Cedric sat atop the Seaglide, feeling relieved that he had convinced the captain to take him on board, he looked out to the ocean and noticed the grey skies. They were in for a storm, lightning struck the sea, nearly hitting the boat, it started to rain. Cedric stood up to go below deck until he saw something in the ocean, a black ship rose from the depths, vines, seaweed and barnacles dotted the sides of the ship, Cedric quickly alerted the crew "Ship, to the far right, it seems hostile!"

The crew was shocked to see a ship rise, large arrows flew towards the Seaglider, one hit the side of the ship, but it wasn't enough to sink the ship. The captain ordered the crew to fire their ballistas at the ship, 2 hit, but the ship didn't sink. Cedric grabbed a spy glass from one of his pockets and he looked at the ship, he could barely see the words 'Flying Dutchman' on the ship. They were fighting an old pirate myth. Cedric put the spy glass in his pocket and he sprinted toward the Captain, he said "Captain, look through here" Cedric said to the captain, handing him the spy glass, the captain looked through and his face went from proud to horrified.

"We've got to run for it!" The captain shouted to the crew as the Flying Dutchman sank. "Wait, what?" The captain asked himself, confused.
The Flying Dutchman rose once again but nearer to the Seaglider, upon rising, the Dutchman fired upon the ship, causing heavy damage, the ship retaliated by firing back and dealt equally as much damage.

Cedric ran over to the other side of the ship, spotting a nearby royal ship. "Royal ship, to the left!" Cedric shouted, but no one minded him, they were too busy battling the Dutchman to even notice Cedric, he noticed a few people not in military armor, mercenaries maybe? Cedric hoped so, since the Seaglider was not meant for combat and the Dutchman was set on destroying the Seaglide. Cedric ran towards an unmanned ballista and he used it to aid the crew in battling the Dutchman, but as the royal ship drew near, the Dutchman sent spears in one part of the ship, killing most of the crew, Cedric saw this and, fearing that he was next, sprinted in the direction of the royal ship, waving his arm in the air, The dutchman started to board the Seaglider, the Dutchman's crew were hybrids of skeletons and sea creatures, they were still wearing their uniform, but they had no remorse, they murdered everyone on board, excluding Cedric, he slashed at a pirate, but he was outnumbered, he didn't have his crowstone on him so he couldn't summon his familiar crow. Cedric fought the crewmen, but he was severely injured, the royal ship fired at the Seaglide, managing to dispatch a few dutchman's crewmen. This caught the attention of the captain who had just boarded, Cedric limped towards a nearby trapdoor and went below deck, there were still sailors who survived the attack, including the captain, the royal ship was beside the Seaglide until the skeletons boarded their ship and sank down, to just rise below the ship, toppling the Seaglide over, drenching Cedric and the survivors.

Cedric looked on as the Dutchman and the royal ship came into combat and hoped that they'd be able to help them out. 

 "AGH.  SHUDDUP, I'M TRYNA SLEEP!"

Ivacus thwacked the wooden plank ceiling above the musty hammock he was laying in below deck. He had managed to lie and beg his way on board with an expeditionary force bound for Iria on the Adelunan war galleon Excelsis, to stock up on supplies before trekking into the Feeorin Forest for research.  He'd promised the captain a much greater payment for taking him on as a passenger than he was able to provide…when they docked he planned on disappearing as quickly as possible.  But for now, he was merely trying to get whatever miniscule amount of rest he could between the shouting crew members, the barely breathable air, and of course, the pitter-pattering of a leak in the ceiling dripping water into a bucket right by where he was laying.  

But it seemed a new distraction would somehow force its way into his already clouded head; that dreaded, crunching sound of wood bending and breaking, something no one wanted to hear while on a boat.  The little kobold leapt from his position with a small eep, prepared to find anything he could use as some sort of flotation device, or better yet, a lifeboat he could pilfer.  Howevver, as the gutwrenching sounds continued, it became quite clear to him that the ship he was on wasn't the one at risk, but another one that they appeared to be nearing from the sounds of it.  What the hell was going on?

Scurrying swiftly, he slipped through the trapdoor leading to the deck, flipping his hood over his head to protect himself from the rain.  Starboard was clear from what he could see…but coming up to their aft, he could see two ships locked in brutal oceanic combat.  His eyes widened; this was certainly new to him.  Clambering to his feet and closing the door behind him, he evaded the numerous armored men of Adeluna manning battle stations to head closer to the side of the ship.  Among the frenzied din and the crashing of hellishly large swells knocking against the galleon, all the little kobold could pick up was a loud call from the crow's nest.  "THAT'S THE BLOODY FLYING DUTCHMAN!  CAPTAAAAAAAINNN!!"

The sound of a definitively authoritative, yet smooth, cultured voice drew nearer as it barked navigational orders, while the body it belonged to was descending the stairs from the bridge deck with purpose,.  Captain Argus Nyello, the Adelunan naval officer that Ivacus had managed to swindle, was fast heading to the mast carrying the nest, to better hear the frightened soul's calls.  He seemed to pause for a moment, considering the situation, before a barely noticeable smile crossed his visage.

"All men to battle stations!  Magus Unit, prepare energy shields!  Quartermaster, 50 degrees starboard!  Any cowards among us that fear a mere phantom of myth may use lifeboats at will!" he called with a posh ring to his voice, obviously extraordinarily confident in whatever it was he was planning to do.  He had heard of the legend of the Flying Dutchman before, but had always been a scientifically minded skeptic in his work…something that made him an ideal fit to be a nautical captain, as well as a fine choice to lead an expeditionary force into the literal world of deception that was their intended destination.  It seemed, however, that he was fully ready to take a detour and prove an important point…that pitiable pirates using a mere name as a fear tactic would feel the wrath of the Adelunan Navy's finest officer.

He turned to see Ivacus leaning dangerously over the railing, peering into the distance as his eyes were locked on the Seaglider's inexorable demise; with a firm hand, he pulled him back just before a rogue wave nearly knocked him overboard, giving him a slight sneer of disapproval.  "I suggest you head below deck, Mr. Manaclaw,  The naval battlefield is no place for children."

The kobold grimaced back as the ship underwent a gradual turn, using the storm's winds to push the large galleon into their ballistae's firing distance.  "You, most-disagreeable-stuffed-shirt, have no idea what I'm capable of!" he said with a snort before wrenching himself free of the captain's grip, scurrying towards the forecastle to keep the supposed "Flying Dutchman" in his sights.  Though the captain obviously couldn't feel it, this ship was radiating waves of death-infused energy that the young necromancer could feel even from their considerable distance away.  Whatever this thing was, it certainly wasn't natural…but this only intrigued Ivacus all the more.

"Let's see what you've got…" he muttered as a toothy grin of excitement grew under his hood.

Cedric noticed a small lizard creature jump into the water, "What the heck is that and what is it doing?" Cedric asked aloud, he climbed onto the bottom of the ship, hopping over barnacles. Cedric realized something, the Dutchman didn't have any ballistas below deck, or so they thought. The size of the Dutchman was a bit bigger than the royal warship, but they didn't use that space for crew, the ballistas were being controlled by a single spellcaster, just as he thought of this, flaps opened up, revealing a 2 dozen ballistas, that doubled the warship's 12 ballistas, although the royal ship in mention was meant for war, it was more of a scouting warship rather than a combat warship, the ballistas fired one at a time, dealing damage to the warship, the reptile was about to be put to sleep by falling debris, but Cedric sent a fireball just as it was falling, toppling it over back into the Warship, the Dutchman's might wasn't at it's fullest quite yet, it was rumored to use a large deep sea creature to aid it in combat, and that the creature helped sink the 'Stargazer' ship.

Cedric realized this and yelled at the reptile person "Hey, I don't know if you can speak english, but if you can, get out of the water!"
Cedric looked at the waters for sudden change in tides, he barely noticed that the Dutchman's spellcasters were not very visible, but still very powerful, in fact, the gloomy weather made the crew of the ship nearly invisible. Cedric sent a fireball in the way of the Dutchman, it did very minor damage. Cedric couldn't help the warship win the battle against the Dutchman, but hoped that every mercenary on it would survive.

Two ballista bolts had struck the bow of the Excelsis before the mages on board could successfully erect an energy shield, and sent shockwaves throughout the entire vessel, almost sending Ivacus once again flying to the ocean below.  But he managed to hold fast as the seasoned crew members worked the ship around to sailing with the storm's powerful wind, making them close the distance with the Dutchman frighteningly fast.  Its sails were fresh and new in comparison to the Dutchman's, tattered and ruined by the sea.  And though it was a warship, it was still fast enough to put up a respectable ramming speed…it seemed Captain Nyello was hell bent on immediately boarding, especially upon seeing the fact that the Excelcis was fully outgunned.  He was far from intimidated yet, however; seeing the massive amount of structural damage on the Dutchman, he could only assume that it was on its last legs, and merely needed a helping hand to be sent directly to Davy Jones' Locker.

He also wanted to ram the ship because it was something the scouting ship specialized in; a large portion of the bow was lacquered in mithril, and two of its 12 ballistae were able to be moved from the sides to the front with a little manpower below deck.  The forward flaps were soon opened, and the Excelcis' regiment of five battlemages lowered their shields just long enough on Captain Nyello's command for two bolts to pass through and strike the Dutchman in her hull.  They weren't meant to do an excessive amount of damage, however, as the grappling hooks and ropes these specialized bolts carried hooked into the decrepit ghost ship with ease.  Under the direction of the second mate below deck, a system of pulleys the ballistae were connected to were set into motion with the help of the more muscular soldiers on board, pulling the ship even faster towards its intended target…it was clear that the Dutchman would be hard pressed to do much except possibly fire another round of bolts right into the energy shields the magus unit was concentrating on.  With a speed quickly clearing over 20 knots, the galleon…perhaps more accurately described as a clipper, would be slamming into the Dutchman's sides soon enough.  

Nyello smiled; this was the technique he had himself pioneered during his years at the Naval Academy of Adeluna.  No group of ragtag pirates had yet withstood such a concerted assault.  And as the crewmen of the Dutchman were still very much hidden by the gloomy mist its mages were weaving around the ship, he still thought he was dealing with mortal men of flesh and blood.  "BRACE FOR IMPACT!" he called out as the ship neared, an instruction which his crew, his scientist passengers, and Ivacus all took to heart as the seconds ticked by like minutes.  

Meanwhile, the small Kobold currently huddled on the forecastle felt the presence of the undead grow nearer and nearer…he was surprised some of the mages on board weren't speaking up about it, but they were probably too focused on their shield to notice or care.  He, in the meanwhile, was giddy with excitement.  What was powering this enchantment forward?  What would he gain with this new unexpected opportunity of study?  As he breathed in the heady darkness radiating from the ship, he had an idea of exactly what he was going to do when the two ships closed in on each other.

And it definitely involved having his fair share of fun. 

Cedric looked on in shock as the Excelsis hit the Dutchman and it took the full blow, nudging a bit to the side, The Flying Dutchman fired upon the energy shields, piercing through them, but not making it to hit the Excelsis, the spears were suspended in the energy shields, disallowing the energy shields to regenerate on that part of the forcefield,

The Flying Dutchman fired at the spear, lodging the previous spear in, and followed by another spear, the mages dropped their guard because of the shaking of the ship, thus dropping the shields, allowing the Dutchman to fire at the Excelsis easily.

Cedric jumped onto a rope and told the surviving crew members to do the same, as he finally made it atop the Excelsis, Cedric immediately sent 4 fireballs toward the Flying Dutchman, doing little damage, but still took out a few boards.

Captain Nyello shouted at Cedric "Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my boat?!" "I just climbed aboard, we were on the semi-destroyed ship Seaglider?"
Captain Nyello left Cedric, seems as if he was more focused on the battle rather than a stowaway.

The Flying Dutchman did more damage, once everything cleared, The crew was visible, and they were jumping into the water right before turning into undead sea monsters, climbing up the Excelsis. Cedric kicked an undead sailor in the face, sending him down, taking his mates with him back into the water.

Cedric threw a fireball in the direction of the sea monsters, they fled back into their ship, The Flying Dutchman was angry, they used all their ballistas at once, heavily damaging the Excelsis, Cedric could hear Captain Nyello ordering the mages to give up on the shields and help with the combat, the spellcasters sent fireballs and other such spells towards the Dutchman, but they were all stopped by a barrage of blue fireballs, impacting the two fireballs together caused an explosion, it seemed as if they too had spellcasters,

The storm grew louder, as Cedric heard monstrous roars from the bottom of the ocean, A large serpentine creature with the tail of a squid emerged from the depths and fired venom so strong it started to melt the side of the Excelsis, Cedric's veins started to glow red, he sent his hand toward the creature, causing a large explosion, fending the monster off for now.

Cedric did the same with the side of the Dutchman, even more damage. Cedric drew his revolving crossbow and fired at the crew, 2 were killed. The Dutchman had attempted to board the Excelsis once again, Cedric drew his two rapiers and slashed at the invaders, fending off as much as he can, and it grew to be effective!

But one undead sailor pushed Cedric out of the Excelsis into the water, and the monster came back up, Cedric sent fireballs at it to keep it away. It wasn't very effective but it was damaging the beast. Cedric swam fast towards the Excelsis. He reloaded his crossbow and fired it at the serpentine, sending it back into the water. The captain of the Flying Dutchman emerged, his skull cracked and his boney body barely clutching onto his attire. The captain drew his cutlass and ordered the Dutchman to ram the Excelsis.

Cedric was knocked onto the other side of the ship, knocking him out.

(OOC: for future reference, this is occurring before Ivacus was deified)

As the battle raged on around him, Ivacus was prepared to do the impossible; figure out just how this ship was working.  It seemed for the most part that the necromantic energies he felt were concentrated on the Dutchman itself, but he hadn't the faintest idea exactly where.  

It would seem he would have to find out himself.

As the front of the Excelsis rammed into the Dutchman, Ivacus rode out the impact before leaping aboard the undead vessel.  He immediately noticed how heady and moist the air smelled as he landed on deck, as though the entire ship was filled with putrefying corpses.  Obviously whoever was controlling this ship had absolutely no idea how to protect his zombies from the ravages of water damage…he remembered a time when he'd lost a corpse he'd worked very hard to obtain to murky swamp water for but a few seconds, and the next thing he knew it was a bloated, disgusting mess with its stomach ruptured and its guts everywhere.  The microbes in Revaliir were dangerous indeed to the bodies of those deceased.  

But, it seemed as though this particular necromancer didn't have to care.  In fact, the crew of the Dutchman seemed all too willing to leap into the raging seas beneath, turning into horrid, inhuman shapes before his very eyes.  What the hell was this magic even?  It was certainly something that the young lizard was flabbergasted by, but not enough to prevent him from keeping his wits about him.

One of the spellcasters busy giving the Excelsis a difficult time with his arcaneries turned towards him, at this point just a skeleton missing its lower jaw dressed in the tattered, soaken rags that were once a venerable mage's cloak.  Raising a skeletal hand, it shot out a beam of concentrated light in his direction, nearly disintegrating Ivacus if he hadn't been fast on his feet enough to leap out of the way.  The necromancer retaliated by forming a few motions with his left hand symbolizing an arcane formula he had learned recently from some wandering monks, breathing out a concentrated stream of flame in the lich's direction.  It was countered with a deftly-conjured energy shield, and it seemed as though it would be only a few more seconds before he was magically assaulted yet again.

Taking a quick look behind him, he noticed that some nasty-looking undead bruisers with wicked cutlasses were lumbering in his direction at the same time…fighting one on one wasn't going to work.  However, he felt the presence of numerous other dead around him as he got into a more arcane state of mind.  Dead that had not yet joined the rotting crew of the Dutchman, but not yet made the trek to the afterlife either with such tragic deaths to horrid monstrosities lingering in their souls' psyches.  The crew of the Seaglider, waiting in a tragic limbo for death to finally lead them to the light.

Time to give them one last chance to redeem themselves.

"DID I GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO DIE!?" screeched Ivacus as he channeled nearly all his energy into giving the ethereal beings swirling around the ocean waters corporeality once more, drawing them on board as they manifested in glimmering bodies of ectoplasmic half-reality, appearing just as they died but minutes before…such was Ivacus' greatest necromantic art: the spell Invocation of Spirit.

Forcing souls back into the world from the afterlife was one of the most hallowed abilities of necromancy, and required intense concentration…but he was truly outmatched here without the aid of some form of undead ally.  He wouldn't be able to carry on his own fight as he kneeled in a prayer-like position, exhausting himself thoroughly.  But the men and women that hadn't survived the Seaglider's demise would.

The lich about to end Ivacus was run through by a ghostly blade as the vengeful dead, without even needing command on Ivacus' part, began to fight aboard the Dutchman, drawing crucial focused fire away from the Excelcis whilst Nyello and his crew watched in awe in the midst of trying to repel the beastly boarders.  However, the Dutchman's captain seemed entirely unfazed by this situation, as he walked towards the offending Kobold, sword drawn, ready to impale him and end the conjuration before it had even truly begun.

Cedric woke up with a jolt, a ballista bolt almost hit him, he was unaware of his surroundings and was lumbering around groggily, he was suddenly forced to be attentive once another ballista bolt flew straight in front of his face, Cedric panicked. The Dutchman's hull had collided with the Excelsis' the amount of sharp wood and planks flying about is enough to damage an entire crew. Until he saw the necromancer jump onto the Dutchman. 

Cedric watched as the little reptile jump into the boat and raise the Seaglider's crew. "What the hell?" Cedric asked himself as he loaded his crossbow with bolts. Cedric threw a fireball straight into the captain, the captain was pushed aback slightly, but didn't look to be fazed by it, he looked directly at Cedric, his face scorching, Cedric blinked and the captain was in front of him, the smell of rotten corpses and salt of the ocean did not combine well. Cedric put on his beaked mask hastily, trying to inhale as much of the sweet aroma of the roses on the sharp beak.

Cedric rushed to his spot earlier and picked up his two rapiers, engaging the Captain in combat, Cedric did a good amount of damage but one slash and the Captain disintegrated, only to reappear in the ship charging towards Ivacus, Cedric, with all his remaining strength, sent an explosion at the captain but the captain just ran past the explosion in the nick of time. The Captain jumped on top of Ivacus, but Cedric wasn't spectating any more, a large skeleton, seemingly second in command of the Dutchman had appeared behind him, Cedric got into a brutal swordfight, the sound of clashing iron was enough to deafen any healthy person.

Cedric was slashed in the gut, making a large cut, adding another injury after the first skirmish with the crew. Cedric was very weak, but as the second in command was about to finish Cedric off, the sea creature jumped onto the Excelsis, crushing the attacker. Cedric climbed on top of the beast and slid down. He rummaged through barrels upon barrels and found 7 potions, all healing. Cedric took off his mask and started chugging down as many as he could. Cedric was feeling strong once again, he charged straight into the waves of crewmen, murdering a few of them and pushing others into the water. The crushing weight of the beast was about to sink the Excelsis and Cedric felt this, Cedric sent an explosion on top of the beast. Sending it into the water, the Excelsis bobbed up, free of the beast. The crewmen swam towards their own ship. Cedric manned a ballista and fired, the bolt pierced through the Dutchman, entering by making a hole into the side and coming out the other side.

The Dutchman sank willingly, looking to absorb more of the ocean's energy to repair the ship. But the reptilian was still on board! Cedric aimed a ballista at the spot where the Dutchman sank, waiting for the opportune time to fire.

As he laid there recuperating, Ivacus was struck by a heavy body falling atop his back, knocking him flat to the ground…it wasn't too heavy, as it was naught but bones that rested on him. But judging by the aura of menace and power that radiated from it, Ivacus could tell who he was dealing with.

"So nice…of…you….to take a load off…Captain…" he uttered through heavy breaths as he mustered what little strength he had left to flip rightside up underneath the bony figure. From within, he felt a gnawing hunger…the space within him he had made for the necromantic energies he had expended so freely earlier was tearing at his mind feeling such a source of kindred mana right next to him. Fueled by an ages-long curse, surely he had enough to replenish the small lizard and have plenty to spare.

But the ravenous desire for energy…one of the many costs of necromancy…was too strong for him to only want enough to regain his strength.

He wanted it all.

Ivacus had just enough power left within him to open up a life link between him and the captain, solidified by him gripping his bony chest and holding on for dear life. With his dagger in his other hand, he barely managed to stave off the cutlass blow that came his way, holding him in a lock as he began the energy transferal…the Most Unholy Arte of Life Drain.

"YOU ARE MINE!" he screeched as he clenched ever tighter to the captain's chest, sucking in energies with such a tremendous will that the captain's, ever-patient, yet worn down by ages of wandering the ocean, was incapable of fighting back. The lizard's eyes went from a normal, draconian yellow to a glowing, pupilless red within a matter of moments as the captain's cursed energies flooded his being. Ivacus' wall of inner resolve was all that was keeping him from being overtaken by it…his will to dominate this energy and make it his own, rather than the other way around.

It seemed that the Dutchman was sensing this strange weakening, in addition to a need to recover from the wounds inflicted by the Excelsis. Thus, it began to sink, while the pair of indomitable creatures remained locked in a deadly duel for power amongst themselves. Both the necromancer or the legendary revenant refused to yield, even as the deck plunged beneath the surface, the madly grinning kobold obliviously going along with it.

As it began its slow descent to the ocean floor, even the captain, now having taken the form of a fearsome shark-like creature, was becoming slightly intimidated by this lizard who dared defy him. But the dread master of the Dutchman knew full well the extent of the curse he endured…any who died aboard the ship became a part of the crew. And if this powerful thing drowned, he could use it to his own ends, and rule the seas once more with its abilities. With a simple thought, the crew began to surround him, coming ever closer to their quarry.

At the same time, Ivacus' hunger for air began to outweigh his hunger for knowledge and power…he would have to use what he gained from his life drain transferal to escape, even as the horrid undead monstrosities of the deep began to surround him. Just as they began to cover his vision to the swiftly retreating surface, he spotted it: the hull of Excelsis floating overhead, right around…some sort of hellish beast straight from the deepest umbral reaches of the briny sea. But he couldn't worry about it now…he had to ensure his own survival. With a soft-spoken word of power, he cast a teleportation spell, as the crew were left with nought but an empty pocket of air that collapsed in on itself. Ivacus himself had cast it to reach the air just above the deck of the scouting warship, limping somewhat after all the damage it had sustained, but still functional. As he appeared out of thin air, he'd land from a short fall on his knees, sopping wet, as he took a desperate gasp at the salty sea air.

Captain Nyello, meanwhile, had seen enough. There was obviously something eldritch and beyond his control going on here…and if the legends were to be believed…that definitely was the one and only Flying Dutchman. Even knowing his own tactical brilliance, he knew he was far from equipped to handle a situation like this on his own; he swiftly directed one of his mates to set the ship on a course to the nearest harbor…praying that the Dutchman and the beast it commanded would let them gimp home safely.

Cedric hopped off the ballista's built-on seat and walked past the kobold. The smell of fish and seagulls overhead meant land. Cedric was alarmed when one of the surviving crew yelled "LAND HOOO!" The morning sun's light turned every surface a nice warm hue of reddish orange.

Cedric looked forward, spotting Iria. The ship drew closer, but when the Excelsis was about to dock, the creature emerged but quickly withdrew back into the water after a painfully loud ringing sound. Cedric jumped off the ship, not saying a single word. He bought a riding horse with his last remaining money and he set off for Adeluna.

These thoughts flooded Cedric's mind. A few hours go by, Cedric finally reaches the field, and with Adeluna close enough to be seen, Cedric picked up a bundle of grass and fed his horse as he hops back on and orders the horse to go faster. Finally, home.

FIN