Frank
Sir Heath Romanov
Castle Black 
The Northshore 

"How were we supposed to know that he was who he said he was?" Jameson argued. The taller guard, who Heath knew as Trogimarus, nodded in staunch agreement. "Look at him. He looks like a dustbroom." 
"I expected a higher degree of decorum from the two of you when I allowed you to take the three hour night shift. Clearly it was a mistake on my part to assume that you were capable of even the simplest of tasks. We can discuss your actions in the morning. Take your leave," Heath said coolly, irritated by their flagrant disrespect of a prince, much less his son. The guards blanched and left hurriedly. Heath sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Truly. We can talk in the parlor next door," He said, gesturing for Mikhail to go ahead of him. "Are you thirsty? Hungry? Shall I have something sent in?" He asked, eyeing the scrawny boy. Mikhail seemed to have lost a considerable amount of weight, and sleep, since they last met. 
The parlor was warm with a strong fire dancing in the ornate fireplace that stood in the center of the room. Large armchairs were arranged in a circle around the fireplace. Heath motioned for Mikhail to have a seat before taking his own. He looked to the boy with his brow furrowed in concern. He was under the impression that Mikhail had wanted nothing to do with him any longer. He wondered if something had happened to Anyanka, but held his tongue and waited for the boy to begin.
Richard
Mikhail Durkhan-Maith
Castle Black, Northshore

The hair on the back of his neck seemed to settle as Heath spoke up. Fear had fueled him the entire ride, and to have that met with a denial sparked a fear he hadn't realized he'd possessed in the first place. What if Lord Romanov had turned him away upon arrival? He'd never considered that, but hearing the man apologize on his behalf made his shoulders relax and the anger diluted considerably. 

Mikhail moved into the room he was guided into, taking a moment to look around before continuing in fully. In the Isles he'd been taught to observe a room for all exits, and it helped make him feel more in control of his environment after what had happened at the docks. It was a simple thing, but it kept him from feeling like a caged hare. 

He moved to the seat that sat facing the one Heath took, and leaned forward, lacing his fingers together. There wasn't really a good way to go about explaining what had happened that had him racing off to his biological father, so he just started into it.

"A man pulled a blade on me and a friend earlier tonight. I think Daemon was enjoying himself, he's a squire after all, he loves for the chaos that seems to boil over in those seedy kinds of places. But as soon as the tables turned and we were both in danger something snapped in my mind," Mikhail paused, looking down at his laced fingers. In the amber outline of the fire he looked nothing like the proud and curious boy he'd been only a few years prior. He felt like he'd aged overnight, and with his dark hair and the beginning of some height to his -admittedly malnourished- frame he was developing into a teenager. It was something his mother was both thankful and terrified of seeing. 

"Heath I killed a man tonight. I was seeing red, he dug a blade into my shoulder and the next thing I know I ripped his throat out with my _teeth_." When his eyes moved from his hands up to the man who sat across from him, he held his gaze. "I knew I came back a monster, but I didn't think it was _this_ kind of monster."
Leah
Ymara Charac
Just off the Northern Shore

Ymara observed Cecilia's handiwork and gave a satisfied grin. She thought for a moment before retrieving her own wooden stick, breaking it in half over her knee. Wincing slightly as a splinter caught in her leg, she placed the two stakes next to where the shifter was positioned. 

"Just in case you need some more." She shrugged, senses on high alert. "I'll make sure nothing else worms its way in here. In case you need me, please scream in my general direction. In a swift motion, Ymara got out her whip and slung it across the room in the direction of the shelf directly behind the automaton. A sharp crack sounded and the shelf along with its content came tumbling down onto the machine. 

"Oh and Cecilia? Watch out."
John
Salim's Crew
Just off the Northern Shore

The ship would lurch suddenly. Anyone experienced with boats would recognize this as a symbol of the ship taking off. However the books and such didn't move as the floor did. Seemed slightly off but it was far from the worst thing in here. The ship was heading toward  He had heard the call of the pirate king and Salim was honourbound to respond. Whether it was to kill him and take the position or to submit was anyones guess. 

The glass would still be inside her. Just the edges but it was healing around them. That'd hurt later. The man would recieve a stick into his upper shoulder but it didn't stick. It seemed to go straight through his skin, not offering any resistance. Indeed it didn't even slow him down as he scrambled up some shelves his blood dripping everywhere. He would leap from right above her. Using a powerful downward stroke with his nails and the broken glass whip., aiming for her throat and heart.
Joseph
Cecilia Lyanah
Just off the northern shore

"For the love of Camira, do not be an idiot and scream. That is the last thing we need right now." The shifter snarled in reply. The creature was on top of her when an idea on how to kill it sprung to her mind. Throwing herself to the side, Cecilia wrapped her fingers around one of the split sticks and raised it to her side. The glass whip would wrap itself around the wooden pole to Cecilia's liking, knowing that if it had gone for her throat and decapitated her, she would be dead. Cecilia pulled the the stick towards her as her hand shot out and attempted to wrap it around his throat as her body raised to face him, her nails begging to be buried into his jugular.
John
Salim's Crew
Just off the Northern Shore, Heading to  

"Do it! Kill. No touch spirit!" It said cackling wildly before grabbing her hand and driving his long finger nails deep into the bone, along with the glass. "Kill me," He said with another giggle, clearly mad... Or devout beyond belief. "Eat your spirit... Replace spirit. My spirit," It eyed her, obviously nto against getting a new body. He didn't know if it was true that the captain could do that but it was worth a shot. And he would take it by any shot.
Joseph
Cecilia Lyanah
Just off the Northern Shore

Cecilia let out a pained cry as she felt his nails dig into her wrists, distracting her from what he said. Clenching her teeth, her face contorted into an angered snare. The shifter felt her fangs mould from her teeth as she brought him close to her face. 

She dug her canines into his throat before tearing it out, doing her best to not allow the liquid to deep down her throat. She did not want to imagine what this man tasted like. His screams turned into croaked gurgles as Xeciloa spat out his flesh from her mouth along with his blood in her mouth. He tasted feral. Cecilia dropped the man and felt her insides turn but managed to keep the vomits from escaping her mouth. She wondered what the hell that thing was, painfully plucking his nails from inside her flesh so he would be disconnected from her. Her chest raised heavily as she panted in exhaustion and her eyes continued to glow as adrenaline ran through her body. Unfortunately her wrists continued to bleed from the glass left in her wounds, causing her healing to become more painful than she was used to. "Fucking hell."
Kimberli
Captain Caliss Goldmane

Of the coast of the North Shore

It had been a fairly calm day, the water wasn't too choppy and the wind guided them along well enough. The temptress was a sight, a beautiful galleon with eight decks and three masts. On the front, slicing through the water, was what appeared to be a large blade that was designed to look as if it were the steel-grey gown of the bare-breasted gold woman who served as the figurehead of the ship. A ship splitter, meant to cause catastrophic damage if she rammed another ship. The brothel ship was as decked out for battle as it was for pleasure, four ballista stood proudly on the uppermost deck while another four lined each side of the fourth deck. While they would fire standard bolts it was more common for Caliss to use them for boarding another ship. She was proud of her vessel, of her crew of women and her stable of whores below decks. Sixty girls, three decks and each had her own room and got to see the world. A better set-up, there surely was not.

"SHIP OFF TO STARBOARD!" Came the call from the crow's nest, Caliss was shaken from her thoughts and turned with the rest of the crew to look. She peered through her spyglass and got a lay of the land so to speak, "HOIST THE FLAG AND TURN HARD TO STARBOARD!" She called as she tossed the spyglass to her first mate and returned to the wheel, giving it a hard spin to turn them as they began moving toward the ship. "Don't worry ladies! The Siren's crew will be quite welcoming!" She called, and the girls began putting away their javelins and spears. Up went the flag, black as a moonless night with golden lion emblazoned upon it. It would mark them to the other ship as a Goldmane, the figurehead would mark them as the Temptress. 

"Shall we run out the oars captain?" The first mate asked as they closed in on the Siren, "No. Don't want them thinking we're intending to ram them. We'll slide up beside them like a big titted tavern wench," She said calmly. The first mate nodded and gave the order, "READY THE GANGPLANKS, MAKE YERSELVES LOOK GOOD AND WAKE THE GIRLS! WE'RE SLIDING UP TO'EM AND GETTING FRIENDLY!" The crew let out a cheer, always nice to know you weren't about to die. As the drew in close the ship would begin to slow while the girls excitedly gathered on deck to see what kind of ship they were approaching, all abuzz with excitement. No need to hail the ship, anyone peering through a spyglass now would know this was the Temptress the most famous brothel ship on the sea... Probably the only one, in fact, capable of safely delivering girl's in the middle of the ocean.
Leah
Ymara Charac
By now well off the Northern Shore

Ymara blinked as the noise swelled up, then died down. Turning, she spotted Cecelia whing, writhing on the floor. Kicking the remains of the thing out of the way, Ymara knelt down next to the shapeshifter. 
"The fucker's dead." Quietly, she marvelled at Cecilia's ruthlessness, just as a dull sound sounded outside, the ship's sides shook.
Instinctively, Ymara dug her nails into the wooden floor. It wasn't much, but better than nothing. 

"Unless you took it with you, the healing balm must be lying around here somewhere. It's best I numb the pain before we get out of here." Coolness settled upon her as she began scanning the heaps of books, finally spotting the valve buried under a heap of books. Triumphantly, she dug deep and unscrewed the lid, applying some of the ointment to the shapeshifters wrist. "It'll numb the pain for now."

Straightening up, she scanned the room for Xerxes, who she found buried under several books, seemingly unscathed exept for a lip in his forepaw. "We'll get that fixed up, buddy. As soon as we board the other ship, because if my ears aren't totally wrong, one just nearly rammed us."
John
Captain Salim
Northern Shore

"Hoist the colours" He called out as he Saw the Temptress. "Peace lads. The lady of the ship takes good care of hers. No robbery today... On this particular ship anyway," He said with a chuckle, raising his fist high. In the distance Lightning would crackle and thunder would boom, marking his presence as the Stormlord. He was a pirate captain, showing off his pride and power. However he made it clear that he meant no ill or harm upon them. 

The men would cheer as they passed by and stopped. They were pirates after all and it wasn't unexpected of them to spend as many nights as possible in the whores arms though. They had females on board though so they weren't as pent up as was to be believed but much easier to just pay coin and fuck ones brains out than spend time to romance a crewmate or get a casual relationship set up. 

Now if they were a normal merchant ship or indeed if the siren was any normal pirate ship they would be bold for approaching. The Siren didn't look like much in comparison to the Temptress but anyone with even a hint of magic could feel the raw aura emanating off it. There was clearly more to it than met The Eye. There were plenty of rumours about the Siren and it's Captain but who knew which ones were true? Either way... This was to be fun.

Salim would Eye the girls with the glance of a bored Noble. A few years back he may have been interested and would have summoned as many whores as he could afford to his room for a night of pleasure (how He met one of his bards actually. Said bard was waving to one of the other whores on the ship. Check  for her description) but he had in recent times, sold his attraction to young and pretty flesh to an old man who lived in a capsized boat and spoke with the voice of dolphins. Yet another contract for power. Now it took more than mere flesh to interest him. It took power and drive. Something possessed by few. Would anyone on the ship suffice?

Salim's Crew 
Northern Shore

It's death was accompanied by a bone dry cackle that turned liquid as he died. It died with a smile on it's face... One that would probably never leave her memory. Not for how he died... More like how happy he was to die. As if he was craving it. But he himself had said he couldn't... But he had died just as easy as any man she'd killed. However as a final fuck you, there would still be a tiny bit of glass right under her arm muscles. Probably would need surgical tools to get that out.



The book was bound in monster hide and was untitled. It was hand written in a slanting script that luckily was common, no matter how derived. It detailed massive beasts of the seas and some of them had circles around them. Others had X's and a very few had skulls or eyes on them. Marking significance in one way or the other.
Joseph
Cecilia Lyanah
Northern Shore

"Obviously." She bit out in remark to the thing she just murdered, unbeknownst to her that another ship was beside them. She was too preoccupied with the pain to worry herself about what was happening outside the room they were. Even though she was able to avoid gazing back towards the Deceased man, the image had already burned its way into her mind, scarring it for as long as she could think. 

Her forefinger brushed lightly along her arm , feeling the bump of shards beneath her skin. Cecilia or someone she trusted would have to find a knife to cut the glass pieces from her flesh, or else it would cause her permanent pain when moving her wrists or even shifting. Her eyes flickered from her scars to Ymara who spoke with her dog, unsure on whether they would make it to the ship or not. "I'll give the Captain a distraction so you can jump aboard the other vessel. I don't think he is a stupid man if he has all this magic, he will know we have something planned." 

Her knees popped as she forced herself to stand, finding it slightly difficult to keep her balance as the ship rocked. Before she had the chance to leave the room, the shifter was shocked when a woman appeared, not having smelt her scent as a warning. It seemed that since she had entered the passage and strayed from where they were meant to stay, her senses had become dull, almost human like. As it was passed a book to Ymara, Cecilia decided to not wait for some other freak to make its appearance and reached towards the human by the bicep. "Let's get out of here."
Kimberli
The Temptress did just as the captain said and slid up beside the Siren, gangplanks were lowered and before any of the Siren's crew could step on them the biggest women of the temptress crew took up position with spears and blades in hand. Soon the short, one eyed woman with raven black hair that'd been shaved off everything but the top hopped up onto one of the railings. "Ahoy there! Sorry about my crew they're protective. I am captain Caliss Goldmane," The magic coming from the ship resonated well with het eye... Similar origins perhaps? She could even sense the sea monster nearby, how wonderful to finally see the Stormbringer. "On my ship we have a few rules, first off all the girls stay on this ship. They dont come onto the Siren, aint questioning your honor but you are a bunch of wobbly-legged rum soaked pirates. Cant have you stealing my booty." Ah puns... The greatest form of humor. "Secondly the girls decide, they ain't slaves so if they don't want you, find another. Third, and perhaps most important... Color is everything on this ship. No skin color, mind you, fabric color. Pink dresses are worn by women, blue by men and eunuchs, purple by all things in between. That is all, have fun!" She hopped onto one of the gangplanks and walked over to the captain, her crew moved aside to welcome the Siren's crew. As the short, pale woman approached the captain might've been able to feel the unearthly magic eminating from her eye patch, she held out one elegant hand. "Captain Salim 'The Stormbringer', a pleasure to meet you... And take your crew's money."
Leah
Ymara Charac
Northern Shore

Ymara felt herself being pulled by the arm, looking up to find Cecelia gazing at her, urgency reflected in her eyes. Then she noticed the book thrust upon her. Pulling a disgusted face, she hauled it onto the pile of the other books, where it landed with an almost inaudible thud. "No way I'll take that with me."

She looked at Xerxes once more and after finding him in a stable enough position to pad alongside her, she slung her arm around the shifter's shoulder. "Both of us can barely walk, so there's no sense in me running off. We're in this together, whether you want it or not. " Together, they made their way out of the room, Xerxes trailing behind. 

Her skin was screaming for a break now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Ymara hadn't been this active in months and it showed. Groaning slightly, she wiped a bead of sweat from her brows. "Usually the captains talk to one another, especially when it's a friendly encounter, which I'm assuming it is since I haven't heard anything firing off. That should buy us some time." She spoke frantically, in a low and hushed tone, in an attempt to conserve her sanity. "I suggest I'll bind your hands with this-", she tore a strip of cloth from her tunic, tying it around her hands, "-we can say it ripped during training." 

Suddenly, Xerxes let out a short, muffled bark. Ymara turned to see him carrying her hood. "Such a good boy." Patting him as she retrieved the garment, she proceed to pull it over her head. Arriving above deck, she let out a gasp as she took in the scenery. 
"He knows my taste in women, maybe I can smuggle you with me as an extra if you keep your head down."
John
Captain Salim
Northern Shore

He would take her hand in his and quickly press his lips on the top, a formal court greeting. "Lady Goldmane. The tales do not do justice to your beauty or your poise. It is my pleasure to meet you and have my crews money taken... Tis not my own after all," He spoke common with a slight accent. Just made it sound more musical, a song instead of a speech. "All of the terms above are agreed with. The magic in his right hand (the hand without a pinky finger) would send a slight surge of power through her, expecting to be matched. A test to see if he was in the presence of another magician. "If you would do me the honor, I would love to have you for dinner while my crew has yours for more... Sultry endeavors," He said with a wink before turning to the crew.

"Lads, you heard her. Have your fun. New Crew Members don't get off however. We can't have you all on the Temptress now can we?" There was a small groan but he hushed it with a raised fist. "Shut it. You can have your fill at the next port men," It would eventually quiet down to a few murmurs of dissent but that was enough. They were pirates after all. "Theoretically... What if the girl wishes to join us? To have freedom as a pirate rather than freedom as one of your crew? Or if my bard wishes to join you? She's been aching for something... Else for a while now. Back to her roots she says," Before he began fully discussing he shook his head. "We can talk more after dinner good lady,"
Kimberli
Caliss Goldmane
Northern Shore

Salim's display of power was met with a return, though Caliss' magic would feel alien and... Wrong... As if it was forcing the mind to comprehend something it didnt want to know... Something it *Couldn't* Know. "Flatterer, how can I turn down dinner after such wonderful compliments." She said with a chuckle, clasping her hands behind her back. His question was one she'd heard before, "Oh aye... The girls are welcome to leave if they wish and whoever wants a place on my ship can have it. Your bard would he welcome, sometimes the crew needs help keeping the rhythm." She nodded when he insisted on talking more after they ate, her eye trailing over his crew. "Lead the way, making the acquaintance of such a famous Pirate is just what I need. After all, who'd cross a friend of the Stormbringer?" She wasnt a fool, she knew what she'd done was reckless and bold... But she also knew that six ballista's loaded with flaming bolts coupled with volleys of javelins and arrows was something most Pirate crews didnt want to deal with. Much better to just fuck and drink and make friends, right? 

The short woman was excited... His magic felt familiar, maybe they drew power from the same goddess, oh to meet another devoted of her drowned goddess! But she did not hold out hope, as familiar as his magic felt it was also foreign in other ways.
John
Captain Salim
Northern Shore

He enjoyed it as much as it disgusted him. It was an odd feeling. Something he didn't know... It felt... Strangely familiar. Like she was using his own magic distorted beyond belief. But he put such thoughts aside and led her to the captains lodge if she followed him. There was already food laid out. A much smaller meal this time, but no less opulent. He had guests to impress after all. 

Being a magician she may notice how strong the aura of the room was. While most of the stuff on the walls were mere trinkets... He had items of true power as well. Pretty much the archetype of an untrained wild mage, relying on instincts and rote learning than any actual knowledge of the powers he was wielding. While he was strong magically, he was majorly limited by the fact that he had no idea how he was doing what he was doing.

He would let her eat if she accompanied him, although he himself ate little. There were jeweled meats, Salad from 4 different continents (THe vegetables I mean), plenty of Ice cooled fruit and Sharbert to cool the throat. His eyes wouldn't leave her the whole time until he spoke one sentence. "I felt your magic,"
Kimberli
Caliss Goldmane
North Shore

Caliss went wide-eyed at the meal... Sure she had opulent and extravagant meals before but this was all together more wonderful. She practically gorged herself, trying every plate atleast once and going back for seconds. Free food was amazing, when she began to feel full off meats and veggies and fruits she finally scooped up a big bowl of sharbert and began to eat it. His words rang in her ears and she nodded, swallowing down the cold treat, "I felt yours. It is similar to mine but... Ignorant, no offense, you command great power but you do so with limited understanding."

She finished her bowl and sighed contently, sitting back in her chair, she tapped her eyepatch and smiled at him. "I've something of my own from her... I am her eye, i feed her dreams let her see the world through my skull. In return she grants me a special kind of magic," She motioned to the trinkets and artifacts on the wall. The power was palpable, "What did you sacrifice for all of these... And the sea monster that swims below our ships? Have you been to her island... Have you seen her eye for yourself?"
John
Captain Salim
Northern Shore

"I'll be honest with you. I'm aware most of what I do is parlor tricks. There is deep magic. It calls to me. It sings. But one thing the stories always tell, is to never open the door for a stranger without having the power to expel them," He stood up once they were done, looking around the room for any sort of magical bug. "I sacrificed my crews fingers for Begam. A favor uncalled for the Ship. Eldritch Bargains and deals struck make me a free man," Indeed if she had the second sight, she would be able to see the chains that were attached to him and linked to different things in the room and a few that went out. He was free on the mortal coil by a hundred prisons on the spiritual. 

"Island? I spoke with witches and sacrified to altars for what I have... Excluding the storm in my blood. I've never been to an island... What is her eye? What power does she grant you?" His own were obvious. Normal men couldn't summon storms and control the sea like he could. He would finish searching and open up a false door behind a cabinet, twisting to show stairs down. The energy in the room was nothing compared to the malice and magic felt from below into those stairs. The screams of pain and joyous laughter all on a spiritual level. He took a careful look at her to see how she reacted to ti.
Lauren
Sgt. Jax Brightwater
Brindelle, The Northshore

*Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.*
The night had not been quick, or pleasant for the Sergeant, who sat on the lower steps of the holding cell with his back leaned against the wall. Jax currently held a closed first to his head that he was slowly, but painfully, pushing further against the skin. He used to be pinching the bridge of his nose, but that ceased being helpful hours ago, and Advil hadn't been invented yet. When the disgruntled knight finished his paperwork the night before he had no intentions of sleeping in the precinct, let alone the holding cells that occupied the basement.
After Jax had cut Erik with his dagger's blade the toxin it was coated with took effect. Jax never liked using poisonous knives on his opponents, but of course the blade wasn't originally intended to be used in combat. The toxin was a simple enough one, a minor numbing agent used by an old apothecary, who served as Quartermaster for one of Jax's sellsword campaigns. The original intent was to ease a wounded soldier's pain enough so that his cries of agony wouldn't keep other soldiers in nearby tents awake so they could continue dying the next day. However Jax had found that a small cut after a bottle of his favorite spirit made him, well, High. Not high enough to be considered a delinquent, but just high enough that he stopped waking up in a cold sweat to fight the nightmares that haunted him. The blade had had enough coating to knock Jax out, but on the big man it simply made his muscles a frenzy of pins and needles. After his legs were put to sleep, Jax dragged him back into a cell that still had it's door, and after another hour he managed to wrap the beast in chains. Of course for the next 8 hours, Erik had been shouting, and Jax was suffering from it. The sound of footsteps brought his exhausted mind back to the present, and the Sergeant still had to be uniform in front of his men. With a strained groan, Jax brought himself to his feet.

Sgt. Jax Brightwater
Brindelle, The Northshore


There are certain things you can tell from how a man carries himself. The subtle differences in the way his feet are placed, how his chest moves when he breathes, and most importantly, how he presents himself to others. For instance, even though it had been close to 15 years since he officially carried the title, Jax still stood at attention like he was back in Stormalong, among the rest of the best and brightest he used to call his family. This was something the rest of the guard gave him shit for. It was only after a few days he joined the guard that he earned the multiple nicknames of "Boardback," "Sergeant Statue Spine," And his personal favorite "Stickass." Although every soldier had to stand at attention, it was obvious he made a subconscious attempt to always stand straighter. However now Jax stood at ease, his hands clasped behind his back as he heard the footsteps approaching.
He did this for two reasons:
1. Extreme Paranoia about not knowing who was behind him.
And 2. There were only one set of footsteps, and they sounded small and quiet.
Jax began running the possibilities in his head.
*Could it be the Captain?* No she wouldn't be awake for another hour at least.
*Maybe Collins? Or Phillip?* No that's not it either, no one from his squad knew he was down here.
He was about to think of a third scenario when he caught a glimpse of the feet descending the stairs, and before long Jax was looking at a somewhat familiar face. 
A signature giggle came from the haunting depiction of a laughing face the midget always wore.
"Well, well, well. You clean up very nicely." The penny whistle voice spoke up from the golden facade.
Jax bowed respectfully.
"It's good to see you again, Tiny Vik."