Dive into your creative stream
by Robb at readytorole.com
Miles from land, out in the sea ahead appears to be a town built upon high stilts. The flag that flies above it belong to pirates, but ships with all flags friend and foe alike are docked there.
Rumors abound about “Runaground Island” or “Ghost Island”- an island that apparently materializes in the ocean and destroys or damages ships that suddenly find themselves inside of the island.
For the past month a patch of sea has turned a deeper blue than the rest, and it seems to be actively pushing ships out with gigantic waves out of nowhere when they enter the patch.
Ship wreckage floats out in the ocean, very likely a merchant vessel based on some of the goods floating about. A small group of lifeboats float among the wreckage, filled with not people but treasure, and the word “choices” carved into the side of one.
An avian humanoid is spotted on the distance and lands on ships offering their services as a messenger. But even with wings how did they fly a few days travel out here?!
A castaway was found on a piece of driftwood and when brought aboard, warns the ship to turn around. According to them, a huge human hand came up from under the water and crushed their ship with ease before pulling most of the ship under.
At first the colorful algae that is common in these waters were fun to look at, but now it is obvious that they are eating through the ship’s hull due to their acidity, and the ship is taking on water!
An entrepreneurial gnome has started a gnomish diving company, salvaging wreckage from ships at the bottom of the ocean. Their latest employer has them investigating the wreckage of a pirate vessel that sunk around a century ago.
A glowing maelstrom appears in the ocean, but repels ships away rather than pulls them in. A ship was witnessed being ejected from the whirlpool intact and the crew is alive, though very confused.
For about a month dim, glowing lights under the water have been making their toward the closest port. However, now under a full moon their true nature is revealed- iridescent skeletons marching on the seafloor, and only a few days from port!
A large island that has been known to float around due to actually being a giant turtle has seen volcanic activity for the first time. The turtle has been approaching ships for help, but none seem to want to step foot onto the living island.
A ship bearing a flag of a parrot skull draws nearer, and from the telescope can be seen parrots turning into large, rideable mounts and pirates riding them towards the ship!
A message in a bottle was pulled up, and included a map to an uncharted island with promises of riches. The next day, en route to said island, a second bottle was found warning whoever found it to avoid the island at all costs.
Lately, whenever ships get into trouble on the open sea, a giant cephalopod has been grabbing them and safely placing them down in front of them before asking a riddle. If the crew of the ship gets it right, they get a random sunken chest from the bottom of the ocean. Answer wrong, and they are simply sent on their way with the aid of the cephalopod.
Merfolk have become uncharacteristically vicious as of late, attacking the bottom of ships so that they fill with water, and dragging anyone who goes down to fix the leaks through the holes they made, never to be seen again.
After reaching their last port of call, the crew has begun feeling ill one by one. Slowly, once the illness sets in they have been turning slimy and jelly-like over the course of a week, but seem to still live as jelly.
An ogre ship- if the pile of driftwood and scavenged wood can be called that- has been the ire of many sailors lately, accidentally ramming into them and causing damage due to the poor construction and control of their own vessel. However, the number of incidents seems a little high to just be an accident.
Apparently, whenever a map is opened up on deck, the edge of the map becomes the edge of the world in a certain spot of ocean. If a map is opened with only 200 feet to spare, either a new map needs to be opened, or all hands on deck to turn around!
A body was picked up out of the water and was still alive! They thanked the crew for saving them, but after 2 days jumped overboard in the middle of the night. Now one of the crew have been following suit every few nights since, leaving a shortage of hands and a bad feeling for those who remain without answers.
Everytime the ship tries to dock, it is turned away due to a strong presence of evil on board. None of the on board priests can sense anything wrong and the ship itself is starting to run out of supplies and options.
Rumor has it that if you find leaves out on the open ocean who just missed The Seagarden; a ship made from living wood than can change shape and grow, crewed entirely by nymphs who live inside the wood itself.
An otherwise reputable merchant vessel approaches offering goods at extremely low prices, likely due to the fact that they are either illegal substances in most lands or appear to be stolen goods. The merchant denies any wrongdoing, but insists no one says they bought anything from him.
After discarding meat that was not properly prepared and has rotten, a slew of giant sharks have begun following the ship. Unless more food is dumped into the ocean, that bite at and ram the ship itself. Between what the crew needs and how much is needed to keep the sharks at bay, there is not enough to find any port of call.
A crew member has fished up a small sea serpent, at first thinking it was an eel. Now they claim they can see a large shadow following the boat, but no one else can see it.
While seemingly friendly at first, a ship full of turtlefolk fire themselves out of cannons, breaching into the lower hulls of ships, grabbing treasure, and then swimming back to their own!
By Robb at readytorole.com
A rumbling could be heard coming from the swamp that sits in the center of the jungle. Anyone who goes there now sees a large ziggurat that has risen, and now floats above the surface.
After a member of an excavation team falls into quicksand completely, they appear to crawl out not too long after. They claimed that they were transported back in time hundreds of years when the ruins were active and lively, and urge you to see for yourself.
A friendly tribe native to the jungle warns anyone who goes near the temple to not search for ancient artifacts, saying any that remain within are cursed and will awaken an ancient evil.
Oversized animals roam the jungle; so far giant tigers, gorillas, and crocodiles have been seen and people are taking care to avoid them. However, the gorillas have been getting closer every day and some are afraid they may attack the camp.
During an expedition into the jungle surrounding the ruins, an explorer was attacked and strangled by a living mass of vines and vegetation. This isn’t the first time the plant life has appeared to be alive, but it is the first time that they have attacked a person, and no one knows why.
After a team of builders begin to reinforce parts of the ruins so that they don’t collapse, their tools have started breaking. Some believe them to be cursed, and now they aren’t allowed back into the camps until they can prove they’re uncursed.
Large stone guardians, at first believed to be statues, have begun roaming around the ruins, charging at anyone you gets too close to them. An excavator screamed at one during the charge and it halted its attack, but now it follows the excavator around and watches over them. Other stone guardians pay them no here but will still attack others in the expedition.
A tinkerer within the group has devised a new way to travel within the jungle! They’ve created pairs of canvas wings that you strap into, and then you get catapulted into the sky above the trees. This sounded great until the lead explorer was flung halfway across the jungle with no good way of navigating back.
Relations with the normally agreeable lizardfolk in the area have grown tense as those within the tribe deal with infighting. Some wish to continue to revere the ancient spirits of the swamp as they have, while others want to change their allegiance to a new black dragon that has made their lair in the area.
Snake people have begun coming out of the ruins and raiding camps, but most horrifically they are stealing people out of their beds to be sacrificed at an alter atop the ruins to appease an ancient god.
An alchemist has requested help from anyone who can get him certain plants so that he can help stave off rashes and poison in the jungle. It’s these same plants however that are extremely poisonous to handle, so none have been willing to help him.
After digging in the swampy waters, zombies have been awakened and now climb out from under the fetid water, seeking only to reenter the ruins of a large temple and clawing at the entrance until their hands fall off.
Small moving lights have been seen at night, occasionally helping lead those out exploring through difficult passages. Their help has been appreciated, until two incidents of the lights leading them straight into the nests of hungry animals has led to some casualties.
A famous explorer, well known for their ability to handle any situation with a cool head and always being successful, has found your camp and is extremely shaken. They say their entire expedition has fallen prey to a humongous bird that swoops down and between the trees with ease, and that their cries for help still haunt him.
Legends from locals warn you of an ancient shapeshifting hag who resides in the jungle. They say she can read your mind and will transform into the visage of someone you know, asking for help. If you get too close though, she will pounce and take you, leading to people being unwilling to aid anyone by themselves who have been lost in the jungle.
Since some alchemical supplies were accidentally poured into swampy waters, the area surrounding the jungle has been masked with a thick fog, causing coughing fits for anyone who enters. Samples of the water have revealed a chemical reaction is causing this, and the only way to stop it is to pour a sufficient amount of holy water towards the center of the water.
Each night, spectral visages of ancient people can be seen walking around the ruins, interacting as if they were still intact. They haven’t acknowledged anyone living, though they walk around them and can make physical contact.
A witch doctor has claimed that he can cure any ailment which has brought a good number of travelers to the swamp seeking his help. While most of his visitors speak good things of him, lately there have been some disappearances of those who went to visit him and people are beginning to get suspicious.
The remains of a destroyed campsite were found a few hundred feet from your own. No one was aware of any other expeditions in the jungle, but more disturbing are the giant claw marks that are found in the site, ripping even into metal.
A large whirlpool has opened up in the swamp that surrounds some of the ruins. It seems to move around and head for any movement in the water. No one has dared enter, but some have claim to have seen a bird get sucked into the water by sheer force.
While normally not being short on bugs, the jungle has seen swarms of insects take flight and resembling one large, amorphous entity. Natives say the strange behavior means the return of an old warlock who used to terrorize the jungle hundreds of years ago.
An old arena in the ruins of the jungle still seems some use by native tribes as a way to show tests of strength. A member of the expedition accidentally volunteered to enter through a miscommunication and was mauled by a together after pleas to be let out, causing a rift between the natives and the expedition.
Many of the braziers that litter the ruins have spontaneously lit themselves, spreading concern amongst the expedition. Even more concerning is when the fires of the braziers moves off them, resembling fire elementals, and attack any creatures that come to close
Explorers have found a section of jungle filled with thorns and briers, unusual for the climate and the environment. They didn’t have much time to investigate as plant-like humanoids made of vines and thorns chased them out before resuming corrupting more of the jungle.
After concocting a strange potion using ingredients from the jungle, a wizard from the expedition has managed to turn himself into a lizard. He still possesses intelligence and is writing instructions in the dirt on how to turn him back, including delving into the temple for some reagents.