Talk to Zalpfer, and don’t ask what the invention was, offer to take him into your crew…

Go and talk at length to everyone, and you have to take the English letter of marque from the governor, Morton. If you don’t, the Spanish Agent won’t be available later. You can give Mortons a polite answer, and take a quest from him, or be more abrupt and get about your business of becoming a Spanish Privateer. In the Tavern, you can find people who will cause you to wonder about Mortons (only after taking the LOM). Talk to Roberto Gorrando. He’ll tell you to talk to Adriano Montefi on El Caimano for a better spyglass.

In the next port, Tendales, Zalpfer leaves you, but gives you the plans for a paddle-boat. Hang on to them. It’s the Tendales shipyard that will buy them. There has been some conjecture that much later someone will have more of a use for them and maybe so, but that hasn’t been verified by anybody.

In Tendales William Shakesbeer tells you that the ports of Spain and France are closed due to war in Europe with England (which won’t apply to you, you’ve your own plans), of good cruising in the waters north and east of Highrock, and of the Pirate ports at Skullshores which are open to you (you have to follow his directions to get there, it’s not on your map yet). Governor Brin will offer you a quest to Dead Island if you want him to (perhaps if you took Morton’s quest).

Before you leave Tendales, visit the tavern, where Andrew Shoo offers himself as a Bosun (+1 Boarding, +3 Grappling). Adam Mullen is also there as a Purser (+3 Commerce).

At Dead Island you meet a Eugene Huckster walking the streets in a yellow coat. If you let him examine your medallion, as you should, he’ll tell you your father was a pirate, and that a man who knew him is alive, with a scar on his cheek. Nigel Fester in the store will offer you a quest to take linen to the store on Tendales, to Mr. Offut, in return for chocolate back. In the tavern you meet Mr. Stergen. When you see Jacob Ashton, don’t talk to him until you’re back with Fester’s chocolate – Ashton wants to hire you to escort him to Highrock. Outside is the priest, from whom you can buy $100 +1 reputation indulgences. Stock up! When you buy a different letter of marque, it will cost you 10 reputation points (firing on someone with the same flag as your LOM costs you the letter, 25 RPs, and gets you the Jolly Roger). Carl, a gate guard, tells you where all the French islands are.

There is nothing of consequence now at Itkal, on to SkullShores!

At Shark Island (extreme bottom left of the map), talk to folks walking about. Pablo Loco tells a story about the natives and his family being abused, there’s a farmer, a member of the Brotherhood, and an invalid. Raymond Ebilin is a thoroughly piratical looking man who presents himself as a first mate, with +2 sailing skill. Note that selling captures ships is lucrative, and a first mate allows you to take ships you board. For neatness in the quests, lets do nothing else but hire Ebilin, sell any cargo, do any shipyard business, and go into the Tavern.

In the tavern you see Hugo Lumbermill, James Callow, as well as the barkeep Tommy Barkhead, and Olaf Ulsson (The Swede, and the agent for The Brotherhood), and the English and French agents! Lumbermill will only talk to someone with a Spanish LOM. James Callow wants you to take a cursed idol to the Pirate ‘governor’, Desmond Ray Beltrop, on Gray Sails, and that’s okay to do at this point. We’ll just go to Graysails…

Go straight to the grounded ship’s gangplank and up to Beltrop. When you give him the idol, you have to say it’s from you (not a friend), and you want the choice of ships they may have taken, otherwise, he’ll think you’re tricking him. When he offers you a Spanish Galleon, you can say it’s a ship for a fat merchant, not a privateer, and leave. He has the idol, you know the way back to Shark Island. Alex Bigot outside wants for you to sail with him, or vice versa. A Pirate wants to drink. You don’t approve of a slave-driver, nor a fence. Pegleg Berquist introduces himself, and not much more, and Bill Powdersack is Beltrop’s master gunner. In the tavern is the Spanish Agent, and Dreyfus the Fuse. Talk to the Agent to get you Spanish campaign under way with a Spanish LOM. He’ll tell you to see the governor on Granda Avilia. ‘The Fuse’ is a 2000 a month master gunner who’s worth it, with +3 to gunlaying, coordination, and reloading!!! Jaque Dullarse is a carpenter you need now, you’ll find he’s +2 repair. Francis Dullarse is the barkeep, nothing to say now, and beside him is William the Marlinspike, who wants to sail his caravel with you. Back to Shark Island.

At Shark Island, Callow does not agree to join you as he had said, but he does give you $2,500 for your trouble. You can leave the rest till later, you’ll want to go see the Spanish governor at Granda Avilia.

At Granda Avilia you get a Spanish letter of marque from the governor Ricardo Ferrer de Mercadal, and a mission to deliver a letter to the govern Don Alcalde Giulabertus de Muntral of Isla Ballena. In town there are also quests to deliver something for the barkeep, Salvadore Engano, and Padre Ignacio, both of them in Engano’s Taverna, but let’s let them wait for now.

At Isla Ballena the delivery of the letter brings 1000 gold, 500 EPs, and 1 RP. He knows nothing else, so you go out to talk to the townsfolk. This brings two big quests! A young woman named Catalina says that her fiance, Carlos Esperanza, was sent away on a ship named El Lobo with another ship to look for pirates, and he hasn’t returned. She wants you to ask the Don Alcalde about it. You do, and you find out more… The El Lobo was with the Intrepido looking for the pirates (Inachetla opened). When you go to the taverna (for a reason I’ll tell you about next), the barkeep’s brother was in that expedition, and is of course missing. From the barkeep you begin to find out that there is a suspicion that those missing could have been sold as slaves, and the center for that is in Skullshores! Remember that slave trader you met at Gray Sails? Now, why did you head right away to the taverna, though those are always good places to go for quests? You met the Secretary to Don Alcalde Guilabertus de Muntral, Bartholomew Ulster who asked you to find ‘Carla’. You find her in the taverna. You go out to find the lucky guy and tell him Carla’s making time for him. Oops, you can’t find him. No matter, you go to Don Alcalde about the El Lobo and Entrepido, and he tells you his secretary, Bartholomew Ulster, has been killed in an odd way. He was a nobleman, and not likely to run with the likes of Carla (?!?!), so he sends you to find her. She’s gone!

You ask about it town, and Jaime Zingermann complains that the witch Carla has bewitched everyone in town. He says to find her in the taverna. NOW the barkeep, confronted with this fact, talks. He says she sailed off with a Captain Miguel Quenda, headed to one of the smaller Spanish islands. You decide to try El Camiano, because it’s small, you know where it is, and you need to see Adriano Montefi there about a better spyglass.

Adriano sends you back to Lorenzo Avido, storekeep at Granda Avilia, for the better crystals. You continue walking about town seeking info about Carla. You’ll want to avoid Ronald the Lawyer on the streets, and Lambrini in Ponderabilidad’s taverna, for now since they both offer quests. Come back and take those when you want a little diversion, just watch out for your Spanish LOM. Phillepe Villene in the taverna offers to join his ship with yours, and Ponderabilidad has nothing to say, but a young Victor Marcus does! He was a bos’n on Quenda’s ship, and says the witch Carla killed him! He offers to join you as a Bos’n, +1 boarding, +1 grappling. No one knows where Carla is.

You go to Granda Avilia and see the storekeep Avido to get the crystals. Asking around town, no one knows anything, but you go to the tavern (note to self: whenever stumped, go to a tavern. You’ll either learn something, or you soon won’t care). In the taverna is… Carla!!! You confront her, and now you have some choices. You can say you were a witness, and you weren’t, and turn her over to the Enquisitor (that tough priest in front of the Townhall), you can listen to her story and then turn her over, or you can listen to her story and let her go. That option nets you 5000 EPs, so it must be right. If you hear her out, and then to the inquisitor, you see the movie, then can to to De Muntral at Isla Ballena and get 3000 gold. The quickest choice nets you the movie of a witch burnin’, period. Your call.

Back to El Caimano, where Montefi gives you your nice glass. Now you want to search for the El Lobo and the Intrepido, to have something positive to tell Don Alcalde Guilabertus de Muntral.

You go to Inachetla, and are attacked by the El Lobo, which is now flying a Spanish flag. Defeating it, your journal is updated. Remembering that there was talk of survivors sold as slaves at Skullshores, you want to go there. Granda Avilia is on the way.

Stopping by Granda Avilia’s taverna, you see that Carla is no longer there. Padre Ignacio is, and wants to be taken to Skullshores. Well, that’s convenient. The Barkeep wants you to sink a ship, supposedly under a pirate flag, bringing rum to the storekeep Avido. If you take this, you’ll find that the ship, the Weasel, is under a SPANISH flag. Firing on it wins you the Jolly Roger, and probably screws up your Spanish career. Survey says: Bad Idea. On to Gray Sails.

At Gray Sails, Padre Ignacio still wants to get underway. He must want to go to Shark Island. Roberto Gorrando is about, and wants to join ships with you. You talk to Francis Dullarse, the barkeep, and ask him who deals in slaves. He tells you the rather unsavory Raymundo the Meatman does. Outside you find that the Slave Driver is now Raymundo. Talking to him, you find that Carlos Esperanza escaped him near Omory, which is now ‘opened’.

You drop Father Ignacio off at Shark Island for 500 EPs and 5 RPs, leave Hugo Lumbermill for now (it’s a long one), and go to Omory.

At Omory, outside, Fromondin Dampierre asks you to tell Governor de Bijou of Isle d’Orange that he’s languishing without work. Whatever. Inside the tavern, you meet Carlos, who says he’s working off a debt to the barkeep, Bruyant Nemours. He gives you a letter to deliver to Catalina.

The storekeep in town, Yves Samois, has coffe to deliver to Isle d’Orange, if you’re interested. Back to Isla Ballena.

At Isla Ballena you deliver Carlos’ letter to Catalina, who’s happy…to the tune of 5 RPs. You go to the Don Alcalde to end this quest. Next, how about quickly snapping up the Lumbermill story, and perhaps inquiring with Otto about your father, on Shark Island. Don Alcalde has another pirate hunt, but that can wait.

You go back to Shark Island to talk to Hugo Lumbermill, who asks if you are a privateer, then whether you’re Spanish. If you want to go further, you say you are, and he allows as to how he’s worn out from being a pirate, and wants a letter of marque from the Spanish so he can retire. Problem is, whenever he tries to go into port, he gets blasted. This is where you come in. Your quest, should you choose to accept it, is to go into a Spanish port, get him a LOM, bring it back.

You go to see De Mercadal at Granda Avilia, and he won’t hear of such a thing. Lumbermill was a really bad criminal.

You go to see De Muntral at Isla Ballena, and now you have options. You can give up, betray Lumbermill (-15 RPs), or get him the LOM (1000 gold and +5 RPs when you go back to Shark Island).

Olaf Ulsson has a lot to say about your father when he gets down to business. If you follow his story to it’s end, he tells you of three men who might know something about your fathers’ demise, and the only one available is Maurikio Camentata, who is a tavern keeper on Costa Sinistra, and is good with a blade. This pops Costa Sinistra up on your map, and is as good a hint as any that that’s where you need to go.

Diego Salvatore is a level 2, +2 defense ship’s doctor. You see Camentata, the barkeep in the tavern on Costa Sinistra, and he sends you with a note to see Lorenzo Avido on Grand Avilia to bring back some wine. There’s a man in there who wants escort to another Spanish town. On to Grand Avilia.

Lorenzo Avido is in the store, a few steps forward and to the right. The deal for the wine is quickly concluded by following the first conversation string. Back to Camentata.

It costs you 1000 gold, but you get a long tale and half of the map to your father’s treasure.

Now, on to Shark Island. Olaf tells you that Beltrop may fit the description of the scarred man in your father’s tale, and that he has no idea where the other half of the map may be. He sends you to Beltrop, and says you should come back to him to tell him what you found out.

There’s a middle road to take with Beltrop. Push to little, and you find out nothing. Too much, and you get a nice death movie. Pegleg Berquist has a lot to say about Malcolm Sharp’s history. Back to Shark Island and Olaf.

On Shark Island, Olaf is curious, but doesn’t have a lot to add. He has an idea for a trick to play on Beltrop, but he hasn’t worked out all the details. He does offer you a mission to kill a troublesome merchant, Julio Nederedas on the "San Miguel" off Granda Avilia. When you get there, you find that the ‘San Miguel’ flies a Spanish Flag! Not only will you lose your Spanish LOM, and lose 25 big reputation points, but the map which should open Tel-Kerrat at that point does not. This will work only for the Pirate campaign. Well, let’s go see what Don Alcalde De Muntral has to say…

On Isla Ballena, Don Alcalde Guilabertus de Muntral says that this Hugo Lumbermill is a hit! The new Pirate quest is that Don Ricardo Ferrer de Mercadal of Granda Avilia is offering 5000 gold reward for the pirate that is plundering shipping within a triangle described by Granda Avilia, Isla Ballena, and Costa Sinistra. Don Alcalde thinks that someone at Skullshores may know of him, since he refused to join the Brotherhood at some point. Since Shark Island is opened, you think so, too.

The logical person to ask at Shark Island is Olaf Ulsson, and when you ask him about your map, he says he’s going to talk to someone about it. Don’t hold your breath. Asked about Francois, Olaf is quite angry at him. He recommends a search of Aliando, and says he’d be real happy to hear about your quarry swingin’ from the yardarm. Aliando is opened.

At the island you’re attacked by a pirate schnyava, the ‘Mercury’, and it’s worth 1000 EPs and 1 RP. Now, Don Alcalde De Muntral said that Ricardo Ferrer de Mercedal would have your reward, so off you go, and to your amazement, (by the way, Olaf seemed not to notice) asks why haven’t you caught the pirate! He’s sending you immediately to El Caimano, which is ‘opened’, to defend them from this very pirate!

When you get there, there are no pirate ships. You walk about the town trying to figure out what’s going on. Where do you go? Ponderabilidad’s Taverna is a good place to start, and, whoa! Who is that guy, looks like a pirate in a blue coat? Talk to Ponderabilidad first, then this new guy. The ‘Stranger with a French accent’ sells you some info saying that Olaf Ulsson is hiding Jeauvinione! That rascal!

On to Shark Island, where you confront Olaf. Olaf gets angry, and then starts to laugh. Yep, joke’s on you. He loans you John Quinham to go back to Aliando to get Jeauvinione, but you can also simply dismiss him outside the tavern.

At Aliando there are two pirate ships, the Shnyava Thunder and the Brig Fantastique. Wonder which one he’s on? I had to capture the Fantastique, then allow it to sink, when I did this, for +3 RPs and440 EPs. Olaf has nothing to say (unless maybe you kept John), so on to Granda Avilia.

You bump into a new person, Theodoro Alameda, who offers 2000 gold for escort to Costa Sinistra (which is opened if you take the mission). Governor Ricardo Ferrer de Mercadal gives you 5000 gold and wants you to go to Skullshores to get an important message from a Jose Maria Lopez and take it to Don Alcalde on Isla Ballena.

At Costa Sinistra, you find Alameda and get your 2000 gold and +2 RPs. On to Gray Sails.

At Gray Sails you find Jose Maria Lopez outside looking like a farmer, and he gives you an urgent message that Isla Ballena is threatened with attack from the English, in fact, they want to attack with three ships while the Spanish fleet is elsewhere engaged. You rush to Isla Ballena.

You give the message to Don Alcalde, and his response is to give you a deal you can’t refuse… He hires you to help fight the English. You don’t have to wait long, as soon as you go out to your ship they’re there! After the fight, and the rewards that go with it, he tells you that de Mercadal at Granda Avilia has a job for you. Before you go, you find that Hugo Lumbermill is in Manilue’s Taverna, and has a tale of a damaged French man-of-war held up at the island of Chaktcha for repairs. Should be easy pickins’! Can’t hurt to check it out…

You get there, and lo and behold, the Le Dragon is indeed a French Man of War, but with a crew only of 376… Your call…

You have time, why not go to El Caimano to check out those two quests. In the taverna, you find that Lambrini’s quest involves firing on a Spanish ship. Not a good idea. If you choose to follow Ronald the Lawyer’s quest, it plays out like this:

Ronald wants you to deliver a Black Mark to The Mole. On to Gray Sails.

You deliver the message to the Mole, who’s in the tavern, then go back to El Caimano to tell Ronald.

Now, this gets interesting. Ronald is perfectly happy to have you sail away and let him deal with the Mole. However, if you persevere in offering to help, you get +5, that’s FIVE, reputation points. Perhaps because the Mole broke The Brotherhood’s rules. Hope you don’t regret this… Now to Chaktcha Island to settle the Mole, and be prepared for a surprise!

On to Grand Avilia, and back to the main Spanish story!

At Grade Avilia, De Mercadal wants you to capture Dead Island from the English! Dead Island is now opened. This is a straight-up fort assault, with perhaps a ship or two as well. When there, after destroying the fort and assaulting the place, you’ll find a citizen who represents the populace. Just try to curb your mercenary appetites, and remember what you’re there for! That means, you’re not there for them to empty the treasury for you, you’re there to claim the place for Spain! Back to report to De Mercadal in Granda Avilia.

De Mercadal says there is now open war with England, and you’ve been conscripted into Spanish service. Two new English ships have arrived from Glasgow into the Archipelago, but are in Itkal damaged from a storm during the Atlantic crossing. Itkal is opened.

Returning to Granda Avilia, you find from Ricardo Ferrer de Mercacal that France and England have united against Spain. France is assembling a fleet to attack, but where? That’s your assignment. You have been promoted to Spanish Grandee, an admiral. Somebody had some new clothes for you, because when you step out onto the street, you’re wearing a spiffy new coat. This ‘Black Coat’ means you’re now committed to Spain, no more agents! When you find out where the French fleet is gathering, you are to return to de Mercadal and tell him. Where do you start? You start interviewing people in either Spanish or Pirate ports, the only ones (likely) you can get into. Off you go…

And find the lead in, yep, Engano’s Taverna, right there in Granda Avilia itself! Go right up to Salvadore Engano himself, and he tells you his brother, Roberto in El Caimano now, has the info. To El Caimano!

You know by now how valuable tavernas are to you, so you go to El Caimano’s, and there’s a chap dressed as a conquistador. This is Roberto, and he has the necessary papers for de Mercadal.

You give them to Ricardo Ferrer de Mercacal, and he is in despair. You, though, salty sea dog that you are, counsel a bold plan, to take Don Ferrer’s own battleship with whatever you are sailing and make a pre-emptive attack, a Pearl Harbor, if you will. Ricardo is game! Tel-Kerrat is opened.

What a sight. Coming at you are 1 French Man of War, the ‘Foch’; 1 French Warship, the ‘Provence’; 1 French Corvette, the ‘Gomer’; and 1 French Shnyava, the ‘Le Triomphant’. An illustration of how this game can work is that when I did this, I got the message of rewards in points at the sinking of the ‘Foch’, but I captured and kept the ‘Provence’. I then visited the port of Tel-Kerrat, looking for any unusual characters, and upon going back to my ship, here comes another hostile warship! I didn’t check the name to see if it was also named ‘Provence’ before sinking it.

De Mercadal next orders an assault on Isle d’Orange, and it was opened. Nicholas Montferrat was there to turn the island over to you.

Next, Highrock (opened), and Mortons tries to buy you off! That slime… Take it for Spain.

Don Alcalde de Mercadal sends you to Belflor, and it’s opened. Governor de Bijou wishes that you had served France! Well, maybe another…campaign?

Don Ferrer (Alcalde of Granda Avilia) gives you word that His Majesty Himself has decided to end the pirate presence in the Archipelago. De Mercadal gives you an ultimatum to take to the Pirate leader. To Skullshores.

So, who IS the Pirate leader? Well, it’s not old Beltrop (to bad…), it’s not Francis Dullarse, so you leave Gray Sails and go to Shark Island, where you check with your old friend Captain Olaf Ulsson, and it’s him! He’s not happy at first, but the idea of retirement balanced against the idea of swingin’ at the yardarm looks better all the time!

Tendales opens as Don Alcalde de Mercadal tells you that the last battle of this war is there, and there’s to be a fleet waiting for you as well. Pedro De Humata has joined you with a warship, and doesn’t seem to be about the town if you wish to dismiss him.

There’s not much of a fleet there, but you’re funneled through a narrow channel, the fort firing at you as your guns slowly come unmasked by the terrain. If you can make it through, Governor Brin will not be happy…

And, finally, back to Granda Avilia. Don Alcalde Ricardo Ferrer de Mercadal has a pronouncement to read you: you’re now Viceroy of Granda Avilia and all adjoining colonies! De Mercadal seems not at all jealous! You’ve done it!