The Sudden Approach of Unexplainable Power: IC

[Nonlethal Force]

And thus begins the tale of Aekalos, dragon son of Sappurapolician the Bronze Wyrm.

The Sudden Approach of Unexplainable Power​

In the early years of Aekalos, when he began his adventures, Partuss was a significant city in the Confederacy of Tongra. Partuss boasted the fourth largest population in the land, but it was a close race between it and its nearest competitor: Fingerdale. Eberdeen, Juniper, and Bacrothen were the only cities that clearly outshined Partuss in glory and reputation.

Earl Patron was the rightful authority in the land. Of course, much like the baronies, the dukedoms, and the lordships the title was passed from one heir to the next - although not necessarily to the firstborn. Each family had a particular method of picking the next ruler. But the point was that each time a new ruler died the next ruler would merely pick up the title and assume it - such was the case of Earl Patron when his father died a decade ago.

During the prior decade, the area saw growth, prosparity, but also a stiff increase in competition and hostility for merchant and land rights. The town thrived on its shipping industry, but of late a small tribe of Sahuagin had started to become a menace to the area. For the time being the Sahuagin problem was left to the ships captains. Earl Patron did not want to involve his troops until the problem threatened other aspects of life beyond the shipping. Being out on the water was assumed to be a dangerous job.

There was a bit of a rumor that the mage Warus - patron of many businesses in Partuss - was organizing some kind of effort against the Sahuagin. Certainly the mage was powerful enough to mount such an effort, but the stories were sketchy at best. No official publications or announcements were produced as to the effort by the mage.

This is the seaside climate that our young Aekalos found himself wandering through Partuss, searching to learn about the world and explore it according to the directions of his dragon father. It was as he wandered through the streets of the substantial town that he had what seemed to be a fortuante encounter with a trio of expert sailors.

- - - - - - - - -

"Blast it all, Merrick."

"I know, Tiergar. Bloody unfair. Labeled as a pirate and thrown in jail. He's a good captain, he is."

As Aekalos heard the two boisterous voices of two members of an oncoming trio he suddenly felt the third as the man ran into Aekalos on the street. Or, perhaps it was the other way around. Neither of the two seemed to see the other coming and both ending up sitting on their backsides after the hit.

"Bloody landlubber!" exclaimed Merrick. "Watch where you put those stiff legs of yours or else I'll drag you back to the Queen Forseth and run you through with my 'running-people-through' stick. You won't like that, I can guarantee you!" He laughed and smiled at Aekalos as he winked towards him and then reached out to lift up his friend who had hit the ground.

Tiergar reached out a heavily calloused hand and offered it to Aekalos. As he did, Aekalos could easily notice the highly toned muscles present up and down his arms. "Up you go, stick-boy. You don't get muscles like these sitting on your backside all day."

The third rose and dusted himself off. He nodded as he offered a polite half-bow and said, "Ain't many men who can get me on me backside that easily." The three sailors shared a hearty laugh and the insinuation. "So what's your name, lad? They call me Badrick and I'll have the name of the young man who knocked me on me ..."

Before he could finish he was cut off by Merrick. "We don't use our sea tongues in port, Badrick. Don't get many of the lasses by saying things like that. And what else is ports for besides the lasses?"

"And arrestin' decent captains." Tiergar reminded. Once they finished jabbing each other with words they paused to listen to Aekalos answer.

 

[unleashed]

Aekalos grins and takes the offered hand, rising and dusting himself off, before offering a polite half-bow in return, “I’m Aekalos. Pardon my carelessness, but I’m new to the city and not long off my own little sailboat, Swiftwind... though I’m sure she’s not as impressive as a ship like the Queen Forseth, she is all mine. So you were saying your captain has been arrested for piracy, when I interrupted your conversation, there must be a tale behind such an accusation...”

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Merrick shushed Aekelos on the mention of the word piracy. "Shhh, now! Don't you be sayin' the word or they'll brand you with the name as well. And if you are being your own captain of your own one man boat ... they'll be throwin' your own ... uh ... rear in jail with nobody to drag you out!"

Tiergar gets a glimmer in his eyes. "But there is a place where such things can be spoken of freely. In fact, we're headed there now, lad. Or at least we were before you knocked down Badrick to the street."

Badrick continues the conversation with a bit of a smile to his friends. "Do you like poorly clothed women, ale, and are you a bettin' man, Aekalos? Because where we're headin' you'll be gettin' all three."

 

[unleashed]

“If you say so Merrick, but I don’t see any reason why they’d want to brand me with such a title...I mean I’ve only just arrived, so I haven’t had a chance to make an unfavourable impression yet,” he chuckles.

“Why yes, as luck would have it, I do and I am,” Aekalos remarks with a broad smile, his eyes glinting mischievously, “and since you’ve been kind enough to invite me along, it would be rude to refuse. Lead the way gentlemen...”

 

[Nonlethal Force]

Merrick replied, "Ain't no sense to who they be calling a pirate, lad. They calls anyone a pirate that they want to be throwing in jail so long as they goes onto the water."

Tiergar smiled broadly, "Like our good cap'ain, for example."

The men hung their head for a moment of respect. Merrick added, "Aye."

Once Merrick called the moment of respect over, they led Aekalos to a hole in the wall called Bloody Ale. The place had no name above the entrance, but the trio told the name to Aekalos as they walked. Of course, there was no name above the entrance because there simply was no entrance! Quite literally, it was a hole in the wall. Merrick approached what appeared to be a street bum sitting beside a fire in front of a red brick building and said, "There be four pelicans lookin' for a pier sit upon and watch the crabs fight, matey."

The bum glanced back to the other two and Aekalos and nods. Merrick stepped toward the wall and just when it looked like he was going to bump head first into the wall he passed right through it. Tiergar gave Aekalos a shove on the back and laughed as he said, "You be next, lad!" He and Badrick had a good laugh.

Inside, Aekalos and the trio of salty men found themselves in a large smokey room. The room was set up to be a type of bar with a bit of a twist. There were no tables in the middle 100 square feet of the room. Instead, a makeshift boxing ring had been erected.

Tiergar flexed and added, "This is why they be calling it Bloody Ale, son. The bettin' ain't on pansy things like cards and dice. The bettin' is on which poor sap is gonna beat the blood out of another poor sap. And I reckon after I get me a whiskey or an ale in me system I'll beat the heck out of some bloody landlubber, too!"

Badrick added as he placed a rough hand on Aekalos' shoulder. "And the wenches .. er, women, pardon me language ... are for lookin' only. You touch even one and I promise you that I won't be standing in the way when a bouncer hurls your ... backside back out through the wall. Much to the amusement of anyone that be walking by, of course."

Of course, the promise of scantily clad women didn't dissappoint either. The foursome was shown to a table by a busty woman. For a top, she wore a very slimming off the shoulder corset that only barely covered anything more private. For below the waist she wore a rather short skirt that displayed a pair of shapely legs that looked muscularly well toned. As the foursome sat down she leaned over the table and said, "What can I get you to drink?" She looked to the young looking Aekalos and smiled as she clearly teased, "Three ale and a milk, then?" She softly blew Aekalos a kiss with her lips to punctuate the tease.

 

[unleashed]

“You may have a point there, gentlemen...considering your plight,” Aekalos concedes, after the moment of respect passes.

After Tiergar and Badrick get though explaining a few things about the Bloody Ale, Aekalos adds, “Lucky for me then, that I’m capable of keeping my hands to myself. I wouldn’t want to be leaving that way, well at least before I managed an ale or two in me, to cushion the fall you know,” he remarks with chuckle and a nod of understanding.

Returning the busty woman’s smile, Aekalos winks at her as he responds to her teasing, “Well unless you’d promise to come sit on my lap, to feed me the milk you’ve suggested, I think we’ll make that four ales, my dear...”

 

[Nonlethal Force]

The waitress smiles at Aekalos' reply and turns to Badrick. " 'Bout time you prickly old men bring in someone young for the ladies to look at, too. And a quick one on his feet he is." She turns back to Aekalos and stands back up to her regular height while giving him a once over with her eyes. "As much as I might enjoy that, the boss don't like me to sit on laps. If I sit on your lap, well then I'd have to sit on all these mens' laps. And trust me, there are some laps here that while they might enjoy me I certainly wouldn't enjoy them."

She pauses before leaving, allow Aekalos to dismiss her with a comment if he should like.

 

[unleashed]

“Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to admire you from afar then, my lovely lass,” Aekalos replies with a grin, as he admires her form, “a pity we can’t get closer, but better that than you being manhandled, I think.”

 

[Nonlethal Force]

She smiles and gives him a quick kissing motion with her lips before leaving to retrieve the ale that had been ordered.

Badrick smiles in the woman's direction and shifts - as though he were suddenly needing to change his position. "Now that's what I call a serving wench. One of the main reasons why I come here whenever we be in port."

Merrick adds, "And one of the reasons you still be single, too!"

The trio have a good laugh before turning to Aekalos and starting the business. Merrick adds, "So what do you want to know, lad?"

[Sblock=OOC]Bah. For some reason I'm really struggling of late with my tense. I think it is the narrative at the beginning that is throwing me off. I write my Story Hour from a third person omniscient frame of reference thus I typically use the simple past as my standard verb tense. Here in this thread I haven't yet found my groove. I think I normally use present in Clutches of Evil, no?

Anyway, forgive my change of tenses in my posting. I'll eventually get it ironed out.[/Sblock]

 

[unleashed]

Still grinning, Aekalos watches the pleasing figure of the serving woman as she walks away, nodding in support of Badrick’s comment. Chuckling along as they begin to laugh, he takes the chance to glance around the room and do a quick headcount as the sailors share their own private joke.

“I believe I was asking what reason they gave, for charging your captain with piracy...” Aekalos prompts.

[SBLOCK=OOC]No problem, I'm not too worried about it as long as everything makes sense. [/SBLOCK]