I'd like to see Captain Wetherly (Serpents of Scuttlecove, leader of the Crimson Fleet) get some more foreshadowing. Certainly through rumors, the players will know of the captain: Merchants at the inn talking about the pirate that seized their cargo, refuges from Scuttlecove complaining of the outrageous fee charged by the Captain to take them to safety, etc. Maybe a couple PC backgrounds will have mention of the Captain in it.
I'd also like the players to encounter the Captain beforehand to generate some intense dislike of him. Thoughts on how to do that? I have a couple ideas:
1) After Bullywug Gambit, Captain Wetherly wants to know what has happened to Harliss, one of his captains. He abducts a PC and beats the information out of him. Not really caring about the PC, he just leaves once he has his information. Seems a bit short, would like to make more of a sidetrek out of this.
2) During Sea Wyvern's Wake, the Captain could make an apperance. Perhaps he is just returning from picking up a Savage Tide Pearl and encounters the Sea Wyvern. Technically, it's "his" ship so he attacks and boards it. I see him being way more powerful and the PCs losing. The Blue Nixie flees. The Captain leaves a few sailors on the Wyvern and orders the Wyvern to follow him. Malcanthey sends the storm to save the PCs. The ships get seperated, PCs overpower the guards left behind, and flee. They end up shipwrecked.
3) Perhaps during the attack on Farshore, the Captain makes another appearance. Perhaps he drops off pirates but stays in the back. When things start to go badly, he leaves. Not a real exciting enoucnter but the captain at least makes an apperance.
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3) Perhaps during the attack on Farshore, the Captain makes another appearance. Perhaps he drops off pirates but stays in the back. When things start to go badly, he leaves. Not a real exciting enoucnter but the captain at least makes an apperance.
as you siad in #2, he would most likly be able to overcome the PC's quickly, why would he just sit in the back after something that might put a nick in his reputation is happening? It would give the other fleet captains ideas - "if a couple offarmers can make our leader flee, why don't we just overpower him and take the fleet for ourselves" This could also make some interesting bar talk overheard by the PCs, having 2 drunk captains arguing over mutiny or not, also if played right could give them allies later..
>> as you siad in #2, he would most likly be able to overcome the PC's quickly, why would he just sit in the back after something that might put a nick in his reputation is happening?
Perhaps it does nick his reputation. Maybe this is where the first bits of descent are sown leading ultimately to the mutiny in Serpents of Scuttlecove.
Perhaps the Captain doesn't care about Farshore. Maybe the raid has been staged to fail (thus satisfying the small # of ships complaint from another thread) as a way for the Captain to dispose of this upstart, Vanthus, who is threatening his rule.
I think it's "Cold Captain Wyther".
In my opinion subtle action is better, especially when dealing with a big baddie. Don't have the players fight him early on, because that means he shows his cards. As Lovecraft declared, we afraid of the unkown more than anything else. Once they fight him, he is a known, to be overcome when they reach a certain pinnacle of power. Instead, like you said early on, seed the adventure with hints and tales of the Cold Captain, maybe have him resposible for destroying an uncle's fortunes, or leaving a cousin with almost no skin on his back, from days of whippings. Have merchants talk about how they can't even pay him off, as they would, instead he just takes and destroy's, he is unstopable.
This sort of talk and hints will generally be much more effective at creating foreshadowing, than a throw down fight the players are set to lose.
Come my child, back from the dead......
I've gotten in plenty of foreshadowing of the captain. One thing not mentioned here is including notes about the Captain in Vanthus' journal from Tides of Dread.
And on a completely different note, how about bringing the Captain back for some more action? Demogorgon has two generals, the drowned guy and the other one. Perhaps after killing the Captain, the Captain makes a deal to serve Demogorgon and he's brought back as one of the two generals. As a newcomer, he's hungry for power thus the willingness to betray the other general.
A journal on a ship in the Sargasso (if you are not to far past it)could describe ccw as the beginning of the end. CCW having nearly destroyed the ship and taking anything of value decides not to kill the captain. Rather the captain is set adrift alone in the damaged vessel.
A farshore resident might have personally run into CCW and cannot stop relating the nightmares between the first and second pirate attacks.
Emrag (sp) agrees to the bargain if the PCs action are likely to hinder the 'demonic captain' who has commandeered his lagoon.
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One straightforward way to work Cold Captain Wyther into the early adventures is to have Captain Javell tell the PCs about him during their conversation in Kraken's Cove. She might have met him personally (perhaps he was the one who gave her the shadow pearl to bring to the cove) and she's certainly heard talk about him due to her proximity to the Fleet.
My group is going to be having that conversation next session. What do y'all think are the important things about Wyther that I should be foreshadowing?
Perhaps after killing the Captain, the Captain makes a deal to serve Demogorgon and he's brought back as one of the two generals. As a newcomer, he's hungry for power thus the willingness to betray the other general.
You mean... similar to Vanthus?
I don't like that. A bit to many Demonic Death Knights.
One straightforward way to work Cold Captain Wyther into the early adventures is to have Captain Javell tell the PCs about him during their conversation in Kraken's Cove. She might have met him personally (perhaps he was the one who gave her the shadow pearl to bring to the cove) and she's certainly heard talk about him due to her proximity to the Fleet.My group is going to be having that conversation next session. What do y'all think are the important things about Wyther that I should be foreshadowing?
That is exactly what I did. I had Javell mention him only by name, and telling the PCs to stay away from him, since he was much too dangerous. It is also a good way to prevent the PCs from going to Scuttlecove too early.
Another possibility is to have Amella tell the PCs about the Cold Captain during the voyage to the Isle of Dread. A pirate story.
Another thing I like to do, is when new players come in or new characters do, insert some foreshadowing into their backstory. For instance, Captain Gnesh from Exemplars of Evil is going to feature into the end of the Sea Wyvern's Wake, so I had one of the new characters found floating at sea after Gnesh's crew had destroyed her ship.
I'm starting STAP on Monday with a group of 4.5 (one can't make it everytime).
"Cold" Captain Wyther
As a child, the halfling rogue PC was sailing with his parents (and others) to Sasserine (I'm using Chris West's map from Dungeon #150 and its now Camlin's Delta) when they were set upon by Captain Wyther. When all that was left of the crew and passengers was a sobbing halfling boy of eleven, Captain Wyther picked him up and threw him overboard despite his pitiful cries. One pirate muttered aloud from the back, "That was cold, Captain Wyther." Someone took it up as a cheer and the name stuck.
Captain Harliss Javell
The PC's will start after their meeting with Lavinia, but before they buy their basic equipment. They'll acquire some essential items from Harliss' crew, who've just landed with booty to unload.
Rowyn Kellani and Slipknot Peet
At some point during their shopping trip, they'll stop for lunch, dinner, snack, whatever. Slipknot Peet, representing the Crimson Fleet (color changed to Topaz), is waiting to waylay Rowyn for her actions as Lady of the Lotus (no, not everything got a name change). The PC's will get Spot checks to notice Peet watching Rowyn and Sense Motive to determine that its more than the normal barroom leer. Hopefully, they'll try to save Rowyn. If not, I'll steer Peet to them in the fight for some reason (wrong place & time). If they try to kill Peet, the Watch will show up to apprehend him and thank the PC's for aiding in the capture of so notorious a felon. Off to the gallows and the rest of his backstory.
Brissa Santos
She'll just try to pick the pockets of a PC whilst shopping. They'll notice and she'll get away, or the Watch will take her into custody. If it looks like they'll kill her, the commotion can always bring the guards.
I'm using three to five adventures between each AP module (at least, until the last four, which have to be bang-bang-bang) and will weave elements of those stories into the earlier modules as foreshadowing, too, but I doubted y'all wanted to read any more than you already did.
I think this is a nice way to motivate the PCs to follow the campaign. The only thing you have to watch out for is that they do not kill Brissa.
Good luck with your campaign. It is always interesting to hear stories from other DMs.
A personal connection is always good. The blasted hulk of a ship that the father of one of the PCs served on was found driven aground. The lone badly burnt and tortured survivor is found curled up in a life boat muttering "the Cold Captain, the Cold Captain”.