Chapter 33

The adventurers suddenly find themselves flying above the ocean, gliding upward towards the first layer of clouds. Looking down from the railings, they can see a large island beneath them and several others off in the distance and in various directions. The group begins to shiver from the wind gusts and cold air at this height. Grindlefoot hustles below deck and soon returns bundled up in his fancy new coat. “Not only does it keep me dry, but toasty warm, too!”

Cap’n Don turns to Gven, “Whit dae ye see aff in the distance doon ablow, barbarian?”

Because she follows the Path of the Totem Warrior, Gven has adopted the Eagle’s Aspect of the Beast that allows her to see 1 mile away as though it were only 100 feet. She grabs ahold of the railing with a tight grip and looks over.

“The one below looks to be the largest, at least of the islands I can see from here. On the west side, there are two tall mountains, one taller than the other with what looks to be an empty crater at the top. Flowing down one of its sides is a stream of black and dark gray rock that appears to have sharp edges and…yep, I think a porous makeup. They look like dormant volcanoes, at least based on what I’ve heard of them. The land surrounding the volcanoes and east of them is covered in thick vegetation and trees. On the east coast, there’s a small township or village with a handful of docks along its waterfront. There are some smaller boats tied up and a few larger vessels off in a bay that must have deeper waters. I can’t tell much about the other islands, they’re too far away for a clear look.”

Bilwin pulls out his ancient map and excitedly says, “this one must be Amonah! Oy, this old map needs to be updated. When will we get an opportunity like this again? Move us closer so I can see better! Wait a minute…Gven, tell me what you see, and give me details!”

Mond looks behind them, back at the sea they were recently sailing on, to discover the waters below churning in an unnatural manner. Beyond the turbulent area, the water is calm, idyllic even, as though it’s a magical protective barrier around the group of islands.

Dolor’s curiosity drives his question to the captain, “how in the world are we doing this?”

Cap’n Don points at the runes and etchings carved into the vessel along every visible surface. With a grin and quieter voice than usual, “She tinks that she’s aye in the watter.”

He goes on to explain, “Thir runes, wi’ a wee bit o’ help frae me, mind ye, mak’ the air feel jist like the sea watter ablow us. Frae her perspective, she’s still flootin’ alang, bein’ steered by the wind in her sails an’ her rudder in the watter.”

The group decides to do some reconnaisance from above. For the next few hours, they fly around the edges of the island, keeping to the lower parts of the cloud cover to remain concealed from below. They can see some people walking around the small port town, but the rest of the island seems uninhabited. As Gven originally noted, the large dormant volcano is on the west side of the island, abutting the shore with its volcanic cliffs. On the east side of the jagged volcano, the plants, trees, and vines have done their best to conquer the rocky terrain, covering it and hiding whatever might be living there.

Bilwin suddenly gets a serious look on his face, “I remember now. The dwarves call this group of islands The Broken Heart, for a dwarven explorer felt a certain sadness when they came across them.” The dwarf shivers a bit, “although I cannot understand why he chose to explore on the seas. Dwarves don’t belong on water.”

On the south side of the volcano, Gven catches sight of an old temple built directly on the rock face. It’s a good-sized stone building, with images of people and characters carved on its walls that they don’t recognize. Winding down the mountainside, a rocky path switches back and forth until it reaches the jungle vegetation. Gven notices that the path exits the jungle a short distance further and ends at a cliff looking out over the rough waters below.

The group notices what seems to be a small flock of birds rise from the trees at the base of the volcano and fly directly toward them. Looking closely, Gven can tell that they have human faces and naked female torsoes, with large wings on their backs. “Get ready, fellas. Looks like some harpies want to welcome us.”

Fight choreography

• Bilwin casts Guiding Bolt for 12 damage.
• Mond casts Magic Missle at the same harpy, and 3 of the four missles connect for 10 damage.
• Dolor fires his longbow, also at the same harpy, but misses wide (surprising a poor rabbit in the jungle brush below when it plunks into the ground next to the grazing bunny).

• Bilwin Blesses the party, adding 1d4 to attacks or saving throws for the next 60 seconds.
• Grindlefoot casts Gust of Wind at three harpies, pushing them away.
• Gven readies Tempest Edge, waiting for the bird-creatures to get within melee range.
• Mond casts Web at two of the harpies, one of whom is caught in Grindlefoot’s Gust of Wind, tangling them both in sticky threads of webbing.
• Harpy 1 is able to spin free from the webbing and flies toward Mond.
• Harpy 2 remains engtangled in the webs and begins to plummet towards the island below.
• Harpy 3 and 4 are able to move out of Mond’s Gust of Wind and move about freely.
• Harpy 5 opens her mouth with a blood-curdling shriek at Gven and Dolor. Gven becomes frightened and unable to move closer to it, while Dolor shakes off the effects.
• Dolor fires his longbow at the screaming harpy and connects for 15 damage.

• Bilwin casts Bardic Inspiration for Gven, granting one 1d6 for attacks or saving throws.
• Grindlefoot adjusts the direction of his Gust of Wind spell so that it blows Harpy 1 off course and away from Mond.
• Gvven invokes her barbarian rage and is able to break free from being frightened.
• Mond casts Mind Spike at Harpy 1 for 18 damage.
• Harpy 1 shrieks at everyone on the ship, but no one falls victim to the fear.
• Harpy 2 is ensconced in webbing and out of sight, plunging towards the island below.
• Harpy 3 attacks Dolor with one claw for 5 damage and misses with the other.
  • Dolor responds with Hellish Rebuke, causing 17 damage.
• Harpy 4 attacks Gven with their claws and misses both times.
• Harpy 5 gets caught up in the Gust of Wind spell and is pushed away from Mond.
• Dolor slashes Harpy 3, the one closest to him, with Gleaming Blade twice for 8 and 7 damage.

• Bilwin attacks Harpy 3 with Guiding Bolt for 14 damage.
  • Without even realizing he’s done it, Bilwin casts Spiritual Weapon, that attacks Harpy 4 with its spectral weapon, causing 4 damage.
• Grindlefoot maintains the Gust of Wind on Harpy 5 while casting Shillelagh at Harpy 4, causing 8 damage.
• Gven misses Harpy 4 with her first swing of Tempest Edge, but connects on the back swing for 13 damage.
• Mond casts Chaos Bolt at Harpy 4 for 7 in acid damage.
• Harpy 1 attacks Mond with their claws and connects with the second attempt, causing 7 damage.
• Harpy 2 is still falling through the sky below the flying ship.
• Harpy 3 attacks Dolor with its claws, one scratching at his chest and causing 4 damage.
• Harpy 4 attacks Gven with both its claws, inflicting 4 damage.
• Harpy 5 shrieks at Gven, Mond, and Dolor, but only Dolor becomes frightened and unable to advance on it.
• Dolor sneaks up behind Harpy 3, using the glistening sharp edge of Gleaming Blade, he deftly takes off the beast’s head.
  • Moving close to Gven, he attacks Harpy 4 with his dagger and causes 10 damage.

• Bilwin swings his hurdy-gurdy at Harpy 4, connecting for 7 damage.
  • His spiritual weapon also attacks Harpy 4, causing 6 damage with its spectral weapon.
• Grindlefoot casts Shillelagh at Harpy 4, who is barely holding on to life as its wings beat slowly trying to maintain itself in the air. Hitting it solidly in the right shin, the spell causes 10 damage and the winged creature slowly falls dead to the deck.
• Gven drives her longsword directly into Harpy 5’s torso, skewering—and killing—it with a softly spoken, “boink.”
• Mond softly says “reflect on yourself” and casts Mind Spike at the sole remaining foe, Harpy 1, for 22 damage.
• Harpy 1 notices that its companions are all dead or gone and decides to flee, quickly turning around and flying off, away from the flying Iron Vulture.
• Dolor fires an arrow from his longbow at the fleeing creature, barely hitting it and causing 7 damage.

• Bilwin, in a fit of rage yells, “Hanseath, that one deserves to die!” and casts another Guiding Bolt at Harpy 1, now more than a hundred feet away. It suddenly bursts into a large ball of flame and feathers.

Catching their breath, the adventurers look at each other to verify everyone has all their bits and pieces and no holes, at least big ones that are bleeding. Surveying the air around them, Gven notices a single harpy several hundred feet away, flying lower than the ship and in a halting manner back towards the spot they originated from in the forest below. There are a few long strings of white fabric dangling from its arms and torso, perhaps what remains of a web that entrapped it.

The adventurers advance to level 7.