• Solo • The Ballad of Captain Fenix

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Kalortah
Approved Character
Posts: 609
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 12:37 am
Race: Mortal Born
Profession: Voice of Calamity
Renown: 590
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Wealth Tier: Tier 10

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The Ballad of Captain Fenix

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45th of Ashan 721

Although it was certainly a bit of luck, it was almost a bit creepy the way that Professor Ilpa had more or less gravitated toward assigning Kalortah to partner up with another avriel. The avriel woman, Kelaeno, was Ilpa’s favorite student after Kalortah himself.

Ilpa stood together with them, at the end of the selection for the other students, as they dispersed into the Scholars Nook to find research material that they could form their own songs from. She beamed from Kelaeno, to Kalortah, and almost seemed misty today. ”You two look so beautiful together. I’d almost keep you in a cage together until you both make a beautiful egg-baby avriel for me! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a little chick around? Tweeting in the most beautiful voice of both mother and father?” Kalortah’s fury rose to the surface, and he wanted to demand and ask if she’d lost her wits, suggesting such a thing.

While Kelaeno was certainly an attractive avriel, Kalortah did not have to consort with her, just because she was avriel. They were not animals to be paired and rutted for the amusement of lesser beings! He was about to tell her as much in certain terms, when Kelaeno grabbed him by the arm, perhaps seeing his fury before it boiled to the surface. ”Thank you Professor! It’ll be much easier task with your two best students on it together! Let’s go Kalortah?”

Having been mollified, for the moment, Kalortah backed down his furious impulse, and nodded. Ilpa squealed in delight as they went off to the depths of the Scholar’s Nook, to find the right book to make a song from. It was a strange task, to be sure, and one he didn’t quite know where to begin. Obviously they weren’t expected to find a book full of songs. That would have made the task too easy, and arguably felt like it would’ve been cheating. Kalortah was well capable of writing his own songs, thank you very much!

Kelaeno pointed toward one section of books, toward the corner, and nodded. ”You check that spot out, Kal, and we’ll spread out to make some ground.” SO saying, the blue-green avriel woman sauntered off on her own search, from the other end of the book stacks, leaving Kalortah to his devices. Kalortah went into the corner, sniffing in the dust briefly before coughing lightly. He thumbed through the tomes idly, reading the spines, and trying to see if anything jumped out at him. They all read very dry and simple like textbook titles, or else banal like the description of a lurid romance novel.

His search took him from one stack to another, and another, before he settled on a rather grand-looking book, with fancy binding and silver leaf lettering. This he took in hand, and curious opened up, only to find on it a bunch of blank pages. Had someone left their journal here, by accident?

He continued flipping through the pages, until something strange happened. Letters began forming at all different points of the pages. They danced and coalesced until they formed language that he could understand. It was written in common, but with straight columns that he was used to reading in Avrielic script. What on Idalos?

He took the book, and settled down to examine it further, bringing it to the table to see what he could make of it. Over the pages, long strings of sentences, some not making sense, and others bearing the trappings of complete lucidity were splayed out before him. He thought he could almost see images within the closed loops of certain characters. His finger traced these letters and words, at which point a image played into his mind, full of sound and vivid color and movement, and voice over narration…



Captain Fenix of Chrien’s Saber sailed the Hollow sea, in search of plunder. The wind blew his glorious mane behind him, and his large red and orange feathers rustled in the breeze. He wore a very impressive gambeson and coat of velvet, tooled with cloth of gold details and trimmings. Tassels were all evident at the hem of his garments, giving him a very impressive golden aura as he stood at the wheel of his magnificent ship.

Captain Fenix of course was the envy of all pirate lords in Scalvoris. Not only for his superior breeding as an avriel, but also was rumored to be the chosen one of Zanik, god of music, strength, and seduction. Every port Fenix traveled, he had a lady love waiting for him. Every Inn welcomed him with open arms, a free pint, and a room. He was for all intents and purposes, the most fascinating creature sailing the waters of Scalvoris.

So Captain Fenix was busy looking fantastically beautiful in his fancy clothing, when suddenly a voice shouted from below the helm. ”Yarr, captain! There be a prize ship off the port bow!”

Sure enough, Fenix cast his glorious eyes that way, his bird cracking its voice on his shoulder as he turned his head to look. Sure enough, in that direction a large galleon was being escorted by two smaller ships. Sloops by the look of them, as he narrowed his amazingly keen eyes.

”Quick! Adjust the sails to make for the prize! We board upon engagement!” Fenix said, his smooth voice chilling his men to the bone as he proposed an aggressive action against the far off ship.

The men grumbled, but went about their work, for they trusted their leader, and he expected nothing less than total obedience.

Thus the ship was steered toward the prize, and caught on easily as the masts were turned to catch as much wind on the leeward side. In no time, they moved to intercept. Once they got within striking distance, the burly second in command prepared to board with the rest. Meanwhile, Captain Fenix, brave and wise as he was, prepared to take flight.

The Chrien’s Saber grazed and crashed up against the rear of the other galleon, at which point grappling hooks and harpoons were struck against the wooden frame of the prize. They zipped across by the dozens, each crawling the line that had struck against some point or another of the prize’s deck. Captain Fenix, meanwhile, flew overa all of them taking to the air as he scouted the throngs of enemies for the one that appeared to be calling the shots. Then he landed with a glorious flourish, and unsheathed his brilliant blade. A rapier of unparalleled sharpness.

He engaged with the man, but found himself soon overcome by a throng of enemies, as well as his own men, who surrounded him with weapons drawn. Before he could escape, they all struck him down, cutting into his glorious plumage and through the velvet raiment. But, before they could strike a final blow, Captain Fenix vowed vengeance upon them all. ”I shall rise again, like a phoenix! The Pirate Lords will return, and you all will rue the day you slaughtered your own captain, to side with terrestrial tyrants!” Thus the avriel died.



Kalortah extracted himself from that scene, shutting the book on the page that he’d opened to. He breathed deeply, somewhat disturbed by the realness of what he’d witnessed. Was this some magic book then? He decided then that he must have it.

Kelaeno arrived just then, with a stack of books in her arms. She quirked a brow at the tome that Kalortah was panting over, and tapped him on the shoulder, ”Are you alright?”

Kalortah took a moment to respond, but did eventually manage to stammer. ”I… I think I found what I’m looking for.” So saying, he grabbed the book, and made his way out of the Nook after exchanging a token for the tome. Then, he was off the Memorial Gardens, where he wouldn’t be disturbed.

Later on, as he was writing a song about the Phoenix, Kelaeno caught up to him, looking on him with some disapproval. She murmured, ”You know… That was quite rude how you excused yourself, when we’re meant to be working together.”

Kalortah shook his head, and pointed at what he’d written in his notebook. A song about the Phoenix Captain. ”Let us sing this duet… It requires two to sing, and we can later use this to impress Ilpa?”

She looked over the notebook, leaning with her elbows propped on his shoulders as she read it. He could almost feel her smiling at him, as she read over the entire stanza. Finally, she said, ”That’s not half bad. A little convoluted but… It’ll sound nice at least, and has a few good rhymes.”

”Then let’s get to it?” Kalortah said, as she disengaged, and he took up beside her. He held the notebook, and they each read their lines as they recited the song, their voices filling the dismal chill of early Ashan.
word count: 1519
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Kalortah is always under the effect of the Tarouz ability,
Grandeur

Aliases:
Eldyn Morose
,
Larza Impre
,
Flavius Erythrian
,
Milian Le Moigne
.
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Avalon
Posts: 888
Joined: Tue Dec 15, 2020 8:23 pm
Race: Prophet
Profession: Bootiful Bean
Renown: 0
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Re: The Ballad of Captain Fenix

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Review Rewards

Name: Kal

Points awarded: 10

Knowledge:
Knowledge:
Detection: x 2
Singing: x 3
Storytelling: The Story of Captain Fenix and the Rebellions Mutineers.

Loot:
His signature item, the Minstrel's Songbook.

Skill Review: All Skills used appropriate to level

Notes:
This was a fun little story about where the Minstrel's Songbook came from!

I enjoyed the interactions between the pc and npcs. You wrote them well and made sure each npc had a purpose in the piece and weren't wasted - I appreciated that.

The story itself was entertaining...and just a touch sad. But it was glorious in the end!

I felt that you conveyed Kal's curiosity about the book well. He, and the reader by extension, aren't really aware of what the book does...nor should they be. He's simply curious and running with it.

I look forward to more installments with the Songbook!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!

Avalon

word count: 171
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