Voyages of the Ghostlight - IC

[-Sentinel-]

"Well, there's this..." The old woman pointed an arthritic finger at a row of jars containing eyeless, pallid cave salamanders, pickled in a greenish liquid. "Not axolotls but sim'lar. That should do, yes. Six silver coins each."

Spoiler: OOC

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

[MCerberus]

Doc

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

"Hmm I'll take it. Worst thing that can happen is that the cold-blooded essences cause madness."

[-Sentinel-]

Doc returned to the Ghostlight with his purchase, and the ship set sail within the hour to take advantage of the high tide.

---

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

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

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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Doc and Macra can accompany Sasha if they like, since they are respectively an educated man and a familiar face to Lady Elena.

[JNAProductions]

Aboard the Ghostlight, Sasha listens in on the results of the bet between Markias and Singh. After the money changes hands, she talks to Markias. "Does it need more testing? Or is it working? If the former, stay safe, and keep working on it; but if the latter... You and your device are coming with me ashore."

"Understood. Thank you," Sasha tells the other captain. "And before we go, I trust that the Mongrel's crew was behaved in my absence? If anyone wasn't, I'll have them sorted out."

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

[MCerberus]

Doc

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

Once they've arrived in port that could be a time to take a break. He appears up on deck and follows in the captain's wake.
"Aye it's about time to try and find out if my life work's been looted"

[-Sentinel-]

"And before we go, I trust that the Mongrel's crew was behaved in my absence? If anyone wasn't, I'll have them sorted out."

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

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


OOC

Spoiler

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Okay, turns out I did have time for a micro-post.

[JNAProductions]

She sighs and nods. "Sounds about right."

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Gonna wait for a more meaty post for Monday.

[-Sentinel-]

On their way to the royal palace, Sasha, Doc and Macra spotted many graffiti on the walls: 'NO MOR KINGS', 'Nothing to loose but are chanes', and a painting of a crown being smashed by a hammer. It seemed the revolutionary spirit of Brisevent had reached Farobianco already. As if in response to this alarming development, there seemed to be more guards in the streets than the last time Sasha and Doc had dropped anchor in this port. On the public square in front of the courthouse, several people were pilloried, presumably for seditious activity. There were also more bodies hanging from gibbets than usual.

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

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

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

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

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

Elena paused as the trio approached the table.

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

She gave Macra only a terse nod, as if to say: I'm glad to see you too, but you're not useful to me politically in this moment.

[JNAProductions]

"My crew are among the bravest you'll meet, it is true," Sasha replies. She bows before the king, and adds "It's an honor and a pleasure to be introduced to you, your highness. I hope our presence doesn't cause too much of a disturbance."

[-Sentinel-]

Giuseppe inclined his head towards Sasha. "Any friend of my niece is a friend of mine, Captain Sasha. I hear you command the Ghostlight now? I'm sorry to hear about your predecessor's death. Captain Montgomery was a legend."

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

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

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

[MCerberus]

Doc

Well the whole scene of this place temporarily puts Doc in a sour mood. It's all appalling. These people are literate, so somebody TAUGHT them to spell that way. Sloppy, incorrect, and UNFORGIVABLE. Or something along those lines. He keeps his mouth shut for the travel though, collecting the wherewithal to compose himself for a royal meeting. While getting this sort of audience is rare, he is at least used to polite grovelling.

"Your grace is too kind. The field of Essentialism does not have the established knowledge base for the colleges to bestow that honor. The title is merely due to necessity for those I work with. It is a shame though, such a work being lost. If my work were to be recovered it would give that party knowledge no one else possesses."

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

Gentleman of Refinement - (1d6)[2](2)

[-Sentinel-]

"My court physician, Doctor Merelli, speaks highly of you," said King Giuseppe. "He says he was once apprenticed under you and always thought you were ahead of your time."

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

Giuseppe's expression soured. "The rebellion, yes. Can't afford to let it spread over here. On the other hand, it's far too early to declare war on Brisevent's new government. Best we can do is put diplomatic relations on hold, at least until the dust has settled a bit." He turned to Sasha. "Would you be willing to engage in piracy exclusively against Brisevent shipping, Captain? Not in any official capacity, of course... Farobianco must maintain a semblance of neutrality for the time being. But I can outfit your ship with better cannons, and I'll pay well for any high-value prisoners of war you can capture."

[JNAProductions]

Sasha lets out a small chuckle. "It'll be nice to get new kicks for the ship, and a change of pace to be working unofficially-officially. We can certainly give your ships some ease, and focus our efforts on Brisevent's."

[MCerberus]

Doc

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

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