As we close out the chapter on Rising Tide, a new chapter begins with Forgotten Treasures.  We invite you to sit back and enjoy, Worthiness Precedes Reward.

By EM Malachi

The tavern smelled of fish guts and dry rot. The barkeep refilled the tumbler of the irate pirate lord, his sole patron. Hook was drunk and swearing when the man and woman entered. Both were finely dressed and had the shared features of siblings; the woman stood a few inches taller than her kin. Seeing them, Hook dropped a handful of doubloons on the counter and motioned for the bartender to scram.

Hook grabbed a bottle and filled two mugs, but the siblings declined. Hook shrugged and drank from one of the mugs. When Hook didn’t say anything, the man asked, “Why have you requested this meeting?”

“I need gold, lots of it. The Royal Navy is building ships faster than I can sink them.”

The man sat in a chair against the back wall. “So Britannia has the will to win the war you started?”

His sister sat on a stool on the other side of the pirate. “We have already given so much. What of the other allies we introduced you to?”

Hook replied, “I haven’t seen the gargoyle since the last job I sent him on, and our mutual friend Rankin is dead.”

The man’s face darkened, and he closed his eyes for a moment. “How did it happen?”

Hook shrugged. “His dark rituals versus an angry contingent of the Royal Guard, I think. I don’t know. I wasn’t there.”

The woman looked over to her brother. “I’m sorry. I know he was a dear friend. Do you need a moment outside?”

The man gave a sad smile. “I’ll be fine. At least Rankin died as he lived. If we could all be that lucky.”

Hook slammed down his mug in annoyance. “Can we get back to my problem? My fleets have suffered heavy losses. Some of my captains are in full revolt. Others just left in the night. Without resources, more will leave my side. Even the bloody orcs are grumbling.”

The man shook his head. “This is disappointing. You even admit you are not worthy of the trust we placed in you.”

Hook looked startled. “I thought we were here to discuss how you could help our mutual cause?”

The woman laughed. “Our causes were never the same. This was a test. We expected so much more, for you to earn your place in our leadership.”

The man pulled out a small crossbow and aimed it at Hook. “You must have known the price of failure, but you got greedy and expanded your war too far. Now your recklessness will be your end. We will do this without you.”

Hook slowly raised his hands, one still holding a liquor bottle. “We can discuss this.”

“There is nothing to discuss.”

“I guess there isn’t.” The pirate brought the bottle down hard on a lantern on the counter. There was a flash as the liquor ignited.

Dazzled by the sudden flames, the woman hurled her blades at Hook’s head, missing his eye, but slashing across his ear. Hook jumped over the bar as a bolt smashed into bottles behind it.

The woman drew more knives and walked behind the burning bar. “He’s gone.”

The man reloaded his crossbow and looked as well. There was an open hatch leading down to darkness. “Shall we follow?”

Motioning at the growing blaze, she shook her head. “No, these old crimp tunnels are a maze that run to every wharf and pier. I have no desire to be trapped underground for days. We will get someone else to kill him. Trust your sister.”

As we prepare to conclude Rising Tide and begin our journey to Forgotten Treasures we invite you to sit back and enjoy, Strive for Unity.

By EM Malachi

 Town Cryer transcript of Lord Batlin’s Speech to the Royal Council

 “We are the Fellowship”

“King Blackthorn, Governors, and distinguished guests: I, Batlin, stand before you as a humble petitioner for my people. We of the Fellowship wish to be allowed to do our important work out in the world. I hear you ask, ‘Why does Britannia need the Fellowship? What is one more philosophical society or charity?’ I thank you for giving me a chance to answer.

We, Britannians, have struggled in our long history, plagued by wars, invasion, and disaster. With the disappearance of one king and the death of a queen, even the Crown has faced hardship. When people struggle for so long, they focus on the burden they carry, and not the road before them. They also miss the suffering of those around them. The Fellowship wishes to lighten these burdens, to help people walk with their eyes on the horizon.

The Pirate’s Guild took advantage of our distraction and disunity. They are a discord that should never have been allowed. The Fellowship will help protect and unify our people and merchant fleets against this menace. We wish to help bring peace to our world.

Still, the pirates of Buccaneer’s Den are merely today’s problem. What of tomorrow? We must strive for unity all of the time, not just during crisis. Too many distractions and new ideas fill our cities. With the Shrines to the Virtues so distant, the Fellowship houses we will build will provide places of meditation and respite.

We will also serve the poor and vulnerable of Britannia. Some may balk at our approach to charity, where those in need earn their alms. However, if we are to heal Sosaria, the Fellowship cannot simply treat the symptoms of poverty. We must help those in need regain their self-worth, as worthiness precedes reward.

Members of the Fellowship come from all over Britannia. We are your brothers and sisters, your children and parents. We are the same people. Trust your brother, trust your sister. Please let me and my people go out and spread the word of Fellowship.”

5/17/2019

As we continue the story of Rising Tide we invite you to sit back and enjoy, Sacrifice.

By EM Malachi

Those guarding the shore of the Isle of Deeds saw the pirate sloop before they noticed the rowboat it was pursuing. It was clear the small craft had a head start, but one man rowing could not match the wind for speed.

The knight in command made the call to protect the fleeing boat, ordering the Hold’s cannons to track the pirate ship. When a few shots came close, the pirate ship veered to avoid the fortified island, but its crew fired a parting shot at the rowboat. Striking the side, the cannonball obliterated the boat, sending its occupant flying.

The knight commander was surprised when he saw the survivor crawling out of the surf. The man struggled to stand after the swim. It was a young pirate with a longsword strapped to his back. He was clutching a stone object tightly to his chest. Seeing the line of knights, he held out what he was carrying before collapsing.

*****

The Lord of the Den had demanded ships, and the Guild had heeded Hook’s command. Every galleon, brigantine, and sloop was deployed with the purpose of cutting off Britannian sea routes. Shipbuilding efforts in Yew and Minoc were set ablaze. The pirate fleet brazenly sank merchant ships docked in Moonglow. A night’s skirmishes with the Royal Navy in Brittany Bay left the entire city without sleep.

Because of the chaos, the fleet preparing to retake Valor Island was instead ordered to join the blockade of Buccaneer’s Den.

*****

The old gargoyle ran a talon over the Rune of Valor. “I see a powerful corruption here and the rot is spreading, moving through the connection toward the shrine itself. There is something else too. A darkness on the edge of my vision. Whatever power this Rankin tapped into, I do not believe even his death will end the spell.”

Mariah was distraught. “That is why I need answers from the Codex. May I borrow the necessary artifact from the gargoyles? I need to save the rune.”

Naxatillor gave a sad sigh. “My friend, you already know what you must do. Healers from both our peoples know that a limb cannot always be saved, but it is the greater whole that matters. To save the shrine, you must sacrifice the work of your friend.”

“Do you have any idea how hard that is? This was Julia’s final masterwork. She gave her life for me, and her spirit came to me for help. I owe her this.”

The gargoyle painfully extended his wings. They still bore scars that Naxatilor had received when the seer had peered too far into the Ethereal Void. He looked so very old. “I have outlived all of my hatchkins. I would trade the mantle of age and all I am to see their faces again. What I do now, I do for the world they died to build, a world they never got to see. A world where my people live and work with humans and elves and Meer and others for the greater good. So their sacrifice was not in vain.” “For what she lived for, you must be the woman Julia died to save.”