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the-musings-of-a-shipmate · 4 months

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The 15th day of Calor, 1502 PCE

This is the first job I’ve had on a ship in nearly a year. My last job on Daylin’s Grasp ended amicably enough, but I suppose the recommendation that Captain Gore said he sent out for me and the other layoffs never actually amounted to anything.

Having a year off the seas wasn’t so bad. I spent much of the time busking on street corners, honing my instrumental hobby. Made a pretty good living off the generosity of passers by. But I found as the months went on that my songwriting turned to lamentations, yearning for the sea. When an old crewmate happened by me and told me of this new ship, The White Crest’s Joy, it took very little persuasion for me to join up.

The ship is beautiful, the deck and interior smelling of still freshly cut wood, newly introduced to the salt water of The Cindered Bay. Gods, the design of it is flawless and gaudy, not that unlike the Captain of the vessel.

Captain Honor, a derivative of his name Honorato Canura. Whether he holds up to that name is to be seen, but he really is (at the very least) a nice person to talk to. He’s deeply tan, telling me he’s certainly a native to Desmond or one of the Southern ports of The Cindered Coast. He’s said that he was a veteran of many naval vessels and adventuring ships, though his flamboyant clothes make me doubt that claim. Perhaps he’s compensating? Trying to put on a show for his new crew? He’s never captained a ship before and something tells me he’ll be relying on his crew for a lot. But he pays well, and he’s already given all of us a week’s advance. Can’t fault a man that pays on time.

~~~~~

Speaking of his crew, I’ve had time to introduce myself, at the very least, to Captain Honor’s right hand men. In a choice that baffles me, he seems to have made his son, Honorato Jr., his First Mate. I’ve never seen it done before, but something about it just feels wrong to the etiquette of the sea. He’s young, handsome, and looks lost most of the time I see him. But he’s eager. Eager to do a good job or eager to please his father. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him.

Galod Treasureshaper is the quartermaster, a no nonsense Dwarven man. Even lost in the crowd of people two feet taller than him, it’s easy to spot that fiery red beard from anywhere on this ship. With his attitude, at least something will get done on this ship.

The ships navigator is a strange one. Over the past few years we’ve been seeing more and more Warforged settle along the coast, refugees from some great awakening across the Southern Sea. I haven’t dared approach them, but they’ve just been standing in the same spot at the helm all day long just… watching. Their mechanical body is equal parts metal, wood, and porcelain, giving them this almost doll-like quality about them. Even their face looks like an old baby doll I had as a child. Though the bright blue gems for eyes gives them a much more intimidating look about them. I’ve been told their name is Starfinder. I’m satisfied with that information, so no reason to ever speak with them.

~~~~~

It’s early evening and we’ve all been alerted by the sound of cannons firing from below deck. We watch as several cannonballs skip across the surface of the water and into the bay. The dock officials will probably have a word with the Master Gunner about that, even as I hear her cackling amidst my ringing ears.

“Fucking Priscilla,” I hear one of the crew mates mutter. Priscilla. That rings a bell.

We’re gathered by our direct supervisor soon after, the boatswain Canvas. Shes a wiry little goblin woman, though much more put together than most goblins I’ve had the displeasure of meeting. She gathers a few of us to rappel the side and clean the Blackpowder traces from the hull. Busy work to be sure, but other than carting in supplies all day there isn’t much to be done.

~~~~~

I often forget how beautiful the moons are when reflected off the surface of the Cindered Bay’s water. This past year spent busking the streets of Desmond left me abstracted from all my memories of the open sea. I truly cannot wait to see what holds for this adventure.

I hear among the crew that we’ll be setting out for The Fire Islands in two days. It’s a treasure hunting expedition, something I haven’t had the pleasure of doing before. This fills me with much more excitement. I’ve never seen the Fire Islands before, lands steeped in mystery and absolutely ridden with dragons. My heart beats fast just thinking about what I’ll see.

We’ll need adventurers, mercenaries, to make this happen. The dangers of going so far west will be apparent as soon as we approach the Halfway Isles. I heard Captain Honor speak about a couple mercenaries he hired already and rumor of where more willing participants would be nearby. Whoever they are, I hope they’re up to such a task.

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