Djura
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Ship's log:
- April the 1st, 1001 AC -
We departed from Karameikos to a grand start. Perfect sailing weather according to Florel; no stranger the tides.
After the dreaded hydra, the party headed back to Tanaroa for some much deserved R&R (after dealing with some quick monkey business). Djura ponders a new staff, Wilyur his new wand and Jigo hits the pelota ball court.
Stuck on boat duty for two weeks, Cyd, Sialis, Ja'an and Pocky join Florél and Bistek out past the gates. Their first run was far more dire than they could have imagined...
The greenhorns, guided by the veteran paladin and the bard ran into quick trouble. Three massive bears emerged from the woods in the dead of night, taking the party by surprise.
They formed a makeshift phalanx. One problem; we found our nobleman fighter and his sword behind the front line.
The brawl saw Ja'an and Cyd down. Our monk struggled under pressure and the warlock did what warlocks do.
Florél and Bistek held the line.
Through much struggle, they downed the bears, leaving one to run off. They head back to the safety of Tanaroa's gates to lick their wounds.
The Isle of Dread is unforgiving to the ill-prepared...
A seafaring elf. The surface is full of such odd wonder. And promise...
- Day 7 at sea -
The "dolphins" have remained with us throughout the entire trip. Vanishing in their luminescent glow from time to
time, always they return to guide our nameless ship. Ser Claritin spotted land minutes ago from the crow's nest. The weather has been
far more than fair. I fear the Isle of Dread will not be so kind.
- April the 8th, "Tanaroa" -
I was wrong.
Upon approach, we witnessed what could only be locals tending to their farms and people atop a small pyramid. The bard and Jigo went to make contact. In earnest, I had little optimism. Jigo might have escaped, but the bard would likely have perished or worse. To my surprise, he's a natural diplomat.
- April the 14th, 1001 AC -
These are kind people. Lively and... colorful. The morbid clerics, however, keep their distance.
Jigo has become a regular at the pelota ball games. Not surprising, given his exchange of gifts to the matriach of the settlement. What a curious sword he was given. Colgin's son would pay handsomely. Jigo has been eyeing the non-males; must keep an eye on him.
The feasts have been endless and grand. These people have been more than kind. But we embark today.
To the south await local pirates and marauders. The "shark" clan, from what we could discern, live on "Jawalaas" - thank what heavens there are for Wilyur's translation.
To the south west, the Tanaroans described an island of "pterodactyl" people. They are not a clan like the others: bear, tiger, shark etc... The have wings and they fly from their caverns and pick at sailors at sea. Curious...
One of the southern islands, they say, is home to a foreigner. "Pratis" they called him; trades in coin. There is even mention of a ghost village. But the people of Tanaroa pause at the very mention of what lay north of their settlement, past their gates. The island. Elementals. Their ancestral home seems to terrify them more than what lay south.
We are to meet with the tar harvesters after breakfast. The tar is a crucial resource for Tanaroa and the harvest is made outside. We will join them beyond the gates of Tanaroa.
- April the 15th, 1001 AC -
A black dragon.
No amount of words in common could describe its power.
The very earth shudder under us. What immense presence... How we were lucky to have hidden successfully.
The triceratops was... less fortunate. The locals speared the creature to death, shortly after the dragon flew off.
It did not die easy.
Sad thing, to die stuck in tar. I gave a small blessing for the felled beast... poor recompense for the creature, but these tar runners clearly earn their meat.
We encountered the fabled Rakasta, cat-like creatures built like warriors. I'd wager even one of them could give Jigo a run for his coppers. My offering of meat seems to have pleased them. They offered a strange fruit in return and allowed us to pass through their territory - probably...
There is a temple or shrine of some sort in sight, past the rough terrain. It might be "Tamoachan" that the locals warned us about. Best steer clear.
After the dreaded hydra, the party headed back to Tanaroa for some much deserved R&R (after dealing with some quick monkey business). Djura ponders a new staff, Wilyur his new wand and Jigo hits the pelota ball court.
Stuck on boat duty for two weeks, Cyd, Sialis, Ja'an and Pocky join Florél and Bistek out past the gates. Their first run was far more dire than they could have imagined...
The greenhorns, guided by the veteran paladin and the bard ran into quick trouble. Three massive bears emerged from the woods in the dead of night, taking the party by surprise.
They formed a makeshift phalanx. One problem; we found our nobleman fighter and his sword behind the front line.
The brawl saw Ja'an and Cyd down. Our monk struggled under pressure and the warlock did what warlocks do.
Florél and Bistek held the line.
Through much struggle, they downed the bears, leaving one to run off. They head back to the safety of Tanaroa's gates to lick their wounds.
The Isle of Dread is unforgiving to the ill-prepared...
I wonder how the boys on the boat are faring...
The bench team managed to survive their near-fatal bear encounter and limped back to Tanaroa to lick their wounds thanks in no small part to veterans Florel and Bistek.
After a brief discussion, the party decided to shelve their mapping expeditions beyond the gate to investigate the small islands to the south.
In a swell of good fortune, they find Prattis in his treefortesque dwelling. Jigo was spotted attempting to climb an adjascent tree and much to everyone's surprise, Prattis was more than hospitable.
He and the party shared stories and bacon throughout the night. They learned that there was a survivor of the Pale Countess -- the lost ship first tasked with creating a leyline between the Isle of Dread and the Mystaran mainland.
Mika, another hermit living on the Tanaroan peninsula knows more. It is made known that she will not be as friendly as Prattis.
A morning ambush of giant lizards barely slowed the adventurers, before they set sail to investigate the Shark Clan on Jawalaas.
After a convoluted disembarkment procedure, the party ovserved the village under Wilyur's new fancy trick (Leomund's Tiny Hut). They saw the rumors of ritual sacrifice a la shark to be true, and they hatched an even more convoluted plan to save the three captives.
It will have to start early and they party will have little time to execute their plan.
- Things of note, Names to remember -
1) Day 16 since Rakasta encounter (14 days remain to rendezvous at tar pits)
2) Prattis ( turns out he was very friendly)
3) Mika (Prattis's frenemy, lives on Tanaroan peninsula)
4) Morgen (name of survivor of Pale Countess)
5) Dew (still no news of our favorite giant sloth
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