Tales of the Lazy Kraken

There are a number of stories that Liissa and Elsa like to tell about their time aboard Elsa's ship The Lazy Kraken. These are those most often told around the Sigehold hearth.

## When Elsa met Liissa

In 375, after the fall of Skarsind when Elsa had run to her ship from Gildenheim, and a long time after Athanshala had been burnt to the ground by Thule, Liissa found herself in Feroz. She was at that time working from a moderately reputable brothel upon the sea-front there. It was in a market, amidst brightly coloured textiles and a multitude of spices that she first saw Elsa.

In fact she heard Elsa before she saw her, and stopped mid stride, drawn by the first Wintermark accent that she had heard in years. When she saw the pirate, for it was obvious to any on the Brass Coast what profession Elsa followed, she was struck by the ribbons tying her long blonde braids and also the trinkets upon her belt. She found herself approaching a heated conversation between the pirate and a stallholder.

For Elsa's part she saw a woman in a plain Wintermark dress holding herself like one of the Brass Coast working women of the quay and was completely puzzled, enough to lose track of her place in the argument she was having with the merchant. He took that as a reason to double the money that he was demanding of the pirate captain and she saw that as a reason to finger her sword.

As much as to prevent this interesting new person from dropping out of her life as much as anything else Liissa, having seen that the merchant's cash box was open, slightly out of his sight, slipped behind the stall and caught Elsa's eye. She mouthed 'Pay him' and Elsa, partly curious as to what this woman's intention was stopped her hand straying to her swords. Instead she smiled sweetly up at the merchant and began to count out a number of thrones from her belt.

As Elsa counted out the thrones so did Liissa from the merchant's cash box. Fifty thrones in total went into the merchant's hands. Fifty thrones in total came out of the merchant's cash box. He shook hands with Elsa, and Liissa chose that moment to emerge from behind his stall and walk a little way beyond it through the market. Elsa caught up to her in a few moments and they exchanged their names as they continued to walk.

A bellow of rage was heard behind them from that particular merchant's stall. The women looked at each other and as one they ran, Elsa, taking Liissa's hand, led her straight up the gangplank and onto the deck of the Lazy Kraken which made sail with alacrity.

Both of them will tell you that it wasn't theft as Elsa didn't owe the merchant fifty thrones, and Elsa isn't the type to lie. Besides, says Liissa, it was the prosperous thing to do, no one lost money, merely exchanged it. And usually, at this point, they laugh.

## Taking A Grendel Ship

Sometimes Liissa and Elsa make it sound as if they captured one of the Sea Lords of the Broken Shore. That is not strictly true, it's not completely wrong either but what happened was a mixture of luck, skilled sailing and bad weather. The Lazy Kraken was a fast ship, and one that sailed most extensively along the Brass Coast. However, when sailing within Empire waters the only sort of Prosperity you can get is that from trading.

To that end Liissa was a great addition to the crew and began to attract custom whenever they made port, but it was never from trading in those early days that The Lazy Kraken made it's real money. Grendel ships are not the sort of ships that you can attack from a lone vessel like The Kraken, for a start they never sail alone, the Salt Lords have a navy or three and they patrol their waters. If you start a fight with a Grendel ship then you'd better be longing for the Labyrinth as two more will show up in the shake of a sail.

It is, however, possible if you are so minded to make darting raids upon small coastal settlements if you are Vigilant and know the movements of the Grendel ships. If you commit to what might be termed 'guerilla' actions on the Asavean Archipelago. That is where the Lazy Kraken made it's real money, sailing out to islands nominally under the control of the Broken Shore and taking from their quays whatever items the pirates found. In such raids Elsa could be found in firm command, stood at the wheel and shouting her command. The first mate, Orvokki the Ice-Walker, would be right at the fore of the ship, eyes sharp to the shore. In the Crows Nest, vigilant to the horizon, Spearhafoc the Crow, ready to sound the alarm should Grendel forces, or anything else for that matter, appear upon the horizon.

Upon one particular trip, The Lazy Kraken had been unsuccessful in it's hoped for raid as three tallships had been anchored in the harbour of the coastal town Elsa had hoped to raid. Such things had happened before and would doubtless happen again. The important thing was to not get caught and to live to fight another day. The Kraken had not expected the tallships but had no way of finding out why they were there, nor did they expect to discover the reason, instead they tacked to the wind and set across Catazar Bay to hope for some trading business with the Freeborn.

Then the next day, with no warning, a fog dropped and with it, the wind. From making a good pace towards the Brass Coast the Lazy Kraken went to making almost no pace at all. The Goosewing sail was furled and the mainsail let out to try and catch what little wind there was. Liissa cursed and bitched to Elsa, she was in higher demand the less speed the ship had and the crew was more miserable when they requested her presence.

There was no seeing anything, Orvokki and Elsa were sailing blind, they had but their charts and what could be heard, and within the thick, white fog sounds' distance could not be estimated.

It was Spearhafoc that heard it first. The sound of Grendel conversation, seemingly just behind him. Within moments of his gestures silence fell upon the Lazy Kraken.

Then Liissa heard the lapping sounds of water against hull and Orvokki lowered herself from the bows to get a better chance of predicting where it was. The crew stood ready, as they would for any bording action, unknowing what lay ahead, whether there was but a ship some leagues hence or an entire Salt Lord's navy right against the bows. Then Elsa gave the signal as she saw the ship first.

A single mast cut through the fog dead ahead of the Kraken, Orvokki gave the signal, the anchor dropped through lanolin and sheep's wool, and silently Elsa's ship came about. The Grendel vessel was small and alone, the first they saw of the Kraken was the crew leaping abord their deck from the higher sides and rigging of the Kraken. The fight did not last long, Liissa watched it from the deck. Elsa with a dagger between her teeth and a sword in her hand leading the charge. They were fisherman, unequipped to deal with the Imperials and when they surrendered and were ordered to give over their valuables they gave over mostly fish, some small valuables and upon a stretcher a fevered orc dressed for high rank.

Leaving the fisherman their boat but cutting the sails and lowering their anchor the Kraken continued through the fog. Liissa nursed the orc within her cabin as she, Orvokki, and Elsa tried to work out who he was. On the third day the fog lifted and on the fourth day the wind picked up. It was then that the Lazy Kraken once more changed direction and began to head once more towards the Broken Shore. By then they had worked out who they had within their cabin for he had, under Liissa's ministrations, become lucid. He was a Sea Lord who had been on a fishing trip for pleasure, leaving his crew and tallship in the port that they had first intended to raid. He had become sick before the fog dropped and then was left to the ministrations of the fishermen.

The best thing about the Grendel of course, is that they would rather pay than fight when they don't have to, so weighing anchor a little way from the harbour where one tallship still remained, The Lazy Kraken signalled to the shore and left light one Grendel Sea Lord but weighed down by the fat sack of cash that his crew had deemed him worth.