Author Topic: The Tale of Barrett Brine  (Read 10585 times)

pcw27

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Re: The Tale of Barrett Brine
« Topic Start: December 10, 2016, 01:38:51 AM »
Barrett Brine Erickson's tent is easy to find. The sounds of sea chanties echo across the camp. Erickson's marines, freshly home from their latest hunt hang about the camp bottles in hand. In the center of them stands Barrett himself, foot on a rum barrel, tankard in hand.

Together they sing,

"It was a Friday morn when we set sail
And we were not far from the land
When our captain, he spied a fishy mermaid
With a comb and a glass in her hand
Oh the ocean waves do roll
And the stormy winds do blow
And we poor sailors are skipping at the top
While the landlubbers lie down below, below, below
While the landlubbers lie down below

Up spoke the captain of our gallant ship
And a brave old skipper was he
"This fishy mermaid has warned me of our doom
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea"

Up spoke the first mate of our gallant ship
And a well-spoken man was he
"I have me a wife in Quebel by the sea
And tonight she a widow will be"

Up spoke the bosun of our gallant ship
And a brave young man was he
"Well I've got a sweetheart at St. John's by the sea
And tonight she be weepin' for me"

Up spoke the cook of our gallant ship
And a greasy old butcher was he
"I care much more for my pots and my pans
Than I do for the bottom of the sea"

Then up spoke the cabinboy, of our gallant ship
And a nasty little lad was he
"I'm not quite sure I can spell mermaid
But I'm going to the bottom of the sea"

Then three times around spun our gallant ship
And three times around spun she
Three times around spun our gallant ship
And she sank to the bottom of the sea

Oh the ocean waves do roll
And the stormy winds do blow
And we poor sailors are skipping at the top
While the landlubbers lie down below, below, below
While the landlubbers lie down below"

__________________________________________________________________________________________


As the tune dies down Barrett's men call for him to tell a tale of his latest exploits to the growing crowd.

"No no," Barrett says coyly, "it was a mere trifle."

That prompts a few cries of,
"Tell us!"
and

"Story! We want a story!"

"Oh alright," Barrett relents, clearly not minding in the least, "We thought we'd secured Port Raviel for the realm, but alas a vicious horde crossed the ferry lanes on a fleet of ramshackle rafts. We battled for days, slaying and being slain until the dead piled so high we had to fight atop them as if defending a rampart. On the last day before the withdrawal I leapt into the fray in a bloody frenzy. I engaged a unit of swamp orcs and surely killed half a dozen before they rushed en mass, laying hands on me.

You see I'm well known among the Western savages for my daring raids and the vast gold I've accumulated. Not long before they held me six days trying to get me to give up the location where I kept it cached. Well this time around I had no mind to be separated so long from my troops.

The beasties bound my hands and threw a sack over my head. Though blinded I could smell the salt breeze and knew we were approaching the sea. Soon after I heard the lapping waves and I felt the firm wooden planks of a dock. The monsters shoved me forward and I nearly tripped as my feet hit something made of crudely assembled logs. They pitched and bobbed beneath my feet and I knew I was aboard a raft. The other creatures climbed aboard and one tied my feet for good measure. I could hear the lapping of oars in the water and felt the breeze as we pushed off.

As I sat there, plotting and planning my escape a most annoying sound kept interrupting my thoughts, a CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! I soon realized what I heard was the sound of my sword and scabbard clinking against the rings of its belt as the raft pitched and rolled. I discerned from the sound that it must have been held in the claws of one of the swamp orcs, sitting not far for me. Knowing I'd have but one chance I waited, patiently, listening to the CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!"

Barrett paused, the crowd leaned in to listen.

"AND THEN I SPRANG!"

he shouted, leaping off his barrel (and causing a good many spectators to leap back).

"I my hands closed around the blade and I leapt into the brackish black waters of the Sea of Silence. Bound as I was I sank quickly, listening to the muffled shouts of the orcs as the current dragged them away from me. My hood I shook off easily, but my bindings are another story. I sawed away with my blade, as I drifted deeper into the abyss. My lungs burned, my vision darkened, but at last I severed the cords and shot up to the surface.

By now the raft had drifted well away from me, and my foes had no hope of catching me. Knowing the monsters controlled most of the shoreline I swam a full day and night till I spotted the lights of our camp fires. Frigid and waterlogged I staggered to shore, into the joyous arms of the few soldiers of mine still alive. They'd been guarding the boats awaiting my return, the last D'haran unit left in Port Raviel.

Do you think that is the end? Nay! If that was all that happened I'd scarcely have thought this a story worthy of telling. The rogues, furious at the loss of their quarry launched an assault by land and sea, blocking off the beach and surrounding us with a flotilla of rafts. My brave men took them head on, a mere eighty nine privateers against near a hundred beasts, most twice the size of a common man. Though many died and even more suffered wounds (myself included) we tore through and arrived at last at Port Nebel where YET ANOTHER BATTLE awaited us.

I've left the survivors of that adventure as militia here and I'm sure the Nebelians sleep safer knowing such stalwart soldiers watch over them."

The crowd sat with a pregnant pause until Barrett finally announced,

"The End!"

They all gave a cheer. Just then a messenger approached the mariner knight.

"Sir Barrett," he said, "message for you,"

"Go on," Brine replied as he took a swig of rum.

"Sir Kihalin, General of Astrum has invited you for a sparing match."

"Wonderful!" Barrett announced, "here that everyone! There'll be a match in the academy, everyone's welcome!"

The crowd cheered and followed at once to the academy.