"I agree, I think they are more than capable of handeling themselves. And who knows, when we find the captain maybe we will find a way off this island as well." Zarek says as he double checks his gear.
"Let's start with the light house, maybe it will us a better overview of the island, spot something we otherwise can't see from down here."
B 6 to 14 / C 6 to 15 / D 12 to 15 / E 13 to 15 / F 13 to 16 / G 13 to 16 / H 12 to 14 /
I 11 to 14* (*only the escarpment section of square) /
J 11 to 13.
The treasure map. Shows the X is in L 14
"He head east. Based on Ishirou's map, I think we've explored most of the northern part of the island and found no major threats. We head east to the shipwrecks, see if we can find Jask's or Gelik's, and then south to hopefully keep the north and east flanks of the camp somewhat secure, maybe even locate Ishirou's treasure in the process."
"Make no mistake, I want to leave this island, but it would seem doing so prematurely would not help our friends. And finding the captain is tertiary to leaving this island and helping our friends get back to their lives fully restored. Agreed?"
While waiting for the others to answer, Kyamni called down Aurura and spent some time feeding her friend and enjoying her companionship.
"After you, then," Cato says with a grin. Now who is splitting focus? he thinks sarcastically.
Caro thinks nothing more of the matter and grabs his gear and dons his cap.
Due to your familiarity with the terrain it only takes you 1 hour to reach the lowland between the two escarpments also where the waterfall river and the southern escarpment river merge before heading southeast. (where the nettle vines were).
The newly explored area is more lightly forested than the area to the south, where you can see the terrain along the coast rise to another small escarpment. The more open terrain of your current area affords a good view of the for about ⅔ of a mile. About 300 yards from the shore the ground drops away forming a 100’ cliff. It affords a good view of a sandy strip of beach.
Perception Check
Cato squints, but the morning sun seems to be blinding him some.
"No signs of any shipwrecks that I can see, no boats. Could be a cave below us I suppose. Either of you see anything?"
Drawing a kunai out of her bandolier, Kymani held it up to reflect the sun back into the sky, calling Aurura down. The bird landed on her arm briefly, giving Kymani the chance to pat her head and whisper to it. With a heave of her arm, she sent the bird back into the air and watched as it soared over the cliff edge and out towards the water.
Every weary of this acursed island, Zarek scans the area to search the area tracks and other things.
"I don't wee much here, but if were looking for ship wrecks maybe we should search the coast line a little closer."
Kymani stood near the edge and peered over the cliff. "That's a long way down. Not sure how we can get down there from here, if it's worth it, or even worse, how we get back up..."
"We shall just have to see if we can find another approach, later. Let's keep moving toward the coast for now."
While moving toward the coast the group is able to survey the area in greater detail.
15%
"Glad we took the time to examine this area, we nearly missed a lot of possibly useful things. Let's see if we can get an angle on the wreck?"
"Sure, but keep your eyes open. I don't think we've been on the beach yet and not encountered the local wild life."
"Atleast them crabs are good eatin otherwise this place has no redeeming features." Zarek says half joking all the while keeping a look out for those crabs.
Moving along the coastal cliff you are soon opposite the wreck. (You are however 100’ up and wreck is 75’ off shore the beach is 30’ wide at this point.)
15%
25%
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75%
Where to now?
Cato fans himself with his tricking, staring off at the hulk.
The sea is fairly calm. There is a line of rocks from the beach to the wreck. But being about 3 hours past low tide, the rocks are rapidly disappearing below the water.
"Let us wait for the tide to go back out. We can check the nearby area until then."
Kymani watches the waves lap against the beach for a minute before turning and heading south.
Moving south you find the terrain rising to form yet another escarpment. To the west the cliff falls away into the lush jungle below. While the eastern side’s cliff drops down to a wide sandy beach. The heavy jungle foliage gives way to scattered trees and dense scrub
"Zarek, watch out! Snake!!" Kymani shouted before hurling a handful of acid at the reptile.
"What snake? Oh sh. ."
Zarek unfortuntely doesn't notice the snake in time to react before it attacks.
"Ah! Pink frangipani! Wait until I tell Gelik! Plumeria flowers are rather fragrant and, see, here, this tint at the center?"
He blinks, "Did you say something about a snake, Ky?"
Ky's acid attack sizzles on the big green and brown snake at the reptile lunges open-mouthed at Zarek
Missed
With two hands on her boarding pike, Kymani thrusted the spear point at the big snake. Despite it's size, the foliage made it difficult to tell leaf from scale.
"Excellent news everyone! This snake is not venomous! No, it simply squeezes you to death instead. I recommend we stay at range," Cato relays to the others. He pulls his bow free and nocks an arrow and takes aim.
Avoiding the large snakes strike, Zarek takes step back while gathering energy around a large branch and brining it down on the snake.
Between Cato’s arrow and the crushing blow from Zarek. The snake is obviously seriously injured. However it still tries to make another attempt at grabbing Zarek.
But between blood loss and broken bones it fails to strike true.
"Oh. Great. So it's only going to kill us slowly. How is that helpful, exactly?"
"Well, it's just a nice change of pace, innit?" Cato replies before letting another arrow fly, sinking his shot deep into the constrictor body.
"Atleast we will have something other than crab for dinner." Zarek says as he cracks a nervious smile.
The arrow fired by Cato pins the snake to a branch. It falls limp and lifeless.
Looking around you notice you are once again atop an escarpment. Affording you a good view of the eastern shore of the Shiv. To the south is a large cove. Its eastern entrance is guarded by two rocky islands.
You also notice a large shipwreck nestled against the central rocky cliffs off the cove. From this distance it is impossible to see any specific details.
"Ah, a path this way, that should take us down there. That hulk is a ways out, but maybe we can figure something out with a closer look?"
Kymani draped the dead snake over her shoulders. She pulled her waterskin free and took a long, slow drink before popping the stopper back in.
"Very well" she muttered and headed down the path to the cove.
You set off back down the hill and around through the jungle to the cove. If you didn’t know better you’d be certain that every insect on the island was told to follow you. Two and a half uneventful hours later you are standing on the shore of the cove.
A ninety-foot-long shipwreck leans against the cliff side and several jagged reefs here, encrusted with salt and moss. Its masts remain intact, but the sails have long since rotted away. At the bow, a leering demonic figurehead of green-caked brass provides an intimidating greeting.
With a little climbing the wreck is easily reached. When you are standing beside the wreck, you can see the faded name on the bow. Brine Demon.
A search of the Brine Demon reveals that the vast majority of its booty has long since either rotted away or been lost to the sea—much of the ship’s hull is missing, wedged tightly amid the jagged rocks.
Yet an investigation of the captain’s cabin reveals a skeleton slumped on the floor, its bony hands clutching at a well-made, watertight darkwood coffer sitting in an opened secret compartment in a rotting desk. This coffer is locked, but time has not been kind to the mechanism—it can be opened with a DC 18 Disable Device or Strength check. Inside the coffer are three objects—a gold locket worth 500 gp, a +1 dagger, and several fat ledgers and journals. The locket contains a tiny, incredibly detailed portrait of a beautiful, red-haired half-elf woman, identified along the bottom edge of the portrait as “Aeshamara.” The ledgers and journals contain irrefutable proof of collusion between Captain Kinkarian and half a dozen Sargavan and Bloodcove government officials, who were skimming off the tithes and taxes offered to the Free Captains of the Shackles. These documents, among other things, provide proof of Jask Derindi’s innocence, and finding them completes his quest. Handed over to the proper authorities in either Eleder or Bloodcove, these documents will also secure you a 1,000 gp reward.
It takes about an hour to explore the wreck.
"Well, Jack has his proof, if we can ever get off this island. I am actually happy for him. He truly didn't seem the type, but...you can never be sure who a person really is." Cato remarks. The nice thing about this island is not worrying about who I really am.
"Maybe that other hulk up the coast will be equally as fruitful towards either our survival or our morale. Which I guess is just part of survival." he shrugs.
"Good, then you get to carry the ledgers. We've still got a lot of ground to cover, so let's hustle."
Zarek eyes the dagger in his hands. "Only if it wasn't large, oh well." he mutters to himself while shaking his head.
He puts the dagger away and tightens up his shoulder straps.
"Ky is right, low tide is comming soon, so we should get a move on."
Zarek says before trudging onward.
You make the trek back north to the other wreck. The Insects actually seem less intense this time. Many are probably still full from biting you earlier.
You arrive at the beach at low tide. The wreck is sitting on a now exposed rocky sandbar. The rock path gives you easy access. You just get a little wet .
The wreck has been here for several years at least. When you are close enough the name on the bow can just barely be made out. It reads ‘The Bloody Doll’
The bow section can be explored with ease. The stern will require slogging through 2 feet of water.
Cato and Ky spot the 6 Skeletons rising from the water and moving forward, Zarek was distracted and did not notice them.
One attack each of you, with 3 more close behind them.
The bony horrors Hit both KY and Cato but Miss Zarek.
Kymani stabbed her boarding pike into the deck of the half-submerged ship. She used the anchored boarding pike to flip her legs up to double kick at the skeletons.
"Bah! My Arrows would pass right through them!" Cato snarls in frustration moments after being clawed by the musty ossiferous undead. He instead focuses on try8ng to keep the skeleton busy while avoiding being scratched again.
Zarek takes a step back and picks up one of the heavy pieces of the ship wreck and drops it on the skeleton in front of him.
One of Ky’s kicks connects, shattering a Skeleton. The heavy piece of planking dropped by Zarek crushes another flat.
The seaweed covered undead move silently forward.
Cato’s frantic waving of his arms attracts two the Skeletons. Will Ky and Zarek each get one.
All miss save one that savagely claws Zarek
"Son of a . . Zarek proclaims as the Skeletons claws draw some blood. He then takes another step back and and attempts to crush this skeleton this time.
"Good show, you two! I'm afraid my best option is to just focus on being a target and being hard to hit hit," Cato says encouragingly while using his sword to keep the skeletons off him.
"Yes, yes, you just stand there and look pretty, and maybe heal up Zarek should you feel so inclined."
Both Ky and Zarek drop the undead in front of them. Just leaving the two Cato is dancing with.
These two attack him.
However, his ‘Fly’ moves allow only a single Skeleton claw to hit him.
"Ah, yes, quite right! Let me heal you, Mist-Ah!" Cato is cut-off by a claw slipping past his defenses. "That is to say, perhaps I should save it for myself? Gnomes are rather sturdy, you know!"
"Errghhh" Ky grumbled out of frustration. "Even the dead on this island try to kill you. How is that right? I mean they're dead.
Shouldn't they be...dead?"