As Becky returns the hug, JeVeAnne simply melts contentedly into it. "Don't worry, friend, I'll help keep you safe," the little Halfling says, certain that she'll keep that promise despite her actual lack of any fighting experience.
As they reach the dock, Master Brodigan exits the ship and begins scanning the beach. JeVeAnne, certain that he must be looking for threats, does the same.
"I'll do my best to watch your back, too," Becky tells her new halfling friend. Once she's out of the boat, she readies her shortbow, putting an arrow to the string, and looks around, taking in both the beauty of the colony and the eeriness of its silence.
Bey grabs his gear and with some effort puts it on the dock. He then carefully uses the oars to climb out and onto the dock.
He looks around to take in the view of the whole scene. He doesn't see much of import other than the dead bodies of the grindylows.
The party rows to the empty dock and someone climbs out first to secure the boat. This solitary dock extends from the beach into the bay. The construction is solid and looks recent, suitable for tying off a few small boats. The beach inclines to the east before giving way to grass and trees. Further on in that direction, buildings and a palisade wall stand on the rise.
Brodigan’s keen eye spots a canoe on the seafloor 10 feet beneath the dock!
1 rank+3 trained+1 wis +2 racial +3 skill focus
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Crispin will remove his shirt and gingerly walk into the water, gathering the Grindylow spears. He looks curiously at ones construction. "One of those creatures said, 'You back!' That seems to imply that they were aware of the colonists. And that they had left?" He tells the rest of the party.
Bey doesn't see much beyond the beach and the palisade walls in the somewhat close distance.
I agree with Crispin. They knew of the colonists but what they knew is a moot point now. We know in the future to try to talk if we see them before killing them. Let's see what became of the colonists. He starts to walk slowly towards the palisades.
"Well, I guess we will find out Crispin...". After docking the boat and making sure it is well tied, Mauro hustles a bit to get in front of the wizard and the halfing, before they get themselves ambushed...
Looking up towards the town from the beach, he sees the palisade, and the large gaps in it and asks: "I thought they had already finished the pallisade... Looks like someone or something knocked it back down...
Does anyone think we want to fish that canoe out from under the docks while we are here?"
"My thoughts exactly, Mauro," Brodigan said, looking in the direction of the canoe. "Perhaps you and Anne could go after it while I stand watch? I can, after all, blast those beasties if more of them come our way."
JeVeAnne nods happily and gets ready to go after the canoe. Before she gets in the water, she looks over at Becky and gives her a smile and a quick thumbs up.
Mauro wades under the dock and grabs the sunken canoe by the prow. He hauls it ashore to examine...
Master Brodigan and his student, Anne, exit the boat and walk a ways down the dock. Becky readies her shortbow and takes in the eerie silence. Abeowin, not noticing anything of interest, walks until his feet are on the sandy beach. Crispin voices a concerning question to the rest of the party: were the grindylows aware of the colonists?
Mauro and Brodigan both agree that the sunken canoe beneath the dock should be investigated. Brodigan volunteers his loyal student for the job and she's eager to please. Mauro wades into the water with Anne to help.
The water is calm and only five feet deep where the canoe is sunk. Anne makes swimming look easy, while Mauro’s 6’4” frame can stand comfortably in the depth. Their combined effort yanks the canoe ashore in less than six seconds. So quickly, that a groggy creature covered in seaweed, shells, and coral with a hunchbacked carapace is deterred from it’s planned attack, and instead turns tail!
-
Working together, Mauro and Anne give a hardy yank, and pull the canoe to shore in one fluid motion. There is a hole in the canoe which is why it appears to have sunk.
1 rank+3 trained+1 wis +2 racial +3 skill focus
"Well, I guess it didn't want trouble, but anybody know what that critter was?"
"Hmmm, look at the splintering," Brodigan says, inspecting the inside of the boat. "this was sunk form the topside. Those beasties didn't do this from below."
He then considers for a moment longer and says, "Could probably be fixed if we really needed another boat."
He then pats Mauro on the shoulder and says, "Great work on the salvage work, my friend." As almost an afterthought, he adds in, "You too, Anne."
Noticing Bey looking towards a wooded cluster between the beach and the palisade, Brodigan walks up to him and says, "If I'm guessing correctly, you think those woods look like a great spot for a friend or foe to hide. Definitely agree with you, we should check that out before we head to the palisade." He then looks around the group and says, "Thoughts?"
JeVeAnne is delighted as Master Brodigan thinks of mentioning that she did a good job and is absolutely beaming as he walks off to chat with Bey.
However, a sudden thought occurs to her, and she begins scanning the sand of the beach.
"That creature was a fuath, a kind of water gremlin," Becky tells Mauro and the others. "They can be dangerous--they have a strange power and can congeal water around land walkers; I imagine that might eventually drown a victim. It likely fled because there are too many of us, but if it came upon someone alone...."
As Anne scans the beach for seashells, there are quite a few things of note. There's a healthy amount of seaweed that's washed up. Anyone with the Knowledge Nature skill or any prior experience with beaches would be able to assess the area is healthy based on the plant being washed up here. When the sea recedes from the shore, bubbles pop on the surface of the sand where little sand fiddlers (emerita) are burrowing. Anne notices a fling of sanderlings in the distance. The small birds run near the water's edge, away as the water comes in, then in again as the water retreats. The sanderlings seem to be hunting fry. The birds are rather cute with their round, gray bodies and white underbelly.
There are plenty of seashells scattered in the white sand - particularly in the areas where the tide comes in. Most of the shells are in good condition as the waves are not too rough in this area. There's nothing of real value on the beach, but the shells do have their own natural charm. Annie sees the tiny foot imprints of the sanderlings occasionally dotting the coast, but humanoid footprints are weirdly missing.
JeVeAnne finds the prettiest seashell she can and rushes up to hand it to Becky saying, "Here! It's just a little something. A...souvenir of our big adventure."
"Thanks!" Becky says, looking over the shell to make sure it's not still inhabited by a hermit crab or the like. "It's very pretty. Maybe I can hang it on a cord and make a good luck necklace out of it."
When silence continues to rule the day and no colonists appear, she quietly adds, "We may be in need of all the good luck we can muster."
Crispin wades out of the water and dries himself off carefully.
He just nods at Bey's suggestion. His area of skill doesn't include exploration and the wilderness. He's happy to follow their lead.
"Hmmm. The local hostile creatures were surprised people were back. That suggests they weren't involved with whatever happened here?"
He looks around nervously, swallows and readies to continue.
Becky identifies the creature that fled from under the canoe as a fuath, warning the party that the creature could return to possibly try to pick off a lone swimmer; Mauro makes a mental note. Crispin adds to Becky’s insight, noting that the hostile creatures seem surprised to see humanoids here. The arcanist feels completely out of his depth, but he still proves to be a valuable asset to the team with his critical thinking. Brodigan only needs a brief glace to determine what ill-fate befell the canoe. The wizard relays to the party that someone deliberately damaged the watercraft from the inside. Anne, practically radiant from her teacher’s compliment, shares her joy by searching the beach for a beautiful shell to gift Becky. The sixteen-year-old makes sure the shell isn’t currently inhabited before announcing she’d like to thread it onto a necklace for good luck!
When the party climbed out of the boat, Abeowin was already mapping out a route in his mind. The summoner suggests the party head to the tent-like structures from here. With a plan in mind, the party continues east towards the settlement.
A well-worn path in the grass rises up a slope toward a cluster of buildings to the east. The buildings are arranged in a rough triangle, with each point ending in a wooden circular enclosure with rectangular notches cut intermittently, like battlements. These round enclosures are clearly meant to be three points of a wooden palisade fence, which would enclose this first group of buildings once completed. The palisade fence, however, is complete only along the southeastern side of the triangle and is obviously unfinished elsewhere. The grass around the settlement looks like it was cropped at one point, and many paths exist between locations in the settlement, but in less well-trafficked spots, the grass has started to regrow.
All the buildings are constructed of either rough timber or mud bricks set in a wooden frame, and have pitched thatch roofs. Many have open window frames, but only a few have actual shutters or even a canvas curtain for privacy. Doors are basic, wooden affairs, too simple for locks, and some buildings lack them entirely. The construction is new, quite rough and unfinished.
Seven canvas pavilion tents were set up here, all of which are large enough to shelter two to three people each. All but two tents have collapsed due to wind, rain, and lack of maintenance. The two that remain standing lean haphazardly and do not appear to have been entered for a long time. Grass has begun to grow around them.
One of the two dilapidated tents reeks of musk and looks as though some small animal had been nesting in it for a time. Many still have common mundane personal items in their folds, such as clothing, mementos, cooking pots, and waterskins. Some of these items are ruined, but you all assess much of the mundane gear can be cleaned or repaired.
Searching through the scattered items, someone discovers four potions of cure light wounds and a quick runner’s shirt.
Looks like this is a good shirt to give to our healer. Makes it so they can stay out of reach of the badies while preparing to heal us that are taking them on. I suggest we give it to Becky as she carries our healing wand. I'll hold on to one of these potions though. Bey says as they examine the loose gear around them.
I can't carry them, but an extra waterskin or two might go a long way on our trek back to the rendezvous point. Bey states to the rest of the party.
He then grabs his knife and proceeds to cut some of the dirty damaged tents into thin strips about quarter inch wide. He cuts these to lengths of about 3 ft before severing them from the rest of the material. He cuts 5 of these and then winds them together into a small ball. This ball he places in his backpack for later use and experimentation.
As Bey cuts the strips from the tent, Asher leans on this sword and scans the settlement, looking for motion or activity.
(additional +2 for Abberations
Mind if I get one of those healing potions? Now that we have enough for all, it'll be handy in a pinch.
Looks like that's the nearest building and the first in the town proper. Maybe we should look into it next
He picks up two of the waterskins and adds them to his load.
Good idea Bey. We'll need the water as we hustle to the meeting point.
"Hmmm. The local hostile creatures were surprised people were back. That suggests they weren't involved with whatever happened here?"
"Not necessarily," Becky warns Crispin. "For example, if this island were sacred to the grindylows and they killed or drove off the first wave of colonists, they'd still likely be surprised when more of us showed up."
I find it interesting that there are no bodies or bones anywhere. Makes me curious as to if they were driven off instead of killed. I would expect to see some indication of death if they were killed or atleast some of them and then the rest driven off. ALso unless they were in much bigger numbers, the grindlows shouldn't have provided much a threat to the colonists. I'm guessing the Fuath wouldn't have as well except to pick off a loner or two. If that happened often though there would most likely be a hunt organized for the offender. Bey offers in conjecture as they walk.
"I agree with Becky's assessment. Not enough evidence to rule out the grindylows just yet," Brodigan says, a nod to the young gal.
Then he continues, "And Bey raises a good point as well. If they had been killed off, there should be evidence of bodies, bloodstains on the tents, something of that nature. Unless we find such evidence elsewhere, I think we'll have to assume the earlier settlers are still alive somewhere."
As potions of healing are identified, JeVeAnne chimes in with, "May I carry one of those? If anything happened to Master Brodigan, I wouldn't have any magic that could help him," and she hangs her head a bit ashamed as she mentions her lack of magical prowess.
Crispin visibly restrains himself from responding to Becky's words. As interesting as debating what part the Grindylow's played in the colonies plight would be; now wasn't the time.
He makes no claims on the potions and follows the others. Keeping his eyes scanning the area.
Asher moves to the front of the group to meet any resistance they come across, scanning for movement among the buildings and palisade sections.
He also occasionally runs his fingers through any markings he finds to look for a scent (Keen Scent from Tidal Hunter archetype, as per Scent Universal Monster Rule)
(plus an additional 2 for Aberrations)
Either theory is equally plausible. Let's see about some evidence for the truth. I didn't come here for strife on the first day, but am more than willing to meet it if it endangers our merry little group.
"Welp, it's pretty clear this site has been abandoned for some time. Also, people left - or died - in a hurry if they abandoned healing potions...I'm a city boy who knowledge of tracking consists of that it's possible but is there anything to be found?"
Like Asher, he takes 2 more waterskins, planning on filling them when we find clean water... After giving folks some time to finish their searching, he agrees with Asher "The town is probably the best place to look for clues."
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Brodigan, it is Abeowin. Bey corrects the wizard politely.
He's adept with his magic but still not sure I trust him. He had to much time thus most likely something in common with Harcourt. I still won't judge him yet. He does have a halfling assistant whom he tends to treat ok.
Bey thinks after correcting Brodigan.
Besides evidence of a small animal living here, Asher doesn’t spot any animals. The ranger pockets one of the potions for later use along with a couple of waterskins. Anne sees the ranger with the potions and grabs one for herself and Mauro grabs a couple of waterskins as well. Abeowin lifts a quick runner’s shirt from one of the empty tents and suggests Becky wear it. Then, the summoner cuts some linen from the two damaged and dilapidated tents. He makes the strips about a quarter-inch wide, three feet long, and then winds them together in a neat ball for later.
As the others are lifting up waterskins, moving clothing aside, and cutting up damaged tents, Becky and Crispin hang near the back, continuing their conversation. Becky hypothesizes that if the island is sacred to the grindylows, perhaps they killed or drove off the colonists. It would possibly explain the creature’s words. Crispin tries had to restrain himself from puffing out his chest a bit. He needed to stay focused on the task at hand. Abeowin points out there don’t appear to be any bodies or bones anywhere, suggesting that perhaps the creatures the party has faced so far weren’t the culprits. Brodigan, however, insists that the party hasn’t gathered enough evidence yet to rule out any suspects but does agree there should be evidence of bodies. Mauro says what everyone else to probably thinking: the site has probably been abandoned for some time.
Asher suggests the party walk to area 5 next and several people quickly agree. As the party is making their way from the pavilion tents to area 5, Crispin’s alert senses don’t see any sign of a fight at the pavilion tents or on the path leading to the palisade.
This L-shaped building is constructed of mud bricks on a wooden frame. The western portion is of the structure is enclosed by four walls. This section has a single open window on the south side, with a canvas curtain hung across the opening. The single entrance is a wooden door, standing slightly ajar, on the southern end of the eastern face of the building. A ten-foot extension connects to the building on the east side. This extension has only a northern wall and is otherwise just a roof sheltering the space below, which is open to the outside. Underneath this cover is a forge with an exhaust flue directly above it, a worktable covered in metal scraps, a small tub of black water, and a partially sheltered anvil.
The outdoor worktable is covered with a few blacksmithing tools and pieces of metalwork, such as weapons, tools, or farming implements abandoned halfway through being forged or repaired. The water in the tub is filthy with soot, ash, and charcoal residue.
"That forge has seen more recent use, after everybody else went away..."
Mauro walks around the building , and uses the butt of his horsechopper to move the curtain and look inside...
1 rank+ 3 trained +1 wis +2 racial +3 skill focus
He proceeds around the building to the door, which he pushes open, again with the butt of his horsechopper.
From Mauro's quick peak, the building is dark inside except for any light the windows and door may let in.
Mauro soft foot's it back to the group and whispers "Something inside is making noise. Snoring maybe? I think more than one creature. Asher, you and Bey got the back window, I got the front door?"
Do we just eliminate them or try to talk with them while some of us are hidden? They may have information about the colonists that we could use. If need be I have another trick up my sleeve as well, although he is somewhat shy that could help. I could also bring in a creature in the middle of them to sow confusion. Suggestions? Bey also whispers to the others.
"Let me sneak a peek," Brodigan says.
Brodigan slowly and carefully moves to the window and pulls the curtain back to peer inside. No surprise to the party, JeVeAnne moves up at his side to make sure he's safe.
Initiative:
Inside the smithy building, the space is divided between personal living quarters and an indoor tool storage and work area. A pungent animal smell lingers in the air and a tussled pile of blankets on the wooden cot is soiled. The room is in a state of disarray, with tools such as tin snips, pliers, and files carelessly strewn all over.
Four goblins are inside the Smithy living quarters. But these are peculiar-looking goblins because they all seem to have tails like a monkey. One, (red) who appears to be on watch, notices Brodigan peering around the curtain and starts jabbing (green) and frantically yelling at the other goblins who are in various states of wakefulness. One of the groggy goblins (yellow) is wearing what looks like a settler’s nightcap. The one on the bed (blue) seems to be the deepest in sleep and isn’t awake yet
Asher 26
Crispin 16
Bey 15
Becky 12
Brodigan 10
Anne 9
Mauro 7
Asher 26
Blue 22
Yellow 20
Green 18
Crispin 16
Bey 15
Red 15
Becky 12
Brodigan 10
Anne 9
Mauro 7
Bold may act.
Hearing the goblins jabbering, Mauro runs for the front door of the smithy...
"They're not all asleep!" Brodigan calls out to his comrades. He then finishes the sentence with some arcane words as his hand flicks forward in the direction of one of the Goblins and a ball of acid materializes and flings its direction.
Asher runs past Maurio, his sword in hand.
I think I'll join ya at the door. These windows look a bit wee.
to see how big the windows are.
As she realizes there's trouble, JeVeAnne pulls her dagger and adopts a defensive posture beside Master Brodigan while calling out, "Stay behind me, Becky, so I can keep you safe!"
"Sounds like goblins--probably monkey goblins!" Becky calls to the others while accepting JeVeAnne's protection. "Stab or bash them!"