D&D

Six travellers found themselves on a ship sailing across the sea, bound for Waterdeep. These strangers were all making their separate ways home after completing different errands in the Moonshae Isles and were expecting an uneventful journey back to the safety of the mainland. But fate had other plans, and this group found themselves thrown together into an adventure.

During a calm, quiet evening of drinks and cards with the ship's crew, a terrifying and strangely unnatural storm suddenly struck the boat at sea. The party heard someone crying for help on the upper deck. Rushing to investigate, they met face to face with a half-bird, half-human monster attacking a sailor on the deck.

During the battle the ensued, the monster dropped something shiny from its hand, which the quick-footed halfling Alice quickly scooped up and pocketed.

It soon became clear that this was no ordinary group of random travellers — all of them were skilled fighters and magic users. Working together in combat, and generously offering aid to one another when injured, the heroes subdued the hideous beast — it was struck down close to the ship's hatch and fell lifeless down the ladder into the lower deck.

The raging storm then grew so violent that, try as they might to hold onto the ship's railings, the party was thrown into the roaring waves and everything turned to black...

The hardiest of the group, Sir Gimbo and Greg the Dwarf, awoke on a rocky beach surrounded by the others, still unconscious. After some effort waking them all up, everybody felt strangely refreshed as if they had slept in a warm bed, despite the last thing they remember being thrown into the ocean.

The tiefling Axeion was very upset to find his belonging and especially his notes missing, though they were soon discovered close by having been rifled through by others. Tassedar the Elf, searching the beach for wreckage from the ship, discovered a strange book with blank pages in the sand that seemed not to belong to any of the companions. Meanwhile, Alice spotted a rickety dock with a heavily chained-up rowboat on the outcropping of the beach. A small trinket was inside the boat — a medallion with a carving of a rat's head.

Once the group was all together they decided to climb a rocky path upwards from the beach, and soon heard voices speaking. Continuing up the path, they were unexpectedly met by a group of curious, friendly Kobolds and humans. They soon learned that they were in a cloisered community known as Dragon's Rest, led by the mysterious elder Runara, who came down to greet and welcome them.

Some of the group heading straight to the kitchen for some lunch and met Tara, one of the humans living at the cloister, who was cooking her famous soup, a favourite of the inhabitants.

Sir Gimbo, who swore his Paladin's oath to Bahamut the platinum dragon, was pleased to learn that this community revered the same deity. He went to the temple of Bahamut, at the top of the cliff, to pray and commune with him.

Kael the wizard, along with Axeion, both seeking knowledge, made for the library and scoured the collection of books there. Kael was able to discover information about the tiefling race, which has no homeland, and also uncovered some of the secret, eventful history of the island where the group had landed... Stormwreck Isle.

After spending some time talking to the resident of the cloister community of Dragon's Rest, our heroes retired to their beds for a well deserved rest.

Their sleeping in the next days was interrupted by sounds of trouble. Two of the inhabitants, Tara and one of the kobolds, were running for their lives up the path from the beach, their fishing gear thrown behind them and blood on their clothes. Behind them were three shambling corpses dressed like sailors... it was a zombie attack!

Alice had chosen the temple on the top of the cliff as a sleeping place along with Sir Gimbo, and so they were far away and out of earshot from the action of battle. Eventually however, they were alerted to their companions calling for help, and rushed down the rocky path just in time to save the day and strike down the last of the undead creatures, who despite being slow and dim witted, proved strangely resiliant in combat.

After the zombies were dispatched and their remains kicked off the cliff into the ocean, the party sought out Tara, who explained that this island has been the site of many shipwrecks off the north coast, and every since one particular ship appeared, Dragon's Rest has been dealing with occasional attacks by undead sailors.

She also spoke of a cave in the southwest where a colony of myconids (mushroom-like people) dwell. These people have been acting strangely lately and refuse to speak to outsiders, although Tara previously had a trading relationship with them which allowed her to get plants for her herbalism and gardening. She expressed that she and all of Dragon's Rest would be eternally grateful to the party if they would explore the island and get to the bottom of these two strange phenomena.

Some of the party noticed Tara's many tatoos, but she was tight-lipped about them when asked. Tassedar received a hint about something in Tara's past by speaking to Varnoth, the other human resident of the community. What secrets could be hidden by the peaceful inhabitants at Dragon's Rest?