Winter 1021 AC: Aozy Markvo dreaded vacation to Ierendi
by Aoz
Aozy Markvo was just trying to relax on the beach on Safari Island and get a bit of sun after a paid adventure.
It was not his fault that some pirates attacked.
Aozy just animated a few Pirates, sent them to deal with the threat and went back to sleep on the beach.
He woke up to the sound of cannon fire and screams. He rubbed his eyes and saw a fleet of pirate ships flying: the Skull and Swords. He realized that his undead pirates may went a little overkill.
He cursed and grabbed his staff. He had to stop them before they caused more trouble. He ran to the nearest boat and jumped on board. He was greeted by a horde of zombies, skeletons, and his newly created Dreaded Ones, all wearing pirate hats and some with eye patches. They recognized him as their master and saluted him.
"Arrr, Master, welcome aboard!" one of them said. "We be the dread crew of Captain Aozy, the scourge of the Seas of Dread!"
"What are you doing?" Aozy demanded. "Why are you attacking these ships?"
"We be following your orders, master," the zombie said. "You told us to deal with the threat, and we did. We killed the pirates who attacked us, converting some of them to Arrr ranks, and then we took their ships and treasure. And then we saw more ships on the horizon, and we thought, why not? More loot, more fun!"
Aozy facepalmed. He had been too vague with his instructions. He had to find a way to stop them before they attracted the attention of the authorities, the Immortals or worse, Micky the Mage. He knows Micky would find this hilarious. He decided to use his necromantic powers to take control of their minds and make them obey him.
He raised his staff and focused his necromancy arts. He felt a surge of energy as he connected with the undead pirates. He imposes his will on them, but he could sense they have developed some free will and independence. They did not want to give up their new life of adventure and plunder.
"Please, master, but we like being pirates," the Dread one said. "We have more fun than we ever did when we were alive. We have a code, we have a crew, we have a captain. And that captain is you, master. You are our leader, our hero, our legend. You are the greatest necromancer who ever lived. You gave us a second chance, and we are eternal grateful. But we also have our own dreams, our own desires, our own destiny. And we want to follow them, with you or at least hopefully with your blessing. Either way you would still get a share of the booty."
Aozy was stunned. He had never expected this. He had never wanted this. He had only wanted to relax on the beach and get a bit of sun. He had not planned to become a pirate king. He had not asked for this responsibility, or this kind of fame. He had not wanted to create a new race of undead, or a new threat to the world.
He looked at the undead pirates, and he felt a mix of emotions. He felt anger, frustration, a bit of guilt, but also curiosity, admiration, a lot of pride, and even some affection. He realized that he had created something unique, something amazing, something that could change the seas. He realized that he had a choice to make. He could either try to stop them or join them.
He thought about it for a moment, and then he made his decision.
He smiled and lowered his staff.
"Arrr, mateys, you win," he said. "I will give you, my blessing. You have proven yourselves to be worthy pirates, and worthy undead. You have shown me a new way of life, a new way of death. You are my crew, a little bit twisted, that is ok but there must be rules. And I am your Captain from afar, your master, and your creator. And together, we will rob the robbers of the Seas of Dread!"
The undead pirates cheered and lifted him up and carried him to the around. They gave him a hat, a coat, a bloody scimitar and some of the booty. They sang songs of praise and glory. They sailed away to the horizon, looking for more ships to raid, more treasure to loot, more fun to have. While Aozy sat on the beach thinking: " What have I done?" As he drank his cares away with another Thunder grog.
Yo Ho Ho it is Thunder Grog for Me
Dread Pirate
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Sea of Dread
FREQUENCY: Rare
ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Average (8-10)
TREASURE: Nil
ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil
NO. APPEARING: 2d8 (or ship 40 to 160)
ARMOR CLASS: 6
MOVEMENT: 9
HIT DICE: 6 (6d6+12)
THAC0: 15
NO. OF ATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d4/2d4
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Raise dead, control undead
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Spell immunities
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (6' tall)
Dread Pirates (Zombies/skeletons) are undead creatures resembling normal zombies or skeletons that sail the Sea of Dread on various errands for their master, the Captain Aozy Markov. While a few of these creatures are independent of their creator, most are known to serve the Captain in one manner or another.
These undead are frequently encountered wearing the pirate clothing as they did in life. It's not uncommon for Dread Pirate to be wearing pirate hat or bandana, pirate clothing even an eye patch.
There's a sparkling of intelligence in a Dread Pirates- the last vestige of humanity left in its body. Each undead speaks whatever languages it knew in life (typically common) and also communicates telepathically with the Captain (This can become annoying to Aozy when hundreds of Dread Pirates wish him a good day).
Combat: Dread Pirates typically attacks in teams, seeking to overwhelm any opposition quickly. While a few servants of the Captain have been known to hurl daggers or flaming oil even a spell or two, most Dread Pirates prefer the direct approach. Once a direct attack fails, however, the Captain or a Dread Pirate Lord is quick to inform other bands of his Dread Pirates to attack with ranged weapons, wait until night to attack, or simply ambush opponents. Dread Pirate are turned as wight unless the Captain or Dread Pirate Lord is present making them un-turnable.
While engaged in melee, these undead seek to pummel or use scimitars against their opponents. The Dread Pirates that defeat an opponent can then choose to raise dead on that creature, transforming him into a Dread Pirate in 1d6 turns. As the transformation comes to fruition, the skin slowly turns a pale white, fingernails become sharp, and the eyes become milky white and a chance to become a skeletal dread pirate.
A successfully cast remove curse versus 12th-level magic stops the transformation, returning the victim to the ranks of the dead. From there, a normal raise dead or resurrection spell can be used to bring the creature back to life as described above after being defeated in combat.
Dread Pirates variety can also control non-thinking undead (skeletons, normal zombies, and others) within 30 feet. Such control is equivalent to that of an priest who successfully controls undead.
Dread Pirates are immune to sleep, charm, hold, death magic, poison, and cold-based attacks. A vial of holy water inflicts 2d4 points of damage.
Habitat/Society: Most Dread Pirates are loyal servants to the Captain. These creatures roam the Sea of Dread searching for more booty and new recruits to add to the Captain's crew. Each Dread Pirates possesses a passion for the pirate's life.
Dread Pirates retain most of their Intelligence (10 maximum) and the ability to speak. They also keep the personality and memories that they had in life, typically using these to their advantage in service to the Captain. Overall, creatures retain two-thirds of the abilities they had in life (so a fighter with 18 Strength would be reduced to a Strength of 12). Some retain 2/3 of their class or race (elf, dwarf, ect) levels as well.
All of these undead answer to the telepathic will of the Captain, though he may from time to time appoint a Dread Pirate Zombie Lord to command in his stead.
Ecology: As Dread Pirates swell their ranks with those they defeat, it becomes increasingly difficult to oppose this wave of undead as it ravages the Sea of Dread. In time, entire Fleets are absorbed into a growing mass of destruction that sweeps up anything it encounters. Yo Ho Ho its the pirate un-life for me.
Note: Dread Pirate Lord
Mostly the same as a Dread Pirate
1 in 100: transform into a Dread Pirate Lord and command normal Dread Pirates .
As long as the Pirate Flag is on the ship remains flying it grants the Dread Pirates immunity to turning and + 2 hit, saves and armor class.