"He's a Black Fist," Sylyra says, trying to keep his patience. "Do you ferry Black Fists across?"

"Hmm? Oh, why yes, I do. There are six of them stationed on Thorn Island at any given time. Not a one I care to talk with, though. They're put there because they broke rules or something, it's a punishment. They're not the friendly sort, and neither am I. Makes for a nice, silent trip. Unlike this one. Now please...get. in. the boat." the old man says, each word accentuated with a tap of the pole.

Zelra chuckles at the old man's frustration and pulls the others who have yet to come in onto the boat. "Come on, can't keep the old man waiting. He already took your coin and any questions you want to ask can be answered on the way."

"This is so disappointing," Uragum grumbles as he gets onto the raft.  As it says he looks down a little weary, pretty sure that the raft was not meant to curry his weight.  That said, the raft didn't capsize.  "Let us boat, Mr. Boatman."

Despite the boat's small stature, it handles the choppy waters quite well. Thorn Island rests offshore in the Bay of Phlan; a sandy, wind-buffeted islet, it serves as a natural breakwater against the ravages of the Moonsea. The island is dominated by Sokol Keep, a large stone fortress clearly built for defense. The castle looks old, and it has obviously been extensively repaired in some areas. A large mansion has replaced a significant portion of the original structure. Despite its excellent repair, it has an abandoned look about it as Karst steers the boat toward the island. There are no banners, no guards patrolling its walls, no smoke rising from its chimneys, and its gates are closed.

The mansion appears to be quite comfortable though not very defensible; where arrow slits might be on a castle, the mansion has glass windows, all currently closed with wooden shutters. The grounds are well-maintained and in good repair, belying the abandoned appearance.

The tallest tower of the keep is located at its southern end. Slender and round, it stands around 80 feet tall, well visible even with the keep between it and your approach. There are two shorter towers as well, one on the east and west ends of the island. Further to the east, extending from the island, is a small quay and a couple of large wooden warehouses.

The dock looks like it has seen better times, but it is sturdy as Karst ties the pole and boat to the structure. Standing on the shore to greet you are three humans; a middle-aged man and woman, and a younger man behind them.

"Welcome, sirs and madames, to Sokol Keep," the middle-aged man says, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit today?"

Zelra jumps out of the boat and greets the three with a nod. "Hey, we're here to help with the beacon issue."

Ola allowed herself a moment of peace, enjoying fresh salty air and sound of water splashing against the boat. She almost regretted that they arrived so soon but the Keep returned her to the earth (literally too). "For the "first line of defence" the Keep looks way too unprotected, don't you think?" addressed she everyone and no one in particular. Ola left the boat giving Karst an appreciative nod, tilted her head slightly acknowledging greetings form the Keep staff and now studied the humans, while waiting for their reply to Zelra. They did not look as someone suffering from spirits, pirates or any other attackers - imaginary or real. 

Uragum moves off the raft rather quickly.  He found that the ride, while swift, was not his favorite experience.  Hed much rather have something solid underneath him.  Standing behind Zelra he simply says, "Yeah, the beacon pronlem."

Shandra looks to Darvag, asking, "Do you think it's alright?" He nods and bows to the party. "It seems the city has finally sent someone to investigate," he says.

"My family and I tend to the Keep and its grounds. You are welcome to traverse the island for your investigation. Please let us know if you have any questions," he follows, shaking hands with any who will do so.

"We sure do, good people. The town does care about the Keep and needs the beacon to be restored." Ola kept polite even tone. "If you know of a more convenient place than this shore, we can proceed there, introduce ourselves and hear what you can tell about event on the island."

Arnald steps on the island and calls Sly back to him. The hawk swoops in and lands on his shoulder as usual.

"Of course, follow me," Darvag responds. He leads you and his family toward the mansion side of the keep, leaving Karst to remain at the docks, where he quickly lays down in his ferry to return to his nap.

After a short jaunt, walking past an open courtyard that is empty aside from a few practice dummies, you stand before a thick oak wooden door that Rorin unlocks and opens. The lobby inside is well lit by candles and oil lamps, but corners of the mansion are dim without light from the shuttered windows. The main and stairs that lead to a second floor overlooking this one are well maintained and clean, but two wings of the mansion appear to be completely blocked off.

Rorin unlocks a door near this entrance, made of thinner wood than the outer portals, and opens it wide for you to follow Darvag and Shandra through, then closing it behind you as the young man follows you into the room. You stand in what is clearly the living quarters of this family of three, a spacious room were it not for the two beds taking up most of the space.

"I apologize, we do not have much in the way of seating," Shandra says. Darvag continues, "Welcome again. Might we now have the pleasure of introductions?"

"Sylyra Wasanthi," Sylyra says almost loudly, indicating himself authoritatively. "Arnold, Sly, Uragum, Zelra and Ola," he says, indicating each a bit impatiently. "We've been sent here by both Liela under Master Igan's orders and by the Black Fist. Our primary task is to investigate the beacon. Secondarily, we are to investigate a Black Fist named Grim. What can you tell us about why the beacon is no longer functioning, and when and where you last saw Grim?"

Zelra opens her mouth to introduce herself but is beaten to the punch by Sylyra. Mouth still slightly open, she nods as he speaks. "Yeah, what he said. Also, Ola made a good point before. Where are all the guards? Heard there was supposed to be at least six assigned here."

Uragum cast his gaze about the room while listening to the others.  He then asked, "While we are at the 20 questions phase.  Lets hear about the spirits and the legend of the hidden treasure.  Sounds like everything is connected with everything."

Darvag dutifully answers the party's first round of questions.

"The Black Fist retinue is housed in the lighthouse on the island, where the beacon sits. We do not interact with them often; guardsmen on rotation here do not typically like the assignment to the lighthouse. I've always suspected that the most troublesome guards are sent here as some form of punishment."

"Guard Sergeant Grim has been the ranking guardsman at the Keep for the last month. We've only spoken a few times, but he seems a nice enough fellow, always treats us with respect anyway. The last time we saw him would have been, oh...a few days ago at most, talking with Igan Sokol, our supervisor. A bit of an odd friendship, that...they've spent much time together since Grim arrived. Igan is a nice young man, spends most of his time reading. He has become quite obsessed with the rumor of treasure here. I wouldn't be surprised if he tore this place down brick by brick to find it."

Darvag chuckles at the thought.

Sylyra rolls his eyes as Darvag speaks favorably of Grim. When he mentions Grim and Igan being friends, he crosses his arms over his chest.

Ola patiently listened waiting for any useful information to be mentioned. Not having such luck she narrowed the questions: "Do you know anything about beacon's shut down? When did it happen? What has being done to your knowledge to restore it? And most importantly - where is your "supervisor" as you call the master of the house - Igan Sokol?"

"Well...it has been out for a couple of days now," Shandra answers.

Darvag roots around on a shelf nearby and hands over a key to the party. "The beacon of the lighthouse is magical in nature. We do not know how to activate it, and we have not seen master Igan since it went out. That's not necessarily cause for alarm, however; he is frequently gone for days at a time. But, his room may be a good starting point to find out how. This is the key to his quarters. Please do be careful...if he returns to find his room has been turned over, I can't imagine he will be pleased," he says.

Arnald accepts the key, "Which way to Master Igan's quarters?"

Receiving the directions he heads that way. "Come on gang, let's get this over with."

Upon finding the correct door he first listens to see if anything is on the other side, and then checks for any traps around the door. If he finds none, he'll open the door.

Perception: 17
Investigation: 4