Merchants of the Black Galleys

“(…) but (…) its reputation is bad because of the black three-banked galleys that sail to it with rubies from no clearly named shore. (…)

(…). The mouths of the men who came from it to trade were too wide, and the way their turbans were humped up in two points above their foreheads was in especially bad taste. And their shoes were the shortest and queerest ever seen. (…)

(…) And the odors from those galleys which the south wind blew in from the wharves are not to be described. (…)”.

[From The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath; by H.P. Lovecraft]

In the 16^th and 17^th century, there were not that many vessels of the orient that frequented the ports of England, Germany, The United Provinces, France, Spain or Portugal. Those that did arrive in the ports of these nations often were Turkish, and the strange ways of the bewildering merchants and sailors from this country were looked upon with suspicion. After all, they were not good Christians! These are the basics assumptions of mine that I use to have my version of the Merchants of the Black Galleys (from H.P. Lovecraft´s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath) come ashore in the lands of the Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

Nerd Rage Warning: I take great liberties in fleshing out what H.P. Lovercraft has written about the Merchants of the Black Galleys.

The three-banked galleys are not really black, but of a very dark wood. Its the black sails that lead to this name (which they feature in addition to the rows of oars), as well as the swarthy faces of the the merchants that they bring ashore. Those merchants, with their long chin beards, unpleasant thin voices and slim teeth trade in rubies, and rubies alone. They never buy any wares and only accepted payment in gold. On a rare occasion, one of them would personally sell an item of his homeland. This would never happen in the market places: only in the taverns near the harbor, where one or more might be found while a Black Galley is at anchor. Those that approach them and try to mingle with them might be offered one of these often unique items. And again, the price is always to be paid in gold (also some people whisper that children, women and men are accepted as a trade good as well). Nobody has ever been invited onto their ships, and the few officials that actually inspected a Black Galley in port (instead of accepting a bribe in rubies) return from them with a dulled gaze, and only say that nothing illegal would have been found on the ship.

What the majority of the people in Europe are unaware of is that these merchants are known to the Turks and the rest of the Orient as well, but they are as much a stranger to them as to the Europeans. They only come to ports with a slave market. There, they buy the biggest slaves that are offered, the strongest laborers and the fattest eunuchs, and always pay in gold. Nobody knows where their home port is. Would anybody ever follow their ship, they would see them move onto the high sea, and after a night has passed they would not be seen anymore. Just like the ocean would have swallowed them. They do not hail from the Orient nor from any other place of this world. The slaves they bring to their masters, whom worship the Outer Gods.

LotFP compatible stats:

Merchants of the Black Galleys are equal to Specialists of level 0 to 3. Their skill points are most often assigned to Languages, and sometimes to Sleight of Hand and Stealth as well. There is 5 in 6 chance that they have learned one random 1^st level Magic-User spell for 2 skill points. Their caftan, turban and pointed shoes hide devilish features: from their heads sprout a pair of little horns akin to that of goats, they have no feet but hooves, a short tail grows out of their lower back and their legs are shaped like that of a goat as well. All in all, they look very close to the ancient Greek pictures of satyrs, but yet different. They are immune to Charm and all form of mind control, and receive a +3 bonus on all Saving Throws to resist the effects of drugs (as those they are used to make everything on earth pale in comparison).

Items that may be offered by a Merchant from a Black Galley:

Scarlet Wine: an unlabeled bottle made of red glass that holds a rich, scarlet red wine. Those that drink from it must Save vs. Poison or will drink from it till they lose consciousness (if they own the bottle or are offered to drink more: when consumed in quick succession, a glass of Scarlet Wine is as potent as the same amount of hard liquor). Those that lose consciousness do not become unresponsive but end up in a highly suggestible state, while all memories of their acts blur into a feverish nightmare. This state of mind lasts for 1d4 hours. The merchant will demand no less than a piece of gold for a bottle.

Ruby Bracelet: four small red rubies, attached to a thin golden chain (which in truth is gold-plated brass). One of the four rubies hangs from a short chain while the other three are lined on a second one. Worn by a character with Chaotic alignment, the bracelet puts an effect akin to Protection from Evil onto the wearer, with a level equal to that of the character. This protection only works against creatures and servants of the Outer Gods whose level/HD is below 4. Any servant or creature of the Outer Gods which level/HD is 4 or greater may once per day put the wearer under the effects of a Hold Person spell (with a level equal to the level/HD of the servant/creature) by saying HALT in a language taught by the Outer Gods. The merchants often wear these bracelets themselves and will only part with them on Reaction roll result of 9+ (and then demand 2d6+2 gold in exchange).

Rappee: the merchants favor an exotic rappee that is brown-red in color and crumbles easily. They carry it in ornamented snuff boxes and sometimes offer it to those that try to socialize with them. Sniffing the rappee calls for a Save vs. Poison, and on a failure the character will become light headed while a burning sensation spreads somewhere between his eyes (-1 to all Saving Throws and attack rolls). If the Saving Throw is passed, the character will benefit from a +2 bonus on all Saving Throws vs. Magic and Devices instead, but the burning sensation remains the same. In both cases the effect lasts for 1d4+2 turns, and a Save vs. Devices is must be rolled when it wears off. If the test is failed, the character immediately consume another does of the rappee if possible. A snuff box with 2d6+15 applications is usually sold by a merchant for 2 gp.

More to come….