Re: Grand Line Adventures IC

Z2 Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:45 pm

Zenith moves to a less than crowded area a bit away from the bar, he arranges his allies in front of him, forgetting to actually release them from his telekinetic blanket. He puts on his best 'I knew exactly what I was doing' face and plows on.

Well everypony, I'm not sure we want to go back in there . It seems like the hopefuls are all heading down to the secondary docks, be we hopefuls as well? I could go either way actually, properly finish in town, explore the island, complete any unfinished business, I'll leave it up to you. There's really three options as I see it:
1. Head down to those docks to begin our adventure and never look back.
2. Prepare a bit in town, gather our bearings, and make a magnificently GRAND exit through the chaos. (My vote likely goes here.)
3. Enjoy the island some more and set out at our own pace, the sea takes far more time to cross than even a large island; new ships always come and it may be best to avoid altogether the crowd of lesser competitors as they fight one another at the starting line.

He looks expectantly at his unintentionally bound allies, knowing that if the answer is one, he needs it soon.

Grey Pen The Flawed Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:04 pm

"Thank you for the save," I said to Zenith. "I think we might wanna go a little further than this though... why don't we re-group at Torque's house? Even if we leave tonight, we'll want to grab at least a few things. Let's go there, discuss it, and THEN leave, I don't feel comfortable so close to here. Or floating," I added before he could interrupt. Seriously, I hate floating. To the point I was actually glad when my (natural) wings burned off that one time...

"Please?"

Z2 Sun Feb 03, 2013 11:03 pm

What? OH!

Zenith swiftly sets the gathered ponies down, less than softly, but not unordered.

Torque's place sounds fine enough, Torque, shall we follow you there?

Lyntermas Mon Feb 04, 2013 12:38 am

"...Well, that was certainly a memorable first impression on our potential future crewmate." Torque brushed himself off as he was set back down on the ground. "Well, if we're still set on this "become pirates" thing, I'd vote for option 2 as well. If Zenith was able to pick up this rumor, there's a good chance the Marines did as well, and are prepared for it. By taking the time to get ready, we'll hopefully have less thugs and Marines to worry about, catch the Marines by surprise (they won't be expecting a second wave), and hopefully make a larger impression on them than if we simply attacked them as part of that mob (since our bounties are apparently the deciding factor in this)."

"I've got some battle gear up at the observatory that I'm not leaving without. What we definitely need are some maps: I've never heard of this Sarbaody place and I'd prefer to know which way to go before we leave port. So let's head off and...wait, where's Shallow?"

Torque glanced back at the bar where they had left, walked right in front of the door, then stopped. He would prefer not sticking his head back in there if he could help it.

"Shallow, are you in there? We're headed back to the observatory to discuss our future careers as wanted enemies of the state!...Care to join us?"

Zarhon Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:23 am

"Yah', I'm here, pon. Just gimme a moment to quell some spirits!"

After the barman brought him the drink (a brown-yellowish substance, covered in a rag, for both safety and sanitary reasons, referred to as "firewater"), Shallow quickly poured the substance onto the dirt in his pouch, giving the spirit it's (hopefully last) needed taste of booze.

"Dere yah' go. I trust yah' still got yah' honor wit' yah', and will stop lingering in occupied land. Yah' free ta' stay with me for a day, of course: mah' rent is cheap, and from da' sounds of it, yah' gonna witness some entertainment as well!"

Having no money to speak of, Shallow traded to the barman the recipe for a unique mixture of Zebra booze (taught from his mother), before leaving to join Torque.

"So... Enemies of da state, yah' say? Sounds like a ratha' short-lived career path, bruddah. Looks like I might just deepen mah' workload!", he said to the diminutive pony, laughing and patting him on the back.

"Anyway, dat' observatory is quite a bit away..."

Shallow grinned.

"Yah' up for a ride?"

Lyntermas Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:10 pm

Zarhon wrote: "So... Enemies of da state, yah' say? Sounds like a ratha' short-lived career path, bruddah. Looks like I might just deepen mah' workload!", he said to the diminutive, laughing and patting him on the back.

"Well, in this day and age, it's apparently popular and quite lucrative, if you've got the skills to pull it off," Torque replied with a smirk. "Even putting aside whatever treasure may be had, you get to see the world, learn about different cultures, and meet all sorts of people..." Torque glanced at the jar that Shallow carried with him. "...Pleasant or otherwise."

Zarhon wrote:"Anyway, dat' observatory is quite a bit away..."

Shallow grinned.

"Yah' up for a ride?"

Torque hesitated for a moment. He remembered the last time Shallow had offered him a "ride". But it was probably the quickest way to travel, and Shallow's skills had hopefully improved since then. Hopefully.

"...Sssssure. Let's give it a shot."

Zarhon Mon Feb 04, 2013 5:55 pm

Lyntermas wrote:"...Sssssure. Let's give it a shot."

"Alright pon! Take a deep breath, grab mah' tail, and hold on for yah' dear life! One Shallow Express, comin' rite' up!"

Athletics:

Shallow took out his shovel and took a running start, pulling Torque off his hooves. After gaining enough momentum he suddenly leaped, directing both his shovel and his body downwards towards the soil.

Rather than smashing into it, as one might expect, his form literally "sank" through it. As "ran" at top speed through the soil, he worked himself into a frenzy with his shovel, carving and manipulating a void in the soil he passed through, creating enough leeway for Torque to slip through as he pulled him along. The duo zipped underneath the roads, taking a turn here and there, before finally reaching their destination. Shallow then aimed himself upwards, exiting the ground into a leap and landing securely on all fours, with Torque in toll. The observatory stood a few yards away from their exit point.

"AHAHAH! I'll never get tired of doing dis'! We're here, bruddah! You can let go of mah' tail now.", he said, wiping off stray dirt off of Torque's glasses.

Z2 Mon Feb 04, 2013 6:10 pm

Note: this post was meant to come before Zarhon's most recent one, I took a while writing it; it can now be thought to take place with all gathered outside the observatory.

Zenith turns to to his 'mates':
I think we could an explanation, just in case misgivings whine that may yet be silenced.

Piracy? Short lived? Only for the lacking. One way or another piracy is this age's truest route to immortality. Deeds immortalized, power unimaginable, or even a spectacular death; one way or another this leads to a grander destiny than we could find elsewhere. All paths worth traversing bear enemies. Should we commit no true evils, we need not regret those enemies we find. The State, the thieves, and all the little fishies can be dealt with as they cross our horizon. Heroes, too, defy dark rules. Outside the law is merely that, all justice comes from the heart: given freedom, TRUE freedom, it is the individual soul that charts the course. Piracy IS true freedom. I know our souls, and we shall never be the villains of the piece. However the currents guide us, this choice, this step, tells the people, the organizations, and the collective unconscious that from this moment forth our deeds shall be our own; and they shall not be taken from us!

Lyntermas Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:16 pm

I'll tie this together, hang on.

Endurance:

There was no denying that the "Shallow Express" was the quickest mode of transportation, making a trip that would normally be a 10 minute walk or a 3 and a half minute trot last only 40 seconds. However, given that he had been holding on for dear life, eyes shut while occasionally rubbing against the soil on the sides of the tunnel, it was a LONG 40 seconds. Still, they had reached daylight again, and he felt that it actually hadn't been all that bad.

Zarhon wrote: "AHAHAH! I'll never get tired of doing dis'! We're here, bruddah! You can let go of mah' tail now.", he said, wiping off stray dirt off of Torque's glasses.

Torque let go of Shallow's tale, gave his head a little shake, then smiled at Shallow. "Well, I seem to be getting the hang of it. Much less scraping and tripping over myself afterwards than last time. But, it appears that we've left our two other friends behind. Why don't you head back to make sure they know how to get here (I think they'd prefer to walk up), pack up your belongings, and then we'll all meet here? I'll get my things together and...clean myself up." Torque then walked into the observatory.

After taking a bath and cleaning his glasses, he started to pack up all the things he thought he might need. Toolkit, Flash bombs, flares, tesla coil, Father's old blunderbuss, portable forcefield (with both passive and disruptive settings), the Mind Messer, materials to make Wind-up Chompers, the overloader, spare pair of glasses, the Battlebot (he made a point to make sure no dirt had gotten into it), and various other odds and ends.

There was one more mundane object he made sure he packed as well. An old photograph with a picture of his mother, father, and him as a colt, holding up his first Wind-up Chomper. Torque gave a small smile as he packed it away. "I'll make our name respected again, Father," he said as he went over to the observatory controls and pulled a few levers. The ceiling opened up and the telescope started to extend as Torque walked back outside.

He looked out to see that the rest of the gang had arrived. Zenith was dressed in his full regalia, and seemed to have been waiting for Torque to come out. He started to give a little speech.

Z2 wrote: I think we could an explanation, just in case misgivings whine that may yet be silenced.

Piracy? Short lived? Only for the lacking. One way or another piracy is this age's truest route to immortality. Deeds immortalized, power unimaginable, or even a spectacular death; one way or another this leads to a grander destiny than we could find elsewhere. All paths worth traversing bear enemies. Should we commit no true evils, we need not regret those enemies we find. The State, the thieves, and all the little fishies can be dealt with as they cross our horizon. Heroes, too, defy dark rules. Outside the law is merely that, all justice comes from the heart: given freedom, TRUE freedom, it is the individual soul that charts the course. Piracy IS true freedom. I know our souls, and we shall never be the villains of the piece. However the currents guide us, this choice, this step, tells the people, the organizations, and the collective unconscious that from this moment forth our deeds shall be our own; and they shall not be taken from us!

It was a rather good speech, Torque had to admit. "So, have you all gotten your things? I've got a plan for a "grand entrance", if you wish to hear it. Oh, and did any of you find any maps or anything that gives us a clue where this Sarbaody is?"

Zarhon Mon Feb 04, 2013 7:59 pm

I think we could an explanation, just in case misgivings whine that may yet be silenced.

Piracy? Short lived? Only for the lacking. One way or another piracy is this age's truest route to immortality. Deeds immortalized, power unimaginable, or even a spectacular death; one way or another this leads to a grander destiny than we could find elsewhere. All paths worth traversing bear enemies. Should we commit no true evils, we need not regret those enemies we find. The State, the thieves, and all the little fishies can be dealt with as they cross our horizon. Heroes, too, defy dark rules. Outside the law is merely that, all justice comes from the heart: given freedom, TRUE freedom, it is the individual soul that charts the course. Piracy IS true freedom. I know our souls, and we shall never be the villains of the piece. However the currents guide us, this choice, this step, tells the people, the organizations, and the collective unconscious that from this moment forth our deeds shall be our own; and they shall not be taken from us!

Shallow contemplated this. If he went on this course of action, it would mean a constant dodging of the law and the stigma of being a criminal, which might hinder his duties to the dead. On the other hand, his own goal of justice might only bring him a short path, before he'd have to resign to the "unlawful" path. Might as well do it sooner than later.
"Dem' be some fine words, pon! Much more noble den' most piracy cuts out to be, nowadays. Most go pirateerin' for shiny baubles and to fill da' dinner tables. Does dat' mean yah' be payin' and feedin' us all outta yah' own pockets? Dat's mighty generous of yah'!", he said, grinning widely.

After taking a bath and cleaning his glasses, he started to pack up all the things he thought he might need. Toolkit, Flash bombs, flares, tesla coil, Father's old blunderbuss, portable forcefield (with both passive and disruptive settings), the Mind Messer, materials to make Wind-up Chompers, the overloader, spare pair of glasses, the Battlebot (he made a point to make sure no dirt had gotten into it), and various other odds and ends.

"Yah' seem ta' be less preparin' for piracy, and more for a full blown war, mon! How da' yah' plan on carrying all dem' jujus?"

Lyntermas wrote:"So, have you all gotten your things? I've got a plan for a "grand entrance", if you wish to hear it. Oh, and did any of you find any maps or anything that gives us a clue where this Sabaody is?"

Shallow tries to recall if he heard anything about Sabaody from the family he dug up a grave for, while he was enjoying their hospitality.

Streetwise/History:

tygerburningbright Mon Feb 04, 2013 8:25 pm

Zarhon wrote: Shallow tries to recall if he heard anything about Sarbaody from the family he dug up a grave for, while he was enjoying their hospitality.

Streetwise/History:

You can't recall anything from your time with the family but you do remember a newspaper headline about how the trees in the archipelago were damaging the Red Line the continent that runs along the Prime Meridian.

Zarhon Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:08 pm

You can't recall anything from your time with the family but you do remember a newspaper headline about how the trees in the archipelago were damaging the Red Line the continent that runs along the Prime Meridian.

"Hmm... Well, Talon wouldn't have picked Sabaody wit'out good reason, dat's for sure, probably sometin' big, dangerous, or funky is happenin' dere'... And I did see a pretty funky tale recently, from a newspaper headline: Someting' 'bout some trees from ahn archipelago, assaultin' da Red Line... Mebbe that's wat' Talon was aimin' for?"

Z2 Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:09 pm

Zarhon wrote:
"Dem' be some fine words, pon! Much more noble den' most piracy cuts out to be, nowadays. Most go pirateerin' for shiny baubles and to fill da' dinner tables. Does dat' mean yah' be payin' and feedin' us all outta yah' own pockets? Dat's mighty generous of yah'!", he said, grinning widely.

You will be 'paid' in the form of mostly even splits of the treasure we 'find'. And I am more than happy to provide what food I can for all the crew, just so long as we've earned their keep by providing food for all of us. OH WAIT. CIRCULAR LOGIC. GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAVELING BUDGET LIKE THE REST OF US.

*ahem* Snark aside, this will work much more smoothly if all can be relied upon to take care of each other with our talents. You're good with dirt. Who knows? Maybe one of your contributions could be managing a few blueberry trees in the hold.

Z2 Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:12 pm

Zarhon wrote:
"Hmm... Well, Talon wouldn't have picked Sabaody wit'out good reason, dat's for sure, probably sometin' big, dangerous, or funky is happenin' dere'... And I did see a pretty funky tale recently, from a newspaper headline: Someting' 'bout some trees from ahn archipelago, assaultin' da Red Line... Mebbe that's wat' Talon was aimin' for?"

I have trouble picking trees actually assaulting. But 'go to the Red Line' seems bearing enough for now.

Zarhon Mon Feb 04, 2013 9:30 pm

Z2 wrote:You're good with dirt. Who knows? Maybe one of your contributions could be managing a few blueberry trees in the hold.

"Dat I am, captain strawberry! Hmm... Strawberries, now dere's a good idea. Perhaps some sprouts, tomatoes, oranges, and a few herbs as well... Should help keep da' bleedin' gums away as well..."

Z2 wrote:I have trouble picking trees actually assaulting. But 'go to the Red Line' seems bearing enough for now.

"I can see you've nevah' had da' misfortune of feelin' da' scent of a Timberwolf's breath, pon."

Z2 Mon Feb 04, 2013 11:22 pm

Oh, I'm not saying there aren't things mistakable for a tree attacking, I had my sister tell me about 'Fruit Bats' this one time; but if we're talking about ACTUAL trees then I think any digressions would be more subtle. Probably environmental impact or something.

Oh, and one other thing, I don't exactly care if you give me a nickname; but we officially need our ACTUAL names recognized now. I am not 'captain strawberry', I am Zenith, or Captain Gearspin. If you wish to continue referring to me as such in private, then I shall simply address you similarly.

Lyntermas Tue Feb 05, 2013 2:57 am

Got a lot of things to respond to, hang on.

Zarhon wrote: "Yah' seem ta' be less preparin' for piracy, and more for a full blown war, mon! How da' yah' plan on carrying all dem' jujus?"

"Well, the Marines aren't exactly going to be handing a ship to us on a silver platter, are they? Anyway, most of my things are small enough to be carried in one hoof. Also...I'm a very efficient packer."

Zarhon wrote: "Hmm... Well, Talon wouldn't have picked Sabaody wit'out good reason, dat's for sure, probably sometin' big, dangerous, or funky is happenin' dere'... And I did see a pretty funky tale recently, from a newspaper headline: Someting' 'bout some trees from ahn archipelago, assaultin' da Red Line... Mebbe that's wat' Talon was aimin' for?"

"It's probably a good lead. If nothing else, it'll be a chance to hopefully raise our bounties and find out more about Sabaody specifically.""

Z2 wrote: I have trouble picking trees actually assaulting.

"Obviously you've never met my mother. Let's just say I'm not ruling out aggressive flora just yet."

Z2 wrote: Oh, and one other thing, I don't exactly care if you give me a nickname; but we officially need our ACTUAL names recognized now. I am not 'captain strawberry', I am Zenith, or Captain Gearspin. If you wish to continue referring to me as such in private, then I shall simply address you similarly.

"...He's got a point, surprisingly enough. If we're going to raise our bounties, we're going to have make sure that we're recognizable, which means keeping our titles consistent. It'll do no good for us if we visit 3 islands and the World Government thinks 3 separate groups made a ruckus. This may sometimes mean we sacrifice efficiency for publicity. Hopefully, though, my plan will allow us to have both."

Torque paused for a moment. He knew that the best way to convince Zenith of a course of action was not to list its pros and cons, but to make it sound as awesome as possible. "Picture this. The 80th Marines are fighting a mob of thugs down at the secondary docks. The thugs may have numbers, but there's a good chance the Marines were prepared for them. They're probably mostly shooting down from the ships, either on the deck itself or in the hold using the cannon holes."

"Then all of a sudden, who appears from the sky but a mechanical glider holding our merry band! Most of the Marines won't be looking up, and those who do most certainly won't be expecting us. As we make our approach, you jump off a bit early and glide down on your dazzling wings, maybe kicking a Marine or two as you make your landing. Then you say, "I'm Captain Zenith Gearspin, and if you value your life, then you'd best get off MY ship."...or, something like that. Then I make the landing with the rest of us, drop a flare into the hull and blind most of the guys down there, we fight them off, we lift the anchor, and we're on our way."

"...Interested?"

Z2 Tue Feb 05, 2013 5:34 am

Pegasi aren't exactly the worlds greatest rarity... I don't think we can rely upon a sky approach to cover us. I think actual caution might be called for at first, and perhaps a bit of formal recon from our changeling friend.

Spotting his allies odd looks, he continues.

The surest deeds to be famous are not those done greater than others of their like, but those nopony thought to do at all. A surprise, a route, and getting out of that port with a ship and withOUT a battle will leave a much bigger impression; even if a less pointy-horn-shaped one. A few individuals looking over the chaos on a ship nopony saw leave, amidst a background of rainbows with booming voices declaring their superiors, will set a start that shan't soon be forgotten. Also I don't actually want to have a fight with as much chance of going chaotic as this one if I can avoid it.

Zenith trails off for a bit, he seems like he's trying to think of... a name?

Zarhon Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:59 am

"Well, if it's an entrance yah' want, I could always provide a three-passenger ride, bruddah's. Nopon' gonna be watchin' da' ground, dat's for sure. Of course, tis' not wit'out a risk."

I think actual caution might be called for at first, and perhaps a bit of formal recon from our changeling friend.

"I can help out wit' dat, bruddah... get a general feel of da' land, ya dig?"

"I got one question tho... Wat's da layout of da' docks and da' buildings? How much of it be dirt, and how much be seawater, concrete and rock and bricks? If da' situation is ideal, I tink' I've got a plan of mah' own, dat' would get da marines ta' abandon da' ships, ta' save someting' much more important and costly ta' dem'..."

Streetwise/History/Perception:

Z2 Tue Feb 05, 2013 3:41 pm

...
...
This is an observatory...
Let's observe!

Zenith heads inside to the upper parts of the building. Hoping to find just the right tool to scan the docks from here.

Spoiler:

tygerburningbright Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:43 pm

Zarhon wrote:"Well, if it's an entrance yah' want, I could always provide a three-passenger ride, bruddah's. Nopon' gonna be watchin' da' ground, dat's for sure. Of course, tis' not wit'out a risk."
I think actual caution might be called for at first, and perhaps a bit of formal recon from our changeling friend.
"I can help out wit' dat, bruddah... get a general feel of da' land, ya dig?"

"I got one question tho... Wat's da layout of da' docks and da' buildings? How much of it be dirt, and how much be seawater, concrete and rock and bricks? If da' situation is ideal, I tink' I've got a plan of mah' own, dat' would get da marines ta' abandon da' ships, ta' save someting' much more important and costly ta' dem'..."

Streetwise/History/Perception:

You can recall that the secondary docking area is a fairly recent construction built mainly to "modernize" the old base. The single time that you walked by the base sticks out in your mind almost all the area was made of concrete and metal but there was one area with actual dirt.

Z2 wrote:...
...
This is an observatory...
Let's observe!

Zenith heads inside to the upper parts of the building. Hoping to find just the right tool to scan the docks from here.

Spoiler:

After a bit of searching you manage to find a portable telescope and a lightning rod. Looking thorough the telescope at the docks a few things catch your attention a giant rabbit hopping around swinging an equally large hammer, the grandest looking ship sailing away, and that most of the base has taken much more damage than you would expect other than that most of the fighting has died down at this point.

Z2 Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:57 pm

Zenith takes a closer look at the ship sailing away.

Spoiler:

tygerburningbright Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:47 pm

Z2 wrote:Zenith takes a closer look at the ship sailing away.

Spoiler:

You can tell the the ship is expertly made very much so heavily armed multiple levels of guns,heavy iron plating on the sides, four very large sails,all in addition to it's already formidable size. On the deck you can see a large number of various lowlifes crewing the ship on occasion there is a pink filly that could only be ordering the others around. Just as you are about to look away you see a Jolly Rodger being raised that appears to be made solely out of weapons.

Z2 Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:10 pm

Little kid captain, eh?... That's a bit too dangerous for my tastes at the moment, one way or another...

Zenith stashes his two new items and heads back out to the group, ready to head to the docks with whatever plans may be found.

Lyntermas Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:20 pm

"See anything surprising?" Torque asked as Zenith approached.

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