stTNESI: Before They Were Hanged

[Thlayli]

stTNESI: Before They Were Hanged​

"For the periods of privation in my life taught me far better of the plethora of my power than the petty-bourgeois credence of 'Health is wealth!' For my being is beautiful but awful. Beautiful because it is awful. To cure a sickness is a crime." -Antonin Artaud

If you please, await my signal to post. Regardless, posting quickly will bring you no benefits, so please read thoroughly instead.

I am indebted to several people: Patrick O’Brien, for giving me a reader’s love for the Age of Sail and naval combat. Iggy, for several important tips on how to use GIMP. NK, for advice on naming. And lastly, all you members of this fine forum community, for sustaining a space in which this game can exist and succeed. I look forward to running it for our mutual enjoyment.

Introduction:

The War of the Markward Succession has raged across the continent of Pyrea for over a decade, inevitably drawing in most of the great kingdoms and republics of our time. As the war for the imperial throne gains ever more troubling dimensions of religious fanaticism and continental hegemony, the ripples spread ever outward. Theirs is not our story.

More than two thousand miles away, across the Pelagian Ocean, the beleaguered colonies of the island chains and vast landmasses of the New World are left drifting in the wind by their erstwhile colonial masters, occasionally traded like pawns in a secondary theater of a war taking place a world away. But skirmishes, raids and privateering are more common here, as none of the belligerents (as of yet) have excess armies or fleets to spare on such trifles.

There are rich treasures to be found here. Wise men look not to rumored cities of gold ensconced deep within the jungle (for there be only curséd pagans and death) but to Nature’s own bounty: Sugar, spices, tabac, and xacao powder. Still more valuable are silks, jewels, and porcelain transshipped from the Far East through the Great Portage. Those merchants willing to risk the ravages of war and the storms of the gods on the trans-Pelagian trade route stand to gain all. Never has there been as great a bounty for these traders…or more bountiful hunting grounds for those who prey on them.

For in the shadows of great fortunes and greater wars, from the jetsam of humanity which they have washed to these barbaric shores, there come men who serve no emperor or prince, no nizām or mark-captain. They fly many flags, though usually black. And they have many names: Corsair, freebooter, brethren, and buccaneer. But one above all: Pirate.

You are one of these men. And your fate is your own, be it end in Fortuna’s golden favor or the hempen jig. Perhaps you will rise above your status, become a governor and an empire-builder in your own right. Perhaps you will bathe yourself in infamy until none speak your name or gaze on your flag without terror. Perhaps you will seek and earn a nobler life…though I doubt it, stranger. More likely you will die in obscurity, at the hands of those who would hunt you down. Or due to mutiny, disease, starvation, or the wrath of the storm. This is not a gentle time, nor is it always a gentle sea.

But yours is to ride it.

OOC Introduction/FAQ:

You’re about as credible a mod as Bill Clinton is a monogamist, Thlayli.

Yes, this is true, but if you’re not completely inured to broken promises at this point, you’re not a true NESer. I have designed this game to have a limited yet detailed scope, an interesting premise, and a non-traditional update structure that makes things slightly easier for me than a more big-budget production. I’m sure we’ll get some good times out of it.

Okay, fine, but what exactly is this? What’s with the weird prefix? Is this a *makes sign of the cross* STORY NES?!

Yes, it is. Many great NESes have been inspired to be story-oriented roleplaying versions of Civilization; this is inspired to be a story-oriented roleplaying version of Pirates, with some significant elaborations. Players will interact with me and with each other, as in a normal NES, but the update structure will be slightly different. Updates, such as they are, will only provide bare bones travel information. The ‘meat’ of what we consider updates will instead be broken up into story-based ‘engagements’ between myself (as an NPC) and the player, or between multiple players moderated by me, or between myself and multiple players, and so on. Players are also expected to advance their own storylines in a plausible fashion (with or without my guidance) outside of these engagements.

The update will identify the engagements, and the order in which they will occur for the upcoming season. An engagement can take many forms. The most common form of engagement will be a one-on-one sea battle, however a (seaward or landward) assault of a fortification, a crew mutiny, an infiltration mission, a smuggling run, a full-scale fleet action, or even a fancy dinner party may feature. And many more! Won’t this be great fun? This engagement will be structured with me writing a story, then my ‘opponent’ writing a response, and so on until an acceptable resolution is achieved. (Or vice-versa, depending on who has the starting initiative/my whim.) In my aegis as moderator, I will usually provide narration (called the Engagement Log) describing what happens *between* stories. Alternatively, if two players are fighting, I will narrate what happens in the gaps between their stories.

To avoid god-modding in scenarios such as these, a few guidelines:

You cannot personally kill a player character or a main NPC opponent unless I give you permission. You may write of damage to their ship/property and killing or wounding of their men *after* it is noted in the Engagement Log. I will give you permission to kill other players if you have earned it, but to avoid offending people it is more likely that I will provide the narrative coup de grace. The mode of conflict resolution you choose (lethal, non-lethal, etc.) may affect any Bounties on your head, as well as your reputation and various plot arcs.

This isn’t like any NES I’ve played before. Could you give me an example engagement?

Sure, see below for a shortened version.

Won’t you burn out from writing millions of stories?

Not every player will have an engagement every turn. And my engagement responses will probably only measure a few paragraphs each, unless it’s a truly epic battle. [Interestingly enough, the size of the story I’m posting against you might be a fair measure of the quality of your NPC opponents.]

Are you really qualified to do this sort of thing?

Probably not, but I can fake it convincingly enough for entertainment purposes.

You are the Nigerian prince e-mail scammer of mods, but I’ll play. What do you need from me?

I would like a description (500 words minimum, more recommended) of your character, where he (or she) came from, and how he (or she) came to be a pirate captain. (Do note that this is an extremely patriarchal time, so choosing a female captain requires an excellent backstory and HIGHLY elevates your problems: Consider it hard mode for my NES, and if your female character fails to *constantly* recognize and control her gender disadvantage, she will die.) Your application must be plausible, interesting, and devoid of obvious errors of spelling and syntax. If you’re going to make a boilerplate greed and bloodlust-motivated Long John, please at least make it an immaculately characterized version of said. Novel variations on this theme will be well-received. I will pick the best (between three and seven depending on turnout) and give you basic statistics, including ship class, supply levels, and crew strength and morale.

In addition to your description, provide me with the proposed name of your ship and two color choices.

What is the background like?

I tried to keep the background non-overwhelming. Technology levels are roughly equivalent to what you would see around 1700 in our own world.

The Old World consists of Pyrea, which resembles Europe, and Oxis, which resembles parts of the Middle East and Africa. Most of the colonial empires are thinly-veiled alternate world versions of real life European or Middle Eastern states, with some interesting changes and additions made for flavor. If the players wish to elaborate on the background of the Pyrean nations, or add small nations I have overlooked, they are welcome to. Occasionally things from the background (mostly wars) will intrude on the setting of the NES. The background also affects which nations own which colonies, and consequently what the language and culture is like in the places you make landfall. Religion (always a powerful motivator) consists of two main faiths: An abstract, somewhat Christian/Neoplatonic deism and a Manichean-esque dualism with Semitic aesthetics. As such you are welcome to speak of priests, God and/or the Devil in the abstract if you like. I will include more details in the Background sections, but you don’t have to absorb a book’s worth of background – you can always throw up more background in your stories if you like.

What are my goals?

For all our sakes, hopefully interesting ones. Define winning on your own terms, though it will be very difficult to succeed without acquiring a large amount of physical wealth. (Spiritual wealth optional.) Potential options include commerce raiding, smuggling, privateering, pillaging, ransoming, slave trading, and etc. Letters of marque will be difficult to get if you have attacked shipping from the nation offering it. I will periodically introduce Major Plot Events™ in which you may have the opportunity to take part, but if you don’t like them, make your own. As you succeed at various acts of infamy, a Bounty may be placed on your head by one nation or another. This will encourage NPC’s (and players!) to hunt you down, but it might also gain you unexpected followers and alliances, especially a shot at the coveted Letter of Marque if the bounty-offerer is from a nation at war with the potential employer.

Do try and remember that you’re starting out with a fairly low level of reputation, armament, and buying power. Sacking the largest fortress of the nearest colonial power and proclaiming yourself pirate king will not just fail – it will get you murdered in your sleep by your own crew the night after proposing the attempt. Those sorts of projects might one day be attainable for you, but right now they are not.

I want to be a merchant/blacksmith/dashingly handsome Horatio Hornblower expy/princess!

No. Just no. This is a NES about pirates. You can have legitimate activities on the side, and perhaps you have greater goals beyond being a *mere* pirate (as opposed to a pirate lord, pirate king, or actual king), but you are not a law-abiding citizen in any sense of the word. If you want to roleplay Harvest Moon Pirate Edition, do it on your blog. (No disrespect to Harvest Moon, it is a challenging and rewarding game.) This does not mean you have to be the Genghis Khan of the seas; feel free to give yourself a code of honor and a sense of nobility. In fact, embarking on an unparalleled reign of brutality and destruction from the outset might be fun, but the forces of law and order will take note. If you do anything overly out of character, I’ll do ‘fun’ things to you.

With that said, I may accept PM’ed stories from individuals who wish to add to the background without actually engaging in a career in piracy, as long as we’re clear that that isn’t the focal point of the NES. (These individuals might later turn up in the NES as targets of the pirates.)

I’d really like to play, but I don’t know if I’m a good enough writer/if I know enough about sailing/if you like me.

If you’re not a good enough writer, please attempt an application anyway. If you fail, I will politely and concisely explain why and put you on the reserve list. You’ll join the game when you’ve demonstrated improvement and continued interest. We both have a vested interest in your improvement as a writer, so please don’t be self-conscious. Three quick tips on how to write well? Detail your settings richly, provide character flaws and complexity, and don’t make things too easy for your protagonist(s).

If you don’t know enough about sailing, don’t worry. I’m not going to be a dick about mistaking topsails for mainsails and the like. It wouldn’t hurt to flip through a book or two on sailing, or at least consult Wikipedia, but this is not Intense Age of Sail Course for your graduate degree in Historical Faffery. If you have a basic understanding of how ocean-going sail-powered warships work, you will do just fine. With that said, I love detail! If you think I don’t like you…well, I dislike people who don’t try. Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

That’s beautiful. Thank you.

Thank Tennyson, not me.

Extremely Abbreviated Example Engagement

Engagement Start:

The Merry Fellow, an overburdened Daemish merchant cog, has suffered some storm damage and is limping along on half sail. Sighting a ripe target, the Maiden’s Despair and their captain Ronsard D’Evreux are rapidly closing the distance with this target. D’Evreux has run up the black flag and is making no effort to disguise his intentions.

Player’s First Story:

Includes all of Ronsard’s actions as they close to broadside range, firing a bow gun as they close. May describe the actions taken, but may not inflict damage on the enemy’s ship or crew.

Engagement Log:

The distance between the ships begins to close. Most of the bow-gun’s shots fire short, but one strikes a glancing blow along a starboard aft railing, exploding it into splinters. One large shard hits an unfortunate crewman through the eye. Morale on the Merry Fellow is low.

Response Story [NPC, done by me]:

Includes the merchantman captain’s response, preparing to launch a broadside despite his misgivings. However, a mutiny among the crew carries the deck and forces the captain to surrender the ship’s cargo.

Engagement Log:

The Merry Fellow strikes her colors and raises a white flag, and the captain soon pulls alongside the Maiden’s Despair in a pinnace, offering to surrender half the cargo in return for being let free.

Player’s Second Story:

After discussing the matter with his subordinates, Ronsard agrees to accept the ransom, and the merchantman is peacefully allowed to continue without further bloodshed, providing they surrender half the cargo.

Engagement Log:

The Maiden’s Despair is reasonably enriched by the encounter, though some among the crew grumble that their captain is going soft. However, Ronsard now has significant funds for further ventures. But first he needs to find a port to fence his stolen goods…

 

[Thlayli]

Omnibus Background Post

General Background:

The Old World is composed primarily of two continents: Pyrea and Oxis. (They are similar aesthetically to Europe and the Near East + Africa, respectively. One major difference, however, is that Pyrea is in the southern hemisphere, and Oxis partly in the northern hemisphere.) As such, our NES is taking place in the southern hemisphere of this world.

The ancient warring city-states and god-empires of ancient northern Pyrea and southern Oxis were once united by the League of Ephia, an oligarchic republic ruled by an alliance of philosopher-princes. Their legacy is modern logic and inquiry, architecture, and the dominant faith tradition of Telianity.

The League of Ephia fell after a lengthy hegemony to a combination of civil war and Marklanii chieftains, following which Ephic culture fractured into the ancestors of what would become Îlennais, Daemish, Astajara, and Cisano. The new Empire of Marklandt was the dominant force during medieval times with its warrior aristocracy and decentralized monarchy inspiring all but the Cisano to pursue the same political model.

Lots of different things happened during medieval times which resonate to the modern day (The Wars of the Lilies in the Daemish Isles, religious wars with the Shavatim, the slow decline of the Markward Empire, the rise of immensely wealthy city-states in Cisano, and the ‘new monarchies’ of Astajara and Îlenne which between them inaugurated the modern, colonial era).

Right now Pyrea is focused on the War of the Markward Succession, in which three separate coalitions are fighting over the right to elect the new Emperor of Marklandt. It is confusing, bloody, and halfway across the world the players have very little idea what exactly is going on.


Nation Background:

The Royal Commonwealth of Daemion:

The Daemish Isles have always existed on the periphery of Pyrean affairs, being one of the most distant colonies of ancient Ephia. Invaded and occupied by many throughout medieval times, Daemish culture and language emerged as a bastard fusion of Markward and Îlennais. A tangled web of feudal power never allowed the Daemish monarchy to gain much traction, with some individual exceptions; far more often the king was a pawn in the dynastic struggles of the great feudal lords.

This came to a head at the conclusion of the War of the Lilies, when the king’s lineage and most of the legitimate claimants went entirely extinct. At the Wilchester Compact, the person of the ‘Monarch’ was held in abeyance, and replaced with a Regency Council whose sitting lords collectively exercised the power of the King ‘until such time as He return’ (read: never). In the century since Daemion has been a kingdom without a king, ruled by a conclave of great lords who electively rotate the position of Lord Regent between them, and a pseudo-elective lower council of mercantile and civil authorities who administer the Royal Cities.

Daemion has proven a remarkably successful power-sharing arrangement between the urban guilds, the military, and the great feudal lords, dominating their respective sectors of influence in the name of the vanished King. But the Daemish destruction of ecclesiastical and monarchical power has earned them enemies in many other Pyrean nations, particularly Îlenne and Astajar whose royals have legitimate claims on the Daemish throne. Recent Daemish intervention in the Markward wars, while limited, has proven decisive in preventing any of the other claimants from gaining traction.

The Kingdom of Îlenne:

Îlenne, like its neighbors, was a descendant of the Ephic League. In medieval times, Îlennais adventurers played a role in various conquests across Pyrea and Oxis, developing a unique culture of knighthood and chivalry (supplemented by early technological advances in archery and gunpowder) that later spread to their neighbors. Unlike in Daemion, the monarchy gained strong traction early on, brutally culling the nobility and reducing a select number of blueblooded families to accept the periodic royal reconfirmation of their lands and titles.

The kings of Îlenne also managed to assert their independence against an attempt by the Emperors of Marklandt to dominate both them and the entire continent, slowly forging a centralized bureaucratic apparatus that would launch them into the modern era as a successful power. There are known for their refined culture and sense of chivalry, if considered arrogant and effete by their neighbors. Their castle-cities are renowned across the continent for their soaring architecture and opulent design, as well as the efficiency of the royally-appointed bureaucrats that run them. Over time, the Îlennais developed a strong alliance with the Astajara, one which has only in recent years fractured over the Marklandt question. The King of Îlenne is one of several claimants for the title of Emperor of Marklandt, and his armies are heavily embroiled deep in the continent. Nonetheless, it has not yet come to open war between the two holy kingdoms of Îlenne and Astajar, though it might soon. Relations with Daemion remain extremely frosty, mostly due to religious differences.

The Dominions of the Astajara:

Like Daemion, the lands that would become Astajar were originally founded as a number of Ephic colonies, however these were across the narrow sea on the northern continent of Oxis. A Pyrean culture, these original colonists were often considered invaders by a hostile, foreign continent. The might of the League of Ephia while it stood secured these dominions, but after its fall they were beleaguered indeed, especially after the rise of the Shavatim. But in this post-Ephic period a heroic local leader, taking the Ephic military title of Dominus, managed to turn back the tide. Throughout the medieval period, with help from adventurers and crusading kings from Pyrea, as well as superb natural defenses, they protected and expanded their coastal Oxican enclaves. Nonetheless, the emergence of the Kamulkar Sultanate as a powerful new Shavatim dynasty created an existential foe, set on driving the Astajara off Oxis, whose presence they have never fully reconciled with nor defeated.

Astajar is still dominated by the theocratic, crusader mentality which allowed it to survive throughout the medieval period. While the infidels’ power has been held at bay through the coincidence of a superb combined-arms army (the finest in the world) and excellent natural defenses, the resources of the New World, particularly control of the Great Portage, have proved both a powerful financial boon, and an opportunity to spread the guiding light of the Faith to a New World which has been cast in darkness. The Dominus of Astajar is one of the main claimants to the Empire of Marklandt, and views the winning of the war as an important step towards reforming the ancient Ephic League under Astajar’s control, and the establishment of a holy empire over all of Pyrea. Naturally everyone else views these ambitions with significant alarm.

The Empire of Marklandt:

Fourteen hundred years past, invading tribal groups (collectively called Marklanii) overthrew the League of Ephia, ending what is traditionally considered the classical period of history. They settled in the vast stretch of forests and mountain ranges that makes up the interior of the Pyrean continent, which they then organized into various Marks, each under the control of a Mark-Captain. (These were originally titles of acclamation, but gradually became hereditary over the centuries.) Marklanders are known for their stoicism and efficiency, as well as their ferocity in battle.

For a time, the Empire reigned supreme on Pyrea, lending great support to early Astajara crusades against the Shavatim, but the Empire slowly declined as factionalism and infighting predominated at home, with individual Marks stressing their rights at the expense of the Emperor. Every so often a powerful Mark-Captain would attempt to increase Imperial power outside of his powerbase, but this lasted only as long as his lifetime. A series of unsuccessful wars with the Îlennais shattered the Imperial army and bankrupted its treasury. By the modern day, individual Marks have begun to act as countries in their own right, especially the maritime-oriented Kjeesmark, whose Mark-Captains have been among the most fiercely autonomous from the Empire even as they seed new colonies in the New World.

The Republics of Cisano:

Located in the heart of old Ephic territory, Cisano is home to an immense patrimony of art, natural philosophy, and scholarship, but politically is divided amongst more than a score of squabbling city-states, many descendants of ancient League polities. Ephia itself remains a grand city, but has passed through the hands of many masters, Marklanii and other. The other cities are either in the orbit of one of the great powers of Pyrea or torn by their own internal factionalism.

The Viceroyalty of the Qasrábi:

Technically a part of the vast Kamulkar Sultanate across the ocean, following the recent near-disintegration of the Kamulkars into civil war their substantial New World colony of Qasrába has achieved an undeclared independence. The Nizam of the Qasrábi has fended off attacks from the Astajara and managed generally to maintain and even expand his powerbase in the New World. Even so, as the only truly independent power in the region, and the only openly Shavite one, he is in a precarious position, and he knows it.

Tupicha:

A pagan civilization of natives in the New World. They live mostly in the highlands of a vast mountain chain, and were possessed of a remarkable level of civilization before the diseases brought by Kamulkar explorers almost brought them to the brink of collapse. But they soon recovered under a powerful new lineage of priest-kings, and slaughtered or expelled the merchants and missionaries who had already begun the slow but steady process of colonization. This brought down a Kamulkar jihad.

For over a century the Tupicha waged war with the invaders, who were unable to expand beyond their coastal enclaves, until the Nizam of Qasrába won a bloody victory approximately 30 years ago. Ceding the great silver mines of Suyoco, they withdrew even further into the mountains, where they have remained to this day. Not much is known about Tupichan society since they closed their borders to all outsiders since the great trauma of the Discovery. It is believed that they possess great stores of treasure hidden deep in the mountains, but they are fiercely and jealously guarded.

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Daemion and Astajar are currently at war. Astajar and the Qasrábi are currently at war.

Daemion and Îlenne are in a state of undeclared war.

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Spoiler Unlabeled Map :

Spoiler Labeled Map :

Islands/Ports Background:

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The North and Xacao Belt

Tupicha – See nation entry.

Qasrába – The capital of the self-titled Qasrábi Viceroyalty is awash in wealth, having recently captured the vast silver mines of the Tupicha after an extensive and bloody war. Aesthetically it resembles an old Shavatim city on Oxis, with crenellated walls hiding a winding series of narrow alleyways and souks. The city is extremely well-fortified on both landward and seaward sides, and is staffed by a crack garrison of Kamulkar janissaries and a small fleet of Cisano mercenary frigates. The city has endured two Astajara sieges in the past twenty years, and with his newfound wealth and ambitions, the Nizām might even be willing to take pirates on his retainer, if they are willing to take the great risk of working for an infidel…

Isola Vattea – A island in the xacao belt of jungle islands, privately owned by the fabulously wealthy (and hubristic) Vattea family, an old Cisano family with the Pyrean city-state of Apruzzo under its control.

Lorenza – A small and excessively opulent port town on Isola Vattea. It is currently run by the son of the reigning Prince of Apruzzo, Lorenzo Vattea. Ostensibly to get him out of court politics (and his father’s hair) he was sent with a massive sum of funds and several thousand colonists and slaves to Isola Vattea, where he promptly named the new settlement after himself. It is run like a mixture of palace and plantation, and survives only by merit of the sky-high prices of xacao powder in Pyrea, and the gluttonous cunning of Lorenzo Vattea himself. It would be a major target for pirates, except that it is one of their most reliable safe harbors, as roughly any crime is allowed granted it does not disturb the person of the young Prince and his peace.

Marquesine – This is the southernmost island of the xacao belt. It is extremely mountainous, with a rocky coastline, and a large Îlennais outpost on the only suitable deepwater port in the north. The interior of the island is home to an admixture of surviving native tribes and escaped slaves, the Meroug, who have banded together to do utterly terrible things to shipwrecked sailors, and who occasionally harass the more organized Îlennais of Fort Prospère.

Fort Prospère – The creation of xacao powder is a brutal and labor-intensive process, and the surviving natives fled into the mountains after most of them were enslaved and worked to death producing it. Seeking hardier stock, the Îlennais turned to Oxis, enslaving (along with other nations) hundreds of thousands of souls, an ongoing process to sate the Pyrean thirst for xacao. A number of escaped slaves turned against their brutal masters and fled into the mountains, but most remain, toiling here and outnumbering their owners at least 10 to 1. As a result, the colonial quartier of Fort Prospère is heavily fortified, with both a moat and a thick series of walls. Constantly living in terror of both slave revolt and the Meroug, the slaves are kept under close guard, but it is very obviously a tense situation.

Kronstaaje - A xacao-producing colony under the control of Kjeesmark. The laws of the Mark forbid slavery, and consequently either captured Oxicans or Pyreans are instead offered long-term indenture contracts. This has exempted it from some of the tensions which plague neighboring Marquesine, though not all. Fierce tribes from the interior continent are known to occasionally raid this island in their coracles, and the Stadholder is at great pains to find their source and drive them off.

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The Dominion of Ixeja

Oxicalo – The ancient capital of the Uzmeloc Empire has been purged and purified by the great crusade of the Astajara, some eighty years ago. The bones of the pagan empire can be seen in its alien but beautiful lakeside temples and pyramids, some built as holy islands for sanctified priests and kings. But the arches and domes of the Astajara have displaced them, and Oxicalo is now the administrative center of the Dominion of Ixaja. A small creole elite now rules over a vast population of quiescent natives, watched over by the Inquisition and the grenadiers of the Dominus.

San Sevada – The greatest city of the New World by far has an uncountable number of souls, mostly conquered natives, but is home to representatives from every nation under the sun. It was originally named Xochiacteloc before its conquest by Dominions of Astajar in their greatest crusade of the previous century. Even before its conquest it was a great entrepot of trade up and down the coastline. But with its capture, the Great Portage to the Far East was opened, and it became the nexus of the greatest flow of maritime trade in human history. It is one of the few places on earth where the price of food can sometimes run higher than the price of silver. To visitors it appears to be a massive, sprawling hive of stinking favelas and a huge harbor complex, dominated by the soaring ecclesiastical palaces of the Dominion of Ixaja. To those that know it, it is a sprawling web of wealth, crime, desperation, and fortunes made and lost in a day.

San Rodrigo – If San Sevada is the beating financial heart of the Dominions of the Astajara, San Rodrigo is the body that protects it. A cliff-side city with an excellent deepwater harbor below, it guards the straits at the entrance to the Great Portage, through which pass a huge volume of ships yearly. At least two squadrons of Astajar’s finest ships are posted here, including both galleons and fast frigates, which, in addition to keeping the straits free of piracy, ensure that proper customs tithes are paid by all mercantile traffic passing through the straits. It is mostly a garrison city, and is protected by an impressive citadel and a contingent of five hundred regular soldiers.

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The Caciquiano Sea

Lafontaine – Somewhat recently founded by an adventurer seeking the mythical Fountain of Youth, the fast-growing town of Lafontaine is a base for hunters, trappers, and explorers of the interior wilderness of the New World by river. It has proved somewhat successful in experiments with tobacco, indigo, and cotton, the latter an extremely labor-intensive but potentially lucrative good that has caused the importation of a decent number of Oxican slaves. As an interesting trend, a decent number of Oxicans have gained their freedom, and intermarried with their erstwhile masters. Lafontaine is certainly a more liberal Îlennais settlement than Fort Prospère. Whether it will be more successful remains to be seen.

Tereja – A large, rugged island controlled by the Dominions of Astajar. It is large enough to merit a Dominion in and of itself, including the smaller islands like Imarçao. It has become a major grain producer, shipping mostly to overcrowded and drought-ridden Oxican cities. Sugar and tobacco are produced in smaller amounts.

Cordoña – The capital of the Dominion of Tereja, Cordoña is one of the oldest cities in the New World, and has several thousand inhabitants. In its stone-built gothic architecture and narrow sloped streets, it greatly resembles an Old World city. It is extremely well-fortified both from the sea and the land, second only to San Rodrigo (and perhaps Qasrába) as the best-fortified location in the New World. It has a significant garrison of Astajara regulars and a squadron of ships as well, also second only to San Rodrigo. It is a frequent launching point for crusades into the interior, though the island of Tereja has long been pacified. It is also the home of the dreaded Inquisition.

Imarçao – This small island off the coast of Tereja is controlled by Astajar. The titular port is mostly used for transshipment of goods and sugar cane, though it is eclipsed by Cinque Portes to the south.

St. Damien – This small island off the coast of Terejo is divided between two small colonies of Astajara and Daemish. Both produce small quantities of sugar. Given the circumstances of the war, one seems destined to drive off the other, but as of now no one has made the effort. Besides an extremely raucous community of parrots, there is little else of note on this island of scrub.

Mirepoix – The largest colony of Îlenne in the New World, this island is dominated by two dormant volcanoes on the northern and southern lobes of the island. The small isthmus between them is a fertile volcanic plain, nurturing some of the largest and most productive sugar plantations in the New World. Furthermore, the isthmus at its narrowest point is home to the city of Cinque Portes, which faces both the Pelagian Ocean and the Caciquiano Sea.

Cinque Portes – Perhaps the greatest center of trade in the New World besides San Sevada, Cinque Portes is the main stopover for ships traveling from Pyrea to the Great Portage, and vice versa. Perhaps home to some twenty-five thousand inhabitants, about half are Îlennais, with the rest a combination of Daemish, Marklander, Shavatim, and various creole Oxicans, both slaves and freedmen. Virtually any language under the sun can be heard near the docks, and the port is a prime center for recruitment of skilled seafarers and information on local trading convoys. The Marquis de Mirepoix maintains two excellent seaward battery forts and a squadron of heavy frigates which, while smaller in number than the Astajara fleet, are unequaled for quality anywhere on the sea.

Regentsport – Daemion’s only major colony on the Caciquiano and a major sugar exporting center. It is a small, walled, and orderly town, with a well-trained militia. A small squadron of Royal Commonwealth ships is usually on hand to protect it.

The Pleiads – A large number of small, sandy, and generally useless islands. They are technically owned by Daemion, but the Royal Commonwealth has not bothered to settle them on account of their uselessness. Consequently they harbor a number of escaped slaves, deserters, and other undesirables.

---

The Eastern Seaboard and the South

Niew Vandersee – A Kjeesmarker settlement located on an island in the midst of a great estuary. It is the center for a small fortune in trapping enterprises, and also a burgeoning grain trade, both to Pyrea and the colder Daemish settlements due south. As opposed to the resource colony of Kronstaaje, Niew Vandersee is a rapidly growing settler colony, with ambitions of becoming a full-fledged Mark, the first of the New World, under its tolerant and canny Stadtholder Roeland Aamsen. As it expands up the river, it is in growing conflict with the forest confederacies of natives that live in the interior, but no blood has yet been shed.

The Claws – A cold and windswept coastline with numerous peninsulas and small islands, it became the main Daemish colonial possession in the New World by merit of nobody else really wanting it. The land, such as it is, is heavily forested with rocky soil, poor for farming. However, the combination of high quality timber and some of the world’s richest oceanic fishing grounds a hundred miles offshore has made it a center of maritime industry. There is also a significant trapping industry.

Weston – The largest settlement on the Claws, it is set on a hilly peninsula. It was founded by hardline Recusants fleeing the Valic sympathies of the Lord Regent at the time, which gave it a certain stoic character lacked by the rest of Daemion.

Auspice – A fishing and trapping port, the approaches to it are so dangerous that only experienced seafarers are able to get through without shipwreck. It is also a small Daemish naval base, currently expanding due to the needs of the war with Astajar, in which Daemion is somewhat outmatched on the sea. Here its unapproachable merits are useful, as no Astajaran raid knows the straits well enough to make it clear.

---

Religious Background:

The Telian Faith: Telianity, or the Telian Faith, is the most popular faith of Pyrea and a minority religion in Oxis. It posits an impersonal, rational, abstract deity, Telias, (or simply God,) who set down fundamental ordered laws and slowly withdrew his influence from the world, so to watch it work. It is fractured into many sub-schools which interpret the roles of humans in various ways. The Valic sects (prominent in Astajara and Îlenne) believe that Telias has not entirely withdrawn his influences, permitting occasional saintly individuals to tap into the Divine Logic and/or work miracles. The Recusant sects (common in Daemion and Marklandt) believe that all humans are equal co-heirs to the original seeds of logic set down by Telias, but the divine is no longer a force in the universe.

The Prophecies of Shavat: The dominant religion of Oxis and a minority in Pyrea. Those who follow these prophecies, begun by a figure named Dajid two centuries after the fall of the Ephic League, are collectively called Shavatim, or Shavite in Pyrea. They believe that the world has been locked for millennia in the cycle of combat between Shavat and Uzash, dark and light, faithful and unfaithful. Men (as well as various mythological beasts) are reincarnated until they have sufficiently served the Light or the Darkness; they then pass into one of the two Outer Worlds of paradise or punishment. Only by the purification of the world and the spirit can the world itself be released from its cycles of evil, and be reunited with the Light from which it came. Followers of false gods and prophets are unwitting servants of Uzash, and merit a range of actions from forbearance to outright destruction.

 

[Thlayli]

Statistics post and story log. Please do not post.

 

[Thlayli]

Obligatory buffer post of grand hubris. Please do not post.

 

[Thlayli]

You may now post. Good luck and have fun!

Note: There are a few background entries missing, which I am aware of. They will be added once I get some rest.

 

[Crezth]

First post to say that this looks awesome and everybody should play it. Application forthcoming once I unpack this glorious history.

 

[talonschild]

So in. Name Joaz Aranya, goal to set himself up as an independent king, affiliation Astajaran privateer, backstory coming.

 

[spryllino]

Leonoro d'Aquila, disenfranchised son of a Cisano merchant, will be here shortly, in Il Serpente Bianco, his trusty schooner, with his crew of cutthroats and vagabonds.

OOC: Thlayli, I think it would be useful to have some sort of Old World map, however vague and/or out of date.

 

[MoreEpicThanYou]

Albrecht von Hiemelburg, son of the last Duke of Hiemelburg, who was killed and had his territories greedily divided up.

 

[Azale]

This is amazing! Not putting down a character until I got 500plus words to go with it.

What's your policy on eunuchs?

 

[Thlayli]

Thank you all for your interest. (And thank you too, potential players who have not yet posted.) I look forward to evaluating your stuff!

Eunuchs are fine; if you want to write that into the cultural traditions of one of the background states, just consult me first.

Spry, my current maps of the old world are embarrassingly rough, but just imagine Pyrea as Europe roughly upside down. The Daemish Isles and Kjeesmark are in the southwest, Cisano is on the northern coastline of the continent, and so on. One significant difference is Astajar, which is actually on the southern coast of the continent of Oxis, making it something of a post-crusader state in truth. I'll be working on a more presentable map, but at the moment it would sidetrack me considerably.

I'm thinking about setting the application deadline for Thursday evening, if nobody has any objections. I'd like to have an update 0 up on Friday. Also I need to make some small changes and additions to the map, and figure out icon and travel markers for the players.

 

[Nintz]

The cold wind raged. The rain beat at their brows. The men worked furiously to keep the ship afloat. “Incoming!” a gruff voice roared out over the cacophony. The rigging on the ship swayed back and forth with the wind, whipped about. The sails were furled, but evidently torn from the storm. “Brace yourselves!” A massive wave of water slammed into the ship. Gasps for breath could be heard above it all. “We will hold! We are not going to – *CRACK* ARRRGH” The agonizing cry of pain was heard by all. The captain wasn’t going to make it. There would be a new captain tomorrow. It was going to be bloody.

* * *​

“No, you are an idiot Ota!” The sound of the first mate yelling at the quartermaster was obvious. His somewhat whiny voice could be heard down the hall and even on the deck. The captain’s cabin was full of lesser officers. “We need a captain, period! And by rights, it should be me!” The quartermaster Ota stared at him a long while.

“If you insist on this foolish course of action, bad things will happen to you Aerk. Mark my words.” They continued to stare at each other. A power struggle was common enough, but this was unusual. What hung in the balance was more than just the next captain, but the fate of the crew. It was an unspoken truth, but all knew that Aerk was a corrupt officer. Given that he was a pirate, that was fine, but perhaps more important was the fact that rumors said he planned to drop the entire crew. Whether by violent means or not.

“You will learn your place. You may leave my cabin while I determine what to do about you.” Ota was furious. Evidently. What would he do now? Then there was a moment of pause, and his face took a very neutral look.

“As you wish.” Something was very wrong.

* * *​

“And now, what you all have been waiting for!” The crew was assembled on the main deck. They were to throw Ota overboard. The crowd was in a very dejected mood. Ota, hooded with a burlap sack tied around his head, was pushed forward. “You will learn your place!” Aerk took out a saber, and poked Ota in the back. He began to walk the infamous plank. Aerk followed him. They reached the end. “Now, all observe the fate of traitors and mutineers!” Aerk stuck his saber in Ota’s back. There was a muffled cry, and the body fell into the water with a loud splash. A cruel captain, it would seem. Not like it mattered for the crew though. Next port, they would all be replaced with his lackeys. “Now, back to work!”

* * *​

Aerk woke up in a cold sweat. He kept thinking about Ota. He did not regret killing the man. He deserved it after all. But… something was not right. A blood fury had taken hold of him earlier, and he had been reckless. He had not looked Ota in the eyes like he meant to. He just stabbed him. What if… what if that was not Ota though? The build of the man looked right. He was lanky… though maybe a little too lanky. He had the same skin tone, that at least he was sure of. He was in the same clothes, but were they a little looser than he remembered? He was becoming paranoid. “I need to relax. Ota’s dead. I am captain. That’s that.” He rolled over in the captain’s bed, trying to go back to sleep.

“Aerk, next time check who you throw overboard.” Aerk’s eyes snapped open.

* * *​

The new captain came out of his cabin the next morning. He was wearing the new robes traditional with that rank. The crew came up. “Men, you now have a new captain.” Startled and surprised faces were common as the captain spoke. They recognized the voice. “You all know what happened here tonight. I expect you to remain private about it.” The men continued to watch, markedly more interested than when the captain walked out earlier. “Officers, I’ll meet with you in my cabin now. Helmsman, set a course for Lafontaine. We have a lot of raiding to catch up on.”

* * *​

OOC Background Information

Ota Ringbuerg is Daemish in origin, with blue eyes and a markedly white skin tone. He is somewhat lanky is build, but is strongly muscled as well. He has deep brown hair, and a gruff voice typical of pirate captains. A closely guarded secret of his is that he is descended (supposedly) from one of the last true kings of Daemion. Him and a couple thousand other pirates. While some would see this fact as either a claim to the throne or a fantasy tale, Ota has settled on having a burning hatred for the mother country that betrayed him. Îlenne and Astajar may be enemies of Daemoin, but they are allies of Ota. He signed up on the ship Vengeance because he liked the name about four years back, and rose to the rank of quartermaster in that time. When he caught wind that he and the rest of the crew were to be replaced, he staged his take over. He is non-religious from a deeply held cynicism, though he does adhere to a baseline code of nobility. He doesn’t like raiding the poor and weak, and tends to frown upon unnecessary violence outside of raids. Paradoxical for a pirate perhaps, but he doesn’t see the contradiction. He tells men to save it for the enemy.

 

[Lord_Iggy]

He’s a Myth, they say. A giant, a head taller than any other man. His father was a southman, his mother a slave girl from far Oxis. He once lost a leg to a shark out in the green reach, but he took the beast’s jaw for recompense. He plundered a thousand ships, outran hundreds of patrols from the great states of the old world. They say that he’d be the first of his men off the rigging and onto his target, his great notched sabre gleaming with blood, his body wreathed in bitter smoke from the cannonfire. There’ve been men who swore they saw him sink down to hell’s cold locker, but time and time again he returned, hunting down those who had foolishly thought themselves victorious.

The old sailors, in their smoky bars in seaside burghs, will speak of him, if you prod them. Add flagon of whiskey to the deal, and they’ll happily gum out the story of how they once saw the Red Flags on the horizon. Add a few more bottles and they’ll tell the tale of how they once outran him in daring flight, or drove him off with two forty-pounders of grapeshot. They’re liars, of course, as false as they come. Alcohol on the brain and dry land underfoot will give a man courage.

But on the high seas, you’ll hear no jokes about Red Aram.

 

[Optical]

I'll write up a character for this at some point.

 

[talonschild]

Alright, the adventurer Joaz Aranya!
Ship: the pinnace Harlequin, colours gold/yellow and deep purplish blue.

Introduction:
War was not particularly fun, Joaz reflected. The Astajarans had plucked him off his farm and dressed him up in fancy livery. He'd suffered through the voyage up the coast and now he was a sailor pressed to be a soldier, trudging through some god-forsaken Mark, with the promise of battle on the morrow. Joaz had been in two battles already; he didn't think them a great motivator, except for quickly leaving the area.

They made camp near the little hamlet of Olricstaad, which promptly began flying an Astajaran flag. Several dozen soldiers found their way to the tavern that night. The tavern was filled for hours with bawdy songs.

Late that night, there were six left in the tavern - Joaz, and five others: Enrique, Iago, Felipe, Tristan, and Fernando. The talk turned to the battle; no one was particularly electrified at the prospect.

"You know," Joaz said, "what could we six do? They wouldn't miss six sailors." The others expressed various combinations of agreement and drunkenness. So they returned to camp, and snuck out again a few minutes later, swords in belts, muskets on backs, and carrying all the gold they could in sacks. The next day they left their rooms at the inn and, reasoning that it would be unwise to be seen near the battle and not fighting, commandeered six horses and left a bag of gold in their place. They rode west, on the second day entering Îlenne, and arriving at the port of Carnasalle the day following. There they decided to board a ship bound for the new world and become sailors.
The ocean crossing was glorious. All the better, because when Joaz ever brought up his ambition to get a ship of his own, many of the other immigrants reacted with approval and expressed a desire to join him.

They made port at Cinque Portes. As everyone disembarked with what they had brought, most scattered, looking for a tavern where they could spend the night.Forty-odd people, including Joaz and his friends, rented a dozen rooms in the Blue Goat, a tavern a great deal less reputable than even the average blue goat. Then the six went strolling down the docks, to find a ship before the others spent all their money on beer.

Nobody was selling, it seemed. Certainly not for the life savings of forty immigrants, especially after the costs of ocean passage had been paid. they tried four ships, each progressively smaller. Even the little pinnace that would barely fit fifty was beyond their reach. It was offering passage to Fort Prospère, though. Joaz hatched a plan. Though there were a few outbursts of "That glorified canoe?" the others agreed.

That evening, they rounded up their gang. Some had drifted; there were now thirty-eight. Carrying all their worldly possessions for the second time that day, they all paid the pinnace's captain and traipsed aboard. They cast off on the evening tide. As they rounded the headland that protected Cinque Portes harbour, Joaz strolled up to the captain and casually pushed him overboard. He landed with a splash. A sailor heard and rushed over. Seeing the captain, he shouted, "Man overboard!" Joaz helped him into the water, too. Getting into the swing of things, Iago and Tristan picked a sailor up and tossed him over the railing. They threw a pair of oars after him. Soon all the sailors were spluttering about in the water. Joaz drew his sword and hacked through the ropes holding up the skiff. It tumbled into the water. The sailors and captain swam toward it. They were just getting in when Joaz and his glorified canoe rounded another headland and passed out of sight. Felipe was at the helm. Joaz nudged him aside and experimantally twirled the wheel.

"Felipe, see if you can't get us to Lorenza."

 

[ork75]

Is there a limit on number of words... 'cause I'm 1270 and counting...

 

[Thlayli]

No limit, as long as it's lucid and free from basic errors.

I'm considering various options for players that don't make the initial cut, including workshops to improve their writing, or letting them sign on as crew members for other players' ships, which could provide an interesting dynamic.

 

[talonschild]

Well, I've got ready-made crewmen, who will eventually captain other ships in my flee

And a note I keep forgetting to make - the font on the map is a little unclear; Tereja and Lorenza both took be awhile to find in particular.

 

[Arrow Gamer]

Thurin paced the deck, eyeing the distant flags with fear. The corsair, or pirates, as some called them, were circling, closing in for the kill. His ship, the Penance, was laden with cargo of all kinds: exotic wares, tapestries, gold, and, above all else, xacao. These had, of course, been plundered from other ships, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let that chain continue. he needed a profit, and being killed wasn't going to help that.

the ships, seemingly sloops, closed in. While the Penance most likely could escape, the smaller boats would eventually catch up once they neared the coast. Running was not an option. This needed to end here, and violently.

He barked a garbled order, which apparently the crew understood perfectly. Matches were lit, and dropped onto fuses, causing balls of steel and iron to rocket from the ship at hundreds of miles an hour. The fleet of enemies, it was now clearly a fleet and not an impromptu meeting of pirates, consisted of six sloops and a flagship. Miraculously, of the twenty something balls fired, only two made contact. One was a glancing blow, hitting far above the waterline of one of the smaller ships. the second, however, was the perfect shot: hitting below waterline of, believe it or not, the flagship. As the crew of the hit ship scurried to plug the hole, Thurin ordered the crew to reload. There was no turning back now: if these corsairs caught him now, they'd be slaughtered on the spot.

One after another, the small ships returned fire. Cannonballs flew over the deck, decapitating men and destroying cannons. Luckily, none hit below the waterline, but Thurin had no idea as to how long his good fortune could last. His crew fired another broadside, which did significantly better this time. A sloop sunk, peppered with holes, and another was taking on water fast. The flagship was hit again, and the water was seemingly unable to be staunched.

Thuring new he couldn't destroy the entire fleet, and hoped the current damage was enough to keep them off his backs. With this in mind, he fled, heading for Cinque Portes. Hehoped he could find some buyers there, so he could drop the loot he'd gotten and keep his competitors off his back.

Background: Thurin was Daemion nobleman, who was granted a small estate in the New World. A slave uprising forced him off his land, and he escaped in the small sloop aptly titled Revenge. Working his way up, taking gradually larger ships and discarding the old, he arrived at the Penance, a Merchantman. He both trades and plunders, and is eventually planning to retake his estate, which was soon taken back by a rival nobleman. He is currently located near Cinque Portes.

 

[ork75]

I feel like I really overdid this:
The northern reaches of the Daemish Isles are dotted with small fishing towns and naval bases. The former are deeply entrenched in tradition, with blood feuds dividing the landscape a hundred times. Though the majority are Telian, some hold fast to the old ways.
The village of Skarae is no different. It has existed on its small, rocky peninsula since time immemorial. Separated by only a narrow strait from the largest northern city, it is nearly 30 leagues over small, rugged mountains if one wishes to go by land. Telianity has a scarce presence here; the old faith remains firm.
Of the old pantheon, there are several main deities. The god of the hunt and the god of fish and the sea are major figures. However, in Skarae the belief in the Hangēd Man is by far the dominating belief.
Originally a mortal, this god stole a smoked fish to feed his starving family. He was subsequently hanged from a dead tree – but not for his crime. Instead, he was framed for murder. The gods, seeing a lack of justice in this village and throughout all of the Isles (at this time the Ephians had not touched Daemion), let him drop from his rope with but a broken neck, and live on as a god.
The Hangēd Man is the god of justice and crime, innocence and guilt, and in some aspects or sects, life and death. He is said to appear in dreams to his believers, being seen as a short old figure with his head twisted at a sharp angle to the left, on account of his snapped neck. Believers of the old faith use him as their judge, waiting for their dreams to give a course of action. All crimes but the most tame are punished by death – hanging from a dead tree, to give the guilty to the god. In lieu of a rope or a dead tree, the guilty is dressed in a wicker suit and burned.
However, he also protects the innocent (it is said) and children, and gives a form of justice to a place where there was previously none. Misunderstood by many southerners and foreigners, the Hangēd Man is, for the most part, a benevolent deity.
It was in this faith that Andrew ard’Kiel Gravi was born (a note on names – “ard’” means “son of”, and family name is put after, so this man’s name would literally be “Andrew son of Kiel of the family Gravi”. As a side note, “ark’” would be the female equivalent of “ard’”, and the mother would be named instead of the father.).
He spent his early years as a hand, and later mate, on his father’s fishing sloop. Since the rocky ground prevented most farming, fishing was the primary means of sustenance in Starae. At several times during his childhood, he traveled across the strait to Aedin, the center of the north, and experienced the sights and sounds of a large city.
If the Daemish had never intervened in the Markward Wars, he would still be fishing in his father’s village. However, the call to war rang out, and he answered. Traveling with about a dozen other young men of Starae, he signed up for the Daemish army in Aedin just a few days after the first news of the intervention.
Two months of grueling training ensued. For sixteen hours a day, he learned the skills of musket, bayonet, pike, sabre, artillery, formations, night fighting, and basic tactics. Put as the sergeant of a small squad (composed of his friends from Starae), he was shipped off to the mainland.
Stationed as part of an army of 10,000 in a small port in Kjeesmark, the first month on the mainland of Pyrea was passed rather uneventfully, with just city patrols and watch duty occupying his time. This was just the lull before the storm, though.
Now the season was nearing fall. The horizons clouded with the skies, though, as a large Markward army of around 15,000 soldiers marched to within twenty miles of the port. Fearing a cutoff of supplies for other armies in the region, the local commander marched his forces out of the gates to meet the Markward troops in the field.
Gravi and his men spent their first few hours in combat in stressful, tense reserve, within full hearing range of the screams and explosions ahead. However, with a low ridge blocking their view, they had no idea who was ahead in the fighting.
Suddenly the drums of the company rattled to life, and in a wide battle formation the northerners went over the ridge.
By this time, late in the day, the ground was as red as the tree’s leaves. Directed to the Dasemish left, they faced down a large group of Markward conscripts. Relying more on numbers than skill, this blob of meat had recently destroyed or routed several groups of Daemish soldiers, and had nearly reached a nearby artillery post.
Disciplined point-blank volleys drove back the mob. The orders to fix bayonets and slow advance (march forward with bayonets front, keeping formation and killing any unfortunate enemy who fell, was wounded, or ran too slowly) were followed with murderous precision, and now the several regiments executing this threatened the Markward hopes for the entire battle.
Relieved, the soldiers were cheering when a large wedge of enemy cuirassiers bore down on them. Barely getting into squares, many were caught outside of the dense formations and run down. Bayonets and musket fire slew many a cavalryman, but still the riders swarmed. Eventually, lacking in manpower, the cuirassiers retreated.
As the infantry reformed, Gravi and his comrades could now see that the charge was a last ditch attempt to break the flank of the Daemish, and that the Markward forces were now in full retreat. Cautiously returning to the safety of the port walls, the islanders now had time to survey their losses. Fully half of those setting out of Starae were now slain, and one of the remainder had taken a musket ball to the abdomen. Though this last man recovered, Gravi’s morale was shot.
Elsewhere, though, the Daemish were making headway against their foes. Consequently, patrols were sent out further and more frequently.
On one such mission, Gravi and his command (now a platoon) found a group of Markward dragoons laying waste to a poor farming village. Bodies lay in the single street, and many of the buildings were burned. A single dragoon lay in the street with a few small holes in his jacket, as if he had been stabbed with a pitchfork. Nearby lay an unfortunate farmer impaled on a farming implement of the same description
Following faint screams, the Daemish group found most of the village’s women and children locked in a barn, which the dragoons were in the process of setting ablaze. Outraged, Gravi ordered his men to fire a volley, which killed several of the cavalrymen and caused the others, seeing how outnumbered they were, to lay down their arms.
Here the northmen took over. With the others standing guard, the men of Starae freed the innocents in the barn and found the nearest dead tree. Finally seeing a path to sanity in this madness of a war, Gravi personally hanged each of the dragoons, and left them there for the world to see. The Hangēd Man would give each of the raiders what they deserved.
Several weeks later, the infantry company Gravi served in was replaced, and returned to Daemion. Commended by some lords, the unit was disbanded and set loose on the isles.
Throughout the conflict, the bonds between the platoon members had grown quite tight, and they elected to stick together, even after release from service. Returned to Aedin, they prepared to return to their villages or find security work. However, the chance meeting of a merchant recently returned from the New World convinced them otherwise.
Entranced by the tales of the wild jungle and the wilder settlers, Gravi saw a chance to spread the gift of justice through this broken world. Pooling money and purchasing a small sloop, named the Terezi, he traveled with a convoy of merchantmen and settlers to Isola Vattea.
Andrew Gravi currently is located in Lorenza with a small crew of veterans, armed with mostly melee weapons and small arms. He refuses to raid Daemish vessels, but has no such qualms when stalking the ships of other nations. He is least merciful to shipping of Markward origin.
His ultimate goal is to have a New World nation (current or future) have the word of the Hangēd Man as the state religion. Though he is a decent sailor, he has little experience in sea combat; land skirmishes are his territory. As such, he prefers to raid pirate villages and the like, where both the combat is in his favor and he is doing justice for his god. Among other tasks (the woods of Isola Vattea are large and dense, and dead trees litter their vast expanse), he is looking for more recruits and a larger ship with more guns. Disgusted with the prevalence of crime in his current location and deficiency of rope, he is seriously considering a move to Lafontaine.