Prologue

### **The Miraculous and Phenomenal adventures of Hunch and the Honeys**

Long ago, a motley group of adventurers were hired as bodyguards by a sea captain, their task was to protect the vessel, its captain, and all its precious cargo from bloodthrsty pirates. This group was known as Hunch and the Honeys, and consisted of its fearless leader, the strix sorceror named Hunch, the massive short-tempered lizardfolk bloodrager named Strongback, the drunken merrymaker named Marcus the Drunk, the old grizzled gnoll ranger named Nargo, and finally the loveable sus-child called Skyeet. During the voyage, the captain of the ship, a weedy little fellow known as Yebbob, spent his time manning the helm while Hunch and the Honeys kept a sharp eye out for pirate ships sailing in the distance. The voyage was relatively uneventful at first, and The Honeys were starting to think that they wouldn;t run into any trouble after all, but immediately upon thinking this a distant *BOOM* echoed across the sea. Moments later the small cargo ship shook violently as a cannonball struck its side. Out of the misty waters emerged a ship that flew black sails. Cannons lined both sides of the vessel, and a band of ruthless pirates stood on its deck, their weapons drawn, prepared to get down to business. Captain Yebbob fled down to the cargo hold to cower in the corner and wait for the battle to end, leaving Hunch and the Honeys to combat the merciless pirates upon the poop deck. The two ships sailing side-by-side, the pirates dropped bridges and charged over, but The Honeys were prepared for this assault. Hunch, being a seadfast sorceror, used various spells to fend off the invading maurauders. Strongback used only his deadly claws during the fierce battle. Marcus, having drunken a little too much mead before the fight, brawled with his bare fists, shouting slurred obscenities the whole while. Nargo fought with his trusty greatsword, but after slipping in a puddle of Marcus' spilled mead, he swung his sword and buried it straight into the ship's mast. And Skyeet, also being a capable spellcaster, conjured up a magical suit of armor to protect himself from the pirates' deadly blows... however, rather than actually join in the fight, Skyeet immediately hid behind the strong back of Strongback as soon as he conjured this armor.

The battle was not easily won, for the band of pirates proved to be formiddable opponents, but in the end they crumbled before the might of Hunch and the Honeys. With the pirates finally slain, the Honeys began to ponder what they should do next. Eventually they decided to abandon their jobs as bodyguards, and instead board the pirate ship and set sail towards a nearby port town, where shenanigans were sure to ensue. However, before they acted upon this plan, they first had to deal with Captain Yebbob. The group stormed down to the cargo hold and demanded that the captain pay them for their hard work in defeating the pirates. Unwisely, Yebbob refused to pay up. In a rage, Nargo backhanded the frail human with all his strength. With a moan of anguish, Captain Yebbob collapsed to the ground unconscious. After looting the cargo hold of all valuables, the Honeys returned to the upper deck. Hunch, declaring himself to be "The Captain" strode into Yebbob's quarters and stole his captain's hat, clapping it onto his head. At last, the Honey marched over to the pirate ship and set a course for the port town.

Knowing full well that Captain Yebbob was still alive down in the cargo hold, Hunch decided to magically lift a cannonball into the air and plunge it straight into the cargo ship, which slowly began to sink afterwards. Captain Yebbob's soul was damned to Davy Jones' Locker. With that whole ordeal out of the way, the adventurers sailed away into the distance. But this was not the end of their tale, for when they eventually reached the port town, they were in for a big surprise...