Along the southeastern edge of the Archi- pelago can be found the Reef of the Lost, a shorter stretch of rock and coral compared to the Hungry Reefs but far more tragic because of its history. Upon close examination, the rocks of the reef are revealed to be petrified merfolk, their bodies twisting out of the water as if in
Folly
Cost: 500 gp/dose Craft (alchemy) DC: 25
The inhaler gains a +4 alchemical bonus to all Listen and Spot checks. Should the inhaler cast any Divination spell while under the effects of folly, the caster’s effective level for the purposes of the spell’s effectiveness is +2.
As with most drugs, folly has bad side effects: The inhaler suffers 2 points of temporary Con damage and with the increased awareness comes overstimulation – the individual becomes jittery and nervous (treat as being shaken).
agony. No one is quite sure what befell these gentle folk. Some legends say that when the blood spread through the water and began to deform the merfolk, Manawe was merciful and did all she could to end their suffering by trans- forming half of the entire City of Pearls into this reef. Others suggest that the taint of Kadum was all that was necessary for the sad transfor- mation. Worshippers of Manawe often make a pilgrimage out to this reef, to chase away sea creatures and illtrawlers and to leave behind handmade offerings and shed tears.
Riggen
Closest to the Lush Isle in the archipelago, Riggen is inhabited by the folk who fled the Lush Isle during the volcanic eruption. The primitive natives who dwell here call them- selves the Rigge (“the folk”) and are shorter than most humans from Ghelspad, standing around 5 feet tall and weighing some 80 pounds. They have bronze-colored skin with dark hair and eyes, except for the tribal shamans, who have green eyes (and usually belong to one of the spellcasting classes, most often the adept NPC class). They wear little clothing, prefer- ring loincloths. Both males and females decorate their wrists and ankles with bracelets made from sinew, wood, bone and coral. The Rigge warriors wield blowguns, halfspears and dag- gers; roughly 10% of their number are skilled rangers.
The Rigge escaped from Lush Isle using flat-bottomed boats they rowed to safety. They consider the volcano a deity and the eruption and the seas turning red like blood a sign of its terrible anger at some forgotten offense. When the nedrig (“not folk,” as they call anyone not of their kind) came to the sacred island, the Rigge considered them interlopers trespassing on holy land. They reasoned that if they could remove the nedrig then maybe their god would be ap- peased and the waters would turn back to blue and the fish not sicken them. Despite the sha- mans’ talk, Valu, the chieftain of the Rigge (male human Ari3/Rgr6, LN), is more interested in ensuring his people’s survival than revenge. The initial strife between the founders of Bloodport and the Rigge was rather one-sided and lasted only five years. While the natives outnumbered the pirates, they could not over- come the steel weapons and incantations of the sea witches. A dozen Rigge died for every pirate who fell. A truce of sorts was called between the opponents, though it is not truly enforced.
Occasionally, a war party from Riggen still gets bold notions from the shamans and crosses the water to the Lush Isle at night. A few drunk pirates are invariably waylaid and slaughtered. Bloodport retaliates by killing any Rigge they meet, even if they are innocent traders. Several times, the more brutal members of the Meet of Dogs have demanded that Riggen be invaded and all the natives put to death. Cooler heads have prevailed, as Riggen’s jungles are too dan- gerous for those not aware of the beasts and odd plants that the natives accept as a matter of course, such as assassin vines.
In the center of Riggen is a pool sacred to the natives which only their shamans can en- ter. In the center of the pool is a small mound where stands a crude pillar of igneous rock. The shard, taken from the fiery volcano and seen as a part of their god, was brought here by the chief shaman of the tribe. The pillar is consid- ered a fertility relic and responsible for the tribe’s survival. Whether it is an immense piece of that same strange rock that Farlese gathers is unknown. To date, the only ones who know of the rock are the Rigge and the few druids in the Archipelago who have learned of its existence through animal spies.
Widowshore
Before the creation of the Blood Sea, Widowshore was a small island that older maps and geographical tomes list as an often- v i s i t e d p o i n t o n s e a v o y a g e s t o r e s t o c k supplies. Originally called Wellshore, the island’s many springs offered exceptionally sweet water. Gentle and enticing nymphs wandered the shorelines, a welcome distrac- tion for weary sailors. But with Kadum’s fall and the poisoning of the surrounding waters, this is no longer a safe stop. While the springs are still there and are considered delicious enough to compete with fine wine, the sweet- natured fey have been changed into cruel blood maidens (see Creature Collection 2:
Dark Menagerie). The island is infested with
them, and any map of worth these days will have warning to avoid Widowshore, as it has been renamed.
Rumors circulate that the self-styled pi- rate queen Kariosa Nephantaros (see Mithril:
City of the Golem) has discovered a way to
avoid the blood maidens and has buried a vast treasure on the island taken from many a plundered vessel. If so, it may be worth the risk to explore.