Greetings All,
I spent much of my time between Markets in investigation of the Enslavement Pirates. I arrived in Hollowchain to research the abduction of the The Velmora and her crew. The The Velmora is a not just trade vessel. She is sacred—carrying elders, healers, diplomats. An emissary ship blessed by the sea scholars of House Kindershar. Her capture isnt’t piracy. It is an act of war.
Three days after the ship went missing, a bottle washed ashore on the beaches of Hollowchain. Inside, a single message, smudged but legible:
“Taken. Velmora captured. Enslaved. Help us.”
These are the clues I have collected.
A dockworker’s tale.
A rough brig had pulled into the Hollowchain weeks earlier, buying up barrels of salt-flesh. The dockhand recalled its figurehead—a wood nymph, beautiful and eerily lifelike.
But he whispered a darker rumor: that the figurehead wasn’t carved at all. That it was a real nymph, bound to the ship’s bow. That as long as she remained imprisoned, the ship could heal from any wound—wood knitting like skin, sails mending mid-storm.
And it now sailed under a pirate's banner.
I overheard this but, before I could followup a fight broke out.
Kara (sailor; soaked, trembling):
"...I’m telling you, Rynn—it wasn’t just a raid. They took the whole ship. The entire crew. The Velmora—gone. Just like that."
Rynn (grizzled dockhand):
"Gone? You’re saying pirates captured a Makono vessel? That’s suicide. Those fishfolk are born in armor. The Velmora was armed to the teeth."
Kara:
"I saw it. I was escorting the convoy on a cutter. Just after dusk, we spotted red sails. Before we could raise signal flags, the storm hit. Wasn’t natural—magic squall. Covered the Reaper’s approach."
Rynn (sits back, frowning):
"The Reaper? You’re sure?"
Kara (nods):
"Aye. Red Jack Maraine’s ship. Hull the color of old kelp, sails like dried blood. And that figurehead—moving like it breathed. They came out of the mist like ghosts."
"They didn’t sink the Velmora. They boarded her. Used something—some kind of vial. Made the crew... obedient. Took them all alive."
Rynn:
"That’s madness. Who enslaves Makono? They’re too proud. Too dangerous. And House Kindershar would burn half the ocean looking for them."
Kara (quietly):
"That’s what frightens me. Someone out there wants strong, dangerous slaves. And Maraine—he’s changed. He’s not just a butcher anymore."
(leans in)
"Word is, the Unbounded intercepted a smaller slaver months ago. Rescued the crew."
Rynn (eyes narrowing):
"Survivors?"
Kara:
"Aye. Said they’d been forced to serve on the Reaper. Not just shackled—controlled. Like puppets."
Rynn (disbelieving):
"Magic?"
Kara:
"Something deeper. Said it had to do with Maraine’s hat. A tricorn with a white plume. Whoever wore it—they obeyed. Even if their minds screamed no. One sailor said he watched his own hands kill his friends while he wept inside."
Rynn (quietly):
"Dominion magic. Or worse—alchemy. Soulbinding."
Kara (nods grimly):
"They said the power came from the Devil Jet himself."
(spits on the floor)
And help would be appreciated.
Baroness Mistweaver FallingStar
Herald to Moon Father
I spent much of my time between Markets in investigation of the Enslavement Pirates. I arrived in Hollowchain to research the abduction of the The Velmora and her crew. The The Velmora is a not just trade vessel. She is sacred—carrying elders, healers, diplomats. An emissary ship blessed by the sea scholars of House Kindershar. Her capture isnt’t piracy. It is an act of war.
Three days after the ship went missing, a bottle washed ashore on the beaches of Hollowchain. Inside, a single message, smudged but legible:
“Taken. Velmora captured. Enslaved. Help us.”
These are the clues I have collected.
A dockworker’s tale.
A rough brig had pulled into the Hollowchain weeks earlier, buying up barrels of salt-flesh. The dockhand recalled its figurehead—a wood nymph, beautiful and eerily lifelike.
But he whispered a darker rumor: that the figurehead wasn’t carved at all. That it was a real nymph, bound to the ship’s bow. That as long as she remained imprisoned, the ship could heal from any wound—wood knitting like skin, sails mending mid-storm.
And it now sailed under a pirate's banner.
I overheard this but, before I could followup a fight broke out.
Kara (sailor; soaked, trembling):
"...I’m telling you, Rynn—it wasn’t just a raid. They took the whole ship. The entire crew. The Velmora—gone. Just like that."
Rynn (grizzled dockhand):
"Gone? You’re saying pirates captured a Makono vessel? That’s suicide. Those fishfolk are born in armor. The Velmora was armed to the teeth."
Kara:
"I saw it. I was escorting the convoy on a cutter. Just after dusk, we spotted red sails. Before we could raise signal flags, the storm hit. Wasn’t natural—magic squall. Covered the Reaper’s approach."
Rynn (sits back, frowning):
"The Reaper? You’re sure?"
Kara (nods):
"Aye. Red Jack Maraine’s ship. Hull the color of old kelp, sails like dried blood. And that figurehead—moving like it breathed. They came out of the mist like ghosts."
"They didn’t sink the Velmora. They boarded her. Used something—some kind of vial. Made the crew... obedient. Took them all alive."
Rynn:
"That’s madness. Who enslaves Makono? They’re too proud. Too dangerous. And House Kindershar would burn half the ocean looking for them."
Kara (quietly):
"That’s what frightens me. Someone out there wants strong, dangerous slaves. And Maraine—he’s changed. He’s not just a butcher anymore."
(leans in)
"Word is, the Unbounded intercepted a smaller slaver months ago. Rescued the crew."
Rynn (eyes narrowing):
"Survivors?"
Kara:
"Aye. Said they’d been forced to serve on the Reaper. Not just shackled—controlled. Like puppets."
Rynn (disbelieving):
"Magic?"
Kara:
"Something deeper. Said it had to do with Maraine’s hat. A tricorn with a white plume. Whoever wore it—they obeyed. Even if their minds screamed no. One sailor said he watched his own hands kill his friends while he wept inside."
Rynn (quietly):
"Dominion magic. Or worse—alchemy. Soulbinding."
Kara (nods grimly):
"They said the power came from the Devil Jet himself."
(spits on the floor)
And help would be appreciated.
Baroness Mistweaver FallingStar
Herald to Moon Father