Explorer's Guide to Wildemount

TIDE OF RETRIBUTION Earrings is keen for them to undertake the quest, and
many of the nearby islands offer resources for underwa­
Trouble darkens the shores of the Vezdali Peninsula ter adventuring that might help them.
when an earthquake hits, sending part of the village of
Palma Flora down into the sea. "Tide of Retribution" is Returning to the watery ruins of Palma Flora, the
an adventure that takes characters from 1st to 3rd level. characters face off against their sahuagin foes. The bat­
It introduces them to the Menagerie Coast-a tropical tle is vicious, as many of Palma Flora's shark hunters
region filled with monstrous abominations, mysterious have been twisted by eldritch power into half-humanoid,
curses, and ancient temples. This setting is ideal for half-shark abominations. No matter the outcome of the
nautical and jungle-exploring adventures. final battle, the adventurers are set up to continue their
nautical adventures along the Menagerie Coast.
If your players use the heroic chronicle to create their
characters (see chapter 4), talk to them about creating SETUP AND STARTING POINTS
characters who grew up on the Menagerie Coast to give ---
them a closer connection to this region. For characters
not from the Menagerie Coast, the players should think Before beginning the adventure, work with your players
about why those characters were drawn from across the as they talk about why their characters are in Palma
continent to an idyllic village by the sea. Flora. You can provide players with some details regard­
ing the village as it's described in chapter 3. This can
STORY OVERVIEW help the players get into character and help you establish
why the party has come to this remote coastal village.
The village o f Palma Flora i s known for its vibrant green
foliage, its competitive shark-hunting tournaments, and This is also a good time to figure out if the characters
a sweet cocktail that shares the village's name. Lurking already know each other or if this adventure is the first
in the Sharkfeather Abyss, an ocean trench just west of time they've met.
the village, is a small clan of some dozen sahuagin that
has grown weary of the shark hunters of Palma Flora. THAT SINKING FEELING
Year after year, the sea devils have attacked the shark �--�
hunters in an effort to spoil the tournaments, but their
small numbers have seen them consistently defeated by Once the players are ready to begin, read or paraphrase
the hunters and the village's hired mercenaries. How­ the following to set the scene:
ever, things have recently changed.
A cool breeze drifts across Flora I s le, mingling the
When a young sahuagin named Selachai lost her sweet scent offlowers with the salty tang ofthe Lucidian
parents in a raid against the shark hunters during last Ocean. Wel l-tan n ed locals play on the beach, while s u n ­
year's tournament, her distraught prayers for vengeance burned visitors sit in wicker chairs and sip cold drinks. A
touched the fathomless consciousness of Uk'otoa, an half-dozen nearly n aked shark h u nters preparing to com­
ancient leviathan trapped beneath the ocean. Selachai pete in the annual tournament stand i n the shallows on
beseeched her new patron for the power to destroy the the south shore, armed with h arpoons and t h e i r wits.
shark hunters and all who exploit the sea. She received
that power in the form of a magic scepter tipped with a The players now have the chance to describe what their
crystalline amber eye. Transformed by the scepter into characters are doing in the scene you've established.
a conduit for Uk'otoa's might, Selachai now leads the Your group can play out these scenes as short vignettes,
Sharkfeather clan on a path of dark retribution, and it's with each player establishing what a normal day is like
up to the adventurers to stop it. for the characters before the action begins.

ADVENTURE SUMMARY Once the scene is set, proceed to the next section. If
you or your players don't feel comfortable roleplaying a
In the first part of the adventure, the characters are short two-person scene to set the mood, let the players
enjoying a day of relaxation or invigorating shark quickly summarize what their characters are doing,
hunting on the sunny shores of Palma Flora when a then get straight into the action.
ground-quaking tremor rocks the coast. Before their
eyes, the island-based portion of the village begins to All the sections in this part of the adventure are keyed
sink into the depths. Sahuagin prowl the waters, evis­ to map 5 . 1 , which appears later in this chapter.
cerating those who try to swim to safety. The characters
must fight to survive and have a chance to save as many EARTHQUAKE AND SAHUAGIN ATTACK
villagers as they can before Palma Flora is overrun.
Once the characters have introduced themselves, read:
In the end, the characters must leap aboard a ship
fleeing the sinking village before they are overwhelmed. The gro u n d beneath your feet t rembles and cracks.
If they survive this attack and make it to the open water, Waves a dozen feet high crash i nto the shore, and the
they reach 2nd level. While aboard the ship, the charac­ sound of screaming fi l l s the air as a stampede of beach­
ters interact with the crew and their mysterious tabaxi goers flees the sands. A chorus of shrieks add to the
captain as they plan their next moves. cacophony as shark h u nters run from the water, p u rsued
by h u manoid creatures with fi s h - li ke heads and slick,
In the last part of the adventure, characters who want rubbery skin.
to save Palma Flora and unravel the mystery of the sink­
ing village are faced with several options. Captain Three

206 C H APTER 5 I ADVENTURES IN W I LD E MOUNT

Ask each player how their character reacts. If any of the Developments. After this encounter, an aftershock
characters want to fight the sahuagin, tell the players to rocks the village. Any character who succeeds on a DC
roll initiative. The action of this adventure begins in the 10 Wisdom (Perception) check confirms that Palma
south part of the village (area P l , described below). Flora is sinking. Every 10 minutes from this point for­
ward, the size of the island shrinks by 5 feet on all sides
The characters might not be interested in saving the as it is slowly submerged in the ocean.
shark hunters, perhaps feeling that people not afraid to
hunt sharks can fend for themselves. In that case, let Where to Next? From here, the characters can travel
them ask you questions about what else is happening in to the east, west, or north side of Palma Flora. Any
the village. The players might decide that their charac­ character who looks toward the other parts of the village
ters want to focus on saving villagers, raiding houses, in an attempt to understand what's happening must
or performing any other noble or selfish deeds as the make a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. On a failure,
village falls into chaos. In this event, refer to the map of the character sees only fleeing people and hears only
Palma Flora and the following general features to an­ screams. On a success, tell that character the following
swer their questions. information, based on where they're looking:

Pl. SOUTH SHORE East Shore. The village docks are here, and several
ships are already sailing away. One group of sailors is
Four sahuagin emerge from the water to pursue two battling sahuagin as they try to board the last vessel
shark hunters (use the tribal warrior stat block). If the still docked.
characters don't interfere, the shark hunters are handily
skewered and killed by the sahuagin. West Shore. The village is sinking most quickly here,
and several beachside houses are already half sub­
Shark Hunters. The two shark hunters are reckless merged. The villagers and the sahuagin are all headed
human teenagers-a female half-elf named Elanza and toward the north shore.
a male tiefling namedJoao. Elanza fears that the entire
village will sink into the sea, and she urges the charac­ North Shore. Desperate villagers are trying to swim
ters to accompany her to the ships on the eastern shore to the north part of the village on the mainland. A
and escape. Joao is obsessed with glory. If he survives SO-foot-wide channel separates the two parts of the
this encounter, he heads for the north shore to keep village after the earthquake splintered the bridge. If
fighting unless a character can convince him to flee the characters don't intervene, the villagers become
to safety with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persua­ easy pickings for the sahuagin and sharks.
sion) check.

C H A PTE R 5 I ADVENTURES IN WlLD E M O UNT 207