-Sentinel-
 OOC thread 
   In the mighty city-state of Brisevent, civil unrest is turning into civil war. Spurred by charismatic leaders, thousands of commoners have risen in revolt against King Léon IV and his autocratic rule. The streets are a maze of barricades, the gutters run red with blood, and the King’s own soldiers have begun to defect to the side of the insurrectionists. Every day, the balance tips a little more towards the end of Brisevent's monarchy and the founding of a republic. The city’s aristocrats, fearful for their future, are hurriedly loading their possessions on their ships and fleeing the impending revolution before their heads start rolling.

Like sharks drawn to blood, pirates are prowling the waters around Brisevent, hoping to snag a treasure-laden prize that could set them for life…   

 

 Mériault 

The small port town of Mériault was bustling with an activity not seen in generations. In recent weeks, its proximity to Brisevent, along with its almost nonexistent defenses, had turned it into an impromptu base of operations for pirates. Crews flying under the black flag dropped anchor to resupply, recruit new members, and—if their hunt was successful—spend their ill-gotten gains on booze and other pleasures. It was a mixed blessing for the town: gold and silver flowed like water, but so did blood. Hardly a night went by without multiple street fights between rival pirate crews. Mériault's governor was appointed by the King of Brisevent, and thus theoretically under obligation to crack down on piratical activities, but he had wisely decided to bar himself in his fortress and instruct the town's badly outnumbered militia to avoid trouble with their rowdy guests. It was not as if Léon IV would reign long enough to punish the governor for cowardice; at this point of the revolution, the fall of the monarchy seemed all but assured.

The  Ghostlight  sailed into port around dusk, and by sheer luck found a still-empty berth whose previous occupant had just gone on the hunt. She was a sleek 32-gun frigate, with half of her gunports cleverly camouflaged to deceive her opponents until it was too late. A latecomer to the party, the ship was badly in need of new crewmen, having lost several in a naval engagement against other pirates the previous week. Luckily, hiring crew in Mériault these days was as easy as sitting at a table at a tavern, loudly announcing that you were hiring, and signing up anyone who showed up.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Anyone who starts in Mériault is free to decide whether they are already crewmen of the  Ghostlight , or new hires.
 


 

 Brisevent 

The city was lost to the revolutionaries. That much had been obvious for days, and never more than tonight. King Léon IV had tried to hold onto power for as long as he could, but by now, the only parts of the city that his troops still controlled were his own palace, the nobles' quarters, and the port. And the latter could fall at any moment now, if word in the city was to be believed. If anyone wanted to leave Brisevent while the going was good, now was the last call.

Macra was assigned to House Valtier as a chambermaid. Originally, she had been put in this particular family to spy on them for the King's benefit. The Valtiers were immensely rich and had powerful allies in many other city-states, making them a credible threat to Léon IV. The revolution changed everything: noble families that had been scheming against one another for generations now stood together in a fight for the very future of the aristocracy as a system. New orders had come from King Leon IV—help the Valtiers get out of Brisevent unscathed, for the family's foreign allies would prove invaluable in retaking Brisevent from the revolutionaries.

Of course, there was only so much Macra could do without blowing her cover, so for now, she just went with the flow. The Valtiers' servants and guards (at least, those who had not defected to the side of the revolutionaries yet) were hurriedly loading the family wealth onto carts: bags of coins, jewelry, silk dresses, old paintings, the contents of Baron Valtier's well-stocked wine cellar, and more. It was said that pirates roved the waters around Brisevent, ready to capture any ship that emerged from the harbor, but the Baron seemed to think he stood a better chance against pirates than revolutionaries. Soon the Valtiers and their followers would begin their dangerous journey through the city streets. The port was only eight blocks away, but with all the barricades and the rioting mobs, it might as well have been eight hundred miles.

The Baron's eldest daughter, Elena Valtier, was an island of calm through the chaos as she gave orders to her servants.

"No, leave the 804 red behind, that's a mediocre vintage. Take this tapestry instead... It's a gift from the Veltmans of Wijrendam, they'll be flattered that we held onto it. Macra, darling, can you find me the rapier with the sapphire pommel? I get the feeling I might actually need it for real tonight."
MCerberus
  Doc   - deck of the Ghostlight


Despite not being near the academy during the revolution, Doc had been receiving some really concerning missives as of late. Something about being marked, revenge, grudges. More than the usual amount of revenge threats actually. Things must have really gotten bad, meaning he'd once again need to make his location unknown. Among the chaos of the last few days the appearance of a deadly frigate on the docks is actually good news for Doc. He had gone along on a previous expedition to, he promised not to say but there were ships that had a very, very necessary ingredient he needed to investigate. That thankfully gave him an easy route back into a position on the ship.

Also he had promised to make an additive that makes stale grog taste like cheerwine.

The dwarf stood out as much as usual even on the ship. Luckily he hadn't been stuck on land for an extended period so could still keep his legs, but the plague mask and robe that covers all exposed skin may trigger some superstitions of the sailors. Doc had mostly kept to himself in the first hours anyway. It would be good to let him mind catch up in the calm before someone needs him to work. The limited facilities of being on a ship would mean needing to use a lot of direct methods, and that may or may not improve crew opinion of him.
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "Of course, Lady Elena." 

Macra fits into the maid role well, being an unassuming curly-haired peasant girl to begin with. She bows to excuse herself and steps away to get the fancy weapon. She already knows where the rapier is kept, of course. When you're a secret bodyguard, it helps to keep a mental inventory of weapons on the premises, forged or improvised, for your own use or that of any potential threat who didn't think to bring their own. Two such weapons are hidden on Macra's person right now!

 
 Spoiler: rolls 
Spy roll to know where the rapier with the sapphire pommel is kept and retrieve it:  (3d6)[ 3 ][ 6 ][ 4 ](13) 

The two "weapons" she keeps on her will be determined by a random roll if and when it matters, for fun.
 
JNAProductions
  Sasha -A Tavern In Mériault 

Under the guidance of the captain, Sasha is in one of the local taverns, seeing who might make for a suitable addition. She's chosen her form carefully for this outing-especially curvaceous and noticeable. While the curves aren't too much new to her, the outfit that was paired with it today feels... A bit revealing. Still, the idea behind it is sound. If they're too busy staring at her chest to think properly, they're not cut out for the  Ghostlight . You need to have a level head.

She takes a deep breath (careful to not spill out of her top-  Gods above,   she thinks,   this outfit is impractical  ) and announces to those assembled  "Who here needs a new vessel to call home?" 
-Sentinel-
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll move us forward and hope Enceladus joins us soon. If they're not there in a week, I'll have to take control of their character, because this story needs a ship captain.
 


 

 Doc -  Ghostlight  

If Doc Stoneblood was hoping for a chance to relax and have a drink now that most of the crew were out on shore leave, he was sorely disappointed. Less than half an hour after the  Ghostlight  dropped anchor, Keiri, one of the gunners, had already managed to get into a knife fight—again. She stumbled up the gangplank, clutching a stab wound close to her kidney, while supported by another crewman. Said crewman looked apologetic for disturbing Doc so soon.

"Ah, sorry, Doc, Keiri ran into some trouble," he said evasively.

"You should see the other guy," Keiri managed with a weak smile. Then she winced from the pain.

The size and extent of the blood stains on Keiri's clothes lend credence to her statement—most of that blood was clearly not hers.



 

 Sasha -  The Lighthouse Inn , Mériault 

Many would-be pirates were already lining up at Captain Montgomery's table to get signed up, though most of them seemed too old, or too young, or drunk, or were missing a limb or an eye—the  Ghostlight  had come late, and all the most likely candidates in Mériault had been snatched up by other crews already. Still, the captain could not afford to be too picky.

Among the queuing men and women, Sasha spotted a shifty-looking young fellow who wore a wide-brimmed hat and had his collar popped up to hide most of his face. He fidgeted a lot and seemed very eager to get signed up quickly, not even waiting for the captain to finish explaining the terms of employment before putting his signature ("Markias") at the bottom of the contract. That latter part was interesting, too, as most of the other candidates were illiterate and signed only with an "X". Almost as soon as he was signed up, Markias tried to make for the exit, though the crowded room made it hard for him to move quickly.



 

 Macra - Brisevent 
 
 Spoiler 
No roll was necessary. Knowing where to find Elena's stuff is just expected of Macra as a chambermaid.
 


"Thank you, dear," said Lady Elena, strapping the rapier's ornate scabbard to her belt. "Time to go now. Stay close to me."

The party of nobles, servants and bodyguards, with their carts and wagons, gathered in the courtyard of the Valtier mansion. Then began the slow trek towards the port, through streets strewn with corpses and the remnants of destroyed barricades. The air smelled of smoke—it seemed that whenever there was a riot,  someone  had to burn something.

Baron Valtier, head of the house, was seething. "Scum, all of them. Look what they're doing to our great city. And they think they can govern themselves! Pfah! What would they even  do  without a king to lead them? Oh, so many people will hang when we return and take back what's ours... or whatever's left of it..."

"For now, let's focus on surviving, shall we, Father?" said Elena with a note of irritation.

Her teeth were clenched and her gaze was hard. She, too, seemed quietly outraged at what had become of Brisevent, but she was keeping her head in the game. Perhaps she understood, better than her father did, that House Valtier's return to its rightful seat of power was a matter of  if , not  when .

And that was assuming they even made it to their ship. The street ahead of them was blocked by a barricade, manned by a score of armed revolutionaries.

"Any way around that, commander?" asked Baron Valtier, for the first time sounding genuinely nervous.

"I'll dispatch some scouts, sir," said Galraud, commander of House Valtier's bodyguards. He barked orders to some of his most quick-footed men, who went off in separate directions.
JNAProductions
 
 Originally Posted by -Sentinel- 
   The Lighthouse Inn , Mériault 

Many would-be pirates were already lining up at Captain Montgomery's table to get signed up, though most of them seemed too old, or too young, or drunk, or were missing a limb or an eye—the  Ghostlight  had come late, and all the most likely candidates in Mériault had been snatched up by other crews already. Still, the captain could not afford to be too picky.

Among the queuing men and women, Sasha spotted a shifty-looking young fellow who wore a wide-brimmed hat and had his collar popped up to hide most of his face. He fidgeted a lot and seemed very eager to get signed up quickly, not even waiting for the captain to finish explaining the terms of employment before putting his signature ("Markias") at the bottom of the contract. That latter part was interesting, too, as most of the other candidates were illiterate and signed only with an "X". Almost as soon as he was signed up, Markias tried to make for the exit, though the crowded room made it hard for him to move quickly. 
 

 "What's the rush, friend?"  she asks of the literate man in the hat.  "Got somewhere you need to be? Or rather, somewhere you need to not be?" 
MCerberus
  Doc   - Deck of the Ghostlight

Doc takes a quick look at the aftermath of the fight.  "Well'n next time could you keep the blood separate. More useful that way."  That may read as a joke.
It is not.

Just a regular old stab wound would be pretty routine, and hopefully nobody's already stolen all the supplies.  "You got yourself into one of those situations where you're going to have to choose, lass. At port there's still good alcohol to put on your wrap and keep the vapors away, but then you're not going to be able to drink it." 

The dwarven catch-22. Doc's got another option though, depending on how daring this stab victim is. He holds up one of his vials, a green one that doesn't look too sickly.  "Thistle essence. Should numb the wound if ya want to help me by trying it out."  Depending on her reaction, he'll either bandage her up with old-fashioned pirate antiseptic or use his creation.

 
 Spoiler 

  Mad Alchemist  - (4d6)[ 6 ][ 5 ][ 3 ][ 3 ](17) 

If she doesn't want to be a test subject, switch to plague doctor and disregard last die
 
Dr.Gunsforhands
Macra uncomfortably avoids eye contact as the baron vents. Of course he's talking about people who are out to kill him, but it would be too easy to write it all off as fighting words. His disdain for his own tenants has been more or less constant for as long as Macra's been observing him.

She watches the barricade from afar. The street is secured as rebel territory. She's running out of time.

"Focus on surviving," Macra thinks aloud, echoing Elena's words back to her as she composes an idea. She looks at the barricade again. How do they decide who to let through and what to confiscate? And perhaps most importantly: what will they take as a bribe?

"Benny, wait! Bring the wine back! Get as many bottles as you can!" She calls after her fellow servants, suddenly animated with intense purpose. "Load them all onto this one cart."

The suddenly-very-inspired chambermaid returns to the cart full of art objects. "Lady Elena, these paintings can be taken out of their frames, right? We can wrap them around your scabbard and hide them in plain sight. And the tapestry..." Macra gingerly picks it up of the top of the pile to look it over, then unfolds it and holds it out to her mistress. "If you wear it over your head, it'll look like a dirty scarf at first glance, right? Long enough to disguise yourself in the smoke? It might be helpful for breathing too, if we go that way."

At this point she fully expects one or the other of the Valtiers to say, 'what is the meaning of this?' or something to that effect. "It's as Lady Elena says! You need to get through this alive!" Her words are punctuated with a *zzrip* as she draws a kitchen knife from her apron and starts freeing canvases for smuggling. "If the scouts come back with a way around, it will be on foot, so you'll only be able to bring what we can carry. If we  don't  have a path around, then we'll need a path  through. " She indicates the now-loaded Wine Cart. "That's our path through!"

 
 Spoiler: The Plan 
Step 1: Convince the baron and baroness to disguise themselves. In addition to the tapestry trick, the elder Valtier will need to take off his jacket at least.

Step 2: Bring enough jewelry and paintings to bribe our way to passage later.

Step 3: Bring the wine cart out to the barricade and cheerfully distribute wine bottles to the revolutionary guards in between cries of, "Viva la revolución!" They'll assume it's loot from a raided cellar.

Step 4: Hand off the last bottles to guards on the far side of the barricade.

Step 5: Wave and continue on our way to the docks.
 
-Sentinel-
 Doc -  Ghostlight , Mériault 

Keiri looked skeptically at the green vial and shook her head. "No offense, doc, but I'll go with the tried-and-true methods. Been stabbed before."

"And it's always over a girl, it seems," chuckled Tomas, the other crewman, earning himself a scowl from Keiri.

"This time it wasn't  just  about the girl," said Keiri defensively, lying down on the operating table. "It was about respect. I had dibs on her!"

"Yeah, and the other guy had more gold. To a workin' girl, that's worth a lot more than 'dibs'."

"Ugh. He must've hit one of 'em Brisevent treasure ships," Keiri grumbled sourly. "Bastard was loaded. Wish I'd thought to grab his fat purse after he went down..."

Doc disinfected the wound and began to stitch it shut. Luckily, no major organs appeared to have been damaged. Keiri would likely make a full recovery if she avoided any strenuous activities for the foreseeable future. More concerning was the fact that she had apparently caused an incident with the crew of another ship.



 

 Montgomery and Sasha -  The Lighthouse  inn, Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "What's the rush, friend?"  she asks of the literate man in the hat.  "Got somewhere you need to be? Or rather, somewhere you need to not be?"  
 

"What?" said Markias nervously. "No, it's... quite fine. I've always dreamed of sailing the ocean. And under the famous Captain Montgomery, too! Your ship is the  Ghostlight , yes? I can find her myself. In fact I'll go sleep on board, so I don't miss departure tomorrow."

He tried to extricate himself from Sasha, only to bump into a pair of heavyset men who had just entered the inn. One of them, a shaven-headed brute with several scars and most of an ear missing, casually removed Markias' hat to reveal a mop of blond hair.

"Oh, look at that," snickered the big man. "Trying to skip town, eh, Markias? Think the Widow's gonna give up on your debt just 'cause you're pallin' around with pirates?"

Markias shrank back. "I'll pay, I promise! The Widow will get all her money and then some. I just need this one job, and I'll come back rich."

The thug's mocking smile vanished. "Spare me. The Widow's tired of your excuses. And sometimes she gotta make an example of someone."



 

 Macra - Brisevent 

The other servants just stared at Macra in bafflement; she had been hired only last month, and many of them outranked her. None would follow her instructions without the Baron's approval, and the Baron was having none of it.

"What do you think you're doing, girl?" demanded Baron Valtier moodily. "This is  my  ancestral wealth. I could have your hand cut off just for touching it without permission!"

"Father, please," said Lady Elena placatingly. She turned to Macra and said quickly, in a low voice: "Listen. I know we all want to survive, but look at how much we're carrying. This is the wealth of over twenty generations. Even if we take as much as we can carry without the carts, we'd have to leave most of it behind. But perhaps we  can  purchase our way through..."

 
 Spoiler 
Sorry for nixing your plan. It's not necessarily a bad plan, but I just don't see a 'chambermaid' convincing a noble house to abandon most of their wealth.
 


The scouts returned a few minutes later. According to their reports, some of the back alleys were still unbarricaded, but they were far too narrow for the carts. Baron Valtier declared it unacceptable.

"We go  through  the barricade," he decided. "Guards at the front. Move!"

The convoy crawled towards the barricade. The rebels raised their muskets and crossbows at their approach. They seemed a ragtag bunch—city laborers, peasants from the countryside, defecting soldiers, and more.

"Halt! By order of the Provisional Revolutionary Committee, no one goes to the port!" barked the leader of the rebels, a young man with a short black beard and the uniform of a Brisevent Royal University student.

"We are House Valtier!" roared the Baron, who could prove himself quite brave when there were several bodyguards between him and his enemies. "We go where we please!"

The rebel leader eyed the carts. "This wealth belongs to the people of the Republic of Brisevent. It was stolen from hard-working citizens over the course of centuries, and now we're taking it back. Leave it all behind and we'll let you through. Don't bother to ever return... The Republic will be no place for kings or barons."

The Baron was turning purple. Lady Elena quickly put a hand on his shoulder. "Let me deal with this, Father," she said. "They outnumber us. We need to use diplomacy."

She gestured at Macra to follow her, and boldly advanced until she stood right between House Valtier's bodyguards and the rebel-held barricade.
JNAProductions
Sasha sighs. She sees how this is gonna be.  "Gentlemen, gentlemen, mind explaining what the issue is?"  she asks of the heavyset ones, moving between them and Markias.  "I'm sure something can be worked out. But I need to know what the grievances are." 

She looks at Markias, shooting him an expression that reads "I'm sticking my neck out for you-better make it worth it!"
MCerberus
  Doc   - the Ghostlight

Doc's not going to stick his neck into anyone's business, and the pirate politics are going to go over his head. Currently the person bleeding is not at the 'to death' stage so pretty much all is well in his mind.

 "Remember to change the wraps daily, you know it i'int pretty when you don't." 

Then a reply to the conversation comes to mind. Ancient wisdom of his clan's diaspora.

 "Grandma always says it isn't love unless you're willing to take a mace to the shin." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
Macra flushes and accepts her chastisement with a demure nod, thanking Lady Elena for understanding her servant's concern for her. It's a setback for someone who would rather do this sneakily, but her cover and her internalized idea of her own station demand she abide by it. At least the junior Valtier has a better understanding of how wealth is meant to be used going forward.

She eagerly follows Elena's lead. The revolution hasn't quite gotten to the point where the common people will stab someone just for trying to walk by. As much as the baron may hate the situation, his daughter's plan is working pretty well so far!
-Sentinel-
 Doc -  Ghostlight  

 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  "Grandma always says it isn't love unless you're willing to take a mace to the shin."  
 

"Well, that guy back there took many stab wounds for that love," said Tomas, looking worried. "I just hope his pals don't come lookin' for payback."

"Eh, I'm not that well-known in this port," said Keiri. "They won't even know whose crew I'm on. At least, I don't think so." Now that her wound was bandaged, she sat up with a wince. "Still, Doc, can we count on you to keep this between us? Captain would be pissed."



 

 Montgomery and Sasha -  The Lighthouse  inn, Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
 Sasha sighs. She sees how this is gonna be.  "Gentlemen, gentlemen, mind explaining what the issue is?"  she asks of the heavyset ones, moving between them and Markias.  "I'm sure something can be worked out. But I need to know what the grievances are."  
 

"The issue," growled the shaven-headed man, "is that this little man here owes six hundred silvers to our boss Aneka, the Widow. Well, it was his da who owed the money, but he died, so..."

"And I'll pay!" insisted Markias. "Which I can't do if you kill me! Just need this one job on the  Ghostlight ..."

"How d'we know you'll come back?" replied the second thug. "And why would pirates even want you on their crew, anyway? You're no sailor. You're no fighter. You're a clockmaker's son!"

 "...and apprentice,"  Markias added under his breath.

 
 Spoiler 
Just a note that 600 silvers is a significant sum. In US dollars, it would be in the low five figures.
 


 

 Macra - Brisevent 

Lady Elena stood confidently before the insurrectionists. "We're all reasonable people here, my brave fellows," she said, spreading her hands. "We could simply—"

"Save it," the student leader cut her off, speaking loud enough for both his fellow rebels and the Baron's party to hear. "I see what you're trying to do here, young lady. You think we'll hold our fire just because two women are in the way. As if you nobles show any more mercy to the women of the lower classes! Last winter, the city watch had a seventy-year-old widow evicted from her home for late rent. They broke her arm when she resisted. She died in the streets less than a week later. You condemn the revolution for its violence... yet, you run a system that runs entirely on violence! A quieter kind of violence. Centuries of starvation and oppression, instead of a few days of riots. No more! If having your ill-gotten wealth confiscated by the Republic is the worst violence you face today, Lady Valtier, then you'll be getting off lightly."

He was well-spoken, compared to most of the commoners who took part in the revolt. No wonder they had put him in a leadership position. His little speech earned him many cheers from his fellow rebels. Macra understood in that moment that these men and women would not be bribed with fancy wine or shiny baubles.

Lady Elena seemed to understand it, too. So her tone changed. "Our guards are all trained soldiers," she warned, all conciliatory politeness gone. "They may be outnumbered by your little militia, but if they get the order to open fire, they'll kill... oh... half of you, at least. You can avoid that. You can put your men's lives above the gold that we carry.  Let us through ."

"You're wasting time, trying to reason with this rabble!" shouted the Baron from behind his bodyguards. "Come back here, Elena!"

Irritation was plain on Elena's face. "Just one moment, Father..."

"Oh, sod it," said Baron Valtier. " FIRE! "

His bodyguards fired a volley of musket balls at the rebels, killing or wounding several. The rebels took cover behind their barricade and returned fire with their guns and crossbows. Their accuracy left much to be desired, save for the soldiers among them, but Elena and Macra were in the middle of the crossfire. Cursing under her breath, Elena dropped to the ground, and was followed suit by Macra. Both sides then began reloading as fast as they could. House Valtier's bodyguards were better trained than the insurrectionists and would be done sooner.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Now's the time for some kind of combat roll. (Or evasion or protection roll, if that's what Macra wants to focus on.)

The story I have in mind requires Macra to blow her cover at some point by showing off her skills, and I think this is a good opportunity.
 
JNAProductions
She's tempted. She is very tempted to simply leave the man to his fate. It's not her business-bad things happen all the time. She should just walk away, maybe wish him some luck. That's all.
But... Sasha thinks back. She doesn't know what the people did to find her, when she was lost, before everything happened to her. Did they stand by? Did they shrug, and say "Not my problem," leaving her to be captured?

Inwardly, she sighs. But outwardly, she says  "I'm afraid that if you've beef with Markias' father, you should take it up with him instead. Because if you want to take it up with Markias here... You're taking it up with the entire  Ghostlight , and I don't think you want that on your head." 
MCerberus
  Doc   - the Ghostlight

 "I mean nobody needs to know anybody else's business alright,"  Doc replies. However there is a little caveat to that.  "Unless it's gunna end up being everyone's business." 
 "We got even odds of someone throwing fire bottles on deck tonight?" 
Dr.Gunsforhands
By reflex, Macra pulls Elena into cover to protect her from friendly fire, behind one of the overturned tables that the villains brought for their barrier. The kitchen knife appears in her hand again. She looks up as the gunfighters duck into cover themselves. She'll need to get past them to rescue the baron himself, but she should be able to do it in a few jumps.

"Alright! Guess we'll just have to win! I'll be right back, Lady Elena!"

She lunges from her spot to that of a reloading rebel, looking to take them down with a tackle and a stab. As long as the enemy can't use the musket anymore, she's not terribly interested in taking it for herself. Maybe she'll toss it to Elena before she moves on to the next target.

 
 Spoiler 
Royal Spy to roll for sneak attack:  (3d6)[ 5 ][ 1 ][ 2 ](8) 
 
-Sentinel-
 Doc -  Ghostlight  

 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  "We got even odds of someone throwing fire bottles on deck tonight?"  
 

Keiri pursed her lips. "If they come for me, I s'pose you could hand me over to them," she said with extreme reluctance. "Let 'em have their revenge."

"Won't come to that, I hope," muttered Tomas.

Self-sacrifice was not something that came naturally to most pirates, but Captain Montgomery had a way of fostering a certain nobility of spirit among his crew.



 

 Montgomery and Sasha -  The Lighthouse  inn, Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "I'm afraid that if you've beef with Markias' father, you should take it up with him instead. Because if you want to take it up with Markias here... You're taking it up with the entire  Ghostlight , and I don't think you want that on your head."  
 

The shaven-headed thug glared back at Sasha, but clearly decided it was unwise to start trouble in a room full of crewmen of the  Ghostlight —both veterans who would follow their captain no matter what, and new recruits eager to prove their worth. With a small nod, he indicated to his companion that it was time to leave.

"We  will  collect that debt," he warned Markias on his way out. "Even if we have to track you down all the way to the Spice Isles. Better sooner than later, boy, 'cause the Widow is still counting the interest."

Once the thugs had left, Markias exhaled. "Owe you one," he told Sasha. "You won't regret it. I may not look like much, but I'll be useful, I swear." He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial tone. "You know the longitude problem? Of course you do; you're a seafarer. Well, I know how to solve it. At least, I  think  so. My father left me with the means to do it, and now I just need to test it during a sea voyage."

It was an extravagant claim, to say the least. The measurement of longitude had vexed astronomers and navigators for centuries.



 

 Macra - Brisevent 

The rebel's eyes widened in surprise as Macra vaulted over the barricade with the grace of a cat. He went down with the spy's kitchen knife hilt-deep under his jaw, dropping his half reloaded gun. Nearby rebels frantically drew their swords and pointed their bayonets at Macra, but the next disciplined volley from House Valtier took out a few of them—leaving none standing between Macra and the student leader. She took her chances and went straight for him. The young man may have been a talker, but he was no fighter; within seconds, he was on the ground with a perforated lung, gasping for breath. The courage of the remaining rebels faltered and they ran.

Lady Elena joined Macra on the other side of the barricade a moment later. She threw one scornful look at the injured rebel leader, then drove her rapier into his heart with a nonchalance that shocked Macra, as if sticking her fork in a steak. Life drained out of the rebel leader's wide-open eyes.

"Bit of a windbag, that one," Elena noted dryly, wiping her blade on the dead man's Royal University uniform before returning it to its sheath. She tilted her head at Macra. "You're no chambermaid, are you?" she asked with a sly smirk.

Before Macra could respond, a cry came from the House Valtier party: "The Baron! He's injured!"

Both Elena and Macra looked behind them in alarm. Baron Valtier was swaying on his feet and clutching a stomach wound from a lucky musket ball. Two of his nearby bodyguards gently lowered him to the ground.
JNAProductions
 "I better not,"  Sasha says.  "We should head to the ship before more trouble shows up." 

She leads Markias out of the inn, going for the docks and the  Ghostlight . When the two arrive, Sasha directs Markias, saying  "Make yourself useful-I'm going to get out of this ridiculous getup."  She heads to her quarters, and quickly changes into a much more practical set of clothes, as well as shrinking her curves to more practical levels.
Dr.Gunsforhands
"A chambermaid isn't what you need right now."

Macra reaches into her pocket for her other secret weapon: a hidden bag of seeds and cereal, also known as her spell component pouch. She withdraws a small handful, vaults the barricade, crouches next to the baron, and whistles to one of the horses. The good horsie comes running and bows down to get its treat. This also makes it easier to lift the patient onto its back. "Stay with us, old man! We'll get you outta here, king's orders!"

She grabs a wine bottle from the cart to splash on whatever the guards have to use as a bandage. "I can bring baron and baroness Valtier to the docks. If you can spare a man, you can meet us there with the other carts."

 
 Spoiler 
Animal Friend for potential horse/cart speed:  (4d6)[ 6 ][ 3 ][ 2 ][ 2 ](13) 

Spy to know if there's a loyal healer on the way to where we're going:  (3d6)[ 6 ][ 6 ][ 2 ](14) 
 
MCerberus
  Doc  - the Ghostlight

 "Aye it isn't going to come to that,"  Doc reassures.  "Whatsit you guys are always saying, punch a shark in the nose. Don't think anyone has a real stomach for a full fight." 
-Sentinel-
 Doc and Sasha -  Ghostlight  

Doc heard footsteps on the gangplank, outside. Fearing more trouble, he hurried upstairs to the main deck, but it was just Sasha and a young man with blond hair and a heavy pack.

"Oh, hey, Sasha," said Tomas, who had followed Doc outside. "Who's this?"


 

 Macra - Brisevent 

House Valtier's physician, Doctor Archambault, did his best to bandage his employer's injury, but there was only so much even he could do on a cobblestone street under the dim light of streetlamps.

"It's a stomach wound, sir, you need surgery," he said.

"We'll do it on the ship," said Galraud, the commander of the guard, whose men were already taking apart the barricade. "The port could fall to the insurgents tonight, and once it falls, we won't be able to get out of the city."

"Shipboard surgery isn't ideal," responded the doctor. "The sway of the deck... Some doctors are used to it, but not me."

"We head to the ship," Lady Elena cut in. Her face was shrouded in shadows, so it was hard to read her expression, but she seemed to be keeping it together for now. "Doctor, I'm confident that if any man can save my father, you are that man. But we can't dally. The rebels who fled will bring in reinforcements soon. Their so-called 'Republic' wants our gold."

"Stay with us, old man!" said Macra, leaning over Baron Valtier. "We'll get you outta here, king's orders!"

By then, the Baron's face was grey and sweaty, and he did not quite seem to comprehend Macra's words, but he still nodded.

"The king, eh?" said Lady Elena. "Should've known he'd put an agent in our house..." Her tone was not hostile. Had Macra broken her cover under different circumstances, perhaps the Valtiers would have treated her as an enemy, but right now, Elena clearly understood that Macra was an asset to them.

At last, an opening was made in the barricade, and the horse-drawn carts squeezed through it. Macra's mixture of seeds was effective and the horses made very good time for the last few blocks separating them from the port. And not a moment too soon: the port was under siege by the rebels. With musket and sword, House Valtier's bodyguards shot and cut their way through the besiegers and were welcomed by the cheers of the loyalist soldiers still defending the port.

"How long can you hold, good sir?" Lady Elena asked a tired-looking officer who had his arm in a sling.

"Not very long, my lady," admitted the officer. "An hour or two, maybe. Less than that if the rebels bring cannons."

"Buy us enough time to rig our ship, and we'll take you with us when we set sail. You don't have to die here."

"Thank you, my lady."

There were very few ships remaining in the port, as most of the people rich enough to own one had already fled Brisevent during the past week. Thankfully, House Valtier's ship, the  Cormorant —named after the Valtiers' heraldic symbol—was still there, and undamaged by the battle. She was a three-decked, sumptuous-looking vessel, with ornate carvings, gold leaf, and brightly-dyed sails, and was built for comfort rather than warfare. She did boast two dozen cannons for defense against pirates, but only enough gunners to man about half of them. The Baron was carried on board on a makeshift stretcher. House Valtier's servants hurriedly began to carry the family wealth from the carts to the ship's hold, often bumping into the sailors trying to rig the ship as fast as they could. Meanwhile, the Baron's bodyguards joined the soldiers on the fortifications to try to hold the port a little longer. Lady Elena did not follow her father's stretcher inside the ship, but remained on the deck to try to coordinate everything.

"I'm sure Doctor Archambault can work better without me breathing down his neck," Elena told Macra. "As for you... do whatever you think will be the most useful."

 OOC 
 
 Spoiler 
Hope you don't mind your updates being always longer,  Dr.Gunsforhands . 😳 You just have more stuff going on right now.
 
MCerberus
  Doc   - deck of the Ghostlight

While getting some fresh air would usually be a good thing, to doc it still smells like expired roses and boiled leather. Funny that. To the newcomer the fresh blood may complete the outfit, but with Sasha there at least nothing too bad seems to be happening.

 "Bring us more trouble?" 
JNAProductions
 "Claims his dad was on the verge of solving the longitude problem, and he can complete the work,"  Sasha says.  "Also managed to make me stick my neck out for him-his dad was in deep debt, and some punks were looking to collect it out of his ass." 

She pauses a moment, then realizes she didn't actually introduce the man.  "He's Markias, by the way-and he better be the hardest damn worker on the ship given what I got him out of." 
MCerberus
  Doc   - deck of the Ghostlight

There's a certain amount of sympathy that immediately comes to Doc's mind about the lack of funding. That keeps happening for some reason.  "Nice to meetcha. I'm mostly called Doc. And I know what its like when coin gets in the way of progress. They said I couldn't harvest screams, but they were only half right."   

A small pause.
 "If you get hurt I'm the one that stitches folks up here." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 Macra - Brisevent - The  Cormorant  - Outer Deck 

"Of course, my lady," Macra says, her eyes already combing the ramp for potential infiltrators among the servants running items back and forth. Her posture is different than it was as a chambermaid, with one hand on her hip and the other gripping her knife as an artist holds a paintbrush. "I'm sorry about earlier. My orders were clear: your life is a greater asset to this kingdom than any volume of treasure. I hope you know that."

If Macra had it her way, they'd be sneaking away on a vessel that's less of an obvious target. The  Cormorant  is a comfy home away from home for rich city people, but to everyone else in the ocean it will be a giant, gleaming treasure chest just waiting to be cracked open. That's not really an option now, if Elena is to keep her promise.

She casts a glance to the sea. A big flock of gulls sit on the water some distance from shore, probably to avoid the smoke. The fish have probably retreated in much the same way, with all the noise and activity.

She looks down again at the gun-pocked fortifications. In theory, she could join the guards down there, but Macra's never really been much for lining up with the big rifles. She's more comfortable hunting fish with spears and birds with bigger birds.

She thinks of calling out for an animal to send a message, but of course that's not an option anymore. The only people who would receive them were her partners. Taken down, all at once, and by who? Macra doesn't even know.

She catches herself fidgeting with her knife. What's she going to do? There's no sense overthinking it; she'll just do her job! Keep her eyes open, gather intel, and see everyone safely to... uh...

"Lady Elena, where are we going?"
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  (port of Mériault) 
 "He's Markias, by the way-and he better be the hardest damn worker on the ship given what I got him out of." 

Markias chuckled nervously. "Ha ha, for sure! Well, to tell the truth, physical labor isn't my forte, and I'm afraid of heights... but I trust you can find a job suited to my talents. Maybe assistant navigator, or something."

 "If you get hurt I'm the one that stitches folks up here." 

Markias tipped his hat at Doc. "Ah, a fellow man of education. We'll get along, I'm sure."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll have the ship set sail in the near future. Last chance if there's anything you want to do while in port.
 


 

  Cormorant  (port of Brisevent) 

"Lady Elena, where are we going?"

The noblewoman gave Macra a searching look, perhaps wondering if a known spy should be granted this crucial piece of information before they even set sail. In the end, she answered: "Farobianco. It's not too far, and we have powerful allies there. They'll help us take back our city." She pursed her lips. "There'll be a steep price, of course. Among people like us, allyship is always transactional. They'll ask for a good chunk of our wealth, plus a promise for more in the future. And I'll likely have to marry someone. But it's better than accepting the loss of our titles. My ancestors helped build Brisevent, and I won't let it be ruled by some rabble with torches and pitchforks."
JNAProductions
Sasha looks at Markias. She takes a deep breath. And then another. Doc can tell she's doing her absolute best to remain calm and not slap the crap out of Markias.

Eventually, she opens her mouth to talk.  "Markias. I am about to close my eyes. I will keep them shut for about ten seconds. And when they're open, I will not see you. This is a courtesy to Doc-because if I  do  see you when my eyes open, I am going to tear your lily-livered, hoity-toity, weak-muscled body into small pieces. Understand?" 

She closes her eyes, and counts out loud.  "One. Two. Three..." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'm good to move on!

And Sasha isn't being serious-well, not entirely. She's peeved as all heck that she stuck her neck out for someone who's bad at labor and scared of heights, but admittedly, that's on her. If Markias is actually there when she's done with her countdown, she'll slap him, but probably not much more.

Still. She's in a mood.
 
MCerberus
  Doc   - deck of the Ghostlight

Despite not being a permanent crew member he's seen this before. It really can't lead to anything good. He turns to Markias.  "Oh we'll have to talk later. Lass isn't one to be taken lightly. Remember me talking about harvesting screams..." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
ready to set sail
 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 Cormorant 

"I see. Hence the need to bring the wealth along..."

Actually, Macra doesn't understand it at all. She's not a politician. But, it does give her an idea of how she can speed this up.

She hops down to the loading ramp and pulls a couple pinches of granola from her pouch. The ship is big enough to load the carts all at once, if the horses weren't so scared to set foot on the dock...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I guess this is a situation where I would roll to see how well this works before describing it, but the plan is to heave the carts of loot aboard as quickly as possible, so we can call back the guards and set sail that much faster. The spell may just amount to calming and coaxing the horses to pull the carts aboard, or it could theoretically be so effective a buff that they just leap on immediately, weightless and carefree.

 (4d6)[ 3 ][ 2 ][ 1 ][ 1 ](7) 
 
-Sentinel-
   May 17, year 809   
  Ghostlight  – Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "Markias. I am about to close my eyes. I will keep them shut for about ten seconds. And when they’re open, I will not see you. This is a courtesy to Doc-because if I  do  see you when my eyes open, I am going to tear your lily-livered, hoity-toity, weak-muscled body into small pieces. Understand?" 

She closes her eyes, and counts out loud.  "One. Two. Three..."  
 

“I can measure longitude, remember?” Markias said hurriedly. Seeing that Sasha was still counting, he mumbled: “I—I’ll go claim a bunk,” and promptly disappeared belowdecks. He was gone by the time Sasha opened her eyes.

 
 Spoiler 
I love Sasha already. 😁
 


 

  Cormorant  – Brisevent 

Macra’s coaxing proved ineffective; if anything, the horses only seemed further agitated by her insistence. All the wealth from the carts had to be loaded on the ship by hand. The horses were left behind, much to the regret of Lady Elena, as many of the beasts were pedigreed animals. House Valtier’s servants did not have the expertise of dockworkers when it came to properly balancing a ship’s cargo; by the time the  Cormorant  was fully loaded, she was tilting a bit on the port side, which greatly annoyed the seamen who would have to actually sail the drunken-looking ship.

But there was no time to rearrange the cargo. As the officer at the gate had feared, the insurgents brought cannons to crush the last of the monarchist resistance at the port. The thirty or so soldiers defending the walls retreated in good order to the  Cormorant  and were welcomed aboard the ship, as Lady Elena had promised. The  Cormorant  lurched out of her berth and set sail mere minutes before the forces of the new Republic of Brisevent took over the port. A few rebel cannons took long-distance shots at the ship as she exited the harbor, but aside from a torn sail and a bit of cosmetic damage to her aftcastle’s ornate carvings, the  Cormorant  got out in one piece.

The Valtiers were the last noble house to leave Brisevent with both their wealth and their lives.



 

   May 18, year 809   
 Mériault 

Though it was only the crack of dawn, the port of Mériault was bustling with activity as a dozen pirate crews prepared their ships for the hunt. Brisevent could fall to the rebels any day now, and its fall would cut off the flow of treasure-laden ships that had brought all the pirates to these waters. If any crews wanted to catch some prey before the feeding frenzy came to a sudden end, the time was now.

Captain Montgomery had a different idea, though. Not nearly as short-sighted as other pirates, he planned to offer protection to a fleeing noble house and gain their friendship—or at least, long-term employment with them. Some of his crewmen were skeptical of the idea, but the captain maintained that such a relationship would continue paying dividends long after the crews of other pirate ships had spent all the gold they had pillaged.

It was likely that Montgomery understood, better than most, the nature of pirates—they could fritter away a king’s bounty in very little time. Give a pirate enough gold to retire comfortably, and within a month, you will find him destitute and desperately looking for work. Perhaps it was better to seek an arrangement that would bring the  Ghostlight  and her crew a steady trickle of income rather than one big score.

Shortly before setting sail, while running down the checklist of supplies, it was found that the  Ghostlight  was running low on long matches for igniting the cannons. Captain Montgomery sent Sasha out to buy some. On her way back with the matches, Sasha was accosted by four well-armed pirates, led by a woman of about forty with a long braid of jet-black hair and a nasty old scar across her cheek. Sasha recognized her as Captain Maria Sevilla, who commanded the notorious  Toll of Midnight . She and Montgomery had a bit of a history.

“You. I know you. You serve on the  Ghostlight , yes?” growled Maria Sevilla. It seemed more of a statement than a question. “You’re coming with us. We need to have a little chat with your captain, and we’d like to have you with us to keep things civil.”

In other words, they intended to take Sasha hostage.


 

  Cormorant  – Open ocean near Brisevent 

Macra stood atop the aftcastle of the  Cormorant , keeping a wary eye on the dark sail behind them. She did not know if it was just her imagination, but she was pretty sure it was getting bigger every hour. They were being pursued, and the other ship was gaining on them.

“They’ve been after us since we departed,” said Lieutenant Aubert, the port garrison officer with his arm in a sling, also eyeing the pursuing ship. “I think they were waiting near the mouth of the harbor, ready to go after any ship that came out of Brisevent.”

“If they’re just pirate scum, my men can deal with them,” replied Commander Galraud confidently. “Let them come.” The commander of House Valtier’s bodyguards had been itching for a fight ever since the injury of his employer. He seemed to think that a heroic victory in battle would somehow undo his failure to protect Baron Valtier.

Speaking of Baron Valtier, Doctor Archambault had been hard at work trying to patch him up in the  Cormorant ’s sick bay. For most of the night, the Baron had moaned in agony, loud enough for everyone on board to hear—stomach wounds were known to be excruciating—but by now the noises had ceased. Perhaps he was mercifully unconscious. Or dead, though if that was the case, Doctor Archambault was keeping quiet about it. The physician had still not reemerged from belowdecks. Lady Elena was nowhere to be seen, and Macra assumed the noblewoman had finally gone to her father’s bedside.

Macra felt something brush her ankle and jumped in surprise—it was not often that something got the drop on her. The ship’s cat was rubbing his side against her leg. He held a fat (and still weakly-twitching) mouse in his mouth, which he dropped at Macra’s feet. An offering.
JNAProductions
 "I can do that,"  Sasha says,  "provided you  let me . I know you've got some bad blood with Captain Montgomery, but you've barely even met me. If you actually want it to be civil, I can help-more than that, I  will  help." 

She looks at the goons Maria brought with her. They're well-armed, but unlikely to know how tough she is. Still, not much reason to make a scene and risk getting hurt for no reason. She waits for the other captain's response.
Dr.Gunsforhands
 A Cormorant Somewhere at Sea 

Macra tries and fails to stifle a laugh, then kneels down to pet the  Cormorant's  resident pest control officer, Ensign Raphael Ambrosius Coppercoat the Third. "Mrr! Good kitty! Are you trying to look out for me because I look tired?"

It's no wonder. Even after she and the rest of the staff finished loading everything by hand with horses trying to bolt, they spent the rest of the night moving stuff around trying to balance out the weight. Most of the servants have been resting since that was done; Macra went on to spend the morning with the guard shift. She hasn't eaten for a day, either.

"Of course I can't really eat this." Still petting Copper, she mercifully breaks the dying mouse's neck and stashes it in a separate pouch as bait for later. "It's okay, though. I can go get something for myself, and I really should if we're going to be fighting pirates."

She stands up and heads below decks to refill her fresh water and to grab an orange before they run out and switch to the limes. While she's down there, she (naturally) decides to check in on the Valtiers and on Archambault and (also naturally) tries to see and hear as much as possible before they notice her.

 
 Spoiler: (naturally) 
Spy in case it's needed:  (3d6)[ 4 ][ 4 ][ 5 ](13) 
 
MCerberus
  Doc   - On the Ghostlight

With all the supplies being what he could drag in already onboard and the potential... interesting times, Doc had previously not had any reason to leave the ship. Still being restrained to such a small space when the larger town is still bustling had begun to rub him the wrong way. In his grumpy mood he had decided something was off. They were so close to leaving and there was less wrangling of the crew than he remembered.

 "Hey, where's the taskmistress,"  he asks of the nearest available crewman.
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  - Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  "Hey, where's the taskmistress,"  he asks of the nearest available crewman. 
 

The sailor shrugged, not looking up from the knot he was tying. "Fetching somethin', mebbe? Ask the cap'n. He often sends her on errands."



 

 Streets of Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "I can do that,"  Sasha says,  "provided you  let me . I know you've got some bad blood with Captain Montgomery, but you've barely even met me. If you actually want it to be civil, I can help-more than that, I  will  help."  
 

"This isn't about Phobias this time," said Captain Sevilla. "One of his crew murdered one of mine last night. I'll have justice. Or at least, payback. That'll depend on him." She pointed a flintlock pistol at Sasha. "Walk to the  Ghostlight  with us. Don't try anything funny."

Sasha took note of her surroundings. The alleys were very narrow and twisting; it would take only a few steps to get outside the line of fire of Sevilla's flintlock, if she wanted to flee. But she also noticed that one of the four pirates was young, long-legged, and alert-looking. He would catch up quickly.

 
 Spoiler 
It's up to you whether you want to flee, fight, or play nice. Fleeing or fighting will require some kind of test.
 


 

  Cormorant  - High seas 

Copper purred in contentment at Macra's touch and flopped on his back to have his belly rubbed. Macra happily obliged.

Heading down into the darkened hold of the  Cormorant  to get water and an orange, Macra passed near the sick bay. She could hear voices arguing in hushed tones. She crept closer to the door, her spy training taking over.

"...any more laudanum, he might die!" Doctor Archambault was whispering.

Lady Elena replied: "You said it yourself, doctor, my father is unlikely to survive that injury. A stomach wound means he's  digesting himself . Just ghastly. Perhaps it's best to... let him go peacefully? That'll free up your time for the other wounded we have on board."

"And I suppose the fact that you're his heiress doesn't factor into that decision?"

There was no response from Elena for a moment. At last, she said: "Well, there's also his mismanagement of our house. You know that. Everyone knows that, even if no one dares to say it out loud. The overspending, his petty feuds with the King, all of the bridge-burning with some of our oldest allies... his treatment of my late mother, an Alberione, those very same Alberiones we're now counting on to help us take back our city... Maybe it's time House Valtier moved past him."

"I swore an oath to do no harm."

"Same oath you were under when he had you cut open my mother to 'save' a newborn who didn't even survive a day?"

"My Lady, you're being unfair, I did everything I possibly could to—"

"How much does my father pay you?"

"...W-what does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I'll pay you half again as much once I'm running House Valtier. Which could start today. Or a bit later, if he dies of that stomach wound, but then you can kiss your pay raise goodbye."
JNAProductions
 "An unjust attack, I'm sure,"  Sasha says with a touch of snark in her tone. But she follows the woman's command-four goons and a captain are not even close to sufficient to take on the  Ghostlight . So there's not really any harm in bringing them to the ship to talk.

She mentally goes over a list of crewmates in her head, trying to think of who'd be most easily provoked. Then, realizing the easy solution...  "Who did it?"  she asks.
-Sentinel-
 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "Who did it?"  she asks. 
 

"Expect me to know everyone on your crew by name?" said Maria Sevilla with a shrug. "I barely know half the names of my own crew. Less talking, more walking."



 

  Ghostlight  (Doc and Sasha) 

Doc's queries about Sasha became moot when the young woman emerged onto the docks—with flintlock pistols pointed at her back by four pirates from another ship. Among them, Doc recognized the notorious Captain Maria Sevilla, who commanded a ship of a similar size and armament as the  Ghostlight  and was a longtime rival (and, it was rumored, a past lover) of Captain Montgomery. Many of the sailors of the  Ghostlight  drew their own pistols and cutlasses, but with Sasha at Sevilla's mercy, they held off for now. The air bristled with tension.

"Phobias!" shouted Captain Sevilla. "We need to talk!"

Montgomery emerged from belowdecks. His mood, already sour at having to deal with Sevilla, turned murderous when he saw his rival holding Sasha hostage. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"A woman on your crew stabbed my man Rahem to death last night," said Sevilla. "There's a witness, and she says Rahem got at least one stab in before he went down. There  was  blood on his knife, too." Captain Sevilla paused. "Tell me, Phobias, did anyone on your crew come back last night with a stab wound?"

"Not that I'm aware of," said Montgomery. "You sure it's someone on my crew?"

"Yes. I understand that before the murder, the killer was boasting that she served on the  Ghostlight ."

 
 Spoiler: MCerberus 
Would Doc have told Montgomery about the incident last night?

If he did, then Montgomery is lying to Captain Sevilla to protect his own crew. If not, then he genuinely knows nothing about it. For now, the outcome is the same, but it'll become important very soon, so I need an answer.
 
MCerberus
 Doc  - The Ghostlight

Suddenly things just go a lot more complicated with what happened last night. While still having kept to his end of things, that sailor decided to omit one piece of information. That's going to make him upset, since he's now looking the fool and now that the other crew ran running to mommy it IS actually the crew's problem.

The dwarf looks through the crowd finding the lass from last night.
 "Oi, you have some explaining to do. Didn't say you killed him did you?" 
Dr.Gunsforhands
It would be easy to just let this play out. Macra doesn't know much about medicine, but she knows that sometimes you need to focus on making someone comfortable on their way out. It's sad, but it happens. Still, she doesn't like the choice that Elena is asking the doctor to make.

"Excuse me, my lady," she says. "You don't honestly expect him to agree to that, do you? Would you really trust a healer who would trade away a patient's life for a pay raise?"

She turns her attention to Archambault. "That said, doctor, there  are  other people upstairs who need you right now. If you've already done what you could for the baron, then you need to move on, let him rest and focus on where you can do the most good! Does that make sense?"

 
 Spoiler 
She's trying to demonstrate her positivity here. If the doctor really thinks this is where he's doing the most good, then she won't second-guess him, but he shouldn't be obsessing over the man he couldn't save, especially if it's just because he's a baron.
 
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  - Mériault 

 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  "Oi, you have some explaining to do. Didn't say you killed him did you?"  
 

Keiri had changed her shirt since last night, but the blood still seeped through both the bandage and the fabric, and so she wore a jacket over it. The jacket had no buttons, and she needed to awkwardly keep it closed with one hand to conceal the bloodstain near her kidney.

"He... wasn't dead yet when I left," she told Doc defensively. "And I wasn't gonna stick around to check on him... The girl we were fighting over was screamin' bloody murder." She winced at her own, accidentally too-literal turn of the phrase.

Meanwhile, the two captains' heated argument was going on uninterrupted.

"You don't get to take one of my crew members hostage and then sue for justice, Maria!" said Montgomery. "Let her go, so we can talk like civilized people."

"Fat chance," spat Maria Sevilla. "I know the killer's on your ship, Phobias. Or if not, then she's on the run, and it's  your  job to find her and deliver her to me. I'll have justice one way or another, even if I have to kill this pretty lass here just to make a point." She poked at the back of Sasha's head with her pistol for emphasis.

Anyone who knew anything about pirate politics would understand that Sevilla's demand for payback had nothing to do with justice or a sense of duty to her crew, and everything to do with maintaining her not-to-be-messed-with reputation. A pirate captain who let a crewman's murder go unavenged was seen as a weakling, and weaklings did not last long in this line of work.

Captain Montgomery gave a sour grunt and headed straight to Doc. "Tell me," he said, in a low voice, so that Sevilla would not hear, " did  you treat a stab wound last night? Now would be the right time to let me know, so we can figure out what comes next."

Next to Doc, Keiri was keeping utterly still.


 

  Cormorant  - High seas 

 
 Originally Posted by Dr.Gunsforhands 
 "Excuse me, my lady," she says. "You don't honestly expect him to agree to that, do you? Would you really trust a healer who would trade away a patient's life for a pay raise?" 
 

Both Lady Elena and Doctor Archambault were startled at Macra's intrusion.

"Hmm, should've guessed you were an eavesdropper," snorted Elena. "Well, the doctor was just telling me that my father had little chance of survival anyway, and that his death would be agonizing without the laudanum. Which, incidentally, we'll run out of in two or three days, if we keep him sedated the whole time. So we might as well use it now, while there's enough to make a lethal dose."

Archambault seemed at a loss. To him, Macra was just a chambermaid, far below him in the hierarchy of House Valtier's retainers, and he was not sure why he should justify himself to her. But Lady Elena was not just shooing Macra away like she would a chambermaid, which only added to his confusion.

"I, um..." He wiped his glasses wearily. "Lady Elena is correct about the laudanum situation. If we must make a lethal dose, we must do it now, while there's enough left. If we keep giving His Lordship laudanum in small doses just to keep him asleep, by tomorrow we likely won't have enough to... um... give him a painless end... if it becomes obvious that there's no chance to save his life."

"Which is why you'll do exactly as I ask, doctor," said Elena coldly.

Archambault took a deep breath. "I... won't do it. I won't break the vow I made as a doctor." He grabbed a roll of bandages and some surgical instruments. "Instead I'll go care for the other wounded on the deck." He left a half-full bottle of brown, acrid-smelling liquid on a table. "If your father starts moaning again, my lady, give him a few more drops."

This sounded very much like a code for:  If you want your father dead, kill him yourself. 

The doctor walked out of the sick bay and headed to the deck, leaving Macra and Elena alone with the sleeping Baron Valtier.
MCerberus
  Doc   - the Ghostlight

There's a small huff and the dedicated attempt not to roll his eyes at that response. Before being asked by the captain he tell/scolds Keiri.  "Ya asked me to keep it shut 'til it threatened the rest of the crew and I did. I stitched you up and didn't make a rat of myself, now you gotta do the same."
 
A few seconds later he's being asked by the captain, and can't and doesn't want to be caught in a lie about this.

 "Aye, was told it was a lover's fight and swore to say no more if it didn't threaten the rest of the crew," 
He waits a moment to allow for any guilty parties to step forward.

 
 Spoiler 

Plague doctor to try and convince Keiri to take responsibility, if that fails he's likely to continue on and give full details
 (3d6)[ 6 ][ 4 ][ 6 ](16) 
 
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  

Keiri seemed to understand that Doc meant to tell the truth if she did not. "I'm the one they're looking for, Cap," she confessed to Captain Montgomery with extreme reluctance.

She began to open her jacket to show him the stab wound, but the captain stopped her with a sharp gesture.

"Don't let them see it, idiot!" he hissed. "I'm  not  handing you over. We'll find a way."

He walked away from Doc and Keiri and returned to the aftcastle to speak to Captain Sevilla from an elevated position. "My shipboard surgeon says no one came to him with a stab wound," he reported. "Either the culprit's hiding her wound, or she didn't come back to the  Ghostlight  last night."

Sevilla looked skeptical. "That so? You expect me to take it on faith?"

"No. You're free to come have a close look at all the women on my crew. If you find one with a fresh stab wound, she's all yours."

Keiri tensed up and gave Doc a sidelong glance.  "He does have a plan, right?" 

Sevilla seemed to find Montgomery's solution acceptable. She turned to one of her men. "Sam, you tie the prisoner's hands and keep your gun on her. Any funny business happens, you shoot her. I'm going on that ship with Emil and Diego."

The pirate named Sam tied Sasha's hands behind her back with a highly complex sailor's knot—almost impossible to squeeze out of for a normal prisoner, but Sasha was far from normal, given the strange and mutable nature of her body. Good thing Captain Sevilla and her men did not know that, or they would have set more than one person to keep watch over her. Sevilla and two of her men boarded the  Ghostlight  and began roughly inspecting the female crew members to see if they were hiding any recent stab wounds under their shirts. They seemed to be focusing on women with a darker skin tone and short hair, like Keiri; clearly, the girl at the brothel had given them a description of Rahem's killer.

Captain Montgomery stood very straight on the deck and gave Sasha a piercing gaze, as if expecting something of her.


 
 Spoiler: JNAProductions 
Give me some appropriate tests for Sasha, depending on what you intend to do.

Sasha can also choose to let things play out.
 
MCerberus
  Doc   - the Ghostlight

Unable to do anything more right now from the deck at the moment, Doc starts thinking about what's on-hand before plucking a couple vials from the bandoleer. Smoke and flash. One of them may become useful. He can't very well signal to Sasha but Doc looks straight at her and tilts his head slightly.
JNAProductions
 "I see how it is,"  Sasha says with a roll of her eyes.  "I don't even count as a woman to be investigated? Brimstone and hellfire, Sevilla, you know how to make a lady feel unwanted."  She tests the restraints, seeing how quickly she can break loose, and if need be, dropping them into her hands so she's no longer bound, while still appearing so.

But she doesn't need to-the knot is competent, but hardly the kind of thing that'd restrain her. So, she waits for Sevilla to respond to her.
Dr.Gunsforhands
 Cormorant - Sick Bay 

Just as planned.

"Sorry! It's just, I've always admired healers. He'd never forgive himself if he had to compromise his principles like that!" Macra stammers idly. Once she's sure he's out of earshot, she continues. "I guess I should leave as well. Technically, I was only asked to see the two of you out of Brisevent." She looks over at the unconscious baron. There's no denying it - he wasn't a very good man. Macra can't protect him forever. "If by chance you have somewhere else to be, I can take care of him for you."
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  - Mériault 

Captain Sevilla looked up from her inspection on the  Ghostlight  to throw Sasha an irritated scowl, then returned to her work. Evidently she did not consider her hostage worth engaging with. Or perhaps Sasha just did not match the description of the killer. Meanwhile, by shifting the shape of her fingers, Sasha managed to get her hands unbound without accidentally dropping the rope on the pier. Risking a glance over her shoulder, she saw that Sam had his eyes fixed on the proceedings on the  Ghostlight  and was none the wiser. In fact, his flintlock pistol was no longer pointing directly at the back of her head.

One of Maria Sevilla's crewmen who had followed her onto the ship let out an exclamation. "Oh, would ya look at that?" He lifted a side of Keiri's open jacket, revealing the bloodstain on her shirt. "Think we got our killer, Cap."

From the aftcastle, Captain Montgomery gave Sasha a piercing look.


 

  Cormorant  - High seas 

"If by chance you have somewhere else to be, I can take care of him for you."

"Appreciate it, Macra, but I can deal with this on my own," said Lady Elena with a curt nod. "Why don't you go help Doctor Archambault? I'd like our wounded to be patched up by the time that other ship catches up with us."


 OOC: 
 
 Spoiler 
It'll still be hours before the pursuing ship catches up. Therefore, until the situation in Mériault has been resolved and the  Ghostlight  has set sail, I don't have much else for Macra to do, unless she wants to strike up a conversation with someone else on the  Cormorant .
 
JNAProductions
Sasha peeks back at Sam, and seeing his attention wavering almost entirely, moves back and swats the pistol out of his hand, before aiming to get him in a lock of some kind.

She calls up to Sevilla, saying  "We could've settled this easily. You could've been polite, and we'd've hashed out something. But you bring your incompetent louts with you, can't even tie a proper knot, and yet you have the gall to demand all this? You take me captive, force your way on the vessel... Hell, lady, you do realize you're outnumbered? Your only, and I mean your  only  measure of safety was reliant on this idiot here keeping me in check, and look where that got you!" 
 "How about this-you take this lesson as payment for your loss, and then get lost." 
-Sentinel-
 
 Spoiler: JNAProductions 
I'd normally request some kind of combat test, but eeeh, the ooze test to get out of the bindings was good enough that let's say it carries over.
 

  Ghostlight  - Mériault 

Sam cried out in alarm when Sasha overpowered and disarmed him. Captain Sevilla, Emil and Diego soon found themselves surrounded by the drawn swords and pistols of the entire crew of the  Ghostlight . Sasha was right; they had nothing more to bargain with. Sevilla and her men slowly raised their hands in surrender.

"Get off my ship, Maria," said Captain Montgomery coldly.

"This isn't over," seethed Captain Sevilla. She pointed a finger at Keiri. "You. I won't forget your face, lass. When I catch you, I'll have you keelhauled."

The crack of Montgomery's pistol made her flinch. Luckily for her, that shot had been aimed at the sky. "I said... get - off - my - ship."

Captain Sevilla gestured at her men to follow her and stepped off the deck of the  Ghostlight . In passing, she gave Sasha a murderous look that implied:  'You'll get yours, too' . Then her ire shifted to Sam. She started to berate him for his poor knot-tying skills as they disappeared in the narrow alleys of Mériault.

Montgomery tipped his tricorn hat at Sasha. "Good job. I don't know how you do it, but you always come through. Did you manage to find matches? We need to set sail while the tide's good."
MCerberus
  Doc   - the Ghostlight

Since Sasha was able to get out on her own and the tables turned, it looks like alchemical assistance won't be needed. Doc quietly puts the vials away and starts wondering about the quality of the matches. Sulfur going for way too much these days.
JNAProductions
Sasha shakes her head.  "We'll have to do without, Captain-I doubt any of us should be wandering portside for the moment. Though you'd best address Keiri-we can't be having mistrust in the crew." 
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
 Sasha shakes her head.  "We'll have to do without, Captain-I doubt any of us should be wandering portside for the moment. Though you'd best address Keiri-we can't be having mistrust in the crew."  
 

"Hmm. We do have some matches left, but let's hope we don't need to fire too many cannons," said Montgomery. "And yes, I intend to address Keiri."

He threw Keiri a withering glare and spoke, loud enough for all to hear so as to make an example of her: "In normal times, that'd be extra duties and twenty lashes of the cat o' nine tails, but you're already injured, so you'll be spared that. Instead, at our next three layovers, you'll stay on watch duty on the  Ghostlight . No brothels, no inviting girls on board. Oh, and your rations of grog for the next month will be going to Sasha, since she was taken hostage on your account. You owe her that."

"Yes, sir," said Keiri morosely. For someone who liked both to get drunk and get laid, this was actually worse than a flogging.

"As for you, Doc," said Montgomery in a firm tone, "in the future I'd like to be informed if someone gets injured in port." He clapped his hands. "All right, scallywags, to your posts. Pull that gangplank up and cast off. Bearing east-southeast."

The  Ghostlight  caught a stiff breeze and turned her prow towards Brisevent.

Around late morning, the lookout in the crow's nest spotted a sail straight ahead. The  Ghostlight  changed her bearing to an intercept course. As the distance closed, Captain Montgomery put the spyglass to his eye and confirmed that the other vessel was one of those treasure ships fleeing the revolution—she was ungainly and ornate, unlike the lean-and-mean pirate ships that also prowled these waters.

"She's being chased," noted Montgomery, now turning his spyglass to another dark shape on the horizon. "That's good. It'll be a chance to prove ourselves to those fancypants." He raised his voice:   "All crew, prepare for battle!"  

 

  Cormorant  


It was during the noon meal in the  Cormorant 's luxurious dining room, which Macra attended as a serving maid, that Doctor Archambault reported Baron Valtier's passing. Lady Elena put on an excellent performance of shock and sorrow—Macra was quite sure that everyone present except herself and Archambault fell for it hook, line and sinker.

"I guess it falls to me to steer my house's destiny in its darkest hour," sighed Lady—now Baroness—Elena, her shoulders slumping as if under the weight of a terrible burden. "More than ever, we depend upon our allies for survival. We  must  reach Farobianco."

"Yes... about that," said one of the ship's officers gingerly, "we've spotted a  second  ship trying to intercept us. We fear they're pirates too, like the ones after us."

This time, Elena's worry was not feigned. "I see." She held up her cup of wine at Macra for a refill. This was the kind of news she was too sober to deal with. "Can we change our course so that they catch up with us around the same time?"

"We can't fend off  both  of them," protested the officer.

"I know that. But the first thing they'll do is try to take out the competition. With a bit of luck, the winner will be too crippled to keep chasing us."

"Hmm. Yes, I suppose, we could arrange a meeting between those two ships..."

"Do it." The Baroness downed the rest of her wine and stood up. "And if that fails, House Valtier will go down fighting."
MCerberus
  Doc   - The Ghostlight

Down below decks Doc is preparing for battle for his position. That is, ether, leather straps for biting on, some hand saws, and sewing equipment. Everything has to be in order for that, although the superstitious members of the crew would likely not come anywhere close to that load of bad vibes.
Dr.Gunsforhands
  Cormorant  

Macra silently refills glasses and is generally more like her usual self as far as everyone else is concerned. She'll let the sailors handle the sailor stuff, like picking a heading so their two pursuers will collide with each other. Macra needs to make... other plans.

The meal abruptly ends as all present head to their stations, and Macra casts her senses around for potential allies. On the deck, she looks for any birds in the air, or stowing away on her ship or the pirates'. When she gets an excuse to look at the water, she can see shadows underneath the waves - less with her eyes and more with a honed instinct.

The right kind of bird could help right now, to see what's gong on with the pirates before they go down. The fish could help later, when it comes time to fight.

 
 Spoiler 
Animals?:  (4d6)[ 5 ][ 3 ][ 2 ][ 3 ](13) 
 
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  


The  Ghostlight ’s gunners loaded the cannons, while the boarding party—including Sasha—prepared for close quarters fighting. The pirate ship pursuing the  Cormorant  was smaller than the  Ghostlight , with a size that suggested maybe a score of cannons, but her fore-and-aft rig made her suited to sailing close to the wind, which meant she would be more agile in battle.

“Oi, I know that ship!” exclaimed a sailor next to Sasha, one of the new hires who had signed up last night. “That’s the  Mongrel . I used to serve on her.”

“Oh?” said Mr. Graves, the first mate, who led the boarding party. “Why did you leave them?”

“Wasn’t my fault. Got drunk and overslept and she left port without me. Had to find another ship.”

“Hah! Lucky you, ‘cause we’re about to sink them. You got any problem fighting your old pals?”

“Hell naw. Most of ‘em are assh0les.”

The  Ghostlight  and the  Cormorant  sailed past one another without exchanging any gunfire. The  Mongrel  was following not far behind the  Cormorant , and soon came within cannon range.

“To starboard!” shouted Captain Montgomery.

The  Ghostlight  veered to bring her broadside to bear.

“Cannons, take aim at the hull!”

There was a pregnant pause as all gunners waited for the order to fire. The order never came; Captain Montgomery swayed on his feet, then collapsed with a perfectly round little hole in his chest.

“Captain’s down!” yelled someone.

 Sharpshooter,  thought Sasha at once. And a damn good one, too, at this distance. Or maybe just a lucky one.

The deck crew was still in a state of confusion as to what had just happened when the  Mongrel  brought her own guns to bear, aiming at the  Ghostlight ’s rigging. A dozen cannonballs punched holes through the  Ghostlight ’s sails, crippling her. The  Mongrel  then resumed her pursuit of the  Cormorant .

“The sails!” shouted Mr. Graves, the first mate. “We need to replace the sails! Quickly now! And get the captain to Doc!”


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I need a sailor test from Sasha.
 


 

  Cormorant  


Nearby seabirds heeded Macra’s call, and at her request, performed flyovers of both pirate ships. Their understanding of human matters was limited, but they could still tell Macra the gist of the situation. It seemed, as Lady Elena had intended, that the pirates were focused on one another rather than the larger yet less heavily-armed  Cormorant .

The pirate ship coming from ahead did not even fire her cannons at the  Cormorant  as she passed her by—which Macra found almost insulting. She just went straight for the pursuing ship. Macra hurried to the aftcastle of the  Cormorant  to see how things would play out. It was not much of a battle; the smaller of the two pirate ships swiftly crippled the bigger ship by making ruins of her sails with a single salvo of her cannons, then resumed pursuit of the  Cormorant . So much for Elena’s hopes of mutual destruction of the two enemy ships.

The pursuer was upon them in mere minutes.  Mongrel , said the faded letters on the side of her hull. Grappling hooks bit into the port-side railing of the  Cormorant , bringing both ships hull to hull.

Commander Galraud had his cavalry sabre out. “Men, prepare to repel—”

The top of his head exploded in blood, and he collapsed. Macra looked up and spotted a sharpshooter sitting high on the topmast of the  Mongrel . They were reloading their rifle for another shot.

Mere seconds later, boarders from the  Mongrel  leapt onto the deck of the  Cormorant , and battle was joined.


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Give me a combat test, and/or an animal friend test if you intend to use seabirds.
 
JNAProductions
 
 Spoiler: Sailor 
 (3d6)[ 3 ][ 4 ][ 2 ](9) 

Rolling before editing a post in.
 


Sasha shouts  "Fire at will!"  as she finds a good spot to stand and take charge from.  "Keep them from hitting anyone or anything else!" 

While she's pretty sure she can take a bullet and not die, she's sincerely hoping that the marksman was more lucky than skilled, or that the (hopeful) counterfire will stop them from taking a good mark on her. But if someone is going to be shot for taking charge, she's the best option-she'll live. Most won't.
Dr.Gunsforhands
On the one hand, the Cormorant now faces yet another dead guy on the team, a threat to everyone aboard, and jeopardy for Macra's mission. On the other hand, this is the reason the Royal Navy recruited her to begin with.

She snaps her fingers and points to the shooter.  Treats for everyone who pecks that guy! Bonus points if he falls out of his perch! And an orange slice for whoever brings me that metal tube he's holding! 

To all the world, the maid looks like she may have gone mad, holding up a handful of stale cereal and making weird bird noises. All the world except country folk and magicians, anyway. She notices a few men that were distracted by her little display. "Well? You heard the commander! Port deck, let's go!"

Macra can't afford to not come off as a weirdo at this point. As far as she's concerned, her cover lost most of its value once the Cormorant left port. She rushes to confront the boarders along with the guards.

 
 Spoiler: Roll 
I have my next move in mind, but bird-based sniping is probably enough to constitute my action for the round.

Animal Friend:  (4d6)[ 4 ][ 1 ][ 6 ][ 4 ](15) 
 
MCerberus
  Doc   - Belowdecks

Without eyes on the events that are happening, Doc can only hear that the commotions starts. At that point when all the noises start but before the wounded start coming in, there's a wait, a wait where there's nothing but dread anticipation. All he can do is wait for the first soul to come in, which will be properly dealt with a new, insane theory he was reading about called 'triage'. He does not know who the first one is, however.
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  - Deck 


With most of her sails torn to shreds, the  Ghostlight  had trouble maneuvering to bring her broadside to bear. She fired back at the  Mongrel  at an awkward angle, causing some damage and eliciting cries of pain and dismay from the opposing crew but failing to significantly slow down the smaller ship. By the time the  Ghostlight 's cannons were reloaded for a second salvo, the  Mongrel  had latched herself to the  Cormorant  with grappling hooks. Any attempt to fire again at the  Mongrel  would risk damaging the  Cormorant .

"We have to take them in close quarters!" roared Mr. Graves. "Boarding party, to me! And get this ship moving again!"

Up the masts, the  Ghostlight 's riggers were hard at work, trying to take down and replace the torn sails as fast as they could. In his haste, one of the riggers—a youth of about sixteen, hired only last night—lost his footing and took a bad fall not far from Sasha. The young woman winced at the sickening  crack  as the boy's leg collapsed under him. She was sure glad not to have any bones in her body... They sounded like more trouble than they were worth.



 

  Ghostlight  - Sick bay 


The first wounded that Doc received was Captain Montgomery himself, who sported a neat hole all the way through his right lung. There was an exit wound, meaning the musket ball was already out and would not need to be removed, but the lung was rapidly filling with blood and the captain's breathing was wheezing and laborious. Doc knew at a glance that this was almost certainly a fatal wound... at least by traditional methods of medicine.

About a minute later, he received his second wounded, a young lad with a badly broken leg. A white splinter of tibia was sticking out through the skin, just below the knee. The boy screamed and swore in pain.



 

  Cormorant  


At Macra's urging, a dozen seagulls and other birds flew straight to the sharpshooter sitting in the  Mongrel 's crow's-nest. The sharpshooter—a young woman, it turned out—frantically tried to shoo the birds away as they began assaulting her face. She tumbled from her perch, but her fall was arrested by a rope that she had tied around her ankle. She did at least drop her rifle onto the deck of the  Mongrel , where it broke in at least three pieces. Now all she could do was hang upside down and try to shield her eyes from the birds trying to peck them out.

Macra did not see more of the sharpshooter's struggle, for the entire deck of the  Cormorant  was now a bloody battle between the  Mongrel 's boarders and the  Cormorant 's crew and soldiers, and every moment required vigilance to avoid getting shot or stabbed. Lady Elena, not one to hide belowdecks while others fought and died on her behalf, was in the middle of it all. Her rapier parried and countered at incredible speed. Her style was elegant, almost like a dance, but none too versatile; she had been trained to fight duels, not melees, and she seemed to be struggling when facing multiple opponents at a time. Right now, there were three men attacking her at once, and she was being driven back, step by step.
JNAProductions
Seeing the riggers at work, Sasha scoops the injured boy up.  "Come on!"  she tells him,  "Getting you belowdecks-you'll have to make your way to Doc on your own after that, sorry." 

True to her word, she dashes for the entrance to below, and sets him quickly but gently as she can manage down, before moving back out to check on the status of the sails and the  Ghostlight 's mobility.
Dr.Gunsforhands
   Cormorant   

The spy draws her knife and joins the fight on the deck. She tosses some more granola ahead of her into the face of one pirate as she moves to parry and/or stab another.

 
 Spoiler 
It kind of depends on the time scale we're going for. The immediate issue of helping the aristocrat beat down the trio she's dealing with seems like the beat you're expecting next, so I'll oblige using Royal Spy:

 (3d6)[ 6 ][ 2 ][ 6 ](14) 

If we bowl through them, the move I'm planning is to make for the ropes and toss the mouse, either onto one of the ropes or in the face of a would-be boarder. What she manages to summon this way will depend on the result of an animal friend roll, so when we get there I'll roll it OOC before posting IC. My initial thoughts, for fun:

0 successes: "Why did that maid just throw a dead mouse at me?"
1 Success: The mouse wakes up! It momentarily distracts a target or slowly chews through a cable.
2 Successes: After a beat of confusion, Copper pounces from nowhere and causes chaos.
3 Successes: A big fish jumps up to grab the bait. Takes out an enemy, snaps the boarding line, or both.
4 Successes: Summons a whale. The enemy's win/loss condition is suddenly much more complicated.
 
MCerberus
  Doc   - Belowdecks

With the Captain not only being important but a stone's throw from the reaper, Doc unfortunately has to let the broken bone set for the need be.  "Get em some ether!"  he calls not sure if there were anyone nearby to actually help.

Now that kinda shot means that in a bit they're going to need a mage to get the captain back. Not the good kind, the creepy ones. That won't work anyway. Clean through at least which means that 'regular' old healing essence is going to work. That and something to keep from deflating. Now air essences are pretty chaotic so this is going to go bad if they take a broadside during a sensitive moment, but doc readies his tools. Healing draft for the flesh and clean air to stop the deflation.

Quantities are going to be the real problem, too little of one and the blood doesn't heal out and blood lung will take him. Too much the heart gives out. Also mentioned the previous air essence.

And assuming that works, the kid is easier if not as... pleasant. That solution is the leather strap, a mallet, bandage wrap, some cursing, and either that ether or an EXTREME amount of cursing lacking ether.

 
 Spoiler 
Mad Alchemist to try and fix or at least save the captain
 (4d6)[ 2 ][ 3 ][ 5 ][ 2 ](12) 

If there's nothing stopping it, will try and save the broken leg as well with Plague Doctor
 (3d6)[ 3 ][ 4 ][ 1 ](8) 
 
-Sentinel-
  Ghostlight  - Deck 


By the time Sasha returned on deck, most of the  Ghostlight 's torn sails had been replaced and the ship was rapidly approaching the embattled  Mongrel  and  Cormorant . Under Mr. Graves' orders, the  Ghostlight  sidled up to the  Cormorant  on the starboard side, opposite the  Mongrel , and affixed herself to the  Cormorant  with grappling hooks.

Mr. Graves raised his flintlock pistol sky-high. "With me! With me! For Captain Montgomery!"

He leapt onto the deck of the Cormorant with the grace of a cat, soon followed by the rest of the boarding party.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
 JNA , please roll two consecutive sailor tests:
 
 the first test for leaping from one ship to the other (one success needed to clear the gap between the two ships, and two successes to do so without clumsily bowling into someone or tripping on something as you land); 
 the second test to see how you fare in the battle. It goes without saying that this test becomes null and void if you failed the leap, since you end up in the ocean. If your leap was successful but clumsy, one of your successes on the second test is ignored. 
 
 


 

  Ghostlight  - Sick bay 


Doc's concoction seemed effective at speeding up the clotting process on the surface, but inside the body, it was already too late. Captain Montgomery's perforated lung was filled with blood, with no way to drain it out without reopening the hole. All Doc could do was hold his captain's hand as he wheezed out his last few breaths with his one functioning lung. This was not a death like those from the stage plays, with a meaningful last look, some profound final words and then a peaceful smile. It was a nasty, undignified death, like most deaths that took place on Doc's surgery table. There were no last words, and the captain's expression in death was still that of a drowning man—eyes and mouth wide open.

Such was the way of death. If there was any dignity to be had in this world, it had to be found in life, for death would almost always rob you of it.

But there was no time for philosophizing on such matters. There was a boy whose tibia needed to be set. Doc got to work quickly. He was vaguely aware, from the noises outside, that a boarding action had begun; he would soon be receiving a lot more patients.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
No more tests are needed for now.

You would have needed a lot of successes to save the captain.
 


 

  Cormorant  


Unlike Lady Elena, Macra was not a duelist. She was a spy, and she had been trained to fight dirty. Attacking from behind, she hamstrung the first of the three men with a quick slash of her knife, bringing him to one knee with a yelp of pain and surprise, and finished him off by slitting his throat from ear to ear. The odds were now even—two on two. One man went for Elena while the other went for Macra.

Macra grabbed a dangling rope and climbed the rigging, daring the man to follow her. Having more pride than sense, like oh so many men, the pirate accepted the challenge and climbed after her, though he was both bigger and older than she was. He was already huffing with exertion by the time he got close enough to slash at her. She deftly dodged his cutlass, then came down hard on him with both boots, sending him crashing onto the deck below. Before he could get up, she slid down the rope and brought her foot down on his throat, crushing his pharynx. His eyes went glassy.

 When a man's down is the best time to kick him,  her fighting instructor had taught her.

She looked up, to see that Lady Elena had dealt with her own opponent. But the situation all around them had become a whole lot more complicated. The bigger of the two pirate ships had reached them already, and now  two  boarding parties were fighting on the deck of the  Cormorant .


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Re: animal test: Yeah, I'm afraid some of that stuff isn't too realistic even with a lot of successes. A fish or whale intervening would imply that it was already waiting just below the surface the whole time.

A more relevant test in the current situation would be a perception test (via the Spy cliché) to notice that the new boarding party is only fighting the other boarding party, not the defenders of the  Cormorant .
 
JNAProductions
Sasha vaults over the side-not exactly graceful, but with clear purpose and execution.

On the enemy vessel, she charges in recklessly, bare-handed as per usual. She tackles one of the crewmembers of the  Mongrel  by diving under their blade, and with her unnatural strength, grabs and breaks his arm. She throws the screaming crewmember at some of the ones who held back, trying to dissuade them from interfering, but one of them has a gun. He sidesteps his crewmate, and fires a shot at Sasha, tearing a chunk from her shoulder as she moves towards him. He's efficient, and normally quite effective-people don't just take a shot to the shoulder and keep on trucking. He's already aiming to try to take down Graves when Sasha's fist meets his face.

One of the other crew in his crowd lets out a "What the hell are you?" before a punch to the gut pushes the wind from his lungs.
-Sentinel-
  Cormorant  


Remaining cool and observant in the midst of the vicious melee, Macra noticed that the new boarding party—whose ship bore the name  Ghostlight  on her side—were exclusively targeting the crew of the  Mongrel , except when defending themselves from the soldiers and crew of the  Cormorant . This could well be some kind of trick to get on the good side of House Valtier, but for now at least, it meant that the Valtiers did not have to split their attention fighting two sides at once. While fending off another opponent, she hurried to Lady Elena to share this important discovery with her. Elena rallied her people to her side and, with her new allies, led a counter-attack that slaughtered the last remnants of the  Mongrel 's boarding party. The Valtiers and the crew of the  Ghostlight  pressed their advantage and boarded the  Mongrel  before she could be unhooked from the  Cormorant ; within minutes, her crew had surrendered.

The casualties of the battle were quite significant on all three ships, and included many high-ranking officers. Mr. Graves, first mate of the  Ghostlight , had found his end under the blade of the captain of the  Mongrel , who himself was dying from having his skull caved in with a mace. Dozens of wounded awaited care from the surgeons of their respective ships. The captured crew of the  Mongrel  numbered about forty, and included the highly skilled sharpshooter who had nailed both Captain Montgomery and Commander Galraud of House Valtier. The sharpshooter had blood all over her face from bird attacks, though she had managed to keep both of her eyes intact.

Lady Elena Valtier made a beeline towards Sasha, around whom many of the other  Ghostlight  boarders had rallied in the wake of Graves' death.

"You there. Are you the captain of this ship?"

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Note that Sasha doesn't know yet that Captain Montgomery has died. All she knows is that he's been shot and taken downstairs.
 


 

  Ghostlight  


Doc knew the battle was over when the clash of blades and firing of pistols died down. A sailor barged into the sick bay to request his help urgently on the deck of the  Cormorant , as some of the wounded were hurt pretty badly and needed to be stabilized on the spot before they could be carried.

The sailor's gaze lingered on the inert Captain Montgomery, lying on the floor. "Is he...?"


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Finally, all three PC's will be gathered in the same place! That'll make my job much easier as GM. 😁
 
JNAProductions
 "Not exactly,"  Sasha says.  "Captain got shot at the start of this all, and the first mate is dead. So I'm the nearest authority for the moment." 

Not expecting herself to be in this position, she takes a deep breath and steadies her form.  "We would like to propose an alliance, between the  Ghostlight  and the people of the  Cormorant . This was discussed among the crew, and we agreed that it would be prudent to make some long-term allies." 
MCerberus
  Doc   - Belowdecks

Doc was at this point just.... overly covered in blood. It is, after all, what that getup is about. Up until this point he's been in auto-pilot mode. You can't actually think about things when you're working like that. It'd drive someone to madness.

That thought may, in better days, get a different kind of response from an onlooker, but this fight looks particularly brutal. The question asked by the sailor gets him to drop the act and make him consider things.

 "Aye lad, it was quick. Sea wanted him and there was nothing to do, if you can think of the rites he'd want." 
He waits a moment.

 "We're full up here, get everyone a clear spot on the deck where the miasma can clear for new wounded." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
As the  Mongrel  is boarded and secured, Macra takes care to give the birds their due reward of seeds and crumbs. She's confident in the baroness' diplomacy skills and is happy to let her handle that part for herself. That said, the Ghostlight pirates are still, well, pirates. Macra needs to keep an eye on them, even if she has other things to do.

 Psst! Copper~! Here, kitty~! 

The cat, having better judgment than any of us, probably ran and hid below decks during the raid. Macra uses his gift from before as a connection to reach out to him mentally and coax him back up to the deck. Once he's up, she gives him some reassuring pets before moving on to instructions.

 Keep an eye on those new people with Lady Elena, okay? Especially that big muscle woman. Good kitty! I'll catch you a nice big fish later. 

How Copper chooses to act on those instructions is kind of up for grabs. Cats are notoriously unpredictable. That's fine, though. Just about any interpretation of keeping an eye on Sasha is good enough for Macra's purposes.

That accomplished, she sets about checking on the prisoners' arrangements and maybe scavenging a new set of clothes. She's kind of exhausted the maid angle at this point.
-Sentinel-
  (Separating this post by PC, but everyone can move freely from one scene to the other.)  
 Sasha 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
 Not expecting herself to be in this position, she takes a deep breath and steadies her form.  "We would like to propose an alliance, between the  Ghostlight  and the people of the  Cormorant . This was discussed among the crew, and we agreed that it would be prudent to make some long-term allies."  
 

Elena sized Sasha up. "Hmm. Interesting. Just a few minutes ago, I thought you were robbing us. Do you know who you're dealing with, at least? I'm Baroness Elena of House Valtier, and my family has powerful friends in many of the other cities. You're wise to ally with us—I'm fairly certain the  Cormorant  was the last ship out of Brisevent, so the pirate feeding frenzy is now over."

"I know of the  Ghostlight , of course," she added. "Her reputation precedes her. I believe she's robbed at least two of House Valtier's merchantmen these past few years." There was no hostility in her tone; it was merely a statement of fact.


 

 Macra 

The ship's cat Copper, his orange fur still standing on end from fright, relaxed under Macra's gentle touch. After a minute or so, he began purring. Macra headed belowdecks to change into new clothes—she kept a few spare sets to better blend in—then went to have a look at the prisoners from the  Mongrel , who had been gathered on the deck of their own ship under close watch. There were not enough iron shackles on the  Ghostlight  and the  Cormorant  to restrain some forty prisoners, so choices would need to be made about them. With the  Mongrel 's boarding party dead, the survivors were more sailors than fighters; they could perhaps be integrated to the crew of the  Ghostlight , as was common practice among pirates, who tended to change crews frequently and seldom had a strong loyalty to any one ship or captain. Of course, they would be forbidden from carrying weapons or performing tasks critical to the ship's safety until they proved themselves more or less trustworthy—for pirates at least.

Another matter was the sharpshooter, whose name—according to her crew mates, as she refused to provide it herself—was Cassidy, or Cass for short. Beneath the blood caked all over her face, her expression remained grim and defiant. She wore a faded, patchwork, highly-customized uniform of the Queensport Royal Navy. Any captain would pay handsomely to hire someone with such deadeye markswomanship, but aside from the issue of entrusting her with a gun, there were people on both the  Ghostlight  and the  Cormorant  who wanted to see her walk the plank for shooting Captain Montgomery and Commander Galraud.


 

 Doc 

 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  "We're full up here, get everyone a clear spot on the deck where the miasma can clear for new wounded."  
 

The sailor looked downcast upon learning of Captain Montgomery's death, but set about his task immediately. Soon, an open space had been made on the deck of the  Cormorant  to make room for the wounded. Doc was joined in the field hospital by House Valtier's physician Doctor Archambault, with his dapper clothes and high-quality surgical instruments, and by the  Mongrel 's barber-surgeon, who was just the opposite of Archambault—scruffy, foul-mouthed, and carrying implements that seemed suited more for a butcher shop than a surgery room.

Word of the captain's death was beginning to spread among the  Ghostlight 's crew, causing consternation. Montgomery had been the glue keeping everyone together. With both the captain and the first mate dead, it was not clear who was next in the chain of command, though for now at least, Sasha seemed to be speaking for the crew. Later there would need to be a vote.
JNAProductions
 "It's good to meet you, Baroness,"  Sasha says. And when she brings up the few ships that the  Ghostlight  raided, Sasha nods.  "Sounds about right. We try to keep the looting to those who can handle the losses-Captain Montgomery came from poor circumstances, you see." 

She takes a moment to form her next words.  "We will not force a hasty decision from you. If you wish to ask questions of myself, of the crew, of the captain when he returns... Feel free to. Can't promise everyone will be willing to answer everything, but you'll see we treat those who are with us fairly and well. For now, though, with conflict no on the horizon, I need to see how Doc's handling things." 

Sasha departs from the meeting with the noblewoman, and heads belowdecks.   "Doc!"   she calls down as she begins the descent.  "We've got a ceasefire at the minimum, but we're gonna need the captain for more neogot..."  she trails off, seeing the captain's body.  "Oh." 

Looking away, she leans against the wall for a moment. She can't cry-not out of obligation, but because her body is physically incapable of shedding tears. But if she could, she would be now. She cares for all the crew that's been here for long enough, and Montgomery was the one who gave her a chance to live and be a part of them all.
MCerberus
  Doc -   Ghostlight

Docs getup doesn't allow him to express much motivation from the face, but that may be a good thing. There's no real good reaction to that. And what's worse is that bloodspurts and a trail of blood dripping from the coat shows that his choice of clothing is necessary.
 
"He didn't linger,"  Doc half-lies. It wasn't sweet but there are scenarios that would have been longer and worse. It's really all that he has time or mental bandwidth to reassure Sasha with. Or himself really.

Up on the deck he tries to take command of the medical situation. They're still ON the ship he's in charge of the medicine for so it's his to do. There's really no time to argue it out or size up the others. While the clean air is good against disease they still have problems.  "WATER! Bring up water for the wounded!" 
Dr.Gunsforhands
Once she and the cat were de-stressed enough to part ways and start their errands, Macra traded her bloodstained dress and apron for a simpler outfit more suited for climbing around on a ship. The dark green cloth and maroon leather are stark and cheap compared to the night-blue uniform she had once upon a time, but they're better for stealth and mobility than the maid's black and whites. Plus, the earthy colors kind of remind her of home.

She also got an eye patch while she was changing, hence her enigmatic one-eyed stare as she now looks over the sharpshooter. Calls for execution notwithstanding, Macra doesn't think she's met this person before, but the gulls did do the exact thing that would make it not obvious. She'll have to ask and see if her voice rings a bell.

"I like the uniform. Is it yours?"
JNAProductions
 "Thank you,"  Sasha replies to Doc as he passes her on his way up. She heads the rest of the way down the stairs, and kneels by Montgomery's body. She puts her head in her hands, unable to find the words.

She stays like this for maybe two minutes, before standing up.  "Work's still to be done. I won't forget you, Captain-but this isn't the time for mourning."  She heads back up the stairs, and finds a way to help prep for the wounded. But, once Doc has everything well enough under control, she raises her voice to those listening.  "We saw Graves pass. And the Captain didn't make it either. The  Ghostlight  is without a leader, for the moment. We'll need someone to step up." 

Looking over the crew, she wracks her mind for who'd be able to do what Montgomery did. Who'd be able to lead, in times of ease and crisis. Who can take command in any situation. Someone who all the crew trust implicitly with their lives.
She doesn't find anyone. Most of them aren't leadership material-they follow orders, but don't give them. Not enough initiative. Some get nervous, and even panic a bit in crisis-not so bad when there's a captain keeping the crew focused and calm, but as a captain, an intolerable quality. Some can take charge, but need to plan it out-they can't adapt.
-Sentinel-
 Macra 

 
 Originally Posted by Dr.Gunsforhands 
 "I like the uniform. Is it yours?" 
 

The sharpshooter gave Macra a sullen scowl. "Yeah." For a moment it looked like she was not about to say anything else. Then she asked: "Those birds, they were yours? Saw you feeding them. Back then, you were dressed as a maid and didn't have the eyepatch, though."


 

 Sasha and Doc 


The Valtiers made sure Doc and the other surgeons were well supplied in whatever they needed to take care of the wounded. All their ship lacked was laudanum, since most of it had been used on their dying baron, so they would have to make do with copious amounts of alcohol—specifically, the contents of House Valtier's wine cellar and the late baron's liquor cabinet. It seemed almost comically wasteful to use the finest Brisevent brandy, aged forty years, just to get sailors drunk before surgery.

Doctor Archambault proved himself a supremely competent and knowledgeable physician, having studied at the best university of Brisevent. However, being used to taking care of only one patient at a time, he was not a fast worker. His stitches were impeccable, and designed to minimize any visible scarring once the wound was healed, but he had sewn up only one patient in the time it took Doc to sew up three. He was also quite conservative and flatly refused to let Doc try his newfangled techniques on any of the wounded from the  Cormorant —although what Doc tried on the crewmen of other ships was none of Archambault's business.

For his part, Brandt, the barber-surgeon from the  Mongrel , was more butcher than doctor. Doc saw him take out his rusty bonesaw to amputate a broken hand that would be perfectly salvageable under the care of a proper physician. The patient was an old deckhand from the  Mongrel  who already had a peg leg, and Doc would bet a week's pay that this same bonesaw was responsible.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Let me know how Doc goes about treating the wounded, and how he gets along (or not) with his two colleagues.
 


"I'm sorry for your loss," said Lady Elena, putting a hand on Sasha's shoulder. "I, myself, lost my father today. These are hard times for all of us. Was your captain well-loved by his crew?"
JNAProductions
 "Loved? By some, maybe. He was stubborn, strict, demanding... But he was fiercely loyal to all of us. He demanded the best, because he believed we could be the best. Not everyone could keep up-but if you couldn't, and you didn't put anyone in danger, you just got... Let go. No worries, no hard feelings, nothing like some other crews where once you were in, that was it, do or die. He was a people's pirate, if you want to put it that way,"  Sasha reminisces.  "I'm probably giving him more credit than is due, really-he saved me from one hell of a situation. But... None of us had anything but respect for him. That much I know for sure is true the rest of the crew. We're gonna need someone pretty amazing to fill his hat." 

She looks into the triage field, and idly checks for Markias.  "I recruited a man from shore. Man,"  she chuckles,  "more like a boy. Markias. Rescued him straight from under some other captain's goons. Apparently he and his dad had gone deep into debt with them, but were supposed to be on the verge of solving longitude. Claims he can still do it, just needs a little more time and some measurements from the sea. Hope he made it." 
 "Your dad, then? What was he like?"  she asks.  "Montgomery was the closest thing I had to a father in this life." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "I wouldn't call them mine, per se. Seagulls are more like temporary mercenaries." 

Macra doesn't mind that Shooty can identify her. A change of clothes barely qualifies as a disguise. What's more interesting is that she's willing to call Macra out on that fact.

 "You can call me The Maid if you want. So! How does a Queensport - I want to say lieutenant? - end up working on a ship like the Mongrel?" 
MCerberus
  Doc  - Deck of the Ghostlight

What does Doc think of the other surgeons? Little if possible. In a way that only comes from an eclectic academic background he's more than willing to let the others make their mistakes for doing things the wrong way because they're working on their own crews at the moment, at least that's how it gets divided if Doc has anything to say. The, unfortunately literal hack from the other pirate ship he does go the extra step for, commenting to where he can be heard when their mistakes causes complications.

Anything more and it's up for his crew to judge with. Doc learned that quickly, how democracies work out here.
He is willing to help out on tougher cases from the Cormorant if Archambault were to ask, though in Doc's fast judgment he would be loathe to.

One additional thing is that for anyone that hasn't passed he makes sure to set up shade, since he was the one that ordered them to the deck.
-Sentinel-
 Sasha 

 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "I recruited a man from shore. Man,"  she chuckles,  "more like a boy. Markias. Rescued him straight from under some other captain's goons. Apparently he and his dad had gone deep into debt with them, but were supposed to be on the verge of solving longitude. Claims he can still do it, just needs a little more time and some measurements from the sea. Hope he made it."  
 

Lady Elena raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I'm told several of the city-states offer a rich reward to whoever can figure out longitude. Although I'm very curious how this Markias proposes to do it. I'm not too well versed in these matters, but I gather the stars can't tell you longitude, only latitude."



  "Your dad, then? What was he like?"  she asks.  "Montgomery was the closest thing I had to a father in this life."  

"Hmm. Tell you the truth, my father wasn't very loving," freely acknowledges Elena. "He treated my mother horrendously. This strained the Valtiers' relationship with her family; the very family whose help we need most in this moment. I'm sure your captain was better than  my  father."

"Word of advice? Your next step should be to hold some kind of funeral service for him. Make a speech about his legacy and so on. It should help cement your place as his successor. And yes, I know it seems crass to talk politics so soon, but if you don't make a move, someone else will. I'd be willing to bet a few people on your crew would rather rob us than ally with us."

She was likely correct; Sasha  had  heard some of the crew express reservations about Montgomery's plan, when he had first explained it. Many pirates would rather have a big score right now for drinking and whoring, than a steady stream of income over decades.  'We're here for a good time, not a long time,'  was how one of them had put it.



 

 Macra 

 
 Originally Posted by Dr.Gunsforhands 
  "You can call me The Maid if you want. So! How does a Queensport - I want to say lieutenant? - end up working on a ship like the Mongrel?"  
 

Cassidy snorted. "This is a pirate ship—we don't have 'lieutenants'. And why do you care why I left the navy? Every pirate's got their story."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I'll need some kind of persuasion or intimidation roll if you want to get more out of her.
 


 

 Doc 

Brandt seemed a bit annoyed to be told how to do his job, but the wounded deckhand—though almost passed out from House Valtier's wine—heard Doc's comments, and from this point on refused to let Brandt near him with his bonesaw. He was not the only one refusing Brandt's care; after all, there were two other physicians available, and they were both a fair bit more competent than the  Mongrel 's excuse for a surgeon.

Doc's request for shade was fulfilled quickly. All three ships had several spare sails, which could serve as a makeshift tent. Four of the patients died of their injuries awaiting care, but the others were eventually stabilized, allowing the doctors to move on to less life-threatening wounds. The dead were wrapped in canvas, to be disposed of in accordance with the tradition of the sea: by being thrown overboard.
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "Sure. But I put my uniform away just now. You've still got yours." 

Macra is a little better at reading people than that, and has more in her interrogation toolbag than silly quips. It's still a fun icebreaker.

 
 Spoiler: Spy Roll 
 (3d6)[ 6 ][ 3 ][ 2 ](11) 
 
JNAProductions
Sasha shakes her head.  "I could never take his place." 

But the idea is there. She's quiet, mulling it over in her head. She's already dismissed practically everyone else as being fit to succeed him-and while she'd count herself among that, she knows that Montgomery had trusted her more than most. Lady Elena sits in companionship, not bothering Sasha while she thinks it through.

Standing up, Sasha grabs one of the crewmembers not doing anything.  "Gather the dead. We can't keep carcasses on board, but they're due their funerary rites." 

When the dead are gathered, and no one is in any immediate danger of bleeding out, Sasha takes a spot by the laid-out bodies and raises her voice.   "Everyone, listen up! "

"We've fought hard today. We of the  Ghostlight  are among the finest to have sailed the seas-yet we know that we are not perfect. People fall-people are killed, and despite the best efforts of our own Doc, one of the slain today is Captain Phobias Montgomery. He's a man who's lead us to victory after victory, a man who kept us safe when we needed it. He gave us strength in our dark times, and laughed with us in the light. We are here today, ready to start a new era of the  Ghostlight 's history, because Captain Montgomery lead us here. And we owe it to him to stay strong, to stay together, and stay focused."

"Normally, Graves would take up the mantle. But Graves too has been taken from us today. As such... I will be assuming the mantle of captain."  Her voice stays strong, even as internally there are butterflies dancing in her stomach.  "I trust that you will support me just as I support you, just as Montgomery did before. Thank you." 
MCerberus
  Doc  

Well it looks like the lass it taking her chance. To Doc's awareness he's not sure if this is grabbing the open promotion or is doing this to prevent chaos. The former is... well it's exactly what happens in the meta-sciences except for blood instead of a discredited theory. Most of the time. Either way the dwarf realizes that they're in trouble if the crews fall apart and start fighting each other. And the 'taskmistress' in any regard is going to be their best bit.

Depending on your perspective he's either shouting his support as the pirates are wont to do or is seconding the motion.

 "You all know there's only one here with their head together anough to keep this mess together. Captain Sasha!" 
-Sentinel-
 Macra 

 
 Originally Posted by Dr.Gunsforhands 
  "Sure. But I put my uniform away just now. You’ve still got yours."  
 

There was not much left of the purple Queensport uniform, truth to be told. So many patches, so many additions. The boots were not part of the original uniform, and neither were most of the buttons, the belt, or the pouches. Still, the fact that Cassidy would rather repair the faded old uniform than get new clothes suggested that keeping it was a conscious choice rather than a matter of convenience.

“I wear it because of what it used to stand for,” said Cassidy through gritted teeth. “Because I remain a patriot, even though my queen wants me dead just for following  her  orders.”

She pointed to a ship’s name stitched on her uniform. It read:  HGS [Her Grace’s Ship] Indefatigable .

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
As an agent of the Brisevent crown, Macra would know of the notorious incident between  HGS Indefatigable  (a Queensport frigate) and  La Fille de l'Aubergiste  (an armed merchantman from Brisevent).

Near the end of the last war between Queensport and Brisevent, the  Indefatigable  from Queensport, while on a blockade enforcement patrol, captured  La Fille de l'Aubergiste  in a very bloody engagement—but did so several days after a ceasefire had been declared, due to poor wartime communication. When a peace treaty was negotiated between Queensport and Brisevent, one of Brisevent’s demands was that the capture of  La Fille de l'Aubergiste  be treated as a war crime. Queensport agreed to the demand and ordered the arrest of the  Indefatigable ’s captain and crew. Rather than face a court martial, the captain “went on the account” (that is, turned pirate) along with any crew members who would follow him.

Since then, the  Indefatigable  has been sunk and her captain hanged for piracy, but many former crew members are still around, scattered between several pirate ships. Evidently, Cassidy is one of them. That would explain her markswomanship—pirates are not typically great shots, unless they have a past in the military or navy.
 


 

 Sasha and Doc 


Most of the  Ghostlight ’s long-time crew members chanted Sasha’s name, and seemed happy to call her their new captain. Those who seemed noticeably less enthusiastic were the newer recruits; those who had been hired just yesterday in Mériault, no doubt with the expectation that the late Captain Montgomery intended to capture a treasure ship and fill everyone’s pockets with gold, and who were disappointed that there would be no such windfall in the immediate future.

One notable exception among the new crew members was Markias, who had not forgotten Sasha’s help with the loanshark’s enforcers and shouted her name along with the old-timers.
JNAProductions
Inwardly breathing a massive sigh of relief, Sasha smiles to the crew- her  crew.  "Right! We've got a ship that needs a few repairs. I trust you to handle yourselves well, but it seems that I'll need to discuss some things with the people of the  Cormorant ."  She moves back to the  Cormorant , finding Elena.

 "If we're going to be allies,"  she tells the other woman,  "At a minimum, I'll need a bit of a crash course in how you nobles function. Don't need the gossip, but at least the basics." 
MCerberus
  Doc  

With that settled for now, Doc gives a short bit of mental bandwidth to thinking about their new allies/crew. He had been working alongside their doctor for the afternoon but there is still the question of the people on board. He tries to identify who they are and what may be going on from memories in his past life.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Just trying to see what can be brought to mind and/or comically misremembered if it fails to lighten the tone
rolling Gentleman of Refinement
 (1d6)[ 3 ] 
 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "I see,"  Macra says with a pause as she considers the cursed ship's history.  "This must all have been happy news for you, then, huh? When Brisevent falls, the queen will have no reason not to welcome you back with open arms." 

She smiles as she says this, like she's solved some kind of puzzle. The insinuation that Cassidy was somehow in cahoots with the rebels is  very  unlikely, and Cassidy seems to be in just the mood to wipe that smile off Macra's face with the truth.
-Sentinel-
 
 Originally Posted by Dr.Gunsforhands 
  "I see,"  Macra says with a pause as she considers the cursed ship's history.  "This must all have been happy news for you, then, huh? When Brisevent falls, the queen will have no reason not to welcome you back with open arms."  
 

Cassidy shrugged a shoulder. "We'll have to see how the chips fall. There's a good chance the old treaties remain in place, even with a 'republic' in Brisevent." She spoke the word  republic  with obvious disdain, clearly not thinking much of the concept, despite her exile having been caused by kings and queens. "There's also a chance Queensport declares war on Brisevent to take advantage of the chaos. If they do, they'll be happy to have me back."

The bloody-faced woman tilted her head. "How about  you  tell me about yourself, in return? I've heard of people like you, who could control animals. Never met one until today. I thought they might be a myth."



 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "If we're going to be allies,"  she tells the other woman,  "At a minimum, I'll need a bit of a crash course in how you nobles function. Don't need the gossip, but at least the basics."  
 

"Tell you what, Captain Sasha... I'll lend you my maid, Macra," said Lady Elena with a knowing smile, though exactly what it was that she knew was unclear. "She's not of high birth, but she's well-versed in the ways of the nobility."

"Macra!" she called. "You'll be joining the crew of the  Ghostlight  for the rest of the trip to Farobianco."

To Macra, this seemed like a maneuver to get rid of someone who—for all her helpfulness during the flight from Brisevent—was still nominally an agent of King Léon among House Valtier. Though Léon was likely either imprisoned or dead by now, many of his spies were still around, and Lady Elena was clearly wary of them. Perhaps with good reason, too; the revolution had shifted the balance of power not only among Brisevent society in general, but also within the aristocracy. Any noble families that managed to hold onto their wealth and strike alliances with foreign powers would be in a good position to seize the throne of Brisevent for themselves when the counter-revolution came, even if King Léon had a legitimate heir hidden away someplace. All this, Macra understood at once, thanks to her time among the nobility.

Elena addressed Sasha again: "I'll let you decide what to do with the  Mongrel  and her crew. Your men did the lion's share of the work capturing her, so she's all yours."

Doc, for his part, did not recognize anyone he knew among the crew of the  Cormorant . His work had seldom taken him to Brisevent anyway, so it would have surprised him to come across an acquaintance.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I realize I haven't given much for Doc to do lately, but I'll try to find something, I promise. 🙂
 
JNAProductions
When the other woman gives a mischievous smile, Sasha frowns slightly. But she says  "Understood. I'm sure she'll work well." 

Returning to the  Ghostlight , Sasha eyes the crew of the  Mongrel .  "You've one chance to join us-and no chances to mess it up,"  she tells her foes.  "I understand that few of you held loyalty to your captain-not real loyalty, just a matter of convenience and happenstance. That's not how we work on the  Ghostlight -but at the same time, I don't like seeing pointless bloodshed. So, each of you have three options. Join the  Ghostlight . Travel with us as a prisoner until we reach land, and then you'll be let go. Or die." 
-Sentinel-
The prisoners from the  Mongrel  shuffled about uncertainly, then began to separate into two groups. The largest—made up mostly of lower-ranking sailors, but also including Brandt, the amputation-happy surgeon—chose to take their chances under Captain Sasha's leadership. A minority of captives, Cassidy among them, preferred to get dropped off at the next port.

"This one should walk the plank!" yelled Tomas, one of the  Ghostlight 's sailors, pointing at Cassidy. "She killed our captain!"

Many of the crew roared in agreement. "THE! PLANK! THE! PLANK!" they chanted.

Cassidy glared back at them, unafraid. "War is war," she said simply.
JNAProductions
Sasha holds her hand up for silence. When she gets it, she talks.  "We were in the midst of a battle when she attacked Montgomery. I would expect nothing less from one of you-if you had the chance to inflict a griveous blow to an enemy we were actively engaged with, you should take it." 

She approaches the sharpshooter.  "With that in mind, though, I don't think we can let you run free. You're far too competent to risk about at the moment. You're to remain bound, at the wrists at least, until we reach port. It won't be comfortable-but it is merciful." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "A myth?"  Macra is struck silent by that, surprised and then flattered. Of course the magic she uses isn't that common these days, her high level of skill is why the service recruited her to begin with. She still can't help but blush a little with embarrassment.  "I mean, I guess I am pretty good, but-" 

It's about at this point that Elena calls Macra's name from above decks. She flinches. So much for mysteriously withholding her name.  "Ha, I guess I should have seen that coming. At least I already have the clothes for it!"  She turns and calls back up the stairs.  "Yes, Lady Elena!" 

She gets the remainder of her stuff and watches the newly-minted Captain Sasha do her thing.
MCerberus
  Doc  

Not being able recall anything about the richer half of the new crew, Doc goes about seeing if there's anything wrong or suspicious in the Mongrel's recruit. It does not figure into his thinking what a faceless cloaked figure drenched in blood would look like. I mean it's not like sailors are superstitious.
-Sentinel-
Many of the crewmen of the  Ghostlight  (and more than a few members of House Valtier) looked disappointed in Sasha's merciful decision regarding Cassidy, but there was no great uproar about it, just some sour grumbling. Beneath her mask of dried blood, Cassidy's expression remained unchanged by the news that she would live to see tomorrow. Not even a grateful nod towards Sasha.

Cassidy resumed her talk with Macra as if nothing had happened, keeping her voice low: "Do  they  know what they can do? That fancy lady over there and your new captain?"


According to Doc's cursory inspection of the crew of the  Mongrel , easily a third of them showed obvious signs of scurvy; some appeared to have lost teeth fairly recently, by the look of their gums. Clearly, their late captain did not provide them a daily ration of lemon juice, as Captain Montgomery had done at Doc's behest. Several of them were missing a hand or a leg or some other appendage, which was hardly surprising, given their poor excuse for a surgeon. They eyed Doc warily as he walked among them.


 
 Spoiler: OOC 
So, the plans for the near and medium term are:

 
 Macra joins the crew of the  Ghostlight . 
 Sasha also needs to make arrangements re: crewing the  Mongrel . I imagine she wants her crewed mostly by the sailors who know the ship very well, but I advise that she include a sizeable contingent of  Ghostlight  sailors on board, as a safety precaution to prevent the theft of the  Mongrel . 
 The crew members of the  Mongrel  who desire it will be dropped off at the next port. 
 The  Ghostlight , the  Cormorant  and the  Mongrel  will then sail to Farobianco, where a more formal arrangement will be struck between Lady Elena and Captain Sasha. 
 

Let me known when you're ready to start the voyage to Farobianco.

I'm not in any hurry... Don't hesitate to have any conversations you need to have (e.g. introductions between Macra and Sasha + Doc, and so on).
 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "They would know about as well as you do, I think. It doesn't come up much when you're a maid,"  whispers Macra.  "You know, Lady Elena is an accomplished diplomat herself, and she was in the market for a markswoman even before you did your thing. She's also pragmatic and, uh, amenable to making changes."  That's clearly an understatement, but any clarification would be too much information.  "If you were to offer her your services and help her out now, I bet she'd more than willing to modify some old treaties!" 
 "I'll see if I can get her to come talk. Just, don't let her think it was my idea, okay? She doesn't like me; you heard how she wanted me off her ship just now. I'm not sure why. Who does she think was keeping the rats out of her kitchen this whole time? The cat?" 

Macra gasps.  "The cat! I almost forgot!"  She runs upstairs to get to work on her outstanding fish debt. There's been a lot going on today!

Moments later, she is carrying a fishing rod when she almost runs into Sasha.  "Ah! Captain!"  She places her hands over her navel and bows courteously as though she were still in uniform. It takes all her dexterity to do this so quickly without swinging the rod all over the place.  "I am Macra, at your service!" 

She glances at Copper, who is laying down next to a barrel, watching Sasha from a distance - not that he will have seen anything Macra doesn't already know about, now that she's been appraised of the Captain thing.
JNAProductions
 "At ease, Macra,"  Sasha says.  "I'll give you some time to get adjusted to the  Ghostlight , but sooner than later, I'd like to have you start teaching me about the nobility. If we of the  Ghostlight  are going to be working with them, it'd be best to know what exactly we're doing. I'd also like to know if you've got any kind of combat, navigation, or other skills that might come in handy." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "Skills? Well, I can talk to animals, I'm better with a knife than I am with a gun, and I can talk and fish at the same time! What do you need to know?" 

She's clearly hoping to demonstrate the mentioned form of multitasking during this first Nobility lesson.
JNAProductions
 "Was that you, directing the birds in the fight?"  Sasha asks.  "That could be quite the valuable skill. Can you do anything else with that spark in you?" 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "My family mostly uses it for hunting and fishing. I know how to follow their migration patterns to navigate, but it's probably not as good as using the stars. I used to, uh,"  Macra stares off nostalgically,  "I used to know a couple people who would talk to whales and ride them as a sport. But, uh, Lady Elena did say that I'm a maid, right?" 

The words look sarcastic on paper, but her tone seems to indicate that it's a genuine and somehow serious question.
MCerberus
  Doc  

After a quick lookaround Doc returns to make an assessment to the new captain and finds the discussion going on.  "Sa- captain, with the state of these recruits we also can't deny anyone that can stand straight." 
JNAProductions
 "Maids hear a lot, or so I've heard myself,"  Sasha says. When Doc approaches her, she frowns.  "We'll have to make do with what we have-no sense wishing for what could've been." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "Exactly! We need to keep moving forward, no matter what, right?"  Macra bows again.  "I'll work hard to help as much as I can! It's the least I can do, after you gave so much saving the  Cormorant . As far as how nobles operate... Well, first you should know that a person can rarely come and talk to them directly. There's always a doorman or a secretary who screens visitors... would it be alright if I fished while we did this? We could be talking for a while, and I promised someone I would catch something for them." 
MCerberus
  Doc  
 
"And don't forget I'm known in the research circles, lots of nobles as patrons,"  Doc ads.

The dwarf is still dripping blood.
-Sentinel-
"Let's move quickly, Captain Sasha," said Lady Elena. "Still lots of sharks in these waters. We'll talk more when we get to Farobianco. Between myself and my in-laws, I should have enough political clout to get the  Ghostlight  a letter of marque from King Giuseppe."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Quick parenthesis: a  letter of marque  is a privateering licence. It authorizes you to capture ships from any nations that the issuing nation is at war with and keep all the profits. For a pirate, this is an attractive deal: while it does limit your range of targets, it also ensures that you have a safe port (or several) where you can repair and resupply your ship without fear of arrest.

Privateers are also considered enemy combatants rather than outlaws, a distinction that can save you from the noose in the event of capture.
 


It was a simple matter for Macra to request a swap between Ensign Raphael Ambrosius Coppercoat the Third, the  Cormorant 's stout orange cat, and Jack-o'-Spades, the  Ghostlight 's rangy black cat. To most sailors, a cat was as good as any other cat, as long as it kept the ship vermin-free. And so Copper followed Macra as she joined the crew of the  Ghostlight .

Some of the crew of the  Ghostlight  were assigned to the  Mongrel , and vice versa. The  Mongrel 's quartermaster, Mr. Singh, was named acting captain of his ship, but Sasha made sure most of his officer corps was composed of loyal  Ghostlight  sailors to thwart any attempt by Singh to flee with a ship that was now hers by right of capture. The  Mongrel  prisoners who wished to be dropped off at the next port were escorted to the hold of the  Ghostlight  and put in irons for the time being. Lastly, the casualties from the battle were surrendered to the sea after a brief ceremony. The  Cormorant , the  Ghostlight  and the  Mongrel  then sailed southwest, towards Farobianco, remaining in close formation to deter any attacks.

Now that Sasha was in charge of the  Ghostlight , Markias was enthusiastically badgering her with his purported method of determining longitude. It involved a heavy, complex-looking clock that he had brought with him, and that he held with as much care as if it were a newborn baby. "So, the sun rises and sets at different times depending on latitude, longitude, and season, yes?" he said breathlessly. "So my dad's idea was, if you could record the exact time of sunset and cross-reference it with the latitude and the date, you'd get the longitude. But of course, for that, you need an almanac of sunset times by location and date... and a highly accurate clock. Now  that's  the hard part, you see. The most accurate clocks are pendulum clocks, but they don't work on ships, what with all the waves and swaying. This is my dad's invention... the marine chronometer. The most accurate pendulum-less clock ever built. He's spent decades perfecting it. King Léon was offering a great prize to whoever could solve longitude, but by now he's likely dead, or at least overthrown, so I'm not sure if there's any way to get that prize money, or if there's another king who'd pay it... Anyway, I've got a bet going with your navigator that my clock can estimate longitude better than his dead reckoning."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Another parenthesis: this makes Markias' father the  John Harrison  of this universe.
 


Macra started to adapt to life on a ship. Other crew members took it upon themselves to teach her how to tie knots, mend sails, maintain a cannon, and various other everyday tasks. It was somehow always the same three volunteers—a burly, dark-skinned bosun called Isaiah, a skinny ginger lad barely out of his teens by the name of Flynn, and Keiri, a lass with short dark hair and a brash swagger that she seemed to put on solely for Macra's benefit. Macra began to suspect that all three of them only used the lessons as an excuse to spend time with her. Keiri was the least subtle about it, given how much hand-touching her knot-tying lessons always seemed to involve.

Most of Doc's work during this voyage involved caring for the sailors who had been transferred to the  Ghostlight  from the  Mongrel ; both the new recruits and the prisoners in the hold. Aside from scurvy, they suffered from a host of other health problems that Brandt had been too incompetent or uncaring to solve, such as infected wounds, lack of various essential nutrients, kidney stones, a case of tapeworm, a broken ulna that had been set so poorly that Doc needed to break it again just to straighten it, an unwanted pregnancy, and almost the entire spectrum of venereal diseases known to man.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Sorry for the delay... 😳

This post is covering a time period of about 3-4 days.
 
JNAProductions
 To Elena, Just After The Battle
  "Agreed. And thank you,"  Sasha tells the noblewoman.

 To Markias, During The Days 
 "Mm-hm. Yes. Quite. Interesting,"  she manages for a while. Eventually, though...

 "Markias? You need to shut the hell up. I am interested in seeing the results of your experiments- the results . Not the details of the whole thing-I have two entire ships to run. I will happily provide some extra resources, as available, to solve longitude-but you  need  to stop pestering me."  Sasha sighs, but does ask one question.  "Have you been winning the bet?" 
MCerberus
  Doc  

Unbeknownst to the Mongrel crew there was a key reason everyone was so healthy: staying the hell away from whatever formula runs through Doc's mind that days. The Mongrel crew would soon discover that there was in fact cures for a lot of those picked up diseases. Regardless or not if they worked, they would certainly lead to future caution during shore-leave.

Slightly less helpful than being... perhaps too eager to do his job, Sasha would find herself being the new direct ear that gets all of Doc's requests to stop for exotic components or to use rationed supplies of clean water an alcohol in his concoctions. So when Doc approaches,  "Zebra fish! We need to find some zebra fish." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
  Macra  

Whether she knows it or not, the cat swap was a brilliant move on Elena's part. Macra didn't have time to build the kind of rapport with Jack that would induce the cat report anything incriminating, and having let slip that she owed Copper a fish, Macra had no grounds to protest. Indeed, Lady Elena framed the idea as being for her skittish maid's benefit. Not that Macra minds having a known ally aboard, of course.

Copper quickly adapts to his new surroundings, partly because he was spoiled on day 1 with a fish big enough to eat a dead mouse. His only complaints about the new captain are that she smells deeply weird and melts in her sleep. (As opposed to Doc, who is scary and smells like old puke.)

Macra soon comes to enjoy it as well. The  Ghostlight  is more welcoming than the baron's house ever was. Macra's not being scrutinized as heavily as the former marauders, so she has room to relax and be herself.

She did sneak into Doc's lab once, while he was asleep. She really does admire healers, so she couldn't help but be a little disappointed when Doc turned out to be... something else. She had to check the door for booby traps, and understood absolutely none of the chemist's notes. At least he's not outright lying about his priorities.

Yesterday, Flynn took her climbing up to unsnag a sail. She caught sight of Isaiah waiting around down below, as though hoping she'd fall so he could catch her. When her hand did slip, an unfurling chain reaction sent Flynn falling into Isaiah's arms in her place. It was adorable, and she let them know it.

Today, Macra is on deck literally learning the ropes once again, helping Keiri adjust the sails' direction for the day. Keiri wraps a rope around her wrist, presses it into her hand and positions her where she needs her to stand. Macra can only laugh.  "Haha, yes, I know, I've got it! Just head up!" 

Finding relationships has never really been a priority for Macra. Sure, seduction skills are part of the spy package, but it's more useful to a novelist than to an everyday agent. Her affectionate nature isn't so agenda-driven as all that. She's more about supporting her teammates, and surreptitiously learning their birthdays. She prefers more of a cat burglar style when it comes to actual espionage.

Speaking of cats, she notices Copper chattering when a certain conversation spills onto the deck.

 "Zebra fish! We need to find some zebra fish." 
  Zebra fish! You need to feed me zebra fish.  
-Sentinel-
 
 Originally Posted by Dr.Gunsforhands 
 Yesterday, Flynn took her climbing up to unsnag a sail. She caught sight of Isaiah waiting around down below, as though hoping she'd fall so he could catch her. When her hand did slip, an unfurling chain reaction sent Flynn falling into Isaiah's arms in her place. It was adorable, and she let them know it. 
 

Isaiah and Flynn looked suitably embarrassed by the incident, especially when the rest of the crew joined in the laughter. After a few days, Macra's three suitors all seemed to take the hint that their newest crewmate was not looking for a relationship. They took it in stride and continued her training.

Though Keiri was no longer trying to flirt with Macra, she still had ulterior motives in befriending her—namely, trying to get Macra to surrender her grog rations to her. Macra gathered that Keiri had gotten in some serious trouble during shore leave (it allegedly involved a stabbing in a whorehouse) and was being denied her grog as punishment.



 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "Markias? You need to shut the hell up. I am interested in seeing the results of your experiments- the results . Not the details of the whole thing-I have two entire ships to run. I will happily provide some extra resources, as available, to solve longitude-but you  need  to stop pestering me."  
 

Markias raised his hands placatingly, though his excited grin did not fade.


  "Have you been winning the bet?"  

"Well... I don't know," he confessed. "There's no way to verify which one of us has the most accurate calculations. We'll find out when we get to Farobianco."

It was at this time that Doc emerged on deck with his request:


 
 Originally Posted by MCerberus 
  "Zebra fish! We need to find some zebra fish."  
 

One of the nearby sailors scratched his bald head doubtfully. "Hmm. Ain't they freshwater fish? Think that'll have to wait, doc."
JNAProductions
 "What's the need for zebra fish, Doc?"  Sasha asks.  "Like he said-freshwater fish, and we're in the middle of a salty sea." 
MCerberus
  Doc  
 "See that's the brilliant part!"  Doc responds to the pointing out of biome differences.  "You see I've talked to the guy at the charts and we're nearing an island known for poisonous death that also might have the right conditions. A little diversion  and maybe some casualties  and I might be able to come up with something that can knit close flesh." 
-Sentinel-
"That is correct," confirmed Amir, the  Ghostlight 's navigator, a lanky man with a keffiyeh and a bushy grey mustache. He unrolled a map to show Sasha. "A slight detour would take us to the Conch Isles. Now... I don't know if they have the fish Doc's looking for, but we could drop off our prisoners there. It's got a few fishing villages, so it's not like we're marooning them."
JNAProductions
Sasha thinks a moment.  "Doc, I trust you. If you say you can make some kind of new restorative, I'm sure you can do it. We'll need to let the other vessels know, but we'll be going to the Conch Isles."  She looks for Macra, planning on ordering the maid to alert the  Cormorant .
-Sentinel-
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Vessels communicate via flags. No need for Macra to carry a message.
 


The  Ghostlight  hoisted her flags signaling the  Cormorant  to come closer. Once the two ships were within shouting distance, Captain Sasha explained her plans to Lady Elena and the captain of the  Cormorant .

"Oh—alright," said Elena, looking a bit skeptical about the necessity for this detour, but clearly not intending to get into a long, shouted debate with the ship that had rescued her  Cormorant . "I'll continue on to Farobianco and you can join us there."
JNAProductions
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I, JNAP, am not a water person. But I'll tuck this away for the future.
 

 "Acknowledged!"  she shouts back.
Dr.Gunsforhands
  "No  added  casualties, I hope,"   Macra mutters nervously from a distance. She'd gladly been pretending to get drunk while secretly passing her grog off to her new friend. Keiri gets her ration back with interest, and Macra has a built-in excuse to practice one of the oldest tricks in the book: drinking people under the table for info.

She managed to hear some rumors about the old and new captains this way. Both are ex-nobility themselves, and both sound honorable and charismatic. Nothing to indicate that they'd be leading the countess into a trap. The worst she can dig up is that the last guy was somehow a vampire? Macra doesn't know how that works.

Hearing how the Conch Isles are going to be the drop point for the prisoners, Macra prepares to arrange the meeting between the gunner and Lady Elena before she loses the opportunity.
MCerberus
  Doc  
 "Excellent,"  Doc replies to the directions to the crew, momentarily tapping his fingers together in approval. Maybe he can get someone to draw out some of those inevitable snakes and such as well. "Oh and it would be a good time to top off the water too."
Dr.Gunsforhands
Macra again appears below decks to talk to Cassidy, to ask if she'd thought about Macra's offer and to explain that the Ghostlight would be dropping her off along with her former crewmates soonish. Clearly, Macra won't be able to arrange a meeting with Lady Elena if that happens. How do we avoid that? Macra smiles, like this silly plan is all coming together.

 "Simple! You join the  Ghostlight ."

"Just until we get to Farobianco,"  she clarifies, in case Cassidy balks at the idea of joining a crew full of people with at least one very strong reason to hate her personally.  "Once we get to the rendezvous point, you can tell her your story and work something out! What do you think?" 
 
 Spoiler: Roll 
Relentlessly positive! Watching other people achieve their goals gives Macra a warm fuzzy feeling. It's mostly up to luck whether Cassidy thinks it's worth the bother.

 (2d6)[ 5 ][ 3 ](8) 
 
-Sentinel-
The prisoner considered Macra's offer for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, might as well. I'm tired of having to ask someone to unshackle me every time I have to take a piss."

Cassidy's integration to the crew of the  Ghostlight  was not exactly smooth. All of the more senior crew members loathed her for killing their beloved captain—even acts done in the heat of battle could be hard to forgive. The sharpshooter was also far from a social person, and made no attempt whatsoever to make friends among the newer recruits, those who hadn't known Montgomery long enough to get attached to him. Even her former  Mongrel  crewmates who had joined the  Ghostlight  seemed to care little for her and her sour, aloof attitude. Three times over the next couple of days, Captain Sasha had to step in to de-escalate a vengeful crew member's attempt to start a fight with Cassidy. At one point, a sailor tried to frame Cassidy for grog theft, though his attempt was so clumsy that Sasha immediately saw right through it. In any case, Cassidy always stayed sober; if she stole anything, it was unlikely to be grog.



 


The first of the Conch Isles appeared on the horizon early in the morning of the fifth day after the battle, at almost exactly the time Markias had predicted with his father's fancy clock (pardon, 'marine chronometer') and his almanac. Amir, the navigator, grumbled that this was most likely a stroke of luck, and that he would still win the bet once they got to Farobianco.

The  Ghostlight 's first stop was a fishing village of about two hundred souls, with ramshackle wooden huts built upon stilts. All of the prisoners from the  Ghostlight 's hold were marched outside and unshackled. Some of them asked for their weapons back, but were denied—to unleash so many armed pirates upon a small, almost defenseless settlement would be dangerous to the locals.
JNAProductions
 "I offered you freedom-but freedom entails responsibility. It's work,"  Sasha tells one of the pirates who asked for their weapons back.

With the matter of the prisoners sorted, she finds Doc.  "I trust you know where we should be looking." 
Dr.Gunsforhands
 "For the fish, you mean?" 

Macra comes ashore to join to conversation, just behind the last prisoner. She'd had Cassidy's back in a couple of those would-be fights. She needs to be careful not to spread the rumor that this was all her idea, but she can't let the sniper think she's throwing her to the wolves, either.

 "They're, uh, those little striped freshwater minnows, right? You'll want to look in stagnant pools and river basins."  She looks around herself, to see what goes on on this island besides fishing.  "They get in places like ditches and rice paddies, too, sometimes, if we can find any farms around." 
MCerberus
  Doc  
 
"Oh it may be easier than that. The fishers here may have already gotten what we need." 

He isn't thinking about how the small fish could be bait or accidental catch from sweeping these areas. The dwarf just knows that they're dealing in fish. So without much hesitation he goes to find someone that looks like they'd be selling said fish to make the inquiry.
-Sentinel-
Not only was there no zebra fish for sale anywhere in the village, but many of the fishermen and fishmongers had never even  heard  of such a species. By all accounts, it seemed that this was not a fish native to the Conch Isles. Not wanting to have wasted this trip, Doc headed instead to what passed for an apothecary in these parts—a wise woman by the name of Old Wanda who lived in the saline swamps on the outskirts of the city. Her shack was adorned with a bewildering number of good-luck charms crafted from rodent skulls, raven feathers, snake skins, starfish, seashells and other odds and ends. She looked well into her eighties, if not nineties, and relied heavily on a copper-skinned teenage girl by the name of Riya—seemingly an apprentice of sorts—to run errands or reach for things on tall shelves.

"Zebra fish, hmm? Nope, sorry," said Old Wanda, shaking her head. "Haven't got nothin' from the outside world, good sir. All you see here—" (she made a sweeping gesture at the rows of jars and bottles on her shelves) "—comes from the swamps. I got local lads and lasses bringin' me what I need. You want poison snail slime to disinfect a wound? I've got it. Frog eggs to get yer manhood hard? Right over there. Dried mooncap mushrooms? ...Well, actually, looks like I've just run out. I smoke most of my own supply. Heh."


 OOC 
 
 Spoiler 
No zebra fish, but Doc can roll a test (such as Mad Alchemist) to find something else that would be very useful to his experiments. With 3 successes (and remember you can re-roll with drama points), he finds something that has roughly the same effect as zebra fish.

Any other PCs can also be present if they want.
 
MCerberus
  Doc  

Hearing that there aren't any zebrafish causes Doc to harumph. Harumph mightily and a few times at that. Luckily creating from essences is often based in previously collected if not quantified knowledge. So perhaps what he's after can have a different source.

 "Aye I'm looking for a particular set of qualities. It's gotta have the essence of regeneration but the problem is growth. I'm sure you know what happens if you heal... wrong, so it's gotta be something clean. Free of any counter-effective side-effects." 

With that he takes a look around and gets out some salts that react to some certain effects to check.

  Mad Alchemist  - (4d6)[ 3 ][ 6 ][ 3 ][ 6 ](18) 
Dr.Gunsforhands
Macra isn't too surprised that they don't have any. They're not the best bait around or anything, so there's not much reason for people to go out and look for them, much less keep them in stock. That, this village doesn't have a lot of the pools that the minnows hang out in, and it's not like every island is going to have the exact same species of fish in the first place.
 
"I mean, there are a bunch of frogs and geckos that regrow limbs sometimes,"  she says when she catches the quasi-healer out hunting for animals.  "Ooh, you know what what would be really amazing? An axolotl! I've only heard stories about them - they're extremely rare, only found in a lake deep under a mountain. Legend has it that they can regrow anything and basically live forever!" 
 
 Spoiler 
I forget the assistance rules. Maybe there aren't any? Her cheerleading and animal knowledge seem well-suited to helping in this endeavor, anyway.
 
-Sentinel-
"Well, there's this..." The old woman pointed an arthritic finger at a row of jars containing eyeless, pallid cave salamanders, pickled in a greenish liquid. "Not axolotls but sim'lar. That should do, yes. Six silver coins each."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
No need to keep track of money in the Risus system. Assume you have enough to buy all eight jars, though 48 silvers is still a hefty price, about equivalent to a ship officer's monthly pay. For Doc's purposes, these salamanders are an adequate replacement for zebra fish.
 
MCerberus
  Doc  

Doc isn't taken aback by the price demands. He's been spending all of his funding and whatever money hey gets from the semi-legitimate work he does on crazy things like blind lizards. Of course sometimes experiments get sold at the next port as well.

 "Hmm I'll take it. Worst thing that can happen is that the cold-blooded essences cause madness." 
-Sentinel-
Doc returned to the  Ghostlight  with his purchase, and the ship set sail within the hour to take advantage of the high tide.


 


The rest of the voyage to Farobianco was fairly uneventful. Villessi, the island upon which sat the city-state, was first sighted by the lookout at roughly the time Markias had estimated. The young man grinned from ear to ear as Mr. Singh moodily paid him the money wagered. Markias' joy seemed to have more to do with the marine chronometer's now-proven effectiveness than his newfound wealth; his father's work had paid off, and the longitude problem which had vexed astronomers and navigators for centuries was finally solved.

The sun was about to sink beneath the horizon as the  Ghostlight  entered the harbor of Farobianco. In doing so, she passed under the shadow of the city's namesake white lighthouse, by far the largest and tallest in the world—its cathedral-like vastness serving as much as a statement of the city's wealth and power as a navigational aid. The  Cormorant  and the  Mongrel  were already there, berthed side by side, with their sails furled and most of their crews gone on shore leave. Other ships bearing the flag of Brisevent were also present; they were likely, just like the  Cormorant , ships from noble houses that had made it past the gauntlet of pirates to seek safety and allies in a friendly city.

Sasha and her crew walked off the gangplank and were greeted by Captain Yves Lacroix, who commanded the  Cormorant  on behalf of House Valtier.

"We've had word from Brisevent," reported Captain Lacroix. "The city fell shortly after we left. The rebels have declared a republic. King Léon and his family are all in the custody of the, ah,  Provisional Revolutionary Committee ."

He jerked his thumb at the Farobianco royal palace. "Her Ladyship is at the palace, having dinner with King Giuseppe and his court, along with a bunch of other Brisevent exiles. She told me to have you sent her way."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Doc and Macra can accompany Sasha if they like, since they are respectively an educated man and a familiar face to Lady Elena.
 
JNAProductions
Aboard the  Ghostlight , Sasha listens in on the results of the bet between Markias and Singh. After the money changes hands, she talks to Markias.  "Does it need more testing? Or is it working? If the former, stay safe, and keep working on it; but if the latter... You and your device are coming with me ashore." 
 "Understood. Thank you,"  Sasha tells the other captain.  "And before we go, I trust that the  Mongrel's  crew was behaved in my absence? If anyone wasn't, I'll have them sorted out." 

Finally, with that all sorted, she starts moving for the palace. She makes sure that she's dressed as well as she can be-it's all for appearance sake, but that matters to these folk.
MCerberus
  Doc  

In the meantime Doc gets to work with the pickled lizard. Not even the weirdest thing he's worked with. He tries to combine them with materials on hand in order to facilitate bringing out any latent regeneration in it. Isolate it so that other things don't get in and, say, terribly poison someone. Maybe give some cast off parts to the cat, who doesn't seem to much care for him yet. It isn't good to be on a cat's bad side.

Once they've arrived in port that could be a time to take a break. He appears up on deck and follows in the captain's wake.
 "Aye it's about time to try and find out if my life work's been looted" 
-Sentinel-
 
 Originally Posted by JNAProductions 
  "And before we go, I trust that the  Mongrel's  crew was behaved in my absence? If anyone wasn't, I'll have them sorted out."  
 

"Bit rowdy, that bunch," said Captain Lacroix moodily. "Couple of them are in jail already. Cheating at cards and drunken brawl. Nothing too serious, they'll be out in a few days."

His gaze fell upon Cassidy, who was helping take down the sails. "Huh. The sharpshooter decided to join up after all, I see? Could be useful."


 OOC 
 
 Spoiler 
Okay, turns out I did have time for a micro-post.
 
JNAProductions
She sighs and nods.  "Sounds about right." 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Gonna wait for a more meaty post for Monday.
 
-Sentinel-
On their way to the royal palace, Sasha, Doc and Macra spotted many graffiti on the walls:  'NO MOR KINGS' ,  'Nothing to loose but are chanes' , and a painting of a crown being smashed by a hammer. It seemed the revolutionary spirit of Brisevent had reached Farobianco already. As if in response to this alarming development, there seemed to be more guards in the streets than the last time Sasha and Doc had dropped anchor in this port. On the public square in front of the courthouse, several people were pilloried, presumably for seditious activity. There were also more bodies hanging from gibbets than usual.

It was fully night by the time they reached the palace. The royal guards at the gate eyed them suspiciously, but as soon as Macra introduced herself and provided a correct answer to the question "What is the name of the cat you took from the  Cormorant ?", they were allowed in. Clearly, Lady Valtier had made sure to smooth out their entry ahead of time. An aged seneschal led them to King Giuseppe's vast dining room.

King Giuseppe sat with his wife at the head of the table. The king of Farobianco was in his mid-thirties and prematurely balding, with a neatly-trimmed black beard and a whip-thin frame. His wife was quite the opposite: short and stout and blond. Almost every seat at the long table—about fifty in all—was taken. Macra recognized members from several Brisevent noble families, wearing the colors of their respective houses, and together forming the beginnings of Brisevent's government-in-exile. She could see the Gonsards, the Narvains, the Robillons, the Mérigaults, the Jarcoux, and of course the Valtiers. The latter were seated on the right hand of King Giuseppe, as befitted their station as Giuseppe's in-laws—the king's older sister Sofia had been Baron Valtier's wife, which made Elena the niece of Giuseppe, though she was just a couple of years younger than he was. In addition to Elena herself, half a dozen members of the extended Valtier family were also present, some of whom Macra only knew from paintings and the family tree. Conspicuously absent were any members of House Marvonne, Brisevent's royal family.

Lady Elena was engaged in an animated discussion with Giuseppe, ignoring the delicious-looking crawfish in yellow sauce on her plate. "...can't afford to wait for whatever distant royal heir may or may not wash up on your shore, Your Grace," she was saying. "The rebels will be consolidating their fleet and filling the rabble's heads with propaganda. Each day we delay in declaring war on the 'Republic of Brisevent' is a day it grows stronger."

"What you're proposing, Lady Elena," responded Giuseppe, "could be taken as an attempt to use the revolution to our advantage to steal the throne from under King Léon's family. I still say we should wait. Maybe try to see if the rebels are willing to ransom Léon, or at least one of his sons."

"You really think they'd be stupid enough to let him live, let alone let him go? They know they can't afford to do that. Not with the enemies of their republic looking for someone to rally around. They'd sooner—"

Elena paused as the trio approached the table.

"Oh, look at that, Your Grace!" she exclaimed. "Here's the captain who rescued us from pirates. Sasha, welcome to Farobianco! I've been telling King Giuseppe here about the bravery of your crew."

She gave Macra only a terse nod, as if to say:  I'm glad to see you too, but you're not useful to me politically in this moment. 
JNAProductions
 "My crew are among the bravest you'll meet, it is true,"  Sasha replies. She bows before the king, and adds  "It's an honor and a pleasure to be introduced to you, your highness. I hope our presence doesn't cause too much of a disturbance." 
-Sentinel-
Giuseppe inclined his head towards Sasha. "Any friend of my niece is a friend of mine, Captain Sasha. I hear you command the  Ghostlight  now? I'm sorry to hear about your predecessor's death. Captain Montgomery was a legend."

He gestured at a servant to pour a cup of wine for Sasha.

"Lady Elena has been asking me to grant you a letter of marque," the king went on, "which I am more than willing to do if you'll pledge your allegiance to my house. Any and all outstanding bounties on the heads of your crew members will be dropped—in Farobianco at least. Of course, I cannot speak for the other city-states."

His gaze slid slowly towards Doc, and his eyebrows went up. "Would you happen to be Doctor Hurik Stoneblood? I'm surprised to see you serve as a ship's surgeon."
MCerberus
  Doc  

Well the whole scene of this place temporarily puts Doc in a sour mood. It's all appalling. These people are literate, so somebody TAUGHT them to spell that way. Sloppy, incorrect, and UNFORGIVABLE. Or something along those lines. He keeps his mouth shut for the travel though, collecting the wherewithal to compose himself for a royal meeting. While getting this sort of audience is rare, he is at least used to polite grovelling.
 
"Your grace is too kind. The field of Essentialism does not have the established knowledge base for the colleges to bestow that honor. The title is merely due to necessity for those I work with. It is a shame though, such a work being lost. If my work were to be recovered it would give that party knowledge no one else possesses." 

Not subtle, but it didn't need to be. Doc is hoping to plant the idea of profit to make his case. He didn't think through his garb and potential muttering it caused though.

  Gentleman of Refinement  - (1d6)[ 2 ](2) 
-Sentinel-
"My court physician, Doctor Merelli, speaks highly of you," said King Giuseppe. "He says he was once apprenticed under you and always thought you were ahead of your time."

Lady Elena lightly rapped her fork on her plate for attention. "Your Majesty, can we focus on the matter at hand? I need to know what resources you're willing to devote to fighting the rebellion in Brisevent."

Giuseppe's expression soured. "The rebellion, yes. Can't afford to let it spread over here. On the other hand, it's far too early to declare war on Brisevent's new government. Best we can do is put diplomatic relations on hold, at least until the dust has settled a bit." He turned to Sasha. "Would you be willing to engage in piracy exclusively against Brisevent shipping, Captain? Not in any official capacity, of course... Farobianco must maintain a semblance of neutrality for the time being. But I can outfit your ship with better cannons, and I'll pay well for any high-value prisoners of war you can capture."
JNAProductions
Sasha lets out a small chuckle.  "It'll be nice to get new kicks for the ship, and a change of pace to be working unofficially-officially. We can certainly give your ships some ease, and focus our efforts on Brisevent's." 
MCerberus
  Doc  

Well that's a loss. Doc was just pretty much told to sit down because it isn't important and nobody disagreed. At least this time the dwarf didn't end up insulting anyone.
Yet.

At least he's smart enough to keep quiet for now as things outside of his paygrade. It's served him well enough to not draw too much attention to the big powers when it could go wrong.