Message-ID: <6eb23900.24d17a65@aol.com> Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 05:35:33 EDT Subject: [7thSea] Mysterious Island Contest Entry Well, I've only seen a handful of entries thus far, but they've all been really good. So with a bow and a tip of my hat I join my splendid competitors in this nobel contest. And know without further aidu I present my humble entry. I call it... The Isle of Witches Being a Mysterious Island Contest Entry By Ray Colina I. The Story Being an Excerpt From “Six Years in the Rigging” by Walt Black ‘Twas not an uncommon story. Blown astray by tempestuous wind. Adrift and lost, south and west of fair Avalon. Our food stores nigh barren and but two tins a day to quench our thirst. Yet Theus’s mercy preserved us and in time we did’st spy a small isle. But the hard-lucked Lucy's Tryst ‘twas’nt yet through with her troubles. Our hopes were dash’d when’st we put upon shore. The water was rank! And poor ol’ Tom went mad and drank his death. Twice more did’st we spy small isle's and twice more were we thwart’d. ‘Twas’nt long before ol’ Toms madness seemed to be creepin’ on us all. Me thinks we'd have mutinied, ‘twere not for the weakness in our limbs. But whiles we lay on deck, slack’d and starrin’ Mr. Death straight in th’ eye, there came from th’ crows nest a cry - Land-ho! Nary have finer words sound’d. Larger than th’ others she was, and lush lookin’ too. Round her th’ waters were a pearly green, a beauty likes I’d never seen. Then the Capt’n call’dst out a landing party, my name amongst them, and we did’st row ashore, Alan, our boatswain in command. Through wide, shallow bay we entered, onto sandy shore, where dark jungle loom’d and insects sang. And all about th’ sights of life did’st glimmer. Into shadow’d wood we walk’d, moist air thick an tastin’ green. Fore long we came to water. Sweet water! By th’ grace of Theus we’dst been saved. But curse’t luck would’st strike anon. ‘Twas Alan who first found them- Ruins! Queer unsettling things were they. Pale and broken columns rounded by crumbling wall, all seep’d an strangled by twist’d tangles of vine. Upon them, in places, ‘Twas writing. Alan declared it to be of th’ Ol’ Republic. But they were strange things still, the others faces betrayed it, a lingering ill feel had vanquish’d our joy. For Ol’ Republic or not ‘twas was more than mortal knowledge in that foul place. With swift pace did we return to ship. Our supplies well receiv’d. Our worries met with mocking laughter. We seem’d th’ source of much merriment, ‘til day gave way to murky night. ‘Twas during first watch, horrible sounds crept out of darken’d wood. Th’ Mate saith ‘twere but beasts, but they seem’d to be everywheres an we beheld ghastly half seen lights in the wood, dancing like will o’ wisps. But that ‘twasn’t the worst of it for on the witchin’ hour we heard mad laughter, and Theus save me, ‘twas ol’ Toms voice. Were it not for the shoals me thinks we'd put out there an then. Alas we couldn’t, in steed we huddled on that curs’d ship, wide eyed an trembling an listen’d to a dead man’s maniacal screams. On day break we set out, though we could've stood fer more supplies, no man would've set foot on that place. When’st we return’d every crewman on that ship swore never to sail again, and whiles no sailor is known fer his word that's one promise I’ll wager we'll keep. II. The Island of Witches Being a Concise Description of Said Island It is the largest and only inhabitable island in a small archipelago, located somewhere south by southwest of Castille. The island, which is roughly pear shaped, is about twenty miles long at its widest and its highest elevation, located on the hilly eastern side of the isle, reaches just over 600 ft. Its western side, which would form the top of the pear, is mostly taken up by a large shallow bay or lagoon. This part of the island is surrounded by shoals giving the waters a pale green tint which can abruptly drop to a deep blue. The island's vegetation is tropical, consisting mostly of palms, ferns, and creeping vines. There are plenty of coconuts on the isle, as well as type of date and some small, bitter, but edible berries. The fauna comprises mostly of birds, and there's plenty of fish of course, in the warm shallow waters around the island. There are also rats on the island as well as a population of cats which were no doubt brought over by the Old Republic exiles. There area near the lagoon has some scattered salt ponds, which might worry those who first come across them when looking for water. But further up the island there are plenty of ponds and streams where fresh water can be found. The island was discovered in the days of the Old Republic. At the time It was the furthest spot of land to west known to them, and then only to a select few. After the fall of Gaius Philippus Macer, subsequent Imperators began to use the island as a place to exile those political enemies who also happen to be sorcerers. It's location was kept a closely guarded secret and it's distance was believed to keep the Imperator safe from the magics that might used him. With the fall of the Old Republic the Island was all but forgotten, but those of a scholarly bent may well be familiar with the ancient references to the Isle of Witches. III. Adventure Hooks Being Ways to Entice, Entertain, and Perhaps Frighten Visiting Heroes How you get the heroes to the island is a matter of taste, you can have them tossed there by a storm like the crew of Lucy's Tryst. Or you can perhaps have the Heroes accumulate bits of information about the island in hopes that they'll undertake a daring venture to the place. Either for the archeological information it might provide or perhaps seeking some insights into the old ways of magic. Just what is going on, on the Island? Well, that too is a matter of taste and below I provide three possibilities. A: The Island is Truly Haunted The Ghosts of exiled sorcerers walk the island and they aren't happy. Any number of adventures could be run with this option, but if I may noble reader provide one suggestion? Scare the Bejibbies out of them. Take a page from the Blair Witch and scare them half to death. Night time is bad, strange unexplainable noises happen at night, npc crew members disappear one night only to have their anguished screams be heard by the heroes on the next night, make them feel like they are always being watched, have them find strange creepy things by the light of day, let them know they are being hunted but never let them see the hunter. In short send them running for bluer waters. OK this option might not be the most in keeping with the genre, I’ll save that one for last, but for a change of pace it could be fun. B: Deliverance Isle The Island is not haunted, well...sort of. The island is inhabited by the inbred descendants of the exiles. Some of them might be friendly but most them will look at the Heroes like a dog does a chew toy. It's Swaney Bean revisited, a bloodthirsty, gang of ugly brutes who want to make dinner out of the heroes. They ain’t to bright, but they're cunning, and they're on their home turf. Oh did I mention ... some of them can work magic. C: I Would Have Gotten Away With It If It Weren’t For You Damn Kids The Island isn’t haunted. But it does have Pirates! Perhaps their Captain is of the blood and is poking around the ruins, or maybe they're just using the island as a safe place to lie low, and make repairs. All the haunting stuff is just the pirates way of scaring off uninvited guests. Another cool trick you can have them pull on the Heroes, once they've have begun to catch on about the fake haunting, is have the Pirates wait until night, a dark night is best. They then take strong lanterns place them up on poles and move them steadily along the beach, or hugging the shore in rowboats. The heroes believing that what there seeing is a pirates ship making a break for it take chase. But in truth these cunning devils have positioned themselves so that the pursuing ship will smash into the shoals or be caught awash by the incoming waves and beached. Once this has happened they attack our disoriented heroes. Hey they're pirates they're not supposed to play fair. Well there it is hoped you found it enjoyable Ray Colina -- Contents Copyright (C) 1997,98,99 by ALDERAC ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC.