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 Callisto 's fo'c'sle. Aleksei dispatches a party of sailors below-deck to fire Callisto's 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.

Reaching the Rock

Soon enough, the companions' ship is off San Teodoro. They approach the blockade flagship and are piped aboard, where they meet Admiral Praisse du Rachetisse, High Admiral of the Montaigne Fleet. They discuss their plan and Admiral Praisse mentions that his nephew, Captain Praisse, is being held prisoner on the Rock. He asks the heroes to make sure they rescue his nephew and suggests that Captain Praisse and his officers may be able to help in taking the rock.

Leaving Lucien and Holzt aboard the blockade flagship Conquérant, the companions approach the Rock. At the appropriate moment, Crispino orders the signal flags hoisted - there is a moment of tension, and then the Punta Grande battery fires a "approach" signal of three quick shots and the Vodacce brig makes for the harbor. Once there, they are boarded and searched by Commandante Juan Alfarez, military commander of the island. The search turns up nothing except for a locked chamber in the Orlop; after some discussion, Crispino and Alfarez inspect that hold privately at which point clearance is granted for the companions to go ashore.

Of course, the heroes are not going as themselves: instead, they are the retinue of a Vodacce nobleman. Aleksei is Giuseppe Caligari, a nephew of the Prince. Marie-Celeste is Maria, his Islander slave. Julien is once against the Vodacce doctor, Aleksei's physician, and Sebastien - who speaks neither Vodacce nor Castillian - is Father Theo, Aleksei's confessor who speaks only Thean.

The Gubernador's Cotillion

Aleksei and his entourage are invited by the Commandante to the a cotillion that evening at the governor's mansion - they, of course, are happy to attend. There, they are introduced again to the Commandante and then to the Gubernador of Isla Tormentos Don Cruz Montoya del Velasquez. Don Cruz, in turn, introduces his daughter, the beautiful Doña Zoya. Dancing occurs; Sebastien, in his guise as a priest, is forced to sit out the floor. The dance is an intricate Castillian affair with complex rules involving partner-swapping - and, in that vein, the Commandante soon enough cuts in to steal Zoya away from Aleksei.

Attempting to get back to the gubernador's daughter, Aleksei proceeds through a series of partners - only to find himself face to face with Carlotta, a Castillian spy and the companions' nemesis. She is calling herself Doña Abella, but a tense exchange occurs on the dance floor as she informs Aleksei that she will be telling the gubernador who they really are. Aleksei breaks away, going to try to get to the gubernador before her.

Meanwhile, Julien - who has also been dancing - spies Carlotta, as do Sebastien and Marie-Celeste. Julien dances closer to Carlotta and then convinces her to step outside onto the balcony, where he proceeds to spin a tale about the companions' visit to the Rock. It does not involve the truth about their visit, but he does let slip some dark truth about Captain Isabelle of the Black Swan.

Aleksei, having told the gubernador that he is here on Prince Caligari's behalf and thus secured a tour of Punta Grande, reenters and then steps out for an evening walk with Lady Zoya. He is gone when Julien and Carlotta return: Carlotta beelines for the commandante and the gubernador, while Julien gives Marie-Celeste and Sebastien the "time to get out of here" signal. Julien heads for the balcony, leaping off it to the hillside below, and Sebastien and Marie-Celeste break for a servant's corridor and run for the kitchens. On the way, they fight their way through a party of guards before escaping out onto the island.

Meanwhile, Aleksei is walking with Zoya on a third-floor exterior walk when the Commandante and a party of men come out on the balcony. The Commandante calls for them to stop, his hand on his sword, and begins to move towards them. Aleksei looks at Zoya, looks at the Commandante and then leaps off the top of the building before Juan Alfarez can get to him. All four of the companions are now at large.

Fugitives!

Aleksei makes for Il Falco, warning the sailors and crew to escape while they can, and then heads up into the mountains. Julien meets with Sebastien and Marie-Celeste on the beach as they watch Il Falco stay away, and they head for the spur south of town to make camp for the evening. Aleksei joins them the next morning, saying that he hiked all night and along the way discovered a series of ventilation shafts leading into the Punta Grande battery.

Julien heads into town to search for supplies as the companions stay hidden in the hills. He happens along an old woman, who surprises him while he is stealing clothes from her washline. Thinking quickly, he claims to be a member of Los Vagos - the secret society of Castillian heroes - and convinces her to give him not just the clothes but also port and a hot meal. Thus equipped, he returns to his friends, where they feast and then begin their ascent towards the battery.

It is a hard, sheer climb, requiring rope and no little skill on Sebastien's part, who free-climbs ahead of his fellows. Some - Sebastien included - express wonder that Aleksei stumbled across these cliffs in the dark and still possesses his life, but the young nobleman laughs it off. Soon enough, the heroes have summitted and stand above the ventilation shaft.

Into the Dark

The companions descend into the shaft and head towards the battery itself. As the midnight hour approaches, they dodge down a set of stairs and into a store-room, planning on having Lucien, Holzt and Holzt's soldiers meet them there. Instead, they find in the store-room a quartet of Vodacce women - a mother and three daughters, Fate Witches all. They had been expecting Carlotta, who was supposed to smuggle them off the island to Montaigne or some other safe place.

The companions promise to get them to safety, and when Lucien arrives they have him take the four back to Conquérant, even though that will cost them four soldiers. Now with a reduced force, Holzt takes four men and goes to hold the gate to the battery while the heroes take the other four and go looking for Captain Praisse and his officers. Before the Fate Witches leave, Aleksei asks for a blessing: the mother says Aleksei's name three times, kisses him on the forehead and then steps through Lucien's portal.

Fort Bloodshed

With surprise on their side, it is brutal butchery: the companions cut through guards as they find them, reaching Captain Praisse swiftly and freeing him and his officers. A plan is formed with the captain among the corpses of the slain; Captain Praisse will take men and take the west side of battery, while the companions will take a few of Praisse's officers and clear the east side. They promise to meet at the point itself and set to work.

The companions cut through reserve gun crews, springing on them as they sit playing cards or snoozing and then reach the batteries themselves. The first crew falls fast beneath their blades, and room by bloody room Sebastien and Marie-Celeste push forward as Aleksei and Julien spike the battery's guns. In one room, a wise officer has put together a gun-line; the heroes disperse it with a barrel of powder and rush forward. Marie-Celeste takes a ball, but despite the loss of some of their men the companions clear room upon room.

Tragedy at La Punta Grande

At last, the companions reach the final battery - Punta Grande itself, where the Commandante has holed up with several dozen men and officers. Captain Praisse is beating at the barricade on the other side, but the fleet has already begun to arrive - even if the Commandante were to defeat the companions, the day is lost for the Castillians.

Tense negotiations ensue - the commandante's men surrender, but Juan Alfarez himself calls out a challenge for single combat. The heroes, wounded, are reluctant to comply, and only Julien steps out with twirling knives. Seeing no sword, the commandante calls Julien no gentleman and repeats his demand for a fight. Aleksei, however, talks the commandante down into a duel with Sebastien at a later time. All the while, Julien has been telling Alfarez that he will fight.

As the commandante goes to put away his sword, Julien strikes: a clean blow to the eye, laying the commandante out cold dead as Captain Praisse finally bursts through the barricade into the room. Punta Grande - and Isla Tormentos - has fallen.

Aftermath

The story of Julien's butchery spreads swiftly, and all the gentlemen among the Montaigne are in some shock at his murder of the Commandante. Aleksei goes to Admiral Praisse to secure the safety of the gubernador and his daughter, and he promises them he will take them to their family home in Occupied Castille. The Fate Witches, too, are put aboard ship with the companions and all sail for Paix.

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.
• Alice Amberci -- Crispino's sister, a Fate Witch kept hidden aboard his ship. (Pronounced Al-ee-chay)
• 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.