Frederick Greaves's Story

A crew of drunkards stumbled across the deck of a flying ship, scrambling around the timber and pulling at crimson sails that protruded from either side of the timber hull. The ship flew the banner bearing a canine skull with crossbones with a crimson backdrop, the well known flag of the Kennel Dog.

"Heave, ho!" The men shouted, pulling a rope and causing the the full set of sails to emerge from the deck with a loud whosh. The captain of the ship ran with his arms held over his head, dancing over his crew and the hazards on his deck as he ran to the wheel above his cabin, his long hair fluttering in the wind. "Mateys! Iracot aho!" One of the ex-pirates shouted at the top of his lungs, his foot on the railing of the deck as he pulled a rope free of a sail.

"FULL SAIL!" The captain shouted, clipping his long furred coat around his waist and spun the wheel, savoring the torque of the wheel. The men all shouted confirmations, a man who had been busy climbing up to the crows nest gave a mocking salute and started to climb again.

The captain of this particular ship was Edward Greaves, privateer and joint-magistrate of the Guild Ward. Edward was a man with thousands of counts of sea piracy, an outlaw to the marrow and whoring scoundrel. It was only his relationship with a magistrate of Iracot did he manage to get this close to Iracot.

Edward saw the city and whistled. "Would yah' look at that, mates. We're home again." One of the pirates sniggered. Edward juxtaposed the man with a cold stare and moved a hand down to one of the pistols strapped to his waist.

"That'd be insubordination, bucko." The pirate who'd sniggered made a gesture to pull out his own pistol when he stopped, they shared an eyebrow raise and started to laugh. "Bucko, you have permission to signal my brotha's ship that we're here." The pirate nodded and ran to the back of the ship.

Edward thought of seeing the beauty of the God-Queen again, or visiting the pleasure district. Both of which were things fueled by a simple carnal desire, the pirate slipped on his red tricorne hat and tipped it down to keep the wind of his eyes and pucked the bottle of rum hanging from his side and took a heavy swig. "I'm hopin' what you said about this city is true, brotha." Edward muttered to himself.

"IRACOT AHOY, PREPARE FOR HALF-SAIL!" Bucko screamed into the empty wind behind them.

Perched over the Guilds Ward proper was another Airship; one of the very few in Iracot's fleet of Merchant and War ships, it was the Begreaved Welcome. Formerly the sole Magistrate of the Guilds Ward, Frederick Greaves had taken the unorthodox decision to allow his adventurous and roguish brother take the role with him in a joint fashion; now, he had command of his own Airship, and a mighty one at that.

It was a twin balloon vessel, adorned in all the livery of Iracot, and possessed of only a few point defense Flak cannons, mostly for defense against the errant Dragon, Gryphon, or small Pirate ship. Her true capabilities were in the cargo hold. The hull of the ship was quite large, capable of carrying several tonnes of goods. Her small retinue of supporting Frigates were scattered around the skies of Iracot.

The Captain and Magistrate himself was standing on the bridge, peering at the approaching Kennel Dog through an eyeglass. It was with mixed feelings that he welcomed his brother back to the City proper. While he, too, had just recently flown back in- Just missed the ceremony and all the grim drudgery that accompanied it- he was keen on giving his brother the welcome he deserved.

Collapsing the eyeglass, he clips it back to his hat- and a favorite one of his it was- and walks, without haste, to the main deck. He had replaced one of his Flak cannons with a hastily rigged Harpoon gun. His ship was much larger than the Kennel Dog, and so, it would be easy enough to pull with her powerful engines.

His First Mate, a man by the name of Mathazar, was waiting near the Harpoon holding a loudspeaker. The grizzled old man had been conned into joining Frederick's crew when he decided to build his airship, and he had served more or less dutifully ever since, or as dutifully as a former pirate ever might.

Taking the loudspeaker, he waits a few minutes as the old ship of his Brother comes close enough to shout at. Then, he does just so; "Kennel Dog! Prepare to be boarded!"

Mathazar had already manned and prepared the Harpoon gun, and fires it directly at the hull of the Privateer ship ahead.

Edward flinched at the sound of crunching wood, taking another swig of rum and throwing the bottle behind his back as he spun the wheel in the opposite direction the harpoon had come from, pulling against the rope like a fish on a hook. The Kennel Dog responded well to his piloting and it swung around to bring its spiked metal ram to bear as it was pulled in.

"Prepare fur' boardin'!" Edward yelled at his crew, flourishing with his arm as one of his crew dived into the deck, coming back up with a box of flintlock rifles and passing it to the waiting crew along with a few loads. The crew shoved metal balls into the barrels and started to run to the front of the ship and take positions behind the ram, using the edges to prop up rifles.

"What the bloody fuckin' hell is this?" One of the pirates whispered to another. "Captain said e' got his brother safe travel here, said we ain't hoistin' the colors anymore." "Haha, our captain? Bloody fuckin' not." "Aye, aye, but seeing as we gettin boarded..." "Yah', time to bloody some timber."

Edward pulled the pistol from his waist and locked the wheel in place. Edward looked down the barrel, blew down it and casually leaned against the wheel, folding his arms and using it to brace the pistol. "You hid the rum, Bucko?" Edward asked Bucko. "Aye aye, captain." Bucko replied, bracing his rifle against the railing infront of the wheel.

Edward liked to be heavy handed with things.

Frederick had waited a few moments before he realized the Kennel Dog was fighting him. Not unexpected, of course, but he didn't expect his brother to aim the Ram at him.

Flicking out his eyeglass once again, Frederick pauses. "Is he..." he shakes his head slowly, seeing the men on the opposing ship readying rifles. Well, two could play at that game.

"Mathazar, haul them in carefully. Try not to rip the mount off," he orders casually. The rigged weapon was already tilting somewhat against the force of the opposing ship's pull. Activating the hoist, the rope begins to recede, slowly, bringing the two ships closer.

Walking away from Mathazar, Frederick starts ordering his own crew. "Man the Flak cannons! Take defensive positions! Pilots, to your stations! I want all hands ready for action," he shouts commandingly. Stopping one of the Loaders, he adds swiftly, "Load the paint rounds." The man nods and gets the guns ready with the rest of the crew.

Standing on the bow of the ship, which would be headed counter-clockwise in relation to the Kennel Dog, he shouts across the way again via the Loudspeaker. "Submit your ship to me, Brother!" Then, to his own men; "Fire!"

The three Flak cannons on the Port side of the Begreaved Welcome begin belting out rounds towards the Kennel Dog. While normally such a barrage of fire might give a Captain pause, this was no ordinary assault.

Detonating near or into the hull of the Kennel Dog were light-damage Paint shells, painting the privateer ship all manner of colors ranging from dark blue to vivid pink. They would do little to no damage to a ship's hull plating, but if one actually managed to impact a human being they would likely have a very bad day.

Lorraine groaned on board the Kennel Dog. There was far too much noise and it was interrupting her beauty sleep! For Lorraine this was highly unacceptable. She threw the sheets off of her body and clothed herself (mostly). Red hair flying behind her, Lorraine stalked to the deck and pointed an accusing finger at Edward Greaves, the captain of the Kennel Dog.

But before Lorraine could say anything more a splash of vividly pink paint splattered her from head to foot. She gasped and held out her arms away from her body. She had not directly been hit but the woman had been close enough to catch the flak.

A string of curses left her mouth in a foreign tongue. She wheeled around and stared death at the other captain of the opposing ship, Frederick Greaves, the brother of Edward Greaves. Lorraine shouted the same foreign curses at him in a voice that carried easily across the cacophony of noise.

She didn't stop shouting until there was no more air in her lungs and her face turned red... beneath the pink paint.

It had been the two brothers that bought out Lorraine's debt to Shiabiaan. She was thankful to them, truly, but this was an outrage! The two brothers' games were going to drive her to madness.

One of the pirates ran over to the side of the ship as they were thundered with the flak cannon, leaning off it and throwing sick down onto whatever poor piece of land lay beneath the practice dueling ships. The captain of the Kennel Dog did a double take on his intrepid new crew member shouting curses at him.

Edward lifted up his arms in surrender. "Wot'? Oh. Right." The captain spun the wheel to tilt the ram away from the Begreaved Welcome as they clunked together side-by-side. The pirates on either side looked at each-other, taking time to laugh at their paint-soaked comrades, most of the mirth avoided Lorraine, as most of the crew did not want to experience what their captain had received.

"Parlay for now, brotha'!" Edward yelled, taking the ship's sail to a complete stop and danced down the stairs to face his brother on the side of the ship and standby Lorraine. Edward turned to face his crewmember, his face hadn't changed from his roguish smile, like this was the most natural thing in the world to be woken up to.

"I suppose yed' be expecting us to stop then, captain?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow and a voice that dripped with sarcasm. The captain hoped she hadn't cursed them with her demon tongue, just like his crew he had a deep seated pirate belief in the supernatural.

The crew of the Kennel Dog begun to wave towards the other crew in a friendly fashion, leaning on their prospective rifles that were still loaded with deadly musket shot, not that the other crew needed to know.

When the two ships had come to a stop- relatively speaking that is, they were still very much mobile in the air, the collision bringing them flying over the city, despite the stalled engines.

There was a tense moment while the two crews stared across the small gap, until Mathazar had fully winched the ships together with the harpoon. Then, the crew of the Begreaved Welcome burst into laughter. Many of them had been former crewmen of Edwards, 'gifted' over to Frederick's ship when it was finished, so there was little animosity between the crews- only a healthy rivalry.

Striding easily across the gap and onto the Kennel Dog, Frederick opens his arms wide to receive Edward. "Aye Brother Edward, Parlay!" He laughs, pulling him into an embrace.

Of course, he had his knife out. One did not simply hug a 'Privateer' Brother or no. He left it sheathed and simply prodded the man in the back, gently. If he knew his Brother, he had probably done the same. It was practically ritual.

Peering over his brother's shoulder, Frederick smiles to Lorraine. "And a warm welcome to you as well," he says genially, practically ignoring her foul mouth. She'd forget about it as soon as she got a real bath, away from all the stinking Privateers.

"Oui, oui," Lorraine said in her clipped tone of voice. The woman waved a pink hand at the both of them. She did not understand these pirates, or whatever they had called themselves; privateers.

"You owe me a new coat and dress," Lorraine stated as she attempted to remove the paint off of her body. "I 'ave no more clean clothes! You 'ave ruined my last good pair!" The woman made a frustrated sound and made her fingers into claws to choke an invisible person. It most likely was Frederick Lorraine was envisioning since he was the man with the paint. Then again his brother may have been the one to instigate the entire pseudo-battle!

"No," she said crossing her arms in front of her. "I change mind. I do not vant your argent. Get me off zee ship. Now!"

The woman calmed herself down and took a deep breath. Lorraine walked over to the two brothers and put on her best charm. For years Lorraine had been Shiabiann's best woman until she wanted that disgusting Elana Ightlor woman! Hmph! It was difficult for a man to resist Lorraine but recently the woman seemed to be losing her touch.

"Monsieurs Greaves, it is not good for someone like me to be on a ship. Hm? Zee men... zee way I am looked at... I do not feel safe." Lorraine pouted and fluttered the long lashes that lined her golden eyes.

The brothers did indeed exchange their hug, the dagger was there and there was a pistol he hadn't holstered he rapped against his brothers back. Edward quickly holstered it after and put his boot on the edge as he turned to face the distraught foreign woman that they'd saved who was more trouble than she was worth.

Edward put on a mocked stunned face. "My crew? Eyes fur a beautiful woman? Never!" Edward didn't bother explaining that the vessel they were standing on had participated in frequent raids on towns in the past, the implications might be a bit much for the redheaded fury. "Right boys?" Edward asked his crew, throwing his arms out in a questioning gesture. "Aye!" The crew echoed back, in a tuneless fashion.

The captain took off his hat and passed it to one of the crew members to stow. Edward was an in expert in refusing charm that wasn't of the bodily kind, but he wasn't an asshole, well he was, just not to women, okay some women, only the ugly ones. "We can dock with the city and get you off the ship, right brotha'?"

Edward lifted his hand to cover his mouth and whispered to his brother. "What the fuck kind of word is argent?"

Frederick turns towards Lorraine as well, and bows deeply. It was mostly mocking, but he did have some respect for the woman, strange though she was.

"Where are our manners," he says, agreeing with Edward. "We'll see to it that you are escorted off this junker immediately." He rights himself and turns to shout at his crew, whispering in response to Edward as he does so; "No idea. I'll look it up when we get home."

He'd learned a few of the woman's more eccentric words, but there were many he hadn't really bothered to memorize.

"Men," he shouts across to his ship, "Let's pull our comrades to the Spire!" With a final grin to Edward and a brief, brotherly slug on the shoulder, he jumps back across to his ship- just as the engines roar back to life and the two of them begin the slow movement towards the Spire, the Airship dock that their father had built in the midst of the Guilds Ward.

Two of the God-Queen's Skyborne Knights had responded to the sound of the cannons firing over Iracot. Mounted on their powerful Wyverns, the two alone, while not much of a threat, would possibly be able to damage the Airships- if nothing else destroying the balloons themselves.

When they had seen the flag of the Magistrates, however, the Knights simply fly into audible range. "Hail, Magistrates," one of them shouts; Cyrus Avalant, one of those more loyal to the Magistrate cadre. "Do you require our assistance," he asks, stifling the roar of his Wyvern as it brings him to a hovering halt off of the Kennel Dog's starboard side. He wouldn't dare land on a Magistrate's ship without permission.

With him was Martellus, flying a patrol route around the two ships, as if expecting some trouble. After everything that had occurred the previous day, the Skyborne- who had been ordered grounded during the festival for reasons unknown- were out in full force. Dragons and Gryphons would not be able to approach Iracot unseen, now.

"Merci beaucoup, Monsieurs," Lorraine said to the brothers. She had gotten what she wanted and that was always a beautiful thing for a woman like Lorraine. The woman attempted to throw her luxurious red hair over her shoulder but seeing as it was still covered in paint, the hair just flopped instead of flip. This irritated Lorraine even more.

Lorraine went into another tirade of foreign curses until the beat of wings distracted her attention. Skybournes. She attempted to brush back her viciously vivid pink hair and plumped up her bosom. It was always a joy for Lorraine to toy with the Knights. They of all people had been her best patrons when she was in the service of Shiabiann. Though it was not just the lust games Lorraine enjoyed the Knights.

Lorraine Morellus was one of the most notorious, infamous, and wanted people in all of Iracot, but they had no idea.

In Iracot there is an underground society and blackmarket ran beneath the streets of the guild ward. The Fortis Lupos, a werewolf clan, runs the black market. When the clan was first formed and the black market started, the Fortis Lupos used their 'gifts' in order to dig an expansive tunnel system beneath the very streets of Iracot. Those tunnels are rumored to run through all of Viridian and even past Viridian's magical borders into Sharakzah.

For generations the God-Queen's Knights have been attempted to capture the ring leader and Sacrifice that person but Lorraine had never been caught.

A triumphant smile spread across her lips before she called out to the knights, "Hail the God-Queen and may She live until the End of Eternity, Skybournes!" The temporarily-pink-haired woman waved and blew the knights kisses.

The Kennel Dog buckled against the Begreaved Welcome as they changed their sails to dock with the Spire. The Kennel Dog's sails atop the air ballon suddenly flared out in a brillant cloud-dissipating move as rope pulleys were moved and tied to various wooden blocks around the deck and various privateers scampered up rope meshes, some even looked very alarmed when the wyverns came up to the two airships. Edward brushed his windswept hair out of his face and did a double take on the dragons and then to his brother. "They your men, brotha?"

Frederick had turned to gaze at the two Knights as they flew up to the ships; he'd never been over fond of the Knights, but most of the Skyborne were alright. "Not expressely," he replies to Edward. "Though we do pay them," he adds. Turning towards them fully, he raises a hand. "Ho there, Skyborne! We do not require assistance right at this juncture, but perhaps you would escort us to the Spire!" He liked exercising his power on the occasion, and this was one of the smaller ways to do so. Looking towards his brother, he grins and whispers. "Why don't you order them about while I see to our guests' needs." He then walks back across the small gap between the two ships, towards Lorraine.

Edward grins, his jagged canines protruding though his smile, almost vampire-like. Though he certainly wasn't a vampire, although were rumors of some anchient vampire pirate lord that patrolled the seas, that wasn't him neither. Edward took a step on the railing and gave the knights a good look-over. "Mateys, take a break and park those wyverns on the Begreaved Welcome over there, I ain't havin' no dragon shit on my deck. We've got mead for the both of you, and I need you two to hm... Fill me in what happened, best get the bloody news from the source, aye?" If Edward ever knew what honor was, he still would offer them rum on duty.

Edward also offered them a hand as he leaned over the ship, using one of his feet to tie himself into a mesh so he woudn't fall off. "Edward! Captain of the Kennel Dog!"

Having crossed back to the Kennel Dog and made his way to Lorraine, Frederick was about to offer her a cabin on his vessel; it was, after all, marginally nicer. Edward, however, had just offered the Knights a landing zone. This made sense, given what his ship was built to do, but it still irked him slightly. He wouldn't have the Lady be around such beasts. Instead, he shifts gears and takes her hand, wiping some of the paint off and kissing it in a gentlemanly fashion. "My apologies for the mess, Lady Morellus. I'll make it up to you," he says, charmingly. His Brother could deal with the formalities with the Knights.

Cyrus was still hovering off the side of the Deck while taking in everything going on ahead of him. Turning his attention away from the conversing Magistrates, he looks to see Lorraine praising the God-Queen for their benefit.

He was familiar with the woman; he'd visited her on a few occasions, when she worked with Shiabiann. He didn't flatter himself with the notion that she would remember him; even were he not in his armor and just another of many Knights who likely sought her attentions in those days, she was now the personal consort to Two Magistrates, which he simply could not compete with.

Regardless, he gives her a salute of thanks for her patronage to their Queen.

He returns his attention towards the Magistrates, then. One of them had ordered they guide them to the Spire, while the other commanded they take a break. The former was appealing to his sense of duty, but... it wasn't often one got the chance to socialize with a Magistrate, even if it was in passing.

He was familiar with Frederick. He had seen him a few times, usually in passing going into or out of the Pleasure district. As a Skyborne, that was usually about as much contact he got with anyone outside the Knights.

The other man was less familiar, though he knew of him; the infamous brother-Magistrate, a supposed rogue of the High Skies. It was surprising to see him back in Iracot.

Cyrus was further surprised- and honored- when the man deigned to go through a personal hardship simply to shake the hovering Knight's hand. Cyrus was quick to respond to the gesture, taking the grasp firmly and urging his mount forward slightly, so as to not risk pulling the man overboard. "Cyrus Avalant, Skyborne of Iracot," he replies, his voice booming.

Releasing the grasp, he flutters away from the flying ships and gestures for his fellow Knight to form up with him, and the two of them swoop in to land on the larger Begreaved Welcome.

In the morning, activity in- and over Iracot was intense with holy purpose.

The Knights had not been idle during the night, prowling the streets for gatherings of dissent. A few homes had been broken into, their occupants taken for questioning by the Knight's Inquisition. Many would be found innocent- simply having been holding parties- but others would be less lucky.

By morning, the Knights had returned to their regular routines, watching key transit points, crossroads, and patrolling the districts, from the seediest to the most honored alike. Those of the ground would receive little notice, their actions more or less standard.

In the skies, however, were where the true might of Iracot was in force. The battle between the Dragoon beast and the two escapee's weaker creatures had been seen by many, and thoughts of dissent could not be brewed from it. The Knights, ordered grounded during the Sacrifice, were now out in force. The Skyborne, Wyvern mounted Knights of the highest caliber, patrolled the skies.

Unrelated, but seemingly another show of aerial power, was the arrival of Iracot's Airship fleet. A mock battle had been heard by all below, the resounding boom of cannons going off, before the two ships had docked and began to head towards the Spire at the center of the Guilds ward.

The Knights- and by extension Iracot- would not be caught unawares again.

Lorraine was no lady and did not deserve the proprieties of one. She looked at Frederick curiously as he kissed her hand. He was a charming man but Lorraine did not easily swoon. She seemed distracted as well.

"Oui," the woman said curtly. And then Lorraine took her hand back and made her way toward Frederick's ship. She was unafraid to cross between the two ships. There was a grace about Lorraine that seemed odd, almost unnatural as she hurtled over the two railings.

Lorraine landed on the Begreaved Welcome and made directly for Cyrus Avalant. "Take off zee 'elmet!" the woman demanded from the knight. She, as a once whore of Shiabiaan, had no right to demand anything from the knights. And yet, there Lorraine was commanding him around as if she owned him.

"I know eet is you. Take eet off!" Lorraine said, standing at the side of his mount, waiting for Cyrus to dismount.

Oh, she remembered him. And possibly not for pleasant reasons.

Edward grinned, it was no hardship to cling to a flying ship and then climbed back aboard as deftly as he had tied himself into the ropes that adorned either side of the ship, just in time to witness Lorraine hassle the knight he had planned to get to know, the pirate unhooked the bottle of rum off his belt once more and took a heavy swig, drizzling some if in his beard and wiping it away lazily with the cuff of his overcoat.

Bucko, his third-in-command ran up to him and offered him a sheathed sword with a solid gold buskethilt inscribed with an ugly dog face. The pirate took it and tied the sword around his waist and took another swig. "For a good image, captain. If you don't mind sayin so's is this is the business we'r into, captin?" Bucko asked Edward with a concerned face, showing off some his silver tipped teeth. "Aye aye, Bucko. We don't have to fight for our whores and loot now, but let me tell you, the sooner I get back into the ocean, I'll be much happier."

The captain started to stride across the deck and jumped the gap. "Never knew a lady of the night would be so much trouble, brotha' that lady be also lookin' at that fine article of a knight, think she actually knows e'?" Edward asked as he stepped next to his brother and offered him a swig of his rum.

"What have ye been doin' with these swabs, brotha?"

Frederick turns and watches as Lorraine flits past him onto his ship, heading for the recently landed Knights. He makes a 'tut' noise, crossing his arms as he watches her go. "Haven't seen the blasted woman in so many months and hardly even a proper welcome," he laments as his brother walks up to him. "You must have stolen her heart," he jokes, grinning at the man.

"She probably does, given how she's reacting. Either that or she just loves the shine of their armor," he adds, relaxing somewhat and taking a good drink of the rum; he coughs as he hands it back. "Augh! Putting gunpowder in it again," he asks, only half joking before he lowers his voice. "They guard the city from undesirables like yourself," he mutters, endearingly. "Apparently we missed quite the party yesterday. Maybe we can get the other Knight to open up about it," he adds, gesturing to the other one, Martellus.


The crew of the Begreaved Welcome was less than thrilled about having the Wyverns on their landing deck, what with them being large, mobile, and generally not happy in the relative confines beneath a balloon.

The two Knights had landed in short order, the larger of the two beasts, ridden by Martellus, at the front of the ship, while Cyrus landed his nearer to the middle. Just before jumping down and preparing to walk to meet the Magistrates, he is stopped by the voluptuous woman bearing down upon him.

He thought he could see a fury in her eyes, and wondered if perhaps the Knights had slighted her in some way during her transition from Pleasure Girl to Magistrate's pet. It didn't matter too much; he doubted the Magistrates would allow her to try harming him... not that he would, either.

Jumping down beside her with a trained ease, he stands to his full height and removes his helmet, looking every bit the powerful mounted Knight he was. "As you wish," he says in reply to her demands, looking her in the eye. He places his helmet in the crook of his arm, keeping watchful.


Further down, Martellus was greeting the wary crewmen. "Hail, men of Iracot," he says in a boisterous voice. Many of the Skyborne had deep, powerful voices, that they might communicate with one another during battle. He then remains relatively quiet, waiting for a reason that they were aboard the vessels, rather than guarding them to the Spire. Not that they needed guarding, he thought. Not yet.

"You!" Lorraine said, poking the knight in the chest, not that he could feel it but it made her feel better. It seemed while Cyrus did not believe that the woman would remember him, she did. Lorraine had remembered Cyrus very well after spending their first evening in the Pleasure Ward.

The woman's golden eyes narrowed dangerously and she got as close to Cyrus's face as she could. There was not an inch left between his chest and Lorraine's plump one.

"You put me out of work for three," she held up three fingers close to his eye, "count, un, deux, trois days!" And then unexpectedly Lorraine slapped the man across his naked face. But before Cyrus could react to it, the woman grabbed his face and planted a fierce kiss on his lips. She made it as passionate of a kiss as he would allow and for as long as she could before he either pushed her away or until she ran out of breath.