Opening
narrator
Several decades have passed,
yet the settlers of the Crescent
still spill blood against each other
rather than tame the wild lands.
Perhaps the real monsters
are simply the hearts of men.
-B. Patricks
No, the monsters are the real
monsters. They're killing us.
-Master Rosswick
sequoia
(smiles) Wonderful! Wonderful! What a brilliant
victory over these dogs of the Guild.
Men, you all make me so proud.
I could not have asked for a more
talented crew in fighting for freedom.
But before our next step, you know
what I say. “Work hard, feast harder!”
Let us feast!
cormorant 1
Woohoo!
cormorant 2
Let's go!
cormorant 3
Dibs on the pastry!
(As the grunts leave to celebrate, the Fisher approaches with the elder John.)
the fisher
(smiling) Captain, I have overcome the
pirate leader in single combat.
john
Unhand me, or you face the
wrath of the entire John Clan!
sequoia
Soon, there won't be a John Clan
left.
Fisher, you are a champion. The finest second-in-command
I could possibly ask for.
the fisher
Hehe. You're making
me blush, Captain.
sequoia
(frowns) It would be nice to execute him in front of
the crew for morale, but they've run off.
the fisher
(serious) Should I call
them back?
sequoia
No, that's alright. Just drown him in the
lake and be done with it, no loose ends.
the fisher
Gladly, Captain.
john
...
the fisher
Wait, if he's a lake pirate,
he can probably swim just fine.
sequoia
Oh, silly me! Just
cut off his head then.
the fisher
On it.
john
You son of
wea- Arrrgh!
(The Fisher kills John.)
sequoia
(smiles) And that's that. Just a good
day of fighting for freedom.
I'm going to have a nice sleep,
feel free to have some time off.
the fisher
(smiles) Gladly. I've heard the fish
around here were delectable, but the John Clan were rather
stingy. Now is the time to try.
sequoia
If you get a lot, save a bit for me.
Nothing like a good fish over the fire.
lindros
I still can't get over the fact
your old name is John Fourteen.
And I thought Pomelo was silly.
pomelo
First thing I did when I left home,
anything to get rid of that name.
Didn't think I'd ever be back, but
circumstances are unpredictable.
lindros
You never spoke much about your home, so
I gathered you didn't think highly of it.
pomelo
That's an understatement. My interests
didn't align with my Grandfather's vision
of what his descendants should be like, and the clan reinforced this.
Uncle was
the only person who cared. When he left
Johnsbury, I knew it was time to go.
lindros
Then your uncle is the
only person who ain't blind.
pomelo
Grandfather was kind of right that
nothing would come of my inventions.
I spent all that gold, traveled, studied,
yet I am left with only dud prototypes.
lindros
You know how all those stories go. The man
with great ideas is ostracized and mocked, until he is proven right with a great feat.
I'm speaking from experience, of course.
pomelo
Any great feats are a long
way away. Still just some guy.
lindros
We can get you that great feat now.
It will be you that arrives in the
time of need to save Johnsbury.
pomelo
Feels wrong to try and benefit from their
misfortune, even if I'm not fond of them.
lindros
Then you're thinking too much.
Go out there, and show them.
pomelo
Yeah, yeah.
Thanks, Lindy.
(The Seahawk II lands. They are met by a young woman.)
john xvi
Uncle! Fourteen! I haven't
seen you both in so long!
pomelo
... Yeah, really
has been a while.
johnny spices
Sixteen? Lovely to see you again,
but what are you doing out here?
How's things in Johnsbury looking?
john xvi
Mix of bad and
good news, Uncle!
johnny spices
Bad first.
john xvi
Johnsbury fell to those
Cormorants two days ago!
Uncle Cake, Nine, Twelve
and a lot of people died, the rest surrendered.
I escaped in the chaos.
johnny spices
How in the name of-
They got Cake as well?
pomelo
...
ellerie
That's before we even left Enan.
Adventurers are fairly capable, but surely they don't have the numbers
to defeat an established clan so easily.
john xvi
They had knights, they had horses,
and- Oh! The Cormorant flagship!
None of the Johnsbury weapons
could even scratch the thing's hull.
Uncle Cake tried to board them,
but his head came overboard.
johnny spices
Johnsbury may have stagnated, but our
weapons are up to coastal standard.
How could this have happened? Wait,
there's still good news. What is it?
john xvi
(grins) Grandfather's dead!
Haha! Finally!
ellerie
That's the good news?
johnny spices
What?
pomelo
...
john xvi
He's dead! I thought he
was going to live forever, but he's dead! I'm free!
johnny spices
I can't believe this.
We must leave right now.
pomelo
Uncle, wait! If Johnsbury's cannons were
ineffective, yours won't do much better.
johnny spices
You got a plan, nephew?
pomelo
We've got an ancient cannon on
the Seahawk. It's still unstable, but as long as I can get some
ship parts, I can get it running.
It packs more punch than anything.
ellerie
It's saved our behinds before, but as a principle I don't like “trust
the ancient explodey thing” as a plan.
pomelo
Worst that could happen is
the cannon stops working again.
ellerie
As long as it
doesn't blow up.
johnny spices
Even if I can't touch their flagship,
I sure can blow up the rest.
I'll get you the ship parts you need.
(Johnny Spices leaves.)
john xvi
Can I come with you, Fourteen?
This seems really exciting
and I want to be here for it.
pomelo
... Sure. Our camp is just that
way. Stay safe out there.
john xvi
You got it!
(John XVI leaves.)
ellerie
Who was that girl?
pomelo
That was my cousin. Her situation is
complicated, especially with Grandfather.
ellerie
I can see that. She is not armed;
is she safe out here in the field?
pomelo
It's not easy to explain, but
she'll take care of herself fine.
Just focus on getting those parts
we need to the Seahawk, and we can send the Cormorants
to the bottom of the lake.
ellerie
You are the expert on
this kind of stuff.
Blowing ourselves up
would be a bad way to go.
(On the other side of the lake, Locust and Big Berd are harassing Gil Goldfist.)
gil goldfist
I don't know what you're talking
about. There is no treasure.
locust
Everyone's heard of the Goldfist
family hoard. It has to be somewhere.
big berd
Loc, you've already taken most
of his stuff. Just let him go.
locust
This fellow clearly comes from some
well-off family, with wealth they
must have undeservingly earned.
By redistributing his assets, we are
doing society a favor by promoting
the interests of the downtrodden.
big berd
That's... Probably not
how that works.
gil goldfist
There is no hoard! It was just a rumor
spread to make my family look better.
locust
Sure. I'll just keep stabbing you
until you give me what I want.
gil goldfist
Aaaahhh!
big berd
...
(Four cultists have gathered around an ancient temple.)
jenkins
Alright, what was it you said?
“This is the perfect time.”
“No one will disturb our plans.”
“Stop making perfectly
valid concerns, Jenkins.”
cultist 1
Stick a fish up your ass, Jenkins.
I'm sure it will be fine.
cultist 2
I'm not hauling those skinned corpses
back. Let's just get this over with.
jenkins
We're trying to call a living deity
to massacre the local population.
This isn't exactly a “let's just
get this over with” process.
cultist 1
You're being a worrywart. It's two
against one, Joyce, what do you say?
joyce
*Snore* Huh?
We going yet?
cultist 2
He agrees with us. 10 minutes,
non-stop chanting, easy as pie.
jenkins
Alright, fine. No one listens
to Jenkins. Get in position.
On me. Three, two, one.
Oh great mighty majestic heavenly
primordial incarnation of eternal
bloodshed and endless agony,
Great Lingyue!
cultist 1
Flayer of Foes!
cultist 2
Slaughterer of the Slothful!
joyce
Butcherer of the Beleaguered!
jenkins
We invoke your name!
Great Lingxue!
lingyue
Damn it, someone calling upon my na-
When did I ask for skinned corpses?
cormorant
Captain!... Captain!
Are you there?
sequoia
That was a nice dream involving lots of
gold and alcohol, this better be important.
cormorant
Of course it's important! Second-in-command
has spotted a small fleet of ships and a
whole damned airship is coming our way!
sequoia
An airship? Then it must be the
Seahawks I've been hearing about, but what motivates them to reinforce
the John Clan at this hour?
cormorant
The Seahawks are bad news,
from everything I've heard.
Second-in-command thinks
we could try to parley, but we don't know the full
extent of their abilities.
sequoia
Now is not the time to lose confidence!
If they come up to us holding weapons,
then we'll welcome them with weapons.
Let's show these newcomer upstarts
that they are nothing compared
to a real man's adventuring band!
(Irinde's fleet reinforces the Seahawks.)
guard
Let's show these arrogant adventurers
that we are the kings of the Crescent!
b. patricks
I could care less about the going
ons outside my paycheck,
I'm only here cause I owe you.
johnny spices
I won't forget your help
in my time of need, Patricks.
johnny spices
Lads, this sure ain't the usual business,
I appreciate all of you sticking around.
Switches hidden in the forts will let down
drawbridges, let's get these invaders!
(The Seahawk II enters the field.)
pomelo
Uncle Spices has seen fit to reinforce our
ship with some extra plating as thanks.
Will give us a bit more leeway, but please
try to not get us blown out of the sky.
ellerie
No need to worry, I don't have a history of
losing my own ships. Except for that time.
pomelo
We can keep it
at one time.
narrator
Seahawk II can use logs to produce
1 storm cannon use per log.
New Guide Entries
Lake Lotugyr
Lake Lotugyr was settled by the
pirate Sedrick the Red, who
changed his name to John and
named his fledging village
Johnsbury after himself.
In the years to come, the new
John Clan controlled these
waterways, either charging tolls
or eliminating rivals of the Guild
who sponsor their operations.
Given the dangers of the
Crescent, most pay the toll.
Cormorants
Originally deserters from the
Mainland, the Cormorants fled
across the ocean after a failed
campaign where they enjoyed
newfound freedom and profiting
in the golden age of adventuring.
However, as competition became
more fierce and more hoards
were looted, the Cormorants knew
their current lifestyle could not
last. They needed something big.
Turmoil of Twelve
Over five decades ago, the heir
being a child of four would incite
two of his uncles to wage war
to claim the position of being
the young king's regent.
Twelve years passed, and in
that time, twelve royals joined
and left this conflict, mostly in
several pieces. Prince Jeziel
was perhaps the luckiest one.
Amusingly, none of the eponymous
twelve would emerge victorious,
the last falling victim to his own
men. The young king grew up
to inherit a ravaged country.
Ending
If Nate was defeated and Yvette & Chalice are alive
ellerie
Convince me why I shouldn't kill
you for sneaking up on me like that.
nate
I just pretend to be an evil spirit so
I can scare the occasional superstitious
traveller and take their stuff.
yvette
Wait. That's the person
who sold me that idol!
ellerie
So you actively spread rumors
about this evil spirit to further
your ploy. That's some gall.
yvette
This is so disappointing. Shall I
finish our local evil spirit off?
nate
Please! I ain't killed
anyone! Not a soul!
chalice
He seems too incompetent to hurt anyone.
Just let him go, he's learnt his lesson.
ellerie
If I see you around here again
I'll mount your head on my ship.
nate
Thank you!
(Nate runs away.)
ellerie
Well, look at that.
No evil spirit.
yvette
Yeah. Who is looking
dumb now, healer?
chalice
You're the one that got
cheated out of your gold.
It is unlikely for every
rumored threat to be real, but do not presume
this is the rule.
ellerie
Yeah, you don't need to remind me.
But I think we've settled this one,
evil spirits with stringent hunting
conditions are a little ridiculous.
If Joyful Jo was recruited and Whipjack is alive
whipjack
You followed up on that lead I gave
you right? Where's my share of the gold?
ellerie
There's no share of gold
because there's no gold.
We scoured the area for ages
and found absolutely nothing, except one scruffy chicken.
Who appears to be following us.
joyful jo
It has been an eternity since I
have seen those worthy of my aid.
Give or take a few years.
But you have proven worthy!
whipjack
Can I have the
chicken at least?
ellerie
No, because us finding it was not
related to the information given.
whipjack
Damn it.
If John XVI survived
johnny spices
You're the hero of the hour,
nephew. What's on your mind?
pomelo
Grandfather is. I can't
believe it, he's really gone?
johnny spices
I'm afraid he is.
pomelo
I can't believe it. All those years,
I wanted to prove Grandfather wrong.
That I could make something incredible.
But I've achieved nothing and he's gone.
johnny spices
You don't have to prove anything
to him. It's your life to live.
pomelo
I should know that, but after having
based my objectives on showing him up, all I've worked for feels so hollow.
johnny spices
The truth is, soon after you left,
Father told me that he regretted forcing
his standards on you the way he did.
That he was truly sorry that you
felt you were forced to leave.
pomelo
Really? Is that
what he said?
johnny spices
Yeah. I think deep down, he knew he
should have let you go your own way.
But he was too prideful to admit it.
pomelo
So that was how it was.
Thank you, Uncle.
I need to rest for a while.
(Pomelo leaves. John XVI approaches.)
john xvi
Uncle, you're
full of crap.
johnny spices
What?
john xvi
There's no way in hell the old
coot said anything like that.
He'd far sooner say he'd give away
all his wealth and find inner peace
than admit he was ever wrong.
johnny spices
I may have made some
charitable interpret-
john xvi
You made all of it up.
johnny spices
Okay, I made it up.
But do you not think it'll be better
for Fourteen to move past this rather
than continue to harbor his grudge?
john xvi
It's none of my concern,
I'm no snitch.
johnny spices
Thank you, Sixteen.
This is for his sake.
john xvi
I've decided to leave with the Seahawks. The
Captain agreed that I was a good addition.
johnny spices
You know what the Seahawks
do for a living, right?
Surely there could be other
avenues for your talents, here.
john xvi
Uncle, Grandfather has kept me locked
away for the past seven years.
I'd rather not be here ever again.
johnny spices
I should have known. It was inexcusable
that I didn't take you with me when I left.
john xvi
It wasn't your responsibility.
Anyways, I'm free now.
johnny spices
It would be wrong of me to hold you back.
Just know that if you ever need anything,
your Uncle will always have your back.
john xvi
You're my favorite
uncle, Uncle.
johnny spices
Just try to avoid doing...
that, okay? Stay safe.
john xvi
No need to worry, Uncle.
I can control myself.
If Joyful Jo was recruited and Vermillion is alive
joyful jo
Always a pleasure to meet another
ascender, for our numbers are few.
vermillion
I have not met another like me since my
awakening. I feared I could've been alone.
joyful jo
Then I owe it to our kind to inform you
of the basic knowledge of ascenders, as you owe it to the newly awakened
juniors you shall meet yourself.
vermillion
It's an honour, Senior. We shall have plenty
of time resting upon this flying vessel.
joyful jo
How did you come to find yourself
aligned with these mortals?
vermillion
Whenever I slay too many mortals
in one place, the nuisances calling
themselves adventurers come hunting.
By placing myself within this band
of murderers, they take credit for
the kills, freeing me of such trouble.
joyful jo
Very clever, Junior. I only thought
to leech off their food supplies, under the pretense of them being
worthy of my companionship.
vermillion
That is an added benefit. I will present to
you where the finest foodstuffs are kept.
The metal one thinks he is clever for hiding
them between floors, but he is only a human.
joyful jo
A polite fellow you are, and a
chicken after my own heart!
Too many ascenders neglect
good eating to chase ascension.
vermillion
The poor fools. I would be delighted to hear
you talk more of our kind, over a feast.
guard
(grins) Another easy victory, as expected.
Knights, big name adventurers,
monsters, whatever. They all
become a bloody mess against us!
dune
(smiles) Let's not let victory get to our
heads, but it was well fought.
johnny spices
(smiles) Can't thank you all enough
for coming to Johnsbury's aid.
ellerie
You can thank us by ensuring
that Johnsbury stays on our side.
johnny spices
(serious) That will not be hard to do.
Association with the Guild has
reaped more harm than good.
The clan is far more willing
to follow my suggestions.
ellerie
Fantastic.
guard
(serious) If you're taking back leadership
of the John Clan, are you going to
reclaim your title of Bloody John?
johnny spices
Never again, it
was a stupid title.
guard
Shame, I prefer it
to Johnny Spices.
dune
(serious) The remnants of their forces have
retreated into the Sanctuary.
Fairly ironic that the ground for peace
talks has been turned into a fortress.
johnny spices
That's where they're
holding Oren too.
ellerie
I believe our next course of action
should be sailing straight to Yalunzar.
Rescuing Oren is important, but ensuring
Yalunzar does not fall even moreso.
dune
That would leave our back open and
could invite retribution towards
our settlements further west.
ellerie
With what fleet? They're not
getting anywhere in time.
johnny spices
Should we not invite the Archsage
for discussions such as this one?
Oren is her husband and she's always
had input in Irinde's affairs.
dune
She's preoccupied with other matters.
We wouldn't want to bother her.
ellerie
Agreed, we don't need her to make
this decision. So, are we in favor?
offscreen
Coming through!
guard
Hey!
(Mince rushes in, pushing the guard captain out of the way.)
mince
We've got a messenger from the
Cormorants offering peace talks.
ellerie
Maybe they should have asked
before we blew up their fleet.
mince
Well, you see, there's
something interesting.
This Sequoia fellow
claims he is your father.
johnny spices
Seriously?
dune
Come again?
guard
[OFFSCREEN]
Can you make some
room for me?
ellerie
That is rather interesting. And how
does he back a claim like that?
mince
Allegedly, he has evidence
in this second letter.
(Mince shows Ellerie the letter and she reads it over.)
ellerie
...
johnny spices
You can't be serious.
ellerie
Pretty serious. Because I can't see how
some adventuring captain could possibly
know this information about my family.
dune
Seems to me he has lost his opportunity.
Father or not, you've killed half his crew.
Can't see much good coming out of this.
johnny spices
I think you can guess
my stance on the matter.
mince
If you ask me, should
hear him out at least.
How many opportunities
like this do you get?
ellerie
Mince, I'll take you with me.
I'm going to meet him.
dune
I would rather advise you not get your
public and private affairs entangled.
ellerie
You'd think so little of me? No, I do
believe we can get something out of this
talk. So here is what I'm thinking...
(Ellerie and Mince meet Sequoia at the waterfront. Cormorants hide in ambush, out of sight.)
ellerie
I've arrived with a single companion, as requested. What do you aim to
achieve from this meeting?
sequoia
I'm glad you've accepted my invitation.
I do wish we could have a discussion
not as commanders of opposing forces, but as long-lost family members.
ellerie
That is a difficult thing to register.
My father never appeared in my life,
why does he need to appear now?
sequoia
There were many complicated factors,
but I was forced to flee the Mainland.
ellerie
But in the twenty and more years
that came after, you didn't return.
sequoia
There is little I can say now to
apologize for my absence.
But we can move past that.
A fresh start as a family.
ellerie
I'm not opposed to cooperation,
but that's a lot to hope for, given the current situation.
mince
(This is very uncomfortable
and I don't want to be here.)
tower
Since the Cormorant Captain was willing to
show up, we've hidden the Seahawk well.
oriana
We are very nicely wedged in these
hills. Perhaps too nicely, Pomelo,
you sure you can still fly us out?
pomelo
Shouldn't be an issue provided none of the
greenery placed on the ship clogs things up.
lindros
That took ages and my back hurts. If we
get spotted anyways I'm going to be mad.
pomelo
Lindros, my good man, you lifted three
branches and sat the rest of it out.
lindros
I sprained my ankle
in the line of duty.
tower
Don't get distracted; keep your eyes on
the Captain. We have to act on her signal.
oriana
They seem to be having a cordial talk?
Maybe a signal won't be needed.
tower
We'll see about that.
pomelo
The red hair makes it likely the
Cormorant Captain isn't making this up.
lindros
That means nothing. You have red hair,
and you're not Ellerie's father.
Presumably.
pomelo
It's not the same shade
of red, Mister Smarts.
oriana
It's rather sad to see that she's
so apathetic about this whole matter.
lindros
I get the feeling Ellerie was
never of the sentimental kind.
oriana
I get that, but even then I figured,
she'd at least care a little more.
There's no bond stronger than family.
pomelo
A father in name only is no
father at all, if you ask me.
Blood ties only go so far.
tower
It is slightly amusing that the
daughter follows in the father's
footsteps, despite her upbringing.
oriana
Except she's already
set her sights higher.
sequoia
(smiles) Even if I was not present in your life,
I am proud of your accomplishments.
A chieftain at your age is no small feat.
ellerie
It's led us to opposite sides in this conflict.
If only you had recognised me earlier, then
perhaps this battle could have been avoided.
sequoia
(frowns) What happened was a tragedy, but I
have no wish to fight my own daughter.
ellerie
I don't want to draw arms against my flesh
and blood, but this is a difficult situation.
sequoia
We can find a sensible resolution.
What does Irinde desires from this war,
and how are they to achieve it?
If we can find common ground, we can
resolve this without further bloodshed.
ellerie
I'm not really too familiar
with a lot of the going-ons.
I'm mostly a figurehead for
my accomplishments recently.
sequoia
It's possible they're just
exploiting your talents, but I'm going to need some
more information to help you.
You can trust your father.
pomelo
I think I saw the Captain
give the signal.
tower
Did you see or
did you not?
pomelo
I'm, eighty percent sure?
Even with the spyglass it's hard-
tower
Then let's act! Rather risk
a false alarm than be too late.
oriana
Given her life is on the line here,
don't risk anything. Let's go.
(Tower and Oriana leave.)
pomelo
Lindros, are you sure these
calculations are correct?
This is a way smaller
target than I usually take.
lindros
Of course I am. I've never
been wrong before in my life.
pomelo
Alright, here goes.
ellerie
Father, do you really
think that is wise?
sequoia
I do want to make it
up to you. (Okay, now.)
ellerie
Alrigh-
(Mince and Ellerie warp out just before the area is blasted by the Seahawk's cannon.)
mince
Phew. I think I felt the explosion
hit just before I was rescued out.
lindros
Don't be ridiculous. If you really
did, then you'd already be in pieces.
mince
I'm not sure I like how
narrow the timing was there.
ellerie
I think that conversation has me feeling
a little ill. Did you manage to get him?
pomelo
No, I'm afraid. The cannon shredded half
that beach and then basically exploded, but somehow, it looks like the Cormorant
Captain made it out and ran for his life.
We killed a lot of enemies hiding nearby.
lindros
My calculations were fine, it was the cannon
being an old piece of junk that caused that.
pomelo
I wasn't going to
blame you, man.
lindros
I know, but I wanted
to make this clear.
ellerie
Taking out an enemy commander
would have been fantastic, but can't be lucky every time.
Thanks for the help, but we have
to stick to our original plan.
mince
So that wasn't really
your father then?
ellerie
Oh no, I absolutely believe he is.
Lines up with what Mother said about
him. But that doesn't change anything.
mince
Alright then.
Character Descriptions
John XVI
A young girl of the John Clan. Eager to
see the world after being imprisoned
for a long time for undisclosed reasons.
Civilian
An innocent peasant lacking any
combat skills at all...?
Joyful Jo
A chicken with a mysterious past.
How has it lived so long without
eyes and how is it looking at me?
Doom Chicken
Sort of like a regular chickens,
but more doom and gloom.
Dreadnought
A heavily armored ship practically
impervious to all damage. If I had
a few of these, I'd be unstoppable.
The Fisher
An experienced adventurer famed
for his brutal killings of both other
adventurers and marine life.
Cormorants
An established adventuring band whose
battle cry is always “fighting for
freedom” even when it makes no sense.
Iron Infantry
The backbone of the Iron Realm's forces.
Most of them would rather be farming.
Glade Gallant
The Iron Prince's mounted division and
most trusted fighters. Maintaining the
mounts necessary is becoming very costly.
Frostfires
An adventuring band that made their
fortune pillaging artifacts in the White
Wastes. Not immune to fire or the cold.
Corky's Crew
Merry men who rob the rich (everyone)
and give to the poor (themselves).
Free Fiend
Monstrous beings who've claimed these
lands since the fall of the old civilisation.
The Holders
A small faction of Faithful who've
committed every crime under the
sun for... religious purposes?
Big Berd
An incredibly large fellow, who must
have spent a fortune on red paint.
Can't hit the broad side of a barn.
Locust
I could've sworn there was someone
standing right here. Maybe I didn't
get enough sleep.
Nate
You called upon Nate,
you'll soon meet your fate.
Johnny Spices
A prominent smuggler making some
good cash evading spice laws. His
reputation stretches to the Mainland.
Guard
A soldier from Irinde who fights
for Irinde. There's not much else
I can say about this person.
Gil Goldfist
The grandson of the legendary
hero that saved the Crescent.
Nothing to do with him anyway.
Irinde
An inhabitant of Irinde who has taken
up arms. Not well trained, but eager.