Never shall we die...

[Lavinian Pride]

Closed to Torin Rheakari

"Are you sure its safe here Sarah?"

The tiny voice that espoused the question belonged so a small six year old girl. While she was dressed in a small dress it was obvious she was well taken care of, while the dress was not. The occasional stain dotted it even if the girl herself was clean. Her brown eyes looked across the small rowboat where another person sat, constantly rowing, ever onward, ever tirelessly.

"Just because the captain was too much of a coward to actually enter the port doesn't mean it's not safe. Besides, we're only moving through town. Besides if you think this place isn't safe, Otaria would have had both our heads by now," Was the patient response. The person rowing the boat continued to row, and despite the labor intended, she did not seem to tire of the act. Her brown hair was a mess, tussled across her face as she focused merely on rowing, heading for the small inlet that marked Etheria Port. The place had become run down in the years since the Black Sails Armada had fallen apart.

The woman rowing herself was a sight to behold. Her clothing tonight was a sports top and shorts that clung to her skin, despite the spray of the occasional wave against the side of the rowboat. Her brown eyes were unfocused, unconcerned as her thoughts were elsewhere, even as the rowboat navigated the bay. Finally she sighed as she stopped and let the boat rest in the small harbor. She was still a few feet from the docks as she pulled the oars into the boat, lest they be clutched by a particularly strong wave.

The little girl looked up at Sarah as she said softly, "I'm worried about you Sarah, why are we here? We were fine in Radasanth..."

Sarah carefully pulled her hair back before a leather thong was tied tight to catch the long locks. She then reached into her bag and pulled out her daggers, slipping them across her waist. The belt drooped a bit letting the belt seem precariously placed about her hips, not that she minded much. She then carefully locked the oars back into position before she pulled up to the beach. The girl then spoke, "Sarah?"

"Seth visited us, we weren't safe there, not anymore. We need a new place to hide..." Sarah replied softly.

The girl seemed frozen in place as she heard the name Seth. For her the name was a mixture of happiness and sadness. Happiness that the man had some how survived, despite the other woman's claims, what was her name? Liliana? Lily? She couldn't remember it had been so long ago. She had often tried to forget those times, that life, and live in the present, like Sarah. Sarah however reached out and with a gloved hand gently played with the girl's hair before she said, "Kid, I'm trying to protect you, I couldn't remain there, not if Seth knew how to find me. We'll make a new name here."

[Torin Reahkari]

The bell has been raised, from it's watery grave, hear it's sepulchral tone.

A call to all, pay heed the squall, and turn your sails to home.

The seas be ours, and by the powers..Where we will, we'll roam.

Torin sat on the edge of the crow's nest in the Snowbourne, staring out into the calm waters surrounding Alerar.

What had happened here? What had gone so horribly wrong? A few kids with a ship looking for some fun. And now..it was an abandoned shithole. A forgotten relic, an abyss of squalor. Etheria had lost what little glory it had built in one fell swoop. It used to be such a beautiful place. Torin remembered back when he and Matthias first showed up on the beaches where Etheria was located now. Seemed like such a long time ago. A lifetime ago. And yet things were worse than ever. Borna seemed to drag the Black Sails Armada, Etheria, and Torin’s spirit down with him when he fell in battle here. So now, Torin had nothing. Nothing except the Rangir. Maybe it was time to head back. Stop living as the Dark Rogue, start living as Serigae’s Vessel.

He stopped focusing on his problems, staring out into the dark horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and he stared out to it, thinking of how many nights he had spent in that same spot, staring out at that same sun.

‘That’s not an Alerian ship..’ Torin muttered, staring out at a small carrier. He stood up, staring out at the ship slowly getting bigger. Surely they weren’t docking here, in Etheria? No one had made port here since... Well, since the Dark War. Since Torin’s home, his people, fell apart.

Again, he was lost in his own thoughts, when a small rowboat was lowered from the ship. From what Torin could make out, there were two people in the tiny boat, but still too far to recognize. Too far to tell.

Torin started working his way down the riggings, trying to hurry to the shoreline. He wanted to know who was coming to his port, his home. The boy got close to the deck and let go dropping to his feet. He felt Tanzalis tug at his back a bit, but kept his balance. The pirate made his way across the still clean deck and down the gangplank. He slunk down the docks, noticing the boat getting very close to the Port. The rogue sped his pace up, finally reaching the sand just as a woman in a tight top and shorts pulled her boat onto shore.

‘You know it’s five gold pieces to dock your ship here, right?’ Torin joked, a smile caressing his face. The girl turned around, her brown eyes piercing Torins own.

‘Hold on…I know you. You look very familiar…’ Torin sighed, scanning his head.

‘Wait, you look like…Seth.’

(Bunnying approved by Lavinian Pride.)

[Lavinian Pride]

She had barely pulled the boat on shore before she found herself being halted by someone. Sarah felt instinct kick, even as she had kept to the shadows in the waning sunlight. Immediately she spun in place facing her potential threat. The waves lapped lazily at the beach pulling at the boat, but it was too entrenched in the sand now. Kid had frozen in the boat at the sign of danger. Dagger was drawn as a curt phrase was tossed at Sarah’s charge, "Stay behind me."

Her eyes tore into the eyes across from her, even as she knew the light was fading. She sought secrets, information, more, and yet he didn't seem keen on giving them up. Still she held the blade at the ready as a slander hand was placed on the sister blade she now carried. Her eyes grew cold when the man before her mentioned Seth.

"Seems no matter how far I run, no matter what I do, I'm still in that bastard’s shadow..." Sarah muttered to herself as she twirled the blade and relaxed the arm, placing it in the holster on her hip. As she looked at the large sword she spoke, "I suppose you knew Seth, if you're comparing him to me-"

Her voice caught in her throat as she looked upon the man. Finally it clicked just how Seth knew this man. Technically she knew him too, or at least had known of Torin Rheakari. They had both been in the Bandit Brotherhood, and he was around for the rather, embarrassing transformation. That mean he knew at least eh basics about her, if he knew her at all. She however, knew quite a bit about him. They had after all fought side by side in the...

"...Rangir War...you're Torin. That means..." The vixen stopped in her tracks before she sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Well, Fate decided to screw me a good one tonight. I suppose you want to know who I am, and why I showed up on your shores."

"My name is Sarah Dahlios, and I'm trying to start over here in Alerar."

[Torin Reahkari]

'Sarah Dahlios?' Torin asked. Seth had never told Torin of a sister. The last he remembered, Seth was transformed by Maia into a woman, and donned the name Sarah.

'You'll have to explain exactly how you came to be. If I remember right, Seth was turned into a woman by Maia and called himself Sarah during that time.' Torin said, furrowing his brow. How is this possible? He looked past the woman, staring out into the same spot he was looking at from the Snowbourne.

'Well, look. I can appreciate the situation, wanting to start over somewhere new. But the sun is just about set, and the tide's coming in, so unless you like sleeping on the sand, I suggest you two come with me to my ship to discuss some things.' Torin added, noticing the child sitting quietly in the boat.

'This could be the time to bring the Armada back from the dead...' the rogue thought, turning on his heels and walking back towards the dock. Torin knew he'd need the help, and who better to do it than a Dahlios? The only possible way to make it easier would be to get Seth himself, but the boy knew nothing about the Thief's current whereabouts. Also the added bonus was she knew of the Rangir War, which made the Shadows that much easier to explain. Although how she knew about it without existing at that point would be a question Torin would tackle later on.

'Etheria is a good place to make a fresh start. Well..it was. I myself started anew right in this very spot with a boy named Matthias Vinkuzri.. a long time ago, it seems.' Torin sighed yet again, staring out at the small port city he loved so much.

'Sarah...tell me what you know about the Black Sails Armada.'

[Lavinian Pride]

Sarah's face darkened at the mention of "that day", a day that would forever live in infamy to the Bandit Brotherhood members who endured it. It was a day of pranks taken over the edge, and into a realm that produced strange people like Sarah. It was a day of toilet humor, and in the end unknowing betrayal all around. Torin was obviously on guard, especially since Sarah knew Seth never talked about family much. Hell even mentioning Maia’s involvement in that horrid week was more than enough to illicit a groan from Sarah’s lips.

As they walked towards the boat Sarah held her hand out for Kid, who graciously took it and stepped upon the sands. They moved steadily towards the ship as he continued to talk, explaining the situation of the harbor. It was a pretty straightforward explanation, and a definite place to begin anew. Torin’s intentions however were exposed for her when he finally he turned to her and asked about the Black Sails Armada.

"You’re pirates, I know that much easily. Then again, with a name like that, you aren't necessarily hiding it. She looked back at kid before she continued, "Other than that, only rumors and hearsay. Some say the leaders tore it apart, some say they just disappeared all together, and the remains tore it apart. All I know, is it is not exactly a lovely group," Sarah replied firmly.

Kid seemed to lean in closer to Sarah, who instinctively picked up the little girl. Their boots crunched in the sand while she clung to the Vampiress she whispered, "He's not normal Sarah."

Sarah gave Kid a soft smile before she said, "Neither are we darling."

"I still say we should be careful," She said softly. Sarah nodded before they began to rise up the gangplank. The girl had a point, while Seth was friends with Torin Rheakari, Sarah was not by technicality. They had a lot to discuss, but first, a few sage words of advice for the man.

"I will say this much Torin, for as long as we're together, I'd appreciate not talking about Seth, he's a bit of a sore spot for us, and I don't like the man at all," She said simply as she stood atop the deck. Overlooking the area she let a soft sigh escape her lips before she looked at the Dark Rogue and said, "So, where can I put Kid? I'm certain she doesn't want to be around for these boring talks..."

[Torin Reahkari]

'Pirates, looters, band of brothers. People have a lot of different names for us.' Torin called, flashing a grin at Sarah and looking back at the child trailing her footsteps.

'The leaders, eh? Yeah, something like that. The other leader..Mathias, he felt that I wasn't doing my job very well, provoked a civil war in the Armada. When I heard rumblings of it, I started to rally my own people, but then he disappeared. I left not long after, and the Armada self destructed on itself, reducing it to what you see. Not a lovely group? This used to be a home for everyone involved. Now, it's a city of nothing, home to no one.' the Time Mage sighed. 'Except me.' he tacked on, trying to instill a little faith. He looked back at the girl, who was picking up the kid that was following her every step.

'Neither are we, darling.' Torin heard, making him wonder what the child had said.

'Here we are. Home on the waters. One of the greatest warships Althanas has seen in a long time, the Snowbourne.' the boy exclaimed cheerfully, strutting up the gangplank to the ever familiar deck.

'I will do my best, Sarah, but Se-...He has been a big part of my life.' he said, adding another smile. Quickly noticing the look on the girls face, 'But like I said, I'll do my best.' the Dark Rogue tacked on hastily. She stared out over the railing, emitting a small sigh. Torin recognized that look. The love of freedom, of the open air. No rules, just the sea in front of you..

Sarah asked where the kid could go while they talked, and a sheepish grin crossed his face yet again.

'Uh..she can go down into my quarters, I guess. There's a Tye Sanafar plushie and a model of Etheria down there, maybe she can play with it, or something.' the boy said, unlocking the doors leading to his room and showing the child into it.

'We'll go back up to the deck.' Torin called to Sarah, leading her to the back of the ship.

'Alright, I'm just going to lay it all out for you, and give a quick rundown of the Armada.' he began, staring out again into the water.

'Contrary to popular belief, the Black Sails Armada was not started by Mathias and I. It was actually created by a pirate named Nan Jing, a man who had his own ship and similar ideas for a group. You know, pillaging, pirating..scouring the seas, the whole bit. But something..I don't know, something went wrong. He just disappeared with the ship one day. No crew, either, so we couldn't figure how he got the damn thing out of the port. But with no leader, we were just a bunch of kids, we didn't know what to do without someone telling us to. A girl..Straska. She took over. Tried to, anyways. She just didn't have the right edge for the job, and few listened to her, and after not too long, she deserted us too, leaving the Armada shipless, leaderless, and in shambles.' another smile crossed his face as he took out his cigarettes and lit one up.

'Anyways, Mathias came to me with to rekindle the flames of the Armada, and we went to Radansath to find Ithermoss, and seek help from him. After sharing our idea with him, I guess he saw promise in our plan. He fronted us some money to purchase materials from the Bazaar, and to buy land where ever we wanted to set things up. We built the Snowbourne here with help from members of the Red Hand, and sailed off to Alerar, and started this..Etheria Port.' He paused again, taking another drag of the cigarette.

'Anyways, here we were with a port, a ship, and hope. Word of the Armada being back and stronger than ever spread fast, and people began to get interested. I guess I trusted the wrong person though. I heard rumblings of Mathias no longer trusting me as a leader, and planned to take over the Armada himself. He disappeared though, before anything happened, leaving me to lead a group that was split completely in half. I tried my best, but the group fell apart soon after the Dark War with Borna Venar, and the Rangir.' Torin finished, exhaling hard.

'And that brings us up to now, leaving Etheria run down, me living in the Snowbourne, and the Armada long since gone...'

[Lavinian Pride]

Sarah quickly let Kid down before she said firmly, "Just don't break anything." She then gave the girl a wink before she smiled and gently pushed the girl towards the room. Kid seemed to nod and ran inside before Torin closed the door behind her. Kid obviously knew Sarah was only making fun of the girl. Kid had never shown an inkling of childish spirit in her. Perhaps it had been her upbringing as a slave meant solely to feed vampires. However, Sarah had gone to work to break the training they had instilled.

Still she was more than certain the little one was going to sit politely in the room, waiting for Sarah to return. She sighed as she followed Torin up onto the deck and he laid it all out. He spoke of a Dark War, which seemed relevant to the group’s history. To Sarah it was another boring footnote that seemed unimportant. Seth had helped to defeat the darkness with the Rangir war. There was no need to worry about such things. Sarah merely took it all in before she nodded softly. Her eyes thoughtfully looked out over the sea before she spoke, "Well, let me explain a few things to you, since we're in the realm of honesty..."

She leaned against the railing before she looked over at Torin deadpanned, "I'm undead, a vampire to be precise. Now, I picked up that you seem to think I can resurrect this little band of Pirates you had. Fair enough, I got something you want, and you obviously have something I want. Anyone that could find me would have a hard time if I never stay in one spot long. I no longer have to lay wager that the fields of Khu'fien will protect me."

"So, that leaves merely negotiating the fine details. Obviously you have your wish and I mine, so let’s lay it all out on the table and see where we coincide. Get lucky enough and you just might have a first mate to your ship," She then waited solemnly as she played a hard front. Obviously she was going to say yes, but perhaps her vampiric nature was playing on her, as she desired to get as much as she could out of this. It was too perfect to pass up, but if she hard balled it, she could perhaps get something more for her and Kid.

The moon had begun its ascent in the east making a western path trying to race after the sun, illuminating the deck. While Sarah was used to such low light conditions she couldn't help but feel at home already on the Snowbourne. As she gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face she let her arms drop down once more to cross in front of her chest. A soft smirk lighting up her face as she almost felt her dead hear flutter. She was excited again, for the first time in awhile, and perhaps this is what she desired.

[Torin Reahkari]

'A vampire...' Torin replied, taking another drag. Undead? What was he getting himself into?

'That shouldn't be a problem.' He added, leaning his elbows on the railing and looking over at Sarah. 'Make no mistake, there was nothing little about the Armada. You were correct in assuming I hope that you'll help me bring it back to it's former glory, but this group, even if it is just thieves and pirates, but it still needs your respect.' the boy shot at her, feeling a small amount of anger rise in him. This woman clearly wasn't one to take crap from anyone, let alone a boy she had just met.

'As far as negotiations go..What I need is not a first mate.'

Again, another drag of his cigarette. He flicked it into the water, standing up and crossing his arms across his chest. His eyes crept to the sky for a moment, realizing the moon was full, hanging lazily above them.

'From what I can tell, you and your child need a place to stay, call home, and be safe in. Clearly the fact that you're both alive suggests that you can protect yourself, but it does get tiring. I can offer my own protection, the protection of the group, and due to our ties, protection of the Red Hand. I can offer you my home in Noria as well if you feel the need to stay in a city away from Etheria while we're docked. What I want is not a first mate, but a leader. I want you to help me rebuild the Black Sails Armada, and lead it alongside me. Once we get enough members, you will be able to either steal or build your own ship, and it will be your ship to name, maintain, and staff. All I ask is for now you help me recruit members, man the Snowbourne, and bring Etheria and the Armada back to it's former glory.' Torin stated, looking back into Sarah's eyes.

'In addition, you will also be entitled to choices in the direction of the group, as well as gold.' the boy added, squinting as he realized he forgot something. A smirk crossed the girls face, and Torin returned with a warm smile.

'I have not much else to offer, the Armada and Alerar are my life, and to you, I offer both.'

[Treze Reahkari]

Etheria Port. Another standing ovation to all of Torin's achievements that cast a large and inescapable shadow over Treze's own. The assassin casually strutted along the sand, staring lazily out into the water.

"Bastard." escaped from his lips, overlapped by a low breathe.

He finally hit a small path, leading into the actual town of Etheria, but town might not have been the word to describe what laid in front of him. He wasn't even sure if anyone lived here.

________________________________________

"You have to return."

"I don't see the point. The Armada is long since gone. The Resistance, the one your forces have lost to twice has crumbled down to I believe just Torin himself. He no longer has anyone, why should I bother going back to that shithole he calls home?" Treze replied, angrily pounding his fist on the table in front of him.

"Because if you really want to learn what I have to teach, you will follow my orders." replied the cloaked man.

"This is absolute bullshit, Borna. you promised me magic. You promised me Time. I have done everything you have asked up until this point and I have nothing to show for it."

"Then you have not been paying close enough attention. Word is that Torin is back. Back from his secluded life on the Snowbourne to show every being on Althanas what he is capable of. I hear whispers of his name constantly, but only in reference to what he used to be, not what exists now. But in these whispers, I have heard other things. He is looking to bring back the Armada, and possibly bring back the Resistance. This can't happen. I won't let him win again." Borna replied stoutly, removing the hood of his cloak to stare at Treze.

"I don't see why you worry. Without Mathias, without the Rogue Brothers, there won't be another Armada. And without that unorganized clan he called the Alerian Resistance, without Damon Kaosi, Velius Demorio..Seth Dahlios, he will not have the manpower to fight back against the Rangir. Damon's gone, replaced with a child unlike the hero that helped fight you. Velius, although powerful, was lost to the annals of history after the fall of his group, the Grey Braves. Even Seth, I have heard is dead...finally." Treze shot, a grin crossing his face. How he hated Seth Dahlios.

"I would rather be safe. Ride to Etheria and report what you find. Go."

And with that, Borna waved Treze out of the room they had been talking in.

"This is bullshit." Treze thought to himself, making his way to the stables.

________________________________________

"This is bullshit." again the thought crossed his mind, remembering the conversation he had with Borna Venar weeks previous. As he reached the docks, he softly made his way towards the Snowbourne. He looked up to see Torin and a woman speaking, but the girls features were blocked from the light of the moon behind her. Treze slowly lowered himself off the dock into the water, careful not to make one sound. It would've been so much easier just to kill Torin here. Why Borna didn't simply crush Torin now, when the boy could not defend himself, Treze would never know.

'...you to help me rebuild the Black Sails Armada, and lead it alongside me. ...all I ask is for...man the Snowbourne, and bring Etheria and the Armada back to it's former glory.'

"Fucking water." Treze whispered, fighting hard to keep his ears out of the water. He listened hard, but it seemed as though Torin was finished speaking.

"So Borna was right.." he thought to himself, still treading water.

[Lavinian Pride]

"Bold words," Sarah began as she kicked off from the railing and slowly paced about Torin, studying and observing him as she moved about. Leaning against the wheel she finally continued, "Obviously the group meant a lot to you, or you wouldn't chase it vehemently. I can respect that, since I belong to a group similar to that. The Lavinian Thief's Guild is just as tight knit, and I would rather die than see it go away."

This wasn't exactly a textbook case. While she was allowed to be part of other groups in Althanas, her loyalty was never to waver from the Lavinian Thief's guild. However, she could do a lot of good, especially if she became a transport for the thieves. Still, she was more than sure this was the best she could hope for. Share of the loot, share of the decisions, share of the leadership. This wasn't exactly a common offer in Althanas.

She brought a slender finger to her lips as if in thought before she nodded, "I can get behind that definitely. My ship, my rules, I could see a lot of gold coming of that. Plus the protection of Kid is what I cared most about. I guess that just leaves how I get fed, since I'm obviously not normal, I guess I'll just have to keep a pet goat or something."

She then looked at Torin, "Alright, I'm in. I guess all that leaves is getting the crew for the Snowbourne and heading off to get more crew. We'll work a bit, I'll get the hang of running a ship then I'll just get my own." She then crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for Torin to say something, anything. The moon hung listlessly in the sky as it slowly passed overhead; silently counting the time till Sarah was forced to sleep.

She wasn't sure how this arrangement could work, but she was desperate to get it to. Everyday she found herself changing in small ways. Perhaps it was the death of the Humanity left in her, or perhaps it was her vampiric instincts kicking in, but Sarah was fighting a losing battle against the hunger and desires within her. Still, if she could hold out, she could protect Kid, and be happy for once in her sordid life. If not, well, there were plenty of places she could go, and Alerar was merely the tip of the iceberg.

A hand rose up to brush a stray strand of hair from her face as she waited in the pregnant silence.

[Torin Reahkari]

"Bold words."

'I don't say things I don't mean.' Torin replied, glancing at the woman strutting around him, eyeing him up. He countered by watching her head to toe as well. He waited while she spoke and leaned against the wheel of the Snowbourne.

'This group means more to me than most know. Mathias himself has no idea exactly what this group is to me. I will do whatever it takes to keep it alive. I have no issue sharing leadership, it makes it easier to make the decisions that benefit the group with someone to help.' Torin replied casually, pushing his back off the railing and standing straight.

'As far as feeding..Inside me..somewhere..there is a creature, a symbiote. These symbiotes can't live without hosts, and for the most part, the hosts are human or a hybrid of drow and human. These things, Shadows, are part of the Rangir, which you already knew about. Anyways, I've had an..issue, I guess, with invaders from the Rangir hitting Etheria. Assassins, mercenaries..Whatever. All courtesy of Borna Venar.' Torin began, taking out another cigarette and lighting it. 'This constant stream of them heading here leaves a lot of bodies that you can feed from. If one happens to cross my path, I will kill it and leave it in the brig for you. If you find one here, you can do what you need to do. If that works for you, that is.' Torin added, taking a drag.

'Now that you staying is official, I'm glad you mentioned crew. I have members of the Rangir that split from Borna's factions and joined the Alerian Resistance stationed not far from Etheria. One can teleport, so he'll be very useful, and another is a telepath, again useful. I will send word to them to gather here. They can stand in for a crew for now, but I'd rather them be keeping tabs on Borna and the Rangir, so we'll use them to show Alerar and the rest of Althanas that the Black Sails Armada is back and strong, hopefully drawing in new members. Sound good to you?' Torin smiled, walking over to the girl and holding out his hand.

'Oh right. The kid. Of course she can stay here on the Snowbourne as long as you'd like, and then on your own ship when you acquire it. I assure you, between the two of us alone she is well protected, and once my men arive, even better so.' Torin added, still holding his hand out.

'She is quite beautiful. I don't see the resemblence to Seth, though.' Serigae muttered.

"I agree. But that look in her eyes...Must be a Lavinian thing. As soon as she mentioned Dahlios, I knew she wasn't lying.' Torin replied warmly. Things were looking up for him and Etheria. Maybe this was a sign.

Maybe she was a sign.

[Lavinian Pride]

Sarah looked down at the hand before her. Part of her was tempted to slit open her palm in the tradition that was rife through Lavinya. However, she couldn't, not as a vampire, that'd be tantamount to siring the young Reahkari. As she looked upon the hand her own graceful hand gently entered his before she shook his hand firmly. Purposefully holding back some of that vampiric strength to not give away her assets, at least not yet.

She had only entered the bay in the hopes of finding a nice quiet place in Alerar, a place far from the eternal shadow that was Seth Dahlios. While she didn't hate the man, she didn't trust him either. He was far too unfocused now to accept as mere fact. Still, this was a new beginning, a chance for her to actually start anew. Reforge the Dahlios name, back to the thieving name it had once been. Back when Seth was Lavinya's poster child, and she was a mere whisper in the back of his head.

A better time, a safer time.

Her thoughts ventured to Kid, and she knew then and forever what had to be done. The girl would probably stay with Sarah until she was old enough, then it would be up to Darith to actually train her, and prepare her for the world. Sarah nodded softly as he ideas and thoughts for the future finally came together. Even as the moon hung high in the starry night. Sarah finally sighed as she leaned back across the railing.

As she nodded softly she looked down at the deck of the ship, his ship, but no less hers now. A wistful smile played upon her face before she looked back at the young Pirate, "So, where are we off to Captain Reahkari?"

[Treze Reahkari]

"Shit. If they're going somewhere..Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this." Treze thought to himself, reaching up and pulling himself onto the dock, sure to make as much noise as possible. He raised his hands up over his head walking up the gangplank, until he was met with the point of Tanzalis.

"Quick to strike people down there, little cousin." Treze muttered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

'When it comes to crap like you, very. I was actually just informing my friend here about likes of your Rangir.' Torin snarled, pressing the tip of the blade closer to his cousin's throat. If he used even a quarter of his strength..

"Yeah, about that. Turns out Borna's a bit of a fraud, and had nothing to teach me. Frankly, I'm pretty sick of taking shit from him all the time too. I want to join the Armada." Treze returned, a cruel smile lighting up his face.

'Right. I'm supposed to believe that Borna's not going to send in a spy now that he knows I'm back. Fuck that, Treze. I can't trust you.' Torin replied, taking a step closer and readjusting so the blade of Tanzalis was now a mere hairs width away from Treze's throat.

"I'm not asking you to trust me. You're the captain of a ship made for pirates and you're talking about trust? I'm asking you to let me be a part of your crew." the assassin replied, dropping his hands to his side. At least the part about trust was the truth.

Inside, Treze was squirming. What was wrong with him? Since when did he feel guilt? It was his cousin, and he did harbor many ill feelings towards him. And yet, at the same time, he felt as though he was doing something wrong today.

But how he felt didn't really matter. He had sworn allegiance to Borna, and that was it. Torin was blood, but the Rangir was an oath, and Treze never backed out of his oaths.

[Torin Reahkari]

(I won't bother redoing the entire bunnied conversation between Treze and Torin, so I'll just use the line as where the conversation took place in my post.)

A smile flashed acrossed the boys face as Sarah shook his hand. That was a pact, and if what Torin knew about Lavinians was true, it would never be broken.

Suddenly, a loud splash and the clunky sound of bootsteps on rotted wood. Without a second though, the Time Mage had Tanzalis out and pointed one-handedly at the entryway to the Snowbourne.

'Treze..' Torin hissed, pushing Tanzalis a little closer.

_______________________________________


Let this snake become part of his crew? True, they were a group of pirates, but that would be a new low.

'If you can give me one good reason why I shouldn't pick you up and hurl you right out of Etheria, I'll let you join.' Torin replied sullenly, his eyes shooting hatred into Treze's.

"Well, we are still blood related."

'That excuse ran it's course the time you tried to kill me in second Rangir battle. And then the Dark War in Ettermire. No, you have to earn the right to be a Reahkari again. You don't even have a Shadow. He doesn't even trust you to be a real part of the Rangir, so why should I about the Armada?' Torin was spitting pure vocal acid now. He could actually see the words knock his cousin back a bit.

"I'll tell you what. I heard the bit about needing your previous Resistance members as a crew for now. Instead of them keeping tabs on Borna, I'll let you know exactly what's going on with the Rangir." Treze offered.

Torin mused about this for a second. He wasn't even sure he could believe anything Treze said. Being around Borna for so long probably gave him the ability to bullshit his way out of anything. But he was blood...

'Fine. One word to Borna about the Armada though, one false move, and you're finished Treze, do you understand me?' Torin replied, sheathing Tanzalis and pointing to Sarah. 'This is Sarah. She is the co-captain of the Snowbourne, and the co-leader of the Armada. She gives you an order, you do it before she finishes saying it. You are a Cabin Boy, and nothing else until one of us says otherwise. And we will be watching.' the pirate finished, staring out into the ocean. Suddenly he remembered that Sarah had asked them where they were going.

'Back to what we were talking about, Sarah, that's a very good question...' Torin sighed, turning to look at Etheria. He felt an ache fill his heart. This place had been his home for such a long time...

But it needed to be done.

'Well, we need to find more crew members, or another ship. I'll send word to the Resistance members, and then we'll sail to the easiest place to find people with less morals than most..Corone.' Torin continued, a smirk crossing his face. Maybe he'd even stop in the Citadel while he was there.

[Christoph]

General Notes: *insert general introduction and comments here* All right, let’s get on to the judgment!

Continuity: 5
Ironically, continuity actually started off decently in the first post but then declined as several references were made but not explained as well as they could have been. I’m sure it would make sense to someone more well-versed in the histories of the two characters involved, but not all readers are. I got the feeling that the thread was more light and casual, rather than anything serious. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as you’re having fun, but the score reflects it. But again, if you’re having fun than it probably doesn’t matter to either of you very much.


Setting: 6
Not bad, not great. The setting wasn’t ignored, but I definitely didn’t feel immersed in it at all. Partially, I would attribute it to the dialogue focus of the thread; there’s only so much you can do with the setting when the characters are just talking to one another. Still, I feel that there could have been more.


Pacing: 6
First, avoid repeating dialogue. I’m sure you both should know that it gets annoying to read. It wasn’t a major problem by any means, but when you’re both bunnying from time to time in the thread anyway, there’s no reason for it. On a related note, the exchange between Sarah and Torin at the beginning didn’t flow very well, with a given post containing a few lines of dialogue, and the next one replying to each line. It didn’t flow naturally, and again, since you both seemed comfortable enough with bunnying, it should have been very easy to avoid.

Other than that, the thread fell into the Pacing pitfalls associated with this sort of light, casual “meet up and talk about things” style of thread. The interaction started quickly between the two characters without any sort of build-up or established significance, and then it didn’t build into anything more. As I said in Continuity, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with this type of thread, but don’t expect JCs. =p


Dialogue: 6
See the comments I made under Pacing. Other than that, it wasn’t terribly bad, though it seemed a bit unrealistic at times. Again, though, it really got to be annoying to read three or more different lines of dialogue from the same character, all of which were then replied to by the other character in that order.


Persona: 6
Wasn’t terrible, could have been worse. This was a short quest filled with dialogue, but despite that I didn’t get as strong a feel for the characters as I would have liked. It also struck me as odd how all the characters came together. It was all too quick without proper development that would have helped it make sense. There were some good things in there, though. I got a good glimpse or Torin’s ambition and Sarah’s attitude toward her vampirism. I also liked how Sarah and the kid interacted in the first post.


Action: 6
This wasn’t an epic quest filled with big battles and fight scenes, but a thread doesn’t need to be in order to have good action. I felt that everyone did a decent job in giving the characters a little life here and there, though I think you could have gone further.


Technique: 5
Torin: You used a lot of fragments, which I normally don’t mind if they serve a purpose. I don’t think most of them did. Lavinian: Early on, you tended to overuse “then” in your first post. The problem disappeared for the most part as it went, but I would still recommend reading your posts out loud before posting them. That technique should go a great distance in helping your posts flow better.

Other than that, there wasn’t anything particularly bad, though there could have been much more done with literary devices. The writing was very simple, which again convinces me that this was just a light thread.


Mechanics: 8
Aside from fragments and an occasional typo, it wasn’t bad.


Clarity: 6
Aside from plot issues, I usually had a good feel for what was going on and wasn’t often left confused on a technical level.


Wildcard: 7
It was a decent read. It wasn’t astounding, but it was okay. All threads don’t need to be masterpieces to accomplish desired ends and have fun. I'll be keeping an eye out for the Black Sails in the future.

Total: 61

Lavinian Pride receives 1,340 EXP and 150 GP
Torin Reahkari receives 1,340 and 150 GP
Treze Reahkari receives 345 EXP and 75 GP

[Taskmienster]

EXP and GP added.

Lavinian should have been at level 4 anyway, so I corrected that.