Island of the Kuo-Toa

From Ardrana

After rescuing Alysten and her classmates, Corelda and her companions returned to Nazivonema. Stubbletoff was brought to the temple of Helandra, where the party arranged to have him raised. To repay them, the party agreed to seek out temples of Kuraliskar and either destroy them or bring back information to the Allied Temples. Part of the group would do this, while the remainder set off for Jar-Kahn to learn more about The Box. Naimos was sent ahead, traveling through the Astral Plane, while the rest traveled by ship.

Filling out the party

As the party arranged passage on the S.S. Intrepido, they realized they had no healer with them. They hired on Mingsha, a priestess of Losyera to accompany them. Villea was also assigned by the temple of Helandra as part of the deal made by Nevyn. Just before the Intrepido set sail, the party spotted a figure in the water, clinging to a hunk of driftwood. It turned out to be an old friend, Ismine, his clothing half-burned away. Apparently, he had been in Varringe, making his way back to the Thair Mountains, when a band of githyanki arrived and destroyed the town. Feeling a bit guilty, the party paid to have him cleaned up and his possessions replaced, and allowed him to rejoin the group.

On the Intrepido

The Intrepido sailed down the Vorilon River, stopping at Eolis to take on supplies as well as two more passengers: a pair of Karis diplomats bound for Jar-Kahn. The ship then turned north, sailing along the coast. As it did, it was intercepted by another boat, carrying emissaries from The Cabal. They relayed to the party that Lassomaranza had been seized by the Maluur, and asked that one of their number, a kenku named Skreeeee, be taken aboard that she might ask Jar-Kahn for aid. In return, the Intrepido would be allowed to pass through the Straits of the Unicorn -- a passage normally reserved only for Elven ships.

A few days later, as the Intrepido neared Vesqui, it was attacked by a band of sahuagin. Several crew members were killed, and Corelda was pressed into service as a relief helmsman. This would prove unwise, as the boat was attacked again as it began passing through the Straits. Corelda ran the boat aground on a sandbar, and Vel, in her panic, launched fire arrows into the trees, setting fire to the sacred forest of Shael i'Vor. Since the fire was set on the island of Vorilsha and not the mainland, it was twice cursed, and the Elven Council ordered Vel imprisoned and the Intrepido was banned from the Straits. To replace her, the Elves assigned Sequoia, a half-elven myrikhan, to accompany the party. Almost immediately, Sequoia begins butting heads with Kazuo, the ship's first mate.

As the ship sailed away from Shael i'Vor, one of the council members, a Grey Elf named Niradal, released Vel, telling her that her mission was so important that she would be judged only after its completion. Niradal and Vel boarded a small magical boat that caught up with the Intrepido quickly. Once aboard, Vel told the party the tale, and Niradal remained aboard until the morning.

Shanghaied

The next morning, it was discovered that everyone aboard had been magically put to sleep. They awakened to find the ship moving very rapidly, apparently out of anyone's control, and Niradal was nowhere to be found. Before Captain Tashbar could bring the ship around, the ship crashed on Ondolor Island, several hundred miles off their course. While most of the crew set about repairing the Intrepido, Tashbar assigned the party, along with Kazuo and ship's lookout Snake, to explore the island. The two Karis also decide to come along.

After a few hours, the group discovered an abandoned house in the center of the island. While inside, they set off a trap door, and several party members fall through the floor. Snake was sent back to the ship to report this, and the party sets out exploring the underground area. They find that the island is, in fact, a lair for a city of kuo-toa, who are working with the Servants of Kuraliskar. The party has several battles with the fish-men, and one of the Karis was killed. Finally, the party encounters the High Priestess of Kuraliskar, who offers to allow the party to join them once again. This time, the party demurred, asking for time to consider the offer, and they are allowed to leave in return for agreeing not to reveal the location of this temple. Unfortunately, Stubbletoff would not accept this and went back to attempt to retrieve the slain Karis and his ceremonial armor. He was attacked by the kuo-toa and rendered unconscious, then dropped back at the feet of the party.

On to Jar-Kahn

With the ship repaired, the journey to Jar-Kahn was completed. While there, the party met with Naimos, who had little luck dealing with the mages. Vel decided she needed to return to Shael i'Vor to let them know what happened with the ship, and Villea accompanied her. Villea had not been among the group that agreed not to reveal the location of the temple, and so she intended to convey that information. The two left. Shortly thereafter, Gilbert discovered that The Box had also disappeared.

The party then met with Krynolith Whisperwind, a sage who worked with one of the school's professors. He informed them that Niradal was likely not who he appeared to be. It seemed that a spy, a Servant of Kuraliskar named Laronus had been placed on the Elven Council, and was possibly impersonating Niradal. The party needed to find Vel before she ran afoul of the spy, and Naimos and Corelda were sent to the Astral Plane to track the rod of security, which she was carrying. Meanwhile, the rest of the party boarded a flying carpet and set out to meet the rest of the party back in Nazivonema.

Carrying information

Corelda and Naimos were able to locate Vel, and the Lastini joined her en route to the Elven Council. Naimos went ahead, where he was informed by Gillek of the githyanki's designs on the rod, and he brought the Dwarf to join Vel's group. They were soon joined by Eliot, an Astral Ranger, who had been sent by their comrades to aid them. He went on to describe of the problems the other part of their group had encountered with the githyanki.

Soon, however, the githyanki found this group as well, and attacked. Both Vel and her dog, Moonbeam, were killed. The Elven Council agreed to have her resurrected, and Naimos brought her to Sigil for that purpose while the remainder of the party completed its journey to Nazivonema. Eventually, this led to them reuniting with the rest of their compatriots.

Cast of characters

The following characters were involved in this mission at one point or another:

Adventure timeline

Previous adventure Current adventure Following adventure
Following Fasir's Warning Island of the Kuo-Toa
-and-
Return to Ruisti; Allied Temple Avoidance; Into the Dwarven Ruins; Returning to Return to Ruisti; Hunting Undead; The Mystery of the Missing Medallion; Shimwell Held Hostage 		To Ruisti Once More
Retrieved from "http://wiki.ardrana.net/index.php?title=Island_of_the_Kuo-Toa&oldid=13526"