"Troglodytes, boggards and a witch who doesn't like strangers, lucky us! Oh and what's the Doomsday door anyway? "
The older man looked a bit confused at Jakscar's question before saying, "Oh that, it's just something I was looking for once."
"A doomsday door sounds like one that is not to be opened, or entered," Zaphomil comments, then he nods in thanks to Jasper for his advice. "Thank you, sir. You've been most helpful.
He steps back and considers the man's words, and soon feels the excitement of the prospect of not only exploring another ancient Thassilonian site but also to discover yet another piece of the artifact. He begins to smile broadly in anticipation. "Shall we get underway, then?"
"The sooner the better, I suppose," the grippli replies to the priest as she begins gathering up her gear. "The gods know that I'm anxious to find out what will try to kill us this time."
Angelica keeps the man's gaze, her mismatched eyes focus on his, "Well, Darling, you have been helpful. Try to steer clear of any other ruffians. We can't always be around to lend a hand." She stands, grasps the old man by the side of the head and gives him a friendly kiss on the forehead. She can't help but hide her smile. Even if they don't open it, finding this 'Doomsday Door' has got to be something that presents a nice challenge, and she loves a challenge.
"Alright, now all we got to do is find a ship to get us there. I'm down for manipulating some frogs and trogs.... if I speak the language. Do they speak the trade tongue? We also get to try and win over an ornery witch? Now this sounds like some adventure. Let's find us a captain."
Unless you fancy coming with us, might do you some good to hide out for a while! Does anyone know of anything that might be useful in a swamp? Barring plenty of soap, I am struggling!"
The orc looks pensive for a few moments, then whispers to Angelica,
"You know, maybe we can put in a good word at Heidmarch Manor, see if they have a use for him that might keep him off the street? At least until they find if he's got some more useful information."
Jasper was still staring into Angelica's eyes like they were a lifeline to his sanity until she moved forward to kiss him on the head. "You may be right. I don't really know...time to be moving on about the god's work, I suppose. Good luck in the swamps. You're going to need it."
I believe there's an alchemical remedy that can help bolster our stomachs against their odor! We should buy some before we head out."
Buoyed by her own question about the creatures, she realizes that Jasper using the word frogs threw her off. These weren't animals. They were people...ish. How else would she manipulate them.
At Harbug's question, she replies, "Buggy, you know, if you keep wearing that big heart of yours on your sleeve, someone's going to take advantage of it?" she punctuates her sentiment with a gentle pat to his cheek. "I think good ol' Shiela already knows of Jasper, she pointed him out to us. I think Jasper isn't at the manor, because he doesn't want to be. He's got a free spirit, and probably doesn't want to be cooped up under someone's care."
Back to the group she insists, "Alright, off to the docks. We got to find us a captain. Let's get a move on." Without a second thought Angelica makes to leave and find what she's looking for.
Troglodytes:
Everything Jakscar got, plus: Troglodytes are very stealthy in rocky areas, and most of their magics come from divine sources. You will find many shamans, druids, and clerics, and very few wizards or sorcerers.
Boggards:
Boggards resemble anthropomorphic frogs or toads, complete with webbed hands and feet, large eyes, and overly wide mouths. These creatures make their homes near large rivers or deep in marshes. There they make small villages composed of mud mounds on the banks. Boggards start out life as tadpoles in breeding ponds, eventually growing to a length of 3 feet before sprouting arms and legs and becoming capable of terrestrial living. Acceptance into the clan then depends on the young boggard's successful hunt to kill a sentient humanoid. Those who fail are exiled from the clan. As boggards age, they continue to grow and lose their coloration. Exceptionally old boggards bear completely white skin covering massive corpulent bodies. Some of these boggards rank among the caste of priest-kings and enjoy a life of grotesque pleasures ruling their clans.
Boggards have a very strong and sticky tongue that they can use to entrap creatures up to their own size. They have a croak that instills fear in their foes. And, their ability to move through water and marshy terrain makes them deadly foes to encounter in the swamp.
Being at Beacon Point already, it makes sense to start looking for your transport at the docks there. One ship, the Wanton Ways, had a captain that made a regular run between Riddleport, Magnimar, and Korvosa and was willing to allow you to buy passage to the Lady's Light. The captain, a scarred human woman named Yarnelle Fessender, allowed that she could drop you off just north of the monument cum lighthouse, rowing you in with a dory.
"Payment's 50 gold pieces, each, plus another 20 per head if you have mounts. It'll take a full day and a little more to get you where you need to be, so that's at least one night on board. The Wanton doesn't have a lot of room for passengers, but we keep a clean enough ship. If you're interested, we leave at dawn on the morning tide."
"The Wanton Ways, huh? Oh, I like this ship already." Zaphomil grinned wide. "But, truly, 50 gp apiece? I do believe we could charter our own vessel for a special trip for that price, and have it wait for us to finish our errand to take us back. To say nothing of the benefit you will receive by having skilled warriors, wizards, and a cleric of Desna aboard!"
With a smile and a wink, Jakscar tries his charms to 'butter up' the sea captain and also possibly secure himself a more comfortable bunk "So Captain, you look like you can handle yourself, fancy a bit of one vs one to pass the time?"
As they look for a ship Angelica informs the others on what she knows about both troglodytes and boggards. "It's a tough call, scary frog men, or smelly reptile men? Which do we think will be more amenable, or do we just want to forget talking to them and try to steer clear of them completely?" She shrugs, "Maybe the witch can tell us."
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Angelica nods in agreement with Zaph's estimation of the ship's name, a mischievous smirk writ across her face. When she hears the price, she too balks a bit, but thinks Zaph may be going about it from a bad angle. "Now, Captain, your vessel looks undoubtedly wholly capable of handling herself, especially with a powerful woman like you at the helm. All she's doing is taking on a little extra cargo. You are already heading roughly that direction, and I'm certain dropping us off isn't too far out of your way. Besides, we're not even looking for a pickup on the return. I can promise you that our small band of travelers will not be underfoot or cause any mischief. Besides, you might find that you and your crew would be in good company with the high spirits we bring with us. Surely, self-unloading cargo, without a stop, that can lift spirits, shouldn't cost as much as fifty a head? Besides, we're not bringing mounts, so that headache is not even a concern."
"Well, if ther are no mounts, and you can keep this one under control," the captain hooked a finger at Jakscar, "Then I can make it 250 gp for the five of you. This little side trip will put us a day and a half off our route and I've got a schedule to keep, the extra cost goes towards the risk of us running into calms or rough weather and making Korvosa a day or two late. And sorry, Whiskers, you aren't my type."
"Let's get ourselves on board then. When does the ship sail out?" Harbug asks the captain.
Purchases made, and a night of rest later, you find yourselves on the Wanton Ways just before dawn. The captain tells you in no uncertain terms where to stand, and what to touch - nothing!
The ship was off and into the bay with little enough fuss, though the first mate seems to be overly free with his whip. The man lashed out any time he saw the slightest mistake or sign of malingering, and it was easy to see that the crew strongly disliked him.
The ship was completely packed with cargo, and it was clear why the captain tried to squeeze you for every copper that she could. If indeed she did miss her delivery deadline, there was enough cargo on board to cost her hundreds of gold in delivery fines.
There was another passenger on board, introduced by the captain as Dialla Marteme. She apparently was headed all the way to Korvosa and had booked a room for herself, while the rest of you would be spending the night in the common crew quarters. The woman didn't appear to be interested in conversation and closed herself up in her room almost as soon as the ship cast off.
Harbug spends much of the afternoon chewing away at the large chunk of jerk meat he was chewing when he arrived back at the ship. After three tries, he finally finds a place where he is not in the way of the crew. Fang, for her part, jumps down off Harbug's shoulders and disappears for a while, returning later with some fresh meat of her own--the ship now has one fewer live rats.
Harbug searched his memory for recollections of the name Marteme, but nothing stuck out. He later wanders the ship looking for magic auras, but does not find anything on the main or storage decks. From the captain's cabin he senses a minor aura, and again from Dialla Marteme's cabin. He scowled as he saw how the first mate laid about with his whip, but saw that the crew was certainly working hard under the lash.
With the captain's leave, Zaphomil offers to start the voyage with a prayer to Desna, the goddess of journeys and safe travels. During the trip, he listens, fascinated, to any talk from the sailors' experiences sailing around or near Thassilonian ruins. During the times when the crew have no time but to work, Zaph finds the highest and best spot he's allowed to stand and watches the coastline roll by.
Despite spending most of her life in a large harbor town like Magnimar, Angelica was very uneasy aboard ship. She liked being able to rely on having a solid surface near enough that when she needed to dance around nimbly, it wouldn't do the same. As such, she tried to stay off deck as much as possible, and once she learned of the other passenger and her accommodations, tried to work it to her advantage.
Taking an opportunity while the woman was shut away in her cabin, Angelica tried to ingratiate herself, starting with a gentle rap at the cabin door. "Excuse me, Madam, but I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't the only good-looking woman on board. I was just marveling at your bravery in traveling alone under such unsavory conditions. I myself thought it worth bringing protection. Might I have a moment of your time that I might learn how you became so bold?" If she could befriend the woman, maybe she could upgrade her sleeping arrangements to share a single room with one person instead of the whole crew.
As is her wont, Shabbezz spends the majority of the trip in the party's cabin holed up with her books. She was currently attempting to add a fireball spell to her repertoire. Although she was not an evoker, in her estimation you could never have too much firepower
Pleased, she unfurled a scroll of detect undead and began anew.
Excellent!
She had recently obtained a scroll of see invisibility; the grippli biterly recalled how that derro witch had managed to give them the slip because they were unprepared, and intended to correct that hole in their defenses.
She closes her spellbook and slumps back in her chair in exhaustion. At least the day wasn't a total loss.
Despite her persuasion, the woman didn't answer Angelica's treaties. Apparently she took her privacy quite seriously.
As is her wont, Shabbezz spends the majority of the trip in the party's cabin holed up with her books. She was currently attempting to add a fireball spell to her repertoire. Although she was not an evoker, in her estimation you could never have too much firepower.
Pleased with herself, she unfurled a scroll of detect undead and began anew.
Shabbezz cracked her neck to relieve the fatigue of hunching over her desk. On to the next one.
She had recently obtained a scroll of see invisibility; the grippli biterly recalled how that derro witch had managed to give them the slip because they were unprepared, and intended to correct that hole in their defenses.
She closes her spellbook and slumps back in her chair in exhaustion. Six hours, three spells. At least the day was productive, if nothing else.
After several hours of being holed up in the cabin studing arcane texts, Shabbezz totters out onto the deck for some uncustomary fresh air.
She inhales the salt air deeply and heads over to one of the railings, trusting that any lights that the crew have set up for the night will illuminate her way. She looks out over the waters, not really expecting to see anything in the darkness, and reflects on the journey so far.
If no one approaches the wizard for conversation, she eventually heads back to the party's quarters and turns in for the night.
Having spent a large part of his childhood working at a sailor's tavern, Jakscar is aware of sailors habits and 'morals'. Therefore Jakscar finds a spot on deck where he can be seen by the crew and proceeds to check over his gear, cleaning it up and sharpening his many blades. Once they reach his satisfaction and the inevitable flurry of setting sail activity is done, Jakscar finds a larger space in which to run through his fencing drills. As the evening approaches he quietly suggests to the group "Having spent some time around sailors, I would suggest that we watch our backs tonight, they won't usually turn on each other, but outsiders, well we might be considered fair game! I will take whichever watch suits."
"Sounds like a good idea; it may even be worth having the watch check outside occasionally just to see if we're headed in the right direction." Harbug looks around a moment to try and get his bearings; he looks somewhat confident to the untrained eye that he at least knows... something.
Despite her persuasion, the woman didn't answer Angelica's treaties. Apparently she took her privacy quite seriously.
Zaph will take a watch as well, if the rest of the group believe it's prudent. He had hoped that his interest in the sailors' tales would be enough to endear him to them, plus the fact that he hoped it would be highly unlikely that they would risk the wrath of Desna for harming a servant of the goddess of the journey.
Angelica addresses the others, "Well, there's five of us. That's easy enough. If we each take two hours, everyone should get a full night. Since I know both Shabbezz and Buggy need to get a good full night for their spells, they can take first and last. I have great eyesight in the dark, and work better under a cover of shadow. I'll take middle. So, let's see. We'll go Buggy, Whiskers, Me, Zap, and Shabby baby. In that order, two hours a piece. During watch, at least include one or two peeks up top just to keep an eye on our course or the weather, just in case."
"I have no objections to that schedule," Shabbezz agrees.
Evening sets in and most of the crew retires for the night, leaving only a slim watch on deck. You split into your own watches, keeping an eye out for your own safety and supplies, and leaving the crew to do their own thing. Just after midnight, as Angelica was following her own advice and checking topside, she heard a strangled cry of pain from somewhere on deck.