More Dragons of Stormwreck Isle [IC][2024 rules][1]

"The Compass Rose was crawling with those filthy bloighters and a bleedin' harpy besides, but we sent the lot o' them down t' Davy Jones' locker. Ah, and if the old girl ever gets raised and patched up, yer looking at the new cap'n! Heh heh!" Padrionn grins, trying to lift the wee winged kobold's spirits with his own enthusiasm. "It's loike Red says though - there's some kind of curse connected to orcas or some such, some talisman and a poor soul grieving their lost lover."

The grin fades a touch and he takes a long, shuddering exhale. Now that all the thrill of adventure and joy of newfound riches has passed, his mind drifts back to where he least wants them but to the face he loves above all else. Ysolde. The wound of her loss still gnaws at him, refusing to close no matter how many escapades he undertakes or how much coin finds its way into his purse. He sighs, twists his new hat straight on his head, and regards Myla once more. 

"Where did yer brothers go?"

"Oh, Myla doesn't know where the brothers went," she explains, her wings drooping slightly. "Myla last saw them when the three of us got attacked by the horrible, HORRIBLE blood-sucking, hungry, icky bat-things!"

The kobold's small clawed hands tighten into tight fists in her frustration. "Myla almost died then. Runara found Myla and helped her in Dragon's Rest. Mek and Minn... Myla knows not where they went."

The little kobold sniffs again, but as you mention the ship and the curse, she seems to perk up with curiosity.

"Runara is in the library!" she blinks, looking up at you wide-eyed. "She will want to hear all about the curses... and the orcas, I guess... Myla didn't know big fish could cast curses..."

“Some who we love we lose for a time, and sometimes those we come to find in that time may be a source of family love to us. When our lost ones find their way to us again, it is all the sweeter for the mixing of two families into one. 

“Show us to Runara, Myla, then maybe come with us, if you would choose to. We have a lot of this island to see still and perhaps we shall help find you a clue that will set your heart to rest, and solve this mystery.”

Valeria nods in agreement with Pev. "Let's go and find Runara, and on the way you can tell us more about where it was you were attacked by icky bat-things." She says.

Nature to recognize that the icky bat-things are stirges: 2 (Nevermind)

Myla nods eagerly, her scarred wings fluttering as she leads you up the steep path back to the top of the cliff. As you walk, she tries to recall anything about the encounter, explaining that while she doesn't remember the exact spot she was attacked, she reckons it must have been somewhere near the southern cliffs of the island.

Reaching the cloister, she leads you to a heavy, sturdy oak door reinforced with thick iron bands. She pushes it open to reveal a spacious, quiet library. Bookshelves line every wall, with three free-standing shelves in the west half of the room. In the east half is a table with two benches, writing implements, book stands, and glass-shielded lamps.

This is where you find Elder Runara, carefully annotating an old-looking tome.

"Oh, you have returned. Thank you, Myla," the elderly woman says warmly, looking up with a gentle smile. Myla beams with pride at the praise and quickly hurries back out. Elder Runara closes her ink pot and turns her full attention back to your group. "I am glad to see you all return to Dragon's Rest safely. Tell me, did you find out anything on board the ship?"

"Thank you for seeing us again Runara, I think we found many things on the ship..." The young redhead says with a small smile, briefly glancing over at Goldie and Lothia. "...a few things in particular though that might explain the shipwrecks and the drowned undead." She explains with a small courteous bow before continuing. "It seems one of the passengers on the Compass Rose, Aleitha, was so deeply in love with her husband that was on this isle that she prayed to something called Orcus, the Prince of Undeath, to be reunited with him, and we believe it is this Orcus that is the cause of your troubles. We can't be certain but hopefully bringing her talsiman to him could end the curse. You wouldn't know who this husband might be?"

Paddy follows after the cute kobold, huffing and puffing as he makes his ascent over the sharp incline. 

Upon arriving at the cloister and being directed to the library, the golden dragonborn drinks in the serene calm that seems to pervade this place. Boisterous by nature, he clears his throat and makes a deliberate attempt to lower his voice. A look of surprise crosses his glittering face as Val explains the significance of Orcus. "Good to see ye again, Elder. Bahamut keep ye well. It's as the sorceress says, but there was a harpy haunting the crow's nest too. Not sure if she was part o' it, but she won't bother none again."

 Although Lothia had followed along after the others, her mind had remained very much on Myla's story of 'icky bat-things'. Well, on that and maybe a little bit on how the tale could in some way be woven into the greater piece she had in mind! But as distracted as she was, she /did/ catch the look from Val, if albeit a bit belatedly so. So, after cocking her head and raising a brow over some initial confusion, she "ohs" and nods and then pulled out the journal and waggles in the air. "Proof, in case yer wonder'n. Had an interesting feel about it when I found it, but I think that had more to do with the keep sake inside it then anything I'd imagine."  She said nonchalantly before stepping up and offering the book to Runara.

-Arcana: 20(Unnatural). 

Lothia, after spending considerable time with the amulet, you know it carries magic of the school of necromancy, a spell so powerful it placed a curse not only on the Compass Rose but on the whole area of the wreck. 

Runara looks concerned as she listens to your reports. "This talisman explains the undead... and the appearance of the harpy explains the multitude of shipwrecks we've seen in the past few months. So many lives lost... such a shame. Orcus is indeed known as the Demon Prince of Undeath and the Blood Lord, the demon lord Orcus is a fiend whose power rivals that of the gods. Ruling over hordes of demons in the nightmarish plane of existence called the Abyss, Orcus yearns to transform the multiverse into a ghastly place of death. Many Undead creatures worship him or seek to bargain with him in exchange for some fragment of his power over undeath."

When you ask about Aleitha's husband, the elder woman nods sadly. "I remember Aleitha's husband, Brastos, but he died many years ago. He was laid to rest in the graveyard atop the cliffs at the northern point of the island, northwest and about an hour hike from here."

Pev mouths the words Runara speaks after a moment, silently, ‘Demon Prince of Undeath’. Perhaps it was better not to have known. 

"We should visit the grave now to hopefully lift the curse before it spreads more evil." The young red-haired sorceress urges the others, seeming ready to depart immediately to put the matter to rest. "Can we have a guide or is it easy to find?" She turns and asks Runara.

Paddy's eyes widen and widen until they threaten to fall out of his head. "An undead demon lord? To be sure, to be sure. Why wouldn't it be that? Exactly as expected." He barks a disbelieving laugh, fumes of smoke winding from his mouth. Things were a lot simpler when you were an ordinary crook. 

"Oi don't much fancy a prince of the bleedin' Abyss looking our way fer long. Better we get this matter settled and have done with it." The old criminal nods in agreement with Val's proposal, but then turns to Runara. "Elder, are there any dangers up that way that we should know about?"

Dev follows the kobold, and when he gets a moment he puts a hand on the distressed creatures shoulder.  Looking it in the eye he asks it a question.  "Want them icky bat things sorted?"  He rubs his axe with a hand.  "I be sure that they ain't no match for can opener here."  He grins at the kobold.  "Whaddya say?"

"We should be taking thing to the grave," Dev agrees with Valeria.  "Might be it stops them dead, dead."   He considers this for a moment.  "One harpy eh?  Ain't it likely there be more of 'em?  Funny sound they make, sent me back all tingling like."

 "Well, that explains a lot and thensome." Lothia muttered under her breath as she traded out the journal for her own book, and began rapidly jotting down more notes using a crude looking charcoal pencil. "Mm~ Good thinking, Paddy. Much as I enjoy a good surprise every now and then -- as they certainly can spice up a story -- I'm thinking maybe we avoid'em this go 'round if at all possible." She admitted to with a bit of a chuckle behind her voice near the end of the spiel. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything 'bout strange bat-like creatures that like to snatch up kobolds now would'ja?"  She further asks of Runara with all the tact of a baseball hitting a window. 

"If you only found one harpy, that is good. The creature must have taken a liking to the spot recently, so maybe it didn't have time to attract others yet... Probably if there were more, you'd have encountered them together," the elder responds.

Runara shakes her head at Paddy as she responds to his and Val's questions. "No, there shouldn't be any danger, although the path is steep so mind your steps. But there should be no other creatures lurking there. There is a path that starts from behind the temple but if you would prefer, you can ask one of the kobolds to accompany you, they all know the well."

Finally, the elder woman's face grows concerned as she hears Lothia's question. "I believe I know the creatures you speak of. Poor Myla almost lost her life to a swarm attack of them. Stirges, they are called. Pesky creatures that look like a mixture between bats and overgrown mosquitos. They do reside around the southern part of the island, but thankfully, not nearby. If you ever encounter them, be sure to not allow them to attach themselves to you, or they will suck out your life out of you."

"Then I suggest we go as soon as our guide is ready." The young red-haired sorceress says and readies herself to leave again.

Pev lumbers to his feet like a boulder that has grown legs, as if twice his 50 pounds in weight, and three times his age. 

“Thank you, Lady Runara. I wonder, are there any wisdoms of Bahamut you can offer us as we seek out what lies ahead? This has already been far more of an adventure than I ever expected.”