Goblins Stole My Ship
Pinned to The notice board
A dirt-smudged and coffee-stained parchment reads:
Goblins stole MY ship!
My ship, the Rogue Wave, was overcome by stowaway goblins in the night. The crew were allowed to flee by rowboat unharmed so I do not wish ill will upon these individuals, but that ship is part of my lifeblood; it MUST be returned.
800 gold reward for any crew able to return the Rogue Wave in good sailing condition.
Ask for Captain Aria at The Water's Call by the docks for leads on where to search.
Ways to approach
There are a lot of fun ways you can approach this as either an adventure or a side quest. In my mind, the goblins didn't want the ship because they were aspiring pirates (although that's a pretty fun idea too), but because they had a mission to complete and required a substantial water vessel. Whatever happens next, the players are now involved in something bigger than just a borrowed ship.
Possible Repercussions
It’s entirely possible that the goblins completely fail at their mission and the Rogue Wave is lost to the sea forever, however, it may be more interesting if they succeed and embark on a newfound life of piracy, slowly modifying the ship into something unrecognizable (except perhaps by Captain Aria), and delivering their own brand of justice to the waves, perhaps targeting those that may have threatened their clans.
