Treasures Age Old - Session 11 Player Recap

Present: Charlie Betts, William Chapman, Oscar Katz, Sam Bebbington, Jack Richardson, Robert Nettleton
Last Session: Treasures Age Old - Session 10 Player Recap

Opening Position

It was approximately 5:45 p.m.- a light rain continued to fall over Freeport, and the sun was beginning to sink..

What to Do with Garnot

The party discussed bringing Garnot with them. Someone suggested that he might eventually become useful aboard the Chained Hag: Belladonna respected strength, and Garnot had demonstrated a horrifying capacity to keep fighting. However, he was not merely unconscious. His body was so badly damaged that meaningful recovery would require extensive medical care.

Further first aid was attempted. The treatment helped, but only in the narrow sense that several wounds were properly bound and Garnot became slightly less likely to die immediately^[1]. He remained deeply unconscious and catastrophically injured. Even if he survived, he could remain unconscious or intermittently conscious for weeks and require one or two months to recover.

The party decided that this was no longer their problem.

The household into which Bruno’s fight had spilled had already moved the dead Alley Rats woman outside. They wanted the body, the armed strangers, and the associated trouble removed from their home. The party left Garnot with these frightened residents, still contained inside the barrel.

The occupants did not appear pleased to receive responsibility for an almost-dead child capable of extreme violence. They nevertheless accepted the barrel because refusing the party seemed more immediately dangerous. The group departed without determining whether the household possessed the resources, knowledge, or desire to keep Garnot alive.

Back into Disguise

The party returned to their makeshift disguises before resuming the journey to Wrinkle Row. Freeport had so many barrels lying around that they had become the party’s preferred answer to practically every logistical problem. Polonius was asked whether he also wanted to travel inside one, especially given his injuries, but declined.

Polonius was close to the threshold at which ordinary exertion could cause him to collapse. Another wound could kill or incapacitate him.^[2]

They continued towards Bennett’s house. Their original purpose remained finding the second scholar from Confluence University whom Redd James and Grizzlebeard had reportedly gone to meet.

The Counterfeit Old-Men Trade Continues

On the way, they passed three elderly men being escorted by a small group of slavers. All three had been tattooed to resemble Little Foot.

The sight demonstrated that Freeport’s counterfeit-old-man market continued operating despite Little Foot’s death. News had not yet spread far enough to stop slavers, tattooists, and bounty hunters from trying to manufacture convincing substitutes for Doña Isabel del Oro’s target.

It also reinforced the significance of the missing tattooed skin. Belladonna possessed Little Foot’s corpse, but without the original tattoo she might struggle to distinguish it from the growing supply of deliberately altered old men.

Wrinkle Row

Wrinkle Row was comparatively quiet when the party arrived. Bennett’s house remained visibly ruined. The front door had been taken from its hinges and propped against the wall because Edward Jenkins and his people had found it easier to move stolen property through an permanently open entrance.

The party briefly wondered whether the visiting scholar might have arranged accommodation elsewhere on the street. There was no proper hotel or lodging house nearby. The visitor could conceivably have stayed with a friend, but Bennett’s house remained the obvious destination for someone responding to Bennett’s message.

Broken windows and holes in the structure allowed the evening breeze to move through it. Inside, the building was even emptier than it had been several days earlier. Edward Jenkins had completed his organised looting, dismantling furniture and lifting floorboards to search for hidden valuables. Later scavengers had taken whatever remained. The place had been reduced to an almost completely stripped shell.

The party compared the scene with their memory of the previous visit. There was no sign that a scholar had recently settled there, no luggage, and no obvious new message. Rather than search the already devastated building indefinitely, they decided to question the neighbours.

Bennett’s Neighbour

Peg approached a nearby house and knocked. The door was answered by a short man in his late forties with bright ginger hair, a carefully maintained moustache, and freckles across his face. He wore a badly creased shirt, underwear, and no trousers, suggesting that the party had interrupted a late-afternoon nap.

The man initially assumed they were scavengers. He said they were too late because Bennett’s property had already been stripped. Peg explained that she was looking for a friend and hoped the neighbour might have seen him.

The neighbour was immediately sceptical. Many people had arrived claiming to be Bennett’s friends, only to leave as soon as they learned there was nothing left to steal. Peg clarified that she was not looking for Bennett himself but for someone who might have visited during the last few days.

The party did not know what the second scholar looked like, making that description useless. They therefore asked about two highly recognisable figures: Grizzlebeard and Redd James.

The neighbour knew Grizzlebeard by reputation as a pillar of the community. The party enthusiastically agreed that Grizzlebeard was a great man and claimed to be associated with Grizzfest. This did not entirely reassure him. He had heard about the festival and regarded it as excessively violent.

They blamed the violence upon “that psychopath Redd James,” claiming Redd and his crew had created the disorder and damaged Grizzlebeard’s good name. Unfortunately, the neighbour found the party themselves vaguely familiar, presumably from wanted notices or accounts of the disturbances.

He hinted that his memory might improve if given something. The party correctly interpreted this as a request for a bribe. Peg possessed a quantity of expensive alcohol and produced a bottle of good rum, holding it close enough for him to smell without immediately surrendering it.

The neighbour suggested that drinking it might restore his memory. Peg proposed sharing a drink outside rather than allowing him to disappear into his house with the bottle. He looked out at the wet, darkening street and preferred to drink in his doorway. He became increasingly suspicious when Peg hesitated to hand it over, pointing out that her story had already shifted between searching for a friend and investigating other visitors.

He began closing the door, dismissing them as more chancers. Peg thrust her new peg leg into the gap before he could shut it completely.

The man looked down at the leg and recognised the implied threat. Peg tried to make the newness of the leg work in her favour, arguing that somebody in her condition could hardly be dangerous. When he suggested she resembled a peg-legged person wanted for mob violence, she claimed that the wanted woman had a differently coloured leg. Supposedly, she said, wanted posters did not include detailed “leg prints,” so the neighbour could not immediately disprove this.

Peg eventually surrendered the rum. The man took a drink and admitted that he had seen Grizzlebeard and a man dressed heavily in red visit Bennett’s house, earlier that day at 7:00am.

When Redd and Grizzlebeard Came

Belladonna’s expedition had left the Amokuali Temple after dawn, taken approximately sixteen hours to return to Freeport, arrived around midnight, and rested. The next morning, events surrounding the shrine and the stolen Swooping Terror had occurred. Redd and Grizzlebeard’s visit to Bennett’s house therefore happened at approximately 7:00 a.m. that same day.

According to the neighbor, only Redd and Grizzlebeard entered the property. They remained for a few minutes, looked around, and left. They did not appear to carry anything away. They were moving with purpose and seemed unwilling to linger, although they were not running.

They entered and exited by the same route. Wrinkle Row was effectively divided by a badly placed house constructed in the road, a product of Freeport’s almost nonexistent planning rules, which restricted the routes they could have used.

The neighbour had not followed them. He also had not seen an academic-looking stranger accompany them.

When asked about Bennett’s associates or other scholarly institutions, he explained that Bennett effectively was the local academic centre. Bennett had been gone for approximately two weeks (when he had left for Amokuali Temple with Grizzlebeard). There was no university quarter in Freeport to which visiting scholars naturally reported.

He did know that Bennett, Grizzlebeard, and Redd James had all frequented the The Crossed Keys. This was yet another indication that the tavern might matter, although the party had repeatedly discussed going there without doing so.

Other possibilities were proposed in quick succession: returning to the ships, going back to the temple, questioning the Slippery Three, speaking to Matthew Clever (Meat Cleaver), or somehow asking Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord whether anybody had escaped the city.

Before leaving, the party asked whether the neighbour had overheard anything Redd and Grizzlebeard said. Their conversation had apparently been hushed, but Redd's booming voice made true discretion difficult.

The neighbour remembered one word: Atzalco.

He also remembered something resembling:

“Let’s get a small group and see if she’s there.”

What Atzalco Is

Peg drew upon her knowledge of the local region. Atzalco was the Azcelani name for the settlement marked on Conquistador charts as Puerto de la Garza, the Port of Herons.

It lay west of Freeport, approximately twelve miles along the coast. It had previously appeared among the destinations discussed when Polonius used his intuition to decide where Redd and Grizzlebeard might go.

Atzalco was the closest settlement with a proper harbour rather than a few fishing boats pulled onto a beach. It had roughly five hundred inhabitants, most of them Azcelani.

The town had once been controlled entirely by the Azcelani. After Freeport fell out of Conquistador hands, the Conquistadors (16P) occupied Atzalco to maintain a military and commercial position nearby and to prevent Freeport from relying upon a friendly neighbouring port.

The settlement contained a customs post, a small garrison, warehouses, and a quay capable of provisioning smaller coastal vessels. Fishing and preserved fish exports sustained much of the town. It also supplied Conquistador expeditions travelling inland.

Azcelani customs continued to govern much of ordinary life, but a Conquistador commandant controlled customs and military matters. The locals resented requisitions imposed by the occupying authorities. Some quietly traded with Freeport whenever they could, although Gustavo, Montañero Pirate Lord’s blockade currently made such trade essentially impossible.

Atzalco sat in a sheltered inlet below steep green hills. Its waterfront contained fishing boats, drying racks, old timber homes, and newer Conquistadors (16P) administrative buildings. In good conditions, a properly navigated coastal vessel could reach it from Freeport in approximately three to four hours.

Peg thanked the neighbour, resisted the running joke that the party ought to mutilate him after obtaining the information as they had done with Juarez, and returned to the others with the lead.

Turning a Lead into a Certainty

The party returned to the Chained Hag at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Belladonna remained in her cabin studying maps of Freeport, its surrounding waters, and Gustavo’s probable blockade positions. She looked up and asked whether they had brought her the tattoo.

They replied that they had not, but claimed they knew where it was.

They reported that Redd James and Grizzlebeard were heading towards Atzalco and implied that the missing skin would be with them. In reality, they knew only that the two men had mentioned Atzalco and discussed taking a small group to see whether an unidentified woman was there.

When Belladonna asked directly whether the tattoo was in Atzalco, the party avoided stressing the uncertainty. They wanted to present useful results after spending much of the day chasing false leads and being ambushed in an alley.

The First Travel Plan

The party proposed travelling the twelve miles west along the coast. The immediate problem was Gustavo’s blockade.

Freeport lay within a bay surrounded by steep cliffs. Its navigable maritime entrances could be watched by a relatively concentrated force. Gustavo’s ships lay approximately half a mile to a mile offshore. A rowboat attempting to leave by an obvious route could be spotted if the crews maintained a proper watch.

The party initially proposed walking through the jungle for a mile or two, passing the blockade on land, then returning to the sea beyond the ships’ line of sight.

This sounded simple until their overland pace and injuries were considered. The rain had turned the jungle into extremely difficult terrain. Thick vegetation would require cutting a path, and the group would move at the pace of its slowest member. Polonius was barely capable of sustained movement, while Barry was also badly hurt.

A route that looked short on a map could take days under those conditions. The idea of leaving the injured crewmates behind was raised, as was the possibility of carrying them. Nobody had a satisfactory method for dragging Polonius through wet jungle without slowing down even further.

Tlalli, Barrels, Beaches and Snorkels

Attention turned to Tlalli. She could travel much more effectively in the water than on land. She might carry several people or pull a small boat, raft, or line of barrels. Pulo could swim but lacked her endurance.

One proposal involved placing injured people in barrels and having Tlalli tow them (as she could only carry a few). Another involved obtaining a small fishing boat after passing the blockade. The party could requisition or steal one from Azcelani fishermen and use it for the rest of the journey.

They discussed walking along the beach instead of through the jungle. Sand would still slow them, and the beach would expose them to observers aboard Gustavo’s ships. The coast closer to Freeport also consisted partly of cliffs with no accessible strip of sand beneath them.

They considered walking along the seabed with weights attached to their feet and using long blowpipe tubes as snorkels. Someone suggested that Gustavo’s sailors, unfamiliar with snorkels, might mistake the tubes for strange fish or Merfolk. This plan did not adequately address drowning, currents, visibility in Carrouban water, or the party’s uneven swimming ability.

Another proposal involved hiding beneath an overturned boat. Floating barrels were also revisited: perhaps Gustavo’s crews would ignore a group of barrels drifting through the waves. Nobody resolved how the barrels would move in formation without appearing suspicious.

The fog and darkness might reduce the likelihood of detection, but they would also impair navigation. Coves along the coast could provide shelter if spotted, assuming the party reached one before the blockading ships could intercept them.

Reporting the Plan to Belladonna

Belladonna listened as the party attempted to settle on a route. She remained interested in how Redd and Grizzlebeard had apparently left Freeport. If they had genuinely discovered a concealed route through the blockade, it could be much more valuable than merely catching them.

Peg Meg-Leg asked Belladonna for mounts or other assistance, but Tlalli remained the most plausible aquatic option. Belladonna suggested that the party test its proposed coastal route and report back. If they disappeared, that would at least demonstrate the route was unsafe.

Peg Meg-Leg also asked for better weapons because of the mission’s importance. Belladonna looked over the chains with which she had already equipped them and was not convinced that they lacked resources.

A new pistol was requested. Belladonna observed that Peg's existing pistol seemed perfectly serviceable. She was willing to arrange better equipment after the party recovered the tattoo, but not before they had produced results.

Peg asked about replacement legs. Belladonna noted that Freeport had recently received a considerable amount of lumber^[3], so peg legs should not be difficult to acquire. She did not personally manage such minor logistics, but could ask a crewmate to find one for her.

The Hangar Administrator Arrives

The discussion was interrupted by one of Belladonna’s crew. The visitor was not one of the Chosen, but occupied a middle rank between the ordinary acolytes and Belladonna’s elite followers.

He reported that a man claiming to be the head or administrator of the Swooping Terror hangar had arrived. The man refused to leave and said he had a proposition.

The visitor was thin and wiry, with a large curled moustache. His relatively expensive clothing was made from dinosaur leather and decorated with feathers around the collar and wrists.

He did not confront Belladonna over the stolen Swooping Terror. Instead, he behaved as though she had already entered into a prestigious commercial arrangement with his organisation. He congratulated her on becoming one of their most valued clients and offered Fernando’s services as a retained rider.

Belladonna could regard the captured Swooping Terror as her personal mount. Whenever she required a flight, she could send payment through the hangar. Fernando would remain attached to the animal and continue operating it.

The administrator’s motive was transparent. Belladonna already possessed the rider and dinosaur, and attempting to reclaim them by force would be suicidal. By redefining the theft as a contract, he protected his business and established a relationship with somebody likely to become a Pirate Lords.

He repeatedly alluded to Belladonna’s expected rise. He hoped she would remember his helpfulness when she reached that position.

He added one careful qualification: the Pirate Lords might requisition the Swooping Terror in an emergency. If that happened, he begged Belladonna not to hold him personally responsible.

The party recognised that somebody associated with the hangar had reported their involvement in the theft to the authorities. While the administrator was not necessarily the rider who had carried the report, but he now knew who they were and why Belladonna possessed Fernando.

When he noticed the party, Belladonna explained that they were not yet fully integrated into her crew. They remained useful associates. If they stopped being useful, the hangar could seek its justice against them. Belladonna had known them for only a few days and would not risk her reputation or life merely to protect theirs.

For the moment, their enemies and bounties constituted a useful test of strength. If they survived, they might deserve a place in her organisation.

The administrator and Belladonna formalised Fernando’s retainer. Fernando) would not personally receive most of the money earned from flights; it would pass through his employer, leaving him with a comparatively small share.

The Flying Solution

Once the administrator departed, the party resumed arguing about the journey to Atzalco. They calculated their expected speed through the jungle, discussed carrying one another, considered what equipment to abandon, and worried about transporting Polonius Fumke’ books.

Eventually, someone pointed out that they had just obtained a flying dinosaur.

The party returned to Belladonna’s cabin and proposed using the new agreement to charter Fernando and the Swooping Terror. Belladonna had already begun finalising the terms.

The flight to Atzalco would take approximately an hour each way. The Swooping Terror could cover roughly sixty miles in a day. Depending upon the weight of Fernando, his passengers, and their equipment, it could carry one or perhaps two party members per journey.

The proposed system was to send one passenger with the equipment first, allow Fernando to return, and repeat the journey until everyone had been transported. This would still take several hours but was far quicker than carrying injured people through the jungle.

Belladonna had an additional use for the flight. She wanted Little Foot’s corpse delivered to Doña Isabel del Oro while it remained reasonably fresh. The missing tattoo might reduce or invalidate the bounty, but Belladonna intended to discover how much del Oro would pay for the body alone.

A second Swooping Terror was expected to return to the hangar later that evening, probably between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.. The party could rest for a few hours while waiting, although this would not be long enough for significant healing.

Polonius’ Missing Library

During this pause, Polonius remembered that most of his books remained aboard The Red Scorn.

The party had originally left the collection aboard Redd’s ship because they had expected to continue travelling with him. Now the party had abandoned the The Red Scorn's crew and joined Belladonna, the party feared Red James would not return Polonius Fumke's property.

Belladonna also remained interested in Jolliver’s knowledge. The party had already spoken to him once, and he had accidentally revealed that Redd and Grizzlebeard sought a second scholar. Belladonna suggested asking him more forcefully.

The party therefore decided to use the waiting period to recover Polonius’ books, determine whether Redd remained aboard, and interrogate Jolliver.

Jolliver Refuses to Finish His Shift

The party returned to the dock beside The Red Scorn. The ship remained anchored in the harbour, accessible by its small rowing boat.

Jolliver and another sailor, Howell Baldwin, stood guard at the mooring. Jolliver had remained at his post beyond the scheduled end of his shift because he did not believe enough time had passed. Howell had arrived to relieve him and was increasingly annoyed that Jolliver refused to go.

The two men were barely speaking. Howell mocked Jolliver, suggesting that his impoverished childhood had prevented him from learning to tell the time. Jolliver insisted that poverty had nothing to do with his determination to complete a proper shift.

The party joined in the confusion. Jolliver believed it it was only late afternoon, despite the fact that it was now dark and approaching ten. When told to look at the sun, he pointed out that there was no visible sun. Suggestions that it had simply set unusually early only deepened the argument.

Jolliver recognised the party and asked whether they had enjoyed their expedition to Wrinkle Row.

The party explained that they had been ambushed. Jolliver pointed out that they were wanted criminals walking through Freeport with enormous bounties, so an attack by bounty hunters was hardly surprising.

The party asked about Rederick, as they wanted to find a competent medic for Polonius. Jolliver claimed he had gone for a swim. They asked after Redd and Grizzlebeard, but Jolliver refused to discuss them.

Redd had specifically warned his crew that desperate people might come looking for him. They were not to reveal where he had gone or what he was doing. Jolliver’s loyalty had already proved nearly absolute, and ordinary persuasion was unlikely to overcome it.

Debating an Abduction in Public

The party considered inviting Jolliver to the The Crossed Keys for another drink. He was amenable to drinking eventually, but remained committed to his post. They proposed finding a quieter tavern because entering the The Crossed Keys while carrying substantial bounties risked another attack.

Other proposals included luring him into an alley with soup, whipping him with their chains, or overpowering him at the dock. They were conscious that kidnapping him publicly after hours of questions would make their responsibility obvious.

Howell was present throughout this discussion. He wore a basic leather jacket and carried a cutlass and buckler. Jolliver carried a cutlass and pistol. Neither was one of Redd’s famous duelists, but both were armed and capable.

Jolliver repeated that Redd had instructed them not to trust the party. The chains visibly linking them to Belladonna did little to reassure him. During their previous conversation, the party had claimed that Belladonna treated people well and that the chains were not a problem. Jolliver had not entirely believed them.

Polonius’ Dying Wish

The party devised a less violent way aboard.

Polonius was genuinely badly injured. They would present him as a dying old man whose final wish was to sleep once more in a hammock aboard The Red Scorn, surrounded by the books he loved.

Polonius began walking away unsteadily, as though confused and near collapse. The others told Jolliver and Howell that the Alley Rats had struck him in the head and that his condition was deteriorating rapidly.

The performance was remarkably convincing. The guards believed that the party genuinely feared Polonius was dying.

They suggested taking him to a healer. The party objected that they were wanted throughout the city and could not safely seek normal medical treatment. The Chained Hag supposedly had no suitable beds because prisoners occupied them all. More importantly, Polonius had repeatedly spoken of how well he had slept aboard The Red Scorn.

The party claimed that his dying wish was to experience that hammock one final time. He also wanted to be near his books.

The guards would not admit the entire party. Redd had specifically ordered them to watch for these people, and allowing an armed group aboard would be an obvious violation. They were, however, willing to accommodate one dying scholar.

Polonius was therefore permitted to board alone.

Arrival Aboard the Red Scorn

Jolliver rowed Polonius across the harbour. He moved slowly and carefully to avoid jarring his apparently dying passenger. The crossing took approximately five to ten minutes.

A rope ladder was lowered from The Red Scorn. Polonius climbed aboard with difficulty and found himself surrounded by Redd’s crew.

The sailors had been told not to admit the party and demanded an explanation. Jolliver said that Polonius was dying and wished to sleep aboard the vessel one final time.

Respecting Polonius slightly more because of his antics during the earlier naval battle, they agreed, but ordered that he be watched. Polonius was taken below deck to the gun deck, where hammocks hung among the cannons. Several sailors were sleeping.

They placed him in a hammock Polonius asked if they could retrieve one of his books.

The Swashbuckler Book

Polonius asked for a volume concerning local sea monsters and supernatural creatures. He then asked whether he could read something Redd had recently enjoyed. Redd was known to appreciate histories and stories of legendary swashbucklers.

The crew produced a relatively small but handsomely made illustrated volume, closer in size to a smaller storybook than a massive scholarly tome. It contained tales and images of famous swashbucklers.

Saint Smithens appeared prominently on the cover, carrying his legendary sword and chalice.

This led to a conversation about Rose (Carrouban), Redd’s sister, and her connection to Saint Smithens’ chalice. Rose (Carrouban) had apparently contributed substantially to the Redd family fortune following her expedition. Some elements of her story had been related to her rather than personally witnessed, and the sailors admitted that the full account sounded implausible.

Polonius expressed sincere academic interest. If he survived, he wanted an audience with Rose (Carrouban) so that her testimony could be transcribed. If he died, he wanted Confluence University to receive permission to record the story in his place.

The crew believed Rose (Carrouban) might agree, although she had become a person who preferred order. They warned that she might distrust people whose arrival was consistently followed by confusion and violence.

Searching from the Hammock

Polonius tried to recall The Red Scorn’s layout. Redd’s cabin should be in the sterncastle above, not on the gun deck where Polonius had been placed.

He considered requesting his entire collection so that he could verify none of the books were missing. The crew were happy to fetch a specific volume but would not allow him to wander around searching.

Polonius asked whether Redrick could provide medical assistance. The sailors explained that Redrick had gone to sleep approximately an hour earlier. Redrick was not badly injured, but had developed an acute fear of blood spilling on floors after the Amokuali Temple. Asking him to treat a bleeding patient could cause him to panic.

“I Want to Make Peace Before I Die”

Polonius changed tactics. He told the crew that he wanted to make peace with Redd before dying.

He praised his time aboard The Red Scorn, describing it as some of the best days of the last decade. The ongoing war had made the preceding years bleak, whereas travelling with Redd had offered excitement and purpose.

He claimed that joining Belladonna had been a mistake. Belladonna was cruel, and his companions had ignored warnings about her. Redd, by contrast, had treated him well and liked him personally.

One of the sailors agreed to carry a message to Redd. After approximately five minutes, he returned.

Redd would not see Polonius.

According to the messenger, Redd believed Polonius was no longer playing "the game" properly. He had gone to an opponent, obtained information, and intended to return directly to Belladonna with it. As an experienced schemer himself, Redd suspected that Polonius wanted to inspect the ship, learn what he could, and then miraculously recover.

Polonius protested that infiltrating the opponent’s ship and stealing information was precisely the sort of thing that ought to qualify as playing the game. He demanded to know how skulduggery could violate a code based upon skulduggery.

The messenger explained that Redd might grant an audience if Polonius first provided information valuable enough to justify it. Redd did not intend to reveal himself merely because an enemy agent claimed to be dying.

Polonius Betrays Belladonna’s Plans

Polonius asked for paper and writing materials.

He reproduced Belladonna’s map of the blockade as accurately as he could from memory. He marked the positions and points she had been studying and explained that she now controlled a Swooping Terror.

He told Redd’s man that Belladonna wanted Little Foot’s tattooed skin and was attempting to predict where Redd had gone. The messenger scoffed at the proposed routes of Redd on the map, saying that she was thinking of Redd as an ordinary sailor and therefore misunderstood how somebody devoted to “the game” would act.

The messenger asked whether Polonius and the rest of the party still served Belladonna.

Polonius claimed they had not joined voluntarily. Belladonna recruited through chains and enslavement. He said the party was ready to return to Redd if Redd would accept them.

This was not something the rest of the party had authorised. Polonius was offering intelligence about Belladonna’s plans and implying that all of them wished to defect back to The Red Scorn.

The sailor agreed to deliver the map and message. Polonius again requested to present it personally, but the sailor refused. A dying man needed rest, and Redd still believed the situation was a spy operation.

Polonius considered escalating his performance by falling from the hammock, hallucinating, or insisting that Redd had become like a father to him despite being younger than Polonius and having known him for only several days.

The Lucky Playing Cards

Meanwhile, the others remained at the dock with Jolliver and Howell. Attempts to draw information out through prolonged friendly conversation achieved little. The atmosphere had become deeply awkward.

The party invented another dying wish. Polonius supposedly possessed a set of lucky playing cards that his grandson had entrusted to them. If Polonius ever lay on his deathbed, the cards had to be placed in his hands. They held religious significance and might determine his fate.

This story was complicated by Polonius’ innumeracy, which made him incapable of playing cards properly.

After extended persuasion and a small payment or exchange, Jolliver agreed to carry another party member across with the cards. The Red Scorn’s crew became increasingly suspicious that every return journey generated a fresh reason for another member of the party to board.

Peg Meg-Leg was escorted with drawn weapons. As they crossed the deck, someone briefly opened the door to Redd’s cabin. Peg attempted to observe the interior.

The room was dim. She saw nobody standing near the door, heard no conversation, and did not observe the person entering address anybody inside. After approximately thirty seconds, he left.

This suggested Redd might not be in the cabin, but did not prove it.

Peg was taken below and delivered the cards to Polonius.

One Final Nautical Custom

The party now claimed that a person dying at sea had to greet the captain of the vessel before death and then play a final card game. Failing to do so might affect whether the dying sailor reached a desirable afterlife.

The sailors knew pirates were highly superstitious, but this particular tradition strained belief. They said Redd might address Polonius in the morning if he wished, but would not be summoned immediately.

Polonius dramatically fell from the hammock, landing on his hands and knees. Despite his condition, he avoided injuring himself. He begged to see “the good man” one final time and described Redd as a father figure.

The sailors gently lifted him back into the hammock.

The crew’s patience finally ran out. They accused the party of abusing their hospitality and consuming an absurd amount of crew time. Every few minutes somebody returned with a new dying wish, a new message, or a new demand to see Redd.

They pointed out that they had been explicitly ordered not to admit these people. They now had two aboard, asking questions and attempting to inspect the captain’s quarters.

Polonius was allowed to remain overnight if he genuinely needed rest. Instead, he elected to leave with Peg Meg-Leg.

Before departing, he recovered the chains he had removed for the crossing. The crew were confused that someone supposedly enslaved by Belladonna voluntarily wanted his chains back, but returned them. Polonius was allowed to take one volume concerning local creatures. The rest of his library remained aboard.

The Party’s Actual Results

By approximately 10:00 p.m., the party had spent several hours on the operation.

They had not seen Redd. They had not conclusively proved he was absent. They had recovered only one of Polonius’ books. Jolliver and Howell had provided no useful new information.

Polonius had, however, given Redd’s crew a copy of Belladonna’s blockade map, revealed that she possessed a Swooping Terror, explained that she wanted the tattoo, and claimed the party wanted to return to Redd.

Jolliver returned to The Red Scorn and prepared to row Polonius and Peg back towards shore. Howell remained at the mooring with Barry and Bruno.

Howell was exhausted by the hours of conversation and believed the party had been conducting an obvious spying operation. With Jolliver temporarily absent, Barry and Bruno decided to obtain information by force.

The Easy Way or the Fun Way

Howell stood beside the water with his cutlass and buckler. His weapons were available, but he was not initially in a formal fighting posture.

Barry had reloaded his pistol during the hours aboard the Chained Hag. Bruno stood close enough to attack with his black mutite knife.

Barry raised the pistol and gradually aimed it towards Howell’s knee. Bruno remained near his flank.

They told Howell that they could do this “the easy way or the fun way.” Howell asked what they actually wanted.

They demanded the truth. They had questioned him and Jolliver for hours and believed both men were withholding information.

Howell replied that he might genuinely know nothing. He also reminded them that Polonius remained aboard The Red Scorn, surrounded by Redd’s crew. If they attacked him, their friend could pay the price.

The party dismissed this threat, arguing that the nearly dead old man aboard the ship was of little use as leverage. Howell pointed out that they continued to travel with Polonius and fulfil his endless dying wishes, suggesting they did care.

Barry continued aiming at Howell’s leg. Howell recognised the threat and prepared to draw himself into a proper fighting stance.

The confrontation turned violent.

Barry Fires

Barry had the initiative and fired first.

He initially intended to destroy Howell’s kneecap, but the darkness and Bruno’s close proximity made a precise shot extremely difficult. He adjusted towards a broader body shot.

Howell dodged. The bullet missed him, passed without striking Bruno, and disappeared into the waters of the harbour.

The sound of the pistol carried across the water towards the Red Scorn.

Bruno Loses the Knife

Bruno attacked Howell’s weapon arm with the black mutite knife, hoping to disable him. Howell brought up his buckler and caught the blow.

Howell responded with a hard cutlass strike. Bruno attempted to parry, badly mistimed the movement, and lost his grip upon the knife^[4]. It fell and scattered across the dock.

Bruno tried to fight barehanded while recovering his position, but the darkness made every exchange difficult (with the only light coming from a nearby oil lamp). Howell had the same visibility problems, although his buckler gave him considerable protection.

Barry drew his cutlass and entered the melee.

Howell Proves Dangerous

Howell was not a celebrated duellist, but he was a strong dock worker and competent sailor. His cutlass blows carried considerable weight.

He struck Bruno in the torso. The blow was potentially devastating, although Bruno’s protection and determination kept him standing. Barry slashed Howell, but Howell’s Padded Vest absorbed the cut.

Howell struck Bruno again. Bruno was knocked down and briefly stunned. His weapon lay several feet away. While prone, he managed to draw the black mutite knife again.

Barry pressed the attack with his cutlass. Howell repeatedly blocked or avoided the blows while forcing them to defend themselves in darkness.

The two-to-one attack was going far worse than either Barry or Bruno expected.

The Red Scorn Notices

Polonius and Peg were still in the rowboat with Jolliver when the pistol fired. They had only recently left The Red Scorn and had not yet reached shore.

The crew aboard the ship heard the shot and spotted the fight near their mooring. Men began gathering Fusil Ordinaires along the rail.

Jolliver realised that the party had deceived him. He had repeatedly shown them kindness because he believed Polonius might be dying, only to discover that their companions were attacking Howell as soon as he left.

Barry Loses His Leg

Back on the dock, Howell knocked Barry to the ground. Barry was left prone and vulnerable.

Howell made a deliberate, forceful downward attack at Barry’s left leg. His strike connected cleanly. The cutlass drove through the limb and severed it.

Barry immediately lost consciousness.

The attack did not kill him, but his left leg was gone. Barry would require a peg leg.

Howell turned towards Bruno, the only conscious attacker remaining.

Bruno’s Long Retreating Duel

Bruno recovered the black mutite knife and attacked Howell’s throat. Because the weapon was being directed towards a living neck, the surrounding darkness no longer impaired Bruno’s aim.

Howell blocked the first attempt and began retreating along the dock. Bruno followed.

The two exchanged a long series of attacks, parries, dodges, and retreats. Howell continued using his buckler to protect his upper body. Bruno repeatedly pressed towards the throat.

Howell landed further blows. One failed to penetrate Bruno’s Padded Vest. Another caused a minor wound but did not stop him.

Bruno’s attacks repeatedly came close without landing. Howell continued stepping backwards, gradually exhausting the space available for safe retreats.

Finally, Bruno found the opening he needed. The mutite knife cut across Howell’s throat.

The wound was severe. Howell failed to remain standing and collapsed unconscious on the dock. He was not necessarily dead at that moment, but without rapid medical treatment he was unlikely to survive.

Muskets Over the Rail

The Red Scorn’s crew ordered the rowboat to stop. From their perspective, two known enemies had boarded under false pretences, gathered intelligence, departed, and coordinated an attack upon Howell.

Approximately six Fusil Ordinaires were trained upon the rowboat.

Peg drew her pistol and aimed it at Jolliver. She ordered him to row towards shore.

Jolliver’s loyalty to Redd was extraordinary, but he did not want to be shot at point-blank range. He also reasoned that carrying the intruders away from The Red Scorn might protect the ship. He began rowing.

The musketeers aimed and fired. The darkness, angle, movement, and distance made accurate shots difficult. Several bullets passed close to the occupants or struck the little boat. Peg and the others ducked and shifted around the shots, with Peg Meg-Leg diving behind Jolliver for cover.

None of the first volley hit them. Jolliver also escaped injury.

The rowboat was left with several bullet holes but was not immediately sinking.

Tlalli Tows Them Out

Tlalli reached the fleeing boat with Marco aboard. Rather than abandoning the craft, the party had her pull or push the entire rowboat towards shore.

The Red Scorn’s crew prepared another volley. Tlalli was now the largest and most visible target, as well as the boat’s principal source of propulsion. The musketeers therefore concentrated upon her.

By then the distance had increased. Every shot missed.

Tlalli brought the rowboat to land before the crew could organise another effective attack.

Jolliver Becomes the Prisoner

The party had originally considered abducting Howell. Now Howell lay unconscious with his throat cut, while Jolliver had conveniently arrived in the rowboat.

They seized him.

Jolliver was rapidly bound using the party’s chains. The knots were tied quickly but very effectively. He was frightened, surrounded, and cut off from The Red Scorn.

Barry received emergency first aid. The bleeding from his stump was brought under control, and he regained enough awareness to realise that his left leg had been severed.

He gathered up the detached limb and took it with him. The possibility of using his own femur as part of a new peg leg was discussed, potentially encasing it in resin to create an unnervingly skeletal prosthesis.

Howell Is Finished Off

Howell remained unconscious near the water. His throat had been cut, but he might conceivably have survived if somebody treated him quickly.

Instead, Bruno rolled him from the dock into the harbour, face-down.

Unconscious, bleeding heavily, and unable to keep his head above water, Howell had no realistic chance of survival. The act converted a brutal fight into the near-certain killing of one of Redd James’ crew.

The Red Scorn could not safely open fire with cannon or grapeshot inside Freeport’s harbour without provoking the port authorities. Nevertheless, the party expected the authorities or more of Redd’s crew to reach the scene within the minute.

They fled towards the Chained Hag with Jolliver, Barry, and Barry’s severed leg.

Another Peg Leg

Belladonna was surprised when the group returned. They had left to retrieve books and ask questions. They returned with one captive, one amputee, and almost none of the intended property.

A peg leg was found for Barry. Peg Meg-Leg presented a replacement, but Barry was not enthusiastic about bonding over the loss of limbs, but Belladonna made the practical choice clear: Barry could accept the available leg or remain on a fresh stump.

Barry had lost a leg but, after first aid, recovered a small amount of strength. He would still need substantial rest and adaptation.

The local authorities would add further allegations to the party’s wanted notices. Peg’s notice already included the supposed murder of Joan Ackworth after the cliff incident. The attack upon Redd’s people could produce additional witnesses and consequences.

What Polonius Told Redd’s Crew

The party reported the events aboard The Red Scorn to Belladonna, including their failure to locate Redd.

They also explained that Polonius had revealed some of Belladonna’s thinking to Redd’s crew. Belladonna learned that Redd now potentially knew about her blockade map, her possession of a flying dinosaur, and her pursuit of the tattoo.

The crew’s response suggested that Redd believed Belladonna was reasoning as though Redd was an ordinary pirate. That implied he might be using an unconventional route rather than simply trying to slip a vessel through the blockade.

The Hidden-Cave Theory

Bruno asked whether Freeport’s cliffs contained caves or concealed exits. Their own knowledge was insufficient to identify one - even Peg, who had lived there her whole life.

Belladonna recalled the story of Freeport’s original capture. According to the official or popular version, lightning struck and a pirate force somehow appeared inside the settlement, overcoming a town designed to be extremely difficult to assault.

A more plausible explanation was that the pirates had used an unknown entrance through the cliffs. The route might have been forgotten, deliberately concealed, or known only to a small number of Freeport’s oldest pirate families.

The The Crossed Keys again came under suspicion. Bennett, Redd, and Grizzlebeard had all frequented it. Its name could allude to “keys to the city,” although this remained speculation.

The party considered resting rather than immediately using the Swooping Terror. Before deciding, they needed to learn what Jolliver knew.

Into the Bilges

Jolliver was taken to the lowest level of the Chained Hag. Bilge water sloshed across the floor. The pumps were deliberately left unmanned so the foul water would remain around him.

He was thrown down partially submerged in it.

Belladonna took charge of the interrogation. She possessed actual interrogation experience and had no moral objection to torture. Jolliver’s loyalty to Redd made him extraordinarily difficult to break through ordinary intimidation, so Belladonna used pain and severe threats.

Peg asked the first question:

“Where is Redd James?”

Jolliver initially repeated his earlier answer. Redd had left for Bennet’s house. He did not know where Redd went after that.

The party already knew this and demanded more.

The First Additional Revelation

Under pressure, Jolliver admitted that Redd and his companions had discovered a route out of Freeport.

They intended to leave the city, find the scholar, and return. Redd’s crew aboard The Red Scorn had been ordered to remain ready. Once Redd secured what he needed, he would send someone back and the crew would depart.

Jolliver claimed he did not know the route.

The party threatened his legs. Their murmured discussion returned to “left leg” and “right leg,” echoing what they had done to Juarez. Jolliver looked down at his legs and begged them to stop. He said he had a wife and children living in Conquistadan.

Belladonna continued.

The Small Boat

Jolliver eventually revealed that Redd and Grizzlebeard had returned to The Red Scorn after visiting Bennett’s house.

They took one of The Red Scorn’s smallest boats. It was a plain, unmarked coastal craft with a single mast. It could use a sail in open water but also carried oars for moving without wind, travelling upriver, or navigating confined passages.

It could theoretically hold approximately ten people if crowded, but was intended for a much smaller group. It had no identifying colours, decorations, or markings.

The departure party consisted of five people:

• Redd James.
• Rederick (Redd James' Brother).
• Grizzlebeard.
• Redd James Junior (a child in the crew who had been sent through Amokuali Temple's doors to release the chains)
• One other trusted member of Redd’s crew.

This aligned with the Bennett (Freeport Scholar)’s observation: Redd and Grizzlebeard had visited Bennett’s house together, then returned to gather their three companions.

Redd James and the group had departed at approximately 8:00 a.m., about an hour after the visit to Bennett’s house.

Where They Went

The boat travelled towards the river beside Freeport.

Jolliver did not know the precise entrance, but the party inferred that the concealed route was probably located within the cliffs relatively close to town. It was unlikely that Redd intended to row for hours upriver while carrying a covert five-person expedition.

The route was sufficiently obscure that Belladonna did not know it. That helped explain how Redd could move despite Gustavo’s blockade and why he had left both the recognisable The Red Scorn and Ursa Major behind.

Jolliver said the five-person team intended to locate the second scholar and obtain a larger vessel beyond the blockade. After securing it, they would send someone back to guide the remainder of Redd’s crew through the hidden route. The reunited crew could then sail away without forcing The Red Scorn through Gustavo’s fleet.

Wrinkleleaf Bailey

Jolliver gave the scholar’s name as Wrinkleleaf Bailey (Confluence University).

Bailey was a professor associated with Confluence University. Polonius knew her by reputation through his academic network.

The “she” overheard by Bennett’s neighbour was therefore probably Wrinkleleaf Bailey. Atzalco might have been where Redd expected to find her, a place where he planned to secure a boat, or merely one option discussed during the search.

Jolliver’s Fate

Jolliver repeatedly insisted that he had now told them everything. The interrogation had already demonstrated that each such claim could conceal another detail.

Belladonna decided not to release him. He would remain in the brig or chained to a wall while pain, fear, and exhaustion further eroded his loyalty.

Someone suggested that this made him a new member of the Chained Hag. Belladonna could place him at the lowest rank of her hierarchy and determine whether he eventually adapted. For the moment, however, he remained an unwilling prisoner who had been abducted after the party attacked and killed his crewmate.

End Position

By the end of the session, the party had acquired a much clearer picture of Redd’s movements:

• Redd and Grizzlebeard visited Bennett’s ruined home at approximately 7:00 a.m.
• They discussed Atzalco and taking a small group to see whether a woman was there.
• They returned to The Red Scorn.
• At approximately 8:00 a.m., Redd, Redrick, Grizzlebeard, Redd James Junior and one other trusted sailor departed in an unmarked single-masted boat.
• The boat could be sailed or rowed and carried approximately ten people at maximum.
• They headed towards the river.
• They were probably using a concealed passage through Freeport’s cliffs.
• Their immediate objective was to find Professor Wrinkleleaf Bailey.
• They also intended to secure a larger vessel beyond Gustavo’s blockade.
• Once successful, they would send somebody back for the rest of Redd’s crew.
• The missing tattooed skin was probably still with them, although Jolliver did not explicitly confirm who carried it.
• Atzalco remained a plausible lead, not a confirmed destination.

The party had paid heavily for this information. Barry had lost his left leg. Howell had been defeated, had his throat cut, and was pushed unconscious into the harbour. Jolliver had been kidnapped and tortured. The Red Scorn’s crew had fired upon the party and knew exactly who was responsible.

Polonius had recovered only one book while revealing Belladonna’s plans to Redd’s people and offering to bring the party back into Redd’s service without consulting them.

The Swooping Terror was due to become available, Belladonna still wanted Little Foot’s corpse carried to Doña Isabel del Oro, and the party now had three leads: Atzalco, Wrinkleleaf Bailey, and the hidden river passage through Freeport’s cliffs.