercept them. The range to his liking T'ozun signaled for the fleet to begin firing, and fire they did. The power and strength of the dwemer like weapons outstripped the range of any spell or crude bombard, with a firing rate that baffled T'ozun even now, having already seen them in action. However, those had been in controlled environments, watching them sail forth like a rain of death into the elven ships was truly awe inspiring. The first volley this far out caused minimal damage, cutting a few sails here and there. T'ozun had arranged his artillery on the flanks, as the dromonds punched a course straight for the elven fleets heart. T'ozun's plan was simple enough, punch as many holes and damage as many sails as possible to allow the dromonds, their forward face reinforced and designed to be used as a kind of makeshift bridge, to ram and board the opposition in quick succession. The faster the Ra-gada closed into close combat and engaged their harpax's, a powerful kind of grapnel hook. The quicker The Yokudan fleet could secure a victory, hence T'ozun's calculated gamble, the Dominion were now mostly unopposed in assaulting the island proper, but should T'ozun close the gap quick enough, he could very well trap the elves in the bay, and in fighting conditions more suitable to the Yokudan traditional style of naval combat. The sound of drums beat faster, each ship matching the rolling thunder of its neighbour, thus allowing each ship to adjust their speed in near unison. The battle for Stros M'kai had truly begun. [hider=Actions] -The secret weapon of Ali-baba is hidden elsewhere for now. -T'ozun leads a quick counter attack on elven ships in Hunding Bay at Stros M'kai. [/hider]