He doesn't feel the knife slicing through his boot but the blood as it begins to fill his shoe. He then turns to the Goblin, again slashing down like he had just done to his friend.
Stepping out around Friday, she unleashed a bolt of blistering cold at the nearest goblin.
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Gryf's axe swing fails to connect with the goblin, but it does force the little monster onto the tip of Friday's spear. A gout of blood gushes from its back before it goes limp.
The remaining goblin takes the ray of frost Valeria throws at it, and at this point realizes he's completely outmatched. He shrieks in terror and turns to run!
The wooden tube on the ground starts spinning wildly as the remaining charges inside it start firing off in random directions!
Two of the fireworks fire at the goblin as it retreats, and one flies past Gryf's head and fizzles out against a nearby tree.
Haru lets her song end as she sees the final goblin running away.
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Marten watches as the goblin flees and once out of sight he nods, satisfied.
He keeps one eye on the woods as he crouches near burnt firework tube.
The goblin might be gone but we should still be careful of whatever they were fleeing.
He picks up the spent firework and examines it.
I don't know much about these things but they seem pretty sophisticated. I would doubt the goblins are crafting them so at least there must be a finite amount. But where would they get them...? He muses.
He searches the bodies for clues or anything useful
"They're attacking caravans are they not? Probably some poor merchant's stock." Friday thinks aloud to Marten's equally loud thoughts.
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The goblins were each carrying:
--1 dogslicer
--1 suit of leather armour (small)
--1 shortbow with 20 arrows
--1 light wooden shield
The goblins in the back were carrying, in addition to the already described gear:
--1 wooden tube filled with 'candles'. There's only one functional tube remaining.
Marten also notices that the goblin he hit with a sling stone isn't quite dead--he's unconscious, but his nose is broken and bloodied. He's beginning to stir.
Haru will take one of the quivers of arrows if the can be used with her bow, as her archery seems to have been very effective so far on this expedition.
"That's a Desnan candle. Huh. I wonder where they got them -- they're not usually used as a weapon, and they're not very effective at it. I guess Goblins just can't resist things that go boom and light stuff on fire."
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Gryf instinctively begins to chase the goblin, looking back he see's the other letting it go and he stops shouting out at the fleeing goblin. "Run little one! We'll see you soon!"
Walking back to the others he slings his axe on his back. "We assumed a caravan, but Walthus said otherwise.. I don't see any other way of them finding these firework, so maybe Walthus was wrong. They were aiming them at us, i don't want to get hit by of one them. We should gather anything that had that could be of use and continue on, that one might get back to the village if we take to long."
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Once everyone has taken stock of their situation, the party gets back on the skiff and continues down the river. The sounds of croaking frogs and flowing water are all that accompany them as the river winds onward...
...until the party rounds a bend and continues deeper into the marsh.
The party soon comes across a curious sight--a shipwreck, half-sunk into the muck of Brinestump. The hull of the ship is rotting in several places and covered in moss in countless more. The ship's figurehead is that of a bronze draconic figure, tarnished and rusted with many decades of decay.
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Marten stands looking agape at the rotting boards of the ship. Vines and moss have busied themselves over the years, eating into the hull and reclaiming the ship. It doesn't look like it will take much longer before it sinks into the mud and is lost forever, the mystery of how it got here never to be discovered.
By Gozreh.... how did this get here? he exclaims. This swamp must have flooded at one time and the ship sailed in lost, or else blown in by a storm. It must have been here for years to be in this condition. Let's get a closer look.
Marten helps Gryf steer the skiff as close to the wreck as possible and then dismounts onto somewhat solid ground. Still wary of the goblins around here, he readies his shield before getting any closer.
"I've never seen a boat quite like this..." Friday lets his words trail off as he looks over the corpse of the swamp claimed ship.
Looking on at the boat Gryf attempts to steer them closer. Looking at the wreckage it's clear to see it has been sitting in the swamp for years, like a rotten carcass of some large sea creature. "Whatever happened to put it here its not normal. We should make sure the goblins haven't made a home for themselves in here." Guiding the boat closer he draw out his axe as he jumps off on to land.
"My father has a painting hanging on the wall of his studio of a ship very much like that, sailing into a harbor in Minkai. I think the design must be at least Tien, if not Minkaian. Fireworks are as common, if not more so, in Tian Xia as they are here. Perhaps this ship is where the ones the goblins are using came from?"
Friday's attention immediately snaps to Haru when she mentions the boat's origins. "So this is a ship from Tian-Xia?" he asks her in earnest.
"It looks like one. Of course, it could have been made there and then sailed here, and be operating out of Riddleport for all I know. Or it could have been made locally in the Minkaian style."
She pauses. She has a feeling of irresistible curiosity coming over her.
"Come on, let's check it out. We won't know for sure where it's from or what it has in it unless we take a look."
Friday hurriedly bobs his head in agreement as he all but jumps out of the skiff in order to investigate the boat, stopping himself before he walks off however to offer a hand to those still in the transport.
"If fireworks are a common thing from Minkai, this could be the source of the goblins fireworks as you said.." He grips his axe tighter looking off at the ship, he then begins to nod at Haru's request. "Let's go have a look." Gryf then begins to walk forward.
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Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this shipwreck has indeed seen activity in recent weeks--the interior of the wreck bears several scorch marks, old bloodstains and gouges alongside swamp muck and vines. It's obvious, however, that this wreck have been mostly picked clean of valuables.
Kaijitsu Star.
Haru scans the boat for magic and searches as well as she is able to.
As he feels he might be able to learn more about the boat or its homeland if stays close to her Friday will search the ship alongside Haru.
Gryf continues forward, spotting a bronze plate and what he assumes is a nameplate. "Look at that, can anyone read it? Seems like it could be the ships name."
"Kaijutsu Star -- huh, I wonder if this is related to Ameiko's family?"
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It can't possibly be coincidence. How many Kaijutsus can there be?
"We should probably take it with us to show her later."
"You want to try and pull that nameplate out of the hull, be my guest," Valeria said, wryly, "but good luck getting it back safely in the canoe."
Going back to the skiff Friday retrieves some of his drawing implements before returning and taking up a spot presenting the best 'scene' of the ship.
Though slightly soothing the swamp atmosphere and sounds proves to not be the best place to make art.
Well whether we can take the nameplate or not, we can simply ask her of a ship called the Kaijutsu Star.
Marten moves closer, looking for a means inside.
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The nameplate itself isn't securely attached to the hull any longer--the wood it's mounted on has suffered extensive rot. It would likely come off with a good tug.
Watching Martin, Gryf spots the same gap into the ship. "Let's get in there and search." Moving towards the hole, gryf covers his mouth with a rag from his pocket the smell is a little overwhelming.
Getting to the hole he looks inside.
Haru summons several lights like torches, and sends them dancing into the hole in the hull to light the way.
Returning his things to the skiff Friday joins the others in exploring the ship.
As they approach, the musty damp smell of the swamp is replaced by something different. Old wood and oil, hemp and salt - reminders of the great journey this ship must have taken.
The Circle had always venerated the sea, respected Gozreh's terrible mastery over it, it's generosity and it's whimsical destruction. Whoever rode this ship to it's eventual end must have been brave souls to attempt such a journey.
It's amazing. I've never seen a ship this size, just the fishing boats the villagers take out into the Bay. Haru, did your people come south on a ship like this?
"My parents went over the Crown of the World in a caravan, a ship of the land one might call it, but nothing like this."
"You can walk to Tian Xia!?" Friday exclaims, eyes wide, in what is probably the loudest voice anyone here has heard from him. Which is to say it is about equal volume with everyone else's tone.
In truth I don't know much about the lands north of Varisia, but to walk across the Crown? Some of my Circle took their Spirit Walk North - it is determined by which constellation you born - he says as if that were explanation enough. - and they talked of a harsh land of ice and snow. Why did they even attempt such a thing? he asks, with as much genuine curiosity and astonishment as Friday
"Maybe they were prone to seasickness?" Valeria joked, albeit rather muffled through the cloth she'd wrapped around her mouth and nose to try and cut down on the smell.
"From what I've been told my father met my mother in her homeland, and then returned to Ustalav when they found out she was pregnant." Friday starts, his voice lowering to its usual pitch, before he looks down slightly. "I never found out why they returned instead of staying on the other side of the sea... or why they left right after I was born."
Perhaps one day you will, Friday. I mean look at this ship, anything is possible! the druid replies with a smile. So you were raised in Ustalav, or here in Varisia?
Marten knows the importance of family and finds it sad that this large, but sensitive, man knows so little of his own.
"'Raised', would be one way of putting it. But yes, I grew up in Ustalav, I only recently came to live here in Sandpoint... It is much brighter here. Peaceful. Beautiful." Although starting out flat there is a definite relief in his voice once he moves on to talking about Varisia.
Aye. Marten says in simple agreement. This area, Sandpoint in particular, has had it's troubles but it endures. And that is as much it's people as it's landscape.
My own Spirit Walk took me as far East as the borders of Numeria. I went no further, that place had an... odd feeling. Like it was somehow detached from the lines power than run through the world. But my return journey took me at least partly through Ustalav and it seemed a hard place, if you don't mind my saying, Friday. It was as if the people lived in constant fear and the shadows there all bore something ill. It must have been difficult growing up there. Did you have any family?
Firday nods to the druid. I don't mind, it's very true. To leave Ustalav, well, it would be very apt to say you're waking from a nightmare. Shadows and monsters and lost souls stuck in bad dreams, that's all that place is."
Thinking for a moment he'll shrug before continuing. "Yes, I did have people I was related to, other Dauds, cousins and aunts and uncles and my grandparents. But that's all family means over there, people who are related to you. The blood, that's all that matters. Over here I've seen parents and children care for one another and their siblings... I like that view of a family much more, it makes me feel... happy? But sad, but defiantly happy."
It is Marten's turn to look to the ground when Friday mentions parents caring for their children.
Yes... I suppose we are very lucky in that regard. he says quietly, offering a sidelong glance at Gryf. We lost our mother some years ago but... I treasure every moment I had with her, even toward the end.