D&D 3E/3.5 Pirates of the Emerald Coast (3.5) continues

[Imaculata]

Spotlight on Witchclaw

So I posted the map of Witchclaw earlier. But Today I'd like to give you more background on the island itself and its various locations. This is not an update on the sessions, but just a bit of bonus lore. This will also give you some insight in just how much planning I usually do for the campaign.


Ravenheart
The only city on Witch Claw is Ravenheart. It is a gigantic fortress surrounding a crescent-shaped bay, on top of black rocks. The island is always shrouded in fog, but ghostly blue beacons guide visitors into the bay. These beacons are large female statues holding a round glass pot, filled with a blue chemicals. It glows brightly, and all the statues look like priestesses wrapped in tattered cloaks. In Ravenheart each Speaker of the Dead is named after his/her role. People in important positions are often given a frightening new last name that fits the sounds of their first name.

Below is a list of locations on Witchclaw, and the npc's that the players can meet there. Several of them have not yet been introduced during the campaign, but are there for when I need them.

Locations	Characters
Bay entrance	Watcher of Fortune
Weeping Statues	Various singers
The tower of ravens (Council)	Skua Skagga Snakeveins, Skua Moswen Poisonvoice, Skua Mesi Tetherbones, Skua Nia The Forgotten, Skua Uadjit Cobrafang, Skua Kanika Drownedfate
Gateway to the garden of the dead	Watcher of Rest
Lake of Whispers (Divination and fate)	Interpreter Keket Drowned Sister
Tower of Transvergence (necromancy)	Dactyl Safiya Corpsetender
Tower of Necrosis (necromancy)	Skua Shukura Fleshweaver
Tower of the Sun (East) (Alchemy store)	Dactyl Arana Vaspurga
Tower of the Moon (West) (Magic store)	Skua Ishtara Skrigga
Ship Yard of the Fallen Raven	Artisan Unun Kaladun
The Bone House (Prison)	Bladedancer Rayne Blightvein
The Black Forge (Weapon smith)	Artisan Bakari Shuarri
Leech Market (Spell ingredients, pets, livestock)	Various salesmen and women
Temple of Sargesh (Death temple)	Watcher of Sorrow
House of the Dispossessed (Curiosity shop)	Kissa Snakeshead, Kissa Snakestail
Hall of nightmares (chapel with memories)	Watcher of Memories
Tower of the Unblinking Eye (grand library)	Interpreter Hegeth Kessereth
Tower of Mor (weather diviners and map maker)	Interpreter Khaldun Bonescatterer
Temple of Daiyanna (Love temple)	Watcher of Tribute
House of Melinka (Jewelry)	Dactyl Aziza Hitthra
House of Nails (Pleasure house for women)	Watcher of Flesh
The Thunder Forge (Siege weapons)	Artisan Mensah Terrorbringer
The Screeching Crow (Tavern)	Hith’carice Arpurgice
Enaia’s Rest (Inn)	Bastet Basilisksteeth

Watcher of Fortune As you enter the bay, there’s a floating pontoon near the centre, where a slender lady in black sounds a spooky chime. She is called the Watcher of Fortune, and she does not speak, only gesture. With a hooked pole she reels ships in, so that they make a donation before entering the bay. A large sacrificial bowl stands in front of the statue, and it is filled with countless different things: Beads, coins, blood, teeth, gems and bones. Weeping Statues After making a donation, long rows of female statues fill the bay. They represent former pirate captains that have ruled Witch Claw. Each one has many donations at its base. Flowers, hooded lanterns, coins, locks of hair. A haunting female singing sounds from the coast, a welcome to the new arrivals. Their voices constantly merge on the same tone, causing the air to vibrate around the bay. It is very unnerving. The fortress surrounding the bay, looks like it was cut in two. It looks as if the inside of the bay has newer walls than the walls on the outside. Lake of Whispers This haunted body of water shows visitors their fate and magical aptitude. Before anyone can enroll into the magical arts on Witch Claw, they must make a pilgrimage to the lake, drink from its waters, and gaze into their own reflection. The lake will then show them their destiny. All the captains have made this journey. Interpreter Keket Drowned Sister took her sister here, who gazed too deep, and was consumed by the water. Her sister still haunts the lake, and occasionally visits her. It is a warning to anyone who takes this journey, not to stray from the path of life. Tower of Transvergence This tower is located on the other side of the island. But to get there, visitors must first traverse the garden of the dead. It is this journey that all Speakers of the Dead must take, if they seek to become a singer for the coven. The process of becoming a singer is a twisted one, which turns the subject into an undead. Here they can either become dedicated to their eternal cause, or they can turn violent, and become hostile zombies that roam the island. Tower of Necrosis Here people are taken to be punished. The necromancers of this tower, make their victims suffer eternal damnation by keeping them in a permanent state of undeath. They are placed in cages at the Bone House, as a warning to their enemies. Tower of the Sun This is the high academy for alchemy on Witch Claw. Here work the greatest alchemists on the island, and share their knowledge. They provide medicine as well as deadly poisons. But before one is allowed to study here, one must first make a pilgrimage to the Lake of Whispers, to find out one’s magical destiny. Tower of the Moon This is where Speakers of the Dead are educated in magic. This academy covers all magic, white and black. One can even study necromancy. But before one is allowed to study here, one must first make a pilgrimage to the Lake of Whispers, to find out one’s magical destiny. Shipyard of the Fallen Raven This large shipyard resembled a monstrous wooden skeleton. It is filled with a graveyard of shattered ships, and it is where every Speaker of the Dead captain comes to make repairs. The Shipyard provides many ship upgrades. Hall of Nightmares Here the Singers come to rest, and empty their minds. The Hall of Nightmares takes away their painful dreams, and locks them behind crystal mirrors, where they can be examined by diviners. If someone is suffering from terrifying nightmares, they will often come here as well. The Hall allows them to see their own nightmares more closely, and find understanding. Tower of the Unblinking Eye This magical library is very large, and is always very crowded. Everyone keeps silent, as is common in any library, but there are always sounds of wind chimes and breathing in the halls of this library. It is clear that the place is haunted, due to the large amount of magical knowledge contained within. The library has magical shelves, that automatically put books back in their correct place. One can often find haunting figures in tattered black robes, gliding through the halls silently. Never batting an eye, never blinking. The library uses magical candles that give off a perfectly white light, and no heat. Many of the female visitors have male assistants following them and carrying books. The library has a large window overseeing the bay. A magical eye above each door, makes sure no books get stolen. The magical eyes can see through clothes. Tower of Mor Adjacent to the High Council is the Tower of Mor, the highest tower on the island. It is here that the Speakers of the Dead divine the weather, and create maps for their captains. Visitors can also buy maps here. Temple of Daiyanna People visit this temple to honor their women, and bring them gifts. All of the women on Witch Claw have their own shrine, some a small statue, others a large altar. Visitors can deposit gifts in the sacrificial bowls to whichever woman they wish to honor. The Speakers of the Dead attribute special kinds of fortune to each woman, and draw connections between them and various deities. House of Melinka Sells jewelry exclusive for women, to keep them happy. This is the perfect place to sell exotic gems and jewelry, because jewelry is an important commodity on Witch Claw. Jewelry can be given as tribute to any Speaker of the Dead lady, or as a gift to a deceased woman.

Tower of Ravens The high council of Witch Claw. The six grand witches, and captains of Witch Claw make all decisions here, after consulting with the Interpreters of the island. They hold piracy in high regard, as they see the future of their people is to traverse the Eternal Depths and bridge the gap between life and death. They believe fear is their best defense, and that their dominance over the seas in this region, allows them to drive back Hydra and its minions. The tower is the largest tower on the island, and is prominently visible in the harbor. It is elaborately decorated in gothic architecture, and has a large glass dome at the top, encircled by ravens. Gateway to the garden of the Dead A large intimidating gate, covered in ghastly figures. It’s guardian is the Watcher of Rest, who guides visitors across the island, to the tower of Transvergence. The garden is full of hostile undead, and is a most dangerous place. The Bone House This imposing prison stands high above the water on large thick pillars, many of which have crumbled over time. This makes it seem as if the prison leans on just a few meager pillars. From above many rusty cages hang, greeting visitors as they enter the bay. Several corpses rattle restlessly in their cages, suffering eternal torment as undead. The prison looks like a floating fortress, covered in ghastly spikes and gothic architecture. Ugly statue heads of monsters spit raw sewage down like brown curtains, into the bay below. The Black Forge This is where the Speakers of the Dead create all their hand weapons. They create guns, bows and blades. They also forge magical weapons here, with assistance of the greatest alchemists and mages of the nearby towers. Leech Market Named after the countless leeches and other insects that are sold here. It is a perfect place to acquire spell and alchemy components, or to buy pets. Other wares are sold here as well, but the market is mostly dominated by creepy items and black magic. The merchants here accept payments of coin, payments of flesh and payments of the soul. A payment of the flesh means either selling a body part, blood, offering one’s body for experimentation, or sexual payment. You can also accept a bodily debt to the merchant. A payment of the soul means selling the ownership of one’s soul to the merchant. Temple of Sargesh Where people come to mourn the dead, and light candles in their name. Visitors can hand a name to the Watcher of Sorrow, and the singers there will sing for that person. The temple also takes donations. House of the Dispossessed Run by the Kissa sisters. The Kissa sisters buy all sorts of antiques and exotics items. They are open about their culture, and may reveal how they were born as identical twins, but were afraid to visit the Lake of Whispers. Since they are twins, the fate of one would be the fate of the other. So they dared not to go. Instead they settled for a more mundane profession. In their store many strange magical items may be found, including a cursed item section. One sister runs the normal item section, the other runs the cursed item section. The store seems divided in two, with the colors on the walls and floor changing right down the middle. The Thunderforge This is where the Speakers of the Dead forge their siege weapons. The Thunderforge builds catapults, ballista’s, cannons and ammunition. They do this in close cooperation with the alchemists and mages of Witch Claw. The Screeching Crow A tavern that the Speakers of the Dead build especially for travelers. The Speakers of the Dead are not very social people, and thus this tavern is mostly frequented by traveling sailors from other cultures. It is a custom that every man stands and bows if a woman enters the tavern. Enaia’s Rest This inn is named after the goddess of the stars. It is filled with good luck chimes, and tiny shrines for various Gods. The Inn has special high quality rooms for women, and special rooms for captains. The Speakers of the Dead treat the captains of other ships, as they treat their own. Which is why a captain’s room contains a large elevated hanging bed and a luxury bathtub, surrounded by the beds of their crew (who sleep on the ground). The Inn provides male servants to see to any needs of the captains, including standing next to their bed all night, and keeping them cool with fans. House of Nails It is here that women's needs are taken care off. This house of pleasure is exclusive to women, although men can offer themselves as willing servants for free. Unlike a simple whore house, the ladies that visit this place do not have to pay anything. The Speakers of the Dead see their women as messengers of the Gods, standing on the threshold of life and death. And thus they must be satisfied, or bad things will happen.

 

[Imaculata]

Update of the custom weapons for Pirates of the Emerald Coast

My campaign setting uses custom equipment lists and weapon rules, with firearms and cannons that aren't part of the standard 3rd edition rules. The weapons in these lists are all based on the rules described in an issue of Dragon Magazine, and include plenty of equipment from Arms & Equipment, Stronghold Builders Guidebook, Stormwrack and Frostburn. But they also include plenty of custom historical weapons. If you are running a 3.0, 3.5 or Pathfinder campaign, then feel free to make use of these lists. The weapons are grouped into categories for each of the important pirate factions of my campaign setting, with the default weapons and gunpowder rules at the top.

In this weapon list you'll find:

Default flintlock pistols, rifles and cannons.
Gunpowder rules and a misfire table.
Vertesaux weapons, improved firearms and cannons, ship upgrades and adventure items
Alcohol list, along with a custom table for random alcohol effects
Settlement and stronghold construction costs.
Gongya An weapons. Classic historical Asian weaponry, harpoons and ship upgrades against sea monsters.
Kooghan weapons. Improved firearms, cannons, exotic siege weapons, ship upgrades and figure heads.
Oarsman weapons. Diving bells, Bathyspheres, diving suits, naval mines and underwater equipment.
Speaker of the Dead weapons. Necromancy, catapults, special potions, and magical tattoos.
Magical wand crafting, and property lists for various kinds of wood and magical ingredients.

 

[Imaculata]

Escape from the Temple of the Three Serpents

This session was the point where we finished up all the downtime activities, and got back to the action. It was time for some more battles and skill checks. So as a DM I used the downtime stuff as an opportunity to foreshadow some stuff that would become important later.

Finishing up at Witchclaw

After their expedition into the Garden of the Dead, Bioran (Elf/Abjurant Champion) and Shifter (Human/Druid) returned to the main capital of Ravenheart. Shifter paid a visit to the grand library called the Tower of the Unblinking Eye. This tall structure is a spooky library, full of magical eyes that prevent stuff from being stolen, and magical candles held by animated metal hands to provide the bare minimum of spooky illumination. Among this maze of bookcases, Shifter could see all manner of spooky characters gliding by, looking for books, and the enchanted bookcases automatically return any misplaced books to their correct location.

One of the cool things about the Witchclaw setting, is that as a DM you really can come up with a lot of cool spooky and magical stuff to bring this world to life.

Shifter went looking for more information regarding the dragons, but quickly got himself completely lost in the maze of bookcases. He was far too weirded out by the creepy library and its creepy visitors, to dare ask anyone for directions. But while wandering through the library, he did run into a witch in white, who was clearly not a Speaker of the Dead (who all dress in black). Some of the other players realized that this witch was probably part of a coven that was not all that different from a group of Druids. Shifter did not pick up on this hint however, and decided not to approach the creepy woman.

Later that evening, Shifter and Bioran returned to a strange magical altar that they had discovered in the woods during our last session. Here they were witness to a group of two of these white witches, resurrecting one of their own at the very altar that they intended to use. They watched as the witches successfully returned their fellow witch back to life. After the witches had departed, they started using the altar to craft their magical items.

As a DM I always reward very few magical items in my campaign. I like to keep the magical loot a bit rare, because this makes crafting feel more valuable. This session, just like the previous one, would skip over a few days so that they could finally get some of their crafting done. This also involved melting the pieces of meteor that they had found into ingots, and then crafting weapons out of this meteorite steel. However, this doesn't mean the downtime stuff suspends the story. I always make sure that stuff is still happening, even while they are crafting. In the case of the altar, there were of course the witches. But later on it also turned out that a bunch of ghostly knights protected the altar at night. Thus allowing anyone using the altar to do their work undisturbed.

Return to Abyscus

The party rejoined at the island of Abyscus, home to the Kooghan pirates. Here the players were introduced to a new Kooghan pirate who had just arrived in the harbor. A captain by the name of Hamadi of the Golden Horn. Hamadi had just returned from a very long voyage, and had brought a lot of treasure. He seemed eager to show off the large quantity of his spoils, and intended to share some of it with his people (by handing out coins and gems) and some of it with the local temple (for good fortune). But oddly it seemed that Hamadi had returned with a different crew than the one he set out with. When the Kooghan elder, Mwinji the Splendid, asked why this was the case, he simply answered: "There was trouble", and left it at that. There was reason for suspicion here, but my players didn't catch on yet.

The players later learned that there was a majestic temple on the island called the Temple of the Three Serpents. This temple was dedicated to three giant legendary serpents, a crystal serpent (who sees into the future), a golden serpent (who represents wealth and prosperity) and a fire serpent (who judges those who would call themselves captain). It is unclear if these great serpents are still alive, but it is presumed they lived long ago. The Kooghans worship many animals deities, but the three serpents are considered the wisest of all. Serpents are symbolic for protecting things, and for great wisdom and cunning.

Many Kooghan captains have to first survive a deadly trial when they reach the age of 18, called the Trial of the Fire Serpent. If they survive the trial of the fire serpent, and take a dive off the cliff of Abyscus and survive, then they are considered chosen by Mor, the God of Storms, and may call themselves captain.

The island has a collective treasury, hidden inside a huge vault inside the temple, and supposedly guarded by the Golden Serpent. This is also where the Kooghans channel the heat of the mountain up to heat their forges. Yes, the Kooghans live on top of an active volcano, and they use the heat of the lava to power their factories.

Lastly, there are the priestesses who use the intoxicating vapors of the volcano to bring themselves into a trance, and see into the future. They claim to follow the example of the great Crystal Serpent, who could also see the future. Many Kooghan captains visit the temple to either bring tribute (by sacrificing treasure to the volcano) or receive a reading from the priestesses. This is about to become very important! Mwinji, the elder, explains that if Captain William Roberts wishes to get the support of his people, he should first get the blessing of the clergy.

Curse your inevitable betrayal!

Captain Hamadi is there when the players visit the temple. Via a fireproof cage they descend down into the heart of the mountain. Captain William Roberts says that he'll gladly take the trial to prove himself a captain, but Mwinji tells him that there is NO REASON for someone who is not a Kooghan of 18 to take the test. He is after all already a captain of age, and has proven himself many times over. And he is of course not a Kooghan.

But little does he know that he may still get his wish. In fact, everyone may need to survive the trial, if they wish to escape the temple.

Hamadi delivers his chest of plunder to the temple. He leaves some chests at the vault, and takes one with him into the heart of the mountain. Captain William Roberts first receives a reading from the priestess, who warns him that he will be betrayed, and that a great voyage awaits him.

Afterwards, Hamadi sacrifices the chest of plunder to the mountain, but lo and behold, it is filled with gunpowder instead! Hamadi reveals himself to be Aram Seen the Unseen, in disguise. He is an exiled Kooghan wizard, and a member of the Circle of Azarah. He vanishes before the players can lay a finger on him, but not before stabbing the head priestess. The explosion triggers an eruption from the volcano. The cage that the players used to descend into the mountain comes crashing down, and parts of the spiral staircase are destroyed also. Thankfully, the players manage to prevent themselves or their crew from falling into the lava. They quickly heal the head priestess, thus saving her life. Four other priests already flee ahead of the players, but part of the staircase collapses under their weight, and one of them falls into the lava.

Escape!



The players climb up of what little remains of the spiral staircase. The cage lift is clearly out of commission, so they'll need to make haste, and work their way upwards through the layers of the temple, to reach the surface again before the lava kills them all. They bring the head priestess and Mwinji (the elder) with them.

(On the above map, the lever allows the players to lift the heavy door, although they could also attempt to open it with pure strength. The lever however causes a counterweight to lower, which in turn allows lava to flow in from the ceiling. So it is a bit of a trap. The lava that starts pouring in moves 10 feet (2 tiles) each turn, and slowly engulfs the whole room. Next to the heavy door is also a very thin crack in the wall. Players can move through this at half speed, but they cannot wield any two-handed weapons while moving through this tight space.)

They have a big fight with some Azarah wizards in the foundry, while a flow of lava is quickly closing in on them. Some of the spells that their enemies use have unintended side effects when combined with the lava. For example, when an Ice Storm lands on some of the cracks in the ground, it causes jets of hot steam to shoot upward. One of the Azarah wizards surrenders, and her hands are secured with rope, and her mouth is covered. The others are quickly killed. They make use of a bucket lift that is usually used to transport ore, to reach the next level of the temple.

What's next

Now that they've escaped the bottom level of the temple, the real action begins. The next session I have a lot of stuff in store for them. I've printed out large maps of 6 sheets of paper, taped together. The tiles on these are big enough to fit miniatures, so it allows us to really play out these action packed encounters in great detail. These initial battles were just to soften them up a bit. Up ahead are far more perilous platforming and climbing challenges, along with battles amidst a swirling river of lava, while bridges will be collapsing all around them. I'll be throwing more powerful pirates and wizards at them. And maybe also some fire elementals.

Eventually they'll reach the top floor, where the entrance is obviously blocked. They will now be forced to escape through the captain's trial, and take a leap off the cliff of Abyscus, to escape! The trial will be a devious platforming/puzzle challenge, where they must leap across flaming pillars above a lake of lava. It is going to be awesome!

 

[Magistus71]

Glad to see this is still going on.

 

[Imaculata]

Glad to see this is still going on.

Thanks. I'm happy to hear that the thread is still being followed. We had a brief hiatus with the pirate campaign, thanks to one of our dear players discovering a strange thing he likes to call "girlfriend", and the rest of us just being kind of busy. Life just gets in the way of D&D every now and then. But we're continuing our adventures again, and I'll keep this thread up to date.

 

[Magistus71]

This is for 5e, but it has some tables you should be able to use.

http://www.dmsguild.com/product/176625/The-Buccaneers-Bestiary?sorttest=true

 

[Imaculata]

Escape from the Temple of the Three Serpents - part 2

After many sessions of mostly role playing, I now got to serve my players several sessions full of combat and lots of action. And my players seemed to love it! Last time our players were stuck down in the Kooghan temple as it was flooding with hot molten lava. The players used a simple bucket lift to ascend to a higher floor. Here they met with a friendly Kooghan wizard who had been battling the minions of Aram Seen the Unseen* for hours.

(* Aram Seen the Unseen is a powerful member of the Circle of Azarah, and also a dangerous master of illusions.)


The wizard informed the party that he was all out of spells, but he saved one last teleport spell, so he could take three people out of the temple. Mwinji the Splendid, the Kooghan Elder, refused to abandon the players and recommended taking some of the weaker characters out of the temple. The players decided that the wizard should take the wounded priestess, the hostage they had taken, and Chantal (one of their low level crew members). Mwinji removed his robe, to reveal two crossed bandoliers full of flintlock pistols, grenades a Dha-blade and two pepperbox pistols. The elder was armed to the teeth, and I gave one of the players control of him throughout this session.

(The teleport was a simple solution from me as a DM to reduce the amount of characters that were crammed onto the map, and to make the combat a bit more manageable. Its not fun to micro manage too many npc's, and a lot of these characters were simply useless and in the way. For the purpose of the combat that was about to follow, I had now worked out the statistics for Mwinji, so he could help the players. He was a level 12 warrior, one level higher than the players, but not overpowered.)



Among the crumbling platforms, and above a stream of flowing lava, the players did battle with the illusionists and a bunch of ogre cannoneers. I had some fun with illusion spells here, by having the wizards create the illusion that one of the bridges had collapsed. I used dungeon tiles to fill in some of the bridges, so I could also easily remove them if needed.

The platform in the middle was high above a huge flow of lava. A drawbridge would have to be lowered to reach the other side, by operating the mechanism in the middle. It would take at least two people, or one really strong person.

The two ogre cannoneers were both wielding a light cannon, with a grenade rifle as backup. While they could quickly deal a lot of damage to the ogres, the damage from the light cannon was not something they could easily ignore. Fortunately Bioran was able to charm one of the ogres, and hypnotize one of the wizards with a Hypnotic Pattern spell. Shifter was able to lock one of the ogres and two of the wizards in place, with an Entangle spell.

They were curious what was behind the door to the north west. But after feeling just how warm the door was, they figured that opening it was probably not a good idea. Thus they were able to cleverly avoid accidentally releasing the lava flow behind it.There were also three levers, each which opened and closed the hatch behind it. This was an optional way to deal with the lava, in case they opened the door. But they ended up not using it.

Captain William Roberts used his ring of the ram to knock one of the wizards straight into the lava, much to the amusement of everyone at the table. Unfortunately the magical possessions of the wizard caused a violent reaction in the lava, and angered one of the protectors of the mountain; A huge fire elemental. But the players were clever enough to use their diplomacy and religious knowledge to convince the elemental that they were not a threat.

(The players remarked that this was a relatively easy battle for them. Little did they know that this was simply a small fight to soften them up, and the real battle was about to follow. I wanted them to be familiar with what illusionists could do. I wanted them to be ready for improved invisibility spells, and devious use of Persistent Image. This is btw one of the first dungeons in the campaign that does not revolve around water.)



The players climbed the stairs and now found themselves back on the first floor of the temple. They could go forth towards the main hall and entrance, but they noticed that the vault had been breached, which is where the Kooghans kept all their riches. Curiosity got the better of them, so they went into the vault. Boss battle!



So in this battle we had:


Player - Captain William Roberts, human leader of the party
Player - Bioran, elf abjurant champion
Player - Ché, half-elf cleric
Player - Shifter, human druid
Npc - Sophie, fighter and crew member (controlled by Shifter)
Npc - Amaziah, cleric and crew member (controlled by Ché)
Npc - Diksnor, gunslinger and cohort (controlled by William Roberts with his leadership feat)
Npc - Mwinji the Splendid, Kooghan Elder and story character (controlled by Bioran)
Summoned animal - Dire Wolf

Against:

Aram Seen the Unseen, powerful CR14 illusionist
Simulacrum, created by Aram Seen the Unseen
2 x Ogre Cannoneers, CR7, wielding light cannons and grenade rifles
4 x Unseen Wizards, CR10, specialized in illusions and mind affecting spells
1 Golden Serpent, CR10, animal with construct traits, who attacks both parties

They found themselves inside a massive treasure room. Piles of gold were all over the place, along with countless treasure chests. Aram Seen the Unseen, two ogres and a bunch of wizards, were in the middle of a fight with a huge Golden Serpent. The players were surprised to find that the Golden Serpent that was mentioned before, actually existed. Mwinji quickly warned the players not to touch any of the gold, or they would anger the guardian. The Golden Serpent had been angered, and thus would not be able to tell friend from foe. They quickly found out just how true this was. Even stepping on the gold coins was enough to draw the attention from the Golden Serpent. The Golden Serpent was an animal with construct traits. It could deliver a shocking bite attack, and then automatically grapple and crush its victim. The amount of damage this thing could do in one round could easily kill, (-and almost did kill) several of the players, if it weren't for Bioran's Freedom of Movement spells throughout the battle, to escape the grapple.

The players decided to use stealth and surprise, and so Bioran cast a mass invisibility and haste on the party.

Best moment of the session:

Aram Seen the Unseen was looking for a special item inside the vault: The Conch Staff, which is actually a pearl-colored wand with a large pink conch on the top. I rolled randomly in what chest the staff would be, and out of 20 chests he instantly found it on his first try. "Yes, I found it!", he yelled out as he raised the item out of the chest. Bioran rolled for his move silent (he was still invisible) and for his sleight of hand, and quickly snatched the item right out of the hands of the evil wizard. Everyone around the table erupted in laughter. Aram Seen the Unseen, the master of illusions, had just been bested by someone he did not see. This evening was totally Bioran's night. While everyone did his part, everyone admitted that he carried them through this fight.

The rest of the battle

Captain William Roberts used his harpoon with a rope to strike Aram Seen the Unseen, and pull him down into the coins below. Thus providing a tasty distraction for the Golden Serpent. But I figured that such a clever villain would quickly realize when a cause is lost. And so I had him teleport to safety, as any villain with a sense of self preservation would. My players agreed that this made sense, and they were secretly kind of happy that he lived to fight them some other day.

Meanwhile the other Unseen Wizards were having fun with Dominate, Confusion and Persistent Image spells. They created the illusion of a Huge Fire Elemental to scare the hell out of anyone that failed their disbelieve check, and many did. But perhaps the cruelest thing that I did, was have a wizard create the illusion of golden necklaces around William Roberts' neck, and his pockets all stuffed with coins and gems. This immediately angered the Golden Serpent, and he attacked the poor captain, grappled him, and reduced him to 4 hit points instantly. Talk about a clever use of illusion spells! Yes, I am an evil DM.

Another well placed confusion spell turned their cohort Diksnor against them. And this npc could do a lot of damage! I also had the wizards cast improved invisibility, and Mirror Image, to confuse the players. Fortunately Bioran was able to use Glitter Dust to reveal all of the invisible wizards, and blind some of them. I have rarely seen so much good use of Glitter Dust.

In the end the players were victorious, but quite wounded, and almost all out of spells. They decided not to kill the Golden Serpent, but make a run for it.

(I think when a battle is exciting, and the players are victorious, yet several are severely wounded, that the battle was well balanced. Initially I was a bit worried about the difficulty, since the first battle went really well for them. But if you throw a powerful foe such as the Golden Serpent in the mix, it can quickly turn things around. Plus if more of the Dominate spells had succeeded, the wizards could have easily decimated the party. It is hard to balance a high level battle when lots of spells are involved.)

Escaping the vault

The players fled the vault, after killing all the other foes. The Golden Serpent did not follow them outside the vault. They then proceeded to the entrance of the temple, which had been collapsed. It would take a lot of spells to get rid of all the debris, and they were pretty exhausted. The only way out now, would be to do the trial of the fire serpent!

The trial of the fire serpent is a test that all young aspiring Kooghan captains must overcome. Mwinji himself had done it once as a young man. Once you make your way through the entire test, all you need to do is take a leap off the cliff of the island, and survive. Right now the test is their only way out. So Captain William Roberts got his wish after all.

As they arrived at the test, they found themselves in a large underground chamber. The bottom of the chamber was filled with lava, and several pillars would have to be jumped on, to hop over to various pressure plates, which would then open a portcullis to the next room of the test. Obviously the lava wasn't always there, so the test was now a lot harder. They would need to work together, and get a person on each pressure plate, to open the gate.

(I may need to add a couple of extra factors to this test, to prevent them from trivializing it entirely with spider climb and shape shifting. An anti-magic field is an obvious choice to prevent spell use. And maybe hot air currents can limit how far the Druid is able to fly in his animal form. I don't want to take away his ability for this, because otherwise what would be the point? But I don't want him to carry all the players over one by one on his back. So I'll need to come up with something that seems fair, and yet retains some of the challenge.)

We ended on this cliffhanger, and I gave them their experience rewards. I gave them full exp for overcoming the fire elemental and golden serpent, even if they did not kill these foes. We spend the rest of the evening leveling their characters, and talking about the campaign. They are now level 12, and get to choose from lots of interesting feats and prestige classes. I'm a bit cautious what I allow in my campaign, but my players always ask me for permission first. They are aware that some stuff in 3rd edition is blatantly overpowered, so we try to keep things fair and fun for everyone.

(Quick side note, my players are huge fans of these huge printed maps that I make. They are great for placing miniatures.)

 

[Imaculata]

Our pirate campaign finally continues, and is steering towards an epic naval battle!

Checking up on the circus

After hearing that their allies of the Traveling Circus may be in trouble, Shifter the Druid decides to perform a scrying spell to find out. He heads out into the jungle to find some privacy away from curious eyes, although he does bring two Kooghan crew members with him for protection. He digs a hole outside Port Freedom, somewhere out in the jungle. He then uses his create water spell to fill it with water, and thus create a suitable reflective surface to perform the scrying.

He gazes at his brother, who is also a shape-shifting druid, who performs as a dancing bear at the circus. He can see that the Traveling Circus is docked at a secret hide out; a cave on the south side of the dreaded island Dunster Hollow. But only two of the three ships are there. It seems the third has been captured by the fearsome Kturgian pirate captain Karagoz. His fleet of pirate ships managed to destroy the mast of the ship, and he has taken the crew hostage. He threatens to kill a member of the crew on the hour, unless Leopardo Pardini (owner of the circus) surrenders. The cave is currently their best defense, since the coast of Dunster Hollow is treacherous, and Karagoz would not risk his ships near it. And they know the reputation of Karagoz, and have no delusions of their chances should they surrender. He'll probably kill them all anyway.

Unbeknownst to the players, Karagoz is actually hoping to draw the players out. His interest never was with the circus. It is a trap.

Shifter realizes he is all out of spells, so how can he communicate with his brother? But a helpful fairy of the jungle provides help. As it turns out, Shifter is quite known with all the fey folk (this is part of his background option that he chose). The fairy helps him to tell his brother to meet him at The Path. This is a secret inter-dimensional spot in the forest that only Druids and fey know. And here he can meet with his brother, as long as both have access to the forest. The two meet and share information. Shifter's brother tells him all he knows about the Kturgian vessels, their numbers, their ship types, their recent strategy, and where exactly on the island they are.

Shifter then returns to Port Freedom and shares all this information with his crew.

The Living Ship

Che and Bioran make a plan to destroy the dead Hydra ship on the market square of Port Freedom, because there are rumors that people have been plundering the corpse of the foul thing for souvenirs. This former living ship was one that the party was chased by very early on in the campaign, but then a giant whom they befriended on the spot, was so kind to pick up the thing, and throw it away. But it landed somewhere on Chattering Gull Island... this island. And a few days ago the thing managed to crawl into Port Freedom, where a massive off screen battle followed. The creature laid waste to many houses, before the local weapon smith was able to kill it by firing every weapon he had at it. But even dead, the thing could still be a threat. It is a creation of Hydra, and it might spread corruption. So they must destroy it.

Crazy Loup

Che and Bioran are overheard by a crazy thief locked up in a gibbet in the harbor. The man calls himself Loup, and speaks mostly in third person. He claims there is a beautiful princess locked up inside the remains of the glorious creature. They give him some water and food, and Loup promises to take them to the princess. At this point, neither player has any clue who this princess is. But they make a plan to free him at night, although they do not trust him.

Princess Eleanor

Loup is freed, and he points at the chest of the dead Hydra Ship. Shifter uses a creepy spell to detach his hand, and turn it into a spider, which then proceeds to crawl into the carcass through its mouth. Shifter can see though the eyes of this spider-hand, and is able to verify that there is some kind of black shell inside the carcass. With axes and crowbars they are able to access the shell and break it open. Inside, much to their shock, is the daughter of the King of St Valenz.... and she is not entirely human anymore. Princess Eleanor was believed to have been kidnapped by the dreaded pirate Karagoz almost 30 years ago, and was one of the reasons for the current war between St Valenz and Kturgia. But apparently Karagoz lied.

Princess Eleanor is beautiful to behold, and entirely nude. But certain disturbing changes have been made to her while she was asleep in the Hydra shell. Her left arm has been replaced with two black tentacles, and she has gills in her cheeks. Her long brown hair also shows slight hints of green streaks. When she awakes, she is quite confused. She has no memory of her capture, and no idea where she is. She does not even notice her tentacles, and only after it is pointed out to her, does she realize that it is not normal. Oddly enough, her body seems completely used to the use of her new appendages, and at first she accepts it as her own normal hands. It doesn't even strike her as odd that she has two black tentacles where her left arm should be.

Sitaara, their Speaker of the Dead crew member, is distrustful of the princess. Amaziah, their Kooghan priestess on the other hand, expresses sympathy. After all, the party once rescued her from a tomb where another evil deity (Teehlyian'tara) was preparing her as a new vessel. So this situation mirrors her own.

Oslo the weapon smith

Oslo is the biggest hero in Port Freedom at the moment, but he does not feel the hero. Although he stood his ground and killed the Hydra ship, it destroyed his workshop. His heroism earns him many free drinks, but he has no taste for them, so Rummy eagerly helps him out. Captain William Roberts joins the man, and makes him an amazing offer. He offers to pay for rebuilding the smithy, on the condition that he and his crew get a discount from now on. He also spends a large chunk of their current wealth on having a small fortress constructed next to Port Freedom. Because he realizes that Port Freedom is currently without any defenses, and it might be a strategic point.

Scurvy Scarlet's devious plan - Also, nudity!

As a DM I had to think really hard regarding Scurvy Scarlet's plan. She should always be a character with her own agenda. I never want the party to trust her completely. And she should always be a source for friction (and not just the bumping uglies kind).

Scarlet decides to confront Shifter with what she knows about the treasure map (she knows they have the real map), and convinces him to tell Sophie. She preys on his sincere feelings for Sophie, and makes him feel guilty for not being honest with her. She also shares some new information with Shifter. She exposes herself (something she does quite often to seduce men), and shows the tattoos that Black William once made on her chest. Many men have wanted to sleep with her just to gain these clues about the fabled treasure, but she points out two butterfly symbols. The butterflies resemble the necklace that Sophie wears. Scarlet explains that there must be two of these objects, and they might be some kind of key to the treasure. And maybe the necklace can reveal something on the map as well, such as the location of the other butterfly-jewel. She also tells him that the captain may object, so maybe he does not need to know.

Shifter ignores this last advise, and tells Captain William Roberts everything. But Scarlet still achieves her goal, because the seed for conflict is sowed. The Captain wants the treasure for himself, and Shifter wants to be honest with Sophie. This means that Sophie will find out about the map, or else Scarlet will tell her herself. This was an amazing role playing scene between both players, and it was a delight to behold, and to listen to the two of them argue. I was not sure if I was going to pull this off. But this is exactly what I hoped to achieve.

When Bioran later asks Scarlet why she acted so heroic in the first place (referring to her daring chase of the Azarah ship), she lies that the Circle of Azarah is their best link to Black William. If they can bring him back from the dead, they can also put him back into his grave. The real reason is, she wants some leverage. In the end Scarlet wants only two things: The treasure, and revenge on Guan Jing (a Gongya An pirate captain that she hates).

Battle preparations

The players have a meeting with the three pirate captains: Scurvy Scarlet, Urunthu Khan and Penny Dreadful. They discuss battle formations, and the dangers of the island. Many hours are also spent by the players as they have OC discussions of the best plan for attack. The island is surrounded by fog, with many razor sharp rocks and shores that are littered with the remains of less fortunate ships.

They decide that a direct and quick assault is probably best. They will focus their attack on the flag ship, the Crimson Abyss (a heavy Dromond ship), which is right outside the cave. Meanwhile some of their other vessels will try to take out the lighter ships, who's purpose is only to break masts. Scurvy Scarlet will drop naval mines in between their ships, and the lighter vessels, to isolate the Crimson Abyss.

Unfortunately they do not know how many other vessels they are facing. They know there's at least another caravel involved that is really fast. But they don't know where any of the other ships will be. They might be lurking in the fog.

The night before the battle

Shifter makes a trip to the other side of the island, to warn their old friend Harland Wilson that there will be a big battle at Dunster Hollow soon. Shifter is one of the few who knows that Harland is secretly a dragon, who loves watching naval battles. This earns him some extra favor with the old dragon.

Shifter returns late, and spends the night with Sophie. Although both are too tired for any intimacy. Che and Amaziah on the other hand share a bed for the first time, as a relief to the fear of the impending battle with one of the most dreaded pirate captains in the Emerald Coast.

-And then there was some very romantic sex between the two characters, followed by a hilarious OC discussion about pirate-era birth control.

Bioran checks on the princess, who shows some interest in the handsome elf. But Bioran can almost hear the voice of Sitaara screaming in his mind not to trust her, and he declines her seductions.

Bioran returns to the crows nest to trance. But unbeknownst to all of them princess Eleanore lies awake with her eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling... brooding... planning... awaiting her chance...

 

[Imaculata]

Battle with Karagoz - Part 1

War preparations

Last session the players learned that the dreaded Kturgian pirate captain Karagoz had captured one of their allies: Hugo Falasco, and his ship, Oddity. The rest of their traveling circus friends are docked at a cave, and Karagoz threatens to kill a member of Hugo's crew on the hour, unless they all surrender.

For several hours the party debated their strategy. As a DM I gave them all the time they needed, because this lead to a ton of awesome role playing. I was very entertained by just how much thought they were putting into all this. The party eventually agreed on two things:

They would perform a powerful scrying ritual to spy on Hugo, and on his ship.

And they would send their npc wizard Aldric on a mission to teleport members of the circus who are currently at the cave, on board Oddity, while magically disguised as Kturgian pirates. They would try and attempt to recapture Oddity, to provide some extra fire power against the Crimson Abyss (the flagship of Karagoz and his fleet).



These are the actual ship positions. Not illustrated are the other two Circus vessels: Astonishment and Wonder, both docked inside the cave. The two enemy vessels at the top of the picture were unknown to the players, and not visible at first, because they were hidden inside the mist.

The players first performed a scrying on Hugo's Vessel, after using a Message spell to ask the leader of the circus what the name of the ship was again. They forgot to write it down (and they write down A LOT).

Upon viewing the ship, it looked completely empty. There was no one on the top deck of the ship. But alas, they could not scry inside the vessel.

Secondly, the players performed a scrying on Hugo himself. What they saw was the Crimson Abyss, with Hugo tied to its mast. Looking out over the waters from one of the ship's firing castles was Karagoz, flanked by two wizards. One of the wizards made his check, and noticed the scrying. He whispered in the ears of the captain to let him know they were being watched. Apparently Karagoz was expecting the players to do this, so he looked up and smiled. He then walked over to Hugo, planted a knife into the mast, right above his head, and looked back up at the players. He made a gesture across his throat, threatening to kill Hugo.

This scrying provided valuable information about the ship, it's armaments, and it's defenses. The Crimson Abyss was a well armed Dromond-class ship, with 4 light cannons and 2 carronades. Captain William Roberts and Karagoz exchanged some intimidating words through a Message spell. And the players noticed how Karagoz had disemboweled several of Hugo's crew, and strung them to the bow of his ship as decoration. Sitaara, their Speaker of the Dead npc witch, noticed that the ship was also equipped with a Spellcatcher. This handy custom magical item can absorb up till a limited number of spells that are directly aimed at the ship.

A Dromond is a ship that has both sails and oars. But with a ship this size, it is very likely that the rowing-crew are in fact slaves. Because it would need a very large crew for rowing. And if the ship has slaves, then maybe they should try and rescue them, and turn them against Karagoz?

Now the party had all the information they needed to form a plan. But there was still one detail they had to deal with: Princess Eleanore. A ritual performed by Che had revealed an answer from the Lady of the Waves. Princess Eleanore was both a victim and a spy for Hydra! But what did this mean exactly? The party agreed not to take any chances, and had Aldric the wizard turn the princess into a statue with a Flesh to Stone spell. Better safe than sorry.

Approaching Dunster Hollow

As the party approached the dark island of Dunster Hollow, they could see many temple ruins on the island, overshadowed by a permanent thunderstorm. The temple ruins were constantly being struck by lightning bolts. The coast was also littered with ship wrecks. With his bardic knowledge, Captain William Roberts knew that long ago the island had people living on it, who lived peacefully with local mermaids. But then they turned to a different, darker faith, and the worshiping of dark gods... the mermaids turned away from them, and the god of storms was so angered by this that he destroyed the magnificent buildings on the island. Even today the temples are constantly being struck by lightning, for the fury of the god of storms is long lasting.



Using flags the party instructed their fleet to assume a line formation. Meanwhile Bioran the elf scouted the horizon for hazards and hostile ships. They approached two tall rock islands, covered in trees. They kept a close eye on the islands, suspecting a surprise artillery. They used an illusion spell to cover their approach, but they knew that at close range this illusion would no longer hide them.

They were now close enough for Aldric to teleport to the cave. Aldric would then gather as many circus-pirates as he could, and Dimension Door on board Oddity. If they could capture the ship without Karagoz noticing, this would help them a lot.

Suddenly loud alarm bells sounded from the two islands. Indeed Karagoz had placed lookouts on the island, who would signal the rest of his fleet the moment the players approached from the east, and passed the islands. Technically the party could also have approached from the west, so there also were lookouts on the other side, and other vessels.


From the fog the party noticed three sail runners appearing behind them. They were closing in fast on their fleet, and trying to box in the ships, to hit them from both sides simultaneously with their cannons, to destroy their masts.

Immediately Captain William Roberts turned his ship, the Lady's Vengeance, around to protect the back of his fleet. He commanded the rest to continue straight for the Crimson Abyss.

Scurvy's Scarlet's ship, called Avenna's T*ts, was way in the back. But it had a secret weapon that the players would now put to good use. It would deploy primitive naval mines, made from paper, into the water between the two islands. These mines were an invention by the Gongya An. They were very expensive, but incredibly effective.

As one of the Kturgian ship's, Murder at Sea, tried to pass through the two islands, it hit the mines, which exploded and set a large portion of the ship on fire! The players remarked that maybe it should rename itself to "Murdered at Sea". But it was not defeated yet. However, its crew would spend the rest of the battle frantically trying to extinguish all the fires on their ship. Plus the mines had dealt considerable damage to the front sections of the ship.



The other two Kturgian ships, Crow's Banquette and Dead Reverence, tried to box the Lady's Vengeance in. But with a stunning maneuver Captain William Roberts claimed the advantage, and rapidly closed in on Dead Reverence. He moved his ship so close to the Kturgian ship, that the Vengeance was now just out of range of Crow's Banquette. Dead Reverence fired its cannons, dealing massive damage to the mast of the Lady's Vengeance. But with Crow's Banquette now being just out of range, it lacked the punch to destroy the mast.

The party unleashed the full power of their cannons on the longship, and quickly reduced Dead Reverence to cinder. As the now burning Murder at Sea was coming about to assist, Crow's Banquette tried to pass in front of the Lady's Vengeance. This would put it out of shot of the main guns of the Vengeance, and in range of its own cannons. But it had not counted on the large forward cannon that had not been fired yet. The cannon did not enough damage to Crow's Banquette to sink it. But the damage was significant. In a daring move, Captain William Roberts decided to simply ram Crow's Banquette, and split it right down the middle!

CRASH!

The Lady's Vengeance cut through Crow's Banquette like a hot knife through butter. Meanwhile Che was hard at work repairing the damage that was done to their mast and bow. Meanwhile Bioran and Sophie sniped at the Kturgian pirate captains from the crow's nest. While they were not able to kill the captains, the sharks would probably finish the job soon.



They made haste to rejoin the rest of their fleet. But Golden Savanah and Craven of the Sea were now completely boxed in, and at the mercy of the Crimson Abyss, Airen's Gaze, and Wailing of the Wenches. Avenna T*ts was only a small vessel, so it cleverly used Oddity as cover as it circled around.

But this session would not be complete without a plot twist or cliff hanger....

With a deafening sound the Oddity exploded, and was instantly reduced to splinters! It seemed Karagoz had trapped the ship, which explains why there was no one on board. But what of Aldric? What of Leopardo? What of Shifter's brother? Were they on board the Oddity when it exploded?

I guess we'll have to find out next time when we continue this massive battle...