Dinner with the Captain
Aboard The Hag, the seasoned brigantine captained by the enigmatic Grebdin, the crew gathered for an evening meal. Grebdin, a stoic massive Minotaur with a weathered face and piercing eyes, sat at the head of the table, his presence commanding yet reserved. Beside him was Talbot, the ship’s first mate and spymaster, a man of sharp intellect and quiet observation, always analyzing the dynamics around him. Across the table, Shardra, the formidable barbarian woman from the great north of Kadath, reveled in the feast, her boisterous laughter echoing through the cabin. Next to her sat Eeyagoo, the kobold rogue, his eyes wide with curiosity as he examined the unfamiliar surface foods before him.
Shardra: (Tearing into a slab of roast boar, juices dripping down her chin) “Hah! You should’ve seen that pirate’s face when I bit his sword arm! Thought steel could stop me!”
Grebdin: (Dryly, without looking up) “He did. Briefly.”
Shardra: (Laughs heartily, slamming her mug down) “That’s why I like you, Grebdin. No fluff, just facts and stabbing!”
Talbot: (Wiping gravy off his sleeve, attempting to maintain composure) “Must we revisit the incident with the tavern latrine bucket? Some memories are best left suppressed.”
Eeyagoo: (Sniffing a roasted tuber, then biting into it without hesitation. His expression shifts from alarm to delight) “Surface roots taste like dirt, fire, and sunshine. Strange. I’ll take another.”
Shardra: (Leaning over, snorting with laughter) “You just ate a whole pepper root! You’re gonna sweat fire out your tail, Mouseknife!”
Eeyagoo: (Licking his fingers, blinking rapidly) “I believe I already am. I did not know tongues could twitch so violently…”
Talbot: (Genuinely intrigued) “You have no culinary frame of reference?”
Eeyagoo: “We boiled things in sulfur pits. Ate them before they moved again. Sometimes during. This is… elaborate.”
Shardra: (Grabbing an entire loaf of bread and jamming it into her mouth) “Hfffftghmmshpgh!”
Eeyagoo: (Blinking up at her) “…Translation?”
Talbot: (Without looking) “She said ‘Surface folk make fussy food,’ I believe.”
Shardra: (Grinning, bits of bread stuck in her hair) “He gets me! HA! I love you, skinny rat!”
Eeyagoo: (Quiet for a moment, studying her closely. His voice lowers) “Your eye… how did it happen?”
Shardra: (Chewing slows; the laughter doesn’t quite reach her face this time) “Big fight. Lots of claws. Bad weather.”
Eeyagoo: (Tilting his head, pupils narrowing slightly) “That is a falsehood. You didn’t say ‘I lost it.’ You said words that mean nothing.”
The table quiets for a moment. The waves against the hull take over the rhythm of conversation.
Shardra: (Quietly now, voice dry) “Sometimes you see too much, Mouseknife. Sometimes… you don’t see at all.”
She stands. Her chair groans as it scrapes against the deck. Without another word, she stomps toward the door leading to the main deck, boots thudding like war drums.
Eeyagoo: (Blinking, looking around at the others) “Was that… incorrect?”
Grebdin: (Shrugs, eyes on the lantern light) “You asked. She answered. In her way.”
Talbot: (Leaning in, adjusting his spectacles) “She clearly doesn’t want to speak of it. Trauma’s a tricky beast. Let her be.”
Eeyagoo: (Ears twitching slightly) “The claw pattern… it’s like a Bragghast’s. Do those live up here?”
Talbot: (Rubbing his chin, intrigued despite himself) “Describe it.”
Eeyagoo: “Flesh like wet leather. Bat-faced. Long claws, sickle-shaped. Latches on and drains blood, not just the body but the mind… Leaves the victim empty, dry, like old bark.”
Talbot: (Quietly, thinking) “There are creatures like that in the old texts. A blood-hunter of the deep woods. Sometimes described as a winged reptilian… yes. It could match. But Bragghasts are rare. They hunt only the gifted.”
Eeyagoo: (Staring toward the door where Shardra left) “…Then it chose her.”
Grebdin: (Nodding slowly) “Aye. That would make sense.”
The lantern flickers as the wind changes direction, and outside, the soft sound of boots on deck paces back and forth—an unspoken storm walking beneath the stars.
Shermans fantasy world 