he party finds itself on a spur of rock separated from the mainland by a yawning chasm. An ancient rope bridge connects the cliff top ruins to the vast plateau that stretches north and south. As the boom of waves and the cry of gulls becomes the first natural sounds the party has heard in over a day, they take in the vista before them.

Atop cliffs of black basalt, a sea of waist high grass ripples in the breeze. Several kilometers inland, the grass gives way to a thick, emerald carpet of jungle. The canopy, still kissed by tendrils of morning mist, blankets everything as it climbs into highlands and hills. The horizon, already hazed by heat and humidity, is dominated by a line of jagged peaks. Plumes of ash and smoke rise ominously from volcanoes interspersed among the mountains.
The heat and humidity are almost overwhelming and there is an incessant drone of insects, broken only by the roar of a distant jungle predator. The shipwrecked survivors now know where they are: The Savage Coast.

The keen eyes of Cassandra and Watcher are able to make out signs of a settlement on the cliffs, some distance to the south. Lacking any other options, and in need of food and water, the party hesitantly cross the bridge and make their way south.

As the sea of grass gives over to cleared land and terraced paddy fields, the group attracts a gaggle of children and curious villagers. This informal escort leads the party to the gates of the small settlement, where they are met by a collection of elders and Garra, the headman. There is some distrust among the villagers but, at the insistence of Chardra – the village’s wise woman – and a dwarven trader named Bentil, the party are granted entry. Jemik, the youngest of the village elders, and his wife, Beleeni, are accidentally insulted by Julian Black, although the woman recovers quickly.

Garra’s village is home to around six-score souls – farmers, fishermen and hunters – and the party learns that they are halfway between Haven and Slavetown, a ten-day from either. Bentil is a trading captain, owner of the airship “Lady Luck”, and has fallen on hard times. The same storm that shipwrecked the party caused his vessel to crash in the hills, and his crew were killed by Cree. He offers to take on the group as crew if they can help him repair the “Lady Luck”.

Meanwhile Chardra, who is an exile of Surayan heritage, reveals to Cassandra, Kraag and Julian that she has been expecting them. “Empty people, with doubt and fear, shall come from the fog”, she says, reciting the message of her spirit guides.

As the party gathers supplies and plots their course of action, the villagers make ready for a dance. Tonight they celebrate the lifting of a curse that has plagued the area for over a millennium. And promiscuous Beeleni plots her next conquest.

“The girl issues the penultimate verse of the rhyme shortly before the party find the body of a fisherman. Scratched into the dirt near the corpse’s outstretched hand are the words “Break it. Free us”. Soon after, the tunnel opens up into a natural cathedral – turned into a charnel house by its occupant – a monstrous ghoul. As the party attempts to stealthily enter the chamber for a confrontation the ghoul whispers the final verse.” – excerpt from previous.

anning out, Cassandra and Julian slip into the shadows unnoticed. Their caution is for naught, however, as one of the warriors smacks his head on a stalactite. The creature looks up and battle is joined.

Azo, Kraag and the others charge towards the ghoul, but it is unnaturally quick and responds with an attempt to command one of the party. The warrior resists the spell and crashes into the enemy. The fight is quick and brutal. While the monster is strong and resistant to injury, the group single out its weakness – the Rod tucked into a belt of matted hair. The elf, Watcher, is foiled in his acrobatic attempt to snatch the Rod, but the templar redeems his former clumsiness by slicing the belt from the ghoul’s waist.

The Rod clatters to the floor and Kraag levels a mighty blow at it. Time stands still for a heart-beat as the axe connects, then it shatters. Shards of stone explode outwards, piercing the ghoul’s flesh. The creature vanishes in a swirl of oily black smoke and silence descends on the chamber.

With the enemy defeated, the party scavenges what they can and departs the charnel house. Emerging into dawn’s light, the group find that the village’s curse was broken. The fog was gone, the buildings now a jumble of overgrown debris.
They are free, for now, of their shackles and the haunting. But many questions remain unanswered. Where are they? How did they get here? What were they doing on the ship? In some cases, who am I?

ix men and a girl awaken on a stony beach. There has been a shipwreck and they appear to be the only survivors, although none have any memory of how they came to be here – or even who they are.

The group, realising that the tide is rising, arm themselves from the wreckage and ascend the cliffs. A slick and treacherous trail is cut into the stone and the party manage to arrive at the top without serious incident. The only sign that they might not be alone are bloody smears on the steps of the trail.

Upon reaching the top, the group of strangers find themselves in a fog shrouded cliff-top village. Sound is muffled and distorted by the fog and visibility is limited to no more than a few metres. A dog barks twice and a baby cries somewhere in the village, although both sounds stop as the last survivor – a Carathan man named Kraag – reaches the summit.

Although unnerved by the ominous silence and the strange fog, the group makes their way into the village. Snippets of conversation are heard, although the village appears to be recently deserted. There are warm hearths and even unspoiled food present in one of the huts. Approaching the largest building in the village – a single story longhouse – the group is surrounded by whispering voices. The voices stop when the party takes refuge in the longhouse, which appears to have been a lodge or tavern of some kind.

With rest, the survivors are able to regain some of their memories and focus their minds. They set about removing the slave shackles they each have at wrist and ankle, and attempting to fathom the mystery of the village. Determining that there is a haunting at work, they steel themselves and head back outside, where things start to get even stranger.

The disembodied voice of a small girl recites a verse from an ancient nursery rhyme, but before the group can attempt to discern its relevance they are assaulted by strange creatures from the mist. The faceless monstrosities attack without a sound or warning. While most of the group prepares to defend themselves, the one named Julian Black is unmanned and flees.

The fight is short, with only minor injuries sustained, but Julian is cornered like a rat by three of the creatures. Luckily for him the assailants vanish into the mist as suddenly as they appeared. Taking a short moment to catch their breath, bandage wounds and take stock, the party discovers that one of their number has also vanished without a trace.

Working their way through the village, they soon discover a trail on the far side, and more bloody tracks. Following these signs uphill through the fog brings the group to an ancient and ruined beacon tower. Odd and ancient statues line the path to the headland on which the tower sits, and the fog shows no signs of abating. Once again the voice of a little girl can be heard singing another verse of the rhyme, and the group takes it as a sign that they are getting closer to the heart of the village’s mystery.

Inside the tower are more signs of bodies being moved – this time underground to a cellar beneath the ruin. The party descends into the earth where they find a tunnel extending back towards the village. It isn’t long before they are visited, once more, by the girl and her rhyme. The tunnel is partially collapsed, forcing the party to carefully negotiate a rock fall. Despite the clumsiness of Kraag, the obstacle is negotiated without major incident and the group press on, further into the dark earth.

The girl issues the penultimate verse of the rhyme shortly before the party find the body of a fisherman. Scratched into the dirt near the corpse’s outstretched hand are the words “Break it. Free us”. Soon after, the tunnel opens up into a natural cathedral – turned into a charnel house by its occupant – a monstrous ghoul. As the party attempts to stealthily enter the chamber for a confrontation the ghouls whispers the final verse.

rk, my head hurts!

Waking up on a cold beach, not knowing the why or where of things. Who am I? Yes I know that. It’s slowly coming back to me. Azo is my name. I am a dwarf of Haven. But the other question must remain unanswered. The tide is coming in, we must get off this beach. We? Who are these other people? An elf and an assorted group of humans… One a young girl… More unanswered questions… Habit has kicked in. I am search the beach for anything of use. A sword, spear and shield, they will come in handy… A leather jerkin… A man is yelling that there is a path up the cliff. Moving toward the path now, making sure everyone is safe… Why am I doing this? Why is it important that I stay with this group of strangers? Why am I moving forward? Then it comes to me, behind me is only questions, in front of me are the answers…