The invasion

The port city of Vastigula hardly marshalled a response to the siege by the break of morning. The citizens were mostly focused on repairs and containment from the bombardment that came from the Vindication that night. The naval ships had yet to move; outnumbered and outgunned, any counter offensive would be almost guaranteed to bring failure. Defensive positions were being remanned, and makeshift positions were being fashioned quickly, albeit haphazardly. While the activity inside the wharf had been minimal, there had been plenty of opportunities in the waning hours. Some of the faster ships in the fleet captured merchant ships who had approached Vastigula, unaware of the siege that had begun. All said, there was plenty to be excited and hopeful about.

One wouldn't know it looking at Joseline though. The Cutthroat Countess, in a dry change of clothes, donning her dark red coat again, was in a foul temper, skulking about the ship, her sword drawn. Everyone aboard the Vindication can sense it, and does their absolute damndest to avoid her wrath. You tepidly approach her in her cabin. As you enter, you see her slowly nursing a glass of rum.

"May I speak with you, Captain?"

"By all means Fiana," as she pointed to a spare chair for you to sit "I'm glad someone on this blasted expedition has some balls, even if it's just you. What's on your mind?"

"Well, Captain" You try to start this in a gentle and delicate manner "It's just, it's about"

"My mood?" she asks ahead of you

"Yes Captain. You have everyone on the ship on edge. The morale aboard the Vindication is going to start hurting if the crew is constantly worried about losing their heads."

She lets out a sigh as she takes a drink "I know. It's not even them that I'm angry with."

"Than what's the problem? This is going about as well as could be hoped, isn't it?"

"Not from where I'm standing, no" Joseline stood up and looked out the window of her cabin to see all the other ships around her "the city should be a fucking tinder box by now. They follow behind us, but they don't do anything, except for the few transport ships that were captured overnight."

"What would you have them do, Captain? Hardly any of them have the hatred for the Empire that you have. Many of them are even Imperial citizens. This isn't a vendetta to them, it's a means for profit." She continues to stare out in the distance quietly, and you gently add "they are still only pirates."

"The ships would sink in the amount of plunder Vastigula has! Am I the only one here who doesn't believe they are invincible?" She began to shout, turning back towards you. You maintain a cooler head, reassuring the frustrated Joseline.

"No, Captain. You have me, and Trandal. You have your cousin Marianna, and her ship. We're all with you, and the rest will continue to follow you if you show them that victory is possible. They followed you this far after all. They have shown their loyalty, even if they are reticent."

Joseline nodded gently "Thank you, Fiana. You're right, after all. We'll bring this Bloody Armada to victory and glory, even if we have to drag them by the cocks to get there." She looked out her window again, gazing past the ships to the city beyond "I used to live here Fiana. Did you know that?"

"No Captain," You respond directly "Marriana had shared that your mother married into Imperial nobility, but never mentioned the place."

The Countess added " My mother was disowned when I was born, the money my dear cousin insists that was sent for us never reached our hands. The two of us lived in squalor, scraping by however we could. It was from the dirty alleys that I first saw sailing ships, with all the food, weapons, and money changing hands every day. It was a hard life, but even at a young age I could see that a ship was like a family, and you would be judged by how well you could pull your weight, and not by..." She lifts her slim burgundy hands and moves them across her sloping horns "well, you know."

"So you joined a crew at a young age, Joseline?" The Cutthroat Countess, for a moment appearing a different woman, shook her head, the fury in her demanor had slipped away to reveal a deeper melancholy "No. Much as I wanted to taste freedom and to prove myself, I couldn't leave my mother alone. She started getting sick a lot, so she needed me as much as I needed her." She moved away from her window and returned to her seat, swiftly taking the rest of her drink. Her eyes hovered on the ceiling for a second as she held her deeper emotions in check. "I had just turned nineteen when she died. Neither her estranged husband or her own family would take her. Could scarcely give her a burial. When I did, there was nothing holding me here, or anywhere. So, I stowed away on a ship. I was found out, and after an arrangement was made, the captain let me become part of the crew. The rest is history, as they say"

Your errant mind latched onto a specific part of her story "An arrangement? Countess, does that mean that?"

"Captain Roberts spoke the truth," She cut you off again, nodding slightly "The arrangement to not being thrown to the sharks was to let the Captain fuck me." A smile slowly broke through "he wasn't so bad, as lovers go. The worst part of that was dealing with his jealous and resentful crew. They thought that I should be fair game to anyone who wanted some. Roberts, who was a junior officer on that ship, especially had that view."

"So what did you do?" You ask, deeply curious.

"The captain wasn't a very perceptive man, and tended to trust easily when drunk. I slept with who I wanted to when the captain wasn't looking, usually in exchange for a few coins or a daily ration of rum. The crews attitude toward the captain continued to sour as he proved to be more and more incompetent, so one night, when he took me to his cabin for the evening, I waited until he was all done, and I killed him. I was made the captain of the ship, which annoyed Roberts dreadfully. He thought he should be given that honor, despite being disliked nearly as much as his superior. Fearing he would be next, Roberts left the ships company the next chance he could get."

"Did you keep fucking the crew as Captain?"

"Oh, of course I did!" She laughed, causing you to reflexively laugh with her "Still young, still had those desires to take whatever I could get. Still have those desires, if I'm being completely honest, just a little better about managing them. But more than that, it was the first time I was wanted by anyone. Even if was it these dirty, smelly, uncultured swine, it still meant something. I'll tellya something else, it's a great way for keeping morale up on long voyages. Just you remember that when you become captain some day."

"I don't think that day will ever come, Countess"

"Why's that? You're capable enough."

"Wanderlust, mostly. There's too much of the world to see to only sea it from a ship."

"Understandable. Hopefully I can hold onto you at least a little while longer before you run away."

"Aye, Captain"

"Good" As the Countess poured herself another small drink and downed it quickly "We have work to do, so lets get to it. We're going to take the harbor by ****, lay claim to whatever we can. Kill my uncle and take his throne, if we get really lucky"

"Countess," You start to speak in protest, but she cuts off you off

"This was your idea Fiana. We have to lead them, we have to prove once and for all that these Imperial thugs are not everything their propaganda makes them out to be."

"But, your family"

"He never recognized me as family before, I see no reason to treat him as such now, with his life on the line."

"Yes ma'am, we'll make the preparations." As orders were relayed, the crew scrambled to lift anchor and prepare for the ensuing battle. As the sails filled and the ship started to pull forward, the Vigilance, captained by Marriana shortly followed suit. The Countess, leaving navigation to one of the crew, kept her eyes behind on the other ships. They had stayed anchored, maintaining the blockade but not daring further. Joseline was starting to head to despair again.

"Fuck them all! I hope they all drown in the abyss!" She bellowed at nobody "If we survive this I'm going to turn those defensive batteries on all of them!" Near as she stopped, the sails of three ships began to fill and follow in. The Manteo, led by Captain Lordsmith, likely glad to have been spared and ready to make some amends. The Vigilance, piloted and captained by Joseline's ever faithful cousin Marriana, and the ****, the small, agile sloop with its new captain, after the now deceased Captain Roberts lost his head. While most of the ships remained stationary, a small handful of others joined in as well.

"Well, at least that's something. We'll have them yet!"

"It's just as well they stay where they are Captain" Trandal piped in "the port is too narrow, it would be impossible for all of the ships to navigate in and out of here, not without colliding."

"Fair point master Trandal!" She said exhilarated "We don't need them anyway. We'll make landfall and have all the glory to ourselves!"

As the ships began to reenter the peer, the defensive cannons began to go off again. More numerous and better prepared this time, a few of them managed to hit their targets. the sickening sound of splintering wood took over any other noise. The docked ships were also prepared to fire. With cannons firing in every direction, some of them inevitably missed and started striking each other. The cannons aboard the Vindication were heavy and didn't travel as far, but once the ship was able to survive the barrage, deployed a powerful counter attack of its own, making way for the ships behind.

Approaching the docks was especially perilous, as this was where everyone was most ****. Joseline herself was among the Marines departing the ship early on ropes to help secure the ship, along with you and Trandal. The fighting was crowded and frantic, and you were outnumbered significantly. You just had to buy time for the gangplank from the Vindication to drop, allowing the rest of the crew to enter fight. Against all odds, you were able to hold your own in the melee until that time, and the balance of power began to shift, especially as the Vigilance followed behind it. The Intransican sailors quickly began to route as more ships and more pirates began to fill the narrow space, racing back to defensible positions.

"Come on you scurvy dogs!" The Cutthroat called in an ecstatic battle cry "We push the advantage now and they'll never be able to regroup! The city is as good as ours! To the Keep!" You join her in the charge, following closely behind, not knowing the city at all. Small pockets of resistance dotted the way, town watch members and foolishly brave civilians, but were no match for the onslaught that drove forward. Upon entering the keep, things began to take a turn for the worse. The wealth and luxury inside was dripping off every wall and surface, and the loyalty of a pirate was a distant second to their greed. The charge quickly turned to looting; those that remained focused had to contend with the more elite royal guards. Numbers on her side, Joseline was still able to run past the guards, being distracted with those more interested in fighting. Worried that she was being blind in her rage, you tried your best to follow behind her, directly into the throne room.

The immaculate throne room was empty of life, except for the local Lord, Joseline's despotic uncle. As she **** herself in, she stopped her run, holding her cutlass tightly as she approached.

"So" The noble lord sneered "You must be the infamous Cutthroat Countess, the dread scourge of the seas. I must say I'm unimpressed. I expected more tact."

"Tact enough to get here, that has to count for something."

"Indeed, but how do you plan on escaping?"

"Who said anything about escape? I'm right where I want to be. Right where I should have been, my whole life."

The lord squinted his eyes, cupped his round chin under his fist "Well aren't you mighty high for your britches. I'm sorry that I didn't catch your name"

"Louinette. Joseline Louinette. First and only born child of Count Napoli Louinette. Your older brother. You're in my chair, Josepi." The lord's face had gone white as a ghost. The distance between them had closed enough that she could nearly reach him with her sword, only to be distracted. The side door opened in a hurry, to allow the entrance of a screaming child, running towards the Lord in tears. Joseline stammered back by what she saw. The child was tiefling, like her, a young girl, no older than eight.

"Your half-sister" Josepi said sternly as he held the child, trying to console her.

"So you mean?"

"Your father remarried. His second wife bore birth to a child just like his first. Twice was too much to be a coincidence, though it made little difference. She died almost immediately after birth, and he died not long after. I've been the steward here until your sister was old enough to rule."

The little girl was still sobbing, but found enough bravery to look up to see Joseline. The Countess' grip on her weapon was ironclad, her face looked as though she had been possessed, lost for what to do next. The fighting she had evaded had finally caught up to her, as a throng of pirates came in, followed by a larger **** of the palace guard.

"Captain, we have to go!" You shout to her, recognizing the fight was lost. Joseline fell to her knees, still staring at her half-sister and Uncle, her face welling up in grief. You try to grab her, but to no avail. Self preservation kicked in, and you barely are able to fight your way through the soldiers to get your way out. Amongst all the chaos, you hear a faint shot "Stop! Spare her!" You don't stop to look back to see what happens. You're able to get outside of the keep, and meet up with Trandal and Marrianna.

"Where is she?" Marriana asked. Before you could form the words, she grabbed you by the shoulders and shouted "Blasted Elf, where is my cousin!? It was your job to protect her!"

"She was captured. Something came over her and she lost the will to fight"

"Impossible!" Marrianna shouted back "Jo has been a fighter since she was born. There's nothing she wouldn't get in the way of her goals"

"A half sister would." You respond coldly. Marrianna let go of you and took a step back, trying to process what she's been given. You slowly feed her more "the child is a Tiefling, like her."

Marrianna's face goes distant as she attempts to deduce things "But, how? That would mean -

Trandal interjected quickly, causing the group to focus "Look, I don't know what all of this means, and for the moment, I don't really care. Whatever happened, we have to worry about our own hides right now. We have to get to safety, come up with a new plan."