The Pirates of Orthan

Prologue

                                 My predilection for crime started from a rather young age, some would have called me a prodigy for thievery if they were poetic. Although where I'm from most care for darker pleasures than that of poetry. I grew up in East Long-marrow,  a vile pit where villainy and poverty are like the air and grass and I can't help but love it.

                                   Ma was a lady of the night if you get my drift, the brothels by day and streets by night leaving me to my own devices as a lad to make all manner of mischief. I'd take up a nice dice game or perhaps a swig of whiskey from one of the working gals or even head up the street for a game with some of the street orphans, and then I'd crawl back to our little hole or an apartment to sleep until the next day brought new fun.

                                     I had never paid any mind to stealing or the likes of crime, not at first at least. The Throaque  is a painful disease that's pretty common of the lower classes. Medicine isn't expensive if you're one of those stuff shirt types but us poor folk might as well die before we ever hope to earn enough money. When my mom got sick with it I cursed the King of Wesleyan the Gods of Ole and the very air around us. I saw no good in the powers of kings and gods if they didn't care to help a boy and his dying mother. 

                                  The day she passed I remember how cold the air was , like the entire room was a frigid forest in the winter time. She lay on her little cot looking like a third of who she once was. Gray skin replaced rosey cheeks and blushes and where plumpness had been a shell had sunk. Worst of all were her eyes and hair. My mothers long golden hair had made her the pride of Long-marrow, perfect and voluminous as a goddess with eyes of amber that were just as breathtaking. Now they were replaced by a ratty mop with handfuls falling by the bed and two glossy beads that stared into nothing. 

                                 I was put out of the apartment and her body was buried beneath an unmarked tree. The duchess of Long-marrow would fade into the night as a legend of a beautiful woman who shined light on a dark spot of the country. As for me I figured my fate would be the same; a child alone on these streets with no money and I was as good as dead. I'd either end up as a slave or one of the many starving orphans who formed little rat packs and those were the more favorable options. I had resigned myself to a death of starvation and exposure.

                                   Little known fact , starvation is not a painless death. Three days was all it took for me to get a new lease on life and that lease was to eat before I went fucking insane. Stealing from bums and whores didn't get me no where because they were just as broke. Also robbing one of the lords that visit for booze and pleasure would have me swinging from the gallows after days of starvation and public humiliation. The only option was to rob criminals.

                                  I robbed every pickpocket and bookie in the city but even that just netted me enough money to survive. I still slept on the streets with rags on my back and only hope to cover my feet. A person thinks crazy things when they're down and out. I thought that one big score was all I needed. 

                                   Andis is a large dessert nation to the North of our kingdom. Most of the immigrants here were spice merchants or animal breeders, but at the edge of Long-marrow there was a clan of Andissans  cloaked in mystery. They were just street performers, you know dancing and juggling. But they were so wealthy people spread all manner of nasty rumors about how they actually made money. Slavers, assassins, magic, and the scariest was that noone who had ever robbed them had returned.

                              I got it into my noggin that since people were too afraid to rob them then they had probably gone lazy after all these years of not being robbed. Not a very sound plan but to hell with your opinion I was only eight. I had made up my mind that I sneak into their camp in the woods and then grab enough gold to get to capital and pay for boarding school and become one of those poofy educated types, needless to say if you think it went perfectly then you're a fool.

                            So I waited until the dead of night and made my move. It took about forty minutes for me too get to the edge of town where the last hut meets the forest. Took an extra damn hour or two to make it to the center of the woods where they make it to their camp. The shit was like something out of a children's story.  A bunch colorful people dancing around fire that made their tan skin shine in the night. All the women dressed in skirts with exposed stomachs adorned with jewelry, and the men wore twice as many colors and jewels with long beards and several earrings.

                           I figured the largest tent was where the leader would live and where to find the gold. From what I could see there wasn't anyone inside and that was perfect. I had to creep round the side of the caravan carts and try and stay out of the fire light. I made it to the back of the large tent, which was lit by one candle but after entering through the back I saw all the different animal skins and urns. It looked like a fine art dealer. 

                             I saw a large chest and figured that was where the collective gold was store, I mean hell has a giant chest ever lied to a thief. I walked up extra slow feeling a little apprehensive about my decision. I opened the chest up quickly knowing the sight of the gold would dispel my fear.  What I got was most certainly not gold.

                        "RRAWWWRRR I got you daddy", screamed a little sandy haired girl with olive skin as she landed on my chest.

                         Her face turned to immediate confusion and then ballooned into an angry tantrum. I covered her mouth with my hand hoping she'd be too scared to scream. What I got from her was a deep throaty hum that made my eyes heart and caused a tightness in my chest. Last thing I remembered was the floor coming up to meet my face.

                        I awoke to the little girl still on my chest but with two new additions , a massive man I assumed to be her father  and a giant spiky best with hundreds of small black eyes blinking at random. " If a man seeks a heavy treasure chest the oceans floor but can not swim how will he be rewarded", the giant bearded man said before adding" there is no one with him nor any animals , you have an til dawn to answer or die."

                    I sat back on my ass and thought about this. Well first I thought of running but figured either the troll man , the demon girl, or the monster would nab me before I got a good head start. Then I thought about my own particular situation. I wasn't  thief but I had attempted a conquest of master thieves for the sake of my own future fortune.

                  I closed my eyes for what seemed like ever until I got scared that dawn was nearing ; I figured I had devised the best answer. " The man will sink deeply until her can grab a handful and panic back to the surface before he drowns" , I saw the mans face fall in disappointment , but I wasn't done. " But a great man will give his all to reach the bottom and either carry the whole chest to the shore at once or die trying". The whole tent went quiet before the little girl broke into a frantic laughter " Not the average answer but I think it's a good one, stupid but good, and a good thing too because I was gonna feed you to my wittle baby Shakal" , she said motioning to the spiked creature. 

            The big man stepped forward and embraced me into a big bear hug, " welcome you are now of my clan as we are one in mind and I feel the fire in your soul" 

          I pushed him away " look just let me go , I don't wanna join you slave trade or whatever you guys do" 

     " DO NOT INSULT US BOY", the large man boomed straightening to his full nine feet tall. " We are not despicable slavers nor mere performers , we serve the trickster god Orthan as pirates of the order." He exhaled a huge cloud of smoke and the floor became covered in gold coins. " We take the wealth from the wicked as payment for our swift justice and as long as we are just our magic remains strong,join us and never know the pain of hunger and abandonment." 

          Now maybe my boyhood judgement was a little immature but of course I joined with the band of mystical pirates, if I hadn't we'd have a boring as shit story about a squire.

            So that's how it goes, eight years ago today is when I jumped on the ship.