-or- Register at the Citadel
Plots
Nature
Encounter

4.37

15 Votes

71xp

ID: 93
Hits: 8136
Comments: 14
Ideas: 0
Rating: 4.3667
Condition: Normal
Submitted:
April 18, 2003, 2:52 pm
Updated:
November 20, 2005, 9:46 am

HoH not available due to level or sub is not 10 days old
Unmanned vessel
By: ephemeralstability

An enigmatic ship arrives through the mists…

The longboat shifts noiselessly over the waves. Its hull is black against the white mist which wreathes the lake with its wraithlike tendrils. The villagers gaze on in awe as it emerges from the veil.

There is no one aboard, no explanation for its arrival, no maps from which to glean its history.

Upon exploration of its creaking timbers, there are no sailors aboard. And yet, when the explorers come back on deck again, they find themselves far from the shore, moving slowly away from their village, into the mist-hidden sea.

Possibilities:
* The ship is enchanted to lure people to somewhere, either to act as slaves, or as food, or as rescuers.
* The ship is sentient. The havens where it was built are under attack and it wants to bring reinforcements.
* The ship is a gift from the god of exploration, who is giving the villagers an opportunity to find new fertile lands…



User Submitted Ideas (0)

Please register to add an idea. It only takes a moment.

Comments ( 14 )
Commenters gain extra XP from Author votes.
Extra bonuses go to those that spend all votes in between refreshes.
CaptainPenguin
2003-04-18 04:38 PM
0xp
Could the ship be something more....sinister, perhaps?

(Stares with glowing eyes from shadowy corner and chuckles softly and evilly)
ephemeralstability
2003-04-19 09:33 AM
0xp
More sinister? How about it being carved with strange gothic designs, or maybe it could have a particularly eerie figurehead (like one with a stump for a head, or a very demonic face). What else did you have in mind? I'd be interested to hear.

ephe!
Nafar
2010-09-20 08:06 AM
0xp
It also could be something completely harmless, like the crew is in the tavern and forgot to let the fish in the giant net go, which are now pulling the boat away.
Ria Hawk
2003-04-19 11:59 AM
0xp
Perhaps the ship is not as abandoned as it seems...
Agar
2003-04-19 06:02 PM
0xp
Getting shanghied for a trip could be kinda boring, maybe a little dangerous if they don't have enough food. Perhaps the ship could "provide" for them? Or maybe they just find some rods and some lures after a couple days, but in a place they've all looked over a hundred times already.

For entertainment, some force somewhere surely opposes this vessel, they will likely send out their own ships to intercept and possibally attack the ship. Then again, maybe they will just come along side and offer thier hospitality, then take care of the PCs off the weird ship.

I like it. Good way to put the PCs in a situation where the guy with fishing can save the day. Just try not to laugh when they leave their supplies no thier horse when they board the boat to explore.
Adel
2003-06-01 12:40 AM
1xp
Perhaps instead the ship comes to life as the heaven's grow dark. People from the past begin to laugh and sing joyously luring the new found passengers to partake in the activities. The catch: These people from the past were once lured upon the very same ship that emerged from the very same cloud of mist. By joining the ghosts from the past the new passengers are doomed to stay there only to lure more unsuspecting followers on to the strange ship. By night the souls of these poor townsfolk are free to relive the same night into which they were captured, however by day they must remain the essential life force of the ship , which is obvoiusly a demonic device, uses these souls to feed upon during the day when it is weakend.

The plot thickens: A mysterious sailor comes into the next unsuspecting town. He along with a few others board the ship. the usual happenings go on however the sailor, for some unknown reason, is unaffected while the others are. The plot line consists of the sailor exploring the goings on and then trying to understand why he was unaffected. eventually he will unravel the mystery and discover the source of the evil find a way to destroy it and releasing the souls on the cursed ship!

Just a thought!
CaptainPenguin
2003-06-01 12:43 AM
0xp
Well, it's about time that you stopped being chained to the Forum, Adel.
Barbarian Horde
2003-08-02 02:14 PM
0xp
Waz

Not a bad idea. I never had a evil ship in my adventure.
Barbarian Horde
2003-09-03 08:58 AM
0xp
Sounds like a good way to introduce the players to Ravenloft.

After being dropped at another village the Ship sails away. The only way back is to locate the Ship again. It only vists the same place once in a generation, but its port calls can be tracked by piecing information together from various port cities. The Ship's port of calls are always diametrical from the last port.

The Ship also vists real realm ports once a generation. This will return them to a new port or if returned to their home port, but 30 years in the future unaged except for the time that was spent in Ravenloft.

~Turwen Firth
Adel
2003-09-05 03:11 PM
0xp
I don't understand a that what is Ravenloft?
Agar
2003-09-05 08:40 PM
0xp
Ravenloft was a popular supplement to AD&D 2ed. It had a dark theme, was ran by a vampire, the whole plane was filled with undead, and once you got in, it was very, very hard to find a way back out. Most everyone who went there died. But their players had fun.
Voted Murometz
2006-06-03 11:06 PM
0xp
I was about to do a very similar post. Glad I found this first!
Voted Nafar
2010-09-20 11:20 AM
Only voted
Voted valadaar
2011-06-07 06:57 PM
0xp

I think this should also be a good start - other can help fill in the details perhaps?  

Only comment is that if it is a long-boat as I know it doesn't have a lower deck to explore.  A medieval Caravel or similar ship would provide more opportunity for the PCs to loose sight of their surroundings.

It also assumes that the PC's all pass below deck, which might not happen without GM railroading. Not saying it is not possible, but it would take a fairly naive party not to leave a lookout up top.

Perhaps it only shows up when the PC's have been shipwrecked and it represents the only means of escape.  The PC's ship runs around on an island after a severe storm blows them off course.  Their ship is unreparable, due to total absence of trees on the island, and insufficent materials to complete the repair. However, in scouring the small island, they find this ship moored in a sheltered cove.  The ship springs its trap only once the entire party has come aboard and are trying to head home.

Now, where are they going?

 

 

 

Join Now!!

Please register to vote or leave a comment



Master of the Citadel


Random Idea Seed View All Idea Seeds

After particularly intense storm, a green glowing fungi can be found on the trees and plants. Also new monsters seem to be in the region. These storm are obviously bringing these things from other places and depositing them with the wind, rain, and goop upon the land.
By: MoonHunter | UpVote

Creative Commons License
Individual submissions, unless otherwise noted by the author, are licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
and requires a link back to the original.

We would love it if you left a comment if you use an idea!
PayPal
Powered by Lockmor 4.0 with Codeigniter | Copyright © 2012 Strolen's Citadel
A Role Player's Creative Workshop.
Read. Post. Play.
Optimized for anything except IE.
0.0200