The Wanderer's Call

Written by EmperorCharlesII

When night falls on the shortest night of the year<br>When your ship is gone and your fear has lifted<br>When you have lost everything and only your soul is left on earth<br>Only then may you walk on dry land again.
~The curse levelled on the crew of the Wanderer's Call

The Wanderer’s Call used to be the scourge of the Thousand Stars in the second century of the Third Era. Its crew under Captain Voros Nikolaspor was feared throughout the archipelago, attacking merchant vessels and escaping military ambushes. They did this for many decades without issue.
Somewhere in their travels, the Wanderer's Call raided a ship of pilgrims. On-board was an artifact of great significance to Ala'inwë. While they did not kill or harm the pilgrims, they did take the artifact with them. One of the pilgrims cursed their ship so that they would never find rest when it came time for them to die. The crew did not take them seriously, but the curse was real.
Many assumed that they had the Sea-Shaper’s aid in their deeds. Why the gods would help a group of pirates is not clear, but maybe it was due to some magical aid instead.
One day close to Midsummer, the ship was sailing between Talli and the nearby island of Dabrol when a storm arrived. Many, including the crew, believe that Coltris the Raging sent the storm to sink the vessel. Either way, the storm came and ravaged the boat. Rain came sideways with such force that they could barely see and lightning struck both masts. Finally, the ship was dashed against the rocks off Dabrol and it sank.
But the curse of the pilgrim followed them and the crew lived, their boat a mysterious floating wreck and them revenants or ghosts of their former selves. Unlike many spirits, however, they do not mean to be unkind but rather friendly. They spend their days asleep and during the nights they wander the shores and jungles of Dabrol. Anyone who attempts to attack Talli often finds themselves fighting the pirates too, and they cannot be killed by mortal means.
Every Midsummer, the people of Talli hold a festival in their honour, the Day of Pirates. Everyone dresses up like ghosts, often draping bedsheets or other large pieces of linen to give themselves an unearthly air. They cook various fish and, when night falls, the pirates sail into harbour in their ruined boat and share stories with the locals.

Date of First Recording

3E 472

Date of Setting

Early Third Era

Related Ethnicities

• Vatarian

Related Locations

• Talli

Spread

The story is very rarely told to foreigners or other Vatarians. Doing so might draw in ghost hunters or other adventurers who might try to rid them of the ghost pirates. That being said, a couple of stories of ghost pirates have reached many cities of the Thousand Stars and the major ports of Sedesta.

In Literature

A collection of the tales told by the pirates has been made and is kept in the Weird Writings store in Talli.
Some of these tales are also told by the local people to strangers when they travel outside of their little island. However, they are rarely taken seriously and when they are they are usually published in other tale anthologies.

Art Credit: emperorcharlesii (me!)