Tales from the Tavern

Reldo writes:
A fisherman is famous for tall tales. Harry, who keeps the fishing shop in Catherby, tells this one to explain what fishermen keep pulling out of the sea. It is almost certainly untrue. I enjoyed it anyway.

Boots, Gloves and Caskets - by Harry

Every fisherman who comes into my shop asks the same thing. Why does my net bring up boots? Why gloves? Why the odd casket? I tell them about the Raider.

Ages ago, a band of thieves called the Terminy Ring built a ship and called her the Raider. They sailed from town to town along the coast, broke into houses with their lock picks, and terrorised every harbour from here to Port Sarim. Every member of the Ring had to wear their boots and gloves, so as to leave no prints.

The townsfolk had had enough. They pooled their savings and built a faster ship with more cannon, and named her the Destroyer. On her very first night at sea, the lookout in the crow's nest spotted the Raider. The Destroyer opened fire, and the Raider went up in flames.

Boots, gloves and caskets rained down over the water. One sailor wrote in his journal that it took an hour for all the loot to sink.

The Council will tell you the boots are litter, and that they never paid a sweeper to clean the sea. Do not believe them. Go out on a quiet night off Catherby, and listen. You can still hear the Ring shouting for their boots.