Derric wields his katana and swings at the nearest skeleton.
Daichi immediately steps back and aims for the nearest skeleton. He slams his foot in to the ground. From beneath the muddy ground, a solid rock rises up and he punches forward, sending it flying at it's center.
Jayna moves away from the skeletons, and fires a Magic Missile at the one closest to her. "Well the goblins were right. Bony men it is."
Seeing the skeletons approach scared Kiko to some extent. She heard the stories but she had never seen the walking dead.
It took her a mere moment to gather her thoughts before she proceeded to ask for a blessing on her companions, "Lovely Ashava, please grant us your blessing so we can put these lost spirits to rest."
Once that was done she put more distance between her and the undead before drawing her one ranged weapon.
As the skeletons closed weapons flashed. Senga, Daichi, and Jayna managed to overcome their foes, bringing them low. Derric found purchase with his blade, but the skeleton pressed on.
Rusted blades struck out against Leodegrance, Rishana, and Derric. While Derric and Leo turned aside the blades of their foes, Rishana was not so fortunate and felt fire as the blade pierced he side.
Leo redoubles his efforts to batter down his foe.
Seeing one of his allies injured, Daichi twists and calls up another stone, sending it hurtling toward the skeleton attacking Rishana.
Derric, yelling a prayer to both his goddesses, swings his sword at the skeleton.
Jayna decides to conserve her spells. She pulls out a sling and fires a bullet at the closest skeleton.
Kiko looked at the undead things with a mix of disgust and pity. These undead monsters might just be the remains of her family's guards.
Still she loaded her drawn sling and attack the skeleton she could best see.
With a flurry of blows, the skeletons are reduced to dust and shards. An eerie silence falls on the swamp, you realize when the skeletons attacked the sounds from animals ceased. Runt peeks over the edge of the boat, his eyes filled with fear. "Bony men gone?"
"Looks like," says Leo, though he keeps his warhammer handy, just in case.
"Lovely. So they're prowling around here as well. I wonder... do they have a connection to this vessel, or are they just wandering the swamp and happened to be here?" With the threat destroyed, Daichi continues inside the ship to look for anything else unusual.
Jayna looks around the area. She's not excited about the possibility of entering the ship, but will stand guard outside.
"That does beg the question... what caused a group of sailors on a Kaijitsu ship to become undead? Dark magic? Or unfinished business?" He sighs. "No matter, I'm sure we'll find out when we confront the rest of them. Let's continue onward."
"It seems to be nothing more than a wreck at this point. If there used to be anything here, there isn't now."
"These swords are not of local design," says Leo.
"That's true. I wonder if they were guards for the Kaijitsu family. I wonder how they died. But that's another mystery that'll have to wait. For now, we should locate this cave where the goblins found the treasure. We should be all be extra careful and keep an eye out of danger," the kitsune said.
Leo nods. "Rishana, remember that old ghost story that Sandru told about the Tors and how they supposedly were filled with the undead remnants of their buried bodies, waiting for travelers to ambush at night and drag into the mounds? Gave me nightmares! Now it almost seems mundane by comparison," he says.
Damien moved towards the sounds of battle, a cacophony all too familiar to the young man. As the din quieted, his rapier was in his hand. He crept quietly towards the sounds, and, upon seeing a familiar figure clad in armor, Damien grinned and called out.
"Did you save any for me, brother?"
"Damien!" shouts Leo. "You made it after all! Of course I never doubted; if we could find our way here, it was natural that you'd be able to find the clues. So far, so good... look at these old remains! Tied with the Kaijitsus, somehow." He gestures to Kiko. "Not sure what it all means yet. What do you think?"
Damien took a look, considering.
"I could put some projections together. What would be most relevant?"
While he spoke, Damien took in the scene, trying to gauge how old the ship might be.
Damien pursed his lips thoughtfully.
"I'd date this to at least a century and a half. It's too dilapidated to figure out much more. Perhaps this ship originally bore the Kaijutsu's to Sandpoint? The town is not exactly ancient...the time periods might match up. I need more data for any other projections."
Leo pats his brother on the back. "I knew you'd have something with that miracle-working mind of yours," he says with a smile.
Daichi immediately shifts back to his combat stance, the earth moving almost imperceptibly around his feet at the sudden call from behind them. With great effort, he lets the tension run out of his body as Leo seems to recognize the new arrival. "You know this man?"
Damien grinned.
"Of course he knows me! I'm his brother! Damien Tarrant, my friend, at your service. I ventured out here with Leo, but we were separated by a storm. I just know managed to find the group again."
"I was never terribly worried - I knew with that keen mind of yours you'd find your way either to us or back to Sandpoint," says Leo. "Damien's my older brother - we're lucky to have him along!"
"Separated in the..." Daichi's hand comes up to his forehead, feeling a blinding surge of pain in his head. "I don't... don't remember that at all."
Damian raised an eyebrow.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm... not actually sure. Something is very strange here." He shakes himself as they pain recedes. "But I think I'll be alright."
Derric thought about it for awhile before speaking.
"I do remember both Leo and Damien being with me in the swamp. Although my memory is a bit sketchy. I...I...well in my journal I wrote that there were others who journeyed with me but now I can't remember them....maybe the gods are trying to ensure something happens, like some sort of quest needs to be fulfilled and the others who came before failed and the gods are doing everything they can to make sure this quest succeeds. That's the only thing I can say to explain what is going on."
Damien shrugged.
"Whatever the strangeness, we're all here now and have a job to do. I suggest we do it and worry about the 'how' when we're all settled by the fire in the common room of the Rusty Dragon, warming ourselves with ale. What's our next step?"
"The gods always have a guiding hand," says Leo with a grin. "So, following the directions of the goblin guide, we found these ship remains and the skeletal remnants - animated - of some of the crew. Uh, presumably. Now we need to see what other clues lie buried here."
"It's nice to meet you Damien. I'm Jayna. I think we should be moving forward. I don't want to let any more bone men come upon us. Daichi I believe you said there was nothing interesting left in the ship. Which way now?" The sorceress bows in greeting to Damien, but is clearly ready to get away from the ship as fast as possible.
"I believe that's why Runt is here," Daichi says, gesturing toward the goblin. "Which way to wherever they come from?"
At Daichi's urging, Runt hopped out of the boat and began searching the shattered bones of the undead. After a few moments he came away with a handful of moss and detritus, looking over them with a discerning gaze.
"Only one area in swamp this grow, south, up river. We look for place where no bird sing."
With that he scampered back into the boat, "Even tighter fit now, new humie."
"We'll manage," Daichi says dryly, clearly not wanting to be any nearer to the swamp water than he has to be. "Let's get going."
"It's not an adventure unless someone gets a little wet! Onward, friends."