[7th Sea] Swashbuckling Adventure!

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

Montaigne, Anno Veritas 1668

It is a beautiful summer's day in the rolling fields of central Montaigne. Though hot, a breeze blows to cool the body, and the peasants are making the most of the good weather to tend the crops. They sing their songs to pass the time as they toil under the hot sun, doing the work as their parents had, and their parents before them.

Through these idyllic farmlands winds a well-maintained road, wide enough for several wagons to pass abreast. It is far wider than most roads in Montaigne - indeed, in Theah itself - but it is hardly surprising. This is the main road that leads to Charouse, the shining jewel in l'Empereur's crown, and it is perhaps a day's journey to that majestic city.

As one would expect, this road sees a great deal of traffic - merchants of all stripes, commoners and nobles alike. Today, a mix of them are traveling the road, and six souls have found their way to journey towards Charouse for a multitude of reasons. For now, they are simply road companions - men and women who have ended up traveling together to relieve the tedium of travel. How could they know the adventures that laid ahead of them? No man knows his fate, and these six could not expect what would transpire from this chance meeting.


Welcome to the game! As the opening crawl suggests, you're all traveling to Charouse for...well, one reason or another. Feel free to come up with a reason! I'll let you get into character for a bit before I begin the story proper.

Have fun!

Current Drama Dice: 9

[tresson]

Brenda's voice rang out in song, crisp and clear through the bright day's sky as she walked along with the other travelers. Her voice showing the time she spent training it. This would have been quite charming if it wasn't for the fact that she was singing an old sailor's song about the increasingly unlikely adventures a drunken sailor went through to get back to his ship.

As she finishes she turns to her fellow travelers a flashes them a quick small, wink and finally bows. Watching the whole time to see if any were shocked or disturbed by her singing.

After a moment adjust her scabbard so her massive sword sat more comfortably. "So, Hopefully there'll be some jobs up for grabs at the guild house. Me purse be getting to light fer me liking and from what I be hearing Charouse is expensive." She said in Montaigne to the group in general.

"Any of you lads be needing a bodyguard or the services of a swordsmen while you be in town?"

Drama dice: 2

[sr123]

There's always a time for modesty. And then there's being on a bustling road on a clear day, young and free from worries. Emile sits tall on his gallant white horse -- he made sure to brush Porcia to a shine this morning. He had put on a bright red silk cape over his rather-plan riding clothes, which normally would look ridiculous, but with the day going as it is Emile is confident in his hybridized lavishness of fashion.

Motivation: He has good reason to be happy: Emile picked up a hefty sum courtesy of his aunt last week, and is off to the Capital to put it to some use. He left home about... 8 months ago now... and has been making do with the hospitality of the nobles richesse while living the life of a wandering rogue hero adventurer. Okay, that last part is really more of a theory at this point, and while he didn't picture having to rely on a stipend from his aunt when he took his Porcia and rode off, the mooching only barely covers feed and stabling.

Emile can't remember the last time he's been to Charouse. His parents, though Bisset, were not much for the noble hobnobbing/arsesniffing that goes on at Court there. The prospect doesn't appeal much to him either, and while this is mostly a pleasure trip (though mooching can be quite fun), Emile wants independence and thus... must hobnob for a job.

A man walking along gives Porcia an affectionate pat on the side. His hands and face are pretty grubby, but today's not a day to yell at some idiot on the street even for mussing up his ride. Emile gives him a friendly tip of his hat while flashing a scolding sneer.

It's not time yet for complete snobbery, though -- the cursing commotion ahead of some sworded teenage girl with a ridiculous accent incites Emile to audibly chuckle. He is, after all, wearing a red silk cape over riding clothes.

Drama Dice: 2

[DeadManSleeping]

Angelo leads a sorrel horse by the reins along the road to Charouse (in fact, you're sure you've not seen him on its back for the entire trip). He wears an expensive ensemble that nonetheless looks made out of materials tough enough for traveling, including a black sombrero to protect him from the summer sun. As he chats with the other travelers, he wears a big lopsided grin on his face.

"Would that the strength of my arm were gone, so I could pay to keep you in my company, señorita. But, alas, I am Castille; I fight my own battles. But maybe after I meet up with my cosana, I can at least buy you a drink, and you can teach me some of those pretty Avalon words."

As he briefly mentions, Angelo is in Charouse visiting a cousin who was married off to some Montaigne. He doesn't sound like he has much of a reason other than familial sentimentality.

Drama Dice: 2

[Voshkod]

"Count" Perun Koschei trudges silently, sullenly, and stoically along the road. He has no horse, having had the last one die during a long fast ride from danger. The road is too wide, the day is too hot. A road should be narrow, overhung by trees, and knee-deep in snow. He shifts his warhammer from his left shoulder to his right and snarls in Ussarian at a child that comes too close to his wolfhound, Taigan. "Bites," he growls along with the hound, and the child scurries away quickly.

He stares down the road with his dark eyes, hoping for a cooling storm.

2 fate dice

[ybn1197]

Dierdrich followed along with Brenda Angelo. He had little idea of what was said but as he did not speak Monaigne and they both spoke Avalon, he had little choice but to trust to her translations. Besides, a lady would never speak false so he had nothing to fear when she repeated what others had said.

Drama Dice: 2

[Voshkod]

"Is too hot," Perun mutters in the local tongue - or a heavily accented version of it. "Sun is too close. Kulaks are too fat, like boyars. Need to be . . . chased, da, chased by wolves. Thin them."

[tresson]

Brenda nods the Castillian, flashing him a quick smile. "I may have to take you up on that after I report in at the guild house."

"Is too hot."

"Tis a bit hot." Brenda agreed as she turn to the man with the wolf. See gives him the once over and nods as if she likes what she sees. "I donna believe I've heard that accent before, Sir. Where are you from?"


Drama dice: 2

[Voshkod]

"Ussura," Perun growls. He turns to face the lady. "Far west. Taiga. I am Count Koschei Perun." He sketches a rough bow to the lady on the horse, as best one can do while still trudging along.

He turns to face the lady. "You sing well, like nightingale. Please to keep singing." With his full height he barely has to look up at her. "It makes marching faster."

[sr123]

The medley of accents ahead catches Emile's attention. While no linguist or academic, his occasional trips to Paix and around Castille with his mother always piqued a cosmopolitan interest. Besides which, overhearing the Ussuran identify as "Count" makes it much less likely that they have s*** all over their hands... not to be too snobby or anything (but really, he spent an hour this morning brushing her to shine!). Emile gives a gentle kick for Porcia to trot up ahead.

Well what a fine mix of gentry I have the pleasure to travel among this day, he says as he slows to a walk, trying to look his best towering atop Porcia while being completely unintimidating. My name is Emile, of Paix, and you can consider me an emissary of the fine families of Montaigne.

I'm terrible with faces, so forgive me if we may have met around Court -- after all, it's obvious I'm in the presence of the highest ranks of Castille, he says to Angelo with a non-mocking playful-yet-defendibly-serious voice. Addressing Perun: And a, wild guess, Count from Ussura? I must surely dismount and present myself on foot! He does so with a quick hop without breaking step. To Brenda: And little one, where might your father be from? He's surely quite the influential noble to have raised a young girl that braves this roads with head high and proud and with such... grace. Emile choked slightly on that last word. The girl was certainly of the common rabble, if not of the rabblest rabble (and Emile's pretty much convinced she's just a kid), but she's clearly the center of this growing group at the moment, and it's best to flatter first (especially if her father's around and does something useful -- common men in a new city can be invaluable allies overlooked by most nobles).

So if I may ask, what brings you all to the Capital? I mean, besides your undoubted audience with the King? Okay, maybe he's overdoing it a little bit... or more.

[DeadManSleeping]

Angelo visibly rolls his eyes. "What do you want, señor? If it's money, I think you picked the wrong group to talk to."

[tresson]

"Ussura? I've not heard much of that land, Sir. I must be getting you ta tell me of it if'n we be having the time." She said as she walked beside the big man. "But where me manners? I be Brenda McCodrum of the Elis Cove McCodrums. Daughter of Sir Kirk McCodrum. And this is Mr.Dierdrich who I've been traveling with. Tis lovely to make your acquaintance."

"As to singing I'll be starting back up once we be getting into some cleaner air." She tilted her head at the loud Monaignian.

"And little one, where might your father be from? He's surely quite the influential noble to have raised a young girl that braves this roads with head high and proud and with such... grace."

Brenda rolls her eyes at the stuffed up noble on his pretty, pretty pony. She began counting the way he had annoyed her. First off he had call her a little girl. That always annoyed her. Next she was pretty sure he had been sarcastic about her father. No one mocked her father and got away without feeling the sharp side of her tongue. Finally he appeared to be Monaignian and that was enough to annoy just about Highlander.

Unfortunately the locals seemed to like their noble in one piece as appose to 2 or 3 smaller pieces so she merely said, "Aye, Ma father was a good man. He taught me a great deal including not ta trust a man that tis all flattery."


Drama dice: 2

[Voshkod]

"Is cold. Dark. Home," Perun growls. He gives a sideway glance to Emile. "You are home at court, no?"

[sr123]

Seeing the initial body-language response of the Castillian and the girl, Emile internally cursed at himself. Yup, definitely overdid it.

The Castillian's verbal response was quite harsh, though, and set Emile's ego back a step. The girl's poise after her initial motions of discomfort seemed to give further evidence of a good upbringing, though her words seem to suggest her father may not in fact be around. Curious business.

"You are home at court, no?"

Whew, an opening for a bit of humility. And here Emile was fearing a punch in the face at this point. Well, as mother used to say, just be yourself.

"No actually; I mean, not this Court. I was always more comfortable around the regional houses -- political, perhaps, but the families spoke with genuine purpose and respect." Ugh, he didn't just insult the Crown, did he? No, don't let oneself get too casual, even on the road... especially if all his preconceptions of sass at Court are in fact true.

"But I must confess I'm young and provided for," (with a little glance, respectful however, to Angelo), "so my business here is friends... and maybe a hint of adventure" (quick glance and smile to Brenda -- her formidable sword hadn't escaped Emile's notice).

[Voshkod]

Koschei tries to parse the words of Emile. "Da. Court not home for me. The forest, taiga, wolf places. Home. Honored to meet McCodrum, Emile, Diedrich. Even if not in wolf place." He shifts the warhammer again while the wolfhound growls.

[DeadManSleeping]

Angelo shrugs. "If your business is friends, maybe you should think before talking to a man wearing a sombrero, eh, Montaigne?" He pretends to not care that Emile is obviously intent on following the group anyway.

Angelo? Prejudiced against Montaigne nobles? Couldn't be!

Drama dice: 2

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

As the day heads towards noon, the road bends lazily to the north, straightening out after an hour. A commotion is visible ahead - a white carriage missing its horses is surrounded by a ragtag group of men and women. Two of them are on lean horses, while the others are on foot. These folk wear simple clothes with scarves tied around the bottom halves of their faces. Most carry simple farming implements, but a few have swords and pistols. One elderly man dressed in finery, presumably the coachman, kneels next to one of the burly men. The group is too far away to make out what is occurring, but the general body language is easy to read - the commoners want something from the people inside the carriage. The doors to the carriage are painted sky blue, and a six-pointed sun is emblazoned on it.


Drama Dice: 9
Everyone, please make a Wits + Etiquette roll. Emile gets a Free Raise.

[DeadManSleeping]

Angelo narrows his eyes at the scene. "I guess this going to be an interesting day." He mounts his horse and urges it towards the waylaid carriage, hand on his saber.

Wits+Etiquette: [roll0]
Woo, 17, not too shabby.
How should we handle dice explosions if they happen?

Drama Dice: 2

[Voshkod]

Perun sighs deeply, clearly displeased by the scene ahead. He growls something in Ussuran to the wolfhound, which raises its hackles and bares its teeth. "The kulaks are not happy here. Fat kulaks." Fatter boyars, he thinks.

Drama dice: 2

Wits+Etiquette: 3d10

Screwed up the first roll by not showing individual dice.

Am I correct that no one else in the party has Ussuran as a language?

[Voshkod]

Still screwing up the die roll. One more try.

Wits+Etiquette (3d10): [roll0]

[sr123]

(Oops, just past the gun on this):

Emile responds to Angelo calmly in confident Castillian with a near-native, but slightly mongrelized Gallegos accent:

"My only thought toward the sombrero is that, after an overcast week here on such a day as this, I cannot in good conscience take the sun for granted."

Emile smiles, then makes a scratch at his reddening nose bridge. "In matters of love and heart, sun and skin, the most wonderful things in life will burn," he recites under his breath.

-------------

The commotion up ahead catches Emile's attention, but he withholds any urges to ride up ahead until the situation is more apparent, continuing rather to wear his lax smile.

Wits+Etiquette+freeraise: 3k2+5
[roll0] ; [roll1] ; [roll2]

[sr123]

dice exploooosion:

[roll0]
add that to 22.


And no Ussuran here.

[tresson]

Brenda nods to to Perun and Angleo. "Ack ay! That's going be causing some problems," she agreed as she made sure her sword is ready to draw if needed.

She turned to Diedrich and said in Avalon, "This doesn't look good, don't worry about me if this get messy, Okay? I can handle my self."




Wit+Etiquette(4k3)=[roll0]

Drama Dice 2

[tresson]

Missed a die


[roll0]

[tresson]

And an explosion of my own.


[roll0]

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

Wits + Etiquette TN 10:


As you approach, you recognize the heraldry on the side of the carriage. The six-pointed sun motif is reserved for one family alone in Montaigne.

Du Montaigne. The Imperial family.

[DeadManSleeping]

Angelo yells out to the masked men. "Hey! What is going on here, ah? Who are you to hold an old man at the point of a sword?" He slows his horse as he gets closer, but doesn't come to a complete stop.

Drama dice: 2

[ybn1197]

Brenda nods to to Perun and Angleo. "Ack ay! That's going be causing some problems," she agreed as she made sure her sword is ready to draw if needed.

She turned to Diedrich and said in Avalon, "This doesn't look good, don't worry about me if this get messy, Okay? I can handle my self."

"Aye, me Lady." Dierdrich pulls his hammer from his belt and readies himself.


Wit+Etiquette=[roll0]

Drama Dice 2

[Voshkod]

"Trouble? Trouble for who?" Perun asks. Trouble for you, he thinks. If you're going to act like a noble, you'll have to defend this noble. He moves his hammer to a combat position, hands resting lightly on the wood handle. "Trouble for them, us, all."

[sr123]

Well, the opportunity to be the gallant dashing hero, Defender of the Crown, is now long usurped by a surprising display of righteousness by his fellow travelers -- not that Emile would make too good of a dashing hero anyway. "However," he says as motions his horse to stay put, looses his red cloak, and tucks his pistols under his shirt behind his back, "I can shoot straight if I don't have to shoot too far."

Emile walks calmly forward, maintaining his neutral grin, staying inconspicuous behind the group. "And I won't be too far."

[tresson]

While the other may have drawn their weapons Brenda kept hers in her sheath.
Things didn't need to get anymore violent then it already was. A soft voice and an even hand could see this clear.

"I'm going ta trying talking ta them. Maybe we can end this without bloodshed. Stay behind me and try and look just threatening enough to convince them not ta do anything stupid. All right?" She said to Angelo and Perun before saying it again in avalon for Diedrich.

She set a steady gait toward the crowd. She kept her hands were they coujld see them. She was stepping heavily as she approached. Hoping all the while that no one, on either side, was about to do anything stupid.

DD: 2

[Voshkod]

"Girl is brave," Perun says to Angelo with an approving nod as Brenda marches forward. He falls in a few feet behind her, glaring at the crowd.

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

As the five approach the carriage, they can hear the rider shouting to the occupants. "I'll ask again, mes amis. Your guilders, your jewellery, and those other bits of finery I see, and nobody gets hurt - not you, not your driver, nobody. If you do not..." He draws a pistol, prompting a shrill feminine scream from within.

"Claude," says one of the men on foot. "I think..."

"You idiot!" shouts Claude. "No names! That's how they can...." His voice trails off as he notices the five travellers heading towards the group, many of them with their hands upon their weapons. He turns to Angelo as he addresses them. "Just move along, Castillian. This does not concern you." The elderly driver looks up at the five newcomers, his powdered face and finery smudged with dirt, his eyes pleading with them for assistance.


Drama Dice: 9

[Voshkod]

"Hmph," Perun snorts. "Little man has little gun," he says in the local tongue. Still, the girl wants to try to talk this out, so he holds back.

[DeadManSleeping]

Angelo's voice remains calm. I know you must be in sore need of coin, to be doing such cruel things. Perhaps I can spare some guilders for you, and you can go home to your families with a clear conscience. Maybe get a chance to get back on your feet." Despite his words, though, the Castillian does not take his hand off his sword or his eyes off the bandits' weapons.

Drama Dice: 2

[tresson]

Still walking toward the crowd of would be highwaymen. Angelo's offer of coin should help but the people need to know what was going to happen if they did this. "Oh ay, it all seems so simple when ya first think about it. Yer cold, yer hungry and the nobles have so much so it's only fair if'n you be taking some of theirs." She spoke to the crowd, ignoring Claude for now.

The lessons of her youth coming back to causing her voice to become clearer and stronger. She made sure to talk to the whole crowd. Turning as needed. "But actions have reactions and I tell you how the crown will react to this. They'll send in troops. They'll burn yer homes and yer fields. They'll have there way with yer wives and daughters. They'll drag you and yer sons ta the capital where you'll all hang. It's what they did ta us when they ruled in the highlands and it what they'll do to you!"

She was back to facing Claude again and was looking directly into his eyes. "Since you're smart you've hidden yer faces but all that means that all peasants within a days ride from here will have the same fate. So is this be whatcha be wanting Claude? Do ya want ta see all that pain and all that harm ta come ta so many people?"


Drama Dice: 2

[ybn1197]

Dierdrich shifted his feet, letting the weight of the hammer in his hand calm his nerves. He had little idea of what was being said but the tone was as clear to him as the ring of his hammer on an anvil.

[Kirindal]

The morning had not been kind to Ilario, the bitter kiss of last night's indulgences had left the sun too bright and his companions on the road exceptionally loud and annoying. There were a few times he considered drawing his sword and plunging it into his own heart to kill their infernal yammering. Was it too much to ask for one moment of silence while he suffered in peace? No, Ilario thought not. It was only right, and after an eternal hour, they finally quieted down.

He kept his eyes down, barely expending effort to look down the road, his horse was traned enough to not stray and so Ilario could rest his brains while travelling. By midday, the hangover had began to drift away and Ilario could feel his good graces return. He watched as the events unfolded and stilled his tongue, the kiss may have lessened but he wasn't about to trust himself to actually do anything. Instead, Ilario coaxed his horse to slow down as he stuck in the back of he group watching what the others would do.

[sr123]

Emile defers to the foreigners to work their diplomacy -- they seem to have a lot more pull with some disaffected scoundrels than, admittedly, some silver-spoon no-nothing kid (who coincidentally might also be considered a disaffected scoundrel).

But sneaking around and behind the villains is too risky, both in spoiling negotiation and in ending up with him seeming cowardly in this great opportunity to win favor and get his foot in to mess around at Court.

Well, at the end of the day, he has guilders to spare on him, and the King would have many times more to spare in return. Peace of mind will matter most here, so Emile remains inconspicuous behind the group. He talks low to Brenda, "Good speech. The star -- that's royalty, and they wouldn't carry much coin on their person anyway. But note, I do.".