[GM Advice] What to do with a "leper colony" island

[der_kluge]

Looking for some ideas on this. The seed of this came from Mystic Eye Games' Foul Locales: Beyond the Walls, from a scenario called "Colony of the Afflicted". I'm not really using it as written, just stealing the basic idea.

My party is headed there to retrieve the next piece of the Rod of Seven Parts.

Last game, they chartered a boat and used the 2nd rod piece to divine the location of the 3rd rod piece. After completely circling the island, they discovered that it is on this island - but the boat captain refused to land on it, because.. curse. Well before this point, the party had discovered the captain and his crew were slavers and devised an elaborate plan to murder them. They literally took an HOUR to figure this out. In the meantime, the captain, certain that he would, under no circumstance, land at that island's port, and without any further direction from his benefactors (the party), opted to head to a different, albeit close island - an island called Slaver's Bay - literally a hive of scum and villainy.

I ended the game with the party rowing to shore on a dingy from a burning galleon a few miles from shore, being greeted by priests of Cyric, Mask and Talona, where they say "Welcome to Slaver's Bay". We'll see how they wiggle their way out of this one next time.

Here's where I'm stumbling. I want the island to hold something of great mystery. I'm thinking a relic of Moander, or something like that - perhaps it is the cause of the disease, I don't care. Of course, that would be ironic - send all the lepers to the island with the thing that causes leprosy. I don't know. In any case, the island needs slaves - lots of them. This is where Slaver's Bay comes in. While on the island, they discover that the priests of Talona are actually acquiring many slaves themselves, and then shipping them to this island.

What I want to have is something where there is some secret temple on this island, and the Talonite priests are trying to uncover a relic - perhaps something of Moanders, that would give Talona much power. But the vines in the temple complex are unnaturally strong, and so the priests have actually mustered all of their resources and captured a white dragon (and perhaps other ice creatures) who can breathe ice onto the vines. This weakens them enough that the slaves can chip and hack away at them in order to get further and further into the complex. There, they find the head Talonite priests with the 3rd piece of the Rod using it's haste power to speed up the recovery efforts.

Perhaps there are no diseased people there at all. Maybe it's just a front by Talona to keep people away. What is the relic they are after? Will they find it?

I don't know. Something in my mind isn't exactly tying this all together nicely. Looking for some ideas to fill in the cracks.

 

[Eltab]

How about, digging for the Rod of Seven Parts in this jungle temple has also triggered a curse that makes people in / near the temple get deathly ill. The priests need lots of slaves because they aren't taking good care of their laborers anyways and then the diggers get sick and die. (That part of the Rod was stashed away here BECAUSE of the curse. And it just so happens that having another Part of the Rod gives you an advantage on your 'avoid catching the disease; stay healthy' check.)

Instead of strong vines, the passages in the temple are full of mud (or sandstone), which is clearly different from the granite construction. The slaves have to dig/carve foot-by-foot to make progress.

There is a really well-hidden village of escaped slaves nearby; the inhabitants are healthy and immune to the disease - and few in number. They are praying to other gods* hoping for a Leader to attack the main camp, punish the slavemasters, and free the slaves. They can provide information to anybody who is against the slavemasters.

* Do you have a Cleric in the party?

 

[der_kluge]

How about, digging for the Rod of Seven Parts in this jungle temple has also triggered a curse that makes people in / near the temple get deathly ill. The priests need lots of slaves because they aren't taking good care of their laborers anyways and then the diggers get sick and die. (That part of the Rod was stashed away here BECAUSE of the curse. And it just so happens that having another Part of the Rod gives you an advantage on your 'avoid catching the disease; stay healthy' check.)

Ooh, plot twist. I like it. Or maybe, whatever it is they're digging up is creating the disease. So, the island didn't start out that way, but is slowly becoming that way. That's interesting.

Instead of strong vines, the passages in the temple are full of mud (or sandstone), which is clearly different from the granite construction. The slaves have to dig/carve foot-by-foot to make progress.

There is a really well-hidden village of escaped slaves nearby; the inhabitants are healthy and immune to the disease - and few in number. They are praying to other gods* hoping for a Leader to attack the main camp, punish the slavemasters, and free the slaves. They can provide information to anybody who is against the slavemasters.

* Do you have a Cleric in the party?

Yes, the cleric is a LN cleric of Kelemvor, but has also taken up the mantle of Amaunator. IMC, it was Amaunator that created the rod, and died defeating the chaos general (which shattered the rod). The party is 5th level.

 

[Eltab]

Yes, the cleric is a LN cleric of Kelemvor, but has also taken up the mantle of Amaunator. IMC, it was Amaunator that created the rod, and died defeating the chaos general (which shattered the rod).

So when the cleric shows up in the village with that symbol of Amanuator around his neck, some curious bystander sees him, recognizes it, and runs back into the village shouting "HE HAS HEARD US! OUR PRAYERS ARE ANSWERED!" Now the PCs get to wonder "What does that mean - and what are we in for?"
But when they overcome all obstacles despite the insurmountable odds ... "We knew you would succeed, for the gods have sent you."

I haven't looked at Tomb of Annihilation yet, but you might be able to cut-and-paste the section where the PCs locate the building they are searching for.