The Rock of Tormentos

The four companions are summoned by Philip du Paix, who describes to them Isla Tormentos and the problems it is causing the Montaigne blockade. He then tells them that a Vodacce captain has acquired landing codes on the rock - the series of signal flags needed to keep the ship from being fired upon - and thus he would like to smuggle the heroes onto the island. There, they are to break into Punta Grande, the main fortress, and take a blooded mirror out of a snuffbox, at which point Lucien du Lac will bring through an Eisen mercenary captain named Holzt and a dozen picked men to silence the guns. With the guns silenced, Philip explains, the Montaigne fleet will attack and take the island.

Of course, there's a wrinkle: the Vodacce captain is none other than Captain Crispino, the companions' old nemesis. Some unhappiness over this aside, however, the heroes board Crispino's Il Falco and set sail for Tormentos.

Bon Voyage, or How Sebastien Wins and Loses a Ship

Dinner with Captain Crispino and his officers the first night aboard Il Falco is tense, but Aleksei notices a small cabin off Crispino's own. Some investigation later, he discovers its occupant: a young Vodacce woman named Alice who looks very much like a Fate Witch.

Two days out of Buche, a cry goes up: "Sail, ho!" Another Vodacce ship - the Callisto, flying the same Caligari flag as Il Falco - has been spotted, and Crispino is of the opinion that they are not friendly. Indeed, Callisto closes - it has the weather gage, though its guns seem strangely, unluckily ineffective during the exchange. Finally, Callisto is close enough for a boarding action and sends over a boarding party.

Battle aboard Il Falco ensues - Sebastien, Marie-Celeste and Aleksei clear the main deck, then the two Knights of the Rose and Cross proceed to clear the fo'c'sle. Meanwhile, Julien has swung over into the rigging of the other ship, fighting off sailors and cutting sails. Once Il Falco's fo'c'sle is clear, the Knights cross over to begin taking Callistos fo'c'sle. Aleksei dispatches a party of sailors below-deck to fire Callistos magazine.

Sebastien - not knowing what Aleksei has planned - crosses to the maindeck of Callisto, believing he will take the ship as a prize. He fights his way to Julien, now on the main-deck, and then up to the fo'c'sle to join his companions. Things are going well until Aleksei informs his friends that the ship is about to explode: Sebastien is not amused.

The heroes flee back to their own ship and try to stave off as Callisto explodes. Thankfully, Il Falco does not catch fire - but Aleksei is now in poor odor among the Falcos as well as Sebastien.

The Gubernador's Cotillion

We can haz cheezburger?

Fugitives!

Epic Spy Fail!

Into the Dark

All your base are belong to us!

Persons of Note

• Philip du Paix -- Our heroes' patron.
• Lucien du Lac -- A Porté master attached to Philip.
• Johann Holzt -- A scar-faced Eisen man who appears to work for Philip.
• Captain Crispino -- A Vodacce merchant, smuggler, pirate and spy, he is often the heroes' antagonist but is their ally in this affair.
• Alicé Amberci -- Crispino's sister, a Fate Witch kept hidden aboard his ship.
• Admiral Alazais Valois Praisse du Rachetisse -- Admiral of the Montaigne Navy, the heroes rescued his nephew Captain Fernán Praisse from the Rock.
• Carlotta -- A beautiful Castillian spy and opera singer, she posed as a "Doña Abella" on Isla Tormentos.
• Don Cruz Montoya del Velasquez -- Governor of the island, his wife and all his family except his daughter are missing in Occupied Castille.
• Zoya Villar del Velasquez -- Don Cruz' daughter, she is 16 and the most beautiful girl in Rancho Zepeda.
• Commandante Juan Alfarez -- Military commander of the Rock, Juan Alfarez was murdered by Julien in Punta Grande.
• Constanza Gastone -- A powerful Fate Witch, the companions rescued her and her three Fate Witch daughters from the Rock, where they were being moved along some sort of underground railroad by Carlotta.
• Amelia Vellini, Julia Vellini, and Maria Vellini -- Constanza Gastone's daughters, married to three Vodacce brothers from Mondavi.