“Their suffering is ended, they have no more need,” Killian says, turning her horse and walking it away, back towards where the party came from. 

Tanakir shakes his head, "We have no time, Aradurk. We must retrive the staff, inform the elder, and save Denorian. After the world is safe, we can return and give proper honors to the dead."

He moves to pick up the Staff, moving it out of his line of sight before casting Detect Magic.

Happy to be out of the mud, Gruun will spend a few minutes cleaning his legs/boots. He'll shrug to Aradurk, "They're gone, I don't think they care much what happens. Here the old one can visit them and be among friends again."

Aradurk sighs, "Your logic holds - I will raise a toast in their honor when next we drink so their deeds are never lost. Lovely Rycider - please put them to song when next you sing". 

The presence of magic registers to Tanakir. The piece of crystal on the ground radiates a very strong aura, but no specific school of magic. The gears and screws collected by Hox do not appear to be magical.

Tanakir grabs his blanket from his horse's packsaddles, picking up the piece of crystal (with the blanket) and wrapping it up before tucking back into the packsaddle. "Wes should be able to make some sense of this. Let's get a move on."

If no one objects, he'll hop on his horse and start riding back towards the old lizard taur's cave.

"Lead on"

OOC: Added gears and screws to Hox's inventory, and crystal and staff to Tanakir's inventory.

The land is still wet, but with the water thinned, Killian and Tanakir have no trouble leading the party back to the center of the island. Along the way you find more of the statued centaur lizardfolk, in ones and pairs unlike the group you saw near the swamp ooze.

The raised ground near the crumbling stone tower is fully dry by the time you arrive. The smell of wet earth still lingers as you step into the tunnel that descends into the ancient centaur's cave. When you reach the opening you see him, still and unmoving, laying in the center of the room. This time, he does not stir and greet you.

Hox bites upon one of the gear, as to mimic a merchant to check the authenticity of materials. He looks to the Scale-kin, "Think found mate but female is stone now...Sorry Scale beast."

Aradurk tears up, “she and the rest fought hard and well - alas it was not their time. Rest old one”

The ancient centaur does not rise or respond to Hox, though the kobold deems the gears to be of a fine metallic quality.

Killian just turns on her heel and walks out of the cave. 

Gruun carefully watches the figure for any movements. Spotting none, he will give a brief nod and walk out as well.

The party leaves the elder to his final rest, his vigil complete.

It has grown very late when you reach the stone steps that lead down to the beach where Maverick awaits. The exertion of the day's travel through thick swamp is catching up, slowing your minds and limbs. Wes is awake aboard the ship when you arrive, studiously poring over books while the crystal staff rests at his feet.

OOC: Ready to advance once the next action is posted.

Aradurk will help care for the horses once back aboard the Maverick.

Killian will wonder aloud as she prepares to row again, “Do we just keep rowing forward?”

Hox rides back on board atop Beast. Despite that Hox hasn't really ridden the pony, he pats the tiny horse, "Beast did good, Hox not need walk." 

"I'm glad you asked, Killian," Wes says, pulling a familiar parchment from his bag. He gathers the rest of the party around once Aradurk and Hox take care of the mounts. "While you were taking care of...actually you haven't said what it is you were doing on the island. Well before I ask, I've been studying that map that we found. At first I thought it was useless, see the location of the islands don't make any sense. I'm pretty sure based on the shape of the coast here that we're on this island here...but if that were true, we'd have rowed right through this island before it," he explains. Petunia emerges from his pack, dragging a book by its cover with her teeth. "Thank you, Petunia," Wes continues.

"But then I recalled something from one of the books I brought out of Mordenkainen's Timeless Void. The strange shimmers we've been seeing, the music...Mordenkainen has been here! He wrote about it, sparingly, in this book. He calls these things the "Islands of Insanity". This area shares properties similar to an extradimensional space - that is why he came here in the first place, to research for the spells he was so famous for creating, after all - but it is not! It is extradimensional time. Just as his Timeless Void was a pocket of space located in a different dimension, we are here - this place, all of it - in a pocket of time located in a different dimension! Why, we could have sailed past that first island because we were there in its space in a time when it wasn't!" The gnome wizard rambles, seeming ecstatic in his revelations.

Wes: "...Islands of Insanity..."

Killian registers a small sigh. "So, we cannot predict where... or when, this map will be accurate. So, then, indeed, we do just keep rowing forward?"