Van Diemen's Land

Fri Dec 20, 2024 11:34 pm

Jagged and uneven, stone spires burst from the low-lying fog like the weathered rib cage of a long-since-slain behemoth. Nearly invisible against the white-gray sky, gulls dipped and dove between the rock formations, their shrill cries occasionally piercing the salty, morning air. Caught between a cycle in the tides, the water that lapped at the base of each spire remained still, allowing a lone sloop to slice soundlessly through the fog as it wound its way ever closer to the shore. For the first time in quite a while, the eastern coast of Key Country would play host to humanity.

Standing at the sloop's bow, a lone figure gazed upon the alien landscape. It was a world apart from the Western Continent Frey Pendragon had departed just weeks earlier. The world of hills and grass he grew up with had long since been replaced by the desolate coastline now spread before him. Yet, as he watched the gulls flit about the spires, a quiet certainty stirred within him. This was the right path. Somewhere in the heart of Key Country lay the key to his destiny.

The journey started nearly a month earlier at a steamy saloon in Hot Springs country. There, a shifty-eyed woman by the name of Naiomi Hanzo had leaned across a table, her raspy voice barely rising above a whisper as she sold Frey and his sister a navigational chart detailing the location of a tomb hidden in Key Country. She was certain it held the remains of some long-forgotten royal. Unlike his sister, Frey wasn’t entirely convinced, but after months without a lead, he was willing to follow even the wildest of hopes. And so, thousands of ryo and a chartered sloop later, they had arrived.

"Morg," he called over his shoulder, joining his voice with the gulls. "Wake up, we're here."

The siblings still had a long path ahead of them.
---
WC: 317
TWC: 317

Fri Dec 27, 2024 2:14 pm

If one could but remain dreaming, then all their wishes may come true. Yet those wishes would be as that of the shooting star, brilliant and brief and beyond arms reach.

The saying stirred in the woman's mind as her brother's voice cut through the veil of wake and rest. There were few better places to sleep than that of a ship, even one such as this. She had found the back and forth of the waves relaxing and had barely been able to keep her eyes open through the journey. Still as she rubbed at her eyes, she couldn't help begrudgingly agree with her closest kin. "Was there ever a more noxious awakening conceived than that to one's brothers voice?" She said stretching both arms and legs straight up before making a move to actually stand.

Reaching under her coat she would remove a flask, taking a quick shot. The warmth the liquid provided at odds with the chilling sea spray. "If I was going to hide a tomb.... this is a good place to go!" She'd say her voice more chipper belaying the fact just a moment before she had been dead to the world. "I told you Fae, how could this not be the place." She'd used a nickname she'd bestowed upon his unwilling self from their childhood. A time where such frivolities had been all the more at hand...unlike now.

Her own confidence was at odds with his skepticism. In truth she had her instincts and the story of it all to go off of, but life was far from that of a fantasy novel. Patting herself down she walked closed to the edge of the vessel, taking out a spyglass she had "acquired" at the same tavern where they had purchased the map. Scanning the outcrop she soon found an entrance revealed by the wanning waves. "Ahoy!" she'd shout, before looking back to her brother, "Is that what they say?" She'd ask with a quizzical all be it bright face.

TWC - 335

Sat Dec 28, 2024 12:03 pm

“Was there ever a more noxious awakening?” he repeated dryly, casting a glance back at Morgana. “Yes, yes there is actually: having to listen to the snoring of my dear sister all night. I don’t understand how you get a wink of sleep on this thing.”

As if to chastise the ship itself, he slapped the railing with a dull thud before returning his gaze to the shore. Frey could endure many things: the sharp bite of the blade, the lingering sting of regret, and the hollow ache of a life lost. But the endless, stomach-churning toss of the sea was not a foe he had come up against before.

Dark circles ringed his eyes, a testament to restless nights and a constitution ill fit for the tossing and turning of the waves. Early into the voyage, he often found himself at this very railing emptying the contents of his stomach into his sea much to the amusement of both the crew and his ever-cheerful sister. How Morg always seemed to find her footing in even the strangest of locations was always a marvel.

In a bittersweet twist of fate, his seasickness passed in time only to be replaced by sleepless nights. It seemed as if the sea conspired against him getting a good night's sleep. The rise and fall of the waves, the creak of the ship, and, of course, his sister’s snoring, every aspect of the trip felt designed to thwart sleep. What little sleep he got brought dreams of dry land, a place where both his footing and resolve had always been much like the earth: solid.

“I’m still not sure,” Frey countered Morg’s optimism with his well-practiced pessimism. “Let me take a look.”

He held out his hand for the spyglass. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his sister, but rather he wanted to see for himself. Ok, maybe he didn’t fully trust his sister—she had a penchant for getting too caught up in things, especially when it involved adventuring.

“Hmm,” he said, peering through the spyglass. “It does seem to match the charts, and the location should be right too...”

A wry smile crept across his face.

“Maybe you’re on to something, Morg,” he admitted before calling over his shoulder once more. “Captain, we have our heading! If you can find a place to moor nearby, we can make our own way.”

The captain, a gray-haired woman by the name of Ashi Sendai, responded with a curt nod and a jerk of the ship’s wheel. She was a woman of few words, but she had brought the siblings this far, which had to count for something. Neither Frey nor Morgana could have guided the ship as she did; without her, they would have surely found themselves trapped against the coast’s stone spires and at the mercy of the tides.

“So,” Frey brought his attention back to his sister, unable to keep the excitement from slipping into his voice. “What do you think we’ll find there?”

The ship lurched to port as Ashi maneuvered it ever closer to land.
---
WC: 538
TWC: 855

Mon Dec 30, 2024 2:40 pm

"A fair maid such as I doesn't snore, we merely chime in to the melodies of the midnight air." She would say at her brothers silly little joke. The idea of her snoring seemed so comical it was almost hardly worth commenting on.....but that was even less likely, she always had a comment or two to give for free. Still, she happily handed over the spy glass to his outstretched hand. Her hands now both placed on the railing lifting her feet slightly off the ground letting them kick a bit as her brother took his own look at the craggy cliffside.

"Oooooo Look at you, a swarthy sailor after all with that lingo!" She'd say with a wide grin. Stretching she'd turn and grab a leather coat throwing it over the white shirt she had slept in. She'd never preferred the pomp and show of the court, and now away from such things she was free to embrace the style of the adventure. Durable brown pants, heavy leather boots, a matching durable jacket completed her ensemble. It's warmth keeping the chill of the sea spray away. Reaching into her pack, she pulled out a wide brim hat and sat it on her head, tying up a wild tangle of blonde hair to be contained within.

It was as she finished getting herself together and Fae had given the orders to the captain that his next question cut through the ruckus that had begun. Over the noise of the crew getting the ship ready to anchor, she came back to the railing looking back as their goal came steadier into view.

"Hanzo was sure to keep the details vague.....probably wanting to drive up the price......." She muttered next "she sure got that part done." Thinking of how the majority of the coin she had saved since their untimely exit from their home, but shaking her head she continued "Still, a royal of any kind has to have been buried with the good stuff. Think of Grandfathers tomb and all the treasure we never got to see because he wanted it stuffed away to gather dust." Her fingers gently rapped across the wood as she thought. Images of ancient weapons, gold, silver, fine linens and tapestry danced across her eyes almost visible to her brother. Not because she necessarily desired them, but because they would fund all the more chances for even better heists. Some might call it grave robbing, but that was just an ugly word for archeology and adventure.

"Still.....this place never got stuck with the shinobi problem like so many,.....so who knows, maybe a past relative or something from a longf dead invading king from Demon Country....Only one way to find out" As if right on que a lurch and movement brought the ship all closer to the mercy of the waves crashing off the rocks that now had begun to sprout up around them. Their captain had better be worth the gold that they'd paid, or they soon might ahve their own tomb.

TWC - 842

Wed Jan 01, 2025 12:41 pm

“A fair maid? Is that what you’re calling yourself now?” Frey flashed a wry smile, lowered the spyglass, and gave Morgana a sidelong glance. “I’m certain the crew would beg to differ, I’m not the only one with ears.”

He handed the spyglass back, his expression light with amusement, though the hints of exhaustion still showed. In reality, it was neither his sister’s non-existent snoring nor the toss and turn of the ship that kept him up at night as of late. Rather, it was the memories of what had once been, and the very life Morg and he might be leading were fate kinder to them. In his battle to forget such things, it seemed his mind was its own worst enemy.

The ship rocked again, pulling Frey’s gaze to the shore that drew ever closer with every passing moment. Surely it was his mind playing tricks on him again because it felt as if the coast’s stone spires closed in around the ship like the maw of a hungry beast. Despite the danger, the Pendragon scion couldn’t suppress the flicker of excitement stirring in his chest—even he wasn’t entirely immune to his sister’s enthusiasm.

“Hanzo was vague, alright,” Frey agreed, leaning against the railing once more. “But if she’s even half right about this place, then the price will have been more than worth it.”

He paused, glancing over at Morg, it was clear she was more than ready to reach the shore. Frey’s excitement, however, waned, replaced by an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“That said,” he added after a moment, his tone quieter than before, “It sort of feels wrong, doesn’t it? Breaking into someone’s final resting place? These people—whoever they were—deserve some measure of peace. Surely, they were someone’s ancestor—I’m not sure how comfortable I’d feel if someone broke into grandfather’s tomb…”

He cleared some hair from his face.

“I won’t lecture you again, but let’s practice some restraint and leave the dead with some modicum of dignity.”

The boat's momentum slowed as the anchor hit the water, plunging into the depths below.

“This is as far as I go!” The harsh sound of the captain’s voice cut through the morning air. “You two’ll have to row your way in—I’ll give you three days and then you’re on your own.”

Frey affirmed the captain’s words with a half wave before returning his attention to his sister. The prospect of being left behind was none too appetizing, but three days would surely be plenty of time. How long could it possibly take to explore a tomb?

“Well, I guess we should make the most of our time,” Frey nodded over to the rowboat in the process of being lowered into the water. “After you, Morg.”

The adventure was just beginning.

---
WC: 467
TWC: 1322

Tue Jan 07, 2025 2:05 pm

As a true woman of culture she opted to ignore his chiding. She had no doubt the crew would side with her, but her brothers ego had always had a certain male fragility about it. So, it best not to wound him so early in the venture. Stowing the spy glass, she listened to his wails and warnings. "The dead have no use for these things. Despite the custom, you can't really take any of it with you. Better the living can use it, or at least get some gold from it. I'm well aware how you feel.." She said with a little shrug, a testament to the many times they had had such conversation before "I won't do anything too disgraceful, but the loot is coming out of the dirt." She'd smile and turn back away from her brother to watch their destination come all the closer. As she did she gave one last thought on the matter, "I do.... because it would have been me, and we'd be all the better off for it." She shot him a look, one that spoke of past experiences and unresolved quarrels, but the kind that no longer was worth voicing.

The captains voice rose above the wind, drawing Frey's attention from her to him. She listened at his words and a coy smile crossed her lips. Reaching back to her pack she slung it over her shoulder. Its contents stuffed to the brim with ropes, candles, lock picks and any other number of adventuring supplies. The most important piece being a wide brimmed tan hat. Putting it on her head to complete her ensemble, she stepped up onto the railing. "It's not Morgana any more....Mogra Dorobou, famed treasure hunter and liberator of artifacts is on the case!" She shouted with a laugh. Right on que, as though she'd paid one of the sailors extra to watch for such a signal, the small rowboat made its way to their side of the ship. She stepped off landing into the boat, managing inexplicably to maintain her balance as she did so.

Waiting for her brother to follow suit, she'd continue to strike the pose, which depending on the time it took him began to become quite cumbersome. Once he had made his way to the rowboat though, she'd relax taking a seat, as the sailor brought them closer. Maneuvering the rocks the opening became more apparent, and if there had been doubts of the validity of their target before, it was soon washed away with the rising and falling seawater. The opening seemed like nothing at first, but once they got closer many carvings marked the rock. Soldiers of stone lined the entrance just inside, their form warn from wind and sea, yet as strong as ever. Carved stairs also moved across the ground, and then deeper, it seemed they weren't going straight into the rock, but down as well....

"Sea's out now innit, couple hours, then its comen, make sure not tabe to low when it does." The sailor said in a gruff voice. The two Pendragons could exit the boat, and make their way forward to the tomb.

TWC - 1369

Fri Jan 10, 2025 1:02 am

Frey bit back another retort, hiding it beneath a thin, ambiguous smile. Many years ago, the Pendragon scion would have continued to trade barbs with his sister. But many years ago his family yet lived, and he stood as the unchallenged heir to his father’s throne. The years had long since unraveled much of what he once held dear. Now, most of his family was gone, and his rival for the throne had just thrown herself from the ship into a waiting rowboat.

Perhaps, he mused to himself, he could simply leave her in the rowboat? It wouldn’t be hard to cast her off into the wilds of Key Country never to be seen again. The captain could be bought off for what little ryo he had left, after all. Then, both literally and figuratively, it would be smooth sailing. One less obstacle in the way of his crown wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

He shook his head as if to rid himself of such thoughts.

No. Neither his honor nor his love for his sister would allow him to act on such base impulses. There would be a time and a place to settle their rivalry over the crown, long from now and far from here. The important thing now was to ensure that both he and Morg made it to such a time and such a place, and that meant joining his sister—her theatrics and all—in the rowboat below.

Pulled through the water by the sailor, the rowboat wound its way toward the entrance to the tomb. The splash of the oars and the slosh of the sea cut through the silence, but Frey’s attention was elsewhere: on the intricate carvings decorating the tomb’s façade. His pulse quickened in spite of himself. The figures etched into the stone walls spoke of grandeur, power, and most importantly, royalty. It seemed the Pendragon siblings had not bankrupted themselves for nothing.

The boat scraping against the rocky shore pulled Frey from his thoughts. Stepping onto the shore, he acknowledged the sailor’s warning with a curt nod.

Adventure awaited.

---

Exit.

WC: 350
TWC: 1672 x 1.5 for ongoing Peace & Prosperity Bonus = 2508

Thread Claims:
+25 Chakra
+2508 words toward learning King’s Creed

Fri Jan 10, 2025 5:19 pm

Her brother now aboard, and the warning of the sailor gracing their ears the boat moved its way further in. Now stopped, the pair of royals exited and would begin their true adventure.

Not the first tomb she had been in, but what would hopefully be the first one to write home about….if there was anyone to receive the letter that was. Behind a smile that displayed nothing but ambition and intrigue, a sensitive soul stirred. A soul that held in it much doubted the same soul that had cowered under a bed forced to watch horrors unfold. Still, Frey wasn’t the only one who had listened to the lessons of royalty, chief amongst them, never let them see your nerves, and always aft upon the conviction that your word and deed is law….

Exit

TWC - 1503 X 1.5 for peace and prosperity = 2254

Putting all words to learn https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t58333-hidden-mist-technique 1850 needed due to max stat discount. Discarding excess words

Fri Jan 10, 2025 7:01 pm

Morgana Pendragon wrote:

Exit

TWC - 1503 X 1.5 for peace and prosperity = 2254

Putting all words to learn https://www.narutoroleplaygame.com/t58333-hidden-mist-technique 1850 needed due to max stat discount. Discarding excess words

Approved

Fri Jan 10, 2025 10:23 pm

Frey Pendragon wrote:

---

Exit.

WC: 350
TWC: 1672 x 1.5 for ongoing Peace & Prosperity Bonus = 2508

Thread Claims:
+25 Chakra
+2508 words toward learning King’s Creed

Approved!

Van Diemen's Land

Van Diemen's Land

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