The Bloody Coast

From the journal of Namor, Captain of The Trident: 

Jan 11: We were able to make contact with BalaSoto and Bacon both, arranging the freedom of up to 600 ex-slaves through the Patriarch's good will (and purse). Some critics might argue that we're just selling slaves to Soto instead of Monmurg, but I'd ignore those critics as irrelevant, poor, and uncomely. 

We also learned a little about the leader of Monmurg, Dread Pirate Hogg. He was offering to pay for information about the revolt on Jetsom but we were already under contract with Soto. We didn't want to complicate things with a new, unknown variable. He had also decreed that anyone caught in Monmurg with cursed magic items would be flayed alive. Yikes, dude's serious.

Our fleet departed for Jetsom with a northerly wind. The Master Mariners were able to maximize our speed and we made it around midnight. Our away party consisted of Captain Morgan, Usopp the assassin, Lazlo the archer, Farland the Quartermaster, V the venturer, myself as pathfinder, and various henchmen. We hoped to find Bacon's boys massed on the beach and ready to go but we weren't that lucky, so we set off for the interior.

It was a clear night with a waxing but nearly full moon. A trio of adventurers hired to guard one of the nearby plantations attempted to impede our progress, so we killed them, took their equipment, and hid their bodies. I mean, they insisted on violence, so we delivered.

We located Bacon's people massed near the wood line and ready to travel. There were nearly 500 of them so we got them moving as quickly as possible after securing oaths of service in Soto's name. As we ferried them onto our sailing ships The Frick and The Frack, a local plantation owner happened by with a wagon full of apples and seed. His name was Johnny and he lamented the loss of his slaves and livelihood, the latter consisting solely of what was on the cart. We snatched him up so he couldn't run off and raise the alarm. Farland assured us he had a plan for him and I promptly forgot he existed.

Jan 12: By midday, we were underway and bound for Bastia. We spotted a lone galley, clearly a pirate, who sped off rather than tangle with us. We also suffered a broken rudder which Captain Morgan and the Rogue, Lazlo's hench, were able to repair.

Jan 13: We anchored in the bay outside Bastia to see how Soto wanted to play things. After a brief meeting, he paid us for our work and instructed us to dump the cargo on the docks, and we were happy to comply. I gave him back his bronze token which he snatched and tucked away in a desk drawer. Weirdo.

As long as he's got coin and business, we love us some Soto. He still wanted that meet with the teamster boss Hoffa and we had a little time, so we agreed to revisit the not-Italian restaurateur now that we had some experience under our belts. I agreed to keep quiet given my temper and likelihood of cutting the greasy fuck.

Jan 14: Hoffa received us and took the bait, the hook, and nearly the pole that Morgan laid out for the meeting. It occurred to me as I declined to eat the 14 different kinds of oiled up bread he was offering that the tone of Soto's meeting might change a bit from the original intent. Hoffa had as much as admitted to having Bacon shipped to Jetsom in the first place. Ended up costing Soto big to get him back. I laughed to myself, earning some glances, before we delivered Hoffa, gift basket of bread in hand, to Soto's spot and split. Whatever they were gonna get up to was none of our business.

Sitting pretty on a good payout, we debated our next step. We *still* had that damned dungeon to explore, the one V came out of, so we set off with The Phoenix and The Frick to do a little honest plundering of the mythic underworld.

If I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't believe it either, but that same pirate galley from a few days ago showed back up in a fleet of six. Ah shit. We had the wind but they had the position so evasion was off the table. Unfortunately for them, they had no war machines while we sported three ballistae. If they wanted to tangle, we could tangle.

The party aboard The Frick attempted to threaten the enemy by signaling "We're gonna pick more than your pockets", whatever that means, to which the enemy replied, "Don't threaten us with a good time." Looked like battle was inevitable so we positioned accordingly. I had command of our galley while the party remained on our slower, more vulnerable sailing ship. If the enemy wanted us they'd have to board, which would be to our group of adventurers' strength. I had speed, two ballistae, and a clutch of marines at my disposal so I felt comfortable on my own.

The pirates tried to spread out and flank us, but without war machines of their own they suffered heavy fire prior to being able to close to boarding distance. We disabled several of them, with Captain Morgan even calling the shot that pinned the enemy Captain to his own mast with a ballista bolt. Once boarding began, some quick and bloody fighting ended with us in possession of three new ships, a captive pirate captain that might work for us, and a slew of booty. We set to repairing the damage from the battle and limping for Bastia.

Jan 16: Bastia. We docked to repair. I took command of the 2.5 rower galley *The Trident* and we laid up for some much needed R&R. Next up? Hell I don't know, but we won't make it there anyway. The seas are dangerous along the Bloody Coast. 

Opportunity Knocks. And Knocks. And Knocks.

From the journal of Namor, First Mate of The Phoenix: 

Dec 29: Our prize was rebranded The Phoenix and is an upgrade over The Bill. We are all excited with our fiery colored sails and new paint job.

Dec 30: Met with Soto's man Corey. Shared some tales, set him on digging up some rowers that have seen the ghost ship, and bought a comically fancy saber from him. He was adamant that Bala Soto, leader of Bastia, had a job worth our time. I told him we'd look into it.

Jan 4: Bastia. Slipped the steward a few coins at the stronghold to jump the line and get in to see the big man. First meeting with someone that's not Hollander. He seemed like kind of a dope, little disorganized, maybe even a little dull. But his people like him so that's something.

Meeting went ok. He wanted us to investigate the slave revolt on Jetsom Island, off the coast east of Monmurg. He thought his man Bacon was involved. He was paying well for information and doubly well for rescue. I accepted and told him we'd depart within a few days.

We checked in on our project out at the Skull and to our delight found three of the captives broken and ready to move. We packed them up and shipped out en route to Pearlshire, the port town on Jetsom.

Jan 5: Two merchant vessels spotted from the crow's nest by Lazlo. No escort and only one ballista between them. Captain Morgan gave the order to intercept. The prey split, we boarded and captured the unarmed one while we assumed the other was running for safety but the brave bastard turned back on us and engaged. We offered a flag of quarter if he'd just let us rob him, but his flaming ballista shots showed his intentions. We closed with him, boarded, and killed him for his audacity.

Turns out they were slavers of no known allegiance. There were a mess of pilgrims on board one as passengers and a hold of slaves on the other. The pilgrims joined the slaves in the hold and their crews were addressed by Captain Morgan. The options were simple and they saw reason, having only lost one helmsman in the fighting to Lazlo's sniping. Meet the new boss.

The surviving captain of the first vessel couldn't really be trusted or ransomed, so he walked the plank. He pissed himself and wouldn't jump so I had to prod him into the waves with my blade. Coward. We collected our new ships and diverted from our original course towards Monmurg. We had merchandise to move.

Shit winds kept us at sea for a few days. I captained The Frick while Usopp captained The Frack. Some of the others claimed interaction with spiritual or elemental beings and ended up with weird items to show for it. A gemstone ring, a glowing trucker hat, and a winged cat. Whatever, man, I just work here. I shudder to think of the madness that could beset us on an extended voyage.

We fished a fighting man out of the drink just outside of the city. He thanked us with a gem. Said his ship was destroyed by The Shadow. That thing is always around.

Jan 7: Monmurg. V the Venturer was delighted to receive our good news and profitable wares. He and the Quartermaster took care of warehousing and such. The rest of us drank.

Jan 8: Sail The Phoenix for Pearlshire on the NE side of Jetsom. Procan be praised we arrived without incident to a town with a good harbor, small fort, and decent sized market. Rumor had it adventurers were wanted to put down the revolt. If we could get paid twice for a single job? Yeah, we're doin' that.

Sgt Pepper at the garrison offered a bounty on "Toby", the revolt leader, along with a bounty on each slave returned to their master. I could see the path to profit here but we needed more info. Others of the crew dug up some rumors, mostly that Toby was from off the island and a general location. It seemed foolish to just march off directly at him, especially since we suspected that Toby was actually Bacon, but we left vague impressions of interest with Pepper before sailing to scout the northern and western coastline of the island.

We made landfall and our away party of adventurers quickly learned we were on the right path. We found plantations turtled up in fear of the insurgents. We also found a former slave owner with the vapors who gave us excellent information including a solid description of Toby. Yep, it's Bacon.

We pushed inland and found a patrol of insurgents, worn out ex-slaves with spears, a little jumpy but surprisingly disciplined considering. I showed them the token Soto gave me to identify us as his agents and they sent a runner to fetch Toby/Bacon. He returned and was distraught to see me there, as we have some history. I laughed in his face and it was just beautiful that his fate rested in my hands.

Turns out Bacon had ~100 fighters and ~200 civilians that he wanted to extract. That certainly complicated matters as our mission was only for him. But a good pirate knows how to adapt the situation to his advantage. We declined, repeatedly, his stupid insistence that we could just take Pearlshire and cause a full blown revolution on the island. Dipshit tryin' to get us at odds with Monmurg and also risk getting himself killed. We had no idea what the political situation was and his appeals to "making the world a better place" had us laughing, full belly laughs, wheezing and everything.

Eventually we told him we could move ~1000 people, but he'd have to hold out for us to get our other ships. Off we went back to Monmurg.

Jan 9: The Shadow was spotted on the horizon as we approached the coast. Morgan squinted real hard and wiggled that ring she got from thin air at it. It turned as though to approach and she looked surprised and a little panicked. More squinting and it went away. What the hell was that?

We're gonna pay for a message to Soto with an offer to sell him the slaves as freed men who I'm sure would love to settle in his idyllic little domain. If he can't pay for 'em, well, there's other markets. Things are looking great for our crew and I'm that much closer to captaining my own galley.