From the Archipelago's Watchtower

The walk through this forest was not Renalt’s favorite time. Not due to any discomfort of walking several miles through the dirt, but rather because nothing happened for quite some time, but they were also trying to be quiet to avoid any potential dangerous, unwanted attention. Which means he hadn’t been able to practice or write but also hadn’t been gathering any new material. But now, they come upon a tower, in a clearing.

Ren looks to the treetops around him, but no one is rapidly descending. So Den is either making his own way, or staying in the treetops. Felazo leads them up to the front door. Kalzia sits atop the frame, perched precariously on the thin wooden edge offset out from the building. Felazo and Kalzia seem suspicious of the door, checking for traps and the like. Renalt sighs. “‘Twould be unwise of our predecessive friends to have trapped their own tower. And this be in the middle of the woods with nearest bay being their own. As we found no traps there, I highly doubt there be any here.”

But they check anyway before turning to us. The door is locked, which is much more logical. Just because one does not need worry about enemies coming in, doesn’t mean they want to leave the door open for anyone to enter. Wordlessly, I get to work. Denlo can do this better, but Ren had done such things in the past. And this lock seems less to keep competent people out and more to keep the creatures of the forest that might be capable of opening doors from getting inside.

The door creaks open and they enter, revealing a staircase up to the observation room. There are also two rooms branching off from here besides the staircase. One leads to a stripped down cot, likely a bedroom for those who felt incapable of returning to the camp after their watch, and another some kind of empty storage room. Only the shelves and frames remain, from a cursory glance. And that is not why they came here. Carefully, they head up the stairs. As they walk up, every bit of this watchtower seems to creak. There’s a thud, like something important fell onto a wooden floor above them, which leads Felazo to walk up the stairs faster. Ren does not, however, as it’s far more likely that Den merely was bad at judging distances and hit his face on the watchtower’s walls.

As they reach the top of the stairs, once more the pair of wizard and creation are searching the details for traps. Clearly they are not used to searching normal people’s recent structures. “It be even less likely there be traps here than downstairs,” Ren says, shaking his head, “Indeed I doubt the door even sits locked.” He walks past the bored Sari and the concerned Hilan, opening the door. “Voila,” the bard says, “‘tis not trapped, as I predicted. For why would one trap such a door?”

In front of the four adventurers, a chair within swivels to face them. Felazo and Sister Hilan jump in shock, but it’s only Den. the massive figure hunched over in a chair replies, “Boredom.”

Ren smiles at Den. “Ah, but to abandon in flight, ‘tis never a boring act. Such acts hold much excitement,” the musician replies, but as he speaks Sari pushes past the others and moves Ren slightly to the side to be in the center of the room. Ren finishes his statement, “Even when inspired not by fear of threat but by hope of restfulness.”

Sari continues ignoring him, looking at the Elfi’ika. “Any threats from the birds?” she asks. Ren assumes it is some sort of innuendo.

“They never approached this place. In fact, they seemed to avoid travelling between any of the islands,” Denlo answers. It still could be innuendo, but the more they talk, the less interesting the innuendo seems.

Sari is surprised, which means something. Ren doesn’t know what, but something. She says, mostly to herself, “Interesting.” Then starting to pace mutters, “I wonder if there’s some deeper significance, some great difference between the islands. She turns to face Felazo. “Captain? Know anything?”

Ren, too, faces their captain, who has finally collected himself and is entering the watchroom. “Yes, there are. According to the journal, one of the islands has some okraten, which may well be the island with the rising ruins. And there is some evidence of different predators on each island, though that might just be happenstance.” The ship captain begins to look around the room.

The pious woman follows as well, closing the door politely behind her. “I was a bit surprised nothing attacked us as we traversed the forest,” she says.

Ren assumes it still hasn’t recovered from overhunting. Sari speaks to her old travelling companion, “Why?” she asks with genuine curiosity, “Any animal large enough to be a threat is also large enough to be a meal. A pirate fleet based here means a lot of hunting for fresh meat, so anything big enough to provide a solid meal for a crew is going to be hunted to non-existence on such an isolated the island without too much extra effort within a decade, and that’s assuming minimal time spent docked as a full fleet.” Ren smiles at the huntress confirming his theory.

Felazo spots the table with books piled atop it. “And more to the point, that’s fully unimportant,” the Sea Elf says as he makes his way to that side of the room, “Now let’s find these charts and map out these islands, while it’s still light out and we can see things clearly through that spyglass.

The noble huntress approaches the impoverished murderer and they begin to whisper with one another. Likely nothing important nor interesting enough to eavesdrop on, Ren decides, as he would bet it is either some form of competitive flirting or some questions about the environ that Den witnessed from the treetops. Instead, Ren and Sister Hilan follow Felazo towards the books and spyglasses. “Alright, Captain,” Sister Hilan asks, “How can we help?”

Felazo looks at them and says, “First things first, we need to figure out which of the islands the rising structure is on. Would you mind taking those spyglasses and scanning the archipelago for a weird, out of place structure. Probably would look similar to the box in the swamp, though I don’t know how similar.”

Taking up one of the spyglasses, Ren looks at Hilan. “Shalt I start with this window and move around clockwise,” he says, gesturing towards the nearby window. “Whilst thou start over yonder and come counterclockwise?" the musician adds, gesturing over to the windows near our more violent pair of compatriots.

The monastic sister nods, taking up another of the four spyglasses and begins to walk towards the far windows. The bard, for his part, begins immediately. First, he goes to the window and scans for the nearest island, and then, once on it, looks through the spyglass, running over the visual surface of the island. That done, he moves on to the next closest, and so on around the windows.

It’s the fourth isle he looks across that he spots something odd. A dome with a statue at its zenith, poking out from the ground. It seems to delve deeper into the dirt. Prowling around the surface are some sort of large, bearlike creatures. Perhaps bears, or a sort of big cat. Something large and primarily quadrupedal, though capable of standing when confronting one another. As Ren looks back to the room, Alessari and Felazo are speaking with one another, and Denlo is looking through the random things left behind for valuables. “Cultured captain,” Renalt begins to orate, “Could Kalzia confirm a curious construction I clocked considerably concealed by clay coastline?”

Den groans, but Kalzia, picking up one of the remaining spyglasses, rushes across the room and hops onto the bard’s shoulders. After looking out in the same direction Ren had but moments ago, the strange, flesh-like monkey-esque creature chitters at their captain something affirmative sounding. “Crap,” Felazo mutters. Then, looking to Sari, adds, “Are you up to fighting at least one okrativ-bear today, or should we rest here and head out tomorrow?”

The noble huntress shrugs. “No difference.” Her words are curt, almost Denlo-like.

Felazo flips through the books, as well as the ones he brought from the ship, to a select few in particular, before he begins to speak. “That island was considered off limits to the armada, as when a hunting trip took a boat there, they all died and the boat was destroyed. So when we head over, we need to find a secure, safe place for the row boat first and foremost.” He looks at Den and Hilan as he says that, as dealing with the row boat is their job, as the strongest pair. Besides, Den has a real knack for hiding things from people. “Also, beyond the okraten-bears that roam, we ought to expect some similar oddities of magic as the other site. And the rowing will be important on the ways there and back because there is one surface-current that would take us to a flow that, depending on the time of day, leads into the monster’s territory.”

“I shall sayth,” Renalt feels the need to add, “The site itself seems to be topped with a ribbed dome, so while in the last locale lay a mage’s mansion, this one is likely some sort of public space. I recognized not the statue upon the apex from afar, though we might know more upon the approach.”

“Okay, so we head back, pick up our rowboat, and head to the shore right… there,” Felazo says, looking up from the books and gesturing towards a point out the window. “Before we head out, Sari, might you figure out a path?”

The huntress nods, and takes up the final spyglass, focusing not on the rest of the archipelago, but rather on the isle they are on currently. Felazo gathers all the books, both his own and the ones from this place. And the rest of us wait for her to finish examining the forested island. After a few minutes, Alessari says, “I have it. There were compasses, right?” She says, looking about. Unfortunately, there aren’t anymore.

Den pulls one out of his bag. “Here you go,” he says. Ren looks at him, and so Den replies quietly, “Lodestones have solid value in certain markets.”

She looks at it, and closes her eyes, then nods. “Alright, let’s head out,” she says, opening her eyes. We head back. Denlo remains on the forest floor as we retrace our steps back to the cavern.

As they walk Ren approaches his old travelling companion. “So, have you a plan for the sale of the stone, or are you merely hoping for me to know someone?”

“Mostly the latter,” Den answers. Ren can feel the grin from behind his helmet’s mask. “Am I wrong?”

Ren shrugs. “Almost certainly not, though I wouldn’t know myself. It depends on who remains in Hetha once we have returned. And whom I feel we can trust not to tell the pirates that we’ve raided their old home.”

Den shakes his head. “I suspect that will not be an issue. After all, there is nothing here, right?”

Ren sighs. “Pride is a worrisome thing amongst those who believe themselves to have been great in the past. Always watch oneself when dealing with those who once held visions of grandeur and now lounge in restful reposed retirement.”

The massive murderer shakes his head at the slender songwrite. “Pride can be worrisome, but retirees tend to be more confident of their skills than those skills warrant. Still think of themselves as being what they were in their heyday, but haven’t done much in terms of upkeep over the years.”

Renalt smiles at his friend. “Mayhaps,” he admits, “Though that does largely depend on what their skills be, does it not? For those with skills like yourself, certainly it may hold true, but what about for those more in a similar realm of talent as our captain? Or mineself?”

Denlo grows silent, taking these words to heart. “We need more information, then,” he whispers.

“Or just more care,” Ren replies as the six members of the Ekzokia’s crew arrive back at the cavern’s mouth.