Odyssey Anthology Volume III: In Arixmethes’ Clutches includes 10 Ancient-Greek-themed island adventures for Theros, plus rules to randomly roll dozens of krakens, random encounters for the Theran seas, and a CR 30 Mythic encounter with Arixmethes the island-kraken!
"This is the third edition of the most original, inspiring and ridiculously useful anthology series. Whether, you’re thinking about Theros, exploring an eclectic and adventurous array of islands that will shock and amaze or you’re just here to see what’s kraken (huge, terrifying awesome titans of the sea is what's kraken)...this is mythic mana and ambrosia of the gods! Every element fills my soul with joy and my mind with the music of the muses!" -CurseOfSebs
Included in Volume 3 are rules for myriad of Krakens that dwell in Theros's oceans, with tables to roll for names, actions and abilities for these legendary creatures, ensuring no two confrontations with the monsters of the deep will ever be the same! These rules are followed by 10 island adventures for levels 1-20, shrouded in myth and perfect for adventures closer to the edge of the world, where the realm of the gods touches the realm of mortals:
- Kru'vouras, Haven of Crabs, by Matthew Graydon - A safe harbour on the Theran seas, Kru'vouras is a bountiful, forest-blanketed island home to dozens of species of crabs, both in the sea and on the island. A lone seafarer lives stranded on the island, seeking to, with the party's help, decipher an ancient prophecy written in the shells of the island's crabs.
- Nisí Ergaleíon, The Clockwork Island, by Iam Pace - An ancient mechanical bastion, forged by the bronze-blooded god Purphoros in preparation for a war between the gods, has broken loose from its moorings on the seabed, and risen to the surface. Can the party cross the island's mechanical defenses and prevent it sinking once more, and save its mysteries from being lost to the seabed?
- The Gale Cliffs, Isle of Hidden Harpies, by E.R.F. Jordan - A colony of peaceful harpies make their home on this windswept isle, with their vertical dwellings hewn into the wind-carved rock gullies. But the island's winds have an ancient origin, born from Thassa's jealousy of another deity's power - a deity who remains now only known to the harpies of the Gale Cliffs.
- Hámytera, The Eternal Harvestland, by Sean Shannon - An island of rich, Karametra-blessed farmland is tended by minotaurs who worship the god of the harvest, raising cattle to trade with neighbouring islands. Beneath the farmlands, however, lie the remnants of something the minotaurs of Hámytera would sooner forget - the time a "hero" came to the island, to slay the "monsters" who inhabit it.
- Anphagos, The Island of the People Eaters, by Timothy McCown Reynolds - Deadly currents draw seafarers to the shores of Anphagos, where the monstrous people-eaters lurk among the boughs of the trees: twisted humanoids with eyes in their chests and mouths where their stomachs should be. A few humanoids have survived this long, though each new wreck seems to lead to more monsters, coming from a tower of stone overlooking the island.
- Anuraphanos, Isle of Frogs, by Frederic Walker (Kor-Artificer) - Far from the Theran mainland, an island inhabited by frogfolk was forever changed with a visit from the legendary seafarer Callaphe. When the characters arrive on the island, they are mistaken for Callaphe and her crew making their triumphant return, and caught in the whirlwind of events as the islanders seek to make the best of Callaphe's return, in this adventure inspired by Aristophanes' play The Frogs.
- Arixmethes, Slumbering Kraken, by Grady Wang - Legends tell of the polis of Arixmethes, which was cast down into the ocean by one of the gods. In truth, the city was built on the back of a truly titanic kraken, the largest living thing on Theros. Upon landing on the slumbering kraken, characters will join two other legendary heroes, drawn to the ancient beast in search of the monsters and treasures hidden in the lost city on the back of the kraken.
- Koreios, Underworld's Song, by Mercury Natis - On an island-sanctuary of dedicated to the chthonic gods Erebos, god of the dead, and Athreos, god of passage, a lone bard plays a song of longing among the mourners and pilgrims. He yearns for his lost love, dreaming that he may one day return her from the underworld, despite earning the disdain of the island's followers of Erebos. With the characters' help, however, the lovers separated by death might stand a chance at being finally reunited.
- Phaeros, Shunned by the Gods, by Brian Foster - Phaeros was once a beacon of Heliod's worship - until he did not answer the island's champion in her time of greatest need. When she drew upon the power of an ancient archon, Heliod cursed damned her and cursed the islanders for her doing so, leaving the once-proud city to fall to ruin around the fallen champion. Yet in the ruin, the champion's lover and companion remains, knowing that with the characters' help, there is some way yet to free her from the archon's grasp, and the island from its curse.
- Pemphobos, Edge of the World, by Zeke Gonzalez - A vibrant tropical archipelago of coral-wreathed islands inhabited by merfolk and shipwrecked sailors lies in the misty waters at the edge of the world, where the sea falls away into the endless starfield of Nyx. Yet something dark has begun to overshadow the island's incredible natural beauty - the Returned walk among the citizens, monsters of the underworld stalk the outermost islands, and the clinking of great chains all herald the underworld converging with the realm of mortals over the islands, and with it, a titan reaches for freedom from its ancient prison.
Following the islands are rules for new monsters and NPCs for each island, from the thespian frogfolk of Anuraphanos to Philones Rubytongue, the mournful bard of Koreios, as well as random encounter tables for the oceans of Theros, ranging in difficulty based on distance from the Theran mainland, including the new krakens of this volume, as well as creatures and vessels from earlier volumes.
Finally, this volume ends with a CR 30 mythic encounter for Arixmethes, the slumbering isle, a kraken whose rules are designed to reflect its incredible size, and the watchful eyes of Thassa, who would gladly join battle to protect her favourite Kraken.
