Abyssal High Seas - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Abyssal High Seas

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
vaporgecko
Mar 27, 2009 23:21:09 I'm planning a sea campaign loosely built around Cthulhu-like horror, using a modified Last Breaths of Ashenport as the introduction to the game. It will be a group of 5 PCs starting at level 8 or 9 with access to PHB, PHB2, and the Spellsword and feats from Forgotten Realms.

The net that brought the PCs together was a job offering from the Goldleaf Trading Consortium based out of the City of Four Winds (ripped straight out of Ashenport). A client of the Consortium is offering a substantial payment to have a shipment delivered from this continent to that beyond the sea, an undertaking that will be quite a long voyage. The PCs are getting a portion of this payment in advance for their aid in guaranteeing the success of the voyage. But why would high level PCs be sought out you might ask? Well, for one, the voyage is being launched at a most in opportune time, the weather is just about to get foul, and having a ritual caster who can manipulate the weather on hand would be very beneficial (even if it's through scroll use). Secondly, the far continent has come under the domain of pirates and privateers, the BBEG having made a military state out of the few coastal towns and forts, and declaring himself king of the new found lands. In fact, the lands are so new no magic circles have been constructed yet, at least any that people on this side of the ocean know of.

Geographically the continents create an upside down U, something like North America to the Philippines, but the distance is much smaller, more Atlantic then Pacific. If the players decide to hug the coast, it'll be a three month journey. If they instead try to navigate across the ocean, something no ship has historically done yet, it would be less then a month. The ship's captain has agreed with his Navigator on their course, which will be northward without stopping, trying to get across the arctic expanse before it freezes over and they are forced to make way around it. From there it will be up to the PC's for advisement on getting through the pirate infested waters.

This is the end of what the PCs know. Things will be hitting the fan a lot sooner then they would expect. An uneventful week's travel northward will be met with a flash storm that comes on supernaturally rapidly over the night. This is when I'll run the Last Breaths of Ashenport adventure. Should the PCs successfully convince the crew to head out to sea, I'll run an aquatic version of Ashenport's Tree Encounter after a skill challenge to keep the ship afloat. If they get through that with the ship, crew, and themselves fairly unscathed, I'll skip Ashenport for now and apply it to a city farther along. If the party goes with the Captain in an attempt to navigate the reefs and get to land, there will be a skill challenge to determine how damaged the ship gets before it finds safe(ish) harbor in Ashenport.

After the success, or failure of Ashenport, the PCs will either continue out to sea, or need to figure out some other way to transport the cargo. I'm banking on the Ship not getting wrecked, and enough crew surviving to continue the sea voyage.

That's the first session, session and a half, and all they know. Obviously Dagon's forces will become recurring characters, plaguing the PCs for ruining their master's plan throughout the rest of the voyage. Furthermore, the far coast is controlled by worshipers of Dagon and the other Old Ones (Dagon, Hydra, and Cthulhu), lead by the efforts of the Pirate-King who has come into possession of a number of artifacts and monoliths, and has begun conversing and working with the Deep Ones (amphibious aberrations who worship like-wise). These relics and sites will probably have effects not-unlike the Vecna artifacts in warping PCs who decide to use them.

At the moment I'm brainstorming to flesh out the rest of this Late-Heroic to Paragon Tier to early Epic campaign. Here's what I have so far, generally in the order of least to most threatening:
- Pirates - The PCs may be raided by run of the mill pirates that have little or no association with Dagon or the Pirate King. The converse may also be true.
- Sea Monsters - Dagon's influence has been assaulted by the PCs back at Ashenport, surely his minions would be more then willing to attack the PCs in the hopes of winning his favor.
- Sinking Islands - The PCs come upon Polynesian style islands where they are greeted with much excitement. But at the feast a human body is spitted and roasted. If the PCs do not partake, the hosts get outraged for it is an insult to their gods (the Old Ones) who will drag the island back to the bottom of the sea if they are so crossed.
- Usurping the Pirate King - The cargo the PCs are transporting are the material components for a large magic circle. The client who hired Goldleaf represents a political/merchant faction hoping to overthrow the Pirate King and bring the far continent back under control of the near continent. This will be achieved by using an empowered Linked Portal ritual to transport troops and war machines.
- Deep One Army - Should the PCs lose the cargo, or lose control of the new magic circle, then the Pirate King will be able to transport the Deep ones to the surface through an empowered Reverse Portal ritual. Furthermore, if the portal is taken over, the Pirate King could begin sending armies of aberrations to the PC home continent.
- Surfacing Ryleh - The Pirate King plans on creating a truly massive magic circle so he can use an empowered Reverse Portal ritual to transport Ryleh (the city where Hydra and Cthulhu lay) from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the far continent, thus awakening the the last two Old Ones so the three together, with Dagon, can reshape the world.
- Draconic Influence - Because the PCs are likely to travel to a polar region, the Captain wants to hug the coastline as long as possible, I want to create a land populated by Frost Giants and their White Dragon overlord. This dragon will have insight into the true threat of the Pirate King, already having minions investigating the far continent for wealth. The dragon had originally begun such maneuvers because of the relative weakness of the new kingdom, and the wealth it possessed so readily. Having discovered parts of what the Pirate King plans, the Dragon has begun working to invade the nation himself, via freezing the ocean over to cross from the near continent to the far and leading a frost giant army in to dispatch of the humans. I think this will offer plenty of roleplay opportunities that can have very far reaching effects on the campaign if the PCs play it right, or it can go spectacularly wrong if they don't. Similar can be done with a Black Dragon and his aquatic minions.
- Cultists of the Chained God - Cultists to Tharizdun (creator of the Abyss) would obviously be striving to work against the Pirate King, if not warp his plans into assisting them with freeing their own god. They could offer the PCs assistance, and offer up plenty of opportunities to roleplay, have things go wrong, or have things go sinister.
- Cultists of the Maimed Lord - Vecna would also have at least some knowledge of what is happening, and would no doubt be more then a little interested in acquiring the power of the Old Ones in a form that can elevate him to a True God. I imagine his cultists will be working within the far continent, if not Vecna's more direct influences. Perhaps PCs will be offered the Hand and Eye to help them probe deeper into the mysteries of the Old Ones. Yet another opportunity for excellent roleplaying, for things to go well, or sour.

Thanks for reading through. If anyone has more ideas, especially fleshing things out early on, I'd love to hear them. I'm very excited about where this is going.
#2
funkachick0n
Apr 04, 2009 16:28:26 You might want to have the PCs approached by some or all the different groups for help. The white dragon may want an artifact to freeze the ocean or for the PCs to cause unrest or rebellion in cities etc. While the pirate king might want the coastal cities to be cut of from supplies. Great concept by the way.
#3
vaporgecko
Apr 04, 2009 17:28:52 Thanks for the idea. I was thinking that the Dragon may already have the means to bridge the continents, but having him conscript the PCs into finding the artifact seems so much more draconic. I know I want the PCs to be approached by the Vecna and Tharizdun cults. If the PCs can prove themselves useful to the dragons, that too is a possibility. I also know I want to portray the Pirate King as a revolutionary, masking his intents with claims for independence from the oppressive kingdoms across the ocean. Still, at the moment the PCs will only have knowledge and propoganda fed to them by the local authorites and shipping company.

Further developing things, I've started fleshing out the two likely areas the PCs will be travelling to next.

Winterlands - The northern passage is under the control of an adult white dragon who has exercised his influence in bringing a tribe of frost giants (reflavored Ettins) under his command. These giants act as his envoys to the local human populations, collecting tribute and interacting with the towns on the dragon's behalf. The white dragon is not infact outright violent with to his holdings, and in many ways is revered by the human villages and towns as a bringer of order and prosperity. Though his tyrannical taxation is wearing on the people, he has done much for guiding their economies to prosperity through very carefully planned raids on port cities and river towns further south (think vikings across northern Europe).

Sargasso Sea - Voyage on the open seas has proved fatal primarily because of an adult (maybe older) black dragon who has made his home among the great expanses of water-born vine horrors that create a sea of tangling, violent plant-life. The dragon keeps his trove buried in the living plantlife where it anchors in a small archipelago, where he cultivates flotillas of the living seaweed before setting them free to possibly encounter vessels that roam too far from land. The Sargasso Sea also swarms with his own brood of aquatic spawn, his mate living on a similar expanse farther south.
#4
funkachick0n
Apr 06, 2009 10:24:19 sounds like a great campaign to me!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 vaporgecko Mar 27, 2009 23:21:09	I'm planning a sea campaign loosely built around Cthulhu-like horror, using a modified Last Breaths of Ashenport as the introduction to the game. It will be a group of 5 PCs starting at level 8 or 9 with access to PHB, PHB2, and the Spellsword and feats from Forgotten Realms. The net that brought the PCs together was a job offering from the Goldleaf Trading Consortium based out of the City of Four Winds (ripped straight out of Ashenport). A client of the Consortium is offering a substantial payment to have a shipment delivered from this continent to that beyond the sea, an undertaking that will be quite a long voyage. The PCs are getting a portion of this payment in advance for their aid in guaranteeing the success of the voyage. But why would high level PCs be sought out you might ask? Well, for one, the voyage is being launched at a most in opportune time, the weather is just about to get foul, and having a ritual caster who can manipulate the weather on hand would be very beneficial (even if it's through scroll use). Secondly, the far continent has come under the domain of pirates and privateers, the BBEG having made a military state out of the few coastal towns and forts, and declaring himself king of the new found lands. In fact, the lands are so new no magic circles have been constructed yet, at least any that people on this side of the ocean know of. Geographically the continents create an upside down U, something like North America to the Philippines, but the distance is much smaller, more Atlantic then Pacific. If the players decide to hug the coast, it'll be a three month journey. If they instead try to navigate across the ocean, something no ship has historically done yet, it would be less then a month. The ship's captain has agreed with his Navigator on their course, which will be northward without stopping, trying to get across the arctic expanse before it freezes over and they are forced to make way around it. From there it will be up to the PC's for advisement on getting through the pirate infested waters. This is the end of what the PCs know. Things will be hitting the fan a lot sooner then they would expect. An uneventful week's travel northward will be met with a flash storm that comes on supernaturally rapidly over the night. This is when I'll run the Last Breaths of Ashenport adventure. Should the PCs successfully convince the crew to head out to sea, I'll run an aquatic version of Ashenport's Tree Encounter after a skill challenge to keep the ship afloat. If they get through that with the ship, crew, and themselves fairly unscathed, I'll skip Ashenport for now and apply it to a city farther along. If the party goes with the Captain in an attempt to navigate the reefs and get to land, there will be a skill challenge to determine how damaged the ship gets before it finds safe(ish) harbor in Ashenport. After the success, or failure of Ashenport, the PCs will either continue out to sea, or need to figure out some other way to transport the cargo. I'm banking on the Ship not getting wrecked, and enough crew surviving to continue the sea voyage. That's the first session, session and a half, and all they know. Obviously Dagon's forces will become recurring characters, plaguing the PCs for ruining their master's plan throughout the rest of the voyage. Furthermore, the far coast is controlled by worshipers of Dagon and the other Old Ones (Dagon, Hydra, and Cthulhu), lead by the efforts of the Pirate-King who has come into possession of a number of artifacts and monoliths, and has begun conversing and working with the Deep Ones (amphibious aberrations who worship like-wise). These relics and sites will probably have effects not-unlike the Vecna artifacts in warping PCs who decide to use them. At the moment I'm brainstorming to flesh out the rest of this Late-Heroic to Paragon Tier to early Epic campaign. Here's what I have so far, generally in the order of least to most threatening: - Pirates - The PCs may be raided by run of the mill pirates that have little or no association with Dagon or the Pirate King. The converse may also be true. - Sea Monsters - Dagon's influence has been assaulted by the PCs back at Ashenport, surely his minions would be more then willing to attack the PCs in the hopes of winning his favor. - Sinking Islands - The PCs come upon Polynesian style islands where they are greeted with much excitement. But at the feast a human body is spitted and roasted. If the PCs do not partake, the hosts get outraged for it is an insult to their gods (the Old Ones) who will drag the island back to the bottom of the sea if they are so crossed. - Usurping the Pirate King - The cargo the PCs are transporting are the material components for a large magic circle. The client who hired Goldleaf represents a political/merchant faction hoping to overthrow the Pirate King and bring the far continent back under control of the near continent. This will be achieved by using an empowered Linked Portal ritual to transport troops and war machines. - Deep One Army - Should the PCs lose the cargo, or lose control of the new magic circle, then the Pirate King will be able to transport the Deep ones to the surface through an empowered Reverse Portal ritual. Furthermore, if the portal is taken over, the Pirate King could begin sending armies of aberrations to the PC home continent. - Surfacing Ryleh - The Pirate King plans on creating a truly massive magic circle so he can use an empowered Reverse Portal ritual to transport Ryleh (the city where Hydra and Cthulhu lay) from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the far continent, thus awakening the the last two Old Ones so the three together, with Dagon, can reshape the world. - Draconic Influence - Because the PCs are likely to travel to a polar region, the Captain wants to hug the coastline as long as possible, I want to create a land populated by Frost Giants and their White Dragon overlord. This dragon will have insight into the true threat of the Pirate King, already having minions investigating the far continent for wealth. The dragon had originally begun such maneuvers because of the relative weakness of the new kingdom, and the wealth it possessed so readily. Having discovered parts of what the Pirate King plans, the Dragon has begun working to invade the nation himself, via freezing the ocean over to cross from the near continent to the far and leading a frost giant army in to dispatch of the humans. I think this will offer plenty of roleplay opportunities that can have very far reaching effects on the campaign if the PCs play it right, or it can go spectacularly wrong if they don't. Similar can be done with a Black Dragon and his aquatic minions. - Cultists of the Chained God - Cultists to Tharizdun (creator of the Abyss) would obviously be striving to work against the Pirate King, if not warp his plans into assisting them with freeing their own god. They could offer the PCs assistance, and offer up plenty of opportunities to roleplay, have things go wrong, or have things go sinister. - Cultists of the Maimed Lord - Vecna would also have at least some knowledge of what is happening, and would no doubt be more then a little interested in acquiring the power of the Old Ones in a form that can elevate him to a True God. I imagine his cultists will be working within the far continent, if not Vecna's more direct influences. Perhaps PCs will be offered the Hand and Eye to help them probe deeper into the mysteries of the Old Ones. Yet another opportunity for excellent roleplaying, for things to go well, or sour. Thanks for reading through. If anyone has more ideas, especially fleshing things out early on, I'd love to hear them. I'm very excited about where this is going.
#2 funkachick0n Apr 04, 2009 16:28:26	You might want to have the PCs approached by some or all the different groups for help. The white dragon may want an artifact to freeze the ocean or for the PCs to cause unrest or rebellion in cities etc. While the pirate king might want the coastal cities to be cut of from supplies. Great concept by the way.
#3 vaporgecko Apr 04, 2009 17:28:52	Thanks for the idea. I was thinking that the Dragon may already have the means to bridge the continents, but having him conscript the PCs into finding the artifact seems so much more draconic. I know I want the PCs to be approached by the Vecna and Tharizdun cults. If the PCs can prove themselves useful to the dragons, that too is a possibility. I also know I want to portray the Pirate King as a revolutionary, masking his intents with claims for independence from the oppressive kingdoms across the ocean. Still, at the moment the PCs will only have knowledge and propoganda fed to them by the local authorites and shipping company. Further developing things, I've started fleshing out the two likely areas the PCs will be travelling to next. Winterlands - The northern passage is under the control of an adult white dragon who has exercised his influence in bringing a tribe of frost giants (reflavored Ettins) under his command. These giants act as his envoys to the local human populations, collecting tribute and interacting with the towns on the dragon's behalf. The white dragon is not infact outright violent with to his holdings, and in many ways is revered by the human villages and towns as a bringer of order and prosperity. Though his tyrannical taxation is wearing on the people, he has done much for guiding their economies to prosperity through very carefully planned raids on port cities and river towns further south (think vikings across northern Europe). Sargasso Sea - Voyage on the open seas has proved fatal primarily because of an adult (maybe older) black dragon who has made his home among the great expanses of water-born vine horrors that create a sea of tangling, violent plant-life. The dragon keeps his trove buried in the living plantlife where it anchors in a small archipelago, where he cultivates flotillas of the living seaweed before setting them free to possibly encounter vessels that roam too far from land. The Sargasso Sea also swarms with his own brood of aquatic spawn, his mate living on a similar expanse farther south.
#4 funkachick0n Apr 06, 2009 10:24:19	sounds like a great campaign to me!