Crossroads - Baelothon

[Lotus Charming]

Story: Journeys beyond the endless blue the endless dreams of life and love of the seas. The belief that everything is solved by the search for a single treasure and hopes beyond the seas that calls to all sailors and pirates alike. The dreams that one day they would find some unknown treasure in some sea that remained beyond the grasp of mortal men and women. If all dreams truly came true, they would find it lost beyond the landlines that form a great barrier in the seas. The barrier of islands that once long ago served as grand ports, now ports housed by pirates and corrupt sailors. The mere thought of this seems to despair many, but lead to many more dreams of the crossroads of treasure and the title of king or queen of the seas. They seek this title hoping that one day they might hold it true to them.

The journey of pirates lay in the hands of their maker. They’re free spirit governed by no man. A spirit of freedom that seems without corruption except by those that have had their hearts stolen by the sirens. Those that have heard the siren song have turned their hearts to evil and have begun to plunder the treasure of others like some madmen. They believe it better to plunder for their treasure rather than to believe in the power of their own venture. The pirates that have heard the mermaid’s song have hearts pure as the sea and seek the one treasure that would grant them title king or queen of the seas. They are a breed amongst the seas often called mad themselves, but mad because they seek a treasure beyond mortal grasp.

The journey of sailors lay in the hands of the commanders. They are people that neither holds hope in the people or in themselves. They are either corrupts or protect. The choice the sailor makes is based solely upon which song they have heard, the sirens or the mermaids. The song that governs the very seas and the lands far and wide, the song that aids in the decision of all men and women. They often sing a farewell song for the sailors as the sailors often make a disastrous choice. The sailors are but people that should serve to protect the land from the pirates that plunder, but often they take bribes from those said pirates to fill the lining of the their pockets. They are the worst kind of people. The protective kinds of sailor are the kinds that often aid the pirates that seek the grand treasure to become king or queen of the pirates. They seek an end to the war.


The layers of the land was split accordingly to their directions. As like a compass, the islands of the land once known as Baelothon now has forever been changed after the last Guardian known off fell into a slumber leaving only Pirates and Sailors of many forms to roam the waters between the waters, if corrupt or not. The great treasure that is sought not known to even the greatest of them all, it could be as small as a gem or as large as a sleeping being.

To the North, ice was the main source that lasted and bound the land in treacherous travel, this island was often found to be the coldest with at least one sister to it not too far to the slight northwest.

To the Northwest, snow fell in constancy never to let up or allow sight to come easy for any. The snow hiding much, but not showing what it hid. Pirates or Sailors both would land, some would land and leave safely, others would just disappear.

To the Northeast, fresh water flowed like an endless ocean, but much different from the salt-waters. This held all kinds of creatures that would make travel over and under the surface difficult. Often a dingy would have to be carried to the island that held these waters as beneath them held a hidden type of treasure of their own.

To the West, lava and molten land was the power that gave way to this trial. A land of eternal flames and heat. A place not otherwise deemed the easiest of travel. The fire itself seemed often to lapse into the water making the island seem to grow after it’s split from the mainland that used to be Baelothon. A trial in its own right to any sea-fairing being.

To the East, a vast plains that was more lengthy and wider than any of the other sections to make it harder to cross. There is no sense of shade in this part, which what makes this area hard to travel. There is no escaping the beating sun, or the frigid cold of night. But once come to middle of this section turning into a scorching desert that would make the travel in the last part that much harder. This island seemed to be the largest of all islands that had broken away from the other islands due to the vast desert on it. It bellowed and spewed sand everywhere leaving few little amounts of people to be seen.

To the South, a vast and thick forest, nothing like what would be seen in the middle of all the plains. It was filled with snakes and creatures deemed otherwise very poisonous, if made upset or crossed wrong. The smallest of all islands, and also one of the deadliest due to all the poisonous creatures on it, any that have landed on it have either died on sight or simply tread carefully.

To the Southwest, an ocean that unlike the freshwater. It was filled with salt, this gave way to many more even bigger creatures in the water but also more birds in the air that would even in their small size pick out a person as their next meal. This used to be true till an island popped up in the middle of the water during the destruction of Baelothon leaving in the ocean to the Southwest a small scrap of land covered in coral from the bottom of the ocean. It also had crabs everywhere, although they looked menacing, one wandered why they would flock to this island in particular.

To the Southwest, endless swamps. Deep in most regions of this section, but also shallow. Quicksand and other creatures dragging down earthen attributes that has lead many who did not travel cautiously to their deaths. Mostly these creatures were ant-lions as they were called, usually found in the desert found here in the swampy part of the island. Few have sailed here.

The center of all this was a rain forest kind of land. It was by far the most safest as it is the domain of wishing to reach. The central island seems to have suffered the least amount of damage. Yet, no one seems to live here also. It has become shrouded in such a thick mist that no one has ever been able to travel to it. Many have tried only to smash their ships into the rocks by nearby Sirens singing to those on-board. What was protected so on this island, no one has ever survived long enough to find out.

[Lotus Charming]

Strong winds beat strongly upon the sails of the ship Mistraven. Caroline was at the helm of the ship steering it clearly as she needed to. Her eye watching closely despite only having one where to go, the ocean was a harsh mistress for the ship being that it was fairly old but it was sturdy. Caroline knew the ship inside and out and knew the many repairs it had endured to stay afloat often getting new toys applied to it so that it would fair better in sea battles or to fire upon land when fired upon itself. Her dreams were to go after the treasure that would make her the queen of the ocean of the isles that once was of the nation Baelothon. She had heard of a great treasure that spanned over the waters itself. The clues however were upon the islands and even in the waters themselves. She was lucky however to have variable races upon her ship that made it easier for some of the things she needed done.

“Raise sails boys, we’re going after that treasure. Anyone not up for this, better just jump ship or I’ll make you do it myself. If’n you don’t think’ll I will do it, guess again boys. I didn’t champion this vessels based off appearance.”

Caroline barked her orders clearly as she saw only one weak link on her ship that clearly couldn’t hack it on her vessel. “Jump ship boy, you won’t survive my ship at all. You’re better off swimming to some nearby island.” Caroline was unusually cruel to those that didn’t hold their own weight on ship. She didn’t like it when people were given orders and the one that volunteered saying they could do it didn’t hold up their own words. The boy didn’t jump ship however but just backed into a barrel looking at Caroline’s red-eye.

“Red-eye mistress…please I can do better..”

“Then do it, or jump off this ship. I don’t want those that can’t hold their own on here. Got that?”

[Paroxysm]

Offtopic: I could not decide on a character and so I am stealing your background character.

The Captain’s red-eyes put him off; it wasn’t that it was strange or unsettling, but he hadn’t seen eyes like those outside of Cizok--ever. They were eyes that he had--albeit fiercer--and more correctly put, they were eyes like his father had.

“R-red-eye, prease… I-I c-can do better.”

His voice was shaky and he found himself using the barrel he had backed into as support; he should never have ran away from home, he thought to himself, but soon enough, maybe he’d be able to get back. That was why he was on the ship, at least. That’s why he had joined such a crew… He had no money, he was broke, and this was the best way to go about things, he was sure of that. At least, he thought he was sure, the guy at the docks had suggested it, and it seemed as good an idea as any…

“Hai!--”

As he tried to reply to the Captain, he felt himself slip, falling onto the deck, and causing the barrel to go along with him; it rolled a short distance and stopped.

“G-g-g-g-gomen--!”

In a panic, the boy quickly jumped to his feet and chased down the barrel, standing it back up, and standing behind it, almost as though it were a shield.

[Lotus Charming]

Caroline just made a hmph’ing noise as she looked at the boy. Her patched up right eye not as menacing as her left that remained to be seen by the world. She never told anyone how she lost her right, not that it really mattered much. Most of the crew knew how as it was part of the ascension in ranks that she lost it. She fought her way to captain of Mistraven and lost an eye in the process, but killed the person who took it from her.

Caroline made her way to where the boy hid behind the barrel just staring at him carefully before taking up the barrel in one of her hands and tossing it behind her to one of the crew that was taking the barrels below to be secured.

“On this ship, you learn to be stronger or get tossed aside. It’s sort of a law of this vessel. The weak ones never last at all, nor kept around; it is a harsh lesson I learned while fighting for my rank on this ship. Ya best bet is to become stronger, if’in you wish to survive the days to come.”

Caroline might have been harsh to her crew, but sometimes she acted like a mother to them despite being quite young herself. She just wanted to make sure that no one was hurt on her vessel that couldn’t hold their own. She needed everyone at their top level.

“Prepare to land upon shore, we’re headed into port for supplies before going to one of the other islands in hunt of the treasure. Got that men, once we’ve got our supplies we’re out of port and on our way.”