The cog shudders as its hull scrapes over submerged stone. Wood screams in protest. Ben scrambles toward the main halyard, his boots sliding on the brine-slicked deck.
Haldan
Pull the line, Ben! She is taking on water!
Ben
The reef is tearing us open. If we do not gain speed, we are nothing but splinters on this coast.
Ben hauls with his massive frame, the rough hemp digging into his palms. The sails catch a sudden, violent gust of wind. With a groan of timber, the cog lurches off the jagged rocks and plunges into the dark, churning channel beyond the reef. The open sea ahead is wild and gray, but the ship holds together.
Ben
Hold steady, Haldan! We are through the teeth of it.
They crest a massive wave, leaving the treacherous reef behind as they race into the deep, churning expanse of the Southern Reach.
Quest Complete
Reach the southern archipelagos
Skill Upgrade: Ranged Combat Great→Superb
“Do I see any land?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 13)
As the cog crests the swell, a jagged silhouette of dark cliffs pierces the gray horizon to the northeast.
Ben
That is not just a reef; it is a solid shore, and if the currents hold, we might find a cove to shelter in.
Haldan
Look there, Ben! The mist is thinning, and I see the black rocks of the coast!
“Turn around the cog to land the coast.”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +2)
Ben lunges for the heavy oaken tiller, his calloused hands locking onto the wood. With a grunt of effort, he throws his weight against the pivot. The cog groans, its timbers screaming in protest as the bow cuts a sharp, clean arc through the churning surf.
Ben
The hull is sturdy enough for this. If I can catch the lee of that headland, those Black Guild dogs will lose their line of sight.
The ship heels violently, water surging over the gunwale as the vessel completes a perfect, daring turn. The jagged cliffs loom larger, revealing a hidden, narrow channel of calm, obsidian-colored water nestled between the rocks.
Haldan
Steady, Ben! We are coming about! The current is catching us just right!
“Land Ho! We arrived at an island.”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled +2)
The cog slices into the dark channel, the transition from the chaotic, crashing surf to the unnervingly still, obsidian water jarringly abrupt. Behind them, the churning wake of the reef obscures their entry, effectively masking their path from any pursuers lingering in the gale. Ben grips the tiller, his knuckles white, as the vessel drifts toward a jagged, sandy spit of land.
Ben
That was too close. The Black Guild expects me to fight, not to vanish into the throat of this island. Let them search the open sea while we find what remains of the wreck.
The boat scrapes against gravel, the sound muffled by the dense, unnatural quiet of the cove. Haldan leaps onto the damp shore, steadying the bow with a thick rope as he glances back at the dwarf.
+ Scene Quest Added
Secure supplies and reach higher ground
