On Venatia - Part Seven

Final 6 preview locales for the southeast map. Starting next week - the northeast map.

6831 Wrecked Galleass: A long galleass, its sides covered in thin plates of bronze, lies wrecked upon a small rocky island. Close inspection will reveal two interesting facts. The first is that the island appears to be a column of basalt that was raised from the ocean floor. The second fact is revealed by a visit to the ship. Below decks, the oars are attached to bronze spheres. The sphere have two L-shaped pipes sticking from them on opposite sides and pointing in opposite directions. They appear to contain brackish water. Beneath each sphere is what appears to be a brass torch, but is actually a pipe. The lowest deck contains dozens of glass tanks, each attached to the torches above. Most of the tanks have been broken, but one contains a small, dead salamander, now reduced to the appearance of charcoal. The salamander deck appears to have burned extensively, for the air here is acrid and the walls are pitted and scarred. Two chuul lurk in the lowest deck, hiding in the shadows and eager to make a fresh kill.

The upper deck is still intact, except for the masts (felled and now gone). The captain’s cabin has been trashed, but one might find fragments of charts and schematics. The captain’s head and entrails have been nailed to a door which leads to his sleeping chamber, now occupied by a massive chuul that appears to be waiting for someone to foolishly open the door. Each chuul on the ship has a golden amulet on a chain around its neck. The amulets are almost impossible to remove. One minute after death, the chuul and anything it is touching will be teleported (via the power of the amulets) to the tower of Ingostos in [7047].

• Chuul: HD 11+2 (76, 68, 58 hp); AC 0 [19]; Atk 2 claw (2d6); Move 12 (Swim 9); Save 4; CL/XP 15/2900; Special: Amphibious, constrict, immune to poison, paralysis.

6934 Playful Porpoises: A pod of six porpoises (treat as dolphins) resides in these waters. Folk in need of rescue will invariably encounter these creatures, who know a great deal about the surrounding seas and will be happy to communicate (via a speak with animals spell) with folk they deem worthy. They will specifically warn people away from [6926], [6938] and [6831].

7250 Chasm: The western portion of this hex has been rent apart into a yawning chasm, some 400 feet deep and 3 miles long. Sand pours into the chasm constantly, and the chasm’s floor is covered in over 100 feet of sand, and acts as quicksand. The chasm was created during an especially vicious confrontation between two deities, and still bears the scars of their deific combat in the form of random magical effects. Each hour adventurers spend in or near the chasm, roll 1d6. On an even roll, generate a random effect (1d6 for level, and then the most appropriate dice for the spell) from the cleric spell list. On an odd roll, use the magic-user spell list, rolling 1d8 to determine level. The spell’s will always target one (or all) of the adventurers.

7428 Fractured Deity: Nine monstrous trilobites have attached themselves to the fractured head of what must have been a massive statue, well over 200 feet tall. The face is in the ancient Egyptian style, and is carved from a solid block of obsidian and is approximately 10 feet in diameter. Should human flesh come into contact with the stone head, they will feel that it is warm and it will send a tingle through their arm and up their spine. Prolonged contact will put one in contact with a voice from beyond, per the Contact Other Plane spell. These communications carry with them the chance of possession by an alien mind that knows only hunger (saving throw to avoid).

• Monstrous Trilobite: HD 4 (21, 20, 19, 19, 19, 17, 17, 17, 15 hp); AC 2 [17]; Atk 1 bite (1d4); Move 12 (Swim 24, Climb 3); Save 13; CL/XP 4/120; Special: Dissolve wood, glue.

7635 The Eye of Ra: The waters in this hex churn and eventually begin moving counterclockwise, drawing ships toward the center of the hex. This region is nicknamed the Eye of Ra. Ships drawn to the center of the Eye are dashed against the rocky island and destroyed. The noble families of Ibis, however, are privy to the Eye’s secret. By playing a secret tune on a reed flute, the Eye opens, the rocky island disappearing and a portal to the Astral Plane taking its place. This portal allows the merchant princes of Ibis to venture into the cosmic gulph, visiting far flung worlds and returning with their exotic cargoes. Few merchant princes ever dare venture into the Eye, for few know how to navigate the Astral Sea and return.

7736 Coral Battlements: What appear to be the crenelations of ancient battlements rise from the sea bottom's silt in this hex. The battlements are ancient and worn, and are in the process of becoming a coral reef. Beneath the coral, one can still make out the shapes of five hunched statues. The gargoyles are really kapoacinths, aquatic gargoyles, and the reef is their lair. Their treasure, hidden in a hollow, consists of 500 ep, 1,000 gp, 10 pp, a pearl worth 5 gp and a brass icon of Sabazios worth 450 gp.

• Kapoacinth: HD 4 (23, 22, 19, 18, 14 hp); AC 5 [14]; Atk 2 claws (1d3), 1 bite (1d4), 1 horn (1d6); Move 9 (Swim 15); Save 13; CL/XP 5/240; Special: None.