Indigo Island • Odyssey of the Dragonlords

Large Island

Your ship glides through clear blue waters towards a rocky and verdant shore. A crescent archipelago to the south creates a lagoon between the sea and main island. Through the clear green water of the lagoon, you can see jagged rocks and coral reefs that must be carefully avoided. Fishing boats dot the coastline of the island, each dragging several large nets.

This island is heavily forested, and it has three beaches that make excellent landings.

The waters are perilous, but the island offers three possible landing sites. The heroes must decide where to make landfall:

Main Beach (see area Q1). The largest beach on the main island. Human fishermen haul their catches ashore, where dwarf butchers carve them on the sand.
Small Beach (see area Q2). A smaller beach on the main island. Here, halflings and gnomes wade, dance, and play in the shallows.
Archipelago Beach (see area Q3). A beach on the largest islet in the southern chain.

Indigo Barbarians#

This is the home of the seafaring Indigo barbarians. The humans, elves, dwarves, and others in the Indigo Tribes inhabited the Cerulean Gulf islands long before the coming of the Dragonlords.

History of the Indigo Tribes#

More than a thousand years ago, hundreds of survivors from a series of shipwrecks washed ashore on the Gulf’s islands. They were helped by the native races, including the nymphs and satyrs, and they were eventually able to build a fleet of small ships to sail the Cerulean Gulf. They discovered Indigo Island and settled here, calling themselves the Indigo Tribes, after the fields of dark blue flowers that carpet the island.

When the Dragonlords came, the Indigo Tribes fought on the side of the Thylean natives as a naval force. They scored several significant victories, but they went back into hiding after the end of the First War. They have remained here for the past five centuries. Although the island’s forests are plentiful with deer and boar, the tribes mostly depend upon fishing and raiding.

Barbarian Raiders#

Civilized, mainland Thyleans dismiss the Indigo Tribes as uncultured barbarians, worthy only of scorn. However, their fearlessness and naval prowess also inspire respect: the barbarians frequently raid settlements along the Cerulean Gulf.

The Indigo barbarians are the best navigators in all of Thylea. They observe flocks of birds and track the movements of stars to travel the Cerulean Gulf. They consider their navigation skills to be sacred and would never share their techniques with an outsider. Some travel to Mytros and Estoria to experience the decadent lifestyle of the “mainlanders,” but all of them eventually return to their island home.

The Indigo Tribes dress lightly and wield unusual steel weapons, which have been handed down from their ancestors, or forged by dwarves of the Whale tribe, rather than the common bronze weapons used on the mainland. They are tanned by wind and sun from time at sea. The most exotic part of their appearance are the spiraling patterns of blue tattoos that cover their bodies. Indigo barbarians wear tattoos to mark every significant event in their lives.

The Tribes#

There are several tribes on the island, each including several hundred members. The tribes are divided along racial lines, but they are united in their reverence of Thylea, the Great Mother. Each tribe is ruled by a chief and two or three thanes (CN Tribal Paragons, appendix B). The tribes are defended by a core group of fearless warriors (CN Berserkers), but all of the men and women in the tribe can fight (CN Tribal Hunters, appendix B).

Tribe of the Dolphin#

This tribe of elves is the most xenophobic of the islanders, and they are the masters of building the catamaran-style boats used by the Indigo barbarians to travel the Gulf. The boats are built so that they can be easily dismantled and hidden. They even have masts that can be used as a rain-catcher for fresh water on long voyages. The tribe is ruled by Dolphin, an elf woman (CN Druid). This name is taken by anyone who becomes chieftain.

Tribe of the Eel#

This tribe of halflings and gnomes lives close to the beaches, and they are the best fishermen on the island. They are also the most gregarious and welcoming of the tribes. Their leader, Loopywoopy (CG Tribal Paragon, appendix B), a female gnome, is famed for her ability to stretch even the most mundane story into an epic, sprawling myth for all the ages!

Tribe of the Shark#

The largest tribe is made up of humans, half-elves, tieflings, and half-orcs. It is ruled by Gorac, an exceedingly tall and slender half-elf (CN Tribal Paragon, appendix B).

Tribe of the Whale#

This tribe of dwarves keeps to the central forest on the island. They run a mining operation that works a small iron deposit, the only one known in all of Thylea. The iron ore is difficult to mine due to its scarcity even here, so the steel weapons made by the dwarves are valued by all the tribes. They are led by Delg (CG Gladiator). He dresses in the armor of his forebears: adamantine half plate and shield (giving him AC 19).

Indigo Island Key Locations#

Q1: Shark and Whale#

As your vessel coasts toward the largest beach, you spot movement on the sands. A dozen broad-shouldered figures halt their work of hauling nets and salting fish. The crash of waves against the reef nearly drowns out their voices as they call warnings to one another. From the tree line strides a dwarf clad in half-plate of dull, gray metal. He plants his shield in the sand, waiting.

This beach is where members of the Shark and Whale tribe can be found. While the tribe of the Shark is the largest on the island, it is the leader of the Whale tribe that has the strongest leader.

Delg greets the heroes when they come ashore. Delg begins with suspicion. He knows outsiders rarely land without trouble. His first words are questions—why have they come, and what do they seek? If the heroes answer honestly and show respect, Delg relaxes his stance. Though gruff, he is willing to share what he knows of the island.

Delg warns them first of the Dolphin Tribe, a community of elves embittered by centuries of betrayal and loss suffered at the hands of outsiders. These elves attack any who are not of the Indigo Tribes. He speaks kindlier of the Eel Tribe, made up of gnomes and halflings. Foolhardy at times, yes, but their bravery is undeniable.

At last, Delg’s voice hardens as he speaks of the true danger. Recently, a monster descended upon the island. It is a copper-scaled dragon, vast as an elephant. On the day of its arrival, it slew dozens of Delg’s kin and then seized the entrance to the tribe’s mine, twisting it into its lair. Since then, it has hunted the Indigo Tribes relentlessly, feeding on their people. Despite their numbers, the tribes have been powerless to defeat such a beast.

Delg will offer the heroes Adamantine Half-Plate as a reward for dealing with the chimera. A successful DC 15 Persuasion (Charisma) check can convince Delg to provide two sets of the half-plate.

Q2: Eel#

The smaller beach glitters with white sand, strewn with conch shells and net floats. Dozens of halflings and gnomes scatter at your approach, vanishing into the treeline. The surf washes their footprints away, but laughter drifts faintly from the woods ahead.

The tribe of the Eel has decided to prove itself against the heroes, whom they call “outsiders.” Chief Loopywoopy takes one of her thanes and leads a dozen berserkers in an attack against the party. Loopywoopy announces beforehand that this battle is a ritual and not to the death. Her twelve barbarians (CG Tribal Paragons, appendix B) will not use lethal force unless the heroes use it against them. Read the following:

Twelve short, tattooed humanoids approach your party. Though their tiny faces contort themselves in expressions meant to convey menace, their weapons remain sheathed. A middle-aged gnome approaches you with a confident stride. She wears an ornate headdress that nearly swallows her features. “I, Chief Loopywoopy of the great Tribe of the Eel, wish to welcome you to Indigo Island! Do you outsiders care to prove your might against my people’s greatest warriors? Stow your weapons! Testing your mettle requires no bloodshed.”

If the heroes are able to defeat the band, they are asked to a great feast in their honor. At the feast, satyrs play music, nymphs dance in the moonlight, and the gnomes and halflings drink copious amounts of liquor. The drink is a sweet-tasting rum made from sugarcane found deep in the island interior. Read the following:

The full moon hangs in the clear night sky, providing a picturesque backdrop for the feast. Satyrs serenade you with their pipes while nymphs, halflings, and gnomes dance around the flickering fire. You never quite finish your sweet, potent drink, as your hosts are quick to fill your cup back up to its brim. The air is thick with the smell of alcohol, smoked fish, and fresh sweat.

Part way through the feast, Ventis the Adult Copper

Dragon attacks. She uses her acid breath and then starts killing indiscriminately. Read the following:

The festivities are cut short by a most unwelcome guest. The triangular silhouette of a dragon glides in front of the full moon and swoops down to attack the celebrations. Firelight reflects from her glimmering metallic scales. She spews a stream of acid that singes the edge of Chief Loopywoopy’s headdress.

As soon as Ventis takes more than 20 damage, she uses her slowing breath and retreats to her lair. Chief Loopwoopy will try to convince the heroes to go after her. Loopwoopy explains that the dragon has been collecting a hoard of treasure from the surrounding islands.

Q3: Dolphin#

The beach lies silent. Sleek catamarans, carved with dolphin motifs, rest neatly on the sand. Yet no voices greet you, no nets stretch in the waves. The stillness feels as if you are being watched.

The tribe of the Dolphin wants no visitors. They’ve seen what can happen when someone trusts “civilized” people with armor and weapons.

illustrated quote — I like the Indigo barbarians. They drink like champions and punch first, sing later. Honestly, that is how I solved most of my problems. —Pythor, God of War

A war band hides within the forest that surrounds the beach. As soon as strangers make landfall on the beach, six elf Berserkers led by an elf Tribal Paragon (appendix B)will burst from the woods and attack. A dozen Tribal

Warriors (appendix B) remain at the edge of the forest and hurl spears. They fight to the death, but do not pursue if the intruders retreat. Exploring the Island. If the heroes defeat the elves at

the beach, they will discover the island has been seemingly abandoned. A beautiful village has been built into the upper branches of trees near the island’s center.

Dolphin (CN Druid), the leader of the tribe, has taken two Tribal Paragons and six Berserkers and told the rest of the tribe to retreat from the island using catamarans hidden within the trees on the other end of the island. Dolphin and her small band will then ambush the heroes, with the elf druid using the Entangle spell at the start of the fight.

Q4: The Dragon#

When the heroes arrive at the valley where the dragon has her lair, read the following:

Pines rise along the slopes of this valley, and the air grows acrid with the stink of acid and carrion. At the cliff’s base gapes a jagged rift, wide enough for a dragon. Piles of bleached bones litter the ground, cracked and pitted by acid.

A few months ago, an evil metallic dragon came to the island and claimed it as hunting territory. Ventis (CE Adult

Copper Dragon) came from Praxys. Sydon hatched and raised her at his tower, and he’s released her to hunt and grow stronger before his war begins. Ventis has taken to hunting the barbarians as food.

Unlike most of her kind, Ventis is chaotic evil, as she has been raised from birth to hate any outsider race that settled in Thylea.

When the heroes approach the cave of the dragon, read the following:

The mine’s entrance yawns open at the base of a sheer cliff face. Abandoned mining carts lie overturned, their ore scattered on the ground. From deep within the mine, you hear something breathing. It sounds slow, heavy, and terrible.

Ventis will protect her hoard at all costs, including her own life. Because she was aged to her current size through Sydon’s magic, she doesn’t have the guile of an adult dragon, nor does she have the Legendary actions.

Treasure. The dragon’s hoard contains 100 PP and 5,000 GP. The coins are piled around a pedestal on which rests a single glowing Orb of Star Metal.