Haunted Shoals

[Artur Al'Rand]

Artur stepped into the smoky, dim interior of the King’s Ransom Inn on the rougher side of Radasanth. He dodged rowdy patrons and slicks of foul smelling excretions, gradually making his way to an empty stool at the bar. He sat down, ordering a rather rough, cheap brandy, and inhaled. It burned his sinuses, but that was what he needed on this chilly, foggy day. He was on edge, his animal instincts telling him that this fog was supernatural, telling him that something bad was coming. And the stories the patrons were telling weren’t helping his mood.

“I’m tellin’ ya,” said one drunken sailor. “She ran aground for no reason. Hit th’ shoals square on, ground out the keel. Was missin’ for ‘bout a week, ‘till some put-put fisherbird sail’d out past th’ rock and saw her sittin’ there with full sail. Went to investigate, ‘n she was stripped bare, no crew, no cargo, and no sign o’ struggle. ‘S damn creepy, ‘s what I’m tellin’ ya. Th’s recent bout o’ fog’s unnatural, I’m tellin’ ya. Don’t rightly feel safe to be out sailin th’ routs with th’ fog comin’ up at any time o’ day.” He took several swigs of the foamy mead he had sitting in front of him, as if to calm his nerves, then continued.

“They say it’s some sort o’ lich or sumpth’n, out for revenge. I’m inclined to b’leve ‘em. Damned ‘aint right.” Artur’s ears perked up at this last spewing. If it was a lich, he had to do something about it. Those particular forms of the undead seemed to have it out for the living, and not just humans. All life. And it was Artur’s self assigned quest to protect the balance of nature, no matter how insignificant the change seemed. A lich could undo the whole of this regions balance with no more than a wave of it’s hand. He walked over to the inebriated sailor and his companions, his color shifting cloak jarring the drunken men’s eyes, seeming to blend in with, then stand out from, the background, with the pain caused by this obvious on the man’s face. Artur grabbed a chair and spun it around, straddling it in one smooth motion.

“So what’s this I hear about a lich?” Artur rumbled out questioningly. His stature, landing him above six feet in height, allowed him to stare down at the portly sailor, who barely came to Artur’s shoulder. The sailor eyed him up and down, taking in the well made, thick leather armor Artur wore under his cloak, the recurve bow slung in a quiver on his back, the plain but effective belt knife and longsword that were worn comfortably on his hip. He nodded drunkenly, and spoke up.

“Well lads, looks t’ me like we got ourselves a thrill seeker here. Y’ look like y’ know what yer doin’, too, and all for it. Y’ think y’ can take on a lich, I’m fine wi’ that. Got an island just out the mouth o’ th’ river, Jiet’s rock, holds th’ southernmost lighthouse o’ th’ entrance to th’ river. Supposedly haunted. Lighthouse’s been moved, or so they say, ‘n it’s casuin’ all kinds o’ trouble durin’ these bouts o’ fog we been havin’.” Artur grimaced at a mention of the unnatural fog, and sipped his brandy.

“Looks like y’ don’t like it either.”

“Not in the least,” Artur replied.

“Well, y’ wont have t’ deal with it for long, either way it plays out.” The sailor guffawed loudly, got up, and wandered over to a comely wench to get another drink, and maybe a little more. Artur shook his head, and wandered over to an unoccupied table to be alone with his thoughts.

‘A lich here, of all places. Who would have thought?’

[Silence Sei]

"So that's what they're saying is responsible for the lighthouse," Anita Orlouge mumbled under her breath. She had stopped by the tavern to get a cup of milk for her father while he was investigating a rather mysterious case. It was almost unnatural for such a thick fog to find itself upon Radasanth at this time of year. What was even stranger was the fact that the lighthouse used to guide ships in during such conditions seemed to have been uplifted and moved entirely.

Such a thing was supposedly impossible, but it kept Sei Orlouge at the Radasanth docks, just past the gates of the city. He had tried to find the sporadic shining of the lighthouse every time the fog had started to let up. These times were too few and far between, however, as the telepath could never remember the last place he had spotted the light trail before fog overtook it again.

Anita had been concerned that her father was neglecting his body in order to unravel this riddle. This led her into this bar. It was a good thing too, because the girl had not only caught wind of the fact that there may be a lich involved, but also that someone did not like the unwelcomed fog as much as Anita's father. The girl was intrigued by the scars that peeked out from certain exposed areas on the man's skin. He was obviously a battle hardened warrior.

A warrior her father knew wouldn't have a problem teaming up with.

The girl wearily approached Artur as he sat back at his table. "Excuse me sir," Anita said to the large man, "My name is Anita. I couldn't help but take notice over your concern for the fog. My father has been hearing similar rumors about the teleporting lighthouse. He's planning on an expedition to the shoals where the lighthouse once resided, if you're interested in accompanying him. I'm sure he would love the company."

"If you want to come, the boat will be leaving around eight tonight. It's going to be hard to miss my father on the docks. Not many people on Althanas have butterfly wings." Anita smiled as she turned to walk out the door. The girl in all of her interest to help her father had not realized the mistake she had made. She had instinctively placed Sei's glass of milk on Artur's table when she talked to him. When she left, she had not realized that she left the milk unattended.

Ah the simple thoughtless gestures of teenagers.

[Artur Al'Rand]

Artur smiled politely at the rather excited human, as she motored through the short speech. As what she was saying dawned on the werewolf, he finished his brandy quickly, settled his tab with one of the serving wenches, and left. He exited the door and looked left, then right, seeing no sign of the girl. He chuckled to himself, thinking ‘And so I hunt,’ as he inhaled deeply, and followed her scent.

It led him through the streets, towards the docks, exactly where the girl had said to look. He walked swiftly, but didn’t run, so as not to draw attention to himself, but the cloak drew eyes anyway. It wasn’t often that a woodlands cloak was seen this deep in the city. Suddenly, he was face to face with a shopkeeper trying to ply his profession on Artur.

“You look like a proper woodlands type, lad. And you look awful well off. Can I safely assume that you’re a hunter, then?” the shopkeeper said smoothly, barring the way for Artur. He smiled openly, and stepped back, allowing Artur to make the choice.

Artur smiled back, thinking that he could catch up to the girl and her father later.
“Yes sir, I am. Would you be needing my services? I tend to deal in furs, but going from deerskin and beaver pelts to cuts of meat isn’t a very great stretch for me.”

“Good, good. I noticed that you were in a bit of a hurry, so I’ll make this quick, lad. I’m in need of a rather large amount of meat, for some noble or other, and I’ve got all my usuals out hunting, but it still won’t be enough, so I’ll offer you fifty gold a buck, as soon as you can get it. Can you do this for me?” The butcher frowned at the mention of the noble, and looked pleadingly at Artur.

“Not immediately, but within the next few days, I should be able to.”

“Thank you lad. You’re a lifesaver. Just hope this terrible fog clears up soon, or nobody’s going to get anything.” The shopkeeper motioned for Artur to continue on his way, and headed back for his shop.

‘Back on the hunt’ Artur thought, and picked up the trail again, whistling merrily, with the prospect of guaranteed money in his future. He followed the scent down a dock to a small coast skimmer, in the final stages of preparation for travel. He looked over the deck, but saw no one but the crew. He climbed up on deck, looking for anyone who even appeared in charge.

[Silence Sei]

Sei stood looking out towards the sea. The waves were still lightly crashing upon the oak beauty that called itself the S.S. Protector. How fitting it was that the 'Protector of Radasanth' be riding in a boat that held the namesake of what the people called him. Sei's eyes shifted towards a man scouring the deck of the boat. He seemed to be trying to find something, or someone. Sei found the target this strange man sought, as Anita looked towards his form and greeted him with open arms.

Sei could not hear what they were saying, so he decided to come down and have a better look. "Thank you for letting me examine the Crow's Nest," Sei spoke to the sailor who manned the outlook. The man simply nodded to the mute as a sign of saying 'you're welcome'.

Two large butterfly wings sprouted from the back of the hero. Vibrant blues and oranges covered his back as the wings began to beat. Slowly, they lifted the mystic into the air. Sei flew downwards towards his daughter, allowing the sea wind to carry him to his targets. As he shifted his feet downwards for the land, he could see the man a bit better now. Anita always had an eye for the strong warriors.

"You must be the one Anita also said was concerned of the weather. Welcome to the SS Protector. My name is Sei Orlouge." The mute stuck his hand towards Artur as a gesture of greetings to the lychan. "I am sorry if I am intruding in your head. I have no physical voice to speak of, no pun intended. This is how I communicate."

Anita looked to her father and then back to Artur, a smile beaming on her face. "The Captain said we're free to go anywhere we want to get to the bottom of this. I don't know if the lighthouse is the better idea, or if we should look into the locations of the downed boats." Anita looked over to Artur. It was his investigation as well, he had a claim to say where their heading was.

"What's your opinion Mr...I'm sorry, I never got your name?"

[Artur Al'Rand]

Artur frowned slightly at the mutes extended hand, wary of shaking it without knowing the extent of this Sei Orlouge’s abilities. If he was capable of reading thoughts, Artur was in trouble already, but the lycan had heard of telepaths who were not strong enough to intrude on the mind without physical contact. They could send but not receive. Artur fervently hoped that this particular telepath was not one of those that read thoughts through contact, and after an uncomfortable pause, reached out his hand and shook Sei’s. The werewolf felt no mental intrusion, but wasn’t sure he would, even if he were looking for it, so he remained on guard.

Anita then began to rattle on about how the captain had volunteered his ship for passage wherever they may have needed to go, and Artur smiled. ‘Its amazing how they immediately trust me,’ he thought. ‘But then again, I immediately distrust anyone I meet.’ He began to formulate a plan to get to know the lay of the land and move up on the lich, all in one move, without sacrificing stealth or advantage. Then it came to him.

“Methinks we should hit the grounding points first, check them out,” he mused, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Then we should move up Jiet’s rock by land, toward the lighthouse, and see what we see. A move by water would probably be futile, with the very strong possibility that whatever we’re about to face has prepared for a sea attack. But He/She/It won’t be prepared for someone to move up by the one weakness, but also strong point, in it’s defense. After that, we should be fine. But stealth is key.” As they began to digest that, Artur caught a whiff of wolfsbane and other beastie fighting impedimenta, and solidified his resolve not to trust humans at all. Frowning, he answered Anita’s query to his name with a noncommittal grunt that sounded something like Artur, but not quite. Realizing that this might lead them down the wrong path, he spoke up, answering “Artur Al’Rand, at your service.”

[Silence Sei]

Sei watched as the man's nostrils flared up during Anita’s ramble. Judging from the facial cues of his newfound friend, the mute deduced that he smelled something was amiss. Looking towards Anita, Sei thought of what this man could possibly have smelt that attracted what seemed to be a slight of fear. It hit Sei almost instantaneously. There were a few things in Anita's enchanted backpack that would strike fear into certain people.

The wolfsbane, the mistletoe, the holy water... Sei began to take inventory of the items Anita had that could prove harmful to creatures. The holy water was in a glass bottle, so it probably would not be the culprit for Artur's senses. That really only left the anti-werewolf materials Sei had sent Anita for a couple of days ago. In truth, the items were a precaution taken by the mute so something like the Cell (which involved a lycan Letho Ravenheart) would never happen again.

Sei's eyes shifted back to his traveling partner. It was easy to guess that there was now more to Artur than met the eye. Sei would not pry into his compatriots history for now, as he felt the scarred man would explain in due time.

After taking in Artur's suggestion and entry point, Sei nodded. The grounding points would more likely lead to some clues as to the watercraft destructions. Sei looked to Anita and smiled. "We have our heading, dear daughter, inform the captain immediately." The girl nodded with a mock salute to her father, and headed down below the deck. Sei's gaze met with Artur's once more.

"I suppose I'll stay above deck and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I still have some of my former vampyric senses, so I can probably see in the mist better than anyone else on the ship. You are more than welcome to keep me company, if you'd like?" Sei was trying to keep his inquisitive mind in check. However, he had already figured out that Artur was some form of werewolf by the subtle clues the man gave off. The mention of Sei's former vampirism was merely a way to try and fish a story out of the man.

Sometimes people can not help their natural instincts.

[Artur Al'Rand]

Artur nodded, looking out over the bow of the ship, into the soup of mists. ‘So he was a beastie too. Huh,’ was the first thing to pop into Artur’s mind at the mutes comment. The next thing was to wonder why he had changed himself back, instead of keeping the enhanced abilities of a vampire. ‘Must like being human more,’ Artur thought. ‘Though he’s not entirely human, especially with those wings. Maybe I can open up to him. He should understand.’ Finally, Artur laughed.

“If I can’t see in this stew, I doubt even vampire blood would help you see any better,” the large werewolf commented roughly. He crossed his arms, left hand on top, with the light glinting off of his ring. And then grinned evilly, letting a little of his wolfish heritage seep into him, as common courtesy dictated he do with others of the monstrous races. Not enough to alert the humans around him, except maybe a highly perceptive one, such as Sei.

“Your daughter is really packing for a fight, I would think, and some of that stuff was rather fresh. So either you knew already, or something has happened in the past to make you wary of monsters. Which is it, if you don’t mind?” he asked, reverting to full human. “You’re the first vampire I’ve met.”

[Silence Sei]

Sei caught the smile and nodded his acknowledgement to the wolfman. The mute then walked past Artur as he inquired about Anita's heavy arsenal, as well as the mystics past. The telepath closed his eyes as he remembered that fateful day in Radasanth. After all, if Sei wished for his kinsman to open up, the mystic warrior would have to do the same.

"In truth, it's both." The mute said when he opened his eyes to the thick mist once more, "Long ago, I was betrothed by a female vampire. I knew what she was, but I didn't care. I loved her with all of my heart. She was injured, so I took her in and took care of her. I got too careless, let my passion get the better of me, and she transformed me in her own lust. I woke up the next day to find her gone, and myself with a new pair of elongated canines." Sei turned back to the wolf with a smile.

"The anti-lycan materials were not for you, however. You see, recently I participated in the tournament known as the Cell. In it, the great hero Letho Ravenheart transformed into a werewolf himself. He could not control the beast’s actions while in that form. Though the wolf did not harm me due to my own skills, I am always one to prepare for a 'next time' scenario." Sei finished his explanation as the wind began to pick up on the boat.

His gaze shifted upwards to see the sails filling, he turned to the helm to find a sailor turning the wheel with all of his might. The journey was about to start. Sei shifted his gaze back towards Artur, still smiling politely. "What about you? Have you always been of werewolf lineage? Or were you turned into the beast as I was?"

[Artur Al'Rand]

Artur snorted at Sei’s comment about his love for the vampire that had turned him, thinking to himself that it wasn’t much reciprocated, and therefore not worth it. Then he snarled when the mute mentioned Letho Ravenheart, and how he had shifted, but lost control.

“Fucking Mutt,” Artur cursed, rather embarrassed for his race. It was animals like that who gave the werewolves a bad name, and it was animals like that who had forced him to run. A group of Mutts had attacked his pack, killing everyone he had cared about, and they would have killed him if it hadn’t been for his old alpha giving his life to hold the mutts while Artur escaped. He felt horrible about it, the fact that he had gotten away clean while the rest of his pack had died, the fact that he could have done nothing to turn the tide, that he hadn’t seen the buildup of mutts before they reached critical level. He blamed himself for the death of every single pack member, even though he knew, intellectually, that he could have done nothing to help. The burden of leadership, and he hated it. But that was what had made him such a good Alpha. He cared about each and every person he was responsible for. But he had lost too many people to ever show it. He turned to face Sei in response to his question, and answered.

“I’m not sure if I’m a natural born or not, but for as long as I can remember, I have been like this. I’m kind of a born leader, and I was told that things like that in werewolves only happen in natural borns. But I have this pendant, supposedly from my parents, so I’m not sure.” Suddenly, he was hit by a wave of nostalgia, and it tried to push him under. Sadness contorted his face, and he looked away from everything.

He managed to pull himself out of the muck of his memories in time to see a crewman approaching him and Sei. He turned to the mute and smartly saluted. He was obviously ex military, and he obviously had a job to do.

“Crewman Ames, sir. The Captain wishes to speak to you and your friend in his cabin, if you would oblige him.” Then he turned around and left.

[Silence Sei]

Sei stood and listened to the lychan. The man's mystery about his birth and whether or not he was a 'natural born' intrigued Sei. The mute felt a kinsmanship with Artur, as Sei never found an explanation to his own butterfly wings. No other mystics possessed such appendages, and his family always seemed just in the dark about it as the telepath himself. The mute turned to the crewman once he noticed that Artur had shifted his eyes towards the intruder.

The Captain requested them, eh? Well, Sei was not one to disappoint the people. He nodded to the man and began to make his way to the Captain's cabin. Each step the mute took creaked the wood beneath his heel. Sei was confident in the durability of this ship; it had lasted over two hundred voyages without needing extensive repairs once. The only other ship the telepath was more sure of not breaking down was the Doom Raider.

Then again, this was the best the navy had to offer. Nobody could compete with the Doom Raider pirates or their indomitable Captain Lucky Raider. Of course, as they never harmed an innocent person, Sei left Lucky and his crew alone. They were, after all, simple vigilantes like him. The mute pondered where his friend had gone to in the years since he had been away.

"Papa, you with us?" Anita asked, snapping Sei back into reality. The girl was standing by the Captain of the ship, who eyed both Sei and his new companion. "Now, what the Captain here wanted to say was..."

[Artur Al'Rand]

The captain moved forward, interposing himself between Anita and the others before she could reveal sensitive information.

“What I wanted to say,” he stated, “Was that we are on our way and on course. And I would like you and your guest to join me in my cabin for dinner, if at all possible.” The man fidgeted, and was obviously nervous about something. As he led them back into the dining area, he turned to Sei.

“We’ve got a bit of a problem. Some of the crew is getting the idea that this is a death sentence. They’ve heard the rumors about the lich, and they’re none too happy about it. I’ve got a feeling that it may lead to a mutiny in the near future. I have a small group of loyal crew that I can trust to keep the ship if there is a mutiny, but I need them all. So that means that you either have to land with a group of the others, or none at all. I don’t like the idea of it, but it’s the only way you’re going to be able to get off of the island after all this business is over.”

Entering the dining area in the main cabin, Artur scented the feast laid out on the table. Ham and venison, potatoes and other vegetables in a stew, and other simple but elegant tidbits that he had no idea what to make of. A rather simple layout, but to the lycan, who had only ever eaten cheap meals at inns and food he had cooked for himself, it was set for royalty.

“Quickest way to a mans heart is through his stomach,” he muttered, quoting his old Alpha.

[Silence Sei]

While Artur had been focused on the smell of the foods that they had been presented with, Sei was already running through many different scenarios in his mind. No boat would mean at least a day's wait for their return. It had taken them at least half a day to navigate through the heavy fog. Though there was a possibility of the Avatar of Alerar being able to get rid of the thick mist, he couldn't guarantee that the ship would not have to traverse through a boat graveyard. It was safe to assume at least twelve hours both ways.

The second scenario was about the crew. The Mystic understood their fear, it was basic human instinct. If Sei himself had not proven his worth over and over, the people would fear him too. Even more so if they knew what Artur truly was. The telepath deduced that the men willing to stay with the trio were probably the bravest, as well as the most level headed of the bunch. As Anita went forth to the table to eat, Sei's eyes met with that of the captain's.

"If you could send a couple of men to accompany us, that would be wonderful," Sei said to their captain. The blue orbs of the former vampire went over to his lychan friend, the Mystic's friendly face all but gone as he formulated different strategies in his head. The boat would soon arrive at its destination, and now would probably be the last meal the group had before making landfall. It was best they filled their bellies now.

"Let us eat for now, and then we'll hopefully be able to raise this bog that has plagued us."

[Quentin Boone]

Due to the age of this thread and the fact that Artur Al'Rand has been inactive for over two years, I will only be providing feedback and rewards for Silence Sei. If you ever return, Artur, and want to receive rewards for this thread, please PM me and I will ensure that you do.



Silence Sei
Strengths:

You move the story on at a pace that keeps the reader interested without it feeling rushed.
Your use of NPCs does a good job of making interactions varied.
The use of references to past events adds to the depth of the story and gives motivations for your characters.


Weaknesses:

You don't really describe the setting which makes it difficult to picture where your characters are.
Far too many of your sentences start with 'Sei...'. A bit of variation in sentence structure will help to add flavour to your writing.
Sei's dialogue comes across as far too dry and doesn't really help show his persona very well. While this may be a stylistic choice, it doesn't seem to fit with the character.




Silence Sei receives:

1392 EXP
72 GP


Congratulations!

[Lye]

EXP & GP Added!