Tolð 8-16, 653 DR: Wherein the shipwrecked group tries to make the best of their dire circumstance. Dammon soon discovers a channel of sunken sea vessels which are salvaged to fashion a sea barge. A discovery in one of the island shrines sends the group to explore and experiment with offerings in the other four.

Continued from Attack of the Lōyōlīyeð.

Roydor, 8 Tolð 653

A restless night among the tangled roots and twisting trees offers no rest to the stranded sea voyagers. Each awakens covered with tiny bites and sores, inflicted by the carpet of crawling and flying insects that lay claim to this forsaken shore. The only person to have slept until the cruel dawn’s light, was Dammon, but even he was tossing, turning and muttering to himself through the night’s darkest hours. With morning, only Graiç arose without a hint of lethargy or complaint, though his hardened body crawled with hundreds of tiny black bugs.

The sun rose red through the morning’s fog, burning the mists from the crippled trees. Graiç flexed his limbs and strode down the hillside toward the white sand beach. No sign remained there of the ghostly ichthyoids that had emerged from the waves the night before. The low water lapped calmly to the shore now, broken only by the rings of coral reefs that circled the island as far as could be seen. It was a wonder they were able to make it, he thought. A keeled boat would never have made it to shore here. Somewhere, out below those dark waves lay the remains of the sunken Aylyrēar; another chapter of his long “life” closed.

There had been talk last evening of building another boat. The trees that grew from the rocky island were bent, turned and without girth. A thousand trees could be ripped from the ground and bound with vines but they would make only a mound of brambles, not a raft. It would be interesting to see what plans the Yrūn had for these resources. Graiç then decided that he was in no rush to leave this place, though he would offer no resistance to the plans of his companions.

Returning, Graiç listened while Dorkun and the Yrūn discussed moving the camp above the tree line. Following them through the tangled forest, they soon emerged onto a barren rocky landscape where nothing grew. A place where nothing would grow. Graiç returned his gaze back to the sea below and wondered why the plants did not grow atop the ridges. Furthermore, he wondered why the forest insects refused to claim the ridges. Soon, the others were carrying the remnants of the crate-raft that had borne them to this isle into their new camp, tearing the crates into panels. The panels were soon erected to provide flat sleeping surfaces. Tressta began (and was soon copied by all that watched) using some of the textile bolts to make pillows and sheets, for none had slept well for almost three days. Others began examining their food options. Aside from the wine and cheese that had come with them, the only other foodstuff seemed to be the orange-red fruits of the island trees. These were found to be nests for hornets. Younger fruits however might be ‘purified’ by the priestess of Zalan though they were thoroughly impregnated with eggs and larva. Those that ate looked grimly at their food. Others could not bring themselves to eat for the first few days.
Weary from their voyage and many sleepless nights, not much was completed on the first full day. Most were simply grateful they’d been ‘allowed’ to establish a camp far above the shore and out of the casual reach from the submarine Zultàyi villages below. When night fell most looked to the waves and shore below, until they could discern no further details.

Sudídor, 9 Tolð 653

On the next day, several of the group separated and marched off through the trees to a distant shrine while the others picked their way down to the shore to begin gathering wood and vines to construct a ship or raft. These busied themselves about the task of binding trunks and limbs together in a manner that could be defined as little more than haphazard. There were no shipbuilders or engineers among them, they only knew that their vessel must float and carry people and provisions. It was soon discovered that the longest usable size of wood that could be harvested from the many trees Graiç ripped from the hillsides were no longer than a man’s arm and no thicker than one’s leg. The separated group returned some hours later with a lost looking creature with wild hair and shifting appearance. The person called itself Edahyla and spoke fluent Æzàlaric, speaking long with Zildara and Graiç. As it grew more comfortable with its newfound friends, it slowly revealed a more comfortable female form. She had no suggestions on how to build a ship, though the others explained that she was an expert weaver and able to fashion chairs and baskets with roots and reeds. Among other things, Edahyla tells those gathered about giant burning beetles which she fears more than the centipedes reported earlier by Dammon. Additionally, Edahyla explained (through Zildara) to Dammon how she came to make potions of water-breathing, though she did not offer details on how she was able to gain the blood of spellcasting Zultàya.

As the second day drew to a close, Tressta heard again the soft voices in her head that had been with her since her meeting with Elesea. She had not noticed the voices for several days with all the things that had been happening and now found peace in their sound and a night of pleasant dreams.

Talídor, 10 Tolð 653

On the next day, Dammon returned late in the morning in the form of an Kengrūlar, trailing a medium longboat in the air behind him. At this sight, many rejoiced. The celebration and hope this offered was palpable, but the captain and Graiç stood and watched in silence. The boat needed some repair, and even pristine it would not bear them long across the open sea. As the days continued, Dammon would come and go in a variety of shapes dragging pieces of sunken ships and masting from a graveyard over the ridge.

Padídor, 11 Tolð 653

In the intervening days, Paldor had set about examining some of the rigging and canvas salvaged from Dammon’s ship graveyard. He placed his greatest hope into the task of constructing a sail and mast for the longboat. While he contemplated this, the others fashioned a number of personal rafts and experimented with them in the low surf. They found it difficult to maneuver off-shore both with oars or short poles, and were often returned by the sea, spinning or capsized. Only Farwin was eventually able to navigate his raft out to the first reefs on the third day of this. His raft had capsized twice in the process, but undeterred he climbed back on and paddled farther out. An able swimmer, Farwin could have probably swum to the reef without the raft.

Bærídor, 12 Tolð 653

On the fifth day, the caster returned with news that a sunken building or gate could be seen through the clear waters of the channel, but that he could not near it. The entrance at the channel’s end appeared to be shaped like a giant fish’s head. Meanwhile, Graiç did those duties he was assigned, which amounted to little more than tearing trees from the rocky ground, de-limbing them, and fashioning the wood together when asked. The tasks seemed folly to him, but he wished to remain in the group’s good graces and the duties seemed to help the spirits of all involved.

Every evening, he and sometimes others would wander to the shores to watch the ghosts emerge from the surf. If Dammon was evident, the ghosts would inevitably flock to him and send a guide to the shrine above.

Virídor, 13 Tolð 653

On the night of the sixth day, Jak followed the specter again to the ridge-side shrine, before it dissolved again into the darkness. Examining the interior again, he claimed to have placed a fish into the shrine’s offering bowl and watched as magical flames reduced the fish to ashes.

Palídor, 14 Tolð 653

On the next night, this again was attempted but without effect, leaving his comrade Dammon questioning the warrior’s story. That same night they made their way to Edahyla’s shrine and were able to repeat the effect there. Dammon’s divinations uncovered slight Vorbìdrū magics, but little else.

Alídor, 15 Tolð 653

During the next day everyone busied themselves with their tasks, and not much was said.

Kændor, 16 Tolð 653

On the ninth night, they were guided by Edahyla to a third shore where Zultàya and Yrūn specters roamed the midnight sands. Here they were led again by a ghostly Zultàya to a third shrine before their guide dissolved. They repeated the offering to the witness of Dammon, Edahyla, Tressta and Zêla. Immediately following this offering however, the shrine began to glow from an external light as burning beetles charged from the forest outside. The giant insects belched forth balls of flame and clicked menacingly with their hungry mandibles. Dammon however, was able to erect an invisible wall and then rain upon them icicles and hail, causing the monsters to scream and flail-about. Jak found his way to the wall’s end but after being badly burned and bitten thought better of melee and retreated to the soothing touches of Zêla and Edahyla. Soon, Dammon dispatched the small-minded monsters and they were able to return toward their camp.

Meanwhile, Graiç stood vigilant, tirelessly watching the tree-line and distant waves from the group’s high campsite…

Continued in Of Stone, Flesh, and Blood.

Characters

• Dammon Shroudson = 0 CPs
• Jak of Cænden = 0 CPs
• Tressta Drynsval = 0 CPs
• Zildara of Zalan = 0 CPs
• Balàdâsha (Cook) = 0 CPs
• Daemeda = 0 CPs
• Dorkun = 0 CPs
• Edahyla = 0 CPs
• Ērēus of Amra = 0 CPs
• Farwin the Daft = 0 CPs
• Familiar = Unkn.
• Graiç = 0 CPs
• Kavrus Karder = 0 CPs
• Lourn the Whaler = 0 CPs
• Paldòr Batrūlan (Ship Captain) = 0 CPs
• “Tattoo” Nilgyir an Tirwyn = 0 CPs
• Zêla ma Ler = 0 CPs

Played: 10 Jan 2004