Chapter 7: Ravager’s Roost
"What the fuck was that?!" Calista shrieked as she glared at Lazula. "Now they’re gonna think we’re pirates too!"
"Pretty much," the elf girl replied with a grin. "I don’t know how many of my crew got arrested, but if anyone got away, they’ll be heading to Ravagar’s Roost, a secret pirate haven. That’s where we should head too."
"But I was hoping to learn about my mother in Shannarport..." Sam said with a frown.
Lazula placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "If Captain Grimrar got away, he’ll be going to Ravagar’s Roost as well. You can ask him if your mother is the client."
Sam sighed, then nodded. "Okay, I guess that really is our only option, then."
Calista groaned. "We’re really gonna go fraternizing with pirates?"
"You don’t have a choice," Lazula explained. "The Paragon Navy will use psychics to pull the images of our faces from the minds of the officers who stopped us and then plaster Wanted posters all over the Unseelie Blue."
"Damn..." Sam said slowly. "That’s pretty fucked up..."
"Yup," Lazula said. "Whether you like it or not, you are both pirates now too."
"So, how far away is this Ravager’s Roost?" Sam inquired.
"It’s actually only about a day and a half north from here," the elf girl revealed.
"There is no way you could know that," Calista insisted. "We just popped out of that storm into a featureless ocean."
"I knew exactly where I was taking us," Lazula said with a smirk. "One of the perks of being a Storm Witch is that I can sense the magnetic fields of the world. By using that paired with observations of air pressure, temperature, humidity, ocean currents, wind movements, and celestial objects in the sky such as the Sun or the Moon, I can always determine precisely where I am on Azi’alaga at any given moment. That’s why Grimrar chose me for this mission."
"Wow, that’s... impressive," Sam replied.
Calista crossed her arms and huffed. "Yes, yes! Very impressive indeed!"
They sailed the rest of that day and most of the next one, and then saw a tiny island creep into view on the horizon as evening approached.
"This is just an illusion to hide it from the outside world," Lazula explained as they got closer.
Sam and Calista both gasped in awe as they passed through an invisible curtain of some kind, the air shimmering around them to reveal a much larger island with a bustling seaside city and hundreds of pirate ships at the docks or anchored nearby. The south half of the island contained the city, while the north half was dominated by a few small mountains and a jungle.
They found an open spot to moor their boat, grabbed a few bags of supplies, and then headed into the city. Past the docks was a wide, cobblestone street marked as Liberty Road. It led straight north and ended at a huge gate connected to a towering stone wall that separated Ravager’s Roost from the jungle to the north.
"Something dangerous beyond that wall?" Sam asked.
"Only if you piss the Druids off," Lazula replied. "North side of the island is their territory. South side belongs to the pirates. We keep the peace by trading with each other. They give us herbs, fruits, vegetables, and healing potions, and in return we protect the island, keep it hidden, and give them children."
"You kidnap children and give them away like slaves?!" Calista shrieked.
Lazula laughed heartily. "No, you idiot! I mean our men get their women pregnant. The Druids here are all female, so the only way they can maintain their numbers is by breeding with males. Once a year, they have Breeding Week where chosen Druids come through the gate and spend seven days at the Roost trying to get pregnant."
"Oh... I guess that isn’t as bad then..." Calista said in a low voice.
"But why the wall?" Sam pressed.
"To keep both sides separate the rest of the year," the elf girl explained. "There are low hatches all along the wall that the Druids use to pass along the food and stuff without having to actually interact with us at all."
Sam nodded in understanding. Then they continued forward.
"Wow, this place is enormous!" Calista said excitedly as they walked along Liberty Road, which carved a wide path through the gridwork of shops and homes. Some buildings looked like they were repurposed from broken sea vessels, while others were entirely magical in nature, such as mushroom huts and faerie treehouses.
There were a considerable variety of pirates going about their business. Humans, elves, drow, fauns, plantfolk, dwarves, etc. - but there were also humanoid animals like cats, dogs, wolves, foxes, rabbits, birds, lizards, and even sharkmen. Every conceivable possibility of anthropomorphic life existed there.
"Oh wow, so much diversity here!" Sam said in awe.
"It’s getting late, so we should stay at an Inn for the night. Give us a break from those shit beds on your boat," Lazula suggested.
"Do you think I’d be able to speak with Grimrar tomorrow if he’s here?" Sam inquired.
Lazula shook her head. "Oh no, any of the crew who got away won’t be back here for at least a few days. They can’t ride the Spiral like me, so they’ll have to sail here normally."
"Oh..." Sam said with a bit of disappointment in his voice.
"Hey, cheer up!" the elf girl said as she put one arm over Sam’s shoulder and the other arm over Calista’s shoulder, pulling them into a group huddle-type formation. "We’ll have lots of fun while we wait!"
They ended up staying at the Honeydew Inn & Tavern. It was a cozy place dominated by colors of yellow, orange, and green. The first floor had a lobby and the tavern, and then several levels of sleeping rooms above that. A plump dwarf woman with her gray hair pulled into a messy bun sat behind the front desk.
"Good evening, folks! How may I help you?" she asked with a friendly, grandmotherly demeanor.
Lazula back at her. "Good evening, ma’am! Do you have any rooms available for a few nights? Maybe a week?"
"We sure do!" she replied cheerfully. "My larger rooms are on the fifth floor with their own lavatories and kitchens and access to the rooftop garden. I have several of them available for two Gold Scarabs per night. Some have one large bed, others have several bunkbeds."
"That sounds more than fair," the elf girl said. "We’ll take one with a single large bed."
Her eyes widened, but she nodded. "Oh! How scandalous!"
"WHAT?!" Sam and Calista cried out in unison.
"It’ll be fun!" Lazula insisted with a huge grin as she began taking out gold coins from a pouch and placing them on the counter. They had the image of a beetle inscribed on them, which is where the name Gold Scarab came from.
Sam and Calista didn’t have the right currency to pay for their own rooms, so they really had no choice but to go along with it. Soon they were headed up the stairs.
"After we get cleaned up, I’ll buy us dinner and drinks down in the tavern," Lazula offered. The two of them just nodded slowly.
They walked into their room, which was quite spacious. It had a large bed with fluffy pillows and blankets, a plush couch, a wardrobe, a small kitchen with a table and chairs, a lavatory, and a second door leading to a staircase that ascended to the rooftop garden.
Not bad, Sam thought to himself.