Dragons of Stormwreck Isle [2][IC][2024]

Marin hears the thud of the dead Harpy hitting the deck and Dirk mentioning something about feathers. He goes over and kneels by the Harpy, plucks three feathers and then stands to look out at the endless waves.

"So... Ash is lost to us."

Irtos joins Marin in looking for any signs of Ash in the waves...

“Summer fled that fall might follow, winter settles in.  Spring will come again.”  In elvish.

”I don’t see him anywhere.”  Dirk gets up to his feet scanning the horizon.

Releasing a harpy feather to the wind.

Irtos says a prayer for the departed Ash, before saying, "You never know when your time will come."

Onji bows his head in revernce during Irtos prayer.  After the prayer, onji looks up at the mast, then turns to Marin,

"as you were up there, would the crows nest be the harpy nest?"..."if so that could explain the increased shipwrecks...Dirk and I found a packet...Dirk, I forgot, where did that little package end up?"

Marin thinks about Onji's question as he reveals the small items that he found in the crow's nest.

"I guess it could have been as I found these earlier when I first boarded. And the Harpy could be the cause of the shipwrecks."

Marin glances around the deck of the ship, stopping briefly on the doors as he ponders the mystery.

"But is it responsible for all the undead?"

Dirk is staring off across the water as Onji asks about the packet, he is unresponsive lost in thought.

A snake made of water and sand slithers towards Dirk it coils around his leg hissing steam it isn’t acting aggressive just protective… (sculpt elements)

Onji not hearing anything looks at Dirk, and starts to draw his weapon but stops...noticing the protective aspect.  Onji speaks in a louder volume to get dirk's attention, "YO...YO DIRK, what did we do with that packet you found?"

The water snake stretches upward pushing the packet from Dirk’s pocket, as Dirk continues to seem impervious to his surroundings.  The packet lands at Dirk’s feet.

Onji says, "thanks"  walks to reach for the packet, grabs it and backs away from the magical creature.  At a safe distance away, Onji turns to the others, "I assume this packet found in the chest should be taken with us and shown to those that sent us."

Do we need to keep exploring this ship?  Is there anything else we forgot to explore?  ...Oh, should we bring that painting of a lady Irtos found?"

Irtos thinks about it, "If that picture was showing someone from the island, I think they would like to get it back."

Irtos continues, "Can I take a look at that packet?"

Onji hands Irtos the package., "It was in the treasure chest that fell through the decks.  We brought it up."

Irtos will examine the contents of the package, being very careful not to lose any of its contents. 

Perception: 14

Investigation: 8

Marin steps away from those who are investigating the packet to find a place to braid the three Harpy feathers into his green hair.

He then rejoins the group and asks, "How can a small packet be the cause of the undead plaguing the island?"

Although Marin's question may seem rude or blunt, anyone can see by his face that he isn't trying to offer insult, he's genuinely dumbfounded.

Onji turns to Marin, "Who knows, it may have nothing to do with undead.  But it was locked away in a chest...that is reason enough to check it out.  I assume magic creates the zombies, and who knows about magic...I don't but Irtos and the head monks probably do know.  So lets give them all of what we found and let them sort it out."

After several minutes, Onji continues and says, "The harpy lured the ships, the ships wrecked, sailors died, which fed the magic that created Zombies...it appears that the undead plaguing the island was due to several interrelated causes....that small packet and the picture and maybe something else we have not found may have been a small part of everything."  

When Irtos opens the package, she finds a captain’s journal, which has been keep safe from the water by its wrapping. A braid of hair is stuck in the pages like a bookmark, indicating the log’s last entry. The last entry reads as follows:

19 Tarsakh

Our journey is ended, though I fear my own is to continue in the most horrible way imaginable. Compass Rose wrecked on a shoal south of Neverwinter. Many sailors perished with the initial impact, and Aleitha was gravely injured. As I tended her wounds, she clutched her talisman and breathed soft prayers. I asked her what the talisman signified. She told me love. Her husband waits for her at Dragon’s Rest, having pledged his service to the dragon there. The talisman is made from locks of their hair, woven together as a promise to be reunited no matter what fate might befall them. It might have been a beautiful story, had it not been for Aleitha’s gruesome end—and the words of the prayer I heard as she breathed her last. For she was begging Orcus, the Prince of Undeath, to reunite her with her husband.

I held her hands as the breath left her, and I felt a horrible chill pass through her. Next I knew, she was sinking her teeth into my neck. At the same moment, I heard moans begin to rise from the dead sailors all around us. What curse has she brought on us all?

Already I feel a creeping chill overtaking my body. I am securing her talisman with this book in my chest, in the hope that someone who comes after us may end this nightmare by bringing Aleitha’s talisman to her husband.

The talisman is formed from long locks of hair—some blonde, some black—braided together and knotted around two small finger bones. 

After reading the entry, Irtos says, "This isn't the cause so much as the key for ending the zombies. A dying sailor prayed to Orcus to be reunited with her husband, who lives on this island. This talesman of hair was their promise to be reunited no mater what fate might befall them. The captain thought that bringing this talisman to Aleitha's husband would end the curse of undeath."

She then carefully seals the book and talisman back into the packet for transport to land.

With that, you all get the sense that there isn't much more to do aboard the ship. With the harpy and the zombies dealt with, the silence is broken only by the gentle lapping of the waves against the hull. 

Irtos asked, "Shall we return to the temple to find Aleitha's husband?"