Tonight's Mission
“Session 10 should force the party to make their first real choice about the cartograph — keep it, use it, or destroy it — while Crowe's pursuit makes sitting still impossible and Blackwater's custody makes inaction dangerous.”
Decide what Blackwater knows and is willing to trade — he's in custody and the party will almost certainly interrogate him; have 3–4 specific secrets he can reveal (Crowe's next port of call, cult safehouses, the god's name and nature) and what it costs to get each one out of him.
The party will almost certainly debate what to do with the cartograph immediately — be ready for a split: some players will want to use it as leverage, others will want to destroy it, others will want to find the god; don't let this stall, have an external pressure (Crowe's frigate spotted on the horizon, a distress signal) ready to force a decision.
Difficulty Read
Party is taking heavy losses
High death rate — consider dialing back or giving them a breather.
The party averages 963 damage per session across five players — roughly 193 damage per player per session, which is strong and consistent for Level 7; they can burn through standard encounters quickly if they coordinate.
Standard CR 1/2 each (Bandits), CR 1/8 each (Cultists) · Dangerous CR 2 (Lieutenant and Priest), CR 1/2 each (Enforcers) · Boss CR 5 (Blackwater/Gladiator), CR 3 each (Veterans)
Governor Crowe fled by frigate and is the most immediate active threat — the most likely encounter tonight is a naval pursuit or interception on open water, either a scouting skirmish (standard tier) or a full boarding action led by a Crowe officer (dangerous tier); have a ship-to-ship chase framework ready with the Wailing Mare's damaged state factored in.
Previously on The Sea Taketh…
Last time on The Sea Taketh — the party stormed the Drowned Spire, the Pale Sereph's island stronghold, and tore it apart from the inside. The chest that has haunted them since Session 1 opened on its own at the apex, revealing not a weapon or a treasure but a cartograph — a sea chart marking every ship sunk in the Shattered Sea, and the name of the god responsible. The Pale Sereph was destroyed, Blackwater surrendered, and Governor Crowe fled by frigate into open water — but not before seeing exactly what the party now holds.
The Story So Far
What started as a stolen manifest and a bar fight in Port Morrow has unraveled into something far larger than piracy or politics — someone, or something, has been deliberately sinking ships in the Shattered Sea for a century, and the party now holds the only document that proves it. The Pale Sereph is gone, but the god named on that cartograph is not, and Governor Crowe is still alive, still connected, and now knows the party has the chart. The Wailing Mare is crewed by five people sitting on the most dangerous piece of information in the known sea, with a fleeing governor, a surrendered war captain, and a pirate ally who all want something from them. The endgame has begun — the question is who moves first.
Open Threads
- ·The cartograph names the god responsible for sinking 1,200 ships — the party has not yet decided what to do with that information or who, if anyone, to trust with it.
- ·Governor Crowe fled the Drowned Spire by frigate and is somewhere in open water — he knows the party has the chart and has every reason to come back with force.
- ·Vane Blackwater surrendered at the Spire — his fate, allegiance, and whether he can be trusted or used is entirely unresolved.
- ·Calista 'The Crow' Merrow allied with the party for leverage against Crowe — now that the Pale Sereph is destroyed, her terms and loyalty are an open question.
- ·The Wailing Mare lost its aft mast to the sea serpent in Session 7 — the ship's seaworthiness and whether repairs were ever completed remains unclear.
- ·The god named on the cartograph has not been confronted, contacted, or even fully discussed — the party knows the name but not what comes next.
Who to Know
Notable Sessions