Not sure how to begin a campaign?
Here's one way to start a Swordfish Islands campaign
Your past does not matter.
About a year ago you got black bagged and thrown in a cell.
A dark cell. They said you deserved it. There was a list of allegations. You
could recognize the voices of people you knew testifying against you, or at
least you thought you could through the hunger and the dark.
It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. And that doesn't matter.
What matters is that it happened. And here you are.
After sitting in the dark for 6 months, the door opened and
an impeccably clean person, wearing black pants, black boots, and a bright coat
of saffron yellow offered you a deal. Redemption. The Martel Company needs
recruits. It will be hard work. And dangerous. But there will be treasure, and
you can buy back your good name. In time.
They beat you. But they fed you well. They beat you harder.
But they gave you equipment. They beat you 'till your bruises bled, but only if
you did not obey. And they were fair.
For 6 months you hauled rocks. Big rocks. Rocks that were
stuck in mud or in rushing rivers. You became wonderful at tying knots and
lashing. You can make a crude sledge out of just about anything. After about a
month of the beatings and hauling the only thing you thought when you saw
something was "How can I pick this up and move it".
You were not alone. You don't know how many others there
were total because everyone came and went so quickly, but you were placed on a
hauling team, and they became your family. You've slept together, bathed
together, eaten together. Watched each other shit.
Maybe you've become friends. Maybe you hate each other. It
doesn't matter. Trust was beaten into each of you one blackjack at a time by
the Martel Company. You know you can count on the people you are with right now
because you already have for months.
A week ago you were equipped to go to the islands. The
Swordfish Islands. Men and women in yellow coats lined the rails of the ship
and held crossbows to the haulers. Some tried to escape. They were shot, and no
one flinched. Not even you.
They branded the back of your left shoulder once the ship set
sail. Black magic swirled around the iron and it felt like you were marked by
ice, though you had seen it in a blaze.
When all were branded a Martel representative spoke with the
boom of a storm. "You belong to Martel now, and you have been brought here
to haul. Haul gold. Haul statues. Haul art and treasures of magical danger you
cannot even begin to comprehend."
"The more you haul and return to a Martel
quartermaster, the quicker your brand will fade. I cannot tell you how much you
must haul. That amount is tied to your crimes, and you have had plenty of time
to reflect upon them, so you know your amount better than I."
"We may sink. There are reefs and storms and
monstrosities of every stripe between here and our destination. If our
quartermaster is incapacitated any Martel Company quartermaster can process
your hauls. There will be others. Boats arrive at the Swordfish Islands
weekly."
"You do not need to haul. You are always free to
choose, but in time, the brand will consume your flesh."
A naked man was brought onto the decks. His mouth gaped and
his eyes lolled about blindly. A crooked V of black and green flesh covered the
left half of his body. As he was thrown to the deck, the flesh on his left side
sloughed off like a corn husk and bones and shriveled guts spilled out.
And then, the storm struck.
[If your character's strength and constitution scores are
below 15, increase them by one point. If either stat is 15 or higher, add a
single point to your charisma because you look fantastic after all the work you
put in over the last 6 months]
