Spatterball

The Legend of Spatterball

Saved my life, he did one time, that Richard fella. He was a good man and I reckon summa that gone and rubbed off on his lil' Zodiac too.He loved that Spatterball like a son, and it looked up ta him too, I think. - Greg Holts, Owner of the Old Town Marina.

Richard was a good man, a lonely man, a hard worker with no luck in love, a passion for welding, and very little to call his own. One of his favorite past-times was weldling small metal boat models together and giving them to his few friends, and people around the docks. He had a shop where he did his welding, payed for by a wealthy associant who he frequently did work for, and he had his boat, his house, an old Chris Craft from the 1940s. His house didnt go very far, it only had one good engine. But he could get around with his little blue Zodiac named Spatterball.

One evening Richard set out to go fishing for striped bass early in the morning in his little Spatterball. A thick fog rolled in... A mysterious fire engulfed Dock C where Richard's Chris Craft was located. Some say Richard started that fire and left to forge a new life somewhere else, where he could be rid of his slave-driver of a boss who happened to be a failed love interest. Others say it is best not to question such things, but it is undeniable that Richard was never seen around those parts again.

Yet, Spatterball was. It has been claimed that some friends of Richard's tossed off ships have seen a blue Zodiac with the white-sticker letters spelling out SPATTERBALL on the side slowly puttering towards them. They claimed to have climbed in, the engine still running with just enough gas to get them to safety. When they were found, the boat they claimed to have been in moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

For now, Spatterball cruises the waves freely, coming to the aid of those in need as Richard would. It seems to be tied to those who posess the metal boat models sculpted by Richard before his disappearance. Metal boats have become a symbol of good luck in this small fishing community, people keep them aboard their ships in the hopes that if they ever fall into the bone-chilling ocean Spatterball will be there for them.

Optional Uses for Spatterball

Spatterball was designed for modern nautical setting but could easily be changed to fit a more fantasy or earlier-era setting. For a more ancient feel, simply change Spatterball to Old Splintersides (or something to that effect) and change Richard profession to carpenter with a knack for whittling small boats. Then all the seaman in a small dockside town would carry wooden boat replicas with them.