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• Gunthar – Tiefling Wizard
• Bergeoff Raethran – Elf Rogue
• Aram Raethran – Elf Warrior
• Kavax WildHammer – Dwarf Barbarian – Not Present
  • Marick Tallyfoot – Halfling Cleric (NPC)

• As the battle with the goblins at the base of the mountain begins, the party notices that Kavax isn’t with them – at some point between the beach and reaching the mountain base, it would seem that Kavax became separated from them!
• The party makes quick work of the two goblins at the base of the mountain; the larger problem seems to be the two goblins, 90′ up at the mouth of the cave, firing arrows down at the party, damaging them.

• The party eventually manages to defeat the two goblins; and Gunthar tries to scale the mountain but fails miserably – repeatedly. Bergeoff tries a few times and falls as well. Finally they realize that Aram is the best suited for this, and hand him a 50′ rope, so that when he gets to the top he can tie his rope and their rope together and have a line long enough to reach the base of the mountain.
• This helps the rest of the party scale to the mountain cave. Inside the cave, Gunthar casts Light on a stone and has Aram throw it down the cave – and it’s clear that, despite the lack of light due to the storm, the cave’s much deeper than anticipated.
• Aram takes first watch, meditating as an elf, he does not require eight hours of sleep.
• Then Bergeoff takes the second watch, as he too is an elf.
• When all are rested, Gunthar shares that he hears a “roaring” sound further down the cave
• The party decides to investigate, using the Light spell to give them light in the dark, dank cave; they do find a “goblin horde” but it’s mostly trinkets and bobbles, nothing of any real value; but there is evidence that these goblins were either aboard the ship (or perhaps had looted some of the corpses along the shore and brought it here)
• Gunthar also takes time to successfully identify the ring as a Ring of Protection +1, which Aram tells Gunthar to keep.
• Seeing that the cave slants downward, they all decide to jump and allow Gunthar to cast Feather Fall so the party gently glides down into the cave’s depths – into a vast growth of large mushrooms next to the source of the roaring sound – a massive river. It’s clear the river’s size and intensity is due to the storm that has ravaged the island; there’s undoubtedly a waterfall somewhere that leads to this river’s creation.

• However, the more pressing concern is that upon landing on the mushrooms – they begin to emit a loud shrieking/alarm sound – and they’re clearing something known as Shriekers.
• Aram begins hacking away at the Shriekers to silence them; however, the sound of the Shriekers does more than just irritate the party – it draws the attention to one of the denizens within the cave; creatures known as Stirges.

• The swarm of Stirges descend on the party, and quickly several of them latch themselves onto Bergeoff and syphoning his blood their their nozzle. One of them lands a critical strike, piercing deep into his neck and drawing copious amounts of blood – so much so, he lapses into unconsciousness. He does a Critical Success – Natural 20 on the Death Save – and is back to 1 hit point – however, another Stirge, seeing him still alive, strikes and hits him, rendering him unconscious again He makes one successful Death save before Marick gets to him and casts Spare the Dying.
• Gunthar moves to Bergeoff and grabs the potion on the unconscious elf and shoves it down his throat.
• After some time, the party is finally able to deal with the Stirges. Gunthar casts Light on a stone and across the 30 foot river, something glistens. The party peers and sees it’s a skeletal remain of a human, perhaps a victim of the stirges – the glistening thing is the sword in his hand. The party, from the other side of the river, can tell that the body – based on the decay – has been deceased for sometime – however, the sword, if it was as old as this body and exposed to the moisture from the river, showed no signs of rust – which meant, it was probably a magical blade.

• Bergeoff used some druidcraft to cut off one of the Shrieker caps (triggering them again) and made a small, one man boat by carving it out. Aram was able to use it to successfully cross the river. However, as soon as Aram drew the sword, the skeleton animated – it was undead!
• Aram, shocked to see an undead, loses his grip on the sword he’d just drawn (Critical Fail)
• The skeleton, however, perhaps, due to being immobile for so long, also critically fails its attack
• With the help of Bergeoff and Gunthar, they’re able to buy Aram enough time to draw his own weapon and cleave the skeleton’s spine and shatter it.
• Aram got in the mushroom boat and returned to the other side, where Gunthar was able to confirm it was a magical blade (Longsword +1) which Aram keeps, sheathing his own sword on his back. Seeing they’ve reached the dead end of the cave, they try to determine what to do next – and figure that villages are always built near rivers that provide water. They figure they can make more mushroom boats and sail down the river, after discovering the stone path on the side of the river only goes about 200 feet, before it vanishes and just becomes sheer cave.
• As they go in their mushroom boats, Gunthar almost immediately capsizes his, but Aram is able to grab him, and though it weighs down his mushroom boat, he’s able to maintain balance and pull Gunthar into his.
• Bergeoff’s mushroom, not being weighed down rushes ahead and he’s able to easily avoid the jagged rocks further down; however, being weighed down, when Aram and Gunthar reach the rocks, the mushroom boat is shredding and they’re sent into the river and stone, getting cut and bruised, but maintain the ability to swim. After six hundred feet of going down the river, they finally come out the other side of the mountain where they hear, what is clearly a waterfall somewhere up ahead and quickly make for shore.
• While resting on the shore, discussing what to do – a voice can be heard saying, “Oh, Stranded you are, yes? Like me? Stranded? Stranded are you?”
• Without even checking to see who or what they’re talking to, Aram explains that they are indeed stranded; the mysterious voice then says, “Oh, then perhaps you help me? You help me and I help you, yes?”

• Finally Arem decided to look around, and there perched on a branch in the jungle is an unusual sight.
• After speaking with the creature for some time, it explains that it’s name is Burlap and that it was aboard the same ship the party was when the Kraken Priests summoned the Kraken. It explains it was below deck in an effort to steal a very powerful artifact for his Arcane Master when the Kraken snapped the ship, trapping him below decks where his wing was badly injured. He barely made it off the ship and to this island, watching in horror as the ship sank beneath the darkened sea, beneath the starless night; he knew he had no way to get his artifact now for his master, and that if the Kraken Priests have it, there is a great war that will rise soon; rise like the tides!
• Burlap explains that his main concern is getting off the damn island now; and that if the party helps him, he promises to help the party get off the island.

• When they ask how they can help Burlap, he explains that when he first arrived to the island he went to a lake most foul (his kind cares not for tainted waters, they process it all the same) – and when he got there – the lake, whose waters were so still it was like gazing into a reflective mirror – he saw himself dying – then a woman, most foul – fouler than any he’d ever known (and he’s seen some foul things in this world and the other planes!) – reached out and snatched his gem necklace which he needs to be able to escape the island and use his powerful magic his Arcane Master bestowed upon him.
• As Gunthar listens to Burlap, he’s able to surmise, it sounds like it’s a sea hag who has taken Burlap’s gem.
• If the party could return to the lake and help fight the foul woman, and recover his gem necklace, he could do a spell to help the party escape from the island.
• The party agrees – and upon arriving at the lake – all of the plants around the lake are dead, an eerie silence – lacking any animal sounds at all – emanates around the lake. Arem looks to the others and approaches the lake.

• In the reflection – he sees himself dying of old age, rapidly, his skin falling from his bones, when suddenly a woman’s voice screams, “The pretty face is mine!” as her hand lunges from the water – the sea hag makes herself known!

To Be Continued?