Picking some gristle out of her teeth with one of her claws, Kalistrine gives Lina a crooked grin. "Keep up the healing and we'll keep toleratin' ya." she says.
Walthus looks up and shakes his head in between bites of his porkchop,
He then takes a peak at the fan/map combo and says, Well, boys and girls, if we take off first thing tomorrow morning, we should be at her house by noon, unless you wanted to look at the shipwreck on the map that is about a hour from here by foot. On the other hand Megus has a boat that would make exploring the swamp quicker...
After a nourishing dinner made by Jorland you each pick a hovel to bivouac in for the night. At one or two points you hear a strange noise but then go back to sleep. After a relatively uneventful night in the goblin camp, you wake up to commence your journey. You eat a hearty breakfast and get on your way.
Walthus knowing the way to Megus' place leads you at first up that familiar path that you have previously used three times before, then after about twenty minutes later, subtly, he veers to the right, you see a trail that you hadn't noticed before, where another hour later you have crossed a bridge and are climbing up a path up the cliff surrounding the marsh itself. It is a bit steep but you are able to climb up after about a half an hour.
Upon reaching the crest of the cliff, the oppression of the marsh melts away as a cool breeze tickles your nose. You take a quick swig of your waterskin as Walthus pushes the group forward through the Bleaklow Moor overlooking the Brinestump Marsh, the land is mostly grassy and much easier to traverse than the Marsh and you make very quick time. You walk 3/4 of a mile and then Proudstump says
What we have just walked was the southern half of the Old Fish Trail which has been overgrown since the Licktoads have come to the area and none of the fishermen would dare walk it. But now thanks to us, they should be able to get the fish in the marsh. Where we are about to go is called The Witch's Walk and this leads directly to Megus. She is getting a bit on in years that could explain why it looks a bit unused.
Kalistrine, rubbing her forehead a little from time to time during the walk, says little. She ignores the stinging insects that swarm around the party, as they seem to have a difficult time biting her through her thick skin.
I take point with Waltus. "Humph, dern straight it outta be safe. We nerly killed ourselves out here. Got a feelin we should scoure dis swamp a little mer befer we head back. May find a few mer greenskins fer reward. An I can finally show up that upstart elf lady who calls er self a ranger. Afta we visit dis other person of curse." I trudge on.
The Witch's Walk trail is much more overgrown than that of both the Old and New Fish Trail with much more barbs and briars. The trail winds downhill towards the sea and the marsh seems to be alive with even more insects than before. Eventually, making it to a tributary of the Soggy River's bridge, while crossing the boards creek extra loudly.
Perception DC 20
After about two hours of travel you come across a clearing where Witch's walk ends and another trail goes off to the left. You see a sagging one-story shack sitting in this clearing, its walls dingy with age and encrusted with lichen and fungus. A partially collapsed shed sits just to the northeast, while small pouches, twisted knots of feathers, and dangling wind chimes made of bones hang from branches and roof edge alike.
Proudstump mutters, Hmmmm, this looks much worse than last I saw it
"I'm guessing she doesn't get many visitors. Looks like this trail hasn't been used for half a year at best," Takeshi comments on the path they were taking.
Upon arriving at the hut he exclaims, "This place looks like it's falling apart! You think someone still lives here?"
Kalistrine brightens up somewhat as they walk, mainly by amusing herself with her companions' discomfort. She seems suited to this terrain.
"Nah, looks homey." she says sarcastically.
I shug. "Welp, only one way ta know if dis place be someone's home still." I march without a care right up to the door of the place and knock. Not the thuggish manner you'd expect but very polite.
As Jorland knocks on the door, Liu Na carefully looks around for any signs of recent activity around the hut and clearing.
As you get closer to the building you can see that it looks like it has started to decay. All of the wood looks warped and some parts are covered in mold and mildew.
Jorland walks over to the door and knocks in a polite manner. The sounds he makes that come from the wooden door sound a bit more mushy than it normally would and it is hardly audible. Your hand is wet and slimy and you can notice that the door has swollen due to moisture.
I look at my hand perplexed. "It's squishy...." I look at the door. "Hello? Is anyone home? We are mercenaries sent here to clean out this swamp. One of our own says she knows you and has something to deliver." I call out.
Kalistrine saunters up, lifting a Chakram from her belt and stands near Jorland, watching the hut.
Lina looks worried and speaks in a hushed tone. "Something bad happened here. Nobody's been here for a very long time."
I agree, we should probably go in to see if she is ok... She is known to do some wacky experiments from time to time with a large scowl across his face in deep concern...
Liu Na nods in silent agreement and draws her bow... just in case.
Kalistrine, seeing that the others want to go inside, returns the Chakram to her belt and draws her axe, shield strapped to her left arm, and pushes past Jorland to shoulder the door open.
...and finds it more than stuck. "Stupid door!" she growls and gives it another shove.
On Kalistrine's second shove, she is able to push that door inside making a loud "persquuush" noise. Kalistrine almost loses her footing but is able to keep herself upright.
Upon entering the shack you come upon a 10ft x 15ft x 7ft room, you see sheets of fungus growing along the walls and floor of this room and on the numerous gourds, twigs and bones are hanging from the ceiling from sinew and string. You see doorways to the front, left and right.
As you file into the shack, you become aware of creaks and groans coming from the floor as you walk.
Perception DC 15
DC 25
Megus was never much of a housekeeper but sheesh.... says Walthus.
"Ugh. Even if she wasn't, I'm thinking noone has lived here in a while."
Lina sniffs the air and makes an unpleasant face. "No one but rats, at least."
Liu Na nods in agreement with Lina's assessment.
I look at Kalistrine. "Breakin down folks doors ain't very polite." I remark. Never the less I follow her inside. I look the place over. Seeing the tracks I look carefully at them.
Perception:
I rub my chin. "Some of dese here tracks look human. Strange, didn't know humans cud get so small."
Survival check to track and follow the little human tracks.
I start following them weather anyone else follows or not. I am clearly overwhelmed by curiosity.
Liu Na's eyes narrow at Jorland's announcement of tiny human hands with the rat tracks. As the ranger follows the tracks she glances about warily, keeping an arrow nocked to her bowstring.
GM rolls
Jorland follows the tracks forward out of the current room and into a room with more sheets of fungus and mold growing on the benches, broken table and narrow cupboards. An old brick stove sits against the west wall.
At this point, he sees the body of a ratlike creature scurrying out of the back door of the shack.
I point. "Aye. It is ratlike...." I will attempt to catch it. What do I roll?
I suppose I will give chase.
Acrobatics
Climb
Swim
Not bad.
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GM rolls
The ratlike creature tries to jump off the step out the back of the house but lands funny and knocks himself out on a rock in the backyard. Jorland rushes over to the creature and ties it up with some sinew he pulls off the side of the house.
Walthus hurries up behind you and says, That little bugger is Skitterfoot, Megus' familiar, he is a ratling. Why would he run away from us, unless something happened to her...
Knowledge Dungeoneering/Arcana DC 15
DC25
A ratling can (and often does) mate with normal rats. If the ratling parent is male, the products of such disturbing unions are large and particularly aggressive rats (often with vestigial humanlike features or other sickening deformities). If the ratling parent is female, she will spawn a litter of a dozen or so young, including one infant ratling, with the remainder being horribly deformed rats. The stronger and deadlier infant ratling generally feeds upon its brothers and sisters. At the very least, it dismembers them and arranges the torn limbs and entrails in strange patterns, as its not-yet fully-developed sense of the occult and more heinous magical traditions compels it to enact proto-rituals out of necromantic curiosity.
Ratlings understand that most larger creatures present a significant danger. In combat, they generally do not remain around long enough for most fights to last more than a round or two. A ratling’s preferred tactic is to become invisible, scuttle out to bite a target to gain the advantage of its sneak attack, then scurry away to a safe vantage point so it can, hopefully, watch its bitten victim bleed to death from its wounds.
Habitat & Society
Ratlings are far smarter than typical rats. On average, their intellect exceeds that of a typical human. As such, ratlings prefer to dwell in areas where their constant thirst for knowledge and boundless curiosity can continuously be quenched. Universities, wizards’ guilds, libraries, and the like are the favorite haunts of ratlings. Old manors of families with long traditions of scholastic pursuit are even greater catches, for here, ratlings do not have to contest with increased levels of traffic or interruption. They often pilfer scrolls and books to quench their thirst for knowledge, just as they chase children to quench their thirst for blood.
A ratling generally enjoys the company of normal rats. In most cases, the creature is a loner among its own kind, but ratling conclaves are well-documented in the basements and attics of certain particularly old and large repositories of knowledge. These gatherings of ratlings often ape the structure of a typical university, with a group led by the most knowledgeable among the conclave, who serves to direct the “studies” of the younger members of the group. These elder ratlings often demand forays into the structure itself, scavenging missions to gather up books and scrolls for further study, but the conclaves are always careful to limit these stolen texts to ones that they observe as having been forgotten or generally unused. Ratlings know that humanoids are dangerous foes, and the longer a ratling conclave can hide its presence in an active building, the better.
Ratling elders often advance as clerics, oracles, witches, or wizards; they rarely gain levels as non-spellcasting classes (although some have been known to take on rogue levels—particularly those who dwell alongside thieves’ guilds or among wererats). Ratlings who take witch or wizard levels and have a familiar most often choose rats—an association that often brings with it more than mere supernatural companionship. Although ratlings are capable of gaining improved familiars, they can never select another ratling as a familiar.
Ratlings as Familiars
While many creatures might balk at the concept of becoming a familiar, ratlings quite enjoy the role. Not only does being a spellcaster’s familiar give a ratling the security of having a powerful guardian who seeks to keep it safe, but also the ratling familiar has all but guaranteed access to texts and scrolls to read and study. Most spellcasters who take on ratlings as familiars also allow the ratlings to sup on their blood, giving their familiars an even greater reason to remain loyal and devoted to their masters or mistresses.
A ratling who serves as a familiar gains the ability to use commune once per week as a spell-like ability. A ratling can serve a spellcaster as a familiar if the spellcaster has the Improved Familiar feat. In order to gain a ratling familiar, the spellcaster must be chaotic evil and at least 7th level. A spellcaster with a ratling familiar typically carries numerous scrolls on his person for the ratling to access during combat.
"Considering the state of the hut, I rather expected that something must have happened to her. Is there a way to communicate with this thing? I hear familiars might be smarter than the average animal of its kind."
I consider the critter. "Don't look like no rat I've ever seen. Ye say it her familiar? Can it talk? Tell us wat happened here? I know rats ain't good eat'n so I ain't gonna cook it."
I look closer at it. "Can ye talk?"
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In Aklo
"Oh. It does talk...I think dat wus talkin. Any of you understand that? I sure didn't."
I look back at the creature. "Why dun't you speak in a language we can understand? You only know one?"
Lina makes a sour face. "I have no idea what it's saying but I don't like it."
Liu Na silently shakes her head in response to Jorland's question, keeping an arrow trained on the bound creature.
I shurg. "Keep looking around. We see if we can find dis lady round here." I muzzle the rat and toss it in the bag. I begin to look around.
I've seen Skitterfoot talk once before methinks but it might could have been spell induced... twas it Megus' spell or his... hmmm can't say i remembers... while squinting seeing if he could remember.... We could check her lab...
Standing on the back step, Kalistine shrugs and returns to the interior to thoroughly search the main room.
You all walk back into what must have been Megus' kitchen looking for any clues of her whereabouts.
Inside the kitchen you find rotten food and tarnished cutlery. There are two doors leading north.
Walthus says, The door to the left is a lavatory, and on the right is her laboratory.
"Laboratory?" Liu Na asks, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "I hope it's in better condition than the rest of this place, but I'm not going to hold my breath," she comments as she reaches to open the door.
"Though on second thought, maybe I should," she adds, sparing the fungus-draped interior of the cabin another glance.
With those words, the half-elf ninja opens the door to the laboratory and peers inside.
You step into what was once an alchemical laboratory, the
equipment in this room has fallen into decay. Ancient
chemical spills create weird stains and colorful crystalline
growths amid the partially collapsed workbenches. Old
Megus’ skeleton, confirmed by Walthus'sobs and tears, is still dressed in tattered clothes, also lies
amongst the workbenches. An examination of the witch’s
remains quickly reveals that some hideous transformation
or deformity has disfigured her skeleton—the skull seems
half melted and weirdly elongated in the face, one arm
looks more like a bird’s talon, and the ribs have grown
long spurs of bone that protrude both into and out of the
rib cage. It was this last deformity, brought on by Megus’s
final experiment, that killed her.
Walthus, with tears running down his face, wraps the bones in a shroud made from a blanket.
I suggest you search the whole building for useful items, tell me when you are finished then I will bury Megus. She was a bit of a strange woman but good-hearted, if you got to know her. Lina, would you help me in the proper rites?
Kalistrine pats Walthus on the back. "I'm sorry, friend." she says before going out back. She unties a shovel from her pack and while the others search the shack, Kalistrine digs a good, deep grave.
"May she find peace in the next life," Takeshi says before beginning to help others to look through the house.
In a relatively dry nook within the laboratory, you are able to find a stash containing 33 gp, a masterwork dagger in a
steel scabbard, and a scroll tube containing five
scrolls. Amongst the scrolls, you are able to find a very detailed map of the Brinestump Marsh, including the places you have already been.
In addition, within the Laboratory, you find a couple of beakers in somewhat decent condition with green and orange liquids in them, the labels have been misted away by the weather in the Marsh.