The Golden Heart • Odyssey of the Dragonlords

Small Island

Your ship glides through the shallow waters of this paradise and you make landfall on its pristine white beach without incident. The forests that stand before you are crowded with immense oak trees. There is a noticeable lack of anything man made in sight. A small herd of deer, curious and unafraid, make their way towards your vessel from the forest’s edge.

This island has been legendary for as long as there have been settlers in Thylea. Some of the Dragonlords landed on this island and came back with stories of animals that were almost divine in stature. These creatures were more beautiful and noble than any others of their kind. That didn’t stop the Dragonlords from hunting them: one golden lion was caught and killed, and its hide was used to make a fabulous magical cloak. While such magnificent beasts have been found on Thylea’s mainland, they have never been seen in the numbers that are reputed to be on this island. For centuries, sailors have sought out the island in hopes of taking the hide of a divine beast and selling it for a king’s ransom in Mytros.

Garden of the Mother Goddess#

This island has unparalleled natural beauty. It appears to be covered in dense forest, most of which are ancient oak and fir trees that loom to great heights. The dense forest is broken occasionally by clearings covered in tall, golden grass. At the very center of the island stands an enormous oak tree that towers more than two hundred feet into the air.

The tree at the center of the island is the Heart of Thylea. It is here that mortals and gods can speak with the Mother Goddess, Thylea herself. If someone is foolish enough to damage the tree, then two Hands of Kentimane will erupt from the earth and attack them. If the hands are defeated, then Kentimane (appendix B) himself will appear and annihilate all trespassers.

Communing with Thylea#

To commune with Thylea, someone must place their hand on the bark of the tree. If the goddess feels that the person is worthy, she will answer a single question. This works the same way as the Divination spell.

Easy Hunting#

Animals of all kinds are abundant on the island: tropical birds; large mammals such as deer, boar, sheep; and smaller creatures such as rabbits, beavers, possums and raccoons. Hunting is easy since none of the animals on the island have learned to fear humans or humanoids.

Eternal Apples#

The fruit trees on the island bear delicious apples that remain eternally fresh until eaten. Eating one of these apples has the same effect as a Potion of Healing. If several barrels of apples are taken from the island, all but one barrel (containing 20 apples) will immediately ferment into cider. While delicious, the cider has no special healing effects.

Blessed Olive Oil#

The olive trees here have been blessed by the Mother Goddess. The olives may be harvested and pressed into Blessed Olive Oil (appendix C). This process requires three heroes to perform a full day of work on the island.

Encounter: The Pegasus#

Somewhere in the sky above, you hear a horse’s whinny. Glancing upward, you see a white-winged creature gliding through the clouds. A flying horse—of all things—gracefully alights on a tall rock and watches you cautiously from a distance. You’ve heard stories of this creature. It’s called a pegasus.

This Pegasus is proud and pure of heart. It can only be approached by good-aligned heroes. If anyone of an evil alignment approaches the pegasus, it snorts contemptuously and flies away. Even a good-aligned character may provoke this reaction if they have ever performed an evil deed. In such a case, the character experiences a vision, a demanding memory of their past evil deed, just as the pegasus flies away.

If one hero proves worthy enough to approach the pegasus, then it may be bonded to that hero with a Pegasus Bridle. Such a bridle may be crafted at the Mithral Forge (see appendix C of The Great Labors). Once tamed, the pegasus will join the heroes on the Ultros. Its favorite food is the perpetually fresh eternal apples that can be collected on this island.

Event: The Golden Ram#

If the heroes explore the jungle, they will find no signs of civilization. Within one hour of landfall, they will encounter their first sign of one of the golden beasts— the Golden Ram (appendix B).

The ram runs from the party using its full movement speed, making its way to the center of the island. It climbs the hill where the great oak tree of Thylea stands. Once it gets to the top, it uses its ability to fly to easily outdistance pursuers and hide in the forest.

This chase serves the purpose of bringing the heroes to the point where they can commune with Thylea, the Mother Goddess. The golden ram knows that all worthy heroes should be brought to this place.

Event: Hunted by Lions#

Within six hours of the heroes making landfall, a pride of eight female Lions led by a Golden Lion (appendix B) will begin to hunt them. At first, the heroes will only hear the roar of lions in the distance. Within a few minutes, anyone with a passive Perception score of 15 or higher will notice that they are being hunted.

The lions are good hunters, and they will wait to pounce until the heroes are in a vulnerable position. For example, they might attack just before the party gets back to the Ultros. The lions have Advantage on all of their Dexterity (Stealth) checks.