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Message: <blockquote data-quote="IcyCool" data-source="post: 2676247" data-attributes="member: 20308">[sblock]Bluff +15Diplomacy +6Sense Motive +1[/sblock]"Lessee now." Bart settles comfortably and takes another puff from his pipe.  "Back in those days, Cap'n Smith were a dreadful terror on th' seas.  He an' th' devlish crew o' his ship, th' Blood Money, raided th' coastline up an' down Scadria.  They were a bloodthirsty lot, they were.  They'd plunder an' kill with nary a thought fer mercy.  Why, I even hear tell they took a missionary vessel headed fer Tersenne.  It were loaded down with money that were goin' to be used to build an orphanage.  But that's a tale fer a different tellin'.""Ye see, part o' th' secret o' Cap'n Smith's success were that when th' navy came a-callin' round those waters, th' Blood Money were nowheres to be found.  Th' navy could ne'er find where she berth'd.  They'd search fer a time, an' when they was gone, th' Blood Money would start up again.  It puzzled th' brains o' th' navy folk.  They couldn' understand how Cap'n Smith could keep hidden from 'em."  Bart leans in conspiritorialy, "An' th' secret were this: th' Blood Money weren't on th' waters when th' navy came lookin', she were 5 leagues inland."  Bart leans back and takes a draw on his pipe.  He exhales a couple of smoke rings, and clears his throat."In his early piratin' days, Cap'n Smith had met up with a powerful sea hag witch, an' struck a bargin' with her.  If'n she'd use her magics to aid him an' his ship, he'd cut her in fer a share o' th' spoils.  Thanks to th' witch's magics, th' Blood Money were th' fastest ship on th' water.  An' when th' ship needed a berthin' place to lay low, magics let her sail o'er th' land an' berth in a small inland lake.  Cap'n Smith jokingly called it 'Gravediggers Cove'.  Fer a time, this arrangement worked like a dream.  An' then, greed o'ercame sense.""Smith an' his crew had their biggest haul after hittin' a Verentian treasure ship bound fer Ascalis.  In fact, there were so much booty that they could all retire in style, as long as they didn't give th' witch her cut.  So they didn't return to her.  O'er th' next couple o' years, all sorts o' bad luck fell on th' crew.  Some lost their lives, others just lost their money.  Th' time soon came when they had to take up th' piratin' lifestyle again.  But th' bad luck followed 'em even there.  Every target were either a disguised navy ship, or transportin' low-value cargo.  After about two months, th' navy put out another search, an' Cap'n Smith made a run fer th' part o' th' coastline where they used to sail into th' air with th' help o' th' witch.  He stood up on th' bow o' his ship an' shouted out to th' witch, hopin' she'd be there.  Shore 'nuff, she was.  She shouted back an' told Smith that he were a fool fer crossin' her, an' she'd laid a curse upon him an' his crew that would end in their deaths.  As you can well imagine, this made th' crew powerful scared, an' they urged Smith to promise her wotever she wanted if she'd remove th' curse an' help 'em escape from th' navy.  Th' witch bargained herself a mighty high price, an' she took 'em to safety inland.""They waited out fer a month, an' soon were ready to be back to pillagin'.  Afore they left, th' witch hopped aboard, an' told Smith that she were stayin' on to make sure she weren't cheated again.  Smith had no arguin' room, so he agreed.  Three days out, they found themselves a couple o' fat merchant ships headed fer roight here in Loridunne.  Th' Blood Money came up fast on 'em, an' caught 'em by surprise.  Th' crew boarded th' merchants only to find that they were disguised navy ships!  Th' fightin' were intense, an' soon th' decks o' all three ships were slippery with blood.  Though it made her mighty tired, Smith an' his crew won th' day thanks to th' witch's magic.  As th' crew finished loadin' th' last o' th' loot from th' two navy ships, th' witch confronted Smith an' told him that she'd be takin' th' whole haul, in payment fer wot she missed out on when he cheated her.  Smith refused o' course, an' soon th' two o' 'em moved from arguin' to blows.  Because she'd used up most o' her magic in th' battle, this fight went badly fer th' witch.  Smith knocked her to th' deck, an' told her he'd only spare her life if she'd swear not to curse or harm him an' his crew.  She batted his cutlass away an' started to spit out a vile curse.  She got most o' it out afore Smith stuck her through th' throat, but th' damage were already done.  She'd cursed his ship an' crew to ne'er sail above th' water again.  As fer Smith himself, she only got part o' th' curse out afore he killed her.  She'd cursed him to see th' world through a monkey's eyes.  Smith yanked his blade out o' th' witch as th' Blood Money began to sink 'neath th' waves.  Th' screamin' o' his crew filled his ears as he grabbed fer a boardin' rope an' got hisself o'er to one o' th' derelict navy ships."Bart finishes up his pipe and taps out the ash.  "Where Cap'n Smith went from there is another tale, as the curse were slow to take effect.  But I hear tell that th' Blood Money still sails 'neath th' waters 'tween the mainland and Loria, crewed by drowned men an' captained by throat-cut witch.  They say ye can hear her moanin' 'neath th' silvery waters o' a full moon fer her lost fortune which still sits at Gravedigger's Cove."Bart stands up with a groan and says, "These old bones'r cryin' out fer a drink.  How 'bouts ye fellers take me to a good tavern an' buy th' first round?  Ye do that, an' I'll buy th' second.  Once we wet our toungues, ye can tell me th' story o' why ye be lookin' fer Cap'n Smith."</blockquote>

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