Pirate Adventures

Pirate Adventures is a Homebrew campaign hosted by Arthur. This campaign utilises the Gritty Realism Variant Rules (GRR), which makes a short rest eight hours and a long rest seven days. Because of the many days sailing at sea, GRR gives a greater sense of danger between encounters as the players take longer to recover.

Season 1 was first posted to YouTube on 20th September 2019, where the campaign ran semi-weekly until Session 44, where "Season 1" ended. The cast picked up where they left off with Season 2 with Session 45 on 14th June 2023.

## Cast

Dungeon Master: Arthur

Players:

* Dan - Alarias
* Dom - Tortle Tim
* Haiss\* - Zoro Roronoa/Umbra Mortiary
* Louise\* - Taska
* Matt - Kethra Stormbringer/Elizora Estiedieu
* Sunny - Gruzeel Nargaro/Vaela Crescent

\*Louise is a "drop-in drop-out" player who will play in some sessions on an irregular basis, Haiss participated from the start until session 52.

## Introduction

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Below is an early concept idea of Pirate Adventures shared to the players on 9th February 2018.

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The world is different after the flood; barely any land left is worth a damn. People have made islands out of wood and shipwrecks. More tribes than civilised folk populate the small islands left. The world is mainly water, and because of that, if you're not on a small island, you're on a ship as part of a crew. Some honest folk are on the seas, but even they know how to protect themselves. Mostly, it's a sea of pirates, traders, those trying to restore civilisation and some people just trying to survive… who will you be?

Captain Bloodbeard provided the map of Flood to Kethra after they managed to bring the Bonebreaker back to the mortal coil and become their own crew.

## Crew of the Boneblade

### Officers

* Captain: Vaela Crescent
* First Mate: Elizora Estiedieu
* Quartermaster: Berry
* Navigator: No-Eyed Bill
* Boatswain: Alarias
* Doctor: Tortle Tim
* Master of Arms: Hark Synthis

### Crew

* Chef: Tiff
* Lookout: Elizora's Familiar (Usually a Hawk)
* Helmsman: Phelton
* Carpenter: Doward
* Musician: Chenwick
* Specialist Deckhands
	+ Elaina Steeltongue
	+ Temerin Balin
* Deckhands: 11
* Lizardfolk Deckhands: 2

### Allies

* Slayer
* Phineas Balin
* Pirate Council
	+ Captain Tyrell Bolt of the Lightning Rod
	+ Captain Halon Koi of Poseidon's Grace
	+ Captain Odana Eagle-eye of the Dancing Drake
	+ Captain Gandrik Dorado of the Amethyst Baron
	+ Captain Dolon Shade of the Eclipse
	+ Captain Charley Cross of the Temple

### Dead Crew

* Kethra Stormbringer
* Alwyn Sailswater
* Treelifter
* Bjorn Ironside
* Archer
* Gruzeel Nargaro
* Deckhands: 6
* Lizardfolk: 1

### Enemies

* The Fleet
	+ Commodore Krelig Kaine
	+ Zoro Roronoa
* The Slimes Crime Family
* Johnny Four-fingers

## Sessions

### Season 1

#### A Crew for Bloodbeard

Pirate Adventures 1 - The Slayer's Nightmare - The finalised crew of The Cutlass make their introductions and start their journey by helping a friend of Captain Bloodbeard, Slayer the Monster Hunter, hunt and kill a Nightmare. After the fight, the crew unwind with talk of Artefacts, The Fleet and Zoro's suspicious origins from the isle of Kenshima.

Pirate Adventures 2 - What a Dreamboat - A contest of strength between Zoro and Kethra builds comradery for bragging rights as the strongest fighter between the two. Kethra collects her winnings while Zoro drowns their sorrows with Gruzeel and Tim. The crew sail to The Dreamboat, a floating city for rest, pleasure and sanctuary for all pirates. The crew split up into different rooms throughout The Dreamboat, listen to rumours, barter for goods and relax until the lights go out and a murder is committed.

Pirate Adventures 3 - A Killer Mystery - In lockdown on The Dreamboat, its Captain, Jean Javaleux, takes stock of the crime scene and identifies potential suspects or witnesses that could provide helpful information on who may have murdered Old Man Nebburn. Tim discovers some long-dead bodies and shares his findings while Captain Jean Javaleux announces a Doppelgänger has infiltrated the ship. People are paired with guards to ensure the Doppelgänger cannot make any body swaps. Zoro, the friendly guy he is, agrees to go to the bathroom with a guardsperson, and while in there, the Doppelgänger takes Zoro's form and sword! Both bodies of Zoro break out into the main foyer, and the Cutlass' crew try to figure out who is the true Zoro. Fortunately, Zoro's stubbornness wins out, and the Doppelgänger is revealed. A short scuffle later, the Doppelgänger lies dead with the final notes of Old Man Nebburn leading to the ghost ship of Crenulas Crossbones.

Pirate Adventures 4 - Good Greef - Using the coordinates found on Old Man Nebburn, the Cutlass sails west for the ghost ship of Crenulas Crossbones. Captain Bloodbeard reveals further clues as to their interest in the mystical Artefacts of Flood. While sailing, the Cutlass hits a reef, and while some crew investigate the damage from the reef, they are attacked by Koalinths. A closely fought battle ends with some crew downed, but all survived.

Pirate Adventures 5 - Witch Way? - A missing Zoro is found swimming in the middle of the sea by Johnny Four Fingers, and the two make sail for land in the same direction Zoro was swimming in. After a few days of travel, land and Zoro are spotted by the Cutlass, reuniting the lost crewmate. After a few more days of travel, Captain Bloodbeard spots the Witch's Way shop, and some crew are dispatched to gather supplies. Merv and Tellna bemoan their cursed existence while trying to peddle strange wares, hoping someone would buy them. Deals are made, and the Cutlass continues its journey west to the ghost ship of Crenulas Crossbones.

Pirate Adventures 6 - Oh Boy - A scream during the night rouses some of the crew, and when they go to investigate, they find Billy the Kid talking of something attacking them in the night, a nightmare shared by Tim. The crew looks around the ship to try to assuage the boy's fears, but a fruitless search leaves the crew to return to bed. After a few more days of travel, Billy the Kid is missing, and the entire ship works to try and find Billy in fear that he jumped ship last night. Eventually, searching the ship's depths, Alarias spots a monster only seen in reflections. A short fight later, the Skulk is killed, and Billy's last remnants are found. After a few sombre final days of sailing, the Cutlass reaches its destination: the ghost ship of Crenulas Crossbones. They await for moonlight to reveal the ghost ship, and the crew goes aboard searching for treasure.

Pirate Adventures 7 - Bonefied Ghost Ship - On the ghost ship of Crenulas Crossbones, the crew comes across a horrifying visage of Lenton Tumnith (Captain Creunlas Crossbones' former First Mate), who physically ages Tim 20 years. By pure luck, the crew convince Lenton they are there to help and end whatever curse has befallen Lenton. In exchange for assisting Lenton, Lenton will point the crew toward the Scimitar last wielded by Crenulas Crossbones. Kethra agrees to be possessed to allow Lenton to travel the ship and assess the damage. During the search, skeletal figures attack, downing Tim and forcing Lenton to possess Tim to stabilise him and prevent Tim from dying. Further searching reveals another trapped soul, Donnie, hiding in fear of the skeletal figures scattered throughout the ship. The crew, finding the rock trapping the ghost ship, work to lift the vessel from the rock using a mix of strength and acid. Finally free, the crew used the ship's resources to repair the hole, the main mast and the helm. With the ship repaired, Lenton sails the ship for the last time. As dawn comes, the curse is lifted, and the ship is restored to its former glory for Lenton to gift the ship to those who helped lift the curse.

#### Making a Name for Ourselves

Pirate Adventures 8 - Captain, My Captain - With the ship restored to its former glory as The Bonebreaker and no more enemies to be found, the crew get familiar with the ship until they can be reunited with the Cutlass. Together, the crew of the Bonebreaker petitioned Captain Bloodbeard for provisions and his blessing to go out and voyage under now Admiral Bloodbeard as part of Bloodbeard's new fleet. Zoro decides to remain on the Cutlass as they sail northwest to Crenulas Crossbones' Scimitar. Admiral Bloodbeard agrees to meet with the Bonebreaker south in Fleet waters for a potential prison break. The crew of the Bonebreaker voted Kethra as Captain and Gruzeel as Quartermaster and renamed the ship the Boneblade.

Pirate Adventures 9 - Maiden Voyage - The crew discuss options for their first heading, with Alarias providing his knowledge of different locations. They decide to sail south to a known black market location for supplies and to find some new crew. After a week of sailing, the Boneblade passes an island with a recent shipwreck. Deciding to stop and investigate, the crew find a sole survivor: Elaina Steeltongue, The Three Clawed Devil. With Elaina and the Boneblade heading in the same direction, Elaina joins the crew until the Boneblade reaches Elaina's destination. After a further week of sailing, the Boneblade arrives at the floating black market searching for a chef and other crew volunteers. The first potential new crew member met is Umbra Mortiary, a budding artificer with a penchant for potions. During the interview with Umbra, a group of Sahuagin attack!

Pirate Adventures 10 - Hostile Takeover - The fight ensues, allowing Umbra to showcase their fighting ability to the prospective crew. They were hard fought by all, with some close calls on whether someone in the crew would die. The fight ends with all of the Sahuagin dispatched and a single shark left, spared to flee and tell its family what befell the attacking party that day.

Pirate Adventures 11 - Four Finger Discount - Kethra interviews Umbra and lays out the ground rules for Umbra to be able to join the crew of the Boneblade. The rest of the crew goes shopping for supplies for the ship but fails in negotiations as the price continues to rise until the negotiation ends without purchasing any goods. As they explore the marketplace further, the crew overhear different calls to adventure before following their nose to Tiff, the Quickling chef suffering under the Toadfather. After tasting the delicious food, the crew unanimously decided to enquire about what it would take to end Tiff's indentured contract. With the Son of the Toadfather found, the crew discover the price for Tiff, a favour equal to Tiff's life debt to be called upon within a year and a slime mark on one of the crew to be called upon. After a brief discussion, the crew decides that Johnny Four-Fingers is the perfect person to receive the mark, and they all go together to complete the transaction. Unfortunately for Johnny, he is recognised as a thief, and the Son of the Toadfather offers to call in the favour now to swap Tiff for Johnny. Gruzeel and Kethra deal with the internal strife of handing over Johnny, consigning him to death in return for Tiff and settling the favour immediately.

Pirate Adventures 12 - Blast From the Future - Gruzeel struggles with the decision to hand over Johnny, confronted with how different life is on Flood compared to his previous plane of existence. Kethra proposes to spin Johnny's demise as a sacrifice to preserve the crew's morale and swears vengeance on the Slimes to avenge Johnny when the Boneblade is strong enough to take the Slimes down. When they arrive on the Boneblade, Kethra gives her version of events to the officers, much to the confusion of Berry, who disbelieves Kethra's words. While sailing south in the evening, Gruzeel's friend from his previous plane of existence, Aramil, appears in front of Gruzeel. Aramil's last few breaths speak of victory and comradery to Gruzeel, urging him to find the "Timekeeper in the East Sea" to get Gruzeel home. Tim and Umbra work to "preserve the body" by stuffing it into a barrel filled with wine and salt water. Gruzeel recounts the time he spent with his old friend while the rest of the crew inspected Aramil Arnayus's last belongings.

Pirate Adventures 13 - There's Something About Umbra - The morning after Aramil's appearance, Kethra investigates the evening's excitement of the death and speedy desecration of Aramil at the hands of Umbra and Tim. A contentious discussion is had between Tim and Kethra around the exact wording and phrasing of the rules for Umbra, with Tim vehemently defending Umbra's rights. Kethra demands the due care and respect to be applied to Gruzeel's old ally. Kethra gathers the officers to further discuss Umbra, who is best placed to supervise him, what role is best suited instead of Assistant Surgeon, and where Umbra should be situated rather than the Infirmary. Umbra is relocated to the bottom of the ship to a "Morgue" and demoted to Mortician.

Pirate Adventures 14 - The Taska at Hand - When Tim informs Umbra of the demotion and relocation to the "Morgue", Tim gets upset and accepts an experimental draft from Umbra with extremely uninformed consent. Alarias attempts to comprehend Aramil's notebook but is viciously attacked by the notebook's defence mechanisms. While sailing, the Boneblade almost crashes into a smaller ship piloted by Kethra's friend Taska. A short reunion informs the crew that Taska knows of a strip of land that can be utilised to perform Aramil's rites. Tim awakens to discover the results of Umbra's experiment, leaving Tim with mouths on his hands. Chaos ensues with the crew trying to understand what happened to Tim, what can be done to undo the changes, what Umbra's motivations were, and whether Umbra was working maliciously against Tim or whether Umbra experimented on Tim with "good" intentions. When the Boneblade arrives at the island, the crew prepare Aramil's body for burial rites, and Taska investigates Aramil's notebook. Taska shares the notebook's contents, speaking of Aramil's experimentation and eventual success of a "Universe Shift" spell. The crew lay Aramil to rest on a pyre to the gentle sounds of Berry's singing.

Pirate Adventures 15 - I Come Boaring Gifts - After Aramil's funeral, the crew return to the Boneblade. Alarias and Kethra hash things out with Umbra, who suffered stress being apart from his brain in a jar while locked in the brig. Kethra tasked Umbra with solving a memory loss issue for one of the crew members, offering Umbra a hard rule for any potion he makes. Umbra shall be the first recipient and Kethra the second until the successful brew has been concocted to be shared with the affected people. After sleeping under a red moon, Gruzeel is visited by a Balor that leaves a black mark on Gruzeel's chest and steals a metal rod Gruzeel took from Aramil's pyre. The Balor is a demon believed to be an underling of Lockar, one of the ferrymen and after the Artefacts scattered throughout Flood. When Gruzeel is informed of the new arrangement, Gruzeel comes up with an idea to use the animals summoned from his bag of tricks for Umbra's experiments to help eliminate potential side effects from Umbra's potions.

#### The Prison Break

Pirate Adventures 16 - Pain in the Neck - The Boneblade finally receives a sign to meet Admiral Bloodbeard sans Scimitar Artefact and the Cutlass, with Bloodbeard informing all of the prison break plans. With both crews reunited, Tim seeks out Linter, who fortunately can remove the accursed mouth hands and undo Tim's ageing. The crews have a party to relieve stress and build camaraderie before the prison break, where they sail south towards Shackleton in Fleet waters. At Shackleton, the crews weigh anchor in fog and take longboats to the shore, split to their tasks as the Boneblade crew enter a cave searching for new crew members. In the cave, the Boneblade crew sneak through, taking on the guards within to clear the path behind them for when they eventually find prisoners to rescue.

Pirate Adventures 17 - Almost Unnaturally Swole - Fighting in the caves continues, with the Boneblade crew just about surviving the onslaught using Umbra's many voices to send guards in another direction. After defeating the guards that stayed behind, the crew explored the cave further until they found an opening with a group of prisoners, which the crew worked to free as potential recruits.

Pirate Adventures 18 - Tortle & the Snare - With the crew managing to free the prisoners in the area of the cave they found, Tim attempts to escort the freed people to the longboat and onto the Boneblade. Unfortunately, while moving back to the longboat, unknown assailants grab the prisoners one at a time until all have been recaptured, including Tim! The rest of the crew, waiting in the cave for Tim to return, decide they have been waiting too long. Gruzeel, utilising his tracking skills, finds and identifies the area Tim was captured in. Gruzeel follows the tracks assumed to have taken Tim to an area of the beach with more Fleet officers. Finding Tim in shackles before the Fleet officers, the Boneblade crew watch in hiding as Admiral Bloodbeard is dragged, bruised and bloody before the Fleet officers. Commodore of the Fleet, Krelig Kaine, sentences Bloodbeard to death, takes the Cutlass as his prize and reveals Zoro as a "War dog" for the Fleet handing over the Scimitar Artefact. The Commodore "graciously" allows the Boneblade and its crew to leave, gifting a longboat for Kethra to take Tim and Bloodbeard's body back to the Boneblade. On the Boneblade, deckhands from the Cutlass and some freed prisoners are there. However, the Cutlass officers seem to have been taken by the Fleet. With Bloodbeard's body requiring a Pirate Council funeral, the Boneblade sets sail north to The Wreckage in a sombre mood.

#### A Twist of Fate

Pirate Adventures 19 - Caressing The Mast - Sailing north, the Boneblade crew discuss their options, and Alarias confesses their relationship with the Commodore. To the surprise of all, Alarias' confession of his past transgressions against Bloodbeard sets the crew on edge. Kethra recounts the Commodore's frustrations of not having access to Alarias, proving that since Alarias' accident and subsequent memory loss, Alarias has not been working with the Commodore. With the tension settled, the crew decided to sail for Tortilla Island and try to understand their new crew to assign roles. During the night, the skeletal remains of Crenulas Crossbones attack Kethra to regain control of the ship. Kethra raises the alarm, and the entire crew is roused to attack Crenulas Crossbones.

Pirate Adventures 20 - Chain Reaction - The body of Crenulas Crossbones disintegrates in many directions, scattering bone all over the Main Deck of the Boneblade. Each bone sprouts into another skeletal body and continues the fight further. With help from all crew members and Umbra's feat of Inspiration, they finish off the remaining skeletons and restore order to the ship. Alarias discovers Umbra's gruesome methods uses to understand a captured prisoner's brain and extrapolates his findings for a memory potion. While sailing to Bosty, the crew spot an island near the centre circle, which they decide is worth sailing towards. When they arrive at the island, the crew investigate and forages for food until an ominous voice demands to know why the crew of the Boneblade disturbs their island. A young bronze dragon reveals itself in the fog, understanding the Boneblade crew are noble enough to ask for assistance.

Pirate Adventures 21 - Chromatically Incorrect - On the island, the young bronze dragon takes the crew through a cave system with many different maturities of bronze dragons until they are led to an Ancient Bronze Dragon laying on its horde of gold. The ancient dragon talks of a contract between Joneptia and dragons, with the Chromatics (Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White) currently residing over the Dragon's Spire. If the "Dragon Egg" were stolen, the contract would be broken, allowing the Metallics (Brass, Bronze, Copper, Gold, and Silver) to contest the Dragon's Spire and return home. The ancient dragon discusses how the crew can best facilitate entering the Dragon's Spire and getting the Dragon Egg by seeking Jedidiah Fireflood in "the Sky Islands," which the crew would need to know how to fly to reach. As the crew leave the cave, they are guided to a buried treasure as a sign of good faith. The treasure is a magical broadsword that deals lightning damage, which Kethra dubs The Storm Sword. During the long sail to Tortilla Island, Umbra progresses their study in his memory potion and identifies which specialised materials Umbra needs. The Boneblade enters a hurricane, and the crew fights against the storm to prevent it from taking the Boneblade under the waves.

Pirate Adventures 22 - Rolling in the Deep - The Boneblade requires minor repairs after the hurricane ends. The crew stopped sailing, made their repairs, foraged for more food, and provided a small respite from the hurricane's stress. Tim leads a portion of the crew to forage deep in the water and spots an underwater ruin he wants to investigate. Realising they need more backup to take a look, they swim back to the Boneblade but are attacked by Drowned and are dragged deeper towards the ruins. As they reach the platform of the ruins, more Drowned appear, but Tim and Alwyn manage to escape and return to the Boneblade. On the Boneblade, Tim and Alwyn begin to suffer from fever, with blue oils oozing out of them. Tim successfully reverses the illness's effects on himself but goes to Umbra to propose a plan to capture one of the Drowned to experiment on and see how they can utilise the disease to gift others with water breathing. Because Kethra decided not to move the ship on after Tim's warning of Drowned, when the Boneblade raised the anchor to leave, Drowned attacked. The Boneblade crew defeated all the drowned and left the area, but some of the crew had ominous blue boils over them.

Pirate Adventures 23 - BLUROT-598 - Kethra, Gruzeel and some crew become infected with Bluerot, an uncomfortable disease with the infected presenting fever with blue boils that spread through touch. Due to the problematic nature of their journey, Tim cannot heal the crew fast enough to stop the disease from spreading, with Umbra taking control to quarantine the infected. Umbra takes the initiative to drain the boils, which increases the chances of survival, but if the person cannot shake the disease after treatment, they are unlikely to live. Gruzeel recovers from the ordeal, but four crew members die, while the rest of the infected crew survives thanks to Umbra's treatment. Kethra refuses treatment from Umbra irrespective of her difficulty with the disease, and unfortunately, Kethra's stubbornness leads to her death. In death, Kethra is offered a means to be revived by one of the ferrymen. Kethra refuses to be a servant of such beings, and her soul is sent violently to eternal torment in Dracorath.

#### Captain Gruzeel Nargaro

Pirate Adventures 24 - Duality of Man - The crew discover Kethra's fate, and Umbra takes Kethra to the morgue until a funeral can be held. Gruzeel gathers the crew to vote for a new Captain and Quartermaster. The crew decides now is not the right time to vote for a new Captain, and Gruzeel will fulfil the duties of Captain and Quartermaster until someone can show themselves to be a capable new Captain. Gruzeel distributes some of Kethra's belongings across the crew while taking Kethra's Storm Sword for himself as a token of being Captain. During the evening, Gruzeel is visited by a Dwarf arriving suddenly and just in time to warn the Boneblade that a meteor is about to crash into them. When the meteor crashes into the water, Brimmy Blackwater asks Gruzeel whether the Boneblade will help Brimmy extract some Starmetal from the meteor. Gruzeel, being accommodating, allows the Boneblade to offer help, and Brimmy promises to give Gruzeel a gift once Brimmy has sorted out the Starmetal. In the morning, a person is spotted overboard being chased by a Fleet vessel. Bringing the individual onboard reveals Vaela in distress and demanding to come aboard while the Fleet vessel reaches out for communication.

Pirate Adventures 25 - Needing a Lift - Gruzeel and Vaela grapple with command of the Boneblade while the Fleet vessel engages the Boneblade in combat. Some crew try to shove Vaela off the Boneblade while the Fleet vessel tries to negotiate a means to "recover stolen goods". Vaela, refusing to be discarded, fires upon the Fleet vessel and manages to damage the sails, hampering the Fleet's ability to keep chase. Alarias speaks with Captain Tiberius via a Sending Stone and attempts to subdue the Fleet's interest in Vaela until the Boneblade can escape. Gruzeel tries to deal with the insurrection and, with Tim and Alarias' help, reclaims control with the insubordinate crew sent to the brig. The Boneblade damages the Fleet vessel enough to escape, and the officers gather with Vaela to discuss where they all stand. The price for Vaela to stay on the Boneblade is to surrender the stolen rapier the Fleet was chasing, along with informing Vaela of the proper etiquette for being a Captain and not attempting to usurp control as soon as they come aboard.

Pirate Adventures 26 - Be About Your Business - Gruzeel claims the title of Captain and works to instil his regime by redistributing some roles to officers and inviting a vote for Quartermaster. Tim reveals the unfortunate fate of the crew member taken to the brig as Tim and Umbra claim that the crew member was attempting to fight out of the brig, which caused Umbra and Tim to intervene. The officers investigate the brig, and while Tim and Umbra's story is not disproven, their story is certainly not entirely believed. The dead crew member is moved to lie with the rest of the deceased crew, as their side of the story will never be heard. When the vote comes, Berry is voted as Quartermaster unanimously, and the Boneblade continues to sail to Tortilla Island. Arriving at Tortilla Island, the Boneblade crew finds Elizora Estiedieu, a travelling researcher pursuing Artefacts, along with Bjorn, who both seek to join a ship's crew. While introductions are being made, lightning strikes the island, and the assembled people go to investigate to find Benjamin Buckle fighting an unknown seaweed-covered assailant.

Pirate Adventures 27 - A Bundle of Joilyyf - Benjamin Buckle and the Boneblade crew fight the Kraken Priest with rain and lightning coming down and causing difficulty to see. The crew manage to kill the Kraken Priest, but their staff sustains magical energy, with the fighting stopping when the staff's crystal is destroyed. Benjamin informs the crew of his new purpose as a protector of the island and disciple of Joilyyf. Benjamin takes Tim to where they can both communicate with Joilyyf. Umbra and Alarias search the island for the Moonshade plant that should help Umbra's research for the memory potion, and Gruzeel takes Elizora to see Bloodbeard's body. Elizora attempts to search Bloodbeard's body but declines to explain why, which Gruzeel dislikes, causing both to become aggressive. Tim meets with the presence of Joilyyf, who has grown in power but asks Tim to convert more followers to help Joilyyf gain further power.

Pirate Adventures 28 - Head & Flowers - Alarias and Umbra find a Moonshade plant. However, their attempt to gather the plant is thwarted by Joilyyf's defences when trying to harvest an immature plant and shows the way to an older plant that can be harvested. Gruzeel and Elizora are still at odds over whether Elizora can search Bloodbeard's body and bring in Berry to try and mediate things further. Elizora reveals Berry's familial links to Bloodbeard, and Berry confirms that Elizora is an ally of Bloodbeard and even helped to start Bloodbeard's interest in Artefacts. With permission to search the body, Elizora finds a list containing all known Artefacts with rumours of their scattered locations. On seeing the bounties Joilyyf can provide Tim, Umbra wishes to convert to a follower. Together with Tim, they seek to gain more followers for Joilyyf by promising more gifts to come. During the evening, the Boneblade crew pay their respects to the crew members who died from Bluerot, with Kethra's body being dragged down into the depths by a tentacle.

Pirate Adventures 29 - A Changeling of Heart - With the dead sent to the rest, the Boneblade makes sail for Bosty, and the Officers and Elizora discuss their plan of action for what to try to sell. Elizora recalls that a wizard based on Bosty can help appraise some of their magic items and potentially purchase any miscellaneous spell components the Boneblade crew may have to offer. After the meeting, Tim rushes off to save a drowning Umbra, who had disguised themselves as one of the dead crew to try and bypass the ship's rules. During Umbra's rescue, Umbra is revealed to be a Changeling and, in distress, changes to Tim's form, which causes Tim to cry out in alarm and alert the entire crew of their presence. With both forms of Tim brought back aboard the Boneblade, Umbra confesses their true nature as a Changeling and reverts to the form Umbra used when he met the crew. Gruzeel imposes new rules on Umbra, Elizora and any other shape changers in the crew. The Boneblade arrives at Bosty, but a significant Fleet presence exists around the island. The Boneblade crew make their way to Phineas Balin the Wizard, near the mountain of Bosty, where Elizora makes introductions.

#### The Isle of Bosty

Pirate Adventures 30 - Snickerjacks - After introductions, Phineas tells the crew of an issue with a portal and an intimidating creature that emerged from it. Elizora negotiates a suitable fee for their efforts to help, and they all go to the source of the issue. In the dark room, an angry Barlgura awaits. The crew manage to fire off a small barrage of spells before the Barlgura leaps into their vicinity to slam down a vicious attack, taking down Elizora and Alarias. The rest of the crew managed to take out the Barlgura, stabilise Elizora and Alarias, and investigate the room for other assailants. Gruzeel is spoken to telepathically and ascertains that another enemy is invisible. With help, Tim manages to sense the invisible creature and attack it, revealing a Shadow Demon. The crew manages to take down the now visible Shadow Demon and find no other enemies. However, the portal is still open, threatening more to come through.

Pirate Adventures 31 - Like Eating Fish in a Barrel - With the fighting over, the crew work with Phineas to appraise their magic items while the rest recover from their injuries. Due to Tim's promises of great power, Phineas' son Temerin offers to join the crew in the hope Tim will be able to restore Temerin's missing limbs and, in exchange, provide magical assistance. Elizora and Tim take the body of the slain Barlgura to a section of beach away from the prying eyes of the Fleet to be studied by Umbra, while Gruzeel and Alarias go into the town to meet up with one of the crew left in the town to gather intel on the strange Fleet presence on Bosty. While trying to return to the Boneblade, a crew member throws up on a Fleet Officer's shoes, who forces Gruzeel to embarrassingly clean the sick off the boots. Throwing the crew member into the Brig, Gruzeel tries to glean the information gathered, which points to treasure, the ship of Rodger Reginald (the original pirate captain) and hags on an Island shaped like an elephant.

Pirate Adventures 32 - Pearly Whites & Library Lights - After discussing their plans, the officers of the Boneblade disperse to tend to their duties before regrouping and heading back to Phineas Balin's home to gather their reward and have a spot of dinner. It is quickly noticed that Elaina is missing, and there is no sign of her anywhere. The crew and Elizora's hawk familiar searched for Elaina while the rest headed back to the Balin's for a Heroes Feast. After dinner, Phineas appraises the final batch of magic items Alarias kept of Aramil's, including an orb of unknown origin that Phineas cannot properly comprehend. The crew is allowed access to the library to investigate and learn answers to questions they seek. During their time in the library, Elizora realises the extent of Phineas' memory issues extends further than the odd slip. In the short time between seeing Phineas that morning, Phineas had forgotten the times they had met Elizora. Elizora and Phineas had been working together for the best part of the last half-century, where they would share notes on Artefacts and other business. Elizora had not even met Temerin before, whose age meant they should have met during one of Elizora's previous visits. Further research in the library reveals Phineas could be selling parts of his memory in return for other information. The crew returned to the Boneblade with Temerin alongside to join their journey.

Pirate Adventures 33 - Tim & the Giant Preach - Elizora's hawk spotted Elaina running somewhere in the forest of the Island of Bosty. Gruzeel decides to wait until the morning to make any attempt to retrieve Elaina, and the crew returns to the Boneblade. That evening, Tim provides a rousing sermon of Joilyyf to the entire crew of the Boneblade and starts to convert the crew into followers of Joilyyf. Tim and Umbra take Temerin to Umbra's Morgue and, behind closed doors, "restore" Temerin's arms. After Umbra's efforts, Tim and Umbra make a point of showing Temerin with their arms back to amaze the crew, converting some of the crew into followers of Joilyyf. The actual Temerin's arms would be restored within two weeks, but the show is enough to finalise the conversion of followers to Joilyyf. After the sermon, Elizora's hawk spots Elaina being walked with an old lady into a hut with the dead body of a Tiefling hanging from a tree. The crew try to move the Boneblade closer to where Elaina was last seen to try and save Elaina before anything terrible happens to her.

Pirate Adventures 34 - The Crone's Nest - When the Boneblade arrives at the area of cliffs closest to the hut Elaina was taken into, the crew work to attach a rope to the cliff to allow the rescue party to climb the cliff. The rescue party goes to the hut and scouts the area to better understand the situation. Elizora's Owl familiar sees two old ladies assumed to be hags working in their stone hut with a calm Elaina drinking a hot liquid that seems to be calming Elaina. Gruzeel and Bjorn knock on the door and are permitted entry into the hut in an attempt to retrieve Elaina without any fighting. The rest of the rescue party waits outside, ready to attack if needed. The hags initially prevent Gruzeel from speaking to Elaina directly, but after a thorough introduction, the hags relent and move upstairs in the hut, allowing Gruzeel to inspect Elaina closely. Elaina seems unable to communicate through any means other than blinking and indicates to Gruzeel that she is there against her will. Fighting breaks out with Gruzeel paralysed and Bjorn transformed into a rat, with the outside rescue party trying to overcome magical wards to get in.

Pirate Adventures 35 - Blood, Sweat & Fears - The fighting with the hags and the magical wards continues; Gruzeel overcomes his paralysis and attacks one of the hags inside. Elizora summons tentacles inside the hut to attack the hag carrying Bjorn in rat form while the rest whittle down the magical wards on the hut. Bjorn the rat is taken into a cage, and the magical wards break, allowing the hags to target people outside the hut, unfortunate for Tim and Umbra, who are knocked down by a lightning bolt. A third hag who had been invisible outside takes the opportunity to attack Elizora and Slayer, leaving Gruzeel to fend for himself inside the hut. Gruzeel manages to fend off the worst of the hag's attacks, while Alarias manages to hurt one but is left frightened in retribution. Elizora's Owl takes Bjorn in rat form, locked in a magical cage, and drops the cage from a height in an attempt to break it while also returning Bjorn to their original state. Bjorn reverts to their normal form, but the cage does not break, leaving deep wounds in Bjorn's skin. Gruzeel and Slayer each manage to kill a hag despite their attempt at surrender; the last hag turns invisible and manages to escape. Elizora stabilises Tim, but Umbra succumbs to death, and his soul begins to be taken by a shadowy-winged figure. Alarias perceives Umbra's soul being taken but then shortly returned with Umbra stabilised and alive.

Pirate Adventures 36 - Bjorn to be Wild - Gruzeel and Elizora investigate the rest of the hut and find a hidden door, assuming it's what the final hag escaped through. Elizora's Owl and Bjorn search for where the last hag might have tried to escape. Bjorn sprints north in a rage while Elizora's Owl spots the hag moving south. The hag appears to have transformed into a beautiful woman to convince a group of Fleet soldiers that pirates attacked her. Knowing that the Fleet soldiers are on their way, Gruzeel orders the crew to grab whatever they can from the hut and return to the ship. Elaina is still affected by whatever spell the hags cast on her, so the crew is forced to carry Elaina and move slower. Elizora sets fire to the hut, and Alarias attempts to cover their tracks as they go. Bjorn realises he has gone in the wrong direction, heads back to the hut, sees it in flames and, at random, runs in the same direction as the rest of the crew. The crew manage to get close to the cliff where the Boneblade is waiting, but Bjorn catches up with five Fleet soldiers following closely behind. The chase begins with Bjorn deciding to attack their pursuers head-on. Alarias and Elizora use their magic to slow the Fleet soldiers while the rest dash back to the cliff to return to the Boneblade. Alarias, Tim, Umbra and Slayer, carrying the affected Elaina, manage to get down the cliff into the water below, with Gruzeel waiting at the top to ensure Elizora and Bjorn can get to the cliff before climbing down. Elizora takes on the leader of the Fleet soldiers while Bjorn manages to kill two of the soldiers, but two of the Fleet soldiers kill Bjorn in revenge.

Pirate Adventures 37 - Blood Writes - In death, Bjorn's body returns to its original form as a bear, confusing everyone. Elizora and Gruzeel stand off against the remaining three Fleet soldiers, with Elizora managing to kill the leader of the soldiers and Gruzeel killing one soldier trying to flee and allowing the last soldier to escape. Gruzeel and Elizora gather Bjorn's body along with the dead Fleet soldiers and return with everyone back to the Boneblade. That evening, the crew salutes Bjorn's sacrifice and tries to unwind the best they can while Elaina remains petrified from her ordeal. Gruzeel goes through a ritual led by Slayer, which leaves Slayer unconscious due to blood loss. Tim and Umbra rally the crew to give transfusions to Slayer using the good word of Joilyyf and mark the six donators as special followers of Joilyyf. In the morning, Elaina recovers from her petrification and demands to be taken off the ship, forgetting all of her time on the Boneblade. Gruzeel manages to persuade Elaina to stay, reminding her of Umbra's work on a memory potion. Elaina demands to have specific items gathered for her, which Gruzeel commissions Umbra and Elizora to shape change and go onto Bosty to retrieve them.

Pirate Adventures 38 - Not All Vultures Are Birds - Elizora and Umbra return from their brief trip in Bosty with the items Elaina requested and a heading for an island that could have the creatures Umbra is looking for to make his memory potion. The Boneblade sails the short journey, and Gruzeel tasks Elizora's Hawk to scout while the crew gets a well-earned rest. During the downtime, Umbra requests to go back to Bosty for a smaller shopping trip, guided by Elizora again. Umbra sells some unwanted body parts for a fair price of "platinum" before returning to the ship and returning to the weird island of memories. Along with Elizora's Hawk, Tim scouts the island and both react strangely. They forget any aspect of it whenever they take their eyes off the island. Elizora gathers Vaela and Tim to finalise Elizora's plans to oust Gruzeel as Captain and elect Vaela as Captain instead, with Elizora to be voted as Quartermaster. Tim feels conflicted with the replacement of Gruzeel and seeks Umbra for guidance, who was aligned with the mutiny plan. The following morning, Elizora begins the mutiny, and Vaela is voted Captain with little resistance. Elizora's attempt at being voted Quartermaster is thwarted by Tim leading the vote for Berry instead. The Boneblade and Taska are both in the vicinity to see a ship being assaulted by a huge sea creature, and both decide to go and help.

#### An Artefact Hunt

Pirate Adventures 39 - Who's Your Mummy? - The sea serpent continues attacking No-Eyed Bill's ship. It seems only to have one person left able to move at the helm as the rest of the crew has turned to stone, frozen in their typical positions. The Boneblade moves closer to No-Eyed Bill's ship, where Elizora attempts to communicate with the creature. Elizora gets the huge sea serpent to swim towards the Boneblade, where the crew can target the creature freely and hurt it considerably. Taska climbs aboard No-Eyed Bill's now sinking ship to learn another monster is attacking No-Eyed Bill, prompting her to attack it to try and help No-Eyed Bill escape. Umbra, grappled by the Basilisk, slowly begins to be petrified but ultimately resists the petrification. Vaela spots a weakness in the Basilisk's body and dives head first into the skull of the Basilisk, killing it. While underwater, Vaela spots another Basilisk coming to them. On the sinking ship, No-Eyed Bill summons a teleportation door and drags Taska onto the deck of the Boneblade, where Vaela is pulled back aboard and commands them to sail away from the incoming Basilisk. Chasing the Boneblade, the second Basilisk attacks, causing Umbra to lay down flat on the deck, inspiring Tim to instruct other faithful followers to do the same. The result of the group laying down is a frustrated Vaela as the Boneblade's ability to attack the Basilisk dramatically diminishes. Vaela's strong words at Tim prompt the return of some of the crew to their duties and finish off the Basilisk. No-Eyed Bill surveys the damage to his ship, determining it's a lost cause and requests passage to the Wreckage on the Boneblade, to which Vaela agrees.

Pirate Adventures 40 - Art & Facts - With the fighting over and time to breathe, the Boneblade crew inspect the trident Taska is carrying, which radiates ancient magical energy. Efforts begin to tow No-Eyed Bill's ship into shallower waters to have more time to salvage what was on board. Vaela punishes half rations to those following Tim's orders but praises the crew for their efforts during combat. The officers of the Boneblade interview No-Eyed Bill to gauge how aligned both parties are. No-Eyed Bill informs the Officers that his ship, the Decider, has a valuable figurehead that allows it to sail through the Astral Sea. No-Eyed Bill explains that he has visions of the end of Flood through unknown destructive powers, and either using or destroying the Artefacts would help to circumvent the destruction. Bill shares further information that alludes to Commodore Krelig Kaine gaining control of the Crown Artefact, and Bill shows the Officers his Artefact, the Rubik's Globe. Bill solves the puzzle of the Globe, which projects a real-time map of Flood. The map highlights where the other Artefacts are, confirming two are in Fleet possession. As No-Eyed Bill's ship is being beached, Taska, Tim and the other deckhands working are attacked by something on the island.

Pirate Adventures 41 - Just Forget It - Taska manages to overcome the memory effect the creatures of the island cast on the rest of the crew and threatens it into leaving. Tim and the rest recover to realise a crew member is dead and more creatures are likely coming. Taska, Tim and co return to the Boneblade to rally more fighting-capable people to the island to retrieve the stolen materials and hopefully gather the materials for Umbra's memory potion. Alarias manages to combine a shard of electric crystal with Aramil's medallion to make a person immune to the effects of the creatures. Vaela leads a selection of crew onto the island and into a passageway covered by a thick canopy of trees, which makes the job of identifying traps harder. Eventually, travelling through the passage, the crew come across some creatures, and a fight ensues. As the battle continues, Umbra begins to communicate with one of the creatures, but the crew continue to fight regardless. Umbra cannot stop his true ill intentions from being known, and the crew manage to kill the Forgettables, ending the fighting and recovering the crystal from No-Eyed Bill's ship. The crew returned to the Decider, recovering two cannons, some gold, and seven petrified crew members that could be cured someday. Taska hands over the Trident Artefact to the Boneblade at the Trident's request and agrees to travel around to give notice to the other Pirate Council members to meet at the Wreckage. Umbra uses one of the Forgettables' bodies, along with the other ingredients, to create four vials of Memory potion, which Umbra gives to Alarias, restoring all of his memories.

Pirate Adventures 42 - Missing the Memo - Vaela informs the crew of their new mission: to find Artefacts and wield them before the Fleet can get them. Elizora is chosen among the officers to wield the powerful Trident Artefact. No-Eyed Bill prepares for the Boneblade to travel into the Astral Sea, which promises to cut weeks from the journey time. Tim is reunited briefly with his dead brother Nigel's spirit, where Tim struggles to learn more about his family's wellbeing in the afterlife. The Boneblade holds a funeral for the crew member who died and has drinks to celebrate those who have survived for this long. In the morning, preparations are completed, and the Boneblade enters the Astral Sea. Berry encourages Tim to apologise to Vaela for their insubordination and outbursts during the fighting the previous day, resulting in Vaela removing the half-rations enforced on the crew that followed Tim's orders. Slayer recovers from his blood loss ordeal and shares his rage at No-Eyed Bill for taking the Boneblade into the incredibly dangerous Astral Sea. Slayer demands to be locked in the brig until they leave because his werewolf curse is linked to one of the Ferrymen who could now find him. Elizora allows Slayer to borrow her Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location while on the Astral Sea.

Pirate Adventures 43 - Kicking Our Astral - During the week sailing in the Astral Sea, Elizora catches Slayer up on the events he missed while unconscious. Temerin wakes up with his new arms attached and fully functional, which Tim tries to use to regain interest in Joilyyf when facing a decreasing follower base. Alarias discusses with No-Eyed Bill what capabilities he has in locating someone Alarias wants to find but has never met. No-Eyed Bill suggests Aramil, "the sage", as a potential person to contact from beyond the grave and learn his wisdom in the divination arts. Another person Bill suggests is Brimmy Blackwater, a dwarf Gruzeel had met before, who often works on the Astral Sea. Bill finds that Brimmy is nearby, and Alarias attempts to persuade Vaela to change course and head in Brimmy's direction. Unfortunately for Alarias, Vaela declines his request but promises to go back after their current journey is finished. A few days later, Elizora's Hawk spots a Nautiloid heading in their direction at speed, and Elizora raises the alarm to ready the crew for a fight. At the same time, No-Eyed Bill prepares to take the Boneblade out of the Astral Sea. As the Nautiloid carrying Mindflayers threaten to attack the Boneblade, a Githyanki raid, riding Red Dragons swoop in and assault the Nautiloid. One of the Dragons spots the Boneblade and makes a fire breath pass on the deck, hurting many of the crew. Elizora casts Fly on the ship with Temerin, Alarias and Vaela providing magical assistance to increase the Boneblade's speed to escape danger faster. When a Mindflayer and Intellect Devourer land on the deck, killed by the chaos ensuing above, Vaela takes no chances and throws both creatures overboard, which slowly summons the Ferrymen to come and collect the souls. Bill finishes his preparations in the nick of time and returns the Boneblade to Flood, with all in agreement that their next attempt in the Astral Sea will be shorter. The Boneblade made repairs and finished their journey to the Wreckage, a first time for some and a welcomed return to the Pirate Sanctuary for others.

Pirate Adventures 44 - For Wreckage & a Funeral - At the Wreckage, Vaela gifts out shares to the crew for a journey well travelled. Elizora informs the crew of some ground rules to be aware of at the Wreckage, including a warning to never touch the Council's Golden Chalice. Slayer apologises for leaving the Boneblade, and Vaela tries to find a Pirate Council member to inform them of Bloodbeard's demise. Tim tries to find "capable hunters" and stumbles upon a fierce Captain proclaiming to have the best hunters, threatening Tim with violence if he approaches any of his hunters. Elizora contacts Captain Bolt, a close friend of Bloodbeard's, to come with other Council members and collect his body for a funeral. Umbra, searching for a Dwarf using a particular Electrum piece, learns he's looking for a Captain Dorado but runs into Captain Bolt. Bolt takes umbrage with Umbra having a coin linked to the Pirate Captains and promises violence if the coin is Bloodbeard's and not procured by honest means. Elaina shares her displeasure after learning Alarias was allowed the benefit of the memory potion but not her. When confronted, Vaela permits Elaina to find Umbra and receive the potion. During the evening, Elizora and Alarias do their best to get Vaela as drunk as Aasimarily possible in true pirate tradition for first-time Captains at the Wreckage. Vaela officially introduces the crew as the "Crescent Moon Pirates" for the first time, to the groans of many. Elaina finds Umbra to request the memory potion, but Umbra asks a favour in return. Elaina agrees to the terms, and Umbra discusses the potential options, finally deciding on asking Elaina to poison the food or water of Captain Bolt's ship with one of Umbra's Bluerot vials. Elaina completes her task from Umbra and finally has their memory restored. Elaina apologises to Vaela for their poor behaviour, offering to continue working on the Boneblade to repair the damage she had done. The Boneblade crew wait at the Wreckage for the Pirate Captains to dock, each throwing their special Electrum piece into the chalice as they arrive. Umbra approaches Captain Dorado with the special Electrum piece and offers to make Captain Dorado's weapon forever glow and smell like roses in exchange for a book on making a Flesh Golem. When all Pirate Captains finally arrive and all special Electrum pieces find their way into the chalice, preparations for Bloodbeard's funeral begin. On the day of the funeral, Berry gives a final song to Bloodbeard as the assembled pirates add gold to Bloodbeard's funeral boat, with the Pirate Council members adding a Platinum piece each. As the Crescent Moon Pirates try to figure out what journey they will try to take on next and whether Vaela should attempt to become a member of the Pirate Council, an armada of Fleet vessels arrive at the Wreckage with Commodore Krelig Kaine projecting an image of themselves asking for parley.

### Season 2

#### Same Game, New Dangers

Pirate Adventures 45 - An Unexpected Request - Commodore Krelig Kaine arrives at the Wreckage with the Pirate Council members honouring the rules of parley. Krelig requests all those involved with the Artefacts to participate in the discussion as his intentions of parley involve them. Once situated in the highest room of the tallest stacked ship, the parley begins with Krelig offering a truce to enable the collection of all Artefacts to use/banish and prevent the second ending of the world. All pirates involved share their scepticism of the Commodore's true motivations but agree to discuss them between themselves and deliver an answer tomorrow. With Krelig out of the room, Vaela takes her opportunity with the Pirate Council to stake her claim as Bloodbeard's replacement, but is found disappointed to learn to become a Pirate Council member truly, Vaela requires Bloodbeard's bloodsoaked coin. Vaela is, however, made an honourary Pirate Council member and promised that if the said coin is found, it is hers. Before the group disbands for their discussions with their respective crews, Elizora takes a moment to chastise the captains for not taking her efforts to find the Artefacts seriously and laments the missed opportunity if they had listened sooner. Elizora then gives some detail into the different Artefacts that have been found, pointing out that the Pirates have 4 Artefacts between them compared to the 2 Artefacts in the hands of the Fleet. The Council ruminated over potential requests they could make for the truce, knowing that each request made of the Fleet would be equally requested and imposed on them. For as much strength and power the assembled pirates have at their disposal, if Commodore Krelig Kaine gets an answer too displeasing, an armada of Fleet ships are waiting outside as a reminder of the danger everyone is in.

Pirate Adventures 46 - Truce or Dare - Once back on the Boneblade, Vaela gathers the Officers to discuss what occurred during the meeting with the Commodore, the merits of having a truce with the Fleet and what conditions they might want during the next day's discussions. A vote is presented to the Boneblade crew, and similarly to the Officers, the crew votes to accept the truce. When left to their own devices for the rest of the evening, a mysterious person probes Umbra's mind, confirms he is the one who poisoned Captain Bolt's food supply and praises Umbra before teleporting away, gifting him a magical puzzle to solve. During the night's rest, Alarias dreams of being dragged to the depths by an unknown creature to the sounds of his loved ones, the stress of which prevents any meaningful rest. Eventually, the time comes for Commodore Krelig Kane to return to the Wreckage, and the truce discussions begin. The first demand of the Pirate Council is for the Fleet to abolish slavery, which the Commodore agrees in principle but not with immediate action, promising instead to make slavery the expensive option to deter its practice. The second demand of the Pirate Council is for the Fleet to remove all bounties regardless of how high they may have risen, to which the Commodore agrees as a sign of good faith. Captain Bolt makes a demand out of order of the proceedings and clarifies the rule of the Captain, that whoever may be on board follows the orders of that ship's Captain. Another request comes to free the entirety of the former crew of the Cutlass and allow them to choose which ship they sail upon. Vaela affirms her crew's desire not to relinquish their Artefacts, with Elizora strengthening their case to keep all Artefacts free and available for use. Ultimately, an agreement is reached to keep all Artefacts out but to redistribute two Artefacts to Fleet control once the next two have been found, along with agreements to share information if and when details are discovered. A vote is held, and three Pirate Council members vote yes, with Vaela as an honourary member outvoting three Pirate Council members who vote no. The contract is made, and all Captains make the proper marks on the page. As the Commodore leaves, he throws an electrum piece into the golden chalice. He reveals his possession of Bloodbeard's former blood coin, sealing the Commodore's place as technically a Pirate Council member and stealing Vaela's opportunity. As preparations are being made to sail onward, Elizora recommends to No-Eyed Bill that the next Artefact to search for should be the Water Whistle because, based on her research, it could prove to be an easy decision to hand over to the Fleet. When the Boneblade begins to sail away from the Wreckage, the ship is boarded by a gigantic frog and the partially transformed body of the former crewmate and presumed dead Johnny Four-Fingers demanding to see the Captain.

Pirate Adventures 47 - Four Fingered Revenge - Johnny Four-Fingers, grotesquely transformed into a Werefrog-like creature, demands to see the Captain expecting Kethra. However, upon meeting Vaela, he learns of Kethra's death. He instead turns his ire to Gruzeel, turning invisible and searching for the former Quartermaster. Unable to immediately find where Johnny went, the Officers on deck decided to deal with the huge Froghemoth on the deck first. Initially, this seems like a good plan until Vaela is swallowed by the Froghemoth and trapped inside. Throughout the battle, Umbra, Alarias and Elizora are grappled by tentacles, with Tim being consumed. The Officers whittle the Froghemoth down enough for Vaela to slice it in half from the inside, killing the creature. While the Officers were distracted above, Johnny Four-Fingers ran rampant below, slaughtering at least eight crew and demanding to have Gruzeel, who is nowhere to be found. Freed from the stomach of the Froghemoth, Vaela lifts the grate connecting the top and middle decks to allow everyone to jump down and face off against Johnny. Alarias calls for everyone in the room to leave, which Johnny allows. With the wounded taken to the Infirmary, Tim stabilises one crew member from dying. He rushes to Archer, the Master of Arms, dead and pleads for a crystal to Revivify them. The call falls on deaf ears for now (all eyes on Umbra to relinquish one of his gems), and Johnny Four-Fingers lines up a Fireball on the accumulated Officers, which Elizora manages to counterspell.

Pirate Adventures 48 - One Or All - The deck cleared of non-fighting crew, Vaela takes the opportunity to run up and strike Johnny with the Storm Sword, which is less effective than Vaela desired. More attacks fly at Johnny, and Tim heals some of the Officer's injuries. While the Officers had spread out to hit Johnny from more angles, the close confines of the deck allowed Johnny to cast Cloudkill and ensnare Vaela, Alarias and Tim within its poisonous cloud, resulting in all three falling unconscious. Johnny takes his time and drives his claws into Tim, making further demands for Gruzeel, and to drive his point further, he takes a bite out of Vaela. Elizora and Umbra stand alone against Johnny, and with Umbra's insistence on handing Gruzeel over, Elizora makes an inspired speech to Johnny that his anger is at a person who is long dead. Johnny, taking a moment to chew on Elizora's words, agrees to return in the morning. However, one still must die before he would consider moving on. With Johnny gone, Elizora stabilises Alarias, Tim and Vaela and starts to organise the crew in the aftermath. Once conscious again, Vaela gathers the Officers and Gruzeel to discuss Gruzeel's fate against Johnny's demands. Of the many options discussed, the Officers settle on offering Gruzeel to Johnny as a "sacrifice" in a 1-on-1 fight, with the Officers promising (not promising) to help Gruzeel if things were to go wrong for Gruzeel. With Gruzeel out of the room, the Officers ruminate on other minor details, including how best to present the decision to "sacrifice" Gruzeel and what magical help they could offer, including Umbra using his abilities to bolster Gruzeel's scimitar.

Pirate Adventures 49 - Death Among Family - During the quiet evening, Gruzeel spends time with different crew members, with Umbra offering some of his abilities to aid Gruzeel in the coming fight. In the morning, Gruzeel makes a final speech to the crew, apologising for the decisions that led them here and how he's glad to have found a family here on the Boneblade, so far away from home. Johnny arrives on deck and begins to size himself up against Gruzeel when Elizora interrupts proceedings. She lays out her understanding of what caused Johnny's demise. She points the finger at him as the cause of most of his struggles, going so far as to try and direct his ire at the Boneblade's leadership, offering her death instead of Gruzeel. The gambit from Elizora ultimately fails, as Johnny's anger remains unshifted, and reluctantly, all give way to Johnny to fight Gruzeel. A flurry of last-minute help from the crew aimed toward Gruzeel gives him a glimmer of hope that he could take on Johnny and survive. That flicker dashes away the moment Johnny starts unleashing his pent-up fury. The fighting is not entirely one-sided, but Johnny's brutality is unrelenting. Gruzeel is summarily torn to shreds as he dies on the deck, turned into an incomprehensible mess. With the deed done, Johnny leaves, and the crew is left to pick up the pieces of Gruzeel, with a shanty sung to mourn the loss. Evening rolls by, and the crew bury Gruzeel at sea, along with the others who recently passed away. Vaela makes a shrine to the past Captains using one of Kethra's pistols and Gruzeel's bag of tricks. After the funeral, the crew's general sentiment is that the recent fight against Johnny proved they are not strong enough to take on all the horrors that might await them on their journey for the Artefacts. No-Eyed Bill confirms he has the location of the Water Whistle and sets a course south. In the morning, Vaela discusses with Berry and Elizora which crew best fit the gaps that have arisen and assigns the crew their new roles.

#### The Isle of Kenshima

Pirate Adventures 50 - The Umbra Accord - *An unfortunate technical fault during the recording caused Sunny's audio to cut out regularly. As this session focused heavily on Vaela's interactions, Arthur and Sunny included their commentary on the session's events.* Following the trail of the Water Whistle south, the Officers discuss if any islands on the way could suit their desire to replenish their ranks. After discussing the many opportunities, Kenshima was chosen as the best and closest opportunity to find capable fighters like Zoro and Elaina. During the journey to Kenshima, Vaela and Umbra have a chat about how Umbra could best use his skills as an Alchemist to the benefit of the crew while also serving Umbra's needs. The details of the accord were: 30% commission from the sale of the memory potion (used to cure Alarias' and Elaina's memory issues), moving Umbra's "Morgue" next to the Infirmary and rebranding it as a Lab, changing Umbra's title to Alchemist (from Mortician) with potential to become an Officer, a promise for greater flexibility on bringing live subjects on board for study and permission to recruit an assistant. Vaela took ownership of the two vials of memory potion to sell when the opportunity arose. After Umbra is gone, Elizora is brought in to discuss the merits of the conversation she was most definitely listening to. Elizora agreed with the meat of the deal but cautioned against Umbra's propensity to get distracted and cause trouble when bored. No-Eyed Bill gathers the Officers to show a strange interference happening to their Artefacts, where their locations are fading in and out on the map rather than showing as solid dots. Alarias tries to determine where the source of the interference could come from but cannot pinpoint any specifics. Throughout the rest of the journey to Kenshima, the interference doesn't intensify or diminish despite theories of a hidden Artefact on Kenshima causing the problem. Elaina gives Vaela some tips on the etiquette of Kenshima, recommending recruiting younger islanders who may want an adventure, focusing on explaining the risk to the island itself and most importantly, not to duel anyone (which Vaela had intended to do). Docking on the isle of Kenshima, the crew of the Boneblade is met by the entire village, swords drawn and ready to attack the Crescent Moon Pirate interlopers.

Pirate Adventures 51 - Green Means Ghost - The people of Kenshima refuse to allow any crew onto the island until the Boneblade has retreated a fair distance away. Even then, only six can row over unarmed to talk. Vaela gathers Elizora, Alarias, Tim, Umbra and Temerin as representatives of the Boneblade to meet Zushi, a Half-Orc male, Inara, a High Elf female and Boku, a Human male introduced as the presumed elders and leaders of Kenshima. Vaela successfully makes their intentions sound peaceful enough for Zushi to invite everyone to have tea nearby, where the discussions begin in earnest. Around a table drinking tea, Zushi shares his scepticism and distaste of anyone looking to take people from the island. Vaela reassures Zushi of the crew's position of only wanting to accept those who wish to leave, not taking anyone by force and asserts that despite rumours of an Artefact on Kenshima, it is not their intention to pursue it. Elizora spins the tale of how Flood came to be, by the abuse of power by the God Joneptia, harnessing the Artefacts to flood the realm and how the Artefacts have been sought by others to (primarily) prevent a second flood from happening. Zushi, unreadable by all during the conversation, defends his people's right to peace and refers to the Pistol Artefact despite none of the crew describing it beforehand. Vaela informs them of the world peace that has been brokered due to the desire to find the Artefacts and tells Zushi of the crew's abilities to defend and heal anyone, highlighting Tim and Umbra's ability to perform miracles. Zushi raises his concern about the recent raids and dark spirits plaguing the island, which Vaela offers to investigate in exchange for permission to recruit some islanders for the Boneblade crew once complete. The crew are provided weapons to aid them, each suited to their fighting styles. Zushi directs them to a hut on the island's edge that had burned down 20 years ago on the night of a red moon, where a child was born, but the mother didn't survive. Vaela and Alarias go to investigate the remains of the hut, the others stay in the village, and Temerin goes to the Dojo to read their books. At the burned-down hut, Vaela and Alarias try to make sense of what had occurred, noting the large hole in the roof exploded out rather than caved in, blood staining the floor with claw marks throughout and short green hairs scattered around. Alarias makes the connection, knowing only one person with green hair as Zoro. He recalls some of the strange stories of Zoro, reacting strangely to a demon spell cast by Slayer while capturing a Nightmare, and when he sided with the Fleet, Zoro's eyes were different. Upon picking up some green hair, Alarias is subjected to a vision of a baby Zoro, enraged and confused, clawing their way out of their mother's womb to come to a rest, tired on the floor. Vaela uncovers a hidden compartment revealing a book (which Alarias does not detect any magic on) and starts to read the journal until Vaela is burnt by the book itself when trying to read beyond a particular part of the journal. Alarias tries and succeeds in reading further, finding demonic symbols and a mother's words alluding to an unborn baby Zoro, whose conception is a mystery. While looking at the demonic symbols, Alarias determines that they correspond to a demon summoning requiring a sacrifice. However, Zoro's mother seems unaware and incapable of the magic, with three other pages linked to summoning. Leaving the hut, Vaela shares the journal with Zushi while Alarias goes to find the others and intends to learn more about the hut and its former inhabitants.

Pirate Adventures 52 - Mystery Meet - Elizora's Hawk returns from its flight around the island to report a cave entrance and an odd section at the base of the tree in the island's centre. Elizora takes this knowledge to Inara, who disbelieves the presence of anything abnormal and begrudgingly goes with Elizora to look. Umbra checks out the island's residents for potential crew mates despite warnings not to. Tim talks with the blacksmith to find someone who previously knew and liked Zoro. Elizora, with Inara, inspects the tree to discover an illusion hiding a hole with a round stone dial, but with the illusion in place, Inara cannot make sense of its workings. Elizora heads off to fetch Temerin, hoping he could aid their investigation. Tim finds Inari in the teahouse, who was said to have been friendly to Zoro. After serving tea, Tim informs Inari of Zoro's time with Bloodbeard's crew and his betrayal. Inari, confused by Tim's retelling, answers his questions about a younger Zoro's life before he journeyed off the island. On their way back from Zoro's former home, Vaela and Alarias are met by Boku, demanding Alarias play him in a friendly game of chess, which Boku won both games. Boku also informed Alarias that Zoro was friends with the island's blacksmith, Shu, and after their chess games, Alarias located Shu to talk about Zoro. At the forge, Shu regales Alarias on their memories of Zoro's youth, with the two bonding over Zoro's poor sense of direction. Elizora and Temerin manage to dispel the illusion on the tree, allowing Temerin to investigate further. Elizora leaves Termerin with Inara to regroup with the rest of the crew. Umbra finally decides to unlock the puzzle he was gifted by the mysterious stranger and is taken to a room where the same mysterious stranger is there to make Umbra an offer. The stranger offers Umbra the opportunity to continue his research uninterrupted in exchange for working for his new benefactor, a deal Umbra takes with little hesitation and signs a contract so quickly he barely takes the time to read its contents. He is informed he will be contacted by his new benefactor in due course, struggling to keep his composure as he returns to the group. Back together, Vaela tells the group of their findings, referencing a book they found that Alarias mysteriously no longer has in his possession. He attempts to recall who might have taken it, thinking it could be Shu or Boku. The rest of the crew talk about their findings and split apart once again to continue their lines of inquiry. Umbra holds Tim back to talk, gives Tim his crystal of Joilyff and has a brief chat where Umbra weakly attempts to say goodbye to his friend. Vaela heads to the Dojo to talk to Zushi, but as she enters the room, she is hit on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious. Alarias, Elizora, and Tim head to the tree, but Inara and Temerin are no longer there. His new benefactor, the Withering One, contacts Umbra, who then leaves to do great things.

Pirate Adventures 53 - Room For Growth - Confused to not find Temerin and Inara at the tree, Elizora, Alarias, and Tim look for where they might have gone. Elizora shares her displeasure with her hawk familiar, Rot, for not seeing anything. Elizora leaves the tree to fetch Vaela, concerned for the missing Captain, while Alarias and Tim attempt to solve the puzzle at the tree's base. Vaela awakes in the Dojo bound and blindfolded with Zushi, also bound but not blindfolded. Vaela tests the strength of her bonds before unfurling her spectral wings, managing to fly up and down hard enough to break her chair, releasing her from her bonds. Elizora, on her way to the Dojo, meets a second Zushi who tries to direct her away from the Dojo to the tea house, claiming that Vaela has headed there instead. However, Elizora stubbornly refuses because how Zushi described Vaela's actions didn't sound like something she would do. Eventually frustrated, the second Zushi invites Elizora into the Dojo instead and tries to cast Sleep on her. However, her Elven nature prevents the Sleep from working, and she is taken aback by the attempt; Zushi locks the Dojo door. Elizora hears a crash from inside the Dojo and messages Alarias and Tim to come over to help. Vaela, now freed from her bonds, unties the first Zushi and follows his lead to the armoury, carrying Temerin and Inara to safety. Inara wakes up, but Temerin remains unconscious. Vaela hears a voice outside the room turn from sounding like Zushi to a different voice, indicating some form of shapeshifter has abducted them. While in the armoury, Inara tries to figure out why they were knocked out, and Vaela briefly informs them of the crew's recent findings. Outside the Dojo, Tim manages to knock down the door, witnessing a Zushi transform into their natural Oni shape, where the fighting begins. Next to Vaela inside the Dojo, the first Zushi also transforms into a second Oni. Inara reveals herself to be allied with the Oni, citing a contractual obligation. Alarias fires some Scorching Rays at the first Oni by the Dojo door. Vaela swings at the second Oni and Inara, allowing her to move further into the Dojo to see her crew outside. Elizora rushes inside the Dojo and Polymorphs herself into a Giant Ape, keeping her ape fur green with a pink mohawk, punching the first Oni in the face. The first Oni takes the opportunity to blow a cone of cold at the grouped crew, catching Elizora, Tim and Alarias together. The second Oni swipes at Vaela with its glaive, and Inara tries to encourage everyone to talk things through, which works initially. The Oni proclaim they were forced into action after Vaela found the diary detailing Zoro's origins. Vaela points out that they didn't know anything about the Oni until after she was captured and the Oni revealed themselves. Vaela even offers to work with the Oni if their goals aren't about a demon invasion. Awkward looks are given all around as the true goal of the Oni is revealed with Vaela's off-hand comment. The fighting continues.

Pirate Adventures 54 - Idiot Proof - The pirates manage to dispatch the interplanar interlopers before discovering the true challenge of D&D... puzzles.

Pirate Adventures 55 - Walk This Way - The pirates descend into a secret cave, facing a series of trials in hopes of retrieving the mysterious Starkriek's Pistol.

Pirate Adventures 56 - Slash My Life Into Pieces - The battle for the pistol rages on, but the fight is not all that it seems...

Pirate Adventures 57 - Pieces of Eight - With new crew members aboard, the pirates set out in search of their next artefact, however, they are delayed by a floating circus.

Pirate Adventures 58 - Brimmi With Excitement - Post carnival chase, the pirates seek to claim a favour from an acquaintance and are propositioned in return for a deadly challenge.