"I'd prefer just the warehouse honestly. Being a block away from the Mad Shark is a big upside and I can't imagine us needing a boat for anything we couldn't just pay a fare for. Owning just one piece of estate is enough maintenance for me."
"Well... I can think of a few places no ferryman will take you, but it's your money, so it's your choice. You guys can think it through and discuss it. No hurry."
"And so we go."
"Well. We'll be moving on with our deliveries now... If y'all decide to buy the boat or the warehouse, just tell mah son." Clyde says before departing with Jabs and the other boy on the delivery horse-wagon.
- - -
Not a minute is past since Clyde's departure before you hear it.
"I wouldn't worry about a boat." says a baritone voice coming from just a few feet behind you. Startled, the three of you reflexively spin around to face the speaker. "I doubt you'll be sailing on your own anytime soon." says a man almost as tall as Joel Ironblood, but of more slender build. His face cleanly-shaven except for a meticulously kept handlebar mustache. He wears the dark blue uniform of an officer of the city's Armada, sheathed pistol and saber hang on his belt. On his shoulders and sleeves are sewn a silver circle over four golden bars. On his collar, there's the insignia of a silver wolf-like paw-print inside a circle... And just below it, you see the familiar symbol of a sea-serpent coiling around a trident that rises from the ocean. The family crest of the Wavebravers.
"Now... Which of you are Cyrus, Eitylen and Tai Leng?"
Cyrus tilts forward in a bow in respect to the man.
"Hail sir. Brother Cyrus Vance would be I. Tai Leng is the gentlemen with the shaved head and Eitylen is elsewheres at the moment."
"To what do we owe the pleasure of the esteemed Wavebraver family? Do ye require assistance with another delicate situation?"
"It would go more smoothly with your assistance... But it's not required." the man speaks firmly as takes a step forward, straighten his back and lifts his chin.
"But since you are in such a helpful mood..." he adds, casually resting his hand on the hilt of his saber.
"Cyrus Vance and Tai Leng. In the name of the Blue Shell Armada and for the honor of the Wavebraver family, I, Captain Wilhelm Wavebraver, hereby place you under arrest on charges of fraud, impersonation, acting on false pretenses, extortion and unlawful use of municipal means. Surrender your weapons and armor immediately. You shall accompany me to the nearest guard post, where you will receive detailed accounts of your crimes and wait for questioning and legal judgement. Cooperate and I will personally ensure your safety until your delivery to the legal authorities. Resist and you will be met with overwhelming force."
A few yards away, Liz drops her notebook and widens her eyes. She's petrified, completely unsure how to act.
Leng nods his head sagely.
"This place begins to feel more and more like home. It is okay, bureaucratic extortion is a normal part of life. Let's go with the man. We will most likely be charged with these fabricated crimes and then tasked with a mission the Wavebravers would rather not foot the cost for." he says, clapping a hand on Cyrus' shoulder reassuringly.
He moves to go with the Wavebraver representative.
"Are you willing to bet a charge of slender of that?" Captain Wavebraver replies, before gesticulating to no one in particular and saying "Take them." with an austere tone.
Six nearby civilians turn towards you at the same time. Their clothes dissolve like illusory veil, revealing the uniforms of sailors of the Armada.
Three of them approach you, while other three remain behind with muskets in hands.
"Do you have any weapons, alchemical items or magical tools on your person? If so, slowly remove them and drop them on this bag. They will be returned to you once you've been released." the man's voice is cold, but not hostile.
The same demand is given to Brother Cyrus.
Leng puts his starknife and ring in the bag.
Cyrus tilts his head questioningly but holds his tongue. He hands over his belt knife and Traveler's Anytool.
"I believe in Abadar's justice. We will walk freely by the end of the day most like." He turns to Tai Leng and gives him a wide grin.
"My patron ideal is freedom after all."
Jaazkara tries not to betray her association with her companions, but listens closely as they exchange words with the authorities. Finally, when she sees her friends surrendering their equipment, she steps forward and gives Cyrus and Tai Leng a sidelong glance with raised eyebrow ridge.
"You do not look like an elf, so I assume you're not "Eitylen". Who are you... Stranger?" the captain asks Jaazkara.
"Well... Doesn't matter. You can offer a testimony about them later if you wish." the captain adds before Jaazkara answers his question.
Irons are placed around the wrists of Brother Cyrus and Tai Leng. Captain Wavebraver and his men silently lead your group through the less busy streets of Blue Shell. It's an unusual path, but the destination soon becomes obvious: the southern head-quarters of the City Guard. Due to its proximity to the docks, this garrison is known to work particularly closely to the Armada.
Your approach is uncontested, and you soon find your selves inside the main hall of the building, where a bald man in his late fifties sitting behind a large counter reads a small book before noticing the group. He lowers his spectacles to take a long look at you and your captors.
"Captain Wavebraver..." he says with a solemn, almost uniterested tone. "To what do I owe your presence?"
"These men are guilty of several crimes against the city." Captain Wavebraver replies with an austere voice.
"Yes. I can see that." he says, still sounding bored. "What I meant is... Why did you take upon yourself to bring them here. I understand the Armada has the right to capture and prosecute criminals, but that's usually handled by us. We are the City Guard, after all."
"Some of their crimes also concern one of the Grand Families."
This line makes the bald man raise his eyebrows.
I wonder which one..." he mumbles to himself. "Well... That would make them really stupid criminals. Do you have the warrant?"
"Of course. All information pertinent to the case is included." Wavebraver replies as he pulls a couple envelops from his coat's inner pocket.
The bald man opens one of them, adjusts his spectacles and and quickly skims over the text of the paper in his hand.
"Hmmm... Impersonation... Fraud... City affairs... Municipal resources... Uhum..." the man then looks at Captain Wavebraver and speaks again. "Well... I can see why you took personal interest in this case, Captain Wavebraver. But you should have come to me first. The City Guard is made for such tasks. It's hardly worth the time of a Captain of the Armada..."
"Defending my family's honor is always worth my time."
"Of course, of course... Well. Thanks for the delivery. I'll take care of the procedures as soon as possible."
"They are here. Their crimes are well documented. Why wait?"
The bald man sighs... "Captain Wavebraver. You're a dutiful and honorable man, but we both know things don't work like that. We have to follow protocol, process the case, organize the documents..."
"Yes, but their crimes..." the captain starts to speak, but the bald man doesn't give a chance to finish.
"All that and more.There are a couple cases ahead of them too... And we can't prioritize them without good cause. What would people say? We would look like those backwards monarchies!"
... Captain Wavebraver stares at the man. "Indeed you're correct, Sir Reeve."
"Thank you. Why don't you and your men leave this to us, lowly guards? You and your men have far more important duties, I'm sure. No need to waste your time with this little chore. Return to your office, honorable Captain... And I will send for you as soon as their initial procedures are done. You have my word."
The captain hesitates for just a moment. "Very well, then. I trust you'll deal with these criminals. I trust you to keep me informed of the procedures."
"Of course, of course..."
All that said, Captain Wavebraver takes his men and leaves, glaring at you one last time as he goes. The bald man looks at you with an annoyed expression...
"Deputy." he says to a nearby guard. "Take these men to one of the empty cells. I'll see them shortly."
"What about him, sir?" the man says glancing at Jaazkara.
"SHE can either leave or accompany HER friends. I don't care."
The deputy leads you downstairs, you're placed on a large cell with four beds inside. Aside from yours, there are 7 more cells in this corridor, only 2 of which are currently occupied... One by a group of six grumpy men covered in bruises and scrapes and another by two hobo-looking guys in ragged. Their eyes are shot red and you can even see some of their blue-ish veins under their pale, malnourished skin.
"Don't try anything!" the young deputy says, trying to sound confident and imposing. "The Reeve will come for you!"
"Yes, we wouldn't want that." Tai Leng says solemnly, completely clueless about who this "Reeve" is.
"We're law abiding citizens. I don't intend to try anything."
"I wonder why the Wavebravers are mad at us? We helped out Lady Elena in rescuing Lord Richard after all."
Times goes by slowly in the cell...
Very, very slowly...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Tai does not notice, as he has begun meditating in the center of the cell.
This does have the unfortunate side effect of leaving Cyrus without company, however.
So, so slowly...
You make yourselves as comfortable as you can, but it's only late in the next morning that the city guard officer shows up.
"It's your turn, kids. Wake up." the bald man says as an young deputy unlocks and opens the door of your cell.
"Should we put them in irons, sir?" the deputy asks a little nervous.
"Nah... They managed to piss a Grand Family. If they run, they won't get far." he speaks nonchalantly. Then he points with his chin at the bruised man on the other cell and adds "I'll take them to the questioning room, you take a couple men and kick those ruffians out of here... I'm tired of their ugly faces."
"Yes, sir."
- - -
You follow the bald man upstairs and into a small white room with a single table and a few chairs. The man sits on chair and gesticulates for you to do the same. He looks at you for a moment and lets out an annoyed sigh...
"Well... Let's start at the beginning: Me name is Thornes. I'm the reeve of this delightful district. And you... Are idiots." his voice shows no sign of anger, just a mix of boredom and annoyance. "Well... At least you aren't stupid enough to resist capture against men of the Armada, so I have hope that you got something between your ears. Do you know why you're here?"
"I am sure that even if we hazarded a guess, you would be able to tell us in more detail, sir. The wheels within wheels of bureaucracy and politics abhor vagueness."
"Bureauc... What are you talking about?" reeve Thorns exclaims, then sighs ans speaks again. "Nevermind... Here is what these papers here say. Tell me if it sounds familiar:"
The reeve coughs and goes on...
"Unauthorized use of the personal name of a prime citizen to interfere in city's affairs and illegally search a private-owned trade vessel. False claims of direct association to a third party. Unauthorized use of restricted channels for personal legal gains. Second-degree slander..."
Reeve Thorns raises his eyes from the paper
"Did you really pretend to be associates of a grand family and then immediately proceeded to give your full names and address to a legal officer? Through restricted legal channels, no less... Just so that you could... Skip a long line?"
He sighs heavily once again...
"You know... This is the dumbest serious crime I've seen ever since some idiot tried to the cremate dead dog in the city hall's eternal pyre."
"Incorrect, the association is real. We did not say we were acquaintances with the Wavebravers, merely that we had done work for Lady Elena at a point in the recent past. We then gained permission from the dockmaster to search that ship, and were personally acompanied by him."
Tai Leng frowns.
"Perhaps your bureaucracy is not as advanced and enlightened as I had assumed. That we are even here implies an inexcusable lack of record keeping on the dockmaster's part."
"The second I assume is our being ushered to a separate line at the notary office. Here the fault likewise falls with the office staff. Even if our claim of association was not true, which it is, such claims should have been verified for truth and relevance before any action was taken. That it was not seems to me an intentional loophole left in your bureaucratic proceedings; back home there are hours of background checks and interrogation before entry into the express line is even considered." He rattles off two tenets of Tien philosophy: "Shìshí shì kěsù de. Yǔnxǔ de shì yǔnxǔ de."
"The truth is malleable. What is permitted is allowed. From the Code of Law, volume XIII, page 278." he intones with more reverence than has been shown by him for much else besides drink.
"The slander I am unsure of. I merely suggested the Wavebravers were having us arrested so as to be used in some kind of political power move to strong arm us into doing another job for them, for free and on the quiet. This is how nobles should behave, it is merely a statement of likely fact. Had I intended to slander them I might have suggested the opposite; that they simply did not have all the facts and had chosen to arrest us out of ignorance. This does not fit how a powerful nobility should act. Cunning and ruthlessness are to be expected; ignorance and weakness is not."
Brother Cyrus is a bit bewildered by the events and his mouth just hangs open for a moment at Tai Leng's response.
"That's right! All I ever said was that we did some work for Lady Elena! Specifically we saved that giant tiger of hers from mercenaries holding it ransom."
"Anyhow...why are the Wavebravers so upset? We're good people and we're not outsiders anymore. We came to Blue Shell like anyone else. For new beginnings."
"Tsc... You really are clueless outsiders, aren't you?" the man sighs.
He adjusts his glasses and reads the paper again...
"According to dockmaster... Mostenier (How do you pronounce that?!)... You used the name of Lady Elena Wavebraver when addressing a mob and the merchant of a trade vessel. Apparently you really wanted to participate in the search, for whatever reason..."
He turns the page and goes on.
"And then... There's the incident in the notary office... Where you claimed to be associates of the Wavebravers... And were then directed to a legal channel restricted to city officers and prime citizens..." he stares at you. "You see... This looks really bad for you. If you didn't want to fool people, why even claim to be associates of the Wavebravers?"
"There are three reasons these people believed you... 1- they are fools. And you can bet your lungs and heart that they will be punished for their mistakes. Possibly be made into examples. At very least, a severe warning will be given to everyone else... 2- The name Wavebraver is almost synonymous with "The Armada" around here. Nearly all of them eventually become high-ranking officers. If you go to a city office claiming you work for them, people will understandably assume you are either working for the Armada or directly for the Wavebraver state... Which is almost always the same. You'll have a hard time convincing anyone that's not what you wanted them to think, even if you didn't speak the words... And finally... 3- Everyone knows trying to take leverage of the name of one of the three Grand Families without their authorization is all but suicide, so they probably assume no one would be stupid enough to try!"
The reeve calmly places the paper sheets on the desk...
"Finally, there's also an accusation of second degree slander... Which is basically when you dirty someone's name by doing dishonorable acts while pretending to be them or working for them. A non-citizen dropping names to skip lines and use restricted city service arguably qualifies... "
Thornes looks at you with a mix of annoyance and pity.
"Look... Blue Shell is no utopia. There are no kings or nobles around here, but rich, powerful people are still rich and powerful. None more so than the three damn families who built the city specifically because they were tired of not being at the top." He lets out an even heavier sigh...
"You claim to be associates of the Wavebraver, but as far as I can tell, none of them knows who you are... Or even heard of your name before. There's no record of any tiger-related incidents. And the Wavebravers won't risk people thinking they use their influence to let their friends bypass the law."[ The Wavebravers are arrogant and unforgiving, but they also take pride in their reputation for being disciplined and honorable... So they generally leave the scheming and conniving to other families... Well, mostly... If it comes to your word against theirs, you're not winning this debate."
"You broke the law... Perhaps unknowingly, but you did. I take no joy in arresting you. And I certainly don't want one of the Grand Families growling at my ears. So speak true: Have you ever met a Wavebraver before Captain Wilhelm came for you? Seen one, even?"
"None, unless the man named Ayren is one of them, which I doubt."
He pauses a second.
"Or unless Lord Richard counts."
"Absolutely. Remember Tai Leng? The gentleman who paid us for saving Lord Richard and his men who had the insignia emblazoned on their tunics."
"I assumed they were just hired soldiers, to be honest."
"..." reeve Thornes stares at Brother Cyrus with a blank look on his face. "Literally all employees of the Wavebraver state wear tunics with the family's crest in it. If working for (or with) an employee of the one of the Gran Families makes you their associate... Then good news! You are associates of the Wavebravers... And so is pretty much every man and woman who ever set foot on the docks!"
After yet another long sigh, Thornes speaks again.
"The good news is that you didn't commit any violent crimes, and the dockmaster seems to have a positive opinion of you. It's possible to claim "ignorance" as an attenuating factor in some of these charges... The Wavebravers won't just let you walk scot-free, but with some luck, they will just demand reparations and some minor punishment, rather than try to make an example out of you. You'll almost certainly have to pay a hefty bail before walking free... But at least you probably don't have to worry about spending months in the dungeons."
He starts folding the papers in his hand.
"You must return to your cell, but before you do..." he gives a small paper sheet and a pen to each of you. "I'll allow you to contact write down a short letter to be sent to anyone in town you'd like to inform about your current situation. It should be delivered before the end of the day. We will talk again as soon as I'm done with your legal procedures."
Jaazkara joins her companions in the jail in order to speak well on their behalf when the opportunity presents itself
Brought back to your cell, it takes another day before the reeve Thornes goes speak to you again. This time he's accompanied by a man in his early to mid twenties, dressed in elegant clothes that show fine taste and moderate wealth. Possibly a successful merchant or craftsman.
"Well, kids... I hope you enjoyed your weekend in our resort!" he says while opening the door to your cell. "The good news is that you are allowed to wait for your judgement in freedom, provided the payment of bail." he pauses for a second before adding... "The bad news is that bail was set at 10 fleets each."
The man at the reeve's side smiles. "Well... The other good news is that I paid your bail. And the better news is that I have a job proposal for you... And I'm willing to pay you 12 fleets for it." he takes off his plumed hat and bends slightly forward in a polite bow. "My name is Lucio Alvarez. Businessman, investor, author and chronicler extraordinaire. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Tai leng looks directly at Cyrus, smiles, and holds out his hands, as if to say "See?"
"My father always said not to look a gift dinghy too closely." He frowns in response to Tai Leng, but shrugs.
"So if bail is paid we get to walk free till judgement day and then could be jailed again? I hope this job has some other benefits to us other than money we wont be able to access in jail."
"Well... Not being in a cell means you're techninically not under arrest, so your citizenship papers might arrive before your trial... So you could be judged as a citizen rather than as an unregistered vagrant. That's a good start. You also have a better chance to prepare than if you stay down here until then..." Lucio says. "But I'm not a lawyer or a Wavebraver. I'm simply seizing an opportunity. If you'd rather stay in a damp cell for foreseeable future, I'll respect your wishes." he says with a slt smile, before turning to reeve Thornes and adding "I can still take my money back, can't I, mr. reeve?"
"Sure... Minus the 5% legal fee. To cover jail expenses." Thornes replies calmly.
"Fair enough."
He's made quite some money by investing in nearly every venture proposed to him, even the most ludicrous... Most of these do turn out to be money sinks, though, and Lucio lost fortunes as often as he made them.
Most merchants and wealthy citizens of Blue shell know of him, but so far Lucio had no success in convincing the truly rich to become partners in a joint-venture. That said, he did make good money about an year ago, when an expedition he funded brought back relics that were sold at high price to the Goldensmith family.
Tai shrugs.
I, for one, have no interest staying in this cell. This business opportunity seems an interesting way to pass the time at least."
"I'm not keen on staying in a cell either. Whats the job?"
"A wise choice!" Alvarez says. "The food outside is certainly much better!" he glances at reeve Thornes and add: "Let's discuss my busisness proposal somewhere more appropriate..."
Reeve Thornes rolls his eyes. "If any of you give me another reason to throw you back in the cell, I'm personally making sure you serve at least a month before your bail gets set!"
"Like I said: Let's discuss our VERY LEGAL AND LEGITIMATE business somewhere else..." Alvares says as he leads you outside. When you're outside the building and out of sight of Thornes and his men, he goes on with his proposal. "So... What do you know about the Golden Galleon?"
For her part, Jaazkara looks confused as to the proceedings and the inner workings of "Law" in a city as large as this one. She spends most of the time asking Tai Leng and Cyrus rather naive questions and becoming more confused by the resultant answers.
In the end she feels a bit bewildered, as well as inappropriately proud to have had direct involvement with the ruling authority of the city. She thanks all officers and officials that speak with them, and waves to Reeve Thornes as she is departing.
"Isn't that a gambling ship?"
Most guards are reluctant to approach Jaazkara at first, specially after they hear she's not one of the accused. Soon it's clear she bears no violent intent against them, which doesn't end their reluctance, but does balance it with curiosity... Jaazkara can tell these people know less about her people than she does about theirs.
The one exception is the man they call reeve Thornes. He treats her more or less the same as the others... Even better, actually, once it's clear there are no crimes to her name. And although he never brings it up, Thornes seems to respect and approve of Jaazkara's choice of standing by her allies, even at the cost of her own liberty. While they take her weapons, Jaazkara is allowed to keep her armor and tools, and is told multiple times by different guards (probably at Thornes' order) that she can leave whenever she wants and that she'll have her weapons promptly returned when she does. And the lizardfolk warrior is the only one who's given a meal equal to the guards', rather than just bread, water and the ominous "prison stew".
There's a ship with this name... But it very rarely, if ever, comes to the docks.
The Golden Galleon is a floating casino. It's been active for almost as long as the city of Blue Shell's been around. It's rarely more than a couple miles away from the shore, but it rarely docks.
Sailors, merchants and tourists are known to partake in the entertainment, occasionally even men of the armada can be seen (most higher-ranking officers disapprove of this practice, but don't punish their men for it, as gambling is no longer against the law).
No fishing boat is willing to approach the Golden Galleon (in part because very few fisherman have the money to spend there anyway). Trade ships prefer to stay at the docks so as to be prepared to leave on one of the few opportunities when the Armada agrees to escort trade ship to a safe distance, supposedly beyond the reach of whatever pirates are ravaging the area.
These days, the Golden Galleon is visited by very, very few ships whose captains are too brave, greedy or stupid to stay away, the occasional mercenary/privateer ship and a few Blue Shell Navy ship, that supposedly go there for a quick inspection of the place...
Less reputable elements can be found on the Golden Galleon, but while they are very rarely delivered to the authorities, it's even rarer for them to be given protection if the Armada comes looking for them.
The current captain of the Golden Galleon has been at this job for over 20 years now, but even so, very few people have ever seen him... And even fewer ever heard him utter a word. The ones who did, didn't hear more than a few syllables.
By all accounts, he's a frail old man, missing an eye and half a leg... His name is unknown, and there're all sorts of rumors surrounding his identity... From a retired pirate to disguised demon scheming to take down blue shell. One thing is certain, though: whoever he is, he is capable enough to keep the crew of the Golden Galleon surprisingly disciplined and well-behaved (for a bunch of barely-legal-not-quite-pirates, anyway).
During the first few years of Blue Shell, when sailors, builders and mercenaries were over 90% of the population, gambling grew extremely popular and became such a problem that the Council decided to ban it.
That's when the Golden Galleon came into play. It continuously sailed juuuuuust beyond the point where the Blue Shell navy was willing to chase them.
In time, the ban on gambling was lifted, although the practice is still strictly supervised by the government and not well seen by most navy officers... At that point, the Golden Galleon approached the shore, but whoever commanded the ship at the time decided to keep it afloat... Only once every few years coming to the docks for repairs.
Nowadays, the ship is rarely farther than a couple miles from the shore... But it does tend to wander away at times when the Blue Shell Armada is too active.
"Well... Yes." Alvarez replies. "But that's not the interesting part... Not THE ONLY interesting part, in any case. Many different trades and business opportunities happen aboard that ship. Right now, I'm far more interested in a auction that'll take place in two days... There are two items that I need for one of my endeavors, one of which, I plan to buy... The other was stolen and I intend to reclaim."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"So... Would you like to recover stolen goods, possibly catch a thief, make some money and help revolutionize how theater is made all at once?"
"Yes, yes, yes, and...I suppose?"
"Sounds good to me. Can we count on you to speak on our behalf come judgement day? An influential merchant's good word could do us some good."