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Along with all their chosen equipment, the party makes final preparations. Tents, rations, plenty of bandages, good shoes, some firewood- there are tales of the trees on the island not taking too kindly to being used for campfires...
Your party arranges itself into smaller groups to cross the lake- the Brombles taking a boat for their own heavy bodies, and a good mix of stronger party members to help row dived up among the boats. All of the original members of the Crusaders, along with some new faces, finally set off and begin the final leg of their journey. During the peaceful boat trip, you go back over what you have learned and remember- and the Sages regale you with some tales.
Once, the <span class="mu-i">King of the Woad</span> ruled the land as a great Elf-King. One day, his rule ended, and the Island where his palace and fortress lay, within a sacred and secret grove, was abandoned. The great wizard <span class="mu-s">Arabamnon</span> had a vision and revealed the location of his crown, the Star Crown, and the object of your quest. Along with this, he gave you two clues. The first was that you would need a <span class="mu-i">blessing from an ancient Elk-Spirit</span> in order to find the grove, and the hall of the King himself was somehow magically barred so <span class="mu-i">only those who were invited can enter</span>.
While it is obvious then that the Island of the Pines has a great Elk-Spirit living on it. A powerful nature spirit that would probably best be approached by an Elf or a being of pure heart to receive a blessing. However, being “invited” to the great hall sounds a little more difficult, given the fact the King is <span class="mu-i">dead</span>. This would seem to make your quest impossible; but your Sages begin talking and debating over the meaning of this magic. Considering the great Elf-King probably didn't personally invite every single person into his hall himself; then it stands to reason there must be some sort of status or way to become a welcomed or honor guest. You will need to scour the island to accomplish both of these tasks before you can reach the Hall and finally claim the Star-Crown for yourselves!
The water is a little choppy. You hear your small dingy hit something beneath the waves- a rock? That would be bad if there were hidden things under the water in this lake- especially considering you're only halfway across to the island!
