D20 SYSTEM✦ Normal

The Quarantine of Gorgon's Tear

# Wilderness# Nautical# Intrigue# Beast

The ship 'Gorgon's Tear' lies shattered on the jagged teeth of the Cyclops Isle, its survivors marooned on a shore patrolled by hulking, rock-hurling monstrosities. The Cyclops clan, guardians of the island's miraculous 'Orchard of Renewal', have blockaded the coast. They are not mere brutes; they are a dying people defending the last source of life for their kin from what they perceive as a parasitic plague—the human survivors. The players, among the castaways, must navigate this hostile quarantine, forging alliances with desperate factions to find a way off the isle, only to uncover that the Orchard holds a secret that could doom or save everyone.

Chronicle Prelude

The survivors' camp, 'Driftwood Haven', is a chaotic collection of shipwreck debris and makeshift tents on a narrow, rocky beach. The air smells of salt, fear, and smoke from multiple cookfires. The constant thunder of boulders smashing into the shallows serves as a grim reminder that the Cyclops are watching from the cliffs above.

Environmental Traits

The isle is a sealed quarantine zone. The Cyclops clan, led by a wise but dying elder, believes the shipwreck brought a 'wasting sickness' from the mainland. They are enforcing a brutal lockdown: no one leaves, and the sacred Orchard—which grants vitality and fertility to their people—must be kept pure at all costs. The survivors' only hope lies in understanding the island's true ecology and making an impossible choice.

Legendary Archetypes

Rayan

HP:45

STR:16

WIS: 12

CHA:11

Key Factions & Autonomous Nodes (8)

Silent Fin
A young, wiry Cyclops with unusually large, expressive eyes. His skin is weathered but not yet scarred by age. He wears no armor, only wraps of woven kelp and driftwood, and carries a satchel of carved bones and dried plants. He communicates entirely through precise gestures, expressive facial movements, and by drawing symbols in the dirt.
Mara the Scarred
A human woman in her 40s with a network of pale scars across her face and arms. Her armor is a patchwork of ship's plates and leather. Her eyes are hard, constantly scanning for threats, and her hand rests near a well-used cutlass. She carries the authority of a captain in every tense line of her posture.
Elder Thornheart
A massive, ancient Cyclops whose single eye is clouded with cataracts. His skin is like wrinkled bark, and vines seem to grow naturally into his gray hair. He lies on a bed of moss in the heart of the Orchard, breathing shallowly. Despite his frailty, a palpable aura of authority and ancient power surrounds him.
Shaman Rootmaw
A powerfully built Cyclops draped in garlands of pale, glowing flowers and woven roots that seem to pulse with a faint life. His single eye burns with fanatical zeal, and his mouth is stained with the dark juice of the Orchard's fruit. He wields a gnarled staff that ends in a sharpened, root-like point.
Helmsman Jorn
A gaunt human man with bloodshot eyes and trembling hands. He wears the tattered remains of a naval officer's coat, stained with salt and cheap spirits. He smells strongly of fermented seaweed. He flinches at loud noises and seems perpetually on the edge of panic.
Reef Goblin Skrix
A wiry goblin with mottled green-brown skin, large, pointed ears, and a mouth full of sharp, yellowed teeth. He wears a necklace of fishbones and colorful sea glass, and carries a pouch that clinks with stolen trinkets. He moves with quick, nervous energy, always looking for an advantage or an escape route.
Cyclops Warden Grak
A towering, muscular Cyclops clad in crude armor made from the shells of giant crabs and hardened leather. His single eye is narrowed in permanent suspicion, and he carries a massive club studded with sharpened shell fragments. He patrols the borders of the Whispering Woods with a predator's focus.
Survivor Chemist Elara
A human woman with soot-stained fingers and keen, intelligent eyes that dart around, cataloging details. She wears a practical apron over her clothes and has a collection of vials and tools hanging from her belt. She smells of chemicals and bruised herbs.

Chronicle Prelude

Environmental Traits

Legendary Archetypes

✦ Related Cases ✦

The Gilded Cries of Salt-Spray Rock

The Medusa's Coiffure of Red Coral Bay and the Crated Bronze Mirrors of the Shipwreck