"I just followed Sulan," Gwen replies while she picks up her gear. She tsks momentarily at the state of it. Thanks, Fa'zakar. I'll need to get all of this dry. Let me get down to my cabin and I'll shake out of these things."
On the way down, she pulls some spare cloth from the sail locker, both ot have something to lay her gear out on, as well as to wrap around herself.
Still shaking, the commoner man Jim picks himself off of the ship's deck. "Sorry... sorry for not helping. I just... I thought Victor was a goner as soon as he was over the railing and... that monster was really scary."
Davos grunts. "Yeah, lads... among the many reasons the Azlanti Archipelago was never settled? The tentacular monsters infesting the water."
"I just followed Sulan,"
"Ah..." Sulan chuckles. "I've gotten wet before. I could breathe under water if I had to."
Arven sighs at the loss of his spear. His fault, obviously, but still. "At least we defeated the monster," he says.
"My swimming spell should last another minute or two. Want me to get it for you?"
Once her gear is dried, Gwen is ready to continue.
Ehiz needs a moment to recollect his thoughts and, after a thorough sigh that helped cleanse his mind, he nods stoicly. "Alright, that could've gone worse, but we're still here. Let's get on with it again?"
Gwen reappears on deck, barefoot and barelegged, under the sailcloth wrapped around her chest and falling to her knees. She looks at the glowing western sky, the luminous headstone for the buried sun, then turns to the others on deck.
"Ehiz, is right. We need to get back to business. We need a plan. Is everyone coming or are we leaving a watch on the ship? Do we anchor the ship here, or let it sail offshore and return once in a while? Are we better off landing by day, or by night?"
With a grunt, Davos takes the ship around to the far side of the island. He sails past the reef which surrounds the island, navigating a small break in it and then guides the ship in to a heavily-forested area of sea-shore. It's fully dark at this point. "If you guys wanna take a look around," he says, "I'll anchor and hide the ship."
Arven is ready to go now! "I want to go kill an ogre!" he says, eagerly. "Let's go check things out. What better time than now?"
Arven is ready to go now! "I want to go kill an ogre!"
Sulan laughs. "I'm sure the ogres want to kill you too, kid."
Sulan looks around at the others.
"As you probably know, my people can see in the dark. But if the rest of you cannot, then that gives them the advantage."
"Creatures that can see in darkness often prefer the night to the day. Perhaps we should wait until dawn... many of them may be going to sleep."
Fa'zakar will find an opportunity to find where those who dove in hung their wet clothes to dry, and cast prestidigitation when no one is looking to dry them completely, and remove any bits of seaweed, sticks, dried salt, or whatever else would chafe or make them uncomfortable...
"I can not see well in the dark, but we do have torches. Although I think waiting for the sunrise might at least put us on a level field, so to speak."
"Torches would just make us targets. Let's get some sleep and land at dawn. Now, do we all go, or leave a watch on the ship?"
"My eyesight is pretty good. But i wouldn't hazard it against enemies we aren't sure of." Victor replies to Sulan before turning to Arven "We need patience right now. We have to approach this delicately or people, including ourselves, could get hurt." he explains to the headstrong kid "In the meantime, we might as well use the ship as our base camp for the night. No reason to sacrifice the protection just yet."
"Aye," agrees Davos, "Best to bet down for the night, I think. Makes a risk, but what doesn't, am I right?"
Fa'zakar discovers that Victor also likes to cook, and helps him prepare a meal for the crew. Maybe some fresh fish, a bit of salt, maybe some citrus fruit if they have a lemon or lime, and these wonderful pungent but flavorful leaves that he can crush up and sprinkle on the skin side of the fillets...
If they have a cook fire, that is!
"We're at the center of the spider's web. All our choices are dangerous," Gwen muses. "Maybe we should think about them less, and act faster."
Gwen delicately nibbles her first bite of fish, then wolfs the rest down, slowing only on to test for bones on the first chomp of each bite. When the flesh is gone she scrapes her fork repeatedly over the plate to transfer every bit to her mouth. "Fa'zakar, it's so good! I'll fish the whole trip back if you promise to make it again."
She looks around the table, pauses after gaze slides over to Victor. She looks down, then back up." Thank you, Victor. I didn't know someone like you would know how to cook. It's very good."
Victor raises an eyebrow as he continues to savor his own fish, maintaining a thin layer of civility as he balances between wolfing it down and letting it get cold "It's one of my favorite passtimes actually. There is nothing quite like balancing the perfect meal then getting to savor the fruits of your effort." he said, punctuating the statement with the last of his own dinner. "So I must say you've made me curious, is the spear magical?" he asked her in return.
The party's three friends savor the food just as much as the party themselves. "I can stay behind on the ship," says Davos, "When y'are out scoutin' and such. I'm not too much of a fighter no more."
Arven says, "I want to come with!" through a mouthful of fish. "I've never been on a tropical slave island before. Sounds cool."
Gwen throws her head back in laughter. "Magic!? How would someone like me get a magic spear?" She shakes her head almost regretfully. "It's only steel and wood."
As Gwen leaps from the ship's rail, the dying sun catches her spearhead and trails red into the shadowy water. In the splash of her landing, faint golden light limns the edge and point and licks with every stroke toward the squid.
Victor shrugs "Heirlooms exist, and more ways besides." he replies to the uproar at the thought of it being magical "Are you saying that glowing aura around it when you dived in was your doing then?" he inquires, his curiosity yet to be sated.
Sulan finishes breakfast with a belch. "Yah, good grub."
He stands and arranges his gear.
"I'm ready to go. Do we take one of the boats to get ashore? Or do we swim for it?"
The night passes by uneventfully as the group sits in their sailing ship on the far side of the island, and the group breaks their fast on grilled fish and goodberries. At the question of boats, Davos says - "The Point Man's got a short keel. We can take you in close enough that you can just wade... this ship's got no boats. You'll get wet, but what are you gonna do, eh?"
Victor shrugs "Heirlooms exist, and more ways besides." he replies to the uproar at the thought of it being magical "Are you saying that glowing aura around it when you dived in was your doing then?" he inquires, his curiosity yet to be sated.
Gwen laughs again. "You're seeing things, my lord. There's no glow. Steel catches the light is all."
"The Point Man's got a short keel. We can take you in close enough that you can just wade... this ship's got no boats. You'll get wet, but what are you gonna do, eh?"
"Dry my gear out again."
After their morning meal, Fa'zakar straps on a short sword, a rapier, and slings a shortbow across his back. His studded leather armor looks exceptionally well crafted, and maintained, for just an herbalist...
Climbing over the bow and landing with a small splash in the waist deep water, he makes his way towards the shore, pulling the bow out and nocking an arrow as he gets closer to dry land.
When the light of day finds its way to Ehiz's eyes, the man had already been awake for quite some time. Thoughts, contemplation and prayers filled that extensive period of time: today would be the day.
And he couldn't help but feel that they were ill-prepared. Doubts? Now? The priest had seen them almost lose a new companion only the day before. Today's excursion might very bring an end to all of their lives and, if the evil spirits have their way, turn the gillmen's focus onto First Landing.
With a grumpy demeanor and cold eyes Ehiz joins the others on deck. "Let's do this."
Victor gathers his gear and after packing it away, he carefully climbs down the rope ladder from the ship into the water, making sure to keep his bag above the waves as he wades.
Murob is anxious to get going and has been packing and repacking her gear a dozen times over the course of their rest. As dawn comes, she is standing by the railing, gazing at the shore with quiet determination, her pet scorpion cupped protectively in one hand.
Gwen stows her gear in her backpack and wraps her mail in the sailcloth she took the night before. She follows Victor down the ladder and holds her gear high while she pushes through the waves, kicking water in the last few steps before striding onto dry sand.
Once on the beach she moves quickly to the tree line, intending to don her armor and stow the sailcloth in some bushes.
Once she set and everyone else is ready, she looks to the others.
The group hops into the warm, clear tropical water and makes the short walk over to the sandy shore. This island is beautiful - the shore is littered with a great variety of colorful shells, geodes, and other miscellaneous island things. There is also a big variety of life - tiny turtles waddle towards the ocean, sea stars and octopuses sit in tide pools and a flock of colorful tropical birds takes to the sky as Gwen draws near to the tree line.
The trees are lively but not thick growths of palms. On this side of the island, elevation increases sharply, meaning that a direct forge ahead requires a taxing climb. Avoiding the climb means traversing the beach on the outside of the island until the ground inland levels out.
"Evil's ability to blend in is truly astonishing. A slice of paradise at first sight, but a harbor of mortal wickedness lies underneath it all. Heh, it's time to act so I can stop having these old man thoughts."
Ehiz then takes a moment to soak up the details of the place. "Going up means figuring out how to tackle the climb, which in reverse, means we will have to figure out how we can get those we intend to rescue back with us. Additionally, it means that if we decide to camp here, we ought to expect any and all hostiles to come from the water and not the steep hillside."
"I like the cover of the trees, but not enough to tackle that climb, I think..." Fa'zakar replies. "Maybe we can stay in cover as we skirt the mountain?"
"If we climb, we'll have a better view. We might be able to see our enemies before they see if. If we stay on the beach we will be exposed.
"That's just what I think. We need to stick together. What do you others say?"
Jim and Arven came with, armored in padded armor and carrying spears. Both of them say that they'd prefer the climb, but that it might slow the group down... "Aren't our enemy aquatic?" asks Jim. "It seems... dangerous to walk along the seashore." His words are colored by fear, but Arven agrees.
"The safer option is the climb i should think. The height will also hopefully give us a vantage of the land ahead when we reach the top." Victor replies, to the younger man as he begins to walk towards the climb.
"Heh. Climbing's good for you. Besides, we got rope. I'm sure the boat has some extra if you forgot yours, but I brought mine."
"To the heights, then!" Fa'zakar will join the group heading inland, his bow drawn and strung. "I can scout ahead a bit if you want. I am used to walking alone in the wilds, looking for herbs and fungi..."
He will move about 20 feet ahead and 15 feet to the left of the group, occasionally moving around to check the other flank and the area behind them.
The group begins to forge up into the mountainside, quickly gaining elevation as they find simple footpaths to trod upon, pull themselves up by handholds, and rest among thinning palms to sip from a canteen or a waterskin.
Gwen follows Fa'zakar up the hill. Her muscular legs move her tirelessly. Her spear is a handy walking stick or climbing prop when the trail gets steep.
Perhaps taking slightly longer, Victor follows along, choosing his footholds carefully to avoid any risk of falling as he scales the slope behind Gwen and Fa'zakar. Meanwhile his sharp eyes scan the surroundings for pitfalls or other lurking dangers.
"Sure, Zachary, go for it and scout ahead." The words are accompanied by a groan as the farmer priest starts climbing up, up and away.
With a lot of grunting, Sulan gets to work climbing the hill.
Fa'zakar moves slowly up the path, scouting ahead and to the flanks. He has difficulty with several of the steeper slopes, and spends more time looking for an easier path than watching for enemies, but he is exceptionally quiet while stumbling about...
The climb is long and arduous as you ascend the mountain to get a better look at the inner, southern end of the island. Eventually, after a couple hours of hiking upwards, you reach the peak. Of the group, only Ehiz and Gwen remain fresh, their muscles from long hours of physical labor having served them well.
The view from up here is thankfully spectacular. The palm trees curve away from the peak, ending in many acres of farmland in the area around a natural bay on the southern end of the island. That end of the island hosts a half-ruined city of ancient stone structures, about ten miles away from where you are now, and several large white manors sit among the farms. You can see the tiny figures of humanoids working the fields.
From up here, you can also see something below the waves in the island's bay - large, immobile, dark shapes underneath the water. You're not sure exactly what they are.
Near the peak, Gwen also finds something strange... a hidden cave. There is a strange rune carved into a rock - an eye with a crescent moon for a pupil - and there is a very small, hidden crack in the rock near the rune that a Medium-sized creature can squeeze down, and it leads down to a wider cave after a short way.
This particular Eldest is known as Count Ranalc, the patron of traitors, the betrayed, and those who live in shadows. Count Ranalc's domains are Chaos, Darkness, Nobility, and Travel. His favored weapon is the rapier.
At the peak Gwen stretches while she takes in the view. She lays her spear across her boot toes and, legs straight, touches her fingertips, then knuckles, then palms to the ground on the oter side of the spear. After straightening, she tries a few lunges, then twists at the waist.
"It is beautiful up here. No doubt Ehiz is having more old man's thoughts." A smile accompanies the words to take out any possible sting. "The open fields are going to make our approach more difficult."
***
After a little, she wanders around the peak. Shortly she waves the others over to a cleft rock.
"Look at this. The crack here opens up a little deeper into the hillside. Maybe we could use the cave for shelter."
After inspecting the rune on the stone for a few minutes trying to see if he could place it, the symbol seems to just barely elude Victor's memory. Shrugging at it, he turns his attention to the fields below them, pondering how they should best approach while he tries to spy any of the Ogres or other dangers, as well as notable landmarks.
"So how do you posit we should approach?" he asks to the others members of the group "If it helps with planning, I might be able to slip in rather easily with a disguise, but my options of what to do would be rather limited after that point." he posits aloud, and then, to illustrate his point, whispers a word under his breath as his fine garments are overtaken by a gout of blue flame from the feet upwards, leaving in their place a set of ragged patchwork clothing similar to what the escapees had been wearing on the beach.
Ehiz rubs his wrists over the knuckles of his hands, hoping to alleviate some of the aches that will surely come to haunt him tomorrow or the day after. He flashes Gwen a grin. "Heh. In a way, this place ain't all that different from home. People back home hide in the porous cliffside when pirate and Chelish slavers raid the region. Only this time, the raiders will be the liberators. Black and white thinking tends to lead to conflict, but slavers truly are a blight."
Together, he explores the cave with his companions and frowns at the strange rune. It is clear the farmer-priest knows not what it means. Victor then brings him back to the discussion on what to do next.
"Hrm, a disguise, that might be useful. Thing is though, we know the place harbors more forces than we can realistically expect to beat if it comes to an all-out confrontation. I .." and he tries not to sigh, but the multitude of things to consider are weighing down on his mind with horrific force. "If we go down and liberate only part of the populace, the remaining slaves will be punished in return. If we cripple their system, they'll come and attack First Landing not only to retaliate but also to find the means needed to fix their system. Perhaps I'm thinking this through too much, but I am of the firm belief that we need to somehow take this into consideration now we still got a choice in the matter."
Jim, the man looking for his missing wife, slings a bow over his shoulder. "Well," he begins, tentatively, scratching his balding pate, "Maybe we could just start with scouting?"
"If we get into a fight, we don't necessarily have to beat everyone all at once, right? We can do it a little bit at a time, I think. Not like I'm looking forward to fighting a ton of ogres or anything, but... you know."
Arven speaks up as well, "Didn't Murob say something about the gillmen not being able to live on dry land very long? We totally have the upper hand if we're away from the water. But!" he adds, with a touch of excitement, "I want to explore this cave! I wonder what's down there?"
"All alone disguised as a slave seems a likely way to end up one, Victor. Save that plan for when we know more about this place. Meantime, I agree with Jim. Let's scout the perimeter and see how their guards are placed, and how alert they are."
"If we think we're going to use the cave, we should scout it too. Something unpleasant might live there, or there might be another exit."
Breathing hard, Murob stumbles to the top of the cliff and rests against the trunk of a palm tree, hand against the rough bark as she surveys the lands below them. She follows Gwen as the woman points out the cave. While the shape of the rune is tantalizingly familiar, she cannot place its meaning.
She nods when Jim suggests that they start by scouting. "Yes, let's see what we are dealing with here, first. These seem to be farms or plantations, so the slaves will be spread out. At least during the day, when they are working. At night I expect that they are more gathered. There are likely guards patrolling around, but what kind?"
"If I am stripped of armor and weapons, I can still bite. But I think a disguise as a slave is very risky. Slave masters sometime inflict random cruelties, especially on slaves who do not behave correctly. A slip-up could get you severely wounded or killed even if you weren't given away as a spy."
"It would be easier to disguise me as an ogre, if you have the tools. I can use my magic to grow to their size if necessary. Only for a brief while though."
"But this cave intrigues me. Anyone know what the symbol means?"
Sula looks around the cave mouth for evidence (such as tracks) indicating that the ogres, gillmen, or slaves might visit the cave on a any regular basis.