"Captivity isn't an option!" - Chronicle 1.0

Flashback, Sarona
The cool breeze of the autumn air kissed the cheeks of Sarona as she paced back and forth outside of the largest longhouse in the village. The sun had yet broken through the grey cloud-filled sky and the hunting party should've been back by now. It may or may not have been her custom to worry, but her brother was a part of the hunt. Her father, the shaman of the Knuganks, also displayed increased signs of concern as well with his intense mutterings to the spirits. Then suddenly the sound of thundering hooves, the booming and popping of weapons unknown, and the shouting of a tongue unfamiliar to their ears encroached upon them with an almost unnatural speed. With panic, the elders, children and women of the village began to scatter as the invaders broke through the tree line taking all that they wished, unchecked. Murdering, pillaging, and taking, the pale-skinned invaders were ruthless! Sarona, concerned for a moment about her father's safety made haste to reach him on the other side of the longhouse when a sudden hard and sharp object struck her in the back of the head. As she fell to the ground her eyes cut towards the rear of the house where she saw her father, face down, dead. Then, the blackness came. . .



Flashback, Naagdhar
The scent of the day's big meal being cooked permeated the area around the cooking pit. It takes a while to prepare a delicious meal for a village and on that day Naagdhar's food was to satisfy the hunting party, which should've already been back to the village with fresh kills. Well, at least that wasn't his concern anymore, he knew his role well in the village and none doubted his expertise with meal preparation. In the distance he saw Sarona, strangely pacing in front of her longhouse and being only 40 yards from the cooking pit he could see most of all the happenings in the village from there. This of course did little to aid in what happened next. In the midst of his meal preparations the sudden thundering sound grew engulfing and the pale-skinned invaders took the village by storm! Naagdhar was caught up in the midst of a panic! Women and children rushing about screaming; longhouses, tents, teepees, and stockpiles being pillaged and set on fire! And even worst, the elders being slaughtered. Naagdhar grabbed a spear and leapt to the rescue of a woman and her daughter nearby as he bravely fended off one of the invaders. However, his struggle was soon met with an overwhelming force and with a hard strike to the forehead from one of their pow sticks, he fell. . .into the dark.



Flashback, Igasho
He found it! Wounded and lying on its side, Igasho had again successfully tracked down a deer. He was indeed a key accessory to any of the Knugank's hunting parties. The shot had only been loosed minutes before Igasho found it, and they all knew, speed was key. He stayed with the deer and gave it an honorable death as accustomed to the hunters. However, in his excitement of finding such a large kill he knew he had run far from the hunters to track it. So after dealing with the deer's death he stood and gave his whistling call. A whistle that mimicked that of the wild birds in the region. A whistle that he expected to get a response from. . .he got nothing. Unarmed, except for his hatchet, Igasho grew a little anxious and so left the deer to backtrack towards his hunting party. He wondered had he left them in such a hurry that they didn't know which directions he darted through the thickness of the woodlands. On his way back her heard a few twigs break, and turning a large net was thrown over him and he was subdued quicker than any prey he had ever hunted! On the ground and entangled in a mess of rope and net Igasho peered through the netting and saw a pale-skinned man that smiled a broken tooth smile. Then, with what resembled a club, he was struck upon the head at the moment he was to let out a scream of warning. Pain, searing pain. . .then he was out. . .the hunter had become the hunted.



Presently
As each of you groggily come to consciousness the rocking of the wooden beast is something foreign to your senses. One that puts you on the verge of heaving up whatever is left in your stomach. You may begin wondering how long its been, but one thing is certain, you're hungry.

A few hanging candles provide light to the dim, dank space as each of you find yourselves in particular predicaments.

Igasho is in a small 4x4 iron bar cage up against one end of the room and in the corner. A locked small iron door leads to and from his tight quarters. Naagdhar is flat on his butt, arms manacled behind himself and attached to a large wooden column that seems to run up the large rocking wooden beast. His mouth is cleave gagged tightly with a bit of cloth. He is in what could be considered the center of the room. Sarona finds herself in a similar 4x4 iron cage cell like Igasho, although her cage is on the same end of the room, she is in the opposite corner.

It is difficult to make out much about the room given the dim light, but there appear to be a few other empty cages, wooden boxes, and various burlap-like sacks.

Naagdhar spotting a burlap sack, that thanks to the rocking of the ship slid just within the reach of his feet, pulls against the manacles that keep have him fixed to the column. With a great bit of effort and an almost unnatural stretch he attempts to kick the sack toward his companion's cell with little luck.

The sack is just too far from him to adequately get enough leverage. He manages to move it only a foot or so, but unfortunately out of his reach even more.

A few moments of frustration pass. The reality of consciousness, your surroundings, thirst and hunger set in.

Then, a nearby set of stairs closest to Igasho's cell suddenly lights up, after what sounds like a door or hatch being open. Down the flight of stairs a man enters holding a glass lantern in one hand that illuminates the previously dim-lit room. In the other hand he is carrying some bread.

The man stands a little over 6 feet with a thick build, is quite unkempt and has a bearded face, weathered but cream-white skin, and has a sour look as though to signify his disdain for coming down.

He holds out the bread as he by-passes Igasho's cell and Naagdhar. Looking at Sarona he mutters something in a language none of you know. Sarona would probably believe he intends for her to take a bite of the bread.

The man shoves a bit of the bread into Sarona's hand with a grunt.

The man turns from Sarona to seemingly walk away, maybe to feed a portion of the bread to one of the others.

The man, indeed does approach Igasho and is seemingly unawares that his blade was lifted from his side.

He bypasses Naaghdar, looking down at him with a grunt as if he is the lesser of the three. Finally he reaches Igasho's cage and with a grunt and muttering of a strange language offers up some, what appears to be, stale bread.

The man looks down to Naagdhar in disgust as the spit hits the man's leg. He rears back and spits back a fad wade of right onto Naagdhar's head, laughs, and then continues over to Igasho's cage. He offers the bread with a scowl on his face.

The man is dressed in what Igasho may think is strange attire. He has on leather boots, pants woven from a tan-brown fabric and a dark shirt that is halfway buttoned up on the front side, drenched in sweat and stink. A few leather straps are fastened around him holding various items, and a waterskin. He also has on a woven skull cap or what Igasho might think of as some kind of low-grade headdress.

While the three captives stew in their own frustrations they realize that this large wooden vessel seems to feel as though it is slowing, or at least the rocking is almost entirely subsided. There is an almost eerie calm that overtakes their senses.

Then, there begins to be a commotion above them, the sounds of heavy footsteps to and fro, in what they may think is a frantic pattern. Voices are raised, although in a language none of them know they easily gather that it indicates concern or alarm.

Then suddenly, screams! Yelling, small explosive shots can be heard, and the clattering and clamboring about increases to a forte-level sound of extreme duress! It sounds like there is a battle ensuing above. . .or maybe even a massacre.

As Naagdhar is drifting off to sleep the hatch to the room pops open with force and down the narrow stairway the man that recently brought you bread half way falls down and limps. A sword in one hand he is clearly panicked! A look at his condition and you would each realize that he is wounded. His desperation and despair is palpable.

He looks to each of you, scanning back and forth and is gibbering in a language that doesn't make sense, but, given the look on his face you would think he is trying to ask you for help. . .while also being cautious.

He seems to be looking at each of you urgently for acknowledgement.

Strange sounds can be heard above and he gasps, as he continues to look to each of you. . .and back to the top of the stairs and hatch opening.

The man looks toward you when you speak, seeming to not understand you. He blabbers again and is seemingly thinking you're offering aid to him. He reaches toward his waste and pulls off a set of keys on an iron ring as he approaches as he approaches you.