TEXT: Pirates 
  of the Dominions
  Umberto Pignatelli
  Umberto Pignatelli 
  
  Editing: Andy Slack
  Playtesters: Daniele Bonetto, Luca Coero Borga, Maner Samuel, Paolo Boiero, Pierpaolo Ferrari.
  Special Thanks to: Marta Castellano (my wife) queen of all the Amazons, Massimo Campolucci (my uncle), 
  for being the first, real Dhaar, Simone Ronco and Polliotti Yoshi (my friends) for fighting alone against the Valk 
  demons.
  Cover: Ania Jarmołowska
  Art:  Ania Jarmołowska, Igor Myszkiewicz, Dean Spencer, Peter Szabo Gabor, Eric Lofgren, The Forge Studios, 
  Lema, Enmanuel Martinez, Patricia Smith, Rick Hershey, Kristen Collins
  Pirates of the Dominions
  &
  Beasts 
  Barbarians
  Beasts 
  Barbarians
  A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds setting
  By Umberto Pignatelli
  This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.peginc.
  com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Used 
  with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or suitability for purpose 
  of this product. 
  Some artwork copyright Michael Hammes and Philip Reed, used under license. www.roninarts.com
  ©2011 Gramel Justyna Koryś, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos are 
  trademarks of Gramel Justyna Koryś. All Rights Reserved.
  ©2016 Fajne RPG, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos are trademarks 
  of Fajne RPG. All Rights Reserved. 
  Dowiedz się więcej o fajnych RPG wydawanych przez nas (Pieśń Lodu i Ognia: Gra o Tron RPG, Savage Worlds, 
  Wolsung, Adventurers! i nie tylko) na: www.FajneRPG.pl
  
  3
  Table of Contents
  Pirates of the Dominions .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 2
  Introduction .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . 5
  Player’s Guide  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7
  The Book of Lore  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 9
  Scum  of the Sea  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 64
  Gear  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 75
  Tricarnian War Gallery  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 79
  Syranthian Warship  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 79
  Cairnlander Knarr .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  80
  Corsair   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 80
  pirate ship .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  80
  amazon hawk ship  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 80
  Junk  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 81
  merchant ship  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 81
  Chibbar   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 81
  Catamaran  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 82
  war pirogue  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 82
  Setting Rules  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 89
  Ships and Crews  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  95
  GM Guide  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  101
  Running a Pirate Game  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 102
  Sails and Blood  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 128
  Monsters and Pirates  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 136
  
  “On my command, board, you scurvy dogs!”  
  Are you tired of the forests and sun-scorched 
  plains of the Dominions? Do you want to 
  take ship and venture into the boundless blue?
  Would you like to visit the dangerous Cove, 
  where the worst scum of the Dread Sea gets 
  drunk on Zalaska, telling stories of ancient 
  treasures hidden in mysterious islands and 
  cursing the name of the Corsairs of Caldeia?
  Or maybe you’d prefer to sail the Brown Sea, 
  and  venture onto the dangerous docks of the 
  City of Leaves, the main pirate port of the 
  east, facing the enigmatic Yellow Masks?
  Or join the forces of the Borderlands and 
  Jalizar to stop the bloodthirsty Skull Raiders, 
  coming in their gray ships to sack and pillage 
  the cradle of civilization?
  The choice is yours!
  In this book you’ll find everything you need 
  to run a piratical campaign in the Beasts 
  & Barbarians setting: an expanded Book of 
  Lore detailing the Cove, the Finger Islands 
  and various other piratical locations, new 
  Edges, Hindrances, gear, and (obviously) 
  ships, with expanded rules to handle them! 
  So, what are you waiting for? Catch the wind 
  in your sails, and point your prow to the sea, 
  where blood, glory and treasure await you!
  
  5
  Introduction
  The 
  drums 
  thundered 
  spasmodically, giving the rhythm to the 
  rowers, punctuated by the occasional 
  grunt and curse, but without the lashes 
  of an overseer.
  There was no overseer on the 
  Blood Bride, and no lashes for the Free 
  Brothers at the rows. These were the 
  rules of the pirates.
  Zandorra, standing on the 
  prow like a living figurehead, her red 
  mane like a flag in the wind, shouted an 
  order, her eyes fixed on the black galley in 
  front of her, the quarry they had sought 
  since dawn. 
  “Faster, dogs! Faster! I have 
  seen old whores row with more strength 
  than you! Row faster and tonight we’ll 
  get drunk on Caldeian wine and gold!”
  The men below deck grunted, 
  but they redoubled their efforts.
  “Make full sail!” thundered 
  Shangor, at the helm, and in a few 
  heartbeats the big sail, red as the mane of 
  her captain, filled up with wind, giving 
  extra speed to the pirate ship.
  “Remember!” Zandorra said 
  to the crew. “You can kill everyone else 
  aboard, but Vashtana the Torturer is 
  mine!”
  “Aye, captain!” the men shouted.
  Only Shangor fell silent. He 
  loved the piratical life: the sun, the salt 
  smell, the fights and the enormous sense 
  of freedom of the boundless sea. But since 
  Zandorra had become the captain of the 
  Blood Bride after killing the previous 
  one, his old friend wasn’t herself 
  anymore; the thirst for Caldeian blood, 
  the blood of those who’d killed her son, 
  had driven her mad. She wasn’t looking 
  for loot and glory, only vengeance and 
  death.
  The massive barbarian, second 
  in command, left the helm to Vaago, 
  the lame pirate he trusted most with it, 
  grabbed his axe and joined Zandorra 
  near the prow.
  In the meantime, the Blood 
  Bride had devoured the small distance 
  between ships, and he could already see 
  the brown-dressed mariners aboard the 
  Caldeian vessel, moving like busy ants, 
  and behind them, the shimmering of the 
  sun on the black oiled mail of Vashtana’s 
  bodyguards.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  6
  “It won’t be an easy fight,” the 
  big barbarian frowned.
  Zandorra shouted an order. 
  “Board now, dogs! Death to Caldeia!”
  “Death to Caldeia!” Shangor 
  echoed.
  And he jumped onto the enemy 
  ship, his axe in his hand and a curse on 
  his lips.    
  Welcome back to the Dominions! In this 
  sourcebook you’ll find plenty of info on 
  one of the biggest tropes of Sword and 
  Sorcery: pirates! 
  Among these pages you’ll find stories 
  ancient and new of sea and sail, freedom 
  and betrayal, gold and curses, and booze, 
  lots of booze, by Hordan’s bloody kiss!
  In addition, you’ll find new rules to handle 
  ships, crews and sea battles. If you like the 
  idea of having your own crew of piratical 
  scum and making yourself a name as the 
  terror of the seas, continue reading…
  A Note oN AbbreviAtioNs
  To save space, several abbreviations are 
  used in this book to refer to other books 
  of the Beasts & Barbarians line. They are 
  listed below:
  GE: Beasts & Barbarians Golden Edition
  BOD: Beasts of the Dominions
  JCT: Jalizar, City of Thieves
  TB: Tattered Banners
  GOD: Gladiators of the Dominions
  TLD: Tricarnia, Land of Demons
  DPD: Dark Places of the Dominions
  Note: To make full use of this sourcebook, 
  we strongly suggest you have a copy of TB 
  handy.
  
  7
  Player’s 
  Guide
  
  8
  
  9
  The Book of Lore
  Velastios, my beloved master,
   I hope this letter finds you well, in good health, and not too worried about 
  my fate. Some time has passed since I last sent you a message, but the last few months 
  are among the most incredible ones of my life. In the end, my friends and I managed 
  to leave Tricarnia, that cursed land of demons, headed southward, but Hulian 
  doesn’t want our travels to be easy, and our ship was attacked by pirates.
  We were captured, but the fighting skills of my companions, Shangor and 
  Zandorra, gained us acceptance in the crew of these scum.
  Today our ship, the Blood Bride, finally moored at the Cove, the secret pirate 
  port of which you told me many stories when I was your pupil.
  I eagerly visited the crowded and multicolored streets of the Cove, and 
  among the naked courtesans and carousing pirates, I spotted the familiar red robe 
  of a Sage of the Library. Puzzled, I watched him more closely and great was my 
  surprise on recognizing our brother Fildago! I am sure you remember the wild 
  stories circulating about a renegade Sage who joined the pirates… well, they seem 
  to be true!
  Cautiously I approached our former brother, not surprised to find him 
  quite dirty and very drunk, and he recognized me. Despite his rough appearance he 
  was friendly and chatty, and many were the things he asked me, about you and the 
  Library, as many as were the stories he told me, sitting at a tavern’s table, about his 
  life with the pirates.
  I accurately wrote down all I could on the peculiar experiences of Fildago 
  on these pieces of sail (sorry, but finding proper paper is almost impossible at the 
  Cove), and I am sending them to you, because, as you said many times ‘every type of 
  knowledge is important, whatever the source it comes from’.
  As always, I respectfully salute you, my master,
  Justinus of Syranthia
  From the Letters of Justinus of Syranthia
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  10
  A Brief History 
  of Piracy
  For as long as mankind remembers, since 
  the first scribes of the Library of Syranthia 
  started taking notes of the passing of time, 
  sea raiding and piracy have been common 
  and widespread.
  So it isn’t possible (and would make no 
  sense) to make a full and accurate report 
  of piratical activities of the past, but what 
  we’ll do in the next few pages is recount 
  the most (in)famous deeds of piracy.
  A brief note before starting; many people, 
  due to the sinister fame of the Cove, think 
  that piracy is only common in the Dread 
  Sea, but this is false. In the Brown Sea, 
  raiders from the fabled City of Leaves 
  terrorize ships on the Golden Route in 
  the name of the Sea Tyrant, and the Gray 
  Scoundrels of the Drowned Sea assault 
  any ship not flying the flag of Jalizar…
  These and many other tales await you in 
  the following pages.
  So, loyal reader, let’s set sail into the 
  Dominions! 
  Ancient History
  A word of caution: the stories reported 
  in this chapter are so old that their 
  truthfulness is lost in the mists of time. 
  We report them only because Velastios of 
  Syranthia, venerable Sage of the Library, 
  noted them in his diary.
  The Black Sails of Terror
  The first written traces of piratical acts in 
  the history of the Dominions are in the 
  diaries of Giumaios the Guardian, keeper 
  of the books of the Seatower of Maresa, 
  a small town on the Syranthian coast. It 
  was a detailed report of the severe losses 
  suffered by the town due to the assault 
  of “black ships coming from the north”, 
  manned by “a race of pale devils and their 
  monstrous servants”.
  From the details of the text, this refers to 
  the frequent raids made by Tricarnians on 
  the southern lands, looking for new slaves 
  for their cities and rice fields. Probably 
  the report can be dated to around 900 AF 
  and describes a very common habit of the 
  Priest Princes of the era. 
  The so-called “pirates”, in truth raiders, 
  came from the north, sailing near the 
  coast in their triremes to attack the 
  poorly defended villages of Syranthia and 
  northern Kyros (usually by night, hence 
  the habit of dyeing the sails black to avoid 
  being noticed).
  Over the years this led to the construction 
  of a series of Sea Towers on the coast, 
  from Askerios to the Sword River, which 
  still exist today, each of them fitted with a 
  system of big signal mirrors and beacons 
  to raise the alarm along the coast. Today 
  nobody knows if this system really worked, 
  but the expression “black sail of terror” 
  still exists in the Syranthian language to 
  indicate an impending and unavoidable 
  doom, and no Syranthian crew would 
  ever agree to man a ship with black sails, 
  because of the bad luck they bring.
  Today, black sails are commonly used by 
  Caldeian Corsairs (see below), and this 
  still causes some tension with Syranthian 
  ships.
  
   The Book of Lore
  11
  The Pirates’ Brotherhood 
  and Hulian’s Justice
  The first real pirates, in the meaning we give 
  the term today, were, ironically, Syranthian. 
  Towards the end of the first millennium AF, 
  Syranthia was a fully developed mercantile 
  power; its broad, slow, ships, could be seen 
  almost everywhere in Dread Sea ports, and 
  some of the boldest captains pointed their 
  prows toward the Endless Ocean and the 
  Brown Sea. 
  But, although the country and the 
  merchant princes were rich, the crews 
  were made of poor men, often underpaid 
  and mistreated, or, in the worst case, slaves. 
  Crews started to rebel, and many of them 
  found shelter in the Islands of the Maimed 
  Ones, breeding with the depraved women 
  of these old rocks and hiding in secret 
  coves, concealed by permanent fog. They 
  only left their new homes to attack and 
  pillage their former masters’ ships.
  From the first isolated and rebellious 
  crews, these pirates grew in number 
  and become more organized. Under the 
  command of Baruk the Goatfoot (see 
  Sidebar on page 22), the most important 
  captains gathered in a grotto in the 
  islands, spilled their blood with a curved 
  dagger, and drank it from a golden cup, a 
  sip for each, sealing the start of the Free 
  Mariners Brotherhood, later known as the 
  Pirates’ Brotherhood.
  Baruk even founded a city in the Islands 
  of the Maimed Ones, Boaraga, a piratical 
  port with no law which quickly become 
  a threat to all the ships and coasts of the 
  Dread Sea. Stories say that Goatfoot and 
  his captains sacrificed prisoners and girls 
  to the deformed gods of the Islands and 
  that in exchange they were taught secret 
  spells to bring enemy ships into the 
  shallows or to make the wind stop.
  Whatever the truth of this story, the 
  epilogue is even weirder and darker; in 
  1021 AF, a Faberterran ship carrying 
  twelve virgins destined to be the holy 
  handmaidens of the Temple of Hulian 
  was captured by the pirates, and Goatfoot 
  himself defiled and sacrificed the maidens 
  in an orgy in his palace in Boaraga.
  When the report of such an act came to 
  Fabron, first priest of Hulian, great was 
  his rage: his prayers and the sound of his 
  smith’s hammer on the altar echoed for 
  three days and three nights, before he fell 
  on the ground, exhausted.
  The same night an earthquake, followed 
  by a volcanic eruption, devastated the 
  Islands of the Maimed Ones, destroying 
  Boaraga and its dwellers. The surviving 
  pirates fled, like rats jumping off a sinking 
  ship. They took shelter on the southern 
  coasts of the Dominions, but many years 
  would pass before they could be a threat 
  again. Everywhere, kings and peasants 
  alike were awed by the power of Hulian, 
  and the cult of the Smith God acquired a 
  number of followers after the story spread.
  And what about Goatfoot? Stories say 
  he died, beheaded by brimstone, but his 
  many offspring survived: sages say that his 
  evil blood still taints the world and that 
  periodically a baby with a goat’s foot is 
  born, and he is always a bringer of woes. 
  Ho Jan and the City of 
  Leaves 
  Meantime, in the Brown Sea, a new threat 
  was born, and his name was Ho Jan.
  But before speaking of Ho Jan, some 
  words must be allocated to the City of 
  Leaves. It is a marvel very few westerners 
  have ever seen. 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  12
  In the southeast part of the Brown Sea, 
  where the water is murky and warm, 
  enormous waterlilies grow, some of them 
  hundreds of yards wide, and with flowers 
  tall as the tallest pines of the Caled Forest, 
  populated by strange insects, enormous 
  alligators and even stranger fauna. The 
  very leaves of these plants are thick as a 
  man standing, and they are almost eternal; 
  continuously growing and dying, there is 
  always a faint smell of decay around them.
  Sages debate if the giant flowers are in 
  truth a single enormous plant, mutated 
  by Lotus, or if it is a colony of different 
  plants growing together. Whatever the 
  truth, the flower bed extends for hundreds 
  of miles, creating a labyrinth of channels 
  and floating islands similar to the Yathis 
  of Tricarnia (see TLD, pag. 77), although 
  much bigger and with a more stable 
  position.
  In the very heart of the archipelago of 
  leaves there are several islands, upon which 
  over the centuries a small settlement of 
  fishermen grew up, the Village of Leaves. 
  The Leaf People, as they were called, were 
  an independent bunch, but, in 1111 AF, 
  they were invaded by Ho Jan the Green 
  Dragon.
  Ho Jan was one of the Lords of 
  Lhobanport, 
  something 
  between 
  a 
  merchant prince and a crime lord. A very 
  ambitious man, he had attempted to seize 
  absolute power over the city, but he was 
  defeated and forced to flee on a small fleet 
  of junks to escape death.
  He found shelter in the islands among 
  the leaves, where he took control of the 
  Village of Leaves and built his base. From 
  there, he brooded on his hate of the other 
  lords, and started assaulting the ships on 
  the Golden Route, bringing wares from 
  Lhoban to Kyros.
  In a few years, Ho Jan become the terror 
  of the Brown Sea. 
  He had under his command a fleet 
  of more than one hundred junks, and 
  among his servants there were the 
  members of the Yellow Masks, a secret 
  sect of Lotusmasters, who found great 
  applications for the strange Lotus growing 
  among the water lilies. 
  This science led to the construction of the 
  legendary capital ship of Ho Jan’s fleet: the 
  Green Dragon, an enormous junk manned 
  by a fanatical crew and armed with a 
  strange contraption capable of spouting 
  Lotus fire against enemy ships, which 
  Ho Jan enjoyed using himself to see his 
  enemies die in flames.
  Ho Jan’s power over the Brown Sea 
  become so absolute that he strangled 
  all the commerce on the Golden Route. 
  In 1124 AF the Lords of Lhobanport 
  surrendered and offered him the crown of 
  the city.
  Ho Jan came back triumphantly to 
  Lhobanport and, as sign of good will, 
  he spared the lives of his old opponents, 
  who in exchange gifted him So Pal, a 
  marvelous concubine, “as beautiful as a 
  secret mountain spring”, the stories say.
  Everything looked good; too good. 
  Ho Jan, blinded by the apparent fulfillment 
  of his dream, didn’t see the danger and 
  ignored the pleas of his son and first 
  lieutenant Janhor for caution. Three days 
  after being crowned, So Pal the concubine 
  killed Ho Jan using a devious poison on 
  her tongue, and the troops of the Lords, 
  who had been hidden in the city, attacked 
  and butchered Ho Jan’s men.
  
   The Book of Lore
  13
  Janhor managed to escape from the city 
  with part of the fleet, and returned to the 
  City of Leaves, where he continued the 
  piratical activities of the past, starting a 
  twenty-year-long war with Lhobanport, 
  which ended with no winner. 
  The City of Leaves, as will be described 
  later, still exists today, and is the main 
  pirate base of the Brown Sea.
  The Marauder Queens 
  But let’s return to the Dread 
  Sea; to be accurate, to the 
  Island of Ascaia.
  In 1947 AF, a new pair of 
  Sister Queens ascended to 
  the throne of the Amazons’ 
  island: Shilaya and Valyana, 
  and their names are still 
  feared today.
  Ascaia has always followed 
  this tradition: when one of 
  the Sister Queens dies, the 
  surviving one retires, taking 
  the title of Old Queen, to 
  allow a new pair of Queens 
  to rule without a struggle for 
  the succession.
  In this case, when Imara 
  died, the other queen Zanda 
  became Old Queen, allowing 
  Imara’s daughters Valyana 
  and Shilaya, to take the 
  throne. 
  Traditionally, 
  to 
  allow 
  balance in government, one 
  of the Queens is the Keeper 
  of the Blade, an ancient 
  Amazon blade, and is the 
  warrior of the couple, while 
  the other is the Bringer of 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  14
  the Jewel, because she wears at her navel 
  the Flower of Etu, a piece of jewellery 
  which is a sign of peace and prosperity. 
  Often the Bringer of the Jewel is also a 
  priestess of Etu.
  But this was not the case for Valyana 
  and Shilaya. Both skilled mariners and 
  warriors, they both ruled as Keeper of 
  the Blade, forging a second sword, while 
  the Flower of Etu laid, abandoned, in the 
  temple of the acropolis.
  In that period the Iron Empire, focused 
  on expansion eastward, was showing its 
  first signs of weakness.
  Valyana and Shilaya exploited these, and 
  started a campaign of ferocious aggression 
  against their neighbors. In those years, 
  the Hawk Ships plundered the rich 
  Independent Cities of the south, the 
  shores of Kyros, and even dared to assault 
  Tricarnia, inflicting serious damage on the 
  Land of the Priest Princes.
  Hawk Ships were also sent into the 
  Elephants’ River, ransacking the present-
  day Borderlands, only avoiding attacks on 
  Faberterra.
  But what did the Empire do against such 
  a threat? 
  Absolutely nothing. 
  This because the Marauder Queens had 
  in their hands a very precious hostage: 
  Valestan the Young, the heir of the 
  Imperator, unfortunately captured by 
  Amazons pirates in 1950 AF. With such a 
  card in their hands, the Marauder Queens 
  were confident they could do whatever 
  they wanted, as long as they didn’t attack 
  the Empire directly.
  In truth, it seems that Valestan’s 
  imprisonment wasn’t so hard, and the 
  man was on pretty good terms with the 
  Queens. Rumors say that he even fathered 
  a child with Valyana, which technically 
  could have been both Queen of Ascaia 
  and Empress of the Iron Empire.
  But the Marauder Queens’ reign was, 
  luckily, brief: in 1947 AF Valyana died 
  during an unfortunate sea raid against the 
  Tricarnian city of Val Xartha (see TLD 
  page 153). Exploiting the partial power 
  vacuum, a rebellion, led by Zanda the Old 
  Queen, deposed Shilaya. 
  The surviving queen was sentenced to 
  life-long imprisonment: she was walled 
  up alive under the Acropolis of Ascaia, 
  condemned never to see the light again. 
  She screamed and cursed for five years, 
  before no sound was heard anymore and 
  the food was returned intact. Probably 
  she was dead, but the Old Queen forbade 
  anyone to remove the wall, so nobody 
  really knows.  
  What about Valestan? The imperial heir 
  managed to avoid capture and escaped 
  with the enormous treasure of the 
  Marauder Queens, the fruit of ten years of 
  plundering. The very day after his escape, 
  a terrible storm swept the Dread Sea, 
  and his ship, the Silver Blade, was never 
  seen again. Some say he died at sea, while 
  others claim he managed to take shelter 
  from the storm and find a place to hide his 
  fabled treasure.
  The Emperor quickly declared Valestan 
  dead (and replaced him in the line of 
  succession with the more malleable 
  Ornestan), and the Old Queen ruled the 
  island for another thirty years, making hers 
  the longest reign in all Ascaian history. 
  She ruled till the Sisters Coming from the 
  
   The Book of Lore
  15
  Sea were chosen by Etu as Queens, but 
  that is another story, for another day…  
  The Gray Prince of Jalizar
  The Drowned King Sea too has its share 
  of pirates and sea reavers. 
  For centuries pillagers and raiders have 
  sailed from the Shallows Village of Jalizar 
  (see JCT), making raids on the shores of 
  present-day Valkheim and southern Gis. 
  Everybody in the City of Thieves knows 
  the name of Zoran, the Smuggler King 
  and songs were composed about his deeds 
  as a youth, along with those of his father, 
  Chibbar.
  But almost as famous as Zoran is Melian, 
  known as the Gray Prince of Jalizar, the 
  Scoundrel Pirate, the Stealer of Kisses 
  and Strider of Rooftops, the Alchemists’ 
  Thief and another half-dozen titles the 
  Jalizarans gave him.
  Melian was born in 2238 AF, and a lot of 
  stories are told about his origin. Some say 
  he was the direct descendant of Emella, 
  the last of the bloodline of the true kings 
  of Jalizar, while others say he was the son 
  of a tavern dancer and a priest of Ranikos 
  Blindfolded.
  Whatever 
  the 
  truth, 
  Melian 
  was 
  charismatic and strong, admired by men 
  and loved by women. 
  He easily rose through the ranks of the 
  Seagulls, the navy of Jalizar, devoting the 
  first half of his life to fighting the same 
  smugglers and pirates that would have 
  been his best friends and companions in 
  the second half.
  What ruined Melian (or, depending on 
  your point of view, made him a hero) was 
  his absolute passion for gambling and risk.
  No bet was too high for him; no woman, 
  married or not, was forbidden. This, in 
  conjunction with his sharp wits, got him 
  involved in numerous duels, which he 
  always won, being an excellent swordsman.
  It was during one of these that he killed 
  the Archont of Talum, after being caught 
  in bed with the Archont’s wife.
  Stripped of his rank, Melian was 
  imprisoned in the dreaded Tower of 
  Justice of Jalizar, sentenced to death.
  Now, as the story says, nobody has ever 
  escaped from that Dungeon except 
  Ranikos Blindfolded, but the Gray 
  Prince managed to escape during his own 
  execution, in Victory Square. The details of 
  his roguish escapade were lost, except that 
  he also managed to free other prisoners, 
  and that their escape involved running 
  away over the rooftops of the city, before 
  reaching the port and stealing a ship.
  The legend says that during the escape 
  the soot from the chimneys was smeared 
  on Melian’s clothes, and that from that 
  day, as a sign of devotion to Ranikos, god 
  of thieves, he has always dressed in gray 
  (hence his name).
  From that day on, Melian, the Gray 
  Prince, became a pirate, devoting himself 
  and his men to a life of raiding and 
  adventures. He never had a fleet under 
  his command, as other pirate lords did; he 
  always commanded his own ship, the Gray 
  Pearl, and with it brought ruin everywhere 
  in the Drowned King Sea. 
  Always a gentleman, he was famous for 
  never mistreating a woman in his power 
  (but this didn’t prevent him asking a 
  fabulous ransom for Imperial Princess 
  Valiana).
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  16
  Many are the deeds attributed to him. 
  Some of them are probably true, like the 
  theft of the mask of the Second Alchemist 
  of Gis and the raid on the Cairn of the 
  Dead Waves; others are surely false, such 
  as the legend that he found the Treasure 
  of Queen Emella and that he kidnapped 
  Isalya of Tricarnia, replacing her with a 
  double, to make her his lover.
  Whatever the truth, everybody knows 
  how the legend of the Gray Prince ended; 
  pursued by the combined fleets of Jalizar 
  and Gis, he drove the Gray Pearl across the 
  Mouths of Kargan, a maelstrom not far 
  away the Cairnlands coast. He probably 
  died, but nobody has seen the corpse, or 
  even the wreckage of his ship, so who can 
  say?
  There is also a story, which was recently 
  confirmed (see below), that the Gray 
  Prince will return, to plunder all the riches 
  of the world. 
  Recent History
  What’s written in the pages above is 
  ancient history and legend, but piracy is 
  still alive and well today. In the following 
  pages we’ll describe recent facts and deeds 
  linked to pirates.
  The Cove and Verado
  After the death of Goatfoot, the pirates 
  were scattered and divided for several 
  centuries, making small bases in the 
  Independent Cities. Then, with increasing 
  commerce between Caldeia and the 
  Dominions of the Dread Sea, they moved 
  to the Finger Islands, which are in a 
  strategic position to intercept and capture 
  those rich cargos.
  The Finger Islands are a perfect place for 
  pirates: a labyrinth of islands, covered with 
  lush vegetation, rich in coves and bays to 
  hide and repair ships.
  They aren’t a safe place, especially because 
  they are close, too close, to Keron; but at 
  least there you can live free, if you have a 
  strong sword arm.
  Nobody remembers exactly when the 
  port known as the Cove was built, but, as 
  Fildago the Sage (see page 9) reported, 
  the location, a hidden bay protected by 
  insidious reef barriers, was discovered by 
  Lorvakos the Lucky, a pirate who survived 
  shipwreck, and probably the first port was 
  built there many years later, around 1970 
  AF.
  Stories say Lorvakos found shelter in 
  an ancient temple in the jungle, which, 
  strangely, was devoted to Rakua-Thara, the 
  god of the sea, and that he survived only 
  because he smeared the altar of the double 
  god with the blood from his broken nose. 
  Whatever the truth of this legend, it is 
  only three hundred years later that the 
  Five Captains,, whose names are lost today, 
  gathered at the Rude Wench, the main 
  tavern of the Cove, and wrote the Pirate’s 
  Code on a piece of sail (see BOD, page 
  38). This document, as well as discussing 
  very practical things like the division of 
  loot, is probably the most egalitarian law 
  code in the Dominions, asserting that all 
  the Brothers, as the pirates of the Dread 
  Sea call themselves, are free and equal. 
  So long as they are able to defend their 
  freedom with a sharp blade, of course.
  With the Cove and the Pirate’s Code, 
  another 
  important 
  factor 
  appeared; 
  the sea raiders changed from being a 
  scattered and divided bunch, and became 
  
   The Book of Lore
  17
  an organization; and the Lords Captain 
  of the Cove, at certain points in history, 
  gathered their vessels into a single fleet, 
  bringing ruin even to major cities.
  Luckily for the Dominions, it’s rare for 
  the pirates of the Cove to unite under a 
  single leader; the last time this happened 
  was just seven years ago, when the Cove 
  rallied under the command of Verado, 
  a former Syranthian naval officer, who 
  deserted, then raided and pillaged across 
  all the Dread Sea.
  But Verado’s threat was short lived; two 
  years ago the combined fleets of Faberterra 
  and Syranthia caught Verado’s fleet not 
  far from Askerios, and, after a three-day 
  battle, which is still remembered as the 
  Battle of the Red Waters, they managed 
  to defeat him. 
  Many bold warriors and scurvy pirates 
  died that day, killed by the sword or by the 
  bite of the Burning Lotus flaming on the 
  waters. Verado was seen falling into the 
  sea, but no-one ever found his body... or 
  his famous treasure (see sidebar on page 
  23).
  Skull Raiders of the Cairns
  In the meantime, a new threat has been 
  born in the Drowned King Sea. Recently 
  a powerful man has arisen among the 
  coastal clans of the Cairnlands. His name 
  is Broken Sail and he is both a warrior and 
  a mariner, and, what it is most important, 
  he is a Speaker for the Dead, one of the 
  few able to speak with the spirits of the 
  dead Ancestors.
  Broken Sail said the Drowned King 
  himself spoke to him, and ordered the sea 
  to be turned red with blood. When this 
  happens, the Drowned King will return 
  with all his fleet and crush the south.
  Broken Sail obviously has a number of 
  Hull Breakers at his service.
   Obeying the Drowned King’s order, the 
  coastal clans launched long, crude ships, 
  adorned with the skulls of the ancient 
  lizards of the north and the bones of their 
  Ancestors, and sailed south, torching, 
  looting and destroying the coasts around 
  Jalizar and Valkheim, and even the 
  Borderlands and Gis, as well as capturing 
  any ship they can put their gray hands on.
  Only a fool would mess with the 
  Alchemists, but Broken Sail doesn’t fear 
  the power of the Twelve, as he fears no 
  living man; a gifted sorcerer himself, 
  people say he can command the mists 
  of the Drowned King Sea to cover his 
  attacks, and that he frequently makes 
  human sacrifices to the sea, to appease the 
  dark powers.
  Whatever the truth on Broken Sail, the 
  Skull Raiders represent a serious threat for 
  everyone, especially for the Borderlands. If 
  he wanted, he could mount an invasion of 
  the Borderlands, without waiting for the 
  Godaxe River to freeze. For this reason, 
  the Duke of Felantium recently made an 
  open call to captains and mariners of all 
  nationalities and races to create a fleet 
  capable of stopping Broken Sail.
  So far, only the Amazons of Ascaia have 
  answered, sending a token force, while 
  neither Gis nor Jalizar have yet sent a 
  single man. 
  This could be an opportunity for an 
  independent captain to carve himself a 
  future of glory and wealth.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  18
  Hero’s Journal: skull Island 
  Naanso of Jalizar, a famous Jalizaran 
  smuggler, recently told a story that is 
  circulating in the docks of the City of 
  Thieves. In the northern part of the 
  Drowned King Sea, shrouded in a 
  permanent cloud of mists, there is an 
  uncharted, rocky island resembling 
  an enormous skull. Moored in a cove, 
  Naanso spotted a long skull ship, 
  decorated with dozens of human heads, 
  which he instantly recognized as the 
  Hellbringer, the ship of Broken Sail 
  himself!
  But what is even scarier is that the 
  waters around the island are littered 
  with dozens of sunken ships, some of 
  them very ancient.
  Could it be the legendary fleet of the 
  Drowned King?
  Naanso didn’t stay to investigate: he 
  hastily turned the prow of his Chibbar, 
  and probably that is the only reason he is 
  still alive and can tell the story.   
  The Sea Tyrant of the City 
  of Leaves
  We left the City of Leaves in the hands 
  of Janhor, who barely escaped from 
  Lhobanport alive. Centuries passed, and 
  the piratical city continued to expand and 
  thrive, its rapacious junks bringing ruin all 
  around the Brown Sea.
  After Janhor’s death the City of Leaves 
  fell under the control of half a dozen 
  families, the so-called Wise Six, each of 
  them led by a Wise Captain, who are a 
  sort of nobility. Pirates and merchants 
  at the same time, some of them fell in 
  disgrace and others ascended, but their 
  number has always remained the same, 
  ruling the city as a council.
  But in recent years the situation has 
  changed: the Sea Tyrant, a mysterious 
  hooded figure, took power in the City 
  of Leaves, backed by the Yellow Masks 
  and their hirelings, the Daimaos, a sect of 
  thugs made abnormally large by Lotus.
  Nobody knows the real identity of the 
  Sea Tyrant. Since he conquered the city 
  he has dwelt, secluded, in the Palace of 
  Sweetness and Darkness, an imposing 
  structure in the middle of Lhobanport, 
  from where he exerts his will through the 
  Yellow Masks, who work as his attendants 
  and accountants. According to his new 
  laws, every pirate ship docking at the City 
  of Leaves must pay a third of their loot 
  to the Tyrant. Transgressors are thrown 
  into the underground arena of the Palace, 
  where they meet a horrible death for the 
  amusement of the Tyrant, fighting against 
  strange Lotus-twisted beasts.  
  Obviously, many pirate crews and in 
  particular the Wise Ones aren’t happy at 
  all with this taxation, but if you are smart 
  enough, there is always a way to grease 
  
   The Book of Lore
  19
  some wheels with the Yellow Masks, who 
  aren’t particularly honest.
  The western Dominions didn’t really 
  understand the power of the Sea Tyrant 
  until three years ago, during the infamous 
  Night of Blue Lights. 
  An hour before dawn, a strange bank 
  of thick fog appeared outside Kenaton, 
  absolutely natural except for a couple of 
  flickering blue lights wandering in it. The 
  city guards paid it no heed, apart from 
  one – Jazeros Two-Tankards, a sentinel 
  notorious for being a drunkard. 
  Jazeros, lazily drinking a bottle of cheap 
  wine on duty on the battlements, saw, 
  in the fog, the masts of the entire Sea 
  Tyrant’s fleet, come to assault and plunder 
  the second-biggest port of Kyros! 
  Initially the guard thought it was only a 
  vision caused by the piss he was drinking, 
  but after a while he convinced himself it 
  was real and gave the alarm, regardless 
  of the risk of a public flogging for a false 
  alarm.
  The bells of the twin guard towers of the 
  port rang just in time; the Sea Tyrant 
  pirates managed to attack the city, but, 
  without the advantage of surprise, the fleet 
  of Kenaton could maneuver and face them 
  at sea, in one of the hardest sea battles of 
  the last few years, with many deaths on 
  both sides.
  In the end the pirates were repelled 
  and fled, protected again by the Lotus-
  conjured fog.
  And what about Jazeros? Well, if nothing 
  has changed from the last time we 
  checked, he is still Lord Guardian of the 
  Port, and he is spending his rich salary on 
  wine, this time the good stuff, and pretty 
  courtesans.
  The Corsairs of Caldaios
  As said above, the main prey of the pirates 
  of the Cove has been, for centuries, rich 
  Caldeian ships full of precious Khav and 
  slaves from the Ivory Savannah.
  Caldeia has always been a strong, 
  militarized country, and the Caldeian 
  navy constantly patrols the trade routes, 
  but it isn’t enough; the pirate vessels are 
  too fast and well-manned, so are capable 
  of avoiding conflict with the heavily-
  armed warships.
  Then, ten years ago, the Caldeian navy 
  managed to capture Karvas Shim, a 
  famous pirate, well-known throughout 
  the Endless Ocean.
  Karvas, a scoundrel and a rogue if one ever 
  walked the deck of a ship, was the bastard 
  son of a Caldeian lord. 
  Technically a nobleman, he deserved a 
  trial, so was brought to Caldeia City to be 
  judged by the King’s Priests, the council 
  actually ruling the country.
  In truth, the Priests planned to have a 
  quick trial and publically execute the 
  pirate in a very gruesome way to make 
  an example of him, but things went 
  differently than planned.
  Traditionally, noblemen’s trials are held 
  in the Pomegranate Garden of the King’s 
  Palace, so that even if Caldaios isn’t 
  present, he can hear the process from the 
  windows of his secluted rooms. During 
  Karvas’ trial, immediately before the 
  sentence, a bell sounded in the Tower of 
  Whispers, where it is said that Caldaios 
  lives, and three hooded servants, a tall 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  20
  one and a two short ones, came out from 
  the building, to escort the pirate captain 
  inside.
  The nobleman paled, because everybody 
  in Caldeia knows that anyone who enters 
  the Tower never returns.
  But in this case, a couple of hours later, still 
  shaking and pale, Karvas Shim returned, 
  and spoke in front of the King’s Priests, 
  his former judges and accusers.
  “Today I’ll visit the prisons of Caldeia and 
  I’ll take out every pirate and scoundrel in 
  them, to make them this offer.
   ‘King Caldaios pardons you, and lets you 
  sail the sea as a pirate again, under my 
  command, but this time at the service of 
  Caldeia, hunting our former comrades, 
  and taking gold from the crown, plus all 
  the loot you can find.
  Refuse the offer and you’ll be beheaded at 
  dusk.’
  Today, the Corsairs of Caldeia are born, 
  to protect our ships from the rapacity of 
  lesser men.
  This is the word of Caldaios.”
  And he bowed his head.
  As to punctuate his words, the bell 
  rang again, somewhere in the Tower of 
  Whispers.
  “This is the word of Caldaios,” the King’s 
  Priests murmured, and bowed too.
  On that day, the Corsairs of Caldeia were 
  born, under Karvas Shim, who is their 
  commander. Formally a sea protection 
  force, in truth, the Corsairs depend on 
  pirates to earn a living, because Caldeia 
  pays them a bounty for each pirate 
  captured or killed, but their main source 
  of income is the loot they take from the 
  sea raiders’ ships. 
  So it is common for the Corsairs to wait 
  for pirates to attack merchant ships, then 
  to raise their distinctive black sails and 
  intervene, in this manner getting both the 
  bounty and the loot. 
  And, if nobody is in sight, Karvas’s men 
  aren’t shy about attacking isolated ships, 
  either, leaving no survivors.
  For this reason, other countries don’t 
  love the Corsairs, but they do reluctantly 
  respect them, because they are after all 
  managing to keep the pirates at bay.
  One-eyed Karvas Shim, despite now 
  being in his fifties, is still a bold captain 
  and a dashing swordsman. Venerated by 
  his men, he is always looking for new 
  recruits; the Corsairs accept anyone, 
  regardless of his past, if the recruit swears 
  fealty to Karvas Shim.
  The Corsairs have various bases on the 
  islands around Caldeia, but their main 
  port is Caldeia City, where Karvas goes to 
  report to the King’s Priests.
  Djallah and the Eaters of 
  the Living
  Of all the tales of piracy told, none is more 
  disturbing than that of Djallah and her 
  Eaters: Caldeian mothers tell it to their 
  sons and daughters to scare them, but 
  probably the truth is even darker than the 
  fable.
  The Cannibals of the Cannibal Islands 
  have always been a threat in the southern 
  
  Hero’s Journal: 
  THe Ballad of dJallana 
  This song is known in all the southern 
  Dominions, in many versions, and 
  is song in rowdy taverns and at 
  the courts of princes alike.  Nobody 
  knows its true meaning, but Sages 
  think it refers to an ancient mystery 
  better left undisturbed. Below we 
  report a couple of verses as recorded 
  by Justinus of Syranthia in one of 
  his travel logs, but probably more 
  exist. According to the current rumors 
  Djallah, the pirate queen terrorizing 
  the southern Dominions, is “The 
  Maiden from the Blue”, whatever 
  that might mean.
  Came the Maiden from the Blue
  To Appease the Thing-Who-Sees-
  True
  In Djallana will shimmer bright
  The Lady who brings blight
  Djanga djanga djanga oh!
  Lapis lazuli its roof
  Silver and gold inlaid the hoof
  Of the Beast guarding the hue
  Of the Thing-Who-Sees-True
  Djanga djanga djanga oh!
  In Djallana will shimmer bright
  The Lady who brings blight
  Gem and jewels are its eyes
  [continues…]
   The Book of Lore
  21
  dominions, but their raids are rare, only 
  once or twice a year, to fill their larders.
  But in the last few seasons things have 
  changed: there is a long, red-colored 
  vessel sailing the Endless Ocean. It is a 
  fast Corsair Ship, which doesn’t belong to 
  Karvas Shim: the Vengeance, a stolen ship, 
  now the property of the black-skinned 
  devil known as Djallah. 
  “Panther”, as this name means in the 
  cannibal tongue, is the most bloodthirsty 
  pirate of the Endless Ocean, worshipped 
  as a goddess by her savage crew. 
  Her ship is manned by cannibals – former 
  slaves the Ivory Savannah woman freed 
  from their chains on the rowers’ benches; 
  and the Vengeance has bathed the coast 
  in blood all the way from Caldeia to the 
  Lush Jungle.
  Djallah doesn’t seem interested in loot, 
  but only in killing Caldeians, and she lets 
  her man-eating crew dispose of the bodies 
  of the dead as they see fit.
  Djallah holds a deep hatred for Caldaios in 
  particular, and recently she had delivered 
  to the Royal Palace a casket containing 
  the hands of Vasarios, a nobleman and 
  probably the offspring of the king himself.
  The Corsairs hunt the Vengeance mercilessly, 
  but to date nobody has found its hideout. 
  Rumors say Djallah is connected to the 
  mythical Djallana, an ancient holy place in 
  the Cannibal Islands, about which stories 
  and ballads are told (see box).
  The Return of the Gray 
  Prince
  We’ll close this brief discussion of 
  modern-day pirates of the Dominions 
  with a creepy tale.
  There are rumors that a gray-sailed ship 
  has been spotted in the Drowned King Sea. 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  22
  It shimmers with spectral lights and 
  appears only on nights of the full moon.
  Mariners swear it is the Gray Pearl, the 
  ship of the fabulous Gray Prince, returned 
  to avenge some evil.
  One of them, Maateso of Jalizar, swears 
  to have seen the Grey Prince himself on 
  deck, with a long, dusk-colored cloak on 
  his shoulders and a sword in his hand.
  The Gray Pearl, if it is really her, always 
  appears near the Shallows (the village of 
  smugglers and petty pirates near Jalizar, see 
  JCT page 43), and disappears at dawn…
  famous and Infamous  
  PIraTes of THe PasT and THe PresenT 
  Below are briefly described the most famous pirates; some of them existed historically, 
  while others are little more than a legend. The GM can use their stories as seeds for 
  interesting adventures.
  Baruk the Goatfoot. A half-breed born to a Syranthian deserter and a witch from the 
  Islands of the Maimed Ones, Baruk Goatfoot is the most feared pirate in the Dominions’ 
  history. Deformed (with a goat’s foot), he was said to be a warlock, a cannibal and many 
  other evil things, but probably his greatest crime was creating the Pirate Brotherhood, 
  which still exists today. Baruk accumulated a vast treasure, which was never found. 
  Stories say it rests “in the eye of the fire dragon”, whatever that means. Baruk’s blood 
  was strong, and still manifests today: when a baby is born with a goat foot he is called 
  “Baruk’s son” and it is certain he will be a warlock and an evil-doer.
  Broken Sail. “Broken Sail was born dead from the sea” is the common saying. The 
  past of the leader of the Skulls is shrouded in mystery: some say he was an amnesiac 
  shipwreck survivor, found on the sea by a crew of raiders, while others say he is a 
  powerful Ancestor, found sleeping in a Cairn on an island and incautiously awakened 
  by a lost fisherman. Finally, other rumors say he is one of the damned souls serving the 
  Drowned King underwater, sent to the Dominions to prepare for his return. Whatever 
  the truth “Broken Sail” isn’t his real name; the true name of the pirate lord is secret, and 
  if you pay heed to the words of White Eyes (see B&B #5 – The Amulet of Dogskull), a 
  wandering blind prophet famous both in the Borderlands and Northeim, “The Name of 
  the Terror Which Comes from the Waves, will Destroy Him”, whatever that means.
  Djallah. The pirate queen of the Cannibals is a strange woman at least: black-skinned, 
  tall and willowy, she is clearly a woman of the Savannah, gifted with impressive lapis 
  lazuli-blue eyes. Probably enslaved by the Caldeians during one of their raids, she 
  escaped somehow and joined the Cannibals. The few who have met her and survived 
  
   The Book of Lore
  23
  the event report a peaceful woman with a great affinity for the sea, which she cannot 
  explain. Nobody knows the origin of her deep hatred for Caldaios.
  The Gray Prince. Countless are the stories about the legendary Scoundrel of Jalizar, 
  and the deeds many he has accomplished, both true and false. The Gray Prince has won, 
  and squandered, more treasure than a king, but he never lost the Eye of Isalya, an 
  ancient Tricarnian jewel, given him by his greatest love, Princess Isalya of Tricarnia, 
  before she died of an incurable illness. The Eye is an ancient Keronian relic, and legends 
  say it was the real source of the Gray Prince’s legendary luck. Maybe is it also the cause of 
  his return after many centuries?
  Ho Jan. The most famous and feared pirate of the Brown Sea, Ho Jan was famous as a 
  great leader, but also a madman with a penchant for burning people alive. Murdered 
  at Lhobanport by his concubine, his head was impaled on a pike in Market Square, 
  but his great ship the Green Dragon was never found; stories say his fanatical crew hid 
  it somewhere, filled with gold and treasure, and killed themselves to become eternal 
  guards for it. Apart from the treasure, the Green Dragon was an instrument of death so 
  powerful that every sea nation would pay a king’s ransom for it. 
  Karvas Shim. The Commander of the Corsairs, a former pirate himself, is today the 
  worst enemy of the Free Brothers of the sea and a faithful servant of Caldeia. But there 
  are rumors that his fidelity is more due to fear of Caldaios than real love for his country. 
  Karvas Shim recently sent a secret messenger to the Cove, with a proposal of some sort 
  for the Council of Five Captains (see page 57). Is it a trap of some sort or is the Corsair 
  preparing to betray the most ancient king of the Dominions?
  Marauder Queens. Valyana and Shilaya were among the most infamous queens of the 
  Amazons. Stories say the spirit of Shilaya, buried alive in the Acropolis of Ascaia, still 
  haunts the vaults and underground corridors of the ancient palace. But there are also 
  rumors that the surviving Marauder Queen escaped from her prison, finding a tunnel 
  which led her outside. Whatever the truth, the greatest mystery is the location of her 
  treasure, which was taken by Valestan, the former Emperor’s heir. It was never found, 
  but some say that in the Great Library of Syranthia there is an old diary, belonging 
  to Valestan himself. Probably it is a fake, but if not, it would lead to one of the greatest 
  treasures of the Dominions…
  Sea Tyrant. Not many have seen the Sea Tyrant of the City of Leaves in person and 
  survived the experience. The few ones who have report a very tall person, with a 
  strange, musical voice, always wearing an elaborate robe, with an always-raised hood, 
  from which shine a pair of green, unnaturally bright eyes. Nobody, apart from his closest 
  followers, has ever seen his face. There are wild speculations on the exact identity of 
  the Sea Tyrant. Some say he is a prince of a faraway country, others that he is a fallen 
  monk of Lhoban, but the most disturbing hint to his real nature is given by the title that 
  the Yellow Masks use when addressing him: Vantarasa, which means, in Lhobanese, 
  “embodiment” or “personification”. Personification of what is unknown. 
  Verado. The Thief of Thieves, the last great leader of the Pirates of the Cove, was a 
  Syranthian officer before deserting. His last mission was escorting Baroness Valiana of 
  Askerios to marry the Archmerchant of Hilias, sanctioning with a political marriage the 
  end of a century-long commercial war. As well as the girl, he took a lavish dowry: a crate 
  full of black emeralds. Neither the girl nor the dowry ever came to Hillias, and, a couple 
  of years ago, Verado appeared as the chief of the Coves’ pirates. What happened in those 
  two years? And in particular, what happened to the black emeralds?
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  24
  The Pirate Life
  The following section describes the life 
  of a pirate in the Dominions, and should 
  be useful for playing characters in this 
  dangerous line of work.
  Race and Sex
  The choice of becoming a pirate is rarely a 
  free one; more frequently, a person finds 
  himself forced to join a crew of sea rascals 
  or die.
  Most of the pirates of the Dominions are 
  in fact former slaves, who escaped in some 
  way from the chains binding them, or 
  simple mariners captured on a plundered 
  ship and given a choice: join the pirates 
  or be slaughtered on the spot. The 
  latter is an option very few even 
  consider. After joining a band 
  of marauders and surviving a 
  battle or two, the share of gold, 
  wine and women is often 
  enough to transform a 
  previously honest sailor 
  into a sea dog without 
  any morals.
  This 
  is 
  obviously 
  a 
  generalization; pirate ships 
  are also manned by those 
  who actively sought to join 
  them.
  The two types of pirates 
  above are criminals, but 
  a third type exists, the 
  legally sanctioned ones, 
  people who raid from 
  the sea as an accepted 
  way of life in their 
  home 
  culture. 
  A 
  typical example of 
  these are the Cannibals of the Islands, 
  for whom piracy is a common way to find 
  human flesh for their tribe, or the Skull 
  Raiders of the Cairns, who carry out clan-
  sanctioned raids against foreign ships and 
  lands.
  But let’s see in detail how the major 
  cultures of the Dominions cope with 
  piracy.
  Imperials are by far the most common 
  race of the Dominions and are those 
  most frequently involved in piracy. If you 
  pass a night in the taverns of the Cove, 
  Syranthian, bastardized with words of a 
  dozen other languages, is the commonest 
  tongue you hear. Despite the prejudiced 
  saying “all Jalizarans are pirates or 
  thieves”, the majority of Imperial pirates 
  are from Syranthia or the Independent 
  Cities, because these are the two countries 
  most involved in sea trade. Second 
  commonest are the Faberterrans, 
  because it isn’t rare for the privileged 
  sons of the Empire to throw away 
  their elegant tunics to join a 
  crew of sea raiders.    
  Northlanders and the people 
  of the Borderlands aren’t 
  very familiar with piracy, not 
  due to a lack of predisposition, 
  but simply because their lands 
  are too far from the sea to be 
  involved in such a trade (the 
  Borderlands have access to the 
  sea, but are very undeveloped 
  in terms of sea trade). Despite 
  this, it can happen that one of 
  these imposing warriors joins 
  a pirate crew, and they always 
  stand out from the crowd 
  for their savage combat 
  prowess and ferocity. 
  
   The Book of Lore
  25
  The same thing can be said of the Ivory 
  Savannah Tribes, which have no access to 
  the sea.
  Amazons are a sea culture by definition, 
  additionally their system of reproduction 
  is mainly based on the use of male slaves, 
  so piracy has always been fairly common 
  among them, depending on the will of the 
  current Sister Queens. At the moment 
  the rulers are officially against piracy, 
  and actively employing the Ascaian fleet 
  against sea raiders, but this doesn’t prevent 
  an enterprising sea captain testing her luck 
  by raiding the rich, fat vessels crossing the 
  Dread Sea.
  Cairnlanders aren’t traditionally very fond 
  of the sea. To tell the truth, their myths 
  and legends, starting from those about 
  the Drowned King Sea, often depict the 
  sea as a dangerous monster to be avoided. 
  Only recently, under the orders of Broken 
  Sail, have they started scourging the sea, 
  and are revealing themselves to be quite 
  skilled.
  Tricarnia’s great age of piracy, when they 
  raided the southern, uncivilized, lands to 
  find slaves for their pits, ended millennia 
  ago and today the Sons of Keron are too 
  focused on themselves to truly consider 
  foreign lands. That said, two groups of 
  pirates exist in Tricarnia today; the first is 
  the fleet of Drakovor of Ral Vastara, (see 
  TLD page 61), who is a friend of the Cove, 
  and the second is the mysterious ravagers 
  raiding the slave villages on the coast 
  north of the Brokenchain Mountains, 
  which don’t mix with the Cove. 
  Caldeians, on the other hand, are deeply 
  involved in piracy; at the moment, they 
  are one of the major trading powers of the 
  Dominions, and their ships are those with 
  the longest routes, so are more exposed to 
  the threat of attacks, especially from the 
  pirates of the Cove. In their homeland, 
  they must face the raids of the Cannibals, 
  making the Sons of Caldaios very familiar 
  with piracy. It is also worth saying that 
  the Corsairs, officially created to protect 
  Caldeia from piracy, are often even worse 
  than the sea scum they fight, ready to 
  plunder foreign ships when they are sure 
  they won’t be spotted.
  The Lhobanese have a long tradition of 
  piracy, which is strongly rooted in the 
  City of Leaves. The Pirates of the Leaves, 
  as they are sometimes called, are very 
  organized, a real seafaring culture, divided 
  into families based on pillaging, and at 
  the moment a great threat in the Brown 
  Sea. The “true” Lhobanese, the dwellers 
  of the mountains and of Lhobanport, 
  greatly despise the Pirates of the Leaves, 
  in particular the monks are very worried 
  about the souls of these fallen men, and 
  periodically try to reach the City and 
  proselytize, but they are ruthlessly hunted 
  down and killed by the Yellow Masks and 
  the Sea Tyrant.   
  Appearance and Gear
  Pirates of the Cove are a very mixed 
  bunch of races, so a clear definition of 
  their physical appearance cannot be given. 
  Instead, they are easily distinguishable by 
  their tanned complexion and their dress.
  They use pantaloons, bandanas, and, rarely, 
  kilts. Boots and shoes are almost unknown 
  among them, because it is more practical 
  to be barefoot on a ships’ deck.
  Captains are an exception. They must 
  distinguish themselves from the rest of 
  the crew, and often they wear gaudy and 
  rich garments, probably looted from some 
  unfortunate merchant captain. Many of 
  them also wear hats and boots.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  26
  Typical pirate weapons are swords, both 
  long and short, daggers and grappling 
  hooks, or the ever-popular mariner’s axe. 
  Many sailors are also quite skilled with 
  a bow, even if shooting arrows from the 
  deck of a ship is a tricky thing, because 
  you need to compensate constantly for the 
  waves’ effect. In particular, the Amazons 
  train the best marine archers of the 
  Dominions.
  Pirates of the Brown Sea are more 
  defined by appearance than dress. They 
  are usually of the Lhobanese race, even if 
  their features are somewhat softened by 
  centuries of interbreeding with the people 
  of the Islands of Leaves and the other 
  cultures on the Brown Sea, especially 
  Kyrosians and Ekulians.
  They are quite tall, and, especially among 
  males, they tend to be plump. Among 
  the people of the Island of Leaves, in 
  fact, being fat means being rich, so it is a 
  distinctive sign of social importance.
  Pirates of the Brown Sea dress in 
  multicolored silk, especially captains 
  and the Yellow Masks, while common 
  mariners are often wear only a loincloth. 
  Tattoos are very popular among them, 
  in particular the Daimaos, in the service 
  of the Sea Tyrant, have a particular 
  body decoration resembling the shell of 
  a tortoise, covering the right arm from 
  shoulder to hand.
  They are armed with a variety of weapons, 
  in particular long-bladed spears and the 
  famous butterfly swords, commonly used 
  in pairs, which they wield with deadly 
  skill.
  The Skull Raiders of the Cairnlands are 
  another important group of pirates. They 
  are typical tomb-dwellers: tall and pale, 
  and dressed in furs, as the weather in the 
  north is much cooler than in the southern 
  seas. Many of them sport long, dirty 
  beards, which they smear with pig dung 
  and tomb earth, because they think this 
  will protect them from drowning; this is 
  the main fear of any Skull Raider, because 
  a man who dies in this way will join 
  the court of the Drowned King forever. 
  When accepted into the fleet of Broken 
  Sail, Skull Raiders receive a special 
  helmet, made from the skull of large 
  beast, usually a walrus; stories say that the 
  Death Bringers of Broken Sail, his elite 
  bodyguards, wear the skulls of ancient 
  beasts found in a mysterious graveyard on 
  Skull Island. Skull Raiders are armed with 
  customary Cairnlander weapons; swords, 
  maces, axes and the traditional severed 
  heads. Skull Raider ships are powered by 
  oarsmen, and the rhythm is given by the 
  Drums of Doom, made with the skins of 
  fallen enemies, whose sound scares even 
  the strongest warrior and galvanizes the 
  Raiders’ drummers.
  Of Jalizaran pirates, not much can be said; 
  they are typical mariners of Jalizar, not too 
  different from the smugglers of the City 
  of Thieves (many of them, as a matter of 
  fact, follow both professions), and their 
  crews tend to be multicultural, composed 
  of the worst scum of the Dominions.
  The Caldeian Corsairs, on the other hand, 
  are a different case.
  Despite including persons of all races, 
  they are a military organization, with 
  a strong sense of hierarchy, and this is 
  reflected in their dress and weapons. They 
  tend to wear black or brown breeches and 
  light armor, usually a leather jerkin paired 
  with a conical helm.
  They use a variety of bows and short 
  blades, plus a particularly wicked sword, 
  
   The Book of Lore
  27
  long, thin and slightly curved, called a 
  Corsair sword.
  Unlike other pirates, Corsairs are well 
  versed in the use of siege weapons, and 
  almost all their ships are fitted with 
  a couple of scorpions, medium sized 
  ballistae charged with hundreds of bolts, 
  which they fire at close range, immediately 
  before boarding.
  Caldeian Corsairs are clean-shaven, apart 
  from long mustaches and, rarely, a goatee. 
  Customs and Society
  Pirates are a very diverse bunch, coming 
  from many different races and cultures, 
  different individuals forced to cooperate 
  for two main reasons: survival and loot.
  Laws of the Pirates. Piratical societies, 
  strangely, are very egalitarian. Ships are 
  commanded by a captain, chosen in 
  various ways (see sidebar); under him 
  there is the First Mate, and, occasionally 
  another figure of prominence (which can 
  be a surgeon, a Wind Caller, or – rarely – a 
  priest of Rakua-Thara).
  At sea, the captain decides everything 
  about navigation, routes and the division 
  of loot, but many other decisions are voted 
  for by the whole crew. The captain can 
  always impose his will, but if he does it too 
  frequently, and doesn’t manage to keep his 
  men under control with charisma or fear, 
  he will be soon removed from command.
  Apart from this, all the pirates are equal, 
  evaluated only for their experience, 
  courage, and, often, for their ruthlessness.
  Almost all pirate groups have a pirate 
  code they obey. The most famous one, the 
  Code of the Pirates of the Cove, exists in 
  written form (see page 56).
  The cores of these codes are always the 
  same: all Brothers (another term to 
  indicate pirates) are equal, must treated 
  with respect and must not betray each 
  other – this includes stealing and cheating.
  A pirate who feels he has been disrespected 
  or betrayed can ask for redress in the form 
  of a duel, usually barehanded for minor 
  offenses, or with knives or swords for 
  major ones.
  Backstabbing and murder are forbidden 
  by the code, but actually happen quite 
  frequently. 
  Other forms of justice exist on a pirate 
  ship, and they are more or less the same 
  ones employed by the navies of the 
  Dominions: flogging for minor crimes or 
  “walking the plank” for major ones. 
  This last punishment is almost always a 
  death sentence; the victim walks along a 
  plank to fall overboard, where he is eaten 
  by sharks or drowns.
  In dubious cases, criminals are put on 
  a small boat or raft and abandoned on 
  the open sea. This may seem a merciful 
  solution, but it isn’t; food and water for 
  only three days only is given to those 
  punished, who, if they don’t starve or die 
  of thirst, often kill and eat each other to 
  survive one day more. 
  Recruiting. Another key point of the 
  piratical way of life is the offer of enlisting: 
  raiders’ crews often suffer a high number 
  of losses, so it is necessary for them to 
  find replacements. After conquering a 
  ship, if there are any survivors among the 
  losers, the pirates offer them the chance to 
  join their crew. The offer is usually made 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  28
  to sailors, very rarely to passengers and 
  almost never to officers and captains (the 
  risk of them leading a mutiny is too high).
  If the sailors accept (and they usually do, 
  because the other options are being killed 
  or sold as slaves), they join the pirates, 
  but are kept under discreet vigilance until 
  after the first battle, when the new recruits 
  are put in the front rank, to show their 
  skill and to force them into some illegal 
  act; when you fight alongside pirates, you 
  became a pirate too, and so there is no way 
  back.
  Some smartass always tries to play the 
  hero and betray his new crew, but in this 
  case the Code is applied in the most direct 
  way and he is knifed and gutted on the 
  spot. 
  Women. Pirate crews are almost wholly 
  composed of men. Apart from Amazons, 
  in fact, women in the Dominions are 
  rarely sailors, but pirates are quite open-
  minded and let females join their crews, 
  if they are skilled and tough enough. The 
  few who do, you can bet they are.
  Apart from pirate-women, who are indeed 
  rare, women are rarely present aboard 
  (unless part of the loot). In pirate ports, 
  though, women abound, often those of ill 
  repute.
  Pirates very rarely marry, although cap-
  tains or priests of Rakua-Thara may do so, 
  and they are very open in their relation-
  ships. This works both ways; a woman in 
  a pirate city, like the Cove, is free to have 
  any number of lovers she wants, and no 
  pirate will ever reproach her.
  Hero’s Journal: TakIng 
  Command… and keePIng IT! 
  According to the Pirate’s Code there are 
  basically two ways to get command of a 
  ship: by acclamation or by challenge.
  Acclamation occurs when, for some reason, 
  the previous captain is missing or dead. 
  In this case the aspiring commanders 
  make a very brief speech, and the crew 
  cheers them. Whoever receives the loudest 
  cheer wins. Obviously, this is not a perfect 
  system, and often disputes over who is 
  acclaimed more are decided by the blades 
  of the contenders.
  When this doesn’t happen the former captain 
  simply returns to being a crewman. A 
  captain can be challenged openly for his 
  command by any member of the crew in a 
  duel – which is usually to the death. There 
  are only two times when this cannot be 
  done: during a battle or during a storm.
  This option is less common than one 
  might think, because being a captain 
  requires more than being a good sword. 
  If you want to stay in charge you need 
  the consent (or the fear) of the rest of the 
  crew, and this depends on how much loot 
  you have acquired for the crew and how 
  popular you are.
  A captain can freely demote the current 
  First Mate and choose a new one. 
  Acclamation in Game. Ruleswise an 
  acclamation is simply a Social Conflict, 
  pitting the Persuasion, Taunt or 
  Intimidate of the two opponents (it isn’t 
  necessary for both to use the same Skill).
  If one of the opponents is the captain 
  currently in charge, he receives +2 to the 
  rolls. The GM should also give a modifier 
  ranging from -4 to +4 according to the 
  deeds and reputation of the contenders.   
  The opponent winning the Social 
  Conflict is awarded the Captain Edge 
  for free.
  
   The Book of Lore
  29
  Hero’s Journal: looT sHarIng 
  Beasts & Barbarians isn’t a game of 
  precise accounting, so we don’t usually 
  encourage precise, coin-splitting loot 
  division; but for pirates this is a vital 
  part of the business. Tradition dictates 
  that loot is divided in equal shares 
  among the pirates, with the captain 
  taking three to five shares, the First 
  Mate, the healer or other relevant figures 
  two, and the other pirates one. 
  Two shares are also reserved “for the 
  ship”, set aside against costs for repairs 
  and maintenance.
  Loot is claimed in order of rank, but wise 
  captains will leave some highly sought 
  after loot such as women for their crew, to 
  avoid grudges later.
  Naturally, the above is only a guideline, 
  and greedy captains can take much more 
  if they want; but the risk of a mutiny is 
  always present…
  Religion
  Pirates often worship the gods of their 
  culture of origin, but, as all mariners do, 
  they pay respect to sea deities.
  In the Dominions there are a number of 
  these, but the most important one is surely 
  Rakua-Thara. Differently from other 
  gods of the Dominions, whose aspect 
  varies depending on the local culture, 
  Rakua-Thara’s appearance is well defined 
  and common in all the lands. 
  It is a monstrous creature, with a long 
  fish-like tail and two different torsos 
  connected to the tail: Rakua is a horrible 
  monster, nose-less, with scaly skin and a 
  fearful mouth full of teeth, while Thara 
  is a smiling woman, with fair, almost 
  transparent hair, of great beauty. 
  Rakua is the dangerous and spooky side 
  of the sea: the lord of sharks, of shipwreck, 
  drowning and disasters. Rakua is also 
  the god of the pirates and carnage: many 
  pirate crews make offerings to Rakua to 
  find good loot. Rakua only accepts blood 
  sacrifices, especially human ones. The 
  typical rite consists of cutting the throat 
  of the victim, and pouring the blood, still 
  warm, into the sea, calling the sharks. 
  When the man-eating beasts come, the 
  body of the victim is also thrown into the 
  water, to be consumed.
  The most important known temple of 
  Rakua-Thara is probably that of the Cove, 
  whose high priest is called the Voice of 
  the Deep, and exerts great influence on 
  the piratical city. 
  Rakua is also the god of those who die 
  at sea: it comes out from the dark depths 
  where it lurks to take the corpse and 
  devour it, forever enslaving the soul of 
  the dead man. They only way to prevent 
  this fate is putting a white seashell on the 
  corpse’s neck: in this case Rakua cannot 
  touch the body, which will float to the 
  enchanted underwater palace of Thara, his 
  sister-aspect. 
  Thara represents the positive and merciful 
  side of the sea: the bringer of food, the 
  maker of commerce and the savior from 
  shipwrecks.
  When a fisherman is lost at sea, his 
  family makes an offering to Thara. In 
  extreme cases, wives promise a future son 
  to the goddess, if Thara returns their lost 
  husbands. These children, called the Sons 
  of Thara, make up the bulk of the clergy 
  of the goddess.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  30
  Priests of Thara also decide when fishing 
  is allowed, and they pray to the goddess 
  for good weather.
  Thara is a merciful deity, but don’t try 
  swindling her; if you promise her 
  a son, you must honor the vow, 
  otherwise the goddess opens 
  her beautiful mouth, showing 
  unnaturally filed teeth, to 
  devour you. In practical 
  terms, this means 
  that you or your 
  family will be 
  hit by bad luck, 
  which is a terrible thing if you live on the 
  sea.
  Although the god Rakua-Thara is a single 
  entity, in the civilized lands Rakua is only 
  paid lip-service with short, very brief 
  ceremonies, while most of the devotion 
  goes to Thara. The opposite happens 
  in warlike cultures and among pirates, 
  where Rakua is worshipped by warrior-
  priests armed with the Tebuteh, 
  ceremonial shark tooth 
  swords, 
  who 
  
   The Book of Lore
  31
  perform bloody rituals before raiding 
  missions.
  These priests call Thara the Broken Girl, 
  the Prey, or the Fish, and to them she 
  represents the passive, reproductive part of 
  the deity. It’s no surprise that cult of Rakua 
  is very misogynistic and so forbidden in 
  Ascaia. 
  In the coastal areas of the Cairnlands 
  there is another cult, linked to the sea, 
  which has existed for many centuries: 
  the followers of the Drowned King. This 
  isn’t an organized religion in the true 
  sense of the term, and you won’t find a 
  temple to the ancient King anywhere, but 
  Cairnlanders who live near (and often on) 
  the sea respect and venerate the old King. 
  In particular, they believe that he dwells 
  in an underwater palace, surrounded by 
  warriors who found death at sea, and 
  that he has a fleet of ghost ships under 
  his command, which periodically come 
  to raid the kingdoms of mankind. A 
  particular sect of warriors exists, the Hull 
  Breakers, berserkers who believe it is their 
  holy duty to sink as many enemy ships as 
  they can with their crews still aboard, to 
  increase the fleet of their patron. Some of 
  these madmen also consider themselves 
  priests, but don’t ask them to sanctify your 
  marriage, unless you want some casual 
  deaths among the guests.
  Today, a number of Hull Breakers serve 
  under Broken Sail (see page 17).
  Apart 
  from 
  Rakua-Thara 
  and 
  the 
  Drowned King, there are other entities all 
  the people of the sea respect, the Winds.
  Too informal to be a real cult, the Winds 
  are important for everyone who travels 
  daily on the blue belly of the seas, whether 
  he is a fisherman, a trader or a pirate.
  Winds are known with different names in 
  every port; from the hot Jizzah, coming 
  from the red desert, feared by the mariners 
  of the Independent Cities because it 
  precedes a dead calm, to the gentle 
  Nisarikos, the Wind of the Sweet Figs, 
  which the fishermen of Faberterra revere 
  because, on the nights when it blows, their 
  nets will be full.
  But the names the common people give 
  to winds aren’t their true ones: stories 
  say that every wind or breeze has a secret 
  name and that some people know them. 
  They are the Wind Callers, and have a 
  very important gift; they can sometimes 
  calm or raise the wind, if you pay heed to 
  the stories of mariners who have seen one 
  in action.
  Very rare, and often considered a myth, 
  there are several views on the true nature 
  of their powers: in some cases, the names 
  of the winds are a closely guarded secret 
  passed from father to son, while in others 
  it is a weird birth gift, which manifests 
  without any training.
  Whatever the real nature of Wind Calling, 
  any captain worthy of his name would do 
  anything to have a Wind Caller aboard; 
  his presence could make the difference 
  between life and death during a storm or 
  when chased by pirates.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  32
  a dIsTurBIng THeory aBouT 
  rakua-THara
  The Sages of Syranthia have always 
  debated the true nature of Rakua-Thara. 
  The deity is too well defined to be simply 
  a myth, and its representation is always 
  the same in all the lands touched by the 
  Dread Sea, the Drowned King Sea and 
  the Endless Ocean. 
  What if Rakua-Thara were a real 
  creature, lurking somewhere in the 
  depths of the waters?
  For Fildago the Sage, this is much 
  too simplistic a theory, and he is an 
  authority on the topic; after all, the 
  greatest temple of Rakua-Thara is in 
  the Cove, a structure pre-dating the 
  arrival of the pirates, and Fildago has 
  studied it with great care. According to 
  his discoveries, in the past, there were 
  three great temples to the double deity. 
  The temple of the Cove being one; legends 
  say another was built near Boaraga, the 
  piratical city of Goatfoot (see page 22), 
  and a third one, strangely, was located 
  somewhere in Jalizar, or to be more 
  precise, under the City of Thieves.
  Curiously, the inscriptions translated 
  by Fildago say the god wasn’t originally 
  double, but triple, and his name was 
  Jamhan-Rakua-Thara. Was Jamhan a 
  third, long-forgotten, aspect or does it 
  refer to something darker? 
  Another theory Fildago puts forward, 
  especially when he is drunk, is that the 
  legend about Lorvakos the Lucky (see 
  page 42) finding the bay of the Cove is 
  no legend, but it was in some manner 
  the temple which actually caused the 
  shipwreck and lured the poor Lorvakos 
  to the islands. 
  But will you believe the words of a 
  drunkard?
  THe Island of sHagHarI 
  Stories say that there is an island, in 
  the middle of the Brown Sea, which 
  mortals normally cannot see: Shaghari, 
  which means, in the Lhobanese tongue, 
  Home of the Winds. Made invisible by 
  the winds themselves, the island can be 
  seen only once a year, and then only by 
  the will of a Wind Caller. It is a rocky 
  place, and in the middle there is a tall 
  pinnacle upon which stands a temple 
  with no doors and many windows, made 
  by unknown hands, where all the winds 
  of the world gather.
  A Wind Caller who visits this place 
  would hear, at the same time, the voices 
  of all the winds of the Dominions, a trial 
  which would likely shatter his mind; 
  but in the unlikely case he survived, he’d 
  become the Master of the Winds, with 
  absolute power over the breezes of the 
  entire world.
  The only written record of a Master of 
  the Winds is found in the Library of 
  Syranthia, and speaks of Tabianos the 
  Mad, lover of the Empress Ivestana 
  of Faberterra, who, with his powers, 
  brought a terrible tsunami onto the 
  imperial city, causing the death of 
  thousands of people and the destruction 
  of several important buildings, including 
  the arsenal. Tabianos, it seems, was 
  killed by his own powers, while the 
  Empress was found dead, on the tallest 
  tower of the city, deposited there by the 
  force of the gales.
  But there is also another story about the 
  Island of Shagari; every ten years the 
  strongest Wind Callers of the Dominions 
  go there, and gather, for three days and 
  three nights, fighting each other with 
  their powers. The winner is named 
  Hosag, a title which seems to have great 
  importance for them, and which means 
  “Keeper”. Keeper of what, exactly, is 
  unknown.
  
   The Book of Lore
  33
  The Finger 
  Islands and  
  the Cove
  This chapter expands the background 
  information about the Finger Islands and 
  the Cove found in Beasts & Barbarians 
  Golden Edition. 
  The Reasons 
  for the Name
  One time I asked an old mariner of the 
  port of Askerios why the Finger Islands 
  are called that. 
  He laughed, raised his hand, and told 
  me: “There are as many reasons as the 
  fingers of my hand, lad.”
   “The first reason,” he said, showing me 
  his little finger, “Is that they are a refuge 
  for mutineers and pirates of every sort. 
  Riotous slave-oarsmen on the galleys of 
  Tricarnia are punished by cutting off 
  their pinkie, at least the first time they 
  try raising their heads, and so the name.”
  “But it isn’t the only reason,” he 
  continued, showing me his ring finger. 
  “They are also called that because if you 
  look at them, they look more or less like 
  the bones of a hand – if you broke it 
  and smashed it with the head of an oar, 
  obviously.”
  He smiled and I was certain he was 
  mocking me, but he continued.
  “Not even this one is the last reason,” 
  he said raising his middle finger in 
  an insulting gesture. Then, watching 
  around to make sure that nobody was 
  looking at us, he whispered, “They are 
  called this because they are the agonizing 
  hand that the Realm of Keron raised 
  before drowning in the sea when the 
  Dread Star fell. They are full of old 
  haunted ruins, may Hulian protect us.”
  “You’re still missing two fingers,” I replied, 
  pointing at his thumb and index finger. 
  “I need them to raise the pint of booze 
  you’ll pay me for this story.” He smiled 
  again at me, showing tar-smeared teeth.
  – From the Letters of 
  Justinus of Syranthia
  In the Thick 
  of the Jungle 
  The following pages gives a description of 
  what lies in the jungle beyond the Cove.
  A Labyrinth of Channels
  The Finger Islands are an archipelago 
  north of the Fallen Kingdom of Keron. 
  Nobody truly knows how many islands 
  there are, because they have never been 
  charted or fully explored. Islands vary in 
  size, from small atolls to pieces of land 
  large enough to host a city. 
  Some of them are so close together that 
  you can move from one to the other with 
  a single long jump, while others require 
  a good swim, if you dare crossing shark-
  infested waters, or a boat of some type. 
  But even if you own a ship you must be very 
  careful. Mariners say that sailing among 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  34
  the Finger Islands is as treacherous as 
  dealing with the people inhabiting them, 
  and they are right for several reasons.
  First, the islands form a labyrinth of 
  channels in which it is easy to get lost if 
  you don’t know them; there are stories of 
  crews lost forever whose tormented souls 
  are still trying to find an exit from the 
  archipelago.  
  Second, the waters, which in some points 
  are so deep that even the best pearl diver 
  cannot reach the bottom of the sea, and 
  in others are so shallow that no ship can 
  cross without running aground.
  Third, the coral of the Finger Islands 
  cuts like the axe of an executioner, as 
  any mariner lucky enough to own a 
  knife made of such material can tell you; 
  insidious reef barriers, sharp enough to 
  slice the strongest hulls, are commonly 
  found among the channels and are the 
  terror of any captain.   
  For these last two reasons in particular 
  the best thing to do if you have to cross 
  the archipelago is drop the anchor of your 
  ship and use dinghies or trust a helmsman 
  who knows a safe path, but in 
  this case be very careful: he 
  is probably a pirate of 
  some sort.
  Weather
  The archipelago enjoys an almost tropical 
  climate, due to the warm temperature 
  of the Dread Sea and the sheltering 
  effect of the Kingdom of Keron, which 
  protects the islands from the cold wind 
  of the ocean. So usually, it has long hot 
  days, with spectacular red sunsets and wet 
  nights.
  This when the gods are happy; sometimes, 
  cold winds start blowing from the north 
  and when this happens you must quickly 
  find a safe mooring for your ship because 
  you can bet your last pint of Zalaska, the 
  island booze, that a storm is coming. 
  Tempests in the Finger Islands are very 
  bad: they are savage and fiery, capable of 
  tearing away trees and masts with the 
  same unforgiving fury and can last from 
  hours to entire weeks.
  Landlubbers and seamen alike fear them, 
  but they aren’t the worst accidents that 
  can happen in the islands: the worst 
  is when a subtle, hot wind blows from 
  south, from Keron, bringing the sweet 
  stench of uncovered graves and whispers 
  of old, forgotten curses. The locals call it 
  the Yellow Breeze, and it usually means 
  that a disaster of some type is coming: a 
  pestilence, such as when whole villages 
  of Finger Tribes were wiped out by a 
  deadly fever; a madness of some type 
  such as when Captain Ralko, after a night 
  of looting and carousing in the Cove, 
  slaughtered his crew for no reason; or 
  maybe simply that bad news is coming.
  
   The Book of Lore
  35
  People of the Finger Tribes make amulets 
  of seagull bones and palm bark to protect 
  themselves against the Yellow Breeze, but 
  every civilized man knows that the only 
  real protection is given by a good swallow 
  of Zalaska and some puffs of Fingerweed. 
  Plants
  The Finger Islands are ripe with plant life: 
  most of them are covered by thick jungle, 
  with specimens of plants which aren’t 
  found anywhere in the world. 
  Fildago the Sage thinks that probably 
  they are the last remnants of the original 
  vegetation of the world, before the Dread 
  Star submerged a great part of the civilized 
  lands of that era. 
  Probably the current Finger Islands were 
  mountaintops or tall hills of the past, 
  spared from the catastrophe due to their 
  position. 
  This plus the isolation from the mainland 
  made the islands’ plants unique.
  Mangroves, baobabs and similar plants 
  abound, but the pirates who hide in 
  the bays and coves of the archipelago 
  in particular love the sugar cane, which 
  the Free Tribes call Zal, from which 
  they concoct the infamous booze called 
  Zalaska. The spirit is very strong on its 
  own, but many brewers “stuff ” them with 
  plants, snakes and even spiders of some 
  kinds, giving a particular flavor to the 
  liquor.
  Another plant typical of the Finger 
  Islands is the red pineapple. In no other 
  part of the Dominions can this sweet fruit 
  be found, and it is considered a delicacy 
  in the decadent courts of the Faberterran 
  nobles.
  The second favorite plant of the pirates is 
  Fingerweed. A bastardized form of Lotus, 
  this tall weed grows near ponds, swampy 
  grounds and rivers and produces brown 
  flowers with narcotic powers. Usually they 
  are smoked, but the Finger tribesmen also 
  munch them. 
  Pirates make great use of it, and some of 
  them flavor it with different plants and 
  essence, sometimes with strange results. 
  But the jungles of the Islands also hide 
  several darker plants, probably the 
  remnants of dark experiments by the 
  Keronians millennia ago.
  For example, the dangerous Black Kuzdu, 
  a fast-growing water plant with floating 
  roots which produces a mild paralyzing 
  poison. Beasts and men so unfortunate as 
  to swim in a Kuzdu-infested pond quickly 
  find their limbs stiff, and discover they 
  cannot move them anymore. This usually 
  leads to a terrible death by drowning.
  Another dangerous plant of the Island is 
  the fabled Strangling Vine. Considered 
  a legend by most people, this insidious, 
  grayish vine conceals itself in the 
  undergrowth. When an incautious victim 
  passes over it the vine suddenly comes to 
  life and constricts in a deadly grip. Then 
  the dead body is brought to the roots of 
  the plant where a mouth in the trunk 
  starts munching the corpse. Nobody has 
  really seen a Strangling Vine at work, but 
  if you see a clearing in the jungle littered 
  by old bones, well, stay clear of it.
  Various forms of Lotus are found on the 
  islands, the greater part of it in the form 
  of orchids. The White Bell Lotus, for 
  example, is a marvelous flower growing 
  only on very old mangroves. It is said that 
  if a man smells it he will lose his memory 
  of the last few days. Infusions and 
  
  Hero’s Journal: 
  BlaCk loTus 
  This large flower, black as a witch’s heart, vaguely resembles a large nocturnal butterfly 
  ready to fly away. It is prized by sorcerers and warlocks of every kind, because it can 
  greatly increase their powers, if properly prepared. The plant must be picked whole 
  (roots included) on the night of the full moon and must be consumed before the next 
  full moon (within 28 days). It must then be cooked in a copper stove over a fire of palm 
  leaves, with pure water, a pinch of grave dust, red salt and the blood of a virgin, while 
  the concocter constantly mutters a particular invocation in ancient Keronian while 
  keeping a black pearl under the tongue.
  Drink it warm.
  In game terms, the concocter must make a Sorcery (-2) or Lotusmastery roll. Take note 
  of how many successes and raises he scores; the potion works unless a critical failure is 
  scored (in this case it only has the negativ e effects described below and grants no bonus).
  The drinker must make a Vigor (-4) roll, +1 per success and raise the concocter scored 
  above. If he fails the roll, he loses a Vigor die step for the next two scenarios, if this drops 
  Vigor below d4, he dies. If the roll is a critical failure, the loss is permanent.
  If he scores a success, he permanently gains a Power Point, two if he scored a raise or better. 
  Eating it Raw. If a sorcerer is really mad or power-hungry, he can eat one of these 
  flowers raw. In this case he must perform a Dramatic Task based on Spirit (-2), and 
  must net at least five successes and/or raises on five rolls. He permanently loses a Vigor 
  die step for each success below five. If he survives, he permanently increases his Sorcery 
  skill by one die step.
  A character can only consume a Black Lotus potion once per Rank, and can only eat 
  raw Black Lotus once in his career. If he tries to consume more, he rolls as normal, but 
  only suffers from the negative effects.
  Black Lotus Poison. In the hands of a skilled poisoner, the Black Lotus can be deadly: 
  the victim falls into a comatose state that lasts until she has fully recovered (she cannot 
  act, as if she were Incapacitated). A poison concoction created with this plant receives 
  +4 to opposed rolls, plus the victim suffers -4 to rolls to recover from Wounds taken in 
  this manner. There are rumors that some powerful Lotusmasters know particularly 
  nasty recipes that only exotic healing salves can counter (and finding them can be the 
  basis of a plot for a scenario). 
  A full-grown plant is very precious – many sorcerers will kill for it. It is worth at least 
  2000 Moons.
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  36
  concoctions of this plant can rob a person 
  of remembering his entire existence.
  The Black Lotus, instead, grows only in 
  old Keronian ruins, usually in proximity 
  to ancient, blood-smeared altars, and it 
  is highly sought by sorcerers because it is 
  used to create dark elixirs enhancing their 
  faculties; but it is also a deadly poison (see 
  sidebar).
  
   The Book of Lore
  37
  Animals
  The islands are also full of animal life, of 
  various types.
  The Pecari, a small, bad-tempered boar, 
  lives in the thick of the jungle and it is the 
  main indigenous source of meat, paired 
  with the Hole Rabbit, a common rodent 
  which digs extensive underground dens. 
  A pecularity of the Finger Islands is the 
  existence of various giant beasts. 
  For example, the Moa, a great grazing 
  bird, not able to fly, which roams in flocks 
  in the grasslands and along the seashore; 
  usually peaceful, this beast becomes very 
  aggressive if you come near the place 
  where she buried her melon-sized eggs 
  and can kill a man with her pike-shaped 
  beak and strong kicks.
  If you wander near the river, you must 
  look out for Giant Crocodiles; these 
  green-scaled beasts grow large as barges 
  and drowse near the water, enjoying the 
  sun. But you must not trust this apparent 
  peacefulness. Quick as devils, they wake 
  up in a heartbeat and can kill a Moa with 
  a single bite, or roll over a barge with a 
  tail slap and then devour the unfortunate 
  mariners in it.
  But the most impressive beast living near 
  the rivers is the legendary Dragon Beast. 
  A remnant of a forgotten past, this very 
  rare creature is a giant turtle with a long 
  neck and a spike-crowned head, plus a 
  long bony tail. It lives mainly on plants, 
  but if you see bushes of Fingerweed 
  nearby run away as fast as you can: the 
  Dragon Beast is very fond of this herb, 
  which makes it raving mad, and given 
  its size and impressive strength it can 
  destroy a whole village in its bloodlust. 
  Dragon Beasts, the legend says, are almost 
  immortal; a specimen as large as a cart (the 
  average size) probably saw the fall of the 
  Dread Star with its pale eyes. Given their 
  longevity, legends say that their heart, if 
  eaten raw and still pulsing, can prolong 
  the life of a man.
  Moving away from the rivers and entering 
  the jungle again, probe every shadow 
  in the foliage, because it might hide the 
  Shadow Hunter, an enormously strong 
  black panther. The Free Tribesmen say 
  these animals were the wicked servants 
  of the Keronians, who used them as pets. 
  Some part of these stories must be true, 
  because the Shadow Hunter is a very cruel 
  beast; often it kills only for pleasure and 
  doesn’t eat the flesh of its victims. 
  In the trees live a number of monkeys and 
  apes of various species. 
  Finger Monkeys are tiny creatures the size 
  of a cat and gifted with almost human 
  intelligence. They have large, nimble 
  hands and are usually friendly; but they 
  are also great thieves. If you unload the 
  cargo of your ship on the seaside near a 
  wood populated by Finger Monkeys put 
  some men on guard, or you can be sure 
  that all your crates will be opened and 
  everything stolen, regardless of how well 
  sealed they are. 
  But if you have some patience and a 
  good supply of nuts and sweetmeats you 
  can also befriend and train them; they 
  are excellent pickpockets and burglars. 
  They are also quite tasty, and some of the 
  favorite dishes of the islands are monkey 
  stew and stuffed monkey’s head. 
  Other types of monkeys, less friendly, 
  dwell on the islands; from the ferocious 
  Strangler Monkey, a humanoid, red-
  furred beast a little smaller than a man 
  with a very bad attitude and hands strong 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  38
  enough to grapple and break the necks of 
  its victims. But this isn’t the most feared 
  creature; villagers living near the jungle 
  shut the doors and burn gray candles 
  of turtle fat to keep away the fabled 
  Black Shadow, a night-black ape, with 
  shimmering eyes and long teeth, which 
  sneaks into villages to drink the blood of 
  babies, women and strong warriors alike. 
  Very few people have seen it, and legends 
  say it isn’t a true beast, but the result of 
  unholy crossbreeds between some demon 
  summoned by Keronian sorcerers and a 
  poor monkey.     
  Going back to the coastal areas, you must 
  watch closely where you put your feet on 
  the sandy beaches, because an apparently 
  innocent mound of sand can hide a Sand 
  Digger, a sort of giant scarab-like insect, 
  which bursts out, cutting away your legs 
  with its powerful claws and mouth. These 
  creatures reach the size of a dog and are 
  often found in colonies of dozens of 
  individuals. A sub-species of this race also 
  exists, called Sand Lanterns. They dwell in 
  caverns and other dark environments near 
  the sea, and favor the ones with sandy 
  floors, where they can dig traps like their 
  cousins. The main difference is that they 
  have a luminous gland at the end of the 
  tail, which emanates a faint glow that lasts 
  for several weeks after the beast is dead. 
  Their carapace is grayer than that of their 
  cousins and often smeared with a sort of 
  oil their own body secretes. 
  Finally, on the coast you can meet the 
  Balaku or Giant Crab, a bulky, heavy 
  beast that at times reaches the size of an 
  ox. Tremendously strong and fitted with 
  almost impenetrable armor, this creature 
  is luckily fairly predictable: she moves 
  clumsily left and right, and has a weak 
  spot, the eyes. A lucky thrust with a spear 
  in this unprotected location can reach 
  the brain and kill it on the spot, but you 
  must strike true the first time, otherwise 
  the sword-sized pincers of the crab will 
  certainly tear you to pieces.  
  Sea Life
  Getting off the land and peering into the 
  waters, there is a lot of life there, too. 
  The sea between the islands is populated 
  by dangerous sharks, from the small 
  Rakka to the large White Devil.
  The Rakka is an evil fish, up to three 
  feet long, with a striped body covered in 
  spines and three razor-sharp fins: one on 
  the back and two on the side of the body, 
  which it uses to slash prey. It usually hunts 
  in small packs of three: two males, smaller 
  but more aggressive, and a female, bigger 
  in size, which attacks the prey after the 
  two males have seriously wounded it.
   The White Devil is a big white shark, 
  long as a boat, and extremely dangerous. 
  It swims without disturbing the water in 
  any way, and attacks by surprise, killing 
  fish and people alike in rushes of extreme 
  violence. Some old fishermen say that 
  White Devils aren’t truly silent, they 
  constantly sing, emitting a low pitched 
  sound, and if you are in the water you can 
  hear it, getting a moment’s warning to get 
  out of harm’s way.
  In the depths of the waters lurk things 
  much more disturbing and dangerous 
  than sharks: the horrible Talani, for 
  example, an octopus large as a barn, which 
  can grab and shatter the hull of a ship 
  with a single swift tentacle blow, and then 
  grab the crewmen to devour them in the 
  darkness of the abyss. 
  The King’s Mussel is a giant-sized 
  shellfish, which guards the fabled black 
  
   The Book of Lore
  39
  pearls of the Finger Islands, big as a baby’s 
  fist.  More than one bold pearl diver found 
  his death by swimming to the bottom of 
  the sea and prying open the mussel with 
  a metal tool, only to be snapped to death 
  by the shell.
  The sea of the Islands is a place of beauty 
  and enchantment; peaceful fish of every 
  color of the rainbow lazily swim in the 
  emerald green waters, but beware of the 
  Chalada, a deep blue jellyfish tall as a girl, a 
  creature of absolute perfection, and deadly 
  as the kiss of a Tricarnian princess – the 
  mere touch of its long tendrils releases 
  a poison that causes such marvelous 
  hallucinations you forget to breathe and 
  die in happiness.
   And, last but not least, we must 
  remember the ever present coral reefs, the 
  most beautiful in the Dominions; despite 
  being sharp as a razor, they rival in beauty 
  and perfection the greatest palaces the 
  Syranthian architects have ever built. 
  Ruins
  As said earlier, the actual Finger Islands 
  are the mountains and hill tops of the past, 
  spared from the fury of the Dread Star 
  by their height; so it’s no surprise there 
  were some buildings on them, mainly 
  observatories, but also small cities, palaces 
  and towns. For some unknown reason, 
  probably the effect of the dust raised by 
  the cataclysm, almost all the inhabitants 
  died, and now their spirits haunt the ruins. 
  These ancient ghosts are the restless souls 
  of old Keronian sorcerers, and during the 
  long nights, they blend their howls with 
  those of the savage beasts of the jungle. 
  Periodically, someone – usually pirates 
  consumed by greed – penetrates the rotten 
  walls looking for treasures, but almost 
  nobody comes back.
  The survivors, the few still in their right 
  minds, tell stories of hunched shadows 
  dancing around fires of old bones and 
  of alien horrors sealed in ancient crypts. 
  Many of these stories come from the 
  bottom of booze-filled tankards, but there 
  must be a grain of truth in some.   
  People of the 
  Finger Islands
  Finger Tribes
  The archipelago is a place ripe with life. 
  This, in conjunction with the fact that the 
  Finger Islands are on the main sea routes 
  to the southern lands, has made them a 
  refuge of all sorts of people.
  Apart from pirates, these people are 
  collectively called the Finger Tribes. 
  They are a mixture of people from several 
  Savannah clans who had the bad luck to 
  be captured by the Caldeians and sent 
  north to be sold in the flesh markets of 
  the Iron Empire and Tricarnia; sometimes 
  the slavers’ ships were destroyed by storms, 
  shattered on coral reefs, or the black-
  skinned slaves rebelled and took control of 
  them. In these cases, the survivors found 
  shelter in the shady jungles of the islands 
  and formed small tribes. 
  Appearance
  The Finger Tribes are of mixed blood, 
  but they share some common traits; 
  they are brown or dark skinned, with 
  somewhat more morbid features than 
  their Savannah cousins. Some of them 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  40
  have almost almond shaped eyes and 
  black hair. They dress quite scantily, but 
  more for reasons of temperature and 
  humidity than from a lack of modesty; 
  men usually wear only a loincloth or a 
  short gown of some sort, while women 
  dress in longer gowns and a piece of cloth 
  to protect the breasts. Earrings and nose 
  rings are quite common; the warriors, in 
  particular, pierce their noses and insert 
  pieces of bone and feathers, to appear 
  more impressive and fearsome. Chiefs 
  and important personalities, like priests 
  and shamans, wear showy headgear made 
  of colored plumes. Women tend to tie 
  their hair in hundreds of tiny braids and 
  to smear these with palm oil. Tattoos and 
  tribal paints are also quite common.
  Social Structure  
  and Economy
  Many tribes are ruled by a group of elders, 
  especially peaceful tribes; but other, more 
  war-like ones are held in the iron grip of 
  charismatic war leaders or cunning witch-
  doctors. Apart from this, their societies 
  tend to be quite egalitarian. However, this 
  doesn’t apply to women, who are usually 
  relegated to a minor role.
  Their economy is a very basic one: fishing, 
  gathering and hunting are the main 
  occupations of these people, though some 
  of the most advanced clans practice a very 
  basic agriculture. Hunting and fishing are 
  almost totally male occupations, while the 
  other chores are left to women.
  Artisans, especially the ones working in 
  coral, are held in high esteem, as are canoe-
  carvers and liquor makers. Following the 
  traditions of the Savannah, the tribal 
  liquors are made by women chewing sugar 
  canes and spitting them into large vases 
  where they are left to ferment, a habit that 
  many civilized men find disgusting but 
  which is perfectly normal among them: a 
  woman, even if not particular beautiful, is 
  pretty sure to find a good husband if she 
  has good teeth to chew sugar cane and is 
  skilled in gutting and salting fish. 
  The greater number of the tribes live in 
  isolation on different islands, and their 
  
   The Book of Lore
  41
  relationships with other clans are sporadic 
  and often limited to raids to control 
  territory or to steal women and food. 
  The tribes tend to avoid contact with the 
  pirates of the Cove, but, after the defeat of 
  Guatulu-Watchi thanks to the efforts of 
  their princess Sashani (see page 46), the 
  situation is improving; some of them are 
  slowly starting to trade with the pirates.
  The tribesmen have no concept of (and 
  no use for) money, but are ready to barter 
  shiny baubles (such as pearls), food, booze 
  and women in exchange for civilized goods 
  like metal weapons and dyed cloth, of 
  which they are very fond. A skilled trader 
  could probably become quite rich trading 
  with the Finger Tribes, but he must be 
  very careful; if a tribesman suspects he 
  has been swindled, he’ll probably gut you 
  with a fishing knife and use your entrails 
  to feed the seagulls.
  Technology
  Finger Tribes are primitive: they aren’t 
  able to work metal, although they know 
  of it, and use tools made of stone, wood 
  and coral. They build vessels, but usually 
  of only three types: small canoes, used 
  for fishing, larger flat-bottomed barges, 
  which are used in raids but cannot sail 
  on the open sea, and catamarans. Their 
  medicine is very primitive (fevers are 
  one of the commonest causes of death 
  among them) and they are illiterate. Their 
  weapons are usually spears of various 
  types (used also for fishing), daggers 
  and war clubs. Certain clans use painted 
  shields, reminiscent of the Savannah. The 
  tribes retain their ancestral love for music 
  and rhythm, and their dances, which often 
  have a deep ritual and religious meaning, 
  are as beautiful and enthralling as those 
  made around the fires of the Savannah.
  Religion
  The Finger Tribes are animistic; they 
  worship the forces of nature, especially 
  sea, wind and fire, which they call by 
  distorted versions of the names used in 
  the Savannah: Taalu is the “Great Water” 
  or the sea, Wutani is the “Powerful 
  Whisper” or the wind and Kolaka is “The 
  Angry One” or the fire.
  Almost all the clans have forgotten their 
  ancestral veneration of the god Uletu, but 
  replaced it with the worship of animal 
  spirits, which they pray to for help during 
  the hunt or for protection from evil.
  “The beast spirits walk among us,” the 
  tribesmen say, and by this they probably 
  mean the Beast Kings (see GE page 165), 
  which are quite powerful in this land. 
  Some of them are good and wise such 
  as Rusaru the Wise Cormorant, others 
  wicked and evil like Vaarali the Black 
  Panther and Yanaga the Snake Which 
  Lurks in the Trees, finally others are 
  simply dangerous like Rutaru the Wild 
  Boar.
  Spirits can be good or bad, all but the 
  dreaded Alak the Night Spirit, an 
  amorphous ghost of darkness who comes 
  out only when the sun goes to sleep. 
  It is feared by everyone apart from the 
  most wicked sorcerers who make bloody 
  offerings in its name on old vine-covered 
  altars in the thick of the jungle. Alak is a 
  spirit of madness, treason and death. Its 
  ultimate goal is dragging the living off 
  to its dark realm underground, to make 
  them eternal slaves. It is the Master of 
  the Grave, and with a mere puff of its foul 
  breath it can call the dead from their cold 
  sleep. Beembo the Blind, a wise man and 
  soothsayer, says that Guatulu-Watchi (see 
  page 47), the dreaded pigmy necromancer 
  of the past, was the chosen one of Alak, 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  42
  and “others will come in the fullness of 
  times”, whatever that might mean.
  Pigmies of the Finger 
  Islands 
  The Finger Tribes represent the great 
  majority of the clans dwelling in the 
  islands, but they aren’t the only ones there. 
  Darker, more evil people lurk in the jungle.
  Hunters of the Islands say that if you are 
  hunting in the thick of the jungle you 
  must always look out for tracks; not only 
  those of the Shadow Hunters, but also 
  those of small human feet. In that case, 
  you must run as fast as you can, because it 
  means you have trespassed on the territory 
  of a tribe of Pigmies of Finger Islands!
  Nobody truly knows the origin of their 
  presence in the archipelago: there are 
  rumors that they aren’t the same race 
  as their cousins of the Lush Jungle, but 
  instead they are the offspring of the 
  original servants of the Keronians, who 
  escaped the Cataclysm by taking refuge 
  among the hills and mountains that today 
  are the Finger Islands.
  Other legends say instead that the Pigmies 
  of the Finger Islands are the survivors of 
  a slave ship, full of these diminutive men, 
  shipwrecked on the razor sharp reefs of 
  the archipelago. Like rats, they escaped 
  the wreckage, and, much like rodents, 
  they took shelter in the dark jungles of the 
  islands (so similar to their ancestral land) 
  and reproduced.
  Whatever the truth, Pigmies today 
  occupy some islands, and lead a secluded 
  existence. Very territorial, they prefer 
  taking shelter in the darkest jungles or 
  in old ruins. Absolutely xenophobic, 
  they are organized more or less like their 
  southern counterparts, in large clans led 
  by shamans and masked warriors, and 
  tolerate no foreign presence in their lands; 
  the incautious traveler caught by them 
  can expect to be the main dish in a grisly 
  banquet or, even worse, to be sacrificed 
  during one of their unholy rites.
  Even today, the Pigmies’ secrets are 
  shrouded in mystery, and the only taste 
  the pirates have had of them was the 
  dreaded Guatulu-Watchi, the worst threat 
  the Cove has ever had to face (see page 
  47).
  The Cove
  The archipelago hosts one of the places 
  most feared by the civilized people of the 
  northern Dominions: the fabled Cove, 
  the hidden city where the pirates of half 
  the world gather to carouse, sell loot and 
  make nefarious new plans.
  A Brief History  
  of the Pirate City
  Note: the following history of the Cove was 
  related by Fildago the Sage, when sober, to 
  Justinus of Syranthia. It is mainly a collection 
  of stories and legends told by pirates, so we 
  have a number of doubts as to its historical 
  accuracy.
  The first civilized person to discover the 
  location of the Cove was Lorvakos the 
  Lucky, a Faberterran pirate who survived 
  the shipwreck of his ship, the Gilded Belt. 
  Lorvakos always boasted that he was the 
  captain of the ship and that the shipwreck 
  happened after a terrible battle with the 
  Caldeians, but the truth is he was simply 
  the cook and the Gilded Belt sunk because 
  
   The Book of Lore
  43
  the helmsman, drunk as a pig, ran it 
  aground on hidden reefs.
  Whatever the truth, Lorvakos, who was a 
  good swimmer, reached the beach of the 
  Cove, and first blessed all the gods for 
  saving him, and then cursed all of them 
  because he was stranded in a savage land.
  Stories say Lorvakos, feverish from the 
  wounds inflicted by the razor-sharp reefs, 
  stumbled into the jungle until he found an 
  old temple, of Keronian origin, belonging 
  to an ancient deity known as Rakua-Thara. 
  He prayed to the two-headed deity who, 
  in exchange for his soul, saved his life.
  People say it is strange that a temple of the 
  sea god is several miles deep in the thick of 
  the jungle, but Fildago the Sage believes it 
  was probably built on a shoreline that has 
  receded over the centuries.
  Lorvakos remained, alone and stranded, 
  on the island of the Cove for three years, 
  except for some elusive figures he glimpsed 
  but never clearly saw. They could have 
  been natives of the Finger Islands, some 
  giant apes, or something even darker.
  Then, one day, Lorvakos saw, very far 
  away, the silhouette of a ship! He hastily 
  built a fire with green palm wood, hoping 
  to catch the attention of the crew with the 
  smoke.
  His plan worked, but too well. The 
  Tanakaios, a Caldeian slaver ship, changed 
  course towards the smoke, and tore its hull 
  open on the reefs under the water, sinking.
  Stories say that half of the crew died in 
  the accident, and with them went a good 
  three quarters of the cargo, black-skinned 
  slaves of the Ivory Savannah, who could 
  not swim. Apart from ten men of the crew 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  44
  only a group of Pigmy slaves, who swim 
  like rats, were saved. 
  The crew reached the shore, while the 
  Pigmies escaped into the jungle. Probably 
  they are the ancestors of the current 
  Finger Island Pigmies.
  And what about Lorvakos? Well, the 
  newly shipwrecked sailors weren’t happy 
  at all with the former cook, and, according 
  to the legend, Iskar, the captain of the 
  Tanakaios, planted a knife in the cook’s 
  belly in a rage.
  But Lorvakos survived and crawled back 
  to the temple of Rakua-Thara where, 
  miraculously, he recovered again.
  Being a really good cook, Lorvakos in the 
  end managed to get himself accepted by 
  the Tanakaios survivors, especially after 
  Captain Iskar died mysteriously of food 
  poisoning after few weeks. 
  “Probably he ate too much,” Lorvakos 
  defended himself with a shrug.
  In the end, three years later, the survivors 
  escaped the island on a makeshift raft, a 
  dangerous journey whose story is still told 
  today in the taverns of the Cove as the 
  Ballad of the Twelve Rabbits (the crew 
  left the island, for some reason, with only 
  twelve rabbits for provisions and a single 
  bottle of booze).
  Lorvakos quickly found another pirate 
  crew to join, and, a couple of years later, 
  while his new ship, the Scoundrel, was 
  chased by a warship from Hillias, he 
  guided his vessel to the secret bay he 
  remembered, this time avoiding the hidden 
  reefs. The Hillianites weren’t so lucky, and 
  their hull broke like an earthenware pot 
  at Midsummer Feast, killing all of them.
  The captain of the Scoundrel, Naatarios of 
  Jalizar, was no fool, and recognized the 
  strategic value of a secret pirate base in the 
  Finger Islands. 
  The first settlement was only a handful 
  of crude huts on the shore, which quickly 
  expanded into a small shantytown over a 
  dozen or so years.
  The pirates’ arrival was watched by eyes in 
  the jungle; those of the Finger Tribes, and 
  much more malevolent ones, those of the 
  Pigmies, who over the years had prospered 
  like rats in a granary. Occasionally, a small 
  band of pirates ventured inland to hunt or 
  simply to explore, but very few of them 
  come back and, in time, the sea scum 
  learnt to avoid the land marked by the 
  skull poles of the Pigmies.
  Despite this, more and more pirates 
  arrived, but Natarios was sly, and he kept 
  secret the path through the reefs of the 
  Cove. One night he convinced Lorvakos 
  to show it to him, and, after following the 
  whole path in a dingy, to celebrate, the 
  captain offered a bottle of Zalaska, the 
  local booze (see page 35), to the cook, who 
  drank avidly.
  After a few moments Lorvakos was on 
  the bottom of the dinghy, frothing and 
  shaking. The bottle was flavored with 
  several jungle scorpion stingers, whose 
  poison is always lethal.
  This left Natarios the sole person knowing 
  the path to the Cove. He used this 
  knowledge to obtain fidelity from other 
  pirate captains, who were forced to pay 
  him homage (and a good share of their 
  loot) to freely enter the secure haven.
  But pirates are, by ideal and by inclination, 
  a free bunch, and didn’t take well to the new 
  rules set by Natarios. For this reason, one 
  
   The Book of Lore
  45
  night, a drunken helmsman called Livas, a 
  former Syranthian merchant who left his 
  homeland to escape debtors’ prison, wrote 
  on a piece of sail what should have been, 
  in his opinion, the rights of every pirate of 
  the Cove. He read it aloud and the other 
  customers, drunk as him, commented and 
  made suggestions, promptly accepted by 
  the Syranthian and included on the sail.
  The phrases of Livas became so popular 
  that all pirates accepted them, forcing 
  Natarios to make the best of a bad 
  situation and accept them as well.
  In this way, a band of drunkards wrote The 
  Pirates’ Code, the most egalitarian law 
  code of the Dominions, supporting the 
  saying that “wisdom rests at the bottom 
  of a bottle”.
  But even Natarios didn’t live long: some 
  years later, at the Rude Wench, the tavern 
  which he used as his headquarters, a 
  serious quarrel occured between Natarios 
  and One-Eyed Tarr, a rowdy Kyrosian 
  pirate, which ended with the Jalizaran on 
  the ground, his throat cut like that of a 
  pig.
  Tarr and other pirate captains took control 
  of the town, but keeping the pirates under 
  control wasn’t an easy task; in the end, at 
  the northeast corner table of the Rude 
  Wench, a pact was sealed between the 
  so-called Council of Five Captains, who 
  formed a sort of government to ensure 
  some law in the city. Since that day, the 
  Cove has always been ruled by five pirates, 
  whether captains or not.
  Tarr and his men raided the sea in a period 
  ranging from 1900 AF to 1910 AF and in 
  this decade the sea ran red with the blood 
  spilled by the pirates.
  In the end, in 1911 AF, Tarr tried to 
  attack Faberterra with a great fleet, but the 
  Imperial navy, aided by the providential 
  arrival of the Amazons’ hawk ships at their 
  backs, forced the pirates to retreat quickly 
  to the open sea, a decision that almost all 
  captains of the Dominions fear. 
  It wasn’t Tarr’s lucky day; a terrible storm 
  caught the pirates during their escape, 
  destroying a good part of the sea raiders’ 
  fleet.
  Only Tarr’s ship, the Thunderer, and a 
  couple of others got home safely, but 
  when they finally reached the Cove, a dire 
  fate awaited the pirate. In his absence a 
  tribe of the Finger Islands, the Kurakaka, 
  had attacked the Cove from the land, 
  easily defeating the token defense left by 
  Tarr before setting sail on the ill-fated 
  raid against Faberterra.
  The surviving pirates, led by Tiberos, an 
  apostate priest of Hulian turned to the 
  worship of Rakua-Thara, quickly deposed 
  Tarr and decided to sacrifice him to the 
  God of the Sea, in the jungle temple.
  Nobody knows if the sacrifice was the 
  reason or not, but in the following months 
  a terrible fever raged among the Kurakaka, 
  almost extinguishing the warlike tribe, 
  and from that moment on relationships 
  with the Finger Tribes became even more 
  tense.
  Tiberos, obviously, got all the credit, and 
  from that moment on the Voice of the 
  Deep, the high priest of Rakua-Thara in 
  the Cove, became the most influential 
  counselor of the Council of Five Captains.
  But many years were necessary to restore 
  the Cove to its former strength.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  46
  During the ruling of Captain Sevenblades, 
  in 2133 AF, the Cove underwent a major 
  reconstruction: Sevenblades captured a 
  whole ship full of builder slaves en route 
  from Faberterra to Caldeia. Among them 
  were stonemasons and carpenters, but 
  also architects and educated men, like 
  the famous Gymnarkos of Mount Syros. 
  Gymnarkos, as the stories say, was an able 
  architect and silver-tongued scoundrel; he 
  knew Sevenblades was a great pirate, but a 
  terrible gambler. He convinced the pirate 
  captain to put the freedom of all the slaves 
  of the ship at stake in a single game of 
  Fissure (see page 94) and obviously the sly 
  fox won it.
  But in those years the Voice of the Deep 
  was a woman, Tharkasha, probably the 
  only female priestess of Rakua-Thara in 
  history, who suggested to Sevenblades 
  he should honor the debt, but first make 
  the builders rebuild the shanty huts of the 
  Cove from scratch.
  Gymnarkos, reluctantly, obliged, not 
  knowing the task he was about to start 
  would take fifteen years. The architect 
  never left the Cove, but when he died 
  falling off the scaffolding of the Broken 
  Bone Tower (see below), the Cove was 
  a small, but strangely beautiful, stone 
  town, made in the customary red stone 
  typical of the Finger Islands. Given the 
  different nationalities of the builders 
  working on it, it was, and still is, a unique 
  mixture of building styles from all over 
  the Dominions, which cannot be seen 
  anywhere else.
  But after the rebuilding of the Cove, 
  from the depths of the Finger Islands, a 
  dark threat arose: his name was Guatulu-
  Watchi, or Feathered Man, and he was a 
  powerful Pigmy shaman, who had learnt 
  strange, forbidden sorceries in the sunken 
  Keronian ruins dotting the islands.
  His small, but dark shadow was cast very 
  long, terrorizing not only the villages of 
  the Finger Tribes, but also the boisterous 
  pirates dwelling in the Cove; stories say 
  he swore to his dark gods he would purge 
  all the islands of the tainted blood of 
  foreigners, and he almost managed it.
  His warriors made the jungle paths 
  impossible to travel, and the villagers of 
  the Finger Islands were forced to close 
  their wooden gates and starve, while 
  Guatulu-Watchi’s followers desecrated 
  their graveyards to dig up corpses for their 
  nefarious agenda.
  In the end, the Finger Tribes did 
  something 
  previously 
  unthinkable. 
  Sashani, the daughter of the Valeko tribe’s 
  chief, reached the Cove and asked for the 
  help of the pirates. 
  Turamos Iron Head, the Voice of the 
  Deep, touched by the prettiness of the girl, 
  publicly swore to get rid of the puny pigmy 
  shaman, but his promises were no deeper 
  than his tankard of booze. The night after, 
  terrible screams were heard coming from 
  the temple of Rakua-Thara, and when the 
  pirates came checking, Turamos’ body 
  was found, beheaded but still alive and 
  kicking! The animated body killed four 
  pirates before Sashani managed to kill it 
  with a bone dagger in its heart.
  This was only the beginning of the 
  terrible Night of the Awakening; from 
  the depths of the Cove, where countless 
  corpses rest, killed by the reefs, a horde of 
  undead things crawled out, bringing death 
  and ruin to the city of sleeping pirates. 
  Luckily, at that very moment, the Saber, 
  the ship of Captain Jarlago the Small, the 
  last of the Five, was mooring at the docks, 
  and his men gave the alarm, saving the 
  city. A hideous battle of the living against 
  the dead was fought that night, and it is 
  
   The Book of Lore
  47
  only thanks to the courage of Jarlago and 
  Sashani that the Cove still exists today. 
  The pirates and the Finger Tribes had to 
  fight a common enemy, and, for the first 
  time, they joined forces; Sashani herself 
  led Jarlago and his best men to the sunken 
  ziggurat where Guatulu-Watchi lurked, 
  with his dark followers. Nobody knows 
  what exactly happened inside, because, 
  at midnight, an earthquake like no other 
  anyone can remember shook the Finger 
  Islands like an old glove. When it was 
  over, the ziggurat of Guatulu-Watchi was 
  sunken in the Dread Sea, in that place 
  which today Pirates call Torment Bay, a 
  place where nobody goes fishing.
  People still wonder about the fate of the 
  beautiful Sashani, Jarlago and his men; 
  some say they simply drowned, others, that 
  they are still trapped in the underground 
  kingdom of Guatulu-Watchi. Whatever 
  the truth, since that day nobody has heard 
  from the evil pigmy shaman.
  From that moment, the relationships 
  between the Finger Tribes and the pirates 
  become more friendly; tribesmen started 
  to sell their venison at the Cove, and some 
  of them were even hired as crew. Likewise, 
  some lonely pirates went to live with the 
  tribes, but these are always isolated cases, 
  and the two groups didn’t really mix 
  together.
  Then we come to recent times. 
  In the last few centuries the pirates grew 
  powerful again: the Council of Five 
  Captains rules the city, and the sea, from 
  the decks of their ships and from the 
  corner table at the Rude Wench. Their 
  names make the sailors and merchants 
  of the Dominions tremble in their beds. 
  Among all of them, the most feared one 
  was Verado, the Thief of Thieves (see page 
  23), who some years ago managed to 
  convince the other Captains to join him 
  in the most daring piratical raid in the 
  history of the Cove after Tarr’s attack on 
  Faberterra: an attack on Askerios, main 
  port of Syranthia and greatest trade hub 
  of the Dread Sea. Probably Verado’s plan 
  was no simple raid; the former Syranthian 
  officer wanted to conquer a throne for 
  himself, backed by the strength of the 
  Cove’s ships.
  Unluckily for him, his great fleet 
  was engaged by a combined force of 
  Syranthian and Faberterran ships not far 
  from Askerios, and was destroyed in the 
  Battle of the Red Waters.
  Very few pirates survived that doomed 
  expedition, and since that day, the name 
  of Verado is cursed in the taverns of the 
  Cove. But, with the death of Verado, 
  there is a power vacuum now: the other 
  four Captains (the fifth seat is still empty) 
  haven’t the charisma or the strength to 
  impose their will on all the Cove. This is a 
  moment where a man (or woman) daring 
  enough to accept the challenge could 
  gather these dispersed scum once more 
  into in a fleet worthy of the name…
  The Cove Today
  The Cove is the perfect place for a base 
  for a piratical campaign; it is a place full 
  of adventures, dangers, but also a safe 
  haven to rest. We don’t want to make it too 
  detailed, so that it can be freely used and 
  custom tailored by the GM for his use, but 
  the following section details some of its 
  most important locations, to be used as a 
  basis for adventures.
  For each location, we give a brief story, 
  character or other plot hook, to help you 
  create an interesting tale.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  48
  The Axe’s Cut or the 
  Shipyard
  No port worthy of its name is without 
  a shipyard, and the Cove is no different. 
  The place where the pirates’ ships are built 
  (very rarely, because most of them are 
  simply part of the loot) or repaired is a sort 
  of small channel, similar to the cut of a 
  giant axe in a tree trunk (hence the name). 
  Connected directly to the sea, it has a very 
  handy way to bring in ships. The channel 
  was probably originally a fissure created by 
  a long-forgotten earthquake, but pirates 
  love to tell the joke of Barashan’s Fart, of 
  how a legendary Kyrosian pirate of the 
  past drank too much Zalaska and... well, 
  you can imagine how he made the fissure.
  Today, over the Axe’s Cut there is a sort of 
  big wooden warehouse, upon which slaves 
  and shipwrights work like busy ants fixing 
  hulls and masts, quarreling and fighting 
  each other. In truth, much of the work 
  is done outside the warehouse, along the 
  shores of the channel and in the many 
  houses and shops nearby, where the smell 
  of salt mixes with that of tar. 
  The undisputed chief of the Axe’s Cut 
  is Torag the Legless. A giant of a man 
  when he had both his legs, Torag’s arms 
  are big and strong enough to squeeze a 
  shark to death (and, judging by his scars, 
  he has probably done that in the past). 
  Despite his mutilation, nobody contests 
  the Northlander’s skill in shipbuilding 
  and every captain with enough money will 
  have his ship fixed by him in person. Torag 
  isn’t part of the Council, but he controls 
  a great number of workers, hard, tough 
  fellows, and the Five are wise enough to 
  consult him when matters of importance 
  arise.
  Torag’s Jewel. A year ago, Captain 
  Rago of Hillias commissioned Torag 
  to construct a great, powerful ship. He 
  fast-talked Torag into this, tickling the 
  builder’s pride to create the pinnacle of 
  his lifetime’s work. This, joined with the 
  promise of a huge pile of gold, convinced 
  Torag to take his axe, and build, with his 
  workers, the best ship the Cove has ever 
  seen. The Jewel is thirty-five yards of wood, 
  black as the skin of a Savannah dancer, 
  and with the same agility. Fitted with a 
  ram capable of shearing the chain of a 
  chastity belt without scratching the lady 
  wearing it, it has a system of sails, similar 
  to Amazon rigging, made to capture the 
  wind and throw the ship across the waves 
  like an arrow. The problem is that Captain 
  Rago disappeared at sea six months ago. 
  Some say he was captured by the Caldeian 
  Corsairs, while others say he was thrown 
  in the scorpion pit in Teyaserana a month 
  ago. When Torag heard the news, he swore 
  the Jewel is now for sale: whoever pays 
  him forty pounds of gold before his next 
  birthday will be the captain of the Jewel. If 
  nobody will pay, he’ll have himself burned 
  alive on the hull, surrounded by virgins. 
  Torag was stone drunk when made the 
  promise, but you know how Northlanders 
  are: when they swear, they’ll do anything 
  to keep the promise.
  Blood Peak
  Not a real part of the Cove, the Blood Peak 
  is a small, but tall, mountain, directly by 
  the sea, made of the strange reddish rock 
  of which Gymnarkos built the houses of 
  the Cove. The stories say that Lovarkos 
  the Lucky made the bonfire that lured the 
  Tanakaios into the bay on its top, but that 
  is probably false, because only a goat could 
  climb to the top of the Blood Peak.
  During Gymnarkos’ reconstruction, a 
  lot of stone was brought by slaves from 
  the Peak to the Cove; this was dug from 
  a mine, based on a network of natural 
  
   The Book of Lore
  49
  caverns snaking under the Peak, and if 
  stories are true, even under the Cove itself.
  Today the mine is abandoned (no pirate is 
  interested in it), apart from the cavebugs, 
  dangerous giant creatures (see BOD page 
  20).
  Pirate’s Graveyard. You can always count 
  on a pirate to do a job in a lazy way, 
  and the Pirate’s Graveyard is a perfect 
  example. Usually pirates bury their dead 
  at sea; some rocks, a sack, a sip of Zalaska 
  and the funeral is done, but, in some cases, 
  they need to bury a comrade in the cold 
  earth. So, when they chose the location 
  of the Pirate’s Graveyard (or simply the 
  Graveyard), they paid attention to two 
  things: first, that it would be suitably 
  near to the Cove, second, that the ground 
  would not be too hard to dig. 
  That was not a very good idea. The 
  Graveyard is in a swampy plot of land 
  north of the Peak, infested by vines and 
  permanently shrouded in a sickly mist. 
  Occasionally, when the tide of the sea 
  swells too much, it is flooded, and it can 
  happen that a freshly buried corpse goes 
  willy-nilly into the arms of the Sea God. 
  Pirates tend to avoid the Graveyard, 
  especially by night, because there are 
  strange lights shimmering among the 
  rotting tombstones (usually made of 
  wood), but also by day, because the Finger 
  Pigmies are known to defile the tombs 
  looking for bones and other grisly things 
  for their evil rituals.
    Broken Bone Tower
  The tallest building of the Cove is a tower, 
  watching over the port. Imposing and 
  massive, it is the Broken Bone Tower, so-
  called because it looks like a piece of broken 
  bone fixed in the ground. In the plans of 
  its creator, Gymnarkos, it was to have been 
  a lighthouse, and the final building of 
  the city’s reconstruction, as the architect 
  promised to Captain Sevenblades. But the 
  Tower was never finished: Gymnarkos 
  mysteriously fell from its scaffolding, 
  dropping for five floors, and dying on 
  the rocks below. If you look carefully, you 
  can still see the red stains on the ground, 
  where the poor architect died. Stories say 
  Gymnarkos didn’t fall, but was pushed by 
  Captain Sevenblades himself, who didn’t 
  want to honor the promise to free him and 
  the other masons at the end of the tower’s 
  construction.
  Obviously, Gymnarkos’ tragic demise gave 
  life to a number of wild stories among 
  the superstitious pirates: according to 
  the commonest one, his spirit haunts the 
  Tower, to torment the dwellers forever.
  But this rumor didn’t prevent the 
  pirates from using the building, which is 
  traditionally the seat of one of the Five 
  ruling the Cove, to whom also falls the 
  task of keeping it manned and watching 
  over the bay to give the alarm in case of 
  incoming danger.
  Actually the Broken Bone Tower is 
  controlled by Captain Arkatos the Black, 
  of the Reaper, which recently won it, in a 
  bloody battle, from Captain Draago the 
  Rebellious, of the Painted Lizard, who 
  was forced to escape from the city and 
  take shelter in the inland (see below).
  The Dame. Everybody at the Cove knows 
  the cause of the falling-out between 
  Captain Arkatos and Captain Draago, 
  which has cost the pirates of the Cove 
  much blood. Arkatos and Draago have 
  always been friends, close as brothers: 
  Draago was Arkatos’s second in command 
  for five years before setting off in his own 
  ship, with Arkatos’s blessing. Then, two 
  moons ago, the Reaper and the Painted 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  50
  Lizard joined forces to attack a Tricarnian 
  trireme, headed from the City of Princes 
  to Faberterra. As well as the rich loot, the 
  crews found an enormous treasure: 
  Princess Jamalaya of Ral Varsakor, a 
  noblewoman of the Lands of the Demons 
  and recent widow of a Faberterran noble, 
  returning to her homeland. The idea was 
  to bring her to the Cove and ask for a rich 
  ransom from her family, but something 
  went wrong. Both Arkatos and Draago 
  fell in love with the woman. Harsh words 
  were spoken by both captains; blades were 
  drawn, the situation exploded, many 
  pirates died, and Draago was forced to 
  escape from the city, cut off from his ship 
  (which is still moored at the Docks) and 
  taking refuge in the jungle, brooding 
  vengeance against all the Brothers of the 
  Cove. Spies say he is allying with rebellious 
  Finger Tribes and even with Pigmies to 
  attack the Cove. All for a damned 
  Tricarnian woman, who nobody has seen 
  for months, as Arkatos keeps her locked 
  in the tower. The other Captains are very 
  worried, and someone is thinking that 
  pretty Princess Jamalaya will better fare in 
  some other hands – or dead with a knife 
  in her pretty back…
  Coshra’s Hull
  In the middle of the Cove stands a very 
  unusual building: Coshra’s Hull. In truth 
  ‘building’ isn’t the right word: Coshra’s 
  Hull is a ship, or, at least, what it remains 
  
   The Book of Lore
  51
  of it, solidly standing on the ground. On 
  the base, the hull of a large Tricarnian war 
  ship, over the years the various occupants 
  have built turrets, additional rooms and so 
  on, so that today Coshra’s Hull is a curious 
  mix of ancient woodwork and modern 
  bricks and stones. In the past, Gymnarkos 
  proposed destroying it to build a palace in 
  its place, but the pirates angrily refused: 
  legend says that as long as Coshra’s Hull 
  still stands, the Cove cannot fall.
  The origins of this curious building are 
  lost in the mists of time, and several wild 
  stories are told about it; according to one, 
  old Captain Coshra, totally drunk one 
  night, walked on the Long Dock, and 
  pissed in the ocean, boasting with the 
  Sea God that he was more powerful than 
  him, because he could freely piss in his 
  kingdom. That very night, an incredibly 
  strong tide flooded the Cove, bringing 
  Coshra’s ship, a spoil of war, along with 
  it. The pirate town was severely damaged, 
  and the pirates quite pissed off: before 
  dusk Coshra was hung from the tallest 
  mast of his stranded ship, thus ending 
  both his piratical boasting and his life.
  There is another version of this story: 
  one night, Captain Coshra, a notorious 
  miser, being drunk (this is a recurrent 
  element), bet his own crew all his treasure 
  that they could not pull his ship onto the 
  shore. The crew accepted, and working all 
  night, they managed to drag Coshra’s ship 
  ashore, probably using poles, tree trunks 
  and other similar means. Nobody knows 
  if Coshra honored the bet.
  Probably both stories are false, and the 
  truth of Coshra’s Hull is lost in the mists 
  of time; there are also rumors saying the 
  mysterious ship was on the shore of the 
  Cove before the arrival of Lorvakos the 
  Lucky. 
  Owning Coshra’s Hull has always been 
  a sign of power and importance in the 
  Cove, and today the building belongs to 
  Captain Volekor of the Silent, probably 
  the most dangerous and feared of the 
  Pirate Captains, who occupied it shortly 
  after Captain Verado’s demise (see page 
  23); no other Captain has complained. 
  Volekor quickly dismantled the previous 
  gaudy trappings of the place, and is 
  transforming it into the pirate version of 
  a Tricarnian palace.
  The Ship of the Worlds. The owners of 
  Coshra’s Hull changes but Old Tor, its 
  guardian and keeper, has been the same 
  for many, many years: he knows every 
  room, turret, and underground cellar of 
  the strange building, and he is ready to 
  serve faithfully whoever holds Coshra’s 
  Hull. But after Volekor got it, he coldly 
  dismissed the old servant, throwing him 
  into the road and now Old Tor can be 
  found, nursing a cup of wine offered by 
  the bartender at the Rude Wench. He has 
  a story to tell, and he is ready to share it 
  with whoever wants to hear it. Vorakor is 
  doing something in Coshra’s Hull; he is 
  preparing to actually sail it, because, Old 
  Tor overheard, the Tirain-aga, as Vorakor 
  called the ship, actually sails between the 
  worlds!     
  Docks
  Like every sea port worthy of the name, 
  the Cove has docks, of course. But, unlike 
  the well-organized docks of Faberterra or 
  Askerios, those of the Cove are built in a 
  chaotic way, “like the dance of a drunken 
  pig” as the saying goes. In truth, when 
  Gymnarkos rebuilt the town from scratch, 
  there were only two docks, made of solid 
  stone; the eastern one, longer and adapted 
  for big ships, and, on the opposite side of 
  the Cove, a smaller one, for sailing boats 
  and similar. 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  52
  Today, as a plain, dirty joke, they are called 
  Long Dock and Fat Dock, and they are 
  only the backbone of a chaotic series of 
  smaller, wooden docks built directly off 
  them, protruding from the bigger ones 
  like fishbones from a great shark. 
  The smaller docks form a chaotic maze were 
  ships and barges of every size move one 
  around the other in an apparently casual 
  way. Docking places are very important for 
  pirate ships: the more important a Captain 
  is, the better (and larger) is his berth at the 
  docks. Serious fights erupt between crews 
  for the better places and often captains 
  leave part of their crews (especially the 
  wounded ones) ashore, to make sure 
  nobody steals their place. 
  Apart from this, the docks are a place 
  bubbling with life: on it, like busy ants, 
  move sail-menders, porters, food sellers, 
  slaves, fishermen, shipwrights, beggars, deck 
  hands, merchants trying to get the first pick 
  of the loot, and whatever other people can 
  be useful to, or find profit from, the ships.
  On the docks there are also a number 
  of ramshackle huts and taverns, which 
  periodically burn down or fall into the bay. 
  These places often sell the worst booze 
  you can find in the Cove, made with sugar 
  palm and dead rats, but also the cheapest, 
  so it is not uncommon to see tremendous 
  fist-fights erupt there.
  The Underdocks. As well as pirates, the 
  Cove hosts a number of semi-invisible 
  people; cripples, old sailors, courtesans too 
  old to work in the taverns, children and so 
  on. Some of them live in the streets, while 
  others, especially by night, find shelter 
  in the Underdocks, a series of catwalks 
  built under the docks. It is a filthy place, 
  full of rats and worse things, but it is out 
  of the rain at least, and no pirates visit. 
  There are stories that the Underdocks is 
  connected to a network of underground 
  tunnels twisting under the city of pirates 
  and which in turn are probably connected 
  to those of the Blood Peak. Sometimes 
  vagabonds enter these tunnels and don’t 
  come back; Trag, the mad sail mender 
  
   The Book of Lore
  53
  who has lived in the Underdocks all his 
  life, says there are “little, painted devils in 
  the caverns, dragging you away”, whatever 
  that means.
  Firefly Lane
  When Gymnarkos rebuilt the Cove, he 
  designed it with well, with a central plaza 
  (which still exists, see Flesh Market) and 
  wide roads; but ten years after his death, 
  his careful layout was destroyed by pirates 
  and lowlifes building huts and makeshift 
  houses whatever they wanted, giving the 
  Cove the messed up appearance it has 
  today, a network of narrow streets and 
  alleys which, if not for the fair weather, 
  would make you think you were in Jalizar.
  The only street still showing some of the 
  magnificence of the past is Firefly Lane, so 
  called because a sly brothel owner, Jaavesa of 
  Jalizar, used to set outside his house fireflies 
  in a large glass globe to lure customers. The 
  idea worked very well, and as happens in 
  these cases, was quickly copied by others, 
  so that today the whole lane is dimly lit by 
  night by a sort of faerie fire, reflecting off 
  the exposed flesh of the girls.
  Firefly Lane is the perfect place for a 
  pirate to blow off steam, whether he likes 
  booze, food, girls or a mix of them. It is 
  not unusual for a pirate to enter the Lane 
  fully clothed, armed, and with pockets 
  filled with gold, and to leave it naked, 
  beaten and without a coin.
  Brawls and fights are common in the 
  various bawdy houses of the Lane, and the 
  ruffians keeping order are notorious for 
  their heavy hands.
  The Lane isn’t just a place to get lost in the 
  pleasures of flesh, but is also dotted with 
  small shops run by the real people of the 
  Cove: peddlers, pawn shops, ill-reputed 
  healers, hedge mages, fortune tellers and 
  any other shady business you can imagine.
  Calatua’s Tattoo Parlor. Pirates love 
  tattoos, and, if you are a member of a 
  pirate crew you probably have a couple – 
  or a dozen – yourself. The Cove hosts a 
  number of tattooists, but nobody else like 
  Calatua. Finding her isn’t easy; her shop 
  is in a side alley off Firefly Lane, but you 
  don’t find it every time. “If Calatua doesn’t 
  want to be found, you won’t find her,” the 
  rumors say.
  And that isn’t the weirdest thing about 
  this strange character.
   A Finger Islands tribeswoman of 
  indefinable age, Calatua has black rough 
  hair, decorated with mud and pieces of 
  bone, and quick, deft hands. She is also 
  totally blind, but this doesn’t stop her 
  being the absolute mistress of tattoos in 
  the Cove. She has quite a temper too. You 
  don’t go to Calatua and say to her “Do me 
  a badass dragon,” unless you want to be 
  thrown out; instead you enter her parlor, 
  pay her, and wait. She’ll make you sit on 
  a chair, take her tools, and will touch your 
  body with cold, inquisitive hands. When 
  she finds the right place she grunts, and 
  starts working, all without seeing. The 
  result is often unpredictable but always 
  amazing: Calatua’s works are very strange 
  to see, to touch, and stories say that they 
  change forever you, in good ways or bad.  
  Stories say that there always been a 
  Calatua in the Cove, but the name is 
  common among the Finger Tribes, so 
  probably it refers to several different 
  women who have run the Parlor over the 
  years. After all, nobody can live that long, 
  can they?
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  54
  CalaTua’s TaTToos 
  After hearing of her, the heroes 
  will probably look for Calatua. An 
  adventurer can do this only once per 
  adventure (or per After the Adventure 
  phase). 
  Usually finding her requires a Spirit (-2) 
  roll, with another, cumulative -2, for 
  every time you have already visited her.
  Calatua’s Tattoos have no set price, 
  but be fair in your offer: the blind lady 
  doesn’t like to be swindled.
  Then, Calatua starts working. When 
  the tattoo is completed, the GM secretly 
  draws a card from the Action Deck. 
  If it is a number (2-10), nothing 
  happens.
  If it is a red face card (Joker included), 
  the tattoo is magical, and the hero 
  permanently gains the Luck Edge (or 
  the Improved version if he already has 
  Luck).
  If it is a black face card (Joker included), 
  the tattoo holds a curse of some type, and 
  the hero permanently gains the Bad 
  Luck Hindrance.
  Calatua’s tattoos can only be removed 
  by her, and she will only remove a single 
  tattoo per person.
  BuyIng and sellIng In THe 
  flesH markeT 
  The Flesh Market of the Cove is a place 
  where goods of every type can be found. 
  At the end of an adventure, players can 
  freely spend leftover bennies to find an 
  additional Rare Item at the market, 
  with no need to roll. They must pay the 
  normal price, of course.
  Flesh Market
  The central plaza of the Cove, in truth 
  the only plaza of the settlement, has been 
  called the Flesh Market for centuries, 
  because twice a year the pirates held a 
  slave sale there with their best prizes. 
  Today, this market is no longer held, for 
  practical reasons; the merchants had to 
  be taken from their ships moored on the 
  coasts of Keron and brought, blindfolded, 
  to the Cove. After the sale, the same 
  merchants (and the slaves) had to be taken 
  back to their ships, with all the security 
  problems that involved. Today the pirates 
  simply sell their slaves in the markets of 
  the Independent Cities, where slavers ask 
  no questions.
  The Flesh Market is still the marketplace 
  of the Cove. Here you can find food 
  and Zalaska from the jungle, and loot 
  stolen from ships of all the Dominions: 
  Lhobanese wool, spices from Hillias, 
  Caldeian Khav and Borderlands pelts 
  all piled next to each other in a chaotic 
  mess. Merchants of various types, often 
  quartermasters of pirate ships, loudly 
  hawk all these riches, and if you are a 
  tough bargainer, you can make some real 
  deals. You can also find a good number 
  of Finger Tribesmen there, selling wares 
  from the jungle, or simply enjoying the 
  overripe fruits of civilization.
  The Fountain of Zal Kasha. In the center 
  of the Flesh Market there is big stone 
  fountain, representing a strange naked 
  woman with three breasts, with water 
  pouring from her nipples. Unlike the 
  reddish stone of the cove, this is made of 
  grey marble, veined with green, typical 
  of Keron. Long ago, the statue was taken 
  from the ancient Keronian temple of Zal 
  Kasha, somewhere in the jungle. According 
  to the stories, the three-breasted statue 
  holds the secret to a great treasure. In the 
  past many have examined the fountain, but 
  
   The Book of Lore
  55
  nobody has found the secret. Well, almost 
  nobody: Syras of Nal Sagath, the first mate 
  of the Horn (see page 55) recently boasted, 
  one night while drunk at the Rude Wench, 
  that he had discovered it, but he has been 
  missing for some time. Maybe he went into 
  the jungle to verify his stories, or ended up 
  gutted in some back alley after revealing 
  his secret?
  The Rude Wench
  Legend says the oldest tavern of the Cove, 
  the Rude Wench, was the first makeshift 
  kitchen used by Lorvakos the Lucky, and 
  the big cauldron permanently boiling on 
  the fireplace was part of the Tanakaios’ 
  cooking implements. In the ancient pot a 
  fish stew constantly cooks, and tradition 
  dictates the cook always adds new fish to 
  it, making it virtually the oldest food in all 
  the western Dominions (it is quite good, 
  if you dare taste it).
  But the really important relics of the 
  Wench are other things. 
  First, the northeast corner table, which 
  has been used as a council room by 
  the Council of Five Captains for their 
  meetings for centuries. It is stained by 
  countless pints of booze, and scarred by 
  hundreds of knives, but in this place, it has 
  the same importance as the Ivory Throne 
  of the City of Princes in Tricarnia. You 
  simply don’t approach that table, unless 
  you are invited or you want to challenge 
  one of the Five for their position, and in 
  the latter case you’ll better be well-backed 
  and strong-willed, because the Captains 
  always keep bodyguards sitting at the 
  nearby tables. 
  Second, the Rude Wench itself. It is an 
  old ship’s figurehead, representing a naked 
  woman, but so damaged by tar and salt 
  that she is disfigured and seems to grin in 
  an angry way. According to some legends, 
  this figure represents a real woman, whose 
  identity is lost in the mists of time; one of 
  the first workers at the tavern. The Rude 
  Wench is kept on a shelf over the fireplace, 
  and under it there is the most important 
  object in the whole tavern, probably in the 
  entire port: the Pirates’ Code.
  Written on a piece of sail by Livas of 
  Kyros, it rests on the same shelf (see 
  sidebar), and can only be touched by the 
  tavern’s owner and the Five.
  Norak of the Gauntlet. The Rude Wench 
  has passed through a number of hands 
  over the centuries, but the latest owner is 
  probably one of the strangest. A tall and 
  silent Northlander, even if you wouldn’t 
  identify him immediately as a member 
  of that race because he is bald and always 
  perfectly clean-shaven. 
  Norak is broad-shouldered and strong, 
  and always wears a long leather gauntlet, 
  covering his right hand to the elbow. He 
  never takes it off in public, but Karyna, one 
  of the tavern girls, swears she once saw his 
  bare hand, heavily scarred as if exposed 
  to a terrible fire. The girl wondered how 
  the man could still move that hand, but 
  he surely can, given how well he keeps the 
  rowdy customers of the tavern at bay. 
  The same girl says that Norak almost 
  never sleeps, and constantly consumes 
  Khav and other drugs to stay awake. 
  One day he was particularly drunk, and 
  he confessed to her that he cannot sleep 
  “because the Dreamer is looking for him, 
  and even Tosar cannot protect him.  But 
  he won’t fail and it will be kept safe.” 
  “Those were the very words he said!” 
  Karyna swore, but everybody knows the 
  girl would say (and do) anything for a pint 
  of booze and some easy money.  
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  56
  THe PIraTes’ Code 
  The Pirates’ Code is written on a piece of 
  sail from some forgotten ship. Discolored 
  by time, some parts of it can no longer be 
  read, but all that is really important is 
  still visible, and recorded below.
  On the back of the sail are the names of all 
  the Captains who have ruled the Cove.
  Officially, the Pirates’ Code only applies 
  aboard ship. When ashore it isn’t as 
  strictly respected.
  Treat it as a Code of Honor (Minor 
  Hindrance), with the following tenets:
  -All crewmen (“Brothers”) are equal and 
  receive an equal share of the booty, except 
  the Captain and the First Mate who 
  receive more shares.
  -If a non-pirate kills a pirate, his 
  Brothers must avenge him. The only 
  exception is if the murderer offers himself 
  as a replacement for the pirate killed.
  -When on board, you cannot harm a 
  Brother except in a fair duel. When 
  ashore the Pit will decide the outcome of 
  a quarrel.
  -All the Brothers must obey the Captain 
  and the First Mate, but any Brother can 
  challenge them for their positions, except 
  during a battle or a storm.
  -The rule of acclamation can be invoked 
  by any Brother and on any matter.
  -You must pray to Rakua-Thara before 
  setting sail.
  -You will never reveal the Secret Path 
  to the Cove, on your life and your soul. If 
  you do, the spirits of all dead pirates will 
  torment your soul forever.
  -A Brother is a Brother, even if she is a 
  Sister (later addition).
  The Temple of the Hundred 
  Gods
  Pirates, officially, worship no god except 
  Rakua-Thara, and then only for fear of the 
  consequences.
  In reality, things are more complex than 
  this. Even the worst pirate, in his black 
  heart, believes in something, and this is 
  the reason for the existence of the Temple 
  of the Hundred Gods. A ramshackle, 
  oval building, it is so old that weeds have 
  grown up in the fissures between the 
  rocks of which it is made. Inside, there is 
  a single, big room, with hundreds of small 
  niches: in each of these is a small effigy of 
  a god, and when you enter this place, you 
  have the impression of dozens of cold eyes 
  watching you.
  Their 
  appearances 
  and 
  origins 
  are 
  diverse: some are little more than sketchy 
  earthenware shapes made by unskilled 
  hands, while others are semi-precious 
  statues ripped from the dead hands of a 
  priest in some forgotten raid.
  In this place you’ll find, side by side, 
  votive statues of Hulian and pleasure idols 
  of Hordan, staff amulets of Etu and an 
  engraved horn sacred to Kuletu, but also 
  effigies and icons of more obscure deities, 
  all side by side.
  The keeper of the temple, for countless 
  years, has been a shrouded old man 
  called Six, because he only has six fingers 
  between his two hands. Six, the stories 
  say, was a skilled helmsman a lifetime ago, 
  and there are stories about how he lost his 
  fingers: the wildest one is that he played 
  Knife Dance with a devil, and won, but at 
  a cost. Only Six knows the truth, but he is 
  always close-mouthed on the topic, as he 
  is most of the time, of course.
  
   The Book of Lore
  57
  The Whisperings. The Temple of the 
  Hundred Gods is a little unnerving even 
  by day, what with all the statues, amulets 
  and effigies staring at you, but it can be 
  terrifying by night. The temple is always 
  open, because nobody in the Cove would 
  ever think stealing one of the statues, not 
  least because the majority of them are 
  simply worthless. If you visit the temple 
  by night, though, sooner or later you’ll 
  hear voices. Strange, disturbing whispers, 
  speaking in unknown languages. Maybe 
  they are only the sound of the sea wind 
  echoing through the loose stones of the 
  temple, but pirates think they are the 
  voices of the gods themselves, speaking to 
  the visitors. 
  There is a secret in these voices, people say, 
  even if Fildago the Sage, who stayed three 
  nights in the temple, didn’t hear anything 
  (the fact that he was completely drunk 
  probably didn’t help).
   The only one who might know the secret 
  of the voice of the gods is Trag, a sail-
  mender who works and dwells on the 
  Long Dock, but everybody knows he is 
  totally mad.
  THe CounCIl of fIve CaPTaIns 
  Power and politics are fickle ladies, especially in the city of pirates: a man can 
  wake up a pirate captain one day, and be walking the plank the next. Below are 
  described the current Five of the Cove, the de facto rulers of the city, but things 
  can change at any moment. The GM is free to use them in his scenarios as he sees 
  fit or to replace them at will, but remember, if a player character wants to become 
  one of the Five, a Captain must first be removed…
  Captain Arkatos. White is getting more and more common in Arkatos’s hair, 
  a clear sign that this man is no longer in his prime, even if you would not guess 
  that from his extravagant manners and gaudy dress. Captain Arkatos is by far 
  the oldest of the Pirate Captains of the Cove, but, having lived in the shadow of 
  Verado, he always felt the other Captains never gave him the respect he deserved. 
  Till some time ago, Arkatos was a close friend with Draago the Black, but 
  recently the two of them have been involved in a war over a woman, which could 
  destroy the Cove (see page 49). Arkatos cannot be convinced to renounce the girl, 
  and is trying to get the other Captains to side with him against Draago. Vanja, 
  for now, seems to support him, as does Shalak (but now that counts for almost 
  nothing), while Volekor, as always, is inscrutable.  Arkatos’s ship, the Painted 
  Lizard, is the biggest and best-armed in the Cove, as is his crew. 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  58
  Captain Draago the Black. A tall, dark-skinned man, always dressed in black, 
  Draago was an excellent first mate for Arkatos, who took him from the hull of a slaver 
  cargo, many years ago. Close-mouthed Draago is a man bound by his word: he never 
  swore an oath he didn’t fulfill, and he swore to have Princess Jamalaya for himself, with 
  a burning passion uncommon in a man so controlled. Today Draago is in the jungle, 
  in a fortified camp, cut off from the Cove, but he is gathering allies among the islands 
  to move against Arkatos. His ship, the Reaper, second only to the Painted Lizard, lies 
  untouched in the Cove’s port; before escaping into the jungle, Draago opened a cage full 
  of Silent Deaths, small, hairy spiders typical of Caldeia, which killed the first would-be 
  ship thieves. Nevertheless, Draago would be very interested in having his ship back.
  Captain Shalak. A tall, lean man, of a breed so mixed as to be indefinable, Shalak’s face is 
  scarred by a “caress” he got from a shark years ago. But he survived the experience and, from 
  that moment on, all his ships have been called Shark. Months ago, Shalak captured a great 
  prize, a Syranthian ship called Etu’s Belly (see page 60), but he lost it on the Reefs. Apart 
  from the economic damage, he became the laughing stock of the other captains. Even his crew 
  doubts him, but given his deadly skill with the sword, nobody has yet challenged him, instead 
  the cowardly Ochaba, his First Mate, convinced the rest of the crew to mutiny, and the Shark 
  weighed anchor ten days ago, leaving him on the shore. Shalak needs to be back on top soon or 
  he is doomed…
  Captain Vanja. This blonde she-devil, a former Amazon commander, joined the pirates 
  years ago, when she, her sister Anaya, and a whole battalion of Amazons deserted from 
  the Ascaian navy to start a new life of piracy. Vanja appears cold and controlled, but in 
  truth she is a boiling cauldron of emotion, always ready to explode, usually in bad ways. 
  The crew of the Horn, her ship, is composed mainly of men, who respect and fear her. Vanja, 
  unlike many Amazons, likes males, a lot, and she is known for her huge carnal appetites. 
  At this moment her favorite lover is Yellowtiger (see page 50), but the warrior woman is 
  known to be fickle, and she loves power above all. The only person Vanja really cares about 
  is her sister, Anaya, called the Swift, who is the captain of the Blood Bride, another pirate 
  ship, and hasn’t visited the Cove for a while, since she broke with Verado. Anaya the Swift 
  appears in the Eyes of the Night Savage Tale (see BOD, page 36-45).
  Captain Volekor. Once, many years ago, he was Priest Prince Volekor of Ral Amarath, 
  but those times are gone. Volekor is a haughty, tall Tricarnian, with a perpetually 
  pensive expression, but the few times his cold eyes focus on someone, that man will 
  tremble.
  Volekor is a skilled warrior and a dangerous sorcerer, as anyone who has seen him fight 
  would say; he is usually in ancient bronze armor, wielding his black sword, shimmering 
  with arcane runes. 
  Volekor’s ship, the Silent, is manned by a creepy crew of servants; tall and strong, they 
  have features similar to men of the Ivory Savannah, but they are gaunter and their skin is 
  ash-colored.  More interestingly, they are mute and with little interest in women, gold or 
  food. The other pirates call them simply the Grays, and are scared as hell of them. Nobody 
  knows where they come from: although many of them fall in battle, Volekor always finds a 
  way to replace them, probably from some forgotten island, or, as some whisper, by making 
  bargains with the ancient demons of nearby Keron.
  Volekor’s motivations are mystery to everyone; mildly interested in loot, quite cold with 
  women, he actively seeks power in the Cove, but only as a base to further some other, 
  greater, goal; what that is, nobody knows.
  
   The Book of Lore
  59
  The Pit
  In the rough center of the Cove, there is 
  a depression in the ground, a sort of hole, 
  which no mason of the past was allowed 
  to touch. On the sides of this depression 
  there are spikes, long as a man’s arm, of 
  various origins: broken spears, pointed 
  bamboo stakes, a ship’s ram and even a 
  blade from a scythed chariot – nobody 
  remembers how that got there. 
  This place is the Pit, and in the Pit people 
  fight, unarmed or with knives, in one of the 
  less well-known but most dangerous arenas 
  of the Dominions, not only because of the 
  spikes which can easily wound or maim a 
  fighter, but also due to the roughness of the 
  fights, which have no rules.
  In the upper part of the Pit there are seats 
  and benches, where spectators take their 
  places to see the bloody show.
  Two small rooms, little more than grottoes 
  dug in the earth, stand on opposite sides 
  of the Pit, where the contenders rest 
  before the fight.
  Traditionally, the master of the games of the 
  Pit is the Voice of the Deep, but he usually 
  takes this role only on special occasions, or 
  in the bloody celebration of the Sea God 
  called the Blood Giving. On this occasion, 
  the fighters are always slaves, prisoners or 
  pirates sentenced to death for some reason. 
  The loser of the fight, in this case, is dragged 
  to the middle of the Pit, where a very 
  ancient, pointed stone called the Sea Heart 
  stands, and is impaled through the heart on 
  it, his blood taken in a blue cup and then 
  thrown from the Dock, to secure good luck 
  for the pirates on their raids.
  The Pit has also other uses: bets and 
  decisions of various types are made on 
  the outcome of the fights. In the past 
  the Council of Five Captains themselves 
  fought in it, to decide who was right in 
  a quarrel, but today many of them use 
  skilled pit fighters, usually the meanest 
  of their crews, to do this dirty job. Over 
  the centuries whole fortunes, ships, wives, 
  even titles have changed hands on the 
  outcome of a knife fight in the Pit. A 
  pirate ignoring the result of a Pit fight is 
  considered a liar and a traitor to the Code.
  Yellowtiger. For some time, Captain Vanja of 
  the Horn has had a new man in her crew. He 
  is a scarred, Savannah warrior, black as the 
  night, that everybody calls Yellowtiger. The 
  man, apart from being the current captain’s 
  lover, is the best bare-handed fighter seen in 
  the Cove in the last few years. Pox, a pirate 
  from Faberterra, swears that the tattoo 
  Yellowtiger has on his chest is the Mercy of 
  the Emperor, which is issued by the Emperor 
  of Faberterra himself to the gladiator winning 
  the Great Imperial Games.
  Nobody knows if this is true or not, but 
  Vanja is making the best use of her lover: she 
  has made, and won, a number of bets on pits 
  fights with other captains, so that nobody is 
  willing to take her bets anymore. All except 
  one: Captain Volekor of Tricarnia recently 
  agreed to bet his great ship, the Silent, against 
  the Horn of the renegade amazon. The fight 
  will happen in three days, but it seems that 
  Yellowtiger has mysteriously disappeared. If 
  the savannah warrior cannot be found, the 
  amazon captain will lose her ship and her 
  reputation in single night…
  The Reefs
  The Cove is still untouched today because 
  reaching it by sea requires navigating 
  through treacherous waters filled with sharp, 
  underwater reefs through which swim 
  beautiful exotic fishes and ever-hungry sharks.
  There is one way, and only one way, to 
  cross the Reefs and reach the Cove, and 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  60
  it is called the Secret Path (see box). The 
  knowledge of the Path is probably the 
  greatest secret of the Cove, passed from 
  helmsman to helmsman, so important 
  that it is even named in the Code.
  The Reefs extends for several miles, and 
  a ship usually takes between one and 
  four hours, depending on the skill of 
  the helmsman, that of the crew, and the 
  weather, to travel the whole Secret Path.
  The Path starts in the passage between 
  the two small islands called Zulasta’s 
  Mouth (Zulasta, the stories say, was a 
  popular whore of the Cove, dead long 
  ago, notorious for the things she could 
  do with… well, you can imagine) and 
  goes deep into the archipelago, through 
  narrow passages and apparently safe (but 
  very treacherous) lagoons. Breaching the 
  hull of the ship is probably the worst thing 
  that can happen, but running aground in 
  shallow waters is a good second.
  When that happens, especially near the 
  point named the Emperor’s Hunchback, 
  you must abandon the vessel as fast as you 
  can, because nearby there is a large colony 
  of carnivorous Sand Diggers, which have 
  learnt that a grounded vessel is usually full 
  of tasty human flesh to fill their bellies.
  Despite the risk, do you think nobody has 
  ever tried to reach the Cove uninvited? 
  You can bet they did, they do, and probably 
  they’ll keep on doing it, the damned fools.
  The whole Secret Path is dotted with the 
  wrecks of ships from every era, some of 
  them very old and others quite recent. 
  There are many treasures there, ready 
  to be looted if you are daring enough; 
  but they are surrounded by the corpses 
  and skeletons of the countless mariners, 
  pirates and slaves who have died in the 
  crystalline waters.
   Etu’s Belly. When, a month ago, Captain 
  Shalak of the Shark captured Etu’s Belly, a 
  Kyrosian merchant ship headed to Hillias, 
  he couldn’t believe his luck: the ship was 
  literally stuffed with precious spices, Lhoban 
  wool, and, most important, a twelve-foot tall 
  statue of the goddess, made of silver and 
  gold, for the Temple of Renewal in Hillias.
  There were also six marvelous girls aboard, 
  Holy Dancers of Etu, who cursed the 
  captain and crew in many ways for their 
  blasphemous act. They stopped pretty 
  quickly after a night in the crew’s quarters, 
  but probably there was power in their 
  words, given what happened later. 
  Etu’s Belly was as big and clumsy as a 
  pregnant cow, so she had to be towed 
  through the Secret Path, a difficult task 
  by day, and even more dangerous by night, 
  but given the incoming storm, Captain 
  Shalak had no choice.
  Well, more or less in the middle of the 
  Path, in the place called the Snake’s Teeth 
  due to the sharpness of the coral, Etu’s 
  Belly smashed against the reefs, breaching 
  the hull at three different points. The 
  pirates abandoned ship as fast as they 
  could, but the statue of the goddess, and 
  most of the wares, remained aboard.
  Captain Shalak didn’t take this well, and 
  even today, when he gets drunk, he speaks 
  of the great treasure lost under water. 
  And what about the Holy Dancers? Well, 
  five of them were sold as pleasure girls to 
  the brothels of the Cove, but the sixth one, 
  Vella, cannot be found anywhere. Could 
  she have been trapped in the sunken ship? 
  Or did she escape somehow and reach the 
  nearby islands, where the pigmies live?
  
  61
  THe seCreT PaTH
  Following the Path. Sooner or later, the heroes will follow the Secret Path. If the 
  helmsman knows the way, and isn’t in any particular hurry, he must simply make a 
  Boating roll. With a failure, some minor accident happens (a small breach in the hull, a 
  delay or something similar). With a 1 on the Boating die, the situation is worse, and a 
  Path Accident happens (see below). 
  If the helmsman doesn’t know the Path or is in hurry, he can try to follow it, but so far 
  nobody has managed to do that. If the madman doesn’t know the Path and is in hurry... 
  well, double the penalties on the rolls and good luck!
  Following the Path is a Dramatic Task, based on Boating, which can be cooperative, but 
  only with another helmsman character, who must use Notice instead of Boating.
  The man at the wheel must make six Boating rolls, respectively at: 0, -4, -6, -2, -6, -4. 
  For each failure, a Path Accident happens (see below). If the ship survives all six rolls, 
  you made it, and you are at the Cove (or have left it). 
  Apply Visibility penalties as usual, and if, the weather is bad, another modifier ranging 
  from -1 (rough waters) to -4 (tropical storm).
  Following the Path once without knowing it doesn’t mean you’ve learnt it, but is surely 
  an impressive feat: the character permanently gains (player’s choice) either two free die 
  steps in Boating (up to d12) or the Luck Edge.
  Learning the Path. A player character with a pirate background can begin the game 
  knowing the Secret Path, with the GM’s approval, if he has the Quartermaster Edge 
  and spends two extra skill points. A player character willing to learn it during the game, 
  apart from being a pirate at least for a year and having the Quartermaster Edge, must 
  find a proper teacher who usually tests his loyalty to the Cove in some way, and must 
  spend an advance.
  Path Accidents.  If you do something wrong on the Secret Path, things can go very 
  badly. Draw a Card from the Action Deck and check the table below. All damage caused 
  by the Reefs is considered made by a Heavy Weapon.
  
  62
  PaTH aCCIdenTs TaBle 
  Card
  Effect
  2
  Dead Man’s Blades. The ship hits the worst reefs of the Finger Islands; it 
  suffers 4d8 damage, AP 6, Heavy Weapon.
  3-5
  Keronian Fingers. These insidious coral reefs are very thin and sharp, 
  causing 3d6 Damage, AP 4. In addition, the ship is stuck on them, and 
  the crew must make a Boating (-2) roll to free it. In the case of failure the 
  ship suffers the same damage again and cannot move. Each roll requires 
  fifteen minutes of hard work and cursing, and for every failure the 
  Keronian Fingers deal their damage again.
  6-8
  Hidden Spur. A big piece of coral deals 2d10 damage, AP 5 to the ship.
  9-10
  Barrier Reef. The ship has struck the barrier reef head on! This inflicts 
  2d8 damage, AP 5, and in addition it is in a dead end, so the current 
  round doesn’t count for advancing along the Path.
  J
  Thin Reef. The ship is scraping against a bank of very thin coral blades, 
  suffering only 2d6+2 damage, AP 4. If the card is black, the helm is 
  damaged, and the ship suffers -2 to any Boating rolls until it is repaired.
  Q
  “The Drowned Ones Are Watching”. The ship is passing over a lagoon, 
  under which there are the wrecks of many other ships. The crew must 
  immediately make a group Spirit (-2) roll or be scared for the rest of 
  the day, suffering -2 to any roll linked to maneuvering the ship (the 
  helmsman and any other Wild Cards aboard roll individually).
  K
  Shallow Waters. The ship ends in a cay and cannot move anymore unless 
  the crew and the helmsman succeed in a Boating (-2) roll, which requires 
  four hours of time and causes a level of Fatigue to all the crew. This roll 
  can be attempted only once. After this, the ship is aground and must be 
  towed off by another ship.
  A
  Dead End. The ship is in a dead end, and must go back. You suffer no 
  damage, but the current round doesn’t count towards advancing.
  Joker
  The Sea God is Watching You… with merciful eyes! You pass through the 
  reefs suffering no damage and gain the Thara Bennie, a special Bennie 
  which can be spent only on Boating rolls to cross reefs. It is saved between 
  sessions but expires when used.
  
  63
  no TraITors? 
  GMs and players alike may wonder why, over several centuries, no helmsman has 
  betrayed the secret of the Cove to the major nations of the Dominions for a big pile of 
  gold.
  Actually, this has happened, but only three times (at least, only three cases are actually 
  known). The reason is that there seems to be a strange curse upon whoever betrays the 
  Secret Path (see Pirates’ Code): the ghosts of dead pirates will haunt the betrayer forever.
  That story could be true, in fact.
  Zal the Rat, the first mate of the Seabear, sold the secret three hundred years ago to the 
  Syranthians, but, the night before leading the Syranthian fleet along the Path, he was 
  found dead in his hammock, suffocated by a chunk of seaweed.
  A century ago, Turso Two-Heads (so called for his chest tattoo) never managed to enjoy 
  the title the Faberterran Emperor bestowed him for his betrayal; the main mast of the 
  Justice, the Imperial trireme he was aboard, fell down, killing a single person, him.
  Nootaaro of Jalizar, the last one, technically didn’t betray the secret: he promised 
  knowledge of the Secret Path to the Priest Prince of Ral Hordaka, but he took the gold 
  and disappeared. With the Priest Prince’s daughter.
  
  64
  Scum  
  of the Sea
  This chapter introduces new options for 
  creating characters based on the sea life, 
  either as pirates or as simple mariners and 
  wanderers.
  Archetypes
  Although classical iconography represents 
  pirates in a standardized way, many 
  interesting characters are possible on 
  a maritime theme. In this section are 
  some character concepts to stir your 
  imagination. As always customizing and 
  mixing them is highly recommended.
  Amazon Sea Archer. Fighting at sea is 
  always a dangerous business, and often 
  it ends in cruel melees on ships’ decks 
  made slippery by the blood of the fallen. 
  If you have good archers, you can sweep 
  the enemy’s deck clear before boarding, 
  but shooting on a ship’s deck, given the 
  range and the unstable platform, is a 
  tricky thing, and only the best archers can 
  do it. Amazons, in particular, train warrior 
  women for this task, and the Amazon 
  Sea Archers are the best ones, capable 
  of making shots that bypass the enemy’s 
  bulwarks and shields. An Amazon Sea 
  Archer is a respected warrior, both in her 
  homeland and as a mercenary. 
  Artillerist. Many navies, especially the 
  Caldeian, Tricarnian and Imperial ones, 
  employ war machines: catapults, ballistae 
  and similar tools of destruction. In some 
  cases, they also fire dangerous Lotus 
  concoctions. Using these war machines 
  
   Scum of the Sea 
  65
  isn’t easy; it requires intelligence, skill and 
  good eye for distance. A good artillerist 
  can make the difference between life and 
  death in a sea battle.
  Captain. You are the man holding the 
  crew together. You curse, lash, guide, and 
  inspire them, and they’ll die for you and 
  your ship. Yes, “your” ship, don’t forget 
  that, and beware of your men. They might 
  seem loyal, but there is always someone 
  ready to stab you in the back and take 
  command.
  Cook. A good man in the galley 
  can make the difference between a 
  mutinous rabble and a happy band of 
  marauders. Pirate cooks are renowned 
  for their bad tempers (necessary to keep 
  the men away from their larder) and for 
  their ability to cook almost anything, 
  from shark meat to rats and boiled boot 
  soles, when all the storerooms are empty. 
  Oh, don’t count on them to watch over 
  the Zalaska barrel, by the way.
  Corsair. There are pirates and there are 
  Corsairs. Although many people consider 
  you part of the same scum of the sea, you 
  aren’t. You are a pirate hunter, and answer 
  only to your Captain and King Caldaios, 
  in that order. And don’t believe the stories 
  about Corsair vessels attacking and 
  pillaging merchant ships when nobody is 
  watching. It is all lies, at least so long as no 
  survivor is found…
  Daimao. 
  Enormously 
  fat, 
  tattooed, 
  Lhobanese thugs, Daimaos are the 
  servants of the Sea Tyrant of the City 
  of Leaves. Their impressive size depends 
  both on their traditional, high fat diet, and 
  on the use of special Lotus concoctions 
  made to increase their size. They tattoo 
  their bodies heavily, starting from the 
  shoulders to cover every inch of skin. 
  Deadly warriors, any crew of Brown Sea 
  pirates will 
  accept one of these 
  brutes among them.
  Deckhand. They call you “boy”, “rat”, or, 
  when the galley is empty enough, even 
  “stew”, and in that last cases, it is best for 
  you to find a good place to hide. You are 
  the youngest of the crew, and it is always 
  your turn to clean the bilge or other bad 
  jobs. But when a good prey is in sight, you 
  take up a sword like your comrades and 
  fight for loot and plunder. Maybe one day 
  you’ll have a ship yourself.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  66
  Drummer. There are rowers and there 
  is the man beating the rhythm. You are 
  the latter. On slave-rowed ships, you are 
  feared and hated, because the rowers not 
  respecting your tempo are whipped and 
  beaten, while on a ship with free oarsmen, 
  your 
  companions 
  appreciate 
  your 
  invaluable help in setting a faster pace. 
  Drummers have a little magic in them, 
  and there are stories about Savannah or 
  Tricarnian Drummers who know strange 
  rhythms which can help the rowers ignore 
  their fatigue, or, for the Tricarnians, which 
  can keep a man rowing until his heart fails 
  from exhaustion. 
  Helmsman. The captain is on deck 
  commanding the men, but you are the 
  one at the wheel, holding the destiny of 
  the ship in your hands. A good helmsman 
  can make the difference between life 
  and death during a storm, a battle, or a 
  dangerous passage through the reefs.
  Hull Breaker. Typical of the Cairnlands, 
  this holy warrior considers himself 
  a servant of the Drowned King, and 
  scourges the sea looking for enemy ships 
  to sink with their crews aboard, to increase 
  the fleets of his master. Apart from this 
  homicidal (and in certain cases suicidal) 
  attitude, a Hull Breaker can be a good 
  friend, ready to drown his comrades in a 
  sea of cold beer. Only, if he suggests you 
  take a walk on the dock to clear your head 
  of booze, be cautious!
  Marine. These have various names; 
  Blue Guardian in Tricarnia, Talattomos 
  (warrior of the sea) in Faberterra, Sea 
  Spear in Syranthia, and a dozen other 
  names in the Independent Cities, but the 
  substance is the same: they are marines, 
  soldiers on duty aboard ships tasked 
  with protecting them and their cargo 
  with their lives. Some of them are even 
  decent mariners, but the majority cannot 
  even swim, so sailors nickname them “the 
  Drowned”. A former marine can carve out 
  a position among pirates by his discipline 
  and knowledge of sea combat.
  Yellow Mask. A member of the strange 
  sect of Lotusmasters of the Sea of Leaves, 
  they never show their face without their 
  customary, engraved mask, which they 
  receive the day they are accepting into the 
  order. Their lore is specific and mysterious, 
  because they know the herbs, flowers and 
  algae typical of the Sea of Leaves. They are 
  sworn servants of the Sea Tyrant of the City 
  of Leaves, but it can happen that one of 
  them is sent on a mission to distant lands, 
  or, more rarely, that he deserts the order.
  Priest of Rakua-Thara. You are a priest 
  or a priestess of Rakua-Thara. Among 
  pirates, the aspect of Rakua, the destroyer 
  and pillager, is predominant, and priests 
  of Rakua are often power-hungry fanatics 
  and misogynists, while priestesses of 
  Thara are welcome in the communities for 
  the benevolent aspect of their deity.
  Rower. When the wind blows strong, there 
  is no problem for ships, but when it is dead 
  calm, that is the moment for rowers to do 
  their job, and you are one of them. There 
  are two types: slave rowers, usually kept 
  (and considered) little better than beasts, 
  and free rowers, usually big, muscular men, 
  highly respected because the speed of the 
  ship depends on their arms. In certain 
  navies, such as the Amazons, all the crew 
  are rowers, even the Captain takes a turn at 
  the oars if necessary.
  Shipwright. Old ships break and must be 
  repaired, and new ships must be built. You 
  are the man who does that. They call you 
  various names: shipwright, master of the 
  axe, shipbuilder, but the concept is always 
  the same. You care for and nurture the 
  ship as a mother does with her children, 
  
   Scum of the Sea 
  67
  and suffer when you see it damaged or, 
  even worse, destroyed. 
  Windcaller. You can feel the wind. Not 
  only on your skin, but in your bones, your 
  mouth, and your mind. The wind is your 
  friend, lover, father and mother. And you 
  can talk to it, court it and convince it to 
  blow full of rage or whisper with a gentle 
  breeze. Every ship would like to have a 
  true Windcaller on its deck, because he is 
  the only one who can save you during a 
  storm or fill the sails in dead calm.
  Wool Dog. This is a group of highly-skilled 
  marines employed by Lhobanport, tasked 
  with guarding the ships bringing wool from 
  the east to the west, along the Golden Route. 
  Very skilled in the use of a special polearm, 
  called the Wool Pike, they are known to be 
  extremely loyal. Certain merchant families 
  employ them on a permanent basis, in this 
  case they are called Wool Shields.
  PlayIng a daImao
  Daimaos are huge mountains of fat, 
  under which are iron muscles. A player 
  wanting to play a character of this type 
  can take both the Brawny Edge and the 
  Obese Hindrance during the character 
  creation, but loses two Skill points for 
  doing so.
  Hindrances
  Former Cannibal (Minor)
  Savage crewmembers coming from a 
  cannibal tribe are a staple of piratical 
  fiction, and, nobody knows why, they are 
  often employed as cooks on pirate ships 
  (probably because they aren’t too picky 
  in choosing the ingredients for the crew’s 
  stew). This character renounced (but did 
  he really?) his past eating habits but his 
  filed teeth make civilized people shiver 
  when they see him smile. In game terms, 
  he suffers -4 to Charisma in every social 
  activity, except Intimidation, where he 
  receives +2. Note that a Former Cannibal 
  is usually the first suspect when someone is 
  missing or other murderous events happen.
  Woman in Every Port (Minor)
  Sailors are known for their numerous 
  paramours, one in every port, and this 
  Hindrance represents this behavior, or, to 
  be more accurate, its consequences.
  Every time the character visits a new 
  civilized place (where there is a chance he 
  has been before), the GM secretly draws 
  a card from the Action Deck: if a red face 
  card appears, it means the hero meets 
  someone linked to his past. If the card 
  drawn is a heart, he stumbles on an old 
  lover, if it is a diamond he is found by one 
  or more children (or someone claiming to 
  be one). If the card is a red joker, he meets 
  both: lover and child(ren).
  The newfound family doesn’t display its 
  best attitude, roll on the Reaction Table, 
  but using only 2d4.
  Take note of every place where the 
  character has a relative: they could reappear 
  when the hero visits that location again.
  The GM can also skip the card draw 
  mechanic and just assume the hero has 
  met someone, but in this case he should 
  reward the character with a Bennie.
  Although the name refers to women, it is 
  also perfectly fine with a male focus (Man 
  in Every Port).
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  68
  New Edges
  In this section are several new Edges, 
  typical of the sea life. Unless otherwise 
  noted, they are available to all characters.
  Bloodline Edges: Some characters have 
  certain gifts depending on their ancestors. 
  These Edges are collectively called 
  Bloodline Edges and are firstly descripted 
  in TLD (page 89). These Edges can only 
  be taken during character creation and a 
  hero can only have one of them.
  Background Edges
  Reborn from the Waters
  Requirements: Novice, Cairnlander
  The hero faced certain death in the sea 
  or some other body of water, and his soul 
  wandered in the depths, until for some 
  reason it returned to his body: maybe 
  a sea ghost fell in love with him, or the 
  Drowned King gave him a specific task to 
  carry out on dry land. The hero emerged 
  again from water, not dead, but not entirely 
  alive either. His skin is slightly greenish 
  or bluish, and he doesn’t feel much 
  pain anymore (gains +1 to Toughness). 
  Someone Reborn from the Waters cannot 
  drown; he suffers Fatigue as normal from 
  immersion in water, but Incapacitation 
  from this doesn’t lead to death: when 
  the water is removed from his lungs, he 
  coughs and recovers. Note that his body 
  neither ages nor corrupts while immersed 
  in water (so it is a good way to achieve 
  immortality, if staying immersed in water, 
  sleeping, doesn’t bother you). Treat the 
  character as undead for any spell or power 
  affecting this type of creature.
  gm’s TIP: reBorn from THe 
  WaTers In Play
  This Edge is great to add a twist to the 
  story when a character dies at sea, giving 
  the hero a second chance.
  At the GM’s discretion, a dead hero can 
  return from sea, losing one Edge of his choice, 
  to be replaced with Reborn from the Waters 
  and an additional suitable Hindrance (for 
  example a Vow or Death Wish).
  If the hero has the Hard to Kill or 
  Harder to Kill Edge this works even 
  better: the hero returns from sea with the 
  Reborn from the Waters Edge for free.
  Obviously this rule must be used very 
  sparingly in the campaign (not more 
  than once).
  Hero’s Tale: THe soul 
  of THe droWned one 
  There is a story, told in all the ports of the 
  Drowned King Sea from Jalizar to Gis, 
  about the Drowned One, a man who 
  fell in the sea hundreds of years ago, and 
  periodically re-emerges from the waters, 
  with no memory and desperately looking 
  for the answer to a specific question. 
  The question is: “What can change the 
  nature of a man?” 
  Stories say that when he finds the answer 
  the Drowned One will finally find peace.
  Yellow Mask
  Requirements: 
  Novice, 
  Arcane 
  Background (Lotusmastery), Knowledge 
  (Arcana) 
  d8+, 
  Lotusmastery 
  d8+, 
  Streetwise d6+
  
   Scum of the Sea 
  69
  The character belongs to the mysterious 
  sect of Lotusmasters of the City of 
  Leaves. To join the sect, he endured long 
  and rigorous training (this is the reason 
  it is a Background Edge), at the end of 
  which he receives the symbol of his craft, 
  the Yellow Mask (see page 76).
  Yellow Masks are specially trained in the 
  military applications of Lotus: potions 
  which burn on water, flesh-melting acids 
  and similar things. In game terms, he gains 
  +1 to all damage rolls of direct-damage 
  Powers (like blast, burst and similar), and 
  in addition, by spending 2 extra Power 
  Points, he can add the Heavy Weapon 
  Special Ability to a Power.
  Note that while Yellow Masks are revered 
  in the City of Leaves, they are considered 
  criminals in the rest of the Dominions (so 
  wandering ones should take the Wanted 
  Hindrance).
  Bloodline Edges
  Goatfoot’s Blood
  Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, 
  Spirit d8+
  The character is a descendant of the 
  infamous Goatfoot, the most feared pirate 
  of the past. Goatfoot’s heirs always have a 
  slightly deformed foot (in some cases this 
  makes them limp, but only if the player 
  decides to take the Lame Hindrance). 
  Males and females are gifted with a 
  magnetic appearance (+2 Charisma), but 
  only until their true nature and deformity 
  is discovered (usually they wear a special 
  boot or shoe to hide it), at which point 
  the bonus becomes a penalty of -4 (this 
  doesn’t affect the bonus to Power Points 
  described below).
  Goatfoot was a demon worshipper and 
  made unholy pacts: a demon cannot harm 
  one of Goatfoot’s heirs unless he wins an 
  opposed Spirit roll with the character. The 
  demon rolls at -4. This protection expires 
  if the character attacks or harms the 
  demon in any way.
  In addition, this Edge confers a different 
  effect depending on the sex of the heir.
  Female. A woman with Goatfoot’s Blood is 
  a natural charmer. If she has the Temptress 
  Edge, she doubles her Charisma bonus for 
  the purpose of calculating Power Points 
  and the duration is expressed in hours, not 
  in rounds.
  Male. A man with Goatfoot’s Blood is 
  a natural evoker. If he is a sorcerer and 
  knows the summon ally Power, he can call 
  demons as if he were one Rank higher. He 
  also adds his Charisma modifier to Power 
  Points, if positive.
  Pigmy Blood
  Requirements: Novice
  In your veins there is some Finger Pigmy 
  blood, which forever taints your bloodline, 
  but gives you certain knacks. Legends 
  say that people of this bloodline are 
  recognizable by their very big ears and 
  eyes, and their flaccid mouths, but these 
  stories are hardly true.
  What is true is that these characters see 
  in darkness better than others, reducing 
  visibility penalties for bad lighting by 
  one, and are naturally silent and vigilant, 
  raising the Wild Die in Notice and Stealth 
  by one die step if they are Wild Cards or 
  granting them a Wild Die on those skills 
  if they aren’t.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  70
  “Pigmy Blood is treacherous,” the saying 
  goes, and this may be or may not be true, 
  but they are professional backstabbers: 
  whenever the character is successful in 
  an attack with the Drop, he can freely 
  reroll one of the damage dice, keeping the 
  highest result.  
  Combat Edges
  Hook
  Requirements: 
  Novice, 
  One 
  Arm 
  Hindrance
  The one-armed pirate, with a menacing 
  hook in place of a hand, is a staple 
  of piratical stories. This character has 
  suffered such a mutilation, but learnt to 
  use his hook to best advantage, both in 
  and outside combat. He only suffers half 
  penalties (-2) for tasks requiring two 
  hands, and in melee, he can use his deadly 
  appendage with skill: he receives +1 to 
  Parry with the hook and +2 to tricks and 
  opposed rolls made with it. Obviously, 
  a character with a Hook cannot be 
  disarmed.
  Sea Wolf
  Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d6+, 
  Boating d8+, Fighting d6+, Smarts d6+
  The character has seen his shares of battles 
  on the blood-stained decks of a ship and 
  knows very well how to move on it. In 
  game terms, while on the deck of a ship, 
  he gains +2 to Tricks (made or resisted) 
  and can roll on Boating rather than on 
  Fighting when making a melee attack (his 
  Parry value isn’t affected and is calculated, 
  as normal, based on Fighting). Having 
  one or more Sea Wolves as part of a crew 
  grants it +1 to rolls to increase the crew’s 
  quality (see page 96).
  Slam!
  Requirements: 
  Seasoned, 
  Obese 
  or 
  Brawny, Strength d8+, Vigor d8+ 
  This big fighter knows how to use his 
  sheer mass to slam away foes in combat. 
  When making a melee attack unarmed 
  or with a blunt weapon he can decide 
  to perform a slam, suffering -2 to the 
  Fighting roll. On a success, the target, as 
  well as suffering damage, is knocked back 
  by 1” plus 1” per raise. As per the standard 
  Push rules, if the attacker scored at least 
  one raise and the foe hits a solid obstacle, 
  he suffers 1d6 damage per raise (the slam 
  damage is a different damage roll from the 
  weapon damage).
  This move cannot be combined with 
  Sweep, First Strike or similar Edges.
  Professional Edges
  Amazon Sea Archer
  Requirements: Novice, Amazon, Trained 
  Thrower (Composite Bow), Vigor d8+
  The Sea Archers of Ascaia are among 
  the deadliest ranged troops of the 
  Dominions, and they could be on a par 
  with Valk archers for bowmanship. They 
  are trained to shoot from a ship and to 
  compensate for its movements; if using 
  a bow, they ignore the unstable platform 
  modifier and gain +1 to damage rolls. 
  In addition, they are trained in indirect 
  shots over the bulwarks of enemy ships, 
  so they can decide to shoot at -2, ignoring 
  all Cover modifiers. If they succeed, the 
  target doesn’t benefit from the Cover 
  bonus to Toughness either. They can 
  use this type of shot only at Medium or 
  Long range.
  
   Scum of the Sea 
  71
  Cannibal Cook
  Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, 
  Survival d8+, must have the Former 
  Cannibal Hindrance
  Former cannibals often end working as 
  cooks on pirate ships. And nobody can 
  make a stew like them!
   In game terms, a group having a Cannibal 
  Cook among them is always well fed, and 
  all party members receive +1 to all Vigor 
  (except on Soak rolls), the Cannibal Cook 
  included.
  In addition, with 1d4 hours of time, a 
  Cannibal Cook who has a pot and some 
  ingredients (the basic ones are available in 
  any galley or kitchen, and he can find the 
  “special” ones himself), can make a special 
  Stew, for up to two persons per Rank 
  (maximum 10 people at Legendary).
  The Stew can be of two types, a Yummy 
  One or a Grisly One. The player character 
  must secretly tell the GM what type of 
  Stew is making and then must make a 
  Survival roll.
  At this point the Special Stew is ready and 
  can be served. The cook must convince at 
  least one person per Rank to eat it, to 
  make it work. If he manages to do that, 
  at this point the type of Stew is revealed.
  If it is the Yummy One, it is very tasty 
  and everybody eating it feels very well. 
  For each success and raise the Cannibal 
  Cook scored on the Survival roll, the diner 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  72
  can choose one of these effects: recovers 
  a Fatigue Level, heals a Wound, raises 
  Strength, Agility, Vigor (or any Skill 
  connected to those Traits) by one die step 
  for a day, as per the boost trait Power.
  If the Stew is a Grisly One, it is delicious 
  anyway, but one of the diners discovers 
  something very disturbing in it (left to 
  the cook’s description). Every diner (apart 
  from the cook) must immediately make a 
  Spirit roll to avoid throwing up and being 
  Nauseated till the end of the session, but 
  the Cannibal Cook gains one Bennie per 
  success and raise on the Survival roll (up 
  to a maximum of two).
  This Edge is designed to encourage role-
  play and for light-hearted campaigns. 
  No person has the stomach to eat more 
  than one Special Stew per session.
  Corsair Fencer
  Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, 
  Fighting d8+, Taunt d4+, must have been 
  part of the Caldeian Corsairs.
  Caldeians are renowned for their craft 
  with swords, and the Corsairs in particular 
  developed a fighting style based on quick 
  thrusts, parries and counterattacks, which 
  is very deadly.
  In game terms, a Corsair Fencer, if 
  unencumbered and wielding a short or 
  long sword in one hand, and no other 
  weapon or shield in his off-hand, receives 
  +1 Parry and +2 to sword-based Tricks. 
  In addition, if he has the Counterattack 
  Edge (in normal or improved form), 
  he receives +2 to Fighting rolls to 
  counterattacks only.
  Hull Breaker
  Requirements: Novice, Boating d6+, 
  Fighting d8+, Strength d10+, must be a 
  Cairnlander
  One of the most feared warriors of 
  Cairnlander raiding ships is the Hull 
  Breaker. These men, usually big, tough, and 
  mad as hatters, cover their skin with bluish 
  tattoos and war paint, in honor of the 
  Drowned King, and consider themselves 
  his chosen soldiers. During a sea battle, 
  the Hull Breaker doesn’t concentrate on 
  killing enemies, but on sinking the enemy 
  ship, so it can join the ghost fleet of the 
  Drowned King, with the final objective 
  of drowning as many people as possible, 
  so they can join the Drowned King as 
  eternal rowers in the realm under the sea. 
  They are often armed with a great axe, a 
  maul or the dreaded crow’s beak, see page 
  76. In game terms, a Hull Breaker armed 
  with a melee weapon with AP gains +1 
  to AP, and in addition receives +1 damage 
  per Rank against inanimate targets. If 
  the character also has the Priest Edge, 
  and worships the Drowned King, he can 
  invoke the gods (as per the Priest Edge), 
  not to obtain a Bennie, but to confer the 
  Heavy Weapon Special Ability on his 
  attacks for one round.
  A Hull Breaker who manages to sink a 
  ship receives a special Bennie, the Broken 
  Hull Bennie, which is saved between 
  sessions until is spent. There is no limit 
  to the number of Broken Hull Bennies a 
  character can have.    
  Power Edges
  Drummer of Doom
  Requirements: 
  Novice, 
  Knowledge 
  (Arcana) d4+, Sorcery d6+, Spirit d8+
  
   Scum of the Sea 
  73
  There is magic in drums, as any shaman 
  south of the Red Desert will tell you. The 
  music of the drums sounds in the bones 
  and echoes in the soul. This character has 
  learnt secret, ancestral rhythms and can 
  use them easily.
  Apart from knowing the language of 
  drums of his culture (and thus being 
  capable of sending messages with them), 
  the Drummer of Doom can use their 
  music to power his magic. When using 
  a Power with the drums’ sound as a 
  trapping, he receives +2 to opposed rolls 
  or he can double its duration (both base 
  and maintained). This choice must be 
  made before rolling; if no choice is made, 
  assume double duration.
  A Drummer of Doom can help a Dancing 
  Witch in the use of her abilities: the witch, 
  dancing to the rhythm of the drums, 
  receives +2 to her Vigor roll and she casts 
  Powers as if one Rank higher, two if the 
  Drummer is of at least Veteran Rank.
  In addition, aboard ship a Drummer of 
  Doom can give a great boost to the rowers 
  (see page 132).
  Weird Edges
  Eyepatch
  Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, One 
  Eye Hindrance or Intimidation d10+
  A common trope of pirates is the eyepatch. 
  While anyone can wear a piece of cloth to 
  cover a missing eye, only a character with 
  the Eyepatch Edge can coldly stare with 
  an empty socket to freeze the hearts of his 
  enemies.
  The character gains +2 to Intimidation 
  rolls if he can stare at an opponent nearby 
  (3” or less on the battlefield). If he wins 
  the test, next round the one-eyed hero, in 
  addition to the normal effects of the Test 
  of Will, receives +1 to attack and damage 
  rolls against that opponent. If he wins 
  with a raise, the bonus is +2 and lasts for 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  74
  the whole fight. These bonuses don’t stack, 
  only the best one is used (so you cannot 
  win an Intimidation roll in the first round, 
  and win again with a raise in the second 
  to receive +3).
  If, for some reason, the hero loses the 
  eyepatch (Called Shots to the head have 
  a 50% chance of breaking it), this Edge 
  cannot be used until the patch is properly 
  replaced.
  It isn’t necessary to be one-eyed to wear 
  the Eyepatch, if you are menacing enough 
  you can use it to cover a perfectly working 
  eye, but if you are discovered, you cannot 
  use this Edge anymore for the remainder 
  of the session and lose a Bennie. Pirates 
  hate tricksters.
  Weather Wound
  Requirements: Novice, must have rolled 
  at least once on the Injury Table or must 
  have the Elderly Hindrance or must have 
  a Mutilation (see JCT, page 69)
  This hero had a bone broken in the past, 
  and although the wound healed, it still 
  aches a bit when the weather changes.
  In game terms characters with this Edge 
  always know, 1d4 hours before, if a storm 
  is coming, and in general have a good 
  perception of the weather, giving +1 to 
  the crew’s Boating rolls in every situation 
  affected by the weather.
  In addition, the player can declare, at any 
  time except during combat, that his wound 
  is aching, suffering a level of Fatigue, but 
  gaining a Bennie.
  This Edge can grant up to two Bennies 
  per session, but the Fatigue wears off only 
  at the end of the session (and only a single 
  level is recovered per session).
  Note that this Edge is rarely taken directly 
  by players, but may be acquired during 
  the game through the “It Really Aches” 
  Setting Rule (see page 90).
  Wind Caller
  Requirements: Novice, Notice d8+, Spirit 
  d10+
  The character is a wind caller, of the few 
  fortunate persons capable of hearing, and 
  to some extent commanding, the winds.
  In game terms this Edge grants several 
  abilities. 
  First, whenever the Wind Roll is done 
  (see page 131), a Wind Caller can ask the 
  GM to roll it again up to twice more, and 
  chooses the result he likes best.
  Second, with a Spirit (-2) roll the Wind 
  Caller can change the weather (see page 
  91) by one step, two with a raise, in any 
  direction on the table.
  Third, with a Spirit (-4) roll the Wind 
  Caller can use the havoc Power at the basic 
  duration, using Spirit as arcane skill.
  The second and third uses of the Edge 
  always cause a level of Fatigue, which lasts 
  for a day.
  Additionally, a character with the Sorcery 
  or Enlightenment Arcane Background 
  adds +2 to opposed rolls and +1 to damage 
  rolls when using a Power with a wind 
  trapping.
  
  75
  Gear
  This chapter details several items typical of the sea life, including an extended selection 
  of ships!
  MELEE WEAPONS TABLE
  Type
  Damage
  Wt
  Cost
  Notes
  UNARMED
  Hook
  Str+d4
  2
  150
  AP 1, see notes
  Rakka Gauntlet
  Str+d4/+1
  2
  400
  See notes.
  BLADES
  Butterfly Sword
  Str+d6
  3
  350
  Rare Item, Monk Weapon, if used in pairs 
  grant +1 Parry
  Tebuteh
  Str+d8
  3
  400
  AP 1, Rare Item, see notes
  AXES AND MAULS
  Boarding Axe
  Str+d8
  9
  500
  AP 1, 2 Hands: +1 Damage, Rare Item
  Crow's Beak 
  Str+d10 
  30 
  400 
  AP 2, Parry –1, -1 to Fighting rolls, 2 
  hands, see notes
  POLEARMS
  Harpoon
  Str+d6
  6
  300
  See notes
  Wool Pike
  Str+d8
  10
  300
  Reach 1, 2 hands, see notes, Rare Item  
  outside Lhoban
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  76
  RANGED WEAPONS TABLE
  Type
  Rng
  Dmg
  Cost
  Wt
  Str
  Notes
  Harpoon
  4/8/16
  Str+d8
  300
  6
  d8
  AP 2, -1 to  Throwing 
  rolls, see notes
   
  ARMORS TABLE
  Type
  Armor
  Wt
  Cost
  Notes
  Skull Helm
  +2
  3
  300
  +2 to Intimidation rolls, -1 to Notice rolls,  
  Rare Item outside the Cairnlands, see notes
  Yellow Mask
  +1
  2
  500
  Rare Item, see notes
  GENERAL ITEMS
  Type
  Wt
  Cost
  Notes
  Animals and Tack
  Finger
  –
  400
  Rare Item
  Weapon Descriptions
  Boarding Axe. This weapon was probably 
  born in the Independent Cities, adapting 
  a common axe to a specialized task. 
  Boarding axes have very heavy blades, 
  and slightly longer handles, to give them 
  more momentum. They are used during 
  boarding as shock weapons given to the 
  first rank of boarders and as an easy way to 
  “hook” the hull of the ship being boarded. 
  In game terms, they have AP 1. Despite 
  being a one handed weapon, you can also 
  use it two handed, gaining +1 to damage 
  rolls.
  Butterfly Sword. This single edged sword, 
  fitted with an elaborate guard, is typical of 
  far Lhoban. Originally a weapon mastered 
  by the temple guards of the monasteries 
  of southern Lhoban, it quickly become 
  a weapon used by pirates. They are often 
  used in pairs, to create a deadly storm of 
  blades.
  Crow’s Beak. This oversized maul is 
  typical of Cairnlands coastal areas. Made 
  of stone, or, more rarely, cast in metal, one 
  side of its head comes to a point, like a 
  cruel crow’s beak. It is more a tool than a 
  weapon, so it is quite unwieldy in combat, 
  and it is used to damage ships, especially 
  their hulls and masts. The crow’s beak 
  leaves very big holes; even if it doesn’t 
  pierce the hull in a single blow, it can do 
  so with a sequence of attacks. In game 
  terms, every time it deals damage to the 
  same spot on an inanimate object, the 
  object loses -2 Toughness or you can 
  trade -6 Toughness (i.e. three blows) to 
  remove the Heavy Armor quality from 
  that specific part of the object (not bigger 
  than 1” on the battleground). Crows’ beaks 
  have numerous uses, and more than one 
  Borderlands village gate has been torn 
  apart by one of the ugly things.
  Harpoon. A wicked tool for hunting, a 
  harpoon is a short, heavy spear, fitted with 
  a barbed, weighted spear point, making 
  it unbalanced in melee. It is a weapon 
  made to be thrown at short range to kill 
  big fish, a task requiring considerable 
  strength, but dealing massive damage 
  given the amount of momentum behind 
  the throw. If the roll hits with a raise, the 
  victim is impaled and must roll Strength 
  
   Gear
  77
  (-4) to break free, suffering 2d6 damage 
  in the process. Often these weapons are 
  attached to a length of rope (or very rarely, 
  chain), which allows retrieving impaled 
  prey (with an opposed Strength roll, the 
  harpooner rolling with +2).
  Hook. A curved metal hook, used on 
  ships for a number of tasks, it is one of 
  the commonest weapons among mariners. 
  If the attacker hits with a raise, the 
  weapon is stuck in the target, granting 
  +2 to Grapple rolls. It can be freed with a 
  Strength (-2) roll, which, if successful, also 
  causes normal weapon damage (ignoring 
  armor) to the target.
  Rakka Gauntlet. A heavy leather gauntlet, 
  made with the skin of the infamous Rakka 
  fish, an evil beast covered in poisonous 
  spines two inches long. Characters with 
  the Martial Artist Edge using one of these 
  add +1 to their unarmed damage. These 
  gauntlets are very thick, causing -2 to fine 
  manipulation tasks, but in combat, they 
  are deadly: a target Shaken or Wounded 
  by an attack made with a Rakka Gauntlet 
  must make a Vigor roll or be Fatigued, 
  due to the poison lingering in the spines.
  Tebuteh. The “shark-sword”, this being 
  the meaning of the word, is the trademark 
  weapon of the priests of Rakua. Of very 
  ancient design, it is basically a wooden 
  sword, with a blade made of shark teeth. 
  A crude, but wicked, weapon that stories 
  say is always hungry for blood. In the 
  hands of a Priest of Rakua it grants him 
  the option to freely reroll any 1 on damage 
  rolls, as if he had spent a Bennie, but only 
  if the blade has already killed someone in 
  the current scene. Due to the primitive 
  design it is quite fragile; consider it made 
  of wood for purposes of breaking the 
  weapon.  
  Wool Pike. In truth more a halberd than 
  a spear, this long-shafted, large-bladed 
  weapon is the trademark of the Wool 
  Dogs, the marines tasked to protect the 
  wool ships sailing from Lhobanport to 
  the western ports. If you are strong and 
  skilled enough (Strength and Fighting 
  d8+) you can also use it efficiently for 
  defense, gaining +1 Parry. In Lhoban, 
  only Wool Dogs have the right to use this 
  weapon (and gain +1 Charisma). Having 
  one without being part of this category of 
  warriors costs -2 Charisma.
  Armors Description
  Skull Helm. This impressive headgear 
  is found almost exclusively among the 
  Cairnlanders, and, in cruder forms, among 
  some of the most civilized bands of 
  Nandals. Originally they were made with 
  the skull of a dead Ancestor, but nowadays 
  it isn’t uncommon to find one made with 
  the skull of an enemy or of a big beast (like 
  a bear or an elk). In game terms wearing 
  one of those grants +2 to Intimidation 
  rolls, at the cost of -1 to Notice rolls. A 
  Cairnlander character with the Danger 
  Sense Edge wearing one of these made 
  from an Ancestor’s bones receives +2 
  to the Notice roll to spot danger. The 
  infamous Skull Raiders wear this type of 
  helm, but they are made of the bones of 
  unknown creatures, probably walrus.
  Yellow Mask. This somewhat scary 
  ornament is the trademark garment of 
  the Yellow Masks, the secret order of 
  Lotusmasters of the City of Leaves. Made 
  from a golden wood, polished and treated 
  with special Lotus so as to be almost 
  infrangible, it is both an ornament and a 
  useful tool: in the mouth and in the nose 
  there are special plugs, which, apart from 
  changing the voice of the wearer, grant 
  him protection against gases and other 
  
  Hero’s Journal:  
  aBouT THe yelloW masks 
  There is a theory about the Yellow Masks, 
  which, despite being somewhat far-fetched, 
  could have some truth in it. If you’ve ever 
  had the chance to see one of the masks of the 
  Alchemists of Gis and one of the Yellow Masks 
  you’ll surely notice there are a number of 
  similarities, both in design and (if stories are 
  true) in functionality.
  The first written reports found in the Library 
  of Syranthia on the Yellow Masks date back 
  to 1057 AF. Ten years before this date, the 
  Eighth Alchemist of Gis, according to the 
  records of the Black House of the City of 
  Alchemists, was banished by his peers for 
  some unknown misdeed, his name struck 
  from the records, and his place taken by his 
  first apprentice. The record says the original 
  Eighth was never found, nor was his mask 
  (which, it seems, was re-made by the other 
  Alchemists to fit their new brother).
  At this point the stories become confused, but 
  almost all say the Eighth escaped south and 
  his mask was made of the purest gold…
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  inhaled substances (+2 to opposed rolls). 
  In the City of Leaves, wearing a Mask 
  grants +2 to Charisma. These masks aren’t 
  usually sold; the listed price represents 
  the cost to make another one, in case the 
  original one given to an adept is destroyed. 
  Note that wearing such an item without 
  being a member of the sect is a capital 
  offense wherever the Sea Tyrant rules. 
  General Items Description
  Finger Monkey. A number of different sub-
  races of these diminutive beasts exist, but the 
  commonest one dwells in the jungles of the 
  Finger Islands. They owe their name both 
  to their area of origin and to the fact they 
  are very small (usually no bigger than a cat). 
  Despite their small size, these beasts are very 
  intelligent, and with fine manipulation skills. 
  If you have enough patience, you can train 
  one as an entertainer or even as a small thief 
  (they are fascinated by locks). The costs refer 
  to a fully trained one. Characters with the 
  Beast Master Edge can start with a Finger 
  Monkey, if they want (see page 137 for stats).
  Hero’s Journal: 
  Coral Blades
  Coral, apart from being very beautiful, is 
  extremely sharp and is traditionally used in 
  the Finger Islands to create short blades of 
  many types, which are highly prized. Despite 
  its sharpness, coral is quite fragile, and if not 
  properly treated, it can break.
  A blade made of coral deals +1 damage and 
  weighs only 50% as much as usual, but is 
  considered being weaker than stone and 
  harder than bone for purposes of the breaking 
  weapons rule (see GE page 101). Only 
  relatively short blades such as daggers, spear 
  points and arrow tips can be made with it. 
  They cost twice the base cost and are Rare 
  Items outside the Finger Islands.
  Treated Coral Blades. A few armorers, 
  almost all natives of the Finger Tribes, know 
  how to make coral blades harder and more 
  flexible. The technique is a very old one, and 
  is a secret passed only from father to son; it 
  requires particularly good coral, oils made 
  from various animals and plants, and certain 
  strange rituals. The result is a blade hard 
  as iron for breaking purposes and with the 
  same stats as above. As it is a more flexible 
  material, larger blades can be made with this 
  coral: daggers, spear points, arrows tips, short 
  swords, heads for axes and battle axe heads. 
  These blades are Rare Items everywhere and 
  cost six times the normal price.
  
   Gear
  79
  Ships
  In the table below you’ll find the 
  descriptions of several vessel types of the 
  Dominions, plus, in a separate table, the 
  War Machines and other implements of 
  death you can find on them.
  The Ship Table, as you can see, has a 
  number of columns; the non-standard 
  ones are explained below.
  Size: Ships are divided into three size 
  classes, Small, Medium and Large. 
  Explanations on how the ship’s size affects 
  the game are on page 97.
  Battle Value (BV): This is a new, optional 
  stat, useful for mass combats, introduced 
  in TB. The higher the value, the stronger 
  the vessel is in combat. See sidebar on 
  page 129.
  Personalities and Support Tokens: Both 
  these stats, totally optional, are used if 
  you integrate the following rules with the 
  Bands rules of TB.
  Tricarnian War Gallery
  Syranthian Warship
  
  Cairnlander Knarr
  Corsair
  pirate ship
  amazon hawk ship
  
  Junk
  Chibbar
  merchant ship
  
  Catamaran
  war pirogue
  
  Ship Table
  SHIP TYPE
  Acc/TS
  Toughness
  Crew
  Cost
  Size
  Notes
  BV
  Personalities (*)
  Support 
  Tokens (*)
  Amazon Hawk Ship
  2/16
  15(4)
  10+50
  100K
  Medium
  Amazon Sails,
  Heavy Armor,
  Reduced Draft,
  Rowers
  400
  ¼
  2
  Cairnlander Knarr
  2/12
  13(2)
  15+45
  50K
  Medium
  Sails, Reduced Draft, Rowers
  200
  0/4
  1
  Catamaran
  2/6
  12
  2+8
  15K
  Small
  Double Hull,
  Reduced Draft, Sails
  50
  0/2
  0
  Chibbar
  2/8
  11
  2+8
  10K
  Small
  Chibbar Rigging, Sails
  50
  0/2
  0
  Corsair Ship
  2/12
  14(3)
  15+50
  80K
  Medium
  Sails, Ram
  300
  ¼
  1
  Junk
  2/12
  13(2)
  15+60
  60K
  Medium
  Sails, can have Rowers
  200
  0/4
  1
  Large Merchant Ship
  2/8
  15(4)
  8+20
  80K
  Large
  Sails, Rowers
  200
  0/4
  1
  Large Pirate Ship
  2/10
  16(4)
  20+80
  120K
  Large
  Heavy Armor,
  Sails,
  Rowers
  400
  ¼
  2
  Merchant Ship
  2/12
  14(3)
  6+15
  40K
  Medium
  Sails
  100
  0/3
  0
  Pirate Ship
  2/12
  14(3)
  15+60
  60K
  Medium
  Sails
  200
  0/4
  1
  Small Merchant Ship
  2/10
  13(2)
  4+10
  20K
  Small
  Sails
  50
  0/2
  0
  Syranthian Warship
  2/10
  17(4)
  30+90
  120K
  Medium
  Heavy Armor, Ram,
  Sails, Rowers
  300
  0/4
  1
  Tricarnian War Galley
  2/8
  19(4)
  60+100
  150K
  Large
  Heavy Armor, Ram,
  Sails,
  Rowers
  300
  0/4
  1
  War Canoe
  2/8
  8
  20
  10K
  Small
  Rowers, Reduced Draft
  50
  0/2
  0
  (*) Used only with TB Bands Rules.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  84
  War Machines
  Item 
  Range 
  Damage 
  Artillery 
  Bonus 
  Crew 
  Reload
  Cost
  Notes
  Ballista
  (dart) 
  50/100/200
  3d8
  +2
  2
  1
  4K
  AP 6, Heavy 
  Weapon
  Ballista (arrows)
  3d6
  MBT
  Ballista (bullets)
  2d6
  LBT, AP 4
  Boarding Bridge
  -
  -
  +2
  4
  -
  3K
  See notes
  Catapult
  75/150/300
  4d6
  +3
  6
  2
  6K
  AP 10, 
  MBT, Heavy 
  Weapon
  Hulian Scorpion
  25/50/100
  3d8
  +1
  1
  1
  2K
  AP 4, Heavy 
  Weapon
  Ram
  -
  Special
  +4
  -
  -
  10% of 
  Ship
  See Notes
  CATAPULT SPECIAL AMMO 
  Gis Fire Pot
  Special
  +2
  1K/shot
  See Notes
  Hordan’s Gift
  Special
  +1
  500/
  shot
  See Notes
  Yellow Lotus of Fear
  Special
  -
  500/
  shot
  See Notes
  Ships Descriptions
  Amazon Warship. Probably the best 
  vessel of the Dominions, it is long, 
  thin and has a reduced draft, so it can 
  navigate in shallow waters, like rivers. 
  The standard model is fitted with a single 
  mast, but there exists a variant with two; 
  for some unknown reason, the second, 
  smaller, mast is called the “maiden pole”. 
  The figureheads of these ships usually 
  resemble a bird of prey, and the bow is 
  painted to resemble a bird’s plumage.
  Cairnlander Knarr. The people of the 
  Cairns aren’t renowned for their crafting 
  abilities, and their vessels are true to their 
  nature: crude, shabby, and adorned with 
  grisly symbols. The typical Cairnlander 
  vessel is the knarr, a sort of long ship, with 
  a larger hull than the elegant Amazon 
  Hawk Ships and fewer rowers than the 
  typical imperial galley. Knarrs are multi-
  purpose vessels, used both for war and for 
  trading (the few times the Cairnlanders 
  practice this over-civilized activity). 
  Knarrs aren’t attractive, but can navigate 
  shallow waters, making them excellent 
  raiding vessels, and often sport terrible 
  looking figureheads made with animal 
  skulls and shields hanging from the hull, 
  decorated with the scalps of enemies.  
  Catamaran. Literally meaning “logs 
  bound together,” catamarans are small 
  vessels with two hulls and a shared 
  platform joining them, propelled by sails. 
  They are quite common in the southern 
  Dominions, especially in the area of the 
  delta of the Anaconda River and among 
  some of the most advanced cannibal 
  tribes, which paint the hulls to make 
  them resemble sharks or other sea devils. 
  They are very good for navigating shallow 
  waters.
  
   Gear
  85
  Chibbar. A Chibbar is a smugglers’ 
  ship typical of Jalizar. Slender and light, 
  Chibbars aren’t made for long voyages 
  but are very maneuverable and can sail 
  in shallow waters. They are also very fast, 
  to evade the Seagulls’ patrols, because 
  they are fitted with Chibbar Rigging (see 
  below).
  Corsair Ship. The typical vessel of the 
  Corsairs of Caldeia looks somewhat like a 
  predator. Slender, agile and fast, it is often 
  fitted with two masts and a deadly ram, 
  slightly below the waterline, which gives 
  the impression a big shark is swimming 
  right in front of the ship. Although they 
  cannot compete with Amazon Hawk 
  Ships, Corsair vessels are the next best 
  thing, and are often armed with at least a 
  couple of ballistae and scorpions.
  Junk. They typical vessel of the Lhoban 
  people, it is made of bamboo or other 
  softwood, but the ones built in the 
  City of Leaves are coated with a special 
  substance that makes the hull very hard. 
  The sails of a junk can be moved inward 
  toward the long axis of the ship, allowing 
  the junk to sail closer into the wind. The 
  sails include several horizontal members, 
  called “battens”, which provide shape and 
  strength. Junk sails are controlled at their 
  trailing edge by lines, in much the same 
  way as the mainsail on a typical sailboat, 
  but on the junk’s sail each batten has a 
  line attached to its trailing edge where on 
  a typical sailboat only a single line (the 
  sheet) is attached to the boom. A junk can 
  be fitted with benches for rowers raising 
  the cost by 25%. Most junks have a single 
  mast, but a number of them have two. 
  Large Merchant Ship. A large trading 
  vessel, with two masts and a belly fat as 
  a pregnant cow, and with the same agility, 
  too. It is not a ship made for battle, but 
  often it has at least a ballista, and a group 
  of marines to protect it.
  Large Pirate Ship. The capital ships of the 
  sea marauders, these vessels usually belong 
  to one of the Council of Five Captains or 
  other similar legendary pirates. Manned 
  by a crew of the worst sea dogs you can 
  find in the Cove, each of these ships has a 
  story and a legend behind it. They always 
  have two masts, except the Painted Lizard 
  (see page 57) which sports three. 
  Merchant Ship. A vessel of average size 
  and speed, with a single mast. It is a 
  good compromise between cargo space 
  and defense. It is the typical Syranthian 
  trading vessel, found in any port of the 
  Dominions.
  Pirate Ship. The typical vessel of the 
  Pirates of the Cove is a slender hull with 
  two masts and extra sails to catch more 
  wind, a dangerous choice which can rip 
  your mast away, but the right thing to 
  outrun merchant and Corsair ships. Rams 
  aren’t very common on these ships because 
  pirates want to capture enemy vessels 
  intact to use or plunder, but the decks are 
  often overcrowded, because pirates count 
  on sheer numbers to overpower enemy 
  crews.
  Small Merchant Ship. A typical trading 
  vessel, the property of a single merchant. 
  They aren’t armed, but rely on speed to 
  escape. Note that some of them also hide 
  part of the cargo in hidden compartments, 
  to avoid those pesky customs officers.
  Syranthian Warship. The state of the art 
  ship of the Iron Empire navy, these ships 
  are big, not very fast, but very powerful 
  and sporting a single mast but a double 
  bank of rowers. They always have a strong 
  military force of Talattomos (marines) 
  aboard, and at least a catapult and two 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  86
  ballistae. Due to their deep draft they are 
  totally unadapted to shallow waters (-4 to 
  Boating rolls in reefs).
  Tricarnian War Galley. The terror of the 
  sea, these ships come out of a forgotten 
  past. They are of a very ancient design, 
  probably 
  pre-dating 
  the 
  Keronian 
  Empire, which the Priest Princes never 
  updated. Tradition demands that on 
  the day of launching a young virgin is 
  sacrificed on the ram, to make the ship 
  hungry for blood. They are huge vessels, 
  with triple banks of rowers, impressively 
  shaped rams, and tall bulwarks and what 
  they lack in maneuverability they make up 
  for by the fear they cause in enemies.
  War Canoe. The typical vessel of the 
  Cannibal Islands, this long boat looks 
  crude, but can brave the sea very well. 
  The design is simple: a boat, with rowers 
  and a helmsman handling the tiller. It has 
  no deck, only seats for the rowers, who 
  are always warriors. War canoes are very 
  difficult to spot (-2 to Notice rolls) in 
  open sea, because they have no mast, and 
  can easily navigate shallow waters.
  Ship Keywords
  Below you’ll find explanations of the 
  various notes on ships.
  Amazon Sails. These special sails are 
  used only by Amazons, making their 
  ships capable of sailing on the open 
  sea and granting them extra speed and 
  maneuverability. In game terms, they 
  generally grant +1 to Boating rolls to the 
  helmsman. Only Amazons know how to 
  properly use and maintain this type of 
  rigging, so, to effectively use them, at least 
  half the crew must be Amazons (the roll 
  suffers -4 if the crew isn't entirely made 
  of Amazons). An Amazon teaching these 
  secret techniques to strangers will be 
  surely branded as a criminal and a traitor 
  in Ascaia.
  Chibbar Rigging. This particular rigging, 
  typical of Jalizar, has saved the skin of 
  more than one smuggler. In desperate 
  situations, the crew can increase speed by 
  putting on additional sails. In game terms, 
  they make a group Boating roll per hour of 
  sailing. For each success and raise the ship 
  gains +25% Top Speed (+50% maximum), 
  but if a 1 is rolled on the Boating die, 
  regardless of the Wild Die, the Chibbar 
  capsizes (see page 108).
  Double Hull. This ship has two hulls, so 
  it is very difficult to sink. Every time it 
  suffers a Hull damage result on the Ship 
  Critical Hits Table (see page 130), roll a 
  d6. If the result is odd, the right hull is 
  hit, if it is even, the left one is the target. 
  To sink the ship, both hulls must be 
  destroyed.
  Ram. The ship is fitted with a Ram (see 
  page 84).
  Reduced Draft. This ship has a shallow 
  draft so it can easily navigate rivers and 
  other shallow waters. It receives +2 to 
  Boating rolls to avoid reefs.
  Rowers. The ship is propelled by rowers. 
  This mean that is independent of the wind 
  and can ignore Dead Calm (see page 91).
  Sails. The ship is fitted with sails, which 
  are the standard locomotive system of 
  Dominions vessels.
  War Machine Descriptions
  Ballista. A sort of very large crossbow, the 
  ballista is a clever and very flexible tool of 
  war; it can be loaded with a single big dart, 
  with a sheaf of arrows to throw a rain of 
  
   Gear
  87
  projectiles on enemies or with a mass of 
  deadly lead bullets.
  Boarding Bridge. One of the best 
  inventions of the Iron Empire navy, this is 
  a simple movable bridge (Toughness: 6), 
  2” wide and 4” long on the tabletop, with 
  hooks on both ends, used to board enemy 
  ships. Four men can easily emplace it, while 
  one can overthrow it with a Strength (-2) 
  roll, with an additional -2 per person on it 
  during the attempt. During Mass Battles 
  Boarding Bridges give a substantial bonus, 
  but only during the round of boarding.
  Catapult. The heaviest war machine 
  carried on ships, a catapult is an engine 
  of war using a strong arm to propel large 
  projectiles over great distances. At sea, 
  catapults usually throw boulders or pots 
  filled with various nasty Lotus concoctions 
  (see below).
  Gis Fire Pot. This deadly, highly prized 
  concoction comes in large pots, made to be 
  thrown with catapults. Highly flammable, 
  it burns (even on water) for a long, long 
  time. In game terms, the shot counts as the 
  blast Power, causing 3d6 damage in a LBT 
  and with a very high chance to set fire to 
  flammable objects (2-6 on a d6). If the 
  shot misses and lands on water it creates a 
  pool of liquid fire of LBT size, which lasts 
  for an entire tabletop combat or a single 
  mass battle round. In this case, consider it 
  a barrier Power cast with a fiery trapping. 
  All powers are cast with Lotusmastery 
  d10. Gis Fire is highly volatile so it must 
  be handled with extreme care: on a 1 on 
  the Shooting die (regardless of the result 
  of the Wild Die) the pot explodes before 
  being thrown. In mass battles you can 
  decide to use a Gis Fire Pot adding its 
  Artillery Bonus to your roll (this must be 
  declared before rolling). Gis Fire is a Rare 
  Item everywhere except in Gis.
  Hordan’s Gift. One of the typical 
  weapons of the fleet of Ral Hordaka 
  (see TLD), these large earthenware pots 
  are filled with deadly cavern scorpions 
  captured in the dark tunnels of the Port 
  of Darkness. Thrown with catapults onto 
  the enemy’s deck they shatter, releasing 
  a horde of deadly beasts. In game terms, 
  this is considered a Large Swarm, which 
  also has a Venomous (-2) poison. In 
  a mass battle, as well as granting an 
  Artillery Bonus, the use of Hordan’s Gift 
  forces the defender to make an immediate 
  Morale roll. Hordan’s Gift is common in 
  Ral Hordaka, a Rare Item in the rest of 
  Tricarnia, and (luckily) impossible to find 
  in the rest of the Dominions.
  Hulian Scorpion. 
  Normally 
  called 
  simply “scorpions”, these weapons are 
  a divergent evolution of the ballista; 
  smaller, and with a shorter range, they 
  are basically big, fixed ballistae, made 
  for sniping on the battlefield. According 
  to legend the Scorpion was devised by 
  Smith Priest Tavarus during the Second 
  Tricarnian War, and successfully used 
  in the Battle of the Elephants’ River, 
  throwing 
  steel-tipped 
  darts 
  against 
  Tricarnian demons across the river. Given 
  their maneuverability they were quickly 
  adopted by the Iron Phalanxes and the 
  navy of the Empire. During mass battles, 
  if you are using TB expanded rules, you 
  can forfeit the Artillery Bonus of the 
  scorpion to attack one of your opponent’s 
  Personalities which was used in the last 
  round, forcing him to make an Agility 
  (-2) roll. In the case of a failure, he is hit 
  by a Scorpion dart, suffering 3d6 if he is 
  a player character or being automatically 
  removed from the battle if an NPC. 
  This represents the typical sniping use of 
  scorpions on the battlefield.   
  Ram. A nasty metal point, attached to 
  the bow of a ship, used to pierce enemies’ 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  88
  hulls. To hit with a ram, the helmsman of 
  the attacking ship must win an opposed 
  Boating roll against the helmsman of the 
  defending ship. If the attacker wins, the 
  defending ship suffers 1d6 damage per 
  2 points of Speed of the attacker, plus 
  another d6 if the attacking helmsman 
  won the opposed roll with a raise or better. 
  The damage is unmodified if the attacking 
  ship is of the same Size of the defending 
  ship, reduced by 50% if it is smaller and 
  multiplied by 150% if it is larger. The Ram 
  is a Heavy Weapon. In Mass Battle, the 
  ram’s Artillery Bonus is used only when 
  Ramming (see page 133).
  Yellow Lotus of Fear. This terrible 
  concoction is the trademark of the Yellow 
  Masks, the Lotusmasters of the City of 
  Leaves. Made with a secret mixture of 
  giant waterlily flowers and other exotic 
  components, 
  this 
  gaseous 
  substance 
  causes severe hallucinations. Sealed in 
  earthenware pots, it is delivered by catapult 
  to the decks of enemy ships and causes 
  hallucinations in whoever inhales the gas. 
  In game terms, it counts as the fear Power, 
  cast with Lotusmastery d8 and affecting a 
  LBT. The gas lasts for 1d4 rounds, moving 
  1d4” in a random direction each round. 
  During mass battles, when a commander 
  uses the Lotus of Fear he doesn’t gain any 
  Artillery Bonus, but instead forces the 
  enemy to make an additional Morale roll 
  at -2 at the end of the round. It is a Rare 
  Item in the City of Leaves and almost 
  impossible to find in other places.
  
  89
  Setting Rules
  This chapter introduces several Setting 
  Rules, specific to the sea life. The GM 
  should insert them progressively into the 
  game.
  The Mariner’s Life
  Often characters make long trips by sea, 
  or, during downtime, they sail with the 
  rest of the crew. In these periods there isn’t 
  much to do except help the mariners with 
  the ship, so it is probable they’ll became at 
  least passable seamen.
  In game terms, when in the After the 
  Adventure phase the table says Carousing, 
  the character can make a Smarts (-2) roll. 
  On a success, he permanently gains a die 
  step in Boating, with a max level of d6.
  The cost for Carousing is still incurred 
  (probably gambling with the crew).
  Advancement Substitutions
  Even when the GM has planned a 
  campaign at sea, the players might decide 
  to move on, changing the focus of the 
  events. If a player has invested in marine 
  Edges, such as Sea Wolf, this could be 
  a problem, as he will feel he has wasted 
  precious resources. In this case, the GM 
  should allow the hero to replace his now-
  useless advancement with something 
  more appropriate.
  In general terms, every time a player gets 
  a new advance, he can also replace a past 
  advance with another one (respecting all 
  its requirements). This option should not 
  be abused and no hero can use it more 
  than once each Rank.
  Diving
  There are stories that the best mariners 
  cannot swim. These are just tales, sailors 
  know how to swim, otherwise they would 
  soon be dead. Apart from swimming, in 
  certain cases the heroes might need to dive, 
  to reach something in the unfathomable 
  depths of the sea. In game terms, diving 
  is handled as a special kind of Dramatic 
  Task.
  The hero starts with a number of Breath 
  Tokens equal to 2 plus their Vigor die, 
  or half that if they weren’t prepared for 
  being submerged and didn’t have time 
  to take a deep breath. For every round 
  of diving, the character must make a 
  Swimming (-2) roll, in the case of failure 
  he loses a Breath Token, two with a 
  critical failure. Whenever the diver loses 
  all his Breath Tokens he starts drowning, 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  90
  as per the Savage Worlds rules. A diving 
  hero descends half his Swimming die 
  in tabletop inches, as per the standard 
  Savage Worlds swimming rules, but goes 
  up at double this rate.
  “It Really Aches!”
  The life of a mariner, especially that of a 
  pirate, is dangerous, and broken bones, 
  wounds and so on are part of the job. 
  Some of these wounds continues to ache 
  all the character’s life, especially when 
  the weather changes, and in certain cases 
  these pains are more accurate than the 
  forecasts of the Sages of Syranthia.
  In game terms, at the end of a session 
  during which a character rolls on the 
  Injury Table, he is allowed a Vigor (-4) 
  roll (only -2 if the wound suffered is 
  permanent); in the case of success, the 
  GM can ask him to permanently acquire 
  the Weather Wound Edge at the cost of 
  one Experience Point.
  Usually no more than a single player per 
  group should have this Edge. 
  Smuggling Cargo
  One of the trickiest things for pirates is 
  selling their cargoes of stolen goods, and, 
  occasionally, a captured ship. They can do 
  that at the Cove (or the City of Leaves), 
  but there, competition being what it is, 
  they can never get more than 20% of the 
  value of the goods sold.
  So some enterprising pirates decided 
  to try selling their stolen goods in other 
  ports: the Independent Cities and 
  Tricarnia are usually the best places to go, 
  because people there don’t ask questions, 
  but other ports are also good. Usually this 
  requires going undercover, changing the 
  name and the rigging of the ships (both 
  the pirate ship and the ship on sale) and 
  various similar tricks.
  In game terms, the captain (or whoever is 
  trying to conduct the business), makes a 
  Streetwise (-2) roll. For each success and 
  raise, he manages to sell the goods for 20% 
  more (so 40% with a success, 60% with a 
  raise), while with a failure he sells it at the 
  base of 20%. The problem is that, if he 
  scores 1 or less on the skill die, regardless 
  of the Wild Die, something bad happens: 
  the character is discovered to be a pirate, 
  an old enemy finds him and so on. 
  The roll suffers -4 if the cargo is sold 
  in a place directly connected with it 
  (for example if you are trying to sell a 
  Syranthian ship in a Syranthian port or 
  are you selling a cargo of Khav destined 
  for the City of Princes, in that very place).
  Watch That Damn’ Crew! 
  Whenever you are with a crew of pirates 
  in a civilized city, you can keep them on 
  as tight a leash as you want, but you are 
  smoking Khav on a haystack, to speak 
  figuratively. The same can happen for 
  calmer crews (such as those made up of 
  simple mariners), but it is less likely.
  When you think there is a chance for the 
  crew to get in trouble, draw a card from 
  the Action Deck, and if it is a black card, 
  something bad might happen (check the 
  table below). For example, one of your 
  men kills someone in a tavern brawl, or 
  talks too much while drunk and ends up 
  in jail: the exact outcome of the situation 
  is left to the GM, but it should have 
  some dramatic repercussion (and maybe 
  introduce a twist into the scenario).
  
   Setting Rules
  91
  You should use this rule only when 
  dramatically important (and never more 
  than once per week).
  Note that this rule can also be used with 
  Bands of any type.
  CREW TROUBLE TABLE
  The Port is...
  The Crew 
  is...
  Dangerous 
  (Cove)
  Normal
  Rowdy 
  (pirates)
  Black Card
  Any Club Card
  Normal 
  (sailors, 
  mercenaries)
  Club Card
  Club Deuce-
  Ten
  Disciplined 
  (military)
  Club Deuce-
  Ten
  Club Deuce-Six
  Weather
  At sea your life could depend on the 
  weather. Given the warm temperature of 
  the Dread Sea, the climate is subject to 
  very quick changes, which can be deadly 
  for the unprepared sailor.
  Often the GM decides the weather to suit 
  the plot, but in certain cases he can decide 
  to leave it to chance, simply picking a card 
  from the Action Deck. If it is a club, the 
  weather changes; check the table below 
  and good luck. 
  Another card must be drawn every day to 
  check if the weather changes again.  
  The weather table should be used only 
  when dramatically appropriate.
  Weather Table
  Deuce – The Mother of all Storms! A 
  terrible tempest, the worst you have seen 
  in years, is unleashed on the ship! For each 
  half day of duration, the crew and all the 
  player characters must make a Boating 
  (-4) roll. With a failure, the crew is 
  Fatigued (until they rest for at least three 
  days), if the result of the die is 1 or less, the 
  ship suffers a Wound. If it is -2 or more, 
  the ship must roll for capsizing (see page 
  108)! If a hero fails, he suffers a level of 
  Fatigue, or a Wound if the result of the die 
  is one or less. After such a storm it’s very 
  likely the ship is totally off course.
  Three to Four – Storm. As above, but the 
  Boating roll is only made at -2, and must 
  be made once per day. After such a storm 
  there is 50% the ship went off course.
  Five to Six – Strong Wind. The wind 
  blows steadily, as if, somewhere, a god 
  might be laughing thunderously. The 
  ship travels double the normal distance. 
  During combat, if you are using the Wind 
  rules (see page 108), add 1 to the Wind’s 
  strength.
  Seven to Ten – Windy Day. A standard 
  day at sea. The travel speed is unchanged.
  Jack to Queen – Low Wind. The wind 
  blows feebly. The ship only travels half the 
  expected distance. During combat, if you 
  are using the Wind rules, subtract 1 from 
  the Wind’s strength.
  King to Ace – Dead Calm. No wind at 
  all! Unless the ship is fitted with oars, it 
  can’t move. A ship equipped only with 
  sails suffers -4 to all Boating rolls when 
  movement of the vessel is involved.
  Joker – Omen. The weather remains as it 
  is, but an Omen happens! The GM knows 
  how to handle that (see page 113)!
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  92
  Gambling like  
  a Pirate
  If there is something a pirate can do 
  well, apart from cursing and drinking, 
  it is gambling. Note that the concept of 
  “gambling” is quite open, as you will see 
  in the following paragraphs. The GM is 
  free to introduce one or more gambling 
  contests in the worst taverns of the 
  Dominions or other lowly places. 
  Boozing Contests
  Nobody drinks like a pirate and every 
  scum of the sea boasts he can endure 
  alcohol better than the others. A drinking 
  contest is often seen as an “amicable” way 
  to see who is the toughest dog in the pack, 
  but more than one woman, treasure and 
  ship have been lost in such a way.
  In the Cove, where this game is very 
  popular, the contestants drink Zalaska, 
  the infamous local booze, but every region 
  has its favorite poison.
  Ruleswise the game works in this way: the 
  contenders take turns in quaffing down 
  cups (or tankards) of liquor. Each drink 
  requires a Vigor roll. In the case of failure 
  the drinker suffers a level of Fatigue. The 
  first drinker becoming Incapacitated 
  falls down, and his opponent wins. Such 
  Fatigue wears off gradually after 2d6 
  hours per level. Mass is very important for 
  alcohol resistance, so characters with the 
  Brawny Edge or the Obese Hindrance 
  receive +1 to the roll, the same happens for 
  characters with Habit (Drinking). Heroes 
  with the Liquid Courage Edge gain +2 
  and, if they win a boozing competition, 
  gain a Bennie (maximum one per session).
  Cheating. There are various ways to cheat 
  in a drinking competition, the commonest 
  one consists of letting fall some liquor on 
  the ground. You can do this by winning 
  an opposed Stealth vs Notice roll with 
  your opponent (or the spectators if 
  applicable). In the case of success you get 
  +1 to the Vigor roll. Another way, safer 
  but requiring more preparation, consists 
  of eating at least a pound of butter or a 
  cup of oil. This requires a Vigor (-2) roll to 
  avoid throwing up (and getting a Fatigue 
  level), but if you are successful you gain 
  two Fat Counters. When, in the next hour, 
  you suffer Fatigue from drinking, you can 
  negate one level simply by discarding a 
  token.
  Knife Dance
  Another typical game of skill of pirates, 
  the knife dance is both a show of courage 
  and a way to win easy money, or to lose a 
  finger or two, obviously.
  The game has two players, sitting at a 
  table, with a sharp, pointed, knife. The 
  first player stares in the eyes of the second 
  one, while he puts his hand on the table, 
  fingers well spread, then, starting from the 
  thumbs, he stabs the knife in the table, in 
  the space between the fingers, very quickly, 
  from thumb to pinkie. 
  The players take turns in doing this, while 
  the crowd incites them to do it, faster 
  every time. The first player stabbing a 
  finger, or a hand, loses.
  A variant of the game is that after each 
  turn the player drinks a tankard of booze 
  (as in Boozing contests above).
  In game terms, it works this way: randomly 
  select who takes the knife first, then follow 
  this sequence. First, the two players make 
  
   Setting Rules
  93
  an opposed roll, pitting Spirit (player 
  with the knife) vs. Intimidation (player 
  without knife). If the player with the knife 
  wins there are no consequences, he isn’t 
  distracted by the opponent’s stare, while 
  if he loses he suffers -1 to the Fighting 
  roll below per success and raise achieved 
  by the player without the knife. 
  At this point the player with the knife is 
  ready to make the blade dance: he makes 
  a Fighting (or Agility, whichever is best) 
  (-2) roll, plus the penalty above. If scores 
  at least a success, he manages to make the 
  knife dance without any problem, and 
  hands the dagger to his opponent. If he 
  fails, it means he stabbed his hand with 
  the blade. He loses the game, suffering 
  Str+d4+2 damage, which cannot be 
  Soaked in any manner.
  If the damage is enough to cause a Wound, 
  the loser must also make a Vigor roll and 
  apply the results below.
  Failure. The 
  hand 
  is 
  permanently 
  incapacitated, and must be cut off. The 
  character acquires the One Armed 
  Hindrance.  
  Success. The hand is severely wounded, 
  and the character suffers the One Arm 
  Hindrance until the Wound is healed or 
  24 hours pass, whichever is the worst.
  Raise. It is only a deep scratch; the 
  character suffers the One Arm Hindrance 
  until the Wound is healed.
  Cheating. There is really no way to cheat 
  in the knife dance, which is therefore 
  often used to resolve feuds among pirates.
  
  Hero’s Journal: 
   “fIssure” and oTHer dICe games 
  Most of the gambling in the Dominions is done with dice. They are fabricated from bone, 
  wood, stone and a number of other materials. As most people are illiterate, they usually 
  use symbols in place of numbers.
  The majority of them are six-sided (because these are the easiest ones to make), although 
  in Tricarnia they are eight-sided (as Baachaga, the Toad Goad, has eight eyes, see TLD 
  page 44) and in Jalizar, where they have twelve faces and are called Ranikos’s Nails.
  Dozens, probably hundreds, of games exist, but among the pirates of the Cove the 
  commonest one is called “Fissure” and is played with two six-faced dice. On each die 
  there are different faces, of increasing importance (they are called Sword, Boot, Dagger, 
  Flower and Death), and the players consider only their best die, if it is more “powerful” 
  than the opponent’s highest dice he wins. In the case of a draw nobody wins and the pot 
  increases.
  There is a sixth result, a crude scratch in the dice face called “Fissure”. It is the lowest 
  result and always loses, but if both dice end showing a Fissure result, the first player 
  shouting “Fissure!” and grabbing the dice wins.
  Ruleswise the game is handled with the standard Savage Worlds gambling rules, with 
  one exception. In addition to the gambling die each participant rolls a d12. The result has 
  no importance, apart when a “1” is rolled. In this case the game stops immediately and 
  every player at the table makes an opposed Agility roll; the character winning it is the 
  one shouting “Fissure” and grabbing the dice before the others.
  
  95
  Ships and Crews
  This chapter deals with the most central 
  element of piratical games in the 
  Dominions: ships, of course! Wouldn’t 
  you like to lead your crew of sea scum to 
  plunder rich merchant ships and bathe in 
  the blood of your enemies? Of course you 
  would, and in these pages you’ll find out 
  how to do it! 
  The Nature of Ships 
  in Play
  Ships are a complex theme, game-wise, 
  because they meld a number of elements.
  Ships as Vehicles. First of all, ships are 
  meant to move from one place to another. 
  Savage Worlds perfectly handles this with 
  vehicle rules. 
  Ship as Armies. Second, ships are tools 
  of war, or, stretching the concept a bit, 
  they are armies: if you have a ship of sea 
  marauders under your command, you are 
  a power to reckon with. To handle ships in 
  mass battles, Beasts & Barbarians uses the 
  concept of Battle Value (BV), introduced 
  in TB and summarized in the sidebar. 
  Note that this value includes many factors: 
  the combat prowess and size of the crew, 
  the size and weapons of the ship (such as 
  a ram, catapults and so on).
  Ships as Bands. 
  Third, 
  ships 
  are 
  organizations, closed social structures, 
  wandering alone on the sea: backstabbing, 
  politics, riots and so on are part of the 
  sea (and piratical!) life. If you are using 
  TB, the Beasts & Barbarians sourcebook 
  handling mercenary companies and bandit 
  bands, ships are simply another type of 
  band. Replace the word “Commander” 
  with “Captain”, and you won’t have any 
  problems at all using those rules.
  Each of these elements can be included in 
  the game, adding layers of complexity and 
  detail, depending on how much focus the 
  GM wants to put on “ships” in the game.
  Acquiring Ships
  There are many ways to acquire a ship in 
  play, briefly detailed below.
  Buy. The most straightforward one is 
  buying one (after all, they are listed in the 
  Gear section). Obviously this isn’t an item 
  you can find in a small village emporium, 
  but you might find one for sale, especially 
  in large cities, for one reason or another. 
  The drawback of buying a ship is obviously 
  the cost, but if the GM allows players 
  to ignore the Savings Setting Rules (as 
  we suggest you do sometimes) a single 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  96
  treasure hoard can be enough to let you 
  acquire a ship.
  Custom Made. Another option is to hire 
  a shipwright to build one, a task which can 
  require some months (even years in certain 
  cases). The advantage of “ordering” a ship is 
  that it can be built to the specific needs of 
  the buyer: the GM should allow the players 
  to swap one point of Acc/TS, Toughness or 
  to add and remove an item in the Notes.
  To keep things simple, the costs of the 
  crew are also included in the prices of the 
  ships.
  Edges. The second way to acquire a ship is 
  through Edges. A character with the Rich 
  or Noble Edges should be allowed to trade 
  his wealth for a ship (of cost 60K or less). 
  Acquiring a ship of greater cost should be 
  allowed only with the Band Commander 
  (see TB) or Filthy Rich Edges.
  Scenarios. The third and commonest way 
  to acquire a ship is through an adventure, 
  in this case leaving the exact nature of the 
  vessel in the hand of fate.
  gm’s TIP: THe sHIP’s name
  Regardless of how you decide to handle 
  ships in your game, there is one element 
  which is very important: the name.
  You are probably not a real-world expert 
  on ships, so you cannot describe in an 
  accurate way the differences in hull, 
  rigging and other technicalities of ships. 
  Nor should you; that is outside the scope of 
  this game. But if you find a powerful and 
  memorable name to a ship, and maybe 
  a unique feature (like the hull color, a 
  particular figurehead on the prow and so 
  on), the players will remember it.
  Crews
  Ships, after all, are only pieces of wood, 
  cloth and metal bound together, and they 
  are useless without a good crew. 
  On every ship there are a number of 
  people with different training and skills: 
  mariners, cooks, deckhands, soldiers and 
  so on. While individualities are important 
  for roleplaying scenes, at sea it isn’t a 
  single man that makes the difference, but 
  the crew in all its complexity.
  In game terms, the capability of the crew 
  is given by their average Boating skill (see 
  below).
  A starting Crew is usually of Average 
  value.  To be properly manned, a ship 
  requires at least a Poor crew.
  Using the Crew’s Boating Skill. The 
  focus of the game should be on the 
  heroes, not on the crew, so, in most cases, 
  the Crew makes cooperative rolls to help 
  the players succeed at their heroic sea 
  deeds. In addition, there are a number of 
  situations (detailed in the Setting Rules), 
  where the Crew’s Boating is tested.
  Increasing and Reducing Crew Level. 
  Whenever a crew successfully tests its 
  Boating skill in a dire situation (for 
  example during a storm, a sea battle, 
  crossing the Secret Path to the Cove) 
  put a mark near the Boating skill of the 
  crew. At the end of the scenario, if there 
  are three or more marks cancel them and 
  roll a die equal to the Boating level of the 
  ship: if the result is the highest number on 
  the dice (4 for a d4, 6 for a d6 and so on), 
  increase the Crew’s quality by one step.
  Crews are homogenous, so even if there are 
  casualties, and they are replaced, the average 
  
   Ships and Crews
  97
  level of the crew doesn’t change as the new 
  recruits quickly get into the “way of the ship”. 
  The only time this happens is when the ship 
  loses two thirds of its Battle Value: in this case 
  drop the Crew Level by one die step.
  CREW LEVEL TABLE
  Crew Quality
  Boating 
  Level
  Notes
  Poor
  d4
  Average
  d6
  Skilled
  d8
  Veteran
  d10
  Master
  d10
  Wild Die
  Ship Sizes
  To make things more realistic, ships are 
  divided into roughly three size classes. 
  Size affects a number of things and, in 
  particular, how fast a vessel sinks. 
  Ship Size
  Example
  Effect
  Small
  Chibbar, Small 
  Merchant Ship
  Sinks in 
  1d6 rounds, 
  immediately in 
  mass battles.
  Medium
  Corsair Ship, 
  Merchant Ship
  Sinks in 1d6 
  minutes or in 
  one battle round 
  during  mass 
  battles.
  Large
  Tricarnian 
  War Galley
  Sinks in 1d6 
  hours or in 1d4 
  battle rounds 
  during mass 
  battles. 
  Ships as Bands
  This chapter gives some additional Bands 
  Edges, Hindrances and Personalities, for 
  use with TB Bands rules.
  Band Edges 
  Archers
  Requirements: Novice
  A large percentage of this Band is equipped 
  with a ranged weapon and is well-trained 
  in its use. In mass battles, they have a +1 
  Artillery Bonus, which can be used every 
  round until a 1 is rolled on the Battle die, 
  meaning they have exhausted their ammo 
  or they are engaged in close combat. 
  Typical troops of this type are Amazon 
  Sea Archers, Valk riders, Gis Red Slingers 
  and similar.
  Boarders
  Requirements: Novice, Crew Boating 
  d6+
  This crew is made up of furious boarders, 
  deadly in the first clash. During actual 
  boarding (the first Close Combat round), 
  they confer +2 on the Battle roll. In 
  addition, if they win the round, the Band 
  gains a Bennie.
  Typical boarders are the dreaded Skull 
  Riders and the pirates of the Brown Sea.
  Rowers
  Requirements: Novice, Crew Boating 
  d6+
  This Edge has two different meanings.
  If a ship is normally not fitted with 
  rowing benches, it now is, and has a crew 
  of rowers to propel it. Consider the ship to 
  have the Rowers keyword.
  If the ship already has Rowers, it means 
  there are extra rowers or those aboard are 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  98
  of excellent quality, gaining +4 to all rolls 
  involving rowing.
  Band Hindrances 
  Haunted (Major)
  There is something wrong with this 
  ship. A presence, maybe a ghost, a curse 
  or something similar. For each week of 
  navigation, the GM draws a card from the 
  Action Deck. If it is a club, a bad event 
  happens: an incident among the crew, 
  food spoils, mysterious presences are seen 
  or something similar. In game terms, the 
  crew is so unnerved that it suffers -1 to 
  Boating and Spirit rolls for a full week. If 
  the card drawn is a club face card, the event 
  is even worse: an unpredictable death 
  among the crew, a ghastly apparition, a 
  terrible stroke of bad luck. The game effect 
  is as above, but the penalty is doubled (-2). 
  This Hindrance can be removed if the 
  cause of the Haunting is found (this can 
  be the goal of a scenario); in this case the 
  Hindrance must be replaced with another 
  one.
  Rowdy (Minor)
  The men of this Band can be excellent 
  fighters or mariners, but you can never 
  let go them off-duty, because they’ll likely 
  destroy the city they are guarding, starting 
  with the taverns, of course. If there is a 
  fistfight in the city or a girl is molested, 
  you can bet the culprit was one of your 
  boys.
  In gaming terms, the Band must always 
  use the Watch Your Crew! Setting Rule 
  every time they enter a new city or port, 
  and always draw two cards (using the 
  
   Ships and Crews
  99
  worst one). Obviously, for the purposes 
  of that rule, they are considered a Rowdy 
  Crew.  
  Weak Hull (Major)
  For some reason, the ship’s hull isn’t very 
  strong: maybe it is infested with parasites, 
  needs a good careening, or maybe the 
  wood is just older than King Caldaios’ 
  grandfather. Whatever the reason, the 
  ship suffers -1 to Toughness and at the 
  first leak it suffers, it starts sinking. 
  Personalities
  Cook
  Requirements: Intimidation d4+, Smarts 
  d6+
  If you’ve never passed a month at sea, 
  eating only rotten meat and hard tack, you 
  cannot understand why a cook, a decent 
  one, is a real asset for every ship (or army). 
  A ship’s cook is obviously not the chef at 
  the court of Faberterra, but he can surely 
  make a good soup with whatever he can 
  find in the galley (rats included!). In game 
  terms, a Band with a Cook, provided it 
  has at least half of the Support Tokens 
  required, obtains an extra Support Token. 
  In addition, it gains +1 to all Spirit rolls 
  not directly linked to combat.
  You may wonder why Intimidation is a 
  requirement for this Personality. To shoo 
  those damn’ mariners away from your 
  galley, of course!
  Drummer
  Requirements: Intimidation d6+, Smarts 
  d6+, Spirit d6+
  The drummer is the big, muscular guy, 
  beating the rhythm for the rowers on a 
  big drum. He isn’t shy about dropping 
  the music and picking up a whip, if the 
  need arises. A drummer aboard gives +2 
  to all rolls involving rowers, grants +2 Top 
  Speed to the ship and allows rerolling any 
  1 on rolls involving rowers. 
  Note: if the Drummer has the Drummer 
  of Doom Edge, he can double the bonuses 
  above, driving the rowers to the edge 
  of collapse with the magic of his music, 
  but this causes them a Level of Fatigue 
  (Exhausted rowers cannot row anymore).
  Hull Breaker
  Requirements: Hull Breaker
  This character is one of the mad followers 
  of the Drowned King of the Cairnlanders, 
  who has sworn to sink as many ships as 
  he can. He can be very useful in sea 
  battles, so long as you aren’t 
  interested 
  in capturing 
  the enemy 
  vessel, of 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  100
  course. During sea battles, when you are 
  boarding, at the beginning of each battle 
  round draw a card from the Action Deck 
  for each Hull Breaker. If it is a face card, 
  the enemy ship loses a battle Token, which 
  is automatically a Ship Token. If it is a 
  Joker, the enemy loses two Tokens. If the 
  Hull Breaker draws a deuce or a three, it 
  means he took too many risks and suffers 
  3d6 damage.
  If you have a Hull Breaker with you, and 
  you decide to capture a ship instead of 
  sinking it, he’ll become seriously pissed 
  off, and the Commander must make 
  a Persuasion (-2) roll, otherwise this 
  Personality will abandon the ship at the 
  first opportunity.
  Lookout
  Requirements: Notice d8+, cannot cover 
  other Personality Slots
  The lookout is the man in the crow’s nest, 
  incessantly scouting the sea, looking for 
  other ships, landmarks or storms. If there 
  is a skilled Lookout aboard, the Crew can 
  use its Notice roll during the Spotting 
  Phase, rolling at +2. Being the Lookout 
  is a long and solitary job, so the character 
  filling that role cannot cover any other 
  one. As a partial compensation, if he spots 
  something really interesting, the player 
  can shout it aloud to gain a Bennie (once 
  per session).
  Mascot
  Requirements: a character aboard with 
  the Beast Master Edge
  The Mascot is a beast (usually a parrot or a 
  monkey, but other examples can be found) 
  which gets along particularly well with the 
  ship and the crew. In a peculiar way, it is 
  “part” of the vessel, and the mariners love 
  it. In game terms, a ship with a Mascot 
  aboard receives a Bennie every session, 
  which can be used for any roll involving 
  the vessel or the crew.
  Shipwright
  Requirements: Boating d6+, Repair d8+
  The character is a master of the axe, 
  capable of repairing any ship and keeping 
  it in order. With a shipwright aboard all 
  rolls to repair damage to the vessel are 
  made at +2. In addition, he keeps the 
  vessel at its best, giving it +1 Toughness.
  
  101
  GM Guide
  
  102
  Running a Pirate 
  Game
  This chapter gives you, the GM, some 
  suggestions on how to run a successful, 
  pirate-themed 
  game. 
  Despite 
  being 
  tailored for the Dominions, many of these 
  suggestions can be useful in any piratical 
  setting.
  The Pirate 
  Mood
  Pirates are a staple of fiction, movies and 
  comics, but capturing the right feeling in 
  the game can be tricky. Below you’ll find 
  several “themes” you should include in 
  your game to make it really piratical.
  The Centrality of the 
  Sea
  You must always remember, when playing 
  a pirate-themed game, that the sea is the 
  key to everything.
  It is the main theme of the game, on 
  several levels, because it has a number of 
  meanings.
  First, the sea represents the unrestrainable 
  power of nature. The sea, for a mariner, 
  is always a force to be reckoned with; it 
  is a beast to be dominated rather than a 
  merciful lady. This aspect blends very well 
  with the vision of nature in Sword and 
  Sorcery, which is indomitable and alien.
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  103
  Remember, navigation in the Dominions 
  is dangerous: ships (except those of the 
  Amazons) tend to sail close to the shore 
  and aren’t made to face the open sea; a 
  simple storm can capsize and destroy even 
  the sturdiest vessel.
  The difficulties and dangers of sea travel 
  should always be present in your scenarios, 
  as elements of the plot or, at least, as 
  background.  The players should smell the 
  tar and feel the wind and the sun on their 
  skin during a game.
  On the other hand, the sea is also a symbol 
  of freedom; in its vast, empty spaces, a man 
  can be himself, without no boundaries or 
  limitations except his strength and skill. 
  This aspect is perfectly aligned with the 
  pirates’ way of life: they call themselves 
  “free brothers” for a reason. 
  At sea, no man can enslave another.
  The Ship…
  A game about pirates and the sea cannot 
  ignore the importance of ships. A ship 
  isn’t just a vehicle, it is home and shelter. 
  In many ways, the ship itself is a character; 
  the survival of the party is directly linked 
  to their vessel. Real mariners think ships 
  have personalities and you should try to 
  give one to the heroes’ vessel. Don’t be 
  shy of humanizing the ship a little in your 
  descriptions; tell the players how their 
  characters feel the planks of the deck alive 
  under their feet, how the ship is actually 
  happy when the sails are filled with wind 
  and or how the hull creaks in pain during 
  a terrible storm, like the bones of an old 
  lady.
  If you, the GM, can make the group 
  actually care about the piece of wood 
  upon which they are floating, you are 
  doing your job well.
  In addition, you must consider that a 
  ship is an enclosed space, a sort of micro 
  setting itself, wandering in an enormous, 
  apparently empty space. Be conscious 
  that below decks a ship, especially a big 
  one, is cramped, often smelly and dirty 
  and surely dark. Nobody can truly know 
  what happens in these cramped spaces, 
  stowaways being the least of the problems.
  ...and the Crew
  If ships are the space where the players 
  move during adventures, the crew are the 
  people they move among. Probably the 
  heroes will be important figures among 
  the other mariners and pirates, and is 
  obviously impossible (and actually not 
  recommended) to detail every crewman, 
  but you should try, when possible, to detail 
  at least some of them. It isn’t necessary to 
  be over-detailed, broad strokes are enough. 
  In this case, too, the players should feel 
  affection (or in certain cases, hate) toward 
  crewmembers. 
  A crew is a social structure, with leaders, 
  rivalries, enmities, friendships and so on. 
  Often the greatest enemy of a hero isn’t 
  the one waving the axe in front of him, 
  but the devious betrayer with a smile on 
  his face and a dagger hidden behind his 
  back...
  Wandering and 
  Exploration…
  Strictly connected to the themes of the 
  sea, ships and crews there is obviously 
  the theme of travel, which, for a piratical 
  game, is often a restless wandering on 
  the sea, looking for prey, or simply, for a 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  104
  safe harbor to hide from the dogs of sea 
  (Corsairs and others) on their heels.
  The life of a pirate is full of exotic vistas 
  and places: one day they are wenching 
  in a tavern of the Cove, the next they are 
  cautiously exploring an uncharted land, 
  looking for food, water, and possibly, 
  treasures in ancient ruins.
  The second aspect of travel is, in fact, 
  exploration: pirates often go to places 
  where no civilized man has been before. 
  Note that one of the tropes of the genre 
  is the treasure map (see below), which 
  always means a journey of some type…
  …and Loot!
  The final goal of any pirate, you must 
  always remember, is loot. It might not be 
  the goal of the heroes, but it is certainly 
  the goal of the crew!
  Every pirate, in his heart, would like to 
  plunder the treasure of a lifetime and 
  retire, but, as they are squanderers, this 
  almost never happens.
  This can lead to a number of interesting 
  situations, for example the crew looking 
  for money and their captain (or the 
  heroes) motivated by another goal, like 
  revenge.
  Remember that pirates’ gold is always 
  tainted with blood, and is not destined to 
  stay in their hands; often it is more a curse 
  than a blessing, because the rich pirate 
  is the target of his greedy, less-fortunate 
  comrades and curses of every type linger 
  on treasure, as a sort of cosmic retribution 
  for the violence it caused.
  Keep It on the Move
  Whatever the themes you want to insert 
  in your game, always remember the most 
  important thing in a piratical game: keep 
  it on the move. This type of story depends 
  on movement: daring prison escapes, 
  terrible naval battles, chases on the sea, 
  a years-long, incessant search for hidden 
  treasures, and aimless wandering on the 
  vast, limitless, waters.
  This doesn’t mean your game must be 
  constantly moving. Of course not. Static 
  situations, such as crews shipwrecked on 
  mysterious islands, or heroes locked in 
  prisons, can be very interesting, but always 
  because in some manner they “prevent” 
  movement.
  Alternating moment and static situations 
  wisely will create a good rhythm for your 
  game.
  PIraTICal THemes 
  It isn’t always easy to fall into the right 
  mood for a piratical game, but reading the 
  following should make it easier for you.
   † Ancient Curses and the Dead 
  Coming Back
   † Brotherhood and Pacts
   † Boarding and Executions
   † Booze and Women
   † Chases and Escapes
   † Gold and Blood
   † Green Islands and Azure Sea
   † Legends of Terror
   † Life is to be Lived Fully
   † Oaths and Betrayals
   † Slavery and Freedom
   † Storms and Water
   † Swords and Dice
   † Tar and Rigging
   † Treasures and Maps
   † Wind and Sails
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  105
  Piratical 
  Campaign 
  Framework
  This chapter describes some ideas on 
  how to create a piratical game, from the 
  perspective of organizing a campaign.
  By their nature, pirates are good for 
  running episodic stories. Every adventure 
  could be a single “trip” on the sea, looking 
  for loot and trouble, with the After the 
  Adventure taking place in the Cove, with 
  the heroes spending their ill-gotten loot 
  and making new acquaintances. 
  As always, remember the golden rule 
  of Beasts & Barbarians: be non-linear. 
  Even a fully piratical campaign can be 
  interrupted and turned into something 
  else to keep the game fresh for everyone; 
  for example, the pirate crew, captured, 
  could be forced to join the arena games in 
  some Independent City.
  That said, below we’ll describe some ideas 
  for crafting a pirate-based campaign.
  The Freebooters
  This is the “standard” piratical campaign. 
  The heroes, by fate or choice, find 
  themselves joining a pirates’ crew. The Eyes 
  of the Night scenario from BOD is a good 
  way to introduce this type of campaign.
  Usually the adventurers join the crew as 
  underdogs, often mistrusted and despised 
  by their new companions. Over the 
  course of the game they’ll gain trust and 
  importance, in the end taking control of 
  the ship.
  This type of campaign allows very different 
  scenarios: from sea raids to errands given 
  by various personalities of the crew, or 
  simply the struggle to survive among a 
  pack of sea-dogs.
  Ways to Power. There are several ways 
  for the heroes to “make a career” among 
  pirates. If they are honest, they could, in 
  time, ascend the ship’s ranks by simply 
  replacing the dead officers and other 
  personalities. This could also happen with 
  the former captain, who could have been a 
  sort of mentor to them.
  But sword and sorcery is a gritty genre, 
  and that happens rarely; more probably 
  the heroes will plot, betray and, in the end, 
  fight to get absolute power over the ship. 
  Or the captain himself, sensing the threat 
  to his position, will attack them first. But, 
  in the Dominions, only the strongest 
  survives.
  Wild 
  Adventure 
  or 
  Politics? 
  A 
  Freebooters campaign, as mentioned 
  before, can be very light-hearted and 
  based on exploration. But remember that, 
  especially if the heroes are part of the crew 
  of the Wise Captains of the City of Leaves 
  (or one of the Council of Five of the Cove), 
  they will find themselves involved, willy-
  nilly, in politics and struggles for ultimate 
  power over other pirates. Remember, 
  having a fleet under his own command, 
  can make a man dream great dreams.
  Character Types
  This type of campaign is suited for almost 
  all types of characters, not just mariners 
  and sea raiders: barbarians, sorcerers, 
  scoundrels, even entertainers can find a 
  place in the crew. After all, anybody can 
  be captured and forced to join the pirates.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  106
  The Legend of the Pirate 
  Queen
  Pirates are romantic characters and their 
  deeds can be the stuff of legend, especially 
  if they are very charismatic and iconic. 
  The classic example is the beautiful and 
  savage pirate queen, ruling over a crew of 
  fanatical followers.
  Note that “Pirate Queen” is only an 
  archetype of a charismatic, romantic, 
  piratical hero. You can easily substitute a 
  “One-Eyed Captain Haunted by a Tragic 
  Doom” or something similar.
  Usually this type of character is interesting 
  also for her motivations: vengeance, a 
  curse, or even the simple force of Fate 
  can direct her actions. In other words, the 
  Pirate Queen is “a girl with a mission”, in 
  the broadest sense of the phrase.
  While a Pirate Queen can be a worthy 
  opponent in a campaign, what if the 
  heroes actually join her? They will be her 
  companions, aiding her in fulfilling her 
  goals. The reasons for the heroes to do this 
  could be wildly different: love (one of the 
  party can be her love), greed, a common 
  purpose, or simply the curiosity to stay 
  near such an outstanding personality.
  This type of campaign tends to be very 
  focused. Pirate Queens tend to be fanatics, 
  and almost every mission will be about 
  fulfilling the goal of the Pirate Queen 
  (though 
  some 
  occasional 
  diversions 
  can happen). This can lead to a series 
  of interesting problems, both with the 
  group and with the crew. Sooner or later, 
  the Pirate Queen will suggest something 
  highly dangerous and even her closest 
  followers will doubt her…
  This type of campaign can be very 
  emotional, especially if the GM manages 
  to make the heroes (at least one of them) 
  “care” for the Pirate Queen.
  Djallah (see page 20), was designed to be 
  an archetypical Pirate Queen.
  With the Legend or the Legend Herself? 
  The above supposes the Pirate Queen is 
  an NPC, and the heroes will live, a little, 
  in her shadow. This can be fun, but must 
  be tightly controlled by the GM, because 
  you must be sure the player characters are 
  the real stars of the game, not the Pirate 
  Queen.
  But there is also another option, especially 
  if you are planning a short campaign: 
  one of the player characters could be the 
  Pirate Queen. This solution makes the 
  game more personal, but it requires a 
  certain cooperation from the players. You 
  must pay even more attention to ensure 
  the Pirate Queen doesn’t overshadow the 
  other players, but, if properly run, this type 
  of campaign can lead to truly memorable 
  adventures.
  Tragic Ending. The Pirate Queen is an 
  embodied myth, and what transforms this 
  type of story into a legend is its tragic end. 
  Almost always, in fact, the goal of this 
  character is so high and difficult to achieve 
  as to be doomed from the beginning. Or, in 
  the few cases she manages to accomplish 
  it, the drawbacks are so high as to cost 
  the Pirate Queen’s own life. Players don’t 
  like to “lose” and how tragic the end of 
  the Pirate Queen must be is left to you. 
  In the case of a player character she could 
  simply disappear, taking a new identity 
  and leaving a trail of wild stories behind.
  Character Types
  This type of game requires (apart from 
  the Pirate Queen if this role is taken by 
  a player character), at least one strong 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  107
  “protector” hero, someone capable of 
  actually keeping her out of troubles. This 
  role is particularly fitting for warriors 
  and mariners of all types. In addition, a 
  “counselor” character is handy: a Sage, a 
  sorcerer, or another wise person tasked to 
  keep the fanaticism of the Pirate Queen 
  under control. 
  narraTIve TeCHnIque: “I Was THere”
  This special narrative technique is useful to make the heroes involved in key events of the 
  Dominions’ recent history, and it is a variation of the Flashback described in GE.
  In few words, the heroes live through an adventure that happened in the past, which is 
  also narrated by an external voice, telling it in a version different, in key points, from 
  that actually lived by the players. As an additional twist, at the end of the tale, the past 
  reconnects with the present.
  Here follows an example.
  The Death of Verado 
  The heroes are sitting at the tavern of the Scarred One, in Kyros, nursing their wine, 
  while a wandering minstrel starts singing “The Death of Verado”, a tale recounting how, 
  years ago, the legendary pirate lord was defeated and killed.
  This triggers a sudden memory in the adventurers, because they were actually with Verado!
  At this point the adventure starts, played as a “normal” flashback and tells on how the 
  heroes got involved with pirate captain, joined him, and were on his side during the 
  Battle of the Red Waters.
  Before the actual battle is played in game, the story turns back to the minstrel, who tells 
  that “Verado died in the battle, but his body was never found”.
  At this point go back to the game, and run the scene: Verado, in the end, survives, even 
  if horribly scarred, and flees away with his beloved, a Syranthian princess, and a sack of 
  jewels, while the heroes cover his escape.
  Now switch to the tavern again. The story ends, and the tavern keeper’s wife, a pretty 
  woman in her forties, brings a free goblet of wine to the heroes, smiling. Her husband, 
  behind the counter, raises a flagon in a silent toast to the party, too. He is a tall man, 
  handsome except for an ugly scar on his face…
  The tavern keeper is Verado, who bought the tavern with the remnants of his loot and 
  now lives a peaceful and anonymous life with his wife.
  Restless Hunters
  This campaign approaches the pirate 
  theme from the opposite point of view. 
  The heroes, for some reason, are actually 
  hunting pirates! This can be for some 
  personal grudge, for gain, or for duty, or 
  both; for example, because they are part of 
  the Caldeian Corsairs.
  Whatever the reason, pirates are their 
  enemies. This type of game is about 
  locating, hunting and uprooting the 
  scum of the sea. The heroes may expect to 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  108
  find support and help from the civilized 
  nations, at least in appearance, because it’s 
  no secret piracy is a business for many, for 
  example the Independent Cities, where 
  no questions are asked about the origin of 
  wares.
  A campaign of this type will probably 
  require a good part of investigation, and 
  sneaking too. Probably the heroes will try 
  to find their way to the Cove or another 
  piratical base.
  A game framework of this type can 
  support both long and short campaigns, 
  and is also excellent to use as a diversion 
  from other themes (for example, the 
  heroes could be a Jalizaran band of thieves 
  hired by a rich merchant lord to weed out 
  the Skull Raiders).
  Duels of Swords and Wits. 
  This 
  particular campaign is all about hunting 
  and outsmarting the prey. Unlike how 
  things usually happen, the heroes will 
  be the trackers, not the quarry. You, the 
  GM, should work to transform this into 
  a duel of ingenuity, pirates versus heroes, 
  with the players finally outsmarting their 
  opponents. The presence of a strong 
  nemesis is particularly useful in this type 
  of game, a main villain like a charismatic 
  pirate who always manages to escape.
  Inside Job. Fighting pirates directly can 
  be a very long task, because they know how 
  to hide, so a good twist to this framework 
  is the heroes actually trying to infiltrate 
  the sea scum and destroy them from 
  the inside. This can be a very dangerous 
  business, because the adventurers are 
  basically alone against everyone, and, if 
  discovered, their deaths will be long and 
  extremely painful. In addition, there is also 
  another theme which can appear in the 
  game: romance and personal involvement 
  with the enemy. What if, for example, the 
  dangerous pirate you must unseat turns 
  out to be a fascinating Pirate Queen? Will 
  the heroes follow their duty or succumb 
  to the temptation of changing sides? Both 
  options are equally ripe for adventure.
  Character Types
  This framework works well with any 
  character with a mariner background and 
  a penchant for hunting. Corsairs, of course, 
  are the favorites, but any adventurer based 
  on stealth and guile can really shine in a 
  campaign like this one.
  Dangers  
  of the Sea
  As said above, the sea is the key element 
  of a piratical game. In this chapter are 
  described some of the most typical 
  nautical dangers, and how to include 
  them in a scenario. You can also use the 
  suggestions detailed below to give a twist 
  to the Weather Table results of page 91.
  Capsizing
  Probably the worst thing that can happen 
  at sea, apart from a big leak in the hull. 
  Whenever there is a chance of Capsizing, 
  the crew must make an immediate 
  Boating (-2) roll, without modifiers for a 
  Medium Size ship or at +2 in the case of a 
  Large Size ship. 
  In the case of success the vessel turns 
  dangerously on its side, and people aboard 
  must roll on Agility to avoid falling down, 
  suffering 2d6 damage (and being thrown 
  overboard on a 1 or less). In the case of 
  failure, the ship actually capsizes, and any 
  person aboard must roll on Agility (-4) to 
  avoid falling in water. If the roll is one or 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  109
  less, the situation is even worse, the ship 
  turns turtle and is totally upside down! In 
  this case the normal drowning rules apply.
  A capsizing is terrible for the crew: you 
  can freely assume that (1d4-1) x 10% of 
  the crewmen die or are scattered in this 
  sort of event, and the percentage raises 
  to (1d8-1) x 10% if the ship turns turtle. 
  To keep things simple, the BV of the ship 
  suffers the same loss.
  Once a ship has capsized, it can be 
  recovered, taking 1d4 hours per Size of 
  the ship and a Boating roll with (-2) per 
  Size of the ship.
  If the vessel turned turtle, the situation is 
  even worse, the vessel must be rolled out 
  of its capsized position, in 1d6 hours per 
  Size of the ship and a Boating (-4) roll. 
  Righting a ship of Medium or Large Size 
  requires a port or the help of another 
  vessel of the same Size or bigger.
  Capsizing in Play. A capsizing during 
  a sea battle (due a wrong maneuver) or 
  during a storm, can add a very interesting 
  twist to the scenario, making the players 
  use all their skills and brains to right their 
  ship. In the same way, the exploration of 
  a capsized ship could be a fun diversion.
  Dead Calm
  Most of the ships of the Dominions are 
  propelled by sails and a dead calm can stop 
  them in the middle of nowhere, causing 
  serious troubles, especially if supplies are 
  running low. In game terms there isn’t 
  much the heroes can do to end a Dead 
  Calm, at least if you think like a modern 
  person such as ourselves. But the people 
  of the Dominions aren’t modern, and, in 
  their primitive way of seeing the world, 
  there is something that can be done. 
  Primarily, prayers and sacrifices. You, the 
  GM, have the final call on whether these 
  methods work or not. After all the gods, if 
  they exist, could hear the pleas of the crew.
  If you want to leave the outcome to the 
  fate, after a prayer or a sacrifice, have 
  the crew make a group Spirit (-2) roll, 
  using the lowest Spirit die of any person 
  aboard. If the leader of the ceremony has 
  the Priest Edge (and worships a suitable 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  110
  deity), add +1 to the roll, if the sacrifice 
  is an apt one (GM’s call) add another +1. 
  With a success, the Dead Calm ends in 
  1d4 hours, with a raise or better it ends in 
  few minutes. A critical failure can instead 
  anger the gods, adding another 1d6 days 
  (the roll can ace, skip any other weather 
  change check) of Dead Calm.
  Wind Callers and Dead Calm. A 
  character with the Wind Caller Edge can 
  try to use his powers to end a Dead Calm, 
  but the roll is made at -2. 
  Dead Calm in Play. This type of hazard 
  should be used to create tension in the 
  game, not to slow it down. The effect can 
  be achieved in various ways, for example 
  making a dead calm happen during a very 
  climatic event, like a naval chase: both 
  ships are halted by the calm, maybe they 
  aren’t even far away, but now the chase has 
  stopped and the party must find a way to 
  end the impasse. The second way is letting 
  paranoia explode. Often the crews, in fact, 
  think that a dead calm is a sign of the gods 
  to show that someone aboard has offended 
  them. In these cases, if the crew isn’t kept 
  at tight leash, they’ll quickly look for a 
  scapegoat, someone to sacrifice to appease 
  the deities, with all the potential troubles 
  that entails.
  Getting Lost
  A typical accident that can happen at 
  sea is simply getting lost, and it is more 
  common you might think, especially if the 
  ship, for onw reason or another, is forced 
  to sail out of sight of the coast.
  Rules-wise, this works very simply. First, 
  the GM must decide if the current 
  situation causes automatically getting lost 
  (for example after a storm) or if there is 
  simply a chance of it.
  In the second case the helmsman must 
  make a Smarts (-4) roll, with +2 if he 
  has Boating d10 or more. In the case of 
  success he manages to keep to the right 
  direction, otherwise he gets lost.
  What happens when a ship gets lost? 
  Basically, whatever the GM wants; the 
  vessel moves in the wrong direction for a 
  number of days till it finds the mysterious, 
  uncharted island where the next adventure 
  awaits or finds itself hundreds of leagues 
  away from its desired location.
  If you prefer a more accurate system, you 
  can use the following. First, determine the 
  current direction of the ship (for example 
  south, east, and so on). At this point 
  secretly roll the Direction Die (d10) and 
  a Days Die (d6). The first dice, multiplied 
  by 30, gives you the deviation, in degrees, 
  of the route, reading clockwise from the 
  chosen direction, while the second one 
  gives you the number of days the ship 
  travels in the wrong direction. At this 
  point, the helmsman can make another 
  roll, at +1, to check if he understands he 
  is lost, in the case of failure he moves for 
  another Days Die in the wrong direction 
  (which can be the same as above or can 
  be rerolled). As you can see, this system 
  can lead you far away from the chosen 
  destination.
  Example. The Blood Bride is moving 
  from Tricarnia to Hillias, and is forced 
  to cross the open sea because she is being 
  chased by the fleet of Ral Hordaka, so the 
  GM decides it is very likely to get lost. 
  Zandorra, the captain and woman at 
  the wheel, rolls on Boating (-4), but she 
  fails, so the Blood Bride starts deviating. 
  The ship is directed southwards, the GM 
  rolls 2 as Direction Die and 6 as Days 
  Die. The ship deviates by 60 degrees (so 
  from south to south-west). Zandorra 
  rolls again after six days, failing again. 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  111
  The Days Die says 6, and the GM decides 
  the ship continues to travel in the same 
  direction. At dawn on the thirteenth 
  day, the lookout of the Blood Bride sees 
  land, but it isn’t the coast of Hillias…
  Getting Lost in Play. Getting lost is an 
  excellent way to slow down the heroes or 
  introduce them to another, un-planned 
  adventure, but it should be used sparingly, 
  to avoid creating frustration in the party.
  Travel sPeed and dIsTanCes
  In Beasts & Barbarians journeys, both 
  on land and at sea, are made at the speed 
  of plot, so you won’t find any distance 
  table of cities and locations. They are too 
  dependent on weather, the skill of the 
  crew and sheer luck. In addition, they 
  probably aren’t in the place you see them 
  on the map either, since cartography is 
  still very inaccurate… 
  Maelstroms
  One of the greatest terrors of every sailor 
  of the Dominions, are the maelstroms, 
  terrible whirlpools of water capable of 
  swallowing even the strongest ship.
  Luckily they are quite rare, even if some 
  of them are known to be semi-permanent 
  (see sidebar). There are many legends on 
  their origin, but what is important here is 
  handling them rules-wise.
  Consider the Maelstrom as divided into 
  three rough sectors: the outer one, the 
  largest and where the power of the water 
  is weakest; the middle one, smaller, where 
  the tide is stronger; and finally the inner 
  one, very small, and terribly destructive. 
  Inside the inner sector is the black mouth 
  of the maelstrom.
  Ships are caught in the maelstrom in the 
  Outer sector, and when this happens, an 
  Escaping Sequence begins. Escaping 
  Sequences last a number of Navigation 
  Rounds (see below) depending on the 
  sector the ship is actually in. 
  During each Navigation Round, the crew 
  makes a Boating roll. At the end of the 
  number of available navigation rounds 
  (see table below), count the number of 
  successes they scored (raises count as 
  extra successes). If the number is higher 
  than the number of Navigation Rounds 
  spent in the current sector, they manage 
  to leave, moving one sector towards the 
  outside (if they are in the outer sector, they 
  escape the maelstrom). If it is equal, they 
  remain in the same sector, and another 
  Escaping Sequence begins. If they score 
  fewer successes than Navigation Rounds 
  in the sector, they are moved one sector 
  deeper into the Maelstrom, for example 
  from the Outer to the Middle, and must 
  start a new Escaping Sequence, this time 
  with the Navigation Rounds and Boating 
  Modifiers of the current sector.
  The struggle goes on till the ship escapes 
  or falls into the mouth of the Maelstrom.
  Ship Size. Small ships are very easy prey 
  for maelstroms, so they roll at -4.
  Navigation Round Duration. The exact 
  duration of the navigation Round is left 
  to the GM, it can be minutes long, or 
  even hours, depending on the needs of the 
  story. 
  Maelstroms in Play. You will have 
  noticed that there is no description 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  112
  of what happens in the mouth of the 
  Maelstrom. The reason is simple: there 
  is only death at the bottom of it. For this 
  reason Maelstroms should be used more 
  as plot devices than a real threat the party 
  can defeat, and the party should be given 
  a narrative way to escape such a dangerous 
  threat. 
  Sector
  Navigation Rounds
  Boating Modifier
  Outer
  3
  0
  Middle
  2
  -2
  Inner
  1
  -4
  Hero’s Journal: more aBouT maelsTroms… 
  Maelstroms are unusual events, the cause of which even the Sages of the Library of 
  Syranthia haven’t yet unraveled. But some of them are semi-permanent, and quite well-
  known by the mariners of all the Dominions. 
  The most famous ones are listed below.
  Arak’s Mouth. This maelstrom appears, not more than three or four times a year, in the 
  Drowned King Sea, at the mouth of Elephants’ River, not far away from Gis, and lasts 
  exactly one day. People says it owes its name to the famous magician Arak of Gis, who 
  disappeared, with his whole palace, centuries ago, in mysterious circumstances. 
  The Kraken’s Mouth. Another maelstrom of the Drowned King Sea, this one, an 
  enormous one, is said to appear in the very middle of the sea. Stories say it isn’t a natural 
  phenomenon, but is produced by the great sea monster sitting at the center of it, the 
  Kraken (see page 143). Whatever the truth, the western Dominions should thank this 
  maelstrom, because, only five years ago, it swallowed a fleet of ships from Valkheim, full 
  of warriors, which were moving to invade the heart of the Iron Empire.
  The Guan-Ja-Haio. This whirlwind, which, the stories say, lurks somewhere in the 
  Brown Sea, is very peculiar, because a human scream comes from the mouth of it, like 
  a woman crying. For this reason, it is called “Guan-Ja-Haio”, which can be translated 
  from the Lhobanese as “Screaming Widow”. There is another fact connected to this 
  maelstrom: a few moments before it appears, the water turns deep green.
  The Red Goat. The legend says that, the year after Goatfoot’s demise (see page 11), a 
  terrible maelstrom appeared near the Islands of the Maimed Ones, seething with foam, 
  to crush and destroy any ship so unlucky as to finish inside it. The few survivors swore 
  that, in the inner part of the maelstrom, there is ship, perpetually rotating without ever 
  falling inside, its hull and sails painted red, which can only be the Red Goat, Goatfoot’s 
  ship. Is this story true or only a tale born at the bottom of a Zalaska barrel?
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  113
  Mirages
  One of the main reasons people fear the 
  sea is that they doesn’t fully understand 
  it. Mirages are one of the typical hazards 
  that can be used to enhance this sense of 
  wonder and a supernatural fear of the sea.
  The real origin of the mirage is left to 
  the GM: it can be a real optical illusion, 
  created by a combination of light, 
  magnetic fields, and weird reflections, or it 
  can have a supernatural origin, like waters 
  infested by hallucinogenic Lotus algae or 
  even the effect of sorcery. Finally, mirages 
  can be simply the fruit of autosuggestion, 
  and this type of thing happens when the 
  crew is particularly stressed for some 
  reason (they got lost, they have a woman 
  aboard, food and provisions are dwindling 
  and so on).
  The exact nature of the mirage is left to 
  the GM, but here are some examples.
  Mirage Examples:
  †† Strange ship(s) on the horizon
  †† Glimpse of land not far away
  †† Palace or castle sticking up out of the sea
  †† Chorus of feminine voices chanting
  †† People at sea
  †† The dead coming out of the mist 
  (only at night)
  †† Flying horses or people in the sky
  †† Cities built in reflections of the sea
  The effect of the mirage can be very varied. 
  A “natural” mirage can be simply a weird 
  event, nothing more than a strange vista.
   Others might be, at the GM’s discretion, 
  fearful (in this case the crew must make 
  a group Spirit roll, in the case of failure 
  they are awed and fearful for 2d4 days, 
  suffering -1 to all rolls, as if Nauseated).
  Finally, if there is an evil intelligence 
  behind a mirage, they can be awfully 
  dangerous, for example leading the heroes’ 
  ship over reefs.
  Mirages in Play. This type of hazard is a 
  good way to insert a slightly supernatural 
  event into the game. The GM should 
  always leave some uncertainty in the 
  players’ minds as to whether they have 
  seen something real, or not.
  Omens
  Mariners 
  and 
  pirates 
  alike 
  are 
  a 
  superstitious bunch, probably because 
  their lives are often stakes in the game 
  of chance they play with the sea. They 
  see a number of events, both natural and 
  unnatural, as a sign of fate.
  In game terms, when an Omen appears 
  (see page 113), the GM must consider the 
  nature of the card drawn: if red, the Omen 
  is a good one, and the crew is heartened 
  and encouraged. The ship receives a 
  Bennie, usable by the ship or her crew 
  only.
  If the card drawn is black, instead, the 
  Omen is bad; the crew is restless and 
  frightened, and suffers -1 to all rolls for 
  the remainder of the session (or 2d4 days 
  in gaming time, whichever is longer). 
  Player characters can try to shake off the 
  crew’s fear with some good role-playing or 
  a Social Conflict (opposed by the Spirit of 
  the crew, d6).
  The GM should create Omens on the 
  fly, but, if you need some ideas, a few are 
  listed below.
  Good Omens
  †† A white bird flying three times 
  around the mast
  †† The figurehead of the ship turning blue
  †† Having glittering fishes following 
  the ship
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  114
  †† A 
  crewmember 
  miraculously 
  saved 
  from a deadly accident (for example, 
  one falls down from the crow’s nest 
  uninjured)
  †† Finding a forgotten barrel of wine
  Bad Omens
  †† Seeing an albatross
  †† Having women aboard (except female 
  mariners)
  †† Having a rabbit aboard
  †† A series of unrelated incidents
  †† No more rats aboard
  Omens in Play. Omens are an excellent 
  way to give the crew of the ship some 
  extra attention. Regardless of whether 
  they are true or not (for example a bad 
  omen could be a sign of a curse lingering 
  on the ship), they make peoples’ worst 
  fears come out, and, since everybody is in 
  an enclosed space, this could have drastic 
  results. In addition, when there is a bad 
  omen, there is always someone saying 
  aloud (or whispering in shadows), that it’s 
  the captain’s fault...
  Fevers
  Illness and maladies are one of the most 
  insidious accidents that can happen 
  aboard, and, sadly, quite common. As you 
  can easily imagine, sanitary conditions 
  aboard ships of the Dominions aren’t the 
  best, and this, plus the bad diet and the 
  cramped spaces, makes it easy for illnesses 
  to spread.
  Dozens and dozens of diseases and 
  maladies exist, many of them nameless. 
  Below you’ll find three of the most iconic 
  ones; the GM is encouraged to devise his 
  own.
  Scurvy. Also called “the Plague of the 
  Mariner”, scurvy is a common, non-
  infectious illness caused by lack of vitamins 
  in diet (the mariners’ diet is based on 
  cured meat and hard tack). In game terms, 
  it is considered a Long-Term Chronic, 
  Majorly Debilitating illness. It may set in 
  after 1d4+1 weeks of bad diet (i.e. no fresh 
  fruit or vegetables). From this point on, the 
  characters must roll Vigor every week (-1 
  per subsequent week) to avoid it. It can be 
  cured with a good dose of fresh food and 
  a week of rest. The only culture which has 
  so far understood the way to efficiently 
  prevent Scurvy are the Amazons, who 
  stock their ships with a barrel or two of 
  citrus fruit (consider it a Rare Item in any 
  port except Ascaia, costing 300 Moons 
  and giving immunity to Scurvy for at least 
  two months of travel).
  Wool Pox. This is a particularly deadly 
  illness, which is quite common on the 
  Brown Sea. It causes a high fever and 
  brown, suppurating pustules and leads 
  quickly to death. It is very infectious 
  (-2 to the Vigor roll to avoid infection), 
  spreads by contact, and usually kills in a 
  matter of days. Consider it a Short Term, 
  Lethal illness, but victims must roll every 
  day for four days on Vigor (-4) or suffer 
  one Fatigue Level. If they survive, on the 
  fourth day they recover, and are immune 
  thereafter. This illness is called Wool 
  Pox because it was common on the ships 
  bringing wool from Lhobanport to the 
  western Dominions. The Lhobanese think 
  the cause of the pox is in the wool: if a 
  virgin woman was bedded on it, the disease 
  will spread from it. For this reason, the 
  wool is closely guarded in the warehouses 
  of Lhobanport, to avoid illicit affairs. In 
  truth the cause of the pox is strange Lotus 
  algae, which float in large banks in the 
  Brown Sea and which, in certain seasons, 
  produce deadly spores, the real cause of 
  the infection. The Lhoban mariners, when 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  115
  a case of Wool Pox happens, sacrifice a 
  young virgin woman to a deity called the 
  Merciful Lady, cutting her throat with 
  a jade knife and spreading her blood on 
  the deck. Many crews keep a female slave 
  aboard specifically for this purpose.
  Sadly, this ritual has no effect.
  Yellow Breeze. This term refers to a 
  number of weird maladies that sometimes 
  people get when sailing too near to the 
  shores of the Fallen Kingdom of Keron.
  A sickly hot breeze, coming from the 
  crypts and ruins dotting that cursed land, 
  sweeps the sea, and, in certain cases, it 
  even reaches the Finger Islands. The effect 
  of the Yellow Breeze isn’t always the same, 
  draw a card from the Action Deck and 
  check the list below.
  Typically, the Yellow Breeze blows for 4d6 
  hours (the dice can ace). The effects must 
  be checked only once per character per 
  breeze.
  Clubs – Killing Spree. Whoever breathes 
  the sickly air must make a Spirit (+2) roll, 
  or his mind fills with murderous thoughts, 
  and he tries to assassinate persons at 
  random to the best of his skill.
  Diamonds – Yellow Cough. The breeze 
  causes the lungs of the victims to fill with 
  a yellowish substance, suffocating them 
  in few hours (2d6). It is a Short Term, 
  Lethal Illness. The only known cure is a 
  compress of fresh palm leaves and oil, left 
  under a full moon for a day. Luckily, it isn’t 
  infectious.
  Hearts – Ghastly Vision. For the duration 
  of the breeze, anytime a person rolls 1 on a 
  Trait die for Spirit, Smarts or a Skill linked 
  to those attributes, she suffers a ghastly 
  hallucination of some sort, requiring a 
  Fear Check (-2).
  Spades – Slumber of the Dead. Every person 
  on the scene must make a Vigor (-2) roll 
  or fall into a deep sleep for the duration of 
  the breeze. A person in this state cannot 
  be waken up in any manner. Stories say 
  that people in this state visit a strange 
  Garden, where death itself rules (see B&B 
  #7 - Garden of Death).
  Joker – The Dead Rise! The breeze affects 
  the dead, not the living! If there is a 
  graveyard or another burial site nearby, 
  the corpses wake up, hungry for human 
  flesh, and remain active while the wind 
  continues to blow!
  Fevers in Play. Obviously, the purpose 
  of a pestilence on board isn’t killing the 
  players mercilessly, but instead they are 
  intended as obstacles to overcome (for 
  example, the heroes should find a cure for 
  the sick crew), or as a distressing element 
  creating potentially dangerous situations 
  (if the sickness starts after the heroes 
  brought aboard the mysterious Tricarnian 
  princess, the crew can easily think she is 
  the culprit, and only sacrificing her to the 
  gods of the sea can end the threat).
  Reefs
  Of the many dangers a mariner can met 
  at sea, reefs are among the commonest, 
  but not the least insidious ones. A hidden 
  rock or shallow water can easily break the 
  hull of a ship apart.
  The most insidious known reefs are the 
  ones leading to the Cove (see page 61). In 
  the table below are detailed generic reefs, 
  for use in other zones at sea. 
  You can decide to select at random, 
  drawing one or more cards to determine 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  116
  the various aspects of the reefs (Spotting 
  Modifier, Damage Modifier and so on), or 
  you can simply pick them.
  Rules-wise reefs are handled in this 
  way: first, the crew must check to spot 
  them, with a Notice roll, modified by the 
  Spotting Difficulty.  When spotted, the 
  crew can decide to go back (in this case no 
  roll is necessary) or to try crossing them.
  If the crew decides to cross the reefs (or, 
  if they failed the Notice roll and stumble 
  into it), they must evade them, with a 
  Boating roll, with the Evasion Modifier 
  of the table. 
  If the crew failed the spotting roll, they 
  suffer an additional penalty of -4.
  If the Boating roll fails, there is bad news: 
  the ship suffers the damage shown on the 
  table (consider the reef a Heavy Weapon).
  At this point, the ship can try to get away 
  from the reefs, making another Boating 
  roll, with the same penalty as above +1 
  (but don’t include the -4 for not spotting 
  the reefs). 
  In the case of failure the ship takes damage 
  again.
  The roll to get free can be made any 
  number of times, with an increasing 
  bonus, but every time the roll fails, the 
  ship takes damage. Usually an attempt 
  requires 1d6 time units, depending on the 
  ship size (units are ten minutes long for 
  Small ships, one hour long for Medium 
  Ships and three hours long for Large 
  Ships).
  Card Value
  Spotting Modifier
  Evasion Modifier (*)
  Damage
  2-3
  +4
  -4
  3d6, AP 2
  4-6
  +2
  -2
  2d8, AP 4
  7-8
  +1
  -1
  2d6, AP 6
  9-10
  0
  0
  2d8
  J-Q
  -1
  +1
  2d6, AP 2
  K-A
  -2
  +2
  2d10, AP 4
  Joker
  -4
  +4
  4d4, AP 6
  (*) Ships of Medium Size subtract -2 from 
  the roll, Large Ships subtract -4. Ships 
  with Reduced Draft roll with +2.
  Reefs in Play. Reefs are an excellent 
  obstacle to make the heroes move very 
  fast: for example, if the ship springs a 
  leak due to a reef, the party must quickly 
  coordinate the crew to disembark or to fix 
  the vessel. They are also an excellent plot 
  device to make the players think. If a zone 
  of sea the party must cross is filled with 
  reefs, the heroes must find another way to 
  travel through it, for example, swimming. 
  In addition, reefs are excellent terrain for a 
  sea battle: remember that a smaller, weaker 
  ship, has a better chance to pass over them 
  then a large, heavily-armed one…
  Sea Monsters
  “Beware of the darkness, because it is full 
  of monsters,” the saying goes. And no 
  place is darker than the sea’s depths, where 
  strange, ancient things lurk.
  Let’s be honest, sea monsters exist in the 
  Dominions, even if they are much rarer 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  117
  than mariners’ stories suggest. Sailors 
  are a superstitious bunch, and for them, 
  anything they cannot explain, like a 
  terrible tempest, has a supernatural cause.
  Sea monsters are of many types; usually 
  they are very old beasts, which have grown 
  enormous, and infest certain sea areas. 
  Luckily for mankind, most of the time 
  they are sleeping, but when hungry, or 
  when woken up by some evil sorcerer, they 
  emerge to bring mayhem and destruction.
  In game terms, sea monsters are both 
  enemies (see page 116) and hazards for 
  the ship.
  Every round a ship is attacked by one 
  of these creatures, it suffers from the 
  Monstrous Impact damage of the monster 
  (see creature description), which can be 
  soaked normally. Unless the sea monster 
  has a specific reason to attack a ship, its 
  incursions are brief, lasting 1d4+1 rounds.
   Sea Monsters in Play. These creatures 
  are the guardians of the depths, and 
  encountering them should never be casual, 
  but always the fruit of a specific choice 
  by the GM. Usually they guard specific 
  places or are the emissaries of powerful 
  forces, which use them as their agents.
  Storms and Hurricanes
  Storms and bad weathers are probably the 
  most typical danger at sea. The rules on 
  page 91 describe things from the general 
  perspective of the crew, but, if you want 
  to make the heroes more important, you 
  can focus on them, finding specific, crucial 
  tasks for the survival of the ship.
  In game terms, they are handled as 
  Dramatic Tasks using one or more Traits, 
  which can be performed individually or 
  as a group (usually the first two rolls are 
  made on the first Trait, the remaining 
  rolls on the second Trait). If the heroes are 
  successful, the crew receives a bonus of +2 
  to their roll, which becomes a modifier of 
  -2 in the case of failure. In addition, if a 
  hero rolls a 1 on the Trait die, regardless 
  of the Wild Die, something really bad 
  happens to him, such as suffering 3d6 
  damage or being thrown overboard!
  Some examples are: holding course 
  using the rudder (Boating and Strength), 
  cutting away loose sails (Climbing and 
  Agility), maintaining order among the 
  crew (Spirit and Intimidation), emptying 
  the bilge (Vigor and Smarts).
  During a storm, it is very likely a ship 
  Gets Lost (see page 110), going off course. 
  Storms in Play. Tempests should be used 
  with moderation in game, because they 
  are very dangerous both for the players 
  and the ship, although you can put a 
  number of them in the background (by 
  simply saying “you pass through a tempest 
  three days long”).  A particular twist could 
  be some other event happening aboard 
  during a tempest, for example a murder, a 
  theft, or a dark ritual.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  118
  gm’s TIP: 
  WHaT aBouT sHIPWreCks? 
  You’ll notice that this section of the book 
  misses a very typical situation of sea 
  fiction: shipwrecks.
  This is intentional. 
  Shipwrecks are a very important 
  narrative tool in the hands of the GM, 
  because they create a brusque change 
  in the flow of the campaign, and each 
  of them should be supported by an 
  interesting follow-up adventure.
  Before the disaster, the heroes are 
  respected members of a crew, maybe they 
  even commanded a ship, and now they 
  have nothing, only the clothes on their 
  back (and those are quite ruined, too).
  This is a very sword and sorcerish thing 
  to happen, but you must use it with 
  caution, especially if the party invested a 
  lot in the ship (not only on the monetary 
  side, but also in building relationships 
  with the crew members). 
  That said, use a shipwreck when you see the 
  campaign is stagnating a bit or is becoming 
  too cerebral: in this manner the heroes are 
  forced to concentrate on very basic things 
  (survive, find shelter and so on). 
  In addition, a shipwreck always has 
  interesting repercussion on the world 
  around them: first, the heroes are 
  probably now considered dead, both by 
  their friends and their enemies alike. 
  Second, what happened to the crew? Are 
  they all dead? Maybe not, and finding 
  the survivors (and a new ship to man) 
  could lead to an interesting adventure.
  Relics  
  of the Sea
  Piratical tales are full of strange objects 
  and relics: some of them are just fakes, but 
  some are real. Below are described twelve 
  of them (so you can select them randomly 
  by rolling a d12), to be used as plot hooks 
  or simply to be found as loot by your 
  players. As often happens in the Dread 
  Sea Dominions, such objects can be very 
  dangerous…
  1. 
  Pearl 
  Eyepatch. 
  This 
  leather 
  eyepatch has a big white pearl in its 
  center, which, stories say, was one of 
  the eyes of Rakua-Thara himself. If 
  the user wears it, and has the One Eye 
  Hindrance, by some strange magic 
  the pearl on the patch works like a 
  real eye, allowing him to see (ignore 
  the penalty for the Hindrance). 
  In addition, whoever wears this 
  Eyepatch receives +4 on rolls to spot 
  cheaters while gambling. But this 
  relic bears a curse too: if the wearer is 
  enraged for some reason (in combat: 
  rolls 1 to recover from Shaken) he 
  becomes wild, attacking the nearest 
  target. He calms down only when the 
  target is killed, or when he makes a 
  Spirit (-4) roll to calm down (but he 
  must spend a Bennie to roll), or if the 
  Pearl Eyepatch is removed.
  2. 
  Ral Vashri Astrolabe. This ancient 
  device, 
  of 
  Keronian 
  origin, 
  is 
  apparently a metal sphere six inches 
  wide, surprisingly light. There are 
  carvings on it, which, if touched in 
  the right sequence (with a Smarts 
  (-4) roll or a Knowledge (Arcana) 
  one), 
  unlock 
  it, 
  revealing 
  five 
  interlocked rings and hemispheres, 
  engraved with strange symbols, 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  119
  symbolizing the stars in the sky. 
  In the middle of the device, which 
  is empty, there is a strange black 
  stone, with the amazing property of 
  attracting metal, which makes the 
  various rings and hemispheres of the 
  device slowly rotate on themselves. 
  This strange apparatus, if properly 
  understood (at least three successes 
  or raises on a Smarts (-2) roll, max. 
  one roll per week), can be very 
  helpful in maintaining a course (+2 
  to the rolls to navigate and avoid 
  getting lost). In addition, it also gives 
  +2 to rolls for Astrology attempts 
  (see TLD, page 132). The stories 
  say the Ral Vashri Astrolabe was 
  built to lead any ship to the port of 
  Ral Vashri (Port of Dreams in the 
  ancient Keronian tongue), which no 
  longer exists, and this may be true. If 
  the user rolls a 1 on the Smarts roll, 
  when using it to navigate at sea by 
  night, in the next few hours he could 
  see, at a distance, the ghastly lights 
  of a city, on a coast which should not 
  be there…   
  3. 
  Seagull Amulet. This charm, typical 
  of the Finger Tribes, is made with 
  the skull of a seagull, and is decorated 
  with feathers and semi-precious 
  stones. The creation process requires 
  the bird to have died of natural causes 
  and its body being buried, for three 
  nights, under the nest of a jungle 
  snake. At this point, it is cleaned of 
  all rotten meat, polished with sand, 
  and then three secret blessings are 
  said. If all of this happens in the right 
  way, the user is immune to all the 
  effects of the Yellow Breeze, plus he 
  receives +2 to all Vigor rolls against 
  other maladies. But this comes at a 
  cost: the wearer of the amulet should 
  never eat seagull meat, otherwise, the 
  legends say, his guts will rot from 
  inside and he’ll suffer a terrible death.
  4. 
  Figurehead of Tharana. This blue 
  wood statue, carved by a gifted hand, 
  was the figurehead of some ancient 
  ship, whose name was forgotten. 
  There are various legends about it; 
  the first is that it represents Thara, 
  the female deity of the sea, as she 
  was seen by her mortal lover Vaataro, 
  centuries ago. The same story says 
  Vaataro sculpted it only by touch, 
  because he went blind after seeing 
  the goddess in her true form. The 
  second legend says the figurehead 
  depicts Queen Tharana of Askerios, 
  who fled from her home town on 
  the ship of her lover. The vessel 
  miraculously passed over the Reefs 
  of the Guardian, a bank of dangerous 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  120
  rocks not far away from the city port, 
  while the pursuing ships ran aground, 
  letting the two lovers escape the rage 
  of the King. Unluckily for Tharana, 
  her lover, the infamous pirate Vaardo, 
  sold her as a concubine to a Tricarnian 
  Prince a few months later. In game 
  terms, a ship with the Figurehead of 
  Tharana fitted on the prow gains +4 
  to all rolls to avoid reefs and ignores 
  the AP of reefs. This blessing is true 
  while no woman aboard is mistreated 
  or killed by the crew. If that happens, 
  the legend says the ship will be sunk 
  by the rage of Thara herself.
  5. 
  Drums of the Dead Man. These 
  twin bongos are made of ancient 
  wood and covered with very soft, 
  brown skin. If the legend is true, the 
  skin is that of a powerful shaman of 
  the Finger Islands Pigmies. His real 
  name is lost, but he is remembered as 
  the Dead Man. Beating the drum in 
  the right way allows the user to use 
  the zombie Power, raising from death 
  every target within a LBT centered 
  on the drum, paying only the basic 
  cost. The user, if unskilled in Sorcery, 
  uses Spirit as his arcane skill, while 
  a magician can use his Sorcery, if 
  higher. The drum confers 10 Power 
  Points for this purpose only, and the 
  dead stay “alive” till the next dawn. 
  If the drummer rolls a 1 on the skill 
  die, regardless of the Wild Die, the 
  bodies are animated, but without 
  control, and attack everyone in sight! 
  A character with the Drummer of 
  Doom Edge using this item raises 
  his Sorcery die by one die step. An 
  unconfirmed tale says that, painted 
  on the skin of the drums, on the 
  interior, there is a map of where 
  the Dead Man is buried with his 
  enormous treasure, but nobody has 
  dared cut open the drums, fearing 
  the dark spirit which surely lurks 
  inside.
  6. 
  Shark Song. There is an old legend 
  according to which if you know the 
  right song and chant it, sharks will 
  never attack you. Although you might 
  laugh at the idea, it is true. According 
  to the story, in truth the Shark Song 
  is an old prayer to Rakua, chanted 
  in a forgotten language. Today, only 
  a few sailors and fishermen know it, 
  and they pass it from father to son. 
  They are scarce in the Dominions: 
  some of them in Dread Sea, others 
  in the Drowned King Sea, and even 
  some of them on the shores of the 
  Endless Ocean. Despite the different 
  languages of these people, the Shark 
  Song is always the same. In game 
  terms, a hero who is taught the Song, 
  and who chants it in the sea, must 
  draw a card from the Action Deck. 
  If it is any card but a Joker, the Song 
  works, and no shark will attack him 
  unless he threatens it first. Note that 
  this protection doesn’t extend to the 
  singer’s friends; just him. If the card 
  is a black Joker, no shark will attack, 
  but only because after 2d6 rounds 
  the Talaska (see page 143) will arrive. 
  If it is a red Joker, the fate of the hero, 
  and of his friends, is even worse: if 
  they are at sea, an anomalous wave 
  drags them underwater, and they 
  wake up in the mysterious Shark 
  Labyrinth, an underwater temple of 
  Rakua, from which nobody has ever 
  escaped… 
  7. 
  Fabron’s Finger. When looking at 
  this, long, mummified finger, you 
  cannot believe it belonged to a man, 
  especially as the nail, gray and curved, 
  is like that of a beast. Nevertheless, 
  stories say this crude relic is actually 
  a finger of the first Smith Priest of 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  121
  Faberterra and that it was severed 
  by a thief the night after Fabron’s 
  death. At this point the story turns 
  wild, saying that the thief broke 
  three knives trying to cut it, because 
  Hulian made the body of his first 
  disciple hard as iron. We don’t know 
  if this story is true, but the finger is 
  surely heavy, and, most importantly, 
  it unerringly points northwards, as if 
  guided by an unknown force, granting 
  +2 to any roll related to navigation. 
  In addition, if the wearer keeps it 
  in contact with the skin, he benefits 
  from an unnatural stamina, gaining 
  +1 to all his Vigor rolls, although he 
  develops a strange craving for raw 
  fish meat. In certain, rare cases, the 
  finger flexes, as if returning to life, 
  and this always seems to happen, 
  strangely, in the bay of Jalizar.
  8. 
  The Rude Wench’s Frying Pan. This, 
  old, battered and soot-covered frying 
  pan, if you pay heed to the stories, 
  belonged to the original “rude wench,” 
  the woman who gave the name to 
  the most famous watering hole in 
  the Cove. Long-hafted and heavy, it 
  was very often used to sedate some 
  rowdy pirate, and it is considered a 
  medium sized Improvised Weapon 
  (Str+d6, 2 hands). In the hands of 
  a woman, it is a normal medium 
  weapon (no Improvised Weapon 
  penalty), and also confers the Strong 
  Willed Edge. There is a legend 
  about this pan and “rude wench 
  meat”. This particular dish, whose 
  recipe requires shark meat, palm 
  hearts, jungle peppers and another 
  mysterious ingredient, if cooked in 
  this pan, will make a memorable 
  repast (raising the Strength die of the 
  eater permanently by one step, but 
  only once in his life). The problem 
  is that no one remembers what the 
  unknown ingredient is. 
  9. 
  Sootcrow’s Bones. This pair of old, 
  battered, bone dice, made to play 
  Fissure (see page 94), periodically 
  appears in the major ports of the 
  Dominions. They must be haunted 
  by something, because the owner 
  receives the Luck Edge (or the 
  Improved version if he already has 
  the base Edge), plus +4 to Gambling 
  rolls, whenever he plays Fissure. 
  There is only one exception: if for 
  any reason the owner ends up rolling 
  a double Death he wins the pot, but 
  he will die within a moon. Rules-
  wise this event happens the first time 
  the player aces on the Gambling die 
  and the Fissure die is 12. This curse 
  dates back to the origin of the dice, 
  which, if the legends are true, were 
  made with the bones of an ancient 
  Cairnlander pirate, Sootcrow. The 
  same legend tells that the only way to 
  escape the curse is returning the dice 
  to their rightful owner, but nobody 
  knows where his tomb (and legendary 
  treasure) are, even if stories say that 
  the key to find the resting place “lies 
  in the dice themselves”, whatever 
  that might mean. Sootcrow’s Bones 
  are well known, especially at the 
  Cove, and any pirate or mariner can 
  remember this story with a Common 
  Knowledge (-2) roll.
  10. Jitaasa. The origin of this apparently 
  harmless Finger Monkey are lost 
  in the mist of times. Stories say 
  she was trapped centuries ago in 
  a Keronian ruin, and managed to 
  leave only thanks to the dark gods. 
  Other tales say she was the pet and 
  familiar of a powerful sorcerer of the 
  Finger Islands. Jitaasa is a very smart 
  monkey (Smarts d8, human) even if 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  122
  she conceals it well. She is surprising 
  skilled, and, even if she cannot speak, 
  she is able to write and communicate 
  in various manners. When she is 
  found, she knows d4 Smarts based 
  Skills (included Knowledge skills) of 
  various types at levels ranging from 
  d6 to d12. Simply roll a d4+1 for Skill, 
  and consider the number as the dice 
  step: so two means d6, three means 
  d8 and so on. Jiitaasa is much more 
  than she appears. She is a vampire 
  of souls. Once per week, she must 
  feed, usually on freshly dead or dying 
  persons. She must simply touch the 
  corpse and start sucking away. When 
  she feeds, she instantly gains part 
  of the knowledge of the dead one 
  (acquires another Skill, up to one per 
  maximum value of her Smarts, so 8).  
  If there are no dead around, Jitaasa 
  tries feeding on a sleeping person. In 
  this case, she and the victim make 
  an opposed Spirit roll (the victim 
  rolling at -2). If the victim loses, 
  he wakes up with a level of Smarts 
  permanently lost and the monkey 
  gains a Skill. A victim rolling a 1 
  on the Smarts die or reduced to less 
  than Smarts d4 dies in his sleep. The 
  only way to recover the lost dice is 
  by killing the monkey (no easy task). 
  If Jitaasa cannot feed every week, she 
  loses one of her stolen Skills. After 
  this, she takes a level of Fatigue per 
  week, until she enters into a state of 
  suspended animation which can last 
  for centuries.
  11. Jiang Goo Vaa. Also called “the 
  Widow’s Ship.” Over the years, 
  this old junk has passed through 
  a number of hands: Lhobanese 
  merchants, Ekulian smugglers, even 
  Pirates of the City of Leaves. In some 
  way it has always managed to pass 
  untouched through all these dangers. 
  In game terms, the ship is considered 
  a Wild Card, has three Bennies and 
  receives +2 to Soak rolls. The Bennies 
  can be used for crew rolls directly 
  linked to the ship’s safety, and to 
  force opponents to reroll successful 
  dice against the junk (choosing the 
  worst result). The reason for this 
  mysterious immunity is that it is 
  actually haunted: during its maiden 
  voyage, the ship was assaulted by 
  pirates and all the crew slaughtered, 
  except Yet Mao, the young wife of the 
  captain, who, to avoid being captured 
  by the pirates, committed suicide by 
  planting a sword in her chest, cursing 
  the pirates’ souls. Scared, the pirates 
  fled, abandoning the vessel, which 
  was found drifting, weeks later, by a 
  family of pearl divers. In game terms, 
  the ship is Haunted (see page 98), 
  but in a really serious way. During the 
  anniversary of the very night when 
  Yet Mao died, her spirit and those of 
  the mariners walk free in the ship. In 
  particular, Yet Mao tries to possess a 
  young woman aboard (if there isn’t 
  any, the youngest male), and repeat 
  her suicide of centuries ago.
  12. Ho Jan’s Dragon. This ancient war 
  machine, if you pay heed to stories, 
  was once fitted on the Green Dragon, 
  the terrible ship of Ho Jan (see 
  page 23). Made entirely of bronze, 
  it is very heavy (it requires a crew 
  of four), and resembles a crouching 
  Lhobanese dragon, with its mouth 
  open. The machine is filled with 
  exotic Lotus concoctions, which it 
  spouts in the form of liquid fire! In 
  game terms, it can be used in two 
  ways: either to launch balls of fire 
  at a distance (consider this the blast 
  Power, with range 40/80/160) or to 
  spout fire at close range (consider 
  this the burst Power). Both attacks 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  123
  are considered Heavy Weapons, and 
  can set fire to targets (+1 to the set 
  fire roll). The device requires a skilled 
  Lotusmaster to create its ammo, 
  who uses his Power Points to feed 
  it (in game terms, he prepares the 
  concoctions). If the Lotusmaster has 
  the Yellow Mask Edge, every Power 
  Point spent counts double (so he can 
  create a burst for only one Power 
  Point). The maximum number of 
  Power Points that can be spent at any 
  one time on ammo is 20. This device 
  is very tricky, and is fired using either 
  Lotusmastery or Shooting (-2). If the 
  skill die roll is a 1 or less, regardless 
  of the Wild Die, something went 
  horribly wrong, the area in a LBT 
  around the Dragon is filled by a 
  cloud of fire, dealing 3d6 damage 
  (Heavy Weapon, +1 to rolls to set 
  fire), and all the ammo is destroyed. 
  The Dragon itself is immune to fire.
  Treasure Maps
  One of the most iconic elements of a 
  pirate game is obviously treasure maps. 
  These are very interesting items, because 
  they provide, apart from a good reward, a 
  great source of adventures and plots. With 
  a good treasure map handy, the party can 
  play literally for weeks. In this chapter we 
  will detail how to use a treasure map to 
  create an adventure on the fly; consider 
  this a specific version of the Adventure 
  Generator found in GE.
  You can integrate a map into your 
  adventure simply by drawing an additional 
  card, or using one of the already drawn 
  cards (we suggest the Reward card) as the 
  map card, or finally you can only draw 
  cards for the map and create a whole 
  adventure around it.
  In game terms, the card suit provides 
  ideas about the nature of the map, while 
  the value adds a Twist to the story around 
  it, usually giving details on the nature of 
  the treasure or of what will happen during 
  the quest for it. If you want, you can draw 
  more cards for the Twist (but we suggest 
  no more than three in all) and apply all of 
  them. If you re-draw a card with the same 
  value, it simply reinforces the Twist (for 
  example, a Dangerous Position becomes a 
  very Dangerous Position and so on).
  As always, generators are only guidelines 
  to help spark your imagination, don’t feel 
  constrained by the results of the cards.
  gm’s TIP: aCTual maPs 
  The rules found in this book don’t require 
  you to have a real treasure map. You 
  can simply describe the map to the 
  players, but it is obviously much more 
  intriguing having a real map, a prop to 
  hand the players. You can find dozens 
  of them on the internet, and, with some 
  customization, you can include clues and 
  red herrings of various types, which the 
  players must discover…
  The Map
  The first element to determine is the 
  physical appearance of the map, because, 
  as you can imagine, the term “map” 
  can be stretched a little. This is done by 
  considering the suit of the card drawn. 
  Clubs – Split Parts. The map, which 
  is probably a piece of parchment or is 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  124
  inscribed on an object or something 
  similar, is actually divided into several 
  parts. One of them is in the hands of the 
  heroes, the others must be located and 
  acquired, honestly or by guile; this is left 
  to the party. Even finding the locations 
  and owners of the other parts of the map 
  can be an adventure on its own.
  Diamonds – Hidden. The map is actually 
  hidden and its real purpose isn’t obvious. 
  For example, a map can be sewn inside 
  a cloak, or hidden in the hollow hilt of 
  a sword, or written in a particular ink 
  which is visible only in certain conditions. 
  Understanding and finding the map can 
  be casual, or linked to a particular event; 
  maybe the heroes don’t know that the 
  worthless piece of glass they found, if 
  placed in front of a candle, projects onto 
  the wall a map to the treasure of the 
  famous sorcerer Zaror Var; but the evil 
  cultists chasing the party surely do... 
  Hearts – Key. The map is more than it 
  appears, it is also the key to unlock the 
  place or container where the treasure is 
  kept. The key can be the map itself (for 
  example if the directions to the loot are 
  carved on an ancient Keronian amulet, the 
  same amulet can be the key to safely open 
  the room where the treasure is kept), or 
  it can be a secondary object, for example 
  an actual key, to be used to unlock the 
  treasure room.
  Spades – Riddle. The map isn’t a physical 
  object (or, even if it is, the material 
  component of the object isn’t the important 
  part of it); it is more an enigma of some 
  sort, for example a mysterious song where 
  every line indicates a place (and smaller 
  parts of the same locations: for example, a 
  specific sea, a specific island, a specific tree 
  on that island), or, if it is a real map, it is 
  written in a code that must be broken. If 
  you have some time, you should make the 
  riddle something the players must solve 
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  125
  with their wits, rather than the heroes 
  figuring it out with a lucky die roll (even if 
  the characters’ Traits can give them some 
  hints). 
  Joker – Magical or Special! The map is 
  something really out of ordinary. Maybe 
  it isn’t a real object, but something totally 
  different, such as a recurring dream one 
  of the heroes has, a madman speaking 
  gibberish (and among the lunatic words 
  are hidden the clues to the treasure), or 
  a sort of magical compass, giving you 
  directions based on the place you are now 
  (and it isn’t certain it will lead you along 
  the shortest path). Wherever it is, draw 
  another card for the Twist (see below).
  The Twist
  Deuce – Fake! There is something really 
  bad about this treasure or the map itself. 
  Probably at least one of the two are fakes, 
  made to mislead the heroes. Is this a plot 
  by the party’s enemies? Or simply the last 
  jest by a pirate dead many centuries ago? 
  Whatever the truth, nothing good will 
  come from this treasure hunt, in the end, 
  except maybe being a little wiser in future.
  Three – Competitor. The heroes aren’t 
  the only ones looking for the treasure. 
  Some other party (maybe more than 
  one) is looking for it and they could be a 
  real threat to the outcome of the search. 
  Competitors 
  aren’t 
  always 
  fanatical 
  enemies (although they can be); in 
  certain cases, you can parley or resolve the 
  question in peaceful ways. Other times, 
  competitors are only there to die horribly 
  in the traps protecting the treasure.
  Four – Dangerous Position/Guard. The 
  treasure is hidden in some very dangerous 
  or heavily guarded place, for example, in a 
  cavern within a volcano (it wouldn’t decide 
  to erupt right now, would it?), or maybe 
  the old sorcerous book the heroes are 
  looking for has been hidden, for a number 
  of centuries, under the sixth tile in the 
  bedroom of the Empress of Faberterra.
  Five – Moved/Already Found! When 
  the heroes reach the treasure’s location, 
  they discover someone has already been 
  here, and moved the loot! It might have 
  happened only moments before (for 
  example if the party has some pesky 
  competitors), or a long time ago. For 
  example, the golden statue hidden in the 
  Forbidden Temple was discovered long 
  ago by a tribe of Cannibals, and now it is 
  in their village. Obviously, the Cannibals 
  worship it as a god, offering it human 
  sacrifices.
  Six – Guardian. The treasure is protected 
  by a powerful guardian of some sort. He 
  is the real threat of the scenario. It can 
  be a nasty surprise the heroes uncover 
  only when it is too late (for example 
  the whole crew of dead pirates, lying in 
  the ship where the treasure is, suddenly 
  arise when the party tries to carry off the 
  strongbox with the loot), or something of 
  which they are well aware, and for which 
  they must find a solution before trying 
  to recover the treasure. For example, the 
  map the heroes have can clearly state 
  the Hand of Tovarash is protected by 
  the Three-Named Guardian, a powerful, 
  almost invulnerable demon, which can 
  be defeated only by saying his three 
  names aloud. Finding them could be an 
  important part of the scenario (and the 
  party need not necessarily discover the 
  right ones...).
  Seven – Forced Cooperation. “Cold 
  nights make strange bedfellows,” the 
  saying goes, and this is just the case. To 
  find and retrieve the treasure the heroes 
  must cooperate with someone they 
  really despise: maybe only Gazul Ra, 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  126
  the Caldeian sorcerer who is the party’s 
  arch-nemesis, knows the second part of 
  the incantation to open the door of the 
  Tomb of Whispering Mysteries, while the 
  heroes know the first one. If they want to 
  get to the fabulous Wand of Caldaios, the 
  two groups must cooperate, but will the 
  wicked magician keep his word?
  Eight – Element Required. Having the 
  map isn’t enough to reach the treasure. 
  Some other element is necessary. It could 
  be an object (like a key), an event (you 
  can recognize the plant under which the 
  treasure is buried only when it blossoms, 
  because all the other plants have white 
  flowers, while the right tree has red ones), 
  or even a person (only someone with 
  Goatfoot’s blood in his veins can open 
  his cursed chest without being killed, and 
  the only one you know is that dumbass 
  tavern wench who recently enlisted with 
  the Amazons…). Finding (and keeping) 
  the required element is a key part of the 
  scenario.
  Nine – Race Against Time! For one 
  reason or another, time is a crucial element 
  in the treasure hunt. Maybe the heroes 
  aren’t looking for the treasure of their own 
  will, but an evil Lotusmaster poisoned 
  them with a slow toxin, which gives them 
  exactly three days to live, unless they take 
  the antidote. Or maybe the island where 
  Verado’s treasure is buried is in the middle 
  of a maelstrom, which pauses for only two 
  days per year. Whatever the reason, the 
  party must hurry! 
  Ten – Trapped! Traps are the main 
  element of this treasure hunt, in the loosest 
  meaning of the term. Maybe the loot is 
  protected by a very dangerous device (for 
  example, it is coated with a nasty Lotus 
  concoction which causes hallucinations), 
  or the treasure is a trap itself (the last trick 
  of a very evil pirate), or perhaps during 
  the search, the heroes will fall into a very 
  dangerous ambush of some type.
  Jack – Forbidden! The treasure itself 
  is something that should not fall into 
  human hands, for a number of reasons. 
  Maybe it is cursed, or, rather than being a 
  real treasure, it is the prison of a powerful 
  supernatural being, like a demon. In this 
  case finding it is only the prologue to a 
  challenging scenario where the group 
  must get rid of the evil thing they set free!
  Queen – Betrayer! Lust and greed are 
  among the strongest feelings of mankind, 
  as are resentment and vengeance. And 
  probably these are the causes of the 
  betrayal the heroes will suffer during the 
  treasure hunt! Maybe a friend, driven by 
  greed or forced to do so in some manner, 
  sells them out to their enemies, or their 
  guide locks them in the burial room with 
  the mummies (after escaping with the 
  treasure, of course), or it might also be a 
  party member who unwittingly betrays 
  his friend, for example by accepting the 
  strange lucky coin that Virtanja the Seer 
  gave him, which allows the evil witch to 
  follow the party with her nasty minions.
  King – Treasure Hunt. The heroes have 
  to do a lot of legwork to get the treasure, 
  like a scavenger hunt. The map they have 
  could be only the first step of a series 
  of hints, leading them in the end to the 
  location of the treasure. We suggest not 
  overdoing the number of steps (no more 
  than four or five), so that the players don’t 
  get frustrated with the hunt. If you keep 
  the number reasonable, and the hints very 
  different (for example, a map, a riddle, a 
  person knowing useful information), it 
  can be a really fun adventure!
  Joker – It’s More Complicated Than 
  it Looks! Draw two other cards and try 
  combine the results.
  
   Running a Pirate Game
  127
  Putting it All Together 
  –The Eagle of the Tenth 
  Phalanx
  Here follows an example of an adventure 
  created from a Map, using two cards.
  The first one drawn is the Queen of 
  Diamonds, while the second one is the 
  Six of Clubs.
  The first card determinates the nature of 
  the map, which is “hidden”, plus a Twist, 
  the Traitor. While the Six tells the GM 
  there is a powerful Guardian around 
  the treasure.
  It won’t be an easy story for the party.
  The GM decides that the old battered 
  Phalanx helm Shangor got as a free 
  replacement for one he lost in the 
  last adventure is more than it seems. 
  Some nights later, in Hillias, while 
  the barbarian is in the company of his 
  current lover, the courtesan Vezzala, he 
  is attacked by a band of off-duty guards, 
  led by Vezzala’s previous lover, Sergeant 
  Tilkar, who isn’t at all happy Shangor is 
  her new paramour.
  The barbarian breaks a couple of bones 
  and the dogs flee, but one of them gives 
  him a good cudgel blow on the head, 
  breaking his helm in two as a parting 
  gift.
  To his surprise, Shangor discovers that 
  under the padding, there is an engraving 
  on the metal of the helm, with a map 
  scratched on it! Vezzala, peering over 
  his head, notices a symbol on the map, 
  that of the legendary Tenth Phalanx, 
  which was lost at sea, with the loot of the 
  Red Desert Campaign. The map shows 
  an area of coast, around Keron, and an 
  island...
  The heroes set off for the mysterious 
  place, taking with them Vezzala, who 
  doesn’t want to leave her lover. On 
  the island, apart from an old, wrecked 
  Imperial ship, they find an ancient 
  Keronian temple, where the bones of the 
  old legionaries lie, guarding a number 
  of old strongboxes with the seal of the 
  Tenth Phalanx. 
  At this point Vezzala is revealed as a 
  Traitor: she made signals (using mirrors 
  and lanterns) from the heroes’ ship to 
  help Tilkar and his men follow the 
  party. The plan is simple: she plans to 
  steal the treasure, from both the party 
  and that fool Tilkar. 
  Tilkar’s men outnumber the heroes, but, 
  when they touch the treasure crates, 
  the dead Phalanx soldiers return from 
  death, to kill the thieves! 
  Escaping and sealing the doors of 
  the temple is the only way out of this 
  situation, but Vezzala, driven by greed, 
  stays behind to plunder some gold, and 
  is taken by the undead. The heroes must 
  decide whether to risk their lives to save 
  her, or entomb the treacherous courtesan 
  with the undead guardians. Whatever 
  their choice, they’ll end the adventure 
  with only their skins – and the ship 
  Tilkar’s men used to follow the party, of 
  course.  
  
  128
  Sails and Blood
  This chapter expands the rules for sea 
  battles. These rules are totally optional, 
  and you can use some or all of them to 
  make your combats more exciting.
  Typically, a sea battle follows these phases: 
  spotting, getting closer, volleys, and close 
  combat. 
  Each phase can be handled with one of 
  two systems, depending on the needs of the 
  game: tactical tabletop or the mass battles 
  rules.
  The two systems are interlocked, so you can 
  decide to run an entire battle in the same 
  way or, for example, the first part of the 
  battle with the mass battle rules (spotting, 
  getting closer) and the second part with 
  tabletop rules (volleys, close combat). 
   Each phase is described below, and some 
  suggestions are given for each of them to 
  help introduce particular elements, like 
  the lookouts falling asleep, setting fire to 
  the sails and so on.
  Before starting, you’ll find the following 
  notes useful.
  Helmsman and Captain: Whoever is 
  steering the ship is the “helmsman”, while 
  the man in command of the vessel, giving 
  orders to mariners, the helmsman and so 
  on is the “captain”. In theory he can be 
  the same person (and often is), but if he 
  pilots the ship and gives orders, he suffers a 
  multi-action penalty. By default, if he isn't 
  a player character or a described NPC, the 
  helmsman is part of the Crew (so he uses 
  their average Boating skill).
  Action Cards: The ship moves during the 
  helmsman’s turn (if there is no specified 
  helmsman, you can deal the ship a single 
  card representing the whole crew). Unlike 
  the standard mass battles rules, every ship 
  involved in the battle is dealt a card, which 
  
   Sails and Blood
  129
  is useful in both the Getting Closer phase 
  and the Close Combat phase.
  Sea Battles: While having the Knowledge 
  (Battle) skill is always handy, sea battles 
  depend mainly on the Boating skill of the 
  captain. In such cases, you can use Boating 
  in place of Knowledge (Battle).
  Sea Battle Rounds: Given the nature of 
  the sea, the duration of a sea battle tends 
  to be long. When the ships are very far 
  away, each round can be long hours, 
  quickly becoming dozens of minutes 
  when the ships are close enough to use 
  ranged attacks, then going down to 
  standard tabletop combat rounds when 
  the ships are locked together for boarding. 
  For ease of use, in the following rules we 
  always use the term “round”, but the GM 
  is free to give them a different duration, in 
  game time, as he sees fit.
  BaTTle value? 
  The Battle Value (BV) is a new stat 
  introduced in TB, to handle the absolute 
  strength of armies in an abstract way, 
  summarized below.
  It can also be used to calculate the combat 
  efficiency of ships.
  During mass battles you calculate the 
  number of Battle Tokens of two armies 
  using Battle Values in this way:
  1) The army with the higher Battle Value 
  receives 10 Battle Tokens
  2) The army with the lower Battle 
  Value receives a number of Tokens equal 
  to (10xLowest Battle Value)/Highest 
  Battle Value. The result is rounded down.
  3) Losses influence Battle Value in the 
  same way. If for example an army lost 
  one Battle Token out of six, its Battle 
  Value is reduced by 1/6.
  Ship Damage and Morale
  The Critical Hits table for vehicles in 
  Savage Worlds is very generic, so, for ships 
  only, you’ll find an alternate version of the 
  table below, to be used in the same way as 
  the standard one.
  Ship Damage and Mass Battles. The mass 
  battles system of Savage Worlds is abstract, 
  but in a naval conflict it is important to 
  understand, at least roughly, if the damage 
  suffered was to men or to the vessel. In 
  game terms this can be done in an easy 
  way. When Battle Tokens are assigned, at 
  the beginning of a battle, use two different 
  colors, so you can differentiate Ship 
  Tokens from Crew Tokens. You receive 
  half of them for each type, rounding as 
  you wish. When losing Battle Tokens, the 
  defender decides which kind of Token 
  (Crew or Ship) is lost first during a round, 
  while all further Tokens lost in the same 
  round are decided by the attacker. 
  If, at any time, one side has lost all its 
  Ship Tokens, the vessel is wrecked and 
  starts to sink (see above). If at any time 
  one side has lost all its Crew Tokens, the 
  crew is wiped out and the defending ship 
  is captured.
  At the end of the battle, recover Battle 
  Tokens as normal, for Ship Tokens this 
  means the damage can be quickly patched 
  up by the crew, while for Crew Tokens 
  is simply means sailors are healed and 
  retrieved from their hiding places in the 
  bilges.
  Any unrecovered Ship Token damage is 
  considered a “Wound” to be repaired as 
  normal.
  Morale and Sea Battles. On land, armies 
  can rout and flee from harm but in the 
  vast emptiness of the sea, there is nowhere 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  130
  to escape. Morale rolls must only be made 
  when a Crew Token is lost (+2 for the 
  Cannot Retreat modifier). On a failure 
  the crew surrenders, while with a 1 or 
  less some of the sailors, panicked, jump 
  overboard (another Crew Token is lost, 
  and cannot be recovered in any way after 
  the battle).
  Example. The Blood Bride, commanded by 
  Captain Zandorra (Boating d8, Spirit d8, 
  Wild Die) is battling the dreaded Wild Boar, 
  a Syranthian war galley (Boating d8, Spirit 
  d6). Odds are in favor of the Syranthians 
  who have 10 Battle Tokens (5 Ship and 5 
  Crew), while Zandorra’s ship only has 8 (4 
  Ship and 4 Crew).
  Neither ship is armed with war machines or 
  archers, so the battle is resolved by boarding 
  (see below). In the first round of Mass Battle 
  the Syranthians roll 8 vs. 5 from Zandorra, 
  winning with a success. Having lost a single 
  Token, Zandorra decides to lose one Ship 
  Token. The second round Zandorra rolls 
  a mighty 14 vs. 4 from the Syranthians, 
  winning with 2 raises. The Syranthian 
  captain chooses to lose one Crew Token, and 
  Zandorra decide to inflict another 2 Crew 
  Tokens of damage! The Syranthians also roll 
  on morale, but a 5, -3 for casualties taken, 
  +2 for Cannot Retreat modifier, is enough to 
  pass.
  During the third round, the roll is similar; 
  Zandorra rolls 10, while the Syranthians, 
  disheartened, only 2. Three more Tokens of 
  damage are assigned; the Syranthian captain 
  chooses to lose a Ship Token, but Zandorra 
  uses the other two to totally wipe out the 
  Crew Tokens of the Syranthians. Having 
  no remaining Crew, the Syranthian ship is 
  conquered and Zandorra’s seadogs can pillage 
  it! After the fumes of victory wear off, the 
  pirates verify the damage to the Blood Bride, 
  rolling 2 for the Ship Token (lost). The Blood 
  Bride suffered some damage, which will need 
  to be patched up...
  Ships Critical Hits Table
  2d6 
  Effect
  2 
  Scratches and Dents: The sea 
  gods (or devils!) are looking with 
  benevolence on the vessel. There’s 
  no permanent damage.
  3 
  Locomotion: The oars or sails of 
  the ship are damaged. Halve the 
  vehicle’s Top Speed and reduce 
  the current speed by 1d6.
  4
  Helm: The helm is hit. Until a 
  Repair roll is made, the vehicle 
  can only perform turns to one 
  side (1–3 left, 4–6 right). During 
  mass battles, the ship suffers an 
  additional -1 to Boating rolls.
  5-7 
  Hull: The ship suffers a serious 
  leak in the hull, and starts taking 
  on water. A leak can be repaired, 
  by the crew, with a Repair (-2) or 
  Boating (-4) roll. With a second 
  leak, the ship starts sinking.
  8-10
  Crew: The crew is affected. If the 
  roll is odd, a player character or 
  important NPC is hit, if the roll is 
  even, 10% of the crew is affected 
  by the damage.
  11
  Weapon: A random weapon on 
  the side of the ship that was hit 
  is destroyed and may no longer 
  be used. If there is no suitable 
  weapon, this is a Crew hit instead.
  12
  Wrecked: The vehicle sinks 
  and automatically goes Out of 
  Control.
  
  131
  THe WInd 
  Landlubbers like you and me think of the 
  sea as an empty, motionless space full of 
  water. In truth, the sea is a living beast, 
  as the priests of Rakua-Thara well know, 
  and it is the wind which makes it a placid 
  lamb or a raging dragon.
  Whenever it is necessary to determinate the 
  strength and the direction of the wind at 
  sea, you can use the following rules, which 
  are presented in two versions: abstract (if 
  you are not playing on the tabletop), or 
  tabletop.
  Wind Roll (Abstract Version): The GM 
  picks two d4, of different colors (let’s call 
  them Die 1 and Die 2), throws them (the 
  rolls cannot ace), and simply subtracts Die 
  2 from Die 1 (D1-D2). The result, ranging 
  from -3 to +3, is the Wind modifier, 
  considered from the players’ perspective, 
  and affects any Boating roll where wind is 
  involved (for example during a sea battle). 
  The opponents of the heroes have the same 
  modifier, but of the opposite sign.
  Example: Captain Zandorra and her first 
  mate Shangor, aboard the Blood Bride, 
  are being chased by the Grey Doom, a 
  Tricarnian War Galley. Before the scene 
  starts, the GM makes a Wind Roll, rolling 
  3, 1 for a Wind Modifier of +2. This means 
  that the Blood Bride receives +2 to her 
  Boating rolls due to the wind, and the 
  enemy ship suffers -2. 
  Wind Roll (Tabletop Version). The GM 
  picks two d4, of different colors (let’s call 
  them Die 1 and Die 2), throws them (the 
  rolls cannot ace), and simply subtracts the 
  highest from the lowest. This is the Wind 
  Strength. At this point roll a d12 and read 
  it clockwise, giving the direction from 
  where the Wind is blowing. Ships moving 
  in the direction of the wind add the Wind 
  Modifier to their Acceleration, ships 
  moving in the opposite direction subtract 
  the Wind Modifier from their Acceleration. 
  The rules above are intended to be used only 
  when dramatically important and can be 
  skipped in minor conflicts.
  Sea Battle 
  Phases
  Spotting
  All Systems. Wise captains always have 
  a lookout posted, because being alerted to 
  enemy ships is vital, and on the Dominion’s 
  seas every ship is an enemy, unless proven 
  otherwise. Rules-wise, when two ships (or 
  crews) come into contact, the respective 
  lookouts make an opposed Boating roll 
  (use the Crew’s Boating). 
  If one of the lookouts wins the roll with 
  a raise, the winning ship decides at what 
  Distance (Short, Medium or Long) the 
  naval confrontation begins. If nobody 
  wins with a raise, the confrontation begins 
  at Medium Distance.
  Dozing Lookout. If one of the lookouts 
  rolls a 1 on the Boating roll, it means 
  something really bad happened (for 
  example the lookout fell asleep or was 
  distracted); the opposing captain gets a 
  Bennie.
   Getting Closer
  Mass Battles. Getting closer in Mass 
  Battle rules is simply handled as a Chase 
  (usually of Extended duration), using the 
  Boating skill of the captains, who can 
  benefit from a cooperative roll by the 
  Crew. The two ships are considered to 
  be at Medium Distance. Mass battles are 
  only possible if they are armed with war 
  machines (so they can throw Volleys as 
  below) until one of the two ships receives 
  a Short Range result; in this case, the two 
  ships are near enough that the crews can 
  stare each other in the eyes and can start 
  boarding (see Close Combat below).
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  132
  Escaping. The rules above are perfect if 
  both ships are trying to get in contact, but 
  when one of the ships is trying to escape 
  from the other, the situation is a little 
  different. In this case, the escaping ship 
  starts the Chase with a number of Escape 
  Tokens depending on the distance apart 
  the two ships are (see Ship Distances 
  Table). Every time the pursuing ship gets 
  a Medium Range Card or better (a face 
  card), the escaping ship can discard an 
  Escape Token to prevent being engaged 
  in Close Combat. When the escaping 
  ship runs out of Tokens, the next Short 
  Range Card dealt to the pursuer means 
  she gets into Close Combat! The escaping 
  ship can gain ground too; when dealt a 
  Short Range Card (Ace-Joker) it forfeits 
  its attack, but gains an Escape Token. 
  Note that the escaping ship must always 
  consider face cards as Medium Range, 
  otherwise they forfeit the opportunity to 
  escape.
   If the escaping ship isn’t engaged in melee 
  at the end of the Chase, she has escaped.
  Tabletop. If you want to play this phase 
  on the tabletop, we strongly suggest 
  you change the scale of the tabletop to 
  something more viable; usually 1” on the 
  tabletop equates to 5 or 10 game inches, 
  in this way you can play out a sea battle on 
  your kitchen table.
  Ships begin combat at a fixed distance, as 
  in the Starting Tabletop Distance of the 
  table below. Movement is made in the 
  standard way, but remember the influence 
  of the wind (see sidebar). 
  Oars and Sails. If a ship is fitted with 
  oars and sails, the rowers can give her an 
  extra boost. The rowers make a Boating 
  roll (minus half the Wind modifier, if 
  negative), and for each success and raise, 
  the ship gains +1 Acc for the current 
  round. If the Boating roll is a 1, the rowers 
  have a problem (they lose their rhythm, get 
  tired, or something similar) and cannot be 
  used in the current round or the next.
  Ship Distances Table
  Distance
  Escape 
  Tokens
  Starting 
  Tabletop 
  Distance
  Far
  3
  400
  Medium
  2
  200
  Close
  1
  100
  Volleys!
  Mass Battles. When at a distance, a mass 
  battle can happen only if the ship is fitted 
  with war machines or a good part of the 
  crew is armed with ranged weapons (if you 
  are playing with TB rules, it has the Sea 
  Archers Band Edge). Each war machine 
  (see Gear) has an Artillery Bonus listed, 
  simply add this to the mass battle roll. If 
  you are using TB and a ship has the War 
  Machine Edge, add another +1 to the roll 
  (in this case ignore the sentence in the 
  Edge saying it can only be used once every 
  two rounds).
  Tabletop. While the ships are at distance, 
  only ranged attacks can be made. Ships are 
  sometimes fitted with war machines (see 
  Gear), which can be used by the crew or by 
  a character. Heroes with personal ranged 
  weapons can use them, but probably only 
  when enemy vessels are quite near and to 
  kill a particular opponent (for example 
  the helmsman or the captain of the enemy 
  ship). 
  Fire Arrows! The ranged weapons of the 
  crew (and the heroes) can also be used to 
  destroy the enemy’s sails. Sails are easily set 
  afire (4-6 on the d6), but they must burn 
  for a while before any serious damage is 
  inflicted. For each flaming arrow reaching 
  
   Sails and Blood
  133
  the sails and setting them afire, put a 
  Flaming Sail Counter on the table. At the 
  beginning of each round, each Flaming 
  Counter “spawns” another one. Whenever 
  there are 12 or more Flaming Counters on 
  the table, the ship suffers a Wound (don’t 
  roll on the Ship Damage table: consider it 
  Locomotion damage).
  The crew and any player can try to 
  extinguish the fire with a Boating or an 
  Agility roll. Per success and raise, remove 
  one Flaming Sail Counter (two for the 
  crew if they are putting the fire out).
  Close Combat!
  Mass Battles. When one of the two 
  ships is dealt a Short Range card, a close 
  quarters battle can happen!
  Ramming. If one of the ships is fitted with 
  a ram, the helmsman can use his action 
  to hit the enemy’s hull! For this round 
  only, the battle roll is made including the 
  ram’s Artillery Bonus. All damage is dealt 
  to Ship Tokens. Note that ramming, if 
  successful, can be used only once, and then 
  the two ships are locked together.
  Oar Breaking. Another common sea 
  battle trick, used against ships with oars, 
  consists of flanking the enemy ships and 
  breaking their oars! In game terms, a ship 
  acting before the enemy in initiative order 
  can decide to forfeit its attack to attempt 
  this maneuver (the oar-breaking ship will 
  make a normal battle roll, but cannot 
  cause any damage). The two helmsmen 
  make a opposed Boating roll (the attacker 
  suffers -2). If the attacker wins, half the 
  oars of the enemy ship are destroyed, 
  causing -2 to all Boating rolls for the rest 
  of the battle. The maneuver can be used 
  with success only twice per ship.
  Grappling Hooks. A common technique 
  to 
  simplify 
  boarding 
  is 
  throwing 
  grappling hooks onto the opponent’s 
  deck, preventing the escape of the prey. In 
  game terms the boarder’s side forfeits the 
  boarding attempt to make a Boating (+2) 
  roll. For each success and raise it gains +1 
  to its Boating roll in the next battle round, 
  but only for boarding (see below). A 
  grappled ship has more trouble escaping 
  (see below).
  Boarding! Whenever two ships are in close 
  combat, boarding may happen. This is a 
  normal mass battle round, but you cannot 
  use war machines (except a Boarding 
  Bridge). In addition, if the Action Card 
  your side is dealt is a club, a Complication 
  of some type happens, as for Chases, 
  giving you a penalty. A boarded ship, 
  unless it was rammed, can try to disengage 
  with an opposed Boating roll between the 
  two crews, but the escaping ship rolls at 
  -2, with an additional -2 if the ship was 
  grappled with hooks.
  Tabletop. When two ships are very close, 
  they are ready to start the real fight! 
  Ramming. On the tabletop ramming is 
  handled with an opposed Boating roll 
  between the two helmsmen, who can 
  receive cooperative aid from their crews. 
  If the attacker wins, he hits the opponent’s 
  hull with the ram (see Gear for effects). 
  In addition, the two ships are now locked 
  together and boarding is possible (see 
  below). Failing a ramming maneuver 
  leaves the attacking ship in a bad position, 
  so it suffers -2 to Boating rolls till the end 
  of the battle round.
  Oar-Breaking. On tabletop the helmsman 
  of the attacking ship must win an opposed 
  Boating roll (at -2 for the attacker). In 
  the case of success half of the oars of the 
  defending ship are destroyed, consider 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  134
  this Locomotion damage. Failing an oar-
  breaking maneuver leaves the attacking 
  ship in a bad position, so it suffers -2 to 
  Boating rolls till the end of the battle 
  round.
  Grappling Hooks. Boarding hooks have 
  a range of 6/12/24, and success on the 
  Throwing roll represents both hitting 
  the opponent’s deck and embedding the 
  hook. If at least 5 hooks per Size of the 
  ship successfully hit, consider the distance 
  between the two ships (see below), reduced 
  by 1”. To quickly calculate how many 
  hooks the crew successfully throws, make 
  a group Boating roll, for each success and 
  raise 1d6 hooks successfully hit.
  Boarding! When two ships are near 
  enough (usually 3” or less on the tabletop) 
  boarding is possible. Imagine a raging 
  horde of bloodthirsty pirates jumping 
  over the bulwark, and you have a clear 
  idea of what a boarding is. Characters 
  usually need an Agility (-2) or Strength 
  roll to safely jump onto the enemy deck. 
  In the case of failure, they simply have to 
  stop after the jump, while if they roll 1 or 
  less they fall in the water (this can be more 
  deadly than being on the deck, because 
  the risk of being smashed by the two hulls 
  is real; each turn in the water the character 
  must make a Swimming (-2) roll, and if 
  he fails he suffers 3d6 damage.
  Once the two crews are locked in melee 
  a normal fight happens. To make the 
  combat spicier see the sidebar.
  Usually boarding ends when all the enemy 
  crew is slaughtered or surrenders.
  “on my Command - Board!” 
  Ship combat can be memorable. After all, there are lot of props and enemies packed close 
  together, people shouting, cursing and dying, while the ship is sinking… To make tabletop sea 
  fights more memorable, the GM can use some of the terrain and props rules described below.
  “Barrels, barrels everywhere!” Ships decks are crammed with equipment: heaps of ropes, 
  ballast, and, obviously, barrels. A typical barrel (Toughness: 6) is 1” by 1” on the tabletop, 
  while a big one is 2” by 2”, has Toughness: 7 and a Strength roll is required to move it. They 
  count as Difficult Terrain and roll very well: they can be used for Agility Tricks (+2), hitting 
  everybody in a straight line 2d6” long.  Note the position of barrels: if the ship is sinking (see 
  below), they’ll move, sweeping away everyone in their path (count as an Agility Trick made 
  at d8), crossing the whole deck. 
  
  135
  “Below decks.” Fighting below decks is difficult, due to the cramped quarters. Weapons 
  with Reach cannot be used, and sword-sized weapons suffer -2 to attack rolls. Daggers and 
  equally small weapons suffer no penalties.
  “Fighting in the Rigging!” Sometimes epic duels take place in the rigging, with the 
  fighters in precarious equilibrium. Run the fight as normal, but, if an attack successfully 
  hits (regardless of whether it beats the target’s Toughness or not), the defender is forced to 
  retreat 2”. In addition, if a 1 is rolled on an Agility-based skill (like Fighting) the character 
  falls down. An Agility roll must be made to avoid the same fate if the defender is Shaken or 
  Wounded. Spars are usually 12”-18” long on the battlefield. They are placed at the Top (3d6 
  damage in case of fall), Medium (2d6 damage), or Bottom (1d6 damage) of the mast.
  “Fire and Smoke!” One of the typical things happening during a boarding is that a fire 
  starts. The first time a Joker is dealt, it means that somewhere a fire has started. Place 1d4 
  SBT of fire, in contact with each other. At the end of each round, roll a d6. On a 5-6 the 
  fire expands, put another SBT in contact with one of the previous ones. A SBT of fire can 
  be extinguished with a Boating or Agility (-2) roll, if there is water handy. The roll can be 
  cooperative.
  “First Man on Deck!” Boarding is a dangerous business, and the crew must be encouraged 
  (and sometimes whipped) to jump on an enemy vessel looking for trouble. For this reason, 
  usually the first man landing on the enemy ship is rewarded with an extra share of the loot 
  and he immediately gains a Bennie. Not that that is enough to save his skin.
  “Swing on a Rope!” Landlubbers walk across a plank to board, but real mariners use ropes 
  to fly over the enemy’s deck. To use a rope, you must first spot one (with a Notice roll, it is 
  2d4” away from you), then you must reach it and use it (which takes a whole round), then 
  choose a point on the battlefield where you want to land. At this point make an Agility (-2) 
  roll, the Acrobat Edge applies. With a raise or better you land on the exact point you decided, 
  with a success you land nearby (d4” away in a random direction), with a failure you land, 
  but 2d6” away from the chosen spot. On a critical failure the GM can decide you remain on 
  the rope screaming, fall in the water, or something equally nasty. Note that if you bang into 
  an obstacle, you are automatically Shaken. You can also try to land directly on an enemy: you 
  suffer -2 to the Agility roll, but, with a success, you can make a free Bash attack at +2. 
   “It’s sinking!” If the vessel is sinking, it will probably move and incline dangerously. In 
  this case, anytime a character is dealt a deuce Action Card, before his action the ship inclines. 
  Every person aboard must make an Agility (-2) roll or they fall down and are moved 1d6” 
  in the direction of the inclination. If they hit a hard obstacle, they are automatically Shaken. 
  Note that if they are barrels on the deck, they’ll move too (see above).
  “Slick with blood!” From the fourth round of melee on, the planks of the deck are made 
  slippery by blood and fallen corpses.  Anytime a 1 is rolled on Agility or an Agility-based skill, 
  the character automatically slips and falls down (this doesn’t apply to the Wild Die). 
  “Turn it around!” Siege weapons, like catapults, cannot be used during boarding, but 
  ballista and scorpions, if you are desperate enough, can be moved, turned and pointed toward 
  your own deck. This requires a Strength (-2) roll, which can be cooperative. For each success 
  and raise the war machine moves by 2” or rotates by 90 degrees.
  
  136
  Monsters and Pirates
  This chapter describes some of the most 
  iconic creatures and denizens useful in a 
  sea-based campaign.
  As always, they can be customized as you 
  see fit.
  Beasts
  Blue Lady
  This creature, also known as the Chalada, 
  is one of the most dangerous beasts of 
  the Finger Islands. A giant jellyfish, big 
  as a girl, of an incredible blue hue, is a 
  marvelous sight; but also a very deadly 
  one, because its tendrils deliver a poison 
  that causes incredibly vivid hallucinations, 
  making the victim forget to breathe, and 
  so causing death. After the victim dies, 
  the Blue Lady feeds on her warm blood. 
  Stories say the Blue Lady was, in the 
  past, a pearl diver of great beauty, and 
  when chased by Finger Pigmies, preferred 
  drowning herself in the sea to being 
  captured and dragged into the dark dens 
  of the jungle dwellers.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6.
  Pace: 0; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Aquatic: Pace 6 in water.
  • 
  Languid Caress of Death: The Blue 
  Lady attacks by brushing her victims 
  with the tendrils. This is considered a 
  Touch Attack (+2 to the attack roll). 
  In the case of success the victim suffers 
  the effect of Very Fast poison Power, 
  cast with arcane skill d10. If the victim 
  survives he permanently gains +1 to 
  resist any pleasure causing poisons. 
  • 
  Supernatural Beauty: Any person 
  seeing a Chalada for the first time 
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  137
  must make a Spirit roll to avoid being 
  stricken (Shaken) by the absolute 
  marvel of her appearance.
  Monkey
  Monkeys are quite common, not only in 
  the Finger Islands, but throughout the 
  Dominions.
  Finger Monkey
  Finger Monkeys are very small beasts, 
  typical of the jungles of the Finger 
  Islands. Very smart and cunning, they live 
  on nuts, fruits and small insects, but if 
  held in captivity they show an incredible 
  passion for sweetmeats (which is the 
  customary way to train them). This race in 
  particular (others exist in different lands 
  of the Dominions) are very mechanically 
  inclined, and can become very good 
  burglars, if properly trained and fitted 
  with small size lockpicks (cost three times 
  as much as standard lockpicks and must 
  be custom made, they are a Rare Item).    
  Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d8
  Skills: Climbing d10, Fighting d6, 
  Lockpicking d6, Notice d6, Stealth d10, 
  Taunt d8, Throwing d6.
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 4
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Acrobat: +2 to Agility rolls to perform 
  acrobatic maneuvers; +1 to Parry if 
  unencumbered.
  • 
  Demi-human Intelligence: Finger 
  Monkeys are smart, very smart, and 
  Sages debate if their mind qualifies as 
  “human”. In truth, nobody knows, but 
  these beasts, when trained, can show 
  incredible understanding in some 
  cases. Rules-wise, they can be given 
  the same complexity of orders as a dog 
  without any problem. If ordered to do 
  something more complex (for example: 
  “sneak in the house, open the big cage 
  and loot it”), both the Monkey and the 
  owner must make a Smarts roll (with a 
  penalty decided by the GM). In the case 
  of success the beast understands the 
  command (but that doesn’t necessarily 
  mean she will carry it out).
  • 
  Mechanically 
  Inclined: 
  Finger 
  Monkeys are fascinated by locks and 
  can be trained to pick them, gaining 
  +2 to Lockpicking rolls.
  • 
  Size –2: Finger Monkeys are very 
  small.
  • 
  Small: Attackers subtract 2 from their 
  attack rolls.
  Strangler Monkey
  These reddish monkeys, similar to 
  baboons in their posture and faces, have 
  very large hands, and a really bad temper. 
  Omnivorous but with a predilection for 
  meat, they aren’t shy about attacking men, 
  strangling them.    
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d6
  Skills: Climbing 
  d8, Fighting 
  d8, 
  Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6.
  Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
  • 
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Bad Attitude: 
  This 
  creature 
  is 
  extremely prone to rages. If, in the 
  previous round, it was Shaken, it 
  receives +1 to all rolls.
  • 
  Natural Grappler: The typical attack 
  of a Strangler Monkey consists of 
  grappling its opponent’s neck with its 
  oversized hands. The beast receives +2 
  to all grappling rolls.
  Moa
  A giant bird, incapable of flight, but with 
  a very powerful beak and strong legs with 
  talons. Usually peaceful, this beast can 
  become very dangerous if its eggs are 
  menaced. They exist in a number of hues 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  138
  and stripes. Those of the Islands of the 
  Maimed Ones are slightly bigger than 
  those of the Finger Islands.   
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d6.
  Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Beak: Str+d6, AP 2.
  • 
  Fleet-Footed: Moas are excellent 
  runners, they roll d8 instead of d6 as 
  running dice.
  • 
  Talons: Str+d4. The Moa can make 
  two attacks with its talons per round 
  without any multi-action penalty.
  Plague Dragon
  You can tell one of these nightmarish 
  creatures is near only by one thing: the 
  awful smell.
  Enormous, fat, lizards, Plague Dragons 
  are big as cows, in certain cases even 
  bigger. Their violet skin is covered in 
  putrid wounds, seeping with yellowish 
  pus. Their mouths, large as an oven, are 
  drooling with venomous saliva, which 
  they produce continuously.
  Nobody knows the real origin of these 
  beasts. Sages of Syranthia think they 
  came from the Islands of the Maimed 
  Ones, where they are quite common, but 
  nowadays some examples can be found in 
  the Finger Islands.  
  Despite permanently festering, these 
  beasts are almost immune to everything, 
  and act as disease carriers.
  In addition, if the stories are true, they 
  have a very long, almost infinite, life span, 
  and continue to grow throughout their 
  existence, until they are killed in some 
  way, or die of hunger. 
   Lazy and quite stupid, their favorite 
  hunting technique consists of biting their 
  prey (they are carnivorous), and letting it 
  escape. The victim will die of septicemia 
  in few hours, and the Plague Dragon, 
  following the scent trail, will find it and 
  devour the diseased corpse.
  Pigmies and Finger tribesmen alike fear 
  Plague Dragons, and call them with the 
  same name: Guragaluka, meaning “poisoner 
  of water”. In fact, one of these beasts can 
  easily kill an entire village if decides to drink 
  from a spring or stream from which the 
  people collect water, polluting it.
  The following profile refers to a medium 
  size specimen.  
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6.
  Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 13 (2)
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Armor +2: Thick, festering, skin.
  • 
  Bite: Str+d4.
  • 
  Large: Attackers add 2 to their attacks 
  to hit this beast, given its size.
  • 
  Plague Carrier: This creature is a 
  walking contagion-spreader, bearing a 
  terrible malady. Any character in contact 
  with it (see below), must roll Vigor to 
  avoid contracting a Short Term, Lethal 
  disease. Depending on the nature of 
  the contact, the roll suffers a modifier: 
  (-4) for a successful bite or for eating 
  or drinking a substance in contact with 
  the monster, (-2) for skin contact, which 
  happens when rolling 1 on the Fighting 
  die during a melee, or without penalty 
  for skin contact with an object or person 
  brushed by the monster.
  • 
  Size +4: Plague Dragons are very big, 
  larger than cows.
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  139
  THe TraITor’s Tongue
  The tongue of a Plague Dragon is the 
  source of its infections. Since the creature 
  has a very slow metabolism, its tongue 
  continues to produce infectious liquid 
  for at least a week after being severed 
  from the monster. If properly prepared 
  with special alchemical treatments (a 
  Lotusmastery (-2) roll and 500 Moons of 
  components are required), it can continue 
  to live permanently, in the form of the 
  deadly artifact called the Traitor’s Tongue, 
  which must be kept in a tightly-sealed pot.
  This spongy piece of meat produces three 
  doses of toxin every day, which can be 
  collected with a Lotusmastery roll and a 
  day’s work. In addition, if used to touch 
  someone, the tongue has the same effect 
  as skin contact (see the Plague Carrier 
  ability of the monster). Note that 
  handling this item is very dangerous, 
  and if the wielder rolls a 1 on the skill 
  die, regardless of the Wild Die, he gets 
  the illness himself.
  A Traitor’s Tongue can net as much as 
  5000 Moons for the right customers. 
  Given the nature of the persons 
  interested in such an item, they’ll 
  probably kill you to get it. 
  Sand Digger
  This dog-sized, scarab-like insect has long 
  legs and powerful jaws. Carnivorous, it 
  infests a number of shores of the Finger 
  Islands. Its favorite hunting technique 
  consists of hiding under the 
  sand, and jumping up at prey 
  from below, catching them 
  flat-footed.   
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Stealth d8
  Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Armor +1: Shimmering shell.
  • 
  Bite: Str+d4.
  • 
  Size -1: Sand Diggers are more or less 
  the size of dogs.
  • 
  Underground 
  Ambusher: 
  Sand 
  Diggers have a limited form of 
  burrow. They can conceal themselves 
  under the sand, to spring up at their 
  enemies. If the beast wins an opposed 
  roll of Stealth against the victim’s 
  Notice, it also gets The Drop.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  140
  lanTern dIgger
  This particular sub-race of sand diggers 
  dwells only underground and in dark 
  places. They have a bulbous gland at 
  the end of the body, which emanates a 
  gloomy luminesce (consider it a light 
  source in a MBT). The gland continues to 
  work for 2d4 days after the death of the 
  critter and can be safely removed with a 
  Survival roll.
  If used in a Lotus potion with a light 
  trapping, it doubles the duration, or 
  gives +2 to opposed rolls.
  A Lantern Digger gland is worth 
  around 50 Moons to Lotusmasters, but 
  only if still active.
  Sharks
  Among the most dangerous predators of 
  the seas, sharks are the constant nightmare 
  of fishermen, mariners and pirates 
  alike. They are a good way to dispose of 
  unwanted stowaways, too. Sharks are holy 
  beasts to Rakua, and fishermen always 
  pray to the god after killing one of them.
  White Devil
  A large, dangerous shark found mainly in 
  the Dread Sea and the Endless Ocean, 
  the White Devil is a silent hunter, which 
  attacks prey with deadly accuracy. The 
  bigger specimens are also known to have 
  attacked small boats.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A), 
  Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d10
  Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d10, Stealth 
  d10, Swimming d10
  Pace: —; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Aquatic: Pace 10.
  • 
  Bite: Str+d8.
  • 
  Silent Killer: White Devils are very 
  quiet. If they win an opposed Stealth 
  roll, they automatically gain The Drop 
  on their opponent.
  • 
  Size +3: White Devils can grow up to 
  16’ in length.
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  141
  Hero’s Journal: 
  PrayIng for sHarks
  There are stories that priests of Rakua 
  can command sharks. This cannot be 
  entirely true, but, in some cases, it has 
  happened. A character with the Priest 
  Edge, who is a follower of Rakua, can 
  try to call for sharks, but only if he has 
  murderous intent in his soul. In game 
  terms, the priest must pray and make at 
  least one of these Preparations: spend a 
  Bennie, cut himself and spill his blood 
  in the sea (causing an un-Soakable 
  Wound), or sacrifice a living being in 
  the water.  At this point he performs 
  a Dramatic Task based on Spirit (-2), 
  +2 per additional Preparation beyond 
  the first. If the Dramatic Task is 
  successful, the sharks (at least as many 
  as the priest’s Spirit die type) will come 
  in 2d4x10 minutes (the roll can ace). 
  Note that the sharks are hungry, very 
  hungry, and are not under the control 
  of the priest.
  If the priest obtains three or more 
  failures in the Dramatic Task, Rakua 
  is displeased, and this counts as having 
  failed the Spirit roll for the Priest Edge.
  Rakka Fish
  This sub-species of sharks is very peculiar. 
  Not very long, only three feet, it has a 
  somewhat broader build than other sharks, 
  but it is covered by a series of long, sharp, 
  poisoned fins, which make it somewhat 
  similar to a cross-breed between a shark 
  and a puffer fish. Rakka Fishes always 
  hunt in packs of three: two males, and a 
  somewhat larger female (Size +1), which 
  is the pack leader.
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
  Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8, 
  Swimming d8
  Pace: —; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Aquatic: Pace 8.
  • 
  Armor +1: Very thick hide and fins.
  • 
  Bite: Str+d6.
  • 
  Poisonous Fins: Str+d4. The skin 
  of a Rakka Fish is covered in short, 
  poisonous fins, which the beast uses 
  to cut its prey. This can be done 
  intentionally, with the fish passing 
  near the victim and winning an 
  opposed Swimming roll (+2 for the 
  fish). Otherwise, while in melee, if the 
  opponent scores a 1 on the Fighting 
  die, regardless of the Wild Die, he 
  is automatically hit by the fins. The 
  poison isn’t very strong, but is very 
  persistent, and any character Shaken 
  or Wounded by the fins must make a 
  Vigor roll or suffer a level of Fatigue 
  (multiple levels can lead to death).
  • 
  Size -1: Rakka Fishes are somewhat 
  smaller than a human.
  Monsters
   Sea Monster
  This generic profile represents a Sea 
  Monster, a gargantuan being dwelling 
  in the depths. They are all different 
  and the GM is strongly encouraged to 
  tweak it according to his needs, using 
  the Legendary Sea Monsters sidebar as 
  guideline.  
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A), 
  Spirit d8, Strength d12+10, Vigor d12
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  142
  Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6.
  Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 22 (4)
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Aquatic: Pace 16 in water.
  • 
  Armor +4: Scaly skin.
  • 
  Bite: Str+d8.
  • 
  Fear (-2): Sea Monsters awake 
  atavistic terror in men, requiring a 
  Fear Check. 
  • 
  Gargantuan: 
  Sea 
  Monsters 
  are 
  enormous. Attackers add +4 to their 
  attacks to hit these beasts. Given 
  their size, the monsters’ attacks are 
  considered Heavy Weapons, and they 
  add their Size to Strength rolls.
  • 
  Hardy: The Sea Monster does not 
  suffer a Wound from a second Shaken 
  result.
  • 
  Monstrous Impact: A Sea Monster 
  uses all its mass to crush large objects 
  (like ships or the walls of a city for 
  those capable of leaving water). In 
  game terms, they make a Strength roll, 
  opposed by the target’s Boating (if 
  applicable). On a success the victim is 
  crushed for 4d6 damage.
  • 
  Size +10: Sea Monsters are enormous, 
  as large as ships at least.
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  143
  legendary sea monsTers
  Below are some of the most famous Sea Monsters of the Dominions, for use in your 
  adventures or as examples for your own.
  That-Which-Devours. This enormous creature, infesting the sea around the Islands 
  of the Maimed Ones ,is a mass of diseased flesh, corrupted by the taint of the Islands. 
  Originally, it was probably a whale. If the stories are true, it guards the path to the lost 
  city of Vanaua. It seldom appears, preferring to sleep in the depths, but when it does, it 
  never calms down until a young virgin woman is sacrificed to its unholy appetite.
  Tweaks: That-Which-Devours is so big it can easily capsize (see page 111) ships, simply 
  by winning an opposed Strength roll against the crew’s Boating.
  Talaska. There are no confirmed sightings of this creature, except the stories told by the 
  Cannibals of the Islands around campfires. Talaska is the personification of the sea’s 
  hunger, and has the shape of an enormous shark. Stories say it can be seen by night from 
  far away, because its open mouth emanates a faint light, emitted by the souls of the 
  devoured trapped inside it. Talaska is said to attack only by night, and only when it is 
  dead calm.
  Tweaks: Talaska swims very fast (Pace: 24) and its mouth causes Str+d10, AP 6 
  damage. It doesn’t have the Monstrous Impact Special Ability.
  The Kraken. If the legends are true, an enormous, black octopus dwells in the middle of 
  the Drowned King Sea, a servant of the King himself. It sleeps all the time, until someone 
  displeases its lord. In this case it starts sucking in water, creating an enormous maelstrom, 
  which is called the Kraken’s Mouth (see page 111). Note this is an unconfirmed legend, 
  because so far, nobody has survived the Kraken’s Mouth to confirm it.
  Tweaks: The Kraken is surrounded by a Maelstrom (see page 111). In addition, it has 
  twelve long tentacles (Reach 12, Parry 5, Toughness: 12 (3), Damage: Str+d4) which it 
  can use, in place of the Monstrous Impact Special Ability, to grab things. If they hit with 
  a raise, they grab the victim (who is usually carried away).
  Zalka-Dhun. This word is a strange mix of Lhobanese and Ekulian, probably because 
  the home of this ancient creature is the north-eastern coast of the Brown Sea, from 
  Ekul to Lhobanport. Literally “Warrior of the Depths”, this creature is a giant crab, 
  dwelling not far away from the coast. The legend says Zalka was the chosen bodyguard 
  of King Azamaros of Ekul, who was tasked to guard the enormous treasure of his lord, a 
  notorious miser. One day, King Azamaros found a single coin missing, and condemned 
  Zalka to die, throwing him into the sea in full armor. But the sea spirits took the valiant 
  warrior and transformed Zalka into the enormous creature he is now. The legend 
  says that, years after, Azamaros was overthrown by his own people and took ship to 
  Lhoban where he was attacked by Zalka-Dhun himself. The ship was destroyed, and the 
  enormous treasure of the King was taken to an underground grotto, guarded again by 
  Zalka-Dhun. Nobody knows what happened to the King.  
  Tweaks: Zalka-Dhun is armed with two powerful pincers (Str+d10, AP 4), and 
  his shell is so thick he has Heavy Armor. The only weak points are the eyes (-4 to hit, 
  Toughness: 12). He cannot use the Monstrous Impact Special Ability.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  144
   Black Shadow
  This fearful creature is probably the result 
  of unnatural crossbreeding between apes 
  and demons that the Keronians attempted 
  millennia ago. Somewhat after the Dread 
  Star’s fall, some of these beasts managed 
  to escape their cages, and found shelter 
  in the Finger Islands. A big, long-fanged 
  ape, this creature has fur the color of the 
  night, and, despite its bulk, it can move 
  surprisingly well. A natural-born predator, 
  the yellowish light shimmering in its eyes 
  denotes an intelligence far superior to that 
  of a beast. Be warned, don’t let your eyes 
  be caught by its stare, otherwise you will 
  be lost in the depths of the beast’s soul, 
  while it tears at your body.
  Black Shadows, having demon blood, are 
  sometimes summoned by sorcerers; they 
  are considered Heroic creatures, but given 
  their nature, the caster suffers -2 to the 
  Sorcery roll.    
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d10
  Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d10, 
  Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Stealth d10.
  Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Draining Bite: Str+d4. The Black 
  Shadow is fitted with long, partially 
  retractable teeth. As well as attacking 
  with them in melee (with -2), it can 
  use them to drain the blood from a 
  dead victim. This requires at least three 
  minutes. After this, the Black Shadow 
  can make a Natural Healing roll, or if 
  fully healed, it can gain one die step in 
  Strength or Vigor (up to d12+2) for a 
  full day.
  • 
  Fear: Black Shadows make your skin 
  crawl, requiring a Fear check the first 
  time you see one of them.
  • 
  Fists: Str+d4.
  • 
  Hypnotic Gaze: The eyes of this beast 
  can enthrall the minds of persons. As 
  an action, it can make an opposed 
  Spirit roll with someone who can see 
  its eyes (usually 6” on the battlefield). 
  On a success, the victim is Shaken.
  • 
  Shadow-Black Fur: The fur of this 
  creature is peculiar, with the capability 
  of absorbing light. It receives +2 to all 
  Stealth rolls made in darkness.
  • 
  Size +3: A Black Shadow is very large, 
  even if silent as death itself.
  Drowned One
  Every day, lots of people die at sea: 
  mariners, fishermen, even the occasional 
  suicide. The greater part of these 
  unfortunate souls find peace in the cold 
  arms of the sea, but others return, in the 
  form of awful undead creatures, craving 
  for the warm flesh of the living.
  Drowned Sailor
  The typical dead at sea, this monster is 
  usually part of the crew of ghost ships (if 
  you believe they really exist).
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit 
  d4, Strength d8, Vigor d6
  Skills: Boating d6, Fighting d6, Notice 
  d6, Swimming d6.
  Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
  Gear: Tarnished bronze sword (Str+d6)
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Aquatic: Drowned Sailors move with 
  uncanny skill in water.
  • 
  Claws: Str+d4.
  • 
  Undead: 
  +2 
  Toughness; 
  +2 
  to 
  recovering 
  from 
  being 
  Shaken; 
  immune to poison, disease, called 
  shots and, obviously, drowning.
  • 
  Wall Walker: The slimy hands of a 
  Drowned Sailor stick very well to solid 
  surfaces, they can climb even very 
  steep walls without any need to roll.
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  145
  • 
  Weakness (Head): Crushing the 
  severed head of the Drowned Sailor 
  (Toughness 3) immediately kills it, 
  reducing it to a heap of rotting flesh.
   Drowned Captain
  The captain of a ghost ship, an unfortunate 
  soul eternally linked to his vessel and his 
  crew.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10
  Skills: 
  Boating 
  d8, 
  Fighting 
  d8, 
  Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Swimming 
  d6.
  Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9
  Gear: Tarnished sword (Str+d8), tatters 
  of light armor (+1), rotten eyepatch
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Burning Eye of Terror: The archetypal 
  Drowned Captain wears a rotten 
  eyepatch, with something disgusting 
  living in the eye socket. A stare from 
  this monstrosity counts as both having 
  The Eyepatch and the Improved 
  Impressive Aura Edges.
  • 
  Claws: Str+d4.
  • 
  Dark Gifts of the Depths: Drowned 
  Captains have supernatural abilities 
  conferred on them by the dark powers 
  that call them back from the grave. 
  They can use the following Powers: 
  fear (terrible howl), havoc (summon 
  storm), summon ally (swarm of crabs, 
  shark, Drowned Sailor). They have 20 
  Power Points and use Spirit as their 
  arcane skill.
  • 
  Invulnerability: You can Shake a 
  Drowned Captain, but nothing short 
  of magic or his Weakness will kill him.
  • 
  One with the Ship: The Drowned 
  Captain is intimately linked to his 
  ship. Killing him usually destroys the 
  ship, and, in the same way, destroying 
  the ship lays the captain to rest.
  • 
  • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to 
  recovering 
  from 
  being 
  Shaken; 
  immune to poison, disease, called 
  shots and, obviously, drowning.
  • 
  Weakness 
  (varies): 
  Drowned 
  Captains are tormented souls, and to 
  lay them to rest, something special 
  must be done: they must be killed with 
  a special weapon, or their treasure must 
  be restored to their burial place, or 
  they must be given a particular object 
  or person. The GM should design the 
  Weakness of every Drowned Captain 
  individually.
   Sea Wailer
  If you have to stay on deck by night, old 
  Cairnlander mariners say, bring with you 
  some seaweed and a pinch of salt, to put in 
  your ears if you stumble on a Sea Wailer. 
  These wretched souls, almost always 
  women, are restless spirits who died at 
  sea, and return to haunt the living and 
  drive them mad with their hopeless wails. 
  Stories say that only women who commit 
  suicide at sea come back in this way, but 
  this doesn’t seem to be true.
  Sea Wailers are considered Legendary 
  creatures for the purposes of the summon 
  ally Power.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d12+2, 
  Notice d6.
  Pace: 6; Parry: -; Toughness: 5
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Cold Fingers of Death: Sea Wailers 
  ignore any type of non-magical armor.
  • 
  Ethereal: Sea Wailers can be harmed 
  only by magic or magical weapons.
  • 
  Hopeless Wail: Sea Wailers are full 
  of an unimaginable sorrow; they 
  express it with a terrible wail, which 
  can be heard within Spirit x 10” on the 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  146
  battlefield. Beasts hearing it simply 
  make a Fear check (-4), in the case 
  of failure they flee. Humans, instead, 
  must make a Spirit roll, opposed by the 
  Intimidation of the Wailer. For each 
  success and raise by the Wailer, they 
  suffer a level of Fatigue, which can 
  lead to permanent madness (consider 
  the hero as good as dead). Stuffing the 
  ears with seaweed grants +2 to the roll, 
  adding salt grants another +2. These 
  protections are known by any sailor 
  of the Drowned King Sea and any 
  character succeeding at a Knowledge 
  (Legends and Lore) roll. 
  • 
  Restless Spirit: Sea Wailers, even 
  if killed by magic, return after 2d6 
  days. The only way to get rid of them 
  permanently is by exploiting their 
  weakness (see below).
  • 
  Weakness (Reason for Unrest): Sea 
  Wailers remain in our world because 
  there is something unresolved in their 
  lives; they may seek retribution from 
  those who killed them, a truth exposed, 
  or simply want their mortal remains to 
  be found and properly buried. Finding 
  and resolving the problem frees them. 
  The character doing so should be 
  rewarded with a special Bennie, the 
  Unrest Bennie, which is conserved 
  between sessions until spent (when it 
  expires); this works as usual, but also 
  grants +2 to any roll against undead.
  Denizens of 
  the Sea
  Corsairs of Caldeia
  Corsairs, the freebooters reporting to 
  the King of Caldeia, are the terror of the 
  pirates of the Cove, even if they are often 
  as rapacious as their counterparts. Despite 
  their sinister fame, Corsairs are skilled 
  sailors and warriors.
  Corsair
  A soldier-mariner serving Caldeia. Many 
  of them are former pirates themselves, 
  adventurers by vocation.
  Customization: Artillerist (Smarts d8, 
  Shooting d8, add +2 to attack rolls with 
  war machines), Swordsman (Fighting 
  d10, Taunt d8, add the Block and 
  Counterattack Edges), Shield Bearer 
  (replace Weapons with Medium Shield 
  and Spear and Corsair Fencer with Block).
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: 
  Boating 
  d8, 
  Fighting 
  d8, 
  Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6, 
  Taunt d6, Throwing d6.
  Charisma: +1; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; 
  Toughness: 6(1)
  Edges: Combat Reflexes, Corsair Fencer.
  Hindrances: Some of them have the 
  Code of Honor (Corsairs – see sidebar).
  Gear: Corsair bronze sword (Str+d8), 
  bronze dagger (Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12), 
  light corsair armor (+1).
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Hunter of Pirates: When fighting 
  pirates, Corsairs receive +1 to damage 
  rolls.
  • 
  Officer: Corsairs are very organized. 
  One of them in every twelve is an 
  officer, with Fighting and Intimidation 
  one die step higher and the Command 
  Edge.
   Corsair Captain
  The Commander of a Corsair ship, he 
  must be both a good soldier and an 
  excellent sailor. Corsair Captains respond 
  to Lord Karvas directly (see page 23).
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  147
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
  Skills: 
  Boating 
  d8, 
  Fighting 
  d10, 
  Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Shooting d8, 
  Taunt d8, Throwing d6.
  Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 9; 
  Toughness: 8(2)
  Edges: Block, Charismatic, Counterat-
  tack, Combat Reflexes, Corsair Fencer, 
  Command, Hold the Line!
  Hindrances: Some of them have the 
  Code of Honor (Corsairs’) – see sidebar.
  Gear: Corsair bronze sword (Str+d8), 
  bronze dagger (Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12), 
  medium corsair armor (+2).
  Special Abilities
  Hunter of Pirates: When fighting pirates, 
  Corsairs receive +1 to damage rolls.
  an exTravaganT Way of lIfe
  Corsairs are very organized at war, but 
  in truth, there is more than a roguish 
  touch to them. Easy to inflame and 
  tremendous enemies of pirates, many of 
  them exhibit a certain courtesy toward 
  women and are fair fighters. Below are 
  summarized the tenets of the Corsairs’ 
  Code of Honor that some of them (not 
  all) follow:
   †Always respect your given word.
   †A friend of my friend is my friend.
   †Respect your opponent, so long as he 
  respects you.
   †Treat ladies with fairness.
   †My loyalty is to my Captain, his Lord 
  and my Lady, in that order.
  Daimao
  These massive thugs, grown abnormally 
  big due to the Lotus they consume, 
  are, with the Yellow Masks, the main 
  force supporting the Sea Tyrant of the 
  City of Leaves. Don’t be fooled by their 
  appearance: they can be very fast and 
  deadly.
  Customization: Bodyguard (can use the 
  Fanatics setting rule toward his principal), 
  Butterfly Lord (Fighting d10, replace gear 
  with a pair of Butterfly Swords, add the 
  Two Fisted and Ambidexterity Edges), 
  Crusher (Fighting d10, add the Martial 
  Artist, Brawler and Bruiser Edges, replace 
  gear with seashells necklace (count as iron 
  fists)), Smuggler (Streetwise d8, Contacts 
  (any two)), Torturer (Intimidation d10, 
  Persuasion d8). 
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8
  Skills:  Boating d4, Climbing d4, Fighting 
  d8, Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Stealth 
  d6, Streetwise d6.
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 6; 
  Toughness: 8
  Edges: Brawny, Loincloth Hero, Quick.
  Hindrances: Obese.
  Gear: Spear (Str+d6, 2 hands, +1 Parry, 
  Reach 1), dagger (Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12) .
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Mountain of Flesh: A Daimao is 
  big and fat, over the normal human 
  standards, but there are iron muscles 
  under that layer of fat. He has both the 
  Brawny and Obese Hindrances.
  • 
  Turtle Shell Tattoo: Daimaos are 
  often covered in tattoos, representing 
  their skill and rank in the organization. 
  In particular, many of them sports 
  a turtle shell tattoo on an arm, this 
  conferring +1 to Intimidation rolls.
  
  fInger PIgmIes TrIBes 
  Pigmies of the Finger Islands are slightly different, physically, from their Lush Jungle 
  counterparts: they are slightly taller and their skin is a shade grayer. 
  Their customs have evolved somewhat from ways of the jungle, in some cases returning 
  to the old ways of Keron.
  Rules-wise, you can use the same profiles as in GE.
  Here follow descriptions of some of the most infamous Pigmy tribes of the Finger 
  Islands, including their traditional Warrior Masks. These are only a selection: surely 
  other clans exist in the archipelago, and the GM is encouraged to devise his own.
  gHosT skulls
  The members of this clan paint their entire body with a white, chalk-like powder which 
  gives them the appearance of small ghosts. Actually, this powder is made from bones they 
  find in tombs and old ruins, and the pigmies think it makes them invulnerable. 
  The Ghost Skulls try to capture their victims alive to perform a perverse ritual: first 
  they carve the teeth of the prisoners with arcane symbols, then they throw them in the 
  Pit of Whispers, a cursed place full of echoes. After a week, the victim is retrieved, totally 
  changed in mind and body, and becomes a Bone Slave: a pale, ghoulish abomination, 
  fond of human flesh, totally subjugated to the will of the tribal shamans (use the Twisted 
  Servants profile adding the Undead Special Ability).
  Warrior Mask: Takuchuk (Death Who Walks). Hardy Special Ability and Combat 
  Reflexes Edge. Fighting d10 and Strength d10. Gear: black wood war club.
  umBa Baga
  This clan of pigmies is very small, with only a few dozen of members. Probably they 
  were originally a caste in a larger tribe, but today they form a separate clan. Umba Baga 
  means more or less “hex man” in their language and they are very unnerving: dressed 
  in smelly robes made of un-treated skins, they are terrible sorcerers, capable of killing 
  and maiming enemies with the power of their curses, feared even by other clans. They 
  dwell in ancient temples, preferably underground, where they perform unholy rites to 
  their strange deities. The Umba Baga are all males, and they kidnap women of every 
  race for breeding purposes, or buy slaves from pirates and other evildoers. The offspring 
  are all Pigmies and the unfortunate mothers are never seen again. The Umba Baga have 
  a slightly different custom regarding masks: all of them wear one (because their faces 
  are often misshapen and deformed), but they are only a pale imitation of their unique 
  Warrior Mask: Utula of the Six Eyes (see below).
  Umba Baga have no Warriors, only acolytes. The acolytes use the same profile as the 
  Pigmy Painted Shaman from GE but they only have 2 Powers, 10 Power Points, don’t 
  have the Woodsman Edge and are Extras.
  Warrior Mask: Utula (Six-Eyed Demon). Use the Pigmy Painted Shaman as the 
  base template, adding Low Light Vision and Ritual of Binding Edge. Sorcery d10, 
  Knowledge (Arcana) d10. Gear: horned staff (Str+d4, +1 Parry, 2 hands, counts as a 
  Sorcerer’s Staff, grants AP 2 to damage-dealing Powers). 
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  149
  Marine
  Marines are the typical soldiers employed 
  by the navies of all the civilized Dominions, 
  especially Faberterra, Syranthia, Kyros and 
  the Independent Cities. Of average skill 
  and training but with good equipment, 
  they are usually enough to turn pirates 
  aside.
  Customization: 
  Gis 
  Ship 
  Slinger 
  (Shooting d8, add the Trained Thrower 
  (Sling) Edge, replace Weapons with 
  War Sling and Bronze Short Sword); 
  Lhobanport Wool Dog (Fighting and 
  Strength d8, replace Gear with Wool 
  Pike and medium armor, they have 
  the Loyal Hindrance and the Combat 
  Reflexes Edge); Faberterran Talattomo 
  (Fighting d8, all his weapons are of 
  iron, add javelin to Gear); Independent 
  Cities Archer (Shooting d8, add Bow to 
  Gear); Syranthian Sea Spear (Fighting 
  d8, replace Gear with spear and medium 
  armor); 
  Tricarnian 
  Blue 
  Guardian 
  (Strength d8, Fighting d8, Spirit d4, 
  replace gear with Caste Sword (Str+d8, 
  -1 Parry) and medium shield, head shaved 
  and dyed blue to stop him escaping). 
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
  Skills:  Boating d4, Climbing d4, Fighting 
  d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting 
  d6, Throwing d6.
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; 
  Toughness: 6(1)
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: None.
  Gear:  Bronze sword (Str+d8) and medium 
  shield (+1 Parry, +2 Toughness vs. ranged 
  attacks) or spear (Str+d6, Range:3/6/12, 
  +1 Parry, Reach 1, 2 hands), light leather 
  armor (+1), bronze helm (+2, only head).
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Fight in Ranks: Marines aren’t as 
  well-trained as phalanxes, obviously, 
  but know how to fight on a ship, in 
  cramped quarters. If they are adjacent 
  to 
  another 
  Marine 
  and 
  within 
  Command Radius of an Officer, they 
  gain +1 to Fighting rolls.
  • 
  Officer: Marines are usually well-
  organized, one in every ten is an 
  Officer, with Fighting d8 and the 
  Command Edge.
  Mariner
  The typical sailors of the Dominions can 
  be represented with this profile.
  Sailor 
  A typical member of a ship’s crew, found 
  everywhere in the Dominions.
  Note on Weapons: Usually, Sailors aren’t 
  armed with real weapons aboard ship 
  (except those listed in the profile), but 
  the ship’s armory is equipped with short 
  swords, axes and bows.
  Customization: Big Sailor (add the 
  Brawny Edge and Intimidation d8), 
  Deckhand (Young Hindrance, remove 
  Intimidation), 
  Helmsman 
  (add 
  the 
  Quartermaster Edge and Boating d8), 
  Lookout (Notice d8), Old Sea Wolf 
  (Boating d8, add the Sea Wolf Edge), 
  Slave Sailor (if Tricarnian: Strength d8, 
  Smarts d4, no Gear, otherwise like Sailor).
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: 
  Boating 
  d6, 
  Fighting 
  d6, 
  Intimidation d4, Notice d4, Shooting d4, 
  Throwing d4.
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; 
  Toughness: 5
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: None.
  Gear: Bronze dagger (Str+d4, Range: 
  3/6/12) or bronze hook (Str+d4, AP 1).
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  150
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Man at the Helm: Only for the 
  Helmsman. He has a single Bennie 
  which can be used only for ship-related 
  tasks (Boating rolls and soaking ship 
  wounds as per the Quartermaster 
  Edge).
  Captain
  The commander of a vessel. He must be 
  both a skilled sailor and a commander of 
  men.
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: 
  Boating 
  d8, 
  Fighting 
  d8, 
  Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, 
  Shooting d4, Streetwise d6, Throwing d4.
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; 
  Toughness: 6(1)
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: None.
  Gear: Bronze sword (Str+d8), bronze 
  dagger (Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12), light 
  leather armor (+1).
  Special Abilities
  • 
   “It’s My Ship!”: Aboard his vessel 
  only, the Captain has the Command 
  Edge and Command Radius 10”, but 
  only toward his own crew.
  Yellow Mask
  One of the Lotusmasters serving the 
  mysterious Sea Tyrant of the City of 
  Leaves, this man (or woman) is never seen 
  without his wooden mask. He is a scholar, 
  a bureaucrat and, occasionally, a spy and 
  an assassin.
  Customization: Bag Master of the 
  Tyrant (Persuasion d10, Streetwise d10, 
  Contacts (any three), replace the blast 
  Power with the poison Power, he is a Wild 
  Card), Justice of the Tyrant (Agility and 
  Fighting d8, add the Acrobat and Thief 
  Edges, replace the barrier Power with 
  the invisibility (Gray Lotus of Masking) 
  Power), Naval Artillerist (Boating d8, 
  Shooting d8, add the Command Edge, 
  he gains +2 to attack rolls with war 
  machines).
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
  Skills: 
  Fighting 
  d6, 
  Healing 
  d6, 
  Intimidation d8, Knowledge (Arcana) d8, 
  Lotusmastery d8, Notice d6, Persuasion 
  d6, Stealth d4, Throwing d6.
  Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; 
  Toughness: 5
  Edges: Arcane Background (Lotusmas-
  tery), Lotus Reserve, New Power, Power 
  Points, Yellow Mask.
  Hindrances: Loyal.
  Powers [15 PP]: barrier (Purple Lotus 
  of Fiery Fire), blast (Leaves Dragon’s 
  Breath), burst (Justice of the Sea Tyrant).
  Gear: Dagger (Str+d4), Lotusmaster’s 
  bag, healer’s kit, 5 doses of Refined Lotus, 
  yellow mask (+2).
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Well-Stocked: 
  A 
  non-player 
  Lotusmaster generally has more time 
  to study than a wandering adventurer. 
  For this reason, he can use the Lotus 
  Reserve Edge twice per session.
  Skull Raider
  A member of the dreaded pirates of the 
  Drowned King Sea, answering only to 
  Broken Sail. With some tweaks, you can 
  use this profile for generic pirates of the 
  northern seas.
   Hull Breaker
  A zealous warrior, tasked to sink enemy 
  ships. Many of them are also fervent 
  followers of the Drowned King.
  Customization: Mad Berserker (Fighting 
  and Strength d12, add the Berserk Edge 
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  151
  and the Loincloth Hero Edges, remove 
  all armor except the skull helm), Priest of 
  the Drowned King (Smarts d6, Spirit d10, 
  Knowledge (Religion) d8, add the Priest 
  Edge).
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
  Skills:  Boating d8, Climbing d8, Fighting 
  d10, Knowledge (Battle) d4, Intimidation 
  d10, Notice d6, Repair d6, Stealth d6, 
  Throwing d8.
  Charisma: +0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; 
  Toughness: 8
  Edges: Brawny, Hull Breaker, No Mercy, 
  Sweep, Trademark Weapon (crow’s beak).
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Delusion (I will 
  be rewarded by the Drowned King – 
  major).
  Gear:  Stone crow’s beak (Str+d10, 
  AP 2, 2 hands, -1 Parry, -1 to Fighting 
  rolls,), medium bone armor (+2), skull 
  helm (+2,+2 to Intimidation rolls, -1 to 
  Notice roll), bow (Damage: 2d6, Range: 
  12/24/48).
   Skull Raider Captain
  A skilled mariner and sea reaver, he 
  chose to follow Broken Sail to increase 
  his personal power, and, why not, to find 
  a place in the hall of the Drowned King 
  after a glorious death in battle.
  Customization: Bow Master (Shooting 
  d10, add the Trained Thrower and 
  Marksman Edges), Lord of the Beast 
  (add the Beastmaster Edge, he has a 
  Bear companion), Reborn from the Sea 
  (Intimidation d10, add the Improved 
  Nerves of Steel and Reborn from Waters 
  Edges).
  Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit 
  d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
  Skills:  Boating d8, Climbing d6, Fighting 
  d8, Knowledge (Battle) d6, Intimidation 
  d8, Notice d6, Riding d4, Shooting d8, 
  Stealth d6, Throwing d8.
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 
  6; 
  Parry: 
  8; 
  Toughness: 7(1)
  Edges: Block, Command, Sea Wolf, 
  Dodge, Hold the Line!
  Hindrances: Arrogant, Delusion (will be 
  rewarded by the Drowned King – major), 
  Greedy.
  Gear:  Bronze long axe (Str+d8), medium 
  bone armor (+2), medium shield (+1 Parry, 
  +2 Toughness vs. ranged attacks), skull 
  helm (+2, +2 to Intimidation rolls, -1 to 
  Notice roll), bow (Damage: 2d6, Range: 
  12/24/48).
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Lord of the Skull: If he is present 
  on the scene, the Terror of the Seas 
  Special Ability of the Skull Raider 
  Warriors works even better, causing -2 
  to the Fear Check.
  Skull Raider Warrior
  A sea reaver, at the service of Broken Sail. 
  The same profile can represent a typical 
  pirate of the northern seas. 
  Customization: 
  Crazed 
  Helmsman 
  (Boating d10, add Quartermaster and 
  Luck Edges, add Delusion (Occasional 
  Hallucinations) Hindrance, he is a 
  Wildcard), Fanatical Boarder (add Frenzy 
  and Berserk Edges, replace weapon with 
  bone greataxe), Grizzled One-Eyed Pirate 
  (Smarts d6, Boating d8 add One Eye and 
  Weather Wound Hindrances). 
  Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit 
  d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
  Skills:  Boating d6, Climbing d4, Fighting 
  d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting 
  d6, Stealth d4, Survival d4, Throwing d6.
  Charisma: 0; Pace: 
  6; 
  Parry: 
  7; 
  Toughness: 6(1)
  Edges: Brute.
  Hindrances: Delusion (will be rewarded 
  by the Drowned King – major).
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  152
  Gear:  Bronze battle axe (Str+d8), medium 
  shield (+1 Parry, +2 Toughness vs. ranged 
  attacks), bow (Damage: 2d6, Range: 
  12/24/48), light leather armor (+1), skull 
  helm (+2, +2 to Intimidation rolls, -1 to 
  Notice roll), severed head (Str+d4, Range: 
  4/8/16).
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Terror of the Seas: Seeing a group of 
  five or more charging Skull Raiders 
  is a frightening sight, which requires 
  a Fear check the first time it happens.
  Ships
  In this part of the bestiary, you’ll find 
  several ship’s profiles, crews included, 
  to use for your piratical enterprises and 
  sea battles. As the Dominions are a 
  place where no mass production exists, 
  remember they are only guidelines, and 
  individual ships could vary a lot from the 
  standards described below. 
  As it is impossible to detail every member 
  of the crew, they are described as a single 
  entity with three parameters. 
  Crew X+Y: X indicates the minimum 
  number of persons necessary to man it, 
  and Y the additional persons (passengers, 
  troops, extra sailors) the vessel can 
  transport. 
  Crew Level: Indicates the average 
  Boating skill of the sailors aboard (see 
  page 96), 
  Crew Composition: This gives you 
  a rough percentage of what character 
  profiles (found in this book and in GE) 
  make up the crew. If no percentage is 
  given, it means there is a single character 
  of this type in the crew.
  Personalities: The typical personalities 
  found aboard. Personalities in italics are 
  found in TB, the plain text ones in this 
  book. You can ignore these if not using the 
  Band rules.
  Edges and Hindrances: These refer to 
  the optional Band Edges and Hindrances. 
  Entries in italics are found in TB, the 
  plain text ones in this book. You can 
  ignore these if not using the Band rules.
  Support Tokens: An abstract unit of 
  wealth, introduced in TB, which gives you 
  an idea of the cargo present in a ship (and 
  how much of it you need to support your 
  ship, if you are playing with Bands rules). 
  In normal monetary terms, a Support 
  Token is roughly worth 2000 Moons.
  Amazon Hawk Ship
  The typical ship of Ascaia, this slender and 
  fast vessel represents the best seafaring 
  craft in the Dominions. Manned by a 
  crew of experienced warrior-sailors, an 
  Amazon Hawk Ship is feared by everyone, 
  even the mighty Tricarnian Triremes. The 
  War Hawks (see Customization below) 
  are the capital ships, and usually there 
  aren’t more than three or four in the whole 
  Ascaian fleet.
  Customization: Scout Ship (Acc/TS: 
  4/20, Toughness: 12(2), Crew: 10+10, 
  No Armaments, BV: 200), War Hawk 
  (Acc/TS: 2/14, Crew: 20+60, Ship Size 
  Large, Captain’s Knowledge (Battle) d10, 
  add a Catapult and two Hulian’s Gifts to 
  Armaments, BV: 600).  
  Acc/TS: 2/16 Toughness: 15(4) Crew: 
  10+50 Crew Level: d8 BV: 400
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain’s Skills: Boating d10, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d8, Spirit d8
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  153
  Personalities: Lieutenant, Shipwright, 
  Specialist Leader (Archers).
  Edges: Archers, Rowers.
  Hindrances: Exclusive, Costly.
  Armaments: Ballista (x2), Ram.
  Crew Composition: Amazon Mariner 
  (75%), Amazon Sea Archer (25%, add 
  the Amazon Sea Archer to the Amazon 
  Mariner profile), Hawk Ship Captain.
  Notes: Amazon Sails, Heavy Armor, 
  Reduced Draft, Rowers.
  Special Abilities
  • 
   Daughters of the Sea: Amazons 
  rarely marry, but the crews of a Hawk 
  Ship are said to be married to the sea. 
  They receive the Wild Die on Boating 
  rolls, or, if they already have it, raise it 
  by one die step.
  • 
  Pride of Ascaia: The crews of Hawk 
  Ships are conscious of being the best 
  of Ascaia, the last shield defending 
  their country’s independence from 
  male power. They receive +2 to all 
  Spirit rolls, including morale rolls in 
  sea battles.
  Cairnlander Knarr
  A Cairnlander vessel, fitted with rows and 
  a single mast, used for both war and trade.
  Customization: 
  Trading 
  Ship 
  (Toughness: 14 (2), all the crew is 
  composed of Sailors, no personality aboard 
  but it carries 1d4+1 Support Tokens, BV: 
  180), Skull Raider Ship (all the crew is 
  made of Skull Raider Warriors, and they 
  are led by a Skull Raider Captain, with 
  Boating d8 and Spirit d8, BV: 250).  
  Acc/TS: 2/12 Toughness: 13(2) Crew: 
  15+45 Crew Level: d6 BV: 200
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain Skills: Boating d6, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d4, Spirit d6
  Personalities: Drummer or Hull Breaker.
  Edges: Rowers.
  Hindrances: Superstitious, Undisciplined.
  Armaments: None.
  Crew Composition: Cairnlander Warrior 
  (50%), Sailor (50%), Captain.
  Notes: Rowers, Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Figurehead of Doom: The figurehead 
  of a Cairnlander Knarr is made of 
  bones, and often sailors put oil lamps 
  inside it before an attack, so it seems 
  to shimmer with an unholy light. 
  While the figurehead is intact, the 
  crew receives +1 to Boating and Battle 
  rolls (in mass battles only), while on 
  the tabletop, consider the Figurehead 
  as having the Command and Hold 
  the Line! Edges and a Command 
  Radius of 15”. The Figurehead has 
  Toughness 6 (2) on the tabletop or 
  can be destroyed, in mass battles, by 
  accepting a -2 to the Battle roll (in 
  the case of success any lost Token is 
  a Ship Token and the Figurehead is 
  automatically destroyed). Whenever 
  the Figurehead is destroyed, the 
  Cairnlanders suffer -1 to all rolls till 
  the captain or another character with 
  the Command Edge manages to 
  rally them (with a Persuasion (-2) or 
  Intimidation (-2) roll).
  Corsair Ship
  A slender and fast war ship of the Corsairs 
  of Caldeia. It is a vessel made for war, not 
  for trade.
  Customization: Bait Ship (this ship 
  resembles a merchant vessel to lure pirates, 
  but the hull is filled with soldiers, Acc/
  TS: 2/10, no Armaments, Crew: 10+60, 
  if boarded, the first round of boarding a 
  Bait Ship receive +4 to battle rolls due 
  surprise), Scout Ship (Acc/TS: 3/12, 
  Toughness: 12 (3), Crew: 10+20, BV: 200, 
  replace Armaments with Ballista).  
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  154
  Acc/TS: 2/12 Toughness: 14(3) Crew: 
  15+50 Crew Level: d8 BV: 300
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain Skills: Boating d8, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d6, Spirit d8
  Personalities: Lieutenant or Specialist 
  Leader (Boarders).
  Edges: Animosity (Pirates), Mobility.
  Hindrances: Exclusive.
  Armaments: Boarding Bridge, Hulian 
  Scorpions (x2), Ram.
  Crew Composition: Corsair (100%), 
  Corsair Captain.
  Notes: Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Corsair Discipline: Corsairs are very 
  well trained and are a well-oiled war 
  machine. A Corsair ship starts with an 
  additional Bennie at the beginning of 
  each battle.
  • 
  Wall of Shields: Corsairs are mainly 
  swordsmen in close fights, but they 
  are also trained with spear and shield. 
  These are also very good to form a sort 
  of wall of shields against incoming 
  arrows. This requires the captain to 
  spend the ship Bennie. If you are using 
  the mass battle rules, they reduce the 
  Battle Tokens lost by one, if you are 
  using the tabletop rules they form 
  a line (at least 6 corsairs in contact). 
  Any corsair in contact with another 
  one doubles the effect of shields (+4 
  Toughness versus ranged attacks, +2 
  Parry, but they suffer -2 to Fighting 
  rolls). The Wall of Shields breaks, 
  during mass battles, when the ship 
  suffers an actual battle token loss 
  (counting the reduction), or on the 
  tabletop, when the line is broken in at 
  least two points.
  Ghost Ship
  There are lot of stories about Ghost Ships 
  in the Dominions (see sidebar). Are they 
  just stories born at the bottom of a Zalaska 
  barrel or there is some truth in them? 
  Nobody knows, but the profile below 
  represents such a ship and its undead crew.
  Customization: Drowned King Ship 
  (replace Drowned One and Drowned 
  Captain with Cairnlander Raider and 
  Cairnlander Warlord with the Undead 
  Special Ability and Boating d6), Tricarnian 
  Nightmare (add Catapult (x2) and Ram 
  to Armaments, replace Drowned Captain 
  with Priest Prince with Boating d8 and 
  the Undead Special Ability).
  Acc/TS: 2/10 Toughness: 16(4) Crew: 
  20+80 Crew Level: d6 BV: 400
  Ship Size: Large
  Captain Skills: Boating d6, Spirit d10.
  Personalities: Champion or Sorcerer.
  Edges: Frightening, Mindless Army.
  Hindrances: Faceless Grunts. 
  Armaments: None.
  Crew Composition: 
  Drowned 
  One 
  (100%), Drowned Captain.
  Notes: Heavy Armor, Rows, Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Vessel of Dread: This ship is animated 
  by magic, so during mass battles it 
  can make a free Soak roll (using the 
  Spirit of the captain) to reduce lost 
  Battle Tokens. On the tabletop, this 
  is represented by the Undead Special 
  Ability of the crew.
  • 
  Weakness (Ship Focus): This vessel 
  is animated by dark magic, meaning 
  that there is something aboard which 
  keeps it afloat. This can be a person 
  (like the captain of the vessel), an 
  object (for example the figurehead) or 
  even an event (until the dread ritual 
  aboard continues). When the focus 
  is destroyed the ship loses 1d4 Ship 
  Tokens per battle round during Mass 
  Battles (the Vessel of Dread Special 
  Ability doesn’t apply), while on the 
  tabletop, it sinks in 2d6 rounds.
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  155
  from THe dead Waves...
  Stories about ghost ships are widespread in the 
  Dominions, but real sightings are (luckily) very rare. A 
  GM wanting to introduce such a threat into his campaign, 
  should make a ghost ship the focus of a scenario. Below are 
  described some of the most famous ones, which can be used 
  as they are, or as inspirations for your own.
  The Dead of Ral Vaator. In a forgotten past, not far 
  away from the southern coast of Tricarnia, half way 
  between the City of Princes and Ral Hordaka, stood 
  the island of Ral Vaator, with its port of white polished 
  marble, so that it was called the City of the White Towers. 
  The Vaatorian Princes were skilled magicians and 
  excellent sailors, and there was a time when their power 
  rivaled that of Ral Hordaka. War was unavoidable, and, 
  in the end, the mighty fleet of Vaator set sail to attack the 
  Port of Night. But in Tricarnia, some battles are won 
  with weapons and others with sorcery, and the powerful 
  fleet of the White Towers never managed to reach the 
  enemy: a tidal wave of enormous size swallowed 
  it in a single, titanic bite, and destroyed Ral 
  Vaator too. Nobody knows what power 
  did such a favor to Ral Hordaka, but the 
  same day the eldest heir of the house died, 
  butchered on the altar, the sacrificial 
  knife held by his own father. From 
  that very day, sometimes black 
  clouds gather around the derelict island 
  of Ral Vaator, and then, from the black water, 
  the ships of Ral Vaator come back, heading for 
  Ral Hordaka. But theirs is a doomed trip, 
  because at the first light of day, they are 
  forced to return to the depths, never 
  managing to attack their hated enemies, 
  but destroying any vessel on their 
  route. There are stories that sorcerers 
  with the blood of Ral Vaator in 
  their veins can call upon this fleet, 
  but they are unconfirmed rumors. 
  The ships of Ral Vaator are all 
  Tricarnian War Triremes.
  The Cup of the Heroes. 
  During the coldest nights, 
  when a ship is facing 
  the snow and the winds 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  156
  of the Drowned King Sea, it can happen that the lookout spots a greenish light 
  in darkness. If this happens, turn the prow of your ship away and flee as fast as 
  you can, making full sail regardless of the risks, because the light is that of the 
  Cupbearer, the ship of the fabled Hollow Arm. A war lord of the distant past, 
  Hollow Arm was the herald of the Drowned King, the first of his fleet, and the 
  last to sink when his master angered the Ancestors. Now, during winter nights, 
  the Cupbearer emerges from the depths and hunts for other ships. Hollow Arm 
  looks for strong warriors and mariners, true heroes, to take with him into the sea, 
  so they can serve his master. When the Cupbearer sees you, it starts chasing you, 
  and won’t stop till Hollow Arm and his crew board your vessel, or you leave the 
  Drowned King Sea. Once he boards, his undead warriors kill every unworthy 
  person (i.e. Extra) aboard, while they bring the worthy ones in front of him. 
  Hollow Arm always has a wooden cup with him, filled with the wine of his 
  lord’s mansion, a salty liquid, and offers it to his prisoners. If you drink it, you 
  wake up, in the palace of the Drowned King, his slave forever, while if you 
  refuse, the soldiers will kill you and dismember your body. They’ll throw it into 
  the sea, except the head, which they hang from the bulwark.  
  There are rumors that the only way to stop Hollow Arm is to find his old spear, 
  Deathbringer, which is made from the same tree as his cup, and plant it in the 
  heart of the undead lord.
  The Hangman’s Curse. Vartano of Caldeia was a famous Corsair. His 
  ship, the Hangman, was the terror of the pirates of the Cove, and many good 
  brothers fell beneath his sword, or, even worse, were captured alive and 
  brought to Caldeia City, where they were consigned to the Priests of the 
  King and disappeared forever.
  Then, four years ago Vartano was killed, in a fair duel, it must be said, by a 
  young deckhand called Girios. He could not know he was the son of Draago, 
  one of the Captains of the Cove. From that moment on, Draago started 
  a merciless hunt on the sea, and finally, at Fate’s Cape, the point where 
  the coast of Keron leads to the Endless Ocean, Draago’s ship the Reaper, 
  helped by the Painted Lizard  (also his at that time) and his good friend 
  Arkatos, managed to engage the Hangman. It was a long and hard battle, 
  and, in the end, the Corsairs were defeated. Draago ordered his men to 
  kill all of them. All except one, Vartano, who was tied to the main mast. 
  Then the hull of the Hangman was broken, and the ship left to sink, with 
  the captain on it. Witnesses say that Vartano cursed Draago to the end, 
  and, when the cold waters of Keron closed over his head, the echoes of his 
  curses lingered long in the wind. From that day three long years have 
  passed, and there are rumors that, incredibly, the Hangman has been 
  seen again, crossing the sea, her sails tattered and with no apparent 
  crew, apart from a solitary figure standing on the deck. Nobody 
  knows what the strange ship really is or, more importantly, what the 
  mysterious helmsman wants.
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  157
  Large Merchant Ship
  A large, cumbersome and slow ship, made 
  to transport great quantities of wares. You 
  can expect rich loot from it, but also some 
  trouble from the crew. Sometimes these 
  ships travel in convoys and are escorted by 
  military ships.
  Customization: Caldeian Slaver Ship 
  (crew is 15+50, the cargo is worth +1d6 
  Support Tokens but it is all human beings, 
  replace Sailor with Pirate in Crew, BV: 
  220), Imperial Merchant Vessel (crew is 
  composed of Sailor (50%), Marine (50%), 
  replace Armaments with ballista, BV: 
  240), Syranthian Granary Ship (Acc/TS: 
  1/6, Toughness: 16 (3), Crew: 16+8, the 
  cargo is worth +1 Support Tokens but it is 
  all food and will be worthless after 1d4+1 
  weeks).  
  Acc/TS: 2/8 Toughness: 15(4) Crew: 
  8+20 Crew Level: d6 BV: 200
  Ship Size: Large
  Captain Skills: Boating d8, Spirit d6.
  Personalities: Quartermaster or Cook.
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: None.
  Armaments: Hulian Scorpion.
  Crew Composition: Marine 25%, Sailor 
  (75%), Captain.
  Notes: Rows, Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Passengers: These ships sometimes 
  carry civilians aboard, some of whom 
  could be interesting (for example, 
  worthy of a ransom). Draw two cards 
  from the Action Deck; for every face 
  card, there is an interesting personality 
  on the ship (a merchant, a noble, a 
  damsel, a priest or someone similar). 
  With a Joker, there is an entire group 
  of them. 
  • 
  Trading Vessel: This ship isn’t made 
  for war, but for trade. It rarely travels 
  empty, and you can find at least 1d6+1 
  Support Tokens of goods, valuables 
  and slaves in it.
  Medium Merchant Ship
  This vessel is the typical merchant ship 
  you can find almost anywhere in the 
  Dominions.
  Customization: Caldeian Khav ship 
  (crew is 10+20, the cargo is worth +4 
  Support Tokens, replace Sailor with 
  Pirate (Fighting d8) in Crew, BV: 180), 
  Kyrosian Merchant Vessel (crew is 
  composed of Sailor (75%), Marine (25%), 
  add Hulian Scorpion to Armaments, BV: 
  140), Syranthian Merchant Ship (Acc/
  TS: 3/12, Captain’s Boating d8).  
  Acc/TS: 2/12 Toughness: 14(3)/ Crew: 
  6+15 Crew Level: d6 BV: 100
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain Skills: Boating d6, Spirit d6.
  Personalities: None.
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: Reluctant Fighters.
  Armaments: None.
  Crew Composition: 
  Sailor 
  (100%), 
  Captain.
  Notes: Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Passengers: These ships sometimes 
  carry 
  civilians 
  aboard, 
  some 
  of 
  whom could be interesting (for 
  example,worthy of a ransom). Draw 
  a card from the Action Deck, if it is 
  a face card, there is an interesting 
  personality on the ship (a merchant, 
  a noble, a damsel, a priest or someone 
  similar). With a Joker, there is an 
  entire group of them. 
  • 
  Trading Vessel: This ship isn’t made 
  for war, but for trade. It rarely travels 
  empty, and you can find at least 1d4-
  1 (minimum 1) Support Tokens of 
  goods, valuables and slaves in it. 
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  158
  Pirate Ship
  In truth there is no such thing as a 
  “standard pirate ship”. Every pirate vessel 
  has a different story; it could be a captured 
  merchant or military vessel or one whose 
  crew rebelled, a vessel built in the Cove or 
  other piratical port, or a ship patched up 
  from some shipwreck. 
  Customization: Cannibal Ship (all the 
  crew, except the captain is composed of 
  Cannibals, they have the Frugal Edge, 
  because they are interested only in human 
  flesh, not loot, BV 250), Deserter Ship 
  (add Ram and Catapult to Armaments, 
  crew composition is 50% Sailors, 50% 
  Marines, can replace Specialist Leader 
  with Artillerist).
  Acc/TS: 2/12 Toughness: 14(3) Crew: 
  15+60 Crew Level: d6 BV: 200
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain Skills: Boating d8, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d4, Spirit d8
  Personalities: Champion or Specialist 
  Leader (Boarders).
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: Courage in Numbers, Wanted.
  Armaments: None.
  Crew Composition: 
  Pirate 
  (100%), 
  Pirate Captain.
  Notes: Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Courage in Numbers: Pirates are 
  often a disorganized mass of people, 
  with vastly different equipment and 
  training, but they find confidence and 
  strength in numbers. While they have 
  more Battle Tokens than the enemy 
  they gain +1 to Battle rolls. 
  • 
  “We’ll Bathe in Wine and Gold 
  Tonight!”: 
  Nothing 
  motivates 
  pirates more than loot. If, during 
  a sea battle, the captain convinces 
  them there will be much loot, he can 
  make a Persuasion (-4) roll, +1 per 
  Loot Token he promises to find (at 
  least one per 100 BV of the ship). If 
  he is successful, the pirates gain +1 
  to Fighting and Damage rolls on the 
  tabletop for the entire battle, or +1 to 
  battle rolls, double the bonus with a 
  raise. At the end of the battle, if the 
  loot found is less than that promised, 
  the pirates lose one Discipline step (if 
  you are using TB rules), or are simply 
  very upset and likely to rebel.
  Trading Junk
  The typical trading ship of the Brown Sea.
  Customization: 
  Independent 
  Trader 
  (crew is composed of Sailors (100%), 
  Captain has Boating and Spirit d8, BV: 
  120), Wool Ship (crew is composed of 
  Marines (50%), Sailors (50%), it transports 
  2d4+2 Support Tokens of loot, BV: 180).  
  Acc/TS: 2/12 Toughness: 12(2) Crew: 
  15+40 Crew Level: d6 BV: 150
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain Skills: Boating d6, Spirit d6
  Personalities: Lieutenant.
  Edges: None.
  Hindrances: Reluctant Fighters.
  Armaments: None.
  Crew Composition: Marine 
  (25%), 
  Sailor (75%), Captain.
  Notes: Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Into the Wind: Junks, given their 
  system of sails, can move into the 
  wind, giving an edge in sea battles. 
  They receive an additional Bennie to 
  be spent during chases or in sea battles, 
  but only before boarding.
  • 
  Passengers: These ships sometimes 
  carry civilians aboard, some of whom 
  could be interesting (for example, 
  worthy of a ransom). Draw a card 
  from the Action Deck, if it is a face 
  card, there is an interesting personality 
  
   Monsters and Pirates
  159
  on the ship (a merchant, a noble, a 
  damsel, a priest or someone similar). 
  With a Joker, there is an entire group 
  of them. 
  • 
  Trading Vessel: This ship isn’t made 
  for war, but for trade. It rarely travels 
  empty, and you can find at least 1d6 
  Support Tokens of goods, valuables 
  and slaves in it.
  Tricarnian War Trireme
  Every person of the Dominion who lives 
  on the coast trembles whenever he sees 
  one of these black-sailed ships, because 
  they always bring with them doom, 
  desperation, and a fate worse than death: 
  in the past, hundreds of people were 
  captured and thrown into their black hulls, 
  to be sold as slaves in far-away Tricarnia. 
  The most unfortunate never reached the 
  land of Princes and Demons and ended 
  their life as greasy meals for the creatures 
  lurking below the deck.  
  Customization: 
  Ral 
  Hordaka 
  Ship 
  (remove the Catapults and add four 
  Swarms (see SWD page 141) and one 
  Beast Rider (TLD page 225)), Pirate 
  Vessel (Remove the Faceless Grunts 
  Hindrance and replace Drummer with 
  Champion), Sorcerer’s Ship (Remove 
  Catapult, add the Monster Edge, the 
  Captain has the stats of a Priest Prince, 
  plus Boating d8).  
  Acc/TS: 2/8 Toughness: 19(4) Crew: 
  60+100 Crew Level: d6 BV: 350
  Ship Size: Large
  Captain Skills: Boating d8, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d6, Spirit d8
  Personalities: Drummer.
  Edges: Frightening.
  Hindrances: Faceless Grunts.
  Armaments: Boarding Bridge, Ballista 
  (x2) Catapult (x2), Rostrum.
  Crew Composition: Slave Sailor (50%), 
  Slave Marine (50%), Captain.
  Notes: Heavy Armor, Sails, Rows.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Flesh Cargo: This ship has 1d6+2 
  Loot Tokens of slaves aboard.
  • 
  Slave Ship: The majority of the crew 
  on a Tricarnian ship is made up of 
  slaves. Tricarnian slaves are very 
  docile and obedient, but never forget 
  that, on the open sea, during a sea 
  battle, even they can rebel. Whenever 
  the War Trireme has fewer Battle 
  Tokens than its opponent, and rolls 
  a 1 on the Battle dice, in addition to 
  any damage suffered part of the crew 
  mutinies, joining the attackers. For 
  mass battles, one of the Crew Tokens 
  of the Tricarnian ship is given to the 
  opponent, while on tabletop 2d4x5% 
  of the crew joins their opponent.
  War Junk
  A junk of the Brown Sea, made for war. 
  Unlike the trading version it includes a 
  single bank of oars; it is also sturdier and 
  armed with war machines.
  Customization: City of Leaves Ship 
  (crew is composed of Marines (60%), 
  Sailors (40%), Captain has Knowledge 
  (Battle) d8, BV: 300), Lhobanport War 
  Ship (change crew to Pirate (100%), add 
  Lotusmaster to Personalities, BV: 300).  
  Acc/TS: 2/12 Toughness: 13(2) Crew: 
  15+60 Crew Level: d6 BV: 250
  Ship Size: Medium
  Captain Skills: Boating d8, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d6, Spirit d6
  Personalities: Champion, Lieutenant.
  Edges: Battle Hardened.
  Hindrances: None.
  Armaments: Ballista, Hulian Scorpion.
  Crew Composition: Marine 
  (50%), 
  Sailor (50%), Captain.
  
  Pirates of the Dominions 
  160
  Notes: Rows, Sails.
  Special Abilities
  • 
  Into the Wind: Junks, given their 
  system of sails, can move into the 
  wind, giving an edge in sea battles. 
  They receive an additional Bennie to 
  be spent during chases or in sea battles, 
  but only before boarding. 
  War Ship
  A large war ship, employed by the navies 
  of Faberterra, Syranthia and Kyros. It is 
  cumbersome and very costly to maintain, 
  but can grant sea superiority. 
  Customization: Imperial Dromon (add 
  the Archers Edge, all the Marines and 
  half the Sailors are armed with bows and 
  have Shooting d6), Syranthian Sea Knight 
  (crew is composed of Sailors (25%), 
  Marines (75%), Captain’s Knowledge 
  (Battle) d8), Kyrosian Justicar (remove 
  Catapult and Ballista, add two Hulian 
  Scorpions, +2 Armor from front, +2 to 
  ramming attempts, BV: 320).  
  Acc/TS: 2/10 Toughness: 17(4) Crew: 
  30+90 Crew Level: d8 BV: 350
  Ship Size: Large
  Captain Skills: Boating d8, Knowledge 
  (Battle) d6, Spirit d8
  Personalities: Artillerist, Lieutenant.
  Edges: Artillery, Battle Hardened.
  Hindrances: Costly.
  Armaments: Ballista (x2), Boarding 
  Bridge, Catapult, Hulian Scorpion (x2), 
  Rostrum.
  Crew Composition: Sailor (50%), Marine 
  (50%), Captain.
  Notes: Heavy Armor, Sails, Rowers.
  Special Abilities
  Capital Ship: This ship is big and 
  dangerous. The crew of any smaller vessel 
  facing it, must make a group Spirit roll at 
  the beginning of the battle, or suffer -1 to 
  all rolls for the first two battle rounds.
  Rain of Death: A War Ship is dangerous 
  not only for the soldiers aboard, but also 
  for its war machines, which can throw 
  a rain of death on opponents. In mass 
  battles, during Volleys, the captain can 
  make a Boating (-2) roll, in the case of 
  success he receives +2 to his Battle roll, 
  because he manages to reposition the 
  war engines to shoot at their best. On the 
  tabletop, the ship can shoot with half his 
  war machines, rounded up, every round. In 
  addition, the captain can make a Boating 
  (-2) roll. In the case of success he manages 
  to reposition the other artillery and can 
  shoot with the other half as well, but at -2.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/Beasts & Barbarians/Savage Worlds - Beasts & Barbarians - Pirates of the Dominions.pdf