Crew Gossip

[Incognus]

@Alize @JackieCat @Kalak @Magyar @ValamLym

Alright, so since we're up to 6 total people on this thread (possibly 7 if someone else I messaged responds saying they want to join in) I figured this plotting thread would be very necessary to keep things from falling into utter chaos during the RP. Here we can all discuss ideas for the plot's direction and talk out of character without breaking the story. Go ahead and post what character you each decide to use here, so everyone can become familiar with them, and also give some ideas of how they might meet Naomi. Maybe also say what they're doing in Armanyr; you don't have to spill all the secrets they might have though ;).


What I've got for the plot so far
Naomi washed up on shore after the events of Meeting the Devil (in her backstory). She found her way to the town Armanyr and has been there for a few days, looking for a ship and meeting possible crew mates. Just last night, a ship docked in the harbor that Naomi took interest in. It's a large merchant vessel with firepower, sporting 10? cannons on each side (pic). It could have possibly been a navy vessel converted to a trade ship, allowing it to be capable of moving high valued goods while being less likely to get engaged by pirates due to it's size and battle strength.

This ship would normally not be an option for a heist, but lucky circumstances provide an opportunity. The captain of this ship is a man named Arden Knottley, and he is a greedy man. Naomi is a greedy woman as well, but she's not stupid about it like Arden. Him and the first mate hoard the profits of the sales and barely pay the sailors their fair share. Many decided to leave his crew at the port of Armanyr, allowing Naomi to catch wind of this inside information at the bars. His crew is fairly sparse and probably not all that loyal; Arden's also looking to hire more while in town. The Coral Star will depart in 2 days (during this time our characters will meet, maybe).

Naomi has told the (NPC) crew members she's already met to enlist under Arden, and she is searching for any more stragglers to join before she takes off with the vessel. Once it leaves dock, Naomi will make her move.


So what do you guys think? Any thoughts or ideas? Let's discuss!

[Alize]

I'd have Kino the alchemist lodging in Armanyr and keeping her ear to the ground in search of rare, native alchemic reagents as well as opportunities for profit. Though not a completely unprincipled woman, she certainly wouldn't be above a little skullduggery for the sake of coin, should she catch wind of what 'ere Naomi may be planning.

[Incognus]

As for what Naomi is doing, it's very illegal, dangerous, and risky. She'll be keeping it on the DL as well as she can, so Kino probably won't hear about it from some tavern talk. However, there's always someone in the group who is more loose lipped than the others, so it's possible your character could notice something suspicious and bribe/drug them into talking. Could be interesting if word got out about the heist before hand, it may add complication to the plan...

I like the idea of you jumping aboard the ship without being a part of it at first. I believe Magyar's character Eli might be joining the Coral Star without talking with Naomi first too, but he'd have to confirm. I'd like it for the rest to meet Naomi first though so she can explain a little about her plan in the story before it just happens

[Alize]

I'd be fine with having her start as a simple bystander who had chartered passage on the ship, then.

[Magyar]

Eli will be hanging around the docks pre-launch, more likely than not getting quite drunk. He will be in Armanyr on the promise of work, as he was a helmsman for many years before owning his own ship. He's more or less steering the boat, and occasionally giving orders under the captain. He's that guy in all the pirate movies who echoes the captain's orders, more or less. He'll be on the ship without prodding.

[JackieCat]

I'll use Revvil on this one.

Since he takes odd jobs on ships and stays in port towns all around Le'ranna, it would make sense for him to be in Armanyr, between ships, between jobs.  He'd probably be looking for any kind of sailing job, so, as long as there's money involved, he's in.

[Incognus]

Alright then, so far here's what it's looking like for how the characters meet up. This is a way for me to organize what's going on for myself and to double check with you guys.

Kino will be getting passage on the Coral Star to it's destination which is currently unknown, not that it will be getting there anyway (Alize you can decide this since it's where your character is going, might tie in later when the ship isn't recorded docking on schedule).

Eli will be hired by Arden to, steer the ship? Giving orders under the captain is the first mate's job (which I'll have to pick one of you scoundrels for). I always thought steering wasn't something the first mate did, but perhaps I'm wrong. If you end up the first mate and want to steer the boat though, feel free to do so idc.

I'll need to meet ValamLym's character at night due to her being allergic to sunlight. It will be interesting having her aboard, but we've talked and Naomi can make accommodations for her when needed. I'm not really sure how they should meet if you have any ideas as to what your character might be doing after dusk.

Kalak and JackieCat are both deciding what character to use on the voyage. I believe Kalak and I narrowed the choices down to, two? And depending on which one he wants to play, there might be some plot points added. JackieCat has four to choose from, and I guess it kinda depends on the character, but they seem to be of the thieving/mercenary type (which fits this setting well). So I'd think most the characters would be doing about the same thing in town. Maybe Naomi sees a character pickpocket someone and notices their skill, then invites them to join her? It could be cool to have someone with good slight of hand aboard.

Edit: You beat me to posting  ;D

[Magyar]

I actually did research for this, and the Captain is one of two things, either the owner of the ship, or the owner and chief officer. Merchant ships more often than not had a separate owner and chief officer, making the Captain more of a passenger who owned the boat and the CO the Skipper (captain for all intents and purposes.) The helmsman(I've edited) drove the boat, so to speak, and worked with the Second Mate, who headed navigation. The Helmsman and the Skipper were sometimes combined, based on the preferences of the Skipper. If not, The helmsman answered to the Acting Captain(CO,Skipper), and the Second mate, but the First mate was in charge of crew and cargo. The Third mate was the Bo'sun, and was in charge of safety on deck. Therefore the Heirarchy, after research and deliberation, would be Captain, CO, First and Second, Then Third/Bo'sun and Helmsman, and then the rest of the crew. If the CO and Captain were one guy/girl, then that first bit was a combined step. Hence Eli does not do skipping, he helmsmans.

[Magyar]

Unless of course he had his own boat, which he no longer does. Have I lost anyone?

[Incognus]

That's interesting, and no I follow you (mostly). I was planning on Naomi being the captain in full, so she'll be the Captain/Skipper. From what little research I did on pirate hierarchy, It seems it was common for there to be a captain, a first mate, and other officers (which would probably be the other positions you mentioned.)

So it looks like Naomi will need to choose:

• A First mate to handle the crew
• A Second mate for navigation
• A Bo'sun for crew safety
• A Helmsman to steer the ship

Originally I was going to just choose the first mate in character, but considering there's more than one job now, I think it'd be best to list them here and see what you guys think. I was originally leaning towards Eli being the first mate, because of his experience at sea, but now I'm wondering if he might do better as Helmsman, and it seems to be the job you want. If the Bo'sun handles crew safety, my first pick would probably be Kino. Considering her ability with reagents she could be really useful in this position and double as a doctor of sorts?

As for the others I'm not quite sure. Kirsten's personality seems to fit well with a position of authority, so I thought of her as a possible first mate instead of Eli, but then again she might be below decks often. I originally pegged her as the muscle of the crew considering she's quite indestructible, albeit volatile. Revvil is a hard choice too, I'm not quite sure where he would fit. I would maybe put him in navigation but I'm not sure if that's a part of his skill set. Depending on what character @Kalak makes, they might be better suited to be second mate. Where do you guys think your character fits best?

Another thing to note is that this will no longer be a merchant vessel, and so we don't have to adhere to this hierarchy, although I like it because it makes sense and is realistic. If anyone has an idea for an extra position, post about it!

[Magyar]

Eli can go for first mate. It's up to you. He can fit in a lot of places, honestly. He has worked most of them, over the years.

[Codex]

Do you need an antagonist for later plots.. Hrm...? >:3

[ValamLym]

Sorry for my unresponsiveness. I had typed up a response but forgot to send it like a doof.

Kirsten is easily persuaded with money as I told you, as such Naomi could simply pick her up at a local tavern. She can survive short times (up to two hours) in the sun with minor discomfort in properly covering clothing but she prefers to stay out of the sun.

As for her position, she hates taking orders and although Naomi bypasses that with money and promises of adventure anyone below her does not have that luxury. Now I am not saying you HAVE  to make her first mate or so I am just pointing out the likely event. Personally I would consider her a special asset and use her as a body guard/executioner/tool for obedience, letting her answer tp Naomi directly, she would even feel important which would put her further in Naomi's pocket. Otherwise maybe use someone that could deal with the likes of her.

But its your party I will adapt anyway I can without breaking her character.

[Incognus]

I think having a player antagonist would be awesome, but we will need to get a good direction for the adventure going before introducing anyone. That being said, I'll message you about ideas and such Violet

[Incognus]

I think its time to send this ship out to sea, Kalak is finishing up his character and he will be added into the story once you all are introduced and he is ready. I made my first post, and if you can delete your one reply @Alize we'll keep that stuff in here.

I'll control Arden and his first mate Richy. Richy is hiring privateers at the docks, so that's who Kino and Eli will need to speak with to get on the ship. The others will meet Naomi over the course of the 2 days before departure.

[Alize]

Apologies for posting in the wrong thread. Taken care of.

Also, I just now Wikipedia'd the Bo'sun / Boatswain position, and realized that Kino would be rather under-qualified for the job. I'd think her to be capable of the leadership aspect and certainly able to handle knots in the rigging and such, but not familiar enough with seafaring vessels to effectively coordinate all of the deckhands / powder monkeys / grunts / etc.

It may be a bit of a stretch to have her appointed Boatswain right off the bat, but if an expendable NPC were to have the position and be killed off, she may well rise to the occasion and take the role. I hope that doesn't rock the proverbial boat too much.

[Codex]

Hueueheuhe... You probably already know who I'm gonna throw in for an antagonist.

Anyways! If ye want to plot with me @Incognus, feel free to PM me here or on Discord. (Legit Violet in the main chat.)

[Incognus]

Eyyy, one of you five should totally respond to the thread. I left it open ended so you can introduce what your characters are doing at Armanyr and what they're thinking. Eli and Kino are both not going to be recruited by Naomi, but that doesn't mean they have to wait until the ship sails to be introduced. I would have Eli be following up leads on the job he heard of, and maybe go and talk to Richy. Kino could do the same, looking for a ship who will give her passage to where ever she is wanting to go. (We can have that place be the Coral Stars destination). Kirsten probably wont bump into Naomi till night, but you could describe what she is doing during the day if you wanted. As for Revvil and Yokai, just write some stuff that tells about their character. Where ever they are in the port city, I'll make sure Naomi's errands cause her to bump into the latter three. I wanted to set the scene when I started off instead of jumping right into meeting a character. Especially cuz you guys probably have a different idea of what they will each be doing in Armanyr than I do.

[Kalak8538]

http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=22590.msg331449#msg331449

Character approved! I'll join in on the thread when the time is right... >:3

[ValamLym]

Sorry for not posting yet. Kirsten cannot show during the day sadly.