Olaf & Taran on the Isle of Dread

 All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.

Taran Goblinkiller disembarks to aid native warriors fighting 
some sort of carniverous beast on the Isle of Dread, as the 
elven warrior Folcswith furls the sail on their ship's boat. 

After the defeat of the armies of the Giants, Ranger Lord Olaf hosted the adventurers who contributed so much to the victory at a feast in the great hall of Borderlands Keep. As the feast wound down, with everyone deep in their cups, discussion begins of all that had been found in the Halls of the Fire Giant King. Olaf, once know to the adventurers as the simple ranger Gyr, speaks of his fights with the giants decades ago. Then, when mention is made of the letters and the villains' obsession with an "Isle of Dread", Olaf tells the band of his adventures on the island when he was beginning his career:

"It was 572 CY. I was a young ranger then, hunting the forests on the edges of the Wild Coast. I was an orphan, my father had been an adventurer, one of the Frost Barbarians, and my mother a local farm lass. He didn't stay around, I've since learned he was slain while raiding the coasts of the Great Kingdom. One of my mother's kin was a Gnarly Forest ranger, he took me on as an apprentice. When I turned twenty, my master cut me loose, I was ready to go off on my own. I wanted to see new lands, and when I heard that a war captain was forming a small band for an exploring expedition in Safeton, I sought him out.

He was only a year older than I, but he was known as Taran Goblinkiller, as he had destroyed several of their lairs and helped destroy one of their raiding warbands. Later he was called Dragonslayer or Wanderer, the title he preferred. Taran Wanderer. I found him to be a skilled warrior and war leader; he took me under his wing like an older brother. His father was a powerful but very reclusive wizard who also lived on the Wild Coast, his farm provided Taran with a safe place when he recovered from his adventures.

He had discovered that same log of Barbarossa's in a ruined stronghold in the Suss Forest, and he was fitting out a small cog, the Blue Sea, in Safeton to find the Isle. The cog had a crew of ten and a captain. Taran had two other henchmen already, a dwarf named Doli and a halfling named Gurgi. In addition to myself, Taran took on several other adventurers to form his adventuring band. Elkhorn, a mercenary from the Yeomanry, Alxiser, a half elven ranger/priest, and two elven warriors from the Duchy of Ulek, Folcswith and Aedilswith.

We sailed south from Wooly Bay for a fortnight, as the Blue Sea was not a fast ship. It was an uneventful voyage with fair winds and clear skies. We found the archipelago exactly as described and then the Isle. We sailed around it to the west.

We followed the west coast of the Isle south until we reached a village on the uttermost tip of the southern peninsula. We landed and made contact there. Taran had a ring from his father that allowed him to speak their tongue. We stayed several days, trading useful items for fresh food and information. Then we continued along the coast until we reached the huge wall that blocked the peninsula off from the rest of the Isle. We found a small harbor with native huts and canoes where the cog anchored. Taran led the band ashore, discovering this was the harbor for a village further inland, next to the great gates that opened in the wall and allowed entry into the interior of the isle.

Taran led us to the village and spoke with its elders, after a few days of talking we had formed a tentative alliance with these natives, they provided some guides and bearers for our first expedition into the interior. The Isle is very large, three hundred or more miles across. On that first trip, we journeyed for several days to the end of a trail where we found tar pits. The land was split between mountains, jungle and plains, it was generally tropical and steamy, teeming with life. We encountered large reptilian creatures that the natives called "thunder lizards" several times. One such creature, a carnivorous, two-legged creature with a dragon-like head that stood fifteen feet tall at the hips and could rear up even taller. It ate several bearers before Taran managed to slay it.

Taran had gained the natives' trust with his bravery in that fight. After that we began to explore the island on various 10-12 day trips, with scouts and bearers for supplies. We discovered that the Isle held dragons. The natives particularly hated them because the wall didn't prevent them from raiding their villages on occasion. We slew the three young dragons that were laired closest to the wall, a red, a green and a black. They had small hordes and the treasures were fascinating, strange coins from unknown lands mixed with familiar but older coins from the Great Kingdom.

We discovered the land held other intelligent beings - a race of small, raccoon-like beings that lived in the trees and could glide amongst them. They named themselves the phanaton and provided us with a safe place to rest for several days in one of their tree house hamlets. They told us of catlike humanoids as well, but we never encountered them.

After two months on the Isle, we had accumulated a decent amount of treasure, as well as several fascinating specimens, all safely stowed on the Blue Sea. Taran determined that we would make one final trek, exploring the central plateau of the island. None of the natives would join us, they declared the place taboo and dangerous. Taran decided that, without bearers, we should sail north until we found the spot of coast closest to the plateau, land, and journey inland from there.

We set sail but in the middle of the first night a band of pirates in war canoes attacked us. We drove them off and followed them to a small island where they had a camp, which we destroyed. These were not natives, they looked like Oeridians, but they spoke a language none of us could understand. We knew that bands of pirates sometimes raided the native villages and took prisoners, we discovered perhaps a dozen slaves at the pirate camp, we took them back to the peninsula. They also had a bizarrely mixed horde of treasure, including an enchanted sword.

We were not attacked again when we set sail again for the north. We hugged the eastern coast, which was rocky and uninviting, with no real harbors. When we reached the point Taran felt was closest to our goal, he took the small ship's boat and rowed ashore, the captain was to return to that point every sunrise and sunset for 14 days watching for us.

The journey inland was rough, mountainous jungle that came after a few days to the base of the plateau, which we climbed with great difficulty. The plateau was cooler and dryer, with a volcanic peak at its center. That journey found more unusual animals, but eventually we discovered ruins in the volcano's dormant crater, which we explored. We suffered through ancient traps and collapsing ruins, and in an underground chamber Taran discovered an encrusted old sword that turned out to be enchanted. We found other treasure as well, but never the great black pearl that was rumored to be there. Finally, Taran led us back to the coast, and after twelve days ashore we were again picked up by the Blue Sea.

We sailed north from there, returning after twenty days of sailing to Safeton. Most of the band remained with Taran, who took his treasure and built a stronghold, Wald Festung, in the southern Welkwood, near where it becomes the Suss Forest. Others bought the map and log of Barbarossa from Taran, and I know several bands tried to follow us, but I heard they never found the isle. We never went back ourselves."

Disclaimer: This blog recounts the fictional events of a game of Dungeons & Dragons. Views expressed by characters within the blog are those of the characters, not the players, dungeon master, nor the blog's author. All other views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.