Insight's "The Isle of Dread" - Chapter One

[Insight]

Cassi tries to fit everything they've gathered so far from asking questions and reading the journal in with what she knows of the history of expeditions the islands well south of mainland. Perhaps there was a clue there. She thought there would be, at any rate.

To the best of Cassi's recollection (and apparently, her recollection is quite GOOD!), the events in the journal roughly reflect what would have been the first "discovery" of the Isle of Dread in modern times. Cassi seems to recall that Thyatian merchants and other sailors probably sailed in that direction at one time, but they do not refer to any place as "The Isle of Dread".

What Cassi knows for certain is that Rory Barbarossa was/is a real person and was the navigator aboard a ship known as the Lussiter that sailed for many years under Captain Max Roundbottom. Cassi also knows that Roundbottom's first mate was a half-orc named Grunder the Axe. Cassi does not know the fate of any of these people and whether they're still alive or not.

Many ships and sailors claim to have visited the Isle of Dread and many claim to have been there first. Almost any credible account of the Isle of Dread generally matches the physical description and location given in the journal you found.

Without a map, or someone with navigation skills who's actually BEEN to the island, finding it will be a steep challenge. "South" is a pretty large area to cover.

OOC: Add another success towards this stage of the skill challenge! This stage is almost complete!

 

[Insight]

Barook laughed with the Captain "Ha! Be glad it wasn't my sister ya old rake, you'd be in much worse shape after tha' then a stab in the back."

Captain Rex had a laugh at the suggestion. "Twas only me navigator's heart a' gold that kept me out of the Locker!"

Barook took a drink from his flagon to break the flow of the conversation. "I suppose the stories must be true if that Barbossa feller wouldn't even set sail wit' ya? S'interesting name though, where'd ya find him at?" Barook said refilling both his and the captains drink.

"Who? Rory Barbarossa? Ye must be daft! 'E was the finest man with a compass n' quill that one ever hoped ta meet! Well, 'e was cheap. Fairly skilled n' cheap. Canna go wrong there! And with an outstanding sense of fashion. That's what the ladies were on about."

Captain Rex drank more from his ale. "Now, when I say skilled, ya know I mean halfway from a drunkard. Barbarossa was keen on the rum, dontcha know. An' 'e was also keen on his parrot, a bird wot he called Mr. Feathers! 'E was everywhere with this feather'd critter."

"Did I tell you 'bout the time me and the lads broke me first mate outta a prison island? Twas near that accurs'd Isle of Dread. None dared set foot nor peg leg on the Isle of Dread. Anyway, me first mate, now, this was afore I came upon Nell, you see. The lad had run afoul of some Thyatians. Dirty rat worshippers if'n ya asked me." Rex looked down at his flagon. "I... I think I must be takin' me leave of ya, guvner." With that, Rex was face down on the table.

 

[drothgery]

Cassi looks up from her notes to tell the others what she's put together.

"Here's a name worth checking into. A half-orc named Grunder the Axe was Roundbottom's first mate when they shipped out." She added at the end of explaining.

 

[JustKim]

"It's hard to 'hide' an island," Astra points out with a smile. "But I'm sure there's some grain of truth to stories of one... The real queston is not whether to believe in this 'isle of dread,' it is why we should care about it."

"Tales of fantastic treasures, seen but lost, spill from sailor's lips like water from a drowning man's. Each tries to best the tales of the one who spoke before. Whatever truth may lurk in the heart of it all is quickly left behind."

"So tell me, what cities paved with gold does this journal promise those who brave the Isle of Dread?"

Nafije considered Astra's skepticism and found wisdom in it. "True," she said, "All true. I will tell you why I care about this island. Have you ever heard the story of the opening of Ust-Urt?"

Nafije told the story of when the prairie of Ust-Urt was a forbidding, rocky crag. A young man was fleeing for his life and rode deep into the crag. There he found a hidden, fertile valley sheltered by tall rocks, completely cut off from the desert. The young man broke apart the rocks and marveled at the strange creatures and plants that he found. But when he left, jackals and scorpions and the jealous desert wind came in through the broken rocks, and the fertile valley was never the same.

"It's a story with a lesson, but it could also be true. Remote places have diverse life not found elsewhere. Life that could not exist without the protection of isolation. Something strange and beautiful."

"But, I did not answer your question. The journal says of the natives that they are pearl divers. There was one pearl in partiular Rory Barbarossa coveted, a great black pearl created by the gods. That tale resonates with me, but I cannot say how."

 

[Shayuri]

Astra leans forward, her bright green eyes boring intently into Nafije's. "When the gods make a thing, and place it in the world, most often it is because they wish it to be in that place," she points out. "Stealing it away, for greed of gold, or innocent curiosity, can be dangerous indeed."

She sits back in her chair then, a laughing smile dimpling her cheeks and making her seem like a maid of twenty summers or less. "On the other hand, a new land to explore...new beasts to find and track and hunt...I do appreciate a challenge."

 

[Leif]

Questor , Halfling Chaos Sorcerer 6

With a tremendous hiccup, a familiar halfling rolls out from beneath a nearby table and wallows in the floor. "It's about time all of you lot showed up! I was just have a teeny-weeny drinky whilst waiting for you, and I must have become so bored that I dozed off." Questor is quite obviously drunk off his tiny little butt. It's probably quite a blessing that he is already prone.

OOC: Is this color taken yet? If so, my apologies are extended to its claimant, as well as my assurance that I'll find a replacement quickly!

 

[Rhun]

A darkly cloaked half-orc moves out from the concealment of a shadowed corner where he had been listening unseen, and lifts Questor up by the cloak. Vrashek shakes his head at his companion's condition, and sets the halfling down on a nearby bench with a thump.

He smiles, showing his over-sized canines. "You must forgive Questor. We've had a rough couple of days, and he doesn't respond so well to the stress."



Vrashek the half-orc

 

[Walking Dad]

Adam of Brightcastle

...

"It's a story with a lesson, but it could also be true. Remote places have diverse life not found elsewhere. Life that could not exist without the protection of isolation. Something strange and beautiful."
...

"This time I think it could be more dangerous, what leaves this island. Something strange and dreadful." Adam comments the wizards words.

"You must forgive Questor. We've had a rough couple of days, and he doesn't respond so well to the stress."

"I'm glad you both made it. What happened?"

 

[Rhun]

The half-orc wraps his dark mottled cloak closer around him as he answers Adam's question. "Agents of the Veiled Society observed our return to Specularum. We escaped their clutches...for now." Vrashek shrugs. "But in the interest of staying alive, I think it best that neither Questor or I remain in town for very long."

 

[Insight]

The half-orc wraps his dark mottled cloak closer around him as he answers Adam's question. "Agents of the Veiled Society observed our return to Specularum. We escaped their clutches...for now." Vrashek shrugs. "But in the interest of staying alive, I think it best that neither Questor or I remain in town for very long."

At this (bolded above) comment, Cassi, Keharn, and Astra notice:
[sblock=Passive Perception 20+]The "Man in the Brown Hat" looks directly at Vrashek, looks over at a skinny half-elf in the opposite corner, and nods.[/sblock]