Opening
letter
... the target is extremely resilient to
damage. Severe casualties to Sect
forces in the termination of the target.
Estimation of evacuated civilians
measures twenty percent.
This disciple recommends that the
origins of the target are investigated,
such that this does not occur again.
-Merzed
ellerie
-sentially told me, either I continue with
this mess holding her timed explosive,
or else she'll be throwing me off the ship!
Not much of a choice for me, is it?
mince
I don't think Oriana and Tower
ever intended any malice.
If it wasn't for the Sect, none
of this would have happened.
ellerie
Not a malicious bone in her body, Oriana.
The crew love her.
Enough that in a mutiny, I'll probably be the one going overboard.
mince
Oriana is a good quartermaster, but you
know I'd always be on your side.
ellerie
I know I have you, Mince. I wish they were
wicked, because now I can't reject them!
This whole excursion was a hasty decision,
and now I'm paying the price for it.
I could've done anything more sane, such as
poisoning, stirring dissent or assassination, but instead, I gambled it all on this Workshop,
hoping for weapons that may not exist.
mince
There's always the option to start over.
Let the Mainland fight their own petty
wars while you can simply do whatever.
ellerie
You know I'm not looking for peace of mind.
I see their faces in my dreams, mocking me.
“A bastard cannot amount to anything.”
Do you not feel the same?
Do you not hate them for driving you
from your home, for killing your liege?
mince
The loss of the Princess is a tragedy beyond
belief. But I don't hold a personal grudge.
The games of the Court and nobles are
beyond the understanding of a simple knight.
ellerie
Aren't you the open-minded one.
I wonder if there's anything in the
world that can drive you to anger.
mince
I'm not so bold to claim there isn't.
But it's not healthy to stake so
much on the promise of vengeance.
ellerie
I can't just forget everything.
That's not who I am.
mince
I can't tell you to forget it all, but you've
clearly thought too much of this lately.
Some warm soup and a good nap
would put your mind at ease.
ellerie
Maybe I am too on edge. Perhaps the
rest of this trip will go smoothly, and I can forget we had this conversation.
(Another ship pulls up alongside the Seahawk. Ellerie approaches Oriana.)
ellerie
That's a small fleet of ships sailing
around the bend. Recognise them?
oriana
They fly the flags of the Saltsworn,
the controlling power of the north.
Adventurers like us would typically
join them to fight the Green Tide, if not for our... immediate concern.
ellerie
I assumed adventurers just robbed
tombs and dug up treasure and relics,
Does fighting the Green Tide pay well
enough to have adventurers gather?
oriana
Adventurers who skip out on the
Green Tide face social ostracisation, as it is seen as deeply shameful.
ellerie
That's... us.
oriana
The Green Tide lasts months, Captain.
There will be plenty for us afterwards.
ellerie
MONTHS? How is any
settlement still standing?
oriana
Individual waves come sporadically.
But more importantly, the adventurer
obligation is a necessary survival tactic.
ellerie
What a world. Hold on, are
the Saltsworn hailing us?
oriana
If they're calling for us to reinforce them,
I hope you have a good excuse ready.
caliane
This is the Seahawk?
weald
Decent-sized caravel, small crew, one
ballista. I can see their captain from here.
caliane
There's nothing more to say.
Commence at once.
weald
Commander, are you certain? This blow
to our reputation will be... significant.
caliane
Weald, are you loyal to me, or
are you loyal to the Saltsworn?
weald
Always you,
Commander.
caliane
Then give the order.
weald
Men, set the sights! On my
order! Unleash the meteors!
ellerie
Hold on-
WE'RE UNDER FIRE!
(The Saltsworn blast the Seahawk with fireballs, destroying it.)
(The crew washes up on a nearby shore.)
ellerie
Mince! I feared you wouldn't
make it in all that armour.
mince
I still owe you that warm soup.
I ain't dying before then.
ellerie
Then just never make the soup.
Looks like the crew made it out.
mince
Those ships that sent us hurtling are
still on our tail. I see them in the distance.
ellerie
I do not want to be here when they
arrive. Looks like the old plan again.
Everyone, let's cut open a path!
(Pomelo and Lindros have wound up on a different beach.)
lindros
I'm no believer, but thank Elis
for the landboat; I can't swim!
Wait, Pomelo? You see that?
pomelo
Those men out for blood?
I'm not the one with the glasses.
lindros
No, not that. Look at those ships.
Doesn't something look familiar?
pomelo
Huh, their cannon is very similar
to the one we have here.
Maybe it's a similar design.
lindros
I would have assumed so, except
if you look further that way...
(Lindros points out an engineer surrounded by building materials.)
lindros
That's the parts of a disassembled
landboat. The one we invented?
pomelo
I suppose great minds
must think alike.
lindros
Pom, did you speak about
this with anyone?
pomelo
Well, there was that one time
at the pub. That shipwright, he was one of the few people
that didn't laugh off my ideas.
lindros
Pomelo...
pomelo
He was very interested in my work!
He wanted a copy of the designs.
Who was I to say no?
lindros
And now these designs are
here, trying to kill us.
That had better been a
damn good conversation.
pomelo
We had a great time.
georgy
I must have the Elephant installed on the
Landboat before our targets arrive.
I can't miss the chance to test this
thing out. You two, start unpacking!
I didn't hire you two to loaf around!
big berd
On it.
georgy
Get moving, or you'll find
yourselves out of work.
(Georgy leaves.)
locust
This job sucks. We're being paid nothing,
to drag logs around for some asshole.
big berd
It's tedious, but it's safe.
I grow weary of fighting, Loc.
locust
Yeah, I understand.
We keep getting our asses beat.
big berd
It's not just that. This fighting, killing
for coin, it seems so, so meaningless.
locust
It's how we've always lived.
Why bring this up now?
big berd
I don't know. Let's just get
moving before we get yelled at.
narrator
The fleets drop goons every 2
turns until they are destroyed.
When the crates are broken,
the landboat will spawn.
Hint: You really don't want
that to happen.
Ending
lindros
Pom! We need to get moving,
what are you staring at?
pomelo
I didn't have the time to think about
it, but the Seahawk really is gone.
All that time, effort, gold, into nothing.
lindros
We can build a larger, better
ship than the Seahawk ever was.
pomelo
I haven't even paid back all the debts
I owe before I left the Crescent.
I certainly can't ask the Captain to bail
me out again. I don't even have a ship.
lindros
No need to worry; these are
temporary inconveniences.
pomelo
Whatever do you mean?
lindros
We will breach the Workshop and loot it
for all its worth.
With our newfound wealth, we can follow our curiosities without reliance
on debt's shackles. The masses will all say, “Damn, who designed this?”
pomelo
Ain't that the dream.
lindros
That's not a dream, that's a promise.
We can make this work, you as the
brains, and me the brawn.
pomelo
(smiles) The Lindros, describing
himself as the brawn?
lindros
(smiles) Who needs heavy-lifting when you have
a mage? But we can't do that if we
stick around longer. So are we doing it?
pomelo
You're right.
Let's do this.
tower
Just when I thought our days
of running would have ended, looks like we'll be doing more of it.
ellerie
I can't feel my legs.
Did you forget to mention that the
Saltsworn have a hidden agenda?
Because I will explode.
tower
I've already told you
everything I know.
oriana
Do the Saltsworn not know how bad it
looks to attack a tiny adventuring band?
Have they abandoned all sense of shame?
Why strike us and not the Green Tide?
ellerie
Something related to the damned
Workshop, I can only assume.
Is there some world-ending device
or something equally as ridiculous, that they must get their hands on?
tower
Unlikely. The old empire prided itself on the
Workshop being a place of enlightenment,
they would not allow weapons of war.
ellerie
Truly?
tower
I thought you would have paid some
attention to Lindros's ramblings.
ellerie
That would also have been
fantastic to know beforehand.
oriana
There is a greater immediate concern
than speculating on motivations.
Namely, the aforementioned Green Tide,
now that the water route is scrapped.
ellerie
And we're dead centre
in the impact.
oriana
Since heading through the forest now
would be suicide, we only have one
possible route. Head east towards Enan.
tower
Directly into the main
base of the Saltsworn?
oriana
There's so many troops here to murder us
that their main force is clearly not at Enan.
We could just slip in among the many groups
of refugees heading to Enan for protection.
ellerie
We should head off the track since
they'd be sailing along the bank.
Better to face a non-sentient enemy
than one that is out for us in particular.
And they don't have meteor tomes.
tower
That's a compelling
argument.
ellerie
What fine circumstances.
I have a good feeling the crew will
want more than the usual rates.
caliane
I can't believe it. They
tore through our troops.
weald
It was a mistake to split our elites and
recruits. Now we've taken serious
casualties, with nothing to show for it.
caliane
I didn't even think it was possible.
They were so few in number, and most were greenhorns.
How in the heavens did they do it?
weald
Insufficient information is no
excuse for overconfidence.
We assumed it would be an easy
victory, and paid the price for it.
caliane
You're right, we got careless.
They are no amateur band.
Our primary objective has
been achieved regardless; without their speedy caravel,
they'll need to enter the Tide, while we can sail up north and
claim the Workshop ourselves.
weald
With all due respect, Commander, then
why even attempt to engage them at all?
We could've sunk their ships, then left,
and not have to bury half our new recruits.
caliane
... I did not want to risk any loose ends,
such is the importance of this mission.
weald
I see. Now we have loose
ends and less troops.
Character Descriptions
Francisca
A former sky pirate looking for a more
honest line of work. Strong for her size,
and accurate for her... condition.
Whipjack
An out-of-luck miscreant just trying to
get by in life. Self-preserving yet greedy.
He's perfect cannon fodder material.
Mikkel
A slightly more distinguished goon
out of a horde of faceless goons.
Jeanerik
A mage in armor! Slow and fragile,
he will be an easy target to take down.
Georgy
The Saltsworn's shipwright, and an
avid ballista enthusiast. Made the
mistake of showing up at the frontlines.
Saltsworn
One of the biggest adventuring guilds on
the Crescent. Trades quality for quantity.
Carrier
Keeps on dropping disposable goons
until we stop the infection at its source.
Rookie
Initiates to a short-lived career
in the adventuring business.
Materials
Piles of dead trees sacrificed for
construction of a wondrous project.
Big Berd
An incredibly large fellow, who must
have spent a fortune on red paint.
Can't hit the broad side of a barn.
Locust
I could've sworn there was someone
standing right here. Maybe I didn't
get enough sleep.
Dreadnought
A heavily armored ship practically
impervious to all damage. If I had
a few of these, I'd be unstoppable.
Caliane
Commander of the Saltsworn, and a
veteran mercenary. Unfortunately, not
much of a competent commander.
Weald
Second-in-command of the Saltsworn.
Not much of a talker, but dangerous.
Salt Elite
The finest the Saltsworn has to offer.
Not really that good, but there's a lot.
Loot
Just gonna yoink this while no
one's looking. Or smash it.