March 14, 2025

Hook

The New World's Gates | PbP | Weeks 1-12

Plot Synopsis

[Weeks 1-4]
- Each individual party member, by their own initiative, has sought out a means of traveling or transporting themselves to the Forgotten Archipelago. They have settled on a contest created by a hirer, Quinten Simmons, wherein they will race into a dangerous catacomb to retrieve an artifact of interest to him, then return with it. They are in competition with two groups: The Robin Pirates, and the Red Hawk Brotherhood.
- The artifact is retrieved: An unstable milphite crystal. The Robin Pirates get to it first, and attempt to coordinate a deal with the party. The party declines, steals the artifact, and wins the contest, but makes an enemy of the Robin Pirates. It is here that they also learn that their captain, Robin, extorts labor from his crew members through dealing loans to them in vulnerable periods of their life with an absurd amount of interest.
- The party returns to Quinten Simmons, Mana leaves the crew to study means of legally taking down Captain Robin, Pheobe takes her place, and the crew wins a new ship which they plan to take to the Forgotten Archipelago.

[Weeks 5-8]
- The party sets out to the Forgotten Archipelago after furnishing the ship and grabbing supplies. They sail out of a Centralian port after Leona secretly damages the Robin Pirates' ship.
- On their journey they meet Callie stowing away in their storage room. She is a clumsy but intelligent air mage, and she informs the crew that she was sent by Captain Robin to create a portal between their ships with the intent to surprise attack the party. However, moved by the party's friendship, she decided not to follow through with it. Callie joins the crew.
- The crew encounters another pirate, captain Barbarossa. He's a young man with the mysterious ability to read the hearts of others. He gives the party no trouble, and they even celebrate. In the morning, Barbarossa leaves the crew with a bell which can be used to call him alongside some additional supplies.
- The party arrives at the Gates of Amnesty, the entrance to the Forgotten Archipelago. The journey through is arduous, but after 12 hours of constant work to ensure the safety of the ship, the crew arrives in the Forgotten Archipelago, and they set their sights on the first island, Ervist.

[Weeks 9-12]
- The party, now on Ervist, are informed by a gnome named Mr. Pennybottom that they'll need to register their vessel with the Ervist courts to agree to the New World Pact. This ensures that they will abide by the laws of Ervist and its waters, though does not apply to surrounding islands and only operates on a radius of 20 miles.
- After the party registers their ship and crew with the mayor, they visit a mysterious, insane magician named Xavier. Xavier exchanges the crew's valor and tokens for magic items [Mythic Level]. They also have the option to receive tokens. Before party leaves Xavier's tent, Xavier teleports away with Leona. Leona leaves the crew.
- The party travels to Erviston, Ervist's primary settlement, to see about getting some kind of work or ideas on where to explore. On the way they meet Aislin being accosted by an orcish mercenary accusing her of being a stowaway. Before a fight can break out, one of the orc's allies stops him, reminding him that the punishment for starting trouble in Ervist is almost always death. Aislin joins the crew after this scene.
- The party continues looking around Ervist for people of interest and tasks that might get them on some sort of journey.

Noteworthy Postgame Events