Thursday, December 31, 2020

Escape From Skullcano Island and WOTC

Now that I've reviewed Escape from Skullcano Island, I wanted to talk about how you could customize it for use with established Wizards of the Coast settings, just like I did with An Occurrence at Howling Crater, The Horror Out of Hagsjaw, and Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride

Eberron

I think the first step to making Escape From Skullcano Island feel like it belongs in Eberron is to tie it in to the impenetrable  Draconic Prophesy. 

There are many options for Ornthalis of the Seven and One Omens. There are many options for who he is. Here are my favorite suggestions:

  • While known to the world as Ornathilis, the great prophet and sage is actually Sora Teraza (page 201 of Eberron: Rising of the Last War), daughter of the ancient night hag Sora Kell. Teraza is known for her powers of divination.
  • Ornathalis is an ageless half-orc druid and member of the Gatekeepers. Though he appears to be a fit man in his early 30's, he dresses in a simple spun tunic, and speaks slowly and methodically.
  • Ornathalis is a a fiery missionary of the Church of the Silver Flame. He dresses immaculately and goes from calm and composed to fiery at the drop of a hat, just like the best televangelists. 
  • Ornathalis is a deathless elf from Aerenal.  The archmage is  thousands of years old and a former paramour of Lady Vol, last bearer of the Dragonmark of Death. 

The Doomsayers of Krak-Thuul are a Cult of the Dragon Below. Their madness and goals give them a lot in common with the various groups and it's just a great fit. However, not all of the Daelkyr want to see the world burn quite like the Doomsayers, so it's possible that one of them passed the information of the group to Ornathalis. This definitely fits with the moral ambiguity common in the setting. 

Geographically, I'd put Skullcano Island somewhere in the Thunder Sea between Xen'drik and Argonnessen. Somewhere in the Lhazaar Sea between Argonessen and Sarlona would be appropriate too. Being a mysterious place of power, the island should be littered with dragon shards. Members of House Cannith should salivate at the sight of Mecha-Kaiju. You can also beef up the island's cultists and give them a Eberron feel by giving some of them Aberrant Dragonmarks (bonus points if they have the appearance of the various kaiju).


Forgotten Realms

The first change I would make to make the adventure feel more like a classic Realms adventure is replace Ornthalis of the Seven and One Omens, with Elminster the Sage of Shadowdale. Ed Greenwood's stand-in for himself has been a part of nearly every major Forgotten Realms event, and should be a part of it's potential end. The Sage would definitely be aware and concerned with what's going on, but would have the party investigate because he would be too busy with damage control from all of the catastrophic events happening. 

The Doomsayers are from the same realm and could serve Dendar the Night Serpent. Given her nature as the Eater of Worlds, they could even be her spawn. 

Geographically if you want to keep it closer to the more common Realms, I'd place Skullcano Island in the Great Sea between Faerun and Zakhara. If you want to go for more of a Skull Island South Pacific vibe, I'd say place it South East of Kara-Tur.

Exandria

The Doomsayers are definitely servants of Tharzidun, the Chained Oblivion. Their mission on the island would bring about the Epoch of Ends, bringing its fredom and causing Exandria and all life in it to be consumed by its endless hunger for oblivion. 

Tying the Doomsayers to Tharzidun means Ornthalis makes a perfect follower of Ioun, the Knowing Mentor (since a group of his followers focus their lives on keeping the entity imprisoned). I'd tie him into one of the factions. On Tal'Dorei he is an ally of the Tald'Dorei Council. The Library of the Cobalt Soul is a great choice for Wildemount, unless the characters are a part of the Kryn Dynasty (which means he could be a drow, goblinoid, or some typically monstrous race that serves the Light).  

Geographically, Skullcano is in the Lucidian Ocean, south of Tal'Dorei and Wildmount. While the area has been described in much detail, Skullcano Island could be a part of Shattered Teeth.

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