The Mertí Revolution

After being rescued by Captain Crispino from Shipwreck Island, the companions are brought to Mertí on a ship mysteriously full of Eisen mercenaries. Rather than delivering them to Port Imperiale, Crispino instead apologetically drops them off in Marbey, a village on the far side of the island.

The Viscomte du Marbey's Panic

Marbey is in an uproar; the Vicomte is returning to Montaigne; he has heard that the Comte du Bearn has been gathering support among the landholders against the governorship of Louis Blanchard, and there are also rumors that the Maroons are raising an army of the dead in the Look-Behinds and will sweep over the island in an orgy of blood and fire.

Also in Marbey is the pregnant Jem Berdan, one of Marie-Celeste's cousins; she is pregnant with the Vicomte's child, and Marie-Celeste purchases Jem's freedom from the man with some of Aleksei's gold.

The heroes resolve to head to Port Imperiale to link up with Louis Blanchard, the former Rose + Cross knight who is now Governor of Mertí.

Across the Island; An Unfortunate Encounter

As they journey across the island, the heroes encounter a number of plantations and towns with barricades set up against the fear of slave rebellion and civil war. At one, they learn that the Comte du Bearn has taken Port Imperiale with a force of Eisen mercenaries; the same mercenaries, the heroes surmise, that Crispono's Il Falco transported to Merti. Louis Blanchard is said to be dead or disappeared, and there is fear that a general chaos is about to descend on Merti -- a fear heightened by the distant smoke-signs of burning plantations.

It takes several days to travel to Old Town, and on one of the last days of travel the companions encounter a man on foot being pursued by a troop of Eisen mercenaries and local slave militia. A battle ensues; the Eisen mercenaries are subdued, the slaves dispersed and the plantation owner who lead them - an Olivier du Rey - is left eventually unconscious on the road.

The pursued man is a Knight of the Rose + Cross, Alain du Toille, and he has dark news: he knows that Louis Blanchard is in hiding in Old Town, but has come from Blanchard's estate in Martise. Blanchard's wife Simone and son Cedric have been been taken.

Old Town

With Alain joining their little party, now sailors, slaves and more, the companions reach Old Town. They make their way into the city to the hospital, and beneath it meet Louis Blanchard, wounded in the fight for Port Imperiale.

He hears Alain's news and pleads with Aleksei and Marie-Celeste to rescue his family; at the same time, he asks Sebastien to investigate whether Rogier Mornay, captain of the gendarmerie, supports du Bearn or Blanchard.

The heroes split apart and set off to their separate tasks; away also goes Julian, who has some private enterprise.

Paths Diverge...

The companions ride north separately, but all see the same sights: a burned Merti as the slave rebellions begin in earnest. Plantations have been slaughtered to the man, with women and children taken as prisoners or violated to death. Piles of headless corpses make grim totems in the front yards of farms, and crows circle to make a grim harvest in town squares.

The Knights' Story

Aleksei and Marie-Celeste encounter Marie-Celeste's mother, Justine, while riding north - she's hidden out in a distant part of Suisse Plantation, where she was a slave, with an old slave named Henri. She tells them that Marie-Celeste's sister Emily has been missing; she had been taken to Port Imperiale by the Comte du Bearn.

Eventually reaching Martise, they discover that Simone Blanchard has escaped with her son, but is now holed up in the belltower of a church in the center of the town, surrounded by Eisen mercenaries. She has a stock of muskets and powder and has been shooting mercenaries who approach, but as the heroes arrive the orders go out to storm the chapel and kill her.

The knights devise a plan to distract one set of guards, sneak in, get Simone out, and then escape - and their plan largely works. Aleksei leads Hermann Steuber, who has come to personally oversee the assault, on a merry chase as Le Weasel while Marie-Celeste gets a wounded Simone and her son out of the church. Thus successful, all four begin their ride back to Old Town.

The Musketeer's Story

Sebastien sets out to find the Gendarmerie, the island's military, captained by Rogier Mornay, a former Musketeer who resigned from the company after a private confrontation with Jean-Marie Rois et Reines.

The Gendarmerie is encamped in the edges of the Look-Behinds, the tumultous area of hills and jungle that dominate the central part of the island. Sebastien encounters a gendarme patrol and is ultimately brought to Rogier Mornay, with whom he has a tense meeting.

Rogier extracts a promise from Sebastien to not intervene in the brewing affair on Mertí, making clear that he supports the Comte du Bearn's efforts to retake the island. Somewhat reluctantly, Sebastien agrees, and is escorted back to Old Town by a small squad of gendarmes.

The Rogue's Story

Julian takes a darker path; he meets Joseph Durand in Old Town, a man he had met before through the Free Thinkers. Joseph is the son of Jean-Jacques Durand, Chief of the Maroons, and he tells Julian that his father's witch knew where Julian was and set Joseph to bring Julian to Deeping Hole, the headquarters of the Maroons deep in the Look-Behinds.

Led by Joseph, Julian journeys into the Look-Behinds, a terrifying maze of wet jungle and steep ravines. He is brought to Deeping Hole, where thousands of Maroons camp - fierce-eyed native warriors with necklaces of ears, trading women and prisoners between them in fights to the death, surrounded by shambling, empty-eyed zombis in thrall to their Chief.

The Chief himself interviews Julian, and he is a frightening, powerful man who asks Julian to perform some task and help the Maroons launch an attack on Port Imperiale. There is a price, however: Julian's silver hand. With the help of a young woman, Julian allows the chief to cut off his hand with a machete and replace it with the hand of one of the zombis, at which point Julian receives a new and terrible power: the ability to summon and channel some of the power of Baron Sange, the islander's dark god, and the price that the Baron may sometimes visit him.

With this new power, Julian (or whoever occupies his flesh) returns to Old Town to seek out his companions.

...And Reunite; Plans Are Made

Back in Old Town, the companions lose Sebastian's tail of gendarmes and confer in the Rose + Cross safehouse with Louis Blanchard. Marie-Celeste takes the leading role; it is resolved that the practice of slavery on Mertí cannot stand, and that the island of Mertí must have some measure of self-governance, though not perhaps independence from Montaigne.

The companions ask the Blanchards to reach out to those landholders who they are allies with to prepare for a counter-attack on the Comte du Bearn and Port Imperiale, while Marie-Celeste and her friends will go into the Look-Behinds to confront Jean-Jacques Durand and bend the Maroons from savagry to the cause of freedom.

Only Sebastian has some reservations: he is concerned that this is treason, and that furthermore he has made an oath to Rogier Mornay to not oppose the Comte du Bearn. Sebastian decides that he will come only to protect Marie-Celeste, his friend.

The Heart of Darkness

The companions return to the Look-Behinds, which brings them into a harrowing descent into the jungle. They meet one of Durand's captains on the outskirts of Deeping Hole, and Marie-Celeste challenges him, cutting off his ear -- and by the rules of the Maroons, she inherits his company of savages. Decamping then to his rude headquarters, she gains the submission of his lieutenants and frees the women he keeps as wife-slaves.

Joseph, the Chief's son, comes to visit Marie-Celeste, and there is some conversation with him about the future of Mertí. He more or less admits his father must die, but the companions distrust him. As the heroes debate how to proceed, Julian is summoned to the Chief's house.

The Chief of Deeping Hole

There, Julian is set upon by the Chief, faring poorly as an ally of Joseph runs to warn Marie-Celeste, Aleksei and Sebastien. The trio run to save their companion, cutting through the Chief's guards and bursting through his house to the ritual space behind it.

There, they confront the Chief, who is engorged with the power of the savage's bloody god; Marie-Celeste begins to fight him as Aleksei and Sebastien keep his guards and terrible zombi soldiers away from the battle. Surrounding the circle is a much larger crowd of Maroons, most of them armed with muskets Julian helped smuggle to the island -- Joseph's men, watching to see the result of Marie-Celeste and the Chief's fight.

Trial of Kings

As Marie-Celeste and the Chief fight, Julian becomes some dark ritual. Killing a man, he begins to saw out his heart, finally pulling the still-beating organ from the dead man's chest to let the blood drip, drip into his mouth. Julian goes into a sort of trance; moments pass, as Marie-Celeste begins to give ground before Jean-Jacques Durand, and then suddenly the chief falters and Marie-Celeste's blade goes through his heart.

A hush comes over Deeping Hole, as Marie-Celeste claims leadership of the Maroons, but there is sadness: tears in Joseph's eyes, and then the wild, angry form a young woman dressed as a witch or sooth-sayer, furious over the death of her husband. The girl is Emily, Marie-Celeste's lost sister, and as Julian returns to his senses and Aleksei and Sebastian cease their fighting it is time for a reckoning.

Bargains

Aleksei is afraid for Julian's soul, believing him to have entered into a dark pact with Baron Sange, and Marie-Celeste is equally afraid for her sister, who has similarly channelled Maman Birgitte, Baron Sange's spiritual bride.

The companions argue over Julian: Aleksei wants to cut off Julian's hand, but the Baron threatens to kill Julian if Aleksei tries to cut the hand off. Julian is knocked out with a sleeping potion, and then Sebastian and Aleksei argue over Julian's supine body until it is finally decided that they cannot risk his death.

For Emily, it is decided that she will be sent to Montaigne, where she cannot be touched by the demon gods of Mertí, though she is full of bitterness and anger. It is with regret and fear, then, that the companions call Joseph to them and begin to plan the assault on Port Imperiale.

Eve of Battle

Plans are laid: through a circuitous route, Julian is conveyed by a friendly Porte-wielding knight named Valerie on a circuitous route to Paix, where he eventually enlists the help of the pirate Isabel of the Black Swan, who is several days' sail from Merti. She, along with Captain Crispino and another pirate, will begin to shell Port Imperiale in an effort to draw the Montaigne fleet out of the harbor. The price, of course, is gold - more of Aleksei's dwindling stash of bullion, plus some of the rubies Julian stole from the treasure ship.

When the shelling begins, Joseph will lead an attack on a town north of Port Imperiale, bringing some of the troops out of the town, and then Aleksei, Louis Blanchard and some of the Maroon captains will lead the bulk of the Maroon and loyal plantation owner forces into the city. Meanwhile, Marie-Celeste, Sebastian and Julian will breach the walls of the fort with a small party of saboteurs and then meet up with Aleksei for all four to enter the Governor's mansion.

This occurs largely as expected -- the fort falls, the heroes reunite, and then as the fighting settles down in the main square the companions enter the mansion and make for the great hall.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Inside the Governor's Mansion, the companions find the Comte du Bearn, Rogier Mornay, and Colonel Steuber arguing over strategy to maintain the island; behind them, on the grand staircase to the rest of the mansion is a Porté gate back to Charouse.

The companions advance: Marie-Celeste calls out the Comte, as Sebastien faces off against Rogier and Aleksei faces Hermann Steuber. The Comte tries to flee - a poor swordsman, his battle with Marie-Celeste is his attempt to escape and her determination to stop him. In contrast, Rogier is a nimble foe, quickly disarmed by Sebastien but largely unphased, facing his former brother with an assortment of found objects. Steuber is an avalanche: slowed only by Aleksei's use of chandeliers, he and the young nobleman battle their way slowly down the table, while Julian picks at the corners of all of the fights as well as the soldiery called in for reinforcements.

All fights end, however: the Comte du Bearn dies, Marie-Celeste's sword through his heart, and Hermann Steuber and Rogier Mornay surrendering. Orders go out to stop the fighting in the city and the island of Mertí - with a new governor - look to tomorrow.

Persons of Note

Mertí Montaignards

• Louis Blanchard -- A former Knight of the Rose + Cross, he was appointed Governor of Mertí after the Comte du Bearn.
• Simone Blanchard -- Also a former Knight, Simone is Louis's wife. She has a son with Louis, Cedric.
• Gustave Fleury, Comte du Bearn -- Governor of Mertí before Blanchard, he has a personal hatred for Marie-Celeste.
• Claude Etalon du Marbey -- A Montaigne viscomte, he is a coward with estates on the island.
• Olivier du Rey -- An important plantation owner and noted swordsman, he is left by the heroes unconscious on the road.
• Rogier Mornay -- A former Musketeer, he is captain of the Gendarmerie, the island's equivalent of the musketeers.

Other Théans

• Colonel Herman Steuber -- An Eisen mercenary captain, taciturn but polite.
• Captain Crispino -- A Vodacce merchant, smuggler, pirate and spy, he is often the heroes' antagonist.
• Captain Isabel of the Black Swan -- A pirate and smuggler of either Montaigne or Castillian descent, she usually operates in Montaigne-Castille war.

Mertí Slaves

• Justine Minuit -- Marie-Celeste's mother, a slave on Suisse Plantation.
• Henri Suisse -- An old slave on Suisse Plantation, now together with Justine.
• Jem Berdan -- Marie-Celeste's cousin, a slave in Marbey who is pregnant with the Vicomte's child.
• Doutty Berdan -- Jem's brother, presumed dead among the Maroons.

Maroons

• Jean-Jacques Durand -- The Chief, he is a devotee of Baron Sange and is killed by Marie-Celeste.
• Joseph Durand -- Durand's son, he was educated in Montaigne and Castille.
• Emily Minuit -- Marie-Celeste's sister, she is now a voudoun.