The WindFlyer

Prologue

Every story ever told has to come from something. No tale written has ever come from the mind of those writing it. Even legends have a beginning, a fact, a truth. And every legend they tell is true. At least...

As true as their master wants them to be.

There are tales told within the archipelago of Stramtor. Legends whispered in throne rooms and brothels. Legends said to scare husbands into coming home, to frighten wives to cling to their husbands sides, to entice children to the sea. Great stories of adventure and pillaging.

Stories of pirates.

There are legends told about one crew of pirates. One ship. One particular captain. A captain the world has never met. A captain colder than the icy depths of the sea.

Legends told from the shores of Rattaplan...

"They say there is a captain as black hearted and cruel as they come. A pirate captain. He kills for joy and pillages the great houses."

"They say the combined Royal Navies of the Archipelago have lost twenty nine ships to the man."

"They say the captain sails with his crew under the harshest rule. So harsh, that even worn criminals are afraid to step out of line. So cruel that murderers and assassins fear him."

... to the mountains of Tellar...

"I hear the captain has never left another ship in tact after they pass. That he leaves no survivors."

"I hear the captain once marooned himself on an island, then took only four days to find his way off the island and back to his ship, just to prove to the crew that he could. And to deter his crew from ever trying anything."

"I hear the ship once out raced five of the admirals own ships, leading them on a great chase until the final stand. I hear the ship took all five on at once... and destroyed everything without losing a single of her own."

...from the flat plains of Alture...

"Tales say that the ship has riches beyond riches. That every crew member is a lord in his own right and a debtor in someone else's. That they pave the waves with gold and gems."

"Tales say that the ship has sails of the darkest midnight blue silk. That the sails can catch any breeze and summons wind out of nothing."

"Tales say that the captain's greatest weapon is the fear he holds over the world. That he can pull knives out of the air and swords from the water."

...to the grassy hills of Postuna...

"I've heard the ship has killed hundreds, thousands. Innocents, criminals, mothers, fathers, children. It doesn't matter to them. They enjoy it."

"I've heard the deck is stained red with the blood of those they've killed. That they used the blood to stain the whole ship a dark, crimson red. That the color will sometimes trail behind them at sea."

"I've heard wherever they go, remains of ship trail in their wake. That even if another tried to follow, the skeletons of ships would sink them in a blink of an eye."

...from the prairies of Vergarst...

"Rumor has it the sharks know the ship, they will follow it, because after raids, there is always a nice meal waiting for them. Sometimes, there aren't enough sharks."

"Rumor has it that the skeletons of the dead crews sometimes walk upon the water, only loyal to the captain that killed them. They follow his every order hoping the captain will someday release them."

"Rumor has it the spirits of the dead crews can only be released upon the vile captain's death. That they are bound to him until hell can hold him in it's fiery cells."

...to the valleys of Levsaun...

"You know the other pirates of Pirates Cove would rather go to the gallows than meet with the terror of a captain. The great pirate lords pay to keep the ship away... and the captain takes their money and then kills them."

"You know the ship was crafted by the captain himself. He built it from the bones of his enemies and his friends alike. Taking one from every person he ever killed. It only took him two days to get the supplies for."

"You know he -- the captain -- can't die. He's died seven times before, but every time he's killed, he rises with the dawn. Ready again to pillage."

...from the lakes of Territa...

"Stories reach my ears of the captain destroying a whole city in one night. Of him wiping it completely off the map, like it never existed in the first place. They can't even find the ruins of it where scholars say it was."

"Stories reach my ears of people who beg for mercy. The captain is merciful with his own sort of mercy. Death. He puts them to death for the crime of meeting him and calls it mercy."

"Stories reach my ears of the captain. His eyes as dark as his soul. A heart as black as the night. His hands stained blood red from every man he's ever killed. His skin riddled with knives he doesn't bother removing. Sword forged of hate and pistol of death."

...to the temples of Roltem...

"Legend has it the captain clawed his way out of the fires of hell, that not even the devil himself could hold the black hearted fiend in the lowest depths of hell. That nothing would keep the captain from his ship and crew."

"Legend has it the ship sails where the sun meets the horizon and the moon touches the waves. Where the wind whispers great songs of adventure and glory and the sky ends."

"Legend has it the ship can fly upon the great winds, that the sky is her sea and the clouds her air, that the ship is called The WindFlyer."

A pirate is nothing but a villain. A pirate is nothing but a criminel. A murderer, a killer, a liar, a thief. Hated and feared. The enemy of the public. The only place they belong is hanging from the gallows. Pirates are all deserving to be put to death. Pirates are monsters. Aren't they?

Once a pirate, always a pirate. Every story is true. Every legend, every rumor all true. Every word spoken in hushed tones, whispered behind closed doors; words of warning or of glory. They're all true.

Or are they?