Two hundred and thirteen crowns. Nathaniel had never possessed such money at one time in his life. He had come into significant sums before following successful raids but only a few dozen crowns at most. Enough to buy himself boots, medicine, good food and drink, and a few nights at a brothel while the ship was anchored at port. Two hundred crowns was over half of what most men would make in a year and some of the skilled sailors would earn a double share, while the captain, quartermaster, and Caller would earn triple. Nathaniel was never good at sums but even he knew that the Old Singing Hound had captured a fortune. Almost certainly embezzled from someone very powerful, the crew were warned to limit their spending while in Port. The sorts of people who can have tens of thousands of crowns stolen from them will almost certainly notice if a crew suddenly shows up spending huge sums recklessly.

Nathaniel was done. He had grown tired of sleeping on bare wooden floors, of eating salted meat and hardtack, of being afraid the Hound's illegal activities would be discovered and winding up with a noose around his neck, of long stretches of boredom punctuated by sudden bursts of terror and violence. Mostly he was tired of seeing the faces of the men, women, and children he's killed over the years in his dreams, hearing their screams and sobs and curses as he slept. With thrifty living he could make his share of the spoils from this journey last for months so Nathaniel made the decision to live the pirate's life behind when the ship docked in Robert's Anchorage.

As it happened Nathaniel was not the only member of the crew to decide to leave. All told, six men informed Captain Morris of their intention to leave once the ship was anchored. Fewer than Nathaniel expected but he was not surprised. Life on land would still require hard, often dangerous work for meager pay and with no chance of sudden wealth. The skies were familiar and all too often familiar danger was preferable to unknown safety.

Captain Morris called for the Caller, the quartermaster, and several of the ship's officers to join him in his cabin. A pirate was generally free to leave at any time but rarely did unless they had families with farms or businesses to return to. Work in the factories and warehouses were often just as dangerous as being aboard a pirate vessel and typically paid even less. All that is required of a sailor leaving a pirate vessel is that they swear an oath not to betray their former comrades and participate in a ritual to secure their silence.

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The Caller arrived in Captain Morris' cabin, the ship's airscrew turning slower under entirely natural power from her steam engine. The Caller was in his fifties with weather-toughened skin and a greying beard. The only thing that set him aside from any other sailor was the long coat covered in pockets that he wore. Each pocket was filled with types of ink, quills, paper, or substances symbolically representing some element the Caller was trying to invoke: A lump of coal, feathers, a vial of water or sand, and the like.

Nathaniel was the first to go. The Old Singing Hound would be anchored in a couple of hours and he wanted to leave as soon as he could. It would be mid afternoon and he wanted to make his way to Madam Vivienne's house of entertainment before the evening crowds came in and someone else hired Tabitha for the night. He always asked for her when he was in Robert's Anchorage ever since he first saw her dancing three years ago, mimicking a marionette on her elaborate mechanical legs. Nathaniel doubted she would leave her life behind to join him when he didn't even know where he was going but the way he saw it he had nothing to lose. Either she said yes and joined him, or she said no and he wouldn't see her again anyways once he was no longer taking leave in Robert's Anchorage every few months.

A long piece of paper was laid out on Captain Morris' desk. The Caller hunched over and drew a rune on the left side of the page. "Betrayal." he stated. On the right side of the paper he drew another rune, stating "Loyalty." He then began drawing runes surrounding the first two. Around the left he would draw a rune and state "Pain," "Sickness," "Suffering," "Ruin," "Death," and the like. Around the right, "Wealth," "Prosperity," "Safety," "Long Life." The Caller handed Nathaniel a knife.

"Take the knife in your left hand and cut your right forearm. Thus the penalty of betrayal is inflicted by your own hand." Nathaniel winced from the pain. He placed his hand over the wound and then pressed it against the page, leaving a bloody handprint over the rune representing betrayal.

"Take the knife in your right hand and cut your left forearm. This affirms your intention not to betray those you have sailed with, even if your loyalty demand the shedding of your blood." Nathaniel repeated the same process as before, leaving a bloody handprint over the rune representing loyalty.

"We gathered here today bear witness to your oath." Captain Morris stated, the officers echoing his words. With that Nathaniel was finished the ritual and exited the cabin as the next sailor in line entered.