The Sanguine and Blackbeard's Cutlass
Several days later you arrive at the coordinates Woodes Rogers marked on your map. You order the ship to drop anchor.
“There’s nothing here,” comments Freddy.
“Ye of little faith,” Procter says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Freddy asks.
Procter offers a shrug as his reply.
“Time to see if Rogers is correct about the Quetzalcoatl headdress,” you say opening the trunk that contains the ceremonial hood.
Inside, the red headdress lies neatly folded. You pull it out to get a better view. The main section of the headdress is a hollowed out skull with reddish-brown thread weaved to cover the upper torso. The entire back section is covered in feathers. The skull looks to be some sort of large lizard. Your first instinct was “dragon”, but the size is much too small for that. It looks to be a little larger than your own head, which is perfect for fitting your own head inside. Oddly enough, the eye holes have black cloth over them making it impossible to view the eyes of whoever wore the headdress.
“Creepy. How much you wanna bet the previous owner sacrificed humans in that?” Freddy says.
“I’d be surprised if the previous owner didn’t sacrifice people in that. The real wager is if he ate them after or not,” Victoria chimes in.
“As far as I know, they aren’t cannibals,” you say. “Then again, I don’t know too much about them.”
“That’s comforting…”
You slip on the headdress. It’s like the world is suddenly void of all color. The crystal blue water and fiery sky turn grey. Everything has a mistiness to it like edges aren’t defined and trail off into nothingness. Sure enough, you spot an island exactly where Rogers said it would be. The island itself isn’t that large, probably half the size of Nassau. In the center, a single temple rises above the rest of the island. Dark storm clouds encircle the temple. The thick tree line that lines the edges prevents you from seeing more of the island features. You turn to relay the news to the crew and startle – you no longer see your crew, but a mass of skeletons gathered around you.
One of the skeletons steps forward and clacks, “What do you see, Cap?”
“More than I would like,” you reply.
Satisfied you’re in the right place, you remove the headdress to gaze upon Victoria. Relieved at seeing flesh again, you give her arm a slight squeeze for reassurance.
“Ow! What was that for?” she exclaims.
“Just checking something,” you answer.
Across the sea, the island is still visible, even without the headdress on.
“V, put on the hood and tell me what you see,” you say.
She does as you ask and looks towards the island.
“Do you see it?” you ask.
She nods. Before she can turn back to the crew, you jump into her vision.
“Ahh!” she shrieks and immediately removes the headdress.
“Spooky huh?” you ask with a grin.
“Damn it, that’s not funny,” she replies.
“Not from where I’m standing,” Freddy says laughing.
“Can you still see the island?” you ask Victoria.
“Yes,” she replies pinching you back.
You order the crew to take turns putting on the headdress. All but Procter flinch at the sight of witnessing the bare bones before them. As the crew prepares the longboats for transport, you head to the captain’s quarters. Inside, you place your flintlocks on the table and start to thoroughly clean them. It wasn’t uncommon for the guns to misfire and you wanted to reduce the likelihood of that happening. Next, you place your sword and dagger on the table and take out your whetstone. You aren’t sure what dangers lie in wait, but you’ll be sure to be well-equipped for them. A knock at the door alerts you of the crew’s readiness. It’s time.
“There’s nothing here,” comments Freddy.
“Ye of little faith,” Procter says.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Freddy asks.
Procter offers a shrug as his reply.
“Time to see if Rogers is correct about the Quetzalcoatl headdress,” you say opening the trunk that contains the ceremonial hood.
Inside, the red headdress lies neatly folded. You pull it out to get a better view. The main section of the headdress is a hollowed out skull with reddish-brown thread weaved to cover the upper torso. The entire back section is covered in feathers. The skull looks to be some sort of large lizard. Your first instinct was “dragon”, but the size is much too small for that. It looks to be a little larger than your own head, which is perfect for fitting your own head inside. Oddly enough, the eye holes have black cloth over them making it impossible to view the eyes of whoever wore the headdress.
“Creepy. How much you wanna bet the previous owner sacrificed humans in that?” Freddy says.
“I’d be surprised if the previous owner didn’t sacrifice people in that. The real wager is if he ate them after or not,” Victoria chimes in.
“As far as I know, they aren’t cannibals,” you say. “Then again, I don’t know too much about them.”
“That’s comforting…”
You slip on the headdress. It’s like the world is suddenly void of all color. The crystal blue water and fiery sky turn grey. Everything has a mistiness to it like edges aren’t defined and trail off into nothingness. Sure enough, you spot an island exactly where Rogers said it would be. The island itself isn’t that large, probably half the size of Nassau. In the center, a single temple rises above the rest of the island. Dark storm clouds encircle the temple. The thick tree line that lines the edges prevents you from seeing more of the island features. You turn to relay the news to the crew and startle – you no longer see your crew, but a mass of skeletons gathered around you.
One of the skeletons steps forward and clacks, “What do you see, Cap?”
“More than I would like,” you reply.
Satisfied you’re in the right place, you remove the headdress to gaze upon Victoria. Relieved at seeing flesh again, you give her arm a slight squeeze for reassurance.
“Ow! What was that for?” she exclaims.
“Just checking something,” you answer.
Across the sea, the island is still visible, even without the headdress on.
“V, put on the hood and tell me what you see,” you say.
She does as you ask and looks towards the island.
“Do you see it?” you ask.
She nods. Before she can turn back to the crew, you jump into her vision.
“Ahh!” she shrieks and immediately removes the headdress.
“Spooky huh?” you ask with a grin.
“Damn it, that’s not funny,” she replies.
“Not from where I’m standing,” Freddy says laughing.
“Can you still see the island?” you ask Victoria.
“Yes,” she replies pinching you back.
You order the crew to take turns putting on the headdress. All but Procter flinch at the sight of witnessing the bare bones before them. As the crew prepares the longboats for transport, you head to the captain’s quarters. Inside, you place your flintlocks on the table and start to thoroughly clean them. It wasn’t uncommon for the guns to misfire and you wanted to reduce the likelihood of that happening. Next, you place your sword and dagger on the table and take out your whetstone. You aren’t sure what dangers lie in wait, but you’ll be sure to be well-equipped for them. A knock at the door alerts you of the crew’s readiness. It’s time.