1. Nearly all the tea in China: FAILURE All of the tea in China is an impossibility, a metaphor for when you need to prove intent and nothing more.
Nearly all the tea in China would be a feat for any sailor to retire on- but you know as well as I there's no retirement from the sea... so I couldn't in good faith acquire it.
2. Remnants of the last Leviathan: FAILURE They say that the Leviathan is a legend, a great beast of yore- and a lonely creature, for there's only ever the one, and perhaps he's long dead. But I can tell you that she's none of those things.
3. A fleece more useful than one of gold: SUCCESS Jason is heralded for retrieving the golden fleece, but what use is gold as a fleece? It's scratchy and cold and far too heavy to be of any use. Had Medea been given the chance to be the hero, she would have retrieved a fleece much like this- warm and practical, good for keeping the North Wind's howling jaws at bay. Golden fleeces are impressive, but ask any witch- impressive only gets you so far in life. It's the basics you need, and so I chose this- a fine, warm fleece from a fine, warm sheep. It wasn't hard to get- I know many sheep farmers- but it should serve you well.
4. Sadie the Goat's leather-bound spyglass: FAILURE As it turns out, when you ask a lady pirate famous for headbutting people before stealing their money for her favorite spyglass, she headbutts you. I woke up later with my pockets empty, but I suppose it could have been worse...
5. A stone from Scylla's rocky shoal: SUCCESS Scylla and her sister are said to be monsters- until you look closely, and suddenly what were monsters at a distance are just forces of nature close up. Scylla is to be respected and revered, but feared? I think not. I plucked this stone from her as I passed by, carefully and quickly, not letting myself get caught.
6. What Charybdis never knew: SUCCESS It's a riddle as much as anything, isn't it? What doesn't a whirlpool know about the sea- perhaps you'd care to take a guess at it? After whirlpools reach out for everything- they stop at nothing to get what they want. But one thing a whirlpool couldn't possibly know is calm water, and that was as easy to get as dipping it from a tide pool.
7. The fiery breath of the giant sea serpent: SUCCESSSea serpents are more than willing to breathe fire for you, whether you want them to or not. The one I found was particularly amenable to some light roasting. I hope you find it worth it.
8. A silken rope from Ching Shih herself: FAILURE I asked and I asked, but she couldn't make time to see me; being the most successful female pirate of all time does take a toll on one's free time.
9. Anne Bonny's bonny bunny: FAILURE Anne Bonny's bunny was truly bonny in the sense that it was the most beautiful rabbit I'd ever laid eyes on. With its twitching nose and its wiggling ears, it would make a lovely assistant for any magician- but then, you're more than just a magician, aren't you? You're an enchantress, and as such it would seem that this rabbit was inappropriate at best, insulting at worst. Creatures like you don't deal in
illusion- you deal in the real and the effects of your creations are more than just a little prestidigitation.
10. The last book read by Mary Read: SUCCESS Even pirates have limits to their flagrancy regarding the law, I suppose- I tracked this down through the library. It was about two hundred years overdue, and I had to acquire it faster than the library's own people. I hope it's good enough to be worth it.
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