TEXT: G3
  NEW DIMENSION
  GAMES
  Official Game Gazetteer
  100
  BY: MATT DEMILLE
  OF THE
  TM
  SEVEN SEAS
  
  For  James  deMille,
       for  a  love  of  ships . . .
  Credits
  Designer:  Matthew  deMille
  Cover:  Louis-Philippe  Crépin  (historical  picture)
  Editing,  Graphic  Design,  Typography:  Matthew  deMille
  Producer:  James  deMille
  This  work  is  protected  under  the  copyright  laws  of  the  United  States  of  America  COPYRIGHT  2007
  
  ENHANCING   AN   ADVENTURE
  2
  Ahoy,  matey!  Ever  be  ya  wonderin’ where  else  this
  ‘ere  game  will  take  ta,  what  else  there  be  besides
  battles  an’ runnin’ inta  legen’ary  captains  or  fightin’
  evil  curses?  Or  may  ya  be  a  thinkin’ that  the
  financeers  o’ these ‘ere  books  not  be  interested  in
  the  new  world  they  speak  so  oft  about?  Well,  then
  ya  need  ta  dare  ta  navigate  through  the  reefs  o’
  these ‘ere  pages,  fer  there  be  adventures  the  likes
  o’ which  ain’t  not  been  found  before.  Grab  a  pistol
  an’ load  it  with  some  dice  matey,  and  sail  on!
  PRONOUN  NOTE:  The  male  pronouns  (‘he’,
  ‘him’,  ‘his’)  are  used  throughout  this  ‘ere  book.
  Though  women  may  be  bad  luck  at  sea,  they’re
  right  fine  for  this  ‘ere  game,  and  we’re  not  be
  tryin’  to  exclude  ‘em,  nor  even  imply  their
  exclusion.  Centuries  of  use  have  made  these  ‘ere
  pronouns  neutral,  and  they’re  use  provides  for  clear
  and  concise  written  next—nothing  else  does.
  ABOUT  THIS  BOOK:  What  is  in  this  book?
  Indeed,  just  what  is  an  adventure  gazetteer?  The
  pre-made  Adventures  can  be  enhanced  in  many
  ways,  and  so  different  gazetteers  serve  different
  functions.  This  particular  booklet  provides  the
  Game  Captain  with  raw  material  that  he  may  use
  at  his  discretion.
  What  is  in  this  book:  Within  these  pages  are  100
  open-ended  Encounters  that  can  be  inserted  into
  any  ongoing  adventure  or  even  used  as  the  basis
  for  an  adventure  of  their  own.  These  Encounters
  are  organized  into  seven  Chapters,  titled  according
  to  where  their  specific  Encounters  will  add  to  the
  game.  Altogether,  this  booklet  is  a  guidebook  for
  the  Game  Captain  as  to  all  the  different  kinds  of
  adventure  that  is  to  be  found  throughout  this  game.
  Using  this  book:  Though  at  first  glance  this
  booklet  may  appear  simplistic  in  design,  there  is,
  just  as  with  running  any  adventure,  a  technique  to
  employing  this  material.  First  and  foremost,  it  is
  necessary  to  recognize  that  this  booklet  is  ‘reserve
  material’,  a  supplement  and  not  a  requirement.  This
  booklet  should  be  used  at  option,  not  out  of  any
  imagined  need.  You  have  here  a  treasure  trove  of
  adventure  material,  but  spend  it  wisely.
  The  Encounters  provided  throughout  these
  pages  serve  three  purposes.  Most  obviously  they
  are  quite  handy  at  adding  a  challenge  to  the
  adventure  or  allowing  the  Game  Captain  to
  compensate  for  the  Characters  drifting  off  course  in
  an  unexpected  direction,  providing  a  ready-made
  Encounter  with  thought  and  depth,  rather  than  just
  making  up  a  few  clumsy  statistics  on  the  spot  (and
  ‘the  spot’  is  ever  a  bad  omen  for  pirates).
  However,  these  Encounters  are  even  more  effective
  when  they  are  carefully  placed  ahead  of  time.  A
  good  Game  Captain  will  forecast  how  a  particular
  Encounter  can  help  take  his  game  to  the  horizons
  he  wants,  or  present  the  proportional  challenge  he
  wants,  and  he’ll  chart  his  course  more  strategically.
  In  addition,  these  Encounters  can  sometimes
  serve  as  the  genesis  for  a  completely  new
  adventure,  albeit  usually  a  shorter  one  than  most
  others.  For  while  not  having  been  designed  to  start
  any  journey,  the  open-ended  nature  of  these
  challenges  is  inviting,  and  a  Game  Captain  may  be
  inclined  to  use  them  as  an  intended  ‘short’
  adventure,  seldom  realizing  how  easily  their
  ramifications  can  lead  in  unexpected  directions  if
  there  is  not  a  greater  adventure  already  underway
  to  occupy  the  Characters’ minds.  If  an  Encounter
  indeed  snowballs,  that  is  fine,  these  Encounters  just
  building  upon  themselves,  leading  from  one  thing
  to  the  next.  While  this  may  not  allow  for  the  most
  structured  storyline  nor  the  fairest  prepared  overall
  challenge,  it  can  certainly  be  entertaining,  though  it
  should  not  last  long,  as  a  well  thought-through
  scenario  is  always  more  rewarding  in  the  long-run.
  Finally,  these  Encounters  provide  a  good
  model  for  how  to  create  more  Encounters.  They
  have  been  carefully  selected  and  designed  within
  this  booklet  to  fit  the  proportions  of  both  the
  frequency  of  Encounters  in  their  respective  areas
  and  the  diversity  amongst  such  challenges.  Indeed,
  they  show  how  to  take  the  normal  rules  and  more
  colorfully  present  them,  how  little  or  how  much  to
  flesh  out  certain  challenges,  and  how  much
  preparation  is  good  for  any  Encounter  of  its  kind.
  Note  that  no  matter  how  an  Encounter  is  used,
  it  can  only  be  used  once.  Mark  off  an  Encounter
  once  it  has  been  played.
  
  ENHANCING   AN   ADVENTURE
  3
  Adventures
  Used
  Encounter
  1) Beer me!
  2) Barrels of bloodsand
  3) A rich ghost
  4) The Jamaica Inn
  5) Auction
  6) Trap to Impress
  7) The Bloodwolf
  8) The Sandy Scupper
  9) Bad to worse
  10) The Portsmouth Adventure
  11) The Devil’s Locker
  12) The Swallow
  13) Vittles in the dark
  14) The treasure-box
  15) Garrote’s house
  16) Body in a kennel
  17) Urgent need
  18) Chaotic wharf
  19) A need for stiff drinks
  20) Uncle Sam
  21) Secret mission
  22) The lady in blue
  23) Twentyguns
  24) Board? Games?
  25) The Riddling Caves
  26) The legacy of Dusägge
  27) The Amity
  28) Rape
  29) Chow time
  30) Jean Paul’s Maps
  31) Deal with a devil
  32) Pleasure by the pound
  33) Madman’s trap
  34) The Devil’s Cutlass
  35) The Beckford Galley
  36) Floggings, flaggings and hangings
  37) Morgan’s Revenge
  38) Haunted wharf
  39) Bewildering streets
  40) The Byzantine Taverne
  41) Vordin
  42) Silly Spaniard
  43) Monty’s Anchorage
  44) “Curse my wife!”
  45) Temple entrance
  46) Counting room
  47) Ceremonial pool
  48) Bedchamber
  49) Mob of guards
  50) Flotsam
  Adventures
  Used
  Encounter
  51) The Star of India
  52) The Dorrill
  53) Captured!
  54) The headless ghost
  55) Thieves
  56) Karoosh
  57) The Hanging Man
  58) The legends of Alice
  59) The curse of Kasumigarra
  60) New law
  61) Fire!
  62) Need’n someone ‘n need?
  63) The Pirate Ninja
  64) Bad business
  65) The mask of Miori
  66) The H.M.S. Friday
  67) Haunted cabin
  68) The Runners
  69) Mysterious depths
  70) Captain Dronnett
  71) Sea of stone
  72) Dangerous river
  73) Prison of shadows
  74) Captains contest
  75) Pirate opera
  76) Thorn in your side
  77) Church at the edge of the map
  78) Taverne brawl
  79) The Friendly Pub
  80) Shallow river
  81) Heat stroke
  82) Cliff
  83) Cave of mysteries
  84) Buried . . . boxes
  85) Goliath’s Fist
  86) An airy dance into Hell
  87) Lucifer’s Gale
  88) Tale of a pirate
  89) The embrace of LaVey
  90) New World Taverne
  91) The Fairbanks
  92) Coconut grenades
  93) Old longboat
  94) Ring of sharks
  95) Mock trial
  96) The tale of Admiral Grajales
  97) The krakken
  98) Master Crowe
  99) South seas storm
  100) The Flying Dutchman
  
  VOYAGES   OF   THE   ATLANTIC
  4
  Avast  there!  You  be  seekin’ adventure  in  the  wider
  world,  the  New  World,  the  lands  o’ legend?  Then
  ye’d  best  be  ready  ta  sail  the  breadth  o’ the  sea,
  says  I.  The  Lady  Atlantic  be  waitin’ ta  embrace  ya
  an’ set  ye  ashore  only  when  she  be  done  with  yer
  wind-frozen  skin  an’ drank  her  fill  o’ yer  hopes  an’
  dreams  o’ what  ya  thought  really  was  out  there . . .
  DOCKS   OF  THE   OLD   WORLD:   Nearly  all
  docks  in  the  world  are  extensions  of  those  which
  begin  in  Europe—or  so  they  say.  Still,  for  those
  pirates  still  languishing  on  the  wharfs  and  in  the
  salty  taverns  of  England,  Ireland,  France  or  other
  homelands,  doing  naught  but  drinking  cheap  beer
  or  some  other  swill,  there’s  plenty  of  far  fouler
  (and  cheaper)  drinks,  like  one’s  own  blood,  if  he
  has  a  mind  to  seek  trouble  or  ignore  the  call  of  a
  siren  urging  him  out  to  sea . . .
  1)  Beer  me!
  At  the  end  of  the  wharf,  partially  hidden  by  the
  dense  trees,  there  is  the  ‘Rusty  Anchor  Taverne’.
  Half  its  foundation  has  tumbled  into  the  sea  and
  been  buttressed  since  by  mismatched  pilings.  The
  signpost  is  a  large  sweep-oar  stuck  into  the  wall.
  Inside,  the  chairs  are  made  from  old,  weathered
  barrels  cut  in  half.  Every  vermin  on  two  legs  or
  one  that  wanders  the  wharf  eventually  finds  his
  way  here.  Tonight,  the  tune  of  ‘Fisher’s  Horpipe’
  creates  a  jolly  atmosphere  that  calls  to  the  sailor
  in  everyone.
  Anyone  who  spends  any  amount  of  time  here
  will  be  approached  by  a  bald  man  who  holds  up  a
  barnacle-encrusted  bottle  to  his  face,  and  then  says
  “Beer  me!”  It’s  a  challenge  to  a  drinking  contest,
  one  swig  each  from  the  bottle’s  filth  until  someone
  falls  unconscious.  Every  swig  calls  for  a  normal
  Endurance  Check  (the  bald  man  has  a  ‘9’).
  2)  Barrels  of  bloodsand
  A  mad  sailor  on  the  wharf  is  buying  barrels.  But
  the  quickest  glance  reveals  them  to  be  filled  with
  red  sand—stained  from  ship’s  surgeons  using  it
  to  keep  the  decks  from  getting  too  slippery.  This
  lunatic  seems  to  be  collecting  it,  at  high  prices!
  The  sand’s  use  is  a  common  enough  practice
  that  every  ship  has  it  aboard.  However  many  men
  a  vessel  lost  on  its  last  voyage  is  the  chance  in  12
  of  having  one  such  barrel  that  needs  ‘changing’  to
  fresh  sand.  For  example,  18  deaths  would  assure  a
  single  barrel,  and  have  a  6  in  12  chance  of  having
  a  second.  Each  barrel  can  be  sold  for  40  gold.
  3)  A  rich  ghost
  A  crowd  has  gathered  to  watch  a  hanging.  The
  pirate  has  dressed  his  best  for  his  marriage  with
  Death  at  Execution  Dock;  He  wears  nothing  but
  the  most  elegant  and  fancy  clothes,  including  a
  velvet  doublet  with  gold  buttons  and  gold  lace,
  breeches  of  crimson  taffeta,  a  red  feather  in  his
  hat,  and  a  diamond  cross  hanging  from  his  neck.
  He  smiles—at  you—then  takes  a  short  drop  and
  a  sudden  stop.  The  crowd  disperses  in  silence.
  The  rich  pirate  will  be  buried  in  full  dress.  If
  followed  without  being  detected,  the  party  can  find
  his  grave  easily,  and  if  dug  up,  collect  the  1300  of
  total  gold  value  from  his  jewelry  and  cloth.  But  if
  they  are  detected,  the  guards  will  feign  ignorance,
  and  then  set  an  ambush  at  the  grave  site,  the  new
  guard  count  equaling  the  party’s  numbers  plus  2.
  4)  The  Jamaica  Inn*
  This  Encounter  should  be  run  after  the  year  1750,
  when  the  taverne  was  built.
  In  the  misty  English  moors  of  Cornwall,  nestled
  amongst  dead  trees,  there  stands  ‘Jamaica  Inn’,  a
  ‘coaching  inn’  for  travelers  crossing  the  wild  and
  treacherous  countryside.  It  is  also  a  well  known
  smuggler’s  hole.  As  you’re  quaffing  all  too  many
  rounds  of  ale  with  all  too  many  sailors  all  too
  ready  to  pick  your  pockets  when  you  fall  down,
  you  hear  a  blood-curdling  shriek!  Looking  about,
  the  bar  wench  is  staring  at  a  window.  Looking
  aback,  all  the  pirates  and  sailors  have  fled!
  The  bar  maid,  ‘Virginia’,  saw  her  ghost  in  the
  window.  She  feels  it’s  a  precognition  of  her  death,
  and  will  wish  to  voyage  with  the  party,  a  Piratess
  of  Level  0.  If  refused,  she  will  indeed  die,  and  her
  
  VOYAGES   OF   THE   ATLANTIC
  5
  ‘Skeleton’  will  climb  aboard  the  party’s  vessel  13
  days  after  leaving  England,  intangible  to  all  except
  those  who  were  in  the  Jamaica  Inn  that  night  nigh
  upon  a  fortnight  past.
  5)  Auction
  In  the  market  square  this  day  there  is  a  buzz  of
  activity,  the  people  crowding  around  an  auction
  like  bees  at  a  hive.  Before  you  can  make  your
  way  through  the  crowd,  the  sale  begins,  but  you
  can  hear  the  auctioneer  well  enough.  He  says  the
  lock  on  the  chest  is  rusted  through,  unopened  for
  the  last  sixty-five  and  one  hundred  years.  “Who
  knows  what’s  inside?”  he  teases.
  The  bidding  will  only  be  honored  by  coins  of
  whatever  kingdom  that  this  auction  is  being  held
  in.  The  crowd  will  bid  as  high  as  165,  superstition
  preventing  them  from  going  any  higher  than  the
  chest’s  count  of  years,  indeed  fearing  to  slight  fate.
  If  you  have  the  voice  to  endure  it,  role-playing  the
  raising  bids  will  almost  certainly  entice  the  Players
  to  bid  ever  higher.  However,  if  you  do  this,  the
  bids  will  jump  5  at  a  time,  not  1.
  The  lock  can  be  broken  easily  enough.  Inside
  the  chest  are  5  jars  of  what  looks  like  honey.  Yet
  each  label  is  different,  as  listed  on  Handout  1,  and
  each  concoction  holds  a  different  adventure  for  the
  on  who  drinks  it  all.  There  is  no  telling  what  any
  potion  will,  unless  a  Religion  Skill  Check  is  made,
  one  Check  allowed  for  each  individual  potion.
  Nectar  of  Egypt’s  Sun  will  warm  someone  and
  heal  all  his  wounds,  making  him  invulnerable  for  a
  period  of  1-12  Rounds,  but  when  the  sun  rises  in
  the  morning,  all  wounds  suffered  during  the  potion-
  use  will  return  all  at  once,  as  a  single  wound!
  Gunpowder  Ale  requires  an  Endurance  Check
  to  drink  and  not  vomit  uncontrollably  for  1-6  days
  during  which  time  one  is  incapacitated,  but  when
  he  regains  his  strength,  he  will  also  gain  +1  to  his
  Brawn  Score  permanently  (to  a  maximum  of  10).
  The  Myrrh  of  Merlin  will  purify  an  individual
  of  all  exotic  effects,  spells,  curses  and  the  like,  but
  at  the  cost  of  both  ill  ones  and  beneficial  ones  all
  the  same,  including  the  effects  of  any  of  the  other
  potions  of  this  chest  which  one  may  have  at  this
  point  already  consumed.
  Lucifer’s  Rum  will  transform  one  to  the  Class
  of  Scourge  whether—Skills  will  remain  as  they  are,
  but  those  gained  from  this  point  on  will  follow  the
  ‘suggested’  Skills  of  the  individual’s  new  Class—if
  he  is  already  a  Scourge,  he  will  simply  gain  +1  to
  a  random  Ability  Score:  Roll  a  single  dice,  with
  the  result  of  ‘1’  being  Luck,  ‘8’  being  Brawn,  and
  ‘9-12’  being  the  Player’s  choice.
  Blood  of  Davey  Jones  is  simply  poison,  with  a
  level  of  4,  unless  it  is  consumed  while  under  the
  surface  of  the  sea—every  Round  one  can  hold  his
  breath  while  underwater  (sea)water  after  drinking  it
  is  the  total  chance  in  12  that,  instead  of  drowning
  (as  he  must  go  that  far),  that  he  gains  the  ability
  to  breathe  underwater  forever . . .
  6)  Trap  to  Impress
  This  Encounter  is  best  used  if  the  party  is  simply
  not  getting  out  of  the  taverne  and  on  to  the  story
  that  awaits  them  at  sea . . .
  The  innkeeper  gratefully  brings  a  large  tray  laden
  with  mugs  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  and  pitchers
  overflowing  with  many  different  drinks.  Setting  it
  down,  he  asks  “Me’sirs,  be  ye  a  wantin’ woodin’
  mugs,  or  them  fancy  glass-bottomed  ones?”  There
  is  a  gleam  in  his  eye  you  cannot  place.
  Once  a  choice  is  made,  the  innkeeper  will  add
  ‘the  trap’,  which  is  that  it  costs  only  1  gold  for  a
  drink  served  in  a  wooden  mug,  but  2  gold  for  one
  served  in  a  glass-bottomed  one.  He  will  be  more
  than  willing  to  let  someone  change  their  order.
  Once  everyone  has  their  drink,  have  them  each
  make  an  Intuition  Check  (this  roll  made  with  a  +4
  bonus  for  those  with  a  glass-bottomed  mug).  For  at
  the  bottom  of  each  mug  is  a  single  golden  coin.
  Wait  and  see  who  takes  it  and  who  doesn’t,  just
  like  the  press  gang  in  disguise  around  the  bar  are
  waiting . . . to  physically  take  one’s  coin  is  to  thus
  ‘accept’  the  payment  of  the  Impress  Service,  who
  by  law  can  now  force  that  individual  to  serve  on
  their  ship.  There  are  a  total  of  8  Sailors  serving  as
  muscle  and  3  Guards  of  the  town’s  government  to
  make  up  this  press  gang.  All  women,  as  well  as
  men  younger  than  18  or  older  than  55,  are  exempt
  from  this  policy.
  
  VOYAGES   OF   THE   ATLANTIC
  6
  SETTING   OUT   TO   SEA:   The  great  sea  that
  kept  the  New  World  hidden  for  centuries  now  lies
  just  over  the  horizon,  daring  every  sailor  to  travel
  it  and  every  pirate  to  risk  its  adventures.  The  vast
  expanse  of  this  ocean  is  often  underestimated,  save
  for  the  charts  and  cunning  of  the  more  experienced
  (and  lucky)  captains.  Oftentimes  voyages  are  blown
  way  off  course,  ending  up  in  places  most  aboard
  never  even  knew  existed.
  7)  The  Bloodwolf*
  This  Encounter  should  be  used  prior  to  the  year
  1715,  when  its  chief  character,  ‘Dolzell’,  is  caught
  and  executed  for  his  crimes  of  piracy.
  “Sail  ho!”  The  lookout’s  call  rouses  everyone  to
  the  deck,  and  they  flock  to  the  leeward  railing
  like  seagulls.  There,  a  few  miles  distant,  flies  the
  white  canvas  of  a  rather  large  vessel.
  The  ship  is  the  ‘Bloodwolf’,  a  Barque  flying
  the  pirate  flag  of  ‘Alexander  Dolzell.  A  seaman  by
  profession,  this  Scotsman  is  also  stubborn,  morose,
  and  of  the  most  ill  disposition  by  nature,  a  Pirate
  Captain  of  Experience  Level  5.  His  vessel  has  60
  1st Level  and  40  2nd Level  men  running  12  cannons.
  He  will  attack  any  ship  of  4  Value  or  less,  and  if
  attacked  in  turn  he  will  immediately  turn  and  fight.
  In  mass  melee,  he  will  fight  with  two  enormous
  wolfhounds  at  his  side.
  8)  The  Sandy  Scupper
  The  lookout  reports  a  sail  on  the  horizon.  As  the
  crew  gathers  amidships,  no  sign  of  any  vessel  is
  to  be  seen.  An  eerie  fog  has  rolled  in,  obscuring
  sight  beyond  the  length  of  your  own  ship  itself.
  All  goes  quiet . . . the  groaning  of  the  keel  under
  your  feet  is  like  a  coffin  lid  trying  to  be  forced
  up  by  some  loathsome  demon.  Suddenly,  a  rotten
  ship  rises  right  off  your  portside.  No  sound.  No
  disturbance  of  the  waves,  even.  It  is  as  if  you’re
  seeing  a  smooth  sinking  with  the  sands  of  time’s
  hourglass  somehow  flowing  in  reverse.  Indeed,  an
  hourglass  is  all  that  flies  from  the  ship’s  tattered
  black  ensign.  Seaweed  drips  from  the  rigging  and
  barnacles  are  encrusted  all  over,  high  and  low.
  This  ghost  ship  is  the  ‘Sandy  Scupper’,  and  it
  sails  in  different  realms  of  time  than  mortal  ships.
  Its  crew  will  eventually  appear—and  disappear,  as
  they  blink  in  and  out  like  will-o-wisps  on  a  moor,
  paying  no  heed  to  anyone  unless  boarded.  The  ship
  cannot  be  damaged,  but  it  will  not  attack,  either.
  Its  captain  will  offer  anyone  who  wishes  it  passage
  to  any  harbor  they  wish,  in  return  for  ‘service  for
  a  twelvemonth’.  Unfortunately,  all  those  who  accept
  will  vanish  with  the  ship,  taken  to  the  port  they
  named,  but  arriving  in  the  year  1660,  whether  this
  be  in  the  past,  present  or  future.  Their  service  is  a
  debt  of  life—one  year  to  the  day  from  the  time
  anyone  disembarks  the  Sandy  Scupper,  he  will  die,
  and  his  ghost  will  be  forced  to  join  its  crew,  there
  to  tell  them  all  he  knows  of  his  own  time,  thereily
  allowing  the  ghostly  captain,  ‘Khrona’,  to  navigate
  all  the  better  through  the  streams  of  time,  and  pick
  his  next  victims  more  accurately.  To  be  free  means
  to  destroy  this  ship,  but  to  do  that  one  must  first
  have  taken  passage  on  it,  then  find  it  again  before
  his  year  is  up,  able  to  be  aided  only  by  those  who
  are  also  cursed  by  this  sloop  and  so  fight  its  18
  Pirates  and  along  with  their  Pirate  Captain.
  9)  Bad  to  worse
  This  Encounter  is  best  used  when  the  party  needs
  a  specific,  small  item  to  complete  their  adventure
  or  mission . . . and  has  already  found  it.
  “Aaahhhhh!”  Everyone  looks  all  over.  Your  eyes
  happen  to  find  a  man  falling  from  the  rigging.  A
  single  heartbeat  is  enough  time  to  see  him  land
  on  the  railing  backwards,  bounce,  then  slide  over
  the  side  of  the  ship.  As  everyone  hurries  to  the
  railing,  you  see  the  body  floating  in  an  unnatural
  position,  the  waves  gently  caressing  it.
  One  NPC  crewman  was  lost  by  the  common
  seafaring  danger  of  falling.  However,  this  particular
  crewman  had  already  stolen  the  singlemost  valuable
  object  to  the  party’s  adventure.  This  can  be  seen
  with  an  Intuition  Check.  However,  3  sharks  have
  already  found  the  body  and  are  tearing  it  to  shreds
  of  skin  and  blood,  and  the  all-important  item  will
  soon  be  lost.  On  the  4th  Round,  one  of  the  sharks
  will  eat  the  body  part  with  the  pocket  holding  it.
  
  VOYAGES   OF   THE   ATLANTIC
  7
  10)  The  Portsmouth  Adventure
  She  can  be  seen  five  miles  off—a  frigate  which
  cuts  through  the  sea  like  the  knife  of  God.  She’s
  flying  American  colors  above  enough  canvas  to
  move  three  ships  her  size.  As  she  draws  closer,
  her  figurehead  becomes  visible,  a  clothed  rather
  than  nude  woman  defying  every  old  superstition,
  and  wielding  crossed  swords  as  if  she  alone  cuts
  the  waves  because  God  isn’t  fast  enough.
  The  ship  is  the  ‘Portsmouth  Adventure’  out  of
  Rhode  Island  in  the  Americas,  a  frigate  captained
  by  ‘Major  Alexander  Hutton’,  a  stern,  patriotic  man
  who  is  ruthless  but  also  a  smart  businessman.  The
  chances  that  he  attacks  the  party’s  vessel  depends
  on  the  flag  they  fly.  Use  the  following  chart.  This
  chance  is  reduced  for  every  ship  Value  they  have
  above  that  of  his  own  frigate’s  7.  For  example,  a
  Spanish  man-o-war  would  have  a  3  in  12  chance
  of  Hutton  being  brave  enough  to  attack  it.
  Chance   The   Portsmouth   Adventure   Attacks
  Chance
  Flag  of  the  party’s  ship
  0
  Any  American
  1
  Australia
  2
  Any  Oriental
  3
  Indian
  4
  Spain
  5
  France
  6
  Any  British
  7
  Any  Mediterranean
  8
  All  others
  Once  engaged  in  battle,  Hutton  will  fight  to
  the  bitter  end.  If  victorious,  any  survivor  enemies
  stand  the  same  chance  as  above  of  being  accepted
  into  Hutton’s  crew.  The  statistics  of  the  Portsmouth
  Adventure  are  provided  as  Handout  2.
  11)  The  Devil’s  Locker
  Rounding  the  headland,  you  suddenly  cross  the
  broadside  of  a  centuries-old  ship,  as  if  it’s  arisen
  from  the  depths  simply  to  attack  you.  Its  captain
  stands  boldly  on  the  rail  waving  a  flaming  sword
  at  you,  this  endemonized  one  setting  fire  to  his
  own  men  when  they  don’t  share  his  frenzy.
  The  ship  is  a  barque,  crewed  by  36  3rd Level
  men  (everyone  weaker  is  killed),  running  12  guns,
  and  captained  by  the  devil  himself,  so  his  crew  all
  believes.  They  keep  the  bones  of  all  their  victims,
  a  ruse  of  madness  to  hide  their  real  treasure  deep
  beneath  the  skeletons.  In  addition  to  whatever  else
  is  rolled  for  treasure,  a  Searching  Check  may  find
  a  chest  of  goldust  worth  1800  gold  hidden  in  the
  captain’s  cabin,  indeed  hidden  from  his  own  men.
  12)  The  Swallow
  The  dim  morning  light  reveals  a  thick  blanket  of
  fog  obscuring  all  sight  beyond  a  few  ship  lengths
  fore  and  aft.  Yet  there  is  no  mistaking  the  groan
  of  a  ship  pulling  at  the  wind,  not  far  ahead.  The
  vessel  soon  comes  into  view,  a  small  ship  simply
  crossing  your  course,  with  large,  pristine  white
  sails  and  few  crewmen  visible  on  deck.
  This  sloop,  ‘the  Swallow’,  is  coming  from  the
  isle  of  Jamaica  in  the  Caribbean,  bound  for  France
  but  actually  off  course,  heading  towards  England.
  She  has  only  15  1st Level  crew  and  6  cannons,  and
  no  treasure  except  a  hold  full  of  coconuts.  Once  a
  much  more  profitable  vessel  it  has  fallen  on  hard
  times,  and  traded  the  last  of  its  gold  for  new  sails.
  13)  Vittles  in  the  dark
  As  usual,  the  dank  world  below  decks  is  lost  in
  darkness  while  the  men  eat.  Not  a  single  lantern
  is  allowed,  lest  they  be  forced  to  look  upon  the
  black-headed  maggots  writhing  in  their  bread,  or
  whatever  worse  might  be  hiding  in  their  vittles.
  If  anyone  kindles  any  light,  he  will  see  a  man
  sitting  amongst  the  crew—his  flesh  half  rotten—and
  eating  off  the  crew  members  themselves!  This  long
  dead  man  once  crewed  this  ship,  and  his  ghost  is
  now  starving  for  eternity.  It  cannot  be  fought,  but
  unless  1  crew  member  is  sacrificed  to  it  every  1-6
  days,  the  ghost  will  spoil  100-1200  days  worth  of
  mortal  vittles  (food).
  
  CHANTEYS   OF   THE   AMERICAS
  8
  Welcome,  matey,  ta  the  New  World  Colonies.  The
  best  o’ home  an’ paradise  be  waitin’ here  fer  them
  what  turn  their  back  ta  their  king  an’ don’t  mind  a
  winter  or  two  fightin’ savages  as  well  as  storms.
  Here,  it  be  as  dangerous  on  land  as  on  the  sea . . .
  IN   THE   COLONIES:   The  Colonies  of  England
  and  Holland  line  the  coast  of  the  Americas,  and  a
  number  of  French  and  Spanish  settlements  survive
  in  the  southernmost  regions.  For  all  appearances,  it
  is  an  extension  of  Europe  to  be  in  any  such  port,
  though  the  underlying  knowledge  of  endless  riches
  waiting  to  be  had  stirs  up  conflict  and  rebellion  as
  easily  as  any  stray  spark  can  start  a  fire.  Visiting
  any  colony  is  akin  to  stepping  aboard  a  ship—one
  just  never  knows  if  adventure  will  seize  him.
  14)  The  treasure-box*
  This  Encounter  should  take  place  no  earlier  than
  the  year  1690.
  In  the  shadows  of  a  narrow  alleyway,  where  dim
  lanterns  hang  like  ghostly  skulls  marching  toward
  purgatory,  a  cloaked  man  bids  you  approach . . .
  The  man  needs  the  party’s  help  in  digging  up
  something  on  a  nearby  beach,  and  fighting  off  the
  thieves  he  knows  will  follow.  He  will  say  no  more
  at  this  time.  He  will  pay  10  gold  apiece  just  to  go
  and  500  more  apiece  if  they  help  him  bring  what
  they  find  to  New  York.  His  name  is  ‘Raspice’.
  At  the  beach  is  a  seachest  buried  4’ down.  It
  contains  logbooks—worthless  to  the  party—valuable
  to  certain  political  officials  in  New  York,  whom
  only  Raspice  knows.  The  books  are,  if  the  Players
  ask,  logbooks  linking  pirates  to  many  businessmen
  in  New  York,  buried  as  insurance  against  the  ever
  shortening  noose  of  the  Colonies.
  Once  the  treasure-box  has  been  removed  from
  its  hole,  6  Pirate  Crewmen  will  attack  the  party  on
  the  beach,  out  for  murder  and  to  reclaim  the  books
  for  themselves  and  their  own  benefactor.  Being  but
  hired  muscle,  they  will  flee  if  2  or  more  of  their
  numbers  are  taken  down,  whether  killed  or  merely
  knocked  unconscious.  However,  if  they  are  not  all
  killed  now,  they  will  retry  their  ambush  later,  for
  it  could  be  a  long  way  to  New  York . . .
  15)  Garrote’s  house
  Tucked  into  the  gloom  at  the  end  of  an  alleyway
  is  a  home,  with  a  leaky  cauldron  hanging  beside
  its  weathered,  wooden,  rusty,  iron-bound,  blood-
  stained  door.  Someone  is  there,  knocking  on  the
  door,  slowly,  methodically,  almost  like  one  would
  chop  wood.  It  is  soon  answered  by  an  old  man
  with  a  bent,  gnarly  neck  like  a  vulture,  his  voice
  quelching  like  he’s  being  throttled.  The  visitor
  collapses,  dead,  and  is  dragged  inside.  The  door
  creaks  closed,  followed  by  an  inhuman  grunt.
  The  old  man  in  the  house,  ‘Garrote’,  will  be
  quick  to  answer  his  door  if  anyone  knocks  slowly,
  but  he  will  not  let  anyone  in.  He  will  claim  that
  he  knows  everything  about  the  village,  but  will  try
  to  dismiss  questions  and  suspicions  alike  by  being
  deliberately  boring.  His  house  holds  the  meetings
  of  the  secret  society  of  the  ‘Skull  &  Bones’—they
  are  meeting  right  now—feigning  death  is  how  one
  gains  access,  so  those  in  the  party  who  are  visibly
  standing  now  will  never  be  admitted.  However,  if
  someone  can  gain  entrance,  he  may  learn  whatever
  valuable  information  your  current  adventure  needs.
  16)  Body  in  a  kennel
  You  pass  by  a  dead  man  rotting  in  a  kennel,  his
  skull  broken  open  as  if  he  died  in  a  fight  rather
  than  having  been  simply  tossed  in  amongst  the
  dogs,  as  is  common  practice.  Looking  closer,  he
  seems  to  have  been  bludgeoned  to  death,  and  his
  skull  is  now,  strangely,  being  used  as  a  piss-pot
  by  the  dogs,  perhaps  trying  to  disguise  a  smell
  far  more  foul  than  their  muddy  kennel—the  smell
  of  evil . . . dead  evil.
  To  enter  the  kennel  is  to  be  forced  to  fight
  the  4  dogs  in  it,  who  are  agitated  and  panicked  by
  the  evil  here.  If  set  free,  they  will  gladly  run  into
  the  streets  and  not  come  back,  but  then  the  party
  will  have  to  fight  instead  the  kennel’s  owner,  that
  of  an  Innkeeper  named  ‘Brutus’.  If  the  body  can
  be  successfully  searched,  the  party  will  be  able  to
  find  on  it  a  bewitched  ‘false  eye’  still  stuck  inside
  the  skull  (it  needs  cleaning  but  otherwise  its  magic
  works  just  fine).
  
  CHANTEYS   OF   THE   AMERICAS
  9
  17)  Urgent  need*
  This  Encounter  should  be  run  only  in  1775,  on  the
  morning  of  April  19th  if  you  have  a  care.
  You  see  a  horse  galloping  at  breakneck  speed  on
  the  road  ahead.  The  rider’s  cloak  billows  in  the
  fog  of  the  pale  dawn  like  a  ghost  escaping  some
  prison  of  the  netherworld.  As  it  draws  near,  the
  horse  collapses,  dead,  and  the  rider  takes  a  fall
  which  should  kill  him.  Man  or  ghost,  it’s  hard  to
  tell,  given  the  pallor  of  his  skin  and  the  way  he
  stands  back  up  as  if  pain  and  death  cannot  hold
  him  at  bay.  The  only  proof  of  his  mortality  is  a
  breath  of  cold  vapor  escaping  his  mouth  when  he
  speaks;  “Have  you  a  horse  for  sale?”
  The  young  man  is  named  ‘Israel  Bissell’,  and
  is  heading  south  to  spread  news  of  the  approaching
  British  invasion.  Gasping  for  breath,  the  answer  to
  whatever  questions  the  party  asks  will  be  “History
  will  immortalize  Paul’s  name  in  common  language
  of  deed,  but  I’ll  be  as  dead  as  my  first  horse!”  He
  indeed  needs  a  new  horse  and  will  pay  all  he  has
  on  him—250  gold—if  the  party  can  sell  him  one.
  If  asked  for  further  details,  he  will  explain  how  he
  has  ridden  faster  and  farther  than  his  fellow  man
  Paul  (Revere,  who  rode  last  night),  having  ridden
  (or  will  ride,  depending  on  just  where  this  takes
  place)  100  leagues  in  6  days  on  horseback  alone.
  18)  Chaotic  wharf
  This  night,  the  wharf  is  alive  with  such  activity
  such  as  only  a  dozen  ships  arriving  in  a  single
  day  can  unleash  upon  a  town.  The  sailors,  pirates
  and  other  vagabonds  are  drinking  and  roaring  at
  such  a  rate  that  people  are  shutting  themselves  in
  their  houses,  not  daring  to  venture  out  amongst
  so  many  madmen.  You  see  brawls  in  every  lane,
  bodies  in  every  trough  and  wagon,  and  animals
  hiding  in  every  alley.
  Unless  each  Character  makes  a  Stealth  Check,
  they  will  each  have  a  random  fate  when  they  try
  to  move  normally  through  this  drunken  crowd,  no
  matter  where  they  go—when  drunk,  pirates  are  all
  alike  in  their  devilry  and  debauchery.
  Drink   And   The   Devil
  Roll
  The  Character  encounters . . .
  10-12
  3  Whores  need  ‘rescuing’  by  being  taken
  to  his  ship  and  kept  there  for  safety
  8-9
  Pirate  attacks,  but  so  drunk  he  falls  with
  every  swing,  losing  every  other  Turn
  6-7
  Two  Priests  fighting  each  other  but  then
  unite  against  him  as  a  ‘heretic’  and  attack
  3-5
  A  Pirate  attacks,  mistaking  him  for  his
  long-lost  sibling  who  owes  him  3  gold
  2
  A  pet  crocodile  escapes  its  cage  and  runs
  right  into  him—it  is  very  hungry
  1
  A  drunk  lighting  a  powder  keg  beneath
  himself;  Agility  Check  or  suffer  explosion
  19)  A  need  for  stiff  drinks
  Finishing  up  your  meal,  the  bar  wench  leans  in
  close,  bosoms  heaving  and  glistening  beneath  her
  sweaty,  dripping  hair.  She  whispers  in  your  ear;
  “You’ve  been  poisoned.  Only  the  innkeeper  has
  the  antidote.  He  was  paid  off.  Better  settle  your
  bill  now,  plus  a  hundred  gold.  But . . . sleep  with
  me  and  take  me  with  you,  and  I’ll  pilfer  that  bit
  of  antidote  for  you”.  She  stands  up,  and  brushes
  back  her  raven  hair,  revealing  that  she  has  only
  one  eye . . . the  other  has  been  melted  shut . . . to
  match  her  melted  left  hand.
  The  bar  wench’s  offer  is  real,  however  foul  it
  (or  she)  may  be  (her  eye  isn’t  the  only  part  of  her
  that  has  been  melted  shut).  The  poison  is  also  very
  real,  of  level  2.  The  innkeeper,  expecting  anger  of
  his  poisoned  patrons,  keeps  a  blunderbuss  handy . . .
  20)  Uncle  Sam
  This  Encounter  should  occur  after  the  year  1783.
  Loading  the  ships,  the  elderly  meat-merchant  has
  brought  you  quite  a  deal,  at  least  twice  what  you
  paid  for.  “Don’t  need  ‘em  anymore,”  he  says.
  “Government  bought  ‘em,  paid  well  too”.
  The  merchant,  ‘Sam  Wilson’,  packed  the  meat
  for  American  troops  in  whatever  their  last  war  was
  (1783  or  1812—he’s  old).  The  packages  bear  the
  stamp  of  ‘U.S.’  for  ‘United  States’.  If  either  the
  
  CHANTEYS   OF   THE   AMERICAS
  10
  party’s  captain  is  an  American  or  a  majority  of  his
  crew  is  not  English,  he  will  give  them  so  much
  food  that  it  will  indeed  double  what  they  paid  for.
  If  asked  why,  his  hired  hands  will  just  smile  and
  say  “Just  call  him  Uncle  Sam”.
  PIRATES   AND   POLITICS:   Sometimes  there  is
  a  need  for  cutthroats—officially—in  the  hallowed
  halls  of  government,  especially  when  a  government
  is  trying  to  establish  itself  as  its  own  nation  rather
  than  a  mere  colony,  providing  opportunities  for  all
  manner  of  seagoing  adventurers  with  the  constantly
  changing  rulership  and  rebellion  against  England.
  21)  Secret  mission
  When  reading  this  narrative,  replace  ‘STATE’  with
  the  name  of  whatever  Colony  the  party  is  in.
  Escorted  to  the  plush  office  of  the  governor  of
  ‘STATE’,  you  see  him  sitting  at  a  large  maple
  desk,  his  white  wig  and  socks  seeming  to  barely
  keep  his  ballast-like  body  from  bursting  out  of
  either  end.  He  smiles,  doubling  the  size  of  his
  powdered  cheeks,  and  bids  you  sit  down.  “I  have
  an  urgent  mission  for  you . . .”  he  says,  and  then
  holds  up  a  sealed  envelope.
  The  mission  is  simply  to  deliver  the  envelope
  to  another  port,  with  its  seal  unbroken,  and  upon
  delivery  be  paid  400  gold.
  22)  The  lady  in  blue
  Standing  around  the  council  hall,  waiting,  as  stiff
  and  lifeless  as  the  plaster  statues  all  around  you,
  suddenly  color  fills  one  of  the  side  corridors,  as
  a  beautiful  lady  dressed  all  in  blue  pauses,  offers
  you  her  gaze  of  sparkling  azure  eyes,  and  then
  as  quickly  as  she  appeared  she  is  gone . . .
  The  lady  in  blue  is  actually  an  agent  working
  for  France.  She  will  befriend  the  party  as  much  as
  needs  be  to  reverse-pilfer  a  note  into  the  pocket  of
  the  one  with  the  highest  Naval  rank  or  the  most
  wealth—and  tip  a  guard  off  to  it—guards  doubling
  the  party’s  number  will  soon  arrive  when  they  try
  to  leave  with  the  letter  of  assassination  bribery . . .
  COASTS   OF   THE   NEW   WORLD:   The  coast
  of  the  Colonies  is  a  long  and  unbroken  world  that
  harbors  countless  pirates  both  off  shore  and  inland.
  Ports  appear  and  disappear  with  such  rapidity  that
  every  year  the  tides  and  trails  of  pirate  vessels  are
  as  different  as  their  own  crews.  Indeed,  this  world
  remains  ever  ‘new’,  given  its  constant  changing  of
  guard,  of  rebellion,  and  of  revolution.
  23)  Twentyguns
  Sunset  has  delivered  another  amazing  portrait  of
  Heaven  on  earth,  with  glass-like  seas  and  purple
  mountains  on  the  distant  coast.  It  has  also  given
  you  another  ship,  sailing  straight  at  you.  It  looks
  to  be  some  new  design  of  privateer  vessel.
  The  ship  is  ‘Twentyguns’,  a  privateer  flying  a
  Boston  (American)  ensign,  crewed  by  50  2nd Level
  men  and  running  10  cannons  with  10  more  ready
  to  be  raised  to  action  with  a  unique  elevating  rig,
  requiring  no  time  to  replace  cannons  damaged  in  a
  battle.  The  Pirate  Captain,  ‘James  Hollaworth’,  has
  a  letter  of  marque  from  the  governor  of  Charleston
  but  cares  nothing  for  his  employer  and  is  perfectly
  willing  to  sail  away  for  a  bribe  of  2000  gold  or
  even  make  a  partnership  if  the  commander  of  the
  party’s  vessel  makes  a  Charisma  Check.
  24)  Board?  Games?
  Many  of  the  crew  are  whiling  away  the  off-duty
  hours  by  playing  games.  With  dice  carved  from
  hard  cheese  and  a  board  drawn  on  a  scrap  sail,
  they  seem  totally  engrossed  in  it,  even  though  no
  money  is  being  risked.  Little  carved  wood  tokens
  make  revolutions  around  the  flagboard,  towns  and
  castles  of  carved  coral  line  the  inner  perimeter,
  and  the  players  win  by  putting  their  shipmates  in
  debt  and  finally  into  prison.  “Come!”  says  one  to
  you.  “Join  us.  This  be  a  game  ta  teach  good  an’
  wholesame  values.”  he  chuckles.  “Probably  gonna
  be  a  family  tradition  one  day.  Love  America!”
  The  game,  if  later  sold  to  any  businessman  in
  America,  will  earn  the  seller  300  gold  for  it.  But
  for  the  meantime,  it  will  just  prove  to  be  a  game
  for  the  amusement  of  the  crew.
  
  CHANTEYS   OF   THE   AMERICAS
  11
  25)  The  Riddling  Caves
  Navigating  carefully  through  the  rocky  headlands
  and  treacherous  shoals,  you  pass  between  pillars
  of  natural  stone,  twisted  by  the  ocean  currents  as
  if  they  arose  from  Hell  itself.  Several  caves  open
  on  either  side,  belching  seawater.  You  can  almost
  picture  pirates  from  a  century  ago  still  hiding  out
  in  them,  watching  you  sail  pass . . .
  Inside  the  caves,  voices  will  echo  differences
  in  words,  as  if  drowned  ghosts  are  posing  riddles
  in  the  dark.  Locals  call  these  ‘the  Riddling  Caves’.
  A  Search  of  these  caves  might  find  writing  on  one
  of  their  walls,  in  English;  ‘Five  phantoms  fighting
  Dutch  trade.  Speak  the  number  hidden  as  the  tide
  hides  the  tracks  of  those  who  buried  the  treasure’.
  This  writing  is  reproduced  as  Handout  3.  Directly
  outside  this  cave,  there  is  a  patch  of  beach,  and  at
  high  tide  a  Search  can  find  a  locked  chest,  whose
  combination  is  ‘68785’.  If  not  unlocked,  opening  it
  will  set  off  explosives  destroying  the  goldust  inside
  that  would  otherwise  have  equaled  5500  in  total
  gold  value.  Solving  the  riddles  of  the  caves  also
  merits  500  Experience  Points.
  26)  The  legacy  of  Dusägge*
  This  Encounter  should  be  used  after  the  year  1720.
  This  day  finds  your  ship  shadowed  by  a  flagless,
  phantom  brigantine,  its  ravaged  sails  and  gargoyle
  maidenhead  giving  it  the  appearance  of  sailing  its
  way  right  out  of  the  time  of  legends.
  The  brigantine  is  centuries  old,  its  dark,  hole-
  filled  sails  patched  with  sheer  fabric  to  give  them
  an  appearance  of  being  ineffective  or  haunting,  or
  both.  It  is  manned  by  an  amount  of  both  crew  and
  cannon  to  equal  that  of  the  party’s  own  vessel.
  The  Captain  (he  is  Level  6),  is  ‘Evan  Dusägge’,  a
  German  Hessian,  originally  coming  to  the  Americas
  as  a  mercenary,  hired  to  slaughter  unruly  colonists.
  He  has  designed  a  new  sword  named  after  him,  a
  ‘dusagge’  having  a  serrated  cutting  edge  that  runs
  to  the  front  section  of  the  back  of  the  blade  and  a
  hand  protector  fashioned  into  a  scallop  shell  to  be
  practical  and  stylish—the  ridges  in  this  handleguard
  keep  blood  flowing  away  from  the  skin.  All  such
  swords  grant  +1  to  both  Attack  Rolls  and  Damage.
  Of  all  Dusägge’s  crew,  only  himself  and  his  three
  officers  use  them  (to  maintain  an  advantage  when
  enforcing  rules),  but  no  others  have  been  made  and
  no  blacksmiths  will  be  able  to  duplicate  them  for
  many  decades  due  to  their  limited  tools.
  27)  The  Amity
  The  waves  ahead are  being  cut  by  a  sleek  vessel,
  a  merchantman  by  the  looks  of  her,  flying  clouds
  of  canvas  despite  the  lack  of  wind  today.
  The  ship,  ‘The  Amity’,  is  a  merchantman  that
  is  returning  to  New  York.  It  is  also  haunted,  and
  its  crew  will  surrender  without  a  fight.  A  search  of
  its  logbook  will  find  Handout  4.  Every  1000  gold
  (rounded  down)  and  every  1  crew  taken  from  this
  ship  is  the  total  number  of  great  white  sharks  that
  will  appear  when  the  capturing  ship  finally  sinks.
  28)  Rape
  Select  a  (male)  Character  at  random  and,  when  he
  is  alone,  3  Crewmen  will  try  to  rape  him.  This  is
  an  ambush,  but  the  crew  will  not  go  for  a  kill—if
  they  ‘kill’  the  victim,  he  will  only  be  knocked  out,
  and  awaken  later  very,  very  sore  indeed.
  29)  Chow  time
  The  smell  of  bombo  whafts  through  the  ship  this
  mealtime,  its  exciting  scent  of  mixed  rum,  water,
  sugar  and  nutmeg  sending  the  crew  into  a  frenzy
  when  they  finally  get  to  eat.  They’re  disorderly
  as  a  kennel  of  hounds,  less  than  men,  snatching,
  stealing,  throwing  and  catching  the  victuals  from
  one  another.  This  ruckus  seems  to  be  their  chief
  diversion  from  the  rest  of  the  slop  being  served.
  Let  the  Characters  do  as  they  will.  However,
  one  of  their  crew  members  will  attempt  to  pick  the
  pocket  of  the  guy  known  to  have  the  most  treasure
  on  his  person . . .
  
  HAVENS   OF   MADAGASCAR
  12
  Aye,  the  isle  o’ pirates  this  be!  Welcome,  matey,  ta
  Madagascar!  Blessed  be  them  Royals  that  done  put
  up  the  gold  ta  find  this ‘ere  place,  only  ta  leave  it
  fer  us  all.  Too  far  from  Europe  fer  them  ta  try  ta
  reclaim,  too  close  ta  new  lands  fer  there  ta  be  any
  short  o’ plunder.  Make  yerself  at  home . . .
  TOWNS   OF   TROUBLE:   Countless  towns  and
  havens  line  the  coast  and  isles  around  Madagascar,
  usually  established  by  pirates  or  simply  built  upon
  the  abandoned  forts  of  European  colonists.  Yet  the
  absence  of  an  overriding  government  lends  all  such
  settlements  to  a  lawless  life.  Every  town  is  in  one
  way  always  the  same—trouble.
  30)  Jean  Paul’s  Maps
  The  only  maps  available  in  town  are  sold  down
  at  ‘Jean  Paul’s,  a  shack  on  the  wharf  that’s  been
  pieced  together  from  wrecked  ships.  A  rusty  clete
  serves  as  the  door  handle,  and  a  block-&-tackle
  hangs  as  a  hat-rack.  Jean  Paul  himself  appears  as
  old  and  as  much  a  relic  as  his  house.
  Jean  Paul  sells  maps  pieced  together  from  all
  kinds  of  different  sources—sailors,  legends,  and  the
  occasional  hoax  mixed  in  for  good  sales.  For  100
  gold,  he  will  sell  maps  that  give  a  total  of  +1  to
  all  rolls  on  Tables  40,  156,  157,  158  and  159  that
  are  made  in  the  Indian  Ocean,  but  if  ever  a  reef
  or  a  storm  is  encountered,  the  ship  will  have  been
  led  so  deep  within  the  perils  that  there  is  no  way
  to  round  the  danger.  All  such  maps  will  total  a  +1
  bonus—more  maps  will  not  offer  a  greater  bonus.
  31)  Deal  with  a  devil
  This  Encounter  works  best  if  the  party  is  actively
  seeking  aid  from  someone . . . and  they’re  desperate.
  Run  the  following  scene  once  they  have  made  their
  terms  or  deal  clear.
  The  captain  leans  across  the  table,  eyes  flickering
  in  the  dim  candlelight.  “Aye,  you’ve  come  ta  the
  right  place.  Ye’ve  got  a  deal.  Innkeeeper!”  With
  that  he  snaps  his  fingers  and  the  barkeep  brings
  over  a  prepared  tray  of  beer  and  fish.
  The  captain  whom  the  party  has  made  a  deal
  with  wants  to  toast  it  with  food  and  drink.  He  has,
  however,  poisoned  both.  But,  the  poison  ingredients
  cannot  act  alone—they  must  both  be  consumed  in
  an  amount  more  than  a  bite  or  sip  to  take  hold,  at
  that  point  acting  with  poison  level  3.  Thus,  if  the
  captain  is  given  a  poison  ‘taste  test’,  he  will  do  it,
  knowing  he  must  consume  much  of  both  for  him
  to  be  at  risk.
  32)  Pleasure  by  the  pound
  Down  at  the  wharf,  on  the  broken  walls  of  the
  ruined  fort  there  is  an  auction  taking  place,  as
  women  are  being  sold  to  a  crowd  of  hooting  and
  drunken  pirates.  ‘Pleasure  by  the  pound’  says  the
  wide  banner  strung  from  tower  to  tower,  once  a
  sail,  now  used  for  a  ‘sale’.  The  pirates  crowd  on
  the  crenellations  and  stairs  sinking  into  the  waves
  like  barnacles  on  the  hull  of  a  ship.
  The  proprietors  of  the  action,  the  Frenchmen
  ‘Toupee’  and  ‘Michaele’  (going  by  the  surname  of
  ‘Me-Shell’)  are  shameless  cons.  Their  motto  is  just
  “To  pay  or  not  to  pay”.  If  threatened,  Toupee  will
  say  “You  will  have  to  pay  one  way  or  the  other!”
  Toupee  is  a  Pirate  Crewman,  bald  and  broke,  and
  uses  a  blunderbuss  at  +2  for  Base  Damage  11.
  33)  Madman’s  trap
  Making  your  way  along  the  wharf,  the  lanterns
  flicker  within  the  shadows,  leading  you  through  a
  maze  of  strange  shapes  and  silhouettes.  You  pass
  a  sign  hanging  outside  a  chantey.  It  clearly  says
  ‘I  will  shoot  any  who  pass  and  cannot  read  this
  sign’.  The  tolling  of  a  distant  bell  echoes  across
  the  unseen  harbor  waters.
  Those  who  do  not  specifically  state  that  they
  stop  obviously  cannot  read,  at  least  in  the  mind  of
  the  madman  hiding  in  the  shadows—those  who  just
  walk  on  he  will  shoot  in  the  back,  but  gaining  1
  free  Round  (total)  to  do  so.  This  Pirate  Crewman
  always  has  4  loaded  pistols  in  his  belt.  The  mad
  pirate  lives  in  the  chantey  but  is  currently  in  the
  shadows  across  the  dock  from  it.  The  locals  have
  learned  to  just  stop  and  pretend  to  read  the  sign.
  
  HAVENS   OF   MADAGASCAR
  13
  34)  The  Devil’s  Cutlass
  You  pass  by  the  ‘Devil’s  Cutlass’  Taverne.  The
  sign  is  clear—not  to  attract  business,  but  rather
  to  warn  those  who  do  not  agree  with  its  business
  to  stay  away.
  Whatever  or  whoever  lurks  inside  the  shady
  walls  of  the  taverne  is  up  to  you.  However,  if  you
  just  need  some  trouble,  there  is  a  1  in  6  chance
  every  Round  that  a  fight  of  2-13  Pirate  Crewmen
  breaks  out—with  the  party  caught  in  the  middle!
  SHALLOW   SEAS:   Though  the  seas  around  the
  isle  of  Madagascar  are  by  no  means  shallow,  they
  are  said  to  be  in  sailor  lore  and  so  named,  due  to
  so  many  sunken  ships  there.  Pirates  prefer  that  the
  waters  are  shallow  when  they  go  down  to  Davey
  Jones’ Locker,  and  others  simply  humor  themselves
  that  so  many  ships  has  made  a  wooden  reef.  And,
  it’s  easy  to  believe—the  waters  are  thick  with  ship
  traffic  and  countless  battles  erupt  due  to  the  pirates
  of  so  many  different  cultures  and  religions  which
  gather  there.
  35)  The  Beckford  Galley*
  This  Encounter  is  more  historically  accurate  if  used
  prior  to  the  year  1698.
  This  morning  you  are  put  upon  by  a  small  ship,
  a  barque  at  the  largest.  Yet  even  from  a  quarter-
  mile  distant  you  can  see  and  hear  its  captain,  a
  middle-sized  man  and  no  more,  with  a  swarthy
  complexion  and  short  hair,  uttering  curses  brewed
  from  a  foul  mixture  of  Portuguese  and  Moorish
  speech.  He  waves  two  swords  in  the  pale  light.
  The  captain  is  ‘Ryder  the  Pirate’,  whose  mere
  30  2nd Level  men  and  8  guns  will  be  used  to  show
  no  mercy  to  the  party’s  vessel,  however  large  they
  may  be—his  men  follow  him  out  of  religious  fear.
  His  barque,  the  ‘Beckford  Galley’,  is  a  vessel  with
  a  notorious  reputation,  worth  a  base  9000  gold  if
  sold  in  any  port  ruled  by  the  English.  A  Search  of
  this  ship  might  find  one  of  the  reasons  why—the
  skeleton  of  an  English  prince  has  been  ‘coffined’
  into  the  keel  to  give  English  bad  luck  in  battle.
  36)  Floggings,  flaggings  and  hangings
  This  Encounter  is  best  used  if  a  single  Character
  has  done  something  to  really  bother  the  crew.  In
  the  night,  all  of  the  upset  off-duty  crew  will  set  to
  ambush  the  individual  they  begrudge,  giving  him  a
  choice;  ‘flogging’,  ‘flagging’,  or  ‘hanging’.
  Flogging  is  being  tied  to  the  mast  and  given
  a  number  of  lashes  across  the  back,  the  count  to
  fit  a  crime,  perhaps  5  or  40,  or  as  many  as  80.
  Use  your  discretion,  because  it  stays  on  record  and
  is  applicable  to  all.  But,  aboard  this  ship,  unless
  the  Characters  have  somehow  changed  it,  the  whip
  is  modified  so  that  every  10  lashes  (rounded  up)  is
  the  Base  Damage  one  will  suffer  from  it,  so  80
  might  very  well  kill  a  man.
  Flagging  is  being  wrapped  up  in  a  flag  while
  others  beat  him  blindly,  doing  4  Base  Damage,  and
  if  he  dies,  he  simply  stays  wrapped  in  the  flag  to
  make  for  an  easy  burial  at  sea.
  Hanging  is  usually  done  from  the  yardarm  of
  a  ship,  doing  a  Base  Damage  equal  to  one’s  body
  weight  divided  by  30  (rounded  up).
  37)  Morgan’s  Revenge
  The  flat  calm  of  the  island  waters  is  a  haven  for
  sloops,  schooners  and  other  shallow-drafted  ships.
  It  is  thus  so  surprising  to  see  a  frigate  that  the
  lookout  drops  his  spylgass  from  the  crow’s  nest!
  Not  but  two  miles  distant  is  a  vessel  that  would
  be  the  pride  of  the  English  Navy!
  The  frigate,  ‘Morgan’s  Revenge’,  has  150  crew
  all  1st Level,  runs  30  cannons,  and  is  in  the  service
  of  Admiral  ‘Chester  Rossin’.  He  is  of  Level  5  and
  20  Notoriety,  DS  11,  G  9,  MOVE  110’,  and  he
  uses  a  cutlass  at  +3,  but  also  has  a  pistol  in  his
  belt.  He  resents  the  legend  of  Sir  Henry  Morgan
  being  a  pirate—he  was  a  patriot  and  a  privateer.
  To  this  end,  he  will  speak  to  the  party’s  captain,
  and  ask  him  what  he  thinks  of  Sir  Henry  Morgan.
  Speaking  ill  of  Morgan,  saying  in  any  way  he  was
  a  pirate,  or  simply  not  knowing  are  all  reasons  for
  Rossin’s  “Let  us  show  them  the  face  of  Revenge”
  (referring  to  his  ship)  command  be  given,  which  is
  the  common  order  for  his  crew  to  attack.
  
  MYSTERIES   OF   INDIA
  14
  Ahhhh,  ye’ve  come  ta  the  old  world  seekin’ gold,
  is  that  it?  Ye  be  darin’ enough  ta  walk  the  streets
  o’ cities ‘been  there  when  the  son  o’ yer  god  found
  death?  Ready  ta  sail  seas  o’ drowned  kingdoms  ta
  what  the  ancients  were  ancient?  Ye  come  seekin’
  adventure  in  the  land  o’ mystery,  matey?  Ye’ll  find
  more  than  ye  bargained  for,  says  I . . .
  HAVENS   AND   HARBORS:   While  many  vessels
  dare  these  seas,  most  adventure  is  found  on  land,
  in  cities  and  villages.  The  seas  are  haunted,  ships
  all  but  ghosts  above  kingdoms  long  drowned.  It  is
  within  the  towns,  hamlets  and  harbors  that  life  and
  its  mysteries  are  most  often  encountered,  the  homes
  of  mortal  men  naught  but  walls  of  a  grand  maze
  for  all  the  foreign  sailors  who  dare  walk  amongst
  them,  led  by  foolishness  into  a  world  of  stone  and
  statue  more  dangerous  than  any  ocean.
  38)  Haunted  wharf
  The  lonely,  strained  sounds  of  an  accordion  have
  long  haunted  this  wharf,  a  melancholy  reminder
  to  all  setting  out  to  sea  how  even  the  simplest
  things  can  be  missed  on  any  venture.  An  empty
  and  rusted  gibbet  squeaks  as  it  rocks  in  the  salty
  ocean  breeze.  The  ships  ride  still  at  anchor.
  Nearby  is  a  Skeleton  of  a  sailor  whose  flesh
  appears  alive  and  his  clothes  appear  new  so  long
  as  he  hears  music  played  within  the  hour.  If  the
  source  of  the  music  is  sought,  he  will  be  found
  playing,  and  offer  to  join  the  crew  of  the  party.  In
  life,  and  thus  now,  his  name  is  ‘Rhavanni’.
  39)  Bewildering  streets
  This  Encounter  should  occur  to  a  random  Character
  when  the  party  is  just  going  about  town  business.
  How  it  happened  you  do  not  know—your  friends
  and  fellow  shipmates  are  just  gone!  These  streets
  are  like  catacombs,  and  just  turning  a  corner  can
  take  you  into  another  world.  Now  you  are  alone
  amongst  dark  faces  floating  past  in  their  colorful
  burial  shroud-like  hoods.  They  look  at  you  with
  indifference,  as  if  you  are  already  dead.
  The  Character  is  being  singled  out  by  a  thief,
  one  who  has  a  Pilfering  Skill  of  +3  and  is  going
  for  his  gold.  If  fought,  this  Indian  Pirate  will  fight
  until  wounded,  and  then  attempt  to  flee.  The  other
  Characters  are  close  by,  but  given  the  chaos  of  the
  crowd  and  street  layout  it  takes  a  Searching  Check
  to  find  their  friend.  This  Check  can  be  attempted
  anew  each  Round  (with  a  cumulative  +1  bonus).
  40)  The  Byzantine  Taverne
  The  Byzantine  Taverne  is  a  world  unto  itself.  Its
  domed  roof  is  clearly  a  converted  mosque,  now
  a  lecherous  den  of  thieves  and  cutthroats  from
  across  the  seven  seas.  Here,  all  cultures  mix  in
  an  endless  parade  of  bejeweled  captains,  exotic
  dancers,  ragged  sailors  and  drunken  guards.  Like
  the  capital  of  the  corpsed  Byzantine  Empire  from
  which  it  takes  its  name,  this  taverne  could  well
  be  the  center  of  the  entire  seafaring  world.
  There  are  enough  ‘wise  wharf  men’  here  that
  any  exotic  or  magical  treasures  can  be  identified  as
  to  their  statistical  properties  for  30  gold  apiece.  In
  addition,  recruiting  done  here  grants  one  extra  dice.
  41)  Vordin
  In  a  dark,  secluded  corner  of  the  taverne . . . you
  find  nobody.  You  thought  you  saw  someone  here
  a  moment  ago,  watching  you,  but  now  that  ghost
  is  gone.  A  colorful  lantern  casts  myriad  rainbows
  about  the  surrounding  curtains  and  walls.
  The  individual  seen  is  still  here,  hiding  in  the
  shadows.  An  Intuition  Check  can  notice  him  (this
  roll  made  with  a  +3  bonus  if  the  lantern  is  doused
  first).  If  seen,  he  will  boldly  introduce  himself  as
  ‘Vordin  the  Blind  Vulture’.  He  indeed  has  an  eye-
  patch  (the  cavity  it  covers  is  a  secret  coin  cache,
  so  he  will  not  show  why  he  wears  the  patch),  and
  is  impressed  with  the  party  enough  to  offer  joining
  them  on  all  their  adventures.  He  will  be  mysterious
  about  his  motives,  concealing  that  he  can  be  used
  to  further  any  plot  device  you  need  or  do  not  yet
  even  know.  If  accepted,  his  statistics  are  provided
  as  Handout  5.
  
  MYSTERIES   OF   INDIA
  15
  42)  Silly  Spaniard
  A  street  vendor,  selling  strange  Spanish  foods,  is
  also  telling  stories  like  a  mad  bard.  The  Spaniard
  waves  a  wooden  knife  to  emphasize  his  drama,
  but  evokes  only  laughs  from  the  passers-by.  In
  mock  threats  he  craws  like  a  Caribbean  pirate,  if
  that  pirate  was  a  drunk  animal;  “Raarrrrrr . . .”
  The  Spaniard  waves  around  what  he  calls  ‘The
  Naughty  Knife’  and  is  telling  ‘The  Legend  of  the
  Lost  Taco’.  He  is  indeed  mad,  and  also  has  on  his
  person  a  necklace  which  gives  +3  to  all  Girth  rolls
  to  survive  blows,  provided  one  also  possesses  (but
  needs  not  use)  the  bent  knife  he  is  so  fond  of.
  43)  Monty’s  Anchorage
  Less  than  two  leagues  from  town,  a  cove  opens
  along  the  coast,  like  a  volcanic  crater  that  blew
  open  on  one  side  to  allow  the  ocean  to  come  in.
  Deep  enough  for  all  ships,  it  is  used  only  as  a
  pirate  anchorage.  Statues  on  the  surrounding  cliffs
  of  kneeling  men  have  been  crudely  re-carved  to
  include  their  bare  asses.  Europeans  call  this  place
  ‘Buttcrack  Bay’  by  the  round  cliffs  adjoining  its
  narrow  entrance.
  This  harbor  is  run  by  a  pirate  known  only  as
  ‘Monty’,  who  demands  a  harbor  fee  of  10  gold  a
  day,  but  is  otherwise  a  safe  place  to  weigh  anchor,
  for  the  empire’s  law  prevents  any  locals,  including
  any  navies  they  have  treaty  with,  from  entering.
  However,  due  to  the  defiled  statues,  anyone  whom
  takes  refuge  in  this  harbor  will  make  his  eventual
  pursuers  so  angry  that  they  will  gain  a  +1  to  all
  combat-related  rolls  made  against  such  blasphemers.
  44)  “Curse  my  wife!”
  “Curse  my  wife!”  The  cry  is  echoed  by  several
  tongues  as  a  madman  storms  along  the  crowded
  street,  waving  a  sword  back  and  forth.
  The  madman,  a  Sailor,  believes  someone  has
  taken  his  wife,  and  the  first  Character  to  make  any
  action  or  reaction  will  be,  at  least  in  the  mind  of
  this  lunatic,  the  guilty  party,  deserving  of  death . . .
  TEMPLES   OF   MYSTERY:   In  this  ancient  and
  mysterious  land,  temples  are  as  common  as  homes,
  for  all  life  encircles  the  religion  whose  foundations
  are  lost  beneath  the  waves  of  time.  Some  temples
  are  welcome  to  all  visitors,  while  others  remain  as
  closely  a  guarded  secret  as  this  land  has  to  tease
  travelers  with.  Those  who  dare  enter  these  beautiful
  prisons  take  their  own  chances.
  45)  Temple  entrance
  Wide  steps  of  white  rock  ascend  into  a  foyer  of
  such  opulence  as  to  rival  that  of  Rome.  And  yet,
  this  mysterious  temple  seems  far  more  beautiful
  than  the  foundations  of  Western  faith.  Flowers
  cascade  down  the  marble  walls,  the  statues  are
  more  alluring  and  inviting  than  intimidating,  and
  beautiful  fountain  waters  flow  as  easily  as  faith
  from  stone  divas  and  warriors.
  Despite  this  foyer’s  beauty,  it  is  a  trap,  for  6
  Indian  temple  guards  wait  in  ambush,  all  covered
  in  white  powder  and  standing  perfectly  still  so  as
  to  be  indiscernible  from  the  statues.  All  who  make
  to  enter  the  temple  without  openly  wearing  a  mark
  of  Hindu  faith  will  be  arrested,  and  killed  if  they
  put  up  any  resistance.
  46)  Counting  room
  Pushing  aside  a  curtain,  you  enter  some  sort  of
  counting  room.  A  wizened  man  with  a  beard  as
  long  as  a  tapestry  sits  behind  a  huge  desk  which
  is  all  but  covered  in  stacks  of  coins.  Upon  your
  entrance  he  looks  up,  his  eyes  cadaverously  wide
  with  an  obvious  lack  of  sleep.
  The  gold  totals  1218,  but,  as  the  old  man  will
  warn,  100  of  it  is  cursed.  Every  100  gold  that  is
  taken  (rounded  up)  is  the  chance  in  12  that  one  of
  the  coins  is  cursed,  and  one  is  enough.  The  curse
  drains  1  Luck  Point  until  the  thief  gives  back  to
  this  temple  ten  times  the  gold  that  he  stole.  Right
  now,  the  old  man  is  counting  the  current  haul  that
  was  gained  from  the  last  pirates.  If  killed,  he  has
  nothing  of  value,  except  a  hand  hollowed  out  and
  sewn  together  to  make  a  pouch  for  his  own  coins,
  totaling  56  gold  (all  of  them  cursed).
  
  MYSTERIES   OF   INDIA
  16
  47)  Ceremonial  pool
  The  curtains  part  to  reveal  a  large  chamber.  The
  walls,  floor  and  domed  ceiling  are  all  made  from
  polished  marble  of  mixed  sable,  gold  and  amber.
  In  the  center  of  the  floor  is  a  large,  ceremonial
  pool,  shaped  like  a  man  with  four  arms.
  Looking  into  the  water,  one  will  see  that  it  is
  actually  the  ocean,  and  there  amongst  the  barnacle
  encrusted  rocks  is  an  Irish  pirate  playing  a  fiddle.
  This  is  the  ghost  of  a  man  whose  body  is  buried
  not  far  beneath  him,  covered  by  silt  and  seaweed.
  A  Searching  Check  cannot  find  this  body,  as  such
  rolls  do  not  include  going  underwater  unless  one  is
  already  in  water.  The  body  contains  a  scroll  case,
  and  inside  it  Handouts  6  and  7.  If,  following  their
  cryptic  instructions,  one  brings  to  the  town’s  ruler
  a  pig  plated  in  gold  (costing  a  good  1500  gold),
  he  will  be  rewarded  with  pardon  for  all  crimes  in
  all  countries  (the  Mughal  Empire  will  see  to  it).
  48)  Bedchamber?
  This  appears  to  be  a  plush  bedchamber.  Despite
  the  four-poster  canopy  bed  and  table  bearing  both
  a  vase  of  flowers  and  a  bowl  of  fruit,  you  can’t
  help  but  feel  this  is  not  the  chambers  of  a  living
  soul.  The  walls  are  lined  with  thick  white  pillars,
  each  carved  with  the  raised  shape  of  a  woman.
  A  search  of  this  room  might  notice  that  the
  flowers  are  ruffling  as  if  in  a  breeze.  If  followed,
  this  breeze  will  be  coming  seemingly  from  one  of
  the  pillars.  If  pushed  on,  it  will  side  straight  back,
  revealing  a  secret  passage.  On  the  wall  there  is  an
  old  painted  image,  provided  as  Handout  8,  whose
  cryptic  message  should  only  be  the  first  half  of  an
  important  message  that  is  completed  later  on.
  49)  Mob  of  guards
  If  ever  the  party  just  causes  too  much  trouble . . .
  A  mob  of  twenty  temple  guards  are  storming  up
  the  hall  towards  you,  speaking  only  with  Indian
  curses  and  with  their  great  swords  gleaming  in
  the  dim  light.
  EXPLORING   ANCIENT   WATERS:   It  is  said
  that  the  Indian  Ocean  is  the  oldest  waters  in  both
  this  world  and  the  next.  Sailing  them  is  not  only  a
  search  for  plunder,  but  for  land’s  return  once  one
  leaves  sight  of  it.  Most  vessels  keep  close  to  the
  coast,  for  those  that  stray  into  the  unknown  often
  return  with  strange  tales  that  haunt  them  until  their
  dying  day,  and  perhaps  even  after  it.
  50)  Flotsam
  The  waves  turn  up  a  flotsam  of  wreckage,  just
  floating  peacefully  on  the  water  as  if  it  has  been
  there  since  the  dawn  of  time.
  The  wreckage  is  from  a  ship  scuttled  several
  weeks  ago.  A  search  of  it  might  find  enough  good
  barrels  of  beer  and  grain  to  equal  400  total  days
  worth  of  food.
  51)  The  Star  of  India
  The  sea  is  calm,  with  the  waves  rising  hardly  a
  foot  at  the  most.  It  is  as  if  the  ocean  is  in  itself
  dead.  A  thick  fog  obscures  the  horizon.  Making
  your  way  through  this  netherworld  on  the  ocean,
  you  soon  come  upon  a  derelict  ship,  an  English
  brigantine  drifting  lazily  in  the  tide.
  The  ship  is  the  ‘Star  of  India’.  If  the  party  is
  not  in  command,  their  captain  will  order  them  to
  investigate.  While  not  seaworthy,  the  Star  will  keep
  afloat  for  at  least  a  few  more  days.  Inside  the
  captain’s  cabin,  the  party  will  find  all  the  crewmen
  dead  on  the  floor,  with  the  captain  seated  at  his
  chair,  treasure  piled  on  the  table  before  him.  This
  is  all  the  vessel’s  treasure—re-roll  results  of  ‘1-6’
  on  Table  81,  and  in  addition  to  whatever  else  is
  found,  100  English  crowns  will  be  in  a  dish  before
  the  captain,  along  with  all  other  crowns  rolled  up.
  This  dish  is  trapped,  so  if  any  of  its  coins  are  in
  any  way  removed,  it  will  release  doors  throughout
  the  ship,  causing  it  to  sink  rapidly.  It  takes  1  Turn
  to  take  1  ‘treasure’  rolled  from  Table  81,  and  each
  Round  spent  aboard  while  the  ship  is  sinking  is  a
  cumulative  -2  penalty  to  the  required  Agility  Check
  one  must  make  to  escape  without  getting  caught  in
  a  cabin  or  rope  and  dragged  down  with  the  ship.
  
  MYSTERIES   OF   INDIA
  17
  52)  The  Dorrill*
  This  Encounter  should  only  be  run  at  the  end  of
  the  17th Century,  between  the  years  1695  and  1700.
  Nothing  catches  the  wind  like  the  vessel  that  has
  been  your  shadow  for  the  last  half-hour,  drawing
  ever  closer.  She’ll  be  on  you  soon  enough,  riding
  a  fair  wind  that  favors  her,  and  seems  to  have  it
  in  for  you.
  The  ship,  ‘The  Dorrill’,  is  an  East  Indiaman
  with  126  1st Level  crewmen  and  running  6  cannon.
  The  captain,  ‘Samuel  Hyde’,  is  an  English  officer
  officially,  but  a  Pirate  Captain  in  recent  practice.
  He  will  not  attack  if  the  party’s  vessel  flies  either
  English  or  Dutch  flags.
  53)  Captured!
  Use  this  Encounter  if  the  party  is  captured  by  any
  other  ship.  When  reading  this  description,  replace
  ‘VESSEL’  with  the  name  of  the  floating  prison  the
  party  is  now  aboard,  if  you’ve  given  it  one  yet.
  You  and  your  surviving  shipmates  are  forced  into
  three  lines  on  the  deck  of  your  new  prison,  the
  ‘VESSEL’  having  already  been  cleared  of  all  its
  own  bodies,  though  the  decks  are  still  stained  in
  the  crimson-red,  anticipating  more.  You  watch  as
  one  prisoner  is  gutted,  and  though  still  alive,  his
  intestine  is  nailed  to  the  mast,  and  then  the  poor
  soul  is  forced  at  gunpoint  to  dance  a  jig  around
  the  tree  of  woe,  unwinding  the  rest  of  his  organ
  while  the  crew  beats  him  with  flaming  sticks.  “If
  he  can  survive”,  someone  whispers,  “until  all  his
  blood-rope  is  unwound,  he’ll  be  allowed  to  try
  and  live  on  his  own.”
  He  doesn’t.
  “Next!”
  The  next  in  line  will  be  the  Player  Characters,
  one  and  all,  in  random  order.  To  survive  this  cruel
  trial  requires  suffering  a  wound  of  8  Base  Damage
  against  which  armor  does  not  offer  any  aid.  And,
  even  if  one  can  survive,  he  will  die  from  his  great
  loss  of  blood  within  1-12  Rounds  anyway,  unless
  he  is  somehow  cured  by  more  than  earthly  means.
  54)  The  headless  ghost
  Sitting  on  the  deck  this  night,  it  slowly  dawns  in
  your  mind  that  one  of  the  crew  does  not  belong
  here.  Indeed,  as  if  a  sun  were  rising  to  reveal  it,
  a  solitary  figure  becomes  more  visible  to  you,  its
  clothes  are  composed  of  a  variety  of  cultures,  its
  head  hidden  beneath  a  wide-brimmed  hat  dripping
  with  seawater.  The  rest  of  the  ship  remains  dark
  and  silent.
  The  strange  figure  is  a  ghost,  who  has  found
  this  ship  after  years  of  drifting  at  sea.  When  it  is
  approached,  it  will  turn  toward  the  Characters,  thus
  revealing  that  it  has  no  head—its  hat  floats  above
  where  a  head  should  be.  Not  able  to  speak,  it  will
  write  in  whatever  language  the  Character  can  read.
  You  may  wish  to  pass  notes  back  and  forth  at  the
  game  table  to  simulate  this  methodical  transition.  It
  is  named  ‘Agarwal’,  and  is  searching  for  its  skull,
  which  is  hanging  from  the  bowsprit  of  a  derelict
  ship  not  but  a  few  leagues  away,  a  ship  caught  in
  a  tidal  pool  in  a  rocky  headland.  If  the  party  will
  change  course  and  retrieve  it,  Agarwal  will  dunk
  his  skull  in  a  barrel  of  rum  on  deck,  turning  its
  water  into  a  potion  that  effects  all  who  drink  of  it
  differently,  though  it  only  effects  them  once.  After
  these  favors  are  traded,  Agarwal  will  cast  his  own
  head  into  the  sea  and  then  disappear.  None  of  the
  NPC  crew  will  dare  to  drink  of  this  concoction.
  Concoction   Of   Agarwal
  Roll
  Effects  of  the  bewitched  rum
  9-12
  Cannot  die  unless  beheaded;  statistical
  death  otherwise  renders  him  unconscious,
  specific  blow  to  the  head  or  neck  suffer
  a  penalty  of  -2  on  Tables  10  and  150
  8
  +1  to  Brawn  (maximum  of  10)
  5-7
  No  effect
  4
  -1  to  Girth  (minimum  of  3)
  1-3
  Cursed  to  decapitate  1  human  every  13
  days;  failure  to  do  so  results  in  the  loss
  of  -1  to  Girth,  with  death  thereby  having
  his  head  rot  at  the  neck  and  fall  off
  
  LEGENDS   OF   THE   ORIENT
  18
  Pssst!  Avast  there!  Ye  be  seekin’ adventure  in  the
  fabled  Far  East,  matey?  Well  I  tells  ya  true,  there
  be  no  lack  o’ gold  in  hand  or  in  heaven,  an’ more
  than  likely  no  lack  o’ red  in  hand  or  on  them  seas.
  Be  that  crimson  cast  by  the  settin’ sun  or  the  sun
  settin’ on  yer  life  be  no  different,  says  I.  ‘Tis  the
  strangest  world  there,  where  princes  an’ pirates  be
  no  more  differen’ than  be  friend  from  foe.  Properly
  warned  ye  be  says  I . . .
  LOST   IN   TOWN:   The  ports  of  this  region  are
  so  old  their  origins  are  forgotten  even  by  the  oral
  tradition,  leaving  a  labyrinth  of  one  culture  being
  built  atop  countless  others.  The  streets  are  as  much
  a  maze  as  anyone  could  deliberately  design,  and  it
  has  a  culture  so  alien  to  Europeans  that  the  people
  fill  those  crowded  walks,  docks  and  rickshaw  ways
  like  ghosts  in  a  dream  or  devils  in  the  underworld.
  55)  Thieves
  The  crowded,  narrow  streets  choke  up  ahead,  as
  three  rickshaw  carts  are  blocking  the  way.  Each
  cart-puller  is  yelling  at  the  other  two.  Everyone
  is  backing  up  behind  them.
  The  three  rickshaw  cart  pullers  are  all  part  of
  a  plan—they  are  deliberately  making  confusion  so
  their  associates  can  go  through  the  crowd  and  pick
  pockets.  A  Pilfering  Check  with  a  +3  bonus  will
  be  attempted  on  each  Player  Character.  If  any  thief
  is  caught,  all  8  of  their  total  will  run.  If  cornered,
  these  Chinamen  will  fight  together,  using  daggers
  instead  of  cutlasses,  thus  setting  their  Base  Damage
  at  4  instead  of  8.
  56)  Karoosh*
  This  Encounter  should  be  run  either  in  1645  or  in
  the  decade  following.
  A  ratty  sailor  is  sharing  drinks  with  equally  foul
  wharf  rats  in  a  dark  corner  of  the  bar.  He  seems
  to  be  claiming  that  he  killed  half  of  the  Scottish
  city  of  Edinburgh.  He  raises  a  mug  to  toast,  but
  what  he’s  toasting  you  cannot  hear.  Then  he  sees
  you  and  asks  “Need  an  immortal  in  your  crew?”
  The  filthy  man  is  telling  tall  tales.  The  truth
  (which  can  be  easily  coaxed  from  him  if  is  he  in
  any  way  threatened)  is  that  in  1645  there  was  an
  incredible  plague  that  killed  off  half  of  Edinburgh’s
  people,  and  he  escaped.  Still,  the  party  could  do  a
  lot  worse  than  to  welcome  him  aboard,  for  he  has
  Medicine  Skill  at  Level  3.  His  name  is  ‘Karoosh’.
  57)  The  Hanging  Man
  The  streets  are  swamped,  creating  a  bog  between
  the  buildings.  The  people  crowd  upon  rickshaw
  roads  of  either  bamboo  or  salvaged  deck  planks
  on  raised  stilts.  It  is  in  these  maze  of  alleyways
  above  the  quagmire  that  you  find  the  only  place
  welcome  to  Europeans.  Above  is  a  web  of  ropes
  and  clotheslines,  and  a  life-size  mock  Englishman
  hanging  from  a  noose.  That,  you  are  told,  is  the
  sign  for  the  Hanging  Man  taverne.
  All  the  other  tavernes  and  inns  throughout  the
  city  are  unwelcome  to  Europeans  and  pirate  crews.
  Here  alone  can  the  party  find  anything  non-Asian,
  and  then  only  for  a  price  of  2  additional  gold  for
  any  kind  of  service.
  58)  The  legends  of  Alice
  This  Encounter  is  used  if  the  party  needs  a  critical
  bit  of  information,  and  they  are  told  it  is  known
  by  ‘Alice  Drummond’.  When  they  search  for  her,
  summarize  it  with  the  following  narrative.
  It  seems  everyone  has  a  tale  of  Alice.  Some  say
  she’s  dead,  others  drunk  in  Singapore,  and  still  a
  few  others  that  she  is  the  patron  saint  of  sailors.
  Leaving  legends  ever  in  her  wake,  you  find  your
  search  leading  you  back  and  forth  and  ultimately
  nowhere.  Then,  at  last,  a  French  priest  says  that
  Alice  can  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  wharf.
  The  priest  is  actually  Alice  herself  in  disguise.
  She  will  watch  the  party  ask  the  whores  down  at
  the  end  of  the  wharf  to  see  what  they  want  of  her
  and,  if  it  is  not  threatening,  she  will  reveal  herself.
  She  is  a  Piratess  of  only  Level  2,  relying  heavily
  on  legend  more  than  any  other  skill.
  
  LEGENDS   OF   THE   ORIENT
  19
  59)  The  cunning  of  Kasumigarra
  The  crowd  parts  for  a  single  man  clad  in  layers
  of  leather  armor  adorned  with  symbols  so  strange
  you  cannot  discern  the  human  shape  that  should
  lie  beneath  them.  Several  weapons  hang  from  his
  belt  and  back,  and  again,  you  cannot  tell  where
  their  handles  end  and  their  blades  begin.  He  has
  a  bald  head  save  for  a  single  long  lock  of  hair,
  and  his  eyes  are  steely-gray . . . as  they  turn  and
  look  at  you.
  The  man  is  ‘Satake  Kasumigarra’,  a  warrior  of
  legend.  His  statistics  are  provided  as  Handout  9.  In
  most  situations  like  this,  he  prefers  to  slaughter  all
  strangers  to  swell  his  reputation,  however,  he  feels
  differently  about  the  party—he  is  waiting  for  them
  to  act.  If  they  want  to  fight,  he  will  be  somewhat
  disappointed  but  certainly  welcoming  of  the  blood.
  If  they  want  to  talk,  he  will  be  very  interested  in
  joining  them  so  long  as  they  sail  and  adventure  in
  the  Orient.  Once  they  leave,  their  captain  can  keep
  Satake’s  services  with  a  Charisma  Check.
  60)  New  law
  When  reading  out  this  narrative,  replace  ‘NATION’
  with  that  of  the  heritage  of  the  majority  of  Player
  Characters.  If  there  is  no  majority,  then  replace  it
  with  the  nation  of  their  captain.
  The  knots  of  people  tying  up  traffic  in  the  street
  has  suddenly  become  too  tight  to  move.  They’re
  all  looking  at  a  public  official  standing  up  in  his
  rickshaw  cart.  He  unrolls  a  scroll  from  a  silvery
  baton,  straightens  his  tall,  colorful  hat,  and  reads:
  “By  the  inspired  command  of  his  majesty,  Do-rin
  Man-chu,  all  people  from  the  foreign  ‘NATION’
  are  hereby  banned  for  their  subhuman  malignancy
  and  malfeasance.  Anyone  of  such  skin  or  loyalty
  found  within  the  city  after  an  hour  from  now  is
  subject  to  arrest,  to  be  placed  without  trial  under
  the  asses  of  five  men  until  their  droppings  have
  given  its  face  a  less  sightly  quality”.
  There  are  hired  enforcers  in  the  crowd  in  case
  of  any  trouble—3  Chinamen  to  each  Character,  and
  nobody  else  will  dare  get  involved.
  61)  Fire!
  This  Encounter  is  especially  useful  for  getting  the
  party  out  of  town  and  back  out  to  sea . . .
  “Fire!”  The  cries  are  many  and  in  many  mixed
  languages,  but  they’re  understood  quickly  enough.
  The  town  is  ablaze!  Buildings  are  going  up  as  if
  devils  are  moving  in  and  streets  are  filling  with
  panic  like  a  flooding  of  fear.
  The  party  must  act  quickly—doing  nothing  has
  a  cumulative  1  in  4  chance  of  getting  caught  afire
  and  killed!  However,  depending  on  where  one  tries
  to  go,  his  chances  and  Checks  are  different.  If  any
  such  Check  fails,  the  individual  suffers  a  random
  2-24  Damage  (total  between  Base  and  Variable).
  Running  for  the  harbor  is  call  for  an  Agility
  Check  to  make  one’s  way  through  the  panicking
  people  and  dodge  the  collapsing  chaos  all  around.
  Hiding  in  water  such  as  a  barrel  or  diving  off
  a  dock  calls  for  a  Luck  Check  to  see  if  the  blaze
  doesn’t  collapse  nearby  buildings  and  bury  him.
  Climbing  to  rooftops  or  any  other  high  place
  calls  for  an  Endurance  Check  to  take  the  heat  and
  other  difficulties,  but  only  buys  3  Rounds  of  time.
  Pilfering  gains  a  bonus  of  +5  due  to  the  total
  chaos  but  will  of  course  result  in  Damage  too.
  62)  Need’n  someone ‘n  need?
  This  Encounter  is  best  used  if  the  party  has  need
  of  a  captain  (as  in,  someone  with  high  Charisma
  and  Leadership  Skills).
  On  the  wharf,  you  come  face-to-face  with  who,
  or  what,  can  only  be  described  as  a  damned
  insane  captain.  Speaking  to  the  man  he  has  just
  pinned  to  the  wall  behind  him  with  five  daggers,
  he  mumbles  “I’m  tired  of  this  town . . .”  He  eyes
  you  up  and  down.  “I’m  Captain  Rodderick . . .”
  This  Pirate  Captain  has  Leadership  Level  4,
  Charisma  Score  10,  and  is  of  Experience  Level  5.
  He  is  also  quite  insane.  He  likes  to  command  from
  the  crow’s  nest  and  insists  on  sailing  through  every
  storm,  daring  gods  both  above  and  below  to  claim
  him,  and  laughing  at  their  impotence.
  
  LEGENDS   OF   THE   ORIENT
  20
  IN  THE   COILS   OF  THE   DRAGON:   There  is
  just  as  much  piracy  on  land  as  there  is  at  sea  in
  the  fabled  Far  East.  Kings  and  families  and  sailors
  and  merchants  are  so  entangled  in  political  plots  as
  to  be  inseparable.  It  comes  down  to  the  adventures
  of  pirates  to  untangle  them,  which  can  be  far  more
  dangerous  than  going  broadsides  with  a  legendary
  galleon  while  sailing  through  a  hurricane.
  63)  The  Pirate  Ninja
  This  Encounter  is  to  be  used  if  the  party  seeks  an
  ally  or  an  assassin . . . or  is  being  set  up  to  meet
  an  assassin  strictly  for  business . . .
  You  make  your  way  into  the  room,  where  you
  are  supposedly  to  meet  your  contact,  and  yet  you
  find  nobody  here.  The  room  is  empty.  Windows
  of  paper  line  the  walls,  and  a  small  table  rises
  but  a  few  inches  off  the  ground.  The  ceiling  is
  also  made  of  paper  and  the  floor  of  is  made  of
  paneled  wood.
  There  is  a  Ninja—an  assassin—hiding  above
  the  ceiling,  simply  pressing  his  arms  and  legs  hard
  against  the  beams  above  the  paper,  ready  to  drop
  through  it  and  attack  the  party  if  necessary.  Due  to
  his  incredible  physical  conditioning,  mastery  of  his
  breathing  and  the  paper  ceiling’s  acoustics,  when
  he  speaks,  his  voice  will  seem  both  calm  and  also
  echo  from  all  around  the  room,  high  and  low.  He
  will  ask  the  party  what  they  seek  and  why,  and  if
  he  is  to  be  hired,  what  the  job  is.  Of  himself,  he
  will  say  nothing,  save  that  his  ancestors  come  from
  the  distant,  nearly  mythical  region  of  Japane,  north
  of  the  Goto  Islands.  Whether  hired  or  fought,  this
  Ninja’s  statistics  are  provided  as  Handout  10.  Still,
  while  he  may  be  secretive  about  himself,  he  is  not
  mystical,  and  if  he  joins  the  party,  he  will  become
  ‘one  of  the  crew’.  The  Ninja,  as  he  will  charitably
  explain,  do  not  guard  their  identity  with  masks,  but
  rather  they  hide  in  plain  sight—they  more  often  act
  as  gardeners  or  politicians,  getting  close  to  a  target
  with  trust  rather  than  wearing  a  mask  and  hiding
  in  the  shadows.  Thus,  he  can  easily  be  part  of  any
  pirate  crew  and  blend  in,  though  he  shall  indeed
  don  his  veiled  clothing  and  mask  if  he  has  to  use
  stealth  to  carry  out  such  an  operation.
  64)  Bad  business
  This  Encounter  should  be  used  when  the  party  is
  seeking  some  sort  of  financing,  whether  to  fund  a
  voyage,  pay  off  a  debt,  or  bargain  a  risky  deal.
  You  are  led  to  the  inner  sanctum  of  ‘Manchusi’,
  a  man  so  immensely  fat  he  looks  like  a  gigantic
  slug  oozing  across  the  floor.  His  henchmen  all
  sit  cross-legged  on  the  floor  nearby,  while  their
  sultan-like  leader  chokes  on  the  smoke  of  several
  bowls  burning  with  other-worldly  incense.  There
  is  a  ten-foot  square  white  rug  in  the  exact  center
  of  the  floor,  where  he  instructs  you  to  sit  before
  any  negotiations  take  place—a  perfect  place  for
  his  guards  to  surround  you  should  trouble  occur.
  Manchusi  is  a  hard  businessman,  and  will  not
  be  satisfied  until  he  clearly  has  the  better  deal.  Yet
  if  trouble  does  occur  for  this  or  any  other  reason,
  his  guards  will  not  attack,  but  instead,  Manchusi
  will  lift  an  incense  pot  that  activates  a  trap—all  on
  the  white  rug  will  plunge  into  the  10’ square  pit  it
  covers,  falling  20’ into  a  shallow  pool  where  they
  will  have  to  fight  with  the  4  Crocodiles  he  keeps
  down  there,  gifts  from  an  Australian  pirate.  If  the
  party  lives  or  escapes,  they  must  still  pay  500  gold
  for  each  Crocodile  they  killed.
  65)  The  mask  of  Miori
  As  you  await  your  host,  sitting  cross-legged  on
  the  floor  of  his  temple,  you  are  brought  tea  and
  cakes  by  his  Geisha.  Her  white  face  and  calm
  demeanor  are  somehow  alluring.
  The  Geisha  secretly  yearns  for  freedom.  If  she
  is  given  any  indication  that  the  party  would  prefer
  she  join  their  crew,  her  eagerness  will  be  only  too
  visible  to  her  man—the  one  the  party  has  come  to
  do  business  with—and  he  will  challenge  them  to  a
  duel  to  the  death  for  her.  If  the  Geisha  is  won  she
  will  prove  to  be  a  dedicated,  cunning  and  rather
  unpredictable  piratess.  ‘Miori’  will  not  ask  for  any
  share  of  the  treasure,  as  her  freedom  is  treasure
  enough.  She  will  only  remove  her  mask  of  white
  face  paint  once  the  party  has  put  to  sea,  and  then
  provide  them  with  her  statistics  of  Handout  11.
  
  LEGENDS   OF   THE   ORIENT
  21
  SEAS   OF   SUNDURED   HEAVENS:   Nothing  in
  the  world  strikes  fear  into  the  hearts  of  pirates  like
  sailing  in  the  seas  off  the  Orient.  These  are  easily
  the  worst  mapped,  most  feared,  and  most  haunted
  shores  in  the  world.  Whether  made  so  by  the  fears
  of  sailors  or  not  is  anyone’s  guess,  but  whatever  is
  the  truth,  these  waters  are  found  to  be  dark  and
  dreaded  by  all  who  venture  there.
  66)  The  H.M.S.  Friday*
  This  Encounter  should  be  used  only  from  the  year
  1713  onward.
  Sailing  these  waters,  you’re  so  used  to  seeing  the
  Chinese  junks  and  their  fanned  sails  like  dragon-
  wings  breaking  the  horizon,  it  is  both  refreshing
  and  horrifying  to  see  the  pale,  squared  sails  from
  a  European  vessel  rise  through  the  mist  ahead.
  As  they  drag  their  hulking  vessel  from  out  of  a
  ghostly  beyond  and  into  your  world,  you  see  that
  it  is  a  large  ship,  possibly  a  merchantman.
  The  vessel  is  the  ‘H.M.S. Friday’,  an  English
  ship  with  a  history  which  may  echo  throughout  the
  party’s  own  crew.  Have  each  Player  Character  roll
  an  Intuition  Check  to  hear  a  whisper . . .
  Whispers   Of   The   Crew
  Roll
  What  a  crew  member  fearfully  says
   12
  “She  set  sail  and  was  never  seen  again”
   11
  “That  ship  is  captained  by  James  Friday”
  9-10
  “That  ship’s  keel  was  laid  on  a  Friday”
  7-8
  “That  ship’s  crew  was  hired  on  a  Friday”
  5-6
  “Fridays  are  bad  luck  at  sea”
  3-4
  “Jesus  was  crucified  on  a  Friday”
  1-2
  “Eve  tempted  Adam  on  a  Friday”
  The  H.M.S. Friday  is  currently  abandoned,  save
  for  the  ghost  of  its  captain,  James  Friday,  who  is
  still  at  the  helm.  Anyone  who  steps  aboard  cannot
  leave—his  deathly  curse  holds  them  there  unless
  they  can  give  him  “One  good  reason  why  serving
  on  Friday  is  an  ill  choice”,  as  such  a  provision  is
  in  his  articles.  Any  of  the  reasons  from  the  chart
  above  will  work,  but  each  Character  must  give  him
  a  different  reason.  Those  who  disembark  are  given
  1  treasure  as  pay,  rolled  using  the  ‘ship’  column
  on  Table  81,  again  according  to  his  articles.  For
  just  stepping  aboard  will,  to  Friday’s  supernatural
  eyes,  appear  as  having  served  for  many  years.
  67)  Haunted  cabin
  Use  this  Encounter  after  the  party  has  conquered  a
  ship  and  are  looking  for  loot.
  You  enter  the  captain’s  cabin,  and  find  it  to  be
  a  world  unto  itself.  Exotic  candles  glow  inside  of
  beautiful  cages  of  colorful  stained  Chinese  glass,
  and  for  some  reason  the  floor  has  been  painted
  white.  And,  there’s  a  bed  as  ornate  as  a  Spanish
  galleon’s  sterncastle,  though  it  is  only  seen  by
  two  people—the  captain  no  doubt  keeps  all  eyes
  away  from  here,  for  laying  in  the  dusty  blankets
  is  the  skeleton  of  a  dead  woman  in  a  bride-gown
  and  surrounded  by  treasure!
  The  captain  hoards  all  treasure  to  appease  the
  ghost  of  his  dead  wife—much  to  the  anger  of  his
  crew—to  keep  her  caged  within  her  mortal  bones.
  If  still  alive  and  questioned,  the  captain  will  claim
  that  this  skeleton  speaks  to  him  at  night,  and  each
  year  on  the  anniversary  of  her  death—today—the
  morning  mist  flows  into  the  cabin  like  the  normal
  reek  and  heat  the  rest  of  the  year,  and  the  mists
  form  her  ghost.  The  captain  and  crew  alike  believe
  they  were  defeated  due  to  the  wishes  of  this  ghost
  and  want  nothing  to  do  either  with  the  treasure  nor
  those  who  claim  it  for  themselves—no  survivors  at
  all  will  join  the  party’s  crew.
  68)  The  Runners
  There’s  a  crowded  junk  approaching.  A  noose  is
  clearly  visible  hanging  from  its  bowsprit,  and  its
  crowded  crew  are  all  jeering  and  screaming  war
  cries—there  are  so  many  on  so  small  a  ship  it’s
  like  the  mast  is  a  tree  growing  with  the  fruit  of
  yellow  faces  all  crying  out  at  you.
  This  ship’s  crew  are  known  as  the  ‘Runner’s,
  since  they  just  attack  and  run  if  outnumbered.  This
  junk  has  180  1st Level  men  aboard,  running  a  full
  12  cannon,  and  commanded  by  a  Chinese  Pirate
  Captain.  They  are  ready . . . is  the  party?
  
  LEGENDS   OF   THE   ORIENT
  22
  69)  Mysterious  depths
  The  waters  are  calm  today,  almost  glass.  As  the
  sun  teases  you  with  fleeting  sights  of  land,  both
  above  and  below  the  waves,  beaches  and  reefs,
  Hell  decides  to  compete  with  Heaven  directly,  as
  a  wide  area  just  beneath  your  ship  starts  glowing
  with  powerful,  golden  light!  This  is  no  trick  of  a
  sun’s  angle,  but  a  circular  field  all  aglow  a  good
  twenty  feet  beneath  your  keel.  All  of  the  crew  is
  transfixed,  like  looking  into  the  serpent’s  eye,  at
  once  both  terrified  and  fascinated.
  This  mysterious  light  will  never  reveal  itself.
  However,  those  who  touch  the  water  over  its  glow
  will  succumb  to  a  strange  effect.  This  will  only  be
  effective  once  against  each  individual.
  Light   Of  The   Depths
  Roll
  Effects  of  touching  the  water
  12
  Strange  visions;  30-360  Experience  Points
  10-11
  Nightmarish  visions;  +1  Intuition
  7-9
  Shocked;  +1  Brawn  but  -1  Girth
  6
  Attacks  random  targets  for  1-4  Rounds
  4-5
  Madness;  -1  to  all  rolls  for  1-12  days
  2-3
  Amnesia;  -1  Wits
  1
  Endurance  Check  or  die
  70)  Captain  Dronnett
  “Avast!”  Not  normally  the  lookout’s  call,  it  gets
  everyone  to  deck  double-quick.  Somehow  a  junk
  has  come  upon  you,  her  crew  aiming  many  large
  lantaka  swivel-guns  at  you  and  screaming  bloody
  murder!  Their  captain  strides  into  full  view.  Clad
  in  armor  of  red  leather  there  is  no  mistaking  him
  or  his  legacy:  ‘Dronnet’,  known  as  the  ‘Dragon’,
  he  somehow  appears  and  disappears  like  one.
  This  Chinese  junk  is  manned  by  80  2nd Level
  men  and  runs  10  cannons.  Captain  Dronnett  lairs
  in  a  cove  the  party  just  passed,  which  he  knows
  very  well  for  the  outside  sea’s  strange  ability  to
  cause  men  to  be  forgetful  and  sleepy,  and  it  is  in
  such  temporary  states  of  disorientation  that  he  rides
  up  behind  them  and  ‘materializes’.  Dronnett  is  an
  infamous  Pirate  Captain  of  Level  6,  and  he  wants
  the  party’s  blood  and  treasure . . .
  71)  Sea  of  stone
  These  are  strange  seas.  Islands  appear  and  then
  vanish  like  the  morning  mist.  Men  of  gilded  skin
  mock  the  Heavens  and  sell  magic  at  market.  And
  now,  the  sea  turns  to  stone!  Ahead  of  you,  no,
  all  around  you . . . the  sea  has  turned  to  rock.  It
  is  no  illusion.  Somehow  you  have  come  into  the
  lagoon  of  an  island  of  rolling  sand  dunes  as  far
  as  the  eye  can  sea.
  The  ‘land’  surrounding  the  party’s  ship  is  only
  pumice,  spewing  up  from  below  as  magma  escapes
  the  oceanbed.  This  ‘land’  is  18  leagues  across,  and
  only  a  few  feet  thick.  Therefore,  if  anyone  walks
  on  it,  he  will  punch  through,  and  have  to  make  a
  Searching  Check  each  Round  until  he  finds  a  way
  back  to  the  ship  or  drowns—breaking  back  through
  the  ‘land’  will  not  help  him,  as  it  will  just  close
  back  together  higher  than  his  head  can  break  the
  surface  of  the  sea.  If  the  party  just  waits,  after  a
  few  hours,  all  the  ‘land’  will  begin  to  break  apart.
  At  the  next  port,  men  from  the  isle  of  Tonga  will
  say  they’ve  seen  that  strange  occurrence  before,
  and  explain  it  is  the  ‘belly  of  the  earth  vomiting
  up  and  nothing  more’.
  72)  Dangerous  river
  Use  this  Encounter  when  the  party  goes  upriver  in
  a  longboat  for  any  reason.
  You  feel  as  if  you  are  leaving  the  living  world
  and  venturing  into  the  outlands  of  some  region
  inhabited  by  dead  men.  As  you  push  sluggishly
  up  the  river,  it’s  amazing  how  strong  the  current
  is,  yet  the  water  is  as  smooth  as  the  sky.  Dense
  jungle  rises  to  either  side,  and  shadowy  figures
  stand  beside  the  trees,  almost  tree-like  themselves
  with  their  grass  skirts  and  hats,  watching  you.
  The  river  is  home  to  giant  Constrictor  Snakes,
  one  of  which  will  rise  around  the  boat  and  attack
  the  party.  Everyone  must  make  an  Intuition  Check.
  Those  who  fail  will  be  amongst  those  it  randomly
  picks  for  its  surprise  attack,  a  free  Round  in  which
  it  automatically  gains  the  Initiative  and  also  gets  a
  +3  bonus  to  its  Attack  Roll.
  
  LEGENDS   OF   THE   ORIENT
  23
  73)  Prison  of  Shadows
  A  dark  tower  rises  along  the  coast.  Like  a  spiral
  rising  out  of  the  colorless  Hell  of  the  ocean  it
  pierces  the  spray  of  the  seacoast  and  doubles  the
  height  of  the  cliffs  beside  it.  Glittering  pinpoints
  of  light  up  and  down  its  sides  speak  of  countless
  rooms  aglow  with  life  that  never  leaves  it.  There
  is  a  long,  narrow  bridge  connecting  the  tower  to
  the  cliffs,  and  you  see  its  rails  adorned  with  old
  gibbets  and  skeletons  hanging  hundreds  of  feet
  above  the  surf.
  The  tower  is  the  ‘Prison  of  Shadows’,  one  of
  many  such  strongholds  throughout  the  world,  keeps
  of  secret  magic  created  by  China.  Here,  ghosts  are
  allowed  to  come  ashore  and  stay  ‘safe’  in  prison  if
  they  died  out  of  superstitious  fear,  forestalling  their
  judgment  until  a  sailor  comes  to  say  if  their  dread
  was  true  or  not,  and  thus  if  their  death  was  just
  or  not.  Those  who  are  dragged  from  the  mainland
  into  the  tower  are  ‘fed’  to  the  spirits  here,  as  their
  souls  are  devoured  by  the  prisoners  and  then  their
  bodies  hung  outside  for  the  crows.  Should  anyone
  come  here  to  do  business,  he  will  receive  a  fee  of
  500  gold  to  ‘judge’  a  spirit,  the  terms  provided  as
  Handout  12.  If  he  wipes  his  own  blood  on  it,  that
  contract  will  reveal  writing  otherwise  unseen,  which
  is  provided  as  Handout  13.  Either  way,  to  accept
  the  payment  is  to  accept  all  the  magical  terms  that
  apply  to  the  ‘case’  he  gets.  The  various  ghosts  that
  are  currently  ‘up  for  review’  are  detailed  below  in
  the  order  each  judge  will  meet  them.
  The  first  case  is  a  pirate  who  killed  his  mate
  for  cutting  his  nails  at  sea.  The  ghost  is  Italian.  In
  ancient  times,  nails  and  hair  were  always  given  on
  land  to  Italy’s  goddess  Proserpine—cutting  nails  or
  hair  at  sea  angers  Neptune,  god  of  the  sea,  so  the
  ghost  was  saving  his  crew  from  disaster.  If  judged
  as  innocent,  this  ghost  will  incarnate  into  Ghoulish
  form  and  attack,  unable  to  sate  its  bloodthirst.
  The  second  case  is  a  sailor  who  simply  gazed
  shoreward,  which  his  crew  believed  caused  ill  luck
  enough  to  sink  their  ship.  If  judged  guilty,  he  will
  gaze  at  the  Character,  causing  his  living  eyes  to
  melt  out  of  his  skull  unless  he  either  can  make  a
  Luck  Check  or  prays.
  The  third  case  is  a  Muslim  thief  who  stole  a
  single  silver  coin  built  into  his  ship’s  keel  that  was
  set  there  to  ensure  good  luck.  His  particular  faith
  has  no  provisions  for  luck  so  he  did  not  see  this
  as  any  wrongdoing.  If  judged  guilty,  this  ghost  will
  try  to  steal  the  Character’s  own  luck,  indeed  trying
  to  bite  him,  which  will  permanently  cost  him  1
  Luck  Point  every  time  the  ghost  hits,  but  will  be
  itself  destroyed  instantly  when  its  10  Defense  Score
  is  hit  in  any  way.
  The  fourth  case  is  a  Chinaman’s  spirit  who  on
  his  first  voyage  ‘on  account’  (of  piracy)  met  with
  so  many  storms  that  he,  believing  naked  women  a
  way  to  calm  the  seas,  crucified  a  captive  wench  to
  make  the  ship’s  maidenhead,  not  realizing  that  is
  why  wooden  women  with  big  breasts  already  serve
  as  most  ships’ maidenheads.  If  judged  innocent,  he
  will  come  to  inhabit  the  maidenhead  aboard  the
  judge’s  own  vessel,  his  eyes  constantly  searching
  for  storms,  indeed  causing  all  results  of  ‘bad  food’,
  ‘reefs’  and  ‘Encounters’  on  a  voyage  to  be  storms
  that  cannot  be  rounded.  Once  the  maidenhead  has
  been  removed  the  spirit  will  be  defeated.
  The  final  case  is  a  humble  English  captain,  a
  practical  man  with  one  superstitious  belief,  that  all
  feathers  bring  good  luck.  He  stole  the  feathers  of
  everyone  aboard  his  ship  and  made  himself  a  huge
  hat  with  them.  He  was  killed  by  the  quartermaster
  for  this.  If  judged  guilty,  his  flesh  will  melt  away,
  and  this  Skeleton  will  attack  his  judge  without  any
  mercy.  If  his  judge  has  a  captain’s  hat  or  feathers
  in  his  possession,  he  will  gain  a  +2  bonus  to  his
  Initiative  Rolls  in  this  fight,  as  the  ghost  will  have
  the  strong  belief  that  the  feathers  deflect  his  blows.
  
  TALES   OF   AUSTRALIA
  24
  Oye!  Mate!  Ye  come  seekin’ adventure  down  under
  fer  treasure?  No  worries.  There  be  gold  fer  diggin’,
  some  wicked  grog  fer  drinkin’, an’ men  fer  killin’
  what  plenty,  says  I.  Oye,  I’ve  heard  me  a  tale  or
  two ‘bout  the  brutal  paradise  what  be  the  Caribbean
  an’ the  myst’rious  waters  o’ China,  but  I  tells  ya,
  ain’t  no  paradise  as  brutal  an’ beautiful  as  the  land
  we  likes  ta  calls  Australia . . .
  PRISON   PARADISE:   Since  most  settlements  in
  this  region  were  founded  as  prison  colonies,  they’re
  almost  globally  named  ‘rusted  gateways  to  prison
  paradise’.  Indeed,  these  rough-and-tumble  towns  are
  as  violent  and  also  as  welcome  as  any  in  all  the
  world,  as  prisoners,  escapees  and  descendants  of  all
  the  most  decadent  pirates  enjoy  harsh  humor  and  a
  good  fight.  Sailors  might  literally  cut  their  teeth  if
  they’re  learning  the  trade  of  piracy  in  these  ports.
  74)  Captains  contest
  If  there  is  a  Player  Character  in  charge  of  the  ship
  (rather  than  an  NPC),  when  reading  this  narrative
  aloud,  replace  ‘CAPTAIN’  with  the  name  and  title
  of  the  PC  who  is  in  command.
  The  taverne  is  full  of  bodies  and  beers  tonight.
  As  several  crews  mix  stories  and  drinks,  there  is
  a  general  clamor  that  defies  explanation,  like  an
  epic  battle  without  any  casualties,  only  comedies.
  In  the  midst  of  all  of  this,  the  locals  call  out
  your  own  ‘CAPTAIN’,  along  with  a  good  number
  of  other  captains.  Everyone  is  to  put  a  hundred
  gold  in  the  center  of  the  table,  and  drink  shots
  poured  from  the  same  jug,  until  only  one  is  left
  conscious.  As  the  innkeeper  brings  over  the  jug,
  which  is  the  size  of  a  barrel,  he  happily  says
  “Strongest  liver  gets  richer  tonight!”
  The  other  four  captains  have  Girth  Scores  of
  6,  8,  9  and  10  respectively.  If  anyone  who  is  not
  a  captain  wishes  to  be  in  this  game,  he  can,  but
  only  if  he  first  ‘earns  what  he  hasn’t  yet  earned’,
  indeed  giving  all  the  captains  an  edge  by  drinking
  enough  shots  to  lower  his  own  Girth  Score  by  3
  for  the  duration  of  this  contest.  To  the  winner  and
  only  conscious  Character  goes  the  complete  pile  of
  gold  on  the  table.
  75)  Pirate  opera
  The  old  churchyard  has  been  converted  into  some
  sort  of  theater,  where  a  crude  deck  allows  sailors
  to  sing  opera—badly.  The  drunken  revelry  in  the
  ‘audience’  is  a  show  in  itself,  the  swarthy  crews
  gathered  like  sharks  but  as  delighted  as  children.
  They  straddle  overturned  pews  and  clack  bottles
  and  mugs  together  while  they  spill  on  to  and  off
  of  the  stage.
  Anybody  can  go  on  stage  so  long  as  he  sing.
  The  ongoing  drunken  stupor  has  come  to  accept
  singing  only.  Anything  else  will  be  met  with  brute
  force  removal  of  the  ‘performer’—there  are  always
  dozens  and  sometimes  hundreds  of  pirates  here.  To
  sing  well  enough  to  avoid  the  same  removal,  one
  must  make  a  Charisma  Check.  To  succeed  will  not
  only  avoid  violence,  but  also  add  one  Value  to  the
  town  for  recruiting  purposes.  This  can  succeed  only
  once  for  each  Character.
  76)  Thorn  in  your  side
  As  a  majority  of  the  crew  enjoys  themselves  this
  night  in  the  spacious  taverne,  one  of  them  is  just
  causing  no  end  of  problems.  Even  from  a  distant
  glance  you  recognize  him—Thorn—always  being
  a  problem,  especially  when  drunk.  Tonight,  he’s
  mangling  his  language  in  a  feigned  stupor  so  he
  can  work  in  countless  insults  to  his  shipmates.
  ‘Thorn’  is  inserting  a  ‘p’  before  every  possible
  word,  such  as  speaking  in  ‘Penglish’  and  ‘pwning’
  his  friends’ souls.  His  excuse  is  that  he’s  drunk  but
  clearly  this  is  a  ruse—he  is  sober  enough  to  know
  what  he’s  doing,  and  he’s  trying  to  justify  insulting
  as  many  people  as  possible  as  often  as  possible.  It
  is  only  a  matter  of  3  Rounds  before  the  crew  kills
  him,  and  when  they  do,  it  will  begin  a  brawl  that,
  seeing  some  come  to  his  defense,  will  reduce  the
  crew’s  size  by  10  men  and  Morale  by  1-6.  If  any
  Character  intervenes,  he  might  save  this  situation
  either  by  rendering  Thorn  unconscious  without  this
  action  being  known  (however  that  might  be  done),
  or  challenging  this  Crewman  straight  up  to  a  fight
  without  weapons,  and  knock  him  out  that  way.
  
  TALES   OF   AUSTRALIA
  25
  77)  Church  at  the  edge  of  the  map
  Just  outside  town,  a  gothic  church  has  been  built
  in  the  sea . . . a  long  enough  look  and  the  words
  of  local  fishermen  passing  by  tells  the  tale:  The
  church  was  built  on  a  sandbar,  which  eventually
  sank  down  a  few  feet,  allowing  the  tide  to  flow
  in  and  out  of  the  chapel.  So  there  it  still  stands,
  waves  obscuring  its  steps  and  floor.  Locals  take
  boats  and  brave  the  ever-present  school  of  sharks
  to  get  to  Sunday  mass.  Makes  one  wonder—with
  people  that  daring,  why  do  they  need  a  God?
  Should  anyone  in  the  party  go  to  mass  here,
  the  priest,  standing  on  the  raised  dais  with  sharks
  surrounding  him,  will  calmly  ask  the  Character(s)
  to  do  God  a  favor,  indeed  to  carry  out  a  mission
  for  him.  This  errand  can  be  whatever  you  need  to
  move  your  adventure  in  the  direction  that  it  needs.
  78)  Taverne  brawl
  Walking  by  a  taverne,  you  can  easily  tell  that  it
  is  in  the  midst  of  a  brawl.  The  lights  are  all  out
  and,  glancing  through  the  door,  you  see  naught
  but  a  stormcloud  of  combat  with  lighting  knives
  flashing,  and  hear  nothing  except  the  thunder  of
  unseen  pistol  blasts.  Moments  later  a  body  is  just
  dumped  outside  by  two  men  who  run  right  back
  inside.  The  dead  man  is  a  priest.
  Anyone  who  wants  to  enter  this  brawl  is  free
  to  do  so.  Inside  the  dark  taverne  there  are  34  total
  Crewman  to  choose  from.  Like  being  engaged  in  a
  mass  melee,  one  simply  chooses  his  total  number
  of  enemies  and  then  fights  them  in  regular  Rounds.
  The  weapon  each  Crewman  uses  (still  with  his  +1
  bonus)  should  be  determined  at  random.
  Weapons   In  The   Brawl
  Roll
  Weapon  used
  Base  Damage
  12
  Cutlass
  8
  11
  Pistol
  7
  9-10
  Longsword
  6
  8
  Machete
  5
  5-7
  Dagger
  4
  4
  Chain
  3
  1-3
  Club
  2
  79)  The  Friendly  Pub
  Inside  this  taverne,  it  seems  that  both  locals  and
  sailors  regularly  fight  for  sport.  Even  now,  three
  separate  brawls  cause  the  tables  and  tankards  to
  rumble,  but  nobody  seems  to  care.  You  quickly
  learn  from  the  old  geezers  at  the  bar  that  all  this
  fighting  actually  discourages  real  brawls  and  true
  danger;  “Bruises  be  better  than  meetin’ Almighty
  God”,  says  one.  The  innkeeper,  bringing  over  an
  enormous,  boiling  pot  of  stew,  explains  it  better;
  “Let ‘em  work  off  their  steam  rather  than  lettin’
  it  boil  over  an’ blow.  That’s  why  we  call  it ‘ere
  the  Friendly  Pub”.
  Many  things  can  happen  at  the  Friendly  Pub,
  depending  on  one’s  presence.  Indeed,  even  as  they
  enter,  the  various  Characters  in  the  party  will  be
  sized  up  by  the  rest  of  the  bar,  and  challenged  or
  welcomed  depending  on  their  statistics.
  The  highest  Brawn  will  be  challenged  right  up
  to  a  good  ol’ fistfight.  This  Crewman  will  not  use
  any  weapons,  nor  will  the  Character  unless  he  will
  be  comfortable  fighting  the  entire  bar  with  them.
  In  the  fistfight,  all  results  of  death  shall  only  equal
  unconsciousness,  and  all  loss  of  limbs  will  only  be
  broken  bones  that  take  4-6  weeks  to  heal  (roll  a
  single  dice,  with  ‘1-4’  being  6  weeks,  ‘5-8’  being
  5  weeks,  and  ‘9-12’  being  4  weeks).
  The  highest  Girth  will  be  called  to  a  table  by
  the  4  pirates  who  are  seated  there  and  challenged
  to  a  drinking  contest.  Their  respective  Girth  Scores
  are  5,  6,  6  and  8.  They  are  already  a  bit  buzzed,
  and  thus  their  assessment  of  their  ability  to  win  is
  somewhat  flawed.  The  money  wagered  on  all  this
  will  only  be  5  gold  from  each  of  the  sailors—they
  are  already  almost  broke  due  to  drinking.
  The  highest  Charisma  will  immediately  capture
  the  attention  of  all  the  women  here,  which  will  be
  more  than  enough  sparks  to  ignite  the  tempers  of
  their  men.  In  this  case,  5  women  will  flock  around
  the  individual,  offering  all  kinds  of  pleasure,  but  if
  does  not  immediately  send  them  all  away,  he  will
  have  to  deal  with  all  5  Crewmen,  who  will  fight
  to  the  brutal  death  in  this  one.  Even  if  someone
  sends  away  most  of  the  women  but  not  all,  still
  will  all  5  guys  ‘stick  up  for  each  other’  and  fight
  the  charismatic  guy  as  a  group.
  
  TALES   OF   AUSTRALIA
  26
  HELL   ON   EARTH:   The  ‘outback’.  That’s  what
  the  locals  call  the  wilderness  of  this  land.  It’s  Hell
  on  earth  for  all  but  the  few  who  know  its  ways  or
  can  quickly  adapt  to  them.  Most  underestimate  the
  sheer  size  of  the  Australian  wilderness,  and  find  all
  attempts  at  ‘just  over  the  next  hill’  or  ‘just  until  a
  water  hole  appears’  to  lead  them  to  dehydration,  or
  death  in  the  jaws  or  coils  of  the  countless  beasts
  to  whom  the  desert-jungle  Hell  is  home.  It  is  as  if
  this  continent  were  reserved  for  the  designs  of  the
  devil  himself,  and  this  is  his  Eden,  beautiful  in  an
  unearthly  way,  dry,  naked,  barren,  but  ever  with  a
  promise  of  hidden  life.  It  is  at  once  both  magical
  and  dangerously  alluring,  like  the  mirage  of  a  fair
  woman  barely  covering  the  skeleton  that  wants  to
  rape  whoever  is  brave  enough  to  embrace  her.
  80)  Shallow  river
  You’ve  reached  the  sandy  banks  of  a  river,  calm
  and  clear,  like  a  road  of  glass  leading  to  Heaven
  from  out  here  in  the  bush.  It’s  more  like  a  pond,
  a  long  and  narrow  pond,  rather  than  a  river.  It’s
  also  shallow  too,  or  so  you  can  tell  from  all  the
  reeds  and  rocks  rising  midstream.
  Lurking  in  the  shallows  of  the  river  less  than
  an  arm’s  length  from  dry  ground  is  a  crocodile,  so
  still  it  makes  nary  a  ripple  or  bubble,  and  it  will
  attack  the  first  individual  to  so  much  as  touch  the
  water.  The  river  itself  is  only  3’ deep.
  81)  Heat  stroke
  This  dry  jungle  of  the  outback  is  maddening.  It’s
  like  a  jungle  to  the  eyes,  yet  the  trees  are  spread
  so  thin  they  seem  somehow  dead,  and  water  is
  as  distant  to  thought  as  dreams  of  heaven—ever
  an  unachievable,  madness-driving  desire.
  The  party  is  in  danger  of  getting  heat  stroke.
  If  they  stop  and  rest,  even  for  a  short  while,  they
  will  be  fine  and  suffer  no  penalty  to  their  distance
  traveled  this  day.  However,  if  they  go  on  without
  a  break  (even  if  they  have  water  to  spare),  they’ll
  have  to  make  an  Endurance  Check,  or  suffer  great
  exhaustion  and  lose  an  entire  day’s  travel.  Worse,
  if  they  do  not  have  water,  they  must  make  their
  Endurance  Check  and  rest  to  simply  lose  a  day’s
  travel,  and  if  they  fail  that  Check  or  go  on  with
  no  rest  and  then  fail  the  required  Check  at  -3  they
  will  die.  It  is  easy  to  push  one’s  self  to  the  point
  of  death  and  not  realize  it,  given  the  tricks  that
  this  deceptive  land  plays  on  one’s  thoughts.
  82)  Cliff
  The  endless  outback  is  broken  by  a  cliff.  From
  where  you  stand,  it  is  a  sheer  drop  a  good  sixty
  feet  to  the  tangled,  bone-like  branches  below.  In
  the  distance,  the  hazy  horizon  teases  you  with  an
  endless  river  shimmering  under  the  sun  like  the
  moat  of  Heaven.
  The  cliff  is  only  40’ down,  the  distance  simply
  deceiving  for  once  in  a  good  way.  However,  these
  rocks  are  home  to  many  poisonous  snakes,  and  so
  climbing  down  stands  a  chance  of  awakening  one.
  This  chance  depends  on  the  way  one  descends  the
  cliff;  1  in  6  for  going  down  a  rope,  and  3  in  6  if
  one  is  climbing  hands-and-feet.  Once  awoken,  any
  snake  will  be  a  viper  with  level  2  poison  and  +3
  to  all  its  Initiative  Rolls  as  it  strikes  out  from  its
  nest  in  the  rocks.
  83)  Cave  of  mysteries
  The  blistering  desert  heat  causes  you  to  rain  with
  sweat,  but  soon  your  skin  is  as  dry  as  the  lands
  themselves.  Dreaming  of  any  shelter,  you  see  an
  uneven  cliff  ahead,  and  therein,  a  cave.  Almost
  zombie-like  you  are  drawn  into  it,  and  find  it  to
  be  an  oasis  of  shadow.
  A  search  of  this  cave  (this  roll  made  with  a
  +2  bonus)  might  find  strange  paintings  on  the  wall,
  as  depicted  in  weird  lines.  What  these  strange  and
  vague  symbols  mean  is  different  for  everybody  that
  looks  on  them.  Aborigines  (natives)  believe  these
  paintings  to  be  spiritual,  that  one  looks  on  them  to
  help  find  his  way  to  better  being.  Just  what  pirates
  will  see  in  them  is  unknown.  Indeed,  anyone  who
  studies  them  will  soon  experience  a  unavoidable
  and  powerful  spiritual  (and  possibly  even  physical)
  transformation,  based  on  his  Character  Class.  This
  experience  happens  only  once  to  each  individual.
  
  TALES   OF   AUSTRALIA
  27
  Transformation   Of   A   Buccaneer
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  11-12
  +1  to  all  Slow  Death  rolls
  300
  10
  Select  new  Skill  for  Suggested
  100
  8-9
  +1  to  next  Slow  Death  roll
  200
  7
  Inspiration;  +1  Level  Religion
  100
  5-6
  No  effect
  100
  2-4
  Fear;  -1  Wits
  200
  1
  Hits  self  with  primary  weapon
  300
  Transformation   Of   A   Coasta   Guarda
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  10-12
  Anger;  +1  ‘Luck’
  100
  6-9
  Resolve;  1  Level  in  Religion
  200
  1-5
  Doubt;  -1  Charisma
  300
  Transformation   Of   A   Gentleman
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  10-12
  Faith;  +1  Luck
  100
  8-9
  Select  new  Skill  for  Suggested
  200
  4-7
  No  effect
  200
  1-3
  Becomes  ill;  level  1  poison
  100
  Transformation   Of   A   Huguenot
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  10-12
  Fasting  encouraged;  +1  Agility
  300
  8-9
  Enlightenment;  +1  Intuition
  200
  4-7
  No  effect
  100
  3
  Confusion;  -1  Level  to  Dutch
  100
  1-2
  Fear;  -1  Intuition
  100
  Transformation   Of   A   Madman
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  11-12
  God  speaks  to  him;  +1  Luck
  300
  9-10
  Fasting  encouraged;  +1  Wits
  100
  8
  +1  to  next  Slow  Death  roll
  200
  7
  Confusion;  1  Level  in  Religion
  200
  5-6
  Eats  dry  guano;  level  1  poison
  300
  3-4
  Attacks  everyone  for  6  Rounds
  100
  1-2
  Hits  self  with  primary  weapon
  300
  Transformation   Of   A   Musketeer
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  11-12
  +1  to  next  Slow  Death  roll
  200
  8-10
  Blessed;  +1  to  next  roll
  100
  5-7
  No  effect
  100
  1-4
  Doubt;  -1  Agility
  200
  Transformation   Of   A   Priest
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  12
  +1  to  all  Slow  Death  rolls
  100
  10-11
  Faith;  +1  Luck
  100
  9
  Fasting  encouraged;  +1  Girth
  200
  5-8
  Illumination;  +1  Level  Religion
  200
  4
  Confusion;  -1  Level  to  English
  200
  3
  Doubt;  -1  Luck
  300
  1-2
  Hits  self  with  primary  weapon
  300
  Transformation   Of   A   Rogue
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  12
  Insight;  +1  Agility
  200
  10-11
  Select  new  Skill  for  Suggested
  300
  9
  Insight;  +1  to  Skill  of  choice
  200
  4-8
  No  effect
  100
  3
  Becomes  ill;  level  1  poison
  100
  1-2
  Fear;  -1  Agility
  100
  Transformation   Of   A   Sailor
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  10-12
  Faith;  +1  to  Ability  of  choice
  200
  8-9
  Select  new  Skill  for  Suggested
  100
  4-7
  Inspiration;  +1  Level  Religion
  300
  1-3
  Fear;  -1  Wits
  100
  Transformation   Of   A   Scourge
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  9-12
  Obsession;  +1  Endurance
  300
  7-8
  No  effect
  100
  4-6
  Hits  self  with  primary  weapon
  300
  1-3
  -1  to  all  Slow  Death  rolls
  100
  Transformation   Of   A   Sea   Hawk
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  10-12
  Resolve;  +1  Luck
  300
  4-9
  No  effect
  200
  1-3
  Doubt;  -1  Intuition
  100
  Transformation   Of   A   Swashbuckler
  Roll
  Effect
  XP
  12
  +1  to  all  Slow  Death  rolls
  200
  9-11
  Confidence;  +1  Luck
  300
  7-8
  Select  new  Skill  for  Suggested
  100
  5-6
  No  effect
  200
  2-4
  Doubt;  -1  Agility
  100
  1
  Doubt;  -1  Luck
  300
  
  TALES   OF   AUSTRALIA
  28
  SAILING   DOWN   UNDER:   The  waters  on  the
  edge  of  map  are  as  haunted  as  any  in  the  world.
  Sharks  swarm  around  ships  like  the  ghosts  of  all
  drowned  men.  Reefs  rise  just  beneath  the  waves
  like  the  ramparts  of  sunken  cities  from  an  age  of
  mystery  unknown  even  to  the  ancient  world.  Those
  who  dare  travel  these  waters  must  be  on  guard  at
  all  times  against  all  those  whom  they  meet.
  84)  Buried . . . boxes
  To  use  this  Encounter,  first  have  the  party  directed
  here  by  some  obvious  instructions,  ending  with  the
  clue  “Dig  near  the  kangaroo  tree”.
  This  tiny  island  can’t  be  more  than  a  quarter  of
  a  mile  across.  There  are  a  few  scant  patches  of
  tall  grass,  ripples  of  dried  kelp,  and  a  few  trees.
  Yet  there  isn’t  anything  else,  not  even  the  sound
  of  the  gulls,  and  the  surf  is  strangely  subdued.
  It’s  like  an  isle  of  the  dead.
  No  Searching  Check  can  help  the  party  here.
  They  must  simply  search  by  trial  and  error.  What
  the  ‘kangaroo’  tree  turns  out  to  be  is  a  hollow  tree
  stump,  covered  by  the  tall  grass.  If  they  dig  it  up,
  and  then  dig  deeper,  after  10  man-hours  they  will
  find  3  treasure-boxes.  However,  each  of  these  are
  empty  decoys.  An  additional  50  man-hours  worth
  of  digging  will  turn  up  another  chest,  filled  with
  all  that  is  listed  upon  the  note  on  top  of  its  pile,
  provided  as  Handout  14.  The  ‘Heart  of  the  Sea’  it
  lists  is  actually  a  poem,  found  if  the  letter  itself  is
  soaked  in  seawater—new  writing  will  appear  on  its
  same  side,  provided  below  and  on  Handout  15.
  Her  heart,  the  sea,  it’s  calling  to  me
  Forever  from  over  the  waves
  Her  voice,  it  calls,  echoes,  enthralls
  Beyond  the  horizon  and  grave
  My  heart,  on  land,  speaks  with  my  hand
  In  vain  tries  to  finish  her  verse
  Her  heart,  the  sea,  it’s  calling  to  me
  All  time  is  a  prison  and  curse
  This  writing  is  the  long  lost  verse  sought  after
  by  a  local  governor.  Work  into  the  adventure  that
  whatever  official  recently  hired  or  soon  will  hire
  the  party  is  searching  for  the  ‘Heart  of  the  Sea’.
  85)  Goliath’s  Fist
  When  reading  aloud  the  following  narrative,  replace
  ‘VESSEL’  with  the  class  (brigantine,  junk,  etc.)  the
  party  themselves  are  sailing  aboard.
  “Sailo  ho!”  The  usual  call  brings  the  crew  about,
  and  they  crowd  on  the  railing  like  hogs  around  a
  trough.  It’s  a  pretty  good  sized  ship  you’ve  come
  across,  a  ‘VESSEL’  about  the  same  size  as  your
  own.  Yet  there  is  more  rigging,  and  many  more
  swivel-guns,  and  at  least  twice  as  many  gunports.
  However,  the  latter  remain  closed,  as  if  they  are
  waiting  to  see  what  you  do,  giving  you  a  chance
  perhaps,  but  chance  for  what?  To  surrender?  Say
  prayers?  Or  perhaps  become  bold  in  attack?  The
  man  farthest  astern  makes  out  the  vessel’s  name;
  “Goliath’s  Fist!”  he  calls  aloud.
  The  ‘Goliath’s  Fist’  is  indeed  the  same  make
  of  ship  the  party  has,  however,  they  have  only  8
  cannons—all  the  other  gunports  are  mocked  up  and
  either  empty  or  outright  fake,  no  more  than  boards
  mounted  on  the  side  of  the  hull  look  as  if  closed.
  Even  their  swivel-guns  are  all  fake  (made  of  wood
  and  painted  convincingly).  They’re  simply  trying  to
  intimidate  the  party  into  giving  up  without  a  fight.
  If  the  party’s  captain  is  an  NPC,  this  is  just  what
  will  happen.  Otherwise,  if  the  party  leads  a  battle,
  the  enemy  will  only  have  30  1st Level  men  with
  which  to  fight  back.
  86)  An  airy  dance  into  Hell
  This  Encounter  provides  adventure  after  someone
  has  suffered  a  hanging.  When  reading  this  narrative
  aloud,  replace  ‘NAME’  with  that  of  the  victim.
  All  is  darkness.  And  pain.  ‘NAME’,  you  can  be
  dead,  maybe  alive,  but  none-the-less  you  feel  that
  movement  is  your  fate.  You  are  tossed  around  in
  the  dark.  Finally  you  awaken,  surrounded  by  the
  damned—corpses  whose  features  are  barely  able
  to  be  seen  under  a  faint  shaft  of  moonlight.  Who
  knows  what  else  lies  in  the  depths  of  darkness?
  The  Character  lies  with  dozens  of  other  dead
  bodies  in  the  cargo  hold  of  a  ship.  They  are  being
  
  TALES   OF   AUSTRALIA
  29
  taken  10  miles  out  to  sea  where  there  is  a  small
  plague  island  (evacuated  due  to  plague),  and  being
  hastily  buried  there.  If  he  moves  during  the  voyage
  he  will  have  to  deal  with  the  12  Crewman  aboard.
  If  he  waits  for  the  island,  he  needs  only  make  an
  Endurance  Check  to  survive,  but  upon  awakening
  there,  the  diggers  will  believe  him  undead  and  flee
  without  any  battle,  though  these  3  Crewman  shall
  indeed  fight  if  he  chases  them  as  far  as  the  beach
  and  their  longboat.  If  he  patiently  does  nothing,  he
  may  not  have  to  fight  at  all,  though  this  will  leave
  him  with  the  difficulty  of  getting  off  the  island . . .
  87)  Lucifer’s  Gale
  Night  in  these  waters  is  like  sailing  within  some
  other  world  altogether.  One  can  never  get  used
  to  the  strange  appearance  of  the  moon,  upside-
  down  in  this  underworld  of  Hollandia.  The  night
  is  also  prone  to  divulge  strange  secrets—the  calls
  of  nameless  marine  beasts,  the  feverish  dreams  of
  crewmen  stoked  by  brain-fire,  and  ships  like  the
  one  that  now  drifts  in  your  wake . . .
  The  vessel,  a  man-o-war,  is  ‘Lucifer’s  Gale’,  a
  mighty  ship  that  is  also  not  of  this  world.  Lost  in
  battle  over  a  century  ago,  she  roams  the  ocean  for
  all  time,  ever  in  search  of  a  way  to  win  her  fight.
  Her  crew  are  all  dead,  and  only  blood  stains  over
  the  decks  and  rigging  tell  tale  of  their  fate,  while
  the  ship  itself  cannot  sink  by  any  means  natural  or
  unnatural.  This  ghost  will  pursue  the  party  to  any
  end,  lowering  Morale  by  1-6  each  night,  until  they
  fire  upon  it,  and  then  it  will  return  fire  with  its  25
  cannons.  Only  until  it  has  sunk  a  ship  with  a  live
  crew  aboard  will  it  be  content  to  leave  the  party
  alone.  Indeed,  even  if  they  sink  Lucifer’s  Gale,  it
  will  reappear  the  next  night.  At  least  one  soul  that
  was  part  of  the  crew  who  originally  sighted  this
  supernatural  vessel  must  ride  his  own  ship  down  in
  the  bloody  wake  of  broadside  battle,  and  only  once
  its  mast  has  vanished  beneath  this  living  man  will
  the  Gale  be  calm,  and  Lucifer  quiet  his  cannons.
  This  ghost  ship  keeps  no  treasure  aboard,  however,
  if  after  its  victory  this  vessel  is  somehow  followed,
  it  will  sail  36  leagues  due  east,  and  then  sink.  On
  the  nearest  beach  due  east  from  that  point  lies  all
  its  earthly  treasure,  buried  just  above  the  tidal  bar.
  88)  Tale  of  a  pirate*
  This  Encounter  should  be  used  between  the  years
  of  1688  and  1713.
  “Sail  off  the  larboard  quarter!”  The  sun  setting
  in  your  faces,  the  crew  gathers  on  the  ship’s  left
  side  to  see  what  the  devil  is  escaping  the  gates
  of  heaven.  Out  of  the  red  horizon  she  comes,  an
  English  vessel  by  her  make  and  flag,  some  sort
  of  galleon.
  This  galleon  is  the  ‘Pride  of  Southampton’,  an
  English  galleon  of  220  1st Level  men,  50  4th Level
  men,  30  cannons,  and  commanded  by  the  famous
  explorer  ‘William  Dampier’.  Combing  talent  with  a
  flair  for  villainy,  this  pirate  is  a  naturalist,  learning
  all  about  the  animals  and  plants  of  these  waters  he
  charts  for  England,  but  remains  a  hard  taskmaster.
  His  crew  is  close  to  mutiny  (Morale  4),  and  so  he
  will  play  this  meeting  as  coolly  as  possible.  Given
  his  reputation,  Captain  Dampier  should  be  played
  with  as  much  skullduggery  as  possible.  Indeed,  try
  to  outwit  the  Players.
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  30
  Avast  there!  Ye’ve  come  ta  the  end  o’ the  world.
  Yer  beyond  all  maps,  an’ Davey  Jones  be  waitin’ at
  the  last,  says  I.  Keep  a  firm  grasp  on  yer  soul,  as
  there  be  devils  ahead.  And  mark  well  me  words,
  matey;  Dead  men  tell  no  tales . . .
  BARS   AND   BROTHELS:   When  settlements  are
  first  established,  when  colonies  appear  on  the  edge
  of  any  map,  they  include  piers  and  prostitutes,  bars
  and  brothels  indeed.  When  exploring  the  strangely
  delightful  worlds  of  waterfronts  unknown  to  sailors’
  stories,  one  is  almost  sure  to  encounter  strange  and
  story-worthy  things  indeed.  Just  take  a  walk  along
  docks  where  are  moored  the  following  possibilities.
  89)  The  embrace  of  LaVey
  This  Encounter  is  most  effectively  used  if  the  party
  either  needs  a  Captain  or  would  suffer  a  Captain
  to  guide  them  somewhere  they  cannot  find  alone.
  The  town’s  only  church  is  run-down  and  avoided
  by  the  populace,  converted  into  a  taverne  strictly
  for  men  who  worship  the  devil.
  The  bar’s  owner  is  ‘LaVey’,  a  Pirate  Captain
  (Experience  Level  6)  greatly  feared  by  locals.  He
  masquerades  as  a  Satanist,  thus  instilling  fear  in
  others,  but  in  truth  does  not  believe  in  the  Devil
  any  more  than  in  God—the  ritual  is  important,  its
  theatrics—he  believes  like  any  pirate  in  amassing
  treasure.  If  the  party  can  suffer  the  command  of  a
  ‘Satanic  Captain’,  he  will  lead  them  as  needs  be.
  90)  New  World  Taverne
  This  taverne  is  the  courtyard  of  a  Spanish  fort,
  one  that  was  never  completed.  The  never-placed
  beams  are  now  pillars,  and  newly  cut  doors  have
  become  tables.  Lanterns  hang  at  various  heights
  from  the  makeshift  beams,  and  the  rain  is  kept
  out  by  a  roof  of  spare  sails.  As  you  make  your
  way  through  this  court  where  drunks  are  lords
  and  ladies  are  whores,  the  barkeeper  warns  you
  “Keep  abreast  o’ them  breasts,  don’t  get  caught
  between  ‘em  or  ye’ll  be  laid  up  all  night.  Them
  ladies  worked  the  toughest  towns  an’ the  roughest
  sailors ‘fore  comin’ ‘ere.”
  Should  anyone  indulge  in  the  prostitutes,  there
  will  be  three  who  will  express  a  keen  interest  in
  them.  Let  each  Character  pick  his  precious  peril,  or
  simply  suffer  one  of  the  uglier  ones  by  Table  25.
  The  blonde  is  ‘Minnie’  from  Madagascar,  and
  she  likes  to  gamble.  If  her  client  can  outlast  her  in
  bed,  she’s  free.  If  not,  she  owns  him  for  the  night.
  This  calls  for  an  Endurance  Check  at  a  -2  penalty.
  If  failed,  she’ll  trade  him  for  a  fish  dinner  (he’ll
  have  been  traded  to  wash  dishes  at  the  taverne).
  The  brunette  is  ‘Tessie’  from  Java,  and  she  is
  actually  the  wife  of  the  party’s  NPC  captain  or,  if
  they  command  their  own  vessel,  wife  to  a  different
  NPC  Pirate  Captain,  who  will  challenge  the  Player
  Character  to  a  duel  to  the  death  if  he  finds  out.
  And  he  will  indeed  find  out  as  he  will  come  into
  the  taverne  looking  for  her.  Ultimately,  the  fate  of
  both  pirate  crews  should  hang  in  the  balance.
  The  redhead  is  ‘Hannah’  from  Singapore,  who
  is  rather  ugly,  bites  when  she  kisses,  and  has  such
  a  thin  nose  it’s  almost  inhuman.  Her  face  remains
  covered  by  a  veil,  so  her  ugliness  is  only  revealed
  once  in  bed.  Her  client  must  make  an  Endurance
  Check  to  avoid  vomiting.
  91)  The  Fairbanks
  This  Encounter  plays  best  if  the  party  needs  a  ship.
  This  taverne  is  a  the  gateway  to  a  dock  outside
  the  normal  harbor.  The  back  porch  overlooks  the
  depths  of  a  small  cove,  and  a  gangway  from  the
  bar  runs  down  to  a  single  ship  that  has  remained
  at  anchor  for  many  years  now.
  The  bar’s  owner,  ‘Captain  Douglas’,  was  once
  a  great  swashbuckler,  but  he  has  become  old,  and
  wants  to  see  his  vessel,  the  ‘Fairbanks’,  given  over
  to  worthy  men,  indeed  pirates  worthy  of  great  and
  memorable  adventures.  Therefore,  everyone  that  so
  much  as  expresses  interest  in  it  he  will  challenge.
  Once  someone  is  challenged,  others  will  join  in.
  Faced  with  this  dilemma,  Douglas’ll  rule  that  the
  first  person  to  retrieve  his  flag  from  the  top  of  the
  mizzenmast  wins  the  ship.  9  other  Pirate  Crewmen
  will  join  in  this.  No  weapons  are  allowed.  Getting
  to  the  top  requires  3  uninterrupted  Agility  Checks.
  The  victor  gains  the  ship  detailed  on  Handout  16.
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  31
  WAVES   AT   WORLD’S   END:   There  are  many
  sandbars,  beaches,  and  sun-baked  headlands  here  at
  the  edges  of  the  maps.  These  narrow  wastelands  at
  the  map’s  end,  between  the  world  known  and  the
  world  unknown,  are  like  a  purgatory  paradise,  lost
  lands  where  time  does  not  pass,  where  tales  from
  both  the  living  and  the  dead  meet  or  wash  ashore,
  where  pirates  like  to  lounge,  take  their  time,  drink
  their  fill,  and  bury  their  treasures.  The  beaches  and
  sandbars  are  the  line  that  draws  the  world’s  end.
  92)  Coconut  grenades
  A  wrecked  ship  in  the  shallows  has  been  turned
  into  some  sort  of  house,  or  a  shoppe.  The  closer
  you  come,  the  more  it  looks  like  a  store.  Ragged
  sails  are  rigged  above  decks  like  an  open-store’s
  awning,  and  supplies  are  stacked  like  wares  in  a
  New  World  market.
  The  ship  ran  aground,  and  the  sole  survivor  is
  living  well  off  the  supplies.  He  finds  food,  water,
  and  even  his  wares  inland—while  he  still  has  some
  normal  ship’s  provisions  (penalty  of  -5  to  the  odds
  of  their  being  available),  he  has  no  end  of  coconut
  grenades.  Telling  tale  of  a  Caribbean  vessel  named
  ‘The  Iron  Coconut’,  he’s  taken  their  idea  and  gone
  into  business  with  it.  For  since  coconuts  are  much
  cheaper  than  iron  balls,  he  makes  bombs  out  of
  them.  They  each  cost  12  gold,  weigh  5,  but  also
  stand  a  1  in  12  chance  for  each  one  carried  that
  they  blow  up  if  the  one  carrying  them  is  hit  with
  any  blow  of  any  degree.
  93)  Old  longboat
  The  tall  grass  advances  close  to  the  surf.  There,
  an  old  longboat  is  perched  on  the  dunes,  tied  to
  a  weathered  oar  thrust  into  the  sand,  now  almost
  disintegrated  from  years  of  tides.  A  seagull  lands
  on  a  nearby  rock  and  squawks,  as  if  it  is  trying
  to  tell  you  something.
  Buried  directly  beneath  the  oar  is  a  seachest,
  filled  with  fool’s  gold.  However,  only  a  few  feet
  below  it  is  another  seachest,  this  one  filled  with  a
  real  treasure,  totaling  5  rolls  on  Table  81  using  the
  ‘others’  column.
  94)  Ring  of  sharks
  The  beach  branches  out  into  a  strange  peninsula,
  a  ring  of  rock  and  reef  barely  above  the  level  of
  the  tide.  The  sharp,  jagged  coral  cutting  the  surf
  looks  like  the  dorsal  fins  of  sharks.  In  the  center
  of  the  hellish  lagoon  is  a  tiny  island,  where  trees
  hang  with  ropes  and  scraps  of  sails,  the  signs  of
  an  abandoned  camp.
  The  island  is  200’ away  from  the  reef  at  the
  narrowest  point.  The  tidal  pool  is  only  3’ deep  but
  swimming  with  reef  sharks.  However,  they  are  not
  prone  to  attack  anything—fear  alone  will  hold  the
  party  back.  If  someone  walks  casually  (which  can
  only  have  a  top  speed  of  10’ per  Round),  he  will
  be  safe.  But  if  he  tries  to  swim  (for  the  greater
  speed  that  swimming  would  allow),  1-12  of  these
  sharks  will  attack  each  individual  who  splashes  so
  chaotically,  but  only  for  the  first  Round,  and  then
  again  when  that  prey  tries  to  leave.
  95)  Mock  trial
  As  the  crew  lounges  on  the  beach,  many  of  the
  more  sober  ones  are  having  a  mock  trial,  staged
  not  only  for  entertainment,  but  for  practice  in  the
  event  anyone  has  to  stand  in  real  defense.  As  all
  the  normal  motions  are  clumsily  carried  out,  the
  crew  seems  to  enjoy  themselves.  Now  however,
  the  man  ‘on  trial’  is  showing  every  sign  that  is
  a  danger  in  these  games—he’s  starting  to  think
  his  crewmates’ jabs  and  jests  are  real—he  holds
  out  a  grenade,  and  with  the  fuse  alit.  Everyone
  holds  their  breath . . .
  The  man  has  indeed  gone  crazy,  and  believes
  the  threatened  punishments  will  actually  be  carried
  out.  He  will  throw  the  grenade  on  the  next  Round,
  in  a  random  direction—if  any  Player  Characters  get
  involved,  they  must  pick  a  number  between  1-12,
  and  that  is  the  direction  the  grenade  will  come  in,
  their  direction  indeed,  before  the  inevitable  battle  is
  begun.  The  explosion  needs  no  Attack  Roll,  as  the
  madman  is  not  concerned  with  his  own  safety  (his
  number  is  ‘12’,  and  may  suffer  his  own  blow  too).
  He  has  no  more  grenades,  just  the  normal  cutlass
  and  pistol,  which  he  will  use  to  fight  to  the  death!
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  32
  OCEAN   OF   THE   UNKNOWN:   The  Pacific,  the
  great  ocean,  the  end  of  the  world.  Whatever  name
  pirates  give  to  this  realm  of  incredinle  adventure,  it
  will  doubtless  fail  to  include  whatever  terror  shall
  ultimately  claim  them  dare  they  sail  into  it.  For  in
  all  the  world  there  is  no  more  dangerous,  no  more
  unpredictable,  no  more  mysterious  place  than  the
  open  seas  of  the  unknown  at  world’s  end . . .
  96)  The  tale  of  Admiral  Grajales
  The  party’s  vessel  will  be  attacked  this  day  by  the
  ‘Cañón  de Oro’  (or  the  ‘Golden  Cannon’),  a  large
  man-o-war  flying  Spanish  colors.  Her  captain  is  the
  notorious  ‘Admiral  Juan  Grajales’,  a  Pirate  Captain
  of  Level  4  who  commands  from  the  safety  of  his
  aft-deck  with  8  bodyguards,  all  4th Level,  all  of
  whom  must  be  killed  before  their  commander  is  to
  be  in  any  danger.  In  broadside  battle,  the  180  3rd
  Level  crew  will  make  full  use  of  their  vessel’s  35
  cannons  to  destroy  the  party.  If  the  party  loses,  the
  Player  Characters  and  surrendering  crew  will  be
  captured,  and  given  the  following  scenario . . .
  You  are  lined  up  on  deck,  bound  by  both  wrist
  and  ankle  in  a  chain-gang,  as  the  Spanish  boson
  paces  up  and  down  before  you.  Finally,  the  real
  commander  approaches,  and  asks  you  as  a  whole
  if  you  can  sail  under  the  command  of  a  Spaniard
  with  no  heart  and  no  soul.
  Each  Character  is  free  to  choose  for  himself.
  If  they  join  this  new  vessel,  there  is  one  standing
  order—no  small  prizes—Admiral  Juan  Grajales  will
  not  have  blood  spilled  over  any  vessels  of  3  Value
  or  less  (if  the  party’s  vessel  was  such  a  small  size
  then  he  attacked  because  he  had  information  that
  they  had  a  great  treasure  hidden  aboard,  whether  in
  the  end  this  was  true  or  false).  Indeed,  Grajales  is
  not  disposed  to  loss  of  life  over  anything  that  can
  easily  be  purchased  in  port.  He  will  prove  to  be  a
  fair  but  strange  figure,  valuing  life  yet  all  the  time
  reminding  others  that  he  does  not  truly  live.  This
  is  because  he  is  bitter,  heartbroken,  and  feels  that
  his  innocence  was  thrown  away  needlessly,  and  so
  he  will  not  have  this  fate  brought  down  upon  any
  others,  not  even  his  king’s  enemies.
  97)  The  krakken
  This  Encounter  is  best  used  if  there  has  been  some
  prior  warning,  rumor  or  tales  told  of  this  monster,
  well  before  the  party  finally  runs  afoul  of  it.
  The  ship  jolts  beneath  you.  It’s  as  though  you’ve
  struck  a  reef,  and  yet  the  waters  are  a  deep  blue
  and  not  the  green  or  brown  any  coral  or  sandbar
  would  suggest.  Then,  titanic  tentacles  erupt  from
  the  sea,  rising  like  giant  trees  all  around  the  hull
  to  match  the  height  of  the  masts!  The  crew  runs
  amok,  screaming,  crying  out  “Dragon!”,  “Devil!”,
  and  “Davey  Jones!”  amongst  many  others.
  The  krakken  is  upon  the  party’s  ship.  There  is
  no  outrunning  it—the  crew  must  fight.  While  there
  are  many  creatures  named  ‘krakken’  by  sailors  the
  world  over,  this  particular  monster  has  6  tentacles,
  and  fights  with  the  following  statistics.  Note  that
  the  number  of  tentacles  that  have  been  lost  is  the
  bonus  the  monster  gets  to  its  Initiative  Rolls,  for
  it  becomes  more  frenzied  and  angry.
  Each  tentacle  gets  its  own  attack  each  Round,
  has  DS  13,  Survival  15,  and  attacks  at  +6  with  a
  Base  Damage  of  10.  Those  it  kills  it  crushes,  and
  then  drops  in  the  water,  intending  to  feed  on  them
  later.  It  chooses  random  targets  each  Round,  with  a
  1  in  6  chance  that  it  chooses  a  Player  Character,
  otherwise  it  goes  after  NPC  crewmen.  When  any
  tentacle  is  ‘killed’,  it  sinks  back  into  the  water,  but
  on  its  next  Turn,  the  krakken  might  attack  the  ship
  itself—the  total  number  of  remaining  tentacles  is
  the  chance  in  6  that  it  does  not  attack  the  ship—if
  it  targets  the  vessel,  it  slams  down  upon  it  for  an
  automatic  10-120  Hull  Points  for  each  tentacle  that
  it  has  left  (this  Damage  should  be  rolled  separately
  for  each  individual  tentacle  blow).
  Cannons  used  to  fight  the  krakken  are  a  very
  difficult  tactic.  Given  the  thrashing  of  the  tentacles,
  there  is  little  chance  they  will  line  up  with  a  gun
  long  enough  to  be  aimed  and  fired.  Consequently,
  a  single  cannon  has  -6  penalty  to  its  Attack  Roll,
  but  it  will  do  10  Base  Damage  in  this  situation.
  Swivel-guns  suffer  the  same  circumstances  as
  cannons,  except  that  they  have  only  a  -2  penalty
  to  their  Attack  Roll  and  do  only  8  Base  Damage.
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  33
  Explosives  will  not  be  a  target  of  any  tentacle
  unless  there  is  human  prey  with  them,  therefore  at
  least  one  person  must  be  willing  to  risk  exploding
  with  whatever  bundle-of-boom  he  is  attracting  the
  krakken  to.  He  can  attempt  a  Saving  Throw  versus
  ‘explosions’  if  he  forfeits  all  other  rolls  that  might
  otherwise  save  him,  including  the  normal  Girth  roll
  to  resist  the  Damage  outright.
  Hiding  is  never  going  to  work.  However  the
  krakken  senses  its  prey,  it  is  not  by  sight,  and  its
  tentacles  will  bust  through  masts  and  the  ship  hull
  itself  to  coil  around  its  victims  if  needs  be.
  Faith  might  have  some  effect  of  the  krakken.
  One’s  Religion  Skill  is  his  chance  in  12  of  making
  all  the  monster’s  tentacles  recoil,  causing  them  to
  suffer  a  penalty  of  -2  to  their  next  Initiative  Roll,
  regardless  of  how  many  Characters  present  faith.
  However,  if  they  do  not  recoil,  they  both  gain  +1
  the  next  Initiative  Roll  and  will  include  the  faithful
  individual  as  their  first  choice  of  attack.
  98)  Master  Crowe
  The  sea  is  a  dead  calm.  The  blistering  sun  preys
  upon  every  crewman  as  if  invisible  ghosts  are  at
  work  tearing  their  minds  to  pieces,  spilling  the
  blood  of  hope  down  to  stain  their  skin  with  the
  red  it  is  becoming.  In  the  midst  of  this  Hell,  the
  lookout  sights  a  ship.  A  few  miles  off,  its  sails
  are  reefed,  as  if  having  given  up  to  the  fates  of
  these  endless  seas.  Yet  then  you  see  materializing
  in  the  golden  gleam  of  the  sun  on  the  sea  that  a
  longboat  is  approaching,  its  captain  proudly  erect,
  stern  and  commanding  in  defiance  of  the  heat.
  The  longboat  can  be  rowed  faster  than  either
  vessel  can  sail.  The  captain  of  the  distant  ship,  an
  English  explorer  named  ‘James  Crowe’,  has  chosen
  to  risk  coming  to  the  party’s  vessel  to  trade  in  all
  manner  of  supplies  the  other  needs.  Whatever  the
  party  has,  Crowe  does  not,  and  visa-versa.  If  any
  sort  of  battle  or  bargain  is  made,  Crowe’s  vessel  is
  provided  as  Handout  17.  While  Crowe  himself  will
  not  engage  in  piracy,  he  is  not  foolish  enough  to
  refuse  an  alliance  against  any  common  enemy  (he
  has  a  letter  of  marque,  even  if  he  is  loathe  to  use
  it,  being  an  explorer  first  and  foremost).  The  winds
  shall  return  after  3  days.
  99)  South  seas  storm
  The  wind  begins  to  pick  up.  The  crew  begins  to
  batten  everything  down  even  before  the  order  to
  do  so  is  spoken.  Before  you  know  it,  the  sea  is
  rising  high  on  either  side  of  the  ship,  swells  the
  height  of  the  aft-deck  come  rolling  at  you,  and
  waves  roar  over  the  midships.  It  is  a  south  seas
  storm,  the  sort  known  better  in  myth  for  few  are
  fortunate  enough  to  survive  them.  Such  tempests
  are  at  once  both  unpredictable  and  merciless,  like
  nowhere  else  in  the  world!
  Each  Character  must  decide  where  he  is  going
  to  be  during  the  roughest  part  of  the  storm—each
  place  aboard  ship  holds  a  different  peril.  After  all
  have  made  their  choice,  roll  the  Damage  for  this
  unavoidable  storm  of  9  Magnitude,  but  do  not  give
  the  results  yet—wait  until  everyone  has  found  out
  their  own  individual  fates  before  revealing  the  fate
  of  the  vessel  itself.
  Below  decks  requires  an  Agility  Check  or  take
  blows  totaling  4  Base  Damage  from  all  the  rocking
  around  and  having  things  slam  into  one’s  self.
  The  bilges  will  have  parts  of  the  hull  break
  open,  and  all  near  it  will  suffer  1  Base  Damage,
  and  must  also  make  a  Brawn  Check  or  else  get
  sucked  out  through  the  hole  into  the  open  sea.
  The  captain’s  cabin  will  have  its  windows  be
  blown  out,  showering  all  in  the  cabin  with  glass,
  causing  all  there  a  blow  of  3  Base  Damage  (this
  should  be  rolled  anew  for  each  individual).
  The  masts  or  rigging  requires  a  Brawn  Check
  to  hold  on,  and  if  successful  suffer  nothing  at  all,
  but  if  failed  be  blown  out  to  sea  beyond  hope.
  The  forecastle  will  be  hit  with  such  swells  of
  dark  water  that  all  there  must  make  an  Endurance
  Check  or  swallow  enough  to  drown.
  The  maidenhead  will  be  the  same  as  being  on
  the  forecastle,  except  with  a  bonus  of  +1  to  one’s
  Endurance  Check,  rising  quicker  out  of  the  water.
  Anywhere  else  will  have  to  trust  to  simply  to
  fate,  indeed  to  make  a  Luck  Check  to  avoid  being
  lost  somehow,  whether  that  is  being  swept  out  to
  sea,  left  unconscious  and  so  eventually  lost  in  the
  waves,  killed  by  any  number  of  objects  sent  flying
  about,  etc.
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  34
  100)  The  Flying  Dutchman
  This  ship  may  meet  the  party  many  times  over.
  Thusly,  this  Encounter  can  be  used  more  than  just
  once.  Indeed,  after  the  first  sighting,  the  death  of
  any  Player  Character  gives  the  Dutchman  the  right
  to  appear  to  them  once  more . . .
  From  out  of  the  storm,  her  sails  swelled  with  the
  wrath  of  the  tempest  she  comes,  riding  a  gale  as
  she  has  so  many  times  before,  the  legendary  ship
  that  never  reaches  port  and  never  meets  her  end,
  ‘The  Flying  Dutchman’.
  The  ghost  ship  earns  well  her  name,  flying
  above  the  waves,  and  against  the  wind,  sails  as
  red  as  the  blood  of  her  lost  crew,  damned  and
  doomed  never  to  return  to  the  land  of  the  living.
  Indeed,  the  living  are  doomed  to  meet  them.  The
  vessel  rides  the  waves  of  the  storm-wind  on  the
  invisible  seas  of  years  long  gone.  It  is  a  ship,
  indeed  a  world  unto  itself,  forgotten  by  time,  no,
  never  known  to  time.
  The  tales  of  the  Dutchman  are  many,  and  all
  strike  horror  into  sailors  the  world  over.  Sighting
  her  is  certain  doom.  Some  stories  build  in  rumor
  and  fear  like  gathering  winds,  others  strike  like
  lightning  out  of  a  clear  thought,  and  still  others
  drown  thoughts  like  rain  and  rot  away  hopes  like
  a  galleon’s  hull,  but  all  build  up  the  tempest  of
  terror  that  ultimately  claims  all  who  are  doomed
  to  cross  paths  with  her.
  Now  she  flies  before  you,  above  the  sea,  her
  ragged  heaving  sails  against  the  wind,  her  rotten
  hull  the  darkness  that  is  the  eye  of  the  storm.
  The  phantom  clouds  swirl  around  her  sleek  hull.
  The  lightning  tethers  her  as  the  chains  that  moor
  a  mortal  ship  in  port.  She  is  bound  for  eternity
  to  this  fate,  and  now,  so  are  you . . .
  The  Flying  Dutchman.  The  name  alone  evokes
  fear  and  fascination.  But,  what  is  the  truth  of  this
  ghost  ship?  Perhaps  there  are  so  many  diverse  tales
  because  there  are  many  different  truths  or  realities.
  This  ghost  ship  defies  life,  time,  and  space.  Thus
  are  the  following  scenarios  offered,  to  be  rolled  or
  selected  at  your  discretion,  and  they  may  change
  when  the  Dutchman  is  encountered  anew,  for  just
  as  a  ship  may  change  flags,  it  can  change  fates.
  Roll  once  to  determine  the  true  tale  that  gave
  shape  to  this  ghost  ship.
  History   Of  The   Flying   Dutchman
  Roll
  The  true  tale  of  the  ghost  ship
  10-12
  The  tale  of  Bernard  Fokke
  8-9
  The  tale  of  Philip  Vanderdekken
  6-7
  The  plague  ship
  5
  The  murderous  captain
  4
  The  lost  ship
  2-3
  The  tale  of  Davey  Jones
  1
  The  devil’s  privateer
  The  tale  of  Bernard  Fokke  is  that  in  the  17th
  Century,  Dutch  captain  Bernard  Fokke  made  such
  great  speed  between  Holland  and  Indonesia  that  he
  was  believed  to  have  sold  his  soul  to  the  devil,
  and  to  prove  he  did  not,  he  made  a  second  voyage
  in  which,  determined  to  best  his  earlier  record,  he
  met  an  unknown  end,  thus  making  the  prophecy  of
  his  selling  his  soul  self-fulfilling.
  The  tale  of  Philip  Vanderdekken  is  that  in  the
  year  1680  the  Dutch  captain  Philip  Vanderekken,
  stopped  by  the  storms  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,
  swore  a  curse  against  God,  vowing  to  round  the
  Cape  even  if  it  took  him  until  Judgment  Day,  and
  so  he  is  still  trying.
  The  plague  ship  is  that  a  crew  caught  plague
  and  was  thus  was  forbidden  to  enter  any  harbor,
  and  when  they  all  died  aboard,  it  created  a  ghost
  ship  doomed  never  to  reach  port.
  The  murderous  captain  is  that  a  captain  killed
  all  of  his  crew,  and  became  doomed  to  sail  the
  seas  for  eternity,  ever  dependent  on  a  crew  like
  the  one  which  he  murdered,  thus  he  covets  souls
  rather  than  treasure.
  The  lost  ship  is  that  of  a  pirate  vessel  which,
  so  heavily  laden  with  their  ill-gotten  gains,  feared
  so  much  to  enter  any  harbor  that  they  became  lost
  at  sea,  and  are  still  out  there,  unable  to  find  land,
  plundering  ships  until  Judgment  Day.
  The  tale  of  Davey  Jones  is  that  the  legendary
  spirit  of  the  ocean  depths  uses  this  vessel  as  his
  personal  pirate  ship.
  The  devil’s  privateer  is  that  the  ghost  ship  is,
  or  was,  a  vessel  captured  by  devils  and  now  used
  to  ferry  evil  spirits  out  of  the  netherworld  and  into
  the  realm  of  the  living.
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  35
  Roll  continuously  to  determine  the  ‘articles’  of
  this  ghost  ship,  indeed  the  curses  which  effect  all
  who  board  it,  ceasing  to  roll  only  once  a  duplicate
  result  has  occurred.
  Curses   Of  The   Flying   Dutchman
  Roll
  The  articles  of  the  ghost  ship
  11-12
  Never  to  reach  port
  10
  Eye  of  the  storm
  9
  Captain’s  bondage  7
  7-8
  Replacement
  6
  Captain’s  bondage  10
  5
  Captain’s  bondage  13
  3-4
  Treasury  of  souls
  2
  Captain’s  bondage  100
  1
  Slaves  of  the  Lost  Abyss
  Never  to  reach  port  is  that  the  ghost  ship  is
  doomed  to  sail  for  eternity,  and  thus,  those  who
  come  aboard  will  eventually  starve,  since  the  dead
  have  no  need  to  keep  provisions,  and  no  fish  or
  other  sea-life  will  dare  come  close  enough  to  the
  ghost  ship  to  be  caught.
  Eye  of  the  storm  is  that  those  who  look  into
  the  eye  of  a  storm  will  see  it,  thus  it  can  return
  without  a  Player  Character’s  death,  simply  if  one
  who  has  seen  it  before  sails  through  a  storm  rather
  than  rounding  it,  the  chance  of  its  appearance  the
  storm’s  Magnitude  in  12,  but  if  it  is  not  sighted,
  then  the  storm  will  do  no  Damage  to  the  vessel  in
  any  way.
  Captain’s  bondage  is  that  the  ghostly  captain
  cannot  leave  the  vessel  or  return  to  shore  but  once
  every  7,  10,  13,  or  100  years,  depending  on  what
  is  rolled,  and  as  such  holds  all  others  there  or,  at
  best,  allows  them  leave  for  a  certain  number  of
  days  to  accomplish  his  business  on  land,  and  those
  who  fail  to  return  to  the  ship  in  time  simply  die
  due  to  the  curse.
  Replacement  is  that  no  sailor  aboard  this  ghost
  ship  can  rest  until  another  sailor  takes  its  place,  so
  the  dead  will  savagely  attack  all  living  souls  who
  dare  come  on  board,  these  spirits  trying  to  be  the
  first  to  claim  a  victim  so  that  he  by  right  becomes
  bound  to  the  ship  in  the  afterlife  and  his  slayer’s
  spirit  goes  free—there  will  be  1-6  Ghosts  for  each
  Character  who  comes  aboard,  with  all  NPCs  being
  automatically  slain.
  Treasury  of  souls  is  that  the  captain  covets  or
  collects  spirits  rather  than  gold  or  other  treasures
  of  the  earth,  the  years  of  service  of  those  bound
  to  his  vessel  all  that  he  will  consider  currency  in
  any  manner  of  trade  or  wager,  and  those  that  are
  indebted  to  his  ghost  ship  must  remain  aboard  until
  their  debt  is  paid,  most  often  long  after  they  have
  died  a  mortal  death,  leaving  nothing  behind  save  a
  corpse  while  they  try  to  find  the  way  into  Heaven
  or  some  other  afterlife.
  Slaves  of  the  Lost  Abyss  is  that  the  Dutchman
  is  itself  not  in  command,  but  must  do  the  bidding
  of  a  ship  sunk  long  before  it,  a  ghost  ship  to  the
  ghost  ship,  ‘the  Lost  Abyss’  a  vessel  which  never
  sailed  the  seas  but  was  built  in  Hell  and  raids  the
  world  above  through  the  efforts  of  the  Dutchman,
  whose  captain  sold  his  soul  to  it,  and  therefore  all
  trapped  aboard  can  only  raid  where  the  Lost  Abyss
  bids  them,  and  can  never  find  Heaven,  and  cannot
  ever  leave . . . never!
  Dutchman   Ghost   Crew
  Group  number:
  Any
  Ability  Scores:
  B1, A9, E12, G6, W4, I10, C2, L4
  Defense  Score:
  11
  Survival:
  9
  Attack  Rolls:
  Longsword  +1 / Cutlass  -1
  Base  Damage:
  6 / 6
  Morale:
  10*
  Movement  Rate:
  210’
  Treasure:
  -1*
  Ghosts  come  in  endless  varieties,  but  all  those
  that  serve  aboard  the  Flying  Dutchman  are  unique.
  They  are  corporeal  enough  to  be  fought,  and  have
  enough  memory  of  life  to  despise  those  that  have
  it  while  they  do  not.  They  never  eat,  sleep  or  even
  drink,  though  they  sometimes  pretend  to.
  Officers  such  as  the  quartermaster,  physician
  and  cooper  are  less  corporeal,  or  at  least  far  less
  human  in  appearance,  being  either  more  cadaverous
  or  more  transparent  than  their  crewmen,  and  as  a
  result  normal  weapons  cannot  hinder  them,  leaving
  them  vulnerable  only  to  fire  and  exotic  powers.
  Captains  aboard  this  ghost  ship  are  many,  and
  often  appear  differently  to  people  throughout  the
  Ages  and  even  at  the  same  time,  the  office  one  of
  title  rather  than  a  singular  spirit,  and  like  all  their
  officers,  they  are  invulnerable  to  normal  weapons.
  
  ADVENTURES   OF   THE   PACIFIC
  36
  Roll  three  times  to  determine  how  this  ghost
  ship  can  be  defeated,  taking  the  ‘middlemost’  result
  (the  same  basis  as  rolling  a  new  Ability  Score).
  Destiny   Of  The   Flying   Dutchman
  Roll
  The  way  to  defeat  the  ghost  ship
  12
  A  blessing
  10-11
  The  judgment  of  war
  9
  Duel  with  the  captain
  6-8
  The  riddle  of  Davey  Jones
  5
  Rounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope
  2-4
  Captain’s  marriage
  1
  To  kill  the  captain
  A  blessing  is  that  one  act  which  none  of  the
  ghost  ship’s  current  crew  can  do,  but  if  any  living
  Priest  Classed  Character  simply  blesses  the  vessel,
  it  will  indeed  free  its  crew  and  captain,  to  live  or
  go  to  the  afterlife  depending  on  their  bodily  state.
  The  judgment  of  war  is  that  most  mortal  task
  for  any  vessel  to  fight  the  ghost  ship  in  broadside
  battle,  which  is  itself  a  frigate  with  130  3rd Level
  crewmen  running  30  cannons,  gaining  a  +4  bonus
  to  all  Attack  Rolls  with  cannons  and  +1  bonus  to
  their  Critical  results  on  both  Tables  43  and  44,  a
  battle  which  must  result  in  the  ghost  ship  sinking
  to  break  its  curse  and  rid  one’s  earthly  life  of  it.
  Duel  with  the  captain  is  that  revelation  of  the
  ghost  ship  truly  having  its  heart  be  the  captain,  to
  whom  a  duel  can  be  challenged  by  someone  who
  is  already  part  of  his  crew,  indeed  dead,  and  if  he
  fails  is  cast  into  Hell,  but  if  he  succeeds  can  free
  everyone  aboard . . . that  is  until  this  undead  ship
  finds  a  new  heart,  indeed  a  new  captain  and  crew
  somewhere  else  in  the  vast  realm  of  the  open  seas.
  The  riddle  of  Davey  Jones  is  that  verse  which
  is  known  to  all  the  crew,  a  haunting  echo  from  a
  time  so  long  ago  it  seems  as  myth,  a  riddle  posed
  long  ago  by  the  sea  phantom  Davey  Jones  that  is
  provided  on  Handout  18,  which  if  answered  wrong
  kills  the  one  who  dared  speak  it,  but  if  any  living
  crewman  says  aloud  ‘Ireland’,  he  will  dispel  all
  powers  of  the  ghost  ship  and  free  its  spectral  crew
  to  rise  up  into  Heaven  or  sink  down  into  Hell,  an
  accomplishment  worth  60  Experience  Points.
  Rounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  is  that  task
  which  either  the  ghost  ship  itself  or  some  earthly
  friend  of  its  captain  failed  to  accomplish,  a  task  of
  not  only  distance,  but  difficulty,  as  fate  thwarted
  the  doomed  for  a  reason,  and  defying  her  shall  hit
  the  would-be  rounders  with  penalties;  for  the  100
  leagues  of  the  Cape  they  will  have  to  roll  daily
  voyages  on  Table  156  (not  157,  158  or  159),  and
  with  a  -3  penalty,  and  results  of  ‘1’,  ‘6’  and  ‘7’
  resulting  in  a  storm  which  cannot  be  rounded  but
  must  be  sailed  through,  which  should  it  ‘sink’  the
  ghost  ship  merely  drown  the  living  men  on  board,
  then  witness  the  vessel  rising  back  out  of  the  sea.
  Captain’s  marriage  is  that  task  none  believe  is
  ever  to  be  done,  to  find  a  mortal  woman  who  will
  full  willing  marry  the  captain,  thereby  setting  all  of
  the  crew  free,  save  for  the  captain  himself,  an  act
  thus  of  total  self-sacrifice  which  no  NPC  will  be
  willing  to  do,  but  if  a  Player  Character  does  it,  the
  sacrifice  will  also  free  the  captain  and  herself.
  To  kill  the  captain  is  that  most  unenviable  of
  tasks,  indeed  to  kill  he  who  cannot  be  killed,  but
  he  may  indeed  by  someone  dies  first—by  making
  oneself  part  of  the  ghostly  crew,  he  can  then  slay
  the  captain  as  he  would  anyone  else,  however,  he
  must  do  so  without  the  captain’s  knowledge,  or  he
  will  be  subjected  to  that  ghost’s  ultimate  command
  of  power  over  him  and  made  to  stand  down,  so  if
  stealth  or  surprise  are  used,  that  first  Round  will
  be  one’s  only  chance.
  
  HANDOUT 1
  Nectar of Egypt’s Sun
  Gunpowder Ale
  The Myrrh of Merlin
  Lucifer’s Rum
  Blood of Davey Jones
  
  The Portsmouth Adventure
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  500
  5
  30
  14
  10
  30
  10000
  7300
  150
  300
  American
  Frigate
  Major
  Alexander
  Hutton
  The Portsmouth Adventure was originally commissioned
  as little more than a glorified merchant vessel to make a
  show of the East India Company’s wealth and crafts, an
  oversized guardian to their tradefleets. However, she soon
  caught the eye of Rhode Island’s merchant elite, the men
  with their fingers in both purses and politics, who ‘gave’
  her the additional duty of privateering for America.
  The Portsmouth Adventure is manned by 150 men, all
  well trained and experienced (all Level 2), for her captain
  would have nothing less. His own skills give them all +1
  to their Attack Rolls and Initiative. Their Morale always
  remains neutral however, for as charismatic as any man
  can be, a Royal Navy captain is still not thinking with
  the crew’s best interests at heart.
  The Portsmouth Adventure is well stocked for both her
  commissioned war and her financed explorations. She has
  aboard 2 anchors, 4 longboats, 60 salvos of cannonballs,
  charts, spare sails, weapons for her entire crew, and food
  and water enough to last her 150 men for 200 days.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 2
  
  HANDOUT 3
  
  HANDOUT 4
  and I will never again underestimate the devil’s combination of crew
  lust and red-rum. Their bodies were consigned to the deep and the Isle
  of Virgin Demons marked with the black spot on all the charts.
  October 3rd 7:20am
  Galley cook Brandon McNiel served a new concoction of salamagundy.
  The crew enjoyed it despite the weevils in the floating bread chunks.
  October 3rd 3:25pm
  We sighted the Flying Dutchman. I know the legend as any sailor does
  but I believe we saw a different vessel. The crew call it the Dutchman
  by all accounts, but this vessel had no crew to haunt us, nor were its
  sails to be seen, and the Dutchman always flies fully clouded against
  the wind, it is said. I refer to this phantom as an ‘it’ and not a ‘she’,
  for no mortal vessel is it, neither built nor sunk by the hand of man.
  It came at us with a noose hanging for each member of our crew, and
  gave us just enough time to count them, and may the Heavens fall if a
  number of necks on our ship didn’t match those ropes. Since then, the
  sharks have been in our wake. The crew believes they too are an equal
  count and advise dumping our off-record gold to placate the devils of
  the sea. I cannot risk the devils at the office any more than those of
  the sea and thus the treasure has been hidden. I’ll show this only too
  superstitious lot the profit made by perseverance and courage.
  October 5th 4:13pm
  I am dumping all the gold I can. Along with the bodies of Mr. Garvin
  and Mr. Plake, perhaps this will lighten the load of guilt we all bear.
  If the crew is right, and the sharks come to equal our ill-gotten gains,
  then I can only hope paying the debt will satisfy them. Even were the
  Amity’s timbers actually hewn from the burial ground of the American
  redskins, I cannot by God believe the sea would haunt us so, unless for
  our greed in the face of duty.
  
  Vordin the Blind Vulture
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  04
  10
  08
  06
  06
  09
  03
  04
  120
  030
  130’
  33
  12
  4
  2
  5’8”
  Untold
  The tales told by this dark-skinned rogue are clearly a
  disguise meant to fool even his friends, so why ask?
  Vordin is as crafty as he is mysterious. Despite being
  blind in one eye, he somehow sees better than most other
  thieves, which he claims is because of a supernatural but
  all the same real ‘second sight’. These same spirits are a
  favored explanation for his skills as a Rogue Class, such
  as noticing people pilfering him with an Intuition Check,
  fleeing a failed pilfering of his own with a Luck Check,
  and using his Experience Level to melt into the shadows.
  Given his raw Abilities, he gains +2 to all attacks, with
  a further +2 to missile attacks. Added to this is a very
  exceptional collection of ‘supernatural’ Skills, including all
  pistols (Level 2), ‘torture’ (Level 2), ‘skulking’ (Level 3),
  ‘appraising’ (Level 1), ‘pilfering’ (Level 3), and lastly the
  tongues of England, India and the Orient (all Level 2).
  Vordin openly uses a saber (longsword) and a pistol,
  but all other equipment is hidden on him, including his
  lockpicks, compass, tinder and spyglass.
  A
  Indian
  Rogue
  HANDOUT 5
  
  HANDOUT 6
  To His Imperial Majesty,
  My compliments on your recent conquest of France
  by its Admiral Phillip LaFond. The swine
  deserved no better than the torture my crew heard news
  of even as far as England.
  My great grandfather served in the great campaign
  of 1526 under your divine ancestor Prince Babur
  of Timurid. May the current Mughal Enpire
  of India last until the end of days and beyond.
  As a token of appreciation and an act of good will
  to ensure such longevity between our nations, I have
  prepared a golden idol to commemorate your vanquished
  enemy. I daresay you shall find it pleasing to the
  eyes, alas that is the extent of our wealth, though its
  skin shine it is no more of value within than the vile
  LaFond’s own appeal being but skin deep.
  Sir Thomas deVille
  February 20th, 1607
  
  HANDOUT 7
  To His Imperial Majesty,
  If the letter of my mentor, Sir Thomas deVille
  has not reached you, I fear for the swine that
  we were to present to you. May there be some
  mirth in its hollow heart and wooden soul as
  a reflection to the family of LaFond should a
  pyrate posses it and, like their slain Admiral,
  believe overmuch in the surface. Nonetheless I
  shall track this lost gift to the ends of maps
  and beyond in order to set things right. May
  its golden hide glitter among your trophies in
  better days. May the family of LaFond keep
  forever in the hearts of the true as a mirror
  to see the true intentions behind masks made
  of gold. And I trust to your gratitude at the
  last when this prize is delivered to you.
  Lord Michael Norrington
  August 10th, 1607
  
  HANDOUT 8
  We found this passage June 6th.
  Be wary of where the floor falls
  out from beneath your feet.
  June 6th
  1481
  Corvin
  Belann
  Gollis
  Do not betray
  the pathways
  of Shiva
  Captain says we have to
  watch for spikes and bats.
  Boson fears spiders more.
  
  Satake Kasumigarra
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  10
  09
  10
  12
  08
  08
  06
  10
  200
  020
  090’
  35
  13
  5
  8
  5’8”
  Secret
  Xoming from a long lineage of proud warriors, Satake
  both despises and emulates thieves, assassins and pirates,
  using their own weapons against them, seeking revenge in
  matters of battle fought centuries ago.
  Satake’s skills are focused on bloodshed. He has a +4
  bonus to use his kusari-gama, as well as longswords and
  pistols. He is also very good at intimidation (+4), torture
  (+2 from sheer lust of pain), and the languages of both
  Chinamen, Englishmen, and Dutchmen (all +2 as he likes
  to know what their screams of agony mean).
  Satake’s main weapon is a ‘kusari-gama’, a large iron
  ball connected to a chain with a large sickle-like blade on
  the end. He often polishes his legend by claiming to have
  invented such weapons (or, at least, his ancestors did, so
  his name birthed the weapons, rather than the true way
  around). This weapon is statistically the same as a long-
  sword, but penalizes Slow Death rolls by -1, as it makes
  wounds most aren’t used to seeing, accepting, or treating.
  He also wears such thick clothing that it acts as armor.
  R
  Scourge
  HANDOUT 9
  Japanese
  
  The Pirate Ninja
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  05
  12
  12
  12
  10
  11
  08
  06
  080
  050
  150’
  28
  15
  8
  0
  5’4”
  Secret
  Hhistory cannot answer the riddle of the Ninja, nor is
  any one of them going to divulge their secrets. Appearing
  the same as any other Oriental pirate, this man remains
  silent and does his job, unless speech is necessary.
  The Pirate Ninja is a Rogue by anyone’s standards, a
  thief and assassin, but also a lot more. His sharp senses
  and ‘mystical forces’ (he says) give him the normal skills
  of a rogue, as his ‘craft’ is so much more; He wields all
  katanas and longswords with +5 ability, all daggers and
  ‘throwing stars’ at +3, and nanchaku and clubs with +1.
  He is also a master of disguise (+4), skulking (+2) and
  lockpicking (+3). He is also a linguist of Level 2.
  The Pirate Ninja keeps a variety of small weapons on
  him, but fights with his katana (a Japanese longsword).
  He carries 6 throwing stars (daggers), nanchaku (a club)
  and 10 powder-packs of level 5 poison. He also carries a
  thin 30’ rope with a collapsible grapple and wears custom
  made gloves with spikes on them offering +3 to Climbing
  Checks. He also carries lockpicks.
  R
  Japanese
  Rogue
  HANDOUT 10
  
  Miori
  Agility:
  Brawn:
  Nationality:
  Experience Level:
  Notoriety Level:
  Defense Score:
  Carried Weight:
  Notes and Changes: Move:
  Class:
  Age:
  Height:
  Weight:
  Handed:
  Born:
  Endurance:
  Girth:
  Wits:
  Intuition:
  Charisma:
  Luck:
  02
  06
  06
  08
  05
  09
  06
  05
  060
  028
  130’
  16
  09
  0
  0
  5’2”
  Any
  Born and bred for service as a Geisha-girl, this young
  woman’s soul always welled up with a calling to the sea
  and the strangers that visited from it, until the years ‘in
  service’ finally burned hot enough to melt her shackles.
  Miori is both well schooled and quick to learn, giving
  her Level 1 ability with the cutlass and daggers. She has
  from her previous life Level 3 in sewing, Level 2 with all
  languages and thus a ‘linguist’, and Level 2 with politics.
  Her skills are only beginning however, and she will learn
  not only more trades but a new Class eventually.
  Miori prefers to use a cutlass, an extension of the all
  too vicious spirit in her heart, born of many years being
  unappreciated in her service. She also carries a dagger in
  her boot and another knife hidden in her hair. Also well
  hidden amongst the ragged remains of her Geisha gown
  is a compass, lockpicks, parchment (10 sheets), inks and
  a pen. Her gold (currently 35) she rubs with a designed
  ‘bad goldleaf’, so coins become smooth ‘fake disks’, which
  she wears openly as ‘bad jewelry’.
  R
  Mixed
  Gentlewoman
  HANDOUT 11
  
  HANDOUT 12
  I, whose mark stains this paper as if with my own
  blood, commit my soul to the scales of Jones, that I
  may prove my conviction against fear by risking the
  very thing that I in turn will judge.
  I agree to meet the ghost of a departed sailor in an
  unsanctified cell so that we may meet between worlds
  and on equal terms. I claim with God as my one or
  only witness that I will judge his doom with all the
  knowledge of Scriptures at my command and not in
  any basis of fear.
  I understand that the ghost awaiting my judgement
  perished as a result of his superstition and that it
  is my sole duty to balance the scales of fate, be it
  with his soul or my own.
  I further understand that for my services of seeing
  a single ghost of the Prison Of Shadows that on
  completion of the judgment I will be paid the price
  of five hundred gold from the country of my choice.
  Mark here
  
  HANDOUT 13
  Beware. Not all the spirits are innocent. Nor are
  all of them guilty. They will try to trick you. Be
  a judge from the heart not from the Scriptures.
  Beware for you may meet a fate worse than any
  death and already be in the cell you will forever
  remain in until another fool comes to free you.
  I, whose mark stains this paper as if with my own
  blood, commit my soul to the scales of Jones, that I
  may prove my conviction against fear by risking the
  very thing that I in turn will judge.
  I agree to meet the ghost of a departed sailor in an
  unsanctified cell so that we may meet between worlds
  and on equal terms. I claim with God as my one or
  only witness that I will judge his doom with all the
  knowledge of Scriptures at my command and not in
  any basis of fear.
  I understand that the ghost awaiting my judgement
  perished as a result of his superstition and that it
  is my sole duty to balance the scales of fate, be it
  with his soul or my own.
  I further understand that for my services of seeing
  a single ghost of the Prison Of Shadows that on
  completion of the judgment I will be paid the price
  of five hundred gold from the country of my choice.
  Mark here
  
  HANDOUT 14
  To My Lord Chester Goldman, I bequeath
  this Chest Of Values on the first day of the
  month of April in the Year Of Our Lord
  fourteen and six hundred and thousand. This
  treasure box shall preserve unto His Lordship
  barring the devilry of pyrates and demons that
  dwell beneath this untamed land the following
  cache of value:
  1800 Spanish pieces of eight
  1200 Dutch ducats
  1500 Dutch daalders
  3 flint-lock pistols with shot and powder
  3 jeweled daggers each weighed at 200 crowns
  The skull of Pyrate ‘Marduke’ Hoswell
  The teeth of Pyrate Samuel Decater
  The Heart Of The Sea
  
  To My Lord Chester Goldman, I bequeath
  this Chest Of Values on the first day of the
  month of April in the Year Of Our Lord
  fourteen and six hundred and thousand. This
  treasure box shall preserve unto His Lordship
  barring the devilry of pyrates and demons that
  dwell beneath this untamed land the following
  cache of value:
  1800 Spanish pieces of eight
  1200 Dutch ducats
  1500 Dutch daalders
  3 flint-lock pistols with shot and powder
  3 jeweled daggers each weighed at 200 crowns
  The skull of Pyrate ‘Marduke’ Hoswell
  The teeth of Pyrate Samuel Decater
  The Heart Of The Sea
  HANDOUT 15
  Her heart, the sea, it's calling to me
  Forever from over the waves
  Her voice, it calls, echoes, enthralls
  Beyond the horizon and grave
  My heart, on land, speaks with my hand
  In vain tries to finish her verse
  Her heart, the sea, it's calling to me
  All time is a prison and curse
  
  The Fairbanks
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  100
  10
  20
  3000
  Pirate
  Privateer
  The Fairbanks has seen many wars from many sides,
  flown many flags, and tasted the blood of many people
  on her decks. An early design of American invention, she
  is unique in every way, and even better than those ships
  ‘improving’ on her ways. Forgotten by navies, she remains
  as she has for over a century: A pirate’s ship.
  The Fairbanks has been crewed by many men, but in
  this day and age, only those who have a particular and
  powerful fondness for this vessel will return to serve in a
  crew capacity, 38 in all, middle-aged or older and thereby
  all Level 1. However, this particular crew knows this ship
  so well that, for every 10 of them still alive and aboard
  (rounded down), the vessel gains a +1 bonus to one kind
  of roll; boarding, cannon salvos, Initiative and even more
  cannon salvos, in that order.
  The Fairbanks is kept seaworthy. She has stores from
  her taverne-berth totaling 450 days of food and drink, a
  spare anchor, a longboat, charts, a compass, and enough
  cannonshot and powder to make up 15 salvos.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 16
  3
  00
  0880
  038
  038
  00
  
  The Lady Elizabeth
  Captain:
  Design:
  Mounted cannon:
  Reserve cannon:
  Men per cannon:
  Hull Points:
  Crew:
  Morale:
  Hold:
  Cargo:
  Levels:
  Speed:
  Notes and Changes:
  526
  4
  23
  12
  00
  20
  10000
  2975
  128
  256
  English
  Man-O-war
  James
  Crowe
  The Lady Elizabeth was built according to the designs
  of its captain, commissioned to round the Cape of Good
  Hope, but became lost both on maps and in duty, as a
  chase of foreign pirates led her into the vast Pacific.
  The Lady Elizabeth is a proud ship with a tight-knit
  crew. Though daring the edges of the maps and the far
  side of the world, they believe in their captain and their
  mission. The 128 surviving crew are all well trained and
  disciplined (all are Level 2), though their endurance is in
  these days waning due to not having made port now in
  nearly a year. Under the command of their stern captain
  James Crowe, they receive +1 to their Attack Rolls.
  The Lady Elizabeth put to sea with two years worth
  of provisions, though these are currently very depleted, as
  merely 8100 total days worth of food and water remain,
  and 11 salvos for their cannons, so they fight sparingly.
  The charts, compass and weapons are kept in the cabin
  of the captain. They have 2 longboats but hang one of
  them off the sterncastle for lack of use.
  Flag:
  HANDOUT 17
  
  HANDOUT 18
  Treasure of both pirates and the
  kings that they flee from
  The richest prize never claimed
  ever in all the kingdom
  Tales are told of it across both
  the seas and the lands
  The emerald I cannot hold at all
  in my earthly hands
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Pirates/Pirates G3 Pirates of the Seven Seas {NDG2103} .pdf