just below the storm-churned sea. The hull cracked each time but its mighty keel held, though the Minnow took on more and more water.
"Launch the boats!" Captain Kniviben gave his last order and watched in satisfaction as every soul made it off on a boat before he himself left. Captain, crew, and passengers landed on the biggest of the breaker islands. And, stranded here, is where they quietly made history.
Necessity Sparks Invention
The breaker island was stark, though it did have a source of fresh water. Some of the boats were upturned to serve as makeshift homes and, with them all being gnome folk, they found ways to make these sturdy and as homey as possible. None of them were mages but magical tinkering was a cultural pastime. This was vital as all the important resources they needed were a half mile across the water on the nearest Madura Isle with the odds of being rescued low.
Captain Kniviben kept three boats intact and scrapped the rest for shelters and other necessities. All the lifeboats were cogs, small rugged row boats complete with short portable masts and rudders connected to a little ship's wheel. Daring dives down to the Minnow, which sat gently on the bottom in water so shallow the tops of her masts poked out above the waves, for tools and things allowed them to create the first seven Shipwreck'd Shields.
Each made from a cog's ship's wheel, they were incredibly sturdy yet light. Their unnaturally light weight lets them float, even if a gnome sits upon it. More than once one of them had to dive into the sea to escape a Jaravani attack. Sitting on their shields and using their swords as paddles, they would make it back to the breaker island safe and sound.
If missile weapons were suspected, the handles of the wheel could be set spinning and they would bat them aside. This works against most, though not all, spells. The shield can even make a gentle wind that can clear away foul vapors and fog, forming a small bubble of clear air around it wielder.
Rumors abound about most of the passengers and a good bit of the crew eventually returning.
Whispers hint that Captain Kniviben and some of the others still remain, living in the Minnow after they somehow made it comfortably inhabitable. And, it is here, that they continue to make the shields for those who bring them ship's wheels... and pay a goodly price.
Perhaps it's only a coincidence that pirates are being spotted with these strange-looking shields...
Great story. I love the idea that parts of the shipwreck got reused for all sorts of things, especially the shields.
Thanx
PANGORIO
andHYPNOSIUM