Isle of the Abbey
The Isle of the Abbey, or Abbey Isle, is a small island located off the coast to the south of Neverwinter. The island is so named for the now Ruined Abbey on it, the only structure on the isle.
Geography
The Isle of the Abbey is a flat, barren island in the Sea of Swords. Most of the isle is surrounded by rocky shoals, save for the isle's southern tip, where a series of dunes stretch out from the ocean. Following the arrival of the Cult of Bane, undead skeletons were placed underneath the sand in the dunes to protect the isle, and the dunes were informally known as the Skull Dunes.
The rest of the isle was flat grassland, with little more than a few scraggly trees or bushes for foliage.
History
Centuries ago, the isle was an established holy sight for sea elves that worshiped Deep Sashelas. A small underground complex contained a direct connection to the sea, and a small abbey and dungeon was constructed around it. However, in time, the temple fell into disuse.
By the late 1400's, members of the Cult of Bane had taken over the abbey. To protect themselves, members of the cult filled the dunes on the south side of the island with skeletal minions that could only be bypassed with a certain gold amulet.
In Deepwinter of 1489, Ordurn was chosen to be the abbey's new leader. The cultist dedicated his time researching the mysterious of the Century of Strife. During his tenure, Ordurn met, and later befriended the aboleth S'gothgah, unbeknownst to the other members of the abbey. The two of them engaged in dedicated research on the Century of Strife, eventually rediscovering the existence of the Banesmark.
In 1492, the Isle of the Abbey came under assault by a group of pirates led by the Sea Prince Syrgaul. The pirates ransacked the abbey, but failed to discover its basement level. During the assault, they destroyed all boats on the island, stranding its inhabitants. In order to save the abbey's residents, Ordurn promised to take the pirates to their "treasure." In actuality, he took them to the north side of the island, where Syrgaul was put under the telepathic control of S'gothgah. S'gothgah left with the crew of pirates, but not before attacking Ordurn to silence any news of the Banesmark from getting out. Ordurn, psionically damaged, fled to the Winding Way through the basement, shedding his clothes and eventually dying as a skum. The other cultists, save for the mercenary Bayleaf, believed Ordurn simply vanished without a trace. For the next four years, stranded on the island, the remaining cultists, now led by Ozymandius, turned to simple farming and fishing on the barren island, praying that they would be rescued. Tensions grew hot during this time, namely involving Odium, a cultist who was visiting the island when it was attacked, and Bayleaf, a elven mercenary hired to protect the abbey that was not a worshiper of Bane. On the 25th of Eleasis 1496, the Heroes of Saltmarsh arrived at the Isle of the Abbey, joined by Krisella Ferox, who the group had rescued days prior during the Attack on the Neverwinter Gala. The adventurers were following a lead they had learned from the wizard Brisk, before he was killed, that members of the Cult of Bane might know something about the strange swirly mark the group had discovered on the Emperor of the Waves. The adventurers attacked the cult, killing all of the remaining inhabitants, save for the mercenary Bayleaf and Odium. The group discovered the hidden entrance to the Winding Way, tricking Odium into traversing it, where he was savagely torn apart by its protectors. Following a resting day, where Micah Pierce and Lyra were involved in their own mini adventure, the Heroes of Saltmarsh returned to the island and explored the Winding Way, destroying the dungeon's guardians. Mogran Oredelver also acquired a giant crystal axe from a minotaur statue. At the dungeon's end, they discovered the hidden research room, Ordurn's body, and the cultist's tome, the latter of which revealed to the adventurers the name of the swirl pattern: the Banesmark. It also mentioned that the aboleth "S" had learned of it and left the island with Syrgaul. Since the attack by the Heroes of Saltmarsh, the isle has remained empty, in part due to the hostile skeletons still waiting in the Skull Dunes for trespassers.
In 1492, the Isle of the Abbey came under assault by a group of pirates led by the Sea Prince Syrgaul. The pirates ransacked the abbey, but failed to discover its basement level. During the assault, they destroyed all boats on the island, stranding its inhabitants. In order to save the abbey's residents, Ordurn promised to take the pirates to their "treasure." In actuality, he took them to the north side of the island, where Syrgaul was put under the telepathic control of S'gothgah. S'gothgah left with the crew of pirates, but not before attacking Ordurn to silence any news of the Banesmark from getting out. Ordurn, psionically damaged, fled to the Winding Way through the basement, shedding his clothes and eventually dying as a skum. The other cultists, save for the mercenary Bayleaf, believed Ordurn simply vanished without a trace. For the next four years, stranded on the island, the remaining cultists, now led by Ozymandius, turned to simple farming and fishing on the barren island, praying that they would be rescued. Tensions grew hot during this time, namely involving Odium, a cultist who was visiting the island when it was attacked, and Bayleaf, a elven mercenary hired to protect the abbey that was not a worshiper of Bane. On the 25th of Eleasis 1496, the Heroes of Saltmarsh arrived at the Isle of the Abbey, joined by Krisella Ferox, who the group had rescued days prior during the Attack on the Neverwinter Gala. The adventurers were following a lead they had learned from the wizard Brisk, before he was killed, that members of the Cult of Bane might know something about the strange swirly mark the group had discovered on the Emperor of the Waves. The adventurers attacked the cult, killing all of the remaining inhabitants, save for the mercenary Bayleaf and Odium. The group discovered the hidden entrance to the Winding Way, tricking Odium into traversing it, where he was savagely torn apart by its protectors. Following a resting day, where Micah Pierce and Lyra were involved in their own mini adventure, the Heroes of Saltmarsh returned to the island and explored the Winding Way, destroying the dungeon's guardians. Mogran Oredelver also acquired a giant crystal axe from a minotaur statue. At the dungeon's end, they discovered the hidden research room, Ordurn's body, and the cultist's tome, the latter of which revealed to the adventurers the name of the swirl pattern: the Banesmark. It also mentioned that the aboleth "S" had learned of it and left the island with Syrgaul. Since the attack by the Heroes of Saltmarsh, the isle has remained empty, in part due to the hostile skeletons still waiting in the Skull Dunes for trespassers.
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