As the battle ended, Reiana interrogated Setela regarding the wraiths. He admitted that they were the same sort of creature who had taken his companions and that, in fact, his ship had foundered in the Poisoned Tide and been destroyed as a result--though he had no idea as to whether or not the wraiths they had encountered were in fact his old shipmates. He assured the Company, however, that once they got to the Island they would be safe--that there was something holy on or about the island which would hold back both the Poisoned Tides and the Wraiths until the evil waters receded enough to sail out again.
It took two more days of slaving away at clearing the weeds and moving the ship forward, inch by inch, through the Poisoned Tide, before the Company at last reached a wide circle of clean waters around the island, and finally made it to shore. The "island" as it happened was little more than a barren rock of granite rising up out of the Sea like the tip of a great finger. From the shore they sighted some ruins at the top of the island, as well some of the tough red-and-green scrub weeds which grow among the rocks. Setela assured them all that they would be safe here on the beach, but warned them against going up into the island, warning them that there was something dwelling on the island which, although it would repel the Tide, was equally dangerous to the heroes.
Vanera began some efforts to map the Island (in case they ever wanted to know where it was in the future), while Setela began preparing to dive and retrieve the ivory. Reiana and the others decided (over Setela's objections) that they were not going to sit on a beach without knowing what else lay in the island, and began the trek up to the heights of the rock, to get a better idea of just where it was they would be spending the next few days, or even weeks. It took them more than an hour to make the climb. At the top of the Island they found the ruins of an ancient Shrine, covered in moss, but (according to Vanera) still bearing writings and iconography indicating construction at the beginning of the Second Eon, and a dedication to the monarchs Fanhal I and Thoranrai the Fair. Beside the ruined shrine there was a small hut, which seemed recently occupied, though its owner was for the moment absent.
Deducing that the shrine, and the water flowing from it, was probably the source of the holiness which kept back the Poisoned Tide, the Company decided that as an act of gratitude for being saved from the evil waters, they should do what they could to clean up the ruined shrine and sing a hymn of gratitude to Nankeinela. While in the process of doing this, they were interrupted by the hut-dweller: a weathered, aging hermitess dressed in sealskins, with seashells of dark purple strung over her shoulders.
As the others finished the work of trying to clean and unblock the entrance to the Shrine, Reiana interviewed the hermitess, who--although very reticent to share anything about herself--revealed the following over the course of their long conversation:
- She had once been a Well Priestess, before fleeing to the island for reasons unspecified
- She was most resistant to the idea, put forward by Reiana, that a Well Priestess should be sent to the island from the mainland; the Shrine offers enough protection that she is able to dwell on the island in relative peace and safety--if people come to the island she will be forced to leave, and it may be difficult to find another such place.
- The Hermitess seems to have been gathering the dark purple shells from somewhere, which she has been slowly weaving into a garment of some sort over the course of many years.
- The man with whom the Company is traveling (Setela) has a curse on him--something which has marked him for its own, which is why the Wraiths refused to touch him, and yet everything on their journey has gone about as badly as it possibly could. She warns the Company against the dangers of traveling with him for much longer
- Though the Shrine has been inactive for centuries, the site is so holy that when Holy Days come (the next one is several weeks away), water flows from the Shrine as though the Ritual of Cleansing had been performed there, and cleanse the Sea for many miles round. If the Company waits for the next Holy Day, they may be able to leave the island in safety.
Returning to the beach, the Company asked Setela about his curse and argued with him about the hermitess and the shrine at the top of the island. Ultimately, though, it was agreed that they'd gone too far to turn back now, and the Company hoped to still get enough ivory to make the trip worthwhile. Coming up with a plan--or at least an order of operations--they prepared to make their first dive...
No comments:
Post a Comment