The Aerandir and the search for the Black Moon (ORP)

[MarcusRedClaw]

Marcus and his horde had been running and hunting for a few days and now were in Adalaine. Marcus and the Red Claw horde with him had attacked several caravans and a few farms, setting several wagons and buildings on fire. His frustration growing each day as they could not locate their prey. As the horde wandered about the city, Marcus was approached by a dark shrouded individual. He informed Marcus that a few more scouts had been killed and word out of the VR of Suxia is that the Red Claw ship, Orc Skull, was set on fire and sunk by a vessel with markings that matched the vessel, the Aerandir. Marcus howled in frustration. This meant either a long backtracking to head to the north side of the bay, or board a ship and sail. Marcus hated being at sea. He felt more secure on land and he knew the elf was goading him into a fight on his terms. Marcus paid the informant saying to himself, the elf will not dictate to me how and where the battle will take place. He ordered his troops to gather up and began to find a ship to take them to the VR of Suxia, blood lust rising in his eyes.

[Wyllow]

Time seemed to stand still in the orchard for her. So peaceful. She smiled into the sun feeling the radiant warmth on her face. A long time ago an orchard called to her. Her eyes opened and she spied the view of her family before her and it warmed her within, even though the day was a bit cool.

All too quickly that time passed and they loaded onto the vessle the following day. She indeed loved the sea and hoped their babes would do well on the sea. A mothers heart is always filled with thoughts of worry for her young. But they settled in as usual. She realized how cozy the cabin was now.. holding 4 within, rather than just the two of them. It was a good thing that the ship was spacious and eventually a room would have to be cleared out for the boys to share. For now, they were fine where they were. Close and safe by her side.

As the children were fed and settled, she slipped out of the cabin to see Sam in the kitchen. She wanted a hearty meal for herself and the crew after their travels and the crews hard work getting everything ready.

-----

The morning had her wake a bit later because the light seemed... filtered. Quickly she was reminded of times past. It meant heavy fog. A chill ran down her spine and one of the twins stirred. She smiled, worry faded. It was past time they were up. Her chest panged and she set one child to nurse while the other still slumbered. Before long, she was changing and dressing, then exchanging out one twin for the other. Once the twins were here, it never occurred to her to be worried about caring for twins. She just did what came naturally. It was strange that in many things, that is how she moved forward in life. To do what came naturally. To feel what was within and trust your gut.

She spent some time in the cabin with the boys, enjoying them. She knew the deck would be damp and cool with the mist and fog surrounding them. She waited until the boys' were again settled into a nap before she would finally emerge fully dressed.

She then heard it. Shouts. She clutched the door and opened it wide to try to gather what was happening....

She felt stuck, paralyzed with emotions of what to do. Stay and protect her children with her life, or aid her husband. She had come out as far as to observe all that was happening. The sudden shift of the ship had her nearly fall against the wall. Backing away from the scene on the deck she fell back, pulling out her daggers. She barricaded the door and was on her guard. Let anyone try come through that door...

Ready.

-----

A few hours later she could tell that things had calmed. Their port entrance secured, they all settled in at the Inn. She couldnt help to still be on edge though.

[Tuvoria]

Morning found the Rathalondors once again loading up the wagons, collecting their assorted horde of animals, and heading off on the road. Tuv, Wyl, and the dogs all seemed to be a bit on edge as they headed out. Tuv tried to aleviate the rising fear after the last encounter at sea. It was obvious now that both groups were hunting and trying to avoid being hunted by the other. Tuv also knew that when it came to the twins, Marcus and his minions had poked the wrong angry bear, in regard to Wyl.
Both Wyl and Tuv wanted to take advantage of things given where they were and the overall plan of things. As such they set off for the two day trip to the area of Homa. The thought of fresh apples and some apple cider drove them on. Their plan was to spend a few days in the area around Homa in hopes of acquiring a good number of apples. From there, they would head towards Mahin and start working their way north and west in the ultimate cat and mouse game with the Red Claws. As they traveled, Tuv was greatfull that no scouts or reports of scouts had occurred. He wanted to give the boys and Wyl another chance to relax in the open orchards before they would be heading out again and into unknown circumstances.
After two long days on the road, they entered into Homa and quickly found lodging and stables at the Falcon's Talon Inn. After securing the animals and ensuring Wyl and the boys were settled, Tuv headed off to check with the town militia and with the temple staff to see if there was anything he needed to be aware of. He then penned a message for Jack back in Bravia City, before heading to the inn. He decided to splurg a bit and ordered a hot bath be made ready for Wyl. He then headed up to enjoy his sons as he told Wyl what he had ordered for here.

[MarcusRedClaw]

Marcus was finally able to find a rather unscrupulous ship captain and much to his shigrin they Red Claws with him were soon out at sea. It was all Marcus could do to keep his anger at bay. He hated the water and hated being at the mercy of others when he was hunting.
He knew his prey, the elf, was close to a week ahead of him. Being at sea also meant he could not get reports or effectively track his prey. As he thought about the elf and the one who was to be his queen, Marcus let his claws come out and he dug into the deck railing. As he was doing so, a deckhand hollered at him to not harm the ship. Marcus turned in anger and took a swipe at the young human, his claws ripping his throat. Marcus let out a wry smile as he watched the deckhand collapse as the blood poured out of his open neck. The Captain, one Rain Fire hair, stormed down to Marcus saying, if he does that again, he will toss the whole lot of them overboard. Marcus grabbed him by the throat, and growled, never threaten me human or you will be the next dead body on this deck. Now get us to Akram before I decide you are no longer needed. Marcus then threw Rain backwards and stormed off to the foredeck lookout in hopes of seeing the Aerandir and the prey he was after.

[Tuvoria]

The past few days had been calm and without any sense of undue threats lingering about. The Ralathondors were happy for that fact. The family had traveled up to the orchards of Mahin for a few days enjoying the countryside. Plans were to head out on Monday morning for Ledan as Wyllow had some business she needed to take care of. While in Mahin, Tuv continued to check in with the Town Hall, the City Militia headquarters, and the Temple to see if anything new had come in or if any messages had come for them. Things appeared for the most part to be quiet on the message front. He did hear from the Harbor Master that a group matching the description of Marcus and the Red Claws were seen boarding the ship of a known smuggler and coastal raider near Akram. Tuv took this in and thanked them for the news. He knew that Marcus was indeed hunting them, and this gave him an advantage. He also knew that he and Wyl had a good week of a lead on their adversary. He also knew that they could not rest and let their guard down. That said, he headed back to the inn to enjoy a relaxing evening with his family before duty and the road called them in the early morning.

[Tuvoria]

The journey to Ledan started off smooth with nice clear skies and a bit of coolness in the air. The family headed out without any issues and with a sense of being relaxed. The going soon became a bit muddy and sluggish as the residual snow and frost began to melt turning the ground into a spongy mud pit. Around midday, the Ralathondors began to notice the animals being a bit skittish and the song birds being sporadic in their singing. Rex was constantly sniffing the air and moving his ears about. As the group drew closer to an area where the wood line drew near the actually road, the mules and horses became even more anxious. Tuv noticed movement off to the left in the treeline. He pulled the horses to a stop, grabbed his weapons as he slid off the wagon, and looking over his shoulder at Wyl, stated "Secure the boys, Wyl. I think we are going to have a visitor." No sooner had he said this, the shadow in the woods turned and rushed towards them. In the blink of an eye,
Tuv had two arrows off. Both hit their target. One in each front shoulder of a distorted looking wolf-like creature. The beast stumbled briefly before shaking its head, growling and restarting its charge. Dropping his bow, Tuv grabbed his sword Dragonsbane with his right hand and his short sword in his left. He then charged towards the beast. Tuv could see that as they neared each other, the creatures gaze was on the wagon where Wyl was and was planning to jump over him. Catching the creature off guard, Tuv slid to the ground and thrusted upward with his short sword as he rolled up and did a backhanded slash with Dragonsbane. The short sword ripped through the stomach of the creature and Dragonsbane ripped through the right hind knee. As the creature fell forward, it managed to rake the left shoulder of Tuv with his claws. The creature turned its focus solidly on Tuv now and tried to pull itself towards the elf. The creature then began to take on a more half-orcish appearance as it bellowed out It is only a matter of time elfboy before we Claws take you down and reclaim our Queen! . Tuv simply responded by beheading the creature as he said Not today though you bastard from the pits of evil. Tuv then cleaned off his blade, retrieved his bow and scouted about the area to ensure no other potential enemies were about. He then came back to check on Wyl and the boys. Only then did he realize his shoulder had a minor wound. Tuv looked at his shoulders as he began to tend to the wound as he smiled and said "Well crap. I liked this shirt.

[FirstmateJim]

It had been several days now since Jim and the Ralathondors had set off in differennt directions again. Jim was glad to be back at sea on the Aerandir, but he missed the Captain and how Wyllow's presence in the galley seemed to improve the food that Sam put out. The past several days had been quiet with only the occasional sail spotted, and most of those being fishing vessels or merchant cargo ships. The hunt was now if full swing as far as Jim was concerned. As such, he keep the sails at full, but kept the colors hidden. He would only bring out the colors if and when they were to engage any Red Claws. As he was pondering this the lookout in the Crow's Nest yelled out Black sails ho. 2 O'clock off the Port Bow Jim raised his spy glass and checked out the report. It was indeed a Red Claw vessel. Jim ordered battle stations and the colors raised. Immediately the crew snapped to battle positions and the colors of the Ralathondor orange oak symbols were raised to full. Surprisingly to Jim's amazement, the Red Claw vessel began to turn away from the Aerandir as if it did not want to engage. Jim chuckled to himself as he bellowed out Alright me lads, looks like our reputation for sinking the Reds has spread and they want to run from us. Remain at battle stations. All scouts remain on lookout and report any new sails or changes. I don't want to take us into a trap. Now lets go and catch these changeling cowards. The crew of the Aerandir shouted as one in excitement as they responded to Jim's orders. Jim was proud of his crew and a wry smile was upon his face as the chase was now on and the game afoot.

[MarcusRedClaw]

Marcus and his small horde of Red Claw warriors finally made it to the Port of Akram. He was glad to be off the ship and back on solid ground. He was not happy with the thought that his prey, the elf warrior, and the chosen queen, were way ahead of them. His demeanor was slightly improved upon hearing that it seemed the pair and their offspring were headed towards territory that was for the most part either truly wild or that was under control of the Red Claws. He had trouble figuring out why they would head to what was for them, enemy territory. He smiled as he thought that this was surely a good sign for him that the elf was heading towards his doom. Before leaving Akram, Marcus gave a small bag of coins to the Captain of the frigate that they were on and told him that he wanted the Aerandir and any vessels with her, sunk with no mercy. Upon proof that the Aerandir and her crew were at the bottom of the ocean, he would offer the Captain of the ship 1000 Frenzias. He also warned the Captain that if any ship's crew tries to fabricate the sinking or tries to turn on him and warn the Aerandir, a bounty of 5000 Frenzias would be upon their heads. Not waiting for a response, Marcus turned and gathered his men. He was more than eager to leave this city and get back into the wilderness and the hunt.

[Tuvoria]

Tuv pulled his shirt off to look at the wound and ensure it was not at risk of getting infected. He winced a bit as the shirt pulled some of the scab and a bit of hair on his shoulder. He remembered the last time this shoulder was hit by the Red Claws. That was a time that almost saw him enter into the realm of limbo. He had no desire to go there again, nor to put Wyl and the twins through that agony. As he looked at the wound he let out a sigh of relief. The wound was mostly superficial and did not go deep. Not taking any chances, he made a poltrice and wrapped his shoulder. Then putting on a clean shirt, he tossed the now torn shirt shirt upon the corpse of the changeling creature, and set them on fire. He knew that things would get more difficult from now on. Once things were once again secure and he knew Wyl was a bit calmer, the Ralathondors pushed onward towards Jabria. Tuv looked at his map and knew they would not be able to make it all the way to Jabria before nightfall. He did not want to be on the road at night this close to areas rumored to be teeming with Red Claw activity. Late in the afternoon, as they were making their way through one of the lower passes, Tuv found an empty cave with a very defensible position. Pulling the wagons into a position to make a temporary barrier, Tuv set about securing the animals and adding a few sharpened stakes to place on the other side of the wagons to help with defense. As he was doing so, Tuv heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. Grabbing his bow and arrows, he turned just in time to see a rather fat jackrabbit emerge into the clearing. Tuv let an arrow fly and it hit true to the mark. He quickly gathered the jackrabbit up, clean and skinned it, before heading into the cave and giving the rabbit to Wyl as he said, Care for some fresh roasted rabbit for dinner, my love?

[FirstmateJim]

Jim kept his looking glass focused on the Red Claw ship as he continued to bark out orders to the crew of the Aerandir. Jim was glad that they had a strong wind behind them and the sails were at full. They seemed to be gaining on the Red Claw vessel. The Red Claw vessel seemed to be doing everything it could to get a more favorable wind and outrun the Aerandir. As Jim spied on them with his looking glass, he noticed what appeared to be one or two magic users moving towards the main deck. It seems they had their backs to the Aerandir and were looking at the sails. Jim began to think they were going to try to increase the wind in the sails. Jim ordered the forward trebuchets to be loaded with fire buckets and set to maximum range. He then ordered them to fire. The first shot bounced off the aft decking while the second shot landed on the main deck, knocking down the magic casters and tossing fire about the main mast. The flames flared up into the rigging and the sails on the main mast. Jim ordered the forward batteries to reload and prepare to fire again. Jim could see that the Red Claw vessel was loosing some speed. He smiled as he barked out orders to fire again and to aim at the aft of the ship and her rudder housing. Both shots landed true and Jim could hear the tell tell cracking of the rudder as he saw the aft of the Red Claw vessel begin to smoke and flame. Jim bellowed out congratulations to his forward artillery crew and ordered sails to Quartermaster and to prepare to come along side the enemy vessels. As the crew responded to his orders, the lookout in the Crow's Nest bellowed out Sails ho. West by NorthWest off the Starboard bow. Jim smiled as he said to himself, I knew you were out here. Then turning to his crew, he yelled out. OK lads, we knew they were here somewhere. All batteries lit your pitch pits and fire when you have the shots. Raise the sails and prepare to come towards Starboard. Jim relished in the thought of what lay ahead and only wished that Tuv was here to enjoy this as well. He wished his Captain was having as much fun on land as Jim was currently having at sea.