Operatives of the Kraken Society have King Hekaton in their clutches. If the characters forge an alliance with Princess Serissa and agree to find her father, she gives them a wooden coin painted with the image of a golden goose that was found near the corpse of her slain mother, Queen Neri. Serissa presumes (correctly) that the coin was accidentally dropped by one of her mother’s assassins.
The characters begin this part of their mission by tracking the gambling chip to its owner, Lord Khaspere Drylund of Yartar. The nobleman is maneuvering to become the city’s new Waterbaron. He runs a gambling hall aboard a riverboat named the Grand Dame. Lord Drylund’s wealthy patrons are the movers and shakers of Yartar, and he wants to impress them and place them in his debt. They come to his riverboat day and night, exchanging coins for wooden gambling chips called “golden geese.” They dine on the finest prepared food, dance to marvelous music, and gamble away their chips at Lord Drylund’s tables, all under the watchful eye of his chief of security, the wizard Pow Ming.
Tracking the wooden coin to its source requires some investigation and, perhaps, a little help from one or more factions. Once the coin is traced to a gambling hall aboard a resplendent riverboat in Yartar, the game is afoot! The characters must attack or infiltrate the riverboat to reach Lord Drylund, for only he knows where King Hekaton is kept. Drylund reveals under duress that the storm giant king is sequestered aboard a scry-proof vessel called the Morkoth that circles the islands of the Trackless Sea, far from prying eyes. Drylund’s betrayal immediately precedes his doom, as Slarkrethel reaches out from the depths of the Trackless Sea and slays the corrupt nobleman with a telepathic thought.
The chapter concludes with the characters' hunt for the Morkoth and the freeing of King Hekaton, and perhaps a terrifying encounter with the kraken itself.
The Golden Goose
The wooden coin given to the characters by Princess Serissa is fairly unremarkable and easy to produce. It’s half again the size of a typical gold coin, and there’s nothing magical about it. A legend lore spell provides no clues as to its origin, since the coin isn’t legendary.
Any character who has a background, a bond, or a flaw related to gambling or festhalls knows that the coin is likely a gambling chip. Ascertaining where the coin came from requires a period of downtime, during which a character can show the coin around, make inquiries at gambling houses and festhalls, and bribe local guilds for information. A character must spend a certain amount of gold per day to cover expenses. After
You can rule that an investigation automatically fails if it is conducted in a particularly isolated location, such as the islands of Ruathym or Tuern, where it’s unlikely that the characters will find anyone who is familiar with the festhalls and gambling havens of Yartar. Conversely, the Harpers, the Lords' Alliance, and the Zhentarim all have a strong presence in Yartar. Any character who belongs to one of these three factions can reach out to the organization and use this connection to gain advantage on the Intelligence (Investigation) check.
Finding the Golden Goose
| Location | Expenses per Day | Check DC |
|---|---|---|
| Yartar | 10 gp | 10 |
| City other than Yartar | 10 gp | 15 |
| Town | 5 gp | 20 |
| Village | 2 gp | 25 |
The Grand Dame
The Grand Dame (shown on map 11.1) is an ornately decorated riverboat owned by Lord Khaspere Drylund of Yartar (NE male Tethyrian human). Lord Drylund has the statistics of a noble, with the following changes:
- Lord Drylund is unarmored (AC 11) and speaks Common, Dwarvish, and Elvish.
- He wields a rapier with a bejeweled octopus-shaped hilt (worth 2,500 gp).
- As long as Lord Drylund and Slarkrethel are on the same plane of existence, Lord Drylund is considered to be within range of the kraken’s telepathy. While this telepathic link exists, Slarkrethel can use an action on its turn to deal 20 psychic damage to Lord Drylund. This damage is enough to kill Lord Drylund instantly.
From dawn until dusk, the flat-bottomed wooden boat is moored at the city docks. Dockworkers come and go with food and other supplies throughout the day, watched closely by crew on deck.
The ship’s crew consists of a captain named Nelvin Storn (LE male Tethyrian human bandit captain) and eight deckhands (NE male and female Tethyrian human bandit). An hour before dusk, a mob of commoner (thirty-two rowers, six chefs, six servers, a dozen card dealers, a dozen escorts, and three musicians) arrives at the docks for inspection by the captain, who stands on the pier next to the ship’s boarding ramp. Storn promises each hired worker 5 gp for good service, with payment made the next morning. Once the workers are aboard, rowers are expected to report to the lower deck (area 4), servers and chefs to the kitchen (area 8), card dealers and escorts to the casino (area 9), and musicians to the dance hall (area 14). Wealthy, well-dressed guests begin arriving around the same time as the workers. Guests are free to wander the ship but are advised to keep away from the bridge and crew quarters on the upper deck (areas 11-13). The Grand Dame has no living quarters for passengers, whether workers or guests.
Characters who approach the ship wearing armor or carrying unconcealed weapons are turned away. Those who threaten the ship or try to board it are attacked. A battle on the pier frightens off the workers and guests who aren’t aboard. It also alerts a half dozen city guard patrolling the wharf, who arrive
The adventurers might try to replace one or more of the workers or pose as wealthy guests. A character who wants to get aboard in this fashion must succeed on a Charisma (Deception) check contested by Captain Storn’s Wisdom (Insight) check. A character who wins the contest can board the ship without raising suspicion. If Storn wins the contest, he views the character as suspicious and demands an explanation for the individual’s presence. Storn isn’t really interested in the answer; he’s looking to see how the character reacts. A character who reacts in a nonthreatening manner can repeat the check. If the character wins the contest, Storn’s suspicions are allayed, and the character is permitted to board. If Storn wins the contest, the character is turned away. A character who refuses to leave is attacked.
On any given night,
- Pow Ming speaks Common, Draconic, Dwarvish, and Elvish.
- She has the
detect thoughts spell prepared in place ofmisty step . - She carries a
bag of holding and wears arobe of serpents with six snakes.
Pow Ming keeps hundreds of golden goose chips in her
Assuming that nothing happens to prevent its launch, the ship begins a slow, scenic journey upriver at dusk. Two deckhands oversee the rowers in area 4. Captain Storn and his six remaining deckhands take turns on the bridge (area 11). Pow Ming spends most of her evening in the gambling hall, keeping an eye on the guests (area 9). In the wee hours of the morning, the rowers turn the ship and head back to port so that guests and workers can disembark at dawn. Lord Drylund gives Storn money to pay the workers as they disembark.
Lord Drylund remains in his cabin (area 13) throughout the day, then emerges once the ship leaves port to greet every guest with a smile and a handshake, offering his favorites handfuls of free gambling chips. If he doesn’t recognize one or more visitors, he questions them to see if they’re worth keeping aboard. Drylund caters to those who have political influence in the city of Yartar, but he’s eager to meet anyone with a lot of money. He expects his guests to be splendidly dressed-and unarmed. Those who are caught carrying concealed weapons are advised to cast their weapons overboard. Those who refuse to do so are unceremoniously thrown off the deck of the ship by the crew.
1. Hold
Food and drink are stored in this small compartment.
2. Head
A rank odor pervades each of these small cabins, where crew members and passengers come to relieve themselves.
3. Forward Stairs
Curtains hang over open doorways leading forward and aft. Wooden staircases lead up to the main deck.
4. Lower Deck
At dusk, rowers extend the ship’s oars into the water and use them to push the boat away from the dock and out into the river, while two of Captain Storn’s deckhands walk up and down the hallway, barking instructions. When the ship is docked, the oars are pulled completely inside the boat.
5. Aft Stairs
A curtain hangs over an open doorway leading forward. Wooden staircases lead up to the main deck.
6. Main Deck Forward
Decorative lanterns hang from posts that support the balcony of the upper deck. A rusty winch bolted to the deck is used to raise and lower the ship’s anchor. The winch is normally operated by two crew members, but a single creature can operate it with a successful DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check. It takes one action to drop the anchor and ten actions to raise it.
7. Dining Room
This room is full of tables and chairs, with narrow, winding avenues between them. White gossamer curtains, lush purple tablecloths, precious-looking silverware, and gaudy crystal chandeliers testify to Lord Drylund’s obscenely lavish taste in decoration. A wooden spiral staircase leads up to the bridge (area 11).
Dinner is served throughout the evening, and the room is crowded from dusk until midnight. After midnight, a few occupied tables remain here and there, along with a handful of exhausted waiters.
8. Kitchen
Lots of clatter and yelling can be heard through the doors to this cabin, wherein hired cooks clash and bicker as they prepare meals and snacks for Lord Drylund’s guests. An iron stove stands against one wall, its stovepipe piercing the ceiling. After midnight, the kitchen calms down, and the cooks spend much of their time cleaning up the mess they made and partaking of their own cuisine.
9. Golden Goose Casino
This large cabin has been transformed into a gambling hall, the centerpiece of which is a gold-plated wooden sculpture of a goose that rests on a table in the aft end. Glasses of fine wine, free for the taking, are arrayed around it. An unflattering portrait of a fat, foppish, grinning man (Lord Drylund) hangs on the wall across from a wooden spiral staircase that leads up to the dance hall (area 14).
Most of the floor space is taken up with tables of card games. From dusk until dawn, attractive dealers sit behind the tables, distributing cards to the players while small crowds look on. No actual currency passes into the hands of the hired help. Instead, bets are made with coin-sized wooden chips called golden geese, so named because each one bears Lord Drylund’s golden goose emblem. Lord Drylund mingles with guests here, sometimes with his pet octopus on his shoulder, before retreating to his cabin (area 13) to count his money or spend time with one guest in particular-usually a “new catch” whom he tries to charm or bribe into supporting his political ambitions.
Pow Ming patrols the gambling hall in the evening, smiling at guests while watching for cheaters. She takes particular interest in customers who are on board for only the first or second time. If the characters threaten the ship or its passengers, she conjures one or more giant snakes with the aid of her
Development
Pow Ming knows nothing about the Kraken Society or her employer’s connection to the evil organization. Learning the truth wouldn’t surprise her, however. Although she’s not evil, Pow Ming is no saint. Her ultimate goal is to join the Arcane Brotherhood. In the meantime, she’s using Lord Drylund to meet rich, influential people who might have contacts within that organization. If the characters eliminate Lord Drylund but leave Pow Ming alive and the riverboat intact, Pow Ming takes over the whole enterprise.
10. Main Deck Aft
Fancy lanterns dangle from the upper deck balcony overhead. Creaky staircases lead down to area 5. Guests often congregate here in the evening to schmooze and conduct illicit business dealings.
11. Bridge
Captain Storn and six of his deckhands are stationed here from dusk until dawn, taking turns at the wheel. If trouble arises somewhere else on the ship, the captain takes the wheel and sends one or more crew members to resolve the situation.
12. Crew Cabins
Each of these cabins contains four hammocks for sleeping. During the day, while the ship is docked,
13. Lord Drylund’s Cabin
If he’s not shaking hands and whispering in the ears of guests, Khaspere Drylund is here, dreaming of the day when he rules Yartar as its Waterbaron. He also receives occasional telepathic static from the kraken Slarkrethel, which leaves him with crushing headaches that last for hours.
Lord Drylund’s cabin is a testament to bad taste, with its purple velvet curtains and scented candles in gaudy candelabras. In the middle of the room is a table with a large aquarium tank resting atop it. The aquarium contains a coral reef that serves as home for Lord Drylund’s pet octopus. The octopus has bonded with its owner and can survive outside of water for 30 minutes. Beneath the aquarium, built into the table, is a shelf on which rests a locked wooden chest rigged with a poison needle trap (see the “Sample Traps” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Lord Drylund hides the key inside a miniature “dead man’s chest” lying inside the aquarium, and the octopus attacks any creature other than Lord Drylund that tries to reach for it.
Other furnishings include a silk hammock, a writing desk (covered with quills and loose sheets of blank parchment), a small table holding a silver wine decanter and matching goblet, and an iron stove.
Treasure
Lord Drylund carries a rapier with a bejeweled, octopus-shaped hilt (worth 2,500 gp). The silver wine decanter and goblet are worth 25 gp each. The wooden chest contains 450 gp and a pouch containing nine 50 gp gemstones.
Development
Lord Drylund is no match for a party of adventurers, and he knows it. If the characters corner and threaten him, he surrenders without a fight. He admits under interrogation that he’s a member of the Kraken Society and reveals where King Hekaton is being kept. After he divulges that Hekaton is a prisoner aboard the Morkoth, which sails around the northern islands of the Trackless Sea, Lord Drylund’s eyes widen in terror as he receives a telepathic message from the kraken-a wave of mind-shattering dread that deals 20 psychic damage to the nobleman. An instant later, Lord Drylund keels over dead, blood running from his nose.
14. Dance Hall
This smoky, dimly lit cabin features a wooden stage where musicians and other entertainers perform for the pleasure of Lord Drylund’s guests. A few tables and chairs are set up along the walls, with much of the floor space kept open for dancing. A wooden spiral staircase descends to the gambling hall (area 9), and doors lead out to the upper deck balcony. Behind a curtain next to the stage is a hallway that leads to the bridge (area 11) and the crew cabins (area 12). A bronze plaque above the doorway reads “CREW ONLY.”
15. Aft Balcony
In the evening, passengers gather here to gaze out upon the dark river and seduce one another, either for political gain or pure indulgence.
The Hunt for Hekaton
The characters might kill Lord Drylund before he can be interrogated. If Lord Drylund dies before the characters learn King Hekaton’s whereabouts, they can still learn where the storm giant king is being held by casting a
Slarkrethel has cast a powerful spell on the Morkoth, its crew, and their prisoner, hiding them all from divination magic. Neither the ship nor anyone aboard it can be targeted by any form of divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.
Finding the Morkoth
The Morkoth is sailing around a cluster of islands in the Trackless Sea known as the Purple Rocks. The ship’s precise location changes from one hour to the next and is ultimately not important, nor is it imperative that the characters find the vessel quickly.
Chapter 3 describes random encounters you can use to spice up a sea voyage. To calculate how long it takes for the characters to find the Morkoth, ascertain the rough distance from the party’s starting location to the Purple Rocks, then calculate the amount of time it would take the party’s conveyance to travel that distance. Once the characters get within 100 miles of the Purple Rocks, they have a base 10 percent chance per day of locating the Morkoth. This chance assumes that the characters are traveling in one group or aboard multiple conveyances in fairly close formation. If multiple conveyances are searching for the Morkoth and they are so widespread as to be at least 30 miles apart, roll separately for each conveyance.
You can forgo precision and assume that the party spots the Morkoth
Modes of Travel
Unless the characters have the ability to cast the teleport spell or similarly powerful magic, they must rely on more conventional means to reach the Morkoth. The Modes of Travel table shows the number of miles a given conveyance can travel in a day, provided it has sufficient crew aboard.
Modes of Travel
Modes of Travel
| Conveyance | Miles per Hour | Miles per Day |
|---|---|---|
| Airship | 8 | 192 |
| Cloud castle | 1 | 24 |
| Dragon mount | 8 | 192 |
| Sailing ship | 2 | 48 |
To create a more realistic journey, you can use the Weather table in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine the prevailing weather on a given day. If the results indicate strong wind and heavy rain, these weather conditions combine to create a storm that lasts for
Airship
If the characters have an airship (see the “Airship of a Cult” section in chapter 4), they can use it to search the Trackless Sea for the Morkoth while avoiding encounters with sea-bound creatures and vessels. Once the Morkoth is sighted, the characters can attack it from a distance or fly in close. The airship can’t land on the Morkoth, but it can float in the water nearby or hover directly overhead, out of the line of fire of the Morkoth’s ship-mounted ballistae.
Cloud Castle
If the characters gained control of a cloud castle (such as the one in chapter 9), they can fly it over the Trackless Sea and use the castle’s giant telescopes to search for the Morkoth. Weather conditions might hinder their search, but there is no chance of the castle’s being blown off course by a storm.
Flying Mounts
Because the Trackless Sea is vast and its islands so distant, characters won’t be able to reach the Morkoth on the backs of griffons, hippogriffs, or similar creatures, since the mounts have nowhere to land and rest when they tire. Dragons don’t tire as easily and can transport characters overseas if they are sufficiently motivated. Dragons are also able to avoid and outpace storms. A friendly metallic dragon of the party’s acquaintance might be persuaded to make the journey for a sizable donation to its trove. One rare magic item or 10,000 gp per passenger wouldn’t be unreasonable
Sailing Ship
Characters can ply the Trackless Sea aboard a seafaring vessel. Since the islands of the Trackless Sea are home to predatory, seafaring barbarians, most ship captains are unwilling to risk their vessels and lives on a fool’s errand, no matter how much the characters offer to pay. Another possibility exists for characters who are associated with the Harpers, the Order of the Gauntlet, the Emerald Enclave, the Lords' Alliance, or the Zhentarim. Members in good standing of any of those groups can contact their organizations and convince them that an expedition must be mounted to find the Morkoth, for the sake of all civilization. Roll
The Harpers hire a brooding Waterdhavian captain named Zaldar Floshin (NG male half-elf mage). His ship, the Kelpie’s Kiss, has a sprite named Arrow as its first mate and fifteen crewmembers (N male and female Tethyrian human bandit). A Harper agent named Ilkara Levari (CG female half-elf spy) serves as the ship’s bosun. The ship is docked in Waterdeep.
The Order of the Gauntlet hires a merchant ship owned by a Waterdhavian noble named Arilosa Adarbrent, who supports the order financially. Her ship is the Coin Toss, and its captain is Tazlan Rilzeer (NG male Tethyrian human bandit captain), a fearless scoundrel with a sharp wit. His crew includes fifteen sailors (N male and female human bandit of various ethnicities) and a cheery, overweight medic named Tharkil Morn (LG male Tethyrian human priest of Helm). The ship is docked in Neverwinter.
The Emerald Enclave hires the Koalinth, a ship under the command of a hobgoblin captain named Klarz and crewed by twenty hobgoblin and five bugbear. Klarz owes his life to an Emerald Enclave ranger who helped him after the two were stranded together on a monster-infested island in the Korinn Archipelago. This service repays Klarz’s debt to the Emerald Enclave. Klarz’s ship waits for the characters in a cove several miles north of Waterdeep.
The Lords' Alliance recently captured a pirate ship called the Ravenous, along with its nefarious captain, Sharlasta Stormsword (LE female Illuskan human bandit captain). After cooling her heels in prison, Stormsword is visited by Lord Dagult Neverember, who strikes a deal with her. When she is released from custody and returned to her ship, Stormsword gathers a crew of twenty half-trained scalawags (commoner of various races and alignments) and whips them into shape for the voyage, the completion of which guarantees her a pardon signed by the Lords' Alliance leaders. The Ravenous is anchored in Neverwinter’s bay.
The Zhentarim assigns Captain Drashk (N male tiefling bandit captain) to command a ship called the Lost Cause and assigns him a crew of six Zhentarim mercenaries (N male and female human thug of various ethnicities) and twelve deckhands (commoner of various races and alignments). The eye-patch-wearing captain has an imp that perches on his shoulder and wreaks havoc with his moral compass. Drashk also has permission to negotiate trade deals with the storm giant king on behalf of the Black Network, should the opportunity arise. The Lost Cause is anchored in Waterdeep’s bay.
Other ships that might be available to the characters are presented in the “Reaching Svardborg” section in chapter 7.
The Morkoth
The Morkoth (shown on map 11.2) is a bizarre-looking yet seaworthy vessel with a hull that resembles a giant squid. As it plies the Trackless Sea, the top of the forward stabilizing fin remains above the water while the aft tentacles trail behind underwater. The Morkoth has the statistics of a sailing ship (see the Airborne and Waterborne Vehicles table in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Its captain, Tholtz Daggerdark (CE male Illuskan human archmage), is one of Slarkrethel’s mad, devoted thralls. He claims to be in constant telepathic contact with the kraken, though in truth Tholtz can only receive telepathic messages from the kraken, and such messages are rare and tend to give him nosebleeds.
Tholtz’s first mate is Rool (NE male half-orc assassin), a vicious cutthroat who despises Captain Daggerdark and looks forward to gutting him like a fish one day. Rool’s hatred of the wizard is well earned, for Tholtz frequently refers to the half-orc as a “soulless half-breed,” a “human mistake,” and a “mongrel.” Rool oversees a crew of twenty Kraken Society cultist (CE male and female humans of various ethnicities) while Tholtz pretends to talk to Slarkrethel or raves on and on about the spells the kraken has promised to teach him. Morale aboard the ship is understandably low.
Half of the cultists are on duty at any given time, while the rest are asleep in their hammocks (area 4). When the characters first come upon the Morkoth, Captain Daggerdark is resting in his cabin (area 5) as well. Rool is behind the wheel atop the aft castle (area 2), and the ten awake cultists are manning the ballistae or keeping an eye on the storm giant prisoner. For ballista rules and statistics, see the “Siege Equipment” section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Any loud disturbances on deck cause the captain and the sleeping cultists to awaken and investigate. Unless the characters approach the Morkoth invisibly, it is likely that the entire ship’s crew will be armed and ready to face them in battle.
Escorting the Morkoth are four merrow loyal to Slarkrethel. These creatures swim alongside the vessel, two on each side, and use their harpoons to impale enemies and pull them into the water. Merrow harpoons have ropes made of tightly woven kelp attached to them so that they can be reeled in. If it misses with its harpoon attack, a merrow can use its next action to reel in the harpoon. If another creature is holding onto the harpoon, the merrow regains the weapon if it wins a contested Strength check. If characters take cover to avoid harpoon attacks, or if the merrow are unable to hurl their harpoons, the merrow crawl up onto the deck and attack with their teeth and claws, pursuing prey into the Morkoth’s lower deck if necessary.
1. Forecastle
This raised deck has two loaded ballistae mounted on swivel turrets. Four Kraken Society cultist are stationed here, ready to aim and fire the ballistae on command. Ammunition is stored in compartments under the deck boards.
2. Aft Castle
Rool, the Kraken Society assassin, is behind the captain’s wheel, which stands in the middle of the aft castle. This flying deck sports two loaded, swivel-mounted ballistae, the ammunition for which is stored in compartments under the deck boards. Four Kraken Society cultist are also stationed here, ready to aim and fire the ballistae on command.
Development
If Rool finds himself in a situation where he thinks he can kill Captain Daggerdark with minimal risk to himself, he seizes the opportunity, even if it means certain defeat at the hands of his other enemies. Rool’s betrayal doesn’t make him friendly toward the party. Once Daggerdark is dispatched, Rool continues to fight the adventurers to the bitter end, grinning with the satisfaction that he dealt the fatal blow to his hated rival.
3. Hekaton in Chains
Two Kraken Society cultist stand watch on the decks fore and aft of King Hekaton, who lies on his back in the ship’s hold, wrapped in magical chains that trap him in stasis. The 28-foot-tall giant appears frozen in time, his eyes open and staring blindly into the sky. He is effectively restrained and unconscious while bound in this manner. Four chains bind him. The chains are secured to the hull and must be broken to release the giant from his stasis or free him from the ship’s hold. Striking a chain alerts any Morkoth crew members not already engaged in battle.
Each chain has AC 20, 10 hit points, and immunity to all damage except bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from adamantine or magic weapons. If all four chains are broken, Hekaton’s stasis ends and he is no longer restrained or unconscious. If Hekaton is awakened during a battle, roll initiative for the storm giant king. Hekaton is a storm giant, with the following changes:
- Hekaton has 330 hit points.
- He has no greatsword but can wield a length of broken chain as a melee weapon, making two attacks with it as an action on his turn. Each chain attack has a +14 bonus to hit, has a reach of 15 feet, and deals 19 (
3d6+9 ) bludgeoning damage on a hit. - He has no rocks to hurl but can pick up a shipboard ballista and use it like a heavy crossbow. The ballista gains the heavy, loading, and two-weapon properties when used in this way (see the “Weapon Properties” section in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook). The weapon retains its range, attack modifier, and damage (see the “Siege Equipment” section in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
- As a bonus action on his turn, Hekaton can shift his weight and cause any ship upon which he stands to heave to one side or the other. All other creatures standing on the ship must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.
Development
Upon waking from his stasis, the storm giant king is disoriented, confused, and hostile toward all non-giants he sees. The last thing he remembers was being ambushed during a meeting with small folk, whom he was led to believe were representatives of the Lords' Alliance. (In fact, they were Kraken Society operatives in disguise.) The only individual aboard the Morkoth that Hekaton recognizes is Rool the half-orc, who was part of the group that ambushed him.
Hekaton rises to his full height and begins lashing out against small folk indiscriminately, shouting, “Lords' Alliance indeed! I’ll see your alliance wrecked upon the waves for this treachery!” A character can use an action to try to persuade the king to stand down or not attack certain targets. That character must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma (Persuasion) check to calm down the king. If the check fails, the character’s words fall on deaf ears. If the character mentions Serissa by name, the check is made with advantage.
Hekaton has no idea that his court has been thrown into upheaval and that evil forces are conspiring to usurp his throne. Only when the battle aboard the Morkoth has ended can the characters bring Hekaton up to date on recent developments. Regardless of what he is told, the king remains skeptical until he has had a chance to speak with his daughter, Serissa, and his brother, Uthor. He urges the characters to return to Maelstrom with him. Characters can either use Hekaton’s conch to teleport themselves and the storm giant king to Maelstrom, or they can follow Hekaton as he dives into the water and swims home.
If the characters want to delay their departure, Hekaton agrees to stay around long enough for them to search the Morkoth or to take care of other matters. For example, the characters might need to conclude some business with the captain of the ship that brought them here, or they might need time to gather belongings from their airship. If Hekaton and the characters remain in the vicinity of the Morkoth for more than 1 hour, they are present when Slarkrethel shows up (see “The Kraken Cometh” section at the end of this chapter).
4. Crew Cabin
Ten hammocks stacked like bunk beds line the walls of this cabin. At any given time, ten Kraken Society cultist are asleep in these hammocks. They wake to cries of alarm and emerge from the cabin with scimitars drawn on the following round.
5. Captain’s Cabin
Tholtz Daggerdark’s cabin is a mess. Nautical books and navigational charts are strewn across the floor, as are quills, loose sheets of blank parchment, empty wine bottles, and spilled jars of ink. Most of the furniture is bolted to the floor, including an unmade bed with a squid-shaped headboard, a writing desk stained with ink, an open trunk, a slender wardrobe stuffed with old robes, and a wooden cloak rack.
If he hasn’t been disturbed, Tholtz the archmage is sleeping on the floor in a corner of the room, facing the cabin door. In his sleep, he used a knife to carve the words “DRAGON,” “IYMRITH,” “SISTERS,” and “TREACHERY” into the floorboards. If he is awakened by a loud disturbance on deck, he drops the knife and leaves the cabin to investigate. He doesn’t know who or what Iymrith is, nor does he know why he carved these words into the cabin floor.
Tholtz casts
Treasure
Tholtz’s spellbook is locked in a desk drawer. Tholtz has the key in his possession, but the lock on the drawer is easily broken and can be just as easily picked using thieves' tools (no ability check required). The spellbook contains the following spells:
- 1st level:
detect magic ,disguise self ,identify ,mage armor ,magic missile ,thunderwave - 2nd level:
darkvision ,detect thoughts ,mirror image ,misty step ,suggestion - 3rd level:
counterspell ,fly ,lightning bolt ,sending ,water breathing - 4th level:
arcane eye ,banishment ,fire shield ,ice storm ,stoneskin - 5th level:
cone of cold ,scrying ,seeming ,teleportation circle ,wall of force - 6th level:
chain lightning ,flesh to stone ,globe of invulnerability - 7th level:
prismatic spray ,teleport - 8th level:
dominate monster ,mind blank - 9th level:
time stop
6. First Mate’s Cabin
Rool’s sparsely furnished cabin contains a hammock, a wooden treasure chest with a built-in lock, and a rug made from a yeti’s hide.
Rool carries the key to the locked chest, which can be picked open with thieves' tools and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. The chest is rigged with a gorgon-gas trap that triggers if an attempt is made to pick the lock. Detecting the trap requires a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check, and disabling it requires a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. If the attempt to disable the trap fails by 5 or more, the trap triggers. The green gas spills out through thin cracks in the lid and fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the chest. Any creature in the area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be petrified for 1 hour.
Treasure
Rool’s chest is divided into three compartments. The first contains a sack of 180 gp. The second holds twelve nonmagical daggers that Rool has collected over the years. The third contains a deck of marked playing cards (worth 15 gp) in a wooden case, a spyglass (worth 1,000 gp), a quill, a jar of dragon blood (which Rool uses for ink), and a diary with a black leather cover.
In his diary, Rool articulately spells out why he would like to kill Captain Daggerdark and take command. The writing reveals that the captain claims to have a direct line of communication to the kraken Slarkrethel, an assertion that Rool suspects is true given that the captain is prone to headaches and nosebleeds. The diary also mentions that the captain keeps his spellbook in his desk, protected by “the worst lock I’ve ever seen.”
Development
If the opportunity to do so arises, Rool has petrified characters thrown overboard.
7. Hold
The aft compartment on the lower deck is packed with crates of rations and casks of ale and water. Four nets hold the containers in place. A few harmless rats creep about.
The Kraken Cometh
Khaspere Drylund’s treachery convinces Slarkrethel that enemies are close to finding and freeing King Hekaton. The kraken leaves its lair in the darkest depths of the Trackless Sea and swims toward the Morkoth. The same magic that Slarkrethel placed on the Morkoth to conceal it from divination spells allows the kraken to locate the ship unerringly.
If the characters free Hekaton and leave the Morkoth within an hour of doing so, Slarkrethel arrives too late to stop them. If the characters are still aboard the Morkoth an hour after freeing Hekaton, the kraken pays them an unannounced visit. The kraken announces its arrival by wrapping its gigantic tentacles around the hull of the Morkoth. All creatures aboard the ship are surprised unless they are swimming beneath the vessel and can see the enormous kraken approaching from directly below the craft. Once the kraken strikes, all creatures in this encounter must roll initiative. Slarkrethel wants to terrify and humble the adventurers, not annihilate them, so it mainly uses its tentacles to crush the Morkoth and pull it into the depths. Under no circumstances does the kraken allow the ship to fall into enemy hands. As an action, the kraken can attack the Morkoth with all ten of its tentacles and deal 250 bludgeoning damage to the ship on each of its turns, accounting for the Morkoth’s damage threshold and the kraken’s siege monster feature. Assuming the ship has all its hit points when Slarkrethel attacks, the vessel is destroyed after the kraken’s second turn in combat. While crushing the ship, the kraken can’t take other actions but can use its legendary actions as normal. Hekaton isn’t afraid to face the kraken, and the kraken in turn has no qualms about killing the storm giant king (see “Development”).
Slarkrethel is a kraken, with the following changes:
Slarkrethel has a challenge rating of 25 (75,000 XP).
It gains the Legendary Resistance and Spellcasting features described below, and it casts foresight on itself before it attacks.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day)
If Slarkrethel fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Spellcasting
Slarkrethel is a 20th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 22; +14 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following wizard spells prepared:
- 1st level (4 slots):
comprehend languages ,detect magic ,identify ,sleep - 2nd level (3 slots):
blindness/deafness ,detect thoughts ,suggestion - 3rd level (3 slots):
fly ,nondetection ,sending - 4th level (3 slots):
arcane eye ,ice storm ,locate creature - 5th level (3 slots):
cloudkill ,scrying ,telekinesis - 6th level (2 slots):
chain lightning ,flesh to stone ,mass suggestion - 7th level (2 slots):
delayed blast fireball ,sequester ,teleport - 8th level (1 slot):
control weather ,feeblemind - 9th level (1 slot):
foresight ,power word kill
Development
Once it sinks the Morkoth, the kraken withdraws into the dark depths. If Hekaton is present, the kraken tries to drag the storm giant king down with it, leaving the puny and insignificant surface-dwelling adventurers to fend for themselves. Hekaton doesn’t survive long in the kraken’s clutches. If the storm giant king dies, all is not lost. Characters can return to Maelstrom and report the sorry news to Serissa. Although Hekaton’s death is hard on her, Serissa is determined to see the ordning restored in his name and takes her father’s place in the next chapter of the adventure.
Back to Maelstrom?
The next chapter begins with the characters returning to Maelstrom, cementing their alliance with the storm giants, and plotting with the giants to take down Iymrith. If the characters fail to save King Hekaton, the adventure can proceed without him as long as the characters still have one or two allies in the court of the storm giant king. See the start of chapter 12 for details.
Failures and miscalculations on the part of the characters could create a situation in which they can’t return to Maelstrom or have little reason to. For example, if they failed to rescue Hekaton from the Kraken Society’s clutches and they lose the conch of teleportation, the characters might choose to avoid any further dealings with the storm giants and focus their attention elsewhere. The same development might ensue if the characters made enemies of Serissa and Uthor by stealing from the storm giants or harming members of the royal family. The storm giants notwithstanding, the characters might have a personal score to settle with Iymrith (a desire to avenge Harshnag, for example) and could decide to go after the dragon on their own once they find her lair. In such a case, you can time events so that the storm giants arrive at Iymrith’s lair at the same time the characters do, giving the characters an opportunity to join forces with the giants and reconcile any past grievances. Conversely, the characters might choose to avoid another confrontation with Iymrith, effectively skipping chapter 12, and instead set their sights on the remaining evil giant lords. Try not to force the player characters one way or the other. Let them make the tough choices!
Character Advancement
The characters' attempt to rescue King Hekaton is more important than the outcome. As long as they try, the characters gain a level at the conclusion of this chapter and should be 10th level when they confront Iymrith in chapter 12, “Doom of the Desert.” Given the danger that Iymrith poses, players might want their characters to gain more levels before facing the ancient blue dragon in her lair. The characters can go after any evil giant lords that remain, gaining a level for every two they defeat, and face Iymrith at 11th or 12th level.
