A Fine Day For Sailing

A call has gone out for crew, paying well - rumor has it that the King and Queen of Spain are financing the journey, though for what reason no one can say. A handful of rough-and-ready crew gather on the docks, including:

An elderly carpenter named Giles Wright

An elderly bomb-maker named Curie Baguette

A landlubber gunfighter named Douglas Dubhghlas

A somewhat confused noble named Zuko
(and somewhat later)
Edison Hawking, and English explorer

As they gathered on the docks, they caught sight of the ship in the bay - not a huge ship, but certainly pretty, its green and gold paint shining in the morning light. The name was clearly visible: "Horizons"!

The captain looked them over, and signed them on. He introduced himself as Captain Solomon Fisher; the voyage was one of exploration in the West Indies; the way is known, but can be treacherous, with storms, pirates, and... more. It is expected to last three months.

The new sailors joined the existing crew:

Captain Solomon Fisher, a seasoned sailor, explorer, and Navy officer; calm, calculating, and willing to give everyone a second chance.

First Mate Jauques Bellefleur, a somewhat smarmy Frenchman who doesn't seem to like the crew very much.

Navigator Eckhard Glas, an elderly though capable navigator; German, and a graduate of one of Europe's finest cartography schools.

Quartermaster Rudyard Rennold, a street-smart and capable man, if not particularly imaginative.

Killian Sauvage, a scarred, mean-spirited Frenchman

Kurt Steine, a friendly blond-haired, blue-eyed sailor with a German accent

Herb Broadbent, a largish fellow, though quiet and shy; very English

Tibby Snider, a skinny, talkative Englishman

Pete Grubbs, an Englishman who claims he is easily swayed by money, eh, eh, if you know what I mean? Eh?

"Longarm" Smith, a laconic brawler with some impressive muscles

Dominic "Dom" Ramone, who is quite the ladies' man, judging by his stories (and probably his Spanish accent)

Jack Crow, a veteran sailor with plenty of stories from the sea

Billy Bones, supposedly an ex-pirate, covered in tattoos; Portugese, though speaks English fluently

Jean Benoit, a monkey on the ropes, and proud of it; French

Simon Madras, a superstitious Spaniard, though an excellent watchman

The first day of sailing was easy enough, apart from poor Douglas, who only managed to stay aboard because they had already set sail. After a few games - Jack Crow nearly managed to beat Giles in a (mop-based) swordfight, but both were beaten by Dom. Zuko and Longarm duked out a few rounds of fisticuffs, and Longarm managed to land a head-spinning uppercut, but Zuko finally managed to hit back with a blow that knocked Longarm cold. Douglas won at gambling when Billy Bones' dice cracked open, and he was revealed as a cheater.

Soon, Simon called out that another ship was approaching; they pulled up near what seemed to be a Spanish ship, very military, and the Captain escorted a heavy box of some kind over, setting it in the hold, with two guards from the Spanish ship accompanying it:

Diego Fernandes, a bright-eyed, fast-talking swordfighter

Lucio Ángel, a skilled gunfighter with an impressive mustache

Neither spoke much English, but Zuko managed to hold a conversation with them in Spanish, learning that they were very attached to their job, and would kill anyone who tried to get near the box.