Solsunk Sea

Location - Tier 3

Aquatic, Ancient, & Strange

A vast expanse of open water where ancient secrets lie in wait in the fathomless depths.

Distinctions

Hundreds of miles of open sea, dotted with the occasional island, atoll, or even rarer settlement, where the bizarre is commonplace. Covering much of the seafloor are pieces of an immense and shattered city that, if local legend is to be believed, sunk beneath the waves when they called an ancient sun down upon themselves. Navigation here is challenging as the firmament never seems as firm as it does over other oceans.

Fathomless Seas

Foolish is the sailor who does not respect the sea. Calm waters can turn dangerous in moments and the currents can shift unfavorably at the most inopportune times. Most of the water here is so deep that drowned bodies and wrecked ships are rarely recovered. Whatever sunk this continent into the sea made sure it was deep enough that no one would be foolish to seek the secrets in its deepest reaches. The water is unusually warm, with the blisterstone buildings on the seafloor radiating an ambient heat.

You might find:

What were once mountaintops now make up small island chains throughout this vast stretch of water. Most are deserted but are teeming with local wildlife.
The crumple and creaking of a sail, fat with wind.
Briny sea air fills the air while ocean spray kisses the sand.

Fickle Weather

Just as the water can change on a whim, so too can the wind and weather. Sunny skies can give way to shipbreaking storms in mere minutes. Bad weather takes on a different type of meaning here and there is no escaping it. Only by embracing the storm and riding it out would one have any chance for survival. So enjoy the calm when it comes, but do not grow complacent.

You might find:

Thunderhead clouds as tall as mountains where giant birds ride on arcs of lightning.
The boom of thunder and the howling of storm winds.
A lightning strike leaves the scent of ozone lingering in the air.

Primordial Wildlife

The seas were here first. So too were the things that live there. While all manner of mundane wildlife thrives in these waters, ancient and powerful creatures lurk in the depths and hunt the surface waters. Compression symbionts, a cross between a trilobite and an octopus, cluster around settlements. They bond with swimmers, allowing them to breathe underwater while feeding off their breath. Marrowshank whales, massive sperm whales with bladed bone protrusions jutting off their skulls, are among the region’s apex predators. They are dwarfed only by the behemoth gapesharks, which could fit several whales inside its gulper eel-like maw.

You might find:

A pod of marrowshank whales carving up a ship in hopes of devouring the crew.
The sharp clicks and clacks of immortal crabs snapping their giant claws.
The songs of seabirds that sound like crying infants.

Drowned Secrets

The seafloor is completely covered in the ruins of a drowned and ancient city. Mostly consisting of sundered structures and crumbling edifices, much of the city has survived and keeps its deepest secrets in the most extreme depths where the pressure is lethal. Overflowing treasure vaults, preserved ancient libraries, and temples to forgotten gods all await discovery by the brave and foolhardy. But some things were meant to stay buried and drowned, and if surfaced could threaten the entire region.

You might find:

A six-story sealed library, whose stained glass windows are magically sealed against the pressure. It’s completely dry inside.
The distant clicks, chirps, and bellows of the marrowshank whale song.
Intense pressure crushing anything that sinks too deep without protection.

Uncanny Phenomena

The Solsunk Sea is an inherently weird place. Between the fallen celestial bodies, peculiar communities, and the primordial beasts that swim these waters, those seeking something strange could do a lot worse than some time spent here. Gravitational anomalies, a curiously shifting firmament, and islands that aren’t are all commonplace here, making it a sea that caters more to “advanced sailors” than those just starting their careers on the water.

You might find:

An upside-down waterfall in the middle of the ocean where water falls upwards before hitting an unseen apex and cascading back down.
Bioluminescent jellyfish whirl through the air, lifted up by intense storm winds.
An unfamiliar and unsettling night sky filled with unrecognizable constellations.

GM Principles

Grip the world in nature’s hostile indifference - Whether charting these waters on the surface or below, it should be clear at all times that this is a hostile environment. The sea cares not whether mortals live, die, or if their grand quest is completed. The hope is for calm waters, smooth sailing, and safe passage. And it’s generally best not to imagine the worst outcomes.

Beauty belies danger - Why is that island, so heavy with fruit, deserted? What wretched poisons does that orange banded wrasse release when eaten? What lies beneath that mysterious halocline layer? What is the source of the hauntingly gorgeous singing just beyond the shoals? What is that beautiful light? Much of nature’s aquatic beauty is a warning. Do not be fooled. Do not be enchanted. And definitely do not touch.

Live with Abandon - Folk that make their life on the waves, on volcanic islands, or beneath the crushing depths all have one thing in common: They fear no disaster, natural or unnatural. Upheaval, unpredictability, and controlled chaos are all ways of life here. Between the fickle wind patterns, the roving bands of pirates, and the unfathomable whims of the currents, it’s easy to find oneself marooned out here. But the fruits are sweet, the fish is plentiful, and the weather is mostly agreeable. So make the best of it and get some sun while you still draw breath.

Landmarks

Solsunk Atoll

Trading Speed for Safety: The quickest trade routes take ships through the storm surrounding this atoll and the unlucky ones don’t make it out the other side.

Uncharted Waters: Few have made it into the atoll and survived, fewer have made it back out to tell what lies beyond the howling bale-winds and walls of lightning fog.

A site popular for mythologists and tale spinners, and would be the crowning jewel on the cap of any explorer who successfully navigates the storm to find what secrets lie beyond its wall of wind and fog. The gravesite of many a ship and its crew, who valued expediency over caution.

Eternal Hurricane (Feature)

Churning with bale-winds and where lightning arcs from both the sea and air. A typhoon crackling with arcane energy and fog that carries fatal currents of electricity through water vapor. Outside of the sea’s deepest trenches, this is the most hostile environment in the region. Ships skirting the edges of this storm end up limping back to port and take the gamble by cutting through these waters do so knowing they’ve likely consigned the crew to a watery grave. No conventional vessel can pass through the storm, but the shapers at Blisterstone Cove are designing new hull plating capable of withstanding it.

The Iris (Location)

Sandwiched between the first layer and a secondary storm structure that surrounds the eye of the hurricane, is a peculiar island. It’s halo-shaped, a perfect ring that fills the entire space between the two walls of raging winds and fog. Growing on this island is a unique biome filled with bizarre flora and fauna found nowhere else in the Mortal Realm Here, the air has a heavy quality to it, making it difficult to breathe. The plants are not safe for consumption, though some of the plants would consider interlopers safe for their consumption.

A Fallen Star (Wonder)

In the eye of the storm is a stretch of water that’s as calm as glass. Positioned at its center is a hole in the water about 30 feet around that goes all the way to the sea floor in a smooth column. No one truly knows what lies at the bottom but some have suggested it’s where an ancient sun fell and still remains. Some theorize a Forgotten God waits there to grant its favor to the first to discover it. Others believe it to be a cursed place and the source of the ancient city’s calamity. In truth… it could very well be all three or none of them. “Sail not into the sun’s eye, a good sailor. No fortune awaits you there.” - A common regional refrain about avoiding the storm.

Isles Of Rot

Decaying Titan: These islands are the remains of a long-dead kraken, whose decaying underbelly is a seemingly endless feast for the unique biome that has emerged underneath it.

Life Finds A Way: It takes a special type to survive in this place but the creatures carving out a life here have managed to thrive on this unconventional bit of dry land.

A small, shoal-filled archipelago of craggy, flesh-like islands. The water for a mile around the place is putrid, foul smelling, and kills most fish that come into contact with it. Immortal crabs that have grown to immense proportions, feasting on kraken flesh, dominate this place. A few folks have eked out a strange life here and even found a valuable trade commodity deep beneath the island’s rotten carapace.

Inside the brown lagoon is an island shaped like a shattered spine, jagged and gnarled white rock, thick and sludgy water surrounding it. Past that is a large, sloped and slick black island with crude signage hanging off it. At the center of all of it is an island pulsing and quivering with every movement, where footprints pool black blood in their wake. Something living remains on this dead thing.

Decaying Biome (Feature)

This is a dead place, where rot lingers in the air and entropy plays out in real time. But for the creatures that live here, it is home… and a delicious one at that. Like whale falls that create a feast for creatures of the deep, the perpetual cycle of decay and regeneration provides an endless gorging platter for those who can stomach it. Which is mostly the crabs. “When they say you should observe animals when determining if something is safe to eat, they didn’t mean these ones.”

Bulbous Growth (Location)

The island is a flesh-like, malignant growth bursting out of black chiton. Immortal crabs skitter all over the mass, consuming its ever-growing mound of flesh. Occasionally this foul growth erupts in a shower of rotten meat, expelled from a place that even gods dare not envision. The crabs do not like sharing and snap their claws threateningly at any who approach.

Feeding Frenzy Clock

A consequence for a miss can always be a mark against the clock.

8 - The island chain begin to rumble slightly, like an earthquake but with a squishier quality

7 - Immortal crabs swarm from underneath the islands and into waters surrounding the bulbous mass

6 - The island chain shakes again, this time more violently

5 - The crabs float to the surface, filling the space between the islands so tightly they could be walked across.

4 - The bulbous mass begins to unfurl a pulsing orifice at the top.

3 - The crabs all raise their claws, snapping them in anticipation.

2 - The bulbous mass erupts, spraying a foul fleshy substance into the air and raining down across the crab cast.

1 - A frenzied battle for the delicious rotmeat ensues, with immortal crabs fighting for dominance and severing limbs left and right.

0 - The crabs return to their hunting grounds while the limbs regenerate into a new cast of crabs.

The Butcher Of Headcave (Location/Merchant)

An island composed of black chitinous plates with few handholds where a plunge into the water reveals a terrifying truth: This island is the head of the kraken, the gigantic eye milky and dead as the rest of its decaying visage. Gaps in the plates lead to a cave system that snakes through its flesh leading into the hollowed-out brainpan where a unique butcher selling artisanal sweetmeats eagerly awaits customers who rarely come. She’s a bit too enthusiastic about the rotten kraken meat and… other delights. Adventurous eaters may find some delicious delicacies if they can overcome the smell.

Koma G’do, Eccentric Butcher [ Wanderborne **** Drakona , she/her]

Difficulty: 16

Fanatical, generous, quirky

Experience: Animal Handling +2, Forbidden Knowledge +2 Quartermaster +2, Shrewd Negotiator +1

Look: Always flecked with various ichors and bloods. A slick apron over his ivory-white scales does little to keep the fluids off him. A variety of homemade butcher’s tools, crafted from kraken bone, hang off his waist.

Motive: Delve Deeper. Find sweeter flesh. More flavor.

Drowned Megalopolis

Subocean Sprawl: Less a singular location and rather the entire seafloor. Covered in the half-buried ruins of an ancient city where treasures and terrors alike await discovery in equal measure.

Competitive Megafauna: Razor-headed marrowshank whales and colossal gapesharks devour almost anything weaker or smaller than them.

The nameless, ancient city that spans the entire sea floor is a place where every answer begs three more questions. What happened here? When did this continent fall? Why is there no evidence of the people who lived here—either in the form of fossilized bodies or even written records? Because there are no firm answers to easily find, the fantastical fills the void. Stories of old gods, ancient destroyers, and primordial beasts are as valid an explanation as any. Because of this, it’s a place defined by daring and adventure. Of treasure and discovery. A world where the foolhardy and the brave lock arms and leap into briny depths. But some secrets are best left buried, and there are dangers yet to unearth that those above dare not comprehend.

Sunken Citadel (Location)

Situated directly beneath the settlement of Plunger’s Trove, the sunken citadel was (presumably) the seat of power of the ancient species that once called this city home. The entire city is constructed from a red stone that radiates heat, once common, now only mined in a single location. This is where most of the exploration of the sunken city has taken place. Its halls and floors are well-plumbed, and any treasures here have long since been inherited by the folks living in Plunger’s Trove. Built atop one of the continent’s highest peaks, even after sinking the twisting spire at its pinnacle juts out of the water. The secrets of the citadel are well-kept, despite being thoroughly explored. Perhaps seekers just aren’t viewing this place through the correct lens.

Fast Travel Currents (Feature)

Snaking through the waters—from just below the surface to skirting the rooftops of the ancient city—there is a network of water columns, pumping currents through them at breakneck speeds. The wildlife utilize these as part of their migration and hunting patterns. Recently they’ve been mapped by the Deep Seekers, a group of intrepid underwater explorers. Utilizing compression symbionts, folk have begun to traverse these currents as a means of accessing previously undisturbed parts of the city. Inexperienced divers who aren’t mindful of predators are often devoured by marrowshank whales or gapesharks who feed along these currents.

The Pressure Oubliette (Threat)

Deep in the city is a being; powerful, forgotten, and sealed away. From the outside, it looks like a perfect sphere of liquid metal, held at four points by a massive ancient technological device that’s now crumpled and useless. Luckily the pressure of the water is exerting enough force to contain whatever is imprisoned in the sphere. If it were to be raised… no one knows what it might unleash. Sailors passing above can often hear a sweet song coming from below. The language is unknown but the words fill the listener with an ancient longing for freedom.

Settlements

Plunger’s Trove

Ancient Protector: An ancient leviathan has adopted this tight-knit community, keeping it safe from disaster, both natural and unnatural.

Known For: It’s position above the ancient city’s pinnacle, making it a popular destination for those who want to explore the sunken city with relative ease.

What started out as a couple of boats and some temporary wooden structures has metastasized into a combination of lashed-together ships, floating shanties, and other dubious constructions that would not be up to code… anywhere. All constructed around the crimson spire of the Sunken Citadel. It attracts all types, most seeking their fortunes in the ancient city beneath them. They have adopted some unique customs surrounding weddings, trials, and funerary rites. The former of which is tied to the city’s ancient guardian, and the latter is born out of the raucous spirit of the treasure seekers who call Plunger’s Trove home.

The aforementioned guardian is a primeval aquatic dragon, Naligros, who once protected the ancient city and has adopted Plunger’s Trove as his own these past three generations. After living many years without purpose or companionship, Naligros is grateful for the company, protects Plunger’s Trove from any outside threats, and keeps the locals from delving too deep into the secrets of the past.

Naligros the Jolly, Jovial Ancient Guardian [Dragon, he/him]

Difficulty: 17

Protective, Just, Patronizing

**Experience: **Ancient Knowledge +3, Divination +3, Forbidden Knowledge +3, Swimming +5, Wisdom of Centuries +5

Look: A dragon who has over his multi-millennia-long existence evolved to aquatic life. Long and serpentine, over time his wings moved and split, becoming dorsal and pectoral fins.

Motive: Protect Plunger’s Trove. These tiny treasure seekers were such a welcome amusement that he’ll be damned if he’d let anything threaten that. Including telling them what happened to the sunken city’s previous occupants.

Moonpool Plaza (Location)

Extending out from the spire is a ring of scuttled ships that form a series of homes, taverns, and shops surrounding a pool about 300 feet wide. The moonpool is a community space, the primary access point for divers, and the beating heart of Plunger’s Trove. Here tourists and locals alike trade stories and meals, arrange dive tours, and weigh their hauls. While most of Plunger’s Trove has dubiously safe architecture, the Moonpool is expertly crafted and keeps the worst wave conditions at bay. Compression Symbionts swim freely near the surface, allowing those who approach slowly to bond with them.

Rof Blibb, Crab Hunter [ Seaborne **** Goblin , he/him]

Difficulty: 14

Harty, Boisterous, Puerile

Experience: Athlete +2, Swimming +3, Tracking +1

Look: A green skinned goblin with a perpetual, leathery tan. Ever shirtless, with a tight swimmer’s build. He has one hand, and the other is fitted with a metal brace onto which a variety of crab hunting tools can be attached.

Motive: Hunt down Empress Crakshell, a particularly long-lived and vicious Immortal crab that took his hand. He wants to capture her live so he can take her claw and eat it in front of her, just as she did to him.

Geff Lysher, Divemaster [ Seaborne **** Fungril , he/they]

Difficulty: 12

Mischievous, knowledgeable, lucky

Experience: Ancient Knowledge +1, Feigned Competence +2, Keen Senses +1, Navigation +2, Swimming +3

Look: A wide set fungril with a morel-like head. Rarely seen without his desalination skin, begrudgingly putting a shirt over it only in formal settings.

Motive: Discovery. They’re one of the best Trove Divers in the community. He’s been tracking the final founder’s treasure since he arrived and thinks he getting close.

The Leviathan Presides (Rituals)

Naligros presides over criminal trials and civil disputes, as well as officiating weddings. Those found guilty of heinous crimes such as murder, or theft of a funerary cache are granted a choice of animal forms from which they will live out their remaining days in exile. Weddings, on the other hand, are a joyous community affair where the entire populace is lowered on colorful floats to the base of the sunken citadel. There, in a temple of the ancient ones, Naligros grants his blessing to those wishing to wed. A week of celebrations commences upon returning to the surface. Naligros is considered a fair and just judge and jury, though he is not without his biases. He will enact harsh punishments for those who violate the laws.

Funerary Caches (Rituals)

The founders of Plunger’s Trove enriched themselves, pulling up unreal hauls of treasure and selling them to whoever would buy them. Their children wanted for nothing. But as the community grew it forced the plungers to delve deeper and deeper to keep up with the population boom. It became clear that this way of life would soon disappear, birthing a peculiar funerary rite that embodies the spirit of adventure and exploration that the Plungers embrace. The deceased are affixed with weights and their three most precious possessions. Carried out in boats by family members in the dead of night, they’re sunk over the citadel. The items are marked with dates (50, 75, and 100 years) after death. Until those dates pass, looting or moving these treasures is strictly forbidden. Inheritance maps are treasured heirlooms, marking when and where discovered funerary caches lie, often leading to competitive races generations later.

The Golarza Merchant Flotilla

Mobile Market: The flotilla is always on the move, both for security and to avoid damning up the waters of commerce.

Anything You Need: The flotilla has been everywhere that touches the sea, and has extended its reach far beyond. If a buyer can imagine it, they can probably find it here… for a premium.

A flotilla of merchant ships lashed, strung, and built together to form a massive floating settlement the size of a small city. It might be one of the most well-defended ports in the region. Never staying in one place too long, the flotilla moves with the currents of commerce, taken wherever the winds of arbitrage direct them. Visitors be warned: come with a heavy purse or a hold fat with trade goods or be turned away from the docks. Flotilla ships, flying purple sails, often break off from the whole for smaller trade runs and can be encountered wherever there is something to trade.

Pirate’s Folly (Threat)

The merchant fleet has access to some of the most advanced and exotic weaponry in the region. Hull-shattering giga-canons and aether-rocket ballistas line the outer perimeter ships. Even if they were to be boarded, they have some of the finest mercenaries and tamed monsters at their disposal. It’s even rumored they keep a pod of trained marrowshank whales beneath the flotilla. The only pirates brave, or stupid, enough to attack the flotilla have been the Marrowshank Raiders, having recently sunk a Holdship. Omiriel is living and wants revenge for the gold lost and employees killed.

Grand Matierum (Market)

The central hub of the entire flotilla, and where the vast majority of the open trading is done. A massive barge onto which a cascading tower of markets and billowing cloth is built upon. Any item the Mortal Realm offers is more than likely to be here in one of the many merchant stalls. But that doesn’t mean it’s affordable. The further it’s traveled the more valuable it becomes. If there’s something more exotic or illicit that one desires, that can also be arranged for a price. Along with merchants, it’s easy enough to find work here–both mercenary and arbitrage, depending on one’s mettle and taste.

Golarza Cutter (Location)

The fastest ship on the Solsunk Sea rarely gets to display this fact. This nimble vessel is often situated next to the Grand Materium, as it is the seat of power for the family dynasty that has commanded this fleet for many generations. The captain, Omiriel, comes from a long line of fleet commanders. She was born to do this. Raised to be perfect at it. And she’ll keep the sails full as long as she draws breath. There’s no savvier merchant than Omiriel. Even devils envy her meticulous contract language.

Omiriel Golarza, Merchant Princess [ Seaborne **** Elf , she/her]

Difficulty: 11

Dazzling, proud, fair

Experience: Acrobat +2, Bureaucracy +1, Navigator +1, Shrewd Negotiator +4, Swimming +2

Look: Draped in loose-fitting layers of canary yellow and royal purple, Miriel dresses to impress but also for freedom of movement. Lousy with gold bangles, rings, ear and nose rings.

Motive: Find places with too much of one commodity and not enough of what they need to a reciprocal destination, thus perpetuating the flow of coin, commerce, and exchange.

Blisterstone Cove

Hot Rocks: The only above water source of Blisterstone, the unique heat-radiating rock that the ancient city is constructed from.

Scarred Hands: It’s easy to tell if someone grew up in Blisterstone Cove due to their scarred and calloused hands.

Built into the ruins of a former quarry that was situated on a mountaintop that’s now an unusually warm island. In ages past this was one of the sources of what the locals now call Blisterstone, which was used to construct all the buildings of the ancient city. The mine is operational again, though now it’s used primarily to make a blasting agent for explosives. The large community that sprung up around it is one of innovation, competitive sports, and using the blisterstone in a myriad of creative ways. Most striking is how they blend ancient architecture with their own.

Blisterstone (Feature)

A smooth red stone that radiates heat. When the raw ore is pulled out of the ground it requires specialized tools to handle, and can melt the skin right off the hands. It’s a versatile stone that can be made into explosives, concrete, and added to metal alloys which are shipped off to colder climes to make insulated armor. Trade ships from Blisterstone Cove are a popular target for pirates and are often in need of mercenary protection.

Blisterbath Springs (Location)

If it sounds unappealing, then the locals who named it did their job. It’s a three hour trek from the docks but everyone who makes the journey insists it’s worth it. Dense jungle and switchback trails give way to an incredible view of the ocean from a series of tiered hot springs, warmed by the blisterstone beneath them. A small wooden deck with seating has been constructed above the pools, that cascade down about 7 tiers before dropping off a sheer cliff. One of the most beautiful and remote parts of the island, it’s a well kept secret from tourists. The locals would prefer to keep it that way.

Blisterball (Game)

A local game created by bored children that became a fiercely competitive sport. It’s a mix between water polo and Tlachtli, played in artificial tide pools, where raw Blisterstone is dropped in the water and the two teams of four compete to get it through a tiny hoop. It’s brutal, leaves burn scars, and draws out the whole island to watch league games. Local families comprise some of the most successful teams but loose groups of independent players have formed their own teams, as well as a couple from other settlements. The biggest rivalry in the league is between the local favorites, the Exploders, and the Leviathan’s from Plunger’s Trove.

Factions

Marrowshank Raiders

Undiscovered Hideaway: No one knows where they make port or unload their hauls.

Whale Tamers: Few encounter a wild marrowshank and live to tell about it. But these raiders have somehow learned to tame them.

The most feared pirate clan to terrorize these seas in some time, for good reason. Unlike most pirates in the Solsunk Sea, these attack from beneath the waves. Their bullet-shaped, hermetically sealed vessels are each pulled by a tamed marrowshank whale and launched into ship hulls at high speeds from below. They take what they can and disappear just as quickly as they appeared, making off with their ill-gotten gains and absconding to a place no authority has managed to locate.

Marrowfall’s Crown (Location)

A couple of miles off the cliffs of a craggy and cave-filled island is a strange geological formation. It would have been a plateau impossibly taller than it was wide, crowned by six pointed spires that now just poke out of the sea in the current age. No one knows why the marrowshank whales will travel hundreds of miles when their time is at an end, or if they are mortally wounded, to die above the crown. Their lifeless bodies fall atop this naturally formed altar, where they are summarily devoured by crustaceans and fish. Their bones eventually slide off the edges and into the depths. The Crown is considered a cursed place that most sailors avoid, making the nearby island’s network of caves an ideal hideaway for the raiders.

Pirate Pod (Feature)

It’s no easy task to tame a marrowshank whale, but these raiders discovered a unique method that remains a closely guarded secret. The whalefalls on the crown are more than just a feast for wildlife. They give the raiders an opportunity to harvest ambergris from the dead whales, which they use to create a salve that makes them smell like marrowshank calves. The whales form a protective bond with the pirates, adopting them as their own children. Once bonded it’s an easy enough process to train them but both sides of this relationship consider the other family. Once boarded, most crews will abandon their arms for fear of the marrowshank’s retribution if any raider should die.

Shankbreacher Pod (Technology)

Nothing fills a local sailor with more dread than the screaming breach of a marrowshank whale. Other than the snapping sound of their keel being penetrated by the shankbreachers. Relatively small, shaped like a barbed bullet, and are affixed with large, retractable blades made from marrowshank bones. These pods are designed to pierce and lodge themselves in a ship’s hull. From there a hatch opens, out of which the pirates emerge and attack… can hold six to twelve raiders, with a small area for loot. Each is pulled along by a marrowshank whale, and launched into the bottom of ships at high speeds as the marrowshank whale breaches next to it. The Raiders have little use for prisoners and only kill who they need to. Survivors of these attacks are found floating on the wreckage, clinging to the few valuables that were left behind.

Principles

The Marrowshank Raiders are not a particularly principled lot, but they are practical. And they share a special bond with the marrowshank whales, tamed or wild.

Be mindful of weight and develop an eye for value. You only have so much space in a shankbreacher.
Harm no whale. Slay those that do. Give deference to wild pod crossings.
Just as the Raiders seek a life of freedom, they will keep no whale that yearns to join a pod with their kin.

NPCs

Sarna Hozzat, Whale Surfer [ Seaborne **** Human , she/her]

Difficulty: 14

Thrill-seeking, insensate, fearsome

Experience: Ambusher +2, Bandit +2, Intrusion +2, Navigation +2, Swimming +3

Look: Adorned in hydrodynamic crab shell armor, with a marrowshank bone trident and bladed net.

Motive: Strike fear into the hearts of her enemies. Instead of riding in a shankbreacher, she prefers to ride the whale itself. Leaping off its back when it breaches, and onto the decks of ships to terrify the crew.

Vigo Xis, Reluctant Monarch [ Seaborne **** Inferis , they/them]

Difficulty: 12

Weary, organized, practical

Experience: Bandit +3, Commander +2, Feigned Competence +2, Quartermaster +1, Swimming +3

Look: Skin of an orangish umber with thick curling horns crowning their head. Pretends to not care about their clothing, but has an effortless sense of style.

Motive: Keep this rowdy crew together, profitable, and paid on time. Vigo didn’t intend to be crowned monarch of the raiders but takes their responsibility very seriously… even if they desperately need a break.

Story Hooks

Vigo is looking for a worthy successor, but none of their ideal candidates want the responsibility.
The marrowshank whales used by the Golarza flotilla yearn for freedom and must be set loose.
Privateers have discovered the location of the raider’s hideaway and are planning an assault. Both sides are seeking outside assistance.

Deep Seekers

Frequently Found: All over, but primarily Plunger’s Trove

Unearth, Uncover, Understand: They seek to unlock the secrets of the ancient city, with a focus on discovering the source of its calamity.

A group of explorers, thrill seekers, scholars, and cartographers unified under a singular banner of truth. They seek to understand the tragedy that befell this city-continent in order to protect their home from enduring a similar fate. This puts them in direct opposition to the dragon Naligros, who would see the secrets of the ancient city stay that way. They see him as patronizing and untrustworthy. Why would such a creature that purports to protect them bar them from the very knowledge that would accomplish that goal? They can be found all over the region but congregate most commonly in Plunger’s Trove where their headquarters is stationed.

Fearless Explorers (Feature)

There is no better guide to the ocean’s depths than a Seeker. They are well-funded, have access to topography maps, have knowledge of fast moving water columns and current charts for quick underwater traversal. Their Cog-Smiths are even attempting to build a submersible capable of diving into the deepest trenches but all attempts have met with crushing failure. However, setbacks only serve to galvanize them and failure is a necessary step towards success. “You ever ride the back of a gapeshark to an underwater door taller than a giant? No? Would you like to?”

Compression Symbionts (Creature/Feature)

Originally all exploration done was with a combination of magic and diving bells. But the discovery of a sealed chamber full of strange eggs changed everything. They hatched into a mucilaginous, tentacled arthropod that exists in symbiosis with surface dwellers. It painlessly affixes to the wearer’s spine, extending a transparent membrane over the eyes. Its fleshly limbs whip under the user, spreading like an insulated pressure suit over the entire body. Lastly, its long mouth curls around, extending down the user’s throat, expelling an oxygen-rich fluid into the lungs that allows them to breathe underwater and the creature to feed off of carbon dioxide. When bonded underwater the wearer can move at full speed, withstand intense pressure, has advantage on reaction rolls, and can breathe comfortably for 8 hours. These friendly arthropods have spread all over the region and can be found, most commonly, congregating around settlements.

Spirepoint Lodge (Location)

A kitschy mix of tavern, museum, and headquarters. Treasures from the deep are displayed proudly on every surface, and sections of the tavern with dedicated theming. It’s here that the Deep Seekers gather, trade intel, and drink off the “sinking feeling.” Colm Rulligan, the founder’s grandson and current leader of the group, is most commonly found here swapping stories and keeping an ear out for rumors. Looking over the map of the undersea travel network will make anyone’s head spin. It connects nearly the entire sea.

Principles

The Deep Seekers hold truth as a paramount virtue, knowing that only by uncovering the secrets of the past can we prevent repeated tragedies in the future.

Hide no knowledge, especially from fellow seekers. Shared knowledge empowers the greater whole.
Seek the Forbidden. There are those that would prevent this knowledge from being unearthed. Secret keepers cannot be trusted.
History is a treasure far more valuable than gold.

NPCs

Colm Rulligan, Consummate Explorer [ Seaborne **** Galapa , he/him]

Difficulty: 15

Intense, tenacious, fearless

Experience: Ancient Knowledge +3, Intrusion +2, Navigation +1, Swimming +2

Look: A spiny shell painted with colorful patterns and a shark beak pierced with several rings. Mottled reddish brown skin covered in naval tattoos.

Motive: Find out what happened below so he can prevent it from ever happening again.

Ikthan Xobo, Star Scholar [ Wanderborne **** Ribbet , they/she]

Difficulty: 13

Crackpot, conspiratorial, zealous

Experience: Ancient Knowledge +2, Swimming +3

Look: A perpetually damp scholar who never seems to have an outfit that doesn’t clash with itself.

Motive: Discover the fate of the ancient race that disappeared entirely from the city below.

Story Hooks

An ancient sealed library has been discovered, but the Seekers research team never reported back. They need some muscle to escort their investigator to determine what happened.
Naligros has barred entry to a portion of the city and all attempts to circumnavigate him have all failed.
A group of pirates made off with an ancient gold tablet, which held the first written record of the city discovered by the Seekers. The Seekerswant it back… and some want revenge.

Resources

	MOMENTS OF HOPE		MOMENTS OF FEAR
1	A message in a bottle suggests a bittersweet tale of lost love.	1	Storm clouds on the horizon portent a terrible storm.
2	A survivor of a shipwreck excitedly waves you down.	2	Your fishing line snaps and your catch escapes.
3	Dolphins ride the wake of your ship.	3	A dead body splayed out, the word mutineer carved into its skin.
4	Bioluminescent plankton illuminates the shore with every wave.	4	Shark fins circle in the water at dusk.
5	A sunrise over a cloudless sky.	5	The moaning cry of a marrowshank whale breach.
6	A tailwind fills your sails, speeding you along.	6	A leak in the lower decks threatens to sink your ship.
7	A huge haul of fish in your net.	7	A great shadow passes under you in the water, too deep to make out what it is.
8	A barrel of vintage wine floats by in the ocean.	8	Skeletons in gibbets hang off a rocky shoal.
9	A local fisher gives you a recipe for his homemade fish sauce.	9	A dead ship full of blighted corpses with sea birds circling ominously overhead.
10	Spinner dolphins leap out of the sea, twisting in the air before splashing back into the water.	10	Ghostly pirates dig up a spectral treasure on the beach.
11	A merchant ship arrives to lend you some much needed assistance.	11	A massive wave knocks you off your feet.
12	A sea shanty sung with friends lifts your spirit.	12	A colossal sea serpent is torn apart and dashed against the shore. But by what?

Rumours

Something deep in the sunken city calls out to passing sailors, but the dragon Naligros has warned against curiosity.
The forbiddance on the Founder’s Cache of Plunger’s Trove is set to expire any day now. The race to find it will be intense.
A Plunger claims to have discovered a sealed library deep in the sunken city, and seeks the means to open it.
A newly formed island settlement, positioned midway along a popular trade route, has been mysteriously abandoned. Reports of strange plants and animals appearing is cause for concern.
A wealthy noble gave up his life of luxury for one of piracy and adventure, and seeks to commandeer a vessel… by killing the crew and taking it by force.
Merfolk, not traditionally found in these waters, have been spotted migrating towards Plunger’s Trove for reasons unknown.

Equipment

Clamshucker Axe - Strength Melee - d10+4 (phy) - One-Handed

Feature: Shuck Armor (Mark stress to permanently reduce target’s damage thresholds by 1 before striking.)

Primary Weapon - Tier 3

Leviathan Scale Shield - Finesse Melee - d4+4 (phy) - One-Handed

Feature: Bladed Scale (When you use at least 3 armor slots to reduce damage of an incoming melee attack, also deal 1 hit point to the attacker.)

Secondary Weapon - Tier 3

Immortal Carapace - Base Score: 8

Feature: Chitinous Regeneration (Mark a Stress to repair 1 armor slot.)

Armor - Tier 3

Items

Desalination Skin

Made of a unique composite of ground up immortal crab shell and kelp that’s treated with a variety of rare fish and whale oils. The result is a skin tight, flexible suit that filters salt water and automatically hydrates the wearer. By spending one hour immersed in salt water the wearer gets a day’s worth of hydration and has no need to drink water.

Navigator’s Wheel

An enchanted ship wheel that gets the navigator where they need to go, storms be damned. When attached to a water vessel, this wheel allows for unerring navigation, despite rough waters or storm conditions. It grants the user +3 Navigation and advantage on all rolls to maintain a steady heading.

Consumables

Bottleship

Crack in case of emergency! An enchanted ship in a glass bottle often kept as a failsafe for pirates and merchants alike. When broken, the small frigate inside grows to normal size and can hold 20 people. It always has a tail wind and lasts for 48 hours before dissolving into sea foam.

Pirate’s Friend

Enchanted maps that guarantee paydirt! Appearing normally as a blank piece of leathery parchment. When unfurled, on an island at sunrise or sunset, a map with a marked X will appear on the vellum. Choose one of the following results below or roll a d20 to determine it randomly. Once the map is revealed it slowly burns to ash within 5 minutes.

1-2: A chest containing 5 handfuls of gold and gems.
3-4: A small box containing a skeleton key
5-6: A skeleton crew guarding a mysterious idol that holds an Arcane Prism
7-8: A corpse holding an ornately crafted casting sword
9-10: An IOU from one long-dead pirate to another.
11-12: An otherwise empty chest filled with dried blood and scratch marks that spell out the word “friends” over and over and over again.
13-14: An entire ship, intact in the middle of the jungle. The ship is filled with unstable explosives that could go off at the slightest disturbance.
15-16: A cave full of macabre symbols and runes written in an indecipherable script. Pictograms depict the moon falling from the sky over the northern seas.
17-18: The hat and coat of a notorious pirate queen of ages past. Worth something to the right buyer.
19-20: A chest containing 20 polished skulls with the words mutineer carved into each one.

Sailor’s Sanctuary

A fist sized golden anchor and foot long chain that, when flung from a ship creates a close range circle of perfectly calm, flat water and warm sunny skies around the ship. While within the circle, the ship is unable to move or reposition in any way and must remain anchored for at least 24 hours. The effect lasts up to 72 hours but may end earlier if the anchor is pulled up.

Adversaries

Immortal Crab

Description: A massive crab with incredible regenerative abilities.

Motives & Tactics: Sunder, Shuck, Devour

Tier: 3

Type: Bruiser

Difficulty: 14

Attack Modifier: +3

Pinch: Melee | 2d12+12 phy

Major 22 | Severe 35

HP: 6

Stress: 4

Experience

Strong +2

Features

Effectively Immortal - Passive

Whenever the Immortal Crab loses an HP, one of its limbs is severed. When it reaches 2 HP it can no longer attack or use Claw features. When it reaches 1 HP it can no longer move. If the crab is unprocessed for 1 hour after reaching 0 Hit Points, it will completely regenerate itself. If a severed limb is unprocessed for 1 hour it will begin to regrow an entire Immortal Crab over the course of the next 8 hours.

Sundering Claw - Action

Mark a Stress and make a Pinch attack. On a success, it also reduces the target’s Evasion by -1 until their next short rest.

Shucking Claw - Action

Spend a Fear and make a Pinch attack. On a success, it also reduces the target’s armor score by -3 until their next short rest.

Stormshear Albatross

Description: With a 20 foot wingspan, these creatures look like a cross between a crane and a giant falcon, with glimmering cerulean feathers that crackle with electricity.

Motives & Tactics: Divebomb, Snatch, Obliterate

Tier: 3

Type: Skulk

Difficulty: 15

Attack Modifier: +2

Arctalon: Melee | 4d6+5 phy

Major 16 | Severe 26

HP: 5

Stress: 6

Experience

Aerial Predator +3

Features

Airborne - Passive

Stormshear albatross live their entire lives in the sky, laying their eggs in portable nests of coiled lighting that they carry with them until the eggs hatch. Even in combat they will rarely touch the ground, hovering slightly above it. If the albatross is unable to fly it is considered Vulnerable.

Ride The Lightning - Action

Mark a Stress to catch a lightning bolt from a nearby stormcloud in this creature’s talons. If you make a successful Arctalon attack, you may expend the lightning bolt to deal an additional 2d10+5 damage.

Divebomb - Action

When Far above a target, spend a Fear to rapidly descend onto them. On a successful attack, deal them 2d8+20 phy damage. If the albatross is carrying a lightning bolt, you may expend it to also use the attack roll against all enemies within close range of the target. Any you’re successful against take 2d10+5 magic damage. Any flammable objects within close range of the target are lit on fire.

Discharge - Action

While holding a lightning bolt, mark a Stress to use it as an explosive discharge. Enemies in very close range of this creature must make an Agility Reaction Roll (15) or take 2d10+5 magic damage. The albatross may immediately move straight in any direction up to Very Far range.

Solsunk Siren

Description: The sirens of the Solsunk Sea fill the ocean air with a beautiful and mournful song. These deadly creatures resemble both human and fish, and will consume any creature that falls under their spell.

Motives & Tactics: Lure, Paralyse, Eviscerate

Tier: 3

Type: Solo

Difficulty: 16

Attack Modifier: +6

Trash Fling: Far | 2d12+15 phy

Major 27 | Severe 42

HP: 6

Stress: 9

Experience

Vortex +5

Features

Aquatic Creature - Passive

Sirens can breathe and move as easily in water as on land. They have been known to use this ability to drown their land-dwelling adversaries, holding them beneath the waves until they run out of air and drown.

Siren Song - Action

When you take this action, describe the strange song they sing. Any target within Far Range that can hear it must place a token on the action tracker and move within very close range of the Siren.

Rend the Flesh - Action

Mark a Stress to lash out and attack all targets in Very Close range at advantage. Any you are successful against take 2d12+12 phy damage and are Vulnerable until they heal at least one Hit Point.

Drown - Action

While in water, choose a target within Very Close range who is Vulnerable. Make an attack roll against them, and on a success, they are Drowning. While Drowning, for every token placed on the action tracker, the target must mark a Stress. Dealing Severe Damage to the Siren, or defeating them, will end the Drowning condition.

The Eye of the Beholder - Reaction

When a Siren is attacked, they can mark a Stress to take on the appearance of the person the attacker most loves. This immediately deals the attacker a Stress and they must make an Instinct Reaction Roll (16). On a failure, while the Siren holds this form, any additional attacks they make against them are at disadvantage.

Environments

Coming soon!

A vast expanse of open water where ancient secrets lie in wait in the fathomless depths.