Fish suddenly remembers the spyglass and hurries to look through it. Gah! First Joneth, now the spyglass! What's wrong with me?
Cedrick easily finds a few handholds to get up to where the spyglass sits and gazes through the lens... after cleaning off a layer of grime that had built up over time. Tracking the angle of the glass it's clearly pointed towards the sea cove that was picked out earlier... and Cedrick is able to spot a couple of octo-goblins swimming in the waters just in front of the cove's entrance.
No reason to wait for hours for Shadow to return. Once we have finished searching the area, we can pack up and head out back out the path and then take the other fork, which I think leads to the cove.
Shadow should be able to find us and give us his report when he is done.
Really, the only major change I would expect would be what is happening with the ship.
Once Cedrick tells the others about the octo-goblins in the cove, Fish excitedly picks up her pike and helps anyone who needs it get their packs in order. Let's go! We found their lair, maybe, so no time to waste.
Is the cove with the octo-goblins the same as the one the other fork of the path led to?
Shadow is sent aloft once more and the party begins to set off into the isle again. A hundred feet out or so from the barricade you find some scuffs and markings that would suggest that perhaps there were visitors during the night of some kind.
Obi looks at the scuffs attempting to determine what they are:
Knowledge(nature):
Fish joins Obi in examining the prints. Let's follow the ridge down to the cove. Less brush and we get to keep an eye on things.
"It is only fair, I suppose," Joneth comments with a shrug. "They paid us a visit on the ship, so we might as well return the favor."
Fish gauges that the scuffs were likely made by man sized creatures... perhaps the she-ghouls came near last night.
You set off travelling along the ridge towards the cove and after an hour or so of slugging through the brush Shadow returns. Of the Wormwood it is imparted that it still flounders, though men are over the side with wood and tools. You also hear of a shadow of a ship that lies beneath the sea to the West and South.
It takes all of the morning, slow time being made with the undulating terrain and brush - but you arrive at the top of the scarp overlooking the cove. The cove itself is shielded somewhat from the surf and churns with dark seawater. Gauging by the waterline you infer that high tide is past and the sea is beginning to retreat from the cove - which looks to be submerged completely when the tide is high.
The dark water betrays the lack of rocks hidden under the surface, leaving the pool deep enough to perhaps chance a dive. Otherwise access would need to be by climbing the cliffs down. The cove does not appear to have any octo-friends waiting to greet you at this point.
Fish activates her water breathing, Care to join me? before before launching herself over the edge. If anyone else seems inclined to go with her, she activates water breathing on them before jumping.
Obi looks to the others.
Might as well follow Fish to make sure she does not get into any trouble.
With that Obi also casually dives, floundering a little, into the water below.
Swim:
Nachni takes a moment to examine the waters below and confident that the dive is not too hazardous, approaches with a practiced grace and plummets head-first into the waters.
Deader shrugs and jumps off the cliff without much forethought, enjoying the feeling of vertigo as he sort of sprawls int he air. As he falls, something nags at his mind.
"Oh! Right." Then he straightens himself out and hits the water feet first.
Nachni launches herself off the cliff with a smooth, flowing motion and plunges into the water with nary a ripple.
Down in the pool proper you see the upper ridge of a tunnel leading deeper into a cave complex. The tide is still retreating, and so the entrance itself is still mostly underwater. You'd wager with a short delay (about as long as it will take for the others to rejoin) there'd be enough of an air gap at the top of the tunnel to allow for heads to remain above water without scraping on rock as you try to move inside.
Fish Pweza
Activating her water breathing, Fish whispers to Pweza, Take a peek, see anything? As the octopus slowly move to the front of her neck to get a better view. Fish will continue to activate water breathing on the others until everyone is able to breathe or something happens.
Feeling at home in the water, Obi quickly attempts to see if there is anything dangerous about.
Perception:
"Hurk." Deader grunts as he surfaces. Taking a moment to force his lungs to work again, he giggles and coughs. "This whole breathing thing is completely overrated." he mutters to himself before making his way across the surface toward the entrance to the cave.
Obi waits until Fish has given her the ability to breathe water. She then swims down and more carefully examines the sides of the passage to determine how hard it will be to swim by, and how far the knife filled passage stretches.
Swim speed 15'
Swim: <-- if necessary
Fish advances carefully behind Obi, ready to extend her spear and impale anything emerging from the passage. To Pweza, Say if anything looks interesting, okay? To Obi, Anything?
As Deader moves on ahead, Be careful.
Before Obi dives, she points out the razor sharp rocks.
All stay back, the rocks here are razor sharp. Let me swim in and investigate before anyone gets injured. If it is safe, I can help you all through.
Nachni waits for Fish to activate water breathing on her and then swims over to the cave with the others. Hearing Obi's warning, she stays back from the rocks to see what the druid finds.
Obisyth can see that the cavern extends back before banking to the right and out of her direct eyeline. The waters at the entrance are swirling and treacherous... it won't be easy for those not as adept in the water to make their way through without suffering at least a few scrapes from the passage.
I am exploring as far into the cave as I deem safe while waiting for the land bound to arrive. I think the others are staying out.
Do I see any place farther in where we can surface to breathe?
Effectively, I would swim in for 4 rounds (double move should allow me to go 120'), and then return so that I have some air/time to spare.
Obisyth manages to tread the treacherous waters with some effort, but an ease that she thinks perhaps beyond some of her companions who are less able in the sea. She swims fifteen feet or so into the cave mouth and peers around the corner to find that the tunnel doubles back upon itself again and she needs swim a little further to see deeper. The floor of the tunnel is still well below her feet, while the waters above are only just receding from the cavern's roof. Judging by the passage of time it will still be an hour or more until the tide has receded sufficiently to allow for footing to be garnered with heads above water.
Going around the second cutback Obisyth is driven to pause. The tunnel continues on to a Y intersection and splits in two directions. Roughly 40ft away and near the intersection at least a pair of octo-goblins swim lazily back and forth. They cast an occasional glance towards the entrance - but do not seem to have seen the aquatic tiefling yet...
Seeing the octo-goblin, Obi quickly swims back to the others. When she reaches them:
This is definitely a home of these underwater monstrosities. As she says this, Obi is apparently oblivious to the fact that most would probably place her in that same monstrosity category.
It looks as though the tide is going out, but it is going to be a rough swim for you all for a while. I think we should attempt to get back to the beach and wait for the others. I can stay out here and keep an eye on the entrance to see if any of these aquatic goblins do anything.
Deader nods and lets the outward current push him back the way they came.
Once on shore he looks down at himself. "I think I remember a time where soggy clothes wasn't ever a problem. Wish I could remember how I did that."
While there isn't a beach in the offing, the soggy pirates find a section of the rockwall that lines the cove that offers a little bit of shelter against the tide and settle in for a wait.
About a half hour later Cedrick and Joneth manage to find a track that gets them to within a eight foot drop into the water... though the question of whether his hound will be help or hindrance in the watery tunnels remains.
The tunnel's entrance betrays no internal activity and the waters continue to recede - leaving an arms length of free air at the top of the tunnel by the time you are all rejoined as a group.