Endless Isles

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In the Beginning

"in the beginning the land was dry and the world was whole. Man could walk as far as he could see and vast seas of sand stretched in every direction. In the beginning there was an emperor. he ruled the land and was a god to men. His cartographer's came to him one day and told him that they had mapped the world and all that was in it. The emperor was proud of his men and asked them what more could he add to his domain.

'We have mapped all the land in almost every direction,' they told him,' We have seen the edge of the world, and further. But we wonder now, what could be below?' they asked him.

'Sky,' they told him,' Sky. The sun leaves your empire for the night, it must rise in another. The moon and stars walk from one land to another' The emperor did not wait for another word. He set his men to dig, and so they did. It was not long before their spades broke through, into the world below. The bright sun shone through the breach from the depths of a surreal world. The world moved as flames rise from a fire. And the good emperor looked down and saw in a flash, a beautiful queen. she looked at him from the rippling world and he reached down to her. And in another flash she was gone. The emperor had never seen a woman so gorgeous, and wished for her to be his. He would not stop until her took her under her control.

'Men,' he said to them,' dig! Dig into this world, make it mine!' And they dug and he searched for his queen. They dug until the only sand left was that sifting on the bottom of the ocean and only the hardest or rock was left behind. Some say he's still out there, digging. Past the fringe, on the edge of nothing, carving these endless isles..."

The Oath

Two-Dagger Torriaeu, the legendary Laugher of Louisport and the Haverland Sacker managed to steal Death away, taking her away and learning the secrets to life eternal. He swore the first oath, and bound death to whisper the oath to the greatest pirates of every age to come, to keep the seas free from the tyranny of Kings.

"Two-Dagger Torriaeu

stole the death away

bound her to his ship

and made a deal with her

'we pirates will rule' said he

'we men of ship and sea

see that we shall never fall

and I will let ye be!'

and so death saw to it

that any pirate willing

should never perish forever

but never live true"

The Crusaders

After the oath, there were some who didn't like what they saw. They wanted to return the world to how it was, by killing the immortals. Every last one of them. First they take your shadow, then they burn you, and you won't dance the shade away. These are the crusaders, who have 3 missions:

Finding 'Two Dagger Torriaeu' and reversing his bargain with Death. Killing every last man to have taken the oath. Destroying every last vestige of knowledge of the oath.

They are based at the legendary Fort Cross, where they take prisoners, and accept those few pirates who are tired of their 'life'. Then they kill those who cannot die.

A Mentor's Advice

To be a pirate

"ye think yer a pirate, do yah, saplin'? Arharhar, well I know a thing'r two 'bout pirates 'nd it aint but just a laymn's term, but a wurd 'ny man cn' take. Tuh be a real pirate, yah gotta be a pirate. Yeh gotta give yur heart to the sea, you gotta swer tuh her you'll nevah leave 'er. You gotta know yer ship good, treat' 'er like the fin'est er women. Ye gotta be'uh pirate, a'corse, before you cn be'uh pirate. So wind tuh the sails, laddy... and yu'll be a pirate yet."

Gold Barons

"Un' in a mill'yon men'll find fortune in 'is scrap'uh land. 'Nd ee'l do anythin' tuh protect it. Now, us pirates 'er quite fond 'uh gold, ye'see, 'nd these men gotta lot o'it. Barons, we calls 'em. Thuh' kind with thu'h currency to keep ther' loot in check. Why, I ever ser' one wall in 'is island, ah! 'eh taut eh was thuh' clever'st uh dogs, eh did. But meh cap'n, ol' Torn-'Ook Tommy, 'eh knew wut tuh do. 'Eh gathered tugether e'ery anchor 'eh could git 'is derty li'l mits on 'nd sailed straight 'nder the wall! Ahaha! Whin we knocked on 'is door *knock knock*, 'eh ne'rly keeled ov'r! Cap'n never t'ld 'im how 'eh did it, neither."

Dead Wind Keep

"Dead Wind Keep! Scourge of pirate kind, it is. Aye, you've 'eard oh her. Stark white, she is, a 'orrid place. Perch'd on a cliff, tha builders thot they coul' catch that wind 'nd a great mill, bu' there's no wind tuh be caught, not ev'n a breeze. 'Nd the walls 'uh that enfernal 'ell 'ole seep wit' the blood of hundr'ds 'uh pirates, pray'in for death, 'nd eve'y day thuh keepahs swab tha walls and wash tha blood into tha sea. But the keepahs won' let 'em die, no sir. A dead pirate is'uh free pirate. 'Nd they don' want that. On'y two pirates manag'd to squeel ther way outta that'un, but you're not ev'n a pirate yet, boy. Jus' keep your arse ou' uh ther', you hear me? Is not a place you wan' to spend the res' o' your forevuh'."

Fort Cross

"Aye, son. Fort Cross is tha' end a'tha road fur us pirates. Tha Crusaders run't like a slaughta 'ouse. A dead place, like none ya' ev'r see. They know, ther', bout 'ow ta keep tha shade away frum a pirate. O'corse, som'r tha pirates go ther' willingly, ya'know. Life rea'y ca'ches up ta ya... You end up thinkin' 'bout yourself...'nd ya gotta tell yurself... ya jus' gotta git past it, ya know. But som'o 'em ne'er do. Som'o 'em jus' waltz up ta tha gates 'nd.. 'nd.. well, they don' walk out. Nothin' like Dead Wind Keep, nothin' atall. they know, yesee. 'Nd they don' take no prison'rs."

Mad Bonny Flint

"Aye, aye, one 'uh the greatest pirates ta' ev'r sail. Mad Bonny Flint, a mad lass, indeed. She di' this dance, yehsee, a dance like non' you ev'r saw. 'Nd she'd dance inta' tha nigh'. A li'le bonked in the head, yah see. Some say all tha' dancin' 'as left 'er head knock'd about a peg'r two. But I know wha' really gotta 'er, 'er trip ta' Dead Wind Keep. Yea', saplin', she took er fare share o' death, bu' she made itout, she did. Nev'r tha same aft'r, I hear. O'corse, I nev'r wint near 'er, a demon of a wom'n, but a wom'n all tha same."