Sample file The Ghost of Jarvis Island Asatania™ Module ASX-2

5E Adventure Module for the Asatania Crashing Chaos™ Campaign

CREDITS Design: Michael Cerny Editing: SampleAmy Cerny, Adam file Maturin Maps: Stephanie McAlea Cover Artist: Christopher Zakrzewski Interior Artists: Christopher Zakrzewski, Olga Volkova

ASX-2 The Ghost of Jarvis Island is a 5e adventure module designed for four to seven level 3-4 characters

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thomp- son, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. ASX-2 - The Ghost of Jarvis Island v1.03 Copyright 2016-2017 Fantastic Reality / Michael Cerny Contents

Preface...... 4

Notes...... 5 Asatania Crashing Chaos Campaign Guide...... 5 Official Publications...... 5 Errata and Updates...... 5 Difficulty Adjustments...... 5 Find us at Fantastic-Reality.com...... 6

Introduction...... 6 Plot Overview...... 6 Side Adventure versus Story Adventure...... 6 Adventure Hooks...... 6

Scene 1: Attack at Sea ...... 7 Approach of the Sea Foam...... 7 Boarding...... 7 Capturing a Kan Demon...... 10

Scene 2: Arriving at Jarvis Island...... 10 Setting...... 10 Lagoon...... 11 Sea Foam...... 11 Forest...... 11

Scene 3: The Ruins...... Sample file 13 Ore Smelter...... 13 The Lighthouse Site...... 13 Cottage...... 13 Lighthouse...... 14 Mesaluna...... 15 NPC Opinions of Mesaluna...... 16

Adventure Conclusion...... 17 Kan Demon / Sea Foam ...... 17 Mesaluna...... 17 Experience...... 17

Appendix I – Creatures...... 18 ul-Grogtok (“Kan Demon”)...... 18

Appendix II – Non Player Characters...... 20

Appendix III - Player Handouts...... 21

Appendix IV - Revision Notes...... 24 3 “My friends think I’m crazy. My for- tune is gone. But my tin mine will last forever.” Elbenter Jarvis, CE1949

Preface She is one of my absolute favor- ite characters in Crashing Chaos, The Ghost of Jarvis Island even though her story is not yet came about from my desire to complete. Players have a decid- write an adventure that appeared edly less favorable view of her to be one thing, but turned out to though. She is definitely a non- be something else. The “haunted” player character that they love to lighthouse and mysterious “ghost” hate. of Jarvis Island led many playtest- ers to search for the classic tropes While this adventure itself is of ghost stories. Was the ghost a short, it adds a bit of backstory symbol of unrequited love? Were and foreshadowing to the story of the charactersSample supposed file to put a Crashing Chaos and introduces a soul to rest? Or was it an angry character that can resonate for a apparition that needed to be sent long time. back to the nether? I hope you enjoy playing it as When I ran this adventure for much as I enjoyed writing it. As different groups, players were always, please feel free to email split in their reaction to Mesaluna. me with feedback after you’ve Some believed her story without read or played this adventure. I question, others were suspicious, love to hear “session reports” to almost from the start. A few play- learn how others experience the ers could not bring themselves adventures that I’ve written. to trust her, but wanted to help Michael Cerny Mesaluna nonetheless. [email protected] Some groups inevitably discov- May 2016 ered her evil nature and sent her to her doom. Others returned her to civilization where she torment- ed the locals and the heroes alike. Others tried to dispatch her but failed, allowing her to escape. Notes Errata and Updates Asatania Crashing Chaos Campaign From time to time, Asatania adventures are updated to correct errors, clarify scenes, or even Guide Samplejust file to improve them based on player feedback. While this adventure contains everything you This adventure, ASX-2 The Ghost of Jarvis Island need to run it, the Asatania Crashing Chaos is currently at revision 1.03. Revision notes are Campaign Guide can help you paint a more vivid located in Appendix IV. picture of the world, and is highly recommended. Words and phrases in bold text indicate that Difficulty Adjustments corresponding entries with additional informa- This adventure is designed for four to seven tion may be found in the Guide. Perusing it while characters of third or fourth level, with the opti- you prepare for the adventure is recommended, mal number being five. If you have fewer players, though not required. you need to tone down some of the combat en- counters. If you have more, you need to increase Official Publications the strength of the opposition. This adventure was designed with the Open In most cases, increasing or decreasing the Gaming License version of the 5th edition rules difficulty is a simple matter of adding or removing (specifically version 5.1 of the Source Reference one creature. In more complex instances, sugges- Document), however, you may find it helpful to tions have been provided. have copies of the official hardcover books handy.

5 Find us at Fantastic-Reality.com Side Adventure versus Story Ad- Our website at http://fantastic-reality.com is venture a great resource for up-to-date information about This adventure is a “side adventure” set in the Asatania Crashing Chaos campaign. There the Asatania Campaign World. While related to you’ll find notes on development, excerpts from the overall plot of the Crashing Chaos story, it is unpublished works, and occasional special offers. designed to be optional. It will add backstory and You can also find us on Twitter at flavor to the setting, but can safely be skipped, if @AsataniaGM or on Facebook at http://www. either the game master or players choose not to facebook.com/FantasticRealityGames. pursue it. Side adventures, including this one, can also Introduction be lifted from Asatania and placed down into whatever campaign world you happen to be using. Plot Overview The portions specific to Asatania can easily be Jarvis Island is midway between Bray’s Bay modified to suit your needs and the Windsome Chain. Seventy years ago, Elbenter Jarvis, a gnomish engineer and metal- Adventure Hooks lurgist, discovered tin deposits amongst the rocky For the Crashing Chaos campaign, this side outcrops that make up the western part of the adventure assumes that the hook is an attack by island. Smelling hefty profits, he set up a small the Sea Foam as the party sails from Bray’s Bay commercial tin mining operation. When the tin to Harborhume following the events in AS-3 ran out, the miners left and the island has been Muscle, Sinew, and Bone. uninhabited ever since. Alternative hooks could include: As the characters arrive, they’ll see a strange light coming from the lighthouse overlooking the • A violent storm damages the ship the char- large lagoon in the middle of the island. The light- acters are traveling on, forcing it to limp to house is part of the ruins of the tin mining opera- the natural harbor and protection of Jarvis tion and marks the entrance to the lagoon.Sample fileIsland. When the characters investigate, they’ll discov- • The characters meet an old sea dog in a er the body of a marooned sailor in the lighthouse port side tavern who tells tales of a haunted and a note complaining about strange lights and lighthouse on an island off the coast. noises. • A party member, who was a sailor or pirate As the party works on figuring out what’s caus- as part of their backstory, may have heard ing the lights, they’ll eventually run across Me- tales of buried treasure or other valuables saluna, an elven woman claiming to have been hidden on the island, and wishes to investi- marooned on the island. She’ll beg the characters gate. to take her back to civilization. If you chose to use one of the alternate hooks, Unfortunately, Mesaluna is a night hag trapped replace Scene 1 with an introduction of your own on the island and hungers for souls. She will try devising. to convince the characters of her innocent nature so she can escape and begin her diabolical soul harvesting anew.

6 Scene 1: Attack at Sea Making a Run for It Approach of the Sea Foam If the party is nervous, a successful DC10 Charisma (Persuasion) check will convince Pilkin The Calm Seas is a small sailing ship, with a Shaf that something is amiss and he will turn tail single mast and two sails – a four sided mainsail and run. (The players may also use Intimidation and triangular front sail. It carries four crewmen or Deception, but Pilkin’s opinion of their charac- plus the captain, Pilkin Shaf. It is designed to ters will lower dramatically as a result.) carry up to 25 tons quickly and efficiently -be The Calm Seas has a shallower draft and is tween the Windsome Chain and the mainland. more nimble, but with a good wind on the open Below decks is the cargo hold and two cab- seas, the larger ship has a higher top speed. ins. One is a shared cabin for the crew and the Pilkin will relay his concern that the conditions other is for any passengers the ship might have. aren’t favorable for outrunning the Sea Foam, and Both cabins will hold four in reasonable comfort. will struggle a bit before announcing a new head- Above decks is the wheelhouse, which doubles as ing. He will run to Jarvis Island, which is a small the captain’s quarters. island, but has a large enough lagoon that the Calm Seas will be able to enter, but the Sea Foam As dawn breaks, about 24 hours from Har- likely can’t. Unfortunately, there is no other land borhume, a lookout will spot another sailing ves- close, and it’s the only hope of not being overrun sel on the horizon ahead. It will soon be evident by the Sea Foam. that the ship is on an intercept course with the Calm Seas. The incoming ship is a larger (100 If the party manages to convince Captain Shaf foot versus the 60 foot Calm Seas) twin-mast to run for any destination other than Jarvis (DC15 sailing vessel. Pilkin will recognize it as the Sea Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) check), Foam, which is owned by his friend and col- the chase will last for approximately 2 hours be- league, Captain Angus Lambert. Read the fol- fore the Sea Foam catches up (it will be obvious lowing to your players: that it will beforehand). Shortly after dawn, you awake to shoutingSample Note:file Unless the players can somehow man- coming from the deck above. Shaking off your age to stop it, the Calm Seas will be boarded as slumber, you climb up to the deck where you described below. see a sailor, high on the mainmast, pointing toward the horizon and shouting down to Cap- Boarding tain Shaf. If it catches the Calm Seas on the open water, the Sea Foam will come along side, a group of Peering into the distance, you can make out Kan Demon will burst out from hiding below a large twin-mast merchant vessel heading decks, and the ships will be lashed together with towards you. Though it is still a few miles out, grappling cables. A party of Kan Demon will even your untrained eye can tell that it is on an board and attack. Read the following to your play- intercept course with the Calm Seas. ers:

From the direct course taken by the Sea Foam, To your horror, Kan Demon pour out from the Captain Shaf will assume that Lambert has news hold of the Sea Foam and rush across the deck, of some importance to relay. From a distance, leaping onto the Calm Seas. One unusually things seem normal on the Sea Foam. Its crew is large Kan Demon stays behind, vicious whip in on deck going about their business. If the char- hand. He gestures to frightened sailors on the acters have a spyglass (or ask to borrow Pilkin’s), Sea Foam and they jump into action, lashing a successful DC15 Wisdom (Perception) check the two ships together. will reveal that the crew of the Sea Foam seem strained and nervous on deck. 7