POOHEAD189

The Sinful Stars

The Ducal guard's face was grave as he considered his options. He hadn't felt pressure like this in weeks. The man's mates were silent as the crypts, awaiting his decision. He breathed out, and made his decision with a pointed finger.

Quietly, he uttered. "Pancreator... grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can-"

"And the money to split the difference!" His mates roared, and they raised their glasses in a toast that clinked audibly. Choosing their drink of choice on their off day was never easy, but he'd chosen well and they drank heartily to their good fortune. The five of them had been suing for an off-day for over a month and finally they received their due.

It pained Orion that they needed to do this, but he and Ragnar had passed through nearly a mile of Palace through sheer luck and quick thinking. They had even acted as if Ragnar was Orion's prisoner for a brief interval near the entrance of the hangar. Now the two hid behind an alcove, watching from a dark corner at the men, wearing unbuttoned and wrinkled uniforms now playing cards in this guardsman lounge room.

"Don't kill them." Orion reminded Ragnar, and the Vuldrok nodded reluctantly. At that confirmation, Orion whispered for him to follow his lead, and the two big men crouched low and moved in unison past the equipment area toward the unsuspecting Ducal guards. As luck would have it, the men had already placed away their weapons. While outnumbered, Orion and Ragnar knew they had them.

Suddenly the two turned the corner and were in eyesight, but the men were both too uncaring and too engrossed in their game to really care until they saw Orion grab a chair in the background and raise it to crash against the man closest to them. The chair became so much kindling and cards flew ubiquitously across the room as the guards began to shout. Ragnar had knocked one of them out with the butt of his axe and was currently flooring another with his massive fists.

The last two men had time to raise themselves, and they weren't small or weak by any means. But they hadn't had any real experience in fighting save the odd drill in years, perhaps ever. It took only a minute for Orion and Ragnar to subdue them and hold them down until they confessed they would answer whatever questions they had. It felt almost blasphemous to put his fingers around the Ducal guard's throat, but Annika would be dead if he couldn't find her.

"Where is the al-Malik Confessor?"

The question was guttural, and the soldier didn't know how to speak for a moment until his head caught up with him. "W-What? How the hell should I know? We're off duty. Who are you?" He blundered, and vainly tried to loosen the grip on his neck. Orion's arms didn't budge, and he pulled the man around and shoved him against the wall. "Answer me or I'll cake the wall with your blood, knave!"

He found he actually believed his own words, and for that he was ashamed. But this was no time to second guess himself. @Penny

Damned to the Depths

The BloodAxe ship's sails waved about like the plums of great birds floating on the water, deceptively nonthreatening. But Markus made no mistake, the city before them was gearing up for a battle. Luckily, they had the drop on them, and they had experienced sailors and soldiers. There would be a stark shortage of such experience on the Dalib Saharan side.

Sketti was screaming to the new recruits, many of them having just left the city they were now about to ransack. Hastily they rushed to the Weather Witches guns, eight and twelve pounders. Eights atop and Twelves on the next level down. But while those were for the battle, Calliope was the shock and awe that kicked everything off.

The Blademage was deadly with both spell and sword, but he didn't have the raw power or repertoire that his first made did. Usually she would delve into her spellbook, but it seems she had taken this attack personally and had pre-prepared a devastating spell. Even the Captain felt a weight of despair when she began to speak in the Language of the Ancients; a harsh tongue of worlds past that blackened the very hearts of all who heard it uttered.

Her body was suddenly lifted up as if some great force clutched her, head and arms falling back to hang limply as the darkness coalesced around her lower body until the power climaxed, shadows of flame leaping from her eyes and mouth like fireworks to spin and whirl into the air before slamming into the ocean surface less than a mile away. The sorceress floated there in power, watching the water with eyes aglow.

Suddenly, a placement of water lost its very form and sank into nothingness to leave but a void. There was something intensely wrong about that very image, though it did not last long. An incredible roar echoed forth and fiery tentacles thrice as thick as mainmast burst forth, each becoming a tornado of flame and shadow that cared not it was spinning over an ocean, growing in power and momentum as they hurtled toward the enemy fleet.

The BloodAxes cried out in surprise and fear, but it was nothing like the faint echoes of screams and supplication that erupted from the enemy navy. Markus wouldn't forget hearing them immediately silence once the tornadoes reached their ships, and though half the navy was now being torn apart by eldritch wind and flame, there was still a few ships left to fend that had taken up their anchors quicker than the others. Luckily, the BloodAxes smelled fresh blood in the water, and their ships cordoned off to go after the demoralized ships that now pushed forward away from the devastation.

Calliope slowly drew downwards to stumble on deck, nose bleeding. Markus caught her from falling, and helped her to her feet, wiping her nose with a cloth and tossing it away in the wind. The sorceress snarled at the ships as they continued to burn, and Markus smirked.

"On to the city!" He cried to the others, and they cheered.
@Penny

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

Warez wiped his eyes with his shirtsleeve, chuckling until he could breathe again. There was a hint in the air that, despite their bravado and levity, this was still a very dangerous room full of violent people. Luckily, Neil was generally crazy enough not to care and Junebug had nerves of steel. Taya seemed somewhat put off her comment was received in such a fashion, but it wasn't as if they had opened fired so that was something.

"What do you guys call yourselves then?" Neil asked, crossing his arms. Junebug laid both of her crossed arms on Neil's shoulder and looked at the gang members, resting her chin on her draped arms to give off the casual and unimpressed look of a fellow gangster. Her tattoos with the image and she looked like a roughrider with her confident lover, simply wanting to know about the next job opportunity they had.

In unison, the men dropped their weapons and pulled up their shirtsleeves or took off their jackets to display their tattoos along their upper arms. There was another fearsome arachnid drawn in black ink on each and every one of them. "The Scorpions," Warez introduced, giving a reptilian smile. "And if you wish to be apart of our crew, you need to meet Stinger." A hush fell over the others, and Junebug and Neil simultaneously lifted their eyebrows lazily.

"Let me guess. Your nickname's Thorax?" Junebug asked.

"Like I said, watch your mouth bitch." He snapped, but Junebug's eyes were so hard that his words held little power. Neil shook his head, hand at the ready to grab his holstered revolver. "That's the second time you've insulted my girlfriend. There won't be a third, got it?"

"Why don't we meet Stinger before they need to clean up more bodies off the floor?" Taya interjected, stepping between them. If Warez had little respect for Junebug, he had even less for Taya because of her age. But her logic was sound, and he smirked. "Fine. Do you have a ride or do you need to piggyback off of us? It'll cost extra, by the way..." He made a kissing gesture toward's Taya, and the girl rolled her eyes.

"Let's discuss our tab with Stinger." Neil remarked, eyes never leaving Warez.
@Penny

The Sunday Group - Bumps in the Night

Juggling between being an old wizard or a young guy with a temper who sees ghosts

The Sunday Group - Bumps in the Night

Unless of course you are pregnant with a Leprecaun's baby, in which case... well good luck with that.

@Penny

I see we'll have no shortage of fan fiction

The Sunday Group - Bumps in the Night

What if our characters have sex with said leprechaun?

Damned to the Depths

The Sea of Swords was calm this day as the sun began to sink. Land was not yet in sight, but various smaller islands that cropped up around the coast were visible in the distance to the west. Going a steady eight knots, they were to see the palace spires just before the sun dropped below the horizon. Markus had the wheel, keeping the Weather Witch steady with an idle hand. Truthfully, he simply wanted to watch over the Blood Axes and their approaching destination. Men had begun to cow under his eyes, he'd noticed. They were as vicious as a sea eagle's, apparently. Whatever helped maintain his image.

Calliope ascended the stairway to stand beside him, slightly more terrible in appearance than usual (which was saying something when it came to the superstitious crew) due to her diadem. Markus thought it fitted her, and if he was honest with himself there was an attraction to her he rather disliked. As much as everyone here was apart of the crew, and even acted like a true team, a pirate ship was a collection of cutthroats working for mutual gain. Somehow it wasn't the case with her, and it irked him to no end. He brushed it off. He was probably feeling the usual yearnings of a seaman that's not been at port with women for far too long.

A cry above betrayed Jax, and the Captain looked up to see him waving and pointing southwards. Markus knew what he meant. Hefting the glass scope to his eye, he grinned. "There it is." Markus said as the horizon suddenly bloomed before him in greater detail, and he was relieved to see what looked like large trees before the fading sun were towers the size of ships. He smiled and handed Calliope the scope. Markus whistled with two fingers to ready his crew, and they leaped into action. Grimey hung on the rope to add weight to it as Sron and Halvar used their rippling muscles to yank it down, lowering the back mast to slow the ship for their approach.

Sketti and Jim had hauled weaponry up onto the deck to keep everyone armed with crossbow bolts and ammunition for their wheelocks and flintlocks. Reginal the Vrettonian laughed haughtily and took a flintlock pistol, loading it like he was born to it and holding it in a professional pose, as if he was being called to duel. Bill and Will gathered up their arms and chainmail jacks, doing their best not to meet their deceased brother as of yet in the afterlife.

Calls from the Bloodaxe navy echoed across the water, and on deck they arrayed for battle. To Markus' delight, in the distance he saw the fleet of Dalib Sahab floating idly, unaware of what was about to cut into it like a swooping hawk.

The Blademage took the scope out of the dark sorceress's hand and said. "Would you like to open up with some fireworks once we're in range?"
@Penny

The Sunday Group - Bumps in the Night

<Snipped quote by POOHEAD189>

I mean I never actually wished to get out of 1x1....

@Penny

The Sunday Group - Bumps in the Night

@Penny Fix'ed. You now have two wishes left, no more freebies.

The Sunday Group - Paranormal Detectives

@Penny Will there be a character sheet available soon?