Private Tales The Bladed Lotus

[Garigg Bracken]

The ship rocked gently from side to side. Waves tried to carry the ship away, but she was anchored by chain and the weight of sorrow.

Silence reigned. Interrupted only by a sudden splash. A dull thud as Garigg rested his axe back on the deck. People who had watched the beheaded body tossed overboard now looked to the red stain spreading across the deck.

Garigg was a hard man. He had been formed and shaped by a difficult life, crushed by the weight of it until he was solid enough to survive. He was no stranger to violence, but he didn't relish unnecessary bloodshed.

They had taken this merchant vessel both for the cargo and the ship herself. He was up to a fleet of five vessels now. Garigg took light and nimble cargo ships, refitted them with ballista and sent them chasing fat hauls across the Ra Gnamb Sea.

Most of the crew would have been pulled from the poor and homeless of port cities. They would be easy to sway. Their lives were already terrible. A little more violence for more coin to spend in lawless towns was a fair trade.

It was the officers that were more difficult. Garigg looked down at the stain of the deck. The captain had been particularly defiant even in defeat. Garigg knew that he needed a few of the lower officers to join his cause, a crew was helpless without some experienced guidance.

The first mate was dragged forwards and forced to his knees. His head was pushed down onto the bloody chopping block and lashed down.

He lifted his huge axe from the deck, but let it hang at his side for now. Assembled in a line were the rest of the officers as well as some passengers they had found below deck.

"Any of you lot worth a ransom?" he asked the passengers. The implication was that it was the only use he might have for them.

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin was pissed off when the ship had been attacked. She had worked for a couple of weeks on getting passage for free and now some pirate wanted to mess shit up. There was cargo that was being transported that she needed to make off with. She had a lovely buyer waiting for the furs that this merchant was known for.

She had managed to hide during the attack and she was still hiding after the crew and passengers had been brought to the deck. It was a good hiding spot behind some of the boxes but it took one nosey pirate to find her. One to find her and three to get the struggling and yelling woman in front of their captain.

They threw her to the ground in front of the large man with the bloody axe still in his hand.

"She was hidin, Cap'in," the man who had found her said. He pulled her head back by her hair so she was forced to look up at the Captain.

Fannin knew his face immediately and a plan started to form in her mind. Garigg Bracken was the superstitious type and it was well known that he spent much of his coin on fortune tellers and the like.

"The spirits told me that if I came up immediately with the others, I would be killed. They also told me that there was a precious item that I needed to find before your crew destroyed it with their banging about..."

Fannin hoped that was enough to hook the Captain.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

Garigg had started to learn how to appraise people by the way they conducted themselves and the clothes they wore. He hadn't been raised in wealthy circles, but he had learned to recognise the difference between landed gentry and the merchant classes.

One was worth a fair ransom, the other was often surrounded by such greed that no one would spare two coppers to bring them home safe.

The woman brought forwards didn't look, at a glance, to be wealthy enough to ransom. That didn't mean that people wouldn't pay for her back at Teth. She wouldn't even need to be shipped to the larger slave markets; they would find a use for her there.

He reached down towards her, hand opened ready to squeeze her cheeks to check her teeth.

"The spirits told me that if I came up immediately with the others, I would be killed. They also told me that there was a precious item that I needed to find before your crew destroyed it with their banging about..."

"The spirits talk to you, do they girl?" he asked rhetorically. Garigg took a step back from her. He rested both hands back on the head of his axe.

Two of his men were clearly trying to work out whether this was a joke they needed to be laughing at.

"And why would they want me to have this precious thing?"

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin threw a glare at the two crew members who were trying very hard not to laugh. Did they not know their Captain? Did they not understand his level of spirituality? Poor souls would be killed if they actually laughed and that would be karma.

The redheaded grifter closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in deep. You know...like she was speaking with the spirits and shit. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled mischievously.

"They say that this item will grant you smooth seas and no attacks. The only reason that you were able to take this ship with the object on it was that the former Captain had packed it away."

It was a load of bullshit. A huge load, really. She was making shit up as she went and hoping something would stick.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

"Smooth seas?"

Garigg wasn't entirely convinced. That much was obvious from his expression. Captain Bracken was not a man who kept his cards close to his chest.

Luck and the will of whatever gods controlled the winds of magic decided what happened to a ship at sea. Whilst he wasn't certain he believed the girl, the risk of bringing on bad fortune was as clear as the blood stains on the deck.

"Bring her," he said firmly. He turned and walked for the gangway back to his ship.

She still received firm-handed treatment as she was pushed along in his wake.

Garigg had a heavy set of keys to his own quarters. None were trusted to be in there without him. Unless they were restrained.

His room was luxurious compared to the lower decks. He had windows, a fur across the cold floor and trinkets on display on shelves.

There was a pillar from floor to ceiling, heavy leather shackles on steel chains set deep into it.

"Arms above your head," Garigg demanded. He stood an entire foot above her, peering down with one eye. "I'll deal with the others and then you'll be taking me to this item before we set sail."

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin was pulled to her feet with more force than necessary and she tried to pull her arm away but it just made her captor grip her forearm tighter. She was pushed into Garigg's room and a low whistle escaped her lips. This was definitely the nicest Captain's quarters she had ever seen before.

Her eyes fell on the pillar with the shackles connected and backed up a few steps towards the door. She was not a big fan of bondage and she barely knew the man. He was quite presumptuous.

"Arms above your head."

She peered up at him before slowly raising her arms above her head like she was ordered.

"Really...this isn't necessary!" She tried to protest.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

"Why don't you ask the spirits if it would be better to go below decks with the others?" he asked her.

The eyebrow above the patch rose upwards. It was hard to tell if he was being genuine or not. Below decks meant with the rest of the crew. They had their blood up after the brief battle with the merchant ship.

"Not leavin' you in here unbound. Not leavin' one of my crew in here without me."

He stood patiently, though it was obviously being tested. He didn't want to risk upsetting any genuine forces of nature.

"Stay here, go below decks or wait and watch as I finish with the others?"

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin narrowed her eyes at Garigg. She wasn't a fan of any of those options but below deck was probably the worst option out of all of them. She was not a big fan of watching people get murdered either so she simply stepped forward with her arms raised.

"Fine," she growled out. "Hopefully no one will get upset with you for treating me in such a fashion," she followed up. It was clear that the no one she was speaking of were the spirits.

Her blue eyes studied his face as she waited for him to shackle her.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

"Hmnph," he went before snorting through his nose.

He didn't want to entertain her mild threats, but he didn't want to risk his vessel.

Reaching up, he pulled the chain through the iron loop. It left a much longer length of chain and only one shackled. He gauged the distance to anything of value around the room and decided it would be safe enough.

He took one of her wrists, bound it, locked it and pocketed the key. This way she would be more comfortable with a few feet of free chain.

"I will be back," he announced.

On one hand, Fannin was afforded more time to come up with her plan. On the other hand she would hear the sounds of the final pillaging of the merchant vessel. The begging, the sound of the axe coming down twice more and the wails of those unlucky few taken below decks on the Bladed Lotus.

When Garigg returned, he was still wiping blood from his axe with a filthy rag.

"You will take me to my prize," he said.

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin was quite impressed that her threat had done anything at all. While she preferred to not be chained, she would take what she could get at the moment. She had to admit that she wasn't too uncomfortable when he announced that he would be back.

She was left alone with her thoughts and plans for about two minutes before the sounds started to carry through his cabin window. She thanked every god and spirit that she was not friends with anyone on board and that Garigg had bought her little con.

She was not sure how long had passed but she did jump when the pirate came back through the door with a bloody axe. His order was met with a solemn nod as she waited for him to unchain her so she could lead him to the cargo area.

Once they were there, she moved through the boxes slowly as if contemplating which crate the item was in.

She finally stopped by one and looked over at Garigg, "can you open this one, please?"

 

[Garigg Bracken]

Garigg didn't let any thoughts swirl around his mind until they festered. Precious little kept him up at night. As they walked back across to the captured vessel, he barely thought of anything at all.

He was a decisive man and didn't linger on any decision. It was how he had ended up as captain. That, and being larger and more prone to violence than almost anyone else.

There was a chance she was trying to play him. A possibility that had already occurred to him. He didn't dwell on that either. He could appease the spirits but if she was obviously lying she would receive an additional punishment before being sent below decks.

He didn't allow life to become complicated. This was a gift for him alone, if she was to be believed, so he hadn't brought anyone from the crew along. He pulled an iron spike from his belt and used the haft of his axe to drive it through the loop of the lock until it broke.

"Alright," he grunted. The lid was lightly nailed opposite the hinges, but they barely offered resistance as he wedged it open and lifted the lid.

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin just smiled at Garigg as he lifted the lid from the crate. She stepped in close and looked at the packing material hoping there was something in there that would work. She raised a hand to shoo Garigg back a few paces before starting to dig in the crate.

A few minutes went by as she searched for what the spirits were showing her and she finally pulled out a medium-sized orb on a rope. It was too big to be a necklace so she had no clue what it actually was. She held it up to admire the blue and white cloudy liquid inside. It seemed to swirl as she held it. She was instantly curious about what it actually was but it looked convincing enough.

"This is it," she said simply. "This is what I was meant to get for you."

 

[Garigg Bracken]

Garigg made a noise of protest at the back of his throat at being made to back away. He was respectful of her connection to the spirits, but he was not a patient pirate. His had been a life of taking what he wanted without reservation.

There was no rush to take what she held up. Instead he was slow and careful to approach it.

She hadn't been lying. This had to be something important.

He reached out slowly, holding the end of the rope between finger and thumb. Garigg held it up to eye level, admiring the moving colours.

"Should I keep it on me?" he asked. "Or just aboard the ship? Does it do anything?"

He barely looked at her as he asked, fixated on the trinket.

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

"Should I keep it on me? Or just aboard the ship? Does it do anything?"

That acceptance was enough to allow her to visibly relax. Inwardly, she knew she had just hooked him, but outwardly it looked like she was just pleased that she was useful to her new Captain.

"From what I am being told, it responds to the last person that handled it. That would be you now so it will provide protection as long as you are the only person who touches it from here on out...or you touch it again if someone happens to touch it," she said the last part like an aside for just in case.

"It doesn't do anything that we can see," she said in an utterly convincing tone.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

Garigg gave a sharp nod. The string was tied to a leather strap and the small orb tucked into a satchel he kept on his hip.

Luck, fate and the spirits were fickle things. He hoped that the winds would be on his side for a while. Where those forces had not always smiled upon him, Garigg had made his way with intimidation and brutality.

"You can talk to them now?" he asked, "The spirits?"

The talisman was a boon, but Garigg wanted to know what else she could do for him. Every decision was about squeezing every last drop out of the world for his own benefit. There was no other way to live.

"Sails!" the cry went out.

Garigg nodded slowly to himself.

"Could be vultures waiting to see what we leave, could be trouble," he grunted. He turned his back on Fannin but called out over his shoulder.

"Come."

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin watched the Captain secure his prize with a small, mischievous smile playing on her lips. She had him now and it was going to be beautiful.

"I talk to them when they talk to me first," she answered Garigg. "They are a quiet bunch unless it is very important."

She sounded like she was way more sure of this than she really was since she, honestly, had zero idea how such a thing would work.

Fannin was quick to follow Garigg once he had told her to come. She had no reason not to now that she knew he wasn't going to kill her.

She was safe...for now.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

Garigg ensured she was following on his heels as he took the narrow passages and steep stairs back to the deck of the merchant vessel.

He watched where the others were looking and turned to the horizon. He could see just the hint of a mast out there.

"What do you see?" he shouted up to the crows nest of the Bladed Lotus. There were dwarven made spyglasses around, but such things were exceptionally expensive. The best he could do was put a pair of sharp, young eyes up high.

"Two masts! Looks like a caraval," came the reply.

Garigg looked down at Fannin. "Your spirits got anything to say about this?"

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin followed the Captain in silence and when the news that a caraval was after them came down from the crow's nest, she frowned. Well, this certainly didn't look great for her little lie about the bobble keeping them safe. Her mind started to churn through ideas quickly because she knew that Garigg would be turning his attention to her shortly.

"Your spirits got anything to say about this?"

Yep...there it was. She knew it wouldn't take long at all.

"They say not to worry," Fannin replied without a single ounce of worry in her voice. "They want you to know that this is real so they are sending to test for you to see..."

 

[Garigg Bracken]

A test. Fate tested him all the time and yet here he was, commanding his own ship.

"Corran!" he called out.

The first mate, another tall and broad man appeared on the deck of the captured merchant vessel. He looked to be fully human, unlike his captain.

"Captain?"

"How long to get her moving?"

"Could be a day, ballista really tangled up the main mast."

Garigg grunted. That had been the point, to stop the merchant ship from catching enough sail to outrun them. That meant he needed more deck hands on the job, which left him few options. Garigg walked up to the rail and waved Corran closer.

"The recruits?" Garigg asked.

"Not yet inducted boss," Corran replied.

"Give em a silver, let em know they work for us now. Split em. I want more of ours than theirs working their ship. And don't arm any of em."

Normally they would return to port, show the captured crew that Garigg wanted to keep on a good time and then make them part of their teams. There wasn't the time now. If they were split into small groups and kept unarmed then they wouldn't be able to mutiny if the two vessels were separated.

"Aye boss."

"Make the work faster, but don't lash anyone. Give em no reason to turn on us."



The work started in earnest. When the rest of the people from the Golden Harvest had been murdered or shackled, going back to their regular jobs seemed as good an outcome as they could hope for. The sail was brought down quickly, the replacement brought from below decks and put into use.

Garigg kept Fannin close as he walked about the two vessels, inspecting the work. The crews were spread a little thin across both ships. He didn't like it, but he would rise to this test.

"Haul anchors and let's get moving!" Garigg called out. When he bellowed, his voice was like thunder.

As the two ships separated and started north for deeper waters, the sails remained on the horizon, falling into pursuit.

Garigg looked out across both vessels, looking for any sign that the captured crew at work might harbour resentment.

"I'm not a cruel man," he said to Fannin. "Not unless I need to be."

It wasn't entirely true. He knew where the line was, but if anything he enjoyed those times when his violent impulses were unshackled.

"Spirits don't have any spa-ci-fics?" he asked, clearly sounding out the three syllable word. "Just that ship? More comin'?"

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

Fannin followed Garigg around in silence as he roared orders at different people. The ship finally started moving again and she couldn't help the eye roll that followed his comment about cruelty.

"I find it hard to believe that you had to kill so many people today," she narrowed her eyes at him, her disdain palpable.

"They don't tell me everything," Fannin responded to his questions. "They do what they want and tell me what I need to know so, no, there aren't any specifics."

 

[Garigg Bracken]

"What you need them to tell you is what I need them to tell you," Garigg stated.

He dropped the topic there. It wasn't a threat; he wouldn't be so bold in case he offended real spirits. It was a simple fact.

"Everybody dies," he said. "Nothing more certain in my life, your life, anyone else's."

The sails on the horizon started to grow taller. Garigg knew that soon he would be able to see the vessel.

"Keep the ballista loaded!" Garigg called out. There was one at each end of the Bladed Lotus. The ship on their heels wasn't going to be larger than them, but there was a chance they would risk an attack.

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

A single brow rose at his demand but he did not say anymore on the topic. That was probably wise. She could make sure the spirits were very upset if she needed to. She was the real one in control right now and it both terrified and excited her.

A hmph came from her when he tried to justify his murders with everyone dies. Yeah...he was just a peach for speeding up by a few decades. How sweet of him. So very uncruel.

"So what is the plan, Captain?" The Captain held quite a bit of sarcasm in it.

 

[Garigg Bracken]

"Hope the cunts don't want a fight," Garigg replied.

"And if they do..."

The half-orc turned to look down at Fannin. There was a wild look in his eyes. When he smiled, the small tusks from his orcish heritage could be seen through his thick beard.

"...we'll kill them before they kill us. Enough of a plan for you, girl?"

 

[Fannin Hohlt]

It wasn't Garigg's words that sent a shiver down her spine, it was the vicious smile mixed with that wild look that glinted in his eyes. This man was absolutely insane and she had lied to him. She had tricked him. He would murder her slowly if he figured it out.

Fuck, she thought to herself. She had been an absolute idiot but, hopefully, she could survive long enough to run away from him.

"Don't get snippy with me," Fannin said with more confidence than she felt. "I don't think the spirits would be happy if I was upset..."

 

[Garigg Bracken]

Garigg laughed just once. Perhaps he could not spot a good liar, but he could always tell when someone was nervous.

He had no response to her statement. The spirits could guide him through this mediator, but he would be damned before he let her speak down to him.

The ship was slowly gaining on them. There was no flag being flown and they were still too far away to identify the crew.

"My guess, they come close for a look and the decide to fuck off," he said to Fannin. "But if they come to fight, you want to stay up here where I can see you or I find somewhere safe for you below decks?"