BBG: Chapter 33

As we sailed into Jannathstaad on the Hammerdown, we weren't alone. Sailing into the harbor alongside us was the Seahearth Slingstone under the command of Commodore Eldon Islandwarden. The Seahearth Slingstone wasn't the only ship sent by the Council of Seahearth either. Two smaller ships, the Hin Blade and the Hearthharbor Surprise, had sailed with it, forming a small squadron of three naval vessels from Seahearth to join the Iron Drakon, Bloody Spear, and Hammerdown. To my surprise, our six ships were not the only ships preparing to take the fight to the Umberlants, either. Two more ships were docked in the Harbor of Jannathstaad that I hadn't expected to see being made ready for battle. The Speedy Drake, under Cap'n Bernardo and the Tuskrunner, Captain Half-Tusk's Ship.

"Hail, friends! I hadn't expected to see you two making ready for battle!" I called out as I stepped off the Hammerdown's Gangplank onto the shore.

"Aye, I wouldn't have done it without the pay on offer, Lad. Make no mistake." Nodded Cap'n Bernardo.

"It's the same for us. However, the new Jarl's been very generous." Grinned Captain Half-Tusk.

"How generous is generous?" Questioned Janessa.

"All captains or thanes get a thirty Danter a Day, plus loot, first mates and seconds get twenty-five Danter plus loot, and other officers twenty plus loot. Every able seaman or warrior who survives gets fifteen Danter plus loot." Answered Cap'n Bernardo.

"That's aside from up front pay of two thousand Danter for both our crews and bidding for prize ships, of which there's bound to be at least some. I expect someone will come out of this as a commodore with a Squadron of their own." Added Captain Half-Tusk.

"Jarl Ullrsson isn't reserving captured ships for his own fleet?" Queried Selima.

"Nay. For some reason, it seems the Man is content with getting enough shares of any loot to recoup the costs of outfitting this expedition." Responded Cap'n Bernardo.

"How many shares has he allotted himself, exactly?" Asked Shavariel.

"Both Jannathstaad and Hearthharbor are allotted a quarter of the loot each."

"Most Mercenary rates are six Danter a day for campaigns, plus loot for the rank and file, and rarely exceed twenty-five Danter a day for Commanders." I mused.

"Aye, that was our assessment as well." Nodded Captain Half-Tusk.

"None too shabby, that." Agreed Cap'n Bernardo.

"Robar! Come, let us meet with the Jarl!" Called out Commodore Islandwarden as he finished whatever business he had to deal with aboard his flotilla and made his way down the Gangplank, accompanied by two other Halflings.

The first of these Halflings was a Male in Buoyant, Nimble, Chainmail Armor Plus Three with a Longsword of Icy Burst Plus Two who had clearly looted the sword and armor from a more well-equipped Pirate in the aftermath of the attack on Hearthharbor. He wasn't the most masculine Warrior that I'd ever come up against, and if you'd told me that he was a Woman who had bound her chest and pretended to be a man in order to be able to sail, I would believe you. That made little sense here, though, as the Seahearth Fleet wasn't as hung up on gender roles as some others. There had to be something else going on there.

As if to prove that point, the second Captain accompanying Commodore Islandwarden was a Female Halfling wearing the typical bronze-studded leather seen in the military forces of Seahearth, though she was wearing a clearly magical version, with me sussing it out as Nimble Studded Leather Plus Three. That magic also reinforced the comparative fragility of bronze when compared to steel or even iron. Regardless, she seemed not to be a front-line fighter, as she bore a Light Crossbow of Deadly Precision Plus Two and a Shortsword of Shock Plus One.

Both of these new Captains introduced themselves as Captain Garvon for the Male in the Chainmail Armor and Captain Jillie for the Female in the Studded Leather, Captains of the Hin Blade and Hearthharbor Surprise, respectively. We made our own introductions and soon were on our way out of the Harbor toward the Jarl's Castle of Jannathstaad. As we entered the Great Hall, Jarl Magnus Ullrsson strode forth toward us before clapping me on the shoulder with a gigantic grin on his face.

"I knew you would manage to bring the Halflings over to our point of view! My father was rarely wrong about such things!" He grinned.

"It wasn't easy." I insisted.

"Aye, from what I've heard, you had to slay a literal dragon to do it." Nodded Jarl Ullrsson.

"A lesser one. It was a Brine Dragon, and they don't count as True Dragons." Qualified Selima.

"They really should, though." Griped Janessa.

"Indeed. It was quite the battle." Confirmed Shavariel.

"You can tell it later, over a horn of mead and a haunch of good red meat. For now, will you not introduce me to our latest allies?" Questioned Jarl Ullrsson.

"Allow me to present Commodore Eldon Islandwarden, Commander of the Fleet of Seahearth, Captain of the Seahearth Slingstone, and Nephew to the Head of the Council of Seahearth. His companions are Captains Garvon of the Hin Blade and Jillie of the Hearthharbor Surprise." I offered, gesturing to each Halfling in turn.

"Jarl Ullrsson, I was saddened to hear about the death of your father, Jarl Finehair. While Seahearth and Tearheim were not always the most cordial of neighbors, your father was an honorable man." Opined Commodore Islandwarden.

"Yes. When I'd heard he'd been slain driving off an Umberlant raid, I could only think that he had at least gone out the way any of us might want. With a blade in hand, facing the foes. We'll get vengeance for him, don't you worry." I vowed.

"Sooner than you might think, at that. With eight ships making ready for war, and the recent failure of the Umberlant Attacks on Jannathstaad and Hearthharbor, I can't imagine the Umberlants have much strength left." Mused Shavariel.

"Yeah, they've pretty much screwed themselves over by lashing out." Affirmed Janessa.

"Indeed, the Skaug Corsairs lost two Captains in battle at Harthharbor along with multiple officers and crewmen. They have to be near their breaking point. After all, they are pirates who are only here because they are being paid." Smirked Selima.

"Pirates tend to run when they take the kinds of casualties the Skaug Corsairs have." Added Captain Garvon.

"Yeah, we might want to strike soon. They'll rabbit, and we'll lose out on prizes and loot otherwise." Agreed Captain Jillie.

"I intend to. In fact, I intend for us to leave with the morning tide tomorrow, now that we're all assembled." Intoned Jarl Ullrsson.

"Fantastic! So what's the plan?" I queried.

"Simple. We sail straight for Cadfael Island and force the Umberlants to commit to battle." Answered Jarl Ullrsson.

"Is that wise? Facing Umberlants on the open sea?" Asked Selima.

"Yeah, they're bound to have some tricks they can pull. Summoning beasts to help out, making whirlpools, that sort of thing." Added Janessa.

"Not that we cannot handle such issues, but I'm unsure how the rest of you will fare." Concurred Shavariel.

"The Seahearth Slingstone can handle such things easily enough. One of my Cousins, Eramin, is our Ship's Mage, and he studied under the most powerful Spellcasters on Seahearth." Informed Commodore Islandwarden.

"The Hin Blade won't be as capable. Our Ship's Mage is more of an alchemist, one of Bern Morgan's former apprentices who recently graduated to Journeyman Alchemist." Cautioned Captain Garvon.

"The same goes for the Hearthharbor Surprise. Our Ship's Mage was slain during the attack on the Military Docks by the Skaug Corsairs the other night. Our replacement's a bit too green for a battle like this. Still technically an apprentice, even." Warned Captain Jillie.

"That is why we'll be counting on you to deal with the Divine Maelstrom." Pointed out Jarl Ullrsson, nodding at me.

"I see. You want us to board the Divine Maelstrom and handle the Main Umberlant Threat while the rest of the fleet deals with any other ships or summoned beasts that the Umberlants have to throw at us." I mused.

"We can provide a crew to help the Hammerdown remain manned and repel boarders while you do so." Confirmed Jarl Ullrsson.

"It's not the worst plan." Hedged Janessa.

"It does have a better chance of working than not trying to address the Umberlants specifically in a sea battle." Allowed Selima.

"We can do this. I know it in my bones." Insisted Shavariel.

"We can and we will." I affirmed.

"Excellent! Then tomorrow morning, we set sail!" Grinned Jarl Ullrsson.

"Indeed. For better or worse, the Destiny of the Isles will be written tomorrow." Agreed Commodore Islandwarden.

"Hopefully for the Better." Opined Captain Garvon.

"In the meantime, I heard mention of food?" Questioned Captain Jillie.

And with that, Jarl Ullrsson clapped his hands, and servants came out of the woodwork to put together a trestle table like the kind that had filled the Great Hall during the feast that had occurred the last time I was here. Then a spread was laid out, joints of local venison, roasted local chickens, kippers fished from the waters around the Archipelago, and local eggs both hard-boiled and scrambled. Bread spiced with Moonshae Rosemary and Baldurian Thyme, Vilksmarg Cheese from the Purple Rocks, and horns of Local Mead or flagons of Luskan Stout, Candlekeep Bitterroot Beer, or Shadowdark Ale, depending on preference. It was a small feast, but a feast just the same, one that would be mirrored in the taverns and mead halls of Jannathstaad as warriors and sailors prepared to drink and feast on the eve of battle amongst themselves.

As we feasted, Jarl Ullrsson badgered me for the tale of our battle against Xommyrru in the Black Bastion. I had been composing a saga of sorts in my downtime that detailed the whole thing, and recited it as best I could while periodically taking bites from a haunch of venison or a leg of roast chicken. The intermittent feasting seemed not to matter too much to my audience, however. For all but my companions, this was the first time that these people had heard the details, and they listened with rapt attention, mouth full or not. By the time I finished, Jarl Ullrsson and Commodore Islandwarden had both been completely engrossed in the tale, and even Captain Jillie, who had only been half-heartedly paying attention, seemed impressed.

By the time the feast was over, I knew word of the battle would spread, enhancing my reputation and those of my companions. At least among the Jannath's Tears Archipelago, at any rate. I somehow doubted that word would carry across the sea to the Mainland or the Moonshae Isles. If it did, it would likely only do so as a curiosity. A Sailor's Story, told to people drunkenly in dockside taverns, sought out only by those who had the curiosity to look for new and interesting tales. People such as the Scholars of Candlekeep or the Church of Deneir would be interested, as well as various Sailors and Ship Captains who might seek to make trade runs to the Jannath's Tears Archipelago. I doubted that many other sorts would care too much about it.

I would wind up being surprised about that later on, for both good and bad, when I finally made the trip to the Mainland to help out the Bhaalspawn, Mei. For now, though, my mind was squarely on the task ahead of me against the Umberlants who had seized control of Cadfael Island. There would be a lot of work to do in order to prevent them from summoning an Avatar of Umberlee.

And it would begin as we set sail with the morning tide, toward battle and destiny. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the next chapter. The stage is set for a climactic showdown between the Umberlants and the Alliance of Tearheim and Seahearth. The Allies have managed to put together a fleet of eight ships, ready to fight the Umberlants. The Umberlants at most currently have six ships, with two of those being heavily depleted in terms of crews and officers. The Alliance outnumbers them by two whole ships. Of course, numbers don't exactly mean everything when facing the Umberlant Church in a Sea Battle, which is where Robar and Company come in.

At any rate, the next chapter will involve the actual Sea Battle against the Umberlants. I'll also have more images out before then as well. We only have a few more chapters to go before this Prologue is over, though I don't know if Prologue is a good word. Prequel might fit better.

Stay tuned. . .