Typhon, the Maw • Odyssey of the Dragonlords

Large Island

The sea grows rough as a massive volcanic island comes into view. Its central peak belches thick black smoke and white-hot lava. Although you can see black sand beaches on the shore, choppy waters and the ring of jagged rocks protruding from the sea make a safe landfall challenging.

The waters around this island are always rough. There are a couple of black, sandy beaches where landings can be made, but navigating through the rocks that surround the island requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. On a failure, the ship takes 250 damage to its hull that must be repaired.

This island is called Typhon, but it has several other names: the “Island of Horror,” the “Island of the Maw,” and the “Father of Monsters.” At the center of the island is a scar in the fabric of reality, a gaping pit that connects the mortal world to the plane of Hades. Legend has it that many of the warped monstrosities that haunt the world came from here—hence its name.

Throughout history, many individuals have come here seeking power, but no one leaves the island without being twisted in some unexpected way. Terrible creatures such as the chimera and the manticore are thought to have first spawned upon this island.

The island is an active volcano that towers nearly a mile into the sky, with flaming rivers of molten rocks running down the sides and boiling into the ocean. There is no easy way up its slopes, but for those willing to make the journey, there are three different cave entrances that lead into the Maw.

Exploring Typhon#

For those who attempt the climb (or approach with flight) read the following:

The mountain looms above you, its blackened peak piercing the sky nearly a mile high. Rivers of fire spill down its sides, molten rock hissing as it strikes the ocean far below. There are three cave mouths clustered together on the slopes, each perched on a small plateau that looks as though it’s been carved straight from the volcanic rock.

Climbing up to one of the three caves requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. The cave entrances are connected with narrow paths.

Typhon Key Locations#

M1: Plateau#

You stand before three cavern mouths carved into the blackened slope. The first cave exhales a rancid stench. The second lies silent. From the third drift faint moans and distant screams, carried on a breath of hot, foul air. Far above, shapes like vultures circle against the ashen sky.

Anyone that lingers for more than a few minutes risks being spotted by the circling Mormos (appendix B). There is a 25% chance of this happening every minute after the first, with one mormo diving down for each hero present. They will use their song to lure victims up the stairs leading to the summit (see area M8). They then attempt to lure their victims over the lip of the volcano and into the Maw itself. Refer to area M6 for details.

M2: The Cave of Excess#

Immediately upon entering this cave, you are struck by the rank odor of feces, stale sweat, and rotting meat. Half-eaten fish fins, cracked bones, and humanoid appendages litter the floor before you. Farther into the cave, you find a grotesquely bloated man with a elephant head lying back in a pile of filth. The disgusting creature fixes a hungry gaze on you.

The creature is a Rakshasa that uses this cave as a lair. Unlike most of its kind, it is immensely fat and spends much of its time wallowing in a pit of its own filth. It summons Mormos (appendix B) to fish in the ocean and bring it back fresh food. It prefers dolphins,

mermen, and occasionally, trespassing mortals. Its appetites change by the moment. Its cave is scattered with half-eaten corpses of all of those creatures.

The rakshasa doesn’t attack immediately. It calls itself “Hunger,” and it demands food from the party. It will allow a hero to pass through its cave into the Maw if given a proper sacrifice of food. Livestock totaling 500 pounds or more will satisfy it.

If a fight breaks out, there is a 25% chance that 1d4

Mormos will return with food for the rakshasa within 1d6 rounds. They will fight to the death. Treasure**.** Mixed in with the filth is 120 PP, 300 GP and two Potions of Healing (superior).

M3: Mormo Nest#

Inside the cavern, three harpy looking creatures screech and claw over the torn remains of a dolphin. One of them stands apart, with her features being less monstrous under her dirt caked skin.

Two of the creatures are Mormos (appendix B), while the third, less monstrous creature, is a Siren Messenger (appendix B) named Alovarea.

The mormos shriek and attack the moment they spot intruders, fighting to the death, while Alovarea retreats to the back of the cave, cowering. She has no memory of her name or past and pleads only that the heroes spare her life.

A Lesser Restoration or Remove Curse spell restores her mind. Once freed, Alovarea gratefully shares what she knows of Typhon and its corruption of sirens into Mormos. She can describe which creatures dwell within each cave but admits she knows nothing of the Maw itself. Desperate to escape before she succumbs to the same fate, Alovarea begs to accompany the heroes aboard the Ultros.

M4: The Cave of Vanity#

The halls of this cave are lined with extremely lifelike marble statues, some broken. Each depicts a beautiful woman with a face showing abject fear. A slithering noise deeper inside the cavern draws your attention to the mistress of this cave: a towering woman with scaly skin, a muscular serpentine lower body, and a swarm of writhing snakes in place of hair.

A Euryale (appendix B) lives in this cave. She has an arrangement with Moxena, the Lady of Coins, who delivers beautiful women to the medusa in exchange for abyssal secrets from the Maw.

The euryale likes to toy with her victims before turning them to stone, so she will attempt to pick off the heroes individually. She hides in the shadows and creates distracting sounds to encourage the party to split up and investigate. She has an intimate knowledge of the cave layout. She strikes suddenly and without warning.

At the rear of the cave a tunnel leads to an overlook of the Maw.

Treasure**.** One of the petrified heroes in the room carries a Mace of Smiting. It cannot be removed from his grip without curing his petrification or shattering the hand that wields the mace.

M5: The Mouth of Typhon#

Before you rises a twelve-foot-tall bronze statue shaped like a coiled constrictor, its polished scales glinting in the dim light. Farther down the tunnel, an orange glow flickers, and waves of stifling heat roll toward you.

The statue is indestructible. Any creature trying to walk past it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw.

On a failure, the creature is filled with terror, gains the Frightened condition, and flees away from the Maw, not stopping until they reach the Plateau (area M1). The Frightened condition lasts for an hour or until dispelled.

If someone successfully makes it past the statue, attacks the statue or simply stands before it, then read the following:

The bronze serpent stirs, metal rippling like living flesh as its eyes flare into twin pits of darkness. Its voice grates like grinding stone, heavy with pain. “You are children of Thylea … my sister … the one who still heeds the Maker’s song. Have you come to taste the first breath of the world’s rage?”

If a hero answers yes, the serpent opens its mouth to reveal a ripened pomegranate and whispers, “Eat, and see as the gods see.”

If a hero eats the fruit, it is sweeter than anything they have ever tasted, and the searing heat of the Maw becomes comforting warmth. The hero gains resilience to the madness within the Maw. See area M6 for more details.

The serpent will offer a pomegranate to any who ask, but once no one seeks the fruit, it falls silent and returns to lifeless bronze.

The negative consequences of this choice will not become evident until chapter 10.

M6: The Maw#

When the heroes emerge from the tunnel leading to the Maw, read the following:

You stand at the edge of the volcano’s heart, gazing into the Maw. The central cone is a vast chamber filled with a furious whirlpool of magma, its molten tides churning in slow circles around a pit of perfect blackness at the center. Rivers of fire stream into that void, vanishing without a trace.

The Maw#

1 Square = 5 Feet#

The Maw is the central cone of the volcano. It is filled with a fiery maelstrom of magma that slowly circles the black pit at its center. The magma empties into this pit of blackness and thus keeps the volcano relatively stable— the island never grows larger.

Falling into the pit means almost certain death. The magma inflicts 55 (10d10) Fire damage per round. Anyone who survives is sucked into the black vortex, which leads to the plane of Hades.

Hades is a barren place, leached of all color and bleak with despair. Ash constantly rains from the sky, spewed forth by volcanic peaks that stick out of the blasted wasteland. The fate of anyone who remains too long in this realm of wickedness is to be transformed into a writhing

Larva, a slug-like creature. Tempting Whispers. Anyone who looks into the

Maw can hear two whispering voices. One voice makes promises of great rewards for any brave enough to enter the Maw, while the other voice threatens dire consequences for not plunging into the pit. Anyone who listens to the whispers risks madness and worse, but there is also the possibility of gaining great power. Anyone who heard the bronze serpent speak will recognize the whispers as the same.

For each round that a hero spends listening to the whispers in the Maw, roll on the Effects of the Maw table and consult the Gift column. Add +10% to the roll for each round spent listening after the first (to a maximum

of +30%). If the listener accepts the gift, then roll on the Curse column of the table, using the same bonus that was used for the Gift roll.

If the listener becomes afflicted with the Curse of the Harpy or the Curse of the Medusa (both in appendix D, The Great Labors), do not tell the player that they have been afflicted by a curse at this point. They will discover the curse over the days to come.

Madness of the Maw. The first round spent listening doesn’t inflict any madness on the listener. The second round requires a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. Failure results in 10 (3d6) Psychic damage and the listener gains

Short-Term Mental Stress. The third round requires a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw. Failure results in 21 (6d6) Psychic damage and the listener gains Long-Term Mental Stress that gives them Disadvantage on Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom ability checks. On the fourth round, the listener automatically takes 21 (6d6) Psychic damage and gains Indefinite Mental Stress that gives them Disadvantage on Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom ability checks. It also includes a permanent fear of the Island of the Maw. They will want to leave the island by the quickest possible route. This fear of the island and the Indefinite Mental Stress are permanent unless cured by Greater Restoration. If the madness is cured, then the voices will never speak to the listener again.

Pomegranate**.** If a hero ate the pomegranate, then they have Advantage on all saving throws against the madness of the Maw. In addition, the hero may choose to reroll one result, whether it is for a Gift or a Curse. Once this is used, they lose all the benefits of the pomegranate.

M7: The Cave of Vulgarity#

Moans and screams can be heard from within this cave mouth, growing louder as you move inside. After a few minutes of walking, you come to a large, dimly-lit cavern. There, a man with the legs of a goat and great black curved horns reclines on a rocky throne. In his hands he holds an ornate gold scepter, which he fondles as he gazes at the spectacle at his feet: a wine-soaked bacchanal of revelers indulging their carnal passions.

The Incubus who lives in this cave generally takes on the appearance of a male satyr. He possesses a Rod of Rulership, which he activates at sunset each day to take control of all of his captives. It amuses him to transform his captives into mindless revelers every night. At dawn, he forces them into a bronze cage and leaves the cave to hunt for fresh meat on the island.

The incubus’s captives include two Satyrs, one male

Oread Nymph, and one female Aurae Nymph (both found in appendix B, The Great Labors). There are also sailors from across Thylea, including an Aresian warrior (LN Warrior Monk), two Amazons (NE Amazon Warriors), and a Mytrosian soldier (LG Soldier Captain). See appendix B for these stat blocks. When under the influence of the Rod of Rulership, these mind-controlled captives are unabashed pleasure-seekers who defend their master to the death. During the daytime, the captives hunger for freedom

and revenge against the incubus. They will help the heroes in any way they can. Unlocking the cages requires a successful DC 20 Dexterity check with Thieves’ Tools. The Incubus returns at sunset.

M8: Trail to Summit#

A narrow trail winds upward along the volcano’s flank, carved from brittle black rock.

A path to the right of the cave entrance leads up the slope to the lip of the volcano overlooking the Maw. Anyone who climbs to the summit will be attacked by Mormos, (appendix B) one for each hero.

The mormos will circle above the Maw and attempt to use their Luring Song to convince their prey to leap off to their likely doom. If the hostile mormos are killed, the heroes will be left alone by the others.

Treasure**.** There are a half-dozen mormo nests on the lip of the volcano. Each contains the remnants of items and equipment the mormos possessed when they were sirens. Most items no longer have any value, but there are 55 (10d10) GP in each nest.

Hades#

If the Cursed One leaps into the depths of Hades, they feel an unseen force guiding them toward a distant volcano.

The air grows heavy with ash and heat as you descend into the underworld. Rivers of molten fire cut across the blackened plain, their glow reflecting off jagged obsidian rock. In the distance, a great volcano looms, its summit crowned with crimson light. At its base stands a towering bronze gate, guarded by a monstrous three-headed hound the size of an elephant. Beside it waits a winged woman in black armor, her gaze fixed upon you.

illustrated quote — The living imagine Hades as a prison. The dead know it as a place where all stories finally stop changing. —Kyrah, Goddess of Music

The woman is an Erinyes, and the hound is a Cerberus (appendix B). The erinyes greets the Cursed One by name, saying she has long awaited their arrival. She explains that the hero has come to save an ancestor who is undeserving of rescue; one who defied the titans and was cursed justly for his arrogance.

She offers the Cursed One a choice:

“You stand before judgment,” the Erinyes declares. “Spill your ancestor’s blood and end the curse, or defy fate itself and face the hound that guards these gates.”

Allow the Cursed One time to confer with their companions before deciding.

If they choose to execute their ancestor, read the following aloud:

The Erinyes nods in approval, a cruel smile curling her lips. With effortless strength, she parts the bronze gate, revealing a kneeling figure beyond. Your ancestor looks up with weary eyes and whispers, “It is time.” He bows his head, extending his neck in silent acceptance of his fate.

If the hero cannot carry out the execution, the Erinyes commands the cerberus to attack, joining the battle herself. Read the following:

The Erinyes shakes her head in disdain. “So be it,” she says coldly. “You choose folly over wisdom. The hound will feast upon your souls.”

The cerberus attacks immediately. If the battle turns against the heroes, the Cursed One’s ancestor cries out in anguish, refusing to let his bloodline die. He rushes into the beast’s gaping jaws, and the cerberus rends him apart, ending both his life and the curse in one tragic moment.