A Palm Tree Shelter

This page is in need of content. Lots. The text I've put here has female-character specifics

A Palm Tree Shelter is on the seal clubbers' version of the Secret Island Volcano Lair.

On Initial Visit

Shading your eyes, you peer up at the top of the palm tree. There definitely seems to be some sort of hut up there. "Hello up there?" you call.

"Good gracious!" you hear. "The beasts have learned to mimic the human tongue!" A coconut is hurled down at you, narrowly missing your head. "Away with you, foul creature! I'll not be hoodwinked by the likes of you!" shouts the voice.

"Are you crazy?" you shout back. "Do I look like a seal to you?"

A face appears amongst the palm fronds and peers down at you. "I will concede that you do not appear to be a seal, but they are deuced tricky creatures. It pays to exercise caution, you know."

"Oh, for the love of... look, I'm coming up."

"Very well. Bring the coconut, will you? I can scarce afford to waste them."

Grumbling, you pick up the coconut and shinny up the tree. As you reach the top, the man cautiously takes your arm and helps pull you into the hut, which appears to be a large wicker basket on its side, lashed to the tree with ropes and vines. The man adjusts his monocle and strokes his large handlebar moustache as he looks you up and down. "Well now," he says, "it does look as if you aren't a seal after all. They are quite unable to climb my tree with those flippers of theirs, though goodness knows they've tried. Sorry for the confusion, my dear." He takes the coconut from you and sets it in a small palm-frond basket as you glance around.

"Who are you?" you ask. "What are you doing here?"

"Phineas T. Leytonstone, at your service. As to what I'm doing here, now, that's a tale..."

"The short version, please."

"Harrumph. Well. Suffice to say that I was on an airborne expedition in my handcrafted mini-zeppelin, the basket of which serves as my shelter here, you see. While passing over the island I took a gamble on an attempt to catch a thermal updraft from the volcano, but misjudged my descent. Fortunately, I was able to steer my craft sufficiently to crash into this tree rather than the ground, thus securing a reasonably safe location to serve as base of operations while I repair the balloon." He gestures to a small pile of leather scraps. "I've been collecting hides and sinews from what seagulls I can catch, which should be sufficient to get me aloft once more, once I have a large enough quantity." He adjusts his monocle again. "And now, quid pro quo and all that, eh? What, pray tell, is your story?"

"I'm here for the seals," you growl darkly. "They were the scourge of my homeland, and now their leader, the infernal hellseal Gorgolok, has followed me to Loathing. It's time for me to settle the score."

"Goodness gracious indeed, that is exciting!" Phineas exclaims. "And what is more, I believe our meeting may be of mutual benefit."

"How's that?"

"Well, in my braver moments, fueled mainly by desperate weariness of a seagull and coconut-based diet, I have taken to brief and cautious prowls through the jungle for additional provisions. I have observed -- from a safe distance -- that the cave in which the adult seals make their lair is quite heavily guarded at the entrance. Even the mightiest warrior would surely be torn to shreds if she attempted a frontal assault, as it were."

"...And?"

"Well, I have noted that though the adult seals have a keen sense of smell, their vision is rather poor. So, given my expertise in leatherwork and the proper raw materials, I should be able to fashion you a costume that would mask your human smell, while simultaneously being near enough in shape to that of a seal to fool their eyes. You would be able to bluff your way past the guards and into the cave proper, where resistance should be rather less... severe."

"And what do you get out of this exchange?"

"Well, simply that you would bring me a few extra hides above what is needed for the costume, with which I can complete the repairs to my zeppelin."

"Hmm. That sounds fair enough. All right, it's a deal."

"Excellent!" Phineas shakes your hand with delight. "Now then, I will need hides of course, plus brains to tan them with, and sinews for sewing. Shall we say... an even dozen of each? They will need to be fairly intact, so please avoid slashing the seals to ribbons or setting them on fire or such. Oh, and we will need these materials from adult seals specifically."

"I thought you said all the adult seals were in the cave?"

"On occasion some of the females will leave the cave to check on their young. Perhaps you can attract their attention somehow?"

"All right, I'll see what I can do."

"Splendid! Good luck and good hunting, my friend." Phineas gives you a cheerful wave as you climb back down the tree.

Before collecting any items

"Any luck procuring the materials we need?" asks Phineas. "Intact seal hides, brains, and sinews?"

"Not yet," you grumble.

"Ah well. Keep trying, eh what? Stiff upper lip and all that."

Before collecting sufficient items

"Ah!" says Phineas. "You're returned! Let's have a look at what you've brought, shall we?" He inspects the dripping seal parts, and nods brightly. "Yes indeed, these are just the thing. We'll just need [some] more brains, [some] more sinews, and [some] more hides and we'll be ready for action!"