Counterfeit Little Foot Trade

The Counterfeit Little Foot Trade arose in May Y120 in response to Doña Isabel del Oro’s bounty for Little Foot and rumours that he possessed knowledge of a great treasure.

Pirate crews obtained elderly men and copied Little Foot’s tattoos onto them, hoping to pass them off as the wanted man.

Tattooing

Inkfeather, a dockside tattoo artist in Freeport, supplied imitations after personally seeing Little Foot. Demand was sufficient to turn her tattooing sideline into full-time work.

The copies could reproduce the general appearance of the original without preserving its meaning. The tattoos on Alfonzo, one such substitute, contained shapes resembling an old script but no meaningful text.

Deception of the substitutes

At least some of the elderly men were themselves deceived. Alfonzo believed that he was travelling to Áurea Isle to receive a house won in a competition.

Historical context

The trade was active in May Y120. It contributed to the crowds seeking information about Little Foot and audiences with Grizzlebeard in Freeport.

Continuation after Little Foot’s death

The trade continued after Little Foot died. Three tattooed elderly men were observed being escorted through Freeport by slavers while other people were already investigating the removal of Little Foot’s original tattooed skin.

As of 08/05/Y120, news of his death had not spread sufficiently to end the manufacture of substitutes.

This continuing supply of imitations made the original skin particularly important to Belladonna Velenza, who feared that a corpse without its identifying tattoo might not satisfy Doña Isabel del Oro.

See Treasures Age Old - Session 3 Player Recap, Treasures Age Old - Session 5 Player Recap, and Treasures Age Old - Session 11 Player Recap.