The Lore of Festival of Giving
Rare continues to Gift us with evolving lore
Welcome to The Lore of series, where this month we will be unwrapping the goodies that Santa Rare has left us under the Mast-Tree of Expanding Lore. There is plenty here for us to cover, so let’s get right into it. Just don’t forget to recycle all that paper.
For past month’s Lore Updates, check out:
-The Lore of Smuggler’s Fortune
-The Lore of The Fort of the Damned
-The Lore of Seabound Soul
The Reaper’s Hideout
The Uncharted Island at I12 is no longer uncharted, it now appears as The Reaper’s Hideout when viewed at the Map Table, and when sailing toward it. The dig site has been slightly converted, the pit covered over with planks of word and a large structure that crudely resembles a Christmas tree has been erected, at the base of which is a altar of sorts. It seems as though a lot of this structure has been built out of the wreckage of Merrick’s old ship, The Killer Whale, as the mast and captain’s quarters are no longer wedged between the two islands and coral reefs that make up this location, and dredge lines can be found coming from the beach up to the dig site.
The Masked Stranger once again takes up residence on this island, accepting Humble Gifts and Generous Gifts from players. Interacting with her may surprise a few people… as she finally speaks. Her words are cryptic and their intentions unclear, but we can do some guesswork as to what she is implying.
The Greater Power she refers to may well be Flameheart, who was recently returned to the Sea of Thieves and released from a prison of his soul. If indeed she serves Flameheart, then it’s still possible that she is Wanda/The Warsmith, fanatical weaponsmith-turned-skelly that became obsessed with the firey pirate captain. But only time will tell who she is beneath the mask and what greater power or purpose she is working for.
From her words, we can get the sense that Stitcher Jim is being used, but is that really the case? Our dear old Masked Stranger has faith in destiny.
Something small that caught my eye about the changes to the island is the inclusion of four stalls around the boarded over dig site area. Although Jim says that he is the one who constructed the rudimentary Christmas tree, it feels unlikely that he did it alone and the four stalls hints at this or that maybe there are other people in league with Jim and the Masked Stranger that we currently do not know about. Perhaps even other people that Jim is unaware of.
And as for the name, The Reaper’s Hideout, does it have any correlation with the Reaper’s Chest or the Reaper’s Mark? It has been long speculated that the box on the scaffolding is an open Reaper’s Chest, containing bones and a gold and red uniform. The Reaper’s Mark is said to be a cursed symbol as well, and given their dealings, it wouldn’t be a stretch that Jim and the Masked Stranger know about curses.
The Gifts
This month, Stitcher Jim is tasking pirates to find and deliver ‘Gifts’ to the Masked Stranger who is waiting at The Reaper’s Hideout.
Stitcher Jim describes these Gifts as being cargo from a large shipment that drifted in to the Sea of Thieves from the outside world. Is it purely accidental that they came floating on in, or were they part of a Festival of Giving celebration that never came to be?
These Gifts may seem innocent at first, but what really are we giving her? Eagle eyed pirates have noticed that the symbols on the Gifts match with Skellie symbols for ‘Skull’ and ‘Rock’. Even more intriguing is that they are wrapped in the Black and Gold cloth that can be found poking out of the presumed open Reaper’s Chest.
This seems like another case of Just What Are We Carting Around, much akin to the Rag and Bone Crates.
Lagoon of Whispers
The small island south of Golden Sands Outpost has seen some activity, with a hut and small living space having recently been constructed. Three journals can be found dotted around the island that give us clues as to who their author is, and who may be moving in.
What we get from these journals is that the author has previously been to the Sea of Thieves, left, was at some point captured by pirates and then brought back. Now it seems they have accepted their fate and are going to make the most of being back by chronicling the legendary deeds of the denizens of the Sea of Thieves. Their use of the word chronicling, and that they recorded the tale of their return gives us some insight into the kind of person the author is. They are clearly someone who likes to tell tales and stories, so perhaps we will be meeting a bard or scribe type of character.
Mysterious Skeleton Lords
Three previously unknown Skeleton Lords have sprung up on the various Ashen Forts and Strongholds of the world. They are the Two-faced Scoundrel, the Duchess, and the Mutinous Helmsman.
Are they simply working for a higher power, or do they have an agenda of their own?
These lords are responsible for sinking the shipment of Gifts and are now stockpiling them on forts- what use are they to skeletons, or are they just trying to keep them from the nefarious hands of the Masked Stranger?
Tomes of Power
Books making up a new Volume of Ashen Tomes have begun appearing in the Sea of Thieves. Volume Two: Power can be found in Ashen Chests. Much like the Tomes of Curses, the origins and purpose of these books are currently unknown, but they do have Skellie symbols etched onto them.
Old Sailor’s Isle
Part of the Maiden Voyage, this island close to the Devil’s Shroud is considered a last stop between the larger world and the Sea of Thieves. Serving as old stomping grounds for the Pirate Lord, Ramsay Singh and his crew-mate Rathbone, this small locale contains many secrets and nods to the Pirate Lord’s life before entering what would become known as the Sea of Thieves and during his time there too. It is also the first place from where we can see the towering wall of fog and cloud that is the Shroud.
Many journals lay hidden on this island that give new insights to the Pirate Lord, as well as his observations about the world beyond the Shroud.
A Ship by Any Other Name
One journal in fact gives us the origin for the name of the vessel that successfully made it through the Shroud, the Magpie’s Wing.
The large ship on Old Sailor’s Isle, the “Magpie’s Fortune”, obviously became wrecked on the island, but it’s fun to learn that “Magpie” is simply the name of a shipwright, and that the pirate lord isn’t just obsessed with birds.
Seeking Fortune
Within the hold of the wrecked ship, behind lock and key lie a secret stash of gold and goodies left by the Pirate Lord. Here a journal sits that speaks of his desire to build on the little hideaway into something grander, as well as giving context to the player’s ultimate goal of becoming Pirate Legend and finding Athena’s Fortune.
Secrets of the Ferryman
This journal found laying next to skeleton clutching a map of the Sea of Thieves and surrounding seas speaks of the afterlife. It contains hints about how the Pirate Lord ‘lives’ on as a spirit, describing it as wisdom from a friend. Who could this friend have been? I would hazard a guess at Mercia, one of the crew on the Magpie’s Wing that makes it through the Shroud.
The journal leaves off by telling us that the Ferryman made the greatest sacrifice of all. What could this sacrifice have been? Is it related to the shackles he is in?
And that is the Lore introduced with the Festival of Giving Content Update all unwrapped for you. It was quite a bulky gift, introducing some new elements that are sure to be fleshed out in coming updates, but also providing further tantalizing context for things that have been in the game world for some time now.
