Chapter 6 - Session 1

Shakedown and Mysteries at Sea

Events and Actions

In their final fortnight ashore, the officers each kept sharpening their own trade: Werner drilled with the gun crew, Mani trained with the weapons instructors, Cosimo continued his apprenticeship under De Torres in the ship's rigging, and Riu worked alongside the surgeon's mate, Jeffrey, while Knick Nab spent his nights ashore talking up the ship and its mission, drawing a trickle of fresh recruits to the docks. With preparations nearly complete, Leopold, the quartermaster, presented the completed ship's articles and crew roster, noting that Riu had already rejected a handful of prospective recruits as unfit for duty during the refit, and that the crew still lacked a cooper and an armorer. Reviewing the roster, the officers realized they had no mates to run the watches, leaving that burden to fall on themselves; Knick Nab, De Torres, Werner, and Cosimo settled on taking turns as the four watch leaders, with De Torres offering to formally serve as first mate. Leela's role was likewise settled: she joined the marines alongside Mani and Tyler, meaning she would now stand a regular watch rather than live as an idler, and — finding gunfire too loud for her liking — asked to be armed with a bow rather than a crossbow or firearm. The ship's boy, Tolly, was assigned to work simply as a deckhand rather than rotate through each officer's department as first planned. Old Salter, the bosun, then laid out the watch schedule the crew would now live by: four hours on and four off around the clock, broken twice a day by a pair of shorter two-hour dog watches so that no one stood the same hours every day.

With preparations complete, Old Man Rayhar arrived at the docks with the finished figurehead of Mistress Clara, shrouded in sailcloth and hauled down to the ship on a pair of trolleys. Hoisting it into place with the shipyard's cranes, the foremast, and a yardarm took most of the day; Cosimo, unable to stand by and watch the crew fumble with the ropes and blocks, waded in to correct their rigging himself, putting his fortnight of training under De Torres to use, and at one point the figurehead's sword arm snapped off under the strain, though Rayhar had it mended and back in place within minutes. Once mounted at the bow, its joinery was so intricate in places that it seemed impossible it had been carved from a single piece of wood. Rayhar also presented a set of gilded letters spelling out the ship's name for the stern, a parting gift arranged by Mistress Clara, along with a spare flag identical to their medallion colors but bearing a skull, to be run up as piracy colors if ever the need arose. The ship was officially christened when a bottle of exquisite red clarity was broken across the figurehead's face, then set sail from Drowned Man's Port, heading north towards the Shatters.

The first week at sea was dedicated to a shakedown cruise. At the urging of De Torres and the sergeant-at-arms, Tyler, the crew ran extensive drills for sailing, gunnery, and boarding actions, including firing the ballista and harpoons at floating targets. During this period, two notable crew-related incidents occurred. Arnum, an able seaman, came to Riu in the night for treatment of a puncture wound clean through his hand. He claimed it was a whittling accident, but the wound looked more like a blade thrust; when pressed, he offered no attacker's name, a tossed object meant to reveal his dominant hand was caught with both, and his own knife, when inspected, showed no trace of blood. Jeffrey, assisting, privately agreed the whittling story sounded unlikely for a blade driven clean through a man's palm, and was equally startled at how quickly Riu's spellwork closed a wound that should by rights have been life-threatening — though he was told to keep both observations to himself for now. Riu brought the matter to Knick Nab, who summoned Leopold and Old Salter to his cabin before Arnum was brought in, hoping the presence of the ship's senior authorities might unsettle a confession out of him; it didn't. Leopold offered the counterpoint that if there had in fact been a quarrel, Arnum might be the wronged party rather than the guilty one. Lacking firm evidence either way, the officers chose to monitor Arnum rather than press further, and Mani later arranged a friendly sparring match with him, wooden swords in hand, as a discreet way of keeping a closer watch. The officers also agreed to start meeting briefly twice daily, at the change of the morning and evening watches, to keep one another informed of anything unusual aboard. Shortly after, several officers separately noticed odd movement in the rigger Jacopa, and on being questioned directly, Jacopa admitted to serving in disguise as a man. In a private interview, she told them she was an islander who had worked trading skiffs in the Channel Islands before years of enslavement, escaping five years past; her family remained somewhere beyond the maelstrom, and she asked to be allowed to seek them out if the ship ever passed that way again. Satisfied the rest of her story held true, the officers granted her request and assured her she could continue serving openly with no special treatment. Also during the shakedown, a large bird bearing a rider was spotted flying north ahead of the ship, well out of range of the swivel guns and rifle hastily readied at the bow; some aboard recalled sighting a similar creature in these same waters three years before, shortly before the ship was marooned for two years, raising suspicion it might still be watching them. Tracked by bearing until it vanished into the sun's glare, the rider was moving faster than the ship could match. Riu argued for changing course to avoid being tracked into a fight, but Gam counselled holding the charted route: it was well known and mapped, if more likely watched by the Northern Navy, while any detour would carry them into waters just as dangerous and far less certain. The officers chose to hold their course.

Upon entering the Shatters, the crew found little but bare rock jutting from the sea, some patched with scrub and nesting birds, having passed the island of the Stone Men from an earlier voyage along the way in. They slowed to a crawl, taking constant soundings — sixteen fathoms, then ten, over a sandy bottom — and doubling their watch as Gam had advised. One night, stopped and drifting, they heard a distant cry carry across the water; Noddy sent his bird into the darkness to investigate, and it returned to report a light far ahead, hundreds of feet off.

NPCs & Creatures

Leopold: The ship's quartermaster, who presented the final articles and crew roster, and was summoned alongside Old Salter to help question Arnum over his wound.
Old Salter: The ship's bosun, who explained the watch system and its challenges, and was likewise brought in to help question Arnum.
Old Man Rayhar: The master woodcarver who created the figurehead and stern lettering.
Mistress Clara: Came to see the ship off and commissioned the nameplate.
De Torres: The ship's master of sail, who offered to formally serve as first mate to help run the watches.
Tyler: The sergeant-at-arms, who urged gunnery and boarding drills during the shakedown.
Arnum: An able seaman who received a mysterious puncture wound to his hand.
Jeffrey: Riu's surgeon's mate, who assisted in treating Arnum's wound, privately doubted the whittling story, and was told to keep his suspicion to himself for now.
Jacopa: A rigger and able seaman who was discovered to be a woman disguised as a man, and who revealed a past as an escaped slave from the Channel Islands.
Gam: The shatters expert who advised on the route.
Large Bird with Rider: An unidentified creature and rider were spotted flying north, possibly the same one seen in these waters three years earlier.

Locations

Drowned Man's Port: The session began here, with the final outfitting and christening of The Medallion.
The Open Sea: The location for the week-long shakedown cruise.
The Shatters: A treacherous region of barren rock islets, some scattered with scrub and nesting seabirds, which the ship entered cautiously toward the end of the session, navigating by constant soundings over an increasingly shallow, sandy bottom.

Conflicts

An able seaman, Arnum, was treated for a puncture wound through his hand. He claimed it was a whittling accident, but the wound suggested he had been stabbed, and Riu's assistant, Jeffrey, privately agreed a whittling mishap seemed unlikely for a blade driven clean through a man's palm — and was equally struck by how fast Riu's magic closed a wound that should have been life-threatening. Knick Nab summoned Leopold and Old Salter to sit in on the questioning, hoping their presence would unsettle a confession out of Arnum, but tests to press the matter — tossing an object to see which hand he favored, and inspecting his knife for blood — turned up nothing conclusive, and he refused to name an attacker. Leopold noted that Arnum could just as easily be the wronged party as the guilty one. Lacking firm evidence either way, the officers decided to monitor the situation rather than press the issue further, and Mani arranged a friendly sparring match with Arnum as a discreet way of keeping a closer eye on him.

Learnings and Discussions

The officers found themselves noticeably more capable than before, having each honed new skills since their last outing.
The command structure and daily life aboard the ship were formalized through the ship's articles and watch assignments. With no mates aboard, the officers learned the burden of leading the watches would fall to themselves; Knick Nab, De Torres, Werner, and Cosimo were settled on as the four watch leaders, and De Torres offered to formally take on the role of first mate. The watch schedule itself — four hours on, four off, broken twice daily by shorter dog watches — was explained as an arduous but standard rhythm of shipboard life, one none of the officers, least of all the captain, would be exempt from.
The shipboard articles were reaffirmed as the framework for handling disputes: quarrels are to be brought before the quartermaster to mediate, escalating to a duel of sword or pistol to first blood if reconciliation fails; meddling with another without consent is punishable by death, theft by the lash, and drunkenness by the irons.
The officers agreed to hold brief meetings twice daily, at the change of the morning and evening watches, to share anything unusual observed by the crew.
It was discovered that Jacopa, a rigger, was a woman in disguise. The officers interviewed her, confirmed the rest of her story was true — including her history as an escaped slave from the Channel Islands with family somewhere beyond the maelstrom — and assured her that she could serve openly without issue, noting she would be the third woman aboard alongside Leela and the cook's assistant, Edith, and that the ship's existing rule against meddling with a shipmate without consent — punishable by death — would protect her like any other member of the crew.
The sighting of a bird-rider sparked discussion about its origin (possibly Birdcrown Isle, where Captain Barrows is believed to be) and intent, with some recalling a similar sighting in the same waters three years prior. Weighing Riu's concern about being tracked into a fight against Gam's point that an unplanned detour would be no less dangerous than the known route, the officers decided to stick to their planned, charted course into the Shatters rather than divert into less certain waters.

Items Gained

The Medallion completed its final outfitting and was officially christened by the crew.
A custom-carved figurehead of Mistress Clara was installed on the bow.
A set of carved, golden letters spelling "The Medallion" was affixed to the stern, a gift from Mistress Clara.
A spare ensign, identical to the ship's medallion colors but bearing a skull, was commissioned to be run up as piracy colors if ever needed.
A replacement anchor, for the one previously lost, was fitted as part of the final outfitting.

Items Lost

A bottle of exquisite red clarity was used to christen the ship.
Ammunition (gunpowder, shot, and grape) was expended during gunnery, ballista, and harpoon drills throughout the shakedown cruise.