Pirate Borg Solo Ep 4

Greed? What Greed?

In the last episode, Edmund joined the crew of Captain Davies, with the promise they would help him explore the jungle of Black Coral Bay. They left on a mission to raid a shipping lane, only to happen upon a stranded ancient ship laden with treasure! Pirates are known to not be greedy, so I’m sure everything will work out just fine. Right?!

Edmund Lopez HP 2/ 13; Zealot of Ancient Gods

Chaos factor 7

Expected Scene: Load the treasure onto the galleon and get back to Carcass Beach to divide the plunder.

Test the scene d10=1 Altered Scene
Scene Adjustment: Reduce or Remove an activity

Pirate code: Sail + Steal
I interpret this to mean that the crew does not want to go back to the measly port of Coral Town. They need a larger port in order to fully appreciate the division of plunder. What good would a pile of silver be in a place where you could not spend it well?

Where will they go?

I think the pirate haven of Tortuga is a safe bet. And it is relatively close (7 hexes).

Edmund stood looking at a treasure hold in front of him with chests stacked upon chests, all filled with silver coins. It was more wealth gathered in one place than he had ever seen. More than he supposed anyone here had ever seen. The Gods had brought him here; it was obvious now. Amongst the treasure he had found a magical obsidian disk, that had given him strength and wisdom when he had held it in his hands. It had inexplicably shattered into minute shards immediately after.

In addition, he had discovered a dusty old scroll that had described a ritual of great power, in which he could summon a curse from those taken by the sea and inflict it upon his enemies. It had been the will of the Gods for him to be here in this place and find that power. What was meant for him now to do with it, he was not sure. He had pocketed a few other items he deemed worthy, as he had noticed the others doing as well. The flintlock pistol of the vanquished skeletal captain was nestled in his belt.

He smelled Caspian approaching before he saw him. “Quit standing here gawking, priest. Get to work loading these chests!”

“Aye.” Edmund said simply. Caspian pushed past him and grabbed a handle on one of the chests. Edmund moved to assist with the handle at the opposite end.

They and the rest of the 30 crew members spent the rest of that day, transferring treasure from the derelict ship onto the Eye of Chaos. Captain Davies looked ecstatic as he watched chest after chest get loaded upon his vessel. It was nearly nightfall before the work had been completed.

Finally, the treasure had been transferred, and Edmund joined the rest of the crew on the deck of the galleon, to hear Captain Davies’ address to them.

“Well done, me scallywags! We have hit the mother lode!” he began. The crew erupted in cheers. Edmund did not join in. He glanced at Hattie standing near to him, and she met his glance with her unblinking stare. She turned back to the captain as he continued.

“We’ll make for Tortuga and should be there in a week. We’ll Divide the Plunder there and all be rich!” The crew erupted in cheers once again. Neither Hattie nor Edmund joined in. He had a bad feeling about this. He said as much to Hattie.

Mythic Conversation focus: Explanation

“Have you been to Tortuga before?” she asked in her baritone voice. Edmund shook his head. She harumphed. “It’s a rough place, even as pirate havens go. With this much treasure…”she shook her head.

“Aye. People will likely be stabbing each other in the back left and right. Might be good to have a friend around.” He looked at her hopefully. She stared back at him, still unblinking. It was unnerving.

Mythic Conversation table: Betray + Official

“And what makes you think we can trust one another?” she stated simply. Edmund looked up at her face, she was considerably taller than him and had tremendous musculature. He could use her brute strength.

Edmund convince Hattie to join him 1,3 vs 12. Fail

“I’ll give you half my share of plunder, whatever it comes out to be, if you would join me in my journeys.”

She snorted. “You must be joking. Captain Davies is a fair captain. With this much booty, we’ll get a great share. I’ll be taking mine and retiring to the countryside to live out my days with some pretty little man.”

Edmund was disappointed, but he could not blame her. But he felt like the gods had something in store for him, yet.

The next day. Day 1 of 7. Recover d8 HP=5. Edmund 7/13 HP
Weather: 7 Fair

Roll for happenings: 1 Flotsam and Jetsam. D12=Sentient Ship’s figurehead

Mythic Character Identity: Combatant + Socialite

The following day, the Eye of Chaos cut through the winds travelling to the southeast. Floating in the sea nearby, they could see the figurehead fashioned into a nobleman bobbing in the waves. As they approached it, a disembodied voice arose from the painted wooden likeness.

“Ahoy there! You scoundrels! If you rescue me from this boring existence of bobbing about, I will make it worth yer while!”

Edmund could hear the voice but was unsure if the others nearby had heard it. No one made any move or reacted in any way.

Mythic, did anyone else hear it? 90 vs 75 No.

The figurehead continued to shout, as it receded away from them. It grew in desperation the further they sailed. Edmund heard it cry just as it was out of earshot. “You’ll regret this!” He shivered.

Day 2 of 7. Recover d8 HP=8. Edmund 13/13 HP
Weather: 6 Fair

Roll for happenings: 3 Event. d20=17 Something gruesome and terrible is found in the cargo hold.
Pirate Code: Break + Wound

Edmund sat in the lookout nest the following day, the weather was fair and they were making expeditious time. One of the crewmates stumbled up on the deck, his hands and face covered in nasty weeping sores. Temper saw him, and without a word, pushed him overboard with an oar from a longboat. He glanced at the oar and tossed it over as well.

“We can’t have disease spreading amongst us, now that we’re rich, can we?” he called to those who had witnessed the interaction. No one argued.

Day 3 of 7.
Weather: 7 Fair

Roll for happenings: 1 Flotsam & Jetsam. d12: 12 Derelict ship
Type: 4 Giant jury-rigged raft
What happened: Mutiny fueled blood bath
Hundreds of eyeballs hang from the crude rigging of the sail.
Occupant: Skeleton

They were nearing the eastern edge of the island of Cuba when they came upon a very large jury-rigged raft put together from the debris of a larger wreck. A skeleton manned the raft, holding the rudder paddle. Fluttering above him hung hundreds of eyeballs from their stalks, tied to the rigging of a single sail.

Does the skeleton try to hail them? 66 vs 75 Yes.
Random Event: PC Negative
Mythic Action tables: Close + Opposition

The eyeballs all turned toward Edmund as the ship slid by the raft. The skeleton called out, specifically to Edmund. “Edmund! You coward! I should have left you for dead when I had the chance!”

Edmund recognized the voice. It was one of his cousins. They had quarreled over sweets as children. What had happened to him? He walked along the railing of the deck as the raft was outpaced, trying to keep it in sight.

“Pablo?” Edmund called out. A green light of hatred blazed in the skeleton’s eyes.

Mythic: Break + Home

“Ah, you do remember. When Grandmother’s house was falling apart in the quake, you left me to die in the rubble. It should have been the other way around! I had come back in to save you!”

Edmund remembered. The quake had shaken the old woman’s house apart. He had been trapped under a beam, and Pablo had run back in to save him. When he was freed, more rubble had fallen and crushed his cousin. There had been no way to save him. Edmund could recall plainly the cold dead eyes looking up at him, blaming him.

“No, I’m sorry! I couldn’t save you!” Edmund called out, his voice cracking with despair.

Pablo did not answer, he and the eyeballs only stared as the galleon pulled out of sight of the raft. Edmund wept.

Day 4 of 7.
Weather: 8 Fair
Roll for happenings: 2 Encounters. 7 Fugitives in a ship’s boat.

Mythic do they sneak on board the galleon during the night? 54 vs 75 Yes.

When the weather was nice, Edmund, along with some of the others, chose to sleep on the deck of the ship, rather than in the stifling heat below decks in the crew quarters. The thump of boots on the deck woke him from his slumber. He glanced at the lookout and saw him slumping lifelessly in the crow’s nest. He tried to cry the alarm, but a man approached him silently. He realized too late, that a prayer of Silence had been cast.

How many d4=1

Initiative: Enemies

Enemy Zealot HP 3 with finely crafted rapier (d8)

Defense against Zealot + Agi -1=16 vs 12 Success

Edmund attack Cutlass + Str 1= 16 vs 12 Success. D6=6 killed.

The silence was eerie as the man snarled and jabbed with his rapier. Edmund got his cutlass drawn just in time to parry the thrust aside. He followed it up with a cruel overhanded chop. The man tried to parry with his thin blade, but the force of the blow cleaved into his skull regardless. He dropped to the deck, dead from the single strike. Edmund scooped up the rapier but decided against keeping it for himself. He was more favored to the brutality of the heavier cutlass.

Day 5 of 7
Weather: 8 Fair

Happenings: 3 Events. D20=20 an albatross is spotted flying with the sails. Everyone gains 1 Devil’s own luck. Now at 4.

Day 6 of 7
Weather: 4 Calm, decrease speed by 1. Becalmed. Add day to travel.

Happenings: 2 Encounter. 3d6=9 war canoes. En route to raid.

I’ll do some naval combat here, finally! Though since we are becalmed, we probably won’t do much but trade small arms fire. But still! Ahoy, mateys!

Eye of Chaos HP 65. Small arms fire d6. We get 2 actions.
9 War Canoes 3 HP each. Small arms fire d2 each.

I’ll make a 4 tick progress bar. After 4 turns, they will board.

Edmund sat on the deck of the galleon, when an alarm was raised by the lookout. They had been becalmed in the water for most of the day. Apparently, another crew had spotted them and had launched their war canoes to strike while the galleon’s cannons could not be brought to bear. Nine canoes slid through the water, each rowed by three crewmen each. If they were able to board, it would be a hard-won fight to defend their treasure. The attackers were smart enough to avoid the arc of fire from the cannons and approached from both he stern and the bow. Captain Davies rallied them to begin firing as soon as the canoes came into range.

Turn 1

Galleon small arms d6=4. 1 canoe killed. 2^nd canoe 2/3 crew.
Galleon small arms d6=1. 2^nd canoe 1/3 crew

Canoe 2 small arms d2=2 – 6 hull. No damage
Canoe 3 small arms d2=2 – 4 hull. No damage
Canoe 4 small arms d2=2 -2 hull. No damage
Canoe 5 small arms d2=2 – 1 hull. 1 damage. 64/64 HP
Canoe 6 small arms d2=1 -2 hull. No damage
Canoe 7 small arms d2=2 -5 hull. No damage
Canoe 8 small arms d2=2 – 2 hull. No damage
Canoe 9 small arms d2=1 – 4 hull. No damage

Unsurprisingly, the small arms of the individual boats is not very effective against the concentrated fire of the crew on the galleon. Who would have thunk it?! ;)

Turn 2

Galleon small arms d6=6. 2^nd canoe killed. 3^rd canoe killed. 4^th canoe 1/3 crew
Galleon small arms d6=4. 4^th canoe killed. 5^th canoe killed.

Morale of attackers, I’ll give them an 8. 2d6=5. They continue to attack. They must have been somehow tipped off about the rich find.

Canoe 6 small arms d2=1 – 4 hull. No damage
Canoe 7 small arms d2=1 – 2 hull. No damage
Canoe 8 small arms d2=1 – 3 hull. No damage
Canoe 9 small arms d2=2 -2 hull. No damage

Turn 3

Galleon small arms d6=4. Canoe 6 killed. Canoe 7 2/3
Galleon small arms d6=1. Canoe 7 1/3

Morale save 2d6=4 keep attacking

Canoe 7 small arms d2=1 – 6 No damage
Canoe 8 small arms d2=2 – 4 No damage
Canoe 9 small arms d2=1-6 No damage

Turn 4

Galleon small arms d6=6. Canoe 7 killed , Canoe 8 killed, Canoe 9 1/3
Galleon small arms d6=1. Canoe 9 killed.

The war canoes rowed resolutely toward the galleon but came under withing fire from both bow and stern. The crew of the Eye of Chaos were steadfast in keeping all their gains for themselves and offered no quarter to approaching pirates. After only a few minutes, the attackers had all been killed. Their bodies and canoes both floated in the sea surrounding the galleon.

Day 7 of 8 (no progress previous day)
Weather: 7 Fair

Happening: 3 Event; d20=2 Corpse floats by the ship

The crosswind finally let up the following day, and the galleon once again sailed to the east toward the pirate haven, Tortuga.

“Man overboard!” the lookout shouted.

Edmund and several others rushed to the railing and peered over to see a corpse of a woman floating face down in the water.

Mythic, does the crew want to haul it aboard, very unlikely? 92 Extreme No

The corpse floats by and several of the crew take pot shots at it, placing bets as to who was the most likely to hit it. Edmund held no interest in such sport and returned to his deck duties. He was eager to be gone from this ship.

Day 8 of 8 Arrival
Weather: Heavy wind (increased speed)

Pirate Settlement: Exposed + Prison

The seedy settlement of Tortuga finally appeared on the horizon, and the men excitedly prepared the ship for its eventual docking. As they got closer and closer, several cliques began to form in the crew as they made plans on what to do after the division of plunder.

Edmund was the newest member of the crew, and though he had been in the party to discover the loot, he was largely excluded from all future plans. It looked as though he was on his own once again.

The Eye of Chaos crept into the docks, and surprisingly, the multitude of piers jutting into the water was lined with hanging cages and gallows. Every cage was occupied with a person and several rotting corpses swung from the many gallows. It appeared as though some sort of purge had occurred very recently. Edmund eyed the cages extremely uneasily. He did not relish the thought of ending up behind those bars, baking in the Caribbean sun. Better the gallows.

Pirate Settlement random table: Repair + Shroud. I think that means another faction is trying to seize power here.

Captain Davies broke him from his grim reverie as he arranged the dock work and the division of their plunder. It was going to be a huge endeavor, and Edmund was unsure how it would all play out.

He had his answer as a squadron of red-coated British troops marched from the walled town…

End of Scene

Chaos factor -1 = 6

This was a bit of a seaborne hexcrawl that was fun to play out, though I prefer the story/action to be more revolved around the character and less around a larger crew.

I put together a d100 pirate settlement table that I used here at the end. You can pick it up from itch.io for yourself if you are interested!