Our previous session ended with the destruction of the Raging Bull as it was arriving at the Isle of Dread. This session picked up right where that one left off with the crew and the party members swimming to shore as the vessel was being torn apart by the kraken out at sea.
Our Characters
- Father Magnus Bane: Human Cleric
- Selvin Thanenson: Dragonborn Paladin
- Terajik: Halfling Rogue
- Grym: Tiefling Fighter
- Yaba Daba Doo: Tortle Druid
The adventure began with Captain Falthren, the minotaur who owned the galleon being destroyed at sea, watching closely as his ship was being ripped apart by the tentacles of the sea monster. As if the presence of a kraken wasn’t bad enough, a roc swooped down out of the skies and pried the front hull of the ship from the kraken’s grasp! Clearly the characters were in a land of extreme dangers – extreme caution must be observed. Pieces of debris from the ship fell down upon the crew and party as the roc carried the ship over the interior of the isle.
Captain Falthren commanded the crew to run up the beaches towards the jungle to avoid the possibility of the Kraken attacking them. He impressed upon the crew that cooperation and hard work were the only way they would survive their first night on the isle. The party members were those that were selected by him to go in search of shelter for the evening. Captain Falthren pointed them toward a mountain range on the other side of the jungle – he hoped that they might find a cavern that might be able to house them and provide sanctuary for the night.
As the party moved through the dense jungle they observed the enormity of the trees and foliage. Birds and animals cried out in the wilderness and a sense of anxiety presided over their venture. Soon they came upon a strange sight – a tortoise shell which belonged to a tortle named Yaba. They learned that he too had been stranded on this isle after being a castaway on a vessel. He offered to join the party in search of shelter.
Eventually the party came upon a circle of standing stones that stood atop a hill. Terajic volunteered to check them out, but in his efforts to remove a heavy moss that had grown upon the stones became afflicted with a dangerous contact poison. Fortunately the efforts of Magnus and Yaba were able to stop the burning and mend the cracked flesh on his hand. They then checked out the runes on the stones which they determined were of a volcanic origin. It seemed that rather than depicting a language, the runes were indicating a crude map of the isle. A symbol in the pattern of a crude flame was surrounded by mountain, then jungle and swamp land, and then the sea.
The party continued, making their way to the mountain range. They spotted a cavern mouth atop a 75 ft. ledge that could be climbed. After scaling the ledge, Terajik carefully entered the cavern. Leathery hides draped over the tunnel suggested the cavern was likely inhabited, but Terajik continued forward to discover a number of neanderthal-like humanoids sitting around a fire. A body on the ground was surrounded by torches, it seemed to be one of their tribe who had passed.
Terajik decided to make his presence known and see if he could communicate with the creatures. The neanderthals quickly grabbed their spears but did not immediately attack. They pressed the stone tips of their weapons against his chest in a warning for him to leave. He put his hands up and acquiesced.
Outside, the party decided they wanted to try to coax the neanderthals out. They made calls indicating to the neanderthals that they were still there. Soon a number of neanderthals emerged from the cavern and grabbed hold of Terajik and pulled him inside. The other party members followed.
Inside the cavern, an elderly neanderthal warrior wearing a tigerskin cloak and wielding a great bone club from a large animal grunted and pointed at the body on the ground. Terajik took a closer inspection and saw that the body had two puncture wounds on his upper shoulder that looked like some kind of beast’s bite. Then the neanderthals began to forcefully move Terajik to another area of the cavern while the rest of the party was being kept separate by three neanderthals with weapons pointed at them. It was all too much for Magnus who attempted to cast a hold person spell on the leader who resisted the effect. All of the neanderthals reacted with aggression upon seeing spellcasting, and a battle ensued.
As Terajik was getting his bearings on the battle that was taking place, he took a peak down the chamber the neanderthals were attempting to bring him to. In it, many bleached hides were hung up around the room and other neanderthals were present with animal-hair brushes they were dipping into gourds and hollowed out beast skulls. They were bringing him to the room in an attempt to communicate with him.
This misunderstanding would be lethal for some of the party. After dealing with the initial wave of neanderthals, Yaba used his wild shape ability to transform into a giant spider. This action terrified a number of the neanderthal who fled into another chamber where they raised the alarm of the rest of the tribe. Soon, a horde of neanderthals came charging out to meet the party in battle! Yaba fled the chamber and was able to easily escape with the climbing abilities of his animal form. Grym cut away his leather armor in an effort to give his tiefling wings room to expand so he could fly away. Both Magnus and Terajik were killed in battle.
This left just Selvin alive. During the battle that took place, Selvin had taken care not to do any lethal force to the neanderthals and it appeared that they had noticed his acts of mercy. They took Selvin to the room with the leather canvas and began to communicate with him. Selvin desperately tried to explain via gesturing and the paintings that they were not enemies and that they had a misunderstanding – he showed them that magic can be a good thing as he healed a number of the wounded neanderthals. His acts convinced the neanderthals that he should live. They communicated back that they were at war with a type of creature that looked like a spider with arcane capabilities. They offered that they would shelter the crew of the Raging Bull if they could help defeat the spiders. Selvin agreed and was allowed to leave the neanderthal caves in order to notify Captain Falthren.
A TPK, but one that will not be soon forgotten. The Isle of Dread is a dangerous world where different rules and norms will need to be observed. Rest in peace Magnus and Terajik – your acts of heroism will live on in the memories of those that survive to share your tale.
Would you like to join us for a game? Every month we play Isle of Dread in our shared Community Campaign with our Patrons and Twitch subscribers. Patrons who pledge $5 a month get to be signed up for one game a month, $15 a month allows for two games a month, and $30 a month allows for unlimited signups. Twitch subscribers are able to signup to be on the waitlist for any game and play anytime we have openings. Next game is January 19th at 10am cst on twitch.tv/twentysidestoeverystory!