Whalehome & Gnat’s Peak

Song of the Whale
Within the skull of the first Whale-King, hides a powerful
song that contains a very small portion of its power. Such a
divine gift can only be granted by the current Whale-King.
An adventurer who has acquired such a fragment has done a
great service to either the Whale-King or Whalehome.

Song of the Whale
Within the skull of the first Whale-King, hides a powerful
song that contains a very small portion of its power. To
gain the Song of the Whale, one must gain the favour of the
current Whale-King themselves. Each king has had their
own trial, but all gifts granted to human (or animal) kind
have been due to a significant achievement that has helped
Whalehome or the Whale-King. Once this favour is complete,
the Whale-King grants a portion of the skull, in payment.
The Song of the Whale-King grants the following benefits:

• They can breathe underwater, as on land, without
  any penalties.
  
• They can communicate with any aquatic creature,
  as though knowing their language.
  
• They gain advantage on any social checks made with
  aquatic creatures.
  

These benefits persist for as long as a player character
possesses the Song of the Whale-King. Should they set it
aside, or lose it, these benefits immediately cease.

Measured Reflections. Time is inverted within
Whalehome compared to the outside world. Sunset is
sunrise, and day is night.
No Babelfish Needed. There is no language barrier
between creatures. All languages can be comprehended.
Communication with non-intelligent animals proceeds as
if the speak with animals spell has been cast.
Whalish Waybread. Food given by the villagers
in Whalehome is incredibly nourishing, lifting any
exhaustion levels a player character might have.

It is not surprising that individuals would dare to call
themselves kings of the sea. Some do it by claiming they
have conquered it, others by attempting to force their
dominance. But the one that declares themselves king
of the whales is done so by hereditary. The Whale-Kings
themselves are the largest of their kind—some growing into
the size of an entire island—and they rule whale-kind with
a gentle, guiding fin. They tend to live for a millennia before
passing on the mantle to an apprentice they have trained for
a century and passing away, their body slowly joining into
parts of their island, increasing both its size and its power.

If one is blessed enough to find the entrance to Whalehome,
the village will welcome you. Filled with transformed whales
(and certain humans who have come to settle with the
Whale-King), all people are welcome to join in and live
peacefully as long as they respect the rules and decrees of
the Whale-King. The village itself hosts about fifty whales
and ten humans. As long as a newcomer has the Whale-
King’s approval, they are treated with courtesy. If, however,
the Whale-King turns against them for whatever reason,
any outsider would swiftly find the village abandoned, with
nothing but empty homes around them. Upon returning to
the real world, they would find the pool no longer welcomes
them back to the island.
The court itself is less formal than its name. Every fortnight,
the villagers gather by the largest home and await the arrival
of the Whale-King from the sea. They come through the
bay, appearing with a spout of water, and then take the form
of whatever creature they desire. A night of stories, tales
from ancient seas, and past histories commences, and with
the rising of the sun, the Whale-King returns to the ocean,
starting the cycle anew.

It is said that Whalehome’s power comes from the death of
one of the first Whale-King, who was great in both stature
and leadership. Upon their passing, they lay a final spell over
the island that became Whalehome, casting it into its own
special world and creating a home for all of its kind to rest
and educate their young. Their skull sits along a mountain in
the centre of the island and can hold up to twenty people with
enough room to move around. Etched along the inside of the
skull are the tales of previous Whale-Kings, along with any
significant events that has occurred within the ocean itself.

A circle of rocks around a beautiful white beach next to the
village creates a natural bay on the island, which boasts fish
from various parts of the Faraway Sea, if not beyond. It is
not that the fish themselves are present within the bay, just
that the waters of the bay represent the waters of all the land
- fishing within the water of the bay can bring you fish from
a part of the sea you have visited previously.

The Whale-King’s realm is always under threat. Whether
from creatures above, trying to force their way into the
Whalehome, or those dwellers in the deep, seeking to
overthrow a king they detest, there’s always some potential
danger waiting to be fought.

D10 Roll Random Encounter
1 1d8 + 2 sahuagin
2 1 dragon turtle
3 2d6 merfolk
4 2d4 giant sharks
5 1d6 + 1 plesiosaurs
6 1d10 + 2 sahuagin
7 1d4 + 3 water elementals
8 1 sea hag
9 1d4 + 2 giant octopuses
10 2 dragon turtles