Chronicles at Sea- Volume 1: The Chase

By: Tenevriel Posted on: May 22, 2009

Valnuary, 509AF

Somewhere in the Lemnian Sea

Off the coast of Ulangi

Following the channel out from Shastaan's harbour, the East Ithmia Company flagship, The Shadow Wolf, turned east-southeast to ease the pressure off the struggling crew at the oars and gain seaway. Fighting the Great Southern Current, the Windcutter continued to edge its bow away from the wind, gaining precious speed as the Eastern Shore began to disappear over the horizon. Standing at the bow of the vessel, its Captain, Commodore Tenevriel Calaier, stood with his hands resting upon the ship's figurehead- a ferocious black wolf. His eyes closed, head lowered as the figurehead's own eyes began to glow a soft red. At that moment, a sudden, unnatural gust of wind swept over the deck of the Shadow Wolf, adding speed to the ship's already impressive pace.

The Sea itself was calm, with its waves being overshadowed by the bow-wave coming off the Wolf's passage towards open water. A full tank of bait stood ready behind Tenevriel, sloshing about in anticipation of the catch to be had. Eyes shut, Tenevriel's mind scanned the ocean about him for signs of other vessels. To the east, he caught sight in his mind's eye of another Windcutter, anchored just off the coast of Ulangi. Stretching his mind further, he made out the flag flying from the mast- bearing the arms of the Order of Neraeos. Smiling softly to himself, the Commodore began to focus on willing the ship's movement towards the east, towards the friendly vessel. The Shadow Wolf bore down upon the other 'cutter, the golden flag of the East Ithmia Company's flagship shining in the mid-day sunlight. A hail from the Nerai aboard the other vessel was greeted with a return from Tenevriel. Turning the Wolf away from the other ship, he began to maneuver it to come alongside. Carefully bearing away from the fishing lines cast from the other deck, the Wolf turned into the wind, slowing its speed as it approached.

As the Wolf's anchor was being prepared to drop, the silence of the moment was broken by a trio of serpent heads rising from the waves to the northeast. A scream from the lookout shattered the peace of the fishing, "Hag!"

Belaying the order to raise the anchor, Tenevriel's eyes opened wide, the glow of the figurehead's eyes replaced by the sudden piercing crimson glow of his own. Stepping away from the figurehead, he marched briskly to the quarterdeck of the Wolf, shouting commands to make sail once again.

The crew of the Wolf worked quickly, loading the throwing arm with a serated wardisc as the Commodore turned the wheel hard, bearing off the northeastern wind, now beginning to gust. Another shout, this time from the Nerai aboard the other vessel, brought its anchor up and its lines reeled in. Scrambling to bring both ships about and away from the oncoming monster, the two experienced captains set their crews to work, stretching every piece of canvas aboard to speed their Windcutters along. Turning to watch over the curved stern of the Wolf, Tenevriel's face twisted in a frown, grunting his dissatisfaction as the Hags crept closer. His gaze turned to the opposite quarterdeck, shaking his head slowly to the other captain. Nodding her understanding, then other skipper gazed back at the approaching monster, her expression turning to one of barely-concealed horror as the serpent bore down upon her vessel. In an act of desperation, the other Windcutter began to turn away, perpendicular to its previous course. The Hags gave chase, closing in rapidly.

The crash of deck planks snapping drew Tenevriel's attention back to the allied vessel. The Hag's tail wrapped around the stern of the other 'cutter, threatening to break the vessel's back. The Commodore brought his vessel around, bow pointed straight for the beast ahead. The experience of his crew paid off, and the sails were set perfectly, grabbing every knot of available speed. The Wolf nearly flew through the water, its bow rising slightly above the wave it was producing. For a brief moment, a smile graced the face of the Wolf's captain, feeling perhaps more alive than he had in ages. With his gaze firmly locked on the ensuing battle of man and beast nearby, he shouted his commands to his crew.

"Get ready to spill wind when we draw near, I want that thing's attention on us. Weapons teams, keep loading and firing until the Hag's pursuing us. We're going to try to draw it off them, and let them escape."

As the Wolf neared the scene, its bow slammed into torn fragments of decking and cracked spars from the friendly vessel. A sudden gust of wind had separated the serpent from its prey, forcing a gap between the two not much wider than that of the Windcutter. Tenevriel aimed the Wolf towards that gap, eyeing the serpent as he screamed out, "Brace! Crew, fire!!!"

With a loud twang, the throwing arm let loose its first volley, the wardisc tearing through the scaly hide of the triple-headed serpent. A second disc scraped along its back, shredding a large section of flesh off. With a anguished roar, the tail of the serpent lashed out, striking the side of the Wolf. With a shudder, the cracking of wood filled the air as the crew cried that they were taking on water.

Turning back towards Shastaan, the Wolf began to spill its wind, slowing its travel as the other vessel began to pull ahead. Turning towards Ulangi, the Nerai gave a cheer as their vessel limped away from the fight, the Sea Hag turning their attention to the Shadow Wolf. As the serpent approached the battered ship, its crew suddenly trimmed the sails once more, the mast giving a loud creak as the ship took off towards the distant coast.

A roar from close behind proved that the Hag was still giving chase. Grinning to himself, Commodore Calaier ordered the shipmates to begin mending the damage to the vessel. The sounds of hammering belowdecks filled the afternoon air as the holes beneath the waterline were plugged. As the Eastern Shore grew closer, a final, defeated roar from the Sea Hag echoed across the waters as it turned away and dove beneath the waves.