S01E04

## The Pirates of Red Isle

### Summary:

The group travels to free their cousin Branton Hill from pirates. Branton knows a secret.

## The Pirates of Red Isle

Minerva writhed and twitched in her sleep, dreaming heavy - dreaming green. She saw a carriage drive through a rainy night. Inside, two men sat across from a canvas sack. The sack contained a living, breathing child.

Darby Glenbain turned to Gylbert Farman, "I cannot do this. By all the gods, she's just a child."

Gylbert spoke to Darby, but would not look him in the eye. "Duty is duty. It is our responsibility to turn the girl over." He cleared his throat with discomfort and said, "What happens then is beyond our control."

Minerva's view turned and changed. She looked out over a vista of angry ocean. There was Branton Hill, the bastard of House Krey standing on the sea. He held up a portrait of Katryna Farman and her children, Maxir, Katryna and Dalin. Rain began to pour, carrying with it the oils of the portrait. The paint drained away into the ocean.

Brenwyn sat in the war room looking at an old map of the Straits of Fair Isle. Maester Ethon pointed to a black speck on the paper, "There ith the Red Isle. Piratth have uthed it ath a thtaging ground for thome time now. The Lannisterth are the only forth in the area with a navy large enough to defeat them, but they feel it ith beneath their conthern."

"But now those apes are holding our boy Branton," Rook said. "Only one thing to do."

Just then Mad Minnie clomped into the room wearing a white cloak, her walking stick in one hand, a dark shawl in the other. "Alright, listen! I never asked to be Keeper of the Swans!"

With that she tore off her white cloak, threw it to the floor and spat on it. "This is what I think of it! From now on call me the Baroness of Beasts." Swinging her shawl around her shoulders she added, "Also, I've had a premonition."

- Brenwyn decided to send a small group to the Red Isle to rescue Branton Hill, taking along Torrhen Grove, Rook and Maurice Figgybottom. They made their way to the port where Harbourmaster Lorch was busy managing the docks. Lorch initially resisted, but some convincing by Brenwyn (and some seduction by Maurice) pushed him to set aside a caravel and twelve men to bring Brenwyn, six archers and six infantrymen to the Red Isle.

- The group helped the sailors during their voyage, but after two days things turned sour. Lieutenant Stype, first officer to the ship's Captain Martyn launched a mutiny. The zealous mutineers killed the Glenbain infantry and archers (-1 POW) as well as Captain Martyn. But Brenwyn's sword, Torrhen's bow, Rook's acrobatics and Maurice's boar spear made short work of them. Those that survived were intimidated into continuing the voyage by a scolding speech by Maurice.

- Reaching the Red Isle, the group took a rowboat to a quiet stretch of beach and reconnoitered the area. They noticed three caravels and a frigate anchored in the bay, none of them showing colours. The island hosted a small village. Torrhen noticed a single campfire in a crop of trees and they decided to investigate. Rook gritted his teeth and suppressed his fear of the woods. Five pirates sat idly around a campfire. The group planned an ambush.

"How good is your pig at feigning unconsciousness?" Rook asked Maurice, referring to Maurice's pet warthog Willie.

"Not very. Why doesn't Torrhen bring Willie around and I'll call him over to us as a distraction," Maurice answered.

"That could work," Rook considered.

Torrhen sneaked around and did just that. The loosed animal drew the pirates' attention, and in a flash, they were all dead.

- The group searched a nearby cabin and found Branton Hill tied up. He thanked them for rescuing him. He also noted that he had seen a hidden cove on the other side of the island. Fancy ships had come by over the past few weeks, with noble retinues visiting the cove. Branton wanted to know what was in there. The group agreed to look, though hesitantly.

- To distract from their excursion to the cove, Torrhen and Rook created some fire arrows with lamp oil and old clothes. They launched the arrows into the ships in the bay, setting all four on fire.

- They rowed their boat around the island to the secret cove where they discovered more pirates. Torrhen took the group in quietly and they were able to keep the element of surprise. The pirates were dropped quickly. Even the dread pirate Red Mick only let out a single swing of his enormous halberd before Maurice made a bloody corpse of him.

Looking through the cove, the group found a secret weapons cache. There were military weapons and armour, swords, spears and shields - enough for three hundred soldiers or more. All identifying marks had be scraped or chiseled out of the equipment. The group searched through and found a single shield that still had the faded mark of its maker - House Mudd of the Riverlands. They took the shield, a scratched sword, Red Mick's body, a captive pirate and some gold and rowed away with it.

- Fortunately, their ship was still waiting for them, the mutineers too afraid to leave them behind. They sailed back to Aldford. Upon arrival, Brenwyn offered them the chance to join him as sailors in the Glenbain navy, which they accepted (+2 POW). Brenwyn also ordered that Red Mick's body be posted visibly at the port, as a warning to pirates and a sign to merchant sailors that House Glenbain will keep them safe (+1 INF). Rook gave Captain Martyn's sailing instruments to Maester Ethon as a gift.

- Afterward, Branton took the group out for drinks at the Green Tempest Tavern in Aldford to thank them, then headed back home to House Krey.

## Experience

- Maurice received 15 XP, 100 Gold, 2 Glory

- Septa Fransheshina received 15 XP

- Brenwyn, Torrhen and Rook received 14 XP, 100 Gold and 2 Glory

- Wilfred, Alon and Minnie received 14 XP

## House Attributes

Defense: 41 (1 Free)

Influence: 64 (23 Free)

Lands: 25 (0 Free)

Law: 30 (30 Free)

Population: 27 (7 Free)

Power: 44 (10 Free)

Wealth: 46 (2 Free)