Check the Cargo

The hold is filled with crates, stacked up high to the ceiling. You have taken on tar for fuel, but not for sale. But the Captain and you both expect to make a tidy profit on selling all the charms stored in the hold.

You spent a good while making sure that the cargo is secured, and that it has not been tampered with. A few ropes are loose; an oversight that is easy to fix. The import seals on some lids are partially broken – carelessness while loading no doubt. You make a note of it anyway.

{if Creeping Shadows > 1} The Captain does not condone smuggling, but she does engage in some cost-saving measures. The Navy, the Greencoats at Imperial Customs, and the local constabularies all claim jurisdiction over maritime commerce, and their interpretations of the relevant codes tend to differ by a lot.

The two of you do not attempt to divine truth from discordant sources; you rather side with whoever asks the least. This is not illegal, as the Weaselly Lawyer has explained – again and again – to the incensed flatfoots.

Still, avoiding another eternity in lockup, another lengthy legal debate, and his outrageous fees may be the prudent curse of action. {endif}