Wolfe Tracks: Shape of the World, Part 2

Pull up a chair, as I spin you the rest of the tale...

To pick up where we left off last week, the good Captain Jones was spinning us a yarn about where it all came from and where we wound up. All about the world of Hoist the Colors that we are going to set out boots down in.

So once again, take it away, Captain.

Oh, where was I? Oh, yes!

But then darker things came from the Otherworld. Creatures, beasts and things that should have stayed a myth. Things in the dark and the deep ocean that don’t have a single love for the light.

This is an Earth learning to live with itself ten years after that fateful night in 1712. Now, in 1722, the great nations in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere squabble over the new lands that have appeared. In the Americas, the natives had quite enough and are using magic to their own best interests. In the Pacific, life struggles against a constant war that never seems to quite end.

But where do you come in?

Ha! Quite anywhere, thank you kindly! You could be a young human blacksmith bound for adventure, whether he knows it or not. A young thayan lass, student of history, that is bound and determine to recover lost relics here on Earth from the Otherworld, and a few human ones too now that magic works again.

Perhaps you’re a grimling who has taken up service for Queen or King and country. Maybe a life working for one of the powerful merchant fleets strikes your fancy. Oh, you could be a young morasu noble, looking to prove yourself among the skulduggery and intrigue of rival noble houses, not to mention the human ones from the Old World!

Ah, wait. Would you look at that?

Look right there.

There’s that grin. That twinkle in the eye. I’d know it anywhere.

You’ve seen the sunset over the water set the sky on fire. Heard the songs of Calypso over the waves. Tunes that call you to dance. That old journal with that weathered map in your coat tells it all, doesn’t it?

Not so much the fish out of water, are you, Privateer?

For you, it’s the taste of adventure. Lure of treasure. Taking the jobs for the highest bidder to earn a good coin, and maybe… just perhaps… show this old world what a true free spirit can do.

Because you already know if you want something, a thing that’s right and just, you have to be ready to fight for it. To dig in and use that elbow grease, some heart, and maybe a bit of magic. Living your life on your own terms with the wind in your sails.

After all, living is the best adventure of all, isn’t it? That’s what these stories, our stories, are all about. Of course, with a touch of mystery thrown in for a bit of fun!

… and after all, a bit of mystery is the spice of life, is it not?

- Doctor Pedro Alejandro Sangre

What’s that?

Rules to live by? Ha! Oh, well, maybe not ‘rules’.

Perhaps it’s better to say they’re more like guidelines.

Now, get off with you!

Go Catch That Horizon!

Don’t worry. I’ll see you there… Privateer, and oh the tales we’ll have to tell.

Thank you for that, Captain. I couldn’t have said that better myself. It’s where it all started, came from, and what might be to come. Just like it was four days before that green comet ripped the sky on the night of Oct 31.

And who knows? It might happen again…

So, keep your eyes peeled. You never know what might crest over the horizon all too soon…

If you’re a paid subscriber. I don’t even come close to having he words for how grateful I am. Thank you. If you’re seeing this as a free subscriber and like what you see, I would appreciate your support. If a paid subscription isn’t to your liking, you can always buy me a coffee!

Last, it’s been said before but I want to say it again… sure, I write for me because I love the stories and settings, but I’m also writing for you. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Now, if you’re wanting a deeper look at Hoist the Colors, take the plunge here at the link: Hoist the Colors. For Windtracer, jump over here: Windtracer: Adventures in Awldor.

Until next time!

-Kummer Wolfe