Storm Island Expedition

Disembark

The only known ships headed to this Isle were from Port Phasmatys, and even those were traveling one to two per day filled with others seeking out the new land. Explorers, miners and prospectors, traders, and even potential settlers looking for a new home.

I was one of the first to arrive in the port and managed to pull a few strings and favors to get myself onto the next boat headed out. It was not like I was in a rush to get out there, just getting a spot on any ship was tough, and I had to settle on riding in the cargo hold with some sheep and yaks. My ship wasn't leaving until dawn to go out with the tide anyways. So I would soon be spending the night playing cards with Robin at the Inn, figuring I would sleep on the journey over.

The others who made it out were a little out of luck and would need to wait several days before each of their groups could go out.

Most were as heavily packed as they could afford to carry on the ships and in their packs. No crews were allowing familiars due to the space shortage. A few griped about not having their spirit Tortoises or Terrorbirds along. The crews were even more adamant against allowing those with Pack Yaks.

I considered pairing up with someone, but given the mix, it felt better if I traveled alone. Plus with the way everyone was split up, we would be making nine parties out of twenty people. That would allow us to cover a great deal of ground.

Sienna, a ranger with a special interest in rock climbing and canoeing river rapids was a little like me, opting to solo the exploration. She also managed to sweet talk her way onto the same ship I was going on. Seems she had a history with the First Mate, but from where I sat, they just looked like cousins. Kudos for her though for getting a real bunk to sleep on.

I asked about for any information on the island from those who were traveling out that way. Seems only one in ten ships had so far successfully sailed out there and safely returned. Many ships were making it, but due to the strong currents and reefs that dotted all the way around the isle, there was only one approach, and even that was treacherous. The inlet was already filled with shipwrecks. A ship with dwarven engineers was planning to head out and start work on a strong sea based docking platform so larger ships could disembark goods and people to smaller ships safely to then travel to the isle and bring anything from the isle to the dock, but that kind of work would take weeks at least to get started. Perhaps a few months before it was of real use. Most crews stated the trip would take six to seven days to sail out. To date, there was no name for the isle.

The following morning we set sail. Several days in the cargo hold was not very pleasant, especially the smell of the yaks, but at least I had some time to get some sort of sleep. After the fifth day the Isle was in sight, apparently we had caught a good wind. By nightfall, we were nearly to the inlet.
The Captain had intended to weigh anchor and let the longboats take everyone in. A sudden storm caught the ship by surprise, between the winds and the currents; there was little the crew could do to keep the ship up. Sienna and I did what we could to help, but after a few minutes the ship capsized and I went overboard.

The last things I truly remember seeing in the darkness and rain was the ship breaking upon the reefs, crew members struggling to get to flotsam or boats, and myself somehow struggling to swim ashore.