by Curtis M.

Scott

CONTENTS

Introduction: A Pirate’s Life for Me . . . . . . . 3 Chapter 5: The Rogues’ Gallery . . . . . . . .69

Chapter 1: To Be A Pirate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Chapter 6: Ships of the Inner Sea . . . . . . . 80
Chapter 2: Generating Pirate Characters . 18 Chapter 7: Movement and Combat . . . . . .96
Chapter 3: Nations of the Inner Sea . . . . . 34 Chapter 8: Raid on Teziir . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Chapter 4: The Pirate Isles . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Pirate-Speak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

CREDITS

Project Design: Curtis M. Scott

Editing: Newton H. Ewell
Combat System Development: Zeb Cook, Jeff Grubb
Cover Art: Erik Olson
Black and White Art by: Jaime Lombardo
Color Art by: Clyde Caldwell, Larry Elmore
Product Manager: Karen S. Boomgarden
Typography: Angelika Lokotz
Graphic Design by: Sarah Feggestad
Cartography: Dennis Kauth, Steve Beck

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9346
ISBN 1-56076-320-5
9346XXX1501
In Which the Reader Meets A Former
Pirate ya want. ’Course, things is different in
Dragon Reach than they are in Turmish.
“Arr, yer all alike, you adventurers. You If yer plannin’ to travel around here
gambles on the turn of a sword or the much, you’ll be wantin’ to know who
toss of a spell; some of yers fight fer king likes pirates and who don’t, so you’ll
and country, ithers of yer think of know whose side yer on.
nuthin’ but whar the gold fer yer next “I kin even tell yer about some of the
ale’s a-comin’ from. And you got the gall most famou—er, notorious pirates on
to sit here in my inn and tell me pirates the Inner Sea. I kin tell about their
is different from yerselves? HA! There’s ships, their crews, what makes the cap-
them what’s heroes, and there’s them tains do what they do; yep, I kin tell yer
what’s villains. Hang around Alaghon all about the life o’ piracy.”
long enough, and you’ll meet ’em all, I
promise yer that. Jomo “the Cutlass” Shanbaeren,
“I met plenty of ‘em durin’ my time retired pirate turned tavern-owner
on the sea. Not that I was one, mind ya,
but I was in the wrong place at the right You are about to discover how to create
time more than once in my life. There pirate PCs, rules for building ships, and
was the time I was stowed away on the rules for simulating naval battles. New us-
Dragon’s Claw, and she was boarded by es of magic on the sea are here, too. There
a crew of cutlass-swingin’ madmen; and is even an introductory adventure your pi-
the captain was a woman! Can you be- rate PCs (and your non-pirate PCs) can ex-
lieve that? A flame-haired vixen, with perience to show them life on the Inner
eyes like cornflowers and a ruby at her Sea.
throat the size of a hummin’bird! All the Pirates of the Fallen Stars presumes that
crew jumped ship rather’n be kilt by the you’re using the AD&D® 2nd Edition game
pirates, and I was the only one left; a rules for Weapon Proficiencies and Non-
striplin’ of seventeen winters, no more, Weapon Proficiencies. Many of the rules
cowerin’ in the hold behind a pile of presented in this book depend on use of
furs. The captain found me down there, the proficiencies. If you haven’t been us-
and ‘offered’ me passage on her ship. ing them so far in your campaign, we
Well, I ask ya, what would you do? highly recommend that you familiarize
’Course, I went with her. Showed her a yourself with them and introduce them in-
thing or two, too, I did, like how to play to your playing.
chess . . . Here’s a special note for those of you
“What do ya want ta know? Pirate se- who are using this book with your first edi-
crets? What their coves are, and where? tion AD&D game instead of the new sec-
How this got the name ‘Sea of Fallen ond edition: This supplement occasionally
Stars?’ I c’n tell yer that, and more. I c’n mentions chapters and headings from the
tell yer how they live out there, in the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s
Pirate Isles; how they pick their cap- Guide. The citations are for the second edi-
tains, even how you c’n join up if tion, not the first; you’ll need to locate the
relevant sections in your own books.

A Pirate's Life for Me . . . • 3

In Which We Explore the Piratical Mentali- Privateers typically possess a document
ty and Lifestyle; and Wherein Are A Histo- or other sign that they are servants of their
ry of Pirates of the Fallen Stars And A List government. These documents, called let-
of Known Organizations ters of marque, provides privateers with
legitimacy within their homelands’
What is Piracy? waters.
Both privateers and pirates rely heavily
In simple terms, piracy is the act of unlaw- on seamanship and navigation to locate
fully robbing a vessel on the high seas, or their targets. They often wait along sea
the act of making a similar attack upon lanes for days or even weeks at a time be-
coastal holdings made from the sea. With- fore locating a victim who is sufficiently
in this broad definition, however, there are close (and sufficiently slow) to catch.
several sub-groups. Raiders, on the other hand, attack
Pirates rob ships at sea for personal coastal villages and cities. Their raids de-
profit. Many of the pirates of the Inner Sea, pend upon their ability to flee to sea before
including most of the most infamous pi- significant opposition can be raised, haul-
rates, fit this mold well. Such “true” pi- ing away as much treasure as they can
rates are unwelcome in any civilized land, seize. They typically rely on strong war-
and can move their ill-gotten gains only riors aboard, rather than naval prowess,
through thieves’ guilds or unscrupulous as once they have raided their only goal is
intermediaries, as they cannot openly sell to flee to safety. Raiders rarely carry letters
their booty in port. of marque, as their targets are usually eco-
Pirate attacks can take various forms. nomic gain rather than military victory.
Some pirates steal only cargo, freeing the Smugglers deal in goods which are ei-
ship and its crew to travel on safely. Some ther heavily taxed or forbidden. Rather
sink the ship, offering membership to than dealing in violence, smugglers use
those able-bodied sailors who will accept stealth to avoid military patrols and deliv-
it, and killing the rest (or freeing them at er their valued contraband to its pur-
the nearest neutral or friendly port). Oth- chasers.
ers murder all aboard, so that the crime Most smugglers maintain legitimate
goes forever unreported. shipping businesses. It helps when. you
Privateers, such as the Cormyrean need work done on your ship if you have a
Freesails, raid on the high seas at the be- legal reason for owning it. Also, much
hest of one government, generally against smuggling is done as part of legitimate
pirates or targets owned by another gov- trading journeys, as some ships have false
ernment. Privateers are “legal” when holds or secret compartments where con-
within their own home waters, but are traband can be concealed from the cus-
outlaw in those countries who suffer their toms officials.
depredations. Many countries of the Inner Some countries classify smuggling as a
Sea, particularly along the Dragon and form of piracy. The legal justification for
Easting Reaches, employ privateers. this is that smuggling represents theft of
Privateers raid economic targets during money from the government, and thus the
time of peace (often with no more than si- smugglers are thieves. In fact, however,
lent approval of their governments), but in the real problem is that many smugglers
war they act as a supplementary navy, en- are also pirates, as it helps to solve the
gaging both economic and military targets. problems of fencing their goods.

4 • Chapter 1
Where Is It Practiced? cient magics of these lost lands. Even so,
the majority of the pirate activity is still in
The incidence of piracy depends upon the north.
how much plunder is available. The The pirates themselves come from eve-
sealanes of the northern Inner Sea, partic- ry nation of the Inner Sea, and quite a few
ularly those running from the Lake of others that have no shore there. Almost all
Dragons (Suzail, Teziir and Westgate) to the pirates are human, although there are
Procampur, and from Procampur to considerable numbers of half-orcs, orcs,
Thesk, are commonly considered pirate- and ogres. Elves and half-elves are rare,
infested. (Many of these pirates are actu- but most are spellcasters, as their ability
ally unacknowledged privateers, quietly to wear armor while spellcasting (thus be-
fighting the economic wars which fre- ing less vulnerable during archery at-
quently arise among the city-states of the tacks) is highly valued aboard.
Inner Sea.) Not surprisingly, both of these
sea lanes are within the reach of the fleets Life Aboard
of the Pirate Isles.
There are other active pirate areas. The life of a pirate is not an easy one. The
Raiders either in the employ of Thay or trials of piracy test not only their swords-
seeking Thay’s approval frequently attack manship, but their seamanship and en-
the coastal cities of Aglarond. The Zulkirs durance as well.
of Thay occasionally send raids across the A typical pirate ship carries twice as
Alamber Sea into Murghom, Threskel, many crew as does a merchant ship of
and Chessenta, seeking some of the an- similar size. This is primarily because the

To Be A Pirate • 5
pirate ship carries no cargo, but instead is the ship. Pilots are also give the orders
designed to deliver a viciously overwhelm- which control the speed of the oars (for a
ing force to a target. galley) or the set of the sail (for a sailing
As a result, shipboard conditions tend to ship).
be crowded and unhealthy. The food tends Navigator: While the pilot’s job is to steer
to be of poor quality, often consisting of the ship, the navigator’s job is to pick the
hard bread, pickled fish, and water or route the pilot will follow to reach the desti-
rum. True dry rations are too expensive for nation. Navigators should have the Naviga-
most pirate captains, particularly when tion proficiency, and may also require
feeding 30-40 men, so the quality of the special equipment such as a sextant and
food that is bought is low, and pirate crews compass. Often, the captain is also the nav-
must frequently return to port (every igator. This reduces the chance of a mutiny
week or so) to take on new supplies or be- at sea, as the crew is unlikely to mutiny if
gin to suffer deprivation. they cannot find their way home.
A typical watch consists of 16 hours of Quartermaster: The quartermaster
labor, interrupted only by a meager mid- cares for the ship’s tiller, compasses,
day meal, followed by a nominal 8 hours of lamps, and flags. Unlike the land military,
sleep. Ships at sea require constant main- the quartermaster aboard ship is not re-
tenance to avoid decay and loss. sponsible for food or other supplies. These
The traditional positions available are the responsibility of the mess steward
aboard a sailing vessel of any kind in- and the boatswain.
clude: Mess Steward (Cook): The mess steward
Captain: The captain is the overall leader is responsible for preparing meals, buying
for the ship. His orders are to be obeyed food, and otherwise ensuring that every-
absolutely; disobeying the Captain is mu- one aboard gets enough to eat and drink.
tiny, which most pirate captains punish As mentioned above, “enough” may not
by swift and immediate death. Captains be very much, particularly on a longer
may be seamen themselves, or they may voyage.
count on their first mate (see below) to pro- Boatswain (Bosun): The boatswain is re-
vide this knowledge, maintaining their po- sponsible for the rigging of the ship, in-
sition through prowess as a warrior or cluding the sails, oars, anchors, and ship’s
charisma. The idea of an “owner-aboard,” boats. The boatswain often has several
a captain who leads by virtue of owning helpers, particularly on a large ship.
the ship, does not exist in pirate groups These are referred to as “bosun’s mates.”
where such distinctions as legal owner- Master Armorer: The master armorer
ship are considered insignificant. and his men maintain and man the ship’s
First Mate: The first mate is responsible weapons (typically ballistae and catapults),
for carrying out the captain’s wishes. and he is responsible for providing all war-
When the captain is asleep or otherwise riors aboard (on a pirate ship, the entire
unavailable, the first mate is in charge of crew) with melee and missile weapons.
the ship. While not all captains are excel- Lookout: The lookout occupies a position
lent seamen, there are few first mates who on the ship with as unrestricted a field of
do not know nearly everything about be- view as possible. On ships with a crow’s
ing aboard ship. nest (a seat on top of the mast), a single
Pilot/Helmsman: Often also the first lookout can have a clear view completely
mate, the pilot is responsible for steering around the ship. On larger ships, or on

6 • Chapter 1
ships without crow’s nests, lookouts are Immurk began his career of piracy (so
often stationed in the bow and stern. (In legend says) in 1164 DR, raiding a
game terms, a lookout in a crow’s nest can merchant-ship of Procampur and captur-
see 1½ times farther than one on deck.) ing the coronation crown of Cormyr’s new
Oarsmen: For ships with oars, the oars- king Palaghard I. The crime was so bold,
men provide the motive power for the ship. say chroniclers, that the new king nearly
Few oarsmen are slaves, as slave oarsmen declared war on Procampur, as he was
have a disconcerting habit of slowing down sure that no one would be brave enough
when the ship most needs speed, in hopes for such a crime and believed the jewelers
of being freed by the attackers. of Procampur were cheating him.
Warriors: The rest of the men aboard a pi- From this start, Immurk began a wave
rate ship are cutthroats, there to provide a of raids against merchant ships and un-
strong sword arm and a ready back in walled towns. He stole from Cormyr, Sem-
time of trouble. bia, Procampur, and Impiltur, always
returning to his secret base on the Dra-
History of the Pirates gonisle. Within a few years, he had gained
a following of nearly a dozen ships (mostly
According to legend, the first great pirate converted merchant ships from the north-
leader was Immurk “the Invincible.” In em nations of the Inner Sea), each raiding
those days, war vessels were rare, as the in the name of Immurk.
nations of the Inner Sea were still growing The nations of the Inner Sea did not take
within their own territories, and merchant this lightly. Almost immediately, they be-
traffic had not been threatened. gan building their own warships, seeking
In those days, a sailor’s life was difficult. to defend their merchant fleets and to
Storms and sea monsters claimed the lives hunt the pirates in their lairs. Shipwrights
of many, while others suffered cruel pun- from Amn and Tethyr designed fleets of
ishments from ship captains more con- long-lined ships with the speed and
cerned with profits and order than with strength to pursue these raiders. The
justice. Captains had the authority to kings and councils of the Inner Sea looked
whip or execute a man for offenses real or to the day when these unfortunate inci-
imagined, acting as judge, jury, and dents would be forgotten.
(sometimes) executioner. Crews rarely re- Unfortunately, this was not to be. The
ceived a share in the profits of the ship, in- shipbuilding efforts were plagued by
stead being paid low wages which were shortages, loss of workers, some sabotage,
often in arrears. Rething, the pressing of and even occasional raids by Immurk’s pi-
men into involuntary servitude on a ship, rates to capture newly-built ships. Crews
was common. Food aboard was generally (and even some captains) turned pirate
poor, especially for galley-oarsmen. once the war galleys were in their grasp,
In this environment, it was easy for Im- putting those who would not join them
murk to gather disaffected sailors to his over the side-sometimes without a boat.
crew, offering them a chance at plunder in The people of the time held that Immurk,
return for total loyalty. The fat merchant via his extensive network of spies, traitors,
vessels of the Inner Sea, crewed by demo- and informants, was responsible for these
ralized men, would be easy pickings for failures.
those willing to risk their lives in the pur- Whether or not this was true at first, by
suit of personal gain. the end of his days Immurk had become a

To Be A Pirate • 7
fixture of Inner Sea shipping. Nine sepa- The Pirate Wars
rate expeditions were launched to bring
the pirate to justice, and every time Im- By 1201 DR, the pirate fleet of the Dra-
murk either could not be found, or he gonisle numbered over 100 ships. Without
overwhelmed the warships with expert Immurk’s strong leadership, the rough co-
seamanship and a knowledge of the Pirate alition he had formed came apart. Half a
Isles, driving their galleys onto the jagged dozen pirates declared themselves Im-
reefs. murk’s successor, each with his own fol-
Immurk is also blamed for the rash of lowing of ships and captains, and the
border clashes, diplomatic incidents, and attentions of the pirates turned from raid-
general tensions at the time among the ing to internal warfare.
coastal nations of the Inner Sea. Immurk’s Several of the most vicious pirates of leg-
spies fostered dissent here, raided under end arose during this period. Black Anzil,
false colors there, and otherwise acted as a a Turmish pirate, dipped his enemies in
spur in the region, keeping military atten- pitch and set them alight. “Lord” Chaz-
tion focused away from the pirates while dan, a Procampan noble turned pirate,
increasing sea trade (and thus his booty). would force his prisoners to drink quarts
Despite the legends, Immurk’s pirates of alcohol until they died. Respitil, a
were not wholly a scourge on civilization. pirate-mage of the period, was known to
Immurk’s pirates were first to bring gold bind captives to the mainmast and use
and silver from Mulhorand, Unther, and summon swarm spells to bring a cloud of
Chessenta to the ports of Cormyr, opening biting, stinging insects to devour them
up a slow and unsteady trade with these alive. Urdogen “the Red,” the pirate who
wealthy nations. In 1182, the crown- eventually won dominance over the Dra-
prince of Lyrabar fled the court of his se- gonisle, forced his victims to devour their
nile father and his unscrupulous advisors own ears, nose, and lips, then set them
and found sanctuary with Immurk on the free as examples.
Dragonisle until his father passed away Urdogen, “a red-haired hot-blooded
and he could return to take the throne. Fi- bear of a man,” eventually came to domi-
nally, the mutinies which developed with nate the Dragonisle. While he did not have
the Dragonisle as a safe refuge forced the banner of all of the pirates, he had ac-
many ships to provide better conditions cumulated enough support so that none
and better pay for their men. dared challenge him. He seized Immurk’s
In 1201 DR, Immurk died at the helm of Hold, the large harbor on the Dragonisle,
his ship the Sea-Scorpion, fighting a Sem- for his own, allowing those who had not
bian warship. While piloting through a joined him to harbor on the lesser isles of
reef-filled passage, a sudden crosswind the archipelago.
threatened to toss the Sea-Scorpion Once the internal warfare was over,
aground, leaving Immurk at the mercy of these pirates raided brutally. Where Im-
the Sembites. Bellowing orders and curs- murk had spread the depredations of his
ing the sea-gods, he twisted at the tiller to pirates out, gathering maximum booty
hold the course. His strength and skill car- while avoiding angering the coastal na-
ried the Sea-Scorpion through the reefs tions, Urdogen and his fellows began a
unharmed, but as the ship passed beyond systematic plundering of coastal villages
the danger he slumped to the deck, his and ships which could not be ignored. The
heart burst. rising Inner Sea kingdoms—Cormyr, Sem-

8 • Chapter 1
bia, Impiltur, and the Vilhon Reach-unit- however, the western fleet did not arrive,
ed on the seas against the pirates. and the northern fleet was forced to en-
The great fleet which these nations gage with the pirates, hoping even though
raised numbered nearly 200 ships. This outnumbered to stall until the western
fleet poured forth in three parts, approach- fleet arrived.
ing the Dragonisle from the north, east, By the following dawn, only 15 of the
and west. Sembian ships remained. The pirates had
The northern fleet, which had the short- taken a few losses, but even with the west-
est distance to travel, came from the Sem- ern fleet the battle was only once again
bian city of Selgaunt and comprised even in ships, although the western fleet
primarily Sembian warships and merce- was not yet battle-weary.
nary vessels. It was also the smallest fleet, Fortunately, the commander of the east-
with only 50 vessels, but still represented ern fleet had been monitoring the progress
a substantial force. The northern fleet’s of the battle through a crystal ball provid-
task was to feint at the Dragonisle to bring ed by the Gray Sisters. When he perceived
Urdogen’s fleet out of harbor, then hold that the delay in the western fleet was go-
them at sea until the other forces arrived. ing to destroy the Sembites, he set sail for
The eastern fleet came from Procampur the western rendezvous, arriving from the
and Lyrabar, and comprised Impilturan southeast (cutting off all retreat) only
and mercenary forces, as well as a small slightly after the western fleet. The battle
contingent sent by Aglarond (whose rulers then became one of attrition, as pirate ves-
at the time were the Gray Sisters, the sib- sels struggled to escape the net formed by
ling queens Thara and Ulea). This force of the 160 attacking ships.
75 vessels waited along the northern edge Some pirates fled, while others were
of the Pirate Isles (near Kelthann) for the sunk by the rams and arbalests of the
western fleet to drive Urdogen to them. combined fleets. Others ran aground on
The western fleet, sent from Suzail, com- hidden reefs as they tried to escape; Urdo-
prised forces from Cormyr (including over gen himself, aboard the Raging Tears, may
a dozen of the new Cormyrean Freesails) have suffered this fate. The pirates’
and the Vilhon Reach. This fleet of 70 ves- stronghold had been broken.
sels was nearly the downfall of the entire Not long after the victory, the allies once
plan. According to the agreement, the again separated. Sembia, which lost most
western fleet was to drive the exposed pi- of its own warships as well as having to
rate fleet east, so that the three combined pay mercenaries for the other ships lost,
fleets could eliminate the pirate menace. blamed Cormyr for the delay in the west-
However, unfavorable winds from the em fleet. Procampur and the city-states of
north-northeast delayed their passage Impiltur claimed a greater share of the
through the Neck by nearly 12 hours. prizes due to their heroic rescue of the oth-
The battle began shortly after dawn, er force, while Sembia demanded restitu-
Eleint 11, 1209 DR. Urdogen’s fleet sailed tion for their heavier losses and Cormyr
out to meet the northern attackers with 90 demanded a greater share due to the
ships, a clearly dominating force. The greater distance they had had to travel to
northern fleet began its slow retreat, draw- reach the battle! The Grey Sisters’ repre-
ing Urdogen away from the Dragonisle sentative, faced with petty bickering, re-
and toward the rendezvous with the west- turned to Aglarond. A chance for a unified
ern fleet. When it reached the rendezvous, nation of the Inner Sea faded into nothing.

To Be A Pirate • 9
10 • Chapter 1
Methlas and His Successors bia’s ambassador to Suzail was somehow
garbled in a stroke worthy of Immurk him-
For nearly 100 years the Dragonisle re- self. Instead of requesting the Cormyrean
mained empty. Although a few pirates sur- King’s help in destroying the pirates, the
vived the great battle, the pirates as a force ambassador accused the Cormyrean Free-
had been broken. Occasional renegades sails of mounting the attack, and demand-
were quickly hunted down by the efficient ed immediate reparation. Cormyr of course
navies of the Inner Sea, and the few at- denied the charges, but the resulting con-
tempts at reviving Immurk’s stranglehold fusion prevented any significant force from
were met with swift and overwhelming being mustered against the pirates.
force. Although this attack assured Thevren’s
In the late 1280’s, Methlas, a merchant fame, he did not long enjoy his victory. His
from Marsember, quietly gathered a small mistress, Thilana, had been mistress to
fleet of corsairs, crewed with sailors who Methlas before his death. When Thevren,
had left greater navies. Although this fleet drunk after celebrating his victory, came
was initially established as a merchant to her bed she poured him poisoned wine
fleet, Methlas’ ships quickly became in- and he died.
volved in various swindles and dodges, Thilana’s plans extended beyond petty
with double manifests, “deck cargo loss- revenge. Assuming the leadership of the
es,” and false deliveries being common. pirate band, she resumed Methlas’ plan,
Many of the cargoes in these vessels were reviving Immurk’s system of informants.
stolen at sea, but Methlas was careful to Thilana’s network included many of the
ensure that the owners never found out seaport taverns of the Inner Sea, where
what happened to them. With these car- she had many friends. The power of the pi-
goes he outfitted his fleet, and by 1294 DR rates grew, as careful strikes were made
had amassed nearly 40 ships in the south- against targets whose defenders were dis-
ern harbor of the Dragonisle. tracted and thus unlikely to exact retribu-
In 1294 DR, Methlas was murdered by tion. A ship here and a small convoy there
his lieutenant, Thevren. Methlas had soon led to an extensive hoard.
sought to build 50 ships before embarking Thilana did not captain any vessel, al-
on open piracy; Thevren was not as pa- though as leader of the pirates she could if
tient. Before Methlas had grown cold, she wished. Instead, much of her time was
Thevren launched simultaneous raids on spent maintaining her spy network, using
the Sembian cities of Selgaunt and Saer- her personal charms to reach those
loon. sources of information unlikely to visit a
The Sembites were caught totally by seaman’s tavern, and selecting the targets
surprise by the raids, having no idea that a her pirate captains would pursue. Indeed,
force of this size sailed the Inner Sea. With- she is rumored to have given birth to the
in three days, Thevren’s fleet left the har- man who founded the present ruling dy-
bors laden with booty and several ships to nasty of the forest land of Gulthmere.
the good, as the pirates had seized (or It was these journeys to the mainland
sunk) every war vessel in the two harbors. that ended Thilana’s career. One of her fe-
Although the Sembians wanted immedi- male captains, Laershala of the Emerald
ate retribution, their own fleets had been Eyes, had gathered some support from
decimated in the attack. Appealing to Cor- those pirates who wanted more raiding for
myr for assistance, the message to Sem- ever more gold. Laershala was herself a

To Be A Pirate • 11
captain of considerable talent, and many matter of time before someone breaks
of the pirates chafed under the leadership ranks and brings the anger of the Inner
of someone with little seamanship, despite Sea nations down on the pirates’ heads.
all her cunning. One night in Tantras in The Dragonisle has become a neutral
1305 DR, Laershala strangled Thilana and ground for the pirates, with no single pi-
claimed leadership of the pirates of the rate lord claiming control of the island. A
Dragonisle. few pirates scurry about the lesser islands
Laershala’s control of the pirates was of the archipelago, but most remain with-
not the same as that of her predecessors. in the safe harbors of Earthspur.
Pirates who agreed with Thilana were an- During the Time of Troubles, Umberlee
gry that Laershala had killed her, and herself wandered the Pirate Isles, bringing
refused to follow her. Others saw the disin- the destruction of the storms to all the pi-
tegration of the pirate leadership as an op- rates she found. Several pirate vessels
portunity to strike out on their own. By were sunk at sea, while many others were
1314 DR, when Laershala died in battle driven onto the rocks, marooning their
with a Cormyrean Freesail, the pirates crews. Portions of the sea were impassable
had divided into a dozen factions, each vy- for almost a year due to the storms, but by
ing for control of the Inner Sea. the spring of 1359 DR the Sea of Fallen
Stars had returned to its normal state.
The Pirates Today
Timeline
Today, pirate factions make war and
mount intrigue much like the great courts - 150 DR Mutual Fall of Narfell and
of the south, uniting only against naval at- Raumathar
tacks on the Dragonisle. Each faction 1 DR Founding of Cormyr
strives to be seen as the most successful, 1163 DR Founding of Pirate Base on
the most daring, and the most intelligent, Dragonisle?
as it is through these battles of reputation 1164 DR Immurk Captures Cormyrean
that pirate leaders gain the allegiance of Crown
the pirate captains and crews. In these 1180 DR Sembia Loses Fleet in Pirate
battles, there are no rules; the diplomat Isles
and the dagger are both active tools in the 1182 DR Crown Prince of Lyrabar Flees
fight for support. Two or three of the most to Pirate Isles
powerful pirate leaders seek Immurk’s 1186 DR Crown Prince Returns to Lyra-
place, but none has the support to assure bar; Becomes King
that he or she will not be quickly over- 1189 DR Palaghard II King of Cormyr
thrown. The pirates are brutal, but they 1192 DR Foundation of Order of Free-
know their own history. sailors
There are at least two hundred active pi- 1201 DR Death of Immurk
rate vessels (and probably many more) 1204 DR Rise of Urdogen
hidden in the Pirate Isles and around the 1209 DR Destruction of Urdogen’s Pi-
coasts of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The Dra- rates
gonisle alone can hold a hundred and sev- 1282 DR Azoun IV King of Cormyr
enty vessels within its fortified harbors. 1286 DR Methlas Begins Building Pi-
With such a large pirate force and without rate Band
someone in Immurk’s place, it is only a

12 • Chapter 1
1294 DR Death of Methlas; Rise and ceives three shares, other officers receive
Death of Thevren; Rise of Thi- two shares, and the remaining “private
lana gentlemen of fortune,” as the pirates like
1305 DR Death of Thilana; Rise of Laer- to refer to themselves, receive one share
shala each. On privateers, half the booty is typi-
1314 DR Death of Laershala cally owed to the crown issuing the letters
1320 DR Simbul Queen of Aglarond of marque, with the remainder divided
1357 DR Time of Troubles; Umberlee among the crew as established above. Spe-
Attacks Pirate Isles cific ships may change the split among the
1359 DR The Present Day crew, particularly if some officers and
crewmen are exceptionally skilled (e.g.,
Pirate Customs one share per level, with one share to 0-
level characters).
The life of a pirate consists of raiding for- Pirate captains are elected by the crew.
ays of 1-2 months during the spring, sum- Elections are usually held when the pre-
mer, and fall. As the Pirate Isles are vious captain dies, although there are re-
centrally located within the Inner Sea, corded cases of pirate crews putting their
travel to any portion of the region is rela- current captain over the side and electing
tively quick. A pirate vessel under full sail one of their number to replace him. The
can go from Earthspur all the way to the captain appoints the other ship’s officers,
tip of the Vilhon Reach in less than a ten- decides which raids to make, and gets first
day—if it is willing to risk the deep sea pick of the treasure.
crossing. The winter storms over the Inner
Sea make sea travel dangerous, so winters Pirate Organizations
are spent ashore on the Dragonisle (or one
of the other pirate isles). The following groups represent the limits
Raids consist primarily of either haunt- of organization within the pirates today.
ing the sea-lanes, searching for a likely tar- Most of these are loose-knit, with no signif-
get, or (for captains with better icant hierarchy of control. Nevertheless,
information networks) interceptions of membership in these organizations char-
particularly tempting targets. Rare forays acterizes some of the types of pirates
against land targets are usually carefully which can be found on the Inner Sea.
planned, and often involve several ships.
A code of rough justice governs the pi- The Brotherhood of the Red Tide
rates among themselves. “Crimes” such
as desertion or murder aboard ship were The Brotherhood of the Red Tide is a war-
punished by death or marooning on one of rior cult (although rogues are welcome to
the many tiny islands of the Inner Sea. join). Its tenets are leadership through
Many of these islands have no food or strength, with no mercy to the weak.
drinkable water, so marooning was often a The captaincy on Brotherhood vessels is
death sentence unless another ship came determined by trial by combat. Anyone
along-and was willing to take on some- aboard, crewman or captive, can chal-
one thus abandoned. lenge the captain to single combat to the
In return for this justice, most pirates death. Should the challenger win, he be-
share in the wealth they capture. In a typi- comes captain, although if a captive
cal pirate’s agreement, the captain re- makes the challenge, he may be immedi-

To Be A Pirate • 13
ately challenged by a legitimate crewman casionally, a captain will have sufficient
before he has had time to heal his wounds. prowess to gather a small fleet but there is
These challenges are not always fair. always the danger of one or more of the
Combatants can only use those weapons captains striking out on his own, knowing
they have to hand; a captive is thus likely that he will be forced to fight once the orig-
to have to fight unarmed against an armed inal captain catches up to him.
foe. Should the crew perceive that the
challenger is losing, they may trip up the Immurk’s Band
challenger or otherwise hinder him, turn-
ing the duel into a form of torment culmi- Immurk’s Band is a secret society which
nating in death. extends from the Pirate Isles into the ports
Ships of the Brotherhood are vicious of the Inner Sea. According to tradition,
raiders, sometimes giving no quarter, in- the Band was formed by Immurk himself
stead massacring all aboard the vessels as his network of spies and informants,
they attack. In general, members of the and has continued to the present day. Con-
Brotherhood are indifferent seamen, pre- siderable historical evidence exists, how-
ferring to concentrate on their lust for bat- ever, that the current band was founded
tle. Thus, they often raid towns, as they do by Thilana nearly a century later.
not have the patience to lie in wait on the Regardless of its historical origins, the
sea lanes for a more nimble prize. Band is now a fairly effective if loose-knit
Ships of the Brotherhood rarely cooper- group of pirate supporters, sympathizers,
ate with one another, except occasionally and smugglers. Some members of the
to make a mass raid on a walled town. Oc- Band actually sail with the pirates, while

14 • Chapter 1
most are shore-bound, supplying the pi- privateers) are not expected to avoid at-
rates with political information and fenc- tacking one another should their respec-
ing their goods. tive governments so require. Freesailors
The Band is organized into Circles, with are also required to follow the laws of the
First Circle being the outermost (lowest), sea, and may not turn true pirate and re-
and rumors of individuals with member- main within the order.
ship as high as Tenth Circle. Passwords Captains of Freesails (ships manned by
are traditional at the lowest circles, but be- Freesailors) must always turn the Crown’s
yond Second Circle each city establishes portion of loot (50%) over as soon as they
its own passwords, and knowledge of the make port, and must divide any remaining
Band from one city rarely does more than booty they take equitably. The precise
provide a simple introduction in another. terms of this “equitable” division have re-
Bands within different cities rarely com- ceived considerable discussion over the
municate, and there is no hierarchy across years, and a complex system of evaluation
cities. Theoretically, all of the Bands owe has formed, in which each man’s share is
allegiance to the leader of the Dragonisle, determined by his skill, his years of service,
but with that post empty for several years and his valor. (For game purposes, this can
the Bands have developed a degree of au- be abstracted to one share per level, with
tonomy which the new leader (if one one share given to zero-level characters.)
should arise) is going to have to deal with. The Cormyrean Freesails (the ships of
Immurk’s Band is illegal in Cormyr, this order sponsored by the King of Cor-
Sembia, Procampur, and Impiltur. In myr) are chartered by King Azoun to at-
Westgate, on the other hand, membership tack pirates on the Inner Sea, to come to
in the Band is viewed as a mark of status, the aid of any legitimate vessel, and to de-
where the traditional First Circle pass- fend the coast and waters of Cormyr
word (“Red moon tonight, brother”) has against invasion. As a result of the dili-
replaced “Well met!” as the standard gence (and eagerness) of the Freesailors,
greeting. Other ports have varying views piracy has almost come to a total stop in
of the Band, depending to a great extent Cormyrean waters, although they have
on their views of the pirates (see Chapter not had much of an effect on the remain-
4: Nations of the Inner Sea). der of the Inner Sea.
The initiation ritual to the Freesailors al-
The Alliance of Freesailors so traditionally includes an oath of alle-
giance to Cormyr’s King, but this is
The Alliance of Freesailors is an associa- quietly omitted for foreign initiates.
tion of Cormyrean Freesails and other pri- There is no formal rank system within
vateers. Founded by Palaghard II as The the Freesailors, although the Lord High
Royal Freesailors, a battle order for those Admiral of Cormyr is nominal head of the
who fought against Urdogen “the Red,” order. On specific ships, of course, there
the Freesailors quickly became a mutual are officers, but within the context of the
aid society. Membership in the Freesailors, Freesailors they are all equals.
is only available by invitation, but most
Cormyrean, Sembian, and Impilturan pri- The Cult of the Dragon
vateers are members.
Freesailors must aid one another in time Unconfirmed rumors continue of linkages
of crisis, but (as would be expected with between the Pirates of the Inner Sea and

To Be A Pirate • 15
the feared Cult of the Dragon. This cult, and retribution. His worship is not ex-
which is sometimes referred to by outsid- tremely common among the pirates, but
ers as “The Followers of the Scaly Way,” as many pirates came to this life after suf-
serves as a communications network be- fering injustice of their own, his shrine on
tween members of evil dragonkind the Dragonisle is well-attended.
throughout the Realms, and directly aids Auril is not commonly worshipped on the
and enriches the creatures of their venera- Inner Sea, as only a small portion of the
tion. water along the northern shores ever
The sign of the Cult, used as a way- freezes. Only those pirates originally from
marker or recognition signal among mem- the Moonsea region (particularly Mulmas-
bers, is a claw grasping a crown: the ter) worship the Frostmaiden.
crown representing rulership of the Cyric is worshipped actively by many pi-
Realms, and the claw representing the rates, particularly those with reputations
dragons revered by the Cult. There is also for cruelty. Most Cyric worshippers once
a gesture used by Cult members to iden- served Bane or Bhaal; Myrkul’s power
tify themselves to colleagues and allies: among the pirates has never been great.
extending a hand, palm down, from one’s Cyric’s temple is one of the largest on the
chin directly outward and forward, fingers Dragonisle, and there are several smaller
held straight out and together, and blow- shrines on other islands in the archipel-
ing on these extended fingers. (“Not ’zack- ago. Cyric is the patron deity of the Broth-
ly a subtle move,” sneers Jomo.) erhood of the Red Tide (q.v.).
Cult members include many powerful Gond has a small following among the pi-
evil mages, fighting-men of all levels of rates, particularly among the armsmas-
skill, and a few evil clerics. Most of the ters of the various vessels. A small
more powerful Cult members can con- contingent of Krii (clerics of Gond) has
verse in one or more evil dragon tongues made its way to the Dragonisle, which has
(most commonly red or blue). the only Thayvian bombards outside of
Within the Inner Sea, the Cult is thought Thay. Their presence there is a great se-
to have agents throughout the northern cret, however, as they are trying to deter-
ports, particularly in Westgate, Procampur, mine whether the bombards can be used
and Marsember. Only Suzail is believed with Lantanna smoke powder, breaking
free of their influences, and this is primari- Thay’s monopoly on the precious powder
ly due to King Azoun’s efforts. A Cult used to fire these weapons.
meetinghall is reputed to reside on the Dra- Helm is worshipped by some privateers,
gonisle, and tales are told of a secret retreat particularly those of Impiltur who defend
for Cult members on the Isle of Ilthan. the coastal cities from attack by sea. His
worship has fallen off since the Time of
Pirate Faiths Troubles.
Istishia, the Water Lord, is not specifi-
The pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars wor- cally worshipped, but petitions to this Ele-
ship a variety of deities, depending upon mental Lord to placate Umberlee feature
their national origin and personal inclina- prominently in the traditional ship-
tions. launching rituals of the Inner Sea.
Assuran of the Three Thunders, who is Leira, Lady of the Mists, is popular among
worshipped as Hoar the Doombringer else- those pirates with a flair for stealth. Leira’s
where in Toril, is the demigod of revenge worshippers are not easily trusted even by

16 • Chapter 1
the pirates, but their abilities at double- to protect themselves and to use against
dealing make them excellent spies-if their enemies.
their reports can be trusted. Due to their Talos the Destroyer is also propitiated by
inherent duplicity, however, Leira wor- the pirates. Since the Time of Troubles,
shippers are barred from the higher circles some worshippers of Bane who have re-
of Immurk’s Band. jected Cyric have turned to Talos, but his
Loviatar has long been worshipped by pi- worship is still rare.
rates. Urdogen the Red himself was re- Tempus is worshipped by many raiders
puted to serve the Lady of Pain. There is a and pirates. His priests do not wear plate
small temple to Loviatar on Earthspur, but mail, as the danger of drowning is too
the services are led by worshippers, as great, but otherwise they may be found at
none of her priestesses have wanted to suf- least as often among the pirates as they
fer the exile of piracy. may anywhere else in the North.
Malar’s following among the pirates is al- Tymora is worshipped by many pirates
so strong. The Beastlord’s tenets of the and privateers, and is the patron deity of
hunt are the basic credo of many pirates; the Cormyrean Freesails. Her worship is
in some sense all piracy is a form of hunt. quite common, and pirates with at least
Perhaps most serious, there are rumors of some friendly ports can often be found in
a secret cult of lycanthropes (wererats or her temples.
seawolves) who use pirate raids to mask Umberlee has a mixed position among the
their feedings. pirates since the Time of Troubles. At that
Mask worshippers are not common among time, she came to the Pirate Islands, rain-
the pirates themselves, but they appear ing savage storms and destruction on all
among the pirate’s allies. Many Mask wor- the pirates she could find. With such an im-
shippers act as in-port spies or agents, mediate demonstration of her power, most
while others are smugglers or fences for the pirates are eager to soothe her with sacri-
pirate goods. Many members of Immurk’s fices. In the wake of this new piety, the
Band are Mask worshippers. Temple of Umberlee on the Dragonisle has
Selune is worshipped by all sailors for her grown to be the largest in the Pirate Isles.
boons to navigation. However, Selune’s However, many pirates feel that they had
ethos is not compatible with the innate been sacrificing enough before the Time of
cruelty of piracy. There are some Selune Troubles, and that Umberlee had not kept
worshippers among the good-aligned pri- her part of the bargain. These pirates,
vateers, particularly among the Cormy- though few in number, actively reject any
rean Freesails. further sacrifice to the Bitch Queen. It is yet
Shar, Mistress of Night, is not commonly to be seen whether these apostates will sur-
worshipped even by the pirates of the In- vive their own willfulness.
ner Sea. There are a scattering of worship- Waukeen, Goddess of Trade, is wor-
pers throughout the pirate crews, but her shipped by some pirates. They petition to
worship is not a significant force among be her agents of ruin, should she choose to
the pirates. remove her boons from a merchant. In
Talona is also not worshipped, but her ser- this way, these pirates see themselves not
vants are often welcomed by the pirate as rapacious plunderers, but as agents of a
lords, as poison is one of their most potent goddess’ will. Most other pirates (and mer-
weapons against one another, and the chants for that matter) consider such ex-
lords prefer to have Talona’s priests both planations hypocrisy.

To Be A Pirate • 17
In Which Are Presented Rules Pursuant Good-Guy Pirates
Thereto; And Also New Magical Spells
In a “good-guy” campaign, the characters
Most pirate characters are either warriors are heroes but misunderstood. They may
or rogues. (Players with access to the Com- have been framed for crimes they did not
plete Fighter’s Handbook or the Complete commit. They may be privateers who
Thief’s Handbook should consult the have gained an undeserved reputation, or
Pirate/Outlaw kit in the former volume who are hunted by an evil power. They
and the Buccaneer and Smuggler kits in may be enemies of the new ruling power
the latter.) Some mages and priests (par- (e.g. a wise old ruler dies and is replaced
ticularly those of evil deities) work with by an oppressive and unfair new ruler).
the pirates, but the majority of the charac- In such a campaign, the characters are
ters should be non-magical. The pirates do wanted by the law, but it’s the law that’s
not have access to the great libraries, the wrong. The characters will capture inno-
temple hierarchies, and the centers of cents and take their money but they’ll of-
learning which are important to mages fer no insult to victims who deserve none,
and priests. and will release such prisoners unharmed.
Second, pirates can have almost any On the other hand, victims who are their
personality. While it is traditional to think true enemies tend to be humiliated and
of pirates as patch-eyed, peg-legged, par- embarrassed before being released also
rot-toting berserkers, consider the possi- usually unharmed.
bilities in a few other character concepts: The goal of a “good-guy” pirate cam-
l A happy-go-lucky warrior who per- paign is the restoration of the status quo
ceives piracy as great fun. (restoring the true crown prince, proving
l A “tragic hero” pirate who strikes out that the frame is false) and receiving par-
against society because he lost his most don or amnesty for the crimes they com-
precious possession to unfair taxation (or mitted while they were outlaw.
whose love was killed by the evil lords’
warriors). Bad-Guy Pirates
l A priest of an evil deity (such as Malar

or Umberlee) who performs pirate raids as In a “bad-guy” campaign, the DM and

a kind of sacrifice. players must define the goal. It could be
More sample pirates (along with their the general acquisition of treasure, finding
unusual motivations) can be found in the Immurk’s lost hoard, or robbing the Cor-
Rogues’ Gallery chapter. myrean treasury at Suzail.
Finally, most pirates are of neutral or In such a campaign, the characters are
evil alignment. A distinct exception are neutral or evil, and most suitable to play-
the privateers, such as the Cormyrean ers who want to play in a nasty fashion for
Freesails, who fight the evil nations of the a while. Their characters don’t have the
Inner Sea (and the pirates) and are usually ethics of the good-guy pirates. They rob
of good alignment. The DM should deter- everyone. Prisoners may be released, im-
mine (and then make it clear) from the out- prisoned for ransom, or executed for the
set whether this is a “good guy” or “bad sport of the crew, depending upon the
guy” campaign. characters’ mood that day.
This is a dangerous environment and
campaign. Since the PCs are as scummy as

18 • Chapter 2
their worst enemies, there probably won’t which do not lend themselves to easy
be any DM sympathy to keep them alive in study. Characters with this proficiency
bad situations. The PCs will be competing suffer a -2 on proficiency checks to use
on equal terms with the nastiest of villains this proficiency on aquatic creatures.
(e.g. the Red Wizards of Thay), and you can Animal Training: Characters wishing
expect a high body count. to take this proficiency for aquatic animals
should also have swimming proficiency, as
Proficiencies of the Sea it is difficult to train such animals without
being able to enter the water with them.
For those AD&D® game players using the Also, pirate characters should note that
nonweapon proficiency rules (found on parrots, monkeys, and war dogs are tradi-
pages 54-64 of the AD&D 2nd Edition tional pets of the pirates of the Inner Sea.
Player’s Handbook), application of these Appraising: Characters with this profi-
abilities to the surface world of the sea can ciency can evaluate the amount of cargo a
be a challenging task. Some nonweapon ship is carrying by how the vessel sits in
proficiencies seem entirely eliminated, the water. (A heavily laden vessel sits
while others need expansion. This section lower in the water and is less prone to
discusses those proficiencies in the Play- rocking.) With a proficiency check, the
er’s Handbook which are affected by life at character can determine the weight (but
sea; and some additional proficiencies for not the value) of any cargo or men aboard.
pirate characters. As with other uses of this proficiency, a
Animal Lore: The aquatic creatures of failed check indicates that the character
the Inner Sea have habitats and lifestyles cannot tell how much the ship contains,

Generating Pirate Characters • 19

while on a roll of 20 the character wildly aware of any major rumors circulating
misreads the load. around the lowlife of an area. With a suc-
Boating (New Proficiency): A charac- cessful proficiency check, specific infor-
ter with this proficiency is needed to guide mation about a person or place can be
a boat down a rapid stream or to reduce gathered. (The DM must decide how spe-
the dangers of capsizing a canoe or kayak. cific the information is.) The character’s
In addition, a character with boating profi- reaction adjustments (based on Charisma)
ciency can propel a boat at its maximum should benefit or penalize the roll, assum-
speed. ing contact with people is involved in the
Note that this proficiency is distinct from search.
Navigation and Seamanship, which apply Since this proficiency depends upon a
to ships on oceans and seas, rather than network of informants and contacts, the
small craft on smaller lakes and rivers. character will be at a disadvantage trying
Fishing: Fishing is an important skill to use it in an area other than his own ter-
for survival in the Inner Sea, as fish are ritory (home port). Outside his territory,
among the few reliable sources of food for the thief does not hear rumors automati-
the pirates. Fishing is especially good in cally (a normal proficiency check is re-
the spring and fall, and is poorest in the quired), and proficiency checks to gather
winter, but as the Inner Sea is land-locked specific information suffer a penalty of at
there are no great fish migrations within least -3.
its waters. Finally, any time a proficiency check is
Forgery: Letters of marque are fairly required to gain information, a small ex-
common documents, but they require the penditure (1d10 gp) for bribes is required.
signature of the king or other ruler issuing This expenditure is lost whether or not the
him (or an official designated by the ruler). desired information is found; the DM may
Thus, forging convincing letters of choose to sell some information (e.g. the
marque require a proficiency check with a map of the secret passageway into the
-2 modifier. gilded halls of Saerloon) for a much higher
Heraldry: A character with heraldry price.
proficiency can make a proficiency check Intimidation (New Proficiency): This
to identify the personal banners of pirates is a talent for bending people to your will
and privateers. With a successful proficien- by scaring the living daylights out of
cy check, the herald can identify the owner them. It is a common tactic of pirates, who
of the banner, and provide some informa- prefer not to damage their prizes too badly
tion about the character, such as the name (it reduces the possibilities for ransom).
of his ship, his country of origin, whether NPCs who are intimidated are quite likely
he is a pirate, and if he is how vicious he is to do what they are told, out of fear. On the
reputed to be. On a failed proficiency negative side, they are also likely to har-
check, the character cannot identify the bor resentment against the character that
banner; a roll of 20 indicates that the her- intimidates them—which they will act
ald identifies the banner incorrectly. upon when the first chance arises.
Information Gathering (New Profi- Intimidation may be attempted with one
ciency): This proficiency represents the of two abilities: Strength or Charisma. If
ability to gather information from the un- Strength is used, the thief is threatening
derworld. A character with this proficien- immediate, personal bodily harm. If Cha-
cy, in appropriate circumstances, will be risma is used, the intimidation consists of

20 • Chapter 2
more subtle threats, which need not be the DMG, p. 128).
physical. If successful, the NPC is con- •A character who has become lost de-
vinced that the character is ready and ca- spite navigation proficiency but still has
pable of making his life miserable—if not his rutter (navigation logbook) may at-
immediately, then in the near future. Note tempt to determine where he made his er-
that NPCs with high morale (e.g. warriors) ror. Note that this check cannot be made
may choose to do something about the in- until it has become clear that the charac-
timidating character, rather than con- ter is lost: e.g. the island he is looking for is
tinue to live under threat. not where he thinks it should be, or in-
Player characters are never forced to stead of finding a harbor he finds a reef-
submit to intimidation, as this would de- barred coastline. At that point, the
tract from the players’ freedom to roleplay. character may take one day to go over his
Local History: The pirates of the Inner rutters and make a single proficiency
Sea are considered a single region for the check to determine just where he went
purposes of this proficiency. Thus, a wrong. Success indicates that the charac-
scholar could purchase Local History: ter knows the mistake he made, and can
Pirates of the Inner Sea as a proficiency. approximate his current actual position.
Looting: This proficiency represents a Failure indicates that the character is still
knack for grabbing the best loot in the hopelessly lost.
shortest time. For instance, a pirate enters l The character can determine his lati-
the captain’s cabin on a sinking ship. He tude (north/south location), but not his
has about two minutes to fill his backpack longitude, by studying the clear sky for a
so he can escape before the ship goes un- night and making a successful proficiency
der. If his proficiency check succeeds, he is check. Such a determination may be
able to recognize and stuff into his pack made at any time, even after teleporting or
the most valuable combination of items other transportation which leaves the
that is feasible, given his limitations of character without any knowledge of
time and space. where he is.
Navigation: The navigation proficiency l The character may use his own rutter

in the Player’s Handbook provides some (or someone else’s, if he can decipher it) to
simple rules for handling navigation. reduce his chance of becoming lost. To do
However, in a pirates campaign such a this, the rutter must describe a journey
skill may be crucial in some situations, so similar to the one being undertaken; a rut-
the following optional rules are proffered. ter describing a transit from Suzail to Pro-
Characters at sea with navigation profi- campur is of no use in the Vilhon Reach. If
ciency gain the following abilities: the character wrote the rutter himself, the
l A character with the navigation profi- rutter acts as a local guide providing a -
ciency can make a proficiency check each 30 to the character’s chance of becoming
day to determine whether he is navigating hopelessly lost (see p. 128 of the DMG).
successfully. A successful proficiency Another navigator’s rutter will provide a
check indicates that the character is lesser bonus; the DM must determine the
aware of his current position, and there is percentage, and a misleading or cryptic
no chance of his becoming lost (so no rutter may even add to the character’s
check should be made). Should the char- chance of getting lost!
acter fail the proficiency check, make a Note that any use of a rutter requires
check for the character to become lost (per that the character have Reading/Writing

Generating Pirate Characters • 21

proficiency in the language of the rutter. pushed this hard. If the initial check fails,
DMs may wish characters to make Read- no further attempts can be made, but the
ing/Writing proficiency checks to use a mount can move normally. If the second or
cryptic rutter. subsequent check fails, the mount slows
Religion: A character with religion pro- to half speed and will be unable to bear the
ficiency knows the sacrifices which must rider for a full turn. In any event, after two
be made to Umberlee before sailing on the turns its movement drops to 2/3 its normal
Inner Sea. These sacrifices (generally of rate until the mount is allowed to rest for
gold or precious jewels) are made by all at least one hour.
ships before embarking on any journey. A l The character can attempt to control

proficiency check is not required to per- the mount if it panics. Under ordinary cir-
form the sacrifices, but only characters of cumstances, aquatic creatures who take
neutral or evil alignment will do so. damage from an attack from above the wa-
Riding, Sea-Based (New Proficiency): ter will dive below the surface unless they
The character is trained in handling a make a morale roll. Should the mount fail
swimming mount. The particular creature the roll, it will attempt to dive below the
must be chosen when the proficiency is water, where it will remain for 1d10
chosen. Additional proficiency slots can be rounds. The character (who, if he was rid-
used to learn how to handle other types of ing the horse, may thus be in danger of
mounts. A character must have this profi- drowning) may try to force the mount to
ciency (or ride with someone who does) to the surface with a proficiency check. How-
handle an aquatic mount. In addition, a ever, the character is considered to be ex-
proficient character can do the following: erting himself for purposes of avoiding
l Leap onto the saddle of the creature drowning (see Holding Your Breath in the
(when it is on the surface) and spur it into Player’s Handbook). A successful check
motion in the same combat round. This will bring the mount back to the surface.
requires no proficiency check. Characters who fail their proficiency
l Urge the mount to leap over obstacles check may repeat it each round until suc-
in the water, so long as the obstacles are cessful, or until further action becomes
less than 3’ high and 5’ wide. There must impossible.
be water on the opposite side of the obsta- Rope Use: Rope use is the stock in trade
cle, or the mount takes 1d6 damage from of the boatswain (bosun). Characters with
the impact. If the character wants to roll a rope use can construct rigging, cargo nets,
proficiency check, the mount can be and other common useful items without a
urged to leap obstacles up to 5’ high and proficiency check. Note also that the +20
10’ wide. Success means that the mount to climbing checks when using a rope also
has made the jump. Failure indicates that applies to scampering about the rigging of
the mount has balked, and the character ship (cf. Mountaineering).
must make another proficiency check to Seamanship: Seamanship is the stock-
see if he retains his seat or falls from the in-trade for sailors and pirates every-
saddle into the water. where. Any character wishing to work as a
l The character can spur his steed on to crewman aboard a ship must have this
great speeds, adding 2d6 feet per round to proficiency.
the animal’s movement rate for up to two At sea, a successful crew proficiency
turns. This requires a proficiency check check (see the naval combat rules) adds
each five rounds to see if the mount can be 25% to the speed of ships at sea. Also note

22 • Chapter 2
that the quality of a crew in combat is de- l An off-balance defender is attacked

termined in part by the average seaman- with a bonus of +2.

ship proficiency level. l A rear attack (e.g., against a character

Characters with the seamanship profi- trying to climb up a rope) gains a +2 bo-
ciency have a base climbing percentage of nus.
65% when climbing rigging aboard ship. Losing and Regaining Balance: Any
This percentage does NOT apply to other character engaged in combat on ropes
sorts of climbing (walls, mountains, etc.); runs the risk of losing his balance.
in such areas a sailor is assumed to be un- A character who is struck by a weapon,
trained and should be treated as such. or attempts to climb in the course of com-
The basic modifiers in climbing combat bat, must make a climbing check or lose
are: his balance.
l A climbing character loses all Armor Lost balance means that the next round
Class bonuses for Dexterity and shield. the character must either fall voluntarily
l A climbing character suffers a -2 or attempt to regain his balance. In either
penalty on attack, damage, and saving case, the character can perform no other
throw rolls. action. A successful climbing check
l A character attacking from above means that the character has regained his
gains a +2 bonus on his attack roll. balance. A failure means the character has
l A character attacking from below suf- fallen (and, of course, may suffer falling
fers a -2 penalty on his attack roll. damage). Don’t forget, all attacks against
Other modifiers that often come into an off-balance character are at +2.
play are: Shipwright (New Proficiency): The

Generating Pirate Characters • 23

character is knowledgeable regarding can swim in leather or padded armor with
techniques for ship construction and re- no significant reduction in ability (al-
pair. He can design and build ships of all though the weight of the armor and other
types, with a proficiency check only being gear may still reduce their movement
required for an unusual feature. The char- rate). Padded armor counts as double
acter can perform routine maintenance on weight for purposes of determining en-
sailing vessels or galleys, including repair- cumbrance and movement rate, because
ing sails and caulking the hull, without a it tends to absorb water quickly.
proficiency check. A shipwright need not Proficient characters wearing studded
have other workmen to finish small ves- leather, ring mail, or hide can swim with a
sels, but vessels of any size require large successful Strength check. This check
crews of shipwrights and other laborers to must be repeated each hour in addition to
build or repair. the Swimming proficiency check; failure
Survival: The islands of the Sea of indicates that the character has suffered
Fallen Stars are considered “tropical” for an additional hour’s worth of strain from
the purposes of this proficiency. However, bearing the armor. Characters wearing
the Inner Sea itself is “ocean” terrain. such armor also suffer double penalties to
Ocean terrain consists of any large body of their attack rolls and Constitution scores.
salt water with no significant land. Survi- Swimmers who try to increase their
vors know how to extract fresh water from speed by making a proficiency check suf-
rain water (or from condensation), know fer a further 1/2 penalty if wearing one of
which seaweeds and other sea life are edi- the above armors. Thus a character with
ble, and knows how to protect himself and Strength 16 who tried to double his move-
others from long-term exposure to the sun. ment would normally have to make a
Swimming: Swimming proficiency, Strength check against half his Strength
while highly useful to the seafaring char- (8); if wearing, ring mail, however, the
acter, is not a required proficiency. Many character would have to make a check
experienced sailors never learn to swim. against a value of 4.
Some develop a morbid fear of the water, Characters wearing heavier armors
knowing that they will drown if their ship (banded mail, brigantine, chain mail,
is sunk; others take it philosophically, pre- plate of any type, or splint mail) cannot
ferring drowning to a lingering death as a swim, although they can walk across the
castaway. bottom at 1/3 movement rate, as de-
The swimming rules in the Player’s scribed in the Player’s Handbook. En-
Handbook (p. 121) state that a character chanted armor is treated identically to
wearing metal armor cannot swim. In a pi- normal armor in this respect (see “Equip-
rates campaign, the question of exactly ment (Encumbrance)” in the Player’s
what is metal armor may come up. Handbook). Characters with shields must
Characters without swimming profi- drop their shields before they can swim.
ciency cannot dog-paddle in any armor ex- Tightrope Walking: Tightrope walking
cept padded or leather. As stated in the proficiency allows a character to fight
Player’s Handbook, if weighed down with while balanced on the spars or rigging of a
enough gear to reduce their movement ship. The movement of a ship at sea
rate, they sink like stones, unable to keep makes such antics even more difficult
their head above water. than normally, so that characters suffer an
Characters with swimming proficiency additional -2 penalty on attack rolls, sav

24 • Chapter 2
ing throws and proficiency checks, in ad- Note also that each ship in a group is con-
dition to the -5 penalty normally as- sidered one “creature” for the purpose of
sessed on attack rolls. determining a tracking bonus. The sea-
Tracking: Tracking ships at sea is an ex- men aboard are not individually counted.
tremely difficult task. Ships leave no per- Weather Sense: Weather sense is a
manent trail on the surface of the water; common and useful proficiency aboard
wakes generally fade within a few min- ship. In addition to the obvious benefits
utes, and the disturbance of fish and sea- (e.g., not sailing out of port into the teeth of
birds generally passes within two turns. a storm), a navigator making successful
However, there are those who maintain Weather Sense and Navigation proficiency
that it is possible. DMs wishing to allow checks can adjust for the effects of adverse
tracking on the open sea should apply a - winds (see Table 79: Weather Conditions in
12 terrain modifier to such tracking profi- the DMG), reducing the penalty for these
ciency checks. winds to only ¼ the ship’s movement.

Table 1: Proficiency Costs for New Proficiencies

# of Relevant
Proficiency Group Slots Ability Modifier
Boating General 1 Wisdom +1
Information Gathering Rogue 1 Intelligence 0
Intimidation Rogue 1 Special Special
Looting Rogue 1 Intelligence 0
Riding, Sea-Based General 2 Dexterity -2
Shipwright Priest 1 Intelligence -2

Magic of the Inner Sea spotted, at high levels or during foggy

weather it can be an effective camouflage
Existing Spells either for concealing an attacker or cover-
ing a retreat at sea.
Jump: This spell may be used to allow Bind: This spell can be used by a mage
quick transfer from one ship to another— with seamanship proficiency to manipu-
particularly during boarding. It is thus of- late the lines which control the sails aboard
ten used by pirates as a method of getting a sailing ship, thus allowing him to manage
one (or a small group) of men aboard a tar- the lines alone on a ship which would ordi-
get vessel quickly. narily be too large to allow a single person
Spider Climb: This spell provides the to control it. Note, however, that the short
target with the ability to scramble around duration of this spell makes this technique
ship’s rigging without having to make impractical except in emergencies.
climbing rolls (see the Proficiency section Flaming Sphere: The fireball formed by
above). this spell can be used to set a ship’s rigging
Wall of Fog: Walls of fog are often used to alight, although it must be left in place for
conceal pirate ships. Although at low at least two rounds to actually ignite the
levels the wall is distinct and thus easily ship’s timbers.

Generating Pirate Characters • 25

 Fog Cloud: Even more so than wall of fog touching the person or small object it is
(see above), fog cloud can be used to con- cast upon. Precipitation comes within an
ceal a ship on the open sea. inch of the person’s body, but strikes an in-
Levitate: An individual with this spell visible barrier and does not penetrate to
cast upon them can move about the rig- the clothes or skin. The spell is also effec-
ging of a ship quickly, as the ropes which tive against wetting by waves. The barrier
support the rigging can be used by the does not affect any kind of missile or other
subject so he can move horizontally as object, however.
well as vertically. Note the danger, how- A person under this spell can see more
ever, of losing hold of the ship’s rigging clearly than most in driving rain because
and finding oneself in the middle of the air none gets into his eyes. If struck by a wave,
with the ship sailing out from under you! he remains dry, but if immersed in the
Summon Swarm: Note that at sea only ocean the mass of water is sufficient to
flying insects or bats can be summoned by overcome the barrier and he will become
this spell, as the crawling creatures can- wet. Once out of the ocean, however, the
not usually come to the caster. On some spell will still work against precipitation.
ships, rats may be available. The material component of this spell is a
Whispering Wind: This spell is often small square of cloth which has been
used by pirates of the Inner Sea to carry treated with oil so that it has become
messages to one another. Certain areas of water-repellent.
Immurk’s Hold on the Dragonisle are spe-
cially set aside for those who seek to re- Sea Legs (Reversible] (Priest)
ceive such messages. Range: 0
Gust of Wind: The gust provided by this Sphere: Healing
spell is equivalent to a strong wind. Components: V, S, M
Duration: 1 hour/level
New Spells Casting Time: 1 round
Area of Effect: One creature
Few of the pirates of the Inner Sea are Saving Throw: None
mages. Nevertheless, some spells have be-
come identified with the lords of Earth- This spell stops the effects of oncoming
spur, and these enchantments are sea sickness in the target. If unable to do
described here. so before, that person also gains the ability
to balance and maneuver easily even on a
First Level Spells violently heaving deck, just as the most
experienced sailor will do. At DM’s discre-
Oilskin (Abjuration) tion, a person under the effect of this spell
need not make Dexterity checks for ship-
Range: 0 board actions in stormy weather that
Components: V, S, M could easily be done in calm weather.
Duration: 2 turns/level This spell can be reversed. The reversed
Casting Time: 2 spell, land legs, causes the target of the
Area of Effect: One creature or small object spell to make a Dexterity check to move or
Saving Throw: None attack. Failure of the check means the
This spell prevents fog, rain, waves, character falls down, and a second check
hail, and other forms of precipitation from is required to stand up again.

26 • Chapter 2
Weathertell (Divination) ing direction of the wind which will be
Range: 0 extant for the indicated time period. Spe-
Components: V, S, M cific timing of gusts and wind shifts is not
Duration: Instantaneous available, however.
Casting Time: 3 rounds Similarly, the caster discovers whether
Area of Effect: Special it will be raining (or snowing), and approx-
Saving Throw: None imately how hard any precipitation will
be. Exceptional weather patterns (such as
This spell enables the caster (who must tornadoes) are revealed to the caster, but
be able to see the sky and listen to the he cannot predict their path with any ac-
winds) to predict the general weather con- curacy.
ditions for the upcoming 1 hour per level
of the caster. These are the natural weath- Second Level Spells
er conditions at the caster’s current loca-
tion (and probably the nearby area) Immurk’s Distraction
assuming that no magical manipulation (Enchantment/Charm)
occurs. Thus, this spell could predict the
natural rain shower which will be coming Range: Touch
in three hours, but could not predict the Components: V, S, M
magically created storm tomorrow morn- Duration: Special
ing. Casting Time: 1 turn
Upon casting this spell, the caster dis- Area of Effect: Special
covers the general wind speed and prevail- Saving Throw: Special

Generating Pirate Characters • 27

 When this spell is cast on a concealed Mass Jump (Alteration)
item, it clouds the mind of anyone seeking Range: 0
the item who is within 50’ of it, so that Components: V, S, M
they will not find the hidden item. The Duration: 1d3 rounds +1 round/level
caster may exclude specific individuals Casting Time: 2
from the effect of the Distraction (who Area of Effect: 10’ radius
must be specified at the time of casting); Saving Throw: None
all others must make a saving throw vs.
spells or else they will not act to reveal the This spell confers the ability to leap once
item. If the item is concealed under a blan- per round for the duration of the spell on
ket (for example), it simply will not occur all creatures within the area of effect.
to the affected individual to look under Leaps can be up to 30 feet forward or
that blanket. straight upward or 10 feet backward. Hori-
If specifically directed to look (for exam- zontal leaps forward or backward have on-
ple, by someone outside the area of effect), ly a slight arc + about two feet per 10 feet of
they will do so, but in such a fashion as to distance traveled. The mass jump spell
keep the item concealed. Thus, for exam- does not ensure safety in landing or grasp-
ple, if digging for a buried chest based on ing at the end of the leap.
paced-off directions, the affected individ- The mass jump spell is used as part of a
ual will make just enough mistakes so that magical boarding action. It allows several
he digs in the wrong place. pirates to arrive on the deck of an attacked
An item in plain sight is not protected. ship before the two ships are fully grap-
Similarly, an individual who is not looking pled, thus offering some chance of sur-
for the affected item is not affected by the prise. However, on the Inner Sea this tactic
spell, and may thus stumble across the is common enough to not be totally sur-
item accidentally. Once the item is touch- prising to experienced sailors.
ed by someone (other than one of the indi- The material component of this spell is a
viduals specified to be immune), the grasshopper’s hind leg, to be broken by
dweomer is canceled. the caster when the spell is cast.
A character who makes his save may
choose to look for the item in the correct Third Level Spells
place, but success in the save does not
guarantee successful discovery. Unless Dispel Fog (Abjuration)
the individual makes the save and looks in Range: 0
the right place, the item remains hidden. Components: V, S
The caster must chant and gesture Duration: Permanent
while casting the spell, scattering a mix- Casting Time: 1 round
ture of sand and diamond dust (from a dia- Area of Effect: 10’/level radius circle
mond of at least 500 gp value) over the Saving Throw: Special
protected item.
Immurk’s Distraction is said to have This spell eliminates normal and magi-
been researched for Immurk by Seldzen, a cal fog from the area of effect. Only fog and
mage of Procampur. mist is affected, not bodies of water, rain,
or other precipitation. The fog dispelled is
gone permanently, but the empty volume
may be filled in again with new fog if there

28 • Chapter 2
is sufficient quantity in the area. However, strength as the spellcaster and moves at +
a dispelled area stays clear for 1 turn/level his movement rate on land or in the water.
regardless of other conditions. While in this form, the spellcaster
Creatures in fog or mist form (such as blends undetectably with a body of water,
vampires) who are in the area of effect wet spots on deck, etc. The form does not
must make a saving throw vs. spell. A suc- drown in water and can swim at any depth
cessful save indicates that the creature the spellcaster chooses. If desired, the
must transform to a form other than fog or form can flow out of the ocean, up the side
mist; failure indicates that the creature of a ship, and onto the deck. This is as ex-
takes 2d10 damage. hausting to the spellcaster as if he had
climbed that distance in his regular shape.
Preserve Wood (Abjuration) If the form is attacked it remains in one
Range: 10 yards/level piece but the spellcaster suffers damage.
Components: V, S Weapons and spells inflict normal dam-
Duration: Permanent age, and other objects injure as deter-
Casting Time: 2 rounds mined by the DM.
Area of Effect: Special
Saving Throw: Special Wind Servant
(Conjuration/Summoning)
This spell protects an item made of
wood (such as the members on a ship) Range: 10’/level
from being deformed by magical (e.g., Components: V, S, M
warp wood). Only warp wood spells cast Duration: 1-6 turns +1 turn/level
by a higher level caster may affect wood so Casting Time: 1 turn
protected, and then only if the appropriate Area of Effect: Special
roll is made (see the warp wood spell, Play- Saving Throw: Special
er’s Handbook, page 208). This spell conjures a weak form of air el-
The caster may protect up to 100 emental. This creature is incapable of en-
pounds of wood per level, but only one tering combat, as it has no effective
structure (such as a ship or a palisade) per attacks against corporeal creatures, nor
casting. Separate wooden items must be can it be affected by normal (non-magical)
protected separately. weapons.
The wind servant’s only power is to gen-
Watery Form (Alteration) erate a strong wind over a localized area. A
Range: 0 wind servant can make any one of the fol-
Components: V, S lowing changes:
l Increase or decrease wind speed by
Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 8 one category (e.g., from Light Breeze to
Area of Effect: Caster only Favorable Winds, or from Gale to Storm)
l Change the wind direction by one
Saving Throw: None
“step” (e.g., from North to Northeast, or
When affected by this spell, the caster from Northeast to Southeast). Any such ef-
and anything he wears turns into what ap- fect on the wind applies to only one vessel.
pears to be a puddle of water. This form The wind servant is too small to create
cannot be absorbed or divided into smaller widespread weather effects, instead
parts. It has the same hit points and changing the weather by filling the sails of

Generating Pirate Characters • 29

the affected vessel with its own essence. lightning flies through the air to strike its
The caster can order the wind servant to target. Once there, it moves rapidly (120’/
do more than one of the above tasks, but at round) along surfaces in random direc-
a cost. For each round that an additional tions: up masts, along the deck, down
task is ordered (i.e., changing the wind di- stairwells, etc.
rection by two points, or affecting wind A ball of lightning inflicts one point of
speed and wind direction), the number of damage per level of the caster each time it
rounds which the wind servant must stay touches a living creature. There is a 10%
is decreased by one. Thus, for example, a chance that each ball will come to rest at a
mage ordering a northerly breeze when certain spot, such as the top of a mast or at
the current winds are southerly reduces the end of a yardarm. If so, the lightning
the wind servant’s tenure by three rounds starts a small fire on a roll of 5 or 6.
for each round of such activity.
Wind servants are lazy and disobedient, Sargasso (Alteration)
although not hostile. The caster must give Range: 10 yards/level
the wind servant continual guidance or Components: V, S, M
the creature allows normal wind condi- Duration: 5 rounds/level
tions to resume. On the other hand, the Casting Time: 9
caster may change his direction to the Area of Effect: 10 square feet/level
wind servant at any time, and the wind Saving Throw: Special
servant will respond in 1-3 rounds. (For
the purposes of the naval game, such a This spell calls up a region of thick sea-
shift takes effect at the start of the next weed from a body of water which is diffi-
turn.) cult to sail through. Ships sailing through
Although wind servants cannot be the sargasso have their speed diminished
struck by corporeal weaponry, they can be by 2 mph if they are sail-powered, or 3
affected by magic. A wind servant who mph if they are oar-powered. Ships whose
takes more than 30 points of magical dam- speed is reduced to or below zero as a re-
age flees back to the Elemental Plane of sult of this speed loss are considered to be
Air, abandoning the caster. entangled (as the spell) in the sargasso,
The material component of this spell is a and will be unable to move. Note that for a
lit block of incense worth at least 50 gp. ship’s movement to be affected at least
half of the ship must be in the sargasso re-
Fourth Level Spells gion to be affected. A large ship may thus
not be affected by a small sargasso region,
Ball Lightning (Conjuration) even if it sails right through.
Swimming creatures are also affected
Range: 180’ by the sargasso, with their movement
Components: V, S rates reduced by 6. Air-breathing crea-
Duration: 1 round/level tures who are thus immobilized may be
Casting Time: 1 round trapped beneath the surface unless they
Area of Effect: 1 or more balls of lightning make a saving throw vs. death.
Saving Throw: ½ The material component of this spell is a
This spell creates one ball of lightning small amount of seaweed and a handful of
for every 5 levels of the caster. Each ball live brine shrimp, which must be tossed
can be sent to a different target. A ball of into the water.

30 • Chapter 2
Fifth Level Spells ceased. The spell has no effect on fog or
precipitation, only on the wind that ac-
Calm Water (Abjuration) companies it.
Reversible Any ship sailing in the area of effect is
Range: 360 yards treated as if the winds were “light breeze”
Components: V, S, M rather than their current wind speed, al-
Duration: 1 turn/level though the direction remains unchanged.
Casting Time: 2 rounds Exception: if the wind speed were “be-
Area of Effect: 20’ radius/level calmed,” it remains “becalmed.”
Saving Throw: None
Sixth Level Spells
This spell reduces wave action in the
area of effect to the equivalent of calm Oars to Snakes (Alteration)
seas. Chop, whitecaps, and violent storm Reversible
waves are eliminated, although there
might be a noticeable swell in the calm Sphere: Plant
water if the sea itself is storm-tossed. Range: 50 yards
Ships within the area of effect need not Components: V, S, M
make seaworthiness rolls due to weather, Duration: 3 rounds/level
even if the type of weather otherwise calls Casting Time: 9
for it. Area of Effect: 1 oar/3 levels
The reverse of this spell, churn water, Saving Throw: None
creates waves within the area of effect that This more powerful variant of the sticks
are up to 1’ tall/level. to snakes spell transforms the oars aboard
The material component of the calm a ship into giant sea snakes. These ser-
water spell is a bottle of oil (worth 100 gp) pents remain within the oarlocks of the
poured onto the waves. The material com- vessel which bore them, but may attack
ponent of churn water is a silver wire those off of the ship who are nearby (such
framework (costing 100 gp) which is swirl- as boarders). Thus, this is primarily a de-
ed in a circular motion before being tossed fensive spell, as the caster can transform
into the sea. the oars of his own vessel into defenders.
Each serpent can attack one boarder
Calm Wind (Abjuration) (THAC0 11) for 3-18 damage each round.
Range: 360 yards The serpents remain until the spell ex-
Components: V, S pires or they are slain (AC 5, 10 HD). While
Duration: 1 turn/level the spell continues, the ship does not have
Casting Time: 2 rounds use of those oars, and thus may have re-
Area of Effect: 20’ radius/level duced speed (see the Combat chapter).
Saving Throw: None They then turn back into usable oars, al-
though those which were killed are broken
This spell creates an “eye of the storm” and useless.
effect, reducing even gale force winds to a This spell may also be cast offensively.
breeze within the area of effect. Ocean In this mode, the oars become serpents,
waves are unaffected by this spell, and but rather than attacking outside the ship,
storm-tossed waters will continue to bat- their poisonous heads are aimed within
ter a ship even though the wind has the ship, attacking the oarsmen and de-

Generating Pirate Characters • 31

stroying the ship’s ability to maneuver. Ninth Level Spells
The material components of this spell
are a small piece of wood and the scales Tidal Wave (Alteration)
from a sea snake. Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Seventh level Spells Duration: 1 turn/level
Casting Time: 3 turns
Whirlpool (Alteration) Area of Effect: 100’ long wave/level
Range: 10 yards/level Saving Throw: None
Components: V, S, M This spell brings up a huge wave of
Duration: 1 turn/level water from a sea or other large body of
Casting Time: 1 turn water. This wave can destroy ships and
Area of Effect: 25 foot radius/level harbors in its path, and is one of the most
Saving Throw: None powerful attacks in the Forgotten Realms.
This spell creates a swirling region of The tidal wave is 75 feet high (regard-
water which can consume ships and less of the caster’s level), and 100 feet long
swimmers within its grasp. Any creature per level of the caster. The caster may
in the water within the whirlpool must start the wave traveling in any direction,
make a saving throw vs. spells or be but it may not be turned once started. It
drawn 10 yards toward the center of the travels at 50 yards per round, devastating
whirlpool. In addition, any creature within all in its path.
the area of effect takes 1d6 damage each Any ship caught before the tidal wave
round from the buffeting effect of the must make a seaworthiness roll (at a -30)
water. Creatures reaching the center of a in order to avoid swamping. Rolls which
whirlpool must make a saving throw vs. succeed by less than 20% indicate that the
death or be sucked beneath the waves ship is driven before the tidal wave, and
never to return. must continue to make seaworthiness
Ships are also affected by a whirlpool. rolls each round until they are swamped
Each ship within a whirlpool must make a or manage to crest the wave. Rolls which
seaworthiness roll every turn to avoid cap- succeed by 20% or more indicate that the
sizing and sinking. Also, every ship moves ship successfully crested the wave, and is
1-6 hexes toward the center of the whirl- out of danger.
pool, and 1-6 hexes counterclockwise Swimmers may ride over the wave by
around the whirlpool in addition to any making a saving throw vs. death magic.
other movement each turn. Beings and Failure of the saving throw indicates that
ships outside the area of effect of the whirl- the swimmer takes 9d6 damage; survivors
pool are not affected. are washed out of the wave on the other
The material component for this spell side.
are a cup of sea water and a jeweled stick When the wave drives up on shore, it
(worth at least 5,000 g.p.). The stick is causes 10d6 damage to everyone within
swirled in the cup while the spell is chant- 50 yards of shore along its path (and also
ed, and then broken in half and tossed into to any ship driven on shore ahead of it; see
the sea to start the whirlpool. above). Thereafter, the damage dimin-
ishes by 1d6 each round until it ceases to
exist 500 yards inland.

32 • Chapter 2
 This spell is so exhausting that after 30 yards (one hex) of the user’s ship may
casting this spell the caster is unable to benefit (or suffer) from the effects of the
cast magical for 1d4 days after casting this wind, if they remain at that distance.
spell due to the magical energies involved. The content of the pouch is determined
The material component of this spell is a randomly, in accordance with the follow-
wooden plank, which is struck forcibly ing table:
across the surface of the water in the direc-
d6 Roll Type
tion the tidal wave is to form. 1-3 Fair breeze
4-5 Contrary wind
New Magical Items 6 Storm wind
As stated above, the Inner Sea is not well Flask of Vapor
known for its mages, particularly those
who are of a high enough level to create This looks like a simple, stoppered brass
magical items. However, a few items have flask, similar to an efreeti bottle or an
been created which carry the flavor of the eversmoking bottle. When opened, fog
sea. pours out until the flask is sealed once
more. The flask creates a disk of fog that is
Pouch of Winds 100’ across and 10’ high. Once that vol-
ume is filled, the flask stops emitting fog,
This looks like an ordinary leather pouch,
but if wind or magical clears the mist
tied tightly shut and bulging at the seams
away, the flask once again pours forth va-
with its contents. It weighs no more than
por until the volume is obscured.
the leather it is made of, for the pouch con-
tains enchanted air. Once the pouch is Oil of Stillness
opened, a magical wind escapes that does
one of three things. This is a one-pint flask of oil. When the en-
A fair breeze blows a steady wind in the chanted oil is poured onto water, it stops
direction the user wants to travel. This violent seas and reduces wave action
wind is considered favorable (see Move- around one ship to the equivalent of calm
ment and Combat), and blows for one 24 water for one hour. This effect applies to
hour period after it is released. normal waves as well as magically-
A contrary wind blows a steady, if weak- agitated water. During this time, the ship
er wind, in the opposite direction from need not make seaworthiness checks due
whatever the ship’s heading might be. This to weather (although checks required for
is treated as an adverse light breeze, and other reasons are still required).
lasts until the ship puts ashore and waits
one day before continuing its voyage.
Finally, a storm wind immediately sur-
rounds the vessel with gale force winds
lasting 1d6 hours. These winds will re-
quire the vessel to make seaworthiness
checks each hour, as described in Move-
ment and Combat.
In all cases, the wind only affects the
user’s ship. However, other ships within

Generating Pirate Characters • 33

In Which Is A Description of All Affected not well known, as King Azoun has sought
Nations; Their Defenses; and A Chronicle to make Suzail safe from the depredations
of Recent Piratical Activity and Smug- of such “thieves’ guilds.”
gling-As Told by Jomo Shanbaeren, The second (central) harbor is also a
Chronicled (and Clarified) by Alyssa of commercial harbor, although its wharves
Ravens Bluff are accessed only via a series of royal
warehouses. Customs inspections here
can be painstaking, particularly if the lo-
“Look at yer map,” Jomo Shanbaeren cal watch believes that smugglers are
instructs you, pointing to the faded about, and little contraband (or piratical
parchment. “Make believe yer on a goods) makes it through. On the other
sailin’ ship, startin’ at Cormyr—here— hand, the Cormyrean Freesails pay their
and moving eastward around the coast. tribute to King Azoun at these ware-
Pay attention, mates! I’m only tellin’ ya houses. As many as thirty ships can be
this once!” He lifts his eyepatch, reveal- docked here, along with many smaller
ing a jagged, x-shaped scar. “I seen vessels.
more with me one good eye than most The easternmost harbor contains the
men do with both o’ theirs.” He lets the Royal Docks and the Harbor Tower. Cor-
patch fall back into place. “And what I myr’s Imperial Navy (see below) has its
seen, I don’t tell just any leather- main home port here under the personal
wearin’, sword-bearin’ dandy what command of Admiral Hazen Kelafin, Roy-
comes in here! So give me yer ears, and al Admiral of Cormyr. Admiral Kelafin’s
I’ll fill ‘em with the learnin’ of many marines are housed within the nearby Cit-
long years at sea-and with what my adel of the Purple Dragon.
spies tell me . . . ” He glances sideways Cormyr’s low, rolling, misty coastline
toward the door. “Jomo wouldn’t steer stretches east to the River Lurlar. Most of
ya off course, y’know!” the coastline has extensive shallows, and
few villages offer harbors large enough
Cormyr (and deep enough) for ocean-going ves-
sels. Outside of Suzail only Marsember
Suzail, the capital of Cormyr, lies on the (with its archipelago of harbor-islands con-
northern coast of the Dragonsmere, just nected by bridges) offers any substantial
east of the Storm Horn mountains. harbor. Marsember’s harbor is the busiest
Suzail boasts three harbors. The first is in Cormyr, and while some smuggling
the Basin, a deep harbor (dredged to open- goes on, the Harpers and the War Wizards
sea depths) where ships can deposit their actively root out and destroy any actively
cargos close to the shops which surround dishonest groups. The Harpers use Mar-
the city’s Market. Twenty ships can load or sember as a safe port, and take care to
unload here simultaneously, making this keep it that way.
a busy harbor, while the nearby shipyards
are the primary producers of the brigan- Pirates and Cormyrean law
tines which have become the trademark
vessel of the Cormyrean Freesails. The ac- King Azoun has sworn that Cormyr will
tivity here supports Saszesk, a young hu- not become a pirate haven (his beloved
man reputed to be a member of Immurk’s Cormyrean Freesails not withstanding).
Band. Saszesk’s smuggling operation is Those convicted of piracy here are treated

34 • Chapter 3
Nations of the Inner Sea • 35
harshly. A first offense costs the right ber these are in poor repair. Unfortunately,
hand, while a second conviction is punish- while Starwater Keep has several ballistae
able by death. and catapults, the topography of the city
Smuggling is only slightly less harshly makes these virtually useless for defense
viewed. Most smuggling is to avoid taxa- of the outer harbor islands. Suzail has an
tion (Cormyr charges a 5% duty on all im- excellent set of harbor chains which can
ported goods) or to bring collections of block the narrow channel to the Basin
weapons ashore. Cormyr’s laws prevent- (supported by a deployment of three bal-
ing mercenaries from gathering have been listae), and the Citadel of the Purple Drag-
extended to merchants (particularly those on has an excellent brace of four catapults
without Cormyrean charters) who bring trained on the Royal Harbor area.
weapons into the kingdom in any quanti-
ty, as such caches can quickly find their Recent Pirate Activities
way to otherwise innocent-appearing war-
riors. Smugglers are fined triple the value Cormyr has suffered little harassment from
of the contraband (along with confiscation pirates, primarily because its own Cormy-
of the goods); repeat offenders are pun- rean Freesails (along with the Royal Navy)
ished as pirates. defend the coasts and waters well. The
most recent significant pirate raid was on
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses the city of Marsember in 1344 DR. Al-
though a few of the outermost harbor is-
Cormyr’s Royal Navy (boasting thirty car- lands were looted by the pirates, they were
avels and over 5,500 men) is responsible unable to enter the city proper before an
for patrolling the seacoast for smugglers, overwhelming force of Cormyrean ships
providing aid to ships in trouble in Cor- (with magical support from the War Wiz-
myr’s waters, and to provide support to ards in the city) drove the pirates away.
the army in time of war. Fourteen ships
are posted to Suzail, another twelve to Sembia
Marsember (specifically posted to Star-
water Keep), and the remainder in smaller The coastline of Sembia extends from the
ports along the coast. Most recently, Admi- River Lurlar east to the mouth of the Drag-
ral Kelafin’s fleet (assisted by Cormyrean on Reach, and from thence north to the
Freesails) conveyed King Azoun’s army city of Yhaunn (and, some say, even as far
across the Dragon Reach to speed their as Scardale). Over a coastal expanse of
journey to Thesk during the recent Horde over 400 miles, the coastline varies from a
War. rocky 50’ cliff (as along the stone promi-
Supplementing Cormyr’s Royal Navy nence between Saerloon and Selgaunt) to
are the Cormyrean Freesails, privateers a marshy shore (as can be found west of
chartered by King Azoun to patrol Cor- Urmlaspyr). Although the best harbors
myr’s waters and hunt down and destroy are occupied by Sembia’s wealthy trading
pirates. Many of Cormyr’s trading vessels cities, the coast boasts many small coves
also carry charters as Freesails, and Suzail and harbors which could allow a ship to be
and Marsember both have some shore de- hidden from view.
fenses. Since the most recent pirate incur-
sions, Marsember has established some
harbor chains, but like much in Marsem-

36 • Chapter 3
Pirates and Sembian Law most profitable targets for piracy in the
northern Inner Sea. The most difficult
Sembia’s merchant rulers treat piracy problem facing a pirate captain is avoiding
more severely than murder. Piracy carries the patrols of the thinly-spread Sembian
an immediate death sentence in Sembia navy. In fact, during some disputes be-
(which the navy is empowered to carry out tween mercantile houses, pirates may be
at sea if necessary), and more than once hired to attack the shipping of a rival. Al-
clashes have arisen between Sembia and though this is illegal, it is sufficiently com-
Cormyr over Sembia’s overzealous execu- mon to have given rise to the expression
tion of a Freesail crew. “honest as a Sembian pirate.” Smuggling
Smuggling, on the other hand, is viewed is rampant, with nearly all Sembian ves-
as at worst an embarrassment. Fines are sels doing some. Because of the light pun-
not steep, representing only triple the taxes ishment for the crime, however, and due
owed, but the smuggled goods are returned to Sembia’s relatively liberal laws regard-
to their owners (after the tax and fines are ing what is contraband, smuggling is not
paid), and can often be sold at a reasonable viewed as a problem in Sembia.
profit despite the smuggling costs.
The Dalelands
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
The coast of the Dalelands extends along
Sembia has one of the largest standing na- the western edge of the Dragon Reach
vies on the Inner Sea, with over ninety from Yhaunn north to the mouth of the
ships and 15,000 men on active duty. It is River Lis. The coast is rocky, with steep
strange, therefore, that they have been so cliffs near Scardale and north of Harrow-
unsuccessful in reducing the amount of dale. The only significant ports are those
piracy which their traders suffer. How- two Dales; of the two, Scardale, which lies
ever, when it is considered that even such at the mouth of the River Ashaba, has the
a large navy leaves only one vessel for more extensive harbors.
each five miles of coastline, and that most Scardale was once a busy port town, but
of that navy is concentrated in the seaport in 1350 DR its new lord, Lashan Aumer-
cities of Selgaunt and Saerloon, it may not sail, began a campaign to build Scardale
be so surprising. into a great power, taking over the remain-
Also note that most merchants of Sembia der of the southern Dales in the process.
do not view pirate pursuit as a noble cause Although he quickly conquered Harrow-
(unlike the Cormyrean Freesails, who dale, Featherdale, and Battledale, his mili-
make up nearly half of the ships with Cor- tary successes forced an alliance of
myrean registry). Where the Cormyreans Cormyr, Sembia, Zhentil Keep, Hillsfar,
have banded together against the pirate and the remaining Dales against him.
menace, the Sembian attitude is that pi- Lashan was quickly overcome.
racy is ill luck when you suffer it, but it is Scardale has fallen on hard times. Sem-
good luck when your competition suffers it. bia briefly occupied the Dale, but it is now
divided into small subsections, each garri-
Recent Pirate Activities soned by one of the invading forces. Port
Ashaba and Scar Harbor are by convention
Piratical activities in Sembia are near- neutral territory, although skirmishes are
constant. Sembia’s ships represent the still fought between Scardale citizens and

Nations of the Inner Sea • 37

the occupation forces (as well as between which could be drawn at the Anvil Bridge.
the garrisons of the various nations). However, in the wake of the occupations,
many of these defenses have been de-
Pirates and Daleland Law stroyed while the remainder have been
claimed by one of the factions which now
The pirates have been quick to seize on the control this city.
opportunities available in a war-tom city Harrowdale’s port is much less exten-
like Scardale. Smuggling is rampant (in sive than that in Scardale. Its defenses
part because different items are contra- consist primarily of a town militia which
band in different sections of the same port), has a standing watch for repelling raiders.
and Scardale has become a safe harbor for There are a few fishing vessels which can
pirate ships operating in the Dragon act as a first line of defense, but essentially
Reach. Cormyr and Sembia have both at- Harrowdale’s defenses are designed to
tempted to close down the harbor, but the stop raiders from taking the city, not to
minimal garrisons (12 men each) main- prosecute pirates.
tained by each have been unable to over-
come the combined resistance of the Recent Pirate Activities
people of Scardale, the Zhentil Keep garri-
son, and the pirates. Although piracy is of- As mentioned above, in the last few years
ficially a capital offense in Scardale, in Scardale has become a pirate haven and a
practice pirates use the port essentially as smuggler’s den. Pirates come to Scardale
they please. Harrowdale, on the other to fence their booty and hide safely from
hand, has little pirate traffic. Piracy is a Sembian patrols. Little actual piracy oc-
capital crime there as it is in all the Dales, curs near the port, as there is little trade on
but the simple farmers of Harrowdale have which to prey and the Sembian navy main-
little to interest the pirates, and the harbor tains an almost constant vigil nearby.
is too far north (and thus too far from the
shipping lanes) to be of much use. The Moonsea
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses The Moonsea lies to the north of the Drag-
on Reach, the two connected by the River
Neither Harrowdale nor Scardale main- Lis. The Moonsea is a shallow, freshwater
tains much of a navy As part of their occu- sea with a varied coastline, low and acces-
pation, the Sembian navy patrols the sible along the western side, a rocky bluff
southern coast of the Dalelands, but they to the south, hilly to the north, and moun-
rarely travel as far north as Harrowdale. tainous to the point of inaccessibility in
They have had some success suppressing the east, where it abuts against the Galena
piracy near Scardale through a vigorous and Earthspur mountain ranges.
naval presence, but unless a vessel is ac-
cused of piracy in Sembia, or commits an Pirates and Moonsea Law
act of piracy in the presence of a Sembian
warship, there is little the Sembian navy Although the pirates of the Inner Sea rarely
can do. travel so far from their islands, there is still
Scardale did have some harbor defens- much here that affects their lives. The city-
es, notably siege engines ensconced in state of Hillsfar, once an open port where
Harborwatch Keep and a harbor chain even the most notorious cargos could be

38 • Chapter 3
traded, has become as tight and as defend- on the Force Bridge and Tesh Bridge,
ed as Zhentil Keep and Mulmaster. which flank the harbor mouth on the Riv-
Officially, piracy is illegal throughout er Tesh. It is said that it is impossible to en-
the Moonsea. In practice, it is common, ter the harbor at Zhentil Keep without the
with privateers and raiders from Zhentil permission of the appropriate authorities
Keep and Mulmaster preying on one an- —and it is even harder to get out!
other’s shipping. While these pirates have Mulmaster’s harbor is smaller than that
little to do with those on the Inner Sea, of Zhentil Keep, but much better defended
some pirates first learned the trade on the and developed than the Docks of Hillsfar.
Moonsea, while others use the area as a A series of canals and harbor areas pro-
hideout, offering their ships and crew to vides Mulmaster with docks for nearly two
the highest bidder. hundred vessels. The canals can be indi-
Punishment for pirates varies among vidually blocked by harbor chains, and
the cities. Zhentil Keep typically sen- many are guarded by ballistae, as the nar-
tences pirates and smugglers to service in row canals make the imprecise catapult
the Zhentilar armies or, if not deemed wor- useless. Mulmaster also once boasted a
thy of that honor, to death in the arena. navy of over seventy warships. In the re-
Lord Maalthiir of Hillsfar has not yet pun- cent Battle Between Storms, however,
ished anyone for piracy, although the old more than forty vessels were sunk by the
law of death by hanging is still “on the forces of Zhentil Keep, and Mulmaster is
books.” Mulmaster’s punishment for pi- struggling to rebuild its forces.
racy is both specific and gruesome: the of-
fender is lashed to a stone and thrown into Recent Pirate Activities
the Moonsea to drown.
The constant sniping between Zhentil
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses Keep, Mulmaster, and Hillsfar is termed
piracy by some, privateering by others,
Hillsfar is a walled city perched at the top and open warfare by some outsiders—
of a rocky bluff overlooking the south particularly those who have never seen
shore of the Moonsea. A small. village at Zhentil Keep truly at war. Most Moonsea
the base of the bluff (known as the Docks), piracy is limited to raids on ships at sea, as
handles the naval traffic and possesses a land-based raiding is fruitless given the
small drydock. While the Docks are not well-defended city-states of the region.
well defended, there is rarely anything of
value here, as in the case of a raid the peo- Tantras and the City-States
ple withdraw into the well-defended
walled city. Hillsfar’s new First Lord, The city-states of Tantras, Calaunt, Rav-
Maalthiir, has begun to improve the dry- ens Bluff, and Procampur can be found on
dock and shipbuilding facilities at the the eastern shore of the Dragon Reach.
Docks, but has not made significant effort Each of these cities presents a different
to either secure the port or develop a navy view to the pirates of the Inner Sea. Each is
of any size. independent, maintaining its status
Zhentil Keep has a large harbor capable through differing combinations of diplo-
of holding over 250 vessels. The harbor is macy, tolerance, and military might.
guarded by the Keep’s powerful navy, Overall, the shoreline they share is
along with ballistae and catapults set up rocky and high, with few accessible ports

Nations of the Inner Sea • 39

and many rocky reefs which make settle- ven, Calaunt has an evil reputation with
ment of this coastline difficult. North of the pirates. Some believe it is due to the
Calaunt, where the Earthspur Mountains’ stranglehold that the local Thieves’ Guild,
southernmost bluffs abut the Reach, and the Shadowcloaks, have on all fencing and
again between Raven’s Bluff and Procam- smuggling in the city. Others maintain
pur at the foot of High Haspur, the coast- that the creatures which haunt the River
line is impassable, with cliffs so sheer that Vesper can visit bad luck on a sailor who
only the most expert climbers can scale crosses them. Still others point to the
them, and movement of any kind of cargo stranglehold which the dukes of Calaunt
is impossible. have on the squalid city, and say that such
Tantras is the largest of these city-states. is bad for business. Whatever the reason,
A prosperous, wealthy, and proud city, its pirates rarely put into Calaunt, and this is
shops offer a variety of goods far greater even less frequent since the occupation of
than otherwise available in this part of the Scardale (q.v.).
Dragon Reach. Dominated by the worship Ravens Bluff does not suffer Calaunt’s ill
of Torm and the entrepreneurial diligence reputation, and indeed is viewed as the
of its merchant families, Tantras is a place most hospitable of the three cities. There
of bustling industry. is an extensive smuggling trade via the
Tantras was heavily involved in the re- sewers (which are actually the ruins of the
cent Time of Troubles, and has not yet city of Sarbreen), and Ravens Bluff turns
fully recovered from the destruction away no one—so long as they have gold to
which occurred as a result. The destroyed spend.
buildings and parkways have almost com-
pletely been restored, although many of Pirates and Dragon Reach Law
the trees in Tantras are now mere sap-
lings. More serious is the enormous magic- While avatars and wild magic are a prob-
dead area to the north of the city, and the lem the High Council of Tantras have yet
occasional pockets (now mostly repaired) to fully solve, pirates are well understood.
of dead or wild magic which dot the near- Tantras punishes piracy with death by
by landscape. drowning: convicted pirates are lashed to
Procampur is the next largest city. Like heavy stones and tossed into the Dragon
Tantras, Procampur is hostile to the pi- Reach. The judges are not known to be le-
rates, and its harbor is well defended (see nient, but even so Tantras does not con-
below). Its ruler, the Thultyrl, like all the cern itself with piracy unless one of its
others of his line, has sworn eternal venge- own ships is involved. Smugglers suffer a
ance on any pirate who dares attack Pro- penalty of confiscation of the smuggled
campur’s harbor or raid the city’s ships. goods plus a fine equal to their value; re-
However, his mage-advisor Hamayarch peat offenders are usually executed.
has encouraged him to more leniency and Procampur’s judges are quick to convict
conciliation toward the pirates, and a few pirates, and the punishment is usually
pirates whose crimes are not too heinous banishment for first offenders, with death
(and who have not been accused by Pro- by hanging for those who defy the ban.
campan captains) have been allowed to Smuggling is also not tolerated, with fines
use this fabled port. equal to the value of the goods (plus confis-
Although Calaunt’s harbor is excellent cation) suffered by those who evade the
and it would seem to be an ideal pirate ha- Thultryl’s tax collectors. Slavery is illegal

40 • Chapter 3
in Procampur, and slaves brought here are Calaunt’s docks are perhaps the least
considered free. defended of all, with no significant fortifi-
Calaunt punishes pirates and smugglers cations aimed at the river mouth. The city
swiftly and mercilessly, unless they have also maintains no formal navy, although
permission to operate from the Shadow- the pirates who have arrangements with
cloaks (who charge one-third of the value the Shadowcloaks have been known to act
of the goods as a tithe). The sentence for as such occasionally (usually as a matter
violating their monopoly is invariably cap- of vengeance). The city’s defenders, the
ital, but the punishment may come for- Teeth of Calaunt, are not as well trained as
mally from a Court Executioner or many pirate crews, but fear of the Sha-
informally as a dagger in the back in the dowcloaks (and the conciliation of their
night. free trade with accepted pirates) keeps Ca-
Ravens Bluff concerns itself little with launt from being the target of many pirate
affairs outside its walls. Known pirates raids.
(convicted in a court of law) are banished, Ravens Bluffs defenses are limited, as
but those with only evil reputations are the city is some distance from the water-
tolerated, so long as they obey the laws of line. As with other independent cities,
the Living City while they are in town. Ravens Bluff supports only a small navy,
and the thriving underground smuggling
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses trade is rarely hindered.
Tantras’ harbor is defended by ballista bat- Recent Pirate Activities
teries set up on the outer shore and along
the mouth of the harbor. The narrow har- The Dragon Reach is a favored haunt of pi-
bor mouth can also be blocked by a harbor rates. Calaunt and Scardale (q.v.) provide
chain. Tantras’ own naval forces are lim- a safe harbor in the northern reaches of
ited, as the city has no great territory to de- the Inner Sea, and the pickings from Pro-
fend, but may still send forth a force of campur and the wealthy cities of Sembia
nearly a half-dozen warships should the are a constant temptation. Only Procam-
need arise. pur makes any attempt at policing the
Procampur’s navy is comprised of six- eastern Dragon Reach, and its ships re-
teen major warships, each with an excel- main close to home (and to the commer-
lent crew. On more than one occasion, the cial sea lanes) rather than roving through
city’s very survival has depended on the the less traveled areas.
skill of these crews, and the Thultryl has
made quite an investment in them. Impiltur
Procampur’s harbor is not as well de-
fended, in part because it extends a con- Impiltur possesses the coastline from
siderable length without an easily Lyrabar east and north to the northern tip
controlled harbor mouth. However, about of the Easting Reach. Its coastline is less
a quarter of a mile inland, Procampur forbidding than most along the Inner Sea,
maintains a high city wall with well- with many small harborages in addition to
defended gates. On several occasions, the harbors of its cities, and few dangerous
raiders have managed to pillage the har- points to disturb seafarers.
bor section, but they have never managed
to penetrate into the main body of the city.

Nations of the Inner Sea • 41

Pirates and Impilturan Law Telflamm
Impiltur is attempting to build its The city of Telflamm and its subject towns
strength, trading the copper and silver lie on the eastern shore of the Easting
which is mined here for the manufactured Reach, from the tip of this region in the
goods of the more advanced civilizations north to the Aglarond peninsula in the
of Sembia, Cormyr, and Thesk. Unfortu- south. This region suffered great destruc-
nately for Impiltur, this makes their ships tion at the hands of the Tuigan Horde, and
more frequent targets of pirates than has not yet recovered.
those of most other nations, as the chance The harbors along this portion of the
for gaining great wealth in ingots or coin is Reach are small, with none able to hold
greater in Impilturan ships. more than two dozen ships. (A notable ex-
Impiltur has thus enacted severe pun- ception is Telflamm, with an excellent har-
ishments for piracy. Accused pirates are bor capable of holding over forty ships.)
hung, and their ship confiscated by the However, there are many one and two-
rulers of the city in which they are tried. ship harbors, and every village along the
Smuggling is also not tolerated (a switch coast boasts an anchorage where traders
from much of the northern Inner Sea), be- may come.
ing viewed as a crime against the state.
Smugglers are treated as thieves, with Pirates and Telflamm Law
hanging common for repeat offenders.
Before the Horde War, Telflamm made its
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses living from the valuable goods which
flowed along the Golden Way from far
Impiltur’s navy is small but hardy. A Kara-Tur. However, the region had never
dozen small warships guard her ports and been wealthy, able only to take a small
her treasure fleets, but every man aboard tithe from the wealth flowing between the
is hand-picked for loyalty, bravery, and East and the wealthy nations of the west-
skill. Their ports are also well-defended, ern Inner Sea. Piracy against the ships of
with stone walls, ballistae, and even cata- Telflamm was common, but Telflamm it-
pults (in Lyrabar and Songhal) guarding self was unable to do much.
from raiders. If anything, the situation is now worse.
The embargo imposed by Yamun Khahan,
Recent Pirate Activities leader of the Tuigan, against cargo being
shipped across the Great Waste damaged
Pirates avoid Impiltur. The Impilturans do the Telflamm economy, and the flood of
not take piracy lightly, and even the temp- refugees from neighboring Thesk finished
tations of the treasure fleets keep the pi- the job. Telflamm and its subject cities
rates away from the coastlines. Their have become somewhat lawless, as refu-
ships at sea, on the other hand, have a rep- gees have created overcrowding and some
utation for attracting pirates; there are shortages.
tales of a second pirate attacking an Im- The pirates of the Inner Sea have taken
pilturan treasure ship before the first pi- advantage of the situation, establishing
rate to arrive had managed to strike the black markets for food and shelter in
colors. Culmaster, Ethdale, and Nyth. Only
Telflamm, whose rulers have made every

42 • Chapter 3
effort to keep the pirates out, has not de- Aglarond
veloped a thriving underworld.
Theoretically, piracy and smuggling in Aglarond lies along the northern shore of
Telflamm are crimes punishable by death the Aglarond peninsula. Its coastline, like
(for the former) and confiscation and fines much along the eastern portion of this sea,
(for the latter). The disorganized state of is dotted with small harbors, most of
the nation has made these punishments which have small towns or even cities.
rare, as many Telflammans view these pi- These settlements trade with one another
rates (who import necessities at prices far (and rarely with the rest of the Inner Sea),
above those found anywhere else on the but the wealth of Aglarond is in its raw
Inner Sea) as saviors rather than oppor- materials, not its trade.
tunists.
Pirates and Algarondan law
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
The Simbul (who rules Aglarond) has no
Telflamm has little in the way of defenses. tolerance for any who interfere in
The militia can be called out to defend Aglarond’s affairs. Her small navy of
against raiders, and most cities maintain a coastboats aggressively pursues pirates
guard force large enough to stop all but a who come near the peninsula, and even
true military invasion, but the higher those pirates who trade with Thay give
forms of defense (such as siege engines Aglarond a wide berth.
and harbor chains) are not available. Captured pirates are put to death imme-
Their navy, such as it once was, has diately as agents of Thay. The Red Wizards
turned to disaster relief, with all available are known to trade with pirates, and
ships importing necessities rather than Aglarond’s primary enemy and most press-
acting for the nation’s defense. Several of ing problem are the aggression of Thay.
these vessels have fallen into pirate hands, The Simbul has given direction that any
delivering their cargo of food and clothing suspected of cooperating with Thay be put
to overcrowded villages who pay outra- to death immediately, and her people see
geous prices for the goods, then curse the the necessity of such draconian measures.
rulers of Telflamm (who had intended the
goods to be distributed free) for their ava- Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
rice. Should this situation continue for
any length of time, rebellion may bring Aglarond’s naval defenses are few, con-
the rulers of Telflamm down. sisting primarily of the small navy of
coast-boats which their warriors use on
Recent Pirate Activities their raids. While a single coast-boat is lit-
tle threat to an ocean-going vessel, such
As mentioned above, pirate activities are ships attack in swarms of 5-10, grappling
increasing along the Telflamm coast. Cor- the larger vessel, boarding it, and putting
myrean relief ships have been openly at- all aboard to death without mercy.
tacked, and Culmaster has become
something of a pirate haven. The govern- Recent Pirate Activities
ment is so shaken by the events of the last
few years that they can do nothing to stop As might be easily understood, almost no
this. piracy occurs in Aglarond.

Nations of the Inner Sea • 43

Thay population anyway—even if it turns out to
really be just a fishing village.
The coastline of Thay extends from the Visitors to the Alamber Sea should also
River Thazarim in the east to the city of take note of Aleaxtis, the so-called King-
Delthuntle in the west. Only a few of the dom of the Sahuagin. Settlements of this
intermediate cities maintain even a pre- kingdom under the sea dot the bottom of
tense of independence, and those are un- the Alamber, primarily north of the vol-
der attack by Thay. canic island known as the Ship of the
The coastline is rocky, but supports Gods. The greatest concentration of sa-
many small harbors as well as three major huagin in the area is Vahaxtyl, a sahuagin
harbors: Delthuntle, Laothkund, and Be- city some 13,000 strong.
zantur. It is most foreboding in the east, The sahuagin of Aleaxtis will sink any
and becomes almost inviting in the west, ship in the Alamber Sea, be it Mulhorandi,
with rolling hills and attractive harbors. Untheric, Thayvian, or pirate. They also
raid the Untheric cities of Messemprar and
Pirates and Thayvian Law Mourktar. The Thayvians pay tribute to
Aleaxtis in hope of reducing their depreda-
Even the pirates of the Inner Sea are un- tions (so far, it hasn’t worked), while the
likely to tug the beards of the Red Wizards. priests of Set and Tiamat in Unther have
Legends clearly warn of the danger of approached them about an alliance (also
stealing from the Red Wizards, and even without success). The sahuagin are the
trading with these powers can bring magi- most predatory nation in the region, and
cal disaster down onto the outsider. are widely feared even by the pirate chiefs
Should a pirate be so bold as to commit and the Red Wizards.
an act of piracy against Thay, the normal
punishment for piracy is enslavement. Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
However, if the pirate were particularly
notorious or accomplished, the penalty Thay maintains a small navy of magically-
would be death—in a fashion as gruesome powered ships, operated from the Isle of
and painful as the Tharchioness of Bezan- Aldor. These ships are rarely seen outside
tur can imagine. of Thayvian waters (except during rare in-
However, piracy in the Alamber Sea is vasions of Aglarond or other neighboring
not uncommon. These pirates live in small, lands), but they patrol the nearby seas like
secluded villages on the coast of Thay and looming mountains of darkness, blasting
Mulhorand, and on the smaller islands to any suspicious vessel with magical fire.
the south of Ardor. They prey on the If the ships of Thay are dangerous, the
smaller coastal trading vessels and occa- port defenses are worse. The western ports
sionally surprise the crews of larger vessels have limited defenses, but Bezantur itself is
who bring their ships into shore to camp defended with the full might of the Zulkirs.
for the night or make emergency repairs. Any adventurer foolish enough to assault
When the Thayvian navy finds and raids such a fortress will not long survive.
one of the pirate villages, the pirates at-
tempt to pass themselves off as fishermen. Recent Pirate Activities
Sometimes they are successful, sometimes
they are not, and sometimes the Thayvian The pirates of the Inner Sea do not raid the
marines don’t really care and enslave the ships of Thay. They have learned to avoid

44 • Chapter 3
any ship flying the red-and-gold-flame-on- the Inner Sea.
black banner of a Red Wizard—unless Skuld harbor houses Mulhorand’s navy
their spies have indicated that the banner (said to consist of only twenty ancient, rot-
is a ruse. ting galleys) and the small amount of mer-
However, they do trade with the Thar- chant traffic which visits this nation
chioness of Bezantur for the fire-fluid almost all of which comes from Thay. The
which powers the Thayvian bombards harbor and low-lying portions of the city
which guard the Dragonisle. Thay has not are protected from tidal waves and storm
yet recognized the threat to their monop- surges by a single huge seawall, set nearly
oly posed by the smoke powder of the three miles out into the Alamber. This wall
priests of Gond. When they discover the was built millennia ago during Mul-
situation, the pirates may have earned a horand’s years of greatness, and is now in
terrible enemy. sad need of repair.

Mulhorand Recent Pirate Activities

Mulhorand lies along the eastern coast of Despite the Thayvian near-monopoly on
the Alamber Sea. Its coast is lined with trade, some smuggling has begun, partic-
cliffs, spotted with high falls which dash ularly given the increased interest by
dramatically into the Alamber Sea. This Mulhorand in events outside their “para-
wall, combined with Mulhorandese isola- dise” land. Several smuggling rings have
tionism, has made Mulhorand one of the sprung up in Gheldaneth, Skuld, and
great mystery ports of the Inner Sea. Neldorild; the priests of Mulhorand have
either not discovered them yet, or are us-
Pirates and Mulhorandese Law ing them as an early foray into more open
contact with the outside world.
Only licensed merchants may enter Skuld
harbor; others are turned away. Piracy is Unther
illegal, but the traditional punishment
(death by being pressed between great Mulhorand’s traditional rival is Unther, a
stones) has not been inflicted in years. theocracy ruled by Gilgeam the Great, a
Mulhorand’s own ships never leave the manifestation of an extra-planar Power.
harbor, and Thayvian captains do not Although the nobility of this land has as
leave their vengeance to the priests of the much interest in the outside world as the
City of Eternity. priests of Mulhorand, they have allowed
trading companies to spring up along the
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses well-watered western shore of the Alam-
ber Sea.
Mulhorand’s single major port is Skuld,
said to be the oldest city in the Forgotten Pirates and Untherian Law
Realms. Were it not for the Road to the
Dawn, Skuld would be as isolated as the Piracy under the ancient law of Enlil was
rest of Mulhorand. However, this highway punishable by banishment, the accused
to Kara-Tur ends in this City of Shadows, being set adrift in a small boat with no
and Thayvian merchants carry the cara- food or water. However, since the rise of
vans from Skuld west to the remainder of Gilgeam and his priests, this has been re-

Nations of the Inner Sea • 45

placed by a more arbitrary response, rang- his shoddy port. All of these cities main-
ing from execution by torture to entertain- tain a small garrison, but nowhere can a
ment at the noble palace! real modern port defense be said to exist.
Smuggling is also common. Taxes and
duties are destined for the priests of Gil- Recent Pirate Activities
geam, but a high payment to the temple
can often be avoided by a smaller bribe to Piracy requires prey; Unther has declined
a lower functionary. Under the ancient law to the point where true piracy is barely
of Enlil, smugglers were enslaved to the worthwhile. Some raiding of coastal cities
state (presumably to pay their debts to so- continues, but the primary trade in this
ciety), but this result is more a matter of area travels between Mulhorand and
caprice than law in modern Unther. Thay, and it is this that the pirates pursue.
Since its recent destruction, the ruins of
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses Messemprar have become a pirate haven,
but the large Untheric military presence in
Unther’s navies were once the terror of the the city has kept it from becoming a major
southern Inner Sea, with nearly one hun- center for piracy.
dred warships (primarily biremes and tri-
remes). However, battles with the pirates Chessenta
over the last several years have destroyed
these vessels, most of which were poorly The city-states of Chessenta, which lie
crewed and captained. Unther’s “navy” along the Bay of Chessenta to the east of
now numbers but five ships, all of which Unther, house a people of passion, belying
may be found in the harbor at Unthalass. the dour nature of its stony coast. These
The priests of Gilgeam now scheme to warlike people, of all the traditional nations
recover the Galley of the Gods, a great of the Inner Sea, are perhaps spiritually
magical galley which can travel at closest to the pirates. They understand tak-
amazing speeds, fly, and even breathe fire ing what one needs, as opposed to asking
from its multiple-headed dragon prow. for it. They themselves are seafaring peo-
This galley was stolen in a daring raid by ple. They give no quarter, and ask for none.
the pirates of the Alamber Sea, and Un- Thus, pirate raiding against Chessenta is
ther is rebuilding its navy so that they less frequent, at least as far as the pirates of
may recover this most sacred artifact. the Pirate Isles are concerned. However, pi-
The ports of Unther have decayed to the racy within Chessenta is a problem all its
point of collapse. Messemprar rebelled two own. The Chessentan coastline has many
years ago (with some support provided by small harbors and quays where sea-going
the city of Mourktar and carried by the pi- vessels can come ashore, except within the
rates of the Inner Sea), and the army dev- Adder Swamp. Most are occupied, and
astated the city before ending the many have some form of fortification. Mer-
rebellion. Unthalass has been destroyed chant vessels carry cargo from city to city,
by flood, and the port district has only re- with travel on the Bay of Chessenta having
cently been repaired after a daring pirate replaced surface travel for all but the in-
attack. Shussel is perhaps the most dis- land cities.
tressing; the city has become nothing but
slums, and its ruler, Lord Ekur, has all but
given up on encouraging trade through

46 • Chapter 3
Pirates and Chessentan Law they do not often use sailing vessels, in
part because the Bay of Chessenta rarely
Piracy in Chessenta is punished harshly, has favorable winds, and often goes calm
primarily because most pirates in the area for days at a time.
are themselves Chessentan. Different cit- Soorenar and Mourktar use wizards
ies have different laws, but the death pen- rather than navies to guard their ports,
alty is common, as is confiscation of the with a swift fireball the usual response to a
vessel. Recognize, however, that many of raiding incursion. Luthcheq, on the other
these pirates are actually privateers, car- hand, executes any wizard who comes in-
rying letters of marque from their home to port, burning him at the stake.
city-state. Given the constant internecine
warfare within Chessenta, such men may Recent Pirate Activities
be “staunch allies” one day, and pirates
the next. Piracy is an integral part of Chessentan war-
According to the laws of Chessenta, any- fare, and warfare is an integral part of Ches-
one convicted of a capital crime has the sentan life. Thus, pirate incursions are
right to defend himself before a jury, constant, with the intent being more to dis-
which must render a unanimous verdict. rupt commerce and damage the enemy’s
Unfortunately, not all of the cities in Ches- ability to wage war rather than to steal trea-
senta follow this code. Sentencing in mad sure. One reason that the broad-sailing pi-
Luthcheq is decided by the whims of the rates of the Pirate Isles avoid Chessenta is
Karanoks (the ruling family of Luthcheq). the great odds that an outsider will be
Sentencing in the military dictatorship of caught between two warring factions.
Akanax is decided by a (biased) military
tribunal. However, in Reth, Airspur, Cim- Chondath
bar, Soorenar, Mordulkin, and Mourktar,
the law is applicable. The nation of Chondath lies along the
Smuggling is also a serious crime, al- southern shore of the Vilhon Reach. Chon-
though not a capital one. Most of the tax dath’s coast is low, with large estuaries at
revenue Chessentan cities gather comes the mouths of the River Arran and the Riv-
from export taxes. Convicted tax evaders er Nun. The shore has little in the way of
have their goods confiscated, and must protected harbors, and the waters are of-
pay a severe fine; repeat offenders may be ten shallow, limiting deep draft sea vessels
banished. to a few carefully selected harbors of Hlath
and Arrabar.
Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
Pirates and Chondathan Law
The Bay of Chessenta itself is guarded at
Watcher’s Cape. As with everything else in The kingdom of Chondath is essentially
Chessenta, the naval complement of the lawful, and abhors piracy. Pirates are pun-
cities varies wildly. Airspur, which recent- ished by flogging for the first offense, and
ly sustained heavy losses in war, has but a death for the second. Smuggling is un-
single customs vessel, while Cimbar, common, due to the lack of adequate
Chessenta’s “capital,” has nearly a dozen ports, but it is also not viewed as a serious
naval vessels and marines. Chessentan crime, with confiscation and a small fine
vessels tend to be biremes and triremes; being the only penalties.

Nations of the Inner Sea • 47

Naval Forces and Shore Defenses Pirates and Turmish law
Chondath’s ports are fairly well defended, The human law of Turmish was extracted
with some ballistae at Arrabar, and a cata- from the ancient code of Enlil, which was
pult and harbor chain at Hlath. The once used by the ancient empire of Ches-
smaller ports are not well defended, and senta. Under this law, piracy is considered
are occasionally raided. a severe crime. However, the loose nature
Chondath’s navy is small and thinly of the Turmish enforcement system makes
spread. Chondath is recovering from a terri- punishment unlikely. Similarly, officially
ble war with an evil mage named Yrkhetep. smuggling is a severe crime, but Turmish
The resulting casualties have devastated maintains no extensive customs patrols.
both the army and the navy, leaving Chon- Among the demi-humans, on the other
dath virtually defenseless. As the pirates hand, these things are taken very seri-
(and Chessenta) recognize this, Chondath ously. The gnomes will punish pirates and
may find itself fending off invasion. smugglers whenever they are found, and
will not always wait for the niceties of the
Recent Pirate Activities Turmish legal system. The goblinoids are
worse; if they aren’t getting a cut of the
In the wake of the war with Yrkhetep, pi- smuggling, they have been known to exe-
rate activity is on the rise. The military is cute “unauthorized” smugglers.
weak, but the nature of the war was such
that there was little economic cost, so the Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
cities of Chondath still have much to be
looted. Turmish maintains a “militia navy”: pri-
vately owned ships are commandeered on
Turmish an as-needed basis to prosecute piracy. As
a result, enforcement is poor and piratical
The nation of Turmish runs along the acts are often ignored.
northern shore of the Vilhon Reach, then Raiding, on the other hand, is not
northwestward to the city of Telpir. A viewed with as much languor. The people
mountainous region, Turmish lies along a of Turmish have something of a frontier
rocky coast along the Reach, which spirit, and a raider hitting a Turmish
softens somewhat north of Alaghon. Al- settlement quickly discovers that instead
though the Reach coastline is rocky, the of facing a lackluster militia, they are fac-
Reach itself is quite deep on the northern ing an armed populace with one united
side, allowing ships to come to shore al- thought: drive out the invader.
most anywhere along the coastline.
Turmish itself is a somewhat frag- Recent Pirate Activities
mented country politically. A rural area, it
has an extensive population of demi- Turmish also participated in the war
humans (particularly dwarves in the against Yrkhetep. However, since the na-
Orsraun mountains and gnomes in the tion is so spread out, the losses from that
lowlands) and goblinoids. war have had little effect in Turmish. In-
stead, the normally lax enforcement has
become even more so, with pirate raids
happening literally within sight of major

48 • Chapter 3
settlements without reprisal from the Teziir extends its influence throughout
Turmish government. the Lake of Dragons. However, as the only
traffic entering the lake is primarily going
Westgate and Teziir to Suzail, Teziir has also not involved itself
with the pirates much.
The cities of Westgate and Teziir lie on the
southern shore of the Lake of Dragons. Naval Forces and Shore Defenses
These two independent cities represent
opposite poles in their treatment of the pi- Westgate’s docks are open, but in time of
rates and in their handling of their own need mercenaries can be called to defend
ports. the shore. Westgate mounts no navy, as
Westgate has fulfilled the role of trading pursuit of pirates is rarely a problem for
link between the Inner Sea and the Sword them.
Coast for as long as humankind have been Teziir, on the other hand, does not even
in the Inner Sea area. Once a simple stop- have a wall around the city. The docks are
over and stockyard, Westgate has diversi- relatively defenseless, and the only thing
fied into shipyards, wagonmakers, and which has prevented their being raided so
other sideline industries. far is the generous protection of the Cor-
Teziir, on the other hand, is a small trad- myrean Freesails, who despise the wanton
ing town which is trying to replace evil of Westgate.
Westgate on the Inner Sea-Sword Coast
route. By providing caravans with earlier Recent Pirate Activities
embarkment onto the ships of the Inner
Sea, Teziir hopes to route more of the car- Westgate, as mentioned above, is a pirate
go through their own harbor. Unfortu- haven. As such, one of the benefits is that
nately, for nearly half the year the Neck it does not fear pirate raids. Teziir is de-
(the narrow portion of the mouth of the fended only by Cormyr, and is generally
Lake of Dragons) is frozen, preventing any held to be ripe for raiding. It is said that the
ship traffic from entering or leaving Teziir. Lords of Teziir are seeking to hire merce-
Thus, Westgate still remains preeminent naries to defend the city until the walls
in east-west shipping. can be erected, but without the trade that
Westgate is diverting, it is not clear how
Pirates and Teziirad/Westgate Law the Lords will pay.
Both Teziir and Westgate deal with pirates.
However, while Teziir sees these dealings
as a necessary evil, the Night Masks of
Westgate (who rule most of the underworld
of the town) revel in the slave trade and
contraband brought through their ports.
To be convicted of piracy in Westgate,
you must raid a ship in Westgate harbor.
The Lords of Westgate consider any other
area outside their jurisdiction. Thus, they
can deal with pirates without the legal en-
tanglements which would otherwise arise.

Nations of the Inner Sea • 49

In Which The Reader Finds A Geographic There is no one “pirate lord” who rules
and Socio-Political Description of Said all of the Pirate Isles. Even at the peak of
Isles Immurk’s power, some islands were not
controlled by the pirates, while others
Jomo Shanbaeren picks up a mug and held rebel pirates who sought freedom
absent-mindedly polishes it with a rag from Immurk’s control. Now, with Earth-
that’s not quite as greasy as the one spur itself divided, each of the islands con-
tucked into his belt. “After I was re- ceals its own independent inhabitants—
leased from the piratin’ life, I came here and its own secrets.
to Alaghon—fer some peace and quiet,
y’know. From that seventeenth sum- The Waterways
mer until my forty-fifth, I was shuffled
from ship to ship, always unwillingly, I The sea which surrounds the Pirate Isles is
promise, and from island to island there shallow, with many tidal islands (islands
in them Pirate Isles. I seen ‘em all, some which only poke out above the water dur-
more’n once. They’re all pretty much ing low tide) and reefs. The shallow sea is a
alike, ’cept fer who lives on ‘em haven for sea-life, making fishing in the is-
o’course. Set back in them chairs, now, lands easy and productive.
and hark ta my words. If yer planning The shallow sea also acts as a protective
on bein’ here for any time at all, ye’ll barrier for the pirates. It is difficult to sail
need ta know what I’m gone ter tell ya.” the waters around the Pirate Isles without
a pilot who knows the many hidden reefs
The Pirate Isles are fifteen islands (and and sandbars which dot this area, and it is
many smaller islets) which lie in the cen- suicide to sail here quickly without expert
tral Inner Sea, south of the Dragon Reach. guidance. Only in certain areas is any kind
These islands have been pirate havens of open-sea sailing possible.
since the days of Immurk, and much of The free-sailing waterways of the Pirate
the piracy which plagues the Inner Sea is Isles thus become highways, allowing
spawned in this region. swift travel between the islands for those
The islands themselves are rocky, re- who know the routes. Traveling off of
sembling craggy mountaintops poking these waterways greatly increases the
through the surface of the sea. There is chance of running aground.
some vegetation, particularly on the lower The largest area of free-sailing is the
shores, but the highest points of these is- Bowl, an area of relatively deep sea rough-
lands tend to be barren. ly bounded by Ming Isle, Bulta, Ilthan, and
The climate is semi-tropical, with hot the reefs southeast of Sumbar. The Bowl
and humid summers and temperate allows access to all of these islands, as well
winters. The winters also bring strong as Oresk and Paldir.
storms which form on the open waters of Adjacent to the Bowl is Wyrm Bay, a
the Inner Sea and smash against this ar- roughly circular area of open sea lying in-
chipelago almost continuously during the side the eastern curve of the Dragonisle.
winter months. These storms tend to Wyrm Bay is named for the dragon turtles
come from the southeast, and some be- that infest it (which also, incidentally, give
lieve that they are sent by powerful mages the Dragonisle its name). These huge un-
of Mulhorand to drive the pirates from the dersea creatures are extremely territorial,
Isles. and even though the water is clear within

50 • Chapter 4
the Bay, sailing here is treacherous. A These creatures travel throughout the
dragon turtle can capsize even the largest Pirate Isles, and lair in undersea caves on
vessel, and those who fall into its jaws are almost every island in the region. The loca-
doomed to a gruesome death. Fortunately, thah tribes and the pirates have an ar-
the area has enough dragon turtles that rangement, in which the locathah are paid
these creatures fight one another as often for steering pirate fishing fleets to the best
as they attack ships. Ships which make fishing waters, allowing these islands to
appropriate tribute, either in treasure or support many more people than would
meat, can usually pass safely. otherwise be possible. In addition, the pi-
The northeast edge of the Bowl marks rates do a considerable trade in locathah
one end of the Windrace, a strait running coral carvings, and nearly every pirate
from the Bowl to Alphar Isle and beyond. wears a ring or earring of locathah coral.
The Windrace is so named because it lies
along the lines of the prevailing winds, al- The Dragonisle
lowing swift travel from the Bowl to Al-
phar Isle. In the other direction, however,
travel is extremely slow, requiring tacking Jomo wipes his nose on the edge of his
back and forth across the strait in order to coatsleeve, and snuffles loudly. He spits
make headway. Disputes between cap- into a brass spittoon, and shouts “Aye!
tains are often settled by a race from Mirg A hit!” when the gobbet lands squarely
Isle, across the Bowl and up the Windrace in the urn. He’s obviously had years and
to Alphar harbor, with the winner gaining years of practice. Turning to your group,
victory in the challenge. It is said that just he changes countenance rapidly and
such a challenge cost the life of King snarls, “Teldar, that reprobate! He lives
Verovan of Westgate, who challenged the in Immurk’s Hold, named after the only
Red Wizards of Thay to a race from Alphar man ever worthy of the title Pirate Lord.
harbor around Mirg Isle and back again. Thinks that livin’ there makes him bet-
According to the legend, Verovan was win- tern’ the rest of them poor sea dogs
ning the challenge, but was betrayed by what works fer their livelihoods. What a
the Thayvian artifice of substituting his fop, always wearin’ them lacey cuffs
whip with one braided with cockatrice and fancy-schmancy turned-down
feathers, thus tricking Verovan into turn- boots. I dunno how he’s managed to
ing all of his oarsmen into stone. ‘ang on all these years, and not get him-
Two other straits bear mentioning. One, self killed by a challenger what’s
known as the Jaws, runs south of the younger’n more leaderly-like. Did I tell
Dragonisle beneath the high peak of yer about the time we took on him and
Earthspur, to the islands of Teltar and the Kissing Maiden? . . . ”
Sarr. The other, known as the Spoon, runs
along the southern edge of Alphar Isle to The Dragonisle is the largest of the Pirate
the eastern shore of Ilthan and then south Isles, haven to Immurk, and the home
into the Bowl. The Spoon is not as wide as base for any pirate lord (or aspirant to that
the Windrace, and it has a few sharp twists position). The island is also called Earth-
in it, so it is not as popular an accessway spur, although that name properly be-
into the central Pirate Isles. longs to the mountain on the southern end
All of these waters (except Wyrm Bay) of the island.
are inhabited by the nomadic locathah. The Earthspur is a huge spear of land

The Pirate Isles • 51

thrusting 8000’ above the sea. Above l ramships —light galleys crewed by ten
about 1000’, however, it is bare, wind- men (usually slaves or prisoners). These
swept rock, stripped clean by winter ships are little more than rams mount-
storms, with only lichen and an occasional ed on oared platforms; their mission is
nesting seabird living above. The moun- to ram enemy ships in the harbor. A loy-
tain shoots up from the southern end of al pirate is usually aboard, piloting the
the island, with the northwestern part of vessel and exhorting the oarsmen to the
the island forming a protected peninsula requisite speed. Although these ships
lying in the shadow of the huge peak. The are small, their low rams and high
Earthspur can be seen on a clear day from speed make them a threat to all but the
nearly 100 miles away, making it a land- largest ships. In desperate circumstanc-
mark for navigation throughout much of es, they are loaded with combustibles,
the central Inner Sea. driven swiftly toward a target ship, and
The lower portions of the Dragonisle are set aflame just before arrival.
more hospitable. The Dragonisle has three All of these defenses are coordinated
protected harbors, the largest of which (on from a large fortress set 80’ high in the cliff
the northwestern side of the island) can along the western side of the harbor en-
hold over one hundred ships. Moreover, the trance. This fortress is also the site of the
land on the western side slopes gently to Thayvian bombards, mystical devices
the foot of the Earthspur, providing over which fire a flaming projectile at enemy
seventy square miles of land within an ships. The fortress has four of these mon-
easy climb of the harbor. This main harbor sters, which may fire at any target in their
is the site of Immurk’s Hold, the main line between 120 yards and 480 yards
settlement on the Dragonisle. The harbor is away. Closer targets may not be struck, as
defended by several measures, including: the bombards cannot be lowered to aim at
l harbor chains —huge chains which can them, while the projectiles fall before
be raised from the bottom to block the reaching more distant targets. The bom-
harbor mouth. When raised, the harbor bards fire huge hollow stone balls filled
chains prevent any ship from entering with fluid purchased from the Red Wiz-
or leaving the harbor. The chains are ards of Thay that, placed in the bombard,
raised primarily to keep out attackers, ignites and carries the flaming stone ball
although in a few instances they have to its target. These bombards are wonders
been used to trap unwary captains in of the age, but are hampered by their size
the harbor during the periodic factional (each is larger than a manor-house in
wars which sweep Immurk’s Hold. Waterdeep), the required fluid (which the
l breakrocks —artificial reefs set in the Thayvians part with at a dear price), and
harbor at strategic points just below the their lack of accuracy.
waterline. Only an experienced pilot The other two harbors lie along the
who is familiar with the harbor at Im- southern and northeastern edge of the is-
murk’s Hold can hope to sail a vessel of land. Both are formed by natural crevices
any size through the harbor without in the Earthspur. The southern harbor can
running onto one of these reefs. Thus, hold nearly sixty ships, and is protected
any invader who breaches the harbor by a curving arm of the Earthspur which
chains must’ still find his way through forms a natural barrier. The narrow
the maze of underwater hazards before mouth of this harbor is guarded by a fort
he can come ashore. with another four Thayvian bombards,

52 • Chapter 4
harbor chains and other defenses, much law. Many of these are embodied in Im-
like the northern harbor. Trails connect murk’s Code, a code of conduct reputedly
this harbor to Immurk’s Hold, and the set down by Immurk himself. Although
overland journey can be made in less than various individuals vary in the exact
four hours. The southern harbor is thus a wording and intent of the code, the follow-
popular docking point for ships who have ing elements are common:
little or no cargo to unload. Despite the l The city of Immurk’s Hold shall be open

protection offered by the Earthspur, how- to all pirates, so long as they do not prey
ever, the winter storms push the waves on other pirates (this effectively bars the
through the entrance (which has no sea- privateers).
wall), driving ships trapped in this harbor l As a pirate’s life is governed by the will

onto the unforgiving cliffs of the Earth- of the gods, no god shall be barred and no
spur. This harbor is thus evacuated interference with worship shall be toler-
through much of the winter months, the ated (this has made Immurk’s Hold a ha-
ships scattering to other, smaller harbors ven for many sects—such as Loviatar and
throughout the Pirate Isles. Talona—which are not otherwise popular
The northeastern harbor lies within a with the pirates).
grotto of sea-caves which can hold nearly l In time of war or attack, everyone in the

a dozen ships. The sea-cave entrance is Hold must fight for its defense. Every man
open at all times, but at high tide and dur- must be trained to fight, and must main-
ing storms it is not possible to sail in and tain his own weapon (this has been ex-
out of the entrance. Also, the caves have tended to women and even children over
an evil reputation, with rumors of contact the years).
with various subterranean inhabitants, in- • When pirate captains fight, they must
cluding pathways to the Underdark itself! do so outside the Hold, as the Hold is more
Nevertheless, the twisting caverns are a important than any one captain (this was
favored hiding place for pirates who have originally intended to protect the Hold
made one too many enemies, and are also from intrigue and civil war, and is mostly
rumored to hold the hidden treasure of honored in the breach).
more than one pirate-living and dead. Immurk’s Hold supports nearly any
trade associated with the sea. There are
Immurk’s Hold shipwrights and a yard, with a dry dock
able to bear nearly any seagoing vessel.
Immurk’s Hold is the closest thing to a city Coopers (barrel-makers) and stevedores
anywhere in the Pirate Isles (at least above (cargo-handlers) repackage ill-gotten car-
the water). With a population numbering go and move it to more legitimately-
near 5,000, this pirate town is the worst flagged vessels for fencing in the other
den of iniquity on the Inner Sea (with the ports of the Inner Sea. Warehouses pro-
possible exception of Westgate). In a town vide temporary storage for the goods,
of criminals, power is law; edicts of pirate while moneychangers and usurers man-
captains are enforced by roving bands of age the huge sums which the pirate trade
pirates, who are often as much seeking the brings in.
pleasure of violence as to enforce any The city is currently divided into three
“laws” they happen to conceive. factions. Teldar of the Kissing Maiden is
Some traditions, however, are wide- ostensibly the most respected pirate. An
spread enough to have gained the force of older, capable veteran, Teldar lacks great

The Pirate Isles • 53

leadership ability. Were he a more dy- Isles with three ships almost a decade ago.
namic leader, or were he able to sway the Gasteban has also announced dreams of
pirates with the force of his personality, he unifying the pirates into an army, al-
would have been declared Pirate Lord a though his goal is more personal-he
decade ago. However, he is generally per- seeks reinstatement into his ancestral
ceived as too weak to hold such a post lands in Chessenta. His following is weak-
against all challengers. It is interesting to er than Vurgrom’s, but it is growing, par-
note, however, that several other aspi- ticularly since he gained the support of the
rants to that post have come and gone: well-known intriguer Crammar (who has
Teldar is still here. long been viewed as talented but too weak
One of those aspirants is Vurgrom “the to hold the lordship). Gasteban is more
Mighty,” a fat, brawling giant of a man politic (and, many say, wiser) than Vur-
who is said to hail from the Moonsea. Al- grom; conflict between Vurgrom and Gas-
though Vurgrom is large, his bulk belies teban is inevitable, as they both seek the
his grace and speed in a fight. He rose to same power base: Teldar appears to be
the captaincy after slaying his previous standing back and waiting for them to de-
captain (a not uncommon occurrence stroy one another.
among the pirates), and kept the post after
three successive challenges, all ending in Alphar Isle
the death of his opponent. Vurgrom has
been currying favor among the younger
pirates, many of whom have come to pi- “Aye, Immurk started at Alphar, but he
racy after losing their homes to the Time didn’t stay there long. Too easy for Pro-
of Troubles or the invasion of the Tuigan campur and Tsurlagol to strike at.
Horde. Vurgrom urges greater aggressive- Strange place, now, with that Selshin
ness, pointing out that the recent calami- fella in charge. They say he wants to go
ties have weakened even the most straight, to clean up the place and keep
powerful nations on the coasts of the Inner out the pirates! Think of that, in the Pi-
Sea, and the newer pirates, many of whom rate Isles! It’s a man’s right to pirate if'n
have personal grudges against their old he wants to, and a woman’s too I
rulers, are eagerly accepting his word. guess. . . ” His eyes mist over a bit, and
More experienced pirates remember the you’re quite sure he’s remembering the
reprisal fleets assembled by Cormyr and flame-haired vixen with the ruby at her
Sembia, and do not wish to suffer the con- throat. “Not that I’d ever’ve done it by
centrated attention of the wealthier and my own choice, y’know; I was forced, I
more powerful land nations again. They tell ya!”
also fear that Vurgrom, who has only been
with the pirates for eight years, may actu- According to pirate tradition, Alphar Isle
ally be in the employ of Zhentil Keep. The is the sight of Immurk’s first pirate hold.
pirates have served the masters of that The island boasts several harbors, each
place before, always to their own detri- capable of holding between ten and thirty
ment, and many distrust Vurgrom’s mo- ships, and still maintains a thriving settle-
tives now. ment of nearly 5,000 people at its largest
Another recent arrival in the Pirate Isles harbor (on the western coast) which is
who has gained much favor is Gasteban, a widely visited by the pirates, but as the
deposed Chessentan noble who fled to the number of pirates grew this harbor dimin-

54 • Chapter 4
ished in prominence as the Dragonisle be- Alphar maintains a militia and its har-
came the primary pirate hold. bor has some breakrocks, and it once had
Although Alphar Isle is nearly as large a harbor chain which has now decayed
as the Dragonisle, with more usable land away, but it does not support the kind of
area, it is in fact less desirable as a pirate defenses available at Immurk’s Hold. Be-
haven. It is within easy raiding distance cause of this, Alphar is much more sus-
from Procampur and Tsurlagol, so it suf- ceptible to direct attack, and it has been
fers from the occasional patrols of these sacked twice in the last fifty years by re-
city-states. Its harbor is less defensible, prisal fleets from the nations of the Inner
and cannot hold as many ships as the har- Sea. The people of Alphar view these at-
bors on the Dragonisle. Further, it is con- tacks philosophically; when invaders ar-
siderably farther from the profitable rive, they retreat to the wilderness areas of
trading lines with Thay, Mulhorand, and their island, returning when the invaders
Chessenta, while the Dragonisle is nearly have gone and rebuilding. Lesser invaders
as conveniently located to these as it is to (such as raiders) are treated much more
the northern tradelines. Thus, if Immurk harshly; the skeletons of the ships of those
did begin here, it is clear why he would who have fallen to Alphar’s militia lie
move to the Dragonisle. smashed along the breakrocks.
Today, Alphar Isle is still a haven for
those pirates who have angered one or Bulta
more of the powerful factions in Immurk’s
Hold. The “citizens” of Alphar Isle hold to
Immurk’s traditions as an open port, so “Ooh, that’s a weird ’un! Teeny efalants,
nearly anyone on the Inner Sea (except and teenier folk—not more’n a few inch-
privateers) is welcome in Alphar without es high! Teldar claimed to have caught
reprisal. However, the town will not toler- one once, and called her Tinklechime;
ate raiding from its harbor, as it is too close said she could glow in the dark, and told
to the vengeance of the northern nations him things. I always said he was a
to tolerate the reprisals. strange one. Anyhow, stay away from
Unlike Immurk’s Hold, the town has its Bulta; leave it for the harvesters.
own government separate from the pi- Nothin’ much ya kin do with a foot-high
rates, with Selshin Toshant, a forty-year- efalant, anyways. . . ”
old ex-pirate, currently holding the post of
Alphar’s leader. Selshin has made some ef- Bulta is a small island in the lee of the larg-
fort to “clean up” Alphar harbor, pushing er island of Oresk. Bulta is not inhabited by
to ban wanted pirates and to open more men, but its unique climate has given rise
active trade with Impiltur, Procampur, to a habitat for some of the most unusual
and Sembia. However, the nations of the creatures in the Realms: the minimals.
northern Inner Sea are not eager to build These half-sized breeds of otherwise
up ties to a port with such strong associa- normal animals were presumably created
tions with the pirates. Selshin’s efforts are by means of spells similar to those used to
also being resisted by the residents of Al- create giant reptiles, insects, and the like.
phar (whose pirate traditions run deep), Their environment, too, has been some-
and observers speculate that if Selshin how magically affected; trees and other
continues this tack, he will soon find him- plants are but half their normal height,
self removed from Alphar’s leadership. and the animals range over domains

The Pirate Isles • 55

which are similar in size and terrain— once much larger than it is now. It is possi-
once you consider their size difference. ble, therefore, that rather than simply pro-
The pirates of the region occasionally viding a preserve for these miniature
visit Bulta to “harvest” a sampling of the animals, some powerful enchantment was
local fauna. These are then brought to the used to reduce the entire island. Minimals
other pirate holds, where they have be- removed from the island do not return to
come quite common as domesticated ani- “normal” size, so this is more of a theoreti-
mals. Minimal bulls, elephants, and stags cal question than a practical one. How-
are particularly popular, although a varie- ever, an enchantment powerful enough to
ty of wildlife exists (including some mini- affect an entire island might also have
mal carnivores) on Bulta. powerful effects if dispelled; most pirates
There are persistent rumors of sightings visit Bulta only rarely, and try to disturb as
of tiny winged humanoids who live in the little as possible.
deep forests of Bulta. These creatures
seem in scale with the minimals. They Fang Rocks
have only been glimpsed, and none of
them have ever approached a human. A Jomo leans over the bar, his sour, stale
few search parties have been sent into the breath overpowering the mouth-
deep forest to locate these inhabitants, but watering aromas coming from the
the explorers either returned empty-hand- kitchen. “Keep away from ’em. They’re
ed or did not return at all. nothin’ but danger. Never mind the ru-
There are legends among the natives of mors about the entire Sembian fleet
the region that the island of Bulta was

56 • Chapter 4
 cident, and are reluctant to sail into its
what sank to the bottom of the sea waters. Second, the magical items which
there. Ain’t no treasure on this world the Sembians purchased from Aglarond
worth riskin’ yer life against Fang were never recovered, and are believed ly-
Rocks and man-eatin’ creeters. Unless, ing in the sunken ships which to this day
’course, the price is right. . . ” dot the bottom of the Fang Rocks region.
Several groups have tried to explore these
The Fang Rocks are a cluster of natural ships (using potions of water breathing),
reefs lying to the northwest of the Pirate but have been thwarted by the ixitxachitl
Isles, and are not themselves islands (ex- which inhabit the Fangs. These evil crea-
cept at very low tide). They cover a rough- tures have been known to devour divers,
ly circular area nearly ten miles in radius, tearing them apart in sacrifice to their evil
with several irregularly-spaced reefs, deities. These ixitxachitl are rumored to
some of which extend above the waterline, be ruled by a vampiric ixitxachitl of enor-
while others lie just below. However, they mous age and magical power, who views
are notable as a natural breakrock for the the Fang Rocks as his personal domain,
islands, lying on the primary route be- and who considers the Sembian magical
tween Sembia and the Pirate Isles, and for treasures as his by right, even though he
their part in the establishment of the leg- cannot use them, as he has no hands. The
end of Immurk “the Invincible.” exact nature of the magical treasures are
In 1180 DR, Sembia sent an enormous not known, but they are believed to in-
fleet of twenty warships into the Pirate clude a staff of swarming insects, a horn of
Isles to capture Immurk himself. These blasting, and a bowl of commanding water
warships were armed not only with ballis- elementals. This last may have been ap-
tae and catapults, but also with special propriated by the ixitxachitl ruler for his
magical devices purchased from the wiz- own use (as it requires only the speaking
ard-king of Aglarond to allow the warships of a command word to be used), represent-
an easy victory against Immurk’s ragtag ing further danger to those seeking the
fleet of pirates. This fleet swept forward at treasure.
flank speed, hoping to catch Immurk at
sea, as even then the harbor on the Drag- Hawk’s Isle
onisle was formidable.
The fleet never reached Immurk. They
had only limited intelligence about the lay “Beasts, that’s what lives there! Twisted
of the Pirate Isles, the area never having men, lookin’ nuthin’ like what men
been commercially viable, and made their oughta! And they fight like no men I ev-
course directly through the Fang Rocks. er seen before. Why, Teldar barely got
Twenty warships entered the Fangs; three out with his life! An’ me with my fingers
left, including the flagship, the admiral on crossed, too. . . ”
his deck weeping at the destruction of his
fleet before ever encountering the enemy. Hawk’s Isle is a pleasant, fruitful island
The remaining ships turned about and re- with nearly a dozen small harbors, each of
turned to Sembia, the fleet broken. which can hold no more than a half-dozen
This tale has some modern aspects. ships. The upper slopes of the island are
First of all, sailors of Sembia view the covered with forest, and birds and other
Pirate Isles as cursed as a result of this in- wildlife have been spotted.

The Pirate Isles • 57

 Hawk’s Isle is named for the pirate them. Eventually, the last of the pirates
Hawk, who sailed the Inner Sea during the died, leaving descendants who had lost
last days of Immurk’s reign. Hawk was a the knowledge of seamanship, and were
rebel against Immurk’s leadership, and left only with the vague descriptions of
refused to subject his piratical raids to the their forefathers.
restrictions or tithe of Immurk and his The descendants of the survivors of Im-
spymasters. He established Hawk’s Isle as murk’s assault have degenerated. The dis-
a competing pirate haven to Immurk’s ease which the priestess of Talona created
Hold, and for nearly a decade tried to draw has long since run its course, but the in-
dissatisfied captains from Immurk’s ban- habitants of Hawk’s Isle are so deformed
ner to his own. He was most successful and twisted that they have lost all real re-
with the orcs, goblins, and gnolls who had lationship to their ancestors, becoming
disliked Immurk’s reserved, slow ap- mongrelmen. They have lost sea-craft, ex-
proach to raiding, but many human cap- cept as applies to the canoes and other
tains and crews moved to follow him. small craft they use to attack passing
As might well be understood, Immurk ships. An alert sailing ship can manage to
could not let this continue. As Hawk’s evade them if the wind remains favorable,
power grew, Immurk became more and but in unfavorable winds the canoes can
more annoyed with the upstart. Hawk was swiftly bring a swarm of mongrelmen
using several of the harbors on Hawk’s boarders to all sides of the attacked vessel
Isle, making it difficult to mount an attack who quickly overwhelm even the most
which could bottle all of his ships in simul- valiant crews. Captives and provisions are
taneously, and a sea battle would cost Im- brought back to the island, from whence
murk too many of his own ships, but they are never heard from again; the ships
Immurk developed a plan which would al- are sometimes also taken, but are usually
low him to destroy the rebel pirate. set adrift to be carried off empty by sea
Immurk sent small boats into each of currents.
Hawk’s harbors with one job: sink the pi-
rate vessels. Before the pirates on Hawk’s Ilthan
Isle realized what had happened, all of
their ships had been holed and set afire, Ilthan is a commonly visited island, at
and the pirates were forced to flee to shore. least in part because of its strategic loca-
With all of Hawk’s men trapped ashore, tion at the join of the Windrace and the
Immurk completed the remainder of his Bowl. There are several harbors, each
plan. He had bribed a priestess of Talona, with a small community of pirates. Most
Lady of Poison, to create a vicious plague landings here tend to be temporary, pull-
among the pirates on Hawk’s Isle. This ing out during winter to return to the
plague killed over half of the pirates, and Dragonisle. The buildings are temporary,
few totally escaped its disfiguring, debili- as the winter storms often wash the settle-
tating scourge. ments away and they must be rebuilt in
Immurk then declared Hawk’s Isle to be the spring.
totally embargoed and quarantined, Most of the harbors are along the south-
threatening death to any who came to the ern edge of the island. The northern edge
island. The few survivors attempted to is inhabited by cyclopskin, who herd
build ships to replace their lost vessels, sheep and goats. The cyclopskin live in
but each time Immurk sent men in to bum caves on the high cliffs of the southern

58 • Chapter 4
shore. Some keep minotaur lizards as pets Where one group sees difficulty, another
and defenders, and there are rumors that sees opportunity. Kelthann has become a
the cyclopskin are subservient to a small common smuggler’s trading point, where
band of ettins. In any case, the few meager ships of one registry can exchange cargo
harbors on the northern shore have not with those of another without the watch-
made it worthwhile for the pirates to drive ful eye of one or another harbormaster.
these cruel but stupid creatures out. The island has several protected harbors,
Legend tells that the cyclopskin are ac- and the sea-traffic here during peak sea-
tually true giants, firbolgs, or other power- son sometimes rivals that at Westgate or
ful creatures cursed by Umberlee for their Procampur!
refusal to acknowledge her control of the Because of the possibility of raids, there
vicious winter storms. Some travelers to are no permanent settlements of smug-
the cyclopskin lands (always a dangerous glers on Kelthann. However, there are
undertaking) tell of a ruined stone city in some native fishermen, as well as a small
the northern highlands, proportioned for colony of halflings who reside on this is-
creatures larger than either humans or land. The Kelthanni are a taciturn and un-
cyclopskin. According to legend, the in- friendly people, and tolerate the.
habitants of this city once dominated the smugglers primarily for the gifts the
Inner Sea; there are even hints in the re- smugglers bring. They are followers of
cords of the Elven Court at Myth Drannor Grumbar, Boss of Earth, and claim that
that the “Great Ones of the Inner Sea” dis- their worship keeps Kelthann and the rest
appeared in a cataclysm not of their own of the Pirate Isles from sinking beneath
making. The truth of any of these rumors the waves. It is this rivalry between Grum-
lies within the enormous walls of the ru- bar and Umberlee, explain the Kelthanni,
ined city of Ilthan Isle. that brings the vicious storms every
winter, as Umberlee tries to wash the is-
Kelthann lands from “her” sea. The recent visit of
Umberlee during the Time of Troubles on-
ly strengthened their faith, as she attempt-
“A smuggler’s haven, it is. Nothin’ per- ed several times to wash the Kelthanni off
manent, you understand, but lots of their island and was unsuccessful.
business goes on there-more than in The Kelthanni reside in rough houses of
Waterdeep itself, I hear. Did I tell you unworked stone, which have been built
about the time Teldar tried goin’ there in for them by earth elementals. All villages,
disguise as a smuggler, and almost got and much of the rest of the island, are pro-
himself sworn to Grumbar in the deal? tected by high dikes and stone barriers to
No? Here, have another ale. It’s a grand keep the sea out. Each Kelthanni village is
tale, aye. . . ” led by a priest of Grumbar of at least 7th
level, who supervises the building of
Kelthann is one of the largest and most ex- homes and seawalls (through his ability to
posed islands within the archipelago summon an earth elemental), and who de-
known as the Pirate Islands. Gateway to cides all legal claims within the village.
Sembia, this island has not been popular The Kelthanni tolerate the smugglers
amongst the pirates, as its harbors are too because their activities are irrelevant to
easily raided by the fleets of the nations of the Kelthanni way of life. In payment for
the northern Inner Sea. the use of Kelthanni harbors, however, the

The Pirate Isles • 59

60 • Chapter 4
smugglers offer some of the earth’s bounty Lith
(generally gold or silver) to be placed on
the island to strengthen Grumbar’s hold. Lith, a tiny island east of Hawk’s Isle, has a
Additionally, the Kelthanni require that dangerous and evil reputation on the In-
any ship which uses Kelthanni harbors ner Sea. Boats which have landed on this
swear an oath to not bury anyone aboard island (there are no harbors for ships) ei-
at sea. The Kelthanni will accept the body ther return having found nothing, or nev-
of any being for burial in their catacombs, er return at all. As there are no harbors,
but they claim that burial at sea strength- and little enough land, the island has nev-
ens Umberlee. Violators of the oath are er been settled, but it still holds some fas-
told that the earth will reject their bodies, cination for the pirates, and many
and they will be forced to serve Umberlee adventurers have traveled to the island to
as zombie slaves for all eternity. It is a uncover its secret—never to return.
small enough thing to the smugglers that Lith’s secret is the origin of the mysteri-
the oath is rarely broken. ous other name for the Inner Sea: the Sea
The Kelthanni have some coastal sailing of Falling Stars. Sages of three centuries
vessels, but nothing capable of making it ago observed a cloud of swirling shooting
to the mainland. However, the smugglers stars high above the Inner Sea. One partic-
will often provide transportation for na- ularly bright star shot down from the sky
tives who wish to see the wider world. straight into the Inner Sea: this star was
bright enough to be seen and noted in
both Suzail and Skuld. The image was suf-
ficiently impressive that several sages

The Pirate Isles • 61

quested for the landing spot of the star; set in. If the neogi colony were contacted
none ever reported finding it, although by those who would exploit it, these vi-
many gave up after a time and a few were cious slavers could be spread across the
never seen again. The quests and the tales Forgotten Realms.
quickly brought the Sea its poetic name.
The truth is as insidious and horrible as Lurath
can be imagined. A battle between a neogi
broodship and a Shou Lung dragonship
eventually led to the destruction of the “I dunno which one’s worse, Bulta or
neogi ship. However, rather than simply Lurath. One’s got them teeny critters on
being destroyed in space, the ship crash- ’t, the other’s got—well, giants. Great
landed on the island of Lith, and its Great big lizards! Them elves what live there
Old Master (having only barely survived must be dotty, not to be fearin’ fer their
the crash) was able to crawl free just before lives every minnit. It just ain’t natural!”
hatching time. After the traditional canni-
balistic frenzy, the surviving neogi brood Lurath lies along the western edge of the
numbered five, and they quickly set to Windrace, across from Ilthan. Lurath is a
feasting on the animals on the tiny island. medium-sized island, about twenty square
Over the years, several generations of miles in area. However, unlike most of the
neogi have been born, each quickly islands in this region, it has very little low-
spreading across the tiny island. Usually, lands. Its shoreline is comprised of a great
the last meal of the Great Old Master are cliff which surrounds the island.
his sibling neogi, and thus each genera- The cliff is actually the outside edge of a
tion starts anew. There are no umber sealed circular valley. A few sailors have
hulks on the island, and the neogi seem been forced by shipwreck or have inten-
unable to swim, so for the moment the tionally managed to penetrate this valley
creatures are confined to Lith. They have wall, to find a tropical paradise populated
managed to survive their confinement, al- by happy, friendly elvish primitives.
though the pull of Toril’s gravity is se- Although the valley’s inhabitants are
verely damaging, forcing them to remain friendly, the region is not without risk. Not
dormant in the late spring, summer, and only are the humans in the valley from an
early fall, hiding in underground burrows. earlier time, but the creatures in the valley
Their natural ability to enslave umber are dinosaurs. The villagers live in cave-
hulks has extended to much of the re- cliffs above the jungle floor within the val-
maining animal life on the island, and the ley; below, gargantuan lizards battle for
neogi can send animals in battle against dominance of a small and fragile land.
those who land on their island. Adventurers entering the valley can dis-
Thus far, any visitors to Lith have be- cover the physical circumstances, but the
come food for the insatiable neogi colony, reason behind the existence of this valley
unless they arrived during one of the peri- is even more mysterious. The valley is not
odic dormant phases. However, it is possi- merely out of its own time; travel through
ble to communicate with the, neogi the labrynthine caves which riddle the
(although these creatures, being isolated cliffs transports the traveler back in time
from their society, do not speak common) to the days before men. Adventurers who
if they were met just at the end of their hi- try to leave the valley by any way other
bernation, before their ravening hunger than the caves (for example, by hitching a

62 • Chapter 4
ride on a pterosaurus) will discover that ner Sea would have no choice but to turn
they have left their own world completely their attentions to stamping piracy out
behind. again in the region.
The primitive world they are now in is As Xenz’s fame has grown, various oth-
ruled not by men or elves, but by dragons. er captains have gone to join him. His orig-
Escapees from the island of Lurath may inal force of but a few ships has grown to a
quickly find themselves facing Alhazma- fleet of nearly forty; it is said that only his
bad, the venerable copper dragon of the failure to occupy Immurk’s Hold keeps
mountain range which is (in the charac- Xenz from taking the crown as pirate lord.
ters’ time) the Pirate Isles. Alhazmabad is Despite the increase in size, there have
aware of the time-piercing portals in the been no defections. Captains who join
Lurath valley, but has no way to close with Xenz seem to fit perfectly into their
them and they are too narrow for him to new subordinate role, with no friction
penetrate. Should characters encounter with Xenz himself or the other captains (at
Alhazmabad, they may be able to pilfer least, not in public). Even some of the
some potent draconic magic from his smugglers have begun to join him, seeing
hoard—if they survive. an opportunity to make more profit by
moving more merchandise.
Mirg Isle While Xenz risks bringing another re-
prisal fleet on the islands, none of the oth-
Mirg Isle is the second strongest pirate er pirate captains has enough support to
hold in the Pirate Isles, with the Dragon- challenge the renegade. As discussed
isle itself the only one more powerful. It is above, none of the three contenders for the
ruled by the iron fist of Xenz, a pirate lord crown of “pirate lord” is able to command
who dares anything to achieve his aims, enough force to stop Xenz, and by temper-
and dares the Dragonisle to stop him. ament they are unlikely to cooperate un-
Xenz’s ship, the Beauty’s Eye, is a well- less the Dragonisle is in imminent danger.
known pirate vessel. Few survive from the The gossips of Immurk’s Band have be-
ships she captures, and his land raids are gun to whisper about Xenz. There is some
equally vicious; not only is the target vil- concern that his control may be magical;
lage sacked, but its entire populace is cap- two captains who were bitter enemies be-
tured and enslaved, turning the place into fore joining his band have become the best
a ghost town. The few who escape his of friends, to everyone’s mystification.
clutches seem to have their memories The fact that he never comes to the Drag-
wiped out, overwhelmed by the fear of onisle is also considered suspicious by
Xenz. Each of them describes the vicious many. Should he continue to increase ten-
pirate differently, and it is thought that he sion in the region, the Band itself (which
uses illusion magic to avoid being identi- owes no loyalty to any of the claimants, al-
fied. Nevertheless, his crews are always though it favors Gasteban) may have to
obedient; there are no ex-crewmen from act against Xenz: a task for which outsid-
the Beauty’s Eye. ers would be more than welcome.
Perhaps most serious, it is rumored that
Xenz is in league with Zhentil Keep, and
may be planning a coordinated attack
against the Dales or even Sembia. Should
such an event occur, the nations of the In-

The Pirate Isles • 63

Oresk he nor any captain of his would ever follow
a woman, and that for her impertinence
he’d have to kill her. Realizing that life in
“Aaah, Azla! What a woman! The only Immurk’s Hold was a dwindling proposi-
one who could ever make me forget that tion, Azla went to Oresk to reside with
flame-haired vixen”—you struggle to some other minor independent pirates.
keep from mouthing the words along Now, three years later, every pirate in
with Jomo, for fear of offending him— both harbors of Oresk follows Azla’s lead.
“with the ruby at her throat. And the She seems not only to have excellent con-
only woman who makes that pig Vur- tacts in the mercantile houses of Sembia
grom worry about his pride!” It’s clear and the shipping organizations of Cormyr
to all of you that this is one woman Jo- and Impiltur, she also has an excellent tac-
mo admires deeply, and not only for her tical sense, and a generous hand at distrib-
feminine pulchritude. uting taken wealth. Nearly forty ships
support Azla from Oresk, but her support
Oresk is the third of the great pirate hold- on the Dragonisle is still weak, primarily
ings. This one is ruled by Azla, a young due to Vurgrom’s influence. A showdown
woman who attained the captaincy after between these two aspirants is also brew-
her lover, the previous captain died. Azla ing; Vurgrom may well find himself
herself is a “witch of a fighter” but initially trapped between Azla and Gasteban.
was viewed with some hostility by the re-
maining pirate captains. Rather than Paldir
working within the system, supporting
one or another of the factional candidates
for “pirate lord,” Azla set out to establish “Sure, I know what carved them cliffs.
herself first as an independent. Now, after I’m the only one who knows that secret,
three years, some are even seeing her as a and I’ll not be tellin’ it while I’m alive.”
viable candidate for pirate lord. Jomo’s eyes shift from side to side, as if
Azla’s early raids were simple one-ship he were looking for spies from Procam-
affairs, as she was unable to secure the co- pur or Sembia. “Lots o’ folks wanna
operation of any of the other captains. know how them were made, but I’ll not
However, as she came back from cruise af- spill the beans! No, no, not Jomo Shan-
ter cruise laden with wealth, a few of the baeren! Now Teldar, he’ll tell ya he
hungriest captains approached her about knows, too, and he’d sell the informa-
some joint ventures—with themselves in tion to yer fer a bit o’ gold . . . the shift-
charge, of course. She declined, but of- less ingrate. . . ”
fered instead to cut them in on some prof-
itable treasure ships if they would aid her. The small island of Paldir is inhabited only
Two cruises later, she had six captains ea- by a small population of ex-pirates and for-
ger to sign up. tune seekers. Its shores are not adequately
Unfortunately, however, her new-found protected from storms, and the central
success attracted the attention of Vurgrom mountain is so large that there is not
the Mighty When word got out that she enough land area to support a large popu-
was looking for several ships for her next lation, so most of its inhabitants evacuate
cruise, and a few of Vurgrom’s captains to one of the larger islands each winter.
considered going, Vurgrom swore neither Paldir would thus be ignored in this text

64 • Chapter 4
and by the pirates were it not for the huge have, they are not telling), but if the leg-
stone reliefs which can be found in the end is true, it is only a matter of time until
cliffs leading to the summit of its central someone does.
mountain. These carvings, some of hu-
man-like figures, others merely of heads, Sarr
are as tall as 1000’, and from a distance
appear to be perfect representations of The tiny island of Sarr lies at the far south-
some kind of warrior culture. The reliefs ern edge of the Pirate Isles. This island,
seem to tell a story of conquest and victo- bare as it is to the ravages of prevailing
ry, or possibly describe the termination of storms, is ignored by most of the pirates,
a war. There are glyphs with each picture, except as a landmark and occasional fair-
but they have baffled scholars and resist- weather anchorage. However, the island
ed any attempt to magically read them. conceals a secret which has yet to be dis-
A closer look is even more bewildering. covered by the pirates.
Despite the great height and isolation of A lone ruined lighthouse stands at the
the carvings, there is no sign that foot- far eastern tip of Sarr. This lighthouse has
holds and handholds were carved into the collapsed long ago, its upper portion lying
rock. Thus, it is a mystery how such huge, in a heap of rubble half-sunk into the
complex carvings could have been cre- rocky surf at its base. The bottom of the
ated, even by a giant-sized race. Yosten of tower has sunk into the sand, so that the
Procampur, a sage who has studied the ground-level entrance to the tower is long
carvings, speculates that the carvers be- buried. Within the hollow base of the tow-
gan at the top, carving footholds into vir- er, the staircase which once led to the top
gin stone, then overcarving them with the of the tower has long ago fallen into decay.
actual features of the reliefs so that all At the interior of the base of the tower,
traces of the holds was destroyed. Asdezel, which can now only be reached by scaling
a sage of Aglarond, offers the explanation the exterior and climbing inside, there lies
that the carvings were done by a race of a trap door half-buried in sand blown in
creatures who could naturally fly, even from above. Below lies a magical artifact of
though the carvings do not depict anyone the god-kings of Mulhorand: the magical
with wings or who is apparently magically Beacon of Light which can shine across
flying. Ezdush, a sage who served Im- the sea for miles through clouds and rain,
murk, told his lord that the carvings were providing a clear signal to any ship regard-
done by magic in a single day. The truth or less of weather.
falsehood of any of these explanations can The Beacon, a golden cube with silver
only be conjectured. cylinders extending from the top at the
There are legends, however, which indi- four corners, can be activated by stating
cate that the carvings hold the key to a se- the command word, and with another
cret treasure, possibly placed by the Great word can be deactivated again. The Bea-
Ones of the Inner Sea (as they are referred con may only be activated for six hours
to in the records of Myth Drannor). For- each day, but that would provide assured
tune-seekers have studied the carvings, safety to any port in the Realms during the
and many have gone so far as to scale the worst of storms.
walls themselves, looking for some kind of Analyzing the Beacon (with identify or
secret entrance to a treasure trove. So far other magic) indicates evocation magic,
no one has found such a trove (or if they but nothing more. However, legend lore

The Pirate Isles • 65

reveals the purpose of the device and the would first appear, as the island is sur-
command words used to control it. Such a rounded by treacherous reefs which move
device would be valued in any port on the between visits so that no one has ever
Inner Sea. been able to plot a permanent safe course
What legend lore will not reveal, how- through them. Once ashore, the querent
ever, is that the device is sacred to the god- must make his way to the ridge from
kings of Mulhorand and the temple of which the oracle (which takes the form of a
Anhur. Adventurers locating the device large well) may be addressed.
who do not return it to the city of Skuld Before addressing the Oracle, it is cus-
will be pursued by agents of the temple of tomary to toss a valued item down the well
Anhur, which could include Chessentan as a sacrifice. The more valuable the item,
mercenaries or even the Statues That the more accurate and clear the reading,
Walk. Eventually, the quest for the Beacon according to legend; no one has ever con-
of Light should involve the adventurers in firmed or denied it. After the sacrifice, the
the power struggle between the temples of querent simply calls his question down in-
Anhur and Horus-Re in Mulhorand. to the well; a voice drifts up from below,
conveying the response.
Sumbar The Oracle tends to respond in riddles
and poetry which are not clear until after
the fact. It also tends to mislead, providing
“I visited that oracle once. Asked what answers with two possible interpretations
my life’s callin’ was. Got some mumbo- —at least initially.
jumbo about ‘man’s greatest failing’ For game purposes, treat the Oracle as a
and ‘weeping and wailing.’ It’s all hooey, contact other plane spell for an outer plane
if’n yer ask me, and I knows ya didn’t entity with an Intelligence of 20. If the Ora-
but I’m a’tellin’ ya anyways. Threw my cle does not know, it will give a misleading
best throwin’ dagger down that slimy or ambiguous answer. Only if the Knowl-
ol’ well, too, I did, and couldn’t get it edge and Veracity rolls are both made will
back neither.” He harrumphs disgust- the oracular prediction be at all clear.
edly, and lurches through the swinging The Chance of Insanity has a very special
doors into the kitchen. He returns, fol- meaning for this Oracle. Rather than giv-
lowing much banging and crashing, ing the chance that the character will go in-
with some dried venison and more ale. sane after the reading, instead it gives the
“Shoulda tossed ol’ Teldar in there— chance that the character himself will act
maybe then I’d ‘a got an answer!” as a result of the prophecy in precisely the
way to bring himself the greatest doom.
The island of Sumbar is the contact point The Oracle will word its prediction in such
for a powerful and mysterious oracle. This a fashion that the querent will respond
being, known as the Sumbar Oracle or the with an action which fulfills the most horri-
Oracle of Nasmen, will answer a single ble interpretation of the prophecy.
question for each querent who comes. Of- Regarding the sacrifice, any of the fol-
ten, the answer will be unclear, but no one lowing may be true at the GM’s discretion:
has ever found the Oracle to lie, once the l The sacrifice is irrelevant; the Oracle

prophecy was understood. will answer the question regardless of

To use the Oracle, one must first reach whether or not a sacrifice is made.
Sumbar. This is more difficult than it l The sacrifice is required, but its value is

66 • Chapter 4
 irrelevant; if the querent asks a ques- resting comfortably (with only occasional
tion without sacrificing something, turning over) for over 150 years.
even if it is a single copper piece, an imp Recently, however, the Cult of the Drag-
will fly up from the well to attack the on has discovered Eshcaz’s whereabouts,
querent. and is making an effort to waken the drag-
l As above, but the value of the sacrifice on. While they could do so simply by steal-
is significant. For each 1,000 gp value of ing some of his valued hoard, they want to
the sacrifice, the intelligence of the enti- talk to him afterwards (rather than being
ty is increased by one. Thus, a 2,000 gp immediately consumed in flames), and
sacrifice is treated as if the entity had an thus are trying to gently prod him awake
Intelligence of 22. without angering him. The recent distur-
bances on Tan island have been the drag-
Tan on shifting about, getting closer and closer
to awakening. Should the Cult manage to
The island of Tan sits on the eastern edge waken this creature, it could devastate
of the Pirate Isles, just beyond the isle of much of the eastern Inner Sea. Should the
Oresk. Tan, like many of the Pirate Isles, Cult turn such a fearsome beast into a dra-
has an evil reputation, but this one is more colich (a form of undead dragon), the
justified than most. Realms would suffer a devastating
The central mountain of the island ends scourge for hundreds (if not thousands) of
in a circular crater, from which smoke is- years.
sues regularly. Additionally, the ground
occasionally rumbles, and the few inhabit- Telfar
ants flee outside for their lives, as the
caves and houses which are built are
quickly shaken to the ground. Visitors are Jomo shudders and runs his hand over
reminded of the Firepeaks and Sentinel- the filthy kerchief covering his matted
spire in the southern portion of the hair. “That’s one o’ the most evil places I
Endless Waste of the Tuigan. know of, and I know quite a few. Full
Recently, the island’s sounds have been moons mean death to any in that har-
getting louder. The inhabitants (who are bor, I tell ya true, and don’t you go tryin’
primarily native fishermen) have consid- to disprove me. Even them what don’t
ered various rituals to quiet the mountain, believe in were-things stay away from
including reviving their custom of human Telfar when the moon rides high in the
sacrifice. However, they are loath to do sky.”
this unless they are sure it will help.
In fact, it won’t. The island is not a vol- Telfar is a smaller island in the southern
cano, despite the symptoms. Instead, it is portion of the Inner Sea. Telfar is the first
the home of a great wyrm, Eshcaz the Red, stopping place for many returning pirate
a dragon which has laired in this island for ships, as it carries an excellent natural har-
nearly 1,000 years. Eshcaz is nearly 350’ bor on its western shore with abundant
long from his nose to the tip of his tail, and food and water. Due to the ever-present
frighteningly powerful. His hoard includes storms, no one lives on the island, but
literally hundreds of thousands of gold otherwise the island is a lovely place to be.
pieces worth of treasure, as well as dozens However, pirate lore states that the is-
of magical items. Fortunately, he has been land is to be avoided on nights of the full

The Pirate Isles • 67

moon, as entire ships have been known to Stars, there to live out eternity.
disappear on such nights as the moon Ulgar remained undisturbed, trapped
passes overhead. Some explain the disap- within a sealed coffin for nearly two mil-
pearances by postulating that the island is lennia. Then, during Immurk’s time, a
inhabited by lycanthropes, whose bestial band of pirates who were searching for a
forms destroy all vestige of human life on new lair came across Ulgar’s coffin and
the island on the nights of the full moon. opened it. Starving for blood, he drained
Others postulate a huge sea-creature them all dry before his thirst was sated. He
sleeping at the bottom of the harbor; when then went out to the ship, but found that
the full moon rises, the creature surfaces, he did not have the knowledge of modern
attracted by the light, and destroys all it sailing craft, and so was still marooned.
finds there. Still others scoff at all explana- Other vessels visited the island, each
tions — but they do not disturb Telfar’s falling under Ulgar’s trap, until finally one
sanctity on those nights. of the ships managed to flee with someone
The truth is stranger than any of those. still alive to tell of what occurred. The is-
Although Telfar’s harbor is excellent, it is land was declared uninhabitable, and all
formed in such a fashion that tides in the on the Inner Sea were warned to avoid it.
harbor are extremely high. Nights of the Like many such items, however, there
full moon have the most severe tides here, are always those who would tempt fate.
so that the water literally rushes from the Supposedly, Ulgar possesses secret mag-
harbor in a whirlpool, sucking down ev- ics known only to the Chessentan Empire
eryone and everything in the harbor. Any which are otherwise unavailable. Several
ship afloat in the harbor is immediately expeditions to gather Ulgar’s secrets have
dragged to the bottom and pounded to landed on the island; most have failed.
fragments by the force of the whirlpool. So Ulgar now has over fifty vampire ser-
far, no one has witnessed this devastation; vants. Most of them are sealed in coffins of
any who did would be likely to believe the Ulgar’s making, waiting for victims to feed
great sea monster explanation, as tides upon, as even a vampire of Ulgar’s age
(except for their timing) are something of a cannot control fifty starving vampires.
mystery themselves to the sailors of the Those who did not become vampires have
Inner Sea. been raised as zombie servants, and these
patrol the island, bringing all intruders to
Ulgar Isle Ulgar so that he may feed.

Ulgar Isle, of all the islands in the Pirate

Isles, is truly haunted. The undead rule
this island, led by an ancient vampire
from the empire of Chessenta: Ulgar.
Ulgar the Undying was made vampire
during the height of the Chessentan Em-
pire nearly 2,000 years ago. After preying
upon that empire for over two centuries,
he was trapped. Although he could not be
destroyed (at least as far as the Chessen-
tans knew), they shipped him to this is-
land in the middle of the Sea of Fallen

68 • Chapter 4
In Which The Reader Meets Nine of the
Most Notorious Pirates of the Sea of Fallen
Stars

Teldar (Human Thief 14)

Str 11; Dex 17; Con 12; Int 17; Wis 16;
Cha 14
Armor Class: 2
Move: 12
Hit Points: 43
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon type
THAC0: 14
Alignment: NE
Thievish abilities: PP 70, OL 70, FT
80, MS 75, HS 60, DN 80, CW 80, RL 80
Weapon Proficiencies: Short sword,
Dagger, Light Crossbow, Two-weapon
Style Specialization, Ambidextrous
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Blind-
fighting, Direction Sense, Disguise, Local
History, Rope Use, Seamanship, Tumbling
Languages: Common, Elvish, Orcish pirates that few (save Vurgrom) consider
Magical Items: ring of spell turning, toppling him.
necklace of missiles, cloak of elvenkind, Teldar maintains a posture of quiet com-
serpentine owl, leather +2, potion of hu- petence. His own raids over the years have
man control, potion of levitation given him a record of success unequalled
Ship: Kissing Maiden (galleon) by any of his younger brethren. He has
Crew: 100 trained never formally sought the leadership of
Special Features: 1 small catapult, 2 Immurk’s Hold, but has always been will-
medium ballistae ing to offer counsel and assistance to those
Teldar is an older man, thin and tall, who live the pirate life.
with a thick streak of grey through his Although Teldar is not the best warrior
otherwise jet-black hair. He is clean-shav- on the Inner Sea, he has fought his share
en, and his face is wrinkled and brown of battles and has distinguished himself
from overexposure to sun and spray. It is well. In addition to his own prowess, how-
said that Teldar served as a lieutenant un- ever, he has accumulated a supply of mag-
der Laershala, the last of the pirate lords of ical items which has been the end of more
Earthspur. Teldar neither confirms nor de- than one upstart over the years. His last
nies this rumor. (“He did, I seen him.”— use of his necklace of missiles ended the
Jomo Shanbaeren) career of Cheves the Scourge, who had de-
Teldar is considered by many to effec- termined to kill Teldar to prove his worthi-
tively be the leader of the pirates. Al- ness to lead Immurk’s Hold. No one knows
though many do not follow his banner, he how many of the fiery gems he still has,
has held his place for so long among the but as he has rarely used this potent weap-

The Rogues' Gallery • 69

on, it is presumed he still has enough. and a thick, ill-kept beard. His strength is
Those who have watched Teldar the legendary among the pirates, and his
longest believe that he is the Lord of Im- fighting prowess is acknowledged by all
murk’s Hold. His protestations, they say, who ply the Inner Sea.
mask the reality of his rule. “What better Vurgrom commands a strong fellowship
way,” they ask, “to conceal the identity of among the young of the Pirate Isles.
the true ruler?” Those who speak thus Vurghom’s exploits have been somewhat
openly, however, tend to disappear. successful, but his ability to weave an ex-
citing tale in his booming, rough voice has
Vurgrom "the Mighty” expanded his reputation among those eas-
(Human Fighter 12) ily swayed by such rhetoric.
Vurgrom’s boasting would make him
Str 18/84; Dex 13; Con 17; Int 9; Wis 13; seem the best pirate since Vurgrom him-
Cha 13 self. Although perhaps he is not that capa-
Armor Class: 3 (ring mail +2, medium ble, he has still developed an excellent
shield +1) reputation for successful raiding and pi-
Move: 12 racy. Ports from Cormyr to Chessenta offer
Hit Points: 99 large rewards for him, dead or alive.
Number of Attacks: 3/2 rounds Many credit his success to his quiet ally,
Damage: By weapon type +4 (1d8 + 8 Zensil of Westgate. Zensil is an 9th level
with Battle Axe + 2) enchanter who has on occasion charmed
THAC0: 7 (9 with missile weapons and small schools of vicious sea-creatures to
shield punch, 4 with Battle Axe +2) aid Vurgrom in his raids. His attacking
Alignment: CE horde of men (on the four ships who follow
Weapon Proficiencies: Battle Axe him) is thus often assisted by crocodiles,
(specialized), Cleaving/Crushing Weap- giant crabs, or even (once) a giant sea
ons, Weapon and Shield Style Specializa- snake. While mostly these creatures have
tion, Crossbow, Dagger/Dirk little practical effect on the combat (as
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Blind- Zensil rarely challenges one of the true
fighting; Navigation; Rope Use; Seaman- horrors of the deep), the presence of such
ship; Swimming; Survival (Tropics) bizarre warriors both heartens Vurgrom’s
Special Abilities: Shield punch allies and terrifies his opponents. Because
Languages: Common, Pirate’s Argot of the temporary nature of the charm
Magical Items: Ring mail +2, shield monster spell, Zensil appears to locate his
+1, battle-axe +2, 5 + 1 crossbow bolts, “allies” just before a raid and release them
ring of truth, potion of extra-healing, po- soon afterward, to prevent these magical-
tion of speed ly-controlled creatures from someday
Ship: Maelstrom (caravel) turning on him.
Crew: 40 trained Vurgrom has pursued the leadership of
Special Features: The Maelstrom is Immurk’s Hold since his rise to captain’s
usually armed with two medium ballis- status upon the death of his former cap-
tae. Sometimes, however, when raiding, tain from a sudden separation of the two
one of the ballistae is replaced with a fire halves of his head. Several times Vur-
projector. grom’s captaincy has been challenged,
Vurgrom “the Mighty” is a fat, brawling but no one has yet bested him in the com-
giant of a man with tufts of wild red hair bination of hand-to-hand combat and

70 • Chapter 5
skulduggery which is the contest for the
mast.
Vurgrom has set his sights for most of
that time on Teldar of the Kissing Maiden
(see above), who is still considered the
strongest contender for Immurk’s Seat.
Teldar has avoided direct confrontation
within the Hold, and the Kissing Maiden is
too strong a vessel for even Vurgrom and
his four ships to take. Also, whenever Vur-
grom’s strength allows him to consider di-
rectly challenging Teldar, Vurgrom has
been suddenly and unexpectedly engaged
by a lesser contender. His most recent
clash was with Crammar, a soft-spoken
dispassionate “master of intrigue.” Vur-
grom’s ship met Crammar’s on the high
seas, and when the encounter was com-
plete Crammar’s ship followed Vurgrom.
Crammar has not been seen since.
Vurghom has recently come into posses-
sion of a ring of truth. He is aware of the
ring’s ability to detect lies, but wears it only
rarely, as he does not yet trust its magical Nonweapon Proficiencies: Animal
abilities. He has thus not yet discovered its Handling, Blind-fighting, Bowyer/Fletch-
effect on himself, though with his usual er, Heraldry, Navigation, Rope Use, Sea-
level of bluster it is likely he will do so soon, manship, Tracking
possibly in embarrassing circumstances. Languages: Common
Magical Items: scimitar +2, spear +2,
Azla (Half-elven Fighter 9) chain mail +3, 10 arrows +1
Ship: Black Champion (caravel)
Str 16; Dex 17; Con 16; Int 13; Wis 11; Crew: 25 average
Cha 14 Special Features: 1 medium ballista
Armor Class: -1 Azla is a very young woman to be a pi-
Move: 12 rate captain, having risen to the post (in
Hit Points: 94 the traditional fashion) before her thirtieth
Number of Attacks: 3/2 rounds (2/1 birthday. She is tall and slender, with silky
with scimitar; 3/1 with scimitar and dag- dark hair which is hacked off just below
ger, 2/1 with short bow) her shoulders. She only arrived on the In-
Damage: By weapon type +1 ner Sea five years ago, and immediately
THAC0: 12 (9 with own scimitar; 10 made her mark as an excellent fighter. She
with own spear) has been quite secretive about her origins,
Alignment: LN and rumor has it that she fled from the
Weapon Proficiencies: Scimitar (spe- Blades of Mulmaster.
cialization), Dagger/dirk, Two Weapon The facts are perhaps stranger yet. Azla
Style Specialization, Short bow, Spear was an officer in the Cormyrean army, a

The Rogues’ Gallery • 71

 base did not stop Azla from pursuing a po-
sition of leadership, all the while hoping
someone would defeat her and end her tor-
ment. After attaining her own captaincy,
she established her credentials in a series
of lightning raids against Sembian tar-
gets. She freely shared in her information
about Sembian cargo routes (although she
would never reveal her sources), and,
faced with the prospect that death would
not easily come to free her from her
shame, began the slow process of consoli-
dating her momentary popularity into a
permanent power base.
At that time, a series of events occurred
whose origins are still somewhat unclear.
In a series of apparently coincidental
clashes, Azla was cast in opposition to
Vurgrom “the Mighty.” Although initially
she thought the coincidences were Vur-
grom’s way of gaining justification for his
assault on her, it is generally held that the
two were pitted against one another by
member of one of the most prominent no- outside factions who saw Azla (whose
ble families of Cormyr, and part of the de- training as a leader and warrior prowess
ployment responsible for defending its had allowed her to rise so quickly) as dan-
northeastern quarter. It was from her fam- gerous to the established order.
ily that she received the magical weapons In any case, six months ago Azla found
and armor: family heirlooms which had herself in desperate need of another place
defended her ancestors for centuries. to be. Fleeing with only her own ship, she
Her force was attacked by a raiding party retreated to the safety of Alphar Isle,
from Zhentil Keep. Badly outnumbered, where she has been since. Here she bides
surprised, and far from reinforcements, her her time, making only occasional raids
command was decimated. Azla, in the face (and those far from the militia of Alphar
of certain death, ran. harbor) to maintain her crew’s morale.
She has never forgiven herself. Her fam- Some say her spirit is broken, and she will
ily and superiors in the military believe never try for the position of pirate lord
her slain in the attack, her body carried off again; others (including, it should be
by the Zhentarim raiders. She made her noted, those who know her best) say she is
way to the shore, determined to join the pi- only waiting until the right moment to
rates and somehow bring about her own strike.
death.
Instead, she thrived. Initially, she was
not generally acknowledged as a leader,
primarily because of her age and her lack
of a strong political base. That lack of a

72 • Chapter 5
Wessalen Arturia
(Human Paladin 9)
Str 16; Dex 13; Con 14; Int 13; Wis 15;
Cha I7
Armor Class: 2
Move: 12
Hit Points: 55
Number of Attacks: 3/2 rounds
Damage: By weapon type +1
THAC0: 12
Alignment: LG
Weapon Proficiencies: Long sword,
Javelin, Punching and Wrestling, Weapon
and Shield Style Specialization,
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient
History (Chessenta), Endurance, Eti-
quette, Healing, Running, Seamanship,
Weaponsmithing
Languages: Common, Untheric
Magical Items: Scale mail +2, shield
+1, long sword +1, 3 javelins of lightning,
potion of speed, potion of extra-healing,
glvoes of missile snaring on the Pirate Isles during the time of the
Ship: Argosy (Longship) last Chessentan Empire. Wessalen discov-
Crew: 70 crack ered records in his temple in Cinbar which
Special Features: None indicated that the artifact was crucial to
Wessalen Arturia is a Chessentan noble- the spread of the Chessentan Empire, and
man devoted to the service of Lathander, was lost during the collapse. However, the
the Morninglord. In Chessenta, Lathander records say little of the device or its ori-
represents the perfect athlete, and Wessa- gins, and thus Wessalen is not exactly
len is tall, lithe, and strong, with curly sure what he is looking for—he trusts the
blond hair and a well-muscled physique. Morninglord to tell him when he has suc-
Like many others in this temple, Wessa- ceeded. Currently, Wessalen is seeking the
len has sought to restore the land of Ches- artifact throughout the Pirate Isles, visit-
senta to its former glory, reuniting it into ing each island and searching for ruins of
an empire which would lead the Inner Sea ancient Chessentan settlements.
to a new period of unity and prosperity. While he has not sought violence, Wes-
Like many who seek such goals, Wessa- salen has also not explained his presence
len has not taken enough time to deter- in the region, much to the distress of the
mine the amount of suffering such a new inhabitants. Thus, he has had several vio-
empire would cause. He does not justify lent encounters, and has begun to ap-
this suffering in terms of the higher goals; proach ships with a more openly hostile (if
he simply hasn’t thought of it. still defensive) attitude.
Currently, Wessalen is seeking an an- If contacted in a friendly manner, Wes-
cient Chessentan artifact which was lost salen will be cordial, although he would

The Rogues’ Gallery • 73

 Alignment: NG
Weapon Proficiencies: Long sword,
long bow, spetum, Two-handed Weapon
Style Specialization, One-handed Weapon
Style Specialization,
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Animal
Lore, Animal Training (Seagulls), Direc-
tion Sense, Fishing, Rope Use, Seaman-
ship, Swimming, Weather Sense
Languages: Common
Magical Items: long sword +2, ring
mail +3, scroll of protection from magic,
potion of flying, potion of extra-healing,
potion of superheroism, potion of ESP
Ship: Gullswing (caravel)
Crew: 18 average
Special Features: 1 medium ballista,
gulls (see below)
Dalvar Corzon is an up-and-coming Cor-
myrean freesailor who has recently risen
to the captaincy of the Gullswing by order
of King Azoun of Cormyr. He is in his early
thirties, blond, slender and cleanshaven,
prefer not to discuss the nature of his with the firm physique of the professional
business. (He knows that some people warrior.
would value the artifact for personal Dalvar has spent much of the last few
profit, and does not wish to give away years working with the seagulls of the Cor-
some critical clue which would allow myrean coast, trying to train them to car-
someone less scrupulous to find the arti- ry messages like the carrier pigeons used
fact first.) During an evening’s conversa- near Waterdeep. While he has had only
tion, Wessalen is likely to offer a friendly minimal success, his combined tech-
contest of wrestling (a sport with a strong niques of careful training and repeating
following in Chessenta). If attacked in messages on multiple birds have been
earnest, he will not hesitate to defend able to deliver some messages, a few of
himself. which were particularly critical to Cor-
myr’s success during the recent Time of
Dalvar Corzon (Human Ranger 7) Troubles and the Horde War.
Dalvar’s devotion to the land has made
Str 14; Dex 15; Con 15; Int 12; Wis 14; him a strong force against the depreda-
Cha 16 tions of pirates in Cormyrean waters. He
Armor Class: 4 has developed an uncanny sense of their
Move: 12 activities, and is developing a reputation
Hit Points: 43 among the pirates as a skilled and uncom-
Number of Attacks: 3/2 rounds promising opponent.
Damage: As weapon type The priests of Mielikki have told Dalvar
THAC0: 14 that his exploits defending Cormyr’s

74 • Chapter 5
 Damage: 3-12 or 1-2 and by weapon
type
THAC0: 11
Alignment: CE
Hit only by silver, cold iron, or +1 or bet-
ter magical weapons
Ship: Umberlee’s Get (caravel)
Crew: 19 average (seawolves; see “Ly-
canthrope, Seawolf” in the Monstrous
Compendium)
Special Features: Two arbalests
Jezgar Skentzin was one of the fiercest
pirate captains to ever sail the Inner Sea.
He was a man unfrightened by force, and
his raids were well known for the high
death toll both among his victims and his
own crew. Over time, only those pirates
with an unquenchable taste for blood and
a death wish joined his crew.
Jezgar’s exploits include many tales
told among the pirates, but his most im-
portant is a complete secret. On one voy-
age, he took on a shipwreck victim he
coastal lands have come to the attention of found floating at sea. The victim turned
the goddess herself, and if he stays his out to be a seawolf. Jezgar slew the crea-
course he will soon be granted the right to ture, but not before it had infected him
cast Mielikki’s own magics as the priests and his crew.
do. This pressure to succeed in Mielikki’s The extent of Jezgar’s evil was so great
eyes, combined with his recent recogni- that he became one of the dreaded greater
tion by King Azoun, has made Dalvar a bit seawolves. He and his crew plied the
too ready to do battle. He has never yet sealanes as reavers, now truly seeking
suffered a serious defeat, but he increas- blood rather than booty.
ingly risks tougher and tougher foes, Despite the occasional rumors of a
counting on the beneficence of Mielikki to seawolf-pirate, Jezgar has cleverly hidden
protect him. Some in Suzail feel that the his affliction. He and his men are occasion-
young captain needs to be taken down a al visitors to Immurk’s Hold or Alphar
peg-for his own good. Port, although they are always gone again
before nightfall. By day, they sail as pi-
Jezgar Skentzin rates. At night, they swim the seas, feed-
ing. If their numbers are depleted in
(Greater Seawolf) battle, they add to their crew in the tradi-
Armor Class: 5 tional fashion—they bite their victims to
Move: 9, SW 27 make new seawolves.
Hit Points: 56
Number of Attacks: 1 or 2

76 • Chapter 5
Quelzur Naismen
(Human Mage 11)
Str 9; Dex 14; Con 12; Int 16; Wis 8; Cha
11
Armor Class: 3
Move: 12
Hit Points: 26
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage: By weapon type
THAC0: 17
Alignment: LE
Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, Dart,
Staff
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient
History (Mulhorand/Thay), Astrology, Eti-
quette, Gem Cutting, Heraldry, Navigation,
Reading/Writing, Spellcraft, Swimming
Languages: Common, Old Mulhoran-
dic
Magical Items: censer of summoning
air elementals, bracers of defense AC 4,
potion of healing, potion of fire resistance,
scroll of protection from mammal control, mage, Quelzur displeased the powerful
ring of protection +1, scroll of Mordenkai- Zulkir Szass Tam, and decided that volun-
nen‘s Lucubration, Mordenkainen’s Mag- tary exile was preferable to eternal servi-
nificent Mansion, and Incendiary Cloud tude as a zombie under the Zulkir of
Ship: Wind’s Despair (caravel) Necromancy.
Crew: 17 average Being a Red Wizard, Quelzur had fewer
Special Features: Commonly pro- friends outside Thay than he had inside.
pelled by an air elemental (see below); two Quelzur also felt, having been raised in
medium ballistae Thayvian society, that as a wizard he was
Quelzur Naismen began his career as inherently superior to any mundane non-
one of the infamous Red Wizards of Thay. Thayvian. Thus, though he easily bested
While he showed considerable prowess in his first “captain” (a single lightning bolt
his early years, he failed to develop the ap- burned the man where he stood), he has
propriately humble demeanor before his had difficulty inspiring loyalty in his crew.
superiors in the Thayvian hierarchy, and He constantly acts superior to them, lord-
quickly gained a reputation as a malcon- ing over them like a minor godling.
tent and a troublemaker (not an entirely Quelzur would long ago have died in his
bad thing in Thay). sleep at the hands of his crew were it not
Unfortunately, despite his magical com- for a valuable item he “acquired” on his
petence, Quelzur was no better at fending way out of Thay. This item, a censer for
off the backstabbing politics of Thay as he summoning air elementals, has given
was at making friends. By the time he was Quelzur the most maneuverable vessel on
thirty, although already an accomplished the Inner Sea. Whenever his ship enters

The Rogues’ Gallery • 77

 lins (see below)
Ship: Ship (Longship)
Crew: 70 green (goblins)
Special Features: None
Huzza is a hill giant. He was living near
the Earthspur Mountains at the end of the
Dragon Reach in a small valley he had
learned to call home. There was plenty of
food, and Huzza had even found a tribe of
goblins to help guard Huzza’s valley and
bring Huzza food. Life was good.
One day, some humans came in a long
ship and landed on the coast near Huzza’s
valley. Huzza’s goblins came to Huzza and
told him, so Huzza went down to see what
they wanted.
The humans weren’t very nice. When
they saw Huzza, they made loud scream-
ing noises. They threw sharp things at
Huzza. Huzza got mad. Huzza ate them.
After dinner, Huzza went into the ship
the humans had come in. It was big
enough for Huzza to ride in, and needed
battle, Quelzur uses the device to summon lots of little people to move it. Huzza didn’t
an air elemental who is devoted to provid- worry about it; he just went home.
ing the Wind’s Despair with a full sail and The next day, Huzza went back to the
the wind at their backs-whatever way valley, just to make sure he’d eaten all the
they decide to travel. (In game terms, the humans. Huzza looked at the ship again.
Despair is always considered to be travel- The goblins would probably fit where the
ing with the wind in a strong favorable humans used to go; Huzza could ride in
wind. See the Combat chapter for details.) the back.
Quelzur still wears the bright red robes Huzza looked in the back of the ship.
of his Thayvian heritage, and maintains The humans had had gold. There must be
the shaved head and beard so characteris- gold in the sea. Huzza liked gold. Huzza
tic of the Red Wizards. decided to go get more gold.
Huzza is now one of the strangest ship
Huzza (Hill Giant) captains on the Inner Sea. Huzza and his
crew of goblins raid other ships they come
Armor Class: 3 upon, but they have essentially no plan-
Move: 12 ning, no idea about where to find ships,
Hit Points: 66 and the goblins really cannot row as fast
Number of Attacks: 1 as humans (cut the ship’s movement rates
Damage: 1-6 or by weapon (2-12 +7) in half).
THAC0: 9 Huzza has found a way to make ships
Alignment: Chaotic evil stop, however. Whenever he sees a ship he
Hurls rocks for 2d8 damage; hurls gob- wants to visit, he throws goblins at it. (For

78 • Chapter 5
game purposes, he can throw a goblin as far
as he can throw a rock—up to 200 yards.)
Sometimes the goblins miss; then they
drown. Sometimes they hit; then they get
into the ship’s riggings and cut them, so the
other ship slows down. When he catches
the ship, they usually have lots of food
aboard (some of which is even still alive!).
Unfortunately, this technique is hard on
the goblin supply. Huzza has convinced a
few other tribes of goblins to join him, but
they have also slowly succumbed to Huz-
za’s unusual attack methods. The goblins
aren’t too happy with Huzza, but they
don’t know what to do about him. If they
attack him, he’ll just eat them; he won’t
let them leave.

Urdogen “the Red” (Spectre)

Armor Class: 2
Move: 15, Fl 30 (B)
Hit Points: 59
Number of Attacks: 1 As he fled, a strange mist arose around
Damage: 1-8 + Energy Drain him and his ship. When the mist disap-
THAC0: 13 peared, he found himself in the dimension
Alignment: Lawful Evil known as Ravenloft. Under the evil influ-
Ship: Raging Tears (spectral caravel) ences there he quickly became a spectre,
Crew: 40 crack (spectres) converting all within his crew to the unlife
Special Features: Can fly, moves as if which drove him.
strong favorable winds regardless of true Urdogen spends most of his time there,
wind direction terrorizing the inhabitants and acting as
Urdogen “the Red” was a hot-blooded one of Ravenloft’s least powerful lords.
pirate, successor to Immurk and scourge However, his oath of vengeance brings
of the Inner Sea. His raids against the na- him back on moonless nights when the fog
tions of the Inner Sea brought the most is high, to pursue all the ships he finds on
powerful of the rising Inner Sea kingdoms the Inner Sea. Each time he comes, he is
—Cormyr, Sembia, Impiltur, and the drawn back by the power of Ravenloft be-
Vilhon Reach—to a united assault against fore the dawn, but while he sails the Inner
him and the Dragonisle. Sea no living man is safe.
Urdogen fought for a week, slaughtering
ships and men wherever he, went. When
the forces against him were too great, he
fled, raging against the gods themselves
and swearing eternal vengeance against
his one-time victims.

The Rogues’ Gallery • 79

In Which Is Presented a Gallery of Galleys cal to travel any direction except where
and Galleons Common to the Sea of Fallen the wind was blowing. To overcome these
Stars problems, many ships were built which
carried both sails (for normal operation)
The ships of the Inner Sea include all and oars (to provide movement in case the
types of vessels from the ancient-style gal- ship became becalmed). As sails became
leys of Mulhorand and Chessenta to the more controllable, and as seamen learned
late Renaissance galleons of Cormyr and more about sailing, the use of sails over-
Sembia. With such a variety of vessels on whelmed the use of oared vessels on most
the water, it is important to understand oceanic ships.
the basic principles of how ships work and An alternative type of vessel which ex-
move in order to understand how and why ists on the Inner Sea and the other seas of
different types of vessels are chosen. the Forgotten Realms is the towed vessel.
The oldest type of vessel is the galley, or Rather than having sails, such vessels use
oared ship. Galleys move by rowing, push- either swimming or flying creatures out-
ing their oars through the water, and have side the ship to provide the motive power.
no sails. Galleys move in any direction at While even the flying creatures are not
essentially the same speed; it does not de- strong enough to actually lift the ship,
pend on the wind (or lack thereof) to make they can provide reasonable motive
it go. Second, an oared vessel is more ma- power. For a more extensive discussion of
neuverable, and is able to turn more towed ships, see the section below.
quickly.
However, galleys have problems as well. Ship Architecture
First of all, in order to move a ship of any
size, you must have a large number of Ships have a number of attributes and sta-
rowers. These rowers take up space, and tistics that describe their performance and
(more importantly) food and water for capabilities. Below is a short overview of
such a large crew also takes up space. common terms.
Thus, either the galley must remain close A ship’s base movement is the average
to shore, so that it can be frequently resup- speed of the vessel in miles per hour under
plied, or it must devote a large amount of a light breeze (for sailing ships) or under
its cargo space to food and water, making favorable conditions (for oared ships).
it less efficient at carrying cargo. Where two numbers are separated by a
Also, an oared vessel requires either a slash, the first is the speed under sail and
larger loyal crew (who must all be paid with the second is the rowing speed. Base
a share of the profits of the voyage) or a movement can be converted into move-
slave crew (whose rebelliousness at an in- ment in yards per round by multiplying
opportune moment may lead to disaster). by 30. Thus a caravel, which has a base
For these reasons, other seamen experi- movement rate of 4, moves at a base speed
mented with the use of sails, large cloths of 120 yards per round, or a character
which could push the ship ahead of the movement rate of 12.
wind. A sailing ship needs a small crew, Emergency move is the top speed of
and can go somewhat faster than an oared the vessel in emergency or combat condi-
vessel in a strong wind. However, in poor tions. For sailing ships, emergency speed
winds, the ship is slow and difficult to ma- is gained by putting on every yard of sail
neuver, and in any case it was not practi- possible. Galleys and other oared ships re-

80 • Chapter 6
ly on the strength of their rowers. This would normally be used for cargo is in-
speed can only be maintained for a short stead used to provide space for large weap-
period of time; too long and rowers will ons and their ammunition). This initial
collapse, and masts, yards, and sails will armament number reflects the number of
break. armaments that can be built directly into
Each ship has at least two crew num- the ship. Further additions can be made
bers. The first is the number of individ- with each weapon eating up ten tons of
uals needed to run the ship under normal cargo space. Additional armament cannot
circumstances. The last is the maximum exceed one-quarter of the ship’s total car-
number of individuals that the ship can go capacity. This limitation allows some
carry and remain seaworthy. room for the crew’s needs and ensures
The middle number, if present, indi- that the ship does not become topheavy
cates the number of individuals required and capsize.
to operate the oars. If the vessel is not car- Armament falls into an number of cate-
rying that many individuals, it is limited gories:
to sail motion only. Catapult: blunt stone thrower
Seaworthiness rates the vessel’s abili- Ballista: extremely large
ty to remain afloat in dangerous situa- crossbow
tions, notably storms, hidden shoals, Ram: punches holes in ships
extended voyages, huge monster attacks, Bombard: cannon; very rare,
and rams. Seaworthiness is rated as a per- expensive, and
centage value. Anytime there is a chance dangerous to use
of sinking, the DM rolls percentile dice. If Fire Projector: shoots liquid flame
the roll is equal to or less than the seawor- Further information about each of these
thiness rating of the ship, it remains weapons is given under the individual en-
afloat, although bailing or repairs may be tries.
necessary. If the roll is higher than the sea- Cargo space is the amount of stuff the
worthiness rating, the ship suffers critical ship can contain. The remaining interior
damage. space is needed for crew, armament, and
In addition to seaworthiness, there are other necessities. For each large weapon
many attacks that can force a ship to added to a ship over and above its stand-
make a saving throw (such as a disinte- ard ordnance, ten tons are subtracted
grate spell cast on the bow) which will from the total amount available for cargo
cause the ship to save or be damaged or (the weapons and ammunition occupy
destroyed. In general, use the Item Saving that space).
Throw chart (on page 39 of the DMG) for Keel length (KL) is the long dimension
determining effects. Most ships are “Thick of the ship, usually but not always mea-
Wood” for general saves. sured along the ship’s keel.
Power type defines the type of motive Beam length (BL) is the width of the
force that causes the ship to move through ship, measured at the ship’s widest point
the water. but not counting any oars or yardarms
Armament varies from ship to ship. In that may widen the ship without effective-
a typical ship description, the standard ar- ly contributing to its tonnage.
mament (SA) is provided. Additional ar- Armor rating (AR) for a ship is similar
mament may be provided, though this to the Armor Class of a character. Armor
cuts down on cargo space (the room that reflects the difficulty that an attacker has

Ships of the Inner Sea • 81

in causing significant damage to the ship Armor Rating: 9
because of its construction. In general, Seaworthiness: 70%
small, light ships have poor ARs while Saving Throw: Thick wood
large, heavier-built ships have excellent Power Type: Sail
ARs, trading speed for protection. Cargo Tonnage: 180 tons
Keel Length: 70 feet
Ships Beam Length: 20 feet
Standard Armament: 1 large weapon
The majority of the ships of the Inner Sea Ram: Not allowed
are based on a small set of standard hulls The caravel is used by the nations of
which are used and reused. These hulls Cormyr, Sembia, and Impiltur extensive-
represent the foundation on which the ly, and is somewhat less common in Turm-
custom portions of the ship are built. The ish and Chondath. It normally has two
following section describes of the standard masts and square sails; no oars are used.
hulls of the Inner Sea; DMs are encour- The normal crew is from 30 to 40 men.
aged to construct their own hull designs
using these as examples. Coaster
Cost: 5,000 gp
Caravel Base Movement: 3
Cost: 10,000 gp Emergency Move: 4
Base Movement: 4 Crew: 12/40
Emergency Move: 5 Armor Rating: 9
Crew: 15/50 Seaworthiness: 50%

82 • Chapter 6
Saving Throw: Thick wood Seaworthiness: 55%
Power Type: Sail Saving Throw: Leather
Cargo Tonnage: 100 tons Power Type: Sail and Oars
Keel Length: 60 feet Cargo Tonnage: 5 tons
Beam Length: 20 feet Keel Length: 20 feet
Standard Armament: 1 large weapon Beam Length: 8 feet
Ram: Not allowed Standard Armament: None
Also called a round ship, this is a small Ram: Not allowed
merchant ship that hugs the coast. This The currach is an early, primitive vessel
sailing ship is fitted with two masts and made from thick hides stretched over a
triangular sails, with the rudder hanging wood and wicker frame. It is used by the
from one side. Normally there is only a people of Aglarond and Turmish for local
small sterncastle. A coaster is slow and fishing.
not tremendously seaworthy, but it can
carry large amounts of cargo with a Drakkar
smaller crew than a galley’s. Cost: 25,000 gp
Coasters are common in Turmish, Chon- Base Movement: 2/4
dath, Chessenta, and Aglarond. Emergency Move: 3/12
Crew: 20/60/250
Cog Armor Rating: 7
Cost: 10,000 gp Seaworthiness: 50%
Base Movement: 3 Saving Throw: Thick wood
Emergency Move: 4 Power Type: Sail and oars
Crew: 10/25 Cargo Tonnage: 40 tons
Armor Rating: 9 Keel Length: 100 feet
Seaworthiness: 65% Beam Length: 20 feet
Saving Throw: Thick wood Standard Armament: 1 large weapon
Power Type: Sail Ram: None
Cargo Tonnage: 180 tons The largest of the Northmen’s longships
Keel Length: 85 feet is known as a drakkar or dragonship. Al-
Beam Length: 20 feet though a single mast can be raised, oars
Standard Armament: 1 large weapon provide the main source of power. The
Ram: None minimal crew rows, while the remainder
The cog is a larger, improved version of are carried for boarding and raiding.
the coaster, able to make ventures into the Due to its great size, the drakkar is not
open sea. Like the coaster, it is a sailing very seaworthy. This combined with the
ship with two masts, but the cog employs fact that there is no space on board for
square sails. There is normally one deck many supplies (certainly not enough for
and fore- and sterncastles. 240 men) or sleeping quarters keep the
drakkar close to the coast where it can put
Currach in for the night. Because of its cost and
Cost: 500 gp limited use, the drakkar is not a common
Base Movement: 2/3 vessel on the Inner Sea.
Emergency Move: 3/10
Crew: 2/4/10
Armor Rating: 10

Ships of the Inner Sea • 83

Dromond ping and war. (The above configuration is
Cost: 15,000 gp the war configuration.) As a warship, a
Base Movement: 2/9 ram projects from the front just above the
Emergency Move: 3/12 water line. Castles are built fore, aft, and
Crew: 200/400 amidships as firing platforms. The cargo
Armor Rating: 9 space is occupied by marines. With such
Seaworthiness: 40% numbers of men, it is a very dangerous
Saving Throw: Thin wood ship to attack.
Power Type: Sail and Oars A dromond is not a seaworthy craft,
Cargo Tonnage: 90 tons however, and usually sails in sight of
Keel Length: 175 feet shore. They beach at night like all galleys,
Beam Length: 15 feet since supplies and sleeping accommoda-
Standard Armament: 3 large weapons tions are limited.
Ram: Allowed Dromonds are commonly from
This ship is the largest of the Chessen- Mulhorand or Chessenta; both these na-
tan galleys. Although it boasts one or two tions have a long tradition of sea-battles
masts and triangular sails, the main with these mighty galleys.
power comes from the 100 oars, 50 to a
side. These oars are divided into an upper Galleon
and lower bank, with one man per oar on Cost: 50,000 gp
the lower bank, and three men per oar on Base Movement: 3
the upper bank. Emergency Move: 6
A dromond can be used for both ship-

84 • Chapter 6
Armor Rating: 7 Knarr
Seaworthiness: 75% Cost: 3,000 gp
Saving Throw: Thick wood Base Movement: 4/2
Power Type: Sail Emergency Move: 5/12
Cargo Tonnage: 500 tons Crew: 8/14
Keel Length: 130 feet Armor Rating: 9
Beam Length: 30 feet Seaworthiness: 65%
Standard Armament: 3 large weapons Saving Throw: Thin wood
Ram: Not allowed Power Type: Sail and oars
The galleon is the largest and most Cargo Tonnage: 40 tons
advanced sailing ship on the Inner Sea. It Keel Length: 60 feet
is a sail-driven ship with three masts. Beam Length: 15 feet
There are normally three through decks Standard Armament: None
(running the length of the ship), while the Ram: Not allowed
castles fore and aft have two decks. The knarr is a small cargo ship which is
Galleons are most frequently used in used in the northlands. It has a single mast
Cormyr, Sembia, and Impiltur. However, and a square sail. In times of poor wind, a
they are not common even there. few oars at the bow and stem can provide
more power. The ship is relatively seawor-
Great Galley thy, and can be used to make long (if not
Cost: 30,000 gp comfortable) sea voyages. Its flat bottom
Base Movement: 3/6 makes it useful for sailing up rivers and es-
Emergency Move: 4/11 tuaries, and it can be beached easily.
Crew: 40/140/200
Armor Rating: 7 Longship
Seaworthiness: 45% Cost: 10,000 gp
Saving Throw: Thick wood Base Movement: 5/2
Power Type: Sail and Oars Emergency Move: 6/13
Cargo Tonnage: 150 tons Crew: 40/200
Keel Length: 130 feet Armor Rating: 8
Beam Length: 20 feet Seaworthiness: 60%
Standard Armament: 3 large weapons Saving Throw: Thin wood
Ram: Allowed Power Type: Sail and Oars
The great galley is an improved version Cargo Tonnage: 50 tons
of the dromond. It is slightly smaller than Keel Length: 75 feet
the dromond, and its main power comes Beam Length: 15 feet
from its 140 rowers and its three masts; Standard Armament: 1 large weapon
this combination gives it better speed and Ram: Allowed
handling. When outfitted as a warship, This is the standard Northmen’s war-
the front end is built as a ram and marines ship. It is more substantial than the knarr
are carried instead of cargo. Like all gal- but not nearly as massive as the drakkar.
leys, the great galley is a coastal vessel, A typical longship has 20 oars per side,
rarely venturing into open water. each worked by a single man. There is also
This ship, like the dromond, is most a single mast and square sail. A longship
common among the southern lands of is fairly seaworthy and can sail across the
Mulhorand and Chessenta. open sea when necessary.

Ships of the Inner Sea • 85

Ship Improvements Catapults can be loaded with stone shot
instead of large rocks. Stone shot is most
Armaments effective as an antipersonnel weapon and
will not affect a ship. It inflicts the listed
Ship weapons are the descendants of siege damage on every target within a 10-foot
machinery. In addition to the wide variety radius of the spot where it hits (make a
of personal weapons and magical abilities, separate attack roll against each target in
there is a collection of catapults, ballistas, the area).
trebuchets, and scorpions available to
ship captains, as well as a variety of rams. Light Catapult
All of the standard ships are capable of Cost: 500 gp
carrying a base number of large weapons. Range: 15/30
The weapons themselves are not included Damage: 2d10 hit points
in the cost of the ship—these are merely Crew: 1
places where the owner can install weap- Rate of Fire: 1/2
ons without eating up living or cargo THAC0: 16
space. For each weapon added beyond Critical hit on 20
that, some cargo space must be sacrificed.
Some weapons count as two or three for Medium Catapult
this purpose, and these are noted accord- Cost: 700 gp
ingly. Range: 18/30
A ship can have only one ram. It must be Damage: 3d10 hit points
bought and installed. (Ships with the “Not Crew: 3
allowed” entry under “Ram” cannot have Rate of Fire: 1/2
them attached under any conditions.) THAC0: 17
Damage for each of the weapons is listed Critical hit on 19 or 20
in terms of hit points. The rate of fire (in
number of shots per round) assumes a full Heavy Catapult
crew manning the weapon. A “1/2” rating Cost: 1,000 gp
means that the weapon fires one shot every Range: 18/36
two rounds. For every man less than the re- Damage: 3d10 hit points
quired minimum manning a weapon, re- Crew: 5
duce the rate of fire to the next slower level. Rate of Fire: 1/3
For example, a medium catapult with a THAC0: 18
crew of three and a rate of fire of 1/2 would Critical hit on 18, 19, or 20
have a rate of fire of 1/3 with a two-man Counts as two large weapons for installa-
crew and 1/4 with a single crewman trying tion
to operate the weapon. A weapon cannot
fire without at least one crew member. Ballistae: Ballistae include all devices
which throw large bolts, javelins, and
Catapults: Catapults are large stone- spears with greater force than possible by
throwing devices operated by springs and human (or inhuman) strength. Most are
cranks. built along the lines of the crossbow, and
Catapults are fixed in position once are mounted on pivots on the ship’s deck
mounted and can fire in only one direc- to fire at any targets.
tion.

Ships of the Inner Sea • 87

Light Ballista Though they can be devastating in com-
Cost: 400 gp bat, they are not popular because of the
Range: 1/27 chance of the liquid catching fire or de-
Damage: 2d6 hit points tonating on the launched ship. Only the
Crew: 1 galleys of Mulhorand make extensive use
Rate of Fire: 1/2 of these devices.
THAC0: 16 Projectors affect the target and all other
No chance for a critical hit targets within a 5-foot radius. A successful
save against Breath Weapon halves the
Medium Ballista damage.
Cost: 600 gp Ships carrying fire projectors are more
Range: 3/30 vulnerable to critical hits, and ships at-
Damage: 3d6 hit points tacking them add +1 to their die roll to de-
Crew: 2 termine whether a critical hit occurs. For
Rate of Fire: 1/3 example, a medium catapult causes a crit-
THAC0: 14 ical hit with a modified attack of 19 or 20.
Critical hit on 20 Against a ship carrying a fire projector, a
medium catapult causes a critical hit with
Heavy Ballista a roll of 18, 19 or 20.
Cost: 800 gp
Range: 6/36 Fire Projectors:
Damage: 3d10 hit points Cost: 1,000 gp
Crew: 4 Range: 18/40
Rate of Fire: 1/4 Damage: 3d 10 hit points + Fire
THAC0: 12 Crew: 3
Critical hit on 19 or 20 Rate of Fire: 1/4
THAC0: 16
Rams Critical hit on 18, 19 or 20

The effects of ramming are covered in Defensive Improvements

combat. They depend on the relative sizes
of the ship doing the ramming and its tar- Castles
get. Cost: medium 500 gp, large 1,000 gp per
cargo ton
Ram A common sight on many warships are ar-
Cost: 10 gp per cargo ton of ship mored castles or towers. These provide
A ram is a long, sharp prow used to protection for marines, platforms for
break open and break apart an enemy archers to fire down onto enemy vessels,
ship. This type of attack is likely to sink and ramps for boarding. Most are fitted
the attacked ship, as the ram is usually with crenelations and arrow slits.
mounted near the waterline. An attack One castle can be fitted for every 50 feet
with a ram can sometimes result in the of keel length on the ship, typically allow-
two ships being locked together. ing only one or two. A single castle will be
mounted amidships; if there are two, they
Fire Projectors: These devices shoot a are at bow and stem. A small castle is 10
thin stream of flaming, explosive liquid. feet tall and provides protection for ten

88 • Chapter 6
men and a firing platform for five archers. before hitting crew members.
A large castle is 15 to 20 feet tall and pro- Ships with netting gain a +2 on saving
vides protection for twenty men, plus a fir- throws for their crews against missile
ing platform for ten archers. The protected weapons or magical which creates solid
men may use a drop-away gangplank, fit- objects.
ted with hooks to hold the enemy ship, in a In addition, the presence of netting al-
boarding action. lows those personnel hit by catapult
stones a saving throw against death magi-
All ship’s hulls come with a standard Ar- cal to avoid the effect of being hit by such
mor Rating (AR), determined by the ship’s weapons.
shape and construction. A hull’s armor The netting is destroyed once it is hit by
rating can be improved by increasing ei- a heavy catapult shot, or two medium cat-
ther the thickness of the hull or by plating apult shots. Fire projectors destroy the
the hull with other materials (usually netting in two rounds. Light catapults and
metal). The options and costs are: ballistas cause no damage to netting.
In a boarding action, boarders must cut
Increased Thickness through the netting before they can attack
Cost: 10 gp per cargo ton of ship the enemy crew. Netting can be cut the
Increasing the thickness of the hull im- same as grappling lines; it has five hit
proves the ship’s AR by 1 (from 7 to 6, for points and AC 10. Defenders under the
example). However, this thickening also netting can attack boarders above the net-
reduces available cargo space by 20 per- ting if the defenders are armed with pierc-
cent. A ship can have its hull thickness in- ing (P) type weapons.
creased only once.
Speed Improvements
Plating
Cost: 30 gp per cargo ton of ship Rigging
Also called barding, plating a ship con- Cost: 10 gp per cargo ton
sists of covering it in metal plates or A ship owner can add to the existing
scales. This improves the AR of the ship sails and oars (rigging) to improve his
by 1 (from 3 to 2, for example) but down- ship’s speed and handling. A ship with
grades the speed of the ship by one third. this additional maneuvering equipment is
Further, it is obvious to anyone looking “topped out” and requires additional
at it that the ship is plated. Plating can on- manpower and cost.
ly be performed once on any given ship. A Rigging the ship beyond its standard re-
plated ship still uses its original saving sults in an increase in the ship’s speed, by
throw type (thick wood or thin wood). +3 (a speed of 15 becomes 18, 12 becomes
15).
Netting Additional rigging also means there is
Cost: 3 gp per 10 cargo tons of ship more for the crew to do. The minimum
Ships with large, open decks are often crew required to operate the ship in-
covered with thick, twisted ropes bound creases by half (50%). If it normally takes
into a net. These nets serve to partially 10 crewmen to operate the ship, when the
protect the crew from catapult fire and ship’s rigging is increased, it requires a
boarding from other ships. Attacks com- crew of 15.
ing from above must destroy the nets first Rigging can be added only once per

Ships of the Inner Sea • 89

ship. It can be used to offset the effect of around large ports. They have had sailing
plating. experience before, and are competent to
run a ship fairly well. In any city of, re-
Stripping spectable size (such as Suzail or Procam-
Cost: 10 gp per cargo ton pur) they can be found in sufficient
Removing nonessential weight can in- numbers to crew a vessel.
crease the speed of a ship by +3 (see “Rig- Trained sailors are the veterans of
ging,” above). This results in dropping the many voyages, often on a number of
armor rating by 2 points (from 4 to 6, for ships. They are numerous, but that does
example). A ship is considered to have the not mean they are easy to find. In any
same cargo tonnage despite the loss, and large city, 3d10 trained sailors can be
the missing pieces are not obvious to the found for hire. Of course, arrivals of new
casual observer. ships and ship crews mutinying or aban-
doning people may change that number.
Crews Crack sailors are not so much rare as
very specialized. They are the best at what
Seafaring in the Forgotten Realms is a they do for a particular captain and aboard
labor-intensive process. Galleys need oars- a particular ship. Taking a crack crew
men, sailing ships need crew to manipu- from one ship and putting it on another
late the rigging and to maintain the ship, with a different captain reduces it to train-
and all ships with weapons need someone ed status.
to operate them. Initial Crew Status
Crews are divided into four classifica- Initially a crew has the rating of the ma-
tions: green, average, trained, and crack. jority of its members. A crew of 10 with
Their costs per man per month are below: one trained, six average, and three green
Green: 2 gp recruits is considered average while one
Average: 4 gp with two trained, and eight green mem-
Trained: 6 gp bers is considered green. This is for deter-
Crack: 6 gp mining the initial crew rating only, when a
Payment is usually in advance for the ship is just starting out in play.
first two months, with any extra money
accrued payable upon landfall. In addi- Increasing Crew Status
tion, crews going into hazardous situa-
tions (such as when hired by adventurers) A green crew becomes average after one
may demand an additional “crew’s cut” of month of travel. This reflects one month of
plunder-a share equal to that of the lead- total travel, so that two days of travel, a
ers to be distributed among the surviving week of hanging around in port, and two
crew. Such an arrangement will not im- more days of travel add up to only four
prove their sailing ability but will affect days of travel. Thirty days are needed to
their morale in combat situations. break in a green crew. For this reason,
Green sailors are those who could be many captains begin with relatively safe,
picked up anywhere. They barely know simple training runs to get the crew above
the difference between a hawser and a bal- this minimum competence; this is known
lista. They are warm bodies to fill the as a “shakedown cruise.”
ranks, but little else. An average crew becomes trained after
Average sailors are usually found two more months of travel. A trained crew

90 • Chapter 6
becomes crack after three more months, Weapon Teams
including at least one battle with another
ship (known as “blooding the crew”). If Any crewman can operate a large weapon
during all three of these months the crew such as a catapult or ballista. There are
served under one captain, they attain specialists who have been trained in their
crack status. use, however, and they tend to be more
valuable in combat. If the captain wishes
Decreasing Crew Status to invest, it may be possible to get special
hirelings for these shipboard positions.
Crew members may be lost through the Any good-sized city will have a few
normal wear and tear of combat and trav- large-weapon specialists available for hire.
el. As long as at least 20% of the original (A large weapon specialist is an individual
crew is still on board, the ship’s crew sta- who has expended a weapon proficiency
tus stays the same. to become an expert user of a ballista, cat-
For example, if a ship with a trained apult, or fire projector.) One to 10 will be
crew of 10 men loses eight to a kraken and available in any standard month, and
then hires eight green replacements at the their hiring rates are usually the same as
next stop, the ship still has a trained crew. for trained or crack crewmen (6 gp/month/
The oldtimers teach the ropes to the new- specialist).
comers. A single specialist will affect the firing of
The exception to this is crack status. If a one large weapon, adding a +1 to hit as
crack crew loses more than 50% of its long as the specialist can communicate
members, it slips to trained status until with the crewmen operating the weapon.
the new crew passes through the three- Further, the weapon team may lose one
month process to regain its status. member (besides the specialist) and con-
tinue to operate with no decrease in its
Effects of Crew Status rate of fire. The specialist must be dedi-
cated to that weapon, and cannot fulfill
Crews, regardless of their status, can man any other role aboard ship to gain these ef-
large weapons. The status of the crew does fects.
not affect their combat ability. Multiple specialists are needed to main-
However, a crew that works together tain multiple weapons. A weapon special-
smoothly can increase the speed at which ist can help repair and operate any
the ship reacts to enemy maneuvers. This weapon, but he can only work on one
has no effect on the ship’s maneuver rat- weapon at a time.
ing, but does modify its initiative rolls and Most weapons specialists are familiar
morale. with only one type of Weapon: ballista, cat-
apult, or fire projector. Five percent of
Table 2: Effects of Crew Status those encountered will be knowledgeable
in two weapons, and five percent of those
Crew Status Initiative Morale will be well versed in three.
Green +1 -1
Average Unmodified Unmodified Towed Ships
Trained -1 +2
Crack -2 +4 Any type of ship, whether oared or sailing,
can be converted to a towed vessel. The

Ships of the Inner Sea • 91

rigging changes involved cost 10,000 gp flying (Fl), an assessment of the size of
per vessel; for some vessels, this may be ship (in cargo tons) that this creature
more than the cost of the ship. could tow, and its normal towing speed.
Additionally, ships must be rigged for a If the ship’s tonnage is greater than the
specific type of creature; a ship which is capability of the creature to tow it, multi-
designed to be towed by giant seahorses, ple creatures can be used to take up the
for example, will not have the proper rig- load. If there are not enough creatures to
ging to be towed by sharks. Rigging can be tow the entire ship’s tonnage, but there
modified to be used with a different type of are at least enough to tow half the ton-
creature with a successful shipwright roll, nage, the ship will move at half the listed
subject to the following limitations: rate. Similarly, if there is towing capacity
l The old and new creatures must ei- available to tow twice the ship’s tonnage,
ther both be swimmers or both be fly- the ship will move at double the listed
ers. rate.
l Both old and new creatures must be Any of the creatures below can also be
the same size (M, H, or G). exhorted to travel at emergency move-
• The shipwright must have an exam- ment rate. This rate is double its normal
ple of the creature to be fitted. movement rate. However, each full turn
that a creature is forced to move at its full
The following list describes some of the movement rate, it must make a morale
creatures which could be used to tow a check or stop (or try to escape, if the DM
vessel. Along with each creature is its wishes).
method of locomotion—swimming (SW) or

92 • Chapter 6
Table 3: Towing Creatures
Towing Normal
Movement Capacity Towing
Creature (Fl, SW) (Cargo Tons) Speed
Aerial Servant Fl 20 3
Ascallion Sw 15 3
Asperii Fl 10 6
Bat, Huge Fl 5 2
Catfish, Giant Sw 20 2
Crayfish, Giant Sw 2 1
Crocodile, Giant Sw 10 1
Dinosaur, Archelon Sw 8 2
Dinosaur, Mosasaurus Sw 30 2
Dinosaur, Nothosaurus Sw 5 3
Dinosaur, Plesiosaur Sw 3 2
Dinosaur, Pteranadon Fl 10 2
Dinosaur, Pterosaurus Fl 15 2
Dinosaur, Tanystropheus Sw 15 3
Dolphin Sw 2 4
Dragon, Black* Sw 25 1
Dragon, Black* Fl 15 4
Dragon, Blue Fl 25 4
Dragon, Brass Fl 15 4
Dragon, Bronze* Sw 40 1
Dragon, Bronze* Fl 25 4
Dragon, Copper Fl 20 4
Dragon, Gold Fl 35 5
Dragon, Green* Sw 30 1
Dragon, Green* Fl 20 4
Dragon, Red Fl 30 4
Dragon, Silver Fl 30 4
Dragon, White* Sw 20 1
Dragon, White* Fl 10 4
Dragon Turtle Sw 30 1
Eagle, Giant Fl 5 6
Eel, Giant Sw 5 1
Elemental, Air** Fl 50 5
Elemental, Water Sw 50 4
Gar, Giant Sw 15 4
Gargoyle Fl 3 2
Margoyle Sw 3 2
Genie, Djinn Fl 10 3
Genie, Dao Fl 8 2
Genie, Efreeti Fl 15 3
Genie, Jann Fl 8 4
Genie, Marid* Fl 20 2

Ships of the Inner Sea • 93

 Towing Normal
Movement Capacity Towing
Creature (Fl,Sw) (Cargo Tons) Speed
Genie, Marid* Sw 20 3
Griffon Fl 3 4
Hippocampus Sw 30 3
Hippogriff Fl 10 4
Ki-rin Fl 10 6
Kuo-toa Sw 1 2
Locathah Sw 1 1
Lycanthrope, Seawolf
(Lesser) Sw 1 1
Lycanthrope, Seawolf
(Greater) Sw 2 4
Manticore Fl 10 3
Merman Sw 1 2
Naga, Water Sw 2 2
Octopus, Giant Sw 2 1
Owl, Giant Fl 2 3
Pegasus Fl 10 6
Ray, Manta Sw 20 3
Roc Fl 40 4
Sahuagin Sw 2 3
Sea Horse, Giant Sw 3 3
Sea Lion Sw 8 3
Selkie Sw 1 5
Shark, Giant Sw 30 3
Snake, Sea, Giant Sw 35 1
Sphinx, Androsphinx Fl 3 3
Sphinx (other) Fl 2 3
Squid, Giant Sw 40 1
Squid, Kraken Sw 70 1
Triton Sw 2 2
Troll, Saltwater (Scrag) Sw 3 1
Umber Hulk, Vodyanoi Sw 10 1
Whale, Common Sw 40 3
Whale, Giant Sw 60 3
Whale, Killer Sw 20 4
Whale, Leviathan Sw 100 3
Whale, Narwhal Sw 15 3
Wyvern Fl 20 3

Note that having a ship capable of being trolled. Animal training, magical enchant-
towed by a creature is no guarantee that the ments, or bargaining may be required to get
creature is available, or that it can be con- a proper team for a towed vessel.

94 • Chapter 6
In Which Are Revealed the Methods Em- vorable. When adverse winds exist, all of
ployed by the Fearsome Pirates and Their the above modifiers are halved for sailing
Law-Abiding Foes ships and ships being towed by aerial crea-
tures (rowed ships and ships being towed
Ship movement can be classified in two by swimming creatures are not affected).
categories: long range and tactical. Long When adverse winds are storm strength
range movement is used for traveling from or greater, a ship will be blown off-course
port to port across the Inner Sea; tactical by half its movement, regardless of its
movement deals with shorter ranges be- method of propulsion.
tween combatants.
Encounters
Long Range Movement
Ship encounters bear only minimal simi-
Ocean travel is measured in hours. Each of larity to land encounters. At sea, there are
the basic hull types has a base movement few obstructions to use for cover, and gen-
rate specified in miles per hour. These rep- erally ships can see one another at a dis-
resent a typical travel rate given normal tance of miles, rather than feet.
travel conditions—a light breeze. However, it is still possible for one ship
More than other methods of travel, how- to see another first, and for the first ship to
ever, ships (especially sailing ships) are attempt to fade back into the horizon so
subject to the whims of wind and weather. that it will not be seen. For this reason,
While it can be assumed that sailing rolls are still required to determine when
weather is generally good, there are times such observations are made.
when storms, favorable winds, or freak Once the two ships are within visual
currents can increase or decrease a ship’s range of one another, each ship makes a
speed. roll each turn to determine whether it sees
The weather conditions which prevail the other. This roll can also be used to indi-
for a day’s travel can be determined by cate sighting land, large sea monsters (at
rolling on the Weather Conditions table the horizon), or other items of signifi-
found in the Time and Movement chap- cance. The d20 roll made is determined by
ter of the DMG. the quality of the crew as shown in the fol-
lowing table.
Once the weather conditions have been
determined, the base and emergency Ship Sighting Table
movement rates of the ship are modified Crew Quality Roll required
in accordance with the Sailing Movement Green 16
Modifiers table found in the Time and Average 13
Movement chapter of the DMG. Trained 10
Crack 8
Ships being towed by flying creatures
use the Sailing Modifier column of the ta- The maximum range at which one ship
ble referenced. Ships being towed by can see another is a function of the weath-
swimming creatures use the Rowing Mod- er conditions.
ifier column.
Adverse winds are determined by roll-
ing 1d6. On a 5 or 6, the winds are unfa-

96 • Chapter 7
Viewing Distance Table framework for playing the AD&D® game at
Weather Range (miles) sea. The game will be far less interesting if
Clear 8 played without the personal involvement
Cloudy 3 of the player characters aboard ship.
Gale 2
Hurricane 1 Ship-to-ship combat includes the follow-
1 or less ing steps:
Foggy 1. The DM decides what actions the op-
Obviously, any obstruction (such as an posing ship will take. Actions which a
island) will provide additional cover which ship can take are listed below.
may reduce this distance. 2. The players indicate what they will do,
including any attacks they may make,
Ship Combat and how their ship will maneuver.
3. Initiative is determined.
A simple combat system is given below, 4. The relative positions of the ships are
providing a very abstract system for re- resolved.
solving movement. A round of combat is 5. Attacks are taken in order of initiative.
the same as a standard round-one min-
ute. These steps are followed until the com-
Players and referees will do well to re- bat ends—one side is defeated, surren-
member that this product is intended for ders, or runs away.
use as a role-playing aid, not a boardgame NPC/Monster Ship Determination: In
of ship-to-ship combat. It provides a the first step, the DM secretly decides

Movement and Combat • 97

what the opposing ship and its crew will by the players. Larger battles will use the
do—attack, flee, maneuver for position, tactical combat system.
etc. He does not announce his decision to
the players. Entering Quick Combat
Player Determination: Next, the play-
ers give a general indication of what their Before two ships enter quick combat, the
characters are planning to do, and how DM must determine the following pieces of
their ship will maneuver. This does not information:
have to be perfectly precise and can be l Relative range of the two ships

changed somewhat, if the DM decides that l Which ship currently has the advan-

circumstances warrant. tage

Initiative: In the third step, dice are
rolled to determine initiative. This is done Each of these is described below.
exactly as specified on page 93-96 of the
Player’s Handbook (pages 55-57 of the In quick combat, there are six possible
Dungeon Master’s Guide). It is recom- ranges between ships:
mended that group initiative be used; Very distant: The ships can see one an-
should individual initiative be used, a sep- other, but cannot attack. They are more
arate initiative roll should be made for the than 500 yards apart.
ship itself. Note that the group initiative or Distant: The ships are just barely close
ship’s initiative is affected by crew quality enough to attack one another. Only weap-
as described above. ons with a range greater than 250 yards
Decide relative ship positions: Based can be used.
on the speeds of the ships, their actions, Normal: The ships are within range for
and their initiative rolls, determine the rel- most large weaponry and even bows, but
ative positions of the ships as specified in are generally too far apart for the use of
the section appropriate to the type of com- magic. Any weapon with a maximum
bat selected. range greater than 100 yards can be used.
Resolution: In the last step, PCs, NPCs, Close: The ships are very close together.
and monsters make their attacks, spells Weapons with a range of 50 yards or less
occur, and any other actions are resolved can be used; this includes all bows and
according to the order of initiative. even some thrown weapons (such as jave-
The above sequence is not immutable. lins). Spells with a range of 50 yards or
Some situations demand the application more can also be used.
of common sense. In these cases the DM’s Very close: The ships are within 20
word is final. yards of one another. Large ship-based
weapons can no longer be used, but any
Quick Combat missile weapon (including short-range
thrown weapons such as hand-axes) can
This quick combat system is designed to be. Most spells (except those with very low
allow gamemasters to resolve the ship-to- ranges) can also be used.
ship aspects of ship combat quickly. It is Boarding: The ships are touching. Me-
not intended to necessarily be a realistic lee weapons, normal missile weapons, and
combat, just a dramatic one. It is specifi- spells can be used.
cally designed to represent a battle be- Normally, ship combats will begin at ei-
tween two ships, one run by the DM, one ther normal or distant ranges; the DM

98 • Chapter 7
should make the final determination Approach: Get closer to the opposing
based on common sense and the circum- ship. (-3)
stances. For example, in a heavy fog bank, Maintain Distance: Maintain the cur-
two hostile ships might encounter one an- rent distance from the opposing ship. (0)
other at a “close” distance, while a ship Gain Room: Try to increase the distance
spotted on the horizon is considered “very from the opposing ship. (+3)
distant.” Flee: Run directly away from the oppos-
In normal ship combat, neither ship will ing ship. (+5)
begin with an advantage. However, due to
surprise, favorable winds, or other cir- The numbers for each posture are modi-
cumstances the GM may wish to start one fied as follows:
of the ships (either that run by the PC or Faster ship + / - difference in
that of the NPCs) with an initial advan- speed
tage. An advantage is used in maneuver- Initiative +/-1
ing to determine the results of the two Oared +/- 1
ship’s maneuvers. Positional advantage +/- 1

Quick Combat and Initiative After picking a posture, the modified

number ratings are added together. A d10
In the Quick Combat System, an abstract is then rolled and added for a grand total.
positional advantage is used to indicate The resulting value is applied according to
such intangibles as having a better wind the following table:
position or having made a quick and clev- Value Result
er maneuver. -5 or less Ships approach by two
The initiative difference determined in range categories
the initiative step determines which ship -4 to 2 Ships approach by one
gains a positional advantage in Quick range category
Combat. If the ship which currently has 3 to 8 Ships do not change relative
the advantage loses the initiative by 3 or position
more, it loses positional advantage. If any 9 to 14 Ships separate by one range
ship gains the initiative by 6 or more, it category
gains positional advantage. The effects of 15 and up Ships separate by two range
positional advantage are listed below. categories

Maneuvering in Quick Ship Combat Example: A galleon (emergency move 6)

and a longship (emergency move 13) are
The quick combat system does not use a entering battle. The galleon gains initia-
map and counters to denote the relative tive, and wishes to flee the battle site. The
positions of the two ships. Instead, it at- longship chooses to charge. Neither has a
tempts to determine their relative loca- positional advantage. The longship has a
tions qualitatively, taking into account the modified rating of -13 (-5 for charge, -1
range, intent, and initiative of each ship. for being oared, -7 for the speed differ-
Each ship must adopt one of the follow- ence). The galleon has a modified rating of
ing maneuvering postures each turn: 6 (+5 for fleeing, +1 for initiative). Adding
Charge: Head directly for the opposing the two ratings results in a -7. The DM
ship, getting as close as possible. (-5) rolls a D10, and gets a 7, so the end result

Movement and Combat • 99

is 0. The two ships approach by one range
back to the rails!” It’s clear to you that
category. he was a dashing young man, truly en-
amored of the pirate’s life. “Let me tell
Ships which approach closer than yer about the time we took on Teldar
boarding may collide. To avoid a collision, and the Kissing Maiden . . . ”
each helmsman must make a Seamanship
proficiency check. If both helmsmen fail
the proficiency check, the ships collide Ranged Combat
(see Ramming, below).
Conversely, ships which separate be- The large weapons onboard ship, along
yond very distant are effectively disen- with normal missile weapons and spells,
gaged. The GM must determine when (if can fire at great distances. Therefore it is
ever) such ships re-enter combat. often a tactic for crews to fire volleys from
If ships are not at boarding range, they a long distance before closing to attack.
cannot attack (except by missile weapons). Large onboard weapons (catapults, bal-
However, ships which come from normal listae, and fire projectors) all have a typical
or close range to boarding range have sev- range and amount of damage they inflict,
eral options. In particular, the ship with po- summarized on the table below. A large
sitional advantage may choose to ram, weapon inflicts damage to crew (hit point
grapple and board, or make a shearing at- damage) and vessel.
tack. If neither ship has positional advan- Any weapon attacking the crew (hit
tage, then either ship may attempt to point attacks) may attack any character
grapple and board, but neither may at- on deck or partially exposed. A player may
tempt to ram or make a shearing attack. not simply specify, “I’m attacking the cap-
tain,” however. If he wants to attack the
Combat captain, he must tell the DM how he will
identify the captain. If the attacker has no
Jomo strokes the stubble that passes for clear idea of what the captain looks like,
his beard and looks thoughtfully into the DM should assign the shot randomly
the distance. “Aye, fightin’ ship to ship among the potential targets.
is a grand thing. Makes ya feel like a real Large weapons (catapults, ballistae,
pirate, aimin’ ballistas and catapults etc.) cannot be used against ships any
and such at the enemy, blastin’ great closer than 30 yards from the attacking
holes in her hull, watchin’ ‘em flee like vessel.
rats. . . ” His eyes glaze over with mem- Large weapons modify their THAC0 by
ories, and for a moment he looks like a the AC of the target they hit. For crew hits
young man again as he relives some of use the AC of the crew member attacked.
those glory days. “And boardin’! That’s A target crew member gets a one-point bo-
the thrill—leapin’ from yer own gun- nus to his Armor Class if the ship’s armor
wales onto the enemy’s deck, cutlass rating is better than the target’s and the
flashin’, givin’ ’em the ol’ hook-and- target’s ship has the initiative that turn
eye— ” he slashes at an invisible oppo- (presumably, the helmsman maneuvers
nent with the iron hook that takes the the vessel so that its bulk provides some
place of his right hand—“drivin’ ’em protection against enemy fire). For dam-
age to the ship, use the ship’s armor rat-

100 • Chapter 7
Weapon Range Damage ROF THAC0 Critical Hit on
Ballista, lt. 1/27 2d6 1/2 16 N/A
med. 3/30 3d6 1/3 14 20
heavy 6/36 3d10 1/4 12 19,20
Catapult, lt. 15/20 2d10 1/2 16 20
med. 18/30 3d10 1/2 17 19, 20
heavy 18/36 3d10 1/3 18 18, 19, 20
Fire Projector 18/40 3d10 + fire 1/4 16 18, 19, 20

ing. A large, weapon (catapult, ballista, Ramming

etc.) that misses a human target can still
inflict damage on the ship. Ramming is a common tactic for damag-
Hard and soft cover rules, if being used ing or breaking up an enemy ship. Ram-
in the campaign, may also affect damage. ming is best performed against other ships
that are of roughly the same cargo ton-
Fields of Fire nage or smaller. Towed and sailing ships
cannot ram; only oared ships can do so.
Not all weapons aboard a ship can attack A ship must announce its intention to
all targets. Some weapons have a restrict- ram before initiative is determined. The
ed field of fire, particularly if they are not process of ramming (steering to hit the op-
on turrets (and therefore cannot be ponent’s ship, plus securing all the loose
aimed). gear for the impact) requires time, and is
Nonmovable weapons must be desig- not something that can be done on the
nated as to whether they fire forward, aft, spur of the moment.
to port, or to starboard. Such designation When ramming, use the helmsman’s
is on a weapon-by-weapon, ship-by-ship Seamanship proficiency to determine if
basis. the ramming is successful. If his steering
Weapons designated to fire only toward was true, the effect of the ram depends on
the front (or rear) of the ship may only fire the size of the two ships.
at targets that are within the lines set up If the ramming ship is more than three
by the three frontal (or rear) hexes. They times the cargo tonnage of the smaller
in addition receive a +2 to their THAC0 to ship, the target breaks up and will sink in
hit targets directly in front (for front- 1d10 rounds.
mounted weapons) or directly behind (for If the ramming ship is larger than the
rear-mounted weapons) due to the stabili- target (but not three times greater), the
ty of the shooting platform. target must immediately make a Seawor-
Weapons designated to fire only to port thiness check at half its normal rating.
(or starboard) of the ship may only fire at If the ramming ship is equal to the tar-
targets that are within the lines as shown get, the target must make a Seaworthi-
on the diagram. They do not receive any ness check at its normal rating. The
special bonus to THAC0, however. ramming ship automatically suffers a
Ship Shaken critical hit.
If the ramming ship is smaller than the
target (but not 50% smaller), both target

Movement and Combat • 101

and attacker must make a Seaworthiness Grappling and Boarding
check. In addition, the ramming ship suf-
fers a Ship Shaken critical hit.
As a result of failed Seaworthiness “It was in that third summer of my
checks, a ship suffers critical hits. These forced piracy that the flame- haired vix-
are explained on p. 104. en taught me about climbin’ rigging to
throw grapplin’ hooks.” Jomo lifts a
Movement After Ramming greasy mug to his lips, takes a long
quaff of ale, and licks the foam from his
If the ramming ship misses its target or re- mustache. “She sent me and another
duces the opposing ship to 0 hit points (so slip of a boy up into the ropes, draggin’
that the opposing ship begins to break up), grapplin’ lines behind us—we didn’t
know what we was doin’, to be sure, and
the ramming ship may continue its move-
ment up to its regular limits. If the ship kept catchin’ the hooks in the riggin’
hits its target without destroying it or is an’ nearly losin’ our footing. Two points
locked or grappled with the target, its for’ard of the port beam, another ship of
movement stops. our fleet waited. Attached to her star-
Ship crews may grapple in the same board side was a practice wall, for us to
round as a ram, if so desired. work our grapplin’ technique on. That
way, we couldn’t harm the actual ship,
Ramming Gargantuan Creatures
y’see. The wall, bein’ attached to the
ither ship, would move just like a real
In general, living things cannot be effec- enemy’s gunwale, so we’d learn to take
tively rammed (they are too small). Crea- aim on the run, so to speak.
tures of gargantuan size, however, are “We steadied ourselves on the yard-
large enough that a ram would have an ef- arm, and set to grapplin’. Too bad the
fect. Gargantuan creatures take 1d6 point wasn’t to catch the riggin’—we
points of damage per 20 cargo tons (or were real good at that, right from the
fraction thereof) of the attacking ship (up start! After three hours or so, though,
to a maximum of 6d6). we got the hang of it, and our throws
were comin’ closer and closer to that
Shearing Attacks phony gunwale. It was slow goin’,
havin’ ta haul the hook back in after
A shearing attack is a close pass against every missed throw. Makes yer ‘preciate
an opposing ship with the intention of the skills of a perfeshunal!
snapping oars or dragging rigging over- “Well, it was after noon, comin’ on
board to slow the ship’s speed. As with suppertime before the vixen let us stop.
ramming, the attacking helmsman’s Sea- Claimed we’d done enough damage for
manship proficiency is used to determine one day—shucks, we only tore part of
whether the shear is successful. A suc- the mainsail, not all of it. It was a bad
cessful shearing attack causes a Loss of throw, I say.”
Movement critical hit on the target ship.
Shearing attacks inflict no damage on Often it is desirable to take over an oppo-
the target ship’s hull, but if a 20 is rolled nent’s ship without inflicting major dam-
for the attack, an additional critical hit re- age. (Pirates in particular prefer to do this,
sults. as it preserves the valuables they are seek-

102 • Chapter 7
ing.) In cases like this, a side with enough 2d6 lines are secure. A grappling attack
manpower can overwhelm the other side inflicts no damage but links the two ships
by grappling and boarding. Certain types together. Both ships are immobilized once
of ramming may also result in a grappling they are connected by sufficient grappling
situation. lines.
Either side can grapple, but the moving Cutting Grapples. A crewman must
side has the first opportunity. The purpose make a normal attack roll to hit AC 10,
of grappling is to bring the two ships to- then roll his damage to cut a grappling
gether to allow boarding. line. A line has 5 hit points. Grappling
The most common method of grappling chains are AC 4 and have 20 hit points.
is a large hook at the end of a long rope or Grapples may be cut at any time in the de-
chain. There are also ballista bolts which fender’s turn, but often the ship has been
are similarly equipped and can be fired in- boarded by then.
to the opponent’s hull. In either case, once Combat when boarding is standard
the hooks have caught hold, the two ships AD&D® system combat. A crew (either
can be hauled together. side) will fight until defeated or it fails a
A grappling hook requires about 5' of morale check. Player characters and im-
space from side to side to be thrown at an portant NPCs (determined by the DM) may
adjacent ship. The number of hooks that fight as long and as hard as they wish,
can be thrown depends upon the length of even to the death.
the ship making the attack and the num- In very dangerous situations, a morale
ber of hooks it can bring to bear. check should be made to see if the crew
Two ships are considered grappled when will board in the first place. For example,

Movement and Combat • 103

attacking a ship full of mind flayers is a ship hollerin’ orders, too, to keep from
risky proposition under the best of condi- rammin’ us broadside. We had some
tions. Such a morale check would be made near misses, one I remember where I
after the orders are given but before they could see the nameplate on the
are carried out. other’n’s hull: Kissing Maiden. Figgers,
In case of a failure of morale, the crew I thought to meself; that Teldar ain’t
will retreat back to its native ship. If the smart enough to have a blind man on
crew is on its native ship, it will surrender crew fer just such a sitiation!”
(unless it is checking morale to determine
whether it will board, in which case the
crew just refuses to attack). In certain When two ships come alongside each oth-
cases, where capture would be worse than er, there is a chance that the two ships will
death (such as when fighting the Red Wiz- collide unintentionally. This impact usu-
ards of Thay), they will fight to the death. ally has disastrous results for both ships
involved.
Crashes The helmsman of the moving ship must
make a Seamanship proficiency check to
avoid a crash. If the check is successful,
“It was a foggy day, the eleventh in a the ship can continue to move normally. If
row of sailin’ through pea soup without not, there is a crash.
a spoon,” Jomo recounts as he leans for- If there is a crash, treat the result as if a
ward, his elbows poking through the ram occurred. A ship that is crashed into
patches on his once-fine captain’s jack- takes a Ship Shaken critical hit.
et. “Couldn’t see yer patch in front o’ Crashing is not a situation many cap-
yer eye, heh heh. Couldn’t hear nothin’, tains look forward to (“Except for that
neither, as if yer voice left yer lips and Teldar—by goom, he’s a bad ’un!” inter-
got stuck right off. Lookouts couldn’t jects Jomo), but in combat there is often a
see nothin’, couldn’t hear nothin’, need for “fireships” and other suicidal tac-
couldn’t do nothin’. Ol’ Blind Tom, tho’, tics where sacrificing a ship may help turn
he was a treasure beyond price durin’ the battle. The crew of such a ship usually
that time. Bein’ used to listenin’ more’n abandons it before the crash, hoping to
the rest of us, he wuz hearin’ things we survive in the sea rather than die in the
never’d of caught. It was him what crash.
saved our hides from what could’a been
a turrible crash. Damaging Ships
“It musta been after noontime, tho’
one couldna see the sun to tell by, that Whenever a ship is rammed, struck by
Blind Tom hollered to the lookout. Ship catapult stones, pierced by a ballista shaft,
to starboard!’ He’d heard the waves lap- or partially disintegrated, there is a
pin’ at her hull, and could tell ‘em apart chance the damage caused will be serious
from our own sounds. The first mate enough to cripple or sink the vessel. This
come up and stood by Tom, and the is determined through seaworthiness
three of ’em, the mate, the lookout, and checks and critical hits.
Blind Tom, maneuvered our ship To determine if a ship-mounted weapon
through them cold, gray waters. After a causes damage, the attacking player must
bit we could hear the crew of the other first roll a THAC0 against the armor rating

104 • Chapter 7
of the ship. A successful roll indicates the 1d20
stone or bolt has struck the vessel some- Roll Result
where (crew damage is figured at this 1 Roll twice on this table
time), but not necessarily anywhere that 2 Deck Crew Casualty
will endanger the vessel. An Item Saving 3 Interior Crew Casualty
Throw is rolled for the target ship, most of- 4 Ship Shaken
ten using Crushing Blow (for catapult 5 Large Weapon Damaged
stones). If this save is successful, the stone 6 Deck Crew Casualty
causes some damage but not enough to do 7 Hull Holed
serious structural harm. Future seawor- 8 Sheared
thiness checks are reduced by 5%, how- 9 Hull Holed
ever. If the save is failed, a seaworthiness 10 Ship Shaken
check is immediately made. Should the 11 Fire!
check succeed, the 5% penalty is applied 12 Loss of Movement
to future rolls. If the check is failed, a criti- 13 Deck Crew Casualty
cal hit occurs. 14 Large Weapon Damaged
The procedure is similar for magical 15 Ship Shaken
spells that cause extensive damage— dis- 16 Hull Holed
integrate, fireball, lightning bolt, etc. The 17 Sheared
saving throw required by the spell is 18 Leaking
checked. If successful, future seaworthi- 19 Loss of Movement
ness checks are reduced by 5%. If the 20 Hull Holed
check fails, a seaworthiness check is im-
mediately made with the result being the Deck Crew Casualty. One exposed
same as that for large weapons. crew member is struck and suffers the
For rams, crashes, and similar attacks, same damage as the ship. Choose the tar-
no saving throw is made—it is assumed get randomly from exposed crew. All char-
the ship has suffered extensive damage. acters within 5' of that individual must
Instead seaworthiness checks are immedi- make a saving throw against death magic
ately made. Again, passing the check or suffer the same damage.
causes a 5% reduction in future checks. Interior Crew Casualty. Same as Deck
Failing the check requires a critical hit. Crew Casualty, but everyone aboard is a
potential target, including prisoners and
Critical Hits the captain. This reflects not so much the
effect of the missile itself, but shattered
Critical hits vary from ship-threatening re- parts of the ship’s interior bouncing
sults of combat to less-dangerous situa- around during combat.
tions which impair the functioning of the Ship Shaken. Ship rings from the blow
ship. Only large weapons can inflict criti- of the attack. All characters not sitting or
cal hits outright, but the DM can rule that otherwise firmly tied down have a chance
sufficient application of small weapons to fall to the deck, disallowing any attacks
(the dwarf with the battle axe) could weak- or spell use that round. Characters in the
en a ship sufficiently to cause a critical hit. rigging will also take the appropriate dam-
When a critical hit is called for, roll on age if they fall. NPCs have a flat 40%
the table below and apply the result (re- chance of falling as a result of this critical
sults are listed following the table). hit, while PCs (and NPCs important

Movement and Combat • 105

enough to rate their own Dexterity) must Sinking and Breaking Up
make a Dexterity check to maintain their
balance. In addition, the ship must make a Jomo is suddenly more animated than
second seaworthiness check. If the check is you’ve seen him since you’ve been in
failed, the ship suffers the Leaking result.
Leaking. The ship begins to leak as the his company, jumping onto a chair and
tipping it from side to side. He snatches
timbers groan. Such a ship will sink in
a pitcher of water from the bar, dashes it
2d10 + 10 minutes unless two crewmen over his head, and shouts, “Avast! We’re
are dedicated to bailing.
If this critical is suffered multiple times, takin’ on water! She’s holed!” Seeing
each time it occurs the leaks become more your astonishment, he stops rocking
abruptly. “Just demonstratin’ to ya the
severe. As the water flows in faster, five drama of a sinkin’ ship! Not that it’s so-
more crewmen must be assigned to keep-
methin’ ya wanna experience right off,
ing the vessel afloat. With enough leaks it
will eventually become impossible to keep now, but it happens to the best of ‘em.”
the ship afloat. He adds, almost to himself, “But not to
Large Weapon Damaged. One large them what deserves it . . . mincin’
fop. . .” It’s quite clear he’s
weapon (chosen randomly) is inoperable
until repaired (see Repairs). Its crew is un- thinking of Teldar. You nearly ask him
harmed. the cause of their great enmity (which
Hull Holed. The attack punches a hole you are fairly certain, by now, is one-
in the ship where there was none before. sided—something tells you Teldar
doesn’t even know Jomo), but the ven-
The hole is below the waterline, and the
ship is sinking (see below). om in his whisper halts your words be-
Fire! A fire starts somewhere aboard fore they form on your tongue.
“It’s not all as frightenin’ as ya might
the ship, determined by the DM. The ef-
think from what I just shown ya,” he
fects of fire aboard ship are described be-
low. In cases where it is physically says apologetically. “I don’t wanna
impossible for a fire to start (all the lights skeer yer away from the free life of the
sea. But,” he leans forward with a seri-
are magical), go to the next entry. A fire on
ous set to his mouth, “ya better know
board as a result of this critical hit (as op-
posed to that from a fire projector or from what yer likely ta get into once ya set
magic) inflicts no damage the first round, out on the Inner Sea; storms kin come
up outta nowhere, great waves and
but may spread.
Loss of movement. The emergency winds tossing yer ship about like
move and base move of the ship drop by 1 matchwood, or leviathans kin take a
point. Weather effects are applied to the dislike to her keel and set about bashin’
it to kindlin’. As if keepin’ yer footin’
modified movement rate. Additional loss-
isn’t hard enough, without bein’ thrown
es are cumulative, to a minimum of a about by a overgrown minnow! And if
movement rate of 1. If a ship with a move-
yer lookout’s not sharp-eyed as a eagle,
ment rate (both base and emergency) of 1
rivals kin sail up to yer stern quiet as
receives this result, go to the next entry.
fish. Like that time we took on Teldar
and the Kissing Maiden. . . ”

106 • Chapter 7
A ship that is sinking will last 1d10 rounds loading. That is, if three men start reload-
once holed. While the ship is sinking, large ing the above weapon and then one man is
weapons (catapults, ballistas, etc.) are lost as a casualty, the remaining men will
considered useless. The deck of the ship is need four full rounds (including those that
tilting too sharply to properly aim such de- have already passed) to reload and fire.
vices. Attacks using hand-held weapons Large weapons can be reloaded and
or spells may still be performed, however. fired as long as one man remains available
When the ship sinks, every character to do so. A large weapon without a crew
aboard must make a saving throw against cannot be fired. If a weapon is partially
death or be sucked beneath the water. For loaded and the entire crew is slain, the
this reason, most characters will try to loading must begin again when a new
abandon ship, entering the water first to crew arrives.
avoid being sucked into the undertow.
Characters tossed into the sea must Fire
make a saving throw against death magic
to find a piece of debris which they can use Whether as a result of a critical hit, a de-
to stay afloat. Characters who do not find vice such as the fire projector, or spells
such debris are subject to the normal such as fireball, fires sometimes start on
Swimming rules (pages 120-122 of the ships.
Player’s Handbook), and if they are in ar- Fires do not threaten the structural in-
mor may quickly drown. tegrity of the ship for at least 2d6 rounds.
A ship that is breaking up or sinking They do, however, threaten the health and
stops moving. safety of those aboard from the round they
start. After 2d6 rounds have passed, make
Effects of Crew Losses on Ship a seaworthiness check each turn, with a
Performance cumulative -5 applied to each check.
Putting out a fire requires one person for
The less manpower a ship has, the less ca- every round the fire has been turning.
pable it is of fighting and sailing effective- Translate the number of rounds the fire
ly. A ship may still handle itself in has been burning to an equal number of
“reduced” circumstances, but not with points. Thereafter, the fire’s intensity in-
the effectiveness of a full crew. creases by one for every five points. For
Large weapons require a minimum example, if a fire has been burning for
crew to fire properly. For each member three rounds, then three people working
missing out of a large weapon crew, the with proper tools (assumed to be present)
weapon takes one round longer to reload can extinguish the blaze. If not enough
and fire. A weapon crewed by three men people are available to put out a blaze,
with a reload rate of 1/3 will have the fol- they can reduce its severity by their
lowing reload rates with reduced crews: actions. If two people fought the three-
Crew Reload Rate point fire, then the fire would be reduced
3 1/3 to a two-point fire at the end of the round
2 1/4 (the fire is reduced by two for the firefigh-
1 1/5 ters while increasing by one for spread).
A ship that fails a seaworthiness check
Men who are lost during reloading are from fire suffers a critical hit. If the ship
considered to be lost at the start of the re- sinks, the debris (if on fire) will continue to

Movement and Combat • 107

burn and break up until the disintegrating seems to have taken the spunk out of
chunks are completely consumed. him for a bit. “But there’s them who
never spook, the ones that make names
Morale fer themselves fer bravery in the line of
danger. Never had the heart fer that,
The slapping of the mop on the floor- meself.” He sits heavily in his captain’s
boards slows, and Jomo’s breathing chair at the end of the bar, and rests his
comes a little more labored than usual. pegleg on the brass rail near the floor.
“The scullery boy isn’t in today,” he “There’s lots o’ things kin scare a man, I
growls. “Something about a halfling tell ya . . . lots o’ things.”
holiday—seems like they have ’em eve-
ry week or so. Always runnin’ off to an- No one likes to die, particularly at sea with
other feast of some sort. You’d think the a long swim home. Thus, morale can be
Food here weren’t no good!” He sets the important in combat. If you can convince
mop in the leaky wooden bucket with a a ship’s captain (or, more importantly, a
decisive thump. “Where was I, then? ship’s crew) to either call off their attack or
Oh yeah—losin’ yer gumption. Happens surrender, you are winning a victory with-
to all of us, one time or ’nother. out risking your own ship and crew.
“S’posin’ yer on deck, and the ene- A crew of typical seamen has a morale of
my’s right there alongside—say on the 11. Monstrous crews can have higher or
starboard beam. They’s been peltin’ yer lower morale (as specified for that creature
ship with rocks, and she’s been holed in the Monstrous Compendium), and oth-
but the men down in the hold are bailin’ er factors (including how well the captain
as best they can. Yer mainsail is burnin’ is liked) can also have an effect.
thanks to a hit from a fire-thrower, and Morale checks are made at the conclu-
chunks of mast are rainin’ down like sion of a round of battle, after all actions
hail. Arrows and bolts have took their have been resolved. Morale checks are
toll on the crew, too, pinnin’ men to the made in accordance with the morale rules
masts or knockin’ ’em clean overboard. under “Combat (Morale)” in the Dungeon
Now, the enemy come leapin’ over their Master’s Guide.
own gunwales onto your deck, with A morale check is required for a ship’s
blades drawn! What do yer do? crew when:
“If yer like most men, in that sitiation, l The ship suffers a critical hit.
ya jump ship and never mind the cap- l The ship has only 5 hit points left (un-
tain’s temper. I done it meself, more’n less the ship started with less than 10,
once,” he admits sheepishly, carefully in which case ignore this situation).
considering the rusty buckles on his l The crew has been surprised (but on-
one shoe. “That’s how I lost this leg,” he ly on the first turn after being sur-
lifts the peg attached to his right knee prised).
and waves it about weakly, “to a shark l The ship is faced by an obviously su-
layin’ in wait fer a tasty morsel like me perior force.
ta fall inta the water. Enough men fell l An ally or crewman is slain by magic.
overboard, bleedin’, to stir ’em into a l 25% of the crew has been eliminated.
feedin’ frenzy.” The remembrance of his l 50% of the crew has been eliminated.
own weakness in the face of battle l A companion or crewman is slain af-

108 • Chapter 7
 ter 50% of the crew has been elimi- Multiple checks per round . . . . . . . . - 1
nated. Captain is of different alignment
l All officers desert, are slain, or surren- from crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 1
der. Most powerful ally killed . . . . . . . . . -4
l The crew is fighting a creature they Crew favored by captain . . . . . . . . . . +2
cannot harm due to magical protec- Crew poorly treated . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 4
tion. No enemy have been slain . . . . . . . . - 2
l The crew is asked to perform heroic Crew outnumbered 3 to 1 . . . . . . . . . - 4
(and dangerous) tasks. Ship outnumbered 10 to 1 in
l The crew is offered a bribe. tonnage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -2
l A member of the crew is asked to use Outnumber other crew 3 to 1 . . . . . . +2
a personal magical device with Ship outnumbers opposition 10 to 1
charges. in tonnage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2
l The crew has met the conditions of Unable to hurt opponent . . . . . . . . . - 8
another morale check and is given the Magic-using creatures on same side . +2
opportunity to surrender.
l It is apparent that the ship cannot es- The effect of a failed morale check is
cape. largely up to the DM, but the most com-
l The ship’s captain is slain. mon result is to “Strike the Colors” —that
is, to surrender. In some situations, the at-
Situational modifiers may also affect the tacker might let the defender limp away.
morale check itself: In others the ship will at least be boarded,
Ship has taken 25% hull damage . . . - 2 a ransom will be levied for the ship’s pas-
Ship has taken 50% hull damage . . . - 4 sage or passengers, the ship will be looted
Ship has taken 75% hull damage . . . - 6 of cargo, and/or seized with a prize crew
Captain is slain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -2 and sailed back to base.
Opponent firing has taken 50% Because morale is checked at the end of
damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 the round, it is possible for all ships on
Captain is on deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 both sides of a conflict to strike their colors
First officer is on deck without . at the same time. In this case all ships
captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 break off and will not resume combat for
Ship is on fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - 2 at least two hours (this is only an average,
Opponent’s ship is on fire . . . . . . . . . +1 and can vary according to the availability
Abandoned by friendly ships . . . . . . - 6 of healing spells, presence of charismatic
Crew losses at 25% . . . . . . . . . . . . . -2 leaders, or other factors).
Crew losses at 50% . . . . . . . . . . . . . -2 If a ship that has struck its colors has
Crew is receiving a share of plunder . +2 PCs aboard, it is up to the players to decide
Crew is fighting hated enemy . . . . . . +4 whether to pursue the fight or not. A ship
Enemy is known to take no that has struck its colors will not use its
prisoners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +3 NPCs to fire weapons on board, but the
Enemy is known to treat prisoners PCs may do so.
well.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -1 However, be warned. A ship that has
Ship’s crew was surprised . . . . . . . . - 2 struck its colors only to attack again is
Crew fighting magical creatures . . . . - 2 generally accorded no mercy by other
Defensive terrain advantage . . . . . . . +1 ships. An NPC crew will mutiny immedi-
ately against a captain or officers who pur-

Movement and Combat • 109

sue the fight after a surrender, since this ciency. A successful proficiency check
only puts their lives at even greater risk (if must be made for such improvised repairs
they are ultimately defeated, the enemy is to succeed.
likely to maroon them or worse). Repair of other ship features is handled
differently. Repair of a Crew Casualty
Repair (whether interior or deck) can only be per-
formed by hiring or otherwise locating a
In most civilized areas, 5 percentage replacement crew member.
points of seaworthiness can be replaced or
repaired at a cost of 2,000 gp in 1d6 days
by a crew of ten trained workers.
Poor (or cheap) characters can repair
ships themselves. A crew of five individ-
uals, with the correct materials, can repair
five percentage points in a month at sea.
Materials can be acquired by buying them
(at an approximate cost of 50 gp per per-
centage point worth of material) or just
landing at a vacant stand of timber and
taking what is needed.
Such repairs are just as good as the ex-
pensive ones, provided that at least one
member of the crew has shipwright profi-

110 • Chapter 7
In Which The Characters Meet Pirates of ship will sell at least 50% of their cargo
the Dragonmere and Learn About the City space—even if the Council has to pur-
of Teziir chase it empty.
With a steady supply of transportation
This adventure introduces player-charac- (much of which is going unused, to the
ters to the pirate problem on the Inner Sea Council’s distress), some of the caravans
by involving them in a raid against the have begun to turn toward Teziir. Now, in-
coastal city of Teziir by a small pirate fleet. stead of traveling overland for an extra
It is designed for 5-8 PCs of 5th to 7th two days, then waiting up to two weeks for
level. However, the difficulty of the adven- an available vessel, caravans going to
ture can be easily adjusted by increasing Teziir are usually able to ship their goods
or decreasing the number of pirates, and within a few days, cutting their costs and
by adjusting the level of the officers. allowing them to make more trips during
the relatively temperate summer season.
DM’s Information This tactic has gathered the notice of the
Croamarkh of Westgate. The loss of 15%
Teziir’s arch-rival is the city of Westgate, a of the season’s trade has caused an eco-
much more populous and wealthy trading nomic slowdown in Westgate, cutting into
city. The Council of Teziir founded the city the profits of everyone from the council to
some 35 years ago to attempt to attract the Night Masks. He has decided to put an
Sword Coast caravans with their quicker, end to Teziir’s pretensions by direct as-
easier access to the sea. They have been sault. Unfortunately, using the Westgate
partially successful; some caravans (al- mercenaries would attract unwanted at-
though certainly not the majority) have tention, particularly as the presence of the
used Teziir as an access to the Inner Sea. Freesails means that an attack on Teziir
However, the Council of Teziir is caught in could involve Cormyr. With King Azoun’s
a dilemma. recent militarism since the Horde War,
To attract more caravans to the city, the Westgate cannot risk open war.
caravans must be assured that there will Thus, the Croamarkh has let it be
be ships ready to transport their goods known (by way of his secret contacts with
when they reach the port. However, to at- the Night Masks) that Westgate would be
tract the ships, the ship captains must be grateful to any pirate willing to make a de-
assured that there will be cargo for them cisive raid against Teziir, specifically
when they arrive. Teziir has made several against its warehouse district, to under-
attempts to break this dilemma by offer- mine the caravaners’ confidence in the
ing other services (such as a road patrol) to newer port. In the face of the challenge,
the caravans to build up a backlog of cargo Vurgrom “the Mighty” has stepped for-
to attract ships, but so far they have been ward.
unsuccessful. Unbeknownst to either Westgate or Vur-
In desperation, the Council has made a grom, however, the Lords of Waterdeep
deal with the Cormyrean Freesails. The have chosen this time to ship a gift to King
Freesails have agreed to service the port at Azoun of Cormyr in thanks for his efforts
least once per week with a large cog, re- in the Horde War. The pirates inadvertent-
gardless of whether there is sufficient ly steal this gift (whose true value they do
trade to justify the trip. In return, the not understand), and the PCs must get it
Council has agreed to ensure that each back.

Raid on Teziir • 111

Player’s Information to guard his wares from the thieves of
the city—for extra pay, of course. Com-
Read or paraphrase the following to your pared to the hill bandits and other scum
players:
you fought off on the road, you’ve had
Civilization at last! You’ve been on the no trouble with the city thieves. A band
as large and capable as yours is a bigger
road from Waterdeep to the Inner Sea,
working a passage as caravan guards bite than they want to chew.
You spend your days sitting in the
for Mulnis Lenz, a porcine little skinflint
shade of an awning, trying to stay cool
of a caravan master who promised you and stay awake. Periodically, one of you
your back pay the day you hit town.
makes a quick trip around the ware-
Well, it’s been a day or two, and Mulnis
house; so far you’ve seen no activity.
has been a little slow coming up with
One advantage of your resting space
the cash. is that you have a good view of the har-
Mulnis claims he can’t pay you until
his goods are loaded, and the Cormy- bor nearly a quarter mile away. A
chance organization of warehouses
rean Freesail isn’t due in town for an-
makes an almost straight path from
other day. After some pressure, he your position to the docks. Thus, you
coughed up a few gold pieces to cover spend some of your time watching out
your living expenses until the shipment
for that Freesail, knowing that when he
is taken and your pay arrives.
gets here, so does your pay.
In the meantime, he’s employed you

112 • Chapter 8
 Thus, this afternoon, you watch as guardsmen slash and hack against the
the four ships, sails flapping in the marauding force. Other pirates are div-
breeze, glides into the port. With four ing into the water and swimming to
ships, you think, there’ll be plenty of shore, falling on the rear of the guards-
room for Mulnis’ cargo, and you’ll be men and trapping them in a vise of
paid for sure. Then, as the first blast of steel.
liquid fire pours from the ship’s decks As you run up to the battles, a few of
onto the town, you realize these ships the unengaged pirates see you, and
aren’t here to pick up cargo. move to keep you from aiding the
guardsmen.
Four ships of Vurgrom’s fleet have en-
tered Teziir harbor. They are softening up Each PC is attacked by two pirates.
parts of the shore with fire projectors, When those two have been killed, two
while they make a landing near the center more step forward. After each PC has
of the port. fought four enemies, the pirates stop seek-
The PCs have several options: ing them out. However, the PCs can con-
l They could rush down to the shore- tinue to fall upon the pirates, who will
line to help defend against the pirates. defend themselves.
l They could rush to where the fires There are approximately 200 city
have begun to help save the town watchmen on duty who are immediately
from the fire. available in the city’s defense; the remain-
l They could remain at the warehouse ing 300 watchmen will arrive at a rate of
to guard Mulnis’ goods. 50 each turn. Each watchman is armed
l They could try to track Mulnis down with a short sword and shield and is wear-
to make sure he isn’t killed—and to ing leather armor.
ensure they get paid. Against this force are over 350 pirates,
Each of these cases is handled below. armored in leather and shield and carry-
ing long swords or scimitars. (In game
Fight the Pirates terms, each is AC 7, 13 hp, THAC0 18).
While this force is stronger than the initial
If the PCs choose to rush to the shoreline watch, it can be confined by preventing
to help defend the city, read or paraphrase the pirates from getting to shore.
the following to the players: It is not intended that the DM run the
battle between the guardsmen and the pi-
The docks where the pirate ships are is rates using the standard AD&D® game
in total chaos. Dozens of leather-armed rules. Such a battle would take far too long
watchmen cross swords with scores of and would not involve the PCs signifi-
pirates. Everywhere you hear the sound cantly in the battle. Instead, use the confu-
of steel on steel and the moans of the sion of such a mass battle to make the
dying. PCs’ fight interesting.
The four pirate ships are trying to The DM is encouraged to find interest-
land their troops; their gangways are ing fighting situations in which the PCs
down and flooded with armed men. At can become involved. For example:
the base of each gangway a knot of 30 l While a PC is engaged with two pi-
rates, a third stalks up behind him,

Raid on Teziir • 113

 dagger in hand, to stab him in the and are involved in a desperate action
back. He can be saved by his com- to capture the ship from the raiders.
rade, who notices the backstabber in One of the pirates, realizing the battle
time, or he can suffer the surprise at- is lost, tries to use a torch to explode
tack (double damage). the fire projector aboard the ship, kill-
l The pirates aboard one of the ships ing the guardsmen aboard and possi-
turns the fire projector on a group of bly many other innocents. The PCs
guardsmen. The PCs must kill the pi- must stop him before he succeeds.
rate aiming the weapon or see dozens Despite everything the PCs do, however,
of guardsmen burned to a crisp. there are too many pirates to prevent all of
l Just after finishing off a cluster of them from entering the city.
foes, the PCs are challenged by a huge If the PCs are killed or knocked uncon-
bearded pirate wearing splint mail scious during the battle, proceed to Cap-
and carrying a huge two-handed tured!, below. Otherwise, they failed to
sword (AC 4, 45 hp, THAC0 16, protect the warehouse (which was, after
1d10+2 damage). He screams and all, their job); proceed to Hell Hath No
charges the group, inflicting devastat- Fury.
ing damage. He is a berserk, and nev-
er checks morale. Fighting the Fire
l Late in the battle, the raiders are try-
ing to flee. A force of city guardsmen If the PCs choose to fight the fire, they are
have fought their way up the gang- joined by much of the city’s population.
way onto one of the raiders’ ships, There are bucket brigades carrying water

114 • Chapter 8
and sand to the fires, and the people of the been lost, When the fire fighting is over, go
town work diligently to stop the fires. to Hell Hath No Fury.
However, the blazes began too widely
spread to totally prevent damage, and Guard the Warehouse
much of the town still burns.
PCs who choose this option should be If the PCs are unusually dutiful, they may
given the chance to be heroes, saving lives choose to remain at the warehouse guard-
and property. A few options follow: ing their employer’s goods. If so, they need
l The PCs see a woman and child not miss all the fun. Half an hour after the
trapped at a window on the third pirates attack the docks, a raiding group of
floor, with flames blazing behind her. a dozen pirates with scimitars, leather and
A mage character could cast a fly shield (AC 7, 11 hp each, THAC0 18, 1d8
spell to rescue the pair; rogue PCs damage) led by a pirate lieutenant in ring
could climb the hot exterior wall (tak- mail, shield, and battle axe (AC 6, 28 hp,
ing some damage and risking death if THAC0 16, 1d8 +2 damage) will come
the wall collapses); fighter or priest charging up the road towards the PCs.
characters could attempt to catch the (Make rolls for surprise as normal.)
child (a Dexterity roll) as it falls from These pirates will fall on the obviously
the unconscious mother’s grasp. armed PCs, and fight until either they lose
l The PCs are fighting a blaze in a ware- morale or the PCs are all unconscious or
house. The wall of the warehouse sud- dead. If the PCs lose, go to Captured!, be-
denly collapses, falling on a small low.
crowd of firefighters, pinning several While the PCs are fighting this group, a
of them to the ground. The remainder second group (of the same size, but with-
of the warehouse begins to lean, as if out the lieutenant) is breaking in through
it will fall over, burying the firefigh- a window in the rear of the warehouse,
ters in burning rubble. The PCs can looting. If the PCs have some of their num-
rush into the collapse to save the ber inside the warehouse, they are at-
trapped people before they suffer tacked by the looters; if all the PCs are
flaming doom. outside and engaged in combat, they steal
l The flames approach a horse corral. the choicest items from Mulnis’ treasure.
The horses panic, kicking the gate out (Obviously, if the fight is carried into the
of the corral and stampeding down a warehouse, the looters may be caught in
street filled with terrified citizens. the act.) As their final act, the looters set
The PCs must turn the stampede be- fire to the remainder of the goods.
fore it kills someone. If the PCs manage to fend off all of the
l The conflagration attracts a small sal- pirates but lose Mulnis’ treasure to the
amander (40 hp), which begins re- looters, go to Hell Hath No Fury. If the
starting the blazes the people have PCs are knocked unconscious or killed, go
extinguished. The PCs must attack to Captured! If, on the other hand, the
the salamander (by injuring it to at PCs manage to defend Mulnis’ treasure
least half damage) and drive it off. without being captured or killed, go to
In short, all PCs should be allowed to Mulnis Captured!
participate in heroic acts to help save the
town. Unfortunately, since the PCs aban-
doned their posts, Mulnis’ treasure has

Raid on Teziir • 115

Seeking Mulnis the raider ships are fleeing Teziir harbor,
the fourth having been captured by an
PCs so totally selfish as to abandon both
heroic contingent of city guardsmen
their duty and the town, instead seeking
Mulnis for their back pay, can go directly and residents.
to Hell Hath No Fury. It takes them over Nevertheless, the city cannot claim a
an hour to find him; by then the battle is victory. There are over 100 city guards-
men dead or captured. Several blocks,
long over. including important warehouses, resi-
dences, and government buildings, were
After The Battle burned to the ground. Valuables from
If all the PCs were killed or knocked un- several caravans which were intended
conscious in the battle, go directly to for shipment on the next Freesail were
Chased!. Otherwise, read or paraphrase captured or destroyed. Worse, two of the
the following to the players: caravan masters themselves were cap-
tured by the raiders.
As the battle proceeds, the raid quickly Now, the city watch and citizens are
turns in favor of the city. Although the putting out the last of the blazes, and
raiders were a powerful force, the city beginning the labor of identifying the
watchmen (and certain particularly dead and rebuilding the city. It will be
brave residents) are able to turn the tide years before the Council of Teziir can re-
of the battle, and within an hour three of build the city’s reputation.

116 • Chapter 8
 What happens after the battle depends If the PCs left the warehouse to seek
on what and how well the PCs did. Mulnis, read or paraphrase the following:
l If the PCs were all knocked uncon-

scious or killed, go to Captured!. The battle is over. Despite your efforts,

l If the PCs failed to protect Mulnis’ however, you were unable to find
treasure (either by leaving the ware- Mulnis to defend him from the raiders.
house or by not stopping the looters) As the battle ended, you decided you’d
go to Hell Hath No Fury. better return to the warehouse in case
l If the PCs defended the warehouse, go you could find him there.
to Mulnis Captured!. When you reach the warehouse, you
see the doors open, smashed in by raid-
Hell Hath No Fury ers’ swords. Within, the most valuable
of Mulnis’ goods have been removed,
Read or paraphrase the following to the and the rest put to the torch.
players if they left the warehouse to do
battle: In any case, read the following to the
players:
The battle is over. You comported your-
selves valiantly, defeating the raiders As you absorb the sight of this, you see
and driving them out of the city. Mulnis coming down the road. His ini-
With the raiders gone, you return to tial confident strides as he sees you still
your post at the warehouse. There you guarding his warehouse rapidly turn to
see the doors open, smashed in by raid- the dull plodding of a man in shock as
ers’ swords. Within, the most valuable he takes in the burnt-out wreck that had
of Mulnis’ goods have been removed, been his caravan goods.
and the rest put to the torch. “What have you done?” he cries, and
bursts into real tears. You knew Mulnis
If the PCs did not leave the warehouse, but was a skinflint, but this reaction seems
did not manage to keep the looters from much too severe. You try to explain, but
taking the most valuable items, read or he cuts you off.
paraphrase the following to the players: “You don’t understand. Part of that
cargo was a gift from the Lords of Water-
The battle is over. You comported your- deep to King Azoun of Cormyr, in
selves valiantly, defending Mulnis’ thanks for his defense of the West dur-
warehouse against the pirate raiders. ing the invasion of the Horde. And it’s
Unfortunately, you were outmaneu- gone!” His initial sorrow rapidly turns
vered. While you defended the front, to screaming anger. “How could you?
other raiders came in the rear and stole You had a simple job: watch the cargo
Mulnis’ choicest parcels. Although you and make sure no one took it. You were
detected the deception, you were too paid well enough for it, I’d say.” Mulnis
late to prevent the loss of Mulnis’ valu- goes on, ignoring your protestations
ables. Worse, before they left the raiders that you haven’t been paid yet. “You
set fire to the remainder; you got the worthless dogs! If this were Waterdeep,
blaze under control, but still more of I’d have you before the Lords them-
Mulnis’ goods were damaged. selves to answer for your crimes.” He

Raid on Teziir • 117

 turns back to the shambles of the ware- “Your master, Mulnis Lenz, has asked
house, and begins sobbing. me to speak with you. It seems he be-
lieves that your failure to defend his
If the PCs are at all aware of duty, they warehouse has caused him to lose a
will feel justifiably guilty. Even if they valuable item eventually destined for
stayed to defend the warehouse, Mulnis King Azoun of Cormyr. He is using his
will describe their actions in such a way as position as an emissary of the Lords of
to imply that the loss is all their fault. If Waterdeep to insist on your prosecu-
they argue that Mulnis didn’t tell them tion. Teziir’s very existence is due to the
about the royal gift, he will respond: “Do good wishes of the Lords and their will-
you think I was supposed to tell the likes of ingness to send Waterdhavian caravans
you about it? If I were such a fool I’d have through Teziir on their way to the Inner
lost it long before we made Teziir.” He will Sea.
then be sullen, although from then on he “I am aware of the conditions during
will occasionally raise the question of the raid.”
whether the PCs themselves stole it.
If the PCs ask for a description of the gift, If the PCs participated in the defense of
Mulnis describes it as a locked jewelry the city, or if they helped put out fires,
box, 12” × 6” × 2” high, covered in purple King Azoun will acknowledge their hero-
velvet. It was inside one of the wooden ism as well. In any case, continue:
crates which is now missing.
After a period of discussion, Mulnis will “I have attempted to calm Mulnis down,
come to a conclusion. “There’s no hope for but he is implacable. I am afraid that
it. You’ll have to go after the gift and bring unless you comply with his wishes and
it back.” pursue the item, I will be forced to ac-
Mulnis will not be dissuaded from insist- cede to his demands. I do not wish this.
ing that the PCs go after the item. If they If you have any loyalty to your master,
ask him how to find the pirates, he says or if you wish the gratitude of Teziir, I
that’s their problem. If they refuse, he of- beg you for your help.”
fers them 1,000 gp, then 1,500 gp, then
2,000 gp each to recover the item. If they Despite the well-known economy of the
still refuse, he accuses them of being in on Teziir Council, Harvas is willing to offer
the theft, swears he’ll see them hang, and 5,000 gp total in addition to Mulnis’ offer
storms off toward the center of town as a “finder’s fee” for the recovery of the
(where plumes of smoke are still rising). gift and Mulnis. He is also willing to offer
the captured raider ship for transporta-
A Little Coercion tion, along with a crew of city guardsmen
including a skilled pilot and helmsman.
Within an hour, the PCs are visited by a Should the PCs press, he is willing to go to
tall, thin, silver-haired man. This is Har- 20,000 gp as a finder’s fee, but he will try
vas Peltsen, a member of the Teziir City to bargain for a lower price.
Council and one of the founders of Teziir. He is, however, serious. If the PCs abso-
After determining who the PCs are and lutely refuse to participate, he orders their
identifying himself, he continues: arrest. If convicted, they can be enslaved
under Teziirian law, and Mulnis would be

118 • Chapter 8
their owner. If they flee the city, they will
be unwelcome in Teziir again. “Your master, Mulnis Lenz, was an em-
issary from the Lords of Waterdeep to
King Azoun of Cormyr. Teziir’s very ex-
Mulnis Captured! istence is due to the good wishes of the
Read or paraphrase the following to the Lords and their willingness to send Wa-
players: terdhavian caravans through Teziir on
their way to the Inner Sea.
The battle is over. You comported your- “Mulnis was believed to be carrying a
selves valiantly, defending Mulnis’ valuable gift for King Azoun. He was
warehouse against the pirate raiders. taken from here by the raiders along
While you defended the front, other with a small purple jewelry box which
raiders came in the rear, but you we believe carried the gift. If you have
stopped them as well. Mulnis will be any loyalty to your master, or if you
pleased. wish the gratitude of Teziir, I beg you for
You wait for several hours, and Mulnis your help.”
never arrives. He usually comes by at
least once a day and checks his mer- Despite the well-known economy of the
chandise. By nightfall, you are quite con- Teziir Council, Harvas is willing to offer
cerned, and decide to go check on him. 10,000 gp as a “finder’s fee” for recovery
Your night watch companions show up of the gift and Mulnis. He also offers the
on schedule (although they haven’t seen captured raider ship for transportation,
Mulnis either), so you proceed to the fan- along with a crew of city guardsmen, in-
cy inn where he was staying. cluding a skilled pilot and helmsman.
When you arrive at the inn, you dis- Should the PCs press, he is willing to go to
cover it was one of the raiders’ targets. 30,000 gp as a finder’s fee, but he will try
The door has been smashed in, and to bargain for a lower price.
some of the upper stories were put to If the PCs ask for a description of the gift,
the torch. People are still wandering Harvas describes it as a locked jewelry
around in shock, and a city watchman box, 12” × 6” × 2” high, covered in purple
is trying to keep people moving in some velvet. It was last seen in Mulnis’ posses-
semblance of order. sion.
You ask the watchman for permission
to enter. He eyes you suspiciously and Rush to the Rescue!
asks your business. When you mention
Mulnis’ name, he directs you into the In this portion of the adventure, the PCs
lobby to a tall, slender, silver-haired are going out to sea, to beard the pirates in
man in dark clothing with a grim ex- their own den, and to steal back King
pression on his face. This is not Mulnis. Azoun’s gift.
Before they go, they can get the follow-
In fact, this is Harvas Peltsen, a member ing information from Harvas Peltsen,
of the Teziir City Council and one of the which he in turn got from interrogating
founders of Teziir. After determining who those raiders who were captured:
the PCs are and identifying himself, he l All of the ships were out of the Pirate
continues: Isles, specifically the Dragonisle. The
raid was led by Vurgrom “the

Raid on Teziir • 119

 Mighty,” one of the most infamous pi- (and Mulnis, if necessary). A surprise at-
rates of the Inner Sea. tack may be sufficient.
l The raiders were told when to make

the raid, and exactly what to take. Battle At Sea

Harvas indicates that every incoming
caravan in town was hit by the raid- When the Stirge and the Wind’s Slave
ers. meet at sea, use the combat rules provided
l To avoid pursuit, if any, the ships were in this volume. For game purposes, the
to split up once they were out of sight Wind’s Slave and the Stirge each have the
of land, and rejoin back at the Dra- following characteristics:
gonisle in one week. Wind’s Slave: Caravel; 35 average crew-
l One of the raiders knows which ship men (not counting PCs); 1 fire projector
was targeted for Mulnis and his cargo. Stirge: Drakkar; 90 average crewmen
That ship, the Stirge, is headed for the (includes 60 slave oarsmen); 1 fire projec-
Dragonisle by way of Alphar Isle. tor
Harvas suggests that the PCs head di- It is important to note that the Stirge has
rectly for Alphar Isle to head the Stirge off. no reason to distrust the Wind’s Slave.
Her captain cannot know for certain that Therefore, the PCs might get quite close
the fourth vessel, the Wind’s Slave, was before starting battle, especially if they are
captured, and will be expecting to meet cautious and make no obvious hostile
with it at the Dragonisle. The surprise of moves. This element of surprise may be
seeing it at Alphar Isle may allow the PCs enough to turn the battle for them.
to get close enough to snatch back the gift If the Wind’s Slave manages to sink the

120 • Chapter 8
Stirge, the PCs will have to make a quick
dash on board to grab the gift (and Mulnis, whip at your back. “Grab that oar and
if he was captured). This trip may involve get to work!” Quickly you grasp the oar,
fighting some of the Stirge’s men as the and begin pulling in rhythm with your
ship is sinking, striving to rescue their benchmates.
goal from the clutches of the sea.
If the Wind’s Slave is sunk, on the other Obviously, the PCs have been captured
hand, the PCs will be captured by the and made to work as oar slaves. They are
Stirge and enslaved as oarsmen. See Cap- aboard the Stirge, one of the raiding ves-
tured! below. sels which attacked Teziir. Their belong-
If the PCs manage to board the Stirge, ings have been stripped from them, save
handle the fight using the standard AD&D® only a loincloth. Each character has only 1
game combat rules. Since the Stirge is a hit point, and under these conditions will
small galley with oarslaves, the PCs and only gain 1 hit point per week. Mages and
their city watch allies need only fight 26 priests lost their spells when they were
regular pirates (AC 7, 12 hp, THAC0 19, knocked unconscious; without spell books
1d8 damage), 3 lieutenants (AC 6, 22 hp, the mages cannot restore their spells.
THAC0 17, 1d8 + 1 damage), and one cap- Nevertheless, all is not lost. There are
tain (AC 4, 35 hp, THAC0 14, 1d10+2 several ways the PCs can get free and gain
damage). The PCs may also want to free control of the ship; here are a few pieces of
the oarslaves (see Captured!, below, for information they will probably want.
details on the oarslaves). If the PCs conquer l The PCs are attached to their benches
all of the pirates (or even just the captain), by chains which are riveted to the
the Stirge (and the treasure) is theirs. deck. A PC could break his chains (or
those of another) with a successful
Captured! Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll. Each char-
acter may only try to break a given
Read or paraphrase the following to the chain once per day.
players: PCs can combine efforts to try to
break the chains. If two PCs try to
When that last blow dropped a curtain break the chains, they add their Bend
of darkness over your mind, you were Bars/Lift Gates percentage to deter-
sure you had breathed your last. As you mine the chance of breaking the
gasp for air, the smells which assault chain. No more than two PCs can pull
you make you wish—just for a moment on a chain at any one time.
—that you had. l Alternatively, a PC may try to weaken
You open your eyes to the half-dim the chains by rubbing them against a
light of a ship’s hold. Seated on a bench, rough surface. Each day of such effort
a long cylindrical pole lies before you, adds 5% to the chance of breaking the
rocking back and forth in time to the chains by main force. Unfortunately,
slow beat of a drum. Beside you, two the ship’s oarmaster checks the
others push and pull at the pole, occa- chains weekly; weakened chains
sionally glaring at you with a mixture of bring a beating (1d6 damage) and
hatred and fear. new chains.
Suddenly, you hear the crack of a l Strong PCs may consider breaking off
the oarhandle and using it as a weap-

Raid on Teziir • 121

122 • Chapter 8
on. Such a feat requires at least 18/91 the wood with a hammer (1d2 dam-
strength, and should be performed as age) and chisel (1d3 damage), then
if opening a locked, barred, or magi- two pirates carry the “corpse” up to
cally held door. Should the PC suc- the side and throw it overboard. ‘Iwo
ceed, however, the oarhandle can be other armed crewmen monitor this
used as a quarterstaff (for 1d6 dam- activity, however, and at the first sign
age plus strength bonuses). Note, of life from the “corpse” they attack.
however, that the act of trying to (Obviously, however, if other oarsmen
break off the oarhandle is obvious (it are also free, such a small party can
requires standing up under the oar be overwhelmed.)
and lifting with your shoulders), so l The poor food, poor air, and lack of ad-
any PC trying this risks a beating (2d6 equate exercise (not counting rowing)
damage) if they fail. has a long-term debilitating effect.
Priests may be able to regain their Each oarslave must make a Constitu-
spells through meditation and prayer. tion check each week or lose 1 point of
The ship stops every night to allow all Constitution. When the character’s
on board (oarslaves and crew) to sleep. constitution reaches 0, he dies of ex-
This sleep will allow the priest to get a haustion. This constitution can be re-
night of undisturbed rest. Due to the covered at the rate of 1 point per week
conditions aboard and the time al- in an environment with good food and
lowed, however, a priest will have at clean air.
most half an hour after a restful sleep
to recover his spells before the daily Whenever the PCs manage to escape
rowing begins. Thus, at most three (and, when all else fails, the old “Guard,
levels of spells may be prayed for in a he’s sick” trick always seems to work),
given day. Additionally, each spell they must battle the crew of the ship.
gained requires a Wisdom check, at - Since the Stirge is a small galley with
1 for each level of the spell, to repre- oarslaves, the PCs need only fight 26 regu-
sent the character’s ability to maintain lar pirates (AC 7, 12 hp, THAC0 19, 1d8
concentration despite the conditions. damage), 3 lieutenants (AC 6, 22 hp,
Finally, only spells without somatic or THAC0 17, 1d8 + 1 damage), and one cap-
material components may be cast, un- tain (AC 4, 35 hp, THAC0 14, 1d10+2
less the priest somehow gains access damage). If the PCs conquer all of the pi-
to the components or frees his hands rates (or even just the captain), the Stirge
and legs from the chains. (and the treasure) is theirs.
The PCs’ 60 fellow oarsmen are also
slaves, and are understandably not Conclusion
very happy about it. However, they
have been unable to come up with a Upon acquiring the gift (and possibly
plan to free themselves. If the PCs Mulnis), the PCs can return to Teziir to get
manage to free the oarsmen, they will their reward. If the PCs have recovered
have a strong and well-motivated (if any of the other goods, the Council of
poorly armed) set of companions. Teziir gives them a bounty of 10% of the
PCs who pretend to be dead in order value of the recovered goods.
to get free of their chains may do so. When Mulnis and his gift are safely back
The oarsmaster cuts the chains from in Teziir, the PCs may also be commis-

Raid on Teziir • 123

sioned to take him to Suzail. This journey Commander Alton Mertlin (LN human
should be uneventful, but it leaves the PCs F7), a skilled fighter who unfortunately
in possession of a ship, a good reputation has poor organizational skills, so the
in Teziir, a friend in the court of Cormyr, watch in Teziir tends to arrive shortly after
and an enemy in Vurgrom “the Mighty,” they are needed.
would-be lord of the Pirate Isles. Commander Mertlin has pressed the
Council on several occasions to wall the
Teziir city for its defense, but the council has not
yet decided to invest so much money for a
Teziir is the largest free city on the banks questionable return. Mertlin has not
of the Dragonmere. Teziir is an indepen- pressed any harder because his predeces-
dent trade city, striving to replace Westga- sor (who also wanted the city walled) lost
te as the favored port for goods brought to his job over his arguments with the coun-
the Inner Sea from the Sword Coast. cil, and Commander Mertlin does not
Teziir is ruled by a council of merchants want to return to the life of a wandering
(mostly LN), many of whom were respon- freesword.
sible for Teziir’s founding some 45 years There is also a road patrol, providing
ago. This council represents over 80% of caravans from the Sword Coast some se-
the wealth of Teziir, and they administer curity from bandits. The Council hopes to
the city as if it were their private property use this road patrol as a selling point to en-
(which it essentially is). The council has courage caravans to come through Teziir
hired magistrates, watchmen, and other as opposed to Westgate, but as the patrol is
common civil servants, and runs the city generally undermanned and undere-
like a business—produce or you’re fired. quipped, the caravan masters have not
Despite the council’s efforts to establish seen them as a significant factor.
a well-run city, Teziir is still something of a Teziir has never been involved in a war,
frontier town. The city’s growth has been so it has not historically hired merce-
haphazard, with streets merely being naries. (Also, the Council generally con-
wide gaps between buildings near the port siders mercenaries too expensive for what
which rarely run straight for any distance. they do.) However, Teziir has suffered sev-
Many of the poorer workers live in shacks eral pirate raids over the years, some of
on the hillsides just outside of town, eking which have done major damage to the
out a living as stevedores or providing city. These raids, while near the intensity
some needed (but not necessarily legal) of a true war, are over far too quickly for
service to the wealthier people in town. the Council to bring mercenaries in to deal
Teziir is still rather small, with less than with the problem, and the Council has not
40,000 people in its steady population, yet seen fit to hire a standing army.
swelling to near 55,000 in summer. Aside Several churches have established tem-
from its use as a trading port, Teziir also ples in Teziir, including Azuth (a small
maintains a population of miners who temple), Chauntea, Helm (the strongest in
mine the nearby mountains for gems and the city), Torm, Tymora, and Tyr. The city
precious metals, so far with only limited does not have an official "state religion,"
and spotty success. but Helm is worshipped by the majority of
The city watch of 500 leather-armored the council.
F1-F2s, armed with clubs, short swords, There are few mages in Teziir. The city
and daggers. The watch is headed by does not have enough of the amenities of a

124 • Chapter 8
larger port (such as Westgate) to attract better part of his life improving his
those mages interested in city life, but it magical prowess to demonstrate his
has too many people traveling in and out sincerity, hoping that someday he can
for a mage who wishes a quieter, rural life. return to the Simbul’s tutelage.
Nevertheless, two notable mages have
made their homes here: Teziir has an active and growing Rogues’
l Cydaran (N human W8), a self-serv- and Thieves’ Guild, the Astorians. Their
ing young man whose father is on the primary activity is petty theft and protec-
Council. Cydaran has had himself tion, and it is estimated that nearly 5% of
named “Chief Wizard of Teziir,” a the goods which pass into Teziir pass out
claim without much distinction. through the hands of the Astorians, who
l Isyio (LN human W9 (Diviner)), a qui- wryly refer to this as their “tithe.”
et, scholarly man whose true prowess With nearly 700 members, the Astori-
is not common knowledge in Teziir. ans are a growing force in Teziir. The
Isyio spends much of his time on pri- Council has attempted to mount a cam-
vate researches, or teaching the chil- paign to eliminate the Astorians with
dren of the Council the rudiments of some success, but they have been unwill-
magic. In his youth, Isyio studied un- ing to pay for the number and kind of mili-
der the Simbul, but after a series of in- tiamen who could truly eliminate the
cidents in which the young Isyio threat to the Council’s power. Those in the
embarrassed the Simbul, she sent know say that within a generation or two
him away “until he grew up.” The the Astorians will hold the place now held
hurt broke Isyio, and he has spent the by the Night Masks in Westgate—rulers.

Raid on Teziir • 125

 above the main deck. The gunwale on most passen-
Ship Terminology ger ships is topped with a liferail.
Heading: The actual direction of travel for a ship (cf.
Abovedeck: Outside on the top deck of the ship (not Course).
in the rigging; see Aloft). Headsail: One of a set of fore-and-aft sails set ahead
Aft: The direction one is facing when one is on the
of the forward mast. If only one sail is forward of the
ship looking at the stern.
forward mast, see Jib.
Aloft: In the rigging of a sailing ship. Headway: Forward movement of a ship.
Amidships: In the center of the ship. Jib: A lone sail set ahead of the forward mast.
Athwartships: Across the ship from side to side.
Keel: The structural center of the hull, running
Athwartships sail: A sail running athwartships along the bottom of the ship along the centerline
(cf. Fore-and-Aft Sail). Athwartships sails tend to be
from bow to stern. The ship is usually built up from
square, and a ship with primarily athwartships sails
the keel: the first stage of building a ship is laying
is said to be square-rigged.
the keel.
Beam: A direction directly to either side of the ship.
Leeway: Sideways movement of a ship.
An object which is directly to the left of the ship, for
Length over all: The length of the hull, measured
example, is said to be “on the port beam.”
from bow to stern along the centerline.
Bireme: An oared vessel with two banks (rows) of Letters of marque: A document empowering a
oars.
ship to raid the ships and ports of an enemy land in
Boat: A small water vessel, either carried by a larger the name of the issuing government. Privateers car-
vessel or intended for close-shore work only. Boats
ry letters of marque.
are generally not considered seagoing vessels.
Liferail: An extension of the gunwale which pro-
Boom: The horizontal spar which runs along the vides a railing to prevent someone falling overboard.
lower edge of a sail, particularly a fore-and-aft sail.
On most pirate ships, liferails are uncommon, as
Bowsprit: A spar extending for’ard from the bow of they are viewed as appropriate only for passenger
the ship, to which foresails may be attached.
vessels.
Bulkhead: Walls on the interior of a ship.
Lines: Ropes used aboard a ship.
Centerline: An imaginary line running down the Main deck: The highest deck which extends over
center of the ship from bow to stem.
the entire boat.
Course: The planned direction of travel for a ship.
Mainmast: The largest mast on a ship, it is usually
Dead Ahead: Travelling straight ahead without
found amidships.
turning right or left.
Deadlight: A porthole which cannot be opened. Mainsail: The largest sail on a ship with multiple
sails. It is usually hung from the mainmast.
Deck: A floor on a ship.
Mast: A large spar set vertically into the deck of the
Fo’c’sle (Forecastle): The cabin farthest forward
ship to support sails.
aboard ship. The fo’c’sle is generally used as crew’s
Mizzenmast: The shorter mast of a two-masted
quarters. On most warships, the fo’c’sle is a separate
ship, if it is abaft of the mainmast (cf. Foremast).
structure on the front of the ship, so that the fore-
Oarlock: A hole in the hull of a boat used to put oars
deck (which would be on the roof of the fo’c’sle) is
through.
raised, giving archers a better vantage point for fir-
Overboard: Off the edge of the ship into the water.
ing.
Fore-and-aft Sail: A sail which runs from the bow Overhead: The ceiling in a compartment.
Pier: A structure projecting out from the shoreline
to the stern (cf. athwartships sail). Fore-and-aft sails
for the purpose of providing a place to make ships
are usually triangular, although four-sided sails are
fast: cf. Wharf.
used (see Gaff).
Foremast: The shorter mast of a two-masted ship, if Pitch: Vertical motion of the boat where the bow
and stern rise. and fall.
it is ahead of the mainmast (cf. Mizzenmast).
Poop cabin: A cabin set on the main deck at the aft
Founder: For a ship or boat to fill with water and
of the ship. The captain’s and officer’s quarters are
sink.
traditionally in the poop cabin.
Gaff: A horizontal spar used to support a four-sided
Poopdeck: The deck on top of the poop cabin. The
fore-and-aft sail. A ship with gaffs is said to be gaff-
poopdeck is also used as a platform for missile fire.
rigged.
Point: A measure of angle of approximately 11 de-
Galley: An oar-powered ship, specifically one with
grees. An object at approximately 22 degrees (going
one bank of oars. Also, the place aboard ship where
clockwise with dead ahead being 0 degrees) is “two
food is prepared.
points off the starboard bow“, while an object at 68
Gunwale: The portion of the hull which extends

126 • Appendix
degrees (in the same system) is “two points forward (and the ship gets lower) when the ship is more heav-
of the starboard beam.” ily loaded.
Port: The left side of a ship, when one is standing at Wharf: A structure parallel to shore constructed to
the center of the ship, facing the bow. provide a place to make ships fast; cf. Pier.
Porthole: A window aboard a ship. Wheel: For ships which do not have tillers, the
Portlight: A porthole that can be opened. mechanism by which the rudder is controlled. Most
Quarter: The rear half of a side of the ship. A point wheels are large affairs with many wooden spokes
at 7:30 (with the front of the ship at 12:00) is “on the which extend beyond the rim of the wheel to use as
port quarter.” handholds, as the primitive system of pulleys that
Reef: An obstruction below the waterline. attaches the wheel to the rudder requires considera-
Rigging: The lines which support the spars and the ble leverage. The wheel is attached so that when the
sails and allow the sailors to control the sails. rudder is pointing dead ahead, one specific spoke of
Roll: Vertical motion of the boat where the sides of the wheel (called the king spoke) is pointing straight
the boat rise and fall. up. The king spoke is often carved specially so that it
Rudder: A flat plane which is attached to the ship is easy to identify by sight or touch.
and inserted into the water near the stern of the Yardarm: A horizontal spar used to support an
ship. The rudder is used to steer the ship. If the rud- athwartships sail.
der is turned so that it points to port, the ship turns Yaw: Motion of the boat where the boat is pushed off
to port; if the rudder is turned so that it points to course (usually by the action of waves).
starboard, the ship turns to starboard.
Rutter: A book where the navigator writes a de-
scription of his travels. The rutter is used to allow
Common Commands
the navigator to retrace his steps, so that he may
find his way to the same place again. Hoist Sail: Increase the amount of sail the ship is
Schooner: A ship with at least two masts, where the using. This will increase the speed. (Note: This com-
aft mast is the mainmast. Schooners are generally mand and the next two are often used with a specific
rigged with fore-and-aft sails. sail, e.g. “Hoist the mainsail!”.)
Sloop: A single-masted ship with two sails: a main- Shorten Sail: Reduce the amount of sail the ship is
sail and a jib. using. This will decrease the speed.
Spar: Any framework used to support sails. Spars Furl Sail: Take the sail down, roll it up, and secure
include masts, booms, and gaffs. it.
Starboard: The right side of a ship, when one is Steady: Maintain heading and speed.
standing at the center of the ship, facing the bow. Full Ahead: Increase speed to maximum.
Stay: A line running from the mast to the bow or Five beats: Begin rowing slowly (five strokes/
stem. A line from the bow to the mast is called a fore- minute)
stay; a line from the stem to the mast is called a Ten beats: Row faster (ten strokes/minute)
backstay Fifteen beats: Row as fast as possible. Most oars-
Stem: The back of a ship. men cannot maintain fifteen beats for more than a
Sterncastle: A structure (such as a poop cabin) few minutes, and some large ships cannot row this
built above the main deck in the aft of a ship. quickly at all.
Sternway: Reverse movement of a ship. Bear Port/Starboard: Turn slowly to the left/right.
Stow: To put away. Hard to Port/Starboard: Turn to the left/right as
Strike: To lower something from above the deck: fast as possible.
the reverse of hoist. One can strike the sails, strike Fire: Fire one volley of missiles at the target. This
one’s colors, etc. command is typically used with ship-to-ship weap-
Tiller: The place where the ship’s rudder is con- ons such as ballistae and catapults.
trolled. The term “tiller” is used when the rudder is Fire Away: Fire missile weapons at the target at
controlled by a lever at the back of the ship (cf. will.
Helm). Hold Fire: Stop firing.
Topside: On the main deck, or at the helm. Strike Colors: Surrender.
Trireme: An oared ship with three banks of oars.
Triremes are rare, favored only by Mulhorand in the
Inner Sea.
Waterline: The point on the hull where the hull
crosses from air to water. The waterline gets higher

Pirate-Speak • 127