Stryn eyes Kera oddly when she gathers everyone around for a brief prayer, but he gives no protest. When she is done he pulls out his rapier and with a dramatic pose points in the direction they are about to go and says "We go now to face the ghosty again! Stryn be brave this time..." It seems he says it more to convince himself than the others.
The sun has reached its late afternoon point by the time you take the road along the Chavali River to a point a short ways outside of town, just around a small bend. Here, the river meets the Varisian Gulf, and Roderic clearly chose his home with an eye towards security and ease of sailing. It is also quite clear the building has seen better days.
The two story structure looks as though it was built from the local pine trees, but time and neglect have settled into the house's bones, and the structure now sags into the water. Moss has grown over the roof and clings to the walls in patches. A light haze of black mold and thin bubbles of moisture creep across the windows, obscuring anything that might reside within.
The front door hangs slightly ajar. The sound of buzzing insects, creaking tree branches, and the river flowing by hangs in the moist air.
Kera gives Kiley's shoulder a little squeeze, then slides in and walks arm-in-arm with her on the way to the wreck.
"This looks... dangerous!" Kera says with glee. She produces her holy symbol and utters a word, and it produces a magical torch-like glow.
"Who wants to go first??" She readies a guidance spell for the volunteer.
Stryn looks the place over, it seems quite the mess now. When Kera asks about someone going first Stryn waits a moment from his apprehension of the ghost then realizes he is probably the sneakest of the lot. Eventually he speaks up "Stryn go look, make sure safe. You hear scream, Gurk find ghost or something bad."
He slinks up to the door slowly, keeping an eye out for any traps. Assuming he doesn't find anything he peeks inside the ajar door to get a look. If he doesn't see any immediate threats he will continue on quietly, while keeping an eye out for any threats.
Seeing the camaraderie between Kera and Kiley, Henric can't help be smile a little. They all seem like good people. Even the goblin seems amicable. Perhaps there may be more to be found here.
He nods in appreciation to Stryn volunteering to go first. "We'll be right behind you." While waiting for the result, Henric keeps his eyes open for trouble, making sure that nothing sneaks up on the sneaky goblin.
Stryn sneaks across the porch with barely a sound, the old boards not even squeaking beneath the goblin's quiet footsteps. Kera and Henric's talking, however, isn't quite so quiet, alerting two winged insects living beneath the porch that there's prey to be had.
These insects are stirges, a mosquito-like magical beast that tries to attach to their prey and drain its blood.
The insects fly up and try to land on their prey - Stryn and Henric!
Both creatures successfully attach and begin draining blood from their victims!
Red Stirge - 5/5, attached
Orange Stirge - 5/5, attached
Henric - 10/10, Con 13/14, grappled
Stryn - 9/9, Con 11/12, grappled
"Crikey!" Kera curses when the giant bugs appear, then draws her starknife. "Kiley, chop their wings off!" Her words, although crude, carry a certain magic.
Stryn yelps when the oversized bug latches on to him and begins sucking his blood. He pulls out is rapier and tries to smack it off of himself.
The stupid thing is in a weird spot though and he can't quiet reach it. He shouts out "Get it off!"
His nerves a little on edge, Henric literally jumps when he's bitten by the insect. "Get off! Get off, get off!" He tries to grab the thing and pull it off.
Kiley is moving before Kera even finishes telling her what to do. Seeing Stryn struggling, she rushes up the steps past Henric as he breaks free of the grip on the overly large bug on him. Steel flashes as her short sword comes singing out of its scabbard and dives in for the bug's head.
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To busy admiring the solemn, if dilapidated, residence of her town's founder, Renae didn't notice the two incoming insects until they already upon her friends.
"Henric! Styrn!" She screamed their names in warning but it was to late that. The bugs were already attached and sucking their blood like leeches!
Thinking fast, Renae grabbed the crossbow at her side and pointed it at the ugly orange insect on Henric's back. There was a risk, of course, but all the same Renae took in a breath and fired her bolt, confident that she would not strike her friend. Hopefully...
"Crikey!" Kera curses when the giant bugs appear, then draws her starknife. [/b]"Kiley, chop their wings off!"[/b] Her words, although crude, carry a certain magic.
Stryn yelps when the oversized bug latches on to him and begins sucking his blood. He pulls out is rapier and tries to smack it off of himself. The stupid thing is in a weird spot though and he can't quiet reach it. He shouts out "Get it off!"
His nerves a little on edge, Henric literally jumps when he's bitten by the insect. "Get off! Get off, get off!" He tries to grab the thing and pull it off. With a sucking sound, the thing detaches, being forcibly removed from him.
Too busy admiring the solemn, if dilapidated, residence of her town's founder, Renae didn't notice the two incoming insects until they already upon her friends. "Henric! Styrn!" She screamed their names in warning but it was to late that. The bugs were already attached and sucking their blood like leeches! Thinking fast, Renae grabbed the crossbow at her side and pointed it at the ugly orange insect on Henric's back. There was a risk, of course, but all the same Renae took in a breath and fired her bolt, confident that she would not strike her friend. Hopefully...
Henric threw the bug off him, and Renae wildly over-corrected her aim to fire her crossbow bolt off into the Varisian gulf.
Kiley is moving before Kera even finishes telling her what to do. Seeing Stryn struggling, she rushes up the steps past Henric as he breaks free of the grip on the overly large bug on him. Steel flashes as her short sword comes singing out of its scabbard and dives in for the bug's head. With a *squelch*, she neatly kills the bug, and it detaches from Stryn and falls to the ground.
The remaining bug attempts to reattach to Henric.
Without the element of surprise, however, it was unable to find a hold.
Red Stirge - 0/5, dead
Orange Stirge - 5/5
Henric - 10/10, Con 13/14
Stryn - 9/9, Con 11/12
"Eek!" Kera steps forward and tries to cut the giant bug down with her starknife. Never one for melee, she gets lucky and lands a solid blow.
Relieved to have removed the bug, Henric is determined to keep the thing at bay. He swings his darkwood staff at the insect, missing horribly, and keeping enough distance between himself and the bug to continue swatting at it.
Free Action: 5-Foot move
Standard Action: Attack creature with staff
With the bug taken care of by Kiley, Stryn gives it kick before moving to help Henric with the other one, he moves around the backside of it and works with Kera to attack it.
Kera, Henric, and Stryn finish off the final bug. There remains the general buzz of insects, but nothing that sounds as large as what you just faced. The Varisian Gulf makes soothing noises, splashing against the shore.
The bugs now squished, Renae put away her crossbow and quickly moved to Henric's side. She should have done this before they every set foot in the Wreck, but her mind was elsewhere.
"Here," she said softy, putting a hand to Henric's shoulder and reciting the incarnations for a spell in Thassilonian. "This will give you some added protection for whatever lays ahead in this place.
With that done, Renae focus turned to the bugs that had just attacked them. "They're stirges," she declared to the group. "Magical mosquitoes with even greater taste for blood. Let us hope that we didn't see more of their kind here."
Stryn shivers a bit when Renae describes the thing that had just been sucking his blood. He takes a deep breath and shrugs it off then speaks "Maybe you let Stryn move ahead super sneaky, yes? Stryn make sure safe before all come being noisy? Stryn give all clear or scream for help."
He doesn't wait for a response and moves back up ahead to check peek inside the door.
Unable to reorient herself before the second bug is killed, Kiley spends a few seconds looking about before pulling an old, but clean, rag from her pack and cleaning the blade of her sword. Before the others can move into the house, Kiley holds out a hand.
"'Old yer 'orses," she says as she unstraps the bundle of blankets on the side of her pack. She quickly rolls them up with practiced ease and straps to the top of her pack. The object they had been hiding is a long, two-handed sword in a scabbard. She pulls it out and latches the now empty scabbard to her pack before turning to the others.
"Alright, now Stryn an' I will go first. Not to brag, but I can be pretty sneaky when I need to."
Henric rubs that back of his neck where the stirge bit him, though it seems like it may be a means of calming his nerves, as well. Thank you for the thought, Renae, but that spell won't offer any more protection that I already have. I've got something when it's really needed, though."[/b]
He nods to Stryn and Kiley. "Just be cautious."
Before they move forward, Kera quietly casts guidance on Kiley.
Though Kiley and Stryn move very stealthily to get to the front doors, every step Kiley takes creaks ominously. Still, both make it to the front doors without issue. Opening the doors, the first thing they notice is a dank smell pervades this five-foot wide hallway. A set of stairs rises to the next floor, and the hallway turns sharply to the north past the staircase. Three doors line the hallway that you can see.
Stryn looks back to the others and waves them up to the front door. He then looks to Kiley and points at her then points at the first door, while pointing at himself and pointing further down the hallway, then he slinks off down the hall to look into the first door on the left that appears to be open.
Kera sheaths her starknife and approaches cautiously, holding her holy symbol ahead of her to illuminate the dim entry hall. She swallows thickly, afraid but also thrilled, as evidenced by the butterflies in her stomach.
With his staff held in front of him, almost like a talisman, Henric notes the look of anticipation on the face of his new allies that seems to mirror his own. I'm not sure how it all came to this, but there's something almost comforting about this situation, despite the tension in the air.
As Renae followed her compatriots through the damp corridors of the Wreck to a trio of doors, she made time to once again weave a protective spell. If Henric could not make use of the spell's added protection on account his armor than Renae figured that she might as well use it for herself given her lack thereof.
Kiley nods to Stryn and follows along behind him to the first door in the hallway. She winces as her armor makes a slithering, clinking sound, but there's little she can do for it. She puts her ear against the door while looking through any cracks or holes she can find.
You hear the very faint sound of running water. Otherwise, the room is silent, from what little you can see through a small crack in the door, the room appears to be empty of living creatures. You do see what might be a desk, however.
Pushing the door ajar, you find nothing but collapsed shelves and soiled, rotting linens in this small closet.
Kiley and Stryn investigate their respective rooms as the rest of you catiously move to the front doors.
Not finding any immediate threats Stryn moves back to Kiley and asks in a whisper "We go in your door? Nothing at Stryn's door."
"Probably should. Pretty sure runnin' water ain't normal," Kiley says before testing the door to see if it was open. She sits on her heels, her head about on the same level as Stryn's. Unfortunately, rusty fittings aren't the quietest thing in the world and something squeaks as she tries to ope the door.
With a squeak of rusty hinges, the door opens to reveal what may have once been a living room. Doors along the northern and eastern sides of this moldy room provide exits. The floor droops toward the south so the lowest corner of the room brushes the river as it flows by. The ceiling in the northern and eastern sides of the room is torn. The remains of a small desk lean into the northwestern corner of the room, its slim drawer hanging out. The light is somewhat dim.
Kera peers anxiously after Stryn and Kiley as they advance deeper into the building.
Not seeing an immediate threat Stryn motions for the others to move up so they can check out the room while he scouts ahead, moving to the other door in the room to check it.
Kiley follows Stryn, not wanting her new little friend to get into trouble without someone there to help bail him out. She can't help but smile at the irony of someone who learned the tongue of goblins solely to taught them actually thinking of one as her friend. Then again, Stryn wasn't like his kin.
Henric steps into the house gingerly, staff at the ready, when Stryn motions for them to approach. As he does so he peers up the stairs, wondering what may be up there.
The light of Kera's symbol gave much needed illumination to the dim halls of the Wreck, which Renae more than appreciative of. Many thanks for the light," she whispered to her. "Let's hope that it allows us to spy an enemy before they find us." As she kept at a pace with the others, Renae tried to do just that, scanning the living room they were in.
As Kiley and Stryn move to check the door, Kiley notices that although the drawer hanging from the slumped over desk is empty, there appears to be something stuck to the bottom of it. On closer inspection, it appears to be a small scrap of paper with jagged edges, as though the rest had been torn away. It appears to be an "X" with the lettering "St. Hs." on it, surrounded by some woods.
You recognize the woods as the nearby Churlwood.
Henri peers up the stairs, unable to see much above. Renae notices nothing as she enters the living room, but where Stryn and Kiley had walked softly, her boots click on the floors. After a moment, two giant cockroaches scuttle out from beneath the floor at the far side of the room!
The cockroaches scuttle towards Renae and Stryn.
Fortunately, their armor protects them from the biting mandibles.
Stryn rolls his eyes at all the stupid bugs that they keep missing, obviously having really good hiding spots. He tumbles past them to get in a flanking position with Kiley and attack the one that tried to bite her.
"Eeek!" Kera squeals when the giant bugs appear. She can't help it. Cheeks burning red, she draws her starknife again. She gestures toward Stryn, who's briefly ensconced by a glowing, pervenche corona. She steps back closer to the door to make room for Henric. And to get away from the bugs...
While not the most nimble of humans, Henric tries to tumble into the room past Renae to help with the pesky bugs.
"Bloody typical," Renae cursed as one of the roaches tried (and failed) to pierce her magical armor. Such pests were usual sights in old dungeons and ruins in her dungeoneering experience, but even so, they always managed to annoy and disgust her.
Renae pulled out her dagger and slashed at the chittering vermin at her feet.
"Just 'ad t'be big, stinkin' bugs, didn't it," Kiley groans as she readies her sword and waits for Stryn to get into position. Now that the bug was surrounded, she stabs at it with one hand near the pommel of her sword while the other gripped the ricasso of the blade. She keeps her mouth firmly shut, not wanting to risk any of its innards getting in. With a wet crunch, the blade drives home and tears through shell and buggy innards with equal ease.
While not the most nimble of humans, Henric tries to tumble into the room past Renae to help with the pesky bugs. He succeeds in tumbling, but his attempt to smash the bug with his staff fails as he hits the floor.
"Bloody typical," Renae cursed as one of the roaches tried (and failed) to pierce her magical armor. Such pests were usual sights in old dungeons and ruins in her dungeoneering experience, but even so, they always managed to annoy and disgust her. Renae pulled out her dagger and slashed at the chittering vermin at her feet. The stupid bug skittered out of the way, though.
Stryn tumbles his way into position...
"Just 'ad t'be big, stinkin' bugs, didn't it," Kiley groans as she readies her sword and waits for Stryn to get into position. Now that the bug was surrounded, she stabs at it with one hand near the pommel of her sword while the other gripped the ricasso of the blade. She keeps her mouth firmly shut, not wanting to risk any of its innards getting in. With a wet crunch, the blade drives home and tears through shell and buggy innards with equal ease.
...then stabs at the bug attacking Renee. His rapier pierces its carapace, but does not kill it.
"Eeek!" Kera squeals when the giant bugs appear. She can't help it. Cheeks burning red, she draws her starknife again. She gestures toward Stryn, who's briefly ensconced by a glowing, pervenche corona. She steps back closer to the door to make room for Henric. And to get away from the bugs...
The remaining cockroach switches its target to the goblin that hurt it.
Its mandibles fail to even contact the goblin.
Stryn steps to the side to flank with Henric and jabs at the oversized bug again trying to put an end to it as he shouts out "Die, die yucky bug!"
Henric takes advantage of Stryn's positioning and tries to smash whatever is left of the insect.
Kera peeks her head around the door frame. "Is't dead?"
"It can be hard to tell," Renae answered Kera. "Even when torn to pieces these vermin have a nasty habit of surviving."
Kiley takes no chances. She moves around the one she'd just eviscerated to the one that Stryn had just stabbed and drives her sword down into it.
She pulls her blade free with a shudder and doesn't quite snarl at it.
"I. Hate. Bugs," she spits out before starting to calm down.
There's something off about Kiley's teeth. The canines look more like fangs than human teeth.
She pulls out a rag and wipes the ichor off her sword and tosses it away once the steel is clean.
"So much for bein' sneaky. Should probably finish up this floor then move on," Kiley says before looking over the room for anything useful or valuable.
Stryn's rapier pierces the cockroach's carapace, Henric misses, but Kiley does not, as she ensures the creature is dead.
Kiley finds nothing else useful or valuable in the room apart from the scrap of paper stuck to the bottom of the drawer hanging from the slumped over desk she noticed earlier. With the cockroaches gone, she gets a chance to do a closer inspection. It appears to be a small scrap of paper with jagged edges, as though the rest had been torn away. It has an "X" with the lettering "St. Hs." on it, surrounded by some woods.
You recognize the woods as the nearby Churlwood.
Kera hops over the roach guts and enters the room. "Hmmmmm" she ponders the paper. "It's a map? But what's St. Hs.?"