Call to Muster! --Raid Against the Pirates--

A fortnight has passed since the galleys of the Hanse slipped quietly into the nighted harbor of Cothon, towing in their midst a pair of captured Luwian pirate-galleys and bringing news of Captain-General Zaytar's campaign against the pirates' predations. The pirate-captains condemned to hang in gibbets from the Kantor Kabljauhof's high walls; the crews to be sold into slavery, many destined for hard labor in the western quarries; the ships being refitted in the slipsheds for service in the Hanseatic fleet; now Telman of Tsipa and his newly promoted fellow-captain Koway must once again take to the helms of their own galleys and return to the fray.

But their time in the Mother of Cities has not been idle. While Koway composed further reports of his engagements with the pirates (reproduced at bottom), Telman's attentions were drawn closer to the city as he was approached by Durham, tavern-member of the Kantor, concerning something of interest to both the Hanse, and to Durham's peers amongst the adventurer-element of the city. Even now, as Telman's and Koway's galleys are once more carried out to sea by their winglike banks of oars, Durham sets to work organizing a different kind of expedition contra pirates:

Durham lays pen to paper by the light of a lamp. By the next morning a stack of envelopes addressed and sealed with wax have been made. Durham dispatches Pako, his loyal renyu manservant, to deliver them. Many adventureers receive one, Sesel: Voice of the Survivors, Heijo, Persephone, and others.

The letter read as follows :

Dear Adventurer,

If you are reading this I call upon your aid against the pirates that plague Dirac's sea. Perhaps you've heard of Captain-General Zaytar's campaign against the pirates that have preyed on the trade ways recently. You may be thinking they are a problem for the Hanseatic fleet, but I would disagree. For if these sea scoundrels keep attacking merchant ships, the flow of trade will slow, prices of all goods and services in Cothan-Gadeed will rise. And that my friends is money out of all our pockets.

I do know of a pirate camp, hidden away in the depths of the Ocean's throat. If your soul is brave enough and your mind is cunning enough, join me in a daring raid against these outlaws. For there is surely to be chests full of coins and maps to even greater treasures.

In addition, I have secured the assistance of Telman of Tsipa to act as our handler for this mission. He has negotiated with the Hanse a bounty for information we bring back from the raid: maps, charts, logs and captives.

Please send your reply to the Kantor, addressed to Durham. I also ask that you do NOT share this plan with anyone, for it is the element of surprise that is key to our success.

As with other "calls to adventure", Durham and the referee are looking for an additional three to five adventurers of doughty disposition to accompany him into the sea-caves of Ocean's Throat during the week ending 3/27. The particular day will depend on the availability of those who wish to join. As Durham's letter suggests, there will undoubtedly be a bounty offered by the Hanse (through the Kantor) for captive pirates, and the "law of war" regarding spoils means that captured goods and cash will go to the spoilers, i.e. adventurers.

------

Regarding the campaign at large, now-Captain Koway's latest report follows, concerning an engagement with a squadron of pirate-galleys harrying a fleet of merchants and their escorts:

(written by Joel, who again played the part of the Hanse in our second game of Trireme, edited slightly by the scribes)

Log entry of Captain Koway, Commander of the Bireme "Falcon"

Our fleet was charged with escorting a merchant fleet north. We spotted pirates approaching from the east. Flag signals were passed between ships, moving the merchant ships to the west side of our formation.

Our fleet continued north trying to maintain a defensive posture. The pirates eventually caught up with one of our Biremes the "Fortuna" , the grapples were thrown and the ship captured.

The "Kyni" counter by ramming into a pirate hemiola. The mass of the trimeola into the scoundrels' vessel shattered its beam, sinking the enemy ship. A brief victory for us.

But soon the pirates engaged another Bireme sinking it with their Liburnia. All the while merchant ships have been making their way further North, their position well out of reach of the pirates.

The "Kyni" was soon surrounded by pirates and captured. The ship that had struck a blow to the enemy was now in their hands.

The pirates now began to make a retreat after their latest capture but before they could escape one of our Biremes captured a Pirate Liburnia, lowering their number back to six ships.

While this encounter has no clear victor, we of the Hanse fleet take pride in our defense of the merchant vessels. For we did face the enemy and tax them a pound of flesh.