Handouts & Maps

Cannibal Island · Handouts 1–4 are for the players; Handout 5 and the maps are for the DM

Handout 1: Ship Rumors

Session 1, on the ship. Roll 1d8, or pick one that fits a character.

d8 Rumor
1 “Ships that dock there always come back lighter than they should. Gold’s heavy, but not that heavy.”
2 “My cousin’s been there twice. Won’t talk about it, just stares at his hands and drinks.”
3 “They say the jungle drums play at night, but they don’t sound like any drums I’ve heard.”
4 “The Empire pays ten times normal wages for guard duty there. Makes you wonder why.”
5 “Last crew that stayed overnight… half of them came back talking in their sleep.”
6 “The water there tastes wrong. Sweet, but wrong.”
7 “Governor Reynolds used to be a war hero. Now he just stares at the jungle and counts gold.”
8 “They mine gold there, sure. But what if they’re digging for something else too?”

Handout 2: Beclu’s Price List

Session 1. Prices in silver pieces.

Item Effect Price
Healing Draught Restores 2d4 + 2 hit points 25 sp
Flask of Fire Works as alchemist’s fire 30 sp
Blessed Salt (1 lb.) Makes a line or ring the dead don’t like to cross 10 sp
Courage Elixir Steadies the nerves for 10 minutes 35 sp
Jungle Spider Venom (10 doses) Coats blades or bolts, and weakens whoever is hit 25 sp

“Carry fire. Always. They don’t like it.”

Handout 3: Overheard in the Tavern

Session 1. Read out a few, or hand them over as scraps of conversation.

  • “Third year here. Lost twelve men last month. They don’t tell you about the sounds they make when they take ’em.”
  • “The mine guards… they watch us now. Used to be the other way around.”
  • “Reynolds knows. Has to know. Man’s not stupid, just… careful.”
  • “Damien and Mikeal, they’re good men. But even good men can only take so much of this place.”
  • “Don’t trust the ones who’ve been down the deep shafts. Something in their eyes ain’t right.”
  • “Keep moving in the jungle. Soon as you stop, they know where you are.”
  • “If you ever see the crystal, don’t look at it. It looks back.”
  • “…shipment goes out tonight, usual route…”
  • “…foreman’s orders, no questions asked…”
  • “…the red sun rises, and the harvest begins…”

Handout 4: Jungle Signs

Sessions 1–3, on the road. Drop one in whenever the tension sags.

  • Rustling that stops the moment someone looks toward it.
  • Animal calls that echo from impossible directions.
  • Whispers in a language that sounds almost familiar.
  • Rhythmic tapping that might be drums, or might not.
  • Symbols carved deep into the bark of trees.
  • Paths that seem to shift when nobody is looking at them.
  • Smoke rising where there’s no fire.
  • Gnawed bones laid out in careful patterns.
  • Tracks that are almost human.
  • Plants growing in spirals.

Handout 5: Corruption Tracker (DM)

Character: ______________________     Stage: 0  1  2  3  4  5

Exposure                                   Save          Result
[ ] First night on the island              DC 10 Wis     ______
[ ] Night after the first run (S1)         DC 12 Con     ______
[ ] Deep shaft (S2)                        DC 15 Con     ______
[ ] Ritual witnessed (S2 / S3)             DC 14 Wis     ______
[ ] Night after the second run (S2)        DC 12 Con     ______
[ ] Nilith's offer (S3)                    DC 18 Wis     ______
[ ] Auras / attacks                        per stat block ______

Symptoms shown so far:
_________________________________________________________________

Maps

The Town

        N
        ↑
   [Watchtower]              [Watchtower]
   ╔══════════════════════════════════════╗  ← palisade (fresh repairs)
   ║ 1 Governor's house    2 Armory       ║
   ║                                      ║
   ║ 3 Well + altar        5 Beclu        ║
   ║                                      ║
   ║       4 Underground tavern           ║
   ║    (wooden houses and workshops)     ║
   ╚══════════════════════════════════════╝
   [Watchtower]    6 Docks   [Watchtower]
                    ~~~~
  1. Governor’s house (stone): office, cells and Reynolds’s quarters.
  2. Armory (stone).
  3. Well: fresh water, and an altar of offerings.
  4. Underground tavern: cool and dim, where the veterans drink.
  5. Beclu’s shop.
  6. Docks: room for two medium ships.

The six watchtowers are 15 feet tall: two face the jungle, two the docks, and two the flanks.

The Road and the Island

            ▲ Volcano
     Mine ■ │ ╲
            │   ╲   Temple (jungle slope, 8 km off the road)
       mud  ░
            │
     river  ≈≈≈≈  (the bridge)
            │
    broken  ▒
    ground  │
            ■ Town
          ~~~~~~ sea

The road is about 25 km one way, which takes all day, dawn to dusk. It passes three danger spots: broken ground, the river bridge and the mud. There are no safe places outside the walls.

The Mine

             Volcano
   ┌──────────────────────────────┐
   │ open pits    x   x   x       │
   │ foreman's office             │
   │ guard barracks               │
   │ slave quarters (chained)     │
   │ deep shaft  ↓ ↓ ↓            │  → toward the Anchor
   └──────────────────────────────┘
             main gate

The mine has five permanent guards and rotating patrols. The deep shaft leaves the gold veins and heads straight down toward a red glow.

The Temple

      Anchor chamber (bottom of the stair)
                  ▲
   ┌──────────────────────────────┐
   │        middle ring: Nilith   │
   │                              │
   │ outer ring: ritual circles,  │
   │ altars and totems            │
   └──────────────────────────────┘
          jungle approaches

The temple has raised platforms, narrow passages between the ritual areas, fire pits, and totems to take cover behind. The stair from the middle ring descends into the volcano, to the Anchor.