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Gangrenous Pond: As the infection in the islandworsens, it oozes fluids from a small cavelike openingthat drains the corruption and slows its inevitablemarch toward destruction. The runoff flows over theedge of the island, gathering in a disgusting pool ona lower ledge, where bright green parasites swallowit and burrow into the soft flesh. These creatures areharmless, but the pond is not. A character touchingthe pond or the runoff above takes 10 acid damage.Characters immersed in the fluid take 50 aciddamage and ongoing 20 acid damage (save ends).Area 4: ClotsIt should come as no surprise that portions of theSea of Blood occasionally congeal into clots. Theentire sea isn’t covered by a vast skin of dried bloodbecause creatures from the depths harvest the driedmaterial, breaking off chunks to bring back to theirsunken citadels and devour at their leisure. Althoughthe indigenous creatures of the Blood Sea hinder thegrowth of clots, mounds of brittle material can befound throughout the sea and are rarely unoccupied.When the PCs land on a clot, read:This strange formation is tough and leathery, with crestsand waves across its entire area. It moves across the darksea with ease and shifts beneath your weight.The clots hold nothing of interest. If you’d like toinject a bit more danger into this environment, considerpopulating a clot with the following optionalencounter.Optional: StrandedLevel 23 Encounter (XP 25,500)✦ 5 blood fiends (level 23 soldier)A band of blood fiends fell from one of the floatingislands, dislodged by the demonic miners. They nowcongregate on a blood clot, cursing their enemies farabove, but they are too afraid of the demons to seekrevenge.Area 5: Isle of Faces (Level 28)This island, whose surface resembles a patchwork offaces, houses Anthraxin and her blood fiend cronies.From the quivering hills, she watches her foes on thedemon mines (area 7) with interest. She makes noeffort to hide her presence.Characters trigger the tactical encounter by landingon the island.Tactical Encounter: “Isle of Faces,” page 154.Area 6: Hair ForestThis island floats 50 feet above the Blood Sea, justbelow the Isle of Faces.When the PCs land on this island, read:Towering brown and black trees covered in scales and barbscurl up from the spongy ground.In truth, the trees are massive hairs, each about 3 feetin diameter and up to 20 feet tall. Climbing a hairrequires a DC 15 Athletics check, but a hair bendsto the ground when it is burdened by more than 300pounds of weight.Area 7: Demon Mines (Level 25)On this island, a balor leads a company of demonsin search of the fallen servant of Graz’zt. They servePazuzu, demon lord of the winds and father ofdroughts and famine, and they seek to wring Graz’zt’ssecrets out of the marilith—if she still lives. Heedlessof the fact that their excavations kill the islands, thedemons continue to tear apart every bit of flesh andslaughter anything that gets in their way.Landing on this island triggers the tacticalencounter.Tactical Encounter: “Demon Miners,” page 156.Area 8: BuboesNot all the islands are large masses; floating amidthe rest are numerous tiny bits of flesh called buboes.Crawling with vermin and favored by demonic carrionbirds, buboes rarely last long. However, theyrespond to the presence of life. Any living creaturethat lands on a bubo can exert its influence over theisland by making a DC 30 Charisma check. A successallows the creature to direct the bubo, maneuveringthe small island wherever it wishes. Each bubo hasa fly speed of 8. If a bubo is flown more than 1 milefrom the rest of the islands, it decays rapidly, depositingits riders into the Blood Sea.Area 9: Sinking IslandDemonic mining killed this island, and now it slowlysinks toward the Blood Sea below. It currently hovers30 feet above the crimson surface.When the PCs land on this island, read:The ground here is soft and gives under your weight. It sagsin places, and the cavities fill with brown fluid that reeks ofdecay. You get the distinct impression that this island is nolonger alive.152CHAPTER 3 | Dragon LairsJASON A. ENGLE