Select Excerpts from Dunkelzahn’s Last Will and Testaments

Originally found at http://www.shadowrun4.com/resources/will1.shtml

To the party who finds the bones of the dragon skeleton for which I possess the head, I offer two options. You may keep the bones, or turn them over to the Draco Foundation for a reward. All discoveries must be independently verified as dragon bones, such identification to be made by any living dragon. The Draco Foundation will assemble all pieces of the skeleton it receives and display the result in the Smithsonian Institution for the edification of the general public. My admittedly incomplete research indicates the following coordinates as likely locations for dragon bones: Latitude 41°, Longitude 121°; Latitude 41° 50n, Longitude 87° 45w; Latitude 47° 21n, Longitude 122° 12w; Latitude 19° 24n, Longitude 99° 9w; Latitude 65°, Longitude 130°; Latitude 39° 44n, Longitude 104° 59w.

I leave 100,000 nuyen for each of the following people to be rescued from the Chicago Containment Zone: James Delany, Dr. Edward Oden, Gregory Armtwister, Protacio Corcoran, Katherine Sitsu and Sissel McCarthy.

[This following paragraph is to be placed in the public-access area of the Matrix.] ATTENTION! To any and all persons capable of discovering "where a Rock meets the Sky," the 2 million nuyen, amulets and weapons at that place are yours for the keeping provided that you accomplish the task described in the enclosed datachips within 1 year of my demise. The anime will accompany you to make sure the job is done properly. Because this endeavor is of special personal interest to me, I have taken numerous precautions to assure its completion.

I leave 1 million nuyen to any group or individual who ensures the safe return of Mary-Beth Tyre to her home. Mary-Beth was kidnapped April 30, 2051, just after her sixth birthday. She was last seen in Roanoke, Virginia. Her survival is critical.

To any person who can prove he or she shook hands with John F. Kennedy, present yourself to the Draco Foundation at any time, and the Foundation will grant you one wish. He seemed like a nice person.

To any person who possesses a ticket stub to Maria Mercurial’s only foray into country music, performed at My Brother’s Place in the Nashville sprawl: present yourself to the Draco Foundation at any time, and the Foundation will grant you one wish. I believe the saying is, be careful what you wish for—you may well get it.

To the first party to develop a self-motivational robotic unit that meets the specifications laid out by the Draco Foundation, I leave 10 million nuyen for continued research.

To the first party to determine what lies behind the door of room 5B78 of the Aztechnology Pyramid in Tenochtitlán and file a report of their findings on Shadowland, I leave 5 million nuyen or medical care for the remainder of their natural life, whichever seems most appropriate.

To the first party to successfully explain the existence, abilities and origin of the children of the Matrix, known as the otaku, I leave 5 million nuyen for continued research into the relationship between mind and machine.

To the first party to find my lair in the Caucasus Mountains, I leave its contents, including clues to the location of two other lairs. In the third lair, you will find a plain brown scroll case. Return the case to the Draco Foundation unopened, and you will receive my lucky preces foot. May it bring you all the good fortune it brought me.

To the first party to track down the Russian crown jewels, I leave that treasure except for the scepter and crown, which the Draco Foundation will return to the descendants of its original owners. According to my research, the jewels were smuggled from the country inside a spinet piano, one of nine belonging to the royal palace. The jewels were not in the four spinets that I have acquired. There are three more that I have been unable to track down, and two currently in the possession of private collectors.

Shadowrun Timeline

2011 The Year of Chaos

2012 First spotting of a dragon signals change in the world.

2015 Hong Kong recognized as independent by China; mainly thanks to the various corporation and Triad backing.

2018 China falls into Civil War

2020 The World Bank defaults

2021 World Wide Goblinization

2025 (1) Lone Star replaces police in the Seattle-Tacoma Megacity. (2) The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) begins an undergraduate degree program in the field of the occult.

2028 Major earthquake hits Los Angeles and destroys the famous LAX.

2029 The Crash of ’29 leads to a world economic crisis

2030 UCAS formed

2032 The Zurich-Orbital Gemeinschaft Bank founded

2033 (1) CAS formed. (2) Damien Knight acquired 22 percent of Ares stock in a single nanosecond.

2037 (1) California Free State formed. (2) Berlin given up on by German government; taken over by anarchists. (3) The dragon Lofwyr startles the world by owning 63 percent of Saeder-Krupp Megacorp.

2039 (1) International tensions over metahumans erupt in the “Night of Rage.” (2) Also in 2039, Fuchi sponsored the Universal Matrix Specification Conference in Tokyo that laid the ground work for the Matrix as it is known today.

2045 After years of infighting a German Alliance gains control of much of the former nation, excluding Berlin of course.

2046 Los Angeles given-up on by the California Free State.

2048 The World Corp’s Court forces Aztlan to pay reparations of any corporation that was affected when Mexico nationalized into Aztlan. This agreement between the Corps’ Court and Aztlan is what allows Aztechnology to enter the world stage.

2049 Bioware and Cyberware become more common sights on the streets.

2051 San Francisco and the Bay Area rocked by a major earthquake.

2055 Chicago infested with Bug Spirits

2056 President Steele forced to abdicated UCAS office

2057 President Dunkelzahn assassinated night of inauguration

2058 Miles Lanier, then current head of Fuchi Internal Security, assumes a seat on the board of Renraku Corporation. How Lanier was able to secure the seat remains a mystery.

2059 (1) Richard Villiers founds Novatech Corporation in Boston, specializing both magic items and cyberwear. (2) Suborbital Flight 1118 from Tokyo crashed into Seattle’s Redmond Barrens, killing over two hundred, including David Hague, head of Fuchi Seattle. (3) An ork named Yuri Shibanokuji gains majority ownership of Yamatetsu Corporation. Facing intense racial hatred in Japan, the ork Yuri relocates the corporate headquarters to Vladivostok Russia. (4) The Renraku Arcology mysteriously goes off-line, capturing over one hundred thousand people inside.

2060 Both Wuxing Incorporated and the Horizon Group and smaller industries like Cross Applied Technology and Novatech are gaining ground on the Big Eight Megacorps and the term Big Eight might have to change, depending on who survives the Corp Wars that is.

Fantastic Locations: The Rock of Grimm

Place: The Rock of Grimm

Location: The Astral

Portals: the Outlands – The Gate City of Grimm

Description: Ancient history of the Rock of Grimm is slim at best and there is an old saying amongst the people of Grimm: lies are cheap but the truth is expensive. The Warlord Grimm captured a section of the Outlands and established a portal to the Astral where Warlord Grimm had seeded a large chuck of rock. The Warlord had seeded the chuck of rock with a plants and trees and found a way to sustain water in a series of wells. In the last two hundred years the Warlord Grimm has secured himself a dominate position for trade and access to the multiverse.

Now the Rock of Grimm is a port of call for the Astral. Hundreds of docks and warehouses litter the surface of the Rock as well as the homes, inns, and stores of the population. Travelers from thirty worlds pass through Grimm’s gate towns paying heavy taxes but for a benefit of a free port. The Rock of Grimm is very much a free port for pirates and merchants alike; paying host to what would seem an all most equal number. One can see odd sights like Mind Flayer and Beholder slave auctions, Githaynki, Elves, and all sorts of creatures seemingly mingling together. Fore all fear the Wrath of Grimm.

Legend has it that the Mind Flayers once sought to capture and dominate the Rock of Grimm and that the Warlord himself personal slew anywhere from one hundred to one thousand Illithid. But today the Mind Flayers are tolerated and that is just the odd life that is the Rock of Grimm.

Ruler: Warlord Grimm – Not much is know about this impressively tall and stoic creature. Some say he is a man, others a god, some a demon but all know not to cross the Warlord or feel his Wrath (that is right dear readers it is in capital letters). The Warlord holds court one day a week where he is attended by nine members of a council of advisers (all selected by the Warlord of course). The Warlord will hear everyone that comes to hear him on that day and there are many theories as to what time of day to solicit the Warlord depending on the topic. Most say to ask the Warlord in the morning for the bureaucratic matters, in the afternoon for maters of justice, and at night for personal matters. The common thought is that in the morning if one brings tribute one can get good deals, while in the afternoon one needs to present their case boldly to gain the attention of the Warlord, and a night one needs to appeal to the Warlord tastes (whatever that might be at the time).

Features of the Rock of Grimm

Water – Legend has that the Warlord somehow put water into the rock for people to be able to drill for wells. Stories go that it just might be a decanter of endless water, or water elementals trapped, or a portal to the Elemental Plane of Water, or other such nonsense. If one digs deep enough through the surface of the Rock one will spring a well of water. This has lead to different cultures either embracing the water or finding ways to divert it.

Either way this has led to some excavation which has turned up odd findings. Some have found Mind Flayer remains, both physical and cultural dating back at least four hundred years. About eighty to one hundred years after that remains of Beholders can be found but not as extensively as Mind Flayer. This has led some to believe that the Mind Flayers might have been the original occupants until wiped-out by Beholders. The Beholder remains do not last long and then one can find Dwarven remains dating back about three hundred years but those too disappear quickly. An odd note: the Dwarven cultural is big on burial customs and to date no tombs have been found, only Dwarven dwellings and forges; with most found having half completed weapons.

Law and Crime – There are three magistrates that administer the law: one deals with the merchants, one deals with the portal, and one deals with the general population. The magistrates employ lots of thugs along with the standard City Guard. The thugs do a lot of the grunt work, while the City Guard is for display. The word of the magistrates might as well be as good as law. The Warlord also selects a nine member council of advisers, usually a rotating group of people who are in the favor of the Warlord of the time being. While the council members do have the ear of the Warlord, the magistrates get the benefit of the doubt during the weekly court.

While there is some crime most is not petty. There is usually enough work at the docks or warehouses for a person to earn a living as to not to turn to theft. There is just not a pick pocket operator or beggar class in this society. The major crime is smuggling – not paying the hefty tax on the Rock of Grimm. The unforgivable crime is arson – the trees and plant life are vital to maintaining the atmosphere and if one is found to be an arson death is soon to follow, sometimes even in the case of an accident. Woe be to the wizard that unleashes a fireball spell, a few have even been lynched by the populous. Sometimes council members can buy freedom for a criminal for a lump sum of gold.

Provocation – thirty days hard labor

Common Theft – one year hard labor

-second offense – two years hard labor

-third offense – death, beheading

Burglary – one year hard labor

Armed Robbery – five years hard labor

Manslaughter – five years hard labor

Murder – death, beheading

Piracy (smuggling) – death, beheading

Negligent, Arson – ten years hard labor

Arson – death, impalement

Personalities – The Sages Three – one a former Red Wizard of Thay, one a former Wizard of the Red Robes, and one a former wizard of the Scarlet Brotherhood. All were once truly evil but turned toward neutrality in search of sage knowledge. The Sages are concerned with all things Astral, Magical, and Fantastic and are known to pay and require a high price for information. The Sages Three can be found in their headquarters: the Library of the Spheres.

The Arcane – A race of odd merchants, at least one can be found on the Rock at any given time. Most will lease a warehouse and host a store front but some like to hold up in an inn and have all their desires fulfilled. The Arcane act as the go-between for several races and the go-to-guy for adventures; always at a high price and of course no refunds on transactions (both Duke Nightmare and the High Cleric Kareem dealt with an Arcane before at the Infernal Bazaar).

The Sydnee Line – A specialty passenger service that can get one to most major cities in a dozen worlds for the right price. The specialty is speed at the cost of, well, cost.

The Chainmen – Human slavers that cross the Outlands gathering the lost as slaves to sell on the Rock of Grimm. The law states that slave is one brought in bound in service, so the Chainmen bind their slaves in chains and have them haul loads with most slaves being quickly sold to Drow, Beholders, and Mind Flayers. Chainmen do not dwell much on the Rock of Grimm, they like to get their money and leave. Some might be seen drinking at the more questionable taverns, gambling at pit fights, and in the employ of evil creatures.

Drugan’s Legion – Drugan the Old is the master of a mercenary company that makes the Rock of Grimm its home. Drugan convinced Grimm that the mercenaries should be allowed shelter between missions and that if the Rock ever be attacked the Legion would defend it. Drugan converted a warehouse into a barracks but some Legionnaires rent dwellings on the Rock and have families. Drugan’s Legion is known as one of the finest companies in the Astral but at a hefty price (do you see the picture dear reader?). The mercenaries are assigned into five units: marines, artillerists, and magical support (over 500 soldiers, mages, clerics, and rogues).

The Dwarven Boarding Company – Another mercenary company but they do not technically dwell on the Rock but these Dwarves love a good time and spending money and the Rock is good for that. The Boarding Company is a very large and complex organization but the Dwarves found on the Rock are more like marines on shore leave.

House Zudrick – Now here there be Dwarves, a merchant clan that settled on the Rock fifty years ago. House Zudrick specializes in seeking out other asteroids in the Astral and stripping them of their mineral resources.

The Entertainers Guild – By some a thieves guild by others a necessity, this guild represents any performer and makes sure they get top dollar for their service. How they do this might be a mystery but most do not bother to look into it because well the music is good, the dancing girls are good looking, and the jesters make fools of themselves.

The Honored Mages Guild – Large by most standards, this odd guild is a collection of wizards that teach apprentices and then move on. The apprentice then teaches another and moves on like his master before. There are times when a master might have one or more apprentices and some masters stay and teach for years but by most accounts it is a one and done system. The Council of the Honored Seven maintains a magical tower with a library, laboratories, and barracks.

The Shipwright’s Guild – This guild encompasses the majority of the year-round population of the rock the craftsmen and those associated with the docks. This guild will take on contracts to build Astral vessels but builds strictly by two rules: Grimm comes first and build for everyone else as the orders come in. Many have tried to bribe and con their way to get ships built or even move ahead in the list just to get turned over to Grimm to face punishment.

The Elven Forest – A section of the Rock, forest, Elves, bla, bla, bla. What is more interesting is that there is a Githyanki barrio, where a lone human is in the most danger.

The Arena of Frun – Should be called the arena of not fun dear reader because the only thing going on here are mock gladiatorial games, archery contests, jousts, and the like. So if one has a taste for blood one needs to look for the illegal pit fighting that pops up from time to time.

Eladar the half-elf Astral Cartographer – Known throughout Astral-space, Eladar has maps leading to hundreds of worlds. Eladar was once a bold adventurer and is now retired but enjoys learning of new locations. Many have come to Eladar to never return, some say this half-elf sometimes sends adventures to their doom for whatever reason others say Eladar gave them exactly what they wanted and never returned for other reasons. Those reasons either being the completion of one destiny or death.

The Lock and Key – Pry the Gnome maintains this human sized shop but has a gnome sized work table for herself amongst the human sized worktables for her apprentices. Pry sells three kinds of locks: common (30gp), superior (with -20% to Pick Pocket, 60gp), and the special (-40%, 240gp). Pry keeps a unique lock that has a standing reward of 20gp to any thief that can open it (-60% to Pick Pocket attempts).

Morfgarr’s Reclamation – Morfgarr the Old was once known as Morfgarr the Bold and terror to all that faced him in battle. Now this wizened wizard buys and sells magical items. By chance there are usually five to twenty potions in stock and a random chance for any other item. There is a 30% chance that Morfgarr has any magical item under 2000xp in value and might sell it for two to twelve times the item’s xp value in gp. There is a 5% chance that Morfgarr has any item under 3500xp value at five to twenty times the item’s xp value in gp. [Note: Morfgarr is subject to DM discretion]

To Catch a Demon

Of the Layers of the Infinite Abyss, level sixty-five is home to a couple of evil gods. Most important to our dear readers is the New Dark God and his realm of the Fiendholme; a twisted mansion to the macabre. And dear readers in the Fiendholme the Herald of the New Dark God, the vampire/cleric, sorts through the treasures the Church of All and the High Cleric Kareem have paid in tribute to the New Dark God. The vampire/cleric needs to sort through the magical weapons, items, and gold that the Church of All has paid in tribute but dear readers there several pieces of loot that are going to get special attention. And that dear reader is when the Arch-Lich Planeswalker known as Sephiroth enters our story.

Of the loot give up as tribute by the High Cleric Kareem, one of them requires the attention and special talents that belong to the Master of the Past and Present, Sephiroth. The Herald of the New Dark God hands over a scrap of parchment that has the true name of a demon prince; namely Ebulon a former chief general of Graz’zt that was slain by the Demogorgon and tossed in a Well of Darkness on layer seventy-three of the Abyss, Sephiroth is given the quest to secure the release of Ebulon and to bring the demon prince back to the Fiendholme so the New Dark God can corrupt and transform Ebulon in the image of the New Dark God. While this might be a quest suited for an army of adventures, Sephiroth the Lich will handle this personally.

Sephiroth starts by teleporting himself to a plane of existence that he had not traveled to in ages, maybe in another life, definitely in time long past. The world of Abeir-Toril is home to some of the most fantastic cities and has spawned some of the multiverses greatest champions. But Sephiroth seeks not grand cities or epic adventures. No the Arch-Lich seeks one of his own kind: another lich.

And that dear reader brings us to Larloch, once sorcerer-king of Netheril, who created a powerful artifact that allowed him to summon and control beings from other worlds. This evil power eventually led Larloch down the path to lichdom and survived the fall the Netheril Empire to this day in the dungeon levels below the now ruined Warlock’s Tower. The story goes that hundreds of adventures have sought glory under the Warlock’s Tower to never return. They say dear reader that only Szass Tam was able to survive a trip under the Warlock’s Tower to emerge with an item known as Death Moon Orb. But they, and as you know dear reader you should never trust a they, but they say that Szass Tam while the mightiest of the Red Wizards of Thay cut a deal with Larloch that would result in Szass Tam becoming a lich under Larloch’s control.

Szass Tam tried to use Death Moon Orb to steal all the power of the tanari’ri Eltab, Lord of the Hidden Layer but was defeated by some of those epic adventures of Toril that I mentioned before dear reader. While Szass Tam was defeated, the Death Moon Orb was not recovered and believed to be back in the possession of Larloch. And that dear reader is where our hero Sephiroth comes in.

Though few will know the true dark bargain made the story that another survived a trip below the Warlock’s Tower will slip out. And most importantly dear reader that the second “person” was another lich and that for the second time Death Moon Orb was given out to use. What deal did Sephiroth cut to gain access to Death Moon Orb? What long term consequences will arise from dealing with a lich? And not to say what happens when Graz’zt finds out that his friend Ebulon has been freed only to be imprisoned again by the New Dark God?

Well dear reader these are questions for a higher power, concerns for those of have the stomach for it. Is that to say dear reader that you cannot handle the grim adventures of Sephiroth? And the answer is a simple yes, yes the adventures of Sephiroth and the New Dark God are going places that no mortal man care dare imagine.

Random Bits of Information

After the wizard Vecna, the next great wizard to rise to power was Zagig, whom then would be passed by Mordenkainen.

It is not know how but at some point the witch Iggwilv had Graz'zt under her control for awhile.

Lloth the Spider Queen always keeps an emissary in the court of the Dark Prince Graz'zt and the court of Iuz the Evil and in open trade cities like Sigil and Skullport.

The witch known as Baga Yaga raised two adopted daughters who turned out very different from one another: Elena the Fair and Natasha the Dark.

While the City of Greyhawk is a center of economic activity; the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk are a center of adventuring activity. Hundreds if not thousands have came over the years to seek their treasure in the ruins and few have come back. But those that do come back usually have enough treasure to keep inspiring more to make the pilgrimage.

Zagig was once mayor of Greyhawk; a position now held by the wizard Mordenkainen.

It is know that at some point Zagig was betrayed by his apprentice, a female sorcerers known as Tasha. (as in Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter)

The Dark Prince Graz'zt had two children with a witch known as Iggwilv: Iuz the Evil and a vampire known as Drelzna. While Iuz the Evil is a demi-god with an empire, Drelzna was slain by good aligned adventures.

In Zagig's quest for ultimate magical power, Zagig would create a means to capture nine demi-gods. If not for Iuz the Evil's undying rage; the demi-gods might have been held by Zagig forever.

At one point Zagig had his apprentice summoned and bound an Abyssal Lord.

Iuz the Evil has seems to have an odd alliance with the Drow of the Underdark.

The witch Iggwilv can be found in her private manor somewhere in Gray Wastes of Hades.

The Company of Seven was Zagig's personal adventuring party. The other six where: Keoghtom, Murlynd, Nolzur, Heward, Tasha, and Quaal.

It is believed that Zagig lives on as a servant to Boccob, the Lord of All Magic.

Maps For Fun

This map is after the rise of Ghiere

This map I have been reffering to as the Kingdom of Trogdor

This Map might be called, "the Romance of the Four Kingdoms." With Boeruine, Mhoried, Elinie, and the Southlands as the Four Kingdoms. I guess that means Aerenwe is the odd man out. This Map might also be called the Empire of Duke Nightmare in some possible futures.

Journal Entries: Salim the Sailor 2045 M.A.

Day 15 I arrived in Albiele Town to find the Grand Casino closed by Raphael Sabersrike. How many times must I build up this guild? I will build it even stronger this time.

Day 27 Larry Diamond has been arrested along with Trogdor and Hermedhie, word has arrived from the Herald of the New Dark God that Kareem and Duke Nightmare where solving the problem. I will bide my time and see what happens.

Day 42 Raphael Saberstrike has started a great purge moving lots of soldiers and political positions around. With my forces secured in the Mieres, I think it is time for the Jack and Jill to branch out to every port city along the Straits of Aerele.

Day 65 Word from Kareem that Raphael Saberstrike is dead; Sedrie Bellamie will be running the Southlands, and the dragon Skiesbane has relocated. I will call for the Jack and Jill to have as many members of their clan join the Southland government in any fashion possible along with a handful of my own sailors who will join the Southland Navy.

Day 72 Under magical ruse, a false Raphael Saberstrike would surrender the Sword of Enlien back to Ruornil’s Celestial Spell for safe keeping as the Southlands where now protected. What a joke, the Southlands belongs to us and anyone not wanting to work for the Southlands wants to work for the Royal Flush Gang. The number of new recruits is massive everyday, I must secure more ships.

Day 77 I struck upon a brilliant idea; I must secure the other pirates and fight a false war with the Southlands but only pirate ships from other nations. Word is that pirates have turned the isle of Caelcorwynn into a safe haven, it its time to show the rabble how safe it really is.

Day 85 I will strike upon Caelcorwynn tomorrow, my spies have told me that four pirates lay in port. Word has also come that a terrible monster of death must dwell in the forests of Caelcorwynn; fore the people cling to the rocks and do not venture into the woods.

Day 87 What a fierce battle that was, we had to sink a ship and catch another on fire. One ship escaped us, Faelen’s Pride of the Gods Blood Clan. The ships that were sank were from the Sea Wraiths, I am sure they will come seeking revenge. One ship did join, Wild Owen with his ship the Sea Horse where useful but not well trained. I will maneuver around the island and lay in wait for the pirate clans to come to me.

Day 93 Larry Diamond has helped acquire four new ships and equip them with sailors and marines. These new recruits will be moved to the site of the future Naval Academy. I need to assign someone to survey the land and draft up building proposals. A new wave of initiations are required for the Royal Flush Gang to prosper: I am thinking of adding hundreds of new pawns, this reminds me of a plan that Kareem had for laying out a spy network with theme names based on the pieces of a chessboard. I need the Mystery Man to scour out the ranks looking for spies and lose ends but the Mystery Man is still abroad in Brechtur. With the aid of the New Dark God I will call upon the Church of All to supply me with several hundred loyal followers and place them around my units until such time that I can establish my own secret service.

Day 107 In the last few weeks several rogue pirates have aligned with my cause: Wild Owen has proved useful, Ibrahim the Bold and his old dhoua “My Lady’s Favor” have joined my forces in Caelcorwynn, and the pirate clan the Sea Wraiths have decided to join and not fight. The independent pirates are small fish but must not be overlooked as to not create a weakness. The pirate clans are another story; they do not know the extent of my power. The two remaining pirate clans, God’s Blood and Storm’s Heart, are the targets now and it will be do or die against them. I will tap my contacts with the Wizard’s Cabal to secure massive spells and wizards for individual ships.

Day 124 The pirate clans are massing in the harbors of Baerghos Isles now that everyone knows that the Seadrake has killed by Skiesbane. (But what of the loot, dear reader, you might ask? Well dear reader; the answer the most simple is usually the most accurate: Atriums Thief of Tartarus.) Soon all of the Straits of Aerele will belong to us. The rulers of the west coast do not want to participate in any pirate conflict, but what of Prince Avanil? I think the prince will not want to weaken any part of the Avanil military fore that would give the advantage to Duke Trogdor. What I worry about is someone thinking they can wipeout all the pirates at one time, the intervention by a major power.

Day 133 I have lost my victory, I might as take my loot and retire. What am I saying? What do I have to complain about? I needed a win, I got a win. A big win. Right when I had the captains picked, marines trained, and a target ready for a whopping the Lich steps in and says that the New Dark God commands that I follow the Lich’s orders. Word came that I am to take my fleet and sail for the Baerghos Isles. I am told that the pirate clans are defeated and their ships will be sitting empty of their crew. I am to order my men to not set foot on the land and wait for the clerics of the Church of All to bless the pirate clan ships before boarding.

Day 136 It is hard to believe, I play it up for the troops. The loot we get is incredible, thousands of pieces of gold, sliver, and gems. Treasures from a dozen cultures. And best of all, twenty ships. The breakdown is thus: four galleons, one zebec, one roundship, two knars, two dhoua, six caravels, and four tiny coasters. I can only imagine that the Berghaus Isles are now home to roughly two thousand undead pirates. What horror did the Lich unleash upon the pirate clans to wipe them out but keep the ships and the loot intact? Some might lose sleep over it and I expect dozens of my men to go mad. I must change some of my tactics to match with the power I am dealing with. I must enact a plan like I did before in Mieres, a plan that will deprive a powerful person of their station, treasure, and blood.

Day 158 Construction of the Naval Academy is coming along nicely and plans to expand from four buildings into six are underway as well. A few skirmishes have not gone well clashing with the Prince of Avanil. I have to concede a few of the shipping lanes to allow for the natural flow of traffic but all the short routes belong to me and along with all the ports now having their own branch of the Royal Flush Gang I have great position to start several ventures. The Brothers Investment Groupe has expanded to Mieres and is experiencing a boom in trade despite operating in pirate invested waters. I am working with Larry Diamond to secure even more ways to make profit and expand the Royal Flush Gang’s influence in the government of the Southlands. I will take loyal members with the cleanest records and have them enter the Southlands Navy and Army. I have heard that Church of All members have been encouraged to enter into civil service for the Southlands.

Day 165 Looking over my vast loot I noticed the ring I acquired from defeating the Rake: a ring bearing the state seal of Brosengae. The ruler is Eriene Mierelen, a half elf of questionable background. Eriene came to the throne after her grandfather died two hundred years ago. Now traditionally the family Mierelen carried a taint of elvish blood past down when the Brosengae tribe first settled the region before the times of the Empire. The story goes that the ancient king of Brosengae married an elven madden signifying their claim to the land. Now anyone who has ever set foot in Brosengae will tell you that no elf would ever claim rain-swept hilly region as theirs. So the rumor goes is that Eriene has a true elf as one of her parents and the rumor goes further that her parent elf is related to Rhoubehe Manslayer or even the Elf himself. The Brosengae Royal Guild controls a sizable portion of the market and her merchant fleets are well protected. What I notice is that in the two hundred years of rulership; Eriene has never sired an heir. Now the rumors go that Eriene has had so many lovers that some think she must be a vampire and is feeding going through so many lovers so quickly. But I believe that Eriene would not want to be bogged down by the problems that motherhood brings: mainly the time it would take to even birth a child. I will have to look into this more.

Day 207 So it must be soul for a soul! Every agent that was sent into Brosengae has died. I issued an order to terminate any and all Brosengae agents abroad.

Day 211 More deaths than would be considered tolerable have occurred in Mieres but so far there has been no overt response from Mhistecai government; She must understand who is being killed.

Day 256 The contest of power between me and Eriene has reached a high water mark, the first report from a field agent about the holdings of the Brosengae Royal Guild. I have dried up the labor force by hiring away all the dockworkers, miners, foresters, and mercenaries. I have planted my own people in Brosengae and where quickly hired by the government. The Church of All has also been busy influencing the local population.

Day 288 Things turned out more disastrous than could have been anticipated. I was summoned to the Underground Forest by Duke Nightmare, and that is never good. When I arrived it was to odd company. The Lich was in court sitting on Duke Nightmare’s thrown, Duke Nightmare himself was with Eriene Mierelen. Now what came next I could not anticipate. Eriene had figured out the connections between the Royal Flush Gang, the Church of All, and the Kingdom of the Southlands and came to strike a deal. And the deal we all struck was odd indeed. I seem to keeping getting windfalls when in the presence of the Lich. I wanted to control myself but the deals seemed so good that I was caught up in the furor that I did not even care that I lost hundreds of men and thousands of pieces of gold in a war with Eriene. Eriene has ruled Brosengae for hundreds of years and wants to keep it that way but must have an heir to keep the family line going. Who would think that Salim Shpaga Karamazov would rise from a mere bandit along the Zhange River would father the heir to one of the Twelve Duchies of Anuire?

The Church of All would be allowed entry into Brosengae. Eriene would be given the honorary title of Queen of Diamonds and her spy network would be shuffled into the Royal Flush Gang. The Royal Brosengae Guild was a tricky spot but of course the offer from Duke Nightmare was too good to refuse. Eriene’s guild interests will be incorporated into the Brother’s Investment Groupe with Eriene getting a share.

Day 315 el-Hadid remains one of the few sore spots in the Straits. Every major port but a few along the strait are in my hands: the Imperial City, Ilien, and Sonwyn. I should put more focus on the assets in Stormpoint. One of Prince Avanil’s allies has changed sides; the Royal Flush Gang should lay the ground work for the New Dark God to challenge another.

Day 327 Word has come that a pirate fleet from the Great North is waging a war in the Bay of Tael Firth. I have sent orders to assemble a strike force and within a week I will set sail for the Sea of Storms. I sent word to the Underground Forest and I see this as another possible great victory.

Day 331 In no subtle display, Duke Nightmare arrived amongst my armada to communicate with me. The crews of a dozen ships went into war-mode at the sight of a flying horse of death. Duke Nightmare just played it off saying what is the good of having a pirate fleet if one cannot display one’s true power. Duke Nightmare seemed bitter about the situation and left me with an odd warning. I estimate that in another three days we should enter the Bay of Tael Firth.

Day 335 The ship that we spotted yesterday that got away must have given warning to the Boeruine Navy because we have been trying to out maneuver seven ships for the better part of the day.

Day 336 The Anuirean style ships are out of sight but we have been drive West and North, I will have to wait for night to calculate our position. I do not want to drift to West and end up near Dantier Island. The men are on edge, they understand that everyone is out to get us and we are the strangers in the strange land. The warning from Duke Nightmare keeps ringing in my ear, “You have nothing to fear from the other pirates but everything to fear from everything else.”

Day 337 Now that is how it should be done, Duke Nightmare might have an elaborate entrance, the Mystery Man reappeared in an elegant manor. I called for my cabin boy to bring hot water and I did not even notice who handed me the pail. The cabin boy asked if I needed anything else, I said no but the cabin boy asked if I wanted information about the other pirates. And that is when I noticed the cabin boy was the Ace of Spades. The Mystery Man had obtained the title of Master Thief in Brechtur and then stole a whole fleet and sailed it half way around the continent. Our fleets will merge and sail for the Southlands.

Day 339 The celebration was glorious, Pirates from Bechtur drinking with Anuireans. The Mystery Man had hired every Rjurik mercenary, marine, and sailor and bought anything that could float. The Mystery Man had even befriended a band of goblin thieves that had build an improvised flotilla and have kept adding to it to keep it afloat. Men from many races drank for a day and a night. I think the sound of their singing kept the Boeruine Navy away. The Royal Flush Gang now has a fleet of ships to be feared.

Day 345 I was not sure what to do with the goblins. I did not think it fair to the creatures to turn them over to Duke Nightmare but I did not want goblins amongst the navy. I can use the better thieves in the spy network but the flotilla is laterally their whole clan. So with that in mind I have ordered the goblin clan to seize the Baerghos Island. I am going to make sure the flotilla makes land and leave them with a sizable amount of food, lumber, and other supplies. I will also give the goblins all prisoners of war and any men under discipline as slaves.

Day 351 The combined fleet of the Royal Flush Gang has surely sent shockwaves up and down Anuire and now I will sit back and watch what happens. With the return of the Mystery Man I now have nothing to worry about and soon all my enemies will either be dead or bent to the will of the New Dark God.

Day 377 Nothing really went the way I planned it this year but everything turned out in my favor. Maybe the joke was on me the whole time.