Our heroes found themselves on the high seas as they raced to Pirate Cove… and adventure! Nothing would get in the way of saving the Mayor’s daughter, not even bloodthirsty pirates! The first batch of vicious pirates had met their brutal end just minutes earlier. All but one. Captivated by the Bard’s charm, he was thankful to have been rescued from the grisly scene and told his “rescuers” that the pirates were on their way to Innsmouth. They did not have the daughter but were delivering a ransom note to her father, the Mayor! He was not sure what attacked their boat, but it took little to convince him there must have been traitors aboard that caused the ship and crew’s destruction.
The pirate captive looked up at the monk. “Traitors you say? Well, you guys came just in time. I only know of one tortle in the world, the one at Pirate Cove, and there is no one I respect more. If you lot are traveling with one then you must be alright too.”
“Yes,” smiled the Bard, believing he’d finally learned something of the pirate leader they were looking for. “We are good friends with Captain Tortle and we would like you to take us to him!” The pirate captive stared at the group for a moment and then asked, “Is this boat carrying any livestock?”
“Er… no,” replied the Bard.
“Ah,” said the pirate, his eyes narrowing. “I was just wondering where all this bullshit was coming from. The tortle is not our captain, but I suppose impostors wouldn’t know that!”
The jig was up! Thinking quickly the warlock stepped forward. If the pirate couldn’t be charmed, the information they needed could be taken… by force. Calling upon his otherworldly energy, the warlock broke into the pirate’s mind and took what they needed. The captain was not a tortle but a gnome, one who was obsessed with gold. Just years before, the pirates at the cove had numbered in the hundreds, but these days there were not more than 50. The captain did indeed take the girl to Pirate Cove and they were mere hours away. After this information was gathered, the warlock began to tie the pirate up. They could release him later.
The samurai was not pleased. She pulled her brother away and hissed, “This man would be made a prisoner? We destroyed his entire crew! What is one more soul?”
The Bard responded, “He is but one man, and we don’t usually kill people who are not a threat.”
“Not a threat!?” barked the samurai. “We don’t know what he is capable of. He may know all sorts of tricks to delay us, or, worse, alert his group to our plan. Besides, negotiations and taking prisoners takes time. Did you forget our parents were in danger? Did you forget that every moment counts?”
The Bard irritatingly slapped her on the back and reassured his sister. “Fear not. I will be there every step of the way to insure that things go smoothly, as usual. The job is as good as done!”
The samurai considered this, and a smiled slowly formed on her face. “Yes… ‘insure’. Perhaps a small bit of insurance is just what this group needs. You go off and attempt your plan, and when things go south, I’ll be here with our pirate friend. I don’t think he’s a prisoner, so much as he’s a bargaining chip. If the pirate captain gives you trouble, you tell him to choose our party… or his mate.”
The Bard shivered knowing full well his sister was true to her word and would not let such obstacles such as lives get in her way. He found the whole ordeal very messy but there was no convincing her when she got like this. And besides, having a wild card was always a good idea when negotiating with pirates.
The ship still had some hours to prepare as they headed to the cove. Should they go in with guns blazing? Should they use the pirate ship as a decoy? Dress up as broads and sneak their way through the encampment? In the end, the group thought it best to leave the pirate ship outside, sneak in, and send Alpha Team Two* to find the girl and escape unnoticed if possible. The rest of the party would wait in the shallow water as reinforcements.
As they began to leave the boat, the Boss noticed the samurai lingering behind. “Coming?” asked the Boss. The samurai considered telling the truth. She was confident the archer would be on her side, but no, the rest might not approve of her backup plan, especially the warlock and druid. “Nah,” said the samurai, “I don’t like water.” The group tried to convince her, but it was no use. When it was clear nothing would move her, they began their descent into the water.
They slowly moved through the inky water and into the cove. Alpha Team Two crept past nearby guards undetected and entered the main docks. Here, there was a small shanty town with a suspicious box hanging overhead. A girl-sized box! Just as the monk approached it, a magical alarm sounded, and a small gnome, accompanied by a tortle, exited a nearby house. A gnome covered in a golden hue. Could this golden-skinned gnome be Goldenskin: The Gnome?! The gnome looked out across the water. And then looked at the box above. And then RIGHT. AT. ALPHA TEAM TWO!
They didn’t know how, but he could see through their invisibility. Nevertheless, he did not attack. Instead, he spread his arms wide and yelled, “Ah, I expected company. Come, I mean you no harm. I just want to talk.”
Alpha Team Two tentatively approached the gnome. “I am Goldenskin, and it might surprise you to hear my actions have been in everyone’s best interest.”
<Pfft, a likely story coming from a pirate, thought the rabbit-man.>
“I was never a pirate,” continued Goldenskin, “but the town does not take kindly to those that are different and labeled me as one.”
<Pfft, right, I’d like to see someone else back up that claim.>
“I live here with other outcasts and they will all tell you a similar tale of being thrown out of Innsmouth.”
<Pfft, and now you spend your life stealing, thought the rabbit-man.>
“We’re not the stealing-kind of pirates. We don’t want to cause trouble. We just want to leave and find a better life. A life only the Mayor can help us achieve.”
<Pfft, and don’t forget kidnapping a little girl!>
“To show you our sincerity, here is the little girl, safe and sound.”
<OK, now this is getting embarrassing.>
True to his word, at that moment, the doors of the town opened and dozens of people poured out. Not brutal, scary pirates, but scraggly-looking men, women, and children. And finally, yes, even a little girl that the rabbit-man recognized immediately. The box had been a decoy the whole time.
“Re-Re! Are you OK?”
“I am! This place is so much fun. They played with me and even gave me candy when I was good!”
Goldenskin explained that the recent strange happenings in the archipelago — the whirlpool, the creature attacks, the zombies — were a threat to all good folk who called the islands home. To save their lives, all must flee to the mainland together, as there was greater safety in numbers. Goldenskin had only kidnapped the girl to obtain a meeting with the Mayor, who was the only one who could muster enough ships for a mass exodus.
The tale of Goldenskin touched their hearts and they vowed to see the pirate people to Innsmouth and would talk with the Mayor on their behalf. Alpha Team Two walked back to the group and informed them of what transpired, and all agreed that helping them was the right thing to do. As the pirate people began boarding their ship with all of their belongings to leave the cove once and for all, the archer whispered to the group, “How did they take it when they heard we attacked and mercilessly slaughtered their envoys?”
Gasp! The pirate boat! The dead crew! They could come clean after negotiations, but now was not the time to admit to mass murder, just when they were making friends.
The Bard quickly sent a psychic message to his sister: “Do you want to get drinks later? Anyway, the plan took an unexpected turn. Get on the ship and run away so they don’t see what we did. Regarding the prisoner, make sure you–”
“Did your sister get the message to spare the prisoner, meet up with the pleasure boat, and follow us unseen back to Innsmouth?” asked the Boss.
“… yes,” replied the Bard, wondering if his sister could sail a large vessel single-handedly.
As the last of the pirate people boarded their ship, the group held their breaths as they left the cove. Would the refugees discover the adventurers’ sins and learn that their fathers, husbands, and sons had been brutally murdered while on a diplomatic mission? Or did the samurai learn enough about sailing from the rabbit-man and his crew to steer the stolen pirate vessel out of sight and delay this inevitable revelation? They would find out as soon as the wind pushed them to their destiny!
* Alpha Team Two was composed of the monk and the rabbit-man. Already professionals at the art of stealth, they were made extra stealthy thanks to the warlock’s Invisibility spell. They also immediately lost sight of each other upon entering the cove and were very embarrassed later.
Pirate Cove
2018-08-13