<Storyteller> The ship glides across the Tempest smoothly, the only sound is the wind
brushing past you, and the crew working somewhere on deck
* IronJohn commands the ship as usual
* William leans against the railing.
* Friday walks by the helm, he looks out at the crew
* Brianna is in her room meditating
* Friday leans next to William
* IronJohn takes out a spy glass and scans the horizon
<Friday> "So..."
* IronJohn centers in on something on the horizon and looks again
* IronJohn calls up to Rodgers and asks "What do you spot over thar?" as he points in
the direction of what he was looking at
* Rogers nods and looks out to the horizon
* William looks up, gazing into the Tempest in the direction they are looking
<Rogers> "It's a ship! She doesn't look too well!"
* IronJohn looks again to judge its heading
<Friday> "Captian, what's going on?"
<IronJohn> "Looks like there is a skuttered ship on the line."
<IronJohn> "Stay on our current course."
<Friday> "Oh..."
* IronJohn passes Friday the glass
<Rogers> "I see a crewman! I see a crewman!"
<IronJohn> "Mr.Rodgers is it closing in on our neighborhood?"
<Rogers> "She isn't moving!"
<Rogers> "The crewman is hurt! He's laying there!"
<IronJohn> "Light to the starboard, slow the approch."
* Hans comes on deck "Vat's going on here?"
<Friday> "I see him! Captain, want me to get the healer?"
<IronJohn> "Deckhands have a weapon nearby."
<IronJohn> "Could be a trap."
<Storyteller> The crew rush to their weapons
* Friday runs off to get Brianna
<IronJohn> "Bring the healer."
<Remy> "I can heal, if need be."
* Brianna hears all the commotion and comes up on deck
* Remy draws his pistol, though, and checks it over
<IronJohn> "Bring it up to the side and grapple it down."
<Remy> "*If* need be."
* William walks to the side of the ship and looks at the hulk
<IronJohn> "Rodgers...keep an eye out for spectres in the water."
<Storyteller> You pull up closer to the ship
<Storyteller> You make out the name "Lucinda"
<Storyteller> The hulk bobs aimlessly, the Lucinda has seen better days
* IronJohn waits until the ships are grappled
<Storyteller> The crew ropes the hulk and tie her in
* IronJohn calls for the command crew and has the nearest crew member throw a plank
across
<Remy> "Well...should we look for anyone else?"
<Storyteller> The crew stands back, their weapons at the ready
* IronJohn draws his pistol
* William looks over the side
<Storyteller> The plank is drawn
* IronJohn walks across the plank to the other ship
<Storyteller> The waters are still, the Lucinda is as silent as the grave
<Storyteller> you walk across and notice the lone crewman on the deck
<IronJohn> "Mr Leclaire....see to that man if you will."
* IronJohn begins to look around
<Storyteller> The man seems to be forged halfway into the ship
* Remy walks foreward, hesitantly, and muttering about voodoo
* William crosses the plank
* William looks at the crewman
<Storyteller> His unblinking eyes are windows to fear and agony
* Brianna shudders in horror
* Remy looks for a way to pry him from the floorboards
<Storyteller> The captian's door bangs shut with the wind
* IronJohn checks the cabins, gun in hand
* Brianna looks at the man, then closes her eyes and studies him with her innate
perceptions into Fatalism
* Remy calls back to the ship
<Remy> "We have an artificer on board?"
<William> "His mind is gone."
* IronJohn opens the door to the captains cabin slowly
* William performs the last rites
* William takes out his bible and begins to read
* Remy looks around warily
* Remy looks to William
<Remy> "Don't like this, myself..."
* Brianna blinks
* Remy looks over at Brianna
<Brianna> "He was fighting off a spectre. Something hit him from behind."
* Hans looks around cautiously.
<Remy> "You gettin' anything?"
* Brianna slowly comes out of her trance and looks at the man with pity
* William finishes and puts the book away
<IronJohn> "William!"
* William looks around warily, and crosses himself.
* William looks to John
<IronJohn> "When you are done there, there is another poor sod in here."
* IronJohn goes about looking for the logs
* William frowns sadly and goes to the captains quarters
* William looks at the next one
* Hans looks for something to cover the man with.
* Brianna follows William to see the other one
* Remy follows as well
* IronJohn searches the cabin
<Storyteller> You walk into the captian's quarters, and see on the wall, a man
Moliated against the wall. He is plastered there, in a macabre painting. his
fingers move, and his mouth is wagging in silence
* William rushes toward him
<William> "Somebody help me."
* William begins trying to moliate him out of the wall
<Remy> "Help you do *what*?"
* IronJohn continues to look around
* Brianna rushes up and tries to help William
<IronJohn> "I have a feeling that they are gone lads..."
<William> "Get him OUT!""
* Hans looks around for anything that might explain how this occurred.
* William begins trying to extract him
<Brianna> While they are working to free him, I use Fatalism to try to find out what
happened
* IronJohn helps William
* Hans continues to look around.
* Brianna frowns in concentration
<Brianna> "The man who did this...looks familiar somehow.."
<Storyteller> There's a tearing noise, and a scream as the man comes free
* William tries to heal him
* Remy shakes his head
* Brianna blinks
<Remy> "I think we better do this search quick, and get the hell outta here."
<Brianna> "It was Usher who did this!" she says with dawning realization
* William seems oblivious as he tries to mend this poor soul
* IronJohn looks again for the log
<Remy> "Usher?"
<IronJohn> "Who is this ye be speaking of then?"
* William looks up
<William> "Who?"
<Remy> "An ol' aquaintance, you might say..."
<Remy> "He's a servent of Markova. We thwarted him a while back."
<Storyteller> Hans as you walk around top of the ship you notice it's been stripped
<William> "A servant of who?"
<Remy> "You know Satan?"
* Hans enters the room where the rest are, takes in the ghastly site of the man on
the wall, and crosses himself.
<Remy> "Markova is probably his right hand man."
* IronJohn looks up from reading the log
* William scowls
<Hans> "I've searched the entire ship," Hans says shakily. "There's nothing aboard.
Its been stripped."
<IronJohn> "Mr.LeClaire, please get 5 crewmen over here, and have them search the
ship with you and Miss Brianna....see if there are any more like this...William
you go too."
<Remy> "Nothing's better than this..."
<IronJohn> "Hans search the stores...see if anything is there."
* Remy gestures towards the 'art'
<IronJohn> "We are leaving in half an hour."
<Storyteller> The captian begins to scream
<Hans> "Yes sir."
* Remy nods to John
<William> "I'm going to help this one aboard the ship first."
* Captian jitters and shakes
* Remy goes to get 5 trusty men
<Captian> "The fires!"
* William tries to calm the man
* Captian says in a cracked voice
<Captian> "The fires!"
<William> "It's ok, there's no fire. You're safe now."
<Captian> "They have come!"
<Captian> "No hope!! No hope!! No hope! No hope! No hope!"
<William> "It's ok. Calm down. We're here to help you."
* Captian writhes
* Captian grabs William
<William> "Hans!"
* IronJohn truns and aims his pistol at the captain
* Hans runs to help William.
<Captian> "The sun is gone!"
<Brianna> while William holds the captain down, I grasp the captain's shoulders and
attempt to discover how badly he's wounded
* IronJohn turns back after seeing that its under control
<William> "Can you use your powers to help him?"
* Brianna nods worridly
<Brianna> "Let me see how badly he's injured. I can heal any physical wounds he might
have.."
* Captian rips open his own corpus
<Captian> "Look at me! Look at me!"
<Storyteller> And that is when you notice it
* William looks at the captain
<Storyteller> Deep within his own corpus a symbol smolders there
* William looks
* IronJohn looks
* Brianna stares at the symbol
<William> "Hans, can you help him or not?!"
<Storyteller> The symbol is of a sun being blackened
* Remy gets back to the ship, after searching
* Hans helps William hold the man down.
* Captian calms and looks at William
<William> "What happened here?"
<Captian> "Pray...pray for me...."
* Captian form begins to ripple
* William begins speaking a prayer as he tries to figure out how to help
<Brianna> "His shadow is about to overcome him!"
* Brianna kneels beside him and transfers some of her pathos to him.
* William tries to purify him
<Storyteller> It is too late, as the man's form liquifies and melts away
* Garret runs up from the hold
<Garret> "Jesus! Oh Jesus!"
<Iron_John> "What is it?"
<Garret> "The hold!"
<Garret> "In the..the hold...it's...worse."
* Brianna reaches out briefly to where the captain was before he disappeared, then
slowly pulls her hand back in sorrow
* William remains on his knees, cradling his head in his hands
<Iron_John> "Stay here all of you...I will look."
* Iron_John goes to look at the hold
<Erik> "You know, I pity that guy. I really wouldn't want to be where he is right
now."
* Brianna shakes her head and looks sadly at William. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help him
in time.."
<Iron_John> {Erik: Neither would I}
* Iron_John walks out of the hold
<Iron_John> "Everyone back on the ship."
* William holds his crucifix in his hands ant takes out his bible
<Erik> "What's that supposed to mean?"
* William begins reading passages, praying for the captain
* Brianna stands up and follows John out of the room
<Iron_John> "Everyone back to the ship NOW!"
* Hans heads back to the ship, sorrowful that he could not have done anything to help.
* Remy gets back from the hold, looking rather pale...
* William is still reading
* Erik heads back to the ship, scribbling away on his notepad
* Brianna hurries back to the ship
* Garret heads back on the ship
<Iron_John> "Mr.LeClaire...get William back to the ship."
<Storyteller> You can now hear them
<Storyteller> The whispers...from the hold
<Iron_John> "Damnit....all of ye off now!"
* Iron_John is last off the ship
<William> "They need my help...."
* William says softly
<Iron_John> "There is nothing you can do for them."
<Brianna> "Wha...what is that?"
<Hans> "I hear someone below on the ship."
* Iron_John tries to ignore the voices
* Brianna looks back
<Erik> "Who...who's calling me?"
* William closes the book and puts it away
* William goes to the hold
* Iron_John grabs William
* Iron_John pulls him across the deck
* William yanks free
* William continues
<William> "They need my HELP!"
* Iron_John tackles William
* Brianna frowns in confusion, looking back to the hold
<William> "No!"
* Iron_John yells to the others "Get to the ship."
* Remy helps get William back to the ship
<William> "Let..Ergh..Let go!"
* Hans looks to the hold, shuddering at what nightmares must be down there.
<Remy> "Nothin' you can do for them. Trust me..."
<Erik> "And the voices whispered and begged, and in their words seduced the valiant
crew..."
* Erik keeps scribbling on his notepad
* Remy mutters "They *do* call you..."
<Storyteller> William breaks from your grasp
* Iron_John shoots william in the legs
<Erik> "And one went closer to the Dark, lured by it's subtle voice..."
<Storyteller> The blast knocks William to the ground
<Iron_John> "Mr LeClaire...collect him."
<William> "AAAGH!"
<Storyteller> Suddenly
<Storyteller> You hear it
* Remy grabs William, and begins to pull him back
<Storyteller> the ship moves with every footstep
<Iron_John> "Damnit run!"
<Storyteller> The hold door blows wide open and from it emerges
<Storyteller> A mass of arms, legs, eyes, faces and souls. Fifty arms reach for you,
and a hundred pleading eyes beg for mercy
<Remy> "Ah shit...."
* Remy runs
* Erik looks at it, scribbles a note or two quickly, then runs
<Storyteller> The crew streams back from the ship, you hear frightened yellls, and
shouts of surprise
* Hans pulls out his pistol, and fires at the mass of humanity.
* Iron_John turns to the mass and fires
* Brianna pulls her sword from it's sheath and prepares to defend herself
<Storyteller> The shots ring out and hit the pathetic creature
<Storyteller> It lumbers back near the edge of the Lucinda
<Iron_John> "Cut the lines."
<Storyteller> It looks at you one more time, it's eyes filled with agony
<Storyteller> It opens it's hundreds of mouths
<Storyteller> and it speaks
<Iron_John> "Ready the cannons."
<Storyteller> "The blight! The blight has come!"
<Remy> "Jesus Christ, get us the hell outta here!"
<Storyteller> And it tumbles into the dark waters of the Tempest
<Iron_John> "Destroy the ship."
<Storyteller> The cannons fire and the once and mighty Lucinda slips and finds rest
eternal in the calm waters
<Iron_John> "Someone see to William."
<Iron_John> "The rest of ye...lets get the hell outta here."
* William hobbles to his cabin
* Remy shudders
<Remy> "It's times like 'dis I wish I could still smoke..."
* Abe takes the helm and hits full speed
<Storyteller> The ship lurches forward, and then speeds ahead
* William locks the door and then kneels as best he can and prays for the souls of
all who were on the ship
<Iron_John> "Mr.Sarenson I assume that you wrote all of that down?"
* Brianna sheaths her sword and stands grasping the railing, looking out towards the
fast-disappearing ship
<Storyteller> The last of the Lucinda disappears in the water
<Iron_John> "Mr.Sarenson I assume that you wrote all of that down?"
<Friday> "I've never seen anything like that...ever."
<Iron_John> "Neither have I..in all my years...neither have I."
* Remy turns his back on the ship
<William> {Bri: Awe, too bad you couldn't save that poor man." *tauntingly
sarcastic* Gee...YOU're on a ship alot like that one...remember me when they come
to take THIS ship, I'm your only hope.}
<Remy> "Don' want to again, either."
<Friday> "What did he mean by, 'Blight?"
<Erik> "Yeah...I, uh...yeah..."
<Brianna> (Shut up, you bastard!!)
* Iron_John tosses Erik the log from the other ship
<Iron_John> "This is their log."
<Erik> "Gee, thanks."
<Erik> "Let me contain my excitement."
<Storyteller> The crew works in stunned silence
<Iron_John> "Put it away as record."
<Friday> "Captian."
* Remy gets the log. "I want to see that."
<Iron_John> "Yes Friday?"
<Friday> "What happened?"
* Iron_John looks at him and says "They were taken by the dark."
<Friday> "The blight? What does that mean?"
<Iron_John> "I am afraid that we will probably be finding out sooner before later."
<Remy> "'Dis might be our fault. We have enemies in high places."
* Remy sits down and reads the log
<Remy> "I'm willing to bet," his eyes twinkle at this, "that there's a clue in here."
* William remains in his quarters
<Brianna> "That symbol...of the sun being devoured in blackness. I saw it on Usher!
The Church of the Blighted Sun."
* Iron_John goes about commanding
* Remy nods. "I thought that looked familiar."
<Iron_John> "Ey...that it was lass."
<Erik> "Sounds like we have a regular cult going on...I wonder where you sign up to
join?"
<Iron_John> "It belongs to a Heretic Cult."
<Iron_John> {Erik: Can we join up? Hey I heard they take anyone who has been left in
the Tempest} <Storyteller> to be continued
