Kari said to Fenna, "Let's follow the boar tracks for a minute or two. Maybe it knows a way up the slope."
The boar tracks do at times run along the base of the shale stone cliffs, and upon occasion dart in and out further into the woods to the north. Looming high above, now directly between the group and the colony the cliff seems very high up.
The tracks lead quite a ways deeper into the forest. It seems the edge of boar foraging ground. Up ahead, Kari hears some faint grunting noises.
Kari stopped and listened. "I don't think this is taking us where we want to go," she said. "I hear boars up ahead."
"Do you want to continue searching for a way up the cliff, or should we just continue on towards the ship?"
"I don't either, at least without Hrolf for some backup. I think we should turn around for right now."
Kari replied, "We have limited time, if we want to make it back to the ship before dark. I think this is going to take too long; I suggest investigating the boots another day."
Finding their way back to the path, you follow Lyra's directions until you find a way down as you walk down the beach, after another hour or so, you spot The Peregrine far in the distance.
As your third hour of hiking passes, the beach is broken again by a tall cliff, this one seems open to the sky, instead of topped with thick forests. It's a tiring climb to the top, but a beautiful view of the island region to the west. The sun is higher in the sky as you reach the northern end of the cliff. It will likely be noon, or shortly thereafter, that you will reach the rendezvous point.
After ascending to the top of the cliff, Kari stopped to enjoy the breathtaking view. She looked to see what she could learn about the features of the island from this vantage point.
Fenna smiles broadly at the sight of the ship.
"Hurry, we're almost there!"
Inland to the east, and a bit to the south, the massive volcano. To the north, a large stone formation rises out of the northern forests. It's a breathtaking view, but a spyglass would be needed to see the specifics of the other islands to the west.
As Kari catches up to Fenna, the gnome spies a peculier formation in the grasses. A swath of grasses about 10 feet wide have been matted down. It runs in a U-shaped pattern from the interior of the island, circling out and back into the deeper forest beyond
A first impression suggests a path left by hundreds of thousands of insects marching in a tight formation, but none of the plants appear to be eaten or damaged. Where the strange trail intersects with obstacles, it either splits and goes around the obstacle like water, or veers to avoid it entirely.
The trail is not perfectly uniform in width, but it is consistently about 10 feet wide with some minor variances, usually where the terrain is uneven. A close examination reveals tiny pointed impressions, like the trail was formed by hundreds of stabs from small spikes.
Kari pointed out the strange path to Fenna. "I can't imagine what would have made that!"
As you look up and down the trail, in both directions, you don’t see any end to it. It simply veers out of view. The trail was created by hundreds of creatures or objects, rolled or rolling across the ground. Each is heavy enough to leave a slight impression but not enough to flatten the ground.
After examining the flattened plants, Kari said, "Quite the mystery! I can't imagine an animal making those marks. We'll want to check this out some more, but I think that's for later. Let's rendezvous with the ship."
"Plenty of weird insects so far, I'd put my bet on that. But yeah, it' worth checking later on."
Fenna continues on to the ship.
You find an easy way down the tall cliffs to the beach, and begin the final leg of your journey. It’s been a long, six-hour hike, but as you near the anchor point of The Peregrine, you spy the other skiff on beach, along with four figures. Shortly thereafter, you see one of the figures wave to you.
As you get closer to the landing point, you recognize Ramona along with two of the guards from the ship. Ramona takes a few strides out from the others to meet you. ”Hi Hrolf,” she bends down to pet the ferocious creature like he were a toothless puppy.
”This is our new friend, come to aid us,” Ramona stands and introduces the elf dressed in dark colors and wearing a decorated mask.
Urram sketches a short bow. "I speak your tongue, but not good. Care- tye quet- elven? Nykeā se uēpa ēngos?" I have come to help you.
This island is old and many strange things are here.
The elf is, based on what you see apart from the mask, a fairly typical specimen. He is tall, slender and wears his dark hair fairly long. He has a flowing out robe and a much more practical shirt and trousers underneath. His mask is a black and white masterpiece, covered in strange designs, which never seem to be the same, although it is hard to define exactly what changed each time.
Around his head floats a small stone, pulsing gently with a faint blue glow.
Kari greeted the expedition leader, "Hi Ramona! The colony is ready for you to move in, although we'll have to deal with an insect problem before farming can begin. There's also a poltergeist in the chapel." She lowered her voice and added, "When you have a moment, we'll brief you on what we found about the colonists. They seem to have left!"
She held out her hand to the elf, who was almost twice her height. "Hi, I'm Kari and this is Hrolf!", she said enthusiastically. "Isn't the island beautiful?" She didn't understand the last bit of what he had said, and waited to see how Fenna responded.
Hrolf wagged his tail energetically as Ramona greeted him, and looked up at her with affection. When Kari introduced him to Urram, he approached the elf expectantly.
The elf immediately catches Fenna's attention. The mask suggests he is an elf of the Mordent Spire. They are known to be reclusive, or perhaps less generously, rather xenophobic and given to isolation.
That Ramona describes him as a 'new friend, come to aid us' is even more puzzling and intriguing.
Fenna replies to the elf's greeting. She almost sticks out her hand to shake, but decides that might be a bit much for the elf. She settles for a nod of her head and a smile.
Fenna turns to Ramona and seconds the gnome's summary.
"Yes, it should be no problem to disembark at the colony. Some vermin to take care of and it will be a bit of work, but safe enough. There are several things we'll need to go through with you concerning the colonists, but none of it answers where they are."
Fenna is of course familiar with the elves of Mordant Spire, who returned to Golarion in 2632. The elves of the Spire rebuilt their ancient home, and have laid claim to the relics of their former enemy: the Azlanti.
”That’s such a relief, Ramona sighs, but doesn’t look exactly relieved. ”I’m very glad to hear the structures are good condition...maybe we can pull this off after all.”
”I’m afraid we have a small issue of our own,” she starts. ”As we pulled into the bay, something happened to the boat. The captain’s been probably got a better idea what the specifics are, but bottom-lin is, the thing can’t move.”
”Let’s get out there so you can speak to Captain Markosi, I can come back for these two,” she waves at her two guards.
Ramona begins to get the boat ready, and floats the four of you out to The Peregrine.
Urram looks down at Kari and does not shake her hand, although he does nod. Five flashes and Kari feels an insubstantial force shake her hand up and down gently.
"I am Urram. I will examine your ship - it might be magic."
Urram doesn't say anything else until they are all in the boat when he politely turns to Kari. "Your... how do you say... Ráca? Dog? is very good. Many do not like the sea."
Kari didn't like the sound of what Ramona was saying. "Has the ship run aground?", she asked.
"Wolf," she replied to Urram. "We've both spent lots of time near the water."
"Sandbar or debris underwater?"
Fenna climbs into the boat frowning. She just wanted dinner.
While on the way out to the Peregrin, Fenna asks Urram a question that is bugging her.
"Manen did tye hir us so quicklime? Emme've onlime been símen atta days."
Urram is slightly confused by Fenna's question. "Our... lookers? saw you some moons ago. The Council said we must look, see that you do not get hurt."
He thinks back across the timeline. If they only arrived two days ago then he had left the Spire before they even arrived. He leans forward and asks a question of his own urgently, slipping back into an easier tongue by accident as he does so.
"Nimeár- me mana has lende yenya. Qua na- vamme foraime símen."
The elf's question confuses Fenna. It seems to her the answer is obvious.
"Yenya? Mana care- tye faica? Emme sailed -o Andoran ana símen..."
"We left six weeks ago, yes," Ramona interjects. "But Liberty's Herald landed here two months ago. Captain Ancorato's exploration mission was last year."
"Mana -o i nórë man came yenya? Te were vamme -esse your sinome?" Urram asks, before sinking back into thought. The prospect of a ship's worth of people, even humans, vanishing within two spans of the moon is a disturbing one.
Kari remained silent on the boat trip back to the Peregrine, while Fenna and the new elf conversed in an unfamiliar language.
Fenna switches to Taldane to answer since Kari might have something to add.
"There are no people at the settlement anymore. It isn't clear why. They seem to have just vanished."
"You're sure?," asks Ramona. "You didn't see anyone?"
As you draw closer to The Peregrine a Detect Magic spell does show the ship being affected by a faint transmutation magic.
"There is magic on your ship." Urram concludes, "It will be make your ship more slow. We must look at the ship, above and below water."
Kari joined in the conversation, speaking in a hushed tone. "It does seem there was dissension among the colonists. We found a note that implied concern about Rayland's leadership; there was discussion of plans for a few of them to leave the settlement. There was no indication of where they might have been planning to go. They were going to take a canoe, but we found one on the seabed near the dock. There was a hole in the bottom, made from the inside, possibly by an axe!
"The only body we found was in the chapel, stuffed into a compartment in the alter. There's a poltergeist in there, probably the angry spirit of the person who had been murdered! When it appeared, it said 'Why, Father Adran?'"
"And maybe a second accounted for. Not far from where we met you we passed a waterfall. There was a pair of boots visible high up near the top. There were also boars on the trail up, so we decided to wait and check later."
"I have the colony records and I'll show them to you once we'e on the ship" Fenna tells Ramona. "Like Kari said, there's reason to believe the colonists were not getting along well, but nothing that points to what happened. We can go through the clues, but it's better to be able to lay out the documents at the same time."
”Do me a favor,” Ramona whispers as you row right up next to the starboard side of The Peregrine ”Try to keep a lid on the missing folk, as much as you can. At least until I’m back from shore.”
Ramona shouts up to the deck, and within seconds. Hrolf whimpers, knowing what’s to come. Ramona begins to assist in hitching Hrolf into the makeshift harness. ”Store your things, and talk to the captain. We need to get this ship underway. I’m rowing back for the other guards.
Once Hrolf is secured and lifted aboard, the crew tosses down a rope ladder and helps you aboard.
"It's OK, Hrolf," Kari reassured her companion. After he was raised up onto the ship and freed from the straps, she hugged him and gave him a treat. She removed his saddle and saddlebags, and then went to speak to the captain.
"Hello Captain Markosi! Ramona informs me that you could use our assistance."
Urram comes up the side last, in the hope that one of the more familiar members of the ship will explain his presence.
Fenna watches to see whether or not the ship's crew seem to recognize Urram at all. When it appears they do not, she makes sure to lead him correctly to the captain and introduce him.
The deck of The Peregrine is incredibly tense. Groups of people are massed up in the fore and aft, as well as across from the ladder on the port side.
"What did you see?" "Did you find anyone?" "Is everyone dead?" a couple people crowd you with questions as you enter, but let you pass to the captain's cabin without pressing. By the time Urram gets up the ladder, there's no one to give him a hand. They give the masked elf a wide berth as he follows the others into the cabin.
The cabin door is locked, but when you knock, it opens right away.
"Great to see you guys," Captain Markosi greets you cheerfully, but he's clearly very stressed. He pauses for a moment when Urram enters, but continues. "I do'n know what be the problem lasses. The ship ain' stuck, we sent a lad down ta be sure. We been able ta' catch a bit of speed with rowin' but not much. Can ye' give a poor cap'n a hand?"
Kari considered the captain's words. "Hmm, I think the first thing we should do is swim around the ship underwater, and see if we spot anything unusual."
She waited for Ramona to return to the ship, and for Fenna and Urram to get ready. "Hrolf, Stay!, she told the wolf, before climbing down the ladder. She cast a couple of prayers, slipped into the water and swam down to have a look.
Urram sheds his out robe on the deck, before quickly incanting the spell of armor. He then reaches into one of his pouches and pulls out a tiny clockwork figure of a man with a shield. He holds it cupped in his hands for a moment, breathes on it and then places it on his shoulder - where the little figure begins swarming across Urram's bandoleer.
All things prepared, Urram detaches his spear and swan dives gracefully from the side of the ship into the clear blue water.
The idea of going back into the water brings up a worry that Fenna had before, with the canoe, again. What if she dropped one of her blades? They're not just weapons for her. They are family heirlooms, even if she is the only one who really places any value on them.
This time she decides to take precautions, especially since this will be deep water. Fenna finds some cording and ties a length of it to each hilt. She ties the other end of each to her belt. Her wrists won't do since she needs to swim. She makes sure the length of each cord is generous, and tests her ability to move the weapons without hinderance from the lanyards.
When she's satisfied, she goes over the side as well.
Everyone is properly geared and in the water. The deep, clear waters of the bay are a wonderous sight. In all directions hundreds, maybe thousands, of fish and other underwater life swim about for you all to see.
Fenna tests her weapon cords and is satisfied as Kari begins her examination of the underside of the ship. It seems that among whatever else Urram hides behind his mask, an innate ability to swim is there. The elf of the Spire moves through the water gracefully.
A quick look at the underside of the ship is not very revealing. The keel of the massive, fully loaded ship is low in the water; a full 20 feet below the surface. Riddled with all manner of barnacles. A casual look reveals nothing, and Kari and Fenna resurface for another breath before having another look.
"Since we only have so much time down under, want to split the area Kari? I take front half and you the back?"
"OK, sounds good," Kari replied. She took another deep breath and dived down again and started checking the rear of the hull.
Urram paddles gently under the ship, enjoying the embrace of the ocean and taking his time to observe the ship's underside.
Fenna dives under and swims for the front part of the ship. She starts at the bow and moves back, looking for something.
Hiding mid-ship, among the barnacles, you all spot a pair of fairly large fish clinging the hull. This thin, colorful fish has a broad, segmented sucker above its narrow mouth. A line of spines runs down its back.
Fenna and Urram both immediately recognize the creatures as echeneises, magical fish that sap the speed of whatever they attach too.
Round 1
Kari <- UP NEXT
Urram <- UP NEXT
Echeneises
Fenna
Kari spotted the fish latched onto the ship. When the closest one moved to attack, she launched a water blast at it.
Fenna circles around to the side of the fish opposite Kari. She takes out her blades and tries to make some sushi!