Penny Dreadfuls, the Perseverance Rover, and things that make you go Hmmm...

16 days ago I set a goal of slaying 20 krakens in a month and a half to challenge myself. I knew what my experience and dedication to the hunt would allow me to do.

That is why I am now challenging myself to 100 krakens between my original goal start date and the end of the year.

16 days ago I had 131 krakens and I will need to have killed 231 by the 31st of December.

I've always been hungry to hunt
I don't have an interest in thievery unless it's necessary
I don't want to be a stowaway on the ship of another like a rat
I don't take pleasure in killing pirate or beast unless it aims to kill me
I want to face the best a sea predator has and survive it
Not a hostile exchange between warriors or soldiers but a fight for survival between hunters
My tale is not one of good vs evil
Heroes and honor are luxuries that the war for the hunting grounds does not allow

The seasons are once again changing
with that brings changes to the sea
as my whiskers turn grey I've lost the spark for wealth and glory
but I've rekindled the fire for the moment
I haven't heard voices in quite some time.
The sounds are of the sea and the birds
How it is
is how it began
Alone but not lonely
The seas were rough for a long time
but how fortunate I have been
undeserved but appreciated
To younger pirates
it gets better
You are capable
of that I have no doubt

The first day of a new season
a mighty fine adventure
battles and exploration
I saw the most beautiful lights brighten the darkened sky
I entered chaos in a rowboat by being introduced to its cannon
The Gold Hoarder and I met in battle once again
I rolled a 20
I made a snow angel in a bayou
I sent some pirates to a ferry and laid cursed bones to eternal rest
I stole a map and buried secrets before I reached for peaks
This is a special place
a dangerous place yet somehow a place full of beauty and hope
Thankful for life and the sea
and all those she holds

A grand tale of the switch-a-rew

I grabbed a dig map from the board for lagoon of whispers
it turned out to be quite generous burial grounds for valuable items
I had positive thoughts of the person that would bury such a haul.

Hours later I was sailing in circles not really paying attention while watching old Bela Lugosi horror movies. Waiting for the sound of chaos as I usually do.

I was near the western red sea when I decided to wrap it up for the night. I'm heading by Crescent Isle when I spot a grade 5 athena. Typically I wouldn't engage as I only take what I need but with a new season there are new objectives.

They run and I pursue. I can tell that this is a hunt that is likely to end in my favor if I decide to put in the effort. I'm closing in. It's not looking good for them.

One has been trying to board but unsuccessful. They grab the ladder and sit there. When I look down I see a familiar name. It is the same person that buried that generous ashen loot hours earlier.
I let him know I recognize his name and that I will abort and let them go in peace. He is friendly and offers an alliance but I decline and let them go about their session and I closed out mine.

It's a small world after all.

This is not the greatest and best screenshot in the world
this is just a tribute

3 days and 3 solo grade 5 Athena emissary quests completed for the new ledger rewards.

Not a fun faction to work for but sometimes doing stuff that isn't fun is just how it's gotta be.

Takes a long time and I had to fight off a lot of predators and pirates but what needed to get done got done.

Thankful for the sea and for the good fortune she provided this weekend. I hope the pirates out there found some as well.

I hit 100.
When I wander into taverns to escape the stench of kraken breath and death
I hear the cheer from those that live differently than I do
differently than those that aim to retire me
gentle voices and moving melodies
a different way of life
but one that I can appreciate even if it's only for a while before the sea calls for my return
It's quiet on my sloop
even in the countless battles all I hear is the mind fog of my own thoughts floating slowly without a clear destination
What exists at the top of those stairs?
answers to mysteries?
or just the ramblings of old wanderers like me?

clip

You would think after all this time I would have started to get supplies before the battle and not during

100 krakens in 25 days

Rising up, back on the sea
did my time, took my chances
went the distance, now I'm back on my feet
just a man and his will to survive

So many times it happens too fast
you trade your passion for glory
don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past
you must fight just to keep them alive

rising up to the challenge of our rival
face to face, out in the heat
hanging tough, staying hungry
they stack the odds still we take to the sea
for the kill with the skill to survive

There's a quest for answers
an unquenchable thirst
in the darkest night
rising like a spire
in the burning heart
the unmistakable fire

In the warrior's code
there's no surrender
though his body says stop
his spirit cries - never!
deep in our soul
A quiet ember
knows it's you against you
It's the paradox
that drives us on
It's a battle of wills
in the heat of attack
It's the passion that kills
The victory is yours alone

Never mistake kindness for weakness and always double tap

I was on the sea for some time. Pirates were slowly doing a FoTD but I only take what I need and there wasn't anything over there I needed.

I did a fleet as a grade 5 reaper and went to sell.

They finished their fort around the time I was selling so from time to time I would keep an eye on their paranoia and hesitation while I sold what I wanted to sell.

Eventually they sailed over and they had another sloop with them and they were in an alliance.

I could hear them talking and I said "Howdy, I don't mean you any harm, I won't attack you"
I joined their alliance to perhaps keep the situation calm. I'm not in the business of killing just to kill or dying just to die.

As I was in my crows nest I saw one board with a mega keg and I heard him say "it doesn't matter he is going to die"

I jump from the crows over to the island cannon and survive the blast.

Knowing that they had at least one keg the chances were high they had them all so I sent a blunderbomb out of the cannon into the crows nest of the reaper 5 that attacked me and it went boom.

I make a few kills and decide to repair their boat before it sinks.
I had already sold what I wanted to sell and I figured I'd give them this victory. Nothing to fight for.

The storm is coming and I disappear inside of it

I figure I'll stick around the server long enough to get half of the payout as a payment for keeping them from sinking

As I'm in the darkness I hear them discussing leaving the alliance so that I don't get anything.

The one that said "it doesn't matter he is going to die" sounds to be the ruthless one of the bunch.

A decision that cost them the Athena, reaper chests and the loot they had stacked in the hideout

Notable quotes.

in all caps

"he is still here!, he is still here!"
"the athena is gone!"
"he sold the loot we had stacked!"
"WHAT?"

2x clips from the session.

1
2

There were 3 reaper ships while I sailed the seas for 3 legend chests.
The grade 3 is the crew that took interest so from snake island to crook's hollow to the northern atoll to lone cove they tried everything from tucking to cannon rowboat to the brigantine blitz
The legends lay buried at the fall of the kraken
I survived, a fortunate fate
some will not be so fortunate
I hope they find a way to keep their spirit if not their treasure

The tragic death of the sea Piggy

I finish a fleet and I sail to plunder outpost to give it all to a galleon fresh spawn
at first there are no people but after I finish unloading I see pirates emerge from the bushes wearing all white and appear to be new players

they circle me
they are acting bizarre like I may have wandered into a children of the corn situation
I politely request that they sell my loot
they begin picking up the loot but instead of selling it they start taking it to the bushes
they then circle me once more and unsheathe their blades
without communication and without mercy they take my life
they never sold the loot

Who would have thought that 85% of the Lord of the Flies could play out in 5 minutes of Sea of Thieves gameplay

Heartbreak Kraken Hotel

There I was. I had my hunting spot.
Waiting for the sea to turn to ink
It was in between warning signs in the sky. I had a good feeling.
when you've hunted as long as I have you know when it feels right.
I look up from my resting face of piratical ponder
and I see a reaper ship approaching. Hunter meets hunter
as usual I have not gathered supplies
A battle rages for 15 minutes and then I hear it and I see it.
sea to ink and it has spawned on my enemy and I have no supplies.
they have taken my moment. They have prevented my kill
my eyes turn to ink
A skeleton ship spawns on me and I still have no supplies
some things are worth fighting for.
I lead them and the skeleton ship by the Fort of the Damned
I wait for the one to shoot off and I catch the ladder with the keg.
I kill 2 on the ship.
I sink the ship and there are 3 in the water with a rowboat and what turned out to be a bunch of treasure.
I jump into the shark and pirate infested water and collect on the debt that is owed.
my ship is thoroughly on fire at this point
I don't feel like putting it out with a broken heart
It's been a while since I've had a row
I row to Reapers
randomly a galleon ends up behind me and I sneak around the shadows as they sailed by without knowing what they missed out on
tomorrow is a new day
for all of us
but tonight there is no easy way out

Been facing a lot of hostility lately
not something I want to judge
not something I'm in any position to judge
they are pirates
we are pirates
killing isn't something I find enjoyable
but it's an honest exchange
I can appreciate it for that
and that is what I'll do until the seas calm

After all this time I decided to come up with a very helpful tutorial on solo sinking skelly galleons

Step 1: Have absolutely no plan and low or no supplies but complete confidence that it'll work out in the end
Step 2: Repair, maybe? sometimes? It'll be fine
Step 3: Pin the galleon against an island. Why not? It'll be fine
Step 4: Give the galleon a proper send off emote

Very helpful tutorial based on a lot of experience.
It will be fine

Clip

A long time I've been wanting to fight a galleon Kraken as a solo sloop with default supplies
The kraken sank the galleon so it was just between she and I
I finally got my chance today.
Took me about 25 minutes and I ran out of wood and cannonballs but I got the kill without sinking

Moments

There are so many moments in pirate life that change the tide
One miss here or one hit there and everything changes.

I spent two hours in battle with a duo sloop.
A battle of moments and changing of the tide.

I was parked at reaper's hideout selling.
I knew of a reaper ship in the distance that had done a fort.
I don't fire first unless I need to and in this case I didn't need to.
I wanted to see what they intended to do when they arrived.

Right away I notice a pirate on the mast with the mega keg.
Their intentions became clear.

I send a chainshot at him and hit the mast but somehow it doesn't set off his keg and he falls in the water and no doubt will be swimming for my boat with it. That is moment one.

Moment two happens quickly after. I put two in his back and kill him mere inches from my boat with the keg about as close as one can be to a ship without exploding. He should have lit it.

Moment three. I'm about to keg them with their own mega keg when I feel the uncomfortable pain of lead in my back. I survive the sneak attack from a pirate but I shoot the keg during the battle to clear the field.

It then becomes a naval battle for quite some time.
Moment four. I finally kill one with a cannon and get a good angle and opportunity to attempt the board.
I hit the survivor 6 times between pistol and blade but the man does not fall.
I fall to his blade though.

I manage to get into a situation where a board makes sense two more times.
I start dropping all their loot in the water to cause chaos that may assist me at some time.

More moments occur
We end up in a situation where they are both on my ship and I am on their ship.
My ship eventually sinks and I survive a blunder shot when they return to theirs but only barely and end up in the water without food near reaper's hideout
I luck out and survive the swim but only barely.

I start sending all of my fireworks into the sky as they sail around trying to find my grade 5 reaper flag and perhaps some of their loot.
but I had sent them off course during the ship exchange and they lost their way

At some point during this they must have given up because when I finally shot off the island to get the board on their ship sailing around there was nobody aboard.

I sail their ship to reaper's hideout before it scuttles to collect the flag.

Moments can so often lead to frustration but they also offer hope.
At any time something can change completely.
A miss of one moment often leads to a hit of another when given the chance.

Sunday is always fight day on the sea
not because I want it to be that way but because it never fails to occur
today was no different.
had to fight off 3 sloops and right when I think I can rest another comes over with a couple of shrouded ghost hunters
took forever but was surprised to find out they had stacked a fleet, ashen winds, and appeared to be multiple skelly ships as well
rare to see that level of participation and risk these days. I respect it.
yippie-yi-o
yippie-yi-yay

the galleon bucket land video

I have a crew mate now

Bones McCoy.

Nothing gets under his skin.

Ended up on a server where pirates were speaking French
so of course it takes me twice as many hits to kill each since it's a laggy sea
the battle goes on and on for a couple of hours
they were good at repairs and had a lot of hostile enthusiasm I will give them that
good revive crew and had good focus as well. They survived a few pickles that showed they work well together.
I was out of supplies and they had hundreds and hundreds of the essentials even after nonstop firing
I was able to give myself enough time to kill a skeleton captain and luck out by digging up a mega keg
baited them for the straight line and boom

Satisfied mind

I was getting ready to turn in a haul when a duo sloop sent a few cannonballs at me
never know what kind of crew it's gonna be
so I fight them and they fall

random supplies, an empty snake cage and a bunch of empty storage chests are my reward
at least I thought that is all there was.
I sold my loot and as I was cleaning up I noticed it in a storage chest
a stone key

I don't like being rewarded for combat with stone keys
not because they lack value but because they tell me the tale of those I took it from
the empty chests, the empty snake cage, the crescent isle stone key
it all pointed to the death of not killers but survivors

I sat there on the dock for a few minutes hoping for their return.
a return of revenge, a return of desperation a return to check for scraps
didn't really matter to me I just wanted to see them again to give them back the key

Like a wish being granted I see a sloop heading to crescent isle
I grab the key and hop in for a sail before I take a break from the seas

It's the same crew and they are wandering around
a very fortunate moment for me.
I return their key and supplies as well as my supplies and leave

A lot of luck, both good and bad on the seas
I am thankful I was given the opportunity to return something that was better off in different hands

Liar's dice

I was about 3 hours into survival of a reaper haul.
did a fleet, sank a few skelly ships, defended from pirate attacks
decided to go get one more reaper chest to turn in before disappearing for a while

As I go around a rock I see a sloop devouring another sloop.
I continue on to the reaper chest as I know my time with this sloop will be here soon enough
I grab the reaper chest and we begin battle

We de-mast each other and it gets ugly
The entire time they are spamming about friendliness and alliances.
No doubt their strategy against the sloop they attacked before
These are not survivors they are killers

They are a duo so they have someone to repair and I do not
I only have 5 cannonballs left
I pull away to repair and wait for an opportunity to arise

Keg plays are only valuable to me as a solo against larger crews if I kill all of them on board
against a sloop the best chance is to sacrifice myself in hopes I get both of them
if one survives and I die it barely moves the needle

I sail by a sinking keg and make my move
all 3 of us are killed in the blast
a fortunate outcome

Hopefully the sloop that they sank believes that the sun will shine tomorrow

keg clip

I've sailed alone for a long time
the difficulty of surviving piracy has proven to be a grain of sand compared to the boulder of weight that comes with a wounded conscious
I fight to survive
I kill to survive
but I face the same temptations as those with no codes
the only difference between they and I is I struggle to sleep
the balance between a clear mind and heavy shoulders has shown to be the true difficulty of the pirate life for me
The hunger of a piratical vampire and a wolf but the reluctance of a man, even if a flawed one
Being able to, doesn't justify it. I tell myself that. I accept it as being accurate.
There is no justification for me taking this chest
I didn't need to but I did it and that's where I get lost.

Clip

This journey has never been about a pirate versus pirates
it's always been about a pirate versus the environment in search of adventure
all of the environment
refusal to allow a loss become defeat
showing mercy but never begging for it
killing for survival not sport
never allowing other pirates to dictate how I live pirate life
moving forward, being consistent
no matter how it begins
a pirate can overcome the obstacles they face
they may need to dig deep to find the drive
but it's in there
find it
embrace it
your story is worth it
I'm glad it exists

merry adventures to all

Clip of the solo sorrow sink against the boss wave of the fleet.