"The three of us were pleasure servants on a Chelish ship Infernus. When the ship crashed here, we survived by eating the flesh of the dead sailors, but one by one we succumbed to some sort of fever. As we died, we returned to this hunger..."
With the mention of a Chelish ship, Veltisiel's mind was brought into sharp focus and he realized the tremendous advantage that was presented here, "Chelish? Were there any priests or diabolists on board? I've been trying to find summoning methods for quite some time. Daemons are more my thing, truth be told, but devils are good for beginners I've heard. However... you three seem pretty powerful in your own right. And you managed to keep your minds, which is extra special. What if we offered you a job? Do you want to get off this island? We could prove quite the alliance- and you could have all the humanoid flesh you want. All we would ask for in return is that you not attack us, give us aid on the island- yes, we are looking for people, as you suspect, and are shipwrecked- and eat the people we provide for you. Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Though I hope you understand I'm a little hesitant to shake hands on the deal."
Ordrax continues to remain still but his mind is run as if he is on fire.
What the f@!& is wrong with him....bringing an undead, one that just tried to kill us and one that eats flesh, with us to be on the ship...with us...a ship in the middle of the water with no where to go but on the ship...with an undead...Did he shoot one of those electric bolts into his head or something.
"Wait, you mentioned there being more people on the island. Who? Where? And what are Grindylows?"
"Yes, there was a Priest of Asmodeus onboard, as on most Chelish ships. Unfortunately, the ship is sunk off shore. I can show you but it would be a challeng to recover. I do not wish to remain here waiting for flesh to wash up on the shore as you have."
Ordrax feels a burning as feeling returns to his muscles.
"There is a castaway who lives up in the hills. He does not enjoy visitors, but maybe he would talk to you. Grindylows is what the captain called the goblin squid things that kidnapped many of our crew. I assumed they took some of yours as well."
Ordrax feels his body relaxing and feels movement returning to his control. The moment he is free, he moves quickly away.
Gods damn I hate those things.
"They didn- oh, freaking storms of Gozreh. Rosie Cusswell might have been snatched by one of them."
"So what'll it be ladies and gents? We can fight to the death, go our separate ways, or form a sort of partnership."
"Eh. 'f you're not tryna eat us, I don't see why we should quarrel. These goblin squids might have treasure, though."
I guess I can deal with that.
"Your brand of undeath is contagious, correct? Could have some long-term uses, but nothing for the moment unless it takes affect in less than a few hours. Now, where are those grindylows? It's been too long since I killed something."
"I have not passed the undeath to anyone, so I don't know if it is contagious or not. The grindylows lair on the far end of the island, near where the Infernus sank. We can move along the beach in relative safety, though we...I typically only go out at night."
For a moment he seems to relax, and you truly notice his lack of motion. He is completely still, no breath, no blinking, no swaying on taught muscles.
Raush shoots a glance at Veltisiel. "I'm pretty sure you murdered someone just yesterday. You want me to return to the ship and tell them about these creatures? This way they won't be ambushed."
My, my...time flies by when you are having fun
Ordrax looks over at Raush
We have allies on that ship and it makes sense to keep them safe. I say go for it.
Running and climbing through the foliage, Raush hurries to the ship, doing his best to avoid unwanted attention.
The monkey drops the large frog at Scourge's feet.
"Cap'n, this isn't the friendliest place. There's prey, but it tried to eat us first, and there's undead, though he's not tryina eat us anymore. An' there may be creatures called grindylows, so keep smart 'bout the place and keep some watch. I'll be with th'others, looking for these beasties."
Raush takes again to the trees, heading back to his companions and the ghoul.
The creature looks at his surroundings, as if wondering if he should take anything for the journey, then shrugs and begins to move further down the trail.
"Well, I can take you to the other end of the island. Come this way. We will cross the beach to the grindylow caves on the other end of the island. We will have to take care to avoid the Castaway."
Half an hour of walking brings you out of the marsh and gradually onto a broad sandy dunes and grass. To your right, a high ridge rises, to your left, the sea.
"You can call me Tullus, if you want to call me something." He moves without tiring, steady and quick.
At area C7 there are fields of corn, nearly a mile square. The corn is not well tended, but is growing well and some of it is near harvest. The corn fields are bordered with the occasional post driven into the ground. Each post has a humanoid head atop it, and each head is swarmed by fat black flies.
If you walk past that, it is mid afternoon before Tullus brings you to the end of the island, where the ridge drops into the beach and then into the ocean.
He motions to the southwest, out into the water. "There, daemon-caller, lies the wreck of the Infernus, should you wish to check it for devil lore."
And sweeping his hand back toward land, he points to a small inlet (D). "And there is the grindylow cave. It is submerged betimes, but when the tide is low the insides must be dry, some. Getting to it will be tough..."
"They got a real sense for decoration, these folks. Head on a pike, a timeless classic. Smart guy, d'you have some plan to infiltrate the place?"
Veltisiel thinks for a few minutes about what to do, listening to any ideas the others have.
"To get to the cove you'll need a boat, or magic, or to swim like fish. I got no boat."
Have you looked for another way in?
"Maybe there's still a launch on the wreck of the Infernus? If they smashed up before anyone could react they would never have used the lifeboats," suggests Ravenna.
"Worst case scenario, we can take one from our ship. I don't suppose there's any plunder left on the Infernus?"
"The Infernus sunk quick. There weren't much time for the crew to escape. We did because we didn't need to breathe. I imagine the boats are still strapped to the deck, and whatever cargo would survive is still there. But you'd need a boat to get there. How'd you get to the island without a boat?"
"As for another way in, little lizard, haven't looked for any way in. Don't have any trouble with the little monsters, myself."
"Sweet Lady of Plunder we have to go back and I JUST made the trip." grumbles Raush under his breath. "Let's take some of those crabs on our way back, if that's the case, I'm peckish. Couldn't eat any of that frog yet."
You make your way back across the island and swamp to your boat, stopping briefly along the way to have a delicious coconut crab snack.
The ship's boat is still there, as is the ship.
"Don't mind us, just passing through. Ah, we'll need a lifeboat." says Raush nonchalantly as he moves towards the Man's Promise without waiting for any response from Scourge.
You can see the the crew has managed to float the ship off of the reef that it was caught on and has patched it up.
I saw we get back to the village and rest up before we head out. We can go in at full strength.
Here next to the shore, the sea breezes keep flying insects to a minimum. You rise before the sun on the following morning, rowing your ship around the tip of the crescent shaped island to what your ghoulish guide calls Riptide Cove, a snarling swirl of deep water that leads to a partially flooded sea cave. At low tide, the entrance to the cave is water covered but not completely flooded, so at least you should be able to breathe. The mouth of the cave is dark, but is unguarded as far as you can see. Perhaps these grindylows don't like the light, or perhaps they are busy with something else.
OK so who is going in first.
"Guess that'll be me."
Raush quietly goes into the water and swims to the entrance of the cave, his black fur blending in the darkness.
Not much light penetrates the cave mouth from the cove, but enough that Raush's light sensitive eyes can catch the reflection of a pair of beady red eyes peering back at him from within. With a large head and numerous teeth, this unsightly creature resembles a goblin from the waist up and a greasy octopus below.
Seeing the ape man swimming toward him, the grindylow (and his mates you can't see) panics. His face splits in a nervous grin before his tentacles whip, sending him away from the intruder.
Well let us hope we can get to land before they attack. I am not anygood at swimming and I would rather not fight in the water.
Ordrax swims forward deeper into the cave.
"They're inside, the slimy *******! Run away, cowards! I'll smash you against the stone and roast your entrails on a grill!"
sputters Raush over the water, looking for solid ground to head to
Vel tries to keep up with the gryndylows, shooting them with a small bolt of lightning if they're in range.
The grindylows move with squidlike speed in the water, far outpacing you.
"Ugh. I bet these waters are full of sharp rocks and nasty currents," opines Ravenna. "Raush, keep a look out! Not all of us can swim as well as you. I don't wanna have my brains dashed out by diving into a bad spot."
They may be alerting someone or dragging us towards a ambush. Be careful.
Ordrax tries to move himself along the edge of the cave to give him something to hold onto as his swims and pulls himself along.