un: white pawn; video

[chosenbylight]

[Anduin appears on the deck of the Pariah, toying with the blue amulet the priests have given him as he frowns in thought.]

As I am certain you are aware by now, both of our ships appear to be in the midst of a haunting.

The priests the captain has brought along with him have given their guidance as to how we might deal with these ghosts. They have also provided some of us with these.

[Anduin holds up his amulet.]

The amulets allow us to see and communicate with the spirits. I have used it to do so, and the conversation we had is why I come to you now.

The spirit I spoke to had much to say, but most notably — he claimed that there is something within the Pariah which is drawing them here. Something similar to whatever it is that is keeping them below, within the sea.

Earlier in our voyage, I had another conversation with a member of Captain Vane's group by the name of Mr Briggs. He had mentioned at the time that his position with the crew is transportation logistics of cargo, and that he is now on loan to Captain Quicksilver in that capacity. I did not think much of it at the time, but now...

[Anduin's expression is tight and drawn.]

Now I cannot help but wonder what it is that we are traveling with. And therefore I must ask of you —

Has anyone heard more about what it is we are carrying? In light of the news I have shared, what else have we learned of our voyage from members of the crew?

At the very least we may yet come to understand the dangers we are facing, here.

((ooc: dated to during the priest's plot; for the purposes of sharing any current plot information, feel free to threadjack away!!))

video | un: wei ying

[weifinder]

( he starts this recording from the crows nest of the Queen or the Pariah, his pendant hooked around the mast so it records him, bow slung over his shoulder. the quiver at his back has one arrow, and he nods to the camera, indicating toward the overcast sky. )

Take care when shooting, if you do. The amulets the priests have given us draw on our energies significantly.

( that said, he unslings the bow, turning and pulling the arrow out of the quiver to string it in a smooth motion. wei wuxian pulls back, taking aim at the skies, at the concept of where the sun hides behind the muddied clouds. pulls the bow taunt as the wind teases his hair, whips it and his ribbon behind him, making this man with his serious, focussed expression an icon of what he was once: a warrior.

pulling back, the bow bending, bending, his arms steady, his gaze on that hidden light in the sky. calm and steady breathing, and a tension that is near palpable before he finally releases, the snap of the bowstring and the whistle of the arrow taking flight stabbing through the pendant's audio transmission. he watches, wind still tossing his hair to a mess around him. only when there's enough time that he's ostensibly watched where the arrow has come back down to the sea does he turn to the pendant again. he's breathing more heavily than one shot arrow explains. )

Two more things. One, the dead who boarded their deceased's ships within the heart of the crossing were acting in ways that sound familiar. They were decaying dead men who moved and spoke, some aware, some animal in awareness. A number had a dark, tar-like liquid stitching together their wounds. Feels like there's a mirror and its magics at the heart of this. Possibly a smaller one onboard the Pariah right now.

( he reslings the bow over his shoulder, and now, allows himself to smile a touch. )

The second, most important one is going to get loud. Most of you will want to cover your ears.

( his brief smile fades as he inhales, turning to the side, which would mean facing toward the prow of the ship, and cups his hands around his mouth. calls out in a strong, clear, carrying voice that's impossible to ignore over the pendants: )

Lan Zhan! I love you! The only marriage I ever wanted to mimic was my parents' marriage. Do you understand? I married you because I love you, not because you'd married me first! I want to walk every path in life side by side with you! Only you!

( ... and he's lowering his hands, panting a bit from that effort. )