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There was a fierce snapping of wood as the main deck of the [i]Arslan’s Fortune[/i] was completely sundered open. Broken boards, bodies, and equipment all fell down into the belly of the galleon. [u][url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N61Am7LwBgY&pp=0gcJCUABo7VqN5tD]The ship groaned in protest as more of it’s hull cracked under the pressure and sea water rushed inside, flooding the lower decks.[/url][/u] Those trapped below were driven to claw and kick against the brutal inrush, fighting their way toward open air; the rest pulled into the churning darkness. Topside, the afterdeck was now, like the front of the ship, engulfed in searing flames which climbed the barely standing mizzen mast. Soon, water was spilling across what remained off the main deck of the [i]Arslan’s Fortune[/i], extinguishing some of the fires and gushing down into the already waterlogged interior. The [i]Arslan’s Fortune[/i] was sinking fast. And it was taking the pirates down with it.

The fallen main mast of the [i]Arslan’s Fortune[/i] was wedged across the body of the pirate sloop. It’s rigging tangled with that of the smaller vessel. The dead weight of the sinking galleon pitched the sloop to one side. Pirates still aboard their own ship were hurled into the black maw of the Abecean Sea amid an avalanche of barrels, crates, and debris. Several of their band were clinging to the railings or mast but their efforts were clearly in vain. With a long, splintering whine, the sloop gave way and rolled onto its side, striking the water with a thunderous crash as the [i]Arslan’s Fortune[/i] disappeared beneath the waves. Those not crushed under the capsizing sloop were forced underwater by the surging wave that followed, or cast across the rolling sea.

Salty foam and bubbles boiled up, turning the water a silky whitish color. [u][url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc4V3rndQ5U&list=RDKc4V3rndQ5U&start_radio=1&pp=ygUSdHJhZ2ljIGNlbGxvIG11c2ljoAcB]For a few lingering breaths the pirates’ black flag floated upon the swells, its pale skull grinning up at the night sky. It too was then tugged under, the fabric twisting as it trailed down into the deep.[/url][/u] One by one the last remnants of the battle disappeared. The tip of a mast lingered like a marker over a grave before the sea closed above it. What remained were the few survivors, most of whom were wounded, clinging to scorched planks and other pieces of wreckage as the darkness pressed in from all sides. The stars above only faintly illuminated the sky. No sails could be seen on the near horizon and the distant glow of some far off city seemed to grow ever distant. And beneath their drifting feet the waters did not grow still. Slaughterfish had been drawn to the scent of blood and were voraciously tearing at floating corpses and darting off with severed limbs dangling from their toothy jaws. Those who survived the night would need the favor of some god or another to find safe haven, and the untamed Abecean Sea knew little of the gods’ mercy.

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[color=C0C0C0][center][h1]END OF ACT ONE …[/h1][/center] [center]_____________________________________________________[/center]
[center]An attack at night, a humble ship set upon by vicious sea dogs, and few survivors to tell the tale of a bloody battle. The fate of seven hapless souls are thrown with the dice as they are far from familiar shores and perched on the edge of the map. As the sun rises on a new day, one must ask what awaits this very unique smattering of castaways in the near future? [/center][/color]

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