As I lay on my enormous bed in the cabin of my new ship, The Harbinger, I let my mind drift back to the events of the day. During my many years as Admiral of the Dragonborn Navy, I saw many incredible things, yet in my few weeks with my new adventuring party I have been witness to events that I would never have thought possible. It was not the rifts that brought hell spawn into our world that shook me. Nor was it the ensuing destruction of the Oracle City, which I inadvertently played a hand in. Rather it was the small rag doll that erupted into a gigantic flaming beast, and it's obliteration by the hands of a single dragonborn ally, that had me wondering about the real fabric of the universe I was in, and just what parts we all play in it.
From there my mind drifted to the city we demolished. It was a contradiction in itself. Such power it held, even in it's death. From the insane girl that gave me this wonderful battleship for a mere scrap of clothing, to the unearthly beauty of the Oracle in who's hand fate seemed to give sway over us all to. And that odd deck of cards. Should I have drawn from it? It would give me my wildest desires or my worst nightmares. But did not life already give me that? Indeed I faced betrayal and loneliness when I was left stranded on this odd continent. I could think of no other nightmare that would consume me. And then I met Arius and his mates, and that drunken elf, and from there my deepest desires started coming true. In all honesty, I believe the cards are simply a means to an end that is already destined to us. And like the cards, our hands are already grasping at the deck of Fate, and our choices pull whatever destiny we seek from it. I feel quite lucky in the end, at least as I study my companions. For me happiness lies in a good ship, bonds of friendship, a set course to the next adventure and a strong pint of ale when we emerge victorious. My companions do not seem so content with such things however. We have Brude, who could have the whole world laid out at his feet and not be content, as if he could not make a connection to the wonderful things it could bring him. There is Telesta, who finds a contentedness in a bottle of strong drink, and would give everything for the affection of one who has no affection within him. Arius, the apparent leader of our group, spends so much time involved in the needs and delights of his companions, or the focus of the next demon we must face, that I wonder if he actually knows what a moment of peace feels like. Azerin, whom I had known of from my days in the Navy, is a powerful ally, yet he puts so little thought into his actions which puts him in unnecessary danger. Then there is Febrien, who carries the weight of justice on her shoulders as if it were a tangible thing that the gods themselves had bestowed on her. It would seem that all these people, my new and closest friends, could not know a simple and happy life it it were given to them. I wonder, if all their goals were met, if all the evils of the world were destroyed, would they themselves grow so weary of the ensuing peace that they would become the very things they fought against just to find tranquility in the chaos they are so use to?
I glance over to my slave girl. I do not even know what she really is, other than a beautiful thing I have had bonded to me in servitude. I do this for two reasons. One, it is nice to have a pet to delight myself on, but moreover, should she be released from the collar of domination I have on her, she would become a dangerous foe. And we have had enough of those for the moment. Still, in looking at her and the state she is now in, I see a reflection of us all. We are all enslaved to this thing we call life, and our bondage tugs at us from every fork in the road we must make a choice at. Each decision made is like reaching your hand into that Deck of Many Things. You do not know the outcome until it is too late to escape from it.
And so, as I see my companions straining under the yokes of existence that they drag through the soil of reality, I lift my pint of ale to the sky and whisper their names in quiet salute. To you all I attach my own chains. Our futures held on a cosmic web that binds us all, flies to the great spider of Truth that will eventually consume us all. And as they run to certain death, I race shoulder to shoulder beside them. For in all my lifetime, where I have fought great sea beasts and massive armies and have seen friend and foe alike die in both glory and dishonor, I have never felt such a deep kindred to a group of men and women that I do with those I am with now. And so, my friends, to death and glory for us all let us drink, for our choices are simple in the end, yet the paths to those choices are inconceivable to us, and yet we are the few with the courage to scream our war cries down their blood stained streets.

Hmmm....to take advantage of a drunken, heartbroken girl or not to. Both paths have their advantages...