Several pale tentacles erupt from the dark waters. The party unsheathe their weapons as glistening appendages lunge toward the boat. A series of well placed strikes from swords, maul, and eldritch spells sink tentacles beneath the surface. But as quickly as they go down, more rise up from the icy depths and begin grappling the ship, prow, stern, and sails. Once the party realise they cannot fathom the source of the tentacles, nor how many there are to deal with, a chase ensues. Mornington casts enhance ability, bestowing Amarion and Crom with the strength of a bull to row like beasts of burden. Edward continues to rain purple blasts of energy on the pursuing tentacles, and before long their attacks diminish. Great shapes emerge from the fog as the remains of crashed ships, half embedded in ice, drift idly by. Then the icebergs presence is felt, a huge dark mound in the mists rolls down to an icy shore line where the party hastily disembark.
Free from their pursuers, the party fold away their magical vessel and move up to where the ice rises as a steep wall. They rest and recover from the wounds taken in the chase. Once recovered, Amarion focuses on his divine senses to search for undead, fiends, or celestials. To the party's concern, Amarion senses undead close by on the frozen island. Mornington sends his Familiar Spook to inspect, taking advantage of the bat's blindsight in the heavy mists. The small familiar finds skeletal remains locked in a cage tangled with parts of shipwreck. To Mornington's shock the skeleton speaks, it can hear the party's voices on the wind, and ponders its delusional soul or whether someone is actually close by.
The party are highly suspicious that this could be some kind of trap, so to keep their distance, Mornington speaks with it using a series of message spells. He soon learns that the individual was known as Captain Gregor in his past life. His soul was ripped from the ethereal plane and bound to this spot as mindless torment by a mysterious hooded figure. The individual questioned him about the island and its inhabitants. Unfortunately, Gregor had no answers to give, he died when his mutinied ship crashed into this iceberg. Therefore this twisted mage has sentenced Gregor to an eternity of hopeless suffering for his lack of utility. Gregor pleads that he is put to rest once more and that the party break the Necromancer's spell. He was holding a skull carved of gem when Gregor's senses were unceremoniously returned. Also, this blatant Necromancer was not alone, he had a crew of hooded figures with him, and they have been here several days now.
Could this be the very Necromancer the Servants of the Weave warned had gone rogue? The one who siphoned magic from the Death Stone to create cadaverous monstrosities? If so, this could be a chance to bring down this traitorous wizard and end the ploys of the one, Teo Ramu.
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