In the brig, salt air and wet timber cling to the walls. The confession page sits pinned to the ledger, and the harbor list is folded shut beside it. Captain Arnold Runner faces the shackled Captain Funbain, while the Quartermaster stands ready to cross-check every word.
Captain Arnold Runner
You tracked my cargo. Start talking.
Captain Funbain
Tracked? No, Runner. I counted you. Those marked coins are not payment. They are breadcrumbs for anyone worth finding.
The Quartermaster
The list matches the tally marks. Three harbors, each one a stop, each one a signal. I do not like the shape of that.
Funbain’s cold stare shifts as the Quartermaster opens the harbor list. The names are not ports for trade. They are choke points, laid out like a noose around the route Arnold follows.
Captain Funbain
You thought you were tracing a buyer. You were being guided into a pen. Every harbor on that sheet is meant to split your crew, one ship at a time.
The Quartermaster taps the ledger, then the coins, then the list. The pattern snaps into place. The route was never a market trail. It is a trap with paperwork.
The Quartermaster
So that is the purpose of the list. Not commerce. Isolation.
Funbain lifts his chin against the shackles, but the brig feels smaller now. Outside the door, a muffled shout carries from the deck, and the next page waits in the ledger.
✓ Quest Accepted
Learn to sharpen weapons from Funbain
“Arnold flashes a dagger, "If you will not talk about that, I'll give you something to talk about." He does not start to use it yet.”
SUCCESS (Great Willpower, rolled -1)
Arnold flicks a dagger up under Funbain’s chin, not touching, just letting the steel catch lanternlight. The brig goes very still.
Captain Funbain
That look suits you better than mercy. You want the sharp edge, Runner, then learn who taught the route first.
The threat works. Funbain’s grin thins, and he nods toward the ledger without moving his shackled hands.
Captain Funbain
I did not build the net. I only baited it. The masters wanted your habits, your ports, your little habits of greed.
Captain Funbain
The list, the coins, the marks, all of it goes to a buyer who never boards the same deck twice.
The Quartermaster’s pen scratches once across the page, sealing that confession in hard ink while Funbain’s eyes stay fixed on Arnold’s blade.
Captain Funbain
If you want the name, follow the paper trail to the harbor master’s seal. That is where the real hand shows.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the harbor master’s seal’s owner
“"Actually I was just going to ask you how you keep your weapons in mint condition. I just sharpened this blade this morning," he runs his paw over it, "still so dull you could sit on it safely, and I've taken off so much already. Here, feel it," he holds the blade near Funbain's paws to assess.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Intrigue, rolled +1)
Arnold lowers the blade a finger, then turns it broadside so the dull edge catches the lantern glow. The brig stays hushed, but the air loosens, like everyone has been invited to lean in.
Captain Arnold Runner
Actually, I was going to ask how you keep your weapons in mint condition. I just sharpened this one this morning, and it is still so dull you could sit on it safely.
He drags a paw along the edge, then offers the steel nearer Funbain’s shackled hands, casual as a dockside buyer showing off cloth. Funbain’s ears twitch despite himself.
Captain Funbain
You hold a blade like a man who means to own the room. Let me see it.
Funbain shifts forward and tests the edge with a careful thumb, not enough to cut, enough to judge. His expression changes at once, from mockery to professional appraisal.
Captain Funbain
That is serviceable work. Too much patience on the stone, not enough bite in the angle. Whoever taught you wanted safety, not fear.
The Quartermaster pauses mid-line, pen hovering over the confession page, while Funbain looks from the knife to Arnold’s face with grudging respect. The ledger stays open, the harbor list folded beside it, as if both men are measuring what kind of captain Arnold plans to become.
Captain Funbain
If you want a weapon to frighten a boarder, you sharpen the inside of the curve first. If you want it to last, you listen to the steel before you grind it down. Here, show me your grip.