"Aye, I saw them when we came south, but not in the waters in the north," Helga remarks.
"You are quiet, Natalyah," Helga comments. "You've never mentioned where you are from, what lands you have seen, what song you sing."
"Ghosts of the drowned?" Caithan nods. "Makes as much sense as everything else I've seen. Watched demons pour forth from a hole of pure nothing and drag good men inside...only to meet them again late at night in my nightmares crying for help. Watched as a slaver down on his luck personally slaughtered each and every one of his own slaves to avoid taxes. The next night those slaves came back for him...walked right past my bed and carried him off into the night...was just a lad at the time. Wet my bed rather severely I remember. Dead sailors lighting the surf? I can believe it."
The night passes slowly and you remain wary out here in the open but nothing disturbs you and the brief pre dawn is followed by the usual almost instant appearance of daylight.
The tide has come in and covered the causeway but is now again receeding uncovering the stones.You can see now that it's quite wide about 30 feet across and as stated earlier 400 feet long to a low lying scrub covered island..
You can see wild goats browsing the bushes over there
"There's only one way to find out," Helga shrugs and starts out onto the causeway carefully as it is uncovered.
"There's only one way to find out," Helga shrugs and starts out onto the causeway carefully as it is uncovered.
Setebo's pleading voice follows helga as she clambers onto the rocks.
"Hold Helga, please, we have enough food. The captains rat things are quite tasty and I see a breadfruit tree just down the beach. Please they look harmless and happy. Let us explore the islet by all means but let us leave them in peace if we can.
If we want to explore would it not be best to rope together? The tide here is swift but the Captain and I will make great anchors."
Setebo quickly pulls a rope from his pack and loops it across his chest befire holding the remaining coils to Helga.
"Exploring is what I had in mind, Setebo, not hunting," Helga replies with a laugh.
Setebo checks the line to Amisi and is satisfied that it will hold.
"You are quiet, Natalyah," Helga comments. "You've never mentioned where you are from, what lands you have seen, what song you sing."
"I don't sing", is the ranger's sullen anwser and for a moment it seems to be all that Natalyah will say. But she seems to change her mind. "I come from Cheliax. From the barrow woods, near Egorian. I boarded the Jenivare to see the Mwangi", Natalyah says. For once harshness is not as dominant as usual and there's a hint of longing in her voice.
To Our Lady
"Well this is kind of the Mwangi." Setebo cautiously smiles as he hands the fearsome elf a loop of rope.
"Ah, but you do sing, everyone does: their lives are their song, you see. In your days you sing your song by living your life, in death you live on in the songs sung about your life," Helga tunes her harp idly.
"We are strange creatures, we three: Setebo, I do not understand what manner of being you are, I have never seen your like before. Natalyah, you and I are born of parents from two different worlds, and it seems we belong in neither. I never knew my alfar father, but I have met his people sometimes ... what of you?" Helga's voice betrays that this is not an idle question, there is a yearning in her voice for understanding of both Natalyah and of what she may reveal.
Caithan helps however he can tying the rope to himself seeing as they insist on this insane venture.
Atzi had been unusually quiet ever since she saw the lights last night, now they were crossing a seaweed covered causeway to a strange little island. She roped off with the others and prepared to cross.
Caithan helps however he can tying the rope to himself seeing as they insist on this insane venture.
With everyone but Our Lady roped up we head out on to the rocks. I think Helga was leading the way?
To Our Lady
"Well this is kind of the Mwangi." Setebo cautiously smiles as he hands the fearsome elf a loop of rope.
"I didn't board the Jenivare to come here!" Natalyah snaps and snatches the loop from Setebo. Without knowling it the barbarian had touched on a soft spot.
"We are strange creatures, we three: Setebo, I do not understand what manner of being you are, I have never seen your like before. Natalyah, you and I are born of parents from two different worlds, and it seems we belong in neither. I never knew my alfar father, but I have met his people sometimes ... what of you?" Helga's voice betrays that this is not an idle question, there is a yearning in her voice for understanding of both Natalyah and of what she may reveal.
An uncertainity falls over Natalyah and once again she seems unwilling to fully anwser Helga's question. "Only my mother. She was elven", she admits and ties the lenght of rope around her waist. Natalyah starts to walk out over the stone path, almost like she's fleeing from further questions.
It takes nearly half an hour to cross the relatively short distance as you carefully pick your way across the causeway.
The bushes on the Island are for the most part thorny in the extreme.There are a few open areas and a couple of ponds of fresh water. Apart from that it is fairly unremarkable and extends for about a mile to the north.
From the northern tip you can see a second much shorter causeway..perhaps only 100 feet long leading to another island.
This one is however far from unremarkable..A dense mass, indeed a veritable forest, of large fungi meets your gaze..
Natalyah scans the small island. This could be a good place for a camp. Enough open areas to build shelters and enough water. The causeway should limit intruders. It all depends on what's on the other side of the northen tip.
She turns to Atzi. "What are those fungi?"
Amisi fails to identify the fungi but they look out of place, almost alien in fact.
Helga purses her lips and eyes the fungi thoughtfully.
Knowledge (nature):
Helga..
"There are giant mushrooms that grow in the lands to the east of my people," Helga remarks, "but they have caps on, these do not. And the sway and ripple though there is no wind, do you see? These look ... amiss," she muses.
Atzi was far too distracted to determine the nature of the Fungi with any type of certainty. This disturbed her because most fungi were easy to identify, but these were far from normal fungi. She looked at Natalyah and shook her head. "I don't know what type of fungi they are and I suggest we stay armed. This island becomes more and more distrubing each day, something has disrupted the balance and a dark force must be behind it. Lets keep moving."
She drew out her shortspear and kept it level as she slowly advanced forward, she kept looking ahead of her and peering to the sky to see where Quetza was. She was sure she was going to need him sometime soon...
1d20+9
Atzi was far too distracted to determine the nature of the Fungi with any type of certainty. This disturbed her because most fungi were easy to identify, but these were far from normal fungi. She looked at Natalyah and shook her head. "I don't know what type of fungi they are and I suggest we stay armed. This island becomes more and more distrubing each day, something has disrupted the balance and a dark force must be behind it. Lets keep moving."
She drew out her shortspear and kept it level as she slowly advanced forward, she kept looking ahead of her and peering to the sky to see where Quetza was. She was sure she was going to need him sometime soon...
Setebo checks that his pike is secure on his back and draws his sabre.
"It looks pretty thick in there we might want to keep close."
Captain? What do you think?
This second causeway is more like a sand spit connecting the two islands as you advance it becomes dirtier until you arrive on the northern shore and find yourselves standing in a slimy mud.The Fungi stink..not enough to be sickening but enough to make you want to wrap something over your nose and mouth.
from here you can continue north along the eastern or the western shore..this island isn't very big maybe half a mile long and a quarter mile wide 1/4
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Amisi feels disgusted by the smell. Once they are clear of it she rummages in her belongings and takes out a small vial. Some of the contents is already gone.
She contemplates for a moment - but then she straightens up. Whatever she faces here - she will face it with dignity.
She applies a small amount of the content and a fresh frangrance is surrounding her.
"I think this was a terrible idea. Smells like a corpse here!"
Natalyah listens to Helga's recount of the fungi and looks about ready to burst. Finally she snaps and throws her magical dagger into the treetrunk of a nearby tree . "It's always something!" she snarls before retrieving her dagger. The short sword joins the dagger in her other and as she starts to carefully walk along the causeway towards the fungus populated island.
"We'll search the shore first", she announces and turns to follow the northen shore. Her voice is somewhat muffled as she tries to lessen the smell by holding a part of her cloak over her nose and mouth.
"Could be some strange beast living in this. Stands to reason, strange plants strange beast. No?"
Setebo unties everyone and returns the rope to his pack.
Setebo does not tie a cloth aroung his face but he is breathing throuh his mouth.
Taking the eastern shore northwards is probably a good idea as the breeze is coming from the East and blowing the worst of the smell away from you.
"You know Captain, I think this fungus might be hallucenigenic. For a momment Atzi looked like a strange French woman."
Setebo shakes his head and continues to walk. He is watching the fungus 'wall' for breaks or paths that might lead into the island.
"You know Captain, I think this fungus might be hallucenigenic. For a momment Atzi looked like a strange French woman."
Setebo shakes his head and continues to walk. He is watching the fungus 'wall' for breaks or paths that might lead into the island.
"Don't eat strange fruit Setebo. Next thing you know we'll be some pethsop arguing over the state of a parrot. I don't want to think about the strange armored dwarf following us around narrating our actions."
Natalyah leads the group along the east shoreline, keeping a weary eye on the fungi covered island to their side with every step. One part of her is determined to explore the island and hopefully be able to set up a permanent camp on the island to the south, the other part just wants to go back and try some other part of the main island. Those fungi does not boad well.
About 300 yards along the shoreline you come upon A fifty-foot-high pillar of fungus-covered rock thrusting up from the surf, angling away from the main body of the larger island to the west. The rock is connected to the main island by thick tangles of fibrous fungus, perhaps providing a way to cross the churning surf below.
Setebo looks up at the spire his hands grip his weapons tighter as he climbs it in his mind.
"This strange fungus islet seems deserted. Not even a bird or bug. Maybe if those vines are strong enough I could nip across and see what I can see from that rock?"
Setebo continues to walk along the shore with the others. The Lady of Blades seems to want the lead so Setebo takes flank position between the main group and the fungus jungle wall.
"You know where I said that I had heard of mushrooms like these? They are the borders of a dark realm ruled by a hag-queen, a place of nightmares and monsters. I would advise ... caution."
From an Ulfen, this is saying a great deal.
"You know where I said that I had heard of mushrooms like these? They are the borders of a dark realm ruled by a hag-queen, a place of nightmares and monsters. I would advise ... caution."
From an Ulfen, this is saying a great deal.
"As in this is a place to avoid right?" Caithan furrows his brows. "Far be it for me to avoid going into danger but we should get back to what we were doing before this endeavor. The island isn't going anywhere."
Natalyah knows that she should listen to Caithan's words, but something is holding her back. Something more than her pride to listen to a devil worshiper, and a "big game" hunter from what she's gathered. Finding a easily defendable permanent camp is essential. The can not keep carrying Inkathru and Uchendu all across the island. The island they camped last night could be such a spot but until they knew for sure what the fungus are it is to dangerous. Watching the dense forest of mushrooms she considers her options.
As you make yourr way north three small figures step from the fungal growth. They look humanoid about halfling sized ..naked but sexless and carry spears.The point at you and advance with the obvious intent of engaging you in combat.
As the strange fungal creatures began to appear, Atzi did her best to identify them in some way. This entire island covered in fungi had been nagging at her something fierce and she didn't like this place at all. The travel here would make this a perfect spot for a camp, easily defendable and plenty of fishing to provide for food. But the fungi had to go...
Once the fungus creatures started advancing on them, wielding their odd spears, Atzi took up a defensive stance and wreathed her hands in flames. "Looks like they don't want to be our friends either!"
Helga Initiative:
Helga starts singing a call to arms, as her mind races, wondering what the odd creatures are.
Knowledge (nature):
Setebo slips forward on the inland flank. He points both his sabre and his javelin at the ground. His voice is calm and just a little pleading.
"Greetings, we are strangers here and mean no tresspass."