Ok, here’s what I’m hoping for.
“The Styes” was awesome, and an AP with that flavour would make me a happy, happy DM.
Take a few pages of China Mieville’s books, a dollop of old-school “Thieves’ World” Sanctuary, an unhealthy dose of H.P. Lovecraft, a slimy chunk of “Night Below”, and a pinch of aberration-ridden Planescape, and you have my ideal AP.
How about a campaign that begins in a run-down seaport, and draws the PCs into conflict with any number of seaborne menaces – Scarlet Brotherhood raiders, pirates, ghost ships, sahuagin, etc. Then on to the really good stuff.
“The Jungle of Lost Ships” is how it was known in the original Greyhawk boxed set - it was renamed the Seagrave in my campaign. Whatever you want to call it, the vast sargasso patch somewhere between Sulward and Hepmonaland was filled with trapped, overgrown vessels from over the centuries. It also happened to be the final resting place of a couple of ships from the Lost Treasure Fleet of the Sea Princes. The idea has been used in a few novels, namely “The Sargasso Ogre” (A Doc Savage novel), and “The Warrior’s Tale” by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch, but mannnnnn, would it make for a legendary adventure site.
Tie the treasure fleet in with an artifact sought by aboleth minions (the Ebon Mirror mentioned in the ‘Codex Anathema’?). Have a means for the PCs to transport their ship from the wide-open ocean to the lightless underdark sea (the Sunless Sea, perhaps?) where the aboleth broods and plots. The Blood Queen and the Elder Evils would have to figure prominently of course, maybe with Tharizdun’s deluded, delusional followers being used as puppets.
Then on to the planes. The Far Realm or Limbo would lend themselves nicely to a high-level aboleth enclave. Carceri would have been great as well, if it hadn’t been used In SC already. Baator is probably the ideal location, however. Literally limitless possibilities for a grand finale. I’m picturing the PCs in a pimped-out plane-jumping ship getting into sea battles on the River Styx or one of the seas of Baator. * whoo *
There’s my two bits. Any thoughts?
P.S. In my campaign, flumphs are known as t’thaggua (*Nod to Lovecraft*), and my PCs respect and fear them. (Although maybe they WOULD respect them more if they had ninja levels.) Now I’m off to rename the C.I.F.A.L. and the protein polymorph...
