Tales of the Caribbean

[Captain Del]

Ahoy Pirates!

The Caribbean is home to plenty of skilled pirates; though the common misconception is that us pirates are illiterate or unknowledgeable (well, some of us are ) that couldn't be further than the truth! In my days in the Caribbean I have stumbled across plenty of pirates with a keen ability with the quill, and when they put it to use the things they come up with be out of this world! It's amazing how thoughtful and imaginative some of us pirates are; though some of us don't know that yet!

Whether you are a short-story writer who likes to put out small tales of humor and misadventure, or a grand writer of tales of adventure and heroism in epic sagas, every writer has a different style and touch to their works that adds that unique spark to everything they do. Every tale that is written within the Caribbean adds to a greater creative atmosphere that encourages players to write and explore their creativity, which is why I believe that every pirate who puts his or herself out there and writes something, whether a practiced veteran author or a first-time writer, is equally important and valuable as a writer in our fair Caribbean. And because of this, I want to start taking the time to celebrate all of you, the regular writers of the Caribbean!

I am going to begin a contest called Tales of the Caribbean, a monthly, multi-forum contest where pirates from all across the Caribbean can practice their writing skills and help enrich the creative atmosphere of the Caribbean. It will be a great opportunity for all of us to celebrate each other's work, and to get to know our fellow writers from across the Caribbean; in fact, it's something that I would encourage every pirate to get involved in at one time or another! Here's how it will work:

At the beginning of every month, I will post a "theme" for this month's contest. Pirates will then go forth and have until a date later that month to post their creation on the thread, following the theme of that month's contest. I will then ready every submission and see which one is able to best fit the theme, and the top three submissions from across the Caribbean will be recognized and posted across the Caribbean for all pirates to see!

Entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

1. Grammar and Punctuation. Entries need to be legible and easy to read so that every pirate is able to enjoy reading them. Minor spelling and punctuation mistakes are fine, but entries may not be considered if I find them hard to read.
2. Creativity! Stories should be well-thought out and original. The more diverse your story is from the other entries, the more I will be prone to choose it from the others!
3. How well it fits the theme. While I do encourage that you try to be creative as to how you approach the goal of that month's contest, remember that it still has to be relevant. If I ask you to write a story about bananas, don't give me a story about a chicken who became governor of Tortuga.


Rules When Entering:

1. Entries should be posted on the thread for the contest. It would be hard for me to look around every single thread that I am directed to, so please just post your entries on the contest thread
2. ONLY one entry per user! You are allowed to edit your post as much as you want up until the date the competition ends, but you are not allowed to submit more than that single entry! Don't try to submit multiple entries across different forums, either - Del's smarter than that
3. Do not comment/critique another pirate's work! We're looking to encourage others to put themselves out there and write. Adding a comment like "Nice job! You just may want to try and..." is fine, but do NOT try and put others down!
4. Length of entries does not matter. Your entry could be a sentence long, or it could be forty pages - I'll be willing to read either. Just be aware that the length of your story could affect it's quality - if it's too short it might not have any substance, but if it's too longer it might feel drawn out. Just remember to keep it interesting.

This Month's Theme!

Write a backstory for one of the NPC's that you'll find in the Caribbean! Select one of the green names and tell me about their life; when they were born, where, how did they get to where they are, etc.

Entries will be accepted between now until Wednesday, March 28th, at 11:59 PM Pacific. You have until then to post your entry below.

I hope you all choose to take part in this and have a grand time with it. Thanks, mates!

Happy writing!

[Captain Jason]

Great idea Del! Love the topic. Can't wait to read some of the other stories!

[Captain Gas]

I figure I'll post it, then edit it as I don't have much time on my hands. You did say we could edit, so...




The Tale of Bellrog


Once upon a time, there was a boy named John Herman Bellrog. He lived with his parents in a giant mansion. His parents were archaeologists and his family was quite rich due to that. His father and mother discovered many breakthroughs in historical theories and he stayed at home tutored by a history tutor.

His brother's name was Matthew Joseph Bellrog. He was slightly younger, only 3 months behind from John's birthday. John's birthday, in fact, was September 15, 1674. Matthew's is December 12, 1674.

One day, he and his brother were sailing to Padres del Fuego with their parents as the result of a business opportunity and the location of an ancient stash of lost artifacts that many have desired to take control of.

John stayed in his room on the ship and his brother's room was next to his. They were both given new clothes to use while on the ship and John was given a sword to practice with so that he could learn to duel.

Until, unfortunate news came. "Sir, we've predicted that there may be a storm 5 hours from now!" said a crew member to John's father, also known as Jeremiah Bellrog. "What?" said Jeremiah. "Rubbish! No storm is going to get in the way of our expedition for the Lost Weapons. I want you to continue ahead, full speed!" Reluctantly, the crew member nodded and hurried over to the wheel to give the sailor the commands.

They sped ahead towards Padres del Fuego but alas were too late...the storm had just started. Lightning thunderously struck land and wind blew the waves of the seven seas. The ship was carried off its course and led to an uncharted area of the seas. Yet, there was a piece of land in the distance...

Startled, John and Matthew awoke from their slumber and heard the rumbling sounds of the storm. They went out on deck and held onto their parents. "Father, will we make it alive?" inquired John. Jeremiah stood there without a word and looked at the skies, not that it was actually in view due to the dark clouds.

Then, as quick as lightning, of course, lightning struck the deck and ripped the ship apart while John was running to the other side! He was stuck on one half of the ship while the rest of his family were trapped on the other.

The last words he heard before, out of nervousness, swimming to shore, Jeremiah had said, "It's fate, son." The crumbling ship parts floated away while John swam the distance to shore. His family's part of the ship was a tiny dot now and he was almost at the piece of land.

He had swam ashore and found himself in a peaceful town surrounded by widows, gypsies, and even fishermen. Possibly even a few wealthy men and women. He walked around the town with his life's journal in his pocket.

Suddenly, he found himself walking into a man possibly in his 40's. "Oh, well hello there, lad. What's your name?" Nervous, John stammered, "J-J-John." Noticing the nervousness in his tone, the man said, "Don't worry, I won't harm you. But, you don't seem to have any adults around you. Where'd ye come from?" After John's sudden silence, the man decided to say, "How 'bout I take ye under me wing? I'll let you live with me and it seems you know a lot about history and writing." He was drifting his eyes to John's journal.

Next thing he knew, John was agreeing and stepping over to the man's home which was a normal, medium sized shack. The shack had a kitchen, a dining room with a candle in the middle of the table, and a relaxing living room.

Over the years, John lived with the man whose name he learned was Nicholas and learned much more about history. One day, John vowed that he would become an archaeologist like his parents. Years later, he had been home-schooled by Nicholas and learned about interesting artifacts including more about the Lost Weapons.

One day, John woke up and went to eat breakfast. While eating, he told Nicholas, "Mr. Nicholas, would it be all right if I went to search for the Lost Weapons?" For a second, there was a slight pause. Nicholas then burst out laughing, saying, "Good one, John! Everyone knows that those weapons are cursed and that no one has been able to come out alive with one of those weapons."

John had actually become a little upset by these words and replied, "Mr. Nicholas...I mean it. I want to find the weapons and carry on my parents' research. They would be proud of me if they knew what I was doing."

Nicholas stopped laughing, then said, "John, you know this is not something easy. This can be a death experience. Are you willing to risk your life for some cursed weapons?"

John, apparently set on his decision, said, "Mr. Nicholas, please...I want to go. I want to be the first to get their hands on one of El Patron's Lost Weapons unscathed."

Nicholas sat back and said, "So you'd risk your life just for even one cursed blade that may as well kill you rather than stay here and take care of your old man..." John then hastily replied, "No, sir that's not what I meant--" Nicholas raise his voice. "But, that's what you were thinking, wasn't it?!"

At this point, John actually became concerned and said, "Sir, are you all righ--" Nicholas yelled now. "GO! AND I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! I THOUGHT I HAD A REAL PERSON WHO COULD BE THE SON I NEVER HAD! BUT, NOW--" John grew desperately worried. "Sir--" Nicholas shouted at him. "GET OUT NOW! NEVER COME BACK!"

Upset, John silently stood up and started walking away. Nicholas, sobbing, said, "John, I-I'm sorry. It's just...I've never had a son like you. I don't want to lose ye...look, if you want to go that bad, go. I won't stop you. I know now that it's no use."

John finally left and went to Ned Bunkel. "Mr. Bunkel, may I use the mine elevator?" asked John. Ned turned around and said, apparently distracted by his conversation, "Eh? Sure, sure. Don't let the devils get ye, hehe. Keys are by that crate." He nodded his head towards the crate on the left of him.

John picked the keys up and inserted them into the elevator. He walked in and waited as the lift pulled him up onto the ledge that held the bridge to the mine. John had long known after he lived with Nicholas that he was living in Raven's Cove and found out the Lost Weapons were hidden in El Patron's Mine.

As he got up, he was greeted by a body on the floor. It was not a skeleton, it was a living, breathing body. The body woke up and looked at John. "Who are ye?" asked the man. "Um, my name is John, sir." replied John. The man raised his eyebrow and said, "Last name?" John, confused, said, "Bellrog. Why?"

The man yelped in excitement and said, "John?! It's me, Matthew!" John then grinned and said, "It is you! How did you get here?" Matthew explained, "Well, ye see, I hitched a stowaway ride on a ship and it ported on this island, apparently named Raven's Cove. Ever since then, to avoid being recognized, I changed my name to Kudgel."

John explained to Kudgel, "I lived with Nicholas and then decided to journey to the Lost Weapons." Kudgel replied, "Nicholas? Isn't he a native in the town?" John replied, "Yeah, why?" Kudgel replied, "I hear he died of sadness and depression 2 hours ago. Said something about not being able to live without "him". Was that you he mentioned?"

John, not believing the news, fell on his knees. From then on, something inside him snapped. "Kudgel, come on. We're going to the mines." Confused, Kudgel said, "But, we've only just--" John yelled, "NOW!"

They ran across the bridge, past Fire Bats, then saw a torch-lit cave. "This is it." John stated seriously. "Um, and why exactly are we coming here?" asked Kudgel. John raised his voice, "I told you, we're finding the Lost Weapons."

John and Kudgel journeyed through the cave and dodged some ghosts on the way, then found a door with a skull on it. "This is it." said John. "We need four idols to open it and we need to--" All of a sudden, something slashed him on the back! He had lay on the floor, dead. Kudgel looked around for the source, but was struck down too! A skeleton had emerged from the dark and killed them. "Master, all survivors have been killed." said the skeleton to his master. A cackling voice said, "Good, good. Return to the ship, we have work to do."

Ever since then, John and Kudgel have been souls lingering in the mines with John seeking revenge and being determined to find the Lost Weapons himself and no one else. Kudgel stood as his bodyguard and obeyed John's every word. As the years passed, they grew into despair, for who could ever find their way inside the mines? Then, they heard the rushing of living footsteps. And...well, you know what happens next if you did the quest.

The End

[Captain Gas]

I hope this doesn't count as double posting (sorry if it is) but it doesn't seem like anyone but me has posted their stories so far. C'mon, mates, don't be shy!