Post by The Smith on Nov 1, 2008 13:06:24 GMT -5
It was crowded below the deck of The Tower’s Flame. As Cyrus Varner and his Loren Irwyn waited together in the darkness. Around them twenty-five men in Irwyn red and green, and twenty-five in Varner black and white. Cyrus was leaning against a heavy wooden crate, wearing black chain mail over boiled leather, under leather surcoat in Varner Ermines, his oak shield over his back. Loren, similarly attired, his surcoat quartered green on red. The Butcher’s Son gripped his axe in his hand, and exhaled. They’d been at sea for several hours now, and still the Red Daggers hadn’t taken the bait.
“Perhaps they saw the trap in their flames,” Cyrus muttered.
“Seven protects,” Loren replied piously, stretching a cramping leg.
“Milords, sails up ahead… With a Red Dagger on white. Looks like three ships.”
“It seems they’ve bitten after all. Men, wait until the first one has commenced her boarding effort, than we spring.” Loren said rotating his axe in his hand.
“Take prisoners if you can get them, if not, don’t trouble yourself.” Cyrus said, as he unsheathed his sword.
There was a tremendous crack as the pirate’s ship crashed along side, rail to rail. There was shouting than, and the clash of steel and on steel.
“Root them OUT!” Cyrus cried, as he and Loren propelled themselves forward up the stairs and onto the top deck.
Once they reached the fresh air they were immediately plunged into the midst of chaos. Men in red scale mail, beneath white surcoats were storming aboard, long red daggers in their mailed fists. Cyrus watched as one of the sailors attempting to raise the signal flag was stabbed down by two of the cultists.
“Loren, we’ve got to get that flag up to signal,” He ducked a slash, and impaled the red-armored man who had assailed him. “Get there! Signal your brother.”
The hammer to their anvil was the other three ships waiting just around the peninsula for the signal which would tell them to sail in and spring the trap. But the watchers on the tiny stretch of land couldn’t signal Dorian Florent and his men on the other side, if the flag didn’t get raised.
“I’m on it.” Loren cried, weaving out of the way of a stab and answering the blow by cleaving the man’s helmless head in twain. “You two with me now!”
Loren battled his way across the deck, his men Ser Baxter and Ser Montague close on his heels.
Cyrus laughed as he side stepped a lunging priest and brought his blade upwards across the man’s chest. The force of the blow sent the man to his back on the deck, dead before he landed. There was no time to savor the victory though, as the Varner lord felt himself thrown to the deck. When he rolled to his back, he found himself in the shade. An enormous man, his face dark from burns and scars, stood over him. The blade in his hand would have been an arming sword in the hands of most, but it was dwarfed in the man’s mighty paw.
“Come into the Light son.” The giant priest muttered as he put his foot down on Cyrus’ blade, and brought the full force of his body down in the dagger blow. Cyrus heaved his heavy oak shield up in time to block the blow, but even so the blade pentrated through iron shodded wood, its tip piercing through the other side, only inches from the Lord of Stoatheart’s breast. The man jerked back and tore a chunk of wood out of the shield as he drew his dagger back near his ear for another thrust.
“Die unbelie-herk!” The giant foe paused suddenly, blood on his lips. He turned around to reveal the young Ser Ryam Flowers, once Cyrus’ own squire had cut the brute with a deep slash across his lower back. Howling with rage the Red priest turned, and smashed Flowers with the back of a red mailed hand just as Cyrus brought his sword up through the man’s groin and out the front of his abdomen. All three men were sprayed with dark red arterial blood, as their foes blade clattered to the floor just a second before his body joined him.
“Thanks Ryam. Let’s get these bastards.”
Meanwhile, Loren and his knights were cutting their way to the stern of the ship where the largest concentration of pirates seemed to have gathered to make a concentrated push to seize the ship.
“here they come. Ser Baxter, Montague, stay close.” Loren warned as the red garbed boarders charged. One crashed against Loren’s Shield, the force of the man’s body making the Lord of Uplands drop to one leg. He retaliated by swiping his axe across the man’s legs at knee height, slicing through ligament and joint with ease, the man tottered to the ground, screaming. Loren sprang to his feet, catching another red dagger man across the chest with a wicked axe blow. Montague and Baxter battered their way forward as well. With those two at this back, Loren ran the Red and Green Irwyn colors up the pole.
And just in time, as he looked up he could see the other two Dagger ships had taken notice that the seizure was not going as smoothly as should have been expected, and were beginning to close with the Tower.
So it was with a notable sigh of relief, as Loren saw the three ships under Dorian’s command making their way around the tiny jut of land. Their captains had picked the spots well. The winds at their back, their sails full, the Hightower ships were coming at a good clip.
The two remaining ships saw now that they had bitten off far more than they could chew, and began to turn away from the pursuing ships, but Dorian’s captain had the angles right, and soon their ships were making a pass, feathering the enemy with arrows before coming along side the hindmost ship.
Dorian led his men over the rail, his long sword held high in his hand. He was not as brawny as his brother Loren, but he was quick, his blade slicing outward like a whip, carving its way into the Red Dagger men that moved forward to make a defense. But the pirates found themselves quickly overwhelmed by Dorian’s Foxes. Dorian directed his men down into the second deck to seize control of the oars.
Results: Cyrus Varner Improves towards Master Sword
Cyrus Varner Improves towards Master Battle
Loren Irwyn Improves to Master of the Axe
Loren Irwyn Improves towards Master Battle
Dorian Florent Improves towards Master Longsword
Dorian Florent Improves towards Master Battle
Ryam Flowers improves Noteworthy Sword
“Perhaps they saw the trap in their flames,” Cyrus muttered.
“Seven protects,” Loren replied piously, stretching a cramping leg.
“Milords, sails up ahead… With a Red Dagger on white. Looks like three ships.”
“It seems they’ve bitten after all. Men, wait until the first one has commenced her boarding effort, than we spring.” Loren said rotating his axe in his hand.
“Take prisoners if you can get them, if not, don’t trouble yourself.” Cyrus said, as he unsheathed his sword.
There was a tremendous crack as the pirate’s ship crashed along side, rail to rail. There was shouting than, and the clash of steel and on steel.
“Root them OUT!” Cyrus cried, as he and Loren propelled themselves forward up the stairs and onto the top deck.
Once they reached the fresh air they were immediately plunged into the midst of chaos. Men in red scale mail, beneath white surcoats were storming aboard, long red daggers in their mailed fists. Cyrus watched as one of the sailors attempting to raise the signal flag was stabbed down by two of the cultists.
“Loren, we’ve got to get that flag up to signal,” He ducked a slash, and impaled the red-armored man who had assailed him. “Get there! Signal your brother.”
The hammer to their anvil was the other three ships waiting just around the peninsula for the signal which would tell them to sail in and spring the trap. But the watchers on the tiny stretch of land couldn’t signal Dorian Florent and his men on the other side, if the flag didn’t get raised.
“I’m on it.” Loren cried, weaving out of the way of a stab and answering the blow by cleaving the man’s helmless head in twain. “You two with me now!”
Loren battled his way across the deck, his men Ser Baxter and Ser Montague close on his heels.
Cyrus laughed as he side stepped a lunging priest and brought his blade upwards across the man’s chest. The force of the blow sent the man to his back on the deck, dead before he landed. There was no time to savor the victory though, as the Varner lord felt himself thrown to the deck. When he rolled to his back, he found himself in the shade. An enormous man, his face dark from burns and scars, stood over him. The blade in his hand would have been an arming sword in the hands of most, but it was dwarfed in the man’s mighty paw.
“Come into the Light son.” The giant priest muttered as he put his foot down on Cyrus’ blade, and brought the full force of his body down in the dagger blow. Cyrus heaved his heavy oak shield up in time to block the blow, but even so the blade pentrated through iron shodded wood, its tip piercing through the other side, only inches from the Lord of Stoatheart’s breast. The man jerked back and tore a chunk of wood out of the shield as he drew his dagger back near his ear for another thrust.
“Die unbelie-herk!” The giant foe paused suddenly, blood on his lips. He turned around to reveal the young Ser Ryam Flowers, once Cyrus’ own squire had cut the brute with a deep slash across his lower back. Howling with rage the Red priest turned, and smashed Flowers with the back of a red mailed hand just as Cyrus brought his sword up through the man’s groin and out the front of his abdomen. All three men were sprayed with dark red arterial blood, as their foes blade clattered to the floor just a second before his body joined him.
“Thanks Ryam. Let’s get these bastards.”
Meanwhile, Loren and his knights were cutting their way to the stern of the ship where the largest concentration of pirates seemed to have gathered to make a concentrated push to seize the ship.
“here they come. Ser Baxter, Montague, stay close.” Loren warned as the red garbed boarders charged. One crashed against Loren’s Shield, the force of the man’s body making the Lord of Uplands drop to one leg. He retaliated by swiping his axe across the man’s legs at knee height, slicing through ligament and joint with ease, the man tottered to the ground, screaming. Loren sprang to his feet, catching another red dagger man across the chest with a wicked axe blow. Montague and Baxter battered their way forward as well. With those two at this back, Loren ran the Red and Green Irwyn colors up the pole.
And just in time, as he looked up he could see the other two Dagger ships had taken notice that the seizure was not going as smoothly as should have been expected, and were beginning to close with the Tower.
So it was with a notable sigh of relief, as Loren saw the three ships under Dorian’s command making their way around the tiny jut of land. Their captains had picked the spots well. The winds at their back, their sails full, the Hightower ships were coming at a good clip.
The two remaining ships saw now that they had bitten off far more than they could chew, and began to turn away from the pursuing ships, but Dorian’s captain had the angles right, and soon their ships were making a pass, feathering the enemy with arrows before coming along side the hindmost ship.
Dorian led his men over the rail, his long sword held high in his hand. He was not as brawny as his brother Loren, but he was quick, his blade slicing outward like a whip, carving its way into the Red Dagger men that moved forward to make a defense. But the pirates found themselves quickly overwhelmed by Dorian’s Foxes. Dorian directed his men down into the second deck to seize control of the oars.
Results: Cyrus Varner Improves towards Master Sword
Cyrus Varner Improves towards Master Battle
Loren Irwyn Improves to Master of the Axe
Loren Irwyn Improves towards Master Battle
Dorian Florent Improves towards Master Longsword
Dorian Florent Improves towards Master Battle
Ryam Flowers improves Noteworthy Sword