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4 months ago you went through a harrowing experience that damaged your ship and left you questioning a few things about life and death.

Luckily you came away with enough loot to fix your ship and keep yourself in the game of business. For the last three months the Máirín has been plying normal shipping lanes and cargoes, giving you time to learn how things work.

You've made a few good business contacts, and you've started handling your shipping with less advice then when you started.

Still, one never can resist the lure of a 'hot tip.'

You're sitting in the dining room of the 'Ladies View', an Inn in the port of Aru Po, on the island of Aru Oa. This is where Slanty Loo, a distributor for your company 'Bligh's Supplies' keeps his informal office.

It's in the mid-afternoon. Except for the two of you the room is currently empty. Loo nurses a cup of coffee with a healthy dollop of Whiskey in it, which he claims is an 'ancient Qing remedy' for almost everything. You're not sure if he tells his jokes deadpan or thinks you're dumb enough to believe him. The sound of a tropical downpour slamming into the roof forces the two of you to keep your voices raised.

As you talk to him, what tips and rumors does the conversation lend itself to?

A: An island that's been freezing over
B: The rising piracy in the South Aria's
C: Fires that have been seen burning in the middle of the ocean.
D: The new Inspector General that'll be setting up shop in New Kingston
E: Make up some rumors of your own.

(You can vote for more then one, but the more of these that get selected, the longer this will take.)

>>30479720
A and D.
But D definitely, because as a trader, it pays to know about changes in customs and taxes.

>>30479756
Seconding this. A and D.

>>30479756
I like this but we should do B as well since as an ship captain this would be something we might be forced to deal with

>>30479756
Seconding this. A and D. Also, I remember those threads and this is fucking awesome.

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"The Inspector General, you heard of him?" Loo asks as he settles back in his chair. One yellow hand raps a deck of cards against the table, but he doesn't want to play anything with less then four people.

"Just bits and pieces. His name's George Norman, right?" You sip your own mug of coffee as you answer.
"Yeah. He a tough one. Button your hatches tight if you need to go through his port." Loo narrows his already narrowed eyes. When he continues his voice has lowered, forcing you to lean in.
"Some say he had the Inspector before him killed." His eyes meet yours and hold them, before the corners of his mouth turn up in the hint of a grin. "Rumors, from people who have had their cargoes confiscated. Don't try to slip anything past him, he knows the tricks."

You sigh as you sit back in your seat and glance out the window. The rain should let up in an hour or so. Your ship is currently empty, and it'll be a few days before the stevedores have loaded it again.

"Strange news from the East." Loo pipes up, snapping your attention away from the shower.
"How strange?"
"Very strange. Nua Ton is covered in ice."
"Ice?" You ask, unsure if that's a euphemism.
"Yes, Ice, Sean. It's freezing." He raps the deck against the table again, then sips his Gaielege coffee. "Normally I would think it a sea story, but people I trust have seen it."
"Why would it be covered in ice?" You ask, brushing your hand through your thick hair. You haven't had a good cut since you left home. Maybe you should take care of that.

"Who can say? Maybe a spirit got upset. Now the islanders are starting to leave. Shame, they had special shells there, good cargo." He rubs his bare chin thoughtfully. "An evacuation, passengers. Desperate, needy passengers. Charity might be profitable." He says, tacitly suggesting that you might want to bilk people fleeing from a frozen island.


What do you say/ do?

>>30480203
Check out the frozen island. We either get passengers, news, or both, and that's valuable.

>>30480203
lets go check it out

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You didn't have anything pressing to do, and this seems like it could be lucrative.

"I think I'll check it out." You rise out of your chair and pace a bit, eager to be moving. "Does Nua Ton need anything?"
Loo shakes his head. "They're leaving, they just need space. Travel light, you'll save fuel."

As soon as the rain stop you're out of the inn. Your feet have trouble keeping traction on the slick cobblestones that make up the roads in the port, but it's nowhere near as bad a wet deck in a high sea. When you get to the boat you're told the Captain has laid down for a nap, and some of the crew is off in port. You'll have the lost the tide before they come back.

A: Send the men you have out into town to find them so you can leave, now.
B: Wait for your crew to come back and leave after dark, against the tide.
C: Wait until morning and leave with the morning tide
D: Something else?

>>30480482
We've got nothing pressing, a captive audience on Nua Ton, and we'll need every hand. C, wait until morning.

>>30480482
C

fuck you capcha

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You don't really need to rush. You let the men take their time in town.

You're out of Aru Oa shortly after sunrise. Nua Ton is 4 days away. While you're on your way you carefully consider what you know.

Which is almost nothing.

Maybe someone will have more answers when you get in closer. Maybe some of those answers will make you some money.

The weather is, as usual, warm and balmy. However, on the night of the third day there's a distinct chill in the air, and the wind has turned against your ship. The stars cut off abruptly, a blanket of thick clouds must be above them.

Your ship takes the normal precautions for stormy seas. You don't know how far the freezing extends. If it's in the water there's only so much you can do, since you aren't ice-hardened. No one here would be.

As you get closer to Nua Ton, do you take any special precautions?

>>30480966
get an extra person on the helm to help out, we don't want to run into anything and pay special attention to navigation, we don't have the stars to help us

if we brought any salt for de-icing, we might want to start getting ready to apply it

>>30480966
Make sure everyone has a blade close at hand, whether for ice or other things lurking unseen.

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You talk to the Captain and discuss some precautions for icy weather.

A lookout is sent to the bow. Your deckhands don't have much for wintry clothing, but a decent jacket is made out of some extra blankets. He won't need it tonight, but you don't know what to expect tomorrow.

Before you left town you used some of your spare time to prepare for possible conditions. Chipping hammers are passed around. Salt is prepared, though it won't be terribly useful if salt water freezes on deck.

You express your concerns about navigation without the stars, but your Captain isn't terribly concerned. If the cold wind is coming from the island, he just need to steer into it, with a correction for the earth's rotation.

You settle down in your cabin, tucked under an extra blanket, and sleep through the starless night.

In the morning the sky is covered in a slate of clouds, grey stretching past the horizon, dull and uniform. Your breath comes out in puffs, while the Ship's stack continues to belch out smoke.

The Bow watch started on a 4 hour rotation, but the crew has opted to shorten it to a 1 hour rotation.

The temperature is hovering in the 40's.

After getting something hot from the galley you make your way up into the wheel house. Mate Parkins, who is new to your ship, greets you as you join him. At the moment he's bent over the chart with a few nautical instruments at hand.

"Just calculating the wind. It's pretty steady." He remarks as he finishes his trig, then sets out the dead reckoned course for the vessel for the next four hours. Mate Parkins is just one year older then you, and the two of you have tended to get along pretty easily.

You glance over the chart and look over his numbers so you have an idea of what to expect. The island looms on the chart, 20 miles and four hours away.

"Four hours? Why so long?" You ask as you pick up an extra pair of binoculars. You sweep the horizon, looking for anything.

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>>30481585
The island is still too far away. but you see the white hull of a ship that's on a bearing towards the island.
"Current and wind are set against us. We could pick up speed if you like?"
"No, it's fine. There's no hurry, let's same some costs." You say as you set the binoculars down.

The two of you lounge in the hot wheelhouse. Since it sits on top of the living quarters all the heat of the people living below rises into it, which means it's actually comfortable on this chilly day. To pass the time Parkins starts talking about his girlfriend, a favorite subject of his. He always makes her seem like a beautiful angel, but you figure he might be biased.

As you wait you idly run your left thumb over the ring of bone that sits on your right hand, a keepsake from your last big adventure.

Two hours later you notice chunks of ice floating in the water, off on the horizon, between you and the island. The look notices them at the same time you do, and waves up at the bridge.

They're a half dozen miles off. You grab the binoculars to give them a look and notice they're moving towards you. Caught by the current maybe. Parkins stops talking about his love as he see you staring intently through the binoculars.
"What's up Newell?" He asks as straightens up, then follows your gaze. "That's weird. Should we try going around? Could take a while, with the wind and all."

A: Go wake up the captain
B: Yes, go around
C: Icebergs take a long time to make, those can't be very dangerous. let's go through
D: Wait before you make a decision.
E: Something else?

>>30481751
A & B

>>30481751
A & B.
We're dealing with some magic here; better to be safe than have our hull compromised.

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"Better safe then sorry. Go around, I'll get the Captain up." Parkins nods and turns to the wheelman, who has already anticipated the order.

The Captain wakes up quickly, a good habit for a Captain to be in. He joins you on the bridge five minutes after you knock on his door.

When you get back to the bridge Parkins has a nervous expression on his face, and passes you his bincoulars. "There's more of them." He informs you as he paces a bit. As you look at the pack of ice, you see he's right. When you left there were only a few, now there are a half dozen. As you look at them a piece of ice breaches the water and rises up.

You can see that they seem to be getting closer to the boat, clearly not going with the current.

The Captain takes a moment to sip some coffee as he thinks over the strange activity. "Better get the men out on deck with the boat hooks. Better get the chief up too so our engine are ready for maneuver." He sets Parkins on the wheel while the wheelman is sent off to wake up Dowd and get a work gang ready to shove off.

Over the next hour another half dozen pieces of ice break the surface, while the ice steadily works towards your ship.

What do you do?

>>30482328
which way is the current going and how much is it slowing us down?

maybe we could turn around, use the current and wind to pick up speed then slingshot back towards the island slowly and put some distance between us and the seemingly sentient ice pack

>>30482417
Good idea.
That ice could put a hole in our hull, since we're not reinforced to handle it. Better to be slow, and safe, and have an intact hull.

>>30482433
Also there's apparently a fucking ice goat demon waiting for us. We'll need a getaway ship.

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"Could we use the current to sling us around?" The Captain raises an eyebrow, 'you're a young fool' written on his face. "I mean, how fast is it even going?"

"Between the current and the wind we're being set about 3 knots West by North. Island is due east." He explains. "We can't really use that to 'sling' anything.

"That came out wrong. Can we use it to open up some distance? When we're farther away from the ice we can come in closer to the island." He mulls it over, staring at the ice as Parkins keeps his mouth shut.
"Yeah, that should work actually. Might want to kick our engine speed up too. Parkins, come to 310."
"310 Aye." Parkins shifts the rudder while the Captain gets on the sound powered phone. He yells at the Engineer to come full ahead, his voice booming in the cramped bridge, while on the other end they struggle to hear him over the churn of the engine.

The ship starts to tremble and shudder as your speed picks up and the rudder shifts. Like a horse whipped to run. Voices need to be raised to be heard over the sounds of busy machinery carried through steel.

Over the next hour the ice steadily recedes. Once you're far enough the course is changed to bring the ship in. As you draw closer the Ice starts to creep in off the starboard quarter. At least it has to fight the current to reach you now.

On your bow the Island peaks over the horizon. A hill rises, gently sloping to meet the ocean. The surf looks a bit rough, and the greenery is covered with a layer of ice. This docks are on the other side of the island, and you keep circling.

It's another 2 hours before you reach the side of the island that you need. There's a boat already moored, flying the flag of the Rusk Empire, the people famed for drinking Vodka. No pilot rows out to meet you, though you do see people milling about on shore.

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>>30482698
"Normally this harbor's pretty easy to dock in. Today's a crapshoot though." The Captain bitches as he fishes a cigarette out of his shirt pocket and lights up. The smell of smoke quickly fills the cramped cabin. "Still, better to get in there then wait out here, with wild fucking ice crawling around."

He sets the order to slow down, and readies a launch in case the ship needs to anchor in the harbor. Do you take any additional measures?

>>30482737
get some men watching over the side incase there are any hidden obstructions below the surface, but other than that, lets get in there and dock

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You set your men to watch over the side for any obstructions.

The Captain and Parkins pull the ship into the harbor. Strange currents make the handling tough, but Blake knows the ship pretty well and keeps the ship from running into anything.

As you pull up close to the dock a throng of natives hurries over. They shift uneasily from foot to foot, rags lashed over their soles to give their bare feet some protection from the frigid ground. The ship is quickly made fast to the dock, As soon as you get the gangway down the Chief of the village shows up. He's clearly marked by his western clothes.

There's none of the usual business of dealing with customs or shipping agents. You're not sure if that's because of the emergency, or because commerce has already fled. Blake leaves you to speak with him while he sets off to do some work on the ship, final preparations for the cold.

You and the rotund Chief stand inside the cabin. He rubs his shoulders vigorously to warm up while favoring you with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry for your poor arrival. We are not fully staffed." He declares, saying each syllable carefully as he strings them together. "I hope you are here for the disaster."

What do you say to him?

>>30483282
we are, we're willing to sell passage on our ship off the island, but for now, can you explain just what is happening here?

>>30483282
Get him to describe the disaster without revealing we don't have a damn clue what's happening.

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"I am. I'm here to sell passage off the island." He looks a bit miffed by the words 'sell'.
"Well, I think you will find your passengers." He says bitterly as he looks at the window, where people are starting to crowd on the dock. You can see a similar crowd on the dock that the Rusk ship is in.

"So, when exactly did this disaster start?" You ask casually.
"A few months ago, at night, there was a cold air. The first snow fell 4 weeks past. Much worse since." He glances out the porthole, watching the ice that chased you wander back and forth outside the harbor. He frowns at it, but doesn't say anything of it.
"What caused it, do you know? I've heard some rumors." You haven't heard much by way of rumors, but he doesn't need to know that.
"I don't know. Groundshake, a week before the chill. Maybe it is related." He suggests, a bit embarrassed to know so little. As he stands before you, Captain Blake pops his head into the bridge. "Hey, the Master of the Rusky ship is here for you." You give him a nod as he pulls back out.

A tall, thin, middle aged man in a naval uniform walks in. The Rusky Empire has always held its merchants to be members of their Navy, in both times of peace and war. Even though this man is a merchant, he has the bearing of a Naval Commanding officer. Stern and sharp.
"Mister Newell, Chief Altu." He says respectfully, his voice heavily accented. "I am Lieutenant Ismail Golkav. I vas thinking we could make arrangements, da?" He asks. "Your boat, smaller then mine. You take first load, I take second. You take vealthy passengers, I take those who cannot afford." Chief Altu smiles at the Rusk, while he fixes you with a grin that seems a predatory.
"Well, that is a very kind offer Mr. Golkav, I think that will work for everyone." Lt. Golkav's eyes narrow into a glare as Chief Altu turns to look at you, upset that the Chief didn't call him by his title.

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>>30483688
By the time the Chief looks back Lt. Golkav is all smiles again.
"Oh, of course. The Rusk Empire is alvays happy to help people in time of need." His eyes lift back to yours, with a piecing gaze.

It actually is a good deal for you. Maybe Golkav is just trying to score some nationalist points? That's all fine for him, his boat is subsidized, yours isn't.

Still, it seems a little too good, and something about his manner seems off, more then simple national rivalries.

How do you respond?

>>30483688
Why do I get the feeling everybody on the Russkie boat is going to be spending time in the Gulag to pay for their passage?

>>30483761
Probably because you have good intuition.

>>30483742
How does the Chief react to his offer? If he doesn't show any signs of caring who takes who where, that's his problem. No sense in sticking our neck out for free. If he wants different arrangements, we should meet him in private to discuss plans.

>>30483827
The Chief likes the offer, and doesn't seem to show any suspicion or wariness. But then, islanders are often very trusting.

>>30483742
seems like a good deal, although I'm thinking some of them are going to end up as slaves on the ruskie ship which is unfortunate, but we're here for business, although maybe we could spare some room for families or children

>>30483742
Ask him why is he being so generous.

>>30483860
Well, if he's gullible, maybe we can convince him that the ruskies mean his people harm. And, for a small fee, we can transport the rest of his people out from under their noses. We would already be moving all the richest people with the rusky plan, but we might make a little more with this plan. And help us sleep easier on the side.

>>30483956 (me)
I think that he just wants us off this island. There is something much more valuable than passengers. After we sail out he's going to stay here for a few more days and steal it instead of us.

Well OP couldn't have tagged this island as a quest hook any harder if he'd used fireworks and a marching band, so our dashing protagonist offers to stay behind for a while with a few crew members to make room for the rest of the refugees. After all, our lad hails from not!Ireland and can handle a bit of cold better than some tropical islanders.

>>30484034
Oh, and before I forget. Plenty of food, fire, and weaponry for our stay-behinds.

>>30483985
if thats the case, thats fine by me, we're here to make some money off of passengers fleeing the island

regardless of whether we take the deal or not, we should talk to the captain about it first

>>30484034
last time we offered to stay on the island to help out we ended up in fucking hell, thats not a good idea, especially seeing as we're not outfitted for cold

>>30484050
Well we can do both. We say that we got hit by one of the icebergs and need time to repair (or something, I have no knowledge of how ships work), It's nothing serious but we will have to stay for a few more days.

That way we both get the riches passengers and have time for an adventure.

>>30484093
we don't even need to lie about the icebergs, we can just say we're not ready to take them on so soon and need to work on the ship, and maybe we can harden the hull with stuff they've got lying around, so when we do leave, we don't get bangbanged by icebergs

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You look back at Golkav suspiciously. You suspect he may be up to something no good with the islanders. While it'll be unfortunate, it won't be your problem.

"Why are you being so generous?" You ask, curious, hoping to drag an ulterior motive out of him. If his offer can be proven as a non-option, you can get more fares.
"It is as I said, the Rusk Empire is always proudest standing beside those in need. Sometimes, things are more important then money."

A nice sentiment from someone that doesn't need to pay all of his costs out of his own pockets. Not that you fully buy it. The Chief does though.

"Well, it does sound like a good arrangement." You glance out the porthole. The sky has started to darken. It's late afternoon now, the sun must be reaching the horizon, though it can't be seen through the ominous sky. "Let me take a night to get an appraisal on the situation, set my fairs, stock my stores, you know, the usual."

Chief Atu nods, while Lt. Golkav says nothing, his face going almost blank, his lips pressed tightly together. "There is dinner for the two of you in my home, in three hours if you wish it." Golkav graciously accepts, and the two of them depart.

You have three hours until dinner, if you want Atu's dinner. You are currently moored to the dock. The crowd that gathered is being dispersed, told that they should return tomorrow when the fare has been decided.

What do you do?

Guys, you really don't see it?
He wants us to leave first, to see what those damn icebergs do to us.
He wants us to leave port, so that we're the bait, and he can make his escape while whatever is guiding those icebergs is busy killing us.

>>30484157
talk to the captain about the situation, air our concerns about Golkav's intentions, get his view on the situation, if he wants to go with the deal, we'll take it, cause he's the captain.

also, ask any villagers still around the docks if theres anything we can use to make repairs/improvements to the hull in preparation for facing the ice when we leave

other than that, relax and get ready for dinner with the chief

>>30484227
quite likely, which is why I want to harden the hull a little if we can, we should also have some men watch the ice through the night, see what they do/how they react

>>30484227
You're not the only one who sees this, but it's still a good deal. All we have to do is get past some icebergs and we'll be rich. They're sentient but we're faster. it's gonna be like running away from zombies, if we don't get surrounded we'll be fine.

>>30479545
I don't have anything against Heat, but when does Hood resume?

>>30484389
I'm hoping to run a thread for it next Tuesday.

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"I don't trust that guy." You mutter to Blake once the visitors are off the boat.
"Who? The Rusky? Can't trust any of 'em." He says in commiseration.
"Yeah. Wait, no. I mean him, specifically. I think he's trying to pull some sort of con on me. He's offering to let us take all the wealthy passengers, and he'll just take the poor ones for free. Says he'll let us load up first, and then he'll take whoever's left over."

Blake lights up another smoke and settles into the chair at the helm. "Sounds like a good deal."
"It is, why would he give us a good deal?"
"Yeah, that's a fair point." He admits as he scratches his chin.
"Can you think of any reasons we shouldn't take it?"

Blake casts a suspicious glance at the edge of the harbor, where the ice continues to drift.
"If it was just use I'd say he plans to let us go through the ice, and see what the danger is. I don't know if he'd make a plan like that when we have all those passengers though. It's a special kind of ass that'd make a plan like that."

You nod, you were thinking of that possibility yourself.
"It's more likely he wants to get us off the island before he does something. Maybe he's going to colonize the frozen island. Hell, it probably looks like home to his kind."
"Really?" You ask as you raise an eyebrow.
"Eh, probably not. Still, he must have some reason."

Outside the window the ice slowly stops drifting, which is actually more disconcerting since the tide has been getting stronger.

"We're going to need a plan to get past the ice. Do you know if there's a way to beef up the hull?" You ask.
"Yeah, Get planks of wood and hang them off the sides. They'll take the initial blow. That ice doesn't look too big either. Maybe we can bust it up with the deck gun Also, we might want to consider towing the boat with some launches. If ice gets caught up in the prop we're fucked."

>>30484736
> If ice gets caught up in the prop we're fucked.
maybe we can have some guys dive and attach bits of wood or steel parrallel to the hull, spaces apart, but in front of the prop, to break up large chunks of ice, it might not stop it clogging eventually, but it would give us more time before that happens, or would act as a disposable barrier to it

>>30484816
>diving
>in frozen water
>without special gear
If there is a realm beyond full retard, you are the king of it.

>>30484736
It IS possible that the Rusky thinks he can find whatever's causing the ice and kill it, then take over the island as its savior.
We will need to try to get as much wood as we can to beef up the hull, maybe do that the launches as well.

We should ask the locals if anyone's tried firing on the ice to break it up, and what happened to them; such as a giant ice goat coming up from the depths to strike down the ship that fired on the icebergs, or something.

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>>30484736
"I'd like you to start preparing the ship for departure. We'll need our stores stocked, and we need to get the ship as iceproof as we can." Blake nods as he finishes his smoke, stubbing it out. The butt lies in the ashtray, a thin wisp of smoke trailing up to the overhead.
"Anything else Newell?"
"Yeah, how much fuel do you think we'll be using this trip, if our return is as bad as our arrival?"
"Probably another 12 tons, I'd guess. So, 24, 25 in all."
"At 3 solid Crowns a ton. So we need to make roughly 75 crowns to break even. How many passengers can we take?"
"If everyone has elbow room? Probably 50 in the holds. 8 in spare bunks. If we pack to capacity like a Slave Ship? 400."
"All right, so if we take 55 that'll be 1.4 Crowns a head." Your fingers flick about as you do the math in your head. Blake nods, then leaves the cabin to start getting the ship ready.

The dinner is in half an hour. If you leave now you will be early.

A: Being early means being on time.
B: Never be late, and never be early.
C: You have more important things to deal with, you can be late.

>>30484736
Armoring the hull won't hurt, so do it.

We might also try to ask the rusk lieutenant for further assistance. Like if he would give us some winter clothing or something. (he's Rusk, of course ha has a winter clothing) There's no reason for him to agree to that, so if he does it means he really wants us off the island.

>>30484938
A: Being early will make us appear eager. The Rusk will think we took his bait. That's a good thing.

>>30484938
>A: Being early means being on time.
Don't see how it matters but might as well

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You decide to head out now instead of waiting. It'll make you look eager, which is what you want.

You ask for directions to the Chief's house from a man lingering near a bonfire, wrapped in a woven mat that probably used to rest on the floor. The town's in poor shape, the huts here were never designed for this. Your feet crunch on a thin layer of frost as you walk down dirt paths.

You arrive at Chief Atu's 15 minutes early, while Lt. Golkav has yet to arrive. You're ushered into the European style house by the chief's wife, who shows you to the table, pours you some scotch without asking if you want it, then heads to the kitchen.

Atu rises to shake your hand. His fleshy face is lined with stress, his home has been captured by ice. "Mr. Newell, it is nice to host you." He says warmly then takes his seat. "Have you figured out your fare?"

You have the numbers you need if you charge a flat rate for a comfortable amount of people to break even . If you want to do any alternate pricing schemes, say so. (Otherwise I'll just set the rate at 2 Crowns. This isn't really important.)

Besides fare, is there anything you wish to discuss while you wait for Golkav?

>>30485404
How much is 1 Crown?

>>30485404
fare seems solid to me, does he know anything about the ice outside the harbor and the way its acting? thats our main concern, does he know if its ever-present, does it act in certain ways, have they tried anything against it?

>>30485404
>Probably 50 in the holds. 8 in spare bunks.
We could charge more for the people that are going to be staying in bunks since it would be more comfortable. (not a lot more tho)

>>30485519
1/3rd of a ton of coal.

I was doing conversions with the modern price of coal, using that price to get 1922 dollars. I was about to see what the exchange rate between dollars and pounds was back in 1922, and then convert Pounds to a new name and slightly adjust the numbers. Then I realized that all of that was completely unnecessary.

For reference though, a ton of coal is worth, today, about 45 dollars. 1 Crown would thus be worth about 15 real dollars. This is completely ignoring that coal is much cheaper today then it was back then due to the advances of industry.

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>>30485580
Let's just say the necromancer from our last adventure got rich selling zombie workers to coal mine owners.

captcha: mineduch moreau

>>30485580
So that means we're selling places at 30 dollars per person.

I think we can afford to be more expensive. We have a crew to pay.

>>30485695
Happymerchant.jpg

Knock that shit off, this is a refugee crisis. As long as we cover our costs and come out a bit in the black we're fine.

>>30485717
we're looking at 55 spots, with room to spare, we could charge less for more cramped space and get more people in

>>30485695
Like I mentioned earlier >>30485578

2 Crown per person. 3 or 4 Crown per person if you want a bed.

>>30485816
this can work

and if we've got spare room in the hold, 1/2 a crown for shitty conditions, but hey, its a way off the island

>>30485404
>(Otherwise I'll just set the rate at 2 Crowns. This isn't really important.)
people should reread this part

ask what he knows about Lt. Golkav

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"I was thinking. I have 8 bunks, which I'll sell for 3 crowns a head. One hold will for 25 people, at 2 Crowns a head. And one hold for 100 people, at 1 Crown a head" You do the math in your head. 174 Crowns. That's nearly 100 crowns of profit after fuel, without the dozen or so Crowns that food will cost you. 100 people in a hold isn't terrible, it's just uncomfortable. "We'd like to replenish our stores though, for free." You aren't making a killing, but it's not a loss, and this is a crisis.

He nods, visibly relaxing. He doesn't look elated, but it seems like he was expecting much worse. "I am sure you will get every spot taken then." He says amicably as he raises his own scotch in toast.

"The ice outside the harbor has me worried, what do you know about it? It's acting strangely." He shrugs.
"It is turtles." He sees your skeptical look and shrugs, again. His suit coat rustles the back of his chair as his paunchy shoulders rise and fall. "Ice seem to grow on them, and they seem to push things toward the island. They aren't dangerous, but they might keep you stuck."
"Can I shoot them?" He's startled by the question, but gives it a shrug.
"I don't see why not."

You might not shoot them, but it's good to know that you have it as an option.

"I'd like to ask what you know about Lt. Golkav."
"He seems like a very kind man. He arrived a few hours before you, with blankets. He says he will be here for a few days to make some minor repairs, and then he will leave with all who want passage. For Free." He lays it on heavily, wanting you to feel guilt for charging a fee.

As he finishes his brief snippet of praise Lt Golkav arrives, ushered in by Atu's wife. He stands tall in the entryway, his eyes sliding over Atu as if he doesn't see him, locking on yours. Calculating. "Chief Atu, Mr. Newell." He says stiffly and politely, then steps in to shake hands and take his seat.

>>30485404
Try to figure out what's causing the ice and cold.

2.25 crowns maybe?

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Dinner is soon served. Atu shares your fares with Lt. Golkav, who assures you that he thinks the prices are more then fair. He urges you to leave before noon, because he claims that the current is best at that time.

The current's been pretty unpredictable, in your experience.

As you settle into dinner with the two, is there anything you'd like to do or say?

>>30486120
Who claims the current is best at noon? If it's the chief, go along with it, but if it's Golkav, press him on what happens at noon.

>>30486148
It's Golkav.

>>30486120
lets say we don't know exactly when we're leaving, we've got to make sure we get as many as possible aboard AND that we're trying to make the ship ready to face the ice

>>30486163

ah, so he's familiar with this island! (doubt it)

>>30486120
Ask Golkav about his ship and it's preparedness to face the icebergs. He'll have much harder time maneuvering than we do.

We're concerned for the lives of his crew and passengers of course.

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"Oh, are you familiar with this island?" You ask, a hint of disdain managing to creep into your voice. Your own Captain, who has been here several times over the past few years, claimed the currents were usually pretty gentle, which you know is not the current case.

"No." He admits. Meeting you eye to eye. "I spoke with locals. Fishermen. They are familiar." He turns back to look at Atu, sharing a congenial smile. "I have always been impressed with the seamanship shown by sailors from here. I'm sure their help will be paramount in safe passage from this island."

You're not sure if you believe him, but Atu's clearly eating it up.

"How do you plan to get past the icebergs Golkav?" You ask, changing tact, trying to find some way to cast aspersions on him. "Your ship is bigger, it looks like you'll have a hard time maneuvering."

"Ve are ice hardened wessel. Ice vill not be problem for us, or our passengers." His mouth is smiling, but his blue eyes seem to focusing on your throat.
"Well, we aren't. I'm not sure when we'll be leaving, need to prepare our ship for the ice. Might take some time." His smile thins out a bit as he gives you a knowing look.
"Some time, of course."

The dinner passes quickly. Atu likes to talk a lot, and he paints a proud, vivid picture of his island in the days before the ice came. Fisherman, sailors, pearl divers. It'd be an interesting and exotic history if it didn't run the same lines as every other islands. The only bit that catches your attention are passing references to caves that sometimes seem to sigh and moan. No one's ever investigated him, that he knows of. Golkav suggest that it's simply the wind, which Atu doesn't argue with.

Dinner is winding down. Is there anything else you want to address before you head back to your ship?

>>30486476
where are the caves

>>30486476
make sure to thank him for his hospitality and reassure him off his people's safety.

don't know what else to ask about the weather though.

>>30486476
seconding >>30486552

>>30486546
I'd like to ask, but I don't want to do it infront of Golkav, who most likely has a fair amount of interest in what going on with the island and does not want us here

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The caves seem to be the only thing of any interest here. You want to know more, but you don't want to tip your hand in front of Golkav.

So you graciously thank for Chief Atu for the meal and the hospitality of his island, and reassure him that his people will be safe on your ship, which will leave when it is stocked and made perfectly ready for departure. Which is, of course, something you wouldn't want to rush.

You and Golkav head out at the same time, the two of you making your way toward the docks where your ships are moored. He wears a thick warm peacoat, his hands thrust deep inside the pockets. You have a windbreaker and a light jacket, and can feel the chill lightly touching your skin through your layers.

Is there anything you want to say to him?
Is there anything you'd like to do?

>>30486682
>Is there anything you'd like to do?
talk to some of the locals maybe?

>>30486682
Could we have a list of what armaments we own?

>>30486682
"Swiggity swooty, I'm coming for that pirate booty."

>>30486682
make small talk, maybe ask how he deals with the weather and if he's encountered weird weather like on the island before

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>>30486727
You've replenished the rifles you lost in Episode 1. So you have 10 rifles, your personal pistol, and your Captain's pistol.

The boat has a Lewis Gun on the starboard side, and two deck guns. One mounted fore, one mounted aft.

The Rusk ship is about 400' long, which is an extra 150' over yours, and seems to have two deck guns on each side, as well as one forward, and one aft. It's ice-thickened hull will be tougher then yours.

>>30486904
So no one has anything that could sink a ship, but both of us can easily kill people, right?

How much crew do we have?

Head back to our ship to forward the news and assemble a search party.

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You make small talk on the walk back, nothing of consequence. Light remarks about the strange weather you've been having lately.

"Have you ever heard of weather like this before?" You ask as the two of you near the docks.

There's a palpable pause before he answers. His eyes take their time to find yours, when they normally seem to go right for them, like daggers to the soul.
"No."

His voice is completely even, and his face as unexpressive as ever, but you've done enough business to know when the someone isn't being upfront.

Challenging him isn't likely to get you anywhere, and he seems to be too clever to trip up into telling you things like this, but you know this isn't something completely new to him.

The two of you split apart at the docks. At the docks you see some villagers, up late. probably planning to steal food once every one has gone to sleep. You ask them about the caves.

The caves, allegedly, have always made odd noises, but after the earthquake a few months ago the noises changed. Instead of simple moans and sighs there are thuds and high pitched whines. They warn you to stay away from them, as they must be haunted by angry spirits. Not that anyone has ever been in them to check, it's just something everyone knows must be true. You thank them for the information, then board your ship. You can see some wooden boards have been placed along the bow, ready to fend off initial blows from ice. There's still some work that needs to be done along the side.

It's around 10. The sky is bereft of moon and stars thanks to the air cover.

Is there anything you want to do tonight?

>>30487113
Prepare an expedition to the caves. What spelunking tools do we have, and where are the caves?

>>30487106
>search party.
for what?

your not making much sense anon, and fuck, we don't want to start shit with the other vessel, put your murderhobo away anon

>>30487113
those caves sound scary and treacherous as fuck, and are probably the cause of the weather, fuck fuck fuck

lets maybe gather some volunteers and scout out the caves, get come recon on them, see if theres anything overly strange going on, but don't enter them yet

Rolled 32

>>30487195
Don't wuss out on a perfectly good plot hook. I don't want to play "sea taxi quest"

>>30487106
They might manage to breach your hull, you are unlikely to breach theirs.

Propulsion is exposed, which means if you got to their stern you could immobilize them.

But yes, both boats are very capable of killing people, and destroying wooden launches.

>>30487113
I'm conflicted on whether or not to go to those caves tonight.

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You decide that you want to investigate the caves, either tonight or tomorrow. Either way, the time to prepare is now.

For spelunking tools you have lanterns, and the same picks you use for chipping off rust, and ice. You have plenty of line in case you need to make a belay.
(I'm not sure what else you would use besides those.)

You have the crew gather the supplies. The location of the caves is easy to learn, they're a 45 minute hike, in warm conditions when the sun is up. Might take a bit longer on a night like this.

As everything is gathered, you decide to...

A: Explore the caves now, time is of the essence.
B: Explore the caves in the morning, safety is of the essence.

And is there anything else you do tonight?

>>30487338
>B: Explore the caves in the morning, safety is of the essence.
>And is there anything else you do tonight?
Army the sentries.

>>30487378
*Arm the sentries.

>>30487270
probably should explore the caves at night. our "comrade" may be planning to see the caves himself, but not until day, hence his insistence we leave as early as possible.

night will also give us cover from watching eyes

>>30487338
seconding >>30487378

>>30487195
>for what?
Whatever is causing the weird weather of course.

>put your murderhobo away anon
What?

>>30487338
Wait for tomorrow. Golkav knows we're up to something, and I don't want to fall into an ambush.

No need to rush anywhere. whatever it is, he won't try to take it before we are far away at sea.

>>30487408 (me)

>>30487405
thats actually a good point, I'll change my vote to arming the sentries and posting more lookouts/watchmen under the pretense of watching the ice, and we can take a few men with us under cover of darkness to the caves

>>30487432
and if anyone asks, a couple of our crew wandered off from the tavern, most likely to check out the ghost stories of the caves. bam, viable precedent

A: 11
B: 11
(Currently even.)

>>30487424
Here, changing my vote from B to A.

>>30487486
Make a diversion. First send out some crewmen to suspiciously roam around the town and then drink in a bar. (they will most likely be followed by Ruskies). Then when the air is clear, we take our real team and head to the caves.

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You decide that you need to investigate the caves tonight. Golkav is up to something, you don't want to give him time to prepare.

You set up some deception though. You gather up a few of your crewmembers, hand them some discretionary funds, and tell them to enjoy a night on the town on you.

The ruckus will make itself.

You arm sentries, and your team, and gather your supplies. You set your men to watch the boat, while giving your 'shore team' time to get wound up.

At 11PM, you are told some Ruskys are leaving their ship. Probably to enjoy the night.

At 12 PM you depart, making sure to stick to darkness as much as possible. With you are your Bosun Brent, and two deckhands. Once you're out of town you walk a bit easier.

A stiff, frigid wind blows from the cave hill, marking it as the source of the cold. The march takes an hour and a half as you pick your way through the darkness.

Once you get close enough to see your caves you see a dim light, too steady to be from a lamp. It looks like electricity, but there's no chance of finding that in the caves. It might be a type of moss.

Just as you being your final approach to the cave your Bosun grabs your hand, motions for you to keep silent, then gestures at the entrance. Your eyes slowly focus on some darker silhouettes.

A pair of guards, undoubtedly Rusky. You can't tell if they have guns or not.

>>30487744
>What do you do?

>>30487760
see if we can't sneak to their sides and get closer, see if we can't get more details and maybe listen to them

>>30487744
Get closer and observe them. Perhaps we can have the deckhands make a distraction?

>>30487760
>What do you do?
be sneaky as fuck, that's what we do

>>30487825
>Perhaps we can have the deckhands make a distraction?

this is a bad idea. we dont want them to know anyone is around or be on high alert. And I dont think they would leave their posts to go looking for noises

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The four of you stick against the steep rise as you creep closer to the caves. Cold air guests over your exposed face, forcing you to clench your teeth to keep them from chattering.

It takes about 10 minutes before one opens his mouth.
"Kak vasha zhena?"
"Mertvyy"

The pair lapse into an uncomfortable silence, before the first speaker opens his mouth again.
" Zhal' eto slyshat'. Kak ona umerla? "
"Podavilsya drugoy Man petukha."

The pair lapse into silence again as the first speaker suppresses a laugh. After a while it becomes clear that they won't be speaking anymore.

Sadly, you don't speak Russo, and neither do your Deckhands.

You prod the deckhands, and quietly tell them to make a distraction. They look at you warily, worried that the guards might be armed. You assure them that, even if they were armed, it's too dark for them to aim. They hold out until you promise them some extra money for this risk.

The deckhands move away from you and Brent. Then, they suddenly start jabbering in the Proper United Tongue. Their voices are high and afraid as they talk about weather and taxes. The guards look at each other uneasily and step into the light of the cave. You can now see that they have one rifle between the two of them.

"Halt, Who Is?" One calls out to your deckhands. They yell back a few very offensive words, then throw rocks at the guards. This is enough to provoke the guards into the chasing them.

You and Brent now have a clear shot to the caves, which you take. The two of you move fast, staying low to the ground. When you reach the cave you see the dim, blue glow is coming from in deeper. Whines, clicks, thuds, and grinding noises rise to meet your ears.

A: The two of you should go in.
B: You've seen enough, maybe you'll come back later.
C: Something else?

Rolled 74

>>30488094
A. No question.

>>30488094
A

down the hole we go

>>30488094
>A: The two of you should go in.

>>30488094
A it's too late for B

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Now sense in turning back now, you've come too far.

You slip your hand into your pocket, feeling the frigid metal of your pistol for one last piece of comfort before you and Brent trot into the cave, turning around a corner to get out of the sight of sentries.

The air in here is freezing. You let your teeth chatter now, your body shivering as you work your deeper into the tunnels.

As you make your way down, you find one of the passages is sealed off by a slab of stone as tall as a one story house. Long ago it must have been a door, but now it seems warped and misshapen. Slivers of light shine through cracks.

It looks too heavy to move, but there must be some way to open it. Brent lights the lantern for better light while you set to searching.

A quick inspection shows there are indentations in the door, the size of marbles. A closer inspection shows writing over each indentation, in a script you cannot read. Luckily, there are pictures.

(Doing MS Paint, be right back with pictographs.)

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The pictographs are set in the door under the longer script, one above each indentation. They're at chest level.

What do you do?

(If you want to refer to a pictograph, and have trouble describing it, you can refer to it by number. Top 4 are 1-4, bottom 4 are 5-8

During times of danger, stress, chance etc, I use rolls. They don't so much means 'success of task' as they do 'how optimistic or pessimistic is this scene. The roll is 3d6, best of the first three posts. Bonuses are given for clever thinking.)

Rolled 5, 6, 1 = 12

>>30488474
I have not the fucking faintest idea.

Maybe try inspecting/pressing the #1 & 2 arrow icons

I got no fucking clue what any of them mean and what we're meant to do with them

Rolled 1, 2, 2 = 5

>>30488474
Press the indentations.

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Rolled 6, 4, 1 = 11

>>30488474
start pushing buttons?

Rolled 5, 4, 6 = 15

>>30488598
4 is clearly a power button. turn that ancient furnace back on

if we have a anything to write on we should copy these down for future reference

Rolled 5, 3, 4 = 12

>>30488721
it could very well be a power button, and 8 could be something to do with heating, or setting the island on fire

>>30488721
A smart man always carries a small notebook. Sean Newell is no idiot.

You guys clearly want to press a button. Are there any preferred buttons? No symbol has consensus yet.

Rolled 2, 3, 4 = 9

>>30488882
press #4, see if we can't turn the magical power back on or something

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You glance over the indentations, sliding your finger along the script, feeling the ancient, weathered inscription.

You aren't sure which one to press. The 4th symbol, the circle with the line pointing up, seem innocuous enough. Your finger circles the indent, then slips into it.

The indentation strobes light over your finger, and then a deeper rumbling starts up. The source-less dim light that fills the tunnel grows brighter, and the walls start to vibrate. Brent coughs nervously into his fist, the Lantern trembling just a bit in his hand.

The door suddenly shudders, causing you to jump back and pull your finger away from it. It slowly crawls back into position, until it's flush in its square niche.

A low voice booms through the tunnels. You can't make heads or tails of it, or tell from where it comes, but it's clearly speaking something.

What do you do?

>>30488882
either press a button or shoot it.

>>30489075
either hold 1 or push another button at random. Quickly before the guards return. I vote we mash 3. I'm feeling sunny.

Rolled 5, 2, 1 = 8

>>30489075
see if we can open the door, if we can't go back to fiddling with the random symbols, maybe press #6, figure out what that does

>>30489202
I was going to say 8 since it looks like fire and fire fixes everything.

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Now that there's a commotion you feel the need to hurry, before the guard comes back. Your finger wavers over the buttons, before you hit 6, then change your mind and start mashing 3.

The button filled panel in front of you scrapes against stone as it slides down into the ground. It reveals a circular room, with strips of azure light set into the sides.

Enter? Y/N
Anything else?

>>30489185
I like pressing 1 or 2 see if we can open the door.

Rolled 5, 4, 2 = 11

>>30489273
Y
into the hole we go

>>30489273
Y!

Also, this looks pretty creepily futuristic/magic/not what we're used to. Do we or Brent know anything about what could be causing the light? Any thoughts on what language the booming was?

>>30489273
Y

they know we are here now.

>>30489273
>Enter? Y/N
is this seriously a choice. Of coarse we're going in.

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You step in without a second thought. You have no idea what could be causing this, but you have to find out.

Brent groans as you go in, burdened as he is by sane fears of human mortality, but he does follow.

The room has no features, save for geometric lines carved in the walls that seem to mean nothing. Once the two of you have gotten into the center the whole chamber starts to rumble, before the door rises back out of the floor and wedges itself into the ceiling. Brent shouts in shock, then charges the door and runs his hands along it, trying to find more indentations.

While he's searching the rumbling intensifies, and you get a distinct sense of vertigo. You suspect that you're moving, but you can't pinpoint the direction. The acceleration switches between imperceptibly smooth, and jarring lurches.

After five minutes of rumbling and the sound of stone sliding along stone Brent has calmed down enough to lean against a wall and contemplate the meaning of death. He's polite enough to do it silently. The rumbling slows, then recedes to its old background level.Brent casts a worried glance at you, then at the door.

Suddenly the chamber seems to fall a few feet, then stops. Brent yells, then gathers himself together, his knees trembling. The door you entered slides down, showing a hallway. rough-hewn stone bathed in a steady white

"You're an idiot Newell." Brent grumbles in your direction as he gets off the wall and peeks into the passageway.

At the end of the passage way is a glowing white orb. This hallway is even colder then the one you came in. Your ears and nose are numb, while your body has been set to shivering.

You slowly step forward, then push past Brent and make your way down the passageway. Every few steps you seem to lose a degree. The room is filled with marks, glyphs, and indentations.

The orb is set on a pedestal. It looks like you could touch it, but do you want to?

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>>30489513
Brent steps out of the chamber, and the door shuts behind him. The same symbols are on this one as were on the first one.

What do you do?

Rolled 4, 3, 3 = 10

>>30489538
touch the orb

we're so gonna die

>>30489538
Okay, so we have an elevator. The symbols must mean floors we can get to. Are we in danger of freezing to death any time soon? I'm not sure i'm feeling manly enough to touch the orb. Probably freeze our hand off or some shit. Why don't we check out another floor?

>>30489625
On second thoughts, we can get a gnarly hook hand if we get it froze off.

TOUCH THE ORB!
TOUCH THE ORB!

>>30489513
Look around a little. Throw your pencil at it from a safe distance to check for traps.

>>30489513
look around the room. DO NOT touch the orb

>>30489802
someone doesn't want an awesome hook hand

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You lean closer to the orb, feeling the temperature sharply plummet. You reach your hand out, slowly, feeling the heat drain out of them until they feel like they're on fire.

You suddenly decide to not touch the orb. You step back, rubbing your hand to get circulation back into your finger. After a few minutes of work you crumple a piece of paper and throw it at the orb.

The paper bounces off the orb. Tinkling sounds as it hits the ground. You move closer to inspect, and see that half of the paper ball has actually turned into ice.

Brent clicks his tongue and settles to sit on the floor, clearly not happy with the situation. While he sits there you move around the room, slowly inspecting the walls.

Most of what you see means nothing, but you do see what must be a mural. Engraved images of men sitting atop giant beasts, doing God knows what.

It's clearly not safe to touch the orb. There are millions of buttons in this room, but no symbols you can truly discern.

A: Press another 'Elevator' button? (Which one)
B: Start pressing random buttons in the white chamber?
C: Sit down with Brent and freak out together
D: Something else?

>>30489930
we should have looked for more info before we came down here maybe brought a local.

This is obviously the thing causing the ice. lets push a random button

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>>30489930
>B: Start pressing random buttons in the white chamber?

Rolled 6, 6, 2 = 14

>>30489930
A

lets see what the down arrow or fire button does

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With no clear signs in sight you walk over to the banks of indentations, and then start pressing them at random. Each one lights up in turn. After a few presses a high pitched whine sounds, then the orb begins to rotate.

The room starts to rumble, causing Brent to get up and trot back to the entrance, where he jams his finger into the 'up arrow'.
"I'm getting out of here Newell. This whole place is fucked!" He yells over his shoulder.

The door starts to fall. As he looks at you you see the tops of a few heads peeking over the descending door. Three people are in the chamber!

What do you do?

Rolled 3, 6, 1 = 10

>>30490323
draw our pistol and find some cover

>>30490323
Wave meekly and attempt to initiate dialogue whilst searching the room for cover in case things turn sour

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You glance around, attempting to find cover. Low cut blocks that might be chairs rest in front of a few of the panels. You step over to one. It's too small to give you proper cover, but it can't hurt.

Brent notices you're movement and glances back at the door, then shrieks as the sees Golkav's head revealed. He stumbles away from the door, but before he can get too far the door has fallen to the ground. A Rusky sailor steps out and grabs him, the other trains a rifle on him. Golkav has a pistol out, which is already leveled at you. His eyes look straight into yours as he regards you silently.

"Should have expected." He mutters, a bit resignedly. The two of you regard each other cooly over the barrels of your guns.

The room seems to be getting colder as the orb slowly picks up speed.

What do you do?

>>30490740
ya, I've got nothing

>>30490740
Shoot the buttons.

A long silence settles over the room as the two of you stare at each other. You try to think of something witty, but nothing good comes out. You're starting to go numb from the growing cold.

Golkav glances at Brent, then you, then the door. "This room not important. But it will kill you." An honest smile crosses his face. "Enjoy your stay." He slowly steps backwards, his pistol trained on you, ready to fire if you fire.

The Ruskies step into the chamber with Brent at gunpoint. The door rumbles, about to ascend.

A: Do something, anything
B: Wait for them to leave, and then try to figure something out.

>>30491119
shoot the orb?

>>30491119
>>30491357
hold the pistol by the barrel and hit the orb with the handle. (like hitting a baseball with a bat) Aim for the bad guys.

>>30491108
As the doors rise you respond by shooting the buttons. A loud crack shoots in your ears, reverberating off the small chamber with its tight acoustics.

Golkav curses as the door halts at his waist. "You idiot, this is ancient history! Pyotor, figure something out." He steps over the door and advances until he has a clear shot at you. Pyotor pulls out a book filled with cramped symbology. The other guard kicks Brent into a corner and keeps a gun trained on him.

Golkav regards you coldly, then walks over to one of the other stools and settles on it.
"Newell, I think I tell you something. In this cave is great treasure, belongs to Empire. Not to you." You shiver as you stare at him, your teeth rattling in your jaw. "None can know vat ve have. Vich is why you will die."


What do you do?

>>30491357
>>30491460
Going with this.

Disregard>>30491479

>>30491479
I think I'll go with the same response as before. >>30491460

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As the doors rise you're shocked into action. Your tense frigid muscles are stiff as you lurch away from the stool. Golkav's eyes are trained on yours, then suddenly widen as he sees you grab your pistol by the barrel, then swing it at the orb.

It flies into the corridor, while the gun turns to ice in your hand. As it slams into the rising door a blinding flash fills the hallway.

When it clears everything that isn't strange and ancient has turned to ice. The Ruskies, Brent, and Golkav.

His eyes remain trained on you, as blue in ice as they were in life. They don't move as you get up and walk towards them. You throw a paper ball at him to check, nothing happens.

It's unsettling, but you need to get out of here. You're forced to stand next to the glacial forms as you test the buttons. It takes you a few tries to get out, and each stop reveals another odd chamber.

The chill in the air dissipates while you're trying to find the exit. Once you get out you not that the wind has died down by quite a bit. Your deckhands greet you at the exit and ask after Brent. You're not sure what to say. You'll figure that out later.

Back in the village no one knows what's happened. The truth is yours to do with as you wish. There are secrets upon secrets buried in those caves, but it's the sort of thing you aren't suited to deal with. Maybe you'll revisit this later.

Only one important matter remains; What do you tell Chief Atu?

A: Your problem has been solved, guess you don't need to leave
B: I can solve your problem, just give me a day and a lot of Crowns.
C: We sail at noon.
D: Something else?

>>30491757
>C: We sail at noon.
Still need to make that money back.

>>30491757
>A: Your problem has been solved, guess you don't need to leave
We lost a bunch of money
>B: I can solve your problem, just give me a day and a lot of Crowns.
They might not believe us
>C: We sail at noon.
they will need to travel back once they realize the island is habitable

>>30492012
>they will need to travel back once they realize the island is habitable
Best option. We can charge them to get back too.

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Once the sun comes up you inform Chief Atu that you'll be leaving at noon with your passengers. It might not be the most honest thing to do, but losing money on a trip is not an option.

Besides, you might even be able to carry them on the way back.

(All right, that's the end of Episode 2 guys. It ended a bit abruptly, but I hope you guys enjoyed playing.

Next Episode won't be until after my next hitch at least, so that'll be May, maybe.

If you follow my other Quests, Heat of /d/arkness resumes tomorrow at 3PM EST. Hoo/d/ Quest should have a thread next Tueday.

I'll be around for at least another hour if anyone has any questions.

Thread has been archived. http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Freighter%20Quest

>>30492156
thanks for the run Kiku, glad to see Sean's adventures continuing

>>30492156
I looked into some of your other quests a while ago. Smut with good plot is hard to find but some of your other quests are a little too /d/ for me. Would you consider running a quest that was somewhere between the /d/ ones and this.

>>30492348
Thanks for playing.

>>30492540
Probably not. Since my Quests are very /d/, I'm able to write Quests where the smut is the focus, which means the fetish become the focus, which is fairly easy for me to work with.

If my smut Quests were more vanilla, then I would probably get bored of them, unless it was plot driven with a bit of romantic smut paced inside it. I don't really have the time to start anything like that, as it would have to be something continuous, not a one shot.

>>30492797
>unless it was plot driven with a bit of romantic smut paced inside it.
This is more or less what I was thinking. But, I understand not wanting to get into that. Continuous quests can be a lot of work.

Thanks for running.