The Mercenaries

The Mercenaries by Ed Greenwood is the third novella in the Double Diamond Triangle Saga series.

"A shadowy figure hires a group of unemployed pirates to aid him on a dangerous mission. But the mission has a hidden purpose, and somewhere behind the scenes it connects to the kidnapping of a young bride from Waterdeep."

Summary
A mysterious man Belmer Droon sought out a group of pirates of the recently destroyed Kissing Shark ship. He caught up with them in the port town of Tharkar, at the rowdy tavern - Donder's Dancing Masques. The seven Sharkers were Belgin Dree, Brindra Arrose, Ingrar Welven, Jolloth "Anvil" Burbuck, Kurthe Lornar, Nargin "Rings" Olnblade, and Sharessa "The Shadow" Stagwood. Belmer aided the Sharpers avoiding the cruel travesty that passed for law enforcement in Tharkar. As they escaped, the mysterious benefactor contracted the Sharkers to find and kill a woman in Doegan. The woman's name was Eidola.

Under the cover of night, the group set sail on their journey to Doegan's capital, Eldrinpar. Belmer's hired ship - Morning Bird, shortly after setting sail, came under the attack from a mysterious ship of black color. The Sharkers came face-to-face with the gruesome bone balls and fire pot missiles. Fighting for their lives, the pirates barely dispatched the undead and put out the flames, as their secretive benefactor used one of the magic items in his possession, a box of mists, to transport the ship to a new location, trying to seek the pursuit off.

Fleeing through the magic mists, the Morning Bird reached temporary safety. Belmer knew they were somehow magically tracked. He attempted to drug his mercenaries using yulchass powder to have them spill their secrets, but they proved to be truthful with their employee. Still fearing another attack, Belmer used another magic item he procured with the help of his master. Using his prayer-token of Umberlee, he summoned a ghastly ghost ship and its sea zombie, subservient to the Bitch Queen herself. Being a fickle and malicious deity, Umberlee used the summoned ship to attack the Morning Bird. The Sharkers survived the ghostly encounter by sacrificing to the goddess their valuables.

After a thorough investigation, Belmer discovered a magical scrying device, proving his suspicions. The Morning Bird soon was caught up with by the sinister black ship, the Black Dragon, helmed by a pirate scourge, Orim Redbeard. Orim was in pursuit of Belmer's group thinking his ship sheltered his enemy and Sharker's old captain Blackfingers Ralingor. After a parley, both ships went on their own way, with Orim Redbeard realizing that his hated nemesis was indeed not on board of the Morning Bird.

During the parley, one of the Sharkers attempted to avenge their destroyed ship and dead captain. Kurthe Lornar was getting ready to start trouble, as Belmer knocked the pirate unconscious. Once Kurthe awoke, he poured his hate for Redbeard and frustrations at his employer. Lornar attempted to murder Belmer Droon. The fight ensued, but Kurthe's brute force was no match for Belmer's confident agile skill. Refusing to see reason, Kurthe ended up dead with a dagger in his neck. The rest of the Sharkers continued their employ and continued on with the mission to kill Eidola.

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