The island where the Sun Temple once stood and where Andoran’s last attempt to colonize Azlant along the north eastern side of Azlant, about three hundred miles north. It is a fairly large island, roughly 150 miles by 150 miles. The eastern shore is about 50 miles out of shallow waters filled with rocky spires and littered with broken ships.
Despite being in the norther parts of Azlant this island is never cold. The waters around the island are always warm and the island itself is covered in a thin steam. Thick jungle and sudden shear cliffs make up most of this heavily shattered island. And there is a steady incline as this was once a mountain. Near the center of the island is a massive lake, almost 2 miles wide and nearly three miles long. There is a thick river that reaches out to the south ocean and even though the waters rush out towards the ocean this lake never depletes. Filling this steaming lake are shattered landmasses.
Strange lights flicker among the fragmented shrines and beckon the unwary deeper into the tangled undergrowth of the island. Smoldering auroras halo the ruins even in the bright of day, and the burn of ozone permeates the air. Towering spires and copulas penetrate the island’s thick canopy, dwarfing more recent human habitations built among the once-glorious edifices of the old empire. An enormous, bronze-mounted lens transits the island in a lazy and wandering orbit, its focused beam setting vegetation alight and carving trails like cauterized wounds through the dense foliage. Everywhere are the crumbling walls of a ruined civilization—some built in strange, sharp angles, others curved like sections of spheres. Above all looms the imposing edifice of the Sun Temple, perched on high, rocky ground scorched black by the searing beams of the gigantic lens. Occasionally, the mysterious device pauses in its orbit bringing its light to bear on the cracked crystalline dome of the grand temple, which causes the halo of its smoldering aurora to flare menacingly as magma-like oozes flow forth from the temple’s yawning, eye-shaped gate, like tears of living flame.
The waters are filled with aggressive sharks and reefclaws. While the hot jungle is has the normal creatures along with botflies, magma oozes, and fire mephitis. Ghosts, willow-o-wisps, fire elementals, and demons can be found throughout the island The broken city is inhabited by the various descendants of the survivors of shipwrecks, including the ones from Andoran’s last attempt. The larger population are the devotee’s to Nuruu’gal, a insatiable protoplasmic godling that is part of Nurgal. These people are infected with a parasitic oozes that grant them a detect thoughts ability along with extra limbs, eyes, ect. The truly devote can be blessed to become a Shinning Child.
The other and smaller group is loyal to Abadar, people who have refused to serve Nuruu’gal. And their leader is a cleric of Abadar. Kjel Vanderholt is a descendant of Andoran and does what he can with those unfortunate enough to crash on these shores. But the need to exterminate Nuruu’gal keeps him from trying to rally everyone into making a makeshift boat and fleeing to a nearby island. His parents died trying to slay the godling and he has made it his life goal to purge that creature from the Material world.
All kinds of humanoids make up both groups as most of the inhabitants came over on ship that crashed on the shores and that can be a motley crew at best. The generations roll by. Simply by location Tieflings are very common as are ifirt. This is due to the demonic and fiery nature of the island.
The book says to stat Nuruu’gal using the variant abilities for a shoggoth just more fiery as it is a glowing, burning mass of raw solar protoplasm. And I figure they, as they will be mythic by then should be able to go after it with some aid from the locals. This should be a massive battle.
There are ways to hurt it before hand and I kinda wanna see what happens. Assuming this is one of the first places they go. It is not far from their home and it was mentioned that the people funding this expedition want to know what happened. Plus it will help set the tone for how dangerous Azlant is assuming they don’t figure that out with the Aboleth’s. I have two of them to battle it out with coming up. So I am hoping to kind of start their exploration of Azlant with a battle with a proto godling the Azlanti called forth but could not control.
The island where the Sun Temple once stood and where Andoran’s last attempt to colonize Azlant along the north eastern side of Azlant, about three hundred miles north. It is a fairly large island, roughly 150 miles by 150 miles. The eastern shore is about 50 miles out of shallow waters filled with rocky spires and littered with broken ships.
Despite being in the norther parts of Azlant this island is never cold. The waters around the island are always warm and the island itself is covered in a thin steam. Thick jungle and sudden shear cliffs make up most of this heavily shattered island. And there is a steady incline as this was once a mountain. Near the center of the island is a massive lake, almost 2 miles wide and nearly three miles long. There is a thick river that reaches out to the south ocean and even though the waters rush out towards the ocean this lake never depletes. Filling this steaming lake are shattered landmasses.
Strange lights flicker among the fragmented shrines and beckon the unwary deeper into the tangled undergrowth of the island. Smoldering auroras halo the ruins even in the bright of day, and the burn of ozone permeates the air. Towering spires and copulas penetrate the island’s thick canopy, dwarfing more recent human habitations built among the once-glorious edifices of the old empire. An enormous, bronze-mounted lens transits the island in a lazy and wandering orbit, its focused beam setting vegetation alight and carving trails like cauterized wounds through the dense foliage. Everywhere are the crumbling walls of a ruined civilization—some built in strange, sharp angles, others curved like sections of spheres. Above all looms the imposing edifice of the Sun Temple, perched on high, rocky ground scorched black by the searing beams of the gigantic lens. Occasionally, the mysterious device pauses in its orbit bringing its light to bear on the cracked crystalline dome of the grand temple, which causes the halo of its smoldering aurora to flare menacingly as magma-like oozes flow forth from the temple’s yawning, eye-shaped gate, like tears of living flame.
The waters are filled with aggressive sharks and reefclaws. While the hot jungle is has the normal creatures along with botflies, magma oozes, and fire mephitis. Ghosts, willow-o-wisps, fire elementals, and demons can be found throughout the island The broken city is inhabited by the various descendants of the survivors of shipwrecks, including the ones from Andoran’s last attempt. The larger population are the devotee’s to Nuruu’gal, a insatiable protoplasmic godling that is part of Nurgal. These people are infected with a parasitic oozes that grant them a detect thoughts ability along with extra limbs, eyes, ect. The truly devote can be blessed to become a Shinning Child.
The other and smaller group is loyal to Abadar, people who have refused to serve Nuruu’gal. And their leader is a cleric of Abadar. Kjel Vanderholt is a descendant of Andoran and does what he can with those unfortunate enough to crash on these shores. But the need to exterminate Nuruu’gal keeps him from trying to rally everyone into making a makeshift boat and fleeing to a nearby island. His parents died trying to slay the godling and he has made it his life goal to purge that creature from the Material world.
All kinds of humanoids make up both groups as most of the inhabitants came over on ship that crashed on the shores and that can be a motley crew at best. The generations roll by. Simply by location Tieflings are very common as are ifirt. This is due to the demonic and fiery nature of the island.
The book says to stat Nuruu’gal using the variant abilities for a shoggoth just more fiery as it is a glowing, burning mass of raw solar protoplasm. And I figure they, as they will be mythic by then should be able to go after it with some aid from the locals. This should be a massive battle.
There are ways to hurt it before hand and I kinda wanna see what happens. Assuming this is one of the first places they go. It is not far from their home and it was mentioned that the people funding this expedition want to know what happened. Plus it will help set the tone for how dangerous Azlant is assuming they don’t figure that out with the Aboleth’s. I have two of them to battle it out with coming up. So I am hoping to kind of start their exploration of Azlant with a battle with a proto godling the Azlanti called forth but could not control.
The island where the Sun Temple once stood and where Andoran’s last attempt to colonize Azlant along the north eastern side of Azlant, about three hundred miles north. It is a fairly large island, roughly 150 miles by 150 miles. The eastern shore is about 50 miles out of shallow waters filled with rocky spires and littered with broken ships.
Despite being in the norther parts of Azlant this island is never cold. The waters around the island are always warm and the island itself is covered in a thin steam. Thick jungle and sudden shear cliffs make up most of this heavily shattered island. And there is a steady incline as this was once a mountain. Near the center of the island is a massive lake, almost 2 miles wide and nearly three miles long. There is a thick river that reaches out to the south ocean and even though the waters rush out towards the ocean this lake never depletes. Filling this steaming lake are shattered landmasses.
Strange lights flicker among the fragmented shrines and beckon the unwary deeper into the tangled undergrowth of the island. Smoldering auroras halo the ruins even in the bright of day, and the burn of ozone permeates the air. Towering spires and copulas penetrate the island’s thick canopy, dwarfing more recent human habitations built among the once-glorious edifices of the old empire. An enormous, bronze-mounted lens transits the island in a lazy and wandering orbit, its focused beam setting vegetation alight and carving trails like cauterized wounds through the dense foliage. Everywhere are the crumbling walls of a ruined civilization—some built in strange, sharp angles, others curved like sections of spheres. Above all looms the imposing edifice of the Sun Temple, perched on high, rocky ground scorched black by the searing beams of the gigantic lens. Occasionally, the mysterious device pauses in its orbit bringing its light to bear on the cracked crystalline dome of the grand temple, which causes the halo of its smoldering aurora to flare menacingly as magma-like oozes flow forth from the temple’s yawning, eye-shaped gate, like tears of living flame.
The waters are filled with aggressive sharks and reefclaws. While the hot jungle is has the normal creatures along with botflies, magma oozes, and fire mephitis. Ghosts, willow-o-wisps, fire elementals, and demons can be found throughout the island The broken city is inhabited by the various descendants of the survivors of shipwrecks, including the ones from Andoran’s last attempt. The larger population are the devotee’s to Nuruu’gal, a insatiable protoplasmic godling that is part of Nurgal. These people are infected with a parasitic oozes that grant them a detect thoughts ability along with extra limbs, eyes, ect. The truly devote can be blessed to become a Shinning Child.
The other and smaller group is loyal to Abadar, people who have refused to serve Nuruu’gal. And their leader is a cleric of Abadar. Kjel Vanderholt is a descendant of Andoran and does what he can with those unfortunate enough to crash on these shores. But the need to exterminate Nuruu’gal keeps him from trying to rally everyone into making a makeshift boat and fleeing to a nearby island. His parents died trying to slay the godling and he has made it his life goal to purge that creature from the Material world.
All kinds of humanoids make up both groups as most of the inhabitants came over on ship that crashed on the shores and that can be a motley crew at best. The generations roll by. Simply by location Tieflings are very common as are ifirt. This is due to the demonic and fiery nature of the island.
The book says to stat Nuruu’gal using the variant abilities for a shoggoth just more fiery as it is a glowing, burning mass of raw solar protoplasm. And I figure they, as they will be mythic by then should be able to go after it with some aid from the locals. This should be a massive battle.
There are ways to hurt it before hand and I kinda wanna see what happens. Assuming this is one of the first places they go. It is not far from their home and it was mentioned that the people funding this expedition want to know what happened. Plus it will help set the tone for how dangerous Azlant is assuming they don’t figure that out with the Aboleth’s. I have two of them to battle it out with coming up. So I am hoping to kind of start their exploration of Azlant with a battle with a proto godling the Azlanti called forth but could not control.
64. Pirate Ship - - Deathtoll - - Ethereal Plane - - CR 10 Urdefhan whaler ghostship (sailing ship)
Init +8 DEFENSE AC 18, touch 2; Hardness 5 hp 1,620 (sails 360) Save +14
OFFENSE Maximum Speed 120 ft. (magic; can submerge and reappear anywhere within 1 mile at will); Acceleration 30 ft.
Ranged heavy ballista +11 (4d8/19–20) CMB +26; CMD 36 Ramming Damage 10d8, Maw of the Depths; Bite 10d8 (ignores hardness)
CREW Captain Kenwight Wikdison (CE male half-fiend Urdefhan fighter 11; Profession [sailor] +16) 18 brine zombies, 10 male Urdefhan fighter3/rogue3,
EQUIPMENT Gear heavy ballista with 20 bolts (fore), ram, bite,
Cargo 4 points of plunder (stolen pirate treasure), 6070 spines of condemned souls, now used as teeth for the megalodon like maw of the vessel.
Kenwight is an urdefhan half-fiend spawn of a conjured daemon and an urdefhan female. He has risen to his high position of power rapidly and with vicious efficiency. This ruthlessness has earned him his prize, the Deathtoll, part Megalodon Ghost Shark, part urdefhan ship, capable of submerging and reappearing anywhere within 1 mile at will, as well as being able to go to the Ethereal Plane for 10 minutes every day.
1. Wild Magic - - These are mostly going to be random areas. Some will be obvious and others will simply not be.
2. Dead Magic - - The Final Exhale - - Bubbles of dead magic frozen in the water, like air bubbles floating to the surface except not that easy to see, the final exhale of a dying god. If the PC's figure out a way to follow these "bubbles of dead magic" to their source, the coral-ed over body of said dead (your choice of) god. Inside the coral, a massive caverns with remnants of old magic, so potent and pure, a place where crafted items can become especially powerful. Known and spoken of by very, very, few, this last up-swell of magic is heavily protected by sea elves, merfolk, undine, gill men, Aboleths and others.
3. Living Metal Island - - Rift to Plane of Earth - - w/Shabti The ground, the coral, all flora and fauna. This place might have a rift to the Plane of Earth.
4. Mirror Isle - - Dimension of Dreams - - mirror of opposition/doppleganger. Little, hard to notice mirrors floating around. So that at times they will see part of themselves reflected in the air. There may be a rift to the Shadow plane or the Dimension of Dreams here. But the main predator here is going to be a kind of doppelganger, one that makes a closer copy. As in copying class features. But it loses a point or more of con per day so long as the original lives.
5. Rift to Shadow Plane - - See number 11 for a possible option. Other options are rifts in dark places like caves.
6. Rift to Dimension of Dreams - - the Dream Travel spell. Along with if there was a rift to the Dimension of Dreams then sleeping near it might have it happen. Along with curses in a location could do it too. There is the safer spell Dream Voyage. Occult can let that happen. Though it all does not have to lead to the Dimension of Dreams The Dimension of Dreams is vaguely described and going to be a lot of fun and even more work.
7. Crystal Isle - - w/ Golems of Glass - - The people of that era populating the isle were instantaneously turned to full color crystal statues, some broken, with a very few still mobile and carrying out the tasks they were taking when the deep impact occurred. I have really jagged island in the lower center of my map that I think I will be putting this one on. And I am going to love describing this place. I am borrowing from a book I read for this place. It was one of the Guild Wars books, Ghosts of Ascalon. When I read that chapter on the fields of glass I knew I wanted something like that in a game. The visuals were amazing.
8. Cold-Snap Isle - - Rift to First World - - The choppy waters and beach of this island are coated in jagged ice flows. The weather is so frigid and blizzard strewn that it is truly a shock to the system. Through the lulls in the snow storms towers of ice can be seen in the distance. The layers of snow are 5' deep or deeper in places. Foot prints tell of bare feet capering in the snow. BARE FEET, in this frozen wasteland. Then there are the large clawed draconic tracks. Those tracks wouldn't be so ominous were it not for the splashes of red in the snow.
It is frozen due to an icy linnorn gradually affecting the area it lives in. this one has been there for thousands of years and it came over though a rift to the First World. It came over during the age of darkness. There are icy dryads, winter-touched pixies, polar owlbears, etc. Good story line would be the PC's running into the Summer Courts entourage on the Cold-Snap Isle, who is trying to reclaim the isle from the Winter Court. The Summer Courts entourage mistakes the PC's as representatives of the Winter Court, and battle ensues. Eventually drawn by the sounds of combat the icy Linnorm rampages in and... [Scene].
9. Moonscar Prison - - Borrowing from the Moonscar module. In that I will use the maps they have and probably the sucubi that are kidnapping people. Along with the idea of the prison the Azlanti used it for originally for.
10. Shipwreck Trading Post - - For the people exploring the isles. While they all provide their services for a price, there are occasions where they may trade for knowledge and stories of the PC's adventures
Captain Grumby- the Retired Rogue Pirate; knows the waters in the area and can provide rough maps to certain islands or water hazards.
First mate Willie, the Swashbuckler; guy to go to for a lead on interesting events and bizarre occurrences. His stories sometimes lead to rare prizes.
Nobleman Sir Thurston the Hunter and provider of provender for his friends.
His wife Lovey, the Cleric and healer of the PC's woes.
Beautiful Ginger, the Bard; highly knowledgeable on all matters Azlanti.
Hinckley, the Wizard crafter; specializes in creating wondrous items, rings, wands and upgrading weapons & armor.
Virtuous Summer, the Alchemist- purveyor of all things alchemical.
11. Roaming Isle - - Isle of Eternal Night - - Rift to Abyssal Realm of Nesh & Shadow Plane - - isle is completely encompassed in magical darkness and populated with blind humanoid lizard-like predators that hunt by sound and scent. These predatory creatures are cold-blooded and of little interest to the vampires that visit the isle. The Humble Association of Fishers of the Blue Cliffs makes frequent trips to this isle.
Connections to 14 and 22. I am thinking this will be one of the islands that move. And it will move around a lot. It is the link to basically Vampire Nirvana. And they have to earn it by not only finding the island but surviving long enough to find the rift.
12. Cyclops Graveyard - - The fact that Cyclops eventually descended into blood-thirsty, cannibalistic barbarity, the Graveyard idea took a decidedly different turn in my eyes. The reason people have discovered the Graveyard is the size of the bones but a search of the surrounding area would find very few smaller skeletons since giant ghouls tend to eat smaller corpses whole. Are someone/something eating giant-sized cyclopes'? Are those cyclops-sized teeth marks on those cyclops bones?
((Are you looking up right now, just noticing that big cloud that's not moving with the wind? In fact, it's not moving at all.))
Just to pound home that point, another partially intact cyclopean skeleton slams into the ground around them. I rather love the graveyard thing.
13. Cloud Mountain - - Plane Shifts to Abyssal Realm of Nesh - - Zura magically plane shifts one of the Mountains of Nesh to the material plane with some form of cloud magic. She then uses her Cloud Mountain to harvest humanoids to transport back to Nesh to populate the villages she uses for feeding. Many of her minions are undead; quite a few Ghoul Cyclopes that get her leavings and discard the bones through a garbage chute. Some of her victims are harvested from Cyclops villages in Nesh. Zura has gone undetected for millennia because her Cloud Mountain stays on the material plane at most days at a time every decade or so to replenish the villages back in the Abyssal realm of Nesh.
14. Abyssal Realm of Nesh - - Zura the Demon Lord - - Zura now calls the mountainous Abyssal realm of Nesh her home. Nesh has a large number of villages inhabited by captured humanoids harvested from the Material Plane. They are, for the most part, unaware that they dwell deep in the Abyss, except the leaders, who are rewarded by Zura's minions to keep the truth hidden. When the players explore it they may just get caught up in the return trip to Nesh.
Great way to bring in the vampires and take a trip to Abyss. I may have the Isle of Eternal Night have a rift to Nesh all on its own. This could be the place Vampires are being drawn to.
15. Heart of Fire Island - - Rift to Infernal Plane - - A volcanic island has a gate within driving its volcanism. Not to the plane of elemental fire, no; this one leads to somewhere far worse, deep in the Hells. Thankfully only the smallest creatures can come through but seeds of infernal vegetation have sprouted in places, and the wasps may gather into hellwasp swarms if humanoids dally too long on the island. This can be a lower level one or a higher level one.
16. Smallest Continent - - Everything living here is smaller than usual, use the young template. Deeper within they're even smaller, you can look down on forests of ancient trees no taller than your knees. At the very center there's a stone which will shrink anyone touching it to match the nearby ankle-height forests. A quick identify or similar will suggest that this will be permanent if the characters don't leave within 24 hours. Delightful Alice in Wonderland themes. I am thinking this will be one of the much smaller islands.
17. Desert Isle - - Ancient Ruins/Tombs - - Sand dune covered desert island, sparsely populated by tribes of the Kasatha having trouble with an Azlanti Mummy. The tribe of Kasatha tried to loot a Tomb of some forgotten Mystic-come-Queen. The Mummy tirelessly pursues them because of an item (your choice) they'd taken. Who knows, after the mummy is dealt with the tribe might take them to a tomb that's ripe for looting (and probably has more mummies and other stuff guarding it).
18. Desert Isle #2 - - Sand Traps - - Sightless Sea - - Topography looks like a desert island, complete with sand dunes, maybe a few of weathered and eroded structures. All over the isle are sand traps that suck the PC's down. Let the PC’s think they’re drowning in sand. In reality they are being sucked down a sand chute into a MASSIVE underground cavern! Into a lightless naval battle between the MUNAVRI & the horrific URDEFHAN.
While the PC's are treading water after their big splash into an under-ocean, give them details on the look of the violet-sailed, intricately carved ivory ship doing battle with a semi-transparent undead whale. After befriending the Munavri they can earn the privilege to sail one of the ivory ships, and eventually find a gate that takes them back to the surface ocean or the Plane of Water... I am both super excited for this encounter and dreading building it.
19. Sightless Sea - - Rift to Elemental Plane of Water - - As to underwater the campaign will take them under water for a little while. Beyond that they will be on a boat quite a bit so they will end up in the water. And if they peruse the Aboleth plot line later they may spend a lot of the campaign underwater and in the Darklands. In the Sightless Sea and a few other places. But beyond that I have plans to take them to the Plane of Water. But for locations under water I want to have some Merfolk, Undine, and Gillman settlements. There will be some sunken cities in a few spots and if they want to there are lots of ship graveyards.
20. The Ghostship - - Roaming Rift to many places - - ”Ghostship stories have been floating around forever about ghost ships encountered in every corner of the seas. Why, in my day, I was sailing along the Arcadian Ocean, when up in air for all to see, an enormous ship sailing some 200 leagues above me. Why I had such a start, I know my tongue plain dried up! Now I was mighty uncomfortable wit' it smack dab right above me but then a saw a second ship IN-THE-AIR! An' it was tacking straight for us! I mean them, them fellers' above me, so I turned port an' picked up a few knots. An' the ships above me turned an' matched my course an' speed! I was struck dumber than my first mate, Willie. I would've changed course again but I knew it was too late, an the second ship, why it was as transparent as colored glass! I thought they would collide above me and rain so much debris around me I’d be sunk fer sure. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. That second ship, the smaller ship, hit the bigger ship in the aft, an' done sucked up that bigger ship, masts and all…
partial decree of the august bodies of Such & Such; "...are of the opinion that the second ship, the, er, Ghostship was in fact an extra-dimensional vessel that served as a gateway to another plane, and based on the stars and moons lunar alignment, the Plane of Air..."
Took me a while to figure out why something like this sounded familiar. May I present the Silver Maiden.
21. Elemental Plane of Air - - the Airship Graveyard - - The furious wind currents pushed all of the airships together into the eye of a ginormous tornado, where the airships have collided and collected for eons, leaving a slowly (comparatively) spinning tower of airships. And with enough searching and climbing or jury-rigging one might be able to find a working Airship. Also keep in mind, it’s a graveyard- what happened to the passengers?
22. The Humble Association of Fishers of the Blue Cliffs - - If there's one thing vampires will want in an archipelago it's reliable transport across the water. The Fishers were suborned and controlled long ago to this end. Any of their boats carrying six or more crew will include a vampire spawn among their number, and any leaders in the association must be supported by one of the Revered - full vampires. Besides simple fishing, the Fishers transport goods and people between islands and some of them have engaged in piracy, with the help of their Revered I am thinking this will be a smaller island thing. And may have ties to the Isle of Eternal Night.
23. Island of the Clock Tower - - island itself is home to only a rather out-of-place baroque tower, which is filled to the brim with ticking clocks of all shapes and sizes. Next to each clock is a placard with a name engraved on it. I am not sure where to put this one yet but I really like the visuals of it.
24. Rift to the Abyss - - Thanatotic Cyclops Titans - - Titanic Demon Larder - - There are no humanoids on this island. There are hundreds of horses, buffalo, sheep, cattle, swine, and goats; all pleasantly plump and getting plumper. Strangely it looks as though the grass regrows to a certain height no matter how much the herds eat. There are even dogs herding the different animals, keeping them separate.
After watching for a time, a giant disembodied demon-like hand appears from nowhere snatching up two fat pigs, then vanishes. It appears again, and grabs one of the party! Fortunately the barbarian still has his great-axe in hand and takes a whack! While he gets dropped on his head, the massive bleeding hand vanishes. The next thing the party sees is a giant disembodied eye, then hears a giant disembodied voice saying in Azlanti "Mommy, I think we got bugs in the larder again!".
This one should teach the players that retreat is not a bad thing in the face of overwhelming odds!!
25. Coral Cauldron - - Rift to Plane of Water - - Rift to the Maelstrom - - This island is completely walled-off by wall of coral so tall it boggles the mind. There is evidence of other explorer’s abandoned climbing gear. There is even evidence of bodies/bones stuck in the wall, some impaled on jags of coral, others seemingly partially absorbed by the wall. If seen from the air, the wall appears to be 50' paces thick and at least 250' paces high. The inside of the wall is filled with water so clear you can see nearly 150' down, filled with all sorts of water flora & fauna.
The ability to fly is one way they can try to get up over it but I am thinking the winds should be super strong to make that just as dangerous. Other than the visuals of the isolated ecosystem I am not sure what to here beside the rift to and from the Plane of Water or a Rift to the Maelstrom and the coral is the way it was contained. With it leading to the Maelstrom it would be a goal for the devotees of pirates with it being Besmara’s home.
26. Ash Island - - Rift to Plane of Fire - - Thick layers of ash and soot coat this isle. Occasional plumes of fire and thick black smoke obscure the sight of large powerfully built wolf headed humanoids the size of a large draft horse, with ebony fur and burning, fiery red eyes. They seem to be wearing fire scorched chain-mail. On this isle there are scores of caves and dens covering the landscape as well as hundreds of thick trunked fire resistant trees. Here is my obvious rift to either the Plane of Fire, Hell, or the Abyss.
27. Island Thunderstruck - - There is such a cacophony of noise on this island that casters experience a 25% chance of miscasting spells with verbal components. The reason for the thunderous noise is obvious; there is a spar of highly metallic ore attracting continuous lightning strikes to the area. Occasionally the electricity grounds out to the path of least resistance, say for instance, a raised sword or axe, dealing 3d6 points of damage to the wielder and force a DC15 Reflex save to hold onto the weapon. Suits of plate-mail have been known to attract bolts too, forcing a DC17 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round.
28. Isle of the Beautiful Lights - - On this island there's a colony of miniature dragons which tales say will bond with the first person they see after hatching. The tales aren't wrong, and who doesn't want a minidragon of their own? They're incomplete however. When the hatchlings grow up (after a couple of years assuming plenty of food) they transform into their adult shape, a will o' wisp, which has no attachment to their former bond/owner. If they die from violence and the body isn't entirely destroyed they rise as a will o' wisp with the young template 1d4 rounds later, same deal.
Treat the hatchlings as pyraustas with the aberration type (but no stat changes from that), knowing whatever language was most spoken around their egg. Possibly a couple of languages in a household or adventuring party with mixed use of languages. If the tales wouldn't be enough to attract your PCs they might follow an offer to buy the eggs, or be investigating the mysterious death of a girl and the disappearance of her minidragon. Now to beside to keep it the same or turn this into Pern because dragons are awesome!
29. Head-Hunter's Divide - - Rift to Plane of Earth - - This isolated island is heavily populated by many jungle indigenous species. Ahool, Anhana, Arboreal Grappler, Banderlog, Biloko,canopy creeper, Cephalophore, Charau-Ka, Chemosit, Cyclops, Decapus, Derhii, Drake- Jungle, Giant- Jungle, Girallon, Jaculi, Kech, Kongamato, Lizardfolk, Margay, Miengu, Mngwa, Moonflower, Mosquito Swarm Bloodhaze, Naga- guardian, Ngoga, Nirento, Sabosan, Serpentfolk- Degenerate, Tabaxi, Tiberolith, Treant, and the head-hunting cannibal tribes of the Xothotak to name a few. Then there are the ancient, overgrown ruins in the depths of the jungle, belonging to Azlanti, Cyclopean and Serpentfolk alike. So even if one were to ignore the lines of spiked heads and survive the island dwellers, what traps lie unsprung?
I have all the monsters I will need for a traditional jungle adventure. And I can always borrow from the tribes in the Mwangi Expanse. Many of whom worship Demon Lords, such as Zura. She seems to be coming up a lot :D
30. Aesocar’s Bastion - - The settlement here is based around a tradition of healers and defenders of all that is good. While they provide healing and protection to stray adventurers and other travelers they've seen few such, and they generally don't leave their island since their people tend not to come back. Unknown to them they have an enemy. A cult of Asmodeus has laid long and slow plans which have guided traders away from their island to isolate them, assassinated their people who left, and made at least one traitor on the Bastion. Their final stroke may arrive soon; will your band of adventurers thwart the slavers coming?
Pretty sure I know where I am putting this and it is a while away for them but it could be a great ally for them to have later on it the game.
31. Reptile Isle - - This isle is populated almost exclusively by Lizardfolk and Dinosaurs. The expansion of other humanoid races and changing climate has pushed them into the margins of the world over the past few millennia. Not a warlike race, they often find themselves pitted against land-hungry humans and the violent xill, especially now, with the resurgence of explorers invading the swamps and marshlands of this particular island. They only wish to be left alone but the appearance of another race is making the situation untenable. The viciously evil Serpentfolk coming up from the depths of sunken structures.
On that note I found the Reptoid I won’t be using the lore listed but I am thinking they are a better version of kobolds. Kind of how the Serpentfolk have changed these creatures has changed as well.
32. Roaming Island - - Basrakal - - A strange location in the Maelstrom. The island itself is, I think, going to be a really peaceful and calm place with just weird scenery.
33. Roaming Island - - The Ocean Above to the Sightless Sea - -
34. Roaming Island - - Cryo-Prison Transport Isle - - multiple locations - - now for this there is a roaming isle that stores inmates until transport to the Moonscar. There is also a rotation and a long line of "parolee's" who were supposed to be released at least millennia ago. there's even a lever marked "Today" that will free 5 at a time, with all of their possessions! cryogenic storage of people starting from D&D magic I might build off meld with stone. It wouldn't necessarily require ongoing power the way cryogenics would, and it could have similar visuals if the device doing it merged people into glass or crystal. If it was intended to be something unpleasant for prisoner’s maybe instead make it work like the time Han Solo was embedded in carbonite. I play with nerds and will really have to put some thought into how to have a reanimated Azlanti come about. I love the idea of it but there needs to be some planning.
35. Roaming Island - - Sapphire Isle - - multiple locations - - This isle is inhabited by an Azata, a Ghaele to be precise, summoned to a cold iron circle every night, from dusk til dawn. Now Ghaeles are strong hunters, courtly and knightly, and pursue great foes. For centuries Gluciar has been forcibly summoned to this circle and restricted to this lush green island, he has hunted down every predator on the island and is quite bored. If introduced to warrior-hunter types he is interested in hearing about their greatest challenges. Eventually he comes up with a way to ease his boredom, asking the PC’s to repopulate the verdant island with new predator types, in mated pairs if they can manage it. If they can’t he asks if they could manage summoning him to a locale where he can pursue dragons or fiends. In return he offers a special reward to them, a special Sapphire Ooze. This ooze he has been wearing as armor for millennia. This particular ooze appears to be made of glittering sapphire crystals and provides protection as if it were a +5 mithral breastplate. This isle is also home to this oozes offspring, while not as potent as the parent sapphire ooze, they still provide protection as if they were a mithral breastplate.
Unknown to Gluciar, if he can slay a dragon or a fiend, the curse summoning him to the isle will end. If this happens, Gluciar credits the PC’s with breaking the curse and is in their debt. He will agree to 3 future summonings with a specific task.
36. Roaming Island - - Spider Island - - On this island we have numerous varieties of spiders, spider-swarms, giant black widow spiders, scarlet-spiders, phase-spiders, ogre-spiders and many more. In fact there are so many spiders it’s hard to see how they might survive without sufficient sustenance. Perhaps they prey on each other. And they do, to a certain extent. But they also have another food source. There is a gate on the island that leads to the realm of Achaekek, He Who Walks in Blood, god of assassins, the Mantis God. On occasion a giant mantis passes through the gate and there is a feast on Spider Island. And then there are the Red Mantis assassins; sometimes it’s an errant follower falling through the gate, other times it’s a test of Achaekek’s followers, to see if their belief is enough to get them off the island alive.
37. VS. the Cheliaxian Navy - - This is a possible ending and a campaign in and of its self. I may have a few glimpses of it but I think I will leave it for a follow up campaign should they prove able to settle in Azlant and want to play something like this.
38. VS. a mass of slumbering Aboleths and Veiled Masters - - And if this is not the route they follow this will be in the Cheliaxian Navy thing as well.
39. Series of Roaming Islands - - The Fields of Sorrow - - Nothing lives here, no animals or even bugs. I want the essence of the place to move around.
There is a powerful undead roaming the islands. Through its wanderings, it’s been idly using circle of death spell-like ability. And it’s not even doing it maliciously, it’s just bored. This could be a lich that's become disenchanted with its unlife. The arrival of the PC's does wonders for its mood, as it now has something to challenge it. Previously it was just letting the roaming isles move it from isle to isle, trailing a swath of death.
There can be areas that it has traveled though the party could encounter and then if they get hooked into the idea of following it then maybe they can put an end to it. Without the destruction of the phylactery it cannot truly be killed. But what to make the phylactery so that the lich would not have simply destroyed it so that it could finally die? The Phylactery is an item the PC's are already carrying. Potent enough that the player's wouldn't just sell it outright. I'd make this either weapon or armor.
40. Bilith-Vel Museum - - Portions might be underwater at this point or maybe not. It talks about constructs that have rotted and no longer work along with a ghostly janitor that still wonder the halls. There is a lovely module called the Gallery of Evil in this one many of the fights are the creatures of paintings. I want the maintenance constructs to have warped. The paintings have come to life but what else would I put in there. Trompe L'oeil, & id portrait.
I just have to figure out where to put this. I am thinking magic kept this place very much as it was. The city of Bilith-Vel is ideal for it’s locale. This place was once a holy site of Acavan, the moon goddess. It also says it was home to a sisterhood of influential witches called the Inward Eye. There were banking consortiums, and home to the empires second largest armada. Acavan’s battle mount, an ancient lunar dragon by the name of Rezallian, now guards this place and is a creature wracked with grief at the loss of her mistress.
Much of this city is going to be still standing and I want the museum to be here. And there will be an actual ship graveyard here as well. Along with numerous temples. Plus the dragon but what else can I put in this city or the roughly 100ish mile island it is on. This place is in the lower parts of the Shattered continent.
I recommend a rival group of adventuring tomb raiders. And make it so they are recurring rivals that always have ready a means of escape from the PC's. In fact, introduce a likable, useful NPC to the party that convinces them to let him/her travel with them for a time (a few levels worth at least). The NPC turns out to be a mole that feeds information to the rival tomb raiders about the PC's pursuits. Keep in mind this was a museum, with items that were old and priceless before the Earthfall.
41. Hag’s Coven - - The hags came up for me for three reasons. The dream element brought the dreamthief Hag. The Night Hag from wanting to use them in my last campaign and finding them interesting. And lastly because the AP has an encounter with them though at lower levels and I am going to change that. So the Cyclops of the Ghol-Gan Empire tended towards prophesies and the hag the AP has is rather opposed with it to. She has one in captivity for that purpose.
Witch with the slumber hex and ability focus to quietly put all members of the party to sleep on the Dreaming Islands.
42. Acrolan, the City of Broken Glass - - It is one of the Seven Secret Cities, this being the one on Azlant. This place is an easy option to get them to the Ethereal Plane or at least have a chance of getting there. Plus all the fun lore they could learn if they get there. To earn that right though there are a series of psychic tests they have to pass and I have no clue at the moment what those would be.
43. Earthfall - - Settlement - - I am wanting a few ruined locations to be stuck in a loop, constantly reliving the Earthfall. This could give the party a good view of Azlanti life and also a first eye view of the Earthfall. It is like a haunt of epic proportions. But I don’t want to instantly kill the party and it don’t want it to be like a cut scene from a video game.
Let them interact with the settlement, make purchases, gather information, no one knows that Earthfall is about to happen, not even the player's. Everything feels real until the meteors come down. let it end with the Earthfall incident. Give it a few days for everything to reset/restart. But those purchases they made, are they real or lost to the cataclysm? do they still have the change from those purchases? Real, Very Rare, Azlanti Coin? what might that be worth to a collector?
44. Aroden’s Rock - - The Rock is on the eastern periphery on a mountain the Azlanti named Merthuretz, which as a heavily forested mountain and is now one of the tallest locations on the Shattered Continent. This mountain had legends about it that predate the Azlanti people. And this was where the then mortal Aroden lead as many people to hopeful safety during Earthfall. It did give a name to Aroden’s weapon, the Azlanti Diamond which was a crystalline sword he forged as a badge of office for the next emperor. So Aroden was a crafter. He and the people he was leading, and they are listed as Azlanti and some of their former enemies, hewed as many trees as they could for boats to sail away in. All the while they had to battle twisted Fey that had made this mountain their home. The fay were twisted due to a creature, a forgotten god called Ugruskkogg, that had supposedly according to the Fey “been a part of Azlant since its highest mountains had been but an unsullied plain upon the floor of an ancient ocean.”
45. Ugruskkogg - - Deep in the mountains of a then ancient cave was an enormous petrified ammonite the size of a castle door. The place was littered with sacrifice to the fossilized god. And its shell was a swirl of maddening patterns that dug into the minds of those that saw it leaving only madness behind. It still lived but was trapped in its stone form. From accounts Aroden left in Absolom after he became a God there were no blows struck or spells cast in that cave. Many tales and legends suggest a deal was struck. Probably not a good one as Aroden and the people he was with remained on that island for half a decade before sailing away. The forests of Merurtertz’s are still inhabited with murderous fey. The foundations of the shipyards and the crude builds the refugees lived in are still there. And sleeping while in those peaks lead to dreams that call you to have an audience with that ancient entity, which the book labels ‘as old as the planet itself.’ So suggestions on what to happen there would be great or what Ugruskkogg would want would be delightful.
46. The City of Golden Gates - - which was the capital apparently. And the target of the Earthfall. In the Manual of City-Building, which is one of the religious texts of Abadar, this city is described as the closest to perfection. Outshined only by the examples in Abadar’s Vault, which contain the perfect versions of so many things. The city was said to be built on a massive 500ft tall hill that was surrounded by verdant forests. At the summit of the hill were the emperor’s personal residence and gardens which had a well in the center of ever flowing water that flowed in four directions and fell in cascades into a moat like canal that kept the imperial grounds separate from the rest of the city. “From this deep canal, four channels led the water though the four quarters of that level of the city to cascades that in turn supplied another encircling canal.” Ultimately there were four rings that separated the city by class.
This place was on the eastern side of the country. And the throne was called ‘the throne of glass’. This city suffered a direct hit during Earthfall. There are said to dragons, savage and cannibalistic morlocks, and even more fun are the devils, demons, and it says worse without saying what worse is that are still bound to this location by long dead rituals or that linger after being freed. Many of them battling for the throne. And apparently there are priest of Abadar that make pilgrimages to this city and a small community has grown there in the lower rings. Intent on keeping the fires burning for the right person to bring safety and glory back to this once perfect city. So that is the part that is still above water. With the city suffering a direct hit half of it is now a cliff and much of the land around it is sunken to create a shallowish bay. Nereids, merfolk, sahuagin, and water elements are apparently in abundance in this area. That well has created an aquatic war zone outside city limits. And deep under the city, where that glorious water comes from are two alghollthus and a rift to the Inverted Sea.
47. Earthfall - - The Colosseum - - The day of Earthfall keeps repeating in the Colosseum; and the PC's can affect the outcome of the gladiatorial games by participating in them. Now how they come to be connected to the games is by the ingenious intervention of one Koernelis Plynt. This enterprising tiefling actually shipwrecked on this relatively small section of isles a few years ago and quite accidentally discovered he could influence the events of the games by introducing new participants to the games master. Since then he's slowly been building up a nest egg by fixing the matches with new participants and convincing them the matches are not to the death. An irredeemable gambler, Plynt is constantly betting and losing his nest egg.
48. Silent Brotherhood of Asmodeus - - This island is surrounded by a fixed ring of silence extending outward 150’. Once one gets past this area of silence anyone can hear the sonorous hum of a continuous chant (maintaining the silenced area). The Brotherhood are all devotees of Asmodeus based in a tradition of assassination and pack hunting down the members and allies of Aesocar’s Bastion in a steady war of attrition. The Brotherhood goes to great lengths to keep its presence on its island secret and there are Hunting Packs of assassin teams training on the isle to kill any and all interlopers. Aside from extreme secrecy, those who do know of the Silent Brotherhood know that they are known for ability to eliminate their targets in dead silence. Recently, the Brotherhood has pulled back almost all of its agents to the isle for the final death stroke on the populous of Aesocar’s Bastion.
49. Order of Azrael - - This exclusively female order of warriors and casters specialize in hunting evil outsiders. The primary goal of the Order is not unlike the Mendev Crusaders, to destroy demons. While the Mendev Crusaders organize in literal demon slaying crusades, the Order of Azrael accomplish by stealth and cunning. They travel the world and the planes in anonymity, prepared at all times to strike should an evil outsider surface. They're main secret headquarters is located in Kenabres near the Worldwound. The Order of Azrael are virtually unheard of away from Kenabres and its demon infested environment. This outpost in the shattered continent is perhaps an aberration, as the area is not known for the demonic presence of Mendev's Worldwound.
Also called 'Angels of Death', they usually hunt in quads of four, and it has been documented that a single quad decimated three score demons on their home plane in a matter of hours. They have been known to hunt goodly outsiders for the right incentive. They tend to use holy bane weapons such as crossbows and a wide assortment of daggers.
50. Cannibal Cliff Dwellings Caldera - - Inhabited by primitive humanoids clutching spears in hand. Their skin tone seems to change colors shifting to match their surroundings. The Xothotak are a savage race of head-hunting cannibals that make their homes deep the dense jungle of this island. This particular tribe numbers in the thousands and has adapted to the caldera and have built cliff-dwellings using the skulls they collect in the walls. These cannibals conduct raids into civilized settlements when food, women and sacrifices are scarce. Captured men, women and children are beaten, bound and forced into slavery for a period of time, before being sacrificed to one of the xothotak's dark gods by being thrown into the deepest steam pits of the caldera or served as a meal at a xothotak banquet. As primitive as they are, the xothotak probably have the best grasp of the currents and routes to many of the isles in the shattered continent, which in turn aids in the success of their raids. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) yummy!
51. Roaming Island - - Sanguine Night - - Rift to Nesh - - This is a small round island that is found in a thick mist that drifts across the waves. And the fog is the only thing visible at water level, from the air, or even under the waves. Nothing but a thick fog for miles. Most of the locals know to avoid it if they are unlucky enough to see it. Death waits in fog that moves like that, just drifting slowly though the ocean. As you enter the mist it grows thicker until you barely see a foot in-front of you and a light source only gives about another foot or two in which to see shapes in. The thick fog is about half a mile long and will require quite a few checks to not get lost in it (there are boats that litter the sea floor and a few that house lost spirits that might be encountered). Once you have made your way through the thickest part of the fog it begins to rapidly clear up, slowly if you are back on the ocean side.
But if you make it through regardless of what time of day it was when you entered the fog it is dark. But you cannot see the stars, only a thick haze above you. You can see an island not that far ahead of you, maybe 100 feet from the edge of the dissipating for to the dark shores. But the waters are smooth and easy as you row your way to the shore. Pitch black sand covers the coastline all around the island. And the beach is anywhere from 10 to 20 ft. in some area’s to 100ft in others. But regardless of the length of the black beach there is a dense forest looming. Not so dense that you have to hack your way through. There are at least three Gallows Tree’s in this forest. Many of the other dangers on the island are crimson deaths, Blood Pudding , Vampiric Mist , any of the blood themed plants bloody bones, and some of the incorporeal undead like geists or groaning spirits. And after the heroes have battled their way to through the dangers of the forest they find themselves at the heart of the island. A massive moss covered hill which has a rift in reality at its peak.
The creature that guards the rift to Nesh is going to be an enhanced Doombat most likely with some levels in cleric and some mythic abilities. I will be mixing it with the Dread Vampire template and the Eternal template. The only way it can be given a permanent death is to seal the rift. The only way through the rift is to kill the creature or bargain with it and it is far less likely to bargain if you have a pulse. The area the rift is in is a massive clearing at the heart of the island and the whole area is raised up on a big hill made of the crushed bones of those that failed to enter the rift. A big moss covered bone hill filled with tantalizing treasures that if the victorious get distracted looking for the rift guardian will rise again.
I only assume they will make it to this lovely place if they pursue the Vampire plot line. And if they don’t there is always the option of a second campaign set years in the future. Teleportation magic, in or out, will always drop you in the thickest part of the fog, and this time without a boat.
52. Island of Portals - - This island is a nexus of all the islands of the shattered continent, from the moment of Earthfall. There are obvious portals to every isle in the area and these appear to be one-way portals away from this nexus. On the island is a little old human man named Dor. Dor is uniquely able to find any portal in the network via some unknown affinity to the portals. If there is someone seeking a way to a given Island, a sample of the soil or water from the isle in question is all he needs to find the corresponding portal. Taking a portal designated Dor, always leads to the right island, even if that isle has since moved from its last known location. Finding the right island via mere description is more chancy. According to Dor, this island ‘touches’ every island, but is ‘untouchable’. This means it cannot be used as a memorized location to teleport to. In fact, attempting to do so automatically teleports those making the attempt randomly to one of the other shattered continent isles. Anyone attempting to touch or harm Dor is effected as though they went through a portal of Dor’s choice.
53. Abaddon - - On this ruined and debris strewn island is a creature called the demon king, Basileiva, the angel of the abyss, the angel of the bottomless pit. Basileiva is using an ancient demonic summoning circle deep in the bowels of this island. Each day he can call forth 1d4 demons to the summoning circle causing the island to ripple and fold on itself, changing the debris field each time. At this point the demons are confined to the isle, but the magic of the circle is expanding slowly and exponentially. If the demons are not sent back through this circle of magic or killed, this rift could potentially burst, releasing a horde of demonic creatures, possibly creating a second Worldwound.
54. The Lone Skyscraper - - This structure was more than 70 levels high, but the upper portions were sheared away in the Earthfall. Each level above the first appears to be cut from the same mold and are virtually identical to each other. There are a row of six airshafts connected to every level as well as metallic ropes or cables piled down on the first few levels. There are two stair wells that also connect to each level. The windows of each level are clouded by weather, filth and debris. Each level has four strange ports and more than a few have some kind of conveyance or carriages parked in the ports. Many of the lower levels show signs of recent habitation, but there appears to be no one here now. As for the greater heights, the top 15 levels or so are inhabited several tribes of Strix, the greatest heights reserved for the strongest tribe and the leaders of the tribes nesting here.
55. Sunken Tower - - This structure is nearly identical to the Lone Skyscraper save that the building materials of the past have basically mineralized via osmosis with the darklands environment. The structure has penetrated 67 stories into the marsh, leaving the last 7 stories above ground. While some levels have filled with mud and water, others mineralized, there are spaces that have been excavated by darklands indigenous races, such as drow and duergar on the shallower levels, serpentfolk and derro in the mid-depths and aboleths and Veiled Masters in the deepest levels. There are near constant wars between these races and others over the levels of this sunken skyscraper but none of the surface worlders have discovered why. The few surfacers that have delved the depths for answers have never returned with answers, only with madness.
56. Isle of Obsidian Towers - - Black Cabal - - This group of silent and stealthy mothmen keeps watch over the shattered fate of Azlant. They stand in silent vigils along the shores of an island of black sand, perched on massive obsidian towers simply known as the Fulcrums. Sometimes, they're seen flying off to some unknown location or turning inwards as if focusing on something at the center of the island.
Mothmen are known to manipulate fate and change the courses of causality. Perhaps these ones are trying to reverse Azlant's destruction, or even harness the power of Earthfall to induce an apocalypse in the present day? Their true goals are inscrutable but surely far-reaching.
Azlant existed in an age of myth, after all. Such a powerful fate draws mothmen to it like... well, moths to a light.
57. Riddled Isle - - Riddled with caves and tunnels the stony isle appears to be a great chunk of holey cheese. Some caves lead to tunnels that lead to caves that lead to submerged tunnels that lead to the darklands or the surface. The isle is also infested with purple worms near the surface, testifying to the degree that the stone has been compromised. A veritable maze, some tunnels lead deep into the stone, all the way to the darklands. The shallow surface of this particular isle is home to warring tribes of kobolds & goblins. If the PC’s can rid one or the other of the wrathful little humanoids, they may gain ready guides to the darklands, for a short while. They might even find their way to a sphinx and its riddles.
58. Port Mercy - - This Port Town is named after Mr. Edna Mercy Cross, who owns much of the town, including the Tavern, Mercy's Mooring. Now Mercy is NEVER, EVER called Edna. The only people that call him Edna are the Noob’s that get tricked into calling him by his real first name. The various patrons actually run a pool to see who, and how long they’ve been on the island before they foul up and say Mercy’s first name to his face. Mercy will well and truly deck the snot out of the offender without warning. If the fool wishes to take offence at the rebuttal, Mercy simply asks if they want blood or satisfaction. If they say blood, Mercy will do his level best to not kill the fool, but accidents happen, even in a fair fight. If they say satisfaction, one of the many women in the bar will offer to satisfy them and then some. If the PC takes the offer then everyone relaxes. If the PC doesn’t get the hint, Mercy tells the PC to step outside and find a goat to satisfy him. At this point Mercy will hear no more and offer to kick the fools arse, and he really will try to kill him.
This port-town is actually a smugglers port frequented by pirates and smugglers as well as regular merchant vessels. The real trick is Mercy’s Mooring. Any vessel tied to this magical Mooring shrinks the boat and cargo in all its dimensions to 1 foot in diameter. The boat will stay this way until it comes into contact with enough water for it to float in. The smugglers of the Port pay a hefty fee based on cargo to use Mercy’s Mooring. Mercy has a modest collection of ships on the shelves of his taproom, and no one knows how he got them or if they came from his magical mooring.
59. Pirate Ship - - Cervantes’ Warhawk - - Plane of Air - - This ship is a three-masted sailing ship, 100 feet long from stem to stern, and 30 feet wide amidships. The ship needs a minimum crew of 20, current crew is 50. Interior walls on the ship are of wood, 2 inches thick (hardness 5, hp 20, Break DC 20). Doors are of good wooden construction (hardness 5, hp 15, Break DC 18). Interior rooms are unlit during the day (except for those with windows or portholes), and usually have a single hooded lantern for light at night, providing either normal or dim light (open flames are dangerous on a ship). Many doors and chests are trapped to keep them off-limits to swabs and common sailors.
She is Captained by Cervantes Alba, a notorious pirate Free Captain of the Shackles who has long plagued Chelish merchant shipping in the Inner Sea and Arcadian Ocean. Compact but fierce, Alba has more muscles than most his crew, he's known for carrying 5 single shot pistols and fighting in close with twin blades.
The Warhawk has a secret. It’s also an airship capable of calling forth a gate to the plane of air. One of Warhawks main tactics is to travel in the clouds to stay out of sight for as long as possible. Swooping in from on-high to ram the target ship, usually crippling the other vessel, and making her the next mark in the Warhawk’s list of trophies. Alba is not known to leave survivors, but recycles taken ships to add to his pirate fleet.
60. Crystal Reef Isle - - The waters around Crystal Reef Isle are crystal clear (visibility 320 feet), but the island is surrounded by unique clear crystal coral reefs, which lie between 5 and 25 feet beneath the surface and imposes a -5 circumstance penalty on Perception checks made to detect the crystalline reefs. Despite the beauty, however, the tides around the island are vicious, particularly along the western shore. Even on calm days, the DC of Swim checks is the same as in rough water (DC 15), and creatures that fail a Swim check by 5 or more are dragged farther out to sea at a rate of 30 feet per round by the strong currents.
The real danger is in both the waters and the jungle of the isle. There are perhaps hundreds of crystal oozes inhabiting the area, but their presence may be what has caused the clear crystal coral growths. Seemingly innocuous glistening water strikes out with a terrible pseudopod, reaching for the unsuspecting PC's.
The majority of the isle is covered in thick jungle- considered dense forest with heavy undergrowth. Unless they are using one of the few narrow paths traversing the jungle, characters traveling through the jungle must make DC 16 Survival checks to avoid becoming lost.
61. On the Tide Tonight (CR 5) (or adjust CR to taste) This event occurs shortly after the PCs have departed an island. The encounter should occur when the PCs’ ship is in the open ocean shortly before eight bells, the end of the late-night watch and the beginning of the morning watch (about 4 a.m.).
Creatures: Three sahuagin, members of the tribe that dwells in one of numerous coves, have been sent to reconnoiter the area and to prey upon lone ships that can be surprised. They clamber onto deck and attempt to silently murder any sailors on watch before slipping back overboard with their victims in tow. If the PCs are on watch, allow Perception checks to detect the sahuagin’s stealthy boarding party before they attack. Otherwise, or unless the PCs have posted more than two sailors on watch or taken other unusual precautions, assume that the raid is successful and goes unnoticed until the next watch comes on deck and finds only a few bloodstains. A DC 17 Survival check reveals a few wet prints in the shape of a webbed and clawed humanoid foot, which PCs who succeed at a DC 15 Knowledge (nature) can identify as the tracks of sahuagin. If the PC's stay in the general area, the sahuagin return in greater numbers a week later.
Morale: If two sahuagin are killed, the survivor leaps overboard and flees. If a sahuagin is in danger of being captured alive, it swallows a puffer fish spine hidden in its mouth, causing it to choke to death on the toxin and preventing it from revealing anything about its tribe
Treasure: One of the sahuagin wears a necklace of golden coral and strange, silvery metal with blue-black whorls worth 1,500 gp. The silvery metal is a platinum alloy known as “deep platinum”.
DEEP PLATINUM . . . courtsey of SKULLS & SHACKLES: Raiders of the Fever Sea
This rare platinum alloy is characterized by blue-black whorls of an almost disturbing aspect, and is virtually unknown to those living above the surface of the sea. It is actually mined from platinum deposits in the deepest ocean trenches, where it is tainted by exposure to poisonous deep sea vents called “black smokers.” Only aboleths, krakens, or even stranger creatures of the ocean depths can recover this metal from these fathomless trenches. On land, deep platinum has the same value as normal platinum, but it is of inestimable value to undersea races such as the sahuagin, who often ascribe religious or magical qualities to the rare metal.
62. Pirate Ship - - Devastation - - CR 9 Chelish man-o’-war (sailing ship)
DEFENSE: AC 19, touch 2; Hardness 7, hp 1,620 (sails 960), Save +14
OFFENSE: Ranged 20 light ballistae +3 (3d8/19–20), 2 standard catapults +7 (6d6), CMB +25; CMD 35, Ramming Damage 10d8
CREW: Captain Paracount Sebastian Von Strom (LE male human fighter 10; Profession [sailor] +20; +1 on sailing checks to gain the upper hand)
Commander Kera Toomes (LE female human cavalier 6), 14 ship’s officers (LE human aristocrat 2/expert 3), 120 Chelish pirates (LE human fighter 2), 60 sailors (minimum 20)
EQUIPMENT: 20 light ballistae with 400 bolts (port and starboard), 2 standard catapults with 50 stones (fore and aft), broad rudder, extended keel, magically treated sails, ram, rapid deploy sails, silk sails, sturdy hull, 120 squares of sails (four masts), Cargo 6 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and stores)
Sebastian Von Strom is a Chelish Paracount turned pirate, stealing a man-o’-war pirate hunter, one of several powerful ships sent by Cheliax to patrol the western coasts of the Inner Sea region and occasionally scout along the edges of the Shackles. It was easy for him to trick the Chelish Naval captain into turning over command of the vessel to him and he gradually recruited and replaced the crew with pirates and sailors loyal to him. Despite his Nobel beginnings he is perhaps the most feared Free Captain on the water, and not just because of his impressive ship, Devastation. He is blood thirsty and vicious, capable of the most heinous murders imaginable.
63. The Island of the Sun Temple - - The island where the Sun Temple once stood and where Andoran’s last attempt to colonize Azlant along the north eastern side of Azlant, about three hundred miles north. It is a fairly large island, roughly 150 miles by 150 miles. The eastern shore is about 50 miles out of shallow waters filled with rocky spires and littered with broken ships.
Despite being in the norther parts of Azlant this island is never cold. The waters around the island are always warm and the island itself is covered in a thin steam. Thick jungle and sudden shear cliffs make up most of this heavily shattered island. And there is a steady incline as this was once a mountain. Near the center of the island is a massive lake, almost 2 miles wide and nearly three miles long. There is a thick river that reaches out to the south ocean and even though the waters rush out towards the ocean this lake never depletes. Filling this steaming lake are shattered landmasses.
Strange lights flicker among the fragmented shrines and beckon the unwary deeper into the tangled undergrowth of the island. Smoldering auroras halo the ruins even in the bright of day, and the burn of ozone permeates the air. Towering spires and copulas penetrate the island’s thick canopy, dwarfing more recent human habitations built among the once-glorious edifices of the old empire. An enormous, bronze-mounted lens transits the island in a lazy and wandering orbit, its focused beam setting vegetation alight and carving trails like cauterized wounds through the dense foliage. Everywhere are the crumbling walls of a ruined civilization—some built in strange, sharp angles, others curved like sections of spheres. Above all looms the imposing edifice of the Sun Temple, perched on high, rocky ground scorched black by the searing beams of the gigantic lens. Occasionally, the mysterious device pauses in its orbit bringing its light to bear on the cracked crystalline dome of the grand temple, which causes the halo of its smoldering aurora to flare menacingly as magma-like oozes flow forth from the temple’s yawning, eye-shaped gate, like tears of living flame.
The waters are filled with aggressive sharks and reefclaws. While the hot jungle is has the normal creatures along with botflies, magma oozes, and fire mephitis. Ghosts, willow-o-wisps, fire elementals, and demons can be found throughout the island The broken city is inhabited by the various descendants of the survivors of shipwrecks, including the ones from Andoran’s last attempt. The larger population are the devotee’s to Nuruu’gal, a insatiable protoplasmic godling that is part of Nurgal. These people are infected with a parasitic oozes that grant them a detect thoughts ability along with extra limbs, eyes, ect. The truly devote can be blessed to become a Shinning Child.
The other and smaller group is loyal to Abadar, people who have refused to serve Nuruu’gal. And their leader is a cleric of Abadar. Kjel Vanderholt is a descendant of Andoran and does what he can with those unfortunate enough to crash on these shores. But the need to exterminate Nuruu’gal keeps him from trying to rally everyone into making a makeshift boat and fleeing to a nearby island. His parents died trying to slay the godling and he has made it his life goal to purge that creature from the Material world.
All kinds of humanoids make up both groups as most of the inhabitants came over on ship that crashed on the shores and that can be a motley crew at best. The generations roll by. Simply by location Tieflings are very common as are ifirt. This is due to the demonic and fiery nature of the island.
The book says to stat Nuruu’gal using the variant abilities for a shoggoth just more fiery as it is a glowing, burning mass of raw solar protoplasm. And I figure they, as they will be mythic by then should be able to go after it with some aid from the locals. This should be a massive battle.
There are ways to hurt it before hand and I kinda wanna see what happens. Assuming this is one of the first places they go. It is not far from their home and it was mentioned that the people funding this expedition want to know what happened. Plus it will help set the tone for how dangerous Azlant is assuming they don’t figure that out with the Aboleth’s. I have two of them to battle it out with coming up. So I am hoping to kind of start their exploration of Azlant with a battle with a proto godling the Azlanti called forth but could not control.
64. Pirate Ship - - Deathtoll - - Ethereal Plane - - CR 10 Urdefhan whaler ghostship (sailing ship)
Init +8 DEFENSE AC 18, touch 2; Hardness 5 hp 1,620 (sails 360) Save +14
OFFENSE Maximum Speed 120 ft. (magic; can submerge and reappear anywhere within 1 mile at will); Acceleration 30 ft.
Ranged heavy ballista +11 (4d8/19–20) CMB +26; CMD 36 Ramming Damage 10d8, Maw of the Depths; Bite 10d8 (ignores hardness)
CREW Captain Kenwight Wikdison (CE male half-fiend Urdefhan fighter 11; Profession [sailor] +16) 18 brine zombies, 10 male Urdefhan fighter3/rogue3,
EQUIPMENT Gear heavy ballista with 20 bolts (fore), ram, bite,
Cargo 4 points of plunder (stolen pirate treasure), 6070 spines of condemned souls, now used as teeth for the megalodon like maw of the vessel.
Kenwight is an urdefhan half-fiend spawn of a conjured daemon and an urdefhan female. He has risen to his high position of power rapidly and with vicious efficiency. This ruthlessness has earned him his prize, the Deathtoll, part Megalodon Ghost Shark, part urdefhan ship, capable of submerging and reappearing anywhere within 1 mile at will, as well as being able to go to the Ethereal Plane for 10 minutes every day.
A little background on some quality underwater badness:
Life under the Sea
Despite the sometimes harsh environments, the seas teem with life—in fact, there is more life below the waters at any given moment than the surface has ever seen. Coastal regions support a diverse selection of flora and fauna, and as travelers go deeper into the dark seas, creatures become even more specialized and strange. Below are some of the major intelligent races dominating the world beneath the waves.
Aboleths Ancient masterminds of the deep Favored Environment: Cold and temperate deep waters
Areas of Influence: Arcadian and Obari oceans; Inner, Sightless, and Steaming seas
Allies: Skum, some gillmen and merfolk
Enemies: Some gillmen, humans, and merfolk
Additional Information: Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Into the Darklands 53, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 8
While aboleths work their ways through various waters across Golarion, they congregate in the Arcadian Ocean, where they once manipulated the Azlanti Empire. Still residing in the waters below the ruins of that once-great civilization, they fiercely protect their magical tunnels linking the Arcadian Ocean above to the Sightless Sea deep in Orv, which holds the largest concentration of these creatures on Golarion. From their underwater cities they plot and wait for the day when they can rise again and conquer the humanoids of the surface, but for now, they largely wait, sending their skum thralls to the surface to snatch specimens for twisted experiments.
Adaros Storm-worshiping and carnivorous sharklike humanoids Favored Environment: Warm oceans, seas, and coasts
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, Obari, and Okaiyo oceans; Fever and Valashmai seas
Allies: Grindylows, sahuagin, scrags, sharks
Enemies: Cecaelias, gillmen, humans, locathahs, merfolk
Additional Information: Pathfinder #38 80; Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 7
Aggressive and brutal, adaros keep to small tribes, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous. They attack ships’ crews with their poison spears, then dive back into the protection of the waves. Adaros love storms and often coordinate attacks on ships and coastal communities during these times. A particularly large and violent nation of adaros makes the turbulent waters of the Valashmai Sea its home, calling the place the Womb of Storms. These adaros worship a creature they call the Tempest Wife, and claim they breed storms with her and send them across all the oceans and seas of the world to gather sacrifices. Since the formation of the Eye of Abendego, some tribes of adaros have also migrated to the Fever Sea, where they watch the great storm with patient expectation.
Aquatic Elves Elves of the storms and waves Favored Environment: Warm oceans, seas, and coasts
Areas of Influence: Arcadian Ocean, Steaming Sea
Allies: Elves
Enemies: Aboleths, gillmen, humans
Additional Information: Pathfinder Campaign Setting: The Inner Sea World Guide 25, Pathfinder Player Companion: Elves of Golarion 13
Even more aloof than their land-dwelling brethren, the amphibious elves of the Arcadian Ocean care little about the lives and desires of surface dwellers. They claim to have renounced the limited perspectives of the land in favor of an environment brimming with life and added dimensions of mobility and possibility. While some live nearly as hermits, others defend their families behind the coral palisades of living estates. In the rare cases of settlements like Irim and Quolonrihil, sea elves unite in more traditional communities, largely for shared defense against persistent threats and not out of any particular feelings of brotherhood. The strange surface elves of the Mordant Spire are among the only land dwellers to maintain regular, cordial contact with aquatic elves, who prove invaluable allies in exploring the ruins of Azlant. More than raiders, the aquatic elves have vast knowledge of submerged Azlanti ruins, but also occasionally bring elven artifacts of incredible age to the surface—much to the delight of their Mordant Spire cousins.
Cecaelias Unpredictable aquatic traders and mercenaries Favored Environment: Warm waters and coasts
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, Obari, and Okaiyo oceans; Inner and Steaming seas
Allies: Humans, locathahs
Enemies: Devilfish, grindylows, iku-tursos, krakens
Additional Information: Bestiary 3 49
Proud to the point of arrogance and prone to exaggeration, cecaelias claim to be the heirs of a vast aquatic culture once spanned the depths of the Embaral Ocean, centered around a great nautiloid city known as Sihuw. Why their empire ended they don’t deign to say, but cecaelias suggest they grew bored of ruling the depths and willingly descended into the nomadic groups they now favor. Regardless of the truth of these claims, cecaelia bands roam the depths of the sea, where they load their pack rays with salvage and curiosities, then swim back to the coast to trade tales and wonders with the pitiable land dwellers. Some bands adopt the life of brigands and mercenaries rather than traders, conducting all manner of submarine piracy. Cecaelias tend to elicit strong opinions from land dwellers, most of whom think of them as liars and bandits, though some find their bravado charming. Despite their similar cephalopodic physiologies, cecaelias loathe krakens and are quick to point out the differences between their own handsome octopoid forms and the disgusting shapes of squidlike krakens.
Ceratioidi Dual-minded rulers of the deep trenches Favored Environment: Deep ocean trenches
Areas of Influence: Arcadian Ocean, River Kingdoms (Outsea)
Allies: Aboleths, merfolk, skum, tritons
Enemies: Gutaki, sahuagin
Additional Information: Bestiary 3 50, Pathfinder Adventure Path #32 80, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Guide to the River Kingdoms 34
The strange humanoids called ceratioidi bear many similarities to deep-sea anglerfish, including both the fleshy forehead lure that they use to draw in prey and their singularly unusual mating habits. Highly sexually dimorphic, ceratioidi females are huge, 300-pound humanoids, while the males are rat-sized intelligent fish. When it’s time to mate, the female invites a male to affix himself to her back, where he is slowly absorbed into her body, linking his organs to hers and creating a single entity with two distinct but inextricably interwoven minds. This dual nature allows a ceratioidi to specialize in several different pursuits, and their legendary witch/wizard combinations are so powerful that few dare challenge them in the forbidding ocean trenches where they build their mysterious cities. Ceratioidi have little concern for the activities of other races, and thus are willing to deal with almost any race that respects their privacy.
Gillmen Servitor descendants of a shattered empire Favored Environment: Temperate waters
Areas of Influence: Arcadian Ocean, Inner and Steaming seas
Allies: Some aboleths, humans, and merfolk
Enemies: Some aboleths, humans, and merfolk; sahuagin
Additional Information: The Inner Sea World Guide 310, Pathfinder Player Companion: Guide to Absalom 11
Known in some circles as Low Azlanti, these former Azlanti were “saved” by their aboleth controllers and re-purposed for slave stock. Because of this shameful past, gillmen keep isolated and surround themselves in mystery. Most gillmen encountered by surface races are proud they have thrown off the yoke of their creators, but others are simply thralls spying on humanity for their deep masters. Without a doubt, sinister gillmen still live below the shattered continent of Azlant.
Grindylows Violent aquatic abominations Favored Environment: Any shoreline or shallows
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, and Obari oceans; Inner, Ivory, Songil, and Steaming seas
Allies: Octopuses
Enemies: Cecaelias, giant eels, sharks, squids, other aquatic races
Additional Information:[/b] Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 148
In terms of both appearance and behavior, grindylows are the goblins of the seas. They are eternally hungry, cruel, and sadistic. Grindylows delight in causing mayhem and attack ships and other seagoing vessels with no reservations. Under cover of thick fog or heavy thunderstorms, whole warbands of grindylows surge into port cities, breaking as much as possible and killing anything in sight. As they crash through the community, they take as much as they can hold and then, like a wave, retreat back into the sea.
Gutaki Demon-worshiping descendants of evil Favored Environment: Deep ocean trenches
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, and Obari oceans; Inner, Ivory, Songil, and Steaming seas
Allies: Devilfish, krakens
Enemies: Aboleths, cecaelias, ceratioidi
Additional Information: Bestiary 2 88, Pathfinder Adventure Path #7 81
Barbed, seven-tentacled sadists descended from kraken stock, the gutaki are an advanced breed of devilfish that inhabit the lightless depths of the ocean. There they release air and blood in the name of Dagon, their foul demonic patron. In unsettling cities built vertically along deep-sea trenches and within geothermal vents, the gutaki live lives of cloistered fanaticism, reading their monstrous lord’s will in omens that drift down from the surface, or serving the plots of krakens, which they view as Dagon’s chosen. Gutaki rarely leave the deepest parts of the ocean, as their bodies are well adapted to the incredible pressures there, meaning they rarely come into contact with surface dwellers.
Iku-Tursos Sadistic aberrations delighted by disease and torture Favored Environment: Cold and temperate deep waters
Areas of Influence: Embaral, Obari, and Okaiyo oceans; Ivory, Shining, and Songil seas
Allies: Aboleths, sahuagin
Enemies: Surface races and most other aquatic races
Additional Information: Bestiary 3 153
The eel-like iku-tursos live in small cities scattered across Golarion’s sea floors. There they have air-filled chambers housing thousands of captives who they torture for news of the surface, new knowledge, and entertainment. They maintain a slave trade with nearby aboleths, swapping humanoids like collectables. A slave of a rare race or ethnicity can be worth as many as 20 average slaves. The largest iku-turso city rests just inside the Sintos Trench where the Songil Sea merges with the greater Okaiyo Ocean. Thousands of these evil creatures raid coasts and torment sailors, sometimes dragging away whole villages in the night or plucking ships clean of crew in a flash.
Krakens Fearsome lords of the depths Favored Environment: Temperate or warm deep waters
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, Obari, and Okaiyo oceans; Songil, Steaming, and Valashmai seas
Allies: None
Enemies: All coastal, surface, and deep-sea creatures and races
Additional Information: Bestiary 2 179
Most krakens live in the deep sea along fathomless rifts
in the sea floor, yet sometimes they come to the surface. These ancient and massive creatures use their keen intellects and special abilities to bend humanoid races to their whims and machinations. Some demand tributes to stay their wrath, and when the f low of tributes cease, they batter the negligent seaside settlements with storms and tentacles alike. Other krakens lurk along shipping lanes and pull entire vessels to their watery graves, sucking the flailing sailors from the sea as tasty morsels.
Locathahs Unpredictable piscine people of the deep Favored Environment: Temperate or warm waters
Areas of Influence: Arcadian and Obari oceans, Inner and Steaming seas
Allies: Cecaelias, dolphins, giant moray eels, humans, humpback whales, some merfolk
Enemies: Aboleths, grindylows, merrows, sahuagin
Additional Information: Bestiary 2 179
Locathahs may be monstrous in appearance, but they are also inquisitive creatures eager for contact with other races—though they not are necessarily interested in maintaining such contact if those they find prove boorish or have nothing interesting to offer. Stories tell of whole tribes of locathahs aiding ships stalled in doldrums and taking on water by surrounding the vessels and swimming them to shore. In some versions of the story, though, the fish-folk demand the ship’s cargo after saving the crew—and when refused, push the vessel back out to sea to sink. Locathahs actively trade with those plying their wares through the ocean’s shipping lanes, bringing up rare corals carved into elaborate pieces of art, and exchanging such treasures for what their communities need, not necessarily valuable trade goods. Some captains seek locathah crew to serve as ship guards and navigators, granting the captain awareness of dangers below the surface.
Merfolk Beautiful and graceful sea race embracing a dark mystery Favored Environment: Temperate waters and coasts
Areas of Influence: Arcadian and Obari oceans, Inner and Steaming seas
Allies: Aboleth
Enemies: Intelligent creatures entering their territories
Additional Information: Bestiary 204, The Inner Sea World Guide 11
Rumors claim merfolk as a whole are just puppets of their aboleth masters, but some scholars believe their strings are pulled by a far more sinister source. Reclusive and suspicious creatures, merfolk keep to themselves and almost never ally with other races unless forced by
circumstance, though they sometimes keep large fish and other sea animals for companionship and for hunting. Most ship captains do well to avoid the merfolk, as entering merfolk territory without permission
brings sinister retribution.
Sahuagin Cruel and prosperous fishlike humanoids Favored Environment: Temperate and warm waters
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, Obari, and Okaiyo oceans; Songil, Steaming, and Valashmai seas
Allies: Some adaros, but sahuagin rarely ally with others
Enemies: Aboleths, merfolk, other aquatic humanoid races
Additional Information: Bestiary 239,The Inner Sea World Guide 32
Fiercely territorial, sahuagin fight an endless war with all other undersea races for power and territory. They see aboleths as one of their greatest enemies, as the slimy puppet masters are always seeking to enslave other races. Sahuagin’s expansionist attitude has led some of them to emigrate to the Plane of Water, where they maintain a blossoming empire. Sahuagin society establishes a king or queen who rules over each ocean, granting seas and other territories to various barons, dukes, and vassals. Yearly, during the summer season, a worldwide council of sahuagin kings and their trusted advisors and dukes meet and hear each other’s experiences from over the past year. There they plan their domination of the waters beneath the waves. As sahuagin are prone to mutation, various forms of sahuagin exist, and entire communities of these offshoots may find themselves in positions of power in the sahuagin empire. Two of the most prevalent are the four-armed behemoths and the elf like malenti; the latter are used as spies and saboteurs in establishing new territories, while the former serve as specialized fighting forces in sahuagin armies and elite protectors of sahuagin cities.
Sea Hags Hideous crones cursing sailors and seafolk alike Favored Environment: Cold, temperate, and warm coasts and waters
Areas of Influence: All oceans and seas
Allies: Other hags
Enemies: Sailors, nearby intelligent aquatic humanoids
While solitary, these creatures wreak havoc on sailors and other denizens of the waves. Most creatures who know of a sea hag coven and the waters it claims steer clear of such places except in the most dire of circumstances. Some sea hags, through the use of disguises, find their way onto ships and turn the crews to mutiny before exploiting and eating the bulk of the sailors. Sister Scale, a strange hag plaguing sailors who sail too near her ruined island in the Arcadian Ocean, delights in spreading curses. Among her favorite punishments is turning a sailor’s skin to scales or webbing his fingers and toes with thick mucous.
Siyokoys Eel-like humanoids plundering sea ruins Favored Environment: Cold, temperate, and warm waters
Areas of Influence: Embaral, Obari, and Okaiyo oceans; Ivory, Songil, and Valashmai seas
Allies: Cecaelias, locathahs
Enemies: Aboleths, iku-tursos, evil aquatic races
Additional Information: Bestiary 3 246
Shaped like humanoid electric eels, these creatures live in two separate environments, each divergent of the other. Siyokoys generally possess more benevolent attitudes the closer they live to the surface. Those making their homes in great coral reefs seek a friendly relationship with those who live above and below the surface, while siyokoys living in the caves and rifts of the sea f loor are generally more morose, somber, and aggressive. Scavenging sea captains sometimes pay hefty tributes to these creatures in exchange for directions to shipwrecks and submerged ruins to exploit.
Tritons Benevolent aquatic outsiders adapted to the Material Plane Favored Environment: Any waters except the depths
Areas of Influence: Arcadian, Embaral, and Okaiyo oceans; Inner, Shining, and Songil seas; River Kingdoms (Outsea)
Allies: Locathahs, merfolk
Enemies: Aboleths, krakens, sahuagin, skum
Additional Information: Bestiary 2 270
Tritons are kind and cultured outsiders who long ago came to the Material Plane’s oceans from the Plane of Water, and have since adapted to Golarion’s largest bodies of saltwater. Though they maintain cordial relationships with other good undersea races, tritons have a strong hatred for evil creatures that would seek to despoil the bounty of the waters or spread their corrupting inf luence. Tritons train in tactical squadrons to fight their most disdained enemies, krakens and aboleths, and use dolphins and other aquatic creatures as mounts in their underwater wars. They distrust those land dwellers who venture too far into the sea, taking them for trespassers more often than not—but any outsiders who prove their opposition to great evils such as aboleths or krakens quickly earn tritons’ respect.
And again thank you for the organized list. And most of the critters I am fairly familiar with. But the Siyokoys, Iku-Tursos, and Gutaki are new to me.
65. The Dark Light Tree - - Positive & Negative Energy Planes - - This strange black tree with leaves of light is an anchor point between life and death, the positive energy plane and the negative energy plane. From here the dead or the living may reincarnate, souls may be drawn back from oblivion, and the realms of the dead may be traversed. The Dark Light Tree can act as a touchstone usable to go to either Plane. The Tree itself roams the isles, appearing near areas where death is prevalent, or life is abundant. If a creature recently deceased has a part of its body touched to one of the leaves of light, they can be raised, reincarnated or resurrected. This only works while the leaf is still attached to the Tree that leaf then evaporates into motes of light. Any destroyed undead buried among the dark roots of the Tree respawns in one day.
66. The Four Corners - - Elemental Planes - - Within this inner plane floats an island suspended above a swirling gaseous haze at the crossroads of the Planes of Air and Water, Earth and Fire. It is home to a vast fiery desert, rocky canyons and rivers, and a large mountain which looms ominously above. The Four Corners is a planar intersection that can lead to any one of the aforementioned elemental planes or even be an exit point from those planes. And on occasion, it intersects with the Material Plane, in the Shattered Continent of Azlant. This Island is inhabited by Elementals of all four elements. The inner plane is ideal for those who wish to capture Elementals to power their Airships and other technology.
67. Pirate Ship - - Morning Breeze/Devil’s Breath - -
DEFENSE: AC 18, touch 5; Hardness 5, hp 1,450 (sails 750), Save +12
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 120 ft. Acceleration 30 ft., Ranged 20 light ballistae +3 (3d8/19–20), 1 standard catapult +7 (6d6), CMB +25; CMD 35, Ramming Damage 10d8
CREW: Captain Arin “Undertow” Wraithwind (N male undine expert3/rogue6; Profession [sailor] +20), 7 ship’s officers (LE human aristocrat 2/expert 3), 70 pirates (NE human fighter 2), 30 sailors (minimum 10)
EQUIPMENT: 10 light ballistae with 200 bolts (port and starboard), 1 standard catapult with 25 stones (aft), broad rudder, extended keel, magically treated sails, ram, rapid deploy sails, silk sails, sturdy hull, 90 squares of sails (three masts), Cargo 4 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and stores)
This ship is glammered to appear as a slow moving merchant caravel (the “Morning Breeze”) when in reality it is a sleek, aggressive sailing ship (the “Devil’s Breath”).
Captained by the portly undine Arin “Undertow” Wraithwind, Arin plays up the merchant angle to the hilt. He even has his crew dress the part, keeping the ship under glamour most of the time, until he spies a likely target. This is when the glamour drops and the Devil’s Breaths’ pirate flag is raised and all bets are off. Undertow might be on the heavy side but he swims like a shark and fights like a dervish.
68. Smuggler’s Vessel, Elemental - - The Corbi - -
DEFENSE: AC 20, touch 5; Hardness 7, hp 1,200 (sails 600), Save +14
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 240 ft. Acceleration 60 ft., Ranged 5 light ballistae +5 (3d8/19–20), CMB +25; CMD 35, Ramming Damage 5d8
CREW: Captain Elias Corbi (N male human rogue10; Profession [sailor] +20) 5 ship’s officers (LE human expert 3 / rogue 3), 10 pirates (NE human fighter 3), 20 sailors (minimum 10)
EQUIPMENT: 5 light ballistae with 100 bolts (port, starboard and aft), 1 standard catapult with 15 stones (fore), broad rudder, shallow keel, magically treated sails, light ram, rapid deploy silk sails, sturdy hull, 90 squares of sails (three masts), Cargo 10 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and smuggled stores)
This already sleek and fast smugglers vessel is also powered by a water elemental, effectively doubling its speed or rigging the ship for silent running at normal speed.
Captain Elias Portran was once a Chelish Naval captain when his Patrol boat was sunk by pirates. Injured, he was floating on the remnants of his ship when he was found by a female sylph smuggler called Corbi. She nursed him back to health and they fell in love. Corbi continued to smuggle but was betrayed while she was on land, and promptly hung for being a pirate. Elias, distraught, took her name for his last in remembrance. He has been smuggling and upgrading their ship ever since. He holds no love for the Chelish Navy.
69. Purgatory Isle - - Rift to Astral Plane - - On the Astral Plane a massive spire stretching deep into the silver expanse of the Astral Plane from the surface of the Outer Sphere, beckoning unfettered monads on the River of Souls toward their final destinations in the afterlife. At the pinnacle of this spire is Purgatory, a necropolis of graveyards, mausoleums, and solemn courts dedicated to the goddess of death. This island is but a splinter of that vast necropolis, where undead mingle with the living. Even vampires walk openly and have living hangers-on that are just aching to be bitten for a taste of danger and euphoria. Here the living and intelligent undead mix openly without conflict, even worship together, the goddess of death.
70. The Archipelago’s Aquifer - - The Darklands are a desert. Some locations have water in abundance, but one could wander through unmapped tunnels for months without finding any moisture at all. Most underground species need water too, so expect places where water accumulates or flows freely, to be infested with dangerous life forms, and/or actively guarded from intruders. Some water sources provide drinkable water, but many are contaminated with sulfur or other mineral solutions or hazardous parasites that make the water unsafe to drink. And thus we have this island. The funnel of water to the Darklands.
Water seeps down through permeable layers (aquitards), until it reaches a layer of impervious rock or clay (aquiclude or aquifuge), through which the water cannot descend any further. Fresh water accumulates here and flows much like rivers on top of this layer. These hollows are saturated, being filled entirely with water, or they are unsaturated, eroding expansive cave systems by underground rivers. Located below the impervious layer of rock which forms the bedrock of an aquifer, could be other layers of permeable / impervious rock, holding more aquifers, the deeper one goes.
The Aquifer can be very useful or very dangerous. They often provide an unlimited supply of fresh drinkable water. Adventurers should be careful however, when excavating their own underground stronghold, especially when digging upwards. Should they hit upon an aquifer unexpectedly, the new struck well will flood all the levels below it, drowning everyone and making it inaccessible. Of course, collected water could also be used as a trap to drown unwanted intruders. Pre-installed pumps could empty flooded corridors, leaving the drowned corpses for easy and risk-free looting.
71. Enchanted Forest - - Rift to the First World: Summer Court - - A wood infused with the magic of life and summer itself, an enchanted forest containing creatures such as elves, centaurs, satyrs, nymphs, unicorns, pegasi, minotaurs, harpies, wolves, bears, and many others. Magic here is raw, wild, and untamed, and any number of spirits and ancient primal powers might be hidden within. The trees are likely to be gigantic ancient plants that let little light shine through to the forest floor, and some may be weird and magical.
I love it! And again thank you for the organized list. And most of the critters I am fairly familiar with. But the Siyokoys, Iku-Tursos, and Gutaki are new to me.
I hoped you would like it.
I especially liked using peoples spines as the teeth for this nightmare ship!
And Captain Kenwight Wikdison the half-fiend Urdefhan fighter I thought a fitting psychopath to pilot the Deathtoll.
And sorry to slam you with so many entries at once, i had an inspiring moment. ;-)
The Dark Light Tree is interesting and I rather like it. It has been saved. Though the positive energy plane is a horrible place. It heals everything to death.
The Four Corners is a delightful thing. I have been mulling over something similar.
Morning Breeze/Devil’s Breath is lovely and has been saved.
The Corbi is delightful and a possible ally if they play their cards right.
Purgatory Isle is interesting and I am trying to think of where to put it.
The Archipelago’s Aquifer is weird. Just weird. I have no idea how I would map it but I am thinking about it.
Enchanted Forest is a fun and cheesy name. I like cheese. I love the massive trees! In my notes is some stuff that would go with this but my notes are chaos. I really need to be clean that up.
I love crazy psychopaths! I prefer deep and justifiable evil but occasionally some crazy evil is needed and I am looking forward to this one.
On a totally different note than building locations I have a question about crafting.
I have a wizard among my players and they are wanting to make a few items for the small colony they are part of. My party is only level 3 at the moment. The items they want to make are not for combat but for the NPC's to use. I am running them though the Ruin's of Azlant AP and they do not have access to really anything but the tiny colony they are working on building so my wonderful players are really invested in the colony and I love that.
I have no clue how to price these items but I really love that they are wanting to get this involved so I kind of want them to get to make these things. Please help!
The first is what they are calling 'the hoe of crop rotation'. At the moment it is gonna be fairly simple. She wants spells like Expeditious Excavation and Expeditious Construction. They are wanting it to be able to till the ground for farming. Later when more levels and more money has been gain they want to add some spells like plant growth.
Another one is being called the 'Woodsman Axe'. They want it be able to cut though the hardness of a tree quicker and possibly ease the physical exhaustion that chopping down trees gets you.
The others are gonna be a little later as the spells are not avalible yet. One is carpentry tools with 'Wood Shape'. The goal is to make it easier or faster to build things.
Along with eventually something with Stone Shape to make it easier on the stone masons.
And something for the same thing with the blacksmith. Possibly with spells like crafters fortune
The Dark Light Tree is interesting and I rather like it. It has been saved. Though the positive energy plane is a horrible place. It heals everything to death.
tell me about it. i once played in a module where we eventually ended having to fight Ashardelon, a dragon demonically possessed, on the Positive Energy Plane. We had to wear these bracers that did 10 points of damage to us every round, so we wouldn't explode from the positive energy flooding us.
The Four Corners is a delightful thing. I have been mulling over something similar.
i would like to see your similar idea. maybe we could combine the two.
how did you like the tie-in to using elementals to power tech and making this a good hunting ground?
Morning Breeze/Devil’s Breath is lovely and has been saved.
The Corbi is delightful and a possible ally if they play their cards right.
I really liked these two entries- i felt there were pretty original ideas with vivid captains
Purgatory Isle is interesting and I am trying to think of where to put it.
i'm thinking this one might have a portal to the isle of eternal night or the other way around
The Archipelago’s Aquifer is weird. Just weird. I have no idea how I would map it but I am thinking about it.
for this one i would just play 'follow the waterfalls' and bottoms of underground ponds that are slowly draining to lower levels. this is probably going to do a lot of stacking level by level. i think this is a fast way to get way deep into the darklands. it could even go the places like the Elemental Plane of Water
Enchanted Forest is a fun and cheesy name. I like cheese. I love the massive trees! In my notes is some stuff that would go with this but my notes are chaos. I really need to be clean that up.
PLEASE, feel free to rename the Sidhe's Enchanted Forest. i was struggling with originality by the time i got to the seventh post in a row. Maybe the Forest of the First World?
and consider the damage a bunch savage elves and pixies' letting loos with a barrage of arrows
I love crazy psychopaths! I prefer deep and justifiable evil but occasionally some crazy evil is needed and I am looking forward to this one.
i am rather proud of Kenwight and the Deathtoll.
sadly, pricing crafted items is not my strong suit.
my skills are especially weak on creating "NEW" items not already in the game.
i would go with creating a new thread based on your query.
that, or find a way to talk to avr, he seems knowledgeable in this kinda thing.
i mean look at how he mathed the closing of portals. as one my former girlfriends said, "Math is hard. Lets go shopping!" ;-D
EDIT:59. Pirate Airship - - Cervantes’ Warhawk - - the Plane of Air - - CR 9 (sailing ship) DEFENSE: INIT +6, AC 16, touch 5; Hardness 5, hp 1,215 (sails 720), Save +12
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 180 ft. Ranged 10 light ballistae +5 (3d8/19–20), 2 standard catapults +6 (6d6), CMB +20; CMD 30, Ramming Damage 10d10 (reinforced keel)
CREW: Captain Cervantes Alba (CG male aasimar gunslinger 5/brawler 5; Profession [sailor] +20), First Officer Wilbur M’Tura (CG male tiefling swashbuckler 6), 10 ship’s officers (CG human swashbuckler 1/fighter 4), 60 pirates (CN human rogue 3), 50 sailors (minimum 20)
EQUIPMENT: 10 light ballistae with 300 bolts (port and starboard), 2 standard catapults with 50 stones (fore and aft), broad rudder, reinforced extended keel, magically treated sails, ram, rapid deploy sails, sturdy hull, 90 squares of sails (three masts), Cargo 5 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and pirated goods). Many doors and chests are trapped to keep them off-limits to swabs and common sailors. Cervantes’ Warhawk is Captained by Cervantes Alba, a notorious pirate Free Captain of the Shackles who has long plagued Chelish merchant shipping in the Inner Sea and Arcadian Ocean. Compact but fierce, Alba has more muscles than most his crew, he's known for carrying 5 single shot pistols and fighting in close with twin blades.
The Warhawk has a secret. It’s also an airship capable of calling forth a gate to the plane of air. One of Warhawks main tactics is to travel in the clouds to stay out of sight for as long as possible. Swooping in from on-high to use its reinforced keel to ram the target ship, usually crippling the other vessel, and making her the next mark in the Warhawk’s list of trophies. Alba is not known to leave survivors, but recycles taken ships to add to his pirate fleet.
72. Pirate Hunter - - Gold Kissed Pearl - - CR 10 Munavri man-o’-war (sailing ship) DEFENSE: Init +8 AC 20, touch 10; Hardness 10, hp 1,620 (sails 960), Save +16, capable of teleporting between the Arcadian Ocean and the Sightless Sea 3/day.
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 120 ft. Ranged 20 heavy ballistae +10 (4d8/19–20), 2 standard catapults +9 (6d6), CMB +27; CMD 37, Ramming Damage 10d8
CREW: Captain Francesca Caviezel (LG female half-dragon munavri paladin 10; Profession [sailor] +20) Commander Lazlo Kurl (LG male munavri cleric 6), 14 ship’s officers (NG munavri fighter 2/expert 3), 120 munavri free soldiers (NG munavri fighter 3), 60 sailors (minimum 20)
EQUIPMENT: 20 heavy ballistae with 300 bolts (port and starboard), 2 standard catapults with 50 stones (both fore), broad rudder, extended keel, magically treated sails, ram, rapid deploy silk sails, sturdy hull, 120 squares of violet sails (four masts), Cargo 8 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and stores) The polished, powerful violet-sailed, intricately carved ivory ship is part of the Munavri initiative to destroy the Urdefhan presence in the Sightless Sea, be they pirate or otherwise. The Pearl’s ability to teleport grants her a tremendous advantage when combating other vessels.
Captain Francesca Caviezel is a half gold dragon munavri paladin held in high esteem by much of the munavri race. Her part draconic heritage makes her a formidable combatant, resulting in her being a feared captain of the Sightless Sea. So much so, the Urdefhan flee the sight of her Gold Dragon flag unless they out number her. Francesca’s kind heart is only over matched by her tenacity.
ALESTORM - Captain Morgan's Revenge All the ships reminded me of the band Alestorn. It is kinda metal/rock pirate music. This is one of the tamer ones so I share.
Anyways I love dragons and the Gold Kissed Pearl is an awesome name and I will be using that name even if they don't go in-depth in the underdark.
To share what my players did last night. So we did a month of downtime where they worked with the colonists to start clearing land out and getting some more houses up.
So there is an NPC I am running with them for two reasons. One they had no rouge so he is a rouge. And Andoran is working with the Mordant Spire because if they weren't then the Spire would keep attacking them until they all died or left. So he is a Mordant Spire Elf. Both pages have different info. And he know somethings about Azlant, not that many of them have asked.
But the session before last they learned that one of their wells had a cave next to it and there were chokers under the settlement. I have learned the Cleric does not like killing, but he will do it, and insists on offering surrender. Which is fine by me cause possible allies or chances to screw them over.
This session the four baby chokers got the drop on them and the Cleric and Spiritualist both went unconscious at one point. The momma showed up at the Barbarian slaughtered her and three of the young chokers were killed. But the last one tried to flee. The Oracle tried to hit it and missed. She didn't want to kill it anyways so the dice helped her story. Then then Wizard, barbarian, cleric, and spiritualist started bickering over chasing it down. So because they were divided the rouge ran after it and killed it. And this created a huge moral issue! Players were asking each other's opinion about it and then asking the rouge about it. There was so much talking and bickering about what they do with a surrendering combatant and a fleeing combatant. And it was great.
The wizard and barbarian are on the side of if we can't verify they are surrendering then we kill them and the others say let them leave. But the rouge killed a young fleeing choker that had just watched its whole family be slaughtered. It was heavy debates and I loved it. Plus they said they did!
And then the kid, age nine, that the barbarian brought over had some issues. The child watched the barbarian almost die then they took a day. And after that day to rest the barbarian left with the hunters and was gone for two weeks. She was back for a week and the kid was surly with her. Then gone for another week. And the pot boiled over.
For a bit of context. My player asked for an urchin, a street rat kid. Which is a great way to tug on heart strings so I agreed. She got the kid before signing up for Azlant because the kid was trying to pick her pocket and got caught. The options were the guards, orphanage, or going with the barbarian. She said food, clothing, and safety were promised. The player is going the route of having no clue how to deal with a child which is fun cause it drives the other characters crazy.
There was a chase when the kid bolted from her cause she felt unloved and barely understands it. Screaming in the middle of town. The kid demand to be adopted by someone else. The other players gave advice and currently the kid is camping out in the church with the oracle and her bear. Anything to avoid her 'abandoner'
So much role playing, character growth, bickering, and revealing of secrets. It was so much fun. Combat is happening next time though. I even started them off with a small festival right before the downtime kicked in. They are kind of relaxed :)
see, i love moral arguments because it allows me to bring more of my characters' background to the attention of the other player characters. That way they get insight into why i roleplay a particular character the way i do.
when i played the Wraith of the Righteous, i played a drow elf Magus/Rogue/Arcane Trickster that started out CN and through gameplay, character growth and in-character arguments on how a proper Goodly person should behave and go GOOD. i made it like pulling teeth from a t-rex, but i eventually let them gradually teach Destrachis (my character) their goodly ways, and went CG. But there was no way he was going Lawful. And at times i would make this so backfire on our paladin, Greyson Shadowbreaker, played by JIMMY. We bickered like step-bothers and put Reinhardt, played by Patrick, Jimmy's real-life brother, my characters half-brother, in the middle, and great fun was had by all!!
naughty of you to get them all distracted and relaxed. Good Job!
EDIT: ALESTORM - Captain Morgan's Revenge (Official Lyric Video) SUGGESTION: for all combats, or even just the ones involving pirates, PLAY the song to let the players know its time to roll initiative, let them get accustomed to it announcing combat. and thank you, i played it for everyone at work to very much laughter!!
Thanks again.
glad you liked the ship and her half-dragon captain Francesca Caviezel
Anyways I love dragons and the Gold Kissed Pearl is an awesome name and I will be using that name even if they don't go in-depth in the underdark.
then you might want to include an extra magical quality on Gold Kissed Pearl that allows the munavri to operate without penalty in the daylight of the surface world.
this will allow for making contact or maintaining contact with the Player Characters'.
73. Pirate Submersible Barrel Boat - - Barrel O’ Terrible - - CR 5 (derro submersible ship) DEFENSE: INIT +4, AC 16, touch 5; Hardness 5, hp 610 (no sails), Save +8, (magic; can submerge and reappear anywhere within ½ mile at will);
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 90 ft., 120 ft. for short sprints, Ranged 6 underwater ballistae +3 (3d8/19–20), CMB +10; CMD 20, Ramming Damage 5d8 plus 5d6 electricity damage (lightning coil ram),
CREW: Captain Driig (CE male derro sorcerer 4/oracle 4), Commander Zluur (CE male derro sorcerer 6, Profession [sailor] +14), 1 ship’s officer (CE derro fighter 4), 20 pirates (CE derro rogue 3), 20 sailors (minimum 10 who rotate out after each use of the lightning coil ram).
EQUIPMENT: 6 underwater ballistae with 120 bolts (2 port, 2 starboard, 1 fore and 1 aft), broad rudder, lightning coil ram, periscope, sturdy hull, Cargo 3 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and pirated goods). Each Barrel Boat is equipped with a lightning coil ram powered by the constant foot-paddling of derro sailors. It takes 3 full rounds to peddle enough to charge the Coil, 3 rounds the derro use to reposition. The Coil releases its charge when it deals ram damage, inflicting an additional 5d6 electricity damage to everyone in a 30ft cone, Reflex DC15 for half, in front of the boat at the point of impact and automatically stunning the 10 sailors peddling the boat for 1 round, but dealing them no damage.
Barrel O’ Terrible is Captained by Driig, a notorious derro pirate Captain of the Silent Sea who has long plagued its waters. Crazy but possessed of an insane cunning, Driig is perhaps the most stable of his crew, he's known for carrying out brilliant ambushes utilizing 6 to 10 barrel boats.
The Barrel O’ Terribles’ ability to submerge and reappear is unique to Driig’s vessel. It’s workings are currently unknown to Commander Zluur, who will launch a mutiny against Captain Driig as soon as he can figure it out and take his place as captain.
[While the Barrel Boats are all R.A. Salvatores’, the lightning coil ram is all mine.]
74. Pirate Unjulating Ship - - Wrath of Ydersius - - Serpentfolk man-o’-war (unjulating ship) DEFENSE: Init +8 AC 19, touch 5; Hardness 7, hp 1,215 (no sails), Save +16,
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 120 ft. Ranged 30 light ballistae +8 (3d8/19–20), CMB +25; CMD 35, Ramming Damage 10d8
CREW: Captain Ssscarzina (NE female serpentfolk swashbuckler 10; Profession [sailor] +20) Commander Ssseperado (NE male serpentfolk rogue 6), 8 ship’s officers (NE serpentfolk fighter 2/rogue 3), 120 serpentfolk pirates (NE serpentfolk fighter 3), 90 sailors (minimum 30)
EQUIPMENT: 30 light ballistae with 300 bolts (port, starboard, fore and aft), broad rudder, linked extended keel, ram, sturdy hull, Cargo 6 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and stores) Made of darkwood and polished to a scaly shine, this powerful 450-ft long vessel magically unjulates sinuously and rapidly across the water, looking like great serpent. The 30-ft broad head of the ship gradually narrows to 5-ft wide at its tail. The head is capable of rearing 50-ft into the air and slamming down onto the deck, driving two 10-ft fangs into the target ship, hooking the two vessels together for boarding.
Captain Ssscarzina is a purecaste serpentfolk of white, red and gold scales, often referred to as Daughter to Ydersius by the degenerate serpentfolk. She fights with cold, casual, sinuous grace paired with deceptively quick strikes. Her intellect works the same way and she is most adept at flirting during a fight to distract her opponents if she deems worthy adversaries.
I love the Wrath of Ydersius! That is delightful and will be put somewhere, not sure where but somewhere.
The Barrel O’ Terrible is interesting and I like the lightning coil ram
And I am very glad you like Alestorm. They are a common thing in my playlists.
And I love moral dilemma's. They are what make stories interesting. Props for making the other players teach your character learn to be 'good'.
The cleric in the party was big on the dishonor of the act and the rouge's answer was that it is your honor. 'The world is full of different kinds of honor'. I am getting the sense that these two will not get along at all. As the end of the fight was the rouge agreed that it was dumb but he would let fleeing foes go but that blood was on the cleric's hands. At one point in the argument the cleric said how did he think he would get healing, just a touch of a threat there. The rouge shrugged and said he would get potions. Time will tell if he keep to the threat. Iomedea is a mean Goddess but not a cruel one. And I am working on what I want to do about that.
75. The Darkholm - - Deep inside this island is a stronghold housed in a massive stalactite over 5 miles in diameter at its narrowest point and extending 37 miles into a bottomless chasm for all intents and purposes. The fortress is called the Darkholm, many refer to it as Deepest Inverted Spire as a jibe toward the Mordant Spire. While it does not embody the dark majesty of Zirnakaynin, the Darkholm engenders that dark quivering first trickle of fear to shear dread once you realize where you are. It is from here the drow launch raids to the surrounding areas, above ground and in the Darklands, for artifacts of the Azlanti Empire. Tens of thousands of cruel and cunning drow elves, whom are hostile towards intruders of any sort including drow from other regions, reside within the City-Spike and the surrounding tunnels of the cavern constitute the much of the non-drow population not allowed in the stalactite. Most of the population is trained as magus or priestesses with the exception here and there. The House Darkholm is perhaps the most prolific drow House in the history of Golorion, successfully raiding other Darklands drow cities for young, impressionable drow minds to bend to the will of the Darkholm since Earthfall. No one seems to know what that purpose might be.
Titles •••••••• The City-Spike, Deepest Inverted Spire, The Darkholm
Nation •••••• Darklands
Region •••••• Sekamina
Size •••••••••• Metropolis
Population ••30,554
Demographics ••• 75% drow, 5% duergar, 5% troglodyte, 3% dark folk, 2% tiefling, 4% derro, 1% serpentfolk, 5% other
Government •••••• 1 Noble house, Darkholm
Alignment ••••••••• Chaotic evil
That is cool. Not sure which island to put it on but it will go somewhere. If I am understanding the spire reaches up into the sky and goes deep underground. And I rather love the visual of it.
76. Pirate Ship - - Eclipse All Light - - CR 10 (Drow sailing ship) DEFENSE: INIT +7, AC 18, touch 5; Hardness 5, hp 1,215 (sails 720), Save +14
OFFENSE: Ranged 10 heavy ballistae +5 (4d8/19–20), 2 standard catapults +6 (6d6), CMB +25; CMD 35, Ramming Damage 10d8
CREW: Captain Maluster Darkholm (CE male drow magus 6/ rogue 4; Profession [sailor] +20), Commander Pyrjerolm Darkholm (CE male drow fighter 8), 10 ship’s officers (CE drow magus 6), 80 pirates (CE drow fighter 3), 40 sailors (minimum 20)
EQUIPMENT: 10 heavy ballistae with 300 bolts (port and starboard), 2 standard catapults with 50 stones (fore and aft), broad rudder, extended keel, magically treated sails, quick release piercing ram, rapid deploy sails, sturdy hull, 90 squares of sails (three masts), Cargo 9 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and pirated goods). Eclipse All Light is a mat-black vessel enchanted with a variety of non-detection spells and countermeasures. It can go invisible and lay a false water wake via hallucinatory terrain 3 times per day for 1 minute each use. The ship can also cast deeper darkness at the pilots will.
Captain Maluster Darkholm is wiry, whip-quick and fights in-close with a rapier that absorbs blood. Maluster is an otherwise forgettable dark elf. This is an affection he purposely cultivates. He likes to blend in, as much as a drow elf can, using disguise kits and a hat of disguise. Even among other Darkholm elves he is virtually anonymous. Maluster is meticulous and never leaves evidence of his doings. He leaves no trace of himself and no one but Maluster knows how he disposes of his victims or their ships. He possesses an artifact of the Darkholm, a tiny adamantine bell called the Anvilknell that when struck against the hull, can teleport any ship of 3-masted size or smaller to a massive ravine on a smallish island (called the Riven Isle) in the Shattered Continent, creating its own ship graveyard on dry land.
77. Riven Isle - - Random Portal - - This isle is nearly divided in two, as if by a blade neatly piercing a coin but not splitting either end. The end result a ravine of enormous proportions. The most curious thing is what can be found in the ravine; more than a hundred shattered and broken sailing ships. With no water way available it will be a mystery anyone as to how the vessels arrived in this state. This dry ship graveyard is inhabited by various undead, ghouls & ghasts chief among them. There are also a couple vampires and one lich that make their homes in the shadowed recesses of the ravine. The undead are made up of Darklands and Sightless Sea indigenous peoples to include Aquatic Elves, Derro, Drow, Duergar, Gillmen, Locathahs, Merfolk, Munavri, Sahuagin, Serpentfolk, Tritons and Urdefhan. The majority of which either have slashed throats or puckered piercing wounds on their bodies. They were all victims of Captain Maluster Darkholm one way or another, before he teleported their ships into the ravine (see 76. Pirate Ship - - Eclipse All Light - - for details on Captain Maluster Darkholm).
Deep in the debris and detritus of these ships is a fractured magical portal mirror. The mirror's magic is still functional despite the crack, but its range is reduced to the islands of the Shattered Continent and its exit locale completely random.
So I am having to go into a lot more detail with my players about the Mordant Elves before I planned too. There has been some bickering with the one Mordant Elf they have. I will put my questions near the top of my text wall.
A few of my players were interested in the Eldritch Heritage feat thing, as I merged them. And I really like this option and wanted to take the idea and run with it. The Mordant Elves are one of the groups that took this idea and ran with it. Introducing strange blood for various boons. But doing it over the generations had a cost. They have even more trouble conceiving and defects are more common.
Teiflings and Aasimar are common among them. Mixing the two shouldn't be two hard. But if you can think of some alternate racial traits for the elves that are along the various bloodline theme then I would be grateful.
And since you like boat I have a request. The Mordant elves travel the perimeter of the Shattered Continent on skimmers. Magical vessels with one or two elves on it. I am thinking kind of like this. or a sort of surf board. But these things are very magical and I am lost of what to do with them as I know they will get to run across one of the groups at some point.
There is a dozen of these groups and they are a grouping of four to six very high level elves. And some have area's they typically guard while others slowly circle the whole continent. And at least one group is always around the Spire.
The Spire used to be and observatory for the moon publicly and privately a way to keep an eye on Azlant. Then Acavna fell on the Spire during the events of Earthfall. The Spire is her tomb and is an ever-growing thing as her soul tries to find the River of Souls. The elves went to find Shieldwarden Olhondias and he did not want anything to do with the problem. To the point of purging most of his herald powers and forcing it on the elves that were there.
This has caused some issues for the elves and there are some boons. They have much longer lifespans and there are some mythic ranks that come with taking the bond. That bond is a willing thing. The down sides is that they are pulling themselves from the natural order and do not go to the river of souls. Instead they join Acavna, aiding her in her reach for the river of souls. They also get to linger in the Spire. If you are in the spire there are constant whispers. They can advise the next generation.
This is going to be explained to the party because the NPC rouge they have is from the Mordant Spire and he is one of the two that were willing to take the risk for the Andoran's to come over and try to colonize, to eventually aid them in guarding some of Azlant. The risk is for any elf wanting to bring some group over to the Shattered Continent they have to be willing to remove that bond to Acavna.
Removing that bond is turning their back on an oath to the Divine. If they die without that bond they can go to the river of souls, if not resurrected, and they will get judged. But they know what that judgement id going to be. Their soul is erased. He faces the same fate if this colony proves to be corrupt. But if everything works out, and he lasts a century, then he can return to that bond.
If Shieldwarden Olhondias dies he faces the same fate and that is a part of why nothing divine is allowed in his home.
I think this is what your looking for;
•••••••ELVEN ALERNATE RACIAL TRAITS••••••• Profession [sailor] +4 replaces KEEN SENSES
Darkvision replaces LOW-LIGHT VISION
Swimming +5 replaces ELVEN IMMUNITIES
Freedom of Movement spell-like ability 1/day replaces ELVEN MAGIC
Crossbow Training replaces ELVEN WEAPON FAMILIARTY ••••••• Appears in: Ruins of Azlant
Amphibious replaces ELVEN IMMUNITIES, ELVEN MAGIC and ELVEN WEAPON FAMILIARTY
Natural Swimmer replaces ELVEN MAGIC and KEEN SENSES ••••••• Appears in: Ruins of Azlant
Spirit of the Waters replaces ELVEN MAGIC, ELVEN WEAPON FAMILIARTY ••••••• Appears in: Advanced Player’s & Advanced Race Guides
Tongue of the Sea replaces an elf’s normal languages ••••••• Appears in: Ruins of Azlant
78. Spire Outrigger Skimmer - - (Mordant Spire skimmer) DEFENSE: INIT +4, AC 16, touch 2; Hardness 5, hp 305 (sail 145), Save +10
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 90 ft. Ranged 2 heavy crossbows +5 (1d10/19–20), CMB +10; CMD 15, Ramming Damage 3d8
CREW: 3 passengers.
EQUIPMENT: 2 heavy crossbows with 100 bolts (port and starboard), shallow rudder, short keel, magically treated low profile rapid deploy sail, ultralight ram, sturdy hull, 18 squares of sail (single mast), Cargo: None. The Mordant Spire elves travel the perimeter of the Shattered Continent on skimmers. The outrigger magical vessels carry up to 3 elves on it to patrol. This outrigger skimmer has the ability to send messages back and forth between the Mordant Spire and other outrigger skimmers. The outrigger can be operated as a sailing ship using command words in elvish or manually.
79. Spire Surf Skimmer - - (Mordant Spire skimmer) DEFENSE: INIT +4, AC 16, touch 2; Hardness 5, hp 150 (no sails), Save +12, Base Stealth +10
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 90 ft. CMB +15; CMD 20, Ramming Damage 1d8
CREW: Single passenger, can carry 2 at half speed.
EQUIPMENT: long board, sturdy hull, Cargo: None. The agile surf skimmer is designed primarily for stealth and maneuverability and its not uncommon to see Mordant Spire elves firing bows from the stable platform. The surf skimmer can move at a height of 2 feet above the water for up to 5 hours per day. It can also cloak the board and rider to look like a dolphin or a shark for up to an hour per day, making viewers from ships believe they are seeing large pods of dolphins escorting them.
80. Spire Ship - - Acavna’s Reach - - Adjacent to the Ethereal Plane (Mordant Spire sailing ship) DEFENSE: INIT +8, AC 18, touch 5; Hardness 5, hp 1,215 (sails 720), Save +14
OFFENSE: Maximum Speed 120 ft. Ranged 20 light ballistae +5 (3d8/19–20), 2 standard catapults +6 (6d6), CMB +25; CMD 35, Ramming Damage 10d8
CREW: Captain Retsulum Whitewave (LG male mordant elf sorcerer 10; Profession [sailor] +20), Commander Mlorej (LG male mordant elf rogue 8), 10 ship’s officers (LG male mordant elf magus (Spire Defenders) 6), 60 Vigilant Needle (LN male mordant elf fighter 3), 40 sailors (minimum 20)
EQUIPMENT: 20 Spire Surf Skimmers, 20 light ballistae with 400 bolts (port and starboard), 2 standard catapults with 50 stones (fore and aft), broad rudder, extended keel, magically treated low profile sails, ram, rapid deploy sails, sturdy hull, 90 squares of sails (three masts), Cargo 4 points of plunder (ship’s arsenal and ship’s stores). Acavna’s Reach is constructed from some form of rune carved white wood that seems to radiate moonlight in the dark of night. The ship can also cast a variant of the daylight spell that generates moonlight at the pilots will.
In addition the ship and its occupants each have the ability to Ghostwalk as a swift action with a range of “personal”, targeting either the ship or any passenger whose been on the ship for 24 hours or more, for a duration of 1 round up to 3 times per day. The initiator steps through to the borderland between the Material and the Ethereal planes, becoming an incorporeal figure in both realities for a few moments. Until the beginning of his next turn, the initiator or ship gains the incorporeal subtype. This is an Ethereal plane using maneuver.
Captain Retsulum Whitewave is a witty if dour Mordant Spire Elf with a regal and commanding personality. He is in command of a small fleet of Mordant Spire outrigger and surf skimmers.
Hmm, that is interesting. All about that ghost life :D I can think of a few places this thing could be. I rather like the becoming incorporeal for a short time.
So I have two thoughts rolling around in my head. One is a boat and magical item thing. So I figure it is right up your ally.
So I have been mulling over some of the small groups from the Mordant Spire that circle Azlant. The vast majority of Mordant Elves are quiet and very reserved. But I was doing some reading though various classes and archetypes. And I had a thought, the Drunken Master Monk. I have never had the chance to play a monk but this is one of the archetypes I fell in love with, just haven't had a chance to play with. So my thought was a group of them. There are a few other classes, like the mixologist alchemist, one of the barbarians, and possibly some third party options. Some third party is fine by me.
But I want a group of drunken Elves who patrol Azlant. And one of them is a Wizard or Sorcerer, the main thing is a crafter. So I am curious if you have any thoughts on what magical changes a almost constantly drunk elf caster would make to that lovely skimmer. Or any other weird things they might make as that would be most of the stuff this group uses.
The other is the spiritualist. He has the Haunted archetype and the phantom's emotion is hatred.
The phantom has been leapfrogging though time by possessing his descendants in his noble Chelaxian house. In a mission to become a Devil without having to die, go through the River of Souls, and the centuries of torment as a lemure. He is trying to skip the line. The player doesn't know it yet but the spiritualist's mother messed with the ritual and that is how he became a spiritualist instead of just possessed.
The player was frustrated with the 10 rounds it takes to call the phantom out so I said we can fix that. He had to go out of the settlement and provide a boar. The let the phantom have control of the body for one hour. So the phantom can come out in a single round and this gave some roleplay reasons for the mechanics of the archetype. Also, and I checked with the player, the phantom can now come out on its own but that is card it will save for a long time. After the hour he came back in control, as he had blacked out for that time. And he was setting in a circle surrounded by blood, broken bones, and guts with the taste of blood in his mouth and was covered in blood. Fun thing is he did not clean it up and someone will notice it.
But I have been going back and forth on what kind of Devil it would be because I get to pick. Centuries ago back when it was mortal he had been a paladin type and fell. We have talked about the idea that he wants to eventually get rid of the phantom, of great grandpa. And I fascinated by the idea of that fight in the future.
I love the idea that maybe he made a pact with a Sire Devil (Patraavex) and that is how he guarantees his next host, his child, is of infernal lineage and that all of them are bound to Hell. And how he can become a Devil in the cheating sense. But I have no idea how to build him for when he breaks free. Any thoughts?
But I want a group of drunken Elves who patrol Azlant. And one of them is a Wizard or Sorcerer, the main thing is a crafter. So I am curious if you have any thoughts on what magical changes a almost constantly drunk elf caster would make to that lovely skimmer. Or any other weird things they might make as that would be most of the stuff this group uses.
1. 6 Decanters of Endless Wine built into the skimmer (6 different vintages)
2. Wine Glasses of Frost (automatically chills beverages and the glasses also float like ice, in case somedrunk drops it in the sea)
3. Glass-Holders of Balance (never spills, also doubles as +1 returning shurikens)
4. Everburning Fondue Pot (cheese goes with wine)
5. outrigger magically transforms into a floating pontoon-like martini bar.
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Deaths Adorable Apprentice wrote:
But I have been going back and forth on what kind of Devil it would be because I get to pick. Centuries ago back when it was mortal he had been a paladin type and fell. We have talked about the idea that he wants to eventually get rid of the phantom, of great grandpa. And I fascinated by the idea of that fight in the future.
I love the idea that maybe he made a pact with a Sire Devil (Patraavex) and that is how he guarantees his next host, his child, is of infernal lineage and that all of them are...
Think you nailed this one on the head, a Sire Devil -Patraavex, seems to fit the bill perfectly.
And i really like "the phantom has been leapfrogging through time by possessing his descendants in his house" story-line. Very original.
At work I thought about the decanters of endless wine, rum, ect. I like the way you think. The other items are delightful and I shall add those to this eventual encounter.
That part was all him. He wanted the phantom to have been possessing people in his family over the generations. I am rather attached to it. And want to use that hook for all its worth.
I was really reluctant about the whole Chelaxian thing just cause the colony is being built by the Andorans but I really liked the premise. And he has an Andoran cousin who is vouching for him. Plus he did not give them his family name. Which will be a fun problem if that little lie comes to light. Along with having what seems like a devil in his head that he can call forth. Kind of one of those I really want it to happen but at the same time don't because I have no clue what would happen cause he would have to talk his way out of it.
I am thinking I will have its appearance change over time. Cause currently it looks like a blood covered tiefling and that is what the player thinks it is. He has said he thinks it is human.
And that player and I have been chatting about his family. And I am thinking he will be seeing them after a while. You can only pass the save on scrying for so long.
One sibling, a younger sister, is gonna be some kind of arcane caster. I am thinking a Sorcerer or a Witch. Though the Blood Summoner has some potential as a really fun baddie. She was the spare and is all about that Devil stuff.
And then there is the older half brother who has some kind of birth defect that made him an unacceptable host. He was badly mistreated due to this. I am thinking this one is bitter and just want the Devil dead. Might have made a pact with something to get strong enough to maybe kill it. Not sure if I want it to be a good something or a bad something yet.
That part was all him. He wanted the phantom to have been possessing people in his family over the generations. I am rather attached to it. And want to use that hook for all its worth.
I like that your player(s?) put effort into backstory, wish my tables did more of that. Sometimes i feel like i'm the only one invested in my characters.
I may borrow your players idea, very flavorful.
I don't know if it's occurred to you, but you could make some of the islands overlap- such as having stuff happen ON an island as well as UNDER the same island.
i just had a "duh" moment. Last night was GAME NIGHT! and i'm still a little punchy.
Borrow away, it is a lovely backstory. Everyone really brought fun and complicated characters. The simplest is the Barbarian, who is all impulse, but I have her though a sibling and an adopted kid.
Odd thought seeming ordinary island except the trees are made of stone with leaves of snow and ice or crystal and the mountains are wood with green leaves covering them like snow. :D
Odd thought seeming ordinary island except the trees are made of stone with leaves of snow and ice or crystal and the mountains are wood with green leaves covering them like snow. :D Interesting thought, though I'm modifying the intent. How's about;
94. The Petrified Forest - - This island is covered by a verdant forest. However, here and there all over the island there are petrified trees and strange tracks leading to them. There are two sets of tracks; one large and apparently malformed, the other like some man-sized serpent followed the larger tracks. Further into the forest there are humanoid bodies felled by arrows. The trail leads to a vast clearing where there is a large half circle of these large and huge-sized petrified trees. Beyond this clearing, in the regular forest, are statues of men, some wounded by arrows, others seemingly paralyzed by fright. Farther into these woods are burned out settlements, many dead, felled by arrows and still more statues in various stages of fright and retreat.
Eventually the PC's will realize this island was under siege by medusae, quite a few of them, as their snake tails have left trails all over the island. Are there any survivors? Will the PC's cut and run in the face of being turned to stone? Will the PC's realize the petrified trees are really Treants protecting the humanoids?
Freaking Medusae! I love those critters and I have never had the chance to use one!
The is an Eberron trilogy of novels called Thorn of Breland Series by Keith Baker. It touches on the subject and is a damned fine read!
Author: Keith Baker, Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Novels: The Queen of Stone, Son of Khyber, The Fading Dream
Preceded by: The Dreaming Dark trilogy
