DM: Star of Ill Omens

As crowds of people gather along the Cathedral and the Town Hall, a flash in the night sky attracts their attention. A streak of light arcs down from the sky, a falling star traveling a westward course. Yet the star does not burn out—indeed, the streak lengthens and soon seems almost as if it were hurtling directly at Sandpoint. As the streaming light draws near, panic grips the streets, but a moment later the falling star arcs over the town and out to sea, trailing behind it a smoky scar and the sound of thunder.

The star streaks out to the west, reflected by the sea below, and then a moment later it strikes the island of Devil’s Elbow out to sea. A strange false dawn seems to rise to the west as a brilliant blast of light fills the horizon. Several moments later, a tremendous explosion rolls through Sandpoint as a powerful earth tremor strikes. Several members of the crowds are knocked prone by the earthquake.

The quake isn’t enough to destroy buildings, but it is enough to knock some shingles from roofs, shake objects off of shelves, or crack the Sandpoint glass windows in several of the town’s structures. As the tremor continues, an angry orange ball of fire rises into the sky on the horizon over Devil’s Elbow, spreading in an ominous mushroom-shaped cloud.

By this time, much of Sandpoint has gathered at the wharves and western points of town for a better view of the distant holocaust. A few minutes later, the water of sea suddenly retreats into a bizarre and sudden low tide, revealing several sunken wrecks and flopping fish and more than a few stranded sharks.

Jarek shouts a warning as he realizes that this is an indication of an approaching tsunami from the impact. Several of the townsfolk run for their homes or take to the streets towards the opposite eastern side of town. Fortunately, the shape of Sandpoint’s harbor minimizes the impact of the tsunami, but still, only a couple of minutes later, the water comes rushing back in toward Sandpoint, a 7-foot-high wall of churning froth that slams into the beach with incredible power.

Several of the townsfolk were unlucky to get struck by the wave, and were carried inland by the wave’s power. A few moments later, these folks were pulled out into the harbor as the water recedes. Several smaller tsunamis strike Sandpoint in the surrounding minutes, but these are not severe enough to do much more damage.

In the end, the tsunami deals more damage to Sandpoint than the tremor. Dozens of ships are damaged, a few are sunk, but more are left stranded as far inland as Raven Street. Many of Sandpoint’s piers are ruined or damaged, and several of the smaller buildings along the beach are destroyed or partially collapse including that of the Brodert’s place. Over the next several hours, the Mayor and Guards of Sandpoint mobilize like before, working together to put out fires, save citizens who have been swept out into the harbor, or kill angry and disoriented reefclaws, sharks, bunyips, and other dangerous sea creatures that have suddenly become stranded in the town streets.