Voronwe thinks about his empty pouch, I hope he's got more coin than me.
'Hrumph, seems a bit expensive lad, how bout 10 to take us there, and ill triple it if he's actually there. N if he isn' there, ye can have the 15 for yer troubles.'
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'As ye wish lad, your terms. When do we leave?'
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Coins in hand, he says, "From what I understand. Vanthus has been setting up some sort of operation on Parrot island in the old smuggler's tunnels that run under the island. If you land at the beach, there's a trail that leads up to a small clearing. There you should find a trap door that gives access to the tunnels."
"If you want me to lead you there. It'll cost ya. You can find me here once you've gotten yourselves a boat."
Bhru fishes out some coins and hands them to the informant.
Again, Jon's ability to eavesdrop is foiled as a bunch of frat boys shove by him chanting "TO-GA! TO-GA!".
Bhru finishes his ale and stands, patting the elf on the shoulder, asking one final question before departing,
'Never got your name lad.. What is it?'
The dwarf leaves and awaits the others to join.
Having remained silent after their failed bullying, Katigar stands when the dwarf does and sprays a few coin onto the table to pay for the drink and follows the dwarf out onto the streets,
'Real tough guy in there dwarf...'
"Parrot island? Aye, I've heard of it. Bare rock off the coast. Been used fer smugglin' forever; er, so i've been told." Said Spinnaker Jon.
As the group file out, Ukufa melts from the shadows. Her face impassive as always, though for once her tone is more expectant;
"Success? Do we have a trail to our prey?"
Kellan walks past the table he was unable to distract earlier "He was a hopgoblin."
Outside he says, "Any luck friend Dwarf?
"Let's all chip in an' buy our own rowboat. C'mon now lads and lassies, ten crowns each now..." Wheedled Spinnaker Jon.
Bhru nods,
'Parrit Island it is. Guess we should leave soon as possible? I'm not one for the water, but 'eres some coin for the boat.'
Ukufa hands Spinnaker her 10 gold contribution.
"Boat traffic usual for this place. Good."
Spinnaker Jon will receive the dinghy, then rig it for sail as well as oars.
Voronwe slaps Bhru on the shoulder, "Well played, Master Angraddson."
As the boat is made ready, he watches everything that Spinnaker Jon does with interest, "I have no talent for seacraft but I do enjoy getting out on a boat. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Well, these weren't really designed fer sailin', so puttin' a sailin' rig makes 'em kind of tippy. So, sittn' down as low as ye can an not move around much is all ye can do." Jon answered, thinking on it.
"If'n we can get everyone trained up, we can shift as a team an' take on heavier winds and seas; but not right now."
Kellan grudgingly hands over his share of gold and ponders the ships preparations. He never did take interest in the workings of his merchant parents empire, not that they had much to do with the day-to-day by the time he was old enough to follow.
Worried about the tunnel aspect of their adventure Kellan decides he'll part with another portion of his gold in preparation, his stomach rumbles in protest at the potential missed meals this latest expense could cost it.
"I'm not much of a sailor and I've never been much for spelunking either! I think I'd better purchase some gear for the occasion. Be back in but a moment!" The wink is barely caught as Kellan turns looking for an outfitter.
Once the boat is all kitted out, Spinnaker Jon waives everyone to their places. "All aboard!"
Once everyone is sitting in their place, Jon casts off and pushes off the dock. After oaring a bit to a proper distance from other craft, he raises the sail.
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Kellan has clearly overloaded himself and barely makes it to the end of the pier. "Does all rope seriously weigh this much? Could I get a hand?" The wink is directed at the pair that has run together, so far... the most disparate in height.
Kellan steps casually aboard and barely registers the motion aboard the "boat". He stares ahead occasionally ungripping the gunwhale if only to regrip it with white knuckles.
Ukufa boards, and immediately hunkers down.
"Tell me when we arrive."
The Jasdian hunter pulls her hood forward and keeps her own council.
Vornowe grins happily as he boards the boat, "Well then, let's set sail, Cap'n Jon!"
The party crowds into the dinghy and sets sail, navigating the busy harbour and heading for deeper water beyond. There is a stiff breeze and the small boat makes good progress as you head up the coast.
Soon, your destination comes into view. Parrot island is little more than a thickly vegetated rock outcropping. Jagged cliffs prevent access to of most the shoreline, save from the eastern end, where a narrow beach affords an easier approach. As you head in closer, you begin to hear the island's namesake. The island's trees serve as the roost for hundreds of noisy, brightly coloured parrots and their cacophony welcomes you glide into shore.
As the boat gets tied up, Ukufa finds a partially overgrown trail that leads up from the beach to a small clearing at the center of the island. Following the informant's information, the party spreads out and it does take long to find a poorly hidden trapdoor, which opens to reveal a five foot wide stone shaft dropping into the darkness below. A knotted rope hangs from a metal hook driven into the shaft, providing a relatively safe method of descent.
As Jon makes the boat safe, Voronwe produces a notebook and jots down a few observations about the island, the trip and the birds, "Beautiful creatures, aren't they?"
Looking down into the darkness, he ponders for a moment then produces a beach pebble from his pocket, "I did swipe a few, lovely things..."
The elf takes a dried firefly from his pouch and scrunches it between his fingers into a fine powder that falls over the stone. As he does so, he mutters a few arcane syllables, words which, to those not versed in the arcane arts, seem to slip in and out of meaning and memory.
The stone then glows with light.
He holds out the stone, "I could drop it down? Or someone could carry it?"
"No thank 'ee; got one o' me own." Spinnaker Jon said to Voronwe.
Singing under his breath, Jon brought forth a Dancing Light in the form of a torch floating above him.
Then he took initiative and slid down the rope into the darkness.
Once down, he quickly looked around for enemy forces.
Voronwe peers down, "Well, well, Jon. Very spry."
Bhru peers down into the tunnel and grumbles as he inspects it,
Bhru clambers down with the others,
Ukufa watches Spinnaker slide into the shaft, tracking his sentinel torch as he goes... her eyes attempt to discern anything of the features below before she commits to climbing down herself;
Uncomfortable with the potential requirement that he use his brand new and as of yet unfamiliar climbing kit, Kellan decides to keep watch on the rope in case of ambush from the trees. Catching the eye of Touv woman as she begins to climb down Kellan says, "Ukufa, shake the rope or shout if you feel we should come down, perhaps someone should ensure you have a way up until we locate the missing brother." As his companions descend Kellan visually searches his surroundings for threats.
Nothing seems amiss in the jungle surrounding the clearing, though the density of the underbrush makes it difficult to see much. There could be a jaguar 20 feet away from you, and you wouldn't know it. Fortunately, the continued chattering of the birds suggests that isn't the case.
The shaft descends 30 feet into the darkness before opening into a small room. A bricked lined corridor with a curved roof leads out to the west. It is very damp down here and the bricks of the walls are slimy with mold.
Too tight for a bow, Jon had his rapier out as he eased down the brick corridor, listening like mad for something laying in ambush...
Voronwe peers down the shaft, "I wonder what's going on down there?"
Ukufa shakes the rope as requested indicating all can descend.
She watches as Jon presses cautiously onward, the Jasdian huntress draws her newest blade but holds position.
"Hard to say but... there's our summons."
Kellan climbs down.
"Well, I suppose so."
The party all descends in to the dank darkness below ground. Ukufa is able to pick up signs of fairly recent foot traffic in the slime that coats the floor. Lit in the flickering glow of your magical illumination, the party creeps along the passageway. It zigs and zags for some fifty feet before ending at closed stone door.
Putting and ear to the door, you strain for any sound, and one come through clearly, though not from beyond, but from behind! A voice echo's down the hallway, "This is what you get for helping my sister! Say hi to Penkus for me!" The harsh laughter that follows is cut short by the loud boom of the trapdoor being slammed shut.
Failing to hear anything, Jon straightened up when the voice called out and the trapdoor slammed shut.
Jon swore aloud.
"Was that our trap door? #$%#@$%!" Jon gritted out, hustling back to the rope.
Knife still drawn, Ukufa pauses trying to discern more as Jon hustles past...
... but cannot.
Concerned he may be running from a threat she attempts to blend with the shadows;
Concerned about being trapped, Voronwe seeks to better understand his environment.
Before that, he casts mage armour on himself .
"Damn! I knew this was too easy! Where does this go Jon? Ukufa?" Kellan casts his own light spell hoping to calm himself...
Returning to the room with the shaft to the surface, you find that the trapdoor has indeed been shut, and worse still, the rope that you climbed down has been cut. It now lies in a coiled heap on the floor. The walls are slick but a skilled climber could probably make the ascent.
You are all well illuminated in the dank corridor. The closed trapdoor is behind you, and a closed, waterlogged wooden door awaits before you, leading deeper into the complex.
Jon picked up the cut end of the climbing rope, glared at it and flung it down. He looked at the shaft and pawed at it, then shook his head with disgust.
"No way back here without a climbing kit. Too slick to climb..." He muttered.
He turned to the others with a twisted grin.
"I'll give three to one odds that if we DID climb up there, it'd be nailed shut with boulders on top anyway. Any takers?"
"Also, what did that guy shout anyway? I was too far forward to hear."