Sample file Credits Authors: Cover Artist: Steve Berman, Graveyard Greg, Will Timmins Steve Ellis Developer: Interior Artists: Joseph D. Carriker, Jr. James Stowe, Grey Thornberry, David Day, & Editor: Mike Chaney Janice M. Sellers Cartography: Managing Editor: Ed Bourelle Andrew Bates Front & Back Cover Design: Art Director: Mike Chaney Mike Chaney Dedication Layout and Typesetting: To the memory of Joseph D. Carriker, Sr., a real-life adventurer and rogue, for showing me the Mike Chaney Samplewonders file and dangers of the open sea. Special Thanks To Chris Pramas and the crew over at Green Ronin Publishing, for letting us use some of the rules and ideas found in Skull & Bones, a great resource for any pirating or seagoing campaign.
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Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss © 2004 White Wolf Publishing, Inc. Distributed for Sword and Sorcery Studios by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. This printing of Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss is published in accordance with the Open Game License. See the Open Game License Appendix of this book for more information. Blood Sea: The Crimson Abyss, Scarred Lands, the Scarred Lands logo, Sword and Sorcery, Sword and Sorcery Studios, the Sword and Sorcery logo, Creature Collection, Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie, Creature Collection 3: Savage Bestiary, Relics & Rituals and Relics & Rituals 2: Lost Lore are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. “d20 System” and the “d20 System” logo are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 4.0. A copy of this license can be found at http://www.wizards.com/d20. Dungeons & Dragons® and Wizards of the Coast® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S. and/ or other countries, used with permission. The mention of or reference to any company or product in these pages is not a challenge to the trademark or copyright concerned. PRINTED IN CANADA. 1 BLOOD SEA: THE CRIMSON ABYSS
Table of Contents Preface 3 Chapter One: The Scarlet Deeps 4 Chapter Two: BeneathSample the Crimson file Waves 24 Chapter Three: Heart of the Blood Sea 42 Chapter Four: Pirates of the Blood Sea 58 Chapter Five: Adventures on the Blood Sea 77 Appendix 93 Prestige Classes 1 1 7
2 PREFACE Preface This project has been a fantastic voyage, all on its own. Growing up, I have fond memories of trips with my father down to the docks of Port Brownsville, Texas. Even as early as that, the sea has drawn me inexorably — it is terrifying and mesmerizing in equal measures. Its surface hides a world larger than our own, with mysteries and dangers many times more alien than even those we’ve imagined in outer space. To me, the Blood Sea is in many ways the epitome of that mystery and that danger. The strangeness that can be found in its vast crimson waters outweirds those in our world, for they are twisted and made strange by the blood of a being of tremendous power — a titan. This blood makes things once perhaps sensible, if odd, unwholesome and terrible in their entirety, as even things as simple as plant life, fish and coral growths become absolute monstrosities. The dangers here are many and vicious. So, come explore the blood-drenched waters. See the changes that the viscera of Kadum have had upon those same seas from which he dredged the lands of Scarn eons ago. Welcome to the Blood Sea. Whatever you do, don’t drink the water. Joseph D. Carriker, Jr. Scarred Lands DeveloperSample file Sword & Sorcery Studios
A Note on References The reader will find abbreviations in this book that refer to other titles that offer help- ful reference. Each is listed as follows: CCrev Creature Collection Revised CC2 Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie CC3 Creature Collection III: Savage Bestiary RR Relics & Rituals RR2 Relics & Rituals II: Lost Lore MM Core Rulebook III 3 BLOOD BAYOU
ChapterChapter One:One: TheThe ScarletScarlet DeepsDeeps
Sample file Lore of the Blood Sea
My dear Maresindra, I trust you and your brethren in Rahoch are well? I hope I cause no offense, but I suggest that in all future correspondence, we acknowledge the glory and just rule of King Virduk. Never know what overzealous eyes may be reading these words.
4 CHAPTER ONE: THE SCARLET DEEPS
Before the Sea was Blood From the rift came word In any case, my colleagues here are Oracles prophesying war supportive of your work. It is obvious Commanders counseling caution that, as a cleric of Manawe, the prob- Dreamers waking in terror. All is our servant lem of the Blood Sea is close to you. Bowing down to our might Even here in Lokil, the danger and hor- From the majestic kraken To surface folk. ror of that corrupted place touch us. I No threat is beyond us. regret, however, that I have been unable — Fragment of poem found on a metal sheet to rouse any substantive personnel to recovered from deep waters off of Mithril, tentatively dated pre-Old Calendar. It bears a familial resem- assist you in your crusade. My fellows blance to the elvish script Ahna. do wish to vanquish the monsters and Research into the Blood Sea begins well power of the sanguinary ocean — but before the chaining of Kadum. Earliest records hint at a large civilization of undersea elves they are scholars, not warriors. extending throughout the ocean east of Ghelspad. As for your second request, that is A number of structural details, such as the Fif- teen Steps submerged close to the Cliffs of a much simpler matter — at least on the Constancy, evince common origin. Divination surface. Indeed, I would be hard- consistently places these artifacts all well before the Old Calendar. Of course, accuracy is, as pressed to stop the torrent of comments ever, hampered by the chaotic influence of the and references the subject of the Blood Divine War. Sea elicits. I have gathered and copied Theories are split on the nature of this civili- zation. Many of my colleagues believe this to be materials on the subject. As we dis- an empire of the merfolk. The similarity of weapon cussed, you are bound to keep this design, architecture and language to those of high information in strictest confidence — lim- elves is explained as a borrowing — evidence of trade rather than identity. ited to yourself and the more … restrained This is slack-minded willful ignorance of of your faith. I rely on your discretion.Samplethe evidence. file At the heights of the Ledean empire, a I realize the utility of many of these committed band of wizards could construct a documents may not be obvious at first castle in the sky, completely sealed in stone, glance. The true secret of knowledge — if and survive quite comfortably. It is not difficult to imagine that elves — seeking perhaps to flee you will bear a pontifical aside — is that competition with other titanspawn and the in- it is fertile. The loose fact of the habits of fluence of titans in the open land — might use a modest amount of magic to live productively this place or the experiences of that may beneath the waves. connect to a matter lying before you. Testimony of an Elf Knowledge is expansive — one fact added to one fact may yield multitudes. This one spake to the ancient elf, I will continue my researches here. seeking an answer for the empty waters. Many had noted the dearth There are some records I have not been of fish and life from the eastern able to access as of yet, and we are due for sea, a lack that fortuitously re- a shipment of some interesting tablets treated from year to year. In a mere generation, the number of fish- from the waters off of Mithril. ing vessels returning with heavy nets has doubled. The shore is cov- ered with seabirds, much like those — Letter from Telbot the Umber, Sage of Lokil seen in western lands. 5