Cainiam

Name: Chainmail Sex: Male Age: 16, so still a colt. Species: Earth Pony Nationality: Coltara Organization: Ever Victorious Army Social class: Lowblood Eye colour: Blue Coat colour: Lime Green Mane/tail: Strong Yellow, Short cut, mane shaved in lower area. Physique: A bit on the scrawny side, but average height. Darker green paint on his hooves. Destiny Mark: None yet. Residence: Born and raised in the Ashen Gate. Currently stationed there too with the EVA. Occupation: EVA Conscript Personality: Loyal to the Dragoran Empire like most of the blooded, he is more than willing to give his life in service to the Empress. He just hopes it doesn't come to that. While he's not quite as brainwashed as many of his kin, he is not the kind to go against the flow. Not the most skilled fighter, or the best at pretty much anything. Moderately able with a spear. Surprisingly reasonable and open minded for a trooper, and he doesn't quite fancy dying. Though if that's what it comes to, he supposes he might try it. Family: His family is quite extensive, but of particular note are his parents, both EVA officers, and a host of uncles, aunts and cousins who share similar stripes. Only child to his parents though, and in their eyes a pretty disappointing one. His mother gave up on him, but his father believed that he could one day serve the EVA as faithfully as they did. Back story: Born into a military family with a strong military tradition as an only child to two officers, his fate was decided for him since day one. Unfortunately he never quite took to it. Despite constant beatings from his mother, who just so happened to be an EVA training officer, for his failures, he never quite corrected his coordination issues or his weak swordhoof. Only weapon he ever showed any proficiency with is a spear. "Ungainly weapons only fit for cowards" as his mother referred to them. He'd probably have just given up if it wasn't for his father. Normally away on assignment, every time he returned home was a cause for celebration for Chainmail. A break from his hated training schedule and a time where he could just be a foal. Those all ended a week before his twelfth birthday though when his father was slain on duty. A trying time that pushed his mother even deeper into her work, and put even more pressure on Chainmail to deliver. A delivery that he just couldn't do. On his 16th, he was conscripted like most other lowbloods and that's where he finds himself now. It's no wonder that Chainmail now doesn't want to devote his life to the military, and would much prefer to work on his penmanship. He found a small respite in the library from his mother, who was happy to let him pick from the military history and tactics section. There was something hidden in those shelves though that sparked something in Chainmail. Wartime poetry. The beautiful juxtaposition of the violent clashes of ponies with the natural beauty of the soul, and Coltara. He never got the chance to undertake the art of poetry himself while under his mother's hoof, but now he is able to fit it around his schedule. Not that he'd tell anypony else he's doing it though. Now Chainmail is about to enter active duty, ready to be dispensed anywhere in the Empire. He just wants to get his compulsory service over and done with, and move to Riptide Bay where he can work on his literary skills in peace, maybe while earning a steady wage. Until then he's willing to soldier on, although he prays to Astral that he never has to kill another pony, but he thinks he might be ready to if he has to. For all his natural incompetence, he is well drilled and versed moderately in most weapon types, with a penchant for the spear.

[colour=#00ffff]"You may leave, Powder."[/colour] Royal said to Powder before trotting forwards then suddenly stopping again. [colour=#00ffff]"Oh, and If I were you though then I'd keep away from the soldiers. A few of them have been baying for your blood lately, and with Lance in command I'm afraid he handles discipline among the troops."[/colour] Royal Range then turned to Soul and grinned back at Soul's response, but his grin was quickly replaced when a pang of sadness hit him about True Majesty. [colour=#00ffff]"He was a great stallion, and he'll be missed by every Celestia serving sailor on this ship. His absence leaves a hole that I have no chance of filling in. Thank you for your kind words,"[/colour] Royal said with a solemn nod. Chiron, noticing that Royal was about to do one of his self-introspection things that he did whenever True Majesty was brought into the conversation, shuffled forwards to answer his question. [colour=#800080]"We are on course for Baltimare harbour, and will be arriving before day's end. Just before we left Colt's Cove we received a message saying that some representatives from the academy will be waiting to receive you in Baltimare. They have agreed not to press charges, so you won't be going before a court, don't worry. They just want to speak with you about the book, then you should be on your way."[/colour]

There we go. A first post. Had to introduce a new character to fill the gap left by Royal Range after he had to replace True Majesty. If there's anything in my post that contradicts what you guys are doing, then just say and I'll make some changes.

Acting Captain Royal Range was up on the hastily repaired deck of the HMS Alicorn. He had yet to adapt his uniform to show it though, and still wore the same naval uniform as he wore three weeks ago. The entire ship could do with more work, but the crew had done their best all things considered. As soon as they arrived in Baltimare harbour he would put in a requisition for official repairs. Until then the crew just had to be careful, and the two missing armaments and the deceased crew members did little but exacerbate the problem. Still the ship was running at around 90% efficiency, or at least it would be if moral wasn't at an all time low. The loss of Captain True Majesty had hit all the crew hard, especially the veterans. If Black Mane hadn't taken the handle for those few precious days, it would have been doubtful they ever would have made it to Colt's Cove where they had shored up for the past two weeks while repairs were under way. Royal lifted up Majesty's old spyglass to his eye as he surveyed the open ocean. At his side was acting first mate, navigator and chief medical officer, the multi-talented Chiron Crux. The impatient scholar was not best pleased about his new profession. He preferred to stay in his cabin with all of his books and studies, but his unwelcome promotion had brought him out into the open. The dark purple unicorn adjusted his spectacles. [colour=#800080]"We won't see another landmass for a good six hours,"[/colour] he said with thinly veiled anger at being second-guessed. [colour=#00ffff]"I'm aware of that, Chi,"[/colour] Royal replied. He grinned a little as he saw Chiron's teeth grit slightly at the nickname he had given him. "[colour=#00ffff]The ship is running at full speed, everyponies in place, there isn't much else to do."[/colour] [colour=#800080]"Then perhaps we should return to our cabins? Invest our time in doing something useful."[/colour] [colour=#00ffff]"We need to keep in sight, Chi. Moral is still pretty low. As long as we're in plain view and look like we're occupied, the others are going to work harder. Besides we'll be in Baltimare soon. The ship'll get a new captain and you can barricade yourself back in your cabin again." [/colour]Chiron's eyes narrowed again, but before he could offer his rebuttal the sound of somepony clearing their throat had the two of them wheel around to see none other than Sergeant Major Lance. The pony had settled into his role as commander of the army complement with gusto. The officer had made some big changes in staffing, some of which were rather unwelcome. He'd replaced a lot of the officers with troopers he deemed more qualified. Needless to say he wasn't a hit with the men, although they still followed their orders to a tee. The few who didn't agree jumped ship at Colt's Cove, as well as a certain orange earth pony trooper. [colour=#00ff00]"I have a request, Acting Captain,"[/colour] Lance said with extra emphasis on the "acting". [colour=#00ffff]"Speak," [/colour]Royal replied in the same tired tone he always adopted when talking to Lance. [colour=#00ff00]"Black Powder has once again been sighted on our vessel. That sorry excuse for a pony deserves the noose. I understand that he is now part of Black Mane's crew, but that does not exempt him from his crimes!"[/colour] Royal sighed loudly as Lance started up the same rant he always seemed to do. [colour=#00ffff]"We've been over this, Sergeant. Black Mane has taken him on as first mate. That means he is also a legal pirate now. Not to mention that Black Mane has personally vouched for him. As long as he has Black Mane's protection, then he is exempt from all previous crimes. There's no way around it. It's a loophole that they've exploited. So please, for the love of Celestia, stop asking!"[/colour] Lance bristled at the comment, but saluted anyway. [colour=#00ff00]"Understood, Acting Captain." [/colour]He then turned away and trotted back down below deck. Royal turned to Chiron and said,[colour=#00ffff] "Suppose we'd best go see what Black Powder's doing." [/colour]He attached Majesty's spyglass to a space on his belt and headed for the entrance to the lower decks. Chiron followed closely behind. [colour=#800080]"He'll be talking to Soul Flare again. It was his lunch time, and you know how Powder likes to deliver it."[/colour] A pair of sailors passed up and through the doorway with a quick salute at the captain as they passed. Royal responded with a brief nod to each before heading down the stairway and into the lower decks. He heard Chiron's voice speak up behind him. [colour=#800080]"I don't know what to think about the two of them socialising so much. After how Black Powder broke out and his lack of respect for the Navy leads me to assume it can't be anything good for us."[/colour] Royal snorted with a brief laugh. [colour=#00ffff]"They're both adventurers on the high seas, they have plenty of other stuff to talk about."[/colour] [colour=#800080]"Like that mysterious book of his."[/colour] [colour=#00ffff]"For one." [/colour]The pair then rounded a corner and past a pair of saluting guards to what would be the brig. Sure enough Black Powder and Soul Flair were talking to each other. Royal caught the tail end of the conversation.[colour=#00ffff] "I hope we're not planning on jumping ship," [/colour]he said as he stopped right next to Black Powder. [colour=#00ffff]"Because if that were the case then all the good words in the world wouldn't put you back in my good graces."[/colour]

Okey-doke. That will probably become clear in time, but Black Powder on the other hand... well I think Talex is planning on having his own ship when he comes back, a ship where Powder would be first mate. At least that's the implication I got from what he was saying.

Stringheart's right actually. They're not mutually exclusive. Just have each person select their reason. I'm just slightly confused as to why Soul Flair and Black Powder are still onboard the Alicorn. I mean, wasn't one of the points of the time skip so you guys could get back to your own ships? I can still roll with this, I'm just saying that wasn't that one of the driving points behind Talex's idea?

Well, Talex said he'd be busy over the weekend. I suppose we could start now, but we can't really go too far without him. As for the topic of ghost captains, well, personally I think that would be taking it a tad too far, but this is MLP. I suppose you could quite easily get away with that. Talex is calling the shots as OP, so I'd wait to hear back from him.

Both plans seem to have merit. While I like Talex's as it involves the group and our past relationships, it doesn't quite cover everyone so well. For instance the Navy isn't going to go after some vague treasure, that's not their job. Neither will Red Sail I'd imagine. He'd be busy plundering things. While it is attractive to the pirates, the others not so much. Korok's plan does cover that in a way, but it would require each of us to give a sort of prologue to explain our motives and how we heard about it. While that's not a big issue, it does require us to put more thought in and such. Honestly, I like both approaches, so I'll leave it up to other people.

I suppose so. Yeah, no point having us all stuck in poker limbo. Time to finish up.

Hmm. A time skip would be a splendid idea actually. I might need a bit more than a week though, how about a month? The Alicorn need repairs after that last battle, and Royal Range needs to be officially promoted to Captain. We might need to discuss how the other pirates escaped. Soul Flare in particular. Black Mane and Black Powder could have left quite easily at that point. A Treasure Race sounds like a great idea too. Give this rp a loose structure to follow, while free-form can be fun sometimes it felt a bit too aimless.

I was waiting on Emerath to deal us some more cards, but really that should have happened before your last turn, Char. I'm pretty sure that's how Texas Hold 'Em works right? Once all players have raised or called, the next card is dealt? Since you're waiting on me, I might as well make a post now, but I'm pretty sure the game should be going Chardude, Cainiam, Emerath. As even though he isn't actively playing this round, he is taking the Dealer spot.

Helios had lost everything and he was certainly not taking it well. His army, gone. His special powers, gone. His loyal followers, gone. Even his darn cloak was gone. What else was there left to lose? He grumbled quietly to himself for a few seconds, when a commanding tone caught his attention. He scraped himself back off of the floor and to his hooves before replying in the same sombre tone. "She wouldn't have gone anywhere. This was the amassment site. Here was where she was brought. The camp was never set up, and we had no holdings here. It was simply where we met the reinforcements and launched our subterfuge program. Not that it worked." Suddenly an inkling of realisation crossed his face. "Hang on! I just had an idea!" Helios closed his eyes, breathed in sharply, then clenched his eyes closed in concentration. His horn slowly began to glow blue as it shot a thin ray tearing through the forest. Helios staggered sideways and almost fell over with the effort. "There... a tracking... spell. They're... heading in... that direction," he panted. As he regained his composure and started to trot in that direction the beam of light flew back into his horn which glowed a very faint blue in response. "There... it's tuned. My horn... will glow brighter... the closer... we get." The strain of the spell was clear on his face as he started to canter in the direction the beam had first travelled, and his horn began to subtly turn a stronger colour.

Helios hurried to and fro, looking for any signs whatsoever of Overeasy and her captive. He had given her explicit orders! This was gross insubordination! He would have her head for this! Metaphorically speaking. Then again he hardly felt powerful at the moment. Manzanita had his cloak. Then again it was now just the two of them in the middle of the forest. And seemed like she was having the same idea. He suddenly shrank down again. He couldn't take her on alone. Could he? No, no, she was wearing the cloak. She had stolen his status symbol, she was Duchess Manzanita, and he was the simple peasant. Gah. Why was life so unfair? He moped around for another minute before just giving up and sitting down on his haunches. "Looks like there's nopony here. Where they could have gone, I don't have a clue."

Helios muttered something very unflattering under his breath, and turned back towards the exit with a scowl on his face. "This way, Lady," he said icily. The pair trotted out of Book Fort with him in the lead and Manny right behind. The walk wasn't far from Book Fort, and the pair walked in complete silence the entire way. Manzanita smiling smugly, while Helios's scowl only intensified with each step. If Overeasy had followed his instructions then she would be waiting just around the next Bookite deposit, which the pair rounded with ease. Helios was suddenly taken aback by the immediate lack of Overeasy and Princess Dawn. He was sure he gave this as a rendezvous point! He turned back to see Manzanita looking at him expectantly. "Uhh... they- they should be right here," Helios said, suddenly nervous. Looked like his only gambling chip had wandered off. This was not good. "I-I explicitly told Overeasy to wait here for me! I haven't been gone that long!" he shouted, as he suddenly started to panic. "Overeasy! Overeasy!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, but there was no answer but the creaking of the thick trees.

Helios grabbed this way and that, but Manzanita was always one step ahead of him. She took it off and held it in her mouth, taunting him with it. After around a minute of him chasing her around the room and failing to grab it he finally stomped his hooves in frustration. "Fine! Fine! You want to see the Princess? Give me back my cloak and I'll take you to her!" he shouted as he stared at her moodily.

Helios smiled as he saw Manzanita's reaction. She was absolutely raging! She stormed right up to him with her eyes practically burning coals. He kept the same irritating smile until she started burning into him. His smile waned quickly at her insults, but then she did the unforgivable! She tore off his cloak! Helios cried out as his cloak tore from his back and his fancy golden clasp which fell to the floor. Helios fell to his haunches. "My... my cloak..." he said quietly as his lips began to quiver. "Father bought me that for my birthday..." His face twisted with his own anger. "Give it back! It's mine!" he shouted as he tried to grab it back off of her.

Helios stopped for a brief second to snort a brief and derisive laugh. He then turned back quickly, billowing out his majestic purple cloak. "Let me get this straight. I help you find the Princess, and I don't go to prison. Hmm," he said snarkily as he tapped at his chin over-exaggeratedly. "Well, I'm not in prison right now, am I? And if I get the Princess, my position won't change? In effect I will be helping you for free. Duke Helios doesn't do charity." He smiled snidely. "Unless you've got a much more tempting offer in that noggin of yours, then I'll be on my way."

Helios groggily awoke yet again. Seemed like he was getting knocked out a lot these days. He once again saw the same hooves from earlier shaking him. "Lady Manzanita," he said in a mockingly formal manner as he rose to his hooves and clutched his head. He narrowed his eyes at her next comment. "Of course I can walk alone if the help being provided is by you!" he shouted acidly. He was actually surprisingly unharmed after the last sequence of events, well, except his pride. And he prided himself on pride. "Why should I lead you to Princess Dawn?" he said petulantly as he turned his back on her and stomped a hoof. "What will I get out of it? Hmm. The second you have her back I am whisked away into the prisons," he turned his head back to say to her, before shaking his mane and striding off to the exit haughtily as well.

Helios shut up quite quickly when Moondust arrived and shattered all hopes of ever convincing her otherwise. The very sight of the traitor should have him boiling with rage, but once again he couldn't feel anything but a slight pang of melancholy. He sighed loudly and muttered something under his breath as he climbed off of Manzanita and sat himself down beside the wall. He doubted anypony would try to stop him sitting back, and Manzanita wasn't the most comfortable pony to be strung across, in fact Overeasy was a lot fluffier. He was completely spent. Whatever Moondust had done to him it seemed to have sapped all of his energy. He felt like he could sleep for a million years, and still be tired enough to get into bed the very next night. Then Moonlight trotted in, Helios expected the worst after all she had been forcibly possessed... but then she started to despair. Perhaps the darkness still lingered somewhere deep inside of them? It seemed dormant in him at the moment at least. Helios managed a weak smile as he looked up to Moonlight. The odds were not with her, especially with this very threatening fellow wielding some kind of triad. He saw the plucky pony charge down Moondust anyway and throw her to the ground, only to be predictably picked up and tossed aside by the strong pony. Helios got his proof. A shadowy aura seemed to emanate from her, and he could have sworn he heard it's whispers. The pony rose and bellowed out in the same darkness infused voice that Helios once used, and brought forth an army of the same shadowy creatures. Helios shakily rose to his hooves, this could be the opportunity he'd been looking for. He quickly saw the strong pony go on the offensive with a rather large and intimidating blade. However all parties seemed to be currently preoccupied with dealing with the shadows. This could be his chance. Then a strong touch from Manzanita told him otherwise. She pinned him against the wall, somehow preempting his attempts to bolt. Well, the chance went a lot faster than he thought as the good ponies quickly gave in and pushed for peace. Peace could never be achieved unless everypony was of one mind. The fools. Moonlight was trained well enough and quickly capitalised on their weakness only to be stopped by Moondust. What was her agenda? She strode over to him purposefully and raised her sword. "What is this?! You would stab a pinned pony?! And you speak of honour!" he shouted, finally finding his rage when the sword struck down and drained him like a juicebox. He felt the final vestiges of shadow ripped from him, and flopped back against the wall as his eyes rolled into themselves and he lost consciousness.

Oh man! Sorry, I totally forgot! I wrote an app, then Canterlot went down for a bit, so I put it in my notes folder and forgot about it. Name: Marshal Iron Sex: Male Age: Old Stallion Species: Earth Pony Eye colour: Misty Grey Coat colour: Light Grey Mane/Tail/Markings colour & Style: White mane cut short and an equally short, white tail. Thick white stubble on his chin and a small, trim moustache. (General appearance): If you had to describe him in one word it'd probably be grizzled. (Cutiemark): An Equestrian Marshal badge. (View of the Law): "The law is there for a reason. Somepony breaks it, and they deserve to go down. Now I have a reputation of bringing a pony back dead, why? Because it's cleaner that way. The law is actually carried out. If somepony else is willing to break the law, then why should we bother sticking to the law to take them down? All it'll do is slow us down, and give them a chance to hoof it. No, those that break the law, don't deserve to use it a safety net." (Weapons/Fighting style): "Been using the same lever action rifle and revolver for thirty years. In those years I've learnt all their ins and outs, their quirks, and now I can shoot with the best of them. All my years have seen me using other weapons temporarily, but those are my standards. Both trusty pieces." (Lifelong dream as Western Frontier pony/whatever they are): "Honestly I live for the thrill of it. That moment where a bandit realises he's gone and goofed, and there's no way out. Sometimes it's just to know that bad ponies are dealt with in a manner that gives the victims justice. What justice is there in ten years imprisonment? I say, you just kill them, and let god work it out." (History): One of the oldest Marshals in the country, and has more than a few cases of infractions. He's spent almost as much time working for the law, as he has working privately while on suspension. He has a long history of bringing criminals in dead. Lost both his parents to bandits, despite the fact his dad was one too. Lives alone and always on the trail. (Personality): Has trouble connecting with other ponies. Can come across as brash and impulsive, but normally has a plan behind his spontaneous actions. Can't trust other ponies even if they can provide very good reasons to. Normally operates alone, but does understand the importance of having a local around.

If need be I could continue with this, but I am fully understanding if everyone else wants to pull the plug.

Helios could see that Manzanita was growing angry, and he didn't have any time at all to convince this filly with a well structured argument. So instead he opted for the flagrant lies as they tended to work a lot faster. "She's not really a Princess! She's a witch who uses her magic to convince the whole kingdom that she is really a Princess! And uh... she's evil! Very evil! I am the true king, and therefore not susceptible to her magic! Yeah! Because of the... uh.... royal bloodline. I just want to save my kingdom, but the witch has convinced everypony that I am the true foe!" He said as quickly as he could.

Helios blearily awoke to find himself moving again. Overeasy must have escorted the prisoner out and then returned! How grand! After a lot of coaxing he managed to get his eyelids to flutter open, and sure enough he saw the gravel moving beneath her hooves. Her non-green hooves. This wasn't Overeasy. He was suddenly acutely aware that the buzzing background noise was actually speech. He recognised one of them with a feeling of dread, Lady Manzanita. One of the staunchest and most unreasonable followers of Princess Dawn. The other though was new, a voice he didn't recognise at all. He managed to just pick up the actual wording at the end of the conversation. Another pony throwing themselves at the Princess, it was enough to stir up some anger, and in turn, some energy. Nowhere near enough to leap off and charge into the forest, nor enough to take on Manzanita in a battle, but maybe just enough to sway this filly's mind. "Why do you commit yourself so readily to a Princess you've never met, let alone even heard of," he croaked, turning his head to face the orange filly. "The Princess has blinded her followers to her weaknesses, but she needn't blind you. Help me out of here, and I will tell you the true face of the Princess," Helios said weakly.

(It's completely cool to keep in, Brony. You haven't missed that much, besides the main fight was a little... focused anyway. Perhaps a quick summary of your actions during that sequence, or just skip that. You too Browneh if you're still there. Things are just a bit hectic at the moment, so just dive headfirst in when you see a spot. Pick a side, and get stuck in!) Helios was spent. He just felt so weak and drained. He gratefully took Overeasy's offer and flopped over her back like a fish. He felt his eyelids closing again. He needed to rest. To recuperate. Before he got a chance to return to dreamland though, he was once more sent flying through the air like a ragdoll and landed face first onto the ground. Helios tried his best to rise once more, but he just didn't have it in him. He brought his head up and rested his chin against the ground when he spotted the object they had collided with. Princess Dawn, his sworn enemy. He should be burning with rage just to see her, but he felt nothing. Just emptiness. However the tactical side of his brain clocked in. There would be no resistance if there was no Princess, and she had just thrown herself out here. The thought brought a weak smile to his muzzle. However there was no way Overeasy could take both of them, she had struggled enough with Helios. He quickly made up his mind. "Overeasy," he croaked from the floor. "Take Princess Dawn. She's the key to this. I'll try and meet you where our army grouped together!" he said, slowly gaining strength as he spoke. He pushed one last time against the ground, and managed to stagger to his hooves. "Go! I'll be right behind you," he said in the most obvious lie ever. Seeing that she still staunchly refused to move, Helios tried his best to dredge up his commanding tone that he had been so proud of no less than an hour ago. "That is an order from your king!" He shouted, his voice breaking slightly in the middle. She finally nodded, no doubt with one of her quips, but Helios was having trouble just staying on his hooves. His head was still pounding as if it was being used as a drum for some kind of tribal ceremony. She vanished into the distance and Helios exhaled deeply and almost fell to the floor, but he somehow stayed standing. The bookite deposit almost obscured him completely from view, so he did the only thing that he felt capable of doing, and pulled himself completely out of view, before succumbing to his fatigue. He fell to his haunches, and propped up against the bookite deposit. He would just take a little breather, then he'd hurry to the rendezvous. He doubted Moonlight still had their back after the possession was over, so it looked like their team may be down to two.

Helios grunted awake to a persistent prod in his flank. His eye's slowly creaked open, and he was almost blinded by the invasion of light. Somepony was stood over him. Overeasy? He put a hoof to his forehead to serve the dual purpose of easing his banging head, and blocking out the extra light. Celestia, it was like he was staring at the sun. Another shadow stood next to his trusty egg-mage. Was that Moondust? A hoof was stretched out, so he took it. She helped him climb back to his hooves. "Darkness," he mumbled, before clutching his head again. "My head," he moaned as he stroked it with his hooves again. He eventually nodded. "It's gone, but it left a real mess." He motioned Overeasy to move slightly to the left, so he could support himself a bit better on her. "The Princess? I don't know. She doesn't seem the forgiving type. Might be best to beat a hasty retreat. Overeasy, if you could just get us out of here. Somehow," he said softly. Up on the precipice he saw the outline of Princess Dawn. They locked eyes for a brief second, and her intent was instantly laid out to bear. He heard the order to take them, but the other ponies seemed to have already left for the fort. There was a small window, but Helios was in no condition to take it by himself. He leant a bit more on Overeasy. "Quickly if you'd please," he added in a strained voice.