"Good work, Crow, keep it up. The rest of you, take notice of Ganelon the Crow. Why can't the rest of you fulfill your pointless tasks with as much enthusiasm?"<br/><br/>Trying as hard as he could not to peek at the reactions of his no-doubt furious crewmates, Ganelon chuckled to himself and made another broad sweep of the horizon, noting (as always) that the Flying Rotsman was flying too high for him to make out anything at the sea level which wasn't at least an hour's worth of sailing away. It was nothing short of remarkable just how far one could see without the rising waves and bobbing of their ship blocking vision on even the calmest days, and among the numerous other benefits that came with serving on the Rotter, there were few that the Crow appreciated more. He was an excellent lookout whenever he could be bothered to do his job properly, and without the need for constant vigilance, he could slack off as much as he wanted and still not miss a single detail when it mattered.<br/><br/>The sound of Captain Rotter struggling with his coat halfway up the rope mesh leading to the crow's nest was one such detail. Ganelon cringed as the man's ghastly visage rose up to greet him, stopping just high enough to let his eyes peer over the wooden lip of the place and dart around in search of some unknown passenger on the floor. When no midgets or other small creatures emerged from the bladed tips of his lookout's clothing, the captain spoke up with barely more than a whisper.<br/><br/>"Ganelon, you are alone, right? It is safe to talk? I have something to tell you, but I need to know you can be trusted. No one else must know this; it is between you and I."<br/><br/>"Of course, cap'n. I swear on me ten most fav'rite knives that yer secret's safe with me."<br/><br/>Grinning in approval and eyeing Ganelon's knives with more interest than the Crow was really comfortable with, Captain Rotter continued to speak.<br/><br/>"The Pearl of Atlantis is not a part of a treasure, or a way to a greater treasure. It is not a map or a key. The Pearl is the full treasure, and we will find it, and it will be worth more than the three treasures of Eldorado and Lemuria combined. Rumors go about it here and there, but few know much about it, however I have found perhaps the best clue so far; the most reliable. Ganelon, Captain Tom Leumas and his Convoy of Souls is the key to this so we need to find him, and I need you to tell me as soon as you see his ship. Or any ship. Or any harbor. If you spot something other than water, then yell. Even if it is only a kraken or a leviathan below, then say so, because this treasure is supposed to be so big that not one crew can carry it. The Pearl is so valuable that we cannot let sloth or our own sense of security get in the way. If you see a volcano erupting, then tell me. If you see a steam of herring, then tell me. If you see anything at all, then-"<br/><br/>Ganelon prepared himself to interject before he was made responsible for spotting rain in the clouds themselves, but he was spared the trouble of doing so when his captain was yanked from the mast by an invisible hand and thrown out into the open air. He barely had enough time to register what happened before an explosion of bandages forced him to duck out of sight, narrowly avoiding one of several strands that wrapped themselves around the ship's hull. The loud crash and cursing that followed informed him - and everyone else within some hundred yards - that their captain had landed somewhere below-deck without losing his life or his consciousness in the process. When Rotter stumbled back outside, hollering about some newly discovered act of petty vandalism upon his ship, the normally loud and boisterous crew fell completely silent. Nobody was foolish enough to draw attention to himself when the captain was in a foul mood, though this particular one seemed mercifully short.<br/><br/>"Now, let me not catch anyone having cut into the ship again, or I'll choose half of you at random, and cut your heads off. Carry on, swab away, and keep on the lookout!"<br/><br/>Breathing a sigh of relief, Ganelon took another glance towards the sea only to notice something drifting slowly throughout the fog. Although it was only a tiny silhouette, the shape could only mean one thing.<br/><br/>"Captain! We've got a ship, five degrees to port and heading west!"