Blackfridayrule

In Dark Seas We Sail

"Tacks and sheets!" Berlin cried in his resonant voice that overpowered the crashing of water against the bow and the whipping of the wind through the crew's ears. He himself was at the helm, matching the pressure against the rudder as his orders were carried out. Aloft, Rohaan, a young boy of ten with wild blonde curls that would never stay in a ponytail, sprang from his little nest in the rigging where he typically slept and kept what little things he owned to grab a rope with small tanned fingers, unhitch it, and pull it towards him with all his strength. When the wind wasn't too strong, he could often pull the ropes by himself as he was, but when it got rougher and he needed more strength, his body would change, morphing larger like an older version of himself in the blink of an eye. This was one of those times, and the suddenly muscular young man had no trouble pulling the rope into position and hitching it in place, then unhitching another rope attached to a corner of one of the lateen sails of the small Caravel he called home. In another instant, the man disappeared and a wiry youth took his place, blue eyes shining brightly in the sparkling sun.

The ship came about, heading back towards the distant land that was only a faint blotch on the horizon. Rohaan hung cavalier from one of the taut ropes aloft, bare toes gripping one line while one hand wrapped around another to steady himself. He was glad it was only early autumn and still warm, as he did not like being up aloft when it was cold (especially since he refused to wear shoes at sea or on land, unless it was snowing or very cold. Like the cold, Rohaan hated shoes, too. He spotted a gray albatross with its huge wingspan gliding further out to sea not far from the Borealis, and, grinning, he simultaneously leapt from the rigging and changed into a much smaller gull, swinging off after the other bird.

"Oi! Rheoaan!" Berlin knew as soon as he called out that it was a futile effort; Rohaan did not even appear to hear him, though he knew the boy had keen ears and most certainly did. "Back to the ship or I'll leave your sorry feathered arse out here!" Berlin got a shrill caw in response, and his brow furrowed. "Damn that boy," he grumbled. Louder, and with a harsher edge, he called, "Rheoaan Rohaan Rio Ja'aisen! Get your arse over here and that's an order!"

That did it. Hearing all three of his given names and his surname being used, Rohaan knew he was in trouble, or at least, he would be if he didn't obey. No one else was allowed to call him by his full name except Berlin, as he was the only one Rohaan felt had earned the right to use the first and longest, Rheoaan, which was usually reserved for immediate family or a spouse in his culture. But in a way, Berlin had become his father, so Rohaan bestowed that honor on him and him alone. Rio was a name he gave to strangers, and Rohaan, which was how all but Berlin knew him, was reserved for friends. It had taken him a long time to explain this at first, particularly since he started out without any knowledge of their language, and they had none of his.

The boy banked, diving back down to the deck at high speed before pulling up a little and changing back into his natural form. The young, wiry blonde touched down in front of Berlin with a soft thud and gave a salute. "Aye, Ca-mm." Unlike the others, who used the abbreviation 'cap'n', Rohaan called him a very distinctly pronounced 'ca-mm', as it was the best he could do when he was first learning the language, and it sort of stuck.
"Get down to the galley and start fixing some grub, boy. I'll call you back up if Uban needs an extra hand aloft."
Rohaan nodded, tight curls bouncing. "Aye Ca-mm!" He released his salute and bounded down below, bare feet slapping the hard wooden deck.

Uban, who had been at the base of the mast securing rigging, climbed deftly up the rope to take his place on Rohaan's little hammock, straddling the fabric like a saddle as he watched the horizon and kept his ears open and tuned to the sound of Berlin's voice. From above, he watched Pieter go about his business, the old salt doing it with the practiced motions of a man who'd done it for years. Uban himself had only been at sea for five years and was completely green when he met Berlin, though that never seemed to have mattered to the sea captain. Uban grew up milking cows and mucking stables, or occasionally helping out the village carpenter with his work when he had the time, so sea life was a strange experience. And yet, as he grew accustomed to the rocking of the ship, which lulled both he and Rohaan to sleep so well, it felt strange to sleep on land, Uban found that he was very comfortable in his new life, and over the years he preferred it to his old one. Besides, here, he had a family. It was not the one he imagined as a young lad, nor was it the one he pictured when he was courting Delorah before he was imprisoned and his life turned upside down. But the crew of the Borealis was his family all the same. On that ship, no one cared that he'd spent time in prison, or that he had a mark to prove it burned into his wrist. No one cared that he'd killed someone by accident. Besides, most, if not all, he guessed, had killed people themselves. Even Rohaan had shed blood, as though he was only a boy, he was a vicious fighter when his life was on the line.

The wind shifted a little and Berlin called for the sails to be trimmed; Uban scurried about the rigging and masts to carry out the orders. He was just finishing when he paused, straightened a little as if to see over some imagined obstacle, then cried out, "Sail, ho!"
Berlin's attention snapped upward. "Can you tell who?"
"Not from this distance," Uban answered, even as he tried to see through a telescoping spyglass.
"Can you determine their heading?"
"No, Cap'n. Er...well...looks like they might be heading towards us. Either that or away, but since I hadn't seen them earlier, I'll wager they're coming, not going."

Berlin nodded, casually leaving his post at the helm to shout down to the lower deck. "Rheoaan, on deck!"
A moment later, the little shifter, dressed in his usual black trousers that reached just below his knee and a loose fitting white shirt with the collar always hanging open, appeared on the main deck. "Ta," Rohaan said, reverting back to his native tongue for a moment.
Berlin, who had learned much of the Vokurian language from Rohaan, did not miss a beat. "Ship on the horizon. Check it out for me, will you?"
The boy grinned mischievously. "Is it hostile? Can I light it on fire?"
Berlin sighed. "We don't know."
"If it is, can--"
"No. No burning, not unless I give an order. It's a pitiful thing to destroy a good ship, Rheoaan. I only want information. Do not engage. Do you hear me? That's an order."
"But I wanna take the ca-mm's hat if he's got a fancy one."
"I said no."
"C'mon, Berlinnnn, I'd swoop in all quick and take it in my talons and they'll just think I'm a regular gull. OH, or a hawk!"
"No," Berlin said sharply. "Gulls don't take hats and we're too far out to sea for there to be a hawk any where nearby. They'll get suspicious. If you get discovered, there'll be real trouble. Now go on, get you gone."
"Aye aye!" The boy changed into a gull once more, pumping his wings a few times before catching an updraft and gliding off towards the approaching ship for a quick flyby.

Not long after, he returned, landing in front of Berlin much the same way he had before. "Soldiers, Ca-mm. Yonin flag, heading right for us."
"Yonin..." Berlin gave a casual nod, looking out onto the horizon as he thought it over. "Last I checked, our little troupe's got a bounty on our heads in Yonin." Instead of looking worried, Berlin grinned. If it was a land encounter, he might be concerned about a host of soldiers heading their way, but at sea, the Borealis was a deceivingly dangerous opponent. Not only were they all we’re capable fighters but Rohaan was capable of single-handedly sinking ships. To attack the Borealis at sea was pure folly, and anyone who attempted was usually held hostage and robbed blind, if not actively counterattacked. The size of their little ship and crew made them a target to other unwary pirates who were not familiar with the name, and any attempts to board or commandeer the ship always backfired.

Berlin's voice rose, addressing the whole crew. With a grin and a twinkle in his eyes, he instructed, "All hands...prepare to be boarded."

In Dark Seas We Sail

The crew of the Borealis:

Berlin:
The epitome of a gentle giant. He's a big man with an intimidating form, though he's not a forceful type. Smooth blonde hair in a ponytail, grey eyes as deep and complex as the sea, and suntanned skin. He is the captain of the Borealis and has been for many years. The sea is his mistress and his one love. He's got a calming, easygoing presence but also naturally commands authority when the need arises.

Magical ability: Control via physical contact. He rarely uses it, as he feels it's wrong to control a free man in a way that would be against his will. The most common way he uses his ability is to mollify a bristling, hostile person by laying a casual hand on their shoulder and sending forth a kind of calm energy so the other person cools down. His ability also grants him a kind of magnetic personality that puts people at ease and makes him generally likable upon first encounter.

Rheoaan Rohaan Rio Ja'aisen:
The youngest member of the crew at ten years of age, he's been with Berlin for about two years. Born on a remote island on the southwestern coast, he lived with other shape shifters like himself--outcasts of society--until his home was raided by fanatics that believed the only good shifter was a dead one. Taken on a ship to the mainland to be sold into slavery, he escaped and began living on the streets of the port city he landed in. A wily, determined child, he pickpocketed to keep himself alive...until he pickpocketed a member of the Borealis and was caught. Berlin saw the state he was in, knew he was a shifter and would have little to no future on his own, and saw the potential in him as a future thief. Berlin took him in, tamed his wild nature (mostly), taught him the common speech of Avarian (and in turn, learned a bit of Rohaan's language, Vokurian, and trained him up to be a capable thief.

Berlin is the only authority whom Rohaan respects. He revels in causing trouble, sometimes has a bit of a feral nature, and has no problem taking risks--often to his detriment. While the roles of crew members are often fluid since they are small in number, Rohaan is often found in the crows nest, or occasionally in the galley.

Magical ability: Shape shifting. He has the ability to change any of his features except the color of his eyes (which are a telltale cobalt blue shade that is more vibrant and brighter than human eyes) and the color of his blood, which is red with a silvery sheen to it. Can become human or animal, and can mimic other people's appearances. It takes a great deal of effort and some forms leave him exhausted. Specially enchanted steel can inhibit his shifting abilities with close proximity or physical contact.

Uban Harriah:
Lived a quiet country life until his magical abilities manifested and he accidentally killed someone. He was hauled off to prison for his crime, though after about a year he managed a close-call escape that left him missing a finger on his left hand. He fled far from his home to the northwestern coast where he was not a wanted man, though he had nothing to his name and lived in poverty until, as he made his rounds looking for work on the docks, he found Berlin, who saw the prison-brand on his wrist and took him in.

He's an energetic sort, a real joker, loves horses, and has absolutely no fear of heights, which is why he's generally a topman, working the ropes and sails aloft. Can't cook to save his life. Late twenties. Been with Berlin for about 5 years.

Magical ability: can create and manipulate arcs of electricity. He cannot summon or control lighting, but is merely able to send pulses through physical contact, or to create a small arc between his fingers or hands.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Party!

So I’m thinking the ship is pretty small and if we both have, say, 3 characters we can suspend our disbelief and have a very small crew, or we could say there are more but treat them as NPCs.

I think a quick bio of our characters, their abilities, and how they came to be on the Borealis would be useful, though they don’t have to be novels lol.
I’ll get an OOC started up so we can has that out and also what we wanna do for a kind of plot. Random adventure? Or are they pressing toward a goal?

In Dark Seas We Sail

If we did some kind of 1x1 we would both need to play more Characters. I’m good with that, how about you?

In Dark Seas We Sail

Intro:

Berlin was a big man. The poor chair beneath him was not used to his kind of height, not to mention his tree-like girth and the muscle that composed it, and the little bentwood chair creaked in defeated protest as he leaned forward to put one big elbow on the splinter-ridden table. Though his physical shape was intimidating, Berlin's character was not, and it showed. There was a warmth about him, a disarming air that put people at ease when they spoke to him. His gray eyes were soft and knowing, like he'd seen the whole world and it made him introspective, thoughtful, and understanding. Berlin smiled, and this effect was magnified. Stormy eyes glimmering in the warm light of the sconce-lit tavern, he asked in a soft but confident voice,

"Well? What do you say? Will you join me?"

------

Hi all! Anyone interested in a small group (or 1x1 with multiple characters each) for a medieval not-quite-pirates-but-seafaring-thieves-troupe roleplay?

You will be playing one (or several) of the members of the Borealis, a small ship captained by Berlin, who has been a sailor most of his life and a thief for maybe half of it. He is a just, honest, and generally upstanding kind of man...for a thief. He believes in a code of morality, but one of his own making, and has always been the kind of thief with honor. He has never been the murdering, raping, and pillaging sort, but rather focuses his efforts towards robbing high-profile targets like nobles or merchants, usually ones with crooked or shady dealings to hide. Berlin is not a pacifist, but does not actively seek out people to kill. Rather than a true pirate, he's more of a con man with a heart for those society does not love. The crew of the Borealis is made up of people he has found along the way and recruited; people often destitute, desperate, excommunicated, or otherwise overlooked. Each one of them, including himself, has some kind of magical gifting. In a society where magic is seen as unclean and uncouth, the misfits ought to stick together.

Your character can be of any gender, and though most people in this world are human, some are not. They should have some kind of power or gifting (ie can summon electricity, manipulate light/shadow, influence others, healing, etc. the list goes on). If you choose not to have some magical gifting, your character should have some other kind of talent (maybe they're a stellar lockpick?). At some point or another, Captain Berlin would have approached your character and somehow convinced you to join his crew. Whether that happens before the story begins or if we start there is up to all of you guys.

I'll be playing at least two characters (depending on turnout maybe more):

Berlin: Captain, a big man with the power to influence or control people through physical contact, though this is not a talent he uses often, and usually he sticks to only influence, not outright control. In addition, he has a kind of calming, disarming sort of presence that makes him generally likeable. A confident man, he holds authority without being a dictator and he trusts in his crew as he expects them to trust in him. Is the kind of guy who could physically rip the arms off a man, but he isn't the type to want to.

Rheoaan Rohaan Rio Ja'aisen: Known to most of the crew as just Rohaan Ja'aisen, he is the youngest member of the crew at a mere ten years old. He is a shapeshifter (the lowest of classes in society) and where others saw a dangerous, evil, untrustworthy creature of deception and malice, Berlin saw talent and a broken past. Rohaan had a rough upbringing as an orphan and because of this (and his shapeshifting abilities) he is a fierce fighter, calloused for his age, tough, hardy, and he loves to stir up trouble. Berlin often has to rein in his enthusiasm, ambition, or his rage. Loathes authority, except Berlin, who earned his trust very slowly two years prior. Loves the sea, hates the cold. Though he lacks experience that comes with age, he is a capable thief and his ability to change shapes (both animal forms and human forms) make him a valuable asset to the crew. Is generally fearless, often to his detriment.

May there be heists, danger, adventure, victory, and strife ahead! Who's with me?

Siblings in the apocalypse?

Could be indeed! Though i say everyone do what they want and if it turns out that way, cool, if not, cool.

Let’s say this family is called.....hmmm Black? Winter? What’s their last name? Open to other suggestions as well.

Siblings in the apocalypse?

@Rabidporcupine sorry mate, I’m not looking to manage a group larger than 3 people (players, that is). Maybe you and tenma tendo can do something together? It’s not like my idea is original, feel free to steal haha.

I don’t know what shameless is, but I kinda like the idea of having half siblings sprinkled around, for the sake of diversity or something. And the oldest is trying to loop everyone together. Tastes like Maximum Ride, almost...

Anyway I’d love to play the youngest and then one of the middle aged ones. Older one is male and the younger one...possibly female.

Siblings in the apocalypse?

Sorry mate! We’re full. I will let you know if this changes.

I’m down for either, also.

Ajeatstoast, you got any input here/you still in?

Siblings in the apocalypse?

Fallout sounds good, whether it’s radiation or something more exotic and fabricated like a poison that got out of control or something.

As for age of characters, I’m not sure....it might be interesting to have a range. I thought it might be interesting to play a kid. Maybe I’ll play two, one really young and one older, maybe mid twenties or early thirties? But I think it can range.

Maybe for this RP since there’d Be a couple of us, instead of a sibling pair we have kind of a slapdash adopted family that sticks together and have found each other over the years.

Siblings in the apocalypse?

Potentially, yeah! What's your thoughts? Things you'd like to play with?