The Nature GM

On this auspicious year, the stars have aligned such that I have a Shadowdark session on May the Fourth. We must necessarily have a nod to Star Wars in the adventure, which surely will fit naturally in our coastal, Scandinavian, low-magic setting. Yes.

Preparing for this session led me to learn about Scandinavian landscapes and geology, which in turn led to revising the regional map for the Osterlands. While I knew that fjords theoretically exist, I had not really internalized what those are. They look both very beautiful and very painful to sail slowly through. Fjords also provide ample opportunities for secret coves and pirate hideouts.

I also found this Swedish mod for Minecraft to make the game more geologically accurate, which is not really helpful but is quite interesting. Hold that thought for just a little later.

Without further ado, please enjoy this Scandinavian, Star Wars not-Star Wars, Shadowdark adventure for level 2 players that is tangentially related to Minecraft.

The Call to Adventure

When the party wakes up in the inn where they have spent the last few days, one of them will find a note under her pillow. It is from the wizard Laymorda of the Tower of Maru, who has hired the characters to investigate an arcane mystery.

The note reads:

Keylee—

We are in desperate need. Our wizard Bartholomew has been captured by the pirate Captain Moorgaunt. Our spies tell us he is being held at Død Stjerne Cove, but we lack a force team to retrieve him.

Help us, Keylee. You’re our last resort.

—Laymorda

The party has previously learned that the innkeeper once sailed under Captain Moorgaunt before defecting and starting a new life. It is unlikely that they will recall this, but if they do they will have a chance to learn about the defenses that the pirates has placed around their hideout.

The cove is named Død Stjerne (which is Norwegian for ‘death star’) for the hundreds of dead starfish that have washed up on the beach. Obviously.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Død Stjerne Cove is difficult to find among the twists and turns of the fjords, but fortunately one character once sailed on a rival pirate ship, and he knows the location of the cove.

The above map is from a post by The Kind GM. I have added numbers and the one wall between rooms 12 and 13.

Here is where we briefly return to Minecraft for a moment. How on earth did these scallywag pirates carve perfectly square rooms from granite, and without creating a new mountain of excavated material? Nobody knows. It is as if blocks of stone simply disappeared…

Moorgaunt captains the Crimson Tide, which is crewed by 30 pirates, including the first mate Ismira. Each pirate holds 2d6 silver coin in their pockets, except Ismira who has 4d6 silver, and Captain Moorgaunt who has 5d6 gold.

Here is the situation when the characters approach:

1. Shallow water and shoreline covered with hundreds of dead starfish. Small piles of rubble piled up along the shore.
2. Beach of dark, coarse sand with many footprints. DC 15 to spot secret door to room 9, which is concealed with plaster to look like granite.
3. Ismira and 15 pirates in a cave, drinking and telling stories of faraway lands.
4. Natural tunnel 5ft below the surface of the water. DC 12 to swim through without complication.
5. 2 pirates on watch.
6. 3 pirates hanging out and playing knucklebones.
7. Storeroom: rope, pine tar, torches, pickaxes, shovels, wheelbarrow
8. Moorgaunt’s chamber: bed, table, silver candelabra, silk slippers and robe, wand of Detect Thoughts, scrap of paper describing the Trident of the Seas last seen in a big scary cave that the players were too frightened to continue exploring without a good incentive.
9. The door is locked; DC 12 to unlock without incident. Inside is Bartholomew who is bound and gagged. The room is also the larder and contains barrels of water and grog, salted meat, crates of oranges, etc.
10. Narrow strip of sand with a hidden staircase carved up the cliff ledge. 1 pirate keeping watch on the ledge with a signal horn.
11. Dinghy pulled up on the small beach, hidden under palm leaves. It contains two sets of oars and has a seating capacity of 4.
12. 2 pirates taking a nap. More torches and pine tar.
13. Does not exist. I could not think of a practical use for this room, so I removed it. Arguably there ought to be a hidden tunnel that connects to the cave in area 3. Or else the lookout ledge out to be on the side of cove with the hidden water tunnel. But nitpicking at someone else’s map which they have so graciously made available is bad sport, so let us simply say that room 13 does not exist, and move on.

Reward

Bartholomew knows the spells Magic Missile and Hold Portal. He will be helpful in attempting escape. That being said, his NPC type is ‘victim’, and he exists to be put in danger. So he may not be too helpful in escaping.

I predict that my players will not have enough gear slots to take all the rubbish they find lying around. I further predict that we will have a 15 minute conversation about what can be put in a wooden crate such that it still floats, and whether one might tie a rope around said crate to haul it behind a dinghy, etc.

Resurrection

I have no idea how this adventure will play out, which makes it difficult to plan one final challenge before sweet escape. And I have run out of Star Wars ideas to provide inspiration.

I think I would like them to see a sea serpent, and they must work together to flee to safety. It will be a true test of the players as well as the characters.

Final Thoughts

My main hope is that the players will go along with this quest and not insist on going to Silord, the Silver City, which is where they said they were headed next. They most likely will.

I really know very little about Star Wars. Please feel free to share how you would have had a dozen more fun references.

The name Captain Moorgaunt is from Remarkable Inns & Their Drinks by Loresmyth, which we are using as a sort of loose campaign book. The ship Crimson Tide is named for the University of Alabama football team, who are rivals of family-favorite Louisiana State University. (My players are from Tennessee, the UK, and Korea, so this joke is mostly for me.)

Thanks for reading, and I will see you along the trail. Keep exploring.

Cover image by Piero Di Maria.