Apologies on the abbreviated nature (or not-so abbreviated). Or, in any rate, the lack of cinematic description. This is an event-event-event type log and not indicative of the drama or intrigue present in the actual games themselves.

CHARACTERS:
Ethan (my character- young man seeking his origins)

ZeeZee (crazy mulatto pirate voodoo chick),

Rahmed Aljeed (Intense, creepy Arab who can really use magic 0.o),

"Bailey" (some sort of mechanical construct we found in the cargo hold),

Devlin Setters (British tinkerer and mechanical enthusiast),

Captain Stephen Ogden (Captain of the merchant vessel Sagittarius, the ship we were on when it crashed into the reef...)

Session 1

The campaign opens with Ethan on board the Sagittarius, one of many crewmen under Captain Stephen Ogden – a charismatic, albeit egotistical and a wee bit overconfident man, but well-liked by the crew. Ethan had met up with Captain Ogden shortly after his arrival in the Caribbean shipping channels and had been with him in the six months since. Conserving the money he had made (after the purchase of a fine sword) from the sale of his house, he worked on the ship, which also gave him the opportunity to rub elbows with the other sailors and start to experience life out in the world.

Passengers on board included Ramed Aljeed, an imposing Arab who had primarily kept to himself (given the timeperiod, the crew wasn’t apt to make acquaintances), and Devlin Setters: an arrogant and haughty British tinkerer.

While traveling between Jamaica and Ponce, the ship hit a nasty storm off of an uncharted island, blown into the reefs and crashing. Only a handful of men (The above and three other sailors) safely made it to the shore. There they met “ZeeZee” (Mary Elizabeth by her given Christian name that she had long since abandoned along with whatever faith she ever had).

ZeeZee, a mulatto pirate woman had been marooned on the island nearly two years prior, and her isolation (save for the cannibalistic natives) had had its affects on her sanity. ZeeZee had been marooned, as it turned out, following the death of the captain of the ship (and her lover at the time) she had sailed on: a strange charm was found around the man’s neck that the crew attributed to his illness and eventual death. In fact, the charm had meant to be an aide to his health, but the superstitious crew (and unknown to her the jealous first mate) put her ashore. ZeeZee’s beliefs had already been… unique: she fancied herself the daughter of a Voodoo (Voodaun) priestess, left to her sailor father not long after her birth. While raised (left at) a church to be raised, and eventually sent to work at a sugar plantation, her own mind filled in the gaps of what it meant to follow… other beliefs. With her abandonment on the island she developed her own beliefs – not following traditional tenents of Voodoun, but eccentric (and frequently disturbing to outsiders’) rituals and beliefs.

It soon became evident that they were likely stuck there for some time as well – the ship was in horrible condition after the wreck. They set to salvage what they could – hoping to get enough supplies to build some temporary shelters and food/rum to sustain them while using whatever lumber they could to at least work together something seaworthy enough to island-hop to civilization. ZeeZee attached herself to the crew – the first people she had seen in years that didn’t try to eat her if she got too close. While unsettling to many of the crew (especially her … adornments of various bones, feathers, and a live boa constrictor), they put up with her given the circumstances.

During the salvage, and a few dives to some submerged parts of the cargo hold, Ethan found a very large, unbroken crate. With a few dives down, he was able to use a prybar to lift the top and found what appeared to be a large metal statue.. or suit of armor. When he attempted to remove the helmet to bring it up in pieces, the thing began to move. Spooked, Evan made for the surface. When the being didn’t attack them, merely stand at the bottom of the clear water and look up at the crew, the group calmed.. vaguely. When he started passing up crates of rum, fear turned to recognition of utility. They pointed him in the direction of shore when they had all they could carry back, and rendezvoused back at their makeshift camp, where they discovered that the eight-foot metal automation could speak. With no prior memory, but a good handle on basic facts (without much understanding to go along with them), the machine was obedient if nothing else. Ogden said that the crate it had been in had been bound for the Mayor of Ponce.

They interrogated ZeeZee about the island – who told them about the natives that didn’t take kindly to outsiders… and of a ship that she knew of that was docked in a large cave on the native’s part of the island. She warned them that it was ‘bad’ – that “They” said that they weren’t supposed to go there or board it – more than just the natives, but a ‘feeling’. However… the crazy marooned pirate woman’s superstitions wasn’t enough to keep a shipwrecked crew from a potential salvation.

They took the longboat that had made it off of the Sagittarius, used a few planks of salvaged wood to make a frame around the boat to stop any arrows, and hooked the automation up to ropes, who pulled the boat around the coast to where the ship was being ‘housed.’

After a full night of travel, they turned into the cavern inlet and saw the boat before them. It might have been impressive at one point in time, but it was old, barnacle-encrusted with torn sails, splintered wood, and other defects. It was likely seaworthy, but only barely so. Nevertheless, it was their best bet.

Ethan shimmied up the anchor chain, to find the deck full of what at one point had been the crew, now desiccated corpses. However, when no living person showed themselves, Ethan waved the rest over.

It was then that the natives attacked from their hidden points along the escarpments of the cliffs. What ensued was a quick battle – they pelted arrows down from above, while those with pistols returned fire. The other three surviving sailors perished in the confrontation. Ethan worked with the automation to hoist anchor, and Devlin detonated a smoke-concoction, obscuring them from direct sight. Then Ramaad revealed a bit of a secret – he knew a bit of magic. Commanding the winds, he blew the smoke to the natives and filled the sails with air, and the boat sped under his wind out of the cove and back to their camp.

When discussions could be made after they were out of immediate danger, Ramaad was confronted. Claiming to be like the biblical Solomon, through Allah he commanded the lesser spirits (or demons of the infidel cultures). ZeeZee was very suspicious, already alarmed by being on the boat that she said did not welcome their presence, but that Ramaad was ‘playing with fire’ in enslaving the spirits instead of working with them – that he would get his comeuppance. However, even with the wind in the sails the boat still moved eerily faster than it ought to have.

Loading up their things quickly from the camp and recovering the supplies, they made for Ponce. Ethan scraped off the barnacles from the name of the ship, revealing it to be The Lady Fair.

However… ZeeZee continued her warnings, speaking of foreboding dreams and seeing the rest of them dead.

Session 2

Oddly, as the boat sailed, this unlikely crew was met by another oddity: the ship, as it made its way along the islands, seemed to be repairing iself, albeit slowly. The barnacles were fewer, the sails looked better, and it still proceeded at an unnaturally fast pace – about double the speed it ought to be traveling.

They arrived in Ponce, cleaned up, stocked up, and went to hit the town. Ethan began asking around about Dyson Graves, trying to find any sort of lead to find the man who might be his father, as well as any history on the Maiden Fair. After many disjointed stories (Though all that seemed to agree that he had been captain of a pirate ship with a particularly nasty reputation about 8 or 10 years back), he met a man that said he disappeared about that long ago around Cuba – but wasn’t captured. Given a direction, even if it might be finding out that his father wasn’t exactly someone to look up to, Ethan was determined to meet him regardless if it was at all possible. He had been held back, information kept from him for too long not to at least solve one mystery of his life to do anything but. Even if Dyson was a wicked man, Ethan wanted to meet him, and in that find out more about himself.

The inquiries about the ship also revealed it to have once been a pirate ship, but not much word as far as the captain or when it was last sighted.

The crew made arrangements to get the automation to the governor – where he was originally slated to go. However, when they arrived (after hiding him in a cart), the governor, pleased with its arrival, named it “Bailey” and said that it was to be his bodyguard – demonstrating as his guards open fired on it to show off as well as test its stability. Bailey, however, did not take kindly to this nor to the idea that his job was about to be being shot at. And… decided to leave. When ZeeZee told it to meet us back at the ship, the group was quickly vilified along with him and fled back to the ship, making preparations to flee the Spanish province but not before a scuffle with guards at the dock ensued – and ended in the death of about a half dozen Spanish militia-men, shortly after the Maiden Fair made a hasty retreat.

Captain Ogden, after Ethan spoke to him about Cuba, agreed to travel there, stopping via Jamaica en route to pick up more cargo. ZeeZee made a spectacle of herself, sacrificing a chicken on the deck, and Ethan tended to Devlin, injured in the fight.

Session 3

In Jamaica, ZeeZee collected more live animals (rats to feed her snake, Suku, cats…) Ethan continued to ask around about Dyson Graves, and.. Bailey, despite the advocation of the crew, took to shore, after piecing together a makeshift cloak out of extra sail material. Here Ethan heard a rumor that Dyson sported six fingers on his right hand, his hopes lifted – as he had had no other assurance before that the traveler through Beldore Hollow those many years ago was his father other than a coincidental timing. Additionally, ZeeZee corroborated… saying that she had heard that he was originally from the Colonies, and thus his presence in Virginia was not an impossible matter.

When the rest returned to find Bailey gone, they had to organize a search for their large metal friend. A more difficult task than one might think in the seedy port city they had arrived. They eventually found him, after getting into a fight with a few antagonistic drunks and brought him back to the ship, picking up a new stock of rum to take to Cuba.

En route, however, ZeeZee had started a new ritual – this one using a cat. However, this time, she stood up, eyes blank and began wandering the deck, as if interacting with others. Ethan, who had been on deck in thought, followed her . Captain Ogden, also concerned trailed after her. When she turned to see them, she saw the Captain and screamed. When she came to, no longer in her revere, she claimed that the captain appeared dead, as if drowned in her trace – and that she had seen the ghostly crew on the ship – that she could touch them, but they paid her no mind – going about their chores: Swabbing the deck, mending the sails and so forth. And that she had gone into the cabin to seek the captain, who she had seen in her dreams. Not finding him, however, she had seen the same symbol as Ethan’s pendent (A celtic cross) on a stained glass panel in the window – that appeared normal to the rest of them.

Arriving in Cuba (Manzanillo), they went out to gather information. Zee began inquiring about a one-eyed pirate captain of the Maiden Fair who had gone missing but not been killed – when Ethan asked (they went for information together) she said that she had been having dreams about the captain. Rumors told of a man who murdered his wife when he suspected her of being unfaithful, and a cruel pirate. ZeeZee said that this confirmed her dreams (and made Ethan more uncomfortable around the woman, and her earlier talk of seeing them all as dead men aboard the ship). This time, however Ethan’s questioning about Dyson got him directed to an old sailor who looked to have been on shore too long. After coaxing, and being told that Ethan thought he might be his father, the man said that he had sailed under Dyson – that he had settled down under the name Thomas Wagoner and started a sugar plantation a few miles from town. That he didn’t welcome visitors, but Ethan pushed that aside – saying he needed to meet him. He asked about his appearance – and was told that he sometimes sported a beard, wore a patch, and corroborated that he did indeed have six fingers on his right hand.

Meanwhile, Captain Ogden, after speaking with Bailey who desired to learn of his own origins (not having a memory earlier than being awoken on the bottom of the ocean), spoke to the man who had first sent the shipment to the governor, saying that it had been a commission from a man in New York, from a wealthy household.

The reconvened, and traveled together to the sugar plantation. It was older, and did not appear well maintained. The door was answered only after several knocks. Escorted in by an aging butler, they waited in the foyer … for heavy boot falls and several armed men. They demanded again why Ethan wanted to know of Captain Graves, holding a revolver at him. Ethan begged, saying that it was the truth, telling where he was from, and the information that he was going off of. However, when ZeeZee brandished his left hand at them, the man visably paled. They marched the group outside, and the man speaking (who was none other than the man Ethan had met at the bar) said that it was still likely impossible – that he didn’t think Dyson could have children. Ethan asked why, and the man was evasive – ZeeZee then opened her big mouth – asking if he was something other than human, asked if some of the legends (not uncommon for a murderous pirate) about him being a demon, or hell-possessed were true…. And they shot her. Ethan tried to stall them, keep a fight from breaking out, begged to see him – more than willing to go unarmed. The man scoffed, saying that Ethan obviously didn’t know much about pirates – that he wasn’t here and hadn’t been anywhere around here for many years. Ethan asked how he could find him – and the man spied the necklace that this time he wore undisguised. He asked if he got it from his father – and Ethan said he had had it as long as he could remember. The man said that if he wanted to find Dyson Graves, he needed to follow his pendent, then, without listening to more questions, they left.

Ethan tended to ZeeZee’s injury, and brooded on the encounter, not wanting to think about the reason Zee got herself shot, and how the hell one could follow a pendent.

They traveled back to the ship and discussed matters. A failed attempt was made to use it like a compass while attached to Ethan’s neck… They discussed where to travel next, the Captain willing to make arrangements if Ethan needed – they figured the only thing he could think would be to sail for Ireland... as that was the origin of the symbol itself. Bailey was also interested in meeting his maker as it were… and with no complaints (It had been a while since Captain Ogden had been home to Britain), they decided to sail for New York, drop off rum and pick up raw materials from the colonies to bring to the British Isles.

Ethan eventually was convinced to try to remove it for the first time with Bailey, the Captain, and ZeeZee present, thinking, before they set sail for England that he would at least try – maybe it would reveal another way to find Dyson… and with the others present – the first and only friends he had had, maybe something could be learned or done. However, as soon as the knot was undone, Ethan felt as if he was being roasted alive. A horrible pain covered him, even though to the onlookers nothing looked as if it was happening, Captain Odgen wrestled with his vice-grip on the pendent, and eventually got it back around his neck – at which the pain subsided immediately, but left Ethan understandably shaken, and with even more to think about.

They also discovered a stow-away on board: food was disappearing, and not due to nibbling from rats. They scoured the ship, and while they found a hidden compartment with blankets and some of the missing food, no sign of the individual. Ethan volunteered to watch the food supplies, hiding nearby late at night. And… after a few days… he witnessed the food start to disappear. When he jumped out from hiding and made a grab, his hand landed on flesh… shortly thereafter receiving a punch to the eye. He dashed after the footsteps, calling to awake and alert the crew. Bailey blocked the exit to the cargo hold and Ethan snared the individual in a tarp… eventually revealing a young black boy and a very interesting hood. The boy was unable to speak, and only write his name, “Vitus”. He was scared, but after the crew assured him that he wasn’t going to be hurt or thrown overboard they learned that the boy had apparently hopped aboard at their last port, he had overheard Captain Ogden asking about the house that built Bailey… and he had worked for said household – though details were sketchy due to him not being able to talk. But …. He did say that he was able to see the ‘other crew’…. Which supported ZeeZee’s claims that many of the rest, despite seeing the repairs… were hesitant to believe. They agreed to let him stay on, and Ethan began to teach him how to write – which would hopefully facilitate communication.

Ethan also had a dream along the way – his mother, wandering through a dark cave tunnel, and approaching a large stone wall that had the same celtic cross carved in it. She placed her hand on it, it glowed blue, and then with a flash, he was awake – the cross glowing around his own neck for a few moments before fading to normal.

Session 4

They arrived in New York. And after the crew got their … shore leave… ((*cough* can you say Ethan made a crazy-roll of a ‘50’ on his seduction check)). Rahmed stocked up on trade goods to take to the British Isles (as well as hiring a new crewmate – an Iroquois Indian by the name of Joseph (he was Westernized, but had grown up in the tribe – Rahmed wished to study the language and culture from him). Captain Ogden got more basic cargo to take across the Atlantic. ZeeZee stocked up on.. livestock, and They found out the name and location of the creator of Bailey, one William Burroughs.

Traveling to up-“state” New York, They visited the manor. Clocks all over almost every wall, the man was obviously highly skilled in clockwork devices. There, they met with the man after Bailey revealed himself. He was… surprised to say the least to encounter him. He stated that while he built Bailey, he had not designed him – the design coming to him via orders from the Queen herself – and whomever did design him was likely to be found in London (he gave a bit of information). He was surprised that Bailey could not recall his… directives – apparently something about the boat crash and submersion had complicated things – he wasn’t intended as a body guard – only to fill that role for a time being before assassinating the Governor himself – part of an ultimate plan of the British to upset the hold of the Spanish in the New World. While the mechanic was only following orders, he did not wish to be tied back to the project, and urged Bailey on his way, agreeing to give him a manual of notes on his construction, in case he might ever need repairs.

Returning to the ship shortly thereafter, the crew set sail for the British Isles.

Along the way, Ethan approached ZeeZee, having given thought to the information that he had learned regarding Captain Dyson, and ZeeZee’s own inquiries to the captain of their own ship… putting two and two together that it was very likely the same individual: given the ghostly celtic cross in the cabin and the matching descriptions. He asked if he could participate in a ritual to allow him to see the crew as well, now believing her. Forcing him to perform the feline sacrifice in order to do so, he swallowed his anxieties and went with it. As he did, it worked, and he saw what she had claimed earlier – and he saw the ghostly crew. Hoping that they would respond to them because of his ancestry, he met with the same results – he could touch them, but they paid him no mind. ZeeZee looked normal, as did he, except that his cross was glowing. When he wandered into the Captain’s quarters, he saw the same cross that ZeeZee and Vitus had seen in the stained glass. It also glowed brightly – but did no more even when he touched it or touched his own cross to it (except glow more brightly). He encounted Captain Odgen as well before the visage faded… seeing the same sight Zee had seen – pale and bloated, as if drowned. Though other than hesitance at “Ethan too” going along with the weird rituals of ZeeZee, no other information or explanation of Captain Ogden’s strange appearance was forthcoming.

Other than a near run-in with a Pirate vessel on the way to England (taking a very nasty cannon hit to one of the sails – (which was nearly repaired three weeks later when they arrived), but ultimately outrunning them) the trip to England was without significant incident.