From: "Eric Suess" Subject: [7thSea] The Mysterious Island! - A Contest Entry Date: Tue, 3 Aug 1999 15:22:20 -0400 Don't Drink the Water! A Mysterious Island Entry by Eric Suess "I was 23 years old in the Spring of 1648 when I died. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Arthur Pendleton Smythe-Thompson Jr., dealer in fine oils and wine - or at least I was. My ship, the "Lost in Fog", amazingly enough got lost in fog quite some distance southwest of Castille. It was utterly dark, what with the new moon out (or not out.I've never quite known which it is) when the ship crashed upon a reef of some sort. The boat sank quickly and everyone abandoned ship. I held tightly to a cask of extra-virgin olive oil and listened to the screams of my companions. The sharks were the most merciful of predators as the devoured their victims quickly. I'm not sure what else was out there - it suffices to say that hearing screams which stretch for hours is somewhat unsettling. After floating in the fortunately warm ocean currents for quite some time(the sun was rising), I came to rest on an atoll. The prophet only knows how I managed to hit a chunk of land in the middle of all that water, but hit it I did. I slept most of the afternoon recovering from my unexpected travels. As I awoke, I decided that things could be worse. The island was lush with vegetation and of course I had a cask of olive oil with me. I spent four days collecting various fruits. They were unlike anything I'd ever seen and I made up my mind right there and then that I would become a purveyor of strange fruits should I ever be rescued - a shrewd dealer could make a fortune! I discovered the freshwater spring early on my second day - which was good since I was getting rather thirsty It was late on the 4th day that I found the door. It was crude by civilized standards, being but a few planks of wood thatched together. It wasn't until I tried to move it that I saw the space beyond it. The tunnel below could have been mistaken for an animal's lair, were it not for the evenly-placed torches which lined the walls. Curious, I followed it deeper into the earth. I had almost decided to turn back when the tunnel opened up into a subterranean cavern. In what appeared to be the full light of day was a castle of incredible size. I swore it had been taken straight from my dreams! The area was filled with activity - knights were jousting, peasants were gathering grain, squires were teasing pages mercilessly. A great shining knight on a handsome towering horse rode out to me and invited me to come meet the King. I followed gladly, and soon knelt before a venerable gentleman robed in the finest purple and ermine and wearing a brilliant crown. I bowed low. When I lifted my head to introduce myself everything had changed. The castle was gone. The cavern was gone. Instead I found myself in a small dank room with a short walk to the crude entrance door. Sadly, the King was not gone entirely. A creature more hideous than I can yet imagine was in his place. My head was removed before I could even comprehend the illusion. The whole thing *had* been taken from my dreams. My killer then took the form of my body and was promptly rescued. I have been stuck here in spirit form ever since that day, learning the secrets of the island's illusion and waiting for a victim such as yourself to find their way to my cave. So tell me before I go, now in your form, is there a ship waiting? And what was your dream?" ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Island can be of any shape or size, but should be large enough to allow for several days of exploration. The fruit is indeed unusual. One variety is quite blue and shaped like a perfect cube. Another is yellow with green "hair" and purple spots. Successfully introducing the fruit(especially growing it back on the "mainland") into Thean society would result in extraordinary wealth. It makes excellent wine and would be "all the rage". The water is potable but endows its imbibers with susceptability to illusion. Those who do not drink will notice several inconsistencies in the cave illusion and will be less likely to be convinced by it. A successful roll vs. Wits with a TN of 25 for those who drank the water and 15 for those who haven't will break the illusion. The strength of the monster/spirit should be adjusted to mesh with the abilities of the adventurer(s). In any case, the spirit will disappear before actually being defeated. The island can be reached by nearly any story means possible. Shipwreck is fine, but pirates, explorers or merchants are just as welcome to stumble upon it. There is a lagoon with ample place for a ship to "park". -- Contents Copyright (C) 1997,98,99 by ALDERAC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC.