Maritime Tales of Faerûn

Maritime Tales of Faerûn was a book that collected stories, legends, and folktales of the seafaring folk of Faerûn, published sometime before 1372 DR.

Contents
One of the notable tales in the book talked about ghost ships. The book talked about the violent naval history of the Sword Coast, bloody battles between navies, pirates, monsters, and merchant ships. Thousands of vessels found their final rest at the bottom of the Sea of Swords over the course of centuries. But not all of the perished ships remained dead. Tavern tales talked about Those Who Sail Forever, but not before making warding hand signs against evil and ill luck. They believed that even mentioning the name of Those Who Sail Forever brought the undead's attention to the sailor.

Some doubted existence of ghost ships as some slavers and pirates were known to wear skull masks and travel under the shroud of night or fog. Some believed that failed ensorcelled ship hulls and magical energies from special enchanted cargo all interacted and became corrupted, creating the ghost ships, keeping them afloat and helmed by skeletons or zombies. Their magical nature became apparent when these ghost ships sailed without sails. Another type of ghost ship was a type of ghostly wraith-like apparition, an incorporeal copy of its former self.

Another source of these sea apparitions was the Bitch Queen herself, goddess Umberlee, who tasked the ghosts with returning long-drowned magic items into the hands of surface dwellers. These lucky sailors, in turn, filled seaside taverns with stories of such findings, attracting greedy men into Umberlee's clutches.

Finally, the most famous ghost ship recorded in the book was the Red Prow of Calimport. Once, a slaver ship that sank under the weight of its gold and gems. According to eyewitnesses, the Red Prow carried wraiths and "wielder things" that rode men like horses. Another greatly feared ghost ships was Dread Pirate Gonchklas' caravel, the Ravager. The ship was manned by skeletons and sea zombies, attacking every ship it encountered in the sea.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast