A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

In the storm cellar

The dark queen looked down at Rovana with a smirk on her lips, brushing her slender fingers idly through the blonde woman's hair as the pair lay together, still connected to one another. The living woman was still panting softly, recovering from their lovemaking, and was sitting, still hilted atop the transmuted cock.

"I do not think you will be able to resist the call of my kiss, now that you have fed me thrice, so I have no fear of letting you wander, Rovana. Feel free to have your little daliances, but we both know you will return for my caress and my tender care~"

The vampire's hand traced down Rovana's nude, slightly glistening body, wrapping around her round bum and gripping the flesh of her ass cheek firmly, with her digits molding ripples into the the pirate's rear, drawing her up before her. She listened patiently as Rovana spoke on, musing about the final days of Era Dilisnya.

"I too would like to know what Era's quest was, and how she came to be embroiled in this Dagon's schemes - but not at the cost of risking your life, nor at exposing myself to hunters or to the Revenants of the Order. Those undead at Argynvost would not hesitate to destroy me and any associated with me, and yet that is where the skull of Argynvost must go, if it is to be returned."

Ludmilla embraced Rovana, stirring her up a little as she shifted position, still holding the pale woman tightly.

"What does any of it matter though? I am free, and I have my lover back. A pirate with whom I can turn the nights red with.~ Do what you see fit during the day, Rovana. At night, I shall hunt, and we will do what we can to free you from this Dagon."

She smiled as Rovana lay out the blanket, and the talk of the past subsided. She did not pass comment on how the cold stone floor was not as much of a hindrance to her as it was to Rovana, and lay down on her side next to her lover, resting her head upon her hand and elbow. She cupped Rovana's head and slid golden locks aside as her lover suckled upon her areola and nipple. The dark queen cooed as the little tingles of pleasure across her body started to add up.

"A tribal queen? So you picture me returning to my ancestral roots? Hnnh...~ Perhaps I shall. And keep you as my enthralled captive. A dashing noble captain, who comes crawling on hand and knee to kiss my feet? And lick my flesh all... nnfh... over~"

The vampiress practically... giggled at Rovana's blushing admission to the odd fantasy.

"If you so desire to live out this fantasy, then I will grant it to you. We are free, we will reinvent ourselves. Be what we want to be. And therefore, you will be Rovana Dilisnya, prodigal scion of your house, feared pirate, dashing noble socialite, and secretly an enslaved thrall to a dark mistress who will only be satisfied with... mmm... absolute obeisance and sexual servitude. Say only that you wish this to be true, swear to me upon your greatest oath that it shall be this way, and I shall make it true. I will be a queen of the night, your queen, and you will be my champion and beloved doll."

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Rovana the vampire-rescuer/Bride
Krezk, old cellar

"Oho, confident enough to let me run free? I can respect that." The piratess cooed, leaning slightly into the vampiress caress, gasping softly at the grasping of her bottom. "I don't fathom Dagon the talkative kind, but perhaps learning about him means learning about the past of people linked with him as well." She shrugged slightly and nodded, if with a slight squeezing of the hand holding onto Ludmilla as she felt the dark shaft stir within her. "Can't change the past, so it matters little to me."

Rovana cooed softly as she half saw, half felt her lover shifting to the side, following suit, and giving another caressing kiss to the aroused nipple before her. She seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I picture you doing as you desire, but I fantasize about many a thing. Long enough have you been unwillingly at the mercy of another." Rovana cooed, with a clear tint of arousal and, almost, charming seduction as she continued: "One as beautiful as you deserves better. You are a proud warrior and noble, a pride that centuries of slavery couldn't break, after all." She masked her shy emberassment in confidence just as she did her fear, moaning ever so slightly, as she listened on to Ludmilla, taking her hand, kissing it softly. "A fine answer. A weird riddle, am I not? I would not want to belong to someone that demands me, but one like you, who asks my desires, offers to grant them and makes certain to tempt me with that generosity, such a person makes me want to belong." The piratess explained, feeling the vampiress shaft still lodged within her as she closed her eyes, soft, white hand coming to caress her lovers strong frame, holding onto her for comfort. "Oh, but an answer.. " She nodded, resting up with Ludmilla for comfort, her panted breathing having calmed down, mostly, now warming up into a second round of desire as she nodded, with an unusual shyness. "There be nothing among your words I disliked. Everyone thinks pirates need be free to do as they please, and we are, yet theres nothing wrong with being a privateer, infact, quite many a pirate dreams of a letter of marque, allowing them to roam the seas AND be considered a noble at court.. if not one that is welcomed, but one that is whispered about, feared and fantasized by many a lady.
If you wish it to be so, I Rovana Dilisnya, swear upon my code that I wish to be a dread pirate captain and feared by my foes, yet also respected and noble to the innocents, a dashing, tricking socialite..., and all yours. But.. as for the details.. sure, 'tis a lustful fantasy, I wont deny it. But what really matters is.." She blushed a little again, a hand caressing up Ludmillas arm, cooing.. "If we can shape our new future, then let us shape one another.. I want to be the hero you view me as for you, already you've helped make me.. I feel.. better than I was and if going down that road means being painted in your colors and led obediantly by a strong hand, then so be it." She nodded, with determination. "And I think you .. no, I don't think... To me you ARE beautiful, strong and confident, you wear a mask of civilized education, but you aren't confined by it. You are cursed and you feel a dark hunger, yet these things don't rule you." She held Ludmillas hand steady, kissing it again, half in lust, half in honest adoration, a third kiss, turning into a bit of a suckling of one of Ludmilllas fingers. "But what about you, my love, my queen of the wild mountains, is that your path? Do you want to stand by my side, as strong noble companion, a gentle lover.. thats secretly an all the more gentle yet debauched dark mistress, with me both the object and nutrition for your every dark desire? My white flesh a canvas for your primal lusts as you take whats yours and reclaim your birthright? If you can promise me that its your desire to indulge in my fantasy, not just your hunger that wishes to see me bound as your doll and marked as your champion and I'll gladly, eagerly walk that path, a path to my submission and your rulership.. understand that I'd not want to walk this path for anyones sake, Lady Wachter was quite the mistress, but unlike her, you.. you deserve so much better. In the past and the now, you deserve to own and rule, ignore the dark vampire that has clouded your past, though there are many ways forward, the fallen, yet redeemed champion, the noble vampiress, the pirate.. why, I got you free of Strahd, I'm certain I could find ways to ease your curse, your spear certainly feels like the path most true to you is that of primal queen and warrior. We are all ruled by one thing or the other, my love, even free of Strahd, there are our own goals and ambitions that bind us. I wish to become a true noble pirate, like they ought to be, but I lack the strength. I hope you will desire to be my mighty queen, but I wont make you. If you wish this as your path, make it so, I will gladly assist, even if that path is not to your liking and you wish to become more of a holy knight once more.. Heh, I'm sure we can make it kinky, you wont ever go that way alone either.

But it is your choice. I decide too many things, as captain, it makes one weary. My path is already set with the third kiss, I will be by your side, sating you, helping you walk your path, but it's your path, not mine to chose." She nodded, letting go of Ludmillas hand, looking at the outline of her lovers eyes, dark in the darker cellar, as she affirmed. "I merely wish to be yours, and walk your path with you, but I will not tell you to be anything for my sake, you've had quite enough of this. Choose as you will it, my love. I think you'll be beautiful no matter what you will become. Who do you want to be?" She asked, then, after her passionate, in more ways than one, speech, kissed Ludmillas lips softly, letting her think and awaiting her answer.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Krezk, old cellar

In the darkness, Ludmilla preened indulgently with every compliment that Rovana paid her, gently stroking her fair lover all the while. She let her cool hand be taken gently, prized and kissed and suckled. Her eyes were penetrating yet affectionate as they appraised Rovana's shy gaze.

"I accept your oath that you are mine, Rovana. You will be all those things to me and more. What was a fantasy shall be our reality. You wish to know my true desire, after all these years of servitude? It is to become the queen you see me as. A true queen. And I shall have a realm, with armies at my call, and fleets at your command. My people were conquerors once. I shall find a new people, claim a place of power as my own, and forge for myself and you, an eternal paradise."

Ludmilla's hands wrapped around Rovana's waist, holding her steady, still imapled upon her shaft, her mouth hovering close to Rovana's lips.

"I will indulge of your blood because of the curse that drives me, but I shall indulge of your body, your mind, your emotions because of what I desire, what I have always desired. You who are my heroine. My captain.

"I am no holy warrior anymore. I am a vampire. No god of light or morning will answer my call. I am wedded to the night and the darkness. Let Mother Night bless me, if any god is to bend its ear to my claim. But I shall conquer with you by my side. And as the years pass, if you see no alternative, I shall make you my eternal bride, when our realm is one and our seas are claimed."

Ludmilla kissed Rovana again, gently now, and leaning her onto her side, she lay beside her on the blanket, looking into her eyes. Her hand went to the chain on her hips and unless stopped, she murmered a command word and unclasped it, returning her to her feminine form. Then she drew close again and held Rovana to her breasts, petting her head softly.

"Rest my love. I was too eager to drink of you, and you must regain your strength. Tomorrow, when you wake, you will do what you must to restore the mage and empower your sword. I will need to start feeding elsewhere so as to not weaken you in these coming nights, when you will fully need your strength."

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Rovana the vampire-rescuer/Bride
Krezk, old cellar
(don't drink and rp kids!)

It was a strang desire, to empower a wicke vamires.. yet, soemone who has ther thrue path denid for centuries. "Conquest soudnds like good money. I wonder where you could find a resouceful captain to aid you... an etetrnal paradise,, it sounds quite psomising. Let then then be your goal.. and I shall see if I can help, freely seailing the sears closeby your fortress and bringing you whats necessary. She nodded." she looked a the vampiress in her grap. She smiled, uncharacteristically shly.

"Your realm, your subejets, quite an interesting idea though my jealousy dictates I shall be your first and foremost"Rovana demanded with a sensual coo, seemig to get somewhat emtional as she epeated.. "Your captian.. sorr, 'been a while, hasnt't it? .." The piratess gasped with the sudden disapperance of the.. feeling within her, but took the oportnity to more softly cling ot the vampiress. "Make sure not to feed upon the helpess.. and emember, you ought me a... lustful caress upon our body, help ease your tension.." Rovana lazily got up, adding.. I .. This time is far too short, but many things happened today.. we shalls speek soon and, unless you wish to belay me, I shall head to the inn, claim my room, to make sure theres little more suspiciposn on us.. I don't trust the abbot, but you can't deny the comfort of a warm bet. I shall see you tomorrow evening.. I hope with good news.. My queen.. I hope... yo wont havet wo worry.. or even resuce me once more..

*sshe sighed, briefly, letting Ludmilla recover, as needed, though making clear this was not the end of the passionate lovemaking..*

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Krezk, Night time

"First and foremost, most assuredly."

Ludmilla lounged back upon her elbows, her dark body displayed in its raw beauty, and Rovana slipped down to embrace her gently, their nude bodies rubbing against one another, cool flesh meeting with warm.

"My queendom will be glorious, and you shall help me find it. And when you are ready, you shall be my bride as well as my reaver. There shall be none to deny our dominance of the seas."

She stroked her blonde lover's hair as she continued.

"My freedom is in its infancy. I may not be able to be so picky with my meals - but I shall avoid killing, if that is your concern. It is a wasteful habit."

She let Rovana stand up, the girl's legs a little wobbly after the vampire's efforts.

"Go rest and do what you must. I do not intend to let you go long without feeling my body against yours, consort mine. Even during the daytime, while I rest in my torpor, we shall be linked. The Dark Kiss exists within your mind now, and we are forever intwined, you and I. When next we meet, I will have you practice kneeling to your queen~"

If Rovana delayed her departure, Ludmilla would not object to more sensual kissing and professions of desire and adoration and whispered promises of what they would do to one another in the future. Eventually though, the pirate would need to leave the storm cellar and let it be locked tight before making her way back to the Smoldering Ember Tavern.

~~~

Damia, Jowai and Neku had all secured their rooms. Jowai stayed awake next to the large central hearth of the tavern and stoked its low fires with small twigs. Everyone else was asleep.

"Ahoy captain," Jowai said as she entered. He handed her a key.

"It's for your room. That Abbot fellow got us individual beds. Mighty generous of him, but makes me wary of this loot he's asking us to get. Anyway, now that you're back safe and sound, I'm getting some shuteye."

The half-orc waited for any other command or question, but if none came, he'd head to bed. Rovana was free to wander or to explore the other rooms of her companions, but if she chose to sleep, the grogginess and weakness of her blood donation to Ludmilla would leave her by the morning.

Her three crew were ready to meet her by breakfast time and were content to be off and out of the town, as the locals had started giving them the wary eye ever since they spoke to the Abbot. Furthermore, there was talk of vampires wandering the streets last night. Terrible screams had been heard and flying humanoids upon dark steeds that raced through the moonlight. It was said that the newcomers too had been seen outside at night - very strange that they would be alive if vampires had been walking the streets.

Damia, Neku and Jowai all agreed that it was unlikely they would be given a long welcome in this place.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Rovana the vampire-rescuer/Bride
Krezk, old cellar

Rovana shook off a bit of her lust-drunkness to nod. "I like the idea, you the ruler of a noble and just, if a bit shadowy kingdom, who knows, perhaps with a few other nobles that are secretly like you, but not like Strahd rules, in fear and misery, something more open, a portal trade town perhaps, with many an adventurer to tell new tales so that none feel the burden of the centuries. and the best of the best travelers, why, they might be made to stay. And all the while there'll be the captain, the mysterious captain none of the others in power dare to even think overthrow you over, for there's always her, ready to stand by the queens side.." Rovana smiled as she indulged in the fantasy.

"I understand I alone could not venture out and sate your thirsts.. just like I may sate my body with others, I'm certain so will you. But just as you are certain your call will reach me no matter what, I doubt theres quite a blood as sweet as mine to lure you, my queen." She purred and then blushed at Ludmillas parting words, nodding. "I shall.. listen to your guidance as necessary then. For now, let us recover, rebuild, uncurse what has been cursed.. then we shall rally against our goes. Your foes are mine, and my foes are yours." She bowed in, what was, considering her lack of practice a suprisigly apt noble gesture, and departed... not without grabbing her clothes this time, perhaps with Ludmillas assistance in the dark.

~~~

"How be the winds, Jowai. I too be wary of the abbot, but we have little choice. Don't expect it to be a simple climbing taking and leaving, if I know these places either statues will come alive to hunt us, or spectres to haunt us.. in either case the plan is get in, take what we need and get out. Thanks for keeping watch for me." She nodded.

She chose to sleep, taking a good rest herself, perhaps awaking a bit early, considering her earlier nap by the pond, but nonethless dreaming dreams of dark loving beauties.. with sharp fangs. In the misty nature of dreams, Rovana, a famous pirate captain had just returned to her home-port, hungry, dark skinned vampiric nobles eyeing her, her dark queen inviting them to.. sample her treasure, Rovana extending her arms and moaning, before the other nobles were brushed aside to make place for her beloved..

Noticing the locals eyes she hushedly noted, over a simple(more simple now that the abbot wasn't around, she felt like) breakfast: "Let us take the horses and be off to the west.. I can feel when people are readying the gallows. Damia, do you perchance know of this tower to the west the abbot spoke off, or are we blindly looking for large structures? Towers can't be hard to find, but I wonder if theres any suprises inside.." She nodded, quickly getting up to grab the horses if there was no protest.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Leaving Krezk

"Good morning, captain," Neku said brightly, though his shimmering, dark eyes were as ever difficult to read. "You're looking paler than usual."

Damia eyed Rovana with slight concern, and it seemed that the three crew members all agreed on this assessment. Rovana would still need to cover her bite marks, lest the locals take offense.

"From the Abbot's directions, the tower is actually back to the east, at Lake Barov." Damia corrected Rovana, and being that she was the only one familiar with the lands, the others took her word for it.

"There's an old tower there, out on the lake. Father said it was built by a wizard, and that we weren't allowed to go near it. I suppose this is just one more of father's orders that I'll be disregarding. I'm not sure what to expect inside of it - probably the sort of things wizards keep for themselves."

Eating their breakfast quickly, the travelers found their horses and made ready to leave. This suited the locals just fine, who brought them and were happy to take the keys back. Mutters of "spies for the devil" were heard on the fringes of earshot. As they rode towards the town gate, mothers drew back their children, and laborers paused in their business to eye Rovana and the other crew as they passed.

The gates opened to allow them to exit. As they did so, the gate guard they had seen upon entering leaned toward them and offered a word.

"There was suspicious activity going on last night. Folks here are uneasy about it, and your sudden appearance is suspected of being a part of it. Fair warning to you, the burgomaster isn't fond of the idea of letting you lot back in. He knows you've got business with the Abbot, so he'll call for him if and when you return. If it does turn out that you've no connection with the troubles that ail us, then you've my sympathy, but this is the burgomaster's decree, and the safety of this town comes first and foremost to us. Good travels to you."

The gate opened, and Rovana's party was able to ride down the winding sloped road back to where it met the Old Svalich Road running east to west. Damia led them east, across the bridge over the Raven River, which had flooded yesterday.

Backtracking their way east for about a mile, they then turned on a small dirt trail north, through the woods, until they reached the edge of what should have been a lake, according to Damia, but was now more akin to a choppy sea shore. The waters led out into the distant mists, with no far side visible. Jutting out of the shoreline and into the water was a grass covered causeway leading to a marshy island with a stone tower rising atop it.

The tower seemed old and decrepit, with collapsing scaffolds clinging to one side where a large gash has split the wall. Timeworn griffon statues decorate the buttresses that support the walls. The building stood approximately 80 feet high with an intact slate tile roof. It seems to have four floors to it, and the third and fourth floors have arrow slits built into them.The top floor overhangs the other floors, and has window boxes in addition to arrow slits.

If they chose to approach the tower over the causeway, they would begin to notice lantern glow in the fog of the choppy waters, slowly becoming brighter as they drew near. There were boats coming out of the mists towards the tower island. There was enough time to hide, on one side of the tower, but the horses would not be easily hid for long, as there didn't seem to be a place to mask their presence.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
Leaving Kreszk

"Saw some spooky things in the night, storytime about that once we've left this place for good with the abbot fixing our issues, deal?" Rovana attempted to charm over her companions concerns. "East? Ugh, east it is then, this land has not enough water to navigate it and I spent so much time learning where starboard is to forget the difference. East by.. Lake Barov? So theres another lake here then?" Rovana chuckled, grateful for her high closing armor and cloak considering the bitemark on her neck.

"Yet one more thing that would indubitably be easier if the last wizard I met wasn't insane and could be asked for pointers, so basically, a trapped wizards tower and within it, two gems. I already consider climbing the sides, wizards have a nasty habit of implementing magical traps but a predictable lack of thinking out of the box." She asserted, as they made ready to make way, sighing a bit on her way out.

"Seems it makes little difference if I dress up proper or as pirate. 'tis not that I mind fearful looks, I'd just rather they be cast at Captain Rovana.. not 'that odd stranger that caused whispers in the night.'" She chuckled at the gates guardian, adding:

"I've heard some of the mumblings, though praytell, if I these horses could fly and whatnot, would I do business with you at the gates?" She chuckled, and once they left, added:

"Honestly suprised the Vistani seem the most hospitable of all folks and I wouldn't trust them no further than I'd trust a pirate. Hah!" She chuckled ever so slightly, as she watched the once flooded river suspiciously.

Rovana shielded her eyes with one hand as they reached the tower, not that the grey-grim weather made this necessary. "Seems dangerous to be inside and climb, I reckon we try the entrance first and hope for the rare hospitable mage and one or the other trap already triggered or decayed." She mused, then added..

"And theres boats coming, it seems, which is an odd timing, though the drowned ones would hardly need boats. Damia, Neku, hide yourselfs behind the tower, Jowai and I will take the horses as if they had no rider and see if we can't be giving whoevers coming a little suprise, if necessary. I'll shout something creative like 'get 'em' if they prove to be danger and if they aren't, .. eh, we'll see if we get that lucky later." She decided, upon the approaching lanterns, taking the reins from Damias horse and binding it to her own horses Saddle, as if she had been leading the same along. Beyond that, not wishing to storm into the tower blindly, she could only take a look at the entrance door and wait for whoever was coming.

Spoiler

Persuasion(to be charming!) Roll(1d20)+4:
14,+4
Total:18

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Isolated Tower

Rovana's three companions all took the necessary precautions. Jowai drew his sword and rested it across his lap as he took the reins from Damia's gelding. The vistana readied her crossbow, and checked that her sword was loose in its scabbard, before moving with Neku over to the base of the tower. The void-eyed mystic frowned as he looked out upon the lake... if it was indeed a lake.

The lantern lights drew nearer to the shore. There came the sound of oars. Whispered voices at the edge of hearing spoke in hushed tones to one another. Then the first boat appeared, a rowboat, of the same type that Rovana had used to leave the Red Dawn to search the north shores of Lake Zarovich for the mad mage.

On this first vessel were seven people. At the head of the prow was a man in well crafted, stylized armor and a red cloak. He seemed likely to be the one in charge, and his eyes met Rovana's at the shore.

Spoiler

In the boat, rowing behind him were four sailing men, with simple red livery and strong arms. Upon further inspection, Rovana was shocked to recognize the symbol of the black eagle upon the red field. This was the heraldry of Danigau, her home province along the Great Bay where she... at least the girl who had drowned at sea... had grown up!

Speaking in an intense voice in Brecht, which was Rovana's native tongue, a woman in the same colored cloak and stylized dress of a noble adventurer.

Spoiler

"Isn't it strange that there's a woman waiting for us at the shore? And what is that she's with? An orog? She could be dangerous, Alaric."

"There's more danger back the way we came, Blasa. Would you rather we had stayed with the ship when Kraken came?"

"I'm telling you for the last time, that wasn't a kraken. We'd be dead if it was."

"It still took the ship down," the man muttered, then held up his hand as the ship came close to shore. He stepped off the boat and waded up the shore towards Rovana.

Behind him, the girl, Blasa, stepped off as well, with her hand on her rapier and long dagger at her belt. The other men drew in their oars and began to step off, as did a woman who looked very different to the rest, for she wore no livery of Danigau. Instead, she looked like one of those Rjuven axe warriors from the realm north of where Rovana's pirate lass self had lived.

Spoiler

After everyone was ashore and the armored man had approached without making any move to grab his weapons, he nodded to acknowledge Rovana and then Jowai, though he did so with a curtness to the half-orc.

"Hello." He said in Common, which lacked much of the grace and expression of the Brecht language. "I am Alaric Danig. Captain in the service of the Danigau fleet out of Blackruft. Erm... this may be an awkward question, but, where exactly is this place? We were attacked at sea by a strange ship filled with the undead, and a monster of the deep. We had to abandon ship and have been adrift for days... only to land here, and I don't recognise this shoreline at all."

Rovana may not have been the most knowledgeable person about the dealings of nobles, but even she knew who the Danigs were. Count Erik Danig ruled the realm of Danigau, her home nation. This young man might well be one of his sons. As he waited for an answer, two more rowboats with slightly fewer occupants, maybe five in each, were coming ashore, with more sailors in red livery.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
The old wizard tower

Rovana watched the lanterns.. trying not to be pensive about them. Rovana raised her brow as the boats closed in, her hand intentionally not resting on her weapon -show no fear-, .. plus, Rovana knew she was a quick-draw.

They didn't seem like bad men on first sight, definitly not compared to Strahd. She shrugged, dismounting her horse, pondering the situation with one hand behind her back, before first raising her voice. "Neku, Damia, no point in hiding, they be nay enemies." Rovana looked at the Danic man, touching her chin for a moment, before picking up her hat, bowing, with her cloak flowing elegantly, responding in her mothertongue, with a sly smile, and a hint of her original piratey and aquired noble accent mingling deliciously. "Your companion is right, I am dangerous. But then, a sharp sword is dangerous, in inexperienced hands. This blade be nay pointed at you, to the contrary, but of course, the rest is your choice." She pointed at her chest. "Let me first tell you who stands before you, I do believe that will be easier to believe. I am Captain Rovana Dilisnya, the Reaver. Pirate captain, with her crew. Now!" She raised a finger. "You might be greeting the chance to bring a wicked one such as myself to justice. I couldn't blame you, Orog, Shadow-touched, Gipsy-witch, Vampire and undead- hold that thought.." Rovana fished in her poket, pulling out the undead poket that had gotten itself comfortable and nudging Joe. "By the by, would ye mind flying up the windostill above to see if we see anything glinting up in that tower me hearty?" She asked her parrot, before focusing back upon Alaric.

"No disrespect, we are quite the wicked crew, aye.. and the most friendly thing ye will find in these lands for many miles. That which you fought was no kraken, aye, though we hunt it all the same. Its a terrible creature and if you wandered over to the seashores, you'd be lucky if you got far without finding the living dead, or the unliving drowned it raised. I'd dare you, but its not a pleasant experience." Rovana dramatically twirled her hand to the right, explaining:

"Now this is me, that is the enemy, as to where you are? Well, Captain, do you believe in hell? It matters little. Hell believes in you." She tipped her chin, looking over to Damia. "Was that how Madam Eva says it? Little bit?" She added, as an afterthought: "Alright, not hell but, ..purgatory. Before you call me insane, any of this sounds familiar: Your boats rowed into the roiling mists, robbing you of your sight as they grasped around you, then, you came out disoriented, something changed. You felt it, for but a moment and its in the back of your head ever since, telling you: Something about all of this is wrong. Well, my apologies to say this and for the long speech but basically, that part of yours thats worried and that you've been hushing since your arrival,.. thats the right part and you are in the wrong."

Spoiler

Gotta revitalize.. poor Joe! ^^

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Isolated Tower

Joe had been nuzzling inside of Rovana's pocket for quite some time, apparently content to be asleep. Then again, as an undead parrot, he didn't need sleep, so perhaps he was just being lazy.

His one good eye blinked and he picked his beak at his ruffled feathers, then let out a familiar screech.

"Rawwwrk! Up the crow's nest! Wee woo!" He flapped his green wings and took off, flapping around the tower, circling it in a counter clockwise direction so he could keep his good eye focused on the crumbling building.

He perched on the scaffolding, which was rotting and looked incredibly unstable. He then poked his head into the tear in the wall on the third floor, looked this way and that, unimpressed by a completely barren floor with only a hole in the middle and two great, rusty black chains running vertically from the floors below and above. He then swooped in and flapped upwards, going into the top floor.

Rovana could see, when she got a spare moment to use her clairevoyant ability, that the room on the top floor was much cleaner, and looked recently lived in. It was wider than the floors below. There is a cozy bed, a desk with a matching writing chair, new curtains at the windows, bright tapestries, and a large iron stove with a pipe that leads up through the roof, with a large pile of dry wood nearby to feed stove and warm the room if need be. Against one side of the wall is a large suit of full plate armor, and next to it is a wooden chest. Mounted on the old wooden rafters are iron chains that are attached to something at the base of the tower. The room is dark and otherwise unoccupied.

Back on the ground, Alaric was listening to Rovana's introduction, and as she mentioned that she was a pirate, the men in red and black livery put their hands on their short swords and looked at one another with concern. Blasa's lips pinched together. The tribal axe woman seemed not to care and instead looked away from the conversation to keep her eyes on the water.

"While it is good indeed to hear a Brecht accent, you've said more than a few troubling things, Captain Dilisnya," Alaric said, now speaking in perfect, refined Brecht tongue.

"Not the least of which is that you are a pirate. If you speak my language, then you'll know who I am, and that the Lord of Danigau does not abide piracy in the Great Bay. If this were normal circumstances, I would be oath bound to arrest you. However, these are not normal circumstances. I don't need to believe in Hell to believe my eyes. This seems much like what the halfing folk call the Shadow Lands. The place of living darkness and hunger for the death of all things. I had hoped not to set foot in it in my lifetime, but here we are, all the same."

Spoiler

"It is as I said," came a voice in broken-Brecht, with a heavy Rjuven accent. The axe woman had interrupted. "The Call of Dagon, father of the Kraken, the Drowned Dead that Shall Rise Again. This is what the doomspeaker said as it slaughtered my battle sisters."

Alaric turned to regard the woman who had most of her head shaved, saved for a red tuft at the top of her skull which fell foward, and pulled, twin braided pony tail at the back. It gave off a very savage appearence, especially combined with her great belt, extended loin cloth, and lack of a top, save for animal furs that had been pulled onto her shoulders and drooped down to cover her breasts.

"This is Ingrid. We found her a day ago, when we washed up against a rocky shore on a small island in the middle of this dark sea. It rose like a spear out of the water, and had hovels and huts ringing around the shore, with more elaborate stone structures crafted and hewn into the rock as the spire ascended. She was fighting at the shore against men with deformed faces, human - yet not human."

"They were sacrificing us to their demon-god, Dagon. Drowning us at the shore. They said that those who gave their soul to their god in the last moments of life would be spared death, while those who refused would perish and serve as lesser minions in death just the same. One by one, my sisters were drowned. All of them came back as undead."

Ingrid raised her chin, perhaps a point of pride there amid obvious anger, that none of her battle sisters had surrendered their souls to save their own lives. The axe woman fell silent, so Alaric continued the story.

"We found her free of her bonds, fighting them, and felt it only right to come to her aid. We slew the fiends and fled before more of their ilk and the rising dead could capture us. We rowed back into the mists, and landed here, where we've now met a pirate and her wicked crew... of three, plus a well-trained parrot."

Alaric took a step closer toward Rovana, his handsome face looking down at her.

"I think I can look past your profession, as it seems like we all need to escape this purgatory as you call it. And those worshippers of that demon god who attacked my ship are going to pay for the trouble they've caused."

Damia and Neku approached the horses and stood by Rovana's side.

"If we're all friends then," Damia said, eyeing Ingrid with a perusing glance, "maybe they can take watch while we deal with this tower. There's a door with a weird symbol on it, thought you might want to have a look."

If Rovana were to conclude on peaceful terms with Alaric, she would be able to get closer to the tower and examine its entrance for herself.

Spoiler

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
The old wizard tower

Rovana let Joe explore, for now the situation being too tense to Hijack her parrot, though if he waited at the interesting bit she'd get a peek in soon enough. When the men tensed her expression actually shifted to a crooked smile. "Aye. Don't blame the messenger." She nodded.

"It be nay the shadowlands, my crewmate can attest to that.. but I guess thats close enough." A percepetive one, Rovana noted. So he hadn't just been handed the title through his noble blood. Between him and Ludmilla and.. if she was honest, Strahd as well, she'd have to revise her opinion about nobles it seemed.

"Wait, hold on, you know its Dagon?" Rovana peeked over to the Rjuven woman. "Oh, I see, you got lucky then. That island is home to a bunch of crazed cultists that try to awaken the for now sleeping beast.. coincidentially, by feeding it -my- soul among others." She shrugged, volunteering her own stake in this to put the men at ease.

"Frankly, I really don't like hearing that. I was hoping those cultists would be glad enough drowning one another, but guess I have to stop dawdling. Damned crazed mage..." She grumbled to herself. She couldn't help but somehow feel responsible.. but then again, challenging Dagons cultists unprepared would just bring her death. She needed to complete her sword and hope that its completion would provide her with enough power to deal with hordes of undead.. then again.

"Your sisters denied Dagon? Good, but I've got bad news for you then. This place traps the soul, if your sisters have not surrendered theirs, they're now haunting the island, waiting to be reborn or brought peace, a fate worse than death, though I bet your escape filled them with joy." Rovana stepped forth and back thoughtfully, a bit too concerned for the ordinary pirate. "I'm no priest, much as your sisters deserve the rest for resisting, every soul Dagon failed to snatch, really, only thing I can do is find what is needed and hunt down the fishmonster." She nodded to the berseker woman.

"Crew of Four. Joe be me lookout, and we don't care for species or gender." Rovana corrected.

She looked up at the noble lord, with a calm smile."Oh nay, that'd be no good. I don't want ye to look past my profession... frankly I be disappointed ye nay heared of the Reaver.. then again, I was not far in my career.." She raised a hand. "Still! I certainly did nay become a pirate to be looked over! Don't let my current noble goals of stopping Dagon delay your oath!" She grinned, extending her arms, with a prideful confidence. "I fully expect to be hunted and deserve to be executed for me crimes. .. once we are back in the great bay. For now, I shall have none more of my homelands taken like you were if I can help it. There be ways to return, ways to hurt Dagon. First step, plundering that tower." Rovana grinned, covering up one of her eyes, going on.

"It's a ruin, but the very highest floor seems in a far better state.. someone lives there.. hmn.. chains you could climb from the ground perhaps..
Me quartermistress has a good suggestion. If I'm here, surrounded by waters, chances are, you'll get company right quick. Keep your hands on your blades, but your eyes on the shore more than anything else."

Rovana stepped up to the door, hesitating, staring at it. "Looks magical." She commented, insightfully. "I'm open to any suggestions for opening it, because frankly, I'm nay good with the magics." She added. She knew one that was, but trying to get the crazed one here would be a whole new bag of issues. Still, seeing a magically closed door, her first instinct was not to try and open it directly, so she moved over, stepping towards the edge of the island, looking into dark water below. "There'd be also one that could fetch it fromout the roof, but perhaps by night, the owner of the chests returns, I'd rather not be there for the occasion... yet, I'd hate to run it aground..." She mused, checking the water-level around the island. If there was a chance to savely come close with her ship.. well, the tower was high, but not much higher than the average crows nest. If she could throw a rope over to the third story of the tower she'd circumvent most if not all the potential traps. Though, that was a long way for even a good throwing arm and a larger length of rope would be too heavy for Joe to simply fly-carry over...

"Fishing hook and line." She snipped her fingers. If she could have Joe carry a thin line to guide a larger rope..

"Any of you got it? Come on me hearties." She addressed the Brecht soldiers. "A proper sailor brings two things even when they crash. To survive at sea ye need a barrel of water, and a strong fishing line. Latter is easy to carry too. As long as possible. If ye have several It'd be good to knot them together. I need a rope to properly climb the tower. Unless anyone here happens to know how to open potentially magically locked and warded doors, I'd much rather board the tower." She grinned.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Ingrid scowled, which seemed to be the natural state of her face.

"If their souls are trapped here, then I must make certain to reclaim them," she said, gripping her axe tightly in her hand.

Alaric shrugged. "I suppose with piracy, it takes all sorts. And if you're that eager for me to chase you and clap you in irons, Captain Dilisnya, I'll arrange for it once we are out of this."

The smile he gave her did not give away whether he was joking or not, nor indeed whether he was using it as a euphemism.

"Climb the scaffolding then," said Blasa, pointing to the old and rotting beams that were clinging to the sides of the tower. "It seems to lead up to that hole in the tower side."

Damia crossed her arms. "The scaffolding doesn't look stable."

"Oi, captain," Jowai said, unclasping his shoulder pack. He took out a length of rope and held it up in front of him, offering it to her.

"No grapple, but if you had yer bird affix it to summat... it'd work."

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
The old wizard tower

"Aye. Dagon has a lot to answer for." She hesitated, then added.: "By the by, avoid the ruler of these lands and his lot on pain of death or worse, they call him Strahd, or 'the Devil' and theres reason for that." She suggested, simply smiling back at the nobles.. promise to iron her up.

"Aye, I know me wood and that doesn't look trustworthy." She agreed, looking up at the tower thoughtfully.

She looked over to Jowai, pondering, taking the rope and weighting it in her hand. "Hrmnn.." She had a good idea what Joe could carry from her... time before. "All hands on deck!" She shouted up to Joe, weighting the rope.

"Good man, always good to have a rope by yer side. Let's try it this way first. We'll toss the rope up and have Joe guide it to a save spot." She nodded, handing the rope back to Jowai, before dropping her backpack, opening her belt and armor, neatly putting it on a pile, with her cloak on top.. which did mean that anyone close had a chance to peek at an exposed vampire bitemark for a moment, but it was still smarter to reduce her weight as much as possible with the fragile old tower. "I'm worried Joe ain't strong enough to pull it up all the way, so we're gonna do this the fun way." She licked her thumb, holding it up, then stepped behind Jowai, chuckling as she put a hand upon his arm. "Ye're stronger than me, but I trust me aim." She'd nod to Jowai, then adjust his aim. "A little at an angle.. ye want to aim slightly right of were it needs to go... Aye there." Although perhaps Jowai wouldn't have needed so much assistance without her being close and in thin garments for her planned climb.

Spoiler

Dex to help aim dat throw:
Roll(1d20)+4:
13,+4
Total:17

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Together with his captain's aid and his own strong arm, Jowai was able to fling the bulk of the hemp rope up to the third floor of the tower, roughly forty feet up in the air. It trailed inside of the rent in the stone. Jow screeched in after it.

A few minutes passed by as the parrot struggled, but eventually managed to tie the rope to the chain in the middle of the floor. Joe then dropped the end of the rope back down, so that it could be used.

"What exactly is inside that tower?" Alaric asked as he watched all this.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
The old wizard tower

"Hooh, good job Joe." Rovana grinned, gripping the rope and testing it, before looking over to Alaric at the question. "Long story short? Gems I need to pay a cleric with to have him lift a curse upon a crazed mage and myself. I shouldn't be long..."

With that, she'd reach out to the rope and pull herself up, grunting a bit at first..

"A bit out of practice.. too much walking on land will do that to you.." She mused, rubbing her hands together and trying again to pull herself up to the third floor.

If she sucessfully made it there and nothing tried to stop her, she'd not to Joe and attempt to climb up the chain to get up the tower.. though she did risk a curious peek to the second floor as well, what pirate wouldn't try looking for riches while at it?

Spoiler

Figure this calls for a few athletics checks to have her pull herself up rope/chain, first kinda meh, then.. heh. ^^

Roll(1d20)+3:
6,+3
Total:9

Roll(1d20)+3:
19,+3
Total:22

Roll(1d20)+3:
20,+3
Total:23

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Rovana's initial ascent to the tower relied on her first stepping on the scaffolding, but this proved to be a mistake. The scaffolding could not take her weight and as she was moving up the outer tower wall, it collapsed underneath her. A quick grip on the rope allowed her to stay hanging from the rope as the scaffold clattered into a heap below her, scattering her companions and a few sailors.

Neku gave her a double thumbs up.

"You're doing fine, captain! Keep it up!" he said with a grin.

Damia clapped a hand over her mouth and just shook her head, but Rovana quiickly recovered and scaled the wall without the use of the footholds, using strength to pull herself up and through the wall into the non-descript third floor. She stepped forward, only to realize in a split second that the floorboards were even weaker than the outside scaffolding. Fortunately her reaction time was quick enough that she could tighten her grip on the rope before she fell through, the rope tightening as she hung down , suspended on the second floor, which was similar to the third, only that she could perceive the top of an iron cage on the first floor, attached to the chains that reached up to the top of the tower. It looked as if the chains were apart of a pulley system, making the cage on the first floor a type of elevator. Dust kicked up around her, making her want to cough.

Joe swooped down beside her and alighted on the top of the cage and blinked up at her.

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
The old wizard tower

"I can never read that guy.." Rovana focused on climbing and rolled her eyes at Nekus cheering. "One..two.. three four, up the crows nest.. there we go, still got it." She informed the third floor.

She looked down at Joe and chuckled.. "Yeah, you are right, it would be easier to try if this thing still works.. lets see..." She'd see if she could spy any mechanism to bring the iron cage up to her level. Lacking that a tug on the iron chains, or, if all else failed, another climbing attempt, this time using the chain itself, would have to get her up to the fourth floor. She briefly considered collecting the robe, but decided to leave it, for now. She suspected the towers door was more easily opened from inside, but one never knew.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

The old tower

Rovana easily swung over to the top of the cage and dropped lightly upon it. She saw no way of getting through the cage from the top. Below in the first floor, she noticed four large statues of clay, shaped roughly like humanoids, each of them holding onto a chain that linked up by pulley system to the ones that ran up to the top of the tower.

At a loss for a seemingly easy way to get down to the first floor without crashing, Rovana began to climb the chains. (Athletics roll of 19!)

She quickly shimmied up the chains, reaching the top floor of the tower to a space that looked relatively comfortable and recently inhabited. All that Joe had seen was indeed here: a comfy bed, chair and writing desk, iron stove, tapestries and curtains and the wooden chest next to the suit of armor.

Everything looked relatively calm. No monster or apparent trap seemed to be waiting for her at the top of the tower, but as she looked about, she heard a commotion coming from down below.

"Oi, captain!" Came Jowai's voice. "Sommat strange is going on with that mist over the water! It's turning green-like."

"Might be best to find what we need, captain," Neku yelled up to her. "You know... so as we don't need to be fretting over the Code's guidelines, as you might say."

 

[Pervy]

Re: A Pirate's (Un)Life for me! (Rovana)

Spoiler

Rovana the exploring pirate captain
The old wizard tower, insides

"Lots of climbing today.." The pirate mused, pulling herself up with one leg slung around the chain.. sure it might be cold and dirty, but falling was infinitely more unpleasant. "And little valuables to plunder too.. oh well, came here with a goal anyway."

"Green mist?" She rushed to a window. "Aye aye, I be coming in a swifty, I'll get me ship ready, stay steady, 'tis your best way to escape!" She shouted, though none but perhaps Damia would understand what she was even on about, as she quickly rushed to the chests, pushing them open and scanning them for gems, which she'd snatch up, more than the two the abbot had asked for, if possible. If this all worked without issue, she'd rush to the paper, grabbing feather, dipping it into ink.. you had to do certain things.

'You've been robbed by The Reaver!' She quickly scribbled on an empty page, before attempting to descend down the chain, first testing her 'opening a magical door from the inside' theory, hoping where there was wards and odd magic guarding the outside, there'd be simply a handle on the inside. And if that failed, well, she could still climb.

Spoiler

Athletics:
Roll(1d20)+3:
9,+3
Total:12

Higher if slinging down a chain is easier and simply acrobatical. ^^