Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)
Day at the Lake
"We are not in the Great Bay, Captain Dilisniya," Alaric replied,
"I have no authority to take your ship, nor do I desire to remove it from your possession unlawfully. But if you say there are others similar to it, I would not balk at commandeering one to serve as the flagship for the Danigau Navy."
Stepping onto the ship itself felt good. For Rovana, a pirate by decision and trade, it was good to be back on a proper sailing vessel, but it was more than that. She felt as if she had bonded with the ship somehow, or attuned to it through her connection with the strange amber medallion.
Her announcement to the people aboard the ship drew a mixture of looks. Neku and Jowai simply set about their business like veteran pirates. The sailors of the Danigau Navy all looked from Rovana over to Alaric, as though for confirmation. Alaric nodded to Blasa, who stood beside him, and she raised her voice to shout at them.
"Make ready to sail! To your stations!" She continued to shout specifics to the men, assigning them to roles specific to the ship. She picked out select sailors to go to port and starboard as Rovana had ordered to serve as lookouts, while the rest set about making way. Men climbed up the rigging, adjusted the sails, and caught the wind to head the ship northward. Alaric walked behind Blasa, giving approving glances, and then having private words with sailors on occasion, walking among his men.
Rovana's blade still could not command a full gust that would make a ship this large move, but luckily the wind picked up anyway, enough for the sailors to move out into the lake. As this happened, Damia stepped close, the Vistani girl looking about her at what the sailors were all doing. She picked nervously at the colorful bangles on her wrists, and turned toward the captain when asked to have a word.
"I'll do my best to pick up the basics of sailing. Don't worry, I'm a quick learner."
Damia did smile then, and even among the green mist and the threat of danger and evil curses lurking over them, standing on the magnificent ship felt as if it were a bulwark against the darkness and dread.
"You know what this ship feels like? It feels like my wagon in the caravan. I'll find my nook among the lower decks. I'll make colorful trinkets and hang my charms and wards, and I'll weave a tapestry to hang there, and it will be a part of me. A ship like this can be a home, and like a true Vistana, I can take my home with me. Yes, Captain Rovana, a ship is a freedom, but what you're describing, I already had it in a sense. Our caravans could turn right or left, we called no village our home, but only the ground beneath wherever we roamed. Family was what made us free. But in my case, it was also what tied me down. I left my people because I needed to see another way, and I needed to be free of a family that I did not choose, at least for a time. One day I may come back to this place. You might find that shocking, but no matter where I go, I shall always be a Vistana, and my place will be among the people. But when I do come back, I will have tales of the seas and of the Reaver to tell, and I will have a role in them, and THAT, oh captain, is my freedom."
It seemed that Damia was no stranger to the notions that Rovana was trying to relate to her. But unlike what Rovana had been as a young Danigau girl longing for the sea, a different understanding of the world and her place in it had beset Damia. Her reasons for boarding the ship were not to fulfill a romantic ideal of piracy. They were far more personal, and likely Rovana felt, owed to the girl's hang ups about her place among her people, and possibly unresolved father-issues. Not that Rovana was particularly fond of Damia's father, who had been largely responsible for her being in Barovia in the first place.
~~~
Later on, Rovana took in the sight of the familiar mad mage standing upon the windswept rock, fending off a large ship of drowned men and twisted servants of Dagon. To the credit of everyone on board, there was no panic from seeing the dead and the foul magics of the deep ones. Everyone on the vessel had encountered similar horrors before and had survived. Now it was time once more to stand tall and fight the good fight.
The crew listened to the captain give her orders. This time they didn't look to Alaric or Blasa to reaffirm, they simply made ready to implement the plan. The ship set a course to skim along the side of the island. The sails were slackened to slow down, giving time for the 'kidnapping' to take place.
Neku slid down rope and landed lightly on the deck. He then looked calmly from Rovana to the mad mage and then back at Rovana.
"I can get to him quickly, but he is beset by enemies and looks... rather unhinged. Are you certain that he won't try to set me on fire?"
"I'll come with you," Damia said, drawing her rapier.
"He'll see we're not undead and don't have tentacles crawling out of our backs. Plus we're not attacking him. We're just offering him a way off that rock."
Jowai meanwhile had his greatsword out and flexed his muscles, grunting at the order to be on guard and repel all boarders. Blasa gave Rovana a wry look at the wink. Alaric caught this, and grinned, then extended his gaunleted hand and intoned "Feuerblitz!"
A bolt of fire struck out towards the enemy crew and caught a zombie sailor in the arm, setting it partially on fire. Rovana was reminded of how in her world, the ability to cast magic was tied to bloodline, and that the Count of Donigau was a renowned mage. It would make sense that even his warrior son had some spells in his repetoire.
Not to be outdone, Rovana raised her blade and after a moment's consideration of what she should aim at, willed the Red Dawn to attack. The medallion against her skin felt warm in response to her mental command, and a gathering of intense crimson energy, crackling like red bolts of lightning circled the sails of the ship, before snapping with a thunderous crack towards the enemy's ballistae. The red bolt smote the harpoon and broke the contraption in half, as well as scorching the deck behind it. The casters aboard the ship were alarmed by this sudden appearance and attack from the Red Dawn, and began to fling their spells against this new threat, while other fallen sailors aimed the remaining two harpoons at the ship.
Stepping up to the railing of the ship, a large undead creature with malign intelligence in its eyes and a huge anchor wielded in its hand like a great axe growled and pointed its finger towards Rovana.
Neku and Damia leapt onto the rock, and the mage turned on them, his eyes wild. He put his hands up towards them as if he were about to cast a spell against them. Neku put his hand up and shouted to him, although Rovana was too far away to hear at that point. A pair of harpoons fired on the Red Dawn, landing with a thunk and attaching to the railing. Immediately the vessel with the zombies heaved itself closer to the Red Dawn in an attempt to board them.