The Maritime Misadventures of the Red Siren (WIP)
When a cursed disease reawakens after centuries of dormancy, the secret rulers of Amn seek out freelancers to brave the waters and find the long-lost cure.
EEitherGetting Started
For the GM: In his search for the power to become a full-fledged Death Knight, Kraevis discovered the formula for the Black Mist, a cursed disease that plagued the land centuries ago. Made by Larloch, the Shadow King, the Black Mist was actually a high-level living Necromancy spell that stole life from its victims, siphoning it to its caster. Caring not for collateral damage, Kraevis undertook the efforts necessary to resurrect the curse and took precautions against the method used to end the prior curse and defeat Larloch by securing the Breaker of Shadows, which was kept in Death King’s Grotto as a key to seal away a major component of the curse.
A cursed disease called the Black Mist made landfall at the coastal city of Velen in Amn. No realm in Faerun is wealthier than Amn, but long held imperial ambitions led to the crackdown on use of unofficial magic. Only priests of Cyric and the Cowled Wizards are permitted by law to use magic. However, because the Black Mist returned, the anonymous Council of Five are disturbed enough to seek outside expertise to find the cure. Privateers still have to follow the law of the land regarding magic, so they had only one place left to turn: Pirates. Here, you'll play as members of one of the ships commissioned for help: the Siren's Serenade, helmed by Sylvestra Redmane, who is better known as the Red Siren.
Disclaimer
Location and character names use the Forgotten Realms of Faerun as used in my home campaign as a base. Feel free to change any to suit your campaign/world. Some suggestions can be found in Optional Modifications. [This is currently planned as a level 3 adventure, but I may bump it up some levels if it turns out to feel out of place thematically for level 3.]
Key NPCs
Captain Sylvestra Redmane (the Red Siren)
Sylvestra Redmane, Captain of the Siren’s Serenade, was born a Triton from the union of a Mermaid and a Sea Elf. She has greenish-blue skin and thick, long hair the color of red algae, and wears open, well-ventilated clothing. Her greatest asset and flaw both come from her strong emotions. She’s a firebrand that thrives off of adventure, but is easily triggered and competitive. She was once seduced by a travelling Elf bard and ended up having his kid long after he left. Ever since, she has not allowed men on her ship, especially since her son is now a captain in his own right. (For alternatives, see Optional Modifications on the last spread)
Captain Luriana Saltwell (Yellowjacket)
Redmane’s eternal rival, Luriana Saltwell, is a buxom blonde human woman with questionable taste in fashion, proudly wearing an obnoxiously yellow overcoat. Luriana's been a thorn in Sylvestra's side ever since the latter took to the high seas, constantly interrupting or hijacking her scores or beating her to the punch. While Redmane is constantly frustrated by her, Luriana sees Redmane as her adorable little sister of the sea and the way she shows her affection through teasing is regularly misunderstood. She loves to laugh, treating piracy as child’s play and Sea Serpents as pets. [Known to no one but herself, the source of Luriana’s lack of human sense is due to the fact that she’s actually a Yellow Dragon in human form.]
Kraevis, the Death Knight Aspirant
Whatever history he had before is lost to him, as Kraevis sacrificed much of his human experience in order to achieve undeath. Like most who seek to live beyond death, he fell into the dark pattern of seeking ever greater power, caring for nothing else. In single-minded admiration, he seeks to follow in the footsteps of Larloch, the Shadow King, and correct for the weaknesses that led to his demise by combining the armored martial prowess of the Death Knight with the necromantic mastery of a Lich. When he went to Warlock’s Crypt, where Larloch was defeated, he found a scroll detailing the Black Mist buried amongst the ruins. Learning that the Black Mist was stopped by a legendary artifact before, he sought out and acquired said artifact before resurrecting the Black Mist. Intently focused and strategic, he carries only one major flaw from his forgotten past: he loves to hear the sound of his own voice.
Additional Mechanics
Running High Level Ally NPCs
- Avoid stealing the Heroes’ thunder and set them up for success.
- Deal the first or middle strike against an enemy instead of the final blow.
- Only take the final strike if the enemy is one the Heroes haven’t really attacked yet.
- If any of the Heroes have the ability to track down lost artifacts, do not mention Sylvestra’s magic compass and let them use their skills and spells to find the Breaker of Shadows.
Jobs
Each Hero will be assigned a Job aboard the ship. The Jobs and their bonuses are as follows: (specifics TBD)
- First/Second Mate:
- Quartermaster:
- Navigator:
- Boatswain/Bosun:
- Carpenter:
- Cooper:
- Sailmaker:
- Gunner:
- Cook/Musician:
- Doctor:
Additional Weapons
- Cutlass: 1d6+DEX Slashing, Vicious
- Belaying Pin: 1d4+STR Bludgeoning, Light
- Boarding Axe: 1d6+STR Slashing, Light. Climb 2 when trying to climb a smooth wooden surface (such as the side of a ship).
- (Blackpowder Firearms will be added once we have a Dropbox draft of Monsters and More that includes it)
Adventure Locations and Encounters
Part 1: Death King's Grotto
The curse of the malaise is more potent here, triggering another save, even if they passed the save ...
The room starts out with 1 Shadow per Hero. At the beginning of each subsequent round, an artifact n...
Further into the grotto, a Shadow Demon commanding 2 Shades guards a Shadow Barrier that prevents ac...
After the party defeats the Shadow Demon guard, they must figure out how to get past the Shadow Barr...
When the Heroes arrive at the final chamber, they find a Wight waiting for them. There are corpses e...
Part 2: Death Storm on the Sea
When the ships Siren's Serenade and Excelsius are suddenly thrust into a turbulent sea storm, ro...
At the beginning of Round 2, all Creatures on the decks of both ships must make a DC12 STR save to s...
At the start of a Round when there are 3 or fewer Zombie Sahuagin left, ...
Part 3: Skullface Island
After the party crash lands on the island, they must find their bearings and find the lair of Kraevi...
The party enters the "mouth" of the skull-like "face" of the rocky outcropping. Inside, they find a ...
Between the "maw" and the "cranium" lies a twisted maze with hidden teleportation plates spread thro...
As the party ascends the rough-hewn stairs into the "eye socket" chamber, the curse of the malaise i...
Kraevis stands within the chamber, observing the island through the "eye sockets" on the cavern. If ...
Optional Modifications
Heroes: Allowing Male PCs
Remove the bit from Sylvestra’s backstory about the Elf lover and their son.
Heroes: Adjusting for no Healers
If there’s no one with healing abilities, Sylvestra has a stockpile of 10 basic Healing Potions to divvy out amongst the Heroes. She does not acquire any more until the adventure is completed.
Heroes: Adjusting for no Trackers
If there’s no one that’s good at tracking down stolen relics, Captain Redmane owns a compass that points in the direction of her heart’s desire once per day as her prized possession that she carefully guards.
Allies: Reducing Ally NPC Quantity
To reduce some of the mental load from the GM and/or Players, you can exclude the Crew from any mission. For Death King’s Grotto, frame it as a small squad infiltration. For Death Storm on the Sea, frame it as the crew are assisting the Captain in keeping the ships afloat and in one piece. For Skullface Island, frame it as the crew are defending the wreck of the ship for when the Heroes return. Make sure to decide whether or not to use Ally NPCs ahead of time, so that you can math out the “per Hero” encounters before the session.
Difficulty: Grittier Tone
The Black Mist reduces their maximum HP by the damage dealt. It also prevents Safe Resting within its Area until it is destroyed.
Travel: Scene Hopping
For snappy, efficient play or if you’re tight on time, you can skip travel between Parts. For the purpose of deteriorating health while running the Gritty Tone above, it takes a minimum of 2 days (150 miles) to go from Death King’s Grotto to the Death Storm on the Sea.
Travel: Hexploration
For more extended play and sense of player agency, you can use the Hexcrawl Rules on the next/previous page to play out travel more granularly. On the plus side, this gives a greater opportunity for players to learn about each other’s characters, get to know the Captains, and feel more in charge of the adventure. On the flip side, extending out play will reduce the sense of urgency and result in the deaths of thousands of civilians. If using Hexcrawl, make sure to leverage the effects of the Black Mist against the party enough times for them to deal with the problem of their own volition (hopefully). Kill off a Hero’s backstory NPC relation from the Black Mist if necessary.