What a Maroon
You wander along the beach, looking for any evidence of the alchemist's lost cargo, while keeping an eye out for dangerous natives. Suddenly, as you make your way around a large stone outcropping, you encounter a man dressed in ragged goatskins, carrying a goatskin umbrella, and with a little frog-lobster man hopping along behind him. He appears to be a great deal more surprised than you are.
"A human!" he gasps. "I've not seen another human lo these many years, ere I was shipwrecked 'pon this savage coastline! You wouldn't have any cheese, would you? I've been dreaming of the stuff. Toasted, mostly."
"Er, no," you reply, glancing sideways at the lobster-frog, who has found a tophat somewhere and is doing a little dance.
"Oh, don't mind him," says the castaway. "That's my manservant Carlvember the Seventh. I call him that on account of it were the day I found him. How about a potato? You've no idea what I'd do for a simple mashed potato. I've had nought but fish and seaweed to eat these last three miserable years!"
"Haven't you ever left the beach in all that time? This island is positively swarming with people! There's hippies and frat-boys all over!"
"Do they have potatoes?" he asks, hopefully.
"Well, no. You might could get some tofu, though. Or watery urine-flavored beer."
The man sighs. "I'll stick with my seaweed, thanks." He shuffles away, with Carlvember in tow.
You watch him go, then notice that he's forgotten his goat-hide umbrella.
 | You acquire an item: goatskin umbrella |
Occurs at Sonofa Beach
References
- A maroon is someone left on an unsettled island or coast without any likely means to leave.
- Bugs Bunny used the phrase, "What a maroon," a mispronunciation of, "What a moron," in his cartoons.
- The castaway's appearance, including his goatskin outfit, is a reference to Robinson Crusoe. "Carlvember the Seventh" is a reference to Crusoe's man Friday.
- The request for cheese is a reference to Treasure Island, where the marooned Ben Gunn asks Jim Hawkins for some cheese.
- The castaway's craving for potatoes may be a reference to the Discworld novel Interesting Times, where Rincewind becomes obsessed with potatoes after spending years stranded on a deserted island.
- The lobsterfrog wearing a tophat and dancing is a reference to Michigan J. frog from the Looney Tunes short "One Froggy Evening". More specifically, World of Warcraft features a non-combat pet, Murky the Murloc, who does the same dance as Michigan J. Frog at times while he follows your avatar around.
