Morgrym plants himself on the tailgate and mumbles his thanks.
As he chews on the cake, No, I don't know why we are headed north yet, but I think I might have to pick up some furs and cold weather gear if that is the case.
Koan nods to Sandru, "If you have a spot, I would like to offer my services to this caravan. I could not in good conscience allow friends from Sandpoint to brave the roads without offering as such."
Koan nibbles on the slice of cake given to him by Kenji. Between bites, he shakes his head, "I have not yet been illuminated to the purposes of this journey but if you and Ameiko are headed into the unknown, it is nice to have friends along to watch your back, no?"
"Yeah it is." Kenji agrees. "So here's the rundown. We found some clues about what our family was before coming here that had been hidden from us since we were kids. The clues pointed to a place up north and so Ameiko and I are going up there to investigate and see if we can find out more. We got this caravan together of similarly interested people and we're going to go find out the kaijitsu family mystery together."
The kid finishes the summary in a single breath, remembering to inhale long enough to finish off his slice of cake.
Once all of the business with townsfolk coming by to give you apologies or gifts finishes up, Sandru, Vankor, and Bevelek get to stowing gear in the wagons and doing their best to make everything fit.
"It'll be a bit tight," says Sandru, "But we'll do the best we can."
Ameiko is greatly relieved by the resolution of the crisis. After she helps with re-packing some of the clothing to find space for the new passengers' gear, she moves up by her younger brother and says, "Thanks again for your help, Koan. I know it was a lot to ask, but you really saved us from an uncomfortable situation -- and found the real criminal, too. Hiro was worried that he might have to fight the entire town." She gives the yojimbo a wink, then says to Kenji, "If we were back home I'd be giving you an earful about all those dangerous risks you took, but... I think you've showed that you can handle yourself! As long as you don't..." - and here she leans forward slightly to exaggerate her point - "do anything dumb to impress a woman," she finishes, then glances back over her shoulder at Deborah, who's sitting on the back steps of Koya's wagon, idly kicking her feet up and down as she too daintily eats a slice of cake.
Shalelu, meanwhile, is busily restringing her bow and waxing the new string. She seems quite annoyed with it. Finally she says to Lyraesel, [b]"I think there is a warp in the wood of my bow. Do you think you could do anything about it? Or maybe help me pick out a new one. It keeps launching off to the side of whatever I aim at, but it's not consistent about pulling left or right."
As night approaches, Sandru says, "I think we'll be ready to go in the morning. Any last wishes, get 'em in now. We'll be leaving Wolf's Ear behind us soon!"
"Of course, I'll be happy to." Lyraesel says looking at the bow and giving Shalelu a smile.. "I know how annoying that is. With all the problems you've been having with this one it might b best if we pick out a new one. Kind of fitting for a new adventure don't you think?"
She gives the yojimbo a wink, then says to Kenji, "If we were back home I'd be giving you an earful about all those dangerous risks you took, but... I think you've showed that you can handle yourself! As long as you don't..." - and here she leans forward slightly to exaggerate her point - "do anything dumb to impress a woman,"
Kenji affects an offended, even somewhat hurt, expression, putting one hand to his chest. "What, me? Dramatics? I only somersaulted out of a second story window. " Try as he might, he can't suppress the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Besides, getting caught would have been dumb." he looks down as the grin gets bigger. "Dosing an angry mob's beer with laxatives would be hilarious, if not a little dumb."
"Of course, I'll be happy to." Lyraesel says looking at the bow and giving Shalelu a smile.. "I know how annoying that is. With all the problems you've been having with this one it might b best if we pick out a new one. Kind of fitting for a new adventure don't you think?"
Lyraesel stops in the middle of speaking as she is struck by a thought. "Actually is might be able to not just compensate for the warp but....actually undo it. I've never tried anything like that before but I understand the nature of things better, and ...I think I can fix the wood itself, just.....in the morning."
Shalelu nods at Lyraesel's comment and says, "I can wait. I expect that your magic is less time-consuming and more reliable than making an entirely new bow."
Ameiko gathers everyone around at supper and, after playing a few musical pieces, she says, [b]"All right, just so we're ready to go! We are about a little more than a week from Brinewall Village. We have maybe two or three major stops along the way, plus as many little hamlets and thorps as we run across... Sandru can speak better to that. Once we reach Brinewall, the goal is to find whatever it was that this ancient letter spoke about -- my lost family heritage, some relic or heirloom or something relating to how my family, the Kaijitsu family, came here from Tian Xia, and why, and what we left behind."
"We've had a little fun along the way, but with any luck, it's just beginning. After we find whatever it is in Brinewall Village, I'll decide what I want to do next. Those of you who've come this far, you can choose when you've had enough - if you return to Sandpoint, my family will make you rich. But if there's more to see and do, then who knows how long this journey will last?"
Your supper is a festive one, and Sandru prepares maps by firelight for your departure in the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~
You leave Wolf's Ear behind and commence the journey to Brinewall Village. You follow the edge of the Churlwood along the Lampblack River until the river turns east, then head on a narrow track through the Churlwood until you reach Roderick's Cove. After resupplying there, you head north and track along the long, rocky trails on the west face of the Stony Mountains until you reach the Lurkwood - avoiding Riddleport at Sandru's insistence. Then the caravan cuts west to the Velashu river, which you ford on a ferry and then follow north into the Nolands and finally on an old, overgrown, disused trail to Brinewall. Along the way you have a few uneventful stops to resupply and trade, but as they say, the long, safe parts of the story always take the shortest time to tell.
As you come closer to Brinewall, excitement mounts. People are eager to see what's happening and to finally reach the conclusion of Ameiko's spur-of-the-moment adventure.
By Sandru's estimate you are a day from Brinewall when matters turn. Ameiko doesn't leave the wagon for breakfast, and when Kenji goes to find her, she seems to be ill. She is pale and shaky, and though she protests that she will be fine, she needs help to get out of the wagon to have breakfast. She eats little and says less, and though Koya determines that she doesn't have a fever, she doesn't seem to improve much at all as the morning commences.
You're only ten miles from Brinewall when Ameiko collapses. Kenji shouts for help and Hiro and Koan arrive in a flash to carry her supine form to Koya's wagon. Koya examines Ameiko thoroughly and after much "hmm"ing says, "She is not ill from a disease - no fever, no morbidity, no foul humours. This is something else; perhaps a curse, perhaps something in her mind - a hesitation about learning the truth of the family. But it is not something to be cured with medicine. The answers lie there." The aged priestess points in the direction of Brinewall.
Consternation floods the group, until finally Jinda offers an idea: He can return the way you came to Riddleport or Galduria. There he can look in the extensive libraries for more information about Ameiko's symptoms, and perhaps discover a cure, or at least something that will help to inform about the problem. Hiro will remain at the wagon to stand guard over her body, while Magnauk will accompany Jinda on the road back in case he has any hostile encounters.
Sandru says that he can bring the caravan up to the edge of Brinewall, and there are no signs that Ameiko's condition is worsening; she simply seems to have slipped into a strange coma. Whatever the legacy of the Kaijitsu family is, it will have to be found in Brinewall, if you are to have an immediate answer.
Kenji sits with his sister once she falls unconscious, uncertain what he can do to help her. He stays by her side until they get right up to the edge of Brinewall, where he emerges from the caravan to let Hiro take over watching her. He wipes moisture from his eyes, looking stiffly up at Brinewall as he not only gathers his courage, he gets mad.
"Whatever caused this has to know I'm here too." he says, determined. "It made a big mistake when it missed cursing me too."
Lyraesel awakens early the next morning greeting the dawn and embracing the power of the natural world. Feeling her magic renewed, the druidess finds Shalelu, heading to a secluded grove she’d spotted the day before. Sitting cross-legged across from the ranger she begins to chant in druidic, a soft green glow emanating from her as she picks up the unstrung weapon. Embracing the nature of the wood itself, feeling the grain of it, she reaches within Shalelu’s bow, finding the flaw within it, taking hold of the warp and redirecting the individual fibers of the wood, reversing the flaw created by use and the elements.
Once the feels it restored, she opens her eyes, holding out the bow to Shalelu with a small smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ameiko’s illness takes them all by surprise, seeing the bard, usually so utterly full of life, pale and sick comes as a shock. As one of the few people she felt comfortable around, she was not only accustomed to Ameiko’s upbeat irreverent presence, but welcomed it. And now she felt it’s absence. She could see the effect it had on Shalelu as well, the Ranger being far closer to Ameko than she herself was.
As her friend’s condition worsens, and it is determined that her illness is nothing natural, a deadly anger builds in her. Something had targeted one of her pack, and when she found them, she would rip out their throat.
As Kenji finally leaves her side as they approach Brinewall, she can sense the rage in him as well. The druidess nods at his words. Not much needed to be said. They would hunt until they had the person or thing responsible.
Vivnick, while out exploring the world for the perfect materials to craft her next clock, had been struck with the sudden need to head back to Sandpoint. Niska's request for Vivnick to protect her daughter should Koya ever go on a long trip at the forefront of her mind as she headed towards Wolf's Ear, where she had planned to join anyone heading south. Luckily for her, she happened to be coming in to town just as the the party's caravan was heading out. After a double take and elated greetings, the perky gnome joined with the group as they headed north.
It was within the first day of their travels when someone had made a rather innocent comment regarding helping Vivnick climb up on a rather large stump that caused the sensitive gnome to fly into a rage, demanding to know who the panic stricken individual had called a "Pipsqueak bug that was so small that she could get lost for three weeks in a well manicured lawn?!". Koya, having been used to Vivnick's bouts of size rage over the years, had simply snatched her up, stuffed an apple in her mouth and carried away the gnome. Vivnick was deposited on a cart, where she sulked for nearly half an hour, eating the apple, before she returned to her normally cheerful, perky self. The fury of insult seeming to vanish like a puff of smoke.
~~~~~~~~~~~
After the rush of tending to Ameiko had resulted in Koya's hypothesis of what had happened to the bar keep, Vivnick found herself standing beside a wagon wheel, taking no heed that, at it's tallest, the wheel was a few inches larger than her. Hands on her hips, Vivnick's attention was focused on Brinewall, "Who, or what, did this to her will be found and brought to justice. Time to armor up." The gnome stalks down the caravan line, heading for her gear.
Morgrym comes up as quickly as he can when he hears the commotion.
Seeing Ameiko collapsed, he looks around while gripping the haft of his axe.
By the maker, the one that did this will suffer.
Once they have pulled up near the Brinewall, he grabs his gear, as he nods at the gnome as she stalks by to get her gear.
Kenji straps the spiked gauntlets on his hands, testing their flexibility. He looks at the group and nods. "Okay, so do we need to take anything else with us?" he asks. "Because it's time to go."
The track you've been following all this time passes about half a mile east of Brinewall, continuing north and crossing the Steam River into the Nolands over a weathered wood-and-stone bridge. An old signpost about a hundred yards south of this bridge reads “To Brinewall,” and points down an overgrown trail that winds through a forest. This track quickly fades
away entirely into the undergrowth, and further progress toward the ruined village must be made on foot.
You are forced to leave the caravan at the edge of the track. Sandru and the drivers promise to take care of the horses, while Koya will wait with Ameiko and make sure she doesn't worsen. Shalelu mentions that she will go hunting -- you have a few supplies still, but you don't know how long you will be here and being able to supplement those supplies will help.
Deborah says to Kenji, "Should I stay here or go with you? I... I can help, and I don't know that there's much I can do for Ameiko, but..." She trails off.
You push out of the brush and arrive on the outskirts of a tiny village by a bay where the Steam River empties. Everything is overgrown and slightly swampy.
"It might be dangerous here, Deborah. Whoever did this to my sister probably wont just roll over and let us stop them. You don't have any combat gear, and I don't want you to get hurt. Can you stay here for now? We might need your help later, but I don't want you to get hurt. We know what risks we're taking. Mostly." he says.
"A-all right, I'll trust your judgment," she says nervously. "If you get hurt, come back here and Koya and I will help."
Looking at Shalelu as she shoulders her bow, a small smile touches Lyraesel's lips for a moment. "Good hunting."
After a moment her expression and tone darkens a bit."We'll be on a hunt of our own."
Vivnick returns after taking the time to properly put on her armor and strap on her weapons. Her bow and arrows on her back, over the sheathed long sword. She nods to Kenji, "I have everything I need. Lead on, my new friend. You have my sword and we shall show this fiend the righteous error of their ways." The tiny gnome then moves with the party, towards the desolate town, occasionally making angry under tone remarks at the hateful overgrowth impeding her passage.
Morgrym, starts stalking towards the town after Vivnick.
Aye, they will pay for their errors
"Hold one moment and I'll scout." Lyraesel says as she crouches, placing one hand on the ground as she closes her eyes for a moment and focuses. Though nothing overt occurs, those looking at er notice a shift in her body language, becoming more...predatory.
When the druidess opens her eyes, it becomes clear that something has definitely changed as they carry the golden glow of a wolf's. Leaning into the wind she sniffs a few times, taking a measure of the area before moving toward Brinewall taking a circular exploratory path.
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Kenji watches Lyraesel's change and leans back to Morgrym. "Whatever that is, that's cool." he murmurs. "She's all... wolfy."
That is a neat trick. All Torag gifts me with is the ability to hit things hard. He grins at Kaijitsu And I intend to show those that hurt her the same.
"And I shall show them the power of Desna with my sword through their knee caps." Vivnick states just before she gets into a snarling altercation with a dense, small shrub that snags on her shoulder piece.
Lyraesel starts sniffing and looking for traces of inhabitants or recent passage. She finds something rather older than that: a cemetery. There are several graves, neatly tended. There is a single stone crypt on a hill on the east side, and the area looks like it has been weeded.
From here it's also possible to see the remnants of a ruined lighthouse poking up over the village to the north, and a longship moored in the harbor to the northwest, though it's difficult to make out specific details without getting closer. The village itself lies along a lagoon formed near the bay, consisting of rotting, half-collapsed shacks.
What would you like to explore?
"I'm no genius here, but somebody has been taking care of this place." Kenji observes. "This is cleaner than the one in sandpoint. By... A lot."
"Might as well look and see if there are Kaijitsu family gravestones while we are here." he decides, moving into the cemetery and walking towards the crypt. "If we're important, maybe theres something in there."
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The graveyard has, indeed, been well-tended. Someone is still taking care of the place.
The crypt has a name placard upon it:
Admiral Mercatio Kiameleu
In addition, you note that one of the low stones in the north side of the cemetery appears to actually be a small shrine, complete with a statue of a person holding up a bowl. Up close, it appears to be a marble statue of Desna, and the bowl is made of copper, but it is empty.
While atop the hillside with the crypt you can see across the lagoon and you can tell that there is a squat, imposing, two-story castle on the western side of the village.
"Looks like we definitely found the right place. What now Kenji the boat or the keep?" Lyraesel asks, her voice carrying a hint of a growl.
I be thinking that we look into the boat and village before we look into the keep.
"Agreed. The boat first" Kenji says, nodding.
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You make your way past some of the decrepit, ruined structures. This was a small but prosperous village, with a smithy (everything now rusted and ruined) and a few homes, plus a glassworks that, to Kenji's eyes, looks suspiciously like a small version of the Kaijitsu glassworks in Sandpoint.
Beyond the houses are a pair of collapsing wooden piers. Out on the western pier is the longship. It appears to be Ulfen in design -- down from the Linnorm Kingdoms, most likely. As you get closer you can see that there is a massive hole in the hull and the ship is half-sunken. It is, however, much more recent than the rest of the village -- the wood hasn't rotted yet, nor is it falling to pieces like many of the buildings. It does seem, though, that most anything useful on it has already been stripped away - no weapons, shields, or even oars, sails, or food stores remain. You can also sort-of make out the half-submerged corpse of the dead sea drake over in the lagoon, and the wreckage of the lighthouse across the way to the north.
After looking over the entire town.
Well, I guess we have no choice but to travel to the keep now.
"Yeah. However... That glassworks... Looks like a smaller version of my family one." Kenji observes. "Maybe our family originally lived here... Why is the town abandoned? I dont see any reason for it to be empty."
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"Whatever they were running from might have caught up to them." Lyraesel says quietly. "Let's move."
You move quietly away from the boat and back toward the village. Age has taken its toll on the buildings, and there is little in the way of materials left, though here and there you find a broken tool, a shattered mug, or a torn-off piece of clothing. Nobody was left behind to clean up... so everyone either left or died at the same time.
The glassworks is like a smaller version of the building in Sandpoint, even down to having a similar layout. Shattered glass is all over the floor. Lyraesel's wolflike senses smell out the chemicals commonly used in glassblowing, like coal and potash, and there are small amounts still stored, but a lot of it has been scattered around the floor. Old stains on the ground look like spatters of blood.
Nearer the graveyard are two larger structures. The southernmost one, it is easy to see, is a temple to Desna, though the once-beautiful stained glass windows have been shattered into tiny fragments and whatever holy relics might've once lain there are now gone. North of it is a larger building with overturned benches and a podium - possibly a town meeting hall.
You move past the haunting loneliness of the village and toward the massive sea creature in the harbor. It has bright green scales and winglike arms, almost like some kind of swimming bat.
The creature has several gashes and slashes in its scaly hide where it was clearly assaulted with axes and swords. The body lies in the shallow water of the harbor, though you could probably get down into the water and walk up to it if you wanted to give it a closer inspection.
If anyone follows the dawnflower, would it be adverse if we were to take this, as it could be useful.[/ooc]
Morgrym empties an oil flask, cleans it out with some of his water, and then proceeds to fill it with the water out of the bowl.
[b]Any suggestions on where we go from here.
He looks upon the slashed up critter with interest.
"The church of Desna should be checked... But i really wanna check out that sea monster." Kenji exclaims. "Maybe... We can find out more about who's still here."
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Koan's eyes dart about the decrepit village with worry as he follows behind the others. He had been unusually quiet since Ameiko fell ill, obviously distraught over her condition but with no ready solutions how to snap her out of it.
Koan glances down at the dead creature in the water as he clears his throat, "Some kind of reptile though I've never seen its like before. Regardless, I don't think it is going anywhere fast so maybe it would be best to search the lighthouse or keep before it. If there are others inhabiting this place, those look like the most defensible locations to bunker down in if I was them."
Vivnick glances around the graveyard as they pass through it on the way to the crypt, nodding her head in agreement with the consensus that it is clearly being tended. Upon seeing the statue of Desna, Vivnick bows her head, closes her eyes and offers a quiet prayer to her goddess. She tags along at the rear of the group, only because their longer legs move them farther than her own, but does not allow herself to fall behind.
She looks down at the sea creature, then up at the ruined church of Desna, an expression of sadness crossing her face, "It's a shame that her temple has been left to fall into ruin. I would like to look there next."
"Agreed, don't tire ourselve swimming until we know there's nothing more dangerous lurking." Lyraesel says quietly, already moving toward the temple.
Morgrym moves along with the others towards the temple.
Let us see what was done here. He shakes his head softly at the visible damage.
The temple is eerie in its decrepitude. The heavy doors creak loudly as you push your way in. Sparkling rainbow colors scatter across the floor as sunlight floods in through the open windows and coruscates through the tiny shards of colored glass. Cool wind comes in through the northerly doors as you step inside.
The place is a wreck. Benches are shattered and some of the wood is stained dark with old blood. The altar has been smashed in and there are no service pieces, no candles or candlesticks, no lamps or icons.
You hear the faint whistling of a reed flute - haunting and naïve, carried on the wind and circling through the hollow church.
Kenji can't identify the source of the music. It seems like it's coming from atop the dais, where the altar service once was, but there's nobody there. Even approaching and carefully prodding at the area with a stick, there's no sign of a person - not even someone invisible. It's like a melody from a ghost.
Vivnick looks around the room, her expression pained. She closes her eyes and listens to the haunting melody. With a quiet sigh, she opens her eyes again and looks to the others, "If I may, could I please have some time to clean up some of this mess? A holy place of Desna shouldn't be left in this state."
Vivnick bows her head to her companions and picks up a few pieces of broken pew as she looks around for anything she can use as a broom, muttering to herself about needing a wizard and a mending spell. She looks back to the group after poking her head in a broom closet, "I don't suppose someone could scrounge up a broom from one of these abandoned houses?"
As Vivnick starts righting the overturned furniture and doing what she can to clean up the place, the haunting flute music fades away, then a small, childlike voice, seeming emanating from nowhere, says, "Can it be true? Have the faithful finally returned, following a dream?"