Situation Report Twenty-Five
General Summary
We spent an unpleasant night in the sticky heat of the palisade, but learned some more about the island and our task. While doing a stint on guard duty, one of the sailors named Pescaril described the demons, unlife, animated plants and statues to be found in the city. He also explained that a Gark half-breed had stolen their rowing boat, which left them stranded here. He finally explained that the weed Tourouse, when burned, produced the rich pungent smoke that hung over the palisade and kept the biting insects at bay.
Over breakfast we also discover that the stranded crew were originally hired by a man called Barrock to act as pathfinders to scout out Tarek Nev and the rest of the island with a view to determining how much wealth could be dragged away. The Captain, Ugnan and I make a loose agreement to help rescue his crew from this place and he is forthcoming with more information that may help us:
The Nuretti used to live and worship here and sounded a most unsavoury bunch
The temple complex we plan to scout first is about two miles away, and he warns us to avoid the "cursed fields" adjacent to it
Tarek Nev is surrounded by a demonic wall, with a single gate tower. They discovered that the password is "Teraglustrod"
As we make final preparations to depart for the temple, Sylke and Cherry jump into the ziggurat within the palisade to conduct a more detailed investigation. It sounds risky, but Sylke seems confident so off they go. They return some twenty minutes later, Cherry seems pretty green after the experience, and report of an exploding gemstone and a small library of books detailing the history of the Nefretti and some outlining the summoning of gods and demons!
Our walk to the temple is uneventful, as we bypass the cursed fields, unnaturally verdant turf covering strange, mobile lumps just under the surface. As we approach the temple, we spot a small troupe of Garks that have taken up residence in the ruins and lay an ambush…
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