Erric’s Story
I probably should begin with the story of my people first. This is all passed down from generation to generation. I do not know the truth of it all, only that this is what is told. Originally we were far to the east, from the city of Halpern. About 50-55 generations ago we were a 4 ship caravan of settlers heading west to new lands. The lands around our city were overused and crops got poorer with each season. We were not volunteers as such, though it seems some folk were happy enough to leave Halpern. Some was convicts, some was out of work or idle folk, and some just wanted a change in their lives. Most of their homes, land, and possessions were sold to pay for the ships with any extra coming from the city itself. The intention was to leave Halpern in the spring, replenish stocks in North Shore, Stony Beach, and Stormhaven before proceeding to the west and new lands and new hope. Any that wanted off and any that wanted on could do so at these ports. The ships were making good progress and were between North Shore and Stony Beach when the wave hit. The story says that the sky was dark briefly and then red with fire. A noise that sounded like thunder in your ears slammed across the ocean. A tidal wave the likes of which no one had ever seen approached from the northeast. It could be seen for miles it was so big. The ships tried to turn for some islands we had spotted earlier but there was no way to out run the wave. One ship tried to turn into the wave and take it head on but it didn’t seem to matter none, its fate was no better than the rest. The ships were lifted and tossed, smashed by the force of the water. People clung to whatever they could. Mothers and Fathers grabbed children. People prayed to whoever they thought could or would help them. No one knows how far the wave took the ships or where the land came from but they were smashed into an island that was part of a small chain of islands. Two ships were grounded onto the reefs near shore, one was sinking in the bay and the fourth was never seen. Some folk had been washed overboard and were lost, some was hurt bad or dead and those that were alive was grabbing anything they could and making for shore. Of the 115 folks that started the voyage only 67 made it alive to the shore and nine more of them died from injuries and complications as such. Oh there was one woman that went mad cause she lost her husband and children and threw herself back into the water some months later but she was counted as one of the lost ones from the get go. Them that survived scrounged everything they could from the wrecks and proceeded to set up places to stay. As we were colonists setting out, no one was expecting our return, so no one would probably miss us or come looking anytime soon either. It was pretty apparent that the ships wouldn’t be sailing again so even the decking and frame of the ship was broken down and brought to shore. Other folks were sent inland to look for food and water sources. Not much large wildlife, mostly birds and rodents of some kind. A stream of fresh water was found coming down off a small mountain peak and the decision was made to move everybody nearer to the fresh water. Some seed supplies, tools, a few pigs, some clothes, and whatnot were saved from the ships before there was nothing left anymore. The people survived and managed to start new families. They had time to get to know each other a little while aboard ship and kinda knew who was O.K. by them and who they couldn’t live with. Times was tough what with a lack of goods but fish was plentiful and bird eggs made an occasional treat for a meal though folks were careful not to take too many and make the birds extinct. The rodents bred like crazy so there was no shortage of them to hunt and eat, they was just fast and tough to catch in the underbrush. Mostly you had to set traps and get them that way. Anyway, about 12 years went by before another passing ship was spotted. People started a fire to get its attention. As luck would have it a sharp eyed deck hand saw the smoke and the ship turned toward our island refuge. The captain carefully navigated into our cove and sent a small dinghy in to investigate. He was greeted warmly by our village and was asked to take us off this place and to wherever the next port would be. The captain explained that he couldn’t take this many people at once but he would be happy to let someone know about our plight and then a proper rescue party could be sent. He was asked if he could take some and he agreed that if we could decide who would go and who would stay he would be happy to take 4 or 5 folks. He was asked to return in the morning and we would have an answer. That night was a fit of arguing over who was best to go and who had to stay. Someone asked why some of the sailors couldn’t stay and make more room for us. Other folks knew that the sailors were needed to sail the ship but it set some minds to thinking that if we just took the ship and looted what we could that it would make our lives a little easier here on the island. An ambush was planned that night and by early morning it was ready. After the captain and a few of his crew came ashore and entered the village we disarmed him. A few of our people got hurt and we killed 2 crewmen in the fight but things calmed down. The captain offered money and to take a few more people with him if it was a problem with numbers. Seems the people weren’t about to let an opportunity slip by and refused to release him or the crew. A few people were sent out on the dinghy to the ship to demand supplies for the release of their captain. Their demand was refused and so they went back to report to the village that it were so. Another party came from the ship to find and rescue the captain but by then we was ready and ambushed them too. That night a raiding party went out and boarded the ship. They killed most of the crew but offered sanctuary to them few that was willing to accept life on the island. They took what they could and set fire to the ship. This kinda set in motion the idea that if passing ships could be lured to the island that we could get supplies and goods this way for free. Oh a couple careless folks would get themselves killed or hurt bad in the fight but the supplies were nice to get and we could just add to our population by recruiting from the captured folks and making babies over time. Generations passed and the few ships what came near would be taken much the same way. We found out that some folks had started to call this area of ocean the “Sea Devils Curse”. We was good at it and getting better with more equipment and experience to draw from. We never set fires if there was more than one ship or if it looked to be a military vessel. Merchant ships and passenger ships was what we was after. Easier pickins and mostly what we wanted as far as goods and supplies went. Not once did we let one get away once we had our hooks into her. We couldn’t afford that luxury cause by now we would be branded as criminals for our crimes against others. We didn’t see it so much as a crime but as a means for stranded folks to survive using their wits and limited resources. We would use the small dinghy’s for moving about between the closer islands and for the raids to the ships we lured in. Over the years the population grew large enough that we spread out to a couple different areas on the island and even some to the other islands as well. We sure as hell hid ourselves so we couldn’t be seen from the sea unless we wanted to be seen. Any precious supplies that we didn’t want to lose we moved to a storage area set up on the higher ground of the mountain so it would be above the storm marks. Most islands ain’t remarkably high above sea level so storms were serious business to contend with. Life wasn’t always easy days spent basking in the sun on the beach. Any laggards as didn’t want to do their share weren’t tolerated. A warning would be given and if that person didn’t toe the mark then they was killed off. No sense in feeding those that don’t work for it. Medicines were in short supply so sickness and injury took its toll as well. Some of the “refugees” taken in would try to escape and would have to be killed as well. If they tried it once they would probably try again and we couldn’t give them another chance to be successful. They either accepted being part of our community or they was made to disappear. They was watched like a hawk watches its prey for most part of two years to make sure they was accepting of their fate before they was trusted enough to be let out of sight for even a little. We survived and thrived (as much as you could call it that).
There were a couple of occasions where we did things either different or wrong I guess. The first different thing was one time we took a ship and used it ourselves. The old sailors among our people had taught (voluntary or otherwise) us how to sail these vessels. We started using it to ferry supplies around our islands in larger quantity. This seemed to work out well and over time we acquired a few more fine ships to suit our purposes. Once we even took a particularly fine ship in a sea battle. Lost two of ours doing it but it was a beauty. We made a few changes to it to make it ours and on occasion as the population grew too big we would use it to take pioneers to other lands. Disguised as a rich merchant vessel we could take people to other ports or lands in order to thin our own population, trade goods and gather information about shipping lanes and schedules. Only those as could be trusted to not tell about our haven was allowed to even board the ship much less see other ports. We all took an oath and wore the brand we adopted as “New Halpern” in order to identify each other secretly if needed. Generations were passed in this manner. The sea became more of our life than the islands were as they could provide for us. The island was our home, our refuge but the sea became our livelihood. We would more likely raid ships at sea than lure them to the island now. It was quicker, easier, and wouldn’t cause any danger of giving away our islands location.
As to my story, well I wasn’t much different than most I imagine. I was born on the main island. I was the second of three children. My sister Mari was the oldest, then myself and little Karlos. We grew up about as normal as most kids anywhere do. We played, we fished, we did our share of chores. The first few times that my father took me out to open water
I got sick and fed my lunch to the fish. I eventually got used to the rocking motion of the ships as they crested the swells and dipped into the next trough before doing it again for endless hours. Smooth seas are rare. The tides and winds seem to always churn the deep sea.
I took to spending most of my time as a teenager exploring the islands, chasing animals, finding hiding spots where my brother couldn’t find me. I guess it became natural at that point to start studying the plants and animals around me and learning about them. Soon I was able to spot game trails and places where animals were bedding down and hunting for food became easier. I found which plants the animals ate and which they avoided and tried to learn why. Once it was the hard way, I got a rash that took most of four months to go away. As medicines still weren’t in large supply I became partial to asking the folks as passed for doctors on the island what some of the plants did that they used. As soon as I learned what to look for I was making a little money here and there fetching back some of these plants for them. Sometimes I’d bring back different than what they asked for and try them on my animals at home or the animals of the mean old man that lived out along the edge. This way if it was bad it wouldn’t kill off my animals. Folks got to thinking the old man might be cursed an all as some of his animals suffered some strange diseases or acted kinda weird like for a few hours. Anyway I guess trouble was bound to find me sooner or later as it seems to find most folks. I had gone with my fathers ship and crew on one of their sea raids. It didn’t look like much to get excited about. A smaller ship, probably carrying just trade goods from one port to another. Our three ships jumped it out in the middle of nowhere and gave chase until it finally gave up and raised the white flag. We didn’t mean to kill anybody that we didn’t have to. All we wanted was the cargo. Letting the ships go by this point was a way to make sure they weren’t sunk and could be raided again at some other time. We had a pretty good eye for the kinds of things we was needing or wanting. A crewman found a trunk with some pretty fancy clothes and some jewels in it. Seemed like something we could fetch a good price for so he drug it out on deck and was fixin to load it over to one of our ships when this young fella speaks up and says we can’t have it. This sets up some of the guys to laughing pretty hard as who the hell is going to stop us. This young fella pulls a dagger and says he’ll fight any one of us for the trunk. Of course we picked a pretty good fighter (most of the men were pretty well able to handle a fight) and they commenced to dueling over this trunk of fancies. I don’t think old Kirt had the notion to kill the boy, just bang him up a little, hurt his pride and send him home to momma. Kirt had cut the boy on the off arm just showin off really and trying to scare him. Some blood got spilt on the deck and during the fight the boy slipped on it just as old Kirt faked a lunge. The boy impaled hisself on the knife. It didn’t look bad at first but the boy suffered a little and just kept bleeding like there was no tomorrow. One of their crew said it was a family curse to bleed like that. Nobody else challenged us taking the trunk and we left the boy and his fate to the crew of their ship. The fates was laughing at us hard for that one. Turned out the boy was some noble son that was traveling on the sly instead of on a fancy ship. The noble was angered about his sons death and put a price on the head of every man jack of us that was there. Seems that he wanted to gloat over us spending eternity in his dungeon or hanging by the gallows, he didn’t seem to particularly care which so long as he got to see it happen. To get on with it, we was set up a few months after. They noble set up some bait and we took it. Our ships was in a group of three again and we had spotted a lone ship and gave chase. It turned and reversed course and we followed We didn’t know that a few hours behind it was a group of three warships following her. As the chase wore on and we was closing in, the warships came into view and we decided to give up on this one and fight another day. They were pretty fast as fighting ships go and were about equal to us or a nip better. The decision to split up and try to get them to split up also or choose one to follow was made. We was hoping that if they couldn’t get us all they would just give up. They picked one and dogged it. Spread out in a line they followed and every time we tried to turn they was already out to that side with one ship and heading us off. We tried to outrun them but they had more sail than us and was slowly gaining. We could either fight or surrender. Fighting one ship to three wasn’t a smart move. We know cause that’s how we got our advantage. We figured if we surrendered that we might get fair treatment as we only robbed ships and tried not to kill too many as needed it. A few years in prison, a work gang and we would be able to start a new life again. It seemed like a fair price for what we’d done. Turned out it was ships of the noble whose son was killed and he wasn’t in a mood to let folks suffer a little. We was hauled abound their ships and shackled like you would a mean dog. Our ship was set afire as they didn’t want to spare crew to sail her back and they didn’t want to leave it adrift where it could be recovered. About eight or nine days sail got us back to their port and we was brought up before the noble fella. He lined us up and had some of the sailors from the ship that his son was on try to identify us. After they was able to identify eight or nine of us that was there, the noble declared that we was all guilty as we were sailing together and attacked one of the ships under his protection again. He sentenced us all to be kept in the dungeon til such time as each of us was to be punished by the manner of his choosing. We spent three days in the dark, damp cells before they came and got the first man of us, Jed I think his name was. About an hour later they come and dragged us all up into a courtyard. We were lined up in front of this platform where they had the first fella tied down. A big man with an axe bigger than any I had ever seen was standing behind him. Jed was tied up spread out to the four corners and looking mighty scared. Then this big guy raises the axe and cuts off Jeds left leg right at the knee. Blood was pouring out the stump and Jed was screaming like a banshee, trying to pull his arms loose and squirming bad. Then this guy raises the axe again and cuts off Jeds right arm at the elbow. Jed’s still being pulled two ways and is pale as a ghost, moaning one moment and screaming the next. Fighting and dying is one thing, but when a man can’t fight back and is helpless like that, well it’s downright cruel and mean like. Jed kinda passes out for a bit and the man cuts off his other leg and other arm real quick like. Now I see there’s straps across his chest and belly too so Jed can’t squirm off the platform. Jed’s a goner for sure anyway but then the man swings that big axe one more time and takes Jed’s head off clean and quick. When I saw this fella smiling after what he done to Jed, I knew there wouldn’t be no years of prison and a release. The noble then stands before us and says every man jack of us will pay for his son’s death whether we was there or not as we are all part of the same scum and should be wiped from the earth and human memory. We’re drug back to the cells in our chains and made to wait out another day. They come and get another of us and we repeat the same bloody mess over again. Seems that one of us is to die each day and the rest have to watch it and know what’s coming for them too. I wasn’t fool enough to believe that some god was going to take pity on us and perform some miracle or that my people would come sailing in to rescue us. We were on our own to repent and save our souls or make our peace before it was our turn. I ain’t much to just roll over and die real easy like that, I’m still young and want to see a little more life and maybe marry up and have my own litter of young. I ain’t in no hurry to meet up with death so I start thinking. They may not be much of a mind to kill a man who they think is already dead so I gather some of the shirts from the guys in my cell, tear them into strips and braid them together in a rope like strand so it will support my weight. This takes two more days and we lose two more of our brothers to the butcher. We plan to try our escape shortly after they bring us the swill for dinner. Evidently they don’t want us to die before our time but they don’t want to spend much on feeding us either. I make a harness that will slide down my collar and slip over my arms to hold me, I throw the other end over the beam above us and tie it off and have some of the fellas hoist me up and test the contraption to make sure it will hold me without choking me either. Then when we’re sure it works I have them face me toward the front of the cell so that it looks like the rope is coming up from the back of my neck. Then they yell at the guards that one of us has hung himself rather than face the axe. Well two of the guards come looking and it sure seems to be that one of us took the easy way out. They have everybody move to one side of the cell while they come to cut me down. One guard brings a short stool to stand on so he can reach up and cut the makeshift rope while the other watches the prisoners for any trouble. Just as the one guard bends down to put the stool down and then looks to climb up I kick him square in the nose and knock him backwards. I then raise my arms and slip out of the harness, grab the stool while he‘s clutching his nose and smash him up side the head knocking him cold. The other guard turns to look at the commotion and then some of the fellas leap for the door to cut him off while others attack him real quick. He tries to cut me with a swipe of his sword and make a break for the door but I use the stool for all it’s worth and block the blow. I throw it at his feet and he trips over it and the boys set on him like fire to wood. One puts a hand over his mouth real quick like so he can’t holler out a cry for help while somebody else wrestles the sword from him. After seeing what they done to our guys wasn’t nobody feeling real nice toward them anymore either so they cut his throat and let him bleed out real quick. We strip the unconscious guard of his clothes and give it to one about his size along with the sword. Both guards had daggers so we split those up to myself and another before looking out the door. Them guys must not of had much experience with keeping prisoners cause weren’t nobody else outside. We found the other guards sword leaning on the wall. We took the keys and opened the other cells to get the rest of our boys out. All told we were down to 47 men now and had to figure out where we were and how to escape still. We had a rough idea of part of the compound we were in because of having to watch the executions, but what laid outside that was still uncertain. The one dressed in the guard outfit was to head toward the gate. In the dark nobody would see much until he got too close to matter. He was able to kill the guard there and unlatch the gate. We snuck out in pairs just in case there was anybody looking. A large group would have been too conspicuous. Everybody knew we was to meet down along the water somewhere but exactly where hadn’t been determined. It was do the best you can and hope for luck. It took me and Seth almost an hour to make our way there and another fifteen minutes of laying low before we spotted another small group. From where we left the cells to the beach only had about a handful of choices on how to get there so most made it to a small stretch about a quarter mile or so long and was able to find each other. Only four didn’t make it. Someone said he spotted the docks off a ways to the right so we should go left and get clean of the whole place. I asked if there was a ship at the dock and he said he saw two for sure. I said that we needed to get a ship if we was going to escape anywhere. We couldn’t stay on land cause they’d hunt us down eventually. If we could steal a ship and make for open water, we’d have a big lead before sunup and they’d never catch us in time.
A few argued that we was pushing our luck for sure and others agreed it was the best way out. As most wanted to get back aboard ship it was settled by strongest vote. We slid into the water about waist deep and crouching low to the waves we headed toward the docks. It sure seemed to take forever in that cold water and I could swear we crossed half a continent to make headway that night. When we got closer to the docks we slipped into a little deeper water and slowed the pace so we wouldn’t make any “unnatural” waves. Only the tops of our heads and our noses were out of the water and every man knew to keep his eyes sharp. Slowly we gathered together under the big wooden dock, using it for protection from being spotted. There was actually three ship anchored there. The wooden dock we were at had two ships tied up and the great stone dock a hundred yards or so down the way had another ship tied up there. Two guardsmen sat at the end of the dock. They weren’t drunk but they was nipping at a bottle and not paying much attention. Our boys was able to climb the sides of the dock, sneak up behind them and kill both before they could even let out a whisper. We agreed on a ship and everyone slipped aboard quiet as a nighttime kiss. The door to the crews quarters below was sealed shut and a watchman at the bow was dumped overboard. We slipped ropes quickly and had sails up and were away. We didn’t hurry so much as to make much noise and thank the gods that the noble took care of his fleet. Pulleys and winches were well oiled and in good repair. Our own ships couldn’t be this quiet. We made the mouth of the harbor without so much as an alarm going off. Fifty one was caught and fourty three escaped, and with a nice ship to boot. Oh we knew that we’d have to lay low for a while cause vengeance is a powerful motivator. Killing his son, killing his guards and now stealing his ship. No, I don’t think many men would take a slap like this and not feel the bile rise up in his throat. Many of the men congratulated me on my thinking and most thanked me for saving their lives, I just figured I was saving my skin too and they just happened to benefit. Oh I’m glad to have done it for them but saving my skin was the real driving force to a desperate act. We made good time, the winds were with us and it didn’t seem to be too long before home was in sight. We was almost attacked by our own before they realized it was us with a prize. The stories were retold around some brew for the next few nights and folks would smile when they saw me walking around. Some women even thanked me for bringing their husbands and sons home. I felt bad looking in the eyes of the widows whose men didn’t come home but they knew it was the way of our life. We all knew the risks but it was our way, still I couldn’t look at some without feeling a tear of pity for them and asking whatever god there might be to be merciful to those that died. The ship was a real beauty and was made the new flagship for our small fleet. I don’t know how it got started but rumor was I picked that one out too. I wasn’t gonna argue cause it made me look real good and my father was puffed up with pride on what I’d done. I was just glad to be home and not one of the four chosen from the dungeon. I decided to take a break from sailing with the ships for a while and put time back into studying medicine and herbs. Seeing men die in horrible ways can change a fellas outlook sometimes. I wanted to see if I could save lives more regular than take them. I still practiced with dagger, sword and bow. I just know that someday the nobles fleet will find us again. His eyes. When you looked at them, they were strong, piercing, demanding. He won’t give up til he’s cold and buried.
I was making a pretty fair medicine man after a while and some folks would trust me instead of the older doctors. Said I had a steadier hand and good judgement to boot. I found a pretty little gal and we married. Had a son before I knew it, daughter too. Twins weren’t that common but they weren’t scarce either. I’d take care of folks that got hurt on the island and would sometimes make trips to the other small islands to check on them as well. Some of the older people couldn’t make the trip over to the main island real comfortable so I’d visit them. When the ships come back to port after being out a while a, few of us would go tend to any injured that the doctor aboard ship couldn’t tend to rightly. They did the best they could at sea but we had more and better than they could carry in limited room. My experiments with plants earlier had paid off in a couple of findings of some that warded off infection better than others and some as made food taste a little better. Spices were a rare commodity to be found on any of the ship raids so it was a little something to add here and there. Some said it helped their gout and joint pains as well.
A little over two years ago my father set out on one of three ships. They knew of a ship sailing from North Shore to Stormhaven and its probable route. The plan was to hit it quick, gain what they could and leave. It was supposed to be a pretty big merchant vessel with a chance of a pretty good haul to be had. We had been eyeing this one for a while but it was hard to pin down sailing dates and locations. Something went wrong. None of our ships returned. One ship should not have been able to take out our flagship and two others. I left on another ship some weeks later to try to learn what had happened. Our disguise was that we were a small trading vessel plying the local ports for inbound or outbound cargo needs. We managed to hit a few ports but there wasn’t any rumors floating about of any pirate ships sunk recently. Determined to try a few more we set sail again. I’m not sure where they came from but at sunup one morning another pirate vessel came at us out of the sun and was on us before we could manage much in the way of defense. Being on a smaller vessel to begin with didn’t give us much hope. Call it foolish pride or utter stupidity but we had to fight. It was our way to take pride in our mastery of the sea and not to let an interloper take what we felt was ours. It was a relatively short battle as these things go. We were out classed shipwise and outmanned to boot. Evidently these boys have heard of the Sea Devils Curse and figured it would be a good area to hide in as there was less chance anyone would snoop in these waters regularly. We gave as good as we got at first but we were overrun in short order. Most of the men died fighting but it was apparent we couldn’t win so the rest of us surrendered. Perhaps this is what happened to my father as well. Maybe I still had a chance to find him. It wasn’t to be so. These pirates claim to have not seen any other ships for a while but they do say there was a bad storm squall back about that time. Came up quick and furious but they was far enough away not to get caught in the main part. They were deciding who to kill and who could replace their losses. Four more men met their fate that day and seven of us were spared to work the ship. I think I was spared mostly because I was young and strong enough to do heavy work. Eventually I let it be known that the food they served could be made a little better with some of the spices they had taken from our ship. I became second cook shortly thereafter and soon was doing most of the cooking as the first cook was kinda lazy and figured I hadn’t much choice but to do as I was told anyway. We hit a serious storm some weeks later and a few crewmen were hurt. I helped tend to the injured and they found I had a knack for that as well. . It’s been two years on this ship and I’m pretty much accepted as chief cook, medicine man and deckhand as needed. The captain died about a year ago and the man who took over the job is not one to be trusted. He’d knife his own in the back to save himself I think. Pickings have been slim as of late and some grumble the captain ain’t in the right waters and others complain the captain ain’t treating the crew right. I know I’ve tended to some injuries lately that have been of questionable cause. The captain drinks pretty heavy and is a mean drunk to boot. I’ve seen him kick a man in the ribs while he was scrubbing the deck just for no other reason than to get a laugh. I’ve heard grumbling amongst the crew. Some have talked mutiny and others just leaving at the next opportunity. The open, deep water sea is no place for a man with no friends. This ship is a dangerous place to be right now. I ain’t taking sides as yet but I can see where some of the dividing is going to be. Somes loyal cause he’s the captain, others say he’s a devil that needs removed.
I hold on to the thin hope that my father is still alive. If this ship destroys itself in fighting my chances of finding him will be greatly diminished. The sea is our life and right now I need a ship to carry me to other places. Watch your back and your tongue is what I’d say. Ain’t nobody here can be safely trusted.
I probably should begin with the story of my people first. This is all passed down from generation to generation. I do not know the truth of it all, only that this is what is told. Originally we were far to the east, from the city of Halpern. About 50-55 generations ago we were a 4 ship caravan of settlers heading west to new lands. The lands around our city were overused and crops got poorer with each season. We were not volunteers as such, though it seems some folk were happy enough to leave Halpern. Some was convicts, some was out of work or idle folk, and some just wanted a change in their lives. Most of their homes, land, and possessions were sold to pay for the ships with any extra coming from the city itself. The intention was to leave Halpern in the spring, replenish stocks in North Shore, Stony Beach, and Stormhaven before proceeding to the west and new lands and new hope. Any that wanted off and any that wanted on could do so at these ports. The ships were making good progress and were between North Shore and Stony Beach when the wave hit. The story says that the sky was dark briefly and then red with fire. A noise that sounded like thunder in your ears slammed across the ocean. A tidal wave the likes of which no one had ever seen approached from the northeast. It could be seen for miles it was so big. The ships tried to turn for some islands we had spotted earlier but there was no way to out run the wave. One ship tried to turn into the wave and take it head on but it didn’t seem to matter none, its fate was no better than the rest. The ships were lifted and tossed, smashed by the force of the water. People clung to whatever they could. Mothers and Fathers grabbed children. People prayed to whoever they thought could or would help them. No one knows how far the wave took the ships or where the land came from but they were smashed into an island that was part of a small chain of islands. Two ships were grounded onto the reefs near shore, one was sinking in the bay and the fourth was never seen. Some folk had been washed overboard and were lost, some was hurt bad or dead and those that were alive was grabbing anything they could and making for shore. Of the 115 folks that started the voyage only 67 made it alive to the shore and nine more of them died from injuries and complications as such. Oh there was one woman that went mad cause she lost her husband and children and threw herself back into the water some months later but she was counted as one of the lost ones from the get go. Them that survived scrounged everything they could from the wrecks and proceeded to set up places to stay. As we were colonists setting out, no one was expecting our return, so no one would probably miss us or come looking anytime soon either. It was pretty apparent that the ships wouldn’t be sailing again so even the decking and frame of the ship was broken down and brought to shore. Other folks were sent inland to look for food and water sources. Not much large wildlife, mostly birds and rodents of some kind. A stream of fresh water was found coming down off a small mountain peak and the decision was made to move everybody nearer to the fresh water. Some seed supplies, tools, a few pigs, some clothes, and whatnot were saved from the ships before there was nothing left anymore. The people survived and managed to start new families. They had time to get to know each other a little while aboard ship and kinda knew who was O.K. by them and who they couldn’t live with. Times was tough what with a lack of goods but fish was plentiful and bird eggs made an occasional treat for a meal though folks were careful not to take too many and make the birds extinct. The rodents bred like crazy so there was no shortage of them to hunt and eat, they was just fast and tough to catch in the underbrush. Mostly you had to set traps and get them that way. Anyway, about 12 years went by before another passing ship was spotted. People started a fire to get its attention. As luck would have it a sharp eyed deck hand saw the smoke and the ship turned toward our island refuge. The captain carefully navigated into our cove and sent a small dinghy in to investigate. He was greeted warmly by our village and was asked to take us off this place and to wherever the next port would be. The captain explained that he couldn’t take this many people at once but he would be happy to let someone know about our plight and then a proper rescue party could be sent. He was asked if he could take some and he agreed that if we could decide who would go and who would stay he would be happy to take 4 or 5 folks. He was asked to return in the morning and we would have an answer. That night was a fit of arguing over who was best to go and who had to stay. Someone asked why some of the sailors couldn’t stay and make more room for us. Other folks knew that the sailors were needed to sail the ship but it set some minds to thinking that if we just took the ship and looted what we could that it would make our lives a little easier here on the island. An ambush was planned that night and by early morning it was ready. After the captain and a few of his crew came ashore and entered the village we disarmed him. A few of our people got hurt and we killed 2 crewmen in the fight but things calmed down. The captain offered money and to take a few more people with him if it was a problem with numbers. Seems the people weren’t about to let an opportunity slip by and refused to release him or the crew. A few people were sent out on the dinghy to the ship to demand supplies for the release of their captain. Their demand was refused and so they went back to report to the village that it were so. Another party came from the ship to find and rescue the captain but by then we was ready and ambushed them too. That night a raiding party went out and boarded the ship. They killed most of the crew but offered sanctuary to them few that was willing to accept life on the island. They took what they could and set fire to the ship. This kinda set in motion the idea that if passing ships could be lured to the island that we could get supplies and goods this way for free. Oh a couple careless folks would get themselves killed or hurt bad in the fight but the supplies were nice to get and we could just add to our population by recruiting from the captured folks and making babies over time. Generations passed and the few ships what came near would be taken much the same way. We found out that some folks had started to call this area of ocean the “Sea Devils Curse”. We was good at it and getting better with more equipment and experience to draw from. We never set fires if there was more than one ship or if it looked to be a military vessel. Merchant ships and passenger ships was what we was after. Easier pickins and mostly what we wanted as far as goods and supplies went. Not once did we let one get away once we had our hooks into her. We couldn’t afford that luxury cause by now we would be branded as criminals for our crimes against others. We didn’t see it so much as a crime but as a means for stranded folks to survive using their wits and limited resources. We would use the small dinghy’s for moving about between the closer islands and for the raids to the ships we lured in. Over the years the population grew large enough that we spread out to a couple different areas on the island and even some to the other islands as well. We sure as hell hid ourselves so we couldn’t be seen from the sea unless we wanted to be seen. Any precious supplies that we didn’t want to lose we moved to a storage area set up on the higher ground of the mountain so it would be above the storm marks. Most islands ain’t remarkably high above sea level so storms were serious business to contend with. Life wasn’t always easy days spent basking in the sun on the beach. Any laggards as didn’t want to do their share weren’t tolerated. A warning would be given and if that person didn’t toe the mark then they was killed off. No sense in feeding those that don’t work for it. Medicines were in short supply so sickness and injury took its toll as well. Some of the “refugees” taken in would try to escape and would have to be killed as well. If they tried it once they would probably try again and we couldn’t give them another chance to be successful. They either accepted being part of our community or they was made to disappear. They was watched like a hawk watches its prey for most part of two years to make sure they was accepting of their fate before they was trusted enough to be let out of sight for even a little. We survived and thrived (as much as you could call it that).
There were a couple of occasions where we did things either different or wrong I guess. The first different thing was one time we took a ship and used it ourselves. The old sailors among our people had taught (voluntary or otherwise) us how to sail these vessels. We started using it to ferry supplies around our islands in larger quantity. This seemed to work out well and over time we acquired a few more fine ships to suit our purposes. Once we even took a particularly fine ship in a sea battle. Lost two of ours doing it but it was a beauty. We made a few changes to it to make it ours and on occasion as the population grew too big we would use it to take pioneers to other lands. Disguised as a rich merchant vessel we could take people to other ports or lands in order to thin our own population, trade goods and gather information about shipping lanes and schedules. Only those as could be trusted to not tell about our haven was allowed to even board the ship much less see other ports. We all took an oath and wore the brand we adopted as “New Halpern” in order to identify each other secretly if needed. Generations were passed in this manner. The sea became more of our life than the islands were as they could provide for us. The island was our home, our refuge but the sea became our livelihood. We would more likely raid ships at sea than lure them to the island now. It was quicker, easier, and wouldn’t cause any danger of giving away our islands location.
As to my story, well I wasn’t much different than most I imagine. I was born on the main island. I was the second of three children. My sister Mari was the oldest, then myself and little Karlos. We grew up about as normal as most kids anywhere do. We played, we fished, we did our share of chores. The first few times that my father took me out to open water
I got sick and fed my lunch to the fish. I eventually got used to the rocking motion of the ships as they crested the swells and dipped into the next trough before doing it again for endless hours. Smooth seas are rare. The tides and winds seem to always churn the deep sea.
I took to spending most of my time as a teenager exploring the islands, chasing animals, finding hiding spots where my brother couldn’t find me. I guess it became natural at that point to start studying the plants and animals around me and learning about them. Soon I was able to spot game trails and places where animals were bedding down and hunting for food became easier. I found which plants the animals ate and which they avoided and tried to learn why. Once it was the hard way, I got a rash that took most of four months to go away. As medicines still weren’t in large supply I became partial to asking the folks as passed for doctors on the island what some of the plants did that they used. As soon as I learned what to look for I was making a little money here and there fetching back some of these plants for them. Sometimes I’d bring back different than what they asked for and try them on my animals at home or the animals of the mean old man that lived out along the edge. This way if it was bad it wouldn’t kill off my animals. Folks got to thinking the old man might be cursed an all as some of his animals suffered some strange diseases or acted kinda weird like for a few hours. Anyway I guess trouble was bound to find me sooner or later as it seems to find most folks. I had gone with my fathers ship and crew on one of their sea raids. It didn’t look like much to get excited about. A smaller ship, probably carrying just trade goods from one port to another. Our three ships jumped it out in the middle of nowhere and gave chase until it finally gave up and raised the white flag. We didn’t mean to kill anybody that we didn’t have to. All we wanted was the cargo. Letting the ships go by this point was a way to make sure they weren’t sunk and could be raided again at some other time. We had a pretty good eye for the kinds of things we was needing or wanting. A crewman found a trunk with some pretty fancy clothes and some jewels in it. Seemed like something we could fetch a good price for so he drug it out on deck and was fixin to load it over to one of our ships when this young fella speaks up and says we can’t have it. This sets up some of the guys to laughing pretty hard as who the hell is going to stop us. This young fella pulls a dagger and says he’ll fight any one of us for the trunk. Of course we picked a pretty good fighter (most of the men were pretty well able to handle a fight) and they commenced to dueling over this trunk of fancies. I don’t think old Kirt had the notion to kill the boy, just bang him up a little, hurt his pride and send him home to momma. Kirt had cut the boy on the off arm just showin off really and trying to scare him. Some blood got spilt on the deck and during the fight the boy slipped on it just as old Kirt faked a lunge. The boy impaled hisself on the knife. It didn’t look bad at first but the boy suffered a little and just kept bleeding like there was no tomorrow. One of their crew said it was a family curse to bleed like that. Nobody else challenged us taking the trunk and we left the boy and his fate to the crew of their ship. The fates was laughing at us hard for that one. Turned out the boy was some noble son that was traveling on the sly instead of on a fancy ship. The noble was angered about his sons death and put a price on the head of every man jack of us that was there. Seems that he wanted to gloat over us spending eternity in his dungeon or hanging by the gallows, he didn’t seem to particularly care which so long as he got to see it happen. To get on with it, we was set up a few months after. They noble set up some bait and we took it. Our ships was in a group of three again and we had spotted a lone ship and gave chase. It turned and reversed course and we followed We didn’t know that a few hours behind it was a group of three warships following her. As the chase wore on and we was closing in, the warships came into view and we decided to give up on this one and fight another day. They were pretty fast as fighting ships go and were about equal to us or a nip better. The decision to split up and try to get them to split up also or choose one to follow was made. We was hoping that if they couldn’t get us all they would just give up. They picked one and dogged it. Spread out in a line they followed and every time we tried to turn they was already out to that side with one ship and heading us off. We tried to outrun them but they had more sail than us and was slowly gaining. We could either fight or surrender. Fighting one ship to three wasn’t a smart move. We know cause that’s how we got our advantage. We figured if we surrendered that we might get fair treatment as we only robbed ships and tried not to kill too many as needed it. A few years in prison, a work gang and we would be able to start a new life again. It seemed like a fair price for what we’d done. Turned out it was ships of the noble whose son was killed and he wasn’t in a mood to let folks suffer a little. We was hauled abound their ships and shackled like you would a mean dog. Our ship was set afire as they didn’t want to spare crew to sail her back and they didn’t want to leave it adrift where it could be recovered. About eight or nine days sail got us back to their port and we was brought up before the noble fella. He lined us up and had some of the sailors from the ship that his son was on try to identify us. After they was able to identify eight or nine of us that was there, the noble declared that we was all guilty as we were sailing together and attacked one of the ships under his protection again. He sentenced us all to be kept in the dungeon til such time as each of us was to be punished by the manner of his choosing. We spent three days in the dark, damp cells before they came and got the first man of us, Jed I think his name was. About an hour later they come and dragged us all up into a courtyard. We were lined up in front of this platform where they had the first fella tied down. A big man with an axe bigger than any I had ever seen was standing behind him. Jed was tied up spread out to the four corners and looking mighty scared. Then this big guy raises the axe and cuts off Jeds left leg right at the knee. Blood was pouring out the stump and Jed was screaming like a banshee, trying to pull his arms loose and squirming bad. Then this guy raises the axe again and cuts off Jeds right arm at the elbow. Jed’s still being pulled two ways and is pale as a ghost, moaning one moment and screaming the next. Fighting and dying is one thing, but when a man can’t fight back and is helpless like that, well it’s downright cruel and mean like. Jed kinda passes out for a bit and the man cuts off his other leg and other arm real quick like. Now I see there’s straps across his chest and belly too so Jed can’t squirm off the platform. Jed’s a goner for sure anyway but then the man swings that big axe one more time and takes Jed’s head off clean and quick. When I saw this fella smiling after what he done to Jed, I knew there wouldn’t be no years of prison and a release. The noble then stands before us and says every man jack of us will pay for his son’s death whether we was there or not as we are all part of the same scum and should be wiped from the earth and human memory. We’re drug back to the cells in our chains and made to wait out another day. They come and get another of us and we repeat the same bloody mess over again. Seems that one of us is to die each day and the rest have to watch it and know what’s coming for them too. I wasn’t fool enough to believe that some god was going to take pity on us and perform some miracle or that my people would come sailing in to rescue us. We were on our own to repent and save our souls or make our peace before it was our turn. I ain’t much to just roll over and die real easy like that, I’m still young and want to see a little more life and maybe marry up and have my own litter of young. I ain’t in no hurry to meet up with death so I start thinking. They may not be much of a mind to kill a man who they think is already dead so I gather some of the shirts from the guys in my cell, tear them into strips and braid them together in a rope like strand so it will support my weight. This takes two more days and we lose two more of our brothers to the butcher. We plan to try our escape shortly after they bring us the swill for dinner. Evidently they don’t want us to die before our time but they don’t want to spend much on feeding us either. I make a harness that will slide down my collar and slip over my arms to hold me, I throw the other end over the beam above us and tie it off and have some of the fellas hoist me up and test the contraption to make sure it will hold me without choking me either. Then when we’re sure it works I have them face me toward the front of the cell so that it looks like the rope is coming up from the back of my neck. Then they yell at the guards that one of us has hung himself rather than face the axe. Well two of the guards come looking and it sure seems to be that one of us took the easy way out. They have everybody move to one side of the cell while they come to cut me down. One guard brings a short stool to stand on so he can reach up and cut the makeshift rope while the other watches the prisoners for any trouble. Just as the one guard bends down to put the stool down and then looks to climb up I kick him square in the nose and knock him backwards. I then raise my arms and slip out of the harness, grab the stool while he‘s clutching his nose and smash him up side the head knocking him cold. The other guard turns to look at the commotion and then some of the fellas leap for the door to cut him off while others attack him real quick. He tries to cut me with a swipe of his sword and make a break for the door but I use the stool for all it’s worth and block the blow. I throw it at his feet and he trips over it and the boys set on him like fire to wood. One puts a hand over his mouth real quick like so he can’t holler out a cry for help while somebody else wrestles the sword from him. After seeing what they done to our guys wasn’t nobody feeling real nice toward them anymore either so they cut his throat and let him bleed out real quick. We strip the unconscious guard of his clothes and give it to one about his size along with the sword. Both guards had daggers so we split those up to myself and another before looking out the door. Them guys must not of had much experience with keeping prisoners cause weren’t nobody else outside. We found the other guards sword leaning on the wall. We took the keys and opened the other cells to get the rest of our boys out. All told we were down to 47 men now and had to figure out where we were and how to escape still. We had a rough idea of part of the compound we were in because of having to watch the executions, but what laid outside that was still uncertain. The one dressed in the guard outfit was to head toward the gate. In the dark nobody would see much until he got too close to matter. He was able to kill the guard there and unlatch the gate. We snuck out in pairs just in case there was anybody looking. A large group would have been too conspicuous. Everybody knew we was to meet down along the water somewhere but exactly where hadn’t been determined. It was do the best you can and hope for luck. It took me and Seth almost an hour to make our way there and another fifteen minutes of laying low before we spotted another small group. From where we left the cells to the beach only had about a handful of choices on how to get there so most made it to a small stretch about a quarter mile or so long and was able to find each other. Only four didn’t make it. Someone said he spotted the docks off a ways to the right so we should go left and get clean of the whole place. I asked if there was a ship at the dock and he said he saw two for sure. I said that we needed to get a ship if we was going to escape anywhere. We couldn’t stay on land cause they’d hunt us down eventually. If we could steal a ship and make for open water, we’d have a big lead before sunup and they’d never catch us in time.
A few argued that we was pushing our luck for sure and others agreed it was the best way out. As most wanted to get back aboard ship it was settled by strongest vote. We slid into the water about waist deep and crouching low to the waves we headed toward the docks. It sure seemed to take forever in that cold water and I could swear we crossed half a continent to make headway that night. When we got closer to the docks we slipped into a little deeper water and slowed the pace so we wouldn’t make any “unnatural” waves. Only the tops of our heads and our noses were out of the water and every man knew to keep his eyes sharp. Slowly we gathered together under the big wooden dock, using it for protection from being spotted. There was actually three ship anchored there. The wooden dock we were at had two ships tied up and the great stone dock a hundred yards or so down the way had another ship tied up there. Two guardsmen sat at the end of the dock. They weren’t drunk but they was nipping at a bottle and not paying much attention. Our boys was able to climb the sides of the dock, sneak up behind them and kill both before they could even let out a whisper. We agreed on a ship and everyone slipped aboard quiet as a nighttime kiss. The door to the crews quarters below was sealed shut and a watchman at the bow was dumped overboard. We slipped ropes quickly and had sails up and were away. We didn’t hurry so much as to make much noise and thank the gods that the noble took care of his fleet. Pulleys and winches were well oiled and in good repair. Our own ships couldn’t be this quiet. We made the mouth of the harbor without so much as an alarm going off. Fifty one was caught and fourty three escaped, and with a nice ship to boot. Oh we knew that we’d have to lay low for a while cause vengeance is a powerful motivator. Killing his son, killing his guards and now stealing his ship. No, I don’t think many men would take a slap like this and not feel the bile rise up in his throat. Many of the men congratulated me on my thinking and most thanked me for saving their lives, I just figured I was saving my skin too and they just happened to benefit. Oh I’m glad to have done it for them but saving my skin was the real driving force to a desperate act. We made good time, the winds were with us and it didn’t seem to be too long before home was in sight. We was almost attacked by our own before they realized it was us with a prize. The stories were retold around some brew for the next few nights and folks would smile when they saw me walking around. Some women even thanked me for bringing their husbands and sons home. I felt bad looking in the eyes of the widows whose men didn’t come home but they knew it was the way of our life. We all knew the risks but it was our way, still I couldn’t look at some without feeling a tear of pity for them and asking whatever god there might be to be merciful to those that died. The ship was a real beauty and was made the new flagship for our small fleet. I don’t know how it got started but rumor was I picked that one out too. I wasn’t gonna argue cause it made me look real good and my father was puffed up with pride on what I’d done. I was just glad to be home and not one of the four chosen from the dungeon. I decided to take a break from sailing with the ships for a while and put time back into studying medicine and herbs. Seeing men die in horrible ways can change a fellas outlook sometimes. I wanted to see if I could save lives more regular than take them. I still practiced with dagger, sword and bow. I just know that someday the nobles fleet will find us again. His eyes. When you looked at them, they were strong, piercing, demanding. He won’t give up til he’s cold and buried.
I was making a pretty fair medicine man after a while and some folks would trust me instead of the older doctors. Said I had a steadier hand and good judgement to boot. I found a pretty little gal and we married. Had a son before I knew it, daughter too. Twins weren’t that common but they weren’t scarce either. I’d take care of folks that got hurt on the island and would sometimes make trips to the other small islands to check on them as well. Some of the older people couldn’t make the trip over to the main island real comfortable so I’d visit them. When the ships come back to port after being out a while a, few of us would go tend to any injured that the doctor aboard ship couldn’t tend to rightly. They did the best they could at sea but we had more and better than they could carry in limited room. My experiments with plants earlier had paid off in a couple of findings of some that warded off infection better than others and some as made food taste a little better. Spices were a rare commodity to be found on any of the ship raids so it was a little something to add here and there. Some said it helped their gout and joint pains as well.
A little over two years ago my father set out on one of three ships. They knew of a ship sailing from North Shore to Stormhaven and its probable route. The plan was to hit it quick, gain what they could and leave. It was supposed to be a pretty big merchant vessel with a chance of a pretty good haul to be had. We had been eyeing this one for a while but it was hard to pin down sailing dates and locations. Something went wrong. None of our ships returned. One ship should not have been able to take out our flagship and two others. I left on another ship some weeks later to try to learn what had happened. Our disguise was that we were a small trading vessel plying the local ports for inbound or outbound cargo needs. We managed to hit a few ports but there wasn’t any rumors floating about of any pirate ships sunk recently. Determined to try a few more we set sail again. I’m not sure where they came from but at sunup one morning another pirate vessel came at us out of the sun and was on us before we could manage much in the way of defense. Being on a smaller vessel to begin with didn’t give us much hope. Call it foolish pride or utter stupidity but we had to fight. It was our way to take pride in our mastery of the sea and not to let an interloper take what we felt was ours. It was a relatively short battle as these things go. We were out classed shipwise and outmanned to boot. Evidently these boys have heard of the Sea Devils Curse and figured it would be a good area to hide in as there was less chance anyone would snoop in these waters regularly. We gave as good as we got at first but we were overrun in short order. Most of the men died fighting but it was apparent we couldn’t win so the rest of us surrendered. Perhaps this is what happened to my father as well. Maybe I still had a chance to find him. It wasn’t to be so. These pirates claim to have not seen any other ships for a while but they do say there was a bad storm squall back about that time. Came up quick and furious but they was far enough away not to get caught in the main part. They were deciding who to kill and who could replace their losses. Four more men met their fate that day and seven of us were spared to work the ship. I think I was spared mostly because I was young and strong enough to do heavy work. Eventually I let it be known that the food they served could be made a little better with some of the spices they had taken from our ship. I became second cook shortly thereafter and soon was doing most of the cooking as the first cook was kinda lazy and figured I hadn’t much choice but to do as I was told anyway. We hit a serious storm some weeks later and a few crewmen were hurt. I helped tend to the injured and they found I had a knack for that as well. . It’s been two years on this ship and I’m pretty much accepted as chief cook, medicine man and deckhand as needed. The captain died about a year ago and the man who took over the job is not one to be trusted. He’d knife his own in the back to save himself I think. Pickings have been slim as of late and some grumble the captain ain’t in the right waters and others complain the captain ain’t treating the crew right. I know I’ve tended to some injuries lately that have been of questionable cause. The captain drinks pretty heavy and is a mean drunk to boot. I’ve seen him kick a man in the ribs while he was scrubbing the deck just for no other reason than to get a laugh. I’ve heard grumbling amongst the crew. Some have talked mutiny and others just leaving at the next opportunity. The open, deep water sea is no place for a man with no friends. This ship is a dangerous place to be right now. I ain’t taking sides as yet but I can see where some of the dividing is going to be. Somes loyal cause he’s the captain, others say he’s a devil that needs removed.
I hold on to the thin hope that my father is still alive. If this ship destroys itself in fighting my chances of finding him will be greatly diminished. The sea is our life and right now I need a ship to carry me to other places. Watch your back and your tongue is what I’d say. Ain’t nobody here can be safely trusted.
