Wars of the Icy Seas

"There weren't always dragons in the valley." Chieftess Iceni explained as she gave the shipwrecked Captain Sam 'Casanova' Morgan a tour of her flagship. "What do you mean?" he asked, very confused. Chieftess Iceni led the way to the lower deck, " There was a time when a Chieftess could live in peace and care for her people. Then the invasions started. Men from the warm Mediterranean came to take our lands and enslave our people. Than men from the east started their own campaigns. Then about ten years ago boats came from the north. The most ruthless of all the invaders. The come with no warning bringing untold hell upon us. They care not if you be a man, a woman, or a child. They will take what they will. We have had to fight with all our might to survive. We have had to be clever when kind words were all it took before. We have had to become hardened. We cannot hesitate to draw our blades and spill blood before ours stain the decks. We have had to throw out our once set morals and take what we need." she explained as they entered the Captain's quarters.

Chieftess Iceni rounded her hand carved, oak desk and sat in the high back, red cushioned, carved oak chair. She motioned for Captain Sam to sit in the Sengovian, gold cushioned chair on the other side of the desk. Captain Sam obliged and took the seat. " So, you are saying you are at war?" he questioned. "Yes, an unending war. We are fighting from all sides. We are not powerful enough to remove the threat at the source. Honestly, we do not know the true source that we fight. It is not just the invaders it is also the other clans who have taken to the seas. No one wants to work together. We are constantly fighting each other. If this continues like this we will perish and no one will ever know we existed.” Chieftess Iceni responded.

Before another word could be uttered, the ship shook and the crew started shouting. The Chieftess jumped up from her chair and ran from her quarters, followed by Captain Sam. On deck, the crew was running to and fro preparing for battle. The cannons were being placed into position and the crew were loading them as they were set. Chieftess Iceni stood watching as the enemy approached. Then something in the distance stared to break the surface of the water. The mood on the ship changed. Captain Sam could feel an ominous presence. The crew stopped and watched the waters. Captain Sam’s eyes grew large as a large creature he had never seen before stood in the water. They could see its large torso, long arms, and tentacles that sprouted from its face. It raised an arm and slammed the water. “ What is that?” Captain Sam questioned. “That is the ruthless pet of the Viking King Toren. He calls it Cthulhu. It can sink a ship with a single swipe of the hand.” Iceni responded, taking the helm.

“Come about!” she ordered, spinning the wheel hard to port. “Set course for home.” she commanded. The crew did as ordered and ready the ship for retreat. “What? You will not stand and fight?” Captain Sam questioned. “I will not risk my people in an unwinnable battle. On the sea we are weak against that creature. On land there are better protections and weapons that cannot be brought aboard a ship.” she responded as the signals of retreat were sent up to the rest of the fleet. They fired behind as they left the area. The Viking fleet and Cthulhu continued their pursuit.

An explosion was heard from behind the flag ship. Chieftess Iceni turned to see one of her ships on fire. A tear escaped as she knew there was nothing she could do to save a single soul aboard. Captain Sam was surprised by her reaction. Most of the Captains he had known never showed such care for those that served them. “First Officer.’ Chieftess Iceni called. A tall, broad shouldered man with a large fiery beard stepped forward. “Yes, Chieftess.” he responded. “When we return, arrange a memorial for those brave souls and I would like to see their families.” She ordered. “Yes, Chieftess.” he bowed and walked away.

The Fleet retreated south towards the Emerald Isles. With the Cthulhu splashing through the water and cannons at the backs. The fleet made haste around the northwestern coast of Ireland. They sailed down the western coast. Around a large cliff the flag ship turned into a large cave, followed by the rest of the fleet. Captain Sam could see it had been carved by hand to fit the ships easily through the entrance. The flag ship docked towards the far end of the cave. Captain Sam turned and saw the rest of the fleet following suit at their own docks. He then noticed a large stone at the entrance they had just passed through. He was in awe of the organization of this Pirate fleet. “Captain Sam, we are disembarking.” Chieftess Iceni pulled him from his thoughts. He shook his head,” Sorry, Chieftess. You just have an amazing organized operation. I have never seen such a thing.” he commented. “Thank you. It is not my operation. My grandfather set it up. We just continue using it.” she smiled as she led him down the gangplank.

They joined the other crews of the fleet as the Chieftess Iceni led them from the dark wood docks, on to the cobblestone road that wound through the tunnels of the cave. The tunnels were dug into the cliff and lit with torches every 2 to 4 feet along the walls. After several moments, the tunnel opened up to a large room. The room was round, stone block floors, stone block walls with three doorways with torches on both sides of the doorways, and a large chandelier dropping from the ceiling with several large candles along the circular edges.

Chieftess Iceni led the group through the door right in front of them. This led to a set of stairs that spiraled upwards. At the top, Captain found himself outside on the battlements of a castle.