HSI: The Island

GONNAR of the Gray Wastes

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Gonnar rushes across the quarterdeck and pushes the slack-jawed Berwyn back away from the helm. The stunned man turns to look and is taken by surprise. He stumbles back and falls onto his arse, banging his head against the railing and loosing a huff of breath. Gonnar grabs the helm and spins it to turn the ship hard to port. "Reef! Off the port side! Starboard! STARBOARD!" Stockley screams from the crow's nest. Thank the gods he didn't drink today. Gonnar spins the helm again in the opposite direction and the ship slowly veers back the other way.

"Who do you think you are?" Captain Berwyn says in a low voice, as if talking to himself. He pulls himself to his feet. There is a loud squeal as the hull scrapes along a short outcropping of rock. Sailors are knocked from their feet as the boat is slowed to half speed by the impact. Captain Berwyn is tossed forward and knocked unconscious against the railing at the front of the quarterdeck. "The hull is intact! You've done it!" Stockley cries, then follows with "Slow the ship! We'll run aground!"

FAFNIR the Cursed

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"WE'RE RUNNING AGROUND! HEAVE TO AND DROP ANCHOR!" Fafnir cries out. The sailors have already started rushing to their jobs. One runs up and pushes past Fafnir. He elbows the large man in the belly, even though he's at least a head shorter. "If you aren't here to help, then get down below!" The sailor yells as he looses a rope and rushes back across the deck. The anchor remains untouched - lashed to the side of the ship, the rope firmly coiled around the cathead beam.

GWYNDION & HALOR

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Gwyndion jumps to action. He rushes across the deck grabbing one of the sailors and tossing him at some rigging. "Loose the sails! If we don't slow down, we'll strike!" he yells. The crewmate was not expecting the shove and stumbles to his hands and knees. Gwyndion grabs the nearest line and begins to untie it, but moves too quickly. The rope knots itself. A cold sweat climbs up his spine as time ticks by and the knot refuses to work free.

Halor has moved to the other side of the ship. "Cut that bloody sail down!" He scrambles around looking for a blade … a blade! A BLOODY BLADE! The ship continues speeding along, only slowed by the impact of the reef. Halor is tossed across the deck along with the others.

With the sails fully intact and the anchor firmly in place, the boat races towards the shore at much too fast a pace. "Brace for impact!" Stockley screams. The ship is still at least 50 yards from the shore. Just then, the bow surges into the air as if launched from underneath by some unnatural force. The ship comes to an immediate stop and everyone and everything is tossed in the air. The bow slowly drops and the ship tilts, sinking deep into a sandy shoal.

MAUVE

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Mauve passes two sailors rushing up from the lower decks drawn from their bunks by the cries of "land" and "running aground". They pass by her without a word and rush to the deck, making for their posts. Mauve slips down into the hold. The hammocks swing empty in the quiet belly of the ship. Only the dull thumping of footsteps rushing across the upper deck break the silence. She manages to keep her feet as the ship strikes something and she is jarred forward.

Mauve slips by a few of the bunks and finds one of the footlockers sitting open. She lifts an old blanket and digs into the bottom of the box. A smile crosses her lips when she finds what she was looking for. She pulls a small bag of coins from the box and pours 4 gold pieces into her hand. Just then, the ship lurches upwards and Mauve is tossed over the bunk and across the room. the coins scatter.

Laying on her back staring at the ceiling, she can still hear one coin spinning and finally settling somewhere on the other side of the room.

The ship sits stranded, some 50 yards away from the shoreline. The hull rode over the sandbank and a good portion of it rests on the island side of the hump. The ship lays with the ass end pitched to the sky - it's rudder fully visible in the afternoon sun. The keel of the ship is dug deep into the sand and mud. One of the sailors dove under to get a better look. The hull is intact, but it would take a lot of work to dig the vessel free.

Upon closer inspection, the shoreline ahead is actually an island off the shore of the mainland. The barrier island is a mile-long sandbar dotted with clusters of mangrove trees and snapping grass. On the island side of the lagoon, the jungle-covered ground slopes up sharply toward the old volcano towering in the east.

The water between the ship and the island is too deep to wade through. It is possible to swim the distance, but would take some time and stamina. All of you would have noticed the dinghy hanging off the starboard bow. It is large enough to carry 6 men and remains undamaged.