The Lore of Seabound Soul
What secrets lie with those lost at sea?
Welcome to the Lore of series, where we keep you up to date with the ongoing story additions each new update brings to the Sea of Thieves. Today we shall be focusing on the lore found in The Seabound Soul update. Of particular note we’ve got a new Tall Tale in this Content Update which we will be going in to some of the details found there, so consider this a SPOILER WARNING. But what else is there to find drifting amongst the waves?
To keep up with past month’s Lore Posts, check out our Lore of the Fort of the Damned and Lore of Smuggler’s Fortune posts.
Duke’s Disappearance and Stitcher Jim’s New Post
You may have noticed the lack of a certain somebody from all Taverns across the world — that’s right, Duke has left his post after a year and a half of boozing and schmoozing. In his place he has left Stitcher Jim in charge of being the contact for Bilge Rat business and to keep The Black Market running.
Attached the front of the bar is Duke’s Note which handily explains his absence.
Just what is it that the Skellies are planning?
Who is Larinna?
In an attempt to seek guidance on the Skellies plans, Duke has gone to find Larinna. But who is Larinna? If you have read the Sea of Thieves Extended Universe novel Athena’s Fortune (penned by Chris Allcock, who we recently interviewed!) then that name should be familiar. She serves as one of the protagonists of the book, her journey taking place in a time closer to ours than that of Ramsay Singh’s. Through the novel we got a glimpse of the sort of pirate she was and could become, but this is the first time she has been mentioned in-game and we don’t know how much time has passed since her escapade to Tribute Peak with the crew of the The Unforgiven. It would appear she is now the de facto leader of the Bilge Rats, did she found the group or merely inherit that position? Time will only tell as it seems she will eventually be making an appearance.
The Ashen Tomes
Stitcher Jim has learned of valuable artifacts containing powerful knowledge being guarded and transported around the Sea of Thieves by powerful skellies known as the Ashen Key Masters and Ashen Guardians.
These valuables are the Tomes of Curses. And he wants you to find them and deliver them to him.
Whilst we cannot peek inside the pages, we can assume that the contents are written in the Skelly Language from the etchings on the covering. Why are the skellies moving these about?
One connection that can be made is that the infamous Captain Flameheart was known for curses so perhaps these are either his writings on how to perform certain curses or the source of his knowledge on the subject. Could the Skellies be moving them in place for his return?
Another character known for dabbling in curses is Captain Warsmith, who created the cursed cannonballs through reverse engineering when tampering with a cannon that used to belong to Captain Flameheart’s ship. And we know speculation is high that Wanda is somehow involved in recent events.
Trouble Brewing In the Lab?
With Jim hanging around the taverns you may be curious as to the whereabouts of his beloved, his one true love, the ‘flame to his heart’… the Masked Stranger. Well, it seems she is none too fond of the busy bustle of the outposts and has nestled herself away to do some research… in the remains of Wanda’s Lab at Wanderer’s Refuge.
It isn’t easy to spot her, as she is sat down in the recently uncovered room at the back of the Lab, locked away and hard at work. There is no way to get in there and interact with her, or to really see what it is she is doing. Is this the first piece of concrete evidence that proves she is Wanda the Warsmith?
The Seabound Soul
!SPOILERS BELOW!
We recommend finishing the Tall Tale The Seabound Soul before reading on.
Captain Arthur Pendragon
You know his ship well, now meet the Captain!
Sir Arthur Pendragon has finally been freed from the painting that he was so cruelly trapped within at the hands of one Graymarrow. It would seem the Ritual Table in front of his portrait and an unknown kind fellow were the keys to his release.
Adventuring and pirating are his calling, being the captain of the shipwrecked vessel, the Blackwyche, and having enough renown that the Order of Souls gifted him with the Sword of Souls. He’s even quite adept on the topic of curses, and has a history with The Ferryman. It is implied that they knew each other back when The Ferryman was still alive, as Arthur was given one of The Ferryman’s lanterns.
As previously mentioned, an encounter with Graymarrow is what led him to being trapped in canvas. A confrontation gone awry, Pendragon sought to put an end to Graymarrow but became cornered and forced to explain how to perform a binding curse. That’s right, the souls of the Morningstar crew (as seen in the Tall Tales-Shores of Gold campaign) were marooned by Graymarrow after he learned this magic from Captain Pendragon!
Now that he is freed by a kindly stranger he seeks to atone and make up for lost time. Which leads us to the events of the Tall Tale ‘The Seabound Soul’.
Arthur Pendragon, captain of the Blackwyche wreckage on Shipwreck Bay, is actually the star of a series of video games from Rare’s predecessor company “Ultimate: Play the Game”. Want to know about the illustrious history of this Rare breed of hero? Friend of the blog I.M. Gibbon wrote an excellent article detailing Sir Arthur Pendragon’s history outside of Sea of Thieves over on their website!
The Ashen Dragon
A feared ship that roamed the Seas, intent on carrying out its mission and protecting its cargo. Crewed by Ashen Skellies and on this particular voyage commandeered by what would seem like an Ashen Lord. We get a glimpse at this possible Ashen Lord during the final stretch of the Tall Tale, and they are certainly quite the imposing figure.
Another mystery surrounding the Ashen Dragon is why did they take the course they plotted, and why did the crew bury specific artifacts on specific islands within and near the Devil’s Roar? Do these hold any significance to them, or to their ‘cargo’?
And who sent them on their mission?
What we do know is that the Ashen Dragon, and presumably the Ashen Lords and Skellies with it, went into waiting beyond the Devil’s Shroud, which was parted by the mysterious Commander. They will return, but when?
The Third Lost Soul
Upon completion of the Tale you may have realised this whole journey has been a setup to free Flameheart from his remains that were kept a guarded secret on Flintlock Peninsula.
Is this what the stranger who freed Pendragon from his portrait intended? The identity of that stranger is a hot topic, with the main contenders being the Masked Stranger and Stitcher Jim. We can rule out the Masked Stranger as they present as female and Pendragon clearly refers to his rescuer as male. So was it dear old Jim? He himself has admitted to knowing about Dark Magic, as he spoke about during his watchful eye over the Fort of the Damned.
As for who Flameheart is… there is a little mystery still surrounding his origin. We have The Tales from the Sea of Thieves book that contains the journal of one man who eventually takes on the name of Flameheart to continue the legacy of his adoptive father, who also went by the name of Flameheart. This Flameheart Junior met with a terrible fate as he tried desperately to gain some notoriety, cursing himself and his crew as they drank from a bewitched goblet offered up to them by a character known only as The Cap’n. But is this the Flameheart that was released? And to confuse matters further, Flameheart Senior was a crewmate of The Cap’n.
A Bone To Pick
It has been noticed that the skeletal remains of Flameheart is missing a finger, the ring-finger to be exact.
And for some reason Stitcher Jim has taken to wearing a skeletal finger with a glowing, fiery ring on it around his neck ever since his reappearance.
Is this coincidence? Either way, where did he get such a peculiar piece of jewelry? Did he find it, or was he gifted it?
That wraps up the mysteries introduced in The Seabound Soul Content Update. The threads of the on-going story have started to branch out even further, with Tomes of Curses being circulated, crews of Ashen Skellies loyal to Flameheart, and new characters coming in to the fold. Just what does the future hold for the Sea of Thieves?
