Varna zano Tolnas

[Gamemaster]

A small isolated house on the coast of Lisal Koppa near Lisatrom
Salan Lisal Koppa

Oron 1, Salgan 1, Adonsik 41 Vylor Cledman VI
1st day, 1st Month, 41st year of the reign of Emperor Cledman VI




A young man lives alone in a place haunted with terrible memories. The local people from nearby villages will not go there because they fear ghosts. But the ghosts seem to speak to him. They speak to him of happier times now gone, of people now dead. And they call him "Varna zano Tolnas."

He walks from his lonely house down to the beach as crabs scuttle out of his way. He lets the waves come over his feet as he stands in the surf. He looks up at the seagulls flying around overhead. He tries to figure out what to do with the rest of his life.

[Imars]

His name is Imars.

His dreams reflect the horrors of a thousand lives - the loss of family, friends, and fellowship. His years in the Navy were too short and insufficient to warrant any real closure to his existence. He still seeks the ravaging elements of society, in an attempt to kill the pain inflicted, but tearing new wounds rarely helps to solve those of previous times. He was certainly well equipped for any quest, and at the moment, we walked these shores alone. He had hoped that people would share his desire to restore order, but there rumors of rebellion in far away lands, pirates and savages still terrorized Imperial subjects, and very little was done to improve the living condition of the people around him.

The dusk fell quickly and gave way to beautiful stars. They hauntingly gave him many more memories.

[Gamemaster]

(Out of charcter: That's fine. You don't have to wait for a gamemaster response unless you are doing something where it is not certain whether you will succeed or something where you need a gamemaster to describe what you see.)

[Gamemaster]

(OOC: If you are looking for something to do, perhaps you could go to Lisatrom and see when the ship you work on is going to make another trip.)

[Imars]

[ooc: i've been away...]

Imars looked around the beach at dusk. He crafted his own fire from the ruins of his village, hoping to kindle something new there. Or at least expectantly await the return of his enemy. No one was with him, and he didn't expect his ship to arrive at any time in the near future. Of course, he was probably wrong, but time was an amorphous object - a commodity that passed him as easily as the wounds ebb and flow from his scarred past. He looks to the day of his death with apathy - neither fearing it nor hunting it. It is simply some assured rest to the journey that has seen him smile and mourn altogether. Likely, it will be one of those stories told around the campfire - how Imars struggled with life and despite all of the good he had done, it still struck him as awful.

Call it optimism - he had every expectation to exact revenge on his predators, and perhaps it was the will of the Divine to grant him his wishes. But he would wait to see that day - that fateful day when thunder comes crashing and teeth come gnashing. It would be an eventful day - and perhaps more pivotal than any other.

He waited until dawn before deciding to return to Lisatrom - having waited the duration of his stay in the ruins of his former home. It was symbolic in some ways - parting his home and venturing again from the certain solitude of shelter to the maelstrom of the world at large. He was on foot again, and it seemed fitting that he was dressed to meet the challenge. He had his sizable arsenal, training from the navy, and altogether, he had a very fierce outlook - the pride of his family was upon him, and he would either succeed or die trying to maintain the honor. It was a powerful force, strong enough to turn any tide even for a while. But that was perhaps only figurative - he was still a strong person, and if any person would look upon him, they would think twice before trying to mug him - unless the dumb and the fool-headed. But where he ventured, there were few of those.

[Gamemaster]

Lisatrom
Salan Lisal Koppa

Oron 2, Salgan 1, Adonsik 41 Vylor Cledman VI
2nd day, 1st Month, 41st year of the reign of Emperor Cledman VI


Imars reaches the outskirts of Lisatrom. He can see that his ship is in port. The dock is not far away. Though Lisatrom is the provincial capital of Lisal Koppa, it is not large enough to really be called a city.

[Imars]

Lisatrom lacked any life - its history was perhaps troubled, but Imars knew so little of it. He could still feel it in the air, and some part of him felt inclined to do something about it - but it was simply an inclination, nothing serious.

He walked to the port, and thought of his employment there still. Despite being well-armed, he felt a necessity to get more armaments for a war - a war against the pirates, the bandits, the criminal and the villainous vermin of the Empire. He would start in Lisal Koppa, because it was his home. And he would make this war with his own strength - the Empire was in decline, and he saw any hope for it to last would be to take the affairs of defense into his own hands and those willing to help him. And slowly he would grow this force to restore the order which he had so seldom seen.

[Gamemaster]

Lisatrom is a small port town made of stone buildings. The landscape around the town is rocky and barren.

It is usually quiet, but with ships coming and going. Imars notices one change: there are sailors armed with truncheons and bows and arrows lounging around near the entrance to the navy base.

At the main port, near the navy base, but not inside it, he sees the "Coastal Sun", the small Koppan freighter he works on as helmsman and navigator.

He sees the ship's master, an old Koppan sailor named Lennand, puttering around on the deck.

Lennand doesn't see Imars yet.

[Imars]

Imars decided not to disrupt the old man doing his business, although he wasn't certain what business the man was doing. Lennand and Imars didn't have the best of histories - at least according to his memory. It might be that Lennand loved him, but the feeling wouldn't be mutual in that respect. Otherwise, Imars was there get on to doing business as usual.

While he looks on at the old man, loitering about his business, he decides to pay closer attention to what is going on inside the port. It was a curious sight to see that the naval base was more closely guarded than usual - or at least as usually as he perceived it to be.

[Gamemaster]

The more Imars paid attention to the port and the navy base, the more he noticed that things were different than they had been on previous visits.

Most obviously, those sailors lounging around were also keeping a close watch on the streets that came down to the port from town. There were also a lot more sailors than usual on the navy ships that were in port and a lot less navy ships. In fact, there were only three navy ships in port and one of them was undergoing repairs. The two that were shipshape were both small galleys.

There were at least ten sailors on board each ship even though they did not seem to be preparing to put to sea. Also, Imars was surprised to notice, the sailors on board the ships also had weapons close at hand.

Imars knew from his six years in the Imperial Navy that weapons like that were normally kept in an armoury closet on the ship. They were only brought out when boarding actions were expected. To see swords and spears, bows and arrows and other weapons lying on the deck close to the sailors was either a severe breach of discipline or was due to some very unusual orders.

Imars noticed that even the ship that was under repairs also had weapons lying about on the deck. He quickly concluded that there was no way that all three ships would have their armoury closets opened and weapons distributed unless someone high up had ordered it. The other sailors who seemed to be guarding the approaches to the navy docks confirmed it.

In all there were more than thirty sailors, all with weapons near at hand. Imars wondered what they were afraid of. Imars knew there was an Imperial Army garrison in a fortress just outside of Lisatrom consisting of some large number of soldiers.

[Gamemaster]

Imars also noticed things that would seem ordinary to someone who was not a sailor, or was not a navy man.

The sails on the navy ships were not stowed as was standard procedure for any extended stay in port. They were on the masts, but allowed to billow loosely. They could be tightened up and ready to sail in minutes or even seconds if the sailors on deck pulled the ropes tight.

Imars noticed not only what was there to be seen, but what was not there and should have been. All three ships, even the one under repairs, were connected to the dock by only two mooring lines each. There should have been four each. In addition to weapons being on deck, there were poles that were normally used to push the ships away from the dock. Normally these would be stowed securely when not in use. Now, they were lying on deck on all three ships, ready for immediate use.

Imars concluded that these ships and these men were prepared to put to sea on a moment's notice. That was extremely unusual. Imars had never in his six years in the navy been on a ship where orders like that were given.

[Imars]

Curiosity would have asked to look for more details, but Imars was not interested in stirring trouble with the local authorities. By examining the already present details, he could conclude that something bad was expected to happen. Perhaps the seas were ready to turn foul. But that didn't make much sense. If the seas would turn foul, why put out to sea? In addition, the skies were clear - no indications of any storms were present. Perhaps something more pressing.

Imars looked over to Lennand was done with whatever it was that he was doing and went over to the old man. He approached Lennand, hoping to get some work done this day.

[Gamemaster]

Lennand noticed Imars approaching the dock where the "Coastal Sun" was moored.

"Greetings Imars," Lennand called out, "It's good you stopped by. I'm hoping to make a run to Nysarinda day after tomorrow."

[Imars]

Imars nodded. "Nysarinda is a good place to go." He surveyed the boat from deck of the port and inquired further: "What is the purpose of this venture?"

[Assistant Gamemaster]

"We are going to Lisatrom to buy cloth and wine," Lennand said to Imars.

"I'll pay you 40 Doveko upon successful completion of the voyage," Lennand said to Imars as he eyed the arrsenal of weapons Imars had with him.