1 Prologue 01 - The New World

"Land! Land in sight!" shouted the barrelman, his voice ringing so that all may hear.

The crew of The Delight excitedly moved about their stations, their energy mirroring their eager anticipation of land after weeks at sea. The Delight's bell master tolled the great bronze bell at the stern of the ship to signify land. Two of The Delight's sister ships trailed behind, each ringing its bells of acknowledgement.

Duncan Weston peered over the bow to see if he could see anything. There it was, the rumoured continent of the New World. Its jagged silhouette broke the serene horizon as if to dare them forward. So many had doubted its existence, and many more had thought The Delight's journey to be suicidal. Only the promise of compensation in both riches and land to each sailor's family had encouraged the desperate and foolhardy to embark on the journey.

Duncan was neither of the two, for his was a relatively wealthy family from his grandfather's shrewd affairs. But, a life as a son of a wharf engineer proved to be a incredibly dull, and the promise of adventure in the New World--even as non-descript and vague the recruiter was--was something too enticing to pass up. Duncan ran away from home that evening, bringing along as much coin as he could, to convince the quartermaster to let him board The Delight despite his youth. There was no need for The Delight was in such critical need of manpower that his age was quietly ignored.

For all its promises of adventure on the high seas however, the journey so far was a dull affair. Weeks of mundane cleaning tasks had made Duncan miss his home. What were his parents doing? Did they worry? What about his sister? He decided the first thing he'll do once he returns to the Isles would be to give each of his parents and his sister a jewel unique to the New World.

Something flashed in the corner of Duncan's eyes. He rubbed his eyes, and saw a dark silhouette disappear beneath the sea. Was it some kind of fish?

"Get back to work!" a booming voiced thundered. Duncan jumped and turned around. It was Quartermaster Yarrick. Duncan didn't understand why he had to yell so much, but he knew better than to grumble about it directly to Quartermaster Yarrick.

"Sorry, sir," Duncan said, "I thought I saw something beneath the waves, it flashed light into my eye"

"Probably a scale from a jumping fish," explained Quartermaster Yarrick. For all of his gruff, the quartermaster was always surprisingly accomodating to Duncan's questions.

Duncan nodded, and retreated back down below deck to finish scrubbing mold off of the hull.

Another thing that Duncan missed about his home was the fact that sleeping was never an effort. The constant creaking of wood, the itchy hammock, and the smell of hundreds of unwashed men kept Duncan awake almost every night. The soft sound of waves breaking against the docks in his old home were always so soothing. Oh, how much he would give for a night of unperturbed sleep, only the gods knew. Tonight, however, something else kept Duncan awake.

The Delight was anchored about a quarter league away from land, and advance scouting parties had come back baring exciting news. Stories of pearl white shores and exotic shellfish, colourful fruits and glowing birds had spread among the crew fast. This is truly it, Duncan thought, a new world to explore. He wondered what new vistas and adventure awaited him starting tomorrow. If he worked hard enough, and proved himself useful to the expedition, he would be granted lands and titles. Perhaps he could bring home wealth and glory unknown even to his illustrious grandfather. Maybe he could be be a viceroy, or even a lord, one day. Duncan was giddy with excitement.

But that would have to wait.

Duncan had hidden the coin he took with his home with a small burlap sack that Quartermaster Yarrick allowed Duncan to keep before setting sail. He used it as a makeshift pillow, and always held on to it while he slept so it would not jingle. His 'pillow' was hard and uncomfortable, yes, but it was all he had from home.

The Captain spoke in a tongue that was wholly unintelligble to Duncan.

From what he heard, the Captain was a foreigner sponsored by the Queen to journey westwards to find new lands. Supposedly, the Captain was the best explorer of the Old World, for he had personally discovered a direct route that circumvented the Third Imperium to the far eastern Celestial Empire. Duncan didn't know how true these tales were, but he was inclined to believe it. He was a lowly cleaner afterall, and as far as he was concerned, the Captain had successfully led The Delight to the New World, which was all that mattered to Duncan.

Quartermaster Yarrick loudly translated the Captain's words to the rest of the crew.

"You are--each of you--on the threshold of a brave new world," Quartermaster Yarrick bellowed, "And you are each beholden to your oaths to the Isle.

The Captain paused to scan the faces of each sailor that had gathered on the deck.

"As per royal instructions, I have a letter written personally by the Lord Admiral that shall be read to you all."

Duncan couldn't help but zone out. The announcement of a general meeting had been an exciting start to the morning as that meant the crew would be making landfall soon. But formalities were never Duncan's strong suit. His mind fluttered about and the Quartermaster's words passed through Duncan's ears undigested. Duncan gingerly gave a sideways glance over starboard to look at the pale shoreline, its smooth outline eventually giving way to craggy cliffs. Adventure was right there in front of him.

Something caught Duncan's eye. He saw a vaguely humanoid shape slowly walk into the sea. What was that? Could it be a merman? Had the lights played tricks to his eyes? Quartermaster Yarrick had once told a story of sailors falling overboard after seeing mirages in the horizon.

"-thus, it is your solemn duty to see a permanent settlement in this new land in the event of a successful discovery. Only a chosen few may return with The Delight back to the Isles."

Duncan's focus was back to the Captain and Quartermaster Yarrick.

The sailors bristled. Uncertain murmurs cropped up all around Duncan. "What do you mean we can't return?" someone behind Duncan shouted.

The Captain spoke, and the Quartermaster said, "It is your duty to see that the Isles gain a foothold in this new land. After The Delight's return to the Isle, a second armada shall be dispatched to bring supplies and men to supplement the settlement. After completing your tasks in accomodating the new men to the new environment, you may return, or choose to stay at your discretion."

The sailors murmurred in discontent, this time much more audibly than before.

The Captain remained silent. Quartermaster Yarrick, however, bellowed once more, "Must I remind you the duty each of you are beholden to in the name of the Isles? We are each responsible for the advancement of Queen and Country!"

The sailors remained unconvinced. Duncan, to his credit, remained silent.

"The discontent among you hide within the crowd," growled Quartermaster Yarrick, "If you truly wish to express your unwillingness to serve the Isles, step forth so that all may see your unhappiness with this news."

Duncan swallowed. He turned his head to see if anyone would move. No one did.

The Captain surveyed the sailors. He turned to the Quartermaster and simply nodded.

"Prepare the landing crafts!"