Island of Serifos

[Willow]

I'll post this over to the Island Thread once I've run it and have some more data to plop down (NPC traits, etc.)  A secondary reason for me posting it out in the open is to get some feedback on it.

If you regularly game with me, don't read this!

This being my first island write-up, I decided to use the random tables to get my creativity flowing.  As you can see, I used quite a bit of it, but also was willing to replace as I pleased.  I liked the way the random system turns out, although I probably wouldn't use it for more than 3 or 4 islands.

Island Terrain:  Deep, winding valleys, rocky bluffs.
Communities:  A collection of feuding factions (the city of Serifopolis)
Nomadic band of proud hunters (the Wolf Tribe)
Another nomadic band of proud hunters (the Stone Men, a highly spiritual band that lives atop the cliffs)
Events:
Holy Pilgrimage from Shrine to Shrine (the high priest of Dionysus is on a pilgrimage)
Preparations for War with Another Island (the city dearly needs to raid another island for supplies)
Bizarre Conditions (the party needs to go into the Underworld)
Gods:
Hades (rolled twice, so I replaced with a non-listed god)
Eris
Dionysus
Desires:
Steal (Hades wants something removed from the Underworld)
Destroy (used as a major subplot of Dionysus's quest)
Steal, again; swapped for Incite to go with Eris

Stuff:
Artifacts:
Ancient Stone (vital to the Stone Men)
Special Jar or Chalice (MacGuffin to fight over in Eris's quest?)
Ship, Chariot, etc (a fleet- used in the Dionysus quest)
Beasts:
Copper Beetle (not used)
Crystal Spider (not used)
Bronze Bull- (not used)
Stone Elephant (my choice)- because it fits with the cliffs, ancient stone, etc.- (totem animal of the Stone Men)
Dire Wolf (picked as a totem animal of the Wolf Men)
Men:
People of the Black Circle (secret society, in big fractured city)
The Wolf Tribe (one of the proud nomads)
Rerolled the second result of Wolf Tribe, decided instead to have many, many cults.
Monsters:
Cyclops (My first instinct was to make a tribe of Cyclopses, but I decided to turn the Dionysus/Eris quests up a notch and install the Cyclops as a leader of the City!)
Shades (the underworld is filled with shades- model as Men instead so I can have a whole lot of them?)
Chimera (a powerful guardian for the gate to the underworld- Cerebrus?)

Quests:

Dionysus wants you to destroy the invasion fleet (so the sacred festival can begin)
Eris wants you to Incite a civil war in the city.
Hades wants you to steal someone from the underworld; possibly someone killed in an earlier quest.

Island background:

The island of Serifos has wide costal cliffs, and verdant valleys zigzagging through the hard rock.  There is one shore suitable for a port: a great bay, with high cliffs on either side.  Here is the city of Serifopolis, a city filled with intrigue and cults vying for dominance.  The valleys near the city are heavily farmed, but supplies are running low, and it's difficult to access the rest of the island.  The current rulers of Serifopolis, a council of men led by Zagreus, a cruel and highly intelligent and civilized cyclops, are concerned about this growing problem, and plan to take over the nearby island of Delphi.  Zagreus himself is a powerful leader, and the other factions are afraid of confronting him.  Proctus, high priest of Dionysus, has gone missing.

In the various lush valleys, there is a tribe of men called the Wolf Tribe.  The Wolf Tribe is equal parts wolf and man, and conducts raids into the fields of Serifopolis.

In the bluffs resides a Tribe called the Stone Men.  They revere the stone of the cliffs as holy, and see it as their duty to protect the various sacred shrines and places.

Quest #1:
Dionysus commands you to make sure the Sacred Festival is held this year in Serifopolis.

*Primary objective: Convince the people of Serifopolis to hold Dionysus's Sacred Festival.  (Includes Zagreus if he's alive, and leaders of the various cults).
Secondary Objectives (9!):
* Discover the sources of opposition to holding the Sacred Festival.  (The various cults don't want to honor the other gods, Zagreus doesn't want anything to get in the way of his invasion fleet, and Proctus is on a pilgrimage.)

*Destroy the invasion fleet Zagreus is building.
Optional:
*Find out Zagreus's weakness. (The Magic Spear)
*Get the Magic Spear from Kallistae
*Kill Zagreus.

*Seek out the leaders of the various cults and get them to negotiate.

*Find out where Proctus went.
*Travel to the Sacred Shines.
*Rescue Proctus from the Wolf Tribe.

Quest #2:
Eris commands you to cause a civil war in Serifopolis.
Primary Objective: After the seeds of war are planted, incite further action among the participants.
Secondary Objectives (6):
*Gather information about the major factions that might go to war:  The People of the Black Circle, the Priests of Ares, the current leaders.  If Zagreus is still alive, no one will dare oppose him.

If not completed in Quest #1 (These count towards EITHER Quest 1 or Quest 2's objectives.)
*Find out Zagreus's weakness. (The Magic Spear)
*Get the Magic Spear from Kallistae
*Kill Zagreus.

*Find the Black Circle...
*...and convince them to attempt to take over the city.

*Find the Priests of Ares...
*...and convince them to attempt to take over the city.

*Convince the Council that they need to defend their position.

Quest #3:
Hades tells you that Zagreus is causing trouble in the Underworld.  Find him, and escort him out of the Underworld.
Secondary Objectives (6):
*Determine where the Gate to the Underworld is.
*Travel to the Gate to the Underworld.
*Convince the Stone Men to allow you access to the gate.
*Travel through the Underwold and find Zagreus.  He's now a petty warlord.
*Defeat Zagreus in combat or convince him to come back to the land of the living.
*Escort Zagreus out of the Underworld.

[Willow]

Here's a question: Suppose the heroes never try to kill Zagreus or find Kallistae's spear in Quest #1, and manage to talk him into letting the festival happen, since all of his fancy boats are gone.  Do I only get 6 objectives for Quest #2, or do I get all nine?  (Even though I've allready written up Zagreus and Kallistae and paid for them with Quest #1's strife budget.)

[John Harper]

You'd get 6 objectives if there's nothing in the second quest that pressures the heroes to kill Zagreus. If killing Zagreus is still a viable choice in quest two, even if they skip it in quest one, then yeah... you get 9 objectives.

This is a cool island.