Such bloody engagements

[foxsays]

WHO: Araceli Bonaventura, Korrin Ataash, Tyrion Lannister, Zevran Arainai
WHAT: We're going to need a bigger boat (we're going to actually need boats plural)
WHEN: Drakonis, 9:48
WHERE: Waking Sea to Orzammarish
NOTES: ooc plot post; language, threats of physical violence and torture

Routine. It was all meant to be routine. Qunari dreadnoughts to outrun had become routine at some point in the last few years same as being absent a left hand and answering to Leandra in public instead of Araceli but when the Inquisition asked something of her, she would still answer. Leviathan for all that she'd given it a seemingly grandiose name was a moderately sized ship suited for speed more than anything else, getting supplies and people where they needed to be and getting the hell away from anything that could take them out.

(If Thedas had cannons but they would be in Qunari hands, in Venatori hands, and the nightmares Araceli had had at first before she'd tucked those away had nearly woken her screaming every night.)

Transporting someone for a diplomatic mission - she'd laughed to Korrin about it, hadn't she? Bitter in a way her namesake would have wept over, what diplomacy is left - but sailing. People hauling the sails, running around the deck. A rifter diplomat so she'd had to pay everyone coming along double to shut their mouths, then had to up a few rations to keep them sweet but this is what you do in a time of war.

She assumes.

"Captain, might want to take a look at this!"

Comments

[foxsays]

With so many bodies so busy, Araceli doesn't correct Tyrion this time and she is too good to flinch now at the sound of her given name. That girl is dead to the world, that girl has never existed to a single soul on this ship but she thrusts the spyglass out at whoever is first to take it.

"I would sooner see a dozen Qunari dreadnoughts bearing down on us than what I see now. It wasn't so very long ago after all that the Inquisition still had what amounted to a fleet before it was completely lost." Her mouth twists since she hasn't been a bard in three years and when it comes to this, she's allowed to be so angry she could spit nails. "So it has been Llomerynn and pirates, no resistance fleet either. But if you wil direct your gazes starboard then take a good look at what we're coming up on?"

A blockade, effectively. Not a small one either with ships stretching far and wide though it's not quite as easy to tell since the sun hasn't burned through the cloud yet but there are sails on the horizon all with flags that billow in the wind; is it the number that should be alarming or the flags? A good eye will spot the mark of the Tevinter Imperium and all the trappings but a keen eye will spot a sight that's been rare since the loss of the fleet: Orlesian ships.

[gatheringstorm]

That anything could possibly be preferable to Qunari dreadnoughts has Korrin already raising her eyebrows, and she turns to see what could be so much worse than that, of all things. Any protest on her part that nothing could be as bad dies on her lips as she takes in the sight, eyes widening. In her view, both the number and the type of flags are deep cause for alarm.

"...Andraste's tits, that's an assload of them. Fucking Tevinter, why now--" She pauses and stares, eyes narrowing. "Wait, is that--"

[tallasaking]

Tyrion frowned as Korrin spoke, and he clambered up on some barrels to be able to look over the both of them. His eyes widened as he took in the long stretch of ships from one end of the horizon to the other, letting out a faint, "Fuck Me."

His gaze shifted slightly, before his frown deepened, "Orlesian, by the look of things. Damn the Seven, I need to get this information back to Orzammar. They could blockade Denerim for months with a force like this."

[foxsays]

"You know why now," Araceli snaps as if they're picking up the thread of an argument that ended with plans for something else before she turns back to her crew. "Give me half-sail, slow us down so we aren't coming up on them too fast!" It buys them time to think too, since she can't risk coming to a full halt should they be noticed and have any of the ships making up the sizeable blockade coming after them. Everything about her ship says pirate. Everything about her ship probably says 'thing to be sunk and throats to be cut'.

"I cannot take on that many ships. A rough estimate? They outnumber the ships left in Llomerynn three to one at least, better provisioned all around if they're Tevinter. News of a blockade alone, that will not be enough." She looks to Korrin to see if she agrees when they're-- well they're meant to be more equal now, aren't they? They always were but the air is cleared, the wound lanced so she wants to include her and Korrin's actually been to Orzammar, she'll know the situation there.

[gatheringstorm]

Damn Orlesians. Korrin's eyes harden, her lips forming a thin line. It's true that she doubts Denerim will last long-term anyway, but that doesn't mean she won't fight to keep it going as long as possible. There's still enough spite in her not to want the enemy to come by anything easily. If they want this, they should be prepared to bleed for it.

Korrin nods grimly at Araceli's assessment as she meets her gaze. "No, it won't. Denerim will fall without more support than just news, and you can bet your ass that will affect Orzammar negatively. We don't need to take on the entire fleet; we just need to snag someone with more information than we have now."

[tallasaking]

Tyrion nodded his head in reluctant agreement. All they had right now was the sight of ships as far as the eye could see. They could be here to blockade just about everything from here to Orzammar. He looked up at the two women, before he put one hand to his heart, then nodded out to the water.

"I shall follow your example, ladies. If you want to take a ship, grab someone for more information? I would absolutely agree that is the best course of action. We cannot do anything to even forstall, or handle this, unless we know the wheres, whens, and hows."

[foxsays]

"One of the Tevinter ships makes the most sense. Orlesian ships might have allies, they might have former friends but we cannot be sure and if they do? We cannot know how much they would know." Tapping out a staccato rhythm on her rapier hilt, Araceli draws in a sigh then lets it out slowly. "Go in from the rear, same as a smuggling run."

Certain vessels are already out of the question given the size of her own ship and the size of her crew. Korrin's a Vashoth mage, Tyrion's a rifter, and Araceli herself is a known quantity. She isn't so stupid as to think that there aren't those who've forgotten the rifters they took in the past even if she's cut off that hand and kept her life a secret.

"If there is anything sensitive you need to secure that you have been working on, señor, I would see to it now. It's just how to go about getting someone." She's open to suggestions; hobble the ship and sneak aboard, have someone get aboard and get the person off (which has worked, it's just generally a pain in the arse) or a full-on assault on one ship. Her crew after all have their blood up seeing a force like that.

Everybody lost several someones that day. Everybody lost Isabela that day too.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin nods to Tyrion, glad to see they're all of one mind on this. Now is not the time for a lengthy debate, not if they want to accomplish anything. She frowns in thought, then looks over to Araceli while crossing her arms.

"You know I'm about as stealthy as a hart in heat; I'd only hobble you on a stealth mission, unless you want me to be a big, loud distraction. That I can do just fine. We can go all-in, too, use an assault as cover to snag said person."

[tallasaking]

"Oh, that's easily taken care of. I'll just throw it all in a pit fire." He looked at the ship, his gaze thoughtful, "We just need to take it without sinking it, yes? Get ourselves a live witness? I think I have something for this sort of occasion, if you ladies will not mind an alchemical solution."

He raised a finger, "I merely suggest not having an open assault - it could call the attention of the other ships, and then we will be truly fucked up the arse. Subtle, sly, with as little mayhem as possible."

[foxsays]

Any other time and that comment from Korrin might have gotten the ghost of a smile on Araceli's face.

"So long as the alchemy doesn't burn my ship? I have no objection. Any of them see flames and I won't be the one trying to calm them down when they start howling all at once." Tyrion is certainly welcome to attempt it if his ears don't start bleeding at the volume all of them reach, Antivan and Rivaini blurring together into an indecipherable mess. "We'll need the ship to get the information back to Orzammar so we aren't attacking unless we have no other option.

"Leviathan is a shallow ship, we'll move fast so it gives us the advantage there. A distraction to bring a person aboard if we can be gone as soon as we have them? I can make it happen."

After all, she won't have any other choice and if she says it then it's as good as promising it. Tyrion might not know it but Araceli is still someone who keeps her promises, even in a world such as this.

[gatheringstorm]

What Tyrion doesn't know, Korrin at least does to some degree and as Araceli makes that promise, she plans to help fulfill it. The urge to sail away from Thedas forever as they talked about is still strong, but that's hardly a completed plan. Besides, she couldn't live with herself if they didn't at least try to help their allies. They can do this one thing for them. Her gaze lingers on Araceli for a moment before she nods to Tyrion.

"Alchemy sounds just fine to me; I still have plenty of ingredients, since I use a shit-ton of grenades against the Qunari. Not just Antivan fire but pitch or confusion work wonders, too. If you need them, they're yours."

It's how Korrin's spent what little downtime she has had, making grenades and losing herself in the dull, repetitive task so she doesn't have to think about the shitshow that is Thedas these days. At least all that productivity has seen use, and can be put to some again.

[tallasaking]

"Oh no - we're going to make them think their ship has caught on fire." Tyrion states with a completely straight face, as he goes to toss his notes into the fire. "Perhaps with a touch of knock-out powder, so we can snag one of our fine sailor friends."

He looked over at Korrin, looking thoughtful, "If you don't mind me butchering some of your grenades for bits and pieces, that should do nicely. Can we get close enough to the ship that something might be tossed on the side without them knowing it?"

[foxsays]

"A moment." Calling for one of the crew, an older man with a scar that curves up from his jawline and along to what's left of his ear, Araceli tosses the spyglass to him and nods to the crow's nest. "Tell me the closest ship you think we can come alongside," she instructs.

"We have hooks and ropes from the smuggling jobs to get us over, it's about picking the right mark. Someone who knows enough to be useful, not so much that they'd be missed." Risk analysis as ever since she fears reprisals far more than she would have before when the Inquisition had power, when it felt like they were winning, gaining ground.

The sailor returns, spyglass passed back to Araceli but he addresses the three of them. "There's a galeas following behind the closest galleons, supply boat for them would be my guess. Sitting low, Tevinter colours but colours only, not a dragon in sight on her."

"Gracias, be ready for full sail on my word." Galleons means they'll need to be damned quiet about everything but Tevinter mages don't have Qunari gaatlok so that's something in their favour at the very least. "How long do you need to get the supplies ready? Sirena, if I get us close enough and the target is on the deck, could you make a throw?"

[gatheringstorm]

Nodding, Korrin smirks. "I've always had one hell of a throwing arm, and it's gotten nothing but practice these past few years. I'd bet my life on it now, as I always do." If she can't throw the grenade where it needs to go, it can't be done. But she's not about to start focusing on the risks and consequences; they need to do something, now, and as far as she can see this is the one with the best outcome for all that matter.

Looking over to Tyrion, she nods. "Go for it, I'll show you where I've stowed them. All things considered, it shouldn't take that long between us." And a good thing, too. The thought of messing with the vints always gets her blood pumping.

[tallasaking]

Tyrion nods, as he turns to follow Korrin to her supplies, running through the ingredients he was going to need. Something for smoke, something that choked, and yes, something that would put the Vints to sleep - if only temporarily. He tapped his fingers against his leg, before he asked, "Do we have hot tar ready? We'll need to stick it to the side of the ship."

[foxsays]

With a ship picked out, Araceli nods to them both. "Go get everything then, I'll get us to where we need to be. I cannot go aboard, not with a ship to steer." Not with only one hand because she'll forget, she'll think she's in Antiva like she was before, or on the way to Dairsmuid, or worst of all aboard her father's ship and then they'll be done for.

"I have pitch." Whistling through her teeth gets the attention of the crew. "Señor Lannister requires pitch, fetch it for him, por favor. They will see to it for you, do not burn my ship or we will be swimming to shore with all of them ready to harpoon us."