Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Hey, Barry. Hey Al,
Speaker 1 00:00:03 How do you keep your place in a spell book? Tell me how with a magic marker. It's time for compelled duel. <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:00:27 Hello everybody. And welcome back to compel dull. I'm Al and I'm buried, and we are a single-player Cody and fifth edition dungeon and dragons, actual play podcast. Previously on Capell duel. The captain requests your company for dinner.
Speaker 1 00:00:46 You can tell the captain whatever his name is that I wholeheartedly decline.
Speaker 3 00:00:50 Put it on the fucking dress. It's a matter of principle. You flirted us into this mess and how goddammit you. Weren't going to go up there and flirt us out. Well, the first thing you need to understand loss is that no harm is going to come to you aboard my ship. How do you know Sabine feed? There is the razor sharp edge of a Cutlass leveled against your throat before you have the time to react. So beans, my wife and this wouldn't exactly be the first time she sent her an assassin after me. Kivas thunder, would I forgot myself in do now? Well,
Speaker 1 00:01:32 Putting aside my relationship with your wife and whoever Kiva
Speaker 3 00:01:37 Is, were you raised under a rock class? Gava Tempest monster, mother kales, the som bringer ringing, any bells, the what, what were you doing? And candlelight Wharf,
Speaker 1 00:01:52 Trying to get passage to vote for
Speaker 3 00:01:55 Her. There's a bit of an obstacle to that objective in front of you.
Speaker 1 00:02:01 Then unrolls a big map. The blockade set up right here. They haven't declared war yet, but we can all pretty well see on the horizon.
Speaker 3 00:02:15 This is exactly what the old man's been wanting this entire time. And
Speaker 4 00:02:20 I just became his newest excuse Kiva, huh?
Speaker 3 00:02:28 The figure raises their arm as if to wave a huge wave, rolls up crests and crashes down. And when it hits the water again, there is nothing. We open up a little over a week. After the last time we saw our heroes, the ship. And do you now know that the name of the ship is the ship it's on a nameplate on the side and everything is headed to the island of parlay Cove in the Zephyr Isles. The captain mentioned that you would have to backtrack a little bit in the days, following your conversation and his agreement to help you. And you are in the process of that. The captain also made it clear that while you and Leo are a board has vessel fee, the two of you are going to have to work to earn your keep. Since you have your wand and your orb, your spell casting focuses back, you have made yourself pretty useful, given that a lot of your abilities include controlling the weather.
Speaker 1 00:03:48 Yeah. Especially since for my level nine spell, I got control.
Speaker 3 00:03:53 And that clearly has its applications aboard a sailing vessel. Yes. So you graduate rather quickly to doing some pretty high level stuff around the ship. You meet a lot of the other officers. There is the first mate, you who is the young, small storm folk girl with the great big sword. You find out that she's the Elvin equivalent of about like 17. And you find it a little strange that someone so young is the first mate, right up until you watch her put the absolute fear of God into a middle-aged deck hand. And then you understand why the only person on the ship younger than her is the gunner glasses who proves himself over the next couple of days to be a very capable artificer who has outfitted all the cannons aboard with really crazy magical upgrades. There is the sailing master Pelican, who you saw staring at you in the middle of the night. The last we left you and his husband boots, who is the ship's cook. There is also dock the ship surgeon who is a very old crotchety storm folk lady who mostly stays below deck. And doesn't want to talk to anybody unless you're bleeding out of some orifice.
Speaker 3 00:05:15 And additionally, there is the boson Ascot who was the plump young storm folk, man that came down to take you up from the brig. When you first met the captain, he's mostly in charge of running numbers on the ship, taking inventory and making sure everybody's supplied things like that. Very nervous young man kind of twitchy always seems like he's in a hurry and really worried about something. Since we're bringing a lot of wind to the table, you end up working with Pelikan a lot because he's the one that's in charge of everything to do with the sales and the rigging and making sure that the ship's headed, where it's supposed to be headed. And Leo, Leo, the deck a lot and seems highly, highly perturbed at his status on the ship versus yours. So our camera zooms in on a bright sunny day mid-afternoon you are standing up in the rigging with Pelican using one of your control, wind spells to kind of blow a big gust of air into the main sail to give the ship a little more speed. The captain walks
Speaker 5 00:06:27 Down below, you looks up into the rigging raises and says,
Speaker 0 00:06:32 It's fine work. You're doing up there loss. We're making great time. Appreciate it, captain. He's a little bit smugger than it's probably warranted
Speaker 5 00:06:41 Smiles with his tongue poked out between his teeth winks up at you and walks off across the deck and starts belting out and incredibly rude to see shanty that all of the crew immediately joins
Speaker 0 00:06:54 Him. You've noticed over the past
Speaker 5 00:06:56 Week that the captain a has an absolutely beautiful brassy Alto singing voice,
Speaker 0 00:07:02 And B knows
Speaker 5 00:07:04 So many of just the body is the most explicit sea shanties you've ever heard in your life.
Speaker 0 00:07:13 I love that about him. The captain
Speaker 5 00:07:16 Takes off across the deck and stops midway through a line about the buried treasure of a net maker's daughter in a far away Dockside town to look down at the patch of floor that Leo is on his hands and knees scrubbing
Speaker 0 00:07:29 And goes. I don't see my reflection in that lab. You might want to work a bit harder and then
Speaker 5 00:07:34 Continues walking back towards the wheel. Leo just starts swearing. Colourful in
Speaker 0 00:07:45 Elvish. If he's going to yell down at him, you could always take advantage of your, uh, other talents. He glares
Speaker 5 00:07:53 Up at you from the floor
Speaker 0 00:07:56 And yells back. No I can't because fuck Kimmerle and fuck you for asking. And then back
Speaker 5 00:08:02 To scrubbing the deck still just mumbling mutinous yeah. Under his
Speaker 0 00:08:05 Breath, enjoy your chapped fingers. Enjoy your hot girl privilege. And
Speaker 5 00:08:13 Then from up above you in the crow's nest, where Pelican is hanging out, you hear a ruffle of feather
Speaker 0 00:08:18 And Landito from back at the helm, the captain shouts back. Oh, excellent. He hands
Speaker 5 00:08:27 The helm over two glasses who he yanks off of his process of tinkering with a cannon and comes and runs back down to the mast where you are up in the rigging and where Leo is still screaming. Bring the
Speaker 0 00:08:37 Deck loss. You may want to come down here. We have a conversation to hop before we make anchor fee as gracefully as possible. It's going to scrap it on the rigging. It is still very far off, but after
Speaker 5 00:08:53 A while, you do start to draw in to this just mass of stone shooting out of the water. It's coming very high up out of the water
Speaker 0 00:09:03 In sort of a Crescent
Speaker 5 00:09:05 Shape surrounding a small bay.
Speaker 0 00:09:08 As the captain
Speaker 5 00:09:09 Walks past the two of you, he nods at his side for you to follow and then yanks Leo up by the back of the shirt and drags him with you up to the prowl of the
Speaker 0 00:09:19 Ship you close
Speaker 5 00:09:21 In on this island. You start to see a couple of the bigger buildings in this town that is built along a narrow Rocky beach at the bottom of this tall, massive stone.
Speaker 0 00:09:33 He nods toward it and says Parlin Cove
Speaker 3 00:09:41 With all your help. Last we've managed to make record time. So we've probably beaten the other monarchs here by at least a few days, which means that we'll have to spend time there. Partly Kolbe is he kind of nods to himself silently for a few seconds. I heard Sabine once called it a Haven for all matter of vagabonds and Ms. Koreans, it's a town inhabited by dependent on and catering to pirates that said there's no law enforcement in parlay Cove other than the pirates, which is what you need to worry about. There are some rules, but there are only three, no weapons, no thievery and no chicanery.
Speaker 3 00:10:29 However, there's a fourth rule. That's not on any of the books per se. Alright, what's the fourth row. He grins at you winks and then flicks his wrist and a knife comes out of the sleeve of his shirt. You have no idea how he got it up there and he kind of waves it at you and Leo and says don't get caught. So it would be wise if we could arm the two of you before we go ashore, he takes a few steps to the side and kicks open this big iron banded chest that is sitting on the deck of the ship and just starts going through it and pulling out weapon. After weapon, after weapon, you see him pull out like four knives and stash them in various places on his person, like in his shirt and down his pants. He's braiding a set of lock, picks into his hair.
Speaker 3 00:11:23 As he's talking to you. Now you have to understand that nominally, the rules make sense. Parlay is a Haven for pirates. So we're dealing with a town full of people. That's for the most part, we're all pillage and loot to each other for a living. So things could get a little violent. If there were weapons allowed at large. However, if you walk into a Tavern and parlay Cove and you expect that anyone in there snow pack an iron, you're an agent. He finishes the last part of his thieves tools into his hair. And then looks back up at you fi holds up a couple knives and goes, you only want to stash these on your last.
Speaker 1 00:12:03 He looks at the knives, raises the hand fingertips, crackling with electricity and says, captain I'm well capable of defending myself. I don't know if it's wise to chance getting caught.
Speaker 3 00:12:18 He tilts his head to the side and this absolutely shit. Eating smile, spreads across his face. He slowly stands up and walks over to you. Twirling. One of the daggers I leave between his fingers and says, no, you see that's the point. If you come to shore and they search ya and you don't have anything on you, it's immediately going to be suspicious. And it's that one, two years, you're going to want to hide. So if you stash one here and he grabs it, the arm of your dress and slowly slides, one of those chiefs knives up under it and here, and he slips one down into your belt. And may I? And he nods down at your feet, be my guest very respectfully. He lifts up the hem of your skirt and slides. The last of the knives down the side of your boot onto here. When they searched, ya they'll think they found everything you have to hide. When in reality, you're going to put that one down your courses and be very highly scandalized. If anyone thinks to ask about it, <inaudible> I won't do that part for you unless you ask me to.
Speaker 3 00:13:36 She smirks at him, takes
Speaker 0 00:13:38 The one up the holster and twirls up between her fingers and says, captain, if I were you, I'd be very careful talking about my corset. And then just the stuffs for wan down between her boobs.
Speaker 5 00:13:51 He's still down on the ground from where he was helping you put the knife
Speaker 0 00:13:56 And he looks up at you. Winks again, stands up, looks over at Leo goes, you can take care
Speaker 5 00:14:02 Of yourself, I reckon. And then walks back to the helm. Leo Blakes a couple times and goes, I've never felt that it's uncomfortable in my entire fucking life.
Speaker 0 00:14:17 Feel like reaches up to brush her hair behind her ears. Oh really? Sorry about that. It is a bit hot out, huh? And do you hear me?
Speaker 5 00:14:28 You just pointing up his finger and interim.
Speaker 0 00:14:32 What the hell do you think you're doing? Getting ready for uh, some intense negotiations of international politics. Yeah.
Speaker 5 00:14:41 I saw that. Look, you're getting ready for some intense something else. Aren't you
Speaker 0 00:14:44 Out of here? He's a pirate. I've noticed Nope. Feet. Look at me. I saw the price fee. Look at me. Look at me, eyes on me. This is a horrible idea. Fi rolls her eyes at him and says Leo, it's some not innocent, but playful flirting. I'm not exactly proposing commitment. Yes. And we've all been warned
Speaker 5 00:15:09 About playing with fire before, but playing with well-known international criminals, much less pirate. Kings
Speaker 0 00:15:16 Comes with a little higher risk factor. The situation is dangerous enough. And despite the fact that the captain's helping us, I, I don't know if we can very quietly with just a strain. Smile. If he says I'm a big girl, Leo, how about you? Let me figure that out for myself. Fine. While you're having your
Speaker 5 00:15:39 Little meet cute with the pirate king of the Zephyr
Speaker 0 00:15:42 Isles, I'll be over here, shoving
Speaker 5 00:15:45 A knife in my underwear, I guess.
Speaker 0 00:15:48 And he turns
Speaker 5 00:15:49 Around and starts diligently shoving a knife down his pants. As the ship closes in on the docks at parlay Cove,
Speaker 0 00:16:00 You pull into the docks at parlay Cove. As we start getting off the boat, the captain immediately is just moving in among people like clapping people on the back, shaking hands, talking in, you recognized the storm folk language cause you heard Kilian and Mary I'm talking. It's like off Elvish. A large percentage of the people in these docs are storm folk, but there are Galleria elves like ravine. There are goblins halflings dwarves. There are a whole lot of people you don't see many as Sharon's, but that's pretty par for the course of anywhere, the Catherine just gets stopped by a stern looking like middle aged out rear elf. Dude. He just stops. Brings both hands up behind his head and just waits as this guy has them down, looking for weapons and pulls a knife out from the waist of his pants and what out of his boot and then just pass them and let them go. And you also get stopped and frisked by a very, very tiny, no lady. Does she have a stool? How does that work? Yeah, I think she has a little step ladder that she's carting around on the dock. How many weapons do you have on you right now? I mean the captain
Speaker 5 00:17:15 Planted three on fee. So I think I have tried to obviously plant three as well. And then I also have Kim rolls blade up my sleeve, trying to mimic the maneuver that the captain did. And I'm going to try to just like shake it up. My arm,
Speaker 0 00:17:33 Romy, sleight of hand. That will be a 14. Yeah. They pull out the three knives that you've obviously planted fairly quickly. You like just barely managed to shake Kimball's blade out of your sleeve before they catch with it. And you are a clear next to you fee makes us scandalized sound and to the lady that is patting her down. She says, I don't think your hands need to wander over there. Thank you. Leo just blinks
Speaker 5 00:18:05 Shakes his head and walks to the end of the docks. Trying to keep up with the captain,
Speaker 0 00:18:10 The captain without turning in a low voice as the rest of you most anything important or are we good? Leo Sinai's fee. Just my innocence. We're good. Feel like shakes her hair out. I just count myself lucky that I had enough room in the corset for that the captain pauses and then nods to himself. And doesn't take the bait on that one. Right? You too. Don't tell anyone your names. I'll take the Liberty of introducing you. And then he pulls out a satchel starts thumbing through what are very obviously business cards picks a couple out and he hands you one. And then he pulls out a separate, smaller little satchel and pulls out one for faith. Leo squints
Speaker 5 00:19:00 Down at the business card. What's on it.
Speaker 0 00:19:03 It's just a little card identifying you as a merchant based in Rivergate, which you know, is the port city a bit farther north up the coast of tore down from candlelight Wharf. So what you just have a wallet full
Speaker 5 00:19:17 Of false identities for
Speaker 0 00:19:19 All occasions. Then the captain turns and is like walking backwards with a rakish a grin. And he says, the thing about being a pirate is on occasion. You find yourself in possession of names of people who won't be using many more wallet full of dead people. Cool. I look over at
Speaker 5 00:19:40 Fie, very pointedly and mouth wallet full of dead
Speaker 0 00:19:44 People, females back. I knew that already. I walk away from her. I, I got, I got to walk away. I can't do this. You keep walking through this town. The captain is very obviously leading you somewhere. And the rest of the crew that, you know, personally like the high-ranking members are just kind of following along. It's not a super crowded town, but there are a fair number of people here, much like the docs, largely storm folk, but far from exclusively. As much as the captain has identified it as kind of a place of mayhem and its share of violence. It seems kind of homey. Like all the houses along the streets are lit up and there's chatter coming out of the windows. There's music in a few places. The whole place smells like good food and people having a good time. The captain leads you through the street to a Tavern that has a sign above it. That reads the rusty Cutlass. Cool, cool, cool pirate bar. Can't wait. I go
Speaker 5 00:20:53 In keeping my knife very close to my hand.
Speaker 0 00:20:58 As you're going to the door, there is a shout and a little, no mish sailor gets tossed out the front door, almost into the captain who just quietly sidesteps him and this middle-aged storm folk lady yells and stay out until you've sobered up. The captain, tilt his hat at her and says ma'am. And then he walked up to the door. There's a little glass case right next to the door that he just like very calmly presses his fingers to his mouth. And then with the case, and then he just walks in the middle-aged lady, nods at him and says Compton, lovely to see you. And you all walk in. It is a crowded rowdy pirate bar. The captain unceremoniously walks to a corner table and just haul somebody out of a booth. Leo
Speaker 5 00:21:46 Sits down, but he's keeping his head on a fucking swivel
Speaker 0 00:21:49 Fi settles the next year, the various high ranking members of the crew all settle into this big corner table. The captain flags down a very obviously teenage server and orders around a drinks. Leo takes a
Speaker 5 00:22:05 Swig of his drink and coughs a little bit because I'm assuming it's probably rum and very strong.
Speaker 0 00:22:11 Oh yes.
Speaker 5 00:22:15 Okay. Well, if I didn't have anything else putting hair on my chest,
Speaker 0 00:22:17 Um, captain, I'm curious, how many, um, weapons did you manage to get through the checkpoint fee and a couple members of the crew give you sharp looks. The captain lifts his cups slams half of it for life. That's that's really fucking impressive actually. I mean, we've got a couple
Speaker 5 00:22:42 Of days, apparently while we're waiting on the pirate monarchs,
Speaker 0 00:22:45 Could you teach me how to do that? He pauses look, see up and down and says a lot. If you've ever been in a knife fight, I'll eat my hat. I mean, technically I've
Speaker 5 00:22:57 Been in a knife fight with a giant crack cat and a couple of elementals and fee, but I also had a sword during that. So
Speaker 0 00:23:05 He takes your drink and just drains it and says, right. Then we'll say we take this outside, outside, outside. Like, like now it doesn't have to be right this second, but I consider myself practical. Well, I mean, I thought you said that general
Speaker 5 00:23:26 Display of weaponry. Wasn't a good idea is all it's. It's not, it's not that I'm scared. I mean, I'm not scared of you or anything.
Speaker 0 00:23:35 He twirls a finger and points at you and says, I also said that's the most important role is to not get caught you. Yeah, fine. Is there a secluded alley where we can rumble? Leo is borderline shitting his pants right now across the table. You takes a big sip of her drink and says, well, this has to be delightful. And doc is like slamming her drink with one hand up, slammed the cup down and says, all right, I've had my drink. I'm fully prepared to stitch a couple of idiots back together, stitch. Oh, okay. Uh, so we're, we're, we're stabbing each other. We're cutting each other, the cap and says, that's a good point. We should establish ground rules of engagement. I would prefer
Speaker 5 00:24:29 That rule. One of engagement is nobody actually stabs anybody
Speaker 0 00:24:34 Like Kevin nods to himself. He says, all right, I can work with that for now. And then he gets up from the table, Leo quietly
Speaker 5 00:24:42 Whispers, oh, camera's bones. What did I do? And follows him outside.
Speaker 0 00:24:47 Most of the crew stay in the bar. I think fetus puts her head in her hands and does not get up from the table with you. But a doc and you both come out with you, Leo kind
Speaker 5 00:24:58 Of glares at you as they walk out.
Speaker 0 00:25:01 And what's the purpose of you coming with us. You is like balancing with the Shodan Friday inspired glee that only a 17 year old girl can muster up. Oh, I'm just here for the spectacle. Oh my God. I'm going to die. Okay. And then Leo follows the captain, wherever they're going. He leads you like around to a stable looking building and ask. He opens the door. There is a fist fight going on in this building. He kicks the door frame and yells clear out the people that are having this fist fight in the middle of the stable. Look at each other, look at him and then slowly start walking out the other door. He says, right. And ushers you in doc. And you both like settled down on a bench. The captain shrugs off his overcoat and pulls a knife out of his sleeve.
Speaker 3 00:25:55 And he says, first things first,
Speaker 1 00:25:59 If you're going to make being sneaky a professional skill, you've got to be fast. Well initiative.
Speaker 3 00:26:06 Okay. Well, I have Mac stacks. I have plus five. This should be fine. Seven
Speaker 1 00:26:15 Captain who has plus 10 to initiative rolled a dirty 20. And as another feature of his rakish audacity, in addition to that extra plus five to initiative because doc and you are more than five feet away from you and the captain is not, he gets to add his sneak attack as he pulls out a dagger, twirls it and just smacks the shit out of you.
Speaker 3 00:26:41 I'm going to go ahead and roll. I fucking hate this man so much. So that was a natural 20.
Speaker 1 00:26:53 I'm going to roll the dagger damage. 2d four. Cause they rolled in that 27 plus five is 12 plus sneak attack, which is five D six. So 10 B6. The captain pulls out a dagger, twirls that around his fingers. He grabs it by the sheath over the blade and just pissed a website for 40 damage.
Speaker 3 00:27:22 Oh my God. Oh my God. And I think he fully breaks her nose, fucking chemos T what the hell's wrong with you? Leo has blood just running out between his fingers as he grabs it, his nose. And then I guess it's my turn. Yeah. If you would like to do something, I'm going to try to pistol whip him back with Kim rose blade.
Speaker 1 00:27:51 That's a 17 to hit. Normally that would hit, but the captain has the defensive dualists feet, which means once before. And he can add plus four to his AC as a reaction. So that does not hit
Speaker 3 00:28:02 Son of a bitch. You just
Speaker 1 00:28:05 Leans out of your way. Like matrix style, nods seeming satisfied
Speaker 3 00:28:10 Says right show and less than one lead.
Speaker 1 00:28:14 And then he tucks his knife back in the sleeve and he like makes a motion towards doc. He says don't could you come set the young man's nose and doc already bustling over says is yes to hell with you.
Speaker 3 00:28:26 I thought I fucking hated. Oh, Skyah okay.
Speaker 1 00:28:31 Catherine is just grinning. He does not seem like there are any hard feelings from
Speaker 3 00:28:36 This guy. Good for him that he doesn't have any hard feelings. That's great. He clapped his hands and says, well, wait for one. I'm not done drinking for the night. See inside. I'm going to try to swipe him as he walks out, go ahead. That's a 27. He can't block that. No, he can't. And I have Kim rolls blade. So that's a D six plus five. So that's 90 image. I'm not going to hurt him or stab him because we agreed that we wouldn't. But
Speaker 5 00:29:12 I am just going to try to like clock him in the back of the head with the hill doc
Speaker 0 00:29:16 Squawks, irritably, as you like pull away from her. When she's trying to set your nose, make a grapple, Jack 12, Kevin rolled 18. So you clock them on the back of the head. And he turned still just grinning broadly. And I think he like swipes your feet out from under you grabs you by the shoulder and he is pinning you on the ground. And then he just laughs this big brassy musical laugh. He goes, you're a quick study. And then he gets up and he goes inside. I think Leo has quite literally paid for a rogue level up and blood now. Yay. I can do things again.
Speaker 5 00:29:59 My strength score is fucking decimated, but I've
Speaker 6 00:30:01 Got sneak attack. Now, Leo let's
Speaker 5 00:30:05 Doc finish setting his nose and then goes back inside and sits down next to fie in his blood soaked shirt and says
Speaker 0 00:30:15 You get the impression that fee has already been briefed on the situation. When you come back in, she is not looking at the captain as she drinks. She's given him a bit of a cold shoulder because he beat the shit out of you. It comes to mind.
Speaker 5 00:30:31 Leo says, and then absolutely fucking downs. The drink in front of him,
Speaker 0 00:30:36 That this is the only shirt I own. And I only own it by the grace of boots and Pelican. So I think before we get back on the ship, if no other business transactions
Speaker 5 00:30:47 Or important political meetings or people breaking minds,
Speaker 0 00:30:51 Nos are happening tonight, we should see
Speaker 5 00:30:54 If there is a place in town where we can get some new
Speaker 0 00:30:59 Fi into her cup says, yes, I think that would be best. And she like brushes invisible dust off of herself made his armor is not the most comfortable thing to wear for long periods of time. And, and she like inclines her head at the captain as much as I appreciate borrowed wardrobes, Sabina. And I have very different pallets.
Speaker 5 00:31:23 We're gonna take fee and drag her out into the street and try to find somewhere to buy new clothes. As they walked down the street, Leo quietly whispered,
Speaker 0 00:31:31 Man, he really fucking rocked my shit. He says, you asked a pirate in a pirate bar to teach you how to handle weapons. Leo. Why is it that since we left
Speaker 5 00:31:46 GIM Tara, you've been mostly having fun. And I've been mostly just getting my face destroyed fi stops
Speaker 0 00:31:53 In the middle of the road and just puts one finger up and says, oh, I've been having fun. Yes, sure.
Speaker 5 00:32:01 Who brings thunder upon her enemies? It seems like you and the captain are having a great
Speaker 0 00:32:05 Time fie pauses and just grinds her teeth and says, Nope, I'm not going to say it. It would be excessively mean after the year you've had let's just go. Okay. If we go try to find a store to buy some clothes. The in frosty silence buys a couple dresses and just waits by the door. Fuming for you to pick out your clothes. I buy some pilot clothes.
Speaker 5 00:32:33 I buy like some knee breeches and a pair of boots with the rest of the shiny rocks we have for most Gaia and like a fluffy pirate
Speaker 0 00:32:40 Shirt and a hat. I want a hat. Hell yeah. You get a full pirate outfit. You're very fashionable. You head back to the rusty Cutlass and meet the crew all heading back to the ship. The captain visibly tipsy ger in that you says, how's your nose. I'm going to wait
Speaker 5 00:32:59 For feed to pass us and get out of earshot.
Speaker 0 00:33:03 Okay? Fee is giving both of you the cold shoulder. Now I think she just like started to marching towards the ship with doc Leo waits
Speaker 5 00:33:11 Until she gets out of earshot and then leans over to the captain stone cold expression and says
Speaker 0 00:33:18 Slightly damaged. But it still has one up on my sisters. It knows how to smell bullshit. He claps you on the shoulder. He says, I wouldn't say too hard. Probably won't help with the swelling. And then he just goes,
Speaker 6 00:33:35 Oh man, fucking hate this dude
Speaker 5 00:33:43 Fi you and Leo spend the next several days, mostly on the ship.
Speaker 0 00:33:49 The captain
Speaker 5 00:33:50 Makes it pretty clear that it's not a good idea for the two of you to be seen in town until it is time for you to be seen. So you mostly just stay aboard Leo nurses, his newly broken nose over the next few days. And you are on deck, hanging out with boots and Pelican. When the captain comes, jogging up the gangplank points at you and then Leo in quick succession
Speaker 0 00:34:18 And goes, alright, both of you it's time with me please. I think fi is still like low key, getting both him and lay on the cold shoulder for very different reasons. But she sniffs and follows after him. You
Speaker 5 00:34:32 Guys make your way down the gangplank into town
Speaker 0 00:34:35 And back to the rusty Cutlass. Actually you walk
Speaker 5 00:34:38 In and the captain does that same thing. He did the first time where he presses a hand to his lips. And then to the little glass case on the doorframe, nods at the bartender, she nods back in between yelling at what appears to be several of her children that are waiting tables
Speaker 0 00:34:55 And says, they're upstairs waiting for your captain. And he ushers
Speaker 5 00:34:59 The two of you up a narrow set of steps off of the bar. And up into the upper floors of this end. You guys go all the way up several flights of stairs
Speaker 0 00:35:09 To an upper room. The captain stops
Speaker 5 00:35:12 You outside the door. Before you go in and says, we're getting ready to go into negotiations with some of the most prolific criminals in the entire world.
Speaker 0 00:35:22 I know this will grate on some of us and he glares over at Leo, but I need you to follow my lead. All right, understood. And
Speaker 5 00:35:32 The captain nods looks over at you and then kicks in the door. And with this big bombastic voice shouting Walt's blessing tides wash me up on the same shores as the fairest lasses in all the world.
Speaker 3 00:35:51 You follow into this room behind him and you see sitting around a large round table. Ladened down with various maps and pieces of parchment, a stout buff halfling lady sitting next to her is a willowy human lady. A little further around the table is a positively grizzled old dwarf lady with a magnificent beard smoking along stemmed pipe. She has one eye and then a prosthetic that is a glowing red gem, similar to what the captain has around his neck that he used to call the meeting next to her. There's an empty chair. And next to the empty chair in a much bigger sturdier kind of oversized chair is sitting Katia of clan mist foot. She who wrote the snapping turtle
Speaker 1 00:36:55 Feet looks at layout. It looks back at Katya and says,
Speaker 3 00:36:59 Hi,
Speaker 1 00:37:00 Fancy seeing you here,
Speaker 3 00:37:05 Katia kind of blinks and shakes her head a little bit, but then says, ah, yes, she who brings thundered upon her enemies. He who wrote the crank cat. It is my honor to meet you again. The captain looks back and forth between you in a hurry and then recovers and says, hi, conscious the pirates queen of Gaia. Oh, that's
Speaker 1 00:37:30 Uh, that's a hell of a coincidence.
Speaker 3 00:37:35 Katia waves, her hand and kind of an eh, motion and goes. He's not that big of coincidence. There are three people who own boats in Australia. Mine is biggest. I am queen by default and then the captain throws his head back and laughs and goes, hi, Katya. Doesn't do much solutioner pillage in, but we just think it's nice to loop her in on what's going on. And the captain nods at the grizzled old dwarfish lady with the big Ruby eye and goes, that'd be Aquafina. The red pirate queen of older one Spock in antiquity. She had a Sarah name, but so many of her husbands kept dying under mysterious circumstances that we all just stopped keeping track. He says this to this woman's face. Oh yes. She grumbled something into warmish at him and lights her pipe again and takes another long drag off of it.
Speaker 3 00:38:33 And then he nods at the halfling lady and the human lady sitting next to her and goes on. Of course, the esteemed pirate Queens, a Tor dune captain. Beatrix still branch on her lovely wife, Ingrid the human lady waves and pulls up a covered plate. But she has had sitting on the table and goes, hi everybody. I made cookies. The captain smiles really big and goes, did you do the Snickerdoodles again? Ingrid. And this lady Ingrid smiles at him through gritted teeth and goes, yes, sweetheart, just for you. Even though you've robbed three of our ships last month, the captain raises his hands kind of like, what are you going to do? And goes, ah, Ingrid. You know, people in the aisles go to eat and we got storm season coming on. It's nothing personal. And then he grabs a cookie off the plate and munches down on it with his mouth full fee.
Speaker 3 00:39:28 He leans over to you and goes, Roberto, try wonder fucking delicious. I'm good. Thanks suit yourselves. He sets up in one of the empty chairs around the table. As you look around, you see that there is a chair for the captain and then two chairs, very close to him. You assume they're for you and Leo. And then on the other side of Katia, there's another empty chair at the table. Do you set? Oh yeah. I sit down. Leo sets up in the chair next to you. The captain kicks his boots up on the table. Completely irreverently as per usual, kind of purchase his hands behind his head. Alright, ladies, we've gone through a bit of a predicament on our hands.
Speaker 5 00:40:16 The halfling lady Beatrix puts one finger up and says, yeah, apparently we do.
Speaker 0 00:40:23 But um, I mean,
Speaker 5 00:40:25 I know that one of our empty chairs always likes to be fashionably late, but we're a little worried. Cadas usually so punctual
Speaker 0 00:40:34 The captain
Speaker 5 00:40:34 Squints at the empty chair on one side of Katya nods and says, Hey,
Speaker 0 00:40:41 Hope she's all right from behind
Speaker 5 00:40:44 You. You hear the sound of a door opening
Speaker 0 00:40:48 And a voice saying I'm afraid not she's dead. I turned around
Speaker 3 00:41:03 You turn around. Leo turns with you. The captain next to you fi goes absolutely rigid and does not turn. And now I am going to need you to make me the world's easiest history check. This is a DC five five. And that I, that I have for fashion stays has an 11. You turn around and standing in the doorway is a tall willowy infernal elf woman, Elvin equivalent of like early thirties with Jade green skin, solid black eyes, much like yours, long curly ashy, brown hair, and spiraling, almost antelope like horns with a small tricorn hat kind of half cocked between them. She is carrying a sword at her belt, even though there are no weapons, technically allowed in parlay Cove and dressed in very fine sailors garb. And with that history check, you immediately recognize this woman as the captain of the ship that took you and your party out of Australia. When you escaped
Speaker 5 00:42:20 The one that you had the very quick passing acknowledgement with when you got off, FICO's absolutely rigid in her chair.
Speaker 3 00:42:31 I didn't say anything besides you. The captain looks more freaked than you've ever seen him. He is just sitting with very C diff upright posture in his chair. None of the relaxed competences there still without turning around. He nods curtly and says defiance. Nice to see on this side of the cannon fire, this woman moves into the room, puts two hands on his shoulders, leans over one side of him and presses a quick kiss to his cheek and says,
Speaker 4 00:43:12 You can just go ahead and say, you missed me, honey.
Speaker 3 00:43:17 And after that, she moves over behind the empty chair on the other side of the captain next to Katya. But before she sits down, she does a very formal clipped Australian greeting bow to you.
Speaker 4 00:43:32 Grant Duchess. We never got the pleasure of a formal introduction, vice Admiral, defiance of Australian Naval special forces.
Speaker 3 00:43:43 She sits down. She does not say shit to Leo.
Speaker 0 00:43:51 One hand goes up depressed to the base of her throat for a second. And she says, the pleasure is mine. I'm sure Leo
Speaker 5 00:43:58 Squints next to you and
Speaker 0 00:44:00 Goes vice Admiral of Australian Naval, special forces and pirate queen of Australia,
Speaker 5 00:44:10 Vice Admiral, defiance shrugs,
Speaker 0 00:44:13 Adjust her hat on her head and goes, this is my side gig kid. The
Speaker 5 00:44:20 Captains very stiff or rigid posture puts both of his hands flat on the table in front of him and goes
Speaker 0 00:44:27 Well you, well, I suppose to finances already handled one half of the introductions for me. But the reason I called you all here today is to introduce you to
Speaker 5 00:44:35 Grand duke and grant Duchess <inaudible>
Speaker 0 00:44:38 Of Australia. He turns his
Speaker 5 00:44:40 Head over to defiance, really pointedly
Speaker 0 00:44:43 And says, who are under my protection and seeking passage to, and then
Speaker 5 00:44:49 Beatrix raises a hand and goes, no, no, I get that. We need to talk about keto. What
Speaker 0 00:44:55 The hell happened? Defiance, the captain
Speaker 5 00:44:58 Sort of nods silently and then grabs an empty piece of parchment and a Quill and start scribbling on it. As you're sitting next to
Speaker 0 00:45:06 Him, go ahead and roll me. Perception. Natural 20, you are listening
Speaker 5 00:45:12 To it. A lot of the outrage coming from these other pirate monarchs, Katia is mostly sitting there taking
Speaker 0 00:45:18 It all in, but the other three seem very upset. You just zero
Speaker 5 00:45:24 In on what the captain is writing kind of as low key as he can. You notice he has one arm kind of barring the side of the parchment. So defiance can't
Speaker 0 00:45:32 See you over it. And he writes down Keda Bri when dash pirate queen of dowel warrior and then circles it and looks over at you see nods purses, their lips catch Leo's eyes and nod towards the parchment. Okay. Let
Speaker 5 00:45:51 Me roll perception for Leo. He gets plus eight. So this
Speaker 0 00:45:53 Shouldn't be hard. Can I give him the help action? Yeah, absolutely. He can roll this with advantage. So he
Speaker 5 00:46:00 Got a 23. Okay. Perception check. He absolutely looks down at the Parchman and then looks up at the both of you
Speaker 0 00:46:06 Eyes wide while this
Speaker 5 00:46:09 Is all happening. Vice Admiral defiance is so relaxed in her chair.
Speaker 0 00:46:15 She reaches
Speaker 5 00:46:16 Up to her hat and kind of fiddles with a broach that she has pinned to. One of the corners of the tricorn where you see another one of those round red. It seems that all of the pirate monarchs have these gems. She reads into a leather satchel at her waist and tosses a bangle like a gold bracelet with a similar jet set into it onto the
Speaker 0 00:46:41 Table and says, well, I'm afraid I don't
Speaker 5 00:46:45 Have that much insight to it, ladies. And, and she looks over to the side of the captain. I'm reticent to say, gentlemen,
Speaker 0 00:46:53 But the Providence washed
Speaker 5 00:46:55 Up on the shores of Luxe Tagala in about a month ago,
Speaker 0 00:46:59 A ghost ship, no one, a board, no signs of violence. We can only assume that Kate is out of commission fee. I want you
Speaker 5 00:47:07 To roll insight. And Leo is going to give you the help action on this because he has a really fucking good insight modify
Speaker 0 00:47:14 17. As
Speaker 5 00:47:16 She says, this, Leo catches your eye, looks down at the bangle and gives you a very weighted look. And for the first time in your fucking life, blink telepathy kicks in this lady absolutely killed the pirate queen of dour air. And is daring anybody here to call her
Speaker 0 00:47:37 On it fi looks between Katya and the captain to try to judge their reactions. Cause they're the only people here that she knows Katia looks mostly
Speaker 5 00:47:48 Confused. It seems like even though she is being looped in on a lot of these decisions in this pirate court, that Katia doesn't have a lot to do with them. And her sphere of influence does not extend nearly as far as Australia
Speaker 0 00:48:02 Or doubt rear, the captain looks deeply concerned, but also deeply afraid. He says nothing. Defiance presses onward and says at any rate, I don't
Speaker 5 00:48:19 Think anybody here is going to get mad at any of our compatriots for capitalizing on an unfortunate situation. It is what we do
Speaker 0 00:48:28 After all I've
Speaker 5 00:48:30 Assumed control of Katie's territory for the time being
Speaker 0 00:48:35 At least until what's left
Speaker 5 00:48:37 Of her people get together enough to challenge me.
Speaker 0 00:48:41 Is everybody okay with that aggravating
Speaker 5 00:48:44 To the red, this grizzled old dwarven lady with the prosthetic eye and the magnificent beard taps her pipe out raises a hand and says, yeah, well, I mean, if we want to get technical here, the fact that she abandoned ship doesn't necessarily mean that she's dead and defiance goes, oh,
Speaker 0 00:49:01 She's dead aggravating up. And the table goes very silent. Again. He has her hand clenched around the grip of her wand under the table. And she tilts her head and says, you seem awfully sure of that
Speaker 5 00:49:18 Vice Admiral defiance doesn't move her head for Marsha has been talking to
Speaker 0 00:49:23 Agra pina, but shifts her eyes
Speaker 5 00:49:25 Over to you to catch your gaze and gives you this big, innocent, totally disingenuous
Speaker 0 00:49:33 Grin who grand Duchess being Australia.
Speaker 5 00:49:36 And you would know as well as I do that, the Dragon's ma is an exceedingly dangerous patch
Speaker 0 00:49:41 Of water. If a ship shows up completely abandoned, it's unlikely,
Speaker 5 00:49:46 Bordering on impossible that any of the people that may have jumped off of it are still alive.
Speaker 0 00:49:53 Especially if it washes up on the shores, it looks to Golan. Yes, exactly. She
Speaker 5 00:50:00 Waves a hand at the captain really fucking condescendingly. Anyway, sweetie, what were you saying? Go on the captain's still just looking at really shell shocked by this revelation, nods again
Speaker 0 00:50:14 And says, Hey, I called you all here to discuss the fact that
Speaker 5 00:50:19 The grand duke and grand Duchess over here are seeking passage to
Speaker 0 00:50:22 GIM Tara. And I wanted to know what's all you could do about it.
Speaker 5 00:50:27 Agra pina, the red puts both her hands up and leans back
Speaker 0 00:50:29 In her chair. Hey, listen, kid.
Speaker 5 00:50:32 The blockades affected me just as much as it's affected. Then the rest of you is it's unbreakable. We can't do nothing about it. If they want to get together, Tara, by a nautical route, I am not the person you want to talk
Speaker 0 00:50:41 To. All right, feed, look back and Liam makes eye contact and then says, so we go back to candle, light Wharf and try to take land route up. Yeah, well, um, Beatrix still branch puts a hand up that it would be a viable option. If a,
Speaker 5 00:51:02 Your brother weren't wanted by half of the sovereign principalities and B if tore, Doon, hadn't shut down all foreign traffic in and out of the country. About four
Speaker 0 00:51:12 Days ago. Oh, you got to understand the sovereigns.
Speaker 5 00:51:18 No, that vog folder can and will fight a war on two fronts, all due respect, dagger, peanut aggravated. It just puts her hands up again and shakes her head.
Speaker 0 00:51:29 You're trying to preserve their resources. The best that they can, given
Speaker 5 00:51:32 That the blockade means that the older
Speaker 0 00:51:35 Ones are starting to get hungry and
Speaker 5 00:51:40 Tore. Dune is the bread basket of
Speaker 0 00:51:42 The no-no. You could try to sneak in. I might even be inclined to help you if there's something in it for me. But once
Speaker 5 00:51:50 You cross one close border, you're going to have to get over a whole bunch of land that wants your brother's head on a pike and then get over another closed border where I can't.
Speaker 0 00:52:01 Okay. So maybe we move up the coast. Defiance
Speaker 5 00:52:07 Fixes you with an absolutely ravenous smile. You see those sharp Australian canines flashing at you under the low light of the room.
Speaker 0 00:52:18 Oh, I wouldn't advise that the Navy has been
Speaker 5 00:52:21 Picking folks off the coast of doubt, rear like flies. The country has been harboring Boulder and fugitive since the whole conflict started.
Speaker 0 00:52:29 And I'm the grand Duchess. So unless there's something I should know, I have nothing to fear from the usher and Navy Felix, to fines directly in the eyes. She meets
Speaker 5 00:52:41 Your case and does not waiver, but then shifts her eyes over to
Speaker 0 00:52:44 Lee. You don't see tries extremely hard not to look at Leo and just sits very stiffly in the chair. You see defiance
Speaker 5 00:52:59 Kind of IQ up and down, down and note how rigid your posture is and her smile wide a little bit. So everybody, I think we can, we can all agree that this has been a collective waste of our time. Thank you. Sweet pea for that. And she turns back to the captain. She stands up from the table, pushes her chair.
Speaker 0 00:53:23 Now, if you'll all, excuse me, I have a blockade to uphold, but maybe I'll see you all downstairs for drinks. Later, she
Speaker 5 00:53:32 Shoulder checks the captain on her way back from the table and on her way past you, you see her hand dropped down to her side and pull it something under her sleeve
Speaker 0 00:53:45 Just before
Speaker 5 00:53:46 She turns around and leaves the room. You see the metallic shimmer of a beacon coin flash. In her hand, she tucks it back up into her sleeve. Turns around, leaves the
Speaker 0 00:53:58 Room. As soon as the door shuts
Speaker 5 00:54:02 Behind her, the captain who has had this very rigid, nervous posture, the whole time, fully collapses forward with his elbows on the table and buries his head in his hand.
Speaker 0 00:54:15 Ooh, Kivas fucking thunder. Fi looks around the table. She is still not looking at Leo. And she says, is she always like that? Or no last fortunately, a cultural and a good day.
Speaker 5 00:54:31 All of the other pirate monarchs sitting around the table look similar, unsettled Beatrix sighs and leans back
Speaker 0 00:54:40 In her chair. Well, I mean,
Speaker 5 00:54:42 Are we going to do anything about this? The captain is mute and just shakes his head and subpoena rubs at the bridge of her nose a little bit and says, I mean, I don't like the broad any more than the rest of us, but I don't think that there's really anything we can do.
Speaker 0 00:54:59 Great. Then, uh, Kate stands up kind of dust your hands off low. Does I am to admit it? I think I agree with her that this has been a waste of time. I need a drink and then she leaves the room. There's a long pause, aggravating the red curses quietly and deliberately indoor Vish and stands up and also leaves the room. Beatrix and her wife Ingrid have an exchange of rapid-fire halfling. Beatrix claps. The captain on the shoulder on our way back, gives you a sympathetic nod and then leaves and Ingrid Charles after her, it's just you and the captain left in the room and he gives up on holding his head up and just plops down on the table.
Speaker 5 00:55:49 Leo sucks his teeth and shakes his head for a couple seconds.
Speaker 0 00:55:54 So one of the higher ups in the Australian Navy is running a
Speaker 5 00:55:59 Piracy operation as a side hustle.
Speaker 0 00:56:02 Every day, I find out things about my country that make me wonder why I ever wanted to go back with his head down on the table. The captain muffled says, Cindy comfort. No one else wants to go there either. So what's her deal. She wants
Speaker 5 00:56:19 Something. People like her always want something.
Speaker 0 00:56:23 The captain's shoulders tense a little bit. Um, Leo make me an insight check. Dirty 20. The captain size says she wants power. Mostly. There's just a weird note in his voice that makes it clear. There's some history there, tree and the way that pirates have history or like history, the ladder
Speaker 5 00:56:55 Leo stands up from his chair and pushes it in behind him.
Speaker 0 00:57:00 That would have been a nice that's up to have given that we don't really have that much of a picture of this at any rate. I don't
Speaker 5 00:57:08 Care what you get up to with your extracurricular activities, captain, but let's make one thing very clear, whatever drama or fallout comes from them. You better leave my sister, the hell out.
Speaker 0 00:57:22 The captain sits up very suddenly slammed the hand on the table and like leans forward. And he says that you points emphatically out the door. His hand is shaking. That woman just murdered another member of this court. She can dress it up as fancy as she likes in cold blood, she killed one of the people holding her accountable. Do you understand that has that gone through your head? She has murdered one of the few people that can stop her from knowing what she wants a friend of mine, by the way. And now her ships can go wherever they please within the woman's territory, which for the record means that she can go within the leagues of power port. In case you had your head too far up your Royal ass to process the governmental structures of other countries, purport is the seat of the government that keeps the place running and my home. And as everywhere else, you don't have a fancy Navy keeping us safe. We have me. So my apologies for not prioritizing your feelings in the situation,
Speaker 5 00:58:33 Just doing mental math, as fast as he can trying to find an exit route out of this and
Speaker 0 00:58:40 Comes up empty and
Speaker 5 00:58:42 Just stops behind the captain's chair and puts one hand down on the wood behind his back.
Speaker 0 00:58:49 I'm sorry about your friend. I really am. And
Speaker 5 00:58:54 I'm sorry for any Australian fuckery that is putting your people in danger
Speaker 0 00:58:59 Really am. But as far the former is concerned
Speaker 5 00:59:04 Bringing back the debt as a stretch. And as far
Speaker 0 00:59:07 As the latter is concerned, my sister
Speaker 5 00:59:09 And I are the only two people in the world right now that are capable
Speaker 0 00:59:14 Of stopping it. And if we're going to we'd need to find a way to get to this is a, but I think I'm correct
Speaker 5 00:59:22 In assuming that neither of us can afford to let it knock us.
Speaker 0 00:59:27 He sits up breaking a hand back through his hair. He says that we can't and he nods and he gets up well, if everybody
Speaker 5 00:59:36 He's heading down for some nightcaps, I'm going to go try to talk to Agra pina. I think she's the person here who, whether or not she wants to publicly admit it can help us the most
Speaker 0 00:59:48 You do that. I have to go discuss this with my first mate, sure thing,
Speaker 5 00:59:56 Go downstairs. And if Agra pina is still down there, I tried to track her down and get her at least far enough away from defiance that we can.
Speaker 0 01:00:06 You find this old lady at the bar making a bit of a ruckus. She's doing the a 3:00 AM at a bachelor party thing of having the bartender bore her six shots and align Andrew slamming all of them at once. She like twirls a finger and she says, leave the bottle sweet at and the bartender obligingly, thunks a bottle of whiskey down next to her. I'm
Speaker 5 01:00:29 Going to sit next to her and get a bottle of tequila for myself.
Speaker 0 01:00:35 She ignores you as she finishes up her shots. And then she points directly at you with that Ruby red eyes spinning. And then focusing on you met your father once he was a little shit, saw this wall coming from a mile away. Definitely. I was only able to see it from a couple inches. So you have my respect for your foresight. Now I think the issue that both of us desperately I want to solve is how do we make it stop good. There ain't no stopping something built on this much bitterness, Leo downs, like
Speaker 5 01:01:12 Three tequila shots before he responds.
Speaker 0 01:01:16 Yeah, most like when a country stages brutal invasions of another one
Speaker 5 01:01:22 For almost 200 years. And the person that gets in charge after all of that ends up being a fucking maniac that grudges get held and people get caught in the cracks.
Speaker 0 01:01:34 There's a pause. She like scrubbed the hand over her mouth look, kid. If I still stood by half the shit that happened in that would, I'd still be in the holder and Navy. Alright, plenty of people I served with deserve to be locked up and they got, she like twirled the bottle fucking book deals. Well
Speaker 5 01:01:53 The political environment in Australia lets people do things like commit fratricide and get a crown.
Speaker 0 01:01:58 So I don't think anybody's
Speaker 5 01:02:00 Nose here is clean on the higher levels. It's the people more removed from the situation that are going to suffer the most
Speaker 0 01:02:07 I'm afraid. Yeah, that's always had is she takes some other things. So we got to the bottle. She says, look, find new a way through that blockade. I'd give it to you. They got the Capitol completely fucking blocked off. Nobody's been out of there in months. And despite the best efforts of an entire fleet of Voltaren steamships, we haven't been able to get supplies up the coast and just as long. And
Speaker 5 01:02:32 What about the Australian population in the Capitol and GIM Tara and the other cities
Speaker 0 01:02:40 What's going to happen to them. That Ruby eyes spins again. And she says, like I said, kid was been coming a long time and it's built on a fuck of a lot of bitterness. And if I'm going to help put it to a stop, I need to get to Kim. Tara. Is there any way past that blockade that you know, I'll take a rowboat. If I have to the full fleet onto the teeth with cannons and battle mages, I don't know what you think you're going to do. I don't know what I'm going to do. Leo leans forward
Speaker 5 01:03:17 And takes three more shots of tequila.
Speaker 0 01:03:21 I don't know what I'm going to do.
Speaker 5 01:03:26 Fi you head downstairs. The rusty Cutlass is a rip-roaring party at this
Speaker 0 01:03:32 Time of the night bar full of pirates, singing, laughing, fighting the pirate monarchs.
Speaker 5 01:03:39 You notice kind of go and either mingle among their crews or start talking to each other. You see Beatrix still branch and her wife go over to a group of halfling and human pirates and start talking in very low tones to each other around a table. In one part of the
Speaker 0 01:03:55 Room, you see your brother
Speaker 5 01:03:57 Come down after a bit with the captain, but Leo peels off to talk to Agra pina, the red and the captain fully
Speaker 0 01:04:05 Leaves the bar and walks outside. Looking deeply worried this rowdy
Speaker 5 01:04:12 Tavern scene, just swirls around you. This sea of people you end up backed against the bar at one point, just looking for some kind of solidity. And after a long stretch of time, you hear a voice next to you
Speaker 0 01:04:26 Try man. So I've been trying to figure it out.
Speaker 5 01:04:30 Are you, are you a whiskey girl or a gin girl fi sex or teeth for a second
Speaker 3 01:04:41 Plastered on a big fake smile and says, vodka we'll go over. And defiance is giving you this slow curling smile. As she slams a handful of Australian gold down on the counter and wraps sharply on the bar with her knuckles.
Speaker 4 01:05:01 Yeah, that makes sense. I could see you like in the burn, say we go knock a few back and have a discussion.
Speaker 1 01:05:12 Her hand finds its way into the folds of her skirts to just clench her on the grip of her wand.
Speaker 3 01:05:17 And she says, I would love that the vice Admiral ants orders a meat whiskey for herself and a vodka soda for you. The landlady of the rusty Cutlass gives her a little bit of a dirty look as she does this, but then she gets your drinks and walks you across the room to a far-flung table that you notice as soon as she sits down people on either side of you fucking vape, fi settles into the seat, glances
Speaker 1 01:05:53 At the cleared tables and brings her hand with her wand
Speaker 3 01:05:57 Up to settle down on the table and then crosses her other arm over it to hide it. Truth dies in darkness. Defiance has been taking a sip of her whiskey and she spits it back into the cup.
Speaker 4 01:06:16 Oh, please look okay. I get it that the beacon has their whole thing about the ultimate power of truth being the force that turns the wheels of all political machinations. But if you'll forgive my skepticism grand dachas in my line of work. I found the opposite to be true. I don't need to color our relationship of convenience with all of their fancy passwords and secret handshakes. We can be Frank with each other
Speaker 1 01:06:50 Face though, that just fake pleasant smile says, oh, I didn't enjoy that
Speaker 3 01:06:55 Very much. And then
Speaker 1 01:06:58 Brings her one hand up again, just twirls her onto her fingers, put their chin down on her hand and says, what do you want?
Speaker 4 01:07:08 Oh, that's a big question. Isn't it?
Speaker 3 01:07:12 Defiance drums, her nails on the table and takes another sip of whiskey. Swirls the glass in her free hand. Ah, let's see. Money influence, power and
Speaker 4 01:07:31 Proximity. The two, the people that can give it to me mostly.
Speaker 5 01:07:38 That's why that block, Hey, it's not coming down any time soon. You understand,
Speaker 4 01:07:43 Frankly, if either you or your brother turn up alive, the whole war loses its precedent and that's not good for your father's interests or more importantly,
Speaker 3 01:07:58 Mine fi tilt their head back and laughs
Speaker 1 01:08:05 You seem like a complicated woman. I'm sure you have multiple interests.
Speaker 3 01:08:10 She grins over the rim of her glass and says, well,
Speaker 4 01:08:15 If you wanted the full story on that, you could ask the captain. But at any rate, I didn't come here to spill all the juicy details of my personal life. I'm here to make you an offer.
Speaker 1 01:08:29 What out of the goodness of your heart, you've made it clear that our interests
Speaker 3 01:08:33 Run counter to each other.
Speaker 4 01:08:36 The goodness. Well, my heart doesn't exist, honey. And the sooner you realize that the better, like I said, you turning up alive in vaudeville door is counter to pretty much any Australian interest.
Speaker 3 01:08:52 However,
Speaker 4 01:08:54 I'm willing to give you a free lift back to Australia. And if you, I want to walk down to the docks with me and hop
Speaker 3 01:08:59 On my ship. Oh
Speaker 1 01:09:02 Yes, that sounds wonderful. So my father can have me locked away so we can continue playing out his war or so you could, if you were smart anyway, accomplish, you want to accomplish while
Speaker 4 01:09:17 Daddy's across the sea playing soldier, I really don't care whose ass is on the throne. Cran touches as long as our contracts stay maintained. And do you seem like a woman with goals? I have my share of goals, but if you're expecting my determination
Speaker 1 01:09:41 To achieve them to get in the way of my good sense, I'm afraid you're going to be quite disappointed.
Speaker 3 01:09:49 Defiance shrugs drains her drink and sets the empty glass back on the table. All right, fine. Stay down here. Play pirate.
Speaker 4 01:10:00 Spend your day. We all saw the world turns on without your influence. Either way. It doesn't really bother me. I just figured I'd reach a hand out
Speaker 3 01:10:10 Or
Speaker 1 01:10:11 My brother and I find her own way past that blockade
Speaker 3 01:10:14 Sooner or later, this war ends. And Ooh, I wonder what will happen to you. She leans and across the table a little bit into your personal space and says so far. My record for coming out on top
Speaker 4 01:10:34 Of bad situations is a hundred percent grand Duchess.
Speaker 3 01:10:39 I'm not worried.
Speaker 4 01:10:41 And if you were half as prudent as you're playing yourself off to be, you take my advice, cut dead weight and get in while the pickings are good.
Speaker 1 01:10:55 What dead weight would that be?
Speaker 3 01:10:57 Well, there really aren't a whole lot of choices on the table. Are there,
Speaker 4 01:11:02 I mean, the captain is dad useful if you can get them in the situation for it. But I think we can both agree that the only outcome for brother dearest in any event reality
Speaker 3 01:11:15 Is if you'll pardon my frankness, a short drop in a sudden stop, you come back to Australia with me. You let me see that
Speaker 4 01:11:29 Inevitability to its end. And you've got free reign of the whole country incident chanting offer
Speaker 3 01:11:42 Feed leans a little closer and she says,
Speaker 1 01:11:44 But I think if you were half as confident as you're
Speaker 3 01:11:47 Pretending to be, you wouldn't have made it.
Speaker 0 01:11:53 The takes note of the fact that she's in a fertile health and that she
Speaker 3 01:11:57 Has a very specific name. She stands up, takes the vodka bottle with her
Speaker 1 01:12:05 Gestures with it for a second. And she says,
Speaker 3 01:12:07 Oh, one question, how
Speaker 1 01:12:10 Does a nice girl from the silent city end up working for the beacon, the Navy
Speaker 3 01:12:17 And a pirate fleet, roll intimidation. I'm going to use a railroad. Second one
Speaker 7 01:12:30 Third rail roll
Speaker 0 01:12:32 Hats. The ticket 23.
Speaker 3 01:12:36 When you mentioned the silent city, you see her real back and a really quick clip show of emotions crosses her face. You see shock and then fear and then hurt. And then stone cold rage. She realizes that you have perceived this moment of weakness and it clearly does not sit well with her. She rolls her shoulders back, fixes her posture and with a absolutely razor edged smile says, well, see,
Speaker 4 01:13:21 That's the thing about playing both sides. Grant Duchess,
Speaker 3 01:13:26 You never lose. And she turns around and walks out through the front door of the bar.
Speaker 0 01:13:38 Leo you're still at the bar before Agra. Pina has time to respond to your existential spiral. A hand closes on your shoulder and lenient, close to your ear. Your sister says, we got to get the fuck outta here. We go jumps
Speaker 5 01:13:55 And kind of twitches around to look at her
Speaker 0 01:13:59 Job. Okay? Sure. What's going on? Uh, Felix, a little awkward for a second. She says I did something impulsive. Uh, we should leave. I'll explain later,
Speaker 5 01:14:14 Who are you and what have you done with my sister? Leo gets up and goes out with her.
Speaker 0 01:14:22 She tells you out of the bar, outside the captain and you are having a conversation, very hushed near the door of the Tavern fi claps, her hands and says, right? So, uh, interesting turn of events. Um, I seem to have made a very dangerous person, very nervous. And I think we should leave now Leo
Speaker 5 01:14:50 Or for a second. And then just slowly brings up one hand to the side of his head. And
Speaker 0 01:14:58 I know I'm aware. We don't need to talk about it. We essentially don't need to talk about it in the open, on the street. Can we go to the boat? Yeah,
Speaker 5 01:15:09 I would love to go to the boat. I never thought I'd say that, but I would really love to go to the boat, go
Speaker 0 01:15:13 To the boat. The captain kind of looks at fi looks at you, scrubs both hands over his face for a second and then nods. Right? Seems we're all in agreement. We best be moving on. And then he turns to you and he says, not you, but you
Speaker 5 01:15:32 Tangled web. We have woven for ourselves.
Speaker 0 01:15:37 Um, and he says, right, let's go. And then just gestures for both of you to follow him. As he had down the street, you all reconvene at the ship as you're reaching the gangplank of the ship from a little bit further down the docks, Beatrix still branch cups, her hands around her mouth and yells. Hey, captain thought you were all planning on posting up for a little bit longer. The captain tips his hat at her and says, oh, but a plan change got somewhere to be. Beatrix tilts her head to the side and squints at him and goes, all right. I look forward to meeting the next pirate moniker, those Fri Isles then. And she laughs and she heads off towards her own boat. I just get a little big and he looks over at the captain. Oh, okay. Uh, that sounds less promising. The captain rolls his eyes and kind of like shake some of the tension out of his shoulders. And he says, Coppens still brunch, greatly underestimates my abilities as a sailor. Okay. So what
Speaker 5 01:16:47 Are we doing? Where are we going? Because as far as my understanding of the situation goes, we can't really sail any further up shit's Creek than we already are. So what's our adjusted, of course,
Speaker 0 01:17:00 The captain gives you a big array, Gish grin. And he says, where's that in sail for Pearl port, we're going to approach the conclave. See if there's anything they can do to help us out of the situation. And if not, he makes a grand gesture at parlay Cove and says, probably it's at least a better place to get her bearings. Then all the splendor you see before you. Okay. Well, my track record with
Speaker 5 01:17:30 Trusting governing bodies to help me out has gotten me exiled, kidnapped, and almost
Speaker 0 01:17:36 Murdered. So I don't feel
Speaker 5 01:17:39 Great about this, but I also don't see what other option
Speaker 0 01:17:42 We have. The captain laughs to himself and says, oh, you and me both. And then he just starts stomping up the gangplank. I think if you go to follow fie, grabs your arm again, she looks up after the captain and then looks back at you and says, correct me if I'm wrong. But didn't the portal map have one in the Zephyr Isles. Leo also
Speaker 5 01:18:09 Looks up on the ship to make sure the captain is out of your
Speaker 0 01:18:11 Shot and then nods. Yes. In Pearl port actually. But we are going
Speaker 5 01:18:19 To come to the agreement right now that neither of us mentioned this to the captain.
Speaker 0 01:18:23 Yes. I think that would be best. Whatever else those portals are. They're a source of immense magical power. And we have
Speaker 5 01:18:34 Firsthand experience with just how dangerous they can get
Speaker 0 01:18:38 Making
Speaker 5 01:18:39 Information of something like that. Widely available doesn't sound like a smart move.
Speaker 0 01:18:45 Fi grandma's has a little bit and like tilt their head. And she says, at the least we should figure out what we're doing before we start, including other people in our plans. Agreed. So I'll
Speaker 5 01:19:00 Watch what I'm divulging to people and you, uh, just be careful during Pillowtalk. Okay. And then Leo gets on
Speaker 0 01:19:09 The boat. Oh, I feel like make strangling motions, but follows you onto the boat.
Speaker 1 01:19:20 As you got up on the deck, the captain nod at the both of you and says
Speaker 3 01:19:24 Right. Best to get ready to set off as quickly as possible. He nods towards the proud of the ship. You see up above the horizon, this weird
Speaker 1 01:19:40 Kind of effect in the sky,
Speaker 3 01:19:44 Shimmering
Speaker 1 01:19:45 Green purple blue ribbons of light. And you see clouds starting to gather under them and just swirl and spark with this cloud to cloud lightning, the captain gives you this big sharp grin
Speaker 0 01:20:08 Coming up on storm season. And that's where we're going to end. And this week, Hey, I hate defiance. Oh, same.
Speaker 3 01:20:25 I wish we could say that's the only time we're going to see her, but it's not. And you'll figure out what we mean by that next time on compelled dual
Speaker 0 01:20:49 Hey, everybody,
Speaker 5 01:20:50 Barry here with the postscript, just clearing up a couple of housekeeping things here. At the end of the episode, you can find us on social media. We are on Twitter, Tumblr and Tik acapella, dual. You can also find us on Tik TOK. Acapella. Dual is where we post audio snippets from the show.
Speaker 0 01:21:06 We have a lot of other cool stuff like
Speaker 5 01:21:07 An official website and official Spotify account. You can find all of that linked on our various social media profiles. If you're liking what you're hearing so far on the podcast we ask that you consider pledging to our Patriot. You can find that over at patrion.com/compelled, dual, where for just $2 a month, you can get really cool benefits like early access to episodes, access to bonus content and even letters from your favorite character
Speaker 0 01:21:31 Every month. If
Speaker 5 01:21:33 You're interested in supporting the podcast in ways, other than pledging to the Patrion, if you're listening to us on apple podcasts, we ask that you consider leaving us a rating and a review that helps the show get promoted to a wider audience. And as always word of mouth advertising is the most powerful tool we have. If you like the show, just tell a couple friends about it. And if they like it, ask them to tell a couple of friends
Speaker 0 01:21:54 About it. Season two,
Speaker 5 01:21:57 Episode eight is going to be premiering on Friday, July 30th, 2021. Or if you are a member of the Patrion, you'll get your early access on Thursday, July 29th. Thank you guys so much. And we'll see you next week.
