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The Ghost Ship

The Situation

A ship drifts into the harbor and runs aground. It’s completely empty.

There’s food still on plates, and cabins filled with the crew’s possessions. But there’s not a single person to be found on the vessel.

You do find one clue, though: a map in the captain’s cabin that points to a remote island in the Ocean of Lost Sailors.

Locations

  • The Ship. An old-school wooden ship. Below deck is a kitchen and crews quarters. Below that is the hold. There’s nothing in it to indicate that this is a transport vessel. You may want to let the adventurers have fun exploring this a bit, and scatter useful items around the ship.
  • Turtle Back Island. An island not marked on the map. If the adventurers decide to stop there, they don’t find any animals on the island, but do find an assortment of trees and other plants. They also see evidence that people have been there before. As the name suggests, the island is actually the back of an ancient, sleeping turtle, though the adventurers won’t know that at first.
  • The Lost Isle. This could be a tropical island (with palm trees) or a more temperate one (with pines, oaks, and maples). It’s large enough that it would take an hour or two to explore the whole thing.
    • Shipwreck Cove. The main cove of the island, it’s protected by rocks or a reef. The masts of several ships can be seen sticking up out of the water. A rocky outcropping protrudes along the edge of the water, and appears to have a cave or some tunnels. It’s to high too reach from the water.
    • Quicksand Beach. A beach with unmarked quicksand pits. Adventurers will find animal bones, and evidence that someone lives or has lived there.
    • The Grasslands. Tall island grasses cover this section of the island. The area is bordered by the open ocean on one side, and a forest on the other. Mysterious creatures live inside, hidden in the grass.
    • The Forgotten Forest. Any trails leading into the forest narrow quickly, and eventually disappear all together. There are lots of strange noises. Tall trees blot out the sun.
    • Mount Wanahakaloogi. A mountain or volcano at the center of the island, it’s the tallest visible landmark.
    • The Big Lake. Sits at the base of Mount Wanahakaloogi. The bottom is not visible from the surface. It’s unclear how deep it is or what lives within its depths.
    • The Tunnels. These natural tunnels appear to be formed by water erosion or old lava flows. They’re home to exotic creatures, and a weird, bioluminescent algae or mushrooms (it glows) that create a beautiful blue/green light. They’re winding and asymmetrical. Some tunnels loop back on each other, while others are dead ends. At least one has a slide-like drop that brings players dozens of feet lower into the tunnel system.

Creatures

  • Coconut Monster or Pinecone Monster
    • Instinct: Attack from a distance
    • Damage: D6-2
    • HP: 3
    • Armor: 2
    • Throws spears and rocks
  • Carnivorous Plant
    • Instinct: Bite and eat
    • Damage: D8
    • HP: 6
    • If they bite, will hold a creature in place. Rooted in place and cannot move.
  • Slime Monster
    • Instinct: Consume by wrapping around creatures
    • Damage: 10
    • HP: 16
    • Slime substance can absorb weapons and other objects, and burns skin (1D4) if touched. Slow moving.
  • Troll
    • Instinct: Find treasure, eat people
    • Damage: 10
    • HP: 12
    • Armor: 1
    • Clumsy. Fights up close using giant wooden club. Easily distracted.
  • Kraken
    • Instinct: Protect territory, destroy ships
    • Damage: 10+2
    • HP: 12
    • Only attacks if you come into its space. Destroys big objects by leaves smaller ones alone unless attacked. Best Of on attacks.
  • Ship Crew
    • Instinct: Find gold, make it home safe
    • Damage: 8
    • HP: 6
    • Skilled with close range weapons. Can improvise. Desperate to get home.

Events

  • At sea…
    • A storm shows up expectedly
    • A rogue wave flips the ship, trapping the adventurers in the ship upside down
    • A kraken attacks
  • On Turtle Back Island…
    • Rumbling earthquakes shake the island
    • The island begins to sink as the turtle awakens and returns to the depths
  • On the Lost Isle…
    • The adventurers get stuck in a trap
    • Gear starts disappearing from their packs
    • They keep passing the same landmarks, as if lost and walking in circles
  • In the tunnels…
    • A trapdoor drops them into a slide down to a deeper level
    • A mutant slime that attacks the players and tries to envelop them
    • A tunnel troll attacks and tries to eat them or steal their coins
    • An obstacle like a steep drop or water-filled section of tunnel

Things to find out

  • Where is the crew?
  • How did they get lost?
  • Did they find what they were looking for?

Questions for the players

  • What does the map indicate they’ll find if they follow it?
  • Did they leave any gear or supplies behind?
  • Does anyone have experience sailing ships, or will you learn as you go?
  • Do you see any special markings or identifiers unique to the ship or crew?
  • What do you hope to find?