Raiding Season

[The Bindoner]

As each crewmember boards the Cunning Serpent they are greeted with polite and formal deference by the assigned Ship's Steward, a slight figure dressed in expensive-looking Outlander clothes. With bowed head and quiet voice she addresses each Oghmite that arrives:

Welcome aboard the Cunning Serpent. My name is Eno Otsuka, and I am it's servant. It is my duty to make your time with us comfortable.

Displaying a data-tablet she explains the layout of the ship. Active ancillary functions on the tablet show that she is organising the delivery and stowage of the supplies arriving for the ship.

If there is anything you need, please, allow me the honour of providing it. If you want a special food, for example, I am authorised to request it.

It is not normal for a Raider to have a Steward like this - it is the job of the least skilled, or least busy, Slave. And this is not a normal Ship Slave, she is surely a body-servant to an important person. Her Slave Registry, pinged to the comm of Oghmite crew, identifies her as belonging to the ship rather than an individual however.


It seems she is as much part of the Cunning Serpent as any of it's other components.

[coastguarder]

Korvus Ridleys mood was not enjoying itself ...... The hangover attained over a week of solitary drinking had left him psychotically irritable .... Other than a few mandatory words in the great hall Korvus had not spoken in days. Having trudged to the ship yard to find some rust bucket of a vessel he was pleasantly surprised with what he found. She was indeed old but he had a good feeling about her ..... Ridley now thought it best to pay at least some attention to the crew he had been landed with ..... Tholerson ... yes he was bearable at least ... although he was a bit soft on one of his slaves which made Ridley uneasy .... And as for this Doctor with a mind to control his jump drives ....


adressing Remington gruffly and with no care for any thin layers of social protection he may have

You there Remi..... get you to the galley and prepare me a remedy for this insatiable headache ...i trust a man of your education has it the mental capacity to operate such complicated machinery ?

Korvus was fully aware the ships steward would be mortified to have another slave melding in the galley however he was of a mind to inflict a uneasy feeling amongst the low borns onboard ... Tholerson had already set a poor precedent with the sensors operator ...Now turning to Raven he musters every last drop of diplomacy left in his body

Raven Sorrow .. I am encouraged by your presence in this curious task... I would request you select your two best gunners to assist Ingrid Frid in her duties .... your presence on the bridge is always welcomed but not mandatory ... excuse me whilst i familiarise myself with the ship ... i care not for feasts and pleasantries .... and am of a mind to clear out as soon as we are able ....

Ridleys mind was only on one thing .... his bunk

[The Bindoner]

Eno takes Remington to the galley.

It is better to look as though the order is obeyed. Do you want to carry out this task? Your registry tells me this is unlikely. They rarely check the execution, only the result. I will make something, you can take it.

I have put you with the next senior engineering slave, Gris, in room 8, is this acceptable? I will share room 7 with Ingrid., opposite you. Perhaps we will find time to talk, if our duties allow.

[Gorethirster]

Remington follows along, listening to Eno. "I've worked with Ridley before. He was one of the crew of the ship who captured me. Trust me, it'll be easier if I just make him the usual. It's essentially what I used to make as an undergraduate, minus any restraint or effort at good taste when it comes to seasoning. I still can't tell if he eats it just to spite me for making something so awful, or because he actually likes it, but I have to make it or he can always tell. You can deliver it though, I still have to meet the captain."

In the galley, Remington throws together something similar to ramen, if making ramen involved adding an excess of every spice available in addition to the boiling water. That done, he hands the "food" off to Eno and heads towards the bridge, assuming the captain will be there and hoping he won't be too upset at the delay.

[Tiglath]

Raven simply nods a response to Korvus.

He sounded the most sensible of this "touched" collection of creatures gathered by her Lord so far. She wonders what further mysteries will be revealed at the feast. Hopefully the warband would have heard tell of her reputation. If they hadn't then she would be beating her money back out of the skalds she'd hired to sing her stories around the port.

If there is anything you need, please, allow me the honour of providing it. If you want a special food, for example, I am authorised to request it.

Raven glowers at Eno "Why should any of us have "special" food? I need somewhere to sleep and the same food as everyone else!" Raven makes no further demands of someone who appears to be actively engaged in making the ship work and is yet another "odd" crew member.

As soon as she has a billet she stows her gear, rifle and energy weapon and explores the ship. She introduces herself to it properly and talks to its spirit so that it knows her. Yet another new comrade for her to get to meet and get to know...

[hardrocks]

Having spent a goodly time inspecting the ship, Kar is content with what he finds.
Though old, The Cunning Serpent is a fine fighting vessel, and Kar relishes the chance to command Her.
Delivering Raven's warband to unleash a cold hell on our prey should be an easy but worthy task for this ship and its crew.

Finding his room and seeing that his gear has been adequately stowed by Regina, Kar prepares himself for the evening and heads off to the bridge, intending to oversee the final preparations for departure, and his Lord and Lady's attendance at the feast.

[The Bindoner]

Raven glowers at Eno "Why should any of us have "special" food? I need somewhere to sleep and the same food as everyone else!

Some like to take a taste of Oghma with them. I think you wise not to look back, those who focus on the journey take surer steps.

I believe Captain Tollerson is making himself comfortable in his quarters, I will notify him that there will be a meeting on the Bridge shortly.

Eno takes Remington to the galley and watches the preparation with amused disdain.

As soon as she has a billet she stows her gear, rifle and energy weapon and explores the ship. She introduces herself to it properly and talks to its spirit so that it knows her. Yet another new comrade for her to get to meet and get to know...

I assume Raven upholds the tradition of bunking in the Barracks with the rest of the warband rather than claiming one of the Officer cabins.

The Cunning Serpent is indeed an old ship, its history told in the carvings and tapestries that adorn it. The shrines in the Drive Chamber, Longhouse ( Barracks ). Meadhall and Bridge honouring their respective gods have been well attended to. The trophy collection mounted on the Longhouse walls is another testament to the storied history of The Serpent.

Edit:

Another thing that sets the Cunning serpent apart : Everything works. You have seen no missing panels, re-routed wiring, jury-rigged systems, poorly fitting replacements or any of the myriad other bodges normal to a Raider.

[Tiglath]

Raven simply grunts at Eno's philosophy and stows her gear in the best bunk in the "Longhouse" (Barracks).

She then reverently admires and touches the artifacts and trophies on the Longhouse walls. She then readies herself for the feast (by removing a few weapons) and the meeting on the bridge.

(OOC: whichever happens first! )

[The Bindoner]

Timeline:

Now: PC's on the Bridge

Tonight: Free time

Tomorrow Morning: Warband arrives

Tomorrow daytime: Festival of Setting Forth. Families see off the fleet, craftsmen offer fine weapons, armour and equipment, and the temples offer blessings. Celebrations, farewells, partying, shopping, making peace with the Gods... It's a big day. Not as big a party as Landfall, when the Fleet returns, of course...

Tomorrow evening: Each ship makes sacrifice, then its crew feast.

The Next Dawn: Lift Off

[hardrocks]

With everything seemingly in order Kar asks for the senior officers to join him on the bridge for ale.

[hardrocks]

As well as having a toasting tipple ready on the bridge. Kar will tell Eto to have further drink and food in the ships mead hall for after the CO meeting. He will also require her and all senior skilled slaves to be there and await for himself and the officers. Manfred will be attending with the other senior officers on the bridge.

[hardrocks]

When we're all there and supplied with a drink.
Kar takes a breath, here we go.

"Welcome to you all, it gladdens my heart to see such Warriors with me, here, now. For what will be our greatest challenge.
We stand ready to reach out, beyond what we know, to what we can be, as Clan, as crew, as Oghmans! We have all been chosen and have chosen, to be here. So let us look to the future, put aside your doubt, if we do not succeed then our end shall ever be glorious. But we will succeed, we will do it for our Clan Lord, our people, families, friends and allies, whomever they may be.
This ship will be Captained by me, Ridley will pilot and is my second. Raven, you are our mailed fist and will always lead our attack forces. Your voice and experience will add much to our command group. Manfred, my friend and ally has agreed to aid us, as Astrogator, to get us where we want to be. We also have our Skilled slaves, some of the best, to make this raid a success. I urge you to use their knowledge, to see how much we can benefit from what they can teach us and to find "Another Way" as our Lord wishes."

Raising his cup,

"To victory, to glory and confusion to our enemies"

Drains cup and looks for more...

[Tiglath]

Raven drains her cup "I drink to our success yet I say Lord Ásgeirr is a generous yet strange task master. He provides a fine warship to ride - an old vessel steeped in raiding tradition. He provides a young warband, no doubt as keen for plunder as they are to wet their blades, and he sets me over them, a Reiver of repute, needing one more impressive haul so that next time he has no choice but to grant me a raid of my own! He does all this, bids us blood the warband and fill the hold and then asks that we make friends along the way!"

"We will do it - and yet we will still remain Oghman! The "drive shaman" - he who gives himself more names than a man can have earned is the key. If we go where the shape of our ships in the sky is not known then we shall find easy pickings and allies alike!"

[coastguarder]

Ridley had managed a half our shut eye before being woken by Eno and summoned to the bridge. In return Eno had received a half empty bowl of ramen to the side of the head .... a fair exchange some might say. At the gathering glasses were being raised and speeches made ...... Ridley felt weak at the knees as the smell of warm ale reached his nostrils ...... without hesitation he reached for the larges tankard on offer .. raised it high in the air and downed it in one .

Now for the unnecessary pleasentries he thought ....

buuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrpppppppppppppp

As he looked around memories of his crew started to creep into the corners of his mind ..... He was glad to see the captain ... and Ravens reputation had reached his attention which couldn't be a bad thing ... at least not for him and the crew .... and to his own surprise he even remembered the name of one of the slaves onboard .... remington yes remington ... handy chap .... good with the jump drive ..... makes a half decent bowl of broth ....

[Tiglath]

Raven glances over at Ridley and with an unusual twitch at the corner of her mouth that could nearly be a smile says "Our pilot is in agreement!"

[The Bindoner]

Ridley had managed a half our shut eye before being woken by Eno and summoned to the bridge. In return Eno had received a half empty bowl of ramen to the side of the head .... a fair exchange some might say.

Eno makes no attempt to dodge, merely inclining her head so the bowl strikes a glancing blow. She cleans the mess away and appears on the Bridge poised and ready to serve.

by Tiglath » Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:24 pm

Raven drains her cup "I drink to our success yet I say Lord Ásgeirr is a generous yet strange task master. He provides a fine warship to ride - an old vessel steeped in raiding tradition. He provides a young warband, no doubt as keen for plunder as they are to wet their blades, and he sets me over them, a Reiver of repute, needing one more impressive haul so that next time he has no choice but to grant me a raid of my own! He does all this, bids us blood the warband and fill the hold and then asks that we make friends along the way!"

"We will do it - and yet we will still remain Oghman! The "drive shaman" - he who gives himself more names than a man can have earned is the key. If we go where the shape of our ships in the sky is not known then we shall find easy pickings and allies alike!"

Manfred, standing a little back from the Oghmans and away from the slaves, takes a drink and comments, with a grin: Some'v you've already got friends though, aintcha? You're not the only raiders out here, just the only ones here. My kinda raider, we hit ships. Different skills. I can get you in to Theev, you ever reach it. That's where the big players are. For now, I know people who lay over at Blackrock, I c'n make introductions.

[Tiglath]

Raven is clearly intrigued "My warband are yet untrained and can learn these new skills. We remain Oghma but we just think bigger. For generations we have captured individual crewmen and carried off stolen goods as cargo when we should have been stealing entire ships!"

[hardrocks]

If you're all ready, perhaps we can move to the Mead Hall

Kar nods appreciatively to his officers,

My thanks for listening we will have much to talk of in the coming hunt

[Tiglath]

Raven's good to move to the feast.

[The Bindoner]

In the Mead Hall of the Cunning Serpent Eno has prepared and arranged food and ale.The Skilled Slaves stand ready to help serve, or hear what the officers deign to tell them.