The Island

"The Island"  is the 11th episode of the Dungeons and Dragons adventure,  Sword of the Godslayer. It follows episode 10,  "The Soulless One"

Synopsis
Grateful for their help, Captain Hrothgar lends his private ship to the adventurers and they sail towards the mysterious temple-island where the Godslayer sword is said to be hidden.

Debt of Gratitude
After helping save Captain Hrothgar by turning him into a cat using the Polymorph staff, the group were met by Sei and she led them again back to the Thieves' Guild. They also realized that Firroth, their new dragonborn companion, has gone missing since they left the manor. They confronted the the elven cleric who was with Firroth, and he mentioned that he's upset with what they discovered. He admitted that he works for The Alchemist, and that Firroth and him were tasked with finding and returning the scroll, but he is upset that it contains very deadly magic.

Auren then realized that he didn't want to work for The Alchemist anymore, and agreed with the group that the scroll needed to be destroyed so that it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. However, Nicolas mentioned that when he, Rob, Minos and Nong-Poi had researched the scroll, Arturius, a wizard from the city university named, had warned them that the scroll might be protected.

The Scrollbreakers
After asking Sei to fetch them an arcane trickster, the group also decided to question Captain Steffan. Lira set down the vampire cat, and they told him he could change back whenever he decide. The captain transformed back, thanking them for rescuing him and granting them use of his ship. He then told them that, when Sei returned, she would provide them with a charter as evidence of his official permission.

While waiting for Sei, the adventurers decided to attempt to destroy the scroll. Marley set it down in the middle of a storage room so Lira and Nicolas could set fire to it with tinderboxes. However, the parchment refused to catch. Lira attempted casting Hail of Thorns, but each of the projectiles melted before they touched the scroll. After Azula suggested that they deface it, Minos handed over a bottle of ink that they emptied over the magic circle drawn on the scroll. After a moment, however, the dried ink flaked away.

Sei returned and admitted that she could not find a thief to help them. The group gave up and decided to bring the scroll to Arturius the next day. After telling Sei about Captain Steffan's request and getting permission to sleep in the storage room, they settled down for the night.

Heroes
The next morning, a thief told them that the Burgrave was looking for them. When they left the Thieves Guild and reached the streets, they were surprised to see that many people were looking at them and whispering among themselves. One woman broke away and ran towards them, faltering slightly when Lira drew her shortsword. The woman assured her that she only wanted to talk, and thanked them for saving her child. Still mistrustful, the ranger dodged her and the woman hugged Nicolas instead.

They reached the Burgrave's keep, where they were also welcomed as heroes. Apparently, one of the missing children is the Burgrave's daughter, so he thanked them for saving her and regretted ever trusting Baron von Schreiber. He assured them that the city owed them a favor.

The Burgrave also asked them whether they had heard about what had happened to Captain Steffan, but the group only acted surprised. He then asked them to return the deputy badges that the now-fugitive captain had awarded them, and the group readily agreed. As they headed for the city university, Rob opted to stay behind. Now that the Baron is dead, he has now inherited all of his properties. He told them that they will meet again some other time.

Wise Words from a Wizard
At the mage school, the adventurers found Arturius busy in his office. However, the wizard recognized Nicolas and greeted him, asking how he could help them. The group showed him the scroll and Arturius told them that only the maker of its magic could destroy it. After hearing from Auren that his former master could not be contacted and only appeared when he desired a report, the group worried that he would steal the scroll.

Lira then suggested that they make duplicates of the scroll, copying out the magic circle but making slight differences in each copy. Arturius praised the idea and offered them sheets of parchment that matched the scroll's. After they had made four duplicates, Azula kept the original, while Lira, Nicolas, Marley and Minos took the others. Thanking Arturius, they headed for Captain Steffan's docked ship, the Sloan. After some searching, they reached Captain Hrothgar's ship, The Sloan, but found it surrounded by guards.

The Sloan
They fearlessly went on deck and met the guard captain. They showed him the charter signed by Captain Steffan, but after being accused of conspiring with the fugitive, the group only insisted that it had been given to them days ago, before the arrest. Still suspicious, the guard captain called over his men to check their weapons for whether they had used it within the city. Unaffected, Lira pointed out that they had been arrested a few days earlier and that Lieutenant Denise had said their weapons no longer held the necessary arcane magic.

After the guards had left, the ship captain met with the group. They showed him a map to the temple island, and he assured them that it was only a day away. The group set sail and settled in in their own rooms. Azula took the only solo room, while war comrades Nicolas and Minos chose a double room. All the others took the largest cabin with five beds, except for Lira, who found a comfortable crow's nest up the main mast.

Sail Away
The group passed the time reading, speaking with the crew and playing cards. Lira busied herself with the card games, but was slightly disappointed when the sailors could only bet silvers instead of gold. A crewman then suggested that she challenge the captain. Lira thanked the sailors for the game and went to the captain's cabin. Curious, Nicolas joined her. The ranger was satisfied with the captain's opening bet of one gold, and they all sat down for the game.

After winning a couple of hands and six gold, Lira thanked the captain and stood to leave. However, the captain was upset and insisted that they play one more round and bet five gold. When the two persisted on leaving, the captain called out for a passing crewman to bar his door from the outside. They reluctantly sat down for one more round.

However, Nicolas noticed the captain switching cards under the table and called him out. Easily believing the paladin, Lira also accused him of cheating. The captain relented and forfeited the game. As the group shared a cask of wine on the deck, they got their first look at the island. Storm clouds had gathered over the rocky cliffs, and seemed to get thicker as they came closer. Azula pointed out that it was likely weather magic.

Arrival at the Island
The ship sailed around the entire island searching for a spot to drop anchor. They eventually realized that it was crescent-shaped, though the opening of the bay was crowded by shipwrecks. After finding a beach on the southern edge, the group took to the rowboats.

Familiar with mountainous terrain, Lira eventually took the lead on the treacherous, rocky paths. Since it was quite slippery, they tied themselves together with rope. The ranger noticed occasional fresh bootprints ahead of her as she led everyone up the muddy trail.

As evening started to fall, they noticed that they were surrounded by will-o'-wisps. Lira relaxed only after Azula assured them that the creatures would not attack unless provoked. The group reached a plateau and set up camp, only distractedly noticing a smoldering campfire there. From the vantage point, they saw that the crescent shaped island has a smaller island in the middle of it, which held an temple of elven architecture. They saw a bridge to its west and decided to head for it the next day.

A Peculiar Survivor
Lira took the first watch as the others settled down to sleep. She climbed a nearby tree and sat on a branch overlooking the camp, with Scout dozing in her lap. However, within the hour, the ranger was startled to feel a hand clapping over her mouth from behind. She struggled, and Scout immediately leaped over her shoulder and into the attacker's face. With all the thrashing, Lira lost her balance and they all fell from the tree.

When Lira managed to stand, she found herself facing a female dwarf wearing weathered armor and natural camouflage. Auren and Nicolas had also been woken by the noise, and they quickly came to stand beside the elf. The stranger dwarf seemed paranoid and angrily claimed that they were invading her camp. She asked them whether they were treasure hunters, but they simply claimed to be adventurers exploring the islands.

The dwarf admitted that she had also headed to the island to learn its history. At this, Lira dryly thought that the stranger and Azula would get along, since the latter was a knowledge cleric.

Attempting to be friendly, Lira introduced herself and asked the stranger's name. The dwarf revealed that she had been shipwrecked for forty years, the last survivor among her friends. Because of this, she could no longer remember her name. They all eventually agreed to share the camp, and Lira returned to her tree to sleep. Since Nicolas and Auren were due to take the second and third watches, the cleric agreed to tell the one after him that the stranger was not dangerous.

Something Weird
The next morning, the group readied to leave, but the survivor refused to come with them to the temple. Lira insisted that they would just go to the bridge, then turn around if necessary. The dwarf agreed and they all started down the path. On the way, the adventurers learned that the dwarf had lost her friends when they had tried to enter the temple together. She revealed that the last to die had been an elf, and mused that even though she had barely considered her a friend, the elf had stepped into a trap to save her from it.

Azula and Lira exchanged a glance, realizing that they had a similar, bizarre relationship.

The survivor continued that many of her group had been killed by a bronze dragon, the guardian of the island's artifacts. Nicolas asked hesitantly how large the survivor's group had been, and she answered that they had been seven, the same number as their own group. Unsettled, the adventurers looked at each other but said nothing.

Tests of Faith
As they trekked, they reached a clearing that was unusually green and lush. Grass and flowers surrounded a pond at its center, which emanated arcane magic. Lira tossed a flower into the water, but could see no visible effect. Nicolas filled his waterskin and, after they had left the meadow, he watered a nearby patch of dirt. After a moment, grass sprouted from the damp.

They walked on for a few more hours and were surprised to see a human figure in another clearing. Azula quietly told them that she sensed illusion magic, just as the person turned around and revealed himself to be Rob. Dubious that he had managed to reach the island before them, they questioned him. The sorcerer claimed that his own ship had dragged the wrecks away from the mouth of the bay and had landed near the temple bridge.

To prove his identity, Lira asked Rob the name of his mother. The sorcerer only laughed and said that they all knew his mother's name. After more pressing, Rob answered with a name that was nowhere close to 'Denise.' The group promptly attacked with long-ranged weapons, since they were unwilling to enter the clearing. However, the first shot that would have hit passed straight through Rob's shoulder. The illusion smiled eerily and disappeared.

They continued on to the next clearing, where they saw a sword embedded upright in a stone. The group approached cautiously and saw that it was marked with ancient elven writing. Though unable to read all of it, it mentioned a sword capable of slaying a god. They were hesitant to think that the Sword of the Godslayer would simply be out in the open, but thought that it would not hurt to bring it. As they coaxed Minos to pull out the weapon, the survivor interrupted them.

The dwarf insisted that the sword was only a stone replica of the artifact, and many of them could be found around the island. Deciding that they might need a reference of what the real sword looked like, they persisted despite the dwarf's complaints. After Minos' first attempt to pull out the sword, they realized that the survivor had been lying about it being stone. After many of them had tried and failed, Azula freed the blade and revealed it to be an elegant, leaf-shaped shortword. Lira wrapped the weapon in cloth and tucked it into her bag.

Stop Right There
They continued to the bridge, where the survivor refused to go further. Somewhat impatient, Lira directed her back to the beach where they had landed so the dwarf could reach their ship. Before they parted ways however, Lira somewhat insensitively asked if the dwarf could tell them exactly where and how her friends had died. When the dwarf refused to answer, they made a last attempt to figure out who she was.

Azula studied the other's face, but could not recognize her. They tried to point out the similarities of the survivor's group and their own, but the dwarf was oblivious. Lira coaxed her weasel to sniff the two dwarves to check if there were similarities. Scout, however, shied after coming near the survivor, snarling then hiding behind Lira. The ranger was confused but could see no reason for her companion's caution.

The group gave up and started to cross the bridge, but the survivor abruptly blocked their way. She angrily said that she had tried to warn them off peacefully, but they were leaving her with no choice. As clouds began to whirl and gather behind her, the dwarf transformed into a gigantic dragon.

Godslayer Expedition

 * Auren
 * Azula
 * Firroth (mentioned)
 * Lira
 * Marley
 * Minos
 * Nong-Poi
 * Nicolas
 * Rob (mentioned, and illusion)

The Island

 * Dwarf survivor

Next Episode
"The Island "  is the first episode of the third chapter, '''Heretics. This is followed by episode 12, "Bronze Guard'''".