The Maiden of Menra

Brief Overview

The Maiden of Menra was known as a top-notch galleon granted only to the best of captains. This was due to the fact that it belonged to The Empire of Menra and could only be sailed by someone who was revered within the empire. The ship was considered lucky and made hundreds of voyages before it was considered L.A.S, or "lost at sea."

General Overview

This galleon is now known as one of the most terrifying ghost ships as no one who boards it is ever heard from again. It can only be seen in foggy or stormy weather in the southeast region of the Atlantian Ocean. Sailors and pirates alike pray that they don't lay their eyes on the Maiden, as she is said to beckon all who see her to her decks. After the empire of Menra lost contact with the Maiden, many tried to recover the lost ship, but most were assumed to have perished just like the original crew. No one knows if there were any survivors, but it was documented that no one survived this tragedy. The only record of what happened to the poor souls aboard the Maiden was a single journal bound in leather. It was found by a Menran guard and taken to the Sailor's guild, the Crooked Crows-Nest.

Purpose

The journal is a personal logbook that was kept close to Captain Janson Saltz. It was used to record the sail time, possible cargo received, interactions between passing ships, the number of crewmates aboard, and finally, the personal thoughts of the captain during their voyage.

Historical Details

History

Originally owned by Captain Janson, this journal was carried on his person everywhere he traveled. After the tragedy that befell the Maiden of Menra, the journal was found floating upon a single board of driftwood perfectly intact. After Detect Magic was cast on it, several studies revealed that it was being preserved magically. The strange thing about that fact is that most preservation spells require the caster to be alive to sustain the spell, but no survivors were found in the location the Maiden of Menra had sailed.
The ink used in the final entry was processed and revealed to be written in blood. None of the historians who get their hands on this journal can discern the true meaning of Layla's entry, or whether or not she survived the event, but what they do know is that she told them exactly what happened to her captain and her crew, but she never mentioned her own fate.
It is said that if the ship is seen by unwary sailors or pirates, the same prose written in Layla's final entry can be heard echoing across the ocean, sung as a cheerful sea shanty...

Public Reaction

The public was shocked and terrified at the discovery of the Maiden. The ship was spotted several times, but any rescuers sent to search the ship have disappeared in a similar manner. Eventually it was outlawed to sail in the southeast area of the Atlantian Ocean, and it was advised that no one approach the Maiden if it's ghostly sails are seen.
The journal was passed along through several channels of sailors and was kept in a library located in Menra, however, after the fall of the empire it was later put on display in the Museum of Lost Waters in Aque. The story circulated for several years before it was redefined as a cautionary tale told to new sailors to alert them of the risks of boarding lifeboats without sufficient supplies aboard.

Legacy

The journal revealed a hint at what the Maiden of Menra does to those who board it. Those who watched fellow crew members sail out to search the ship have noted that after 20 minutes aboard the Maiden all the ropes tethering the lifeboats and the boat their mates used to board the ship suddenly snapped and all hopes of sailing away from the ghost ship floated away with them.
They watched and waited in fear as day by day their crewmates screamed and cried for help as accelerated symptoms of starvation set in. No more was witnessed by this crew of sailors as shortly after a storm began to brew they fled back to the shores of Birtham.
New rumors have surfaced calling the crew of the Maiden of Marine The Starving Spirits. A vast majority of seamen believe that the spirits are cursed with famine. Famine so powerful that they accelerate starvation symptoms in any living mortal who steps foot on their ship.

Read the Document

The Maiden of Menra

Maiden of Menra - 11/06/1952 BN
Captain Janson Saltz, AKA Captain Salty.
We started our journey with 232 men aboard our galleon, the Maiden of Menra. Today, there are 222. We are still capable of managing the ship, but his old gal takes a thick crew and day by day we're thinning out. No one is privy to the whereabouts of our missing mates, but we intend to get to the bottom of this. The only notable difference is a strange green liquid that not even my first mate, Layla could identify, and she's a witch.

Maiden of Menra - 14/06/1952 BN
Captain Janson Saltz, AKA Captain Salty.
Today we have 219 men aboard, and after a lengthy search, still no explanation of their whereabouts has surfaced. The green waters have grown thicker, and to make matters worse, about an hour ago we passed a sunken ship with Menra's sigil on its figurehead. More omens that these waters are cursed. My first mate tried to tell me, but I wrote her of with female hysteria due to the nature of her reactions. Now, I'm listening. She says a small area of the Atlantian sea causes shipwrecks and abnormal disturbances with navigation tools, but the cause has never been determined. This left all locals on surrounding islands assuming that either a dark spell was cast over the sea, or a monster dwelled in those territories. Could a monster be picking off my mates? We have two days to find out before we reach the coasts of Adele. At least then I can make sure what remains of my crew survives.

Maiden of Menra - 15/06/1952 BN
Captain Janson Saltz, AKA Captain Salty.
A massive storm has rolled in from the direction of Adele, forcing us to turn back in order to avoid it. My crewmates have dropped into the 70's and its getting harder to maintain the Maiden of Menra. The crew is terrified, and no one sleeps anymore. Not even me. My First Mate, Layla had been a welcome presence here on this rickety ship. She's helped route the remainder of the crew into small groups and she's reassured everyone that after taking inventory we know we have enough food to remain at sea for another two weeks if need be. That's good news, but I'm finding it harder to stay rational these days...

Maiden of Menra - 16/06/1952 BN
Captain Janson Saltz, AKA Captain Salty.
We were supposed to be home today. TODAY! Instead the sea itself has become a hungry mouth and it seems determined to swallow my crew and their Maiden whole. The storm wasn't just behind us, it has surrounded us! But this is no normal storm! It's a storm caused by the green monster below the surface. The hidden abomination controlling the tides and sending storms for sailors like us to succumb to! We wont succumb so easily... If the monster wants the Maiden it can have her, but I'm taking my crew home. The Maiden has taken on too much water and we'll have to abandon ship. As we hopped into the lifeboats my heart sank as I took one last look at her. The strongest Maiden to ever brave the sea, and I was leaving her to drown...

Maiden of Menra - 17/06/1952 BN
Captain Janson Saltz, AKA Captain Salty.
She made it! When we awoke after huddling through the storm the Maiden was still bobbing happily above the waves. We intend to paddle there and regroup before dusk tonight. Our crew took a heavy hit in the storm last night, leaving only 43 men and women to man the Maiden, but we'll make due. We have to...

Maiden of Menra - 25/06/1952 BN
Captain Janson Saltz, AKA Captain Salty.
She's left us! Our Maiden has abandoned us! We watch her daily, her sails visible just on the horizon, but no matter how furiously we row we never get any closer. She has weeks worth of food and water aboard and yet we all suffer and starve. Our salvation just out of reach... Layla used her abilities as a witch to cast the spell Lightning Ball into the sky until her fingertips burned black and tremors coursed through her, but still no help came. Its been 8 days since we left the Maiden's decks, and two days ago we ran out of food & water... Yet there she goes, our only hope. The crew has grown delirious and Layla can't keep the calm any longer. They thirst so badly that they're drinking the sea waters in desperation. The same desperation that caused me to follow suit. Even though I know. I know what it'll do to us. But something in our bellies must be better than nothing, right? I gave our Maiden everything and she left us here. She left us to die...

Maiden of Menra - 27/06/1952 BN
First Mate Layla Cerost - Final... Entry...
Water, water everywhere, yet not a drop to drink. Neptyr's gaze set upon our ship, alas we assumed it to sink.
Thirsty so thirsty, and yet we could drink our fill. But as we drank, the salts of the seas became our sleeping swill.
Wave by wave, our lifeboat rocked upon the unsavory sea. Our kidneys burned while the waves turned, beckoning to me.
Our skin it cracked, as our sanity lapsed, turning our lips blue. As the Maiden of Menra carried on without her crew.
With nothing left to waiver the beckon of the waves. My captain and the seasick crew sunk into early graves...

Close

by SerenityArt

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

11/06/1952 BN - 27/06/1952 BN

Myth

The Starving Spirits

Location

Atlantian Ocean

Authors

• Captain Janson Saltz

Signatories (Characters)

• Layla Cerost