Afraid of the sea? Oh boy. How is that gonna work, given how often we're swimming?
----
"I felt something last night. I think this Carver was Carver for a long time. He seemed relieved to reveal his true form."
Purpose Creche crouches next to his grippli friend as they review the stalker's belongings. Once Joli has inspected an item he hands it to the wyrwood, who gently wraps his fingers around it and plumbs its psychic aura.
"Andvara Jeclair. Colson Werton. Sandra Ganis. Saymor Landis. I don't recall these people. Ramona, what were their duties here. Who might we talk to about their recent behavior." He turns to Riku. "You can meet your new neighbors while you help us. Use your personableness."
He pauses—"Hm."—then taps the spyglass. "And what do we know about the Liberty's Herald. I don't think that ship has come to the colony."
Medrinnah thinks to herself. "A couple of weeks ago, I'd say. Most of us figured she was eating in private because she didn't really get skinnier. She did look a little sickly, though."
Purpose gets various impressions of who was using the items. Discomfort. Impatience. Weariness. Then, anger. Strong anger.
Andvara Jeclair was a wealthy colonist looking to start a logging company on the island. Colson Wertis is a farmer and Sandra Ganis was a soldier. Saymor Lamis is a retired sailor and Bountiful Venture Company employee who helps with a lot of different tasks.
"These all smell strongest of anger. That could be us attacking Carver. His anger at his death. Something that instigated his attack on us. I don't know."
Purpose Creche runs his fingers over the spyglass. "If he has this spyglass he may have been on the boat the whole time. Or he did something to one of the crew members shortly after arrival. Do we know of any high ranking crew who went missing or acted strangely."
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”I would love to meet more of the locals. Also, I need a place to stay.”
Riku picks up the longsword and sniffs it curiously.
Anger?
”I have never seen a sword like this.”
”So, can we say if Carver ever made it to the village? Let’s visit the homes of the missing villagers.”
Silt smells his greatsword. It smells like potato.
He shrugs and waves his fingers in the air .
Shore, worms, or houses?
Worms? What worms? "Let's go to their homes, I guess."
You head over to Alba's alchemist's shop. Someone mentions that she had been closed for about a week, claiming that she was out of reagents.
Toby picks the lock on the door.
, possible height. awareness/see invis.
Cedar and Silt find jars and jars of reagents, so it seems like that was a lie.
Purpose and Joli look closely at her workspace and examine the residual chemicals there. One thing becomes clear to both of them: she had only been creating alchemist's fires for a while, and nothing else.
Joli sings of the courage and insight of his ancestors. He mutters, "What do we know of these stalkers? Their origins or associations?"
Purpose Creche picks at the deep red resin left on Alba's workbench. "Ah. Nothing but fire for weeks."
"We should check the other houses. Andvara Jeclair. Colson Werton. Sandra Ganis. Soran Vigaldo. Antona Sedgewick"
Joli knows that faceless stalkers were created by aboleths for their long war against the surface dwellers. Scorned by their former masters when the scheme for which they were designed unraveled, the faceless stalkers fled into swamps, marshes, or any other dark, wet places they could find—the closest they could come to the aquatic cities they once considered home.
The group continues on to Antona Sedgewick's small cottage. She had very few possessions. You do notice that the food in the cupboard has gone bad.
"Purpose,” murmurs Joli, "One of my forebears, Cala Lili, encountered these stalkers as they invaded her village in the swamps. She learned they were the creation of aboleths..." He frowns and grips the hilt of his short sword.
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Silt considers reagents and gazes off into the distance, lost in a reverie.
He's a huge bird. He feels the wind in his powerful wings. He feels the heavy clay container that's filled with hundreds of alchemist fires, clutched in his talons. Below is a field of bright red rass berries, shining in the yellow sun like a gory wound on the green earth. He drops the container and watches it fall into the heart of the field…
His lips draw into a needle-sharp grin.
At the mention of aboleths he snaps back to attention. Able Leths? Swamps? Where are the swampy parts of the island? We go there for more clues. Silt can scout after we look at homes and beaches and worms.
How long has this been going on under our noses?
"How did this happen?" Toby asks, distraught. "Look at this, it's been WEEKS! How could they have been here, in our town, for this long and us not know about it?"
"Some protectors we are."
"No, no, brave Silt. The swamps I speak of were in Garund. They may have come from anywhere." Joli turns to Toby. "Well, Carver was acting strangely when last we saw him. But he seemed genuine. These aboleths and their pets are crafty. And we are but few. All the better that Cedar will be here to protect our neighbors."
Andvara Jeclair's home looks much like Antona Sedgewick's.
When you go to see Colson Werton, he is home.
"Um, hello. What can I do for you?"
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Silt produces a bladder. Colson. I bring cold kelp tea. Can we come in to share? I would like also to think with you, about the thing that called itself Sandra.
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Joli's head pokes out between Silt's legs. Ever the translator.
"You see, we hope to find Sandra, kidnapped by the Bounty's foes. We need your help, whether or not you'd like some kelp!"
He tries the tea, but makes a face.
“Sandra was always such a sweet lady, but a few days ago she suddenly started asking me about meeting her alone in the strangest of places after sundown. I didn’t understand what was going on, and I had a lot of work to do, so I just said no each time. I didn’t want her to be cross with me, so I didn’t ask too many questions. I’m sorry. I should have known something was wrong.”
"Strange places? What kind of strange places? Can you tell us where?"
"Um...I can't exactly remember. Always outside of of town..."
His eyes start to well up with tears, and he starts mumbling, "Let me think, let me think..."
Joli bobs his head sympathetically.
Silt refills Colson’s cup. Please, take a big sip of cold kelp tea. It tastes nice, and can help you feel better to remember things better. I have a potato fresh from Karl’s garden if you like, too.
Purpose Creche waits patiently, unsure he can speak to the grieving man without making things worse.
"I’m hopeful we’ll return the real Sandra to you soon, good sir, with your help." Joli puts a reassuring hand on Colson’s drinkung arm, blocking Silt’s effort to pour more tepid tea.
”And if we can’t return her...”
Riku bows and recites:
”An island village
Mysteries beneath the waves
Like chum in the water.”
”I will deliver delicious vengeance for you.’
Silt slips cold kelp tea and nods at Riku. Like fresh tubers.
Colson starts to panic and racks his brain. “The scent! I remember she smelled different two nights ago—like sea lavender.”
"Hello, there! No Cedar? I guess all the BVC employees are working overtime, huh? What can I do for you?"
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"Sea lavender? Does it look like this?" Joli tries to keep Colson's attention as Riku and Silt talk revenge and murder. He produces the petal he found on Carver's boot.
. . .
Joli calls up to Saynor from knee level. "There's surely no end of work for Cedar and his menagerie. He's summoned up some celestial boars who're searching for truffles. They're taste so good with Silt's yams, don't you think?"
The grippli takes out Saynor's mirror. "Is this yours, Saynor?"
---
Purpose Creche gauges Saynor's reactions, looking for any sign of dissimulation or magical control.
Colson shakes his head. "It's purple, but the petals look different than that. If you'll excuse me, I think I need a rest."
...............................................................
Saynor gives Joli an odd look. "I imagine there are more important things to do with with half the colony gone? Oh, but you must be pulling my leg!" He exclaims when sees the mirror, “Hey, that’s mine! I thought I had dropped it somewhere and had already written it off as lost. I used to be a sailor, and mirrors like that one are handy at sea where you can see the signal flashes several miles away on a sunny day. You can keep it if you want it, I don’t have much use for it anymore here in the colony.”
Purpose knows that it's a purple flower, though a different one than Joli found. He remembers seeing it a few places on the island.
No sign of enchantment on Saynor.
"When did you misplace this mirror, Saynor. That may be important information."
---
Once they finish with Saynor, Purpose Creche suggests heading to Soran Vigaldo's home. "Do you remember when he disappeared. He said he had just fallen asleep in his boat. It's likely that that was when a stalker took his place."
Joli asks, "How far can the mirror signal, Saynor?"
. . . .
"It was just a few days ago, as I recall." Joli hops along to the next destination, eager to discover the trail.
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Silt sits down with quill and parchment to draft notes to the village's new friends while the others sleep. He addresses one note to "Scaalurahh" and one to "Coaloushcoura." Purpose sees what he's doing and quickly pens an addendum in a far more precise hand. Each sign the note.
Silt then calls two hawks to his side using fresh meat from the butcher's. Having flown above each location before, he gives one directions to the Locathah outpost, and the other directions to the Strix colony.
Scaalurahh,
vilegers are beeng stolin. Wurms come bac, wairing nice fases of stolin frends. They hyd like rass bury seeds, then bern hoams and hert nice frends.Now Purrpese Creeshe wants to sey hi.
COMPANIONS HAVE BEEN KILLED OR KIDNAPPED. REPLACED BY SHAPESHIFTERS CALLED FACELESS STALKERS. THEY TRIED TO DESTROY PARTS OF OUR SETTLEMENT. WE SEEK THEIR ORIGINS. BE CAREFUL. WILL NOTIFY YOU WHEN WE KNOW MORE.
— silt AND PURPOSE CHECHE
Toby seems to be getting anxious. "What are we looking for in these homes, anyway? Where do we even go from here? We oughta go find their home and see how they like an invasion!"
"Exactly! You have it exactly, Toby! We’re looking for clues about where they’re from!"
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"Exactly! You have it exactly, Toby! We’re looking for clues about where they’re from!" Joli tries not to come across as patronizing, willing himself not to say, "Good boy!"
"Oh, you can see it for miles when the day is clear!" Saymor explains.
You check out Soran's house. There's not much to see there, but you notice that the food isn't quite as rotten as the food at Antona's house.
Silt grimaces as he envisions miles and miles of clear, sunny sky and bright mirrors.
On the way to Soran's he sidles up alongside Riku.
The Harpoon, why do you say extra words in strange tongues? These words sound pretty, but take long to say. Are they magic words for spells? Are they words of prayer?
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Riku lowers his eyes and smiles at Silt's question.
"Please, call me Riku. Those are not spells or prayers. They are moments, an experience, a distillation, a reunion of notions through which we may find joy." He grins a tooth grin. "I can teach you when we have time. All we need is to sit quietly in nature, listening, watching, perhaps observing a magnificent beast. Do you know of such a place?"
Silt frowns at the big words like "distillation" but brightens at the words "magnificent beast."
I know a place.
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A letter comes back from Koloshkora.
Hello, friends Silt and Purpose Creche,We have seen humans of the village standing along the coastlines near us. We thought that they were just admiring the beauty of the sea. It sounds as though they were not. We will let you know if we see them again.
May your tubers flourish,
Koloshkora
Purpose Creche pulls apart a mostly rotten plum and taps the now-revealed seed. "I think we've learned all we can within the colony. Perhaps poetic beasts wait on the beaches."
Shortly afterwards, the hawk arrives with its return message. He gives Silt time to calm the bird, remove the dried kelp parchment roll from its leg, and read the reply. Once his friend is done, he takes the missive and double checks its contents against whatever Silt read or summarized.
"Ah. Beaches again." He turns to his companions. " Shall we?"
"Before we go, I'd like to see if I can speak with one of their spirits. Perhaps the one who posed as Soran. We can leave Carver's replacement for later."
Joli goes and sings to the corpse of the faceless stalker.
"Hello spirit! I'm so sorry to call you back to this body. I hope you find a new, friendlier incarnation on your next life. It would be so nice if you told me:
What have your people done with Soran and the other villagers?
Where were they taken?
What can you tell me of Onthooth or any other aboleths in these isles?
If the other colonists are alive, what do you know of the creatures guarding them?
What other attacks on the settlement do you know of that might e imminent?
What do your people want with this island?"
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While Joli interviews the dead Silt wanters off into the woods.
Minutes later, a tree crashes in the forest and small forest creatures emerge, fleeing the dark shadow of Karl as he moves under the boughs.
Silt rides atop the large ankheg, his strange coral armor and greatsword rhythmically swaying atop the bright red-green carapace. Karl chews a piece of someone's back porch in his mandibles.
In the town square Silt tries to make the ankheg dramatically rear up into the sky.
Karl has other ideas and tosses the singed hunk of wood at Cedar's bar instead, narrowly missing his old friend whose sitting on a barrel by the door.
Toby nervously eyes Karl, his nose wrinkling at the acrid smell of the ankheg's maw. Gosh he's gotten big.