The captain stared at the great black-backed gull which returned the gaze with some equanimity. Its huge wings were folded to the body and it stood perched on the taffrail, its head turned slightly so that one yellow eye remained fixed on her, almost as if it was peering down the length of its heavy yellow beak.

She scratched the back of her head as she pondered the request. It seemed simple enough... Barely a day out of their way if the herald was to be believed - and there they would find treasure. And why shouldn't she believe it? The servants of an eternal had little reason to lie. Even The Agramant could speak no word of a lie, or so a landskeeper had told her once. Yet something held her back.

It was more than just the rough weather they'd had of late. Getting back to Meade was always a challenge, but now they were past Jotun waters and in the Gullet it should have been plain sailing. But the news from the mainland was dire and hearing it had settled a black mood over the whole ship. Many of them had friends and family in the marshes and naturally they feared the worst.

Somehow, it seemed like the fog in the bones had only got thicker when this messenger had landed on the foredeck. It was hard to shake the feeling that something was amiss, a little ball of twisted nerves in the pit of her stomach that this was all going to end badly. Careful, she admonished herself, otherwise you'll miss the sea for the sand.

It would be easier to turn it down. Make her excuses to the bird, keep on their current course and they'd be in Meade before the week's end. But even as she thought it, she was pondering the wisdom of such a refusal. The bird claimed to be a servant of the King of the Nine Tides. Anne Sailor didn't hold with kings, but she knew enough about the realms to know who that was and it didn't seem like an awfully good idea to risk getting on old Furole's bad side. Who knew when you might need a boon from the Regent of the Eternal Sea?

"Very well bird. Tell your king that we'll sail as you ask and me and the crew will find this treasure for you. But it better pay well," she admonished, pointing her finger in the herald's direction.

The bird squawked with obvious happiness. "Riches will rain from the skies" it promised in the same high trilling voice with which it had introduced itself.

And with that the huge bird spread its great metre wide wings and left over the side of the rail. The creature plunged towards the water below, wings outspread, narrowly missing the waves as they rose to claim it.

"Follow me captain, follow me!" it called as it frantically beat its heavy wings in a desperate attempt to gain altitude. "Limitless excitement and boundless opportunity... the horizon awaits"

Black pearl and his shell.jpg
Rhianos' great race comes to an end, but there is still unfinished business for those who took part - and perhaps unexpectedly, also for those who did not take part.

Overview

After the Regent of the Eternal Sea was asked to sponsor a race around the Bay of Catazar, Sail Runner announced the Great Race - an impossible contest to travel to the four corners of the known world. The contest has taken ships all over the known world and beyond. Some turned aside from the race in pursuit of riches, some set sail in search of discovery and excitement.

Now, with the great race finally concluded, three score captains who chose to remain straight on for glory have claimed the winner's laurels. To them falls the greatest prize, but all who took part in the expedition find that a touch of Summer magic has been permanently imbued in their vessels.

This season, those Imperial captains who refrained from committing themselves to the dangerous race also find unlooked for good-fortune coming their way in the shape a cold black pearl. It seems the eternal is eager to acquire these pearls and is prepared to pay a good price for them - they have offered to pay those captains who took part in the race but sailed in search of riches a small fortune to present the pearls at the regio at the Solstice.

The Summer Spell

Every character who completed the Deosil to Mystery Voyage or who took any of the three Rhianos options every downtime they submitted has received a special Summer boon: a permanent change to their fleet. The list includes characters who missed an event, but not characters that took a non-race option. This effect is anchored to the fleet itself - if you change your resource or swap it with another player it goes with the fleet.

Any player whose character is listed in the table below is encouraged to email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk with a name for their vessel and a short description of it. The description can include a minor magical effect of equivalent impact to the examples listed in the text. We will add your vessel's name and the description to the downtime system for your fleet if they are appropriate. The description must be minor in nature, sails like swan's wings are fine, a flying ship is not.

A Touch of Magic

  • Every fleet that pursue the Great Race to the end has received a permanent boon from the eternal
  • Players can email plot with a name and description of their vessel

Those fleets that took every opportunity available to stay in the great race have been left with a touch of Summer magic permanently gracing their vessel. Not an enchantment exactly, this boon infuses the ship leaving it permanently altered by the dangerous expedition they undertook.

Captains that took every available opportunity to sail Deosil to Mystery find the boon ensures their ship will be more able to scout and explore in the future (OOC Note: +1 rank to scouting voyages). Those that sailed Straight on for Glory to the bitter end and were not distracted by other choices find their fleet is better suited to adventures in the future (OOC Note: +1 rank to questing voyages). Those who stayed in the race for as long as they could but chose to turn Widdershins by Riches in the early stages find their fleet now benefits when they choose to seize their enemies' wealth (OOC Note: +1 rank to raiding voyages).

In almost all cases, the magic manifests in subtle but noticeable ways, all of which are unique. A vessel's prow might change shape, taking the form of different aspects of Sunlit Depths to give the crew warning of weather changes, while another finds the boards of the hull develop a scalloped pattern and a golden sheen like fish scales.

CharacterNationEnchantment
Æðelric DagurssonWintermarkDeosil to Mystery
Aldo i Russo i RiquezaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Alix FlowersThe MarchesDeosil to Mystery
Anam WayfinderNavarrWiddershins by Riches
AndronicusUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Anisa i Meridian i ErigoThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Antur EternalNavarrStraight on for Glory
Argento i ErigoThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
ArisentNavarrWiddershins by Riches
Arnwic MaccussonWintermarkDeosil to Mystery
Arturo i Tontería i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Asbet I Muhajim I guerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Aurelia of Shadow's ReachUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Aurélio i Valiente i ErigoThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Aurianna du MeravonDawnStraight on for Glory
AveunNavarrWiddershins by Riches
Azzam i Zaydan i RiquezaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Bacauda NetherwatchUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Bastiana i Fontanilla i RiquezaThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Bayan Zayden RiquezaThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Beatriz i Valiente i ErigoThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Benjit i Erigo i BoniThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Bleddyn EternalNavarrStraight on for Glory
Bloodcrow ReekImperial OrcsWiddershins by Riches
Brynn Vision EnduringUrizenWiddershins by Riches
Cabeiri GobánUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Cadenza I Fontanilla I RiquezaThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Cadfael SilentwatchNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Captain Gawain de LicorneDawnStraight on for Glory
Captain MarinusUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Carrock DaggersbondNavarrStraight on for Glory
Cato i Emberbright i GuerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Cerewyn, Magnus of StarfallUrizenStraight on for Glory
Cisco i Phovas i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
CormacNavarrStraight on for Glory
Cosme i Zuhri i GuerraThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
CreedHighguardStraight on for Glory
Cuinn-Gael WinterbuiltNavarrStraight on for Glory
Czernobog Ollovich BorislavWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Danica Lidija van TemeschwarThe LeagueStraight on for Glory
Dareem i Nedali i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Darius TanglehornNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Destan Weaver of house DeRondellDawnDeosil to Mystery
Dima Vasilyevna NovosadVarushkaWiddershins by Riches
Dreldor QinlethUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Dylan ThornweaverNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Edric of OddmireThe MarchesWiddershins by Riches
Eduardo i Otoño i GuerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Elian i Carilla i GuerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
EliasNavarrStraight on for Glory
EllisThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Emberlyn BrontideDawnStraight on for Glory
Emilia i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Èomer DrumheartWintermarkDeosil to Mystery
Esteban Ezmara of Zenith AscendantUrizenWiddershins by Riches
Esteban I Del Rio Blanco I GuerraThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Eyago i Ochoa i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Ezro i Alvera i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Fancy JackThe MarchesDeosil to Mystery
Felia i Carno i GuerraThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Giovanni von TemeschwarThe LeagueStraight on for Glory
Glaw SilverfletchNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Grymlauf DunnWintermarkWiddershins by Riches
Gustavus Tolski van TemeschwarThe LeagueStraight on for Glory
Hakon DunningWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Hanno i GuerraThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Havngar Oaken LegsWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Helio i Fuego i RiquezaThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
HenrikWintermarkDeosil to Mystery
Hilda Sirens Scream UrsanWintermarkWiddershins by Riches
Ibrahim i Taziel i RiquezaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Irwyn JannassonWintermarkWiddershins by Riches
Ivaniva MetsavnaVarushkaDeosil to Mystery
Izarra i RiquezaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Jaeger CroweWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Jahan i Cano i GuerraThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Jahir i Bamesh i RiquezaThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Jeb of the SailsThe MarchesStraight on for Glory
Joaquim i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Johannah i DelToro i AsaveaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
JuniperNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Kareem i Carno i GuerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Kaspar KreftinaringWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Kazimir Kirovich AristovVarushkaDeosil to Mystery
Kelia Drifting BoughNavarrStraight on for Glory
KeyanNavarrDeosil to Mystery
KostjyaVarushkaStraight on for Glory
Kullervo SkjalingWintermarkStraight on for Glory
LeofricWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Leonel de Courtenay-WyldroseDawnStraight on for Glory
Lexis i Leharo i guerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Lith "Shiny" FellsmithNavarrWiddershins by Riches
LlyrNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Lorelan ThoressThe LeagueStraight on for Glory
Ludwig Barbadoro VidereDawnDeosil to Mystery
Manolo i ErigoThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Mauro i Valiente i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Meredith NighthavenNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Miriam Daughter of EstherHighguardWiddershins by Riches
Mont i Sawa i ErigoThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
MontagneDawnStraight on for Glory
Octavius Lazcaris of the Wise CitadelUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Onnikas (The Unbroken)WintermarkStraight on for Glory
'Orn GreensmithThe MarchesStraight on for Glory
Prietel i RiquezaThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
PurnelleDawnStraight on for Glory
Quiberon i Caballo i ErigoThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Raal DunnWintermarkDeosil to Mystery
Rafiq i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Rahzón ‘Rahz’ i ErigoThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Raine FisherDawnDeosil to Mystery
Raine TealeafUrizenWiddershins by Riches
Ramos I Inigo I RaquezaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
RaoulHighguardWiddershins by Riches
Rhys NighthavenNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Richardo Glostari di SarvosThe LeagueDeosil to Mystery
Sagremar I Zayden I GuerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Santiana i Aguera i ErigoThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Ser Caerwyn EyraDawnStraight on for Glory
Sigeferth MasinenWintermarkWiddershins by Riches
Sir DragonDawnStraight on for Glory
Solana I Zabala I ErigoThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
SvanWintermarkWiddershins by Riches
Swift WhisperleafNavarrStraight on for Glory
Tancred Enrico i Taziel i RiquezaThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Toca i Valiente i GuerraThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Tree BearNavarrDeosil to Mystery
Triska MarkovaVarushkaStraight on for Glory
Tristan de cendresDawnWiddershins by Riches
Umbar i Elba Stardo i GuerraThe Brass CoastStraight on for Glory
Urraca i Inez i RiquezaThe Brass CoastWiddershins by Riches
Valdi Blažena BorzyslawVarushkaDeosil to Mystery
Valentino CrassThe LeagueStraight on for Glory
Vegard VerysonWintermarkStraight on for Glory
Vrael i Sol-Devorador i ErigoThe Brass CoastDeosil to Mystery
Witold Stefanovic PetrovVarushkaWiddershins by Riches
XeniaUrizenDeosil to Mystery
Zola "The Liar"NavarrWiddershins by Riches

Pearls Before Swine

  • Fleet owners who did not receive a blessing from the eternal this season recovered a single black pearl
  • Those who turned Widdershins by Riches are offered two crowns each to deliver up to thirteen of these pearls to Rhianos

While many fleets have been sailing in search of riches and glory, the other Imperial fleets have been busy with other matters such as hunting monsters in the Sea of Snow, raiding the broken shore or trade with foreign ports. Despite their very different goals, each has had a single experience in common - the discovery of a strange black pearl.

Participation

Every fleet owner who didn't receive a boon from Rhianos for taking part in the Great Race this season but instead took another action has received a single cold black pearl in addition to any regular returns for their action. A ribbon and suitable phys-rep for the pearl will be in your pack.

Fleet owners are welcome to make up an appropriate story of their efforts to recover the pearl if they want to. You don't have to; some captains found a pearl quickly and easily, but several fleet owners have spent days and risked great danger to recover it. If your fleet would not have risked a short detour to help the eternal Rhianos recover the pearls, then you can hand the ribbon and phys-rep back to the GOD staff when you collect your pack.

In each case, at some point, while in Imperial waters, the fleet received directions from one of the eternal's heralds that led them directly to a single black pearl. In most cases, the diversion was short and in most cases it was uneventful, but not all. Some fleet owners ended up losing many days to the strange quest and in one incident a captain only narrowly averted disaster after one of the eternal's heralds, Second Strike, "forgot" to mention that the pearl was protected by one of the immature kraken released into the waters off Feroz.

The pearls seem to be a rare form of winter vis, like heart's blood. When activated, they count as a single crystal mana when used as part of a winter ritual. The pearls have a dismal aura of foreboding on them, but they seem innocuous, and they're clearly valuable to the right buyer. Why a Summer eternal would have any interest in such things, or indeed any knowledge of where they might be found, can only be guessed at. It is very clear that Coruscating Oarfish wants the pearls, yet the eternal's heralds absolutely refuse to touch them.

Perhaps the cold black pearls are simply part of the eternal's latest adventure for those who have travelled Widdershins by Riches. Those who sailed in search of plunder this season have returned with markedly less wealth than previous seasons, but they do receive a promise from Seadragon. The eternal is eager to destroy as many of the pearls as possible - so his heralds provide each captain who sought wealth with a magical scroll that will allow them to return a single pouch of up to thirteen pearls.

To use the scroll, a character would need to bring a pouch or small chest containing one or more pearls to the Imperial regio and activate it by casting operate portal on it. If that happens then heralds of the eternal will safely dispose of the pearls, providing the character with two crowns for each pearl returned, up to a maximum of thirteen. Heralds warn Imperial citizens not to attempt to deliver more than thirteen pearls at once.

Mystery Legacy

Every character who completed the Deosil to Mystery Voyage over two seasons has permanently gained an additional trading voyage option that allows them to return to the location they previously visited. This location represents a unique port that only your character can reach. By taking the appropriate trading action, your character is able to gain similar benefits to those they obtained the first time they visited this location, either through exchange with the people living there or through adventure or similar.

It is not possible to teach other characters to reach this location. At present, only your character can find the spot you previously visited. As mentioned last time, these locations are plot hooks that we may use at any point in the future. They are not active plot now - but at any point a writer might create a plot involving one of these locations. If we do use one, and your character is still alive and active in the system, then your character will be the only one who knows where that location is found and how to reach it.

Strange New Lands

  • Lorana i Maqez i Erigo is hoping to speak with cartographers and those who sailed Deosil to Mystery
  • They are looking to purchase and publish the best available map that has been produced
  • Lorana will be in the Anvil tavern at 1:30pm on Sunday
  • Those who found strange new lands on their journey can now return there if they choose

Lorana i Maqez i Erigo is a member of the Purple Sails, a sodality of merchants, sailors, captains and fleet owners dedicated to encouraging trade. The sodality has got wind of the fact that ship captains who sailed Deosil to Mystery returned with scraps of parchment showing various parts of the known world, which hitherto have not been mapped. The possibility that the Empire might be able to piece these fragments together and produce a rough map showing the outlines of Jarm, Asavea and other lands is of considerable interest to the sodality - but of course they would need to lay their hands on a copy of this map.

To that end, the sodality have nominated Lorana, a capable cartographer and experienced captain, to come to Anvil during the Summer Solstice with instructions to buy the best possible copy of any map that they can find. Their intention is to take this map and provide it to a printing house in Tassato who will then make copies of it available in good bookshops across the Empire.

Lorana i Maqez i Erigo has let it be known that they will be in the tavern at 1:30pm on Sunday of the Solstice. They will have four thrones on their person - with the intention to pay the citizen who offers the best looking copy of the map compiled from the fragments. They will, of course, need a physical copy of the map - whoever has the best looking copy of the map who is prepared to sell a physical copy will receive four thrones and see their work distributed across the Empire. Lorana would like to know the name or names of whichever cartographers produced the map so that the work can be suitably accredited.

There is a final gift from Windweaver. Now that the race is over, there is a chance for any captain that visited strange new lands by sailing "Deosil to Mystery" last season, can now return there, if they choose to do so. Visiting this location will take a season, just as it might if one sailed to a port in the Sumaah Republic or the Commonwealth. Fleet owners must always consider their options carefully, but they can be assured that whatever wealth the location provided on their first visit will now be permanently available to them. It is not possible for a captain to teach another character how to reach this location, so these unique ports will only be available to the original fleet owners who discovered them, provided they have a fleet.

The Winners Laurels
Every player whose character received the Straight on for Glory enchantment is encouraged to email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk with a name for their vessel and a short description of it. The description can include a minor magical effect of equivalent impact to the examples listed in the text. We will add your vessel's name and the description to the downtime system for your fleet if they are appropriate. The description must be minor in nature, sails like swan's wings are fine, a flying ship is not.

The Sea of Stars

  • Those who sailed Straight on for Glory experienced a final Voyage to the Sea of Stars
  • All characters whose fleets received the Straight on for Glory boon are invited to attend a meeting with the eternal and their heralds to talk of future adventures
  • There is a conjunction on Saturday evening at 10pm for 65 people
  • The eternal has asked the Archmage of Summer to send one or two capable musicians to accompany the captains
  • Any fleet that received the Straight on for Glory boon has been upgraded

The last leg of the great race seems almost anti-climatic at first, especially for those who endured the terrible storm last season or the suffered the deadly encounter the season before. The wind and waves are high at first, but nothing skilled sailors can't manage. They soon abate however leaving vessels that were seeking glory adrift for days on calm waters.

These doldrums seem to stretch out for weeks on end, and fears mount as rations run perilously low and supplies of water grow short. Then, when hope is at its nadir, the sails fill with a strange wind that fills the ships sails but never reaches the surface of the sea. The ship is sprung from gaol, speeding over a perfectly smooth sea. As the sun sets the waters grow clear as glass and fill with a thousand brilliant points of light, a reflection of the heavens above. As the moon rises its twin sister appears just below the prow, seemingly close enough to touch.

The ship sails for a single day on the Sea of Stars before it vanishes as inexplicably as it appeared, leaving the crew with nothing but memories of this strange voyage and peculiar dreams. Some dream of being a gull flying over distant seas, others of being a porpoise leaping through the waves, still others of being a cuttlefish deep beneath the surface exploring a wonderful garden of coral and anemones and flitting luminescent fish. They will recall echoes of those dreams as long as they live, waking sometimes with a bittersweet melancholy that fades quickly but leaves traces of itself behind in waking life.

More sensitive mariners are permanently changed by the experience; some quit the sea forever choosing to move inland. Not from fear, but from the certainty that nothing will match this moment of sublime connection to something vast and mysterious and wondrous. Others become consumed with the desire to keep sailing, becoming uncomfortable on land for any extended period of time. They are content only when the waves lap beneath them, with the smell of the ocean in their nostrils. Even more hard-headed sailors will find, in years to come, moments where they fancy they scent brine, or hear distantly the wheeling gulls or the murmuring of the waves and yearn to be away from their cares flying across a sea flat as a mirror beneath endless stars.

Everyone who visited the Sea of Stars is left with a powerful feeling that win or lose, they have achieved something remarkable, that they have seen something that very few other people alive in the world have ever experienced.

Returned from the enigmatic sea, and with barely a week or more remaining before the equinox, the vessels turn for home. The race is over, only one final opportunity remains. The heralds extend an invitation for the ship's captain to join them in the Shallow Woods near Woodwych on the other side of Casinea away from Anvil. There is a minor Summer regio there, so that on certain nights one can hear the sound of the sea if one listens carefully. Spume Sailor and some of their heralds will meet the captains there; the borders of the regio will be open and allow any who attend to cross over to the chamber at its heart. The eternal is eager to celebrate the triumph and to discuss what new adventures the captains intend to seek next.

RhianosArt.jpg

The invitation is just for those captains who have received the Straight on for Glory boon - but there is a conjunction for 65 people to go there on the Saturday evening at 10pm. The heralds ask anyone who needs one bring a chair to sit on, and everyone brings just enough food and drink to share with each other, in the hope that it will help create a convivial atmosphere. They provide a small jewelled brooch to each captain and tell those planning to attend to wear it prominently as it will be important on the evening. Only captains with a brooch will be permitted entry to the celebrations.

Well not quite only. Tide Dancer begs a boon of the Archmage of Summer - asking them to find one or two musicians who might be prepared to provide some entertainment by performing at the party. The eternal understands that the Summer archmage is very busy, but they hope that this request is a small thing that might be easily fulfilled without too much difficulty, given the many favours that the archmage asks of the regents of the Summer realm. The eternal offers a windborn pearl to each musician in exchange for their performance as well as a chance to be part of the evenings revelry and contemplations.

There is one final boon from Ocean Caller. The trials and tribulations endured by the fleets that did not deviate from the course that took them to victory in the race had provided lasting benefits to the crew. All fleets that received the Straight on for Glory boon have also been upgraded. Fleets that previously had two upgrades or less have been upgraded twice; fleets that had more than two existing upgrades have been upgraded once. These benefits reflect the skill and experience the crew have developed from the wonders they have seen on their extraordinary voyage.

Further Reading