Voyages of the Ghostlight - IC

[-Sentinel-]

Ghostlight - Deck


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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

JNA, please roll two consecutive sailor tests:

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

---

Ghostlight - Sick bay


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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

No more tests are needed for now.

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

---

Cormorant


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

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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

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

A more relevant test in the current situation would be a perception test (via the Spy cliché) to notice that the new boarding party is only fighting the other boarding party, not the defenders of the Cormorant.

[JNAProductions]

Sasha vaults over the side-not exactly graceful, but with clear purpose and execution.

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

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

[-Sentinel-]

Cormorant


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

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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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

---

Ghostlight


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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Finally, all three PC's will be gathered in the same place! That'll make my job much easier as GM.

[JNAProductions]

"Not exactly," Sasha says. "Captain got shot at the start of this all, and the first mate is dead. So I'm the nearest authority for the moment."

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

[MCerberus]

Doc - Belowdecks

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

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

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

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

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

As the Mongrel is boarded and secured, Macra takes care to give the birds their due reward of seeds and crumbs. She's confident in the baroness' diplomacy skills and is happy to let her handle that part for herself. That said, the Ghostlight pirates are still, well, pirates. Macra needs to keep an eye on them, even if she has other things to do.

Psst! Copper~! Here, kitty~!

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

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

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

That accomplished, she sets about checking on the prisoners' arrangements and maybe scavenging a new set of clothes. She's kind of exhausted the maid angle at this point.

[-Sentinel-]

(Separating this post by PC, but everyone can move freely from one scene to the other.)


Sasha

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

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

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

---

Macra

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

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

---

Doc

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

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

Word of the captain's death was beginning to spread among the Ghostlight's crew, causing consternation. Montgomery had been the glue keeping everyone together. With both the captain and the first mate dead, it was not clear who was next in the chain of command, though for now at least, Sasha seemed to be speaking for the crew. Later there would need to be a vote.

[JNAProductions]

"It's good to meet you, Baroness," Sasha says. And when she brings up the few ships that the Ghostlight raided, Sasha nods. "Sounds about right. We try to keep the looting to those who can handle the losses-Captain Montgomery came from poor circumstances, you see."

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

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

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

[MCerberus]

Doc - Ghostlight

Docs getup doesn't allow him to express much motivation from the face, but that may be a good thing. There's no real good reaction to that. And what's worse is that bloodspurts and a trail of blood dripping from the coat shows that his choice of clothing is necessary.

"He didn't linger," Doc half-lies. It wasn't sweet but there are scenarios that would have been longer and worse. It's really all that he has time or mental bandwidth to reassure Sasha with. Or himself really.

Up on the deck he tries to take command of the medical situation. They're still ON the ship he's in charge of the medicine for so it's his to do. There's really no time to argue it out or size up the others. While the clean air is good against disease they still have problems. "WATER! Bring up water for the wounded!"

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

Once she and the cat were de-stressed enough to part ways and start their errands, Macra traded her bloodstained dress and apron for a simpler outfit more suited for climbing around on a ship. The dark green cloth and maroon leather are stark and cheap compared to the night-blue uniform she had once upon a time, but they're better for stealth and mobility than the maid's black and whites. Plus, the earthy colors kind of remind her of home.

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

"I like the uniform. Is it yours?"

[JNAProductions]

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

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

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

[-Sentinel-]

Macra

"I like the uniform. Is it yours?"

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

---

Sasha and Doc


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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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

"I'm sorry for your loss," said Lady Elena, putting a hand on Sasha's shoulder. "I, myself, lost my father today. These are hard times for all of us. Was your captain well-loved by his crew?"

[JNAProductions]

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

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

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

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"I wouldn't call them mine, per se. Seagulls are more like temporary mercenaries."

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

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

[MCerberus]

Doc- Deck of the Ghostlight

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

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

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

[-Sentinel-]

Sasha

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Macra

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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

---

Doc

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

Doc's request for shade was fulfilled quickly. All three ships had several spare sails, which could serve as a makeshift tent. Four of the patients died of their injuries awaiting care, but the others were eventually stabilized, allowing the doctors to move on to less life-threatening wounds. The dead were wrapped in canvas, to be disposed of in accordance with the tradition of the sea: by being thrown overboard.

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"Sure. But I put my uniform away just now. You've still got yours."

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

Spoiler: Spy Roll

Show

(3d6)[6][3][2](11)

[JNAProductions]

Sasha shakes her head. "I could never take his place."

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

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

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

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

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

[MCerberus]

Doc

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

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

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

[-Sentinel-]

Macra

"Sure. But I put my uniform away just now. You’ve still got yours."

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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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

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

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

---

Sasha and Doc


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

One notable exception among the new crew members was Markias, who had not forgotten Sasha’s help with the loanshark’s enforcers and shouted her name along with the old-timers.

[JNAProductions]

Inwardly breathing a massive sigh of relief, Sasha smiles to the crew-her crew. "Right! We've got a ship that needs a few repairs. I trust you to handle yourselves well, but it seems that I'll need to discuss some things with the people of the Cormorant." She moves back to the Cormorant, finding Elena.

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

[MCerberus]

Doc

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Just trying to see what can be brought to mind and/or comically misremembered if it fails to lighten the tone
rolling Gentleman of Refinement
(1d6)[3]

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"I see," Macra says with a pause as she considers the cursed ship's history. "This must all have been happy news for you, then, huh? When Brisevent falls, the queen will have no reason not to welcome you back with open arms."

She smiles as she says this, like she's solved some kind of puzzle. The insinuation that Cassidy was somehow in cahoots with the rebels is very unlikely, and Cassidy seems to be in just the mood to wipe that smile off Macra's face with the truth.

[-Sentinel-]

"I see," Macra says with a pause as she considers the cursed ship's history. "This must all have been happy news for you, then, huh? When Brisevent falls, the queen will have no reason not to welcome you back with open arms."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

I realize I haven't given much for Doc to do lately, but I'll try to find something, I promise.

[JNAProductions]

When the other woman gives a mischievous smile, Sasha frowns slightly. But she says "Understood. I'm sure she'll work well."

Returning to the Ghostlight, Sasha eyes the crew of the Mongrel. "You've one chance to join us-and no chances to mess it up," she tells her foes. "I understand that few of you held loyalty to your captain-not real loyalty, just a matter of convenience and happenstance. That's not how we work on the Ghostlight-but at the same time, I don't like seeing pointless bloodshed. So, each of you have three options. Join the Ghostlight. Travel with us as a prisoner until we reach land, and then you'll be let go. Or die."

[-Sentinel-]

The prisoners from the Mongrel shuffled about uncertainly, then began to separate into two groups. The largest—made up mostly of lower-ranking sailors, but also including Brandt, the amputation-happy surgeon—chose to take their chances under Captain Sasha's leadership. A minority of captives, Cassidy among them, preferred to get dropped off at the next port.

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

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

Cassidy glared back at them, unafraid. "War is war," she said simply.

[JNAProductions]

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

She approaches the sharpshooter. "With that in mind, though, I don't think we can let you run free. You're far too competent to risk about at the moment. You're to remain bound, at the wrists at least, until we reach port. It won't be comfortable-but it is merciful."

[Dr.Gunsforhands]

"A myth?" Macra is struck silent by that, surprised and then flattered. Of course the magic she uses isn't that common these days, her high level of skill is why the service recruited her to begin with. She still can't help but blush a little with embarrassment. "I mean, I guess I am pretty good, but-"

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

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

[MCerberus]

Doc

Not being able recall anything about the richer half of the new crew, Doc goes about seeing if there's anything wrong or suspicious in the Mongrel's recruit. It does not figure into his thinking what a faceless cloaked figure drenched in blood would look like. I mean it's not like sailors are superstitious.

[-Sentinel-]

Many of the crewmen of the Ghostlight (and more than a few members of House Valtier) looked disappointed in Sasha's merciful decision regarding Cassidy, but there was no great uproar about it, just some sour grumbling. Beneath her mask of dried blood, Cassidy's expression remained unchanged by the news that she would live to see tomorrow. Not even a grateful nod towards Sasha.

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


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

Spoiler: OOC

Show

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

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

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

I'm not in any hurry... Don't hesitate to have any conversations you need to have (e.g. introductions between Macra and Sasha + Doc, and so on).