"I don't know. I mean, did it say his name?" She goes outside to check on Flax first though.
After the noise from the fight has been over for a couple of minutes, you hear a heavy sound from upstairs. It's like something bumping or falling. Then you hear a voice call out "H-hello? Can someone help me? Please?"
Standing aside, while Talene looks over the creature, leaning against a wall to cover the fact her legs seem a bit unsteady, Yuki jumps with shock when she hears the bumping and voice...before running off towards where the voice came from: "Did you hear that? Who was that?"
Inari leaned against the wall catching his breath for a moment as the stress of the short fight left him. He looked at this spear like it had betrayed him.
I feel like I should be better in a fight than that if we're going up against goblins. Why did I have the idea that I could handle myself in a fight? I didn't get a single hit in.
When the muffled voice spoke, he whipped his head around trying to pinpoint it's location.
"I think it came from this way." Inari said, following Yuki and trying to find the source of the voice.
Talene ventures to guess, "Walthus, is that you?"
After checking on Flax (who was growling and barking as the fighting went on, but still obediently stayed where he was) she gave the good boy a treat - before going back in, taking a moment to wiggle the blood off her hammer onto the grass nearby. "Who are you guys talking to?"
The voice answers Talene with "Yes, I'm Walthus. Who are you? Is the intruder still in the house? Please help me, it wounded me badly."
"We are from Sandpoint. We were coming to meet with you..."
Talene begins to search fro where his voice is coming from.
"I'm Mari Valeri from the Sandpoint Guard! Sir, hold on, let us get to you." She makes sure her weapon is put away, before going to help Talene search for Walthus.
"Thank the gods! I feared that we killed you, and that you were...that intruder thing!", Yuki shouts back as she races further towards wherever the voice seemed to come from.
The initial thump you heard came from the second floor. Following the voice takes you out of the kitchen and back into the main room you were in before. It isn't hard to conclude the reason for this is the stairs leading upstairs are in this room.
"Where are you? Are you tied up? Are you hurt?" Mira rushes upstairs first, looking around for any rooms and entering the first one she sees to find Walthus, if she even needs to go into one.
As Mari gains the landing at the top of the stairs she sees a hallway extending to her right a short way. It is darker up here since there are no light sources except a single window to her immediate left.
Looking down the hallway there are two doors on the left wall of the hallway. The first is closed, but the second is partially open. There might be some faint natural light coming through the open door. The wall at the end of the hallway also has a door that is partially open. There might be a small amount of natural light coming through that opening as well.
The halfling's voice comes from the room at the end of the hall.
"Sandpoint? Thank the gods! I'm upstairs and I'm wounded!"
Mari frowns and goes to the end of the hall at a dead run, opening the door and seeing if she can provide any help to the halfling. "He's up here, end of the hall!
Talene heads up, hesitantly but she heads up, "I shall call upon Desna to heal your wounds Walthus".
The rest of you ascend the stairs behind Mari.
Talene stops to take a look inside the room with the closed door. Inside she finds a small storage room. It contains a variety of tools for home repairs, woodcutting, and brushwork. There are also a few weapons on wall pegs and holders, including a longbow and arrows and a couple of hand axes. Two sets of leather armor lie on shelves. All the these items are undersized for a human, which would make sense if they are Walthus' possessions.
Along one wall she notices three wooden crates full of random bric-a-brac, and two baskets holding druid fruit.
Mari hurries down the hallway to the door at the end of the hall. She pushes it open to reveal a very lived-in and messy bedroom.
A small door with no visible external handle and without any framing is pushed slightly open. She guesses that if the door were closed, it would be almost unnoticeable.
Lying on the floor, partially extending into the bedroom beside the small door, is a halfling man. He has propped himself weakly up on one elbow, and looks extremely pale.
When he sees Mari, He exclaims "Oh thank the gods you came!" and begins sobbing in relief.
When Yuki stops for a moment at the top of the stairs to re-orient herself, Mari pushes past her. The irritation is just one moment, until she remembers: She's a militia guard...just keeping us save
Staying right behind her, she follows her to the room at the end of the hall.
When she sees the halfling, an intense wave of job washes aside any doubts about what happened downstairs:"Talene, over here! He's here and alive!"
"U-Uh, stay still." She moves right beside the other halfling and kneels down, holding onto him and easing his burden. "Where were you hurt?"
Tal steps into the room to heal Walthus.
A quick appraisal of Walthus shows plenty of scrapes and bruises on his body. He looks as if he's been soundly beaten about. The one glaring exception is a very large welt at the bottom of his neck near his shoulder. It looks much like a gigantic bee sting or mosquito bite, with red swollen skin around a central puncture wound.
Heal check to relieve his wounds.
Heal
"Ow. That looks like it hurts. What did it do to you? What did it want?" Inari said sympathetically.
On taking a closer look at the wound on Walthus' neck, Talene sees traces of blood near the center. The wound itself is stable, with dried blood plugging the puncture. .Walthus seems weakened mostly from blood loss, which would have come from the puncture wound since there are no other sources of bleeding on him.
"Is it gone? What happened to the creature? It came upon me suddenly while I was in my snake room tending to my pets. I tried to fight, but it bashed me to the ground and jumped on me. It held me down and pierced me with its tongue! It was sucking my blood!"
"But my snakes fought for me. It was bitten at least twice and it turned on the poor things! They gave me a chance though, I ran here to my secret room and hid. I could here it searching around the house for me for a while, then I believe I passed out. It was all the noise downstairs that woke me up."
"Oh my...I believe that thing wanted to move in, take your place. It...looked like you. Now it all makes sense...it wanted us to leave, as soon as possible, tried to get rid of us. When we tried to bargain for a place to sleep, it attacked us, too!"
Seeing that Talene already was taking care of Walthus, Yuki added:"We...defeated it? Maybe killed, I don't know...it's in your kitchen, now. I think you are safe to rest up if needed. We'll stand watch tonight, to make sure everythings fine, and we can talk more tomorrow?"
If he agrees, that means we get to stay here...no need to discuss terms for staying in the house, then...
Mari immediately steps up to that. "I'll take first watch tonight. Flax and I can patrol around the house, maybe help with seeing if we can find anything else about that... thing, whatever it is." Once she's satisfied that Talene has Walthus in hand, she gently pulls away from the other halfling, standing up. "I'm gonna check on Flax - is it okay if we bring him in, Mister Walthus? He's my, uh, riding wolf."
I wonder if any more of those will come by afterwards, though...
"Any idea what type of creature it is Walthus?"
Walthus is reluctant to let go of Mari as she pulls away from him, but he does so and sits up. He still looks pale and weak but he asks for help to stand up.
"I have to check on my snakes right away. Downstairs at the back, can you help me along a little?"
He does alright getting around once he's found his feet, and once downstairs he takes you all through a different door in the main room. It leads outside, where there is a walled in garden. He is nearly frantic when he finds three snakes, torn and bloodied on the ground. "Oh no no! They died protecting me!" He cries, shedding tears of grief.
He gathers each one and places them together in an old, cracked stone basin resting on the ground. As he is doing that, you see another snake, small and bright green, slither down a bush's branch and onto his shoulder. When he notices he cries "Lucinda! Oh thank the gods!! But where is Oscar? He begins searching about in the brush and soon produces a shiny black snake from within it. "Oscar! I'm so glad to see you!"
Walthus coos and cuddles with the deadly vipers for a few moments before releasing them back into the trees. He then turns to you and and says "I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. They are my closest friends you see. There is nothing more loving and loyal than a befriended snake. But come back inside! I insist you stay here tonight. I'm not much of a housekeeper I'm afraid, but we can move some things around. There is a guest room upstairs. I will also put a meal together for you right away!"
Talene smiles sadly, "I am sorry that you lost a few of your friends Walthus. Let's rest a bit and over dinner we can discuss what you think happened and why".
When Walthus states his intent of fixing a meal, Yuki stops him:"No, you were hurt and passed out. Just show me where things are, I know my way around a kitchen well enough to make something edible. You should rest! And thank you a lot for your kind offer - we gladly accept."
Now that you've had a little time with him you can see just how well the shapechanger had mimicked Walthus. The same early middle-aged halfling man with shaggy dark brown hair and brown eyes. The same hints of wrinkles to come on the face. The same clothes. The only thing the shapechanger didn't reproduce exactly was the degree of his poor hygiene. Walthus himself would be well served by a bath, maybe two, to fully remove the swamp grime. His clothes need to be laundered and mended in a few places. Between this and his snakes it's easy enough to see why visitors might be a rarity, even if he's friendly enough. After one saves his life at least.
+++++++++
Walthus bows slightly to Yuki with some obvious difficulty. "You are such a sweetheart. Normally I would insist on doing it myself, but I have to admit it would be taxing for me to cook right now. Thank you my dear. I will show you where you can find my food stores."
+++++++++
Walthus shows Yuki where to find the food stores in the pantry and kitchen. She has several things to work with: fresh fish, dried fish, salted fish, fish powder for thickening soups, a bit of dodgy looking and stringy squirrel, some mushrooms, a mixed variety of fresh wild greens from the area, dried berries, a few slightly withered beets and carrots, and flour.
+++++++++
"I am very grateful you arrived here when you did. I've no doubt you saved my life. But I am curious. Why is a militia patrol from Sandpoint so far out into the Brinestump? When you called out you said you were looking for me?"
+++++++++
"Of course you bring your pet in dear girl" he tells Mari. "You say you ride him? Really? You're as daring as you are sharp-eared and pretty."
+++++++++
To Talene's question Walthus replies "You may be right about the creature's plans. It could be he wanted to claim the house and pose as me when needed to make it go unnoticed. It wouldn't have taken much effort on his part since it's such a rare thing for anyone to come out this far. Fishermen usually stay much closer to the edges of the marsh, and there's not much hunting to be done in here. Otherwise there's really no point of coming in at all.
I think it may have been a faceless stalker. There are a few creatures who can shape shift, but none of the others have a tongue for piercing and bloodsucking. From what I know of it this is a rather small one, though still a nasty beast."
+++++++++
As Yuki sets to cooking, Walthus pours cups of beer for all of you. It's homemade stuff, heavy and not perfectly filtered. Despite a thick and slightly chunky texture it's very tasty though, as much an appetizer as a before dinner drink.
He settles into a chair very near Mari and says to her "You might want to rethink the idea of patrolling outside after dark. You would be in more danger than us in here. If the faceless stalker had any compatriots they may still be out there. Also if there's any truth to the stories about the Soggy River Monster, it's out there and not in here.
I'd much rather have your company in here than those pretty eyes of yours peeled outside. Especially if we end up having to search for you when you go missing, only to find your eyes really have been peeled by something!"
Walthus chuckles at his own joke.
"Thank you Walthus for your hospitality, that is why we came to seek you out. Staying out there at night seemed not to be a prudent choice.
There are a few reasons really why we have come. The most pressing concerns the Goblin raids on the trade roads to and from Sandpoint. We were hoping you may have some insight into the Goblin tribes that are active in this area..."
Walthus nods at Talene's question.
"Raids by goblins from the marsh? If that's where they're coming from it has to be the Licktoad Tribe. They're the only ones who live in the marsh. It's lean territory here, couldn't support any more tribes.
The Licktoads usually keep to themselves and don't cause trouble. They're a small tribe compared to most."
The halfling's face then takes on a sly look as he puts things together.
"Would this have anything to do with fireworks? I've seen some going off in the sky over in the direction of their village. That sort of thing might get them worked up, embolden them."
"I can't tell you much in detail. I do my best to stay away from them. They have a fortified village southeast of here, more to the center of the marsh. It's not easy to get there from here. This is an island, one of the reasons I chose the location. Lots of water between here and there. Goblins aren't much for boating or swimming so it works out well for me."
"The best route to the village is the Old Fish Trail. That's the reason there's a New Fish Trail. When the Licktoads moved in they set themselves up near the Old Fish Trail and it became too dangerous to use. The best way for you to get there is to go back out of the marsh and take the Lost Coast Road around to the other trail. It's more roundabout, but faster than trying to cross the swamp straight from here to there. Safer too."
What do you have planned?"
Yuki gets to work.
Fresh Fish and flour make for a crispy main dish, dried berries and mushrooms for a sauce to go with it, and the mixed variety of local greens a fine side dish or salad.
Trusting the others to explain the reason for their presence and talk things over with Walthus, she doesn't try to participate in the conversation over the sound of things frying or cooking, and instead hums a merry tune as she works to maximize efficiency, trying to use several pans and pots simultaneously over the small fire place.
Some time into the evening, she'll emerge with a small but full plate for everyone, and an apologetic smile for Walthus:"I'm truly sorry, with the appetite of us larger folks, I'm afraid we severely diminished some of your stores. But we'll likely be around for a while, with having to map the swamp as well, so I'll keep my eyes open for some of the greens and mushrooms! - We did bring rations to depend on, but a fresh home-cooked meal is a LOT better, so thanks a lot for this!"
Flax was brought in soon enough, without too much fanfare; the smell of blood still lingered, of course, and Flax stayed well away from the corpse of what Walthus called the Faceless Stalker, growling all the while. After a few treats, though, he calmed down enough, and seemed to be happy to be left curled up near the door. Mari, for her part, mostly just laughed off the compliments from the other halfling, telling him it was just her job, trying her level best to be professional - she is a guard, after all - but she perks her ears at the mention of a 'Soggy River Monster'.
"Wait, wait, wait one moment, what's that about a Soggy River Monster? That going to be a problem too?"
Walthus tucks into the food Yuki brings without hesitation. His appetite seems unaffected by his recent battering.
"This is delicious Yuki. Thank you indeed. No need to worry about the stuff you used. It is all readily available around here. I mostly spend my days fishing and patrolling about my little island here when I'm not tending to my snakes. I'll have plenty of opportunity to replace everything once I'm back to my old self."
Walthus chuckles at Mari's questions but adds "Oh, I am sorry if my little joke alarmed you dear.
It's a local story, true or not I can't say. Over the last several years a few people have claimed they've seen something out of the ordinary. The details vary some from account to account, but there's a common theme.
The creature is said to be pale or light grey, stand about as tall as a human, and walk about on two legs in a stooped posture. Some say its mouth is a set of mandibles like a spider. Others say it has some sort of double jaw and its mouth opens in all directions, however that might work. It is predatory, and the people who say they've seen it were around the Soggy River or the marsh at the time.
I've never seen anything of the like myself. Occasionally when I'm out in the marsh I get the feeling I'm being tracked. I always sneak up a tree and wait for it to pass. It will turn out to be the usual culprits, a panther, or a couple of goblins. One time I didn't see what it was, just a momentary flash of white in the brush. But it could have been a deer's tail or many other things. I'm not going to claim to have seen it over that.
I wouldn't worry about it if I were you."
"Hmmmm. I certainly saw a flash of white along our trek to get here. I wonder if that would be the same flash that you saw.
Our plan right now is two fold. One, we have been engaged to map out these marshes. Two we are here to gather information on the Goblins not try to engage them if we don;t have to.
As far as mapping goes have you done anything extensive with respect to that near here or further dry land? With respect to the latter, do you think that the Goblins are stealing fireworks to use them or because they want to destroy them so as not be be disturbed?"
Tal eats but she does not eat much more driven by the task at hand.
In response to Talene's description of what she saw, Walthus shrugs but says nothing.
But when she mentions the mapping gig he smirks.
"Did Vesnutt at The Way North put you up to that? He was after me to try to make a map of the marsh for a while. It's hard to see how he could pay enough to make it worthwhile to you. The half of the marsh closer to the sea is as much water as land. Floods and storms are always reshaping it. It's dangerous in places too. If you really want to try, my honest advice would be to stick to the trails as much as you can and estimate as much of the rest as you can. He will never know the difference anyway."
"I've no idea how the Licktoads got their hands on fireworks. I seriously doubt they have the brains, skill, or patience to make them. But where could they possibly steal them from out here? How ever they're getting them, you can bet they're thrilled to have them. I'm sure their thinking is more mayhem makes for a better day."
Inari liked watching people. It was one of his favorite pastimes. There were so many fun little things to notice about how people moved and spoke.
After a few minutes he realized he'd just been leaning against a wall listening and watching, not contributing anything to the conversation.
"We're going to be out here anyway, might as well map as much as we can. I guess if the trails wash away toward the sea we could always try to find particularly recognizable trees as landmarks? Or something like that."
At well past dinner by this time. Walthus offers around more of his slightly chewy beer, as well as hand-rolled (presumably by him) small cigars. When he settles back into his chair he lights one up and gives it a few puffs. The smell isn't quite exactly tobacco but he seems pleased enough with it anyway.
The food, beer, and some rest have put some color back in the halfling. He seems much more relaxed now.
"It's just the opposite my good man." he responds to Inari. "The trails and their bridges are about the only things that are fairly permanent and recognizable in the marsh. You may have noticed coming in that the trails were on the driest places around. There are a few spines of higher ground and the trails follow them. Heavy rains swell the river and it will eat away chunks of bank. Storm waves wash pieces off the edge of the marsh."
"Silt will clog up the smaller streams occasionally and they will jump their banks to find a new route. The rest is just trees and brush and reeds. That's why I said map the trail areas and the deep channels and estimate the rest. It'll be different soon enough anyway."
"Otherwise there's this house as a landmark of course, but do leave it off the map please. The goblins have their village. And Old Megus has her house down on the south side of the marsh. No need for you to bother her by the way. She's not particularly friendly. If you need anything just come back here."
"What can you tell us about Old Megus?"
"Are there any trails that the Goblins use more frequently than other trails? Perhaps we should ambush a small group and see what answers we get out of them"...
"I can't tell you anything first-hand because I've never met her. Her place is farther south in the marsh than I go except of very rare occasions. I've never had call to seek her out. I don't know anything of magic, and the time or two I've needed a medicine I went to Hannah in town."
"What I've heard of her from Hannah and a few other in town is she's lived in the Brinestump for as long as anyone can remember. Stories about a swamp witch living here go back for about as long as there's been a Sandpoint. I guess she goes to town occasionally and orders things. Alchemical ingredients and equipment, that sort of thing. I've heard sometimes she would get books special ordered on disturbing subjects from unsavory places like Irrisen and Nex."
"Chask Haladan was curious enough about the books she'd come in to order from him to try to get her to talk about what they were for. She doesn't like people poking in her business, and doesn't have a fetching personality either from what he said of it."
"Also she has some kind of pet or familiar that she would bring to town in her robes. He never got a good look at it, but he swears it was a rat or something of the like, but with little human hands! I would just be careful about her if I were you."
"Well, the goblins do use the Old Fish Trail of course, otherwise I couldn't say."
After a breakfast of porridge and honey the next morning the little group of goblin hunters is ready to depart.
Walthus bids you goodbye and good luck, adding to Mari "I must say, I'd never considered the fine service patrols out of Sandpoint could give here in the marsh. If you're willing to keep coming out this way you'd be a welcome sight to me. You'll always find a comfortable bed and warm meals here."
As the group leaves the house they find the morning on the cool side, with heavy mist shrouding the ground.