Duty glad that he has gotten an apple quickly eats it, and neighs contentedly at Piper.
"Oh, we have to get a boat! I'll throw in 10 GP for it. We can call the boat 'Bone Bane'. You know, caus' we're going out to fight skeletons." He sizes Duty up and down.
"I bet I could rig up some way of lashing Duty to the boat. And in case of emergencies I can feed him the potion I just bought. It will make him a Sea Horse for about a minute."
As if on cue, Alara winces and squeezes her eyes shut.
"Yeah. I'm currently wondering if there's a way to turn off the sun until my eyes stop trying to stab me." She says, rubbing her eyes.
"Maybe I just need some breakfast and some fresh air."
She arches an eyebrow at Sharrd's suggestion of a boat and the lashing of Masamune's horse to it.
"I think the problem is going to be if a river boat will safely hold him. But, if you've got an idea, I don't see why we can't do it."
Piper rubs her shoulder gently, concerned for her well being. He signs: 'Is there anything I can do to help?'
Piper shakes his head. He writes: 'While the idea is funny, I don't think Duty will oblige.'
"Sharrd, Duty isn't a package to be tied to the side of a boat. Horses can swim, and I will be next to him without any armor on just in case something happens. Let's put Duty's carried item on the boat, and have Duty unencumbered."
Alara opens her eyes and gives Piper an appreciative smile.
Her stomach growls. Her eyes widen and she looks at her tummy, blushing.
"Well, some breakfast would be a start."
OK, so what's the plan for the boat?
A fisherman named Tomás is willing to either rent his boat out for a 5gp/day fee or actually take you there and up some of the wider river channels (as long as you give him a chance to catch some of the Brinestump catfish). But he tells you there are some challenges with the surf, particularly with an animal as tall as Duty, before the boat can even get into Sog's Bay. He does say that he could meet you in the calmer waters entering Sog's Bay past a promontory known as Hag's Plummet or at a point in the marsh itself.
Piper strokes his chin and runs to the apple cart. He comes back with six apples. He gives half of them to Alara, hoping this will sate her hunger.
He stays silent and lets the others decide on the boat issue, munching on his apples.
Alara greedily eats the apples Piper brings her. She nods in thanks once she's done, looking much better.
She's silent on the boat matter, preferring to instead let Masamune decide how Duty should come along with them.
Looking to Masamune, he is quietly unsure what his brother would prefer, "What do we do with Duty, brother?"
"We will put the stuff Duty carries in the boat. Duty, and I will just swim. I'll be right next to him with my sword in case anything tries to attack him."
Sharrd gives Masamune his Potion of Touch of the Sea. "If you or Duty need to definitely be able to swim. Drink this." he says. He turns to Tomas and asks. "If you'll show me how and you've got a second pole, I'll try to catch some catfish with you."
Tomás offers the suggestion. "Why don't I row down to the marsh. I think I find the old shack Walthus bought a number of years back. I hear you know him. Shall we meet there?
And yes, young fella, I do have some extra gear if you're willing to fish with me. The catfish can get pretty big, but they're good eatin'."
"This sounds agreeable. The main thing is that many of us do not like the idea of swimming. Perhaps I will learn later in life, but at this point...I do not have that skill. I was always worried about getting these wet." He says this while he pulls his hands out of the sleeves of his robes, revealing the blackened skin.
Piper writes: 'I can swim. But I'd rather not in the Marsh. Also, if you need a third fisherman, then I'd be willing to help.'
Tomás responds, "Then if it's all the same to you, I'll meet you at Wathus's shack." And he's off to prepare his boat and row down the coast.
Several of the townspeople, who have inevitably gotten wind of your planned return to the marsh, offer you well-wishes as you prepare to set out. A number of kids, armed with sticks, seem to have taken it upon themselves to walk about with you as a motley honor guard.
Sharrd matches step with the kids but then purposely starts marching off rhythym to see if they change
With her gear packed up, Alara sets out with the group.
She's visibly flattered by the kids marching around them with sticks. She blushes, trying to keep a straight face.
With his gear packed, Piper finishes his apples and sets out with the group. Seeing the kids "escorting" them, Piper can't help but have some fun. He takes out his new flute and begins playing a jaunty, upbeat tune.
The trip back out to the Brinestump marsh and Walthus's shack proceeds without mishap. The marsh still holds many mysteries, but you are already beginning to feel a familiarity with this particular route along the trails.
Walthus is outside, on the roof of his shack, apparently replacing some of the shingles. He's looking a bit healthier than he was yesterday when you last took leave of him. He hails you with a cheerful wave. "Back again? Is my hospitality so good you can't stay away?" he teases. I'll be right down. I've got a new viper and he may be a bit skittish yet so just try to walk nice and slowly around the place rather than quick and he should be alright."
It takes maybe another half hour for Tomás and his rowboat to come into view. He and Walthus exchange a few brief pleasantries and Tomás puts himself at your disposal. "I'm ready whenever you are. Point me at the river channel and I'll get you across."
Sharrd looks around for the new viper, being careful where he walks. He checks where they buried the face stealer a few days ago, poiking around the area with a stick until Tomas comes into view. Then he excitedly boards the boat.
"Hiya Walthus!" Alara calls out, waving. She takes care to walk slowly around Walthus' home, but it feels rather forced when compared to her normal walk.
She boards the boat, pointing out on the map to Tomás where they need to go. "We'll be sailing there, sir."
Piper waves at Walthus in greeting. He walks around, being careful of the viper.
When Tomás arrives, Piper pulls out the map and allows Alara to point the location out.
Masamune makes sure that everything Duty would normally be carrying is in the boat along with his armor.
Tomás looks at the map. "Hmmm… bringing a boat was a good idea. Much of that area of the marsh is flooded worse than the rest. I'll get you there safe and sound. Mind the leeches though. They like the slow water and muck."
The site that corresponds to the second wreck is very muddy and waterlogged. Each step as you get off the boat or climb back up on the shore (Masamune and Duty have little trouble negotiating the channel - the water is slow enough and neither is particularly weak - although both come up with a few leeches that end up needing to be plucked off) sinks a few inches or more into the mud. Each foot pulled from the muck makes a goopy, sucking sound.
What appears at first to be a strange tangle of branches is in fact the moss-covered ribs of a wrecked ship. The ruined ship lies on its side, split down the middle and mostly sunken into the mud and murky water.
"Thank you, Tomas, your confidence is precisely what we need. The water is not many of our friend."
Jacen says with a smile, his hands tucked away, staff at his side, looking slightly uncomfortable on the boat.
Alara looks the shipwreck over with a sense of wonder. The fact that her boots are sinking into the mud with every step she takes doesn't seem to bother her too much.
Well, until she swats at an errant fly.
"Thanks Tomas!" She calls back. She then turns to the rest of the party.
"So, where do we search first?"
Piper gets out of the boat... and into the mud. Piper cringes, but continues on. He waves back at Tomas in thanks. He shrugs at Alara's question, not really knowing where to start.
Sharrd helps Masamune and Duty with the leeches and actually tries to use a leech as bait for his fishing. He soon forgets the fishing as the ship comes into view. He starts to trudge towards the shipwreck. "Good Fishing, Tomas" he calls out. Once he reaches the shipwreck he starts to climb up the hull that sticks out the muck so that he can peer inside.
Masamune cleans himself and Duty off thanking Sharrd.
"Investigating the ship seems to a good start, so let's do that."
Ash nods and follows Masamune.
Piper nods and follows, drawing his flute and cringing at the mud stepping.
Alara follows as well, readying her bow in case the worst happens.
The surrounding terrain is flooded and soft enough that the area is effectively trackless to anything moving through it smaller than a hippopotamus. The partly sunken ship appears to be a similar style of ship to the Kaijitsu Star - at least as far as you can tell comparing the appearance of this ship with the burned hull of the Star. This one does appear to be a bit larger, though.
The boards of the hull are mossy and waterlogged. Judging from the scars on nearby trees and the broken spine, this ship had a more violent lodging in this location than the Star had in its location.
Piper moves carefully towards the wreck, keeping an eye out. He's in awe of the size of the ship. His perceptive eyes are scrutinizing over every detail.
Sharrd speaks a few words in Draconic and points at Masamune and Alara.
He then whispers "Can you hear me now?" and starts to move towards the hull of the ship, stopping next to Piper. He writes on Piper's board. "Do you want me to make a noise to spook whatever lives inside out?"
Alara jumps in surprise as Sharrd's message spell reaches her.
"EEP! Er--yeah! Yeah, I can hear you..." She says, walking over to the ship. She takes a closer look at the ship.
And it's obvious that Sharrd's message surprised her enough that she's not being very observant.
Masamune looks around for the noise.
"Yes I can, notice anything?"
Both Piper and Sharrd, apparently sharing the same vantage point, can see that there's a metallic plate attached to the visible side of the ship. It may take climbing up onto the hull and some scraping to fully examine, but it appears that it may be an adornment or possibly a name plate for the ship.
The sound of frogs and insects is quite strong seeing as you are now in prime breeding territory.
Sharrd says a few words in Draconic and suddenly a large croak emanates from the other side of the ship (1/2 the volume of a roaring lion) as if a giant frog has arrived. He turns to Piper and says. "That should shut the insects up." He waits a few seconds to see if anything emerges. If not then he starts to climb the hull.
Piper cringes at the sight and sounds of all the frogs and insects. At the load croaking, Piper jumps and turns to Sharrd. He rolls his eyes at Sharrd's innocent, yet clever, idea. Piper can only stare as Sharrd climbs.
Alara watches Sharrd climb up on the shipwreck, occasionally looking around the swamp for anything that could jump out at him.
The loud croaking does seem to suppress the other sounds a little bit, but nothing seems to rise to it as bait. Tomás, in his boat, calls out, "What in the blazes was that?!?", a note of trepidation in his voice.
But with no other reaction to the loud croak, Sharrd finds his climb up the side of the ship fairly easy. The slope isn't very steep with the ship on its side and partly submerged in the marsh. The wood is just fairly slick and spongier than it should be for a sailing vessel.
The object that caught the eyes of Piper and Sharrd turns out to be a nameplate and with a modest tug at the moss covering it, Sharrd is able to reveal the name of the ship. The nameplate reads:
Kaijitsu's Blossom
Pretty much as soon as Sharrd comes to that discovery, there is a sound of bubbling water and the sucking of mud as 3 forms clamber to their feet out of the soft and flooded ground. Their bodies are no more than skeletons, each with a short blade stuck in under the ribs.
The skeletal bodies react with uncanny speed. Each grabs the blade from under its ribcage and, with a rattle of bone, pulls it free. Then they move in for the kill… a bit slowly since the terrain is pretty difficult to move quickly through. One manages to reach Piper, but not with enough time to swing at him before it is his own turn to react. One moves toward Alara, and the third clambers up onto the ship where Sharrd currently stands.
As the skeletons rise from the mud, Alara shrieks in surprise.
"EEEK!"
She drops her shortbow, letting it fall into the mud and drawing her nunchaku in its place.
She stays put where she is, readying an attack on the skeleton if it dares come any closer to her.
Masamune pulls out his sword and gets closer to Piper to help out.
With a cry of alarm, Sharrd draws his mace and gives a mighty swing at the skeleton.
He stumbles on his uneven footing and the attack is wild. He looks around desperately. "Who's summoning them?" he yells.
Seeing the undead, he moves up behind his brother and channels....for damage.
Piper stares in shock as the skeletons raise. When the skeleton gets near him, he retreats back, the mud hampering him. He plays his flute, the notes bringing that familiar power within everyone.