Trinsic Under Pirate Law

n the past week things had changed quickly in Trinsic. General Valek arrived with little fanfare and immediately requested a meeting of the town council. At this meeting the General announced that a respected member of the council was in fact a spy for an organization known as the Crimson Alliance. This man, a Noah Cloud, immediately left the room resulting in an order for his arrest. This is the point at which the interests of the two groups diverged. Lord General Rutger Dag, head of the council, and the remaining members of the council were insistent upon a presentation of the evidence before an arrest, while General Valek refused to present evidence until a trial stating that he has no requirement to answer to the council. Such arguing became a moot point though following the arrest of Mr Cloud by guards under the command of General Valek.

Since this time the now Lord General of Trinsic, General Valek, has declared martial law and has provided the city with a copy of his orders from Sir Geoffrey, which give his men the authority to post Order Guards at the town gates, to arrest without a warrant and to close down city locations among other things. So far, very little had changed for normal citizens of Trinsic beyond the appearance of more guards on the streets.

That's what the United Pirates decided not to accept: The town of Trinsic under Martial Law! As they wanted to establish a smuggling circle and a black market in Trinsic, they decided to send a rebel force to Trinsic and declare Pirate Law on Trinsic. Their first step was to block the entrance to the provisioner's. Anyone who wanted to enter had to pay tribute to the pirates. However, the willingness to pay the pirates was very low and landlubbers preferred to walk away or try some tricks to enter. Some tried to insult the pirates, but the pirates didn't give anything about it.

Soon the pirates decided it would be more profitable to occupy the Trinsic south gate. A lot of the crew were involved, as the following picture can prove.

This they did and they showed no mercy. As a tribute they demanded 100 gold pieces, ale or gems, and they would only let those pass who agreed to pay. Many peasants and travellers cursed them, shouting for guards who - of course - did not appear.

Some travellers even tried tricks using the gate spell just to avoid having to pay the small tribute. The pride of the noble men was high and they never seemed to be willing to give even one piece of eight to the pirate rebels. The situation was near escalation but the pirates remained stubborn and did not move.

Being tired of standing for hours the United Pirates finally decided to set up a toll station, waiting for passersby to pay for using the bridge. Unfortunately the toll station didn't last very long, as some landlubbers came by and stole the pirates' furniture. The pirates had to think about other possibilities to achieve some money. They were still up to misfit inside the city walls of Trinsic.

On the next day when then pirates still were prowling around by the south gate, the Paladins of Trinsic showed up. They demanded that the pirates should leave immediately and receive two boxes full of ale in return. But the pirates rejected this offer. They did not want to give up their source of income, having collected 2000 gold coins of tribute already. This would buy them a lot more than two boxes of ale.

Nobody had given a sign, but suddenly a fierce battle broke loose on the bridge. Paladins as well as pirates were killed, turning the yellow stone pavers of Trinsic into a bloodstained mess. With a only few men left the pirates could finally hold the bridge, chasing the last landlubber into the woods.

But the Paladins of Trinsic were not idle. As soon as the pirate captains Hawkeye Pike and Hook were away and their crew got drunk, the Paladins seized the scum and jailed them in the Trinsic guard house. Rumors had it they would not stay there for long; the pirates had a lot of sympathizers. Word on the street is, the evil Crimson Alliance would support them in their quarrel with the Paladins and the Emerald Empire.

News from the Town Cryer newspaper:

Meanwhile in Trinsic the streets have gotten less, rather than more, safe since martial law was declared. The south gate has been blocked for large periods of time by an unsavory looking group while the Paladins have blockaded themselves within their compound attempting to survive assaults from members of the Crimson Alliance.
When asked to comment on the increase in street crime General Valek responded: "A great deal of these problems will be dealt with shortly. It is time that the dregs of Trinsic society are dealt with in a manner that provides a lasting solution. To that end, Lady Sara Braccalese has been given permission to construct suitable permanent lodging for the criminal and other useless elements of this city. As for the paladins, Lord Rutger Dag was quick to discount our authority to police this city. We have withdrawn our protection from their compound and any problems they encounter there are ones they must deal with within their own means."

Construction on a tent city along the north wall has already begun and several groups including artists, beggars and thieves have been forcefully moved there. Guard support in the area seemed half-hearted to this reporter.

05/99

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