Date: 06/12/11

XP Awarded: 3,040

Start: The Tabaxi village of Mora, Isle of Dread, Uktar 1369 DR.

During the party's stay in the coastal village of Mora, Memnon and Gaerxon spend much time in the jungle sparring, wrestling, and otherwise honing their martial skills. Taark spends his time in the village attempting to be helpful - the Tabaxi seem to find his height and stature fascinating, but aren't quite certain what to make of the dwarf. Occasionally his keen inquisitorial sense detect a flash of lurking evil, but he's never able to focus on it long enough to follow it to its source. Tilan also spends a lot of his time in the village, and encounters the same kind of flashes. Azaad spends most of his time studying his spellbooks and writing copious notes, but does take time to speak with the village's shaman to gather important supplies for magical inks. Laurrens spends much of his time in the jungle alone, praying and meditating in the peaceful shade of a towering shadowtop tree. On one of his trips back into the village from a meditation session, he notices movement in the jungle to the left. Quietly moving forward to investigate, he's surprised to find a small clearing surrounded by stone menhirs and guarded by four zombie Tabaxi.

Upon returning to the party's shared hut, he quietly takes Taark and Azaad aside to discuss the matter with them. Azaad mentions that he's noticed several necromantic-type spell components when speaking with the village's shaman, and Taark mentions that while the shaman was his first suspicion, he hasn't been able to detect an aura of evil. Despite Azaad's pleas to leave the matter alone, Laurrens and Taark agree that they must confront the shaman. The party assembles and is granted a meeting with the village shaman, who is referred to by the warriors as 'Zombie Mistress,' eliciting a knowing glance between Taark and Laurrens. The clerics demand to know why undead are hanging around the village, and the Zombie Mistress replies that they are the village's revered elders, summoned from beyond the grave to help protect and serve the tribe even after death. When the party explains that raising undead is an evil act, the Zombie Mistress shrugs and replies "Maybe where you come from. Here it is an traditional part of our culture and an important part of our village's defenses - the Isle of Dread is a dangerous place, even with the Great Wall to protect us." Unable to change her mind, the party eventually relent and decide they must accept the local culture while they are staying as guests in the village.

After three full days of resting in Mora, the group is loaded into several large war canoes and paddled out into the ocean toward a smudge of land visible on the horizon. Memnon obviously relishes the return to open water, though the loss of the Sea Wyvern is freshly painful. Taark seems quite ill at ease in the long war canoes, recalling the comforting stability of the Sea Wyvern's deck beneath his booted feet. For the others, the cool sea breezes are a welcome respite from the jungle heat. Throughout the day, the jungle-covered island slowly grows larger and more clearly defined - the natives refer to it as Temute. By mid-afternoon, the flotilla of canoes are paddling around the island's coastal cliffs, covered in the nests of seabirds and topped by soaring tropical hardwoods. The first hint that something isn't quite right is when the natives point out several columns of smoke rising from behind a rocky headland, where the colony of Farshore is located. By the time the canoes round the headland, thick clouds of greasy black smoke rise to create a pall over the area.

What must normally be a peaceful scene of a robust wooden town flanked by turqoise sea and lush jungle has been transformed into one of terror. A ragged pinnace flying a large and worn pirate flag has pulled haphazardly alongside one of the long wooden piers - the name Hellfish can barely be made out on her prow. Screams fill the smokey air as cackling, howling men and bugbears dressed in filthy armor and waving rusty, ragged weapons press the attack against Farshore's unorganized defense. Up the hill several buildings have been lit on fire, and issuing from one nearby are frantic screams. Lying in the sand in front of another building is the body of a well dressed man with a bloody wound to the chest and a savage gash across his face. His body is surrounded by fragile glassware from a case he was carrying. His chest rises and falls feebly, though for how much longer you are uncertain.

Toward the center of the colony, a pair of hulking ogres use a heavy beam to batter down the doors of what appears to be a chapel. More filthy pirates are happily smashing windows of what appears to be a chapel while shouting and leering at someone inside - terrified screams from within punctuate each of the ram's blows. Nearby, a hulking bugbear with blotchy, yellow skin and a leering, toothy smile chases a red haired young woman around a neighbouring building, shouting lurid propositions. Deeper into the village, a group of young men armed with swords make a desperate stand against what appears to be the pirate leader, a powerfully built ogre whose huge, wickedly barbed scimitar flashes brightly with each deadly stroke. Finally, a group of colonists desperately try to extinguish a fire consuming a large building further up the hill, while others brave the flames to rescue its contents. More commotion can be heard from deeper in the village, but the thick, billowing smoke effectively masks what is transpiring there.

Memnon's heart leaps to see the Blue Nixie and the Nightshark tied up alongside a lengthy pier, though heavy fighting rages across the deck of Lavinia's flagship, and the rigging of Captain Amella's ship is frightfully ablaze. The natives want nothing to do with the fight, but Memnon convinces them to drop the party off in shallow water near the shore. Taark uses a prayer that empowers the adventurers to run the last few meters across the surface of the choppy water to shore, while Ulrimm, Tavey and Avner are delivered to the end of a nearby deserted pier. Once ashore, Memnon waits just long enough for Taark to put a protective spell upon him before racing toward the burning building from which frantic screaming is heard. Laurrens rushes over to the critically injured man and saves his life with a healing spell. Tilan races toward the commotion hidden behind the drifting clouds of smoke, closely followed by Lirith - the sound of a large animal's ferocious grunting is heard, along with savage squeals and roars that don't seem quite human.

Azaad casts a teleportation spell that instantly whisks himself along with Taark and Gaerxon to where the bugbear is chasing the red-headed woman, and the surprised raider is distracted long enough to allow the woman to disappear around the corner of a building. Taark and Gaerxon take up positions to flank their opponent and begin a coordinated assault. On the other side of town, Memnon finds the blazing wooden building's front door jammed by fiery roof beams. A high window is framed by licking flames, but with Taark's spell of fire resistance, Memnon is able to scramble through it unharmed. Inside are shelves full of packets of dried plants, ablaze and rapidly sucking up the last of the air in the small hut. Huddling at the back of the hut is a small woman, coughing and choking from the thick smoke. Memnon manages to choke out "I'm here to save you!" before adjusting the ram-headed ring on his right hand. He coughs out the command word that triggers a surge of magical force shaped like a leaping goat, and the ramlike force slams into the burning timbers blocking the door. Though they crack and twist, they still prevent the door from opening. Running out of time, Memnon picks up the nearly unconscious woman and throws her over his shoulder. He makes a running leap at the flame-shrouded window and clambers through - though the woman is singed in the process, she thanks Memnon profusely while recovering her breath before running away to find a better hiding place.

Further down the street, Tilan and Lirith encounter the source of the animal sounds - an enormous boar cloaked in spiked armor, with sharpened iron tips on its long tusks. Two massive boar-headed humanoids stand over a bloodied corpse, but their attention quickly switches to the new arrivals. With an Anachtyrian battle cry, Tilan charges into battle with the armored boar. Lirith moves to secure his flank as the two savage humanoids rush to attack - a fierce combat ensues.

Back closer to the harbour, Laurrens makes sure that the man he's saved is out of danger before moving quickly on toward the center of the colony where fighting rages on. Closer to the chapel, Azaad summons a cloud of glittering particles that get into the eyes of the ogres carrying the makeshift battering ram, blinding them. The pirates jeering into the chapel windows notice the source of the spell, and give a battlecry as they race toward the mage. Seeing them coming, Azaad turns and flees, dodging around the corner of a building to evade pursuit. Behind him, Taark and Gaerxon's tactics are effective in opening up the bugbear's defenses and he's soon struck down by a blow from Taark's warhammer.

A rattling sound draws Laurren's attention, and through the smokey haze he can make out what seems to be a column of armored skeletal warriors, some dwarven sized, marching toward the center of town. He whistles to get Taark's attention and points them out, but this act also draws the attention of the ogre leader who has just finished violently cutting down the last of the young men facing him. He spins and charges toward the priest of Torm, picking up several ogre and bugbear allies as he crosses the long central plaza, and the group almost surround Laurrens.

Unable to see Laurrens' current position (and dangerous situation), Taark uses a powerful prayer to call forth a shimmering curtain of violent flame that wraps around the formation of skeletal warriors, instantly burning them to ash. Azaad uses his magical boots to levitate into the air where he can see the group surrounding Laurrens and conjures a sulphurous cloud that disables a couple of the hulking ogres. Below him, Gaerxon single-handedly takes on four of the pirates that were chasing Azaad earlier.

Laurrens is steadily being driven back by the combined attacks of the group he's facing, and then the leader steps forward to engage him. His barbed scimitar tears through Laurrens defenses, inflicting deep wounds and critically injuring the priest. Even worse, the wounds that Laurrens has managed to inflict are healing at a supernaturally quick rate. Taark reaches the melee and casts a spell to summon a ghostly warhammer to help attack the leader, but when the weapon moves to strike, it's unable to affect the ogre. In desperation, Laurrens tries the same but his magic experiences the same failure.

On the other side of the colony, Memnon has raced deeper into the streets lined with wooden buildings to aid Tilan and Lirith in their battle against the armored boar and the unusual humanoids, which he recognizes as were-boars. Tilan smites the oversized boar with his longsword, but the holy power of his strike doesn't seem to affect the creature. Lirith's weapon doesn't seem to wound the were-boars, and Memnon realizes that silvered weapons are required. He draws the dagger with the silvered blade he's been carrying and finds it to be effective. Once wounded, the lycanthropes fly into a furious rage and double the intensity of their attacks.

Once Gaerxon finishes off the ragged pirates, he rushes to where Taark and Laurrens are fighting the leader. The ogre makes a powerful leap upwards and flies into the air where he remains hovering above the level of the surrounding buildings' rooftops. He roars out "Raiders! To me!" and then aims his palm downward. With a snarled word of magic, a blast of frost and rime emerges to cover the warriors, freezing their armor and sapping their strength. With the leader out of reach, Taark, Gaerxon and Laurrens are forced to turn their attention to the horde of bugbears, humans, and ogres pressing upon them.

Azaad readies a spell against the flying ogre, but before he can launch it, the ogre winks out of sight. The levitating mage hears the ogre's voice growl from suprisingly near "I'm coming for you!" Azaad instead casts a spell that reveals invisible creatures and a surge of adrenaline runs through his body when he sees the invisible ogre flying through the air directly at him, not seven meters away. He drops down to the ground directly below, luring the ogre down to his position, then uses another spell to teleport to the other side of the building. The ogre gives a roar of frustration, but quickly becomes preoccupied as Gaerxon charges at him spear first.

Memnon and Tilan finally drop the last of the were-boars after slaying the armored dire boar with Lirith's help, and race toward the top of the long central plaza. Along the way, they notice a group of armored warriors approaching the plaza from the other direction, led by a commanding man in highly polished mithral armor. As they near the burning building where a handful of colonists struggle to contain the blaze and bravely dash inside to save the contents, Memnon shouts out instructions to aid the colonists in putting out the fire. Their commander countermands the order, with an angry glance at Memnon, and orders his troops to continue into the main plaza where the blinded ogres are beginning to regain their vision. They shake their heads and rub their eyes, then notice the villagers nearby carrying water between the well in the center of the plaza and the burning building. They roar and lumber forward to attack, but Tilan charges to intercept, his gauntlets flashing with a brilliant white light as he cuts the first down with a smite. Right behind him, Memnon charges into combat and drives his doru through the massive humanoid's heart, slaying it.

A few buildings away, Gaerxon and the ogre leader are locked in a deadly combat. The creature's oversized, barbed scimitar inflicts heavy wounds upon Gaerxon, and though the brave warrior manages to return several good blows of his own, the pirate leader's unnaturally fast healing prevents him from being worn down at the same rate. Slowly and gradually, the ogre gains the upper hand and things look increasingly grim for Gaerxon. Behind him, Taark and Laurrens are finishing up with dispatching the last of the ogres and bugbears, some of whom have started to recover from Azaad's earlier spells that had disabled them. Noting Tilan's approach, Azaad uses his teleportation magic to transpose the paladin with the badly wounded Gaerxon. Drawing back for a mighty blow, Tilan smites the ogre leader and lays him low.

Though the sounds of battle echo from the background, it seems like the colonial militia have now got the situation under control. From a billowing bank of smoke strides a dirty and exhausted-looking Lavinia Vanderboren, followed by the four members of the Jade Ravens adventuring band. Upon spotting the singed and bloodied Memnon, Lavinia gives a cry of joy and runs into his arms, delivering a lengthy kiss. Taark and Azaad both catch a glimpse of anger and jealousy wash over Tolin Kentai's face as this happens, and share a knowing glance.

The commander in mithral armor strides forward and Lavinia introduces him to the party as Lord Mayor Manthalay Merevanchi. Avner Merevanchi, who has brought the others from the docks, rushes over to greet his uncle who seems surprised and perhaps a little frustrated or even angry. Lavinia suggests everyone retire to the Farshore chapel to discuss not only the party's arrival, but also the nature of the surprise attack. Joining the group are a few other colonists, and Lavinia starts out by introducing everyone. She calls the party her personal heroes and explains that they are in large part responsible for the supplies and her return to Farshore. As she's doing so, Captain Amella and a badly wounded First Mate Barlicc enter the chapel, clothing singed and covered in soot. Their ship Nightshark was heavily damaged in the attack, though the Blue Nixie managed to escape relatively unharmed.

Also present in the chapel are Professor Evrik Aldwattle (the unconscious man who Laurrens saved from certain death), a tired and worried-looking man named Vesserin Catherley (keeper of the Farshore chapel and priest of the Triad[Tyr, Torm, and Ilmater]), a bruised and angry woman with flame-red hair named Telda Syren (a herbalist, and the same woman that Gaerxon and Taark saved from the lustful bugbear), and a gruff man named Ulvar Kabbanja (captain of the Farshore militia). All are members of the Farshore Expeditionary Council that advise the Lord Mayor.

Lavinia and Lord Merevanchi immediately dive into damage reports - the councillors speak of damage to buildings, some losses to fire, and a few deaths, but in the end it seems like Farshore was lucky. Only ten colonists were killed - the raiders were disorganized and seemed more interested in spreading fear and looting than actually doing a lot of damage. Everyone agrees that the timely arrival of the party may well have been the key factor that prevented the raid from being much more damaging.

The party demur when asked to recount their travels since a storm parted the Sea Wyvern from the expedition's other ships. Lavinia suggests that perhaps a dinner later in the evening would be a better time for such an adventurous tale. There is a sudden commotion as three excited colonists rush into the chapel, waving a sheaf of papers. Found aboard the captured Hellfish, the documents reveal that this piratical assault was only a scouting party - the dreaded Crimson Fleet is coming to Farshore! The chapel bursts into panicked whispering and muttered pronouncements of doom, but Lord Merevanchi claps his hands to restore calm. The colonists also explain that they've managed to take a couple of human pirates prisoner, and Chaplain Catherley asks that they be turned over to Tilan. Taark and the others wish to accompany Tilan to interrogate the prisoners, but before they leave Lord Mayor Merevanchi invites the council members and the party to his manor for further conversation over dinner, and calls the meeting to an end.

The colonists lead the party to where they've got several unconscious and badly wounded pirates under guard. Only one is in any condition for interrogation - a pitiful scoundrel named Lefty. His features are bruised and sunken, one of his eyes is blackened, and he's missing his left hand. Although he's recalcitrant at first, soon Azaad has persuaded him to talk. Lefty says that the pirates came from Rat's End - a ragged settlement on a nearby isle, though no one remains there to be a problem now. Their captain, Slipknot Peet, brought every last body on the raid, which was supposed to be a scouting mission. Slipknot Peet had been in contact with the Crimson Fleet - Lefty's not certain how, only that magic was involved - they'd promised the Rat's End pirates a place in their fleet if they scouted out Farshore for the next few weeks. Apparently, a large force of Crimson Fleet ships is scheduled to arrive in the region on 'other business,' and at that time they would like to ransack Farshore using the intelligence gathered by the Rat's End pirates. Slipknot didn't reveal how many Crimson Fleet ships were on the way, but when he decided to attack Farshore on his own, he did mention they had two months to loot the place and escape to other waters with their booty before the Crimson Fleet arrived.

Tilan gives the colonists all his sets of manacles, which are used to chain the prisoners to each other through an iron ring, and the group discuss the information they've just learned. Returning to Lavinia's manor on the far side of the settlement, the adventurers find a large, well-built wooden building undamaged by the raid. It's spacious and has an empty feel to it, with most of the rooms closed off and unused. Lavinia has her sole servant prepare the rooms for the party while they clean up from the battle and their tendays-long trek through the jungles and swamps of the Isle of Dread.

After sunset, the party follow Lavinia to the Merevanchi Manor for the best meal they've had in months. The members of the Farshore Expeditionary Council are all present and listen attentively to Memnon and Azaad retell their adventures in dramatic fashion. Over a few bottles of wine, the adventurers get acquainted with the council members and Lord Mayor Merevanchi. Professor Aldwattle is extremely grateful to Laurrens for saving his life, and Telda Syren is likewise thankful to Gaerxon and Taark for helping her to avoid a terrible fate. Militia Captain Kabbanja is a taciturn man, but he perks up and his eyes become animated when listening to Memnon recount the party's battles against fearsome beasts in the Isle's jungles. Chaplain Catherley is clearly pleased to see fellow members of his faith (Tilan and Laurrens) on the isle, and talks much about his efforts to convert the 'local savages'. The party reveal the information they'd gathered from Lefty the Pirate, and conversation turns toward how Farshore should respond to this looming threat. Lavinia and the others draw up a list of suggested improvements to the colony that would not only increase its defense, but also benefit the colony's economy over time.

The dinner doesn't go too late, out of respect for those lost in the recent battle, and the adventurers return to the first real beds they've slept in since losing the Sea Wyvern. Over the next few days, the party rest and train, study Larissa Vanderboren's journal detailing her experiences on the Isle of Dread, and learn about the native Tabaxi people.