Sunday, February 11, 2018

The Deadwind Archipelago (Part 1)

Wind Patterns and Weather

Hydur, the god of wind and vengeance, has it out for Deadwind. The Blustering God produces strong constant shearing global wind patterns in the Archipelago, the net result of which is a Tornado Alley going right up through the middle of the island chain.

The other net result is that once you set off into the Archipelago, the only way to get back to Deadwind is to go all the way around the island chain. Sailing against Hydur's winds is a futile endeavor.

It also means the weather is strange. During Wandering Encounter checks, a 2 on a d6 produces some weather effect. Roll percentile. Then possible a d4.

01-05: It starts raining. 
     1. Cesium Salt Rain   2. Drowsy Flurries   3. Star Jelly   4. Rain of Stingers
06-10: Strange phenomena. 
     1. Oil Corona Whirlpool   2. Salt Crystal Burgs   3. Flem Slick   4. Tree Lightning
11-15: Odd Winds
     1. Spore Winds   2. Fiber Breeze   3. Smog Mist   4. Ash Gale
16-20: Atmospheric Effects
     1. Phantom Fire   2. Beholder Hail   3. St. Elmo's Fire   4. Ultraviolet Moonbow
21-25: Dangerous Clouds
     1. Cloudkill   2. Shock Nimbus   3. Cumulostratagis   4. Blast Clouds
26-30: A Storm Surge
     1. Surfactant Monsoon   2. Tidemoss Wave   3. Fume Bubble   4. Creature Surfacing
31-35: Aurora Oceanis
36-40: Sun Hounds
41-49: Rain of Halberds
50-54: Zud!
     1. Knife Zud   2. Slime Zud   3. Boiling Zud   4. Fire Oil Zud
55-59: Tornado
     1. Fire   2. Sand    3. Shark    4. Coral
60-89: Rain
     1. Light   2. Medium    3. Heavy    4. Monsoon
90-100: Nothing

Islands (Part 1)

Deke's Isle

A tiny little sandbar a day or so away from Deadwind. It's only inhabitant is Deke, a salty wrinkly old mostly-naked hermit who fishes all day and lives in his boat. Fishing on the sandbar is decent, although Deke will get annoyed with those who steal his livelihood.

Deke knows a fair amount about the Archipelago and can give you the general layout of the ocean. He's always got exactly one thing to trade. This thing changes each time the island is visited, and varies from gross junk to deceptively misleading magic items. He's been trading thing for thing for years, and he hopes to eventually trade up into a house for himself.

What does Deke have to trade?
1. Scales of a rainbow grouper. Causes temporary colorblindness to onlookers.
2. Flensing knife that takes the flesh off on a 4 hour delay.
3. Talking copper coin that remembers everyone who's touched it.
4. Piece of flotsam shaped like a pear.
5. Cast iron sphere the size of a man's head.
6. Feather of red core and white periphery, 5 feet long.
7. Piece of lint that continuously produces a slippery grease.
8. Brass horn that makes no sound. Doesn't fit human lips.
9. 20 feet of unbreakable fishing line
10. Telescopic fishing rod. Makes "fwoosh" sound when unfurled forward.

The Island of Paint

A crescent moon-shaped island a few miles wide that spews colored pools of fantastical paint from the ground. The occasional adventurer-painter will come here to make a piece of dangerous (and valuable!) art. An industrialized or imperial society would kill and conquer for the opportunity to control these paints. The people of Deadwind use the sacred red paint to cover their houses and ships.

The paints can be mixed with each other, and have different effects when wet or dry. Only Red, Yellow, Blue, Violet, and White paint bubble up from below. The rest occur during natural or artificial mixing.

Type of Paint - Effect when Wet / Effect when Dry
1. Red - Hydrophobic / Vacuum seals surface
2. Yellow - Inert / Forms small crystals that are explosive to physical shock
3. Blue - Inert / Generates tremendous heat when exposes to sunlight
4. Violet - Strong Adhesive / Extremely Slippery
5. Orange - Smells of Brimstone / Makes water-activated explosive
6. Green - Evaporates quickly / Crumbles into useless inert green crud
7. Purple - Adheres to surfaces / Compresses itself inwards, pulling surfaces towards center of mass
8. Violet + Above - Ensures that paint never dries
9. White + Above - Neutralizes any paint
10. White - Strong corrosive / Becomes mirror surface
11. Ultraviolet (V+W) - Invisible. Combination makes those who look at it colorblind

Exile Lagoon

A ring of sandbar around a lagoon of deep dark green 100 yards across and half a mile down. Exiles from far lands all over the world mysteriously find themselves ejected from the lagoon up onto the sandbar. 

Most will die of dehydration. There is no freshwater on the island. Their only hope is that some passing ship will pick them up and carry them to Deadwind, where all exiles are welcome.

They'll likely swarm the ship, shouting for help. Numbers depends on how many exiles the societies of the world produce. Could be just a handful, could be hundreds.

There's a disproportionately high number of murderers, political exiles, thieves, revolutionaries, refugees, and cannibals on Lagoon Island. For that reason most ships aren't keen to stop here. Not even slavers.

Part 2

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