Chapter 2: Steadfast

• What has gone before
  • An unlikely assortment of strangers end up joining an rescue mission which begins with a harrowing escape from local authorities
• Goals
  • Locate and reach the Mystical Island of Vuronu
• Sub-goals
  • Learn more about Vuronu (building fear and suspense) and the NPCs.
    • Visit at least two more islands of the Casaran Protectorate.
  • Find a route and/or guide to Vuronu.
    • Recruit Pierre Kairau on Glupe.
  • Finish supplying The Steadfast for the long journey.
  • Avoid capture by the Ministry.
  • Keep allies back on Casaran informed of the quest's progress, just in case.
• DM/Story advancement
  • Disclose the rescue plan, and the nature of Emma's visions.
  • Seed feed of Vuronu - corruptions in the journal and the stories from their stops.
  • Encourage the use of each character's best skills - giving them a chance to develop some team rhythms.
  • Characters gain one level.
• How this chapter ends
  • A betrayal leads to a crash-landing on Vuronu.

• Find information about Vuronu at each stop
  • Failure leaves information for the Ministry Pirates to track them.
• Restock The Steadfast
  • Failure increases prices, leaves them without several important stocks
• Find a guide or navigation device to reach Vuronu
  • In all cases Pierre Kairau joins the party, but failure means the he starts further down his “madness” mode…
• Dead Calm or Sargasso Sea?

• Avoiding arrest at port (due to failed Get Info challenges)
• Privateers! : A Ship-to-Ship Pirate Battle [they're seeking a bounty on The Steadfast and her Captain.]
• Danger From the Deep: In the last day's of the journey, and attack by a Hull Cracker.
  • Fighting only the tentacles (unless someone gets in the water.)
  • The tentacles focus on the masts, steering wheel, and Pierre Kairau
  • The squid is attempting to steer the group away from Vuronu.
• Collision with Destiny: The final night of the journey is a betrayal - everyone has been drugged and the ship is being piloted by a dominated Pierre.
  • The party can wake up and fight a boss-combat in an attempt to wrest control of the Steadfast away.
  • Pierre's skills have been significantly augmented, and he's using dominated crew members to defend him.
  • The number of rounds it takes to stop him determines how terrible the crash is.
    • How much food
    • How much equipment (weapons, armor, tools)
    • How much repair must be done (weeks or months or a lost cause.)

• He's a bard - he knows many songs to relax the party. He's a pretty good cook too.
  • Use his skill to encourage intra-group talk over meals.
  • Share some Casaran history, legends of Vuronu, etc.
• “Vuronu! My wife and I went there a few months ago, I returned here to get certain items not available there - mostly

refined metals, potions, and magic-tooled implements. Lucky you came along - I was just about to set about looking for passage..."
  * I vision filled lie. He is partially dominated by Sinusovo - though he has been to the island, he was never married and was sent out to bring more visitors.
* To accomplish his mission, he will poison Cookie and take his place as Chef (after he has built up lots of trust.)
  * On that fateful night, he will add sleeping potion (DC 30 vs. Fort) to the evening meal...
* Pierre dies either in the combat for control of the ship, or is impaled by a breaking mast when they run aground against a great rock.

• The Hull Cracker was inspired by the Scyllan and the Roper.