(I am sorry if this is not posted in teh correct forum, but I honestly did not know where to post it up.)(It's cool, generally if you don't know where to put it, it goes in the common room. Plus I lurk around and move them. PS MOVED -- Grugg)
I have recently began to rework the homebrew setting that I have most of my games take place in.

Unfortunately what brought me to this is the fact that I moved from California to Arkansas and my handwritten notes did not make the trip.

Even more unfortunate was the fact that I had absolutely NO electronic backup for the years worth of work I lost.

But it is not necessarily a REALLY bad thing. It gives me a chance to remake and redo some things that needed to be updated.

Enough of my prattling. Here is the design I am working on:




There is a small coastal town called Deepwater. about once a month there is a strange sight in the bay. A galleon that seems to be made of bleached bone sails the surrounding waters. It never bothers anyone, but leaves a horrid stench in the area. For 1 week after the galleon sails all the fish that are retrieved from the waters are dead and rotting.




I am trying to come up with some ideas on what this galleon is, why it sails, and such.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have no problems with brainstorming a few ideas that you may find interesting, drop me a PM with any descriptions on what you are thinking of and the kinds of traps, treasures, and such you wish to include. I hope my ideas will be able to help you, if you are willing to listen.

I help with what I can. The ghost ship concept makes it difficult to come up with something original but here it goes:

Perhaps the ghost ship is truly simply a mirage created by a focus of negative energy. Not necessarily the undead type. If there was, perhaps, some sort of energy leak through from the negative material plane beneath the water or hidden in the waterbreak of the bay, that might explain it. The ship itself may be the physical (or illusory) manifestation of that image. You could say that the flow of energy from the other plane changes with lunar cycles, explaining why it only shows up periodically, and why the fish are not always found dead and rotting.
This ship itself may once have been a real ship that fought a battle to force the portal shut. (introducing a chance for a good tavern tale or legend of the area) The portal was shut but over the centuries has begun to re-open. If some brave adventurers don't manage to find it and find a wayto reseal it eventually undead could be crawling on the shores of the bay terrorizing everyone.

Just a thought.

Sorry up front, I'm not trying to be an jerk, but...

Wouldn't the fishing industry around the town be decimated if once/month this boat comes in and kills all the fish life?

And after month 1, where would the new fish come from? I could *maybe* see them coming from further upshore or something, but after month 2/3, I can't imagine anything living in the waters anywhere near this coastal town.

Ayrn

Ayrn, you make a good point. The ecology of the area would be irreversibly impacted. I'm sure we can come up with some way to explain it however.

Perhaps it isn't all of the fish that die. If you used my example, perhaps it is only the fish that stray too close to the gate during that particular part of the lunar cycle. The vast majority of fish would be unaffected, yet the dead ones would still be caught in nets and washing up on shore for a week or so afterward. That would work a little better I think and be more likely to allow the town to continue to survive off of the water (which seems to be the intent).

Drop me a PM if you want some help with this. I've got some ideas just rolling around that could be possibilities.

I will also try to be of assistance. PM me and we'll talk.