Voyage to Plague Island

Captured!

While sojourning in a small village somewhere on the Parched Coast in a tavern called The Cracked Crab you must have been slipped sleeping powders by someone – probably the serving girl or barkeep.  You awoke to find yourself on board an oared galley, stripped of all possessions save what clothing you wear, in chains and forced to row.  Your mind numb and unable to recall much, you rowed for what seemed like days, occasionally feeling the sting of a whip on your back which momentarily brought you back to reality, but only for a short time as more drugs were fed to you, undoubtedly in the few meager swallows of water they allowed the rowers.  Talk among the other slaves was that the ship was bound for Plague Island.  Your cruel human and half orc captors, when not whipping you and your oar mates told you how wealthy you would make them once they sold you, and of how well you would die in the arena at the Jade Palace.

Through a haze of drugs and pain, you were able to recall bits of legend of such a place.  On the coast and in distant lands, the island is spoken of in hushed tones in the back rooms of bars, in thieves’ and wizards’ guilds and among restless and bloodthirsty delvers and adventurers.  It is said that a group of very wealthy and powerful people use the island as a sort of playground, where gladiatorial combats are held, where powerful mages meet to trade dark secrets and where the hunting of human prey is carried out in the jungle.

Author's Note - I wrote this in 2010.  Now available as an Ebook.  It is a module for a party of characters level 4-7.