The Isle of Black Powder behind them, the Marlin heads back out to sea. With no real destination, they head south, back to the majority of the Cozinar islands. A few days out, a fierce storm besets the ship. Only the clever piloting of Captain Degee, and the quick response of her crew keep it afloat. The Marlin is grounded on a sand bar, near an island. While high tide should free the boat, the captain does need to take inventory, and have the crew perform some repairs. The island is shrouded in fog, but keen eyes can place a lonely tower set at it’s center.
Quite suddenly, Harold exclaims “I know this place!” He claims to have had a vision of the tower, “At the top is a map, which will set us on our path!” He produces a crude drawing that he made a few days back, and on it is indeed an island, a tower, and at it’s apex, a map. The party decides to explore further. They head to the island, and the tower.
Gaining entry to the tower is surprisingly easy. Though the door is locked, the key is… quite literally… under the door mat. The party enters the dark tower, and upon investigating a strange pool within, the set off some sort of … trap? They find a strange performance set before them. Several
elementals emerge from the four cardinal points of the tower… fire, earth, air, and water… and begin fighting each other. Fire corrupts water, water attacks earth. Once corrupted, the elementals turn their attention to group, and a vicious fight ensues! The party emerges victorious, with little hurt to show for it. After searching the room, they proceed upward to the next level.
Above they encounter another strange sight… a specter floating in the center of the room. While the more cultured among them wonder what sort of puzzle this place is, the Lizardman wastes no time and immediately attacks. He drives it from the bridge, and in short order destroys it. The room is covered with ceramic tiles depicting scenes of nature… some are broken, but they appear to be of little value. The group ignores them and moves onward, and upward.
Upon exiting the stairway to the next level… a large, open room, the doors slam, shutting the group inside. It’s a trap! Sharp eyed heroes notice that those same tiles cover the walls, just as sand and water rush into the room, creating a sticky, immobilizing mess. If something’s not done to stem the flow, the party will be quickly suffocated! If only they’d memorized the pattern a level below! The Lizardman ruses across the room and begins attacking the exit door, savagely, while the others figure out the puzzle. Between the three of them, Booth, Fraeilyn and Harold figure out the puzzle. The lizardman breaks through the door, just as the water stops rushing in. They head upward, to the roof of the tower.
On the roof they finally reach their goal… but it’s not a map. It’s a woman. She welcomes them, but is interrupted by a loud explosion. She turns her attention to a commotion on the water. A second ship has approached, and is attacking the Marlin as she’s anchored in the bay! The woman looks annoyed, and waves a hand. Time. Simply. Stops.
The woman… girl? Her outline is indistinct, and she speaks both childishly, and with wisdom. She takes her time imparting important words. The Primordial lords are looking to return to Faerun. To do so, they must battle other forces that control the land. Their plot involves using beasts or great power, like the Terrasque, to fight their battle on the face of Faerun.
The part has been pulled into the plot, and must play their part.
The woman, it seems, is an avatar of Selune, the goddess of the Moon. She offers assistance by way of healing the groups wounds, and bolstering them for the battle ahead. Then, she offers to put them in the thick of the battle, if they’d like. With a smile, she turns to go…