False-Summer bathes London in a syrupy heat, and Londoners, tired of the inclement good weather, set zail to melancholy Mutton Island to take the air. But the zees are quiescent, and the King-in-Coral holds court…
The Fruits of the Zee Festival
Fruits of the Zee is our free, annual festival of the bounty of the zee. The festival begins today, the 3rd of September, and ends on September the 17th.
Supplicate the zee with sacrifices to turn Mutton Island’s fortunes around. Dive beneath the waters of Shepherd’s Wash and explore the wrecks that linger beneath that forlorn isle. Descend as deep as you dare, and unearth what treasures courage allows. Bargain with the King-in-Coral for ownership of the bounties you wrest from the zee.
Encounter the island’s visitors, trade your winnings, restore the festival to its former glory, and perhaps even meet the Green-Gilled Shipwright and see the works of his craft.
You don’t need to own a ship to participate: anyone can catch a ferry from Wolfstack Docks to Mutton Island to join the festivities. When you arrive at Mutton Island, playing the storylet ‘Mutton Island, Barren’ will unlock the festival’s activities.
Wreck-Diving
In the first week of the Festival, you’ll be able to dive the wrecks off Mutton Island for treasures. To begin, you’ll need to raise your Five-Fold Devotion by Supplicating the Shore-line.
Once you begin diving, you’ll be able to push your luck as far as you dare, before emerging with a treasure. These treasures can be traded in the second week of the Festival. You can check the value of your treasures by reading ‘A Fruits of the Zee Primer’, available throughout the Festival.
The first week will conclude with, as is becoming tradition, a ceremonial drowning.
Trading
In the second week of the festival, you’ll be able to trade your treasures for Thalassic Favour at the Fruits Market. You can then exchange Thalassic Favour for new items, items from previous Fruits of the Zee festivals, and economy items.
Items from previous years, as well as this year, are also available for Fate from the Fruits Market. You may also trade several of the new items with visiting characters in exchange for cosmetic variants with identical statistics.
Finally, if you own a ship, you can also trade high amounts of Thalassic Favour for new ships from the Green-Gilled Shipwright. These ships are also available at sporadic times during the year, but are cheapest during the Fruits of the Zee. Your ship’s value will be factored into the purchase – you may only have one ship at a time.
As always, those who have the Cladery Heart will need to stash it in London, but may trade in their other ship.
What’s Different in 2026?
We’ve added a couple of new things to the festival this year!
A Penny for Eligius
It is not just humans and Drownies that worship at the well…
A Penny for Eligius is a vignette that adds new branches to cards in your zailing deck – provided you have the troublesome Cult of Eligius equipped as your Crew. Learn about this secretive ratty cult. Collect alms for their order, and make offerings to the well. Uncover the truth behind the sect of Saint Eligius – and, if you are unlucky, witness a miracle for yourself.
A Penny for Eligius costs 10 Fate, and requires that you own your own ship.
New Coral Beneath the Waves!
Uncover a new type of coral while Wreck-Diving – Rust-Eaten Rations! These can later be traded for one of three brand new items of Luggage.
Lastly, Destinies
Those without a Destiny, or wishing to change their Destiny, may travel to Irem during the Fruits of the Zee Festival and do so via ‘The Riddlefishers: Matters of Destiny’.
Those without a Destiny may also acquire one from the Drowning Feast, once the Fruits of the Zee Festival is back in full swing during the second week.
