Isle of Shadows

This island is a bleak ruin shrouded in perpetual cold, black drifting mist, and fog. The place radiates a palpable evil to a range of 200 feet from the shoreline. No marine life enters this area. Even the Aboleth avoid this place. The mist and fog is cold. Without magical protection, PCs suffer d3 points of chill damage per tum on the island. The island is not only foggy, it is dark (treat as the equivalent of starlight for the purposes of penalties, imposing a -3 penalty to characters' attacks and a +2 penalty to their Armor Class). The insides of buildings are considered to be total darkness (-1 to attacks, +4 penalty to Armor Class). Infravision does not work here, as any heat is very rapidly dissipated by the bitter chill of the island. Blind-Fighting, however, works normally. Any PC party with any idea of what they're doing will stack up on resist cold spells before thoroughly exploring this spot.

The island is another bare rock protrusion, but bizarrely decorated. Dotted at irregular intervals around the shoreline are statues of a greasy black metallic-sheened stone, from 4 to 9 feet in height. These statues are oddly angular heads, greatly extended in vertical scale, with closed slit eyes and frowning mouths. They radiate Necromantic magic if tested, and touching one causes any good-aligned character to suffer d12 points of chill damage. Undead flit around the island, and wandering monster checks are at twice normal frequency. This is an unhallowed place, and all Turn Undead attempts must be made as if the priest (or paladin) were four levels lower than normal.

Many buildings here appear to have turned to dust over the centuries. Dilapidated buildings show stone surfaces where hard stone has turned to a flaky, ash-like, fine powder; many walls dissolve at a touch. Only two buildings remain virtually intact and unchanged over the countless years since their occupants perished. These are shown in Map 28 on Mapsheet 5; they stand some 60 yards apart. This wretched isle holds the remains of a cult of Al Vingaar. All areas here are unlit. Light and Continual Light spells can only be cast if the caster makes a successful saving throw vs. spell, and the radius of effect is only one-tenth of normal. Items already bearing such dweomers must make a saving throw vs. spell (at the level the caster who placed the spell was at the time) or be extinguished.

Torches and lanterns give light for a radius of only a single foot. The PCs would do well, in truth, to avoid this place, but it does offer magic and experience - though the risks are great.