The Gold

A ship takes on valuable cargo, and the men figure out what to do with it

Big Questions

• Number of chapters

World

• Ostensibly the real world in the 1600s or so

• The Mary Jane

  • Has two floors: Topside and the inside (Called “The Belly” by the Captain)

Characters

The Aristocrat

• Man from an aristocratic family, born into wealth
• Insecure about his wealth/status and goes to great lengths to keep up this exterior
• Snaps easily at those he deems “below” him, with him getting less and less angry at people he deems more powerful. This makes him suck up to the person that’s taking charge of the situation on the Mary Jane.
• Wants the gold for himself because he is actually broke. Was on the ship to go to his family and tell them that he drove their business into bankruptcy
• Wants to bring his French wife Matilda on board but “Woman are bad luck on a ship”

Captain Looney

• Unpredictable, his only constant is that he seems to find everything he chooses to do funny
• Likes to go from job to job on the ship, like steering and rigging, to the annoyance of the rest of the crew.
• Nobody knows whether he wants the gold for himself or not. Is the only person unclear about their motivation for the gold.

First mate (Only mate so he really should just be “mate”) Sensible

• Prides himself on his ability to think clearly about situations. Is content with his post and as the counterpart to the captain

  • Him and the captain have a good, if uneasy, friendship

• Understands the weight of the treasure and wants to wait until they’re back at port before they make any decisions about it

• Likes “hands-on” woodworking (using a saw and nothing else…he’s quite terrible)

• Ooh I love my wiiiiife. I love my wife, IGH. Oooh I love my wiiiife, she is so fine, IGH.

Delusional Helmsman

• Believes he “controls” the ship because he literally controls the ship.
• Speaks in poetic and whimsical terms/phrases
• Wants and believes he has more power than anyone else, and is genuinely confused when he is challenged on this

Chivalry ain’t dead

• Obsessed with the knights of old, and wishes to adhere to the strictures of chivalry

  • Or, at least, how he interprets chivalry

• Impulsive and is the most antsy to get inside the chest

• Before you answer what this character’s motivation is, what does he even do?

  • Guard/acting guard who’s a crew member
  • He’s just kinda there and nobody bothers removing him from the ship

Lookout (The Crow, like crow’s nest)

• Not just good at physically looking out but is very perceptive about the motivations behind things and people

  • Very accurately sees other ships and what they want/are doing

• Wants the gold for himself because it’s a challenge, to manipulate people

Faux-tagonist

• Someone to orient the audience to the ship
• Comes upon the ship and on a whim asks for a job
• E’s a Faaaaamily mang, joins the ship to help his family
• Private altruist

Outline

• Each chapter/scene is strictly from the pov of a single character. So one chapter we follow the aristocrat, then the captain. Really ground the reader in the ship and never let them get a clear view of everything

• The first death comes as a consequence of an accident, but by the time they figure this out the violence has gone too far. Fauxtagonist dies first I’d bet money on it.

• Horror sequence in claustrophobic environment, I’m picturing the aristocrat being the victim. Maybe have this be the first death or maybe not.

  • Ship swaying in a sorta storm, everyone in the cargo bay with a badly flickering candle. Only people on the deck are the captain and the helmsman. Someone later discovered in cargo bay with broken neck.

• Gotta have a fistfight because of course. And the captain does nothing but laugh during. Maybe the knight should be away or he’d break it up immediately.

• Once the first mate dies, the only semblance of rationality is gone

• Sequence where the captain (from his pov) is talking to and flirting with the ship

  • “A quick peck for her, she would get more later. But as a captain, he had duties to focus on.”

• Bloated corpse carrying chest floating at sea

• Chest can’t be opened but everyone figures it’s valuable

• People standing in a circle over the chest, the knight goes “STAND BACK EVERYONE” takes out his sword with a flourish and slams it down on the chest, causing his sword to break into a million pieces

  • “GOOD GODS PUT THAT AWAY OR YOU’LL HAVE US ALL KILLED!” Mate shouted as the Captain laughed maniacally.

• There is whispers that the Captain isn’t in control of his mind. As soon as he is told this rumour (probably by the first mate) he goes out and uncharacteristically explodes at everyone.

Plot bleats

• Letter to Hon William Kensington
• Fautagonist at tha port. Talks to captain and introduced to crew. Does it for family like the first mate.
• Captain Looney talks to and almost makes love with the ship. Oh bby it’s steamy af.

Etc

• Maybe a spooky ending like “The Mary Jane: Lost at sea, 1691”