I've been documenting my worldly travels for some time now, but the most singular experience I've had to date would be what I like to call "Adventure on Pique Island", and it is one that I am exceedingly fortunate to have lived through. I have so named the event as a sort of ill-concealed play on words. You see, the main characteristic of this island is that it has a very large mountain (mountain's peak - mountain's Pique) that overlooks both "sides" of the island, sort of splitting it lengthwise down the middle. Choppy waters and a lack of mooring posts like big rocks or trees as well as sheer cliffs block any boats from attempting to make a landing on all but two sides of the island. At first I had watched the island from a distance, having noticed some presences of humans on the island - just a cracked branch here or there and a few paths that were too well-kept to be from animals. I couldn't spot any actual settlements, but there was what may have been the top of a cave visible from my ship. There also might be some small huts or tents up on the mountain that aren't visible.
After about a week, I decided to land and have my men explore the island. That was a terrible idea. As soon as my scouting party and I were off the boat and a bit up shore, the beach was swarming with primitive looking people. I was right, there were inhabitants on the island, and more than just a few. There must have been at least sixty, and more kept coming. I managed to get away before the main swarm engulfed us, but my men were all slaughtered. Despite being armed and armoured much better, the mass of savages was too much for any of them and they could barely take any down. My ship, which was anchored close to shore, was quickly burned and sunk, leaving me alone on this island.
Fortunately I had not been seen. I stayed in my place of hiding and observed these savages. They appear to live off of a steady supply of fish, salty bread and some mountain goats, which I assume they breed themselves. They always keep with them some sort of weapon, usually a javelin or two, a wooden club, a broad hunting spear, or sometimes even a stone knife or simply some rounded rocks used to throw at small game like birds. Despite the gruesome scene I had witnessed, I couldn't help but notice the beauty of the island. Being as it is off the Rhodok coast and near to the desert, it has a range of magnificent flora, with the pine trees of the Northern Rhodok land, the birch of the lowlands and the palms of the Sarranid deserts.
My next morning on the island taught me more still about these people. They had a very gruesome sense of fun, taking some of my men who had swam ashore from the boat up to the top of the mountain and pushing them off the sheer edge, letting them shatter themselves on the stones below, sometimes shoving them off, other times tossing them and even sometimes shooting arrows or throwing javelins at them. The meat was picked off the killed men on the shore where we landed and eaten.
But these savages also seemed to have a greater purpose to their existence. My suspicions of them living in a cave turned out to be entirely correct. A series of caves and tunnels go through the mountain, and guards are constantly watching over the one entrance I can see from my vantage point. I suspect that perhaps they have some great leader or perhaps something of great value is stored within, but I couldn't know without seeing first hand. That night I came into some incredible luck as well. The full moon shone down on the island, and most of the savages went to the other side of the island for some sort of ritualistic party. At that opportunity I emerged from my hiding spot for the first time in two days. I immediately went to the leftovers of their lunch, which was a sort of fish stew. My hunger satisfied, I took one of the primitive torches that the guards had left by the cave and went in. A small tunnel climbed steeply up the mountain, where I emerged near the very top, able to see both the remains of my ship and crew and the festival taking place below me. A short walk up another path led to another cave entrance that led into the peak of the mountain. I was surprised to find that when I entered the cave it was not dark in the least, for the cave was but a small passageway only a few meters long. The peak of the mountain was completely hollow. A nearly perfect circle of walls surrounded this empty space, but crowning that space was something of incredible interest. Fires seemed to burn from the very sand, lining a pathway up to an elaborate wooden chest flanked by two torches. I opened the chest to see it contained such riches as could make a man master of all Calradia, enough to buy each kingdom in turn. I grabbed as much as I could carry and decided I would try to fashion a raft and make for the Mainland. As I ran out of the cave with my riches (probably worth enough to buy me a fleet of 100 ships) I came face to face with one of the tribesmen. I regained my composure before he did, and shoved him as hard as I could, sending him towards the edge of the cliff. He clawed at me, but I was too far away - mostly. His fingers caught hold of my treasure and went hurtling with him off the edge, only to land with a crash in the middle of the festivities below.
I don't remember much after that. I ran, as fast as I could, but arrows and javelins flew past me as I ran. I swam out to the remains of my boat and grabbed at a large piece of debris and used it to float slowly away from my assailants. I can't help but wonder the history of these people, so rich, but so poor.
) I am fairly certain this is in a mod somewhere so you could just use that with their permission or fashion your own or just say that's a dodgy idea Joe I think you got shot in the head by a crossbow when you were little.
