Men Overboard

Hired as deckhands aboard The Smiling Shark to travel from Gurandir to Othonal, about a 2 week trip. While traveling through Elanad's Strait a fight broke out when a raiding party of Sea Devils attacked the ship. During the fight a number of the crew were thrown overboard and lost as the crew onboard continued to fight the raiders.

Structure

Exposition

You find yourselves on the deck of a large ship, a chilly breeze blows against your skin carrying the smell of the sea which fills your nose with undertones of gunpowder and ale. A dozen or so deckhands are doing various tasks the across deck of the ship. Splashing waves lightly crash against the ship and seagulls squak from their perches among the sails.

You were all hired by Goluk, the first mate of the ship, to be deckhands aboard the trading vessel The Smiling Shark traveling north to Othonal.

Conflict

Suddenly you hear the loud piercing sound of the alarm bell coming from high up in the crows nest. An unexpected arm presses against your chest and you feel yourself falling backward and with a splash you land in the sea below. You drop below the surface, sudden quiet fills your ears as you swim to the suface. Breaking the waves you see the ship, already 50 feat away, with Sea Devils climbing up it's sides.

You know there is no way for you to make it back to ship at the rate that it's moving away from you. Looking around there are (number of players +1) others floating nearby and a cliff face not to far off. What do you want to do?

Rising Action

After a short time 3 Reef Sharks will attack the non-party member, killing him in short order, and then proceed to attack the party. The party can either fight or run, though the sharks are much faster in water than the party so will likely lead to death.

SRD

Reef Shark

Medium beast, unaligned

Armor Class 12

Hit Points 22 4d8+4

Speed Swim: 40ft

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STR

14 +2

DEX

13 +1

CON

13 +1

INT

1 -5

WIS

10 0

CHA

4 -3

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Skills Perception +2

Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 12

Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)

Pack Tactics. The shark has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the shark's allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only underwater.

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Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 1d8+2 piercing damage.

Smaller than giant sharks and hunter sharks, reef sharks inhabit shallow waters and coral reefs, gathering in small packs to hunt. A full-grown specimen measures 6 to 10 feet long.

Falling Action

You make it to the shore, or rather a large low sitting rock. Cold, wet, and slick, nestled up against the cliff.

Upon investigating the cliff the adventurers can easily find a part that is lower than the rest that will allow them to climb upward.

Surveying the cliff you see that there is one part lower than the rest, maybe 20-30 feat up.

Resolution

Reaching the top of the cliff you can see craggy rocks slowly rising to the higher cliffs above. Climbing up them you reach the top and find yourselves in a dense pine forest, powdery snow reaches half way up your boots, a gust of wind carries the bite of winter cold against your exposed skin.

The adventurers are now in the Splinterwood, a forest filled with danger that is generally avoided by the locals. From here the adventureres will need to make their way to civilization.

• If they go west they'll find the Cafeld River which can lead them to Athar
• If they go south following the cliffs they will end up a the Cafeld Ruins
• If they go north they will go deeper into the woods and eventually find the mountains and past that Kodrav, this would take at least a week and could prove deadly