The wind blew harshly through her long brown hair, whipping it with a thin mist. The near fog tasted harshly of salt and eddied up from the waves crashing against the bow. Although near dark, the Spiderlust still traveled under full sail and closed quickly on the Reefs of Jaggle Tar. Terrin stared thoughtfully at her crew, trusting in both her helmsman and first mate's decisions to outrun the Monolith warship. The Spiderlust's sleek corvette design shuddered only slightly with the harsh starboard turn, the sails fluttering smoothly as the main booms swung to the far side of the vessel.

Terrin's confidence in her crew was well placed as she could now see the waves breaking on the distant and near invisible coral outcroppings just a hand's throw from the port side. "Let the Monolith try to turn from THAT" she thought vindictively. They had afterall, hit her new ship with one of their pointstrike ballistas. The damage was minimal but could have been much greater if the hole had been a few feet closer to the waterline. They had only been on the sea for a few months but the crew had years of experience working together under their old captain's leadership. The money had been well spent - excepting of course, the two mutinies she had to put down while proving she could captain the ship. It helped of course, the trio of merchant ships they had struck, sacked and sank in the last month.

She debated briefly on trying to take the Monolith down. On the one hand, she still had her secret stash of magical scrolls, her little known treaty with the water tribes and her big friend Glock that was surely not far from their ship. On the other, the Monolith was captained by Grimware - a Hardhead captain that knew the sea well, knew what to look for and how to read its signs. Furthermore, their ship was one of the larger warships - packing vastly superior firepower and much tougher armor than the Spiderlust. Their vessel was designed for keeping the peace and protecting the shipping routes - not like the sleek and fast striking wave cutter Terrin stood on. She sighed and signaled to move on. "Maybe another day" she muttered under her breath. Taking it down would afterall, simply bring a few more defending warships out to sea and make it harder for any kind of high sea piracy - Letter of Marque or not, it just wasn't worth risking at this time.

She briskly marched from the bow, her sailor's swagger level with the rise and fall of the waves. As she entered the main captain's room she tossed her old cloak over a nearby chair. Her emerald eyes flashed a deeper shade of green while her gaze caught the castoff. The tired piece of clothing showed the signs of age with its many patches. More signs of wears and new holes were forming up again - it would need repairing before the week was out. She could easily afford a new one, but this one and her had been through too much together. It was like an old friend that cradled her through a much harsher time, perhaps, she grinned slightly, even a security blanket. She had afterall, slept curled up inside of it not more than half a handful of months ago. Its warm velvet interior embracing her body while the harsh black outside shell repelled whatever the world had to offer. It was a lot like herself in more than a few ways.

Of course, back then she didn't have a body. At least, not one she could see. No one could see it after that 'accident' with the mage a scant two years ago. Terrin shivered despite the room's warmth. That disaster had led to her arrival in Sigil, she thought. The name brought a taste worse than three day old leather soaking under a much rotted keel to her worn tongue. Times there had been tough; she had been to hell and back - literally, she smirked - and that didn't even count the Abyss. Money had been scarce to come by and in forms not seen in these high water parts. The brainsucking undead walked the streets next to hideous man-sized bugs while on whatever wretched business they were attending. Even the sky had been replaced with a foul smelling smog that clogged the lungs of the normal inhabitants. Her partial gills were constantly needing cleaning - a fine place for one of aquatic fairie heritage. She snorted outloud though quietly at her own sarcasm.

She stared thoughtfully at the Log-book of the Spiderlust, its contents already filling with her drivel about the High Seas here. It was nothing like the Journal Entries from before when she had been gallivanting around Sigil. These just listed a date, where they were and anything of vital importance that happened. She had been more scared overall there than any other one point in her life. Nothing there was priceless - everything could be bought - courage, pride, body parts, one's soul. Strangely enough though, she felt as if she had abandoned the city to its sinking and decrepit fate instead of fleeing to sanity.

Thinking of her obligations, commitments and friends in Sigil re-opened an old wound. When the Spiderlust pulled into its hideout on the far side of Rendor's Bay tomorrow, she would have to deal with both the resident mage and cleric. The crew had insisted upon one of each for the corvette. She saw the use of the priest, but the mage - after what she had been through, was almost too much. If it hadn't been for the mage's diplomacy and long standing friendship with the crew, he would have been gutted like an old pike just for using the magical arts. Apparently though, the two of them have done a bit of planewalking before. That's led to their latest discovery that a portal exists near the hideout - one that opens up, they believe, right into Sigil's own Hive Ward. The two have talked about opening up a smuggling ring through Sigil. They say the possibilities are endless but neither have been able to complete their testings. She smirked another mischievous grin knowing the reasons for their so far failed results. She did hold the gatekey afterall. The thought gave her a quick mental boost before the ensuing frown took over. She couldn't deny her past forever, nor could she ignore the potential future. If they did open the portal, she decided, she would just have to take the responsibility, make the necessary contacts with her friends and try to protect her new friends. Perhaps she could even help out this time and do things the way she wanted to for a change. Deep Sashelas protect her, she just hoped she didn't run into any of her old problems.