A merchant vessel drifted into Vorak's harbor during the night with its sails still raised. No one witnessed its arrival, and by morning the ship had come to rest against one of the outer docks.
The vessel appears almost untouched. Its cargo remains secured below deck, the lifeboats are still aboard, and there are no obvious signs of violence or struggle.
Yet every member of the crew is missing.
No bodies have been found aboard the ship or in the surrounding waters, and nothing suggests that the crew willingly abandoned the vessel.
The disappearance quickly became a subject of speculation throughout Vorak. Sailors claim the vessel must have encountered something at sea, while others suspect piracy, mutiny or smuggling.
Some dockworkers refuse to board the ship entirely. A few claim they have heard footsteps moving across the deck when no one was aboard.
Others tell stranger stories. One sailor insists the ship was seen several days earlier far from Vorak, drifting in completely the wrong direction. Another claims there was no light aboard when it entered the harbor, despite the dangerous approach through dark waters.
No explanation has been confirmed.
If the player investigates the vessel, strange details may gradually emerge:
Meals and personal belongings remain inside the crew quarters.
The captain's log ends abruptly during an otherwise ordinary voyage.
The lifeboats, ropes and emergency supplies are all still aboard.
Several personal items were left in places suggesting their owners expected to return.
Part of the deck appears recently scrubbed, though no one admits to cleaning it.
The ship's cargo appears untouched and offers no obvious motive for an attack.
Someone searching carefully may discover that one crew member's belongings are missing.
None of these clues alone explain what happened.
The player may hear sailors discussing the abandoned vessel in Kharos, encounter nervous dockworkers near the harbor, notice the unusually quiet ship among Vorak's crowded docks, or hear conflicting stories about what happened to its crew.
Someone may eventually offer payment for answers, but the mystery does not need to begin as a formal job.
The player may simply decide to board the ship.
Franz may create the vessel's name, crew members, merchants connected to its cargo, dockworkers, witnesses, documents and minor clues as needed.
Rumors should contradict one another, and NPCs should only know what they could reasonably have witnessed or heard.
The investigation may expand beyond the ship if appropriate. Clues may point toward its previous destination, something encountered during the voyage, an individual among the missing crew or another location around Vorak.
The cause of the disappearance should remain uncertain until sufficient investigation has occurred. Franz may develop the mystery organically, but should not immediately reveal a supernatural explanation simply because the ship is abandoned.
If the player chooses not to investigate, the vessel may remain in Vorak's harbor while rumors surrounding it continue to grow.