Flotsam, the City of Exploration

The founding of Flotsam is shrouded in myth, but the most
commonly told legend that newcomers will hear is how
ages ago the Faraway Sea was a lonely place. The sea itself
was becoming cluttered by driftwood, the wrecks of ships,
and other things that had become lost upon the waters.
Swimming out from their home island were the two sisters
who left their tropical paradise to see what the ocean had to
offer. Taking the form of enormous otters, they discovered
that too many people were becoming lost on the sea and
had no place to call their own. The twin sisters clasped their
paws together and swam in a circle, creating an enormous
whirlpool that brought the countless wrecks and pieces of
driftwood together to form the two cities that would one
day become the dominate centres of trade and living on the
ocean, Flotsam and Jetsam.
For one sister, she decided her city would be a home for
everyone regardless of what they believed. Believing that
the world was home to exciting new things just waiting to
be uncovered, she crafted her city to promote trade and
exploration. Slowly settlers came to Flotsam and brought
their beliefs and ideas with them, shaping it to become a
place where being bold was not just about actions but about
how to accomplish those actions. This belief has affected the
city to this day, and factors into everything from how the
city is run to Flotsam being the lifeblood of trade on the sea.
Flotsam is run by the Lord Governor, who sits at the centre
of the board of directors known as the Collegiate Council.
The individual governors on the council come from all
the most prestigious academic groups in the city as well as
representatives from the Flotsam Guard and the Flotsam
Guild. The council’s decrees and laws are administered to
the city through the Collegium, which forms the bulk of
Flotsam’s government. The Lord Governor is responsible
for the overseeing of any projects carried out by the
Collegium, the management of any crisis in the city, and
making sure that relations with Jetsam and settlements on
the islands of the Faraway Sea continue to be peaceful
and amicable.
Knowledge is not just power in Flotsam; it is also as valuable
a resource as etherium and doubly so if it involves the
procurement and refinement of that substance. A rumour,
a story, a note stolen from a merchant’s desk, or even the
private diary of the governor’s wife may have a piece of
knowledge so rare that it can shape someone’s destiny.

There are twelve positions on the council, each one coming
with their own title and responsibility. The most prominent
positions are:
Lord Governor: Currently held by Madam Ameliah
Vagonbrey, the Lord Governor has authority to manage
the concerns of the council and rule over the city. She
is currently trying to keep the council from spending its
meetings locked in endless debates and wants to shift
the usually intractable council into making decisions on
key issues affecting Flotsam.
Constable Governor: a position currently held by
Deree, a mandrill who lost an eye fending off a pirate
attack years ago—is responsible for keeping the peace in
the city and is in charge of the Flotsam Guard.
Spiritual Governor: In charge of keeping the peace
between the numerous faiths of the city, Spiritual
Governor Cotriah has only recently arrived in the city
and is said to believe in heresies. They have, however,
managed to unify most churches in the city and have
helped the poor out considerably.
Mechanical Governor: Managing the maintenance
of devices considered essential to the prosperity of the
city, Mechanical Governor Rrorp is a walrus who is
constantly swimming in and out of the ocean around
the city with tools and parts mounted to her harness.
Her job is a thankless position, and her department
seems always underfunded.

A modern marvel years beyond even the wildest academic
theories of the age, the Observatory is a continuous
experiment, always in motion. It features some of the
greatest technological achievements possible from the most
powerful telescopes, barometers so sensitive a sneeze can
overwhelm them, to other devices whose purposes are still
not understood—even by the researchers who made them.
It is said that the Observatory has created devices that are
responsible for Flotsam’s continued success in detecting
lost islands across the Faraway Sea, and rumours abound
that the scholars working on these devices are capable of
communicating with ships far off at sea.
It is often prone to random bouts of explosion and collapses
of its structural supports, and the sounds and odours that
emanate from it can cause even the most stoic and iron-
willed of people to go diving into the sea to spare themselves
the assault to their senses. But there are still those that
have faith in the mission of the Observatory despite these
flaws. The diehard believers in the project have been able to
deliver incredible results over the years, although the structure
is also shunned by others for its allegedly supernatural nature.
Few of those who work in the building can explain where
their ideas on how to improve the Observatory come from,
and stranger still is the technology used in its construction.
Stories of mysterious figures, blinding lights, and voices
speaking out of nowhere frighten the people of Flotsam not
accustomed to these enigmatic sights.
While the Observatory is expensive to maintain and improve
each year and is distrusted by some in the city, it is also
responsible for giving Flotsam an edge when it comes to
finding new islands and with gathering information from
across the Faraway Sea. The Flotsam Collegiate Council
is strict in their demands of the facility, but they know
that much of Flotsam’s continued success with shunting
depends upon the Observatory’s findings.

Being a centre of trade means that Flotsam is the source of
numerous rumours and tall tales that travellers are bound
to encounter as they stay in the city. Some of the most
common ones are:
The Observatory, ORB, and other strange devices in
Flotsam are all part of some massive war machine with
which Flotsam will use to rid the ocean of pirates once
and for all and could be used to bring Jetsam to its knees.
There is a heretical cult that believes there were not
two sister goddesses but three, and that the third left
to found a secret city somewhere on the ocean that is
home to pirates and criminals.
The Collegium is involved with a pact with some
ancient species that lives on the ocean floor. At night,
you can see strange lights and beings lurking in the
water just outside of the Collegium’s central building.

Flotsam has dozens of inns and flophouses for travellers
to stay in, and they range from the barely serviceable to
fine places to rest your head. But what if you are seeking
a genuinely pleasant stay, particularly if you are an animal
who finds steps designed for humans a challenge to climb
or a lack of places for a bird to rest their tired wings from
travelling? The Overlooked Hotel is the place to visit. The
Overlooked is not easy to overlook due to the large crowds
of animals moving to and from the building, hoping to find
a spare room. Established by a beagle named KT Mortimer
after she was tired of sleeping in crudely fashioned crates
or being unable to reach the doorknob for her room when
she came to the city for business, she invested her profits
into crafting a place where all animals (and the odd human)
could rest comfortably. The hotel has its own concierge,
bellhops, and a large warthog named Samson guarding the
front door.
Inn owners across Flotsam are not fond of the Overlooked,
and frequently complain regarding the smell that emerges
from it. But not only is the hotel popular among animals
living in the city, it also has the financial support of the
Guild. The Guild uses the hotel to wine and dine animal
merchants and adventurers who enter the city, and visiting
scholars are often given the finer rooms on the top floor.
Some claim since the Guild started taking an interest in
the hotel that its rates have risen sharply and have priced
out animals who barely have two coins to rub between their
paws, but for KT, she welcomes the financial interest.

The dream of those who sail the Faraway Sea is to
encounter a grand treasure so vast that they never have to
work again. Countless works of fiction depict these exploits
to starving Flotters desperate for a break. Should a shunter
find even a spec of treasure out upon the sea, there is one
place where they can hope to spin it into greater riches, and
that is the Flotsam Exchange.
Home to the Flotsam Guild, the Exchange is a massive
bazaar where each day hundreds of people gather to
exchange goods, convert their etherium dust and nuggets
into currency, and invest in promising ventures. At times,
it has an almost carnival-like atmosphere as barkers sit
outside of the building telling passers-by about the current
costs of etherium and the fates of ships lost out on the sea.
Inside, the sound of hundreds of voices creates a cacophony
of business that many put up with just long enough to get
their coins and leave. The Exchange even has its own section
dedicated to animals where specially constructed furniture
enable animals to walk up ramps to have their etherium
appraised by specially trained clerks.
As the financial heart of Flotsam, it is one of the most
well-guarded sections of the city. It is the security of the
Exchange that brings the Collegium and the Exchange
together. Crime is rampant around the Exchange despite
the city’s best efforts. Petty crimes, such as pick pockets
and grifters, are generally accepted as an unavoidable
side effect of having the Exchange. More serious crimes,
from forgery to those bold enough to try to rob the vaults
of the Exchange, are rarer but are known to happen. The
Collegium has placed not only guards but many inventions
and state of the art locks in the Exchange to prevent these
events from happening, and those suspected of acting
suspicious on Exchange grounds are often arrested on sight
and questioned later.

Once a quant frontier shop set up on the western pier
of Flotsam, the General Store has become so large and
synonymous with selling goods that when Flotters mention
going to the General Store they more than likely mean the
large shop run by the cat. One of its owners is Jim Claw, a
ginger tom who is rumoured to have been the star of a theatre
back on the mainland before he came to the Faraway Sea.
His best friend, a human named Bob McGill, can be seen
working at the back of the shop and bringing in goods to
the shop. Jim’s quick wit and gift of gab is often accented by
Bob’s occasional quick remark or straight-faced comment.
The shop began using a small portion of Jim’s vessel on
the western pier but now dominates the ship completely.
A canopy has been erected over the top of the ship, and
numerous stalls and barrels line the sides of the vessel. The
shop has a strong pirate theme, and this is quite intentional.
Although Jim and Bob do their best to acquire the majority
of their goods legally, they have on occasion purchased
goods from known pirates when certain items become hard
to obtain. Jim has been known to sell goods on a sliding
scale depending on how much his customers are able to pay.
Though if you rub the pair the wrong way, they have been
known to shift their prices from the reasonable (if you have
shown kindness to others) to the extreme (where they may
not like you but do not mind turning a profit off of you.)

Need a drink? Head to the Island Retreat! Need
information? Head to the Island Retreat! On the run from
someone and need a place to lie low for a while? The Island
Retreat welcomes everyone and hopes to help anyone it
can—for a price.
Few know when the strange bar opened its doors, but
the moment a visitor describes a small piece of its garish
and eccentric appearance, locals know exactly where to
point them. Built into the top deck of one of the founding
vessels of Flotsam, the Island Retreat has small tables
surrounded by palm fronds, large masks covering the
railings surrounding the bar, and most strangely, a large
wall overlooking the ocean made up of fishbowls of every
shape and size. Some fishbowls are full of eccentric tokens
found from across the seas, but others are full of exotic fish,
strange reptiles, and creatures which defy categorisation.
Strangest of all is the large eyeball mounted into a glass ball
on the steering wheel at the centre of the bar. It appears
harmless, but occasionally it can be seen swimming along to
any music that is played. Its piercing gaze can be unsettling
at times, and those who start trouble in the Island Retreat
often notice it gazing with such intense anger that they back
out of the bar without much of a fuss.
The owner of the bar, Yesha, is an ageing woman who very
rarely says a word to her customers but almost always seems
to know how to make their favourite drink without any
prompting. Between making drinks, she is known to sit at
the bar, sipping from a large tankard of beer with a single
umbrella sticking out of it. Once a patron tried to ask her
why she always sat alone, expecting her to go into a sad
story about a lost love on the sea. Instead, she just uttered,
“The drink is not for me,” and gave them a knowing look
as the eyeball in the bowl looked on. No one has been brave
enough to ask what she meant by that since.

The Observatory Research Bureau, or ORB, is literally an
orb-shaped building constructed of driftwood, old vessels,
and various pieces of metal scavenged from dozens of
shipwrecks and islands over the years. Numerous smaller
telescopes, binoculars, and other devices are studded across
its hull, but crowning the top of the orb is a gargantuan
telescope whose intricate nature was the work of dozens of
scientists and inventors. The devices at ORB are said to be
able to see for miles across the sea from Flotsam as well as
able to catalogue the movement of the stars above. In stark
contrast to the academic work at the Observatory, numerous
runes of power, ancient talismans, and good luck charms
have been grafted onto the ORB building over the years.
Some academics dismiss the need for such baubles while the
priests and sorcerers guarantee that without magical aid, the
entire structure would collapse in on itself.
ORB also offers laymen the chance to see scientific findings
directly. While the Observatory is still not well understood
by the people of Flotsam, the ORB allows for anyone to see
through its lenses and look upon vast distances. This has led
to some to trust the findings of the ORB researcher more
than the Observatory, as proof of its findings are readily
available. It is not uncommon for groups of adventurers,
hoping to overhear of some startling discovery or lend
assistance to those who find some imminent threat to the
city through the great telescope, to offer their assistance for
a cut of the profits of the venture.

One of the most recognisable sights in all of Flotsam, the
enormous castle jutting forth from the western pier of the
city is recognisable from countless paintings, tall tales told
in taverns late at night, and by the ominous sounds that
emerge from it at night. Flotterdam Castle, as it is known, is
the headquarters for the Field Research Institute for Terrestrial
Eventualities, or FRITE, which is an organisation dedicated
to the study of strange occurrences and metaphysical issues
that affect the Faraway Sea. The castle appears from a distance
to be constructed of stone and mortar, but upon closer
inspection, it can be discerned that the building is made of
carved driftwood and the remains of wrecked ships. The bricks
are nothing more than carved wood and heavy coats of paint.
FRITE advertises across the city as an organisation willing to
help Flotters with issues that the Flotsam Guard are unable
to help with. These can include mundane threats such as
helping with obscure and rare diseases and operating a free
hospital (though most avoid the hospital due to the group’s
sinister reputation) to helping victims of demonic possessions,
hexes, and the surprisingly common polymorph curses.
The three most visible spokespeople for FRITE are known
as the Devil’s Three. They are a trio of doctors in heavy
robes and plague doctor masks who are willing to take on
any case and for a fair price, often for free. While Drs Feend,
Deemon, and Cruelhart are often depicted as villains, their
jovial demeanours and dedication to finding solutions have
made them heroes for those who seek out FRITE’s help.
The Collegium has mixed feelings on FRITE as of late.
There are many on the Collegiate Council that believe that
FRITE’s meddling has done more harm to the city than
good. Inspectors working on the behalf of the Flotsam
Guard and the Collegium regularly visit Flotterdam Castle
to deliver complaints and perform inquiries into their
activities, but there are dark rumours that each time an
inspector enters the castle, another bat joins the swarm
flying around the battlements at night.

Madam Wilder
When Madam Elizabeth Wilder, owner of the eccentric
Wilder’s Ideas, came to Flotsam, she was the daughter of a
bookseller who was only interested in selling simple briefs
on things that already existed. After an eye-opening moment
where she saw a strange creature swimming alongside the
vessel that brought them to Flotsam, she realised that the
world was full of much grander and exciting things than
simply reporting on what already is. Her combination tea
shop and tavern brings in academics and scholars from
across the Faraway Seas to discuss matters considered
too impractical or absurd to be taken seriously by more
practically minded folks. Madam Wilder’s brightly coloured
clothing featuring a mishmash of styles as well as her often
quirky and elaborate hairstyles make her instantly visible
across the room, though her stoic goat assistant Cesario tries
to do his best to keep her focused on the tasks at hand.

Drs Feend, Deemon, and Crulehart:
The Devil’s Three
Many know the reputations of the physicians known as the
Devil’s Three. Clad in black robes with stark-white pointed
masks, they are often looked upon as sinister interlopers by
many in Flotsam due to their unsettling appearance and off-
putting names. What many are surprised to find is that these
doctors are some of the foremost experts in their fields, and
their kindness and generosity often comes with no strings
attached. Dr Feend, an albatross, is an excellent surgeon
who ascribes to unusual theories. Dr Deemon, a young
dwarf who stays clean-shaven, is a skilled physician whose
skill in piecing together symptoms and creating medicines
has led him to be the resident diagnostician. Dr Crulehart,
a soft-spoken ogre, is an expert in treating sickness through
local plants, and though she often sits quietly, letting her
comrades speak instead, she is well versed in those diseases
that plague the mind and soul.

Grim Wing McKenzie
An eagle whose muscular frame and strange colouration
of a cross with a dagger on his back feathers, Grim Wing
McKenzie has served on numerous vessels over the years.
Said to be a pirate whose love of treasure dissipated after
suffering from a broken heart, McKenzie sits in pubs across
Flotsam sipping on a single beer and smoking his pipe. He
offers his services for a reasonable fee if the price is right
and if there is a promise of great adventure. Those who
try to get him to open up about his past are met with his
piercing blue eyes, and those that press the matter are too
often forced to pick themselves up off the floor after a quick
and decisive brawl.

Madison Shaw
An enormous Saint Bernard, Captain Shaw pilots the
largest shunting vessel in the sea. Many consider her huge
size, which is large even for a canine of her breeding, to be
the side effect of a curse that she must have encountered
while exploring the ocean. Her vessel, the Deep Dish, has
had great success over the past few years, and many credit
it to her absolutely fearless skills as a pilot and motivator of
her crew. Where she came from is a mystery, but many say
she had the scars on her snout long before she took up the
captain’s hat.

Blotter Thorpe, Master Hunter
A ferocious looking grey cat with a jagged scar on the
right side of her face, Blotter Thorpe is a renowned hunter
capable of finding anyone both inside the confines of
Flotsam, Jetsam, and across the Faraway Seas. As a skilled
tracker, it is said she can bring any quarry to ground.
Rumours that she was not always a hunter range from her
once being a rich merchant, a noble’s daughter, and even
captain of her own pirate vessel abound, but one thing
is for certain: she shows absolute kindness to those who
need it and bitter hatred to those who deserve it. Her only
companion is a mutt named Vulf who often serves as her
personal valet and weapons bearer.

Zivago Zarclay, Caretaker of the Observatory
The oldest living member of the staff of the Observatory,
Zivago Zarclay moves through the facility like a ghost. Often
ignoring any attempts to converse with him, the aye-aye has
an almost preternatural awareness of what the Observatory
needs to have repaired at any given time. There are times
at night when Zivago shares cups of tea with his beloved
building and will often sing songs to it at night before he
goes to bed in his hammock that hangs off of one of the
antennae on the side of the building. Zivago is kind, and
though he can be a bit curt in his dealings with others who
work on the Observatory, he will stop to explain what he is
doing to those who show respect for the building.

Flotsam is a town of talkers. They’re constantly discussing
the latest group of adventurers, speculating about who is
likely to become the next group to swagger back into town
with a fistful of genius loci and smug smiles on their face,
and who is unlikely to come back at all, save as a story told
by other visitors about bleached bones on an empty beach.
Gaining reputation is both a substantial benefit for player
characters, but also makes them a target for other rival
adventurers—who might see their success as a challenge, or
as an opportunity.
Each adventure or activity the player characters engage in
on an island can potentially boost their reputation score.
Detailed below are a series of possible reputation gains, and
losses. These are far from exhaustive—the GM should feel
free to add more, depending on how the player characters
act and respond to the world of the Faraway Sea. Starting
a brawl in a local tavern is unlikely to endear them to the
Flotsam locals, while stopping such an occurrence might
result in a real boost in their popularity.

Reputation Gains
+1 for exploring a new island
+1 for defeating a rival adventuring party
+1 for finding a location
+3 for bringing a Genius Loci back with them

Reputation Losses
-1 for losing a fight with a rival adventuring party
-1 for returning without a Genius Loci
-3 for becoming trapped on an island
Reputation accrues over time, and, as it does, the way player
characters can expect to be treated changes. Whether it’s
a sudden benefit in terms of reduced costs at the Flotsam
market, or additional competitiveness when meeting rivals,
your reputation determines how people respond and react
to you.

Flotsam thrives on adventuring groups. It’s why the town
exists. It’s what it’s there for, after all. If thing were peaceful,
calm, and only one or two groups of explorers showed
up, the town would be dead in a week. No, the place
needs conflict, and it gets it from rival adventuring groups
constantly trying to beat their peers to the island, to the
genius loci, and to any treasures they might be able to find!
When generating a rival group for your player characters
to contend with, there are a couple of questions to bear in
mind. These are:
1) How tough are they?
2) How well known are they?
3) How do they feel towards the player characters?
And, finally…
4) What are they called?

Using these four questions, and the tables below, you can
put together a rival group—and work out how they’re going
to respond to your player characters—in only a few minutes!
So, let’s get started!
The first table allows you to put together a group of NPCs,
using statistics from the third core rulebook of the world’s
favourite roleplaying game. The toughness and durability
of your NPCs is graded on three levels—low tier, medium
tier, and high tier. Of course, if you want to mix things up,
you can choose, for example, a high tier leader and have
them oversee a group of particularly dim and inept low tier
minions. Go with what makes sense for your game!

Toughness Tier Leader Minions
Low (1-4) Cult Fanatic Cultists & Bandits
Medium (5-10) Gladiator Knights & Scouts
High (10+) Assassin Gladiators & Priests

The next decision is about their level of renown. It’s not
important to track this, in the way it is for the player
characters, so we suggest simply picking one of the tiers
below, and going with that. Of course, as the player characters
increased in reputation, the renown of their rivals is liable
to suffer, so you might want to downgrade your rival party
now and again. The advantages each tier get represent their
additional experience, or, perhaps, a touch of beginner’s
luck. These are superseded by the player character’s own, of
course. But at the start, it can provide a little extra difficulty,
and a little impetus for them to get out exploring!

The penultimate table lets you determine how the rivals
respond to the player characters when they encounter
them. Are they genuinely friendly? Are they absurdly
hostile? Pick one which works for your adventure, and with
the player characters!

D4 Renown Advantages
1 Rookies
Wet-behind the ears, and still yet to
learn restraint, all rookie rivals gain
+1 to their Initiative, should a fight
break out between them and the
player characters.
2 Low-level
Toughs
Nasty in a fight, and used to dealing
with upstarts, Low-level Toughs gain
advantage on their first attack against
the player characters, should a fight
break out between them.
3 Old Hands
Been doing this stuff a long, long
time. They also arrive at an island two
hours before the player characters—
they have an insider in the
Observatory— and gain advantage
on their first attack against the player
characters, should a fight break out
between them.
4 Champions
These are the people the player
characters want to be. They know
and have been through it all. Twice.
They always arrive at an island three
hours before the player characters—
the Observatory practically worships
them—and they gain advantage on
their first attack and first saving throw
against the player characters, either in
combat or outside.

D10 Rival Attitude Response to Player Characters
1-2 Friendly
That’s it. They’re open, decent,
generous. They’re looking for genius
loci of their own, of course, but if
you get there first, you get there first.
They’ll see you in the tavern, and it’s
your round today. It’ll be theirs next
time!
3-4 Hostile
Do not get in their way. They’ll attack
you immediately. In fact, they might
just attack you anyway. They don’t
like what you look like. Or sound like.
Or smell like. They don’t like you,
or anyone. And they don’t care who
knows it.
5-6 Manipulative
New adventuring parties are perfect
fodder for the experienced explorers.
Send them on ahead, to mark a way
for you to follow. Get them to ask
the cantankerous locals the questions
while you listen in on the answers.
They work out the riddle, you swoop
in for the prize. It’s only going to
work once, but who cares?
7-8 Furtive
Everything is secret. Keep it covert,
keep it hidden, and tell them nothing.
If they even look at you twice, warn
them to keep their eyes on their own
business. You might not even be
planning to head over to that island,
but this kind of party doesn’t ever
acknowledge that. They keep the
tightest of grips on any knowledge
they possess.
9-10 Conciliatory
Look, sure, we might screw you over.
Or send you down the wrong path. Or
even steal your weapons while you’re
sleeping. But it’s nothing personal. It’s
just business!

The final stage is to choose a name! What is your band of
rivals going to be called? What do the player characters hear
them referred to, in the taverns and markets? What name is
slapped alongside the boats, as they speed towards the shore?
Roll twice on the following table and you’ll have an answer!D10 Result First Part Second Part
1 Bloody Conquerors
2 Gorgeous Hunters
3 Hidden Iconoclasts
4 Golden Bandits
5 Grim Warriors
6 Shredded Queens
7 Raging Away Team
8 Hellacious Hounds
9 Happy Expedition
10 Miraculous Heroes
So, what are you waiting for? Put a rival crew together and
start making your player characters’ lives that little bit
more interesting!