Plunder Island

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Plunder Island is the fictional first island featured in the computer adventure game The Curse of Monkey Island, and is one of three new islands introduced in the game alongside Skull Island and Blood Island.

Plunder Island is considered one of the primary islands to belonging to the Tri-Island Area under the rule of governor Elaine Marley, though it does not have a governor's mansion like Mêlée or Booty Island, but instead a seaside fortress. At the beginning of the game Guybrush Threepwood drifts to Plunder Island in a bumper car and finds himself in the middle of a battle between LeChuck's ghost ship Death Starfish and Elaine Marley on the coastal fortifications.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Locations 3 The Siege of Plunder 4 El Pollo Diablo 5 Game impact 6 Trivia

[edit] Overview

The few notable locations on the island include Puerto Pollo, the island's port town which is located on the eastern side of the island and is built around a bay. Its name means Chicken Port in the Spanish language, and chickens are the main theme of the town. The native feral chicken had populated greatly across the island and the islanders decided to live in harmony with the fellow poultry until the local Puerto Pollo restaurant Blondebeard's Chicken Shoppe captured the chickens, caged them and put them on the menu. The chickens were eventually freed by the feral demon chicken El Pollo Diablo and are scattered throughout the island.

The eastern side of the island is shown in full daylight, while the western side lies in eternal darkness. The island is a retirement place for pirates and many decided to settle down on the island. Plunder Island apparently has an active Naturalists' Society who leave behind small plaques explaining the names of various native plants, sites and animals, though they are never seen.

[edit] Locations

Puerto Pollo is the capital and only town on Plunder Island. The town's barbershop, Barbery Coast has its own barbershop quartet currently consisting of Scotsman Haggis McMutton, Cutthroat Bill and banjo virtuoso Edward Van Helgen. The town also has a Shakespearian theatre, the shady young businessman Kenny Falmouth, as well as Blondebeard's Chicken Shoppe, a chicken restaurant whose proprietor, Blondebeard, fears nothing more than the monstrous Demon Chicken El Pollo Diablo.

On the outskirts of Puerto Pollo lies a swamp which houses Voodoo 'n' Things, the Voodoo Lady's latest establishment. On the North-West part of the island lies Danjer Cove, which is a small dark bay where some local pirates have dropped anchor. On the eastern shore lies the Brimestone Beach Club and Smorgy, reserved for retired rich pirates. On the south-eastern shore of the island lies a fort of which was across the bay from the town. North of the town lies a large grass field where competitions are fought; most famously the caber toss. The field has two names it is believed: Haggis McMutton calls it the Field of Competition whilst Edward Van Helgen calls it the Field of Honour.

[edit] The Siege of Plunder

For the first time in the Monkey Island series, a battle occurred between the forces of humans and undead in the siege of Plunder Island. It is unknown however for how long this siege occurred or when it began in terms of the game history. But the siege concluded in a battle between Governor Elaine Marley and Captain LeChuck.

From the opening scene it seems that LeChuck had used a host of ships to attack the fortress or that his own flag-ship; The Death Starfish was able to defeat the defense of the island. Either way the fortress came under heavy fire from the flagship and soon the Governor was left to battle on her own as the forces of the undead began to attack the capital and the fortress.

According to some citizens though it seemed that the island had played host to the undead, being one in Blondebeard's Chicken Shoppe and at the Brimstone Beach Club of which the Cabana Boy mentions the undead being 'notoriously bad tippers' yet it seemed obvious they were not able to take over the island.

However the battle was not going well for Elaine by the time Guybrush arrived. LeChuck was preparing his flaming voodoo cannonball and had already released a fleet of long-boats to begin the invasion. Only with Guybrush's able to man a cannon and destroy the long-boats and his intervention in LeChuck using the Voodoo Cannonball was the invasion and siege finally over.

The Death Starfish remains at the bottom of Plunder Bay, along with the other ships and the Fortress now seems past use due to the amount of damage it had sustained during the battle and perhaps previous invasions. However it was not long after the undead presumbably returned and found that Elaine and Guybrush were no longer on the island and also seized the opportunity to capture Wally B. Feed as he was also on the island at the time.

[edit] El Pollo Diablo

All islanders are deadly afraid of an ancient evil that came from the forest, in the form of El Pollo Diablo, the Devil Chicken. The beast itself is never seen apart from a dramatic painting found in the Chicken Shoppe. According to the rumour it destroyed the pens and cages that housed the chickens and set them loose upon the island. He lurks in the jungle waiting to capture and kill the humans who ate his smaller brethren. At one occasion Guybrush was tarred and feathered and was mistaken for the Devil Chicken, but whether the beast exists in the game world is yet to be seen; El Pollo Diablo remains a mystery.

[edit] Game impact

Guybrush Threepwood makes a lasting mark on the city before he leaves. He depopulates the barber's shop for a period of time, as the three barbers joined his crew. He unintentionally forced actor Slappy Cromwell out of the theatre after a disastorus cannonball juggling act, and he forced Kenny Falmouth into selling cannons again (albeit very lucratively). Whether the barbers or Slappy Cromwell returned to Puerto Pollo, or if Kenny is forced to continue selling cannons is unknown as the island has not been returned to since the game.

[edit] Trivia

• If the player reads the plaque near the pappapisshu bush at the Quicksand Pit, Guybrush will, throughout the game, exclaim "pappapisshu" in place of "youch."
• The skeletal pirate sitting in Blondebeard's Chicken Shoppe appears to be Manny Calavera from Grim Fandango. He is wearing a button that says "Ask me about Grim Fandango," a reference to the "Ask me about LOOM" button in The Secret of Monkey Island.
• Once Guybrush discovers the ventriloquism book, he can try throwing his voice in to the many theatrical masks in the dressing-room.
• The clock tower in Puerto Pollo will read the time exactly according to the system's clock when Guybrush looks at it, and every half/full hour the tower clock will play LeChuck's theme.
• Setting the computer's clock to January when talking to Palido Domingo will cause him to utter "Happy New Year."
• The island itself is erroneously referred to as Puerto Pollo by Guybrush and the Voodoo Lady in Escape from Monkey Island.
• Gary Coleman provides the voice of Kenny Falmouth.
• In Danjer Cove the player must use a rowboat to reach the pirate ship. This marks the second time when a player gets to use a rowboat in the series.
• As the game progresses, more and more chickens appear on Plunder Island.