Cake
Cake busily prepared the two bodies,
for the ritual process had just begun. Cake removed and defleshed each of the
206 bones from the two bodies. It was a disappointment that a third warrior
could not have been part of the ritual sacrifice, but Cake forgave his
compatriots for their lack of understanding.
Once the bones have been cleaned and
defleshed, they were re-assembled, each skeleton maintaining its connection to
the still beating heart that Cake had stored in glass jars in his cabin. If he
could reassemble them properly and complete the appropriate ritual, he believed
the skeletons could be awakened, not just as stupefied wandering monsters, but
as servants which would do his bidding.
Titus
Titus rubbed his itchy eyes. He and
his mates had been up all night, and it’d been a right bloody business, any
which way you looked at it. In fact, Titus had considered it a doomed plan:
sneaking into Master Zuno’s mansion in a hasty act of revenge. That plan had unravelled
quick. It was a wonder any of them were still alive after that fight on the
great stairs. And then there was that matter of murder to consider. Might make
a man think. But what’s a man to do, when the world corners you and your mates
and every decision is a hard one?
Their decision to murder Capt. Gorian
of the Gorgon didn’t sit well with Titus, but he hadn’t considered it a
choice, really. Titus was physically large, and even by half-orc standards he
was strong, but he’d always seen himself as a little man. He’d never lacked
someone to order him around: pirate captains, orc chieftains, minor officials,
and all the other petty bosses teeming his world. You did what they told you to
do, and for someone like Titus, that usually included some kind of violence.
What’s a man to do?
Chaser
Such an ugly squishy red thing to come from an elf; not at all
like the alabaster and cerulean blue heart of a true sea elf. But after all,
Gorian was but a half elf and that seemed to make all the difference to son
amie, Capt Teach.
Chaser reflected on Teach’s callous indifference to the fate of
the captive, despite his apparently elven ancestry. Teach always was the one
with the decisive intellect. He recalled how as a youth growing up together in
Citta de l’eau profunde, Teach had wrapped himself in the shroud of the music
of metal and capably withstood the ennui and melancholy that taints the races
of Correlon (elves, you illiterate ingrates).
“Life. Death. The perplexing origins of those shaped beyond
Correlon’s blood,” Chaser mused. “Ah, the swirling waters of morality grow too
deep for me.”
He studied the jar. “I recall Teach expressing the enjoyment he
felt in blood thirst. I too shall strive for this place of tranquility and push
away these qualms. What is the death of a surface dweller, even an elf, to one such
as us?”
Feeling much better in the certainty of the example set by his
friend, Chaser set down the jar and strode out of the surgeon’s cabin for the
sunshine of the upper deck, as the wings of his moral struggle flitted softly
into the ephemeral, like so many swirling eddies behind the ship’s keel.
Teach
Captain’s Log: 3rd of Rain’s HandI knew Master Zuno was a conniving cur, but didn’t expect such blatant action from him; this mess makes the execution of Capt. Gorian a decided loss, rather than benefit, to our crew as I’d hoped.
Nonetheless, the Ballad still rings clear in my ears, in fact more clearly in the past several days than I’ve ever heard it before. I feel invigorated by my new connection and understanding of its mysteries. I feel a sometimes overwhelming urge to use these newly granted powers; and thus as the Ballad demands, it shall be done.
I hold fast in my understanding that the Ballad is the song of creation, and all life, understood best by the Gods of Rock. Though, as I’m learning, not even they have power over it. I look to them as teachers, and for guidance in what comes next. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica don’t feel remorse when a verse ends, so neither shall I. The length of a verse does not determine its importance. I believe Cake understands this as well, though from a decidedly different angle, and expressed in his own strange way. I had initially dismissed him as a mad man, but now I believe we have more in common than I suspected.
Our crew’s anthem has a strong chorus, and I feel we have many refrains of glory and plunder ahead of us – fueled by Cake’s fervor, Titus’s determination, and Chaser’s naïve guile. We have chosen a dark path, but it does not matter. The Gods of Rock care for and reward only the power of our anthem; as it is added to the Ballad and recorded in the Book of Heavy Metal. Our deeds are our contribution to the Ballad. The more notorious we become, the more dastardly deeds we commit, the better. And the closer we get to immortality as Legends of Rock.
Gentle souls are not remembered long – so we shall not be gentle souls.
Titus
Titus sat alone in the chart room, eyes drooping, thumbing the
parchment in his hands. The parchment was new, with tidy writing on its pearly
surface. For a handful of coin, Stella, the owner of Harpy’s Roost in Scag
Harbor, had sat by and written it out for them. Titus and his mates had spent
an evening of carousing and revelry at one of the tables at her inn, offering
up opinions and wise cracks, and in the end, they all cheerfully put their
marks at the bottom of the sheet.
If Titus ever put his mind to formulating his Creed, it would
begin with this: Stand by your mates. And it would follow with: If you’re of a
mind to fight, don’t stop until you’ve won. And… well, that’d be about it.
Titus squinted blearily down at the parchment. On this sheet,
perhaps, were some additions to ponder.
The Articles of the most excellent Free Peoples of the Obari Reach and most specifically the Company of the Motley Crew
- Cakulha Seaborne, Chaser Du L'Eau Profonde, Edward Teach and Titus Remus are Principal Stakeholders in The Company and share equally in spoils, regardless of title or service to the ship, after Company costs are levied and crew obligations are paid in full.
- The Principals shall elect a Captain from amongst themselves, and all other Officer positions and any decisions of great Import shall be decided by vote as well.
- On shore, but not at sea, any Principal may call a vote of No Confidence on the Captain, after which a new vote for Captain must occur presently, by all Principals to muster. If the Principals are in deadlock, the crew gets one deciding vote as a body, after speeches are heard, or lacking a crew on hand, the matter is settled by duel until a contestant begs Quarter.
- That Person that disobeys the Captain shall receive a lashing.
- No striking one another on board, but every Person’s quarrels to be ended on shore, by duel, until a contestant begs Quarter.
- If any Person shall offer to run away, or keep any Secret or Booty, to the value of a Piece of Eight, from the Company, they shall be marooned with one Bottle of Water, one small Arm, and one day's rations.
- Good Quarters to be given when Craved, and any Slaves or Hostages captured as Booty shall be freed for Ransom, Reward, or after paying their Debt of Rescue, by way of labor, to the Company. However, the Gods must be appeased and any Debts owed to them must be paid first and in full.
- The lights and candles to be put out at eight o'clock at night: if any of the crew, after that hour still remained inclined for drinking, they are to do it on the open deck.
- Be excellent to each other and party on, dude!