Opening Scene

## Backstory

The Kingdom of Loathing was once a pleasant place, where all the citizens loathed one another equally, and nobody caused too much trouble. Under the gentle rule of King Ralph XI, peace had prevailed for as long as anybody could remember.

However, one fateful morning, a Sorceress came to the Kingdom. A Naughty Sorceress. A Naughty Sorceress who was clearly up to no good, and, even more clearly, up to plenty of bad. King Ralph sought to expel the Naughty Sorceress from his Kingdom, but she imprismed him in a black crystalline prism of curdled magic.

Monsters emerged from their hidey-holes to terrorize the citizens of Loathing, and larger monsters emerged from their larger hidey-holes to terrorize those monsters, all under the control of the Naughty Sorceress.

With the King gone, a council was formed in an attempt to impose order and organize a rescue. Unfortunately, they liked their new taste of power and decided to leave their King in captivity for a while. However, the monsters were a problem. So, the Council put out a message to all surrounding kingdoms promising adventure, fame, fortune, and quality products at reasonable prices for any heroes who could get the situation under control. Despite the promise of riches, no adventures had arrived in the Kingdom, and the Council started to get antsy. Rather than raise the minimum wage, they decided that they would instead capture a group of adventures to solve their problems...

## Boat Ride

The players awake in a barracks below deck after the 5th day at sea to the sounds of a foghorn sounding and bells ringing. Men on deck hustle around shouting. The smell of diesel fumes fill the room.

You wake up feeling extremely groggy, and look around, noticing that you're tied to your bunks. You see 4 others that you don't recognize, all tied to beds as well. Allow the players sometime to look around and introduce themselves.

Suddenly, the hatch bursts open and fills the room with morning light. A crunchy looking sea captain, no taller than 3 feet, steps him. He twirls his bushy white mustache and adjusts his tall blue hat, observing the room for a minute. His skin-and-bones first mate follows him in and begins banging a metal bowl with a large spoon.

"Wake up you scraggly dogs, we're here!"

The first mate moves around the room untying each player and handing out flyers. The flyers read:

> **HEROES WANTED TO CLEANSE KINGDOM**
>
>
> **ADVENTURE, FAME, FORTUNE**
>
>
> **QUALITY PRODUCTS AT REASONABLE PRICES**
>
>
>
> **INQUIRE WITH THE COUNCIL OF LOATHING**
>
>

On the backside of each flyer is a map of Seaside Town with the Council circled and labeled

 "Alright, I know that you have a lot of questions, and those questions have good answers. But we're gettin' paid to drop you off at town, not answer questions. If yer confused, find your way to the Council and ask them - they paid a pretty penny to bring you here. Now grab yer things and get topside, we're here."

As the players go topside, they see a bunch of burley men pulling on ropes and grunting excessively. Each man's chest is hairier than the last. The island of Loathing is quickly approaching, and the Seaside Town is clearly visible. At the center of town, a huge domed building stands high above all else. As the boat approaches the only dock, the men work faster and grunt louder as the Captain screams orders at them. Once the boat has docked, a gangway is thrown over the side and the Captain shepherds the players onto the dock. He tells the players:

"See that giant dome in the center of town? That's the Council of Loathing. They're expecting you, so you better get going. Be careful out there, things are much more dangerous around here than they used to be."

He turns around back toward the ship and continues yelling at his sailors, leaving the players to their own devices. The players are now free to explore the town, but most citizens won't deal with them as they don't have on official Seaside Town nametags issued by the council. As the players come to the end of the dock, they hear shouts and shrieks from further down the beach. Taking a closer look, a man in a full body, red and white swimsuit runs past the players. He can barely keep his bowler hat on his head as he yells "Help Help, are there any lifeguards or perhaps adventurous surfer-types around? Folks are drowning!"

If the players approach the beach where the commotion is, they'll a group of small children and women bobbing in the waves while panicked onlookers watch helplessly. One by one, the drowning children are pulled into the depths by something casting a huge black shadow. Some bystanders will try to stop the players from going out there, telling them that it's too dangerous for a puny adventurer, especially one with no name.

As the players head out into the water, the water grows more and more turbulent. Getting close enough, perceptive players will notice that the swimmers don't look quite right. They appear strangely fleshy, and don't appear to react to the players. These are massive snapping turtles with decoy tongues used to lure in heroes. Players who are caught unaware will be snapped and possibly killed.

Seaside Town

Story Progression