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The Cantina / To the Horizon and Back: The Grinning Jester of Crimson
« on: November 21, 2014, 08:25:19 am »
Part 1 - A Jester born in the flames
Looking out onto the barren desert, a medium sized man in a dirty old duster stands. The wind rushes through the air and rustles the feather stuck in his prized military captain hat. This hat was almost as dirty and as old as the duster. It has been with him since the day he took it from the dead corpse of an enemy captain in his first win in battle. Those were the days of sailing under an old man they called Armored Jack.
Armored Jack was an old war horse who served as the captain of a scouting airship. Back then he flew for the Fjord Baronies. He was a celebrated captain who had the piloting skills that allowed him to best ships much larger than his. He became the Commander of the oldest scouting legion and was hailed as a hero. That is, until his ship was sabotaged by the heir to a wealthy family who wanted nothing more than to takes Jack's place as Commander. His ship's engines blew up halfway through a scouting mission in the area of Firnfeld and crashed into the harsh snow covered ground. A airship ambush soon occurred and the rest of the scouting airships were left hopeless without their Commander. The battle ended with all 10 ships destroyed minus one, the ship that carried the heir. The heir would spin a tail of how Jack left them and they were left to battle without him. Jack was cut from Baronies' history and the heir became Commander. Jack awoke to the sound of burning wood and a sharp pain in his left arm. His arm was cut clean off and the cold would stop the bleeding. He had been the only survivor of the crash. He would wander the barren snow for hours until he found a small little village. The villagers nursed him to health and he would continue on his way. He had heard that he was stripped of rank and all recognition by the Baronies so he had no choice but to leave his home. He rode from tradeship to tradeship looking for work and a place to stay. He eventually made it to the vast Burren. He sought refuge in a small town towards the edge of the Burren. He worked as a one armed blacksmith assistant. He worked his strength back up and left. He came across a small cave while searching for safety from a sandstorm. There he found a crazed man with a beaked doctors mask. The man cocked his head at Jack and said, "I can fix that." He swiftly moved towards him and pointed at his nub of a left arm. Jack only shook his head at the man. The man reached into his bag and pulled out a copper contraption that looked fairly old and yet nothing like Jack has ever seen. "They call me the Tinkerer. I search for unique old world technologies and then give them to those I see fit to yield them." Jack looked puzzled at the Tinkerer. The Tinkerer flipped a switch and the contraption sprung to life. Jack gazed upon it and could only think of one thing it could be used for. "Yes it is what you think it is. Its an arm." How did he know what I thinking, Jack thought to himself. "I want you to have this," said the Tinkerer. He attached inserted a needle into Jack's spine and then strapped the arm to Jack's body. Within a few days, Jack learned to control the arm and then the two parted ways. Jack made his way to a trading town where he met up with a convoy heading out into the Burrens. Jack ordered to be dropped off near Paritus. The captain denied him but Jack "persuaded" him to do it. In Paritus, Jack ventured into the Labyrinth. There he would stay for months building his own airship to set sail back into the skies. Luckily he found the remains of a crashed Yesha scouting vessel. He fixed the ship and took to the skies again in what he called the Hyena. He traveled from city to city and amassed a strong crew. Jack did what he did best, fight. He raided pirate airships and faction airships alike. He also sold his services to nations who were willing to pay a pretty penny to raid faction caravans. The mechanical copper arm became a symbol of fear and Jack became an infamous mercenary and outlaw. Jack's reign would last for years. Jack would soon grow old and weaker than he was. He needed to find someone to take his place. The biggest question was, who would be the person to take the place of Armored Jack?
Jack had found the boy while raiding a small, unnamed village in the rocky hills. He took the boy as his protege, for it was the dying wish of the boys mother to spare him. Jack accepted her plea before putting a bullet in her head. The boy watched as his village burned to the ground and his mother's body turn to ash in front of him. He did not shed one tear for his village or his mom. From that day forward he would live the life of an outlaw and a mercenary.
The ship was an old scouting warship called the Hyena. It boasted armor and speed but lack heavy amounts of firepower. The ship ran like a welled oiled machine and Armored Jack was ruthless. He punish any man who would dare question him or take even a second longer to complete a task. His favorite thing to do was to dangle a man from the bow of the ship and raise and lower the altitude. The boy was never punished though. In fact the boy grinned at the sight of other getting punished. Jack saw something within the boy. Something that would later come to haunt him.
As the boy grew older, Jack started to teach him the basics of piloting and running a ship. Being that Jack was an old sailor he knew tricks that had not been used in decades. Maneuvers such as the Sacred Octopus and the Hollowed Willow were some of his favorites. Jack taught him how to use the ships lack of firepower to his advantage.
"Let the speed of the ship surprise your enemies and then attack their weak spots." That was Jack's most common saying to the boy.
The boy wanted more and Jack took notice of that. One day Jack tossed the boy an old cutlass and yelled, "Defend yourself!" After that a fury of blows came towards the boy. Much to Jack's surprise, the boy blocked every blow with cat like reflexes. The boy had a talent that could not be bested. Next, Jack tossed the boy an old revolver. He also managed to out shoot everyone on the ship on his first try. "By my old mechanized arm!" Jack yelled out along with an old, deep laugh. He then muttered to himself, "I think it's about time."
The next day, the boy awoke to the roar of the flak cannons. Jack went below deck and yelled, "All hands to battle stations!" The boy jumped up, put on his jackboots, put o his sword and gun and took to the deck. What he saw amazed him. Splinters of wood flying through the air, the smell of gunpowder, the fine spray of blood, and the screams of the enemy and his shipmates. The boy could see no distinguishable marking on the ship nor and colors of an empire. They were air pirates just like them. Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him to the helm. "Grab the damn wheel!" He spat at him. He did so and fought to position the Hyena behind the enemy ship. He could feel the bullets whiz past him and could feel concussion of the flaks and mortars. The wood splintered and the copper cracked. Bodies were torn to shreds and fries broke out. The boy hard to maneuver the ship around to the back or they will go up in smoke.
The Hyena got to the tail and then let out a barrage of Gatling gun fire, tearing the enemy engine to shreds. The enemy was left stranded and then the boy yelled, "Ready the harpoon!" The harpoon rocketed toward the enemy ship and burst through the hull. The winches screamed as the ship was pulled close. The screams of the men followed soon after. The boy stepped down to the main deck, grabbed a rob and swung across. The men followed suite. The clanging of steel and the pounding of gunshot was deafening. The boy fought his way to the enemy helm and saw his prize. The enemy captain lunged at him trying to gut him. The boy parried and struck back. The captain did the same. In return however, the boy countered and pulled the captain in. He then shouldered him and knocked him off balance. The boy followed up and gained the upper hand. He called the shots and a barrage of attacks were unleashed. The captain couldn't keep up and this cost him his hand. The captain screamed, "I surrender!" This was not enough for the boy. He couldn't stop there. He drove his sword into his chest. The sucking noise that followed made him shudder with excitement. When he felt the body slump, he pulled the sword out of its crimson sheath. The grin he had on his face was almost as horrifying as the fate of the captain. Jack looked up and saw this grin and he knew right then what he saw years ago. He saw a thirst for battle and power.
From the head of the captain, the boy swooped a dark, feather boasting hat. A old naval hat worn by captains. He saw that it was fit for him to take it since he was the one who finished him off. The ship was stripped of any goods and was blown out of the sky. The hat taken that day would be a reminder of his first drop of blood in his river of crimson that would be his life. This is just the beginning of the story of the man who would be called the Grinning Jester of Crimson. This man is Jester Schulz.
Looking out onto the barren desert, a medium sized man in a dirty old duster stands. The wind rushes through the air and rustles the feather stuck in his prized military captain hat. This hat was almost as dirty and as old as the duster. It has been with him since the day he took it from the dead corpse of an enemy captain in his first win in battle. Those were the days of sailing under an old man they called Armored Jack.
Armored Jack was an old war horse who served as the captain of a scouting airship. Back then he flew for the Fjord Baronies. He was a celebrated captain who had the piloting skills that allowed him to best ships much larger than his. He became the Commander of the oldest scouting legion and was hailed as a hero. That is, until his ship was sabotaged by the heir to a wealthy family who wanted nothing more than to takes Jack's place as Commander. His ship's engines blew up halfway through a scouting mission in the area of Firnfeld and crashed into the harsh snow covered ground. A airship ambush soon occurred and the rest of the scouting airships were left hopeless without their Commander. The battle ended with all 10 ships destroyed minus one, the ship that carried the heir. The heir would spin a tail of how Jack left them and they were left to battle without him. Jack was cut from Baronies' history and the heir became Commander. Jack awoke to the sound of burning wood and a sharp pain in his left arm. His arm was cut clean off and the cold would stop the bleeding. He had been the only survivor of the crash. He would wander the barren snow for hours until he found a small little village. The villagers nursed him to health and he would continue on his way. He had heard that he was stripped of rank and all recognition by the Baronies so he had no choice but to leave his home. He rode from tradeship to tradeship looking for work and a place to stay. He eventually made it to the vast Burren. He sought refuge in a small town towards the edge of the Burren. He worked as a one armed blacksmith assistant. He worked his strength back up and left. He came across a small cave while searching for safety from a sandstorm. There he found a crazed man with a beaked doctors mask. The man cocked his head at Jack and said, "I can fix that." He swiftly moved towards him and pointed at his nub of a left arm. Jack only shook his head at the man. The man reached into his bag and pulled out a copper contraption that looked fairly old and yet nothing like Jack has ever seen. "They call me the Tinkerer. I search for unique old world technologies and then give them to those I see fit to yield them." Jack looked puzzled at the Tinkerer. The Tinkerer flipped a switch and the contraption sprung to life. Jack gazed upon it and could only think of one thing it could be used for. "Yes it is what you think it is. Its an arm." How did he know what I thinking, Jack thought to himself. "I want you to have this," said the Tinkerer. He attached inserted a needle into Jack's spine and then strapped the arm to Jack's body. Within a few days, Jack learned to control the arm and then the two parted ways. Jack made his way to a trading town where he met up with a convoy heading out into the Burrens. Jack ordered to be dropped off near Paritus. The captain denied him but Jack "persuaded" him to do it. In Paritus, Jack ventured into the Labyrinth. There he would stay for months building his own airship to set sail back into the skies. Luckily he found the remains of a crashed Yesha scouting vessel. He fixed the ship and took to the skies again in what he called the Hyena. He traveled from city to city and amassed a strong crew. Jack did what he did best, fight. He raided pirate airships and faction airships alike. He also sold his services to nations who were willing to pay a pretty penny to raid faction caravans. The mechanical copper arm became a symbol of fear and Jack became an infamous mercenary and outlaw. Jack's reign would last for years. Jack would soon grow old and weaker than he was. He needed to find someone to take his place. The biggest question was, who would be the person to take the place of Armored Jack?
Jack had found the boy while raiding a small, unnamed village in the rocky hills. He took the boy as his protege, for it was the dying wish of the boys mother to spare him. Jack accepted her plea before putting a bullet in her head. The boy watched as his village burned to the ground and his mother's body turn to ash in front of him. He did not shed one tear for his village or his mom. From that day forward he would live the life of an outlaw and a mercenary.
The ship was an old scouting warship called the Hyena. It boasted armor and speed but lack heavy amounts of firepower. The ship ran like a welled oiled machine and Armored Jack was ruthless. He punish any man who would dare question him or take even a second longer to complete a task. His favorite thing to do was to dangle a man from the bow of the ship and raise and lower the altitude. The boy was never punished though. In fact the boy grinned at the sight of other getting punished. Jack saw something within the boy. Something that would later come to haunt him.
As the boy grew older, Jack started to teach him the basics of piloting and running a ship. Being that Jack was an old sailor he knew tricks that had not been used in decades. Maneuvers such as the Sacred Octopus and the Hollowed Willow were some of his favorites. Jack taught him how to use the ships lack of firepower to his advantage.
"Let the speed of the ship surprise your enemies and then attack their weak spots." That was Jack's most common saying to the boy.
The boy wanted more and Jack took notice of that. One day Jack tossed the boy an old cutlass and yelled, "Defend yourself!" After that a fury of blows came towards the boy. Much to Jack's surprise, the boy blocked every blow with cat like reflexes. The boy had a talent that could not be bested. Next, Jack tossed the boy an old revolver. He also managed to out shoot everyone on the ship on his first try. "By my old mechanized arm!" Jack yelled out along with an old, deep laugh. He then muttered to himself, "I think it's about time."
The next day, the boy awoke to the roar of the flak cannons. Jack went below deck and yelled, "All hands to battle stations!" The boy jumped up, put on his jackboots, put o his sword and gun and took to the deck. What he saw amazed him. Splinters of wood flying through the air, the smell of gunpowder, the fine spray of blood, and the screams of the enemy and his shipmates. The boy could see no distinguishable marking on the ship nor and colors of an empire. They were air pirates just like them. Jack grabbed his arm and pulled him to the helm. "Grab the damn wheel!" He spat at him. He did so and fought to position the Hyena behind the enemy ship. He could feel the bullets whiz past him and could feel concussion of the flaks and mortars. The wood splintered and the copper cracked. Bodies were torn to shreds and fries broke out. The boy hard to maneuver the ship around to the back or they will go up in smoke.
The Hyena got to the tail and then let out a barrage of Gatling gun fire, tearing the enemy engine to shreds. The enemy was left stranded and then the boy yelled, "Ready the harpoon!" The harpoon rocketed toward the enemy ship and burst through the hull. The winches screamed as the ship was pulled close. The screams of the men followed soon after. The boy stepped down to the main deck, grabbed a rob and swung across. The men followed suite. The clanging of steel and the pounding of gunshot was deafening. The boy fought his way to the enemy helm and saw his prize. The enemy captain lunged at him trying to gut him. The boy parried and struck back. The captain did the same. In return however, the boy countered and pulled the captain in. He then shouldered him and knocked him off balance. The boy followed up and gained the upper hand. He called the shots and a barrage of attacks were unleashed. The captain couldn't keep up and this cost him his hand. The captain screamed, "I surrender!" This was not enough for the boy. He couldn't stop there. He drove his sword into his chest. The sucking noise that followed made him shudder with excitement. When he felt the body slump, he pulled the sword out of its crimson sheath. The grin he had on his face was almost as horrifying as the fate of the captain. Jack looked up and saw this grin and he knew right then what he saw years ago. He saw a thirst for battle and power.
From the head of the captain, the boy swooped a dark, feather boasting hat. A old naval hat worn by captains. He saw that it was fit for him to take it since he was the one who finished him off. The ship was stripped of any goods and was blown out of the sky. The hat taken that day would be a reminder of his first drop of blood in his river of crimson that would be his life. This is just the beginning of the story of the man who would be called the Grinning Jester of Crimson. This man is Jester Schulz.