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Hollering down at the others, Orik says:"It's a wee stachya, wit' some gold an' gems insi'. I doan ken what it's doo-in way oop 'ere? Want mae tae scoop this loot from the bowl, eh? Or does wanna yae wanna coom oop 'ere an' take a luke fer yerself? I doan sae any trooble oop 'ere sae far."
Thinking of that, Orik does look around a bit to be sure:
[spoiler=Orik]The statue is large enough you wouldn't be able to just carry it down with you. You do not notice any danger in the area[/ooc]
Noticing Orik climb up you all imagine if you took your time you can get up to the ledge as well.
A small statue of a woman complete with a nearby shrine rests on the ledge. The glinting light seen from the path is the sun’s reflection off a number of coins and gems in the shrine’s offering bowl.
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Adakos climbs down the rope to have a look, but his religious studies are of no aid to him as he contemplates the meaning of the statue. As it does not appear to be of a dark or evil nature he welcomes the sight of such a shrine along the mountain pass.
"I'm unfamiliar with the deity this statue is meant to represent, but obviously the local populous pays some regular form of homage to this site. As we are passing through its area of protection, a following of local customs would not be unwise."
With that he reaches into the pouch at his belt and produces a gold coin of Absolom minting, and places it into the offering bowl.
Whomever you might be, guide us during our travels and see that we make it through this one in one piece if it be your will.
He will then move to the rope and with Orik's assistance will climb back up to the path.
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No one seems to know anything about the statue but as Adakos mentioned, looking at the bowl there is a good number of coins and gems, you would assume are meant as offerings, for what you can't be sure.
Climbing back down you continue on your way. After a long walk, that is at least easier heading down hill, you notice you are on your way out of the mountains and a vast swamp lies ahead. Night will come soon and the swamp would be more easily navigated in the light.
You setup camp at the base of the mountains before heading into the swamp. Taking shifts for watch the night is uneventful and much more enjoyable not being in the cooler temperatures of the mountains. You wake up feeling refreshed and ready to continue your trek, then you remember the swamp lies ahead.
Moving toward the swamp thick blobs of fog dance in between large thickets as the foul stench of swamp gas pollutes the air. The fog is heavy, but low to the ground making it difficult to see your footing. Several exotic species of vines twist along the vapor-shrouded path, creating an ethereal seeming tangle. At random intervals, a splash of fetid water sounds in the distance, signaling the presence of frogs or other bog creatures.
You start your trip into the swamp, right off the start Kor'sarro falls into the muck breathing in the foul smawp mist and quickly finding a leech attached which he pulls off. Orik moving slowly, weighed down by his armor also has difficulties falling in the muck. Rufus follows as well face planting into the swamp. In the second hour everyone seems to do better getting use to the swamp, even so Adakos finds himself face first in the muck, also pulling a Leech off. The third hours passes with Adakos, Kor'sarro and Orik all falling into the swamp as they simultaneously find a deep spot that trips them up. The fourth hour finds the whole party except Kiya in the muck at one point or another as she continues to merrily collect samples from the wildlife.
The horrible treck continues into the fifth hour where Kiya finally ends up getting tripped up along with Kor'sarro and Orik. Pour Orik having spent more time in in the muck than the others thinks he may have been better off taking a boat even with the threat of the Aspis Consortium. The sixth hour goes a little better with only Adakos tripping up in the swampy mess. The seventh hour Kiya losses her balance again going into the swampy water followed by Adakos and Orik once again.
With more solid ground in sight the final hour Orik fortifies himself, resolute not to go down again while the rest of the party end up in the foul swampy waters one last time.
Finally after the exhausting trip as dusk begins to set in you reach more solid land. While still in the swamp you at least have better footing now to allow you to move a little quicker. Rees seems to be the only one to have manueved the swamp with ease.
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Adakos breathes a sigh of relief as they come to more stable ground, doing his best to wipe the muck and filth from his clothing and armor as they stop to catch their breath. Calling upon Sarenrae he uses his divine gifts to create torrents of water which he applies to himself in an attempt to wash off a majority of the mud and grime, offering to do the same for anyone else who wishes it.
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Grumbling unintelligbly, Orik is covered in muck and slime from head to foot by the time the group exits the swamp. His beard is matted and has a strange yellow-green foliage hanging from it. His eyes stare balefully ahead as he plods on silently, stonily.
When they get to the other side, he is racked by a noisy coughing fit, bone weary, frustrated, and angry.
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"It wasn't that bad. Lots of interesting things to look at. I didn't really need to get so close to the water though. It was fine looking at it standing up.
I might be able to use some of that skunk cabbage for something. Distill it down maybe...
Anyway, we're out now and can clean up."
Kiya adds Prestidigitation to Adakos's magical shower and we can all soon be clean and dry.
After taking some time to setup camp and clean yourselves up, as best you can in a swamp, you sit down to relax for the evening. While the day was hard the night is relaxing, and surprisingly the bugs aren't too horrible with the smoke from your fire keeping them mostly at bay. The rest of the night is uneventful, allowing you to get some much needed sleep after such a long day. The next morning Orik does not stir from bed as the others awake. Instead laying in a heavy fever, coughing up bright green phlegm.
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After much wracking coughing, Orik finally stands, woozy and precariously balanced.
"Blasted swamp, got mae a gud case o' the sniffles 'ere lads. Anyun' got a cure charm I cain borry tae make this coughin' stoop?"
He still plans to endure as long as he can. And sets about getting his gear ready for a the trip.
You begin packing up camp to continue moving on, although much more slowly with some members falling ill. Orik, while seeming to feel better is still under the weather. Finally, getting things packed up you continue on your way through the trail. As you progress through the bog, the thick rolling fog begins to disperse. Despite the increased visibility, this area of the swamp is still difficult to travel in, as the muck and vegetation thicken further. Around midday you find a large log rests across a dirt path, standing five feet tall. A moldering wood door covers one of the hollow ends of the log, and a makeshift mud chimney emits a thin wisp of blue smoke. From behind the crude house come the sound of someone humming an off-key tune.
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He groaned as he slowly got up and then got everything moving. He knew it was a slow process and then when everything was packed he coughed once and wondered what was going on. He decided to not mention anything and just get moving. When he saw Adakos looking after the dwarf he smiled for a moment and then made his way with the rest. When they approached the house he got weary again and pulled the bow in case there would be trouble.
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Orik is neither silent nor knowledgable about woodcraft or what critters might live in a place like this. Instead, he listens straining to here any words or familiar tune of the sing-song coming from the log/house.
"Doan knae yet wha' this thin' is. Hard tae knae if'n wae shad goo an' knock or sneak o'er there an' spy it oot. I ken the spyin'd bae better a' this poin' but I ain't 'cactly experienced aboot these things."
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Not the kind of place I'd want to live in.
Adakos whispers to the group as they study the dwelling, "I would warrant caution before approaching any dwelling in this foul place, as I can think of few sane beings who would choose to live in such a location as this."
And blue smoke? What on Golarion makes blue smoke?
He sniffs the air for any indication of what might be burning inside the curious home, then proceeds to look around on the ground for signs of recent activity or passage.
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Adakos stands up after examining the various tracks and activity through this part of the swamp.
"I don't see that this house is of critical importance to our mission, and we are on a schedule. I for one am for continuing on and letting this person continue their strange culinary pursuits. We have a ship to catch, and I am all for getting out of this swamp as soon as possible."
Looking at the area, you would likely have to go off the trail through the swamp to avoid it, and try to be quiet while doing so. The humming is coming from the northern side of the log.
Taking your time and setting you back abit you navigate around the log house and avoid whatever was living there.
You continue on the path from the map and as dusk sets in you find yourself coming out of the swamp and into open plains obviously getting closeer to the coast. You estimate that after resting for the night you will likely reach Pier's End after midday tomorrow.
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Adakos, glad to be out of the accursed swamp, helps the group set up camp for the night. Eager to put this leg of their journey behind him he is restless that evening, longing for the dawn and the promise it brings of putting them closer to their objective. He offers to take his watch as needed and spends most of his time preparing himself for the remainder of the trip.
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With the seemingly hard part done of the swamp he let go a sigh of relief. He still was feeling dirty from the whole stumbeling in dirt and would love to take a good long bath to just get rid of that whole feeling dirty feeling. Now that they had passed the house he put his bow away and then made his way to the back of the group once more, letting one of the others scout ahead while he kept an eye out on the rear.
You hunker down for the night everyone trying to get some rest, some still not feeling to great with a fever and nasty cough. Through the night there is no incident but this is the first night in the last several days it's been comfortable sleeping.
The next morning Orik still with a cough, is now joined by Rufus, Kor'Sarro and Adakos with this illness. Although only Adakos seems to be realy bad off.
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Still feeling under the weather, Orik wakes up in a surly mood (hard to tell the difference between that and normal i realize.) He stomps around the camp and gives everyone the evil eye as he rubs his pounding temples.
"Le's bae oof an' git oon wit' the curse that'll surely b'fall oos t'day. I ken tae stay in bed 'stead goin' oon this accurs'd Pathfinder mission."