Date: 02/20/11

XP Awarded: 1,545 (Laurrens, Memnon, Nather, Taark, Tilan), 772 (Azaad)

Start: The jungle-cloaked ruins of ancient Shiliku, southern coast of Chult, wet season (early Eleasis), 1369 DR.

After the basilisk's defeat, Laurrens and Taark set about tending to the party's many wounds inflicted by the ferocious beast. Ulrimm has already returned to clear a section of wall of the cloaking vines and is sitting cross-legged while sketching the colourful depictions of jungle cats. While he takes notes, the party cautiously investigate the other passages leading from the collapsed chamber. Three, including the one the basilisk emerged from, are sealed by walls of rubble. One of the other two passages is very narrow and seems to open into a larger chamber about thirty feet in. The other is much wider, and although a pile of rubble partially obscures the entrance, the remainder of the tunnel is unobstructed and appears to be structurally sound. It pierces at least sixty feet into the dusty darkness inside the ziggurat's heart, though Taark can barely make out some type of larger chamber at the reaches of his darkvision.

Taark and Tilan carry out a thorough search of the basilisk's tunnel and find quite a lot of artifacts mixed into the pile of shattered masonry. While most items are damaged and/or worthless, the pair do find a small ziggurat of silver and an undamaged marble statuette of a reclining figure with the head of a jungle cat. The adventurers also take a closer look at the statues scattered across the collapsed chamber. Most are buried in mulch and other jungle debris up to their ankles or even their knees in some cases. While most are severely damaged or only partially complete, five remain in good shape. These include two well-weathered statues of a male with a machete and a female with a shortbow and quiver. They seem to be wearing some type of hide or leather armor and their features suggest they are of Chultan heritage. The other three statues are male and of more modern style - one is wearing a breastplate and is posed with a spear raised to throw. Another is wearing a suit of full chainmail and striking with a longsword. The fifth seems like it may be a half-elf wearing a chain shirt with a lute across his back.

After some debate, it's decided that the party should use Ulrimm's two doses of stone salve to restore two of the five statues to life, but not until the group is ready to leave the ruins. Ulrimm reluctantly agrees, and once he's finished with sketching he suggests the group head into the larger tunnel first. The party agrees, and Taark and Nather advance into the gloom ahead of the others, alert for traps or unstable stonework. While the mounds of rubble and the fissures in the floors, walls, and ceiling indicate instability, Taark's keen eye can see that these features aren't recent. At the end of a long hall lies a larger chamber. Peering over a pile of rubble the duo see a huge statue of a lumbering man outfitted in decayed skins and cracked skulls, his gaping and tusked mouth wide enough to swallow a halfling whole. On the other end of the chamber is a battered but once intricately carved well. The floor of the entire chamber and hall is covered in a layer of jungle detritus in which many skulls and shards of rusted and pitted metal are embedded. While Nather and Taark move over to investigate the enormous statue, the other adventurers escort Ulrimm into the chamber. When he sees the intricately carved figures on the well, he squeals in excitement and rushes over to investigate, carelessly leaping over a gaping fissure that's opened in the floor. Memnon accompanies him closely, and peers over the well's rim to investigate a faint rasping slither he can hear.

When the light from his shield illuminates the dark shaft, he sees an unwholesome creature with a body with the form & fluidity of an amoeba, its surface the colour of human flesh. Countless eyes and toothy maws constantly form and disappear all over the creature, retreating into the body even as they become apparent. As it slides into view, a horrible gibbering sound begins that assaults the adventurers' minds with a cacophonous force. Tilan's and Nather's minds buckle under the assault and they spin wild-eyed, hands clasped to their ears. Memnon strikes the creature as it oozes out of the well's mouth, his doru piercing its soft and flowing flesh. Taark recognizes the abomination from the deep tunnels surrounding his homeland and cries out "It's a Gibbering Mouther! Attack it with hammers and clubs!" as he runs over from where he was investigating the statue with Nather. Tilan stands in place and babbles incoherently, while Nather darts this way and that, and his erratic path leading him back to the entrance hall. The creature is now draped over the well's rim and it raises a pseudopod with one large mouth at the end, spitting a gout of sizzling liquid. The disgusting liquid splatters all over Laurrens' helm, burning his eyes and blinding him. Meanwhile, the bulk of the creature's body on the ground spreads out, and the think layer of mulch and debris begins to vibrate and shake as it turns into an almost liquid morass.

Ulrimm shrieks in terror and stumbles back from the well, dropping his leather journal into the mulch where it quickly begins to sink. Struggling to keep his small feet from being swallowed into the suddenly swampy ground, the gnome flees from the room to join Nather in the entrance hall. Nather turns to stare wild-eyed at the gnome with a fierce look on his face, and Ulrimm suddenly has second thoughts about his plan. Behind them, Taark presses the attack, his warhammer crushing sections of the creature's flowing flesh. Memnon glances between Ulrimm's rapidly disappearing journal and the obscene menace threatening him, and decides to deal with the immediate threat first. Plunging his doru into the mouther's mass, he finds that it's not immune to his blade. Laurrens wrenches his legs free from the morass into which they've sunk and moves across the shaking floor to the melee. Next to Memnon, Tilan tries to focus his senses and attack the source of the keening, but gets his directions mixed up and slices Memnon's arm open with his longsword. Nather grabs at Ulrimm while gibbering, and the gnome flees his reach toward daylight at the mouth of the entrance tunnel. The gibbering mouther vomits forth another stinking stream of spittle, this one hitting Tilan square in the face and blinding him as well. Several extruded tendrils covered in biting mouths snap at Taark and Memnon - the flame-haired warrior beats back the attacks with his doru in a defensive position, but Taark isn't quite so nimble and receives some bits. The jaws latch on to his warhammer-wielding arm and with surprising strength, the creatures jerks him forward into its enveloping body. In the entrance tunnel Nather recovers his senses and runs to catch up with Ulrimm, grabbing him by the collar and arresting his flight. The gnome tries to wriggle free, but relaxes once he sees that Nather is no longer crazed.

Held by several oozing tendrils covered in biting mouths, Taark hasn't got room to swing his warhammer. Drawing a dagger, he uses maneuvers learned as a young dwarf when trained on fighting underground abominations. Twisting around, he cuts deep into the creature even as additional mouths attach themselves to him. Next to the well, Laurrens and Tilan swing blindly with their swords, guided by Memnon's shouted directions. The wild swings miss Taark but also miss the mouther. Pulling back from the savage onslaught, the creature flows along the well's rim and prepares to slide down the darkened shaft with its victim. Another stream of spittle streaks past Memnon's head, splattering across the room's stone roof. The mouths attached to Taark greedily suck at his wounds, attempting to drain him of blood. He continues to twist in order to break the grips, and only one of the mouths is able to drink from him. Laurrens shakes the last of the stinking spittle from his eyes and his vision clears - he steps forward to follow the retreating mouther and brings Errant Fang down on an attacking tendril, severing it. Memnon circles the well to strike from the other direction, and as soon as Tilan recovers his vision he follows Laurrens. Although the creature's rubbery flesh is resistant to the party's blades, the multitude of cuts and punctures begin to take their toll. Surrounded by enemies, the mouther strikes this way and that, but it's a losing battle. As it dies, its grip on Taark weakens and the dwarf struggles to free himself. As Taark tears loose, he scrabbles for a handhold on the well's rim but fails, and goes plummeting down the well. He lands on a deep pile of bones, the jagged broken ends digging painfully into the gaps in his plate mail, and a half second later the heavy bulk of the mouther lands on him, pushing him further down into the bones. As Taark struggles to push his way out from under the creature's body, Nather shimmies down the rough wall of the acrid well and Memnon ties off a rope for the others to use.

The adventurers find many pieces of pitted and scarred metal mixed in with the bones and start a careful search. Above, Ulrimm and Memnon dig through the now-solidified layer of mulch to discover his leather journal wedged at the top of a buried crevice. Ulrimm wastes no time in pulling out a new quill and begins taking more sketchings of the figures carved into the well's rim. After some time, the adventurers in the well have found several valuable gemstones as well as a curiously undamaged dagger and a few other valuable items. Ulrimm is torn away from his work only by the promises of additional ruins to explore. The group leave the well behind and return to the collapsed chamber scattered with statues.

Taark peers down the remaining unexplored passage and can only see that it opens into some larger room. The party filter through the tunnel one by one and spill out onto a narrow but long landing overlooking a much larger chamber accessible by a short flight of downward steps. The entrance to the larger room is framed by dozens of skeletons carved into the fifty-foot wide arch, their bones intertwined with hundreds of carved snakes. Unnerving ripples of black smoke slither and dance among the carvings. Tilan recognizes the symbology from his studies and explains that this arch symbolizes the entrance to the land of the dead, marking the chambers beyond as an ancient crypt of some type. The floor of the room below once contained a breathtaking carving of an ancient city, but time has taken its toll on the map-like carving, reducing it to a tangled mess that ironically almost seems to reflect ruined Shiliku above. The walls are decorated with brightly coloured frescoes depicting a royal court in ceremonial garb and a king arrayed with his magnificent armies. Pathways wind through the ruins, affording a twisting route through the rubble. In the center of the room is a wide plaza, in the middle of which rests a low stone table.

Without waiting for the others, Tilan moves to the stone table to investigate. As he walks down the stairs, some type of magical effect washes over him and he's struck by a impulse of fear that he quickly suppresses. Laurrens, Ulrimm, and the others follow and experience the same mental assault, though none suffer anything more than a momentary chill and sense of foreboding. Nather has reservations about the wisdom of exploring the ruins so haphazardly and remains on the landing overlooking the room.

His suspicions are borne out a few moments later when there is a crackling sound from the fifty-foot archway and it fills with a blazing curtain of shimmering violet flame. The adventurers in the room are scorched by its heat, and it slowly begins sweeping across the width of the room toward the back wall. Taark is on the right side of the chamber where he was investigating a large crevice that's opened the brightly-coloured wall, and he finds that ducking into the wide fissure offers relief from the heat. Realizing that there's not sufficient space for the entire party to fit, he pushes his way down the winding and rapidly narrowing crevice after directing the other party members to join him. The others run across the uneven, rubble-strewn model city toward the crevice, hoping to reach it before the advancing wall of fire cuts off the only escape. In the rear are Memnon and Ulrimm, and they manage to dive into the fissure just before the violet flames reach them. Scorched but safe, the party watch as the crackling magical fires reach the far wall of the chamber and extinguish.

With the chamber now empty once again, Nather moves down the steps to investigate the central stone table that Tilan was looking at just before the trap was triggered, shrugging off the dark shadow of magical fear that falls over his mind. Taak inches his way down the curving and uneven passage, barely squeezing his wide plate-mail encased bulk through a narrow point. As the jagged rocks scrape against his finely polished armor, he gives a sigh when he thinks about the hours of buffing he'll have to do to repair the cosmetic damage. The others remain wedged into the fissure behind him, anxiously awaiting the results of Nather's investigation. His careful searching is interrupted by crackling from the archway as another sheet of flame appears. Dashing into the tall crack in the chamber's wall, Nather waits for the others to press further down the narrow tunel as the wall of fire passes him by harmlessly. With the adventurers now realizing that the chambers ahead likely hide an array of deadly traps, it's decided that Nather's keen senses offer the best chance of discovering any threats before they strike. The party members squeeze and shuffle about as Nather climbs over them to reach the front of the column where Taark stands guard.

Leading the others down the increasingly confined fissure, Nather reaches a room with walls covered in eroded glyphs and hieroglyphic images depicting what appear to be batlike creatures feasting on humanoids. The far wall curves round to a low arched doorway, beyond which stands a wall that appears to be made of iron. Behind Taark, Ulrimm excitedly asks to be let through to start his investigations. Memnon places his hand upon the gnome's head to keep him in place as Nather carries out a painstakingly careful search of the chamber for traps. Finding none, he moves on to the low archway to continue his examination and the others step into the comparatively roomy space. Ulrimm squeals as he glances over the glyphs and images, and tries to race through the archway before Taark grabs him by the collar. Nather finishes his investigations and tells the group that the seamless sheet of iron blocks any further advancement, and seems to be set into grooves in the surrounding stone wall. Ulrimm excitedly instructs the party to get him through the wall, as he is certain that the ruins continue beyond. Taark knocks on the metal seal and reveals that it's about two inches thick. Without the right tools, and without Azaad's magic to draw upon, the party is stymied. Ulrimm settles down to sketch the gruesome carvings in the room while the adventurers debate how to proceed.

Memnon reveals that he's been perfecting a martial meditation that might allow him to find and exploit minute weaknesses in the iron wall. Borrowing Taark's warhammer, he takes a deep breath as he focuses his energies, releasing them in a sudden strike that inflicts a deep indentation in the metal with a piercingly loud ringing. Encouraged by the results, he closes his eyes to refocus as the echoes die away. After several strikes the first tiny crack appears, and many minutes later he has punched a hole in the wall large enough to climb through.

Beyond, the party can see a spacious chamber bearing a striking resemblance to the previous one. The floor consists of a stone scale model of an ancient city, yet whereas the previous model was terribly damaged, this one seems relatively well preserved. The layout and style of the city is quite different, with four wide canals converging upon a large lake in the center, from which rises a great stone ziggurat. Mighty temples rise from the low angular buildings, while the stone walls depict lifelike images of leering bats, lizards, and snakes. Nather cautiously crawls through the hole in the sheet of iron while Memnon and Taark hold back the yammering Ulrimm.

Once Nather has investigated the area around the hole Memnon has created, he gives the OK for the others to enter the room while he looks at the blocky pyramid in the center of the room. Ulrimm claps his hands in delight and sits down cross-legged in front of the wall to take copious notes on the eerie depictions. Nather finds that central structure actually a disguised sarcophagus and opens his mouth to tell the party this, when a hellish shriek resonates through the chamber. A human-sized bat with a skull-like face and emaciated black, hairless body swoops into the room on ragged wings. A long tail sporting a wicked barb trails behind it, and its eyes glow a fiendish red as it looses a blast of hellfire from its mouth. The party is caught by surprise and burned by the cone of flames. Tilan draws his bow and begins firing arrows but quickly finds that his volleys don't seem to harm the creature. Nather and Laurrens begin firing their crossbows as well and find the same.

Taark summons Moradin's power to create a flying warhammer of spiritual energy which attacks and seems to successfully inflict damage, though not much. Memnon throws his javelin but the creature dives out of the way and responds with another blast of flame. Laurrens puts away his crossbow to cast a spell and proclaims Torm's disfavour upon the creature while Memnon climbs atop the central pyramid in order to reach their foe circling out of reach overhead. Leaping through the air to come within striking distance, Memnon isn't quite able to come with a spear's length and crashes to the floor. Though Taark's spiritual warhammer is dealing some damage, the party is largely frustrated in their ability to fight and begin an orderly retreat back through the hole in the iron wall.

As the group is withdrawing, a glowing ball of light appears above them, crackling with electrical sparks. Memnon recognizes it as a will-o'-wisp, a magical creature usually found in swamps and marshes. There is a boom as a bolt of electricity shoots from the will-o'-wisp to strike the batlike creature - though most of the energy washes over it's body, it does seem to be surprised and in pain from the attack. Heartened by the arrival of a possible ally, the adventurers pause in their retreat and Taark summons a ball of sonic energy which explodes in front of the monster, stunning it and causing it to drop from the air to the rough stone floor below. Rushing across the room, the party swiftly surround it and begin beating upon it - though it's largely resistant to their weapons, some of the group's more powerful attacks do inflict real damage upon it. From above, additional bolts of energy shoot down into the struggling monster from the will-o'-wisp.

Charging across the room from where he was guarding Ulrimm, Tilan gives a great Anachtyrian battle cry as he slams into the batlike fiend, his sword glowing with the holy energy of Anachtyr and smiting the creature from the face of Faerūn. In wisps of greasy black smoke smelling of sulphur and tar, the creature discorporates with a shriek, exploding into a ball of fire that singes the party. The will-o'-wisp quickly refocuses its attentions on battling the party and sends a bolt of eletricity shooting into Laurrens. Spinning to face the new threat, the party move to attack but find the rapidly moving ball of light almost impossible to hit. With the others distracting the flying creature, Memnon focuses his concentration to guide a deadly blow that splits the fragile creature in two in an amazing display of battlecraft. The room falls silent as the panting adventurers catch their breath.

Nather continues his investigation of the central pyramid and discovers that it appears to be filled with a type of deadly airborne toxin or disease. The rest of the party clears the room while he cautiously attempts to make it safe for opening. Once it appears to be so, he holds his breath as he gently eases the stone lid to one side, revealing a circular hollow within occupied by a mummified body bound in a fetal position by lengths of brittle leather cords. A heavy gold ceremonial necklace hung around its neck is the only thing of value, and nather carefully removes it. Carved to resemble a string of bat and lizard heads, the necklace isn't nearly as heavy as it looks like it should be, and the craftwork is very good. Meanwhile, Ulrimm has returned to his work sketching and taking notes on the well-preserved chamber.

The party moves on to investigate a side passage noted during the battle and find that it leads around a sharp corner to a much smaller chamber dominated by a huge circular disk of stone. The face is carved with dozens of concentric rings of hieroglyphs and shapes, and a filthy next of bones and rubble sits atop it. A nearby arched doorway is flanked by twin statues of men dressed in strange, ancient armor and wearing towering headdresses made of coiled snakes and bat wings. Beyond the archway is a circular room, its walls adorned with dozens of niches in which rest the dessicated bodies of long-dead men and women. Nather's careful investigations reveal the presence of a magical trigger - though he can see that it's already been activated, he can't determine what effect the trigger is linked to.

Once he pronounces it safe, the curious adventurers pass him to peer through a small archway opening onto a yawning shaft descending into gloom. The walls of the shaft are fitted with hundreds of niches, upon which lie the dusty bones of a bygone age. Resting upon the topmost niche, cradled in the arms of a skeleton is a glittering gold statuette of a bat. Nather's eyes light up when he sees this, but he suspects treasure so visibly displayed is likely to be a trap of some type. Memnon and Nather get out their climbing gear and explore the shaft while Taark and Tilan hold the ropes supporting them. The two explorers find that the shaft plummets 80 feet to the surface of a still, black water that absorbs light. The entire length of the shaft is covered in niches, but none of these contain any equipment, jewelry, or anything else of value. Returning to the top of the shaft, the duo inspect the ceiling for signs of traps before returning to the rest of the group. The adventurers position themselves to quickly flee in case a trap is triggered, and Nather climbs to the niche holding the golden statuette. Flexing his figures and preparing to leap to safety, Nather slowly and carefully moves to lay his hands on the gleaming idol. With a sudden move he grasps it to his breast and leaps for the hallway, rolling along the floor through the low archway and bouncing to his feet by the stone calendar disk. Pausing to listen, Nather hears no grinding of stone or crackling of arcane energies. He moves to rejoin the rest of the adventurers in the large chamber where Ulrimm continues his studies, and the party gather their gear and drag a protesting Ulrimm to the exit.

Outside the sun hangs heavy in the sky, though there's still a few hours before it begins to set. With Ulrimm's earlier cautions against remaining in the ruins after dark, the party move to the statues and prepare Ulrimm's jar of salve. Smearing the sticky paste over the human in breastplate with spear, at first there's no visible reaction. Then gradually a blush appears in the stone and it softens, regaining the colour and consistency of flesh. With a start, the figure looks around in surprise and slowly lowers his spear. In a thick accent he asks who the adventurers are and where his friends are. The party explains that he's been rescued from petrification, and the man introduces himself as Gaerxon. He is originally from Chessenta far to the northeast, a land famous for its martial warriors, and was part of a band of adventurers called Martigan's Marauders. He recognizes two of the other statues as his former companions, also petrified. While the others talk with Gaerxon, Memnon smears the last of Ulrimm's salve onto the statue of the chainmail-clad human, who also slowly reverts from stone. This one identifies himself as Belegard, a warrior from Lapaliiya on the shores of the Shining Sea near the Tashalar.

The two are very grateful for their rescue, if somewhat disoriented, but insist on carrying the statue of their still-petrified comrade Martigan back to the expedition's ships. Conscious of the quickly sinking sun, the group hurry to create a framework from saplings and jungle vines. Loading the extremely heavy statue onto the framework, the party struggle through thick vegetation back up the muddy slope to the main set of ruins. From there, it's much easier going back down to the coastal plain and the beach, where the party send a signal to the waiting ships to send another rowboat to carry the additional statue and people. As the sun sinks below the horizon, the party climb aboard the Sea Wyvern and the expedition weighs anchor to sail.

Two days pass as the ships make their way out of the wide bay and round one of the many nameless points along Chult's Wild Coast. As a line of sea stacks disappears behind the expedition's wake, Nather calls out to the colonists and adventurers on the decks far below. A flight of large creatures is rapidly approaching from port, and soon everyone can see that it's a group of eight sea wyverns, led by a particularly large and scarred male. Recognizing the danger, Captain Memnon orders the ballistae manned and the colonists below deck. The wyverns seem playful, cavorting in the skies above the ships and occasionally swooping down to skim their talons or wingtips across the ocean surface. A few even approach the party's ship, winging alongside and curiously looking over the wyvern-shaped figurehead. After twenty minutes of frolicking around the trio of ships, the group swing back to port and lazily fly toward the distant coast.

After another three days the ships reach the southern tip of the Isle of Axuxal at sunset. The spirit of the colonists is high, knowing that they'll soon be back ashore in the friendly port of Renkrue, and that evening there is music and dancing on the ship's deck. Distracted by an eerie glow in the distance to port, Memnon orders Nather to climb back up into the crow's nest to get a better look. Once there, he can dimly make out rollers crashing on a rocky shore, glowing with a soft greenish-yellow luminescence. He also notes a glow in the Sea Wyvern's wake, and in the wakes of the Nightshark and Blue Nixie as well. At first worried that some evil magic is at work, the adventurers are relieved to hear Tilan's explanation that it's bioluminesence and a completely natural though rare phenomenon.

Two days later the expedition reaches the native village of Renkrue and drop anchor in the calm turquoise seas a few hundred feet offshore. Under a cloudless blue sky the party row ashore with Captain Redann and Lavinia to make first contact. Greeted by smiling dark-skinned locals, the group negotiate in broken common and present a trunk full of gifts to Chief Ixawhani. The settlement is large though basic - most buildings are straw huts, though two wooden buildings stand at one end of the village's central square. Now serving as the chieftain's hut and the communal hall, they were originally built by a visiting priest of Anachtyr who died not long after. Assured that Chief Ixawhani will command his villagers to gather supplies for the ships, the group return to the waiting ships and begin taking turns rowing colonists ashore while the other ships do the same. A crowd gathers to welcome the colonists, and though contact is tentative at first, the visitors are soon made to feel welcome in the village. There is laughter as one of the village jokesters performs acrobatic tricks, and before long a few gourds of the local rum are being passed around.

After making inquiries about the surrounding area, Skald immediately sets out into the tall grasslands with his bow, saying only that he'll return before the ships sail in two day's time. Although Amella prefers to stay aboard the Nightshark, Barlicc happily takes the chance to go ashore where he gathers an armload of gourds full of rum and loudly announces his intention to find a sandy beach to enjoy. Tilan accompanies him, though the hot sun and scratchy white sand soon convince him to remove the heaviest portions of his armor. Lavinia and Memnon also head out in search of a private beach, passing Tilan and Barlicc lying in the shade of a palm. Nearby is a pristine white beach fronting the gorgeous turquoise sea, and it makes a perfectly romantic backdrop until the appearance of Ulrimm with his leather journal, who squeals with delight every time he moves on to a new tidal pool and discovers an interesting specimen of anemone, fish, or crustacean. The couple decide to move on up the hill to a scenic lookout under the shade of a wide tree.

Back in the village, Lirith has gotten into an impromptu drinking contest with one of the locals and is drunkenly attempting to show off her dueling skills. When Azaad comes into sight, she rushes over to him and challenges him to a mock duel which he somewhat unwisely agrees to. It soon ends with the two rolling around in the sand. The Jade Ravens are also ashore, with Zan showing a great deal of interest in the unusually long knives used by the tribesmen. Liamae is in the village, and almost seems to be following Avner around in order to catch his eye. When she sees Avner watching, she saunters over to Laurrens and leans up against him, coyly asking him if he'd like to go somewhere more private. Laurrens backs up and politely declines, to the amusement of Nather and Taark. That evening a large feast is served of roast boar, fried cassava and plantains, and a large array of other local foods. There is much rum, antics, primitive music, and dancing. During the party, a sober Kaskus Kiel approaches Taark and worriedly inquires as to how well he is handling the long periods spent aboard a flimsy wooden structure that barely floats atop depths of hundreds upon hundreds of feet of cold, dark, crushing water. Taark replies that it's actually not nearly as bad as he was afraid it might be, but it's clear that the dwarven druid is not handling it well. Although Captain Amella makes an appearance for the dinner, she soon leaves to return to her ship, dropping Laurrens off on the Sea Wyvern along the way.

The next morning begins quietly, with many of the locals and colonists clearly suffering from the previous night's entertainment. Around mid-day Lavinia shows up in search of Memnon with a worried look on her face. Once he's located, she explains that there's a problem he needs to deal with. After gathering the party members, Memnon and the others reach Chief Ixawhani's hut to find several upset, shouting villagers, a clearly unhappy chieftain, and Avner Merevanchi looking an unusual combination of perplexed, offended, sheepish, and haughty. In broken common, the story comes out that Avner has become somewhat obsessed with one of the village daughters, and his attempts to purchase her have greatly insulted the islanders to the point where they refuse to continue to trade with the expedition. Memnon gives a great sigh as Nather, Azaad, and Taark begin to try to sooth the upset natives. Laurrens and Tilan escort the noble back to the Sea Wyvern where they leave him in a foul mood. Eventually Nather smooths things over and the villagers reluctantly agree to continue loading supplies. Later that evening, Conrad and two other colonists approach Lavinia and Memnon accompanied by Captain Redann. They've decided that life in Renkrue is about as good as it gets, and wish to remain in the village instead of continuing to the colony at Farshore. Lavinia is sorry to lose them, but wishes them luck in their new lives.

The next morning the resupplying is completed. While the colonists are gathered and returned to the ships, Skald strides forth from the tall grasses looking none the worse for the wear and takes his place on one of the rowboats. The three assembled captains are surprised to see that four of the village youths are keen to join the expedition as sailors, and accept them gladly. Lavinia explains to the gathered captains that the next leg of the journey involves crossing the treacherous Great Current and safely avoiding the deadly Beacon Rocks. She stresses that it's extremely important that no members of the expedition come within visual range of the magical lights of the Beckoning Tower of Shoon, which will inexorably draw any such ships to a certain doom upon the jagged Beacon Rocks. Waving farewell to the assembled villagers, the last rowboat shoves off from the sandy white beach and returns to the waiting caravels. Soon three ships' sails are billowing in the stiff seabreeze and quickly accelerating on a southerly course.

That night a cloudly front rolls in, obscuring the constellations from Ulrimm's view. The gnome takes what observations he can and spends most of the next morning carrying out series of calculations based on his recordings, issuing course corrections to Memnon. As the three ships of the expedition begin to drift apart, there is a flurry of magical communications between Azaad and Liamae regarding who has calculated the correct course. It's decided to follow Captain Redann's calculations - which differ from Ulrimm's - and the expeditions' lookouts anxiously scan the horizon for any sign of rocks or flashes of light. Late that night, the cloud cover thins and parts, and Ulrimm takes another set of readings before carrying out additional calculations. He informs Memnon that the ships have veered too far to the east and are in danger of approaching viewing distance of the Beckoning Tower and certain death. Azaad quickly uses his magic to communicate course corrections to the other ships, and the expedition swings to starboard and safety.

After four more days of sailing, Ulrimm is relieved to report that the expedition has cleared the Great Current and is now making good time for the fabled Seahaven of Nimbral. Another eight days pass - mostly hot and sunny, but interrupted by a couple of brief rainstorms - as the ships pursue a southerly course. On the twelfth day after leaving Renkrue, Nather calls attention to a trio of specks on the starboard horizon. The dots swiftly resolve into large winged figures, and as they continue to approach Nather can see that they are in fact pegasii carrying mounted figures. Nather shouts down to the figures below that it's the Flying Hunt, and Memnon orders the ballistae to be stowed and re-covered. The trio of mounted knights descend to the height of the caravels' masts and execute several large, slow loops while inspecting the ships. Nather waves from the crow's nest while nervous colonists watch from the deck below, and before long the pegasii wheel and race off ahead of the expedition, soon disappearing over the ocean's horizon.

The ships see no more of the Flying Hunt and the next two days of sailing pass uneventfully. At sunset of the second day Nather can barely make out some dark smudge on the southern horizon, and the seabirds circling his lofty position indicate it's likely land. The colonists seem nervous about approaching such a fabled and legendary location as Nimbral, but at the same time hopeful about spending more time ashore away from the crowded and smelly ships. At dawn the next day, the dark smudge is now visible as richly forested peaks looming over aquamarine bays. By mid-morning the ships are approaching a pretty white village that spills down a steep, rocky slope to a small, sheltered port below. A collection of fishing boats dot the surface of the ocean as the trio of ships approach the tiny entrance to the harbour.