Uncharted Waters discussion

The realm existing between life and death.

Several transparent white-blue shades waded aimlessly through a vast white landscape that seemed to go on forever. Icy cold water came to their knees. Despite the lack of wind and the shallow water, there were enormous waves, fifty or sixty feet high in places. But they were frozen solid. Stuck in place as though stuck in time. Snow fell from above, though it was impossible to tell if there actually was a sky above. The thick gray mass high overhead could have been clouds or a stone ceiling. It was here that a ship made of black wood with blood red sails seemed to appear in a smoke cloud of inky black tendrils. It cut through the ice and ghosts undiscerningly and made its way to a shore made of glassy black stone and bones human, beast, and monster. A man dressed in black and red leather jumped over the side holding the ship's heavy mooring line and tied it off on the ribcage of an enormous creature whose species was now long extinct. "Welcome back to hell, Gentlemen!" The Bo'sun of The Bloody Mary called out.
Craven laughed as he hauled Robert Garrette out onto the deck in chains.

Garrette growled angrily under his breath as he was dragged by chains. So this was Hell, he'd expected fire not cold. The one bright side was his Gen wasn't here with him. And as long as she was alive, he'd be fighting to get out of here.

"So this 's where ye demons spawn from," Garrette remarked sarcastically, spitting at the boot of the closest monster.

Brandfyre growled, his wings rising in anger at the Human's disrespect, and smacked him hard against the face. "This is where you shall suffer for eternity, Mortal. You and the rest of your Crew, once we hunt them all down you miserable whelp." He snarled.

"If ye couldn't kill 'em all back there, ya ain't gettin' em ever. Trust me on that." Garrette chuckles, darkly. "They don't call us da Blood Blades for nothin'."

((According to the lore of Dante's Inferno, the ninth circle of hell, the level for traitors and mutineers is covered in ice.))
Styx strode out from his cabin and came face to face with Garrette. "With Sterling on the hunt, there is nowhere they can hide where he can not sniff them out. And even if the were, we're banking on your little girl's loyalty to Dear Ol' Dad. She'll come to us sooner rather than later, mark my words, Robert." Cain and Craven led him down the gangplank, flanking him to either side. Magdelena followed, a bolt nocked in her crossbow. Given that she was forbidden from actually using it, it was merely a formality to keep him from escaping that direction and to push him forward and she took every advantage to prod Garrette in the back when Styx thought he was moving too slow.

((Ooooooh nice reference.))
Garrette’s temper flared when Styx mentioned his daughter. Mostly because he knew it was true. That girl would swim through monster infested waters if he asked her to. Damn stubborn thing. He stumbled forward each time he was pushed, his footing difficult to find on the ice.

Rune and Minerva followed along behind, the twins silently soaking in the suffering of the lost souls around them. “Captain,” Minerva finally spoke up. “We could always create a tether to him and the girl.” “She could share in her father’s suffering.” Rune added before both twins spoke in unison, “might speed her along a bit.”

Styx nodded to the twins. "Ah, an interesting idea. Cain can have his fun and Robert'll last twice as long."
Robert was forced through the frigid water toward a fortress that had been formed from the black stone that made up the ground. It had tall, twisted spires that were reminiscent of the icicles hanging from the undersides of every buttress and jutting ledge of the architecture. Gargoyles seemed to shift and become more grotesque, demonic, and real the longer one looked at them until eventually one would have to look away. It's shadows reached like cold fingers over the landscape, further lowering the temperature of everything in its grip.
As the group entered the gates, Robert was then dragged down several flights of stairs into an underground cavern. Several alcoves had been carved in the walls, which had been fitted with iron bars. There were creatures occupying many of the othe cells, but, save for a few shaggy white arms with claws, they were hidden from view.
Robert was thrown into one of the vacant cells with only a hammock stiff with frost and a frozen rat. "Enjoy your stay!" Cain laughed as he left with the other vampirates.

Garrette groaned a bit in pain as he was thrown to the cold ground. The stone hurt but the cold hurt worse. It burned at his skin. He'd heard of Burning Cold before but Garrette had had the good fortune to never encounter it. Until now.

When Cain stepped out of the cell, Minerva and Rune both stepped in like ghostly shadows. Dark cruel smiles curled up their face as they began making the tether. Rune walked forward, drawing some blood from Garrette and scattering it around him like a circle while Minerva lit pitch black candle, passing the black flickering flame to Rune before standing opposite her brother, Garrette between them, and lighting her own candle. The two twins began murmuring dark incantations, their eyes turning pitch black as well as their veins under their skin. Garrette began writhing and screaming in pain as it felt like his blood was bubbling to the surface and his mind was being stretched so far from him he knew it would snap. After several long minutes of agony, the twins extinguished their candles and left the cell.

"It is done, Captain," They told Styx in unison.

"It will have done nothing," Ebony spits. "Sterling took the girl, remember?"

"Unless the spineless whelp has already lost his new bride," Lazarus grunts out with a sick, deep chuckle.

Magdelena spoke up. "Sterling is a fop. If it weren't for his mastery over animals, he would never have gotten as far as he has. Bring him in. Craven and I should be allowed to hunt for her. We've been confined here for too long."
Styx put his hands behind his back and walked over to a desk taken from a ship they'd once raided. The skull of its former captain sat atop it, a candle burning inside. He dragged a clawed finger along its edge, leaving a shallow groove. "Perhaps a show of hands is in order? Who is in favor of this proposition." Craven and Magdelena raised their hands. After a second, Cain did also. "Indeed, I grow hungry. Fresh meat is a scarcity here since we are seldom allowed to partake on this plane."

“I think we should let Sterling handle this,” Brandfyre spoke up. “Send him some help if it is what he requires, but he claimed the girl. Interfering would not do well. Besides,” He gave Cain a sharp look. “We can’t kill her just yet. That’s for the Captain to decide. And if we were just going to kill her, there would be no point in making the tether.”

Lazarus nodded in agreement with Brandfyre, as did Ebony. The twins didn’t speak on the matter but they did stand closer to Brandfyre than to Craven.

Styx nodded. "I agree with my First Mate. It would be foolish to make such a contradiction to what we've just put in place." He glared at Cain. If you must feed, you may go to the mortal realm. But," he emphasized, you are to leave the girl alone and you may not allow for resurection." He looked to Magdelena. "Such oversight has harmed you all before and I will not allow my crew to leave themselves open for exploitation. The rest of you may do as you will. Consider it a shore leave."

"Aye Captain," The crew all answers in unison and bow. The twins cutter off to find new toys to play with and new subjects to use for their magical experiments.

Ebony leaves to go pick fights with Lazarus joining here. Where Ebony fights there's usually a good amount of strong blood for him to feast upon. Brandfye remains with Styx, not wanting to leave his Captain's side just in case anything were to happen.

((Here's a crash course to Dante's version of Hell's structure that I guess we're loosely basing this on. https://www.thoughtco.com/dantes-9-ci... I know I said they would go to the mortal realm, but this idea occurred to me. What do you think?
Also, wanna get back to Chester and Genieve?))
Cain, Magdelena, Craven joined Ebony and Lazarus as they headed to a large arena that had been built in the caldera of a volcano up in the outer ring of the Seventh Circle, the level reserved for those whose sins were violent in nature. Demons and monsters swarmed like horrible insects in the rows of seating that overlooked the pit where criminals were forced to fight each other to the death before they were resurrected for more.

((Sure! How do you wanna handle them? Like we kinda left them hanging.))

((Time skip might be clumsy, but I think I'm done with the whole thing with them trying to find each other. I think I want to do more with Rowan, so we can just say that he helped them reunite and Chester's on his boat now. I don't even know if his ship had a name yet. I'll have to go back and read it.))

((Lol alrighty!))