The White Eye
Captain Vane’s missing talisman is foreshadowed by the empty socket in area 1, the false ruby in area 3, Vane’s note in area 6, and the milk-white pearl carried in area 10.
Interactive Dungeon Module
The Pequod
A drowned whaler, a captain’s obsession, and the mutiny that sent both to the seabed.
The Pequod lies canted on the seafloor, but the wreck is not uniformly flooded. Old pressure wards worked into its iron braces still trap stale, breathable air inside many intact compartments; broken lower sections are partially or completely open to the sea. Captain Silas Vane drove the ship after a pale leviathan the crew called the White Wake, convinced that a milk-white pearl taken during the hunt would guide him back to it. First Mate Mara Quill came to believe the pearl was drawing predators toward the vessel instead. When Vane refused to abandon the chase, Quill led a mutiny and scuttled the ship from within. The truth of the sinking can be reconstructed from physical evidence, a dead-reckoning puzzle, a false ruby, the captain's missing pearl, and the damage around the keel.
Adventure Sections
Major Threads
Dead Reckoning
The brass sextant in area 6 and the west-southwest bearing solve the false treasury mechanism in area 7.
The Scuttling
Mara Quill’s initials, crew graffiti, inward-facing cut marks, and the final keel damage build a physical case that the Pequod was sunk by its own crew.
Later Occupants
Oozes, shadows, sahuagin, a shark, and a merrow have turned the wreck into a living dungeon without being responsible for its original disaster.
Characters
Dead / historicalCaptain Silas VaneCaptain of the PequodDead / historicalMara QuillFirst Mate of the Pequod
Experience
0XP earned
XP breakdown
No defeated creatures yet.
Wandering Monster Table
| d6 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | Merrow (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 210) and 1 x Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264); high, 550 xp; dragging a drowned sailor through the passage |
| 2 | Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp; drifting through the wreck amid loose debris |
| 3 | Hunter Shark (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 363); moderate, 450 xp; following the scent of fresh blood |
| 4 | 6 x Giant Crab (CR 1/8, Monster Manual, p. 356); low, 150 xp; picking through a split provision chest |
| 5 | Black Dragon Wyrmling (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 38); moderate, 450 xp; searching the wreck for bright metal and gems |
| 6 | 2 x Giant Octopus (CR 1, Monster Manual, p. 358); moderate, 400 xp; bloodied and fleeing something outside the hull |
Authored Module View
Adventure
Read and run one section at a time. Room, creature, treasure, and map links jump immediately to their dedicated views.
The first clues to Vane’s obsession and the ship’s violent end
Part 1: The Broken Decks
The eastern and upper compartments establish the wreck’s central questions. The captain’s cabin is missing something eye-shaped, the red ruby is an obvious decoy, and the drowned crew leave signs that the ship’s final disaster may not have come entirely from outside.
AREA 8
8. The Ballast Deck
Deep FloodingWaist-to-chest-deep seawater fills the lower side of the canted deck.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• Too deep to stand: use Swimming movement• No automatic underwater combat or suffocation while above waterAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading. Use Swimming movement where the water is too deep to stand. Breathing is normally available above the waterline.
Black seawater reaches waist height across the lower side of the canted ballast deck, though a pocket of breathable air remains overhead. Empty gun ports stare into the sea. Ballast stones lie in unstable heaps, and several heavy timbers near the south bulkhead have been cut cleanly through.
Features
Black seawater reaches waist height across the lower side of the canted ballast deck. Empty gun ports gape just above and below the waterline, and piles of ballast stone have shifted into unstable heaps. Near the south bulkhead, three timbers were deliberately wedged aside before the ship sank. Their cut faces point inward rather than outward: someone opened the hull from inside.
Hazard
Falling Ballast Trap: DC 15 to find, DC 15 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft. square area, DC 14 save or take 2d10 bludgeoning damage
Exits
- North. Swollen Heavy Bulkhead Door (DC 15 to break; 20 hp) → area 4
- South. Trapped Ironclad Bulkhead (60 hp)Trap. Falling Ballast Trigger: DC 15 to find, DC 15 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft. square area, DC 14 save or take 2d10 bludgeoning damage
AREA 4
4. The Drowned Mess
Shallow FloodingKnee-deep seawater pools across the canted mess deck.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by defaultAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
Knee-deep seawater fills the canted mess, leaving an air pocket above. Long tables lean at crooked angles through the water. Something gelatinous bulges between them, while two human-shaped patches of darkness slide soundlessly along the walls.
Features
Long mess tables stand half-submerged at crooked angles in knee-deep seawater. Two drowned shadows repeatedly reach toward a severed bilge-pump chain on the south bulkhead. The iron bracket beside the chain is stamped M.Q., the initials of First Mate Mara Quill.
Creatures
Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 20 pp, 10 x small silver trade bar (2 lb, 10 gp).
Exits
AREA 1
1. Captain’s Great Cabin
FloodingDampAirBreathable
A broad cabin opens beyond the broken bulkhead. Cold droplets bead on the walls, but the air is stale and breathable. A heavy desk remains bolted to the tilted deck beneath a cracked stern window, its drawers swollen shut. In the center of the desktop is an empty eye-shaped socket rimmed with pale shell.
Features
A captain's desk is bolted to the deck beneath a cracked stern window. Its lid bears an eye-shaped socket rimmed with mother-of-pearl, and a warped logbook repeatedly names the White Wake. The final pages are missing. If the milk-white pearl from area 10 is pressed into the socket, a watertight drawer opens and reveals Captain Vane's final entry: First Mate Mara Quill ordered the Pequod scuttled from within after Vane refused to abandon the hunt.
Exits
- East. Trapped Cabin Door (10 hp)Trap. Spring Harpoon Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +3 to hit against one target, 1d10 piercing damage
- South. Broken Bulkhead Opening → area 4
AREA 3
3. The Red Eye
AirBreathable
The compartment is wet but strangely free of standing water. Swollen chart cases and strips of waterlogged leather litter the deck. A bright ruby rests on a brass pedestal at the north end, surrounded by black scorch marks and a scatter of old bone.
Features
Rotten chart cases lie swollen and split across the damp deck beside strips of waterlogged leather. A length of loose chain rattles against the north bulkhead. A ruby rests on a brass pedestal amid old scorch marks and bone dust.
Special Feature
The ruby is completely mundane. Scratched into the underside of the pedestal are the words "THE RED EYE LIES." The scorched bones are the remains of sailors who tried to steal the decoy when the pedestal was still trapped. This clue points away from the red stone and toward the milk-white pearl connected to areas 1 and 10.
Exits
The crew’s evidence and the navigator’s hidden mechanism
Part 2: Dead Reckoning
The western compartments contain the clearest human evidence aboard the Pequod. Mara Quill’s name recurs, Captain Vane’s note names a bearing, and the brass sextant turns an apparently decorative chart table into a solvable mechanism.
AREA 2
2. The Oil Hold
Shallow FloodingAnkle-to-knee-deep oily seawater.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by defaultAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
Knee-deep black water sloshes across the oil hold. Broken casks bob against the tilted deck, leaking greasy rainbows across the surface. A clear, nearly invisible mass fills part of the compartment, and a loose chain knocks against the hull with the rhythm of distant footsteps.
Features
Splintered whale-oil casks bob in knee-deep seawater, leaking greasy ribbons across the tilted deck while a loose capstan chain knocks against the hull like distant footsteps. Someone has carved "THE WHITE EYE CALLS IT BACK" into the south bulkhead.
Creatures
Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129); moderate, 450 xp
Encounter State0 / 450 XP
Gelatinous Cube450 XP each
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 30 pp, 8 x silver trade bar (5 lb, 25 gp).
Exits
- North. Broken Bulkhead Opening
- East. Locked Iron Bulkhead (DC 10 to open, DC 30 to break; 60 hp) → area 3
AREA 5
5. Carpenter’s Locker
FloodingDampAirBreathable
The carpenter's locker smells of wet oak and old salt, but the deck is mostly clear of standing water. An overturned workbench and a coffin-shaped sea chest fill the cramped compartment. Names have been carved into the north bulkhead in dozens of different hands.
Features
An overturned carpenter's bench fills the west side of the compartment beside a coffin-shaped emergency sea chest. A crew roster is carved into the north bulkhead. Mara Quill's name is circled, and beneath it someone later cut the words: 'SHE OPENED THE SEA BEFORE HE COULD OPEN THE EYE.'
Exits
AREA 6
6. The Chart Locker
AirBreathable
This chart locker is unnervingly dry compared with the rest of the wreck. Salt-stained shelves line the west wall, and a brass lamp hangs over a navigation desk bolted to the deck. An iron sea chest sits beneath it, dark with rust but still intact.
Features
Salt-stained chart shelves line the west wall, their papers fused into warped bricks, and a brass lamp hangs above a fixed navigation desk. In Captain Vane's hand, a surviving note reads: 'WHITE WAKE — WSW AT NOON. TRUST THE INSTRUMENT, NOT THE EYE.'
Hazard
Spring Harpoon Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 15 to disable; +3 to hit against one target, 1d10 piercing damage
Treasure
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 2000 sp, a case of 10 x copper sounding rod etched with wave marks (25 gp each).
Brass Sextant
Story Item:
a brass sextant opens the recessed mechanism in the chart table in area 7 and points west-southwest when seated there
Exits
AREA 7
7. The False Treasury
AirBreathable
Dry deck planks creak beneath your feet. A chart table occupies the center of the compartment, ringed by four brass compass roses. Beyond it, a coffer overflowing with gold seems to rest at the bottom of a perfectly still pool of water that should not be here.
Features
A fixed chart table dominates the compartment. Four brass compass roses surround a circular recess in its center, while a carved frieze shows the Pequod chasing a pale leviathan through heavy seas.
Special Feature
A coffer of gold and gemstones appears to rest in a deep pool of magical water in the north-west corner, but the treasure is an illusion. Touching the water before solving the mechanism partially petrifies the creature for 1 hour. The brass sextant from area 6 fits the chart table's central recess and points west-southwest. Turning the west-southwest compass rose causes the false coffer to vanish and opens a real watertight drawer.
Treasure
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Watertight drawer beneath the chart table. It opens only after the dead-reckoning mechanism is solved
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 75 gp.
Exits
Scavengers, the missing pearl, and proof of the scuttling
Part 3: The Keel Below
The lower wreck crosses in and out of the failing pressure wards. Area 9 and the keel breach in area 11 are fully submerged; area 10 retains only a cramped air pocket above deep water. Aquatic predators have claimed these sections, and the captain's missing white pearl lies among them.
AREA 9
9. The Feeding Pen
SubmergedThe hull breach leaves this compartment fully open to the sea.• Swimming movement• Suffocation if the creature cannot breathe here• Underwater Combat + Fire ResistanceNo Breathable AirCharacters here must use normal underwater breathing/suffocation rules.• Creatures unable to breathe here use Suffocation• Applicable breathing features bypass the problem
Mechanical impact: Use Swimming movement throughout. Creatures that can't breathe here use the Suffocation rules. Underwater Combat weapon restrictions apply. Anything underwater has Resistance to Fire damage.
The pressure ward ends at this threshold. Beyond it, the compartment is completely submerged, and a jagged hole in the hull opens directly onto black water. A chain runs from a ringbolt to the collar of a circling shark, while a scaled warrior waits among the broken timbers.
Features
A jagged breach in the outer hull opens onto black water. A Sahuagin Warrior has chained a Hunter Shark here as a feeding animal, using the compartment as a pen and ambush point.
Creatures
Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264) and Hunter Shark (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 363); high, 550 xp
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 40 x small silver trade bar (2 lb, 10 gp), an ivory medallion inlaid with brass wire (250 gp).
Exits
AREA 10
10. The Chain Well
Deep FloodingChest-deep water covers most of the chain locker; characters can normally keep their heads above water.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• Too deep to stand: use Swimming movement• No automatic underwater combat or suffocation while above waterAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading. Use Swimming movement where the water is too deep to stand. Breathing is normally available above the waterline.
Chest-deep water fills the chain locker, leaving a cramped pocket of air beneath the ceiling. Anchor chain hangs in heavy loops before vanishing into a black, fully submerged well in the deck. Something large moves below the surface, and a pale gleam flashes among the chains.
Features
This compartment was once the chain locker. Chest-deep seawater covers the tilted deck, and an iron-grated well drops into a fully submerged lower hold. Lengths of anchor chain disappear beneath the surface. A Merrow lurks in the flooded well and among the chains. Around its neck hangs a milk-white pearl set in a corroded brass cage.
Creatures
Merrow (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 210); moderate, 450 xp
Encounter State0 / 450 XP
Merrow450 XP each
Local Environmental Zones
The iron-grated well drops into the lower hold and is fully submerged. A creature entering the well leaves the parent Area’s breathable air pocket and is underwater.
SubmergedThe chain well and lower hold are fully underwater.• Swimming movement• Suffocation if the creature cannot breathe here• Underwater Combat + Fire ResistanceNo Breathable AirNo breathable air is available inside the submerged well.• Creatures unable to breathe here use Suffocation• Applicable breathing features bypass the problem
Mechanical impact: Use Swimming movement throughout. Creatures that can't breathe here use the Suffocation rules. Underwater Combat weapon restrictions apply. Anything underwater has Resistance to Fire damage.
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 10 pp, 10 x silver trade bar (5 lb, 25 gp).
Milk-White Pearl
Story Item:
a milk-white pearl matches the eye-shaped socket in the captain's desk in area 1
Exits
- East. Swollen Heavy Bulkhead Door (DC 15 to break; 20 hp)
- South. Locked Swollen Oak Door (DC 25 to open, DC 15 to break; 15 hp)
- West. Swollen Cabin Door (DC 10 to break; 10 hp) → area 9
AREA 11
11. The Keel Breach
SubmergedThe keel breach is fully flooded and open to the sea.• Swimming movement• Suffocation if the creature cannot breathe here• Underwater Combat + Fire ResistanceNo Breathable AirCharacters here are fully underwater.• Creatures unable to breathe here use Suffocation• Applicable breathing features bypass the problem
Mechanical impact: Use Swimming movement throughout. Creatures that can't breathe here use the Suffocation rules. Underwater Combat weapon restrictions apply. Anything underwater has Resistance to Fire damage.
The wreck opens fully to the sea here. The keel timbers split around a long submerged wound in the hull. Coral has begun to crust the opening, but the wood beneath it still shows rows of deliberate axe cuts. Sahuagin move among the braces like sentries.
Features
The keel timbers here are split around a long breach now crusted with coral. The damage is unmistakably deliberate: axe and adze cuts run from the inside out. A shipwright's adze remains wedged beneath one brace, and the initials M.Q. have been cut into its haft. This is the strongest physical proof that the Pequod was scuttled.
Creatures
4 x Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264); moderate, 400 xp
Encounter State0 / 400 XP
Sahuagin Warrior ×4100 XP each
Exits
- North. Broken Bulkhead Opening
- East. Barnacled Iron Grate (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
Room Key
Areas
Compact master/detail view for running individual rooms without scrolling through the whole module.
AREA 1
1. Captain’s Great Cabin
FloodingDampAirBreathable
A broad cabin opens beyond the broken bulkhead. Cold droplets bead on the walls, but the air is stale and breathable. A heavy desk remains bolted to the tilted deck beneath a cracked stern window, its drawers swollen shut. In the center of the desktop is an empty eye-shaped socket rimmed with pale shell.
Features
A captain's desk is bolted to the deck beneath a cracked stern window. Its lid bears an eye-shaped socket rimmed with mother-of-pearl, and a warped logbook repeatedly names the White Wake. The final pages are missing. If the milk-white pearl from area 10 is pressed into the socket, a watertight drawer opens and reveals Captain Vane's final entry: First Mate Mara Quill ordered the Pequod scuttled from within after Vane refused to abandon the hunt.
Exits
- East. Trapped Cabin Door (10 hp)Trap. Spring Harpoon Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +3 to hit against one target, 1d10 piercing damage
- South. Broken Bulkhead Opening → area 4
AREA 2
2. The Oil Hold
Shallow FloodingAnkle-to-knee-deep oily seawater.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by defaultAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
Knee-deep black water sloshes across the oil hold. Broken casks bob against the tilted deck, leaking greasy rainbows across the surface. A clear, nearly invisible mass fills part of the compartment, and a loose chain knocks against the hull with the rhythm of distant footsteps.
Features
Splintered whale-oil casks bob in knee-deep seawater, leaking greasy ribbons across the tilted deck while a loose capstan chain knocks against the hull like distant footsteps. Someone has carved "THE WHITE EYE CALLS IT BACK" into the south bulkhead.
Creatures
Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129); moderate, 450 xp
Encounter State0 / 450 XP
Gelatinous Cube450 XP each
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 30 pp, 8 x silver trade bar (5 lb, 25 gp).
Exits
- North. Broken Bulkhead Opening
- East. Locked Iron Bulkhead (DC 10 to open, DC 30 to break; 60 hp) → area 3
AREA 3
3. The Red Eye
AirBreathable
The compartment is wet but strangely free of standing water. Swollen chart cases and strips of waterlogged leather litter the deck. A bright ruby rests on a brass pedestal at the north end, surrounded by black scorch marks and a scatter of old bone.
Features
Rotten chart cases lie swollen and split across the damp deck beside strips of waterlogged leather. A length of loose chain rattles against the north bulkhead. A ruby rests on a brass pedestal amid old scorch marks and bone dust.
Special Feature
The ruby is completely mundane. Scratched into the underside of the pedestal are the words "THE RED EYE LIES." The scorched bones are the remains of sailors who tried to steal the decoy when the pedestal was still trapped. This clue points away from the red stone and toward the milk-white pearl connected to areas 1 and 10.
Exits
AREA 4
4. The Drowned Mess
Shallow FloodingKnee-deep seawater pools across the canted mess deck.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• No swimming, suffocation, or underwater-combat rules by defaultAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading.
Knee-deep seawater fills the canted mess, leaving an air pocket above. Long tables lean at crooked angles through the water. Something gelatinous bulges between them, while two human-shaped patches of darkness slide soundlessly along the walls.
Features
Long mess tables stand half-submerged at crooked angles in knee-deep seawater. Two drowned shadows repeatedly reach toward a severed bilge-pump chain on the south bulkhead. The iron bracket beside the chain is stamped M.Q., the initials of First Mate Mara Quill.
Creatures
Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 20 pp, 10 x small silver trade bar (2 lb, 10 gp).
Exits
AREA 5
5. Carpenter’s Locker
FloodingDampAirBreathable
The carpenter's locker smells of wet oak and old salt, but the deck is mostly clear of standing water. An overturned workbench and a coffin-shaped sea chest fill the cramped compartment. Names have been carved into the north bulkhead in dozens of different hands.
Features
An overturned carpenter's bench fills the west side of the compartment beside a coffin-shaped emergency sea chest. A crew roster is carved into the north bulkhead. Mara Quill's name is circled, and beneath it someone later cut the words: 'SHE OPENED THE SEA BEFORE HE COULD OPEN THE EYE.'
Exits
AREA 6
6. The Chart Locker
AirBreathable
This chart locker is unnervingly dry compared with the rest of the wreck. Salt-stained shelves line the west wall, and a brass lamp hangs over a navigation desk bolted to the deck. An iron sea chest sits beneath it, dark with rust but still intact.
Features
Salt-stained chart shelves line the west wall, their papers fused into warped bricks, and a brass lamp hangs above a fixed navigation desk. In Captain Vane's hand, a surviving note reads: 'WHITE WAKE — WSW AT NOON. TRUST THE INSTRUMENT, NOT THE EYE.'
Hazard
Spring Harpoon Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 15 to disable; +3 to hit against one target, 1d10 piercing damage
Treasure
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 2000 sp, a case of 10 x copper sounding rod etched with wave marks (25 gp each).
Brass Sextant
Story Item:
a brass sextant opens the recessed mechanism in the chart table in area 7 and points west-southwest when seated there
Exits
AREA 7
7. The False Treasury
AirBreathable
Dry deck planks creak beneath your feet. A chart table occupies the center of the compartment, ringed by four brass compass roses. Beyond it, a coffer overflowing with gold seems to rest at the bottom of a perfectly still pool of water that should not be here.
Features
A fixed chart table dominates the compartment. Four brass compass roses surround a circular recess in its center, while a carved frieze shows the Pequod chasing a pale leviathan through heavy seas.
Special Feature
A coffer of gold and gemstones appears to rest in a deep pool of magical water in the north-west corner, but the treasure is an illusion. Touching the water before solving the mechanism partially petrifies the creature for 1 hour. The brass sextant from area 6 fits the chart table's central recess and points west-southwest. Turning the west-southwest compass rose causes the false coffer to vanish and opens a real watertight drawer.
Treasure
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Watertight drawer beneath the chart table. It opens only after the dead-reckoning mechanism is solved
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 75 gp.
Exits
AREA 8
8. The Ballast Deck
Deep FloodingWaist-to-chest-deep seawater fills the lower side of the canted deck.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• Too deep to stand: use Swimming movement• No automatic underwater combat or suffocation while above waterAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading. Use Swimming movement where the water is too deep to stand. Breathing is normally available above the waterline.
Black seawater reaches waist height across the lower side of the canted ballast deck, though a pocket of breathable air remains overhead. Empty gun ports stare into the sea. Ballast stones lie in unstable heaps, and several heavy timbers near the south bulkhead have been cut cleanly through.
Features
Black seawater reaches waist height across the lower side of the canted ballast deck. Empty gun ports gape just above and below the waterline, and piles of ballast stone have shifted into unstable heaps. Near the south bulkhead, three timbers were deliberately wedged aside before the ship sank. Their cut faces point inward rather than outward: someone opened the hull from inside.
Hazard
Falling Ballast Trap: DC 15 to find, DC 15 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft. square area, DC 14 save or take 2d10 bludgeoning damage
Exits
- North. Swollen Heavy Bulkhead Door (DC 15 to break; 20 hp) → area 4
- South. Trapped Ironclad Bulkhead (60 hp)Trap. Falling Ballast Trigger: DC 15 to find, DC 15 to disable; affects all targets within a 10 ft. square area, DC 14 save or take 2d10 bludgeoning damage
AREA 9
9. The Feeding Pen
SubmergedThe hull breach leaves this compartment fully open to the sea.• Swimming movement• Suffocation if the creature cannot breathe here• Underwater Combat + Fire ResistanceNo Breathable AirCharacters here must use normal underwater breathing/suffocation rules.• Creatures unable to breathe here use Suffocation• Applicable breathing features bypass the problem
Mechanical impact: Use Swimming movement throughout. Creatures that can't breathe here use the Suffocation rules. Underwater Combat weapon restrictions apply. Anything underwater has Resistance to Fire damage.
The pressure ward ends at this threshold. Beyond it, the compartment is completely submerged, and a jagged hole in the hull opens directly onto black water. A chain runs from a ringbolt to the collar of a circling shark, while a scaled warrior waits among the broken timbers.
Features
A jagged breach in the outer hull opens onto black water. A Sahuagin Warrior has chained a Hunter Shark here as a feeding animal, using the compartment as a pen and ambush point.
Creatures
Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264) and Hunter Shark (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 363); high, 550 xp
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 40 x small silver trade bar (2 lb, 10 gp), an ivory medallion inlaid with brass wire (250 gp).
Exits
AREA 10
10. The Chain Well
Deep FloodingChest-deep water covers most of the chain locker; characters can normally keep their heads above water.• Wading: Difficult Terrain• Too deep to stand: use Swimming movement• No automatic underwater combat or suffocation while above waterAirBreathable
Mechanical impact: Difficult Terrain while wading. Use Swimming movement where the water is too deep to stand. Breathing is normally available above the waterline.
Chest-deep water fills the chain locker, leaving a cramped pocket of air beneath the ceiling. Anchor chain hangs in heavy loops before vanishing into a black, fully submerged well in the deck. Something large moves below the surface, and a pale gleam flashes among the chains.
Features
This compartment was once the chain locker. Chest-deep seawater covers the tilted deck, and an iron-grated well drops into a fully submerged lower hold. Lengths of anchor chain disappear beneath the surface. A Merrow lurks in the flooded well and among the chains. Around its neck hangs a milk-white pearl set in a corroded brass cage.
Creatures
Merrow (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 210); moderate, 450 xp
Encounter State0 / 450 XP
Merrow450 XP each
Local Environmental Zones
The iron-grated well drops into the lower hold and is fully submerged. A creature entering the well leaves the parent Area’s breathable air pocket and is underwater.
SubmergedThe chain well and lower hold are fully underwater.• Swimming movement• Suffocation if the creature cannot breathe here• Underwater Combat + Fire ResistanceNo Breathable AirNo breathable air is available inside the submerged well.• Creatures unable to breathe here use Suffocation• Applicable breathing features bypass the problem
Mechanical impact: Use Swimming movement throughout. Creatures that can't breathe here use the Suffocation rules. Underwater Combat weapon restrictions apply. Anything underwater has Resistance to Fire damage.
Treasure
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 10 pp, 10 x silver trade bar (5 lb, 25 gp).
Milk-White Pearl
Story Item:
a milk-white pearl matches the eye-shaped socket in the captain's desk in area 1
Exits
- East. Swollen Heavy Bulkhead Door (DC 15 to break; 20 hp)
- South. Locked Swollen Oak Door (DC 25 to open, DC 15 to break; 15 hp)
- West. Swollen Cabin Door (DC 10 to break; 10 hp) → area 9
AREA 11
11. The Keel Breach
SubmergedThe keel breach is fully flooded and open to the sea.• Swimming movement• Suffocation if the creature cannot breathe here• Underwater Combat + Fire ResistanceNo Breathable AirCharacters here are fully underwater.• Creatures unable to breathe here use Suffocation• Applicable breathing features bypass the problem
Mechanical impact: Use Swimming movement throughout. Creatures that can't breathe here use the Suffocation rules. Underwater Combat weapon restrictions apply. Anything underwater has Resistance to Fire damage.
The wreck opens fully to the sea here. The keel timbers split around a long submerged wound in the hull. Coral has begun to crust the opening, but the wood beneath it still shows rows of deliberate axe cuts. Sahuagin move among the braces like sentries.
Features
The keel timbers here are split around a long breach now crusted with coral. The damage is unmistakably deliberate: axe and adze cuts run from the inside out. A shipwright's adze remains wedged beneath one brace, and the initials M.Q. have been cut into its haft. This is the strongest physical proof that the Pequod was scuttled.
Creatures
4 x Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264); moderate, 400 xp
Encounter State0 / 400 XP
Sahuagin Warrior ×4100 XP each
Exits
- North. Broken Bulkhead Opening
- East. Barnacled Iron Grate (lift DC 20, DC 15 to break; 30 hp)
People in the Story
Characters
Named people who matter to this module, including historical figures who never appear as combatants.
Dead / historical
Captain Silas Vane
Captain of the Pequod
Vane became obsessed with the pale leviathan called the White Wake and believed a milk-white pearl taken during the hunt would guide him back to it. He refused to abandon the chase, provoking the mutiny that ended with the Pequod scuttled from within.
Relevant Areas
Dead / historical
Mara Quill
First Mate of the Pequod
Quill concluded that Vane's pearl was drawing predators toward the ship. When Vane refused to stop the hunt, she led the mutiny and ordered the Pequod scuttled; her initials and the physical evidence of deliberate internal damage recur throughout the wreck.
Relevant Areas
Reusable Encounter References
Creatures
Creature references, encounter placements, and ready-to-run stat blocks are collected here for immediate use at the table.
Black Dragon Wyrmling
Armor Class 17
Initiative +4 (14)
Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft., Fly 60 ft., Swim 30 ft.
STR15 (+2)
DEX14 (+2)
CON13 (+1)
INT10 (+0)
WIS11 (+0)
CHA13 (+1)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4
Senses Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 14
Languages Draconic
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Amphibious. The dragon can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The dragon makes two Rend attacks.
Rend. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Slashing damage plus 2 (1d4) Acid damage.
Acid Breath (Recharge 5–6). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 11, each creature in a 15-foot-long, 5-footwide Line. Failure: 22 (5d8) Acid damage. Success: Half damage.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Black Dragon Wyrmling (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 38); moderate, 450 xp; searching the wreck for bright metal and gems
Gelatinous Cube
Armor Class 6
Initiative −4 (6)
Hit Points 63 (6d10 + 30)
Speed 15 ft.
STR14 (+2)
DEX3 (-4)
CON20 (+5)
INT1 (-5)
WIS6 (-2)
CHA1 (-5)
Senses Blindsight 60 ft.; Passive Perception 8
Languages None
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Ooze Cube. The cube fills its entire space and is transparent. Other creatures can enter that space, but a creature that does so is subjected to the cube’s Engulf and has Disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures inside the cube have Total Cover, and the cube can hold one Large creature or up to four Medium or Small creatures inside itself at a time. As an action, a creature within 5 feet of the cube can pull a creature or an object out of the cube by succeeding on a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check, and the puller takes 10 (3d6) Acid damage.
Transparent. Even when the cube is in plain sight, a creature must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the cube if the creature hasn’t witnessed the cube move or otherwise act.
Actions
Pseudopod. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 12 (3d6 + 2) Acid damage.
Engulf. The cube moves up to its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks. The cube can move through the spaces of Large or smaller creatures if it has room inside itself to contain them (see the Ooze Cube trait). Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 12, each creature whose space the cube enters for the first time during this move. Failure: 10 (3d6) Acid damage, and the target is engulfed. An engulfed target is suffocating, can’t cast spells with a Verbal component, has the Restrained condition, and takes 10 (3d6) Acid damage at the start of each of the cube’s turns. When the cube moves, the engulfed target moves with it. An engulfed target can try to escape by taking an action to make a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check. On a successful check, the target escapes and enters the nearest unoccupied space. Success: Half damage, and the target moves to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the cube. If there is no unoccupied space, the target fails the save instead.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129); moderate, 450 xp
- Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp
- Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp; drifting through the wreck amid loose debris
Giant Crab
Armor Class 15
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 13 (3d8)
Speed 30 ft., Swim 30 ft.
STR13 (+1)
DEX13 (+1)
CON11 (+0)
INT1 (-5)
WIS9 (-1)
CHA3 (-4)
Skills Stealth +3
Senses Blindsight 30 ft.; Passive Perception 9
Languages None
Challenge 1/8 (XP 25; PB +2)
Traits
Amphibious. The crab can breathe air and water.
Actions
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) Bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 11) from one of two claws.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- 6 x Giant Crab (CR 1/8, Monster Manual, p. 356); low, 150 xp; picking through a split provision chest
Giant Octopus
Armor Class 11
Initiative +1 (11)
Hit Points 45 (7d10 + 7)
Speed 10 ft., Swim 60 ft.
STR17 (+3)
DEX13 (+1)
CON13 (+1)
INT5 (-3)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA4 (-3)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 14
Languages None
Challenge 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
Traits
Water Breathing. The octopus can breathe only underwater. It can hold its breath for 1 hour outside water.
Actions
Tentacles. Melee Attack Roll: +5, reach 10 ft. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) Bludgeoning damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 13) from all eight tentacles. While Grappled, the target has the Restrained condition.
Reactions
Ink Cloud (1/Day). Trigger: The octopus takes damage while underwater. Response: The octopus releases ink that fills a 10-foot Cube centered on itself, and the octopus moves up to its Swim Speed. The Cube is Heavily Obscured for 1 minute or until a strong current or similar effect disperses the ink.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- 2 x Giant Octopus (CR 1, Monster Manual, p. 358); moderate, 400 xp; bloodied and fleeing something outside the hull
Hunter Shark
Armor Class 12
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 45 (6d10 + 12)
Speed 5 ft., Swim 40 ft.
STR18 (+4)
DEX14 (+2)
CON15 (+2)
INT1 (-5)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA4 (-3)
Skills Perception +2
Senses Blindsight 60 ft.; Passive Perception 12
Languages None
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Water Breathing. The shark can breathe only underwater.
Actions
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +6 (with Advantage if the target doesn’t have all its Hit Points), reach 5 ft. Hit: 14 (3d6 + 4) Piercing damage.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264) and Hunter Shark (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 363); high, 550 xp
- Hunter Shark (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 363); moderate, 450 xp; following the scent of fresh blood
Merrow
Armor Class 13
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 45 (6d10 + 12)
Speed 10 ft., Swim 40 ft.
STR18 (+4)
DEX15 (+2)
CON15 (+2)
INT8 (-1)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA9 (-1)
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages Abyssal, Primordial (Aquan)
Challenge 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
Traits
Amphibious. The merrow can breathe air and water.
Actions
Multiattack. The merrow makes two attacks, using Bite, Claw, or Harpoon in any combination.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) Piercing damage, and the target has the Poisoned condition until the end of the merrow’s next turn.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 9 (2d4 + 4) Slashing damage.
Harpoon. Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) Piercing damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, the merrow pulls the target up to 15 feet straight toward itself.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Merrow (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 210); moderate, 450 xp
- Merrow (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 210) and 1 x Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264); high, 550 xp; dragging a drowned sailor through the passage
Sahuagin Warrior
Armor Class 12
Initiative +0 (10)
Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4)
Speed 30 ft., Swim 40 ft.
STR13 (+1)
DEX11 (+0)
CON12 (+1)
INT12 (+1)
WIS13 (+1)
CHA9 (-1)
Skills Perception +5
Senses Darkvision 120 ft.; Passive Perception 15
Languages Sahuagin
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Traits
Blood Frenzy. The sahuagin has Advantage on attack rolls against any creature that doesn’t have all its Hit Points.
Limited Amphibiousness. The sahuagin can breathe air and water, but it must be submerged at least once every 4 hours to avoid suffocating outside water.
Shark Telepathy. The sahuagin can magically control sharks within 120 feet of itself, using a special telepathy.
Actions
Multiattack. The sahuagin makes two Claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +3, reach 5 ft. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) Slashing damage.
Bonus Actions
Aquatic Charge. The sahuagin swims up to its Swim Speed straight toward an enemy it can see.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264) and Hunter Shark (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 363); high, 550 xp
- 4 x Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264); moderate, 400 xp
- Merrow (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 210) and 1 x Sahuagin Warrior (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 264); high, 550 xp; dragging a drowned sailor through the passage
Shadow
Armor Class 12
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5)
Speed 40 ft.
STR6 (-2)
DEX14 (+2)
CON13 (+1)
INT6 (-2)
WIS10 (+0)
CHA8 (-1)
Skills Stealth +6
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages None
Challenge 1/2 (XP 100; PB +2)
Traits
Amorphous. The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch without expending extra movement to do so.
Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has Disadvantage on D20 Tests.
Actions
Draining Swipe. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Necrotic damage, and the target’s Strength score decreases by 1d4. The target dies if this reduces that score to 0. If a Humanoid is slain by this attack, a Shadow rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later.
Bonus Actions
Shadow Stealth. While in Dim Light or Darkness, the shadow takes the Hide action.
Appears In
Encounter Uses
- Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp
- Gelatinous Cube (CR 2, Monster Manual, p. 129) and 2 x Shadow (CR 1/2, Monster Manual, p. 272); high, 650 xp; drifting through the wreck amid loose debris
Dungeon Rewards & Objects
Treasure
Magic items, story objects, and room-level hoards are indexed separately. Coins, gems, and ordinary valuables stay grouped with the hoard where they are actually found.
Cloak of the Manta Ray
Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Requires Attunement)
:
While wearing this cloak, you can breathe underwater, and you have a Swim Speed of 60 feet.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 245Found In
Treasure Context
- Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Necklace of Adaptation
Wondrous Item, Uncommon (Requires Attunement)
:
While wearing this necklace, you can breathe normally in any environment, and you have Advantage on saving throws made to avoid or end the Poisoned condition.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 280Found In
Treasure Context
- Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Potion of Climbing
Potion, Common
:
When you drink this potion, you gain a Climb Speed equal to your Speed for 1 hour. During this time, you have Advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks to climb. This potion is separated into brown, silver, and gray layers resembling bands of stone. Shaking the bottle fails to mix the colors.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 287Found In
Treasure Context
- Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Potion of Water Breathing
Potion, Uncommon
:
You can breathe underwater for 24 hours after drinking this potion. This potion’s cloudy green fluid smells of the sea and has a jellyfish-like bubble floating in it.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 289Found In
Treasure Context
- Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Ring of Swimming
Ring, Uncommon
:
You have a Swim Speed of 40 feet while wearing this ring.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 295Found In
Treasure Context
- Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Sending Stones
Wondrous Item, Uncommon Sending Stones come in pairs, with each stone carved to match the other so the pairing is easily
:
recognized. While you touch one stone, you can cast Sending from it. The target is the bearer of the other stone. If no creature bears the other stone, you know that fact as soon as you use the stone, and you don’t cast the spell. Once Sending is cast using either stone, the stones can’t be used again until the next dawn. If one of the stones in a pair is destroyed, the other one becomes nonmagical.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 303Found In
Treasure Context
- Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Trident of Fish Command
Weapon (Trident), Uncommon (Requires Attunement)
:
This magic weapon has 3 charges, and it regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. While you carry it, you can expend 1 charge to cast Dominate Beast (save DC 15) from it on a Beast that has a Swim Speed.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 317Found In
Treasure Context
- Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Wand of Magic Detection
Wand, Uncommon
:
This wand has 3 charges. While holding it, you can expend 1 charge to cast Detect Magic from it. The wand regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 320Found In
Treasure Context
- Watertight drawer beneath the chart table. It opens only after the dead-reckoning mechanism is solved
Wand of Secrets
Wand, Uncommon
:
This wand has 3 charges and regains 1d3 expended charges daily at dawn. While holding it, you can take a Magic action to expend 1 charge, and if a secret door or trap is within 60 feet of you, the wand pulses and points at the one nearest to you.
Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 322Found In
Treasure Context
- Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Story Item
Brass Sextant
a brass sextant opens the recessed mechanism in the chart table in area 7 and points west-southwest when seated there
Found In
Discovery Context
- Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Story Item
Milk-White Pearl
a milk-white pearl matches the eye-shaped socket in the captain's desk in area 1
Found In
Discovery Context
- Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Found In
Discovery Context
- Watertight drawer beneath the chart table. It opens only after the dead-reckoning mechanism is solved
Area 2
Creature Hoard
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 30 pp, 8 x silver trade bar (5 lb, 25 gp).
Location
Area 4
Creature Hoard
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 20 pp, 10 x small silver trade bar (2 lb, 10 gp).
Location
Area 6
Hidden Cache
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Trapped and Locked Iron Sea Chest (DC 20 to unlock, DC 30 to break; 60 hp). Barbed Needle Trap: DC 10 to find, DC 10 to disable; +9 to hit against one target, 2d10 piercing/poison damage
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 2000 sp, a case of 10 x copper sounding rod etched with wave marks (25 gp each).
Brass Sextant
Story Item:
a brass sextant opens the recessed mechanism in the chart table in area 7 and points west-southwest when seated there
Location
Area 7
Hidden Cache
Hidden Cache
Finding the Cache. Watertight drawer beneath the chart table. It opens only after the dead-reckoning mechanism is solved
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 75 gp.
Location
Area 9
Creature Hoard
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 40 x small silver trade bar (2 lb, 10 gp), an ivory medallion inlaid with brass wire (250 gp).
Location
Area 10
Creature Hoard
Creature Hoard
Location. Carried by or stored with the creatures in this area
Coins, Gems & Valuables. 10 pp, 10 x silver trade bar (5 lb, 25 gp).
Milk-White Pearl
Story Item:
a milk-white pearl matches the eye-shaped socket in the captain's desk in area 1
Location
Passages & Environmental Features
Corridors
Named corridor and passage features are navigable objects with their own map locations.
Passage Feature A
Shattered Cargo Hatch
Read Aloud
A shattered cargo hatch opens to the deck above, and silt drifts down through the broken coaming.
Mechanics
Traversal. Treat this as a passable vertical connection. Apply the surrounding Area's movement and environmental mechanics while using it; no additional passage-specific check or hazard is keyed here.
Map Location
East of Area 4: The Drowned Mess
DM-Only Logic
Clues & Threads
The dungeon's internal connections in one place: callbacks, keys, puzzle information, and things worth remembering while the players explore.
Major Threads
The White Eye
Captain Vane’s missing talisman is foreshadowed by the empty socket in area 1, the false ruby in area 3, Vane’s note in area 6, and the milk-white pearl carried in area 10.
Dead Reckoning
The brass sextant in area 6 and the west-southwest bearing solve the false treasury mechanism in area 7.
The Scuttling
Mara Quill’s initials, crew graffiti, inward-facing cut marks, and the final keel damage build a physical case that the Pequod was sunk by its own crew.
Later Occupants
Oozes, shadows, sahuagin, a shark, and a merrow have turned the wreck into a living dungeon without being responsible for its original disaster.
Quick References
- Brass sextant. Found in area 6. It fits the chart table in area 7 and points west-southwest.
- West-southwest. The correct setting in area 7 collapses the false treasure illusion and opens the real chart drawer.
- Whale-tail key. Found in area 7 after solving the chart mechanism. It opens the locked ironclad bulkhead between areas 3 and 7.
- Milk-white pearl. Carried by the Merrow in area 10. It fits the eye-shaped socket in Captain Vane’s desk in area 1.
- Red eye lies. The mundane ruby in area 3 is a deliberate decoy and points players toward the missing white eye instead.
- Scuttling evidence. Mara Quill’s initials and deliberate internal damage recur in areas 4, 5, 8, and 11.
Running Notes
Use the Area properties.
The Pequod is a sunken ship with mixed flooding. Most intact rooms contain stale but breathable air; only areas marked Submerged are fully underwater. Shallow and Deep flooding change the fiction and terrain without automatically removing breathable air. Apply the Player's Handbook underwater-combat rules only when a creature is actually fighting fully underwater.
Why is there air down here?
Old pressure wards built into the ship's iron braces survived the sinking unevenly. At intact thresholds, seawater beads and crawls across an almost invisible boundary while air remains trapped beyond. The wards are failing, so flooded and breathable spaces can sit unnervingly close together.
Let the sinking be inferred.
Do not announce that the crew scuttled the Pequod. Areas 4, 5, 8, and 11 provide increasingly strong evidence. Players who connect those clues should feel as though they solved the wreck rather than received exposition.
The White Eye is a callback, not a gate.
The pearl in area 10 unlocks Captain Vane’s final log in area 1, but the party can explore and leave the wreck without it. The reward is understanding, not mandatory progression.
The dead-reckoning puzzle is redundant by design.
The brass sextant from area 6 physically points to the correct west-southwest setting in area 7, while Vane’s surviving note independently names that bearing. Either clue is enough.