Starting April 29, 1719
Prologue
Shroudbreaker
Taking interest, the crew of the Lady LeGoon asks the stranger for any leads on where the Shroudbreaker could be. He hands them the Pirate Lord's old journal and tells them to find the shipwreck of the Magpie's wing. The crew finds the wreck and recovers the captain's log, which leads them to a chest and a strange totem. The totem turns out to be a key that opens an ancient vault room on Crook's Hollow. In the vault, the crew solves puzzles and eventually opens the vault itself, revealing the Shroudbreaker. They are immediately forced to run back to the ship as droves of coral skeletons claw themselves out of the ground. They return to the Mysterious stranger for more advice, and he informs them that the Shroudbreaker is missing 4 gems that give it it's power. He tells them that the only person to successfully use the Shroudbreaker was Captain Briggsy, but she has become a skeleton lord, so he tells them to seek guidance from Madame Olivia to hunt her down...
The Cursed Rogue
At Plunder Outpost the crew speaks to Madame Olivia at Plunder outpost. She had foretold their arrival and gave them a bounty hunter's journal containing memories of skeletons who had worked for Briggsy, and tells you that not even the Order of Souls would send anyone after a skeleton lord, but her foresight tells her that she must help you. She said that the memories would lead to special artifacts that would have traces of Briggsy's past, and using a bit of magic, she could be located with these artifacts. Using the memories, you are able to find two skeleton captain's on different islands, one protecting a chest, and the other a key. When approaching their camps, you can hear them speak to their skeletal crewmates about Briggsy, and how she thinks there is a cure to the skeleton curse, though they find her crazy. Unlocking the chest reveals a broken spyglass and a star chart. Bringing these items to Madame Olivia the crew watches as she turns them into a compass that points towards Briggsy's location. The crew follows the compass which leads them to Briggsy, and they eavesdrop before initiating a fight. Briggsy is recounting how she used to be a great adventurer and is now cursed to be a walking corpse. The crew of the Lady LeGoon runs into the camp and begins fighting her, and it's in this fight where it's shown how much of a husk of her former self Briggsy truly is. She is possessed by violent tendencies, just fighting because she wants to kill you, and all her actions are done with an exaggerated flamboyance that almost mocks the Briggsy that once lived. But then she says things like, "I never asked to be cursed..." showing she is still somewhere in there. The crew eventually defeats her, taking her skull to Madame Olivia. Using a strange ritual, Olivia sifts through Briggsy's memories, revealing 4 names that could help them find the Shroudbreaker stones: Tasha, Sudds, Wild Rose, and Salty...
The Art of the Trickster
First pursuing Salty, the crew sails to Plunder Valley, where they find the skeletal parrot, doing much better for himself now, but the interest in the Shroudbreaker stones troubles him. Salty tells you that the Trapmaker was forced by Briggsy to design traps to hide her stash. He offers you the journal that sits near him that the Trapmaker left, and asks you to let him know if you find her, not that it's, "partially his fault she got kidnapped or anything." Following the taunting clues in the journal and positioning some skeletons triggers a mechanism that lowers a cage with a rum bottle spyglass and more clues. Using the clues and the spyglass leads you to more and more clues, each taunting and testing you, questioning if you are worthy of the stone that is being protected. Eventually the clues lead the crew to the key to the Trapmaker's Lair, which upon digging up, sets off a chain of gunpowder kegs hidden underground which force them to abandon the island, especially since the key itself is yet another gunpowder barrel. In her clue about the key, she mentioned that her lair is on Sailor's Bounty, so that is where the crew headed next. reaching the island, the crew descends into it's catacombs, which are riddled with traps: spikes, saws, swinging blades. Eventually they reach the bottom and find the room where the key is to be placed, and the Trapmaker's makeshift underground home, though it is long abandoned. Inserting the key causes droves of skeletons to awaken beneath the ground, but the traps make it easier to fight them. The captain of these skeleton's leaves a totem and notes upon being defeated. The notes tell the crew that the key goes to the ancient vault at Crescent Isle, and that the Trapmaker has no more tricks up her sleeve; the game is up, though she warns the crew that whatever their goals are, to, "do it for the glory, never for the greed." The Trapmaker had one more trick though, because the vault door shut behind the crew as soon as they entered, and they were forced to fight coral skeletons to reopen the door. In the tiny vault, though, the crew finds the body of the Trapmaker, still clutching the Shroudbreaker stone. Jose, Cuttle, Pierce, and Francois return to Salty to let him know what happened to her, and he expresses his regret, and professes that he, "had," to lead Briggsy to the Trapmaker because his life was on the line. As a gesture of goodwill he agrees to deliver the stone to the Mysterious Stranger for you...
Wild Rose
The crew ends up speaking to Madame Olive (not Olivia) at Sanctuary Outpost, who is worried sick about her friend Rose who was due to be married a week ago. Knowing you are looking for, "Wild Rose," she gives you a book containing special memories of Rose and her Fiancé, George (not the mysterious stranger). The book says that a chest with some more of those memories is buried as a time capsule on Salty Sands (It's also important to note that Rose and George were once a part of Briggsy's crew). Digging up the chest and finding more papers, the crew searches for a box of spices and a music box that the couple had buried elsewhere. Finding these and bringing them to Madame Olive, the crew watches her try the same ritual that Olivia did to create the compass for you, hoping to do the same in order to find Rose and George. Olive succeeds, though this compass looks like the music box they dug up. Following the enchanted compass, the crew finds Rose's dead body, and a note about how angry she was that she couldn't protect George from Rooke, an envious woman who pursued George and become a skeleton. In her note she also expresses that as she lays there dying, "I know death, and this does not feel like death. I lov" the note ends. Her matching pendant with George is glowing in her palm, so you take it. The compass then changes headings, and the crew follows it. The compass leads them to Rooke, who is squatting in a cave with her crew, holding George's glowing pendant and speaking to it. She tells him he'll learn to love her, and that she went through so much to be with him, sacrificing her flesh in order to learn the art of binding souls from someone named Graymarrow. The crew of the Lady LeGoon runs in and viciously attacks her, Cuttle leading the charge. They defeat her and take George's pendant. They bring the pendants to Olive and beg her to do something. She says she will attempt a ritual, but warns that it is hardly ever successful, as it causes extreme pain, and that this one will be especially painful, as it is the most powerful curse she has ever seen. The ritual is successful, though Olive is left barely conscious as the souls of Rose and George rise out of the enchantment vessel and hug each other. Olive says that the couple probably won't be returning to the land of the living anytime soon. Cuttle is left very emotional and locks himself inside of the captains cabin to cry for the duration of the next 2 adventures. But who is Graymarrow, and how did Wild Rose help them find a Shroudbreaker stone...?
The Legendary Storyteller
Seeking out Tasha, the crew returns to the Unicorn tavern and speaks to the barmaid, who is Tasha herself. She says that Briggsy used to tell her stories about her adventures when she was a little girl, but now she knows those stories were lies, though she used to draw out all the adventures. She hands you her old drawing book and ask you to let her know if you find anything. The stories she drew had some truth to them though, as each of the three stories led to a chest, or the 2 keys needed to open it. Inside was a plank of wood with some holes cut out and coordinates engraved into it. Going to the island in those coordinates and lining the holes in the plank to some landmarks there reveals the location of a treasure: and ancient crown with a Shroudbreaker stone lodged inside of it. Tasha cries when you show it to her, as now she knows that there was truth to Briggsy's stories, and that she wanted Tasha to find the crown when she got old enough. This inspires Tasha to go on her own adventures. She cleans up the crown and passes the stone to the Mysterious Stranger for you out of gratitude. One step closer to the Shores of Gold...
Stars of a Thief
Sudds, an old crewmate of Briggsy's, is found at the North Star Seapost, and talking to him the crew quickly finds out he's delirious, but he gives them his journal and asks for them to give him his special spyglass back after they find it. The crew quickly finds the spyglass and realizes that it is enchanted to reveal the constellations in the Sea of Thieves. They use it and Sudds' strange notes about the stars to find two star jewels, which they put inside the eye sockets of a statue beneath the uncharted island where the wreck of the Magpie's Wing still lies. Its mouth opens and gives them a key to the vault behind them, and opening this vault, the crew is forced to use Sudds' crazy stories to enter 3 combinations to open the final door and recover the Shroudbreaker stone hidden behind. They return the spyglass to Sudds and he thanks you, and says he'll give the stone to the Mysterious Stranger for you, apparently under some kind of threat...
Fate of the Morningstar
Gaspar suddenly came down with and illness and could not join the crew on this adventure. The rest of the crew stopped at a tavern to get drinks, but were violently murdered in a brawl. While on the Ferry of the Damned, the crew is spoken to by the ferryman. He was impressed about the work that the crew did to free Rose and George's souls, and requested for them to aid him in freeing some other souls, ones that may help them on their journey to the Shores of Gold; the crew of the Morningstar, whose souls had been imprisoned by the dastardly Gideon Graymarrow. Before sending them back to the land of the living, he gives them a journal and instructs them to find his sarcophagus. The crew travels to Kraken's Fall and digs up his coffin to find his enchanted hourglass lantern. Once they have it, they follow the instructions of the journal to Old Faithful Isle and use the lantern to follow the footsteps of the memories of the Morningstar crew, locating each soul and setting them free. In this process they found out that one of the crewmembers jumped ship and got away before Graymarrow could kill them. returning to the Ferry the crew is thanked and the Ferryman tells them that they might get closer to getting their final Shroudbreaker stone if the speak with Sandra the Shipwright at Dagger Tooth Outpost...
Revenge of the Morningstar
Speaking with Sandra, the crew finds out she has the ship's log of the Morningstar ship. She tells them it's a fools errand looking for the stone they once had, though, because Graymarrow stole it and there's nothing of value left in the shipwreck. She lets them take the log anyway, though. The LeGoon heads to Boulder Cay where the shipwreck is, and manages to find some lost pages from the log and different crewmates. One of the pages is a note from Jill, the crewmember who abandoned the ship and got away from Graymarrow. A page written by Fontaine describes where he buried a chest with the crew's old uniforms on the island, and the crew of the LeGoon find it rather quickly. The other two pages, one by Captain Eli Slate and one by Dinger, explain that they had paid off the tavern keeper at Sanctuary Outpost to provide them with information on Graymarrow's crew, as well as a man named Jaspar who claims to have information on Graymarrow as well. Using the uniforms to impersonate the crew of the Morningstar, Cuttle, Percy, Francois and Jose speak with Tracy, the tavern keeper, who tells them that some skeletons had been looking for the Morningstar crew, but Duke drove them out. She heard where they were headed, though- to Cannon Cove to dig up some old crystal skull. Asking about Jaspar, she just tells you he's the one that ratted the Morningstar out to Graymarrow and that he's probably dead by now. She also tells you that Tyler, the trinket shop owner, might have some information for you as well. Speaking to Tyler you find that he has a terrible memory and is awful with names, but you learn that, "Commander Claysparrow's" thugs are hiding out at, "Sinking Cove."
Heading to Cannon Cove first, the crew finds the skeletons Tracy was talking about, and they eavesdrop on their plans, and the skeletons are searching for a skull, the skull of Captain Douglass, a cursed man who once fought the Pirate Lord, but was killed in a cave collapse. Defeating this group of skellies, the crew finds the thugs' orders from Graymarrow- that say he is resting at, "R", and decoding the runes they are written in you are able to recover the crystal skull. The crew goes to the Sunken Grove next, and finds Captain Shaw, Nobby, and Cleaves. The three are discussing the item they are searching for, the Chalice of Resurrection, and Shaw is hesitant to recover it, as it belonged to a terrifying "Captain," but Cleaves said that he is gone for good- that he sank with his cursed cannons. The crew defeats them, takes their orders- stating Graymarrow is resting at "12", and recovers the chalice. Taking the 2 items to the coordinates R-12, the crew finds a ritual table on Kraken's fall where they place the items. This awakens Graymarrow. Recognizing their uniforms, Graymarrow is annoyed, and a fight ensues. The main cast eventually defeats him and takes his Shroudbreaker stone for themselves. They take the stone back to Sandra, and seeing it she tells them that she is actually Jill, and she ran away and changed her identity to hide from Graymarrow, she thanks you profusely for helping her so much and tells you that if you want to break the shroud and go to the Shores of Gold, you should speak to Grace Morrow...
Shores of Gold
Arriving at Morrow's Peak outpost, the crew is congratulated by Grace on how far they've come and how ambitions they are, but tells them that the Pirate Lord visited her and handed her a journal belonging to Briggsy. She hands the journal to the crew, fixes the Shroudbreaker to the Lady LeGoon, and wishes you luck. As they sail to the edge of the Shroud, they read Briggsy's journal. It begins with a note from the Pirate Lord, and the rest is Briggsy's adventure to the Shores of Gold. She has notes on the many vaults across the island, a detailed map of it, as well as some distressing writing from when she entered the catacombs of the island, then it abruptly ends with a drawing of eyes glowing in the darkness, and the rest of the pages are torn out. Breaching the Shroud the crew is terrified, the sea turns red around them, the ship begins to creak, and eerie noises fill the air, but the Shroudbreaker begins to glow. As the lightning strikes, the crew's lungs burn and their eyes water with the toxic air, until the stones on the Shroudbreaker begin to shine one at a time, each with a strange chime, until they have all lit- upon which a blast of wind shoots out from the relic, and the shroud is pushed away from their ship, creating a bubble around them. The crew can breathe again, and the ships bow appears to be piercing the shroud as they head in further. The mists seem to be pushing back against the magic field, but the Shroudbreaker remains strong. They sail until they reach the giant cliffs off in the distance, the Shores of Gold.
Upon their arrival the crew is hit with the sad realization that the shores aren't literally composed of gold. Nonetheless, they begin exploring. They find ruins, rows of giant thrones, and the vaults that Briggsy's journal describes, but also run into many strange skeletons that attack them. Solving the puzzles in each, the crew retrieves 4 medallions, which they take to the island's central vault, placing the medallions in the altar inside. Once all 4 are set, a small door opens and reveals a large coin, engraved with a symbol that the crew has seen marked in several places across the island; a key, the symbol of the Gold Hoarders, but why is it here? Following Briggsy's journal, the crew makes their way inside one of the massive throne statues and discovers the entrance to the catacombs beneath. Francois elects to stay behind and protect the ship from the strange skeletons following them. Jose, Percy, and Cuttle open the door with the strange Gold Hoarder Coin and press on. They traverse their way through the ruins and find it's riddled with traps. They pass a large cavern with a bridge that collapsed, which forces them to take the long way around, through the hallways of spikes and saws. They pass through cramped hallways and a large cavern that is plunged in pure darkness, until they reach a door hooked up to a capstan, where they are set upon by a horde of skeletons. The three fight them off, but Cuttle is killed in the struggle. Jose and Percy continue without their friend until they reach a bridge that leads to a giant ancient room filled with mountains of gold, and at the center, a large skeleton with strange glowing green gems set in his eyes and a strange piece of gold wedged into his skull, parts of his body replaced with chunks of gold. Draped all over the massive room are banners bearing the Gold Hoarders' symbol, and one thing is clear: this skeleton is their leader. Strangely, he is holding his head with his hands and looks distressed. Sneaking in to steal as much gold as they can fit in their pockets and sacks, Percy and Jose are spotted by the giant skeletal Gold Hoarder, who yells with rage and slams his golden shovel into the ground. The doors to the room slam shut behind them and the Gold Hoarder sinks into the gold and swims through it, engaging in a fight. The battle lasts for what seems hours and it is clear that the skeleton has lost his mind, speaking in slow, broken up threats that hardly make sense, but it's clear why he is enraged; his gold is being ransacked. Finally the oversized Gold Hoarder falls to the ground, too weak to continue, and his skull rolls off. As the pair picks up the skull, the Pirate Lord appears in front of the throne in the center of the room, and fills the room with a ghostly green glow. He congratulates you on your triumph and gives you a long speech about how people seek greatness by trying to replicate what others have done and are driven by greed. He warns you not to take the gold in the chamber, for it's mostly cursed, and leaves you with a final message; "it's not about the gold, it's about the glory!"
Baffled, Percy and Jose make the climb back up to the surface and to their ship, where they find Francois and Cuttle (freshly returned from the Ferry of the Damned). The crew sails back to the Sea of Thieves and hands the skull they claimed to the Order of Souls, making sure to gloat it in front of the Gold Hoarder tent as they pass, and with the money given to them, they head to the tavern and begin sharing their impossible tall tales...
What is the nature of curses, specifically the skeleton curse? Did Briggsy really know there was a cure or was she crazy?
Who were the Ancients, and what was the Shores of Gold originally made for? Where did they go?
Who were the Ancients, and what was the Shores of Gold originally made for? Where did they go?
Where did Graymarrow learn to bind souls?
Where do Wild Rose and George go?
Why did the Ferryman give up his life to eternally serve, and who buried him?
What's up with the stars?
