Startup 24: Do Your Prep!

Arodus 9, evening

“I do have one question,” Syl drawled, her alabaster eyes rolling upwards, “Are you drunk?”

I suppressed a wince, and looked around at my team. Every one of my officers except Rosie were present, and she was only gone because she was managing things on the deck. I’d called a meeting at the Enterprise when everyone finished their tasks for the day, and absolutely nobody liked my plan to deal with the drow.

To be fair, turning myself in unconditionally with the intention of breaking out later isn’t exactly the obvious play.

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad.” I objected. “They aren’t going to cut my throat or anything.”

“One, you can’t be certain of that, two, there are other methods of control that a magically talented individual might use.” Cog said, lifting two fingers as he spoke.

“Wear Earrings.” Rowe interjected sagely, “Become Dave.”

“You weren’t able to get away from them for a century before.” Sosima pointed out, her brow furrowed in worry. “Are you quite certain it’ll be easier now?”

“I’m a lot more powerful now than I was then,” I countered, trying to assert command, “I’ll be fine.”

“Three, this is essentially an infiltration mission.” Cog droned on, lifting a third finger, “people have established check in procedures and planned rendezvous points for those. How will we be able to help if something goes wrong? You haven’t even been able to point out the exact location of the city on a map.”

“I can call something to serve as a messenger.” I insisted. “Not Dierdre, it’ll need to be something that can teleport.”

“Of course!” Syl groaned, “Something that can teleport! How could I have ever accused you of not thinking this through!”

“Come on guys, it should be fun!” Sandara chimed in. “He’s already said where he intends to meet us. I don’t see why not.”

“What if Varossa tries to commandeer the ship while he’s away?” Ivey mumbled. “She seems to respect him, but we all know he can’t teleport. There’s also no chance we will be able to fake his presence unless we find another weather witch.”

“I don’t see why you don’t just use the mirror on the bitch.” Syl grumbled. “Or we could kill all three of them.”

“We are in a major port town.” I sighed. “They paid for security, and they are legitimately quite strong as individuals. With that said, I want to save the mirror for that dragon. We can lock down a whole dragon’s hoard. Just think what we can do with that kind of cash!”

“Four,” Cog doggedly continued, reaching his pinky. “You haven’t even explained what this will accomplish. You seem to be planning a huge, highly risky recon mission on your own damn family. Why?”

“It’s partly about my amnesia,” I said, “I don’t remember everything. I feel like I hardly know these people.”

“Then why would you risk it?” Sosima retorted acidly. “It seems you should take your own advice and move on with your life.”

I sighed.

“It’s partly about power.” I admitted. “I might as well explain. There are certain things I can do that will make me stronger. My magic has been growing in leaps and bounds because I’ve been doing them as we encounter them.”

“Ah! Makes sense.” Sandara said, tapping a finger to her lips.

“How that make sense?” Rowe growled, frowning.

“It explains how quickly he’s been growing, and some of the silly things he does.” Sandara said, “Things like taking an interest in a dying man on the Wormwood, resurrecting a girl you barely know, knocking Plugg off his seat, and probably this mess with the temple of Callistria?”

“Resurrecting you was actually just because I like you, same with Sosima.” I admitted. “A lot of the things I’m told to do are more selfish or deranged. They also give me hints about the future.”

“Hints like knowing where we are going.” Sosima said, her golden eyes widening with realization. “That's how you could guess Varossa’s itinerary, isn’t it?”

“I’m glad you have a reason, but what exactly are you hoping to gain?” Cog said, only somewhat mollified. “It is still extremely risky, so let’s hear the payoff.”

I shifted uncomfortably as I looked at the mission in my log.

Fulfill one of Emrys M’Dair’s greatest sexual fantasies. Bonus if you can manage multiple in a 24 hour period, the timer starts when you finish one.

1: 1 exp, Courtesan’s Secret cantrip

2: 2 exp, Body Control Talent: Perfect Parallel

3: 3 exp, drow courtesan conjuration companion

So… birth control, something that makes me better at moving in sync with someone else, and a summon that may or may not be at all useful. Six experience as well, which would be enough to get another level, but that’s all assuming that everything goes perfectly. I don’t even know what two of Autopilot’s fantasies are.

There’s also A Renegade Male, which gives me perks that I have no knowledge or control over. I have no idea what will come of that, but I’ll get something just for showing up in Heslandaena. All the better if I can recruit someone on the way out, or actually negotiate a deal.

“Well, if things go very well I should learn multiple additional spells and strengthen all of you.” I said. “That is what I can predict. I should also be able to gain a few more useful abilities, but I don’t really have any way of knowing exactly what they are. I just know the catalysts, which are mostly things I at least kinda want to do anyway if I’m going to Heslandaena in the first place. One of the unknown benefits comes from just stepping foot into Heslandaena for the first time since I left, and another for making allies among them.”

“Don’t obey.” Rowe said seriously. “Obey means more obey. Say what you want is what they want, but you have gun. Big gun, let them know you have it. Then smaller gun they don’t know you have.”

The team took a moment to decode that, then we all nodded thoughtfully.

“That would make it easier to negotiate from a position of strength.” Sosima said, “Perhaps bring one of us along? Syl, maybe?”

“No. Aaron is right about Varossa.” I said, shaking my head, “I need Syl here managing things on my behalf. Hell, I need all of you here keeping an eye on things.”

“Captain!” Rosie’s shout penetrated a few layers of wood to reach us. “Could you come up here?”

“Everyone think about suggestions.” I ordered. “I’m open to refining the plan, but I do intend to go unless someone makes a damn good argument against it. Besides, I need to get this bitch off my back long term.”

I hurried to the deck, and found a tall, blocky woman on the dock. The guards were eyeing her nervously as she stood just outside of the area they patrolled. She was big for a human woman, around six feet, and had a heavy stick slung to her belt.

“Albert!” She yelled, her voice penetrating. “Albert! Are you in there?”

I was only on the deck for a few moments before Owlbear charged through the doors behind me, still thoughtlessly holding a small bowl of rice.

“Mama?” He said, looking around.

“Albert!” His mother cried, “I’m down on the dock!”

I caught the bowl, thoughtlessly dropped as Owlbear vaulted over the side of the ship, and gently put it down on a barrel. Narwhal and Rosie, the only members of the crew on deck, cheered as the humongous man hugged his mother. I took my time joining the reunited pair, and waited for them to finish. Owlbear’s mother was holding him by the sides of his face, looking him in the eye with a huge smile.

“I was so worried.” She said. “Don’t ever vanish like that again.”

“Sorry mama.” Owlbear said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to.”

“In his defense, there were five other people that got kidnapped around that time.” I said, seizing the opportunity to join in. “I can tell you that they didn’t ask nicely.”

“Well he shouldn’t have been wandering in any case.” She said sternly, the words clearly directed at her son, before turning to me. “I suppose you’ll want something for bringing him back?”

She looked at me up and down, her face settling into a scowl.

“He’s nice, mama.” Owlbear said, and received a gentle hand on his shoulder. She didn’t quite shush him, but the effect was the same.

“No. He’s a full member of the crew.” I said firmly. “He wasn’t interested in long term employment, and communicated that to me from the start. Owlbear, how would you like to handle your pay?”

“I want it?” He said, confused. “Money is good.”

“Oh,” Miss Hartshorn said, softening. “That is sweet of you. Thank you, Mr…”

“Emrys. He’s nice.” Owlbear introduced me, “And that’s Rosie. She’s my friend.”

Rosie walked up and shook Miss Hartshorn’s hand, then hugged Owlbear around his legs. Miss Hartshorn eyed her spindly green left arm suspiciously.

“I’m gonna miss you, big guy.” Rosie said.

“Let me clarify,” I said, walking up to the trio. “Owlbear has earned a few dozen gold pieces as a member of my crew. He’s saved the lives of multiple people and did the work of three men when we were able to put him to good use. I’d happily keep him on if he wanted it, but he’s requested to come home.”

“Dozens?” She asked, surprised. “What in the nine hells did you have my boy doing?”

“Fighting ghouls along with the rest of us.” I said seriously. “Less than a quarter of the crew survived. No one who lived through that walked away without their fair share. I don’t blame him for wanting to retire after that.”

“Of course he wanted to retire!” She said, flaring up, “My Albert is a sweet boy! He has no business on a ship of pirates.”

Rosie tensed at that, but I met her eye and shook my head slightly.

“Agreed. So, Owlbear,” I said, deliberately focusing on him. “I could give you the money now, or I could give you a little money whenever I come by. This town isn’t as bad as Goatshead, but I worry about what might happen if someone finds out you two have a pile of gold in your house. I don’t really know whether or not banking is a thing. It’s up to you.”

Miss Hartshorn began speaking, but I locked eyes with her and frowned. This was Owlbear’s choice. (Intimidate 16+12+5=33)

“I want you to come visit.” He said after some deliberation, “is that okay?”

“Of course.” Rosie said firmly. “Any time we are in town, I’ll come by and we can have a drink somewhere quiet. Deal?”

“That sounds nice.” Owlbear said quietly.

“Then it’s settled.” I said. “Rosie, would you mind handling this? I’m afraid I still have business to attend to.”

If I’m going to negotiate from a position of strength, I have a few more things to do first. They have a city behind them. Let's see what I can stack against that.

••••••••••

“Hah! You, a free captain?” The human man at the counter smirked at me through a messy curtain of greasy black hair. “Not bloody likely.”

“Oh?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, “Why not?”

I’d come to Lucrehold, the fortress of the Hurricane King, hoping to set myself up as a member of the Shackles’ informal fleet. It wasn’t going well.

“I don’t know your name, and I don’t care to.” The clerk said dismissively. “You look plenty distinctive; if you’d have done anything worth mentioning, I’d have heard of it.”

I frowned.

So I don’t have the clout. Well, either that or I forgot to pay some kind of customary bribe, but he hasn’t been dropping any hints in that direction.

“Fine.” I said with a shrug. “I might as well register my flags while I’m here, regardless.”

I pulled out the folded flag of Tessa Fairwind, a white and red number that resembled an ace of spades. Apparently a reference to her ship, The Luck of the Draw. The clerk studied it for a moment, including a simple detect magic, and nodded.

“Alright, so you’ve got merchant flags.” He said with a shrug. “I’ll mark you down as under Fairwind’s protection. Name?”

“Emrys M’Dair.” I said confidently.

He stared at me for a long moment, his gaze expectant. He didn’t write down my name.

“Captain of the Enterprise?” I said, hoping that was the information he wanted. It seemed to be, as he looked down at a form and scrawled out a few notes.

“Alright.” He said gruffly. “Anything else?”

I checked my mission log and smiled.

Rags to Riches:

Own a ship that is legally backed by at least one pirate lord or the Hurricane King. - Complete

Gain enough notoriety to be recognized on sight by a total stranger with no specific effort on your part.

Complete a task assigned by the High Pirate Council

Become a Pirate Lord able to speak on the High Council

Become Hurricane King

“No, I think that covers everything.”

••••••••••

I met up with my team outside; everyone in my party except Sosima, who I’d left on the ship to manage the crew and get her armor on. We moved as a unit to the Siren’s Lash, where I made several arrangements. Along the way, I took a look at my new perk.

What a Man Can Do, and What He Can’t. - Emrys has become more precise in his ability to assess the capabilities of other people. By focusing on them with detect magic, he may read in their aura what their caster level is, what school or sphere of magic they are most specialized in, and their most powerful magical ability.

Nice.

When we arrived at the temple of Callistria, I was able to get in to speak with the high priestess without too much difficulty. I only needed to open my coin purse. (Diplomacy 19+9+2+2=32) Cog seemed sour about that for some reason.

Shit, I’m going to need a cash infusion soon. Definitely gonna kill that dragon unless he immediately offers me a beer when I see him.

I was asked to leave most of my team in the hall while I spoke to the High Priestess, though I was able to get Syl and Cog in.

Livdana was a beautiful older garundi woman with long, slicked back black hair. She wore heavy jewelry, and a dress with alternating yellow and black lines. Her teeth shone like a beacon against her ebony skin. I instinctively checked her ears to make sure she wasn’t a drow. She would have looked very inviting if she weren’t gently stroking a wasp the size of a cat, which nestled in her lap.

“Captain!” She said warmly, “I understand you have a business proposal for me? I certainly hope so; I don’t open my doors for casual chats.”

“Fear not, I think we can come to an arrangement.” I assured her, “How would you like to be paid for the opportunity to make more money?”

If I hadn’t already had her attention, I had it then.

“A man after my own heart, it seems.” She said, smiling, “I am listening.”

Alright. Let’s see if we can get a mission in while we are out.

“Syl, would you mind explaining the proposal?” I asked, before dropping my voice to a whisper, “I admit, it’s still slightly embarrassing to ask about.”

Syl rolled her eyes, ran her fingers through her hair, and stepped forward. She set her shoulders and locked eyes with Livdana

“Do you think you could market Captain M’Dair?” She asked bluntly, pointing at me. “How much would you ask a customer for a few minutes of pleasure with this man?”

Livdana cocked her head, and the wasp leapt up and buzzed around the room. It stopped at several points, examining me from different angles, then settled on a perch next to Livdana. It made a series of quick clicks.

“Yes. I agree.” She said, “He’s exotic, and very pretty. With proper framing I could probably ask for perhaps twenty gold pieces for a night with him. He’d need to cultivate more of a reputation for me to ask more than that.”

“And for fifteen minutes, with a guarantee of a climax?” Syl pushed. “One hundred customers in a single day? How much for that?”

“Will he sleep with men?” Livdrana asked.

“No.” I said quickly, before Syl could get carried away.

“A few silver.” She said, “Fewer women are interested in being one of many.”

“What if it’s a spectacle?” Syl asked, “A glorious one time opportunity, perhaps even free?”

“Even fewer.” Livdana dismissed the idea flatly. “There’s no prestige in being one of a hundred for a man you’ve never heard of. If you came in here with Avimar Sorrinash we could talk, but what little reputation Captain M’Dair has in Port Peril is slightly negative.”

“How many takers do you think you could find for one day, realistically?” I asked, stepping in. “Perhaps three days from now, for fifteen minutes each?”

“Thirty, maybe?” She said. “If I send offers to the right people, of course.”

“You get to keep that money.” Syl said. “All of it. However, in return we will want to book a room and bring in as many people as we can find, and have all the support one of your workers would expect for the room. Further, we need to reach a quota of 96 people. If we can’t find that many people we will want to fill out the numbers with your employees here. Obviously only ones who are willing.”

“Standard rates apply.” Livdana said demurely. “And why should we be concerned with your quota?”

“Because we are willing to offer you 1000 gold as a bonus, in addition to all income gained from the exercise.” Syl said. “My captain has an unusual form of sorcery; sexual intercourse temporarily makes him more powerful. We wish to push the limits of that property of his abilities, so as to know what is possible.”

The high priestess looked at Syl skeptically.

“Did your captain tell you this while trying to convince you into his bed?” She asked laconically.

“No. Some time afterwards.” Syl said. “After manifesting the ability to summon fae and control the weather.”

That was enough for Livdana to purse her lips. The wasp clicked a few times, and she shrugged.

“I suppose that’s as good a reason as any.” She said. “I think you may want to look for things other than sex which happened at around that time. I’ve never heard of sex being directly tied to gaining power.”

The wasp clicked again.

“Outside of the church of Arshea,” Livdana said with an exasperated tone, “but she hardly ever makes oracles and has no affinity with weather or fey.”

“As a gesture of good faith and insurance, I have an additional piece of collateral I’d like to offer.” I added with a smile. “I’m going to give the bartender at the Raging Linnorm a letter containing some useful information. If I fail to follow through on this deal in the next three days, and he doesn’t suspect foul play on your part, you can go pick it up at your leisure.”

“Oh?” She asked, raising one eyebrow. “What kind of information?”

“Well, since Callistria is the goddess of both lust and vengeance, I was thinking you might like to know the location of Heslandaena.”

••••••••••

It wasn’t too hard to get a table at the tavern; we just needed to sit far away from the stage where Conchobar Sr. Crooned his heart out. I sketched out the back alley on a slate with chalk.

“Syl and Yael will stand to either side of me in front; they’ll respect those two more.” I said, making small crosses to show the formation. “Cog stands in the back and covers Sandara. Sosima, you stand tall in the middle. Look stern. They will assume you’re in charge and if it comes to a fight they’ll probably target you.”

“If you’re expecting a battle, why are we bunching up like this?” Sosima said thoughtfully, examining the slate. “Magic could wipe us out in a second, if properly implemented. It would be better to have the majority of us lying in ambush at either end of the alley. Perhaps only you and myself make ourselves visible.”

“I’m actually not expecting a fight.” I said, waving one hand, “I’m just hoping to make a show of strength. If we go out and form up, they’ll be more likely to take us seriously. We stay here in the corner until Dierdre tells us they are waiting, then make a dynamic entrance, that should throw them off balance.”

We all bent over the slate and memorized our positions, sipping at our drinks and waiting.

“Yeah, this should work as long as they don’t see the scout.” Said a voice a few inches to my left, “Not a bad plan, Stud. You’ve come pretty far.”

Between one moment and the next, she simply appeared, bending over the table between me and Sosisma. She smiled at me with gold painted lips.

“Not quite as far as you seem to think, though.”

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