But all is not well on the high seas. The Golden Age of Piracy is coming to an end; living legends like Calico Jack and Blackbeard are falling as pirate hunters and the great armadas of Spain and Britain thrash the free folk of Nassau and the rest of the Pirate World. A rough season has recently left your crew demoralized. Scarce pickings, bad weather, and heavy security have meant less raids and thus less loot. Freedom on the high seas, it seems, is nearing it's end and your crew is starting to feel the sting. You've resolved to retire and take the king's pardon while you still can. The crew seems divided; some want to keep up the fight, others have resigned their fate and agree with your decision. Nevertheless discontent is stirring. Eventually one of your crewmen brings whispers of a possible mutiny. A storm is on the horizon. Unsure of who exactly is plotting against you, you lock yourself away to spend some time thinking on it. You know these men - you've fought and bled with them, after all - so you know their personalities well. A few characters in particular pop into mind:
- The Boatswain - You've never liked each other, and neither one of you has been shy to admit it. Always the first to object or protest to virtually anything you decide the Bosun has often butted heads with you. He seems the most likely candidate for leader of the mutiny. He's always had a power bloc of sympathetic crewmen backing him so you've never been able to rid yourself of this thorn in your side. You agree on little, disagree on much, and even now he thinks you've gone soft by wanting to retire. All signs point to him being the ringleader. And yet... secrecy isn't his style. Sure, he's a bastard, but he's an unsubtle one. You may not like him but you know him well enough to know that stabbing people in the back isn't a character trait of his. A mutiny? Him? Unlikely; he doesn't skulk in the shadows. If he thought to get rid of you he wouldn't resort to rebellion - he'd go straight for your throat, consequences be damned! Of course, maybe that's what he's hoping you'll think?
- The Lookout - A mercenary to the end; the man has no sense of loyalty. Would he turn on you for a single doubloon? Without hesitation. The man's trash. You only kept him around because he's the best at what he does - an eagle-eye for detail, constantly vigilant. Still if you've looking for a dagger in your back it wouldn't be a surprise if it was his hand on the hilt. His commitment is to coin and coin alone. In spite of this shifty nature he's quite charismatic. It isn't hard to imagine him organizing a mutiny; the rest of the crew like the man and his many tall tales. The only problem? He's not a clever sort, and he's also a drunk. Couldn't keep a secret to save his life and lacks the strategic mind to plot a mutiny. Him? A leader? Impossible. If he'd been involved he would have blurted it out to whole New World by now during any one of his many drunken ramblings. Surely such a lack of guile means he can't be the orchestrator of this mutiny? Of course, even a fool can have a clever idea every now and then... so maybe that's what he wants you to believe?
- The Quartermaster - He's always been hard to read. He's never openly opposed you, but he's never openly supported you either. Truth is you don't know the man. No one does. He keeps to himself. Someone like that would be good at keeping secrets, surely? He never betrays emotions or intentions. Never flinches, never winces, never loses his cool. May as well be a machine. He'd surely be the last you'd suspect. The man's practically a ghost; he's always there, always listening, always watching, yet his quiet nature means he often goes unnoticed like a fly on the wall. He knows every inch of this ship and knows everything about the crew, including you! And yet... the man has no people skills. A mutiny is a group effort - and you don't see this man leading that group. That's not his style. But surely he'd know of it, and if he was loyal to you then he'd tell you? It doesn't seem to make sense. The chances he doesn't know whose involved is astronomically low. He's always the first to warn you of immediate threats - and yet this time he remains silent. Have the mutineers finally pulled one over on him? Or is one of them? You can't quite tell which is more likely, and that's what worries you.
- The First Mate - Your best friend. She's been with you through thick and thin. Your staunchest ally and closest confident. Anybody who wanted to get to you would have to go through her first - and she wouldn't let them get by her easily! As loyal as a hound and as ferocious as wolf no one would dare cross her. But not all is well between you. You had a falling out recently; it was bad. You don't quite remember what you fought about but she's giving you the cold shoulder now and won't even speak to you. Worse, the rumors of mutiny only started after this falling out occurred. Perhaps the mutineers saw an opportunity in this rift and are trying to exploit it? Or perhaps she's the one behind the mutiny? She's the closest to you - no one else could even hope to come as close to you as she could. She is ambitious... has always talked about captaining her own ship, admiring your own and envying your position. It seems to make sense. Getting the crew on her side wouldn't be hard; she has a way with people. Still... she's practically your sister. You're in a rough patch but would she really go this far? Has your friendship truly soured this much? It doesn't seem possible. You don't want to believe it. And yet, if anybody could get at you, it'd be her.
- The Informant - Something dawns on you: this lad is fresh off the dock. One of the more recent additions to your crew, you don't know much about the man. He seems to keep to himself - and not entirely by choice. The crew's mostly avoided him; standard 'new guy' treatment, you figure. Yet you've noticed some rather uncharacteristic behavior. Nervousness, anxiety, and a sudden collection of friends. All of which begin around the time the rumors of mutiny first began to circulate. What's got him worked up so much? And how'd he become so popular all of a sudden? Does he know something? He's the one warning you of the mutiny... that would throw you off his trail, or so he might think. His moral and loyalty have always been up for debate. It just seems suspicious, though, that he would know about this mutiny. How? Who? When? The man's no pariah, but being new to the crew is practically the next best thing. He asks for no reward nor seems to be interested in doing the 'right thing'. Does he have an ulterior motive? And is that motive to you benefit or detriment?
You think on the other crew... none of them could be the ringleaders. Dumb, drunk, unambitious, loyal, lazy, indifferent, or some bizarre combination of these - none of them are leadership material under any circumstances. If they aren't fools then they're just followers, but sometimes both. Nevertheless there's an aura in the air... whatever is going to happen, whoever is behind this mutiny, it all happens tonight. If you're going to make your move it needs to be now before the Sun goes down and the traitors make their move under the cover of darkness. Any one of the suspects - or even all of them - could be detained and thrown overboard at your word. You don't have time to gather evidence; you need to make a decision now, and you have nothing to go on but your gut.
Your choices are as followed:
- Keelhaul one of the suspects. - If they're guilty the other mutineer's will lose their courage and will back down. If they're not guilty the mutineer's will continue with their plot, and you won't be able to stop them.
- Keelhaul all of the suspects. - There's no way they're all involved, so you'll have to live with the knowledge that some or even most of them were likely innocent. Not to mention the crew - even the loyalists - will not like this one bit. Even if you've staved off this mutiny attempt you're probably in for another one soon.
- Spare them all. - There's no chance you'll live through this, but maybe Davy Jones'll go easy on you for not wanting to stain your hands with the blood of loyal crewmen just to get one traitor.
The choice is yours. Follow your gut.
