The Devil’s Roar
A Pirate’s Guide
Dangerous, unpredictable, malodorous… and that’s just the pirates who venture into the volcanic wilderness known as The Devil’s Roar. Despite a sparse population, the area holds much of interest to curious crews - unfortunately, frequent earthquakes, boiling geyser eruptions and chunks of molten rock raining from the sky can make it hard to concentrate when exploring. As The Devil’s Roar contains plenty of valuable “Ashen” treasures to claim, however, ships willing to make the journey will find peril and plunder in equal measure.
What is The Devil’s Roar?
The easternmost border of the Sea of Thieves is known for its volcanic activity, which has had drastic effects on the local terrain. Rocky beaches and sharp, craggy coastlines make even getting to shore a challenge, and while there is plant life to be found, it often looks a little crispy around the edges.
The most obvious cause for alarm are the many eruptions, as almost any island in The Devil’s Roar is capable of ejecting large numbers of flaming rocks into the air with minimal warning. These are capable of harming both pirates and their vessels, starting fires and potentially even breaching the hull, though at least then you’ll have some water handy to douse the flames.
Given that these upheavals also superheat the nearby ocean, slowly simmering anyone who’s trying to swim to safety, it’s little wonder that many pirates choose to leave their ship a safe distance away from the crew’s destination and undertake the last leg of the journey in a rowboat. Even if an island seems dormant, however, voyagers still need to dodge fissures spewing jets of superheated water unless they’re keen to get a brief birds-eye view of their surroundings (followed by significant ankle trauma).
Historical Significance
The Sea of Thieves is surrounded by a shifting, fog-like haze known as The Devil’s Shroud, exposure to which can have disastrous effects on both pirates and their ships. The Devil’s Roar had been swallowed by this meddlesome mist for some years, and was only rediscovered thanks to the misadventures of Captain Grace Morrow and her ill-fated crew, the Forsaken Shores Alliance.
Before then, however, the region had been visited extensively by other pirates - most notably Captain Flameheart’s loyal followers, who interred his remains there following his defeat. Flameheart himself also made use of a twisted labyrinth deep below the Roar for his own nefarious ends; events chronicled during the Seabound Soul and Heart of Fire Tall Tales, respectively.
More recently, Smuggler munitions have been used to uncover hidden Sanctuaries scattered across The Devil’s Roar, suggesting that the mysterious civilisation known as the Ancients might once have inhabited the area for not-entirely-innocent reasons of their own…
Key Figures
Grace Morrow
The only survivor of her expedition into The Devil’s Roar and permanently altered by its consequences, Grace also founded the only Outpost in the region. While her adventuring days appear to be behind her, she still guides crews on their way during the Shores of Gold Tall Tale.
Lucia and Elias
Two members of the Smugglers’ League who, surprisingly, are willing to brave the many dangers of The Devil’s Roar to help expand the group’s operations. Each has their own, private reasons for camping out in the Smugglers’ Hideouts, where a good night’s sleep is likely to elude them.
Treasures of The Devil’s Roar
Many Company Voyages crews can undertake have Ashen counterparts that, as you might expect, take place within The Devil’s Roar. These quests involve volcanic versions of loot ranging from Ashen Bounty Skulls to Ashen Chests of Legends, each of which will sell for more due to the added danger of acquiring them.
Of particular note is the Box of Wondrous Secrets; a powerful artefact that can, extremely rarely, be found washed up on islands within the region. The Reapers will pay a hefty sum for such a find, or players can choose to deliver the Box to Grace at Morrow’s Peak Output for a similarly rich reward.
Alternatively, culinary-minded pirates armed with a supply of grubs can catch Devilfish exclusively while sailing in The Devil’s Roar, offering them up to The Hunter’s Call as a significantly smaller, but more reliable, source of gold.
A source of treasures unique to the area are the three Ancient Sanctuaries, although crews intending to simply stroll inside will need to think again. The Sanctuary doors can only be opened with keys held by enigmatic enemies known as the Eternal Guard, who aren’t exactly willing to hand them over during a friendly conversation.
Rewards and Commendations
While visiting islands within The Devil’s Roar and locating the remains of Grace’s fallen crewmates can earn pirates a healthy supply of Doubloons, more permanent rewards must be claimed by completing the two Ashen Age Tall Tales set within the region. These include Pendragon’s Sword of Souls, the Sails and Hull of the infamous Ashen Dragon galleon, and even an Ashen Curse imbuing some fiery facial features.
Dealing with the Eternal Guard and entering the Sanctuaries they protect, meanwhile, will award prizes such as recent additions to the Forsaken Ashes Weapons set, as well as items linked to the mysterious outcasts known as the Banished…
