Ahreni clenches her jaw in the effort to not interfere. The prospect of Mr Tamm coming to demand satisfaction would be extremely satisfying for her but Relisha rises above everything so Ahreni clenches her fists and breathes out, reciting the thirteenth haiku of the mountain snow.
Then she very deliberately spits in the woman's face before turning around to follow Relisha.
--------------------------------------------------
As the caravan finishes its preparations Ahreni steps up to Relisha with a small paper-wrapped parcel.
"I wanted you to have this before we set off." She says with a smile. "My apologies, the last fifteen pages are not the way I would like them to be."
The gift is a beautifully illustrated edition of the Book of Light and Truth, complete with annotated margins and a number of full page illustrations.
"This is the full book." The scribe says with a smile. "You deserve to read it for yourself, and we'll have quite a bit of reading time on the way to Brinewall."
Relisha looks over the gift with awe and reverence.
"Oh ... oh, my. Ahreni ... This is ... " she says, her eyes wide as her hands gently open the cover. Her fingers run down the side of the page. She closes it back up again and hugs it to her chest. "Thank you," she says, closing her eyes against the tears that are threatening to leak out. "You don't know how much this means to me."
"I have never had a daughter, but if I did I would hope that she was half the woman you have become Relisha." Ahreni says kindly. "You are very welcome indeed. Now come, we need take our places."
"I'm sure if you had a daughter, she would be as beautiful and wise as you are. I'm no one to measure anything by, Ahreni." Relisha shakes her head. "The Goddess simply allows me to attempt to cleanse my corruption. Your daughter would have no need of such."
"I can't believe you are both leaving. Most people around here have had you both as pillars for most of your lives."
"All the more reason to leave then." Ahreni responds. "If people grow too happy leaning on us they'll never stand up for themselves. I'm sure you agree Shalelu." She adds, looking to the ranger. "Everyone needs to live their own lives at some point. Ameiko certainly seems to be taking that creed on board."
"The people of Sandpoint are resilient," Shalelu says with pride in her voice. "Others will step up to fill the void Ahreni and I will be leaving behind. Soon enough, there will be new pillars in the community to prop it up. But for us, the road beckons!"
***
Greeting Koya with some fresh tea, he asks her nervously "Are you quite sure you are up for this? It certainly will be long and dangerous."
"Of course Koya is up for it Kitasai, you silly thing, you need stop worrying! What do you think she's been doing for so long out on the road? She's more experienced that you are!" Flori says, kindly but with a little laugh.
"I do hope you are not calling me old, little one!" Koya says with a laugh. "I've longed for years to travel further than I have ever been before, but my responsibilities always prevented me from doing so. But Desna says that you are never to old to achieve your dreams. I'm not going to let a few wrinkles or aching bones to stop me now!"
***
"Anyway Sandru, bought me back a little trinket from your most recent trip?" Flori asks, knowing full well that he has as he always does. "What's it this time, a carved mushroom or a speck of pixie dust?" She teases, but its clear she is actually excited to find out.
"Flori, my dear, this time I have brought back something even better," Sandru says. He grins as he reaches into a nearby crate and pulls forth a bottle of fine brandy. "Courtesy of my cousin in Korvosa! There's enough to go around, as well. We shall drink it tonight to celebrate the start of our journey together!"
The caravan master looks around at everybody assembled. "We are about to venture forth! If you have any last goodbyes to say, now's the time to do it!"
Flori laughs a little at Kitasai being called out for calling Koya old and waggles her finger at him to 'tell him off' all the while a big grin plastered across her face.
"You know what Sandru, that is the best gift for some time and I'll get to keep the bottle! I'm sure everyone will get to benefit."
--------------
Having loaded up her own possessions (one small backpack containing everything she needs and a larger wooden box containing all of her trinkets she has been collecting for some time with a bottle of brandy balanced on top) Flori nods to Sandru. "I'm sure everyone's said their goodbye's already brother, we've had more than enough time to prepare for this adventure. We need to look forwards onto new climes, not back onto fading memories. Maybe Kitasai will even be ready on time for this adventure!" She teases the monk, yet again.
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"I'm sure Kitasai will say something wise sounding like 'The Time I arrive is the Time I was meant to be there.'" Sylyn drops her voice low and soft. She gives a light smile, her nervousness for leaving Sandpoint after so long waring with the excitement of leaving Sandpoint after so long.
She pulls her pack off and starts looking through it again for the tenth time this morning, making sure all of it is still there. Since she has no idea if/when she'll be back. Her father's journal, her mother's brush, extra underwear, so on.
Kitasai arrives a few moments later and when he is ribbed for being the last to arrive, he says in a soft voice "A monk is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to."
Nodding with satisfaction, he moves on to check to make sure Ameiko is ready before checking to see if Koya needs assistance.
"I'm sure Kitasai will say something wise sounding like 'The Time I arrive is the Time I was meant to be there.'" Sylyn drops her voice low and soft. She gives a light smile, her nervousness for leaving Sandpoint after so long waring with the excitement of leaving Sandpoint after so long.
She pulls her pack off and starts looking through it again for the tenth time this morning, making sure all of it is still there. Since she has no idea if/when she'll be back. Her father's journal, her mother's brush, extra underwear, so on.
Sitting down next to Sylyn whilst everyone is finalising everything, Flori compares her much smaller backpack. "Hey, what do you have in there that I've missed out?" She asks and peers over the woman's shoulder.
"Extra underwear! I completely forgot! A brush as well!" Fori exclaims loudly as a look of concern crosses her face. "Okay everyone. Don't leave without me. Nobody is allowed to go anywhere. I think I need to grab a few more things." Clearly Flori had got caught up in the excitement and had forgotten about the practicalities of an extended journey. Dropping her bag and her crate at Sylyn's feet, she legs it as fast as she can to her home before shoving many of her belongings haphazardly into two more larger rucksacks.
Returning a quarter of an hour later, laden down with more belongings, Flori nods. "Now I am ready to go."
Sylyn goes a bit red as her underwear is shouted about in the open air, but at least no one took it out and waved it about like a trophy. At the thought, she quickly closes the pack so no one get any bright ideas, and some reason, she feels the need to glare at Kitasai while doing so.
Once her friend is back, she asks "Did you grab soap? 'Might be the wilderness but that's no reason to smell like a goblin's scrotum.' That's a direct quote from my teacher over there." she waves politely at Shalelu.
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Relisha stood off to the side of the group watching with envy as they laughed and joked with each other. Even though she knew that she'd been invited, the nagging worry that someone was going to confront her and demand to know why she thinks she deserves to join the rest of the uncorrupted people in the group. When the discussion of underwear was brought up, she looked down at the bag she brought. She didn't have the option of returning home and collecting additional things she might need. It wouldn't have made any difference, though. Everything she owned was in her bag, as well as some things that might not be hers, but she felt responsible for anyway.
Well, everything was in her bag except for the book - the precious book - that Ahreni had given her. That she still clung tightly to her chest. Her eyes sought out the scribe moving through the group, conversing casually. Then her eyes moved, looking for her. There she was, talking with Shalelu. As if sensing that she was being watched, Ameiko looked up towards Relisha. For just an instant she held her eyes. Relisha then looked away and down, unable to meet those beautiful eyes for more than a moment. Her faced flushed with the idea that ... somehow ... Ameiko could see what she was thinking in her eyes. The thoroughly unclean and sinful thoughts that plagued her imagination whenever she caught sight of the beautiful and confident woman.
Her eyes closed as just for an instant she gave herself over to those thoughts ...
At last, the time comes to leave Sandpoint. The crowd cheers and waves as you head off along the Lost Coast Road, and soon the town recedes into the distance behind you as you set off on your journey!
The first night, you camp out under the stars. Sandru passes around the bottles of brandy, and there is much laughter and merriment as you celebrate the true beginning of your grand adventure. Ameiko entertains everybody with her songs and melodies on her samisen. The party lasts well into the night, and eventually you retire to your wagons to rest.
The trip to Brinewall takes the caravan from Sandpoint up along the Lost Coast Road, passes through the villages of Galduria and Wolf’s Ear, cuts through the northeastern reach of Churlwood, and eventually reaches the northern town of Roderic’s Cove. Sandru prefers to avoid the volatile city of Riddleport entirely, following an old track north of Roderic’s Cove that skirts the southern Stony Mountains, then winds up into the Velashu Uplands, following the river northwest to a low pass in the mountains and then due north into the Nolands and, eventually, to Brinewall.
The farther north this route goes, the more disused the roads become. By the time the caravan winds through the Velashu Uplands, the road is little more than a track. With the loss of Brinewall as a viable port, most trade between Varisia and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings has been via the sea route, but the trail the caravan follows isn’t completely abandoned. Sandru is quick to point out that several Varisian caravans take the route yearly, although he does admit that they generally make a wide detour around Brinewall, which is believed by most to be haunted, cursed, or both. Overall, the journey from Sandpoint to Brinewall covers about 500 miles and takes about 16 days.
The track you have been following all this time passes about half a mile east of Brinewall, continuing north and crossing the Steam River into the Nolands over a weathered wood-and-stone bridge. An old signpost about a hundred yards south of this bridge reads “To Brinewall,” and points down an overgrown trail that winds through a forest. This track quickly fades away entirely into the undergrowth, and further progress toward the ruined village must be made on foot.
Ameiko straps her rapier's hilt around her waist as she looks towards the trail. "At last, we've made it. Let's go do this thing."
Her healer's instincts overcoming her shyness at approaching the woman of her dreams, Relisha steps closer to Ameiko. "Are you ok?" she asks, her eyes seeking out any clues as to the woman's condition. Out of habit, she even reaches up to touch the woman's forehead with the back of her hand.
Moving to her side, Kitsai puts a gentle hand on her shoulder and asks "Ameiko? What is wrong?"
"I'm fine," Ameiko insists, though she does not shy away from Relisha's touch. Her forehead is a normal temperature. "Just tired from the long journey. Or maybe I ate something that doesn't agree with me. Don't worry, I'll be..."
The woman trails off as she collapses to the ground, unconscious!
Examining her thoroughly, Relisha determines that she has fallen into some sort of magically induced coma. She appears to be in good health, but you are unable to awaken her.
The tiefling's training kicks in instantly and she clears the now gathering crowd back with barked commands. She rolls up her cloak and places it beneath the woman's head.
After spending a few moments checking her life points and sending a spiritual link out tentatively to touch her aura, she reaches the extent of her knowledge.
"This is magical," she says. "Some sort of enchantment or ... or a spell ... or ... I don't know. Who knows magic such as this?" she asks, looking around at the others. She wrings her hands at a loss as to what to do.
Sylyn knows enough to stay out of the way. She's there is she's needed, not she knows a thing about fevers or magic. "Just when we got to where she wanted to go, a place where her family... Kitsai! Are you feeling okay?" she asks in surprised genuine worry.
Ahreni looks at Ameiko with an expression of alarm, looks to Kitasai to check he's not about to collapse as well and then turns her attention outwards - trying to detect whatever it is that has struck Ameiko down...
Kitasai frowns and stands up straight "I am feeling fine. This magic does not seem to affect me." he says with confidence. Looking to their resident wizard, he asks "Can you fix this?"
Flori is unable to determine anything more about Ameiko's condition.
Shalelu puts her fingers to Ameiko's neck to feel her pulse. "She seems to be sleeping peacefully. I do not think she is in immediate danger, but I am willing to bet that whatever is causing this likely has something to do with the Kaijitsu family legacy hidden in Brinewall. Koya, Sandru and I will stay here to guard and protect Ameiko. You five should proceed to Brinewall and try to find out how to help her!"
"Right!" Kitasi says, regaining his feet and looking down at his sleeping sister. To Sandru and Shalelu he says, "We shall return as quickly as we can. Keep her safe."]
With that, the monk leads the group further towards Brinewall.
Relisha covers a flash of annoyance when Shalelu feels the need to verify what she just declared. Then feels guilty for the pride that annoyance reveals. She'll pay penance for that later this evening.
Torn between staying with the unconscious woman and finding the source of her malady, Relisha considers her options. Finally accepting that she won't do any good here, she nods and rises to join Kitasai.
"Keep her warm in one of the wagons. Put something soft under her head. Remove her armor and loosen anything restrictive she's wearing," she instructs. Unclean thoughts fill her mind again. More penance for later.
You push on through the overgrown foot trail for about half a mile before the dense undergrowth opens up to the ruins of Brinewall village. The village is situated on the Steam River where it flows into Bunyip Bay to the west.
Among the ruined buildings that once composed Brinewall Village, you can find barracks, a smithy, several homes, a glassworks (with several architectural designs similar to those of the larger glassworks in Sandpoint owned by Ameiko Kaijitsu), a trading post, and a stable. The two largest ruins are located in the eastern part of town, and consist of a town hall to the north and an almost completely collapsed temple of Desna to the south, near the entrance to a cemetery.
The cemetery consists of a low hill with nearly two dozen graves and a stone crypt. The entire graveyard is unusually well tended—the grass appears to be weeded and the gravestones are quite clean.
North of the village, two ruined piers extend into the only relatively shallow portion of the harbor. While both piers are now mostly collapsed, the westernmost one has what appears to be a relatively recent visitor: a Linnorm Kingdoms longship is tied to the pier. The longship seems relatively new, but the vessel is partially destroyed and half-sunken.
A stone lighthouse sits across the harbor north of the pier. To the west is a large algae-choked lagoon. The rotting carcass of some draconic beast is half submerged on the northwestern shore, just below a promontory upon which stands Brinewall Castle itself!
"Anything of significance will be in the castle." Ahreni says, eyeing the town carefully. "It would be unwise to charge in though. Let us check the village first, ensure our lines of retreat."
She leads the way towards the temple and the cemetery.
Flori shakes her head as she looks down upon the usually loudy and bubbly woman who now looks much more fragile. "This is no magic I know of."
---
Flori nods along in agreement as Ahreni takes charge. "Right'o Ahreni, sounds sensible. Maybe the pier and lagoon might be worth a visit also, in case anything tries to make an escape?"
The temple is empty of anything of value. A rickety wooden fence surrounds the clearing beyond, but the gates here are made of iron and flanked on either side by statues of a beautiful woman with butterfly wings—the goddess Desna.
The crypt in the graveyard contains only one body, that of Admiral Mercatio Kiameleu, Brinewall’s founder. What appears to be a gravestone set apart from the rest of the graves near the northern edge of the cemetery is in fact a small, well-tended shrine to Desna that consists of a marble statue of the deity holding aloft a small copper bowl. The rainwater that has gathered in the bowl shimmers with radiance. The bowl can hold 3 flasks’ worth of holy water at a time, and is currently full.
"Holy water? It is a bad idea to take it, just in case we run into something... unholy>" Sylyn asks, cause she knows little about religion.
Relisha looks over the cemetery curiously. "Who's been keeping this up?" she asks of no one in particular. Crossing herself with the symbol of Sarenrae's sword and sun, she cautiously approaches the shrine.
Knowing that Desna is close to her goddess, the tiefling kneels and says a quiet prayer before rising and looking around for something to indicate what force is maintaining the place.
Ahreni likewise makes a curious gesture, twisting her hand over her heart and bowing her head, towards the shrine. She does not however approach it. The same question that Relisha asked creeping around her mind as she keeps her eyes open...
"I've got the chills in the place. Seems too perfect if you ask me? This doesn't feel right." Flori says, always the one to go off her gut feelings.
There is no sign of any caretakers in the cemetery.
The town hall is devoid of anything of value, so you move on to hthe pier. Searching the half-sunken longship, you discover significant damage to the ship in the form of tremendous claw marks and what appear to be scorch marks from a powerful electrical attack.
You next head to the stone lighthouse. It is now little more than an empty shell after its roof caved in many years ago. Searching the rubble around the structure locates a partially crushed strongbox containing 93 gp and a single rusty key.
From there, you move around the lagoon to examine the draconic corpse. Larger than a horse, this bright green aquatic reptile has finned, winglike arms and a draconic visage. It seems to have been slain by several violent strikes with an edged weapon.
Before you can examine it too closely, though, two creature burst out of the algae-choked water! Blood-red spines run the length of these frightening creatures, which resemble a lobster in the front and an eel in the back. Reefclaws!
"I don't think they like us near their home." drawing back her bow, she pauses slightly, enamored by the spines "its kind of pretty, ain't it?"
Her shot goes too wide.
Ahreni leaps forwards, her glaive swinging in the air.
Kitasai heads up to the spiky thing and punches it in the nose as he says "No."
"You're talking about their home and not the lobster-eels right?" Flori asks, confused by Sylyn's statement as she begins to back away and think of a plan.
Coming up with nothing she lobs a ball of acid at one of them!
As so many times before, Relisha sees the creatures burst from the water heartbeats before they actually do. Also, as before, she's powerless to warn anyone about it.
Relisha frantically whips out the blade she's been entrusted with. Everything Ahreni has taught her vanishes from her thoughts as she holds it in front of herself in trembling hands.
She does reach out with her feelings to Ahreni and Kitasai, though, latching onto their souls.
Ahreni 20/20
Relisha 24/24
Flori 14/14
Kitasai 20/20
Sylyn 17/17
Sylyn gets red in the cheeks a bit "Their spikey spines, the way they are weaving this way and that, and the color, and --" she shuts it as the things attack.
Flori hits with her acid splash, then Kitasai and Ahreni both lands hits on the reefclaw, leaving it terribly injured. Both monsters lash out at the monk with their claws, but the mage armor keeps him safe.
"I said no." the monk says again, flanking one with Ahreni.
Ahreni and Kitasai fight like they've been doing it for years and the aasimar feels a pang. He's so like his grandfather, and he doesn't even know it...
With some brutal strikes and a graceful glaive strike, the reeflcaws die! Their bodies spasm horrifically, claws snapping at Kitasai before they finally go limp.
With the monsters defeated, you can search the area more thoroughly. There is nothing of value, but Sylyn does find the tracks of a single booted humanoid that lead away from the dead drake and up the path to the castle...
Relief that no one was injured is clear on Relisha's face. She visibly relaxes and returns her short blade to its scabbard and shoulders her bag. Now aware that physical threats are going to be a part of this exploration, she doesn't drop the links she's created.
She follows behind the others towards the castle.
"So...this castle? I'm thinking its not going to be so straight forward. We need to be cautious." Flori says needlessly, concern growing upon her face marring her usual smile. Clearly, now faced with real possible peril, her outlook is a little different.
"We'd best push on." Ahreni says, "It seems that there is little else here."
She walks with Katasai as they ascend the hill. "You fight well boy. Your grandfather would be proud of you and the man you have become."
Brinewall Castle is a large and intimidating structure. Although only two stories tall (with the exception of one three-story tower), the squat castle looks all the larger for its position atop the bluff west of the village, looming over the surrounding region with a commanding presence. The castle is built of gray stone, though close inspection reveals numerous different types of stone were used in its construction.
The gates leading into the castle are closed and locked, but the gates themselves are in poor condition after years of no maintenance. It looks like you could break them down with minimal effort.
"Uh ... didn't we find a key at the lighthouse?" Relisha hesitantly points out.
Kitasai nods and tries the key they found earlier.
The key fits in the lock, but as Kitasai opens the door, the key breaks, rendering it useless.
This stone structure has a floor of packed dirt and numerous wooden support beams for the stone ceiling above. Two rusted iron gates allow access through the gatehouse, while to the north, a pair of wooden ladders climb to the roof above.
Two hideous creatures lie curled up in a corner. These hideous creatures look like muscular humanoids with ravenlike heads and covered with black feathers. Fortunately, your quiet entry has not disturbed them, and they continue to slumber peacefully...