With the battle concluded, Relisha takes a moment to speak another prayer of healing upon herself.
Once that's finished, she resumes her grisly task of collecting trophies for payment.
Ahreni 12/12
Relisha 15/15
Flori 8/8
Kitasai 12/12
Sylyn 10/10
"There appears to be a map here." Ahreni says. "Flori, Sylyn do you recognise anything here?"
She flicks the fan open in what appears to be a practised gesture showing the painted side to the girls and turns to Kitasi. "Interesting decor, don't you think? It seems unlikely to truly belong to goblins." She seems to be trying to elicit something from the young man.
Once the ears are collected, Relisha notices the elegant box and her face lights up. "Oh, it's so pretty," she says, unable to resist running her hand along the carved surface.
"Yeah, let me take a closer look, I know this whole area too well." Taking the map, she turns it sideways to try and interprety the messy sketches. "Brinestump marsh here....so that means this must be the two shipwrecks and that a local cave."
"We should look in on the other buildings here too. Find out what else there is." Flori suggests, "Although, perhaps a little more cautiously this time? No smashing in the door?"
Sylyn looks over her friend's shoulder and nods along. At the big box she groans a bit "Wish we had a cart to pull this back in, then Kitsai wouldn't get so tired having to carry it." she shoots a grin at the monk.
"I'll ... I'll carry it," Relisha offers.
"Relisha, Kitasai is more than capable and he is absolutely happy to carry it, never you worry. Isn't that right Kitasai?" Flori says, asking, without expecting an answer. "Come on, you come walk with me and tell me all about your plans for next weekend." FLori says, without a worry before taking the girl's arm.
"He won't break it. Right Kitasai? That would make Relisha sad, and make you mean." Sylyn teases the big guy, sliding the arrows into her quiver in case they run into any big animals.
"Stop teasing the boy girls." Ahreni says. "Kitasi is not mean and he will take good care of the box. Now stand back and let him do his job. So Flori, the map. Are these places nearby? If the goblins are acquiring supplies from them then we must check them out and walking all the way back to Sandpoint will be no good for old bones like mine."
"It would be nice to know what happened here as well. The human footprints before us and the mass leaving and all." Sylyn's way of agreeing
"Looks like a few miles at least if you want to head straight there, but I'm wary of heading there as I'm out of anything useful - spellcasting is pretty exhausting. Do you all mind if we stop and rest? This would be as good a place as any. I'm sure we could set up a few bedrolls as I don't think I can bring myself to nap in one of these beds." Flori suggests, practically.
"They can't be too bad." Sylyn pokes on with her foot, only to have a horde of bugs scurry out AND a disturbing greenish sludge bubble up. "Okay. You are right. No sleeping in these."
"I brought a bedroll," Relisha says, shifting her backpack and partially pulling out the rolled materials.
"We all did... didn't we?" she looks to the others with a raised eyebrow, her own bedroll strapped to the bottom of her backpack. "And rations and water? Oh please say yes to that."
"Of course." Ahreni replies calmly. "There is little point going on an expedition without proper preparation! We're settled then, rest her tonight and then investigate the map in the morning. We'd best check the rest of the village first - find a defensible place with as few bugs as possible."
"I ... uh ... I brought water," Relisha replies looking down at the floor with a shrug. "One night without food won't be the death of me," she says as if repeating a mantra.
Sylyn groans and reaches into her pack, pulling out two smalls sacks of dried jerky, nuts, and raisins. "Shalelu drilled it into my head time and again to always have at least two days of food on you at all times, otherwise she'd get that disappointed stare she has, the one with the slightly raised right eyebrow, saying You Could Do Better." she pushes the sacks to Relisha, "Not enough to make all of us full, but better than nothing. Divide it up for me and I'll go forage to see if there is anything else that's not covered in Goblin dandriff"
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Kitasai watches the multiple exchanges between the women silently, looking from one to the other. With each comment, he frown deepens and his eyes narrow more.
Examining the chest, he finally says "This is Minkaian. Why is it here? I'll take it to Ameiko."
Hoisting the chest onto his shoulder he walks up next to Sylyn and stops. Without looking at her he says "I'll try not to drop this on your foot and break it." It's unclear if he is talking about breaking her foot or the chest. After a moment's pause, he resumes walking past her with the chest once more.
Chief Gutwad’s throne room proves a defensible position to hole up in for the night. You find a few barrels of edible provisions among the goblin village to provide you with sustenance. The night passes without event, and in the morning, you head back into the swamp following the map.
The two wrecked ships prove to be little more than burnt out husks, overgrown with vegetation. Of interest, however, are the verdigris-encrusted nameplates. The first ship is named Kaijitsu Star, while the second is named Kaijitsu’s Blossom. Nothing of value remains on either ship.
The map, and the trail from the Licktoad Village, eventually lead you to a fifty-foot-high cliff that 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.
Sylyn pauses out of surprise at Kitasai's comment, kind of stunned, and then she erupts in laughter, delighted to the core.
"Did your family have a shipping company? Or is your last name more common, elsewhere?" Sylyn asks Kitasai out of curiosity.
Ahreni falls silent when the ship's names are revealed. Even the clumsiness of some of the group earns nothing more than a slight sigh from the usually sharp-tongued woman. She seems far away somehow...
By the time the group discovers the cave she seems to have recovered somewhat, using her glaive to reveal the entrance to the cave system. "Lights?" She asks. "Sarenrae has not gifted all of us with the ability to see in the dark."
At Kitasai's glare Relisha seems to grow shorter, shrinking down between her shoulders as if to make herself smaller. Her eyes drop to the floor.
~~~~~
Relisha takes note of the nameplates as well.
"D-does Ameiko know about these ships? They have to be connected with her family, right?" she asks.
~~~~~
"Here ... I can ..." Relisha says stepping forward. She touches the end of Ahreni's weapon and speaks a soft prayer and the blade begins to glow with a magical radiance.
"Neat, Relisha!" magic has always amazed her. Something out of nothing, probably why she started hanging out with Flori at first. To see Wonders.
"Spelunking was never part of Shalelu's lessons, so... um... slow and steady, I guess." Sylyn is full of useful advice. She will spend a moment to look for tracks coming in and out of the cave, hoping to see none.
Sylyn sees that the tracks you have been following, those of several human-sized creatures wearing boots, lead into the cave. They are a few days old. The tracks do not come back out again.
"Yep, they came in here, the same boots from the village. See? Here and here and here... they haven't come out though, a few days ago at that." Sylyn relates what the depressions in the dirt tell her.
Relisha takes note of the nameplates as well.
"D-does Ameiko know about these ships? They have to be connected with her family, right?" she asks.
"They are." Ahreni says, softly enough that only Relisha can hear her. The statement doesn't seem to be intentional - the old-young woman is still staring at the ships with a stare that seems a thousand miles long.
---------------------------
"Then we must be careful." Ahreni says simply. "Boy, put the box down somewhere reasonably concealed and lead the way. Girls, keep your formation tight I don't want anyone getting hurt unnecessarily."
She, naturally, takes up second place behind Kitasi.
Ahreni brushes aside the curtain of nettles with her glaive, allowing you to head inside the cave. Inside the caves, it is quite creepy and claustrophobic. The ceilings rarely rise more than 7 feet in height, and moisture constantly drips down from above to make slippery puddles and rivulets in the floor.
You slog through some twisting tunnels until you come to a larger cavern. Four skeletons lie scattered about, wearing broken armor that is Tian in style. Another tunnel leads deeper into the complex on the far side of this cave.
Ahreni moves to investigate the skeletons - moving with a degree of caution, mixed with reverence.
"My family did not own ships." Kitasai says with certainty, "At least none that I've ever heard of. My father was a glassmaker."
Moving up with Ahreni, the monk grows uneasy. "They are dressed in Tian armor. This is very peculiar."
Relisha looks around the cave nervously. "D-do the footprints ... do they belong to ... to them?" Relisha asks Sylyn in a quavering voice.
Just in case reaches out with her soul to the monk.
Ahreni 12/12
Relisha 15/15
Flori 8/8
Kitasai 12/12
Sylyn 10/10
It is difficult to find any tracks in the cave, since the moisture would have washed them away. But the skeletons are wearing boots, and you have yet to see any other humanoids in the cavern...
The skeletons do not move as Ahreni and Kitasai move to inspect them. Empty eye sockets stare blindly at the walls and floors of the cave.
Stepping just a little closer, Relisha looks to see if the nearest weapon is newly blooded.
"It would seem logical, but for footprints to last so long..." Ahreni trails off. "Let us push on. No doubt we will discover the truth before long."
The skeletons bear no weapons, but their fingernails are sharp. There's no blood on them, though of course, the water could have washed that away as well...
The passage beyond leads into a small chamber. Here, another skeleton in broken chainmail sits motionless atop a large jade and cherry wood chest here. A wakizashi is sheathed on its lap.
Ahreni approaches once again, with the previous combination of caution and compassion upmost in her mind and actions...
As Ahreni gets within 10 feet, the skeleton suddenly springs to life, leaping off of the chest!
It draws its sword and speaks in a rattling wheeze, challenging the aasimar and attacking!
As the skeleton drives his sword into Ahreni’s belly, you can see the other skeletons in the previous cave get to their feet and begin to close in from behind!
Relisha screams out in surprise as the armed skeleton attacks Ahreni. Releasing her link with the monk, she sends it out to the injured woman.
She only too aware that it'll take a moment to take effect, so she steps up behind her and places a hand on her shoulder offering up a prayer of healing.
Ahreni 12/12
Relisha 15/15
Flori 8/8
Kitasai 12/12
Sylyn 10/10
"Leaping Skeletons!" Sylyn shouts with amused surprise that quickly turns to worry as Ahreni is gutted and they are quickly surrounded.
Sylyn draws back her bow and lets loose an arrow at the approaching skeletons.
Then drops it and draws her warhammer since it looks like ranged will soon be a bad idea.
"Umm ... I don't think ... arrows are probably not the best weapon against skeletons," Relisha calls out indecisively.
Flori rushes to Kitasai, seeing that Relisha is already helping Ahreni, and cowers stands bravely behind him casting mage armour to protect him from the inevitable onslaught.
Ahreni retreats a step. "Stand down friend. Your watch is done!"
"Oh... yay I see that." Sylyn sighs, though in truth her arrow wasn't close to hitting the thing, so she sees nothing. Hefting her warhammer, she waits for them to close. "Get behind me, I guess." she suggests to the oracle and wizard, with a gulp, since walking BONES are grinding ever so much closer.
When Relisha establishes the link again, the monk looks over at Relisha strangely for a second. He doesn't speak, but nods before moving onward.
--
Giving pause to who these skeletons may have been, Kitasai isn't able to focus enough on his attacks.
The skeleton rasps a reply in Tien before impaling Ahreni again. The warrior poet's challenge seems to have only infuriated the undead warrior further! The other skeletons dodge Sylyn's arrow and Kitasai's fists before clawing at the monk. Kitasai avoids their attacks.
Flori takes a few hasty steps backwards out of the way again and lobs a ball of sickly green acid at a skeleton.
Relish gives a choked gasp of pain, but steels herself against the familiar sensation. A healing prayer follows and she touches Ahreni with a healing hand.
Ahreni 12/12
Relisha 10/15
Flori 8/8
Kitasai 12/12
Sylyn 10/10
Ahreni grits her teeth and stays upright by sheer determination before Relisha knits her flesh back together. She steps smartly away from the sword and brings her glaive around in a bright arc!
Sylyn steps forward between the skeleton with acid on its face and Flori, bringing her hammer down in a unnerved swipe.
Kitasai finally gets his wits about him and starts bashing skulls of the undead.
The lead skeleton narrowly parries Ahreni’s strike, but Flori burns him with acid. He stabs Ahreni a third time.
Sylyn misses. Kitasai drops two skeletons, but two more move in to take their place. They rip at the monk with their claws.