G4CaptainOnG4_1_1

That’s less an island and more an active volcano. There’s a swarm of deadly little things that make their home in the warrens within. They’ll eat the flesh off your bones while you’re still screaming. Ugh… but it’s their ‘god’ I’m thinking of. Spyglass reports say he’s getting bigger every time they spot him. Sounds to me like he might have one of the artefacts you’re seeking.

G4CaptainOnG4_2_1

That island has been shrouded in mist since the time of my eldest forefathers, before the Vaal empire was even a notion in some bloodthirsty noble’s head. The tale told by the Hatungo was quite simple: if the mists part and the island shows itself to you, you will be compelled to land. You’ll claim you hear the voices of loved ones, or of your gods, or whatever else suits your proclivities. If the crew let you go there, the ship will never return. But sure, we can take you there. What could possibly go wrong?

G4CaptainOnG4_3_1

That’s one of the most beautiful and verdant islands in this region. Some time ago, I did hear that one of the more nomadic Karui tribes decided to stop and settle there. They’ll know the region well by now, so it would be worth asking them if they have seen any sign of powerful Corruption. It would also be good to see some Karui who don’t know me…

G4CaptainOnG4_5_1

That island contains a prison built by the Eternal Empire. It’s been 300 years since the cataclysm, but the inmates still remain. Nobody ever let them out. You can still hear them clamoring at the bars. There is definitely something wrong at the heart of that place, which I’m certain means you’ll want us to sail straight there.

G4CaptainOnG4_7

For generations, that island was used for the coming of age trial of several tribes. Young Karui try to sneak onto the rocks, climb the cliffs, and steal the eggs of the shrikes that nest there. The eggs are a valuable delicacy that many would pay dearly for. In recent years, though, the trial became far more deadly. There is some sort of massive horrific thing nesting at its apex… it immediately makes me think of the corrupting effects of the artefacts you’re looking for.

G4CaptainIntroductionContractAccountCreated

We’re looking for work, yes… if you have enough credit with the trade guild. Let me see here… wow, okay, I can take you wherever you need. We’ll set sail right now if you want!

G4CaptainIntroductionContractAccountNotCreated

We’re looking for work, yes. I can take you wherever you need, even places the other captains would never dream of going! But if you want to work with a Kalguuran ship then you’ll have to arrange a contract account. You can’t just turn up with gold and demand passage. Talk to the port’s logistics man, Rog, about that.

G4CaptainContractAccountCreated

Ah, got a contract account sorted out? Then we can set sail whenever you like.

G4CaptainCareer

I’m a new captain, as you’ve probably guessed. The Kalguurans are skeptical of my people, but they respect our seafaring skills. I joined the Trade Guild as a young deckhand after I ran away from home, and I’ve worked my way up over the last twenty years. I’m the first Karui captain on a Kalguuran ship, so I’ve got to make a name for myself, or it’ll turn the tide against all of us.

G4CaptainKalguur

They don’t talk much about their homeland. I’m not allowed to sail there, not because I’m not Kalguuran, but because nobody has yet woven the accomplishments and honours of my family line into an epic poem to be told at their royal court. Their custom is not too different from Karui oral tradition, but it’s a difficult situation. In my case, I am no longer part of my tribe, so I have no family line to immortalize in song. Tujen suggested that I could join his, but he was drunk at the time, so…

G4CaptainTheKing

I don’t know what to make of the Kalguuran King. I’ve only heard whispers. Rumours. He’s very interested in Vaal artefacts, but I’m secretly wary of selling him relics I come across. Others are hesitant, too… I have noticed that certain types of ancient devices {disappear} before being loaded on merchant ships headed for Kalguur. If you mention this, they will deny it, just like they denied me when I asked… and just like I will deny I ever told you this.

G4CaptainTheFirstMate

Rhodri has been my mentor in the Trade Guild for many years now. He took me under his wing at a time when nobody else wanted to even so much as speak to me. I would never have been able to move up the ranks if not for his advice and support, though you’d never see any of that through his outward gruffness. He tasks the crew into action, and they hate him for it, but that’s the first mate’s role. He gets the crew’s ire, and I get the crew’s trust. It must be this way if we are all to survive.

G4CaptainTheWay

My people’s traditions have remained the same for thousands of years… until my generation. When I was a young girl, our god of war was slain by a mortal Exile. That impossible event shook everything I believed in. I am looking for my own Way now. I thought I might find my path in trade and commerce, sailing for the Kalguurans. Other {kaivanas} have spread out across Wraeclast in search of meaning. Those that chose to stay true to the old traditions despise us. They think we have rejected the Way, that we dishonour our families. When I visited the Halls of the Dead, my ancestors told me that the Way was meant to empower us, not control us! Who am I dishonouring by seeking my own truth? It’s a debate that has fueled the fires of discontent, and separated me from my family…

G4CaptainTheChallenge

I became a captain against the wishes of the Trade Guild Council. To lead a Kalguuran ship, one must pass a test. I was given a temporary crew and tasked with sailing a certain course in a certain amount of time, a crucial skill for an organisation that ‘aims to operate like clockwork over unpredictable seas,’ as they put it. At the most dangerous point of the course, between vast rocky shoals on a moonless night, our cargo of refined Verisium caught fire. It was due to explode in mere moments. I was faced with a choice: abandon ship, or command some of my men to enter that lethal smoke and put out the fire at the cost of their own lives. A rather horrible death, they say, gasping for breath with lungs that no longer work. So, I chose to put out the fire myself. It’s how I was raised… Luckily, the explosive powder was fake, and it was all part of the test. It turns out, one passes or fails based on the votes of the crew that served. I had earned their loyalty with my unexpected act, and many of them still follow me today, on this very ship. The Council does not aid me in any way, but neither do they interfere. It is the best I can hope for until I show some true profit.