22nd Day of Ascending Water, RY 768
Early Evening

About a week ago, Xander found passage aboard another vessel leaving Wavecrest even sooner than the impressive Dryad. The Hirdu's Ambition is no ancient warship, but a sturdy two-masted exploratory vessel, escorted by a pair of armed couriers. The captain, Loukan Hirdu, was the sort to ask few questions, and in record speed Xander left his home island on his very first adventure at sea.

The Ambition, Grace and the Promise sailed south-southeast with Xander aboard, intending to skirt around the landmass of Abalone through the Wavecrest islets, seeking uncharted islands. The journey started smoothly, deceptively so -- up until an evening when the mists hung thick around them, and the ships were forced to slow their pace or risk running aground on rocky shores.

By the time the ships' crew noticed the black and silver sails coming for them, it was already too late to get away. The Lintha pirates struck swiftly and brutally, their monsters controlling the mists to their advantage. Xander realized from the start that they would be grossly outnumbered and overwhelmed, but the crew of the Ambition and its couriers fought bitterly, refusing to give up their precious maps and hard won artifacts.

Suffice it to say, the Lintha triumphed that day. Xander, however, managed to use the mists and his skills in stealth to his advantage, and remained unnoticed up until now by the demon-bloods. He is hidden on the deck of the Ambition, listening in while the imposing figure of the Lintha Father interrogates the captured human crew... the remaining crew, that is, after the Lintha gorged themselves on the lesser crewmembers, and fed their sea-demon siblings.

"You WILL answer immediately," spits the demon-spawn captain, "or join the the others as fodder! What is it that you seek in Nevermoor??"

[Private to Xander Lucian: OK, well, I hope this isn't too open ended, or that I made too many assumptions. The mortal sailors you left with got jumped by the Lintha, so... right now, your hope is to survive long enough until a greater fleet comes to take the Lintha on (you hope), and hopefully in the meantime either sabotage the ships or gather information. Common sense tells you that you will just end up captured as well (or worse) if you go all out offense.

Feel free to ask for more info if you need it.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:20, Sun 08 Mar 2009.

Xander currently hiding from the demon spawned lintha takes a moment to reflect on his current situation.  Which was not good.  His ship had been boarded and the crew slain and was now crawling with Lintha pirates and their demon spawn. On top of that he had the Lintha Father himself on his ship. While he made a tempting target to assassinate there would be no way to accomplish it without getting caught as he couldn't even jump overboard with the demons in the water. He tried to recall he could about the Lintha and their spawn perhaps there was a key to getting out of here in his knowledge.

[Private to GM: 12:44, Today: Xander Lucian rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,9,2,1,5. int+lore. ]
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:32, Fri 16 Jan 2009.

The interrogation continues while Xander considers his next move.

Loukan Hirdu gazes up at the Lintha Father, desperation writ clearly on his face. By now the man is far beyond dignity, or even any scholarly pride to protect his research or findings. "Please, noble Lintha. I have told you all I know. We pursued only rumor, and had no idea of the significance of this region to your kind. You have already searched our holds, we've nothing left to hide from you!"

"If that was so," the Lintha captain counters, a gleam in his blood red eye. "you should have surrendered from the start. Now you have angered us!!"

"Noble Lintha, I will serve. I promise. I will serve whatever purpose you wish." His dozen or so of remaining crewmembers, bound and gagged, stare morosely at their captain, knowing they have no choice but to follow.

"Hah!" The Lintha's barbed foot kicks at the mortal captain's chest, hard enough to snap several ribs. Hirdu cries out in agony, and sags to one side, unable to keep his balance with the ropes tying him. "You will not serve me. You are unworthy of such."

[Private to Xander Lucian: There are a few things you remember about Lintha, though nothing you are sure you can use. They make a living as pirates and slavers. Nothing they own is their own wealth -- it all traces back to thievery. They believe themselves superior to all mortals due to their demonic lineage.

It is actually unusual that the Lintha Father is taking the time to interrogate Captain Hirdu in the first place. Normally he'd already be killed, carted off on a slave ship or left to die with no belongings to his name.

Eating mortals is not something all Lintha do, either. Many actually masquerade as normal traders. This particular sept of Lintha seems to be much more ruthless and base in their methods. You can't figure what 'Nevermoor' is but it seems the sept is looking for something very important in particular, some sort of item of power.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:46, Fri 16 Jan 2009.

Loukan Hirdu continues to gasp in pain when one of the Lintha Father's subordinates crosses over to report to him quietly. The demon-spawn captain's face storms with irritation at the messenger's words, and he barks out what is obviously a series of commands.

The five demon-bloods standing on board the Hirdu's Ambition waste no time in executing their orders. A couple of them climb nimbly topsail, while the others check rigging and weaponry, familiarizing themselves with the newly captured ship.

It seems the Lintha with their captured fleet will soon be on the move.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:05, Sat 24 Jan 2009.

Xander keeps his silence -- perhaps paralyzed by the futility of his situation. From his hiding place on the deck of the Ambition, he picks up that a  Wavecrest Navy contingent is approaching, and the Lintha are gathering themselves to repel the attack.

The Lintha Father crosses from the Ambition to his trimaran flagship, the Kri Kiamo, directing one of his lieutenants to take the helm of the captured exploratory vessel. Sea-demons are roused by their summoners: a cold, eerie mist billows up from the waves to blanket the surrounding area, filling Xander with an unexplainable sense of dread.

The Lintha on board the combined fleet of captured ships and pirate vessels brandish their auhzian blades. The erymanthus watching Captain Hirdu and his few remaining men is called to join the defense, serving as both strong-arm and intimidation along with its fellows elsewhere among the fleet.

It almost seems as if the deck of the Ambition is unguarded, with the mist shrouding everything, and the approaching Navy taking up the demon-spawns' attention...

[Private to Xander Lucian: The mist may actually help you hide -- of course, it also means there may be other things hiding in the mists as well. If you're paranoid you can always roll Awareness, again.

If I get no reply to this post in the next couple days, I'm going to just close this thread.]

Xander hearing the news of the a navy contigent coming shocks him into action he has to do all he can to either delay the ship or signal the navy. As the mist rises he smiles its time to show these pirates what he can do. First he checks if theres a port hole to open and if there is he opens it. Then moving to the door he listens for a second then if he doesn't hear anything he slowly opens the door allowing the air to waft out as if the wind had cause the door to drift open. He keeps his chakrams out in one had ready to strike if someone comes to investigate.



21:25, Today: Xander Lucian rolled 5 successes using 9d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 6,7,8,9,2,6,7,2,9. dex+stealth move silent.
21:24, Today: Xander Lucian rolled 3 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 8,8,4,5,7,3,2,5. perception+ awearness.