Our ragtag group of adventurers board the UIS Garrloch after taking the drop from the floating isles. Some of them there because they have to be for their job, some are there to escape or find fortune, and some of them are even there just for the thrills. Whatever their reason is, they all gathered on the deck for the departure before being quickly shepherded inside by the bark of Captain Conway over the intercom. Their voyage takes them right underneath the Ring of Thunder, and we get to see for the first time how our adventurers (we’ll call them the Boat Party from here on out) react to crisis as thunder strikes set fire to the ship that is followed by a damn big wave. Some fight the fire, some try to save others from drowning, and some clutch to the lapels of the Captain while screaming like a baby.

We won’t be pointing fingers here.

The Boat Party survived, for better or for worse, and were greeted with blue skies and endless ocean which, after spending their entire life surrounded by dark clouds, was rather breathtaking. While some were busy patching up the ship and/or others, a small group took a tour in our lovely, if noisy, VTOL. From the skies they saw land, which made everybody very excited because after a while nothing but water can get rather tedious. The UIS Garrloch made haste for the island and the Boat Party went ashore to explore, or rather, to camp out, throw a shore party, and get drunk. It was all going very well until a noise was heard from the bushes and some idiot decided that they should go check it out.

Again, we won’t say that the idiot was Constance, but if we did we would have to mention that Luna was also totally onboard and is totally to blame for what happened next.

The Shore Party (aka the group formerly known as the Boat Party), found that the source of the noise was a man from the boat, or more specifically the screams of a man from their boat as he was getting dragged away into a dark cave by something big and shadowy. Somebody decided to be a hero and lead the others into the cave to go rescue the man, only to lead the Shore Party straight into the lair of a big old mean pseudo-sabretooth tiger. The Shore Party, being respectful of nature, tried to kill that beast because it was totally going to eat them, but if not for a well-timed intervention by Captain Conway and crew and a load of gunfire then they would’ve ended up being catfood. Conway and some of the Shore Party, namely Eddy, ventured further into the cave, leaving behind some people, namely Luna, to care for the wounded, namely Constance.

Again, we aren’t pointing fingers, but Eddy totally left behind a wounded lady, and I’m most certainly not trying to intentionally paint him in a poor light for doing so.

Anyway, the uncouth jerks who just left the injured behind (to be cared for by a highly qualified nurse) discovered a bizarre cube in the cave that, when pressed, projected a map of places unknown. The Shore Party went back to the boat and, the next day, regrouped to talk.

And that’s all I have to say about that.