======Episode Twelve: Kicking Anthills ======
Having just received a manse and a small faction, the circle decides it is time to leave. Now they will get Coral navy uniforms and attack outlying Skullstone protectorates to try and force a war between Coral and Skullstone. First, they go into the street and hire the first thirty people they find to crew their ship. Then they sail toward Skullstone and land at an island near Skullstone's area of influence. The island produces pigs and cabbage, which takes most of the land area. It has an Adamant monastery and a tiny Skullstone church. It also supports a tiny harbor and equally tiny town. Ranger Brad scouts about a bit. The church is full of church things, and has a small rectory, with a single priest. They feel guilty about and sail off to a different tiny island just inside the Skullstone border. This one farms lettuce, tomatoes, and cows instead. It also has no monastery, but does have a civic center, lighthouse, and minilith monument. 

Tiny island towns are basically all the same, no matter what the civilization's secret proclivities are. In the west, there aren't a lot of mid-size towns. Anywhere that supports one is either in a great location, so grows big (like Muddy Reefs), or is on a large island (which are all full-up nations).  

The circle decides that this church is evil, so Orchid uses Flight of the Brilliant Raptor on the support elements which Hammer points out. Then they run back to their boat. A ghost priest runs out and (unsuccessfully) tries to start a bucket chain.  

The circle decides that they don't like burning tiny towns, and discusses their long term goals. They decide to form a Deliberative. After some Life of Brian references, they name it the Democratic Republic of People of Muddy Reefs (DERP!). Now, they can conscript people and tell them, "you got derped!"  

There was also a strong movement to christen their ship 'Skullfucker'. This is a classy group.  

Having burned a church and formed a new government, they decide that they would rather get the villagers from their home back and head off. After a little detective work, they find the ship their friends came to Coral on. Brad sneaks onto the navy base and aboard the ship. He doesn't find the logbook, but finds an uncompleted letter to someone in the Coral admiralty asking about a ship named The Rose's Thorn. He also finds the captain's diary, which he takes. The diary includes accounts of what happened to everyone. One person got tossed overboard for assaulting the crew, and three others (and a whole bunch of pirates) were fed to the sharks to satisfy some sort of debt. Six more were transferred to The Rose's Thorn, for reasons which are not recorded. He wrote as though he knew of it previously, but spent a while describing it like he hadn't seen it before.