Role

Chapter 1

Dear Provost,

In regards to that hated sea criminal, the pirate Xalzan, whom, I might
remind, was responsible for so many sackings, lootings, and burnings of all
four protected cities, I have news. Since you've implemented regular sea
patrols, which have resulted in a number of criminal captures, but sadly,
also the deaths of many of our own fine men. That dastardly pirate, Xalzan
Ravenbeard, often sent the bodies of patrollers, swollen with seawater and
the looks of surprise, shock, and painful agony etched forever on their
lifeless faces, back to us in nets covered in rusty fishing hooks. The
cruelty of this sea devil knows no bounds.

Anyway, I am writing because we think we've found the body of the
notorious pirate. It was washed up in the Arkham harbor, caked with mud and
old warpaint, naked to the waist. Another surprise awaited us, however. After
exhuming the body from the sea and cleaning the corpse, we found that he is
really a she. While not the most buxom, her bosom was a dead giveaway. The
lack of a male organ, of course, was a second tell. Among the belongings she
carried, we discovered a bag covered in seaweed and barnacles. When one of my
men tried to open it, he was met with an explosion of rusty fish hooks to the
face. The hooks appeared to be poisoned as well and, with unfortunate
sadness, I do not believe he will make it. He will die in service to the
Blood Tribunal, which is the only death that matters. We examined the
contents of the bag and discovered a diary of sorts. I have included a copy
of the first entry, unedited and cleaned. The mud and age made the pages
almost unreadable. There are other parts of the diary as well, but they are
too illegible and muddied to decipher at this time. We will send them as soon
as we are able to read them. One thing you'll notice from the logs is her
apparent lack of education. How she managed to elude us all these years and
be thought of as a cunning criminal is beyond my understanding.

With regards to the body, I have personally determined all the facts we
can say for certain. She was gray-haired and old, with her age probably
falling into the eighties. That coincides with her reign of teerror and our
estimates of her age, having started her piracy around the age of sixteen.
Despite her age, she had thick, ropy muscles, the source of great strength
and stamina. She stood to be approximately six foot three inches, tall for a
human woman. Many scars appear on her body, some of which make me wonder how
she even survived. That is all we can say for certain now, but I will write
to keep you informed as need be. I am greatly pleased to be writing this to
you, my dearest Provost.

Yours in Service,
Horatio J Bartholomew
Magistrate of the Docks and Sea Affairs

*Note: Provost, this is the original first entry from the journal. I found it
to be informative. I understand our dreaded pirate enemy a little better now,
but, as I said before, she was highly uneducated. Her writings are simply
atrocious.*

This bein tha first notes I be keepin fer me own memories like. What be
happenin on tha island makes me shiver to me bones. I be glad I aint no real
man cause if I was Id be jus like em poor devils.

Me father was a pirate an his father fore him, through an true. Some be