Episode 1: The Crystal Rot
Our adventure begins in the bustling High Sun Market of Tide’s End. The salt in the air was heavier than usual, mingling with the scent of fish and exotic spices. Elder Kaia stood before the crowd, her voice straining against the ambient noise as she spoke of the “Salt Rot”—a blight that has been plaguing the region. She was handing out herbal satchels, a small comfort against a growing fear.
Among the crowd stood three unlikely companions: Oszchwald, a rogue with a knack for being in the wrong place at the right time; Morrigan, a warlock with a dark connection to the arcane; and Briony, a druid attuned to the natural (and unnatural) world.
The Mist and the Shells
The peace was shattered when a crazed youth burst through the market, wild-eyed and foaming. Guards were hot on his heels. In his panic, he tripped, and a satchel he clutched fell to the cobblestones. Crack. A vial shattered, releasing a hissing blue-green mist.
The youth inhaled it greedily, his screams turning guttural. But the horror didn’t stop there. Nearby, a stall selling dead crabs erupted into chaos. The crustaceans twitched, their shells hardening and turning into jagged, crystalline protrusions. They rose, animated by the strange vapor, and attacked.
Chaos in the Market
The party sprang into action—or tried to. Morrigan blasted eldritch energy from behind a vegetable stand, while Oszchwald dove into the fray, his blade finding chinks in the crystal armor. But the crystal crabs were relentless. One seized Oszchwald, its pinchers crushing down with terrifying force, leaving the rogue unconscious and bleeding out on the stones.
Briony, desperate, unleashed fire in point-blank range, cooking the crab in its shell, while Morrigan summoned a cloud of toxic corruption to melt another. With the crabs defeated and the youth subdued by a command from Briony, the immediate danger passed. But the questions remained.
The Black Ship
Investigating the shattered vial, Briony found a fragment of a label: “Subject zero four… administer only in extreme stages… Report back to Watchtower Cay”.
Governor Alistair Finch arrived to contain the panic, but the party had already pieced together a darker truth. The youth had come from a black ship docked in the harbor: the Neberkanezzar. This wasn’t just “Salt Rot”; this was something engineered.
After a brief respite at The Rusty Anchor tavern—where Briony revealed she hails from the village of “Carpe Diem” on Conch Cay—the group decided they couldn’t stay in Tide’s End. They needed to follow the trail.
Passage Secured
They arrived at the docks to find the Neberkanezzar preparing for a hasty departure. Morrigan approached the ship’s Bosun, a man named Zyla Vane. With a silver tongue, she secured passage for the three of them as legitimate passengers. She handed over 10 gold pieces to seal the deal—and then, with a sleight of hand that would make a ghost jealous, picked Zyla’s pocket for 12 gold pieces while he was distracted. They weren’t just passengers; they were legally onboard and turning a profit.
The Escape
Just as they were boarding, Atlas Group enforcers arrived to lock down the docks. A confrontation was inevitable.
Briony unleashed a wave of thunder, knocking enforcers off the dock and into the dark water. Morrigan incinerated another with bolts of witch-light. Oszchwald, barely back on his feet, severed an enforcer’s arm with lethal precision.
As the Neberkanezzar cast off, the party scrambled aboard as valid customers, leaving the confused and battered guards behind. As the ship slipped out of the harbor and into the open sea, the party watched Tide’s End fade into the distance. They were bound for Isla Aethel, following a ship that unknowingly carried the curious trio, while the true mystery of the “Crystal Rot” waited for them at Watchtower Cay.
End of Episode 1 Level Up! The party is now Level 3.
See how the adventure continues in Session 2!