As you creep forward to investigate the cavern, you notice something odd about the water surrounding the small islet.
Namely, that there's a suspicious dark round shape next to the islet. It's visibly different in colour from the water around it, and it appears to be... swimming?
Whatever it is, it hasn't noticed you yet.
Squeezing down the narrow passageway, you eventually reach the other side.
This spacious cavern is mostly sandy and damp, with many skulls and bones lying strewn about. Most of the bones appear to be humanoid in origin. Of particular interest is a kneeling skeleton near the back wall, clad in extremely decayed & rusted four-mirror armour, and bearing an equally decrepit kabuto. What appears to be a wakizashi of fine make is buried in the skeleton's chest where its heart would have been.
Nestasha followed Yui in case something happened as she knew the small woman could easily be badly harmed or killed if something attacked her when no one else was present.
Looking behind you, you see Nestasha squeezing along the passageway behind you. It's times like these that really remind everyone around her how flexible she can be.
Gilbert raises his hand in the air to indicate that the others behind him should stop. Drawing his bow, he shoots for the dark shape.
"Something in the waters, get it!", he roars as he draws two more arrows from his quiver. Duchess growls by Gilbert's side.
Gilbert's arrow pierces the blob, causing it to shudder.
Taking on the advantage, Gilbert launches two more arrows at the blob, his eyes once again staring with ferocity.
Duchess stands in front of him, teeth ready to clamp onto the unknown enemy.
Gilbert's arrows sink into the blob, causing it to tremble before floating to the surface and going still.
Gilbert nocks another arrow, then ventures into the dark cavern. Raising his hand, he slowly approaches one of the crystals and begins staring at it. "Check for others.", he mutters, eyes scanning around the room and its contents.
Nothing else appears to be hostile in this cavern.
Upon closer inspection, the golden crystals appear to be quite lackluster and dull--if anything, they look more like gold-coloured rocks than actual valuable crystals. They still look like they're worth something to the right person, though.
Gilbert sheathes his arrow back in the quiver, still holding his longbow. Petting Duchess on the head, he moves over to the skeleton. "Ikoma? That looks a lot like your sword, but smaller. Think it could one of Kaijitsu's old ship's crew?", he asks the samurai.
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"Kaijitsu...?"
The word echoes throughout the large cavern. A deep, commanding voice speaks, as if in response to the name. "That is a name I have not heard in many years."
The armoured skeleton's skull rises, its eye sockets burning with red motes. "More living ones? Then stand, and BE JUDGED!" It booms, rising from its slump against the far wall. In perfect unison, the skeletons around the party rise, sand and mud cascading through their yellowed bones, their eye sockets burning with red motes. The ones not in reach of the party's blades draw rusted, flimsy-looking short swords.
"If you have come to plunder, then prepare yourselves." The armoured skeleton says, gripping the hilt of its wakizashi with both hands and drawing it from his ribs. It twirls the blade and points it at Ikoma as it glints in what little light is in the cavern. "'Tis our sworn duty to defend what little remains to take."
The skeletons make no move to attack you... yet.
It... He... speaks!
Gilbert's grip tightens around the longbow's grip as he quickly taps his side for the blunt-headed arrows. But, it's not attacking us... Realising he's not really the best person to try and talk this through with the mysterious undead, he instead decides to smile and look innocently at Ikoma. They're all Tian, they can figure it out. Right?
Nestasha backs away from the closest skeletons and goes to stand before the speaking skeleton. She bows from the waist in respect and says, "There have been attackss by golinbss using fireworkss on local caravanss. We've been invesstigating and dealing with the threat. While the goblinss have been dealt with we found evidence of various shipss and sseveral chesstss that belong to the Kaijitsu family. We know the lasst member of the family alive and intend to bring these thingss back to her thuss restoring them to their propper owner. Will you help uss do sso? We know your skeletons can leave here if you would help uss return these things to the last Kaijitsu then she may be able to release you from your eternal vigil to cross to your well your well earned place in the afterlife."
Yui stays in her little hidey hole, shivering, since this is the first time she heard undead speak.
"I am Ikoma Gohei, from the Clan of Gohei. We are no plunderers, but I think we are here on the wish of the fates to relieve you of your duty, so that you can join your ancestors! I bow to your dedication to giri!"
The undead samurai shakes his head. "If you knew the magnitude of my failures, I doubt you'd be so quick to bow, Ikoma-san. You look upon a broken shell of a samurai, once a man of great conviction and skill. Now, I am cast from Empress Shizuru's sight, a ronin unable to save his master or his line. I was once Tsutamu. I will not be again."
"There have been attackss by golinbss using fireworkss on local caravanss. We've been invesstigating and dealing with the threat. While the goblinss have been dealt with we found evidence of various shipss and sseveral chesstss that belong to the Kaijitsu family..."
The undead warrior's eyes light up at the mention of the chests. "Yes, the chests bearing my master's riches. You have found them, then?"
His eye-motes blink, then he quickly nods. "My apologies. Please, continue."
"...We know the lasst member of the family alive and intend to bring these thingss back to her thuss restoring them to their proper owner."
"...what?"
The skeletons suddenly murmur as their jaws drop open.
"We know your skeletons can leave here. If you would help uss return these things to the last Kaijitsu then she may be able to release you from your eternal vigil to cross to your well your well earned place in the afterlife."
"Master Rokuro's son survived? And continued his line?" Tsutamu's voice is low and disbelieving. He looks down at the sandy floor, then up at Nestasha. "Who... who is she? What is her name?"
Gilbert scratches the back of his head, clearly taken aback by the turn of events. His eyes scan the room full of skeletons, raising his eyebrows. Should I talk? I'm not really sure how their customs work, and I'd hate to be a diplomatic mistake. Deciding that sheathing his bow is probably a good start, he does so. His voice raising in the quiet cavern, he mutters, "Ameiko Kaijitsu, uhm... That's her name. Yes.", before looking once again at the others for advice.
"Ameiko Kaijitsu, uhm... That's her name. Yes."
Tsutamu pauses.
"...it's been too long. I can scarcely believe my ears." He looks back up at the party. "I... I have a request, if I may."
"No, no... nothing like that." Tsutamu shakes his head and gestures to his sword. "In the hilt of my blade is a letter, penned by my Master. He intended for it to reach his son should he fall in battle, but I never saw him again." He also raises a bony hand to his collarbone and pulls out a rusted-looking key on a rotting leather lanyard.
"This key will open the chest to what remains of Master Rokuro's treasures. They are in the cavern behind me."
He looks up at Ikoma, his eyelights still burning, but with a spark of hope. "I wish for you to take them. Bring the letter to Ameiko..." The name sounds very foreign to his tongue, and it shows. "...she deserves to learn of her lineage."
He holds out the wakizashi for someone to take.
"Amy is a noble? " Yui says with a soft voice. As soon as the skeleton looks at her she gives a little "eep" sound and hides behind Ikoma.
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You see Tsutamu as he once was, his armour & kabuto polished and shining. His tanned, weathered skin is free of scars, and a twinkle is in his brown eyes. He smiles at you.
His voice sounds in your ear.
Use it well. The Whispering Shrike is a blade worthy of any dai-sho.
Tsutamu does not release his grip on his sword yet.
"生活型に固執する人は、ライブ死を無視する人たち。" He intones. "Those who cling to life die, and those who defy death live."
As he speaks, the skeletons surrounding the party begin to crumble, their eyelights winking out.
Tsutamu releases his grip on the blade and steps back.
"I am glad to leave this place... at last."
He slumps against the wall, and his eyelights fade.
"Thank you..."
Well, that was...unusual. Caerwyn says as he takes the key and goes over to the chest. Kneeling down he carefully examines it for booby-traps before putting the key in the lock and turning it.
Gilbert looks at the skeletons falling to the ground, feeling a bit strange. "What a display of honor! I must confess, Master Ikoma, Tian traditions seem more and more fascinating every single day!" And I'm glad that the warriors found peace at last. Looking around for a moment, he then coughs, saying with an unsure voice. "I may not be a cleric, or a strict believer, but I think we should say a couple of words." Standing in front of the others, Gilbert stands up in a noble manner and begins speaking. "You've walked your road, warriors of Tian, and it has led you far from home. But may all, with whom you crossed paths remember you, your words and your actions. Rest now, at your journey's end." After a brief silence, he coughs again and looks at the rest. "I'm not sure how revered Desna is in the far continent, but seeing how they've travelled so far, I believe she'll grant them peace.", says Gilbert, petting Duchess' furry hide.
Rising up in a moment, he says once more in his rather jovial tone, "So, we're heading to Miss Kaijitsu to bring her the news straight away, right? I'd love to see the look on her face!"
Venturing down the passageway guarded by the skeletal warrior, the party emerges into another cavern, this one empty of life. A standing pool of water sits in the southeastern corner, and a chest of jade & cherry wood sits across from it.
As Caerwyn investigates the chest, he determines that there are no traps upon the chest or around it.
Opening the chest reveals its contents...
--5 potions containing light blue fluid
--2 potions containing dark blue fluid
--3 potions containing orange fluid
--A ring engraved with images of crawling ivy vines
--A slender birch wand
--A masterwork chain shirt engraved with images of dancing cranes
--A masterwork cold iron wakizashi
--11 Desnan Candles
--4 Skyrocket Fireworks
--3,820 SP, 421 GP and various pieces of fine jewelry worth 560 GP total.
In addition, the chest itself looks quite valuable. The entire set of treasure weighs about 50 pounds, chest included. It's also fairly obvious that some of the contents have already been removed from numerous slots in the chest's velvet-lined interior.
Upon closer inspection, the wakizashi Tsutamu gave Ikoma is of quite a beautiful design--the sword is etched with images of seven shrikes perched on a coiling branch that runs the length of the blade. Unfortunately, the hilt of the weapon hasn't weathered the passage of time as well as the blade--it feels loose in Ikoma's grip, and in need of repair.
It's a sword of +1 enchantment, and the wielder can cast the shield other spell once per day by touching the blade to the person the wielder wishes to protect.
Yui rushes towards the treasure once the chest is properly opened up.
"TREASURE!!!!" She says with glee and starts poking through the treasure, trying to identify all the strange magical auras and trying some jewels on.
With the skeleton's release on it's unlife Nestasha breathes a sigh of relief and said, "I'm glad that worked, I wasn't entirely ssure that it would. Why don't we go get what we came for and complete our promisse." When they find the treasure room and Yui goes nuts over the treasure Nestasha points out, "Remember Yui, thiss all does belong to Ameiko by right. Once we get it to here then we can ssee about keeping ssome as a finderss fee."
It's a long, long walk back to Sandpoint, trekking through the Brinestump Marsh. But with high spirits and rest, the party makes it back to the town by the next day.
---------------------
7th of Gozran, 4715 AR
As the party approaches the town of Sandpoint, their reappearance causes a stir. Carrying an elaborate wooden chest of fine make (albeit smudged somewhat by water, mud and sand), and with the pungent odour of goblin ears & the swamp lingering on their clothes and effects, the party soon finds themselves approached by all sorts of people as they make their way through town.
Quite a few children are mobbing them as well.
"Did ya kill lots of goblins?"
"Where'd ya get that chest?"
"Wow! Is that a real goblin head?!"
"Oh wow, this is so cool!"
"I coulda taken a few of them! My Dad knows the blacksmith--I coulda gotten something to whack a few of 'em!"
And so on.
Gilbert puts his hand on his head, thinking. After a brief moment, he starts talking, his tone slightly apologetic. "Well, technically, he said I want YOU to have them, if I recall correctly. Never was it specified what to do with them, Nestasha. Thus, it could be reasonable and not too far-fetched to assume that they are to be ours, personally, to use as we desire." Taking a small pause, he continues, his hands raising in the air. "Obviously, the thing that any honorable person would do is return them to Ameiko, as they would be her ancestor's property, and I support this decision." He stops for a moment, looking at the other's faces. "What? My father, may his soul rest, was a very close friend to the late legislate, and we used to talk a lot. He brought me books.", Gilbert says, petting Duchess, his attention pointed mainly towards her, as if purposefully ignoring the others' comments.
Gilbert grins as he's walking through the town. "Look, Duchess, it's like we're heroes or something!", he says, petting the wolfhound. Stopping by the kids, he kneels next to one of them and says, "Well, I can't tell you! But, word on the street is, if you pester Yui long enough, she'll even do a moving shadow thing about what happened!", sending the tiny wayang a raspberry as the swarm of children rushes towards her.
"Oh it'ss good to be home. I need a nice hot bath and something to get the tasste of sswamp from my mouth. Not nesscessarily in that order," Nestasha makes her way to the inn shortly behind Ikoma and heads towards the bath area.
After entering town Caerwyn tells the others to go ahead to the inn and he will catch up to them later. Taking the sack of grisly trophies he heads over to the Sheriff's office to deliver them.
Once in the office he tells the Sheriff that the Licktoads won't be a problem any more as he pulls the head of Chief Gutwad out of one of the sacks.
After collecting the bounty Caerwyn will fill the Sheriff in on everything that happened from the faceless one at Walthus' place to the ratling's shack, the lost shipwrecks and finally about the skeleton's cave and Ameiko's lost heritage.
Once he's finished reporting he will take the bounty and go and meet the others at the inn.
Stepping into the sheriff's office, you are greeted by several militia members who are more than happy to see you in.
Sheriff Hemlock looks a bit less harried than usual--perhaps he's been getting more sleep, or perhaps the complaints about goblin attacks have stopped. "Ah--Caerwyn. Was your hunt successful?"
When you dump out the many goblin ears on his desk, along with the rotting head of Gutwad, Once Mighty Chieftain of the Licktoads, his mood improves dramatically. "Excellent news--I'd say you've earned the full bounty."
--------------
Once the bounty money has been given to you, you settle in and explain what else happened in the Marsh--from Walthus' near-fatal experience with a faceless stalker ("Really? I didn't think they were still around in the marsh--at least Mr. Proudstump is safe & sound..."), the encounter at the ratling's shack ("Hmm. That's unnerving news. At least that's dealt with now..."), the shipwrecks ("Can't say I'm surprised to learn of those. The marsh does open up into the Varisian Gulf...") and finally, the undead in the caves ("So... let me get this straight--Ameiko is actually from a noble line? I understood that the Kaijitsus were already nobility around this town...").
Upon arriving at the Rusty Dragon, you see that the place is in full swing. Patrons are dining, drinking, and conversing about many things, all set to a backdrop provided by Ameiko's samisen music.
When she looks up and sees you, her face brightens. "Hey, Ikoma! How was the goblin hunt?"
After you open up the hilt of the Whispering Shrike and produce the letter (contained inside another small scroll tube), she stops her playing and looks at it. "What's this, now?"
The bathhouse of the Rusty Dragon is a sight for sore eyes--the steam on your skin from the hot waters within feels remarkably inviting to your aching bones. At last--a chance to scrub the grime, muck and odours of the swamp from your body!
Interestingly enough, you're not alone at the bathhouse--stepping out of the bathhouse's doors, garbed in freshly-laundered clothes and briskly rubbing a towel through his recently-washed hair, is Sandru. As he lowers the towel, he notices you.
"Oh, Nestasha?" He waves to you as you approach. "How'd the goblin hunt go? Can't say I blame you for coming here--I think Brinestump Marsh is named more for its smell than anything else."
The kids eagerly start crowding around Yui as Gilbert & Duchess look on. They start bombarding her with the same questions they've been pestering the party with since they got back to town.
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The samurai shrugs and answers. "We found a dead warrior, bound to unlive by his duty. His duty was to give YOU this letter. I made a vow to take this duty upon my shoulders so that his spirit can join his ancestors. My vow has been fulfilled. The answer... the answer you will find inside this tube."
Ameiko pauses in surprise. "For me?"
Some of the patrons look over at the conversation the two of you are having, rather annoyed that Ameiko stopped playing her music. Unfortunately for them, Ameiko doesn't look inclined to resume playing.
She beckons you upstairs. "I'd rather not read this where everyone else can hear me. If it's REALLY for me, and someone clung to life to get it to me, then... well, how important can it be?"
Overcome by all the questions, Yui doesn't know what to respond to for a moment. Then she concocts a cunning plan. With a simple cantrip she creates a bright colored flash to get the attention. "Very well children. I will tell you the smazing story of how the wise Yui was able to defeat the hordes of goblins and take home the treasure guarded by a large troup of ancient samurai skeletons! I will tell all tonight at dinnertime...BUT! I require payment for my story telling. One bottle of spiced wine from Ameiko's cellar. And Gilbert's shoes! " Yui says and ends with a cackled laugh one would expect from a witch as she points towards Gilbert astride his horse.
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Gilbert stares down at the gang running towards him. "Now, now! Kids! I've been in the swamp all day, where it's wet and moldy. If you want to get my shoes, get them when I go for my pint at the tavern!" Dismounting his horse, he then walks next to Yui after the crowd of kids run towards the cellar. Leaning down, he asks, curious. "Why do you ask them to get the wine for you? We'll all get paid!", he says, as he and Duchess walk in the tavern.
"Hello, people! We arrive, triumphant!", says Gilbert, raising his fist in the air, Duchess howling at the side. Sitting next on the table next to Ameiko and Ikoma, raising his hands at them. "Well? Did you tell her?", he says, reaching over to grab a flagon.