The thunder comes suddenly to the voyager’s boat, clouds swarming the sky and rain pouring down within minutes. Even the clearest of days is cursed with thunderclouds and rough seas. Turning back from this point does no good. The waters splash over the railings and rock the boat until it begins to break down, destroying the boat from just the power of nature.
The closest island is a long land, practically enveloped by frequent strikes of thunder. The rough waters push the voyagers towards it, as if beckoning them to go. Once washed up on the shores of the Sealed Grounds, they will find flat, rolling plains enveloped in an eternal thunderstorm. Rain pours down on the voyagers, thunder breaking through the noise every other moment. It is a miracle that the lightning only strikes directly on two lone, sturdy trees on the island, though electricity still lingers in the air like a plague.
In the center of the island is a small opening. The opening to a cave.
The storm will never cease as the island is. Any rescue boats the guild sends will only become trapped on the island as well.
> Stick it out
> Head to the cave
The cave is long, dark, leaving the voyagers with a restless feeling. While the cave does give them shelter from the storm, it does not ever seem safe. It feels like the shadows are watching them from every corner. Every stretch of darkness feels as if eyes are peering out from beneath. Every silence seems to be filled with unidentifiable whispers. Nobody is inside aside from the two voyagers, and yet it feels like a crowd has become their audience.
Still, there is not much to do. The thunderstorm won’t cease, and the only place to explore is this cave. They can descend down...down until they cannot even feel the lightning aside from insignificant tremors in the walls. Down until the darkness all but consumes them. Flashlights do not shine on anything, like they don’t work at all. Touch becomes the only way to navigate. Touches on the walls, and touches on the companion to make sure they haven’t gotten separated.
The darkness swallows them whole.
Until there is light.
A red light, shining out from a small pedestal of stone at the end of the cave. It is a stone pendant, a bright red stone hanging from a long, silver chain. The light from the pendant is the only thing that pierces the darkness and lights the way.
However, if a voyager makes skin contact with the red stone, they will suddenly collapse. The voyager will feel as if they are sucked away, drifting to a faraway place, losing control of their body. And then, they will feel nothing but a floating sensation, as if drifting in limbo. They can hear words, but not piece them together in a sentence, only knowing the feelings behind them. They can feel temperatures and pain, but can’t feel where the pain is or even attempt to warm or cool themselves down.
That is the effect of one’s soul leaving their body, to be stored inside of the stone. And when the voyager’s soul goes into the stone, another soul leaves it to enter their body. The stone will turn from red to a calm blue, and when the voyager’s body opens their eyes, their eyes will be a deep crimson.
Their body has been stripped of the soul and replaced by one of a malevolent wizard. This wizard had sought to extend their own life by binding their soul to a pendant, and using it to take over bodies that suited their purposes. Unfortunately, he had been found out before he was able to fulfill this plan, and his pendant was cast out into the sea. Thankfully, he was able to use magic to manipulate certain events, ending up on this island rather than sunken to the bottom of the ocean.
And he has now taken over the body of one of the voyagers.
Fortunately, his powers are unaccustomed to their new vessel. He is a very cunning man, using bribes to persuade the other voyager to forget about their companion. He does have some control over shadows, and will use them to his advantage.
The wizard can be put back in the pendant by touching the blue pendant directly to the skin of the voyager’s body. Unfortunately, the wizard will not make it easy. And while the wizard is adverse to let anything bad happen to the pendant - as it is their way to possess a new vessel years later - they may feel pressed to destroy the pendant if pushed.
And if the pendant is destroyed, the soul inside will forever perish. Be careful if the pendant is blue. Any cracks or damage to the pendant will inflict pain on the soul inside.
Thankfully, the wizard and the remaining voyager have all the time to get this sorted out. While the thunderstorm has ceased since the wizard’s soul was unleashed, there is no boat to leave on. Waiting for a rescue team or a miracle is the only option. So get to saving that soul.
