What should I do with this location?

[Tonguez]

Off the coast of my main town is a jungle island upon which is a ruined temple with a single statue of an unidentifed goddess wearing chains (manacles).

The island is currently uninhabited except for birds and it radiates magic


- so what do I do with it? Any ideas welcome

 

[fba827]

i like the visual setup. chains on a statue does seem unique.

here are some questions that come to mind --

(don't get me wrong, these questions are merely to try and find some idea to latch on to -- not actually questioning the setup itself)

1) Are the chains actual chains? Or are they simply part of the carving to look like chains (i.e. are they part of the stonework, or are they real chains that were put on the stonework)

2) Is it possible that this is not a goddess, but the placement just makes people of today think it is/was a goddess? (i.e. is there even the possibility that it is just someone turned to stone, etc. or do you firmly have in mind that it is a goddess?)

3) is it possible that this is not a temple, but rather a simple room/structure that has worn away with time leaving what appears to simply be ruined walls and so someone assumed (based on the presence of the statue) that it was a temple of some sort?



based on the above questions, a couple random thoughts popped in to mind ...

-- Maybe it's not a temple but was one time a simple structure prison. The statue was once a person. Some ancient culture had this woman who did something really bad -or- she was a 'witch' or whatever. and so her punishment was to be isolated (on the island), imprisoned (in the prison), turned to stone (the statue), and manacled (the chains). This would be a rather harsh penalty so you'd have to have it firm in mind what her 'crime' was. To an uninformed person looking at the scene centruies later, it might very well look like it was a shrine in a building, thus the appearance/assumption of temple

* maybe the island was at one time connected to the mainland. but this primitive temple caused lots of superstition and was considered cursed (bad things always seemed to happen to those who visited or were near it). So some powerful magic was done to separate the temple grounds in to it's own island and break it away from the mainland. So, anyone who visits gets some sort of magical curse/badluck.

* maybe it is a temple to a goddess of slavery; maybe it is a temple to a god of slavery who believes that the depicted race (who happens to be shown as a woman) should be in servitude; maybe it is a goddess whose legend tells that she was at one time a prisoner but rose to godhood so the statue depicts her time in captivity as a reminder to those feeling the pressure of life that anything, even the heavens, is possible and not to give up hope.

* maybe the statue isn't important -- it just serves as a fancy altar to showcase the manacles -- they are a powerful evil or powerful artifact on their own. they suck the life energy out of those that wear it (or something.. the exact nature of them would depend on what your PC mentality is like.. obviously, don't give them something that they would just abuse).

anyway, these are all random ideas (not very well thoughtout, i admit).. but still sharing in case anything sparks a better idea from someone else.

 

[GandalfMithrandir]

Also building on fba827, maybe the statue was a great martyr, who sacraficed herself or her freedom (thus the chains) for the better of the society, so a statue was made out like her. Also, if the chains were real they could be a magical artifact made to resrain that particular being in stone, but a follower of the being-in-stone could try to make the PCs get the chain off of the statue, maybe because only good creatures can, then you can make an adventure of the PC's searching for and possibly destroying the evil organization, or you could, possibly make a campaign out of it and have the high priest be a recurring villain throughout, with remnants of the people/beings that bound the creature in stone helping the PC's or not, depending on how tough of a spot they get in, concerning the lack of life on the island, maybe there is a portal inside the temple that the bad guys/good guys use tyo get on the island, or there is a hidden trapdoor somewhere that leads to a massive cave system that contains the rest of the followers of the bound creature, destined to never see light again, but they have developed a way to exit the tunnels for a brief period of time and a small group of them ambush the PC's

just some random thoughts, use them or not.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Does the whole island radiate magic or just the temple or just the statue? A whole island radiating magic is a pretty big deal and I can't imagine it would go unnoticed or not handled for long.

Why hasn't anyone else gone to the island? An island just off the main city should NOT be uninhabited without good reason. Maybe there's an enchantment dissuading people from going? There's might be another item on the mainland that the PC's run across that breaks this enchantment. I could imagine a lot of good RP as the PC's suddenly get interested in the island. They ask around only to be casually rebuffed. "Who cares about the island? Just leave it be." The PC's will not understand why no one else cares that the island is there and no one wants to go there. Even subconciously, people FIGHT not to learn more, and certainly no one will take them there. In fact, the party cannot tell anyone they're going.

 

[GandalfMithrandir]

Maybe the PCs have to forcibly make a person take them to the island just to learn more, or they have to do a lot of searching to find out even small scraps of information, that makes them even more curious about what it has on it.

 

[Sigurd]

Nothing. Develop everything around the island and never tell the PCs more about the statue ....


It was originally the center of a wealthy bondage club that met in secret for a few years and then disbanded. The statue will hold a private message for those that bear keys that fit into the manacles. This was a communication device for the club.

Since they have disbanded other ne'er do wells have been looking for a way to use the old site to swindle wood be heroes.


Sigurd

 

[Tonguez]

Thanks for the ideas people, the PCs are thinking about going to the island (but haven't yet) and yes the town is superstitious about the island and won't go there - hence why noone (apparently) lives there

Just a bit more the Temple is built of White Marble and the statue is a giant size (15ft tall?) and a beautiful humanoid (race not specified)

1) Are the chains actual chains? Or are they simply part of the carving to look like chains (i.e. are they part of the stonework, or are they real chains that were put on the stonework)

I like the idea that they are real chains and that she is manacled by the wrist to the floor

2) Is it possible that this is not a goddess, but the placement just makes people of today think it is/was a goddess? (i.e. is there even the possibility that it is just someone turned to stone, etc. or do you firmly have in mind that it is a goddess?)

Not necessarily a goddess

3) is it possible that this is not a temple, but rather a simple room/structure that has worn away with time leaving what appears to simply be ruined walls and so someone assumed (based on the presence of the statue) that it was a temple of some sort?

Its built of white marble like a temple but marble is a common stone in the area so perhaps the builders just used it as a common material

-- Maybe it's not a temple but was one time a simple structure prison.

* maybe the island was at one time connected to the mainland. but this primitive temple caused lots of superstition and was considered cursed (bad things always seemed to happen to those who visited or were near it). So some powerful magic was done to separate the temple grounds in to it's own island and break it away from the mainland. So, anyone who visits gets some sort of magical curse/badluck.
.

I like the prison idea and the cursed island ideas and will be incorporating them somehow.

I also like the idea of the statue being a Matyr and bound here by an evil organsation - perhaps even an Ancient Bondage Club (eeeewww so I can have the little old lady who smiles slightly of cat urine turn out to be a retired cult-dominatrix in stilleto-boots and a leather corsett) -

I did want a tie-in to Fey somehow (since there are Dryads on the mainland) and recently a local arch-druidess disappeared but that isn't imperative

 

[aco175]

I remember a Dungeon adventure that featured an island that was surrounded by reefs making landing impossible except at the southern beach. The beack had some sort of checkerboard trap where undead would rise each round if you stepped in the wrong location. There was some sort of monastery at the top of the cliffs. The whole island was shapped like a wedge, having the beach the lowest point and rising with cliffs around the rest of the island until you had the buildings at the top, farthest from the beach. There may have been the beach and stairs carved into the cliffs that surround the whole island.

I like the idea of dangerous reefs that keep most locals away, perhaps the pc's need to hire the right ship captain to navigate through. Maybe a secret path through with pirate caves on another spot of the island, with tunnels to the surface. Pirates can also be active in the lower levels of the temple and help spread the rumors that keep locals away from the island.

There can also be a few encounter areas among the rest of the island. Some sort of wandering construct that once guarded the temple and now roams the island free-willed. Intelligent plantlife can thrive around the ruins or an overgrown orchard. A graveyard is always handy. If it is an abandoned island the pc's will expect lots of undead, which is fine, but some other types will help fill out the encounters.