“It can,” she concedes, and leaves it at that for the time being.

Selvaggia gathers up her skirts and follows Orlov as quickly as her dress permits, which after all has been tailored to enhance its wearer’s raw physical allure rather than her freedom of movement. “And said silver is the reason you are here to begin with, I presume? Far be it from me, of course, to complain about being an inadvertent beneficiary of your designs on the governor’s wealth.” She is casting about for a likely-looking place where the bullion might be bestowed as she moves along, less daintily so than her enticing appearance might lead one to expect. “What of his men? Or of removing the silver from this place once we have found it? I trust that these also are accounted for in the plans you laid for your visit here?”

"His men are mostly elsewhere, or dead, though there may be a few remaining. I would have liked to run this little escapade without killing anyone, and things were going well in that regard, however a Waturan witch doctor we picked up at the last port appears to be a necromancer with a real bloodthirsty streak and I think he wants to kill everyone in this place. What I'd like is for the Governor, his family and any remaining guards to barricade themselves in a room, and Wiremu's zombies to keep them locked up until morning or help arrives. Perhaps you could convince any remaining guards of the wisdom of that. Though maybe it's not wise, it depends if Wiremu can control them or if he can be controlled, it might be wiser for the guards to surrender to us and help us carry the loot" Orlov said with a dark look on his face. He was not at all sure that he liked the witch doctor being on their crew; the man was going to get them all hung.

"As for getting it away, why, whatever we can carry." 

While Orlov, Selvagiia, freed slaves and the rest of your crewmembers search the basement, Wiremu decides not to raise more zombies using the bodies of slain soldiers and instead he directs them around the building towards the front entrance. On the way there, he can feel the magic in the zambies starting to fade,a s the spirits that possessed the bodies were starting to be drawn out of them. Once he and the zombies arrive there, he can see a small group of soldiers shouting at each other in front of the entrance, clearly discussing their next steps and having a disagreement. What is worse though is that the zombies appear to be nearing the end of their lifespan.

Alright, so, Wiremu, if you want to get the zombies to attack the soldiers and thus distract them, there's two ways I can think of through which youc an accomplish this.

You can use Command and simply try to order them as you would regular cohorts. Position will be Risky and Effect will be Limited.

Alternatively, you can try to use your magic to momentarily bolster the connection the spirits have with the bodies and direct them with magic towards the soldiers. You'd roll Attune, position will be Desperate and Effect will be Standard. As this involves magic, Consequences on failure would be worse than if you went with the Command route.

13:29, Today: Orlov rolled 5 using 2d6 with rolls of 2,3.  scan. – 5

Guess im taking one stress so far.

Hey shouldnt the map be helpibg with this? Miyumi and Carina scouted this all out i thought.

The medium gang consisting of freed slaves and some of your other crew members doesn't seem to really get much done, Orlov finds it particularly difficult when trying to direct them all to something useful and avoid disaster.

The Admiral, for the NPC Cohort, rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1.  Searching.

Alright, so, the Cohort failed. Only the highest result rolled counts for the Action, but Orlov takes 1 Stress.

Together with Orlov's own failure, that means he takes 2 Stress.

Now just Selvaggia needs to roll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:00, Wed 10 Apr.

“Zombies,” Selvaggia repeats evenly. It is not as though she hasn’t had certain experiences that were almost certainly supernatural in some way, but zombies? A witch doctor out for blood? She begins to wonder what she has gotten herself into here. “I… see. Very well. With any luck, whatever guards we encounter can be made to listen to reason. I would rather not have to put up a fight if I don’t have to.”
This message was last edited by the player at 04:14, Wed 10 Apr.

In the basement, Orlov, Selvaggia and the others search the basement. The search doesn't go well, takes a lot of time and is very noisy as your men aren't exactly delicate. You hear the smashing of wine bottles as the racks are emptied. A few of the crew even decide to get drunk on the governor's wine and it takes the efforts of the rest of the crew to get them to stop drinking and get them to focus on the job. Your goal of quickly locating the vault and getting out of there in a reasonable timeframe wasn't successful at all as you all got into each other's way. This time clearly allowed your enemies to regroup.

Still, there's only so much ground to cover and while quite large, the cellar wasn't nearly large enough to pose that much trouble to your large group. In the end, one of the freed slaves finally notices a very small gap in the eastern part of the basement. This turned out to be a fake wooden wall and after pushing it out of the way, you find a locked, iron door behind it. The key you've managed to obtain fits neatly into the lock and soon enough, you enter into the governor's vault behind it.

What you find there are a few paitings and two large statues decorated with precious gems. Clearly works of art. What captures your attention the most however is a very gold-plated chest in the middle likewise decorated with precious gems. The chest itself is overflowing with golden coins. Around the large chest there are several smaller, plain ones, but likewise full of gold.

In the back, there's some kind of weird artifact on a pedestal that looks like a giant pearl, on its surface you feel as if you can see... moving images? Simply looking on it, you feel as if you could lose your mind. Orlov can clearly guess that there's something magical about this artifact.

If everything goes well, you'll leave the mansion through the eastern servant's exit through which supplies are brought in and from there, you would make your way across the open field to the jungle and through it to a small, secluded cove in which your flagship should now be docked and waiting for your arrival with the loot.

But for now, you are still in the unlocked vault, staring at riches beyond your imagining.

Alright, so, in total, the contents of the governor's vault are worth 40 Coin (yes, this is a very large take). We'll see how much of it you'll manage to take with you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:39, Wed 10 Apr.

"Attention on deck" Orlovs quiet tome of command cut through the silence.

"Listen here, me hearties. We are a pirate crew from a pirate ship, and that means we take this back to the ship, and we'll vote what to do with it. Provisions, powder and shot, more cannons, whatever we decide. Every man gets a vote. After that, every man gets a share of the remainder, captain gets two shares cos he's Captain, I get a share and a half cos I'm Navigator. Most folk get one share."

"But none o' that matters a damn until it's safely stowed aboard and we're over the horizon. Until that golds on board we got nothing and half of you are runaway slaves with a price on your head."

"Sam, thataway is the servants entrance. Outside is a toolshed. Take three men, bring back as many shovels and rakes or whatever as you can, i want long tool handles. Toby, go with them, there's a wheelbarrow there, get it ready by the exit.

"Alphonso, take three men, go through the wine racks and scavenge them for long bits of wood. No drinking or youre on half share."

"John, Jake, here's a rope, cut it up into lengths, and then start tying those chests of gold onto poles. Two poles, one chest, one man in front, one behind like am Asian rickshaw, savvy, Let's get as many chests as we can."

"Hop to it! Action stations!" he clapped his hands.


"Lindsay. Collect up some bits of wood from the wine racking that are too small for handles, and set up a fire over there, out of the way, in the corner. Not against the wall, I don't want to set the house afire, I just want a fire. When we leave, we'll chuck those green leaves we brought on top to make lots of smoke, and lock the door."

OOC: using load 2/5: a rope. Marking XP for using  knowledge to address a challenge.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:01, Fri 12 Apr.

She strides slowly into the vault, not entirely able to keep her astonishment off her face. “Oh my,” Selvaggia breathes. “The governor may be a cad, but he is a rich cad.”

The paintings especially captivate her. This is in part because, however unwillingly, she once was taught both the artistic and monetary value of such things – and in part because at least some of them might be relatively easy to carry off. She eyes the gem-encrusted statues as well; they seem rather too bulky to remove from the vault, but her purse should be able to accommodate more than a few of these precious stones once they have been prised loose.

Producing the dagger she hid in her glove earlier, Selvaggia sets about doing just that. “And where may I consider myself to fit into this piratical enterprise, Orlov?” she calls out to him as she works on one of the statues. “I am, at the very most, a seafarer by descent; not by volition, let alone by trade. Though some of the needed skills I could acquire, I suppose.”

OOC: If my Fine Dagger is considered suitable for the above purpose, I suppose I should deduct one Load point?

"A pretty face, enough brazen chutzpah for two bulls and audacious elegance and eloquence got us to where we are now" Orlov replied, thinking of Carina and wondering where she was now. He hadn't seen her since arriving at the mansion, he realized. Perhaps she has turned coat and decided to help the Governor and reclaim her place in society. Still, no way of knowing, and nothing to do about it now even if there is treachery afoot: the only thing is to push on with everything we have.

"Good idea, smallest and lightest and easiest to carry. We can cash in gems, not statues. Fill your pockets with whatever you can." he said, advancing on the pedestal.

Taking off his jacket, he threw it over the Pearl, and then swept it off the stand. He tied the jacket arms together and to the tail ends of the coat, double checking it was secure and not about to roll out.


"You there! Take your jacket off! Poles through the arms! Tie the tails onto the poles! Make those knots good! Right, now full it with gold from the large chest, we want to lighten that load a bit."

"You Sah!" he said to an ex-slave standing alone and looking lost, eyes rivetted on the gold, "Yes, you! Get yourself topside and come back with an armload of greenery. Green branches, leaves, savvy? Hurry or you'll be left behind!"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:29, Sat 13 Apr.

She cannot help but chuckle at Orlov’s words. “Well, when you put it like that… perhaps there is a future for me in this vocation of yours after all.”

Selvaggia turns back to her attempts to liberate a few of the very pretty, very costly gems from their settings. At the same time she also keeps an eye on the erstwhile slaves her rescuer is ordering around, trying to make sure they are carrying out his wishes properly – but with her attention thus divided, she ends up doing a rather poor job of acquiring any of these fancy stones.

OOC: Signorina Selvaggia rolled 3 using 1d6 with rolls of 3. Prising loose gems (Finesse, 1 dot). Welp!

Also marking 1 Stress to assist Orlov.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 02:49, Mon 15 Apr.

16:07, Today: Orlov rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,4.  command.

0d pushing for 1D, assist for 2D

Marking 2 stress.

One of the crewmen with Alphonso, back with some poles, makes a suggestion. "Wheelbarrow help some, but rapido zuruck if we had a chariot, or even proper wagon, to load all. Won't even need cabal - the dead can pull. Or gang of us, in a pinch. Palacete like this, one has to be about the place. Do we look?

Orlov frowned, and consulted the map to see if there was such a wagon, or a stables.

Is there a roll needed? Fortune?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:48, Tue 16 Apr.

Orlov, make a Fortune roll, 3d6.

03:08, Today: Orlov rolled 14 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,4,5.  fortune. –

There is an old carriage next to the shed from which you got the wheelbarrow. However, the carriage itself is in a poor state of repair and there's a not-insignificant risk of it breaking down en-route under all that treasure.

The stables themselves are in the front yard of the mansion behind a gate and it's probably more trouble than it's worth to look for anything there, as it's gonna be guarded by whatever soldiers the governor still has at the mansion.

That said, if someone wants to do a Flashback of them stealing the good carriage and preparing it somewhere nearby in advance (probably either 1 or 2 Stress depending on the write-up), then go ahead, do so and you can have the good carriage that way. Might need an action roll too, but we'll see.

"That's an excellent idea,  lad - what did you say your name was? I'll have to keep am eye on you. Well lad, time to prove yourself. This is your baby, start to finish, see if you cam make it work. Here, let me show you what I know" says Orlov, pulling out his map and going over it with Narmer.

"Where's Narmer got to? Well, we can't wait for him. Maybe he's been captured, or eaten. Lets load up that old carriage and get moving" Orlov said. "We will keep the chests tied to poles though, so if the carriage breaks down we can just keep going."

She pauses in her work and catches Orlov’s attention. “Listen, never mind that shabby old thing. I ended up in my cage only after the second time I’d tried to escape from this place, which was most regrettable as I had made certain efforts to prepare for that undertaking. One of the servants here had proved… pliable, you see,” Selvaggia says, her smile giving the impression of a cat about to pounce on some suitably plump prey, “and let himself be convinced to hide a wagon – a sound one – for my escape at the jungle’s edge, not far from here.”

The woman chuckles wryly. “I never made it that far during my second escape attempt, unfortunately. Still, it seems the plan I laid for it is now proving useful after all.”

Orlov looked at the well dressed lady with new found respect. "Earning your keep already? We'll make an officer out of you yet! Well, grab some men and go get it!"

"Belay that!" He called to the men scavenging for bits and pieces. "Grab that chest and take it outside. Come back with the wheelbarrow. Let's get this gold outside. No more than five men carrying it out, the rest go with Sabrina and get that carriage here and start loading it. On the double! Run!"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Tue 30 Apr.

The Admiral rolled 12 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,6.  Fortune Roll.

You guys got really lucky there, a critical result. So you skipped the last confrontation and got everything.

After obtaining the wagon Selvaggia prepared for her failed escape attempt, it all goes smoothly from then on. Very smoothly. By the time governor's men arrive from the plantation to check on the mansion, you are already travelling through the jungle with your wagon full of treasures. You make it to the secluded cove where Memelesi is docked, manned by the rest of your crew. The rest of the freed slaves led by the old man are waiting there for you as agreed. They board the ship with you, if you let them onboard. When all is said and done, the Memelesi sets sail and soon enough, Isla Serena is barely visible in the distance.

Orlov supervised the loading of the treasure into the boats and loot and ferrying passengers to the ship.

"We have a royal treasure aboard" he said to the Mate in a low voice, "Keep them busy and active until we are two days at sea. We will be followed, we will be chased, ride everybody hard until we are well away."

The ship was a furore of activity: Finally the loot is stowed, the haul locked in the brig with an armed guard outside, the anchor hauled up as the sails began shaking loose and gathering the breeze, and the ship ponderously started getting underway. A hot meal was served for the crew  and the freed slaves who had spent all night marching and fighting over the island, berths to be found for dozens of extra people, watches changed, maneuvers to be made topside to get under way and sailing to catch the breeze and make the best speed.

An hour or two later, Orlov was sitting on top of the cabin roof, serenely oblivious to all the hubbub and chaos. He sang a song, an otherworldly undulating call that rose and fell like the swell, that reminded listeners of wolves, of the wind, of freedom and hope and the joy of running before the gale. It went on and on for half a bell, beginning slowly and softly, almost seductively, but gradually increasing in pace and tempo.

Then the song ended, and Orlov strode across the deck and threw a boarding net over the port side. He stood grinning in the middle of the main deck with his long hair streaming behind in the wind, his feet effortlessly riding the deck, clad in nothing but a loincloth.

Seconds later a cry went up from the bow when two large swordfish burst from the depths, breaching into the air.

"Now", he said spiritedly, eyes shining bright, "About that swim!"


23:29, Today: Orlov rolled 11 using 2d6 with rolls of 6,5.  attune: summon sea creatures. Next post will be activating vice to burn off stress.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:31, Thu 02 May.

Diving into the sea from the bow, Orlov resurfaced clutching the dorsal fin of one of the swordfish. He swung a leg over its back, and then the powerful fish shot forward like a cannonball skimming the surface. He howled with glee, hanging on for dear life, battered half to death by the bruising stinging salt water smashing endlessly into his face. stinging needles of spray spiking his face and eyes and throat.

But he held on, though the minutes felt like hours; and under the desperate struggle for survival, for somehow grasping the next breath and the next, the occasional glimpse of sight, the brutal hammering of cold salt spray: under all that he forgot about the zombies and the crew not quite doing as they were told and too much noise and the worry about guards returning or the house catching fire and everyone burning alive, the stresses and the strains on his back from not enough sleep and so much leadership in desperate action after desperate action. Somehow in that savage exhilirating ride all those strains were washed away as his focus was forced back to the very basics of survival where holding on mattere, breathing mattered, and nothing else really did. And after a long while he found he could time his breaths to the swells, that he could open his eyes and look around and revel in the beauty of the starlit night over the white waves and black waters. He felt a connection with the twelve foot fish. He realized that he was no longer fighting it trying to stop it from diving, but instead they were riding the waves together as one.

He slid off the beasts back and, pulling his knife, slew the lampfreys and rid the swordfish of parasites. Then he turned it round, and headed back to the ship.

00:49 Today: Orlov rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.  Indulging in vice

Orlov arrived back at the ship exhausted and half drowned but in high spirits and spiritually much refreshed.

His cold hard hands had frozen in a death grip, and he had to force them open to release from the fish. Not trusting in their strength any more, it was all ue could do to thrust his arm through the links of the boarding net and hang on. Far too weak to climb, he had to be hauled up onto deck by a handful of sailors like fishermen bringing in the catch.