Vampire Hunting

My former Master has a new emissary after Malkator. We're going to track her down and try to negotiate.With Malkator's eyes, we're bound to find her soon.

And I suppose I should talk a bit about my back story since some of it cam up in Malkator's last blog post. My brother, Alphonse, and I were orphans. This was several centuries ago. I don't know how long exactly. W was a fighter. He protected me. He kept me safe from the dangers the world threw at us. What I lacked in strength and fighting skill, I made up for in street smarts. I could get what we needed to survive using various tactics, not all of which I'm proud of. We were alone until I turned nineteen. Then Na'an appeared.

Na'an is his true name. The name of the Game Master. He was an Ancient Egyptian. He served the Wooden Girl for along time. Eventually, he got sick of her and sought help from the other Fears to overthrow her. I don't know the whole story, but he was able to gain power that rivaled that of the Fears. He broke free of her control and discovered the Board. It was a unique realm, which temporarily suppressed the power of those who entered it. The Fears became as weak as humans when they visited. He entered and exited this world so often that he became immune to it's effect, but it came at a price. He's now bound there, only able to leave for short periods at a time. So he enlisted help. He began bringing human there, and making them into servants, as well as granting powers to his  emissaries in the human world. My brother and I became his servants on the board. Alphonse's fighting prowess was ideal to become a Spade, the soldiers of the board. My negotiator skills were what earned me the title of Club.

The Deck of 54 is divided into 5 groups. The Spades are all men, who serve as the Boards military force. The Clubs serve as shop keepers and are also all men. The Diamonds are an all girl group who serve as construction workers and gardeners, who keep the Board looking nice, while the Hearts are an all girl group who provide medical care to those who need it. Then there's the Jokers, who consist of one man and one woman and are Na'an's personal guard. I think His sexism might have something to do with whatever happened with him and the Wooden Girl.

Any way, I should probably post more of that diary. I'm skipping over some boring posts, so here's when it starts getting interesting again;

February 15th, 1693


They've found me. I'm on board the Tantalus again. They want m to guide them to the Sword. I suppose I have no choice. Why must fate be such a cruel bitch?
I regret that I couldn't say good bye to Aika. I really cared about her. And I won't be able to see the birth of our child.
Damn these Pirates! I have to find a way to escape. Perhaps mutiny? Could that work? Would I be able to get others on my side? The crew has changed a lot since I left. Isiore, Keursio, and Jack are still here. But will four be enough? Maybe they can convince more to help. I don't know. I'm confused.
Jack seems different. There's a weird look in his eyes.
I have to go now. I'm going to try talking to the others.

G.K.

Well, that's it for now. Later.

True To His Word

Malkator just punched me in the face. I guess I deserved it. It's my fault that HELLFIRE is possessing Daniel right now. It seems like Daniel still has control over the body, but HELLFIRE's still in there, and I have to gt him back. Better me than him, right? Daniel's special. I don't know how. Malkator doesn't know either. All we know is that there's something about him- something that we're both drawn to.

Any way, I read more of the diary. The next post is... odd.

December 18th, 1692


Oh, wow. I just found this thing after all these years. I completely forgot about it! I guess I should catch up on all that's happened over the past seven years. I began to question the two captains' motives, so I stole the sword, packed up some stuff, and hijacked a rowboat. I was fleeing for two years. I eventually found myself here in Okinawa. I've spent a number of years learning their language and becoming familiar with the people. There's this woman here... She was kind enough to take me in. I've been living with her the past few years, and we've grown really close. We're actually expecting going to She's pregnant.


Well, I think that sums up almost everything. I haven't been found yet, and even if they do find me, they'll never find the sword. I hid it away a long time ago, and I have no intention of telling them where it is.


We're thinking of a name for the baby. I decided to let her pick. She thinks a good name for a boy would be Hideaki. It means "Shining Brilliance". At least, I think that's what it means. I still have trouble with their language. I think it's a beautiful name.


It's strange. I've been an adventurer my entire life. I never expected to ever settle down and have children.

G.K.

So he hid the sword away and banged a Japanese chick. That's what I got out of all that. Malkator's reading this over my shoulder, and he smacked me in the back of the head when I typed that. It was totally worth it.

Okay, Malkator's gone now. He's worrying me. I can seriously feel the darkness inside of him. It's really troubling.

Recovered.

My arms all better now. Good thing I heal quickly.

Anyway, after that last entry, the diary has a few entries of boring shit that I'm just gonna skip over. Here's the interesting stuff.

October 19th, 1685


We finally have it. It took several months and a number of raids, but we've obtained the sword. It was on board a Spanish ship. They had numbers, but we had more. We lost several men. Richard was among them. I didn't get along with him too well... but it's sad that he's gone. The masked character with the scythes almost died as well. I was barely able to save him.

G.K.

October 20th, 1685

We're on our way back to the Island. The two captains have need to address us again, but we must dock first. I also spoke with the masked man woman. Yes, she's a woman. She thanked me for saving her before. Her name is Isiore. She says she doesn't speak to people she doesn't trust. I guess this means I've earned her trust.

G.K.

November 1st, 1685

We've made it too the Island. Captain Vincent and the Cedar Queen revealed to us what that sword really is. We're going to use it to go to war against the Pale Prince, as the call him. And They've selected me to wield it. I'm not sure about this. Do they honestly expect this much out of me? I'm a swashbuckler, not a soldier! What do I do?

G.K.

I feel weird. Really fucking weird. Wait, I just swore. How come- OH GOD I HAVE TO GO!

Sorry

I apologize for the lack of posts. HELLFIRE got in a fight with a bunch of the other Fears, and I've been recovering from a broken arm ever since. Anyway, It'll take me a little while to fully heal, but here's an entry from the diary.

May 12th, 1685


We arrived at the island this morning. The other crew was waiting there for us. And to my very much surprise, they were being captained by Vincent Aldecence. My old captain. He was supposed to have been hanged! He spoke with the Cedar queen as the two crews sat around waiting for them to give us our new orders.
I got a look at the other crews ship. Their flag has a symbol resembling two hourglasses, and the word Timber Wolf is written of the side of the ship in Gold lettering.
The captains then addressed us.
"It is time for your new orders," Vincent said. The Cedar Queen then lifted up a large, sinister looking sword above her head. It was the same sword I had seen the brown-haired boy in my dream wielding.
"Do you see this?" The Queen asked. We all nodded. "We found this sword aboard a ship a couple weeks ago. They were trying to transport it to a safe location where we would be unable to find it."
She then broke the sword in two.
"It's a fake," Vincent said.
"Yes," The Queen said. "It's a mere decoy. The real sword is still out there somewhere. We are going to find it. Prepare to set sail!"
"We will travel to the ends of the Earth if we must!" Vincent proclaimed.
We then prepared our ships. As I was untangling some ropes, Vincent and the Cedar Queen approached me.
"This is the one?" Vincent asked.
"Yes," The Queen said.
He looked me in the eyes, with a sinister smile on his face.
"I look forward to working with you, Mr. Kelterry," He said. He then left. I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't trust him.

G.K.

Next few entries

April 24th, 1685


I left with Keursio, Jack, Richard, and the quiet person. We boarded a long boat and rowed to the other ship. The flag seemed rather odd. Instead of a skull with cross-bones, it was a circle with cross-bones. We began interrogating the crew. They said the captain changed the flag himself and that he had been acting odd and paranoid lately. We decided to hear the captain's word. He was in his quarters. We entered. Papers covered the walls, each one showing strange symbols.
Garrot then draws some of what he saw. There was the operator symbol, the twin triangle, the snake and serpent, and many symbols I haven't seen before.
"Who are you?" He asked me.
"My name is Garrot Kelterry. I've been sent to discover who you are and why you fly such an odd flag."
"The symbol belongs to Him," he said.
"Him?" I asked.
"The one who watches," He stammered.
"You're not making any sense," I said. "What are these images? What do they mean?"
"Symbols I've collected," he said. "Their symbols."
"Where is your destination?" I asked.
"I'm going to hide the sword," he said.
THE SWORD! THIS IS IT!
"What sword?" I asked.
"I can't say anything else!" he said, beginning you panic. I was about to make him tell me, but then I felt a wooden hand on my shoulder. I turned to she the Cedar Queen standing there.
"Return to the ship," She instructed me. "I'll handle things from here."
I don't know how She got there, but I did as She told me.

G.K.

April 27th, 1685

Did some more pillaging today. I'm curious about that sword that man mentioned.

G.K.

April 30th, 1675

I had a dream that scared me. I saw a tall man. He was impossibly tall, and had kraken like appendages sprouting from his back. A boy in odd clothing with long brown hair was fighting against it with the strangest looking sword I'd ever seen. The next bit was a blur, but I then saw another boy, with angel like wings and metal blades sprouting from his arms and forehead. He was speaking to another man who resembled the first boy, only some things had changed about him. His skin was ghost white, he had even longer hair, and dark circles surrounded his eyes. He held a Spanish sword at his side and seemed angry about something. When I woke up, I could swear I saw an unbelievably beautiful woman standing in the corner, but she vanished immediately. Perhaps it was just my imagination.

G.K.

May 5th, 1685

We have another job. We're to sail a small island to meet with another pirate crew. They are apparently acquainted with the Cedar Queen. I'm curious who the are.

G.K.

I'll post more another time. HELLFIRE seems excited about that sword. I wonder why it's significant.

The First Week

Okay, HELLFIRE agreed to keep quiet while I transcribe the contents of the Diary.


April 17th, 1685


I'm starting this log to keep track of my journey aboard The Tantalus. I will be serving the female pirate captain known as the Cedar Queen. I've been working as a pirate since I was a lad, but this is my first time serving a female captain. Hopefully this will be more interesting than my last captain. The fool got himself hanged.
This ship has a crew of fifty-five. I'm one of the deckhands, but I hope to impress the Cedar Queen enough to move up to a higher rank.
I haven't met her yet. She spends a lot of time in her quarters, with her guardian blocking the doors so that she isn't disturbed.
I share a loft with three other men. First there's Jack. He's from Spain, and is a decent fencer. Not at my level, though. Then there's Richard. He's a pretty boy. I find it very annoying. The third man's a little enigmatic. To be honest, I'm not even sure it's a man. He's always got a mask covering his face, and he wears more clothing than is necessary in this weather. He also carries these weird weapons that resemble small scythes attached to each other by a long chain. He never speaks a word.
Well, I have to get back to work.

Signed,

Garrot Kelterry.

April 18th, 1685

Not much to report today. I have been introduced to one of the female crew mates. Her name is Keursio. It's pronounce Key-Er-See-Oh. I had to ask her how it was spelled. Anyway, that's about all.

G.K.

April 19th, 1685

Nothing to report

G.K.

April 20, 1685

Saw a weird looking fellow on board the ship today. He was really tall, and wore fancy black clothing. I didn't get a good look at his face, but there was something off about him. I wonder who it was.

G.K.

April 21, 1685

I shouldn't have drank so much wine today. I feel ready sick.

G.K.

April 22, 1685

We raided a ship today. It  was transporting vegetables and spices. We plundered all we could and then burned down their mast so the couldn't follow us. All in a days work for Garrot Kelterry. Anyway, I tried asking about the tall man. No one else claims to have see him. Except the Cedar Queen's guard. He said, and I quote, "You'd best be avoiding that man. Don't look at 'im, don't talk to 'im, just keep walking and pretend he ain't there the next time you see 'im." That's odd. Well, I'm off to bed.

G.K.

April 23, 1685

Good God, the Captain's made of wood! She came out of her chamber for the first time today and requested that me and my bunk mates go to see her. She was actually made out of wood. I've seen peg legs before, but that was just ridiculous. How is that even possible.

She has a special assignment for us. The look out spotted a ship flying an unfamiliar flag, and we have orders to sneak on board and determine who they are.

I can't get over the fact that she's wooden.

G.K.

Well, that was interesting, don't you think? I'm still not sure what any of this has to do with Daniel, but hopefully I'll know soon enough.



EDIT; I just looked back through the first few pages and realized the dates were wrong. The books old and things are a little faded, but I went back and fixed what I typed. Sorry.

Got it!

Bingo, we have the box.
DUMB ASSES DROPPED THEIR GUARD AND WE SWIPED IT.
HELLFIRE wanted me to break it open, but I went with a less violent method of getting it open. I learned to pick locks while I was in the service of the Game Master.
YOU NEVER CEASE TO SURPRISE ME.
It contained a diary. I guess it holds secrets that HELLFIRE wants. It also contains answers to why Daniel is so important.
IT CONTAINS A GREAT DEAL OF THINGS.
I haven't started reading yet. Taking a break for now. I'll post any interesting entries here.