A Red Sun Rises

*“Ready ye fleets! We rid the seas of ye once and fer all at Lost Atoll. High Noon. Settle this honorably, aye? Yer fleet against mine!”* - Captain Bianca

A Red Sun Rises was the 32nd session of Arc 1. The session entails the buildup and final confrontation of The Black Seas Barracuda and The Scarlet Ibis, and the final fate of a Shaggiteer.

## Synopsis

### Opening

After being rescued from the wreckage of The Scarlet Ibis by another Wimbledonian vessel, Vex Amanthal has a nightmare of Wimbledon being destroyed by The Black Seas Barracuda. As he awakens, the party is reunited with Captain Barebeard who returns from his 'personal matters'.

Ailynn emerges from the portal into an otherworldly version of the Paradise Pub in Mirador, where she meets the undead Elvish Presley and the two catch up with eachother. Back on the ship, Yakaza studies The Tome of the Stilled Tongue that he received as a Christmas present, and is confronted by The Demogorgon, who wishes to make a pact with Yakaza once again. Yak accepts, and the Demogorgon becomes his Warlock Patron.

### The Retribution

The next morning, the ship is intercepted by The Retribution, and a very angry Diandre scolds Vex for failing to hand Fred over to him. Brock attempts to stop him, but is easily downed by paladins of the clergy. Diandre drags Fred onto the Retribution, and reattempts to sacrifice Camiel with The Form of Order, but is struck by a firebolt from Camiel last moment. He stumbles against the wall, and with one final *"Camiel..."*, dies. Camiel takes his position as the leader of the Denair Clergy and captain of The Retribution.

> *Diandre lets out a struggled gasp as he stumbles backwards, eyes wide in shock and pain, before bumping into a wall with a thud and another pained elderly grunt. His whole body tenses up as he slowly slides down the wall, leaving a smeared trail of blood down the wall. He reaches out his old boney hand towards you, trembling with the rest of his body, as a drop of blood runs down his chin from his dried pale lips.*
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> *“Camiel…”*
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> *His hand slowly drops to the ground. You watch as his crystal blue eyes fade to foggy white, and with one last exhale, Diandre head slumps forward and his scraggly gray hair falls down the front of his face. You watch as a ring of golden runes all slowly fade into existence and begin to rotate at your feet, as a cloud of white steam begins to pour from Diandre’s mouth, before trailing up towards you. The spirit circles around you a few times before dispersing into shimmering golden dust that gently falls to the ground.*
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### The Gathering of the Clouds

That night, Yakaza is transported back to the Barracuda, where Bianca tells him that the final stand against Wimbledon is upon them. Yak contacts various members of the Shaggiteers, with many of them switching sides and joining the pirates. Bianca invades Vex's dream, presenting to him the decapitated head of Emperor Elkfein, revealing that his nightmare was in fact real. Bianca orders a final confrontation at the Lost Atoll, before returning to the Barracuda. In the chaos, Faerie tries desperately to calm the tension and focus the anger towards Orcus.

The next morning, Vex holds a ceremony on the deck of the ship, in which he harnesses his power as the Raven Monarch to raise the Scarlet Ibis from the ocean, resurrecting Ailynn with it. The Ibis and the Barracuda sail to the Lost Atoll, where Vex and Yak confront eachother one last time before the final battle, exchanging final remarks. That night, the two ships hold meetings to discuss their plans. Fred reunites with Brody as he arrives on the Barracuda, and Brody confesses his love. In the Barracudas meeting, many of the Shaggiteers who sided with the pirates back down upon learning of Bianca's extermination of Wimbledon.

In the end, Captain Barebeard, Stionis, Brock, Fred, and Faerie backout from the battle, and wait on the sidelines aboard The Rusted Cannon. Vex, Ailynn and Cragglecannon fight for Wimbledon while Yak, Bianca and Castello fight for the pirates. On the foggy night of December 31st 1310, the fleets face off in the waters south of Denair.

### The Battle for the Sabering Seas

The fleets converge late in the night and open fire.

> *All of a sudden, the seas burst to life with bright flashes in a cacophony of thunderous cannonfire and destruction. The smoke of cannon flares as well as explosions of sawdust and debris begin erupting from the sides of each ship as they start tearing eachother apart in naval combat. Pirates and Soldiers alike start to swing across onto each other's ships on ropes and grapples, before unsheathing their various weapons and begin slaughtering each other as the deck of each ship becomes swarmed with a violent frenzy of swords, axes, flintlocks, and several other weapons.*
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Amidst the battle, Vex is confronted by Castello, who is slain after a sword duel on the upper deck of the Ibis. Ailynn is confronted by Captain Triggerfish, who gives some mean remarks that are interrupted by a LEGO Ninjago car to the face thrown by The Swordsman, who returns covered in the flesh of the Kraken, and asks for his helmet back from Vex. Vex is confronted by Yakaza, and the two clash fiercely, while Ailynn and the Swordsman face off against Captain Bianca.
Meanwhile, Cragglecannon sails The Mystic Mermaid rigged with dynamite into the haul of the Barracuda, and with one final *"Tenno Heika Banzai"* she gives her own life to critically damage the pirate vessel. Yakaza easily outmatches Vex, though before he can defeat him, a cannonball strikes the Ammo Locker of the Barracuda, causing it to explode and ultimately sink into the ocean. They watch as the ghost pirates begin to vanish into mist around them, with Bianca giving one last word of affection to Yakaza before she dissappears as well.

> *The entire stern of the Barracuda’s haul suddenly erupts with bright blue flame, blasting trails of steam and spectral debris out in all directions. Shortly after, a great shockwave shoots out from the Barracuda, creating great waves of displaced water, rocking all of the ships away from it, and almost knocking all of you off your ship. The rudder section of the ship billows a great cloud of white ghostly mist into the sky, as a haze of mist begins to rise from the rest of the ship as well. At the helm of the ship, Captain Bianca looks around, as her malicious combat face slowly drops to a solemn frown. She sheathes her own sword, before turning to look towards you Yak, a tear falling down her face. And Yak, you feel your heart suddenly drop as your entire body begins to feel cold and numb. You turn to see the tattered and damaged Barracuda begin to slowly lean towards the water, as planks, torn sails, and other damaged scraps of the ship begin to break off and drift down weightlessly towards the sea like flower petals, dispersing into fog on impact rather than sinking. You all look around you to see the ghost pirates, now with steam rising from their bodies as well, as they drop their swords and weapons and look around in confusion at each other, some of them looking towards the Barracuda. The great masts begin to dissolve into rolling white steam and be swept away by the wind, as they tilt closer and closer towards the ocean. The pirates all look down at themselves with sorrow and defeat, as their transparent forms begin to fade away and disappear into the clouds of steam that slowly consume their bodies, before dispersing to the floor and leaving nothing but a thin haze of fog upon the decks of the ships. In an eruption of mist across the deck, Your mother teleports to right behind you Yak, and places her steaming hand on your shoulder, gently spinning you around. She smiles towards you with great sorrow.*
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> *[Bianca] “So this be the last time I gaze upon the face of me own son?”*
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> *Her body begins to fade away and disappear into mist, as she moves her hand to your cheek, wiping away a single tear you didn’t even realize was falling down your cheek.*
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> *[Bianca] “I love you.”*
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> *As your mother utters those last words, she too vanishes into the wind. The Barracuda continues to slowly sink, turning to mist as more and more of the ship reaches the waterline, before nothing is left but a vaguely hull shaped cloud, which disperses across the water.*
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Yakaza is consumed by the mist, and the crippled remains of Wimbledon stand victorious. The Swordsman bestows the title of the Protector of Wimbledon upon Ailynn, before he passes away from his wounds. The Scarlet Ibis slowly sinks from its damage as well, and Vex and Ailynn are rescued from the shipwreck-littered battlefield by the Rusted Cannon. After a vocal conflict between them regarding the fate of their friend, they sail north to obtain the final limb of The Material Guardian after recovering the other 5 from the wreckage.

Yakaza finds himself in a heavenly tavern in the afterlife, where he sees his mother in the flesh for the first time, rather than being a wartorn ghost. They reconnect happily over a drink.

## Characters

* Vex Amanthal
* Yakaza Kibutzu †
* Ailynn Daedra
* Brock Lee
* Camiel Chavine
* Stionis Ero
* Faerie Longstaff
* Captain Barebeard
* Cragglecannon †
* Castello †
* Bianca Kibutzu †
* Diandre Chavine †
* The Swordsman †
* Brody Ironcock †
* Elvish Presley (Undead)
* The Demogorgon (Voice)

## Soundtrack

* Wimbledon Nightmare
* Diandre's Theme
* The Retribution Arrives
* Diandre's Death
* Return to the Barracuda
* Bianca's Theme
* Raven Ritual
* The Ibis Rises
* Showdown at the Lost Atoll
* Waiting for Battle
* The Battle for the Sabering Seas
* Yakaza's Final Words
* Tavern in the Afterlife

## Trivia

* Milo's favourite session.
* An alternate ending description was written for if the pirates won the battle, where Vex would be beheaded by the Bolide Blade while watching the sunrise.
* The scene at the Lost Atoll was timed to the song Parlay (At Worlds End).