Pirate Lord Goldbeard
The seas bow to no king, no god, and no law—save for the will of the one who dares to command them. And today, that will is mine.
~ Pirate Lord Goldbeard ~
~ Pirate Lord Goldbeard ~
Two centuries after the Cururi Nenar tribes of the Silver Piece Islands were displaced by Ravenna's colonization, the seas surrounding the archipelago became a bustling hub for trade. Merchant ships laden with silver, spices, and enchanted trinkets traversed its waters under the banners of the Ravennian Kingdom, their routes protected by the crown’s navy. It was during this golden age of commerce and exploitation that a sinister legend rose from the deep: Goldbeard, the Mind Flayer Pirate Lord.
Rise to Infamy
Born Xal'zeroth, Goldbeard was an exile from the Lo'orgoron colonies of Shiq'Gith. His rebellion against the Elder Brain was unprecedented, fueled by a hunger not only for minds but for freedom. Escaping with a stolen nautiloid ship, he found refuge on the stormy seas of the Silver Piece Islands, where he discovered a world ripe for his cunning and power. Goldbeard first emerged as a mysterious figure cloaked in shadow, offering alliances to disgruntled sailors, outlaws, and slaves seeking revenge against the Ravennian oppressors. He leveraged his psionic abilities to sway crews to his cause, eroding their fears and instilling a dangerous mix of loyalty and greed. His legendary moniker, "Goldbeard," came after he adorned his tentacles with strands of enchanted gold plundered from a Ravennian treasury, a symbol of his defiance and triumph. Under Goldbeard's command, the seas transformed into a deadly battleground. His ship, the Maw of Lo'orgoron, was said to be as much a vessel as a living nightmare, capable of submerging beneath the waves and soaring through the sky. Goldbeard’s raids were surgical, targeting not only Ravennian trade but also ancient relics and magical artifacts from the Cururi Nenar and ancient underwater city of Culloden. Among his most infamous exploits was the sacking of Culloden's Temple of Tritons, where Goldbeard stole the legendary artifact known as the Heart of the Kraken. This pulsating, crystal-like organ was said to grant dominion over the mythical Kraken, a creature feared and revered by seafarers. With the Heart in his possession, Goldbeard unleashed terror upon the seas, summoning the Kraken to obliterate entire fleets.Goldbeard's Fortune
Goldbeard's reign lasted decades, and during this time, he amassed the largest treasure hoard the world had ever known. His riches included enchanted weapons, cursed relics, and untold quantities of silver and gold. Yet his most prized possession remained the Heart of the Kraken. According to legend, as the Ravennian Navy and rival pirates converged upon his hideout, Goldbeard vanished. Some say he was betrayed by his crew, while others believe he faked his death. What is known is that his hoard — and the Heart of the Kraken — was never found. Only stories and myths speak about an illithid vault Goldbeard had constructed near the end of his time, and the creation of a key which he broke apart and molded into eight separate silver pieces which were then dispersed and hidden throughout the islands. Whether those coins actually exist, the vast majority of colonists do not believe so. The only superstition sailors feel comes from the strange and cryptic treasure maps that claim to lead straight to Goldbeard's Fortune. But, the locations and names on it all foreign and the landmasses so different from the rest of the islands, no one can ever make sense of it, and most think it to be the joke creation of a captain with a child's maturity.Speculation and Rumors
Even still, Goldbeard’s tale remains one of fascination and terror. Some believe he still lives, his Illithid physiology granting him centuries of life, while others insist he became one with the Kraken, merging his psionic mind with the leviathan’s fury. Adventurers, treasure hunters, and scholars alike scour the islands and the seas for his fabled hoard, hoping to claim the riches—and the power—of Goldbeard’s legacy. But beware: for those who seek Goldbeard’s treasure may awaken something far worse than greed—a wrath as old as the seas themselves.Goldbeard wasn’t just a pirate—he was the storm itself. You didn’t see him coming, you only knew he’d been there when all that was left was ruin…and that damn Kraken’s roar echoing in the dark.
~ A captain who survived the Maw of Lo'orgoron ~
~ A captain who survived the Maw of Lo'orgoron ~
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Species
Year of Birth
954 AC
Children
Aligned Organization
The Silver Key
The air in the cavern was thick with the acrid scent of molten metal and the tang of salt from the distant sea. Goldbeard stood at the heart of his hidden sanctum, deep beneath the largest island of the Silver Piece archipelago. The chamber, carved from black stone by his own psionic will, was a cathedral of shadows lit only by the flickering glow of the forge he had built. The rhythmic clang of his hammer echoed like the heartbeat of some ancient beast, each strike reverberating through the cavern.
Goldbeard’s tentacles curled and writhed in concentration as he worked. Before him lay a nearly-formed key, a masterpiece of Illithid ingenuity and eldritch design. The metal he used was not mere silver but also alloy infused with psionic energy, a blend of stolen relics from the Cururi Nenar, Culloden, and the spoils of countless plundered ships. Every strike of his hammer imbued the key with a fragment of his power, a safeguard to ensure that none but the most cunning and worthy could ever hope to unlock the vault.
The vault itself was his magnum opus, a labyrinthine construct of psionic wards and mechanical traps, its heart buried beneath layers of stone and sea. Within it, he had stored the culmination of decades of conquest: treasures beyond imagining, relics of lost civilizations, and the Heart of the Kraken, pulsating faintly in its crystalline cage. The key would be the final touch—a riddle in itself, one that would defy even the most determined of treasure hunters.
As he hammered, Goldbeard muttered to himself in the guttural tongue of his people, weaving enchantments into the silver. Sparks flew, illuminating his gleaming golden tentacles and the dark, otherworldly glow of his eyes. With a final, decisive blow, the key was complete, its intricate form shimmering with an inner light.
But Goldbeard was not finished. He held the key aloft, studying its jagged edges and the alien runes etched along its length. Then, with a deep, resonant hum, he began to pull. His psionic power surged, his mind wrapping around the key and bending it to his will. The metal groaned and shrieked as it began to split, fracturing into eight perfect pieces. Each piece retained a fragment of the enchantment, a shard of the puzzle that only the cleverest — or most desperate — could piece together.
Goldbeard’s tentacles twitched in satisfaction as he gathered the pieces, their silver surfaces glinting like fallen stars. One by one, he placed them into eight small pouches, each marked with a unique sigil. He knew every inch of the islands like every sinew between his fingers, so he had already chosen where they would be hidden; places both perilous and obscure. Each location was a trial, a gauntlet designed to test those who would dare to claim his legacy.
As he sealed the final pouch, Goldbeard stepped back from the forge and allowed himself a rare moment of reflection. The fortune he had amassed was more than wealth; it was his legend, a testament to his defiance long ago, his independence from all things. And now, it was hidden, scattered across the islands like seeds of chaos, waiting for the bold and the foolish to seek it.
“Let them come,” he murmured, his voice a low, rumbling growl. “My legacy will outlive them all.”
With that, he extinguished the forge, plunging the cavern into darkness. The only sound was the faint, rhythmic pulse of the Heart of the Kraken, echoing like a distant drumbeat. Goldbeard gathered the pouches and strode toward the exit, his silhouette framed by the faint glimmer of bioluminescent fungi. Somewhere above, the storm-wracked seas awaited him, and beyond them, the endless horizon of his domain.
The Pirate Lord’s work was done, but his legend was only beginning.
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