The Krooked Kraken Tavern
You enter through the large oak door of The Krooked Kraken, an old tavern that wears its age proudly. Creaking floorboards, coils of rope, and rusted lanterns give the tavern the feel of a ship that never left port. The air carries a faint smell of chimney smoke and spilled ale that seems to have soaked into the timber over long decades.
Adorning the walls are framed paintings, letters, maps, and sea shanties - each one a piece of the long, strange history of the port town of Saltmarsh - and the story from which the Krooked Kraken gets its name.
As a member of the Purrge Resistance, you're well-known at The Krooked Kraken. You nod to the bartender as you pass by, heading to the back room for the secret weekly meeting of the Purrge Resistance. Your eyes scour the room for suspicious characters. No one catches your eye.
You knock three times on the strong but splintered door leading to the back room. A familiar voice speaks from the other side.
"Why does the kraken swim crooked?" the voice asks. You recognize the grizzled voice of an old dwarf named Torrin, an early member of the Purrge resistance.
The correct response lets him know you can be trusted... but the passphrase changes too often for you to remember.
"It's me, old man," you whisper as you lean into the door. "Let me in. I'm already late for the meeting."
"Anyone can fake a voice, lad. The Meowssiah uses all kinds of trickery. Answer the question!" Torrin repeats himself. "Why does the kraken swim crooked?"
The stubborn dwarf is a stickler for the rules. You recall the response has something to do with the kraken picking a fight with... ah... rats! You can't quite remember the rest. Suddenly, you recall that the answer is somewhere in this tavern! Maybe you should look around.
______
The answer to "Why does the kraken swim crooked?" lies somewhere within the tavern. Solve the puzzle to gain access to the backroom. Inputting the correct answer to a puzzle may result in marking a "Failure" Or, try an alternate approach.
Some approaches may require you to roll a skill check to determine success or failure. However, choices have consequences and may close off other paths. Choose carefully.
(Hint: Skill checks will ask you to include a skill modifier listed on your character sheet. So, consider your character and skills before choosing your approach. Or don't... throw caution to the wind! Have fun with it!)