Here we will be making up a story. You can put whatever you want as long as it makes sense. Please try to use correct grammar and punctuation and separate your paragraphs. I was thinking that it could be a combination of multiple genres and could use real-world locations along with fictional ones. Please put new names in bold.
Please wait for someone else to post if you've already posted. I don't mind if y'all do multiple posts, but don't go overboard; give another person a chance to write something.
@Dragongirl2468 @LiteralCyborg @Winter-The-Gingersnap @tungsten
The ship rocked gently in the undulating waves. Crew members carefully rushed around the deck. At the helm stood a tall, lithe man with hair that mirrored the darkening clouds overhead carefully barked orders to the crew. The Seadragon was on its return voyage from Fort Edmond. Flags flew at half-mast as the Seadragon came into port at Marseille, signaling that some misfortune has befallen them. Alexandre Ackles came away from the helm, barking out orders to the crew. Alexandre came to the side of the Seadragon just as another, older man came aboard.
"Greetings, Monsieur Kripke," Alexandre called to the man. "Forgive me a moment, but I must address business before we can talk."
Kripke stood and surveyed the young man at work, wasting no time to take care of what he needed to. "You seem to have things well taken care of, Ackles, but I must ask you why you came with flags at half-mast."
Alexandre's face fell. "Our dear friend Captain Renault has perished. We were on our way from Naples headed for Marseille when he succumbed to a blow to the head from the jib during a storm."
"Ah, tragic accidents often arise with storms."
(if you don't mind, I'll just be here drinking my cherry-vanilla coke and eating some popcorn while I watch this story progress, you won't even know I'm here)
Meanwhile, the crew members on board did what they could to avoid eavesdropping on the conversation ahead of them. They all knew what their new captain would say about the late Captain Renault and all of them knew he was lying. It was an unspoken thing, the way they each avoided mentioning the truth. They all knew of the danger and shame they would face if what they had hidden came to light. There were few, truth be told, who actually preferred their last captain. He was a grand captain when he was sober… but the loss he had experienced late last year had turned him down onto a dark path. A path that had lead to his death. He'd committed the greatest of sins and stoked the rage of the sea god.
No one truly knew the name of the sea god as they went by many. They could've been Poseidon or Neptune, Ryujin or Njord, or even a goddess, like Anuket. Whichever name the god chose did not matter; they'd brought down their rage at the request of the drunken captain of the Seadragon. The storm they stoked was powerful enough to force the entire crew under the deck, and even then they had lost friends to the winds.
But their shame was not brought upon them by their time at a broken sea. It was brought on by the act they had committed to escape the god's vigilant fury.
They reflected on how they tried to fight an angry god, and lost. They were all lucky to be alive. But they knew the truth. The god hadn't wanted them, or the Seadragon, they had wanted Captain Renault, and they had gotten him.
Alexandre kept looking at the crew. He put his arm on the older man's shoulders.
"Monsieur Kripke, let me buy you a drink. There's too many ears listening here. I trust my sailors, but they can be easily persuaded when wealth and riches are on the table. They're human. They'll jump at the first sight of gold."
Monsieur Kripke nodded.
"I see. Follow me. I know a good spot where we can discuss our matters. And if we pay a high enough price, we can have a private room to ourselves. Only the barmaid can go in and out with our food and drinks."
Alexandre patted Kripke on the back.
"Splendid! Lead on my good fellow!"
Alexsandre barked orders at a few of his sailors, and followed Monsieur Kripke off of the Seadragon.
They twisted and turned through the streets, before stopping at a partially hidden door.
Monsieur Kripke knocked, and a stout young man opened the door. They spoke in hushed tones for a few moments before Kripke pointed at Alexsandre. The young man seemed to get the point and waved them both in.
Alexsandre grasped firmly onto Kripke's shoulder.
"What's the name of this place? I've never known it's existence."
Kripke chuckled.
"It's called The Siren's Song. And to know of its existence, it makes you one of the few on a need to know basis. Come. Our room is ready. The first round of drinks are on me."
(I'm guessing The Siren's Song is some sort of inn or tavern?)
A young woman watched as the two men left the room, glancing at the man who let them in.
"Who was that, Aarmon? Do you know them?"
Aarmon turned to her with a sigh. "Now Emery, remember what we talked about? There are some things you just don't need to know. At least, not until you're older." Emery shot him a glare. "I know, I know, but aren't I old enough?"
"You're only sixteen." He replied, "Besides, dear sister, you have work to do. You can't waste time wondering about two old men. Now, go find Jezabell. I'm sure she could use some help." Emery rolled her eyes, but went off to find the barmaid.
(Sorry it's so short. I can try to come up with longer responses in the future.)
(You're good! And yeah, Siren's song is the tavern/bar they're at!)
(Short responses are perfectly acceptable. I never pressure people to try to come up with something long, for I know and understand that doing that can be challenging.)
Alexandre and Monsieur Kripke sat themselves down at a nearby table in a darkened corner. Glasses clinked as patrons of The Siren's Song drank their various brews and ordered food. The two men ordered a flagon of beer before returning their attention to one another.
"As Renault's first mate it was your duty to carry out his last will. Did he give you any final commands before his passing?" Monsieur Kripke inquired.
"Only that I was to deliver an envelope to Commander Briggs at Fort Edmond. That's why we were a couple days late upon our return."
"You got to meet him? I'm sure that was nice." kripke gives a quick cautious glance around the tavern before lowering his voice to a whisper. "And the Empress? How be she?"
"I didn't really get time to speak to her, though she did take interest in the Seadragon. I was sure that she would've bought her if I hadn't informed her that she belongs to Kripke & Son."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"Only that the Seadragon is a fine vessel and to give my regards to your uncle."
Monsieur Kripke smiled. "He'd be delighted in knowing that the Empress remembers him." He pauses to take a drink, allowing the cool frothy liquid to wash down his throat. "You were quite right in making the delivery. I think that a promotion to captain may be in your future, Ackles."
"Thank you Monsieur!" the younger man started.
"Though I will have to confer with my business partner before the final decision is made."
(I kind of want this to have some sort of revenge theme; though I'm kind hearted I'm a sucker for revenge stories!)
(Like what kind? Them against each other? Them against the empress? Then against the crew? What are you looking for?)
(I'm not exactly sure yet. I know that Alexandre and Kripke will remain civil with each other. Maybe another character?)
(Maybe Emery? Not sure against who though… Honestly, I'm just looking for a reason to make her an important part of the plot.)
(I was thinking Alexandre could be the one getting revenge. Not sure on who nor why. That's something we can come up with though.)
(Definitely open to ideas!)
(What about this: he made a deal with the sea god at some point to ensure his revenge, which is why he was safe from their attack. The terms of his deal are unknown, but he has to carry out some act for the god and in return, he will harness some of the god's power when the time comes. Might make conflict interesting, idk.)
(Great idea, though I want the reason for revenge to happen.)
(How about this. Alexandre made a deal with the sea god to get revenge on the empress, who in turn made a deal with the sea god to kill Renault. Give each character valid point as to why they want revenge. It creates conflict and makes readers choose sides.)
(Oooh! That sounds interesting!)
(Hmmmm…. Maybe. I kind of feel bad that my posts pretty much follow The Count of Monte Cristo…. In that novel the protagonist is set up for being involved with Bonapartism by several different people. One person's motive is jealousy, another's is seeing him as competition for the affections of a woman. Then there's also a person that does it for personal reasons; these are shown in the story. Poor Edmond gets thrown into the Chateau D'If [a prison] to be forgotten. There, he attempts escape and befriends another prisoner who educates him and tells him of treasure on the Isle of Monte Cristo. With some help from his new friend, Edmond discovers who was responsible for destroying his life. After his friend dies he escapes, locates the treasure, and using aliases Edmond investigates further. He rewards those that were kind to him, reinvents himself and takes up the name of the Count of Monte Cristo to enact an elaborate revenge scheme on those who wronged him. I of course want to put twists on the motives though, so we could totally use the ideas y'all came up with!)
(I'm personally a sucker for parents lashing out over the death/kidnapping of their children, if y'all think that might work)
(Let's just continue and see what we can come up with. It's fine if it's not a revenge story; mostly wanted to do this to see what we could come up with.)
(Yeah, let's just have fun with this and see where things go on their own.)
(Just going to bump this.)
