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Message: <blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 4837196" data-attributes="member: 3285">Naoke: Part 13 – Desperation IslandBefore the Nǎoké lay an idyllic scene: smooth beaches of fine, white sand, tall palms swaying in the breeze, the clear blue, placid seas rolling to the inviting shores.  The gentle sloping landscape promised hidden grottoes with bubbling springs and tropical fruits falling from the trees.  “We’re anchoring here for some shore leave!” shouted Baldric.The crowd gave a wild cheer.  It had been twenty days since they left Nyambe.  Ilmarė sat with crossed arms on deck.  With the advent of her pregnancy it had become difficult for her to stand for long periods of time. “This is a mistake.  The island is too perfect.”“It’s all we’ve got,” said Kham.  “Besides, live a little!  The weather is perfect!”Most of the crew took rowboats out to the island.  When they arrived, they discovered the island WAS perfect.  Bananas, mangoes, and papayas grew in abundance. Along the hillside were a number of different shallow caves.“I’ll take a look around,” said Beldin. The dwarf led a team of men into the caves.Each of the caves was no more than a slight depression, affording any occupants scant but adequate protection from any squall in the area.   Only one, some thirty feet in diameter, could be properly called a cavern.  “There are markings here.  Bring the torch over.” While Beldin could see in the dark, he couldn’t make out the markings on the wall.  A sailor held a torch aloft.  Along the walls of the cave were various tribal markings, hieroglyphs of a long lost native population.  It didn’t require any skill to read the tale, however.  It proceeded from a quiet, peaceful existence, to tragedy and sorrow, resulting in the eventual death of the entire tribe.Beldin hustled out of the cave to find the others. They were at the highest point of the island.“I think we should leave,” he said gruffly.“Why?  This place is great!” said Vlad.Towering palms surrounded them, with a gnarly, withered tree in the center.  “You don’t find anything wrong with that tree?” asked Beldin.Kham peered at the tree.  “Huh.  Didn’t even notice it before.”“Didn’t notice it?  It’s over twenty feet tall!”“Maybe you’re right…” said Vlad.  “Hey, there are ropes hanging from that tree.”Kham took a step closer.  Two rotting bodies swung from the tree’s limbs. “Mutineers, probably.”“Or suicides. We should leave,” Beldin reiterated.  “Now.”The dwarf turned to go, but Vlad and Kham stared slack-jawed at the tree.“What’s wrong?”“I…I want to leave,” Kham said distantly.  “But my body…is not going…”“It’s calling to us.” Vlad was completely focused on the tree. “Can’t you hear it?” The rustling of the trees transformed into a strange hushed whispering, just beyond the range of normal hearing.Suddenly, the sailors around them shrieked, clutching their heads.  They collapsed one by one.  Kham and Vlad stood, swaying, barely able to keep themselves upright.  Then the tree moved.One of the braches swatted at them as if they were gnats.  Beldin took the brunt of the blow with his shield.  “Run!” he shouted over his shoulder.But Vlad and Kham had collapsed.The dwarf grabbed his companions by their collars and dragged them down the hill, even as the creaking, groaning tree stumped after them.“Cover your ears!” shouted Beldin as he splashed towards the longboat.  “Stay on the ship!”But the men who were supposed to stay with the boat were already swimming for shore.  In the distance, Beldin could see more men diving off the deck to pursue the infernal allure of the tree.Suddenly, a clear note rang out.  Ilmarė and Yolanda were singing, their clear notes slicing through the chaos.  The men paused, temporarily regaining their senses.“That song won’t last forever!” shouted Beldin.  “Come on!” A few men struggled back to the boat.  But there were many who vanished into the tree line and never returned.Baldric greeted the dwarf’s return with a grin.  “Well, now thar be enough food an’ booty tah go around!”Beldin glared at him.  “You knew about that place?”“Desperation Island?  Nay, I would never put me men in danger.  I thought it be just a myth! But Yarris has a way of weedin’ out the weak ones.  And a few more Khitani sailors means less shares I have to give out when we reach Freeport.”Beldin shook his head.  “I’ve changed my mind.  I don’t want to be a pirate.  I want to be a sailor.”</blockquote>

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