Welcome to Caitisan (Set File + Pirate Hunter)

{Of Gods and Mortals}


"Long ago, before even I was born, there existed a woman, the sea, and a great tree. The woman was beautiful and kind, and the sea was wild and fierce. The tree borrowed land from the woman and water from the sea, and it grew ever outward. The woman saw the tree's growth and knew it would soon take up all the land, so she begged the sea for more room. 'Please,' she pleaded, ' you have so much room beyond the horizon, surely you could spare a little more.'

But the sea refused and angered the woman. In her rage, she grabbed the land and stretched it across the water. She pulled and pulled and pulled on the land until the sea was nowhere to be found. When the sea returned, it too was full of rage. The sea forced itself between the new lands and pushed the woman and the tree far apart with her waters..."

Amil watched from the corner of the lodge while her Shield-Matron entertained the young recruits with another wild tale. Topaz had been a great storyteller from the day Amil first met her. She claimed her unique appearance was because she had been blessed by ancient gods but after planeswalking across the infinite realities Amil began to have her doubts. Although the centaur was old for a Shield-Matron you could never tell by looking at her kindly face that she was the lodge's strongest Seeker.

"I sense your hesitation, dear. Is everything alright?" Amil hadn't even noticed her Shield-Matron had stopped her story and was looking up from her seat on the floor. Amil made a few quick hand motions in response to the question.

"Oh dear, I'm afraid my signing is but a rusting blade as I get older. Where is Svensa, she's usually here to help translate?"

'Out,' Amil motioned. Her hands fluttered like butterflies as they spoke the words her mouth could no longer. 'Can we talk? You've been on my mind lately.'

"Curiosity is a whetstone that can sharpen any blade. Let's walk, dear. I think I have an idea what such a respected High-Seeker wants with little old me." Topaz curled her legs back under her and motioned to the door. "Come," she continued, "the evenings are nice this time of year."

The air outside carried the crisp chill of the season's first snowfall and songs from the wildlife had begun to fall off in the summer's waning months. Harvest would soon be upon Yakizma with the still of winter close behind. The outside was refreshing, but Amil had so many questions for her mentor and no idea where to start. Topaz was the first to break the silence that followed their leisurely pace almost as if she knew Amil's thoughts better than she did herself.

"You wish to know why I lied about my heritage?"

'How did you know?' Amil signed methodically so her mentor could keep pace. Topaz watched with utmost patience, deciphering every word with a warm smile and a small nod.

"No matter the century, no matter the world, humans want to see beyond the accepted and into the unknown," Topaz Chuckled. "Your kind desires to escape the nature's patterns and cycles- never realizing that is your roll in nature's cycle." She stopped at a part of the stone wall covered in ivy and ran her hand across the leaves. "Take this ivy along the path. Here it grows, and here it will die. All across the multiple planes, ivy grows and ivy dies. On Zendikar, on Yakizma, Xoltan, Innistrad, and even Caitisan. This plant shares its cycle across many worlds."

'You were asked before?' Amil responded, slightly confused by her mentor's words.

"Everything repeats, High-Seeker," Topaz affirmed, running her hands on the cold stones beside the road. "Not here, not yet on Yakizma, but everything does." Her voice had a hint of grim somber to it; the tone gave its message a curious weight. "Truth be told, Virida's return last winter was just convenient timing. I used his resurgence to mask my otherwise otherworldly origins. There is no bandit's blade meant by it."

'You could have told me. I am strong, I would have understood.'

"You are strong, dear, but also young with so much still you have yet to learn. It was never you, nor your Shield-Sister, I was worried about. You and I walk the same path, but Yakizma produces so few with that gift."

"Granny, granny!" A small voice exclaimed as a figure jumped from the bushes. It was Saigura Burma, a young cat that lived with his family in the village built around the Seeker's Lodge. "The other day I... Uh... Saw a wolf! On the trail! I was so scared... But then I remembered what you told me! About being brave! So I stood up and it ran away scared!"

Topaz knelt down and pat the child on his head; her face was glowing with happiness. "That's wonderful, dear. Remeber all of my lessons and you'll be a High-Seeker just like Amil."

Saigura Burma turned to Amil and ecstatically belted, "Do you really think so?" Amil waved back awkwardly.

"Of course I do, dear," Topaz said, pinching the young cat's cheeks. "With time, even the smallest sapling becomes a mighty oak. But shouldn't this young sapling be helping at home?"

"Oh! It's dinner! Um... My mom wanted to tell you..." He hid his face in his hands as if he were embarrassed. "That there's room for you at the table!"

"Well, you tell her I just think that's a lovely offer. Now run home, dear, so you can help her prepare." Topaz sent the young Saigura on his way and turned her attention back to Amil. She stood there with an uncomfortable grin on her face that came from having no clue how to act around children. Topaz waited until Burma was out of earshot before continuing.

"It was never you I was worried about. You've been out there. You've seen what the other worlds have to offer. You've seen the dangers, but families like his... The gods are but mortal giants made titans by the energy of devotion. Imagine if they knew that powers far greater than the gods they pray to exist? If they knew that you and I had strength beyond even Nehel or Ebilir?"

Topaz looked out into the surrounding forest. "When I was younger my compassion was... Less practiced. I served but one purpose, and She saw the great destruction that welled up within me. But this world..." Topaz trailed off, lost watching the snowbirds flutter between the trees. "All worlds have a beauty and purity that must be safeguarded. That is why I kept my secret, High-Seeker."

It was a lot for Amil to take in. Her mentor's view of the world ran so much deeper than anything Amil ever experienced or even imagined. She had answered one question but created so many more. "Will you tell me about your home?" She asked.

The Shield-Matron paused too look at the sun's path along the horizon. "We have time before sundown... What if I showed you?"

. . .



The evergreen trees gave way to a sprawling coastline and the mountainous horizon fell into an endless line of blue. Amil immediately noticed the hard-packed soil of Yakizma had been replaced by a soft, tan grain that loosely molded around her boots. She also noticed it was far too humid for her fur-lined steel armor.

"This," Topaz said sweeping her hand across the deep blue, "Is the home of my tribe. The plane that all centaurs of The Vale call home. Welcome to Caitisan, High-Seeker."

Amil was awestruck by the sparkling sea before her. Everything on Yakizma was grey and full of ice, so she had never seen such a rich and vibrant sea before. The coast was so soft and warm compared to the harsh cliffs back home. The world that unfolded before her was several shades brighter and more inviting than she was used to. 'It's so beautiful' She signed.

"With great beauty comes great sacrifice, High-Seeker. I have not easily returned to this place since I left here." Topaz was pacing uneasily, checking over her shoulder as she spoke. "Long ago, a great pirate threw the world into chaos with his brash actions."

'Pirate?'

"Imagine a bandit without borders. Imagine a fort that can travel through the waters and bandits that steal and kill wherever they wanted. That is a pirate. And when Captain Axela landed on our shores my tribe was slaughtered for a small profit. Axela went on to cause destruction all across the sea, giving rise to the Great Age of Piracy. Even our gods stood no chance against the onslaught... Had nature not blessed me with the gift of planeswalking, I would have died that day..." Topaz's inviting mood had unraveled completely, and Amil understood why she spoke of her past in whispers.

The centaur walked over to a small overturned boat on the shore and righted it. Inside was the skeleton of a man clutching a gold medallion tightly to its chest. Topaz sighed. "This is the danger that comes from challenging the gods. When the gods die, nature's cycle cannot continue. Your home, your gods, are fortunate enough to still exist. Not all worlds are blessed, dear."

{The Capture of Sally Essabet}
There is a point in every life where we come to a crossroad; our old life branches out before us in two different directions never to be the same. I wish I could tell you that both branching paths were happy ones, or that the choice between them would be easy. That choice, unfortunately, is never easy, but in Sally Essabet's case, it was an especially difficult one.

My fleet commanders had been tracking the pirate's whereabouts while the other admirals and I drafted a list of grievances against her. The council said Her Majesty Justicia blessed me with the responsibility of her capture, and now I had set off on the high seas at the head of the Sunrise Bliss. I ran my hand across her wheel and took in all the ocean had to offer. The sea breeze had a saltiness to it I could almost taste as it drifted lazily around me, and the clouds towered above the water like mountains of cotton that pierced the sky. It had been far too long since I was at home on the open ocean.

I handed the helm back to Captain Styde and looked out over the water. There was something about its deep blue-green hues that relaxed me. The gentle sound of the waves as they lapped against the Bliss's hull created a rhythmic song that tied the ship and sea together in a magnificent dance. Today, however, was no royal gala and the coming arrest would offer no pleasantries.

Cries of a ship on the horizon erupted across the deck as alarm bells rang from high above in the crow's nest. A panicked young officer rushed to my side, saluted frantically, and handed me a spyglass. "It's her ship, Admiral. It's the Midday," he stated.

I peered through the lens at my prize, the famed pirate ship the Midday. Her dark burgundy wood stood stark against the tranquil blues of the sea. It was a tall and proud ship tainted by the hands of pirates. The sails were adorned with the Essabet family crest- tattered and beaten but unmistakeably hers.



"Captain Styde!" I barked, stepping away from the ship's railing."

"Admiral?" Styde answered back.

"Let's pick up the pace, captain. We've been searching for the Midday for weeks so don't let her sink below the horizon. Commanders, Flynn, to me!"

A startled Flynn looked up from his sea charts at the bow of the ship as Styde began to give orders. Flynn was the best navigator I ever had the pleasure of bringing aboard the Bliss, but he was the most disorganized elf I'd ever seen.

"Gather your maps and meet me in the captain's cabin," I shouted. "We're not going into this blind."

"Yes ma'am," he said as he scooped up his things.

"Admiral," Styde chimed in.

"Aye?"

"Ana... We'll be upon her before you know it. Afraid I can't give you much time to plan today..."

"Ready the mortars, keep out of her cannon's range, and give me what you can. Don't make a move until I'm back above deck."

"And if she try and flee?" He asked.

I knew the answer Styde wanted; it was the same thing he always wanted. Pirates took his family when he was just a boy and now even the mention of pirates made him see red. "Styde, you sink this ship on me and I send you in after it. I need her and Captain Essabet alive. Understand?"

He let out a nervous chuckle. "Aye Ana. Always playing hard to get."


. . .



Commander Jays, Stock, and I were all crowded around a small table in Styde's cabin. Flynn had scattered various maps and sea charts across the table and stood in a corner to poor over a few more. Certain maps were in elvish, and others had missing landmarks, making them hard to read.

"If we engage her head-on," Commander Stock started, "There is the distinct possibility the Midday outmatches us. She has a sturdy hull and formidable broadside artillery."

"Stock's right," I chimed in, "drop for drop the Midday outmatches us in close-range firepower. We would need to keep clear of her cannons."

"Do you propose we just follow her instead?" Commander Jays asked sarcastically.

"No. We're already far too deep in the Sparrow's territory and I don't want to risk alerting Espaza just yet. What if we keep our distance and suppress her escape options with mortar fire?"

"And then what?" Jays retorted. "Strand our men on her ship in a boarding raid? Far too dangerous."

"Due respect Admiral, but Jays is right." Commander Stock added. "We shouldn't be so eager to give Essabet an advantage like that.

Flynn looked up from his charts in the corner with a glow of excitement in his eyes. "Permission to speak, Admiral Axela."

"Granted, Flynn."

"Well, as I said before, Admiral, ma'am," Flynn stuttered, "we're currently southeast of Wellweather, here." The elf pointed at an empty patch of ocean between Wellweather and Porta Bay before sliding his finger further south. "The Midday is headed southwest toward..." He paused at the large swath of ocean.

"What's directly south of Wellweather, Flynn?" I asked.

He set the map he was holding on top of the pile and compared the two. "Well... Honestly, Admiral, there's not much- it's all relatively uncharted. A few sandbars? Some trees? A shallow reef? But this Talloran map is the only map I've found with these lands charted. What if we run Captain Sally's ship ashore on them?"

The room was silent for a moment. "You're suggesting we strand her ship high and dry on lands that might not exist?" Stock asked.

"If we remove the Midday from the fight," I interrupted, "then it becomes a simple war of attrition. I'm impressed, Flynn."

Commander Jays did not seem as impressed. He sifted through the maps obviously unhappy with the current solution. "With all due respect, Admiral, this is only a single plan held together on the hope that this one map is more accurate than the rest. We can't sink ships with hope."

Commander Jays was suspicious and cynical about many things. It made him a good strategist but terrible in time-sensitive situations. "No, you're right," I affirmed. "But one plan above deck is better than several ideas down here. I'm going to tell Styde what we have so far. Flynn, you're with me again and bring that map with you. Jays, Stock, I want you two to stay down here and find me a backup plan. Remember- I want the Midday for Her Royal Navy. Sinking her is not an option."




. . .

"I think I understand it, but you're sure I can't send her to Illypso's depths?" Styde joked. The humor was lost on me.

"She escaped Porta on my patrol, Styde. The Midday sailed right into our harbor and I did nothing. That ship is a gift for the council so I need it sea-worthy. How does it look?"

Captain Styde spun the wheel to hit a rogue wave head-on. "Well she's definitely spotted us, Ana," he explained as the Sunrise Bliss slid over the turbulent waters. "Sea's gotten a bit angry too, but it's nothing I can't handle. I think Illypso sense what's about to happen."

I disregarded the religious implications and stared out at the pirate ship. "But what of the Midday? Has she spotted us? Can her cannons reach us?"

Styde let out a jovial, full-bodied laugh. "Aye, she's seen us, but she ain't getting away from us. Been laying some suppressive fire with the front cannons to keep her from turning."

"Captain Styde," Flynn called out from the lower deck. "We're approaching the islands!"

"This is it, men!" Styde belted. "Take her to full sails and let's close the gap! Load the mortars and begin phase two! Let's concentrate fire on the port side, corral her west!"

Mortar shells were carried past the helm and loaded into the large cannons behind us. I folded my arms behind my back and watched as percussive drum beats of justice accompanied the cannon fire across the sky, one by one. The Midday listed slowly starboard to avoid the incoming barrage.

"It's working, she's turning!" I exclaimed. I raised my left hand, palm open, and continued giving orders. "Load the front artillery with chain shot! On my signal, fire at her sails!"



The second wave of mortars soared across the air as gunpowder and smoke filled the sky. I walked to the front cannons, hand still raised, to get a closer look at the Midday. Five hatches on the back of the pirate ship were thrust open. "She has rear cannons! Brace for impact!"

I dropped to the floor as my men huddled close to the deck. There was a distant popping sound, followed by several tense seconds before the retaliation struck. An orchestra of shells hitting the waves and splintered wood hitting the deck pierced my eardrums. A young lieutenant screamed as a shard of railing dug into his leg. Two other lieutenants carted him below deck as everyone rose to their feet.

"Admiral, there!" Flynn shouted as he pointed to a looming shape on the horizon. For a brief moment, I was elated that the elf was right, but my heart sank as the island drew closer and amorphous shapes became jagged rocks.

I squeezed my fist tight and pointed at the Midday. "Fire the chains! Aim for her central mast! And don't let up on that barrage!" The chains rattled as they soared through the air and tore the sails like a wet cloth. I turned around and climbed back up the stairs to the helm.

"Ana, those ain't islands those are Deathspires!" Styde shouted in alarm.

"You think I didn't notice?" It was hard to hear my own voice over the deafening barrage.

"What should we do?" He asked. "We can't lead her in there or they'll sink her."

I chewed on my lower lip, a bad habit I picked up from months of desk-work, as I tried to think of a plan. "We can't let her escape, Styde. Not after coming this close. We can't risk retaliation from Espaza either..."

I grimaced, upset at what had to be done. "Keep pressuring her into the Deathspires, but swing wide and don't follow. We have to cut our losses and sink-"

"Captain Styde, she's turning!" The cry came from Burgess up in the crow's nest. "Captain Essabet is headed into the Deathspires on her own!"

Styde and I glanced at each other with equally puzzled looks. "What is she planning..." I wondered aloud.

"Burgess, find me another entrance to the spires," Styde commanded as he spun the ship's wheel. "The rocks are too narrow to turn around so let's wait for her on the other side!"


. . .



At least seven days had passed with no sight of the Midday. My men and I were restocked via allied ships, but Essabet was surely out of supplies by now.

"Something's not right," Styde mumbled. His arms were crossed and rested lightly on his gut as he stared out at the rocky formations jutting from the sea. "We should have at least seen some vessel by now..."

"I was thinking the same thing," I added. "Let's get a rowboat in the water, there has to be something she found in there... Styde, Commander Jays, you stay on the Bliss and keep a lookout, Flynn, Stock, Burgess, come with me."


. . .

A small island sat near perfectly in the center of the spires, hiding a gruesome pirate treasure between its palm trees. Piles of dead men littered the ground only a short distance from the battered Midday. I pulled a patch from the jacket of one body- it bore the Essabet family crest. "There's no mistaking it, this is her crew."

"Died of thirst, most likely," Commander Stock agreed. He walked between the bodies, dismissively waving the flies away from him. "But it seems the famed Captain Essabet isn't here."

I heard his words but my attention was focused on a collection of odd symbols burned into the trees. "Flynn, what do you make of these?" I directed his attention to the markings.

"These are odd..." He wondered. "There's a few on the ground as well. They might be a short ranged teleportation spell, it's hard to tell. Let me make a few sketches..."

I bit my lower lip again. Even if we had her ship no corpse meant no death. "Stock, perform the arrest ceremony for Her Majesty. The Midday is worse for wear, but she's ours. And as far as the council will know... That means Essabet is dead."

Commander Stock raised his hands to the sky and began. "By the holy order of Her Majesty Justicia, Captain Essabet, her crew, and her assets are under arrest for..."




. . .

Epilogue:

"At first I thought the symbols might be an arcane language, some kind of summoning script," Flynn explained as he struggled to keep pace with Styde and I. We were back in Porta Bay- summoned to a meeting with the Council of Elders themselves. "But then something struck me. And I'm still not sure why, but I tried rearranging the symbols into one big picture. It forms a compass! It's not like any compass I've seen before though. Five arms point north and one south, so it must be ancient."

I was about to respond to his discovery but a woman suddenly stepped in front of us and began talking. "On Her judgment, is that the Ana Axela?"

She was tall, thin, and tanned with frizzy hair that framed her head like a plump fruit. Styde stepped in front of me and offered his hand. "72nd captain of Her Royal Navy, and Ana's personal captain, Bon Styde." He was always eager to meet new people. "And who might you be?"

She grabbed his hand with both of hers. "41st captain of Her Royal Navy and the Sunrise Bliss's original captain, Harriet Emily. Nice to meet ya. 72nd, huh? Ana when did they start pairing ya with little guppies without sea legs?"

The remark felt insulting but Styde laughed it off just the same. He loved to laugh and took every comment as an opportunity to do so. "Styde's an old friend. I snatched him from basic training the moment I could. How have you been, Emily? I haven't seen you since you earned your own ship."

Captain Emily leaned against the wall with one hand on her hip. "Formal as ever, Ana. I been good. Got into a nasty scrape near Valoo Archipelago so I'm landlocked while they fix up the Chariot. But this timing is perfect, right? You're here, I'm here, and there's cause to celebrate!"

"Celebrate...?" I asked.

"Well, you're meeting with the council, right? About the Essabet arrest. Oh, don't act surprised, Ana! Since I been stuck doing paperwork, I found the desk jockeys really run this place." She winked. "I hear you're moving up in the world, Commodore."

---

Elsewhere, on a small island in south Caitisan:

"Lucelle, 'ave you caught the papers recently?"

"You, reading?" Lucelle taunted, "now there's a fright."

Myra pouted. "No, I'm serious, 'ave a listen to this headline: 'New Commodore Appointed Following Arrest of Captain Essabet'

Lucelle snatched the article from her sister's hands. "What? Let me see that... Admiral Ana Axela? The Ana Axela? Myra, this is the girl that murdered her mum an' stole her ship. Ran off to go play soldier with her mum's fortune. This isn't good."

"An' why is that?" Myra asked, reading the article over her sister's shoulder.

"Essabet was Espaza's left hand, ya sea slop. If this woman was mad enough to go after her, Espaza might be next... We might be next... You still got that coin?"

"The one that came wit' the Ruby Spade?" She asked, pulling a jeweled necklace from under her top. "Aye."

"Play the Siren's Song. I think it's time the Lords met again..."