The Arrival at Silver River
WARNING: although somewhat masked,
there are swear words used within this text.
If that will offend you, please do not read it.
<Erysol> Suddenly, from one step to the next all the world slides sideways. There are shouts of fear and surprise echoing through the mist. There are thuds... things hitting the ground. Some will step from their kitchens onto damp earth or from the front porch into deep water. A man leading his cow in to milk opens his barn door and walks right into a tree. Whole ships are jolted and beached in thick mud when they had been resting safely at when they had been resting safely at anchor and some will tumble onto their sides perhaps crushing whatever might be in the way and spilling sailors and good out onto the ground as things and people which had been spread over several hundred miles suddenly collide in the space of a few hundred acres.
<```> Ralla, who was enjoying lunch with Mornae, suddenly freezes, her eyes going wide and her fork falling from her fingers. And but a moment later, the world sidesteps. Ralla feels realms rip as time and space compresses. Now in a room in Whitewater that is listing to the left, Ralla stands quickly, wearing still blacks. Black chaps, silver loincloth, black leather armor, matching cat-suit shirt, and a wispy black and green cloak. Swords, wand, and a longbow, she's been clinging to weapons a lot lately, now she knows why.
* Mornae freezes at the look on Ralla's face, and then the world moves. She reaches to grab Jasmine with one arm, and her bag with the other. Aesa grabs for a weapon, and the closest thing is Griff's huge axe hanging on the wall. Jasmine squeals and Mornae calls out, "Raven!"
<```> Asleep in the life-boat that hung behind the Captain's quarters of the Dolphin, the good Captain jerks awake at the creaking and groaning of the ship being engulfed by the mist, one hand clutching the hat to his head and the other clutching the bottle of rum in his hand... "Not good..." he mumbled to himself as he glanced around...And the boat began to sway violently, "NOT GOOD!!" He held that bottle closer... as if protecting an infant...
<```> General Ethan 'Hawk' Marshall happened to be conducting a general inspection of the Whitewater Reserve Cavalry during the shift. The tall, blonde haired half-elven cavalier pushes himself back to his feet quickly after the collapse of his podium. Cool green eyes snapping over his shoulder he spots one of the towers coming down right for the parade field, the soil is soggy, the foundation must've shifted, "Disperse men! Disperse!" Orders echo and reigns snap, hooves pound the ground, but having been in rank, and so successfully jostled, the horses fumble for footing, some trip, riders and rucksacks meet the ground in loud clanks. The stones crush 7 men and four horses.
* Erysol suddenly tumbles into waist deep muddy water and his horse screams behind him... plunging past him now toward the muddy bank where shouts and screams of unseen creatures and crashes... then he jumps forward stumbling... grabbing the gnarled roots of a cypress tree to pull himself up out of the water as a ship hits the water behind him with a tremendous crash.
<`Zach`> Tucking that bottle between his sash and his waistline, Morgan would stand and withdraw that rapier... A quick swipe here, another there... slashing through a few lines stabilizing the boat, he would then grab another line, and with one more slash, the boat would fall from beneath his boots plummeting towards the water... the line to which he'd taken hold, in the mean time carrying him rapidly upward. And just before his hand was buried knuckle deep within the pulley, he would swing through the rear window of his quarters. Determined, yet casual strides led him through the door and onto the main deck... Point his rapier as he shouted, "Get that canvas up... You there! Cork that barrel! Shorty, drop anchor! One-eye, secure the helm! And you... you... just keep doing whatever it is that your doing..." He paused.. "And for god's sake, mate, put that away! That's just... not... sanitary." He twitched his lips with an odd look...
<```> Ralla glances down at her chaps and boots and frowns at the six inches of muddy, rich soil she is standing in. She glances around silently, peering out into the river just a little ways at Erysol and all the furniture. Without a word she takes Jasmine and puts her on the table, which is not sinking very quickly since it's flat. She pulls her wand out and glances all around them at the chaos.
<Topaz> Straight out of the air, little pieces of glass seeming to have followed her, flies a woman dressed almost entirely in black, b*gger all is discernable about her moving so quick, but a very loud. F*ck! emanates her as she flies right over Ralla and Mornae's furniture, right into the mud, which flies everywhere, along with her dagger, which flies off in front of her, where it lands, god only knows.
* Mornae is too shocked to try and stop Ralla doing that with Jasmine. She's also currently sitting in that mud. Aesa stands nearby, right next to a cow. Mornae is currently swearing like a trooper, and seems to be in some pain. She ducks instinctively as Topaz flies overhead.
<Topaz> Not long after, her black veil floats down and lands neatly in the mud next to the table.
<```> Ralla splats and splits her way through the mud over to Topaz and attempts to set her boot on the woman's back as she looks to see Marshall attempting to organize a fortress that no longer has walls. Alas, between collecting and saving horses, regrouping platoons, some of which were off duty, and dealing with the rescue of villagers, it will be some time before he can set down any sort of serious military rule.
<Erysol> Laura trips.. falling from the whitewater road to land on the deck of a ship... face down, staring at Morgan's boots with atlatl and long spear-like darts scattered all about... The bow strung over her back for the practice she was headed to might just make a nasty bruise on Morgan's shin if he doesn't jump fast enough.
<Mornae> Somewhere at a distance from Mornae, Cascade is busy trying to keep her two rather lovely foals together, whilst they are more interested in running around exploring.
<Mornae> Miranda is unceremoniously dumped in a tree, along with a big, fat ginger tomcat. Her grandmother is standing at the base of the tree, looking up. "Come down from there, child. What good are you in a tree?"
* Topaz feels the boot on her back and tries at first instinct simply to keep her head above the damned mud, through all the mud and a bit of blood from where glass has cut her one can make out the shape of her face, distinctly feline, along with ears which poke out of the mud coating her, her hands flail and try to push her face higher up. Strings of curses. Mainly involving the word f*ck, leave her mouth, muffled at first, when which little but mud leaves her mouth.
<`Zach`> The valiant captain keeps stepping his way along the deck towards the bow... that rapier's tip to be buried in the hard wood of the main deck. A quick reach into his sash for his spy glass which he brought to his eye... "What the..." He pulled his head back to realize he'd grabbed the bottle of rum in place of the spyglass, "That would explain things..." He looked up just in time to see Laura tumbling after him... he simply side stepped then tossed the bottle to her, "Thanks very much." He Then grabbed the spyglass and looked forward again... "Everyone out of the rigging!!!"
<Mornae> Miss Martha Cave lands neatly on her feet, on nice, dry land. Next to her, a cart is packed with all her belongings and her grandfather. She smartly opens an umbrella she's carrying just as a few bottles of Morgan's rum collide and smash over her head.
<`Zach`> "Full rudder to port!! And bloody hell, get that damned anchor down!!!"
<```> Xion, whom was out in the ocean, stares through thick jungle at his fleet. "Someone, get me Captain Fang and Melacia, fast.." He glances towards his quarters where he left Rhime. A shake of his head, and he glances up at the sky.. not his sky, but a sky.
<Mornae> Commoner and Threefer, two drummers from the Black Army, are standing on dry land too. Carrying their drums. Looking very lost.
<```> Ralla leans down and grabs the female thief by the hair if she can, and will lift her to her feet, "Who are you?" She points her wand at the woman with her other hand, as if it's a dagger.
<Mornae> A woman wearing what appears to be a 1960s air hostess outfit is handing out small, foil-wrapped packets of peanuts... as if her life depended on it. She's smiling, in a pained sort of way, and her voice has become extremely high-pitched.
<Mornae> A sheep lands right next to Ralla and Topaz. *splat*
<Mornae> Sparky, a very small dwarven smith, lands face-down on the deck of the Grimlock. Almost immediately after he lands, three-dozen recently sharpened weapons land in a neat circle around him, thudding into the deck.
* Topaz spits more mud out. I'm someone who wants out of the f*cking mud! she yells. She didn't give a sh*t where she was, how close she had been to what she wanted, she didn't give a cr*p about of that, she wanted out of the damned mud, be it her feet or her face.
<```> Ralla spins and cracks off a fire-cone at the sheep, the resulting smell is most horrible. It stinks like a clothing store burning and over-cooked lamb. Then her eyes slide back to Topaz, "Oops." She smiles and lets the woman go.. Somewhere, a Chihuahua is barking.
<`Zach`> As Morgan spots a monkey clinging to the breasts of the 'naked woman' figurehead of his ship... he couldn't help but smirk in an odd way... And then the ship jolts... The dolphin running ashore, and Jolting it starboard, the Captain being flung from bow of his ship and landing on the beach with a thud...
* Mornae has pulled herself over to the table. She's now completely covered in mud, and her hip is dislocated. She grips a table leg and shunts her joint back into its socket with a muffled grunt. Jasmine is crying, and Aesa, comforting her.
<Mornae> Oddly, everyone who is anywhere can hear a voice calling out, "Sausageinnabun! Sausageinnabun, getem while theyrot!"
* Topaz staggers forward, her beautiful platinum hair was b*ggered. She started wiping and swatting mud off her face and trying to get it out of her hair like she has acid on her. Kicking at the mud in the opposite direction of Ralla and the rest, screaming angrily like...well. A very big cat dropped into very deep mud. Just more human sounding.
<```> Ralla glances at Mornae, then back at Erysol, "Erysol, you should find some people to guard your family, I need to go find out what the hell is going on."
<Mornae> There are over 2,000 people here, dumped by the river. Some are lodged in trees, some crushed by falling cattle, some separated from their families and others together in a heap. Ships have landed on dry land, and in the water. Everyone's possessions are all over the place. Ripe pickings for thieves.
* Mornae has her eyes shut tight.
<Mornae> People start calling out for their loved ones and friends. All over the area, the sound of called names can be heard.
<```> There alone in the jungle are Xion's three ships, the Stiletto caught up in the trees, the Falcion and Halberd made it to the ground. Camp fires are being lit, equipment unloaded, parameters being made. Captain Fang of the Halberd, a Black Pantheress Amazon, is leading the whole ground operation while Xion is with Melacia on the grounded Halberd, attempting to discover what exactly has taken place. They assume, after all, that they are the only ones who this happened to, they were out in the ocean after all.
<Topaz> Once her angry golden eyes aren't covered in mud, bloodshot from the sting of it, and the grayish fur of her muzzle was at least visible. She'd look around, swerving awkwardly in the mud. No one was to blame. She hated that. She couldn't see anyone directly responsible, she had no-one whose head to remove through their arse. She was so damned angry she didn't even think much about the scattered personal effects she could be running off with, it took a lot for her to forget such a thing, too. She considered attacking the sausage in a bun man briefly, though.
<Erysol> Nahran's Xebec lands half up the bank Ery's climbing.. making him fall back and narrowly miss being hit by a tumbling sailor. Men come out onto the deck of Asher's ship which has landed in the deep channel.. just in time to see the fluit, Panther ram Carzevan's ship.
<Mornae> Chaos, indeed. People, furniture, possessions, carts, horses, cattle, sheep... all jumbled up.
<```> Ralla sighs and shakes her head at Erysol, before fighting her way through the mud towards inland, and the big mess of what was the village.
<Erysol> Laura sits in the jumble of her weaponry staring at Morgan as she clutches his bottle.
* Mornae just stays on the table with Jasmine, and Aesa stays with them.
<`Zach`> She would have to be looking over the railing, as Morgan is sitting on his ass on the beach now... Reaching for that hat to place atop his head. "I do believe that's going to leave a mark." he commented to himself... And then he glanced to his ship... beached... the Dolphin in the sand leaning slightly to the right... Amazingly, he was the only of his crew to be flung overboard... His lips twitched... One might even notice a small tear well up in the corner of his eye if they were close enough... "Sorry, lovely..." He calmly said under his breath to his ship... He could only hope the rum in the hold wasn't damaged.
* Topaz grits her teeth, and looks around again, looking at the small family of people sitting on furniture in the mud, she trudges towards them, cursing on her way, not the thing you most want heading towards you, even if it was a book by it's cover situation. She holds her hand out to Mornae. I think. We should move to dry land. Where I can forget yer there, and where I can find someone to... she looks at Jasmine. She sighed. ... punish... for this. she hissed her S a bit. She hated holding her language for anyone, why she bothered, hell knows.
* Mornae blinks, then smiles a little. "Good idea. You had quite a fall. You okay?"
* Mornae takes her hand, of course.
* Topaz sneers. Ask me again after seven hot baths and one sausage selling ijiot later. She helps her up, putting a muddy arm around her waist if she allows. I'd apologize fer any mud, but yer not the one f... covered from 'ead to toe in it. Can the other woman help the kid?
<Mornae> Aesa nods and picks Jasmine up. Mornae, who is fairly well covered in mud too, lets Topaz help her. "Yes, thank you. A bath sounds like a really good idea right now, but first I need to find my husband and... at least one General. Haven't seen anyone in a black cloak who looks like they might be in an army, have you?"
* Topaz is not a tall woman, nor is she terribly strong, but she makes do. She looks a bit annoyed by the question, opens her mouth, then closes it again, then finally says. Between you n' me. Only saw a few thin's. Mostly trees n' mud. Neither of which m' pretty happy to get so close to. Dry land first, please. Sure everyone'll head to the same thing. 'less anyone likes mud.
* Mornae starts walking towards dry land. Aesa and Jasmine follow. "Not me. My name's Mornae, and that's Aesa, and the little pixie is Jasmine."
* Topaz helps her through the mud, she wore no footwear, she could feel it all over and between her toes, right in between flesh and claw, too. She was turning red under the fur. Spaklin'. I'm Topaz. Don't describe me to anyone official, right? F... A... Mud if they'd care right now anyway. Please tell me you know where 'eres a bath?
<Mornae> "I... have no idea where there's anything, I'm afraid. You don't know what happened, by any chance?"
* Topaz growls, very felinishly. Lessee. What happened? I appeared several feet above the ground, flyin' at leap speed, and hit mud, somewhere completely unknown. S' what happened. If you mean anythin' else. ...Mud if I know.
<Erysol> Challenge the Sun stops as he steps into mud which squishes up near his knees.. He tosses his head, reins flapping.. and rolls his eyes.
* Mornae stops walking suddenly, and looks around. "Water. My husband... he's near water."
<Erysol> Challenge snorts at the familiar voice.
* Erysol pulls himself onto the bank... stepping farther onto land and letting the ship vanish in the mist behind him as he shouts Mornae!
* Mornae sees the black stallion. "There. That's his horse. Challenge! Challenge!" Her voice might well drown out his for now.
* Topaz grunts, looking over where she shouts, stopping for her, grumbling to herself, looking over her shoulder to see if Aesa is behind them.
* Erysol isn't the only one calling in the mist, which is beginning to ebb and flow... patches of it twisting in on itself and pulling away, leaving bewildered strangers staring at each other.. or wondering why there's a sheep on the bed.. and why the bed is up a tree.
<Mornae> Aesa is right there. She smiles, but says nothing. Jasmine is clinging to her, and Aesa is trying to handle the little girl, and walk through mud, also carrying a huge battleaxe... which is currently serving as a walking staff.
<`Zach`> Morgan calls up orders to his crew as he brushes sand from his person... noting that his pistol is now in two pieces... "Get Cookie to get dinner going... Check the rum stores! Set up to dine on deck! Sling me a rope... And for gods sakes... Get that monkey off the figurehead's breasts!!"
<Erysol> Challenge the Sun plods toward Mornae. He seems to be having trouble pulling his feet out of the mud.
<Mornae> Shorty comes running over to Morgan. "Th'bloody what's going on and the ship where in hells are we?" he says, coherently.
* Mornae holds her hand out to Challenge. "We've got to get to dry land. Let's keep going. Come on, Challenge. Come on..." She'll start walking again, if Topaz will help her.
<`Zach`> "From the looks of it mate... the alignment of the tide... composure of the sea bed... color of the water..." He glanced around a bit... then looked to Shorty, "Sand, mate... We're on sand." He nodded sagely as he clambered back up to the deck of his ship.
<Erysol> Dry land isn't far off. There are a few people standing there looking confused. Mornae might recognize a few as being from south pass.
<Mornae> Shorty gives him a Look, and wonders yet again why he follows this guy everywhere. And then he remembers he's got no-one else in the world, and Morgan gives him free rum. So he clambers back up onto the ship after Morgan, and starts calling out random orders. Random orders that include, "And get us off this f*cking sand!"
* Topaz keeps walking at Mornae's pace. Managing not to curse at he horse to move faster.
* Mornae frowns. "I know some of these people. They're from... where were you, before you were here? In Dragongate?"
* Topaz arches a brow. Who? Me? I was in farking South Pass. Oh, f... cr*p. Pardon my damned French.
<Erysol> Laura stands slowly.. starting to gather her things. She curses at the broken dart. Takes a while to make the damned things. Especially when you're just learning. She'll pocket the point and leave the rest as she walks to the railing to look down at the receding mist. What the f*ck?
<`Zach`> Morgan looks then to Laura, "Welcome aboard, love... Welcome to stay for dinner." He retrieved his rapier, which was soon sheathed, and he marched towards his cabin...
<Mornae> Shorty mutters about the captain being a sucker for a pretty girl, and stomps off to check his precious sails.
<Mornae> "You were in South Pass, and so were those people over there... and that guy too, I'm pretty sure... but them, they're from Whitewater, and so are we. I have no idea what's going on, but I think this is dry enough and I'd really like to sit down now, please."
<Erysol> Laura just stands there staring... she's sure this is some sort of odd dream and she's waiting to wake up.
* Topaz nods, helping her sit down without busting her arse, if she likes. She'd even sit down with her, sighing and putting her heads against her knees and arms, despite the mud.
<Erysol> One of the rough South Pass soldiers reaches to help Topaz ease the Commander to the ground. Where's the keep? Where's... anything?
* Topaz spits Up your ar...rear end. Fer god's sake. she couldn't hold the comment in.
<`Zach`> While traversing the deck, he reaches for his compass... Which he opens. Upon noticing the needle's random jerking and inconsistent spinning, he arches a brow... and with a shake of the head, snaps it shut. "Not good..."
<Mornae> They may well be under a tree at this point, so Mornae has something to lean on. Aesa puts Jasmine down next to her mother, who hugs her. Mornae smiles at the soldier, and can't help but chuckle at Topaz. "I have no idea where the keep is, but I do know that there are a lot of Black Army troops who are probably roaming around asking the same thing. Kindly find General Marshall for me, please, and tell him I await a report. I hope to the gods he's here somewhere."
<Erysol> The soldier scowls at Topaz.. but then he looks around. Right then.. The fog is... lifting. That's not really the word to describe what it's doing. It seems more to be crawling or slithering away. Martin... Brick... Go round up all the men you can and bring them back here. Don't get lost. There's a crowd of people not far away. They're milling around picking through scattered household goods that may or may not be theirs
* Mornae looks around to see if Ery is in sight. "Topaz, do you have family, friends? Others who might be here?"
* Topaz lifted her head to look down her legs, she lifted one, you couldn't tell she wasn't wearing clothing on her lower legs. The mud merged it all in brown. She groans and puts her head back against her knees. And where the hell were her jewels she'd been so close to getting? She hm'd as she heard her name. Lifting her head. What? Can't think of no one. Maybe one, but he's not family, and he's not a friend, he's just a bl... associate. And if he's here. He can flamin' well wait for his arsing money. Pardon my French. added to the end, automatically.
* Mornae smiles. "What do you do for a living? Do you mind if I ask?"
* Erysol is seen briefly as the mist shifts and then hidden again.
* Mornae blinks as she thinks she sees Ery. Jasmine calls out, "Daaaaaaaddy!"
* Topaz lifts her head and stares at her for awhile. When sh… cr*p… sh*t. Oh to hell with it. When sh*t has arsing sorted itself out. I'll tell you what I do for the price of a bath. Howzat?
<Topaz> She turns her head to look out into the mist where Mornae looks. Seeing nothing.
* Mornae is busy looking for Ery in the mist. "Hm? Sorry, what? I think my husband is over there... can you see through that mist?" She speaks in Beast: "Challenge... Challenge, find Ery. Go and find Ery, and bring him here."
* Topaz shakes her head. Ask me to see in the dark, but sod mist. Said I'll tell ya after sh*ts sorted out if you can get me a bath.
<Mornae> "I'll do the best I can. Ery!?"
<Erysol> Challenge snorts and then starts off.. It's hard to say which direction Ery's answering shout comes from as the mist drifts over them again. Mornae! Several of the wandering soldiers have fallen in behind Ery and are following him as he emerges from a boiling bank of fog, which then rapidly retreats in a strange writhing motion as if it were a living thing.
* Mornae pushes herself up against the tree. Jasmine is calling out with Mornae. "Daaaaaddy! Ery! Over here!"
* Topaz stays sitting down, her head lifted, watching the man and the troops quietly, her eyes in blank dissatisfaction with the entire situation, her eye and her lip twitched in synch.
<Topaz> Which looked unpleasant on a lynx woman, it made fang show.
* Erysol strides toward Mornae.. soaked and muddy. He reaches to grab her first.. to hug Mornae and then to reach for Jasmine. Are you alright?
* Mornae nods. Jasmine clings to him. Mornae remains sitting down. "Yes, we're okay. Thomas is fine, but a bit unsettled. Aesa has a nice, fat bruise on her arm and my hip went out again. Other than that, we're fine. You okay?"
<Erysol> Just wet. I managed not to get crushed by a ship when they started coming from nowhere. He glances at Challenge, and then back at her. We've got a lot of people just wandering around and things scattered everywhere. I don't know what the f*ck happened, but the only shelter I've seen yet is the ships. Can you walk?
* Mornae nods. "Yeah, just help me up. This is Topaz... she helped us get out of the mud. Topaz, this is Erysol. My husband."
* Topaz waves a hand in manner of hello. Hardly warm, she wasn't feeling warm to anyone but disadvantaged children and pregnant women, right now. High class ships?
<Erysol> Laura heads toward Morgan.. blinking.. confused... His actions make this seem even more a dream. Uh.. ah.. She's not sure what to say, really.
* Erysol eyes Topaz. She looks somewhat familiar to him, but he can't place her. Ships with big hulls that almost landed on top of me. Couldn't see much in the fog.
* Topaz grumbles and stands up, there was also so many who'd seen her face, she might have to use another alias after this, she went red under her fur again, she liked Topaz. Dammit. Sodding hell. I'm coming anyway.
* Mornae reaches up to Ery, so he can help her up. "I haven't seen Marshall... or Harvey... or anyone other than a few soldiers. Have you?"
* `Zach` Morgan looks up to the girl... dark brow arched underneath the cockeyed brim of that hat...
<Erysol> Laura's mouth snaps shut... and she just looks back for a moment.
<Erysol> Garris wakes up on a bed of pine needles, can't remember how he got there, and just rolls over and goes back to sleep. That's not out of the ordinary. He does wish those people over there would be a little more considerate about arguing over who owns what frying pan.
<`Zach`> "Yes, young lady?" He snags a bottle that was now laying on its side on the stairs to the helm... Opening it up, he took a good sized swig and waited for her to say something.
<Erysol> Laura just watches him drink.. then she blinks. F*ck...
<`Zach`> "Indeed, love." He passed the bottle... "Welcome to... wherever we are, love." And then made his way up the stairs toward the helm...
* Erysol helps Mornae to her feet, carefully. I've been gathering them as I made my way over here. Seems like a lot of us are here. We'll get you and as many of those who most need protection into the ships as we can and start building camps for the others before it gets dark.
* Mornae nods. She's tired. Aesa signs to Ery that she can take Jasmine.
<Erysol> Laura follows Morgan. What the hell? What just happened?
* Erysol nods to Aesa... glancing at Topaz. You've got your own people to find, I guess.
* Mornae adds, "But you're welcome to stay with us, if you want to."
* Topaz shakes her head. b*gger I do. I want a bed. I scratch yer back, y... She stops when Mornae offers and nods to her. Thanks.
* Mornae smiles, and then lets anyone help her get to a place she can lie down that isn't too muddy.
* Erysol doesn't look overly pleased at the idea of bedding down anywhere near Topaz, but he doesn't object. Let's get to the ships first... Start to establish some order. As they pass soldiers, Ery will call out orders... setting some to clearing space for the start of an encampment and others to rounding up more men... all are told to direct the young and the old to the river bank and the ships.
* Erysol will take Mornae to Nahran's ship for now. It's smashed on the river bank, but it's shelter.
* Topaz would try and insist on getting inside a ship, so she'd stick near Mornae, who she deems in her favour. Which, though no one would realise. Makes Mornae just that safer from anyone, including Topaz herself.
<Erysol> Nahran will not take kindly to having his ship confiscated... but his crew is small and Ery's got an army gathering behind him.
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