Iomedae Save Me ………….. 5

My plans to maintain the initiative and move immediately to the clear the cannibal village were dashed as my companions decreed that we continue with the deliberate clearance of the western coast.

Whilst I respect their decision, at the time I found it infuriating that they did not want to purge the evil once and for all and that their rationale did not place the welfare of possible survivors, prisoners or our fellow castaways above their desire to ensure we didn’t miss any shipwrecks.

Fortunately my concerns were proven to be unwarranted. The journey down the southwestern coastline proved to be quite uneventful aside from the usual maladies infecting Dorian. He seems to possess an unusually high susceptibility to plagues of this island. It may come from his debaucherous tendencies and his general aversion of any physical activity. I may need to coerce him into more exercise in the future to improve his vitality.

We finally rounded the southwestern corner of the island and across a small sheltered cove we could see what we were sure was the unfinished lighthouse poking out from the jungle canopy. Unsurprisingly it was not lit. Off the coast there was also the wreck of the Thrune’s Fang. The Thrune’s Fang was believed to be the original source of/cause of the cannibal tribe seventy years ago.

Finally the party agreed to a direct advance on the village along the jungle path.  Aside from a crudely constructed snare and a tied up “guard-lizard” we entered the village without trouble. Oun the outside the collection of buildings looked relatively harmless, but signs of the perverted taint that infected it were everywhere. A large cauldron containing the remains of some unfortunate being sat over the fire pit, the first building we entered contained four skeleton, the second, jerky made from a number of sentient humanoids and an open slaughter house that was open to an obvious prison pen. Not just satisfied with subsisting on other intelligent creatures, this foul tribe appeared to derive perverse pleasure from butchering their victims in front of other captives. Truly they were long overdue for annihilation.  The second floor of the lighthouse contained the only intelligent (which I use very loosely) inhabitants of the village, four female humans. Judging by their appearance and location, they were most likely the deceased leader’s harem. Rather than attacking or interfering with, they seemed content to loll about in the rather large bed they shared, a dozen empty rum bottles around the room confirmed that they were quite intoxicated. As they were dragged to their feet they verbally abused in some foreign tongue. With the powers granted to me by Iomedae I determined they were speaking a slurred sub-dialect of abyssal. They mentioned something called the mother below and indicated towards a covered pit in the village. Perhaps we could find some answers there.

I ignored my companions desire to butcher them on the spot or visit upon them some of the tortures they had visited upon the others. I understand their desire to avenge the atrocities the tribe had committed, but not in this way and not for the reasons they were suggesting. Instead chained them in the prison pen with some water and what food I could locate in the village that did not come from another intelligent creature. 

Into the pit we delved and into a nightmarish hell of undead abominations we had entered.

Shortly after entering we were accosted by a pair of what can best be described as large ghoulish dogs guarding a room containing several alcoves. These abominations in the eyes of Iomedae were quickly destroyed and search of the roomed turned up a note from the captain of the Jenneverie containing his final confession.In it he admitted to poisoning the crew and passengers on his boat and deliberately running it aground on this island at the behest of the final missing passenger. From his ravings we could deduce that he had been enthralled by hear, possibly magically and she may have been more than she appeared, likely magically disguised. His reward for his loyalty to her and treachery to his crew was to be left here and slowly turned into a ghoul by this evil mother we had heard about. Although deserving of punishment for his crimes, there is no crime that punishment by slowly being twisted into an undead abomination could warrant. I pity this man and his final days. May Iomedae have mercy on his soul.

This “mother” needed to be found and her reign of evil ended.

A side tunnel in roughly shaped caverns led to a well-constructed temple of some ancient serpent god. After dispatching a pair of ghouls who were standing watch of a large pile of humanoid remains we located and diamond shaped chamber covered in frescoes and murals depicting serpent like humanoids controlling the weather and oceans to destroy a fleet of human ships by using some magical obelisks. Szraiel and Ron were pretty sure that the carvings referred to this island and we found a note that gave cryptic instructions in how to operate a device called tide stone. And that there might be one located near the high feature on South Eastern edge of the island. Before we set off to investigate, there was still the mother left to deal with and so we proceeded further into the complex.  

A lone ghoul detected our presence and fled deeper into the caverns screaming out some warning to whatever lurked in the darkness.

We pursued the ghoul through a narrow corridor and into a chamber where it was joined by three of its companions. Four foul abominations to destroy, Iomedae does truly bless me. I am but an instrument of her will.

The battle was quickly joined, but did Iomedae did not smile on us today and both Helga and Szraiel were quickly paralysed by the wretched creatures who swarmed all over them, a mass of filthy teeth and claws. Then came the darkness.  An unnatural darkness I will not quickly forget.  

It came up behind the ghouls and enveloped them and us. In our confusion we managed to slay the ghouls, but whatever caused the darkness quickly finished of the party with bursts of unholy power and slashing claws. Even I succumbed quickly to its paralysis. I could only listen in horror is it began to consume my friends.

Enraged, I shook free from the paralysis and landed a solitary righteous blow into the darkness and unto the mother. I am cut down by a claw and collapse slowly to ground, bleeding from a plethora of wounds.

Iomedae save me.