Chapter 1: Julian
Once again we have set course for a new frontier, sailing the salty Southern Sea, for what is a man without a great adventure on his horizon?
-Journals of Captain Flynn Blackwell
Scalding water exploded from all sides of the ship, spraying the crew with something that smelled of brine and rot. Julian knew it would cost him, approaching the Moon Isle from the East; but the arrogance of a Pirate is a flame not easily snuffed out by logic. Julian’s cheeks burned as hot water and tiny shards of rock shot up from every direction. He smiled in the face of the explosions. After all, he had just spent weeks sailing nearly half the world’s oceans; a few explosions wouldn’t be his end.
Tiny shards of sea stone hit the sails, crashing onto the deck like hail. Violent bursts of water and heat erupted on either side of The Sea Dragon, beginning and ending in the ocean’s chaotic drumbeat. He knew he would live, for this ship had seen him through countless attacks, and storms so deadly they could have been waged by the Gods. The weight of the stone in his satchel tugged at his shoulder, and Julian glanced down at its purple glow through a tear in the leather.
The explosions endured; and Julian squinted, steering. He cleared his throat, “All men above deck now!” he yelled.
A flash of blonde hair whizzed by, “More hands starboard, men! All hands on deck!” Exhaustion drenched Lawrence’s voice. The rest of the crewmembers of the Sea Dragon shuffled to their posts, some gulping down what may have been their last sips of brandy if not for the Captains eternal luck. Julian took a deep breath, wiped the saltwater from his face; and licked his lips hoping to rid his tongue of the tang of rum.
The sea-torn men scrambled to their posts and viciously adjusted their ropes and sails, in hopes of surviving the wrath of the waters of Lunadira.
The explosions persisted, “Aye men, there will be no rum in the darkness of the briny deep, work with your backs and pray that the sea god lets you see another day.” Julian said with a smile. A chunk of rock flew by him as his face was greeted with water that struck like fire.
“Perhaps the gods are angry with us,” Lawrence said as he unraveled a crumpled map from his pocket, “I believe we are crossing the Devils Canyon, Captain.” Julian paused and lazily wiped his brow of seawater; he hadn’t planned for the myths of the moon isle to be true. The Sea Dragon and her crew now passed through an area of godlike creation, a canyon deep below full of gigantic sea volcanoes. He scanned the explosions, continuing to steer; watching his men struggle along. When Julian had strolled into the city of Faithhallow and found the Seers order in the desert, a strange cloaked woman had told him, “travel to the Great Crescent, for there you may find the eldest of them all. What was once bound in greed, can only be unbound by love. There you will find what you seek.” It sounded as much like a Seers truth as an herb induced hallucination; though Julian had believed he was right to heed her advice, until the gods forged death volcanoes.
As he steered through the explosions, Julian pondered the last eight years, wondering if perhaps his father had sent him on a fool’s errand with his last breaths. He ran a finger over the engraved tablet in his satchel. The crystal tablet made of amethyst, covered in its tiny swirled markings; had been found after a storm, a distant fifty years ago. Perhaps it really was a curse. As a child it was his favorite story, the day of his fathers discovery; on the rocks of the Isle of Tarride, Captain Flynn Blackwell of the Sea Dragon emerged from historic waves and stumbled upon a crystal plate of Amethyst engraved with ancient markings in the language of the gods. The Captain took it for himself, as any proper pirate might upon finding such a treasure. After the Sea Dragons departure from Tarrides shores, the Captain and his crew only befell foul luck on a handful of occasions. Some said the Captain had been blessed by the tablet. Some called it magic. It was now a tale known amongst Pirates who were raised by Pirates, though the story did not truly end at this joyous revelation, he reminded himself; for Captain Flynn Blackwell’s luck ran out the day he was killed. Julian realized he was staring at the bloodstained wooden deck below him; an ugly reminder of how the story went. He shook the thought from his mind and steered ahead into turquoise shores.
The explosions were distant now.
“Ahoy, port is ahead as the crow flies!” Surely as Lawrence had said, about a mile ahead of the sea dragon was the famed, crescent shaped island of Lunadira.
Julian continued to steer ahead into the Aquamarine shallows, every gust of wind brushing his face echoing his fathers words “I know you can find its meaning, my boy. Uncover its mysteries, and bring it back to where it belongs.” As Julian brushed off the memory, a giant golden pink fishtail, the size of a shark, splashed in the shallows below. It sparkled so brightly the shine was blinding. He smiled, thinking of his fathers favourite folktales, and looked to his right forearm; the once fresh siren tattoo now faded and green, speckled with sun and hair and scars. As the giant fish took to the depths, the voices of merchants and sailors got louder. The Sea Dragon was approaching port. Dead Man’s Bay, a wooden sign nailed to the beach read in sloppy red paint; and as they got closer to the docks, Julian understood why. The shallows of the beach were littered with bones.
He tried again to push the thought of dead men from his mind as he and his crew prepared to make berth on the closest dock. The ships surrounding them were mostly those of pirates, with tattered flags and battle worn hulls framing the cove. Smaller skiffs were always in these kinds of ports too, and as always on the Isles of Kings, some royal ships dotted the docks nearest what was clearly the nicer part of town. Merchants unloaded cases of wine and silks onto the docks, while common men traded silver for stock.
As they anchored and took in the heavy smells of fresh fish, ale and burning herbs, Julian addressed the crew. “Aye men, we have reached Lunadira at last!” a resounding cheer was heard. “We may now indulge in the lands finest,” he gestured to the bustling town of colorful buildings, “the city of Mirrenorre.” The continuous whooping from the Sea Dragons men got louder, and Julian cleared his throat “This visit will be unusual in nature. Law breaking is not encouraged, and will be met with repercussions.”
The cheering turned into a silent confusion. An echo of argumentative retorts came from the crew, “That’s not fair!” whined Lonnie, the crew’s youngest.
Margrund, the red haired master of arms, grumbled, “Does he seriously expect us to pay for things?”
Julian laughed to himself, then stepped forward, and silence fell. “Men, we are here on a mission, I shall see no antics until that mission is complete. If we can pull this off we’ll take two weeks vacation in Straida Saluna.” Some crewmembers nodded. “We will pay for everything with silver, and we will be kind to barmaids, merchants, courtesans, and innkeeps.” Many “Aye’s” were heard from the crew. “Now that we have understood each other, let us go fill our bellies as I scout the mission. Welcome to Lunadira.”
The pirates dispersed to tend to their effects. Julian watched as Bellamy, the ship’s healer, ruffled Lawrence’s blond hair and kissed his cheek. At least some of the crew was happy.
While the men collected their belongings and filed onto the docks, Smithe, the Sea Dragons oldest crewmember, began lecturing the Captain. “Ya know, boy, Flynn wouldn’t want ya to waste your days. Gods be with ya, don’t overdo it young Blackwell.”
Julian adjusted his hat, “Smithey, you remember a few years back, in the Sea Lord’s tavern, when everyone took the vote?”
The old man nodded, exposing the bald patch on his head of grays, “Course I remember, Cap’n.”
Julian tossed Smithe a gold coin, which he caught, “Those pirates didn’t vote for a man who breaks the code, did they?” Smithe silently shook his head. “I won’t have my promises to my Captain be forgotten in vain so I might waste my life stumbling from tavern to brothel.” Julian said.
The old pirate laughed, “You’re the captain, lad.”
Julian gave a wry smile, “I may be your Captain, but you know who my Captain is and will always be.” Julian tapped on the amethyst tablet in his satchel.
Smithe shook his head, “Stubborn. Like your mother. You could at least try to do something for yourself while we’re here. Perhaps commission a new sword. I hear Lunadiran metalsmiths are quite impressive.” Smithe winked, picked up his guns, and waddled off the ship’s deck onto the docks. Perhaps a new sword was just what Julian needed. He needed something to dedicate himself to that wasn’t this God’s damned tablet, and a shiny new sword would work just fine.
As he stepped off the docks of Dead Mans Bay and into the cobbled and colourful City of Mirrenorre, Julian felt a shred of hope that this city, this island might finally be the one to rid him of that cursed tablet of old; and finally bring honor to his father. Perhaps he could finally redeem himself. Perhaps he could be worthy of being called the Pirate King. Arms around one another, Lawrence and Bellamy led the crew onto a stone road surrounded by a square of pastel stone buildings, lopsided and crooked in their nature; dappled with rusty roofs.
Julian trailed beside them. Lawrence nudged Julian in the side, “With all due respect— Captain, what is the plan?”
Julian paused a moment, then cleared his throat, “Keep open ears about anything related to the old gods. Anything ancient. Texts, maps. We might seek the royal archives.” Lawrence nodded and mumbled something to himself. The townspeople eyed them as they passed, assessing which type of trouble they might be.
The people of Mirrenorre were dressed in robes of jewel tones, all manner of hats and boots, frilled lace skirts and leather corsets paired with hats like those worn by pirates. An odd ton. Lawrence looked toward his Captain with a sly grin, acknowledging the oddity of the place. Julian knew that look, the blonde pirate was about to do something utterly stupid. Lawrence held out his arm to halt the path of the crew, and cocked his head to the curious onlookers, “The Pirate King has arrived in Lunadira.”
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