Nemrtvá Želva

**Nemrtvá Želva**, meaning "Undead Turtle," was once a living turtle upon which a particular group of adventurers set up their home sometime in the early 400s A.C. At some point between then and its rediscovery by the party during Campaign Two, the turtle had died and became undead. It swam in a circle in the middle of the ocean, though its exact location in the world is unknown.

## Appearance

The island was actually formed on the back of a giant sea turtle. The shores of the island were sand, becoming soil further inland. On the left side of the shell was a shelf of stone. Near the turtle's tail was a permanent teleportation circle within a ring of stones. A stone path led to what was once a well-kept maze of bushes, long since overgrown and gone wild. A stable near the path by the entrance to the bushes existed as well, rotted by time. In the center of the bushes was a tower, about eighty feet in height.

If the turtle was to dive beneath the surface of the water, a protective shield would form around its shell, keeping the occupants of the island alive and well under the water. There was also an enchantment that ensured it was always daytime on the island, which was broken by Lysaro at the request of the party.

The tower, while under the effect of the Nightmare, existed in a multi-dimensional place. The stairway was torn and stretched, revealing a foreign sunset and a horizon filled with coral. Without the Nightmare's influence, the stairwell is a basic stairwell, but does not have stairs. Instead, a platform appears that can be controlled by the rider, acting as a sort of elevator. Each of the floors of the tower consisted of a large bedroom with an attached bathroom. The rooms were enchanted to allow the occupant to control the light level of the room.

## Former Occupants

### Estalar

**Estalar** was a ranger, initially set on his path of adventuring when his sister was killed by a local warlord. He set out for revenge, eventually achieving his revenge when he slayed the warlord in question. He kept the armor and set it up in his quarters on the island. Estalar was the one who initially formed the party.

When Atalamy summoned the demonic creature, Estalar alongside Kukey attempted to hold it back while Alok closed the doors behind them. He presumably perished in this fight.

### Dak

**Dak** was a human rogue who was originally hired by Estalar on his quest for revenge. Over time, they became friends with Estalar and Piren, who was also hired by Estalar. Their primary motivation was for the wealth gained through adventuring. They collected the journals of fallen adventurers that they found, annotating them with explanations about the things the fallen adventurers were investigating upon death. They also had many letters, mostly from their sister Antara, that they kept stored in their desk.

Dak survived the initial combat with the creature summoned by Atalamy. However, lacking magic and so any egress from the island, they feared that they would either starve to death or lose their sanity. Refusing to succumb to either fate, they instead opted to end their own life, hidden away in one of the mirror rooms on the ground floor of the tower.

### Piren

**Piren** was an elven bard, originally hired be Estalar on his quest for revenge. He sought the fame and glory of combat. He was apparently popular, having a large number of companions that he would spend the night with, enough so that he kept a record of his activities and rating them in a book. He had a sapphire necklace in his desk.

Piren was not present when Atalamy summoned the creature, and so presumably was the only one to have survived that day. When he returned to the island, he found the chaos and the corpses, and chose to abandon the island. He eventually sold the property to the merchant of the silver bells as payment for some other item.

### Alok

**Alok** was a warforged druid Estalar, Dek, and Piren found in a forgotten temple. Their exact model is unknown, as they appeared to have been created by a different group of sky elves than the ones who built Teer. They were eventually convinced to travel with them. After some time, Alok and Kukay became romantically involved. Upon building the tower on the island, Alok cultivated a type of shrub called a topiary [word], designed to keep people from reaching the tower. It continued to work long after their death, though it had become overgrown and somewhat wild.

When Estalar and Kukay entered the room to fight the thing summoned by Atalamay, Alok was charged with closing the door and ensuring it stay closed. They heard their screams and then their silence, and was barely able to keep themself from entering the room to aid them, helpless though it was. In a desperate act, they used a version of Plant Growth to use his own roots to brace the door shut. Something in the room eventually pierced through the door, directly into Alok's core, killing them.

### Kukay

**Kukay** was a monk the group encountered who was seeking to better himself. He was a skilled artist, making many charcoal sketches of his companions. He and Alok eventually became romantically involved, evidenced by the large number of drawings he made of the warforged. Among his belongings was a simple silver ring.

Kukay attempted alongside Estalar to fight the creatured summoned by Atalamy. He was sealed behind the door with the creature, presumably meeting his end against the creature.

### Atalamay

**Atalamy** was a wizard that joined the party. despite being an accomplished arcanist, he felt incredible feelings of inadequacy concerning his own magical power, and was seeking to rectify that. Unlike the others of their party, he moved his living quarters to below the tower. It is assumed that it was he who summoned the creature that ultimately claimed the lives of most of the party, and that he the first victim.