Seldom Spring

Yes, Erric, you're able to find the beard ring easily enough.

Jambiya turns to see the procession, and sighs. “I guess I was hoping it wasn’t true,” she says. “We should find out from the ship’s crew what they want done with him. If they don’t know, we should take them both back and ask that gnome lady.”

”At least we’re found the beard ring. His family will have that.”

“I saw that lizard creature again. It seems friendly. I think it misses its family. I know I do. And Ebokk did. Here let me carry some of the light stuff.”

As the party makes its way outside, Jambiya will hang back a moment in the mud room. “Hey little lizard,” she calls out. “If you don’t have a family, you can come with me. I’ll feed you and make sure you’re warm and you can come live with me at the inn, with my dads. If you want to...”

She’ll wait a minute to see if it comes out, but if not, she’ll turn and trudge after the others. 

OOC: Jambiya and Erric want to take the bodies. What say Maldorn and Anafrey?

Maldorn listens to his companions but is otherwise busy carrying the younger dwarf; and his backpack is now also full of treasure.

After a few moments, he voices his agreement regarding asking the sailors what they think is appropriate concerning the dwarves bodies.

Anafrey would keep to herself... replaying the events in her head and occasionally trying to drink from an empty flask. "Yeah... we should bring them back..." She would say while keeping an eye out for the skeletons they passed on the way inside the dirt mound.

Just making sure — So you're headed back to the rowboat with the bodies?

OOC: Inside bedrolls, yes. That is my understanding at least. I'm assuming the "large folk" will do the carrying, with Maldorn expressing preference for carrying the lighter of the two "packages."

Are you returning in the same marching order as you came in with Jack continuing to precede everyone with a torch?

OOC: Sounds good to me! Also, Erric stopped short of actually healing Ebokk's body, so he still has a spell slot left.

OOC > I know it is unnaturally dark here, but what time of day is it, roughly?

OOC: Any ideas on wading through the mud on the way back?

Eric will just play a dirge sadly enough to dissuade any possible traps or attacks...

Sorry I didn't answer this last night ... You all went underground pretty early, and you've probably been inside an hour or so.

Did we make it out?

Did the little dragon come along?

Maldorn had asked about the mud, so I was waiting to hear if there was any discussion on that. Well, I guess there doesn't need to be. Nothing happens. You walk through the mud, carrying the two bodies. Well, one is a body and the other is more ... just ... parts. Erric is playing a song as you walk.

DM rollz: 1 — Ha! The dice are on your side. The song does not attract any irregular gnolls.

Nothing happens as you leave the burial mounds, walk through the dark trees, through the smaller clearing, through more trees, exit the trees, and then start east through the grass toward where you left the boat. The bright sunlight is a little startling. Jambiya, you've been hoping the "little dragon" would follow, so you've been looking back regularly to see if it is. It isn't until you begin wading through the tall grass that you catch a glimpse of the red and orange creature dive into the grass. It is indeed following at a safe distance.

You make it back to the rowboat and deposit the two bedrolls within.

If Erric sees the little dragon following them, he will ask if Jambiya is sure it is natural and not attached to another person, like a wizard’s familiar.

He helps get the two bedrolls into the boat and then sits down on the ground. 

”So before we go, do we have any idea why this island is the way it is? What those gnoll zombies are doing? What the weird shade areas are all about? With the house, we had some idea, but those mounds didn’t really have any clues. I can’t write the end of this verse of our song if I don’t know what’s going on. And Ebokk probably would have wanted us to figure it out. Should we bring him back and then return to explore more? Or look around a bit now, that we are out of the woods? Or are you all eager to get going for good...”

"Well, we are leaving a lot of mysteries behind. Perhaps after a rest on board, we could sally out? But how long will Ebokk's... remains, um, remain? Come to think of it, it's a long trip home..." Jambiya is distracted by the twin thoughts of a decaying Ebokk and the little dragon.

"Maybe the lizard belongs to someone, or belonged... or maybe it's just a shipwreck like we are? I really don't have any answers." She shrugs.

“You are a bard, make it up!” Maldorn suggests. “Cursed island, evil gnoll pirates, heroic dwarven sailor who chooses to sit and keep watch on his rightful belongings once recovered, even beyond death. A son who returns to learn the truth decades later but falls to the evil his father had died to seal! A beautiful but sad tale that only marginally mentions the brave adventures who survived to tell it... and got a bit wealthier in the process.” 

Maldorn votes to leave the island behind as soon as possible.

OOC: we do have all the treasure, right?