Voridam

Chapter 7 : Pirates!

Far out in the ocean, far out in the sea. A crew sang loud, full of vigour and glee. Soaring across the poison ocean was a ship, large and mighty, most certainly not tidy. The Lunarail, who bore a crew, which from all lands hail.

"Ahoy!" The crew chanted out. A salute to their captain. The crew consisted, almost entirely, of many aquatic species across Voridam. Although the waters were so toxic that they couldn't live in it. All had to come up for air eventually, except for a few, like the synotti. Large siren-like creatures. A humanoid torso with a shark-like head and a tail where legs would be, fins sprouting from the back, elbows and the sides of the tail.

But the captain was no synotti. The captain was a karmon, tall aquatic humanoids. Sharp claws and spikes, gills on the collar and ribs. But this captain, Captain Gearradair, was different. The Lunarail was a special ship, that cursed its elected captain. The curse gives them power over that which they fear. And they inherit the powers of those before them. Gearradair feared death, and was cursed with necromantic fire. The captain before him, Farkitona, feared silence, and could summon music and singing whenever he wanted. The first, was a Jestray who feared magic, and was "cursed" at a young age with Kest radiation, manipulating and altering her body until she was 'gifted' with magic. She imbued the ship with kest, bringing it to life and cursing the captains after her to have power over that which they fear.

Over many generations, and many captains, powers were kept, some were passed down, only in a moment of greed would the chain be broken and started anew. Captains could refuse to pass off their power to their successor. Gearradair never knew much about the Captains before him. He only remembered Fakitona, the man who practically raised him, Also a Karmon, mineral brown as opposed to the sea blue of Gearradiar. And fatter than a one manned feast. Despite his size he could fight well, and sing better. His fear of silence bestowed him with a voice that could conjure music, allowing him to be a one man band with nought but his voice and the kest that cursed him. Special gills in his back would errupt with music whenever he commanded.

He made the choice to pass on his power to Gearradair when he died....Only for Gearradair to get necromancy and then accidentally bring Farkitona back in the form of a ghost. For some of the crew this was great,'the old captain returned from the dead'. But for Gearradair, this meant more mentoring, more lectures, but also the return of a friend he had only recently lost.

Farkitona only hung around for a quick month, enough time to ensure that he knew how to take advantage of his inherited power, alongside learning how to use his own powers. Before Farkitona was sent back to Astrea, the realm of ghosts. Although much to Farkitona's dismay, he was frequently summoned either to show off Gearradair's abilities or subconsciously when the current captain needed help with a problem. 

Unfortunately for both of them, this was one of those times. The crew's call for the Captain was following a call to head below deck. They were heading home from a mission under order of Ostarnian government, a hunt for experiments, the unknown. A species had been spotted raining from the atmosphere. Attempts to contact them were pointless, but eventually a message was broadcast from their path. "We are Nortali" It said.

Through observation it was clear that they kept in groups, and furthermore, sent out scouting parties and even outcast others. And that's who they aimed for, an outcast strayed from the pack. The lights of their movements followed a pattern in the night sky, soon they noticed small groups would leave and return. Some would leave and wander alone. Never joining the group again.

The Lunarail was aimed towards one of the recent outcasts. A particularly violent one who it seems, in their anger, had begun attacking cargo between the cities. Stealing the money most of all. By the time the ship had caught up with the cargo, they just barely managed to intercept the Nortali, a being of pure cosmic energy. Sentient, they seemed to build their own bodies. Taking a mostly humanoid form, strands of energy would pick up pieces of rubble, trinkets and charms to build armour around the light, serving primarily as a body, but also armour.