Chapter 1b: Arriving in the Unknown Continent (High Level)
You wake to screams. The ship is bucking and tilting alarmingly, appearing to be caught in the throws of a violent storm. Five figures stand around the room, seemingly unaffected by the violent motions that threaten to upset you from your hammocks and the half-foot of water that covers the floor. Centremost among them is a figure in deep blue hooded robes, carrying a trident and covered in kelp and barnacles.
The dark robed figure speaks softly, his words lilting and flowing in a deep baritone that sinks into your very bones as if wishing to pull you down into the twisting waters beneath your feet.
“You are a curious group aren’t you? Powerful, certainly, with potential for more...” The figure trails off for a moment as he looks at you. “I have been informed recently that my machinations with regards to the landmass that you might know as the ‘unknown continent’ have had certain unintended side effects. Now, I am loathe to abandon my project completely, however it has become obvious that a slight recalibration is needed in order to ensure the smooth running of the experiment. I require you to kill three individuals, in return for which I shall allow you and those accompanying you to come and go from my lands as you please, in addition to whatever rewards you manage to collect along the way: High priest Gyatzel of Izzaren Lurrak, Counsellor Georgia Fairweather of Hemos, and Matriarch Dezriel of Llothhold. Do this, and you shall be free to leave, however I will warn you not to involve yourself in matters that do not concern you. My experiment is at a very volatile point at the current time, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want all that blood on your hands if I was forced to make a clean slate of things.” So saying, he slams his staff into the floor, causing water to spray into the cabin as the floor beneath him collapses into a rapidly forming whirlpool.
Plot points/Scenes
The players board a ship, aiming to liberate an island which has contacted them for aid in the aftermath of the Karameikan rebellion.
During the night, a large storm engulfs the ship, pulling it towards the Unknown Continent. The players wake from their hammocks to see Uthalos and their gods standing in their room. The ship is tilting alarmingly and obviously filling with water.
Uthalos explains his terms, before slamming his staff into the floor, consuming it and himself in a whirlpool.
The players’ gods pause the ships’ destruction to explain their own goals for the players, before wishing them good luck and also leaving.
The players can then secure or grab their equipment, and do what they want with regards to saving the ship.
After 8 hours the ship is thrown into the cliffs to the West of Izzaren Lurrak, breaking apart and embedding itself in the cliffside.
The party can use the wrecked ship as a base of operations as they try to survive and get their bearings, however they soon encounter a skirmish between hobgoblins and the undead, lead by a vampire by the name of Sallicia Rosier. Sallicia is a captain of the Darian army, tasked to secure the northern pass that runs near the cliffs that hold the shipwreck. The hobgoblins will attempt to fight and enslave the party on sight, however Sallicia will force the undead to focus on the hobgoblins, demanding to know the party’s allegiance.
Themes
Survival against the odds, Immortals looking out for their own interests, Unstable terrain
Structure
Exposition
Chartering the ship, the first day, Uthalos and the Immortals’ explanations.
Conflict
The clashes between Uthalos and the other Immortals, Uthalos’ lack of care with regards to the ship.
Rising Action
Struggling to keep the crew alive and the ship together as Uthalos transports it.
Climax
The wreck, surviving and navigating the new location
Falling Action
The Skirmish
Resolution
Enslavement by the hobgoblins, negotiation with Sallicia, or travelling of their own volition.
Components
Goals
1: Survival
2: Keeping the rest of the crew alive
3: Holding onto their equipment
4: Pleasing their patrons.
Hooks
1: Uthalos’ cruelty.
2: Building a following.
3: The road to immortality.
4: The war.
5: Preventing the fiendish incursion.
Stakes
Corresponding with the goals
1: Death
2: Death of the crew
3: Loss of supplies / equipment
4: Divine disfavour
Moral Quandaries
Saving equipment vs saving the crew
Cruel Tricks
Shipwreck
Uthalos orders them not to stop the bad things happening to everyone.
Red Herrings
The rebellious island
Relations
Protagonists
The shipwreck could be a bonding experience. The aftermath will allow Wisdom characters to shine.
Allies
The captain and crew. Saving them will make them closer to the players, however they may have doubts if too many of the crew die preventable deaths.
Neutrals/Bystanders
Sallicia and the Darians. Depending on the player’s actions, she can either be an ally or an enemy.
Uthalos dislikes the protagonists, but is forced to use them.
Adversaries
The Hobgoblins, hostile wildlife of Izarren Lurrak
Backdrops
Locations
The sinking ship echoes with the sounds of splintering wood and tearing canvas, to the backdrop of the howling elements. The air tastes of salt and ozone, and by the dim hurricane lanterns the players can see huge gaps in the deck where debris has smashed through the ship. The perilous footing is made even worse by the massive waves that regularly swamp the ship and the bizarre tilting caused by the ship’s slow descent into the maelstrom. Any who fall into the water are at Uthalos’ mercy.
The first thing that hits the players the morning after the shipwreck is the stench of fish. Flocks of harpies can be seen diving into the water before returning to their nests, and a few seem to have taken an interest in the party. The rocky spires of the cliffside provide many small ledges and pathways, but any fall is likely to be fatal, and the lower sections are extremely slippery.
The lands to the East of Izarren Lurrak are rocky and inhospitable. Small copses of trees and hardy shrubs nestle in hollows as they hide from the harsh storms of the belt of Uthalos. The air here tastes of salt and ozone constantly, and small salt-flats are common in the lower areas.
Threats
Shipwreck: Being knocked off the ship and drowned, being trapped in the lower holds and dying or drowning, being struck by lightning, being hit by flying debris.
Cliffs: Falling, harpies, starvation, illness, dehydration, dragons
The Eastern Pass: Dragons, hobgoblin patrols, rogue undead, starvation, illness
Encounters
Surviving the storm
Recovering from the shipwreck & harpy attack
Exploring the area
The skirmish
Past Events
The Eastern Pass has been the site of many skirmishes between the hobgoblins and undead. At night rogue undead feast upon the corpses, and the bones can be found, picked clean, amongst the abandoned equipment and broken armour.
Plot type
Chapter
Parent Plot
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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