The Lore of Vaults of the Ancients
Dig in as we uncover the latest lore
September’s Vaults of the Ancients content update contains unlocks the door on new Lore, bringing in a new character, new insight into a familiar face, and adding some depth to a well-known Trading Company. What treasure lies in store for us? Read on to find out…
Catch up on the Lore
How did we get here? Get caught up, or refresh yourself, on all the Lore that has transpired in the previous months by visiting the linked articles below.
Of Vaults and Hoarders
The main attraction of Vaults of the Ancients are, naturally, the Vaults themselves. Previously used for Tall Tale campaigns, they’ve now been spruced up by the Gold Hoarders Trading Company and are being used to hold their large sums of glittering trinkets. This undertaking was commanded by Humphrey, a member of the Gold Hoarders situated on Sanctuary Outpost and who’s backstory was fleshed out in the Sea of Thieves: Origins#1 The Price of Gold. Since his debut he has risen in the ranks and is potentially their leader for the time being, as the Gold Hoarder himself is canonically missing, presumed defeated at the hands of a group of pirates.
So why have the Gold Hoarders let pirates know about their hidden stash piles? The growing activity of Flameheart and his forces has reportedly put them on age and they’ve begrudgingly recruited pirates to procure the keys to the Vaults so that they can safely re-stash their gold someplace else.
To these ends they lend players the mysterious Golden Wayfinder. Not much is really known about the origin of this mystical compass, such as how does it know to point to pieces of a torn map, and why does it feature a Golden Key, the very symbol of the Gold Hoarders, as it’s pointer? It could be the product of a collaboration with the Order of Souls, as it is them who provide the Gold Hoarders with the maps that lead to buried treasures.
Moving on over to the Vaults, and as some may know they contain a unique and rare chest. The Chest of Ancient Tributes can only be found in the Gold Hoarder Vaults and are intricately decorated and lavishly adorned. Where did the Gold Hoarders find these chests? And are these the real reason they are keen to protect the Vaults?
There is speculation that these Chest of Ancient Tributes may have contained something that was important to the Ancients, the original inhabitants of the Sea of Thieves. We say may have contained something as it seems clear that the Gold Hoarders have opened these Chests. Taking a close look at the chest shows that there is a Gold Hoarder banner neatly placed under the lid, draping out over the side. This kind of technique is used for storing particularly valuable items above the cloth so that they can be obtained quickly if the need arises. It could also just be that this is their way of saying they found the chest and it belongs to the Gold Hoarders.
The other clue that indicates this has relation to the Ancients is the golden markings that can be seen on the front of the chest. They seem to speak of some kind of meeting, using familiar markings of boats, and figures that could potentially be merfolk. Did these chests contain an offering from the merfolk to the Ancients, or vice versa?
Banana Stall Larinna
First mentioned in-game during the events of The Festival of Giving, Larinna finally makes her full appearance this month. And where better than to make her grand debut than outside the Taverns.
Debuting in the novel Athena’s Fortune by Chris Allcock, she was a fresh face to the Seas, but it appears that time has passed since then and she has become a more seasoned sailor. She even regularly forgoes the Pirate Lord’s offer of becoming a Pirate Legend!
Larinna confirms that the creation of the BIlge Rats was her doing, although she seems to favour the idea of pirates having complete freedom to find their adventures— meaning no one is truly the leader. It is yet to be seen if the crew of The Unforgiven, Captain Adelheid, Faizel, and Little Ned, are part of the Bilge Rats or still associated with Larinna.
Larinna muses on Duke’s actions over the past few months…
Larinna has plans for the Black Market, despite feeling that it doesn’t quite fit the mantle of what a Bilge Rat. What could she be planning to do with it? And will Duke be happy with the changes?
Duke In Exile
Unfortunately, the arrival of Larinna means a farewell to tavern stalwart Duke. No longer boozing and schmoozing, Duke has been unceremoniously stripped of his Bilge Rat rank and has left the Outposts.
That doesn’t mean he’s gone for good or gone at all, he’s simply hiding away on Lagoon of Whispers, thinking over his actions and the last few months.
Duke insinuates that Umbra is keeping an eye on him.
He’s not wrong when he says he is helping spruce the place up, a dock has already appeared since he moved over. What grand plans does he have for Umbra? Maybe a proper place to home the Scribes and stories of the Sea of Thieves?
Hanging out with on a remote island has done him some good however, as it has prompted Duke to learn how to spell and write, seeking tutelage from Catherine of Three Paces East Seapost! He’s kept a few journals nearby on the island, under a canopy.
Maybe one day Duke will tell us what that unintelligible writing says…
Duke reveals that he worked hard to bring the Black Market to reality. From how much effort he took to curry the good favour of the Trading Companies during Black Powder Stashes, this checks out. It would appear that he knows Larinna wouldn’t be too receptive of the idea of the Black Market however.
He also mentions here how he was used to bring back Flameheart by Stitcher Jim. Strangely, it feels like he still trusts Jim a little bit, or at least wants some kind of closure to the events. Maybe he believes Jim can be reasoned with.
Was Duke invited to be a member of the Reaper’s Bones? He also indicates that he knew something was off about the Reaper’s Chests, but doesn’t specify right now if he eventually found out what is inside them. He certainly opened them up because he buried the rags and bones and other ‘useless’ junk on Shipwreck Bay in Rag and Bone Crates that then got moved to the Seaposts by Stitcher Jim’s suggestion. So perhaps those rags and bones do have far more importance to them and Duke was too blind to not notice. We may be getting closer to finding out about some long standing mysteries; namely what is contained in certain treasures such as the Reaper’s Chests and the Humble Gifts. And it’s like Duke will tell his side of events of what happened to him in the Heart of Fire…
That’s it for this round-up of Lore for the Vaults of the Ancients update. A new character has moved in, and Duke is giving his thoughts on the recent matters. It feels as though some major revelations are on the cards in the coming months.
