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...to...the...top!

Hi. I'm just a little ways into your mod, and I'm loving it. However, I do have one question...

Do I have to continue with the Straight Arrow quest chain to access all of the more pirate-y quests? The first mate is away on business, and I just snatched some cargo for a crewmate from a certain alchemy shop in the imperial city...last time the first mate was away, I had to become a regular at the Arrow to get him to come back. Is this always the case? Do I always have to advance at the Arrow to get the first mate back? I intend to fully explore the content, but my current character just wants to set sail.

Anyway, thanks for all the hard work, and job well done.

You can wait for him to return or the captain to give you the next quest, but it's helpful if you do a few quests for the Straight Arrow in the meantime. Do one or two and check back to see if the first mate is there or if the captain has anything new for you.

Ah, yep, just spent a couple of days taking care of other business, and the first mate returned, and the cap'n had new work for me.

...so...is the Straight Arrow a mandatory part of the pirate questline? I'm mostly into battles at sea at the moment. The next character I intend to play is more of the fight club type, but this one would rather plunder than do an honest day's bounty hunting.

It's only mandatory the first time (when you introduce yourself to the SA). After that it's completely optional, though some rewards you get in the SA quest line are designed to help you in particular quests when fighting for the pirates. None of the rewards are necessary, but may make certain obstacles easier to bypass.