Isabella Tidecrest was not the sort of captain who waited for orders. When The Paper Tiger's crew scattered across the strange harbor looking for provisions, she went looking for answers.
She found them in a building that stood taller than most—not a skyscraper by the standards she would later learn, but impressive enough to draw her eye. Inside, she found a wizardly old man. White-bearded. Sharp-eyed. Dressed as a civilian, but with mannerisms that hinted at something else. A pirate background, perhaps. The tattoo on his neck—a skull and crossbones, faded but unmistakable—confirmed her suspicions.
She was not alone for long. Samuel Blackwater, her mentor and fellow captain, followed not far behind. The two of them, both commanders in their own right, brought crew members who secured the building's entrances just in time.
The Harbor Wolves had seen the same tower. Vargo Knell wanted it. His pack wanted to plunder it, to claim it as their den in this strange new world.
The confrontation was violent. Brief, but violent.
Isabella called for help. And help came in the form of her lover—Captain Jack Saltwell, who arrived with his crew and a plan that was equal parts charm and menace. The Wolves retreated. For now.
The old man—who introduced himself as Cornelius Frigon—was gracious. Being helped out of that jam, he said, could have put a stop to all of his ambitions. He had plans for this harbor. Plans that required allies.
And allies, it seemed, had just walked through his door.