The main port in Angshire is often described as an interesting part of town. Another word to describe this part of town was sinful, but most of Angshire didn't care for religion.
[ ] You were among that group
[ ] You were very faithful
[ ] You believed in those ancestor gods that the locals believed in
[ ] You believed in the Old Gods from the mainland
You were standing on a nearby pier looking at your newly acquired ship, the Vorkosigan, the ship itself was an absolute beauty, a fifth-rate frigate with 32 guns and able to reach a speed of 13 knots, it is more than capable of taking out other ships in its weight class and if properly crewed, could probably go above its weight class.
Beside you, Madam Ravenswood was standing, her back ramrod straight and her navy blue uniform and white half-cape impeccable, her right hand resting on her sword (You never got why she used a rapier instead of a sabre).
You are still wondering why she refused to fire upon that ship, she had a promising career ahead of her in the navy, after all, if she had shot, she'd probably be a commander by now.
You had to admit, a small part of you weren't exactly all that keen about leaving Angshire, this was your home, and it was basically where you were destined to spend the entirety of your life before Uncle Silas stole your birthright. A sigh escaped your lips as you realised that this was the only way, Madam Ravenswood had saved you from the first of your uncle's hired men, and it was inevitable that another would show up.
"Is everything alright milord?" Madam Ravenswood asked, looking at you with a small amount of concern that was hidden over with an almost mechanical look.
"I suppose it's about as alright as it's going to be for a while." You responded. The crew had already bordered the ship, as well as the supplies and soldiers who wouldn't be so good at sailing, which were stored in the hold. "Why don't we board the ship?" You asked rhetorically, fixing your black hat to keep the sun from beating down too much on your head.
"Of course, milord." She said, walking in front of you as she boarded the ship, giving you the vibe of a professional officer who had never even left the navy.
You walked up the gangplank to the ship, it was just as beautiful as it was on the outside, the paintwork was perfect, the cold metal of the guns gleamed in the morning light. Your crewmen saluted you as you walked onto the upper deck.
Bracing yourself and remembering some of the lessons that your tutor gave to you as a child. "Now men, what's say we take this ship out for a run?" You asked the question was rhetorical, but a lot of them nodded enthusiastically to the concept. You stepped up to the helm and turned to your second in command. "Madam Ravenswood, please bring us out."
There was a flash of an almost wolfish grin from her as she said in a still-professional voice "With pleasure." She turned to the rest of the crew and started barking orders at them getting the ship ready to leave the docks at a scarily efficient speed. The professionalism of her and the crew being readily apparent.
Though even with Ravenswood's shouting and improved discipline, it still took ages.
Though in a few hours, the Vorkosigan was safely out of port and into the open waters. You were probably a day's travel from the Port of Apold, about a couple of days from Yeong and a full week from Kuinzranding.
Despite the fact you felt sad about leaving home, there was something about the smell of the sea, as a member of Angshire's nobility, you didn't actually get to spend much time at the port, it was deemed to be the place of commoners, so you weren't really accustomed with the scent of the sea so this was a new sensation. It was ... liberating.
Though that left a few questions of what to do:
MARTIAL (PICK TWO)
[ ] Privateering the Trade Routes: The Angshire Trading Company is always willing to pay for people to ply the trade routes for foreign ships in something which they can categorically deny. No one likes this work, but it pays and is easy.
80% Chance of Success, minimal threat, should be lucrative.
[ ] Pirate Raids: Pirate coves are an actual problem that has been hounding the Angshire Trading Company for years, the main problem is that they tend to be sloops which make it harder for them to be tracked down.
67% Chance of Success, more dangerous, might be lucrative
[ ] Pirate Raids 'Ravenswood Edition': Madam Ravenswood has an idea when it comes to taking down pirate ships, it's higher risk, but it would allow us to capture the ship and sell it as well as get prisoners to get the bounty from for the Trading Company.
60% Chance of Success, high risk, money will be flowing
[ ] Hunting the Lynx: The Lynx is an infamous pirate ship, a 42 gun frigate, this is a frigate that Ravenswood refused to fire on. The frigate had disappeared after the engagement, and there have been few confirmed sightings of it afterwards. We'll at least try to figure out its location.
50% Chance of Success, not much of a risk, will only gain information.
[ ] Securing the Island: The island that Angshire is based on, isn't entirely the most ... secure, they are actually not entirely in control of the island. Lord Proudsong is more than willing to pay for some locals to be dealt with.
90% Chance of Success, some risk, not that high paying
LEARNING (PICK ONE)
[ ] Sabi Ruins: There's an old island that contains some old Sabi ruins, some random scholar has, through a middleman, of course, requested some crew to bring them some artefacts from the ruins.
75% Chance of Success, slight risk, medium pay. Two turns.
[ ] Attain Ship Doctor: You don't really have a ship doctor, and it tends to be somewhat worrying especially if your sailors end up accidentally harming themselves, though hey will tend to cost more.
65% Chance of Success, minimal risk, gives you extra expenses
STEWARDSHIP (PICK TWO)
[ ] Protect Angshire Trade: Smaller trading companies in Angshire will sometimes hire frigates to protect their trading convoys, the pay isn't the best, but you can pick up some things about trade yourself.
87% Chance of Success, slight risk, medium pay
[ ] More Weapons: There is something that can be said for stocking up on more weapons for your troops, it means that you don't have to worry about running about them and it also means that there is a lack of weapons.
75% Chance of Success, minimal risk, grants combat bonuses
[ ] Bodyguard Duty: This is a low-risk operation for your men and to be honest is just highly paying. Some of your men just act like bodyguards to some minor nobility.
80% Chance of Success, slight risk, pays well.
[ ] Thieves Everywhere: In Kuinzranding, the Thieves' Guild there has much need for some ship to help transport men from place to place, they would be willing to pay quite handsomely for such services. No-one looks for known thieves in a privateer frigate after all.
75% Chance of Success, minor risks, pays alright, ???
DIPLOMACY (PICK ONE)
[ ] Liason with the Sabi traders: The Sabi are an odd bunch, but they have the trade routes mapped out perfectly. Liasoning with them would open the way towards more jobs with them.
76% Chance of Success, Gains new job options
[ ] Liason with the Yuna Privateers: Okay, they call themselves the Wokou, but that doesn't mean that you can't talk with them, talking with them can allow them some places to dock and opens the way towards several jobs.
56% Chance of Success, Gains new job options
[ ] The Magi Association: An Angshire group, the Magi are an odd group, most Magi are located on the Mainland, but that doesn't stop them from coming to the Sea of Storms, and they are willing to pay for escort jobs.
76% Chance of Success, Gains new job options
INTRIGUE (PICK ONE)
[ ] Spy on your Uncle: Your uncle is a cunning, but proud individual, having some of your men disguise themselves as guards would allow for you to get some information on Uncle Silas.
65% Chance of Success, average risks, minor pay, grants information
[ ] Spy on the major ports: Your men can be stationed around several ports, this can provide you with some useful information about some of the ships and where they're going.
74% Chance of Success, minor risks, no pay, information
[ ] The Mysterious Case of the Lynx: The Lynx is a mighty frigate, and it has disappeared from the face of the globe, instead of going out there and searching for it yourself, send some cunning men around to ask around some taverns.
50% Chance of Success, not much of a risk, will only gain information, ???.
PERSONAL (PICK ONE)
[ ] The Ravenswood Case: You've been curious as to what would cause one of the most honourable sailors in recent history and someone with such a promising career to throw it all away on a pirate frigate. Maybe you should ask them.
87% Chance of Success, Learn about Madam Ravenswood
[ ] Ship Drills: you could always just let Madam Ravenswood have her way with drilling the ship's crew to a reasonable amount of perfection. But what would they be drilled in?
-[ ] Sailing: Increase speed and manoeuvrability
-[ ] Gunnery: Be able to blast your opponents better.
-[ ] Swordfighting: Make your men better at fighting.
85% Chance of Success, Improves Crew competency
[ ] Suspicious Person at the Docks: You aren't entirely sure, but you have this sneaking suspicion that there's a suspicious person at the docks when you make landfall. And this is at *every* port.
50% Chance of Success, ??? Risks, ???
Note that the religious vote is somewhat insignificant, plan format for everything else. You have two martial actions becuase Ravenswood counts as a martial hero while you count as a Stewardship hero.
