An idea that has latched itself onto my brain.
The party begin upon a ship sailing the seas. Of course the sea and the ship can be nameless or have an in depth background. I have simply named the watery expanse the
'North Sea' and the ship is
'The Grey Wolf'. Depending on the groups size I would have them either spread across the ships areas (Deck, Crew Quarters, Cargo Hold etc.) or all together on the deck. A brief description would be given to them as to the weather, the speed of the ship, whether or not the sails are up or if the deck is alive with the rushing and tireless working of the crew.
For example:
You are aboard a merchant vessel heading toward the northern town of Skagg. This ship, The Grey Wolf, is captained by a proud and excitable man by the name Rojou Furrin. His 30 man crew is hard at work moving trade goods on deck as you are only hours from your destination, they bustle past you as if you are not there.
Having hitched a relatively cheap and easy ride, you are all content and rested in yourselves. The cool breeze that was once dragging the sails along has withered and the grey material hangs limply like a body hung from the mast. The sea is quiet.
After this small introduction I would probe the group for their own ideas and creative influence and let them fill in the gaps, allowing them to explore the ship briefly and ask questions.
Once they feel at ease with their surroundings, chaos must be introduced into their experience. I would have one of the party roll a perception check to see if they notice the slimy slug like thing that is slowly writhing toward a crew member sat upon by the foremast on the edge of the ship.
Failed perception check:Turning to the burly crew man sat by the foremast on the railing, you give them a brief reciprocated nod then turn to look up to the wheel of the ship, where Rojou stands straight looking across his ships activity. Suddenly you hear a scream followed swiftly by a hard splash of water. Spinning around you notice that the man that you has just seen was gone.
Successful perception check:Turning to your left you see a crewman sat on the railings, his brief cough strangely catching your attention. As you give him a nod and a smile, you notice what appears to by a giant slug on the deck, or something just as slimy, writhing slowly toward the man in the shadow of the mast and sail.
Of course this encounter is structured as a starter or beginning to an adventure, so I will suggest actions to my players after they perhaps converse or think up scenarios. Actions such as telling the man to move away from the edge, pointing out the strange creature. Or perhaps walk confidently over and strike the thing with their short sword. Maybe they will simply do nothing and just observe.
Here are the consequences I have thought up for such actions:
Player chooses to shout warning:Loudly you exclaim that the man should be aware of this odd thing beside him and naturally he retorts and hops away from the railing. Curious though, he stands a few feet away watching the thing. He calls over a second man to ask him what he thinks it is. They both watch as it shrugs its way back and forth along the railing.
Player attacks the slimy creature:Striking this effectively immobile enemy, your {weapon} slices right through its slimy exterior and exposes a pale flesh streamed with a blue blood like liquid. The slug like thing falls back into the water and the man jumps to his feet, demanding an explanation.
Player does nothing:You watch as this slug, slime or whatever it is makes its way towards the man. It reaches his hand that lays beside him and very quickly wraps itself around it. Jumping from the railing the man shakes his hand and pulls out a knife from his belt, you can see that this slug this is larger than you anticipated as it seems to stretch from his hand all the way of the ship. Still held by this thing, the man cannot pull free.
Stabbing into the slimy thing, he curses violently as it releases him and whips back off the ship. Turning to you he says "What on all the five seas was_" He is cut short as a tentacle, as you now realise that is what it is, whips from the sea and snatches him, his screams end with a splash below.
Why of course, it is a kraken, a sea creature that preys on the ships of man. This beast is not meant to be beaten, but the crew and the players will indeed fight it until the ship is destroyed and the players knocked unconscious in the sea, only to be run aground on the beach they had intended to land on. I will present the players each with different scenarios of morality and choice, to either grabs their gold purse or save a life or to follow the others into the fray or hide behind it all.
In this way the player starting money, gear and even companions (briefly) will be made.
Did I mention that there is a small band of criminals below deck, hidden and armed?
Here is alittle poem I found that I thought the players could read after this encounter, as there characters are floating on the aves toward the beach, among the dead and the ships remains.
In the deepest night our ship was sailing
Quietly through the moonlit sea.
Until we saw the monstrosity rising
'By the gods, it couldn't be!'
From the watery depths we heard it shriek;
Tendrils arcing toward the sky.
Like harpoons cast toward the heavens
The time for battle was nigh.
My crew prepared to fight no quarter
As I steered my ship through the rumbling tide.
The vicious whirlpool which drew us in,
Was the abyss in which the beast would hide.
Soon it began to strike at us;
Tentacles lashing like deadly whips!
Several times we were nearly broken
As it clicked and smacked its horrid lips...EDIT: The image for the beach.
