July 31, 1718
Since your defeat of the Hungering One, Duke has been sending you on small quests- finding Skeleton Thrones in strange places, fighting the newly gunpowder-endowed skeletons, and destroying mysterious cursed underwater statues- and now you've started to get comfortable in the Sea of Thieves with a, now, decent crew. No one believed your stories about the Megalodon though, of course. If only they knew of the terrors that hid deep underwater...
But now your crew is doing well, the Trading Companies have started to trust you with more valuable voyages and you currently have 45,003 gold coins to dispose of. Now the Lady LeGoon has spent the night docked at Golden Sands Outpost, and your crew in the Tavern, where you find yourselves now, except somethings off. as you all start to wake up, you are the only ones in the tavern aside from Duke, who is sitting at the bar, and Tina the Tavernkeeper, who seems to be closing up the tavern. There seems to be a commotion outside. What do you want to do?
[TALK TO DUKE]
first interaction
- Grab a grog while the taverns are still open! Have you seen
the banners?
What's going on with these banners?
- We're being called out! It seems a skeleton captain calling
herself Warsmith has united crews of skellies against the outposts! Have a look
and you'll see where they intend to do battle. Good luck to you! As for us
Bilge Rats, we're itching to know what caused all this. Something's not right.
Even I've never seen skeletons amass like this! But, I heard the shipwright here knows something about it. When you aren't busy blasting holes in
skelly ships, go see if you can find out the truth! Trust me, us Bilge Rats can
smell a story.
[LEAVE]
Across the wooden bridge to the shops you can see people crowding around something that has raised up in the sand overnight. You can see the docks where your ship is and Go closer?
The crowd is made up of worried shopkeepers and pirates; you can also see the Men of Low Moral Fiber worrying as well. In the middle of the group towers a banner with a skeleton strapped to the top and a note pinned to the pole. Read the note?
[NOTE]
The note reads:
The Crew of The Cursed Helm Challenge ye to The Battle of
The Shores of Plenty. Be North West of Smuggler's Bay between the 1st and the
10th or The Shores of Plenty be ours forever!
[MEN OF LOW MORAL FIBER]
What is everyone doing out here?
- Skeleton crews are threatening the outposts, mate!. The shopkeepers putting everything on sale and trying to get ships out of here as soon as they can. We don't want to get caught up in a war either, so we're in the same boat! Sharon's been trying to get some to stay and fight for the Shores of Plenty, but we want nothing to do with it!
[SHARON]
first interaction
- HELLO! DANGEROUS TIMES WITH THOSE SKELLY SHIPS AROUND! I DO
HOPE WANDA'S ALRIGHT...
What's that about Wanda?
- SHE'S DISAPPEARED! OR RUN AWAY! I DON'T HEAR MUCH ANY MORE,
BUT I'M SURE I HEARD HER RANTING ABOUT THE SKELETON SHIPS. SHE'S LOUD WHEN
SHE'S UPSET. SHE'S A BIT... OPINIONATED. RUBS PEOPLE THE WRONG WAY. SO...
I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S LOOKING TOO HARD FOR HER, YOU KNOW? HER SISTER'S
WATCHING HER SHOP. WOULD YOU BE A DEAR AND TAKE A LOOK AROUND HER SHOP, LET ME
KNOW WHAT YOU FIND? IF THOSE SKELLIES HAVE GOT THEIR BONY HANDS ON HER... WELL,
WE LOOK AFTER OUR OWN AT THE SHORES OF PLENTY!
[WANDA'S SHOP]
There seems to be someone inside. Enter?
The lady behind the counter is not Wanda, but does share a resemblance. there's some odd items strewn about the shop, most notably, a note on the counter and a pendant in the corner.
[WONDA]
first interaction
Hey. Weapons for sale... don't mind the mess... what am I
even doing here?
What happened to Wanda?
My ugly sister Wanda has swanned off somewhere, leaving me
to watch her shop! I wouldn't mind, but it's not safe out here with the
skeletons on the warpath. Plus, she's left it in a right state. Have you seen?I'll show her... want a cheeky discount?
Who are you?
My name's Wonda. With an 'o'. Our parents were... simple
folk. People tell us we're twins, but I got the looks. Wanda got
the stick up her... Aft. I learned the family trade too. I can smith a mean pistol.
But my passion lies in the art of fighting. See, it isn't the weapon that makes the warrior. It's the
skill. I could kill you with half a dead fish! But... not today.
Will you fight for The Shores of Plenty?
Oh, I'll be fighting, alright. Soon as I've shifted Wanda's
stock. Oddly she has a lot of cannonballs lying around. Might shoot
a few of them at our skelly attackers. This is a beautiful place. None of us want to see it become a
graveyard.
[NOTE]
This torn note mentions a meeting with someone called 'Salty' and a way to 'make our fortune.'
[PENDANT]
This is meant to protect the wearer from curses... but it has been discarded.
[LEAVE]
As you exit the shop, Jose conveniently says, "Hey, there's some strange footprints on the ground," and sure enough, mixed amongst your own boot prints, there are. Follow them?
Following the footprints takes you to the shoreline, where they lead into the water, getting washed away. off in the distance, in the direction of the footprints, you can see an island. What do you want to do?
look closer
[FOOTPRINTS]
There are footprints here... skeletal footprints. Worrying. It seems they left on a ship.
compass
The island seems to be northwest from here.
[CRESCENT ISLE]
Sailing into the bay, you look around for any signs of... anything really, and you see some crates by an entrance to a cave, and sitting atop them, Salty, the skeletal parrot.
[SALTY]
first interaction
- Squawk! What are you looking at?
Are you... Salty?
- Squawk! Wait, I know that name. I... am Salty! Yes! Why? What's...
going on? Thinking... getting harder. As time goes on... I can't help
but... be more parrot. Something bad happened to me. To Salty! Help me hang on to
that... memory. I'm losing my mind? Squawk! Where's Wanda? Squawk!
How can I help you?
- Get me a cracker! Sorry, I've been very... angry, lately. Something... bad
happened to me. I wasn't always an undead parrot. Me and Wands, we... had a plan. We talked about it on...
Mermaid's Hideaway. And... I remember being on a big island near Plunder
Outpost. Yes, we were going to be rich! But... It's so... foggy. Seems a lifetime ago. Wanda had a hidden
place of her own, between two outposts... Squawk, who's a pretty boy then?
Were you once a person?
- Rude! I'm still a person. I just don't win arm wrestling
contests anymore! I'm Salty... thank you for reminding me of my name. I was
a... shopkeeper. I think. But I... was changed. By something dark and old. Now I'm a skeleton. And a parrot. This parrot has ceased to be!
[MERMAID'S HIDEAWAY]
You drop anchor near the island. Look around?
There is a camp near the pond at the center.
There is a journal on a bench with a strange symbol on it; a circle over four triangles making up a larger triangle. Inspect the journal?
[BOOK I]
- This journal seems to belong to Wanda.
Read 'It's real!'
- Salty was right. I don't believe it, but he was right. That
old seadog found a treasure that will make us rich! A cannon from Captain
Flameheart's very own ship, The Burning Blade! Who knows what power it holds? A
weaponsmith DREAMS of finding such a weapon.
Read 'Raising our prize'
- This cannon is definitely old, but has strangely withstood
the ravages of the waves. The tricky part is getting it up from the depths.
It's heavy and... obstinate. It has moods. And it does things to us, makes us
drunk, or weak...
...or angry.
[THIEVES' HAVEN]
You drop anchor in the large cavern within the massive island. Look around?
You find three large ancient stone heads. This is not what you are looking for.
You find what looks to be a ship being built. This is not what you are looking for.
You find an ancient brazier sitting atop a rock outcropping. This is not what you are looking for.
You find a disheveled settlement. This is not what you are looking for.
You find a winding cave with a river running through it. This is not what you are looking for.
You find a giant wooden gate. This is not what you are looking for.
You find a two skeletons hanging by the neck facing each other in a tunnel. You don't want to look at this any longer.
There is some wreckage and a camp.
There is a journal on the ground with the strange symbol from before. Inspect the journal?
[BOOK II]
- This journal seems to belong to Wanda.
Read 'A big idea'
- So, we can't sell the cannon as it is. Maybe to a wealthy
captain? But it's so predictable and besides, that's just one payoff.
I've had a big idea. I'm a weaponsmith. I can do more with
the cannon... unlock its properties... make... something NEW. Cursed
cannonballs! The peak of my art AND a way to make my fortune! Salty too, I
suppose. If I can just manipulate the cursed iron, people will know that Wanda
is THE weaponsmith of the Sea of Thieves! Wanda... I hate that name.
Read 'Unlocking the curse'
- Mood of cannon changes. Chaotic. Separate each property
with... mystic symbols? Tincture of antimony? Magnetism? Sing to it? No.
Test 1: failure
Test 2: failure
Test 3: failure
Test 4: failure!
Test 5: failure!!
Test 6: FAILURE
Test 7: FAILURE
Test 8: failure.
Test 9: failure!
Test 10: failure
Test 11: failure
Test 12: failure!!!
Test 13: F A I L U R E
Test 14: success!
1 part cursed iron, 7 parts black
iron, 1 part rat blood, (illegible). Cannonball made ship drop anchor!
Testing has changed ship. Curse spreading? We keep sinking
her, she keeps rising. Repairing herself. Can I make more? I'm changing too.
Cannonballs affecting me. Flesh falling away. Tried protective charm, no use.
How can I buy time to keep working?
Test 15: failure
Test 16: Failure.
Test 17: FAILURE
Test 18: FAILURE!!!
Test 19: FAILURE.
DAMN THIS THING! The iron has a...
temper, like Flameheart. Need to test STRONGER mix! Too dangerous... unless I
get Salty to do it...
[THE SUNKEN GROVE]
You drop anchor near the sandy outcropping. Look around?
You find a hanging cage. This is not what you are looking for.
You find a camp on the shore. This is not what you are looking for.
You find a large crater in the center of the island, with a grove at the bottom.
There is a cave just near the bottom with a camp inside.
There is another journal sitting on a rock. Inspect Journal?
[BOOK III]
- This journal seems to belong to Wanda.
Read 'BLASTED OUTPOSTS'
- Curse the BLASTED OUTPOSTS! The heads of trade won't let us
sell our cannonballs! I suspect it's The Order of Souls' doing. Too dangerous,
they say! ALL MY WORK FOR NOTHING? NO! They will see what dangerous means. THEY
WILL IGNORE ME NO LONGER! THEIR RULES, THEIR CODE, MEAN NOTHING!
Back to the workshop to make one more batch, then IT'S WAR!
Read 'NO MORE WANDA'
- NO MORE FLESH, NO MORE MERCY, NO MORE WANDA!
GOT CANNONBALLS. GOT CURSED SHIPS. GOT CREWS. GOT FURY. JUST
LIKE FLAMEHEART. I HEAR HIM CALL! I AM CAPTAIN WARSMITH. I WILL BRING THE
OUTPOSTS LOW. I WILL CALL THE COWARDS OUT!
DEATH SAILS TONIGHT! HAIL FLAMEHEART!
[CRESCENT ISLE]
Sailing into the bay, you look around for any signs of... anything really
You see some crates by an entrance to a cave, and sitting atop them, Salty, the skeletal parrot.
[SALTY]
first interaction
- Squawk! What are you looking at?
Salty, this is what happened to you...
- Yes... it's coming back! I was a man... a handsome man! I
found that accursed cannon, helped Wanda raise it from the depths. What fools we were! To think we could work with such a dark
thing! I bet it was cursed even before Flameheart got his fingerbones on it. And you say she used me to bear the brunt of the curse?!
That scheming little... shopkeeper! My head hurts. Leave me on my accursed fate. If you want the
last pieces of the puzzle, our workshop's hidden on Wanderer's Refuge. Get it? Seemed an amusing place to choose at the time.
Squawk.
What will you do now?
- Repeat people, ask for crackers, that sort of thing. I think my mind will be... okay. If i don't give in. I need
a human hobby to keep my mind from drifting. Maybe I'll start playing dice. If Wanda doesn't kill us all!
[WANDERER'S REFUGE]
A large island with a tunnel and water boring through the island at its thickest point. You drop anchor nearby.
In the tunnel there is a campfire.
There is a small crevasse in the wall you can squeeze through.
Going deeper there are green glass lights with spikes topped with skulls on either side of the tunnel.
Further in there are some supports and a torch, and a large crimson cloth with a symbol of a heart on fire painted on it.
Reaching the end of the cavern you have found Wanda's abandoned alchemical lab. strewn across the room is proof of experiments; bottles of glowing fluids, cages, tools, and a work table. Behind the table is a door, with no clear way to open it. All across the room are crimson banners and cloths hanging from beams and supports, all bearing that same symbol.
There are 5 things of particular interest within the room: a large paper pinned to the front of the worktable, part of a cannon, an apron lying on a bed, a scroll pinned to the wall, and tools hanging on the far left.
[EVIL PIRATE CODE]
NEW PIRATE CODE:
1. SURRENDER THE OUTPOSTS
2. BOW TO CAPTAIN WARSMITH
3. ALL HAIL FLAMEHEART
[CANNON BASE]
The base of a cannon. The cannon itself is gone. Is this truly from Flameheart's ship?
[APRON]
This looks like it once belonged to Salty. He doesn't need it now.
[SCROLL]
The scroll has arcane writing relating to alchemy and handling cursed items. It's impossible to follow.
[TOOLS]
These tools are well worn, probably Wanda's prized possessions.
[SHARON]
SHE DID WHAT?? SO... SHE TURNED THIS OLD CANNON INTO CURSED CANNONBALLS. HOPING TO MAKE HER FORTUNE AS A WEAPONSMITH. AND GOT HERSELF, SALTY AND THEIR SHIP CURSED. AND NOW SHE'S RECRUITING MORE SKELETONS AND SHIPS TO WAGE A LITTLE WAR?! CALLING HERSELF 'CAPTAIN WARSMITH.' CLEARLY, SHE'S LOST HER MARBLES ALONG THE WAY. IT TRULY IS A SHAME. BUT NOW WE KNOW WHO WE'RE FIGHTING AND WHY. PLEASE, TAKE THESE SAILS AND DEFEND THE SHORES OF PLENTY! DO US PROUD!
https://youtu.be/oSZgQ4GBkSM?si=GFwGVWafCVER3koY
https://youtu.be/raH-6cFuM_I?si=B8uhxUTm-dGXHMmL
https://youtu.be/goHaRdrJyrc?si=kX7HrrbMe2Kt_FeT
https://youtu.be/oSZgQ4GBkSM?si=GFwGVWafCVER3koY
https://youtu.be/raH-6cFuM_I?si=B8uhxUTm-dGXHMmL
https://youtu.be/goHaRdrJyrc?si=kX7HrrbMe2Kt_FeT
