Tales of Grindylows in the Fever Sea

Threats to ships that sail among the isles of The Shackles are not limited to pirate vessels and the navies of Cheliax and Rahadoum. Tales in the evenings on board The Wormwood turn to legends of the various creatures that inhabit the sea.

 Grindylows

The latest evening, just before gambling on the game of Heave began, Crimson Cogward told a short and disturbing tale of a race of small aquatic humanoids that live under the seas and pull sailors to their deaths: Grindylows. These small, cruel creatures have incredibly strong grips and like to torment and drown their victims.

The Brinebrood Queen

Crimson Cogward told the tale of finding a bottle floating with a note inside, which had the tale of a castaway stranded on an island. The man's ship--a Chelaxian warship called The Infernus--had been sunk off the southwest side of a tiny island. The castaway made it to the island, and penned the sad strange note which Cogward said he found. It told of him arriving on the island after swimming from the wreck, fearing the "dangerous cargo" the ship had been transporting and the savage grindylows that were attacking the crew as the ship sank. He swam into a lagoon which led to some sea caves. Inside, he spied a horrific duo. The first, an octopus-crossed Grindylow who seemed to be a mother of the tribe that was raiding his lost ship.

The "Whale"

And an utterly massive and swollen grindylow which he managed to describe as a "Whale". The sailor managed to escape, and get onto the land of the island--sending the message in a bottle hoping that someone might find and rescue him. However, the sea water had ruined much of the note's details, including where the small island was located. 

Druna and her shillelagh mop clean the deck 

(Dan's newest illustration of his character!)

Druna made a joke after the story concluded about not being afraid of Grindylows as long as she had her mop. It eased the tension somewhat, and continued her campaign of intimidating Fipps Chumlett and the other swabs who assaulted the heroes below deck the prior day. Yet the eerie words that Cogward had uttered continued to haunt the heroes, and their dreams that night featured tiny strong hands and drownings under the waves.

Session One - Recap

Session One Recap

Seven people found themselves wake up in the swaying underbelly of the pirate ship, The Wormwood, each having been a victim of the poison-assisted press gang crew of the ruthless Master Scourge. They were: Galfire, a soft-spoken and short-tempered Half Elf cook. Jax Sandstrom, a nimble and randy young Human with tan skin and a ponytail. Druna, a short-haired and nature-minded Dwarf woman. Gilbert Sullivan, a well-spoken and impeccably dressed young Half Elf. Nika, an inventive and duplicitous Human ranger from the lands nearby Port Peril. Sadie “the Goat”—a skinny Dwarf woman with a penchant for fascination with nature and headbutting her foes. And finally, Scolvus O’Shaughnessy, a magical adept and semi-legitimate son of fabled Pirate Captain Corvus O’Shaughnessy (whose ship “The Handy Maiden” has frequently raided the coasts around The Shackles).

Before they could do much talking, Master Scourge—accompanied by four rough pirates with blackjacks in hand-burst through the door and ordered these “new recruits” onto the main deck to start work. While most obeyed, Galfire began calmly asking questions and explaining that he wasn’t supposed to be on the ship. In what was to become an instantly familiar scene, Master Scourge took exception to Galfire’s talk and set the pirates on him to force him to the deck.

Master Scourge

Up on deck, the newly impressed sailors were given a talking to by Captain Barnabas Harrigan and his boatswain, Mr. Plugg. After the Captain’s orders that he doesn’t tolerate the crew speaking to him, and that anyone found murdering someone else will be keelhauled, he turns things over to Mr. Plugg to assign tasks to the new arrivals. The first test—for another Rigger for the ship—is easily won by Jax who scampered up the ropes as quick as he was able. Nika was careful to not do too well, and Sadie the Goat managed to fall—luckily caught by Gilbert. However, Galfire drew even more ire from Master Scourge for getting tangled and stuck upside down in the rigging a mere foot off the deck. That ire was played out when Galfire, who had served as a chef in Port Peril for some time, was passed over for the Cook’s mate job. Nika got that position, simply by bluffing “yes” to the question “can you cook?” Feeling utterly disrespected, Galfire joined Druna, Gilbert, Sadie the Goat, and Scolvus as swabs. All were immediately put to tasks.

When evening came, so came the bloody hour when punishments were handed out. Some of the new arrivals received rope bashes or lashes, but the real horror of the bloody hour was having to watch one of the crew be keelhauled for stealing from the quartermaster’s store. After that gruesome event, the seven choked down their first rum rations and settled in to dinner—when their first friendly face emerged from the crew. Sandara Quinn, a self-described Holy Priestess of Besmara (the Pirate Goddess), slipped the crew a few of their stolen personal items. She said that Besmara warned her in a vision that seven would arrive who are chosen of the Pirate Queen who roams the celestial seas.

As the days went forward, the newly arrived seven started to make both friends and enemies on the ship. Scolvus and Gilbert befriended Rosie Cusswell, a Halfling swab, with a combination of friendly banter and tricking the superstitious quartermaster Cut-Throat Grok into releasing Rosie’s prized fiddle. Sadie the Goat made unlikely friends with Jack Scrimshaw, while Gilbert gained some measure of esteem from a nasty looking mercenary called Dovan from Nisroch (who told tales of twice-escaping retribution from some kingdom of bumpkins called “Fitzburgh”). Jax initially overplayed his hand with a rather attractive young sailor named Samms Toppin (with a “you know I never had sex in a hammock before” line), but over time got her somewhat back into his good graces. He also spent a great deal of time with Sandara Quinn—whether to deepen their friendship or deepen something else, it’s unclear. Nika, now the cook’s mate, got the scoop on the ship from her superior (“It’s poison, this ship” said Ambrose “Fishguts” Kroop), managed to catch a school of fish for dinner (with a little help from Druna), and made a friendly impression on Shivikah, a massive Mwangi ex-slaver, by doing his swab work for the better part of an afternoon. And finally, the druids managed to start to make animal friends. Druna started to bond with a parrot (called “Pluck” by the crew) that was prior owned by a dead crewmember. And Sadie the Goat befriended a rather large and unusual spider (which scared the crap out of fellow pirate Conchobar Shortstone). 

So while the seven made these and other friends, the seven also noticed that Master Scourge and some of his cronies were spending time turning the ears of other pirates on the ship. Their second day on the ship, four of the pirates (Aretta Banison, Fipps Chumlet, Jaundiced Jape, and Slippery Syl Lonergan) managed to forcefully keep the seven from making the deck when the crewbell rang—getting the seven each three lashes punishment. The seven subdued and humiliated their attackers, with Nika delivering a brutal punch to Aretta’s face, Scolvus using a grease spell to humiliate Slippery Syl (now called “Greasy Pete” by the party), and Druna nearly breaking Fipps Chumlett’s neck with an enchanted mop handle. However, only the seven were punished for being late… and Nika saw Aretta Banison whispering with Master Scourge. Sneaking close, she caught snippets of conversation that sounded like he put them up to it. More worrisome, the seven noticed Master Scourge, Mr. Plugg, and their toady Tam “Narwhal” Tate chatting with some of the pirates as well—and casting dirty looks their way.

“If you outlaw mops, only outlaws will have mops” -Gilbert

The third evening on the ship ended with the seven deciding to stage a drinking game for fun—a rum chugging contest aptly nicknamed “Heave”. Druna and Sadie the Goat entered the contest, as did Tam “Narwhal” Tate and Dovan from Nisroch. Druna used the contest to further rumors that she had started of an illicit relationship between Tam and Master Scourge, while Gilbert swapped his bet to Dovan to show confidence in his newfound acquaintance. Druna eventually out-drank the last of them, and won the pot for herself and “Ratline” Rattsberger (who bet on her). As she stumbled off completely inebriated and exhausted, unfortunately she heard Mr. Plugg make an ominous threat to “Rattline” Rattberger: “We’ll see how you and your lubber friends fare with tomorrow night’s entertainment: my owlbear!”

NPC Matrix

The characters have a basic idea of attitudes of the other crewmembers to them, which will be represented on this matrix and updated after each session. The (current) indicates where the attitude is, while the names in boxes show who influenced whom. (Permanent) indicates that the character is now permanently that status relative to the PCs. While they can still directly benefit from interaction with that NPC, the attitude is fixed unless something extreme happens to push the NPC the other way (cruel or insulting treatment of a helpful ally, for instance). Where movement goes back and forth, the names will be numbered to show the order of influence. I make this information public because living in close proximity on a ship really cannot hide their interactions!

Name	Face	Hostile	Unfriendly	Indifferent	Friendly	Helpful	Description
Ambrose “Fishguts” Kroop				Start (current)			Ship’s cook, perpetually drunk, smells of rum Voice: Long John Silver
Aretta Banison		(current) Master Scourge	Start				Swab, Bad tempered ex-harlot who escaped a pimp named Pepper Jack. Big ears. Voice: Bitch voice
“Badger” Medlar			Start	(current) Scolvus 1 Master Scourge 3	Scolvus 2		Swab, Older woman who has shaved white stripes like a badger on her head. Voice: Woman’s Low rumble
Conchobar Shortstone		(current) Sadie’s Spider	Start				Rigger, overly dressy and fussy gnome Voice: Olaf Peterson (“Hello beautiful ladies!!!”)
Crimson Cogward			Start (current)				Swab, Easily angered loner, impressed only by stories of bloodshed. Voice: hasn’t spoken yet
Cut-Throat Grok				Start (current)			Quartermaster, superstitious. Voice: Raspy woman (because of scar) who gasps when she laughs
Dovan from Nisroch				Start	(current) Gilbert		Swab, Colorful rogue mercenary captain, tells stories from Fitzburgh. Voice: Sexy guy voice
Fipps Chumlett		(permanent) Master Scourge / Druna	Start				Swab, Fat, Pushy bully. Voice: Bro bully voice
Jack Scrimshaw				Start	(current) Sadie		Swab, Talented young man always doing scrimshaw Voice: meek and mild
Jaundiced Jape		Start (current)					Swab, Humorless, greedy mute Voice: Mute
Maheem		(current) Mr. Plugg	Start				Rigger, Rahaddoumi half-elf with a permanent scowl Voice: Arabian Nights
"Ratline" Rattsberger				Start	(current) Druna 1 Mr. Plugg 3	Scolvus 2	Rigger, Rat faced Halfling missing fingers Voice: Chuckles constantly (think heh heh heh)
Rosie Cusswell				Start	Scolvus	(permanent) Gilbert / Fiddle	Swab, Swears constantly. Voice: stream of expletives
Samms Toppin			(current) Jax 1 Master Scourge 3	Start Jax 2			Rigger, Former fisherwoman, never wears shoes Voice: Sweet melody
Sandara Quinn						Start (current) Nika Jax	Swab, Believer in Besmara’s guidance Voice: Moonbat
Shivikah			Start	(current) Nika			Swab, Mwangi ex-slaver Voice: Deep African voice, says “My friend” to everyone
Slippery Syl Lonergan    (or Greasy Pete)		(current) Master Scourge	Start				Swab, Unhinged murderer who escaped to sea Voice: Dirty Harry (You feelin’ lucky punk?)
Tam "Narwhal" Tate		Start (current)					Swab, old friend of Master Scourge, Huge Nose Voice: Sniveling Toady

Ship Actions, Rum Rations, and Pirate Weapons

Ship Actions

Life on a pirate ship is one of constant work, and for those doing the basic jobs of swabs, riggers, or cook’s aides, it leaves precious little time to themselves. Accordingly, for the purposes of game rules each day each player character will have a set number ship actions which we will resolve. A PC can normally take two ship actions each day: one during the day and one at night (think: evening). A PC can also attempt to take up to two additional ship actions during the middle watch in the dead of night, limited to those nighttime ship actions marked with an asterisk. To attempt these additional actions, the PC must make a successful Constitution check (DC 10 +4 per each action taken) or become fatigued.

The first ship action represents the daytime, squeezing in some actions while doing their daily task to keep the ship sailing. After the long, hard work day the crew assembles in the hour before dusk for the “bloody hour”—the time when punishments are meted out to the crew. This is followed by the rum ration, where each crew member drinks their ration of extremely strong liquor. The rum ration is mandatory, and the penalty for selling or spilling one’s ration is six lashes. They are then allowed to head to their bunks or other nighttime pastimes—the second ship action of the day. See the charts below for the various options for ship actions. 

I'm certain that rum rations on The Wormwood's deck will be this orderly...

Shackles Rum Ration: This strong drink is sugarcane distillate with lime juice, and it packs quite a punch. It gives a +2 Alchemical bonus to Charisma checks and the target gains the fatigued condition for 1d8 hours. For a result of one through four hours, the fatigue only affects the PC’s nighttime ship action. If the result is five through eight hours, then the PC counts as fatigued during any attempted middle watch actions (and thus becomes exhausted if they fail their middle watch action Constitution check).

Daytime Ship Actions
Work Diligently	Gain a +4 bonus on any one check for a job’s daily task
Influence	Make normal checks for a job’s daily task and attempt to influence a single NPC
Sneak	Make normal checks for a job’s daily task and briefly explore one area of the ship (the PC can make a single Perception or other skill check with no chance of detection)
Shop	Take a -2 penalty on all checks for a job’s daily task and visit the quartermaster’s store
Shirk	Take a -2 penalty on all checks for a job’s daily task and take time exploring one area of the ship. The PC can take 10 on a single Perception check or other skill check, but must make a check to avoid being discovered (see below)

Nighttime Ship Actions
Sleep	Go to bed early and sleep through the night (automatically recover from all fatigue and exhaustion). Cannot attempt any middle watch actions. Unless they have the Endurance feat, a PC who is exhausted must choose this action.
Gamble	Play or gamble on a game of chance or pirate entertainment
Entertain	Make one Perform check to entertain the crew
Influence*	Attempt to influence a single NPC
Sneak*	Take time exploring one area of the ship. The PC can take 20 on a single Perception check or other skill check, but must make a check to avoid being discovered (see below)
Steal*	Attempt to open a locked door or locker. The PC must make a check to avoid being discovered (see below)

Being Discovered: Instead of determining where each NPC is located and having them make Perception checks when a stealthy action is taken on the ship, the following rules for secrecy will be used. PCs make one general skill check (usually Stealth or Sleight of Hand) against a set DC for that type of action.

Attempting a stealthy action in a crowd (casting a spell with verbal or somatic components without being noticed): DC 20

Attempting a stealthy action where there is a chance of discovery (exploring a room during the day, attempting to open a locker in a room while its occupants are sleeping): DC 15

Attempting a stealthy action under cover of a suitable diversion (attempting to open lockers or search rooms while the rest of the crew are working or on deck enjoying themselves): DC 10

Failing a check by 4 or less means the PC attempting the action is merely disturbed and unable to complete the action. Failing the check by 5 or more means the PC is caught red-handed and might be turned over for discipline.

Pirate Weapons

A quick update on the pirate weapons. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the PCs get one free weapon proficiency as they go in the campaign. They can select it to begin with, or anytime they wish later in the campaign. The players can choose firearm proficiency in either the dragoon pistol or the musket (see this blog post for info on the firearms options), or can pick the cutlass, harpoon, or boarding gaff. The info below gives stats for the other options. 

	Damage (S)	Damage (M)	Critical	Range	Type	Special	Category	Price
Cutlass	1d4	1d6	18-20/ x2	-	S	-	1 Handed Martial Melee	15 gp
Harpoon*	1d6	1d8	X3	10 ft.	P	grapple*	2 Handed Exotic Melee	5 gp
Boarding Gaff	1d4/1d4	1d6/1d6	X2	-	S	double, reach, trip	2 Handed Exotic Melee	8 gp

* Attached to 50 ft. of rope. If proficient with the weapon, on a successful critical hit when thrown you can grapple the target as a free action. You can only move or damage the creature with subsequent grapple checks on your turn