Songwoven presents The Black Guards Gallery, a level-up, advanced
fifth edition, limited run campaign.
Episode 2, Steady the Waters.
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Ahoy everyone!
And welcome back to Songwoven, the Black Guards Gallery.
Say hi everyone!
Hi everyone!
Okay, it was a little mixed there.
Not what I wanted, but we'll take it.
Yes welcome back.
In case you missed it at the top of the last session, this campaign is being run on freaking
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Not freaking, you take that part out.
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today's episode, the last episode, and all future episodes.
Do we have any announcements at the top of the show?
Because if not, we can just jump right in.
In!
It's pirates!
Let's go!
Adrenaline Rock!
Let's go!
Oh goodness.
That unironically put a spike of energy in me and now I'm trying to wiggle it off.
Get off, get off, get off.
Too pumped, too pumped.
All right.
With that said, that was our quickest intro ever.
With that said, in the last session of the Blackguards Gallery, we join our motley crew
as they venture into the outer depths of the Riverian Ocean.
Captain Aura, the captain, Daphne, the first mate.
Kev the cook, Hilgen Humphrey the cook.
Please, Mike.
Kev is there!
Kev the cook just sounds so, you know, it's alliterative.
It does sound good.
It's alliterative.
I don't mean to put you in the box, but I hope you can cook, Kev.
I can cook.
Absolutely.
I can cook.
Hold on.
We take turns.
We have...
Nobody knows.
Zachariah the navigator and One-Eyed Jane at deckhand and unofficial muscle.
We started with our motley crew venturing through a rapid storm.
But after everyone got all hands on deck and maneuvered the ship together, they brought
themselves to safety on calmer waters.
They are venturing through what is known as Thieves Crest, a collection of sharp rocks
and shallow waters that no smart sailor would ever dare to venture.
This is the Black Guards.
They're a bit more daring than the rest.
It is also a very convenient place to do dubious dealings from the eyes of the Navy.
It is there that they met the Rustnaughts, another band of pirates who are within the
same pirate confederation as the Black Guards.
After a brief chat, something about a compass, which they had the bottom half of one, the
other top half belonging to Zachariah.
Where does this compass lead to?
That is still in question.
But what mattered to Captain Maruzar, the dragonborn, seven and a half foot tall juggernaut
of the Rustnaughts?
It didn't concern him.
He simply wanted to find out what the Black Guards was worth.
After a choice of game was chosen by Captain Aura, with stakes being if they win they get
the compass, if they lose, Captain Maruzar gets to capitalize on one of their many bounties.
A duel of wrestling went through.
Very shortly thereafter, despite the taunting, Captain Maruzar was sent flying through the
air, no longer a Navy, part of the Air Force, as he lands into the water with his whole
crew basically diving over to help him because he cannot swim.
That is where we left off.
As we go towards one of our, one of our companions, a part of the motley crew who I had left out
of the recap because he is that stealthy.
Humphrey.
In the midst of the commotion as they were preparing their contest, you slipped away,
going in towards the central area, the Captain's quarters.
As you hear the loud taunts of Captain Maruzar outside, ready to fend off with One-Eyed Jane,
who is inhumanely strong, you slip away towards the Captain's quarters.
Humphrey, as you, as you make your way in, I will ask you, what specifically are you
looking for?
As I was just informed, stealing is bad.
I'll try to look for anything, all sorts of papers that have official signa on them,
or like official stamps and stuff maybe.
Maybe treasure maps, all sorts of paper, like stuff like that.
Please go ahead and give me an investigation check.
All right.
I would roll physical dice if I know what all the things I could, what are all the things
that I could add on it.
You have a specialty?
In investigation, sorry, was it?
Yes, investigation.
No, not, no specialty.
Okay.
Oh.
24.
Let's go.
So.
Better not get caught.
So I will say, I will say Humphrey, and we're still hinging on your 30 stealth from last
game.
So that's still, that's still very much there.
So I will say just for clarification, stealing something, it's not a capital offense in the
confederation.
It's just you're going to go to court and you pay the necessary fines.
Oh.
Steal.
Steal everything.
So you can steal.
Just pay the fine.
Steal everything.
We'll pay the fine.
I feel like you're rich enough to steal.
Humphrey does have an expertise die on investigation.
Oh.
Gathering your rumors.
I'll go ahead and take that, roll additional D4 on top of it.
I thought it was already added.
All right.
So I will say 2.
So 26.
26, my favorite number, unironically.
So Humphrey, taking advantage of the commotion outside, which definitely has everyone's attention,
you are, you are sifting through the sort of like, the many, the many documents of the,
of the captain's quarters.
Now I will say that the inside of the captain's quarters is a bit garish.
There is, you know, a very large bed for a very large, for a very large man.
There's, there's actually like an anvil in here, which, you know, interesting addition
to a captain's quarters, but it's a rather large room with a desk set in the middle and
multiple cabinets that are, that are nailed down to the floor.
Sifting through, you do find many things that you would find, you would typically find in
like a charter room in the, in Eustachar.
It seems like these guys are actually pretty organized somehow.
You find a journal, a multiple of, a multiple of them, stacked in one, stacked in one drawer.
And I will say that you do find news clippings.
You haven't been to, you haven't been to a society, you haven't been to like a shore
in a while.
That's why your supplies and then Eustachar is running so low.
So like, and it seems like these news clippings are coming from pretty recently.
Other than, other than that, you do find an assortment of like different, multiple different
items, but like that's, it's nothing that will prove used to you, prove used to you
now.
Okay.
Do I remember in the conversation that happened in, with everyone around, the captain of the
ship mentioned that they got a compass from an old man.
Yes.
Did you mention when they got it?
Like how many days, weeks ago?
Your answer is found if you want to look, if you look through the journal.
Oh yeah, I'd love to do that.
It seems like Captain Marzarr has gone through and wrote down some of his thoughts on events
and it does, it does date that a decrepit old man who shows no respect, who thinks he
can just come up and speak to us basically has given us a useless piece of trash.
But he does, he does then go on to like write down something, something along the lines
of like, I've heard the story a thousand times before, some piece of something that leads
to a lost something.
And the thing that I want to do is that I want to show the image that pirates don't
chase ghosts, that they make their own legend.
But then it keeps going on.
He talks about his former first mate, the one before Whiskey Breeze, how he, how the
first mate wanted to use this opportunity because, uses opportunity because eventually
he found out that the Black Guards are very interested in it and that the first mate wanted
to use this to lure you all in and to capitalize on the bounty and capture all of you.
And on the next note it says, it says, I've known him for seven years.
I hung him right there.
Okay.
Whiskey Breeze is the first mate now.
I will not state my honor.
Holy fuck.
Okay.
That Marzarr goes hard.
I think I've hung him.
He goes, it further says like, I'm going to go to the
He goes, it further says like, I have, says my former first mate is now makes up a part
of the, now makes up a part of the whole.
Oh gosh.
Okay.
This is the best his cowardice will do to me now.
So that probably explains why Whiskey Breeze didn't know who the captain was when you guys
showed up.
Oh my God.
I had literally promoted that day.
Come on Whiskey, you had one job.
You had one job.
Up until the point and it starts correlating with the news clippings.
You can cross in a sec, but it seems to be like there was a process of learning about
the Black Guards.
Captain Marzarr actually tried to learn sign language.
It seemed to speak with Captain Aura.
He did his own research, but then he keeps going on, but then he goes on about like the
noble on the ship.
And you do see like on the, on the clipping, it says House Boreas of Anera defunct.
The Lord of the House has been arrested on the counts of treason.
And there is, and there is, there is a date stating that House, give me one second here.
House Creston will oversee the, will oversee the ceremonies of, of the defunction of House,
of House Boreas.
What was it?
House what?
House Creston.
I'm going to go ahead and type it in the chat.
All right.
I mean, all right.
So this is information that he's withheld during the conversation.
But up until the last point, I'm going to meet the Black Guards in the Thieves Crest,
and I want to know what their, what their worth is and if the stories are true.
Okay.
That's where it ends.
It's no secret to us that Boreas is Aura's last name.
Okay.
These clippings were from a week ago.
A week ago.
Okay.
Any more information on other party members?
Going through.
Like what, just like a little bit on everyone, what their information is.
It seems like the captain was mostly writing about Captain Aura.
And of course, there's like all the tall, all the tall tales and stuff that he writes
about.
When she's in battle, she turns into a demon covered in smoke or, you know, things like
that.
What you could probably think is like, oh, that's probably the gun, the smoke from her
guns that she shoots a thousand times.
She'd never believe the tall tales, only believe the short ones.
Me, they matter too!
Other than that, there is a name on here.
Raelyn Creston.
Do we know this name?
No.
I was checking the notes sheets.
I've been looking through all our notes.
I was going to say, Victor, do you know this person?
Me?
Yeah.
Oh, darn it.
Those who don't know, Victor's reason to answer is because he's posting GIFs in our chat.
Oh, me?
I don't know what you're talking about.
Don't worry about it.
I think...
What do you say the first name was?
Raelyn.
When it says the noble on the ship, is it clearly talking about Aura or does it seem
like it could be interpreted to be someone else?
It could be interpreted as definitely someone else.
And it seems like the noble on the ship and Raelyn Creston are interconnected.
That's what I thought.
You guys know how to ask questions way better than I do.
I'm just here for the treasure.
Now that I feel like I've kind of exhausted the information on the journals and everything,
I'll just kind of go through the drawers and stuff, just looking for gems, like something
like very superficial, like kind of treasure.
With that 26 investigation, you definitely find a great bunch of things.
I will say go ahead and add an assortment of three potions to your inventory.
You don't know what they do yet.
Two of them are blue.
That is soup.
Two of them are blue.
And a sort of milky color.
And I will go ahead and say that you find a belt of some sort.
And it's a fairly large and weighted belt.
It's heavy.
Unless you have a bag of holding, you probably can't conceal this very well.
Okay.
Damn.
We all agree we don't know Humphrey, right?
No way, right?
By this point, Humphrey, as you're kind of like thinking it over, you hear in the distance,
and then a loud splash.
God, it's so tempting.
I can't conceal it.
If I put it around myself and if I...
Oh, wait.
I do have my plate.
What's it called?
One second.
I have the glamored padded leather, which normally looks like a cook's apron.
When I snap my finger, it turns into like a proper armor.
Can I like put it under it and put a belt on?
Of course the apron is armor.
Here's what I'm going to ask of you.
It is a fairly big weighted belt.
The moment you try to put it on to conceal it, it suddenly feels very light.
And you glamored, I am going to go ahead and ask for a stealth check, but it's going to
have to be with disadvantage.
Okay.
Oh, gosh.
Let's have a belt more of a cummerbund.
You'll be fine.
Yeah, let's see.
There's so much stuff I could add.
Yeah, even with disadvantage, I think you're fine.
No special to you?
First is a 27.
Why do I always have to switch between windows?
Why is Humphrey rolling like crazy?
A good mod.
I don't know if that includes expertise or not.
I'm never sure.
Hey, I'm going to tell you right now, man.
I don't think it matters.
So Humphrey, you put it on your shrink scores at 19 now and you just.
All right.
The aprons on you, you feel like you look you're concealing it pretty well underneath
the glamor.
Okay.
And then I'll I bold with all like still thinking about the information that I just read and
feeling kind of above and just like, okay, let's go back.
You have also taken it.
Did you take the assortment of gems?
Oh, no.
You did not.
I wasn't I wasn't aware that there was an assortment of gems.
Yeah, I have the three potions written down.
Yeah, the three potions.
It got lost in the shuffle.
But I said there was an assortment of gems.
Do you take those?
I think not all of them, just like a handful.
All right.
I'm going to not take too long.
It's like a healthy handful.
Nice nice chunk, a healthy chunk.
And you leave.
I'll go ahead and say that you have taken about you have taken about twenty eight hundred
pieces worth of gems with that one grasp.
Eight hundred.
If this ever if this gets found out, you're going to the crew is going to have to pay
triple of what was stolen.
This is why we're respected, though, you know, like just doing pirate things.
Captain Mars was like, I hung my own first mate for these guys.
We're like, we appreciate your humbree.
Thanks.
I only took a handful.
Captain Mars is like, I am an honorable pirate.
I wouldn't do anything to these people.
And then Humphrey is like, OK, anyway, we're where we are because we hustle hard.
After I took all that, I would make my way back to standing next to one of my crewmates
and just like, wow, they still they take a long time for that.
Why can't you swim when you're a ship?
It's crazy.
Humphrey just kind of like slides back into places.
It's like he noticed he was.
He noticed he was gone.
You guys I'll say that you guys were definitely enamored with the sight of a of a flying dragon
born.
They typically don't have wings.
But you get but yeah, it's like Humphrey never left.
OK.
Oh, god damn it.
After.
Let's go.
After a bit of time, you see that the crew members are have a freaking they have to they
they have to throw ropes down and tie up and multiple people have to pull them up.
But eventually, like they're uprooting a piece of sunken treasure.
But instead, it's a grumpy dragon born.
Calving up seawater as multiple other members begin to like crawl up over the onto the top
of the ship.
Everyone seems tired.
After that small while, he just rubs his rubs his like maw and he just stands up still calving
seawater, just looking towards when I Jane and he just goes.
I lost.
Yeah you did.
Probably should learn how to swim, too, if you're going to be like, you know, Captain
Monova of a ship.
But it's OK.
You know, she's right.
Whiskey please cause.
He goes and and Captain Marshal just goes, I will throw you overboard.
Thing is, it's not a problem for me.
I could swim.
I know who gets hanged next.
He clenches his large hands, but just take a deep breath.
On the accords of our agreement, Captain, this compass is yours.
Or I will step forward.
First sign.
Good game, Captain.
And then extend her hand.
He grips your hand and it's like this.
The height difference is like this.
Tiny halfling woman.
He goes prone to.
And he just goes, all right.
It says whiskey, brews, get with the compass, give it to them.
I still have it in my hand.
I never put it down.
As that happens, though, one of the members, specifically the the woman who had confused
you all before, who had greeted you all, just goes, hold on just a moment.
Because I suspect this foul play here.
And the captain goes and the captain goes, that was a fair and honest contest.
Wait, Captain, wait.
Because this this this woman says there is no possible conceivable way that she could
have thrown you as the captain of the Rusnots across the air.
There's an achievement on her.
There's something you saying that the captain was in on it.
Is that what you're saying?
And again, another person captain, you think you've thought about this, right?
It was one more word out of you.
You've seen what happens to the last first mate who went against my wishes.
She looks at Daphne, raises an eyebrow at Daphne.
She was just standing there and then she sees Orra look at her and she's like, like, like,
are you implying something?
You see one of the crew members we're going to go to the table, but you see that you're
already holding on to it, Zachariah.
And they looked towards the captain.
And just waves his hand.
Captain, I believe that one over there wanted to speak with us privately as well.
Oh, which one?
The one who threw you into the ocean with great ease.
Why'd you say it like that?
It looks over that one eye, Jane.
It is true.
How good.
I'll walk that one off.
Because he can't swim that one off.
Zachariah, roll initiative.
I'm kidding.
So he just goes, you want to speak with me privately?
More specifically, and I'll look at the total.
I would like to speak to your first mate.
That's all right.
What did you do?
Looking at Whiskey Breeze.
Whiskey Breeze is like, no, all right.
Let's go to the captain's quarters.
Yes, let's.
And Captain Marsaur just waves his hand through the air, holding up a hand, you see.
A lot of the crew members, like, seemingly taking that as a sign of, OK, you start leading
the weapons against things and like, just lowering the weapons and such.
They put down their bombs.
Captain Marsaur looks to you, Captain Aura, and just goes, I wish you luck in chasing
footsteps, Captain.
It's half the fun.
Tips her hat.
And then messages Daphne and says, let's get everyone back on the ship.
We need to start moving quickly.
I will wait until One Eye Jane is done with her discussion, but I want us to full sail.
Let's get moving.
We are in enemy territory and I want us out.
Yes, Captain.
And she starts gathering, gathering people back, getting everything ready to go.
And Aura, while she waits for One Eye Jane, will just playfully toss a coin back and forth.
Yeah, you're about, yeah, One Eye Jane's about to get fucked.
You should have come here.
Captain Marsaur, before we leave, you said an old man gave you the other half of the
compass, right?
Is there any more information than you can think of?
Description, name, anything?
I suspect this elderly, elderly person has some connection to all of you.
I suspect this was all a ploy of some sort to get us to clash or something of one another.
It was no coincidence for certain.
It was an item that you were all seeking, correct?
And they gave you 10,000 gold pieces in addition to it.
Yes.
I will not allow the Rusnots to be used as tools against their fellow pirates.
They might be watching us right now.
Yes.
There are means, if that's what they're after.
Then I hope they come themselves and break themselves upon my ship.
The old man, was he human?
Yes.
Elgin has a moment where he still has been looking up and after hearing Daphne, he says,
I suppose we will have to look back then.
As he just is communicating with Kenway the eagle, which at this point has taken flight
way above, aiming to basically fly above the range of the bird and just sort of like, just
fly around it at a distance, but always keeping it within its view.
Got it.
So we have Kenway just circling above and keeping an eye out for anything.
Yeah.
I mean, it's basically, right now it's literally stalking the bird that I believe the last
session you said that it started flying in the direction of our ship.
The Kestrel, yes.
The Kestrel, yeah.
So Kenway is basically keeping an eye on that Kestrel.
The Kestrel, I will say by this point, because you have been keeping an eye on it.
It flew towards your ship and it flew towards specifically the inner workings of your ship,
like going down into it.
Brother, fucker, get it off.
No, there's no way in healthcare Kestrel would have allowed that.
All right.
Kenway.
Kenway was basically the idea was keep track on it.
If it attempts to fly out of, if it attempts to go completely away from this area, do not
let it, and if at any point it seems to be like it's going to get out, disappear or go
anything like that, just grab it.
So, okay.
Kenway swoops immediately disappearing into the whole of your ship, giving chase.
But you see that-
I hear a cobalt screaming.
But you see that kind of silently happen.
And I believe, what were we doing just before?
Real quick.
One-eyed Jane and Whiskey Breeze?
Yes.
Captain Marsaur goes, Whiskey Breeze.
Fetch me a sending stone, a pair.
He goes, yes, Captain.
Still walking with One-eyed Jane.
He goes, like I said, we will not be made tools.
If at any point you come across any issues whatsoever, I will come to your aid.
And then we have One-eyed Jane and Whiskey Breeze.
You see Whiskey Breeze closes the door behind.
Just goes, for all intents and purposes, I asked the captain, if I could relay this information,
but it was while he was drowning, so I've got a mixed answer.
I'll just hold out my hand expectantly and just be like, you know why I asked to speak
to you in private.
Just uh, we figured every pirate crew have their secrets.
Just do us best to respect the privacy of other people.
Getting the rolled up parchment over.
And I'll lean in really close and just whisper to him, remember, dead men tell no tales,
so the secret stays between us.
And I'll eat the piece of paper.
There is some, there's some sea water flavor in there.
Great.
Helps it go down.
Didn't he like jump in to go help, so.
Yeah, exactly.
He's all wet.
Yeah.
I meant to do that.
Easier to eat.
As you just eat it, it just keeps going.
Yum.
Okay.
Cool.
You understand?
Yeah.
No, no, I get it.
You get it?
Are you sure?
We have a, I could have thrown that into a fire for you if you want.
No, this is the preferred method of pirates.
Don't you know that?
No.
When you call yourself a professional, shame on you.
That's how they get all the misinformation.
Okay, well this interaction has been confusing.
Good.
And I'll just walk away without saying anything else.
All right then.
Good chat.
As you walk away, digesting this piece of paper.
I'm like cringing as I walk away.
I'm like, oh fuck, why did I just do that?
That was so uncomfortable.
I'm an idiot.
Humphrey, you are attuned to like people's like, if they're hungry, you hear, like there's
a gurgle.
Damn.
I feel like there's a sterms in the forest.
So Captain Aura, I would say you're waiting.
You see that she basically goes in, the doors close and like almost like 30 seconds later
when I just walking out.
Just has a big smile on her face.
And you hear a voice in your head go, good talk.
Yeah, we should get going.
Well done back there.
Come on.
And she'll immediately start moving.
Whiskey Breeze goes ahead and comes out with two sending stones, two stones shaped like
carved like ears.
Hands one to you, Captain Aura.
And Captain Marsaur grabs the other one and just goes, seem like you have a good crew
on your shoulders.
They're alive and it seems like you're leading them well.
It does seem like multiple different types of pirate captains can exist.
What if it works?
It works.
Maybe you lead me, Captain.
Ever play chess?
A few times.
Each of my crew members is a valuable piece on the board.
Each with their own resources and skills, none of which I can emulate.
I am nothing without my crew.
They lead me.
It's nice to meet a pirate with honor.
Can't say the same for me.
And you see a big smile and a peek of like a mangled tongue with her big smile.
Kind of lean over to Humphrey.
Which one of us is the pawn, do you think?
I don't know, if you have to ask, I think you know.
You're right, probably Daphne.
She's been gathering people up so she did not hear that.
For your sake, she did not hear that.
To protect you, Zechariah.
Under northern waters must be dangerous for people with your connections.
We have quite a few connections, as you threatened earlier.
You do.
Indeed.
You're very watered people.
What can I say?
Fair winds to you, Captain Aura of the Blackguards.
Same to you, Captain.
Work on those swimming lessons.
Shut up!
He looks at Whiskey Breeze.
I didn't say anything.
And by this point, everyone, let's go back onto the Ineusticar.
So as everyone goes back and Zechariah, you're holding onto these two pieces.
If you experiment with it, putting them together, it doesn't just...
They don't just come back together.
Yeah, I'm gonna have to go have some alone time with my compass.
Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Compass is not your boyfriend.
I'll approach Captain Aura and I'll be like, all right, we should move out of here like
double time.
Like, let Hildin know.
Hildin I think is a bit busy as her eyes flip over to see what's going on with the bird.
Oh, Hildin, yeah, as soon as the party started to make their way back to the Ineusticar,
Hildin probably would have been one of the first ones because he spotted Kenway diving
down.
So he would have immediately attempted to, you know, discreetly without showing much
alarm, make his way back to the Ineusticar to find out what Kenway may have gotten.
We're gonna get to you shortly.
Humphrey?
Okay.
Also, if you have time later, just drop by the kitchen.
There's something I need to talk to you about.
The missing toffee piece, I have no clue where it went.
I truly, I think little bastard was the one who sneaked it.
It's a tragedy.
I'm so sorry.
That's weird.
That's what everyone keeps saying.
Yeah, yeah.
When stuff goes missing.
Yeah, yeah, it's a shame.
It really is.
Clearance goes.
If I could, I'd get everyone into the boardroom for a moment to discuss what happens next.
I would love that, but I'd also like to get the ship moving.
Yeah.
Because now Humphrey's made me nervous.
Jasper, the sub helmsman, just goes, we're moving then, Captain.
Thank you, Jasper.
All right, everyone.
And he starts giving orders, sails going up as the ship begins to move.
Reasonably calmer waters now.
If it was a storm, then Hylsjön would have to take over.
The ship, the Inusakar, begins to move as the Rusnots, as their ship, the Screaming
Maul, continues to stay there the entire time.
The name of the ship, the Screaming Maul?
Pretty cool, right?
Pretty metal.
Pretty metal, bro.
I should have called it the Whistling Maul, because that's what it sounds like when it's
coming towards you.
Damn it.
For some reason, that name just made me think of Mad Max.
What an empire at first.
The Rusnots are very Mad Max.
They are very Mad Max.
They have a bard on the front of the ship, just hanging out with a fire lute.
The ship begins to move.
Just towards a safer area, also have to retrieve your sister ship.
The Parden.
So as everything begins to move and the ship is being handled, Clarence goes, where is
Azakari?
I'm currently probably climbing up to the Crows' Nest, just to be alone with my compass
and also to be available if needed.
Azakari?
Can you please join all of us?
You couldn't have said that five minutes earlier, Clarence.
It's good strength training.
You can't beat it.
And Clarence begins to head downwards towards the lower decks.
Now he just goes, also, one-eyed Jane, would you do the honors of joining us as well?
It could be persuaded, yes, and then I'll make my way over.
Persuaded very easily.
It's that charm you get when you're a lot older, as he heads down.
So Humphrey, Cap'nora, first mate.
Everyone except for Hil'jin at the moment is heading down towards the boardroom.
Hil'jin.
You head downwards, you have a telepathic bond with Kenway.
You know where he is at all times.
As you head downwards following this sort of bond that you've created, you've actually
this Kestrel has flown down, towards the lower decks, and eventually you get towards the
place where the rooms are, the crew deck.
I'm not sure what it is, but we'll just call them the rooms.
This is where you stay and other important members stay, and everyone else sleeps on
hammocks.
You come down and you see in your sort of map room where there's this central hub area
where all the doors lead to other rooms, and in the central area there's this huge table
with maps and things that you would lay out to plan your trip.
You see Kenway standing on a porthole, seemingly looking out, still in the chase.
It seems to be just standing there.
You can surmise that the Kestrel has flown all the way down here and then through the
porthole.
So Hil'jin would enter, look around, spot Kenway looking out the porthole.
Did you get a whale, friend?
He just says, Kat, just calmly and gently toward the eagle as he looks around to see
if there is anything amiss.
There are papers scattered around, but it looks like that's just a result of Kenway
being a big bird and being very powerful when he flies.
Nothing seems to be amiss, you have to take a moment to look through things.
But nothing seems to be amiss.
Maybe the Kestrel couldn't have taken anything because Kenway was so hot on the trail.
But your eagle friend just kind of leers toward you.
He seems almost upset.
This bird of prey about to get away.
Hil'jin raises his arm and says, come, perhaps there is still a chance.
And so Hil'jin will walk his pet Kestrel on his arm, Kenway on his arm, as he makes
his way to the door and he pauses for a moment.
And once again, he just looks back.
I would say that by this point, the rest of the crew, because the state room, the boardroom
is down here, begins to descend.
And you all see Hil'jin with Kenway on his arm.
I would say that if I would spot Aura, and I will say to Aura, I would like for you to
try to look around.
And if there is anything that you think may be missing, do let me know.
I will be back.
I believe the Kestrel, the Hil'jin just pauses.
I believe the Kestrel was here.
Kenway followed it.
It flew away through the portal, it seems.
There may be something missing.
Yes.
Hil'jin will just look at the group and say, I will be back.
And he will make his way out to release Kenway.
So to basically ask for Kenway to go scouting, and he will also take the time to use his
senses and look around to see if there's anything in the distance that could potentially hint
to either the Kestrel or anything else that may be in the horizon that we haven't been
aware of.
Bring it back in one piece.
If you find it.
He's gonna eat it.
Just to play out.
Go ahead and give me a survival check.
Hil'jin, you're gonna go to the top of the ship to go find that Kestrel.
Okay.
So you begin to head upwards.
Sorry, there's so much noise.
It's gonna pick up on the screen.
Big cars driving by.
Busy sea.
And just a traffic here in the ocean.
So Hil'jin, you make your way upwards.
As Hylen passes, I'm just gonna sort of reach down and kind of pull out my spyglass, hand
it to him.
On the way up.
He will take it and just give you a nod as he proceeds.
So that would be with a proficiency, a proficient.
So that would be total of 19.
Okay.
So we'll get to that.
We'll get to you again.
As Clarence goes, something about another bird to everyone else.
Nod.
From Aura.
Well, you all have better eyes than I do.
What are you trying to say?
You all have better vision than I do.
Mm-hmm.
That was very good, by the way, Wadaidj.
You are very strong.
Anyways, he starts walking towards the state room and opens up the door for everyone to
fall in.
The state room is a large room with like a boardroom table.
There used to be a Navy ship and this is where the Navy's do their like, hmm, what corrupted
shit I'm going to do today.
But it has been fashioned to you.
There's also access to sort of like an unofficial flag room.
You see the Black Guard's flag hangs above and there are barrels with flags stuck in
there.
In the very corner of the room is a white flag that has collected so much dust over
the years.
But you all fall into the room and Clarence goes, all right, well, a six-month-old mystery
come to a solve.
So, Zachariah, if you can remind me, this is going to bring us towards a treasure, correct?
Yes.
I'm certain.
You're certain?
All right.
These last six months we've just been hinging on this one plan and now it seems like it's
came together, but seemingly all by just a big coincidence.
I'm not the only one here that's worried, right?
Definitely not a coincidence.
Something's trying to lure us and I think we should be cautious, especially immediately
after this, is my impression.
If the bird was a familiar or something, I wouldn't be surprised if we'll be running
into unsavory people soon.
No doubt.
The directions that we're going to, too.
This is the one ocean I really don't want to be on right now.
On what occasion?
Everything happening up north.
What about you, Zachariah?
Can you put that piece together?
I'll need a little bit of time, but yeah.
Little once.
Before you do, I'd like to take that half so that I can attempt to scry on the person
who gave it to them.
It might give us some insight on what to expect if it's successful and it has a higher chance
of being successful if I use it.
Very good idea.
I could do it now, even.
Or is this watching, Zach?
Yeah.
I'll place it on the table.
Then I'll pick it back up.
Then I'll put it back on the table.
I take it.
You take it.
Does any additional information help towards that old man?
If I have met him, it'll be easier.
But since I don't know the name, I can't be sure that I have met him or not.
Will it still be easier if you have met him but don't know you've met him?
It should.
I think the connection through the magic and whatnot, it would be enough.
There also wasn't a name in the journal.
Oh, sorry.
Go ahead.
Oh, yeah.
They didn't know the name is what they told us.
Just a human.
The crepit old human man.
With no respect.
I wasn't sure.
She'll get out this crystal ball and start casting the spell.
Which takes 10 minutes, though.
While that's going on, Humphrey is like...
I don't take very kindly getting blackmailed or my family getting blackmailed.
So I was just taking a quick look around, you know, while the ruckus was going on.
And I just emptied out my pockets like a handful of gems, like three potions, and whoever wants
to be strong.
I don't know.
I think like it'll be good for everyone.
I don't think it'll help you when I Jane you already know.
Super tough.
But maybe that makes for a good arm wrestling competitor to whoever has it.
Or that his robe is gone.
That is, I bring goes, oh, no more kisses for the cook.
I see.
Oh, it goes back.
Humphrey, when did you you were next to?
I know.
Don't worry.
You get used to it.
Humphrey for shame.
Well, you know, you're not supposed to do that.
I mean, if they would have been nice from the beginning, I wouldn't have had to do this.
Oh, well, they know where we are.
They can come get it back if they want to.
Or a shakes descending stone that can even fall.
But here in your hands.
I mean, there was a rough storm.
Maybe they just lost it at sea.
Yeah.
So are we just the inner cycle or inner circle or is it everyone?
All the inner circle is just this.
Okay.
Yeah.
Just share it upon shared with you guys.
It's I don't know how much it probably is.
Right.
I just I know.
He knows that it's twenty eight hundred, but I'm not sure if Humphrey knows.
Has to be appraised.
It looks it looks valuable.
Yeah.
You've seen a thousand of these.
Yeah.
Also, Daphne, maybe look if there's any you need for spell ingredients or something.
You know, you sometimes do that.
Need.
Can we talk to Daphne while she's scrying or is she like kind of gone?
She is kind of focused, but she.
But she is vaguely aware of what's going on.
OK, so we can't just like talk about her like in front.
To get back on to get back on topic for a moment.
It's very obvious that with through our very keen eyes that the situation reeks.
Just and we're being lured into territory that I don't very much enjoy being in.
Yes.
Looking to looking to Zachariah for a moment just goes.
Certainly, there's no hurry and says in getting to where we need to go, right?
You don't have to say anything.
No, I just.
Not sure.
But sooner the better.
Well, whatever is luring us, they don't know who says they don't know just how clever we
can all be.
Most of us foolish.
Don't be so hard on yourself, Zachariah.
He just goes, but I am worried out of my wits for anything that might happen.
But more pressing matters to attend to at the moment is that we're our coffers and our
panties are currently almost empty.
I wasn't mentioning that.
Before we do anything, I reckon that we should looking at the map on the state board table.
I reckon that we should just began looking for a place to restock our means.
Begins like looking at the map.
The sentiment here is that we're being cautious, correct?
For a nod.
We have a lot of precious cargo on board.
He here.
She signs.
Correct.
What I Jane, if I can go ahead and ask, what was the matter of the meeting between you
and the whiskey breeze?
I yeah, I am speaking of jealous.
You know, I could tell that whiskey breeze was flirting with me and I just thought to
nip that in the bud right away.
It was strictly professional.
So I was just wanting to let him down easy.
Not in front of everybody.
You know,
Make a deception check.
Can I can I make an insight check?
Yes, absolutely.
And I want to I want to use the feature that I have.
Spot tell that if I make it if a creature makes a deception check opposed to my insight
check and I win the check, I learn to recognize the signs that the target is bluffing.
Oh no.
What?
Would this be considered concealing my emotions?
Maybe perhaps.
Is this just a full line proficiency die?
I'll say I'll say yeah, there is a manner of concealing emotions here.
Is there also can I also use my specialty for detecting lies?
Yes, absolutely.
No, advance prediction.
Everyone,
I just love it.
Everybody's doubling down.
It's like, okay, I want to detect it.
I want to conceal it.
I want to double detect it.
Oh my god.
You roll a 20 total and then he rolls 30.
Oh my god.
You know my whole life story at that point.
When I Jane was born in social now, you see that there is just like a look of natural
doubt from from Clarence as he's sort of like sort of looking at you.
But but Humphrey, you're the one who detects that there is definitely some there's definitely
some untruth in her in her claim that the total was flirting with with her.
All right.
He just like he gives like the rock eyebrow.
And now you know her tells no hotels.
And for the next 24 hours, I even have advantage on inside checks against against one.
I'm going to go take a 24 hour nap.
Holy shit.
30.
You've been rolling insane.
This entire campaign is a fucking high roller, my man.
But there is Humphrey and Clarence about very in tune with their crewmates.
And this is no this is no different.
This is no this is years of taking care of taking care of people.
You know what makes them take away to persons heart is through their stomach.
Absolutely.
And your stomach is gurgling, Jane.
With the paper.
What do you know?
Who would do such a stupid thing?
Once goes well, I'm sure we'll figure out the all the much other much more affectionate
details of how that rendezvous went later.
But for right now, looking down at the map, it looks like we can park ourselves in East
Rune for a bit.
He's pointing he points towards like a location that's not in our Honda or south of like far
south of our Honda or he points at two towns called Eloris and Wall Hill.
I'm going to go ahead and take that.
Yes, we have these two towns here.
Don't know says says don't know greater do not don't know a great amount of them, but
it's on this map for a reason.
I reckon we can find our food and resupply there.
Maybe we can get a couple more nights of song and drink and ask if we're still heading directly
into danger.
That is true.
Also, maybe stuck up on equipment, potions, whatever we need.
Right.
She would be avoiding thinking about it right now because she's just passively listening
and focusing on the spell.
But can I ask since she or Hondo is closer to those places, would she be more familiar
with those towns?
It's close, but it's still in another nation completely.
It's far away from your sort of home.
But I will go ahead and go ahead and give me a culture check, actually.
With intelligence, with intelligence.
OK, first new check.
23 nice.
The manner of East Run and or Hondo or Lord very fast Lord Lord Dumb is that they're basically
two symbiotic nations.
Obviously, you know, Hondo is basically like an extension of Eastern.
So they're probably like very like closely connected.
And there was a push since you left, there was a push to build more to build more like
docks and such alongside East Run that could hold on to Navy ships.
But these are new ventures and they take years to complete.
So these are probably like like port towns and since they're on this map specifically,
they're probably burgeoning, like becoming bigger, like still being worked on, probably
in construction at the moment.
OK.
So good places to restock, but also could be an extension of the or Hondo Navy could
be.
Laura will sign any chance of Deacon and his crew about these waters.
Focusing on the spell and trying to cast like and like she almost like flinches at the name
Deacon.
She's signing and refocuses.
OK, so she might have not seen it.
You might have seen it.
I feel like she has like a sense.
But if she were to see her signing, then she could.
Yeah.
Yep.
Definitely on the same waters.
But they're not going to do anything to us.
What do you mean by that?
Well the Black Guards, goodness, they're not going to do anything.
They're not going to do anything to us because we're not even going to we're not even going
to meet them.
And if they and if they do, and they're and they're foolish enough, if they have half
a brain, they're not going to they're not going to come towards us.
Let's say they need a watery doom.
Well said.
Zechariah, your connection with the Compass, will you be able to maintain control as we
get closer?
I'm not sure what you mean.
You're very attached.
It means a lot.
Well as I see it, let's have a few days of merriment before throwing ourselves into a
most one may say our biggest adventure yet.
Goodness, Clarence takes a seat as Daphne the 10 minutes pass.
I'm going to say good.
Casting the spell, casting the scrying spell.
She has her crystal ball that she has to channel the spell through.
But she's using using the Compass to to try to focus in and hone in on the specific person
searching magically through the scrying ball and everything to try to connect with this
person.
I have if I have met the target, he has plus zero to his DC.
If I've only heard of the target, it's brings my DC down by five.
But I do have a possession of the target.
So I also add plus four.
So just make it minus one to my DC at that point if I have never met him.
And my DC naturally is 16.
So I'm rolling.
Let's see real quick.
Warlocks baby.
If I have not met him, then it'll be DC 15.
I have.
You have met this person.
OK, then.
I don't know them well, I'm assuming, though, just met.
So I'm going to go ahead and roll.
So my DC would be 19.
Sorry.
No, my DC would be 20.
20.
Let's go.
OK, your vision shunts somewhere else as you gaze deeply into the crystal ball.
As this as this sort of as your eyes take a glaze over for a moment, taking on an arcane
hue, you are placed within a room of stone and cobblestone.
It's a very comfortable looking room.
And there is an older man currently standing in front of a wardrobe with a mirror on it.
He is currently putting on a tie and just like looking himself in the mirror, getting
so situated.
You know who this old man is during your time in Ohandor.
He is someone who has been kind to you before.
This is Brando Caligaris, the current captain, the vice admiral of the Navy.
He has he's putting on a sort of like fur lined like cloak and his uniform and just
getting seemingly getting himself getting himself ready to head out.
He is a his face is very like very sculpted.
It goes inwards and you can see like a you know like he's very bone.
He's a very scrawny.
He's a very scrawny man.
But he's a very he's very wise, very experienced old man who has reason who has risen to a
station with the lack of a with the lack of a noble marquee house in Ohandor.
It's at this point I want you to make a perception check.
Come on.
Please, please be good.
I would like to notice the things I'd like to see.
Eleven.
You see in the moments of his preparing, he kind of like flicks off dust and and such.
But he's trying to remain stately.
But there's a knock on the door.
You hear?
Vice Admiral?
Yes.
We've brought the prisoner.
Goodness, don't call him that.
And he walked.
He you see he scurries over to the door and he opens up as he opens up the door.
You see that there is a man in another another uniform.
Just just some person, a human and standing in front of the door is a half a half elven
person with like freckles on the face and brownish hair.
His clothes seem to be tattered and he's bruised in the face.
And he seems to be very, very defensive right now.
His feet are bare and a bit torn.
He's a bit hurt.
And you see Caligaros goes, goodness, what did you do?
What did they do to you?
He says.
And half of averts his eyes for that moment for the captain before before Brando just
goes, goodness, OK, says, leave us fine.
Whoever did this, says, bring them here.
I want to see to them personally.
Says, and the other the the other member of the Navy leaves.
Just goes, just goodness gracious.
I'm so sorry for what they don't do.
Holding onto the half elven, breaking them over to like a bed.
It says, Darryl Darryl, right?
That's your name.
Yeah, Darryl.
I'm so sorry.
We they tend to keep order.
These people, they they act, but they don't think, you know.
It says, where?
Where is it?
It says, that thing in your possession, right?
I think you know exactly what I'm asking for.
Yeah.
You see, the thing is, Darryl, I actually need your help in coming to go find it.
It says, now, it says, now we haven't really shown you any, you know, Navy's honor and
all that.
And we haven't shown that to you.
And you can't, you can't have your own perception be, be rotten by a few bad eggs.
It goes, we're going to get you dressed up.
We're going to get you all healed up.
And we're going to go, go where?
Anywhere but anywhere but a old dungeon, right?
It's been holed up in there for six months already.
Come on.
It'd be nice to get you for a walk.
I, um, are you going to kill me?
No.
Goodness.
They really beat you up in there, didn't they?
Here, let's get a hot meal in you.
Let's get you dressed in better clothes.
It says, let's get you some fresh air.
It goes, to be honest, I don't know why we've been keeping you down there for so long.
Sorry, I'm just so busy.
That's what I've been, uh, tending the maps and like, you know, a whole Navy.
It says, you don't look like a prisoner.
I think it's high time that we should apologize, we should find our ways to apologize to you.
It says, something, uh, can you do something for me real quick?
Yeah?
Right there.
Right over there.
He points towards you in the, he points towards you in the vision.
Can you wave?
Just wave right there.
Oh no.
Daphne!
I can't see it.
Freaking.
Daryl, the half elf, just with his hands shaking waves just towards this, in his vision,
an empty part of the room.
Come on, we got things to do.
And they walk out of the room.
Well, she's a little frustrated, but does that mean he has true sight?
See invisibility.
You can, any creature who can see invisibility, um, can see the sensor.
So.
Yeah.
He can see invisibility, I guess.
Um, as he, as he, as he gets up and starts heading out of the room, he, uh, he deposits
there outside for a moment.
He goes, he goes, feed him, do everything, do anything you can to make him comfortable.
And then he starts walking towards you, Daphne.
Oh God.
I'll let him, I won't, I won't back out.
I don't think there's a way for you can turn it.
And he, he comes to a point as he just kind of observes, and you've never seen anyone
do this before, like knowing that you're there.
You have a lot of questions, very important questions.
I do too.
I want the same answers as you do.
He goes, well, I'll be on my way.
Be safe, because believe it or not, your safety is my top priority.
And he walks away out of the room.
Okay.
If there was any time left in the spell, she lets it go.
It's gone.
And she does look frustrated, but she goes and regathers her senses.
And she says, it's...
I take the Composite and use it.
I'll let you.
Brando, the vice admiral of the Leviathan Legion.
And he knew I was watching.
Ah.
Well, I guess we're playing tag then.
I don't know that he knew it was me, but he might be able to assume.
Wait, why would the Navy want us to have the other half of the Compass?
Trapped.
To it, maybe?
Sounds like a trap.
They'll never know where it leads to, unless they broke it in the first place and had it
from the beginning.
Correct me if I'm wrong, they don't like to get their hands dirty, definitely.
It's not my experience, but I suppose they tried to present as the cleanly, more often
than not, well, until they promoted Deacon.
Ah yes, Deacon the Dick.
There was a prisoner in the Vision.
They said he'd been there for six months.
His name was Daryl.
Last name?
They didn't say.
Brown hair.
Anyone know what Daryl?
How does that ring a bell?
Freckles.
A half-elf.
We didn't have last names for abortions.
Or a tilt-sphere head at that.
Brando, he's a vice admiral, you said?
He's, well now the vice admiral.
He's seventy-something years old.
Real quick, by this point, Hylosian.
Yeah, what's going on with the bird?
Hylosian, I'm going to say that your hunt has yielded, it's went on for a bit now,
the entire length of this conversation.
If I may also, because I'm still familiar with it and I don't know if it'll matter,
but on my survival, I have specialty skill of tracking, and on my perception, I have
far sight.
Well, very helpful.
Very helpful.
So, thought I'd put it out there.
But definitely noted.
But I would say passively looking around and keeping an eye on you and your bird, which
can spot anything.
You are the perfect tracker-spotter duo.
It seems like the results yield nothing.
It's frustrating.
The bird just has to have disappeared.
Basically.
But maybe that's what you can surmise.
Do you go back into the quarters below?
So, Hilden is going to have a moment of just frustration as he has that sort of sense of
this, it's very unlikely that something would be able to just get away this way, especially
with him and Kenway.
And he just keeps Kenway out and about.
He decides to keep Kenway still flying around the ship and in its vicinity, keeping eyes
on it to make sure if there's anything that happens to send the connection through the
bond, if there's anything that it's found.
And he is going to proceed to go down to the quarters once more.
And he's going to go back to the room where this happened, which I think is where everybody
else is right now.
And sorry, I'm trying to find the thing that I'm doing.
Where is it?
Sorry.
You're absolutely fine.
Everyone sees Hilden return to the room as everyone's still talking.
Yeah, you guys see him return, but he doesn't seem to even be paying that much attention
to what is being said.
He's just looking around the room so he can do something that I'm trying to find in my
notes, my character sheet.
All good.
You're fine.
I'm constantly scrolling like, wait, do I have something?
Do I have something for this?
I know, I know.
Oh my god.
It's so cool though.
I do love the...
Yeah, I really like everything.
I was going through all the notes when there were so many name drops.
We're all like, do you know them?
The freckles, sorry.
You guys were talking.
Yeah.
He's in 70 something years old.
He used to be a shoemaker before he joined the military.
He's known as being kind and easy to get along with, but I've honestly never trusted him.
He was accompanied by an orphan.
Did he look well?
Yeah.
Well enough.
Is Daphne lying?
Yeah, she's lying because he was clearly on the...
She's lying.
She just realized that you care and that you're kind of fragile and so she's like, I'm not
going to touch it.
But she goes, it's probably lucky that Brando has him because others might not be as gentle
with their prisoners.
They were going for a walk.
I'm going to get to work on this and I'm just going to take the compass and leave.
Laura leans forward on the table and Sakariya leaves.
Same.
Should we be worried about him?
I mean, the little compass thing, we all kind of agree it's a little bit intense.
I think so too.
I think I want him to be more forthright about what all this is and what we're going in,
risking our lives for.
I can scare it out of him if you want.
You hear a resounding no in everyone's head.
All of us came to this ship with different pasts.
We decide who we are the moment we step onto it.
When Sakariya is ready, he will reveal it.
And if he's not, well, won't that be exciting when we find out?
An answer to a riddle.
Hildren, what's going on?
Right.
So before I respond to this, I finally found what it is and I need to check the DM to see
if you will allow this.
So here it is.
I have an ability that is a master tracker, but the ability says that usually if you're
in an outdoor space and you spend five minutes on the outdoor space, you can basically after
five minutes figure out what transpired for the last 24 hours in that place.
Jesus Christ.
What the fuck?
Anything related to vision, obviously, it's not like I can hear what happened.
It's just that by basically, you know, Aragorn tracking Marion Pippen.
I know that this is not an outdoor space, so I'm asking the DM if he would allow for
me to use that as a basically because the papers that fell and were on the ground and
everything to see if I can use that tracking sense.
Also knowing the fact that I have Kenway and I know how Kenway flies and moves and attacks
to use that to see if I can visualize with this tracking what actually transpired between
Kenway and the Kestrel.
You're definitely will acquainted with this ship and you will acquaint you're definitely
will acquainted with acquainted with Kenway.
Oh yes, I'll allow it.
In that case, Hilden will probably after after Aura calls to him, he just has that he has
a moment where he signals to her that he needs a moment.
And you can tell Aura, you would know what he's doing.
If this is something that he does, you've seen him do this often, especially in the
wilderness since the beginning of his eyes.
Instead of they not glazed out, they actually look very sharp.
They look like Kenway's eyes really like it's almost like he's scanning his very sharp and
he's you see his has this moment where he will look at a place of a pause, look at another
place slowly move around and start tracking and you'll see that he's moving and hands
hovering over some of the papers that fell off.
And if any of you would try to like grab them and pick them up and organize them, he would
just have a moment of just don't do it.
And you this is bat space.
That's Hilden.
That's that's one of the things that he'll just does.
You'll see him just go into his tracking mode to the others.
You hear Aura saying in your head, did I ever tell you about how this is how he found me?
Like an old man stumbling in the dark.
That's how I found you.
Oh, well, yeah.
Well, Clarence, that we know.
And he just and Clarence goes, I ever like just he's doing like I love this part pointing
at it as your eyes are just flinging back and forth as you're reconstructing what had
happened.
The custard definitely flew down here.
And it was probably a place where it perched for a moment before Kenway came down and attempt
and attempted to and then did a swipe at it.
There are claw marks.
There's like a very small like talent market.
There was unnoticeable before, but like it's so it's so vague and deep.
Kenway is very usually very precise.
So the fact that he missed swooping in on something is a little incredulous in itself.
Kenway probably the castle probably flew straight for the port for the porthole and Kenway followed
his wings beaded.
And that's why that's probably why the papers flew everywhere.
Okay.
Would there be any relevance as to where the Kestrel may have been perched?
Looking near the mark, it is on top of like a barrel.
Like it's in simulator there is a space between like the wall and the barrel.
And the claw mark is pretty close to the wall.
So perhaps if there was a place to hide, it would be in that space.
It is listening distance to the boardroom.
Gotcha.
I would say that Hilden would probably be moving around.
Everybody would see him moving eventually seeming to spot a place on the wall.
He approaches the place.
His hand seems to trace over something that at first glance for most people would seem
like that's just part of the wood of the ship, but it's actually the claw mark that he spotted
and noticing the area behind he looks between the barrel and the wall as he tries to see
if there are any feathers or anything else that would hint to not just Kenway's feathers,
but also the Kestrel feathers and try to trace that, see if there's anything.
Nothing.
Nothing there at all.
And then from there would be the porthole.
He would approach the porthole as well, trying to...
How big is the porthole compared to what the Kestrel size would be?
Like would the Kestrel be able to go through that porthole?
A Kestrel porthole is like very small.
Kenway had issues.
But would have the Kestrel would have been able to go through that porthole without making
contact with it?
Yeah, like a smooth glide through.
Yeah, I mean, Hilgen will find his way finally to the porthole where he tries to see if there's
any traces or anything, which seamlessly there isn't.
And after that, he seems to stand back up straight, sigh.
Like I said, the Kestrel was here and Kenway tried to attack it, but it flew through the
porthole.
I went outside.
There is no sight of it.
Aura tipped her head and goes, you couldn't see it.
Hilgen looks at Aura and nods.
And you can tell that his nod is that thing of like, this is no ordinary Kestrel.
Not a little birdie.
If it were in fact a familiar, all they would need to watch this space as I just did to
our benefactor of the compass would be to see the space.
So they could get a, are we thinking they wanted to look at our maps or they wanted
to get a view of the ship as a whole in case they wanted to board?
Or perhaps they want to have a place that they can look into while we are here discussing.
It didn't drop anything, did it?
I mean, you can look at items as well, no?
The papers that were scattered on the floor, I know it was just them, the bird flying through,
but what papers were they that the Kestrel might have seen?
In exact order, Tim, please.
Okay.
Detail.
We want you to agree.
Sorry, I was just putting on music.
There are charter maps, like navigation things, like places where you would go, but these
are all like in the past, basically.
These wouldn't be very helpful because of course you went to Thieves' Crest, you're
here at the moment.
So I would say nothing on your table right now is of really utmost importance.
Let's burn it.
All of it.
Humphrey, last time we did that.
We didn't have the maps to have a detonator yet.
I'm very hyper fixated on Brando right now because he would be the one who knew where
we were meeting and makes me think of if it were someone's familiar, it might be his.
Do I know what his skill set is like?
Is he like a mage or?
Really like, he's just like, from what you know, I'm just going to give this to you because
you know your own Navy history.
He's just very, he's just very charismatic.
He knows how to lead a ship very well.
He's very strategic.
But as far as his fighting prowess goes, as far as you know, like basic training probably.
Like not exceptional.
On a scale of whiskey breeze to Clarence, where on the old man difficulty scales.
I'm letting you know the Clarence and whiskey breeze scales are two scales that are kissing
each other.
Okay.
Those are how close they are.
Okay.
You got to find a new threshold to use, man.
We need some more old guys.
I would say Hilden will probably, after hearing Daphne talk about the familiar stuff, he probably
would look at the group and lock in on Aura.
I suggest that the next time that we decide to have conversations of importance, that
we find a different location.
As of now, I do not believe that this Kestrel found any other rooms because Kenway was after
it.
But if indeed this is something that could have someone listen in, then this room may
not be safe for now.
We are a step behind, it seems.
She looks to Daphne.
And I heard about wanting to go to East Room.
I think it's very possible that we could run into the Leviathan Legion there.
It might be under some semblance of...
Yes, it should be more safe than perhaps other places, with them being growing towns or whatnot,
but it is very possible, especially if they know where we are in general and apparently
have some sort of interest.
I have a feeling I could be wrong.
I often am.
They want us to succeed.
What he said, more or less.
Hmm.
The Black Guards becoming puppets to the Leviathan fleet.
It appears perhaps they want us to be both the trap and the bait.
Well.
We might as well give them hell on our way down.
We need to know who...
Unless you want to turn back.
She looks to everyone.
If we knew who Darryl was, and why they have him.
I'm gonna go speak to Zachariah in a moment.
One-eyed Jane.
Your secrets are your own.
I will ask nothing of you.
But keep in mind, this is a crew.
There will be no threatening of each other.
I just, you know, if it was ever needed, none of the crew would have anybody.
I know.
Why do you think I chose you earlier?
Which thank you, by the way, that was like the highlight of my...
Wonderful.
I'm so proud of you.
Career.
Thank you.
With that said.
Well, at least we know the game we're playing now, don't we, everyone?
All right.
That'll be something.
Anything else to discuss?
One thing, Humphrey.
I need a bag of marshmallows.
Will you please accompany me to the kitchen?
Not sure if we have any left, but sure.
Thank you.
At ease, everyone.
Come now.
Relax.
We just beat an impetrible storm.
Grieve.
Rejoice.
One-eyed Jane threw that captain over the side and you hear a gargled chuckle as she's
just laughing her ass off thinking of that image.
That was great.
I don't know how much setups you have to do to do that, but you're going to have to tell
me.
So I can catch up to you.
Yeah, yeah, Clarence, I'm sure you can catch up to me.
While they're all saying that, only in Daphne's head will Daphne hear.
I will keep you safe.
You're my first mate.
You're not going anywhere.
She tries to subtly sign back because she didn't say it out loud.
She just signs, I'm not worried about that.
Then have fun.
And with that, she'll start heading towards the kitchen.
Captain, whenever you have the chance, I would like to speak with you later as well whenever
you're finished.
I'm going to go prepare something for Zachariah real quick.
So many appointments today.
Should I get out your agenda?
She says.
Or it goes, I really fucking hate when this happens.
Daphne takes out a planner and she's like, no, no, no, please, no.
Oh, it was a joke.
Oh, Daphne, good job.
I'm proud.
Oh, very well done.
Very well done.
I'll say, Hilden, when Aura said the whole wanting to go back, Hilden just looked at
Aura with a knowing sort of like very subtle smile that she knows, like he's not going
anywhere.
They can't go back anyway.
Yeah.
And he with that, he would look at the group and then just say, I will go back to the helm.
If we are indeed in enemy territories, then I will make sure they will.
I'll give them help if they want to try to follow us.
And Hilden would proceed.
Just to be clear real quick, we're heading towards, because we are heading right towards
Aloris or Walhalla.
There.
We are.
All right.
We're after.
Hilden, keep us safe.
Keep us safe at work.
And as Hilden returns to the helm, he uses his Marauder feature, secret ways.
When you navigate while traveling, pursuers have disadvantage on checks to make and track
your group.
Yo, our crew is so fucking cool.
Let's go, guys.
Let's fucking go.
I'm beginning to realize what in the Penitential Fortress this group is.
You're wondering why Hilden's the Helmand?
Now you know.
With that, there is from here until you get to, I'm going to go ahead and assume Aloris,
because that's the closer one.
There are four days ahead.
We're going to head and take this moment of downtime to go ahead and see what the crew
is up to during certain days.
But Captain Aura, you have more pressing matters at hand.
So you're with Humphrey at the moment.
Yep.
We're walking to the kitchen to secure a bag of marshmallows, but also Humphrey wanted to
talk to me.
So I'm giving him that time, too.
So everyone, if you want to talk to any crew member, player, anything, keep that in mind
and get to you eventually.
As the days just pass, just assume everything is normal.
I'm going to, because I will need to step down soon, everyone, unfortunately.
But I'm going to go ahead.
I know.
But I'm going to go ahead and take the advantage of the fact that I'm at the helm to pretty
much state what Hilgen would be able to do with survivalists.
He while on the journey, he can take two journey.
He can do two journey activities instead of one.
And some of those we hunt, hunt and gather and scout.
So you can assume that Hilgen throughout the journey of navigating, making sure to keep
everybody safe with a secret path.
He would also take some times to use in conjunction with Kenway to try to spot areas in the ocean
where there seemed to be more fish activity.
And so from time to time, he would basically take a moment, grab a boat and just like go
into hunting mode and gathering mode, getting some fish and then coming back up.
And during that time, he would be scouting also with the help of Kenway.
So he would just be doing his thing where he's just like very almost like a dance that
he does constantly with Kenway and the helm.
Hilgen just gets in a rowboat with his bow and starts shooting arrows into the ocean.
Listen, he gets it done.
Kenway can bring the arrow back.
So he's too he's too self-reliant.
You guys are talking in your porthole and your conversation with the.
Okay, so we're going to we're going to try to do this.
Hilgen.
So you have to go now?
Yeah, probably.
I'm going to say that I'll just leave Hilgen in that place.
So that's what he'd be doing.
I don't know if you want me to roll or how do I go about rolling?
Figure out how much like I hunt and gathered.
You know, like crew fed sushi, you know, like some fish and chips.
Yep, let's go.
I got me like diversity of meals.
But yes, I'm going to say that that's what he'll just doing.
You guys are awesome.
Keep being amazing.
I love you.
And with that, with that real quick, we're going to go on break.
All right.
See you there.
Bye bye.
See you guys.
I love you.
I can't wait for next week.
We love you too.
And we're back.
Hello, everyone.
A little bit of a different layout.
Just to accompany things, but we're all we're all such busy people.
All right.
Where we last left off, the crew were going to their different accommodations as as Hilgen
helms the ship towards Eloris.
We start with Captain Aura and Humphrey.
All right.
So I called you to the kitchen first to to get some to talk about the all the things
we need, all the food.
But that's already been taken care of.
Another thing while I was going through the captain's quarters, I was looking through
some notes, you know, I was being a bit nosy and.
Where you were.
That's so unlike you.
I don't know.
I saw all the papers and had to look also because of that old man.
I was curious.
How you don't talk a lot about your family and where it came from.
I remember if I remember correctly, you were denounced, right?
But is there any lingering connection?
Is there anything still?
No.
OK, I get to the point.
What are you getting at?
There has been news that are about a week old that the Boreas House, the lord of the
Boreas House was arrested for treason.
And now now it's overseen by the house Creston.
And I just want to know if that rings, that rings any bells or if it's.
You know, ringing some alarm bells, anything.
Well, as my background, being a noble, I believe I have high society where I know of most of
the noble families for hundreds of miles.
Yes, you know, everyone in the Ineos Empire.
Do I know of this family?
Creston?
Do you know of this family?
Yes, of course you do.
One of the prime, like one of the front facing houses of the entire empire.
They are loyal and stalwart house Creston, which is headed by Rickard Rickard, Rickard
the second has has been a house of the empire for a long time and has been staunchly loyal.
They are on the forefront of like all the of like every like battle.
They are the one of the biggest sayers in politics and they are known to be very traditional
people.
Very capable strategists, very capable of politics, very good at war and battle.
They have you do know that they're they are very prized house because they have a dragon
mark or miss mystical sigils that are born on a person to basically like a blessing from
a god on their bloodline specifically that grants them specific enhanced abilities that
give them an edge over common folk.
It's dragon mark people are only found within that like sort of like continent.
But yeah, house Creston is one of the prime houses and if they're an enemy, that's an
issue.
They usually don't stick to the Navy stuff, but face them in a ground war and it's a good
chance it's hellish.
You know on what grounds of treason Humphrey didn't say specifically just treason and when
was this about a week ago?
Or there was nothing more or due to her being a halfling never shows fear.
She just doesn't understand what that emotion is, but you do see sadness on her face and
she nods and you hear in her head in your head a question.
Humphrey when we released you from those cells many years ago, why did you stay with us?
You could have just left.
Well, I didn't think I'd fit in anymore where I was before and well on the grounds that
I was that I was kept there in the dungeon.
I don't think I would have found a place in that in that back in the castle or back with
those families that I were with.
I just and I I honestly also didn't want to to burden them with what they thought was
my fault.
I think it would have gotten back to them and I still hold them very dear, but I don't
know you guys seemed like a capable bunch amazing people understanding accepting.
And I felt right at home.
Your methods are unconventional, but you are loyal to a T and that loyalty is something
that I highly prize and from her pocket she will reveal a chess piece it being the night
when she puts it in his hand and says thank you for sharing that with me my friend.
Thank you.
I appreciate it very much.
The only concern I had is with with all of that is there is there any chance that they
now have the upper hand against us?
That they if we were in a in a situation where they would threaten the Lord's life, would
it affect you?
Would it would it cloudy or your choices?
I will handle what must be dealt with to protect the safety of the ship.
We'll be right behind you.
Whatever happens.
Thank you Humphrey.
That's all.
Oh, and I marshmallows.
Thank you.
And she takes the marshmallow and goes and I really don't know what happened with that
toffee.
It's it's a tragedy really.
I could never understand truly the evil that she said she's slowly backing out with mushrooms
in her hands.
She'll peek in and go.
Thank you Humphrey.
No problem.
I'll get to dinner.
What's on the menu?
Just kind of starts getting ingredients together and starts cooking.
What is it?
Fish soup just like the last week and the week before that.
Oh, and he feels a marshmallow off the back of his chest.
I don't know if Clarence or Hildren can fish anything else than fish.
Then I'd be happy to oblige.
Boo!
Another marshmallow!
I'm sure you'll make something wonderful as you always do.
You are an artist, my friend.
I'll try.
Oh, actually, um, there's something that I've been trying.
And he pulls out what looks like almost a little cushion, like a colorful cushion.
So I it's a it's a little bit experimental.
So I pressed some fruit juice together and kind of sealed it in a gelatin kind of casing.
I don't know if it tastes good.
It looks nice.
But I just thought because you can chew.
It's like a one chew thing and then it like releases the juice.
May I have it?
Can I try it?
Sure, try it out.
Immediately pops in her mouth.
And it's just like, I don't know what they are called.
I've only ever seen them.
It's like those little pockets.
You just bite on them once and then there's like the fruit juice.
Like fruit dushers?
I guess.
But like not chewy.
Like it's just like a thin gelatin.
The little popping bubbles, right?
Yeah.
Not boba.
Yeah, but like the not pudding ones.
Yeah.
And like filled with like sweet fruit juice, like a bit thickened and sweet.
Yeah.
This very like sad expression that she'd been trying to mask is now just pure joy.
Like her cheeks are very like round and like as and as she's just so excited and she tugs
on his because she's I assume very small compared to him.
Tugs on his pant legs and goes, is there more?
Is there more?
I only made this one.
If you like them, I can make more.
Humphrey, Humphrey, it's candy.
And she gets to a point where she's like hanging off his front.
Please.
I it's delicious.
Oh, I'll try to make more.
I need more for the gelatin.
Don't worry.
We get more.
As soon as we were in the in the city and the town village.
Feels a little tiny pat on his back.
Well done Humphrey.
She's just hanging there.
I'm going to start cutting onions.
So you know, as he moves, he swings because she's holding on him.
Swings around and goes, all right, I'm off to play some Chubby Bunny releases.
All right.
Also the grab, grab some marshmallows.
See you later, Captain.
Goodbye Humphrey.
Then you're here like just starting to cut stuff.
All right.
Anyone else?
Um, I think at some point after I think Daphne was trying to think pretty hard about everything
was like very aware of everything for a bit, looking out, seeing if anything is happening,
like waiting for something to happen almost because she's very suspicious right now.
But then she gets back to actual work and I think she would find One-Eyed Jane and she
she would say, One-Eyed Jane, I was going to ask you to redo the work, The Storm, messed
up earlier, but I think you've proven that you're capable of a lot more responsibility
if you'd be willing to help me with something else.
When I Jane like immediately stands at like attention with like a rigid posture and you
know, she has like a smile that she's trying to hold back.
I have some time to help you if that's what you need from me, I can do that for you.
Perfect.
And then she goes, I still need the boxes to be put.
Let's get Brooke, she says.
And she'll go tell Brooke with One-Eyed Jane at her side to go fix that work.
You find Brooke currently reading a book.
Dang it.
Brooke reading a book.
Okay.
She's reading a book called The Ruby Spindle, a young adult novel.
But she just she looks up and she closes the book fast and like puts the cover like down
to like make sure you guys don't see it.
She goes, got it.
She gets up seemingly calm around you, Bethany, at the moment, even though there is a little
feud going on.
After Brooke leaves and still walking with One-Eyed Jane, probably to the oh gosh, I
can't think of the word right now, but she wants to do something with records.
It's not a big deal.
She's going to ask, she says, I didn't really want to know what happened earlier, but what
happened?
What?
With you and Brooke.
Oh, you mean like the swordplay?
Was that what it was she has?
Yeah, don't worry.
That's just what like, you know, I think she's just a little bit jealous that I'm like stronger,
smarter, better, prettier than her.
So she's trying to prove herself or something.
And it's kind of adorable, I will admit, but you don't need to worry about that.
We weren't actually going to like kill each other.
Like just maybe like a little stab.
For all I've known Brooke, I've known her to be anything but playful.
I guess she tends to do things very seriously.
I didn't get that impression.
She just, well, regardless, I don't, I don't, I honestly don't care too much as long as
nobody dies.
Okay.
But the captain herself has already said she doesn't want any feuding going on really.
So well, if they're the captain's orders, then I will just take the upper, the, what
is the saying, the bigger, stronger road, the high road, that road.
I will follow that a road.
Okay.
What my Jane would say the stronger road.
You did good work earlier, by the way.
I mean, I've seen what you can do.
I expected no less.
I knew, but she, she just goes back to work.
She goes, I need to check an inventory of everything since we are going to be restocking
and trying to make lists of what we need from what places, if you could help me gather what
we, and it's something boring like that, but at least they can, they can talk and stuff
if they, if they wanted, but yeah.
Sheen.
Oh gosh.
I had one more question.
I'm trying to remember what it was.
I should have written it down.
My brain is really scrambled today to me.
Oh no, it's okay.
No, she, she goes, I don't remember where you're from.
You had sailing experience before.
Correct?
Yep.
I, you know, I can't really remember where I'm from.
I was born to the sea, in the sea, by the sea, just made for the pirate life for me.
Um, you know, who's to say, where are you from by the way?
I don't think I know too much about it.
I was born in Orhondor.
Oh.
But it's a good thing to be away from there in my opinion, personally.
You say born on the sea, as long as you can remember you've been sailing.
Well, I took a hiatus around five years old.
Um, and I went back to land for a while because you know, as an orphan, that's what you do.
And uh, then it came back to the sea.
It called to me in a dream and I was like, Oh, the sea gotta go.
And that's, that's me when I jade.
You look really good today, by the way, something with your hair, are you trying like new products
or something?
Sea water.
Maybe it was the storm.
If I'm trying too much, you can just tell me.
No, I love to talk about myself.
You're very good at storytelling.
I can see.
Storytelling?
Gosh, here we go with that one.
Um, so, uh, like, do you, uh, any ex lovers you want to gossip about?
You got a crush on somebody on the boat?
I'm your girl.
We can gossip.
I don't know that that's hardly appropriate.
Okay.
Noted.
Um, you want me to lift this box over there?
It's just, I'm like, please do.
Actually it's definitely is HR.
To be clear, Brooke is broken the same room.
Also boxes.
No, no, we, she was in a different place.
Okay.
Got it.
I'm just taking inventory of different things and figuring out what we need across the ship.
So it's a lot faster actually with you here.
It takes me much longer to rearrange the boxes.
Any chance I can get to work out, um, you know, flex my muscles a little bit.
I'll take it.
Thank you for this promotion.
It's I wouldn't call it that, but I will say, I think the captain as well as everyone else
was very impressed with you.
And clearly we've all known your strength to be reckoned with.
And I'd like to give you the opportunities to help more where you can.
If that's what you want.
I do.
I don't tell the others about this.
It's kind of embarrassing, but seeing as we're opening up so much to each other, I thought,
you know, maybe I confide in you.
My dream is I also want to be a captain one day.
So I think you'd be very capable of that.
Thanks.
And I did start like moving boxes, like with a little bit more of a pep in my step and
like maybe showing off a little bit.
It's so easy.
What did you do on your previous ship?
Well, the last ship I was on, they made me count fish.
I suppose that's sort of what I'm having you do right now.
Yeah.
So it's kind of the same, you know, that was my job title was fish counter.
But you know, also muscle when we went to battle.
I would ask for insight, but like I feel like she just at this point knows you know, you
would know every time you try to ask me something about my past or my eyes and like it's always
a different story.
It's never the same.
So this is kind of like, you know.
Is it possible for me to roll?
Well, no, no.
Okay.
Retractable 1000 insight checks.
I was going to ask to roll a specific insight check, but I'm just going to ask instead.
She asks, you know, if this was your first time on the sea, nobody.
Well, that's not true.
Some people definitely would, but I wouldn't judge you for that.
Me?
I, like I said, my eye patch, my clothes.
I mean, this screams professional.
So this is definitely not my first time on sea.
I'm sorry if I made you think that I will work better in the future.
All I care about is that you're applying yourself.
I don't think it makes any difference unless, well, I mean, except for when it comes to
the charting and steering the ship itself, you can apply yourself just as well, regardless
of your background.
I've clearly shown that and she just drops it.
She is.
But I appreciate your hard work.
Thank you.
And I'll just let the awkward silence hang there as I just get back to work.
The awkward silence is fierce.
Well, well, well, look who it is.
My two favorite people on the ship.
What I Jane.
Roland the Bard.
Who's Roland?
Not Clarence.
Roland.
Yeah.
Roland, who is a, who you guys know as a, he's a young, very loud mouth bard who was,
who leads the songs when you guys have celebrations, but he is such a, he's very exuberant.
This goes one I Jane, Daphne.
Oh no.
Nice to see you too.
Are we sharing secrets in here?
Oh, nothing.
Nothing.
I was just seeing if I could, if I could apply myself anywhere, but also I was.
Yes you can actually.
I think you needed some help.
Oh, right.
Right.
Um, I was wondering if I could help with my, you know, sort of a unique talents, you know,
I heard that when I Jane true the captain off the ship and I was wondering if, um, you
know, that inspired me.
You want her to do the same to you.
Oh, come on.
Me and I Jane, we go way back.
She wouldn't do that to me.
I'm not sure if she did do that to me.
It would be the most affectionate way possible.
Roland should go sing that song about one I Jane to Brooke.
Yes.
Yes, he should.
Inspire her for the greater heights.
Um, but, uh, you know, uh, I can just do that later.
You said Brooke needs help.
Yes.
And I suppose you could apply your special talents if your special talents involve moving
boxes and organizing things flung around on the ship.
And if you do it without distracting her.
I mean, she does, it does look like she needs a bit of help.
I mean, you see how small that one is.
Oh goodness.
But she's a grumpy, she's a grumpy lot.
Can I, can I gather some people?
I don't want to be there by myself with her.
I step up into Roland's Roland was his name.
Yeah.
Hey, yes.
Hi, knock it off.
All right.
I was just having a bit of a joke.
That's it.
Yeah.
But only like I can call Brooke grumpy behind her back.
So
All right.
I won't have to rewrite a song about her, but you got it.
I would like to hear the song later too.
Anyways, I gotta go to this box.
I go back to moving boxes.
All right.
What else?
Friends are chumpy.
And first matey.
Hello.
I'll get, I'll get to my first mate.
Oh, come on.
Daphne.
Get stand a little loose a little bit.
And if you keep lecturing me about it, you're going to lose the rights to Daphne too.
All right.
Hostile company today.
Got it.
First mate.
I'm going to go ahead and go where you told me to go.
Bad ass fucking bitches on board.
I love this crew.
He's like, I walk in here just to get threatened multiple times.
Oh, threaten me with a good time.
Goodness.
He's walking away.
And yeah, we just, um, and you do hear in the distance, hello, Brooke.
And then you hear immediately shut up and work.
All right.
This is a lot less fun than I thought.
So let's see if we get situated.
Zachariah, you're within your room.
I was going to say I was probably going to go to the crow's nest.
Oh, you're in the crow's nest.
Got it.
Okay.
Uh, you are seated on top of the crow's nest.
Um, with a, with a, with a, with a, with a, with a, with a, with a, with a, with a, with
a, with a, with a view, um, with a view that you know Daryl loves so easily.
And it's something that you had to grow into as well that Daryl had to prose to really
paint to you just how beautiful it is.
It's at that point that, uh, in this bit of solitary looking at the compass, um, knowing
that you do have to wait until nighttime for any of it to really begin to light and show
you the way, um, you feel, um, someone, uh, there, there is, uh, you feel that like the
light sort of like rope ladder that leads up to, uh, to the crow nest, like it's shaking
a bit, you know, when someone's coming up.
Um, and you hear, oh, shit.
Uh, I resist the urge to reach for my knife and cut the rope.
I resist the urge.
Um, thankfully you do.
I do reach down and jiggle it a little bit though.
The rope, just a little bit.
Oh, I'm not sure that's helping.
Uh, you hear a voice from below.
Sorry, Clarence, you know, I'm sad.
I didn't see you there.
My foot got caught.
You do look down.
It's not clear.
Oh, okay.
Uh, it is an earth, uh, an earth genasi.
Uh, she is, um, she has been with the, she's been with the crew for like almost as long
as you have by, by this point.
Uh, she has like a very, like, uh, a very nice like outfit on with like fur lined, like
jackets.
She's like, she's like, uh, like in those, in those movies, like, you know, bombastic
explorers with like goggles on their foreheads and such.
Uh, she's currently holding on for dear life on the, on the rope ladder, uh, seemingly
trying to make her way up, but she looks up towards you and she just goes, she just goes,
hi, I broke into your room and you weren't there.
So I decided to come find you.
You did what?
Oh, I broke into your room.
You had your door locked.
Terrible suggestion by the way.
Everyone keeps doing that in this ship.
Can you stop shaking it so I can get up there please?
Um, see, see now that I know that you broke in my room, I don't know how I feel.
Um, don't worry.
I was looking for you.
Okay.
What do you want?
I'm a little busy.
I was hoping.
Well, we just hit a milestone within the Black Gods.
I mean a long time coming, the compass has been assembled.
It's not assembled yet, but.
It says, but I, but we haven't.
And it's something that it's a mystery that you've run along ever since you came here.
So of course, as the ship's annullist, I have to write down everything.
I want to know your feelings.
I want to know every single thing in that says in the nooks and crannies of your pink
mass that is your brain.
Please don't call it that.
Your cranium, your brainium cranium.
All right.
Well, you're going to have to write from there on the ladder.
Can I not come up there?
No.
I will make this work.
She's she's like holding onto the rope.
It's like multiple like, you know, segments and she's just pulls out her the big, big
book.
Um, everyone knows that this is, uh, or Delia.
She's, um, Delia Von Mejini.
Uh, she's not an official part of the crew.
She doesn't do the pirate stuff, but she's an annullist from, uh, a college of bars.
And she dies.
It's not against the status boots.
Technically.
Yeah.
Um, but she, she's gotten onto the ship because she snuck onto it.
And then she very forcefully made herself like a self proclaimed annullist.
She's like, she's recording her history.
Um, but the big benefit to you, Captain Oris, that she's recording everything truthfully
and she's writing you in a very positive light to give to historians in the future.
Plus she's fun.
She's really fun.
Um, she goes, all right, I'm in my compromised position, but I'm making this work.
All right.
Zachariah that is your name, correct?
Yes.
Wonderful.
We're off to a great start.
Yeah, Zach is also not looking down at her anymore.
He has the, the ass, like the pieces of the astral compass in one hand, he has just a
regular compass in the other and he's comparing them to try and figure out how to get this
thing to put together.
And he's got his notebook also on the deck, like in front of him as well.
He's just flipping through it and trying to find like, how did we put this together for
its time?
I'd be a note in here.
In the midst of figuring this out and you're, and you're trying to, and you're trying to
look it through and like your memory is a little hazy at the, as long as you remember
how we put this together.
I wasn't the one who did most of the work.
Um, but, uh, you see, she continues to speak.
She goes, Zachariah, you're actually one of the most ignomatic individuals on this ship.
Because once I haven't written about much yet.
Hey, you don't need to go with the insults.
All right.
It's a little rude.
Oh, I didn't mean it as an insult.
I didn't mean it as a genuine, like with as much affection as possible.
It's like I'm staring at you like a rare critter in the, in the, in the woods.
I'm going to just shift a little bit so I'm less visible from her viewpoint.
And she just goes, everyone does that.
Um, so it does seem like you're human and you have a heart.
Now Zachariah.
Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?
Uh, what do you want to know?
Uh, date of birth, uh, place of birth.
Um, what the compass means out loud to you.
Where did the compass come from?
Where did you come from?
How did you feel about being the Black God's gallery so far?
Every kind of question.
All right.
That's a lot of questions.
Um, I kind of flipped through my book a little bit.
Arkansas.
That's where I grew up.
Over in the Salarian empire.
Ah, that large city within the empire.
I see.
I would never have taken you for someone from the Salarian empire of all places.
I don't remember much of it though.
I see.
So you left while you were young then?
No.
I see.
She's writing like everything.
Um, despite there being long pauses, it's filled with her writing.
Like what could she possibly be writing in these moments of silence?
Um, just goes.
Oh right.
Says, I realize that that compass leads to a lost treasure.
That's why everyone's been haunting it for the past six months.
Can you tell me, how did you come across this compass in the first place?
Um, I swiped it from some wizard.
Guarded.
Very, very daring.
I just kind of had a storehouse full of stuff.
Pretty easy, honestly.
And you've been with the Black Guards for six months, is that correct?
I believe so.
Six delectable delicious months.
How has that been serving you so far?
Well I got this.
So good.
All good.
Moistaceous, she writes it down.
She's very, she's very happy that she's writing.
Moistaceous?
Yeah.
Fuck me.
She continues to write, she just goes, how do you feel now that you have the compass?
Do you feel accomplished?
I feel like I'm slightly annoyed because I'm trying to put it together and someone is currently
distracting me.
Also, I don't remember how I put this together in the first place.
Have you tried putting the two pieces together?
I pull out my knife and I hold it near the rope.
Oh dear, I think that's a very good sign that I should be gone, but this is absolutely wonderful
conversation.
It does, Odelia, is that you?
I'd be happy to talk to you more later.
Just not right now.
I'm sorry.
Odelia, is Zachariah up there?
Like, oh yes he is.
He is currently.
I hold the knife to the rope again.
He's threatening my life.
I will write this down and I will now be descending.
You have been a wonderful chatting partner.
Just can you tell him to come down here for a moment?
Okay, I'll do that.
Clarence Camouet, the treasurer of the ship, has informed me to tell you.
Stop!
To ask you to come down.
Is she off the rope?
She's still in the middle.
How far off the deck is she?
It'll hurt, as of the moment.
I cut it, but I hold the rope off.
As you're holding the rope she goes, oh, okay, okay.
As soon as she's off, I pull the rope up.
Odelia looks at Clarence and goes, a wonderful chatting partner.
I am enamored with everyone on the ship.
Alright, well, it's my turn to bother him now, so.
There's no rope.
Right.
She walks off.
Zachariah?
You're not going to make me climb up there, are you?
Oh, sorry, it's Humphrey up here right now.
Zachariah, he's, I think I saw him heading to his room.
That is a dreadfully good impression, I must say.
You're a sharp one, but I'm going to need, but genuinely, I want you down here for a
moment.
I just kind of like, peer over.
Clarence, what do you want?
I want to give you something that'll help you keep that, keep the thing you hold dear
close to you.
But I can't really make that climb anymore, so you're going to have to come down.
How far up is the?
Oh, it's super high.
It's super high.
You've been shouting at each other.
Is it more than 40 feet?
Oh, a lot more, yeah.
Okay, alright, fine.
Relower the ladder.
I'm just going to tie it.
Alright, come on up.
Can you actually, can you actually come down?
He can't make the climb.
I put the ladder back.
Yeah, but you know, the cartilage in my body, it's not exactly present anymore.
Alright, I will climb down.
You climb down.
He has a bit of a smile on his face, but as you climb down, he goes, come with me to the
front of the ship.
And you're filled with dread.
It's going to be one of those talks, isn't it?
Oh boy.
Okay.
As you get to the front of the front of the ship, he just goes, can you all just give
me a moment or two here?
And people clear for a moment.
It's just a very far of the ship.
I just sign to one of them.
Another one signs.
Good luck.
Um, this goes, Clarence goes to the front and wrong song.
Um, this is really romantic music for wrong song.
Um, Clarence, uh, just goes, now I do want to say that along with the captain that we
value every crew member's opinion on this ship.
What I want to know right now is, uh, how are you feeling?
Um, fine.
I'd like to get back to work as soon as possible.
Cause I just felt like there was a strong sort of something when you've gotten the compass.
Now you have no right to tell me.
You can keep that private as long as you can keep that private as much as you want.
So I can go?
I'm going to give you something.
I figured you can use it way better than I can.
Yeah.
He pulls out a small wooden box.
He goes box full of worthers.
He pulls out a, he pulls out a small wooden box.
And he just kind of like holds the, uh, he holds it for a moment.
I had to take it to Armin so I could disenchant it, but apparently we can put one enchantment
on another.
So, uh, he, he, uh, opens up the box and it seems like an ink, like an ink pad that you
put your thumb on.
He goes, he says, you like, you really like that compass, don't you?
Well let's do our damnedest to make sure that you don't lose it.
Now you stick, now you stick your thumb on there for a bit, let the ink really sink into
you, let it learn who you are.
And then you print it on whatever place you want on the compass.
He says, after a bit, you should be good.
You lose it.
You just think about it.
You put your hand, it should show right back up in your hand.
Thank you Clarence.
Of course.
Now you can go ahead and do that on your time.
He gives you the box.
Really give it a solid minute before you do anything, but I want to make sure that whatever
is yours stays yours.
That includes your past and anything you own.
Alright?
We're about to be heading into some, uh, rapid waters.
It's a really hot place, so in case it hasn't been sucking into you for the last six months,
this crew, this crew gets attached to things fast.
We're a family here.
You can really trust us with anything.
I promise you.
I feel like I should ask if you want to go fishing right now, but I also still don't
want to.
Believe it or not, I don't think I'm in the mindset to right now, which is a crazy thing
for him to say.
Alright.
We'll fish later.
I'll give you one free fishing.
I won't run away.
Not like you could.
That one time.
Not like you could.
I could catch up to you, you know.
It'll take a couple hours, yeah.
You know, I was a smart ass at your age too.
So maybe when you're looking at me, you're looking at your future.
I look in the mirror in the compass at myself real quick.
Please.
Yeah.
You see where my hair kind of like whittles here?
That's where he like he touches your hair like that's where it's going to be.
You just make sure you take care of everything.
Okay.
All right.
Now I'll do you the mercy.
And I'll let you leave.
Go.
Damn.
Okay.
I'm just going to scam her back up into the crows nest.
Thank you, Clarence.
The one thing you will give you in a while.
I still got youthful vigor in me.
He said.
All right.
That said.
Listen, aura.
Whatever place or wherever place you are at the moment or business you have finished.
Oh, you're actually going to go talk to Zachariah.
Correct.
Later.
Yeah, but it's but honestly, now that Clarence has talked to Zachariah, she'll probably well,
she'll probably see Clarence on her way to go talk to Zachariah.
Mm hmm.
Exactly.
Yeah.
She's climbing up notices that Clarence was there puts the two and two together.
All right.
They had a fishing moment.
I'm going to leave Zachariah alone.
Goes up.
Still has a bag of marshmallows.
Just walks up to Clarence and goes, he hears in his head.
You wanted to speak with me, Clarence.
Yes.
They have a present captain or a.
I held a marshmallow.
Would you like one?
I was going to talk to Zachariah, but I think you scared him off.
Yes.
Yeah, it's my youthful vigor that does it.
Yeah, that's what does it magnetic push.
Yes.
You just your presence is astounding, as it always has been.
So is yours, Captain.
I'll take one of those gelatinous choking tablets.
Sure.
He takes a marshmallow.
She goes, if you leave them in your mouth long enough, they actually disintegrate.
Long enough.
No, I can't really chew.
I figured this out the hard way.
Dead stare.
And a big smile and she says, but actually Humphrey made me something new.
It's quite lovely.
Oh, yeah.
Mm hmm.
Well, let's talk all about it in private for a moment.
No, the privacy of your head doesn't count.
I suppose it does, but also it feels a little strange when people are staring at me.
She'll walk.
She'll just walk and just swing in the marshmallow bag.
Chance is considerably calmer at the moment and this is someone that you've been extremely
close to for ten years.
One of the first members of the Blackguards.
Apparently, heading down towards the sort of like, stateroom again with just the two
of you down here.
He goes, hey, give me a moment and I don't tell Humphrey, but we're out of whiskey for
a very good reason.
I blamed it on Roland, but he opens the door to his room and he comes out with a nice pristine
bottle of like 15 year old scotch.
Oh, oh.
He won't know where it's been.
He won't.
It's the rats.
The great thing about having one particular one sneaky rat is that we could put all our
problems on him.
We really can.
It's really therapeutic.
Please pour me some.
Please, please.
Of course, of course.
Pours you a cup.
Little bastard taking a total of bottles.
What is this rat doing?
Oh boy.
Or I might notice this, I suppose.
But while you guys are talking about wine, you probably see like Zach's hand like reach
down from like the hole of the of the thing and just does like this.
The frozenest?
Wait, what?
Yeah.
Like there's like a hole, right?
That you got to like climb up through, right?
Do I not know how ships work?
I think they're below deck right now.
All the way below deck.
Oh, nevermind.
Nevermind.
I was like, sorry, sorry, sorry.
I do have a map.
I should bust it out.
Oh yeah.
I was just like, how did his hand go from the top of the row, that's still the way below
deck.
I thought you guys were still on the deck.
I thought it was a fighter thing.
I was like level up fifth edition.
Yeah, I get the ability to make portals.
Level up by me, guys.
Level up by me.
Get it.
Anyways, sorry, I was really loud.
So he pours you a cup and he holds it up to clink two separate glass cups.
And these are very expensive cups too.
To our endless crusade of avarice and freedom.
Into playing the game.
She clinks his glass.
Oh, it's smooth.
This is good stuff.
It burns my throat in the perfect right way.
Puts it down.
So Captain, I guess what this rendezvous is supposed to entail is how are you feeling
about everything?
She's been setting up a chessboard while he's been talking and she messages him, did you
know that my father was arrested a week ago?
I'm sorry.
He's helping set up a chessboard.
Humphrey found out apparently in the captain's quarters, which interestingly enough had the
other piece of the compass from what Daphne says.
Her thoughts just trail off as she finishes placing the pieces on the board.
You finish before he pours you another more in your cup.
From what I know about your father, he's...
This is just my impression only, but he's a good man, isn't he?
He is.
What did they arrest him for?
Humphrey didn't know.
Got it.
But they are connected to one of the royal families, surprise, surprise, the Crestons.
I'm really sorry to hear that.
It is what it is.
Now...
What can I do for you, captain?
She moves a pawn forward.
You know what's interesting, Clarence?
Everyone uses the pawn as the weakest position on the board, but to me it's my favorite.
Do you want to know why?
He moves forward, a piece as well.
It's because I reckon that you need all of them in order to win, right?
That and it can't retreat like every other piece.
Zachariah, he has something to prove.
You are.
Whatever his dream may be, no matter how little or how small, I want it to come to fruition.
But I don't think he knows how to turn back, much like the pawn.
That's what I'm worried about as well.
I want to say that this situation is far beyond anything that we should be putting ourselves
into.
I'm...
It goes without saying that I'm nervous, but also I'm afraid.
Afraid?
Why?
I look at all the young people on our ship, and like you said, they're people with things
to prove.
And we're inviting them into our family and we bring out the very best in them that we
can see fit.
And we give them an environment where they can do their very best and become who they
want to be.
No regime, no one to tell them that they're wrong.
But I think about all of that and I see where we're going, and I just get scared.
The rook, she moves.
One of the most effective pieces on the board, one may argue simply by how quickly it can
move, a great piece to have on the front lines, straightforward to the point.
Our Roko, however, tends to get lost in her books.
I don't know what one-eyed Jane wants.
I don't want to push her.
But she is a valuable asset to our ship.
No doubt.
He moves a knight, crossing his arms, looking at the board.
He just goes.
They really look up to you.
I'm sure you know that.
They look up to me?
Yes.
For someone to bend down and offer their hands to help people, I think no one looks taller.
And I think there's no one who does it more than you.
So to me, you're the tallest person I know.
Put that on my wanted poster.
She moves her own knight.
Humphrey's worried too.
Of course he is.
He's smart and loyal.
Well, it's my job not to worry.
But guess who has taken upon herself that it is?
She points to the bishop.
It does look like Daphne, that piece specifically.
Doesn't it?
She's so brilliant.
I worry for her.
She can get locked in her head very easily.
And finally, well not finally, but points to the queen.
This piece, the most versatile on the board, can do everything, without a doubt, really
self-sustainable, Hildrean.
I don't know why he hangs around.
Goodness gracious.
But I'm not going to question him.
I'm just going to be very thankful that he has all the patience in the world.
He truly does.
I worry when they're, not worry, there may come a day where he truly has no need for
us.
Everyone has a need for family.
It's not about who you're, family's not about who you're from, it's who you're with.
It's who you love.
And deep in that, deep in that heart of his behind whatever he says to his birds and that
steely-eyed demeanor that catches the heart of every man and woman to every harbor we
go to.
I know, I know, my gods.
That heart beats.
It beats for us.
And then finally she puts her finger on the king piece and says, you're asking how I'm
doing.
Much like the king, this piece, I am the most useless piece on the board.
Only able to move one space and should the king fall the game is over.
However, Clarence.
That's not how this ship works.
I may not be able to provide much, but should I fall, you all will pick up as easily and
seamlessly as before.
You wanna know something I've learned in history?
I know a lot of history considering I'm an old fossil, apparently.
Ancient, decrepit.
Throughout history there's been a constant.
Someone has a big idea and then people follow them.
They fight for them.
In some cases they do more unsavory things for them.
Really depends on the person who has the idea.
This is how wars happened.
This is how politics started.
And for some reason, that's how taxes were made.
But there's one thing that everyone with an idea has to be to have people who would fight
for them and love them and to cherish them.
Because they have to be a good leader.
All these people are here because of you.
They're moving around, he takes a move, on the chessboard, defending what's closest to
them because they realize that you're the heart of it all.
But if you're worried that if you're gone, he takes your king piece up.
And no one else can function.
I find that in history, all the good ideas are immortal.
They speak to everyone.
So I say that no matter what happens to you, you've instilled, he puts the king back, you've
instilled a king in everyone here.
Keep them playing.
Let them find the most joyous moments.
I don't know what we're going into, but I can assure you I will not lose a single member
on this ship.
I refuse.
I also refuse.
I want these kids to be happy.
I want to give them a life that I couldn't make for myself.
And I want them to get the wisdom I have without paying the price that I have.
I'm hoping this entire thing, this bandy wallop, whatever it's called, it gets everyone the
money or something where they can just be free.
It could be nothing.
It could be empty.
Nothing.
Regardless, it gives us a goal.
And so we play the game.
She moves another piece.
I mean, I think there's a lot of points in your life where you venture out to something
and you think it could be nothing.
I think that's true for everyone here.
He moves a piece.
I think everyone here face that dilemma of fearing to find nothing.
They found the black guards.
You damn near shine enough.
I'm worried.
I'm endlessly worried.
There's nothing you could do about that.
That's just love.
I know.
Toxic thing.
Horrible.
Terrible thing.
God, get it away.
Makes this pirating thing so much more difficult.
We should have just been warlord to boss around people.
We should have been dictators, actually.
A lot easier that way.
I have some changes I want to make specifically about Zachariah's attitude towards fishing.
Martial law is effective tomorrow.
He doesn't even know what a scarlet herring is.
Dumbass.
Well he seems to come from very little.
Poor kid.
We'll make it work.
I gave him something.
You gave him something.
You sound surprised.
I am.
I'm happy to hear you two connecting.
Normally he's hard to catch.
Spent long enough.
You know the tale about the hare and the...
What was it?
A tortle?
Fair enough.
The herrigon and the tortle.
I have enough tenacity in my bones I can catch anyone.
But I had a locket I never really told you about.
I figured I never really came up.
Now it's really coming to me.
That locket belonged to someone I really held fond.
But it's long gone by now.
Whatever that was.
It's not my fault you got all happy before everything.
I remember...
I still remember everything.
Remember all the good times I've had.
That's what you tend to remember at the very end of your life.
Well your end isn't soon.
You're not going anywhere.
Not until these kids are safe.
Deal.
And then I'll find a nice place.
Maybe a hill that looks to the east to where the sun is.
Nice patch of sun to lie in.
A place where I could just lay down and stare out into the sky and think about all the good
times we had.
But...
Real quick.
Say this name.
Just say it once for me.
Speak it.
Lolita.
You want me to speak it out loud?
Clarence you know I can't.
Just in my head.
Oh.
I was like that's cruel.
Yeah, the word would... you have to use your tongue so much for that word too.
And then she'll say, Lolita.
Lolita.
No.
There's a real fine...
I think the name itself is melodic but I can't...
Sadly you don't have the... you don't have the... the means.
Quite the dig Clarence, I must say.
Lolita.
It's that's the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the pallet to tap
at three.
On the teeth.
Lolita.
She was low.
Plain low.
In the morning.
Standing four feet ten in one sock.
She was Lola in slacks.
She was Dolly at school.
But on the dotted line, she was Dolores.
But in my arms she was always Lolita.
When I bought that... when I bought a locket for her I had a really expensive enchantment
put on it.
I might as well have bought a damn ring.
I wanted to make sure that whatever... if it left me or whatever it would come back
to me.
Well...
I loved her, in case you couldn't tell by the flowery language.
But I had to go.
Because I've made mistakes in my life.
I don't want anyone on the ship to make mistakes or anything of that sort that they have to
leave the ones they love behind.
At the very least I can teach you all.
Fifty years of being a bad example can make you a really good teacher.
I gave it to Zachariah because I figured that compass is something dear to him.
I don't want any of you to lose anything that you cherish.
It's also part of the game.
But in terms of Zachariah you've given him a most beautiful gift.
And I assume you did not tell him this locket's origin.
Well the boy tends to close his ears sometimes when I'm babbling about so I need to save
it for a special occasion.
Let's stock up, buy a lot of whiskey, wine, everything.
Let's party, spend a few days in Merriment.
And then we're off to follow some footsteps.
But I must say Captain, you've been leaving some pretty big footsteps yourself.
I envy the people who are going to have to follow in yours one day.
I'm merely a fool.
Fools make history.
They call them heroes.
Also motherfuck, how did you do that?
Looking at the chessboard.
Sorry, normally I go easy on you but I've just been a little stressed out recently.
You played, you're stressed and you got me in there?
It's just, it's just habits.
Oh you're very.
I must say I am jealous Clarence.
As she pushes back from the table.
Have a great love.
Romantic.
See this is why I didn't tell you anything.
Dancing underneath the starlight.
It's like I read in all those books and she hops down.
This tiny little woman from her chair.
Love love love.
Love makes the world go round.
Some say is it better to be ruled by fear than love and I think it depends on what kind
of reaction you are looking to gain.
So yeah, let's get fucking wasted.
Take the bottle and just start chugging it.
And then still open the door and go, you ready?
Humphreys is going to lose his shit.
It's going to be so fucking funny.
That's going to be really great.
Just start chugging it and walking out.
And you make your way out onto the ship.
Chugging, you see the tiny captain chugging a bottle of full fucking whiskey.
I see by this point everyone is in the same.
Wait I'm also there.
Humphreys is also there.
Oh she's still in the kitchen.
Yeah you're definitely like definitely there.
I'm pretty like going to grab a bottle because he's about to cook with that.
Get it out there.
It's just so we're mad all the time when stuff's missing.
You see Aura gets up on this little table and she looks for Daphne.
She is coming out of where ever and talking.
Thank you again for all the help one eyed Jane.
It went a lot faster I think with you.
Yes anytime I would love to help you.
And sees Aura with a bottle.
I thought we were out.
We were just counting everything we needed.
Aura gives a big old wink, takes her hat off, puts it on Daphne's head and hands the bottle
to one eyed Jane and claps a few times.
Captain!
Yes Captain!
And I just throw it back.
In Daphne's head Daphne will hear first mate shall we dine?
Shall we feast?
Shall we dance?
Maybe our last.
We shall then.
I think this part of the whole thing comes out with the finished soup and everything.
Because I have my gals around dinner time and like wait is that whiskey?
I thought it was the bastard!
Daphne has it in her hand.
He puts down the soup and gets down running for it.
Aura will intercept him and since she is a halfling she can use something where I can
go between larger people's legs.
What is it?
Halfling nimbleness I can move through the space of any creature that is a size larger
than yours.
So she'll definitely duck between his legs and grab his shoelaces to try to trip him.
I think Humphrey is gonna, you see all of a sudden I'm gonna use two exertion points
for that.
Humphrey just he's gone from your sight and you're like where is he?
And you feel like this warm breath behind your back Daphne is like at least shared with
me.
Or just steered.
And he grabs the bottle and like just goes also for like a few swigs.
When Jane and I were just counting for what we need for supplies and I guess we weren't
out.
Daphne trashed?
Huh?
Did you say Daphne trashed?
No, no, no.
She's just like what is going on?
Everything's always chaos.
When she steps out of her little bubbles.
By this point I wanna know where Zachariah is.
Is he coming down?
No, he is focused on the.
That won't do.
I grab the bag of marshmallows and climb up the crow's nest.
Yeah, you would see Zachariah he is like.
Oh yeah.
How did this go together?
You'll just see waiting on the edge of the crow's nest a little head.
A Cap'n jumpscare.
You just see Cap'n.
No pirate hat and then flung over the edge a bag of marshmallows as she clambers over
the side and pops down and sits in front of you with her legs crossed and hands on her
lap.
Cap'n.
She says.
You're probably the third person I've run in today while up here and honestly
probably the best one.
Stares blankly reaches into the marshmallow bag places one in her mouth and in his head
he clearly hears chubby bunny.
Right now.
Reaches into the bag pulls out another marshmallow places it in her mouth.
He again hears very clearly chubby bunny.
Fine.
Oh.
Shakes the third one pops it in.
Chubby bunny clearly still in his head.
Places another one in her mouth.
Chubby bunny.
Do you give up?
Do you concede?
All right.
She keeps pulling him in.
Chubby.
Chubby bunny.
Chubby.
Oh, please don't choke.
I'd happened to me once on toffee Humphrey was very mad with me.
Let's take a breather.
Breathe.
Yeah.
Hey Zachariah.
Guess what?
They come out at night without being called.
What are they?
She looks up and goes, are you saying stars?
That was the answer, but I don't think that's what you said.
It is stars.
You're correct.
Yeah, you're right.
Stars are so funny, aren't they?
As the navigator, you're always looking at them.
Even in the day, they're still there.
Odd, isn't it?
How a presence can still be with you even when it's not around.
Yeah, I find that during the day, we forget that the stars are there.
Remember, remember, navigator, and that this will put a hand gently on his shoulder.
The stars are always here.
It's always integrating.
She goes, that's okay.
I just have sugar in my mouth.
It's kind of like a, and you see her cheeks are literally puffed up.
How are you so talking?
Just normal.
I don't understand.
How?
It's through your head.
Wait.
Oh, did you not know that?
Oh yeah.
Here, ready?
Ready?
She'll close her eyes and pretend to be sleeping.
He'll hear in the back of his head, tis I, the ghost of the black art gallery.
I've entered your mind.
Like 40 times.
And you're getting better.
Okay.
Anyway.
Do you need help?
She points to the compass.
Yeah, I can't, I can't figure out how to get it to go together.
Best take a break then.
Yes.
I really want to get it together though.
Best to take a break.
And then he'll feel little arms from around the back of his neck, little legs go around
him and go, we must go down below deck quickly.
Navigator the whiskey calls.
There's whiskey down there.
Oh yes.
Humphrey found out he's not happy.
And once Hildren knows now we're really fucked.
So quick get down there before he drinks the whole fucking thing.
Okay.
All right.
I will quickly pack up my things.
She's still hanging on like a little backpack.
Yeah.
I'll start to, to, to climb down when I get to like 40 feet off the deck, I'll just let
go and jump.
So that's what you see that.
Yeah.
I'll like, I'll like push off the mast and like, like swing to let go.
Do a little flip.
You put your hat on me and she's got it in her hands.
At this point she was just brushing it off, brushing like imaginary dust and the anything
off of it and just, just sees Zacharias like, well, at least I know he didn't fall.
She says, or a waves at Daphne.
And then Daphne said, she hears, did you see I did a backflip?
That was very fun.
So a fucking bottle of whiskey.
You get it from Humphrey.
Yeah.
I take it from Humphrey.
I sway.
I hand to Aura and then I run off with her.
Wait, wait, hold on.
Can I, can I be on his shoulders with the bottle of whiskey on his shoulders?
Do not let Hildren see this.
Let me make this very clear to everyone.
This is top secret.
Should he discover this whiskey, it is gone.
Let's just restart when we're at the island.
We like barrels at least.
Oh, we love you Humphrey.
Brooke comes up.
Isn't the first time, won't be the last.
Brooke comes up as well, seeing all of that happen and then sees Daphne wearing the Cap'n's
hat.
Not wearing it anymore to her hands.
Just walks up to you just really quietly.
She always tries to make herself like, like small.
She just goes, it's done.
Anything else?
Thanks Brooke.
I think it's been a busy day.
I think all should be handled.
You're right in time for dinner.
And he just starts like pouring soup for people that he brought.
Fish soup?
Yeah.
There's a very visible pout.
She's pouting as she's just looking at it.
All right.
Brooke, I have a question for you.
How did, his name's Roland to me?
Yes.
The bard?
I don't know.
Wayland or Roland?
I can't think of it.
Roland.
I was like, okay.
How much did Roland do?
Just shakes her head.
Thank you.
And she begrudgingly go get some soup.
Humphrey, you do know that she's been hungry for a while now.
I think because you've been in tune, she doesn't eat the fish soup that much, but it's all
you've been having.
As you're running around, Zachariah with Captain Aura on your back, Roland is giving chase.
It's like, hold on, give me a spit with our fucking ambrosia.
You can't keep that to yourself.
I activate my swift stance to give me an extra five feet of movement.
Motherfucker.
He's going to make a wisdom saving throw.
Roland?
Wisdom saving throw.
Me?
Yeah, you.
Me?
All right.
Is this a charm afraid of me, that sort of stuff?
No.
Okay.
But it is a spell.
It is a whole person.
Okay.
Oh my God.
Well, yeah, okay.
Wisdom's not my good thing, but we'll-
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
As soon as your senses see the call in the outer eye of an incantation or a hand working
the gestures of magic, your body reflexively reacts with violence.
I am going to spend a point to stop him from casting a spell.
Make an attack roll.
You're not doing any damage, but make an attack roll.
Okay.
I have two.
It's a paralyze, so I actually have two.
Okay, I'll wait for Luna to come for it.
I don't have an unarmed strike on here, so I'm just going to roll with my greatsword.
Is that okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, you can roll.
Only 16.
All right, we're never not going to stop, then I'm going to-
Walks over, his eye slowly goes over to you, One Eye Jane.
And when he gets stopped, she goes, uh, Roland, I have something for you to do.
All right.
Walks over to Halfney, very scared of One Eye Jane.
Even more terrifying of that, Halfney, he will be soon.
I reach up, take the bottle, take a swig, hand it back.
We're just taking sips now.
Yeah.
Guys, I said share.
That would have been an 18, by the way, but we're good.
She gives the bottle to One Eye Jane and then blows Humphrey a kiss.
Kiffs for the cook, cooks for the kiss.
What is it again?
There's something on your apron.
Kiss for the cooks, everyone.
Do they even matter?
Kiss for the cooks, everyone kiss Humphrey.
Give him some love.
No, I'm going to hide under the table.
I'm going to say you just straight up, kisses for the cooks.
How does he do that?
Every time it gets him.
Hey, Daphne, you're not, you're not mad at me, are you?
What reason would I have to be mad at you?
Oh, okay.
You have one chance to tell me.
One chance.
Perhaps it's because you find yourself distracted by my charms.
Okay, so what I need you to do is I want you to go get the mop.
She says, I'm a mopping duty.
I want you to get the mop and I want you to make sure that any water that came over during
the storm is completely dried up.
We're on a ship.
Daphne, are you really?
And it's a huge ship.
You're not mad at me, are you?
Daphne.
Go.
Daphne.
Maybe there will still be some soup left afterwards if you start now.
All right.
Aye, aye.
And next time when I ask you to help Brooke, you could actually stand to help.
Just chill in the room and he's going to go home.
Everyone else is having fun and Daphne's just like, I'm getting people in trouble.
I will say, then Daphne in her head will hear, Captain, there's a mutiny.
As you see that, Brooke puts down her bowl and a knife is in her hand.
She goes, she just looks and she looks around like legitimately.
No, no, no, no, no.
You cited her.
She knows.
She's like, oh, no, no, no.
So Daphne, and she'll crawl down from Zachariah's shoulders, run over, get down on her knees
and go, Captain, what shall we do?
She takes the hat.
She goes, you know, one eye Jane tells me she wants to be a captain and this is the
most she's played along with anything for a bit is she gives the hat to one eye Jane.
Just look at it with awe and like our real captain is like mewling before you and just
like slowly putting it to my head.
Is today my day?
As she like goes to hand you the hat, I'll take the bottle out of your hand, you know,
so you have it.
Brooke walks away.
Get back here, I'm captain now.
I'll just chase after her.
Climbing the ball.
The tiny hat.
Oh yes, just like with a tiny hat.
Brooke grips the ball just with a twitch of the eye and who has the whiskey bottle at
the moment?
Zachariah?
I do.
And if uh, if uh, if uh, Squee and Coco are up here, I'm just gonna hand it to them.
No, not the cobolts!
No, no, no.
Hey, that's really crazy because I was about to introduce Cindy to you as well.
That's really crazy.
Not the cobolts!
You read my mind!
Um, you, you, you look for them specifically.
I take a swig and I go, hmm.
Doesn't taste how I remember.
Try?
Yeah, there, take.
Have fun.
Both of them grab it and they both scurry away.
Oh, we'll party now, oh boy.
As everyone gets involved, everyone gets well involved in the jubilation of tonight's celebration,
but wait until you see what happens when we have more whiskey and song.
Uh, if the bar, if the ship's bard is not playing, um, is not playing a mop at the moment.
Sorry about that.
It seems like with the trip, uh, with the trip to Elores that, um, this is only a preview
of the, of the jubilation to come.
Uh, uh, one-eyed Jane as you chase down Brooke and she's avoiding you, but also Sem I can't
avoid you because the captain's there and she's follow, she follows whatever they say.
Um, as everyone is, uh, relatively drunk except for Daphne.
Um, and Humphrey as you are well hidden from, uh, everyone, uh, and I was going to say,
I also, uh, after, after I caused the chaos of giving that to them, once everyone is sufficiently
distracted, I would also like to sneak away as well to get back to work.
At some point during the evening, even though he disappeared under the table, he comes back
out of the kitchen again with sushi.
Very excited.
She doesn't have her hat on at all and she's just eating it with her hands.
Actually she's not, she's choking on it.
She can't chew.
Finding some new found spirits within the, uh, within the solving of a mystery six months
in the making, uh, but with some questions still left in the air.
She says, your worries tend to melt away when you're surrounded by loved ones and your face
is hot from all the alcohol you've drunken.
As the Ineusticar sails towards their next destination.
This is where we are going to stop the game for now.
Yay.
Good job, everybody.
We're going to get fucked.
There's no happiness beyond this point.
Probably enjoy it.
Enjoy it for now.
Live off of it.
All the levity.
There's no more levity in this game.
All goes downhill from here.
Hey, Captain, while we're talking, are you noticing the red flags?
Have you noticed the red flags that have been popping up every single time we figure out
something fucking new?
I am old.
The Clarence.
Oh, I am old as shit.
Um, thank you all so much for watching.
We'll see you again.
See ya.
Bye bye.