Eye for an Eye — Moderate 1
Captain Blazo Orane’s career as a notorious pirate captain was cut short when a freak storm capsized his ship not far from the city of Riddleport. As stubborn as he was cutthroat, Blazo went down with the ship but awakened several hours later to find himself in the cave of a sea hag named Cyclona. The hag had spared Blazo’s life, but in return, she demanded the captain’s eye. Blazo balked, of course—like any good pirate, he only had one eye left to spare. Unfortunately, his captor was in no mood for mercy. Cyclona plucked Blazo’s remaining eye from its socket, leaving the now-blind man to bleed out while she transformed her grisly reward into a hag eye.
Miraculously, Captain Blazo managed to free himself from his shackles—striking Cyclona with his cold-iron scimitar in the struggle—and stumbled his way back to Riddleport. Now, still weakened from his ordeal, Blazo hires the PCs to retrieve his stolen eye. If the PCs express doubts Blazo will regain his sight even if his eye is recovered, the pirate seems unconcerned. “If I can’t have my eye,” he grumbles, “I’ll settle for revenge.” Blazo lends the PCs the only thing of value he has left, his cold-iron scimitar, with the promise they can keep the weapon if they return with his eye or proof that Cyclona is dead.
Map: This map showcases one of the maps included in Pathfinder Flip-Mat: Temples Multi-Pack, out this month on Paizo.com or at your local hobby store!
Approaching the Cave: Cyclona’s cave is a half-day’s walk from Riddleport. If Blazo’s understandably vague directions aren’t enough for the PCs, most anyone in the city can direct them to the place.
The remnants of an ancient sea wall stretch to Cyclona’s cave like a trail of stepping stones. Slick with algae, the wall is uneven ground. Once during the crossing, each PC must make a successful DC 13 Acrobatics check to Balance or fall into the surf. Any PC who fails this check alerts Cyclona to the party’s arrival, granting her a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative. Alternatively, the PCs can approach the hag’s cave along the weed-choked shore to the south. This approach doesn’t require skill checks, but the ground is difficult terrain, and the party’s noisy arrival automatically alerts Cyclona.
Creatures: When the PCs arrive, Cyclona lurks in the northern alcove, admiring an amulet set with a blue gemstone: Captain Blazo’s eye transformed into a hag eye. Loath to surrender her new treasure, Cyclona lunges at intruders, opening with her Dread Gaze before slashing with her claws. The hag remembers all too well the bite of Blazo’s scimitar, granting the PC holding the weapon a +1 circumstance bonus to Demoralize the hag. If reduced to 15 Hit Points or fewer, Cyclona dives into the sea, dropping the hag eye in her panic.
Treasure: The PCs might not recognize Captain Blazo’s eye in its current state, but anyone who interacts with the amulet feels its wet, sticky surface, allowing the character to attempt to disbelieve the illusion (DC 19). Like all hag eyes, the amulet produces no direct benefit for the wearer (and doesn’t restore Blazo’s sight if given to him), but it allows Cyclona to peer through the eye using the Seek action. Any damage dealt to the eye destroys it. If this happens while Cyclona is looking through it, the hag is blinded for 1 hour.
