C1E11 — The Pirate's Cove

## Jamra's Account

After our bout of charity yesterday, I was more than prepared to return to gainful employment. It’s not that I have any reticence to assist with such things, but I just feel as if it’s all a frightful waste of time at the moment. If a man may earn enough in a day of his labors to pay for ten exterminators, would that not be the truer charity than doing the work of one? Alas I suspect my companions do not see it the same way, so I must hold my tongue for the moment.

I have been working on something in my spare time at the stalls. Agate is a good girl, generous and kind to me. I need to find some way to show her that I care, that she is appreciated and seen. The letter she sent me still rests near my heart and I need to do something similar for her. I’ve been trying to make Iffri-Khalashal, or fire glass, with even my meagre fires whenever I have the time and when my skill bears fruit, I shall hopefully have a stockpile enough to give to a jeweler. I picked out an agate the other day to set amidst it, but what to carve the glass into? I’ll have to pay close attention to her affections in the coming days to inform my selections.

But regardless today is a new day, full of new opportunities. And such a new opportunity it is! One of Jambis Dartheur’s business connections has approached us for a job. This presents the perfect chance to develop my own mercantile connections and earn some good will while I’m at it. I can hardly wait to hear from this captain. This is it! This is the start, I can feel it.

Pirates. There are a group of them, perhaps twenty five, lurking offshore. The scarred captain told us they had attacked her ship and carried off part of her crew and her first mate, Red Barton. We took the job and departed immediately, carried to their island in a small skiff. We crept over the leeward side of the island and approached on foot, reaching the cave before noon. The others talked for a while about their plans while I prepared. Before long Orentha struck, grabbing a man from behind and muffling his screams as she stabbed him, cutting first his side, then his gut, and finally his throat. She dumped him in the dust and we moved on, striking while the other sentries were distracted by something within. Orentha, Sirenixia, and I entered, Agate stayed outside. They rushed us, but I burned them all. One didn’t fall, but just started changing. I burned him again and Sirenixia dealt the final blow.

After the fighting ended, we dithered in the room for a time. Apparently Nix, the sneak who had threatened Orentha had been here when we’d attacked and joined us. The others distrusted him. They talked for a while, arguing about what to do about him and then the pirates. I didn’t think much on it. I knew what we were here for. I have flame enough for this.

## Orentha's Account

I was feeling good after we helped the orphans with their pest problem. We had done a good deed and didn’t even get paid for it. Some of the party (i.e. Jamra) had grumbled about doing work for free, but it felt nice to make a difference even if it was minor.

Jambis asked us to do a favor for a Captain friend of his. Captain Harkin was the head of a merchant vessel that had been ambushed by pirates the day before. From how she looked, she must have barely made it out alive. She claimed these pirates were hiding on an island off the coast of Guavira, and asked us to retrieve her crew - with preference to the First Mate who she totally wasn’t sleeping with.

Excited for another chance to help someone (admittedly, this one with pay), our group agreed to help and set off on a small boat to the island. When we arrived, we discovered that the group of pirates was hiding in a cave system just off the beach. It looked like there was a main entrance that was being guarded by four pirates. I snuck next to the entrance and tricked one of them into leaving the cave. Waiting for the perfect moment, I grabbed the man from behind, put my hand over his mouth, and stuck him in the back with my sword.

My own actions created a familiar sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, but there was no turning back now. Unfortunately, the man was heartier than I had initially thought, and he was able to cry out to his companions in the cave for help. The rest of our group rushed into the fray and were able to make quick work of most of the pirates.

When we attacked one of them, however, he shed his skin and transformed into a monstrous, dragon-like creature. One of the pirates seemed to turn on his crew and began aiding us in the fight. Together, we were able to defeat the creature, but it left us worried about what else we might find in these caves.

The pirate that betrayed his crew turned to thank us and revealed himself to be Nix. Almost reflexively, I took the dagger I had stolen from him after he held it to my throat and threw it at his head. He was fast enough to prevent the dagger from striking where I had intended, but not fast enough to catch it completely and the blade pierced through the middle of his hand. He annoyingly looked impressed.

Nix told us that he had been undercover as a crewman for three days, and that he discovered there were two factions of pirates. One faction seemed to follow the captain without question and were showing signs of turning into those draconic beasts. These pirates were aiding the captain in sacrificial rituals of the captured crewmen from Captain Harkin’s boat. The other faction were wary of the first and had doubts about what the captain was doing.

I looked back to the entrance of the cave where the man I had stabbed in the back lay dead. He had no sign of scales on his skin. If he was here unwillingly, I had killed him for nothing. My actions reminded me of the ruthlessness of my father, and the knot in my stomach became even more unbearable. If there was any chance I could prevent further bloodshed, I had to take it.