Pillars of Eternity II: The Storms of Poko Kohara

On the heels of their encounter with the Naga at Hasongo, Grim determined that they should next head to the island of Tikawara. They were nowhere near prepared to brave the passage through Magran’s Teeth following Eothas – so they needed experienced crew and serious cash.

Both the VTC and the RDC had separately asked them to investigate. There was rumored to be a large Adra deposit on an unknown island nearby, and the VTC had sent an expedition to meet with the Huana in the small village on Tikawara and explore. The expedition had never returned. The VTC wanted both to know what had happened to their team and to know if the rumors were true. The RDC *also* wanted to know what had happened… and if there *was* an Adra deposit nearby they wanted it sabotaged or destroyed to deny the VTC the resource. Grim figured since both parties wanted the investigation to be secret, he could accept payment from both and then decide for himself how to handle whatever he found.

On arriving at the village on Tikawara, they were greeted by a Dwarf named Vektor. Vektor was part of the original VTC team, but had taken ill and been left behind when the rest of the crew set out for an island called Poko Kohara. Vektor claimed that they had initially been greeted warmly in the village, but negotiations had soured as the the local priestess had opposed making any trade agreements – despite the local chieftain being quite enthusiastic. He said his ship had never returned, and he suspected the Huana had given them bad information. He was trading with the Huana from merchandise left behind when his ship had left, but he hated the place and desperately wanted to leave.

A smeared painterly watercolor of docks in a small medieval polynesian village. A short stout british dwarf sourly greets the viewer. He is 35, balding, with a black beard. He wears a leather merchant smock over a red shirt.

As they poked around, Star found a cage fill of small fish-like creatures. Grim thought they stank of rotten salmon, but Star declared them absolutely adorable – and demanded to know why they were being held. Apparently they were hatchling Lagufaeth – a wild race of fish-like humanoids that constantly raided the Huana village and stole food and supplies. The hatchlings were being used as bait to lure them for ambush, but the Lagufaeth were not “biting”.

Star was furious. “They’re babies!” She insisted that they find a way to negotiate for their release. Grim couldn’t believe his ears. They had serious business to attend to! With serious consequences for both the fate of the Deadfire and the fate of their coinpurse! However he knew that he would waste more time arguing with her than he would simply solving the problem and moving on.

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor of small aquatic bipeds caged in stacked bamboo cages near a polynesian beach. An alabama cleric woman kneels cooing at them. She is 30, with a plain face, unkempt short brown hair, wearing necklaces and a cloak over leather armor and boots. The bipeds have hunched postures with thin finned arms and legs, and toothy fish heads with large eyes

As it turns out, the Lagufaeth Matiarch was able to communicate passably with Star, and was perfectly willing to keep away from the Huana village if the Huana would agree to stay away from her bay. Problem solved.

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor of a polynesian beach. A tall lanky ugly aquatic biped rises out of the water reaching out as juvenile bipeds waddle to it. The bipeds are hunched over with long finned arms and legs, and toothy fish heads with large eyes. The large biped is dripping wet, with purple scales, and wears a witch doctor mask and crude leather.

With that – Grim set to pumping the Chieftain and Priestess for whatever information he could about Poko Kohara. The chieftain was quite talkative – as he envisioned a permanent VTC trading post as enriching his village and helping to protect them from slavers.

The priestess – was not so forthcoming. She vehemently opposed both the VTC and the RDC – considering them both “foreign vultures” who were merely another form of slavers with better PR. Grim wasn’t entirely sure she was wrong. But that was for them to decide.

The chief impediment to VTC mining on Poko Kohara were the un-naturally fierce storms which surrounded the island. The priestess believed these were sent by the goddess Ondra to keep away foreigners. The Chieftain believed they were a curse meant to keep them isolated and poor. Either way, they would have to get through to continue their investigation. The Chieftain gave them an odd key, which he said would open the way to the temple at the center of Poko Kohara. Grim wondered why, if he supported the VTC, he had not given *them* the key. But the chieftain sheepishly admitted that he had several.

As predicted, the weather turned sour quickly as they approach Poko Kohara.

A smeared painterly watercolor. A brig ship through a huge wave during a dark, windy, rainy thunderstorm at sea. It flies a flag with a symbolic sword and fist.

But Beodul had learned much since their misadventure at Port Maje, and bellowed out a dwarven shanty as he piloted the Defiant through the fierce storms.

A smeared painterly watercolor during a dark thunderstorm at sea. Exaggerated motion. A short stout dwarf sings as he desperately steers the large wheel aboard a galleon. The dwarf is scottish, stocky, grumpy, with a frizzled red beard, and wears a leather smock over a tan tunic and pantaloons.

They eventually made it through, although some of them weren’t quite ready to go ashore for a little while afterwards…

A smeared painterly watercolor at sea. An exhausted irish rogue woman leans over the railing of a galleon. She is age 22, scruffy, with freckled skin, short wild reddish bob hair, green eyes, and celtic face tattoos. She wears sleeveless leather armor. She looks very nauseous and seasick.

The odd weather and climate wasn’t confined to the seas around the island. As they made their way inland, the tropical landscape turned dry and desolate, and fierce sandstorms obscured their view. They could just make out ruins in the distance.

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor of a furious sandstorm in a polynesian desert. blurred motion. Rear view. A big burly turkish mercenary holds up his hand to shield his eyes. He is muscular and 40, with maori face tattoos, shoulder-length black hair, a goatee, wearing rugged barbarian armor and pants. An ancient obelisk can be seen through the haze half-buried in the distance

But there were more hazards than sandstorms. They were soon ambushed by Xaurips, small reptilian scavengers that assaulted unwary travellers.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a desert. blurred motion. Side view. A feisty irish woman slashing two sabers tackles several short lizardmen thrusting crude spears. The woman is age 22, scruffy, with freckled skin, short wild reddish bob hair, green eyes, and celtic face tattoos. She wears sleeveless leather armor. The lizardmen have digitigrade legs, long snouts, and wear crude armor adorned with bones and feathers,.

And these were not alone. As the Xaurip skirmishers kept them busy, their shaman called in more powerful help. Desert Wyrms!

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor in a desert. blurred motion. A short halfling fires an antique arquebus at a distant large wyvern taking off from the sand belching flame. The midget is 30, stout, clean shaven, italian, with short black toussled hair and a round face, wearing black leather. The wyvern is red and reptilian.

Eventually they came to a recently abandoned campsite, and a bit of poking and prodding turned up evidence suggesting it had been the VTC expedition. But there were no signs remaining of the VTC explorers themselves.

A smeared painterly watercolor of an abandoned victorian desert camp. An ethiopian elf sorceress carefully searches the remains. She is 45, thin and peaked, with brown skin, straight black hair, silver facial tattoos, eyebrow rings, and dark eyes. She wears purple hooded robes.

After a bit more exploration they came to a large walled stone complex, ancient and weathered, but still quite imposing. And with little clue how to enter – or how the key that the Chieftain had given them might help.

A smeared painterly dark fantasy watercolor of an ancient sumerian fortress in the desert. An ethiopian elf sorceress stands atop worn steps leading up to huge bronze doors set in towering mighty gray stone walls. She intently studies wall carvings. She is 45, with dark brown skin and silver facial tattoos. She wears purple hooded arcane robes. Swirling sandy winds.

Unfortunately as they searched for the proper way to open the entrance they awakened the temple’s ancient guardian.. a titanic Adra Construct!

A smeared painterly watercolor in desert. Motion. A burly turkish mercenary hefting an axe leaps as a titanic golem smashes the ground just behind him. The mercenary is muscular and 40, with maori tattoos, shoulder-length black hair, a goatee, wearing rugged barbarian armor and pants. The golem wears copper armor, and emits glowing purple energy.

Eventually Sapphire was able to trigger the mechanism to open the doors, and they entered. Inside they found an ancient Engwithian complex with strange murals. Murals depicting Engwithians… teaching? enslaving? what were unmistakably ancient Huana. They hadn’t even been aware the two civilizations had ever co-existed.

A smeared painterly dark fantasy watercolor of a faded wall mural inside empty dark sumerian catacombs. The stylized carving depicts a sumerian priest reaching out to large kneeling polynesian tribesmen.

They encountered many unpleasant adversaries as they explored. Including a voluminous number of large bugs.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dark sumerian chamber. exaggerated Motion.side view. An irish rogue woman falls back desperately slamming two sabers into a gigantic scarab beetle as it pounces on her. The woman is age 22, scruffy, with freckled skin, short wild reddish bob hair, green eyes, and celtic face tattoos. She wears sleeveless leather armor. Inky black darkness..

The worst was a swarm of desert spiders that assaulted them as they explored one promising looking chamber. Sapphire *hated* spiders. She *really* *really* *hated* spiders… And she may have erred a liitle on the side of overkill in countering them.

A smeared painterly watercolor inside an ancient dark chamber. blurred motion. view from behind. An ethiopian elf sorceress in a crouched stance hurls massive flames engulfing large charging desert spiders. She is 45, thin, with brown skin. She wears hooded purple arcane robes. The spiders burn in inky black darkness.

They also discovered occasional clues – and bodies – from the VTC expeditionary team. Some of them fell prey to traps. Others to the various unpleasant inhabitants. And still others, appeared to have turned upon each other.

Deeper in the complex, they found an Adra pillar – much like several others they had seen in ruins to this point. It was quite large, and it was clear why the VTC would be interested. But this one was also quite… different… than any they had seen before. Rather than a soothing green or purple light it was surrounded by a swirling angry red. Star did *not* like the feel of it. Something was very, very wrong.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dark ancient chamber. Side view. An alabama cleric woman looks up in horror at a gigantic towering mass of rough-hewn jade pulsing with hellish red energy.. She is 30, with a plain face, short brown hair, wearing necklaces, leather armor, and a cloth cloak. Wispy red energy swirls about the massive thick column stretching up through the ceiling.

Deep down in the bottom layer of the complex, they were ambushed by revenant soldiers – elite undead. Blur had just enough time to call out a warning before they were beseiged.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dark catacomb. motion. view from behind. A crouched irish rogue woman yells a warning and points her saber at the distant small silhouettes of tattered undead aiming bows. The woman is age 22, scruffy, with freckled skin, short wild reddish bob hair, green eyes, and celtic face tattoos. She wears sleeveless leather armor. Inky black darkness.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dark chamber. exaggerated Motion. dutch angle view. A big burly turkish mercenary slams a great-axe into undead warriors swinging curved swords. The mercenary is muscular and 40, with maori tattoos, loose black hair, a goatee, wearing rugged barbarian armor and pants. The sumerian undead wear bronze armor. Inky black darkness..

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dark catacomb. motion. view from behind. . A short halfling dives sideways throwing a small ball at distant exploding undead. The midget is 30, stout, clean shaven, italian, with short black toussled hair and a round face, wearing black leather. inky black darkness. A fiery explosion disintegrates the undead archers. The ball has a sparking fuse.

The assault turned out to have been directed by an ancient Engwithian priest, commanding his minions from his tomb.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a huge dark sumerian crypt. blurred motion. An undead priest emerges from an open sarcophagus. Large sumerian undead warriors with spears spread out in combat stances. The priest wears purple robes with gold edging, glowing eyes, and a bronze headpiece, summoning wispy green magic. The warriors wear bronze armor. inky black darkness.

Star and he did not get along terribly well.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dark burial chamber. exaggerated motion. An alabama cleric woman passionately thrusts a glowing staff streaming brilliant holy light disintegrating a roaring undead priest. The cleric is 30, with a plain face, short brown hair, wearing necklaces, leather armor, and a cloth cloak. The sumerian undead wears purple robes with gold edging, glowing eyes, and a bronze headpiece. Inky dark blackness.

They eventually found the remains of Beza – the leader of the VTC expedition. Strangely enough, it did not appear she had been killed by the hazards of the tomb. Her wounds were far more consistent with rapier, knife, and gunshot…. And they found an odd fetish near her body. Grim had a suspicion he knew where *that* had come from.

A smeared painterly watercolor inside a dark sumerian ritual chamber. .A robed ethiopian elf sorceress crouches examining a tiny tiki figurine. An undead spanish conquistador lays sprawled on the ground. The sorceress is 45, thin, with brown skin. She wears hooded purple robes. The figurine has an evil wispy red aura. The conquistador wears battered armor. Inky black darkness.

When they reached the base of the corrupted Arda column, Star insisted that she had to enter. Grim was just as inclined to unload Ace’s entire cache of explosives and blow the foul thing to kingdom come. Accept payment from the RDC, and tell the VTC their motherload had been terminally corrupted. But Star insisted. She had to find out what had happened to it. And she had to put things right.

Inside Star found herself in an oppressive void, with a carved path leading off into the unknown.

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor of a meandering engraved obsidian pathway floating in a dark red void. blurred Motion. Long view. An alabama cleric woman with a staff looks around warily. She is 30, with a plain face, short unkempt brown hair, wearing necklaces, leather armor, and a cloth cloak.

Following it she came to an odd shrine where spirits whirled. Most were Huana, but some she recognized as Valian – likely members of the VTC expedition.

A Huana spirit calling itself “Anaharu” confronted her. It claimed that it had once been a Huana shaman. It had blocked the pathway through the column to the Great Wheel – trapping the spirits of the dead and using their energy to power to the storms raging around the island. It wanted to keep all non-Huana forever away from the island. Star couldn’t fault his wanting to protect his homeland, but literally enslaving the souls of the dead – Huana and VTC alike – to do it was beyond her ability to tolerate.

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor in a dark red void. blurred Motion. An alabama cleric woman with a staff firmly confronts the a large vengeful spirit. The woman is 30, with a plain face, short unkempt brown hair, wearing necklaces, leather armor, and a cloth cloak. The polynesian spirit is a shaman man, with patterned skin and glowing eyes, and wears polynesian tribal dress.

So as such things often did, it came down to battle. Between Star and the spirits of Valians longing to be free and Anaharu and his followers.

A smeared painterly fantasy watercolor in a dark red void. exaggerated blurred motion. An alabama cleric woman swings a brilliant long staff tackling several large wispy spirits. The woman is 30, with a plain face, short unkempt brown hair, wearing necklaces, leather armor, and a cloth cloak. The spirits are polynesian warriors, with patterned skin and glowing eyes, wear polynesian armor, and wield spears.

And in the end, only Star remained – as Anaharu was vanquished and the other souls were free to return to the Great Wheel.

As they made their way back to the Defiant, they could already see the storms clearing in the distance. The Tikawara Chieftain was overjoyed at their success – dreaming of the prosperity that VTC trade could bring them. Grim could only wish him luck with that.

As for the priestess, Grim returned her “trinket”. Noting that it was odd how the VTC seemed to have taken the holy fetish without noting that it was a carving of Skaen – god of rebellion, resentment, and madness. She professed no knowledge of how they had managed to come into its possession.

A smeared painterly watercolor in a dim polynesian temple. A strong burly turkish mercenary contemptuously thrusts a tiny tiki figurine towards a tall nervous polynesian woman. The mercenary is muscular and 40, with maori tattoos, shoulder-length black hair, a goatee, wearing rugged barbarian armor and pants. The woman has yellow patterned skin, pointed ears, and wears necklaces and a tribal shaman dress.

Before they left, Vektor begged to join their crew. He didn’t want to stay on Tikawara any longer, and didn’t want to return to the VTC as the only survivor of a failed expedition either. So they welcomed aboard a new apprentice Cook.

Back in Neketaka, the VTC chairman was ecstatic, and immediately set to arranging a follow-on expedition. He happily paid his fee. The RDC minister looked at Grim long and hard, but surprisingly enough he too paid well. It seems that while they were displeased that the VTC would be making gains, they were *far* more interested in the valuable information Grim had reported.

The RDC homeland of Rauatai was plagued by storms, which ruined crops and drove much of their ceaseless expansion and conquest. They had long believed the storms to be an un-natural curse, but knew of nothing that could be done about it. Hearing of the direct connection between the Storms of Poko Kohara and the corrupted Adra column gave them a tantalizing glimpse at a possible explanation. And apparently *that* was quite worth forgiving the little trifle of failing to destroy the column as directed.

Author’s Notes:

I think I’ve stumbled upon a new primary style for this run. “Smeared Painterly Watercolor”. It doesn’t always quite come out how I intend, but man does it rock when it gets things right.

2 responses to “Pillars of Eternity II: The Storms of Poko Kohara”

atcDave

March 4, 2026 at 5:56 am

No doubt this sort of watercolor is vivid and fun. It seems to allow for a lot of action and very moody sorts of settings.
My usual expectation with watercolor is that it will be an impressionist sort of thing. But I know I’ve seen my use it for realistic paintings of everything from architecture to butterflies.

1. Zeno
  
  March 4, 2026 at 10:47 am
  
  Yeah. Usually I do a lot of sifting through the chaff to find a few grains of wheat. This time for a lot of pics the problem was deciding which one I liked the best!
  
  The action and such is partly because the artsy watercolor seems to get a bit more past the filters, and partly because I’m going wild using “exaggerated motion” as a tag when I want action scenes. I can get some wild stuff with the two together. Ace shooting a Wyrm came out in two takes! Usually even getting him pointing an arquebus in a vaguely threatening direction is difficult. And man did things like the Laugafaeth or the ancient priest come out better than anticipated! But my favorite were the Huana spirits in the pillar. Just hit the spot better than my imagination.

Zeno's Ziggurat

Pillars of Eternity II: The Storms of Poko Kohara

2 responses to “Pillars of Eternity II: The Storms of Poko Kohara”

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