Once his companions have cleared out of the way, Thame detached one of the smaller beads on the newly-found necklace and tosses it slightly behind the cockroach swarm, so as to encapsulate the bugs but not them.
Thame- Steps outside
Swarm - Hurt Trieste
Kaldan - "Use the necklace!" He yells, very disturbed by an enemy he can't hit.
Lara- Misses
Kragg- Gets clear
Trieste- Misses with the fire but manages to scorch a few of the outlyers.
Thame- Throws the fireball
Swarm - The swarm survies teh blast and continues out of the building and engulfs Kragg!
Kaldan -
Lara-
Kragg-
Trieste-
Completely out of options, Lara flees the other way.
Kragg moves out again to let Thame toss another fireball from the necklace at the swarm. Hit it again Thame. kill them, kill them all
Thame looks on in disbelief as the disgusting mass of roaches continues forward, this time engulfing Kragg in their insectile embrace. Waiting for everyone to get out of the way, he picks off the other smaller bead from the necklace, wincing at the sheer cost of such an item being used on pest control, before lobbing it behind the swarm once again.
Despite these roaches amazing ability to evade fire the second explosion disperses the foul creatures.
Treasure: Once the swarm has been cleared out and you conduct a thorough search of the shelves you can find a teakwood box that is approximately 12 inches by 2-1/2 inches by 1-1/2 inches. The box itself is worth 30 gp and contains a wand of goodberry
The wand was donated to the expedition, but upon arrival it was determined no one could reliably activate it. It was stored here in the hope that someone aboard the next ship could make use of the item...
Trieste has removed most of her clothing to shake out the last roaches. Her caiman runs around her feet snapping up any stragglers he can find.
Once she's satisfied that they're really all gone, she re-dons her clothing and armor.
As they discover what's worthwhile in the food storage, she murmurs,
"My, my. Now that's a wand I can get some use out of. If you all don't mind, I'll gladly share its bounty with the group."
Kragg gathers those around once the swarm is gone to provide healing for the group. That was atrocious. Let us pray that we do not run into any further swarms at this rate.
Channel x2
When the wand is found Kragg nods his agreement. That sounds like an excellent idea Trieste. We just need to keep an eye out for some fresh berries now.
"If one of you would grab a few of those plums off that tree,I can make us all a nice healthful, and healing, snack."
Lara pauses a short distance away, but waiting to see what happens with the swarm. As soon as it dissipates, she comes nearer again and helps sweep the storehouse.
"Let me," Lara says, responding to Trieste, and goes to retrieve a handful of plums for use with the wand.
Once everyone is healed up Kaldan heads for the next building.
Trieste waves the wand over a handful of plums and disperses them to those that need them. "We can save any we don't need now for later."
I would gladly take a plum if you don't mind. Not online would it satisfy my rumbling stomach but that swarm has still left a mark on me.
Kragg sighs as he eats the plum. This is going to come in handy. Fils the belly and heals the body. Especially good since I am out of Abadar's blessings right now. We need to be careful what we run across if we need more healing.
Thame waves off the delicious-looking plums for now. He doesn't necessarily believe in karma or anything like that, but taking a healing item only seemed like asking to be hurt. He does offer a smile to Trieste, though, thankful to have her strange magics at the disposal. The wizard then stared where the two beads on the necklace used to be, his expression one of consternation, before shrugging. Better to use them than be dead. The illusionist proceeded to the next building with the others.
This mud wall building has a door facing east and one shuttered window. Above the door is a plain wooden sign that reads, “Tool House.”
The contents of this building are useful but unremarkable. Hanging on the wall from hooks and nails are an assortment of tools, such as hammers, handsaws, hatchets, machetes, trowels, and the like. Various other implements, such as makeshift ladders, barrels of tar, and shovels are stacked or otherwise arrayed about the room. Absent are tools and implements that would pertain to or be exclusively used for blacksmithing.
You realize that there is no way the original colonists could relocate successfully without taking these tools. In fact, these materials are vital to the survival of the colonists who arrived on the Peregrine— while the second wave of colonists brought some of their own tools, they made plans around these resources being available when they arrive.
Treasure: A wooden box with the words “Emergency Only” carved on the lid sits on a shelf.
Trieste looks worried seeing all the tools in the shed. "It seems very unlikely that the colonists would be successful relocating without these to help them. It looks more and more like something foul must have happened."
Thame rubbed his chin, a habit he had picked up to portray calm study instead of anxiety. "Let us see if our resident skeleton key can get this chest open, then move on. I think we're fairly close to being done." And the sooner we're done, the sooner we get back to the others and relative safety.
Indeed Treiste. There is no way that the original colonists would leave such valuable tools behind. It is only with such tools that they made it this far. I brought a set for myself along but not enough for a whole colony. Besides food this is the greatest resource the colony had.
As he looks at the tools further he muses aloud. Strange that none of the blacksmith's tools are here. Hopefully they are stored at the blacksmith's shop themselves. I should like to examine that place soon and see what is left there. I know there is an apprentice on the Peregrine but no master smith. that is something that may cause problems later. I have some skill at it but am no master either.
Kaldan has been examining the tools and listening to peoples words. He looks concerned.
"Aye. Dissent among the colonists. Talk of leaving and confiscation of important possessions. But nothing that people would need to survive is gone? Someone or something saw their chance I would wager."
Lara gives Thame a wry smile and goes to work on the locked box with her tools. After a few moments, she pops the lock and opens the chest. With a laugh, she hefts two items from it--a flask of alchemist's fire in each hand. "These might have been useful for that swarm of cockroaches, no?" The Taldan gestures at the box, replacing the newly-acquired flasks on her belt where the other, expended two had been. "There's a swarmsuit in there too, if anyone feels like carrying it.
Kragg gives a rueful chuckle as he rubs at some spots were the swarm bit him. That swarm suit would have been nice to have 5 minutes ago. At least we have it now in case there are any other critters about.
If no one else wants the suit Kragg will claim it. I. An at least stand there and let you kill it and heal myself afterwards if need be.
"By all means, Kragg."
This L-shaped building is constructed of mud bricks on a wooden frame. The western portion is of the structure is enclosed by four walls. This section has a single open window on the south side, with a canvas curtain hung across the opening. The single entrance is a wooden door, standing slightly ajar, on the southern end of the eastern face of the building. A ten-foot extension connects to the building on the east side. This extension has only a northern wall and is otherwise just a roof sheltering the space below, which is open to the outside. Underneath this cover is a forge with an exhaust flue directly above it, a worktable covered in metal scraps, a small tub of black water, and a partially sheltered anvil.
Kragg takes his time looking over the anvil, flue, and metal at the smithy. He had purchased and brought his own anvil just in case but to have an operational smithy ready was a real blessing. When he finds the place adequate without any problems he gives Abadar thanks and says a small blessing over the area. Well this is promising indeed. With this set up we can make almost any basic item a fledgling colony would need. Let us hurry and explore the rest of the colony so we can go meet the other colonists on the Peregrine.
You can tell by his animated searching and excitement of finding the smithy intact that Kragg is highly motivated now. Yes the missing people are still a mystery and a problem but Kragg believes there is a real shot now of this settlement being a success!
As you enter the building you encounter three rather annoyed Monkey goblins that seem to have settled in here. The rather fierce creatures are quick to attack and not easily repulsed but are quickly killed .
The outdoor worktable is covered with a few blacksmithing tools and pieces of metalwork, such as weapons, tools, or farming implements abandoned halfway through being forged or repaired. The water in the tub is filthy with soot, ash, and charcoal residue.
Inside the smithy building, space is divided between personal living quarters and an indoor tool storage and work area. A pungent animal smell lingers in the air and a tussled pile of blankets on the wooden cot is soiled. The room is in a state of disarray, with tools such as tin snips, pliers, and files carelessly strewn all over. A few Medium weapons and pieces of armor are strewn among the debris.
Treasure: A few pieces of equipment of exceptional craftsmanship can be found among the mess the monkey goblins have created. Among them are two masterwork machetes, a masterwork chain shirt, and a +1 darkwood buckler, which appears to have had a new arm strap affixed recently.
You can also salvage 40 metal arrowheads from the debris.
Craft check
After the brief struggle with the monkey goblins Kragg stabilizes one of them. Should we question it after it wakes up? It may know something especially since it seems the forge was used recently. Well more recently than the rest of the settlement anyways. It could just have been them burning items though.
She sneers at the monkey goblin. "If anyone can converse with it, it might be good to ask it questions. But it may be hard to tell if it speaks the truth."
Trieste is impressed by the buckler. "Darkwood. Very nice. Lara, would you care for a shield?"
Do anyone know what language it would speak?
Know nature/local?
Thame raises his eyebrows at another valuable find within the smithy. These vanished folks left a lot of pricy items lying about. At Kragg's statement about the recent use of the forge, the wizard's brow furrows. They definitely had evidence that there had been activity beyond the timeline for the abandonment of the settlement, now.
It could just be that the settlers had moved to a new location, and had needed to use the smithy to craft items, but if they were able to come back and use the building, why not just re-inhabit the fledgling village? This chain of events just kept getting stranger.
As the others asked about conversing with the goblins, Thame shrugs. He asks in all the languages he knows "Do you understand me?" If the goblin doesn't show understanding or willingness to converse, the illusionist throws his hands up, clearly done and ready to move on.
Kaldan will try Orc on them.
"Start talking or I feed you yer toes!" He snarls.
Shrugging when it get no reaction.
When it seems that no one can talk to the goblin Kragg looks at the others. Well we can keep it bound up for now and bring it along with us to the Peregrine. Hopefully someone in the ship can speak to it. In the morning I could understand it but would not be able to understand me. Unfortunate as we might have been able to get some good information from it.
Thame rolls his eyes, "If you want to cart your pet goblin around, then fine. Let's move on, though. I'd like to have this area cleared out before nightfall." If need be, there were plenty of defensible buildings they could hole up in, but the wizard would feel better if they were able to rid the area of any overt threats.
This large building is durably built in a log cabin–style construction with a thatched pitched roof and three gables. Its several open windows are uncovered, and the sole entrance on the east side of the building is bereft of a door. A small porch covered by a gable shelters this door, though the porch has not been swept and dirt and dust have started to accumulate, while one end of the gable is starting to sag from neglect.
The interior of this building suggests a modest place of worship—not quite a temple but more than a mere shrine. A table near the center of the west wall appears to serve as an altar, draped in a white but dusty cloth. Behind the table, a large wood carving of a humanoid figure with a stag’s head leans against the wall. Two rows of benches face the altar, although some have been knocked over and two piles of ashes are visible in the aisle between them. Scattered throughout the room are assorted objects related to public worship, such as a chalice and a ceremonial rod. An ornately carved longbow hangs on the wall near the altar, as if on display. Against the north wall is a smaller shrine. Nearby is a wooden statue roughly three feet tall that depicts a male half-human and half-avian creature. One carved wing hangs partially broken from the statue.
The wood carving behind the altar represents the deity Erastil.
The other wooden statue near the smaller shrine can be identified as the agathion patron of Andoran, Talmandor.
You immediately realize that there was a struggle in this area and it was never straightened up afterward. Time has made the tracks on the floor unidentifiable, but...
You can locate a trail of dried blood leading from the altar to the front entrance.
You also determine that no creature has entered this place in the last few weeks, or possibly a month.
A smell of rotting flesh lingers near the altar, but there is nothing obvious, even a large bloodstain, that could suggest the source of this smell.
Trieste pokes around the room looking for any clues to follow.
"This doesn't look good. There seems to have been a struggle here. Someone was wounded. There are blood spots leading away from the altar. But it doesn't look like it happened anytime recently." She bends down to touch the blood. "This is at least a few weeks old."
"Good eyes Trieste." Kaldan says appreciatively, looking over the trail with her.
He has the longsword drawn and held ready as he looks around warily.
know religion
know religion
Kragg surveys the room as his eyes come to rest on the altar, the shrine and the half-avian thing. This makes sense. This place is dedicated to Erastil. A good deity to venerate in a fledgling community. Ironic though that one of his tenets is family and togetherness. Unfortunately we have found evidence to the contrary.
The statue is a depiction of Talmandor. Again this is what I would expect from one of Andoran's colonies. Unfortunately something happened to cause its wing to break. I might be able to fix that in time with magic.
He stops his talking when Trieste's words hit him and the smell reaches him. Who would dare violate the sanctity of a holy place such as this? Even if there was a schism in the colony such an action would offend the gods surely. Perhaps there is another explanation. Perhaps the blood trail was from a sacrifice and the animal was then brought out of the chapel?
Not really believing it himself he approaches the altar looking for signs to the contrary. He pauses to pick up the chalice and rod on the way.
Thame's nose wrinkles as he nears the altar, the pungent scent of rotting flesh all too recognizable. And here it was...the first direct evidence of violence in the colony, according to his companions at least. Logically it was the most valid conclusion. Still, it was rather eerie that they had come upon no corpses or anything yet. Why dispose of the bodies if you were just going to abandon the area anyway?
"How likely is it that there would be a sacrifice to Erastil?" Thame is pretty sure not likely. Well, one more location explored and some theories likely more confirmed, it was progress of a sort. They didn't have a whole lot left to look over. The wizard stays put, but hopes his companions want to move on soon.
Kragg shrugs, None that I know of but perhaps to Talmandor? I am not as versed on him.
Lara looks around the exterior of the 'chapel' for obvious signs of a struggle or anything else amiss.
As you examine the interior of the church suddenly...
As you approach the bow suddenly there is a wailing sound and a skeletal, ghost-like humanoid appears above the altar. Looks like this. Vanishing a moment later the cry seems to echo still in the trashed church.
Thame - Frightened
Trieste -
Lara - Frightened
Kaldan - Frightened
Kragg -
A poltergeist is an angry spirit that forms from the soul of a creature that, for whatever reason, becomes unable to leave the site of its death. Sometimes, this might be due to an unfinished task—other times, it might be due to a powerful necromantic effect. Desecrating a grave site by building a structure over the body below is the most common method of accidentally creating a poltergeist. The poltergeist experiences great trauma over its condition; this trauma twists its psyche to evil and fosters an overall hatred of the living expressed in outbursts of rage. A poltergeist is bound to a specific place, usually a building, room, or recognizable area (a section of a cemetery, a stretch of lonely road, and so on). This place typically corresponds to its place of death or the resting place of its mortal remains.