Two delicate negociations

That's for the first one…

In the case of the Zebra-Headed Medallion™, the best would be that our Young Pirates become aware that they have to act with tact and even cleverness in the process of giving her Medallion back to the Witch of the Swamp.

Tact means: try to not negociate an exchange between the Medallion and other objects or, for instance, the recipe for the Voodoo Piloting of the Suzon (or even only the incantation to « Baron Sturdy Horse-Ridin' ») since the Witch feels legitimately robbed of it…

On the other hand, the one in possession of the pendant will have maybe already realised that the Medallion actually consume his or her « soul » (in technical gaming words, the Power). If that is not the case, the Witch won't reveal anything herself and rather will burst into a laugh and say: « In a way or another, you'll come back to beg me to take it from you soon enoug! And Pedro Delgado – be he burnt on a grill at the Great Z…'s place! – would have brought it back himself already long ago if he wouldn't have stupidly let it sink to the bottom of Convict's Creek… Oh yes, my dears, I know all that! ».

Skillfulness, that may mean also: neither showing the Medallion nor talk about it in the first place and rather discuss all other possible topics before. It is probable that the Witch will quickly feel the presence of her Medallion but she'll do as if not, first, to see where the intruders want to come, second, to avoid showing that the Medallion has such a high, not to say essential, value to her!

Finally, those who would want to make sure that Delgado will really be freed from his Limbo (that's the main interest of the moment!) would better explain straightforwardly that Delgado himself insisted that they come to her to bring the Medallion back, with his most humble apologies for all his bad deeds towards her. It is even better if Delgado himself wrote a little note: the Witch can read and that move will let her smile shortly. She'll confirm that the Ghost of Delgado is free now, just like that by snaping her fingers (That's just taking some airs, she has no influence on that!), pfft ! And that our friends should not see him anymore. Actually, they'll see him another and last time, in that case and if they go back to the Suzon in the next twenty-four hours, for he'd like to thank them for his liberation. For the case when nobody would care whether the Witch actually sets the Ghost of Delgado free or not, note that she actually cannot hold him in his Limbo more than a few days, maximum, and that would only be to frighten him a last time, bringing him to think that her malediction has not yet come to an end. That's wicked and it could also make the events more difficult to udnerstand for our young little Pirate Crew…

If our friends Young Pirates follow other ways, you should always take care that nothing comes too easy but also appreciate the value of their role-playing and pay them back for it by bringing the horrendous malediction of Pedro Delgado's Ghost to an end… He will himself also be thankful!

And to the second!

To negociate the terrifying invocation to « Baron Sturdy Horse-Ridin' », it must first be clear that the topic has been discussed with the Witch who will first pretend she would not have understood and / or she wouldn't know nothing about it: « I've heard of it, that's true, but I have not the very first idea about it… » And so on from barrels of the same juice. If on insists and seems to be self-confident about it (up to you to manage that, Game Master!), she'll ask why our friends Young Pirates want to know that spell – simple straight woman's curiosity! At last, if she's satisfied with the response, having thus implicitely admitted she knows the invocation, she'll make such a terrifying face and such a sonorous voice that the flame of the candle lighting her place will fade for a short moment while she makes a last warning before bursting into a laugh and tousling her hair in a crazy manner! If you prefer, Friend Game Master, that sort of sequence being slightly out of the usual easy-going atmosphere of the game (any ressemblance, etc. purely unintended…) you can always prefer to let the Witch make an even more ridiculous finish, including her falling on the ground or loosing her wig for instance…

A Roll versus « Got a Nerve! + Ramming Through » (or otherwise versus « Got a Nerve! + Discretion » to not oneself burst into a laugh in the case of a ridiculous finish is role-played) will be necessary for the one who will after that want to confirm one's wish to learn the invocation to « Baron Sturdy Horse-Ridin' »… And adequate payment means for the dish-washing of nine lives in the kitchen of a Tortuga's Tavern wouldn't be enough to cover the price! Keep for that the following Faust's rule (of thumbs), if we daresay: any teaching service here is paid in advance - and that for each apprentice - and a whole night will have to be dedicated to learning the invocation, in solo with the Witch… As a payment, an object of high value to her shall be necessary, otherwise three middle-valued ones (No quantity of low value article can do…) – Refer to the table given in the section: « What's your offer? »

Insert: the invocation to « Baron Sturdy Horse-Ridin' »

It is told of a « Horse » but one should talk of a Zebra for this terrible invocation links traditional Hattean Voodoo (Baron Saturday) to the Voodoo of the Zebra-Lwa, which one in the best case doesn't know and in the worst practises…

We give here, exclusively and summarised, the essential elements of it (Any copy or use without the explicit consent of the Hattean Voodoo Arts Club are strictly forbidden!): the one implementing the invocation must wear sun glasses, otherwise Baron Saturday won't come. The darker the better, the more extravagant (never say nor think ridiculous) their frame in shape and colour the better and even better than that if one wears several plied-up pairs at the same time – Baron Saturday will be happier in almost linear fashion. One also needs a broom made of coconut fibre and to dress it in a white cloth with painted black strips on it: that artifact is necessary for crazy danse-riding during the invocation.

That being introduced, the invocation starts and goes in crazy twirls as follows:

« Baron Saturday, Baron Saturday! You told me wednesday, I'll come sturdily sandy… or moody! Baron Sturdy, even a tunes-day or a thirst-day, mount the bold one, mount the old one and up under the scaffold, bring him the whity-pox, pull him the piggy-box, pull him tail'n'hair and let him bray like a cray on a tray because for now still a zebra it is! Baron Saturday, take me on your shorn zebra, on your zebra adorned: streaking streaked seahorse, that zebra o'the seas will bring us well where we intend to! Sail, ho! Yo, ho! His hoof will carry us to a safe roof… »

And it is, if not forbidden, however at least, quite not advisable to write down the formula, whatever the intended means, that is to say, one has to learn and know it by heart and to not change any word or coma during the invocation if one wants to avoid Baron Saturday's wrath or the fury of the Great-Z…, or, even more exciting, both at the same time!

According to the lullaby – Sorry, the invocation! – to Baron Saturday Horse-Ridin', it seems that Fridays and Saturdays be no favourable days since they are not listed: a doubt may arise about Saturday, obviously, but we confirm it to you, Friend Game Master, it is no good practice! However, one can actually permute the days, if necessary, the essential rules being to never repeat one of the days and never add a day not quoted in the original version, during the invocation. In case of having repeated one day, one has the risk to welcome precisely on that day an unexpected and somewhat unpleasant visit of Baron Saturday in a state of furor because the failed invocation made him fall from the zebra / hippostria / horse (as one can imagine) he was riding and he indeed intends to get amends for that by roughly thrashing the boor or, even, by throwing him or her over the wall to drown in the deep sea!

(Friend Game Master, adapt the results and consequences according to the Success level to the Roll done for the invocation – Reminder for the Roll: Power + Strange Voodoo Things.)

And what if the invocation succeeds?! Er, well… All depends on the Voodoo recipe which has been prepared to work with it! (Refer to the section regarding the Kitchenette of the Suzon for details) And if there's no stuff cooking at all at that moment, very likely one has a question to ask Baron Saturday… If yes and the question is not getting him on the nerves (he must for that at least be able to answer the question), he will be very pleased to answer it while making his show, à la façon des « Cinq Fils de Jacques » but solo and horse-riding before disappearing in a thick cloud of smoke. Otherwise, well, this is quite unfortunate since it will end as bad as a failed invocation: Baron-Saturday is furious to have been disturbed for nothing or will be furious to have been asked a question to which he has no answer (he will simply not admit that!) and he will bring it to the trouble-maker's behind's notice in various ways… And arrh, while we're talking about that, do not forget to plan a sufficiently wide and, if necessary, high space to invoke the two Lwa: if Baron-Saturday ever would hurt his head against the ceiling and / or bow to enter (do not forget he rides), it goes without saying that he won't step down from his mount for nothing! And the mount itself could as well react violently with a kick here and a bite there… And please, do not complain you were not aware of the risks – Even if it might be true! – That invocation is really extremely dangerous to handle!

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