Gospel According to Sheik’Tah

> This Gospel details the rise of Clear Skies Cove, and the descent of Sheik’Tah into darkness.  Once the closest of St. Thorric’s disciples, she betrayed him to the darken loa.
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### Chapter 1

Shek'Tah lay back, relaxing on the beach, waves lapping against the shoreline not too far from her. She idly puffs at her pipe hanging limply from her mouth, eyes scanning across the starry night sky. Somewhere between sleep and consciousness, her second eyelids drooping as her first sit half open.

"Sheik'Tah? Where are ya girl?" An older grippli stands before her, slightly shorter, and more rotund. "Ya nevah call. Ya never write me. Where ya at girl? Whatcha doin' with ya days?" She asked.

"Ahhh Dontcha be worrying 'bout me Mama. I'm alright." She rises into a sitting position to better look at her mother, "How in the Loa's bunghole are ya here Mama? We shipwrecked on this island only yesterday, met some nice people though. Met some nasty crabs, some of em taste like da bloatfly soup ya used to make though, not bad... gonna have to get our resident Crab Smasha to get me some more o' them. Anyways... I have one day of this new island life, an' already you turning up? I musta brought the good shit."

"You aren't imaginin' me ya dumb bint. I'm projectin' to ya cos ya fatha' be worried sick. Ya meant to be heading home next year, ya got to return and take care of our people. Ya da next Shaman." Her head swings side to side as if she cannot fathom the concept, "May da Loa have mercy on us if you gon' be takin' care o' all o' us."

"GWRAAWCK??!? ME? Da next Shaman? Nooooo Mama." Bolt upright now, Sheik'Tah scrambles to her feet, rushes to her mother, "I'm stranded here Mama, I can't do it. I can't come 'ome. Ya gat to find someone else. Ya gat to convince da Loa to choose another."

The older grippli shook Sheik'Tah off, stepping back, "It's already decided girl, Ya know how the Loa get. Ya fatha' is preparin' to send ya one of da birds now. I ain't sure who he gonna send, but I'm t'inkin' it gonna be either Shalabari, Estiar, Feinrell, or Steve."

"Aaarck.... If it be da call o' da Loa, then I got no choice..." Sheik'Tah pauses in thought for a moment. Realisation sparks across her face, "Please Mama, don't let Fatha' send Steve. That asshole bird always had it in fa' me."

"Haha, silly girl, as if ya Fatha' be the one doin' the choosin' ... no, ya get who arrives, and that's final." She glances over her shoulder, over the ocean, over.. nothing, "My time's up girl, ya Fatha' can't keep this goin' long. We love ya, now, look out for ya Spirit, it'll be lookin' for ya. And fa' Loas sake girl. Stay the fuck alive." The image of her mother begins to fade away, gliding backwards into the ocean.

Sheik'Tah is left alone, staring out into the sea, a small splash visible out in the bay... something larger than the fish she'd seen... A chill wind settles, unnatural for this climate, and she instinctively looks up to the skies once more. A silhouette of a large winged creature descends rapidly towards her, a fierce screech echoing from its beak, talons splayed out and approaching rapidly toward her, no time to run, no place to hide.

The bird of prey descends upon her, the last image she sees is of a giant Hawks face, eyes bearing into her soul, beak wide enough to swallow her whole. She awakens with a start, screaming out in the night. Cold sweat dripping from her, she instinctively puts her pipe to mouth, takes a long drag. Maybe she should cut back... Her? The next Shaman? Nahhh...

Her thoughts drift back to the face of the Hawk... Nahhh... it couldn't be...

But...

She was sure that hawk... was Steve.

### Chapter 2

Sheik'Tah stands in the midst of a wide expansive grassland, the blades swaying in a gentle breeze, blowing her clothing around her. A deep breath, a settling of her nerves... and she looks up once more into the pure black sky. The stars are there, she knows... it's just... they're everywhere, blocking the light.

The buzzing grows and dies in turn, but never truly leaves her ears. Always there is at least one, in her range of perception, they flit around, taunting her... mocking her. Dragonflies... big as her. Filling the night sky with their cacophonous wingbeats.

She can feel it.. him... her... she can't tell, she's being blocked somehow... but she knows. Somewhere out there, flying well above these overgrown soup snacks is her spirit, winging its way through the updrafts, seeking means of connection. Everytime she thinks it grows close, another swarm arrive, widening the gulf between them.

"Mark ma words ya dumn fuckin' oversized insects. One o' dese days, ya gonna slip up. Ya gonna let 'em t'rou' ta me, and then... then I'm gan make ya regret standin' between me and da Loa!" She cries out to the buzzing swarm, with all the fury and wroth that a 2 foot frog can muster... understandably, the swarm doesn't react.

"Ahh fuck ya then..." She turns away, returning to the camp, to the others... looking over them. Her meagre 'flock'... A Shamans duty is to care for her people... if dese weirdos are all she got, den by da Loa she gonna do all she can to keep em alive... "As far you sorry bunch o' misfits... well... who gets da last dose for today hmm?" She eyes the group, checks wounds silently... then shrugs and jabs the needle into herself. "AWRK... Ya... gat to keep meself alive... else who gan heal ya sorry asses eh?"

She scans the horizon once more, the night oddly bright for a starless sky. She can still see the forms of the giant undead colossus where it fell not an hour earlier, skin and bone decaying with alarming speed... Good thing they ran from that as it fell. "Hope dere ain't nah more like you out dere... Shaffuu almost broke him udder toof HAH!"

She settles back to searching the night sky, looking for any signs of her spirit drifting down to her, reminisces on all she faced, the week of travel, the imminent lack of food... the unending expanses of grassland... so few trees, so little water... such a strange place this island. Coffee, she'd never had that before Diego gave her a first taste... She had to quickly calm herself down after that first sip, wouldn't do to show her wild side... yet.

A glance back at the others, Diego... mapper, coffee maker. Thorric... good with a pick, but not much else. Alisdair... the coward of the group, which says somethin' with her there... never fought once in her life, and this guy can use that spear like some soldier. Shaffuu... shame he lost his eye, he weren't bad lookin before that.

A sudden startling motion and she jerks awake, Shaffuu standing over her. "Time to wake noble one."

Sheik'Tah sighs... "My turn for watch den? Aight.... I hate dis island..." She stumbles over to the fire to warm herself... a glance back to Shaffuu as he settles to sleep. Didn't he lose an eye? And why does Thorric still have his beard? She takes a small amount of her herbal remedy and packs her pipe. Running low on this stuff, considerin' how long we'll be here. Gon' have to ration it some…

### Chapter 3

Sheik'Tah reclines in the shade of the great tree... two weeks it took to find a decent place to relax by. Her gaze falls across the edge of the forest, watching the menfolk at work while she relaxes with a nice coconut for a moment. Doesn't hurt there a little 'lime' in the coconut.

The echoes of bats calling in the twighlight sky ring through the camp, setting her on edge... "Ya fuckas can get da hell away tho! Ya ain't welcome 'ere!..." As if in response, one swoops through the camp, making Sheik'Tah scramble for cover. "Fuck ya too mon!" She sighs, returning to her not-so-relaxing position.

"Bats da size a me... Dragonflies dat are bigga!... Monkey tings wid too many arm... Slugs as big a a house!... Dis island... It ain't right mon... I gats to be findin' out what make erryting grow 'ere... nathin' is small like it shad be... even dem spidas..." She throws a pebble at one of the corpses, and its leg twitches in response, long as her arm. "Gwarkk.... I hatin' dis place."

"It will get better Sheik'Tah, soon enough, one of them will arrive. Then, you will be able to change things for the better. Use your strengths wisely, my Daughter." Sheik'Tah jumps at the sudden appearance of her Fatha, wandering out from behind a tree to sit beside her, gazing off into the forests, "It won't be long, little one."

"Fatha? But... ya soundin'... weird mon. Why ya talkin' like some fancy hooman type eh?" She offers him her coconut, which he politely refuses.

"Funny thing, Daughter... There are no accents in death, and I am so very close..." He reaches out a hand to take hers, and it floats gently through, "I will be leaving this world before the end of the week, my Daughter. The Loa have chosen, a hawk is on it's way to you now. I know not which."

"Well fuck mon... Ya sound like ya aright wid dyin' tho... considerin'... " She pauses, trying to sum up her feelings, "Why ya gatta die Fatha? I be out 'ere in arse-fuck Loa knows where... I canna tend ta ma people... I can only help... dem..." Sheik'Tah gestures to the still recovering forms of Alisdair and Diego, the exhausted form of Shaffuu, and Thorric... who worked for two, two days straight.

"Every tribe starts with a small amount Sheik'Tah. Yours may not be Grippli, but they are the people you must care for, the people you must protect, help... and, apparently, prevent from rolling in their own defecations..." He glances at the notable scarring caused by septic rot-funk. "Unless the weather here is more humid than back home, in which cast find some Nasturtiums dear, they will cure the infections if you make a tea."

"N'sturt'ums.. aight Fatha, I keep dat in mind..." about to say more, she suddenly realises there is nothing to say, no words sum up her feelings, nothing seems... enough...

Her Fatha smiles down at his little girl, "I love you too, Sheik'Tah. Now, I have to go, your mother wants to speak to you, one last time, so expect her to contact you in the next few days, while I have the strength." With that he fades without moving, simply becoming more transparent until nothing remains.

"I love you, Fatha...." Sheik'Tah murmurs, rolling over in her sleep, her stomach still growling from the lack of food, and surplus of 'herbs'

Faintly, in the distance, carried across oceans on the wind... a cry of an eagle can be heard, singular and powerful... yet so very distant.

### Chapter 4

Sheik'Tah slept peacefully for the first time in near a month. Her stomach full on the recently slaughtered livestock, her 'tribe' fit and well, all sleeping soundly within their little safe cove.

\*RUMBLE\*

Sheik'Tah sits bolt upright, looking towards the south. A giant plume of smoke and ash rising from the distant mountaintop, the sky alight with the flickering red flames of magma being launched into the skies...

"Well, dat ain't good mon." She looks around the camp, nobody else has stirred. "Y'all gat no sense a urgency... can't ya feel dat? Sometin' wrong. Nat jus' we gat a Volcano on dis island.... Sometin' else mon..."

She gazes out towards the volcano plumes filling the skies, the smoke and ash twisting and turning, forming into a face of sorts. Dark, ominous, foreboding.

\*DRUMS\*

The steady rhythmic beating of drums fills the air, chanting echoes on the breeze between the ash, Sheik'Tah steps out of the camp to get a better view, climbing to the top of a small hillock. The drums are all around her now, the chanting wordless, discordant and... voiceless? The Island itself is singing to the beat, crying out with the violent eruption of the volcano.

\*Screech\*

Faint, almost unheard in the echoing cacophony. A single, pained call of a hawk. The face in the clouds forms fully, clearly recognisable now as Steve, but that cry... She sees it, a small speck, growing quickly, heading for her.

"No mon... I nevah like ya, but no.... Ya can't be...." Tears begin to well in her eyes and Sheik'Tah runs down the hillside to the impact site, down into the crater, past the flames, the burning soil. Past the charred feathers, to the center. To the corpse. Blackened by flame, twisted into a grotesque death-pose, mid-flight yet trying to avoid the fireball that consumed it.

"Steve, why mon? Why ya gat ta go an' die..." Tears flowing freely from her eyes now, Sheik'Tah looks to the Volcano, the face already dissipating, returning to normal ash clouds and smoke. A ball of flame is launched high, arcs through the air towards her, she runs out the crater as the impact hits, a being collects itself from the flames and approaches as she scrambles for safety.

"ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟᴏᴀ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ sᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇʀᴇ." The entity rumbles through flame and ash. "ɢɪᴠᴇ ɪɴ sʜᴇɪᴋ'ᴛᴀʜ. ᴄᴇᴀsᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴇᴛᴛʏ sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇs. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪɴ. ᴅᴏɴᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ɪᴛ ᴀs ᴅʏɪɴɢ. ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ɪᴛ ᴀs... ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜsʜ."

Sheik'Tah continued to back towards the camp, but paused briefly... "What tha' F-"

She snaps awake, the volcano dying down in the distance, a few days since it erupted. More travels ahead of them, but this time... at least, they have food.

### Chapter 5

I fuckin' hate this Island mon. This has to have been da wors' week a' ma life!

We finally found sometin' ta eat, fields a' rice, far as da eye can see. Not far fa' me tho'... D'ese fool guys dun loaf around while I doin' all a da' damn'd harvestin' too! Da storms been forcin' me inta Sheffuu's bag, dey keep increasin' in force, errytime. But wors' af all... Wors' dan all a dat...

I been... Stone. Cold. Sober.

A whole week! Dis is drivin' me mad, mon! I tried ta smoke mo', nottin'... I even tried some a' da watered down stuff I give ta da guys in combat ta keep em feisty while I were makin' a new batch... Dat shit shoulda' been strong enough ta put down Sheffuu, nottin'.

I nevah gon' smoke dat cursed rice eva' again!

I t'ink I manage ta hide it from da guys, unlike Alasdair. Dat man be serias messed up! He t'inkin' we don't know, an'... maybe da otha guys don't, but he been... strokin' t'ings, plants and shit. Not like I do, nah nah nah.... He been caressin' em, and erry so often, he gets all shuddery like. I'm hopin' he ain't caught nuttin', but I'm t'inking I know where he got it if he did.

I'm gan' need ta talk to da man, but fa' now it no matta' he can do his t'ing so long as it what I'm t'inking it is. Soon as he touch anyt'ing dat not growin' from da' ground tho', I'm outta dere. I be too close to da' frogs ta be riskin' my ass round one o' dem folks.

Gon' have words wi'd dat Westan guy if ma suspicians are right. We took dat man down ta da forests, he did that druidic mojo on Alasdair ta fix him up... and now, we gats a fledglin' druid discoverin'... well, nat himself, that fa shar.

We did spend some time wid dem folk from de otha trade camp, dropped 'em off some food ta' keep em alive. Maybe I shouldda talk ta Westan den, but I wanted to be out soon as we ca'd. Diego an Alasdair gat sometin' agains' Clayde. Dey wanted ta' fallaw 'im out inta da forest when he disappear in da night. I went in dere stead. Good t'ing too, Alasdair were busy wid a coconut, I gave 'im a minute den let 'im know he weren' bein' sneaky. Damn fool fell off inta da sea, but I don' have time fa' his shit then, had ta fallo' Clayde.

He went out to da woods, stood on a li'l hill t'ing, an' call out like a cat t'ing. I saw otha's join 'im, run from 'im, I ain' sure mon. I t'inkin' he gat somet'ing ta do wi'd de otha side getting run down by da cats, maybe he did it, maybe he didn'... For now, all I know is he in touch wi'd da Loa. Dat man can take a faurm half 'tween da men and da Loa o' Cats. He look'd feral, coated in more fur than Sheffuu has scales. Walked on two leg. I ain' 'fraid to say it mon, I won' forget dat sight. I gann' smoke myself inta a coma, an still, I see dat faurm.

I told da othas, I t'ink dey t'ink he a druid, I know he ain'... He sometin' closa to da Loas... Maybe he one o' dem Lycan t'ings like Diego t'ink, maybe he somet'in'... else. I have ta pray dat ma bird arrive soon, I need da guidance o' da Loa on dis one. Glad Steve didn' make it mon, if da last visian were anytin' ta go by, dat bird were a fuckin' cunt.

But I suppose dis week ain't been all bad. We have rice thanks ta me an' Diego.

Nevah. Evah. Gon' try smokin' dat shit again do'....

### Chapter 6

Blood. So much blood, too much blood.

Think. Remember. Pause, breath.

Stop the bleeding. Easy, hallucinogenic buildup of oils causes clotting. Touch wounds. Step one done.

Injuries. Extensive, internal and external. Appears to contain sausages. False, intestines. Normal, but ruptured. Fix. Hard, need materials, need proper instruments, need magic. Unavailable, Improvise. Cloth, pull strands free, sutures. Needle, none... improvise. Wooden hut, look, find splinter. Infection warning, heat on flame, cauterize. Sew thread through intestinal sausages. Step two done.

Infection. Fever apparent, requires cooling. Cloth, water. Need water, send... no, can conjure. Create in bowl. Apply cold damp rag to head, wait.

Injuries. External, multiple lacerations, bleeding has resumed. Apply hallucinogenic oils. Clotting. Permanent solution required, bandages. Cloth, running low, need to reserve some. Create poultice with remaining cannabis supply, almost out. Apply to wounds. Bleeding stopped, clotting. Good.

Refresh damp rag to continue fever treatment.

Pause, breath. Assess. Shallow breathing, raspy. Additional damage, must locate. Enter open chest cavity, must fix. Search chest cavity. Lung punctured. Critical injury. Think. Think. Blood. Lung filling, air escaping. Repair damage, drain lung. Difficult.

Simplify. Step one, stop the bleeding. Step two, drain the lung. Step three, reseal the lung.

Hallucinogenic oils would provide temporary measure, need permanent. Apply regardless. Think. Sutures, possible. Difficult. Multiple tiny tears, sutures impractical. Patient blood mostly on floor, on bed, on me... low remaining amount, critical. Must increase clotting. Herbal remedy, require specific plants. Need seaweed, send swimmer, not human.

Other ingredients, cannabis... no, poor choice, overdose possible. Grasses, yes... specific type... seen inland plenty, didn't harvest. Send human, hope successful... some regret. Prepare third ingredient, simple, woodmulch. Consider step two, drain lung. Difficult, need implements. Send dwarf for reeds by watersupply. Consider step three, simple. Sutures, request more cloth, denied. Remember second patient, remove strip of tunic.

Ingredients arrived, complete coagulent mixture. Apply. Clotting begins immediately. Good. Step two, reeds arrived. Cauterize, embed in lung, shift position, heavy. Request assistance, provided. Blood, from lung, good, on floor now, care. Remove reed, dispose.

Return patient to position, refresh fever rag. Step three, more suturing. Simple. Wounds closed, Assess. No further damage visible. Good. Close chest cavity, more sutures.

Sheik'Tah steps back wearily from her patient, blood caking her hands, forearms, and elbows. She wipes sweat from her brow, takes a drink from the water bowl, and sighs heavily. She sits down, back to the wall of the meager hut, almost ready to drift off to sleep, when a faint gurgling brings her attention back.

Dane. She stands, and goes to his side as fast as she is able. Two patients, needing near constant care...

"Dis is gon' be a long night mon..."

### Chapter 7

Sheik'Tah lay back on the ground, sleeping peacefully after climbing down from the mountains. Happier to be on the forests and lowlands, she settled in for the night.

"My dearest daughter. You seem to be faring well in this new land." A voice sounded from the darkness.

"Fatha... I... But you're..." She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"Dead, yes. But that is okay, honestly... I went out in a most wondrous fashion, I umm... won't go into details with you, but... I passed peacefully, dear child of mine." The spirit drifted down to lay beside her, gazing up into the star-lit sky, "You will meet her tomorrow, Shalabari has been guided to you by Aquila. She will help you tend to this land, these people. She will protect you from harm, and keep a watchful eye upon all that need it. But my dear, most of all... She will keep you grounded, your connection with the Loa strong, and your will shall be as steel."

"Fatha... I love ya mon, but what the fuck. I don't need no cryptic shite mon, don't let ya last words to me be somet'in' I don't unnerstand 'till it be too late... They umm... are gan' be ya last words, right?" A brief moment of panic strikes her at the thought of being haunted by her fathers ghost... so many things she couldn't.. enjoy.

"Hahaha... of course Shikky. I'm not trying to be overly obtuse, and no.. I won't be following you around forever... Truth be told, this is what being a Shaman is. You spout cryptic stuff until either you have an answer, or someone takes the riddle, and forms the answer themself. Trust your gut Shikky. Trust your friends, let yourself be guided by Aquila through Shalabari, and for the Loa sake girl... bathe!" With those being his final words, the spirit of her father fades from her side, drifting up into the heavens to join the Loa in rest eternal.

"Shikky... why he hafta use dat pet name mon? He know I hate it..." She takes a deep breath, "He right about bathing tho.. woooh! dat's bad..."

"Oh one last thing. There were two chosen this time, it seems Gal'Fon was also worthy back home, he got landed with Steve the poor bastard. So no need to fret about the tribe Shikky."

"Fath-" Sheik'Tah was jostled awake, wiping the tears from her eyes to see Sheffuu standing over her. Her turn on watch. Good thing that lizardfolk have bad eyesight, the tears weren't stopping.

### Chapter 8

A low mist hovered around her, almost completely bathing her in darkness. The air reeked of death and decay, of rot and ruin. Sheik'Tah stepped carefully through the billowing fog, watching, waiting.

Her pouch full of imbued slingstones, she cautiously followed her companions, Shalabari sweeping the skies overhead, looking out for anything that does not belong in this world, but does belong within this tainted grove. Step by step, her nervousness growed, her fear rising from the pit she buried it in long ago, when she first left home.

She could hear them out there, somewhere. Low moans, eerie creaking noises that no living creature could create. Sheffuu seemed in his element, striding confidently through the mists, eyes darting back and forth, sweeping for threats. Thorric has his eyes turned to greed, seeing the freshly dug mounds he saw only the potential for treasure, but that fueled him, gave him purpose within this horrific landscape. Alasdair meanwhile, has taken to a drug of his own devising, he has begun inhaling raw sawdust... it seems to drive him into some manner of rage, but unlike Sheffuu, he has yet to control it... perhaps never will. Regardless, this has provided him is own method of dealing with this nightmare fuel. Sheik'Tah meanwhile, was terrified.

The first of the creatures came shambling through the mists, groaning and fettid. They resembled some form of necrosed goblin, limbs barely held together by lone sinews, legs that should not hold them up, nor be capable of movement forcing them to make ungainly strides towards us. The others rushed into combat, preparing to slay the abominations, readying themselves for a long fight. Sheik'Tah panicked, launching one of her precious projectiles at the closest target, the Loa infused bullet ripped into the creature, melting yet more skin from its withered bones. Where its flesh parted, an eery yellow light billowed forth, continuing the burning and dissolving of the creature.

Sheik'Tah grew emboldened by this, her resolve to purge this land of the foulness of undead. To bring the Loas touch to all the beings on this land, and to discover why they have been missing for so long. She stepped boldly towards the second creature, readying her sling once more to dispatch another of the undead abominations.

"Ya Mon! That's tha' powa' o' da LOA!" She cried as she launched her second infused bullet at the second undead monster.

Shalabari, meanwhile... was giving her the sense of alarm, fear... and... wastefulness. Sheik'Tah may have gained purpose and animosity in combat, but she lost sight of prudence. She would pay for that, before the day is out.

### Chapter 9

Draggin' our sorry asses back inta da camp dis week, we foun' areselve' a newbie. Claim he dun swam here on da back o' some dumb plank a wood. I'm t'inkin' dis guy gon' be a good t'ing for us lot tho... He gat some link wid Sheffuu, bein' one o' dose Lizardfolk, he gat some sway wid me, claimin' he brung here by sum visians, seekin' him god mortal form. Some snake do', don' know much bout nah snake gods. He cova'd in feathas, so I'm t'inkin' we gan get along right good mon. Da otha two, Alasdair an' T'orric, dey don' seem dat interested in 'im. Time will tell if'n him a good t'ing, but he seem aight.

We took da new guy sout' ta clear out dem fire worm t'ing... nat like I wanna go do dat... but Sheffuu likely gonna kill Clayde if'n I don' let 'im see sum fightin' erry so offen... Feel like all da critta's be comin' out da woodwork, 'cos o' Alasdair. I'm repressin' da memory o' da sounds I heard dat night, and nobody can stap meh!

I hate havin' such a cleah memory a' t'ings... feelin' da reality instead of da sway o' da land, da feelin's o' all a errytin' connectin... but I have nah choice... because ma damn Bird TOok ALL A' MY DRUGS!

Shalabari! Ya hearin' me? Ya feelin' my rising rage? YA GON PAY FA' DIS. When I Get dem back, and naht jus' the li'l bits ya gimme to make ma magics... I gan dose ya up so hard man ya won' be flying nowhere fo' a week!

And ya betta keep givin' me dat lil' taste ta keep da edge off... else I'm ganna let Sheffu do what him want mon, Gon have arselve som Hawk curry!

\*Sheik'Tah starts scratching at an itchy area on the back of her neck, beneath her dreadlocks, where she subtly injected herself with one of the darts sheila let her make.\*

Gat ta get me some o' da pure stuff... An soon.

### Chapter 10

Da firs' o' ma flock has fallen.

I shouldant feel dis way, but I'm glad it were Alasdair. Dat man were wrong... he finally showed one t'ing o' wort' though... Now I have a new mission. Acquire new magics ta betta' fend off da ills and ails o' dis island.

We have near all o' da Stone we need, sure'n Thorric gan claim we need more... but only so much we needin' right now. Da Island is gettin' nastier, further we go from our li'l landin' spot, worse shit come out at night, and durin' the day! Giant Dragonflies, Undead on Fire... Elementals... Dis Island is real hell mon.

It has claimed one of us.

If we don't get our act togetha, it gona claim more dan dat.

### Chapter 11

Work finally startin' on da docks. Thorric' stone bein' put ta use, buildin' up erryting, dredging da shore or sometin' i dunno.

We gats some new replacement for Alasdair, some fucked up man who claim he a lord o' Hedgehogs or summat...

None o' dat I give a shit about tho'.

WE.

FOUND.

CANNABIS.

Fields and fields o' da stuff! It stretch out as far as I can see, growin' wild an' free! I nevah heard o' so much in one place evah, It just keep on goin'!

I admit, I did more dan refill my supply da moment I saw it mon. I damn near smoked enough o' dat shit that Sheffuu and Thorric got high jus' from bein' near me!

Ahhh I'm finally feelin' myself again, da budgy gave me back ma supply, all good now mon. Just gotta proppa harvest some o' dis... An' I'm sure da othas want me ta get them some too, Ha HAAA... maybe not for recreation tho'... I heard 'em whisperin' about cloth and rope...

What a waste that'd be heh.

I'mma make dem rope an' shit out o' what left afta i dun smokin'... Dat seem like a good t'ing.

### Chapter 12

We wanda'd 'round da mountains dis week, Thorric foun' a LOT o' ores mon... nuttin' useful right now tho', he seem to be happier dan a tadpole havin' him first puff o' da good stuff tho'.

We gats Mit'ril, gon' be good for da armour and shit later on, but no use right now...

We gats Marble, can make some nice shrines and maybe a lil' temple outta dat, tho' i'm t'inkin' dat da Loa prefer stuff lookin' old, like the big statues back 'ome. Maybe I can weather tha thing once he make it for me... Gon have ta t'ink on dat one...

Belban managed to keep him mout' shut dese past few days, no more o' his "The Night is a Dream" nonsense, which is good... would have ta give him an earful. Da Owl spirits are not pleased with bein' considered a dream, I sure o' dat...

Most interestin' find, we gats ourselv' som' more o' da rune shit... maybe get me anot'er piece for dat puzzle, maybe I can give Sheffuu a hand wit' it too, he seem ta be starin' at 'em like dey gonna jump out an bite him or sommat...

Last t'ing we found o' intrest... Some Goblin writin' bout some journey, or artifact or sommin'... I can't recall, it were kinda borin' an' vague. Seem there be two Goblin tribe on dis Island of Rovagug tho'. Might be we findin' ourselv' some allies here... Might be we findin' ourselv' between two hostile tribes too...

Mon... I'm so glad to 'ave me weed back... Da budgy actin' like a friend now, helpin' me wit' shit, not stealin' ma weed! Might start callin' her by her name, if she keep dis up…

### Chapter 13

ea, tho' I walkin' through the flame in dis valley o' death, I will fear not dis island;
'Cos ya be wid me; ya featha' and ya wing dey comfor' me.
Ya preparein' a table before me in de presence of da hostile crittas;
Ya blessin' me wid da 'erb; ma pack runnin' over.
Ya blessin' us wid da Iyan; T'orric pick swingin' endlessly.
We gats what we need ta survive on dis island;
Blessed be da Loa, and in ya name I will build ya a shrine.

Sheik'Tah rises from where she was meditating, Shalabari stood before her, head bowed. Dark shadows dance on the edge of her vision blurring back towards her as she rises to her feet.

She can hear the sounds of the others, Thorric swinging his pick, singing some dwarven mining tune apparently involving a "shovel and a pick, and a great big dick" the rest of the words seemingly nonsensical to her. Sheffuu and Belban sparring, or some such physical training which involves Belban being repeatedly thrown on the ground, yet the man stubbornly gets up every time and rushes the lizard. Sheik'Tahs shadows return to her, infused with the glimmers of knowledge, the secrets of druidism are hard to glimmer without a true connection to the land, and this land is one of fire, flame and death, a connection she is unwilling to make. She will however connect to the consequences of those elements, for where there is fire, there is smoke. Where there is smoke, there is shadow and obscurity, and it is with that shadow of the land that she can connect.

Smoke of the land, smoke of her pipe, through imbibing her 'erb and communing with Shalabari she can tap into the magics Alasdair showed before his untimely death. The after-effects however, seem to be especially hard on Shalabari, it seems a bird is not supposed to get high.

Her thoughts stray thinking of Alasdair, the poor wretch of a man he was, even for one so foul the withering death he suffered haunts her still. No more of her flock should suffer. She could do nothing for Slynt, consumed by the island... his offence unknowable, his judgement swift. She could tend to Belban, the man being unable to endure the heat of the high sun when it beats down from a cloudless sky. She didn't... She fears that her inaction, her unwillingness to part with her limited magics just to give the man some comfort will be looked upon unfavourably, the Loa are caretakers, spiritual watchers. They tend their flocks as she tends hers. Her actions an extension of the Loa, the Loas a guiding hand upon her.

Recompense must be made, to Belban and the Loa both... She will build them a shrine, teach all who will listen of the Loa. As for Belban... for that, she does not know.

### Chapter 14

It's been weeks since Sheik'Tahs last true meditation. Enough to re-invigorate her spirit, prepare her for the day ahead... no more.

The vision of the Darkin Loa haunts her. She has not yet summed up the courage to tell the others, that this island is not just a stretch of land with myriad creatures of death. This island is the playground of the gods, a Darkin Loa, a being of fire and flame, of death and decay, an ancient one who seeks not prosperity, but purgatory.

She sees him, her... IT, every time she meditates. Prowling the edges of her consciousness, waiting for her to let down her defenses, waiting for her to give herself over to IT. To become ITs servant.

She must be strong, she must endure this torture, but she must meditate... and to do so, she must open her mind to the Loa and commune. She must talk with the Darkin Loa. This entity that was so powerful, burned so bright in her mind that she truly communed. Her first true communication with the Loa, and it was Darkin.

She ceased the swirling shadows that isolate her from the others while she meditates, and looked out over the beach. Hadley, in her new clothes, Wyat, shirtless and sweaty, Gage and Dane, working on the new docks. Progress is coming along nicely, supplies are ebbing and flowing, the ramshackle huts no longer the only objects breaking the soil of this harbour.

Sheik'Tah just wished that all of this island was so easy…

### Chapter 15

Dat Loa damned lizard an' him constant need ta be fightin' eryting!

I relented to him, I let him go an' kill dem monkey him been moanin' about far weeks. We trekkin' trough da slug lands, and Diego almost got him self stuck in some slime dey leavin' behind. We arrive at da monkeys, Sheffuu does him t'ing, dey all die... so much blood...

Den she came. Some Orc woman who been livin' on dis islan'. I noticed da mark on da corpse o' her brodda, Bahgtru, dem Orc t'inkin' he some valorous supa Orc, some kind a' god dat walk among em. Battle an' rightin' wrongs all him care about, but he don't care who get hurt in da process...

Our brave idiot gone accept her challenge of single combat. He gats him self messed right up. Den, he go an be true to him stupid word and show her where we live. A Loa damned Orc who care only far battle...

How did him not t'ink she be a pirate? Why were it a surprise to him, and some o' da otha's when we return and find em on usm docks...

I did da best I could wid da little time I had, gats to protect dese idiots, even from dem self some times... So now, we gats pirates interested in us, but not takin' us ova... I'm t'inkin' dat T'orric might be da only one o' dese bunch who gats some brains in him. Diego hidin' da pirate symbol, Sheffuu fightin' erytin' dat move, even when dey ain' tryin' ta kill us, and Belban...

She glances over to Belban, who is currently part way through his magnificent rendition of events ala rock puppets.

Somet'in' gats shook loose from dat man a long time ago, Loa knows ifn dat can be fixed...

She glances to the docks, quiet in the dusk hours, the work crews heading into the sheltered buildings they managed to construct on the beach.

I ain't lettin' no damn pirates take what we buildin' 'ere. Even if I have ta turn ta dat Darkin Loa…

### Chapter 16

Ancestas fargive me... I have taken da gifts of a Darkin Loa...

Shelabari were finally willin' to part wid da new magics i sought... but da Loa intervened, he spoke of anoda, Gemini... who be trapped in da mountain 'ere abouts some. He sayin' dat till I speakin' his name, He will be blockin' Aquilla from helpin' meh. So I gave in.

"Leo" I said, as him turnin' ta leave. He turned, an' I could see da pride o' a lion swellin' within him. His great toothy maw partin' jus' enough ta make me think him tryin' 'a smile.

"Very well, you will have the magics you seek, little one. Free Gemini" and wid dat him were gone.

I felt da new magics in ma mind, I felt da ways ta heal and mend expand. Not magics I were expectin' ta get from a Darkin Loa, dat for sure. I'm still not sure dat I didn't get it from Sheila, but until I know... I have ta assume it be from da Darkin one.

Ancestas fargive me... I have taken da gifts of a Darkin Loa... Leo.

### Chapter 17

Aquilla has forsaken me...

Belban is dead. Sheffuu is dead. Shelabari is dead.

When I needed their gifts the most, the healing ways of Aquilla let me down. I'm responsible for all the ills that have befallen our small community on this day, they relied upon me to keep them standing against all odds... They relied upon me to restore their will to fight when it falters...

I was insufficient to my task on this day, as many others, but no more.

"Yea, tho' I grieving in this time o' death, I will fear not dis island;
'Cos ya be wid me; ya tooth and ya claw dey empower me.
Ya preparein' a table before me in da presence of my failures;
Ya cursin' me wid da 'flies; da blood runnin' all over.
Ya blessin' us wid da tenacity; Ma rage boilin' endlessly.
I beseech ya for da strength ta survive dis island;
Blessed be Leo, and in ya name I will bring the light of flame."

Sheik'Tah rises from her meditative trance, looks into the swirling shadows at the face of Leo, smiling back at her.

"I will follow ya ways Leo, I will be ya servant on dis island. I beseech ya, gift me ya strength, and I will prove ya might."

The ancient Loa chuckles, a deep bassy laugh and a high pitched cackle all at once... "So be it little one..."

### Chapter 18

We... no... I summoned da East Anchor lot wid da token. Westan be tellin' me dat dey gonn' take like two month ta get 'ere, we only had 2 month an a couple week afore da end o' da deadline. I panick, I break da t'ing...

Kinda glad I did, but not like dat... We got into a big argument about da East Anchor lot, and about da Zephyrclaw Raidas....

Sheffuu bein' all mute and surly, him not wantin' ta talk since him got alisdair unholy egg shoved unceremoniously up him bunghole and dumped in da drinkin' watah... Note to self: Purify da fuck out o' dat pond a few times...

Diego... Diego seem ta be interested only in da profits. Him I'm t'inkin' be willin' ta deal wid anyone so long as him get da most coin at da end o' da day. Maybe him not even t'inkin' beyond dat. Profit day by day, loss year by year... Gonn' hav' ta keep ma eye on dat one...

Magnon, new fellah arrivin' wid da bloated corpse o' him "buddy" while we were crematin' Belban. Him, like Ivar, is one o' da Zephyrclaw raidas... but I'm t'inkin' bot' o' dem arright wid switchin' side to da East Anchor, since dem bot' t'inkin' dey dead men far not doin' them duty an' shit.

T'orric... T'orric, T'orric, T'orric... Da man be stubborn as an ox, and wise as a slug at times... Him t'inkin' only about what be "right" and "good" and "honest"... fine t'ings ta t'ink about when ya back on da mainland, farmin' on a FARM, minin' in a MINE... but we don't have dem luxury... We been livin' on rice an' magic for near on a year by da time dem East Anchor arrive. We been scroungin' our goods from what lie on da surface, what we find in da grasslands, and what we can fell from da jungle. We need ta get propah establish afore we t'inkin' o' bein' all high an' mighty...

I'm worried dat T'orric gonn' do somet'in' stupid, like confrontin' da Zephyrclaws when next dey turn up, or informin' da East Anchors afore we got regular shipments comin'.

We've lost good men... on dis island, we've nearly starved ta death, we've been hounded by da weathah, by da crittahs and beasts. I've turned from da light to da dark, just to I can keep ma powahs and to keep these men alive. I've given all I am... to HIM ...

What scare me da most right now. One Dwarf who t'inkin' about doin' da right t'ing...

What has dis island done to me... what hav' I become…

### Chapter 19

And now, dat brave, bold, stubborn Dwarf be dead.

T'orric, ya deserve a bettah fate dan bein' eaten by dem spidahs, we gon do ya spirit well mon. We'll build a hall o' ancestahs in ya memory. We gonna pay homage as it due, wid canca blessin' ya remains.

Dis Island was angry wid us, we reached da iron, but den erryting dat could go wrong did. I'm not sure if it were Leos anger, Canca callin him champion to him, Gemini writhing in dem capture, or othas...

Maybe...

Maybe dis be Aquillas wrath, for me turnin' ma back on her ways.

If dat be true, den maybe... maybe I should nevah have held her ways, if she bein' like dis, claimin' a noble dwarf who did nottin' wrong, just to get at me... den she be worse dan any Darkin Loa...