When you get there, you find the remnants of a quickly rigged shelter just inside the jungle edge to the side of a freshwater stream that continues upstream into the interior of the island.
Evidence of a small campfire sit well above the high-water line on this narrow, sandy beach.
An overturned dinghy lies to one side, covered with pulled down vines and sawgrass.
Shaedeen scours the surrounding area. Soon, her sharp eyes and not-so-sharp brain come into play.
"Hey--look here! It's Captain Vegan's funny hat! And didn't these scarves belong to that woman, Azuretta?"
"Hey guys, check this out!" Called out Sasha, who had backtracked the footsteps to the opening in the jungle.
Sunny skips across the sand to look at what Sasha has found.
EVen as Shaedeen scours the surrounding area. Soon, her sharp eyes and not-so-sharp brain come into play.
"Hey--look here! It's Captain Vegan's funny hat! And didn't these scarves belong to that woman, Azuretta?"
Shaedeen Perception Check:1d20+5⇒(17)+5=22
Sunny gasps in shock and surprise.Even scampering off a ways up the trail.
"Ah! We's got'a go find 'em!" She looks towards the jungle.
"Tha' more a us there be. Tha' safer we's all bein'." She explains, even as she points the way.
"Aye," Reijo nods. "It be the cap'n's, alright."
Scratching his goatee for a moment, Reijo grabs the hat from Shaedeen. He sighs, and releases a stream of angry curses as he crushes the hat in one hand.
In ominous tones, "He bloody planned it, he did. Mickeyin' the crew. Wreckin' the ship. All so he can get 'imself here, on this bloody island," he grabs Azuretta's scarves as well, strangling them with his other hand, "...alone with a nice piece o'pussy cat all to himself."
Straightening out the tricorne, Reijo plants it firmly upon his own head. He tosses the scarves anywhere.
"Wait!" he barks at Sunny to stop. "We's goin' ta find them, alright. But not ta be safer." He draws his cutlass for a look-over:
"I'm gonna cut his bloody mad head off, an' shove it up his mad arse."
The angry man then begins searching the jungle: the ground, the greenery. He's determined to find the man responsible for nearly killing him over a girl, and fulfill his vengeful oath.
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Sunny blinks as she tilts her head, obviously trying to work out Reijo's choice of words. Though as Reijo moves off into thejungle obviously with purpose she follows his lead.
Keeing an eye out for things possibly hiding in the greenery as they go.
"I dun't be remeberin' no kitty..." Sunny ponders aloud as they wend their way through the foliage.
Investigating the jungle trail, you find it follows a small stream up a steep embankment to the top of the island's interior flat topped interior, over a small river under the jungle canopy there and thence down again on the opposite side of the island to a protected bay on the eastern side, where you find a small camp set up and used a couple days ago.
A dinghy lies abandoned above the high tide line, the name "Throaty Mermaid" crossed out and "Jenivere" painted in over it.
The camp was used for a night, then abandoned.
With all the hiking about and tracking, you realize the two peoples tracks started here on the east side, led over the island's spine, down the western escarpment then turned south from there.
Sunny happily skips a long the trail. The tanned Elf seemiing quite at home amongst the fronds and ferns of the jungle foliage. (^_^)
She shades her large, blue eyes as she gazes South in search of the people they're following.
Shaedeen's sharp eyes catch Ishirou examining what appears to be a map of the island! Not quite bold enough to confront the man herself, the teen instead rats him out to Reijo and Sunny.
Shaedeen's sharp eyes catch Ishirou examining what appears to be a map of the island! Not quite bold enough to confront the man herself, the teen instead rats him out to Reijo and Sunny.
Sunny blinks at Shaedeen's accusations, glancing furtively at Ishirou as the tanned Elf processes this new information.
"Rilly...?" She whispers back to her freind... (¬_¬)
"Hmpf," he gruffly responds to Shaedeen as he turns to spot the sneaking Ishirou.
"Hey. Manscape," he remarks after walking up behind the map-stashing man with a neatly trimmed goatee. "Mind sharin' what ye's got there? A map?"
Sunny leans closer to Shaedeen and whispers,
"See? This be why t'is better ta' be nekkid. Nekkid folks? Ye can always tell we is bein' honest. Honestly, t'is all'a folks whut's covered in' stuffs ye got's ta' be watchin'." She continues to observe the interaction between Mister Reijo and Mister Ishiro.
"Ye never be knowin' when they's gon'a be doin' somat with they's frilly bits what might be rilly stoopid..."
"Hey. Manscape," he remarks after walking up behind the map-stashing man with a neatly trimmed goatee. "Mind sharin' what ye's got there? A map?"
Ishirou whirled around to face Reijo, his eyes blazing. His thumb barely moved as it clicked gently off its scabbard restriction stop.
"And if I do mind?" He gritted out.
Aerys whirled around at this and slapped both Reijo and Ishirou sharply in the back of their respective heads.
"Both of you idiot men knock it off!" She barked out.
She turned on Ishirou, who flinched back.
"Just tell them! If it's true, you'll need their help! If it's false, it doesn't matter!" She shouted.
Jolted by Arys' slap, you could see Ishirou debate with himself internally before he slapped his sword back fully into its scabbard.
"Fine. Take a look, for all the good it will do you." He gritted out as he took a folded sheet of old salt stained parchment and threw it down at your feet.
"Know ye aught of Captain Quellig?" He asked aloud.
Sunny shifts form foot to foot obviously eagger to catch up with the people they've found traces of.
Shaedeen's blank face in response to the name 'Captain Quellig' is an obvious 'No' from the teen.
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"Go ahead. Make me bloody day." Reijo gutturally grumbles, his own eyes blazing right back at Ishirou. Hands now on the hilts of his own belted sidearms, he bares his teeth in a savage grin. Muscles contract, making him seem both larger and taller, somehow. What sounds like the deep growl of a large, rabid animal comes forth from the madman's throat.
When Aerys smacks both men in the backs of their heads, Reijo turns his intimidating glare at her for a long moment. Seeing Ishirou back down, the steam begins to quell from his own ears as well.
When he throws the parchment at the ground, Reijo has half a mind to throttle the man and throw him to the floor, and tell him to pick it up and hand it to him nicely... but, somehow, he manages to release just enough steam from his boiling rage to halt himself. Barely...
With a scowl, he bends to grab the paper, without for a moment taking his glare off the man. He then looks down at.
Reijo recognizes the name of Captain Quellig. But he just grumbles ambiguously, looking up from the map to continue glaring at the man. At least the growling has stopped.
"Any landmarks on that thing?" Shaedeen asks Reijo, trying to sneak a peek at Ishirou's map.
Sunny glances off into the jungle in the direction that the footprints go....
Everyone can see that the map is a crude but recognizable representation of Smugglers' Shiv, with several landmarks noted you recognize and some you don't. But... you don't see any indication of where a treasure might be hidden.
But...
As you are about to give up, you catch a glimpse of something when the firelight shone through the back of the map. When you hold it up you can see it more clearly. Yes... a set of markings only visible with firelight backing the map. A trail leading from a quarter mile south along the shore to inland, where an X marks the spot.
Shaedeen briefly considers keeping her discovery secret...but then she'd be guilty of the same selfish crap that Ishirou had tried to pull. Instead, she reveals the map's secret markings, pointing out how "Teamwork is better than going it alone...especially in survival scenarios."
Sunny's large blue eyes seems to grow even wider at Shaedeen's revelations.
"Oooo. They's hidden things on'a squiggle paper." She breaths excitedly, then her attention flips back to the tracks leading off.
"Uhm... maybe we better catch up ta' them folks?" She points.
"More people's fer helpin' with that survivalin' scenery seems t'a be a right gooder idea." She nods empthatically at Shaedeen's wise words. (^_^)
It is nightfall.
"We're going to lose the light soon," Shaedeen comments aloud. "And Thurden's the only one among us who has good night vision."
Turning to Reijo, the teen offers her suggestion. "Perhaps you could lead a small team to track the captain and his friend far enough to at least get a general idea of which direction they headed; the rest of us can spruce up the camp in the meantime."
Sunny frowns at Shaedeen's words.
"It in't that dark at night." The tanned Elf looks to the sky to gauge the phase of the moon and the amount of cloud cover.
"I can be helpin' findin' tha' folks an' leadin' 'em back with wiff Reijo and thurden." She offers brightly. (^_^)
Too enraged at both Ishirou and Captain Vean to notice the markings himself, the prospect of treasure lightens Reijo's mood in a heartbeat.
"Aye, Kitty," he grins maniacally at the map, "there ain't no 'I' in 'team' an' all that rubbish."
Looking again at the tracks of Captain Vean and Azuretta, he nods to Sunny and asks Thurden, "C'mon Waterwerks, let's have a look an' see where they's gone off to."
He says this as if it were his own idea...
"We'll go after 'em in the mornin'. Best camp out here, but keep an eye open fer the bloody madman." Here he refers to Captain Vean, not himself.
When he returns from tracking, he'll take watch.
Looking again at the tracks of Captain Vean and Azuretta, he nods to Sunny and asks Thurden, "C'mon Waterwerks, let's have a look an' see where they's gone off to."
He says this as if it were his own idea...
"Aye!" Sunny agrees to Reijo's comment about finding the Captain and Azuretta as she skips off to follow after their footsteps.
"Here? A 'course there be eyes in'a team. How else is they s'posed ta' be seein' stuffs as they be playin'?" She absently mentions to Reijo, obviously trying to parse out the meaning of his phrase to Shaedeen.
Reijo crinkles his brow as he pauses to respond, "It's just a figure o'speech, Saucy. Means work together an' all of that feely-good nonsense."
Sunny nods as she skips along, pondering Reijo's explanation...
"Hmmm... so's a team a peoples havin' no eyes is all'a needin' ta' be workin' right harder t'gether at winnin' than t'other team whut's got all'a eyes." She works through the words. "Yah, I be seein' how t'is all be workin'." She pauses.
"" She exclaims with a bounce.
"I made a funny!" She grins brightly at Reijo. (^_^)
The grumpy sailor cracks a smirk while tracking the hated captain.
With a glance back at the doubly eye-patched older gentleman, he adds, "Just imagine, a team o'Blindeys tryin' ta find their way in this mess. Can ye believe he was bloody lookout once?!"
His insult was mild: a sure sign to those who know Reijo well enough that he likes Bellamy, and isn't trying to be cruel about his vision impairment.
"Perhaps you could lead a small team to track the captain and his friend far enough to at least get a general idea of which direction they headed...
"It in't that dark at night." The tanned Elf looks to the sky to gauge the phase of the moon and the amount of cloud cover.
You are all uneasy at the thought of splitting the party, particularly at night. You just feel that something is out there... waiting for you.
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"HEE he he!" Cackled Bellamy. "Reijo boy's just sore they didn't pick him instead!" He said, slapping his thigh.
He helped cook up more crab meat in the morning for breakfast.
Though the teen rogue shares Sunny's general instincts, Shaedeen worries about splitting the party, as a lot of folks seem gung-ho about the thought of a treasure hunt. She confides her fears to Reijo, letting the older sailor make the call on which trail to follow.
Treasure... or revenge?
Reijo seems reluctant to choose between his two greatest passions in life. After scratching his goatee and puffing his pipe for a long moment, he places a hand on Sunny's shoulder before she can run off after the captain. Calling her, Shae, and Thurden in close with a look, he gruffly whispers:
"This lot ain't trustworthy. But sticking together be fer the best. Lets get the treasure before they do."
With a dark glare towards the west, he adds a bit louder...
"I'll get that pox-eyed, lily-livered, son of a biscuit eater another day..."
After scratching his goatee and puffing his pipe for a long moment, he places a hand on Sunny's shoulder before she can run off after the Captain. Calling her, Shae, and Thurden in close with a look, he gruffly whispers:"This lot ain't trustworthy. But sticking together be fer the best. Lets get the treasure before they do."
With a dark glare towards the west, he adds a bit louder...
"I'll get that pox-eyed, lily-livered, son of a biscuit eater another day..."
Sunny settles, Rijo's hand upon her tanned shoulder seeming to 'Ground' the flighty Elf. She listens intently to his speach, though how much she understands...?
Her large blue eyes take in the gathered people and she nods seemingly in agreement with Reijo's words. Then she blinks.
"Uhm... which way is tha' squiggles be sayin' at go?" She asks Reijo brightly. (^_^)
Pointing in the direction the others are already beginning to head, "Thatta way, me love."
Reijo pushes forward to take the lead along the eastern coast towards the treasure.
Sunny nods and skips happily along with every one on their search. Looking at all the ne stuff.
Ishirou muttered under his breath as he frequently consulted his map under the flame of his torch.
"Yes, from here we follow the east coast, here, south along the shore..." He said, then strode forth briskly, a fey gleam in his eyes.
Unwilling to wait for dawn, Ishiro sets out immediately.
Despite the dark of night, there turned out to be enough to navigate by. The overcast had dispersed, revealing a glorious spray of brilliant stars, in constellations you've never seen before. The unearthly phosphorescent glow of the breaking waves crashing on the shore show another light on your path; with the occasional ghostly figures there seeming to beckon you towards the waves embrace, but seems to have little attraction to you now.
The lingering damp of the evening showers leaves the sandy shore firm under your feet.
Sasha, Gelik and Bellamy swarmed about Ishirou, helping keep the map still in the breeze and chattering excitedly about what the treasure could be, given the typical cargos of the era Captain Quellig sailed in.
The others, still interested, trailed along without talking much, more wary about threats possibly coming out of the darkness. Yendorn trailed along last, his gloomy disposition unchanged.
Striding along the shore, you see several wrecked ships in passing. They are on barrier reef islands a couple hundred yards out, but still look intact enough for searching, should you desire it.
As you travel along the lip of a cliff you see another wreck, still intact and this one hard against the base of the cliff itself. You could easily rappel down to explore it.
Beyond that, a couple miles later, Ishirou turns away from the beach and climbs up a narrow path as the sky starts to lighten in the east. An hour of climbing leaves you warm and starting to sweat as you finally top the sharp slope.
As the sun rises, you stand on the bare ground of the top of a butte and are able to see breathtaking green vistas all around this section of the island.
Ishirou faced away from the rising sun, lined up a couple of islands in one direction, the 'V' formed by a couple of hills in another and started pacing along his shadow.
After what seemed like a hundred paces he stopped.
"Here. It's here!" He shouted.
Though it didn't look like a place that had been dug up to bury a treasure, Ishirou drew a dagger and started digging up the ground here. Others took sharpened stakes or planks or sharpened oars and tried to chip in. The going is pretty tough without proper shovels, and people are pretty tired after walking all night.
Shaedeen's in a fey mood during the treasure hunt. At times she's tired and grumpy; at others, she appreciates the coolness of the night and gets caught up in the thrill of the treasure hunt. When the party reaches the site of the alleged treasure, the scrawny teen offers to spell a digger once they tire and takes watch, resting and recovering while occasionally stretching her aching legs.
To Sunny and Reijo she whispers, "Think it's worth the effort and danger to scout the shipwrecks we saw from atop the ridge?"
Sunny happily skips along the island's shores, though the eldritch figures seen flckering in the sea foam are enough to keep her from splashing about in the surf.
She does try and join in people's conversations, though her mind doesn't sem at all interested in 'The Treausre' but she's quick to offer ideas for what they might find.
With the group reaching a hieght from which to view more of the surrounding island and sea scape Sunny doesn't seem to be too effected by the nights travel.
As she gazes out over the jungle drinking in the new vista.
Ishirou eventually stops.
"Here. It's here!" He shouts.
Drawing Sunny's and the others attention as they all begin to scrape and dig away at the island sands/dirt.
Sunny frowns just a liittle as their efforts produce paltry effects. She stops trying to dig and instead moves away a bit to fashion even slightly better tools for the job.
To Sunny and Reijo she whispers, "Think it's worth the effort and danger to scout the shipwrecks we saw from atop the ridge?"
Sunny looks from where she's whittling and peers out over the butte's crest, before nodding to the lass.
"Aye. With work maybe we can be gettin' a whole boat t'gether out'a all'a stuff washed up about tha' palce?" She grins, trying to brighten the idea that the other's seem to have about leaving what, to her, seems to be a perfectly good island.
Still fuelled with the excitement of the pursuit of treasure, the castaways dig down through the relatively soft and water dampened earth over several hours.
At about the ten foot deep level, you come to a wooden plug. A cover of closely aligned 4x4 planks. Knocking on it you hear an echo of a void behind it.
More disturbingly, you find the skeleton of a dwarf. It has no weapons or treasure though.
Still fuelled with the excitement of the pursuit of treasure, the castaways dig down through the relatively soft and water dampened earth over several hours.
At about the ten foot deep level, you come to a wooden plug. A cover of closely aligned 4x4 planks. Knocking on it you hear an echo of a void behind it.
More disturbingly, you find the skeleton of a dwarf. It has no weapons or treasure though.
Sunny peers down into the hole after her freinds as they dig.
Upon seeing the dead person her large blue eye widen.
"Oooo... Is they gettin' up, maybe?" She whispers.
The tanned Elf not really having a good grasp of medicine or the healing arts she can but wonder at the found person'spossilbe demise.