Singing Island

From House of Khilat

Location: In the outer mountains surrounding Evereska, just west of the Vale.

Land: A small island of about 1.5 square miles, near the north shore of a mountain lake of approximately 6 square miles.

Buildings: Chiliad's Crag Castle, NorthTower, West Tower, East Tower, Island Tower

East Tower

The East Tower guards the pass down the mountain which is a source of occasional raids from evil humanoids. The tower includes a signal system at the top that is visible from North Tower and Melodious Meadow.

Rangers and expert archers monitor the pass from the tower on a rotational basis.

West Tower

The West Tower is built on the mountain side downstream from the lake. The tower includes a signal system at the top that is visible from North Tower.

Several rangers are stationed at the tower on a regular basis, but they spend more time patrolling the lower pass.

North Tower

The north tower is built on the Rocky Mountain side overlooking the lake shore across from the island. The top has a clear view of the lake shore and island shore, as well as the Island Tower on the opposite side. It also has a clear view to the East and West Tower signals.

Aliatris Wyvernjack routinely stays at the tower and tests potential visitors for signs of evil. The tower is typically manned by a ranger and an expert archer on a rotating basis.

Sirine's Lake

The lake has been known to be home to Sirenes and has been avoided by humanoids for ages. Evil humanoids are typically drawn to the water and drowned. Neutral and good humanoids often disappear for years. The Sirenes are aware of the hamadryad and dryads of the island and have had arrangements to share humanoids for years. Since the dryads live in the forest, while the Sirenes keep to the shore, particularly the craggy east side, they don't often conflict.

While Chiliad has no real authority over the Sirenes, he has arranged an agreement that the Sirenes will only charm willing visitors, typically with a set time frame pre-arranged so that they can be rescued if the need arises. Such visitors are not typically allowed to return for at least a year from their last visit.

Island Sanctuary

The entire island serves as a Druid sanctuary and imbued with a number of magical properties.

  • The island is defended by an awaken a tree. The tree is rooted in the grove, but watches over the entire island. The tree has spell casting powers of a third level Druid and has combat ability similar to a Liveoak spell. The tree can mobilize and direct the animal defenders, animate and direct trees, and control the island tempurature.
  • The entire island is defended by animal defenders. Up to 12HD of normal or giant natural animals reside in the grove and meadow, but will defend the island against unwanted intruders.
  • Once per day, worshippers of nature can animate 2d6 normal trees within the grove with powers similar to a changstaff spell. The trees attack as if they were 12 hit dice Treants with 40 hit points each, with two attacks per round. The Treants remain animated for 1 turn per the level of the highest follower, or until they fall to 0 hit points, afterwhich they root back into the ground as normal trees. The trees can be directed by the worshippers, with the orders of the highest ranking priests taking precedence over others. If an awakened tree is in the grove, it can use the animated trees to defend the grove.
  • Any Nature worshiper in the grove may make a grove's temperature rise or fall within 30 degrees. This ability, possible once per day, affects the entire grove. Arctic or desert groves commonly feature this power, which enables those in the grove to survive brief climatic extremes, especially combined with the power to still winds.

Island Tower

The Island Tower is built on a rocky hill overlooking the north shore of the island with a view of the north lake shore and North Tower.

The tower is typically manned by a ranger and expert archer on a rotational basis.

A path from the shore leads to the Melodious Meadow.

Melodious Meadow

The south west side of the island opens into a grassy meadow. The soil is shallow over a foundation of hard bed rock, so few trees can take hold. The meadow slopes down to the sandy shoreline and cold mountain lake water.

Musical concerts are held in the meadow on a daily basis and can be heard across the lake. Adoneiros Dawnsinger maintains permanent residence on the island and holds authority over the meadow when Chiliad is absent. Adoneiros shares singing duties with Elorin Tarmikos, but many guest singers are encouraged to lead worship services, including Eariyl Irithyl and Graward Gentleharp.

  • The meadow and grove are covered with an aura of peace. Predators and prey may be seen playing together within the meadow. Those who make a successful attack against another within the meadow must make a saving throw vs. wands. Attackers who fail suffer all the damage themselves; the wounds they meant to inflict appear on their own bodies. If they save, they suffer only half damage.
  • While within the meadow and grove, normal and giant animals will befriend worshippers of nature as if an animal friendship spell had been cast, following them around the grove, playing, entertaining or performing simple tasks. The animals will not leave the grove, often befriending another just as quickly as their current friend departs the grove. Casting animal friendship within the grove will attract more animals to the caster, but they will not leave the grove. Animals under the influence of an animal friendship spell brought into the grove will be friendly with others, but remain loyal to their friend unless his actions warrant otherwise. Animal summoning magic cast within the grove can call twice the number or HD of animals.

The Sacred Grove of Song

The east side of the island is raised rocky terrain with ancient forest growth, including a tall Weir tree. The Weir tree has the spirit of a hamadryad living within it. Several old oaks and many mountain pine trees cover this portion of the island with thick growth. Several pathways have been cleared near the edges of the old forest near the Melodious Meadow, allowing common worshipers access to the sacred ground.

While Chiliad has no real authority over the hamadryad and dryads, he has arranged an agreement that they will only charm willing visitors, typically with a set time frame pre-arranged so that they can be rescued if the need arises. Such visitors are not typically allowed to return for at least a year from their last visit.

Chiliad as a Druid of the Circle of the Ancients, with the help of Keilian Lunette and Elorin Tarmikos, hallowed the grove as Sacred to all Druids. Elorin Tarmikos maintains permanent residence in the grove and is considered the authority on all that happens within its boundaries, though he will readily defer to Chiliad or Keilian when they are in the grove.

  • The island is defended by an awaken a tree. The tree is rooted in the grove, but watches over the entire island. The tree has spell casting powers of a third level Druid and has combat ability similar to a Liveoak spell. The tree can mobilize and direct the animal defenders, animate and direct trees, and control the island tempurature.
  • The meadow, grove, grotto and standing stones are covered with an aura of peace. Predators and prey may be seen playing together within the grove. Those who make a successful attack against another within this grove must make a saving throw vs. wands. Attackers who fail suffer all the damage themselves; the wounds they meant to inflict appear on their own bodies. If they save, they suffer only half damage.
  • Within the grove, all normal and giant animals of animal to low intelligence can speak in the language of Druids.

Grotto

Located in the forest on the south east end of the island, the grotto looks like a sink hole 40' in diameter with smooth granite walls. The north wall has a staircase carved into the rock to provide access to the large deep blue pool of pure clean water at the bottom. The waters of the pool glow a silvery radiance.

  • Anyone bathing in the water (maximum of once per day per person) gains the benefit of simultaneous neutralize poison, cure disease, and cure serious wounds spells. The water loses all special properties outside the grove's boundaries, however, so characters cannot use it as a healing potion. Hallowed Elders gain the additional benefit that scars can be healed so well that they are only visible upon close examination.
  • A 10'x10' patch of plants have been awakened to defend the top of the stairs of the grotto as if an Entangle spell was cast.

Standing Stones

At the end of a well hidden path of the grove near the meadow, in a small rocky clearing, Chiliad called up elemental magics to raise a set of standing stones. The stones have been linked to several locations, including the small grove on the Chiliad Estate, a grove in Deepingdale near Highmoon, Oaksong Tower of the Forgotten Forest, and a sacred grove in Myth Drannor. Chiliad and some of the other high level nature worshipers can use the standing stones to travel to other distant locations as well.

  • Three stones form an archway to serves as a Trilithon gate. When activated, it will automatically connect to the Trilithon gate at the Chiliad Estate, but can be connected to gates all across Faerun at the will of the gate activator.
  • A 10'x10' patch of plants have been awakened to defend the standing stones as if an Entangle spell was cast.

Chiliad's Crag Castle

The east side of the island has a tall rocky hill of huge granite boulders covered in mountain pines and oaks. The eastern shore is a 25 foot rugged cliff.

Using elven techniques of moulding the landscape to create living spaces, with the help of Dwarven and Gnome engineers, Chiliad had the heart of the crag opened to create a small fort of natural caverns. Most of the island residents have rooms within the stone fortress.

Chiliad had an elven spire built from the top of the crag overlooking the pristine lake and the island. The spire can see signals from the West Tower and North Tower.

  • A 10'x10' patch of plants have been awakened to defend the castle entrance as if an Entangle spell was cast.

Residents

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