Age of Sail

[marlowe_tops]

Age of Sail Meme

Welcome to the high seas and the Caribbean, in the Golden Age of Sail—and Piracy! Hoist anchors and set sail, because there’s adventure—and treasure—on the horizon.


Roles:
Piracy
A. Ship captain, of course, would you be found anywhere else? Command and the sea, those are your callings. Along with, of course, plunder.
B. Quartermaster, elected representative of the crew’s interests, and with power to veto the Captain’s decisions whenever the ship is not engaged in battle.
C. Crew. You’re in it for the plunder, and can’t be bothered with those pesky decisions. Unless, just maybe, you’ve got a mutiny in mind.
D. Cabin boy. Lowest in rank and newest on the ship, without any sailing experience of your own, but you’ll work your way up.

The Law
E. Pirate-hunter. Maybe you’re working freelance, taking bounties where you find them, or maybe you are an officer of a royal navy, but either way, you’re tasked with bringing those lawless pirates to justice. There’s money in it, and glory for you.
F. Governor. You are the law, in your little corner of the Caribbean. Troops from the homeland, money and resources are yours, but anarchy is just one mistake away, and the pirates are always threatening your ships and those of your traders.
G. Honest sailor. You follow orders and don’t ask too many questions about them. Or the cargo.

Land-Lubbers
H. Innkeeper or Brothel Madam. When the pirates and sailors come into town, they’re going to need food, drink, and companionship. You’re here to provide that.
I. Shipwright. Ships and repairs, it’s all your business. You’re willing to serve any customer, and you don’t ask too many questions.

J. Wildcard! Who would your character be in the Golden Age of Sail?

Mix and match, pirates and pirate hunters, raid a ship or follow a map to treasure. Go get that horizon!

Comments

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

Bull clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, but he was definitely predictable. He was a pirate, but not cruel, and he knew he could put the boy to work somehow. If he could read charts that would be essentially handy, considering he was fairly sure his navigator had been killed in the fight.

Instead of answering directly, Bull turned and called to the other ship, "Krem! Get over here."

Krem came, glancing between Bull and the young man curiously. "Yes, boss?" But there was a smile on his lips: he knew that expression.

"Get the chains off of him, and find him a bunk." The 'somewhere safe' was implied. Krem's face split into a grin. "And tell Jimes and his friends they're off the boat." Then Bull turned and strode off, supervising the loading of goods into the Charger's cargo holds.

"Yes, boss!" Krem turned to unshackle the young man then offered out his hand. "Krem. I'm first mate. Captain is Iron Bull, but he'll respond to just about anything. You going to need help moving your stuff?"

[alcuin_delaunay]

Alcuin's brows lifted at the information that the men who had bothered him were to be removed from the crew. Cheeks flushed, he looked back and forth between the two pirates, giving his wrists to be unchained.

He clasped Krem's hand very tentatively, unaccustomed to that form of greeting. "Alcuin," he replied, nodding shyly at the offer of help. "I think a fair amount of it was... confiscated. I'd like to keep my books, at the very least."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

Krem shook Alcuin's hand firmly then grinned. "We haven't started to go through the cabins yet, we'll get your stuff out." He turned and clambered back up the rail then made his way over to the other ship. The Charger's crew was hard at work and Krem ducked past an elven woman, calling out greetings to those he passed. "Come on, you'll have to show me to your cabin," he called to Alcuin.

The cabins were deserted still, though they'd been swept for anybody hiding. Krem turned back once they were alone, and asked, voice pitched a bit low, "Just so I can think of where to put you... you're male, right?" He looked back at Alcuin. "We have a couple of options. Don't care what's in your pants, but..." he tapped the side of his head then smiled.

[alcuin_delaunay]

"I'm male," Alcuin confirmed, not finding the question to be odd. "I'm D'Angeline. We don't grow whiskers." Indicating which cabin was his own, he gathered his possessions back into his bag, slinging the bag over his shoulder and accepting help from Krem to carry his trunk. Curious, he studied his new friend. "Thank you for your help. And for taking me in. I... you're not what I expected, of pirates."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

"Whiskers..." Krem laughed, "Yeah, I don't grow those either." Krem helped navigate them out of the cabin - it was extremely tiny, but it was at least private. "And don't worry about it. The boss has a big heart, though he doesn't like people to know he does. He's not going to say no to somebody who needs his help." Krem shrugged. He could carry the trunk by himself no problem, but he didn't mind if Alcuin wanted to help.

[alcuin_delaunay]

"I imagine lots of parts of him are big," Alcuin said, smiling and relaxing with his new friend as they returned to the new ship. He glanced guiltily at the captured sailors, most of whom were glaring at him with resentment or open hatred for his betrayal. "I'd never seen a... is he a Qunari? I've only read about them in books. He's massive. But he does seem to be kind."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

Krem laughed again, this time louder and more from his gut. "Yeah, I guess they are. And yeah, he's a Qunari. He's about as pretty as they come, too," he said with a shrug and a grin. He paused and turned to watch Bull as he addressed the crew of the taken ship. Probably the usual spiel. The Charger would leave them enough supplies to get to the nearest port, but anything else of value or note would be taken, injured would be tended to... Any veteran of Bull's ship could recite the words by heart.

"You must have been belowdecks when we boarded, or you wouldn't think he's kind." Krem grinned.

[alcuin_delaunay]

"He didn't touch me," Alcuin said. His eyes followed Krem's gaze, frowning slightly at the knowledge that these were pirates, after all. "Nor have you. You may be pirates, but you've both treated me like a person, not simply a thing to be desired and owned." That was more than enough to earn Alcuin's regard. He dropped his eyes away from the speech and the Captain, hoping that he would be lucky enough to have a private berth away from reaching hands.

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

"That's fair," Krem said with a nod. He turned as one of the Chargers' crew came past him with an armful of loot. "Skinner!" The man - elf - turned. He had dark skin and close-cropped black hair, ears rather small and close to his head (a telltale clue that he was a city elf, as Dalish tended to have much larger ears that stuck out) and he turned at Krem's call. He was tall for an elf, maybe an inch or two taller than Krem.

"Yeah?"

"Can you run ahead and clear out the navigator's cabin? Got somebody to put up in it." Krem jerked his head in Alcuin's direction. Skinner looked Alcuin up and down - but appraisingly - then lifted an eyebrow at Krem before nodding. He ducked belowdeck without another word. "That was his 'Really, Bull?' look," Krem explained.

Krem set the trunk down on its end then leaned against it. "You won't have trouble with most of the crew. Cap works the hands hard enough they barely have time to drink and play cards when they're off shift and the officers have all been with us for a long time, they'll keep it professional. But you have any problems with anybody, come and tell Bull or I." Krem reached for his belt and unbuckled the dagger kept there. He offered it out to Alcuin. "If you can't get away, use this."

[alcuin_delaunay]

Alcuin smiled slightly as he was offered the dagger, taking it with a nod. "Thank you."

He had no compunctions against the use of a blade, and had desperately wanted to learn swordplay rather than the skills of pleasure that had been his training. "I'll do my best to work hard. I know how I look, but I'm not weak. I'm just glad to..." Trailing off, Alcuin tightened his jaw and looked away. "To not get to my destination."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

Krem nodded. "I'm from the Imperium. Escaped potential slavery myself. Bull rescued me, lost his eye in the process. Never gave him a reason to regret it. Pull your own weight around here and you'll be fine." Krem rested his elbow on the trunk. Don't pull your weight and, well... I guess you'll have to use your other skills or the boss'll find you a good port." There was no room on this ship for slackers, that was for sure. "But if you're any good at reading sea charts, you'll probably always have a place here."

[alcuin_delaunay]

Alcuin nodded vaguely, taking in all that information and storing it away. Krem didn't specify what other skills he might have to use, and Alcuin didn't want to ask, in case he got an answer he didn't like. "I understand sea charts," he said, quietly. "Though I've never been called upon to do so on an actual ship. I will learn."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

"Then you'll be fine," Krem said with a grin. "The Boss can show you how. Can't be any worse than the half-blind drunk sod we had at the job." He shrugged, and when Skinner came back up from belowdeck, he said, "Let's get your stuff down there and I can show you around the ship." He left Skinner take the other end of the trunk and together they made their way belowdeck and into a cabin. It was tiny, cramped, and reeked of alcohol. But there was a small desk and a hammock, as well as a porthole and a whole lot of cobwebs.

Krem shoved the trunk up against the wall then leaned over the desk to shove open a porthole. "You're going to need a new hammock, and the smell should clear out... hopefully. But it's yours." He turned back to Alcuin.

[alcuin_delaunay]

Alcuin smiled at the little room, which was private, and had a desk he could work on. He wasn't worried about cleaning the place. It wouldn't take much to make it livable. Curious, he poked through the desk, finding a few little maps, but not enough. "Are the rest of the maps in the Captain's cabin? Surely there are more than these."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

"Probably," Krem said with a shrug, "I'm not sure, you'd have to ask him." He smiled. "You wanna get settled in? I'll send one of the hands down to help you clean up in here. Get you what you need." He carefully sidled around Alcuin so he was out in the hall.

[alcuin_delaunay]

"Thank you!" Alcuin said, giving him a friendly smile as Krem left. He took his time cleaning and settling in, accepting the help he was offered. When he was satisfied with the condition of his room, he made his way back up to the deck, seeking out the captain to ask him about the maps.

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

By then, Bull was supervising the pushing off of the taken ship, the captives put back on board their own ship. He turned when he caught the sight of that head of white hair out of the corner of his eye. "Krem told me you told him you can read sea charts. I'm assuming it's theoretical knowledge, but we seized a few charts from that ship, couple are pretty interesting, like to get your opinion on them." It was admittedly most of a test, but there were some intriguing things on the maps.

[alcuin_delaunay]

"I'd like that," Alcuin said, giving him a shy smile in greeting. He glanced over at the other ship briefly, then away, keeping his eyes on the ground near Iron Bull. "I want to know as much as I can. I hope I'll be able to be of use to you as a navigator."

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

Bull nodded. He turned to look down at Alcuin more fully. Then he asked after a moment, "You're from Tere d'Ange?" The lands far to the east of Thedas were relatively unknown, and the rather exquisite beauties who lived there almost entirely unseen on this side of the ocean.

[alcuin_delaunay]

"Terre d'Ange," Alcuin confirmed, gently correcting the pronunciation. "The Land of the Angels. Yes. It's a beautiful place, and I'm sorry to leave it." He bit down on his lower lip, shy and nervous as he regarded his new captain. "Please, may I see the maps now?"

[taarsidath_anhalsaam]

Bull nodded after mouthing the words to himself again. "Sure, this way." He turned and headed for his cabin. He pushed open the door - especially wide, to better fit his horns - then stepped in. It was at once workroom and bedroom - the bed was massive and along one wall, the table and chair behind it equally as large. The desk was piled up with the most interesting things taken from the ship, which consisted mostly of the rolled up maps.

He gestured, "Here they are, take a look." He spread out the scrolls a bit, but didn't unroll them, gesturing for Alcuin to sit in the chair behind the desk.

[alcuin_delaunay]

Alcuin took a seat where indicated, curling into the chair and unraveling one of the maps, looking it over and making as much sense as he could. He asked questions without compunction, learning very quickly as soon as Bull explained the terms that were unfamiliar to him. As soon as he'd learned the first map, he reached for another.

All knowledge is worth having. That, and the D'Angeline tenet, Love as Thou Wilt, had shaped his early life, and formed the basis of his beliefs and personality. Alcuin loved learning, and he did it very, very well, going through each map and making sure he understood what he saw.