The savage tide hits Arcadia

Game Master Scarletrose

Theodric Steele was an up and coming duelist of masterful skill. Though still only 25, he had quickly mastered the art of all one handed weapons, specializing in the sword. His maneuvers and unique style had earned him a coveted position teaching in Lionsgate. Lionsgate was the foremost military training academy in all of Taldor, responsible for training all military leaders, noblemen and others who could pay their way for the best training your gold could purchase. Stavian had handpicked Theodric to lead the training effort abroad, having heard of this young man’s skill with a blade. Theodric was ecstatic for the opportunity but his wife Jenet was less enthusiastic. Jenet was an actress in the theater and was sure that the crowds of the Sasserine were less sophisticated than those in Taldor. In addition, Jenet was seven months pregnant with their third child and felt extremely uncomfortable with the thought of traveling at sea while pregnant.

Despite her feelings, the couple set off with their two sons, Adnalen and Radick along with another hundred and fifty soul, on a nearly three month long journey west that began in the Inner Sea. Late one night a few months into the journey a tremendous storm set down upon the fleet. The sailors of the fleet raved on that Besmara had been angered with something they had done and she was exacting her vengeance on the fleet. Whatever the truth may have been, the storms were enough that it sent Jenet into labor. As the storms cleared, Teslyn Steele was born into this world. Her family always told her the tale that despite with the sailors of the fleet told, the Steele family had Besmara’s blessing and she sheltered them from the worst of the storm to see Teslyn into this world. Her parents had sworn that Besmara had marked her birth for a great destiny.

The arrival of the ship in port was met with mixed feelings from the general population. It was only the Champion district that truly welcomed the group of foreigners, eager to see what their masters could bring. Theodric and his associates were accepted into the academy and quickly made a name for themselves as their styles became respected and known throughout the area. The next fifteen years flew by more or less as any of the Taldan’s could have hoped for. Theodric Steele eventually garnered enough clout and academic prowess to become a respectable name in the Sasserine military academy.

Jenet joined the equivalent of the local theater in Senghor and helped teach the ways of Taldor while at the same time learning the ways of the locals.

When Tessa was three years old her father placed a stick in her hand and began to teach her the basics of swordsmanship. Over the next 12 years she graduated to larger and more realistic weapons. When she was fifteen years old, her father pulled some strings and brought her into the academy to learn the official Taldan swordsmanship. By this time in her life she had some fashion of weapon in her hand nearly every day and so when the instructors first saw her they dubbed her a natural. Her combat reflexes were nearly perfect and hardly anyone could land a solid hit on her.

Teslynn was raised by her parents in traditional Taldan ways inside of their home, but outside the family she learned the culture of Arcadia. She came to know their foods, language and arts as she explored the wild lands outside of town. While the jungles and wilds and unknown intrigued Tessa, it was the sea she loved the most. She would often sneak down to the docks and watch the ships, and listen to the sailors, pirates and fisherman in the hopes of overhearing exciting tales of the sea. She felt a calling to the sea, as if it were in her blood. Something told her that one day she would have her own ship, that she would be a captain of a vessel that sailed the seas for high adventure.

Her parents would often tell her stories of how Besmara blessed her and the strange storms that were present during the day she was born. The stories intrigued her enough that she began to grown interested in learning more of the deity known as Besmara. One day when she was twelve she talked to one of the fisherman down at the docks about her story. The man, Ricor, had told him that he knew someone that might be able to help her with her questions. A young boy named Marcus had just arrived in town and had joined the local Besmarians. Ricor introduced the two and they became fast friends. Marcus helped her tighten up her Polyglot while she helped explain the basics of combat to him. Over the next several years the two spent a considerable amount of time together, often going off on ill-advised adventures for which they later were punished. She made sure to visit the shrine to Besmara down in Shadowshore at least only a month or so, though she never particularly cared for visiting that part of town.

Neither of her older brothers had shown proficiency with the sword like she had and so they had both taken work where they could find it, at sea. One brother took to a fisherman’s vessel and the other on the galley of a large longship. Occasionally Tessa would be allowed to take a brief trip out to sea for the day if she stayed out of the way, though occasionally she got herself into more trouble than it was worth. After a stunt aboard The Haven nearly cost the crew their entire catch for the day her parents forbid her from going out to sea without them ever again.

While her father was proud of her commitment to practice and work with the sword, he frowned upon her ability to mock, tease and generally taunt her opponents. Tessa had a tendency to get carried away with these theatrical tendencies that her mother had instilled upon her. These antics often enraged her opponents as they continually tried to lash out at Tessa only to have her parry and riposte their attacks. Not only was gifted with the light sword, but she was athletic as well. Tumbling, climbing, swimming or any other form of acrobatic maneuver came easy to her. Wherever there was a chance to add a touch of flare, Tessa made sure to contribute it.

Banned from the sea, Tessa delved into her studies at the academy and excelled to first in her class. The next three years were life were full of hard work but probably can be considered the best years of her life. Her parents were well respected around town and their status in society was passed down to her. Everywhere she went about town she was treated well and though they were not rich, she wanted for nothing. When she was eighteen she graduated from the academy with honors and discussion was underway of trying to find a position of instruction for her in the academy.

But Tessa was not interested in instruction, she was interested in exhibition. After several weeks of failed attempts she was finally able to convince (bribe) a friend to get her into a Dragon Challenge. While not allowed to be the main event for the night, she was quite content with being the opening act for the audience. Once in the arena she was taken aback when the cage was opened and she came face to face with a full grown cheetah. Tessa was known for her lightning quick reflexes and speed, but the speed of a Cheetah was not something she had ever encountered before. Armed with her rapier, she put on a glorious display of swordsmanship coupled with a few flourishes that allowed her to use some of her showmanship. The battle went on for nearly two minutes as Tessa managed a victory to which she attributed her superior speed and abilities, but in truth was a stroke of lucky as one her first blows caused the cheetah to land awkwardly and fracture its leg.

With her success that night was invited back for multiple performances, each a little more challenging than the last. Always she came out victorious, but not as unscathed as the first night. In her most recent attack a yellow toothed wolverine nearly eviscerated her with its razor sharp claws. After a half dozen victories, the swift-footed red head became to make a name for herself. Not the brawny brute that most men in the arena were, she used agility and acrobatics balanced with swordsmanship to win the day.

She took some time off and decided to get a tattoo with Marcus. Well actually, Tessa decided to get a tattoo and drug Marcus along with her for company. Feeling her pulling to the sea, she had already decided what she would have inked. On her left she got a jolly roger tattooed, the symbol of Besmara. She figured if her birth had been overseen by the pirate queen, she should always be by her side.

That night a ceremony was being held to honor Theodric for all of his accomplishments over the last 18 years here in Sasserine. Word was that Stavian had received word himself of the status that the academy had come to be recognized for and that he ordered the Taldan sword master to be wined and dined for the evening at sea. Word of the ceremony spread and it was considered a privilege to be on board for the feast. It was a wondrous night of singing, dancing and feasting that lasted well into the night.

The entire Steele family was in attendance that night along with the majority of the masters from the academy, local friends, family and other well to do members of the town. In retrospect, putting all of the well to do in a single location offshore near pirate territory may not have been the most brilliant decision made.

That night Jenet had taken off the jade earrings she always wore and held them out in her hand to Tesa. She explained that these earrings were a gift to Jenet from Theodric the night they left on their voyage from Taldor. She has worn them everyday and they have brought her nothing but good luck. She wanted Tessa to wear them tonight. Tessa put on the earrings feeling a sense of pride and attended the ceremony with the rest of the family.

Tessa had more of her share of some delicious spiced rum and had retired to bed early that night. As she slept the ship was overtaken by a pirate vessel that stormed the ship. The pirates began to slaughter as many drunken and unprepared men as they could and capture and enslave the women.

Tessa gathered herself and stormed to the fight. What she saw was horrific, nearly all the men and women up above were dying and there was only one man left standing fighting off the pirates. She saw her father engaged with another man in a tremendous duel. The man he was fighting was young, nearly her age she would guess. He was bald with a large tattoo of a Kraken on the back of his head. The two were going back and forth for several minutes as Tessa slowly worked her way toward the fight in the shadows.

She saw a man stealthily sneaking up behind her father and when she called out to warn him, her father grew distracted by his daughters scream. When he turned to look at her the man plunged the cutlass deep into her father’s chest, exploding out the other side with a burst of blood and gore.. Theodric Steele, master of the blade, had finally been bested.

Theodric put a hand to his chest he feel to his knees, a look of horror on his face as his murderer kicked his rapier from his hand and moved on to his wife. Since there were no more men to trouble him, the pirate decided he would have his way with the dying man’s wife in front of him as he died. Theodric watched in horror was the Kraken began to defile Jenet.

Enraged, Tessa began to move towards the man when she stumbled across a weapon amidships. Looking down she saw an elegant rapier with a black hilt. The steel of the blade shimmers with a subtle translucent pattern that seems to extend to impossible depths. A white arrow engraved on its hilt pointing down the blade. As she looked down at her father’s rapier, a blade he had dubbed Wayfinder, she remembered what he once told her as time slowed down and memories of times past flashed before her eyes.

“He who holds Wayfinder finds good roads. If a master’s step is brisk, the Sword of Wisdom lightens loads, but adds unto their risk.”

When she asked what in the world that meant her father laughed and told her that the sword had been imbued with magical power to guide its bearer to whatever it is they seek. Not only will it lead one to their ultimate goal, it will also intelligently guide them to things that are required to successfully accomplish its mission. Wayfinder seems to do better and be more kind to its user when the request is broad and general, and less so the more specific the user is. Its main drawback is that while it picks routes that will eventually lead its master to success, it never picks the safest route, if one exists.

Tessa recalled her father telling her tales that Wayfinder would answer questions for the beholder. He often would ask, “Which of these plates of food is poisoned?” or “Which of these students is lying to me?” He spoke that while Wayfinder would never vocalize its answers, it would make the answer known to the beholder if their purpose was true.

Tessa snapped out of her daze and scooped up the blade and began running towards the man who was on top of her mother. When the made saw Tessa coming he slipped a dagger from his wrist and planted it firmly in the side of her mother. Tessa engaged the man that had just killed both of her parents before her eyes. The lighting was dark and the man kept his face hidden in the shadows, out of her sight. The only distinguishing mark she could make out was that tattoo that craned over his head. That damnamble Kraken. She has since dubbed this murderer The Bald Kraken.

The Bald Kraken picked up his cutlass and engaged Tessa. Wayfinder was like bottled lightning in her hands as it swept back and forth with fury. It turns out that the Bald Kraken was quite gifted with a sword as well, though not as good as she. She nearly ended the fight when she landed a blow across the man’s left cheek that surely would scar, but she let her emotions control her moves and grew to greedy and left herself exposed. The Bald Kraken spun and delivered a blow to the side of her head that cut the top of her left ear off and sent her stumbling overboard. As she began to windmill off the ship she looked up and only saw one thing, the Bald Kraken. Laughing. The last image of the Kraken was him picking up her ear from the deck, the jade earring glistening off the moonlight.

She hit the water, desperate to hold onto Wayfinder. The shock of the cold instantly brought all of her senses into overdrive. She was an excellent swimmer, but the water was quite cold and her head was still spinning from all the rum she had consumed earlier. She began to make her way towards shore, focused only on the effort of swimming. It wasn’t close and chances are she wasn’t going to make it, but she was going to try. As she swam all she could see was the Kraken. Striking down her father. Ravaging her mother. The Bald Kraken. Laughing at her. The Kraken. Laughing. The Kraken. Pure fury kept her from realizing the exhaustion and fatigue her body felt. Looking back now, she’s certain if she didn’t have that to drive her, she would have realized how remote the chances of reaching shore actually were.

Exhausted, Tessa somehow managed to reach shore alive. She praised Besmara for once again giving her the strength to see her to land as she collapsed, spitting out water. She blacked out for a bit and came too just before dawn on a sandy beach. Every muscle hurt and tremendous pain was coming from her left ear. Reaching up she found the top inch of her ear was missing, along with her mothers jade earring. Painful memories came flooding back and she bolted up and began to march up the beach.

She looked back to sea, but the long ship was long gone. The pirates had captured the vessel and had sailed away with it. The only thing she saw was the approaching dawn and several fishing boats setting out for the days work. With her entire family now gone there was only one place for her to turn, Marcus.

Tessa set out to find Marcus and explain the situation. They decided that going to the authorities was a waste of time since they had no proof of anything. Tessa decided she was going to hunt down the Bald Kraken if it was the last thing she ever did. He would pay for his deeds. She would make him pay dearly.

After gathering what possession they could, the pair set out on a fool’s quest to track down a man with only the description of a tattoo go by. They moved from port to port, doing odd jobs as they could to earn money. Often they found themselves aboard various sea vessels working to earn a few copper or to pay for their meals. Tessa used the time aboard the ships to learn as much as she could about sailing. She found that she was a natural at sea and often seemed to be able to predict bad weather, direction and other things with ease. While onboard the vessels she would always been asking everyone she met about The Bald Kraken. Rarely had anyone ever replied with useful information, but they took whatever scraps they were fed and moved on to the next location.

It’s been five years of traveling the seas and the latest travel had brought her back to Sasserine. Amazingly enough she was recognized in town from her previous showmanship back in the days when she was doing the Dragon Challenges. When word reached Zelkarune’s Horns that Tessa had returned, they insisted she make an encore performance. She reluctantly agreed, thanks in part to Marcus’s persuasion. He convinced her that taking a break from her vendetta and showing off in public would be good for her again. With Wayfinder at her side she performed that night. And the next week. And the week after. Until such time Tessa realized she had performed nearly a dozen challenges for the town and once again Tessa the Taldane had become a recognized name.