h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you are not playing the role of the Captain's Wife, then DO NOT READ ANY MORE OF THIS THREAD.

"Stand by your man"

THE CAPTAIN'S WIFE

Sarah Elizabeth Briggs, Heiress to the title High Priestess of Atlantis.

YOUR STORY - Life is amazingly simple for the High Priestess of Atlantis.

Well, perhaps there is nothing amazing about that. There is very little left of the White Priesthood. You have very few duties; you need only produce a female child and, when she is 13, you teach her what you know of your Atlantean heritage (which does not take long to teach). Of course you also bear the soulstone of Atlantis. Other than this your life is indistinguishable from that of any homemaker of your day.

However, you are totally responsible for lost Atlantis. Some nights you think of this and cannot sleep. The Soulstone is a beautiful thing, a many faceted stone entirely gilded. You have come to hate the sight of it.

The sleepless nights ended when Benjamin Briggs courted and then married you. He is your perfect soul mate, together you are both better than you ever believed you could be. Your love knows no bounds, and for a time thoughts of your husband drove away all your worries about your pointless yet unbearable responsibility.

The sleepless nights returned with the birth of little Lizzie. You had born a daughter, and some day you would share your secret with her just as your mother had with you on your thirteenth birthday, and as had your grandmother and all your female ancestors for three thousand years.

It is not as if your daughter were not already the source of enough worries. She seems so unhappy. Lizzie has always been a quiet child but lately... well you have not heard her laugh during this voyage. Instead of playing Lizzie seems to study the world around her. At her age she should be curious about everything, but her behaviour is so odd. She just stands staring at everything, never speaking, never showing emotion. And her eyes, Lizzie seems to gaze at the world through eyes a thousand years old. Of course that is a silly way to interpret Lizzie's behaviour, but clearly Lizzie is very troubled. You wish you could discover what is wrong and comfort her.

At least she is healthy. When the Mary Celeste left New York Lizzie was not at all well. Twice daily doses of medicine and the good sea air have taken care of that. One less thing to worry about.

You wish everything were so easily cured. You have yet another problem you cannot seem to make go away. You were once unfaithful to Benjamin, and your former lover, Albert Richardson, will not admit that your affair is over.

It was a stupid, foolish thing, and to this day you cannot understand why you did it. It began five years ago when Albert served as Benjamin's First Mate on the Sea Foam. Albert claims it was love at first sight for both of you, and perhaps it was for him, for why else would he have betrayed his Captain and his friend? But you remember it somewhat differently. For the longest time you were only friends, though admittedly the best of friends. Then, almost a year ago, it became something else. It only lasted a month, but it was a wild, exciting month. Your Grandmama told your that the Atlanteans are a much more passionate people than most folk today, and perhaps some of their nature was awakened in you. It matters not why it happened, you came to your senses and ended the foolishness. It was wrong and you pray someday you will be able to make Albert see this. For now he continues to make deluded plans for running away together. You love only one man and that is Benjamin, but Albert refuses to believe that. Albert even claims that Lizzie is his child. Outrageous! While it is possible, you discount that possibility. Lizzie has Benjamin's chin.

It pains you to see your friend hurt himself so, but Albert refuses to listen to reason and you can no longer bear to listen to his ravings.

It has all been too much, but that has not been all. The worst came with the dawn three days ago. You awoke with a great sense of dread; nameless, inexplicable dread. Benjamin assures you that it is nothing, meanwhile your fears continued to grow. You are sure it is to do with the Soulstone and it's grim heritage.

You are convinced that the Mary Celeste has sailed into Atlantean waters. Far below you must lie Atlantis, as well as the Black Wizards. The Soulstone has come home.

It is all so utterly pointless. You know that there is no greater sin than the taking of life; that much of the White Priesthood's teaching remains, at least. But it is hypocritical to act as if someday the Black Wizards will be brought back to life. There is no one left researching the necessary magic, no one left who can. Atlantis and its foul population will remain forever at the bottom of the sea, is it better to admit that and be done with it.

So you cast your only spell on the soulstone, ordering it to violently release its magic tonight. Then you threw the Soulstone into the sea.

You are not concerned that the ship lies becalmed, you have most of a days running since you cast away the Soulstone and the Mary Celeste is more than far enough away to escape the explosion. The soulstone will destroy itself two hours after sunset, three hours from now. Perhaps you will be able to see the explosion.

There is still a lingering sense of dread, you suspect it will last until the Mary Celeste sails on, leaving these unpleasant waters behind.

What you feel most of all now is relief, relief lost Atlantis will remain lost and never trouble you again.

You feel like a new woman. You know that Benjamin will probably need your assistance now that he has strange women aboard his ship. Also you must fetch Lizzie as it is time for her medicine. At this moment these simple things are your most immediate concerns. That is truly a wonderful feeling.

GOALS AT A GLANCE - Tend to your daughter, discover what is troubling her. Aid and comfort your husband. Also aid the crew where necessary. Resolve your affair with First Mate Richardson; amicably if possible, but make it clear that it is over. Put all thoughts of Atlantis behind you, this is a grim burden you shall not have to pass to your daughter.

ROLE-PLAYING HINT - You are a demure but spirited New England housewife. Your Atlantean heritage is deeply hidden.

STATISTICALLY - You are as fit and strong as any woman of your day, though you would not last long in an altercation with rough, hardworking sailors. You have no skills with any of the contents of the weapons locker.

THE OTHER CHARACTERS

CAPTAIN BRIGGS - Your husband, he fills your life and there could never be another man for you. Your brief, inexplicable infidelity has done nothing to change this.

FIRST MATE ALBERT RICHARDSON - He acts like a hurt puppy around you. He is too good a man to destroy himself like this, but you cannot help him if he will not help himself. He must understand that you do not love him.

LIZZIE BRIGGS - Your daughter, aged three. Whatever are you to do with this child? Benjamin fears that he may not be a fit parent. Nonsense. You know that it is not in your husband's nature to show love, but he tries ever so hard.

SECOND MATE DANE GILLING - You hardly know him, though he seems nice enough, and a good ship's mate as well.

ALBERT HEAD, THE COOK - Never have you met a man so fond of sea food. An outstanding cook so long as the meal is fish. For any other meal you might be his better.

THE FOUR JOHANS - The Mary Celeste's German seamen, all named Johan. Lorenzen is a competent man but of such sour disposition you wonder if one of his parents might not have been a crab.

Volkert and Goodschad are inseparable friends, and you husband's steadiest and most loyal men. Also, Mr. Goodschad is a bit of a child at heart and he has befriended Lizzie (this can only do her good).

Martens is the cause of some trouble. He does his work well enough, but he is always seeing things (sea serpents and pirates and such) and the rest of the crew are quite tired of his alarming fantasies. Benjamin thinks he drinks, though Martens could hardly have any liquor, not aboard Benjamin's ship!

THE CASTAWAY AND STOWAWAY - You know nothing about these mysterious women, but for the seemingly impossible means they have used to come aboard. However, you know that Benjamin has never been comfortable dealing with women and you expect he will need your assistance.

THE CAT - Lizzie seems to be fond of the cat (at least she often seems to be studying it). Otherwise you would have it put ashore in Genoa and left it behind. It is an irritating animal, always underfoot, and with an unnerving tendency to sit and stare.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

RITUAL MAGIC -T heoretically you can perform magic, but you have had no training and certainly no practice. You are also not very strong magically. Results could be interesting.

RELEASE POWER- Your only spell. You can order an object in which magical energy has been stored to release all its energy. Release will be sudden and violent (how violent depends on the strength of the object). The spell can be set to go off immediately or any time up to one day. Effectively this spell allows you to turn a magical item into a time bomb. The Soulstone is the only such item you have ever seen or heard of, but the spell should work on other items of magic, if they exist. Note that once the spell has been cast its effect CANNOT be stopped.

FIRST AID - some skill as a healer is essential to a seaman' s wife, not to mention traditional for the White Order. You can deal with most injuries short of life threatening ones.

MY HUSBAND IS THE CAPTAIN - While you are not officially an authority figure on the ship you don't have to take any back talk from the swabs. Cite this special ability, and if the offender doesn't take the hint go have a word with Benjamin.

You should also read fact sheets 1 and 2, but NOT 3. The fact sheets are located here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A598412

I've got a quick question for you: How anti-violence are the White Priesthood? In other words, if I found two other crew members fighting, would I feel it my duty to stop them? Or would I take a more worldly approach and let them duke it out?

I know that the feeling I got about Sarah would have me breaking in and trying to resolve things peacefully, but I wanted to know if that was the way to go...

Thanks again.

G7

I've got a silly question for you, GL. Does the cat have a name? I've just been calling her "puss", but I figured I'd check.

G7

I think your read on Sarah regarding violence is perfectly valid. She abhors violence and would never resort to it herself, so seeing violence would be very upsetting to her and she would do everything she could to stop it, short of committing any violence herself.

I'm sure the cat has a name, we just don't know it (It's not mentioned anywhere in the documentation). Perhaps its name is "Sea" - an appropriate name for an ocean-going cat

Thanks, GL.

G7

GL, I'm going to try eavesdropping on the conversation in the cargo hold, starting with the first post. I'm sitting in a seat near the door, apparently waiting for Benjamin to go by.

G7

Okay. Go ahead and read that thread. (unless they close the door or something)

Regarding the Ghost - you can't see or hear him.

You chose a good conversation to eavesdrop on, I think.

I think that I chose well, too. And I was hoping to find out was Richardson's connection to Amelia.

G7

Arl slipped a bit with the private conversation title, but we've managed to bury that conversation under a flood of other threads. Hope no one notices it.

I won't say anything. That's just too precious a secret.

Besides, I don't think that too many folk were on-line at the time - other than those involved...

G7

Curiouser and curiouser... I had thought that Richardson was another Atlantean, but now I find out he's from another planet. And Lorenzen and Amelia are from the future. Poor Sarah! I don't know how she's going to be able to process all this information, New England housewife that she is.



G7

Indeed. Sarah has a lot of information now, but as the High Priestess of Atlantis, she should be able to handle it.

Were you there for the last bit of the conversation?

I left right after the cat did, so I caught the fact that my pendant is somewhere on board. I need to figure out a way to get the cat to tell me where, without revealing that I was eavesdropping, so that I can get it of the ship before it explodes...

G7

Yes, that is the bit that I was wondering whether you had heard.

The plot thickens...

Just because I like the idea and have played Castle Falkenstien, I'll be doing this log as a personal journal for Sarah.

What a day this has been! I had thought that with the end of the storms we would have some peace and quiet, but this apparently was not God's will for us.

Where to begin. Perhaps I should begin with Lizzie's cat, as that is where I received much of my information. I am still flabbergasted by that fact. The cat claims - in plain English - to be a 2000 year-old android, whatever that is. What surprised me is the fact that the cat can speak, as plain as you or I. I am a bit worried about this, as everyone - myself included - have felt no trouble speaking plainly in front of the cat. That was, until now. What the cat might tell others about me, I hesitate to think.

The next matter is of great importance to me - even greater than the cat, although that had to be told first so that the source of my information was clear. The pendant - with the Soul Stone - is back on board the Mary Celeste. And in two short hours, it will release its power, explosively. Everyone on board is in horrible danger and it is all my fault. To make things worse, I cannot even tell my beloved Benjamin about it. He is a simple, good man and would never understand my ties to Atlantis. I MUST find out where it is and get it off the ship as soon as possible!

I begin to suspect that Uli, the native castaway, may have something to do with its return. She came on soon after I had thrown it overboard. She seems so... sympathetic to my worries for Lizzie's safety, however. Surely she wouldn't endanger my daughter that way.

And Lizzie. What am I going to do about her? I have the feeling that she knows about the talking cat. I also have the feeling that she is hiding something from me. She and Mr Gillings were in a deep conversation that should be far beyond her years earlier this evening.

Mr Gillings is a whole other kettle of fish. His fast talk about being a treasure hunter and knowing Lizzie's "secret" has me quite worried. I don't trust him, and have told Benjamin that in so many words. My only hope is that Mr Goodschad can protect us.

Mr Goodschad is the one person, other than Benjamin, that I trust implicitly. I am a bit confused by his statement that he serves me as much as he does my husband. It is a comforting thought, but there must be some reasoning behind it that I am unaware of. Perhaps I shall ask his constant companion, Mr Volkert.

I trust Mr Volkert by association more than anything else. If he and Mr Goodschad are as close as they seem, then he must be worthy of my trust. He did react oddly to the fish at dinner, though. I wonder what it was that he tasted to make him so upset?

Speaking of dinner, Mr Head threw me off at first, especially as he offered to make baubles for bothe Lizzie and myself. I have put him to work, however, making a duplicate Soul Stone. Perhaps, if it is done in time, I can use it to flush out the person who has the real one. Again, I am reminded that I must make it a priority to get it as far away from the ship as soon as possible...

Mr Martens, although being a drunkard, seems like an affable enough chap. I don't sense anything wrong with him, beyond the smell of alcohol on his breath. Perhaps the journey with Benjamin will teach him the evils of drink. I certainly hope so.

Miss Amelia Rangel disturbs me greatly. Through listening to a conversation between Mr Lorenzen and the cat - the CAT! - I learned that both she and Mr Lorenzen came to us from the future. How this is possible, I am not certain, but it apparently has something to do with a bauble they wear above their ears. I must remember to look the next time I get the chance.

Speaking of Miss Rangel inevitably brings me to Albert. The two seem very cosy now, which disturbs more than I might wish. I do not love Albert, not the way he wants me to at least, but he is still a friend and I do not wish to see him hurt. I had originally thought, briefly, that he himself might be Atlantean as well. That was the only reason I could think of for our... indiscretion. However, the cat - the CAT! - says that he is actually an alien and not of this planet at all. That is somewhat a bitter pill to swallow. I still wrestle with the guilt of what we did to Benjamin - as does he I would assume - but now to know that there were not even human motivations behind HIS actions. I hate to admit it, but I am hurt to my very soul.

And my darling Benjamin. How did such a man as he get mixed up in such affairs as these? I have no doubt that it is my own fault. Had I not allowed myself to be wooed by and fall in love with him, then he would have a simpler life now. I could not help it, however. He is my soulmate and I would love him no matter what. I only wish that I could do a better job of helping and shielding him from such goings on.

Could "YC" stand for "your cross"? Is the ghost trying to tell me where to find the Soul Stone? I only wish that I could speak to the ghost personally and ask these questions. Perhaps all would come clear then...

I must find the cat after I talk to Benjamin. After all, she is the one who knows that the pendant returned to the ship. She might be able to help me find where it has gone to...