Rhianni ties her hair back again, as it drops down in front of her eyes, "I could ask the gods for guidance on the journey ahead, should you desire friends?" Rhianni looks at her friends expectantly.
Mayor Shreed gives Rhianni a curious look. "That's not really how we do things here. I'm afraid I don't see the purpose."
Before the group leaves Turtleback Ferry, Lym spends ten minutes at the town's edge, chanting while gazing at a dire wolf's tooth she has hanging from a necklace. When the chant reaches its crescendo, black smoke roils up from the ground and takes on the shape of a wolf-like beast with a frightful aura.
"I'm ready to go if you all are," Lym says as she climbs up onto the beast's back and pats its neck. "Rhianni, you want a lift?"
Answering the mayor, "It may just allow me to let you know how things go, but if you wish to remain without such knowledge, then so be it." Rhianni smiles....
"Impressive beast Lym, are you sure it will let me join you." her face is slightly apprehensive, a shiver of fear descends down her back, though her eyes look cold as the wolf's. She stands before its jaws, before walking to the side and joining Lym, her hand rises to enable Lym to pull her up on the creatures back. "This is is going to be a fun journey."
"I'm sure that, just like the rest of our travels, it will be completely free of incident," Praxim says with artificial glee.
Giving a slight chuckle as he shakes his head, "Great. We're screwed."
Raising an eyebrow, "Did you just say 'fun'? Ya know, lass, you and me really have an entirely different take on the meaning of 'fun'," he says with a slight grin.
Rhianni: "All the same, we don't typically do that here. I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend. Maybe the Varisians have a sense of trust like that, but on the borders here...well..."
-----------------------
"Well, here we are. Scenic Bitter Hollow, home of trappers and Gnomic merchandise."
Lym winces at a memory.
"If we're staying, I have to send the wolf away."
"Is this the route the Captain would have taken, because if so, we should definitely ask around."
"Let's find somewhere to eat and get comfortable, if we are to stay here a few days. Find an inn and relax in this outpost. Over a drink we can pick up any local news, and as you say Praxim find out the Captain's movements." Rhianni will search for the local inn/meeting house nd seek out the owner/innkeeper.
"Tell me have you had any tales told recently, epic poems. I would entertain your custom regaling tales of the heroes of Golarion for some food and a stay in the warmth and safety of your inn. What do you say?"
Bitter Hollow is a tiny village, and a proper inn is nowhere to be found. But there is a small watering hole in the center of the thorpe, and the proprietor is more than happy to trade food and drink for a good tale or two. A flagon of bitter ale and a bowl of fish gruel oughtta do the trick!
Lym (regretfully) banishes her smoky mount, then joins the others for their meal. While Rhianni chats up the proprietor, she brings out her flute case and starts to play a soft, simple tune.
Kellen asks the proprietor if he's ever seen fellow that matches the Captain's description (and adds a few coins for his trouble.)
Tomaru carouses with the patrons and plies them for information on the missing Captain of the Black Arrows, Myriana, and Whitewillow.
Captain Lamatar Beydon is well known in Bitter Hollow. He was often seen wandering through on his way to one of his 'pilgrimages' as he called them. Only one old fisherman seems to have heard of Whitewillow, and he says he heard it from one of the gnomes from the Sanos Forest.
"t'were a beeyootiful spot in th' center o' th' Shimmerglens, he said." The old man sputters. "Th' li'l fella seemed ta haff bin there lots."
Myriana is not a name anyone has heard of.
Rhianni starts to tell the tale of swashbuckling and treasure, the tale of Torius Vin, pirate captain of the inner sea and his navigator Celeste. Their exploits sailing Stargazer, a ship of renown to all the travelers of the Inner Sea. How he plotted a course to steal the legendary Star of Thumen.
"Scales rustled across the hardwood deck of the corsair Stargazer as she plied the moonlit waters of the Obari Ocean. The crew ....
Once the story telling is over, she talks to the customers, asking after Myriana, and Whitewillow, aiding Tomaru's endeavors..
Thordak sits back and relaxes, listening to Lym play and Rhianni tell her tale.
Praxim drinks bad ale and scans everybody for evil auras.
Scowling.
There are one or two evil auras about: a scowling fisherman, the bartender, nothing of note. The small crowd appreciates Rhianni's tale, but can add nothing to what Tomaru has already discovered.
"Looks like tomorrow we're going to the middle of the marsh."
"Do we have to sleep in town?" Lym quietly asks her comrades. "I have a spell to conjure a shelter that should be big enough for all of us."
"I'm with the lass. If she can make us a shelter, I say let's go with that. It beats the flames out o' this tiny little hole in the wall."
You set out in the morning for the area known as Whitewillow. Strangely, out west of Turtleback Ferry where you are, the rains are not prevalent. In fact, you can look back east and see the line of the rain over the region and the village from the Wicker Walk.
An hour of walking brings you to the point where you think you'll have to turn south into the marsh. Large box elders, willows, and birch trees dominate the marsh along the Walk. The ground is mostly dry here, but it is clear that there are patches of water both obvious and not so obvious. Either way, you're going to have to go in there.
"Look," Lym warns the group as she points out a tiny figure under a willow, about thirty feet to the left. "The Fey are already here, methinks."
Before heading out, Kellen dons the boots in case they run into a messy area of the swamps.
Kellen nods at Lym's indication and decides to venture closer to the figure. "You look a might sorely distressed, neighbor. Are you in need of some help?
Praxim scans for evil where folks are pointing.
Once pointed out, the creature isn't hard to see. At Kellen's question, he starts and flutters up on tiny gossamer wings. He looks from left to right, flitting back and forth. He is a waifishly thin humanoid, about 2 feet tall with rumpled clothes and eyes puffy from crying. He flies straight up to the group, getting almost nose-tonose with each of you as he flits about speaking in a breathless rush.
"Mymistress-sheisill. Veryill. Deathwouldhavebeenakindness. Thelandsickenswithherheartanditcannotbecleanseduntilhermiseryispurged. Icannot dothismyself."
"Pleaseyoumusthelpher! Youarefriendswithherhumanlover-yes? Hewouldn’twantherleftlikethis!"
"Icantakeyoutoher-maybeyoucandosomething. Ihavetriedeverythingtocure herforlornheartbuttonoavail. ShewailsandmoansinWhitewillowandthetreesandplantsandnixiesandfrogsandeveryt hing-aredyingorworse!"
"Icantakeyouthere!"
"Please!"
Rhianni knowing the tricks fey can play, watches the young creature intently. Brushing her hair to the side, she cocks her head and silently studies its movements.
"Whitewillow!" Tomaru exclaims as he is finally able to make out some of what the fey is saying. "What is your mistress' name?"
The frantic fey stops flitting about and speaks a single word...
"Myriana..."
"I should've bought divination spells to track Jakardos down with..." Lym sighs.
"No need. We have our little friend here to take us to her." He turns to the fairy and as fast as he can says, "Take-us-to-your-mistress. But-remember-we-can't-fly-so-don't-go-to-fast. Oh-and-what's-your-name?"
"Tomaru, is there anything we can do to calm this young one? She is so distraught." Rhianni asks to Tomaru. She attempts to use soothing words to the fey, "We will come as quick as we can, we can see you pain. To follow you, please take us though the solid ground of the marsh, so that we don't fall foul of the dangers here."
She turns aside to Tomaru and say quietly into his ear, "If we need to fly, I can use the arcane to give us few minutes of flight but that is all, if it helps us nearer to Myriana, it maybe useful."
As Rhianni flicks her hair back in place and looks to the fey, she beckons Lym over. "Lym, I have a spell to help, to ask the gods of magic for aid in such things, but it takes many minutes to complete. Once we get to a place to stop for a time I can try it then. This power is new to me, so you can help me to say the question correctly." She smiles at Lym, hoping this might help them get closer to the captain, after they have seen Myriana.
Kellen blinks a few times at the verbal assault of distress, but nods with Tomaru.
"We don't know where he is, and sounds like they don't either. But whatever her state, maybe talking to her will give us a clue that can help find him and reassure her and the Black Arrows at the same time."
Turning to the fey: "Lead on, friend - but stay in sight, eh?"
Thordak simply stares blankly at the buzzing creature, cutting his eyes back and forth between the others, wondering if they're catching any of this. After it finally stops talking, "Ummmm, I'm gonna go with 'probably'." Thordak responds, not real sure if he was threatened or asked over for supper. As the others begin following the fey bug, Thordak shrugs and follows as well. "Alright, but don't blame me when this thing turns out ta be a fifty foot monster in disguise that eats folks who don't understand it," he mutters under his breath, keeping an eye out for more of the buggy creatures.
Rhianni hangs back for Thordak to tramp along and joins the disgruntled dwarf, "Don't worry my friend, this creature is truly concerned about Myriana. I am sure if we can help her,we will be rewarded by her help too, as we search for Captain." Rhianni smiles, giving Thordak's shoulder a hug. "Besides I always feel safe when surrounded by my friends." She skips off to the front to follow the fey.
"Myname? Myname? MynameisYap! Iwillleadyouthere! Tohersoyoucanhelpher! Don'tworry! Iwillnotleadyouastray!" He sets off at a vicious pace, and is soon out of sight, leaving you standing on a hummock under an ancient willow. There is no sight nor sound of the pixie, but you do find a small boat drawn up on the far side of the hummock from where you stopped. It is the kind a fisherman would use, but where he is, and why it's here, you can't tell.
What you do know is that the boat may be your best option, as the Shimmerglens have have grown tangled and dense with overgrowth as you drew farther away from the Wicker Walk. The easiest method to travel would be to use the boat, rowing through the narrow channels of water that have appeared all around.
"I hate swamps," Lym sighs. "And our 'dependable guide' appears to have left us in the lurch. I can still cast a spell to grant myself ten hours of flight, but the canopy is probably not much less dangerous than the water! So. Who is going to pilot this thing?"
"All aboard the Shimmerglen Ferry. Our next port is adventure." Tomaru gets in and tries to pilot the boat.
Coming up on 2500 posts!
"Are you sure this boat is safe, I mean its not just a washed up wreck, is it?" as Rhianni takes a good look around the boat. Not letting Tomaru pilot the boat until she's finished checking it. "You wouldn't walk so asily in the traps that we set for us at the fort, so why Tomaru do you get over excited by a boat and want to go out, before you know it won't sink. Or do you like swimming that much." she giggles.
Before jumping into the boat, Kellen tries the boots out over the water to see they hold him up in the channel. If it looks like they will work, he adds:
"If necessary, looks like I can push or pull the boat around without too much trouble - thanks to the boots."
Shaking his head as he's unable to contain a slight grin, "She sure is a happy lass."
"Push - or pull - along then, lad! Let's get this over with and get out o' here. I tell ya this place is full o' the buggy creatures. I can just feel their little buggy eyes starin' right at us." He looks around through narrowed eyes, knowing they're out there somewhere.