In movies, television, and
novels there are often story elements or plot points of which
the main characters are not aware. But, these plot points add
depth, interest, description, and even irony to the story.
They are a necessary part of storytelling, in most
cases.
Role-Playing Games tend to focus on the story
immediately surrounding the main characters...the player
characters. But, for a truly dramatic and interesting
story, sometimes you have to know about the
movements, emotions, goals, and adventures of characters other
than the main characters.
These stories do not
directly affect or involve the main characters, but the
events and characters depicted in these side-stories will play
a role in the overall storyline. They contain
player-knowledge and not
character-knowledge.
For Story Depth...
"The Council of the Skull"
Yevus was young, and he had never been allowed to
accompany Captain Johanson to one of the meetings. Usually his first
mate Mergan went with him, but Mergen was busy reading Captain Johanson's
flag-ship for departure the next morning. Yevus and Captain Johanson
walked through the dirty streets of Port Toroga, weaving here and there to
avoid filth puddles and prostitutes alike. The sun was going down,
and the narrow streets were heavily shadowed.
Captain
Johanson put a hand on Yevus's should now and again to direct him this way
and that. Around a weaving drunk about to collapse. Past a
cut-purse posing as a begger. And giving a wide berth to a couple
fornicating up against a wall.
Captain Johanson
sneered. "These are the citizens of our fair city,
boy."
Yevus looked up at the Captain. He was a tall
older man, with blond thinning hair, and plenty of blondish-red stubble on
his chin and face. He was wearing a long navy blue wool coat, and a
blue fisherman's hat. Captain Johanson did not have a flamboyant
style, which set him apart from many of the other pirate Captains.
Yevus traced the deep lines in the older man's face. Lines born of
the burden of command, and a character formed in the crucible of a hard
life.
A drunk stumbled from an alley, and saw the
Captain and his cabin boy coming down the street. "Gentleman
Bill! Its Gentleman Bill. Its me, Tykus, sir! I served
under you on the Jolly Murderer a few years ago..."
When
Captain Johanson reached the man, he punched him violently in the face,
and the drunk stiffened up and rocked on his heals. Quick as
lightning, the Captain delivered a second blow to the man's face that sent
him flying backwards, landing awkwardly on the ground bloody and
unconscious.
Captain Johanson and Yevus resumed their
journey. "Do you know why I struck that man,
Yevus?"
"I'm guessing its because he didn't address you
properly...Captain.""Rightly so, boy. Rightly so."
A
few hundred feet of winding streets later, Yevus and Captain Johanson,
stood in the street in front of the Lords and Ladies Tavern. The
Captain turned to Yevus. "Boy, there's a reason I've never brought
you here before. You've been with me for a year now though, and I
see your starting to get some stubble on your face. So, I trust
you've old enough to come here now. Keep close by me, and you'll be
fine."
As they went through the front door of the tavern,
Yevus looked this way and that in wonder. The place stunk of rum,
and there were pirates from across the known world in that
place...guzzling the stuff by the barrel. Women of ill-repute worked
their trade, some of the right at the tables and bar in plain site.
A few men with yellowish skin were smoking odd shaped pipes, and their
eyes were nothing but a glassy stare. There was a man lying on the
floor in a pool of blood, and Yevus was sure the man was dead.
Captain Johanson walked quickly through this common room,
with Yevus right on his heels, and marched up the stairs near the back.At
the top of the stairs, there was a long balcony that looked over the
torrid scene playing out below. Captain Johanson walked to the only
door on this second story, and knocked an odd pattern of knocks on the
door. The door cracked open, and Captain Johanson pushed through,
pulling Yevus along with him by the sleeve of his shirt.
The
room beyond was dominated by a long table running down its center, and
every bench was taken...as well as every bench and chair along the outside
walls of the room. Yevus gulped, and was sure that everyone must
have heard it. Yevus had never seen such a collection of people as
filled this room tonight. They were drinking, and carousing,
talking, and laughing. This was a party, much like the type Yevus
had seen the crew of the Jolly Murderer having...but there was a
different. The fun and merriment here was more frantic, more
desperate, and Yevus got the impression that the slightest spark of
trouble could set off a powderkeg of murder and mayhem here in this
room. Yevus looked around the table as they
entered.
There was a clean shaven man sitting at the table,
with not a hair on his face or head. Instead, he had blackish-blue
tattoos impressed into every inch of his flesh. There were symbols,
and patterns, and a sea monster or two portrayed upon his flesh. He
was wearing a loose shirt, unbuttoned, and it was clear that these tattoos
covered his entire body. A less-heavily tattoo'd man stood behind
him, with throwning knives and other strange and exotic weapons strapped
all over his body.
There was yellow skinned man with a long
white beard. He wore a small shimmering red cap and red coat, that
must have both been made from silk. He was smoking one of the oddly
shaped pipes like the ones Yevus had seen out in the bar area. But
this man's eyes weren't glazed. They were sharp and
penetrating. Behind him stood too men, wearing silk vests.
They were young, and their sleeveless clothing showed their muscular arms
and yellow skin.
There was a large obeese man, wearing the
naval clothing of a Captain in the Navy of the Empire. His coat was
a faded purple, and a bit threadbare, and it was clear the clothing was a
remind of his past and not an indication of the present. He had a
huge black beard, and he was drinking beer or ale from a large mug.
He was talking with those around him, and his deep laughter could be heard
throughout the room. Two men in Naval uniforms stood behind their
Captain, and a third man in uniform sat in a bench at the wall keeping an
eye on everyone in the room.
There was a thin older man,
dusky-skinned with angular features, a bright blue shirt, and a neatly
groomed goatee. His dark hair was oiled, and he wore jewelry around
his neck, wrist, and fingers. He held two chains loosly in his right
hand, and at the end of these chains were two beautiful women, the chains
attached to collars around their neck. The women sat on either side
of him, one lightly stroking his hair, and the other feeding him jungle
fruits from a tray on the table. Behind him were similarly
dusky-skinned men, their arms crossed, and angry looks on their
faces.
There was a woman at the table, different than all the
other women in the room. She wore a three-pointed Captain's hat with
a large feather in the brim, and her dark hair feel to her bare
shoulders. She wore two leather belts, criss-crossed across her
naked chest. She was beautiful...amazingly beautiful, but she had a
hardened look. This was a women who knew how to kill, who probably
even enjoyed to kill. And she carried herself with a confidence that
told Yevus she was the equal of any man there. Behind her were two
women, one red-headed and one blond, and both were similarly topless, but
heavily armed.
There was a large, broad, muscular man with
red-hair and a bushy red beard. Even though he was seated, Yevus
could tell by his relative height to the others that he must have been at
least 7 feet tall. He wore a shirt made of rough cloth, but edged
with white animal fur. His only companion was a huge dog. A
huge wolf-like dog the size of a small pony. Occasionally the man
would toss the dog some meat from his plate, and despite the chaos...the
dog was completely at ease in this environment.
There were
others...many others. But there was too much for Yevus to take
in. Among this group were painted whores moving here and there,
attempting to find a customer...and others already with a
customer.
As Captain Johanson entered, things quieted a
bit. He moved towards the table, and several men got up to allow him
a place to sit. They kept their heads down, and their gaze averted
out of respect for the man.
Captain Johanson sat down, and
signaled Yevus to stand behind him at his shoulder. Then he casually
raised his hand a bit, and the room fell completely silent.
"Gentlemen...Gentlemen. We have some business to
discuss..."
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Remember, these stories are to add depth to the storyline. They represent player-knowledge, not character-knowledge. This story was written to add depth to the Crimson Coast campain.
