It's not stealing! It's liberating! (CLOSED)

[Lady Scarlet]

(closed to recruited)

The day had dawned dreary, wet, and chilly. Though it was not currently raining, the heavy, grey clouds above looked as though it would start again any minute. This kind of weather did not typically bother Scarlet, in fact she loved the sound of rain. But she only liked that sound on waves, not cobblestoned streets and tin roofs. With a sigh, she pushed open the door to The Salty Dog tavern.

The typical smells of a tavern populated entirely by seamen and dockworkers assailed her nose immediately. The peculiar blend of sweat and seasalt wasn't exactly pleasant, but neither did it deter her from frequenting these types of establishments. They were often the best places to find a crew. The difficulty there, of course, was that she did not have a ship.Without a ship it was remarkably difficult to get even a skeleton crew together.

A sigh escaped her lips as she took a seat at the bar and ordered her usual ale. An older gentleman took the seat beside her and ordered whiskey. He'd watched over Scarlet since long before she called herself Scarlet. He saw the frustration behind her green eyes at being landlocked for so long. They'd been here for a month now and the longing for the sea was affecting them both. At least they'd survived the wreck that put them here. He wasn't sure how many of the crew had managed to survive, but he was certain that if the lookout on duty had manged it, he would be wise to be sure to never cross Scarlet's path again. Sleeping on watch was not something she tolerated. The fact that the man's slumber had also resulted in the loss of a ship and who knows how many lives greatly angered the fiery-haired woman.

“What seems to be troublin' ya, lass?”

Nelson looked up silently cursing his lack of attention. A small statured man had taken the seat beside Scarlet completely unnoticed. He was dressed in the usual pants, ratty shirt, and boots of a dockworker, but there was something about his demeanor that put the older man on his guard.

Scarlet tried to put on a brief smile, “Just missing the sea, friend. Lost my ship and my crew about a month ago. I've been stuck here ever since. I'm sure an opportunity will come up. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”

The man looked around briefly then spoke in a lower voice, “What are yeh willin' to do to get back to the sea?”

Scarlet's eyes narrowed suspiciously, “What did you have in mind?”

“If you want a ship, why don't you just take one?”

Scarlet chuckled at that. “Do you think that hasn't crossed my mind? But I have only myself and Nelson here. Can't sail a ship with only two people, and no one wants to hire on to be crew when there isn't a ship to crew.”

“What if I told you I know someone who will pay for the... liberation... of ships in the harbor? Anyone you hire gets paid the same as you, so you don't have to split it amongst yourselves. You might even be able to sail away with a ship of your own.”

Scarlet perked up at that, as did Nelson. They knew that Corone had recently gone through a civil war, though they had managed to stay out of it. They also knew that this city and surrounding area was all that was left to the Empire. Getting a ship out of the harbor would not be a simple thing, but to be at sea again was extremely tempting. She remained silent a moment longer then leaned in a little closer.

“How much?”

The man looked quickly around, checking for eavesdroppers once more, “300, per ship, per person.”

“And where are they going?”

“Any southern port will suffice. You get your pay with this.”

He surrepitously slid a small piece of paper across the bar. Scarlet hid it away without looking at it. “Done. I assume getting a crew is my responsibility?”

“It is. Do we have a deal?”

“We do.”

The man nodded and slipped away. Scarlet turned to Nelson. “It seems we may at least be getting some money,” she smiled.

Nelson did not share her smile or apparent confidence, “Just how are you going to steal a ship out from underneath them?”

“Shh, just wait. We just need the right people for the job.”


An hour later rumor could be heard in every tavern and dock that Scarlet was looking for a few people for a job. The details of the job were sketchy, but the rumors spoke of a decent payout. Satisfied that word of mouth would get her the kind of people she needed, the shipless captain relaxed, drank her ale, and waited for applicants to arrive.

[matthewkuch]

Gavner flattened his back against the wall, of a shadowy alley, his black attire blending in with the darkness all around him. The smell of mold and trash filled the alley, insidiously overwhelming all who entered- Gavner knew that his target would not last more than a few minutes in this place. Keeping his breaths silent and his profile minimized, the vampire slowly inched his head to the building’s edge, looking around the corner. Virtually no light found its way into the alley, as the clouds impeded most of the rays from entering the shadowy place, but the darkness was no match for Gavner’s eyes. Large bags of trash, most likely neglected for weeks were stashed along the walls of the buildings that made up the perimeter in puddles of stagnant water. Boarded up windows and doorless frames gloomily watched over the alley, abandoned and lonely.

At the end of the alley, Gavner barely caught sight of movement before it disappeared around the corner. His eyes also detected the faintest glow on the wall behind the target. Pausing for a few seconds before stepping around the corner, the creature of the night sneaked through the trash laden passage, the soft tish tish tish of his light footsteps echoing throughout the alley. When Gavner had reached the end, he once more kept a low profile against the bulding’s wall and looked around the next building’s edge, trying to keep visual. Noises from the morning business of a moderately used street were flooding in through the alley as the man man, who had now reached the end of the passage, was now turning the corner and approaching it. Faint light from the dreary day softly illuminated the end of the passage, and Gavner briefly saw the man’s face before he disappeared.

Mentally instilling the target’s young, tall face with a small nose and attractive complexion, Gavner began to run down the stretch in hopes of catching a glimpse of where he was going. The water began to splash up, dampening Gavner’s pants as the musty air began to irritate the back of his throat. Suddenly, he burst around the corner and for a split second, he saw the thin man’s walking into a building before an explosion of heat descended on the Gavner. He quickly stepped back into the shade of the alley and buried his face in his hands, desperately trying to cool his complexion down from the sun’s evil rays. Thinking quickly, Gavner whistled with his fingers and continued nursing himself. Opening his eyes, the vampire looked around the alley and began blinking furiously to fend off the giant white splotches impeding his vision. He heard the splash of somebody landing in the alley from a jump, and Gavner looked up to see the silhouette of a hooded man crouching before him.

“You signaled me?” He asked.

“Yes,” Gavner said rubbing his eyes, “The target walked into the tavern across the street.”

“Maybe our golden boy has a taste for the hard stuff. Either way we need to see what he is up to in there, we don’t want our target getting himself killed in a bar fight or squealing to somebody else before we can get to him.”

Gavner looked down at the hooded man in thought. Lucius was his name, and he was Gavner’s partner in the mission that he was on for the Ixian Knights. Apparently, in Radasanth, a man had advertised a technological breakthrough that he had allegedly made with gemstones and steel to make a cheap, more powerful, and less expensive alternative to Prevadailia metal. Nobody knew his name, because the engineer behind the technology had a public face, but once he went public with his discovery multiple private organizations began trying to find the brains behind the invention. Jensen, the leader of the wetworks team, had given Lucius and Gavner orders to track this man down the engineer and extract his synthesis methods before disposing of him. So far they had tracked him to this port city, but they hadn’t managed to isolate him yet.

“I suppose the sun still has its effects on vampires, even on cloudy days,” Lucius said noticing Gavner’s rubbing his face.

“Yeah, yeah, let us go over to that tavern before the kid somehow gets himself killed.” Gavner grumbled.

After pulling up his hood and taking a deep breath, Gavner made his way across the cobbled street, down the dirt path and to the tavern with Lucius. As soon as he entered the building, Gavner instantly slunk to the corner farthest from the bar and took a seat at a small table for two and began nursing himself from the sun’s heat that was taking its toll on him. Gavner, at this time, was feeling a tad bit nauseous as he placed his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand. Soon thereafter Lucius sat down at the table with a bottle of red wine and began pouring it into two glasses. The creature of the night glared around at the tavern, his glowing red eyes the only aspect of his face visible through the dark shadow casted by his hood. Light from the lantern behind Gavner shone under Lucius’s shawl, revealing his pale green eyes and long, bony face that was devoid of life. Anger burned eternally in his demeanor, and Gavner could tell that every sense of his was on edge, prepared for anything.

“Do you have visual?” Gavner asked Lucius.

“Not currently, but I saw him at the very end of the bar in the direction behind me.” Lucius replied.

The vampire scanned the bar and saw the face that had been burned into his head in better light. He was a scrawny little fellow who had a crop of short blond hair and dull brown eyes. His nose was small, and his youth and social inexperience showed as he stood out in his torn and ragged clothing. The young engineer couldn’t have been older than seventeen. He was talking with a tall, rough looking man- undoubtedly a sailor- who had short blonde hair that resembled peach fuzz growing from his head.

“I see him,” Gavner said, “I will listen to his conversation now.”

Gavner began to watch the boy’s lips, waiting for the young engineer to speak so that the creature of the night could match a voice with the face.

“No,” Gavner watched him say, and then began to focus his supernatural senses on the boy’s conversation.

“You said no questions,” the young engineer whispered. “Where is the crew that you told me about?”

“The captain goes by the name of Lady Scarlet,” peach fuzz replied, “She is here, in the tavern.”

“When can I sign on? I need to get out of here before anybody else starts following me.” The boy replied.

“Follow me, I can get you on right away.”

Gavner stopped listening and watched as the boy and his consultant began to approach a table surrounded by sailors. Looking back at his partner Lucius, the creature of the night rolled his eyes.

“Our target is signing himself on to the crew of a ship in hopes of leaving the country.” Gavner said, hoping that his partner would not say what he was dreading to hear, “How do we interrogate him without others becoming suspicious? It seems to be rather difficult to isolate somebody who is constantly surrounded.”

“Oh Gavner,” Lucius said, “I thought you would be quicker than that. I hope you like sailing, because we are now two deck hands looking for a ship.”

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

(Sorry for my delays Chelley I'll kick up the pace with you from here on in!!!)

The Salty Dog was a favored hang out for many of the local ruffians.

The man once belonging to the Cormyr Household, was one of the many local ruffians.

Word spread of the job at hand, Dyne listened to the rumors and whispers, and even a contract offer slipped into his possession. He was a crafty fellow, one who did not limit himself to the restraints of law. His recent allegiance to Alerar proper, cut off all previous loyalty to Corone. War-torn as she was. Dyne sat at one of the tables of The Salty Dog, conspicuously close by to where Scarlet and her companions stood. Dyne kept his eyes closed, he wore a hat those days, and had gave up his previously long hair. He was bald, and had a stern demeanor about him. Almost a dark one. His hat lay on the table next to him.

A story for another day brought Dyne back to Corone during that particular visit.

His eyes shone with a fierce intellect, one that seemed almost supernatural.

People who were smart...stayed away from the Alerarian.

He sat there, smoking a tobacco pipe, the sweet smell suggesting a particularly good chemical make up of the substance.

Dyne exhaled from his nostrils, which implied he was an experienced smoker.

A lot had changed for the mystery man.

First, he was a young psionic that belonged to the Cormyr house. But that was long since over. He'd been outcast from his house, stripped of any titles he'd previously obtained, and worse, without purpose. That's when his travels lead him to Alerar and he was taken in as a bastard son. Dyne went through vigorous training to be accepted as a member of Alerar society, and finally, finished his training and became a son of Alerar. Dyne, gifted in the arts of the psionic, became powerful in a short period of time. He studied hard, and became more and more enamored with Alerar's harsh way of living. Most specifically, The Drow. Or "The Cursed" according to their cousins from Raiaera. Dyne listened carefully to the words flowing across the aether. His concentration capacity had grown in a short period of time. Dyne worked hard to master the newer capacity of his growing power and abilities.

The form in his possession made the man consider the possibility of employ.

The contractor was currently in the tavern still, which would make things that much more convenient for the handsome stranger.

Dyne reviewed the information on the contract sheet for a long moment, studying the names. He had no knowledge of current guilds in Corone, he'd been out of the game in Corone herself for over twenty years. He'd spend a lot of time in Alerar undergoing the harsh training he'd undergone. One of the waitresses walked towards Dyne but kept her distance.

"My lord, I see you have the contract slip. The job contractors are currently sitting at their table waiting for help to come." The waitress said pleasantly.

Dyne blinked stared forward, intensely, concentrating. His eyes were nearly wide, and then they narrowed. He smoked casually, then after a moment the waitress spoke again.

"My lord...?" The waitress asked.

"I heard you just fine." Dyne snapped. He put out the cigar in the palm of his hand. A familiar sensation of diluted pain burned through his arm but he relished it. A dark mark of soot and cigar substance appeared where he'd pressed the cigar down. Then he looked at the waitress for a moment. "I shall go see the contractor and inquire about the job. If the pay is good, I will assist in the job." Dyne said.

He then gathered his things, most importantly his Alerar style hat, and placed that on his head. He stood up and walked towards Scarlet's table. He had the contract slip in his possession and would refer to it.

"Is your job offer open to anyone?" Dyne had to know...he had to ask. His eyes narrowed at that point and he had a very serious expression on his face. When the money was good...Dyne would tackle any job.

[Lady Scarlet]

The small man that came to her seeking a job didn't look like he'd be of much use to Scarlet. However, desperate times called for desperate measures, so she'd take anyone she could get. Stealing a ship right out from under the Empire's nose would be no easy feat. After giving him instructions on where and when to meet later, she sent the man on his way. With a sigh, she turned to Nelson.

"I really hope we get at least a couple more capable people. Otherwise this won't end nicely for us."

Nelson nodded. "Agreed. Looks like you have another prospect coming over."

Scarlet turned back to face the latest job-seeker.

"For the most part. I'm looking for a small crew that I can trust to complete the job and not screw it up. This is going to be a somewhat delicately balanced job that require everyone to do their part precisely. Pay comes when we get to our destination.

Currently docked is a brigantine called Amazon of the Sea. She sails in the morning. If you are still interested, meet me tonight in front of her. I will give everyone the plan then. I would suggest that if you're going to join me, that you make sure that you have affairs in order for leaving Radadanth for a bit.

Any questions?"

She waited quietly for an answer. Taking the moment to size him up. He was certainly a much better candidate than the scrawny blonde she'd just spoken to. Maybe this would work out after all and she would finally have a ship of her own again.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

(Okay am Posting my post now, good think I saved it.)

Is she for real...? Dyne thought to himself for the briefest of moments.

She's offering payment for the job basically up front. I've got time to kill so this should be entertaining for a while at least.

Dyne listened to her speaking for a long moment and carefully considered the situation at hand. Think I've seen that ship a few times...wonder what she wants there...? His eyes were pensive and deep in thought. He rubbed his chin and looked at the woman as he listened to her. There were several folks present, some were probably interested in the job, others probably were not. He didn't know the woman, so he didn't know her habits and life style. He only knew that she was offering a paying job. I wish I had more information but I can wait until tonight. The pensive man thought. Then he spoke to her.

"I'll meet you there. Tonight. We'll talk business then..." With that, Dyne tipped his hat to the woman and those present.

Dyne would go ahead and return to his hotel room and meet her at the allotted hour.

He prided himself on being a professional. And such men always got the job done.

His eyes narrowed and the staff of the bar maneuvered away from the dangerous man.

The maid that spoke to him earlier walked over towards one of her superiors.

"Who is that man?" She asked.

"He's bad news is what he is. Stay clear from him lass, don't want to see you hurt by someone like him." The superior said calmly.

"Maybe...but I'll make up my own mind about him." Her gut told her...there was a deeper story to that mystery man.

***

Dyne never slept.

The prostitutes he'd sacrificed for his demonic overlords were still freshly bleeding in the single bed in the hotel room. Dyne had appetites, and was a man of many scruples. He smoked a tobacco pipe and sat in the room naked as he waited for the allotted time to begin the new job he'd been hired for. He rarely stayed in the same room more than once. That day though, he'd had a particularly deep appetite. He'd fed in excess of the flesh, the sex had been great and his demonic overlords were pleased with his sacrifices. He listened to last breathing of the three women he'd killed in ritual sacrifice. Three. The appetites were getting worse as time went on, but he did not care. He merely lusted more power. The book in his possession, The Demonic Compendium, taught him secrets. And those were secrets he would take with him until the day he was no more.

Dyne had forged a new identity for himself.

Carved in flesh, and wearing the mantle of blood.

Several daggers gleamed in the dark as he waited for the allotted hour.

The demonic necromancer smiled in the dark.

His power was shaping up nicely.

A presence stirred in the darkness, it was a demon that he'd called for the job at hand.

One at my front, one guarding my back...

The demon was a lesser demon. It's glowing red eyes were familiar to the necromancer. It was of the imp family, its wings capable of flight. He had dark grey skin, and could speak in the mortal's common tongue. Dyne knew that the demon had been eating the flesh of the dead women he had given it. The demon had a name, Hretheng. But Dyne would not speak the demonic name in the tongue of men unless he was asked to do so.

"Ambitions are fuel for us. They make our kind strong." Hretheng said calmly.

"Is the hour upon us?" Dyne asked.

"Precisely to the hour and minute." The imp said calmly. The imp had intelligence and was clearly capable of planning it's own schemes. However, it was also bound to Dyne.

"Then let us not keep that lady waiting." Dyne said.

Approximately about twenty minutes later, the finely dressed gentleman approached the doomed brigantine. The markings of the chosen vessel were visible upon the hull. Dyne saw the woman up ahead and made his way towards her. He wore a cold expression on his face, but he was a professional. Such things as expression, courtesy, were all bullshit control mechanisms anyway. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the woman and cohorts. Dyne kept his demon close by, the imp rested on his shoulder. It's wings folded. He stopped a respectful distance, of a few steps, away from his employer. He looked up at the ship for a long moment. Then he looked at the woman.

"The hour has come." Dyne said. "What is it that needs doing, boss?" Dyne asked carefully.