The cry of Land Ho was enough to bring everyone up on deck. Ahead of them was a large land mass that tall mountains could be seen rising above the mist that seemed to surrounded he place. "Steady as she goes." Ellyah called out from the command deck. "Depth sounding." he called out and a man ran forward with a long coiled rope with a weight on one end. The rope was knotted at even intervals. The Elf threw the rope and weight out into the water and let it sink till it stopped, then drew it up and looked at where the water had made it wet. He called out a number which was how deep the water was. He did it again a short time later and the the number was less then that of before. The bottom of the ocean was quickly rising and Ellyah gave the command to take in some sail and the ship slowed. When the distance between the bottom and the keel of the ship was a certain depth he altered course and as they got closer to land the depth changed again and again as he mad course corrections. The mist surrounded them now and it felt erie. The mist was cool and one could not really see much now.<br/><br/>After what seemed an eternity, the mist thinned and the light of day once more shone. The land before them seemed to be covered in a thick Jungle. Birds flew over the canopy of the trees. From the cool mist they emerged into what was a wall of heat. It was not a dry heat like the desert but a humid one. As they sailed further in towards the land, they all began to sweat. "Tis the begining of the Tropical Zone. Everything here is humid and hot. Thus the lush growh of trees and their size. Once we land upon the shore, ye had best be on guard. There are many huge and terrifying creatures in that jungle. We land here and not at what use to be a port city. It is in ruins and the only thing that remains of the docks and warfs are the stone pillars that supported the wood walkways. The people here consider the place Taboo because they say the spirits of their ancestors still live there. The Harbor mouth is blocked by a huge wall that is constantly being repaired to keep people out. Where we will be going is further inland."<br/><br/>Ellyah brought the ship up close to the beach and dropped anchor. "We take the longboat ashore." he said. The crew undid the secured lines that held it to the deck and lowered it down into the water. First he sent ashore armed men to secure the landing place and then it was their turn to go ashore. This was a very strange looking place one that it seemed no one but Ellyah and his crew had seen for a very long time. Once on shore, they could hear the roar of large animals within the Jungle and the sounds of other creatures moving in the trees and the loud thuds of something large moving somewhere within. Supplies was the last thing to come ashore, enough for a few days. Everyone had to take a pack of supplies along with rope and spears. Ellyah and five of his crew went with them as they entered the Jungle.<br/><br/>"Ye might want to shed that armor. It be getting hotter and it will begin to chaff." Ellyah told them. "Ye can put it with the crates that my men carry on the poles." It seemed like a good idea and Thorgon and Flagdon took theirs off and tied it to the crates. With out it, it was a bit cooler and they had much more flexibility and movement. Ellyah lead the way, hacking through the undergrowth to pave a path for the others. It was not long after that they hit what seemed to have been a road at one time. The huge stones that made it were still in place, over grown by vegatation but still visible in places. For some reason the Jungle had not reclaimed the land that the road was on. It remained clear of trees, roots and the like. When asked, Ellyah just shuged his shoulders and said. "The ones that built it must have had something that keeps that from happening." Now he turned in one direction the road went and began to walk that way Thorgon followed with Timberlane behind him and Flagdon with him. The two hobbits fell in behind them. Lotharn stayed with Pegawen and Allassiel. Everyone else was behind them. Allasea's bear and other animal companions seemed to be enjoying being on land again even if it was hot, but stayed close, as if sensing the danger within the Jungle.<br/><br/>He moved back to walk beside Allassiel. "Have you ever seen a place like this before?" She had lived longer then he had that was for sure. But had she ever been to a land like they were in. The sound of various birds could be heard and other sounds of creatures that almost sounded human in nature, but gruntal. Through the trees one could see swinging creatures that were small, hairy, with tails and long arms. They almost looked human in nature but weren't. These were the ones making the chattering noise, the gurntal sounds. They moved with a grace through the trees, swinging from one tree to another with their arms. Some stopped and watched them as they walked along the road. He pointed them out to Allassiel and asked Ellyah what they were.<br/><br/>"Monkeys ." he told Thorgon. "Harmless but don't let them get near your things. They like to grab and run especially if it is something shinny." he chuckled. "However if you see one of their large cousins, beware. They are not friendly and can be hostile. Very territorial."