The two male players have been following the blog all year, and have thought about their characters quite a bit. They've made up back stories, except for Jake, who had honestly forgotten about his character, having played in half a dozen other D&D campaigns over the summer, including one that took place in a chocolate factory.
Fans of the blog pointed out that Elizabeth was mostly a damsel in distress, so Liz is determined to be more of a heroine.
The session is much longer, spread over a three-day holiday.
The new story involves a new terrifying pirate captain named Davy Jones, for whom the GM makes up a bizarre accent. The players aren't sure if they like it at first, but it grows on them. The GM also makes up a lot more ways for the players to be involved, including having Jack Sparrow know the location of an evil pirate ghost(?)'s heart. There is an island with cannibals, and a goofy scene that they made up on the spot where the crew is captured and put in hanging ball-cages. The players make up the silly idea of swinging the cages while dainty classical music plays. It turns out to be one of the players' favorite moments, much to the annoyance of the GM.
Because Jake refuses to make up any backstory whatsoever for Jack Sparrow, the GM does whatever he wants. This includes a debt owed to Davy Jones, and somehow being the king of a tribe of cannibals.
Eventually, there is a huge fight involving a kraken, which consumes Jack Sparrow. A GMPC called Cutler Beckett gets control of the heart and begins controlling Davy Jones, destroying nearly all the pirates at sea. Everyone is thoroughly intrigued with this cliffhanger.
Because of the Christmas holiday, Bill's cousin David is in town. His flight was delayed, so he arrives on the second day. David had followed the blog too, so he's interested in playing and knows all of the characters' back stories. The GM quickly comes up with the idea that David can play as Captain Barbossa, who is conveniently resurrected with voodoo magic. David is experienced with D&D, so makes a really powerful pirate fighter with ties to the voodoo priestess who brought him back.
The session is a slow start. The GM mostly just has note cards with things like "Singapore" "Pirate Council" and "Woman King." Annoyingly, the session is a little dry, having only one combat in the first two hours of the game, between the players and a pirate captain. Mostly it's just political intrigue where the GM talks to himself. At once point he does a high-pitched Indian pirate, and a really good impression of Keith Richards, but nobody appreciates it.
Jake is MIA for the first half of the game, being stuck with unavoidable familial holiday obligations. The GM hand-waves this by saying Jack is trapped in a bizarre realm that looks just like a salt desert.
When Jake finally returns later that evening after dinner, the game accelerates toward the finale, involving a maelstrom.
In real life, Bill had proposed to Liz the night before. With wedding bells in their minds, during the sword fight, Bill decides to have Will propose to Elizabeth. David finds this hilarious, so they have the rest of combat revolve around saying vows while fighting.
However, the GM had a story he really wanted to tell, so gangs up on Will, nearly killing his character. He explains that the only option is to have Will stab Davy Jones' heart, thus becoming Davy Jones. Neither player wants to do that, but they go along. Jack and Barbossa escape, but Will is cursed to forever sail the seas as the new Davy Jones. Elizabeth's player is pissed, but tries to make the most of the ending by saying that Will can go on land every few years, so they can be together. The GM agrees, and says that the last thing we see is Elizabeth pregnant as she waves to Will's ship as it departs.
All in all, it's a pretty good weekend.
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