A pulse of positive energy inflicts some woe on the skeletons, but none are destroyed by the energy (and 2 even successfully save).
Piper's retreat draws a slashing attack from the skeleton that misses him.
The skeleton nearest Alara moves forward but her own readied attack smashes into its skull and sends it tumbling back into the muck.
The one closest to Masamune moves forward and slashes at him. He recognizes the blade it wields as a wakizashi. The blade strikes true (for 6 points of damage) though it's a near thing as it could have done more.
The one locked in combat with Sharrd tries to cut him. It succeeds and leaves him with a painful wound (for 5 points of damage).
Sharrd does not see anyone who seems to be controlling the skeletons.
Looking up after smashing her skeleton into paste, Alara can see that Sharrd's not doing very well with his enemy. She scrambles up the side of the ship.
Once she makes it up, she action rolls behind the skeleton, hoping to distract it long enough for Sharrd to get a good hit in.
Masamune drops his bow, and pulls out his wakizashi.
"Face my wrath undead."
Piper will hang back and continue his Inspire Courage.
Sharrd watches Alara flip up behind the skeleton. Even though he is grimacing in pain he still says. "Wow!" He tries to take advantage of the skeleton suddenly having two foes to deal with to smash it to bits.
Masamune's blade smashes through the skeleton's rib cage and spine. That skeleton collapses into the muck.
Sharrd applies his own prodigious strength and destroys his skeleton's skull with a single blow. The headless skeleton clatters to the wooden boards of the ship and slides down the curved side until it hits the mud.
There is no other sign of trouble, but it takes minutes for the sounds of the marsh to reassert themselves.
Masamune picks up the weapon of the fallen skeleton and examines it for any markings.
Piper stops his playing. He heads back to Masamune, looking at the skeleton. He tilts his head to the side, also examining for markings.
"Not if I have breath, will my brothers continue to feel pain." With that he takes a quick step out of the skeleton's way (If it threatens, I don't see them on the map) and reaches out to touch Masamune with holy energy filling his touch. Cast Cure Light Wounds
Alara jumps for joy when Sharrd smashes the skeleton into... well, shards.
"Yeah! That'll show 'em!"
She climbs back down the ship.
"How's everybody doing now?" She asks once she's back down on the ground.
The wakizashi Masamune picks up is is pretty rough shape. The organic material of the hilt (wood, skin, silk) is rotten and will ultimately need to be replaced and the blade itself is rusty after, apparently, some years in the briny marshwater. The same holds true for the weapons of the other two skeletons - each bore a single wakizashi, in similar shape.
As far as identifying markings, there are no surviving identifying markers. Nor are there any on the skeletons themselves. If there were any once, the elements have stripped them away.
"Brother, aren't these weapons rather rare and expensive? Could we not find someone to clean them up to perhaps make them valuable once more? Also...this seems to be more indications of the Kaijitsu family being connected...as these weapons aren't from around here."
"Rare around here? Certainly." Alara steps over to Ash.
"Those look like wakizashis. They're typically paired up with katanas by samurai--katanas for the main fight, and wakizashis for the finishing blow." She puts a hand on her hip. "Ya suppose this is the shipwreck the goblins looted?"
"They are rare around this part of the world. I think that if we could fix them up they would be good for selling or use even. We should check out this ship to see if anything has been left behind. We will still have to search the other spots though. There may be even more undead at the other spots. Does anyone recall anything about such creatures that might leave us better prepared next time?"
Most of you know or can deduce something about skeletons - they're reputed to be created by foul magic, although the influence of more powerful undead may inspire their creation as well. They're obviously quick and largely mindless and so aren't beguiled by a lot of magic that would affect a normal person.
Masamune would also estimate that his wakizashi slash didn't appear to be as hard on the bones as Sharrd's mace blow.
Unfortunately, it appears Piper's own studies have not included much skeleton lore...
Alara ponders the skeleton bones. Was there anything of use she could glean?
Sadly, without a location for conducting other research and documentation (i.e. a library), anybody without training (or bardic knowledge) can never get a result better than fairly general knowledge about relatively common critters.
Though I think I'd say that's good enough to recognize that the mace and nunchaku did, in fact, do the job more effectively than the wakizashi.
Sharrd smiles as the skeleton shatters to pieces and seems really pleased when Alara praises the blow. "Keep an eye out." he warns. "I bet there's a necromancer around here somewhere." He says a few words in draconic and starts to carefully go over the area, starting with where the skeletons first emerged from the ground and then covering the ship.
Piper shakes his head, unable to recall any information on skeletons. Rather embarrassing, really. Piper keeps his flute out, looking for any other dangers.
If there are any necromancers about, they are well hidden. A bit of observation turns up no sign of anyone hiding, lurking in wait, or otherwise stealthily threatening the group.
The ship itself is much more difficult to search, in one sense, than the Kaijitsu Star. At least that burned hull was pretty much above ground. The Kaijitsu Blossom is substantially mired, making most of the ship inaccessible. It's easier in the sense that, as a result, there's a lot less that can be readily searched.
There seems to be no sign of regular habitation around the wreck other than the local animals. The skeletons seem to have simply risen out of places where they had been buried or otherwise sunken in the mud for years.
Alara walks over to where she dropped her bow and retrieves it.
"If there was a necromancer around here, he wouldn't make his lair in a shipwreck. Perhaps deeper in, we'll find something?" She ponders out loud, taking a look around the site. Perhaps there would be some sign as to where the skeletons originally came from... they could've easily come from elsewhere, right?
Sharrd tries to pry the nameplate off of the ship after looking around. Once he has it or it proves inaccessible he turns to Piper and asks. "Well I guess it's the other ship. If the fireworks started out in this one then they would have either burnt up or been buried in mud and the ones we got from the goblins don't show signs of either."
Piper nods at Sharrd's logic. He looks around the area, checking for any threats, tracks, or any secretive secrets.
With a bit of work, the name plate comes off (and in one piece, this time).
As far as the origin of the skeletons, you find no sign of them coming from anywhere else. The ground is disturbed where they stood up out of the mud and water but if there is any trail into those locations, you have been unable to find it. The local terrain, in truth, would make any such tracks not last long. By tomorrow, you can pretty much guess that any evidence that these skeletons rose out of the mud will be gone...
Sharrd peers over Piper's shoulder at the map. "So where do we go from here?" he asks.
Alara sighs in resignation. Her face falls.
"No idea where these skeletons came from... I was so sure we'd find something..."
She has a realization.
"Zupog--wait a minute. Zupog said that the goblin team found a cave with the skeleton treasure inside... and that the ship was close to it!" Her face lights up with joy.
"We just gotta find that cave and we'll find those skellies!" She's practically bouncing in the mud now.
"Does anyone wish my healing hands to help?"
Piper points out the location of the cave on the map to Sharrd and Alara. He smiles at them both.
Sharrd says. "Heal me up, brother. I got stabbed. Right here." he pulls his shirt up, proudly displaying his battle wound.
To Alara and Piper he responds. "Well, lets find this here cave."
"You need to be careful Piper. If you get seriously wounded what am I going to tell Koya?"
Masamune makes sure that they gather everything they can from the ship and the skeletons before heading off towards the next marked place.
The 3 wakizashi and the name plate seem about all that has any likely value from the wreck site, and even then that value may not be terribly high in monetary terms.
Finding the cave marked on the map turns out to be fairly easy. With a little help from Tomás and his boat in negotiating another channel of the river, you find what appears to be a substantial track - very much like the one you noted coming out of the Licktoad village - and it takes you right to ...
A fifty-foot-high cliff rises along the marsh's southern border, its face a thick tangle of jutting rocks and bright green vines and nettles. A curtain of these thick nettle vines partially conceals a cave opening at the base of the cliff, though the track, in effect, gives its secret away.
Alara whistles at the sight of the cave.
"So here's where the goblins found that treasure..."
She takes her dagger and moves to cut away the vines & nettles blocking the cave entrance. If nothing else, it'd allow her companions to see into the mouth of the cave.
Piper is in awe of the swamp cave. Seeing his girlfriend cutting the vines, Piper draws his own dagger and aids her.
Sharrd says to Jacen. "Thanks, Ash." As the others cut at the vines, he draws one of his javelins in one hand and motions with the other and says a few words in Draconic.
Four spectral lanterns appear next to him, producing a mellow golden light. "Want me to send these into the cave to light our way?" he asks.
Piper strokes his chin at the lights. He writes: 'A very nice idea, Sharrd. But my concern is that it might give us away to our enemies.'
"Easy to get rid of." he replies and with a gesture they wink out of existence. "Who should go first?" he asks.
Alara steps forward. "It'd be a good idea for me to scout the area first."
She pauses at the entrance. "Don't worry about me. If something jumps out at me, I'll come running."
With that, she disappears into the shadows of the cave.
Sharrd tries to cast message on her before she leaves.
Alara pauses long enough for Sharrd's spell to reach her.
Masamune pulls out his sword, but waits for Alara's scouting before trying to head into the building.
Piper sheathes his dagger and pulls out his flute.
Ash makes a point to get close to the center of his group, so that his heals might be most effective if bad things happen.
Alara, with her scouting, has been able to see that the branch of the cavern that goes south (keep in mind North is to the right side of the map) is partly flooded. The direction she takes, however, is dryer and leads up a slight incline. She is able to tell that the cave in that direction opens to a wider area about 15 feet ahead.
The scout also hears the sound of motion up ahead. Whatever it is, it sounds fairly heavy - perhaps it's the sound of something being dragged or at least moved about on the ground.
Alara strains her ears, trying to hear what, exactly, is being dragged about in the room ahead.
When that doesn't work, she creeps into the room ahead, staying close to the entrance.
The natural cave walls and ceiling have a claustrophobic presence being relatively narrow and low (the ceiling is only about 7 feet high). There is a constant dripping sound and the smell of wet limestone pervades the air.
The chamber Alara peers into is getting pretty dark so she's peering into a dim gloom. But she can make out the motion of a creature that seems to be all legs as it scuttles about on some unmoving form lying on the cave floor. It doesn't act like it has noticed her.