(continued from part1)

Scrawlings found carved into a board with a severed chicken's claw

This ship is getting weirder. It's getting really hot and yesterday Ankyl approached me and asked if I would like to drum with him. I believe this is the first time we've spoken. His instrument is high pitched and a little whiney but I can't say that his melodies sound bad with my drum. He then offered me some wine that he had been hiding in his belongings. He seemed so cold and distant before....I guess it takes some people longer to warm up than others. On a side note I believe I am being haunted by chickens....I was out on deck today and I heard their ghostly call...it was bone chilling and eerie and sounded almost like a hungry seagull...but we are in the middle of the ocean...I think from now on I will record these things with a blade.

Third Journal Entry of Jubei

My lovely Captain has taken an interest in the Navigator. I will kill him…soon. They exchange glances constantly above deck. The way she watches him is unbefitting a well bred woman. Additionally, she is taking us south. I have sailed these waters before and can feel that we are heading for Cape Horn . Why would she lie about returning to Ireland ? I cannot guess. I think it may be time to take this ship. If the Captain has it in her mind to round the horn with this inept crew, we will surely perish. I shall turn us inland tonight while the captain sleeps. Has no one noticed the seagulls? She must think us all daft. I am certain we are less than a days sailing from land. I will put them all off at the first rock I see unless they agree to join with me.



Cookie's Journal

I awoke to the sounds of strange voices this morning. I heard goats in the background. I realized that we had made landfall. I'm not entirely sure what happened next but as I write this, I am standing below decks surrounded by four goats and a flock of chickens.



Dae'izha's Ledger

In my professional medical opinion, Cookie is nuts. This morning, she bolted up from below deck with the biggest knife I have ever seen swinging over her head. Before I could comment on the humidity and tropical appearance of Ireland , Cookie had shoved through the crew on deck and had vaulted the rail of the ship. I have never in my life seen anything quite like it. I swear to God as she ran down the dock, I could hear her clucking "here chick, chick, chick, chick".

Fourth Journal Entry of Jubei

Xian, Shizki, and I have been sent to retrieve Cookie. My plan to put all ashore and take the ship won't work if we are not ON the ship. I will need a cook when the ship is mine so I cannot protest. Leaving the Captain with HIM however, makes my blood boil.

17th Journal Entry of Captain Katherine McBride

Ankyl and I have come ashore without answering any questions regarding our location. I plan to figure out where we are and find his replacement. I am also open to the option of finding a decent tree to leave him tied to......at this point I feel death is too good.



18th Journal Entry of Captain Katherine Mcbride

I found a man here who speaks English. Turns out he is a cartographer who was charting the area when the ship he was aboard went down. He says we shouldn't worry since all of his maps of the area now include that particular underwater rock formation. Apparently we have come ashore in Victoria, Brazil . The locals are farmers and fishers who, I have been told, make a fine brew from the sap of the indigenous plants and use this as their main trade commodity. Our rum is running low and no matter where we go we will need to treat the water supply with alcohol. The cartographer called "Mappy" has offered his navigation skills to the ship if only we would be willing to take him along. He has heard our plight and luckily, he knows a short cut back to Ireland .

Ankyl's Notes



Oooh! Brazil! this is kindof neat...and it smells so different here...I have a distinct feeling that the captain knows we are not in Ireland....and I think she's upset... She has requested that I come ashore with her, and since -if I refused- she would know that I knew how lost we were, I agreed....hopefully while we are out I will be able to find some way to make this up to the ship and avoid the brig...someone has been carving into the boards, and there are splinters.

Shizki's Diary

We found cookie in a field full of small farm animals. She was stalking them! She had her big knife behind her back and was actually stalking goats and chickens! I am beginning to think that taking this ship may prove difficult with this woman on board. She actually scares me. If the captain is as crazy as this one, we don't have a chance.

Padraig's Diary

Dear Diary, My angel reappeared on the dock with a live goat slung over each shoulder and her giant knife in her teeth. Her eyes were wild like a thing to be tamed. I must woo her....



19th Journal Entry of Captain Katherine McBride



In my absence, the crew that had been left on the ship had made their way ashore, discovered the local brew, made their own trades, and were now laying about on the beach. They were barely responsive to my shouting but eventually came around and began loading fresh supplies onto the ship. I am told Cookie located meat! The cartographer, Mappy, had helped fill water barrels and acquire the brew by trading some of his personal belongings that he would have to leave behind anyway. I wonder if the natives knew they were being scammed....On that note Ankyl had the gall to return to our ship bearing a small gold ring for each of the crewmembers and went to fetch his instruments. When I hired him I was under the impression that he had brought navigation instruments but these were instruments of the musical sort and he entertained the crew long into the night.....I fear I will never be rid of him now.

Diary of Buttons the Smith

Ankyl brought in a bag of gold coins when he returned from shore and asked that I melted them down into rings...so I did, not knowing what they were for...he passed them out to all of the crewmembers last night along with a small knife and explained that by crossing the belt of the world (which he assures us was a complete accident) we have earned these and that they were payment for a proper funeral if something was to happen to us at sea. Zeigler fainted when I put mine in and Dae'izha said there wasnt a chance in hell we were cutting open her ear so I got two extra rings. Hurt like a bitch to get it in my nose...

Lucius "Mappy" Montague ~

So I have finally scammed my way off of this beach. I have convinced a girl-captain (of all things) that I can get her home to Ireland by Sailing round the horn and continuing west. (does she think the world is round?) Finally, I'll get to chart the mythical Islands of Hawaii.

20th Journal Entry of Captain Katherine Mcbride

I discovered the ship had a stowaway last night. You may recall one Imitatia Camilla McVulvaclap....how is it even possible that she stowed away on the ship since we left louisiana and no one knew? I will be having a talk with the crew about this...she did though give me a decent amount of money she obtained peddling divinations to pay for the food she stole while hiding in our ship...apparantly she is quite convincing. Also, I have agreed to Mappy's plan to head round the horn. I fear by the time I reach home, nothing will be left of my Father's estate. We are so thankful to have an actual cartographer on board. I am comforted by the presence of his many colorful charts and rolls of parchment. I am perplexed by the number of blank parchment rolls he has brought but if nothing else we may be able to get a good price for such fine hides.

Fifth Journal Entry of Jubei

Looks like we're all going to die now.

Personal Record of Mem~bar of The Broken Scabbard

This may be my last entry. The Cap'n has begun to take us around Cape Horn . I've only known a few sailors that have made the trip and lived. Usually they end up with names like "Stubbs", "One Eye Montoya", or "Three Fingered Jack".....tha's not how I want to be remembered... I already have a broken scabbard; I would like to keep everything else, especially body parts, in one piece. It's getting cold.

Cookie's Journal

It's getting colder and the meat didn't last nearly as long as I hoped it would...we're getting closer to the hook and I have made the rare exception of letting people into my galley considering it is one of the only warm places on the ship....I hope Kathy know's what she's doing.

...to be continued

Sorry kiddies, writing in this format is a slow process. There have been changes to the crew's roster since the story began (and a few other changes too) and we are trying to bring the story up to date so that the current crew (and relationships on board The Dawn are represented).
As Ankyl, myself, and the rest of the crew have some off season time together, I promise we will work out the rest of the history and get it posted.

Capt. M.K. McBride, The Criminal Dawn