While most adventures are based in standard European temperate forest settings, changing location can make for a real change of pace and theme. To steal a march on my current D&D campaign, which is set in an archipelago of tropical islands, here are some set pieces which you can use to set up explorations, swashbuckling nautical fun, and adventure galore!
1 - Clamoroso Island: This island, marked by several rough stony peaks that guard the inner valley, is ringed by terrible storms. The thunder echoes from the peaks, and rumours of earlier explorers say that some fabulous lost city lurks in the shadowy vale between the peaks. 2 - Atolón de Orilva: A series of pleasant crescent islands with crystal-clear water shield a dreadfully dark sinkhole, potentially more than a hundred fathoms deep. No diver who has descended below the light level has ever returned. 3 - La Isleta Arenosa: A low island that vanishes during king tide, used as a meeting-place and marketplace by traders and the locals of nearby islands. Its beaches are shallow, warm, and inhabited by amiable tropical fish. 4 - Bellburn Reef: A distant collection of tall rocky towers with precarious wooden huts protruding from the sides, this area is visited rarely by traders. However, the guano of its gulls makes a valuable tradestuff, and locals are famed for their feats of athletic acrobatics, racing along the crumbling tops of the stacks as they head out into the sea. 5 - Teratawa Isle: A large island with a smouldering volcano. There are forests of out-of-place tree varieties, and it seems as though a flock of Wyverns circle the volcano's peak. Several tribes are known to populate the island, most of them neutral or friendly to outsiders. 6 - Vonmere Skerry: Once a fortified colony of the Free City, this port has become a pirate haven. It is famous for accepting travelers under any flag, and accepting any trade goods offered- if the price is right. It is home to a rough blend of sailors and traders, as well as practitioners of forbidden magics. 7 - Beaconmack Holm: An island famed for its unstable geography, even in the waters surrounding it, it is now topped by an arcane lighthouse to warn travellers. However, ships passing by in recent years have reported seeing its light flickering. 8. Vallant's Island: This lush island is home to a rich variety of bizarre monsters and terrains, as well as a small sheltered harbour claimed by an accentric and influential nobleman. He hosts hunting parties, although some who have enjoyed his hospitality tell that there is a misty plateau that even Vallant and his soldiers avoid at great cost. 9. Ma'Kai Tapihana: An island that the natives tell is haunted by demons, it has remained unsettled by colonists. Several expeditions have ventured onto its grey, rocky shores, but few survivors have returned, their faces aghast and their tongues stilled. 10. Enutanga Nopera: Fabled to have been the seat of power of the 'Queen of Blood' over eight hundred years ago, this island has sunk below the sea, although the stone monoliths and step pyramids that marked her vicious reign are visible at low tide. Enterprising divers sometimes chance swimming down to explore, and some have returned with carven stone idols or gems that have made them wealthy. Others, however, have vanished in the depths. Also posted on Game Masters Stash on 3 September 2021. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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