Black Shard's Expedition

Black Shard's Expedition was a journey of exploration that was approved and funded by the *Holy Empire of the Beanland*, in hopes of gaining insight into the lands surrounding the Beanland, and any potential resources and spoils said lands might hold. Initially, the expedition marked a high point for the Beanland as a sign that the empire was exiting the dark period known as The Tragic Times, but soon after Black Shard left Beandenberg to begin his journey, the expedition quickly became another morbid affair that would haunt the minds of the Beanish people. Going from the start of the journey to complete disaster in the span of only a few hours, no other ventures in the Beanland's history have come close to the journey in terms of disappointment, and to this day, Black Shard's Expedition is used by the *Church of the Bean* and the Ministry as a cautionary tale.

## Background

Black Shard's Expedition was preceded by a period of serious strife and struggle in the Beanland known as *The Tragic Times.* As a result of this devastating period, the people of the Beanland were eager for any sign that fate was beginning to change in their favor. When rumors began spreading that a mysterious explorer named "*Black Shard the Navigator"* was planning an adventure into the unknown, the Ministry saw it as an opportunity to capitalize on Black Shard's skills to propel the Beanland into an era of exploration.

The Ministry summoned Black Shard in March of 2020 YOB to discuss their proposal to fund his expedition. In exchange for food, supplies, and lands within the empire should he return, the Ministry tasked the Navigator with mapping the lands he encountered in "Terra Incognita," and reporting back to the Ministry with information regarding the habitability, resources, and native populations of the places he found. While Black Shard was an agreeable sort, he was supposedly adamant that all he needed was *"food and boat"* in exchange for his services. It was only natural that the expedition should be approved, and preparations begun for the adventurer's journey.

## The Expedition

On March 9th, 2020 YOB, Black Shard set sail from the coast of the Beanland, heading southward. In this initial phase of the expedition, Black Shard was asked to sail beyond the known world, mark his map where he went, and return with his recordings so that cartographers in Beandenberg could create a more complete map to be used in a longer expedition in future. As the rowing vessel he was provided with wasn't designed for rough waters, he planned to follow the coastline as far as he could, sailing between smaller islands as he came across them.

By completing his task, Black Shard hoped to prove his abilities to the Ministry, so that they may provide him greater funds for a more complete expedition. However, what began as a stepping stone would prove to be a mountain of setbacks, unfortunate accidents, and catastrophe for the Navigator.

## The First and Second Attempts

Shortly after leaving the coast of the Beanland, Black Shard had only made it a short way down the coastline before his boat was attacked by *grindylows*, some of which were able to damage the ship and wound the Navigator with their tridents they threw from underneath the waves like javelins. In order to escape with his life, Black Shard was forced to dump most of his cargo into the surf, allowing him the speed needed to row to safety.

Upon returning to Beandenberg empty-handed, the Ministry decided to overlook the incident, as according to the Navigator, the losses were largely out of his control, and could still be recovered. All he needed to continue the expedition was *"more food and more boat."* However, his second attempt at navigating the coastline would prove no more successful than the first. While the Navigator could have chosen an alternate route to follow, he decided that retrieving the cargo he'd previously lost would greatly aid his journey, and returning to the Ministry what supplies he could salvage would help to cut losses. As Black Shard reached the site of the last attack, he was astonished to find much of his cargo still intact; however, this pleasant surprise was soon met with a painful reminder as to how he'd lost the cargo in the first place, as a second grindylow attack sent the explorer rowing back to Beandenberg once more, again wounded and with nothing to show for his troubles.

As to the exact details of Black Shard's struggle against the grindylow attacks, there is some matter of speculation and controversy. As the Beanland was still recovering from a time of severe economic hardship, records of the expedition show that the equipment provided to the Navigator was hardly of high quality, and most of his armor, weapons, and tools were well-used. One report even described the mail hauberk given to him as "So near the point of breaking that a single blow from any implement would likely shatter the bindings and render the mail useless." Considering this, it's a matter of debate as to whether Black Shard's failed attempts to navigate past the edge of the known world were entirely his fault, or largely to blame on his poor provisions.

## The Third Attempt

It is likely that the Ministry would have completely abandoned Black Shard's expedition at this point, but among the cargo the Navigator had jettisoned were several invaluable maps that the Ministry simply couldn't afford to lose. As a result, Lord Commodore Dorkus assigned himself to the expedition, tasking Black Shard with leading him to the sight of the attacks so he could retrieve the maps personally, as the Ministry's trust in the Navigator's abilities were dwindling.

Upon Black Shard's third arrival at the attack site, the additional aid from Lord Dorkus allowed the party of two to overcome their assailants and recover the supplies. Black Shard, now stocked with several journeys' worth of supplies, was more than prepared to continue the expedition, and at this point Lord Dorkus used a spare boat they'd brought along to return to Beandenberg with the lost maps.

## Black Shard's Disappearance

When Lord Dorkus returned to Beandenberg with news of their success, a new excitement was aroused for the expedition; however, this new enthusiasm began to dwindle when after some time, Black Shard failed to appear on the horizon. Before long, it became clear to the people of the Beanland that another incident had befallen the Navigator -- only this time, he hadn't returned to tell of it. Sure that they'd seen him off for the last time, the Ministry doused the fire that was the expedition once and for all.

Like the encounters with the grindylows, much of Black Shard's disappearance is surrounded in mystery and intrigue. While it wasn't uncommon for sailors and fishermen to disappear near the edge of the world, signs of the dead were rarely found after such disappearances, leading some to believe that lost seamen may still be out there. One confirmed case of this was the unexpected return of Lord Dorkus himself, who disappeared for several moons during an expedition in 2019 YOB before returning to the Beanland, long after he'd been given up for dead. Unfortunately, such cases are incredibly rare, and most had assumed that should Black Shard still be alive, he was unlikely to ever set foot in the Beanland again.

## Black Shard's Return

Unfortunately for the Ministry, Black Shard did indeed set foot in the Beanland again. While attempting to deal with a local loitering problem, Lord Delinquent-Wrangler Dorkus spotted an individual rowing ashore off the coast of Beandenberg. The rowboat made it's way to land, and Lord Dorkus was baffled to find that the man in the boat was none other than Black Shard, who'd been declared "very legally dead" almost a week prior. Not only was the Navigator alive, but he returned with news that shook the Beanland to its core.

During his expedition, Black Shard discovered what he referred to as "a mountainous continent of unfathomable beauty." Upon landing there, he also encountered an individual who was native to the continent, whom he called "Dim Bones." The Navigator was stricken by the majesty of this new land, but believing that the Empire and the Ministry would bring nothing but ruin in search of gold and glory, he declared that he himself would rule over this new land. As the continent fell out of the Ministry's jurisdiction, and there was no clause in the expedition contract on the ancient and respected tradition of the Law of Dibs, the Ministry was forced to accept Black Shard's claim on the new world... for the time being.

Soon, Black Shard returned to his new home, which he named Fjall. Today, Fjall is still recognized as an official state under the watchful, all-seeing eye of the Ministry; whether or not its sovereignty remains intact, however, is to be decided by the hands of fate.