Ruined Temple
A ruined temple stands at the high point of the peninsula. It consists of two rings of broken columns rising from a shallow, spring-fed pool; this pool feeds a small stream that flows northeast to the sea. Inside the inner ring, the water gets very deep, forming winding shaft down to a series of flooded caves. The other end of these caves can be found below the islets in the stream's mouth.
The Temple
The temple was built by priests of Nodens, god of the sea, and still bears faint traces of carvings of sea creatures, including a variety of fish-human hybrids. A DC 15 Knowledge (religion) check identifies the temple as one of Nodens; a result of 20 or better reveals that the temple was also a place frequented mermen and locathah, whose god, Eadro, is believed to be an aspect of Nodens. The inner ring of columns is guarded by a tiberolith (Bestiary 4 259), who appears to be a very weather-beaten statue until anyone enters that ring, or who appears from the shaft below. It then animates and attacks.
The creatures who live in the caves below know about the tiberolith,. They are unable to control the guardian (which dates from the temple's construction) so avoid it and take advantage of it as an unwitting sentry at their back door.
The Caves
The caves below are the home of an aboleth (Bestiary 8) and its karkinoi (Bestiary 4 173) minions. The aberration sends the crab-men out to kidnap other beings for food and slaves. Those intelligent enough to serve as slaves are infected with the aboleth's slime and mucus, and dominated to break their wills. Those who resist are given to the karkinoi to devour.
The aboleth also has a tojanida in its service, who swims about the coasts of Gorilla Island, acting as the monster's spy. This tojanida, Argus, pretends to be an innocent wanderer, and will try to engage adventurers in conversation to learn about their business in these waters. Argus hates its servitude, but is too terrified of the aboleth's vengeance to rebel, despite the fact that its master has left it uninfected (to better serve as spy) and has not bothered dominating the outsider in quiet some time. If the tojanida can be convinced that strangers are capable of killing its master, then it may turn traitor, but will not act against the aboleth directly.
ARGUS (CR 7)
XP 3,200
Tojanida bard (street performer) 4 (Bestiary 3 270; Advanced Player's Guide 85)
N Medium outsider (extraplanar, water)
Init +2; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +19
Defense
AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 22 (+1 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 natural, +3 shield)
hp 99 (10 HD; 6d10+4d8+30)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +3; +4 save vs. bardic performance, sonic, and mind-affecting
Defensive Abilities well-versed; Resist electricity 10, fire 10
Offense
Speed 10 ft., swim 90 ft.
Melee bite +11 (1d6+2), 2 claws +11 and +10* (1d6+2)
* Includes -1 penalty while wearing buckler.
Special Attacks bardic performance (11 rounds/day, countersong, disappearing act [Advanced Player's Guide 85], distraction, fascinate, harmless performer [DC 14; Advanced Player's Guide 85]), ink cloud
Bard Spells Known (CL 4th; concentration +6 [+10 casting defensively])
2nd (1/day)--animal messenger, invisibility
1st (4/day)--cure light wounds, expeditious retreat, hideous laughter (DC 13), ventriloquism (DC 13)
0 (at will)--detect magic, flare (DC 12), lullaby (DC 12), message, prestidigitation, read magic
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +9; CMB +11; CMD 23 (31 vs. trip)
Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Casting, Dodge, Power Attack, Shield Focus
Skills Bluff +14*, Disguise +14*, Escape Artist +15, Knowledge (dungeoneering, local) +17, Knowledge (planes) +13, Knowledge (all others) +4, Linguistics +9, Perception +19, Perform (act) +14, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +15, Survival +11, Swim +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception; * from versatile performer
Languages Aboleth, Aklo, Aquan, Draconic, Sylvan, Undercommon, Vanaran [Note that Argus does not speak Common.]
SQ versatile performer (act: Bluff, Disguise)
Combat Gear elemental gem (water) [Large elemental, Bestiary 126], 5 potion sponges (Advanced Race Guide 117; cure serious wounds, magic fang, protection from arrows 10/magic, 2 empty), wand of shatter (16 charges); Other Gear +1 buckler, spell component pouch, pearl (40 gp)
The northeastern entrance, under the islets in the stream's mouth, leads to a chamber hat serves as the karkinoi's lair. A total of 6 crab-men live here, but at any given time, half are serving as guards elsewhere in the caves, and 1d4-1 others are out hunting. They keep no treasure here, having given it to the aboleth.
Directly below the temple, at the bottom of the spring's shaft, is a large chamber divided into three parts:
An entrance room where two karkinoi stand guard.
A room with two sunken pits filled with phosphorescent kelp. Each breeding pit conceals a larval aboleth, represented by an incutilis (Bestiary 4 157). In addition, the room is tended by 4 more incutilises riding zombie puppets (1 kech, 2 locathah, and 1 vanara; see stats below).
The aboleth's lair. Its treasure is kept here: a +1 kukri, a wand of speak with dead (5 charges), a potion of eagle's splendor, a divine spell scroll of summon nature's ally V (inscribed on a seashell), a black pearl (500 gp), and a silver pearl (100 gp). There is also a coral statuette of a kraken-shark hybrid (1,400 gp). A DC 20 Knowledge [religion] check identifies the god depicted as Lotan (The Pirate's Guide to Freeport 205), who is the same as Dagon (Freeport: The City of Adventure 234, 265).
Kech Puppet (CR 2)
XP 600
Kech zombie (Bestiary 3 167; Bestiary 288)
NE Medium undead
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 27 (5d8+5)
Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +4
DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits, effects that specifically target undead
Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d6+2), 2 claws +5 (1d4+2)
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 13, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16
Feats Toughness[B]
SQ staggered
Locathah Puppet [2] (CR 1)
XP 400
Locathah zombie (Bestiary 2 179; Bestiary 288)
NE Medium undead
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 14, touch 10, flat-footed 14 (+4 natural)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +3
DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits, effects that specifically target undead
Offense
Speed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee slam +3 (1d6+1)
Statistics
Str 12, Dex 10, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 13
Feats Toughness[B]
SQ staggered
Vanara Puppet (CR 1/2)
XP 200
Vanara zombie (Bestiary 3 280; Bestiary 288)
NE Medium undead
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex)
hp 12 (2d8+3)
Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +3
DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits, effects that specifically target undead
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee slam +2 (1d6+1)
Statistics
Str 12, Dex 12, Con --, Int --, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Toughness[B]
SQ staggered
Midway between the karkinoi and aboleth lairs is a wider section of tunnel with four small chambers that house the aboleth's slaves when they are not working. Each room holds prisoners of a different race: 2 kech, 4 locathah, 3 merfolk, and 3 vanara (see stats below). All have been infected by the aboleth's slime; the kech and vanara are regular re-dosed with aboleth slime to renew their ability to breathe water. These slaves have their CR reduced by 1 due to their diseased condition.
Kech Slave [2] (CR 2)
XP 600
Diseased kech (Bestiary 3 167)
NE Medium monstrous humanoid
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
Defense
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural)
hp 18 (4d10-4)
Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +5
Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +5 (1d6+1), 2 claws +5 (1d4+1)
Special Abilities rend (2 claws, 1d4+1)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +4)
Constant--pass without trace
Statistics
Str 13, Dex 15, Con 8 [originally 12], Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11
Base Atk +4; CMB +5; CMD 18
Feats Dodge, Mobility
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+13 jumping), Climb +16, Perception +10, Stealth +13 (+19 in forests and jungles), Swim +1; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth (+10 in forests and jungles)
Languages Kech
SQ diseased (aboleth slime), water breathing
Locathah Slave [4] (CR 1/3)
XP 135
Diseased locathah (Bestiary 2 179)
N Medium humanoid (aquatic)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3
Defense
AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 5 (2d8-4)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1
Offense
Speed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +1 (1d3 nonlethal)
Statistics
Str 10, Dex 12, Con 6 [originally 10], Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 12
Feats Weapon Focus (longspear)
Skills Craft (any one) +6, Perception +3, Survival +6, Swim +8
Languages Aquan
SQ amphibious, diseased (aboleth slime)
Merfolk Slave [3] (CR 1/4)
XP 100
Doseased merfolk warrior 1 (Bestiary 204)
N Medium humanoid (aquatic)
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3
Defense
AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 5 (1d10)
Fort +2, Ref +1, Will -1
Offense
Speed 5 ft., swim 50 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +2 (1d3+1 nonlethal)
Statistics
Str 13, Dex 13, Con 10 [originally 14], Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 13 (can't be tripped)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Perception +3, Swim +13
Languages Aquan, Common
SQ amphibious, diseased (aboleth slime)
Vanara Slave [3] (CR 1/3)
XP 135
Diseased vanara expert 2 (Bestiary 3 280)
NE Medium undead
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0
Defense
AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex)
hp 12 (2d8+3)
Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +3
DR 5/slashing; Immune undead traits, effects that specifically target undead
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee slam +2 (1d6+1)
Statistics
Str 12, Dex 12, Con 7 [originally 11], Int --, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 13
Feats Toughness[B]
Skills Acrobatics +9 (+13 jumping), Climb +16, Perception +10, Stealth +13 (+19 in forests and jungles), Swim +1; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth (+10 in forests and jungles)
Languages Common, Vanaran
SQ diseased (aboleth slime), water breathing