The Monster Coast is brimming with tall tales, some old, some new. It’s the way pirates pass long sea voyages. But amongst all the tales of the Monster Coast - The Song of the Ronin and the Beast, Platypirate’s Twelve Trials, Coconaut's Day Out, the Last of the Crimson Monkeys and so many more - amongst all of these, there’s one tale that all pirates know… a tale so old it predates the Monster Coast itself.
No one speaks of it… It’s instead told by the waves when no land is in sight. Told by the thick silence that grips a ship’s deck at night, lit only by the moon. Told by the singular allure of a treasure just out of reach. A tale that only exists because the Monster Coast exists.
You see before the Monster Coast and before piracy began… there was nothing. Simply an empty void. But because nothing can only be defined by the lack of something, the universe decided to create rules and order to help make sense of the nothing. But, of course, the rules and order could only exist if they were defined by the opposite. And that opposition decided that instead of taking an intangible form - like the rules and order of the universe - it would do the opposite. It would become something physical and real.
It became Doombeard. The first pirate.
Doombeard, possessed by a sole purpose, waged a never-ending war against the rules and order of the universe. It was a valiant fight, but it was a losing one… after all, he was alone. He didn’t have a crew to help him. So Doombeard embarked on a dangerous voyage, sailing across the void of existence, tracking down every one of the Original Pieces of Eight… Eight pieces of treasure that held the secrets of everything.
But the rules and order of the universe didn’t like this and forced Doombeard to make a choice: his life or his dream.
And he chose to sacrifice himself, to see freedom and piracy take true, tangible shape.
And in doing so the void was filled with life! Oceans, islands and most importantly pirates!! This was the creation of the Monster Coast and the beginning of the Second Age of Piracy.
It would be an incredible story if it was true. But that all sounds pretty heady, right? The rules and structures of the universe? The void? Surely that’s just a tall tale, right? Most pirates don’t question it and instead focus on what’s really important - treasure, friendship and adventure!
And there are plenty of all three on the Monster Coast!! Being found in places like Jurassic Key, a string of islands formed from the bones of a long dead gargantuan dinosaur. Sovereignty City, a bastion stronghold of pirates revered across the seas. Sword Bay, the depths of which are filled with a confusingly neverending supply of swords (seriously, why are there so many???). Jungle Reef, lush mountains that hide a multitude of mysterious ape societies with little contact to the outside world. The Delta of the Dead, a place where the living world comes face to face with Davy Jones himself. The Fjord of Beasts, where only the strongest could possibly cross from one end to the other.
…And of course Vacation Plaza, known throughout the Monster Coast for its luxurious spas, incredible coupons and signature cocktails (have you tried the Arg-arita?).
The Second Age of Piracy ended when the pirates of the Monster Coast banded together to stop Captain Lazerbeard’s first armada at the Battle of Eternity Point. Since then Captain Lazerbeard has retreated back into the fogs of the Automaton Zone, rebuilding… and waiting. And the rest of the Monster Coast has returned to normal, focused on treasure and adventure… but the winds are shifting once more. Powerful forces are on the move. And whispers of old stories are coming back.
Stories like those of Doombeard. And when he’s mentioned, always in hushed tones, it’s because some believe he’s not truly gone. That if the Original Pieces of Eight could be found again and brought together… that maybe Doombeard would return.
Every time a pirate comes across a treasure map, there’s a part of them that believes it might be one of the Original Pieces of Eight.
But you won’t know for sure until you search for the treasure…
