Melusine gestures for the others. "My tongue has been... less than useful so far, maybe one of you can reason with this whisp-thing? I've only ever heard stories about them," she whispers, "and no good ones." She inches closer to it gingerly.
As you approach even closer, the apparition like being turns its head ever so slightly towards your direction. It crooks one long, bent finger and motions you closer.
The sound around you slowly dulls, and colors seem to slightly fade. You feel no pain or discomfort, only your senses changing.
Seeing the entity motion for them elicits a shrug from Kha'Rassi. "No hiding now it seems." She lowers her hand crossbow but keeps it ready as she steps closer, eyes still scanning her surroundings for sudden changes as she gets a better look at the figure.
"Strange place to pace about with one's head in their hands, no?"
Shield and club at the ready, Ompeet slowly moves forward.
"Can you speak? We're just here to make the place safe, sorry about that ruckus up there."
The apparition finally seems to notice Melusine. Its mouth opens and moves but no sound comes forth. It understands what you say however and seems to untense and sigh as you mention making this place safe.
The figure glows briefly, smiles, indicates the items adjacent to it, and vanishes into thin air.
Each of you feels strengthened and at ease.
Ompeet moves forward to inspect the items the spirit-thing indicated.
Melusine gasps as the figure fades, and mutters some words under her breath as she approaches the area it was in.
Kha'Rassi exhales visibly and finally stows her hand crossbow, kneeling down to examine the place where the figure was pacing. "What in the world was that? No human glows at night and vanishes like that."
or makes this one's fur stand on end...
Alex hears a quiet sigh and no sound of combat, so his small head pokes around the doorframe.
"Everything ok?"
The lot of you salvage through the contents of the trove and find the following:
- 450 gp in gold, silver and copper coins
- A variety of small, semi precious gemstones that Melusine appraises correctly at a total value of 200 gp.
- A suit of masterwork studded leather armor lies folded on the table.
- A small silver signet ring.
- A small wooden case with four small vials, each containing a semi translucent liquid. Each is marked with a small cross symbol on the vial's stopper.
As well, you find a scrunched up note, hastily stuffed in between the loot.
They are not to find the ring. Throw it into the ocean if need be. When they've been dispatched, head back to Keldanny and we'll discuss the next step.
Melusine scoops up the gems and the ring and stows them in her rucksack.
"What now?"
Kha'Rassi looks over the coins with a discerning eye, searching for any that might be of interest to the expedition...and pocketing a few that might not be.
"Now? We ask new questions of our captive upstairs. Someone has secrets to keep and was willing to fight for them."
She starts to head up the stairs. "Kha'Rassi would like to know why."
The vials radiate magic, and you identify them as being potions of cure light wounds.
Kha'Rassi nonchalantly pockets a few coins, but none of the ones you see are old, or show any indication of having once been pirate treasure. The coinage is recent enough and seems to have been minted in Strand for the most part, so nothing unique there.
As Kha'Rassi heads back up the stairs, your captive spots her.
"What now? Still not done with me?"
Alexander hops back over to the captive with an apologetic look. Lily coils back around him and he leans into her side as he talks, rubbing her scales absentmindedly.
"Well, you were engaged in illegal activity, so we're probably going to bring you to the guard. But I'll let them know you've been extremely cooperative, and hopefully they can let you off light. Oh! If you mail to this address, my father can probably loan you some gold to get you started in a small business venture of your choice, if you want some help kicking this lifestyle. I read about stuff like this in an adventure book! It said that breaking away from a life of crime is difficult but with support it can be done! Maybe you can apprentice as a baker! What did your parents do?"
The captive is honestly just a bit stunned and barely mumbles out a few words such as "Wait, what..." and "Fishmonger, but I..." before simply shutting up.
Kha'Rassi kneels next to the captive, eyeing her features intently. "We found something we were not supposed to find. Kha'Rassi would like to know why we were not supposed to find it."
She looks to Melusine, grasping her ring finger with an index and thumb. "You have it, yes? Show her and say nothing."
Melusine tosses each member of the party a potion and the armor to Kha'Rassi. "For your health and safety," she mutters before getting back to the captive. She flashes the ring in the captive's face and glares.
The captive looks at the ring and babbles a bit. "I just know we're supposed to make sure... you... didn't find it."
She blinks.
"Well, I know a certain someone who didn't do their job and get rid of it."
She bites at her lip.
"Anyways, I don't know why you weren't to have it, but I just know you weren't. Now you do have it so there's no sense in me lying to you. I swear I don't know what it's for."
Melusine scans the area for any other hidden doors, outlets, passages, or corridors around the known rooms.
Melusine spots nothing else in the rooms.
You do a brief search throughout the church for anything else you've missed, but it seems that the ring, the note, the loot (of course) and the knowledge that someone out there wants you stopped are all that's there.
You can either take the woman with you or free her of course, the choice is up to you. You could also push her casually off a sea cliff, but that seems dubious considering certain alignments and affiliations. Regardless, where to next?
"I suppose we should get back to our contact, looks like we're done here."
Melusine takes a hearty swig of rum and heads for the door.
As he unclasps her, Ompeet asks the ambusher if she's going to bury her friends here or try and move their bodies somewhere.
Kha'Rassi nods, then secures her gear and coins. "Much to discuss, hrm? Perhaps we must go more prepared if there are those who will ambush us so. Kha'Rassi cannot deny curiosity at whatever is being hidden from us." She then hops over the balcony and climbs down the wall.
"They were still people, I won't just leave them here. If you're letting me go, I'll take care of it myself. You're also welcome to help me move 'em."
Ompeet unclasps the woman offers her a consoling pat on the shoulder and follows Melusine. As they head back to their contact, he'll dump any weapons or anything of value he took off of the captive by the side of the road.
The group marches back to Keldanny proper from the Old Church, the captive having been finally freed. While you didn't find any tunnels leading to the sea, the ring you bear may have some clues.
Arriving back in town, you rendezvous with Edgar and Mannix.
"Ah! There you are! How did it go? How was the church?" Edgar seems to be practically glowing.
"Easy Edgar, they've just had a long walk, let 'em rest a bit." Mannix ushers you all into his lodging. "Find a spot to sit or lean, and let's get everyone up to speed."
Edgar pulls out a smudged notebook from his bag. "We checked out the mines, very interesting stuff phlogiston. No trace of the Passage however."
"We didn't search the western network however, so we'll be back tomorrow. What about you lot? Anything interesting?"
"Somebody was waiting for us," Ompeet begins, quietly but slightly accusatory. "They paid local mercenaries to ambush us. Fortunately, they failed.
"Do you know of any people or entities who don't want the passage found?"
Kha'Rassi takes a seat on whatever bench or chair is nearby, folding her arms with a dead stare at Edgar and Mannix. "Someone is keeping secrets worth spilling blood. Today? Not ours. Tomorrow? Who knows?"
Edgar gives Mannix a worried look. "Definitely concerning. Our voyage was publicly known but I had no reason to believe any of us would be in any real danger."
Mannix nods. "I don't know why anyone would be trying to stop the expedition, the Passage is really just a local legend. Maybe someone wants to find it first?"
Edgar looks at the four of you. "Are you well though? Is there any supplies you think you'll need? Also... with this new development, are you all still interested? I wouldn't want anyone to get seriously injured."
"Oh, no, we're still interested! It's like an adventure book! If we're gonna be heroic and all like Shmindiana Yhonnes, the great archaeologist and adventurer from these books I was reading, we're gonna need some sort of villain."
Alex kicks his feet back and forth in excitement, making small thump noises against the chair he's in. The furniture is comically large for the frog.
Kha'Rassi gives Alex a sidelong glance with a raised brow, then shakes her head. "Kha'Rassi will not back down so easily. There was an agreement. It is not lightly broken."
She leans back on her seat and cracks a smile. "Besides, my parents would be quite disappointed to know their cub shied away from a challenge.
Now that we know someone opposes us, we know one other thing for certain: there IS great treasure to be found. Otherwise they would not spill blood."
Melusine shows the men the ring.
"We found this, apparently we weren't supposed to. An apparition was looking after it deeper in the building. The lone survivor told us that we weren't supposed to find it. Why might that be?"
"I'm happy to hear you'll be sticking with us despite the challenges ahead. Now, let's see that ring."
Edgar and Mannix take the ring and look at it thoroughly.
"The signet ring's design definitely is reminiscent of the Golden Epoch. See how the silver is formed here. I've definitely seen those sea crests before."
"You're right of course, but I think that the signet ring is telling us something more. The signet ring's crest seems to indicate it belonged to the Valquitaine family, a long line of Chasseret nobility. However, I doubt the Valquitaine family would include a concealed skull and crossbones on the interior design of their family crest. I also believe..." He twists the ring gently, "that ordinary signet rings do not have movable parts."
The signet ring's crest seems to be able to rotate.
He hands it back to you.
"I think you may have found our first piece of proof that the Passage might indeed lie in Keldanny. I reckon you should keep the ring on you, I have an inkling it may be more of a key of sorts, or at least provide a means of entry. That movable crest looks more and more like a device than an actual ring to me."
Mannix smiles.
"So are we agreed then? We will return to the mines and leave the sea caves to you?"
"So are we agreed then? We will return to the mines and leave the sea caves to you?"
Ompeet nods.
"What can you tell us about these caves? Are there parts to be explored underwater? If so, do you have more of those water breathing potions to assist?"
Mannix unfurls a map from one of his numerous bookshelves.
"The caves have been explored in the past and while they start from the actual sea, they go upwards, not downwards. These explored sections have all been above water."
He lets you keep the map, rolling it up when you're done looking at it and handing it to Ompeet.
"Good. Kha'Rassi is not interested in more swimming just yet." She stands and stretches. "What of our first findings? What have we learned of the tube and the other items?"
"I'm spent for the day. Shall we embark at dawn?"
Edgar rummages through a small pile of papers before pulling out the tube. "It's as good as a mystery, we haven't been able to open it up. I completely forgot about it honestly. Here, maybe you hold on to it for now. You never know."
He hands Kha'Rassi back the metal tube.
Melusine goes back to the inn and gets a room after a meal.
She heads out to meet up with the group at dawn.
Ompeet does the same. He's ready to go to the caves when the rest of the party is.
After a night of rest, Kha'Rassi wakes with the others and has a closer look at the tube while meeting up with the team. Her curiosity is piqued; she examines every curve and edge of the tube, shaking it to listen for the contents, looking for seams, cracks, symbols, anything that stands out or provides any clue.
"Must be a way," she mutters. "One builds containers to contain things and then take them out. Or they were mad."
The tube doesn't seem to have any cracks or seams. Rattling it makes a slight muffled sound however. There are no discernible symbols either.
---
The route to the sea caves are longer than the church and you get the chance to wander through the Keldanny countryside. You pass a few small hamlets, stop for some casual chatter while getting a drink of water, stop to see a flock of Keldanny hawks soar overhead.
All in all, the breeze, the sun, and the approaching sound of the waves make for a pleasant experience.
Eventually, you find the small cliffside path that meanders its way down towards the bottom of the sea cliffs. There at the base, you spy some rocky outcroppings and a rotting spit of wood; most likely an old and almost completely vanished shipwreck.
Sea Cliff Path
[i]The path winds its way down the cliffside, weaving back and forth as it slowly inches down to the sea below. Seabird cries echo around you, and you spot many nests alongside the path.
You spy a gleam in one of the bird nests some ways down the trail, a flash of metal against the midday sun.
Ompeet doesn’t notice a damn thing.
Kha'Rassi kneels and peers over the edge of the winding path, scanning the scenery. She licks her chops as she spots the birds and their nests. Roasted on a spit? Or baked in an oven? I wonder how the local birds would taste best...
Strolling along the path Melusine happily sniffs the breeze as it ebbs over the cliffs.
Noticing the shimmer in the nest she nudges Kha'Rassi and points in that direction.
"I spy, with my little eye, something that wouldn't make a good omelet... She cracks a small grin and loads some pellets in her gun, heading that direction.
Melusine's keen eyesight lets her catch the glimmer of reflected sunlight. She readies herself and leads off towards the bird nest.
As she approaches the nest, perched on a little outcropping, she hears snapping and crunching noises from behind the tall grass and wildflowers surrounding the empty nest.
Through the foliage, she catches a glimpse of a pallid, greenish beast. One or two more crunches and a few white feathers puff up into the air before slowly drifting down.
You also notice small pieces of broken eggshells beside the nest and more small feathers trailing into the brush.