POOHEAD189

Gold & Glory: AU thread

"Von Morganstern?" Markus asked the other pirates. A few shrugged, but the others that weren't busy were too busy drinking up the woman's figure or preemptively counting the gold for her supposed ransom. Markus eyed the expensive dress and the voluptuousness of the woman with a calculating gaze. He didn't doubt she was a nobleman's wife or mistress, likely the latter considering she wasn't a 'Vissendorf' herself. He chuckled at the thought of some posh jezebel going back inland and telling of her 'utterly dreadful' time amongst the pirates.

"Sure sounds like a fancy title." Frankfurt mused.

"Titles mean little enough unless they can pay." Markus warned, speaking to the woman more than anyone.

An aging privateer approached the Captain as he surveyed the prisoners like a butcher weighing meat. Markus turned and regarded Morgan, the only man on here who seemed about as competent in common sense and Markus liked to believe he was himself. In a lot of ways, Markus looked up to the man. Morgan had even refused the captaincy, replying he was too old for a younger man's job. He merely served as quartermaster for the time being before his 'retirement' as he often called it. He gave a pat on Markus' shoulder, and the dark swordsman gave a grin.

"Good job, lad." Morgan congratulated. "Eight barrels of spices and a few prisoners. Any valuable ones?"

"That remains to be seen." The Captain knelt down in front of the older Estalian, a man who looked devout of any sort of happiness left. Even unbound, he had merely rubbed his wrists and had yet to move or say anything. His mustache gave him the look of a particularly sad schnauzer. The linen shirt he wore was torn, with rolled up sleeves revealing olive skin and hairy arms.

"You know anyone on that boat?" Markus asked him. Even with the fellow's melancholy, his ire was something that most wouldn't wish to invoke, so the man replied with a nod.

"A friend of yours die?" Again, there was a nod. Markus leaned in closer. "You know the one who killed him?"

"Not you," the man said slowly, his riekspiel heavily accented. "the one eyed man."

"Holdman, aye." the Captain declared. He smiled. "You can't kill him, sorry. We're on a small ship with an even smaller crew. Your friend like as not didn't put up much of a fight. But you're lucky. You have the opportunity to join our crew. You prove yourself, you can challenge Holdman and kill him rightly. Your choice."

He didn't wait to respond, standing back up and moving to the scholar and the cook. With a few quick orders, he recruited the two on the spot. With the cutlasses of the pirates around them and Markus' dark gaze, they took no convincing. The scholar was sent below to calculate how much the spice was worth while the cook was sent to the kitchen below, both escorted by two watchful pirates. Finally, Markus arrived at the woman. As he did so, the last man leaped over the side of the Poxed Whore and tossed Markus a bag of doubloons. Effortlessly, the swordsman caught it with an audible jingle of the coins. He slid his hand in and produced a gilded tilean coin, looking at it appreciatively.

"As for lady Emmaline von Morganstern, you can rest assured no one's going to touch you since you're for ransom. Though now that you've announced yourself as valuable, it's your neck if you don't deliver. You need to find your own place to sleep and you won't get in the way of my men. Tonight the crew's going to celebrate its first victory, and you have a choice. The brig, the crew, or you can dine in my cabin and we can speak gold. Up to you, princess."

Gold & Glory: AU thread

The engagement was over before it even began.

It was almost embarrassing had it not been so thunderously horrible. The clash of steel on steel and the roar of the cannons had died down after the brief struggle, dirty and callused hands grabbing those left alive and slipping sacks on their heads. Some of the pirates simply shot and pushed Tilean sailors overboard whereas others obediently escorted the survivors over the side to the sloop, now connected to the brigantine by grapple hooks. There was ne'er a cloud in the sky and the sun was so bright, even the black bags over the prisoner's heads only lightly muted the penetrating rays.

Being shoved onto their knees, one by one the captured passengers were unveiled. The blaring sun gleaming into their eyes like Sigmar's wrath, blurred vision slowly regaining focus as the reality of the situation sunk in. Behind them was the sound of booted feet and heavy grunts as the cargo was being heaved over to the sloop.

For a first prize, Markus Flintbrook was pleased. Though he knew it would get to the crew's head. The new captain would celebrate later that night with a bottle of Dwarf scotch, but as for now he'd oversee the capture and keep them on their toes. Sails could appear on the horizon at any time, and already the blood was attracting sharks. He hoped nothing bigger floated up from the depths and quench its thirst on human blood in the water.

A snaggle-toothed man named Brod approached him, wielding a heroic beer gut and donning a bandana over his bald head. Eckard and Frankfurt stood beside him, both good sailors with terrible looks and social skills. These three represented the diversity of the dozen personalities in his crew, though there was a norscan named Halfdan and an estalian pisolier called Fernando among them. They chuckled and nodded for one of the other lads to take the hoods off the prisoners, revealing their human catches of the day. A Tilean old man was first, a mustache drooping from the blood of his busted lip. The next was a scholar from the empire who seemed to have wet himself profusely, followed by a cook with a paunch like an ogre, and a buxom woman with lush, blonde hair.

"Finally, a cook." Markus mumbled as the three men beside him began to whistle suggestively, clearly oggling the woman. Her hands were bound like everyone's was.

"I'm taking that one." Eckard laughed, pointing at the woman. It took a moment for his grin to fade when he felt the bite of cold steel at his throat. Markus casually held an Imperial Backsword up, ready to cut his jugular at a moment's notice. The captain wasn't planning on doing it, but the bravado had to halt.

Markus cut an image of both a scoundrel and a dangerous swordsman. He had the coat of a Captain, but it was worn and smelled of the sea. The man was darkly handsome, his mane unkempt and his eyes piercing. He looked no older than twenty seven summers, and though he clearly was keeping his amusement and humor in reserve for his men, he played a grim demeanor as if he was born with it. A scar ran past his chin, the only crease in his 5 o'clock shadow. His skin was suntanned and his hair as black as the abyss. Along his ring finger, a silver and pewter ring of twin dragons banded around his finger.

"No one's taking any of them." Markus declared, cooling off their lecherous thoughts. "What did I say before we got this ship, eh?"

"This is work, not pleasure." Brod shakily said, answering for Eckard. Eckard seemed to have joined the scholar in wetting himself. Markus was disappointed. These men had been imperial sailors not a week ago so it didn't go past expectations that only a few had been in any engagement, but half the crew needed stronger backbones.

"What's pleasure for, then?" Markus asked.

"Pleasure's for the ports." Eckard answered.

"Aye." Markus grinned, and with a gesture of his head he motioned for them to go and help the others. "We don't take people, only cargo."

"B-but, you are taking us sir." The scholar pipped in, drawing the gaze of the dangerous captain and the men who would gut him if unleashed. He coward back, having lost his ability to speak. The captain sheathed his sword, but tossed a wicked knife to the fellow who had brought them here. The scholar no doubt thought he was about to feel his throat slashed, but instead his bonds were cut. Shakily, he brought them to his face in disbelief.

"We're about to sink your ship. You can go back if you like." The Captain remarked, letting it sink in. He tried keeping his eyes off the woman. He was a man of his word, at least in front of his men.

"Any of you who prove worthwhile can stay aboard. Any who have a ransom, speak up now and you'll be allowed to live. Any who can't do either, I suggest you hope we make berth soon. Else you'll find yourself floating in the sea or shot."

The Blackwood

Hello friends. I regret to say that I think it's time the roleplay draws to a close. Mostly because I've not felt extremely creative after my grandpa's passing and also I think the roleplay has slowed down enough to where it seems stagnant. I apologize if this is a big let down, because it was an awesome 6 months GMing for you guys! I think next time I make a large roleplay, I'll include everyone together to make things happen quicker.

Thanks, and I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day!

Stay tuned though, because after a short rest I'll probably be up to making another RP or open my 1x1 thread up again. Thanks!

Dungeon Builder Monster Extraordinaire

Happy Valentine's Day you evil scoundrels, you

Hero's Hall: CLOSED FOR REPAIRS

@Kenshi OOPS, I thought this was the other thread. That's what I get for using mobile.

I still stand by what I said though. Let her LIVE!

Hero's Hall: CLOSED FOR REPAIRS

@Mae Take your time. We'll be ready when you are.

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

The Vickie jumped out of system without delay. Kaiden almost thought the crew wouldn't follow his instructions. He'd gone off the map of his reality, sitting in 'Micha's chair.' But Higgs and the rest, even Sabatine leaped to stations at his call. The ship had roared internally before bursting out of their current location.

"Hickoring, give Graving 5 degrees left of the current location of the moon from our position." Kaiden snapped.

"Done!" A female voice called. Kaiden swiveled his head to his right and saw Tilda amongst the men, shapely legs crossed on a chair and professional, albeit sly look in her eyes. Kaiden didn't have the time to pay too much attention to it and barked again.

"Graving, I want you to fire half out silos at that location, now!"

"Yes sir!" The Gunner called after just a moments hesitation. Even in such a large ship, the firing of the missiles reverberated through the steel like someone was whacking a wooden bat against an armored car. Sabatine barked orders at the spacers but the Prince didn't hear over the din of his own commands. Kaiden could feel the confusion in the air, but his eyes remained steely.

"Locate twenty degrees from the moon and jump! Now!" He cried, not missing a beat. "Graving I need those missiles reloaded. All hands on the task. Tilda, keep us monitored on the enemy locations. I don't want AFS K-21 our of sight." Tilda moved like a machine, already transfiguring onto the Destroyer's location.

The next few minutes were a flurry of activity. Kaiden had never seen such discipline in the crew, though he'd always known they were capable of it. If every ship was like the Vickie, the Alliance wouldn't stand a chance. The Halifax was spinning desperately trying to realign itself to face the Vickie's sudden reappearance. The ship flew far too close to the moon for any older officer's liking. Once the ship was out of the jump, the Vickie once again fired at the location it fired last, only this time far closer. On the screen, the Destroyer AFS K-21 filled their vision as it continued its escape.

"I want us twenty thousand kilometers from that ship! Follow those missiles and blow that ship out of the sky!"
@Penny

What character archetypes/characteristics do you gravitate towards?

I tend to play characters less handsome than I am so I can better relate to you, the people.

Dungeon Builder Monster Extraordinaire

I vote for the classic goblin as the IMP, and to make them cowardly and cruel.

Also I think I'll have the demon nab the woman. Serves her right for uh *reads notes* e-escaping.

The Blackwood

@Gunther Well, living in Alabama we're sort of run down and in the slog as usual.