16.5.10

The Slaver's Journal

Here is the excerpt of the slaver captain's journal as related to you by Finn Allan:

From what you can gather, the slaver ship left the Kalamaran port of Sobeteta on the 20th of Harvest, Year 563 in the Imperial Reckoning, with a cargo of demi-human and human slaves, rice, salt pork and rough wine. It sailed west, skipping the Kalamaran capital of Bet Kalamar and putting in at Oloseta on the coast of Tarisato, a province in southern Kalamar and the last civilized stop before making the run to Reanaarian Bay. There they took on a cargo of Hobgoblin criminals condemned to slavery - the captain writes at length about how each one is chained separately so that they can be handled more easily. They also picked up a very interesting passenger - a Baron from the north of Kalamar, who bought passage and some transport space for a small cargo of fine wines to Zoa.

From the coast of Tarisato, the ship headed to Reanaaria, but unusually for a slaver, after it rounded the peninsula of the Obakasek jungle, the ship took several side trips back to the coast at the direction of the Baron. They would hug the coast for several days, and the Baron would stand at the rail - scanning the shore for some signal, sign or landmark. Other than complaining about the delays, the captain passed the time by charting these waters, and it looks like he has made one or two useful sea charts of sections of the coast. At one point the slavers came across a tribe of Dejy humans fishing on the shore, and posing as simple traders the slave captain ambushed the tribes people, capturing many. Any that were unsuitable for sale he tossed overboard, within sight of land but hardly within swimming distance for a child or old woman. You detect a note of glee in the captain's writings as he relates how furious the Baron was over the delay - you get the idea that these two did not get along, and wonder what other little games of spite they played.


There are only two other passages of interest: on the 12th of Famine (after 2 months at sea) the Baron finally spotted the landmark he was looking for and took a boat to shore. The Baron returned after about 3 hours. The second passage relates to a change of course on the 17th of Famine - it seems unexpected because there are only calculations, and the simple sentence - "at the Baron's direction we have changed course for Aaser - City of pirates. May the Gawds save all our souls."


Two days later they encountered your ship, and you can't help but wonder - was the attack on your boat another attempt by the Captain to spite the Baron? Did you help the right side?

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