Adventure on the High Seas!

The sun was high, and the wind was from the east. The smell of salt and surf whipped over the deck from poop to beak as the sails flapped and fluttered. High above the crow's nest the keening of Albatross mixes with the sound of the waves and the creaking of the Galleon, The Castle of the Seas.

Inside the Navigation room the sunlight poured in through the grimy glass panes on the aft of the cabin, illuminating the figures who stood inside. The helmsman, Alessia, was listening intently to the directions being given to her by the navigator, Valerina.

Alessia was dressed sensibly, hair in a messy bun supported by a ribbon that managed the dirty locks of brown hair. Her clothing showed signs of wear and salt air, but still clung to her form closely, revealing a modest figure that had long since become accustomed to the rhythm of the sea. Her arms were tanned and strongly built, with hands weathered by years at the wheel of vessels just like the Castle, though her shirt revealed fairer skin as she leaned forward asking questions of the course set before them, the loosely hanging shirt revealing . She bore darkened spectacles, held to her face by thin wires of brass which framed her face nicely, while serving the purpose of blocking the glare from the seas and the open skies above.

Valerina, by contrast kept her hair down, obscuring her face with her white hair which caught the diffuse light of the sun and seemed to glow ever so slightly. She was dressed far more conservatively, bundled in multiple layers to resist the damp chill that filled the cabins below deck at night. Even now, as the sun climbed high into the sky she kept her face bundled in the scarf she wore around her neck.

At the head of the table, their passenger for the voyage stood, silently observing their argument regarding the route they should take towards their destination. He was tall and shrouded by shadows, both natural and unnatural. His face was obscured by darkness cast from within his hood, and his body was mostly covered with robes and chains. The robes fluttered slightly as the sea breeze drifted in through the seams in the doorframe and his eyes glowed like the reflection of a full moon upon a still sea. with his left hand, he was stroking the region of darkness under his hood where his chin should be, and with his right he held an old wooden crook, from which hung a battered brass lantern, lit by a pale orange flame.

"-and I'm telling you there's no way that the wind is going to hold for long enough to make that idiotic course around Serpent's Maw. I say we just trim the sails and break for the reef on the other side." Alessia argued, tracing a line across a region on the sea chart that had been labeled with a sea serpent's mouth.

"Just because you think you can navigate those waters safely, and that you won't run us aground on that reef, doesn't mean that it's a wise decision to make such a risky maneuver when we can just have Raddie provide us with the wind we need to keep our speed and our schedule." Valerina retorted, swatting at Alessia's hand with a ruler on the map, tracing the alternate route around the Serpent's Maw.

Suddenly the two turned towards the hooded figure in their midst, who stepped back with surprise at their glares.

"Well Warden? It's your coin. Would you rather take the safer, slower path and pay more or would you rather take the faster-" Valerina began.

"And more fun!~" Alessia interrupted

"-And more dangerous route." Valerina finished, swatting Alessia again with the ruler.

The Warden seemed to ponder their question for a moment before joining the discussion himself.

•          •          •

While the discussion on what their course should be continued within the navigation room, the rest of the ship was buzzing with activity. The women of the Castle were constantly busy, each performing their duties with jokes and a cheery attitude, even as they came into the occasional conflict & disagreement. And so the ship sailed on without much incident through the day, and when evening came the crew retired below deck to eat and drink and unwind from the day's labors.

"Come on Raddie-chan! Show us a trick!" one of the drunken women shouted, to a resounding cheer from the others. The catgirl's ears drooped a bit as she reached for her staff with a sigh.

"The Arcane arts are not toys, they're the basis of-" She began to complain, before the Captain shoved the opening of an old bottle of rum in her mouth and tilted it up towards the roof of the berth with a loud laugh. Laughter which was returned from the rest of the crew as the catgirl gagged and coughed when the bottle was withdrawn.

"Rampa-sama! You know I hate it when-" Her complaints were interrupted by a loud hiccup as her cheeks began to flush with color, "-When you do things like that!" She pouted

"Come along kitten," The older woman said, scratching Raddie under the chin and pulling her to her feet, "The girls want a show!" she exclaimed as the other sailors erupted with cheers.

Led by the catgirl mage and the tall captain the majority of the crew to the main deck above for a demonstration, leaving a small group of the crew to remain, sitting around the table with the Warden playing dice. As the hands were played and coin was waged, a large bottle of dark rum was passed from person to person, each taking a swig and declaring their hands.

"You're full of shit Erika! There's no way you have a full set of sixes in that cup!" Mikaela declared through a heavy slur.

"Fight me you slant-eyed fuck!" Erika responded, lifting her cup from the table and revealing five sixes.

"You cheating whore!" Mikaela screeched as she leapt over the table and pounced upon her opponent, knocking the table over and sending dice spilling all over the floorboards.

As the pair began their scuffle at their feet, Nyx stood up from the floor, nearly having to bend at the waist with her head and shoulders scraping along the roof and approached the still seated Warden, who was still not accustomed to his boisterous companions despite having been sailing with them towards his next destination for some months now. The 15 foot amazon was covered in tribal tattoos that formed intricate sigils and shapes upon her darkly tanned skin and rippling muscles, even going so far as to create a stylized heart over her plunging cleavage.

"While those two are otherwise occupied..." The amazon said quietly, running an oversized finger along the Warden's chest

"Leave the spook alone Nyxie," Tanya said, tossing an empty bottle at the Amazon, "Remember what happened last time you tried to get off while we were at sea? Damn near capsized us." She said, lying down in her hammock between two of the cannons.

The amazon frowned but also withdrew from the hooded figure, who seemed ready to reply when the sound of a massive explosion rocked the ship and sent the entire crew rushing for the main deck, weapons drawn. However instead of an enemy ambush, what they found was Raddie standing in the middle of the crew that had pressured her to the surface moments earlier. Around her feet glowed the arcane runes that accompanied magical energies, and the flames of the enchanted torches on the ship shone brightly as they were siphoned to the point of her staff before being released into the night sky above the ship, exploding into glowing sparks and dazzling displays of color. Animated figures dueled on the backdrop of stars and fantastic beasts roared through the air, swooping low to the sails as they plunged into the sea where they were extinguished.

And so the night continued, with drinking and revelry as the girls partied into the night.

•          •          •

The following morning was filled with the sounds of groaning and further drinking as the girls hurried to restore their buzz before the hangover could start. The sea had grown restless as they had drifted overnight, and the sky had become grey and cloudy. A chill wind blew from the west and the girls worked quickly to restore their bearing along the great sea. From the crow's nest, Colometa called down to the crew below.

"Sail ho!" She cried, her single eye gazing through the spyglass at the horizon, where the masts of a battered frigate could be seen approaching. The ship leapt to action, as the girls prepared the cannons below deck and the captain drew a spyglass of her own to examine the spotted vessel. The ship was battered and badly damaged, with tattered sails and flags. She looked like she had seen both combat and storm and was barely staying afloat.

"Looks like they've letters to send home." Rampa said, closing the spyglass and signaling to Alessia to intersect the passing ship's wake.

"Reef the sails! Ready the nets!" She ordered, and the girls leapt to work, hands long since memorized their tasks.

As the girls fished the barrel out of the frigate's wake, Colometa again cried out to the captain.

"Captain! She's coming about!" She exclaimed from her lofty post. Turning to see what more the ship could want, Rampa drew her spyglass but stopped dead. The wind had turned icy and the distant rumble of thunder could be heard. What had once been a cloudy day was now filled with dark storm clouds, the thunderhead billowing up from behind the frigate as though the gale was being brought on by the craft. Rampa's eyes went wide as she screamed.

"All hands on deck! Batton down the hatches! Alessia turn this ship around and make for the Serpent's Maw! Raddie ready wards and defensive spells! Gunners to the stern! Ready the cannons!"

The Warden, roused from his rest, ran to the deck to see what was the commotion even as the sailors roughly rushed past him to carry out the captain's orders. Calls and orders were shouted from crewmate to crewmate as the ship began to adjust its course even as a frigid rain began to pelt the deck and the waters became increasingly more violent

"Captain, what of the ship that's out there? Are we going to just leave them to this gale?" Treya asked, loading the twin cannons that lined the railing of the poop deck.

"Scupper that! That ghostly ship is hunting us! She's bringing on the gale!" Rampa replied, throwing her captain's coat to the deck and rushing to assist her crew.

The ship lurched forward as she caught the winds of the storm and the masts groaned from the force of the gale. The thunder growled like demons and lighting stabbed into the waves. Despite the best efforts of the crew, the storm and the Beast drew ever closer. The rain and the winds crashed and battered the ship as the crew desperately clung to their posts, each sailor knew there would be no survival if they lost their grip. A massive wave crested ahead of them and the galleon was flung into the trough below. The crew was violently thrown, sliding across the deck as they scrambled to catch rigging or netting even as Raddie took her position behind the helm, gazing out into the storm that was bearing down on them. Stumbling as the ship rocketed back up from the sea, she found herself stabilized from behind by the hand of the Warden, who had joined her at the stern of the craft. Together they lifted their staffs and intoned various incantations, her shining red runes intermingling with the pale green of the Warden. The air behind the ship shimmered as wards began to manifest, shielding the ship from mystical assaults. The final word was spoken not a minute too soon as huge blasts of fire were launched from the deck of the cursed ship in pursuit of the Castle. The rain was briefly evaporated as these fireballs erupted against the wards that defended the ship.

"Are we just going to let them have their way with us girls?!" Rampa exclaimed, sword drawn and pointed back towards the chasing vessel.

"Man the cannons! Blow the man down!"

"Aye captain!" the girls cried as the gunners and their powder monkeys took up their positions, firing shot after shot of thunderous cannon fire back towards their pursuers.

"Captain! Maw ahead!" Exclaimed Alessia, pointing towards a swirling whirlpool, hundreds of feet across with water whipping around a space of relative calm. As the Castle drew closer, the space in the center of the whirlpool writhed and a massive sea serpent erupted from within the swirling vortex.

"Alessia! The helm is yours!" Rampa exclaimed, a wild grin on her face that was matched by the manic smile on the helmsman's own.

"Hoist the sails! Bring them taut! Bottle this storm girls!" screamed Alessia over the din of the storm and the roar of the flames at the ship's stern. The crew rushed to carry out the orders and the timbers of the vessel shivered as the wind threatened to snap the mast beneath its fury. The serpent ahead climbed higher into the sky, eyes flashing with a golden shine, bright as two lighthouses and clear as day through the storm, even as the serpent's body was lost in the downpour that was surrounding the Castle. As Alessia brought the ship into the thrashing waves of the Serpent's Maw the screams of the crew drowned out all other noises; the screech of the great serpent, the deafening howl of the wind, the thunder and clap of cannons as well as the explosions of hellfire that chased them. Each sailor willed the ship forward, knowing what was at stake.

"Reef the sails!" Alessia ordered, as she pointed the ship into the current of the whirlpool. The ship began to list towards the serpent, which shifted its gaze from the Castle to the Beast that gave chase.

"Raddie! Do something gods damn it!" Ghartrid shouted, arms bulging with the effort of keeping the lines taut and her feet planted on the slick wood of the deck. Struck by a moment's inspiration, the Catgirl glanced at the Warden, who nodded and planted his staff forcefully before them and raised his hands. Pale green lights flickered into view around him as his eyes shone brightly. The ward that Raddie had supported faded as a new one comprised of the lights rushed to fill the gap, and Raddie chanted a different incantation, preparing for the next volley to strike. As the flames leapt across the gap, her magic flared and the flames transformed into massive pyrotechnic dragons that flew into the face of the serpent. The roaring screech of pain and rage from the serpent was deafening as the monster plunged towards the Beast that had launched the assault. Its jaws unhinged as it dove deep under the waves and the pursuing ship vanished from view.

"Raise sails!" Alessia shouted, and again the crew raced to catch the wind while the serpent was distracted. Catching the gale once more and riding the current from the Serpent's Maw, the Castle was launched out of the whirlpool and directly towards the reef beyond. Undeterred Alessia deftly directed the ship through an opening in the natural break. Behind them the Beast erupted from beneath the waves, trapped by the reef, and all aboard could hear the screams of rage from the spectral crew that had lost their prey.

And so, the Castle raced free from the edge of the storm and into the clear sunlight beyond. The ship and every single soul aboard was soaked to the bone, worse than a drowned rat, but all hands had made it through. A cheer went up from the deck as the barrels of rum were cracked open and celebratory libations drawn.

"That was incredible Raddie!" Cried Ghartrid. The orc lifted the smaller woman and the Warden could hear the bones of the weary catgirl cracking in the embrace of her comrade.

"Let go of me you big green idiot." Raddie choked out with what little air she could manage.

"What even was inside the barrel they baited us with?" Hoke asked, bringing out a hammer curiously.

"Do we really even want to know?" Asked Lena, eyeing the container warily.

"I vote we just throw it overboard." said Tanya, and so the girls voted, choosing to open the old rotten wood of the barrel as, "Even if it's a bad idea, when has that ever stopped us before?"

Inside were old, moldy parchments that had been sent decades and even centuries earlier, and so the crew decided that the most respectful thing they could do would be to release these forgotten dreams and messages to the beyond, pouring out offerings of their rum before setting the whole cask ablaze and throwing it overboard.

"And now, we party!" Cried Rampa, a bottle in each hand. The cry was taken up by the crew and the party lasted until the next morning.

•          •          •

The Castle continued her voyage, but that tale will be told in its entirety some other day.