Fate dragged her feet heavily as she climbed the steps leading to her quiet retreat. The high of victory was long gone, and the incredible adrenaline rushes which followed the relief of closure to one part of her life had stopped hours ago. Now she was just tired. The duel itself had been exhausting, but then she had spent more than twenty-four hours visiting with the people of Buccaneer's Den. Talking with them, getting to know them. And the more people she met, the more certain she was that it was her destiny to be part of the re-birth of the town.

She climbed the ladders to the roof of the quiet island home and fell backwards into the soft chair. Sihiri had gone to bed already, also exhausted by worry and stress over Fate's confrontation. Fate was ready to sleep for two days, have a good meal, then sleep another three. But there was business to attend to first. She reached into the basket beside the chair and withdrew pen, ink and a few crumpled sheets of paper. Leaning back and gazing at the stars a moment, she considered what she wanted to say, then began to write:

To whom it may concern,

My name is Fate Blacklace. I am not a political woman, and honestly have mostly stayed away from politics since moving to this place. However recent events seem to have thrust me into an extraordinary position. Forgive me if my lack of knowledge on these matters makes me seem less than serious. Until a day ago I was a simple citizen of this great land, part-owner of a modest business, and perfectly content to live my life here quietly. When I walked into the tavern on Buccaneer's Den, I had only one intention. To settle a personal issue. What I did not know was where the resulting battle would lead me.

By speaking with the residents of Buccaneer's Den, I have become convinced to take the position of ruler...

... leader of Buccaneer's Den. I do this by request of the people. Since it is their will, only a change of heart of the furtraders, provisioners, innkeepers, bankers and other good people of the town will persuade me to step down from this position.

• Initial charter may be modified as situations occur, or requests arise, but cannot be changed without approval from Fate Blacklace, nor shall changes occur without consulting with town inhabitants and/or advisors.
• Fate Blacklace will not overly interfere with or drastically change any aspects of daily Buccaneer's Den life without consulting with inhabitants of said town.
• The official claim of rule upon Buccaneer's Den by Fate Blacklace has been noted and recorded. Her government will take the form of an Elitocracy.
• Buccaneer's Den shall now be and remain neutral at all times unless Fate Blacklace and the town advisors deem it to be a political necessity to become involved in a dispute.
• The Pirate's Plunder Tavern has the right to refuse service to anyone.
• Open communication with other towns is certainly welcome but not expected.
• If, for any reason, Fate Blacklace cannot continue serving Buccaneer's Den, arrangements will be made by Fate and inhabitants of the town.
• This is a list of agreed upon terms. It is not necessarily the final list. Town laws will be discussed with and presented to inhabitants of Buccaneer's Den within the next week.

Peace in the Town British Forgot? An Interview with Fate Blacklace by Lady Fromage

Buccaneer's Den, long known to be home to some of the most dangerous taverns, streets and shops in the land recieved shocking news this morning. Rumours of last night's events are still circulating and only now being confirmed. 'Admiral' Lachlan the self-proclaimed leader of The Den's murderous inhabitants was killed in a local tavern as a handful of witnesses looked on.

This reporter was able to catch up with the one who killed the man to whom most refered as 'The Thirteenth Plague'. It is said that, once Lachlan was dead, the rest of his band left quickly and have not been seen since. Witness reports vary as to why. A few mention that one to six nightmares arrived soon after the duel ended, driving away the remaining men.

Fate Blacklace, mostly unknown in this land. Part-owner of a few small shops in north-east Britain admitted to having killed Lachlan and gave this interview:

Ms. Blacklace-
Call me Fate, please.

All right. Fate, you confessed to killing Admiral Lachlan. Is that correct?
That is correct. But to be clear, he was an Admiral at one time. He was not at the time of his... demise.

Are you concerned about being arrested?
I merely asked him to step outside to talk. Smile He attacked me first, when my back was turned. It has been officially recorded as self-defense.

Most witnesses we could find say that you entered the tavern and approached him specifically. Why?
Let's just say that he and I had past issues.

Can you expand upon that?
Perhaps someday. Not now. Grin

People also say that a herd of nightmares arrived after Lachlan was dead.
chuckle If you could say that two is a herd, then all right. They were merely there to help sweep up a bit after the fight. Not to fight themselves, unless it was necessary.

What now?
Well. A few of the townspeople here asked me to hang about some and help keep their town clean. I may give that some consideration.

Will you consider yourself the new leader of The Den, then?
I haven't really made any definite future plans. Thoughtful pause Although I suppose if you wanted to call it something, you could call it that. But I'm just here to support the good citizens of this truly beautiful city. The ones who simply want to work and live here without fear of being attacked or robbed at any moment. I am not here to tell them how to run their lives.

Anything more you'd like to say?
I hope this is the start of a new Buccaneer's Den. There is no place for murderers and thieves here. It may not have the guard protection of the larger towns, but it is a place in which people should be able to come and get away from the dangers of the wilderness. There is plenty of evil elsewhere. It does not need to be here as well.