The Black Flag

A Monsapple ship is sailing back to Merukis from eastern Palhur, loaded down with gold, artifacts, and slaves, when two pirate ships - one of the Merciless Brotherhood and one of the Night Storm converge upon it. The Monsapple ship sinks, and eight people's lives change.

Main Characters:

• [this space intentionally left blank]
• Baranamtara the Claw: a non-binary Diamond Claw rival of the Merciless.
• Drahoslav Rybar: a Belasari dastard sailing with the Night Storm, but who is not part of the cult. He dreams of his own ship.
• Kaoutar Sabah: a north Taggaran trans woman stowed away on the Monsapple ship who finds herself with Yarima and the other survivors. She is a merciful.
• Kelechi: a west Taggaran [igbo] artisan who was already a slave of the Monsapples before the voyage. He is saved by the Night Storm, who give him the choice between joining them or being left on the next island. Thus begins his life as a pirate.
• Minatus: a captain of the Merciless Brotherhood. Vopisca's brother.
• Peder Monsapple: the heir to the Monsapple fortune who is taken capitve by the Merciless Brotherhood. He survives by telling them who he is and how he can be ransomed, but eventually, he finds himself selling his soul and buying them a fleet.
• Vopisca: a captain of the Night Storm. Minatus's sister.
• Yarima: a young woman of the [yanomami] people in eastern Palhur's rain forests who has been taken slave by the Monsapples. She finds herself adrift in the wreckage of the Monsapple ship along with a few other survivors.

Supporting Characters:

• [this space left intentionally blank]
• Alard Martens: a Merciless pirate and slaver who finds himself among the survivors with Yarima and Kaoutar. He hides who he really is, knowing they will not be kind to him, and pretends to be a merchant from the ship.
• Clerie Romilly: a prophetesse trans woman from Fani'i, a member of the Night Storm, who is among the survivors with Yarima and Kaoutar.
• Gaudimante Ozols: a Farresic poporcorb sailing with the Night Storm.
• Maymona Najm: Vopisca's quartermaster and lover, a Mahadi [jewish] pirate and priestess of the Night Storm.
• Prawira Wibawa: a Gamayaranese reiver among the Merciless who has not yet sold his soul and has doubts about it.
• Rimush the Claw: a Diamond Claw cannibal.
• Siwasyan: an eastern Palhuric chasqui who was captured as a slave by the Monsapples. He ends up with the survivors.
• Ustache Barre: a Galdish demonologer who is the one who handles the soul-selling ceremonies.

Chapters:

1. Chapter 1: The Taking of the Diamond Horse, in which the Monsapple ship is sunk, Peder is captured by the Merciless, Kelechi is taken by the Night Storm, Yarima and Kaoutar almost drown, Drahoslav slays a demon, Minataus and Vopisca sail away from one another, Baranamtara comes upon the wreckage and salvages what they can, and six people's lives change.
2. Chapter 2: Decisions and Coercions, in which Kaoutar and Yarima decide to swim for it, Peder decides to tell the Merciless who he is, and Kelechi chooses to be a pirate.
3. Chapter 3: Fragments of a Map, in which it is discovered by all parties - Drahoslav, Kelechi, and Vopisca; Peder and Minatus; Yarima, Kaoutar, and the survivors; and Baranamtara - that they have one fourth of a map.