The Corsair Sea: Swashbuckling Supernatural Sandbox [Slave's & Males Needed!]

[Vergil Tanner]

The Soliel Empire stretches across countries and continents, from the far eastern lands of Hajik to the western coast of Bretston, across the vast Eversea and even into the Deadlands beyond. It is the largest Empire the world has ever seen, crossing racial and geographical boundaries between human, Aelfin and Half-breed and no matter what lands the Golden Throne sets his sights on, none can stop the advance of their expansionism. Their fleets are vast, numbering in the thousands. Their armies crawl across the face of the Empire like ants upon a rotting apple, and should you resist their conquest they will bring you blood, steel, fire and tears. The Empire has stood strong for generations, and is currently preparing its 1500 year anniversary, the date of the ascension of the first Emperor after control was wrested away from the corrupt Council Of Thirteen. The capital city of Hyperios - situated in the dead center of the Empire - is preparing itself for a week-long festival like no other, having spent nearly the entire yearly tax income on paying for only the finest in entertainers, fireworks, magical displays of wonder and enchantment and only the finest chefs to prepare free food to all in attendance. The streets are decked in the finest banners and ribbons and Magilamps, and already thousands - tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands - of attendants stream into the city and fill the inns and taverns to bursting. A small shanty town has sprung up around the walls, an ocean of rippling canvas and creaking temporary wood for those unable to find a place to stay in the city. Similar celebrations (though much cheaper) are blossoming across the Empire, every town, village, city and hamlet partaking in their own individual festivals and banquets.

But you don't care about any of that. Thousands of miles away, just off the coast of the Imperial Province of Bretston, sits a large peninsula of islands that has resisted Imperial expansion. The peninsula is one of treacherous riptides, savage hidden reefs and narrow waterways that make penetration into the inner sea almost impossible for those that do not already know the way. Compounding the issue is the society of piracy and debauchery that has sprung up amongst the isles, backed by a long history of independence, brawling, fucking and raiding that has bred the weakness out of most of the inhabitants. For the last 400 years, The Corsair Sea - populated by a loose nation of privateers and pirates that proudly label themselves as "Corsairs" - have resisted Imperial rule and managed to keep the Empire out of their little slice of the seas. Whilst many in the Empire would call them savages and believe them to be nothing but a loose alliance of bickering scurvy-ridden rogues and thieves that simply have the benefit of distance from the heart of the Empire and difficult terrain to bolster their defences, those who live in Bretston know the truth. The Corsair Sea may have started as a collection of pirates and thieves using a conveniently difficult area to raid from, it has grown into far more than that with its own self contained society, culture and hierarchy of sorts, ruled over with an iron fist by a monarch known as "The Corsair Queen" [Or King, depending on the monarch].

The "official" border between The Soliel Empire and The Corsair Sea is along the reefs that separate the bays of the various ports and the shallows of the near-coast from the open ocean, but nobody on either side really pays attention to those boundaries; Imperial forays into the outlying islands are common, as are the Corsairs attempting to raid merchant ships or lightly defended villages along the coast. The section of ocean known as "The Corsair Sea" extends up and down that coast for a large swathe of the north-south length of the Imperial territory in the region - about 250 miles, top to bottom - and out across the vast blue away from the coast westwards, a vast collection of islands and islets that make up a dotted, disparate archipelago, before coming to an end as the islands give way to vast blue nothingness and - so it is whispered - the edge of the world. In fact, the only known person to have ever come back from that blistering empty is the current Corsair Queen, Lucilla Gale, but asking her to reveal anything is a job for braver men than most. It is amongst these islands - of varying sizes and spacing - that the residents of The Corsair Sea make their home, their living and - more often than not - a great deal of trouble for anybody venturing further in than the borders.

   

[These Maps will make more sense later]




Hello everybody! If you've made it this far, then obviously you're interested in playing a bit of High Seas Adventure in the Corsair Sea. Now, the Corsair Sea has a lot of history (10,000 words of it, to be precise) but I won't bore you with the full info dump right here! The general concept of the game is a swashbuckling sandbox in a region of a fictional world known as "The Corsair Sea." In this land, piracy, duels between rival captains, slavery, kidnap, rape, pillaging, sex slaves and all the rest are common and are really just a part of the way of life. Life in the Corsair Sea is dangerous and hard, but there are vast treasures and great degrees of power ready for anybody willing to take fate by its horns and wrestle it to the ground. What you do with it after it's there, well, that's up to you! Whilst The Corsair Sea does have its own legal code and hierarchy, things are very loose and there's a lot of allowances made for fighting, pillaging and raiding and the like...though you should probably be careful who you raid, since if you do it too often, you might find one of the Seas more powerful Captains gunning for you. It's much safer just to raid the coast, eh?

Now, this pirate game does have a fantastical element; it was briefly alluded to in the first paragraph, but humans are not the only species running around in this world. Humans are by far the more common, true, but the species are vaguely divided between Human, Aelfin and Half Breeds. Humans are just that; humans. They might know a little bit of magic (think like low to mid level Wizards or Sorcerers in D&D) but most of them rely on quick wits and clever words to get out of trouble that they can't fight their way out of. Aelfin are what people would commonly consider "Supernatural." This is a catch all term for the different species of Aelfin, which can be pretty much anything you can imagine. Vampires are out for obvious reasons (running water, lots of wood, etc) but things like Werewolves, Kitsune, Dragonkin, etc etc are all fair game. There are some limits on powers and abilities, but that's what Character Sheet Approval is for! I'll explain the races and roles here, then the next few posts will be dedicated to information that you need to place your character in the world. Key locations, society and hierarchy, important people, etc etc.




Races:

Humans:

Humans are by far the most common species in the Corsair Sea. They are more fragile than Aelfin, this is true, but they are also the only ones capable of learning the Arcane Arts; that is, sorcery and wizardy. This takes a great deal of time and effort to learn, however, and requires an object that is specifically keyed to act as a focus. If this focus is lost, it must be recovered or a new focus created before the individual can use his magic again. Whilst often less powerful than Aelfin abilities - no controlling the weather or teleporting hundreds of miles with sorcery - they offer a greater versatility of possible abilities.


Aelfin:

Aelfin - sometimes called "Fae" by superstitious villagers - are more diverse a group than the name would imply. Really, "Aelfin" is a catch all term for "No Human Blood," and refers to a vast collection of differing species. Kitsune, Dragonkin, Mermaids, Nymphs, Succubi and more are all classified as "Aelfin," but each species is as different from each other as they are to humans. They often have very specific racial abilities that are more powerful than what humans can achieve with sorcery, but also more specific. For example, Kitsune are able to change their appearance at will to nearly any combination of features and colours that they desire, whilst humans might only be able to create an illusion that they have changed their shape; Kitsune actually change their appearance, whilst Humans create an image over the top of themselves. Meanwhile, however, Kitsune are unable to use basic telekinesis, whilst this would be easy for a human sorcerer. Aelfin are usually very long lived, living for around a century or two, though the older ones tend to keep to themselves more often than not. For unknown reasons, Aelfin cannot tap into the Arcane energies required to cast magical spells (Again, think about roughly Level 3 or 4 spells from D&D as a general guideline as to how much power you're talking about at your strongest). In some extreme cases, Aelfin have been known to be able to join their soul with a Human in order to grant that human a portion of the power that the Aelfin possessed, but doing so destroys the Aelfin's body and binds them together until such a moment as the human dies or is killed. Aelfin also possess the ability to channel their latent power through a human or a Half-Breed of sufficiently young age in order to guide their development. As long as they begin early, they can shape what the eventual adult will look and act like, to a certain degree. This is a popular method for breeding and training slaves for specific purposes and high prices.


Half-Breeds:

As with everything, if you have two genetically compatible species in one area, Half-Breeds are going to occur. These beings often have watered-down versions of their Aelfin parents abilities and appearances, being much closer to human and therefore less in tune with the power of their ancestors. What they do get in exchange, however, is a less powerful ability to channel Arcane energies. Whilst they will never be as powerful as a human sorcerer, many Half-Breeds find themselves able to perform minor tricks and feats using magical techniques and training much like a Human Sorcerer. Alas, many humans and Aelfin look down upon Half-Breeds as being "diluted," and as such, they are a particular target for discrimination and slavery, often being considered more like prized possessions and things to show off than actual people. There are exceptions, of course, and slavery is not relegated to Half-Breeds - humans and Aelfin can be slaves too - but Half-Breed slaves are more popular and therefore common. It is not unheard of for particularly powerful Captains to specifically breed a Half-Breed into the world for the purposes of grooming and selling.





Roles:

In The Corsair Sea, you can be anything you want to be. Do you want to be the member of a new crew? Go ahead! A captain, looking to claw his way up the ladder? Of course! Do you want to start at the top of the pile and fend off ambitious cutthroats and rogues who want to knock you down and put themselves in your place instead? Good luck! Maybe you have a desire to be a slave, a toy for your masters enjoyment? More power to you! This is a sandbox, after all, not a specific plot, so GM interference is going to be rare unless you are actively breaking rules or breaking lore. There will be events put on by me and of course I welcome other players creating their own events as well, but participation is not mandatory. Just make sure that your chosen role makes sense for the setting!


~~ IMPORTANT ~~

If you want to connect your character to somebody via backstory, PM the player and ask first, no exceptions. At all. Ever. If you mention somebody elses character in your history, you must have affirmative consent first, no excuses.




Character Sheet:

Please use the following code for your Character Sheets and follow the guidelines provided. Please read the information in the first four posts of this thread before creating your character!

Code Select Expand

[center][float=left][img height=400 padding=7]Primary Image Goes Here, please alter size accordingly[/img][/float][float=right][img height=400 padding=7]Optional Secondary Image Goes Here, please alter size accordingly[/img][/float]
[font=georgia][size=24pt]Name, "Nickname If Applicable"[/size][/font]
[hr]

[font=georgia][b]Race:[/b][/font] Human / Aelfin [Subtype] / Half-Breed [Subtype]
[font=georgia][b]Sexual Orientation:[/b][/font] All sexualities welcome
[font=georgia][b]Gender:[/b][/font] Male / Female / Nonbinary / Futanari / Etc

[font=georgia][b]Race-based Powers:[/b][/font] Your characters special abilities. If human or Half-Breed, are they a Sorcerer? Remember, this takes a long time to train, and will never be as powerful as some Aelfin abilities. If you are an Aelfin or a Half-Breed, specify your species racial powers. Aelfin get four, Half-Breeds get two. No immortality.


[font=georgia][b]Role:[/b][/font] Privateer / Slave / Crew Member / Captain / High Captain / Reaver Captain / Etc.
[font=georgia][b]Faction:[/b][/font] Independent / In Service To Captain ___ / Commands ___ Region
[font=georgia][b]Face Claim:[/b][/font] Real World FC's or realistic art where possible, please. Anime-esque is ok, but as long as it isn't hyper-stylised. If it's Anime-like, it has to be realistic with an Anime Edge, like [url=http://pic.988aiai.com/images/20190702/11102840cmzfbrqwims.jpeg]so.[/url] More anime than that MIGHT be allowed, subject to GM approval.

[font=georgia][b]Player O/O's:[/b][/font] [url=]Link to your O/O[/url]
[font=georgia][b]Character O/O's:[/b][/font] Specific ons and offs your character has.

[hr]

[img height=293]Extra Pictures, up to 6, presented as neatly as possible[/img]

[b][u]Appearance:[/u][/b]

One or two paragraphs describing what your character looks like.


[b][u]Personality:[/u][/b]

One or two paragraphs describing your characters general personality.


[b][u]History Overview:[/u][/b]

2+ paragraphs describing your characters background and how they got into the role they are in today.


[b][u]Theme Song:[/u][/b]

[spoiler=]Just a bit of fun! If you have a Theme Song, put it here! This is not mandatory.[/spoiler][/center]




And that's that! Please read the first few posts for more information regarding the setting, and if you think it is a game you want to get involved with, please don't hesitate to pitch a character! If you have any questions, by all means, please ask away.


Approved Players:

[Player Name -- Character Name -- Role -- Faceclaim]


Captains:

Vergil Tanner -- Lucilla Gale "The Stormstrider" -- Corsair Queen -- Cirilla Riannon
Crensler -- -- Reaver Captain of Deadmans Cove -- Artoria Pendragon
greypsychman -- Espen de Ruyter "The Just" -- Captain In Service To Arabella Cartwright -- N/A
Krys -- Arihani "Crestrunner" -- Captain In Service To Arabella Cartwright -- Stena Wavebreaker
Kit -- Eorlund Bjørnson "Murkfolker" -- Captain In Service To William A. Bruyn -- Crach An Craith
Levi -- Aqua Aegean "The Princess Of The Waves" -- Reaver Captain -- Emma Watson
PearlRuby -- Arabella Cartwright "The Velvet Blade" -- Reaver Captain -- Nicole Thorne
Lynnett -- Eileen Tyndall "The Tower" -- High Captain -- N/A


Crew:

Hotaru37 -- Alydove Loreweaver "Dove The Peaceful" -- First Mate To Espen de Ruyter -- N/A
Solistair -- Karas Morren "Devileye" -- Sailing Master TBD -- The Hunter
SilkenVenom -- Lerra Roktha "The Ice Reaver" -- First Mate To Lucilla Gale -- Lady Maria
Deathnote -- Corvus Reeds "Crow" Sailing Master [Unassigned] -- Robin


Slaves:

Crensler -- Rinoa "The Beast" -- Slave Owned By Lucilla Gale -- Battleship Hime
PearlRuby -- Hanakichi "The Flower Of Blissful Fortune" -- Slave Soon To Be Owned By Lucilla Gale -- Rosie Ly
Mael -- Gemma Sun "The Gemstone" -- Slave Owned By Lucilla Gale -- Blake Belladonna
Raywrites -- Meriwyn "The Merry" -- Soon To Be Slave -- Lucky Blue Smith
Hotaru37 --Thobias Loreweaver "The Cold" -- Slave -- N/A


Independent:

Sessha -- Artisia Caterina Fioravanti "The Sea-born Maiden" -- Wavedancer -- Artoria Pendragon
Mael -- Anna Christine Speckhart "The Nameless" -- Information Broker -- Anna Christine Speckhart

[Vergil Tanner]

The culture of the Corsair Sea can look strange, hodgepodge and violent to an outsider, and that is largely because...well, it is. Life in the Misty Isles of the Corsair Sea is filled with easy-to-gain and easy-to-lose wealth and excess, and given the unique nature of the terrain, only the strong and quick-witted tend to survive long enough to rise to the top of the pile. Because the waters of the Corsair Sea are especially treacherous between strong tides, hidden reefs and sometimes rather extreme weather, the culture that has developed there is very much one of "Live in the moment because it might be your last." The residents don't really think about planning for the future much; they get coin, and they spend it. They get something fancy and they either put it on display in their home or they sell it to get more money to spend that money on something else. Drinking, gambling, prostitution and the like is rampant in all walks of life in The Corsair Sea, and what problems can't be solved with a good brawl and a drink are probably not worth thinking about at all.

There are laws within the region to prevent murder and theft and the like, and the penalties are harsh if the courts have to get involved but there's a social expectation that you sort it out yourself. Whether that be through a drinking contest, a negotiation, a loud argument, an outright brawl or even ship to ship warfare is up to those in question, but if they cannot sort out the problem themselves, only then do the "Peacekeepers" get involved. And generally? Nobody wants the Peacekeepers involved. They don't take sides. They just throw everybody involved into the brig (often with savage beatings) until the whole thing is sorted out. The only time the Peacekeepers always get involved is when somebody important is fucked with, when there's a murder, a rape of a non-slave or if something big happens that puts a large number of people or properties in danger. Stay under the radar, sort shit out yourselves, and you don't get chucked in the brig and beaten until somebody gives it up. It sounds brutal, but with this kinda place, brutality is the only language that will get through some peoples heads.

The odd thing about the culture is that despite the roguish nature of the inhabitants, giving ones word is considered sacrosanct. If you make an oath, you are expected to keep it; now, of course, you need to pay attention to the wording of that oath, just in case they end up misleading you with said oath, but if you outright break a promise or contract, you are considered lower than scum and you'll be lucky if anybody wants to even sail with you anymore, let alone do business. Of course, cheating and low-level dishonesty is expected in the culture - if you gamble in a tavern, you need to expect your opponent to cheat, and if he doesn't, that just means that you didn't catch him and you deserve to lose - but only when it comes to games of chance and little white lies that don't involve a promise or oath. Piracy itself is considered illegal and heavily punished, but there's a small nuance; ships travelling through the area are expected to pay a toll or tariff known as a "Security Tax." Rates vary between the type of ship, the point of entry, the cargo carried and the mood of the official applying the toll, but in general it's affordable (barely) and allows you to use a weekly-changing flag at the top of your mast.



If you are seen without that flag, it is assumed that you are trespassing without paying your dues, and attacking the ship is no longer considered piracy so long as the captain of the attacking ship made an effort to give the offender a chance to show their flag. Should there be no flag forthcoming, you are considered a criminal in violation of trade laws, and your cargo may be "seized" to pay off your "fine." The narcotics and slave trade are also strong in the Corsair Sea, and they don't care who you are when they capture you. If you owe gambling debts, if you annoyed the wrong people, if you committed one too many serious crimes or if you were simply too poor to make your way and willingly sold yourself into a term of slavery, they'll take you and sell you to the highest bidder. All kinds of illegal and black market materials and items can be found in the Corsair Sea, with very little regulation occurring to stop their trafficking. Several non-Corsair officials have tried to stem the flow, but every time they shut down one Black Market vendor, another three pop up all over the place with new wares and new prices. Eventually it was decided that they would allow the Black Market, take a cut of the profits, and carefully watch whoever used those services.

In terms of their foreign affairs, it isn't uncommon for members of the Corsair navy to strike out on their own to neighbouring countries and regions to dip into a little bit of piracy and do what Corsairs do; that is, plunder supply lines, raid coastal villages and capture slaves from nearby lands. It's part of why the Corsair Sea is surprisingly wealthy; they pinch everybody elses shit, and sell it on for a profit. They might have a monarch and a nobility of sorts, and they might follow a kind of skewed version of the law, but they've always been and will always be pirates at heart. In essence, the culture can be defined as "Might Makes Right." Whilst you aren't allowed to simply go around stealing and killing, it's usually accepted that the strongest captains are the ones who are in charge. If you want any measure of respect, you need to take it.

Fights are the most common way to settle disagreements, followed by a stiff drink afterwards, and the common pastimes are drinking, gambling, whoring and gaming in a tavern or on the streets. Houses are generally made of driftwood and string and nails, constructed in an almost identical way to the ships that move from island to island. Whilst you can never really trust a Corsair on anything except his explicit word, they are almost always exceptionally up front and direct, and you always know roughly where you stand with them. They respect strength and abhor weakness, they value individuality and revile cowardly conformity, and almost all of them have a coarse and vulgar sense of humour, with not much time for the "finer arts" of reading, writing and accounting. They're vicious and selfish, but also honourable in their own way and somewhat refreshingly direct. The one thing you can say about them is that if you ever meet a Corsair, regardless of what happens...it won't be a boring affair.



Religion, meanwhile, is...not really a thing. With so many disparate groups and individuals drifting in and out of the Corsair Sea, a single unified doctrine is almost impossible to nail down, and very few Corsairs really care enough about religion to sit down and start working out a series of universal ideas or beliefs. Faith and religion in The Corsair Sea, therefore, is more based around superstition and salt-stories than anything else, tales whispered around a tavern fireplace over a heady mug of ale, or murmured in a crewdeck during the lull after a storm. Once, thousands of years ago - the story goes - there lived a powerful being, a woman who was as fierce and tender and changeable as the sea. She could be kind, she could be calm and temperate and beautiful, or she could be cruel and savage and terrible. She could nurture nations, and destroy civilisations with as much ease and as little warning as a tempest hitting the shore. Some say that she was born of the sea, and others that she and the sea were one and the same, but they all agree that she was simply known as "The Lady." One day, her children betrayed her; whether out of jealousy or fear, nobody can agree, but they all concur that she was betrayed nonetheless and imprisoned within the ocean, where she remains to this day.

Therefore, when Corsairs swear, they swear "by The Lady." They both praise and fear her name, and ascribe to her every piece of luck - good or ill - that ever befalls them. If somebody speaks ill of The Lady, or does something that is considered bad luck, there are myriad different rituals and wards designed to keep her attentions away. What these mistakes and ill omens are and what the cures and counters should be? Nobody can really agree. There are as many superstitions about The Lady and the seas she commands as there are sailors on the ocean, and nobody seems too interested in sitting down and speaking of her for long enough to work it out. Though, a common superstition holds that children born under a certain moon or star - those born at high tide, on a clear night when the constellation of The Lady shines brightly overhead, or when at low tide in the midst of a storm, or both depending on who you ask - are "Sea-Born" and are uniquely blessed by The Lady to have good luck at sea, and forever be welcome upon the waves. Whether this is true or not, it is a curious trend that humans dubbed "Seaborn" who dabble in magic tend to favour lightning, wind and water-based magic.

But the Corsairs lack of unification does not mean that nobody worships her in a more organised way; the faith and belief in The Lady was shared by Bretstan before the final Imperial victory over the Independent Forces ten years ago. For millennia, the only unifying force between Bretstan and The Corsairs was their reverence and fear of The Lady, though Bretstan organised their worship into a more traditional church; The Congregation Of The Lady Of The Deep was a national religion, organised into priestesses and their "Schools," leading worship and instructing in doctrine, providing blessings for ships and children and fisherman alike. It was more of an alliance of churches, with a council meeting to discuss the will of The Lady rather than following a supreme head, but that changed when the Empire began its century-long conquest of Bretstan. As the Independent territory shrank more and more over the decades, slowly dwindling as they were forced to cede more and more land, the Priestesses of The Lady Of The Deep saw the end on the horizon. They melted away from public view, transitioned from group-led instruction to one on one teachings.

They wrote down their doctrine and left everything else behind, melting into the sea such that when the Imperial Inquisitors eventually came for them after the final defeat of their nation...the houses of worship stood empty. The Congregation Of The Lady Of The Deep was no more, replaced by a group of wandering performer-priestesses that were more rumour and myth than actual fact. Sworn to secrecy, only passing their teachings on to trusted acolytes, they began practicing their deadly martial arts more as exotic dances, teaching their acolytes on stage to thunderous applause, spreading throughout the Empire...and the Corsair Sea itself. After all, who would question a pair of pretty girls on stage dancing a sinuous, undulating rhythm to tease and tempt the watching sailors? Who would look twice at a young woman telling folk tales to little kids around a fire in the evening? These days, most people believe the Wavedancers - as they are supposedly called - are nothing more than a myth, a story told to spite the Empire. But those who believe whisper about secret meetings in hidden watery caves, or rare maps that show routes through the reefs that only the Wavedancers know exist...and some even claim that the Wavedancers are simply biding their time, waiting until the Empires hold on their homeland weakens just enough for them to return and bring the fury of the ocean with them.

[Vergil Tanner]

Despite what you might otherwise think, the hierarchy of The Corsair Sea is actually somewhat straightforward. At the bottom, you have "Everybody else," the civilians and merchants and crewmembers of the various ships and vessels that journey around and in and out of the archipelago. You have the sailors and soldiers, the craftsmen and innkeepers. In short, you have the "Normal Everyday People," who have their own informal kind of social hierarchy. Experienced sailors, craftsmen, innkeepers and merchants tend to hold more social clout, whilst waitresses and gutterrats and the like have next to no authority or really much respect at all, much like in the Empire. Naturally, sailors on larger ships and the craftsmen who design, build and repair those ships are held in high regard, whereas new sailors and painters are less important and respected. After that, things move in a fairly linear direction from the bottom to the top in a more official capacity. All of these roles are open to players, but if you want to be a Reaver-Captain, you need to spin me a yarn about how you killed the last Reaver Captain!

Captains: Captains are, as the name would imply, commanders of their own ships. Whether they simply got together a group of likeminded people, rose to first mate and took over after the captain retired or killed a previous captain in a dispute and took over his post, these individuals are in charge of a single ship and crew and are given limited political power. They tend to operate as independent privateers or direct merchants, and given the importance of seacraft in the Corsair Isles, are granted a great deal of deference and respect by those beneath them. Each Captain is required to pledge themselves to a High Captain. Whilst the High Captains do not direct ships or captains generally, if a High Captain calls his Captains, they are required to answer, no excuses. Unless that excuse is really, really good. There are currently a good 200 - 250 Captains within the Corsair Sea.



High Captains: These captains have proven themselves to be skilled, cunning, ferocious or all of the above. Again, the method for becoming one varies; you could have been the first mate to the previous High Captain when he died, you could have performed a service to a higher up that proved your worthiness of such status, or you could have simply challenged a High Captain for their status and won. Either way, High Captains are given an island (or a small group of islands) to oversee and develop as they see fit, and are expected to convince Captains to swear themselves to them as their own personal detachment of the Corsair Seas navy in the event of an invasion. Whilst officially, all High Captains are equal in power and influence, there are undoubtedly some High Captains who are more respected and influential than others. Nobody really calls them "High Captain," though. They mostly get called "Captain" with less snark and attitude. There are currently around 40 - 50 High Captains with their own small territories hidden in the Misty Isles.



Reaver-Captains: Reavers are to High Captains what High Captains are to Captains. Reavers are assigned to run specific groups of islands on behalf of the reigning Monarch, and the High Captains of those areas are placed under the Reaver's direct authority. If a Captain is a police officer and a High Captain is a mayor or lord of a city, then the Reaver is the governor of the region. They oversee trade and tariff laws, economy and trade and the judicial system within their areas. Reavers tend to be not only the strongest and most feared captains, but they also have to demonstrate fierce intelligence to take their predecessors place; nobody wants an idiot running a region, after all. There are currently four Reaver-Captains, with the fifth territory being overseen directly by The Corsair King or Queen themselves.



The Corsair Queen / King: The final step on the ladder, the Corsair Queen / King oversees everything in the region. They delegate specific groups of islands to their Reavers, whilst choosing a specific region to oversee directly as their base of operations. They manage the economy - such as it is - and effectively function as a monarch of a state, though the Corsair Sea is a little more chaotic than most other countries. Only a Reaver-Captain may challenge the Queen / King for their position, which is precisely what the current Monarch - Lucilla Gale - did three years ago. The Monarch sets the regional law, the regional tax tariff boundaries and the economic policy month on month. She is responsible for overseeing the growth and development of the region, and ensuring that the law is being enforced properly. Monarchs of The Corsair Sea are expected to spend a good deal of time out on the waves, too, ensuring that they do not lose their edge; they are supposed to be the strongest of the strong, after all, and they need to remind people of that from time to time. They are also expected to handle large crises and invasions personally, lest they lose touch with the culture of the region at large. The current Monarch is the 24 year old Lucilla Gale aboard her flagship "The Gravewalker."

[Vergil Tanner]

Geography:

Attempting to explain the massively varying terrain of The Misty Isles is a bit of a lost cause. There are over a hundred islands of varying sizes from tiny islets all the way up to large ones with several towns and cities nestled on them, each with their own unique terrain. Generally speaking, though, the average biomes are of thick, lush tropical jungles with heavy woodland and trees, hidden coves of water and caves that stretch down beneath sea level formed by natural rock and plate movements. The water is, in general, exceptionally crystal clear but lined with extensive and dangerous reefs and expanses of sharp rocks and unexpected shallows that can easily catch an unwary sailor off guard. With the sheer amount of islands available, there is no shortage of natural harbours and coves to hide your ship away in come rough weather, and many towns and settlements have cropped up around them as a result. Similarly, beaches tend to be common with stretching white-gold sand down the bank and smaller animals flickering along the shoreline at all tides. Rock pools and and more scraggy rock-beaches are common, and the occasional tiny islet is more sand and rock than grass and tree. Whilst sharks and the like are rare in the waters of The Corsair Sea, they are not unheard of and so swimming out further than the bays is ill advised. Many islands have large stretches of impenetrable jungle or sheer cliffs that drop into the sea, along with winding rivers that carry water from lagoon to lake to sea. Some few islands even have a couple of small mountains perched in the centre, though given the relative lack of room on the various islands, this is a rare phenomenon.

Players are, of course, invited to add their own locations and islands. If a player is a Reaver Captain, they are welcome to modify the area to a certain degree to fit their vision of what their character is like. If a player is a High Captain, they are encouraged to provide a quick summary of their region and "capital," as it were. The following list is of the important locations within the Corsair Sea, and is not meant to be exhaustive.


Key Locations:

Toraga: As the "Capital" of The Corsair Sea, Toraga is fittingly placed on one of the largest single islands in the region, and is situated on the opposite side of the archipelago to the coast of the rest of Bretston. At about 450 square miles in area, Toraga is pretty much entirely dominated by a large Corsair city that stretches from coast to coast in either direction and - having run out of space widthways - has in recent years begun to build upwards in its expansion. The island itself is surrounded by razor sharp reefs that ensure that there are only a handful of ways to approach without shredding your ship to shit. Luckily, several industrious folks have taken to laying out a clear path for new visitors and merchants to follow that take them to the main commercial docks. Stretching out from that is a shanty town of wood and stone built originally as an outpost that grew to contain the largest concentration of people across The Corsair Sea. Whilst they may look a little rickety, the construction is solid and reliable, and most of the houses there have weathered more than a few tropical storms.  Winding streets weave a labyrinthine path in and out of creaking houses as shouting and calling fill the streets. Bars and taverns are open and full 24 hours a day, and one can always find a good drink and a good whore to keep them company. Toraga is also the commercial centre of the region, being the first place that merchants will want to try to offload valuable and expensive goods, or pick up a good deal on capable slaves.



Wraithstone Rock: Perhaps 25m north of Toraga sits the small island of Wraithstone Rock, where the Corsair Queen - Lucilla Gale - currently makes her home. The island is a barren one, more rock and scrag than tree and lush grass, and has been turned into an island fortress for use by the Corsair Lord. The bulk of the castle is situated mainly on the cliff overlooking the ocean, with a private harbour nestled in the natural cove beneath. The cliff itself is riddled with an extensive and enclosed cave network that lets out in a hidden bay behind the fortress that - to Lucilla's knowledge - only she and her crew know about. Whilst it looks imposing from the outside, Lucilla has gone to great lengths to make her fortress opulent, plush and fancy on the inside, unable to really live without the rich comforts that her station affords her. The fortress overlooks Toraga in the distance, and sits threateningly close to the regions ruled by her two less trusted Reaver subordinates.



The Spires: Perhaps 30m due south of Toraga and just inside Reaver-Captain Aegean's territory is a long peninsula of several islands, the largest of which is just a touch smaller than Toraga at about 300 or so square miles. "The Crescent Isles," as the collection is known as, is the home base of Captain Aqua Aegean and the sight of the capital of her region. Each island in that peninsula is given a different function - mostly fishing and residential - but the central island is different. Known as "The Spires," this island is a manufacturing hotspot and is the centre of construction and ironworking across the Region. Whilst their shipwrights aren't the greatest in The Corsair Sea, their factories are famed far and wide for the efficiency, power and reliability of their cannons. Several other nations risk doing business with the Corsairs just to have a chance at getting special order cannons from Aegean's factories, at a steep price, too. The city outside the factory is sooty and filled with dirt and grime, but the Corsairs have never been particularly big on cleanliness anyway, so nobody tends to notice. The Spires that the island gets its name from are two large funnel-like towers that represent Aegean's fortress. It's ugly, unseemly and is a blight on the otherwise beautiful landscape of the Misty Isles, but they've also never been taken and are armed to the teeth with every size, shape and function of cannon that you can imagine.



Hai Zhī Huā: Roughly central south and about 50m due East of The Spires sits the territory belonging to Lady Arabella Cartwright, the Reaver-Captain of the South-East. As opposed to the more industry-focused territory of Aqua Aegean - inherited from Barabossa - Arabella fancies herself a patron of the arts and supporter of craftsmen. Her towns resemble more closely the traditional cities of the mainlands and are built to be sprawling yet well ordered, clean, welcoming and aesthetically pleasing places you might fancy going on holiday to. As such, her main import is tourism, and she attracts the more artistically and artisinal-minded of the populace, meaning that the ships constructed in the South-West are amongst the most reliable, sturdiest and sleekest of the Corsair Sea. It's even rumoured that the legendary Gravewalker itself was being built in the capital to be Arabella's flagship before Lucilla stole it. Diplomatically, neither Arabella or Lucilla ever mention this rumour in each others presence. Hai Zhī Huā itself is placed on the largest island and is an expensive and fancy metropolitan city that you might be forgiven for thinking identical to one of the fancier cities on the mainland. But don't be fooled; the residents might be more polite about it, but they are still Corsairs, and fighting, drinking and indulging in the worst excesses imaginable are still common fair. As beautiful as it looks by day, Arabella is infamous for her raucous parties, public orgies and opulent displays of debauchery.



Deadmans Cove: About 25m north east of Hai Zhī Huā and 75m south east of Toraga sits the capital of the third Reaver-Captain, Captain Isabella Constantina Fioravanti. Whilst it is not the original location of The Deadmans Cove founded by King Jeremiah - that location is closer to Toraga, in the center west of the Reaver-Captain's territory - it is indeed an homage to the long-dead Captain by duplicating his old design. Ramshackle housing, waterway streets and overhanging bridges and narrow cobbled streets winding up steep hills dominate the three major islands that make up the majority of the landmass in this area of the region. Instead of each island being dominated by large cities, these islands have a unique topography that makes consistent building difficult. Whilst not mountainous, cliffs and valleys are common on these islands, so towns and cities tend to be clusters of stilted houses and buildings separated by sharp inclines and connected by cut tunnels through the hills. The main capital of Deadmans Cove is no exception, perched on a seaward cliff and held up by a series of stilts and bridged roads. The architecture of this region is best described as "The easiest solution we could think of." You'd be hard pressed to find a "normal" street anywhere in this section of the islands. However, being on a more mountainous series of islands has its advantages. Isabella has access to most of the iron and stone mines in the region, meaning that she has a great deal of power despite not necessarily having the highest population.



Carracosta: Carracosta and its ruling Reaver-Captain is an odd one. It's a largely open-space section of the islands, with very few treacherous reefs and hidden currents, being almost pleasant and relaxing to sail in. The islands are small with only a few large towns peppered about, save for the peninsula to the east that is so close to the mainland that it may as well be almost touching it. Woodland is plentiful here, and being close to a wooded section of the mainland they make a good export to other regions with their high quality materials, but that isn't what they are known for. The Reaver-Captain Mendoza and his populace are instead known for being some of the most skilled sailors and fierce deck-warriors around. Being furthest north, they act as the buffer between the Corsair Sea and their enemies who try to sail down south to reave across the coast. As such, it is Mendoza and his men who are the first to meet them, and since the waters are so calm and non-treacherous, they have to rely on their own skill rather than home field advantage to give them their victories. As such, their towns tend to be just as raucous as any other, but much more utilitarian with how they're built. Many of the houses have been knocked down in skirmishes nearby, after all, that having an easy to rebuild home is more valuable than it being overly complex and opulent.



Storms Fall: In the southwest of The Corsair Sea, there lies a small-ish island surrounded by mountainous terrain. The only way into the inner sanctum of the island is by following a seemingly lazy-flowing river in from the sea and past the cliffs on either side. The trees are rather enclosed and claustrophobic, but not so much so that a skilled navigator can't guide a medium sized, two-deck ship between the boughs. The journey might seem initially easy if you only pay attention, but the deep, slow flowing river soon becomes gradually more rapid-paced as it reaches its terminus. Soon enough, the river transforms into a rock-strewn rapids that would threaten even the sturdiest of ships and the steadiest of sailing hand. Should a ship stray too far into the widening river, they risk becoming caught in the current and - because of the cliffs and trees blocking most of the wind - trapped, being dragged towards a startlingly large drop. Should the ship fail to escape, it will be sent toppling over a vast waterfall, easily 100 feet tall at its highest point.

The bottom of the waterfall is littered with the wreckages of small and large ships alike that were too reckless in braving the rapid waters. Should you manage to moor the ship at the side of the river before it becomes a rapids, there exist several footpaths down the side of the cliff and behind the waterfall to the bottom of the basin, where a small series of hidden islets exist. From within, the basin looks more like a crater with its sloped edges on three sides, and the small islets dotting the shallow lagoon are scattered with ancient, featureless statues with only vague details left decipherable from whatever scoured them clean. Broken rocks and the old base shape of prehistoric buildings jut up from the lagoon bank, and the moss-covered shapes of humanoid forms.

[Vergil Tanner]

If you want to be a Reaver-Captain, you have to include a thrilling story about how you defeated one of these five individuals. Or, alternatively, if one of the pictures speaks to you I have no issue with you taking the NPC on and fleshing them out as a full PC!

Corsair Queen Lucilla Gale [Player: Vergil Tanner]:
The current Queen of The Corsair Sea, and Lord of Toraga and Wraithstone Rock. She came to power three years ago at the tender age of 21 after rising through the ranks and challenging the previous Corsair Queen Samsara to shipborne combat. She's arrogant and cocksure, seemingly never taking anything too seriously, but there is an unspoken steel to her words and a viciousness to her sudden outbursts of violence that ensures not many people speak out against her twice. Rumours claim that she can move as lightning, command the tides themselves and - most terrifying of all - cannot be killed. Such stories are often written off as exaggerated nonsense, however. She commands the legendary and infamous ship, The Gravewalker.



Reaver-Captain Aqua Aegean [Player: Levi]:
An enigma amongst the Reaver-Captains, Aqua is the newest addition to their ranks and the one that is the least well known. She usually wears a smile for people she is meeting, though anybody who meets her is soon under the impression that she has far more steel than she initially lets on. Beneath her friendly facade is a ruthless and calculating mind worthy of a Reaver Captain, such that she was able to seduce her way into Barabossa's bed and poison him in cold blood the day before her planned betrayal. Whilst some might consider that cowardly, she simply deems it "Smart." Certainly, Barabossa seems to agree given how readily he swore his allegiance to her following his defeat. She also seems to have a strong dislike of men in general, though nobody is quite sure why; any male she does encounter tends to get treated much more harshly than the women she has in her crew aboard her ship "The Hippocampus."



Reaver-Captain Arabella Cartwright:
On first impression, Arabella is the epitome of ladylike grace and poise, preferring to settle her disputes with honeyed words and whispered promises first and foremost. Certainly, she is the most accomplished amongst the Reavers at diplomacy, and more often than not is able to convince her adversaries to give her exactly what she wants without a fight. But there is a savagery beneath the veneer of civility, and if you annoy her, the first you know about it will likely be a dagger in the dark or a sudden choking fit on a suspiciously sweet draft of ale. She is the master of artisans, but also the master of espionage, and you underestimate her at your peril. When forced to fight, she relies on her speed and agility with a pair of wickedly curved knives. Similarly, her flagship is the quick and nimble "Wavedancer."



Reaver-Captain Isabella Constantina Fioravanti [Player: Crensler]:
Isabella Constantina Fioravanti is an anomaly within The Corsair Sea; as a foreigner, many expected her to falter when presented with the brutal reality of Corsair life, but she took to it with aplomb, quickly rising through the ranks thanks to her experience in the Bretstan Royal Navy before the independent holdouts faltered before the Imperial War Machine. She is military through and through, running her crew with iron discipline that - rumours say - she enjoys perhaps a little too much. She is straightforward and regimented in her approach, and abhors fools and jesters with her very being. Despite her military training, however - or perhaps because of it - she is proud and extremely confident in her own abilities, especially after defeating the previous Reaver Captain, Jakartha. When in battle, she prefers to take the front lines with her razor sharp and rapid fighting style using her heirloom rapier "Mortalidad," which is whispered to be enchanted to never go dull and never break. She is also said to have the ability to move at superhuman speeds or achieve feats of superhuman strength, though these rumours are often written off as sensationalist. She captains the powerful stolen Imperial Ship-Of-The-Line, "The Dauntless."



Reaver-Captain Mendoza: Mendoza is what you would expect from a military man, forced to rule the region that suffers the most raids and attacks out of all of The Corsair Sea. He is direct and no nonsense, a permanently stern expression on his rock-like, weather-beaten face. Scars adorn his body from previous engagements, and he seems to have no time for flowery words or misdirection and politicking. He is a hard man, straight and narrow, who will only ever waste the words that are necessary to get his point across. This taciturn, stoic and harsh man keeps to himself most of the time, and always advances with a methodical, silent determination and resilience. In battle, he tends to use a simple cutlass and buckler, and captains the hardy and durable "Bloody Retribution."







Previous Reaver-Captains

Ex-Reaver-Captain Jakartha [DEAD]:
Jakartha was a mysterious man; he was always ready with a genuine smile and a subtle joke, but never seemed to raise his voice. He was always calm and jovial and friendly even in the midst of battle, giving him a rather unnervingly eery demeanour. His voice barely rose above a whisper and when it did, it was only to speak above another noise that somehow managed to cut out halfway through his first word. He was never outwardly threatening or aggressive, but should he have turned his smiling eyes on you after an insult or act of disobedience, you might well have seen a flash of the savage temper lurking beneath. When in battle, he preferred to hang back with his trusty hornbow, picking stragglers and exemplary warriors off from afar before they even knew that they'd been targeted. Before his defeat, he captained the unassuming but exceptionally fast and quiet "Deadmans Whisper." He was killed in battle and his ship scuttled by Reaver-Captain Isabella Constantina Fioravanti aboard her flagship "The Dauntless.



Reaver-Captain Barabossa [ALIVE]:
The former lord of the ironworking capital of The Corsair Sea, Barabossa is a large shark. Literally. As a Half-Breed, he was born to a Merfolk subspecies father and a human mother, then molded by his father into a more savage form, possibly intended to be used as his own personal seaborn attack creature...turns out, he perhaps too good a job. His boisterous and enthusiastic demeanour often makes people forget that there's probably a reason that he was a Reaver Captain in the first place. He's loud, in charge and very rarely does any degree of subtlety, and if he's angry at you, you'll know it. He's quick to drink and quick to kill, and often appreciates a more direct approach to most problems...of course, most of his solutions boil down to "Just Shoot It." He was Lucilla's "Second" when she challenged for the Monarchy, and as such was made her second in command when she took her position at the head of the Reavers, but was defeated and swore allegiance to Aqua Aegean when she took over his territory. He captains the fearsome "Iron Reaver" and wields a large broadaxe into battle.

[Vergil Tanner]

Lucilla Gale, "The Stormstrider"


Race: Halfbreed
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual
Gender: Female, Futanari

Extra Race-based Powers:

- Fury Of The Storm: Lucilla has the ability to tap into the storm in her blood; in practical terms, it means that she is able to "Jump" across short distances in the blink of an eye, leaving an electrical discharge behind her. Anybody between her and her target location is hit by a jolt of electricity variable in strength directly proportionate to how far she travelled. She can move as little as a few inches, to as far as a dozen or so meters away. Further, she is able to direct instantaneous blasts of lightning from her body, or summon them from the sky to strike any point that she indicates. This has given her the side-effect of being immune to electricity.

- Sea-Touched: Lucilla can see perfectly in any kind of water-based weather. Rain, sleet, snow, hail, fog...she can see perfectly through it all, her eyes cutting through it like it weren't even there. She also finds herself resistant to extreme cold, and able to see perfectly and breathe underwater.

- The Dark Covenant: When she was young, Lucilla joined forces with a mysterious Aelfin hidden in the furthest reaches of the Sea Of Monsters, which grants her great power but at the cost of sharing her body with the incorporeal Aelfin. The possession grants Lucilla enhanced strength, speed, durability and agility. More interestingly, her soul appears to be tethered to the Spectre, and the Spectre to her body. As such, he can use her body as a channel for its own strength. Using her spirit as an anchor, the Spectre can momentarily manifest in the corporeal world to affect minor things. EG, if an enemy is about to attack Lucilla from behind, the Spectre can manifest for a split second and thwart or kill the attacker. Should Lucilla consent, the Spectre can take control of her body for a short time - how long depends on how much of its power it brings to bear - and reshape her body to become akin to what it had in life. When "Fused" in this manner, Lucilla's body retains its previous abilities, and also gains the ability to create corporeal shadows that emanate from the now-possessed body. These shadows can form barriers, simple objects such as hands or tendrils.

Role: Corsair Queen
Faction: Hers
Face Claim: Lucilla: Cirilla, Setash: Unknown
O/O's: Click Here






Appearance:

Lucilla stands at about 5'6, with a curvaceous hourglass form that is usually dressed in some kind of tight-fitting lower garb and loose-but-revealing top. Her figure is well taken care of with very little fat outside of her chest and ass areas, with every other part of her body being lean and taut and toned through constant work and effort. She has shorter - maybe neck length, when let down - ash blonde hair and bright green emerald eyes that are usually surrounded with a mixture of warpaint and eyeshadow, placed there to make her look more intimidating. Despite her smaller stature, she has an intimidating and confident presence, especially when one catches sight of the scars peeking out from her clothes from previous battles. Her expression is usually one of playful scorn, almost a bemused cockiness that sometimes edges into sultriness when she decides that she's horny and looking for a good lay, and if she chooses you, you will find that she has a rather resilient and large, throbbing cock between her legs as well as the usual feminine equipment. She has no idea why she has it, but at this point, she's learned not to question it. It is rare that you'll see her looking at all serious, and if you do...perhaps that is the time to quit while you are ahead.

Meanwhile, whilst Lucilla is ordinarily the only one who can see him, Setash stands at around 6' tall with a lean, athletically muscular build with a narrower waist and broad, reasonably powerful muscles. He has long flowing black hair that falls down to the middle of his back and piercing ocean-ice-blue eyes that flash with silver when he is irritated. His features are rugged and angled, giving him a harsh-but-handsome appearance when his face is not knitted into a scowl. When using his armour, he wears a set of black light plate adorned with skulls on the pauldrons and belt, a long black sash hanging between his legs and a golden horned, featureless helmet. He usually wields a single-handed black and gold blade that is slightly curved at the tip to assist with slashing. His face is usually pulled into an expression of vaguely condescending scorn, but he is capable of wearing more pleasant expressions when it suits him. When Lucilla allows him use of her body for limited periods of time, her body morphs to take this shape and she takes his place as the spectre that nobody else can see.


Personality:

Lucilla is cocky and irreverent, paying only partial lipservice to those above her and even then only when she has to. She's never particularly liked having people consider themselves "Above" her, after all, and any amount of authority exerted over her is likely to make her bristle. She's always been a free spirit at heart, straining against any constraints - real or imagined - in order to blaze her own path. Her years in slavery only served to exacerbate the issue, and any mention of chains or bonds upon her is likely to lift her hackles and earn a snarl of indignation from her. However, this just makes it more satisfying to tame her; she has been known, on occasion, to submit for a night to a man or woman with a strong enough hand, but they were few and far between and often vehemently denied at a later date. Her ambition and hunger for power knows no limits, and if she thinks she can get ahead in some way, she will usually seize the opportunity. Whilst she acts laid back, flirtatious and cocksure, there is a steel to her spine and a white-hot determination to her gaze that should give anybody pause.

Meanwhile, Setash is - most of the time - condescending and overly critical towards everybody he sees who do not measure up to his impossibly high standards. If your name is not Lucilla, he will likely have a patronising and dismissive comment about your appearance or skill. Despite his arrogant and condescending manner, however, he is a cunning Aelfin with a keen mind for strategy and psychological warfare. He likes to play mind games, taunting his opponents into unwinnable situations, or otherwise acting unconcerned with their attempts to gain victory in order to place his opponent off balance. He is highly articulate, but has a harsh ruthlessness to him that indicates that no matter what, he will always ensure that he is the one who comes out on top. Despite this, he is perfectly capable of being polite and even charming if he wants to be...though that does not happen at all often, unless he is actively trying to bed you.


History Overview:

Lucilla's first memory is of the gutter. Waking up in the mud and slime, the shit and piss and blood-mixed sludge that ran between the shanty-houses in one of the lower-cost areas of some backwater island town so unimportant that even most of the locals didn't give a shit about its actual name. She didn't know who her parents were, she didn't know what her name was and she didn't know the first thing about the world. All she knew was that she had to sleep in the shadows if she wanted to sleep unmolested, that she had to be quick on her feet in order to steal enough food to survive, and that if any of the other asshole stray kids came near her, she had to cut them before they cut her. It's a hard first memory to have, but it's a hard world, and people who can't handle that need to shut the fuck up and take several seats. She grew up rough, stealing what she could where she could, from clothes to food to weapons, if she could get her hands on it. On those streets, the kid with the biggest shit-sticker often got their own way, and she was not somebody who wanted to be at the mercy of somebody else.

She didn't have any friends, she didn't have any allies or patrons. She didn't even join a fucking gang. People couldn't be trusted, after all. She got by on her own, with her own wits and her own skill and her own gumption for years, until one day - when she was 15 - she didn't. Alas, it was her attitude of "her against the world" landed her in trouble; without friends or at least gangmembers to look out for her, she had nobody to wake her up in the event of danger in the night. She was a light sleeper, twitchy and quick to startle - she often managed to get away from a fair few other thieving little fuckers because they were as quiet as a pregnant cat on fucking bath salts, so gave her ample chance to bolt - but even the most paranoid kid in the world can have off days. They can sleep a bit too heavily, or dismiss the wrong sound in their half asleep state, and suddenly...lights out. She woke to a thick sack over her head, a crushing weight on the front of her chest, and suddenly...stars, and blackness. The creaking of wood beneath her fingers, the musty smell of long-packed dust and stale sweat.

The distant sounds of water, ever-present in the shanty town but here so much...louder and more...echoey. Almost as if it was more spacious and spread out. Men overhead shouting, rope straining, and the nearby groans of animals and humans in pain. The clasped irons around her wrists and ankles, pinning her in place in the small square foot of space she'd been afforded. She knew exactly what had happened; she lived in The Corsair Sea. Her little stretch of land had a history of piracy, and she had just fallen victim to it. The region was made up of large sailing communities, islands with villages and cities on them, peninsulas crisscrossed with bridges...and black market shit. If you wanted something black market, you come to The Corsair Sea. If you wanted something shady done for a price, you come to The Corsair Sea. If you wanted to just lose yourself in debauched excess...you come to The Corsair Sea. Rough and tumble, straight and direct, get into a fight and have a drink after kinda folks. But alas, problem with fostering a culture based on piracy - loot and wealth and drink and women, as it were - there were gonna be people who tried to skirt the rules. Turned out, the Kidsnatchers were in town, and she'd been grabbed by a blackmarket slaving ship that had the intent of selling off some cargo in other, less scrupulous areas along the sea.

For days they sailed, no sleep - it was somewhat hard to sleep at first, funnily enough - scant food and water, endless boredom and casual abuse by the guards who often took the older boys and girls - barely into adulthood - aside for "extra duties." Days turned to weeks, port was made, some slaves were taken and never returned, port was left and yet more days on end of the same. Lucilla tried to fight at first, of course, but it was no use. The chains were thick, the guards paid attention and they weren't shy with the butt of their spear. Lucilla was resigned to her fate...until one day, a storm hit the ship. It started small, with especially heavy rain and choppy waves. Then it escalated. Escalated. Escalated some more, until the ship was being tossed aside like a ragdoll in the hands of a very angry God-Child, thrown this way and that. Chained as they were and unable to adapt, many of the slaves - most of them - died in the storm, cracking their heads open, breaking arms and falling through the slatterns and all sorts of thing. Until, after one especially hard collision, rock splintered through the wall to her left and sea water poured in, quickly filling the deck. She woke up some time later, coughing on a beach in the rain, the sea stretching out in all directions. Nothing was visible; no land, no ships, not even the sun through the clouds. It was a tiny place, more of a beach and cave surrounded by razor sharp reef, and so she did the obvious thing in the middle of a storm; she sought shelter.

She entered the cave, descending down into the depths until she came to a large central room. It was barren, save for two things; a large black obelisk dominating the centre of the chamber, and a crumpled corpse at the bottom of it. She approached the obelisk, drawn inextricably towards it by some unknown force. It called to her, beckoned her closer. She placed her hand against it...and immediately felt a presence, a tall, stern looking man staring down at her. He was ghostly white, emanating a pale silver light, translucent in his outline but still almost sternly handsome. He was staring at her, staring through her, and it froze her in place. After a frozen moment in time...the creature spoke. It told her - very plainly - that it was an ancient Aelfin, an old King that had been imprisoned at the edge of the world to rot for eternity. It had sensed her presence - a powerful half breed, it claimed, touched by the sea - and had reached out with what little power its prison afforded it to bring her here. He offered her a deal: They share her body. She free him from his prison, and he would teach her to use both her own power and his, and ensure that nobody ever stepped on her again.

She accepted in a heartbeat.

That was the beginning of their partnership. They began slowly, experimenting with their new condition and their new abilities, taking the time to practice them in the cave so that they knew that they had a handle on them before using Setash's abilities - specifically, granting Lucilla the ability to breathe underwater - to leave the island, his ability to manipulate tides and weather pushing them ever closer to civilisation. And so began their rise to the top; they started small, joining a new ship crew as a deck hand to learn the ropes, to figure out how sailing was done in this new day and age. They quietly watched and listened and waited, Lucilla's reckless impatience tempered by Setash's calm and calculating mind. They learned to fight and how to use Lucilla's own body as an advantage. They practised their synergy and their skills, they tested the extent of their power and made a few mistakes, but they slowly rose through the ranks to eventually become the First Mate. And then, one night...they killed the Captain.

They killed any of the crew who tried to argue, and took their place at the helm of the ship. A small one, but a start. The next five years was a time of constant warfare and bloodshed, naturally. Her ambition wasn't quenched. There were people above her still, and she needed to conquer them all. And of course, being the old King of The Corsair Sea, Setash was not about to start complaining either. Her unique powers earned her a fearsome reputation. But still, people defied her rightful rise. They called her trash, gutterborn, upstart. A young girl from the backwaters, come to challenge the status quo? Who did she think she was? Well. She didn't know about herself, but she knew that they were all dead soon after. They continued killing and butchering and fighting until - in the Might Makes Right world of The Corsair Sea - they were at the top of the pile, their blade red with the blood of everybody who had tried to stop them. In seven years they'd gone from a new Covenant uncertain of the extent of their powers...to a bloody and vicious legend, the undisputed Pirate Queen riding the waves aboard their flagship, The Gravewalker.


Theme Song:

Show Your Style

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGKhjFGnmY8

[Vergil Tanner]

I made some small edits and corrections!

If anybody is interested, don't worry about posting a full bio right away, of course. Just plant your flag of interest and maybe we could get some groups and ship crews and whatnot organising around people. This is a sandbox, after all, so the Sea is your Oyster!

[Kit]

You got me hyped only by the sheer amount of lore you displayed. Incredible !

[Vergil Tanner]

D'awwww, shucks! I try my best ^_^ Honestly, I'm a little worried about the sheer amount of information scaring people off, haha! Which is why I figured that I would wait until I had some players before posting the full 6,000~ word writeup of the founding of the Corsair Sea somewhere, haha. I actually created the Corsair Sea as a region to be used in another game, and when that game folded, I was like....fuck that, I spent two days writing 10,000 words for this place, I'm not letting it go to waste. xD

So can I hopefully assume that you're considering a character? *he says hopefully*
As I noted, any role is open (except the Corsair Queen; I figured it makes sense for the GM's character to be in that position)! Including the Reaver-Captains, if you can include a story about how you killed the one you took over from And of course, this game will be going into the Extreme Section to accommodate all tastes. ^_^

[Kit]

Don't be so modest you
I absolutely love lore bulding, you might say I'm happy it could scare people away because cramped rp's are just not my thing.
And you bet I'll create a character ! *he exclaims happy*
Just let me finish reading it all and get an idea of who I want to be, then I'll post it to await your judgement with baited breath.
And finally lewd content doesn't scare me, who do you think I am ? A freshwater pirate ?! Arrrrrrrrrrrr

[Vergil Tanner]

Yay! That makes one player, at least! xD I'm always a bit nervous about putting my creations out into the wild because I don't know when to stop writing sometimes xD Obviously if you have ANY questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm an open book!

Yarrr, we nae be Imperial landlubbers! We be Corsairs! There be no port we won't raid, 'n there be no hole we won't fuck! YARRR!

xD

[Mael]

-stomps in and plants flag-

[Vergil Tanner]

Yarrr, be ready to defend that there jack, or risk ye booty to plunder ye will!

[greypsychman]

I am interested. I can start working on a character tonight.

[Vergil Tanner]

Awesome! I look forward to seeing what you come up with ^_^

[Crensler]

*plants a flag of interest*

[Vergil Tanner]

Heyya, Crens! It'll be good to have you aboard! Yarr!

[Crensler]

Looking forward to it ^^

[Vergil Tanner]

I can't wait to see what kinda character you have in mind

[Vergil Tanner]

Made a few small edits; there's a lot there, so there are some references to the previous game the area was in still lurking around here and there xD Let me know if you spot one

[Vergil Tanner]

Hey guys! I altered the character sheet just a little. There are now separate headers for Player O/O and Character O/O, for characters who might not share a players Ons and Offs.

[Crensler]

Rinoa, "The Beast"


Race: Half-Breed [Ogre]
Sexual Orientation: Pansexual
Gender: Female

Race-based Powers: Ogre Physiology - Due to her father’s blood running through her veins, Rinoa is generally stronger, faster, and tougher than the average human, though not inordinately so.  She has impressive reserves of stamina as well, the design of her father to make her a better slave, and can work for days without sleep should she need to, with no ill effects.

The Beast - A result of her father’s tampering and her own latent genes, Rinoa is able to transform with a single command from her owner, changing from a comely young woman into a ravenous, murderous beast.  She becomes a veritable engine of destruction, with her strength, speed, and durability increasing exponentially.  This transformation has a time limit, however, as it burns through even Rinoa’s impressive stamina at an astonishing rate.  Five minutes is the maximum length of time she is currently able to stay transformed, but this is usually more than long enough to turn enemy ships into drift wood and the sailors aboard them into bloody smears upon their decks.


Role: Slave
Faction: In Service To Corsair Queen Lucilla Gale
Face Claim: Battleship Hime
O/O's: O/O's





Appearance:

Standing at a whopping 5'8 and weighing in at 125 pounds soaking wet, Rinoa doesn't exactly strike a very imposing figure despite her reputation.  Instead she looks much like a comely young woman, more suitable to serve in... softer roles than the one she is rather infamous for, though anyone who truly knows of "The Beast" isn't fooled by this facade.  Beneath the surface is a killer, kept in check only by the Corsair Queen.  Most of the time, however, she seems quite out of place on the Corsair Queen's ship, at least when outside of her cabin.  Her hands are soft, her skin smooth and paler than most would expect, and her hair luxurious in its shine.  That is, until Lucilla gives the word.  Then, oh yes, the monster comes out.  Her horns lengthen, her nails become claws, her teeth turn into fangs, her skin darkens, her body becomes hard with muscle, her hair whips about like a nest of angry snakes, her height jumps up by about a foot, and the demure lie is utterly destroyed as her blood red eyes glow menacingly.


Personality:

Rinoa is, generally speaking, a rather quiet person that keeps to herself unless instructed otherwise.  She only cares to please her mistress, and finds the presence of others bothersome as they tend to distract her from her duties.  She has few interests otherwise, though she does enjoy reading and cooking.  When the leash keeping her other side in check is loosed, however, she becomes a bloodthirsty psychopath.  She lives only to kill and destroy, reveling in the carnage she creates and enjoying the screams of her victims.  Sometimes one can catch a glimpse of this killer instinct if Rinoa is sufficiently annoyed, but otherwise her day to day self betrays nothing of "The Beast".


History Overview:

The daughter of Uar the Cruel, a decidedly vicious, cantankerous example of the ogre breed of Aelfin, Rinoa was bred, like many other children of Uar, to be a slave.  She was altered to better suit this role by Uar's powers, and he trained her personally to be the perfectly obedient servant, in whatever way her new owner would desire.  Her early life, as one might imagine, was rather devoid of the normal trapping of childhood, and she learned very quickly to obey whenever her father instructed her to do something, no matter how abhorrent she found it.  It was in this way that he created "The Beast", starving the child until she was driven senseless with hunger, then tossing her into a pit with a feral pig.  If she died, then she wasn't worth the time it took to create her.  If she lived, then his time hadn't been wasted after all.  The feral pig, also quite hungry, tried to gore the child and rip into her young, tender flesh.  Its tusks cut her and something in Rinoa... twisted.  She screamed and grasped the pig by its head, throwing it to the ground and ripping into its throat with her teeth.  Uar was pleased and had her thrown into that pit again and again, until her inner demon could be drawn out on command.  This only pleased him more, for she would make him quite the pretty penny when it came time to sell her.

On and on her life went like this, training under her father and slowly growing accustomed to his treatment of her, until she quietly did whatever she was told without complaint.  Even violence without the influence of "The Beast" no longer phased her, nor did the more... depraved sessions Uar subjected her to.  She was a good girl, after all, and good girls do as they're told.  Always.  The time came for Rinoa to be put up for auction and the slave pens were abuzz with rumors about what was in store for the day of the sale.  Uar the Cruel was famous, perhaps infamous, for his slaves, and everyone was eager to see what he had in store for them this time.  So, when the time came for her to step up onto the auction block, one could understand the crowd's confusion.  Rinoa wasn't Uar's typical progeny, after all.  They tended to be large, fierce creatures, yet here she was, pale as the driven snow and looking like she belonged in a pleasure palace rather than on the deck of a ship.  Uar wasn't called "the Cruel" without reason, however, and he offered up a wager.  His Rinoa against any of their strongest slaves, and the winners would get Rinoa's weight in gold.  At first the people were hesitant, as this seemed a strange wager.  Why would Uar bet so much for such a tiny slip of a girl winning against their strongest?  Then Uar sweetened the pot.  Not only would the winner get their gold, but he would personally breed a slave just for them.  That did it.

Cries went up in the crowd as they offered up their strongest slaves, and eventually lots had to be drawn to see who would get the honor of taking the wager for themselves.  The eventual winner offered up a bull minotar Aelfin, thinking he would get easy money.  The stage was cleared and the match began.  Despite her size and seeming fragility, Rinoa managed to stay one step ahead for most of the match.  Then Uar sneered and called out to her.  "Rinoa!"  His cry had her freeze, which led to her being backhanded to the ground, but his next words sealed the minotaur's fate.  "Slip the leash!"  Suddenly the stage exploded in a fog of wooden shrapnel and steam, with a high pitched keening following soon after.  Many thought the girl dead, but the fog cleared to show her looming over the downed minotaur, who clutched at the raw, bloodied stump of his shoulder.  Rinoa had transformed, having ripped his arm clean out of its socket, and was now using it to beat his skull in with a grin similar to Uar's on her face.  "Rinoa!  Back on the leash!"  Uar put a stop to it before the slave died, but his point had been made.  Rinoa was indeed one of his children and clearly no delicate flower, either.

Betting began as soon as the stage had been cleaned up, with many betting high to get such a useful slave, since Uar had explained she was useful in many other areas and would be completely obedient to whoever ended up with her contract.  They could do anything to her, he'd said with a wolfish grin, and she wouldn't so much as make a peep of complaint.  Eventually there was a disturbance at the back of the crowd, and the people parted to show that a special guest had arrived.  The Corsair Queen, Lucilla Gale, had come to take part in the proceedings.  Why?  Maybe she was simply in the market for a new slave, like everyone else.  Regardless, she outbid every by a wide margin within her next breath, and Rinoa was hers.  Uar was pleased to accept Lucilla's gold, and gave her the means to control Rinoa's monstrous side, as well as her contract.  The half breed has served the Corsair Queen ever since, and has been a very loyal slave, just as her father had taught her to be.

Theme Song:

The Animal - Disturbed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbWKOqirMOo

[Vergil Tanner]

I see no problems here! Rinoa is approved! Welcome to the game, and welcome to Lucilla's Bed-Chambers ship!

We'll have to chat about their specific history But for now, I like her, I like the idea, and I like her pictures! Welcome aboard

[Senti]

Peeks in with some puppets I have lots of interest (time is my issue) Whats not to like ...beautiful details lovely :) I am impressed. (as are the Puppets)

[Vergil Tanner]

Haha, I appreciate it, Senti ^_^ I aim to please! I'm glad you and your puppets like it, and I look forward to seeing which of them dances on into the game