1st Day of Ascending Water, RY 768
Early Evening

The isle of Sorrow's Veil is one of many unaffiliated islands scattered between Wavecrest and the Neck. Peaceful tribesfolk and hardy sailors alike consider the island to be haunted -- even cursed. Here, they say, a great Manse once stood, the palace of a Pirate King of immense wealth. But at the height of his power, his best friend and most trusted officer betrayed him, slaughtering all his loyal men and claiming all treasures for himself.

And it is said that with his last dying breath the Pirate King invoked the god Zhuzhiao, the High Prince of the Deep Trenches, who rose up from the waters to drown the Betrayer and bring both him and his bounty deep beneath the sea.

There is power in such stories to the people of the West, who take their superstitions seriously, and give the island a wide berth. Whether there is truth, though, is something else entirely. At the very least, the Manse itself does exist, invisible to the eye to all but he who bears its Hearthstone, and the few who hold the bearer's trust. That man is Captain Lasuri Leomaris of the Cobalt Alliance, and he has opened the Manse of Sorrow's Veil as a safe haven for the few brave pirates, explorers and savants that would dare follow his banner as a new, independent force in the West.

But it is still a fledgling Alliance, consisting of a single flagship salvaged from the faded glory of the First Age, the Spring Dryad II. For the moment the Dryad rests in a cove within the magically hidden grounds, and its myriad crew relaxes and dines within the surprisingly warm and spacious mess hall of the Manse. In honor of their prosperous future as comrades, Outcastes and hired hands alike have been presented with a feast, the best the enchantments of Sorrow's Veil can cook up with its stores of meat, fruit and grains.

Everyone has been given leave to eat, drink and mingle as they please until the Captain stands to give his evening speech. For the moment such words seem far in coming, as Lasuri is at the head of the table conversing merrily with his first mate, the Lady Jadira Thornbloom, and the booze has already begun to flow freely around the table...
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:20, Mon 24 Nov 2008.

"Ah, I love the food here" Zeru says merrily, his plate full of multiple kinds of dishes. "I am quite curious captain," he asks Lasuri when he gets a moment in the conversation with Lady Thornbloom. "As to why you would choose a stranger like me to join your crew."

Tageru sits at the table thinking, barely touching his food. He doesn't know these people too well, even though he would like to. They are pirates, yes, but they're also good people. And the Dragons know that he needs the company of good people, after so much loss that he suffered.

He looks at his glass, filled with wine and drinks it up. Not something one would expect from a monk, but he's not an ordinary monk-the power of Sextes Jylis flows through his veins, and through his soul, and his monastic training was different from that of the other monks. He laughs heartily 'Heh! I still think of myself as a monk, even after all these months! Guess it's true-old habits die hard.' he thinks, and starts to eat. 'Well, life goes on, as they say. Better to go on through it with my stomach full, I guess...'

"It is, isn't it?" he speaks across the table to Zeru after having sampled some of the food on his own plate.  He had already cast a glance over the table at the ... eclectic group of personalities gathered here.  I too would be interested in the answer to that question, he thinks as he takes note of the question just asked.

He takes a sip of his wine, and wonders.  He has heard a lot about the Alliance from a variety of people.  Some of it good, some of it bad, and almost all of it interesting.  A welcome distraction, perhaps.

As involved as he is in his current conversation, Lasuri Leomaris still pauses when prompted, taking the  time to regard the man that addressed him. Dark eyes plant themselves on the man called Zeru - for a moment regarding him carefully.

The man sometimes referred to as "The Sea Drake" is not immediately striking in physique nor particularly impressive in stature. And yet, there is a certain air about him, a certain feeling that seems to permeate his usual easy-going attitude in his actions and his words. Almost as if the ideals of freedom and liberty he so fondly speaks of had come to somewhat permeate him, in time.

The captain's features betray a weathered condition, no doubt gained with some years of traveling at the helm of a vessel. Although he never directly speaks of his lineage, a tint of azure and sea green in his otherwise fair skin betray his strong connection to the waters he calls home - perhaps the hint of a nobler lineage, despite his current position in the Alliance. dark blue hair cascade freely past his shoulders to his mid back, flowing like waves barely contained by the jet-black bandanna worn just above his eyes.

His current conversation paused, Lasuri smiles deeply at the new intervention, and leans back in his seat. He extends his smile to Treon as well when he intervenes, and shakes his head slightly.

"Oi, no need to over think things, mister Zeru." He responds, a touch of familiarity in his voice as he reaches a black-gloved hand to reach his cup. His tone makes it sound as if Zeru had been a long time acquaintance of theirs, pleasant and friendly.

"We're as much strangers to you as the other way around, after all. The honor is not greater on this side of the table - links between people are even." His smile widens, and he puts the cup to his lips, pausing for a moment before resting the cup back on the table.

"We only gave the call. You answered it, and so it's us who should be thankful, not the other way around."

Zeru smiles back, his eyes glinting blue in the light of the manse. "You called for willing privateers, I did what comes natural to me. I love the sea, I love sailing, and I love removing possessions from others." He leans back in his chair. "There's no need for thanks. I couldn't say no." A tiny mewl escapes the pocket of his coat, which is hanging off his chair. "Ah... Coral no need to be shy. You're as much part of this crew as I am." He looks back at Lasuri. "Provided they don't have a professional rat catcher." Zeru pulls the small cat out of the pocket and sets her off the table. It is a lithe white cat with distinctive aquamarine spots and circles. "This is Lucky Coral, she's a bit shy, but she's my partner in this."

"Besides," Jadira interjects, "We've got kind of a penchant for taking in people who don't fit in anywhere else. Seeing as we're kind of the same."

The brunette wears her dark green longcoat hanging partially open, revealing a fine, laced linen shirt underneath in a pale cream. The baths in the Manse mean she can keep fastidious attention to her appearance, at least for now; her freckled cheeks shine from the recent cleansing, and her still partly damp hair is braided neatly down her back.

"It's better than being stuck out there solo. You wouldn't be having this meal otherwise. Like the Captain said, it's mutually beneficial. We all want to survive, and make our mark in the world... and..." She trails off as Zeru reveals his animal companion, an uncharacteristically brilliant smile on her face. "Oh, how cute!" she can't help but say.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:00, Mon 20 Oct 2008.

The Captain cannot help but smile at the 'arrival' as well, and a soft smile crosses his lips as he lays eyes on the white feline. He glance towards Jadira, and his smile widens at her reaction, something unspoken passing between them as he looks at her."Oi, we've got a little stowaway." He says, leaning and reaching out into one of the plates to fetch a whole fish, which he puts into one of the smaller plates, then pushes towards Coral.

"Here you go, mate." He says, at the attention of the cat. "Part of the crew, a share in the spoils. That's the rule." He smiles, then directs his attention back to Zeru and Treon.

"Miss Thornbloom is right, though. At some point in time, our compasses all pointed towards the same direction. The Alliance is as much part of you as its part of us - its something that every misfit or outcast has felt at least once. That desire to belong to something while fitting nowhere. Hopefully, you'll find what you're looking for among your like-minded peers."

Zeru scratches Coral's head as her eyes bulge in preparation for her feast. "See... and you were scared to come." He looks back up at the table. "I'm Peleps Zeru, formerly of the house of Peleps Kaizoku, currently of the House of Peleps Zeru, and proud to on board with this fine crew we have here."

"Mau!" comes the small but piercing fish filled voice.

"Hey, hey, I already introduced you, and don't talk with your mouth full. This is my partner Lucky Coral. It's good luck to have a cat on board."

"Are we like-minded?"
The tall man's voice is deep and a bit intimidating. He stands up and his green eyes look at the captain and the new recruits, like he is judging them all and like he's not very pleased with what he sees.
"I see before me a group of young, brave people, people not afraid to be outcasts as well as outcastes, people who want to dare the seas and seek riches. But what else do I see? Is there more? You are Exalted by the Dragons! To make your life all about the money is to waste your divine gifts! You can be more! I hope you want to be more! I hope this group wants to do good, instead of just plunder!"
Tageru looks at all the people around him and bows to the captain:
"With all due respect, Captain, I will not be a part of a group of murderers. If there is more to this group, a desire to do some good, some greater cause or some goal other than personal welfare, then I will stay, but I will not tarnish my Immaculate training and my Sifu's name by becoming a mere robber. One must do what one must do to survive, but killing innocents is not something I want to do for a living, and I know that deep down, neither do any of you."
He bows again and sits down again, and waits for the captain to answer.

[Private to GM: OOC: I try to roll Charisma+Performance to give them an intimacy toward being good instead of just unscrupulous robbers. You add stunt dice as you see fit and roll for me, count my Disturbing Flaw in (I roleplayed it) and I use 1 wp for 1 success. :) ]

Tageru's stirring words brings a brief pause to the feasting at the table. For a moment, all consider their reasons for joining the Alliance and the moral implications thereof.

---

OOC: Those of you with less than 4 MDV find yourself feeling more inclined towards doing good rather than being unscrupulous robbers, assuming you were considering the latter to begin with. If you really feel the need to you can use charms/stunts/etc. to resist.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:17, Sun 26 Oct 2008.

Dove frowned a little as she came in, brushing aside Tageru's persuasion with a thought, and taking a brief look around, several of the more obscure documents and tomes being cradled in one arm.

"I would imagine that we would avoid senseless murder" She chimed in.  "I was lead to believe when I was approached that your cause was noble--I would be greatly disappointed to find out that everybody in this place had recieved a different pitch upon approaching this place."

Coming into full view, wings fluttering once a little irritably, Dove settled down upon one of the unoccupied benches, placing her findings down, and opening one up to glance through it in earnest.

Jadira can't help herself, and speaks out of turn, rising swiftly from her chair to plant her hands on the table. "Cynis Tageru, you misunderstand us. Look, the Captain and I, we -- we were also raised with a deep understanding of the glory and responsibility the Dragons' blessing have given us."

"The Cobalt Alliance does not exist to be common robbers. We, too, have standards by which to live by. If it was petty crime we wished to perpetrate, the Dryad is strong enough to take on most any merchant vessel we wished to. But that is not the point."

"To build a nation takes more than just might. We must engender both the trust and respect of other nations, those who would live in peace, harmony and fair trade." She shakes her head firmly at Tageru's allegations. "No, we do not target just anyone. But for our long term goals we require a good amount of manpower -- and resources. There are plenty of vile predators at sea we can defeat and plunder for just that."

She shoots a quick glance at Lasuri, apologetic for speaking in his place, and plops back down onto her chair.

Zeru heard the monk's response and understood it, but he didn't believe that it applied to him.

"I'm fairly certain that remark was more positioned towards myself. So allow me to rephrase... I do very much enjoy relieving people of their possessions, but I would under no circumstances take from those who have nothing, or very little. My way was one of combat against the enemies of the empire." He looks directly at the monk. "and since I am no longer a believer in their doctrine, or necessity, I am not fighting their battles for them. I am here to further the cause of this Alliance, not to fight innocents. I am here to plunder from pirates, they provide a challenge and have much in the way of resources."


The smile returns to his face. "Besides I'm sure we can be noble pirates."

"Mau!"

Zeru heaves a depressed sigh that doesn't reach his eyes. "And Coral's here to help, and for food."

"I am glad, then, to have misjudged your previous statement. I apologize if I had offended any of you, it wasn't my intention to do so. If you are as you say you are, then you can count on my fists and my bow to destroy the enemies in our path."

He makes a grimace that you suppose was meant to be a...smile...

"I hope we have many safe journeys and that we come out of those that aren't safe on top!"

He raises his glass, filled with wine and drinks it all up in one breath.

Mia sat still, listening to the quick remarks and long lectures of those around her. She herself, said nothing. The woman of goddess-like beauty merely sat there, politely eating and watching carefully. She minded not, though she was amazed in many ways how this ragtag group had been assembled and more or less the truest of reasons why. As she watched a break in the conversation, she decided it was about time to throw her two cents into the ring.

I believe we all are at more of an understanding then, hopefully. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier, I am Ledaal Mia. I am anxious to see the beauty of your ship, captain. I've heard my fair share of rumors since I got here, and I thoroughly enjoy seeing every nook and cranny open to me of any ship.

She took a sip of her wine with the utmost grace, the drink never so much as floundering in its cup as she rose it to her lips and drank enough to keep her mouth wet and her throat happy.