Mar Kurimas

Introduction

The fisherman knew the best way to get a free drink was to share the wildest story in the Fishwife’s Table. Having just returned to port without his catch, he figured he could at least earn an ale for his trouble. It was a quiet night, with few other patrons to regale, so he had the undivided attention of the barmaid.

His tale started as most fishing stories do: Clear skies transforming suddenly into dangerous storms, a small craft being tossed by the waves and blown beyond safe waters. In this case, the fisherman declared, he should have never returned to shore, for his ship was blown directly into the Black Tempest, the never-ending maelstrom that had sat over the Red Ocean for at least 500 years. Even powerful mages kept their distance; no crew had ever approached the storm and returned to speak of it.

So why was this story different? The fisherman couldn’t say. Maybe the gods had taken pity on him. All he could say was that the storms, though difficult, were not deadly, and he was blown onto a strange beach in a strange land. Eventually, the winds calmed enough for him to leave shore and return home. Surely being the first man to survive the Black Tempest was worth a pint, eh?

The barmaid laughed and handed him a drink, if only because he had imagination. It was an unbelievable tale. At least, he’d thought so. It seems others disagreed, as the fisherman found himself dragged from his bed by shadowy figures in the dead of the night. He lost track of time, blinded and bound, as his captors rode hard through the night. How far had they taken him?

It was with great surprise when his hood was finally removed and he found himself sitting in an opulent study, greeted by none other than the king himself. The king apologized for the treatment, but it was a most urgent matter: Had the fisherman spoken the truth? Had he truly seen the lost island of Mar Kurimus?

It has been a week since the king first learned of the fisherman’s tale. The nation of Mar Kurimus was almost lost to history, surviving as a little-known legend of the island swallowed up by the Black Tempest. That it had emerged from the mists of time was an opportunity the king could not pass up. It would take a fleet of ships to conquer the island, but he would not risk alerting the surrounding nations to the island’s return.

Thus he commissioned the Kurimus Expedition: Summoning only the most loyal and capable of those in his service, he has tasked your crew with exploring the island, eliminating the greatest dangers, taming the wilderness, and recovering the lost history of that place. Supplies and reinforcements would come in due time, but the lengthy journey and stealthy nature of the mission means that any measure of self-sufficiency is important. Perhaps, eventually, the island could be conquered and settled, for the glory of king and country.