In the morning the party return to the Ocean Breeze. The party are barely back on the boat when Mr Pugg orders Master Scrow to give Aya and Gurr ten lashes each. Aya makes it clear she is not impressed. Other pirates, notably Rosie Cusswell, take their opportunity to give considered feedback
as to the competence and fairness of the Captain. Somewhat reluctantly Cut-throat Grok indicates her support
for the mutineers. This infuriates the Captain who orders his loyal crew members to attack the mutineers. Dru
orders Padawan to attack, summons a polar bear, and turns himself into a bear. Aya ponders for a moment whether she should turn herself into a small blonde girl to complete the illusion but instead sets about her would be attackers with some gusto.
As Aya predicted, however, the gods have indeed blessed the party since the start of the voyage and the ordinary
members of the crew are now no match for them. Mr Pugg, Master Scrow and Crimson Coggan indeed have some skill
with the blade but they soon find themselves outnumbered. Pugg and Scrow are knocked unconscious and Coggan surrenders. Cut-throat Grok is elected the new captain and she decides to maroon Pugg, Scrow and Coggan on the
island with a week's provision in a display of pirate justice. All the other members of the crew swear allegance to
the new captain.
After some discussion the party set sail South East which Grok reckons will give them a reasonable chance
of sighting some of the other islands in The Shackles. The strategy works well and
the ship put into the dry docks at Drenchport for repairs. This takes a week and the party add to
their reputation by beating up another ship's crew despite being heavily outnumbered. The Ocean Breeze then sails
for Hell Harbour to take in a little opera in High Tanturak. Finally
they head for Port Peril with a view to selling the ship.
As the party sail to Port Peril, however, they sight a ship which previously they had seen on the horizon behaving oddly. Now it is heading towards them at a frightening speed. Soon the ship's skeleton crew is attempting
to board the Ocean Breeze but the party not only repel the boarders but slay the spectral presence who leads the
skeletons and in turn board the new ship. Unfortunately the 'ghost ship' immediately starts sinking and the party
have to leave it rather sharply.
As they approach Port Peril the party discuss their future with Grok and the other mutineers with whom they have formed a close bond. All agree they would like to sail together again and once the Ocean Breeze is sold they will
pool their money and buy a smaller boat. They will then use the area's ample opportunities for profitable adventuring to accumulate enough gold to buy a ship of similar size to the Ocean Breeze to sail north to
Miredor with the understanding that the crew will continue the policy of 'profitable
adventuring' along the way.
Arriving at the Crescent Harbour docks in Port Peril Captain Grok finds the Harbour Master, a half-orc called Tsadok Bonetooth, rather difficult. Before he will assess the ship's cargo for tax or let the ship be sold he first decides that Grok and her crew must pass three tests to see if she is a suitable candidate for the Pirate Council. The first test is a race up the rigging which Hapu easily wins. The second is ten hands of a game of cards (which may well
have been fixed) which is lost. Everything rests on the last test which is based on the Ocean Breeze's ability
to repel boarders. The Harbour Master has, somewhat unkindly, chosen a marsh giant to be the designated boarder.
Although the party and Grok kill the giant they were unable to avoid it stepping over them to reach their ship and
are therefore deemed to have lost.
The party find a tavern near the docks in which to drown their sorrows and end up in a bar fight (which they didn't start). They acquit themselves well, however, further cementing their growing reputation.