creats noew story!!! th

*presses the restart button* :P xD :stpat_06: :stcheesy:

ROFL.... I missed a lot!! Good never cheats! GJ to Good!!!! I vote new story also...:)

We must wait for Basil to provide said story.

Well, this seemed fun. I was hoping it would go much longer, so I could compile it all together and put the whole thing as a single story at the end.

Give me a few hours, and I'll put up another story.

I have another one in mind already.

Chapter 2, The Spanish Fleet!
 

This story is based more on historical fact than the last one was. Not all of it is true, but a bit of it is.

The year is 1722. The Spanish are claiming most of the new world as their own. King Philip V has levied a tax on all goods returning from the New World so that 20%, or 1/5, of all goods are paid as tax. Spanish fleets go back to Spain every year or two, heavily loaded. Some carry treasure, some carry other things. Some typical treasures are gold from Columbia. Diamonds and Emeralds from Peru and Venezuela. And Silver from Mexico. Goods are,: native artifacts, cloth, exotic fruits and foods, including Sugarcane and Rum.

The normal procedure for a fleet is for all the ships from different starting points meet up in Havana, Cuba, and travel from there together. They ride the Gulf Stream up along the coast of Florida, past the Spanish stronghold of Saint Augustine, and further up the coast, until the Gulf stream turns east. They can ride the currents most all the way back to Europe and safe haven in Spain.

At this point in time, the French and the Spanish pretty much get along. While not particularly allies, they will sometimes band together for protection. The normal time to leave the Caribbean is early Spring. The fleets want to be away from the Caribbean before hurricane season kicks in.

Our Story:

It has been 2 years since any Spanish ships have left Vera Cruz, New Spain (Mexico.) There are 4 ships there ready to set sail.
It has only been one year since any ships have left any of the other major ports. There are two ships coming from Columbia, 1 in Venezuela, 2 French warships in New Orleans, and 4 Spanish ships already in Havana. One of the ships in Havana is also a warship. All the ships are ready to leave their respective ports to meet up with the ships that are in Havana for the trip across the ocean.

The four ships in Vera Cruz are the El Cozerone, the Santa Marianna, and the Corazon, all owned by the Spanish Government, and the Utopia, a privately owned ship sailing under the Spanish flag. Their route is to leave Vera Cruz, head north along the New Spain coast, go past Padre Island, and stay close to the shore line until they get to New Orleans to meet up with the French warships. Once they all meet up, they will sail to the Dry Tortugas, along to Key West, and then to Havana. These ships have the furthest to travel to get to Havana. So they have to be the first to set sail, if they are going to make the journey before hurricane season.

The two French warships, are actually troop ships that have brought men and supplies to New Orleans. They have been laden with goods for return to France, but also contracted to supply protection to the Spanish ships from Vera Cruz until they get to Cuba, and then for the entire rest of the fleet as it crosses the ocean. They are the Fior Do Mar, and the Conceptione.

The two ships in Columbia are the San Sabastian, and the Espadarte. Their path is to sail north to what is now known as Jamaica, then go between Cuba and Haiti, and along the coast of Cuba until they get to Havana.


The ship leaving Venezuela, the Ribeira Grande, is the smallest of all the ships joining the fleet. As such, it does not carry near as many men, nor as much supplies. It's route is going to take it all along the West Indie's island chain. It will pass by, or stop at, Martinique, Guadelupe, St. Martin, and Pueto Rico before heading west to meet up in Havana. This is a long route to take, but it provides plenty of places to get supplies, and also lots of protection. This ship will have to leave in plenty of time to meet up, or it will be forced to decide to wait in Havana for another year, or to sail alone.

Of the four ships that are already at Cuba, the Cidada Velha, the Lucayan, the Maria de la Limpia have all been there for a fairly long time. They are well maintained and in good repair. The fourth ship, the Maravillas, has only just arrived a short time ago, and has only had time to do minor repair work. Her captain is hoping to get a lot done while waiting for the rest of the fleet to arrive. The Maria de la Limpia is the Spanish warship, and will be the designated Capitana (Captain's Ship, or lead vessel) in the fleet for the journey as they all leave Cuba.


It is ealry February, and the first of the ships to set sail are the four from Vera Cruz, since they have the longest voyage.


For this story, I would like to set some basic rules:
1) As the story progresses, individual ships can be captured or sunk. But you can't just post "I captured the Espadarte and took all the cargo." That makes the story too short. There will have to be prolonged battles, shifts and twists to the story. I will be the one to say if a ship is captured or sunk. As such, I won't be on either side. I will be neutral. Any postings that I make will be just to add to the story line.
2) Try to do things to enhance the story. Don't just add a line in order to change the score. Put some plot into it. If you can add something true to the period, or an actual place, that's all the better.
3) Don't just add story that involves yourself. Nature, weather, islands, other people, etc. can all play a part in it.
4) We will start at 50 again. This time the end is when we reach either 85, and the ships remaining hit port in Spain, or if the score goes to 15, and all the ships are either sunk or captured and looted.
5) I already have an outline as to which ships are carrying what type of cargo. I will "award" cargo as rewards for helping, trade, or as booty for capturing the ships.
6) At least one, if not more than one, ship has "Uncounted" or "off the books" cargo on board. This was done to "avoid" paying taxes on it, but it can also be used as trade, barter, reward for helping, or to increase the size of the booty if you capture it. Again, I already have this all written down, so I can determine if/when ayone gets any of it.


I am neutral! Score is 50!

Let's really have some fun with this one!

Evil!

Since most of the sailors that ventured to the new world were for the most part thieves and men of the sort, they were easily corrupted.

Many aboard the vessels getting ready to sail were paid to serve a different master. They have been promised riches and property if they helped with sabotage duties.

Those men and women are hidden amongst the various crews and their identities remain unknown.

A large group of natives are convinced that a mass attack on the ships leaving Vera Cruz are vulnerable and the spoils of the victory were going to be for them.

The attack only allowed for those 4 ships to depart before they were ready and all the needed supplies for the voyage were not on board completely.

- 1

Score 49

Good!

The crew of the Utopia have worked very hard to prepare for the arduous journey...they are well experienced in the travails of the sea route they will be on and have taken "precautions" against pirates, natives, mutinies, and precarious weather conditions...
Aboard the private vessel are a wealthy gun merchant named Meriwether and his two daughters....Meriwether was well tolerated by the Spanish as he had long been of service to them...One of his daughters, Charlotte, was secretly appalled by her fathers trade and planned to find gainful employment as a governess upon reaching New Orleans,,,while her sister, Roxanne, resembled their father in all ways...
While taking "the air" upon the deck of the Utopia while getting underway...Charlotte overhears a motley group of scruffy, mercenary sailors discussing their evil plots against their fleet....She runs to find their Captain but runs head long into the First Mate who, seeing how visibly upset she is...cajoles her into confiding in him the dastardly plans...the First Mate reports to his Captain and gathers his finest to 'round up the disloyal group of ruffians...who are clapped in the bilge hole til the next morning when a date with the "captains daughter" , as the cat o'nine tails was called...was planned for the next day...Evil plans were thwarted for the time being aboard the Utopia...

score+1
50

Roxanne was overcome with sadness to find her sister had turned her boyfriend into the Capt. . Yes thats right unknown to her sister Charlotte was Roxannes undying love for one of the mercenary sailors,Peter, who she had just meet a short while ago true -but who can explain love. Peter while a bit rough around the edges and low on funds promised a life of adventure that daddies money just couldn't. Hoping to keep her love from the whip she sneaks a key to Peter and sets him and the other free. The key she supplies to her Dads chest full of arms should prove even more usefull!!

-1
score 49

p.s I'm staying evil

In the mix up of their early departure The Vera Cruz 4 decided to trade with a native merchant ship.

The Captain of one of the ships has a particular hatred against the natives, and kills one on board his ship because the native was pushing for a better trade.

His last words placed a curse on everyone and everything aboard The Corazon.

-1

Score 48

( I am French and Good ;) )( But I will begin with the Vera Cruz foursome fleet )

To start ,the captain of the El Cozerone (Phillip Catalonia) and the captain of the cursed Corazon (Vasco de la Casa) have been bitter enemies since childhood.Thus making those two vessels in paticular rivals in trade....However the crew of the Santa Marianna has foreseen thisimpending trouble however and has given everyone a stern warning about getting along ,backed up by the captain of the Utopia,unlil they reach Spain.

Chaos has been controlled by smart thinking.

+1

The Score now stands at 49.

Good, as said in the above posts!

The Ribeira Grande decides to search an abandoned island and finds rare gems.

+1
The Score is now 50

Aboard the Utopia, Charlotte searches through her sea chest to find a sea-blue day gown fit to catch the First Mates eye.... While doing this, she finds her sister, Roxanne's, diary...and all is revealed to her about sis's perfidious nature and alliance with their enemies...not to mention the salacious details of her love for Peter, the dangerous and opportunistic sailor. She is torn with indecision...loving her sister despite her faults...she hesitates a few minutes too long.....for the cabin door is flung open and Roxanne sees her diary in Charlottes hands...a serious cat fight ensues, which draws quite a crowd of onlookers!....A claxon pierces thru the din in the small cabin and adjacent hall,,,sounding the alarm that the prisoners have escaped! The clang of steel upon steel rings loudly in confined spaces, and pistol fire cracks sharply from above decks...The sisters stare at each other in horror...one, feeling betrayed and confused...the other, dreading the outcome of the bloody pursuit above them , and for both....the possibility that their new loves had perished....
A hesitant cough from the doorway breaks their spell, as First Mate O'Connor arrives to tell them that the scourge have been "dispatched"...and none to soon, as they were caught unlocking the arms chest(which was booby-trapped by the savvy captain)....their presence was requested on deck.....blood was being swabbed away and wounded crewmen attended to , the sight of which caused Charlotte to relate to her new beau all that had transpired in a flood of words and tears....Roxanne remained stoic, even upon learning that she would be under house arrest until they ported...as for Peter,,,,well, a seaman bragged that he speared him and hoisted him over the rail....

+1
Score is 51

The men of the cursed Corazon think strange things are happening because the strange alliance between enemies such as Spain and France and Catalonia and The Captain. They have decided to sent a messenger bird asking for advice to The Occultist and Inquisitor, the feared Torquemada.

What they don't know is that Torquemada has a strange alliance with both Jolly Roger and Davy Jones.

-1

Score 50

evil!

messenger bird comes back with a note for the spanish crew. it says
*Join a evill empire to help bring your word domination easier
from,
?????
-1
total 49

The hole in Peters chest from the spear was bleeding badly but it had missed his heart. Of little matter thought Peter the sharks shall soon find me and make a snack of this rogue. He laid there bobbing on the waves unwilling to roll over and finish what that seaman had started. It wasn't long before the first fin broke the surface and signaled his end had arrived. The sharks circled in a ever decreasing pattern and Peter was sure he would be going to ol Davey Jones soon when a shadow fell across him. He lapsed into sleep and was unaware of the rough sea hands that pulled him from the waves. Twas none other than the Merchants Misfortune crew the worst bunch of cutthroats in the sea. The Captain , Paul , was glad to see his brother , Peter, was stil alive but sad to see the plans had gone so wrong. No matter he thought "Run up the sails" he barked to his crew "we have a ship to catch and my brother will be wanting revenge". The cannons layed below deck ready for the battle to come.

-1

total 48

Torquemada appeared at the Corazon. His magical appearance amazed all of the crew. He has told the Captain that in order for the ship to be cleansed they needed to bring aboard and kill Captain Catalonia.

-1

Score 47

Yowza, this is getting interesting. Nice posts, y'all.

Ok, the Vera Cruz 4 are about a week into their voyage. They have cleared the narrows and are now out into the open of the Gulf of Mexico. Still within site of land, they start their northward journey along the New Spain coastline. Their meeting with the French warships still planned and on schedule.

Even with the ill fortune that has befallen them, they may actually be slightly ahead of schedule, since they were forced to leave early.


The Ribiera Grande is nex to set sail. Her smaller size dictates that they follow the West Indies route northward, then West to the rendezvous in Havana. The captain and crew have been together for almost 3 full years, and are all loyal to each other, and to Spain.

It is now the second week of February, and the Ribiera Grande is about to embark from Port in Venezuela. On the dock is a small delegation of local authorities, including 2 representatives from the Governor. One of the representatives takes the Capitan aside and delivers 3 scrolls of messages from the Governor to be delivered to the King immediately upon arrival in Spain. According to the Governor's men, this is the most important cargo on board the ship.

Since the Venezualan port is so remote, and the route that they are taking is well out of norm, the Capitan expects that it will be long weeks before he even sights another ship, or land.


The score holds at 47, since I am still neutral.
Hey "good" side, What's up here?

Torquemada has told the men aboard Corazon that the French are planning to attack them upon arrival to New Orleans. "Why else will they have warships waiting for us?" is a common rumor among the men aboard Corazon. A rumor that has reached the other 3 vessels heading that way.

The captain and crew of the Utopia don't want to engage in a war with France. Amongst themselves they have decided that if an attack occurs they will bail out.

The Santa Maraianna have swore to act and will stand behind the acts of the Corazon.

The Cozerone's crew is starting to divide creating differences among that believe Captain Catalonia and those that believe Torquemada.

-1

Score 46

As the sun settles into the sea in the west the Merchant Misfortune catches sight of the white sails of the Utopia. With all sails set the lighter pirate vessel is gaining on the heavy merchant ship at a fast pace. "We shall overcome her tonight" the Capt. yells to his blood thirsty crew "leave the lanterns unlit so they won't see us coming". Paul had to smile, Peters plan may not have worked but the fighting had slowed the ship to the point that the other ships where far ahead. By the time the other ships noticed what was happening (if they noticed) they would be unable to help. The sun was now sinking below the horizon its light all gone. The lights on the deck of the Utopia as good as any X on any pirate map ever dreamed of.

-1

score 45

(Excellent story telling here,I like it when it get dangerous lol,I feel Captain Catalonia is in danger....It seems we are keeping to certain fleets at a time,that's good and makes it simpler for the time being)


Captain Catalonia of the El Cozerone could feel luck turning against him.Torquemada had almost certainly allied himself with the Corazon's Captain de la Casa and perhaps also with the Santa Maraianna.Phillip Catalonia had played countless dangerous games with his rival Vasco de la Casa in the past ,but stakes have been raised ,it seems.

However reviving, he has a friend in high places waiting for him in New Orleans....All Catalonia must do is get there in one piece,now a challenging enough objective.A new hope has been reborn in the Captain after a week's despair....And he knows there is someone following the four ships in his fleet,pirates or a non-Spainish privateer,he will strike an invaluble deal with the Utopia within the hour,Catalonia has leverage yet:for he has friends in high places waiting in Orleans....

The shift of power is stopped.
+1
The Score now stands at 46.
The French wait,we shall come to them in good time.

spanish has gone to new orlwans and has to find our whats happening.Spanish raids candy shops in search for more world domination XD

-1
total 45... again

The Utopia sails along and alone in the moonless black ink that is the sea. The seas are calm and the helms man is chatting as he keeps the ship on course. His friend suddenly breaks from the conversation with a "tis something strange with the sea mate, I can't make it out tis just outside our light" the Captain steeps onto the deck and walks to the edge to have a look. "Aye the dark seems to be shifting" he opened his mouth again to comment on a flash but the thwak of the musket ball silenced the words on his tongue. The first mate looked down as his Captain slumped to the deck dead. "WE ARE UNDER ATTACK" he yelled as the cannons of the Merchants Misfortune's broadsides sent chain and grape shot across the deck.
The sails and rigging tear free and the wind that was driving the ship forward escapes. The grape has done its job as well as most on deck now lay still. "Prepare to board" Paul yells as he turn his ship into the light and his crew drops sails. "Tis gonna be a grand night for ol Davey Jones" he says with a smile.

-1

score 44

Torquemada instructs the Captain of Corazon to aid the Utopia, saving them from their fate.

Torquemada sent the Merchant Misfortune to hunt them to begin with. He kills a man in the Merchant Misfortune that knew what was going on. Then found a French flag that he had placed there. "Kill them all, France prepares a trap leave no prisoners!"

The survivors of the Utopia have sworn to serve Torquemada and follow both the Corazon and the Santa Marianna. They will kill Catalonia and fight the French warships once they arrive at New Orleans.

-1

Score 43 or 44 Depending if Basil count post 122 by Swordshot as valid.

Hmmmm, It seems that evil is beginning to edge out good in the postings and the score. All this, and there are still ships that haven't even set sail yet.

I may have to revise the score a bit, but I'm not doing so just yet. I don't want to stop anyone from posting, but I also don't want to see the score hit 15 before all the ships and situations are in play.

I'll keep watching, for now!

BTW, nice story telling!

A crew member of The Cozerone found letters addressed to Catalonia written in french. The crew mutinies against Catalonia and decide to hand him over to Torquemada for questioning.

All four ships have decided to ambush the French warships once they arrive at New Orleans.

Catalonia is now held prisoner of Torquemada and De la Casa.

-1

Score 42

Catalonia, as it happens, has smallpox(but dies of secondary infections), and , ironically,transmits it to Torquemada, who perishes in much agony....the natives are also decimated by the smallpox and low numbers and superstition of outsiders turn the remainders into gentle recluses...crews aboard all ships succumb to the smallpox, but there are survivors..however, evil takes a holiday for a while .....

+1
Score 43

LOL
you made me laugh and I cant think, I'll post later

The captain of Merchant's Misfortune thought that he had a grand scheme in the placement and timing of this attack on the Utopia. But, fortune was not on his side that night. He had made not one, but two miscalculations in his plans.

The first mistake he had made was in the timing. By attacking under the cloak of darkness he was able to sneak in close and use chain and grapeshot on his target. The chain did tear through the sails, allowing him to approach even closer. The mistake he made though, was that by that time of night, the majority of the crew was below decks sleeping, playing games, or eating. The only hands topside were the bare minimum watch that is required to sail the ship through the calm seas and light winds. His grape shot may have maimed those few poor souls, but only a handful of crew were affected.

His firing on the vessel actually alerted the majority that they were under attack. This gave them ample time to gather weapons and stage themselves in the passageways in order to go topside to repel the invaders.

The second blunder the gallant casptain of Merchants Misfortune made was to not have spied upon the Utopia while she was in port and therefor have a better understanding of the ship and it's crew. You see, as a privately owned ship, possibly carrying treasures as well as goods from New Spain, the owners had bought a rather large insurance policy for this passage, from one of Spain's largest insurers. In the time period of which this story takes place, an insurer was more than likely to place a contiingent of "Insurance Agents" aboard any ship that they were covering.

The insurance company covering the Utopia and her cargo were particularly interested in making sure that they didn't have to make any payments due to the ship being lost or taken, so they had placed an extra 22 insurance agents aboard.
An insurance agent, in those days, was not someone who sold insurance. They were an agent of the insurance company whose job was to do everything in their power to insure that nothing happened that would cause their company to be forced to make reparation. In this case, the 22 agents were a highly skilled, fierce fighting unit.

The end result was, when the crew of the Merchant's Misfortune grappled and boarded the Utopia, they wre not met by a normal merchant crew, but also by a battle seasoned fighting group of 22 mercenaries that had only one thing on their minds. To destroy the invaders.

The infighting was fierce, but in the end, not a single pirate from the Merchant's Misfortune left the scene without some physical injury. A few lay dead or dying on the deck of the Utopia, and had to be left behind. Many were grieviously wounded and would take many months in order to heal. The only item of any value that anyone from Merchant's Misfortune c arried away was one small chest that contained the private jewelry of the two sisters. It may have been filled with emeralds and rubies set in gold, but at what price did it cost?


I give the crew of Merchant's Misfortune a treasure of gems and gold equal to 22,000 Rials for their capture of the jewelry from the Utopia. Good plunder, but by no means a fortune. At the same time, they took so much injury, that they must go off and lick their wounds in recovery for a period of at least 2 weeks.

(William Kid, you can still post, but you can't use the ship or crew of Merchant Misforune in your posts until the last week of February in our story line. 2 weeks from now (story time). I do hope to see some more of Paul and his brother sometime down the line, though. They can still play an important part here, especially since Roxanne is still aboard the Utopia.)

I'm neutral, so the score is still 43.

The Mystic and Inquisitor Torquemada returns from the Beyond the grave. His power is greater than Jolly Roger and Davy Jones combined. Many considered him to be Immortal due to stories like these.

He makes sure that those who perish return and claims they won't be able to rest until the French warships are destroyed. Cursing all 4 of the Vera Cruz vessels.

It is said that Torquemada first died back in 1498.

-1

Score 42

Corazon's Vasco De la Casa is in a fine mood after he heard his long time enemy Phillip Catalonia had died.He is also quite satisfied in Torquemada's grand return from the dead.

The Utopia ,after it's captain's death at the pirate attack is now in command by its first-mate.

The captian of the Santa Maraianna ,Carlos Sierra Verde Vezon , is seeing things in his dreams.He sees that he can pull out of this on top but he must be careful about someone in the fleet of four....Carlos Vezon sences a dark plot,he will try to avoid it.

The El Cozerone's cheating of fate was not yet extinguished.The vessel's new captain after the 'death' of Catalonia was a younger lad by the name Alberto Halverez.He had been the closest of allies with the late Captain Catalonia and kept the ship's secrets tight between the old captain and him.That included the fact they had a friend in common,one in high places.Torquemada would try to destroy them but Halverez knew that there was still a excellent chance of getting through the master of evil....and Captain De la Casa for that matter,he knew Utopia's crew was hard to sway to his side but Halverez can persuade its captain certainly....

+1
The Score now stands at 43.
"The game is afoot."

Most Officers and crews of the Vera Cruz 4 have sworn their lives and souls to Torquemada. Catalonia died with the stigma of being a traitor and the crew of the Cozerone don't trust the new Captain. A captain they didn't pick, but one that was appointed by rank.

Captain Sierra decides to talk to Torquemada in private about his dream. He trusts Torquemada with his soul after he was saved from the pox infection. Torquemada says that the French have invaded the convoy's ranks and that the evil plot he senses comes from Catalonia's circle.

Torquemada now owned the souls of the Officers and crews of Corazon, Santa Marianna, as well as the majority of Officers and crew aboard Utopia, and some Officers and all of the crew of Cozerone.

And they will obey his command and there is nothing they can do to prevent it.

-1

Score 42

Meanwhile in Venezuela. The Wayuu (native indians) upset by the spanish treatment of it people and made bolder by the defeat of Jose' Sierra just a few year before now fear the papers on the Ribeira Grande are a call for reinforcements to squash the wayuu uprising. This simple can't be allowed to happen. With weapons acquired from english smugglers and their own small boats they sneak to the dock in the dark of night. All who stand in the way of their plan are cut down and the ship is set ablaze.

-1

score 41

During night Captain Sierra decides to enlist the aid of an Officer by the name Lorenzo Cabeza de Vaca, who is aboard Cozerone. Both men gather the crew of that ship and capture and eventually murdering the Officers that don't give their souls to Torquemada. Alberto Halverez is the only one to decline the offer.

At seeing this the young captain of Utopia decides to join Torquemada and shoots Halvarez in the heart. Then the crew of the Utopia board the Cozerone and tie Halvare by the feet to a cannon and toss he cannon overboard dragging his body to the bottom of the sea.

Everyone cheers as Torquemada's control of the Vera Cruz 4 vessels is now complete.

-1

Score 40

The Third week in February!

THe 4 ships from Vera Cruz have now been at sea for slightly over 2 weeks. The 3 Spanish ships are going through their trials and tribulations with Torqemada. The fourth, the Utopia, has fallen behind due to the damage from the attack by the Merchant's Misfortune.

The 3 lead ships are now fairly well north along the coast of Padre Island, The Utopia is just within sight of the very southern end of same island.

The French warships in New Orleans are preparing to greet the Spanish ships from Vera Cruz, not knowing what has been happening there. They expect to see the Spanish in another two weeks, give or take.

The Mechant's Misfortune took almost no physical damage in it's attack on Utopia, But the crew was badly hurt by the Insurance Agents counterattack. The MM has ported in a small town well south of Padres Island for medical reasons. It will take another week before they can set sail to give chase and seek their revenge. Meanwhile, the small chest of jewelry has proven invaluable, 22,000 Rials has helped a lot in getting supplies and medical attention.


The Wayuu indian attack in Venezuela was a day too late for the Ribiera Grande. They had already set sail. The ship the indians had burned was the Madre Maria, which had ported the previous night as the replacement to the Ribiera. The destruction of the supplies that the Madre Maria was carrying has left the port town critically low. The townspeople retaliate against the indian tribe by hanging their chief in the town square.

The Ribiera Grqande has now cleared Aruba, and is making it's way north west toard the West Indie island route that will take it around toward Cuba.

The Capitans and crews of the San Sabastian and the Espadarte are preparing to leave Columbia. They plan to set sail in two days, but they are also watching the skies. They need to head almost due north, and the prevailing winds are strong out of the west. The cargo holds of both ships are full, and their final food and water supplies are about to be taken aboard. The crews of both of these ships are sad as the departure time is nearing. They have all made excellent friendships and some are even married to locals that they will be forced to leave behind. Their journey to Europe and back could separate them from family for more than 2 years.



There is still 5 or 6 weeks beore the ships all reach Havana to meet up with the Spanich ships there. The Spanish warship in Havana receives orders to set sail to clear the area north of Cuba from Pirates. They are going to make sure that the route from Havana to the Florida coast is open.
Score holds at 40.

The Vera Cruz ships port on Padre Island to restock their weapons and do some repairs. Also to allow Utopia to catch up.

If they want a successful ambush on the French they must be ready.

Torquemada secretly enlists 3 pirate vessels to attack the French one week before the Vera Cruz ships arrive. No one knows about this.

-1

Score 39

(TSC, I changed your port. The Vera Cruz ships are more than 2 weeks out of Vera Cruz, they wouldn't port there.) That's what I meant.

Sailing near Cuba sits a Dutch West India Co. ship at her helm Admiral Piet Hein. The Admiral's hatred of the Spanish is legendary. Its due to four years spent as a galley slave on a spanish ship. This hatred along with his partner the portuguese pirate Moses Henriques have brought him here for revenge and of course GOLD.

-1

score 38

A French Lord called Palpatine has been in contact with an ancient evil. He has hired 2 pirate ships to attack the Spanish ship in Havana. He has payed a few local natives to attack the dock on that day.

Meanwhile, Torquemada and His Spanish Convoy of 4 are ready to ambush and surprise the French vessels a New Orleans. They will set sail soon.

-1

Score 37

*I liked the addition of Admiral Piet so much that I just had to.

Two small points to clarify things. Both on postings by TSC.

TSC, Torquemada only holds sway over the 3 ships sailing together. The Utopia has been separated from the others for quite a few days, and hasn't been involved in Torq's mischief.

I wasn't paying close enough attention to realize that William Kid's posts and your posts were contradicting each other. My fault.

Also, remember that Utopia is really a private ship, not Spanish. It sails under the Spanish flag for protection, not military reasons. The real control on Utopia is the Insurance agents, who are fiercely loyal to only one thing, the insurance company. (I liken them to the old time Pinkerton agents. Ruthless, viscous, highly skilled, but incorruptible to their cause. These agents won't be swayed by Torquemada. They know that the French ships in New Orleans are really their allies.)

Secondly, TSC, in your last post, are the two hired pirate ships supposed to attack the Spanish warship that has just left port (Havana) in order to clear the route of pirates, or are the two pirate ships supposed to attack the other Spanish ships that are still in the harbor loading thier cargo and waiting for all of the other ships in the fleet to arrive? (Just for clarification, since either way, it will change the outcome of the story.)

Note:
I have been trying to only post in order to keep the story moving in a logical progression. I am the time keeper as the weeks go by. But, it seems that we are getting about 6 posts from the "evil" side for every post from the "good" side, so sometimes I may have to jump in to even out the score, otherwise evil will win before the story is really ended. (You guys posting for evil seem to be intent on destroying the fleet before they can all meet up with the other ships in Havana. Not saying that can't or won't happen, but it would end the story before all the pirates in Tortuga could get a chance to raid the fleet.)
I just don't want anyone upset with me if I post something and say that the score has changed in favor of good. We just don't have as many "good" players as we do "evil" ones. I will rermain neutral, even if I have to add points back to the "Good" score.


Edit: Anyone who wants to catch up on this story/game: The OP tells the basic rules, but Post #106 is the first post in this story line, and gives more guidelines to how to post. Also, If anyone wants it, http://www.sunkentreasurebooks.com/shipwrecks.htm
This is one of the references that I used to come up with some of the ship and place names that I have used. I also am referencing maps of the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in order to keep the ships on proper course.

*Notes:

- Gotcha on the first one. And yes they are, but it is on purpose. In the grand scheme of things that might come, that might be helpful.
- On the second they are attacking the ones at harbor that are waiting. That's why the natives are attacking the docks too.
- On the third item, gotcha too.

End of Notes*

The ancient evil underwater deity called The Bog Roosh giver of Davy Jones' power has been awaken by Palpatine to aid Torquemada and their scheme to control the New World.

-1

Score 36

Captain Mignone Avignoine of the warship Conceptione has been waiting.It has been four weeks since any message from his corespondent Phillip Catalonia arrived last.In that message it was noted by Catalonia that something just didn't feel right....And that created suspicion in Avignoine.
Then came a excited bang on his large cabin door.
"A freetrader has ported,the man has news about a certain fleet of four ships in question"
"Come in then"
"The captain of the freetrader Albatross Wing said he met up with the fleet a week last,There was word of a pirate attack and a two dead captains,the Captains of the El Cozerone and the Utopia.And there be a mad lord of magic driving three of the ships as mules!"
"This cannot be very good....."
Captain Avignoine was preparing for what was to come.

***********************************

At that same time someone deep in the belly of the El Cozerone someone was planning something.Something important to survival.

+1
The Score now stands at 37.
Avignoine is ready and so is 'another'.

Torquemada was pleased with himself. The Albatross Wing had done its job. All that is left is the attack on the French to create chaos and confusion. His plan to flush Catalonia's French connections was working. All of the Souls and wills of the those aboard the 3 Spanish ships were already his. Everyone was doing what he commanded.

-1

Score 36

The Agents abord the Utopia have held their meeting,Torquemada is powerfully dangerous but they are ready for any new movements of the evil magic man that may endanger in insured cargo.An anonymous message has also reached the Insurence Agents' table that they can surely trust in the French and to give them an inclosed mark-stamp to verify their position to the fleet waiting in New Orleans.

+1
The Score now stands at 37.
Hope is surely not lost.

The Bog Roosh wants the men of Utopia. She has sent Davy Jones and The Flying Dutchman after them.

Torquemadas' fleet is ready for the ambush of the New Orleans ships. The pirate ships hired are a day ahead of them, but still out of site.

-1

Score 36

Skirata,is the word not 'out of sight' instead of 'out of site'? :p But I couldn't spell 'hired' until I saw your spelling of it. :p

Anyway,Davy Jones is by his nature a rogue and when he sets his eyes on something ,the usual outcome is a ship sinking to the bottom of the sea.It seems Jones took a side trip of sorts and during a small storm came across the pirate armada hired by Torquemada.Not knowing about their alliance Jones attcked.The result is the defeat of one of the pirate ships,while the other two sailed off as quick as they possably could given the damage from the Dutchman.Although who can tell how long they shall last?The Kraken swims about these seas!

+1
The Score is now standing at 37.
Odds are again evened,seemingly.

Aboard the Utopia, the bedraggled sisters, Charlotte and Roxanne Meriwether huddle in a storage closet.....straining to hear tell-tale footsteps of being followed. Sighing in relief, they clasp each others hands....having a moment reflecting upon their old lives,,,younger lives that were untouched by the evil lurking on the periphery, leading them both towards a precipice they dare not cross!

Since the day that Roxanne lost Peter, she has transformed from a willful, selfish brat to a grief-stricken(Peter was killed when the Misfortunes crew boarded that ill-fated day, while his brother was severely injured...losing a leg and both eyes...aaaar), vengeful young woman, to being aware with dawning incredulity of the events transpiring around her and her sister....now she must work to set things right...and no time to lose! Reaching inside her chemise, her fingers enclose the strange amber pendant that her beloved had gifted her,,with a promise that it would always protect her and hold them together for eternity...closing her eyes, she begins to whisper his name, over and over...picturing his face, feeling his touch....Peter, Peter, Peter....the candle wavering and rising,,,and going out....breaths indrawn and held in suspense..a presence felt, the air heavy and filled with a sharp, salty tang of the sea beyond...a whisper brushes Roxannes ear...a promise that all will be well....a deep-seated feeling of contentment and hope fills her as the door to the tiny closet swings open and she knows that no evil force can ever overcome her or her sister again!!....they will wait for the sign...wait and prepare....

The Bog Roosh wants the Meriwether sisters. She decides to send the Kraken after them and send Davy Jones after the French to make up for his mistake.

The leader of the EITC asks for a favor to The Bog Roosh. She agrees but in exchange they must get rid of the French warships at New Orleans. She will tell them the secret to control Davy Jones.

- 1

Score 37

A fleet of EITC warships have decided set sail towards New Orleans to eliminate the French warships at New Orleans. An up and coming man by the name of Becket has decided to aid Torquemada in exchange of Torquemada's help so that he can take the control of the EITC.


- 1

Score 36

Week 4. The last week in February.

The Ribiera Grande is now well on her way through the West Indies. A quick stop at St. Lucia stocked her well with good sweet water and fruit and meat. She is now approaching Guadeloupe. In Guadeloupe there are 4 people waiting to board. They are to be passengers back to Spain.

The 2 ships from Columbia, the San Sebastian and the Espadarte, are also making good time. They are about to land in Las Tortugas. These islands are just south of Cuba, and will someday be known as Cayman. At these islands, they are only looking to pick up water and some food supplies from the small Spanish contingent that lives there. The crew still keep looking back toward Columbia though. At the families and friends they have left behind.

The 3 Spanish ships from Vera Cruz are still under the control of Torquemada. They are now past Padre Island, and have turned eastward toward New Orleans. They should make New Orleans in about another week, or so. The pirates that Torquemada had sent ahead to attack the French are no longer in play. The attack by Davy Jones has taken them out of the scene.

The Utopia, is still a few days behind. Her new captain has heard the rumors from the advanced ships and doesn't want anything to do with Torquemada, and neither does the Insurance agents that are on board. They are debating an attempt to cut across the Gulf striaght at New Orleans in an effort to beat the other 3 ships to the French so that they can warn them of Torquemada's treachery. This debate goes on into the night. The Merriwether sisters are absolutely positive that this is the best tactic. Roxanne feels assured that she is guaranteed protection from evil by the pendant she is wearing.

The Merchant's Misfortune has finally set sail again. Still missing about 13 of it's crew, and another handful are still in bad shape. This pirate ship is about 12 days behind the Utopia.

The French ships are still quietly waiting the arrival of the Vera Cruz 4.

The 3 Spanish ships in Cuba are still just waiting, but the Maravillas is taking advantage of the wait to get some much needed repairs and maintenance done. A shipyard crew works day and night recaulking the seams.

The Spanish Warship, Maria de la Limpia, is scouting the seas north of Cuba to rid them of any pirates that may be in the area. Trying to keep the area clear for the arrival of all the others. After sinking one pirate vessel, and hanging her entire crew, there hasn't been a pirate ship sighted in the area for almost a week.


Slight score adjustment. +4. The score stands at 40.

A sailor ship arrives at the ship, they sell much needed food and weapons to the ship.

+1, score now stands at 41

good

a person spots some floating crates in the water filled with more food and rum

+1
score 42

bad

i eat it all

-1
Score 41

good!!

i make u throw it back up

+1
score:42.. AGAIN!!

Evil

I am stranded on an island and I am trying to get the attention of your ship. To get you to notice me I try building a catapult and launching a large boulder aimed next to your ship, in which the splash would signal you. However I miss and accidentally nick the side of the ship opening up a leak.

-1

41

Good, we patch up the leak and get more lighter. We can now sail 2x faster.

+1

42

Seeing as I failed to get the attention of the ship I launch myself using my catapult. I land on the captain who was checking some knots and break his arm. I am now onboard and the captain slows down while sailing so as to not have to turn quickly and hurt his arm even more.

-1

41

Evil!

The captains situation gets worse and he gets sick.

-1

40

Good!

The captain finds a mysterious remedy and gets better to full health.

+1

41

Evil!

But the captain drinks it and it does nothing!

-1

40

Good!

The captain suddenly finds another potion that revives him back to full health.

+1

41

But the ship is attacked by pirates and steal all the food

-1

40

The ship finds a huge cargo supply on a shipwreck and get all of the food and rum.

+1

41

Good!

The crew's energy is restored, and they continue their voyage!

+1

42

Good!

They find a cache of weapons at anoher shipwreck and become stronger.

+1

43

Good!

They clean the weapons up and sharpen them so they are more affective!

+1

44

Good!

They find a voodoo priestess at an island and enhance the weapons to become more powerful.

+1

45

Good!

They receive a voodoo staff from the priestess and protect themselves from all harm!

+1

46

Good!

They find Tia Dalma somehow while exiting the island and receive a protection onto their ship for giving her a piece of chicken.

+1

47

Good!

While walking back to their ship, the crew of the Newlife find some shiny coins, in which they use to buy a teleport totem to the island from Tia Dalma!

+1

48

But pirates board the ship and maroon them at a wild island

-1

46

The ship they had turned evil to the pirates because of Tia's hex. Now the ship is returned and they ride safely once more.

+1

47

The crew of the newlife escape after kicking the pirates off their ship

+1

48

They find another island with fresh water and restock on water.

+1

49

The crew is fully replenished, and head back home!

+1

50

The crew fights the kraken and win without harm. They learn how to fight better.

+1

51

The crew eats the kraken's body for dinner!

+1

52

But davy jones is no match for them. He locks the crew in the brig and sails away. Forcing a school teacher to takeover....

-1

50

The crew somehow finds the key right there and take over Davy Jones ship and finds his heart on board. They now control him.

+1

52 ( James and muffin posted at the same time Muffin got the wrong number )

But they are on the other side of the world...

-1

51

Tia Dalma's hex returns them to where they were before transportation.

+1

52

But the hex runs out and they accidently rams the newlife and it sinks....

-1

51

The gain Davy Jones help and then the Kraken pulls out the ship new and reborn ( kraken revived )

+1

52

Evil- Duh!
I attack the ship with my fearsome band of pirates... okay, just me... and I disable the rudder, leaving them sailing in circles.
-1
51

Tia's hex returns the rudder.

+1

52

I destroy the hex.

-1

51

We find tia again and reover the hex.

+1

52

I blow up the island and tia with it.

-1

51

Tia turns into Calypso and joins ours ide.

+1

52

But I make her mad and she leaves for mars and never returns

-1

51

That was a clone and she comes back.

+1

52

I blow up the earth! Mwahahaha -evil grin-

-1

51

Before you blow up the earth Calypso stops the explosion by containing it.

+1

52

But C4 planted In the core blows and traps them in the mantle.

-1

51

I help Calypso escape.

+1

52

Me and the evil league bury the newlife in the mantle!

-1

51

Tia helps unbury the newlife and gets evil sent to the 4th dimension.

+1

52

I swap the deck of the newlife to make it look good!

+1

53

Evil

Since I am now on board the ship I convince certain members of the crew to mutiny and the crew loses speed and time putting the rebellion down. The rebellion is put down, but the casualties,and the time lost can never be recovered. The small rebellion instills uncertainty and fear into the hearts of many on the ship.

-1

52

The Hex of Tia returns everything back to normal.

+1

53

I play on the fear and uncertainty of the crew and others on the ship to reduce their productivity. The Newlife is sailing much more slowly now.
-1
52