Roleplayers who prefer to imagine your own boat, skip to the image of Captain Praa!
@AardCinder @ChaoticFriendzy @Jeevas
Day Six
You leap over the railing of the Jolly Wavehopper into the shallow waters of the bay and splash your way over to the sailing boats. Each one has a member of Captain Praa’s crew on board, but as you approach, they jump out and take flight, leaving you to handle things on your own.
The boat you climb aboard is much like the others, with high sides, a mostly flat bottom and sharp bows. The only difference between them seems to be the colour of their sails, which varies between canvas white, faded black and deep Arcane pink. Three wooden struts cut across from one side of the hull to the other, doubling as benches, and a pair of oars is balanced across them, for use when the sails are furled. There’s a round hole in the strut nearest the bow, which supports a single mast with a boom and triangular sail. A second triangular jib sail is attached between the mast and the bow, and there’s a tiller attached to the rudder at the stern.
It’s a relatively small boat compared to your size and simple compared to the Chalcedony Cutlass … but it’s still quite complicated for you to sail by yourself!
You quickly sit on the bench closest to the stern and grab the tiller. There’s currently no wind, but it’s such an unnatural calm that you’re certain magic is responsible — and you don’t want to be caught out when the wind does start to blow.
“An excellent choice, my hearties,” Praa cries as she soars over the little fleet of sailing boats, taking note of those who chose to sail to their next Trial. “A true pirate’s place is right here on the open sea, mastering the wind and sailing for the horizon! Fair winds and following seas to you all!”
Captain Praa approves of your choice of craft!
“Now, run up your Jolly Rogers and stand ready to make sail,” the Captain orders.
The sewing session seems so long ago now! You retrieve your flag and look around for how to attach it. There’s a stick with a flag mount attached to one of the ropes that runs up the mast. You fix yours in place, haul on the rope, and watch as your Jolly Roger slides smoothly up the mast. Once you’re sailing, it should blow in the wind very nicely!
Once all of the balloons, crystals and boats have been claimed, Captain Rafferty returns to the Jolly Wavehopper and gives a commanding whistle. Several members of his crew leap over the gunwales and swoop downwards. They hand out a roll of parchment to each recruit, while Rafferty addresses you from his perch on the very tip of the bowsprit.
“You have made it all the way to the final Trial: the hunt for treasure!”
This announcement is met with a roar of enthusiasm from the recruits, yourself included. A treasure hunt is the perfect end to the Pirate Trials! However, Rafferty isn’t done, and he raises his hands to plead for quiet as he continues:
“Now, this will test all of your skills and knowledge at once — map reading, navigation, physical strength, mental fortitude, ability to handle a vessel, perseverance … perhaps even bravery and your mastery of weapons or parlay! Remember: this is your last chance to show us that you’re a real pirate, worthy of a place aboard one of our ships, so you’ll be wanting to do the very best you can.” Rafferty checks that his crew have finished handing out the parchment before he finishes his speech. “My crew has given each of you a treasure map, which you can read and interpret however you wish.”
You quickly unroll the parchment. The map shows a section of the Starfall Isles, and though nothing is labelled, some locations are drawn in enough detail to recognise them: you quickly identify the Astrolodome, the wedge-shaped Tourmaline Archives, and trees that mark the southernmost edges of the Starfall Strand.
The Tourmaline Archives have been circled, and written along the edge of the ring is a string of numbers — could it be a shelf reference, meaning that there’s treasure hidden in Arcane’s libraries?
Three curves have also been drawn on the parchment from edge to edge: they look like the paths of stars, plotted by a navigator to determine a specific position. Perhaps the location of treasure? They intersect on the shore by the Starwood Strand.
Then there’s the bold X scrawled on a small crystal island close to the edge of the map nearest the Crystalspine Reaches. The most traditional pirate mark surely must represent treasure of some kind.
After giving everyone a few moments to take in the map, Rafferty continues: “You must use your chosen craft to reach the treasure, retrieve it, and return to us here in this bay. You have until this time tomorrow. Happy hunting, mateys!”
The map points to three different locations! Which do you choose?
You are welcome to post your choice in the thread any time before 12.00 noon on Monday October (FR time) to claim Saturday's participation raffle ticket!
Roleplay always welcome, but not required to participate.
@AardCinder @ChaoticFriendzy @Jeevas
Day Six
The boat you climb aboard is much like the others, with high sides, a mostly flat bottom and sharp bows. The only difference between them seems to be the colour of their sails, which varies between canvas white, faded black and deep Arcane pink. Three wooden struts cut across from one side of the hull to the other, doubling as benches, and a pair of oars is balanced across them, for use when the sails are furled. There’s a round hole in the strut nearest the bow, which supports a single mast with a boom and triangular sail. A second triangular jib sail is attached between the mast and the bow, and there’s a tiller attached to the rudder at the stern.
It’s a relatively small boat compared to your size and simple compared to the Chalcedony Cutlass … but it’s still quite complicated for you to sail by yourself!
You quickly sit on the bench closest to the stern and grab the tiller. There’s currently no wind, but it’s such an unnatural calm that you’re certain magic is responsible — and you don’t want to be caught out when the wind does start to blow.
“An excellent choice, my hearties,” Praa cries as she soars over the little fleet of sailing boats, taking note of those who chose to sail to their next Trial. “A true pirate’s place is right here on the open sea, mastering the wind and sailing for the horizon! Fair winds and following seas to you all!”
Captain Praa approves of your choice of craft!
“Now, run up your Jolly Rogers and stand ready to make sail,” the Captain orders.
The sewing session seems so long ago now! You retrieve your flag and look around for how to attach it. There’s a stick with a flag mount attached to one of the ropes that runs up the mast. You fix yours in place, haul on the rope, and watch as your Jolly Roger slides smoothly up the mast. Once you’re sailing, it should blow in the wind very nicely!
Once all of the balloons, crystals and boats have been claimed, Captain Rafferty returns to the Jolly Wavehopper and gives a commanding whistle. Several members of his crew leap over the gunwales and swoop downwards. They hand out a roll of parchment to each recruit, while Rafferty addresses you from his perch on the very tip of the bowsprit.
“You have made it all the way to the final Trial: the hunt for treasure!”
This announcement is met with a roar of enthusiasm from the recruits, yourself included. A treasure hunt is the perfect end to the Pirate Trials! However, Rafferty isn’t done, and he raises his hands to plead for quiet as he continues:
“Now, this will test all of your skills and knowledge at once — map reading, navigation, physical strength, mental fortitude, ability to handle a vessel, perseverance … perhaps even bravery and your mastery of weapons or parlay! Remember: this is your last chance to show us that you’re a real pirate, worthy of a place aboard one of our ships, so you’ll be wanting to do the very best you can.” Rafferty checks that his crew have finished handing out the parchment before he finishes his speech. “My crew has given each of you a treasure map, which you can read and interpret however you wish.”
You quickly unroll the parchment. The map shows a section of the Starfall Isles, and though nothing is labelled, some locations are drawn in enough detail to recognise them: you quickly identify the Astrolodome, the wedge-shaped Tourmaline Archives, and trees that mark the southernmost edges of the Starfall Strand.
The Tourmaline Archives have been circled, and written along the edge of the ring is a string of numbers — could it be a shelf reference, meaning that there’s treasure hidden in Arcane’s libraries?
Three curves have also been drawn on the parchment from edge to edge: they look like the paths of stars, plotted by a navigator to determine a specific position. Perhaps the location of treasure? They intersect on the shore by the Starwood Strand.
Then there’s the bold X scrawled on a small crystal island close to the edge of the map nearest the Crystalspine Reaches. The most traditional pirate mark surely must represent treasure of some kind.
After giving everyone a few moments to take in the map, Rafferty continues: “You must use your chosen craft to reach the treasure, retrieve it, and return to us here in this bay. You have until this time tomorrow. Happy hunting, mateys!”
The map points to three different locations! Which do you choose?
- Use the reference to find treasure in the Tourmaline Archives
- Follow the celestial navigation marks to the Starwood Strand
- X marks the spot! Find pirate treasure in the Crystalspine Reaches
You are welcome to post your choice in the thread any time before 12.00 noon on Monday October (FR time) to claim Saturday's participation raffle ticket!
Roleplay always welcome, but not required to participate.
