Antonio is already ready to go. While the others take care of last minuted purchases/details/research, he spends that time drinking and having a good time in the tavern.
Once they're ready, he'll lead off the march to the monastary!
Nala was very much more a do'er than a talker. Unfortunately, there was little that fell within her realm of expertise just now. On the other hand, she could make herself useful; she decided to head to the local church to inquire about the spirits that had plagued the town recently and anything that the priest might know about dealing with such things.
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Potions or Scrolls of Waterbreathing, Air bubble, or anything that helps with swimming.
Antonio goes down to the docks and looks into hiring another boat for the journey.
Reiko spends the night in contemplation, and adding new spell scars to his arms. His meditations are spent trying to force himself to have another vision of his past, trying to put together what is happening here with what he was a part of... before. After he's done carving these new spells onto his body, he rests, and meets back up with the group in the morning, his traveling gear packed and his blade on his side, and his water skin filled with the water from the spring.
I am prepared. The monastery, then?
Antonio hops aboard and flings his arms wide.
"Good news Captain!" He said, draping his arms across the Captain's shoulders.
"We are again in the market for a voyage across the great lake! Lots of fun and very safe for everybody!"
Nia mad it back and shook her head at Nala. "Sorry came up empty. Good afternoon Captain."
Looking at Antonio she sighed slightly but smiled. "We wish to hire your services again. If you decline we will understand. We are embarking to a different part of the lake." she motions towards the monastery.
Nia was hoping honesty would be appreciated.
The worst that can happen is that we must rebuild the boat once more."
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The captain does insist on payment up front, just like the last time, and he says a small prayer to the god of the waters as the boat gets loaded up - but within a few minutes, you're headed into history.
It takes a while, but as you move slowly toward the stonework sticking out of the water, there are clouds gathering - both literal and figurative. The captain's mood grows more and more anxious, even though he knows nothing of the place, and his boys grow unusually quiet. The boat seems to be moving slower and slower.
There are three visible parts to the monastery: a square tower stands taller than the rest; it is connected to a high peaked-roof main cathedral; which in turn is connected to a stout squarish wing, largely hidden behind the cathedral.
The stone is dark and discolored, and has fungal growths here and there, but looks incredibly well preserved for all of its age.
It looms large and ominous, even at a significant distance.
And then it begins to rain. Lightly at first, the sky slowly darkening, and thunder suddenly breaks the quiet.
'Well this will make the great start to a story. Real mood setter.' Nia thought to herself as she jumped after the thunder. Holding a hand out to catch the rain in her palm before looking to the tall building.
'Yes, definitely a mood setter.'
"I hate to say it Captain but you may need to stay the night here with the storm. The choice is yours of course." She would call up dancing lights to illuminate the water ahead of them as she pulls her hood up.
As the rain sets in, Nala takes a drink from her water skin, and then casts mythic endure elements three times, two with spell slots and one with her mythic power (using a total of four mythic power.), protecting the group, the captain, and two of his crew from the weaker parts of the storm, including visibility and wind.
Then she just silently waits. A portion of her tells her to get underground... But another portion tells her that that is exactly what the storm wants.
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The captain nods silently at the suggestions, regret etched all across his face, and he guides his small craft toward the central part of the structure. There is, of course, no apparent entrance in what would seem to be the second floor.
The rain does start to come down - not in torrents, as it does sometimes, but significant nonetheless.
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The tower gargoyles seem to eye you warily as you come closer, and within a short time prove their more ordinary function as they begin spitting a steady stream of water away from each corner of the tower.
Shading his eyes, Antonio turned and pointed.
"Hey look! I think there's an old lady over there by the cathedral!" He exclaimed.
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Anyone that looks does see her, at this point - and some of you recognize her - certainly even those of you that have not seen her quickly recall her description - the ghostly old woman whose hair and dress mysteriously move, even against the rain, as if she was affected by ethereal eddies.
Within two or three beats of your hearts, she fades from view.
"Peculiar. Why was she waving at us?" Nala said unceremoniously as she watched the tides whip against all of the solid surfaces around her.
And Nala was actually asking! Even if it may have seemed Rhetorical, and she might as well have been asking the water for an answer, any answer was acceptable. She nodded to Sakuro. All of that seemed quite possible.
Nala looked over the structure as they drew closer, looking for any sort of hint of how to enter the buildings with the majority submerged.
"Most likely where the widow was located." Nala said, insightfully. "Although, be careful as we approach... most likely not all of it is above water, and thus not visible. But... you know your job better than I."
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Slowly the captain guides the boat, with the boys poling as much as paddling here, until you've come around close to where the vision of the old woman was. The captain is muttering prayers, as a huge cathedral window - well, the space where it was - comes into view around what you might think of as the back of the cathedral. It's a gothic arch in style, and at the peak is at least 7' over the water and a good 6' wide.
The window must have cost a fortune, as glass windows are rare and expensive to begin with, but it's long gone. There is an eerie light inside, the kind made by small hooded sources, playing off of the ripples in the water, and every small sound has a faint echo.
The captain swallows hard. I suppose the boat kin git through there. His voice is weak, now, and hard to hear through the rain. The captain's ruddy complexion seems paler, too.
Nia remembers the old woman mentioned from the fog. The fog with the creatures that would kill villagers.
Moving to the Captain she would look him over seeing if was fear or something else making him paler. Also to move closer to hear him better.
"We are here with you Captain."
Nala removes the belt pouch from the butt of her spear, revealing its counterweight once more. It let out a cool flame, like that of a torch, providing light beyond what the creepy dinginess provided, and then stood quietly watching.
Reiko draws his katana at the sight of the light inside the tower, and frowns.
Someone is already here. We need to be careful.
He takes off his coat, revealing once more his arcane scarring all over his upper body, and puts one foot on the side of the boat.
Let's go in. Anyone with a weapon guard the sides, magic users stay in the middle.
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Carefully, the small craft gets poled in through the empty archway.
Already, there are two smaller - rowboats - tied up here, to the railing of a walkway (once a balcony level) that surrounds you on three sides. There are numerous doors, on either side, double doors straight ahead (that apparently go into the tower), and one opposite at the end of the walkway on your right that apparently goes into the third part of the monastery.
The lighting comes from six oil lamps, mounted on the walls at intervals, as the chandelier lighting overhead remains unused.
"And good things are held where all can see, while evil is buried in the darkest recesses." Nala adds.
"And now whoever else is here knows that we are as well."
Nala sighs as she looks to the hounds, attempting to stare them down with a glare, showing who their leader is.
Antonio covers the dogs with his crossbow, backing up Nala with Diplomacy or Intimidation, as the case may be.
Nia'nikta would pull out some meat from her pack moving forward. If Nala's ability wasn't working she would start talking to them wrapping magic into her words as she told them she would feed them the meat if they quieted down.
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By now, you can see that there are three. For a moment, they do stop, before starting right back up again - then Nia's little treat comes out. Antonio stares one down, and it backs away with a whimper.
One is totally fascinated by the food, but the other one is still angry and barking even louder, as his companions have failed completely.
Continuing to talk to keep the fascination up. "People are coming from those side doors over there. We should get to a dry landing so we aren't stuck like sheep in a pen."
"Well then..." Antonio said, taking a big slug of the Mythic water he had from his waterskin.
Nala would calmly hop off of the ship on the side that did not have the baying hounds that had gathered around the ship.