Crowlight Cartography

The First Trial of the Sea Queen

Real reward doesn’t come without some level of risk and hardship. That’s something that most people do believe. To gain something truly worthy of being called a treasure, you must put all of yourself into the act of obtaining it. It is that which the subject of today’s story seeks most. The people willing to risk it all for a chance at glory. The people with everything to lose but so much to gain. Those are the people who stumble into the Vault of the Sea Queen and it is them who are forced to face this trial.

The Story of the Sea Queen

The Sea Queen is a legend, passed between seafarers for generations, with her influence stretching back even further. These stories differ based on who tells the tale. Pirates aren’t known for writing their tales down, and some forget the details once the rum barrel is empty. There are people who say the Sea Queen is a Goddess of the Waves who protects and punishes those that trespass in her realm. There are others who say her legend is just used to recruit gullible fools with more greed than sense. There are even some who see her as a vicious predator, lurking under the sea for those same fools to set sail.

That’s the problem with getting your information from drunken sailors. You never really know what the truth is. The stories are different between all taverns, crews, and prison cells. The Sea Queen changes from a beautiful maiden that blesses her followers with gold into a writhing mass of tentacles and hatred that can whip up the fiercest storms in history. Many press-gangers only invoke her name when they are told not to rough up the new recruits. The experienced pirates laugh at the madman screaming on the docks about how the Queen must be appeased lest her wrath be truly terrible. Those same pirates change their tune when a wave of impossible size threatens to capsize their ship.

Yet in this mess of stories, there is one aspect that never changes. One detail that remains the same, regardless of who tells the tale. Somewhere in the boundless stretches of the ocean lies a treasure beyond imagination. The legends claim that the Sea Queen possesses more gold than the mightiest of empires. Her hoard is as vast as the sea is deep and glimmers brighter than the clearest night sky. Claiming even a tiny portion of this treasure would grant you more wealth than you could ever spend. Just a sliver of it is worth more than years of plundering the busiest trade routes. But you would be wise to hear the rest of the legend before you go out hunting for it, as telling the story and dreaming of the gold is much easier than claiming it.

The Sea Queen set up a series of challenges to unlock her treasure. She constructed a mobile fortress beneath the ocean that attracts sailors like a fish drawn to a glowing lantern. Unlike most parts of the Sea Queen’s legend, this vault is real. It has been seen by countless travelers who describe it in exactly the same way. Any of them that managed to reach it will tell the same story of what they found. Regardless of what the Sea Queen may be, her treasure is undeniably real, making it even more alluring. Yet, not a single sailor has succeeded in passing the first trial and returning to tell the story. The first trial of the vault is far more than most expect. It serves as a test to determine if the challenger possesses the necessary skills to survive the rest of the vault. It is designed to send the timid running, to cause the brave to falter, and to offer the greedy one last opportunity to flee. In essence, it is a challenge designed to evaluate the strength, determination, and cleverness of a contender.

But what is the trial? How do you survive it? What comes after it? These are questions that rarely get an answer. As it was said before, anyone who has beaten the trial or is believed to have beaten it is never seen again. It’s likely that the vault refuses to let them flee once the first trial is complete, so it is anyone’s guess what happens in the rest of the vault. The same is true for how to survive the trial as all those that have don’t come back.

So we are left with one question: What is the trial? Well, that can be seen below, depicting the moment the trial begins.

The challenger steps into a vast, empty cavern filled with numerous pools of water. They traverse a rickety bridge that seems on the verge of collapse, yet it remains a constant for every new challenger who arrives. There is always an old bridge to cross. Upon reaching the centre of the cavern, the braziers ignite, and the cavern starts to tremble. Sinister tendrils rise from the pools, concealing a far larger creature lurking beneath the ground. This monster will not hesitate to attack challengers, ripping them apart as effortlessly as one slices through water. It is a relentless predator that continues its onslaught, regardless of the damage it sustains. Destroying one of its tendrils only results in two more sprouting forth. Gradually, it claims every life that dares to enter the Vault of the Sea Queen. Escaping is not impossible; one simply needs to cut through the tendrils that now obstruct the exit. However, only a fortunate few manage to realize this before succumbing to the beast.

One survivor of this trial, who narrowly escaped with his life, said that he knows the secret to overcoming the trial. He believes he could have triumphed if he had possessed the determination to stand his ground. According to this survivor, the beast is more hostile towards anything bathed in light. While it will strike at you regardless of where you are, it prioritises those in the light. The survivor managed to put out one of the braziers while he fled and claims that he saw the beast recoil. Some of its tendrils retreated into the water and gave him just enough time to escape. This survivor believes that the way to survive the first trial is to face that beast head-on. Show your courage and cunning as you work around a thrashing monstrosity, where one mistake will cost you your life. If all the braziers are extinguished, perhaps the beast will vanish with them.

What is clear is that the Sea Queen poses a formidable challenge to anyone who dares to call themselves a treasure hunter. She serves as the patron saint for those who navigate the oceans, offering prayers to the goddess of wealth and glory in hopes of being rewarded for their struggles. However, she is not an easily pleased Queen; she has a tendency to unleash fierce storms and terrifying creatures when a ship sails into unfavourable winds. Yet, as a goddess of riches, she certainly knows how to bestow rewards upon her chosen ones. So, if you yearn for treasures that surpass your wildest fantasies and are prepared to risk everything that you are, offer a prayer to the Sea Queen, and you may just find yourself facing her legend.

Another Story

Like last weeks map, this one is recreation of one of the first maps i ever made for a session. The idea of fighting a monster beneath the water and surrounding the players has remained but aside from that. It is quite different. It’s fun to look back on old project, see how far I’ve come as an artist. While I’m not one for saying I am good at something, i am certainly better than i once was. Which is what really matters to me. I’ve continued to grow even if i never really notice it.

Next up?

The next map I’ll be showcasing is one i called,

“The Quiet Castle in the Woods”

Hopefully in the next week but it will be good whenever it does arrive.

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If you’ve read this far, thank you so very much and get ready for plenty more.
– Jakko