Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carlo-One" data-source="post: 7845974" data-attributes="member: 7015827">Urdo IslandAfter a short while, the group felt the ship turn hard to starboard, then heard the splash of an anchor hitting the water. Captain Kelteel descended the ladder to the hold and informed them they had reached the island, and that he and the crew would remain with the ship. If the party ran into trouble, the crew would back them up at the anchorage site, but under no circumstances would they go further inland. (The insistence of the Urdo captain on this matter, consistent with what the party had been originally told about the contract terms, makes me wonder what had happened previously with the island. What was House Urdo afraid of finding there? --C). The captain described to the group what was known about the island: the inlet the ship was in was the only good place to anchor; a large, old wreck was nearby; and cliffs were on the south side of the island, with forest appearing to occupy much of the rest. The party was advised to wade across the shallows from the ship onto the island, when they were ready. Kelteel said that while the adventurers were exploring, the crew would be refitting the ship for the journey home, with their departure planned for the following afternoon.The adventurers thanked the captain and went above decks, splashing ashore from the eastern side of the ship. From the position of the sun, they could tell it was mid-to-late afternoon. The first thing to catch their eye was what was left of the old shipwreck, which on closer examination by several party members appeared both waterlogged and scorched. The hull of the wreck could be seen below the water. Rahnee, shielding her eyes against the sun, queried if the others thought they could see ruins on the bluffs to the east of the ship, but it was too far to tell.Brok-Tul moved inland a short distance to examine what appeared to be an old well and was surprised when a mass of sharp vines on the ground slashed up at him, drawing blood and wrapping around his legs. Jokull ran over to assist and was similarly entangled, although he cut a vine to pieces in the process. Once everyone else joined the fight, the vines were soon killed, although Brok-Tul and Jokull had several painful wounds to show for their troubles. Brok-Tul tested the well by yelling down its shaft and thought that there was still water in it, albeit deep down.Deciding that the best course of action was a methodical search, the party headed to the western shore of the island, north of the ship, and began circling the island's perimeter, moving clockwise. Velduin stopped several times to examine some plants, and the party exchanged speculation about the uses House Urdo might have for the island, but they saw little of interest until they reached the southern bluffs. Reasoning that the interior of the island could be seen from higher elevation, and the bluffs themselves should be explored, the party agreed to attempt the climb. Rahnee, boosted by Brok-Tul, scrambled up a cliffside to a small plateau, carrying a rope with her. After she tied the rope around an overhanging tree, the others were able to ascend with little difficulty - except for Brok-Tul, who fell heavily on his first attempt. After his pack was hauled up separately, he made the climb successfully on the second try.Nearby, the party found a small mound with an unusual arrangement of six unmarked stones over it. Aerikoth hypothesized that the arrangement was either a marker for the spot, or a burial site for someone smaller than human-sized, which was also suggested by Velduin. Rahnee wondered aloud if the sought-after Bloodback spiders would make a nest like that. (Ah, the wishful thinking of youth. --R). Meanwhile, Brok-Tul cast a detect magic spell, and received faint indications of something magical under the mound. Veran reminded the others that if something were buried, it had been buried for reason, and that in any case they were not allowed to take anything off the island. Aerikoth suggested that, given the previous inhabitants of the isle were pirates, it might be their rudimentary buried treasure, although he could be mistaken. Jokull asked if anyone had a shovel, and although no one did, he commented that they should try to find out what was under the mound; however, he took Rahnee's point that it was not going anywhere.</blockquote>

Verification