Emerging from a salty mist that hangs over the ocean is the island nation of Gundarlun. Piercing the sea spray on the eastern peninsula is a crumbling fortress which overlooks Gundbarg, the island’s only port. As the wind catches in the sails, The Voyage beings to pull in toward the islands. “Don’t worry,” the reassuring voice of Captain Greysail calls out to you over the crashing waves “the folk here are only half as violent as the ocean that surrounds them!”

As you pull on the oars, you get a chance to take in your surroundings. The harbour is surrounded by high stone walls, which protect around a dozen longships. Each boat is of expert construction and is in pristine condition. At the prow of each is a carved animal head, often a seabird or arctic creature, roaring with anger.

A group of workers approach and help you up:

“Welcome to Gundbarg! King Redaxe has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. You must be tired and hungry from your journey. We have booked you all rooms in the Dragon Turtle Inn. Tomorrow, after you are rested, King Redaxe would meet you at Stonerise Keep.”

The party made their way to the Dragon Turtle Inn.

The Dragon Turtle Inn is a salt-encrusted stone edifice near the docks. Although not outwardly inviting, the inn is well known amongst travellers as the best place to get a good ale on the island. Inside, a huge fire roars in a semi-circular hearth, decorated with ivory and steel. The circular bar in the middle of the inn is manned by a pair of lanky, fair haired twins whose bushy beards sweep the counter as they dispatch drinks to the locals.

Horthan and Mancer Leed run the bar and welcome the party. The party inquires about what they have heard about the crash.

Horthan and Mancer know the vessel crashed near Fiskrbak, a stronghold ruled by Jarl Frostgale. The jarl is furious; help has taken a long time to get here, and he’s lost some of his best fishermen
One nearby table claims a distressed couple from Fiskrbak passed through a few days ago. Both had deep, watery eyes that couldn’t focus. The locals don’t know where they ended up, but an inebriated old woman swears they walked straight into the harbour, hand in hand.

Hearing nothing more, the party retires for the evening.

They awake the next morning and are escorted to Stonerise Keep to meet King Redaxe.

Up close, they begin to realize that the fort has taken some serious damage over the years. Some wings are almost entirely collapsed, and the seaward wall has fallen away over the hundred-foot cliffs. They are escorted through the ruins of an outer fortress before reaching the relatively undamaged central keep. A huge pair of iron banded doors swing open, revealing an immense feast hall lit by flaming braziers. At the head of the hall is King Olgrave Redaxe, a man as weather-beaten as his castle. He rises from his throne, throwing his arms out wide.

“Welcome to Stonerise Keep, the Warden of the Waves, ancestral home of House Redaxe.”

King Redaxe is a middle-aged man with a single thick, straw-like braid topped with an iron crown decorated with mother of pearl and iridescent shells. He is broadshouldered with sturdy legs and thick arms. Although his voice is gruff, his manner is open and honest. The King is grateful that adventurers have been sent to investigate the crash.

King Redaxe informs the party that pirate sahaugin attacks have been increasing and they are getting more brazen of late.

King Redaxe is eager for the party to set out as soon as possible. Fiskrbak, where the crash occurred, is on the western shore of Gundarlun; a three day walk. The king recommends walking, as sailing around the coast of Gundarlun is notoriously difficult, and another shipwreck is the last thing he wants. There are several mountain trails that should get the characters safely to Fiskrbak.

The party thanks him for his advice, but privately decide to said to Fiskrbak as they will get there a day earlier.

King Redaxe shares:

“The wreck you’re going to investigate isn’t safe. Jarl Frostgale has told me that several villagers died when it crashed, and more have gone missing since. Also, and I’m not sure I can believe this, there are rumours that the ship came not from the sea, but from the sky. Frostgale’s a hothead, but not a fool. He wouldn’t entertain such fantasies unless he believed them himself. I don’t know what to make of it.”

The party thanked King Redaxe and took their leave to explore the rest of Gundbarg.

Surrounded by great stone walls which protect the Kingsfleet, Gundbarg harbour is a sight to behold. During the morning, fishing ships come to sell their catch to the merchants, and throughout the day larger trade vessels come to barter and grab a meal. Several burly warriors with swords at their belts work on the Kingsfleet, oiling the wood, scraping off salt crystals and meticulously inspecting them for damage. If characters have any valuable treasures to sell, the harbour is the best place to do so, as the local shops rarely have enough gold lying around.

A tall wooden warehouse rises up above the homes and shops around it a few streets back from the harbour. Painted on the front of the building are the words ‘Saltwood Storehouse.’ Inside, a handful of employees hurry about the four floors seeing to traders who have come to stock up on rations and naval goods. On the counter wooden sign which reads

‘Potions of water breathing available, just ask.’

The clerk ushers you into a separate part of the store. They open a creaky driftwood door revealing a cosy room warmed by a smouldering fire. Sat in a rocking chair by the fire, stirring a battered iron cauldron, is an ancient woman with greasy grey hair. Playing around her feet in the thick rag rugs that cover the floor are a half dozen creatures with the head and forepaws of a cat and the lower body and tail of a fish. The room smells unpleasantly fishy and is a touch too humid for comfort.

The old woman turns around in her chair to welcome the visitors. She appears to be a sweet, elderly lady who is keenly interested in the characters but is unfortunately ugly. She is wrapped in layers of blankets despite the heat. She introduces herself as Granny Saltwood.

Granny Saltwood offers to brew potions of water breathing. All she requires for their creation is a specific variety of brown, stringy seaweed known as dead man’s bootlaces. She shows the party a dried specimen in a herbarium from atop the mantelpiece. She tells the party that it can only be found in a small sea cave to the west of the harbour. If they retrieve the seaweed she will keep half and use the rest to brew the potions.

Suddenly, a worker that has overheard the conversation sidles up and interrupts the conversation:

“Gallows Grotto’s a place t’ be avoided if you ask me. A man died there long ago. Hanged by his neck from rigging rope and a driftwood beam. There’s many a tale about that place, but this one’s true. Decades ago, when my parents were but children, a woman arrived in Gundbarg from across the sea. She was a true beauty of a girl, they say. Some claimed she was the child o’ the ocean gods. Anyway, the men o’ the village started getting… restless at her presence. Eyes o’ married folk began to stray. Eventually, one man decided to try ‘is luck wi’ the lady. They spent the night drinking in the Dragon Turtle Inn, then she led ‘im away to where she was staying. He came back the next day filled with licentious tales o’ the night, an’ before noon the whole o’ Gundbarg knew. Unfortunately, the man was married. Folk back then didn’t take well to a woman being wi’ a man out o’ wedlock, so they keelhauled her. Next morning the man was missing. Gallows Grotto’s where they found ‘im. Still swinging he was.”

The party excuses themselves from the interloper, thanks Granny and takes their leave. They inform Granny that they will investigate the sea cave .

The party also explores Gimlet’s Ship Repairs and are welcomed by the tobacco-spitting Gnome. They exchange pleasantries but move on as they don’t have a ship that requires any attention.

Finally, the party decides to investigate the Crows Nest Tavern.

Not far from the docks is a dingy tavern formed from the skeleton of an old ship. Where the planks have rotted away, the owners have pegged large patches of sailcloth to cover the gaps. The sound of drunken brawling and raucous music spills out into the surrounding street. The smell of tar is thick in the air.

The place is run by One-Eyed-Bill, an oily looking fellow with a slicked back mohawk and huge scar that has gouged out his left eye. His good eye is black and beady, and ravenously flicks around the tavern as if searching for his next meal. The Crow’s Nest is filled with pirates and thugs, including an appalling sea shanty band who are far too drunk to be playing.

The party purchases some watered down rum, but decide to explore Granny’s sea cave after finding no new information.

After hopping along the rocky coastline from Gundbarg Harbour, the party reaches a sea cave that looks like the one they are looking for. The frigid ocean rushes in and out of the cavern, casting sheets of sea spray onto the surrounding rocks. The party climbs down after Galo slips on rocks and nearly splits his head open.

Galo is awarded an Inspiration after making everyone else feel confident in their abilities.

The party enters the cave and are immediately attacked by a Spectre. The party deals with the Spectre easily and moves forward cautiously.

A natural stair of wet rocks leads up toward a cave which reeks of fish. Peering inside, you notice the slumbering hulk of a vicious beast. The front of the creature is that of a scaled, green lion, but its hindquarters have been replaced by the tail of a giant fish. The creature is over ten feet long and has a chain around its neck. Strewn around the monstrosity are handfuls of fish guts. As you watch, the massive beast’s nostrils begin to flare.

The giant seal moves forward to attack! The party is led by Evan David at the front and all coverge to slay the beast. They notice after the battle that the Giant Seal has a Hag’s Eye hanging from a collar.

Evan David is awarded an Inspiration.

The party continues on and explores the adjacent room, finding the seaweed that Granny requires. They gather up all the seaweed and explore the rest of the cavern.

Acanthodoris discovers a secret door on the far side of the cave. Acanthodoris pulls the false wall aside, revealing a small grotto filled with junk and lit by bluish light coming from an old lantern. Reels of rope coil around barrels of stinking seaweed, huge glass jars of preserved fish, crates of soggy books, cages filled with bones and a pair of barnacle-covered chests. As the party enters, the false wall swings shut behind them.

Evan David moves toward the two chests in the far corner of the cave. He rushes to open them and the party fawns over the treasures inside – not even noticing the water suddenly filling the cavern all around them.

Now ankle-deep in water, Acanthodoris rushes to the secret door and is able to find the lever on this side of the door. The secret door swings open and the water empties into the cave.

Acanthodoris is awarded an Inspiration.

The party makes their way back to meet Granny, knowing that this was not the quest that she had described.