Character Creation

Guidelines for character creation are as follows:

• Character Level: 3
• Species: Any non-flying species
• Class / Subclass: All PHB Classes plus artificer
• Ability scores: Choose one of the following methods:
• Standard array
• Point buy
• Roll 4, choose 3
• Starting Magic Items: None

Story Background

The party were all passengers or crew (each can decide which for themselves) aboard a passenger ship which was set upon by a gargantuan ocean monster and sunk. Four longboats made it off the ship, but the other three were destroyed by the beast. In the boat are the PCs plus the ship's cook; Charles "Chum" Humphrey. The party now find themselves adrift at sea, hoping for land, or another ship to rescue them.

Adventure Overview

The party are drawn into the mists of Ravenloft, and some time later happen up on the Erebus, a ghost ship which is its own demi-plane in the Domains of Dread. After climbing aboard, the party finds nobody left alive on the ship, and as they explore they start to unravel the mystery of what happened to the passengers and crew, eventually culminating with a battle against the dark lord of the realm; Lord Arthur Pendleton (who has gone by the name Thomas Wright when booking his voyage so as to avoid scrutiny).

On horror

This one-shot adventure contains frightening and intense scenes, themes of loss of a sense of reality and personal autonomy, control, self-harm and mutilation. You should check with your players if any of these things are likely to be issues and, if so, do not run this adventure for them. Furthermore, if intense or gruesome scenes (and the stories behind them) are likely to be an issue for you, I suggest you do not read any further.

On immersion

As a horror one-shot, the success or failure of this game will depend on helping the players feel immersed in the game. Also, preventing the players from feeling "comfortable" in the Erebus will be important. The following are recommended to aid in this:

• Have players print out their character sheets and use physical rule books where possible, in order to prevent players using phones, laptops or other devices during the game.
• Do not provide a map of the Erebus to players (no map is provided in this module). The players should feel as though the layout of the ship is uncertain... perhaps a door that once led to the captain's quarters now leads to the quartermaster store. The less the players feel as though they know where they are, the more unsettling it is likely to be.
• There is limited combat in this adventure, but when it does occur, keep it fully "theatre of the mind". Avoid miniatures or virtual tabletops, as these provide a level of locational and situational "certainty" that we do not want.
• Try to play the game in an area free of distractions, with controlled lighting and sounds.

The Dark Lord's backstory

Lord Arthur Pendleton was a well respected magistrate in the harbor town of Griffith's Lodge, however he had a terrible secret; he dabbled in enchanting magic and delighted in using it to compel others to harm themselves. Although he initially believed it to be "experimentation", in truth it was more of a murderous compulsion. Members of high society in Griffith's Lodge were killing themselves too frequently, and as the manner of their deaths started to become more gruesome, the local authorities began to suspect foul play. Their investigations gradually brought them closer and closer to finding Lord Pendleton, and as a magistrate he was well aware that the net was closing around him. Fearing his capture imminent, he booked passage out of town on the Erebus, a passenger ship, using the name Thomas Wright.

However, once out at sea, Lord Pendleton's compulsions didn't go away. In fact, they only grew more acute, and realizing that there was nobody aboard who was capable of stopping him, he compelled, controlled, manipulated and enchanted all of the passengers and crew to inflict unspeakable harms on themselves and each other, trying his best to frame the captain for the crimes. Lord Pendleton was let off the leash, and he indulged in his sick fantasy to excess and as he did so, the Erebus was drawn into the Domains of Dread, becoming its own Demiplane. Lord Pendleton has become physically deformed by his depravity (now resembling the image accompanying this adventure module) and is left to roam this empty ship, desperately hoping for more victims to manipulate and control (and completely unaware that there remains yet one survivor in the cargo hold).

Perpetual night

On the Erebus it is perpetually night time, it is night when the players arrive, and night when they leave, and at no point is there daylight in between. This is a feature of the Domain of Dread that they are within.