MAZE OF WAVES

Hook: Wandering down the granite stairs to the water maze is much the same experience you had descending the steps that led to the air maze. There is a light ahead that seems but a pinprick at this distance. It's warm, steady, like a pole star, only below you instead of above. The sound of rushing water greets your senses, as well. Using the light as your guide, like a moth to a flame, you descend until you reach the light, the rushing water sound becoming a thunderous sound that fills your ears and blocks out most other noises the closer you get. You approach the light through a portal flanked by the minotaur statues you have grown accustomed to seeing. Like the other maze entrances, it leads into a natural granite cavern that opens wide. Before you stretches a vast chamber filled with a tumultuous sea, and a sky hanging over it that is much like that from the mountain chamber, only less cloudy, at present. Sun light beams down pleasantly upon you, and the air, though cool, is pleasantly warm (in the mid 60s). No gulls wing over the water, but, you do see bats scattering crazily overhead as they seek shelter from the sunlight in some crevice somewhere... The ground is pebbles and loose dirt, sand, and sediment leading to the beach where the water laps in crashing waves upon the shore. The thing that truly arrests your attention is the powerful waterfall pouring from a gash in the rocks high to your right. Above it the stone blends into the blue of the sky. Rocky outcroppings and limestone stalagmites dot the surface of the water to either side, but, the water is open in the middle... 'What could possibly live here?', you wonder...

Details: This chamber is a massive cavern about the same size as the Cloud Mountain cave, with much the same magic involved in showing the actual sky instead of the ceiling. Any investigation will reveal an illusion, only. Hands will pass through the sky and touch the cavern walls . As soon as the characters step foot outside the stairwell, the minotaur wakes, grabs his axe, and makes his way to confront the intruders. There are other more threatening problems to keep the characters and their players busy, here. A group of violent, cult-minded, albino blind fish men live in a shelter to the east. A gap in the rocks, a mere crack, as well as some caves to the southeast, lead to their lair. They are only active at night when they raid the cyclopes and waters for food and sacrifices to their grotesque sea demon deity. A group of matriarchal cyclopes live in the far southeast corner. They are also violent, cannibalistic, and brutish, but, civilised enough to have a way of life and settlement of some sophistication. A massive sea serpent haunts the water. The cyclopes capture fish men and leave them as sacrifices on a flat, rocky area to the southwest to keep the beast from bothering their fishing boats. Nearby, a large bat monster roosts in the upper caves of the limestone pillar to the northeast. Sailing the waters is difficult because of the sandy, rocky shoals just beneath the surface, barely out of sight for those carelessly sailing. At night, the shoals are invisible, except on bright moonlit nights. There are four keys, each one inside each of the aforementioned lairs, to unlock the chest with the rune stone in it... The task for players is managing their fear, and playing it smart. The only path is through the water. A daunting prospect on the best day... Storms are common, which stir up the 'sea' and make it difficult to navigate and may capsize any vessels. The waterfall creates wave action that laps loudly upon the shore. Another smaller waterfall cascades from an invisible crack in the ceiling to the northeast. The water rune chasm is much like the other rune bridges. Only, it is slick with water and, when the characters set foot on it, just at the top of the stairs, the bat monster is 'summoned' and will attack anyone trying to cross. The minotaur can sail, and use any equipment to chase the characters. It will hunt them, ruthlessly... The chasm may prove dangerous, because the wave action and natural flow of the water pushes boats toward the edge, fast. It takes a great deal of skill and luck to manage this challenge...

Róana, the Seal Maiden - There is a peaceful being, a seal woman, Róana, who routinely monitors the waters of the Maze of Waves. She is playful, sprightly, and innocent, but, powerful. She was a longtime friend and companion to Rŵnos. During an expedition to the Clan Lands, Rŵnos and his company met her, bathing without her suit, a beautiful women in the sun. He took Róana's skin and brought it, and her, with them for a time. She could not tell him that his having the skin bound her to him, but, he noticed she stared at it, often... One day, he gave it back to her, figuring that she missed her home and people, and that it was something magical and not for him... and was rewarded with the knowledge that he had done what no one else had, and that was give her her freedom willingly. He met with her many times after than, and helped free her protected lake from the same fish people present in this cavern. She remains here to watch and guide those who treat her well, and leave her skin alone. She, unlike the others, here, is reborn, if killed. She has been eaten by the serpent, who hates her, a few times, slain by the fish men, the cyclopes after trying to bind her to them. Her skin always returns to her at midnight, if it is ever taken. Rŵnos's magic ensures while she is here, she will never be a prisoner. She will haunt anyone down in this cavern, and, if dealt with properly, guide them through the shoals, and inform them about the various inhabitants in this area. But, she will not help them retrieve the keys, or interfere in any other way. Róana is also friend to many of the fish and other aquatic life. She even knows and understands the serpent. They are friends, only after he chased her and devoured her a few times. After being wounded by a cyclops's spear, she helped him, and he repaid her with friendship. She doesn't pretend to control him, but, she does have some influence and may calm him, if he is riled.

TERRITORIES

1. Bat Monster Territory - The bat monster is a large, scaly lizard-bat Rŵnos captured to save a small village from its ravaging fangs. It is a nightmare creature some other wizard created with his magic. It was intended to be a guardian for a necromancer's lair. Rŵnos killed the necromancer with the aid of his companions, but, decided the beast could serve a better purpose. It hunts fish at night, but, is very territorial. It roosts so high that hardly anything bothers it and it leaves the fish men and cyclopes alone, to spare itself the trouble of retribution. But, it is interested in better meals than fish. It prefers man-flesh... It's just not worth the trouble getting it. The sea serpent is avoided by hunting the northern portion of the massive cavern. The serpent isn't much interested, anyway, since the bat monster is so large, and challenging, and flies. For the most part the bat monster leaves everything alone, except for the large blind albino carp.

2. Fish Man Territory - The albino, blind fish men are a clan of vicious killers Rŵnos and his companions stopped from overrunning a seaside community... Rŵnos trapped them in his ring, and transported them here, like everything else, and included them in his menagerie to act as challenges for any comers. The fish men are always breeding and trying to overrun the cyclopes, but, the cyclopes are such savage and skilled warriors, the fish men don't gain much for the effort. They are happy to snatch up some hapless warrior or child to sacrifice to their god then feed the lifeless body to the teeming pool of children in the waters around their lair... Mostly, the fish men stick to the water. Totally nocturnal, they are completely docile during the day, though sneaking into their lair may prove challenging at any time...

3. Cyclops Territory - The cyclopes are territorial, but, peaceful enough for cannibals. Diplomatic in the extreme, but, ruthless in war. They are cunning and bold, but, somewhat stupid when angered, which is easy to do by taunting them. They don't bother much with fish, preferring instead the flesh of warmer-blooded animals and people. Their little society is matriarchal, led by a seeress queen who dwells in the cyclopean temple complex to the southeast. Males live in the crude but strongly built house on the beach. They serve the female priestesses and hunt the waters of the cavern for food. Even the fish men are better faire than the large blind cave carp living in the pool. They have it out for the serpent, but, it is much smarter than they are, intelligent and ruthless. It eludes their every attempt to chase or bait it. A number of warriors waited for it on the southwestern rocks after leaving a fish man as an offering. It never left the water. Not until every one of them left.

4. Serpent Territory - The far southwestern depths of the pool is home to the long, sinuous, scaled serpent. It can be seen, occasionally, slipping in and out of the surface of the water, like needle and thread stitching fabric together. In and out, up and down, many times sideways, like a snake on sand. It moves with real grace and deadly accuracy, snatching hapless victims from their boats and the water's surf with little trouble. It is so silent, and elusive, few ever see it. A sailor suddenly missing from the back of the boat is often the only evidence it exists. Of late the cyclopes have been sacrificing fish men to it. They take their prisoner and tie it up to a post and abandon them to a gruesome fate. For this, the serpent leaves the cyclopes alone, temporarily... The fish men are deathly afraid of the creature, but, it's active during the day, which serves the skittish, but, cruel, fish people. The serpent has a spade-like, wide head and poisonous bite. It swallows its prey whole. It sleeps on the bottom of the pool, in quiet, cool solitude, and suns on the rock where sacrifices are left only when it is sure none are watching it. Rŵnos saved a kingdom from this beast. It had a lottery it used to keep the voracious creature satisfied so it didn't antagonise their fishing community. The creature is cunning and cruel, and vengeful.