Passage To Greenhaven

Stern Lions has said that the fleet returning from the old world will be delayed – he knows this because House Lions had fitted out a fleet of fast clippers and they were expected to steal a march and be back at the beginning of last week. He is confident that they will be back five or six days quicker than the main fleet so he is sure that they will be even further delayed.

The following day the word in town is that the fleet has been spotted but it is in fact The Iris – its elven crew back in service after the end of hostilities. She has returned to port after sailing around The Anvil from New Hanoria hoping to take a pirate prize but she has seen no sign, nor any sign of the fleet. Her captain Laurelin Starmaster has a strange tale to tell however.

We anchor off Knife Point for the night watch hoping to catch a prize waiting for the fleet to show. Sometimes the pirates will head out there for first light hoping to catch the incoming ships as they make landfall. They are running dark and coming up from the south they see a three master with all lights blazing. As she comes into the shallower water, she drops anchor but keeps the lights on. It is very still, there is almost no light and this vessel has all the hallmarks of a pirate waiting for a prize to come over the horizon.

Taking her lights as a sure sign of a drunken crew, Captain Greengrass orders their two longboats out and the marine crew heads out across the five mile stretch to investigate. She is a strange vessel, they have never seen the like, an exceptionally high stern castle and strangely, no ladders up into the sails. Suddenly, as they approach within 500 yards, hidden by darkness she shoots of into the night, quiet as a ghost driven on great oar sweeps.

The Prince of Sorrows has been following other leads regarding the source of the weapons supplied to the orcs. Relieved that the party have come to the conclusion that House Lions may not be responsible, he urges them to go to Greenhaven and speak with someone named Tigermane – a contact that he maintains there who has sent cryptic messages regarding weapons shipments. The party take ship on The Blushing Maid for the free town.

Half a day out of Fortuna, The Blushing Maid meets The Defiant, the same three master that was spotted by The Iris. Her bearing, running with the wind behind her will bring her close enough to The Blushing Maid to get a good look but not close enough to engage. Captain Stolon is quietly confident, “She can show her silk knickers if things get ugly, but let’s get a good look at the bitch before we spurn her”.

Sure enough, The Defiant comes close but wallows as she comes about to follow behind The Blushing Maid. The pursuit is uneven, the big vessel is not built for speed but Captain Stolon is frowning. She should be slower than that and I can see no one in the shrouds. Keen eyes can see that there are men on the deck, armed and armoured but no sign of crew.

Within 250 feet there is a movement on the deck and an animated siege engine crawls up to straddle her dragon figurehead and throw great rock forwards. “She’s a Hanorian ghost ship” screams a lookout and at the Captains word the shrouds are reefed and the enchanted silken sails are let out. The speed increases but the gap fails to widen, the Hanorian vessel keeps pace and it’s animated siege engine continues to rain devastating rocks onto the decks.

Suddenly she breaks off and heads out to sea, faster than The Blushing Maid could follow, not that her captain would let her. There is no reason, and within ten minutes she has vanished over the horizon.

Greenhaven

The following morning the ship arrives at the wide estuary of the Serpentine River as it breaks through the mangrove swamps and into the Bay of Fortuna. The shoreline is a wall of mangrove trees and sandbanks presenting an intimidating barrier to entrance. After a while a canoe zips out to meet them and its lizardfolk crew begin a debate with the captain over fees for piloting. Apparently the negotiations balance on the value and type of cargo and there are tense moments as the lizardfolk are permitted to inspect the hold.

A fee is negotiated, the sails struck and the topmast is shipped, then along with two other lizardfolk canoes, the longboat begins to tow The Blushing Maid into the forest. Passage into Greenhaven is through the ever changing sandbanks and marshland of the estuary there are constant opportunities for ambush and vigilance is critical. When the attack comes however, it is not from an expected enemy.

Finding Tigermane

The town of Greenhaven is not a friendly place and avoiding confrontation and dealing with it when it inevitably happens is a difficult skills challenge. There are two possible success outcomes, either a sufficient number of pirates are confronted and intimidated / soothed or the situation is brought to a head where the party can defeat a significant enemy can be defeated before witnesses.

The nature of the foe depends on how the party go about making their mark, if they rely principally on intimidation then they may end up confronting Thunderfoot if they rely more on diplomacy then it will be Captain Meek.

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