"That was a good bit of luck!"
"Looks like those beetles came from the North or Northwest."
With the use of a simple knack, Valdern notices the two magical items. He studies them for a while, but one seems beyond his ability to identify. "No idea what this one is, but this one is a wand of color spray. Twenty-four charges remaining. Not sure who here can use it. I know I can't." He then walks next to Bhookaj, looking at the hole. "From the north, you say? Well, unless you want us to investigate this further, I suggest we head to the next building. Once we secure the area, the people on the boat will be able to disembark."
"Sounds good to me. We might have to be careful of those beetles' tunnelling, though."
Lorelei responds to the dwarf's comments on the want. "It is beyond my ability to use such a thing. I can only use magic that comes to me from my god."
"Well, if there is nothing else to find here, let us continue on to the next building. I hope we can get the entire area searched before dark. It would make me feel better if we end up having to spend the night here."
”We just have the two left, correct?” Ebirah asks.
The next building is small and looks to be a food storage building. A strong smell of dried plants and meat hangs in the air, and several crates and barrels line the walls.
”I wonder what that sealant is,” Ebirah remarks on noticing the paste on the sealed barrels. ”Wait,” he quickly adds. ”There’s more bugs in there.”
"Well then, shall we shut the door back for now and bar it while we decide how best to deal with them?"
"Nothing attacked immediately, so we can probably skip this one."
"Check the next building, then?"
Ebby nods.
With no other competition for it, Elia took charge of the wand, sure she would be able to put it to good use soon enough. Thus far, the settlement had certainly attracted its fair share of scavengers.
The small talisman wound up balanced in her palm as she examined it thoughtfully, "A talisman of good fortune," she noted, "It will spare the bearer from particularly ill luck. Once, anyway."
She looked about to see if there were any takers for the talisman. It hadn't done its previous owner much good, suggesting luck had held no influence over their fate. Well, that or they hadn't been wearing it at the time.
The next building is also small, with a sign that reads "Tool house" hanging outside. Inside is a wide variety of tools, such as hammers, saws, hatchets, shovels, and many other things. There is a small box labeled "Emergency Only" with a simple-looking lock.
Ebirah scratches his head as they enter the last building. "They didn't take any magical stuff or the valuable stuff, or the weapons or the tools. There's no corpses or blood or damage. So... were the colonists taken, or did they just... leave? Are there any other colonies or landings nearby? None of this makes any sense."
Eyeing the locked box he calls out to the others, "Is anyone good with locks?"
"IF the colonists did relocate, they couldn't have done it without these tools."
"Strange."
"Let's have a look at this box, while we're here."
Bhookaaj then starts carefully inspecting the box.
First, Bhookaaj will check to see if there are any traps to be seen in the box.
After that, he'll try to pick the lock.
Bhookaaj can't get the box open on his first try, but succeeds after a few attempts. Inside are a pair of red vials which look to be alchemists fire, and a neatly folded suit of dense, heavy clothing with a wide hat with a dense veil around its brim.
"Ooooo..."
"Well, the more we explore, the less likely it seems that the colonists would just take up and leave. Not without all the supplies they would need to start over with at least. Yet we still haven't discovered any bodies or clues what may have happened to them. This is getting extremely frustrating. What are we supposed to say when we report back to the ship? "
”That until we discover the whereabouts of the first group of colonists this is officially a search and rescue mission. Also given all the unknowns we are currently dealing with it might be best to send the new group of colonists back to Avistan for their safety until we can determine what happened here.” Ebirah states in a determined manner.
"Yes, a search and rescue mission. But a rescue from what? Aside from the temple, we didn't see any trace of violence, and you would think that they would have had put up a fight before being taken." Valdern fidgets with his beard, trying to see the big picture. "And even if they went peacefully, we should be able to track them. So many people walking together, you can't hide that many tracks. Unless..." He takes a few steps toward the beach. "Unless they left by ship. Then they could be almost everywhere. But why would they go? Ugh, this is annoying! We don't have the full story here and without it, we have no idea where to go next."
Ebirah nods. "We should still try to clear out the bug building... and that ghost."
Lorelei shakes her head at Ebirah. "We absolutely cannot tell the ship to go back to Avistan. After that trip and the promises of a new life here, they would surely revolt and come to shore anyway. We have to think of something that would keep them on ship for a bit longer without having them rush to shore. Like saying that everyone has been stricken down with some kind of foreign plague and that we can't return to ship ourselves for fear of being contagious. Just let them think that they just need to wait out the plague for a while. No one will want to rush to shore and risk being stricken down themselves."
"Then, hopefully, in the time it takes for our fictitious plague to run it's course, we can solve the mystery here and make it safe for the colonists to all come ashore."
"Well, anyway... Does anyone want to try out this gear to clear out that swarm of bugs in the other building?"
"there might be clues to be found in there once it's cleared of those bugs."
Ebirah raises up his hand. ”I’ll do it.”
And unless someone else offers or objects the Eagle Knight Candidate will begin donning the suit.
"I don't know that we want to begin this whole endeavour by lying to our fellow colonists," Elia put in, "It wouldn't be long before the truth about the 'plague' came out, and then where would we be? Personally, I think the fact that everybody's apparently vanished with no explanation or cause is scary enough to buy us a little time."
Ebirah nods to the wizard.
"I disagree, but I suppose it really doesn't matter what we decide. We report back to the Captain later and let her be the one to make the final decision on what to tell the crew."
Ebirahh, beneath the veiled hood of the swarm suit, nods. "Ready to deal with some pests?"
Looking at Rhyfedd then back at Ebirah, Valdern smiles. "We are ready."
”Okay so I guess I’ll stand outside the door to lure them out and then you all throw the vials?”
Once Ebirah opens the door, a massive horde of cockroaches swarms forth, like a disgusting tide.
Bhookaaj tosses one of the vials at the swarm of bugs:
Kela stood at the ready and pushed her hand forward, sending a rush of solid water flying at the mass of creatures. She followed it up with another just as quickly, praying the bugs wouldn't get close to her.
Kela's water blasts smash through the swarm of bugs, and those not killed scatter.
"Well, that was easy!"
Ebirah gives Bhookaj and and Kela each a thumb's up, happy that he didn't have to test out the suit's effectiveness at dealing with insects.
Not noticing anything else he then begins taking the suit off.
After the short battle, Valdern starts looking around. Eventually, he finds a small wooden box. Inside is what look like a wand. Again he uses a simple Knack to investigate further. "This time, it is a wand of goodberry. There are forty nine charges left. Considering the usefulness of this thing in the wild, I wouldn't have left it behind. Another clue that suggests the villagers didn't leave willingly."
While Ebirah didn't know what a goodberry was he knew wands were important. And expensive.
Nodding to the dwarf he scratches his head, still trying to wrap his head around the colony.
"So... now to try the ghost again?"
"How many other buildings are here that have not been searched yet?"
"I think we've gotten everything but the temple."
There are tents outside the walls to the west, and there are fields and small houses to the south, in addition to the strange tracks you found.
"We better check those tents outside the walls."
Ebirah nods to Bhookaj and then begins heading south.
Lorelei follows the others towards the tents, wondering what might be hiding within them...
Most of the tents have collapsed, but the two standing look big enough to house 3 or 2 people. You can find a few magical items: 8 different vials of liquid, a shirt, and a suit of scale mail.
Valdern looks at the item, inspecting them. "Those are magical, but I'm not sure what they are. Anyone else what to give it a try?" He then looks at the vials of liquid. First he tries to see if they are magical, then he opens one of the vials, hoping to find out what it is.
The liquid inside is magical, but nothing unusual happens when Valdern opens the vial.