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December 619, Infero Pordejon, Charlatan Bay More than two months had passed since the victorious assault on Fort Saint Millar. The local militia, that only a year before was nothing but a small group of tattered and hopeless highwaymen, controlled firmly the whole island: despite the fierce resistance of the last rebels and sporadic tumults in the streets, the inhabitants of Charlatan Bay could finally have some peace. The final victory had also brought back part of the previous wealth: after years of starvation and food rationing, supplies filled again stores and warehouses, while the plantations outside Charlatan Bay, abandoned for years, were now being planted again. In the bright morning, under the tropical sun, the Oleander volunteers started their return trip. The contingent, during the civil war increased to three full companies, started loading supplies and equipment on rowboats; the veterans of Fatu Hiva and the crew of Le Phénix helped them with chests and crates: nobody wanted to remain in the pirate settlement any more time than necessary. Fifteen soldiers, sadly, would have never left Charlatan Bay… each victory has its terrible price to pay. That day it was also time to part for two old friends. Tristan had definitely been away from his motherland for too long, and the situation was getting more and more dangerous every day: he had friends and allies in the Colonial Administration, but his fast rise from low nobility also created envies and discontent… remaining for too long on that damned island could mean a charge of treason, maybe even facing an execution squad. About one third of the Oleander expeditionary force, however, would have remained in the settlement for some more months: twenty-five soldiers with two six-pounders, led by the loyal Captain Charles De Maure. Stationed in Fort Saint Millar, they had to be deployed only in case of absolute need… a little precaution against further troubles with the gangs. Despite the success of the campaign, the undoubted victories, the limited losses among his soldiers, Tristan was very uneasy. Had he done the right choices? Had he saved civilians or offered a helping hand to the scourge of the sea? Had he saved Acropolis from a flood of pirates with nothing left to lose or had he only made them stronger? Only the Gods could know the answer. By sure, he had saved his friend, and a number of innocent people along with him. He had also accepted to repatriate without clamour the few survivors of the unfortunate Marderian Marine Corps, even if he couldn't find out anything about Admiral Cadiz… probably better in this way, considering his hateful treason and his cruelty. Another thought tormented Tristan during his last days on the island: the enemies had been defeated and the city was growing rich again, this was true… But the defences were still a paper tiger, clearly insufficient against an organized assault. The forts had been heavily bombed, and the city could barely afford the repairs; the militia was motivated and decently equipped, but discipline and training were extremely superficial: still far from the old Ashen Guard, or from the soldiers of the colonial Empires. And, by sure, Tristan had not saved Charlatan Bay just to let it be invaded by the rivals of Oleon… He was leaving the island, not abandoning it to it's fate. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The owner of the Honest Bob's Warehousing, an Altonian merchant named Robert (nobody knows where the "honest" part came from) is quite enthusiast for the new government. He doesn't care at all about who rules the settlement, but during the previous anarchy he was racketed by the gangs and his warehouses were empty, while now is business was going well again. Captains started appearing again in his office, making deals about their cargo, selling information about prices in different settlement or looking for escorting ships. In the bigger room, common goods are bought or sold: fresh or salted fish, fruit or vegetables, sea biscuits and meat, ale and rum, wood and carpenter tools… whatever is needed to keep a ship or a city alive. The upper floor accommodates expensive goods, such as refined wines, gold or exotic spices. These wares, always source of a huge profit, had almost disappeared from Charlatan Bay… another reason to celebrate the recovery of sea trades. Upstairs, as usual, negotiations were ongoing: in front of a lawyer, a Lotii captain is trying to exchange a cargo of Carnovian goods with two chests of gems. The Lotii and the Garvian smugglers don't trust each other at all, but the neutral mediator usually allows smooth transactions. In the shelf, navigation instruments are kept too: for a mariner, a good compass, a chronometer or a book with the coordinates of the main settlements may make the difference between reaching the destination or dying lost in the ocean… therefore they are more valuable than gold! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- With this build, I officially conclude the permanence of my main character in Charlatan Bay. It was a nice storyline, surely my best one since my inscription to BoBS. I have to thank again the ones who made it possible: Roadmonkeytj, the major of the city and the other main "player"; Kwatchi and Gulagurag, who created Charlatan Bay and its atmosphere; and all the people who commented and brought the storyline into BoBS world, for example with the KPA or the WTCM... Thank you all, guys! This build changes very little in Charlatan Bay storyline: the war is won, but the peace is still far. Oleander soldiers will remain there unofficially for a while, ready to help if the situation will require. Tristan leaves the island, but will keep an eye on the situation; a new secondary character, Charles De Maure, is the new leader of the Oleander contingent. The Lotii and Garvians are just a little addition I did after the KPA... with this I'm not involving Charlatan Bay, Garvey or Sea Rats in anything, I only liked the idea of answering somehow to the last news! Notes: Licensed as medium commerce in Charlatan Bay Lowtown
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Infero Pordejon, Headquarters of Charlatan Bay Militia, July 619 Tristan Rimbaud was sitting in an anonymous room of the Salty Shipworks, the shipbuilding facility that his friend Gustav had chosen as temporary headquarters of their "army". He looked again at one of the maps, scribbling a few notes about the areas still controlled by the enemies. He emptied his glass of wine, one of the few commodities provided by the Oleonese ships that, now and then, connected the island with the outer world. How easier would have been to solve everything with a pitched battle, where the disciplined lines of his bluecoat would have easily routed the rebels. The campaign, during the first weeks, was surprisingly smooth: the well trained Oleonese volunteers took by surprise the garrison of the hidden battery, opening a safe channel for supplies, far enough from Fort Saint Millar and its cannons. On the same day, the first cargo was unloaded in a secondary landing point: a small task force of soldiers secured the beach, while the local militia took control of the main street… better keeping soldiers and pirates a couple of miles apart. One after the other, the rowboats reached the shallow water, where, months after the volcanic eruption, pumices stones still floated. That day, Tristan received also a letter from the Royal Court: His Blessed Majesty appointed Tristan the Count of Astrapi, a honorary title rather than a real rule over a territory, but still a ladder towards the highest ranks of society. The Defender of Fatu Hiva, as the Court defined him in the letter, could now look in the eyes, as peers, the bloated noblemen who once made fun of the Rimbauds, ancient as Oleon itself but not very rich or powerful. That first cargo, delivered at the cost of enormous risks, represented the best hope of success for Tristan and his allies: food for the soldiers and the civilians, seeds and agricultural tools… but also the musket he needed to transform the local militia, well-meaning but disorganized, in an effective fighting force. A few days after the departure of the Phènix another ship, curiously called Valiant Phoenix, landed in the same point: the passengers, disciples of a weird but pacific cult, organized a field hospital, a fundamental help for the starting campaign. This had happened almost a year before, but Tristan remembered those days very well: with the main road secured and the supplies for the town, he and his friend were ready for their triumphal entry in Hightown… that was a great day, a day to be remembered, but they all knew that it was just the beginning of the long road towards peace and order. @gedren_y, I wasn't following BoBS a lot when you published your nice MOC… I included here a little nod.
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Infero Pordejon, Headquarters of Charlatan Bay Militia, July 619 Tristan watched again the map, with the ink of the last notes still drying… each one, just a little more than a date and a couple of words, represented a little step between the current situation, with most of the town under control and a partial restoration of the order, and what he had seen almost a year before: a starving city, the port closed; unprejudiced pirates making a huge profit over the scarce food supplies, the same scums still holding Fort Saint Millar; dozens of street gangs, pirate leagues, syndicates, self organized militias and private armies, controlling small areas of Charlatan Bay and battling for warehouses, food, weapons and supremacy; the helpless civilians, trapped in a nightmare of violence, abuses, extortions and retaliations; hundreds of disperate people, with nothing left to lose, ready to board on anything with a hull, hoping to plunder the nearest ship or colony. Those people, who admired and hated, worshipped and feared their Dark Bishop, had remained without a guide and, after the catastrophic eruption, had started a brutal fight to survive. Tristan read some of the older notes. He found the first one: "September 618, landing point" -and, written a little below -"May the Gods help us all!". Then, moving South, the location of the first camp, were he met Gustav and his militiamen; the first skirmishes, the first plantations and cottages they occupied, the bands that joined their cause, surrendered or were defeated. He found the note about the hidden battery, their first, true victory: "December 618, battery conquered without losses, enemies routed". These few words summarized the first turning point of the campaign: that very day, with new weapons and food supplies for the population, Tristan and Gustav entered Hightown after a violent skirmish against the Red Scorpions and the Hook Gang. Common people and wealthy citizens welcomed them as liberators… what a great day! Peace seemed only a step forward, even if they all knew that it was just the beginning. Volunteers from Oleon and Gustav's men marched together under the Sea Rats banner, following the newly appointed mayor… and giving a lot more authority to his title! That day, Tristan saw for the first time the famous cranes, connecting the two halves of Charlatan Bay. Nobody, even during the worst days of fights and violence, had ever damaged that vital infrastructure. Tristan couldn't avoid to feel a certain admiration for the man who had made them possible: Emil Meloche, the Dark Bishop… a pirate and a heretic, a cruel man who lived in violence and died accordingly but, in a certain way, a great man, who founded a city in the middle of nowhere, making it great and independent, despite the open war against the whole world. Those cranes represented one of the greatest example of the old grandeur of Charlatan Bay. The platform can be lifted using robust chains and, in this case, slides along wooden tracks, allowing the movement of people and goods up and down the cliffs. A few days later, Tristan himself used the crane to reach Lowtown for the first time… as reported by the next note: "December 618. First food distribution in Lowtown. Strong resistance of a local gang. The battle for Lowtown has begun." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another view off the build: Overall view: This is one of the last parts of this storyline, I hope you like that. The Dark Bishop is, obviously, Emil Meloche, @Kwatchi's great character and the founder of Charlatan Bay. Thank you for watching!
