I-XI. Departing Port-de-Paix, St. Domingue. Thursday, February 1, 1725 Anno Domini

• Following his near death experience the night before, Captain Hayden seeks out Doctor Spenser who spends some time examining him and grimly confirms what the ailing ship master already suspects: time is running out for him.
• The Graceful Dame sets sail that morning, leaving Port-de-Paix behind. For several days, they make good time until, on the third day, they encounter a British schooner struggling to make forward progress. The schooner is grossly undermanned and, upon investigation, it is learned that all of their truly skilled sailors, including their captain, were impressed into service by an English Royal Navy ship encountered some days past. Geoffrey de Saloman offers to captain the schooner, provided they further carry him to the American Colonies. At this, he departs, wishing the Graceful Dame good fortune.
• The rest of the journey to Nassau is uneventful, with the Graceful Dame arriving before midnight. When dawn breaks, the crew go ashore, with Captain Hayden and Leftenant Rogers seeking out Raynard Adler to deliver the missive from Mr. Atwell. Upon reading this letter, Mister Adler pauses and then asks the captain if he has some men willing to aid him in rescuing a young woman from a band of ne’er-do-wells. Being British gentlemen, both naval officers immediately leap at this. And they absolutely have some additional men who can assist.
• An explanation is forthcoming once the crew is assembled: evidently, Mister Adler ruffled the feathers of some ill-bred men who took their revenge upon the daughter of one of his friends. She is even now being held captive in a rundown warehouse here in Nassau, and he wishes to rescue her while simultaneously teaching these ruffians a lesson they’ll not soon forget. Mister Adler will cause a distraction at the front of the warehouse, while the crew attack from the rear.
• The plan plays out quickly, with Sir Randel opting to use his grappling hook and rope to go up to the second level were the hostage is being held while the rest of his crew rush the door; Doctor Spenser momentarily attempts the climb, but quickly finds it beyond his abilities and follows the others. He enters to find his fellow crew members already engaged with the ruffians and, upon seeing one on the upper level intending on charging his friend, Sir Randel, the doctor murmurs something in Latin whereupon the man question abruptly finds his footing poor and falls to the ground; later, by the time he has regained his feet, the ruffian finds Sir Randel aiming his pistol at him and decides to flee via a window. On the ground floor, the skirmish has turned into something of a rout, with Leftenant Rogers leading the way with his now bloody sword. His aggressiveness wins the day, but has a cost: both he and Mister Bold, who had accompanied them, are felled with bullet wounds that will require surgery, always dangerous, to repair.
• But the day is won nonetheless…

Player Notes:

• Man, we were really rusty with combat…
• We probably should have asked a few more questions of Adler before rushing off … but hey, we’re playing Brits and he dangled the proper lure – a damsel in distress – before us…
• I (Rigil) was quite pleased with how the Coincidence power worked out. Looking forward to using it more frequently in the future.
• With both Leftenant Rogers and Mister Bold shot, that means … surgery! Cue maniacal laughter. It will be quite interesting to see how that plays out since historical surgery conditions are always dangerous propositions. Spenser is actually quite a good surgeon, with a 14 in the skill, but once you factor in all of the various modifiers, he’s down to a 7 or so.

See the Daniverse Blog for the GM’s post-game debrief.