The mysterious stranger waited until the entire crew as assembled and then indicated them to take a seat. When they all sat down around the fire, she spoke in a thick accent that none of them have heard before.
"Can you feel it? The ill wind blowin' from beyond the horizon... These wild waters, them call to me. They've seen much to chill the blood... A deep hunger... a heart of fire... But them always promise the freedom of the sea."
Estella and Jacob shared a look. They have met many strange fellas on the Sea of Thieves, but this was something new.
"Now though, a new danger is coming on the tides. Already, it changes this world to it's likin'. An' if what it whats can't be found, it will take... everythin'..."
"What's it's name?" Estella asked. "We can defeat it, me and my crew have faced countless enemies already and all where stronger than the last one." she proudly told.
The strange woman cracked a smile. She was amused that they thought they would be able to defeat this new danger all alone. "Mmm... The one who brought this ruin lie in iron below the ferryman, trapped for all forver in the Sea of the Damned." she said.
The Sea of the Damned. The place where pirates went when they died on the Sea of Thieves. But they didn't move on to the afterlife. Instead, they would find themselves in a dark and endless ocean, drifting away until the Ferry of the Damned came along to pick them up. The Ferryman, the strange and groumpy captain of this ferry, then judged your actions. If you were a good pirate, you will be sent back to the world of the living through a portal in the ferrys cabin. But if you posed a threat to the pirate's life, you will be denied passage and kept under deck for a while longer. Perhaps even for eternity.
"Nobody but it's captain may tread below the deck of that ship. That means to learn the truth with your own eyes, you'll have to stow away. But if the Ferryman, him catch you, your destiny might end there."
"Captain?" Jacob turned to Estella. "What do you say so far?"
His captain turned towards him. "I say we do it."
"But Captain, the world of the dead is no place for the living." Francois argued.
"I understand your concerns, Quartermaster. We will vote on this voyage once we have heard everything." she turned to the stranger. "Please continue."
"Then listen close! All you think you know about you life and death is only the beginning. With your hearts still beatin', you will see those cursed shores with new eyes... when you raise up the Flame of Souls! All I can do is show you the way..." The strange woman took out a small blue jar, and emptied the white powder in it into her right hand. She then rubbed the powwder in both of her hands and whispered some kind of spell. With a quick movment, she showed her left hand and a thin but high green flame eminated from it. She used the flame to create a portal over the fire and then pulled out a ship model from one the chest next to the rock where she was sitting on. The ship went into the portal and disappeared.
Not far away, the crew could see clouds forming in the sky and a similar portal opening up for them.
"I travelled to another world, an' now you will do the same..." the stranger said, giving Estella a book. "Take these words. If you read them right, them whisper what has been - and what is yet to be. Whispers to help you save a pirate's life... Now make sail! The door is open. The prisoner is waiting. And our time is tricklin' away...
The crew of the Royal Fortune assembled on the dock. "Oy, Captain?" William asked. "Are you sure you want to go... to the land of the dead?"
"Aye, the ferryman wouldn't keep the pirate locked up if he wasn't a threat." Jacob agreed.
"But you heard ye' lady. We have to save him." Abby spoke up.
"So to save the Sea of Thieves we have to endanger it first?" argued Francois.
"The sea is already in danger, she said. Let's save em'." Abby countered.
"Enough talk. We vote. Are you coming or not?" Estella asked them.
The other crew members exchanged glances. No one wanted to enter the world of the dead and stow away on the Ferryman's ship, but if what the stranger said was true then perhaps it really was their best option. And if so, the fierce Captain Cortez would be perfect to lead them. So, one by one, they agreed with an 'Aye'.
Then they set sail. As they neared the portal, Estella noticed Jacobs uneasy posture. "Scared, Master Cochrane?"
Jacob scoffed. "Who wouldn't be, captain."
Estella took over the helm from Abby and steered right into the green light. "What kind of pirates would we be if don't face the danger, aye?"
Jacob found her words comforting, in a way. She was right, risks had to be made.
And so, they entered the Sea of the Damned.
After crossing the bridge between the two worlds, they found themselves before strange shores. This was a surprise for many, as they had never seen island or rocks before when ending up here. The crew dropped anchor and went ashore. After a long march through a grotto filled with cursed gold and ghostly entities, they emerged on the other side and saw a small town, built from shipwrecks.
"Where the hell are we?" William asked. No one knew the answer until they came aross a sign that said 'Sailors Grave'.
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirat'e life for me." someone sang, but they couldn't see anyone.
"Ahoy down there!" a voice rang out from above. Looking up, they saw a cage attached to a bowsprit. Inside the cage was a skeleton head. "Ye paid me warning no heed and set foot in sailor's grave while ye still draw breath at the risk of marooning yerself here for all eternity... Now that be what I call true pirate courage!" the head said.
"That's what I said." Estella replied, grinning to her crew.
"Oy! Climb up here and lower me cage. I'll make it worth yer while."
Seeing that this guy might know something, the crew began climbing the wreckage until they had reached the cage. "Now, I just need you to lower me cage, very gently." he head said. But since they couldn't figure out a way to do that, Jacob simply burned the rope and the cage fell to the ground.
"Uuugghh me head, it's killin' me. Well it's not exactly a dignified reunion, but I do welcome being back on the ground." he head said. It was indead a skull, with an eyepatch and captain's hat.
Since the fall didn't break the cage so they went to get the key. They found it in another shipwreck that was used by the ghosts as a tavern. None of the singing and drinking spirits seemed to mind the living pirates and so they easily snatched the key and got out of there. "Ey, wash your hands. I don't want any fingerprints on me skull." the captain said after they had opened the cage.
"Well, I don't want your skull on my fingers but here we are." Jacob countered as he picked it up.
The cursed captain gave them a little tour of his 'fallen kingdom', as he called it and told them that he and his crew had accidently found a way into the Sea of the Damned while they were chased by their enemies. The captain thought it was best to stay here, where their loot would be safe. Other lost souls, that ended up at the shore, joined him. But the gold he had was cursed, as it was often the case in the Sea of Thieves. He lost his flesh and became a walking skeleton. Then his crew mutinied and locked him up in that cage.
Nothing interesing at first but then he came to the part about the old lighthouse. It was used to call the ferryman to collect the dead, but before his crew had locked him up, the captain had killed the lighthousekeeper and destroyed the staircase to make sure that the ferryman didn't get his treasure.
Estella lead her crew to the lighthouse and they climbed up. Barely had they turned on the light then the ferry appeared on the horizon. When they had climbed back down, they noticed that the town had gone very quiet. All the souls had lined up at the dock, waiting to board the ferry. The cursed captain then lead Estella and the others to his ship, the 'Golden Hare' and gave them his rowboat.
With this, they snucked aboard the ferry, quiet as a churchmouse. It was a large galleon, dark as the night, with a figurehead that depicted a creature half horse, half fish. They climbed up to the afterdeck and saw the ferryman at the helm, speaking to the souls that had just boarded. "You, who have lingered in this forsaken place. Who have learned the price of breaking the Pirate Code... You have sufferd under the weight of chains forged by your own misdeeds... and now your time is served. Though you shall not fully remember your time in this place. Perhaps some remnant of understanding will accompany you when you step through my portal and return to the living world. Perhaps not, and we shall meet here again. For now, we must make sail - and quickly. For strange ships now patrol these endless waters. And ours is the longest Voyage of all."
Seeing no way around, Jacob and the others walked down the stairs next to the ferryman, hoping that nothing was gogin to happen. To their surprise, he didn't say anything. He either didn't care or was just to much occupied with keeping the ship on course. The crew looked around but as they had feared, there was no way inside the ship.
Remembering the words written in the journal the stranger gave them, Estella took out her lantern and held it up to the beacon that flowed over the deck of the ship. her lantern contained the same strange flame that they had used to light the lighthouse.
It was only now that the Ferryman seemed to realise what they were up to. "What are you doing? STOP!"
But it was too late. Estella used the flame and a explosion destroyed not only the beacon but the lattice below that had blocked the way down.
"The Ferry's secrets are laid bare..." the ferryman said. "I cannot surrender the wheel but I entreat ye: do not continue to trespass here, for you do not understand the truth of what you seek..."
Estella ignored the man's pleads. She was a pirate, a pirate with a mission. "William, take the lantern and go first. Abby, you cover our backs. The rest of you, stay close to me."
"Aye, captn'" they all said. But as Jacob descended down into the ship, he couldn't help but notice the fear on the ferryman's face and in his voice. It seemed strange to him. What could a man like him possibly be afraid of? And what about the strange vessels he talked about? Regardless, he had to follow his captain's orders. With cutlass and lantern drawn, they made their way below deck.
Cells... cells everywhere and filled with souls. So this was the place where pirates remained when they were deemed a threat. Now Jacob got to see it with his own eyes and he couldn't help but wonder if and how long he was trapped down here was well. The ferryman said that they wouldn't remember most of their time here, so it was possible and he was sure the question crossed the minds of some of his friends as well. He was glad time moved different in this world and that he did not remember his stay here.
A voice rang our from the other side of the ship. "Come on, doggie. Come to Jack and get the bone. Come to Jack and get the bone? Good boy! This bone is much nicer than those rusty old keys. Look, I'll try a bit first."
Estella and her crew now looked towards the cell. There was just a dingle pirate in it, he wore a varity of colorful clothes and a red bandana. His hair was braided into dreadlocks and the had a very strange beard, but it seeemd to fit him in a weird way.
In front of the cage was a dog with a set of keys in his mouth, just staring at the prisoner as he made a fool of himself. "Hmm. Not bad. Needs salt. And rosmary." the pirate commented after taking a bite of the bone.
Jup. Definitly the guy they were looking for.
"Well aren't you a strange fella?" Francois spoke up.
"Careful." Estella ordered. "We don't want to scare the dog. If he runs away, we'll never get our friend out of his cell."
"And where would he run of to? We're on a ship." Abby countered.
"That dog is never going to move. Therefore, I propose a wager. Whoever can get the key first. The winner get's... this delicious bone."
Jacob rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Fools. I know how to deal with the dog."
Estella crossed her eyes in fron of her chest. "Now that#s what I like to see." she said with a smirk, even though she knew he could do it, she loved to tease him.
Jacob kneeled down in front of the dog. "This dog is trained to withstand diversions. But I'm sure some affection by a real, living hand will do the trick." And indeed, the dog gave him his keys after he petted him a bit.
"How did ye do that?" William asked in awe.
"I had a few dogs in my old estate in England." Jacob smiled and opened the cell.
"Ah thank's mate. Let me introduce myself: My name is Captain Jack Sparrow... though since you came here to rescue me, you probably knew that."
"Actually no. We weren't given your name." Estella clarified.
"How insulting." Jack faked hurt. "Then you must have heard tell of my heroic journey to aquire this - the greatest Pirate Treasure of all." He showed his rescuers a little box. It had ring on top of it to hold onto and little stones eminating a strange, orange glow from it.
"What... is this?" Estella asked.
"A golden key to other lands and eternal freedom." Jack answered mysteriously. "Plundered from the lair of an heartless squid and used to assist in the daring escape that led me to stand before you now. Shiny, isn't it?"
"Shiny or not, let's get out of here before we are being trapped forever in this place." Jacob suggested.
No argument there.