The following is the summary of what happened between Forsaken Shores and Shores of Gold via conversations with several characters (there is no session for any of these because there wasn't an in game campaign to dedicate a session to).
October 31, 1718
Cuttle, Jose, Francois, and Pierce talk to Duke about the first Festival of the Damned, an event celebrating the Ferryman and appreciating his sacrifice...
Cuttle, Jose, Francois, and Pierce talk to Duke about the first Festival of the Damned, an event celebrating the Ferryman and appreciating his sacrifice...
The George Kraken Tavern, Interior.
[DUKE]
first interaction
- Don't look so serious, it's the Festival of the Damned! A new festival where we celebrate dodging death!
The Festival of the Damned?
- Yep, something new we've cooked up to honour the fallen, but also to celebrate the Ferry that lets us stay pirates forever! But there's more. On the Ferry itself, the Ferryman will allow dead pirates to capture a coloured flame, depending on how they died. We honour him by bringing those flames back here and lighting other lanterns and beacons with them. The most memorable deaths change the colour of your flame… blue for those eaten by sharks, purple for death by venom. I found the white one very tricky… If it's a Bilge Rat challenge you're after, try finding them all, or lighting all the beacons we've built around the Sea of Thieves!
~~~
To celebrate the new festival, the crew of the ??? visited the Ferryman and spoke about the festival...
Ferry of the Damned, Exterior
*This is dialogue from the 2020 Fury of the Damned event, but I tweaked it a bit and put it in here because it gives the Ferryman a bit of depth early on and enough happens during fury of the damned*
[FERRYMAN]
first interaction
- Are you another seeking to plunder from my Well of Fates?
What's the 'Well of Fates' you spoke of?
- Do you not see it? The torch that burns brightest aboard my ship; an eternal beacon that illuminates the conduit between life and death. The hue of the flame shifts to reflect the manner in which the dead departed your world. As their final memory, it shapes their soul. Many pirates now seek to dip their lantern into the Well of Fates, and carry its light with them as they return. They keep the flames alive aboard their vessels by transferring them to the lanterns there, or by lighting beacons high above the waves. I do not approve. I do not condemn. The worth of these actions shall be judged in due time by those with an... interest... in your affairs.
Tell me more about these flames.
- There are six of which I may speak...
The blue flame, signifying the fateful bite of some ravenous undersea creature...
The red flame, which tells of a life extinguished by a great conflagration...
The green flame, which calls out to those whose life was ended at the hands of those no longer living...
The white flame, summoning those unfortunate souls struck down by the heavens themselves!
The purple flame, for those who felt the fatality of venom coursing through their veins...
I shall, of course, not omit the pink flame, guiding those pirates who fell in combat with another of their kind.
Are you taking part in the festival?
- Never! There are those who claim I should be honoured by such debauchery, but they have no comprehension of my burden. Were I to cast aside my obligations and subsume myself in revelry as they do, the consequences would be beyond calamitous! And yet, perhaps... If there were to be cake... Bah! I tire of your interrogation. Begone!
~~~
November 28, 1718
The crew speaks to Duke about strange new things that have suddenly appeared...
The Unicorn Tavern, Interior
[DUKE]
first interaction
Haven't seen fog this thick in a while! Makes racing off into the unknown a little more treacherous… all the more fun for us Bilge Rats!
What's causing all this fog?
I haven't the foggiest idea! But I do know that the skeletons are using it as cover while they build up more forts and crew more ships. Even the megalodons are acting up. We're seeing new ones emerge from the deep, all different colours. It's not all bad, though. There are more spoils to be had, too. Our shipwrights have been hard at work on new capstans, wheels and cannons. The fog may be rolling in, but there's still plenty of pirating to be done!
~~~
The new megalodons that have appeared are as follows; The Crested Queen, a megalodon with a purple hide and fins that glow purple at night; The Shadowmaw, a megalodon with a black hide and fins that glow red at night; The Ancient Terror, a megalodon with an olive hide and fins that glow lime at night; and the mythical Shrouded Ghost, a pale white megalodon with fins that glow pink at night, with matching pink eyes that appear blind, the Shrouded Ghost has hardly ever been seen and some suggest that it doesn't exist.
~~~
December 12, 1718
To close out the year festively, Duke offered Gilded Voyages to pirates, provided by the Pirate Lord...
The Drowned Rat Tavern, Interior
[DUKE]
first interaction
- Season's Greetings to you, pirate! Come to get your Gilded Voyage?
You seem to be in a festive mood, Duke!
- I love this time of year, my friend. A warm fire, a song, plenty of egg grog. Happy days! And I have the honour of dishing out Gilded Voyages, courtesy of the Pirate Lord himself! Now, His Pirateness only has so many of these to go around, so he was very specific: ONE voyage per pirate! So, choose wisely and pick a Voyage that suits you, because you only get one. But it'll be lucrative – a real holiday gift! Giving these out, I feel like I should be a big, fat man with a white beard… Oh. Hey, stop laughing!
~~~
January 2, 1719
Looking for something to do, the Crew of the ??? ask Duke to send them on another adventure...
The Captain's Head Tavern, Interior
[DUKE]
first interaction
- Oh, hi! Um…. remarkable weather lately… and have you seen the price of grog? Um… let's talk about you for a change!
So… any wild adventures afoot this week, Duke?
- Adventures! Um… Well, adventures, let's see… Tina's grog tastes a bit funny, maybe there's a… weevil in the barrel? I… um… I also thought I saw a shifty pirate. Or not. Maybe. Okay, okay, it's quiet right now. Even the Bilge Rats have days off! Why don't you follow your nose? Go poke a Skeleton!
~~~
February 6, 1719
Duke has a plan to scam the Trading Companies (Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, Merchant Alliance)...
The Drowned Rat Tavern, Interior
[DUKE]
first interaction
- Ahoy! I'm craving some new adventures. Let's play these stuffy Trading Companies against each other!
What did you have in mind, Duke?
- I'm offering Mercenary Voyages that will have all the Companies kissing your boots. A notorious rum runner scattered their stash and everyone wants a taste! I could get used to this… complete a full voyage and I'll let you buy something special to commemorate the occasion. Assuming you're up to it? Oh, and these voyages are a great way for new pirates to dip their toes. Bring your friends, load your guns and get out there, causing trouble!
~~~
March 6, 1719
Duke has another adventure for the crew...
The Snake Pit Tavern, Interior
[DUKE]
first interaction
- Ready for some more mercenary work? This one won't be so gentle!
Sounds… dangerous!
- I hope so! Us Bilge Rats have got a taste for making the Companies compete, so we bring you.… Mercenary Voyages to The Wilds and Ancient Isles!" These voyages offer a mixture of tasks and rewards, but mercenary life isn't a cruise. I also present my latest challenge… THE REAPER'S RUN! Oh. I was hoping for a roll of thunder. Reaper's Run Voyages keep you returning to one island, making you easy pickings for other pirates! Not risky enough? Think you're as brave as a Bilge Rat? Okay… run the gauntlet with the Reaper's Mark flying!
~~~
March 20, 1719
A strange, well-dressed woman with an eyepatch has appeared at the uncharted stone archway at K-12...
K-12 Arch, Exterior
[WOMAN WITH EYEPATCH]
first interaction
- You have had a wasted journey to come here, pirate.
Hello there. Who are you?
- I am the daughter of the greatest pirate ever. For now that is all I'm going to tell you.
So what's going on here, slightly scary but well-dressed pirate?
- Today is not the day to reveal our purpose. Yet have faith in us, for we will bring you a glorious spectacle this world has never seen! Now leave, our organisation has much work to do.
That's an unusually fine jacket, I don't think I've seen one like that before.
- It is indeed. Only the best for the pirate they call... Curses! My mouth nearly got the better of me. I'll say no more. Return to us in one moon's time, when our promise of fortune and glory awaits!
***BRING UP MYSTERIOUS STRANGERS***
