Part 1

The Black Mamba is in port when news and rumours begin to come in of a small convoy of half a dozen or so heavily loaded Spanish merchant ships leaving Tortuga bound for Spain in the near future. After making investigations, this seems like an ideal target for the Black Mamba, and the crew is rousted out of their various dens, supplies are loaded, Bert plots a course, and the Black Mamba sails off in an attempt to rendezvous with the convoy.

The weather is very good for sailing - clear and bright, with a stiff breeze - and some days later, the Black Mamba reaches where the convoy is expected to be, and begins to quarter the seas in an attempt to locate it.

Another day or so later, and up in the crows nest, Spike sees a sail far off on the horizon. He informs the captain, and we move closer to investigate, doing their best to not be seen by the other ship.

It quickly becomes clear that this is indeed the convoy we're looking for. There are six Spanish ships sailing along, with one lagging a bit behind (though it is not lower in the water than any of the others). They are armed, but not as much as the Black Mamba.

The wind is coming from the north, so the Black Mamba sails round to the north of the convoy and makes ready to attack the trailing ship at dusk. The convoy does not, as yet, seem to have spotted them.

Lots are drawn for who will be in the boarding party. Spike is one of the lucky group selected.

As dusk begins to fall, and clouds begins to gather on the horizon, the Black Mamba begins its attack run. The skull-and-crossbones is raised, but the Spanish ship does not surrender, and instead the crew can be seen making ready to fight.

Captain Raven orders the red flag of 'no quarter' raised instead.

When the Black Mamba comes within range, the Spanish ship opens fire, but missed. In return the Black Mamba opens fire and its broadside sweeps the decks of the Spanish ship grapeshot, decimating the crew and the lower sails and rigging.

The Black Mamba opens fire from the other side, to less effect, then a third time from the first side, to good effect again. The Spanish ship attempts to fire again, but there is an explosion from below decks, and gunpowder smoke seems to drift up from below. The deck is the Spanish ship is deserted other than the bits of its former crew.

With resistance subdued, the Black Mamba heaves to alongside the Spanish ship, grapples it, and the two ships are hauled together.

The boarding party climbs across.

There is still some resistance, Spaniards firing pistols and muskets from the doors down into the below-decks areas. However, they are badly outnumbered, and the crew of the Black Mamba eventually deals with them, after some hard below-decks fighting, slaughtering them to a man.

There are more clouds in the sky now. It looks like a storm is coming, and it is full night. Fortunately there is a bright moon.

Searching the ship, it seems the Black Mamba has hit the jackpot - it is loaded with gold and spices, a great haul. Work begins to move it all into the Black Mamba as the storm builds in the darkness.

Then there is a cry of 'Sail ho!' from the Black Mamba.

Looking around, everyone sees a ship flying the White Ensign of the Royal Navy bearing down on the Black Mamba, easily visible in the moonlight. It seems to be a frigate, about the same size as the Black Mamba but much more heavily armed. It too is running down from the north, going fast through the water.

The crew of the Black Mamba rush to load what they can and disengage from the Spanish ship before the frigate gets with firing range. While this takes place, Mr Vaughn quickly lashes the wheel of the Spanish ship so that it will sail in a straight line by itself for a while, to confuse the frigate as to which is the real target.

And the Black Mamba releases the Spanish ship and begins to race away. But not before the frigate opens fire. Cannon balls whistle past and remove a corner of the deck and some railing, as well as some rigging. The Black Mamba fires back, to similar minor effect.

As the storm builds and builds, the Black Mamba sails away from the frigate. More gunfire is exchanged, with minor damage being taken on both sides. However, the frigate is still approaching, and the exchange of fire is continuing; eventually they'll get lucky. Spike, who is up the top on the mainmast as a sniper, is alarmed when a cannonball whistles past and removes the top of the foremast.

As the storm builds, Captain Raven sees that there is no option but to head inside and hope we can lose the frigate in there. She gives the order, and the Black Mamba heads into the storm.

The frigate does follow, but the high winds and rising seas are not good. Several of the Black Mamba's sails are split by squalls of wind, despite efforts to reef them, and more sail is removed in an attempt to prevent any further damage. The frigate is occasionally visible in flashes of lightning, but otherwise it is pitchy black under the storm-clouds.

Captain Raven decides that the way forward to sail right through the storm and out the other side, as that will put the most distance between them and the frigate. Course is set. The frigate is lost to sight in the darkness.

Unfortunately, the storm gets worse and worse the further in we go. Ropes are snapping and sails being torn all over the ship, and the masts are swaying ominously. St Elmos Fire begins to play around the masts and the ship.

And eventually it looks like we are not going to get out of the storm alive. Although the storm damage is minor, it is accumulating, and in time we'll lose the ability to keep the ships head to the wind, at which point we'll be swamped by the waves and go down. Damn.

At this point, there is another cry of 'Sail ho!'.

Off in the distance another ship is visible. It is all glowing with St Elmos Fire, and seems to be coping with the storm rather better than the Black Mamba. It is coming closer.

The crew of the Black Mamba reacts cautiously to this. Will they attack?

However, the approaching ship is not acting is a hostile manner, just coming closer, flickering with St Elmos Fire, or something like it.

As it comes closer, it can be seen, in the lightning and the glow of St Elmos Fire, that the ship is an armed merchantman of a rather old design. It flies a tattered Dutch flag, and appears to be very old, but well-kept, as if its crew have worked hard to maintain it, but without access to spare parts...

Its captain, a tall, thin and wiry, old-seeming man, dressed in tattered black clothes with a full beard, shouts across to the Black Mamba via a megaphone, in Dutch-accented English, asking if we would like some help. We would.

The Black Mamba cautiously approaches the other ship. Crews wait to grapple. Mr Vaughn throws his grapple first (as if a ship in need of rescue is grappled by another it is technically salvaged) and hooks the two ships together before anyone else of either crew does so.

More grapples are then thrown and the two ships hauled together. When the two ships come into contact, the bluish St Elmos Fire playing around the other ship flows along the grappling ropes and covers the Black Mamba. A cold wind briefly gusts across the Black Mamba at the same time. Not a good sign...

With the second ship, the Black Mamba seems to be coping with the storm better. Phew.

The captain of the other ship comes to the rail. Captain Raven introduces herself and the others. The other captain introduces himself as Vandervecken, and invites Captain Raven and any others she chooses onto his ship for a drink.

She agrees to this, and she, Bert, Spike and two other crewmen step onto the other ship. Mr Vaughn stays on the Black Mamba to keep things under control there.

The crewmembers of the other ship are all thin, gaunt and silent. Captain Vandervecken leads the Black Mamba's representatives across the deck and into a door under the poop deck. By the door Spike notices the ships bell hanging. The wording on it is in Dutch, which he cannot read, but the date on it seems to be 1622 - some seventy or eighty years ago...

We are led to the Captains cabin at the rear of the ship. There Vandervecken pours glasses of spirit, and hands them around, but does not have one himself. He assures us they are not poisoned. Spike drinks.

Vandervecken explains that he is the captain of the legendary 'Flying Dutchman'. And that we are now cursed by the same curse that afflicts him, his ship and his crew. He indicates the St Elmos Fire that surrounds them all. Spike wishes he had more drink.

Vandervecken explains that he made a deal with the Devil, for speed of sailing and great riches in life, but knowing he would be condemned to sail the seas forever after death. And die he did.

He and his crew, now no longer the favourites of the Devil, are condemned to sail the seas forever and never go home. Another ship, and another crew, became the Devil's new favourites. Having made contact with the Flying Dutchman, the Black Mamba is now infected with the same curse. In a year and a day we will find themselves back here, regardless of how we attempt to avoid this fate. Alive or dead, we will come here. Oh dear.

However, Vandervecken and his crew want out of the curse too. And he thinks, after long consideration, that there is a way.

He has found that there is a Blessing, the Blessing of St Bruno (the Patron Saint of the Possessed) which, when performed, can free people from bondage to the Devil, give them Freedom from the power of evil spirits. However, in this case it must be performed under the Cross of St Benedict, the Patron Saint of Exorcists. So Vandervecken would like the crew of the Black Mamba to find the Cross of St Benedict, a priest, and a copy of the Blessing of St Bruno, and bring them all back to the Flying Dutchman where the Blessing will be performed. He and his crew can go to their rest, while the crew of the Black Mamba will be freed.

He and his crew would also like them to take letters to their (presumably dead) loved ones off the Flying Dutchman and see them posted.

The crew of the Flying Dutchman will help repair the Black Mamba and escort them tot the edge of the storm, where we can go on their way.

The representatives of the Black Mamba reluctantly agree to do this.

Bert asks if we will get any advantages from being infected by the curse.

"No," says Vandervecken. "You are alive, and it is a curse."

Apparently the Black Mamba is not the first ship the Flying Dutchman has infected, but it is the first since Vandervecken came up with his plan. Also, the St Elmos Fire glow will fade as we go away from the Flying Dutchman.

We return to the Black Mamba, chastened.

The situation is explained to Mr Vaughn, who agrees that this is the best way forward. We discuss whether to tell the rest of the crew, and eventually decide to, as it's probably better in the long term if we do.

The crew is assembled, and informed. No-one looks happy, and there is much crossing of selves and muttering, but there is no open unrest.

We set to work repairing the Black Mamba, with help from Vandervecken's crew.

A packet of letters is given to them to deliver.

And after a couple of days the ship is fully repaired and seaworthy again. The two ships move out from the heart of the storm to its edge, and the ropes linking the Black Mamba and the Flying Dutchman are let go.

And the Black Mamba emerges from the storm, with the sun just rising ahead of them...

Index   Session 2

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