Treachery

After that, Bidley's new partner Dargem landed a blow at his head, and grabbed the artifact. The walls of the ancient vault started to shake, and the altar rose up, forming an island. The traitor grabbed the Horn, but did not figure out how to use it. Dargem summoned a boat and jumped in rapidly, taking the unconscious Bidley with him.

Jeremy and Casmetra saw the birth of a new island. They also saw how Dargem sailed away, and great sea serpents emerged from the depths after him. Jeremy did not know what was going on, but he was sure that his brother was in trouble.

Scenario

Timed events

Day 1 - Day 1
Everything happened so quickly. Water bubbled up like a massive geyser on the surface of the sea, spitting out a magical ship. Casmetra said that Bidley was on that ship, but that someone else was with him and had captured both my brother and the Horn. “It's Dargem,” said priestess angrily. “Who's Dargem?” “A mercenary mage. Worked for Regna--or, to be precise, for one of Regna's lords. It's a nest of vipers there, everyone trying to figure out how to stab everyone else in the back. One of those lords wanted to get his hands on the Horn of the Abyss, and his desire was stronger than yours. So he sent Dargem.” “Blasted...we have to chase them down, immediately! Diego, prepare the ships!” I ordered. We chased Dargem awhile, but eventually he disappeared behind an island. Instead, we were met by Regna's fleet. We had only a handful of ships, so we had to flee. We set up a camp on a small island and decided to gather forces for a strike on Dargem's fortress, where he is holding the Horn and my brother. I hope Bidley is safe. However, we have some good news: Tark has returned! He emerged from the water with his kin right in front of our camp. “I promised to return,” hissed the giant reptile leader laconically. “We have trouble. Bidley was captured,” I explained. “We nix will fight for you. Some will be against you, however. But I am the prince, and truth is with me,” replied Tark.
Day 2 - Day 2
“Jeremy,” smiled Casmetra. “I have some more good news. The theft of the Horn awakened the sea serpents. Now they are wandering the ocean.” “That's great news--at least we'll have plenty of fried eel, I guess.” “Silly,” Casmetra replied. “These creatures still feel they have to protect the Horn of the Abyss. But the poor stupid things can't figure out whether it has to be returned, or guarded wherever it is. I can enchant them so that the serpents who want to return the Horn will help us fight to get it back from that traitor Dargem.” “That's a good idea,” I agreed. “But what will we tell them once we get the Horn from Dargem? ‘Move along, we were just joking?'” “You men always try to think 20 steps ahead,” Casmetra said, rolling her eyes. But for all that, I certainly wasn't going to turn down an offer of assistance from the sea serpents. Just one of those beautiful creatures could sink a frigate!
Day 7 - Day 7
Scouts report that the Tatalians, angered by their recent defeat, are hoping to get their entire fleet wiped out yet again. They found us on this archipelago, which was previously known only to pirates. They've raised a fort somewhere to the east, and are preparing for an invasion. On the one hand, this could be great; they're not likely to be able to tell the difference between two pirate bands. On the other hand, it will be terrible if they, and not us, capture Dargem. If that happens, Bidley will surely hang on a rope right beside Dargem.
Day 12 - Day 12
More troubling news: war has broken out again between Erathia and Eeofol. Also, strange cities with golden-domed castles have begun appearing out of thin air all across the continent. Casmetra thinks it is an invasion by elemental lords. One of these cities appeared in the northern region of the archipelago. They've probably been attracted by the power of the Horn of the Abyss and hope to acquire it.
Day 14 - Raider
Dargem's raiders attacked our supply ships and vanished into the night. Note: Repeats every 14 days. -1500 Gold, -5 Wood, -5 Ore
Day 24 - Day 24
I got tired of this pointless resistance and decided to write Dargem a letter. My mind wasn't perfectly clear at the time; invigorated by rum, I wrote the following: “Dargem! This is Jeremy Albatross, captain of Regna's armada. You have crossed my path and captured my brother. Set him free immediately, and give us the artifact! If you do, I promise that you and your men will be allowed to leave the island unharmed.”
Day 28 - halyava
- It's halyava time! - No, AI, no!!! Note: Repeats every 28 days; ONLY applies to AI. +5000 Gold, +10 Wood, +10 Ore, +5 Mercury, +5 Sulfur, +5 Crystal, +5 Gem
Day 34 - Day 34
Tark's nix report that there is a massive network of caves under this archipelago. Many of them are filled with water, but some parts are dry. The caves are ancient; something unique and powerful might be found inside.
Day 40 - Day 40
Dargem took his time in writing me back. I imagine that is just one more demonstration of his stupidity and inability to think critically. His letter went as follows: “The so-called Jeremy the Grouse! I spent far too long in those caves waiting for fortune to smile on me and send me a traveler even less fortunate than myself. And so it happened. I deserve the Horn--though I haven't figured out how it works yet. I suggest you get lost. Your brother is merely a guarantee of my security. As soon as you are gone, he shall be freed. Dargem”
Day 43 - Day 43
I've been thinking about what Dargem said. I called Casmetra in my cabin and told her that I was thinking about retreating, to ensure Bidley's safe release. The priestess's eyes widened. “Jeremy! How could you even say something like that!” she exclaimed. “But we could save Bidley, and avoid unnecessary bloodshed,” I began, when Casmetra interrupted me. “You can't even imagine what a villain Dargem is, and what is at stake here. The Horn of the Abyss is one of the greatest artifacts ever created. There's no record of who made it--it was probably created before the Silence. It is a gift from the age of wonders! If only we can figure out how it works, we will be like gods!” the priestess explained with excitement. She stepped up to the table and, to my amusement, took a sip of my rum. “Dargem is a scoundrel and a villain. The only reason he hasn't already killed Bidley is that we're close by. If you leave, he'll have your brother murdered and fed to the sharks. You should realize that. Unless you're a coward?” she asked with reproach in her eyes. “No, milady. Jeremy Albatross is the bravest and boldest of all the pirates between Enroth, Erathia and Jadame!” I declared, jumping to my feet. “And that's why I love you,” laughed the priestess, embracing me.

Objects

Events

Location	Message
60, 136, 1	Bear in mind that this monolith may lead anywhere, and it will not be easy to get back.
113, 8, 1	Terrible frost and grim silence affects your crew negatively. Contents: -1 -1 Morale
114, 3, 1	These caves are as ancient as the world....
130, 59, 1	There is a whole nest of sea serpents here!
133, 26, 1	It looks like there is a secret passage here.

Towns

Location	Player	Type
75, 136, 0		Cove
140, 128, 0		Fortress
125, 13, 0		Conflux
44, 46, 0		Cove
52, 63, 0		Cove
3, 83, 0	-	Cove
96, 52, 0	-	Castle

Heroes

Location	Player	Hero
75, 137, 0		Jeremy the Captain
78, 137, 0		Casmetra the Navigator
66, 161, 1		Tark the Captain
140, 128, 0		Verdish the Witch
140, 129, 0		Tazar the Beastmaster
125, 13, 0		Ignissa the Planeswalker
125, 14, 0		Gelare the Elementalist
52, 64, 0		Elmore the Captain

Monsters

Location	Type	Message
116, 26, 1	Azure Dragon	Your presence here has not gone unnoticed. A powerful creature has awakened....
127, 4, 1	Diamond Golems	The guardians of the ancient palaces are on the alert!

Seer's Huts

8, 21, 0 - Seer's Hut
Proposal Message
A group of pirates displeased with Dargem's leadership would like to join you. Quest: Be player
Completion Message
Will you accept them? Reward: 20 Seamen

29, 11, 0 - Seer's Hut
Proposal Message
A group of pirates displeased with Dargem's leadership would like to join you. Quest: Be player
Completion Message
Will you accept them? Reward: 30 Pirates

43, 12, 0 - Seer's Hut
Proposal Message
Rust Dragons are menacing the western underground region of this land. If you could be so bold as to defeat them, I would reward you richly. Quest: Defeat the Rust Dragons at 4, 93, 1
Completion Message
At last, you defeated the Rust Dragons, and the countryside is safe again! Are you ready to accept the reward? Reward: 15000

Artifacts

Location	Type	Message
0, 140, 1	Sword of Judgement	Are you ready to dispense justice? Guardians: 14 Angels, 20 Monks

Epilogue

File:Good2d (HotA).png

The defenders of the Regnan fortress shivered, and Casmetra and Jeremy hurried in. Dargem let the captive be and grabbed the Horn. He ran to the highest tower. While Jeremy was helping his brother untie the ropes, Casmetra yelled powerfully:

"Give the Horn back immediately!"

With a scared face, Dargem yelled back:

"Never! You betrayed me and left me alone! Now I know what to do!"

Taking the artifact in both hands, Dargem was just about to blow the Horn, when with a piercing "STOP!!!" Casmetra threw a magical spell at him. A huge magical explosion followed, and the shock wave destroyed half of a fortress, creating something like a whirlpool underneath it.

The only thing that Jeremy remembered was how he tried to get to higher ground desperately, and how Casmetra yelled:

"Idiot! We will be dragged into another plane of existence because of you!"

Hours, or maybe weeks after that, Jeremy found himself on a sea shore. Where is Bidley? And what happened to the Horn? May this be the end of the legend of the Horn of the Abyss?