The Neushoorn, a once-proud sloop-of-war from the Emerald Collective, has become one of the most unsettling and mysterious vessels to ever drift into Seregon's harbor. Five years ago, this ghostly ship appeared off the coast, carried by the tides and winds toward the city. Its hull was encrusted with large clumps of yellow fungus, and deep, desperate scratch marks, reminiscent of fingernails, marred its sides from the waterline to the deck. The eerie sight was made more unsettling by the complete absence of its crew—no bodies, no signs of life, and not even a logbook to tell the tale of what happened during its final voyage.
Speculation about the fate of the Neushoorn has been rampant since its arrival. Some say it was caught in a fierce storm on the treacherous Ravaged Sea, its crew lost to the fury of the elements. Others whisper of pirates or sea monsters, but the strange yellow fungus and the patches of slime found on the deck suggest a more sinister and supernatural cause. The Telum druids, Seregon's protectors of nature, were called upon to cleanse the ship of the fungus and slime, but even they could not explain how such growths took hold or what they might mean.
The ship's inexplicable presence has left a mark on the city. During the last Festival of Canals, there were chilling reports from witnesses who claimed to see skeletal figures moving about the ship, their hollow eyes staring out at the revelers from the shadows. Others reported hearing blood-curdling screams coming from the Neushoorn, as if the spirits of the lost crew were still trapped aboard, reliving their final, terrifying moments.
Communication with the Emerald Collective, the ship's original owners, has been slow and bureaucratic, with little progress made in uncovering the truth or determining what should be done with the vessel. The ship has become something of an urban legend, with even the most daring of Seregon's thieves refusing to board it.
Harbourmaster Annelies Zandstra, weary of the ship's ominous presence in her harbor, has claimed salvage rights in a bid to finally rid the city of the cursed vessel. The city has agreed to let her sell it for half its estimated value—around 12,000 gold pieces—but finding a buyer has proven difficult. The Neushoorn sits on the far end of the harbor, like a dark omen, a reminder of the unknown horrors that still lurk in the world, waiting to be discovered. The question remains: who would dare take possession of such a ship, and what fate would befall them if they did?