Kareth walks to where Tageru had discarded the blades he had used in the fight against the storm mother and takes one of them.  After Jadira had finished copying the poems borrows her pen from her.  Instead of dipping it in an inkwell, though, he holds it in his teeth for just a moment while he removes his black cloak.  He then takes off his breastplate, his shirt, and finally, the bandage he had over his wound which had not quite healed.  He then does something that puzzles everybody who sees his actions: he begins to pick at the scab.  Once a very small segment of the healing flesh had been removed, Kareth then takes the pen in one and hand squeezed the wound with the other in order to force a small amount of blood from it.   He places the tip into the tiny stream of blood, until there is enough to write just a few words.  Kareth then takes the blade and scribles down what appears to be just six pictographs to most of the observers.

After setting the blade in the sun to dry as quickly as possible, Kareth then rewrapps his wound and dresses himself again.

[Private to GM:

It's written in old-realm.  It reads "Fire smothers in its own ash."]

As the sweet, but complex melody from Zeru's flute fills the evening air, Jadira puts the quick practice recital sessions she had with her crewmen to the test.

She has the eighteen men and women she has chosen to do the recital gather in an arc with its convex facing the bow, standing together in groups of three. She directs one of the central trios -- those she singled out as possessing the strongest and most articulate voices -- to recite the first line:

"On the seventh day it became a shore."

Then she points toward the other central trio, signaling them to add their voices to the first group. Six people recite the second line in unison, bolstered by Jadira's confident lead:

"On the Weeksend he came ashore."

Her next cues are for the second-to-leftmost group, and second-to-rightmost group in turn, each of them adding another trio of voices to the chorus. The building progression lends a sense of urgency and expectation to the entire recital.

"He sought a treasure which was not his own." Nine crewmen recite in slow, measured rhythm.
"He found a place he made his eternal home." One dozen voices speak to the deepening dusk.

The last two trios join in when directed, filling out the vocal range: baritones from the largest male artillerists, lending their muscles to crank the catapult winches; altos from female archers and lookouts, toughened by a life at sea most Western cultures would have forbidden them; tenors of varied accent and inflection from men the Cobalt Alliance has hired on from ports all throughout the West.

"His ending made at Twilight’s final place." Fifteen men and women utter fearlessly and resoundingly.
"Let those who come not fail to seek its grace." Eighteen shout out for the island beneath the sea to hear.

Jadira gradually raises her arms, and turns to face the bowsprit as she lends her own voice for the final refrain. Bowmen, artillerists, sailors and lookouts, men and women, short and tall, old and young, all of them repeat the motion as if beckoning the behemoth to heed them.

"Brings the night, does the behemoth Rakatau."

The poem was a little unusual in its phrasing, Kiana thought, but that was mostly due to her education and upbringing, her induction into the fine arts that the Realm considered masterpieces--many of which these fine people she had allied herself with had never heard before.  As she had written the words of it down, however, she had grown accustomed to it, and after hearing the spectacular arrangement that Jadira had produced, she found that she actually liked it.  It had a forbearance to it that highlighted the mood of this occasion quite nicely--no one knew what to expect.

She stood there at the edge of the ship, looking into the setting sun with a small dagger in her hand.  It had been easy enough to procure a sharp blade in the armory, even one that had a bit of an elaborate handle--not that Rakatau would care much about what cut her hair, she was sure, but just that she offered something of meaning.  And her hair was something of great meaning.  Many times her father had commented on how beautiful it was, and had ran his hands through it as they had studied the stars after a hard day's training.  It was a thing of rank, to have hair so beautiful--and now that the moment of truth was upon her, would she so carelessly cut such ties willingly?  Would she sever one of the few things that connected her with her previous life?

Yes.  She would.

The Cobalt Alliance meant a good deal to her now, and why wouldn't it?  Captain Lasuri had given her more than she could have ever asked for.  He had offered friends (no, family), a home, and most precious still, a way for her to give honor to her father's name by taking up his banner as a general; yes, she was only Head of Defence for the Dryad, but it was an incredibly potent role, and one that had not been given lightly.  The Captain had seen the profit of Kiana's training and education at her Father's hand, and had rewarded such devotion.  Now as she controlled the lives of many men and women, she again did whatever she could to ensure their continued survival and success, and though most on the ship wouldn't realize how much strength it took to cut those locks of ebony silk, the smallest of tears flitted from her face as the blade cut true.

One moment her long braid was curled around her fist, laying over her shoulder--and the next, it left her shoulders completely, leaving the remaining length of hair neatly at the base of her neck.  "I, Kiana White-Fist, Daughter of Kiando, Daughter of Pasiap, and Defender of the Cobalt Alliance give this offering willingly, Mighty Earth Spirit.  Please hear our cries."

As she released her hair over the ship, the wind caught the strands and began to quickly unravel the band that held the locks together, dispersing thin black lines into the wind.  If one tried, and tried hard, it almost looked like the individual strands formed letters in High Speak--but it was just an illusion, and the idea quickly faded from any who might have entertained it.

"And..." She added, choosing her next words carefully, "If you are so kind as to entertain our audience, Mighty Rakatau, know that never again will my hair grow this length.  It is offered to you, and you alone."

The poem to Rakatau comes to its poignant conclusion. The last notes of Zeru's flute song fade abruptly, snuffed out by the unnatural silence that follows. Not even the light breeze ruffling through the sails can be heard, nor the creak of wood from the hull of the Spring Dryad II and Black Marlena as they sway with the gentle rhythm of the sea.

The blood-anointed auhzian sword and the silky black braid that Kiana has so boldly and willingly cut disappear in a swirl of earth-toned Essence threaded with purple lines. The crew and officers breathe in and out without so much as a whisper of air, waiting for some reaction, some change that would give a sign of the island behemoth's reaction.

They wait until the last traces of daylight give way to the twilight blue of dusk. They wait until the stars shimmer through the dispersing bank of clouds, the beginnings of a moonless night.

They wait, for Rakatau is an elder being of the Earth. For such a creature that has lived, nearly unchanged in form and habit, for thousands of years, time has a different meaning. Decisions made hastily are not decisions worth making, and the process of mourning a beautiful ending is not one to be rushed. The complexity of the Cobalt Alliance's offering invites the behemoth to think heavily on each individual part.

Finally, at a distant point miles away, the ocean begins to swell in a gentle slope as water is displaced from below. Gravity drags the water back toward sea level, pushing the Alliance vessels backward as the water inclination continues to rise. What were once gentle ripples are becoming waves of increasing force and height -- not an attack, but rather a consequence of what is happening next.

Brace yourselves, for you have awoken the beast, utters the voice of the Spring Dryad in Lasuri's mind. Marlena's thoughts to Zeru are much more matter-of-fact: The Seven-Day Island is surfacing.

---

OOC: Here's how I determined the ritual results. Jadira read the poem, so she rolled the Cha+Performance prayer. Everyone else contributed to reducing the prayer difficulty, which is 7 - (resource value of gifts). I judged the value by the quality of stunt and highest base value among the gifts being given. I counted Zeru's song as an offering, as well as the sword Kareth prepared and Kiana's cut hair. All together I gave the entirety a Resource 5 worth, so the base difficulty was 2.

Jadira fortunately has a 2nd Performance Excellency, and added 2 sux. So that pretty much reduced difficulty to 0, and all the successes poured into just how much Rakatau was impressed. In all there was 11 successes and that is *amazing*. You will see soon exactly what that level of success entails. Excellent job!

After anointing of the blade with his blood, Kareth simply stood next to Kiana and held to blade out as though to say "This is part of the gift too."  He wasn't good with words or speeches in general.

As the island began to rise, the Fire Aspect couldn't help but stare in anticipation.  This would surely be very interesting.

[Private to GM: Sorry for the delay and not helping with the stunting.  Internet's been funny around my place recently.  Blah.]

Kiana and Lasuri are the first to see the peak of the Seven-Day Island emerge above the waves, that moist pinnacle of rock sloughing water off as it reveals its shape. First a peak, then a hill, then a mountain -- one mountain in a range of many, like spikes upon the back of a horned turtle.

Rakatau is truly gigantic. Its surface is miles and miles of treacherous, rocky terrain made slippery by ocean submergence. Nothing grows on that hard, unforgiving soil, a haphazard and often sharp-edged expanse of brown earth and grey rock. The island's shape is largely ovoid, though it's difficult to pick out any details with the Spring Dryad and Black Marlena are so close to its perimeter, pushed back further and further by the waves cascading from its slopes.

Finally, arising 50 yards from the bow of the Alliance ships, is a huge rounded protrusion partially submerged in the water. It is still much, much larger than either of the vessels, over a hundred yards above sea level and at least a couple hundred yards wide. This makes it all the more startling when two knobs of earth toward the top of the mound, equidistant from the center, split apart to reveal eyes that could be easily as large in diameter as the mast of the Dryad is tall, if not more. The irises are a dark brown in color, with bands of a lighter, almost amber brown, and a deep black pupil that focuses downward at the ships floating below.

When Rakatau opens its mouth to speak -- splitting the giant earth mound open nearly in half -- the water displacement starts pulling the Dryad and the Marlena toward the jagged opening. "YOUR OFFERING HAS PLEASED ME IMMENSELY, PETITIONERS. YOU MAY ASK A BOON OF ME, OR PERHAPS YOU SEEK A TREASURE FROM MY HOARD?"

---

OOC: Lasuri and Zeru, roll Wits+Sail if you want to avoid your ships getting sucked into the mouth. Keep in mind again that Rakatau is not actually attacking, it's just so large that it could do damage inadvertently.

"Noy jitat!" Zeru spits out as he barks out orders to his crew, hoping to avoid being swallowed by the giant turtle earth spirit. He unfurls the sails and veers hoping that he could change his course slightly.

[Private to Storyteller: 12:32, Today: Peleps Zeru rolled 5 successes using 8d10 with the White Wolf Exalted system with a target of 7 with rolls of 10,6,9,6,4,8,2,8. Wits+Sail.]

Almost immediately, Lasuri starts to give the necessary orders to slow the ship down, but he does not completely put it to a stop. The island behemoth seems pleased with their offering, and thus it is difficult for the Captain to believe he might actually be trying to hurt them, but one could never be too cautious. After all, there is no telling yet whether they would need to head inside or no.

Watching the currents carefully and feeling their push and pull, Lasuri angles the ship in a way that will actually slow down their approach by working against the current, without putting the ship at a complete stop. First, he would want to hear the details of the Behemoth's offer.

"Venerable Rakatau... I'm Captain Lasuri Leomaris of the Spring Dryad, and we're glad to see you appreciate our worship. We've come to ask for your favor, Ancient One - and we hope you're going to be favorable to the idea of helping us out."

"We're actually looking for something in particular, Ancient One."

Jadira allows her crewmen to disperse, now that the recital is over. She thanks each and every one of them, because their success in calling up the island is as much due to their voices as to hers -- if not more so.

Once Lasuri has the Dryad under control enough to speak, she contributes her own voice to the Captain's introduction. "I am the Dryad's first mate and armswoman, Jadira Thornbloom, Chosen of Sextes Jylis," she pronounces formally, and bows under the massive gaze of Rakatau.

"We are looking for an artifact we have been led to believe lies in your... hoard," she continues, building on Lasuri's words while recalling Hirdu's explanations about the item they seek, and all the lore she knows of the Lintha. "It takes the shape of a chalice, and is apparently key to strengthening the blood of Kimbery, The Sea that Marched Against the Flame. This is an item key to the power of the Lintha, Kimbery's children, and it is our intent to seize it before they do."

"Will you help us put an end to the foul ambitions of the Lintha, Ancient One?"

Both Lasuri and Zeru manage to keep their respective vessels under tight control, skirting the water displacement without being sucked in. Fortunately, the mouth quickly fills to sea level, and the suction force ceases.

"YOU SEEK THE BLOOD CHALICE OF KIMBERY," pronounces Rakatau, "AND I SHALL GRANT IT TO YOU, ALONG WITH FIVE LESSER ARTIFACTS FROM MY TROVE. THERE IS BUT ONE PROBLEM." The island behemoth emits an unpleasant growling noise that sounds like the roar of an earthquake or a volcano. "THE CHALICE HAS TAKEN ROOT INSIDE MY BODY. IT IS A CANCER THAT MUST BE CUT AWAY, AND I CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT ALLOWING YOU TO ENTER INSIDE ME AND DESTROY... WHAT IT HAS BECOME."

"ARE THERE BRAVE SOULS AMONG YOU PREPARED FOR SUCH A TASK?"

The rise of the Seven Day Island was breath taking--Kiana had never seen anything like it before.  In a very real sense, despite her regal upbringing, intense studies, and tortured past, Kiana was rather sheltered in many ways.  Though she knew of elementals and small gods, she had never seen something quiet so...so massive in all of her life.  Or, at the very least, something that was both so large, and alive!  Mountains she had seen.  Islands she had seen...but this was on a completely different level.

She had held every ounce of faith that Lasuri would not let the ship fall into his maw, and it was with unworried eyes that she faced the giant spirit.  To hear that the Chalice was hurting Rakatau was saddening--though she did not worship or know well this Earth Spirit, there was a kinship there that couldn't be denied.  She was a Daughter of the Earth Dragon, and he was just as much His child as Kiana was.
Perhaps even more so, given they were literally made of the same element.

Shaking her head in an attempt to get used to the sudden lack of weight from her offered hair, Kiana looked up at the spirit--and she answered him.

"It would be an honor to help you in this way, Mighty Rakatau.  As Pasiap would not tolerate such an infection in one of his beautiful creations, nor shall I allow such a thing to exist without being challenged by my hand."

The Captain watches both the offerings and their result - the rise of the majestic and colossal island - with a mix of silent reverence and awe. The words of the Island are somewhat humbling to him, given that his people worked so well and hard to appease it... He would surely take some time later to reward each and every one of them individually, as he believes this sort of effort should not go overlooked.

After a moment, he takes a step forward, looking around him to see the faces of his fellow Alliance Members. He then looks up to the impressive Rakatau, and bows his head slightly. "Your offer's generous, Mighty Rakatau. And since I believe in power of favors, I'll be certain to help you out. If that accursed Chalice is actually eating at you from the inside, then it's all the more reason for us to take it out and find a way to get rid of it. That just confirms our decision and gives even more of a reason for us to have resolve."

Lasuri nods sharply, then turns back to his crew. He watches them intently, nodding silently to Kiana, who just spoke. "Allright people, listen up. I'm going in there, to fetch that damn Chalice drag it into the mouth of Malfeas if I have to. Miss Kiana already professed her desire to join in," He nods to Kiana again, "but I can't actually force any of you to come along either. This is going to be dangerous - it was supposed to be from the start, but now we've got more info and know that outside of the already present danger, the Chalice itself won't want to be dragged out of there. So here's the deal: I'll head a strike team of volunteers in there to retrieve the foul thing. Anyone who wishes to come is welcome to. Anyone who doesn't will remain on the ship, with no ill effects or judgment whatsoever."

He looks at the crew, one more time, his eyes piercing and filled with conviction. "So, Alliance members - speak loud, and speak quick, 'cause we don't know how much time we have. Who's with me?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:50, Wed 29 Apr 2009.

Zeru pockets his flute having regained his breath and control of his ship. He whistles loudly both to draw attention to himself and to call Lucky Coral from below decks. "You keep an eye on our lady and our crew alright?" The white kitten raises on paw and answers with an affirmative "Mau!" He calls his crew together, "You all stay safe, I'll be back." He uses his mind to communicate to the Marlena. "My Lady I thank you for you support, and your faith in my music. I shall hopefully return with something shiny."

With that he looks over to the Dryad. "I'm in!" He calls as he steers the Marlena towards it."

Tageru looks at the behemoth, at the mountains rising from its' back, the caves on its' sides and the sheer size of it and just stands in awe for a few moments.
He has never seen any living thing of this size, and the sight is breathtaking. The monk stares for a while before regaining his composure, and as the captain asks for volunteers he speaks "If you... *Cough* I'll go, captain, if you would allow it. I am a skilled warrior, as you know, and it may be that you'll need my skills to defeat whatever unsavory spirits you find inside with the Chalice. Who knows what Demon-spawn that wretched Kimbery's artifact had called to Creation to plague this magnificent...creature, so it would be wise to take as many of those trained to fight them as you can."
He looks at Kiana and nods, and then turns to the behemoth. "If you would let me enter, I would be glad to help you in any way I can. It is an honor to rid the world of Demons, especially when they're trying to corrupt the natural order." He bows to the great living island Rakatau, and sits back on the deck.

Kareth looked momentarily around the crew and then moved forward to speak with the captain and first mate in a private tone that would not be overheard by the giant behemoth.  As he spoke, he appeared more irritable than ususal, "Captain, I have serious reservations about this opperation.  Assuming the Chalise is legitimate, if it's over taking the inside of the behemoth, then we might not be able to necessarily trust him.  This very well could be a trap.  It goes against my advice to continue, but if you insist on continuing then I will obey my orders.  If you think my skills in artifice will be of use, then I will accompany you."

"Of course you can count me in," Jadira says decisively, reclaiming her strongbow. "My only worry is leaving the ships out here while all of the Dragon-bloods go in. Then again, the crew will be staying behind in our place. Think you can handle being in charge, Donnegal?" She grins to the Spring Dryad's pilot. "You'll be in charge if both Lasuri and I go in."

"I figure there's a good chance Falchion and Hirdu's Ambition will intercept while we're away, as well. Hmm... how about this. Kareth, you or I can stay behind until the other ships catch up with us. You said you had a method of long distance communication, correct? My sorcery can do the same. So one of us can relay a message to the other in case something goes wrong. That way we can coordinate backup--and have someone on board who can operate the Dryad's main cannon."

[Private to Isole Kareth: If Kareth's the one who stays behind I'll definitely give him stuff to do. Jadira might be the better choice to stay since she's a GMPC but given Kareth's misgivings it could go either way.]

As strong as his misgivings were, Kareth was also aware of his duties as the Chief Artificer of the Alliance.  Though he could no longer call Looshy home, duty was something strongly important to the Fire Aspect and while he was not as gung-ho as the others, Kareth was certainly no coward.  Besides, he knew that if it came to a fight, he would never be able to offer the inspiration the crew needed to win the fight.  That was something Jadira could do that he couldn't.  "I will go into the behemoth."

[Private to GM: OCC:  Yeah I hate to force you to do a ton more work due to a botched Lore roll.  I'll try to act out my paranoia up until I think I can make another lore roll based on new information.  Besides, I think this would be true to Kareth's personality. After his conversion, Snape always followed Dumbledore even when he thought it was a bad idea.]

Donnegal nods and salutes to Lasuri and Jadira in turn. "I'll make sure the ship keeps afloat, sir. While the lovely first mate keeps our weapons honed and ready."

The rest of the Dryad crew forms up on deck, many of them wishing luck to the Dragon-bloods or asserting that they'll keep the ship in shape. "Don't worry about anything, Miss Kiana," says Leeds smartly, followed by Saari: "Come back in one piece!"

Over on the Marlena, Cinna kisses Zeru on the cheek and says, "We'll take care of things from here!" while Brogan and Antov grunt in assent and give a thumbs up, respectively. Sunden is still resting below deck, but Curran is above again, having taken another dose of Hero's Recovery and looking much better for it.

Marlena's own personal response to Zeru is I'll be disappointed if you die in there. So don't. As Zeru eases the courier ship next to the Dryad, a black feather drifts from above, falling at his feet. Take it with you: a token of my protection. [Private to Peleps Zeru: Marlena's black feather is a talisman that gives you the equivalent of having 1 dot of the Lucky merit. Once per story, or once per week (whichever comes sooner) you can reroll any one roll you make for free, and take the better result. You should add the feather and its effect, on your character sheet :)]
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:25, Thu 30 Apr 2009.

"YOU ARE DECIDED ON A COURSE OF ACTION," Rakatau intones, its voice so large the air itself seems to shudder at its passing. "MANEUVER YOUR SHIPS AS CLOSE AS IS SAFE, AND I WILL HOLD MY MOUTH OPEN FOR YOU. THE ITEM YOU SEEK IS BEYOND MY HEART CHAMBER, AT THE PIT OF MY STOMACH."

"I CAN ONLY TELL YOU THAT YOU WILL KNOW THE CHALICE BY ITS INFERNAL GLOW. IT HAS BECOME LIKE A TUMOR IN ME. I FEEL IT GROWING. SHIFTING. IT MAY BE DANGEROUS -- BUT YOU HAVE MY LEAVE TO USE ALL FORCE TO ERADICATE IT. IF THERE WERE ANY OTHER WAY I WOULD GRANT IT TO YOU, FOR YOU HAVE ALREADY EARNED MY FAVOR. BUT I CANNOT. YOU MAY HOWEVER CLAIM FOR YOURSELVES THE FIVE ARTIFACTS I PROMISED YOU, SHOULD YOU ENCOUNTER ANY THAT SUIT YOU ON THE WAY THERE."

"THOSE WHO WOULD DARE, ENTER NOW." Abruptly, the island behemoth stops speaking, its mouth yawning wide open, more than large enough even for the ships to sail right into it. As soon as it does so, the jaw locks rigidly in that position. Within Rakatau's cavernous mouth, a gigantic tongue of equally large proportions lies straight across, bridging the body of water pooled into its jaw. There's no way of knowing for sure how deep that pool is, but it's likely enough to drown a human that can't swim.

The 'tongue bridge' leads straight into the behemoth's throat, which fortunately appears to be mostly dry, though rivulets of water trickling down it keep the bottom damp and muddy.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:25, Fri 25 Sept 2009.

Zeru gives Cinna a squeeze and tosses his men a shining smile. "Thanks guys, boy will I have a story to tell you when I get back."

Zeru scoops up the feather and places it in the breast pocket of his jacket. "Thank you my lady, I will cherish it." With that he steps on the banister of the ship and makes his way over to the Dryad.

"Hello all..." he says cheerily, "are we ready to be eaten?"

"Miss Kiana, Mister Zeru, Mister Tageru, and Mister Kareth." Lasuri observes the faces around him carefully, then nods his assent at the newly formed team. Smiling at the sight, he takes a moment to turn towards Jadira, taking a step towards the armswoman as he speaks to her. "I'll leave things topside to you, then. Make sure to get everyone up to speed if they arrive while we're still down there - Hirdu and the Navy will want to know what's going on. And be careful - we'll be as quick as we can." He puts a hand on her arm, if only very briefly, gazing at her silently. Whatever he needed to tell her next, it apparently needs no more words.

He turns towards Kareth then, and pats him on the shoulder to let him know he is not completely ignoring his opinion. "I know you're not really keen on this, Mister Kareth, but hear me out. Maybe you're right, and this is a trap. Thing is, the Lintha are going to want this thing no matter what. For all we know, they're already aware that this thing has somehow mutated or whatnot, and they're gonna come equipped to track it down. So if we don't do this now, trap or no, we'll risk the Lintha stealing this thing from under our nose, and then we'll have failed."

"I'm glad you decided to come along anyways though. We need someone to peer at the artifacts in there - Rakatau has given us a gift in good grace, and we're gonna honor it." He smiles.

"Mister Tageru." He looks to the monk, and nods slowly. "There's power in seeing one's mistakes and wanting to make amends. No one should ever be denied that much, when their desire is genuine. You'll come with us too, of course. Your help and support is going to be real handy."

He then turns to Kiana and Zeru, saluting both in turn. "Miss Kiana, Mister Zeru, your individual approaches to problems might make you notice things that I don't, or consider solutions I haven't. So I trust the both of you with being my foil, in a way - if you see, think of or consider anything other than what I'm proposing at the time, let me know. I'm not infallible, so any side observations are welcome." He nods sharply, and smiles to the both of them.

"Okay, people, that's enough of this. Once again, the mission's dangerous and we've got a time limit to execute it. So let's get in and out as clean as possible, and give it our all." He studies the faces around him one more time, and then grins, this time almost wolfishly as he indicates the wide-open maw of Rakatau.

"Allright, Cobalt Alliance. Let's get this show on the road."

"Take care of yourselves," Jadira says emphatically, taking up position near the foredeck. She smiles at Lasuri longest, and nods, fully confident in his ability to make it through this mission well and alive -- and to guide the others the same way.

"All right gunnery crew. Let's not be idle while the others do the hard work. We've gotten tossed around and drenched for while, so let's make sure the catapults and ballistae are in proper working order. Amon, River, Carmine, Sireen, get the tarps off and let's see what we've got. Tarim and Gull, and the rest of you boys, get your bows and ammo ready..."

Jadira continues giving orders concerning weapons, lookout duties and other aspects of defense, partially covering for Kiana as well while Donnegal puts another group of men toward tending to the sails and rigging, tightening or replacing ropes as necessary, swabbing the deck, anything to keep them busy.

She turned to the Captain as he addressed her, and gave a curt nod.  "My senses are at your service, Captain, as always."  She

"I'll be fine."  Kiana told Saari, and she gave Leeds a small smile for his concern.  "I know all of you will do your very best while I'm gone.  Remember what I've taught you thus far, and if we are gone a good deal longer than we plan, don't forget to practice and train.  I will be back, and expect you all to be ready to pick up where we last left."  She said to her crew before bowing to Jadira.  "And you as well, Jadira.  We'll be back before you know it."

Then, standing beside Lasuri, she looked into the maw of the great isle Rakatau and marveled, if only for a minute, at the unexpected path she had found herself on.  She was sure Father was watching, and if she could help in crippling the menace that was the Lintha, she was sure he would be proud.

Tageru looks to his crewmates, nods at the captain and follows in behind. He just turns to the ships for one last look before entering, and then focuses on his task ahead. "This is one of the things they don't prepare you for in the Order, I have to say...", he says with a small attempt at a smile, and enters the great behemoth's mouth.

Hours later...

It is now deep night, nearly midnight from the look of the stars glimmering in the velvet-dark sky. The moon shows its hidden face, so that the visibility is dim at best, but for a few bright sources of light: the pinpoint of lanterns and torches, the brighter flare of boats and sails caught on fire, and the radiance of anima banners: watery blues and verdant greens from Dragon-blooded, and the sickly dark green of Lintha Essence-users.

The Spring Dryad II, assisted by the Wavecrest Navy Ship Falchion under command of Captain Roche Fairwind, and the smaller crews of the Black Marlena and Hirdu's Ambition, have been fighting the Lintha for the last two hours. The Kri Kiamo, Lintha Dara-Said Father Hazhain Sul's trimaran flagship, sits abreast to the Dryad as two glowing figures duel upon the refurbished First Age warship's deck.

The long-range weapons of the Ambition and the seamen of the Falchion keep the remaining two Lintha ships at a sharp disadvantage while the Marlena uses her mobility to her advantage, isolating small groups of Lintha for the crew to take down. The Alliance's flagship is sturdy enough to take the worst the Dara-Said's infernal sorcerer can throw, and Jadira's cannon has blown apart the Kiamo's main mast, leaving it dead in the water.

But now that the battle is on, less a ship battle than a battle of clashing weapons, the crew of the Dryad struggles to fight off Lintha who have sworn their lives to retrieve the Chalice. Jadira herself struggles, lacking more than rudimentary skill with the red jade daiklave she wields; she barely fends off the fury of Hazhain's paired blades.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:32, Wed 16 Sept 2009.