NYSIA

This legendary port city is known far and wide for its 5 stone gates where boats from every sea
pass through to trade their wares. Behind the rocky shores is a deep, lush forest housing a
temple to Hekate.

SIGNS OF THE GODS:

As the mists recede, the gods reveal their desires through signs...
Hekate: The goddess of arcane magic. Her sign is a key, deep underwater - opening
long-closed doors
Ares: The god of courage and bloodshed. His sign is a war chariot fronted by a rearing stallion -
riding into battle fearlessly
Aphrodite: The goddess of beauty. Her sign is a rough clam, opened to a pearl gleaming inside
- seeing beauty within

ARRIVAL:
Your boat rounds the island’s deep green forestry to find the rocky shores and ports that will
grant you entry into the city. As the gates come into view, you hear urgent shouting from a
merchant ship docked at the fifth gate. A terrible hissing sound brings a chill down your spine.
Another merchant on the boat hurries to the side with a harpoon and raises it high. As his body
rotates to slam it into the water, he is stopped in his tracks as grey coloration creeps from his
shoulder to his fingertips.

The Gorgon Raikta emerges from the waves beneath the boat, terrible eyes shining with
unknown wrath. Slamming her clawed hands into the hull, she effortlessly scales the side of the
boat and bare handedly crushes the now-stone merchant's head. As rock and dust tumble to the
deck, a new wave of fear fills the merchant crew. Sailors wail and run, several jump ship while
others try to secure their wares from the destruction.

From atop the gate, a soldier holds up a horn and blows a deep bellow across the waves - a call
to arms. Octavian, Champion of the Fifth Gate unties a cloth strip from his red spear and
blindfolds himself. He leaps nimbly from the top and lands on the deck below, calling out to the
gorgon while maintaining a defensive stance, ready to lunge out at the right time.

Protecting the harbor:

● Will you draw the gorgon away from the ship and buy time for the mortals? Resolve &
Spirit vs. Raikta. If the heroes fail, Octavian is gravely wounded in combat, and loses
his Bloodthirsty(d10) for the duration of the island.
● Will you challenge her in combat? Blood & Valor vs. Raikta. If the heroes manage to
drive her off, Ares is impressed and awards them with a round of Divine Favor, urging
them on. Otherwise, the heroes are wounded, merchants killed, and wares destroyed,
raising the strife level to six.
 ● Or will you slip by unnoticed? Craft & Reason vs. Raikta. If the gorgon notices the party,
she gives chase. If they slip by, Octavian just barely fends her off and returns to the
mainland.

TRIALS:

A CHOICE
When the heroes reach the mainland, Erato, high priestess of Hekate recognizes their power
and calls on them to save the island. Octavian and Natassa debate. Octavian would see Raikta
killed, to end the madness plaguing the island. Natassa claims the Gorgon is innocent, driven to
bloodlust by a curse, and insists there must be a way to lift it. Will you quell Octavian’s itch for a
fight, or dismiss Natassa’s lofty ideals? Arts & Oration vs. either contender.

THE FOREST
Deep in the garden of Hekate, the sky is permanently a luminous twilight. The forest is near
impossible to navigate, and hours seem to stretch into days. How will you make it to the House
of Night before days turn to weeks and all the forest obscures the players from even the
heavens? Craft & Reason vs. The Garden. If the players do not prevail, they all mark a bond
with The Garden. When they spend a bond with The Garden, give its name die to the Strife
Player to roll against you. The players may not invoke divine favor until this bond is spent.

THE TRUTH
How will you discover the source of the curse and Hekate’s anger? As well as how to turn her
back? Sources may include Natassa, discoveries somewhere in the Garden, or Raikta herself.

BATTLE:

Will you take on the gorgon in combat?

Threats: As Octavian swoops in for the kill, Natassa puts a knife to his neck in Raikta’s defense,
can you save him before the confrontation escalates? In the meantime, Raikta goes into a
frenzy and begins destroying the temple. Will you stop her before Hekate’s wrath is incurred?

Or will you revert her to her human form?

Threats: As the players try to restore Raikta to her human form in the House of Night, Octavian
leaps out of the shadows and pins Raikta, can you save her before Octavian ends things once
and for all?

Characters:
Octavian (2d8). Bloodthirsty (d10). Bold (d6). Red-Speared (d8).
Sentinel (Octavian has a d12 advantage dice in any B&V contests that take place at the
fifth gate)
Erato (d6). Priestess (d8 Sacred).
Natassa (d8). Protector (d12 Epic), Witchcraft (d8). Swift-Cloaked (d6).
The Gorgon, Raikta (d10). Stony-eyed (d10 Perilous). Agile (d8). Cunning (d6). Cursed (d8
Mythic)
The Garden (d8). Twilit (d6). Winding (d8). Quiet (Arts & Oration has no effect)

Places:
The Garden of Hekate - an overgrown jungle creeping up the island cliffs, in which the House
of Night is located. The garden seems to be in a perpetual state of twilight, deepening as you go
further into the forest.
The House of Night - a temple dedicated to Hekate - near this area, the moon is always full.
Currently inhabited by Raikta

SPECIAL REWARDS:
Gorgon’s Head: May be used to turn an enemy into stone.
OR
Aphrodite’s Tear: One drop of this solution can lift any transfiguration or illusion, revealing the
truth that lies beneath.

MYSTERIES:
Raikta’s curse: Why did Hekate transform Raikta into a gorgon? Did she fail to make
appropriate offerings for the gift of commerce? Did she blaspheme against Hekate and become
a heretic in her eyes? Did she desecrate the House of Night? Or is she collateral for Hekate
punishing the whole island?

Natassa’s bond: Why does Natassa defend Raikta so strongly? Does she simply believe in the
value of every life? Is Raikta secretly her sister, now transfigured? Does she hate Hekate, and
would see the island lose their faith in the goddess?