Chapter 34

After their encounter with the harpies, the group is ready to put down in the sea somewhere around the island. Based on their reconnaissance, Cap’n Don provides some options.

“We cuid pit in at an empty grotto west o’ the island, but the only way onto land is by climbin’ the steep cliffs that surround it. I cuid drap ye aff at a wee lagoon that’s surrounded by jungle, but it’s too shallow tae harbor the Iron Vulture and I’d need tae sail aroond while ye’re aff adventurin’. We’d need a signal o’ some sort so I ken when tae get ye. Or there’s a wee cove that looks tae be used by ootlaws, but ye’d hae tae pretend tae be, well, pirates. Whit dae ye say, lads?”

The group decides on the pirate’s cove, where they can hide in plain sight as pirates and potentially get some information before venturing to the temple. Still flying in the air, the captain takes them miles out to sea, in between Amonah and the other islands, where they can land in the water without being seen. It’s rough going—Mond and Bilwin end up unexpectedly swimming for some reason—but the ship lands safely in the end. After battling the harpies, flying around doing recon, and the rough sea landing, they decide to rest for the night before making their way to Amonah.

Bilwin spends the evening in prayer to Hanseath, singing and playing his hurdy-gurdy. To the surprise of the group, he sounds wonderful and some of them are entranced by the apparently ancient dwarven hymns. Although Gven understands the Dwarven words Bilwin is singing, she’s unable to translate them for the others.

“Through my ears, his words reach my heart, but my mouth is unable to convey the reverence embodied within them. They are his alone to share.”

Long rest….

After a quick breakfast, the Iron Vulture and its crew are soon sailing towards the small cove on the west side of Amonah. Approaching the island from the north, the inlet is so sheltered by the rocky shore and overgrown vegetation, that they don’t see it until Cap’n Don is steering the ship into the hidden bay. A single ship sits in the water, 30 yards away from a dock that appears stable enough, if crudely constructed. There are three or four buildings around the lagoon, made of rough timbers and topped with thatched roofs. The other ship, slightly bigger than the Iron Vulture, has its name written across its bow, the Emerald Eye.

The captain exclaims, “Time tae be pirates!”

With Don Karnahge standing in the bow, the adventurers take their places in the dinghy and row towards the dock. Soon, two male humans and a female half-elf appear on the doc, calmly challenging their right to be there. With a few blustery words, Cap’n Don convinces the Emerald Eye crew that he and his mates are also law breaking pirates, worthy of entering the cove.

The Emerald Eye’s captain, Al-Saryak, greets them with indifference and points towards one of the buildings. “There’s Boscoe’s Bilge, where you’ll find the man himself. His food is tolerable, but his brew is downright satisfactory.”

Entering the small building, a human man with a scraggly beard and patch over one eye calls out to the group, “Welcome to the Bilge, I’m Boscoe. What can I do ya fer?”

The group orders coffee, while Bilwin is intrigued with the prospect of tasting another brewer’s concoction. Taking a sip from the mug provided by Boscoe, “My fine fellow, this is deeeelicious! Do tell me how you created this wonderful flavor with which even Hanseath would be enamored.” The one-eyed man takes Bilwin by the shoulder and leads him into the back room, where they have a lengthy discussion about the finer points of fermentation in a jungle atmosphere.

The group is sitting at one of the larger tables in the Bilge, when Boscoe and Bilwin finally return from the back room. He proceeds to tell them about the island, its inhabitants, and how he came to live here—he shipwrecked close to this cove and decided to retire from pirating to set up a small brewery.

The island is old and the people in the port town on the east side are true believers, fanatic cultists in Boscoe’s opinion. The rest of the island is wild and dangerous, full of animals you’ve never seen that will kill you and plants you’ve never seen, that will also kill you. There are a couple of shrines and temples that the cultists make pilgrimages to, but they’re mostly on well-trodden paths. Stick to the less frequented areas to avoid the religious zealots.

It’s early afternoon by the time they’ve finished their conversation and collected some supplies from Boscoe—at a fair price, mind you. The group decides to head out into the jungle while they still have some daylight. Cap’n Don rents himself one of the huts to patiently wait while his crew is out adventuring for gold and trinkets. Off to the side, he quietly gives Grindlefoot a few flares and instructs him to shoot them into the air if they get into trouble and need to be picked up.

Boscoe sends them off with a final word, “It’s a beautiful island…that kinda wants to kill ya. Good luck!”