Game Night Tales from around the gaming table

 

Captain's Log:  [Date (9 days into game)]

 

44 days without incident.

 

Westport City.

 

- Supplies received

- 2 Gatling Guns, and 10 boxes of ammo received and installed

- 3 new Captain's Outfits: Cream, Crimson Red & a Legendary embroidered Blue Shard

 

Last night, in the Golden Skull Inn, Commander Tiberius and a slew of his Imperial troops rudely intruded on our drinking.  However, as we were leaving we watched as his troops split in two.  The ones going to the barracks were of little interest, but the group that went into the abandoned warehouse district caught our curiosity, so we followed them.  I forgot how loud my Little Brother was and Agadore was little better, humming some catchy tune the whole way, so I moved further ahead of them and signalled when and where they should follow.  That worked much better.  I left them a few buildings away when the troops entered a massive structure.

 

Once scouted out, I was able to easily sneak past the outside guards and climb up into the roof.  From that vantage point, I watched as Tiberius instructed the troops on making some kind of extremely powerful explosive device; which he demonstrated to horrifying effect on a massive pillar.  He also mentioned that these devices needed to be made quickly so that they could use them on "The Chasm," which I would later find out was a nickname for the Spike Mountains Pass.

 

I waited until I could sneak down and retrieve a device to show Agatha and Alex.  After that, I returned quickly to Orn and Agadore and we headed to the Mayor's house.  When we got there, it was being guarded by many Imperial troops, so we returned to the Rose and left Agadore to go in and arrange a date with her old friend, something that wouldn't arouse their suspicions.

 

In the morning, our new Gatling guns and ammo arrived, as well as the rest of the supplies we had ordered -- it's nice to see that such a big place had such punctual merchants.  A letter also arrived from the dressmaker requesting our presence for a final fitting at 11am.

 

On the way up, we'd noticed that most of the airships were away from port, except for one.  It was a large corvette that was all but complete, except for a lack of engines -- it was Agatha's "Mouse Trap".

 

Agador and I arrived at the requested time.  Even Orn had tagged along, to see what all the fuss was about.  He just doesn't get fashion, but then he doesn't wear any clothes except for that armour of his.  Agadore's Cream dress was amazing; it was the perfect shade for her skin tone, eyes and hair.  She thought the same of my Cream uniform; it was a different shade and fabric, which made "my deep ice blue fur stand out impressively," her words.  Orn shrugged and made some comment about it getting dirty fast.  My crimson red uniform was even more impressive; even Orn stated a flat "Nice."  The most striking uniform was the dark Blue one; but to call it blue was like calling an ocean a pond.  The fabric was fully embroidered, and sewn into it were thousands of tiny Shards, that glowed and sparkled.  Karrie, the seamstress, also informed us that nothing would stick to it or wrinkle it -- something to do with the Shards.  Agatha would be impressed with this, Agadore had picked outstandingly well, and the cut of it was like a second skin!

 

On the way back to the Rose, Orn came up with a brilliant idea, we'd get Alex and complete the rebuild of the engines we'd found and present them to her today, with me in my new Blue uniform!

 

Alex was at the Golden Skull, and was more than eager to help out; I suspect anything that would get him away from the damned Imperials was a good thing.  We headed down into the Graveyard and once again Orn had one of his visions -- this city seemed to inspire them.  Next thing I knew, we're ripping the induction rings off that giant eastern ship we'd explored yesterday.  Then Orn had another crazy idea -- or maybe it was mine, don't remember -- to strap seats and jury rigged controls onto each engine, so that we could fly them through the tunnels and land them by the corvette, so they could get installed right away.

 

I went first, it was the fastest I'd ever gone, there was this wailing noise and I barely comprehended the tunnels as they flash by, if not for my Ly'xian reflexes I'm sure I would have been splattered all over those walls.  The next thing I knew I was in the open air spiralling out from the Port in a long arc, where I was able to see the shipyards and the Mouse Trap.  I rode the engine in and cut power in time to have the engine coast right into the open maw of the corvette's engine bay where the startled work crews jumped as I ordered them to start affixing the engine to her.  And then I heard a horrific boom.  It was Orn, blasting out into the sky on his engine, so that's what I must have looks like.  Soon our two engines were side by side and the crews were fast at work, finishing the installation.

 

Alex came huffing along about 10 minutes later, so we had time to admire our work, the chromium red and cobalt blue coatings on the engines along with our symbol, a Copper Rotary surrounding a Sapphire Blue Rose, made the Mouse Trap even more imposing.  Orn reminded me that I needed to be in the Blue uniform for the presentation to Agatha; so I made a fool of myself, and bounded away as fast as I could, to get back down to the Rose.  A quick splash of a wash and into the Blue I dove.  I bumped into Celestine as she was coming aboard and asked her if she could fly me back to the shipyards, which she did.

 

Not only did I make it back just in time to greet Agatha, but I made an impressive entrance to boot!  Coming in, carried beneath the wings of a majestic Aevian, with my Blue uniform glittering in the afternoon sun.  Agatha was very impressed by the engines, and hopefully by me as well.

 

Somehow, talking about how powerful her new engines were and how their neutral buoyancy would help the Mouse Trap go faster then any other corvette, turned into an impromptu race to see who had the faster airship.  I was pretty sure that the Rose would win; we were lighter and had an engine at least as powerful as either or hers.  And then Agatha brought up the idea of a friendly bet between captains.  I was put on the spot, but how could I refuse without making her feel bad... oh, what to bet?

 

I dumbly said something about this day being hers and that she should decide both bets; she bit at that, thankfully, and said that if I won, she would take me out for dinner, and that if she won, I would buy her a dress made from the same blue material as my uniform.  Sounded fair to me!

 

Orn noticed that the ground crews had started betting on the race and Alex's corvette, the "Broadsword", was added in. The final straw was Orn talking to the bet takers about the odds and that 2:1 was not right, with a "look at the poor Rose", and somehow he talked them up to 5:1 for us to win... with those odds, if we bet everything we had, we could afford the weapon prototype Orn had dreamed up just yesterday!

 

I looked him in the eyes, and nodded, we were all in -- a 6,050 pearl bet.  He had better know what we were doing, it was a crazy gamble; anything could happen out there, the Rose wasn't a racing ship, we could lose everything!  But then I looked across the docks and saw Agatha laughing and yelling at her crew to ready for the race.  She was beauty itself; just to be in the same air with her would be enough.

 

We ran down to the Rose again, but at least this time it was to cheering -- it seems the betting was spreading -- and I let Orn charge through, everyone moved for him, even Imperials.  As we leapt aboard the Rose, I noticed that our newest acquisitions had been installed, the Gatling guns were shining brilliantly on the fo'c'sle -- Celestine had been busy today as well.

 

We flew her up to the shipyard docks, using the upper deck helm, and manoeuvred the Rose between the two corvettes.  It was a silly thing on my part, but I wanted the watching crowd to see us as a pup playing with wolves.  We had to earn that 5:1 didn't we!  Together we moved sedately out into the plains to the north-east of Westport to a rocky outcropping.  There we set the terms of the race, the Broadsword would fire a starburst round towards a random location, where we would race out to and then back again; the first one to return would win.  Simple enough, a straight race out and back, nothing the Rose couldn't handle.

 

As we headed inside to the main cockpit, I warned Orn that I didn't want to embarrass the Mouse Trap, I wanted this race to be a close one, so no Turbo -- well not unless we were going to lose.  We needed those winnings to purchase the lightning cannon and to keep on flying.

 

The race started off well, the starburst went for miles, and we charged ahead into the lead.

 

Agadore, who was sitting in the cockpit for the first time, was playing some rousing tunes, so I piped them through the intercoms so that everyone could hear.

 

The Mouse Trap started to catch up as we passed through the starburst.  We had to spiral around her to avoid a collision as we passed by, which caused us to founder somewhat and by the time we regained control she was through the turn and hot on our tail.  In the end we won, barely.

 

As we regrouped to head back to the docks, the Broadsword was struck amidships!  A massive pirate cruiser with two flanking skirmishers rose up from a hidden position near the Spike Mountains Pass.  Further north, behind them, laid the smoking ruins of an Imperial Ironclad.

 

How dare they ruin this happy day!  Without thinking, I steered the Rose straight at them, having to shoot up and over the Mouse Trap.  Orn was of the same mind; he was already heading topside to man the ballista.  A skirmisher broke off to intercept us, as the other two started their own turns, readying a broadside for the corvettes no doubt.

 

I remembered the Gatling guns just as we cleared Agatha's ship and opened fire.  The skirmisher's main balloon exploded; dropping it back from whence it came.  One down, two to go.  Our next target was the Cruiser, it was massive -- at least 4 times our size and ironclad -- but that didn't enter my mind.  The only thing I was thinking of was protecting Agatha from danger!  Just as that thought passed into my head, Orn fired the first of his Ornballs and a fireball bloomed amidships and when it cleared there was a massive hole in the cruiser's armour, but little other damage.  OK, maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all!  But then we'd come around to her starboard side, I hoped that would force them to split their focus in 2 directions.

 

It did.  They fired on us; it was horrific, dozens of weapons blasted towards us.  By luck or skill, I barrel rolled at just the right moment and avoided it all, but that put us directly alongside her, allowing her deck crews to fire at us.  I felt something hit us, but nothing screamed, so I ignored it as I remembered the manoeuvre that helped us destroy our very first pirate ship.  I took the Rose up, to go over their balloon.  That's when I saw their portside guns moving to fire, just before Orn let loose with more Ornballs.  Two, to be precise, the first shattered their quarterdeck opening a massive hole, which cause the ships to separate.  I thought the second was going to miss, and so must have Agadore, since she moved forward to watch it fall, but then someone below must have shot it.  It exploded just above their middeck, sweeping the crew off the decks into the air; their plummeting screams were unsettling to say the least.  That's when a rallying horn started to sound, but was cut off abruptly -- perhaps the decking gave way beneath him.

 

The Mouse Trap had moved to put herself between the wounded Broadsword and the cruiser as she fired on the remaining skirmisher.  She would take the brunt of the cruiser's next barrage and there was no way she could avoid it like we did.  As the Rose started to flip over, I used that momentum to take her over their balloon and slam the Rose's skidplate -- yet another of Orn's epiphanies; one he said would help to ride out a fireball -- into their portside gun ports.

 

That blast was worse then the last.  I heard the Rose wail as most of the skidplate was smashed into filings, but it held up enough to destroy their weaponry in the resulting back blast from their own attack, which also flung our ships apart.

 

I don't know how Orn held on, but he must have, as I watched one of his sword blasts rip through the hole in the aft decking.  I didn't wait for what came next; I slammed the Rose into full speed, as the cruiser went nova, fire and smoke billowed out of every crack and opening -- Orn must have hit their ammo stores!

 

At almost the same time, the Broadsword fired the largest weapon I have ever seen; the second skirmisher just simply vanished!  I turned the Rose away from that and saw that the cruiser was still in the air, albeit foundering.

 

That's when a mercantile urge hit me.  The battle was over and the pirates had lost.  That cruiser was our salvage!  See I told you, mercantile.  I moved the Rose above her and fired our anchors; then I pointed the Rose towards Westport and poured on the thrust.

 

The Mouse Trap had survived without a scratch!  She moved to aid the failing Broadsword towards the docks.  I headed topside and waved at the corvettes; both Agatha and Alex waved back.  That was a truly beautiful sight for my eyes!

 

That's also when I heard the dogs barking; then howling in pain.  Which meant one thing; we'd been boarded sometime during the battle!  I looked over the side to see a small hole in our portside, some kind of harpoon grapnels were to either side.  Another yip of pain sent me swinging over the side, into the hole with my blunderbuss -- they were hurting our dogs!  Within, was blood and carnage.  Two pirates lay dead; their bodies torn by the dogs, but there were casualties of our own, Rudy and Meisha lay brutally wounded.  As I headed towards the yowling, I saw two more pirates in an adjoining corridor.  Fluffy, Orn's Terrier, was just hurled off a pirates arm.  That's when they saw me and turned.  I fired and the first was turned into hamburger and the other was slammed against the bulkhead.  I saw Orn then, down on all fours, charging into them; he was growling oddly as he reached out and tore the second pirate in two with a roar.

 

I picked up a fallen rifle, checking it was still loaded, that when I saw two more pirates coming from deeper within.  The pirates charged at Orn, swords whirling, but then the lead one let out a yelp and just dropped dead.  Orn charged the last one, disembowelling him with his claws and started to feast on his spilled guts.

 

The last remaining pirate, a flashy one with a turban, white cape and a pair of scimitars appeared from the crossing corridor between us.  I fired the rifle but it went wide.  I shouted at Orn, but he was in some kind of feeding frenzy, and the pirate had both swords out and was diving for his neck.

 

Once again the oddest thing happened; the pirate jerked once and fell dead, a small dagger protruding from his right eye.  Orn was definitely having some kind of odd fit; he just grabbed him and started ripping into him.  In fact he feasted on all the fallen near him.

 

I turned and left, but not before collecting the white cape, even covered with blood the symbol on it stood out, a pair of red wings, with the numeral four embroidered between them.

 

There were wounded dogs to attend to, that's where I found Agadore.  She was already bandaging the wounds on Rudy and Meisha.  I looked around for Fluffy, hoping that I didn't have to reset the Incident Count because Orn had eaten a friend, but no, he was hiding within the crawl spaces, favouring his rear leg.  I coxed him out into Agadore awaiting aid.

 

Final score, Pirates: nothing, and the Rose: 2 ships and 7 pirates.  Not to mention my dinner date with Agatha!

 

I headed topside and piloted both ships back to the docks, with the two corvettes flanking us -- the Broadsword had come back under her own power during our skirmish below decks.

 

We returned to the cheering and applause of the watching crowds -- they had witnessed the entire battle.

 

Magnus was also there to greet us, and extolled the battle prowess of his new "Pirate Hunters."  I felt he was laying it on a little too thick, but then I remembered the destroyed Imperial Ironclad.  There were many Imperials in the crowd.  Ah he wanted to use our victory to besmirch them.  I could live with that.

 

- Race winning: 30,250 pearls.

- One dinner date with Agatha.  

- Ownership of the ex-pirate cruiser "The Storm Rose", under repair.

 

To conclude, Magnus invited us to dinner at the manor house, for which I saw a twinkle in Agatha's eye; this had better not be my dinner date!

 

Alex had set the dock crews to repairing all the ships in the meantime, including both of ours, for which we were very grateful. I also watched as what few remaining pirates were pulled from our cruiser and executed right then and there.  Then they just rolled them off the docks, what a waste of food.

 

We claimed our winnings, from a very pained bet taker -- it seems too many people had bet on us, including Alex.  Orn rushed off, to get the commission started on our lightning gun prototype, and to buy something nice for himself, while I watched over the repairs.

 

- Lightning Gun prototype commissioned

 

Once they were done repairing the Sapphire Rose, we settled her back in her berth, and went to the Golden Skull Inn, for a quick bath to be at our best for dinner.  Afterwards the barman approached us, it seems that he was down to his last 2 casks of Mapledown Ale, and he wanted to contract us to make another run for him.  Orn also took the initiative and bought those last 2 casks and closed the Inn for a celebration -- only the Westport guards and the non-Imperial regulars were invited.

 

- Contract for another Ale run: 25,000 pearls, plus Stonewall pass for said run.

 

We arrived at the manor house for dinner.  Orn had insisted that I wear my Blue uniform over the Red one, which really irked me, as I wanted to show off another new uniform and Agatha had already seen the Blue.  I also noted that there wasn't a single Imperial guard on duty.  Agatha was not to be seen either, something to do with dressing -- to which Orn started to giggle -- I would find out why soon enough, including what the red roses were for.

 

As we sat for dinner, Agatha finally made her entrance; she was in a dress made from the same Blue as mine, and it well -- I must admit that the rest of the night is a complete blur, for I had eyes only for her.