The woman doesn't move threateningly, and opens the door to a simply living space with a straw bed, a small tool station, and a pile of wood that is presumably fuel for the stone cauldron right outside.
However, there is a blank stone in the center of the bedroom, and she puts on a pair of gloves from on top of her bed to place her fingers on the object in question and draw.
The runes appear, remain for five seconds, and then disappear to make more room.
[spoiler=Spellcraft DC 15]
It's an Arcane Mark Spell
"Why are you here? How were you lost? How many are you? What is your sin?"
"Sin" might be referring to a Thassilonian allegiance or school of magic.
Valaravans translate for Eliah, letting out a hearty laugh at arriving at "sin". He answers the old woman in aquan.
"Too much salt, mother, my crewmates would say, too much salt. Other than it most of the sins the sea has seen... But don't worry, I will behave. My companion and me appeared here a couple of days ago, without knowing how or why... Or where... Do you know were are we? Do you know how far is the sea? And more importantly... Do you have spices to trade? "
Knowledge = (10)+12 = 22
Eliah relaxes after seeing the modest apartment. She watches over the scarred woman's shoulder, recognizing her incantations, if not the runes left by them. "Clever, clever..." she mumbles to herself as the Aquan script appears. She listens carefully to Salty's translation, startled slightly by his guffaw. She takes time to think during Salty's response to form her own.
"Why?" She chuckles softly. "Would that I could tell you. Some cosmic joke, perhaps?" Eliah shifts her weight, somewhat torn between a chance to relax her guard a moment in a real shelter and the constant wariness born of countless archaeological expeditions. "I was by myself before, and haven't seen anyone besides this one since I arrived. Excepting you, of course." She gestures to their new host. "Last I knew I was being chased by a hail of Aspis arrows, carrying their new prize... somehow the damn thing teleported me here and has since gone missing... Say, ask her if she's seen it Salty! A ruby statue of a jackal-man, about yay high..." She indicates a statue about 2 feet in height. Without waiting, she continues, "Hell, maybe that's my sin, temptation or messing with fate, what have you-- wait..." She taps her finger on her chin, pondering. "The ancient Thassilonians practiced a specialized form a wizardry I've heard called Sin magic... I'm sorry, ma'me, but I am no wizard if that's what you mean. But please tell me, we can't be in Thassilon, can we??"
Salty chuckles again...
"I don't think she has "seen" anything in quite a while..."
Xarl charges the nearest bird.
The three toasted birds swarm onto the woman responsible for their pain.
The runt of the flock tries to savage the poor being known as Tuich.
However, it ends up with its beak stuck in the dirt directly in front of her.
The rest somehow sense the menace coming off the hellknight and just try to pile on full-force. One even takes to the air to try to savage his helmed head.
Unsurprisingly, they don't manage to do more than make nice "tinging" sounds on the metal in which he is wreathed.
Meanwhile, the "big four" that haven't harried the party remain in their ring in the center of the river around what might be another being.
She bobs her head in tandem with the speech around her.
"Appeared from thin air? Odd. Very odd. But not Sin Wizards. This is good. Very good. The damage from the Sloths is very permanent."
The runes fade away.
"Krune's men found this place empty of all but old temples, and I came with as a comfort woman. Long time ago, yes."
Yet again, she waits for the fading.
"This is not Thassilon, but it bears her scars. Like waiting boundsmen and the altered animals... and me. Experiment failed, but I live long."
Once more, she waits.
"There is an ocean, but it is over the mountains and across other plain into forest. Dangerous journey. Right now we are near old research camps."
"I have herbs, but they sick. Hard work because of damage to grow... but I have a little ready. Want trade, can work for me. Want shelter? Can work for me."
Finally.
"I have not seen statue."
Salty only understands "you are really far from the ocean". He looks sad and disappointed, and translates the rest to Eliah.
"Do you make any sense of all that?"
Since the birds move up to him Xarl luckily gets to attack them with a full round.
Xarl butchered three of his four attackers, covering him with slick, smelly feathers.
Tuich takes another shot at beaning a bird.
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
This spell functions like sleep, except that it affects 10 HD of targets.
Area one or more living creatures within a 10-ft.-radius burst
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
A sleep spell causes a magical slumber to come upon 4 HD of creatures. Creatures with the fewest HD are affected first. Among creatures with equal HD, those who are closest to the spell's point of origin are affected first. HD that are not sufficient to affect a creature are wasted. Sleeping creatures are helpless. Slapping or wounding awakens an affected creature, but normal noise does not. Awakening a creature is a standard action (an application of the aid another action). Sleep does not target unconscious creatures, constructs, or undead creatures.
DC=18
Okay, you need to make a concentration check or take three AoOs.
Eliah seems a bit disappointed about her lost statue... 'But maybe there's something even bigger to be found here.'
"Hmmm... the Thassilonian Sin Mages used the Seven Sins for their specializations, but who is Krune? And these boundsman? I think we encountered some of these altered animals already," says Eliah, alluding to the golden deer from before. "If this place was found by the Thassilonians... that's over 10,000 years ago! Just how long have you been here? Are we still on Golarion?"
Turning to Salty, "Sounds like we won't be getting to the see anytime soon." She actually seems a bit sorry for the half-orc. "I don't know about you, but if she's offering us shelter, I don't mind working a few days to recover some strength. We might be able to learn something about this place."
Speaking once again to the scarred woman, "What sort of work would you have us do? I don't know anything about gardening, but we'd be extremely grateful for a few days to recuperate. What kind of herbs are they, anyway?" Eliah taps her chin, thinking. "One more question: do you know what the research centers were originally for?"
"I never die from the damage. I don't know how long."
She stops.
"Boundsman are men of earth from away, and Krune was the Great Runelord of Sloth..."
Again, the words erase.
"This is not Golarion. The herbs are Blackseed and Purple Velvet."
"And the research for Krune was to see if they could build Sloth's Paradise... New sanctuary from dead realm with him as God."
"Not Golarion? Danm it all the seashells! Where are we then? Yes, we can stay here for a time, while recuperating and then we find a way home. "
The dice hate you guys.
Tuich manages to mirror the bad luck of her attacker by whacking herself on the noggin with her own sling.
Fajra expertly concentrates on her spell and puts one of her winged foes to sleep... the other two, not so much.
The ancient creature hacks something like a laugh and uses her gloves on the stone yet again.
"I wish you to bring me wild game. I cannot hunt. Stones would be good, too... and stories. Bored."
Despite the weirdness, nothing happens right away. Cautiously, Lupi and Pharysene get back to work whilst Kenith starts at every noise and shakes his weapons at what he thinks is the source.
"Not Golarion--?! Desna's backside!!" Eliah curses, tossing her arms up in frustration and turning away from the stone. After a moment's consideration, however, she decides that she's slightly more curious than frustrated, 'Though it would've been nice to be snagged from a comfortable Korvosan inn than the middle of the jungle... ah well.'
"Never die from the damage, you say? Do you mean damage from the wildlife around here? Sounds nifty, I can already tell this place is dangerous."
She waits for the woman to continue writing. "Krune! Of course! I thought that it sounded familiar, how could I have forgotten." She waits for the woman to finish writing. "Dead realm... so was this after the fall of Thassilon? If you were trying to escape it, what happened to everyone else? How did you end up here?"
Once the woman describes the work she wants done, Eliah smirks. "Well, I might not know anything about herbs, but hunting game is something I can handle." She reaches her hand back, making sure her bow is still on her pack. "It might be too late to head out today, though. What kind of stones do you need, and what for? As for stories, I'm sure we can come up with some between the two of us." She glances at Salty, being sure to share her words.
"Ow!"
Max sees two enemies still up so he fires one arrow at each.
-Vs Tuich: -Vs Xarl:
Max managed to kill one of Fajra's evil birds, pegging it through its head.
The birds begins their counterattack. One bites Fajra and clamps onto her with its clawed legs.
The four in the river continue munching away at what they've found.
The one attacking Tuich yanks its beak out of the ground and munches on her ankle with fury.
Xarl's remaining attacker has the usual amount of luck; namely, it had no luck whatsoever.
Xarl attacks the bird next to him then he moves closer to the group of four in the river yelling.
Yeah, but you didn't roll to confirm it. You can, but I just rule you can't get that arrow back. EVER.
I know. It's just I don't punish all the time. Go ahead if you're here, though. Confirm it, and your string pops out of your bow, and you'll need a full-round to put it back in. Otherwise, you just lose the arrow.
You just lost your arrow.
Max weeps for his lost arrow.
"Not Golarion--?! Desna's backside!!" Eliah curses, tossing her arms up in frustration and turning away from the stone. After a moment's consideration, however, she decides that she's slightly more curious than frustrated, 'Though it would've been nice to be snagged from a comfortable Korvosan inn than the middle of the jungle... ah well.'
"Never die from the damage, you say? Do you mean damage from the wildlife around here? Sounds nifty, I can already tell this place is dangerous."
She waits for the woman to continue writing. "Krune! Of course! I thought that it sounded familiar, how could I have forgotten." She waits for the woman to finish writing. "Dead realm... so was this after the fall of Thassilon? If you were trying to escape it, what happened to everyone else? How did you end up here?"
Once the woman describes the work she wants done, Eliah smirks. "Well, I might not know anything about herbs, but hunting game is something I can handle." She reaches her hand back, making sure her bow is still on her pack. "It might be too late to head out today, though. What kind of stones do you need, and what for? As for stories, I'm sure we can come up with some between the two of us." She glances at Salty, being sure to share her words.
"We were here just before... This was the dead realm, first... but the war happened between Azlanist and Karzoug, and Krune's men returned to ready for battle. I killed captor. Never returned."
She pauses. "Damage is from experiment. I live, not aging, soul fractured. The animals are dangerous, though."
Tuich takes a step back, whips out her starknife, and slashes at the obnoxious little pecker.
Salty smiles, somewhat sadly.
"I will miss the sea, but we will find something to eat, and we will get ready for the travel to the sea."
Then to the old woman, in Aquan.
"We will help you, and when we leave for the sea you can come with us. Why you need stones?"
"To build things."
"Ah, I see. Probably a smart move on your part, who knows what could've happened in that battle. It's become an epic legend back in our world." Eliah takes a moment to contemplate their situation. "Is there anything else you can tell us about this place, like perhaps where this river leads? It's quite foreign to me, at least. As for our deal, it's a bit late to go hunting today, but I think we can at least gather some rocks, and maybe some veggies. What do you say, Salty?"
Turning away to get to work, Eliah has one more though and turns back towards the scarred woman. "By the way, do you have a name?"
Valaravans nods to Eliah, and follows her.
"What battle? I guess it wasn't at sea..."
Fajra screams while trying to disengage herself from the nasty Gryph.
"I suppose 'battle' is a bit of an understatement... I was referring to the war that resulted in the fall of ancient Thassilon. There aren't many records left, but the destruction of such a powerful empire mustn't have been pretty."
--
All three of the most dextrous combatants struggled with their foes, and after Max's arrow mishap, the creatures attacked again.
Tuich's assailant bites her with a sharp beak.
Fajra's jams its horrible egg-laying bits into her chest with a needle-point.
The others ignore the party altogether, munching one whatever they've found in the river.
The woman puzzles for a second before responding to Eliah's question of her name. At long last, she scribes one word in both Draconic and Aquan simultaneously.
"Free."
Salty laughs at the woman name.
"I love your name, mother! A really nice name!"
He goes out to check the environs, and look for rocks and food.