Session 55 Anchorheart's Folly
The mist becomes a drizzle as Firien summons a wind to alter the Marley’s course south-west. Arti decides to test Ten’s perception by running to the bow while Ten listens to Firien at the stern. To their surprise, Ten is unable to hear Firien. When Arti closes their eyes, Ten’s sight is also affected. Ten suggests they are but a fragment of Ten’s consciousness residing within Arti’s heart. They are unable to answer whether they are connected to Ten or the Miasma. After placing the fifth buoy south of Mousehole, the crew share a feast and retire for the night.
Shores of Lamorna
Guy finds himself on a familiar beach. Leaving bootprints in the chalk-white sand, he inhales deeply and watches the sun set beneath an iridescent purple sky. A commanding voice shatters his composure. He spins around to find Uther, Elyse’s father, offering him a pebble. Elyse stands opposite him in her dress uniform. It was his wedding day! After a moment’s hesitation, Guy takes the pebble and speaks aloud.
“Manfred? Manfred! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your vows…”
“Elyse, the day you arrested me was the greatest day of my life. As a boy, I was never raised with values such as ‘honour’ or ‘integrity’, but thanks to your and Uther’s kind tutelage, I now possess something of the concept. I vow never to abandon Gwerdowra and to always stand proudly by your side as an honourable man… and still have a little fun on the side. Your love is my North Star, and I pray that my course is always charted by your example.”
Uther approves Guy’s vows.
Elyse glows with affection and after sharing a glance with her father, she and Guy exchange pebbles. An explosion interrupts Uther’s declaration of marriage as a bullet exits his forehead. Time seems to slow as Elyse’s face contorts in horror. Guy tries to lunge for Uther only to find he is paralysed by the nightmare. Uther’s body crashes to the sand, staining it blood red. Standing over his corpse, Bhaldrom Anchorheart blows the smoke from his pistol.
“Never forget… you’re mine.”
Anchorheart to Guy.
The Marley
Guy wakes suddenly and falls from his hammock calling Uther’s name. The crash wakes Elyse and the Six of Steel who rush to Guy’s quarters. Bantonio helps Guy to his feet and offers a calming beverage. When Guy claims to simply have fallen out of bed, Firien sees through him and offers some encouraging words. Guy meets Elyse’s gaze, prompting him to tell the truth. He had dreamt of Uther’s death at the hands of Anchorheart. Bantonio ushers the Six of Steel out so Elyse might have a private moment with her husband.
Elyse questions Anchorheart’s words in the dream. Guy explains how she and Uther taught him the value of honour. Following his break up with Elyse, Guy had scuttled the Threepwood at Wolf Rock in a suicidal fit of rage. Anchorheart plucked him from the wreckage, saving his life. Despite everything, Anchorheart had treated Guy with fatherly respect while aboard the Umberlee’s Wrath. Elyse tries to convince Guy that Anchorheart was only using him. She cups his cheek and promises to free him of Anchorheart’s hold.
996, Flavum 5th
Guy’s contemplation is interrupted when Arti calls him down from the crow’s nest. Elyse approaches with a stern expression. She had received a message from Vice Admiral Kilik, denying her request for support in the pursuit of Anchorheart. She theorises that while Anchorheart continues to attack CSCA ships, the Free Trade Navy consider him an asset. Guy declares Kilik a pandering politician. Perhaps they could convince him to send support if it gained him the favour of the public. After placing the final buoy, the Marley sets course for Daniel’s Island.
Daniel’s island
DAV3 greets the Six of Steel and once again introduces Daniel who is prepared to activate the buoys. Throwing the switch sends a bolt of lightning to the device at the top of the chapel, connecting it to the tower on the islet opposite. Readings from the buoys are correlated and projected on a three-dimensional map in the centre of the room. Rifling through the layers of data, Guy highlights a curious hot spot south-west of Ishmaelham. Its five-day-old wake shows a sudden course change after passing Sullivanwick.
The course change aligns with Agnes’ report; she had missed her rendezvous with the Umberlee’s Wrath. Firien casts a tentative sending to confirm ABC’s current situation. Her reply comes in the form of an improvised song! She must be in disguise. The song confirms she is now aboard the Umberlee’s Wrath heading south-west. The song also mentions eight birds—likely the size of Anchorheart’s flotilla. It seems to Firien that Anchorheart intends to intercept the ships coming from Os Terrae.
While Guy studies the map, Gomruss enthuses about his new grav-shot to Daniel, a fellow scholar. This prompts Arti to ask the pair for a graviturgy-based mechanism that could enhance their wings. Studying Arti’s wings, Daniel realises their warforged wings have been subsumed by new chitinous membranes, making adaptation impossible. However, he proposes a pair of grav-boots that could triple Arti’s jump distance for instant altitude!
Guy snaps his fingers and highlights a large whirlpool north of Bodmin on the map. The Beast of Bodmin was a portal to the elemental plane of water and most likely the place where Anchorheart bound his subservient water elemental. The Six of Steel were facing impossible odds.