Kingdom by the sea

Piedro put down the glass of syrah and wiped his mouth. "It's meant to be priceless." he said, by way of justification.Isabella only snorted in response. "Nothing is priceless" she scoffed, her derision plain to see on her face.Piedro laughed at his lover's scorn. "It's true!" he protested. "I heard the Delver talking about it. Apparently it can remove scars - even magic ones. And..." he paused to let the tension build, "if applied beneath a lavender moon, it will dissolve even the years away, leaving the patient as vibrant as when they first came of age."Now it was Isabella's turn to laugh, and she didn't hold back. "His pretty face has done more than catch your eye if you believe that nonsence." she said when she had regained her composure."Nonsence it might be... but he's still offering two crowns a portion. And I've checked him out - he's good for it."Isabella curled her lip as she contemplated this new information. It was tempting but something was holding her back still "Two crowns is hardly priceless" she said at last."No... it's not... but he's a wealthy Sarcophan merchant... and that's his opening offer... "

Overview

At the most recent summit, the captains who were victorious in the Great Race met with Rhianos and their heralds in a chamber to discuss their expedition and their hopes for the future. It seems that Waverider was interested to hear what adventures might come next for the intrepid captains of the Empire's fleets, and was looking for ideas of how they might support them. Suggestions flowed like water, but many were too ambitious even for the Master of the Far Shore - it would appear that even the powers of the vaunted eternal are not enough to send the Empire's fleets to the moon and back!

Following the meeting Furole has commanded their heralds to find adventure for the Empire's captains where they can. Three of their favoured servants have taken Tide Dancer's instructions to heart and each prepared to support a possible expeditions that the fleets of the Empire might consider.

Beyond the Salt Flats

The herald, Farsighted, speaks to those who find adventure in searching the horizon for new lands and new places to visit. For some it is the exciment of seeking out the great unknown. For others it is simply wanderlust, a chance to sail where others have not. Bidden by his liege to prepare an adventure, Farsighted lays out a plan to discover new shores.

In recent years, the Empire has managed to map both the Bay of Catazar, and the Sea of Snow, but the extent of the eastern coastline is unknown. Now, with the attention of the Druj focused on Sarangrave, Farsigned calls on the eternal's power to offer a chance for a grand armada to sail past Druj lands and chart as much of the eastern coastline of the continent as possible.

Each standard fleet assigned to the Map the Eastern Sea action adds 100 points toward successful resolution of the opportunity. Each additional rank for an upgraded or enchanted fleet adds another 20 points. Rituals and other effects that increase the ranks of a scouting fleet (specifically Muffled Oar) will increase the effective strength for purposes of this special action.

Mapping the Eastern Sea will not involve raids against the Druj; the goal is to avoid encounters with the enemy and focus on gathering intelligence so that the majority of time can be spent on mapping the coastlines beyond. Nonetheless, there may be a few opportunities for plunder and even some chances to trade if the fleets can reach friendly ports. As a result, a standard fleet taking this action will receive 5 random herbs and 60 rings in plunder or trade goods, with upgraded fleets receiving increased rewards. The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies could also choose to assign the guerdon to the action.

In a similar manner to a spy network, the total strength assigned to the opportunity will determine the outcome. All the results shown below are cumulative, so if the Empire can assign 25,000 or more strength to map the Eastern Sea, they will gain all the benefits shown.

Turnabout is Fair Play

The bounty on ships trading with the Empire from the Asavean Plenum has been removed, owing to the Pax Sarcophan. The limits of the ultimatum issued by the Delves still permit the raiding of enemy nations, but strictly prohibit the raiding of merchants of a third party as part of warfare. With the Asavean navies and warships repulsed by the combined strength of the Empire and Sumaah, now could be the perfect time to to give the Asaveans a bloody nose.

Foamfollower is not especially interested in warfare, but the eternal cannot completely deny the excitment and sense of adventure that comes from a battle on the open sea. Armies don't interest him, but he, and some of his more martial heralds do enjoy daring raids and thrilling duels between ships. The herald Tempest speaks to those who crave danger raiding their enemies. Whether it is the thrill of battle, the anticipation of crossing blades with an enemy, or just embracing the terrible riskes involved, Tempest cares not. On the orders of the King of the Nine Tides,, the herald has sought opportunities for bold captains to take the fight to their greatest enemy on the high seas - the Asaveans!

Asavean merchants play the sea lanes between the islands of the archipelago carrying precious cargoes from one satrapy to the next. The bravest sail across the Sea of Storms to trade with the Sarcophan, the Faraden, the Jotun and the Iron Conderacy. Now Tempest offers to guide Imperial fleets to strike at these wealthy merchants and plunder their riches. If enough wealthy merchants were attacked, then the Plenum would be forced to respond - sending their biggest vessels to try and root out the raiders. If that were done, then Tempest believes the Empire will be able to corner and sink one of the great warships of the Plenum. Drawn out to

Each standard fleet assigned to the Raid Asavean Shipping action adds 100 points toward successful resolution of the opportunity. Each additional rank for an upgraded or enchanted fleet adds another 20 points. Rituals and other effects that increase the ranks of a raiding fleet, (such as Blood and Salt) will increase the effective strength for purposes of this special action.

Raid Asavean Shipping will focus on attacking Asavean ships, both wealthy merchant ships and the pirates and privateers that been attacking vessels sailing to and from the Empire. At the moment they sail with impunity, this could force them to take more care when sailing near Imperial waters. While the goal is not to gather treasure, so much as to engage the enemy in daring battles, there will still be plenty of chances for plunder. As a result, a standard fleet taking this action will receive 5 random ingots or measures and 80 rings in plunder or trade goods, with upgraded fleets receiving increased rewards. The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies could also choose to assign the guerdon to the action.

If the Empire can muster a flotilla of fleets with a combined military strength of 15,000 or more, then the damage to Asavean ships will be significant. The Plenum will be forced to respond and will order some of their large warships like the Wind Tamer and Balo's Grace to try and hunt down the attacking ships. Their warships are not well suited for attacking small fleets, and Imperial captains will be able to mob and sink one of the great vessels.

This will be a significant blow to Asavean pride and reduce the strength they can deply to help the Grendel. The Asaveans will ultimately replace the vessel, but they won't be able to do so immediately. It will be at least six months before they can increase their naval strength in Imperial waters.

Krakens of Inferior Size

The shining beacons alight in the coastal skies of Madruga are almost painfully bright. The large spheres of pure radiant force make it difficult to keep things hidden, and the nesting grounds of the kraken unleashed in Free Landing are no different. With some of the kraken forced into the open, at least for the next few months, there is a chance for fleet captains to hunt them down.

The shining beacons have forced some of the kraken into unknown areas, deep caverns where no light - not even that called from the Day realm - can reach. There is no chance to reach these beasts, so some kraken will remain as a threat to Madruga whatever happens, but there is an opportunity here for an adventure - and even profit!

The mighty kraken of the Sea of Snow are massive monsters, hundreds of feet long and capable of crushing and squeezing a ship's hull to splinters in minutes. Those unleashed in the Bay of Catazar are still young, the largest barely thirty feet long, but they are hungry and dangerous. The hunter can become the hunted as quick as a flash.

The seas around the islands are home to many dangers - the most terrible storms can sink any ship. But what many sailors fear most is the monstrous creatures that lurk in the depths, hungering for a chance to pull a ship down. Only the bravest crews dare to become the hunter, turning the chase on the quarry. Lightning Fish knows well how exciting such a hunt can be, a deadly pursuit across the water, where life and death is always but a moment away. Raptor, one of his heralds, has been instructed to help the Empire attempt just such a hunt.

Any ship set to Hunt Free Landing Kraken will spend the season attempting to kill one of the immature kraken that the Children of Wrecks have released into the waters off Free Landing. They won't be able to eradicate these terrible creatures, but those that are dedicate themselves to the hunt will return home with a very precious cargo.

These immature kraken are not large enough to produce worthwhile volumes of kraken ink like their monstrous bretheren in the Sea of Monsters, but immature kraken have something potentially even better. The bile of a mature kraken is acidic enough to dissolve almost anything the kraken eats, but immature krakens acids are less corrosive. As a result their stomach is filled with Ambrellic, or kraken's bile, a somewhat toxic greasy substance that is formed from a combination of bile and the partially digested bones of the kraken's victims.

Ambrellic is highly sought after by the Sarcophan, whose chirurgeons prize it as a treatment, using tiny amounts of it to remove scars and other blemishes from the skin. Though it does little to stave off actual aging, when applied correctly Ambrellic can dissolve wrinkles from the skin leaving a person looking younger. As a result, even a small amount can be worth a great deal of money.

A standard fleet taking this action will receive 5 portions of Ambrellic; upgraded fleets will receive proportionally more. Rituals and other effects that increase the ranks of a question fleet (such as Golden Voyage) will increase the effective strength for purposes of this special action.

It's hard to say how much the Ambrellic would be worth, but Johann Van Basten, a wealthy Sarcophan trader currently visiting the Alivetti Estates on business has promised to buy as much as the Empire can produce for 2 crowns a portion. Ambrellic sells for considerably more than that in Sarcophan so other buyers could appear once there is some of the rare substance to be had. If that happens, fleet owners might do even better.

Hunting the kraken will be a challenge, not just because of how dangerous these monsters are, but also how treacherous the waters around Free Landing can be to those not used to them. Few know these waters better than the Freeborn and none better than the corsairs - as a result any Freeborn fleet is considered one rank higher than normal for the purpose of this voyage and a fleet owned by a corsair would be two ranks higher.

Further Reading

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