"It doesn't matter that you weren't going to hurt anyone. Stealing horses is still a crime. Why were you attempting to steal from us?"
Kaji, still embarrassed over his misses with his bow, is somewhat distracted form trying to ask questions of the youth.
The boy shrugs "I'm hungry! Coulda got nuff food to eat for a week with it!" he snaps back, clearly not intimidated in the slightest.
Lor-Sinn looks horrified. "You were going to eat Patches?!" She pets the horse's muzzle. "Look, if you are hungry you could have asked us for some food, not go stealing! If everyone went around just taking what they wanted..." She makes an exasperated gesture. "It would be really bad! Just think about it!" She pats Patches one more time. "Stealing is bad, alright?"
She tries to remember what the punishment for theft was back in Sandpoint, as that is the only point of reference she has.
The boy looks up at the tiefling confused, "Wha? No! EAT THE HORSE! What's wrong whitcha, lady?! I wanted to sell the dang horse for coin to buy food!"
Looking to the other two, she shakes his head "No one wants ta just be giving away food fer free."
Asuka places her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest. ”If you would have only asked, I am sure we would have been happy to part with some coin. Now, the question of what we do with you...we could offer you the chance to work for us as penance. Honest work! Though it would require being on the move, so that might not work so well. Hmm...but the thief getting caught and forced into helping is a classic trope, and I’d love to invoke it....” She runs her talon along her beak.
The boys eyes narrow a bit "What kinda work? I don't hurt nobody." he asks, cautiously.
Kajiwara sternly looks at the youth. "Nothing like that. You would be grooming horses, feeding them, and the like. Regardless, it will not be our choice what we do with you. That will be up to the caravan master. Now, let's find out a bit about you. What is your name?"
The struggles to get free again "What? They call me Feet." he declares prouldy. You can't but help taking a look at this feet when he tells you he is named feet. The boy wears no shoes and instead has very calloused, very large feet that are quite large for a boy his size.
"Feedin' the horses is all? How much ya gonna pay me to feed ya horses?"
With that, 'Feet' agrees to accompany you for what he calls "fair wages". Once everyone has returned and the situation is explained to Sandru, he seems fine with the addition with the understand there will be no further shenanigans and he must pull his weight in exchange for consistent meals.
The caravan pulls out of town and sets along their way once again. Travelling until just before sunset, the second half of the delay is much less eventful than the first half and several hours quickly pass. Sandru identifies a wooden area up ahead that looks good for camping and directs the caravan into the opening for the night.
Sandru directs Shalelu and Lor-Sinn to perform a quick sweep of area to ensure there aren't any animals or dangers nearby, while he asks Ruka to help the brothers unload supplies for the night and help secure the caravan. Sandru attends to his mother and directs Poppy and Ameiko on what to prepare for the evening meal.
Kajiwara and Samton areasked to set out to gather wood for a fire for dinner around camp.
"So, uh... Mr Shogahiro," the young man started with the air of someone unsure how to broach a topic occupying them some time. The two were off in the nearby woods gathering firewood as Sam spoke in righting himself from picking up a fallen branch.
"I noticed you're tutoring Ms Kaijitsu in Minkaian. It's good of you. I was wondering... Could I maybe join in? Only if it's not too much trouble, of course!" he added hastily. The wizard was so very loath to burden anyone. "I'm usually pretty good at picking these things up. I was only hoping to sit in."
While it was true that study had given the young man an ear for most everything linguistic, his interest in this particular language was less than academic. The mystery of his otherworldly patron choosing to communicate in the tongue of the far-flung Minkai Empire of all things was what intrigued him. Samton had thusly seen an opportunity in noting Kajiwara's lessons to Ruka.
It was very indicative of him that this burning curiosity did not reach far enough to inconvenience his travelling partners. He just felt he had to ask.
Satisfied that the situation with the young horse thief has been resolved with a just and equitable solution, Lor-Sinn is happy to assist Shalelu in checking the area for dangers.
Kajiwara is pleased the boy was willing to work hard in exchange for food and wages. It would keep him from turning to criminal acts to feed himself. His mother had convinced his father to open a soup kitchen in Magnimar with that exact argument.
Kajiwara was surprised by Sam's question, but as he thought about it, he realized he shouldn't be. Sam was very interested in learning and knowledge, so naturally would have an interest in learning Minkaian. "Of course you can. I am teaching Ruka to help her learn more of her heritage, but there is no reason you could not also join in."
Ruka was surprised to return and discover that the caravan had taken on a new...passenger? It seems he's been hired to help with the horses. While the extra hands are always appreciated, she still finds the whole affair a bit odd. As they travel she takes the opportunity to ask Kajiwara, "Uh, how did you meet this...is his name really 'Feet'?"
Even with the break she's still relieved when the caravan comes to a halt for the night. She'd spent plenty of time sitting when doing paperwork for the Glassworks, but back then she could always get up, move around, do some stretches, etc. Being basically trapped on a bumpy wooden seat for hours at a time is another thing entirely, and it leaves her feeling quite sore at the end of the night. Unloading supplies is a welcome change.
Once the caravan is secure she takes Murasamemaru and starts doing some katas in a clearing nearby. It wouldn't do for her to get out of practice.
Kajiwara answers Ruka, "He attempted to steal one of the horses - Patches. Apparently, he was going to sell the horse so he could buy food. Given his condition of intense poverty and an apparent lack of parents, I suggested he might be able to work for the caravan caring for horses and such. This both provides him with honest work and keeps him under someone's watchful eye so he does not cause further trouble."
Humming to herself quietly, Poppy set about prepping for dinner, chopping this and whisking that. She'd appreciated the largely uneventful journey so far, despite the recent commotion regarding the young ward the caravan had taken on. She couldn't help but watch the man out of the corner of her eye with suspicion. She usually didn't mind being hired on with less...desireables, but usually each caravan had a mood. Many heroic and noble individuals reside in this encampent and she saw only trouble coming from mixing the two.
She let out her anxiousness with an audible sigh, scrunching up her face for all to see and resumed her meal prep. She'd collected quite the collectiom of ingredients, accounting for bulk after several discussions with Sandru. She spent much of her personal funds to ensure a steady supply of treat items such as fresh honey, exotic fruits, and coffee.
Tonights meal consisted of reseasoned leftover potato soup and slow roasted honey garlic chicken and greens. No significant monster related parts were present in any of the dishes. She decided to introduce them slowly to her more, eccentric cooking qualities. She was their only source of food and didn't want to lose anyones trust. Plus she was in a bit of a drought of monster parts and was currently in the market. Maybe a little danger was worth it if she could get her hands on a giant snake or cockatrice tail. Her thoughts drifted back to the Courtesan card Koya had pulled. Was she two faced in the same way as the masked figure from the card? Unsettlled by the thought, she threw herself into her work
The wraps and the caravan continues north from Galduria, following along the western shore of Ember Lake until it empties into the Lampblack River. Another five miles and you arrive at the town of Wolf's Ear. Just past Wolf's ear, the caravan is attacked while they sleep during the night by a dozen thieves looking for a quick score. The scariest part of the attack is that two men drug Ameiko away during the night and nearly had gotten away with had Kajiwara not caught the struggling bard disappearing into the forest out of the corner of his eye. Rallying, the party put down the would-be thieves and saw to Ameiko and the camp.
Ameiko is relatively withdrawn the next few days. She doesn't sing or perform in the evenings and keeps mostly to herself without seeking people out. She spends a significant amount of time with Shalelu and Sandru, making sure one of them is always by her side wherever she goes. Ruka continues to check in on her and try to offer assistance where possible. By the time you reach Roderic's Cove she has mostly returned to normal, even cracking a few jokes with smirks in the hours before your arrival.
With the caravan loaded and read to go, Sandru declares "Alright, we're off! We're heading north as I described yesterday." He glances at Shalelu to make sure she doesn't make a scene before leading the group out of town. "The going will be a little slower from this point on." he announces as they make their way off the main road to a less commonly used trail that heads north.
The first day's trail is over large open plains and when the rain comes again, the muddy ground slows your pace appreciably. What should have been covered in a day is only one third of that amount, still not making it north to the Lurkwood like Sandru had hoped. Two more days and you make it to the east side of the forest, skirting it as you continue north.
While the group had enjoyed the benefit of a well-used road from Sandpoint until now, the grassy trail is bumpy and more jarring than anything you've experienced yet. More than once you need to stop because one of the wagon wheels has gotten stuck and on the third day one of the wheels breaks when it gets stuck between two rock and the horses yank it free only to sheet the wheel from the cart, sending a wagon tumbling sideways and spilling cargo and passengers alike to the ground. You're able to rectify the situation, but it costs you a half's day of travel as your stuck waiting for it to be fixed.
For a total of five days you see the border of the Lurkwood Forest on your on your western side, keeping close to it for protection and food alike. Koya forbids anyone from actually entering the forest however, stating that spirits will steal the life away from you and she will not stand for it. Ameiko seems healed from her bandit attack memories and finally returns to her jovial self again, playing music in the evenings and performing for the group to lighten their spirits.
No further incidents occur during travel and mid-afternoon of the fifth day, the road you have been following - really little more than a rutted track at this point - reaches a wood and stone bridge over the Steam River. Just south of the bridge, a second track, barely even recognizable as such, breaks off toward the west, marked by a faded wooden sign that reads "To Brinewall." The Brinewall trail disappears into a dark forest that looks decidedly inhospitable to wagon traffic.
"We should camp here, at the crossroads," Sandru suggests. "The city itself is about half a mile down that track, but we'll have to go in on foot - or horseback," he adds. "Bevelek, Vankor, and Koya can keep an eye on things here while we explore."
He asks Shalelu for her thoughts and she eyes the position of the sun and says "We've got plenty of light to make the trip before nightfall, but I don't know how much exploration we'd get done before dark," the ranger notes. "Likely we'd be camping in the ruins if we leave now." She raises an eyebrow at Ameiko questioningly.
The ex-tavern-keeper seems a little paler than usual; uncharacteristically hesitant, she looks at the rest of you instead of answering Shalelu directly. "I'm not sure... what do you all think?"
The journey had been long, and more difficult than Sandru's typical journeys - the thieves in the night who had tried to kidnap Ameiko had clearly shaken his cousin's confidence. He was a bit more protective over her, walking towards the front of the wagons more often and making sure he could keep an eye on where she slept at night. He seemed to take her near-kidnapping as a personal failure on his part as a guard, and seems to be trying to make amends through such actions.
Now at the crossroads, he looked down the dark, forested path to Brinewall and said, "I think we should scout the trail and take a look at the outside of the ruins, then turn back and camp, saving any exploration of the ruins themselves for tomorrow, when we'll have more time."
Ruka's gradually been getting used to the rigors of travel, but now that they're actually here...she's inclined to look to Ameiko for guidance. Unfortunately Ameiko seems hesitant too. Maybe it's just too much. In those ruins we could find answers, but do we really want them?
Fortunately Kajiwara is there to present a voice of reason. "Scouting the ruins isn't a bad idea. I don't want to camp there if we can avoid it, but we can check it out and then come back. Once we have a better idea of what we're dealing with we'll come back."
Sam looked from Ameiko to the others and then back to the bard. It was only then that he realized that she was asking for his opinion as well.
"Um..." he began, listening to Kajiwara and Ruka. If the group couldn't reach Brinewall before nightfall, couldn't accomplish much there in the dark, and wasn't willing to camp once there, then couldn't they just as well wait for tomorrow? It seemed to him that all they were setting themselves up for was a night trek back to the caravan.
Eh. He'd probably misunderstood something. "Sure," he said. "Yeah, scouting Brinewall for now and returning sounds alright."
Asuka is practically vibrating with excitement and anxiety at the thought of reaching the destination. The next phase of the journey is about to begin! Untold secrets and dangers lie ahead, and she is ready for them. She opens her book and smiles at the heading up top, her title for this section of the journey. The Brinewall Legacy.
”Scouting is a great idea! Scouting first is just the basic rules of adventuring!”
It's agreed that they will push forward to do some basic reconnaissance and return back to camp for night. The six of you plus Sandru and Ameiko ready yourselves for the trek through the woods into Brinewall. With each passing step, Ameiko begins to look worse for wear. Her expression is one of deliberate intensity despite obvious fatigue. As she adjusts the pack on her shoulders, Shalelu and Sandru exchanging glances behind her back.
"Ameiko, is everything alright?" Sandru asks, clearly concerned.
She protests she is fine when asks and eventually Sandru continues pushing through the brush along the swiftly-fading track.
The trip to the outskirts of the ruins takes about fifteen minutes. Just before you get to the town, though, Ameiko raises a hand to her face, pale and weak, and says in a dazed voice, "Wait. Wait-a-min..." before her eyes roll up into her head and she collapses into the underbrush.
Like Kajiwara, Lor-Sinn has taken Ameiko's near-kidnapping as a personal failure and since then has been running herself ragged trying to keep an eye on both Ameiko and Koya - at the same time. The thought of leaving Koya behind while most of the group goes exploring the ruins doesn't sit well with her, but Sandru probably knows what he's doing, and he loves Koya just as much as Lor-Sinn does.
Sidling to one side, the tiefling finds the latest addition to the caravan. "Psst. Feet. Keep an eye on my mom, alright? If nothing happens to her I'll give you half my dinner for a week, deal?" Such dealings were common in the barracks, with the guards trading shifts and favours amongst themselves.
There. Now she was ready to go explore these ruins. Throughout the short trip there she scans their surroundings, intent on spotting any threats, but more likely than not getting distracted by the scenery. Thus she doesn't notice Ameiko's strange demeanour until she hears the thump and rustling of her falling body.
Rushing to her side, Lor-Sinn checks for wounds or signs of sunstroke.
Kaji races to Ameiko's side, although Lor-Sinn beats him there. Looking on worriedly, he says, "We should turn back to the camp now. Has she taken a snakebite or something else?"
Ameiko's eyes flutter quickly several times before her body bolts upright almost hitting Kajiwara in the face with her forehead. Her body rigid, her eyes flashing open abnormally wide. Her voice speaks quickly in Tien in a croaked whisper "番目の金庫の2つのシールを超える1つの宝..." before her eyes close and her body falls limp again, collapsing to the ground again.
Kajiwara scours the area for poisonous snakes or other items that could have caused her to collapse but finds absolutely nothing nearby that leads him to believe it was a physical injury she sustained.
"Whu... what was that? What did she say?" Samton asked anxiously following the bard's choked murmur, looking between the three Tien speakers in the group. Having only just started his own tutoring in the language a few days ago, he only managed to catch a few words himself. What was going on? Only having known the elder Kaijitsu as a fixture of Sandpoint cheer, always lively, rowdy and free-spirited - seeing her in her current delirious state frankly scared the young man. And not knowing how to help frustrated him to no end.
But with Kajiwara ruling out physical injury to the best of his considerable ability, the wizard's mind, perhaps naturally, went to magic. With no other recourse available to him, Sam couldn't see any harm in trying. Hurriedly weaving his fingers through the divination, he opened his mind to the trace emittance of the arcane, and specifically whether any such surrounded Ameiko.
"'One treasure beyond two seals in the third vault.' That's what she said." Kajiwara picks up Ameiko and says, "Let's head back to the wagons now. I'll carry her."
Sam finds no active spells nor poison on or around Ameiko, her current dilemma flustering the party.
Scooping her up, Kajiwara carries the unconscious Tien woman back to the caravan where the Varisian brothers have already begun to setup camp.
Everyone quickly crowds around Ameiko who is resting gently on a cot inside her wago. After she is placed down, her eyes flash open wide again and she gasps for air as she reaches up and grabs a hold of Ruka's shirt and pulls her towards her face and whispers in Tien before collapsing back to unconscious state again.
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Ruka casts several worried glances at Ameiko while they begin their trek. She's too pale. Too quiet. But the thought of the fit she would throw if Ruka dared suggest she stay behind makes her keep her doubts to herself.
Then Ameiko collapses.
"Ameiko? Ameiko!" Ruka rushes to her sister's side, frantically checking her over for signs of a hidden injury. She doesn't find one, and neither can Lor-Sinn. Sam can't find any evidence of magic. Ameiko just...collapsed.
Ruka barely pays any attention to the gibberish Ameiko spouts in Tien, except to grimly note that it seems she's hallucinating. "Is she running a fever? I should have checked, I should have insisted she stay behind and rest, I knew she wasn't feeling well." All thoughts of exploring Brinewall vanish as they carry Ameiko back to the wagons. Koya is a healer, isn't she?
"Koya? Koya please tell me you know what's wrong with her, that you can fix her. Please." Ameiko chooses that moment to drag Ruka closer to spout more gibberish. Being able to understand the language doesn't make it make any more sense. "'Cuckolded cuckoo'? What...nevermind. Just...just rest, okay? You're going to be fine."
Kajiwara frowned, then looked about for pen and paper. Once he found them, he wrote down, One treasure beyond two seals in the third vault. Looking at Ruka, he asked, "Ruka, what did she say to you just now?"
Distraught, Ruka barely looks at Kajiwara. ”She said, ‘Beware the cuckolded cuckoo—it is in his shattered silent love you should seek aid.’ It’s nonsense, same as what she said earlier.”
No one present, (and conscious), has ever seen Ruka this visibly upset. She’s breathing fast, her hands are shaking, and looking close you can see the tell-tale glimmer of tears beginning to well.
”You’re going to be fine, Ameiko. Just fine.” She’s obviously trying to convince herself. Louder, she asks Sandru, ”Are there any towns nearby? She needs a doctor.”
"Koya, can you help her? Can you heal her?" Lor-Sinn is getting frantic as Ameiko passes out again. Was she really sick? The tiefling hadn't seen any sign of injury or disease. A curse? She steps close, trying to focus on the presence of nefarious magic.
How did Koya do it...? She laid her hands on someone and- and what? Prayed? Lor-Sinn reaches out a hand to grasp one of Ameiko's squeezing her eyes shut and sending a directionless plea to the universe. Please. Please make her well.
Kajiwara wrote down the words, then pulled Sam and Sandru over to the side and said, ”I don’t think she’s spouting random gibberish. Brinewall is connected to the Kaijitsu family legacy in a big way. I think that whatever is causing this in Ameiko, the source is there. These might be clues we will need while we explore.” Looking back at Ameiko, he said, ”I don’t know how long we can afford to delay with her like this, though. Sam, could you look and see if she’s under the effect of any magical spell?”
"That's what I tried earlier," the young man replied, still flustered at the scene before them and struggling to keep a level head. "Couldn't detect a thing. Her state isn't due to magic. I tried a spell designed for uncovering poison too. It didn't catch anything either. I dunno, Mr Shogahiro..."
Sam appeared doubtful at the caravan guard's theory. "Isn't it more likely that she's just sick? I mean, she hasn't been entirely well for a while now." Practical to the bone as he was, the wizard was a staunch believer in the old adage of the simplest solution to any problem typically being the right one. Ameiko collapsing due to stress, disease or some combination thereof seemed to him infinitely more probably than her having just traipsed into some old blood-curse. Especially seeing as he hadn't found any trace of magic on her. Right now all Samton wanted was to get the bard to Koya with all haste, and tell her the results of his divinations so that she might start treatment with every possible advantage.
But this didn't stop the inquisitive mind from at least entertaining Kajiwara's idea. Was Ameiko's fever-talk not so random? Could Sam make some sense of the words?
Lor-Sinn detects no evil and unfortunately her curing spell seams to have no visible effect on the unconscious bard.
Sandru frowns at Ruka's request for a town "I'm afraid not. There isn't anything nearby. Riddleport probably be the closest, but I'd rather we steered clear of there entirely."
Koya chimes in "She's clammy and cold, not feverish though. Her eyes are doing some serious fluttering behind those lids, almost like she's seeing a lot of things, just not us. Can't say I've seen something like this before. If she's true and sick, it's beyond what I've seen in all my years. I'd be saying that this is the work of magic if you up and ask me."
You've never seen anything like this either, but you can conclude that she's in some form of a magically induced coma, even though there are no signs of any residual magic on her nor were there any at the scene where this happened.
While the group sits around talking about Ameiko, her eyes open a third time and one more she spits out a fast-paced snippet of Tien which Kajiwara and Ruka both translate to “Grandfather waits in the dark, but he knows not who he was..." before collapsing again. This time after collapsing however, her body shakes violently, spasming for ten seconds. Sandru rushes forward to help hold her down while she shakes, fear she would injure herself in the process.
Koya's eyes go wide, looking to Kajiwara "Gods! If what you say is true, then maybe you all better get to Brinewall quickly. Maybe there is something there that can help her?"
Releasing Ameiko, he nods to Koya before turning to Ruka. "I'll stay here with the brothers and mother, won't leave her side. Make haste!"
Asuka carefully notes down everything Ameiko says. She immediately assumes it must be some kind of mysterious plot-related condition and that everything Ameiko says will be useful, but enigmatic and perhaps only true in a poetic sense. But she does not doubt for a moment that anything and everything Ameiko says in this state is true.
She raises a fist. "Let's do this! Sounds like we need to open a vault with two seals, fight a bird, and fight-slash-befriend a (possibly undead?) amnesiac Kaijitsu ancestor. We are off to a great start!"
Kajiwara dutifully notes down the final cryptic clue, and says, "If this is no malady, and the cause lies in Brinewall, then that is where we shall go. Ruka, let's go. You can do more to help Ameiko from within Brinewall than you can here watching her."
Looking around, he said, "Make sure we have torches and lanterns. It will be dark as we begin our exploration. Let us make haste."
"Shalelu, will you accompany us, or keep watch here?"
Ruka closes her eyes, trying to breathe. Both Kajiwara and Koya seemed to think this was no illness. If Ameiko wasn't sick, then something, or someone, in Brinewall must be the cause.
'...never return to Brinewall. If our enemies find what I have hidden, there will be nothing here for you. If they do not, they will lie in wait forever for your return...'
"We should have listened, Grandfather."
Ameiko shudders again even as Sandru holds her down. She's so small. Ruka gently brushes a few strands of hair away from her face, then kisses her forehead. "Don't worry. I'll fix this. You're going to be just fine."
Standing up, she nods at Kajiwara. "I've a lantern in my pack, with plenty of oil. Grandfather mentioned that the warding box containing 'our family's greatest treasure' would be hidden in the third vault. Ameiko mentioned the third vault as well, so I'm guessing that's where we need to go."
"Sandru, I'm entrusting her to you. Keep her safe." Lower, as if to herself, she adds, "She's all I have left."
Ruka is still pale, but she's no longer shaking and her eyes are dry. She has a plan. Admittedly, it's not a very good plan and mostly boils down to 'find whatever did this and make them fix it,' but it's a start.
"Let's go."
Shalelu looks torn. It's clear that she wants to go with your group and that she'd rather be doing everything she can to help Ameiko, but something clings at her to stay here. "I... am not sure. Going with you would expedite our solution to this dilemma, but I fear leaving her in this state. Unless you feel like I am needed to do what is done, I will stand guard here at the caravan." she says, uncertainty obvious in her voice.
Lor-Sinn nods at Shalelu. "We will take care of things in Brinewall, and Ameiko needs protection now. You are the best choice for that."
She blinks as her thoughts backtrack. "Bird? What bird?"
"You should stay." The reply was immediate and carried a great deal more certainty than what was usual with the humble young man. "We'll manage this while you watch over Ameiko. This task calls for a search party; another pair of eyes, even such as keen as yours, won't add much when six others are on the job. It's the law of diminishing returns. You benefit her more by staying at her side."
It was a logical enough assessment delivered with all confidence, and yet Samton looked downright forlorn upon turning to check his equipment for the trek. Because he recognized, only after the fact, that everything said couldn't be further removed from his precious logic; it had come from the purely emotional. He simply hadn't been able to stand seeing Shalelu Andosana herself, always cool as a cucumber in Cocytus, conflicted and unsure. She was his hero. He would have said anything at all to reassure her.
Aw heck, I thought I was getting over this...
"I'm going to at least walk you to Brinewall, just to make sure there isn't something going on along the way. Once we're there I will turn around and come back here." she decides and then says. "Come. We're leaving." and sets off once again.
Shalelu leads the party back towards they way they had been taking earlier. It takes a half hour to recover the ground, but nothing untoward occurs in that time. The "track" ends abruptly, and you step out of the trees onto a low ridge, looking down onto the ruins of Brinewall.
"Looks clear. I'm going back. Lor-Sinn. Samton, a word."
The elf pulls both Lor-Sinn and Samton aside and lowers her voice, offering a softer side of the ranger that is rarely seen. She takes each of your hands into her and looks into the ground while she says "Thank you. This means a lot to me. Please find a way to help Ameiko.". Without making eye contact, vshe turns away away and begins moving back up the trail towards the caravan at a sprint.
The village surrounds a small harbor, where the Steam River empties into Bunyip Bay. A low ridge surrounds on the village on all sides, giving you a good view across most of the town. What was once Brinewall Castle is on the far side of the harbor, where the ridgeline meets the river; on the near side, just a few yards away from where you have stepped out of the trees, the desolate shell of an old lighthouse watches over the abandoned town. A half-cobbled road circles the town along the top of the ridge, with branches that lead down to the town and harbor below.
"Thank you. This means a lot to me. Please find a way to help Ameiko.".
"Y-you too."
Sigh. So this was how devils and their infernal bargains worked, huh? This was what it felt like to be willing to give anything to undo a mistake. Because Samton was certainly willing to resign his measly soul just to take back that one stupid stuttery statement, gladly so! The lone ranger of the Sandpoint hinterlands, Shalelu Andosana, beautiful and austere like a snow capped mountain, was actually thawing right before him, and like the stupid teenager he was, he hadn't hesitated to cock it up. Did devils have some sort of timeshare option on one's soul? A few years of hellish torture might be just the thing to work out the stomach-churning embarrassment he was feeling right now.
"I mean, yeah. Yeah, of course." Still, it was nice. All his life the elf had occupied a space normally reserved for myths and the heroes of tall tales. Everything about her invited the comparison, from her deadly skill to her lonesome ways to her inhuman beauty. And, of course, the fact that she had very literally saved his life. Growing up with this larger than life figure, seemingly unaging and eternal, was it any wonder that the young man held the ranger in such high esteem? That he worshiped her?
This little show of appreciation of hers towards Lor-Sinn and himself, however - it acted as a small reminder that Sam's perception of her was just that: just a persona, childish in its perfection, that he had carried with him into adulthood. There was a real Shalelu Andosana and she was not the creature of legend dreamt up in the apprentice cartographer's head. He already knew this. He was too sensible not to know this, on a rational and intellectual level. But seeing her for himself, even under such unfortunate circumstances... It was nice.
Focus! he snapped at himself. Heavens above, man, you're here for a purpose! Ameiko needs us.
"Ready to go?" he looked to the paladin. It was an honor, really. For the elf to, however momentarily, offer him the same esteem as her apprentice. His feelings towards the tiefling were a bit complex, at times tinged by light jealously at her relationship with the ranger. But he also respected her enormously for that same reason, strange as she could be.
"Should we start with the lighthouse?" Peering at the abandoned settlement, the wizard took heart in the fact that it wasn't particularly large. It shouldn't take them too long to investigate - hopefully. "The lighthouse is at one end of the village. If we start there, we could simply follow the road to cover the place end to end."
Even as he was speaking, Sam was already hurrying towards the broken shell of a building. Light was fading fast.
Ruka opens her mouth to protest. Surely whatever they were looking for would be in the castle, not some abandoned old lighthouse. But practicality sets back in. If they have enemies here, (and Ameiko's collapse suggests they do), rushing ahead without clearing the path behind would be a good way to get them all killed.
Instead she nods and hurries after Sam. "Wait! Let me go first." She (gently) catches the young wizard by his shoulder. "We should probably use the same marching order we did in the swamp. If something attacks us, hopefully it will hit someone wearing armor."
"Agreed - Sam, stop! We can't just rush into this. I'll take point - keep about 60 feet between me and the rest of you. This way I can scout ahead and look out for threats."
Drawing an arrow, he nocks it to the string without pulling the string back and begins moving forward, alert for possible threats.
Poppy had watched nervously as the group did their best to aid her afflicted cooking partner, feeling helpless that none of her hedge witch level curative magics would not be enough. Even the venerable Koya seemed at a bit of a loss. She watched quietly from the sidelines, pacing back and forth, whispering in Sylvan, afraid to offer assistance as a platitude, and knowing there was not a lot that could be done.Until the others discussed the topic of vaults and ancestors did Poppy finally snap out of her mental flagellation. Never had she had a such a complicated Caravan trip,and imagined that if she stayed with them for long, this might become a regular theme.
Extreme circumstances call for extreme action.
Though she bemoaned the idea of moving so far once again without her mobile home, but nonetheless, tightened her backpack laces and made a mental check of her supplies, almost joking they turn back for a delicious loaf of parmesan bread that was sure to raise everyone's spirits, but quickly thought better of it.
As the group sets out for the lighthouse, Poppy slipped in between Sam and Asuka in the marching order, and offered a comforting pat to her hummingbird companion, nestled quietly on her shoulder.
" You think there's something vorse than valking bones out there?", she asked openly, casting her gaze out to the vista before them.
Kajiwara leads the way to the lighthouse, the rest of the party staying far enough behind him to be out of range should danger arise.
This stone lighthouse is now little more than an empty shell after its roof caved in many years ago. There are no signs of recent life or activity around the structure and it's quite easy to conclude there isn't anything that is a threat here.
Lighthouse cleared, Kajiwara leads the group further down the path where it splits three ways: towards the waterfront on the north, to some ruined buildings in the center of the square or south towards a cemetery.
Lor-Sinn takes up the rear as the group descends towards the abandoned village, bow out and ready to loose an arrow at anything that would threaten them.
The first structure they examine has nothing of interest whatsoever, other than rubble and weeds. As they move deeper into the village, the tiefling strays a few steps towards the southern path that leads to the cemetery. She couldn't say what pulled her towards that place, but the effect was undeniable.