A Year at Sea

[Vitus Rustovich]

Boredom, that must have been what lead Ix to the path on which he was
about to embark. He had amassed a decent amount of wealth during
other endeavors, and this was now being put to work in a secluded cove
not far from a coastal town. He grinned to himself as
he watched the shipwrights constructing his ship. He had gone to
great lengths to hire unscrupulous hunters and woodsmen to cut down
the home trees of unicorns, which were the only ones to be used in the
construction of his ship.

He inhaled deeply, taking in the ocean air, the tang of salt, the
faint smell of fish. Construction was nearly complete, and there
would be a celebration feast this evening before the ship set sail.

Preparations for the feast had already been completed, the food had
been carefully prepared and just as carefully poisoned. Ix could have
no survivors of this endeavor, no one that had any knowledge of this
ship. And so, soon after the feast had begun, everyone was dead. Ix christened the ship the Immortal Corrupter, and began working with corpses.

Ix needed a crew for his magnificent ship, and so he began to write,
three copies of a recruitment letter, to be sent to the nearest
colonies.

On fine parchment he wrote;

To the citizenry of this settlement,
I am looking for a seaworthy crew to pilot my ship in search of
adventure, plunder and wenches. Ones who are not afraid of the sea,
or of taking what they want from those too weak to deserve it. People that can never have enough gold or enough rum. If you feel you meet my requirements, I will have contacts prepared to meet you and discuss your future with my organization.

Sincerely,
Commodore Ix, Captain of the Immortal Corruptor.

[Vitus Rustovich]

A week had gone by since Ix had sent out the notices for a crew.
Several people had responded, and Ix rejected as many as he could
while leaving enough to pilot the ship. The pickings were slim and Ix
was a picky captain. Cannons had been crafted and installed on board,
and the craftsmen pressganged into service. Finally, it was time to
set sail.

Three days from port, the lookout spotted a ship on the horizon, much
smaller than the Immortal Corruptor, and Ix ordered his crew to
overtake it.

Captain Swift liked the ocean. In his years of study at
academies and universities he drank quite a bit, being the son of a
noblemen had its perks. Every time the night grew late Swift would
find his balance impaired and his vision blurred, but on the ocean
those problems were no more. No matter how drunk he got, the floor
always seemed steady underneath him and his vision always fell on
water. The crew was a lively bunch that loved the drink and the
sea, and they didn't mind the creatures that Captain Swift brought
with him so the arrangement worked for all.

Swift had studied every area of life, but the sea was a mystery
to him, and pirates even more so. Fears of women aboard a ship
bringing ill fate, the powers of the albatross, all of these things
interested Swift and he intended to test them all, but it would
require experts in the field of pirate beliefs. The day came that
all of Swift's wants would be answered.

The Immortal Corruptor came out of the horizon like a monolith
of death. While the crew grew anxious, Swift grew excited. Finally
the pirates he needed for his studies! The sign hanging from the
gang plank was knocked to the sea, the image of a drunken goat now
floating between the ships, the Immortal Corruptor butted up to the
small merchant vessel. Attack forces lead by Captain Ix swung on
rope and line until they held the entire merchant vessel at sword
point, including Captain Killian Swift who now held a bottle of red
rum and two shot glasses. As Captain Ix brought his menacing
persona close to Swift the anticipation finally burst!

"I've been waiting so long for this," Swift said, "Bonafide
pirates!! I have so many things to ask, where to
begin...hmmm....need my notes...just a moment."

"STOP!!" bellowed Ix. "This is not a social engagement my friend,
after I kill you I will be taking your vessel and your crew will be
spared only due to their value as slaves."

Swift looked confused for a moment, then brightened. "I
apologize greatly for the confusion, I should have made this clear
before. You are currently at my mercy."

Consternation and confusion crossed Ix's face as quickly as his
sword leapt to Swifts throat. Swift let out a sharp whistle and the
entire ship jumped from the ocean waves and continued to rise at a
staggering velocity. As the ship reached a height of 200-300 feet
it stopped.

"I apologize for the inconvenience of all this, but I've been
waiting so long for a pirate to come along that I just can't let you
get away." Swift quickly filled a glass with rum and offered the
glass to Ix, ever careful of the sword tip at his throat. "I assure
you that my vessel is more than willing to join in your piracy, I
simply ask that you allow me to study the ways of pirates. In
exchange for your knowledge I will grant use of my bar, facilities,
ship, and my personal knowledge of the trade routes of over 35 noble
shipping families. If this is adequate compensation for sparing my
life then the Drunken Goat is yours."

Ix seemed at first perplexed, but then broke into
laughter. "Aye! I think your offer and method of delivery have
peaked my interest, but if you try anything like this again and I'll
use you as a buoy for shark line. Isn't the Drunken Goat more of a
bar name than a ship name?"

Swift broke into a smile, "The Drunken Goat was my favorite pub
at the University. I just couldn't leave such a good pub behind, so
I tore it down and made a ship out of it. Whenever we made port the
crew always told the port masters that its called the "Tilted
Horizons" but I'll always know it as the Goat."

Ix lowered his sword and looked over the rail at the sea below,
then shot the rum. "Your offer is good Swift, but your madness
concerns me. I will take your offer for now, but one day I may have
to put you out of my misery." With another quick whistle the ship
lowered back down, and after three days of draining the seemingly
endless alcohol supply of the Drunken Goat, both ships returned to
menace the seas.

[Vitus Rustovich]

The Tilted Horizon (or the Drunken Goat depending upon your point
of view), sailed alongside the Immortal Corruptor across the calm
waters. The horizon was empty, the weather clear. Then, just as the
two ships turned toward a nearby port, a lookout spotted a ship in the
distance.

"Corsairs, prepare for battle!" Ix screamed as he ran to the
deck. "load the cannons, prepare to fire! Swift, are you up for this?"

From the deck of the Drunken Goat came the reply, "Of course,
finally a chance to observe pirates firsthand, this will be valuable
research."


The other ship was obviously owned by pirates as well, sporting
black tattered sails and a crudely drawn flag depicting a pair of
fornicating skeletons. They had just noticed the two ships headed in
their direction. Their captain, a fat, balding man with three teeth
and an eternal five o'clock shadow began bellowing orders.

"Boys, the seas have been dry, but there is our lunch ticket
headed this way. We take out the big ship first, its obviously an
escort, the smaller one likely has no weapons on board."

As the Corsairs drew nearer, the Immortal Corruptor began to
turn, positioning itself to fire its shiny new cannons. "Fire!" Ix
yelled, and the cannons belched forth fiery doom upon the lone ship.
One mast was cut down, dropping to the deck and killing several
pirates. Two other shots opened holes in its side, water pouring in.
As the crew scrambled to load cannons and deal with the Immortal
Corruptor, the smaller, much faster Drunken Goat pulled alongside, its
crew scrambling over to the beleaguered ship.

The battle was short, the pirates' moral was low due to the speed
and efficiency of their foes. Soon the Corruptor had pulled along the
other side, and Ix lead his crew in the boarding of the slowly sinking
ship. "Surrender and your lives will be spared!" Ix commanded,
cutting down two of the ship's defenders with his wickedly humming blade.

Soon the remaining crew was subdued and some of Ix's crew began
looting the ship before it sank to a watery grave. Ix eyed the enemy
crew one by one and finally asked, "Which of you will join us, the
Stygian Corsairs? Those who won't will be set free." More than half
of the remaining crew agreed to join the Corsairs.

Ix came at last to the ship's former captain, and asked bluntly,
"Who are you?"

"My name is Pearson, Captain Tom Pearson. What are you going to
do with us?" the sweaty man blurted.

Ix grinned, bearing teeth that appeared as sharp as a shark's.
"I am going to allow you to leave on one of your longboats, of course,
and when you are asked what happened to your ship, you will tell them
it was destroyed by Captain Ix, Commodore of the Stygian Corsairs, and
King of All Pirates!" With this, Ix pointed to one of the longboats
and returned to his ship, to divy up the loot and find another conquest.

[Vitus Rustovich]

After the sinking of their first ship, Captain Ix and Captain
Swift sat below deck on the Tilted Horizon, sharing a case of rum, one
of ten that had been liberated from Pearson's ship.

"I had the crew paint a ship on the side of the Corruptor," Ix
blurted, taking a pull from the bottle in front of him.

Swift stared bleary eyed between the bottle and the ledger in
front of him, took a swig from the bottle and opened the ledger,
trying to write.

"What for? And what did we get from that ship?" Swift inquired.

Ix grinned, razor sharp teeth gleaming in the dim light. "It's a
kill marker," he explained. "I will put one on for every ship the
Corruptor sinks!"

"I should do that!" Swift exclaimed, "but with sharks!" He
snickered and took another swig.

Ix drained his bottle and pulled another from the case. "Pearson
apparently wasn't a very good captain," Ix said, "We didn't end up
with a whole lot. Ten cases of rum, two kegs of ale, 37 steel
long swords, and a chest containing mostly silver, a small handful of
gold, and 3 low quality pearls. We did, however, pick up some
crewmen, which is more important at this point."

At that moment, a drunken crewman bumped into Ix, causing him to
drop the nearly full bottle of rum, which promptly shattered on the
floor. Ix scowled and Swift lept to his feet. "YOU!" he yelled,
pointing at the drunken pirate, "clean up this mess, then, as
punishment..." Swift trailed off, obviously in deep thought. "Aha!
One week chum attendant duty!" With this, both captains laughed and
continued drinking as the pirate ran off in search of a mop and bucket.

[Vitus Rustovich]

Drifting in a lifeboat, Morbious thought about the events that
lead him to be alone in the middle of the ocean. He had joined a
ragtag pirate crew several months before, under a bloated toad of a
man called Pearson. His service with those outcasts was uneventful
for the most part. Pearson had poor leadership skills and the pirates
had found very few ships to plunder.

Morbious had begun to contemplate killing Pearson and
taking the ship for himself when it was attacked and subsequently
sunk by a pair of pirate vessels under Captains Ix and Swift. Ix gave
the crew the option to join him, or to take lifeboats and entrust
their fates to the gods of the sea.

Morbious couldn't shake the feeling that he had met this Ix before,
but he couldn't remember if he actually had, or if the man's natural
charisma made him think he did. He saw organization and lethal
ruthlessness in these pirates, and wished to join them, however
something told him to take a boat and drift, that one day he would be
reunited with these 'Stygian Corsairs' as they called themselves. He
felt there was something he needed to do first.

These events drifted through his mind as he spotted a medium
sized tropical island in the distance. His boat was drawn to the
shore by some unseen force, and he set foot upon a sandy beach framed
by deep jungle.

Almost immediately a feral war band emerged from the jungle.
Comprised of many races, including orcs, goblins, and even an ogre,
their only common feature was the tribal warpaint that covered their
faces, arms and chests. A gruff-looking dwarf, obviously their
leader, stepped forward. "Welcome to me island!" he exclaimed,
"Unfortunately your stay will be short, unless, of course, you can
entertain me and make me forget how long its been since I have had
human meat at me table." This was followed by a chorus of laughter
from the assembled party.

Morbious thought for a minute as the war band watched, drooling.
The surf was gently pushing back and forth between his feet and he
briefly entertained the thought of jumping into the sea and trying to
swim away. His hunger and exhaustion, coupled the the spears and bows
several of the savages were carrying gave him pause.

"Well then," he began, "Let me tell you a story..."


Morbious related the tale of the Stygian Corsairs to the dwarf
who introduced himself as Duergan Gorebeard, at a feast that night.
Gorebeard was particularly interested in the story and decided to
spare Morbious' life.

"I will allow you to join us," he blurted around a mouthful of
meat of dubious origin. "However, you must do something for me. I
want you to take your boat out and find us a ship, lead it back here
so we can take it, then we will go off in search of this Captain Ix
and his so-called corsairs. Killing him would bring me great
prestige, and eating his flesh should bring me great power."

"Agreed," Morbious replied sardonically. He figured between Ix
and Duergan, one would kill the other, and prove themselves the
stronger ally. The cogs were already in motion, this was what he had
been meat to do.

"First a little insurance," Duerdan muttered, motioning for a
shaman. After a few arcane mutterings, the shaman nodded at the dwarf
and shuffled off. "You have two weeks to lure a ship to my island. or
to return without one. My shaman placed a curse upon you, and if you
don't return, you will die."

"Understandable but completely uneccesary," Morbious replied
flatly. He stocked his boat with what provisions he could and left
the island in search of a ship.

Two days passed before he was picked up by a merchant vessel. He
awed it's captain with a tale of a tropical paradise, of friendly
natives that had many tradeable goods, and that didn't know the value
of what they had. He had explained that the ship on which he had been
serving had been sunk by a terrible storm, and how his lifeboat had
drifted to this island. He added that he had only left to find
someone that wanted to trade with these naive people.

Upon hearing these tales, both captain and crew were overcome by
greed, and instantly changed course in the direction Morbious indicated.

The ship soon drew within sight of the island. Several primitive
canoes rowed out from the island to meet them. The captain was
delighted when he was invited to feast with the tribal chief. He
insisted that Morbious join him, as he had already been to the island.
Soon, the captain, Morbious, and a handful of crewmen were aboard the
canoes and being transported ashore.

The food and drink was excellent. Duergan had introduced himself
to the captain and put him in the seat of honor. After much chitchat
and smalltalk, the captain finally broached the subject of trade.

"I was told you would like to establish trade in this region,"
the captain began, "What sorts of goods do you desire, and what do you
have to offer?"

"We have plenty to offer," Duergan began, "Gold, spices, stones,
and some of the best rum you have ever tasted. What we are most
interested in right now..." Duergan trailed off, something in the
night sky catching his eye.

"What we really want," he continued, " is a ship."

"That could be arranged," the captain began. "Providing you have
enough to trade, I can arranged to have an excellent ship delivered to
you."

"Why would I want to do that, when you have already delivered me
a perfectly good ship?" Duergan asked.

The captain chuckled, the realized that the dwarf wasn't joking.
"My ship isn't for trade..."

"When did I ever say I was interested in trading?" Duergan cut
him off. "I just got a signal from your ship, well, MY ship now. My
men have either killed or subdued your crew. Lets see, I think I will
name her...'The Widow's Lament'." This said, Duergan snapped his
fingers and two enormous hands appeared from behind the captain,
grabbing his head and twisting it off in a spray of blood.

"Thank you, Gumbobo," Gorebeard said as a massive ogre stepped
from the shadows. Turning his attention to Morbious, he said, "Lets
remove that nasty curse, then we can go check out my ship and prepare
to hunt us down a pirate king."

Gorebeard and his crew boarded the ship and headed out to sea.
Summoning the Morbious to the captain's quarters, Gorebeard asked him,
"What do you know of this...Captain Ix?"

"He claims to be the King of All Pirates. He is a tall man,
his skin as white as ivory. His blade is possessed or
enchanted in some way. I can't shake the feeling I have met him
before, but I can't remember where," Morbius explained.

Gorebeard laughed, having heard such stories before, this Captain
Ix was nothing new. Some claimed to be demons, devils, or Gods
themselves, yet they all tasted the same. He thought it funny how
legends began, and this Ix was obviously on his way to becoming one
himself. Now, to search him out. Defeating Ix would assure Gorebeard
an even greater reputation.

The Widow's Lament left his island in search of the Corsairs.
Several days passed before the two ships were spotted. Gorebeard flew
a flag of parley, wishing to speak with the captains. Soon, the ship
had come within shouting distance.

"What do you want?" Ix yelled.

"I am looking for Captain Ix, the ten foot albino with a devil
blade." Gorebeard bellowed, barely suppressing a laugh.

Ix laughed, "I am Ix, but it seems you were misinformed. When I
am through, however, you will wish you had faced a ten foot albino
with a devil blade. Now, state your business so I can kill you and be
done with it."

"I have come to challenge you, winner takes all," the dwarf
rumbled in response.

Ix grinned and yelled back, "My place or yours?"

"I'll come aboard," Gorebeard growled, grabbing a heavy and
extremely sharp axe, "That way I will be that much closer when I take
control of your ship and crew."

Soon, Gorebeard was aboard the Corruptor. "Any man that
interferes will be feeding the sharks, agreed?" Ix yelled. When
Gorebeard nodded, Ix drew his blade.

Back and forth the battle went, with many near misses and narrow
escapes. Sparks flew as weapons clashed. After a lengthy battle,
both were out of breath and covered in small shallow cuts.

Panting, Ix said, "I could use a dwarf of your talents, why don't
you join the Stygian Corsairs?"

Gorebeard spat between breaeths, "And be your lackey? No thanks."

"You misunderstand. You keep your ship and crew. You join the
raids of your choosing, an equal partner, just like Swift here." Ix
said, gesturing toward Killian.

Gorebeard thought a moment, and finally agreed, "Come then, let me
show you my island."

[Vitus Rustovich]

Deep in a thick wood lay the abandoned ruin Ix sought. The three
ships were anchored off the coast; Ix made this journey alone.

He crept between the dust and cobweb filled rooms, his search was very
specific. Reaching the top of a decaying tower, he discovered the
things for which he searched. The first was an ornate and ancient
katana. The blade throbbed in his hand as he grasped the hilt.
Etched runes along the blade flashed to life, emitting a dull red glow.

Almost instantly the urge to kill swept over Ix. His will began to
falter, then he managed to slide the katana into a specially prepared
scabbard, which he then flung across his back.

The room, surprisingly, hadn't been looted, and was filled with many
curiosities and valuables, religious icons, weapons, and books.

Ix chose one book, bound in an unidentifiable hide, and a foot long
carved wooden box. These items in hand, he returned to the ground floor.

A short time later he came upon a crude altar fashioned from the bones
of some animal.

Ix opened the book and began flipping through the pages, finally
finding what he was looking for. He knelt before the altar and
began to chant.

A voice, little more than a seductive whisper, insinuated itself into
his mind. Immediately the demonic chorus in Ix's head went quiet.

"You still please me, my lost child. Pay no heed to the others, they
seek to make you stray from the path. I will send you a guide, to
make sure you don't stray."

Ix rose to his feet, tucking the book into his pack. Confusing
thoughts crossed through his mind as he left the ruin.

Three mounted figures awaited him outside, wearing white tunics that
bore red crosses.

Ix muttered to himself as they approached. The first dismounted and
walked to Ix, asking him "What are you doing in this unholy place,
looting?"

Ix nodded at the man, concentrating, focusing his hatred. The katana
at his side began to tremble. Stepping forward, he slapped the man in
his face. His eyes rolled back in his head and he vomited blood all
over his white tunic, collapsing to the ground.

The other two sat, stunned, on their horses long enough for Ix to draw
the glowing blade and plunge it into the heart of one of the horsemen.

The blade began to wail, an unholy screech that nearly knocked the
other man from his horse. He turned his horse around and spurred it
on to run away.

Ix let go of the katana and drew three small knives from within his
coat, flinging them at the fleeing horseman. All three found their
marks, two sinking deep into the man's back, the third embedding
itself in his neck, just below the skull.

Ix walked toward the body to retrieve his knives when something large
and heavy slammed into the back of his skull, knocking him unconscious.

When Ix awoke, there was a huge viper coiled up on his chest. Glancing
around he noticed a fourth body, dressed as the other three, still
clutching an iron hammer in its dead hand. A festering bite wound
sizzled and smoked on the corpse's neck.

When Ix glanced back, the viper's head was inches from his face.
"Greetingsss, Dark Hero, I am Achaelia. I wasss sssent here to help
you, ssseemsss I am jussst in time."

[Vitus Rustovich]

When Ix returned to his ship, he placed the book and the box on his desk. Achaelia coiled up on the desk in front of him.

"What now, Pirate King?" Achaelia hissed, mockingly. "Do you follow the old faith? Or perhapsss ssssearch for ssssomething new?"

Ix gave the serpent a quizzical look. "Aren't you here to bring me back to the Legion?"

"He wantsss you where you will be the mossst active. Your actionsss ssstill pleassse him." Achaelia whispered.

Pondering this, Ix rose from his chair, runed katana twitching on his belt. Striding out onto the deck, the crew eyed him expectantly, awaiting orders.

In the darkness, campfires could be seen on a nearby shore. Longboats were silently dropped into the water, and the Stygian Corsairs quietly boarded, disembarking a short distance from the fires.

Ix sent a scout ahead to check on the size and composition of his intended victims.

Silent as a drifting shadow, the scout approached the camp. There were a couple sentries posted, but none took any notice of the eyes upon them.

Several banners depicted a sword on a green and blue field, and the sentries wore similar colors. Sneaking back to the raiding party, he reported his findings to Ix.

The war band quietly worked its way toward the encampment, pausing a short distance away to wait for the drifting clouds to obscure the pale light given off by the moon.

Archers scaled the trees nearby, each taking aim at a sentry. Black fletched arrows were released, each slicing through the air and burying itself in flesh. With precision, the sentries were neutralized, no alarm was raised.

The pirates poured into the camp, sticking blades into the the drunk and sleeping soldiers.

Achaelia slipped from her customary spot draped across Ix's shoulders and slithered into a nearby tent. Her venom was powerful and fast acting, containing an anesthetic that cause her victims to not even realize they had been bitten.

With a blood curdling shriek, Ix ordered his men to attack, and attack they did, slaughtering the half sleeping men before they could muster a single weapon.

Ix cackled with the joy of bloodshed, reveling in the destruction he caused. Soon, all were dead, and Achaelia began laying eggs in the corpses.

Ix's warband left the way they came, though much less silently. Everything of value had been looted from the camp, food, drink, weapons, even a small amount of gold.

Returning to the ship, the Stygian Corsairs continued their course, no trace of who killed the group was left behind save the eggs which had been left inside corpses and would be hatching within a week.