Hostages of the Salyshi [Sovereign Charter Only]

[Asgareth]

• Sovereign Charter Members only
• This is the first in a series of roleplays based on the Salyshi. Whilst no knowledge of the Salyshi will be required, except their extremely primitive nature, a brief overview has been provided here.
• This roleplay will focus on a rogue group of the Salyshi, who using modern weaponry have taken over an international cruise liner. They have sent demands for a ransom to be paid, or else over 400 passengers will be killed. You may roleplay as multiple characters; hostages, media outlets, governments. Whatever takes your fancy!

“The Salyshi are one of the most ferocious battle tribes in history. Well-versed in medieval combat, their skill with the sword has ensured they are left alone. They are often viewed as even more primitive, and more barbaric than Asgarthians, but have proven they are more than a match for technologically advanced nations, on the battlefield, due to their effective tactics, and cohesion as a unit.”
Excerpt from The Salyshi: Warrior Kingdom by Edward Peters

Travis Pervona was the senior barman onboard the luxury international cruise liner ILS Vilhelm.The pub was rather busy, considering it was early afternoon. The ship had departed Asgareth just 18 hours ago, and already the bar was low on ale. Any Asgarthian passenger would soon turn violent, and they still had 4 days until they reached their next port of call. For now, however, there was peace.

That tranquility was not to last however. Screams could be heard outside, and gunfire seemed to be coming closer. The main entrance to the bar was smashed open, and at least fourteen men burst into the bar, firing bullets into the air.
“Ily! Ily!” Ily!” they screamed around the room.
One of them stepped forward, before speaking in broken English.
“Leader? Where is your leader?”

Travis felt the eyes of the passengers, and junior crew members turn on him. He spoke up;
“You want our captain? He’s on the bridge. Might I ask who you are, and what you are doing here?”
The man laughed, before he spoke once more. “Captain dead! You will speak for these people now!”
Travis paused for a second. How could the captain be dead? There had been no alarm. Where were the rest of the crew?
The man stared at Travis, before speaking again. “We are the Salyshi! We are here as a sign of defiance against our oppressors.”
“The Salyshi? Aren’t you under Asgarthian rule?”
“We follow no Asgarthian! Our Illyali is false. We will not follow he, who so freely gives our people to trespassers.”
“So what do you want?”
“Send a message. Tell your leaders, we have their people. Pay 1 billion Ruons, or we will kill you all. They have until dawn.”

---

“The Salyshi? Are you sure?” Daniel Ross asked Rufus T. Perkins.
“Indeed. By the sounds of it a rogue batch. A distress signal was sent out before dusk, demanding 1 billion Ruons.”
“Ruons? They must be desperate. What have the international community said?” Ross asked.
“Nothing so far. All we know is that it was an Asgarthian cruise ship, with international crew and passengers. Oh, and apparently these Salyshi are carrying guns.”
“Guns? The Salyshi are barbarians! They use swords, bows, spears! How did they get guns?”
“I’m not sure. But, we’d better do something. And quick. We have less than 8 hours.” Rufus stated.

[The Natufian Nation]

The following script is presented using cross-national characters with the express permission of The Imperial State of Asgarth :

As Rufus and Imperiali Daniel Ross were going over the intelligence report in Ross’s office, an aide appeared at the door to announce the arrival of Gloria an-Hurayra, the emissary from the Natufian Nation.

“Of course, show her in” Ross replied, a hint of exasperation in his voice as he crisply closed the intelligence folder.

Gloria entered and exchanged pleasantries with the Asgarthians. Although it did not flatter her Natufian features, she dressed in the Asgarthian style for professional women, an effort not unnoticed by Daniel. Over her coat she wore a diplomatic sash accented with a traditional Natufian brooch made from polished bone with embedded semi-precious stones of green, yellow and red.

“Gentlemen, thank you for seeing me. I am here to offer the support and help of the Natufian Nation. I know your country has a history with these Salyshi and understand best how to deal with them. But as you may know from the ship manifest, there are 11 Natufians currently on the ship.”

“And you are here to ensure their safe release, I assume.” Rufus sighed as he removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose.

Gloria gave a disarming smile that indicated he was not on the right track. “Mr. Perkins, Natufians do not reply on their government for much except to protect their right to find their own destiny. I am certain every Natufian on the captured ship is either plotting an escape or negotiating their own release.”

“The Salyshi don’t negotiate, I’m afraid. They kill.” Ross responded cordially. “Forgive me, Ms. Hurayra, I’m not really sure what you can do, then.”

“Well, the Natufian Nation has built up a rather sophisticated Navy, to protect our shipping lanes, and the High Chief is willing to deploy 2 warships to intercept these Salyshi pirates.”

Rufus cut her off abruptly. “Oh, please! Asgareth is more than capable of any military response!”

“Of course, of course” Gloria replied, diverting her gaze and holding up a hand in a calming gesture. “I just meant as a show of coordination and cooperation between our nations. It may be the Salyshi are not considering the fact Asgareth has allies and other interested nations that will come to bear on them to answer for their aggression.”

“If only that were true. But you are not talking about rational people here, they are barbarians and could care less about anything than hurting Asgareth.” Ross replied, more sympathetically.

“Still, we are prepared to send the ships if requested.” Gloria stated with a short head bow. “Although my government will not participate in any kind of ransom, the families of the Natufian passengers are being notified to see if any care to contribute to a possible payment.” Gloria paused before going on, directing her gaze more at the Asgarthian leader.

“I think I should inform you, one of our passengers is the daughter of a rather influential furniture manufacturer. He is looking to open a factory somewhere in Rusina to take advantage of the unique hardwoods found here. Anyway, I think it’s safe to say his decision to invest in Asgareth….or a competing country…will be highly influenced by if his daughter makes it home or not.”

“This isn’t a trade negotiation!” Rufus exploded.

“Of course not!” Gloria soothed. “I’m just saying there are many factors to consider. My point is that other countries, especially those here in Rusina, have a lot to gain if Asgareth looks like they can’t handle the crisis appropriately. A more cynical person would wonder if someone is backing your old foes. Is there anything unusual about the situation I should know?”

Rufus and Daniel Ross remained quiet in a heavy silence, looking only at each other. Neither would dare mention their concern about the guns being used by the Salyshi. Gloria, sensitive to the sudden change in mood, decided to make her exit.

“Gentlemen, I have taken too much of your time. Thank you and please let me know if you would like to take us up on our offer to use our warships or to contribute to the ransom. I don’t recommend the latter at all, but we believe the Natufian families, at least, have the right to decide to pay or not if it’s what you choose.”

[The Natufian Nation]

Earlier, on the Vilhelm:

Petra an-Krisik was having a good time, enjoying herself on the Vilhelm, the rowdy company in the ship bar, and especially the Drengali rum in the glass sitting on the table before her. So she was particularly annoyed when her bodyguard, Jeremy Forsythe, insisted they leave. Jeremy had become increasingly uncomfortable with the number of drunk and near-drunk Asgarthians in the room. Her safety was his prerogative, what her father paid him for, and she was obliged to defer to his judgment in such matters. Petra protested that no one was bothering her and she wanted to continue to experience this odd foreign custom of communal stupor. But Jeremy was nervous and felt…too exposed…there in the bar. Or perhaps it was that they were on a ship at sea, isolated in the deep waters.

“Fine, you always know best, don’t you, Jeremy?” Petra chided as she excused herself from the elderly Iryllian couple she was conversing with and stood from the table in her orange silk evening dress, all the more brilliant against her dark, olive-toned Natufian skin. She wore her hair long and in a traditional Natufian braid although her coal black hair was tinted to a light brown at the ends, the current fad in New Jericho, the Natufian capital where she was from. More than one Asgarthian reveler took notice of her and a whistle from an anonymous admirer was heard in the din of the bar. Jeremy nonchalantly stepped between Petra and the crowd, pulled back her chair and escorted her to the door. He was not a particularly bulky man but had a lean strength and more importantly, an observing eye and fast reflexes. He wore an upscale, but inconspicuous pair of dark dress trousers, cream colored, low-collar shirt and a navy blue blazer fit to allow flexibility and maximum range of motion.

“I don’t feel good about this; I want to get you back to your room.” Jeremy humorlessly replied. He was used to accompanying Petra on her foreign travels, having been in her father´s service for about 4 years now, but when she wanted to tour Rusina and catch a cruise from Asgareth to North Covenant, he was a bit more concerned. Natufians are encouraged to travel, meet new people and explore the world, that was natural, and as a marketing director in her father´s furniture manufacturing business, she had the dual purpose of mixing business and pleasure. But this was a more dangerous part of the world and he felt more ill at ease.

They took the main carpeted stairs from the foyer up two decks and proceeded down the hallway towards her state room, Petra talking, mostly to herself, and Jeremy checking over his shoulder and over the balcony rails, ignoring her. His ears suddenly perked up and he was adrenaline-fueled alert even before his brain identified the sound of gunfire coming from the lower decks. Instantly, he pulled his Decker pistol from its shoulder holster, thankful he was allowed to carry on the ship as a member of the personal security guild. He pushed Petra inside her room as he peered over the balcony rail to the open courtyard below. He saw a number of savage-looking men with assault rifles and shotguns rush through and ducked back into Petra’s room. She was looking at him wide-eyed, breathing heavy.

“What´s going on? What do we do?” she asked sternly
“I’m not sure, it looks like pirates, maybe, but they are well armed. If they’re commandeering the ship, they´ll be checking all the rooms and taking hostages. We have to get out of here.”
“How many are there?”
“Don’t know, enough to take a cruise ship, though, so that means at least 30-50.”
“Maybe we can bribe them to release us.”
“They really don’t look bribable to me. I don´t recognize them at all but they look really rough, barbaric, actually.”
“OK, so what do we do, Jeremy?” Petra asked in a calmer manner, the initial shock haven given way to her more disciplined mind. Jeremy looked her over.
“What have you got?” he asked. She hiked up her dress far enough to reveal the sheathed slender tactical knife strapped to her thigh. Wordlessly, she also opened her handbag to show him the small but potent Fletcher pistol, deadly at close range. Like all Natufians, men and women alike, Petra served the compulsory two years of military service in her local militia. She was trained in close combat and particularly skilled in restraining tactics. Jeremy had no doubt she could defend herself if needed. But it was his job to make sure she didn’t need to.
“Ok, the ship has to have lifeboats, I think I saw them a little aft of here, towards the galley.” Jeremy explained. “We get to a boat, wait until dark, quietly launch it and drift away in the night.”
“Praying to the ancestors to send help before we die of exposure. You forgot that part.” she retorted.
“I’m sure a distress call will go out. And there are likely flares on the lifeboat, probably other supplies.” Jeremy rationalized.
“Ok, but what about Frank and Ester, the Iryllian couple I’ve gotten to know? They’re good people. We need to bring them with us.”
Jeremy shook his head, “Sorry, my only priority is you. We can’t divert ourselves to find them.”
Petra thought about this for a second, her sense of compassion weighing against her sense of survival. “Fine, but if we happen to run into them along the way, we take them with us, ok?”
“Fine” Jeremy replied, a little annoyed at the idea. “Ok, we have to get moving, you ready? Gun at the ready, keep low, and follow me closely” he commanded as he cracked the door open, checking down the hallway.
Petra kicked off her heels and steeled her mind. “Ready!”

[Asgareth]

Daniel Ross, Edgar W. Larkin and Rufus T. Perkins had been deliberating for over 2 hours, as to whether to attack or not.
“Even with the assistance of the Natufians, we cannot guarantee success. The hostages could all end up dead. Sure, we do not care for our civilians, but the same cannot be said for all. Perhaps we leave the hostages with the Salyshi? They can be replaced” Edgar stated.
“The AMLF are already gaining public support. We don’t need to add to the reasons why we can’t be trusted. Edgar, send word to an-Hurayra, and tell her to have the Natufian ships ready within the next hour. By my reckoning we have 6 hours left. If we deploy the A.B.S Olwar and A.B.S Vorkatrov, we may be able to head the ship off, before it can escape our clutches.”
Edgar nodded, before speaking. “Let us just hope the Natufian’s are as good as Gloria has made them out to be.”

For the attention of Gloria an-Hurayra,
The Asgarthian Naval Force intends to send the A.B.S Olwar and the A.B.S Vorkatrov in an attempt to lay waste to these rebels. It would be useful if you would send the two promised warships. If this endeavour proves successful, the Asgarthian government would be open to a miitary alliance between our nations, or at the very least friendly relations.
Yours,
Edgar W. Larkin
Foreign Minister.

---

On board the ILS VIlhelm, the captain of the Salyshi had ordered for three of his men to search the remaining rooms. When questioned about what to do with the lifeboats, he told them to leave them.
“They are Asgarthian lifeboats. Asgarthians do not care for life. They are a death trap. You go in, and have no supplies in the middle of the waters. Leave them. Any passengers who enter, will have a fun time.”

The Captain turned to Travis and shouted.
“Why are they taking so long? We wanted our money an hour ago!”
“Asgarthians will not pay. They would rather watch us all die” Travis bluntly stated.
The Captain looked at Travis, and growled.
“Then you are of no use to me.”
He pulled out a pistol, and shot Travis at point blank range.

[The Natufian Nation]

To the honorable Mr. Edgar W. Larkin, Foreign Minister for Asgareth,

I have directly contacted our Admiralty who was informed me two Natufian Naval Ships, the NNS Protector and NNS Gaza, will be at the rendezvous site in 2 hours. Captain al-Safed of the NNS Protector leads our group and will coordinate with your task force to block the Vilhelm. We are also preparing boarding parties to be used at your discretion. If this is a likely course of action, schematics of the Vilhelm and the location of any known hostages will be useful.

Likewise, we hope this joint action is a prelude for building strong relations between our great countries. Our Counselor of Foreign Relations is eager to discuss how we may build on this momentum.

Gloria an-Hurayra, special emissary to The Imperial State of Asgareth
Council of Foreign Relations, Diplomatic Corp
Commonwealth of the Natufian Nation

Back on the ILS Vilhelm:

Petra followed behind Jeremy, moving deftly despite her dress. She was an avid biker at home and her physique was well toned for endurance. Jeremy kept a training schedule balanced between strength and cardio. But his real focus was the tactical training courses his guild provided. He even instructed on a couple. But this was real and he knew they were in serious trouble. He led them to the right, away from the main stairs where he first saw the intruders, intending to cut across the ship to the port side. Pistol held out in front of him, he moved quickly and deliberately until half way down the hall, at the intersection of the main corridor that ran along the midline of the ship, he stopped to listen. Petra quietly came up behind him, placed her hand gently on his shoulder to let him know she was there. There were beads of sweat along the back of his neck and temples. She fleetingly noticed again how his skin was so much paler than most Natufians, almost white, but with a slight, pleasant tan hue. That’s right, she reminded herself, his paternal grandfather was from Oceanion or somewhere like that. That would also explain his unusual surname,too. At that moment, at his back, Petra realized that as self-assured a woman she was, she owed a lot of that to always knowing he was there in the background most of her adult life.

Jeremy, convinced the central corridor was safe to cross, moved again, following the narrower hallway as before, passing door after door of guestrooms. At the far end, they finally came to a service door that opened to the outside where a small iron landing offered a grated metal service stair down to a deck below. They made their way down and along the side of the ship until they came to a lifeboat.

“Ok, let’s lower it to the water, then climb down…be very quiet” he whispered. They began to use the winch to lower the boat but right before it hit the water, a Salyshi, on patrol, rounded a corner from a passage a few meters down the deck. The Salyshi, preoccupied with a case of seasickness, clearly was not expecting to find anyone and it that moment of hesitation Jeremy aimed his Decker pistol and unloaded three hollow-tipped rounds, two expanding into the Salyshi’s chest and the third into his head, spilling the contents of his braincase into the sea. The Salyshi’s lifeless body slumped against the rail.

“Someone will have heard that,” Jeremy stated flatly. “We have to hurry”. But before they could continue, a second Salyshi, now alert to the errant passengers, started to round the corner enough to aim his shotgun. Jeremy fired but hit the metal bracing on the corner and the Salyshi retreated back.

“GO, get back upstairs!” Jeremy yelled at Petra, hoping they could lose any pursuit in the maze of corridors and rooms in the interior. He saw Petra begin to move back but then a noise took his attention back to the deck in front of him. The Salyshi had lobbed a grenade his way and it landed halfway between him and the corner the Salyshi was hiding behind. Jeremy tried to identify it as a concussion or fragmentary grenade but it was neither. To his horror, he concluded it was a hybrid grenade, mostly concussive but with a small mix of loose metal inside. It was a nasty piece of work designed to maim, not necessarily to kill, and was outlawed in many countries. Jeremy turned away just as the grenade detonated, the brunt of the blast hitting the left side of this body and throwing him over the rail.

His body landed in the lifeboat hanging on the side of the ship, breaking through a wood bench. He only lost consciousness briefly but lay in the boat completely disoriented; he couldn’t hear anything and felt blood flowing down his face. He could not move or feel his body and could only make out cloudy shapes in his field of vision. He wasn’t even sure he was still breathing. But his only thought was despair that he was not between the Salyshi and Petra. He only hoped she had the time to get somewhere to hide. Still looking up, he suddenly made out the figure of the Salyshi leaning over the rail, trying to get a bearing on him with his shotgun. Somehow, Jeremy had managed to hold on to his weapon and through sheer will he flung his arm up and fired limply. The shot ricocheted off the side of the ship but it was enough to cause the Salyshi to lurch back. But he returned a moment later to the rail. Jeremy fired again, and again the predator easily evaded. Again they went through the routine; but he could now hear a little better. A fourth time, and Jeremy fired again, wildly missing as his arm was too weak to really aim but it was enough to keep the Salyshi off balance. This time, however, his shot was followed by the popping sound of smaller caliber fire and he saw the Salyshi look back and up. It could only be Petra! No, what was that girl doing!?

Petra certainly got the attention of the Salyshi who immediately chased her up the stairs and back into the hall. Petra ran all the way back down to the cross-hall where her room was, the Salyshi giving quick chase behind her. She fired again but the range was too far and the Salyshi’s leather-padded jacket too thick for the rounds to penetrate deeply. The sudden sting only made the Salyshi angry. The savage threw down the clumsy shotgun, he didn’t like it anyway, and drew his sword. He would make her pay dearly for this. Petra ducked into the room and swung herself behind the open door.

The Salyshi let out a blood-curling cry and charged into the room with his sword held high, ready to strike. One thing about the Salyshi; they spend their whole life training in the fields of their homelands but have never trained to fight in a luxury suite. The ornate clutter, reflected and refracted light, glittering lamps and vases, all momentarily disoriented the Salyshi whose brain struggled to make sense of this novel battle environment. This gave Petra just the opportunity she needed to leap out from her hiding spot and behind a heavy marble table in the center of the room. The Salyshi instinctively swung at the motion but his blow only struck deep into the marble table. The strong Salyshi steel did not break but neither did the stone easily yield back the blade. The Salyshi had to yank hard three times to free his sword from the marble’s grip. This gave Petra time to maneuver herself directly under the table, crouching, inches away from the Salyshi. She could smell the strong odor of his unwashed boots. When the Salyshi finally freed his blade with one final pull, rocking back onto his heels, he was temporarily off-balance and that’s when Petra lashed out with a leg sweep that took the Salyshi´s feet out from under him and he crashed onto his back, slightly dazed. Petra immediately rolled onto her back and placed her bare feet on the underside of the table, near the back edge and with all her might kicked the table over onto the Salyshi. The aggressor let out a cry of pain and rage and struggled to turn himself over, scrambling to get out from under the crushing weight. Petra leaped to her feet and set herself down next to the Salyshi’s head, drawing her tactical knife as she kneeled down. As the Salyshi grabbed her ankle with an arm freed from the table, Petra deftly drove her knife into the base of his neck, severing his spinal cord. For good measure, she twisted the knife until she heard the satisfying pop of vertebrae separating. The hand on her ankle immediately went limp and she half-collapsed to the floor, the wave of adrenaline subsiding, leaving her shaking and cold.

[The Natufian Nation]

Transmission from NNS Protector to the A.B.S. Alwar:

Will reach rendezvous in 1 hour. Plan needed to secure ship and protect lives of as many hostages as possible. Natufian plan for your consideration is as follows:

Asgarthian commando unit to board the NNS Protector at rendezvous point;
Asgarthian ships to remain outside of detectable range (visual and radar) of ILS Vilhelm;
Natufian ships to approach ILS Vilhelm under pretense of delivery of ransom by NNS Gaza;
Locked strongbox with supposed ransom will contain dispersal canisters of knock-out gas with key given to Salyshi leader;
Meanwhile, Asgarthian and Natufian combined SCUBA commando task force to leave NNS Protector via underwater hatch, approach underwater and board the Vilhelm;
Combined task force to approach hostage locations when alerted to canister deployment;
Asgarthian ships to approach at this time to reinforce efforts.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: SHOOT TO KILL ALL HOSTILE SALYSHI UNITS. RESTRAIN ANY SURRENDERING OR INCAPACITATED SALYSHI FOR INTERROGATION.

Please advise if you accept this plan of action or have alternative course of action in mind.