[The Bloody Bay Fleet]

"Aye, my lord," Admiral Royce said, "we shall watch the southern portal, and of ordered, fight to take it. Though we would prefer support in such an endeavor."

There came an almost incredulous guffaw from an attendant in the cabin at his remark of sending letters by ships before a stern glare from the Bosun silenced him. "My lord regent," the Bosun said gently, as though he was restraining himself from mocking someone who has no reason to know something. "upon each of our Chasers and some other of our ships, we have a roost of albatrosses to send missives. Simply give to me your letter, and it shall fly to where it needs to be. If our Queen is not in her palace, then I would like to know a few landmarks to properly send your letter. Does that sound amenable, my lord?"

[CptCarrot]

The Regent nodded to the Admiral "Fear not my Lord, unless there is an emergency your men will not be expected to take the portal, but as long as we have an idea what issues forth from it, we can prepare for the fights ahead, I doubt we will be making any moves against the portal just yet"
Carrot turned toward the attendant and looked back to the bosun "Albatross? A novel concept indeed, I see I have a fair bit to learn about the seas and look forward to doing so when the times are less... interesting. As long as it reaches the hall at Chail the clerks there will see to it that it finds its way to her" he looked around, "might I have use of a desk and few minutes privacy and then we can get my men and their equipment ready for the rest of the voyage"

[The Bloody Bay Fleet]

"I understand, my lord regent," Royce said, stroking his chin. "Simply to stand watch. Very well."

"Your Seafang shall have every amenity, my lord regent," MacDonnaugh replied, "but for the time being, this cabin should suffice for you, eh? Do not fear, I or another Lord-Captain can help your men find their way on the Fang." There came a few gestures from the Bosun to the rude attendant, who began going to the massive desk and straightening it, removing some papers from it. "While we are at your disposal, my lord regent," the Bosun continued, "I intend to ensure you as comfortable a stay as possible. Should you desire, I can situate a few albatrosses on your mast with one of our Scribes."

"Before we let you rest and write your missives, my lord," the Admiral said, his eldritch gaze returning to the regent, "I only have one more question for you. Is the Fleet all you hoped to have at the Crown's service?"

[CptCarrot]

"I will admit great curiosity about these albatrosses, and look forward to seeing them in action, I gladly accept the offer of some to accompany us, they might prove very useful indeed"
Carrot walked over to the desk and started pulling his writing tools from his travel pack before turning to the Admiral "I expected much, and was unsure of much, I had little idea of how thorough your operation and scale was, but your crews' dedication to their duty and exceptional capability exceed even the wildest flights of fancy, and they do you service, the measure of a leader is the nature of those who follow you. I have little doubt that our experiences from this strife will benefit us all in the future. And I am beyond relieved that you are on our side and stand with us against chaosium" 
he examined a piece of paper thoughtfully and placed it on a small leather pad. "I will have this letter ready in a few minutes then embark on the Fang"

[The Bloody Bay Fleet]

"I take no small heart in your words, my lord regent," the Admiral said as the grand cabin begin to empty out. Through the open doors, the regent could hear orders being called and the calls of sailors. The triton, Senator Lentinus, led the men under Carrot's command to a Seafang appropriately named The Gleaming Crown, along with another figure in brown robes with a large satchel at his side, and three albatrosses perched on the scribe's shoulders and head. The Bosun set about briefing the captain of the Crown about his new guests, and ensuring that the second cabin directly below the helm of the deck was prepared for the new guest, with a fine desk procured from somewhere, possibly another ship that had gathered around the Chaser.

"I am quite pleased that my crews and captains have satisfied your curiosity," Royce continued, "as to our scale, my lord? My Bosun has much grander ambitions than even I. You might be pleased to discuss with him privately about his schemes. I am sure he appreciates your admiration of his little projects, 'twas he who learned the speech of birds first for our albatrosses." The Admiral shook his head with mirth, "I must take my leave, my lord. The cabin is yours as long as you need it." The cabin door closed, but the regent could still hear a shanty from it.

"Set feet row, set feet row, set feet row...
Aelfric Royce is a pirate, few loyalties he does possess
keep it up, they'll chase us pirates
and sink us along with the rest,"

[Chaos]

After several days of sailing, the 66 ships continued their route to the Seat. 66 ships, because the merchant ship The Smiling Maiden that had lead the regent to the Fleet had joined them for the return trip to the Fleet itself. It had been at least a week if not more on the water, when The Smiling Maiden began to shake and shudder. The Songbird had been leading the flotilla until a massive pair of jaws rose from the water and tore the keel out from under the trade ship. Alraum calls were yelled by those closest to the jaws, and the shrill whistles of danger roused all who had been contemplating from their work. Ballista bolts and ironbough bolts fired at the serpent as it rose from the water to confront the Fleet, knocking several more smaller ships at the head of the regatta aside as it did so. The regent could hear from his cabin, "SERPENT! SERPENT AHOY! BRING THE CHASERS TO BEAR!" The maasss of ships erupted in a frenzy of trying to manouver away from the serpent.

Even as the first one rose, several smaller serpents darted out of the water, attempting to punch through the thick hulls of the Fangs and Chasers.

[The Bloody Bay Fleet]

The Blades on the ships drew their Chasing poles and plunged them into the seas. The cries of the smaller serpents could be heard as they drew forth their prizes. The songbirds and galleys tried to move out from the grasp of the sea serpent, and make room for the seafangs and Chasers. Bolts from Ironboughs and Chaser ballistae hurtled at the massive serpent. 

The Sunderer, with the Bosun at the helm, turned to face the massive beast in the seas. "Men! Fire at that damned beast!" Aelfric Royce bellowed, not needing a whistle to speak clearly in the chaos. Again, massive ballistae bolts hurtled through the sky to strike the serpent.

[Chaos]

The great serpent roared and shook its head, the bolts landing, but not sticking into the thick scaly hide. Its long body writhed below the waves, churning and stirring the ocean's waters. Five songbirds, too close to the beast even with their effort, became caught up in the massive waves and tides that the serpent had caused. Sounds of screaming men and splintering wood could be heard from the cacophony of water and foam. No sooner than a blink of the eye, the five ships were rendered into splinters and kindling. The great beast roared again, weathering the hails of bolts. It lashed its tail in a sweeping whip, splintering three galleys, splitting them, removing the tops from the bottoms. This time, men could be seen leaping from the wrecks, and perhaps they could be rescued. That is to say, they could have been rescued, but the serpent, seeming decided that such a rain of bolts was more trouble than to was worth, and perhaps being satisfied in its performance of destruction, dived head-first into the fray of the three wrecked galleys, staining the water red as it  made sure that there would be one in the water to tell the tale.

As it dove, it could be seen that the massive serpent only had one eye.

[The Bloody Bay Fleet]

"DAMN!" The Admiral roared, staring at the broken and twisted mass of wood, metal, and flesh. "Damn and burn! Bosun! Lord-Captains! To me!" The Admiral stalked back into his cabin, his black cape flowing behind him. The eye in his chest plate was rolling and spinning in what was always assumed to be an angry manner, but now... now the anger was rolling off the tall, pale elf in thunderous waves. The other ships of the Lord-Captains, thankfully spared from the initial attack, gathered around the larger Chaser once more, lashing themselves together so that the ships could still sail. Admittedly, the council would be slower than the rest of the regatta, but as the Bosun blew his whistle, and it was echoed through the other ships, and songs-more mournful now-were sung, one could get the sense that such things made the Fleet only wish to sail faster home.

 In the cabin of the flagship, the Admiral slammed his fist against the grand map table. "MacDonnaugh. You know our numbers. How many?" The Bosun looked calm, almost reversing their roles of stoic and impassioned. "By my count, we have lost eight Crown ships, five Songbirds and three galleys, that is a total loss of three-hundred-and-eighty men." There was a soft rumble from the gathered captains. While it was not large number by any means in comparison to the armies and navies, it was still a large fraction of men lost to seas.

 "Damn and burn," Captain Mackay said, making a small, reverent gesture of prayer. The gesture and sentiment was echoed by the rest of the group in the cabin. The Admiral shook his head. “They will be mourned, and their memories toasted once we arrive at the Seat. Do we know how long it will take us to reach home?”

 “At least one more full week of sailing, Admiral,” the Bosun said, tracing their path on the mapp, brushing wooden markers that fell when the Admiral struck it. “But we should be able to make it there, I hope. I doubt they were expecting such a response to one of those great serpents, and it did its task.” The Bosun’s voice was calm and sorrowful, but his eyes looked glazed. There was a remarkable ability that MacDonnaugh had, to separate himself from the emotions he felt and simply do his task.

 “Very well then,” The Admiral said. “We continue to sail. The regent was protected, so our job was done well as well.” His eyes burned with the eldritch flame. “Alert the lord regent that we will no longer be anchoring at night, and that we intend to see him to our home and beyond as swiftly as possible. Be honest should he inquire about our losses, he has a right to this knowledge.”


 *************************************************************************************************************
DAYS LATER:
 The Bosun is sitting across from the regent, smiling… smugly? The expression is certainly a smile, possibly pleased, but it is definitely not a wholly benign expression. The way that Parcival held and looked at his cards, the Regent may begin to think his chances were slim. There was a commotion outside the cabin window, a large albatross rapped its beak against the window, and the Bosun looked over. Turning back to the cards and the deck before him, the Bosun lays down his hand, a small arrangement of nothing in particular, “You’ve crippled me, my lord,” the Bosun said, “excuse me, I believe our scouts have made their report.” He smiles easily, but there was still a tinge of grief and anger to his posture. As he opened the window and received the albatross, there was a formality to it. He spoke strange words to the bird, and then he retrieved the roll of parchment, unfurling it, and reading it.

 As he read, his face darkened once more, and he began to read aloud, “Fort Line has been taken by a false house of nobility. Wretched men dig trench from Fort to sea. Winged men lacking faces. Silk-clothed dancing death. Likely not to survive. Eight nightscales likely lost. Not surrendering. Likely last message from this scribe. Drink deep, Bosun. And Drink well. Bring to heel. Threats from air at night. Not sure at day. Good- it ends there.” 

The Bosun sighs, and speaks softly to the albatross, releasing it from his grasp. He moves back to the table, stiffer now, and more mechanical. “Forgive me, Lord Regent, but… I don’t think I wish to play another round with you. You may drink with me if you so wish.”

[CptCarrot]

Carrot smiled wryly "it's rare that I get to enjoy games, politicians and bureaucrats tend to be very tedious. So serious and unencumbered by imagination." he watched as the Bosun walked over to the window and first read the message, listening intently as he read it out aloud, concern crossing his face as the message finished.
Looking solemnly at the grieving Bosun he spoke softly
"I'll gladly take that drink. Tragic and unwelcome news, our situation is more dire than I expected and the forces of chaosium are far more prepared than we feared. I bitterly regret I was not earlier with my warning" he leaned back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking of all that had had happened over the course of the last several days, the world went from concerning and dangerous, to imperiled at a pace only known to forces beyond their reach.
He sat up forcefully "Dammit I intend to make them pay dearly for this! My men may not be a match for yours on the sea, but they are skilled soldiers and this is the fight they've prepared for, we are at your disposal however you may need us."

[The Bloody Bay Fleet]

"I am happy that I can entertain you with these little games," The Bosun said absentmindedly, "I must admit, the 'imagination' of us sailors is a certain quality that most lack." He said so with a wry smile.

After returning to his seat, he poured two glasses with a healthy amount of an amber alcohol for himself and the regent. "Fine whiskey," the Bosun said, "From our own stills. Drink is a necessity, especially among us." He smiled ruefully, obviously falling back on the role of host to mask his anger and grief. As the lord rose from his slump, the bosun made a gesture to try and calm the lord. "You could not have known, my lord regent. Nor could you reach us as well if you had risked sailing alone to our Fleet immediately. The seas are beginning to rise against us, my lord. And I mean to lay them low once more." The Bosun had a fire in his eyes and voice as he said that, gripping his glass so tight his knuckles whitened. "What else would I ask of you save your purpose for sailing with us? Rally the holds against Chaos. lead them to driving back the hell-beasts." He looked solemnly at the lord Regent, "When we return to the Seat, tell me what you would require from us. I shall attempt to render unto you what is yours, my lord. As a servant of the crown ought."




*********************************************************************************************************************************
The Fleet arrives

The full gathering of the Crown's naval ships at Larger Dryland was something to admire, the 67 ships lay in the harbor. The Cetus had risen from its habitual position below the waves to join its sisters on the sea, its ruined hull and sodden sail a grim reminder of what was lost to the waves. The crews had disembarked, and Steelbeard had set his labourers to replenish the stores in the holds of the ships, and repair the damage that was done to the ships that the small serpents had done. It would take the course of a full week of hard work from a few thousand men to ensure that the ships would be ready for their next excursion. 

"I shall send on a Seafang, my lord regent," the Bosun said as they were on shore, in a fine coastal tavern overlooking the harbor of Seaport. "Along with two galleys and a Songbird. If you like, I can supply you with a Chaser as well. That is as much as I can spare for you. I hope that suffices, with or without the Chaser."