IV. Uncharted Island

[dmw71]

The group returns to the dock and spies Captain Raleigh and his crew reading the Devil's Mistress. "Yer up fer more," he chuckles as he notices the group approaching. "Now, hop aboard 'n start helpin' ready me ship for sail," he instructs. Before long, the Devil's Mistress is ready and the group is back at sea.

Your travels at sea begin slow, and are largely uneventful. At the beginning of the third day, Anton, touting the magnifying lens, brings his alert whistle to his lips and blows. "Starboard side, Captain," he shares, and Captain Raleigh quickly moves to take the lens for himself. Studying the horizon, he nods his acknowledgement. "Sail ho!" he calls out loudly.

"Kensit, abort corse!" he barks, "Port turn, and sharp!" he commands, and the whole crew rushes to take action to bring the ship around to the left. "Ye think they saw us, Cap'n?" Anton asks. "Me ain't sure, but ain't takin' no chances. We sail south 'n track 'em... we'll see if they follow." The Devil's Mistress begins to slowly turn at first, then more quickly as the sails get brought around and into proper position to harvest the wind. Kennit verifies the ship is bearing south while the Captain keeps watch and explains that what caused the diversion was a small fleet of ships bearing Pirate Robins' flag.

"Damn it to Hell!" he curses after a couple tense hours pass. "We're still bein' followed," he sighs. "We keep headin' south," he begins, and is interrupted before he has a chance to continue.

"Land ho!" Kennit cries. "Tis uncharted," Raleigh exclaims. "Make fer land," he orders.


A high plateau forms the north and central portions of the island, surrounded by 500-foot high cliffs. Two long peninsulas jut from the plateau to the southeast and southwest, and two sheltered bays offer the best anchorages, a large one to the south and a smaller bay to the east. In addition, a number of beaches where boats can land line the island's shores. Scattered across the island, but especially along the beaches and cliffs of the central plateau, are large, weathered statues of giant cyclopes. "The southern bay," commands the Captain.

Approaching the island, Kennit works to navigate a number of low-lying shoals and barrier reefs just offshore, but the unfamiliar waters prove difficult and significant damage is caused to the hull of the Devil's Mistress and she begins to take on water. "Everyone, clear that blasted water!" Raleigh commands, "Or we ain't gonna make it."

The Mistress holds out, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of its entire crew, and deposits itself onto one of the white, sandy beaches which encircle this deep, sheltered bay, stretching nearly two miles in every direction. To the north, a massive waterfall plummets from a high escarpment rising just above the treeline. "The plank, quickly!" Reis calls out, and the crew works to lower the sturdy, wide wooden plank from the deck to the beach. Once on land, Raleigh lays out the plan: "Me 'n me crew will stay with the 'Mistress,' survey the damage and keep a lookout fer Robins' ships. We're gonna need ye to scout this island."

"Ye think yer up fer it?" he asks.

[ToniXX]

Morgan surveys the island from the beach, then answers the captain Aye captain, I think we're up for it.

Do we have a time of day?

[LtTibbles]

Elias thinks back to the image of the giant cyclops statue they had seen. "....Aye cap'n should be no trouble, you want us to be mapping as well sir?"

[GreyWolfVT]

Dagg nods to the captain "Aye sir we'll do as you ask."

[Alethan]

Welby stares at the statues of the cyclops images in terrified silence.

[OGRE MAGE]

Sasha also looks at the statues.

So Welby, would you say those things look man made or do you think something......did that to them?

[dmw71]

Note: I found a map I want to use, but it reverses the previous directions (e.g. north is south, etc...). We will use the proper directions and follow the map going forward.
---

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The Devil's Mistress (marked with the 'x' on the map), lands just beyond the jutting peninsula on the eastern side of the bay. White sandy beaches welcome the group as they disembark, extending from the crystal blue water -- which provides a clear view of a deep pool and grotto below -- to a large, dense jungle just beyond the beach. A lofty plateau, reaching nearly 500-feet, seems to extends from within the jungle a mile or so in. Giant palm trees, which reach abnormal heights of seventy feet or more, tower over the surrounding jungle the deeper inland you look, growing more prominent closer to the elevated area.

To the north, approximately 3-miles from where the ship rests, a powerful waterfall rolls over the elevated cliff, spilling directly into the bay. More lightly forested areas are found on either of its sides.

Across the bay, on the west, the southernmost peninsula is heavily forested. A plateau emerges just beyond the northern edge of this forest, rising to a height of about 500-feet, with rocky hills and ridges rising from its center. A small, forested patch lies between the bay and this hilly area, with a branch of the bay developing into a stream which appears to feed into a large lake.


"If'n ye can map, then aye," the Captain responds to Elias. "Tis a good idea," he adds, slapping him on the shoulder. "A good idea, indeed!"

"Now, until we know the extent of the damage, we won't know what supplies will be needed, so keep yer eyes open for anything that may be useful."

[Alethan]

Sasha also looks at the statues.

So Welby, would you say those things look man made or do you think something......did that to them?

Blinking away his gaze, Welby glances over at Sasha in gratitude. "They don't look very detailed. Either they're just carvings or... they were turned to stone eons ago. I suspect they's just statues. But..." he trails off with a shrug.

"I don't much feel like gettin' lost in a jungle. Besides... ain't gonna find nothing worth finding in the jungle; nobody lives in them. Let's take the beach up to the falls and cut right, following the base of the plateau."

[dmw71]

While Welby and Sasha are the ones discussing them, everyone's eyes, at one time or another, are drawn to the Cyclops Statues; several of which are located throughout the island.

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Welby suggests avoiding the jungle and walking along the beach to the falls.

[ToniXX]

"I don't much feel like gettin' lost in a jungle. Besides... ain't gonna find nothing worth finding in the jungle; nobody lives in them. Let's take the beach up to the falls and cut right, following the base of the plateau."

Morgan nods in agreement at Welby's statement. Agreed. Let's move towards the falls. Weapons at the ready.

[AleBelly]

Sasha also looks at the statues.

So Welby, would you say those things look man made or do you think something......did that to them?

"Guessin' only them could tell you that" replies Bingus, puffing away on his pipe as he looks up at the statues. "I pray to the gods that whatever was powerful enough to stone these things...or sharp enough to build 'em aren't here to give us any fuss."

"I'm with ya, short legs. A stroll on the beach suits me good."

[OGRE MAGE]

Sasha eyes the strange coniferous trees behind the statues with a quizzical look but says nothing about them. She takes in a deep breath of the sent from the jungles foliage.

Aye, let's be off. I could use a nice long walk on some solid ground for a change. Do you volunteer to map then Elias?

[LtTibbles]

Sasha eyes the strange coniferous trees behind the statues with a quizzical look but says nothing about them. She takes in a deep breath of the sent from the jungles foliage.

Aye, let's be off. I could use a nice long walk on some solid ground for a change. Do you volunteer to map then Elias?

"Yeah, I can do it I'm sure there's some supplies up in the ship let me fetch them and we can be off to the plateau, unless someone has paper and a quill on them."

If no one does, with the captains permission Elias will head back into the ship to get what he needs to map the groups journey, then return ready to set out.

[GreyWolfVT]

Dagg "Eh me kin could build them statues better anyways. But they'd be of a dwarf not a one eyed giant. Aye lets avoid the junlge anything that might be living in it is best to avoid or so I am saying." the dwarf puffs out his chest all proud when proclaiming about how great dwarven stone-working is compared to these statues.

[Zhym]

Pendleton bends over backwards as he looks up at the cyclops statues with an appreciative eye. "Remarkable!" he says. "What sort of civilization do you suppose would fashion such things as these? The same as those who build the Cyphergate, perhaps? Or a different race entirely? And what message might these towering effigies have been intended to convey? Are they a warning to intruders? Or do they memorialize cyclopian heroes?" He peers up at the statues' faces, hoping to detect any differences between them that might suggest that the huge statues were meant to represent individuals.

When the others set out, Pendleton drags himself away from the historical artifacts. "Starting with a circumscription of the island via its beaches seems a wise move," he says. "If there are dangers in the forest, let us hope they are content to remain there."

[dmw71]

The group, electing to avoid the jungle further inland, begin their three-plus mile trek north, through the sandy beach, towards the waterfall on the far north side of the bay. The first half mile of the trip fills the group with soothing island sounds, and aside from some pesky insects buzzing about, is completely uneventful.

The situation changes at the mile mark, however, when a trio of giant frogs explode out of the water and threaten the group.

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Actions?

[GreyWolfVT]

Dagg "Ha aint a test this time!" the dwarf says with excitement in his voice as he draws out his sword. attack is for Frog 1 (F1)

Sword attack (Lvl 1, +1 Dex, AC +7): [1d20+9] = 14+9 = 23 to hit [1d6] = 5 dmg

[LtTibbles]

Elias let's out a small yelp as the frogs emerge from the sea. "Ah! Would ya' look at the size of those things!?" He reaches for his bow and moves two steps to the northeast an launches an arrow at the farthest north frog.(F1)

Attack [1d20+9] = 8+9 = 17 Damage [1d6] = 6

[dmw71]

Updating map to include cell numbers.

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Also, it is safe to assume that the frogs are not part of a welcoming party and do mean the group harm. Dagg, Elias, please feel free to edit your original post to include attack rolls (or I will make them if necessary).

[Zhym]

Pendleton jumps at the sudden appearance of the huge frogs, as if he were a frog himself. Then his curiosity takes over. He looks at the frogs and the cyclops statues: giant cyclops, giant frogs—would the frogs be about the right size compared to the statues? "Perhaps we are on an island of giants," he suggests.

Then he remembers that these objects of curiosity want to eat him. He starts to chant:

Bonum vespere, bonum nocte
Operuit atque rosis
Cum caryophyllis, a guberniis,
Labi sub opercula
Mane si vult ita
vos expergisceris congeminet.

Sleep spell targeted to try to get F1 and F2.

Sleep: [2d8] = 3