Night Craft

Conditions:​ (top)

Either:
. You are playing "Tales of a Sea Hawk", you are doing the section "Find the traitor named Raoul Rheims" and you have been inside Rheims' house in Smugglers Lair;
. Or you are playing a FreePlay smuggler in any period other than Early Explorers, you have done a lot of routine Smuggling and you have not upset the Smugglers' Guild. (The quest won't work in Early Explorers because a lot of the action is in Marigot, on Saint Martin, which is unavailable in that period.)

Dialogs and questbooks are slightly different in the "Tales of a Sea Hawk" and FreePlay versions but the quest is the same.

Introduction:​ (top)

Go to Port Royale. When you enter the town centre, a smuggler asks you to go to see Desmond Ray Beltrop. Agree: QB update. Refuse: no QB but you can choose to go to see Desmond Ray Beltrop anyway.

Desmond Ray Beltrop offers you the chance to work for him. Refuse: QB update and you can talk to him to change your mind later. Accept: proceed to briefing for first mission.

First mission:​ (top)

After some verbal fencing, Beltrop wants you to take a load of sandal to Jean Maginot, the storekeeper of Marigot, Saint Martin. QB update.

Deliver the sandal to Jean Maginot. He instructs you to rest in his room while the cargo is unloaded. You do not actually go anywhere; time just passes. QB update.

The cargo has been delivered and you're looking forward to payment. A squad of soldiers enters the shop. Maginot tells you to leave. The soldiers arrest him. Outside, QB update, the store is locked, and you have a choice - go back to Beltrop right away, or stay until next day and hope Maginot is back in the store. If you choose to wait, he's not back, the store is still locked, QB update. Either way, return to Smugglers Lair.

Second mission:​ (top)

Beltrop pays you for the delivery. You tell him about the soldiers. Beltrop is suspicious that the soldiers were a trick by Maginot to avoid paying for the sandal. You are to return to Marigot and demand that he either pays for the sandal or gives it back. QB update.

Maginot claims that the soldiers took the sandal and that he's broke. You have a choice:

Demand the money right now:
Maginot pays up reluctantly. When you leave, you are arrested by soldiers who accuse you of stealing Maginot's ring, which they find in your pocket. QB update. If you co-operate fully, you are taken to the governor, the ring is confiscated and you are put in prison. QB update. Then you are released by someone who is in the process of raiding Marigot - who it is depends on whether you are playing "Tales of a Sea Hawk" or FreePlay. QB update.

Or you can choose to resist, in which case you have to fight the soldiers. QB update. (Important - this is the only way you keep Maginot's ring, which will be useful later.)

Give Maginot time to get the money:
QB update. Go to the tavern and rent a room. Two men enter the room and attack you. QB update. Return to Maginot, accuse him of sending the assassins, demand money. QB update.

Accept Maginot's excuse:
QB update. Nothing more to do here.

Return to Beltrop. If you got money from Maginot, give it to Beltrop, minus a bit which is your payment. QB update.

Third mission:​ (top)

Beltrop wants you to accompany him to Bonaire for a meeting with the boss pirate from Nevis. You must be at Crab Cliffs within two weeks. QB update.

At Crab Cliffs, meet the pirate boss. Beltrop and the pirate talk to each other (the pirate boss talks to you but the lines show that it is Beltrop who answers him). Beltrop thinks that pirates have been sinking his ships. He's already talked to the boss of Bonaire pirates, who denied everything, and the boss of Nevis pirates now denies it too. Beltrop pays you and tells you about the fourth mission. QB update.

Fourth mission:​ (top)

Whichever way the second mission went, Beltrop is now seriously angry with Jean Maginot. Your new mission is to make Maginot sell his shop to Beltrop.

When you arrive in Marigot port, Susanne Marigot talks to you. You dismiss her rudely and continue to the store. Jean refuses to sell. You can kill him, you can try to sneak a ring into his pocket, or you can simply return to Beltrop. QB update.

If you tried to sneak the ring into Maginot's pocket and he catches you, you again have the choices to kill him or simpy return to Beltrop. If he didn't catch you, go to the town centre and talk to a guard. Report that Maginot stole your ring. You can also report him for Smuggling sandal. The guard accompanies you to the store. QB update. If you mentioned the sandal, the guard arrests Maginot and closes the store, leaving you with no choice but to return to Beltrop; QB update.

If you didn't mention the sandal, the guard allows you to plead on Maginot's behalf and leaves the store. Talk to Maginot again and blackmail him into selling the store. QB update. Return to Beltrop.

Fourth mission, alternative:​ (top)

One way through the second mission was to demand money from Jean Maginot, be arrested by guards because he had planted a ring on you, then fight the guards. If you did that, you still have Jean Maginot's ring. When you arrive in Marigot port, Susanne Maginot talks to you, and you have the choice to claim that you are her father's close friend. You can then persuade her to go to your ship. QB update. Now, when Jean Maginot refuses to sell the shop, you can tell him that you have Susanne. Arrange to meet him in the tavern room. QB update. He gives you the shop deeds. You can honour the deal and release Susanne, or you can choose to keep her. QB update. Return to Beltrop.

After fourth mission:​ (top)

If you successfully persuaded Jean Maginot to sell the store, either by planting a ring and then telling a guard about it without mentioning sandal, or by kidnapping Susanne Maginot, Beltrop is happy and pays you. QB update. He then tells you about the fifth mission.

If you told the guard about the sandal and he closed the store, Beltrop is not happy and does not pay you. QB update. But he does tell you about the fifth mission.

If you killed Jean Maginot, but you did well in the first three missions, Beltrop is not happy, does not pay you, but forgives you. QB update. He then tells you about the fifth mission.

If you killed Jean Maginot and also failed at least one of the first three missions, Beltrop is really not happy and wants to end the quest. You can then fight him or you can simply walk away. QB end and close.

Fifth mission:​ (top)

Beltrop reminds you that he's been having trouble with pirates who aren't associated with either the Nevis or Bonaire groups. In fact, the so-called pirates belong to the local governor. You're going to take on these ships Beltrop assigns a man named Barracuda to join you. After some argument with Barracuda, he joins your fleet. QB update.

Go to the town tavern. Talk to the tavern keeper and ask what the governor is doing about pirates. The tavern keeper proudly tells you that the pirates work for the governor and that the whole plan was the idea of a traitor among the smugglers. QB update.
Return to Smugglers Lair and tell Beltrop what you have learned. Suggest that Beltrop tells his men that there is to be a big deal, then the traitor will tell the governor, who will send his ships. Beltrop agrees but it will take a week to set up. QB update.

Find some way to amuse yourself for a week.

Return to Beltrop. If you're moored in port, he tells you to move your ships so the fort doesn't attack you during the battle. When your ship is at a beach, or if you were moored at a beach already, you can then return to your ship for the battle. QB update.

Barracuda leaves your fleet and joins the enemy fleet. Apart from Barracuda's xebec frigate, the fleet includes two frigates, a pinnace of war and a heavy brig. Portugal (or Britain, if you're playing FreePlay in "Revolutions" or "Napoleonic" periods) turns hostile and if you had a Letter of Marque from them, lose it. QB update.

Sink or capture all the government ships. QB update. Return to Beltrop.

If Beltrop is happy about how you carried out all previous missions, he offers you the position of his assistant. You can accept, which has little effect except that the Smugglers Lair store keeper will always trade with you. Or you can refuse, in which case you fight Beltrop. Either way, QB update and close.

If Beltrop was not happy about how one of the missions went, he refuses to offer you the position of assistant and fights you. QB update and close.

Treachery:​ (top)

If, while the "Night Craft" quest is active, you attack Smugglers Lair, Beltrop will not be happy! The next time you go to talk to him, he will attack you. QB close.

Rank Restoration:​ (top)

During the fifth mission, the nation who owns the colony turns hostile. If you had a Letter of Marque with a few promotions, you won't be happy about that! Different QB update. Talk to the governor. Remember, the nation is hostile and the fort may remember your battle, so land at a beach and walk into town.

Follow the usual governor dialog starting with "I'd like to talk to you about a small piece of business." This leads to a new option in which you ask why his nation has turned hostile. After an argument about the battle with the governor's "pirates" and their leader, you ask if there is a way to make things right. There are two ways, depending on how "Night Craft" ended.

Beltrop is alive:
You ended "Night Craft" as Beltrop's assistant. The governor asks you to take a letter to Beltrop - if the governors of Nevis and Bonaire can make deals with pirates, perhaps he can make a deal with Beltrop. QB update.

Beltrop does not like the governor's proposal and make a counter-proposal. QB update. Return to the governor.

The governor is interested but has one additional condition. QB update. Return to Beltrop.

Beltrop accepts that condition. QB update. Return to the governor. The governor is happy and restores your rank. QB update and close.

Beltrop is dead:
You ended "Night Craft" by killing Beltrop. With the boss dead, the governor wants you to wipe out the smuggler gang. QB update.

Go to the tavern and talk to the smuggler agent as if you had contraband to sell. The agent arranges a meeting at Sunny Haven. QB update. Sail to Sunny Haven and talk to the smugglers. Then fight them. QB update.

Return to the governor. He is happy and wants you to finish the job by arresting the agent in the tavern. QB update.

Go to the tavern and talk to the smuggler agent. Not believing that you killed Beltrop, he willingly goes to the governor, intending to threaten him with assassination. QB update.

Return to the governor. He is amused by the agent's attempt to threaten him and restores your rank. QB update and close.