King’s Port Advertiser and Ship List New Terra’s independent source for shipping news. November 617. Vol 2, Issue 5 Corrington vs Sea Rats Last month we reported that ships flying the Sea Rats banner had attacked Corrington ships, and in the subsequent weeks the Corries threatened retribution. We have learned of two large sea battles near Bastion between Corrington and the Sea Rats. The thunder and smoke of battle could be heard and seen on the horizon from the beach, causing quite the commotion as speculation ran rampant among the onlookers. In the first engagement, the HMS Mars and HMS Publius intercepted a Sea Rat squadron led by the Corporal Milton headed for Breshaun. The Sea Rats defended themselves against the attack and sent the Mars to the bottom, and the Publius eventually had to put in at Pontelli after it broke off, as it could not make it all the way to Nova Terreli. But in the second engagement, a large Corrington fleet led by HMS Huntress got revenge on the ships that sank the Western Wind in October, sinking the Cardinal and capturing Misfortune’s Revenge! We can only anticipate the spectacle of public trials for the captured! But while there was much rejoicing when they brought the ship back to Port Raleigh, our agent couldn’t help but notice that three ships did not return. Our agent in Bastion reports that the crews of the Komodo Dragon, Viper, and Pineapple Revenge were claiming to have sent HMS Whisper and HMS Mardier’s Misfit to Davy Jones’ Locker. Elsewhere, the Sea Rats appear to have gotten the upper hand in a smaller engagement. In Mooreton Bay the crew of the WTC Icarus Returning claims that, in the vicinity of Lacryma, a Sea Rat squadron led by the Sirrus, and including the Peregrine, captured the WTC Beacon. Additionally, our agent in New Haven tells us that the Corrington ship Ferret failed to arrive in port. Debris believed to be the Ferret was found not far from Elizabethville, where it began its journey. While the redcoats are quick to suspect the Sea Rats in this matter, there is no evidence to support the claim.
  Names in the News The Corrington outrage at the activities of certain Sea Rats last month has apparently not gone unnoticed by various well-known members of the account. We have local reports that the ships of the pirate captain LeColeon were spotted on the seas around Terraversa this month. One rumor says they had the upper hand in an engagement with the Corrish ship HMHV Athena before the redcoats escaped, but that report has not been corroborated. In another report, HMS Carnage was damaged in a scuffle with Harrison Torn’s Black Star. We also hear that the HMS Ironsides scrapped with the Ghost Harvester and Hades’ Hangman of Zublius Von Wreck before the notorious pirate escaped. Finally, we have reports that the Corries had some success against the infamous Bluebeard, capturing one of his ships before the bearded one, in his flagship the Blue Dagger, turned the tables on them and forced the Colonial Gunboat to flee with its prize. Elsewhere, our contacts with members of The Faith tell us that Bloody Bill again tangled with the Oleon navy, forcing HRS Tonnant and HRS Ardent to flee the scene. But Oleon had better luck against Captain Montroy. A squadron led by the HRS Ville de Breshaun captured a small sloop in Montroy’s squadron before the pirate escaped with his flagship, Neptune’s Scream. Finally, from Bardo, we have a confirmed sighting of pirate Gregory Decker in the Sea of Storms. He attacked the Eslandolan vessel Green Winds II, but the greenies sank the Poisoned Pearl before escaping from Executioner.
  Mardier Trade Fleet Makes Grand Entrance It has been a number of months since we have the seen the renowned Mardier trade fleet on the seas. But this month it made a grand entrance sailing into the port of Breshaun, four large trade ships escorted by three large armed escorts, led by the armed galleon Minerva. Word on the street is that Mardier is trying to reassert its power in the region by showing it can sail anywhere it wants, port taxes be damned. Another squadron, slightly less impressive, sailed into Belson at about the same time, although the largest ship in that squadron was the war brig Marauder. We can only imagine that the greenies are shaking in their boots wondering when the Mardier trade fleet will sail into an Eslandolan port, and how the encounter might go.
  Eslandola Makes Money Hands over Fists, and Oleon and Carno Fare Well, Too From Nova Terreli we hear that the port wasn’t nearly as busy as last month, and that left profits on the docks to be gathered up by MCTC ships arriving from Trador. Our man in the harbor master’s office tells us that trade company overlords were giddy with the profits of La Contessa de Victoria and Jon El Flurry. Carno traders also turned a pretty pence on their trading in the Eslandolan port. Locally, crew from the Oleon ship La Recouvrance have been spending freely in the pubs after they apparently made a handsome profit on their cargo here in Kings Port. And Oleon traders did well elsewhere, too. From Breshaun we hear the captain of The Lightning has filled his chest to the brim with doubloons, and our man in Prinport sends word that the crew of Pelican are spending freely in the local entertainment establishments.
  Intrigue from Oleon In another report from Oleon sources, some black-hooded people have been seen at various Oleon islands. What do they want? Where did they come from? Nobody knows... Well, on the other hand, the same sailors telling this tale also claimed that they have indeed seen a real mermaid. Until we have more information, KPA editors are inclined to think certain Oleon sailors need to drink a little less.
  Political Rumblings Eslandola will soon begin its political season, as December is the campaign month for elections at the end of the year for their Revolutionary, er, Colonial Council. It is believed that the Independents' seats on the Colonial Council will finally be sought, putting the trade company overlords on notice! Hammish Grei, formerly captain of the Island Rose, is currently performing public service as commodore coordinating the protection of a select portion of Eslandola's trade fleet. But that is not all he is doing. Grei has been seen conversing with many of the most independent-minded of Eslandola's citizenry. He has also sought, and received, audience with several currently serving members of the Colonial Council. We can only hope he wins a seat in the council and turns the tables on the trade companies!
  Ghost Ship Spotted? Our agent in Jameston reports that the crew of The Eagle claim to have seen a mysterious ghost ship in the South Prio Seas. While we at the KPA are skeptical, and suspect the crew of The Eagle of drinking with certain Oleon sailors, our agent reliably informs us that the tale was being told before the drinking began. We leave it to our readers to determine the veracity of this report.
  Burdensome Bureaucracy  Apparently port officials throughout the Brick Seas are looking for new ways to line their corrupt pockets. Sources indicate that these officials are looking for the slightest excuse to seize cargo and deny profits on otherwise successful voyages. Apparently even the slightest misspelling can be justification for seizure. One captain reportedly lost income after he misspelled the name of his ship on forms, and a similar fate befell another captain who simply left off the "II" from the name of his sistership. Our sources report that captains need to be certain their paperwork is a perfect match for the ship registries held by port officials lest they face serious consequences. [OOC: MRCA forms must have proper spelling to the letter. If there is any concern, please copy and paste destinations, origins, and ships from their respective listings. Errors create issues with the MRCA process and result in delayed results for everyone. In the future, stiff fines could be assessed to any ship that misspells its name, origin, or destination.]
  Ships Lost at Sea: Cardinal (SR)
Ferret (COR)
HMS Mardier’s Misfit (COR)
HMS Mars (COR)
HMS Pandora (COR)
Poisoned Pearl (NPC)
The Elise (OL)
The Festiva (OL)
  Ships Captured: Blue Stubble (NPC captured by COR)
Misfortune’s Revenge (SR captured by COR)
Nessie (NPC captured by OL)
WTC Beacon (COR captured by SR) -------------- See below for tables.