As a result of the party's recent activities Perex the Wizard has taken to coming into the village and consulting with the Elders particularly with Ayo, Aya’s mother.
The air buzzes with rumours. Some say the party have found a cursed magic ring and now have to throw a halfling into a volcano or the village will experience 50 years bad luck.
Others that in order to stay out of trouble the whole party is about to be enrolled in a secret wizarding school situated far away.
In the event the whole party are invited to a meeting of the Council of Elders where Perex appears to be the guest speaker. He begins by giving a brief summary on the last 13,000 years the region’s history. He then talks about the special role Selimbe has always had since it was founded and how it’s very existence has depended on the favour of the Gods. To finish he informs the meeting that over the last 50 years his order have been worried that they are seeing the creeping signs of evil, either the return of
Zananku or a new threat.
Ayo then takes the floor and reviews the party’s recent activities in a somewhat positive light (which by the look on Aya’s face is slightly different to how she reviewed them at the time). She then goes into the mystery of Tiramba and suggests this needs to be resolved urgently as it is clear she is now bearing a great treasure which is desired by others. ‘What is to be done?’ she asks. Before anyone can think of any answer involving volcanoes she suggests that Tiramba needs to seek answers from those who have the lore to understand what she carries.
Perex says he knows such a person in
Korlan but it is likely that Tiramba’s quest will take her further afield. Given the traditions of the village and the omens that have been presented he thinks it is clear that Tiramba should be sent with companions, a sort of Fellowship of the Jewel. Various members of the Council ask whether those going on the quest will be away just for a single novel or a whole trilogy.
Perex shakes his head but says he thinks he knows who the Gods favour for this mission. Aya immediately pipes up and says she will go. Ayo reluctantly gives her blessing. Hapu then volunteers and Perex says in the short time he has known Hapu he has come to regards him as a son but he too gives his blessing. One by one the party members stand up and say what they think of this as a plot. Perex explains why he won’t be going (because apparently ‘companionship’ will be your chief weapon). Aya claims she heard him say ‘and also Balrogs’ under his breath as he sat down.
Then one of the village’s leading warriors stands up and says ‘You have my bow’.
Another stands up and says ‘And you have my axe’. Aya immediately replies ‘Ok, ok, I was only borrowing them. I will give them back before I leave.’
All of which explains how the party found themselves about to set off in two canoes from the landing stage on the river with most of the village tearfully waving goodbye. Their trip to Korlan took a week and contained the following highlights:
- Day 1. The highlight of the whole adventure so far as the party discuss what exciting experiences they will have
without considering any of the downsides while gently paddling down the river.
- Day 2. Never mind a trilogy: 'The Fellowship of the Jewel' nearly ends as a one page tribute to hubris. The
party are overtaken by a band of Mumakani bandits/mercenaries whose
initial assault proves deadly while the party concentrate on damaging the surrounding trees and bushes. Luckily
after a tough fight the party triumph (gaining an extra canoe in the process).
- Day 3. The party are just heading towards the bank after a long day's paddling when a huge snake mistakes
Padwan, the bear cub, for a tasty snake. The snake although in an awkward position to fight (being up a tree)
is soon converted into tasty snakeburgers.
-
Day 4 (early hours). The party's watch spot some glowing eyes in the trees. They soon find out they belong to a
pack of very bitey small reptiles who take chunks out of the party before being defeated.
-
Day 5 (early hours). On the third watch again a single set of glowing eyes in the trees is spotted somewhat
higher off the ground than before. The party find out they belong to a giant hyena. It was a formidable beast but
outnumbered.
-
Day 5 (evening). As the party are about to camp a traveller hales them from a path on the bank. He seems a nice man
and they offer to give him a lift to Korlan. They share an evening meal but the party's watch start to feel drowsy.
One of them then notices that Arreng is being dragged off towards the river by a large crocodile. A melee ensues and
when the crocodile is killed it morphs back into a human. Their fellow traveller was a werecrocodile!
-
Day 7. The party arrive in Korlan.
On arriving at the capital the party go in search of Haldor, the Elven wizard who is a friend of Perex. He confirms Perex's theory that the black pyramid belonged to the
the Guild of Elements and that the small black pyramid in
Tiramba's possession should contain a jewel which opens the larger pyramid. The jewel, however, would
be no use without a password. Although Haldor knows much about the Guild he points out that the
leading Elves in it originally came from the North and it is there they should seek more answers. He agrees to
write a letter of introduction for the party to take to the authorities in
Miredor.
Haldor says not many ships sail so far north on account of the natural hazards of the journey and the piracy but
as it so happens he saw one such vessel in the harbour thi morning the
Ocean Breeze, captained by a
Kirani of good reputation, Captain Ibu. He further advises that the
the party will probably have to sign on as crew as the captain is always turning over crew but willing to train
those new to the sea.
The party duly find the Ocean Breeze in the harbour and the First Mate, Mr Pugg signs them on. The voyage then begins with Hapu working in the rigging, Tiramba as cook's assistant (somewhat under false pretences) and the
rest designated as 'swabbers'. The voyage is harder and more brutal than any of the party expected. Highlights
include
- Day 1. Several of the party are seasick. The Ocean Breeze makes a rendezvous with another more heavily armed ship, the Black Dog. The party find out that Mr Pugg is actually acting captain of the Ocean Breeze and that
the captain is on the Black Dog.
- Day 2. The party have to watch as a member of the new crew, Satu, is brutally given six lashes for
'shirking'. The cook, Ambrose Kroop, later admits that he was probably quite innocent but Mr Pugg and the Second Mate, Master Scrow, like to set the tone for the voyage early.
- Day 4. On the first day the party aren't dog-tired and seasick the party notice they are sailing south rather
thn North. Ambrose Kroop just laughs when Tiramba asks if the ship is actually going to Miredor.
- Day 5. Mr Pugg brings out his 'pet', Owlbear Hartson, a huge simple-minded man, and asks for challengers to fight him. Urugu steps up and realises (just before he is knocked out) that the giant is blind in one eye. Hapu
then takes up the challenge and using this information defeats him. The giant backs away saying 'No more' but
Pugg and Scrow push him to continue fighting. To their dismay, however, Hapu holds out his hand saying the fight is
finished.
- Day 6. The party is detailed to rid the bilges of a nest of giant rats and discover that this is where Owlbear
Hartson is kept in chains. The big man responds positively to their kindnesses. Meanwhile Urugu talks to the rats and just tells them to stop biting people and to keep a low profile.
-
Day 8. The ship endures a storm which lasts all day and night. A huge wave washes Dru and Arreng overboard. Hapu
grabs a rope and jumps in after them and all three are pulled to safety. The ship cannot anchor at night and the
crew have to fight hard to control it. As a result of lack of sleep Dru's work is found lacking the next day
and he has to take a whipping from Mater Scrow nearly dying from the harsh blows. Hapu uses his ring to
keep Dru alive.
-
Day 11. The captain on the Black Dog fancies some crab for dinner so Dru, Arreng and Urugu are detailed to swim out to a reef to hunt for some. Two giant lobsters who consider humans a delicacy attack them but underestimate the
martial skill of the humans with the result that there is enough lobster for both ships. Mr Pugg and Master Scrow
are content for once.
-
Day 12. A large man with a red beard comes aboard from the Black Dog and inspects the crew. After that he holds a
hour long meeting with Pugg and Scrow and then departs.
-
Day 13-15. Having endured much and with many of the crew clearly disliking the party its members desperately seek allies while
the atmosphere aboard the Ocean Breeze worsens.
-
Day 17. An attempt by three other crewmen to give Urugu a beating comes to nothing as the Half-orc is too tough.
-
Day 19. An attempt to poison Arreng comes to nothing as the Ranger shrugs off
the effects of the poison.
-
Day 21. A severe storm hits the Ocean Breeze in the night. A mass of tentacled creatures invade the ship forcing everyone on deck to fight for their lives. The ship hits a reef just as the storm is waning
and dawn breaks. Sandara Quinn, Barefoot Samms and Hapu have gone missing assumed kidnapped by the creatures.
Mr Pugg doesn't want time wasted on trying to rescue them. While most of the crew attempt to mend the
ship the party are sent ashore to the nearby island to fill the ship's water barrel which was damaged in the storm.