Dyelli Beybi

Pirates of the Calarian Main

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Pirates of the Calarian Main

Prologue: A Letter of Marque

With theme music because that's practically a rule!

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Mina-Sakh was an oasis on the border between the Circle sea and the inland sea of sand. A dust blown walled city that rose out from the rocky shore with thick ancient walls protecting the elegant towers and arches of the city itself. The city had a port, fully walled, with a small entry point that the garrison could control entry to with a harbour chain. As if the squat fortress and chain tower bristling with artillery were not enough of a deterrent to unauthorised entry.

The Amir of Mina-Sakh, safe in his palace at the heart of the city, liked to think of his city as the South Coast's premium trade port. Which it probably was, but it was better known as one of the largest pirate ports on in the circle sea and the merchants of the city had no qualms in trading for both the loot from captured vessels and any unfortunate captives who happened to be unable to pay a ransom to whichever Pirate had taken them.

The sun was high in the sky. The spring night chill was well and truly burned off and the day beginning to become unpleasantly hot. Down by the Port, a young Monchian woman, pale in comparison to the locals, with big blue eyes sat drinking arak with one of the local men, a muscular Addonian with a couple of day's growth of scruffy stubble on his chin. She had put on a local tunic and sandals which were more comfortable in the warm weather than one of the thick, multi-layered dresses that were fashionable in the Northern lands. She lifted the glass of arak in front of her in a toast to her companion, "Well, here's to another successful voyage my friend."

The Addonian lifted his own glass and they clinked them together. The pair were in the shade provided by the colonnades that ran all sides of the port. The slight breeze carried the smell of salt air and fish, "The Imperials seem to be out in force," he remarked darkly, "Their bounty hunters seem to be getting more common by the day," he gave a wry laugh, "It is almost like they are preparing for something, or perhaps sensing a change in the wind."

The woman pouted, taking a sip from her drink, "Do you mean to say it isn't my brilliant sailing that got us away?"

"Oh absolutely," he waved to the barman who approached with the bottle to top them up, "Simko!" he called the man by name, "Pour yourself a drink. Come join us for a moment."

The bartender did as he was asked, returning a few moments later with his own arak, sitting down between the two of them in the shade, "So, , what can I do for you two today?" he asked, apparently assuming they wanted to discuss something.

The woman giggled, "So suspicious! But yes.. I think Momin was about to ask what news there is about port?"

Simko say back, running a hand though thinning hair, "Well, as it happens, there is something worth you knowing," he paused, perhaps for dramatic effect, "The Ambassador from the Union has someone issuing letters of marque at Palace Court, they're not being particularly fussy about who they issue to from what I hear."

The pair exchanged a glance before the man, Momin turned back to Simko, "That, my friend, is very helpful news."

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The Palace Court

Unlike the sandstone that most of the city was built of, the Palace itself was made of white marble that reflected the sun back quite uncomfortably for anyone trying to study the intricate geometric patterns etched into the columns of the Court Colonnade. The Doel representatives had set up in the shade provided by one of them. They looked hot in their thick Northern coats. The Naval Officer seated at a desk with a quill even had one of those long, curly wigs on that were so fashionable amongst the nobility, though he had hired a young local boy to fan him constantly. Probably not a bad idea.

Momin and his companion had slouched against a column some distance away, "Well, Captain, want to get your letter?" he asked her.

The woman looked up at him, then gave a small smirk, "Yes... but let's just wait for a few moments. I'm interested to see who else is looking for a contract to go raiding. I'd wager they'll be trying to get us to hit the Calarians out in the Main."

Momin inclined his head in agreement, "Almost certainly."

A war was brewing. Though whether it was between the Calarians and the Doel and their Northern Allies or with the Empire was anyone's guess. Calaria was growing more powerful by the day and other states looked at them with fear, greed or both.

Pirates of the Calarian Main

Okay, so I can add Cricket to the character page?

@Marybecker

Absolutely!

Apologies, I've been a bit ill the last few days.

If I've accepted your character please just pop them on the character page :)

Pirates of the Calarian Main

@Marybecker

I like the character concept. Would you like to put her on the Vengeance? Also, if you hop onto discord we can brainstorm some of that. Her backstory mirrors D'Ambois enough that I can see them having a proxy mother-daughter relationship.

Pirates of the Calarian Main

If people want to start migrating their characters onto the character page, that would be awesome. I'll kick the IC off, probably in 48 hours

We won't close off or anything so if you are still working on one, you can add it in later.

Pirates of the Calarian Main

Character Description

Name: Coralie D'Ambois: Captain of the Vengeance
Species/Race: Monchian Human
Sex: Female
Age: 24
Appearance:slight, 5'4'', dark hair, blue eyes

Hider

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills: Coralie D'Ambois is literate and numerate. Also quite handy with a cutlass.
Noble background makes her quite capable of talking to and negotiating with people in high places.
Weaknesses: Navigation is a dark art Coralie does not really understand.

Background:

Backstory:Coralie D'Ambois was born as the younger daughter of a not-particularly significant Vichian Noble House, but one with delusions of grandeur. Her mother, Callia was a member of the Hasikos dynasty from Inbur... not that Coralie remotely cared about any of that nonsense.

At 17, much to the horror of her parents, Coralie eloped with the notorious (and handsome) corsair, Anquetil Champernon, Captain of the polacre, Hiver . After a year together, Coralie fell pregnant, bearing the corsair a son, also named Anquetil. Only a year later though, the younger Anquetil died of scarlet fever. Coralie was, by all accounts, inconsolable, and the situation was only made worse when the news reached her some months later that Anquetil Senior had died of his wounds after being hit by grapeshot off the Calarian Main.

Coralie attempted to return home, only to find the doors barred to her. Coralie was disowned and neither of her parents would allow her into the house, let alone see her. The scandal she had brought on the family was, it was explained by a butler, too much to bear.

This left Coralie in a rather precarious position as she was quite without any means to support herself. Realising a lack of relatives meant that there was dispute over who owned Anquetil's assets, Coralie decided to make a bid for then arguing she was, in effect, his common law wife and that he had intended to marry her when he returned from his voyage (which was a pure fabrication). The chance paid off and Coralie inherited Anquetil's apartment at port, the Hiver and a whole lot of debt she hadn't realised he had.

The Hiver needed to put to sea and make some money, fast. Mostly to escape the scrutiny of the debt collectors, although also because she needed the distraction, Coralie decided to 'Captain' the ship herself though, in reality, for the first few voyages, she remained a figurehead and let the ship be run by her First Mate, Momin Asinger, while she learned the trade.

Full of simmering anger at life and her family, Coralie renamed the Hiver, Vengeance.

The first voyage brought back a small haul, enough to save the ship, though not the apartment and Coralie put to sea again.

Better at finances than the late Anquetil Champernon, Coralie has made a reasonable amount of money as a 'privateer' over the last six years and has grown into a capable Captain in her own right. Her goal is to earn enough money to set up in a house larger and more opulent than that of her parents - it's not a particularly plausible goal, but it is what drives her. She is known to be kind to captured sailors but, conversely, to try to screw every last drop of ransom money out of captured nobles, despite being a blue-blood herself.

Pirates of the Calarian Main

Name of Ship: Vengeance
Type of Ship: Polacre
Rigging: A three masted polacre
Crew Compliment: about 100
Cannon: 2x long 9 lb cannons in the bow and stern. 8x 8lb cannons, 8x swivel guns.
Description: a reasonably unremarkable polacre with the exception of the large, long ranged chase guns.

Pirates of the Calarian Main

@Tesserach Rubber stamped.

@Pragia12 Also rubber stamped.

@Bendahara one small question: Why would some other pirates work with your dude if he sold some others down the river earlier?

Pirates of the Calarian Main

@Badarby Looks good to me!

@TheCrudlet awesome!

@Demencia We will accept this lazy port from the NS thread and thanks for supporting my efforts at world domination :D

What legendary crew we have!

Pirates of the Calarian Main

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