[Freeport] Serpent's Maw Isle (3rd Era Location)

[SotF]

Note: Well, I'm working on a bit of material as a bit of setting expansion for my players and figured that I might end up getting some help here and others may find it interesting anyway. I'm using the 3rd Era stuff that I have as a basis for it. I am going to be referencing a lot of stuff with this.

xXx

Welcome to the Serpent's Maw Isle.

Map (Locations Marked)

History
The Isle itself used to be much larger, the largest in an island chain that was colonized by the continent nearly a century ago. The Serpent's Maw used to be a large teardrop shaped island where a nation founded a larger port that served as a distribution point to the smaller villages set up on the rest of the chain where plantations grew sugarcane and various fruits for sale on the mainland.

In the center of the island was an abandoned Valossian city, one of those on the edge of their empire of old. It was nearly in the exact center of the caldera of an extinct volcano, protected by the lip of the crater and rugged terrain that made it a difficult location to reach. Eventually, some enterprising dwarves built a small village along the cliffs, both into the walls of the mountain itself and on floating platforms moored to it, and set it up as a basecamp for adventurers to give them an easier passage to the interior.

Unlike in Freeport, the remnant Serpent people had not degenerated, but still remained rather few in number, but were simply viewed as an oddity, and they stuck to their shrine a days travel inland from the port, having long since abandoned their old city.

Unfortunately, as adventurers reported of the wonders and treasures of the lost city, they signed what would become the death of the majority. Yuan-Ti heard of this lost city of snakes and began to infiltrate the port, finding the lift town unfortunately to small to easily sneak in on.

However, even the port had it's other problems, namely the Brotherhood had infiltrated shortly after the founding, and their clash with the invading Yuan-ti spread out of control, sending many of the heroes and local defenders to a running war across the islands.

The serpent people were recruited, joining with the heroes and as a last resort, they reawakened a portion of the volcano with the aid of a local spirit and won, but at great cost.

A cataclysmic earthquake rent the islands asunder, and in the end only a portion of the Serpent's Maw Isle remained above the waves. It's new name taken from the shape of the caldera's rim that looks almost like the open mouth and fangs of a snake.

Survivors from across the chain gathered at the only remaining settlement, the lift town which lost the underground portions of its mass, but the floating structures had settled in a shallow passage to the flooded interior.

The old temple of Yig was abandoned with the loss of the priesthood, and the locations was taken over by a Hadozee (Stormwrack) colony.

Since the cataclysm, the Isle has been abandoned by the nation that founded it and left to fend for itself.

Major Locations
#1 : Temple Lake
On the shores of a freshwater lake a short distance from the the port is the Mother's Temple (Local Spirit), a shrine of Yig, and an orphanage.

The Mother's Temple is in the shape of a massive egg, a handful of Serpent People are in attendance, the leader is a female serpent person (Favored Soul named Mother Ralla. She also tends the orphanage, though it's not as full as it was since the cataclysm, and portions have been converted to longer term housing for those working at the temple, shrine, and the nearby temple of the sea god.

The Shrine of Yig is maintained by the staff of the Mother's Temple, but there are no trained priests of Yig and portions are locked off which contain treasures from the abandoned temple of Yig and from the Lost City.

#2 : The Blade Wall
In the shallows up to the deep, a veritable forest of stone and metal blades set almost as a pike wall protect the city from the beast that remains trapped within the depths.

The beast is an Anarchic Megalodon (Planar Handbook & Monster Manual 2) that was trapped there during the cataclysm It's believed that it used to be a normal shark, but the influence of the Yellow Sign and the actions in the last days changed it to the current form. The creature is not always active, and seems to enter hibernation on occasion.

#3 : Lift Town/Floaterville
Both names are used, though the second tends to be more of one used in annoyance.

There are two massive stone bridges that cross the shallows with most of the village on floating platforms or on pillars rising from the water. A maze of walkways lead out to the piers of the harbor. The richer citizens tend to live on dry land surrounding the fort.

#4 : Temple of the Sea God
Built quickly after the cataclysm, the Temple isn't anywhere near as decorated as those in Freeport or similar locations, but it overlooks the ocean and tends to be well staffed.

#5 : The Fort
Constructed by the dwarves that first built the town and then expanded since the cataclysm into a bastion capable of holding the locals. it's position is on a rise high enough to give a clear line of sight across the horizon.

Surrounding it are the scattered manors of the wealthiest residents.

#6 : Shrine of the Fallen
A distance from the city itself is a monument crafted by the order of country that colonized the islands. It sits on a small island in the middle of a freshwater lake. The water is from a spring (As described in the Create Healing Spring spell) that is on the island. The water of the lake does 1 positive energy damage per minute to evil creatures.

#7 : The Lost City
The top two floors of an immense ziggurat stands above the waved before vanishing into the depths. The main entrance to the interior is where the Beast of lairs.

#8 : The Volcano
When the Cataclysm happened, this is where a new volcano tore its way from the island along the lip of the crater.

The Mother is said to rest deep within the now dormant crater.

#9 : The Temple of Yig
Damaged in the quakes and eruption, the last priests stripped the temple of everything they could carry to take the relics and books to safety. Most died on attempts to return for more of their history, leaving only one behind who perished shortly after the Cataclysm, but with no heirs to his knowledge. The temple overlooks the volcano and used to overlook the old city as a reminder of the past.

After the earth settled, a group of itinerant Hadozee moved in, making things difficult for anyone attempting to gain entrance and find anything that remains. The inner sanctum remains sealed though and promises great reward to those who might find their way into it.

Along with that, one major relic remains undisturbed that might be the key to eliminating the Beast. A dormant, gargantuan bronze serpent (Monster Manual 2) remains within the temple, the chief of the Hadozee village nests in its coils though.

People of interest
Governor Markus Blackstone
The elected leader of Lift Town, he's an old Seacliff Dwarf (Stormwrack) Marshal 9 (miniatures Handbook) with hair turned white, but remains quite strong and has an odd fascination of maps. He used to be a sailor in his youth amongst other things, he was one of the few dwarven settlers of the town that survived the cataclysm when the tunnels flooded before they could be fully evacuated.

He lives in a small house on land owned by his brother that was intended as a guest house, though his brother doesn't mind the company since Markus tends to never stop working anyway.

One thing that Markus does on the side is trade copies of his maps for those others have, and tends to be quite friendly with anyone who worked or works as a navigator or mapmaker. He's a useful resource for adventurers looking for a map, especially if they have some old ones of their own.

Ricard Blackstone
A middle aged Seacliff Dwarf (Stormwrack) Expert 4. He operates a curios shop down in the city and tends to pass on stories quite often. His brother is the only family he has left, his wife died in the cataclysm.

Rin
A half-elf Warblade (Tome of Battle) 6. She's rather young for his position as the head of the guard, but she devoted himself to perfecting his skills with the sword. Still rather brash, but reliable and capable she ended up with the position and still seems to be settling in. She lives in the Fort and tends to have a fair bit of luck with various games of chance, and is always looking to learn new games if only for new challenges there.

Mother Ralla
Civilized Serpent Person Favored Soul (Complete Divine or Miniatures Handbook) 8. An ancient serpent person female, her scales are a milky white. She is a friendly old woman who tends to use her ability to change her appearance to let others be most comfortable in her presence.

She refers to Rin and Prestor as her children, having raised both of them from a young age in the Orphanage.

Prestor
Human [Yuan-Ti Tainted One] (Savage Specied) Swordsage (Tome of Battle) 6. Prestor's appearance does not reveal much about what happened to him, but when angered bits come out. As a child, he was taken by the Yuan-ti invaders and they did something to him that made him more like they were. He was among a dozen rescued, but the only survivor of that number. He remains near Mother Ralla, working as an unofficial bodyguard and is highly protective of the orphans and those working in the temples and shrines.

Most view him as a nearly unemotional person, remaining cold and distant only getting more so the larger numbers of people around. He is Ralla's agent when it comes to situations outside Lift Town and in the rest of the world. But harm Ralla at your own peril if he's nearby.

Prestor is also likely to be the easiest way to add the Serpent's Maw Isle to an active campaign, perhaps being sent to Freeport to investigate the rumors of Serpent People living there either for Ralla or to ensure that the Yuan-ti he hates so much aren't the ones responsible for the rumors. If K'San is present (Cults of Freeport), Prestor is likely to be a direct foil for him in many ways

Balock
A Hadozee (Stormwrack) Barbarian 5. The chieftan of the Hadozee colony, Balock is an unusual example of his race, more brutish than most and yet a capable leader for those under him. While the colony isn't that large (Nearly 60, half of which are elderly or children), he seems to have plans to expand. He has a severe dislike of snakes, and buried the bronze serpent he believes is a statue before using the mound created as his nest. Though, with a heavy rain, portions are revealed.

Malo
A Hadozee (Stormwrack) Spirit Shaman (Complete Divine) 4. Malo is Balock's second and the spiritual leader of the tribe, but is also a thief. Unlike Balock, Malo wants to drive the other races off the islands, or at least gain free access to their valuables.

Religion
Cult of the Mother
The mother is a spirit similar to Oona, but benevolent in nature rather than malicious. Her worship started after the fall of Valossa, and her priesthood is primarily female. Early on there was some minor conflict with the priesthood of Yig, but in the end there was peace between the churches. Most of the priestesses tend to also venerate Yig, and tend to link the Mother to the elder deity in many ways.

She is portrayed as a Coatl or a hybrid of a dolphin and sea snake, and there are rumors of her direct involvement in the final battles before the Cataclysm and in the protection of those she deemed innocent.

Her symbol is a hatching egg, and most of those who venerate her carry a small stone or wooden egg with them as their symbol.

Her Domains are Community (Complete Divine/Book of Exalted Deeds), Family (Players Guide to Faerun), Life (Ebberon Campaign Setting), and Scalykind (Players Guide to Faerun)

[SotF]

The Temple Of Yig
A central reflecting pool lined on either side with a path leads up to a raised platform where a partially concealed, brass statue of a massive serpent rests. Beside the path on the outer edge are damaged sculptures of stone in the form of immense coral snakes that form in tandem, the heads reared up as if to strike by the entrance. The pool is murky, though still apparently clean enough to drink from, and the fine stonework is often overgrown through all the unsealed portions.

Behind the brass statue is a wide path, lined on either side with small, abandoned rooms that served various functions. At the end of this path is an overlook that views the volcano, but it's position is such that it once showed the Lost City at the depths of the now flooded pit.

Beneath the overlook, with a set of stairs descending on either side in entwined paths leads down along a cliff, two platforms lay under the main structure with sealed doors of a black metal and with tarnished, but still identifiable mithril inlays in the form of serpents on the first.

The Upper Temple
This is where the Hadozee live, family units have claimed the various rooms, while Balock has decided to construct a nest in the brass statue (The Gargantuan Bronze Serpent as described in Monster Manual 2). None of the rooms are closed with more than a crude cloth.

Unlike most Hadozee groups, Balock has built the group up originally from various pirates and other ne'er do wells that he encountered before settling down here. They are unfriendly to non-Hadozee (or similar apelike races) and tend to start at hostile for any that resemble snakes (Primarily Serpent People and Yuan-ti). They claimed the temple as a sign of their "dominance" over the Yuan-ti that brought many of them to the port town during their war with the Brotherhood as mercenaries.

The majority of the adults within the group are low level warriors with a mix of Scouts (Complete Adventurer), Barbarians, and Fighters.

Under Level #1: Landing
Along with the landing itself, there is a decently sized area within. This section was designed to allow guards to protect this section, Malo removed the walls making up the choke points leading towards the sealed door inside. A draping, crude cloth partially conceals the interior and provides privacy for those inside.

Malo and two apprentices (Adepts) tend to spend their time here if not on the next level down.

The sealed door here shows signs of Malo's tampering, but it has yet to be breached.

Under Level #1: Vault
There were several relics and items hidden within here, and many more hastily crammed in during the Cataclysm. The room itself is rather large, though most of what is here is personal effects and furniture as well as larger items that would be difficult to use. The Vault requires a password to open properly or a DC 25 Open Lock Check.

Most of the treasure is relatively generic, though the horde contains two rubies carved as eyes that would fit within the brass serpent on the main level. There are also several Translator's Rings (WotC Site Adventure: Dark & Stormy Knight) that have Valossian and Infernal as the languages provided. There is also a large scroll detailing the major reason the Lost City was abandoned, and information on something that the Serpent People of the Isle had sealed away there shortly after the fall of Valossa.

Under Level #2: Landing & Altar
Extending outwards from the cliff face, a platform that retains the carvings and an altar near the edge. This was the place of worship for those who once used the temple. Now, Malo and his apprentices have begun to use it in their own rituals following the elements, primarily that of fire, as such there are many burnt out bonfires leaving scorches on the tiled floor.

Unbeknownst to the Hadozee, the Altar is a magic item in its own right, though an immobile one. Many of the ritualistic phrases from the worship of Yig trigger effects. The two main effects require command words that can be figured out by anyone who understands Valassian and makes the correct Knowledge (Religion Check).

DC 20: As Magic Circle Against Chaos. Duration of 1 day, fills the platform.
DC 25: As Mass Lesser Vigor (Complete Divine). 1/day.

There is a secret door along the wall leading deeper into the temple (Search DC 15).

The Hidden Ramp
A long ramp leads downwards, but the interior remains dry and warm. The spirit of the last high priest of the temple remains here. K'Lanth (Civilized Serpent Person Sacred Watcher [Book of Exalted Deeds] Cleric 1/Crusader 6[Tome of Battle]). He speaks both Common and Valossian.

K'Lanth fears that he has condemned himself for his actions, but during the Cataclysm, he took as many of the eggs from the community hatching grounds and placed them in the temple hatchery beside those which where destined to be the priests. His fear is of it being heresy to Yig, but he gave his life to seal the Hatchery and maintain it in stasis.

He seems quite friendly to any non-Hadozee or Yuan-Ti, though he starts at neutral to any non-Serpent Folk (Or those displaying a link to them or knew him in life). He quickly becomes suspicious of any who attempt to enter the hatchery at the end of the ramp and unless convinced engages in combat against those who do.

If Ralla's temple is brought up, he might be convinced to let characters take the stored eggs there, and if the temple is cleared of the Hadozee, he releases the stasis spell and remains to pass on his teachings to the new priests and raise the children (Which draws Ralla's attention in short order anyway).

K'Lanth has one other major secret, while he knows a good portion of the rites and rituals of Yig, he served as one of the temple guardians rather than a priest, ending up with the title only because of the massive casualties taken during and just prior to the Cataclysm. He was part of the group that rescued Prestor during the battles before it and began the training of both Prestor and Rin.

If they convince him, he also points out that the key to the vault is on his corpse within the Hatchery.

The Hatchery
A large circular room with four heat stones (Freeport Trilogy) around a ring that also marks a point where an outer ring of stonework descends to a lower area covered in soft, warm sand. Seventeen Serpent Person Eggs lay in the sand, three of which are segregated from the rest. The room is lit by a dim magical stone mounted in the ceiling in a ring, though there is a dim light also emanating from a glass ring far above with water visible above it (This is from the ring pool around the Brass Serpent).

Stone benches surround the room, and a shelf just behind them still contains robes meant for the hatchling serpent people.

K'Lanth's body lays just inside the doors, having collapsed after sealing the doors, the Vaults key laying beside it having fallen from his hand as he died.

Afterwards
K'Lanth remains until either another Priest of Yig comes to train the Hatchlings when they hatch, or until they're trained in all he knows of the temple.

Adventure Seeds

• The Stasis spell protected K'Lanth's Body enough that adventurers might be able to resurrect him. If so, he shifts operations to the Shrine of Yig with the hatchlings, getting help from Ralla in caring for the hope of their people.
• A Martial Adept character may get training from K'Lanth, possibly allowing access to certain maneuvers that they otherwise wouldn't.
• The Vault could easily contain artifacts and items of all sorts, both ones wanted by those looking for artifacts of Valossa and similar, but it also has several dangerous items that the priests couldn't destroy.
• The scroll containing the information on the sealed monster within the Lost City could easily push the heroes there, through the lair of the Beast to find and attempt to put a final end to the creature locked away within (Conversely, the creature might be working to escape it's bindings and the players may be looking for the scroll to either strengthen the seal, or break it entirely). The Translator's Rings use Infernal as their second choice because of the monster, if either not using that hook or wish a choice of your own there, shift the language to one that fits your campaign.
• Malo's worship managed to awaken a fire elemental that begins to reawaken the volcano, perhaps risking another Cataclysm if it erupts.
• If the players drive off the Hadozee, they may just end up needing to stop the desperate remainder of their colony from attacking Lift Town for a place to live.

[SotF]

The Bellowing Dragon (Armory)
Situated on the solid ground on the temple side of Lift Town, this three story shop has a large yard that extends from the side and rear with a pillar of smoke visible on most days.

Staffed by a rather surly dwarf by the name of Titus Rance, this is the place on Serpent's Maw to get your firearms needs.

A handful of Colter's firearms are for sale as well as ammunition and black powder, however, unlike Colter's shop, there are far larger examples available for sale in the form of cannon and he also has examples of his own work (See the Privateer Press Iron Kingdoms firearms preview for the basics of his own designs).

The Shop
When entering you see a glass counter with displayed guns of various types. Barrels of various bullets sit behind the counter while larger guns and powder horns hang on the wall. A smattering of other weapons are also on display, but they aren't his work. A door leads out to the yard and one to the outside as well as the way up to the workroom.

A locked door with stairs behind lead up to a balcony where the workshop is, littered with pieces of incomplete weapons or those being modified in various ways. The top floor is locked off still further, though a second stairway leads out the front.

The Yard
Nearly forty cannon barrels of various shapes and sizes as well as mortars are stacked, each wrapped in cloth and stacked neatly on platforms and under awnings. There are entrances to a small forge building and to a fortified bunker.

A shooting range is set up behind the shop, and Titus is willing to provide the powder and ammunition to test fire a few guns if he believes it will sell the deal for sales.

The Forge
A furnace is the largest point of interest here, and there are tools for metal working. A smelter is also there and heavily used with the various molds scattered about in the building. A storage room off to the side was converted to a small apartment for Titus' apprentice Carver.

The Bunker
Titus built this bunker to contain the black powder he sells in order to prevent accidents from destroying his work and store. There is an attached alchemists laboratory where Jac works.

Personalities
Titus Rance
Titus is a Dwarf Artificer 6 (Eberron Campaign Setting). He's slim compared to many dwarves and tends to wear as little as he can get away with, normally a vest with its pockets loaded with anything he's working on or with and similarly filled pants along with some well worn boots. His beard, when he has it, tends to be black with a few tinges of gray, but always with burnt points and the smell of harsh smoke.

His story began as a compatriot of Colters who traveled a bit with the gnome. Some say that he's the one to introduce the other man to black powder. The two exchange regular correspondence on their work, with Titus working on larger weapons for the most part that Colter doesn't such as the cannons he developed.

If players know Colter, they may be tasked with delivering a letter or a shipment between the two.

Jacqueline "Jac" Rance
Jac is a Gnome Artificer 2 (Eberron Campaign Setting)/Gun Mage 3 (Privateer Press Iron Kingdoms preview). Jac is Titus' wife, and primarily the one to man the counter. She is also an alchemist, and tends to be the one to make most of the powder stockpiled in the bunker. Occasionally, she adds other alchemical creations to the shops stores.

She is younger than her husband, who she met on an adventure some time ago before they settled in Lift Town. Her most distinguishing feature is bright red hair, darkened by the smoke of the shop. Her dress sense tends to be far more subdued than most.

Jac does not know how to make Wet Powder (Tales of Freeport), but has been planning on a trip to Freeport in order to learn rather than ship in the stores small stock of it.

Carver
Carver is a Kobold (Races of the Dragon+Web Enhancement) Artificer 1 (Eberron Campaign Setting). He's Titus' apprentice and young.

He speaks little of his past, and in truth Carver has no clue where he's originally from. His appearance in Lift Town was after escaping a slave ship that sunk before being found and brought to town by a cargo vessel. Jac essentially adopted him after the kid "borrowed" some of the powder she carries and used it as an impromptu smoke bomb and proved unwilling to remain in the orphanage.

While officially Titus' apprentice, he's learning from both of them.

Carver tends to use a broken common, but that's steadily improving.

Stocks
Wet Powder costs twice it's listed price in Tales of Freeport.

[SotF]

Note: Got a few feats that I've worked out that I like. However, I am working on a few minor Martial Disciplines (Tome of Battle) that fit both the Isle and Freeport in general, these might end up getting reworked into Maneuvers for a black powder based one.

Both of them came from one of my players wanting to do what these let you when I ran the Trilogy. If anyone has ideas on how to improve them or concepts in general for the Isle as a location, well, bring them up.

New Feats

Smoking Gun
You are adept at utilizing the plume of smoke from black powder weapons as a defense in combat.
Prerequisites: Proficient with firearms, Hide skill 4+ ranks
Benefit: When you fire a black powder firearm, you gain concealment until your next turn as long as you remain within 5ft of the location you made the attack from. However, you suffer a -5 penalty to hide checks to conceal your presence.
Special: Spells involving moving wind that pass through the cloud instantly end this effect.

Improved Smoking Gun
You are even more capable of using the smoke from your weapons, judging the right moment to either spread it about or make it dense enough to give a lingering protection.
Prerequisites: Smoking Gun, Rapid Reload, Firearms Drill
Benefit: When making an attack with a black powder firearm, you may select one of the following two benefits. Either you may gain concealment as per the Smoking Gun feat except that the duration is 1d4 rounds, or every character within 5 ft of you are given the benefits of the Smoking Gun feat as if they had used a weapon with the feat.
Special: Spells involving moving wind that pass through the cloud halves the duration of the first option if there is more than one round remaining or ends the spell if it has one round left or the second option is taken.

[SotF]

Yuland's Brewery
A short travel from Lift Town rises a relatively unassuming structure. The scent of fermenting alcohol fills the air, the main reason for it's isolation, and the private dock just for the brewery's use.

Yuland is an elf with an unusual parentage, but one that managed to forge his appreciation for drink into a lifelong business.

While the brewery isn't exactly a tourist spot, several varieties of drink from Yuland's have gained a widespread recognition even to the continent or beyond. On the rare occasions where the Brewery isn't downwind of Lift Town, there tends to be rather annoyed mutterings about the place, and the smell it brings with it.

The Dock
Unlike those used in Lift Town's decks, this Dock is built straight from shore. A small ferry is either here or in Lift Town, operated by a Taia, an half-aquatic Elf and Yuland's half sister, though it occasionally does other routes to locations around the island (Under no circumstances will she risk her ship in the pit).

Passage on the Ferry for those who aren't operating for Yuland have a 10 copper fee for the main route (covers both to and from the brewery) if it's during general schedule. A silver for an unplanned trip. She also rents her services during the off hours for 10 gold an hour.

The Vats
Large kettles, cooling vats, and most of other large pieces working to make a proper brew of several types (Yuland's has three dozen varieties of drinks, not counting simple variations). A magically powered lift system is visible in the floor, occasionally lowering into the depths below or up to the balconies and catwalks above.

Storage Rooms and Fermenting Floors
Another reason why Yuland picked this location to build (after the smell got him booted from a converted warehouse in town) is that he discovered some old maps of the dwarven settlement from before the Cataclysm. He is utilizing several of the tunnels and expanded many of those to leave a maze of kegs and other storing mead, rum, beer, and the rest of the varieties of things that he'd obtained over the years.

The Deep Tunnels
A secret passage hidden inside a massive, but fake keg at the end of one passage heads even deeper. This is where Yuland's real secret lays. With an odd shrine and a particular sign that most from Freeporters know all to well.

Characters
Yuland
Yuland is an Elf Expert 3, Cultist 5, a mix between a high elf father and an aquatic elf mother that leads to a slightly off appearance that created issues. His father was an exile from elsewhere, claiming to be nobility though that's in doubt, who seduced his mother before running off when she was with child.

The inability to keep up with aquatic elves formed annoyances, that left him feeling even more abandoned than normal. When he was old enough, Yuland left, his mother believing to search for his father, and didn't return until after the Cataclysm when he received news that his mother was dead and he had a young half-sister.

Unfortunately, Yuland fell in with the Cult of the Yellow Sign while learning his current trade as a brewer, and he has kept up worship, but has, of yet, been unable to find those he could convert. His sister would be horrified to discover just what her brother was up to.

Taia
Taia is a Half Aquatic Elf (Stormwrack) Battle Sorcerer 5 using the variant class feature that replaces a familiar with an animal companion (A porpoise named Crys). She is a century younger than her brother, and is only just starting to branch out on her own. The ferry, The Silver Pearl, is her pride and joy, something she managed to gain through her own work from one of the ships remaining in the Old City, trapped amidst the ruins.

For her age, Taia is quite a naive character, not gullible, but simply that she hasn't seen that much and thinks nothing of the slowly growing paranoia and secrets of her brother.

In appearance, the few elven features she has tend to extenuate the mix at several points, from the faint blue-green tinge to her skin to the subtle ripples of gills and pointed ears.

Adventure Ideas

• While Yuland has been careful, his actions are still extremely suspicious as of late. The right people might start suspecting that he found something of value, or is ready to bring out a new product. Sneaking in to find out what's the matter might just be in the cards.
• Either Yuland managed to recruit some "help" or an outsider also affiliated with the Brotherhood found their way to Lift Town, but they aren't anywhere near as careful as Yuland is, making him even more suspicious in the ensuing fireworks.
• Yuland's father reappears in the hopes of getting an in with his son, and the growing wealth he's amassing.
• The Silver Pearl is found on the shore of the Pit and Kaia is missing, no one knows why but they want to know what happened.

New Feat

Aquatic Blood (Bloodline)
While still fully an elf, you are from a union that mixes with the aquatic cousins.
Prerequisites: Elf
Benefit: You gain a swim speed of 15 feet and a +8 racial bonus on all swim checks to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. You may always take 10 on Swim checks even if distracted or endangered. You may use the run action while swimming provided you swim in a straight line. You also gain the Sea Longing ability as the Aquatic Half-Elves (Stormwrack).
Special: This feat may only be taken at 1st level.

[SotF]

The Shrine of the Fallen
A small, shallow lake with crystal clear water lies within a clearing, while you can see from shore to shore there is a small island sitting in the center of it.

While well disguised, the lake itself was created by the people, creating what is seen as a first step for a larger monument to the massive casualties across the island chain during the events that led up to and during the cataclysm.

Completely symmetrical, the lake, island, and shrine have the appearance of a particularly ornate compass rose using the landscaping and the building itself to shape it.

On brighter nights, the shrine seems to fill with a sorrowful tone as Quess plays her pipes.

The Lake
On a clear day, there are visible paths in the water allowing one to simply walk in waist deep water to reach the shrine along the four cardinal directions. If these aren't identified, a character may walk at half speed to remain on the path. Otherwise, you need to take a DC 10 Balance check every round or miss your step and end up needing to swim in the deeper portions of the lake.

Along with being a decoration, the lake is also a potent defense of the Shrine against those with darker purposes. Evil characters take 1 point of damage every minute if walking on the path, or 1d6 points per minute if swimming. Evil Outsiders or Undead take this damage per round rather than minute.

A vial of water from the lake has additional properties, it may be consumed by someone during a heal check, granting a +5 bonus to the result on the imbiber. It may also be used as a metamagic component for any Cure spell, allowing the caster who imbibed it to reroll one die and choose which result to keep. The vial must be administered by the character who collects it though for it to have any effect. After one week, the vial loses it's potency, and a character may only gain the benefits of using a vial once per day.

The Island
Four cherry trees, unusual in the best of cases and especially in the climate of the Serpent's Maw Isle, are carefully tended. Each sits about halfway between the shore and the corners of the shrine structure itself. One sits to the north-west, north-east, south-east, and south-west.

Pale blue marble with swirling white veins was the construction material of choice for the shrine and the work about it. Well maintained paths continue on the island from the water walkways. On shore each is lined with statues of the various heroes who fought to protect the people in the battles leading up to the cataclysm and in the rebuilding afterwards. The statues, unlike the rest of the stone work is white marble with blue veins in an inversion of the rest with the same stone being used to create several eye catching patterns in the work..

In the center of each path carries a small stream through a carved channel, but the channel is sealed by a layer of Glasteel.

The Interior
Inside is a well lit chamber with a fountain in the center. On the inside a Coatl motif is clearly seen, especially with the four directly carved inside the fountain, their heads extending towards the points where water flows into the streams leading to the lake.

High above is an eclectic mix of nearly a hundred bells of different sizes, each taken from the temples of the old city or cast by Titus from recovered materials recovered from there.

A continuous stone bench lines the walls, and the place has a feel of calm and serenity.

Quess tends to spend much of her time here as the keeper of the shrine.

The bells are rung twice a day, once at sunrise and once at sunset. They area also tolled at noon on days when town meetings are held. A character present in the Shrine when the bells are rung gains a +2 to a single Perform check made within the next 48 hours, and must announce this use before making the roll.

The water in the fountain is treated as if it came from the Create Healing Spring spell, but retains it's healing ability for 24 hours if collected and adds a +2 to the drinkers saves against a poison that he is already suffering from. Beyond that it functions the same as water taken from the lake.

The Caretakers House
Small and neat, this house is partially dug out of a small hill, having used a small cave as a starting point with the rest of the house made to continue it away from the earth. The end result merges it with the surroundings in an odd way, and even though it is within a sight of the shrine, the house is difficult to distinguish from its surroundings.

Inside is a very tidy, almost obsessively so, living space with shelves lining the walls filled with tomes of various kinds mixed with various books of bound sheet music.

Characters
Quess
Quess is a Faun (Deities & Demigods) Bard 3. Unlike most bards, she is more of a loner by nature. Preferring the quiet life of tending the shrine and greeting its guests to working shows as many bards do.

In her mind, she is constantly fighting parts of her nature that she hates. Being a fey just makes things harder for her.

Raised in the temple of knowledge before the cataclysm, Quess survived well enough though the massive death toll took its toll on her quite visibly. Of the hundred songs that she has written since the time, they lack the cheer and hope of those few written by her younger self with each of them being named after someone she knew that died in the Cataclysm.

Quess possesses a masterwork set of Satyr's pipes presented to her by Ricard Blackstone after he heard the song composed for the dwarves who died in the cataclysm.

Special
The Shrine of the Fallen operates as a Touchstone Site granting special abilities to those who have the Touchstone feat. It functions almost identically to the Shrine At Kahar (Sandstorm) except as follows. The abilities use your character level rather than your cleric level, and the recharge condition is spending 24 continuous hours in prayer and meditation within the shrine. ignore the initial encounter, instead the character must convince the shrine keeper (Quess) to allow them to perform the ritual.

New Feat
Fey's Delight (Bloodline)
You have a closer than usual link with the magic of music, a gift of your fey heritage that few can understand.
Prerequisites: Faun or Satyr, Perform 2+ ranks
Benefit: You may use your Perform skill instead of Use Magic Device for items involving music (Such as musical instruments) if you possess ranks in a perform skill based on using those items. Further you gain a +1 to all Perform checks and a further +2 to a single Perform skill.
Special: This feat may only be taken at 1st level.

[SotF]

A New item

Wayfarer's Compass
Unlike the usual navigation tool, this one is unique in that it points to a specific person or place.
This compass fits easily in the palm of your hand, making it easy to transport and use. It is linked to a specific person, place, or thing. This item grants a +5 navigation bonus to Profession (Geography) when plotting a course directly towards or away from what the Compass is linked to. It also, once per day, grants a +1 bonus to Caster Level for all Divination spells targeting what the compass is linked to.

This item gives no real indication of the distance to the target it question, just the general direction. If the target is destroyed, slain, or removed from the current plane the item ceases to function (Obvious in that turning the device doesn't shift the compass needle), but if the target returns, it begins to function once more.

Faint Divination; CL minimum level to cast the spell for the linked item; Craft Wondrous Item, Locate Creature (Linked to person), Locate Item [Cityscape] (Linked to item), Find City (Linked to Location), Detect Ship (Mobile Item); 5000 gp.

Special To craft this item, you must have a sample of the target in question. This can be a drop of blood or hair, a bit of sand, a splinter of wood, or the like.

[SotF]

The Aviary
A lattice of iron bars containing a thick mesh form a large bird cage over an old barge permanently anchored to the platforms within Lift Town. The sound of dozens of different bird songs fill the air.

The Aviary is one of the oddest portions of the town itself. Rather than a building on poles, it's owner elected to drag a refitted barge from before the Cataclysm into the city and build a massive cage over it. The owner makes his living breeding and selling birds as well as caring for various animals.

The owner is an Anpur known as Ducky, though his real name isn't known by the town.

The Shop
A couple easily transportable cages sit along the wall for sale as well as several small tanks and cages with smaller creatures that would work well as pets. Animal care and training are available for a price.

Ducky offers several exotic animals as pets, several of which have the Magebred template (Eberron Campaign Setting) and offers war training (Warbeast from Monster Manual 2) for a price.

Below Decks
The lower deck of the barge is split into three sections, the first being a room outfitted to train & care for animals, working as the local veterinarians office. The Second is a small, spartan living quarters for Ducky, and the last and largest is simply storage space, most of which is food for his birds.

The Bird Cage
Open to the air, but with waterproof canvas coverings that can be extended, the cage is filled with many smaller birds that Ducky has raised over the years. Anyone entering here is liable to be swarmed if they seem to possess food for them.

The Roost
Behind the shop is a smaller room where Ducky has a few birds of prey that he raised himself. While they aren't for sale, he can acquire others for those who wish to buy them.

Characters
Ducky
A Male Anpur (Hamanuptra) Ranger 4/Battle Sorcerer 4 (Unearthed Arcana) (Familiar swapped for Animal Companion Advancement [Unearthed Arcana]).

Ducky was orphaned as a young child and raised by a priest in his homeland. He was raised as an assassin, to kill those who would damn others. Then he discovered that the priests intention was to have him kill off rivals for his own political advancement, that's when he killed his teacher and ran. Now in exile, Ducky does his best to forget his past, finding comfort in the animals he raises. His name comes from a minor joke, and a mispronunciation of the name he was given in his homeland.

Near sunset is the only time Ducky isn't on the barge beyond when he has purchases to make, spending the time in the woods hunting with one of his falcons.

[SotF]

And a few new feats

Wild Caster [General]
While you may not have the heritage, faith, or training to normally cast spells, you have figured out the mechanics of a single spell.
Prerequisites: Caster level 0, Charisma 13+, Knowledge (Arcana) 2+ ranks
Benefit: Select one first level spell, you gain that spell as a spell like ability with a caster level equal to half your level plus your charisma modifier. You may cast this spell a number of times per day equal to your charisma modifier.
Special: If you later gain a level in a class that provides casting abilities, the spell becomes a known spell that does not need to be prepared from a spellbook to use.

Wild Study [General]
While you haven't gained an expanded view of magic in general, your ability with what you do know has improved.
Prerequisites: Wild Caster, Charisma 15+, 4+ ranks
Benefit: You gain the ability to modify your SLA as if applying a metamagic feat that has a spell level increase that must be equal to or less than your Charisma modifier chosen at the time you take this feat.
Special: This feat may be taken multiple times, each time applying a different metamagic ability to your spell. If you gain a level in a casting class, along with the effects from the Wild Caster feat, you also may treat the spell as if it was effected by Innate Spell metamagic feat.

Cloud of Smoke [General]
You are adept at getting the right powder charge and timing to provide your ship with some concealment.
Prerequisites: Proficient with firearms and siege weapons, Knowledge (Tactics) skill 4+ ranks
Benefit: When you fire a cannon, your ship gains concealment until your next turn. This does not allow you to disappear entirely, as your presence is obvious, but the specific spot is concealed.
Special: Spells involving moving wind that pass through the cloud instantly end this effect.

Bullet's Edge [Fighter]
Wielding both cutlass and gun in the dance of death, you've discovered the secrets of combining these styles.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus 5+, Proficient with Firearms and Cutlass, Ambidexterity
Benefit: When wielding both a pistol and cutlass, if you hit at least once with a full attack and only target a single enemy with the entire action, the last attack of the full attack is taken at your full attack bonus for that type of attack with the threat range increased by 1.
Special: A fighter may take this feat as one of his bonus feats.