Galápagos Islands: Turning the Tables

23) Turning the Tables
Albemarle Island, June 30s to July 2, 1845

A) Timing
Succumbing to the Caliban’s sneak attack has consequences. The Keeper should allow imprisoned player characters to stew in the filth of the pit for a few days, being shat on by Geoffrey Turrick and having Quiring bloviate about Ariel and the Epilogue until they can’t stand the sight of him. Of course, if the characters have some kind of ace up their sleeves, the Keeper should allow them to escape the pit and take their revenge; but unless Quakaloo can fly or Pynchon recovers his powers, escape is improbable. At least until one of the poor, defenseless player characters has been hauled from the pit, shackled, frog-marched through the Gate, and plunged into the communicant’s tank. Once a player character’s had the privilege of being Baptized, it’s probably time to turn the tables. Otherwise the game might end pretty quickly, or the characters proceed to the Black Island as committed Calibans!

B) Jailbreak or Rescue?
When the Keeper has determined that it’s time for the characters to gain the upper hand, she must determine whether a jailbreak is possible, or if the characters need to be rescued. While the former is more dramatic, it must be plausible, and it should originate from the player characters themselves—if they can’t think of a good ruse or escape tactic, the Keeper shouldn’t hand them the solution. A few possibilities include Lowell escaping his guards, a captive deceiving Quiring, or a critical success on a Climb roll. Maybe the prisoners are poked by the whaling lance and manage to grab hold of it? Or they somehow contrive to have the ladder rolled down?

C) Wild Card Rescue
If the characters cannot escape the slave pit, they may be rescued by an NPC “wild card,” either Rafael Castro or Salvator R. Tarnmoor. (This presumes Castro was not captured.) Such a rescuer would have to quietly dispatch the guard at the cave entrance (Vox, Bean, Peach, Keokolo, and Marroquín trade shifts) and enter Lowell’s cave when the rest of the Calibans are sleeping or visiting Thal’n’lai. The zombie at the pit must be neutralized and the rope ladder lowered down. If the Keeper opts for this solution, she should ensure that Castro or Tarnmoor do not sweep through the cave like the angel of death. They should only incapacitate enough Calibans to lower the ladder, after which momentum shifts to the player characters. As long as one player character is free to act, the Keeper may start rousing Calibans for a bloody defense!

D) Quiddity Rescue Party
If the Lowell Expedition hasn’t returned within five days of their departure, Captain Joab orders Coffin to assemble a search-and-rescue team. The Keeper should allow Coffin to select five men of his choice and arm them appropriately. Whether the Keeper roleplays their trek to the caldera or just narrates it, they find the ruined camp and successfully track their missing shipmates to the cave entrance. At this point the situation unfolds much like described above for a “victorious” Lowell Expedition—they’re challenged by Nigel Vox and must fight their way into the cave. If Vox gets out a warning, Quiring escapes through the thatched door with Mary Roberts and Silvio Marroquín—but not before telling Piri Pat and Noobaloo to “jump in the pit and kill the captives.” Fortunately the captives may arm themselves with the waste bucket, a tortoise shell, or sharpened iguana bones, all of which inflict 1D3 damage against the soulless harpooneers. (Carlos Moreno and Howard Shell may even be convinced to join their side.)

Once rescued by the Quids, the party may pursue Quiring through the thatched door and into the temple. If the player characters have already been exposed to Thal’n’lai, the Keeper may decide to host Quiring’s final stand from Y’ha-n’thal, rather than go through the trouble of opening the Gate and rowing across the Great Hall. (Repeated exposure to Thal’n’lai drains it of mystery and erodes its sense of awe.)

The Keeper may wrap up this scenario however she likes. If Lowell has not been to Thal’n’lai, this is his last chance to complete his Communion. On the other hand, a stray bullet may trigger a tunnel collapse, sealing off the Gate forever.

White Leviathan, Chapter 4—Galápagos Islands
[Back to Encounter 22, Contact and Communion | White Leviathan TOC | Forward to Encounter 24, Return to the Quiddity]

Author: A. Buell Ruch
Last Modified: 27 December 2023
Email: quail (at) shipwrecklibrary (dot) com
White Leviathan PDF: [TBD]