After the Duels, everyone sit down, probably dead exhausted but astonishingly joyful. At any rate, Poerava is radiating joy around her: she had fun like never since a long time ago! But we will see in the following that it is not yet enough to satisfy her in her yearning for Piracy… By far!

A new Trial

After a moment, she turns to her comrades and addresses them the following words:

« – A next trial awaits ye, hearty mates, aye! And for sure a smart one! Before ye can credibly pretend to start for a bounty lootin'… I let my lucky locket be hidden somewhere on that island… ».

(She'll speak out nothing about it but Ernesto-Ribeiro did it and she herself doesn't know at all where it is located…)

« – Ernesto will give a different clue to each one of yee, which should help ya find the thin'. One clue is not enough but one alone, aye, only a single one will be in position to claim the little bounty I prepared, o'which I'll speak no word now. Moreover, you've got two days and two nights or, should I say, two nights and two days since the trial starts no single minute later than now and that is just midnight! ».

She smiles then, quite happy with her coup, and, while standing up again and leaving back to the Governor's Mansion, finishes:

« I let you manage with Ernesto, one by one. After that, good night… And see you the day after tomorrow, same place, same hour! »

The mysterious clues of Ernesto-Ribeiro

Actually, the clues should lead to various items or ideas relating to a rescue boat or a dugout (oars, fixations, hull, a bailer, etc.), then to get the casket where the locket is hidden (a billhook on a pole) .

  • To point out to a rescue boat or any sort of floating device (Let's remember that that type of useful object does not exist on the Yellow Lizard's Island, except some Curry-Bean dugouts…) : « If ye're not a simple nut, ya'll get for yerself a wallnut shell… And waterproof it be! » or else a clue of the unexpected sort like(Said on the required pompous tone while inflating the feathers…) : « Fluctuat nec mergitur… But I'm loosing the focus there! In Curry-Bean I couldn't tell while in Criole it could be something like: The ol' tub floats better than a keg o' nail! »
  • To possibly bring a Character to searching for a billhook which would allow for reaching the casket: « I'm no coconut and even no mango either but you'll get me no easier! ». (A great lover of coconuts, Ernesto takes here an agricultural picture rather than the image of the rescue boat which one hooks to the shore. Or he does it intently to make the riddle more complicated…)
  • Even more unexpected but maybe better focused: « Billabong, billabong… Bliinng !! »; one should mention here that the Curry-Beans actually have a game with that name, which signifies « the board » in their language… That said, the Characters taking that option seriously have a great risk to hurt themselves…
  • For a boat with oars: « Me clue'll take yee for a row… ». (And moreover, that's true!)

At last, only one clue makes a hint towards the lacation where the casket was hidden: « Of a lantern great need it'll be, and its great light shining in thy back thou shall let. » That clue is supposed to indicate that the casket is hidden somewhere at the North of the light tower (named the Lantern), where there is a cliff. In that cliff, a natural, yet big enough, hole opens three meters above the sea level at its highest – and the access to that hole from the top of the cliff is not easy at all, implying to climb down an overhang of more than fifteen meters… Because of the overhang, it is unthinkable to climb the cliff, therefore the clue about a device to pick fruits (from a height).

Note also that it is thinkable to attempt to pass the trial in the timeframe given by Poerava as a true « Pirate », that is in turning around the expected behaviour for the game: why bother oneself with some obscure clues when it may be enough to identify what Poerava did in the last days? There are however here two important obstacles: first of all, the « drowning » of Poerava the day before will have blurred her other deeds of the last days; second then, one does not know that Ernesto did hide the object, not Poerava herself. As a consequence, how could one want to understand from where she sent her parrot on the critical mission? Besides, it seems she left him the choice of the hide. (Really, that Ernesto is too clever for a parrot! – Imagine he could become the Captain of the future Crew…)

It may even be that a future talented and true Pirate will plot to capture Ernesto, « simply to make sure » and to question him directly… That here, would be true act of Piracy! But it remains to confirm whether it would be to the taste of Poerava…

A treasure Hunt!

It is certain that the one who has got the last clue of Ernesto has a significant advantage. It may even be that Poerava devised with Ernesto to give that clue to the best candidate from the Duels…

But here is the trick: he or she will certainly have some difficulties for doing everything alone in two days… Up to him or her! This trial can be undertaken alone for sure but the others may as well think there is something weird and decide to to dog his or her every move… Much also depends on that, that one of the Characters may be a parrot him or herself!

The trial seems to be designed to promote cooperation… only up to some degree since only one person will get the « price » in the end… It is a typical « Pirate » setting! At any rate, Friend Game Master, we advise you not to fix the situation with the solution which you would prefer: it is expected that the sequence will be very fruitful in terms of role-playing and thus for the building of the little group which, in the perspective of becoming one day a strong Pirate Crew, will have needed to pass through such conflicts between the interests of the individuals and that of the group. (Violins, play!)

At the end of that trial - taking also the « drowning » at the beginning, the third already! – Poerava will propose, if the Player's Characters managed to convince her of their value and motivation, to deal from then on with a matter of much more import…

Rewards and follow-ups…

For this new meeting, Poerava changed her clothes: she now wears quite dirty but very becoming three-quarter-length trousers, simple slippers and, as a top, a quite dishevelled tunic, simply knotted above the navel. She wears a bandana which pulls her hair backwards. She looks really cute in that attire. Only those who succeed on a Roll versus « Perception + Nosing Around » also remark a belt with a knife in its sheath at her side… What are the intentions of Poerava? A Duel of much more serious a kind?! The others will see that only later, probably because their eyes are not focused on the right place!

To the ones who believed that the price would be a kiss, they'll be disappointed! But the price must not be unpleasant for that… And several situations may result from the treasure hunt:

  • If the treasure has been found by one of the Characters, alone or - with or without agreement of the others - if that is presented in that way, Poerava wants first to see the casket with her locket, which she puts immediately back around her neck. (Friend Game Master, make sure you've got enough cotton pads for the subsequent nose bleedings! Hem…) As for the follow-up, take a look at « My Captain » below.
  • If the treasure has been found by several Characters, she recovers her locket, then seems to think a little while and she suddenly yells: « The first to bring me that tiny miserable coconut there! », while pointing at a coconut tree, of thin but high-reaching bild, indeed bearing only one smallcoconut probably totally eaten by mould… Refer to « Climbing at the coconut tree ».
  • If the Characters come back without the treasure, Poerava will not give hint to the solution… As if Pirates would know afterwards where the treasures are hidden! But she'll tell them that they still have to prove her their value and that, without a break, by succeeding at a last trial; only then will she deign be their Captain… Refer to: « The ultimate challenge! ».

Climbin' at the coconut tree

One has to run first, to be the first at the foot of the tree and have a hope to start climbing quickly enough so that the others cannot pull one by the pants or something else… Those who enter the competition roll the dice versus « Strength + Balance / Acrobatics ».

In the event when one of the Characters gets a Critical Success and all others fail - or in the unlikely event that only one gets a Normal Success, all others a Critical Failure… - the successful one has the opportunity to attempt one roll - respectively three rolls in a row - versus « Strength + Steep Little Climb » without being disturbed by the others. If he succeed with that one or one of the three Rolls, he gets the coconut without any other problem and Poerava, wishing no all-on brawl designate immediately the winner.

Otherwise, there will be a bit of wrestlin'… If one of the Characters manages better than the others, yet without being in the previously listed cases, she will be in position to attempt to climb but the Roll shall be in Opposition to her pursuers who is the closest if that one decides to catch her… The pursuer considers his Level in « Dexterity + Brawl » while she attempts to climb on the tree with « Strength + Steep Little Climb ».

If she fails or if several of the group arrive at the same moment at the coconut, the next to be able to make an attempt is the one who succeeds the best to a Roll versus « Got A Nerve! + Brawl » but she must then manage to climb despite the efforts of her two best challengers adding their forces, not anymore one as given in the previous paragraph.

Let us hope that a winner can be designated before Poerava gets asleep! She'll then intervene, as soon as the winner will be down back, designating him or her « Captain » as in the case described above… (See « My Captain… », hereafter.)

The ultimate trial!

That one is initiated by Poerava in the case none of our Young Pirates managed it to find out her « treasure ». The task is « simple »: go and get, one after the other, a hibiscus flower from the Governor's garden. It is enough for that to go there and be somewhat discreet, especially because there are not many waking outside at that hour of the night… A Roll versus « Got A Nerve! + Discretion » with a Normal Success should thus be enough…

And it should be sufficient to Poerava that she be given even only one hibiscus flower, though if she becomes more, she'll do herself an ornament out of them, despite their colour being blemish from the mould: even Poerava plays sometimes on her pretty girl's asset…

A map of the park around the Governor's Mansion you can find, Friend Game Master, further in the text, as the magnificient Criole colonial house becomes the playground of our story later on.

She then goes behind a tree or a tomb - depending on whether the meeting happens in the forest of just behind the Chapel of the Rock - and comes back with a tricorn on the head and the sabre at her belt. She throws a heap of equipment on the ground in front of her (a collection of bandanas, knife-belts, tin necklaces, some knives, daggers and the two wooden sabres - well in short, enough to equip a little bit everybody) and tells the Characters: « Hands on! We have work to do, now! »

My captain…

Poerava goes again to get another object behind the above mentioned tree or tomb and comes back with a sabre – a real one now! – certainly a bit old but carefully cleaned, a patched black bandana bearing a red skull and bones design and a tricorn, somewhat worn out at the tips, to give all that to the winner of the trial(s), while telling him or her: : « Here, Captain! Be worthy of it and lead us to wealth and glory! ». She has also got smaller gifts for the others.

Everybody gets equipped, then Poerava turns to the Captain…

Back