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Jul-10-2011 19:07

To coincide with 'Talk Like a Pirate Day', on September 19, tell a nautical story *aboard (or about) the SS Sleuthetania* using one of the following formats:

1. An 'Mystery Intro' set aboard the Sleuthetania
http://noir.playsleuth.com/map/cityhall/write/intro.spy?new=true

2. A Sea Shanty - a nautical song eg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blow_the_Man_Down
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Australia_(song)

Wikipedia has a wealth of examples.

3. An Entry in the Captain's Journal for an 'incident' on the Sleuthetania. This entry could be written by the Captain, but could also be written by someone else if the Capt. was absent, or the entry demanded a certain viewpoint.

Entry:

A. Deadline: entries in by September 12, 2011. Judged and announced on September 19.

B. Enter via posting in this thread.

- for the Intro please just tell us in this post when you submitted and under what name.

- for the Shanty and Journal Entry try and limit yourself to one entry in this post, but I'm reasonable, so if there's a bit of overflow that's fine.

C. Multiple entries are acceptable.

Prizes:

A. If from 1. The winning entry will appear as an Intro (with the annotation 'Winning Entry etc etc')

If from 2. The Winning Entry will be posted somewhere on the Ship.

If from 3. The Entry will appear as an entry in the Captain's Journal.

B. The winning entry will receive a 3 month sub, a piece of piratey gear and the title 'Salty' (or words to that effect)

- please note the Title is not transferable, and will only be allotted to the sub under which the competition was entered.

c. I reserve, depending on the number of entries, the right to allot a 2nd & 3rd prize.

D. All entries deemed suitable will appear in a collectible Book hidden on the Sleuthetania. [*more...>]

Aug-13-2011 20:17

Open to all. Subbed or non-subbed.

Aug-13-2011 20:20

Heh and I suppose if you are unsubbed and you win then I'd have to give you a sub so you could actually see the Sleuthetania. Mind you if you are unsubbed and you win - double kudos eh for writing about a ship you've never been on. :) :) not impossible or improbable though :)

Aug-28-2011 19:21

I've never really tried one of these things out but this looks like it's right up my alley.

Aug-28-2011 22:35

Could someone doing the sleuthetania missions PM me some of the 'filler text'. I haven't experienced those missions yet.

Aug-29-2011 19:44

I would but err I haven't done them myself :D

Sep-11-2011 21:20

*Format 3, entry in the Captain's Journal*

Today we found a rather interesting ship. It was around the second watch when we saw a pirate ship, travelling without lights and with so few crew members they even didn't answer the radio. But right when we were about to shoot them, they showed their true colors: it was a theatre company ship--that is, according to the captain of that ship, Capt. Flint, a vessel whose mission it was to entertain every ship they could find. I'd never heard of that kind of ship, but they showed a rather interesting (and amateur) judging by the nervous way they acted, play about pirates looking for buried gold ,and the treachery of the crew. They even had a couple of real-looking prop guns. At the end I invited them to dinner, but they refused on the grounds that they had to keep travelling. It was a good thing since hours later the chef told me that all the silverware was gone; I would have felt terrible if they had realized we didn't even have a spoon. Yet I'm sure this morning all the silverware was in its place.

Sep-11-2011 21:45

Format 1: Intro #1787 submitted September 11, 2011 under Riza Hawkeye.

Sep-11-2011 23:11

Format 1:Intro #1788 submitted September 11th by Synesence.

Sep-12-2011 07:03

[Sorry, it's late and it's too long, but here goes anyway.]


Captain's Log, June 23rd 1931

First Mate Edwards as Acting Captain

Sadly I have to report the temporary incapacity of the Captain, due to injuries sustained in falling down the steps from the bridge, and in a subsequent accident. The ship's surgeon has diagnosed a severe concussion.

The incident occurred at the fifth bell of the forenoon watch. The Purser sent a message to the bridge reporting a disturbance in the ship's library, occasioned by the discovery of a corpse lying next to a bloodied candlestick. Petty Officer Froggett was dispatched to investigate, and returned with the information that the death was apparently a murder, that the ship's surgeon had been summoned, and that the radio room had called ahead to notify the Shanghai authorities. On being asked by the Captain whether the culprit was being sought, Petty Officer Froggett said that an investigation was under way, but appeared strangely reluctant to divulge the details. When questioned further, he admitted that one Miss Cordelia Falco, a private detective, was investigating the case, at the request of the victim's Best Friend.

It was at this point that the Captain left the bridge at speed and in a considerable temper, thus descending the steps with less than his usual caution. His mood may possibly be attributable to the fact that he has some prior acquaintance with the aforementioned Miss Falco, notably during the voyages of May 1929 and September 1930, the latter of which ended with the arrest of the Captain's aunt for the murder of her Opium Dealer. In both cases Miss Falco pursued shipboard murder investigations with vigour, and with a lack of respect for ship's protocol, neither of which made her popular with the officers. I should also note that the Captain was particularly fond of the aunt in question.

Sep-12-2011 07:04

The Captain's fall, though heavy, did not at first appear to incapacitate him. He got to his feet, and although he appeared to be a little off balance and his head was bleeding from a small wound, he would not be restrained from setting off once more towards the library. I thought it best to accompany him, leaving Second Officer McRoberts in command on the bridge, as previous encounters between the Captain and Miss Falco have become somewhat heated. On our arrival at the library we found that the body had been removed, and the room's only occupant was a white parrot, perched on the back of one of the leather armchairs and leaving regrettable traces of its presence. This enraged the Captain still further and he made an attempt to catch the bird, which took off and began to fly around the room, squawking 'Pieces of eight!', 'Shiver me timbers!', 'Walk the plank!' and similar phrases. It was when it addressed the Captain as a 'yellow-bellied land-lubber' that the last of his control appeared to desert him, and he made a wild lunge for the creature. Unfortunately his foot slipped in a small pool of blood which had not yet been cleaned up, and he fell heavily once more, hitting his head against a small table and lapsing this time into unconsciousness.

Since then he has regained his senses briefly on two occasions, but the ship's surgeon reports that he appears to be delusional, muttering about repelling boarders and doubling the grog ration. It is to be hoped that a period of rest in the confines of his cabin will restore him to his usual self.

Miss Falco has now reclaimed her parrot and the murder investigation continues.