"I think you've known me long enough to know that I don't have any dignity." Inari laughed. "I'm honestly less worried about the swimming than the fact that we can't see through this water. Anything could be in there. It freaks me out a little." He shrugged, a bit sheepish at the admission.
Once the decision has been made, Daufni takes the lead. The location on the map is not far at all from the channel you're standing at the edge of. There is no trail to the west, so she finds the easiest way, following as near the banks as she can. It's slower going than the trails, but the distance is not great and soon the you come to a small clearing.
A two-masted ship lies mired in the mud in this clearing, its rigging thick with moss and decorated with lanterns and windchimes made from goblin skulls and bones. Strange writing is faintly visible along the ship’s prow, while the soggy, swampy “yard” that surrounds the wreck is encircled by a rickety wooden fence.
The ship is definitely a seagoing vessel. Three trees have grown up near it in such a way that they could not have been there when the ship arrived at this spot. It must have been here for many years. A rickety wooden ladder is leaned against the bow of the ship, but aside from it and the ghastly decorations, you see no signs of life.
"How by Desna did this even get here?"
"How? Probably a storm. Big one. We are next to the coast... - but look at these trees, I think the better question is WHEN did this get here? This wreck must be older than me!"
Yuki approaches the vessel in awe. Obviously the Goblins had claimed this wreck, but then, the Goblins seemed to have had other problems recently.
"We should check it out!", the human girl shouts back, as she is already heading towards the wooden ladder, clearly planning to take a look regardless of any reply she would receive.
As Yuki gets closer to the ship, she finds the writing on the ship's prow to be not so strange at all. The Minkan script is just very oddly out of place and slightly obscured here and there by moss growth. It reads "Kaijitsu Star".
"Kaijitsu?" Inari said, looking at Yuki.
"Is that what it says? This could not be source of troubles though could it? I mean if it has been here this long...
Should we just note it on the map or attempt to explore it?"
Talene seems on the fence about exploring it right now.
Daufni looks around the area quickly while the rest you the party discusses the ship. Her survey reveals the ship to about 1000 feet inland from Sog's Bay. A storm surge could have brought it in, but it would have been a very large one.
"Kai-jitsu...Star...", Yuki deciphers the faded script.
"This...what...?", Yuki seems honestly confused right now.
"I...I have to take a look! This might have belonged to relatives of mine! I...ancestors...", she stammers as she approaches the opening.
The stuff they had in the Goblin village...it must have been looted from here..., her hands move to her pouch, finding the hairpin she took earlier and holding it in her hand.
Yuki seems very determined to explore the wreck.
Certainly, the name might just be a chance - a coincidence...but what were the odds? With her family already having established itself in Sandpoint, it seemed likely that other relatives meant to follow...only to die in a terrible storm so close to their destination...
"Alright. Let's take a look."
Everyone except Mari and Flax clambers up the ladder and onboard the ship. Up close it is even clearer how the marsh is claiming the ship. The decks, railings and cabin are streaked with moss and algae growth. Vines cling to the masts and intertwine with what rigging remains.
Despite this the wood is still solid enough to not cause any hazards. The ship is not very large, about 70 feet prow to stern. It is unoccupied now, but seems to have been as recently as a few weeks ago. The cabin shows signs of having been lived in, almost certainly by goblins, or at least one. The almost completely decayed body of a goblin is inside, along with the terrible smell from it. The room is a mess of garbage which was set on fire, scorching the room's walls, ceiling, and floor. It seems the ship was too sodden for the fire to spread farther.
Only one object in the room appears to be salvageable: a length of carved and shellacked wood that did not burn. It may be a wand if it resisted the fire.
The only other thing of note on the ship are the almost totally decayed remains of two goblin dogs that were chained to the rear mast. Otherwise the ship is empty.
Yuki was busy scanning every little part of the ship for possible clues to it's origin, purpose or the fate of it's crew.
She KNEW it was here for...decades - and she knew that places that house goblins are...well - she had no words for that really, but in combination that meant it was very unlikely to find out anything more than what they already knew.
That would not stop her from trying, though.
Only when someone brings to her attention that a second ship is marked in the Goblins map do the others manage to pull her away from the ship.
Of course, now she was going to want to see the other place...but then, it was getting late.
The most sensible course of action would be to go to Walthus for the night, then use a boat, or a raft, for that matter, to make their way towards the second wreck tomorrow - from there, they could likely also use their floating transportation device to make it to the skull on the map, if they were so inclined...if only to complete their mapping of the area.
Heal to determine about how long the corpses have been dead - .
Detect Magic on that "wand".
" can see what you're thinking, Yuki." Inari said seeing the excited gleam in her eye as she looked over the boat and the map. None of this stuff is going anywhere though. We can afford to go back to town to check in, give a report and resupply."
Talene estimates they have been dead for a minimum of a couple of weeks.
The wand yields an aura of conjuration magic.
As the others wait for Talene to finish her investigations, there is some discussion on next moves. Mari points out that the Licktoad village is close at hand and fairly secure. It may be dirty and smelly, but it is a good place to overnight.
"So you want to go camp out in the goblin village?" Inari asked, looking a little grossed out. After thinking about it for a moment he shrugged. "One night's not going to hurt us."
"I'd rather stay at Walthus'. Longer walk yes but much safer though if we stay in the village and all of ou prefer it, I am game".
"I'm fine if we're sleeping here?", Yuki explains, still exploring the ship...for the fifth or sixth time.
Walthus certainly was close...but Yuki was not very keen to swim through the muddy and overgrown liquid that made up the waterways reaching far inland in the marshes - they'd probably spend as much time getting rid of leeches than they'd do swimming...
Talene shrugs, "Alright, Goblin village it is..." I'll be sleeping with one eye open!
The party tramps back to the goblin village. It is close and easy to get to secure enough, and right at the head of a trail they will soon be following. Mari also points out that among the several things they have found so far, the chest that held the items in Gutwad's treasure room is itself likely among the more valuable.
Choosing one of the cleaner houses, the group barricades the door and settles in. The night passes quietly through to the morning.
Tale wakes in the morning and prays to Desna to renew her divine connection.
Yuki wakes early.
All the excitement from yesterday made her sleep uneasy, and when she woke again soon after sunrise, and had to get up to make water, she couldn't find more sleep. Instead, she heads outside, and starts doing her Kata's in the abandoned goblin village - she had neglected them so long...but she wasn't simply a waitress any longer now, was she?
Today, she would likely get to see the other ship, and Yuki wondered if it also was from her ancestors homeland.
Inari made breakfast, and while it was cooking he copied Yuki's kata. Within a surprisingly short time he was performing it like he'd been doing it for years. "This is kinda fun." he grinned.
"Glad you like it, but I neglected my training for too long. There's not much I can show you", Yuki smiles apologetically.
Daufni studies the map drawn on the back of the fan and compares it to what she knows of the marsh so far. She then shares her conclusions with the rest of the group.
"The ship, if it's a ship, is south and mostly west of here. The drag-trail from the village here goes roughly the same direction. I'd suggest we cross the river here and follow the trail. So long as it doesn't start taking us in a different direction we can stick to it and, if we're lucky, kill two birds with one stone."
"Sounds good to me!", Yuki nods. It made sense, and even if they had to depart from the trail at some point, it meant they could pick it up from there, instead of making their way back to the goblin village to find out more about it.
Talene nods in agreement ready to set out.
Crossing the river takes a little time, but it is not difficult. Mostly the extra time is spent with Mari removing her armor and tying onto Flax, then reversing the process on the other side.
Following the trail proves to be quite easy. It emerges from the water on the riverbank exactly opposite where it entered on the other side. From there it proceeds as straight as possible, only diverting around obstacles that would be difficult to go over or through.
The trail takes the party overland, it follows no pre-established paths for almost a mile before again disappearing into a smaller channel of the river. After crossing it, the party finds the trail again reliably continuing onward out of the water. After roughly another quarter of a mile the trail runs into an established, older pathway. Rather than cutting straight across the older path, the drag-trail turns left and begins to follow it. With the turn the trail the party is following begins to go due south. This is the first time it has diverted significantly from the direction of the "ship" marked on the fan map.
Meanwhile the older pathway to the party's right turns slightly, curving gently westward in the direction of the "ship". Furthermore, it leads to an old, mournful looking, single story wooden building.
"Who would build anything out here?" Inari asked rhetorically.
"Let's find out".
The Cleric approaches cautiously looking for signs of habitation - Perception
As you come closer to the building you see it sits in a small clearing. The shack-like structure was a house, but you see nothing to suggest it has been inhabited any time recently. The wooden walls and roof are extensively covered in fungus and lichen growth. The edge of the roof over the sagging porch sports a number of old fetishes. Dangling from strings are bundles of feathers, a couple of bones, and small burlap pouches with unknown contents.
There is also a partially collapsed shed a few yards away from the house.
"Careful! I think that may be Old Megus abode? That witch living in the Swamps...I don't really think I would make a very good frog, so lets be as polite as possible if we meet her, ok?"
"I think you would make a fantastic frog." Inari said with comic earnestness.
He walked toward the cottage. "Hello? Does Megus live here?" he called out as they got closer.
There is no reply from the house. It still seems unoccupied. There is no smoke from the chimney and no hint of light from the only window on the front of the place.
Inari knocked on the door.
Talene looks about in case anything approaches the as they investigate the seemingly abandoned house.
There is no answer to Inari's knock. When he tries the door it is unlocked, although opening it is hindered some because the wood has swollen with moisture.
A peek inside shows the interior to be no better than the outside. Sheets of fungus grow along the walls and floor of the entry room, and on the numerous gourds, twigs, and bones hanging from the ceiling on sinew and string. Obviously the roof is no longer keeping out water, and the floorboards are beginning to warp.
"Looks like no one has been here in a while." Inari said. "Should we go in?"
"Hum...might as well...I don't think I would make a good frog. If I wouldn't get murdered in the first week I'd probably starve to death.", clearly Yuki's thoughts still dwell on being cursed by a powerful witch...but what she could see did not suggest that the place was still inhabited...maybe Megus moved somewhere else, or it wasn't even her place, after all.
Looking for mental refuge in one of the weapons of her profession, Sarcasm, she questions Inari:"Is this even stable? Or will it collapse on us if you accidently step on a load-bearing floorboard...?"
By the time everyone is inside, you all have reason to wonder about the building's integrity along with Yuki. It's in bad shape, the wood is rotting from exposure to water, and there is enough lean in some of the walls and door frames to make you wonder how much longer it will stand.
The place is quiet, and nothing stirs.
There are closed doors set in the walls to the left and right in the entry room. Directly ahead on the far wall is a doorless entryway.
Tal heads closer to the doorless entry to investigate that room.
"This feels...eerie."
So far, they had fought some...shapeshifter in a friends place, found a shipwreck with her family name, and a village full of scared or dead goblins, with the remains of the previous expedition.
But somehow, this old house seemed most creepy to Yuki right now.
Probably just a former place of residence for a guy like Walthus. Goblins gave him trouble, he moved out, now it's slowly decomposing.
Trying to pull herself together, Yuki follows right behind Talene...the biggest danger would probably be the house collapsing on them...Yuki looked at the walls, then confidently decided that one could probably crash through them with enough force and make a hasty exit if the roof started to come down...
Talene and Yuki find the room on the other side of the entryway to be in much the same condition as the one they are currently in. It seems to be combination of kitchen, dining room, and parlor. There is a wooden table with a couple of benches. A wooden cabinet sits against one wall, a couple of small cupboards against another. An old brick stove with a small cooking table beside it is built against the center of the opposite wall. Again, most of the surfaces sport some mold or fungus growth.
There are two doors side-by-side on the right wall. A single door is built into the wall on the left.
Talene takes a deep breath and begins to check the doors along the right wall.
As the place seemed clearly deserted, with mold growing on most surfaces, Yuki follows and attempts to open the door on the left wall, to save time.
This house was not only prone to collapsing, at least if judging by the look - it likely was a health hazard to even just breath the air in here for prolonged time.
"Heloo?" Inari called out after Yuki tried to open the leftmost door. "Anyone here?"