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Irvine
Star
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
Though it was the dead of night and the new moon offered little light to the world below, the deck of The Maiden’s Curse was bustling with activity. Tonight was a special night aboard the sea-faring vessel and though it meant different things to the individual members of the crew, every soul aboard could agree that she would feel like a whole new ship by daybreak. The Maiden’s Curse was no ordinary ship, you see. Armed with one of the best crews that any captain could ever hope to procure and more stolen weaponry than most men would deem necessary, she was a symbol of pirate supremacy on the open seas and she was the last vessel that any civilized man would wish to see sailing into his docks. Her captain, a woman by the name of ‘Blackheart’ Morgan, had gained quite a bit of renown over the course of the past ten years as a buccaneer and a slaver.
All across Europe, rumors about Blackheart Morgan and her ship had become popular bar-room babble in coastal towns and cities. The most common rumor that the public enjoyed entertaining themselves with was one of Morgan’s family. According to the rumor, Morgan hailed from a lesser branch of the British royal family and The Maiden’s Curse was once the head ship of Britain’s royal fleet. A younger Morgan yearned for the adventure that her family refused to provide her, claiming that the life of an adventurer was a dangerous one fit only for peasants and serfs. The young girl was chained, so to speak, to a life that most would have killed to have though she, herself, longed for a life like those recorded in historical texts. Morgan grew up quickly and became a rebellious stain on her father’s name until one day, she vanished. The girl reappeared some years later as a beautiful young woman aboard a ship in the British fleet. It was this ship that would later be renamed and still served her to this day as her own. Some variations of the tale portrayed Morgan as a charismatic barmaid prior to her overtaking of the ship while others claimed that she was little more than the ship’s whore. Regardless of how she is explained to have boarded the ship, all of the rumors agree that she turned the British naval soldiers aboard into her first wave of crewmen.
Of course, only Morgan knew how true this rumor was. She enjoyed the mysteries surrounding her position in the world and wasn’t about to just give them up without a fight. She was enigmatic to most; an unknown drifting through the seas of the world and pillaging what she needed and wanted from civilized man. She used this to her advantage. After all, it was only human nature for a man to fear that which he did not know and could not explain.
It was this same woman that now sat in The Maiden’s Curse’s navigations chamber alongside three of her most trusted crewmen as they discussed the plan for tonight’s attack on a familiar French port. The navigations chamber was the first room that one would find themselves in on their way below deck. There were three doors in the room, positioned in a triangular pattern around the room; one lead topside and the other two led deeper down into the ship. In the center of the room was a large, circular wooden table bolted into the ship’s boarding as to not slide about. Tacked atop the table was a large map used to plot courses. It was around this table that the four buccaneers now stood as they discussed tonight’s raid.
“You are absolutely positive that there will be no inner quarrels to get in your way here tonight then, Logan? This port was your home before joining my crew was it not?” The question was spoken by none other than ‘Blackheart’ Morgan herself. As regal and beautiful as she was ruthless, Morgan’s wardrobe was always something of a rare sight among pirates. The bare basics would never do for her and you would be lucky to catch her wearing anything that a commanding naval officer wouldn’t be proud to wear. She preferred greens and blacks, claiming that they complimented her brunette locks and her chocolate eyes. Standing at five foot eight with a strong set of hips and average bust, Morgan was one hell of a good looking captain.
“I have no family there, Captain Morgan,” the young man standing across the table from Morgan answered. “I am an orphan; you knew this when I joined your crew.” The young man, Logan ‘The Bloodletter’, was the ship’s first mate; quite an accomplishment for someone barely twenty-two years of age. Logan was a few inches taller than the captain, standing at six feet in height with an inch or two to spare. His hair was a dull red and his eyes an emerald green. The first mate’s fashion sense was far more supple that the captains, being more than happy with a suit of canvas boots, pants, shirt, gloves, and head shade.
“Ye best naught be lyin’ about that, Logan. If’n I recall just right, ye joined this crew ta let yer little girlfriend run free; traded yer own life fer hers,” said the man standing to Logan’s right. The man, ‘Wildfire’ Dougless, had been the ship’s first mate prior to Logan taking his position. Despite the rumors that circulated among the crew, Dougless held no hard feelings about Logan over what had happened. Quite the contrary; he had only served as first mate to ensure that someone whom he felt that he could trust would have the job and until Logan joined their crew, he didn’t trust anyone except Morgan. Scottish-born, Dougless had never fully lost his accent, much to the delight of some of the female crewmen. Standing at even height with Logan, Dougless looked like an older version of his former protégé with a slightly better taste in clothes.
“A Girlfriend? Logan, you dog, you never told me that you were spoken for!” The exclamation had come from a young woman standing to Logan’s left, opposite of Dougless. This young woman was Isabelle ‘The Compass’; one of the best navigators to ever sail the seven seas, despite of her age. Standing at five and a half feet, Isabelle was the shortest at the table. She was also the most fair-skinned and the one with the lightest color hair with her long blonde locks. Take one look into her bright green eyes and you wouldn’t be able to guess that this sweet-looking girl was a pirate but she was a ruthless young woman and she had learned from the best; Captain Blackheart Morgan.
“Well I wasn’t aware that my love life was any of your business, Isabelle but I am sure that you will be pleased to know that this was six years ago. I’m sure that she’s moved on and I won’t let my personal past jeopardize the crew,” Logan retorted as he looked between all three of the other people in the room. He had a feeling that both Dougless and Morgan were going to doubt his sincerity until he’d proven it to them; not that he really cared. He was sure that there were some things that he wouldn’t trust them with either.
Isabelle let out a little squeal and was clearly about to say something else when the captain dropped her first down onto the table to demand everyone’s attention. “You three can argue over who gets to be Logan’s bitch after we’ve hit this port and hauled our asses out of here. The plan is simple; same as any other raid. Crew orders are as follows: Dougless will take enough men to get all of the cannons running and be remaining onboard and will be below decks serving as cannon master. I will take a small group of our best swashbucklers and remain topside to defend the gangplanks and keep us from being boarded. Isabelle will be off-ship with half of the remaining crew. Her group will raid the docks for food, drinking water, and other essentials. Logan will take the other half and head into town. His group will be targeting valuables and women to bring back as slaves. This is an active port. Expect moderate resistance and a big payload. Got it?”
“All’s clear Captain,” the other three said in unison.
“Good,” Morgan said with a nod. “Go round up your respective crews and get ready. We’ll likely be approaching the port by the time that we are all set up and ready for the attack. Dismissed!”
All across Europe, rumors about Blackheart Morgan and her ship had become popular bar-room babble in coastal towns and cities. The most common rumor that the public enjoyed entertaining themselves with was one of Morgan’s family. According to the rumor, Morgan hailed from a lesser branch of the British royal family and The Maiden’s Curse was once the head ship of Britain’s royal fleet. A younger Morgan yearned for the adventure that her family refused to provide her, claiming that the life of an adventurer was a dangerous one fit only for peasants and serfs. The young girl was chained, so to speak, to a life that most would have killed to have though she, herself, longed for a life like those recorded in historical texts. Morgan grew up quickly and became a rebellious stain on her father’s name until one day, she vanished. The girl reappeared some years later as a beautiful young woman aboard a ship in the British fleet. It was this ship that would later be renamed and still served her to this day as her own. Some variations of the tale portrayed Morgan as a charismatic barmaid prior to her overtaking of the ship while others claimed that she was little more than the ship’s whore. Regardless of how she is explained to have boarded the ship, all of the rumors agree that she turned the British naval soldiers aboard into her first wave of crewmen.
Of course, only Morgan knew how true this rumor was. She enjoyed the mysteries surrounding her position in the world and wasn’t about to just give them up without a fight. She was enigmatic to most; an unknown drifting through the seas of the world and pillaging what she needed and wanted from civilized man. She used this to her advantage. After all, it was only human nature for a man to fear that which he did not know and could not explain.
It was this same woman that now sat in The Maiden’s Curse’s navigations chamber alongside three of her most trusted crewmen as they discussed the plan for tonight’s attack on a familiar French port. The navigations chamber was the first room that one would find themselves in on their way below deck. There were three doors in the room, positioned in a triangular pattern around the room; one lead topside and the other two led deeper down into the ship. In the center of the room was a large, circular wooden table bolted into the ship’s boarding as to not slide about. Tacked atop the table was a large map used to plot courses. It was around this table that the four buccaneers now stood as they discussed tonight’s raid.
“You are absolutely positive that there will be no inner quarrels to get in your way here tonight then, Logan? This port was your home before joining my crew was it not?” The question was spoken by none other than ‘Blackheart’ Morgan herself. As regal and beautiful as she was ruthless, Morgan’s wardrobe was always something of a rare sight among pirates. The bare basics would never do for her and you would be lucky to catch her wearing anything that a commanding naval officer wouldn’t be proud to wear. She preferred greens and blacks, claiming that they complimented her brunette locks and her chocolate eyes. Standing at five foot eight with a strong set of hips and average bust, Morgan was one hell of a good looking captain.
“I have no family there, Captain Morgan,” the young man standing across the table from Morgan answered. “I am an orphan; you knew this when I joined your crew.” The young man, Logan ‘The Bloodletter’, was the ship’s first mate; quite an accomplishment for someone barely twenty-two years of age. Logan was a few inches taller than the captain, standing at six feet in height with an inch or two to spare. His hair was a dull red and his eyes an emerald green. The first mate’s fashion sense was far more supple that the captains, being more than happy with a suit of canvas boots, pants, shirt, gloves, and head shade.
“Ye best naught be lyin’ about that, Logan. If’n I recall just right, ye joined this crew ta let yer little girlfriend run free; traded yer own life fer hers,” said the man standing to Logan’s right. The man, ‘Wildfire’ Dougless, had been the ship’s first mate prior to Logan taking his position. Despite the rumors that circulated among the crew, Dougless held no hard feelings about Logan over what had happened. Quite the contrary; he had only served as first mate to ensure that someone whom he felt that he could trust would have the job and until Logan joined their crew, he didn’t trust anyone except Morgan. Scottish-born, Dougless had never fully lost his accent, much to the delight of some of the female crewmen. Standing at even height with Logan, Dougless looked like an older version of his former protégé with a slightly better taste in clothes.
“A Girlfriend? Logan, you dog, you never told me that you were spoken for!” The exclamation had come from a young woman standing to Logan’s left, opposite of Dougless. This young woman was Isabelle ‘The Compass’; one of the best navigators to ever sail the seven seas, despite of her age. Standing at five and a half feet, Isabelle was the shortest at the table. She was also the most fair-skinned and the one with the lightest color hair with her long blonde locks. Take one look into her bright green eyes and you wouldn’t be able to guess that this sweet-looking girl was a pirate but she was a ruthless young woman and she had learned from the best; Captain Blackheart Morgan.
“Well I wasn’t aware that my love life was any of your business, Isabelle but I am sure that you will be pleased to know that this was six years ago. I’m sure that she’s moved on and I won’t let my personal past jeopardize the crew,” Logan retorted as he looked between all three of the other people in the room. He had a feeling that both Dougless and Morgan were going to doubt his sincerity until he’d proven it to them; not that he really cared. He was sure that there were some things that he wouldn’t trust them with either.
Isabelle let out a little squeal and was clearly about to say something else when the captain dropped her first down onto the table to demand everyone’s attention. “You three can argue over who gets to be Logan’s bitch after we’ve hit this port and hauled our asses out of here. The plan is simple; same as any other raid. Crew orders are as follows: Dougless will take enough men to get all of the cannons running and be remaining onboard and will be below decks serving as cannon master. I will take a small group of our best swashbucklers and remain topside to defend the gangplanks and keep us from being boarded. Isabelle will be off-ship with half of the remaining crew. Her group will raid the docks for food, drinking water, and other essentials. Logan will take the other half and head into town. His group will be targeting valuables and women to bring back as slaves. This is an active port. Expect moderate resistance and a big payload. Got it?”
“All’s clear Captain,” the other three said in unison.
“Good,” Morgan said with a nod. “Go round up your respective crews and get ready. We’ll likely be approaching the port by the time that we are all set up and ready for the attack. Dismissed!”