Captain Flameheart
| Captain Flameheart | |
|---|---|
| |
| Details | |
| Type | NPC |
| Location | Ghost Fleet |
| Related | Ashen Lords |
| Voice Actor | Nicholas Asbury |
| “ | "This world has gotten so much weaker... Festivals! Alliances! Squabbling over trinkets! I judge it unworthy.
But know this, pirates. Know this, merfolk. Know this, Sea of Thieves... I have returned, and the fires of my vengeance shall consume you all!" |
| — Captain Flameheart, during The Seabound Soul |
Captain Flameheart (aka King Flameheart) is a notorious Ashen Skeleton Lord.
Flameheart had been a highly anticipated character, known well before the release of Sea of Thieves. He appeared in the E3 2016 Cinematic Trailer, and his statue has been a main feature at numerous conventions and events attended by Rare Ltd. Despite this, his in-game presence had only been referenced until his introduction in the Fall 2019 release of The Seabound Soul. He has since played a pivotal role in the unfolding events in Sea of Thieves.
There are two individuals — a father and son — who have taken the pirate moniker of "Captain Flameheart". Captain Flameheart Sr, the father, is currently the only Captain Flameheart depicted in-game.
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Captain Flameheart Senior[edit | edit source]
Not much is known about Flameheart Sr. himself. He was the human captain of the Burning Blade, whose ruthlessness was notorious in the Sea of Thieves. The Burning Blade was recorded to have even clashed with the Pirate Lord in life, destroying his ship Magpie’s Wing and thus ending the Pirate Lord's voyage toward the Shroudbreaker.[1]
Per the written account of Flameheart's son in 'Tales from the Sea of Thieves', Flameheart Sr. died outside the Sea of Thieves, with no mention of his father ever being a Skeleton Lord or the circumstances that may have lead to his transformation from human Captain to Skeleton Lord.
The Seabound Soul[edit | edit source]
Untold circumstances come to pass, leading Captain Flameheart to be cursed, immobilized, with his soul-bound to his skull, by a similar spell commonly practiced by Captain Graymarrow.
Ashen Lords rallied to Flameheart, taking his body aboard the Ashen Dragon to transport their Captain to his final resting place. During this voyage, they came under attack from two pirate ships under the command of the treasure-seeking Martha Jane and Randal 'The Vandal' Stone. Both ships were easily decimated by the infernal cannons of the fiery ship, and both Captain Stone and Martha Jane soul's were also cursed in the same manner as Flameheart.
The Ashen Dragon made land at Flintlock Peninsula in The Devil's Roar, where the Captain Flameheart was laid to rest, entombed in a sealed chamber.
Some time later, the Masked Stranger with Stitcher Jim and put into motion a plot tricking Duke, the Bilge Rats, and pirates across the Sea of Thieves to enlist the unwitting Sir Arthur Pendragon into freeing Captain Flameheart from his curse using the Sword of Souls, believing that the Captain was, too, a victim of the Ashen Dragon like Martha Jane and Randal Stone.
To Pendragon's dismay, Flameheart's burning skull lights up the sky as he promises to bring his vengeance upon the Sea of Thieves.
Heart of Fire[edit | edit source]
After being released from his curse, Flameheart retreated to his lair, the Heart of Fire, beneath The Devil's Thirst. With the assistance of Stitcher Jim, and a Chest of Rage containing the bound souls of the Blackwyche crew, Flameheart pushes forth his plan to unleash Ashen Lords upon the Sea of Thieves, and his leadship, the Burning Blade.
Captain Pendragon and some brave pirates venture into the Heart of Fire to stop Flameheart, but the Skeleton Lord is unconcerned, confident of his plan for the return of his army to bring the Sea of Thieves to its knees. It's then that Stitcher Jim finds himself fooled by his master, having his arm burned by the flames of the cursed chest, becoming a sacrifice to Flameheart, soon to become an Ashen Lord himself. Despite being too late to stop the Flameheart's plans, Pendragon is able to retrieve Stitcher's Chest of Rage, and use the Sword of Souls on it to rescue his crew.
The Reaper's Bones[edit | edit source]
Coinciding with Flameheart's return, the construction which the Masked Stranger had been overseeing while under the guise of assisting the Bilge Rats, had come to completion. This became the home to a mysterious new company called the Reaper's Bones, lead by The Servant of the Flame, who stands for "true piracy", a school of thought following closely to that of Flameheart. While the Skeleton Lord is neverstrictly mentioned, the company's insignia depicts the cursed chalice associated with both Flameheart Senior and Junior. The company's decor also utilizes Skeleton Glyphs quite heavily.
Haunted Shores[edit | edit source]
Furthering his plan, Flameheart unleashed an armada of Ghost Ships, summoned from the Sea of the Damned, lead by The Ashen Dragon and the Burning Blade. These ships haunt the shores across the Sea of Thieves aiming to invoke fear into its inhabitants while he observes and taunts from above.
The Ashen Lords[edit | edit source]
Following closely to Flameheart's fleet is the appearance of four Ashen Lords loyal to Flameheart, summoned by Ashen Skeletons using ritual items previously spotted on sketches by the Masked Stranger.
Captain Flameheart Junior[edit | edit source]
Junior recounts his own life through the book, Tales from the Sea of Thieves.
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Flameheart Jr. was adopted as an orphan by Flameheart Sr. soon after he was born. Using the money he had plundered, Senior nurtured his son with a charmed life and fine education. Junior would grow up as a scholar, but yearning for life on the sea, inspired by his father's exploits as a pirate, and believed he had a greater calling.
After his father's death, Junior was determined to find his own way to the The Sea of Thieves. At first he had no success in finding a crew, as anyone he talked to would either scoff or walk away. But one night in a tavern, he awoke from a drunken slumber to find an Ancient Coin had mysteriously appeared on the table in front of him. Seizing the opportunity, he made a trade with the pirate Isidro: the Ancient Coin for a ship & crew. After obtaining his ship, the Silver Blade, he initially wanted to rename it Liberdade, but was discouraged by possible misfortune upon doing so. Finally with a ship and crew of his own, he set sail for the lands beyond the Devil's Shroud.
Becoming a Skeleton Lord[edit | edit source]
Upon arriving into the Sea of Thieves, Flameheart Jr. followed Isidro's advice to seek out a strange, tattooed old woman who gives him a treasure map. Unbeknownst to him, the map led the way to the cursed Kraken's Chest; a haunted vessel contained by the Mermaids that attracts Krakens. Despite the unnatural nature of this chest, Flameheart Jr. was convinced this was his path to fame and glory, equaling that of his late father. Soon after the chest was stowed aboard, the Silver Blade was ambushed by competing pirates. In a desperate evasion, Flameheart Jr. foolishly retreated his ship into the Devil's Shroud. The Silver Blade was ripped apart by the deadly fog, and the chest lost to the depths.
Stranded on an unknown island, the crew was beckoned into a cave by a riddle leading to a Golden Chalice of unlimited water. After drinking from the Chalice, the crew ventured deeper into the cave in search of more treasure, slowly losing their minds, flesh, and human needs, until they were transformed into Skeletons. Only Flameheart Jr. retained his memories, thereby becoming a Skeleton Lord.
At the end of the cave sat a Skeleton Lord who called himself The Cap'N. He claimed to be a former crewmate of Flameheart Jr's father on the Burning Blade, before Flameheart Sr. cast him marooned on an island. It was the Cap'N who created the riddle, luring Flameheart Jr. and his crew to drinking from the cursed chalice, and decided to take him under his wing.
Junior's current whereabouts and activities are unknown.
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
During Seabound Soul:
Flameheart's Return
During Heart of Fire:
Flameheart's Taunts in the Heart of Fire
Further taunts
Flameheart & Jim in the Heart of Fire
During the Ghost Fleet World Event:
Flameheart's Taunts
See also[edit | edit source]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Flameheart's first appearance in-game during The Seabound Soul.
The Burning Blade inside Flameheart's Lair at The Devil's Thirst.
Patch History[edit | edit source]
- First introduced.
References[edit | edit source]
