BBG: Chapter 31

As we cut our way into the rear of the group of Calimshite and Zakharan Corsairs that had the Guildhall of Brewers, Whitesmiths, and Coopers blockaded, I lashed out with Aremeg's Fury in two swift strikes. A cut and a thrust that slashed into the back of the neck of one Corsair and thrust through the armpit of a second, killing two, even as Shavariel next to me thrust her trident into the back of another, impaling his heart from behind while she crushed the trachea of a second Corsair with the haft of her weapon. Selima likewise assailed a pair with her Mace, braining one and cracking the spine of another in half. Lieutenant Devora likewise struck out with her blade, slaying one corsair as she attacked and wounding another.

Seven of the thirty-five or so Corsairs had been downed in as many seconds by our weaponry, but that was nothing compared to what Janessa did. She reached out with her arm for the night sky, incanting an arcane chant and making a mystic hand gesture as her components for the spell, a pinch of dust and a bit of water, consumed themselves. Suddenly, half the plaza was being pelted by magical stones of hail, raining down on the heads of the majority of the Corsairs. Jagged chunks of magical ice smashed into corsairs, bludgeoning and freezing many of them to death. Of the twenty-eight that had begun the fight, perhaps fifteen were still standing by the time that Janessa's Ice Storm Spell ended, the spell having slain fourteen Corsairs in a flurry of magical ice.

Of course, neither the Captain nor her two bodyguards, with their Magical Plus Two Falchions of Shocking Burst and Nimble Shadowed and Silent Lamellar Armor of Swimming Plus Two, had taken any damage from Janessa's Ice Storm, having been outside of the range of the jagged mystic hail. They advanced, alongside the remaining fifteen Corsairs, the Guildhall of Brewers, Whitesmiths, and Coopers having been forgotten momentarily as we presented a larger threat. They weren't the only threat we faced, either, as the Captain sent off one of her remaining Corsairs to get reinforcements from the Ship. Lieutenant Devora moved to chase after the messenger, but it was clear that she would have a difficult time catching up to him with his longer stride.

At the same time, from out of the shadows, emerged a Halfling with a Rapier of some description that I couldn't identify at a glance with just my knowledge. I could identify the armor she wore, however, as Shadowed and Silent Leather Armor of Fleetness Plus Three on sight. She had a Belt of Physical Might Plus Four that enhanced her Dexterity and Strength, a Hat of Disguise, an Amulet of Natural Armor Plus Three, a Cloak of Resistance Plus Three, and a Ring of Protection Plus Three, alongside Boots of Striding Plus Four, which enhanced her Constitution. That Halfling also had a pair of Corsair Bodyguards in Nimble Shadowed and Silent Armor of Swimming Plus Two with Longswords of Flaming Burst Plus Two and Plus Two Zakharan Daraq Bucklers.

As the stage for the main fight in the courtyard was set, I couldn't help but think that now would be a good time for Bern Morgan, the Guildmaster of the Guild of Brewers, Whitesmiths, and Coopers, as well as a noted Master Alchemist, to make his appearance. A bit of Alchemist's Fire might go a long way here, after all. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to care to show up. He was probably too busy tending to the wounded of the Guild at the moment to help us out. More's the Pity there.

"You are brave, but foolish. We have you quite outnumbered, and once our reinforcements arrive, you will be even further outnumbered. It does not take the Wisdom of the Anchorites to know it would be better for you to surrender!" Called out the Corsair Captain.

"Surrender? Into Slavery, no doubt. Why would we surrender?" I questioned.

"Why not? You would do well enough as a Mamluk, I should think." Queried the Corsair Captain.

"Nevertheless, I think we will take out chances against your numbers." I intoned.

"A shame to see such a brave man choose death. When you meet with Brave Hajama, tell him it was Yasmina Al-Safra, Daughter of Safra Al-Hosni, who was a Member of the Corsair Council of Hawa before she was slain by Mamluks near Al-Qalat." Intoned the Corsair Captain, Yasmina.

And with that, the fight began as both enemy groups coalesced into two lines, Yasmina, the Halfling, and their four Bodyguards forming a rear guard, while the fourteen outer Corsairs charged us as the vanguard in two ranks of seven Corsairs each. Janessa thrust her arm out and snarled out a mystic incantation, drawing a pair of iron rods out of her component pouch and pointing them at the two Corsairs at either end of the front line. As she did so, electricity arced between the rods and shot out at the front line of Corsairs. There was a crack of thunder as an arc of lightning surged through the front line of Corsairs, felling the frontmost seven of them with lethal power.

The second rank moved forward, and I let out a Sonic Scream that would make any metal singer proud, causing the eardrums of the second rank of enemies that had moved up to burst, three of them toppling over dead. Shavariel and Selima cut down a pair of enemies each as the second line reached us, but the cannon fodder had done its job, and now it was the Corsair's turn to assail us. I found myself facing off against Yasmina while Shavariel was taking on the Halfling. In the meantime, two of the Bodyguards moved to lash out at Janessa while the other two moved toward Selima. Selima, I knew could handle herself, but Janessa would be sore-pressed to handle two Bodyguard Corsairs on her own.

Unfortunately, I couldn't move to help her out, because Yasmina's Scimitar was flashing for my neck, forcing me to duck. A whirling follow-on cut slammed into Aremeg's Wisdom as I raised it up to block, even as the Dagger of Shocking Burst came in at my thigh, scoring a graze along my leg that burned with the full fury of the electric shock even as I moved away. My leg muscles cramped at that, and I fell backward, turning my fall into a tumble that carried me away from the flashing scimitar as Yasmina tried to take advantage of the opening. I came up to my feet, leg muscles done cramping, and assumed a swordplay style stance.

"Good! Good! Not all bluster, I see! That is good, I would hate for this to be over so soon!" Beamed Yasmina.

"It will take more than that to kill me, I'm afraid." I replied in Midani, the Language of Zakhara.

"You speak my Native Tongue?" Asked Yasmina in Midani.

"I speak many tongues. I'm a wanderer, I have to be able to speak languages." I smirked.

"Good with a blade, quick on your feet, speaks Midani, not too shabby to look at, if you can play the Buzuq too, I might consider capturing you for my own use." Grinned Yasmina in Midani.

"A bit hasty, no? You've not defeated me yet." I challenged.

"True. Allow me to fix that!" Exclaimed Yasmina.

As soon as she said that, Yasmina came in at me with a slash of her Scimitar. I deflected it away in a textbook Swordplay Deflection, and came back in with a strike at her off-hand as she tried to move her Dagger in for a thrust at my throat. Aremeg's fury bit into her upper arm, steam searing the cut shut even as my blade made it. At the same time, I let out another Sonic Scream into Yasmina's face at point-blank range, rattling her brain in her skull and causing her nose to bleed. Needless to say, her Dagger missed, and her follow-up attack was blocked by Aremeg's Wisdom. I lashed out with Aremeg's Fury, the momentum of battle shifting toward me, only for her to parry with both blades, catching my sword between her dagger and Scimitar. We struggled for a bit in a blade lock, but it quickly became clear that neither of us could overpower the other.

With that being the case, I let out a last Sonic Scream before the magic faded into Yasmina's face. She fell back, disengaging as my scream smashed into her one last time, allowing me to press my advantage. I cut out at her retreating form, catching her left leg in the thigh with Aremeg's Fury, cutting into the meat of her thigh below the leather pteurges of her armor but above the leather of her boots. Steam hissed as Aremeg's Fury cauterized the wound even as it made it, Yasmina hissing in pain alongside it. With a shout, Yasmina tumbled forward into a shoulder roll, dodging my next attack and coming up with a cut at my face that forced me to lean back nearly in half to avoid it and which still took a slice out of my chin. Immediately, I felt the power of the desert wind kick up, blowing sand and heat into my face, abrading my skin and causing the wound to be extra harsh. At the same time, she lashed out with her dagger, cutting across my upper arm even as I fell back, the fury of electricity surging through my Shield Arm.

I could feel the numbness of shock trying to set in, and grit my teeth, forcing myself to keep fighting past the wounds I had sustained. One thing was for certain, though. If that scimitar cut had been anything more than a graze, it would have taken my jaw clean off. If that had happened, I doubted I would have been able to stave off the onset of shock. I reset myself, taking up a stance once again. This only seemed to please Yasmina more, as it seemed to prove that I wasn't going down even now. I growled, tapping Aremeg's Fury against Aremeg's Wisdom and nodding at Yasmina. She seemed to understand the signal and nodded back, before advancing once again.

This time, however, I wasn't going to wait for her to pull another one of those maneuvers. Instead, I pre-empted her attack with one of my own, feinting a thrust to her mid-line, which she moved to parry, before launching my true attack, a low cut aimed at her right leg. Somehow, that worked, and she fell for it big time, her scimitar out of position to parry thanks to my feint and her dagger striking for a space I no longer was, thanks to my footwork carrying me just past it. My cut bit into the side of her right knee, severing important tendons as it did so. Yasmina collapsed to one knee, biting out a scream even as she planted her dagger between my pauldron and chestpiece, punching into my shoulder between the joints of leather-scaled armor. My shield arm drooped from her follow-on attack, but she wasn't in any position to take advantage.

Roaring in pain and anger, I lashed out at Yasmina's head with Aremeg's Fury in a vertical strike, aiming to split her head open like a melon. She was just a bit too slow to raise her weapons, and my blade came down on her skull. Her head burst like an overripe cantaloupe, and Yasmina Al-Safra was no more. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to do much celebrating, as Shavariel cried out in pain to my side.

Looking over, I saw Janessa had been cut to pieces and was bleeding out on the cobbles, though she'd taken out one of her opponents in the process, burned, electrocuted, pierced, and bludgeoned by turns. Selima was facing down two Falchion-Wielding Bodyguard Corsairs at once and looked pretty badly wounded, though neither of her opponents looked much better, while Shavariel was pinned between the bloodied Halfling and the other, relatively fresh Bodyguard Corsair, and had just had the Halfling's Rapier thrust between the breastplate and pauldron of her armor. As I watched, pulling Yasmina's dagger from my shoulder, the Bodyguard Corsair lashed out with his Flaming Burst Longsword and cut across the back of Shavariel's leg, forcing her down to one knee from the cut.

Something had to be done fast, or we would lose here. I charged forth, letting out an Ear-Piercing Scream that would once again prove my Metal bona fides as I did so. The spell infused in the sonic attack slammed into the Bodyguard Corsair, wounding him with pure sonic force and causing him to bleed out of his ears, eyes, and nose, even as he staggered back, dazed from the sudden and unexpected assault. As I charged forth to face him, Shavariel surged up, blocking the next attack from the Halfling on her shield even as she struck out with her Trident, the tines thundering into the Halfling's sword arm as she tried to bring the Rapier in for a second attack. Shavariel's attack managed to pin the Halfing's Arm back and into the wooden frame of a nearby shop door. The halfling snarled at that and stomped her foot, a sudden, spring-loaded dagger blade popping out of the toe of her boot as she swung a kick at Shavariel, coming up just short as Shavariel used the reach of her trident to her advantage.

I took the opportunity to lash out with two strikes at the Dazed Bodyguard Corsair, one of which cleaved his right leg clean off and the other severed his swordarm at the wrist. He fell to the cobbles, bleeding out from two bloody stumps. I heard a scream from behind me, turning to see that Selima was on her last legs, she had been knocked down unconscious by one of the Falchion Corsairs, even as her mace brained the other Falchion Corsair. I let out one final, ear-piercing scream that would be at home on a metal album, and this time it actually finished off an opponent, the last Corsair Bodyguard's head practically exploding from the sonic forces involved. With that, only the halfling remained.

I turned toward her and nodded at Shavariel, who cocked an eyebrow at me. I gestured back at Selima and Janessa, and she followed my motions, frowning.

"Go help Selima and Janessa. Try and get a healing potion from the Guildhall if you have to." I ordered.

"What about her?" Questioned Shavariel.

"I'll handle her, you're wounded." I answered.

"So are you. Would it not be easier to take her together?" Queried Shavariel.

"Is this really the time to be arguing?" I asked.

"Point." Acknowledged Shavariel.

She removed her trident from the doorpost, freeing the Halfling Corsair, and headed off to help Selima and Janessa. The halfling snarled at me, shaking the pain out of her sword arm before scooping the fallen rapier off the cobbles.

"You shouldn't've done that. I'll just kill you and finish the rest of your group off afterward. Together, you might've stood a chance." Huffed the Halfling.

"No. You won't." I intoned.

Then I pointed Aremeg's Fury at her and thumbed the activation rune on the hilt. A line of scalding steam spat forth from the blade, parboiling the angry halfling and obscuring her vision. I immediately moved off to the side as quickly and as quietly as I could, using the steam as cover, before lunging at the screaming halfing in a textbook lunge. To her credit, she seemed to be able to sense where I was striking from, likely because it was where she would have attacked from in my position, lunging herself. Both attacks hit, and I felt my right leg be punched into once more, immense, localized sonic force adding to the power of the weapon's razor-sharp edge. My own blade likewise struck true, though it struck the Halfling in the throat instead of the leg, killing her.

I tumbled to the ground, leg bloody and oozing blood with every passing moment. I tried to drag myself toward the Guildhall, but to no avail. I could feel the aches and pains catching up to me, and my vision began to go gray. Moments before I passed out, I felt a pair of hands grab me by the shoulders and haul me up and away.

Then darkness took me. . .

XXXX

This time, when I fell unconscious, I found myself sitting at a table with Tymora. She nodded at me before producing a basket hilt that was familiar to me. It was the same hilt of Tymora's Song that I had recovered from Xommyrru's Lair. She smirked as she saw that I recognized that and cracked a wry grin.

"Yes, that is the Hilt of Tymora's Song. You know, if you ask nicely, I'll tell you where to find the other pieces." Smirked Tymora.

"No cryptic warnings about finishing my business here and heading for Candlekeep?" I questioned.

"Do you need another warning about that?" Queried Tymora.

"Fair, I suppose." I shrugged.

"Anyway, we don't really have time for an extended visit. The Guildmaster is patching you and your companions up as we speak." Informed Tymora.

"All right. I know where the Blade is. It's in the Lady's Hall in Baldur's Gate." I answered.

"It used to be, yes." Nodded Tymora.

"All right, I'll bite. Where is it now?" I asked.

"The Thieves Guild of Baldur's Gate stole it. It was being held by them for a priest of Cyric, who sadly is in no position to collect. Should you manage to get into the good graces of the Thieves Guild of the City, you may be able to work out an arrangement with its leader. The Pommel is sadly beyond my sight, save that I know it is somewhere on the Island of Brynnlaw." Informed Tymora.

"Perfect. Well, thanks for that, I guess. Do you know anything about the other sword? Yeenoghu's Doom?" I questioned.

"Do I look like Helm to you?" Queried Tymora.

"I thought you'd say something like that." I sighed.

"There is a Gnoll Stronghold in the mountains west of Nashkel. You might look there. Beyond that? Who can say?" Shrugged Tymora.

"Other than Helm, you mean?" I asked with a wry grin.

"Indeed. However, our time is nearly up. Prepare yourself for a return to the land of the living." Warned Tymora.

Moments later, I felt my consciousness return to my body as the vision of Tymora's Domain faded out swiftly. . .

XXXX

I bolted upright, sucking in a deep breath as I did so only to feel a hand placed on my shoulder, steadying me. I looked over to see the bearded face of Bern Morgan, Guildmaster of the Guild of Brewers, Whitesmiths, and Coopers, shaking his head at me. Looking around, I saw Shavariel, Janessa, and Selima alive, awake, and seated in chairs with flagons of ale in their hands. Seeing that, I realized that I'd been laid out on a table and chuckled at that. Bern Morgan grinned and let me up.

"How long was I out?" I questioned.

"Not long. Perhaps ten minutes or so. I had to force-feed you and your companions a few potions, but you should all be back in fighting trim." Answered Bern Morgan.

"What happened?" I queried.

"The Guild helped me to get you, Selima, and Janessa inside and healed up. They also helped retrieve the spoils of our battle with the corsairs." Informed Shavariel.

"It's quite a haul, though naturally we haven't had much chance to identify a lot of it. We have identified enough, however. I was even able to discern that the Rapier that the Halfling was wielding is the Discordant Note and that the Corsair Captain's Scimitar is the Sirocco's Edge." Answered Selima.

"Have you heard of them?" Asked Janessa.

I had indeed heard of both of those. The Discordant Note had been wielded by the famed Pirate Merrick Koliath of Luskan. Merrick had been a Bard and Swashbuckler who had grown bold from plundering shipping along the Northern Stretches of the Sword Coast. It had been said that he would attack any ship, even those of Waterdeep. That had allowed him to amass enough wealth to commission the Tower of the Arcane of Luskan to create the Discordant Note. A Rapier that merged his proclivities for music with his talent for swordplay. It was a Thundering, Metaline Sonic Rapier of Wounding Plus Three, honed to a razor-sharp edge, perfectly balanced, and with an ornate basket hilt worked into the shape of a stylized clam shell.

The weapon was beautiful and deadly in equal measure, however, the wealth that had allowed Merrick to commission it also led to his downfall as he grew older and his subordinates looked to supplant him as Captain of his ship, the Razor Reef, and claim his treasure for their own. The story went that one evening, on sighting a convoy sailing for Neverwinter from Amn, laden with the bounty of Maztica to trade in the Markets of Neverwinter, Merrick hoisted the black flag and ordered his men to set sail for the Convoy. Unfortunately, this particular convoy was guarded by a pair of Amnian Naval Carracks, and Merrick's First Mate wasn't quite so eager to challenge them. A mutiny broke out on the spot, and in the scuffle, the Discordant Note had been lost. That had been two years ago.

The Sirrocco, on the other hand, was a lot older. Centuries ago, a poor Nomad of the High Desert had survived the massacre of his entire Clan by the Ghost Warriors of the House of Tayif. The Leader of the Ghost Warriors had sent this Nomad into the High Desert with one day's worth of food and water to wander until he died. With the Ghost Warriors spreading a rumor that he had been cursed, no Oasis would take him in. Resolving himself to death, the Nomad trekked into the High Desert, toward the Genie's Anvil, to die.

Instead, he found himself taken in by the Jann of the House of Sihr, whose Master, seeing in this Nomad the potential for greatness, nursed him back to health and trained him in the fighting arts to the point where the Nameless Nomad was the equal of any Askar or Mamluk. The Nameless Nomad then took the name of Assad Al-Sahra, the Lion of the Desert. In his very first campaign, Assad turned back an incursion of Ghul-Kin and Great Ghul's from the Pit of the Ghuls that had been intent on decimating the Jann of the House of Sihr and Enslaving whatever was left. In recognition of his accomplishments, Assad was given any wish he wanted from the Lord of the Jann of the House of Sihr. He wished for a sword to bring the fury of the desert on his enemies.

Thus was Sirocco born, a weapon with the power of the desert imbued into it. It was a Razor Sharp Dust Storm Scimitar of Sandy Burst Plus Three that could not only summon a burst of hot wind and abrasive sand on a hit that would further wound opponents, but would be capable of calling up a localized Haboob Sandstorm three times per day to hinder foes. It was with Sirrocco that Assad inflicted crushing defeats on his opponents, first against another army from the Pit of the Ghuls, then against the Ghost Warriors of the House of Tayif, before driving a group of Yak-Men away from the Jamal Oasis. There, he took a Princess from the City of Tajar to wife and founded a settlement on the Oasis. His descendants still rule there today, known as the Children of the Lion of House Asad.

As for Sirrocco, it was stolen two centuries ago by a Beggar Thief who managed to evade the vengeful desert riders of House Asad by virtue of not actually being a Beggar Thief at all, but an Unseen Mage with a talent for Invisibility and other Illusion Spells of the Universalist Province. The Blade was lost for over a century before it was known to have appeared in the hands of Jamal Al-Hosni in Hawa during a bout of Civil Unrest between various factions of the Corsair Council. Jamal Al-Hosni and his Sister, Sahra Al-Hosni, made a bid for membership of the Corsair Council and succeeded, forming a faction that stood strong for fifteen years before Jamal was found dead in his bath, apparently slain with a toasting fork.

His sister tried to keep the faction together, but she was more of a Scholar than a Warrior and could not do it. Sirocco disappeared once more around five years ago in the aftermath of her death during a battle near Al-Qalat with the fleet of Qudra. I suppose I now knew where it had gone since then.

That was interesting, of course, but we had more important things to worry about. For instance, what was the status of Lieutenant Devora? What about the Corsair reinforcements? Was anyone watching the front door of the Guildhall? When I voiced these questions, the answers were short and sweet.

"Lieutenant Devora returned shortly after the Guildsmen brought us inside. She lost track of the messenger in a row of warehouses near the docks and decided to come back." Answered Shavariel.

"She's watching the front door right now, trying to organize the Guildsmen into a resistance force." Added Selima.

"Yeah, those reinforcements might be coming at any moment, too, so that's a good thing." Informed Janessa.

"Speaking of which, I can look into checking out the remainder of these items if you wish. I'm sure you will be more useful helping defend the Guildhall." Offered Bern Morgan.

"That would be appreciated, thank you." I agreed.

"Oh, it's no trouble. When you get to be my age, front-line duty is a bit too taxing." Chuckled Bern Morgan.

"If you're all healed, we should take his suggestion and check the front." I insisted, looking back at Shavariel, Selima, and Janessa.

"I'm ready to go." Affirmed Janessa.

"Indeed. Thanks to Master Morgan, I even still have healing spells for the evening." Concurred Selima.

"Lead the way, we'll follow." Nodded Shavariel.

"Sure thing, first, however, let me grab this." I intoned.

I grabbed the Headband of Wisdom Plus Four from Yasmina's Corpse, wrapping it around my head before buckling on the Discordant Note. Then I put Aremeg's Fury into my Bag of Holding along with Sirocco. With that as their cue, Selima took the Belt of Physical Perfection Plus Four from Yasmina's Corpse for herself, while Janessa grabbed the Belt of Physical Might Plus Four from the Halfing's Corpse, along with her Boots of Striding Plus Four. Meanwhile, Selima got Janessa's old Boots of Sidestepping. Shavariel, meanwhile, eschewed picking anything up. Apparently, she didn't need anything.

And with that, we made our way through the Guildhall of Brewers, Whitesmiths, and Coopers toward the front entryway. The entry Hall of the Guildhall was filled with portraits of various Masters of the Guild. In the center of the hall, Lieutenant Devora, freshly garbed in Looted Nimble Shadowed and Silent Lamellar Armor of Swimming Plus Two, wielding a looted Longsword of Flaming Burst Plus Two and a Looted Plus Two Zakharan Daraq Buckler, and with a Looted Ring of Protection Plus Three and Looted Amulet of Natural Armor Plus Three.

"Here." I intoned, handing Lieutenant Devora Selima's old Boots of Striding Plus Two, along with her Belt of Physical Might Plus Two for Strength and Dexterity.

"What are these?" Questioned Lieutenant Devora.

"The Boots make you more resilient." Answered Selima.

"And the Belt will make you stronger and quicker." Added Janessa.

"All right, why give them to me?" Queried Lieutenant Devora.

"You are helping us fight. That is reason enough." Intoned Shavariel.

"Besides. You'll need them. There were three ships in the Harbor from the Skaug Corsairs, and while we've killed the Captain and First Mate of two of them, this fight is far from over." I opined.

"Fair enough." Shrugged Lieutenant Devora, beginning to don the boots and belt.

"How are things going here?" I asked.

"Only some of this motley band have any fighting experience. Around ten or so are members of the Hearthharbor Militia." Answered Lieutenant Devora, nodding over at a group of men.

They all seemed to be wearing leathers of a somewhat uniform cut, along with leather helms and gloves. Their weapons, however, were a motley bunch. Some had swords and shields, others had spears, while others had clubs or quarterstaves. At least one was armed with a shortbow as well as a shield and handaxe. They were a rough-looking bunch, but a damn sight better than the impressed tradesmen from earlier. Speaking of which, I didn't see any of them anywhere. Shavariel seemed to notice that as well, because she spoke up before I could.

"I notice there are no impressed Guild Members here. There were earlier. What happened to them?" She questioned.

"I sent them upstairs to take potshots at any enemies as they approach. It's better than having them down here where they could get in the way." Informed Lieutenant Devora.

"They were that bad?" Queried Selima.

"I had to stop one of them from letting a loaded crossbow loose in the Guildhall. More than once." Lieutenant Devora huffed.

"Probably for the best, then." I sighed.

"Wait, do you guys hear that?" Asked Janessa, interrupting.

We all quieted down, straining our ears to hear. It was soft at first, as the sound of fighting outside drowned it out, but it was unmistakably singing. It sounded like it was part war chant and part sea shanty. As I listened, I recognized the lyrics and the language. It wasn't common, or Midanni, like I'd thought it might be, but Illuskan, the Language of the Northmen, my native tongue, insofar as I was a Northman in this life.

"Away, boys, away! They say I hang for money! So hang, boys, hang! They say I hanged my mother! Away, boys, away! My sisters and my brothers! So hang, boys, hang!" Came the chant, faintly at first, but growing louder.

"What is that?" Questioned Janessa.

"It's Illuskan, a Sea Shanty." I answered.

"Which means Northmen, but I thought we killed them all?" Questioned Shavariel.

"We never found a Ship's Mage for the Tidereaver." Reminded Selima.

"Then this is it. Everyone get in formation!" Called out Lieutenant Devora.

All the while, the chanting was growing louder, being paired with the tramp of booted feet and the clanging of weapons on shields. It was all a display to attempt to intimidate any defenders, standard raider tactics. Demoralize the enemy first so that they put up a worse fight when you go in for the kill. As I listened, I prepared myself for the inevitable attack, drawing the Discordant Note and hefting Aremeg's Wisdom.

"They say I hanged my granny! Away, boys, away! I strung her up so canny! So hang, boys, hang! I’d hang the mates and skippers! Away, boys, away! I’d hang 'em by their flippers! So hang, boys, hang!" Came the chanting once again.

"They're getting closer." Warned Lieutenant Devora.

"Won't be long now, Janessa, get ready to hit whoever comes through the door with spellfire. Selima, you're on healing duty, make sure that the Militiamen don't go down too easily, but first give us a blessing, if you would. Shavariel, you're with me! Everyone else, form ranks and listen to Lieutenant Devora! If we fight well, to the best of our abilities, we should be able to get out of this in one piece!" I commanded.

"I have your back." Nodded Shavariel.

"A lightning bolt ought to do the trick." Affirmed Janessa.

"May Deneir's Wisdom guide your strikes and his Light blind your foes!" Incanted Selima as she called down a spell of Legion's Aid on everyone present.

"A rope, a beam, a ladder! Away, boys, away! I’ll hang ye all together! So hang, boys, hang! They say I hang for money! Away, boys, away! I hang because it’s funny! So hang, boys, hang!" Came the chanting, now from the courtyard outside the Guildhall.

"Here they come!" I warned, taking my position in the front of the lines, with Shavariel right next to me.

As I did that, there was a scratching sound from the outside, as if someone was carving something into the wood of the surface of the door. For a few moments afterward, there was silence, the calm before the storm. Then, there was a burst of power, and the door of the Guildhall exploded inwards. Enemies began to step through the door that had blown off its hinges.

And the second battle for the Guildhall was on. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. I had to pull out my Old Al-Qadim Sourcebooks from the nineties just to make sure I got the relevant bits about the High Desert and Corsair Domains just right. It was a fun trip down memory lane for me. At the same time, we also get more cool fights here as well. At the same time, the sea shanty the Northmen Pirates are singing is based on one that was popular with Norwegian Sailors in the eighteen-hundreds called Hanging Johnny, at least the non-Earth specific bits of it, anyway.

As for the fights, Yasmina Al-Safra was a Fighter Six/Rogue Two/Al-Qadim Corsair Six, while the Halfling First Mate was a Fighter Five/Rogue Three/Scarlet Corsair Three, and all four Bodyguard Corsairs were Fighter Four/Rogue Two/Scarlet Corsair Two. That was a hard fight that saw Shavariel at twelve HP by the end, with Robar, Janessa, and Selima knocked out. Janessa blew her load early as well, flinging out two high-level spells to whittle the numbers down.

At any rate, the next chapter will involve the fight with the remainder of the Crew of the Tidereaver, including their Ship's Mage, who is a Cleric Nine/Runecaster Three. He won't be alone either.

Stay tuned. . .