Date: 01/23/11

XP Awarded: 1,191

Start: The city of Tashluta, end of the dry season (mid Mirtul), 1369 DR.

Over the preceding tendays, the party has been very busy with preparations for the expedition. Memnon found Captain Amella and Barlicc in an Azure district tavern, looking depressed. Her ship the Nightbreeze had been repossessed by the Medassia trading house and she hadn't been able to find a replacement position. After some discussion, Amella and Barlicc agree to be hired on as first mate and boatswain aboard the Sea Wyvern for the upcoming voyage, and immediately get to work helping with the preparations.

With Nather's help, the party purchase two ballistae to mount on each side of the ship's deck. Tilan and Laurrens convince Abbot Isiman Tilesha of Anachtyr to sanctify a combined shrine of Torm and Anachtyr within Laurrens and Tilan's shared quarters. Vigilant Watcher Tokunbo gifts the party with two sets of masterwork quality manacles for use in restraining any lawbreakers encountered on the expedition. Taark contributes by bringing a large block of granite aboard the ship which he forms into a strongbox with his dwarven stone magic. The party also fits one of the storerooms to serve double-duty as a brig, though it's filled with stores of food and other supplies like the rest of the crammed hold. Lavinia instructs the party that a makeshift animal pen will be required in the hold for one of the expedition's major financial backers.

All the while the party has been following the drama unfolding in Tashluta's Dawn Court, where proceedings are under way to strip the Kellani family of their noble status. With the testimony of the assassins sent after the party during the Serpentfall festival, a guilty verdict for matron Heldra Kellani is a certainty. With the family's holdings in the Azure district seized, and the ongoing costs related to the trial, the family's wealth has evaporated. Although the location of Rowyn Kellani is still unknown, persistent rumours indicate that she's still in the Tashalar.

The party meets a few other colonists who will be travelling on the Sea Wyvern with them. A cheerful young lad named Tavey Nesk will serve as the ship's cabin boy. During planning sessions at Vanderboren Manor, Azaad meets the gnomish navigator and naturalist Ulrimm Flammath and the boyish mercenary Lirith Veldirose, who seems to take a liking to the flamboyant mage. Two other notable passengers that arrive just before the expedition's departure are a mysterious, shifty-looking archer named Skald and Father Feres, a junior priest of Lathander. The party also meets Captain Redann, who will be in command of the Blue Nixie where Lavinia will be travelling accompanied by the Jade Ravens.

Finally the day comes, and the party meet under a clear blue sky at Tashluta's docks where the Sea Wyvern and Blue Nixie have been prepared. Most of the colonists spent the night on the ships in anticipation of the dawn sailing. At the scheduled time of cast-off, however, one is still missing - Avner Merevanchi. As the sun crawls higher into the sky, the day warms and activity on the docks increases, but there's still no sign of the missing nobleman. Finally, more than half an hour after the scheduled departure, there is a commotion on the harbour-side streets of Azure District and the waiting crew and passengers see Avner Merevanchi striding down the docks in a rediculously overdressed outfit, followed by two servants struggling to control a magnificent stallion.

Without an apology, Avner boards the Sea Wyvern and waves to the crowds that seem to have gathered to see him off. His high-spirited steed balks at being led up the ramp, and Memnon leaves the helm to assist Avner's servants (Barnaby and Quenge) calm the horse and steer him to his pen below deck. When Avner discovers that he's expected to sleep with the other "commoners" in the forward barracks, there is a loud outburst and he demands his own private room. When Father Feres attempts to soothe the outraged noble, a few choice comments about his ear hair and baldness quickly send him away. Amella has little patience and tells him that he can sleep with the others or stay behind, but Azaad quickly intervenes before Avner can say what he thinks of the First Mate's idea. Although he attempts to reason with the nobleman, he has no success and soon the other party members are muttering that it will be easier to shift the cargo to free up a private room than to change his mind. Taark, Tilan, and Laurrens head below deck to do just that - along the way they pass a sweaty Memnon and Avner's two servants still struggling to maneuver the large warhorse Thunderstrike into its stall. Behind them is Ulrimm, shooting a non-stop series of questions about the horse's pedigree at the tussle.

Finally Thunderstrike is safely secured and Avner settled into his newly cleared room, and the ships ready for cast-off. The Blue Nixie slowly glides out of Tashluta's circular harbour, and after a few minutes the Sea Wyvern's winged prow points after it. The heavily laden ship is difficult to maneuver in the crowded port, and there is very nearly a disaster when a canopied launch full of cheering Merevanchis cuts sharply across the caravel's path. Memnon's quick reflexes narrowly avoid crushing the much smaller boat, and soon both members of the expedition are in the open waters of the Shining Sea, picking up speed as the wind fills the billowing sails. The adventurers are well accustomed to the slowly rolling deck, having spent at least a tenday practicing their sailing skills over the past month. Several of the colonists aren't faring nearly as well though - for some it's the first time they've been aboard a ship - and several are leaning over the railings with a greenish pallor.

The ships make good time with the brisk wind, despite being so heavily loaded. It's a cloudless day and the sun beats down mercilessly, though the fluttering shadows of the sails and the swirling seabreezes provide relief. The lower decks are cramped, steamy and crowded, and the ceaseless creaking and sloshing sounds are inescapable. At the helm, Memnon stands grasping the wyvern-styled wheel with the wind blowing his flame-coloured hair around wildly, a wide grin on his face. A whispering message comes to his ears, and he recognizes the voice of Liamae, the Jade Raven's sorceress. The magically relayed message is an invitation from Lavinia for a formal dinner aboard the larger Blue Nixie at sunset, and Memnon accepts on behalf of his companions, crew and Avner.

As the sun approaches the horizon, the two caravels close and a line is thrown between the two. A pulley is attached and a net seat is hoisted to allow tranport from one ship to the other. The adventurers have dressed up for the occasion and can see the Jade Ravens on the Blue Nixie attired similarly next to Lavinia, who is wearing a silk shirt over a blue dress. The group heads over via the net seat one at a time, with Avner and Amella taking their turns as well. Memnon is the last over, and everyone follows their hostess into the ship's galley where a fine spread is laid out on a long table. Dinner includes grouse, peacock, and fine Tashtan wine. After a lovely meal, the group head up to the ship's deck for a final drink as the sun sinks into the sea ahead.

Eventually the time comes for the visitors to return to their own ship, and Memnon climbs into the net seat to return to the Sea Wyvern and resume command from Barlicc. As the pulley system is jerkily reeling him across, there is a snap as one of the ropes breaks and Memnon goes tumbling into the ocean between the two ships. A split second later, the sound of shattering glass comes from the rigging overhead and a small winged creature that looks like a miniature humanoid made of dripping liquid shoots overhead shrieking and babbling in a gurgling voice. It swings out between the two caravels and opens its mouth to blast several of the adventurers with a spray of caustic acid. The Jade Ravens hustle Lavinia below deck and go to retrieve their weapons, while Amella and Captain Redann take cover behind the ship's massive wheel. Standing on the stairs leading to the poop deck, Avner barks commands - to Azaad "Mage, blast it with fire!" and to Nather "You, swing out on a rope to get within reach!"

Ignoring the nobleman, Azaad summons a barrage of magical missiles that he sends streaming into the creature. Taark holds forth his warhammer and blasts the watery creature with the power of Moradin's divine fire, destroying it. Moments later, the sound of more shattering glass is heard from the rigging at the front of the ship. Tilan runs to investigate and sees broken glass littering the deck below the fore-mast. Laurrens finds similar glass scattered below the main-mast as well. Memnon is hauling himself up the ropes covering the caravel's side as Avner begins to congratulate everyone for a job well done when a second creature swoops out of the rigging toward the Blue Nixie's poop deck. As it flies, a stinking, burning cloud of mist arises to envelop Taark, Avner, and Laurrens. Taark again holds up his warhammer and banishes the creature, which screams and dives straight down into the sea.

The adventurers spread out to search the deck of the Blue Nixie just as the Jade Ravens return with their weaponry. The Jade Ravens head back below deck to search the ship. Tilan finds the broken remains of a jar atop the lowest yard of the fore-mast, and Azaad recognizes the pattern of breakage as caused by a magical shattering spell. After a thorough half hour search that turns up nothing, a replacement net seat is ready and the party returns to the Sea Wyvern. The group is part way through a thorough search of the ship when a commotion on the Blue Nixie catches their attention. The flying fishlike creature has returned and is blasting the Jade Ravens with its watery breath weapon. Thrown daggers from Zan and a bolt of flame from Liamae kill it before it can cause much harm. The party finishes their search, but turn up nothing.

The next several days pass by with much less excitement. As the barrels of water slowly go stale, the purifying magic used by Taark and Laurrens greatly improve their drinkability. The colonists and crew begin to become more accustomed to the crowded conditions aboard the fully loaded caravel. Almost a tenday later, though, Tilan seems to be coming down with some illness. When Laurrens and Taark investigate his symptoms, they recognize signs of acute arsenic poisoning by ingestion. Taark begins an investigation that involves a ship-wide search for stowaways using magical detections. When this doesn't turn up any leads, the party begins interviewing Barlicc and the colonists that have been tasked with preparing food. These reveal discrepancies between what one of the colonists named Mara says and what the other food preparers have said. Although others claim to have seen her handling Tilan's meals, Mara is shocked by these accusations and protests her innocence. Taark's inquisitional magics reveal that she seems to be telling the truth, and her husband's alibi backs her story up. The party begin to suspect a stowaway with the ability to disguise themself as another passenger. Some want to lock down the ship's stores and ration food, though others say it would lead to poor morale. Cooler heads prevail, and all agree to stay on the lookout for unusual events.

One occurs just two days later. While Taark is relaxing on deck one afternoon, he is startled by the sound of snapping of ropes and splitting of wood above him. He looks up to notice a solid spar loaded with heavy metal pulleys and rods plummeting directly toward him. He barely manages to roll out of the way before the rigging slams into the deck where he was reclining a fraction of a second previously. The other party members come rushing above deck, and investigation of the rigging reveals that the ropes restraining the equipment were purposefully cut. Another ship-wide search is undertaken, with the same lack of results. With the ongoing searches, questions, and atmosphere of suspicion, the crew and passengers is taking a sharp turn for the worse. In particular, Lirith's attitude towards Azaad have noticeably cooled. Memnon arranges an evening of music and dancing with some bottles of shared rum to improve the mood.

Three further days of sailing bring the ships within sight of the Chultan coastline. Dark smudges of jungle line the top of the seacliffs ranging from a few dozen feet in height to dramatic, plunging red stone faces covered in green bunches of foliage and surrounded by circling gulls. Occasionally isolated red sand beaches come into view, lined with palms and protected by jagged rocky outcroppings. A message comes to Memnon from the Blue Nixie to stay clear of the coastline because of the presence of Rundeen. An hour later the Sea Wyvern's lookout shouts down that a coastal fort is hidden among the treeline to port. The ships keep their distance, and the next day another coastal fort is seen, this one located within a large area of cleared jungle and proudly flying the flag of the Rundeen.

The next day the ships reach Port Castigliar an hour after dawn. Behind the fort's small clearing crouches a steep and rugged group of peaks that almost take the form of a crouching predator. As soon as the fort comes into sight, it is immediately obvious that something terrible has happened. The wooden pallisade surrounding the fort has been torn apart, and the fort itself burned to the ground. It appears that whatever grim fate visited the place occured several months ago, for no sign of life or activity can be seen from the ships. The party gather their adventuring gear and pile into Old Salty, which has been towed behind the Sea Wyvern. Rowing ashore, the group explore the ruins that are already well into the process of being reclaimed by the jungle. Evidence of a great battle is everywhere - Dried blood stains the timbers of collapsed buildings here and there, broken weapons lie in the sand, and hundreds of black-fletched arrows decorate the side of the ruins that face the jungle. Memnon recognizes these as similar to the types of arrows used by the deviously malevolant yuan-ti (snakemen). A thorough search of the ruins reveals no sign of survivors and no usable stores. Fortunately, the clear spring that the fort was founded next to is still usable, and the group signal to the Blue Nixie to send rowboats ashore with empty water barrels for refilling. Lavinia and Captain Redann are troubled by this development, and decide that they will have to pay a visit to Port Nyranzaru for supplies instead. They assure the party that the expedition has more than enough supplies to take them to the next port, but the unexpected detour will add many days to the journey. They return to their ship to plot the trip while the crew works on restocking the ships' supplies. The party search the ruins further and explore the nearby jungle for any further signs, though find nothing. Finally the refilling is done and the last rowboats return to the Blue Nixie just as the sun touches the ominous peaks overlooking the now-ruined fort. The mood aboard the Sea Wyvern is dark - it's clear that many of the colonists are disappointed that they won't get to go ashore, and troubled by whatever disaster occurred here. The ships set sail in the dying light, heading for deeper waters.

Days pass as the ships voyage along the jungle-covered coast of Chult. The strong trade winds driving the ships on the first leg of the trip have died off, and progress is slower. After rounding the first Horn of Chult, Port Nyanzaru is only a few days away. That evening, a thick mist rises from the ocean. From the fogbank ahead comes a shout from the Blue Nixie saying that it's too dangerous to proceed, and that the Sea Wyvern should come alongside to anchor for the night. Memnon leaps at the chance to visit Lavinia aboard her ship, and Taark goes along for a change of scenery. The Jade Ravens mage Liamae comes over to the Sea Wyvern to visit, and soon she is joined by Avner Merevanchi on the isolated poop deck. Most passengers find the thick clouds of fog oppressive and spooky, and spend their time indoors. Nather climbs up the main-mast to the crow's nest where he enjoys the opportunity to be alone for some time. Lirith's attitude towards Azaad has been improving over the past tenday, and she takes this opportunity to invite him to meet her at the prow of the ship for a little 'alone time' - he doesn't hesitate to agree.

Azaad finds himself alone in the fog-shrouded prow of the Sea Wyvern, though he doesn't have to wait long before Lirith arrives wearing an unusually feminine and slinky outfit. Moving in close, the two share a whispered conversation for a short time before Lirith mentions that she is a dancer and she'd like to show Azaad some moves she's been working on. Azaad swallows hard and sits back to watch. It's quite a strange dance, different from what he was expecting, and as she dances Lirith voices a series of strange sounds before suggesting that Azaad strip off his clothes and join her for a bit of nocturnal skinnydipping. Oddly compelled to follow the suggestion, Azaad neatly piles his clothes and equipment in the prow of the ship and dives into the water with a splash.

Aboard the other ship, Taark is surprised to hear the splash and immediately runs to the railing to see if someone has fallen overboard or something is approaching the ships. Through the fog he can barely make out a humanoid in the water, and a moment later he hears the sound of spellcasting coming from the Sea Wyvern as Lirith pulls out a magical scroll that she begins to read. Taark shouts a warning and then casts a spell to summon a weapon of spiritual energy to attack the spellcaster. Up in the crow's nest, Nather hears Taark's cries and repeats the warning to the decks of the Sea Wyvern. In the cabin of the Blue Nixie, Memnon hears the commotion and rushes to open the door. Rushing up from below decks, Laurrens heeds Taark's instructions and heads for the forecastle, Errant Fang drawn. Tilan appears a moment later and readies his bow.

Meanwhile Lirith has finished reading the scroll, which burns up in a dance of magical flame, and there is a swirl of water as a large red-tinged shark appears in the ocean next to Azaad and viciously attacks. Casting another spell, she disappears into a swirl of fog. Azaad uses a quick magical trick to exchange places with Memnon aboard the Blue Nixie, and the skilled swimmer eagerly tears into the shark with his doru. Without a visible target for his spiritual warhammer, Taark redirects it to attack the summoned shark. Tilan moves to block the forecastle stairs as Laurrens moves forward to search for invisible foes. He finds Azaad's neatly piled clothing and equipment, but no sign of the attacker. A few moments later, Lirith and several other colonists appear on deck to find out what the commotion is about - she denies any knowledge of the attack. Taark throws a section of canvas over Azaad and the two are rowed back to the Sea Wyvern to recover his clothing and help in another full-ship search, which turns up no further clues.

The next morning the fog quickly burns off in the hot sun, and the expedition rounds the first of the Horns of Chult by nightfall. Two days later the ships arrive at Nyanzaru Bay, surrounded by jungle-cloaked hills and cliffs. The well-guarded entrance to Port Nyanzaru is blocked by a massive sea gate hung between two squat towers. The ships are stopped outside the harbour and searched by a squad of Chultan guards. Once cleared, the gates swing open and the expedition pulls up alongside a long wooden dock. Lavinia and Captain Redann inform the party that resupplying should be finished by evening time, and the expedition is planning on departing the next morning. Port Nyanzaru is an undeveloped place - the streets are of dirt and most buildings are wooden, with a few stone buildings or grass huts mixed in. The waterfront is lined with rows of warehouses, but up the slope from the harbour are grander residences and inns, including many taverns. As the colonists pour off the ships and the crew stow gear, Father Feres says goodbye to his fellow travellers aboard the Sea Wyvern. Clutching his package of holy books to his chest, he trudges off toward the isolated shrine of Lathander at the top of a small hill overlooking the town.

Once the ship is made fast, the party posts guards and head into town. Tilan heads straight past the shrines of Malar and Umberlee for the shrine of Anachtyr, while most of the others find a suitable inn and sit down for a drink and a big, hot meal of fresh food. The local specialty is 'The Green Man' - a delicious rum-based drink flavoured with herbs and other secret ingredients that proves popular with the colonists and crews. A big meal of roast meat and fresh vegetables is a wonderful change of pace from the dried shipboard rations.

The next morning the colonists have reassembled at the dock and the crews are making the ships ready for sailing when Father Feres arrives, empty-handed and looking haggard. He tells Memnon that he hasn't found his true calling in Port Nyanzaru and asks to continue travelling aboard the Sea Wyvern. Taark notes bruises on his face and arms, which Father Feres says were caused by local troublemakers opposed to the hopeful message of Lathander. When Tilan suggests finding the troublemakers and bringing them to justice, the priest seems uncomfortable and says that he just wants to move on to start a new beginning in another location. He is not the crusading or adventuring type like the party's priests, and would rather put the incident behind him. Taark and Tilan don't give up so easily, and walk up the hill to the lonely shrine of Lathander to investigate for themselves. It's a small, dusty single-roomed building with no door and a dirt floor, walls streaked in mud. It looks like it hasn't been used in some time, but there are no signs of misdeeds after a thorough search. Reluctantly, the two return to the Sea Wyvern and accept Father Feres' wishes to return. Before the ships sail, Lavinia holds a conference with Captain Redann and Captain Memnon at the end of the wooden dock. She explains that the expedition is likely to encounter a Rundeed blockade in the next few days. The organization seeks to block all ocean traffic from rounding Chult, forcing traffic through Rundeen-controlled ports further east. Lavinia says she'd like to meet again after three days sailing to discuss how best to deal with the threat. Finally the ships leave Port Nyanzaru's harbour under a clear blue sky.

Though the winds are now much weaker than when voyaging across the Shining Sea, the ships are near to rounding the second Horn of Chult after three days. That evening, the ships pull alongside for a conference between Lavinia and the captains. Her idea is to sail through the sound a half hour apart to minimize chances of being spotted. Memnon disagrees and believes there's strength in numbers. Captain Redann believes both strategies have merit, and eventually it's decided that the ships will sail together with the Sea Wyvern in the lead.

The next morning the wind has returned, but it's a southerly wind blowing against the ship's course. The expedition is able to make progress by tacking from side to side, but it's slow going. Before midday, Nather has spotted the sails of two ships on the horizon ahead, and it's clear they are on an intercept course. The Sea Wyvern moves further ahead while the Blue Nixie draws nearer the coast, in an attempt to screen the larger but slightly slower ship. Over the next several hours, the ships grow larger as they approach and are seen to be two caravels. With the wind in their sails, they are able to react to the expedition's configuration change and alter their intercept course. As they near, Memnon gives the command for the ships to separate in the hopes of drawing both toward the Sea Wyvern and allowing the less well-defended Blue Nixie to slip through.

Unfortunately, the pirate ships also separate and it becomes clear that the expedition's two ships will each soon be locked in combat. They are close enough to make out smaller details now, and the party can see that the ship heading for them is named Purity's Prow - a ragged two-masted caravel smaller than the Sea Wyvern flying the flag of the Rundeen. It's signalling to the Sea Wyvern to prepare to be boarded for inspection. Captain Memnon gives no response, but aims his ship straight at the oncoming vessel. The distance between the two rapidly disappears, and the two enter bow range. An initial volley of ballistae bolts is followed by a hail of crossbow fire from a large group of pirates huddling behind cover. Even though Barlicc is taking cover behind the Sea Wyvern's wheel, he is hit by several bolts and falls down. Memnon grabs the wheel while Laurrens tends to the boatswain's wounds.

When the two ships have almost reached each other, there is the sound of spellcasting from the Purity's Prow and a ball of sticky webbing shoots towards the Sea Wyvern's rigging, exploding into a mass of tangled webs that prevent any changes to the sails. The Purity's Prow slows as it comes alongside and a number of ropes fitted with grappling hooks are thrown across, tying the ships together. The lines are pulled taught as Azaad summons a globe of glittering dust on the enemy vessel's deck, blinding a large group of the pirates clustered there. At the same time, a grizzled seaman stands up from behind cover and opens his mouth to disgorge a gout of flame that blasts Taark, though most is deflected by his shield. Behind him, a tall dark-skinned Chultan in short, ragged clothing casts a spell and another ball of webbing shoots onto the Sea Wyvern, exploding to entrap Memnon and Taark within the sticky strands. The two manage to get cover and avoid becoming entangled, but the strong grey filaments prevent them from moving to block boarders. Meanwhile, the pirate crew operating the ballista have got it reloaded and fire at Taark, but the spear-sized bolt is deflected by his sturdy dwarven-crafted armor.

At the stern, several boarding planks are dropped across the gap between the ships and a group of pirates rush across to attack Nather and Tilan. At the prow, Laurrens dashes across the boarding planks to attack the pirate crew at Purity's Prow's stern. The pirates nearest Memnon and Taark are mostly blinded by the glittering dust that coats every surface, but the webbing prevents the warriors from taking the offense. Frustrated, Taark calls upon the holy fires of Moradin's forge to burst into flames, which quickly burn away the webs restraining him. Unfortunately, the webbing proves highly flammable, and the flames race throughout the mass of webs, incinerating them and scorching Memnon and lighting several fires on the canvas rowboat covers and several piles of hemp rope. Tilan and Nather finish off the pirates at the Sea Wyvern's prow, and Nather dances across the boarding planks to the pirate ship's stern while Tilan runs down the stairs to the main deck to fight alongside Memnon. With the webs burned away, Memnon is freed to fight off the pirates that have rushed aboard. With the boarders repelled, Barlicc and Lirith race across the Sea Wyvern to put out the small fires before they spread.

Fierce fighting rages across the ships, as the party drives the pirate boarding crews back onto their own ship. The leader looses a few more gouts of flame against Memnon as he fights through the still-blinded pirates. Behind the main mast, the Chultan sea witch fires off scorching rays against the party until Nather runs down the stairs to attack her. At the other end of the ship, Laurrens has cleared the stern and rushes down onto the main deck past several blinded pirates. Taark defeats the last of the boarders while Tilan leaps across to the other ship to hold Memnon's flank. Once the two reach the leader, he draws his scimitar and engages the two. Behind him, the sea witch hisses at Nather and he can see that her teeth are filed to jagged points just before she blasts him with a spray of colour that leaves him momentarily stunned. Taark leaps across to the pirate ship just in time to cut down the sea witch before she guts the helpless Nather. With the captain surrounded by Laurrens, Taark, Tilan, and Memnon, he's finally defeated and the party takes control of the pirate ship.

The group carry out a quick search of Purity's Prow and find that it's not only empty, but also in poor condition. After the adventurers have verified there are no further threats aboard, they cut the ship loose and head toward the battle between the Blue Nixie and a pirate caravel named the Nightshark. Clouds of smoke are rising from the ships, but by the time the party arrives it's clear that the smoke is coming from the pirate vessel instead of the Blue Nixie and the battle is over. Captain Redann signals that they've fought off the boarding action and taken a group of eleven pirates prisoner.

The party circle back to the Purity's Prow and carry out a more thorough search - it's clear why the pirates fought so desperately. There's only a week's worth of food and water remaining, all spoiled and weevil-infested. The ship is a beaten old wreck with many leaks and battle scars - it's been poorly maintained and there are many makeshift repairs of battle damage, including several weakened sections of the hull hastily shored up with what spare supplies the ship carries. The hold contains only a single large trunk, opened with a key from the captain's neck. The chest contains only a few small sacks of silver and gold coins, two tiny pouches of flawed pearls, and several pieces of gold and silver jewelry. Looting the rest of the ship turns up a collection of crossbows and other weaponry, none of it maintained very well.

The Blue Nixie tows the captured Nightshark over to the Sea Wyvern and confers with the party. Through interrogation, they've found that the ships are part of the Rundeen blockade, and that there are at least six other ships in the area. They've been at sea for months and aren't allowed to return to their home port (somewhere named Narisban – they don't know where it is) until they've gathered a minimum amount of booty, which they've been far short of. Their captains (Lars "No-Neck" Helvur and "Bloody" Kaynie Boloff) were the only ones on the ships that had navigational skills and they didn't tell the crew where they were or where they were going (a common tactic used to forestall mutiny).

Captain Redann seeks Lawkeeper Tilan's advice on dealing with the pirate prisoners. While most laws of the sea proscribe a death sentence for piracy, usually by hanging, First Mate Amella and Captain Redann vote for walking the plank as they have surely forced many other innocent victims to do. Lavinia thinks this too harsh a punishment, but doesn't have another suggestion. Barlicc mutters something about putting them aboard the Purity's Prow, towing it to shore, and holing it - practically the same as a death sentence. Taark advises showing the pirates some leniency, perhaps making them foreswear piracy and forcing them to serve as crew aboard the Nightshark. Weighing the laws of the sea, Tilan judges the pirates guilty and sentences them to death by his sword to prevent them from preying upon any more innocents.