The Journey of a Thousand Miles (Jade Regent AP)

Game Master Sensen

Amidst the bones, there are two objects that stand out - Tsutamu's wakizashi, and a brass key that was hanging around his skeleton's neck. On the wakizashi's blade, there are seven birds - Torra and Teruko recognize them as shrikes - perched on a branch that runs the length of the blade. On its tsuka, or hilt, there are two Minkaian characters.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"Bringing the bones back to Sandpoint probably would be best," Hana agrees quietly with the samurai. "Gods only know if he'll rise again if we don't bury with him all the proper rites. And..." she looks at Yuto with pure sympathy, "He's your dad. He deserves it. And you deserve see him put to rest."

Feeling strangely vulnerable in that moment, and thinking about her own contentious, Hana looks for something to distract her. She finds it rather quickly when she follows Torra and looks over Tsutamu wakizashi's blade. "Hmm. It's called Whispering Shrike," she reads.

Picking it up and giving it a closer examination, Hana also discovers a hidden compartment within the loosed hilt. Yuto! I think I might have found something in your father's sword. Look."

Seishin takes another look around the cavern while the others investigate the sword.

Opening the compartment reveals a small folded piece of paper - unfolding it takes only a moment of careful dexterity so as not to tear the ancient thing. On it, is a letter, it seems, written in Minkaian.

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

As Hana picks up the sword, Teruko examines it in her own way. Her lips quirk in a sad smile. "You should take the sword, Yuto. It's enchanted. Not just to attack, although it will help guide you as you do, but also to protect." Whatever Tsutamu had become in death, in life he had taken his duties very seriously.

She starts to join Seishin in looking around the chamber, but Hana's discovery of a hidden compartment brings her back. When the letter makes its way to her, she reads it with shaking hands. "This...this is..." She drops the letter carelessly to the cave floor, hands going to her face as she tries to deal with the emotional overload. It takes several minutes before she calms enough to speak.

"The letter...it was from my grandfather. To my father. He thought...something happened at Brinewall, over twenty years ago. Grandfather spoke of enemies, and a family treasure that those enemies sought. He wanted Tsutamu to deliver the letter in case he did not survive, as an apology for never telling the truth." She looks up for the first time, face white. "He didn't say what that truth was. He said he couldn't reveal it unless he was certain those enemies had forgotten us. If he survived Brinewall, he planned to explain in person. If he didn't...he said Father should destroy the letter and flee to the south." She swallows hard. "He never returned from Brinewall. Whatever enemies he feared must have found him."

Yuto smiles to Hana, comforted by her words "The Whispering Shrike..." he observes the blade in the ninja's hands with awe when the compartment is found and the letter unfolded.

K. history: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
He reads the letter with great attention "Brinewall... I remember that place from my parents books, far north of Varisia, near the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. But it was destroyed around... mmm... 23 years ago... that is just a few days after the letter date!"

K. history: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
As the letter reading continues more questions assault Yuto's mind "A great treasure? Opening the warding box? What does all that mean?" but he does indeed recognize another of the names within "Kortun... that name... is-is familiar, I think it was the commander of the colony when it was destroyed! What was his name again? Andril, Andril Kortun! Yes, I remember it from my father texts on the defenses of Brinewall Castle and a few fights the man leaded"

After finishing the letter's reading he casts another look at the fallen skeleton and strokes the Whispering Shrike's blade "Wh-why did you not manage to come back home father... I-I needed you..." then looking back at the letter "Something really terrible must have happened for him not to deliver Roruko's letter... I can only imagine his pain for the uncompleted duty..."

And raising his sight to Teruko's face he finishes "But you somehow found your way to finally make the message arrive even after death..."

Oops, I totally missed your post, Seishin.

Seishin ventures deeper into the cavern, and finds in the furthest reaches of Tsutamu's 'home,' so to speak, there is a jade and cherry wood chest crafted in a similar style to the one the party found in Gutwad's treasury. Trying to open it reveals that it is quite firmly locked.

Seishin brings the chest back to the party.

"It's locked."

Taking 20 to open the chest lock. That's a 29.

When Seishin brings the jade and cherry wood chest to the rest of the group Hana is quick bring out her lockpicking tools and start working on the trunk. "I should be able to open this... with some time."

Despite her best efforts, Hana finds that the lock resists her - it is incredibly complex, and its style is alien to her, even with all her training.

Sorry, you are literally 1 away from meeting the DC. That said, you guys did find a key just a few posts up, so...

With Hana's failure, the group tries the key they found on Tsutamu's corpse. It fits in the lock easily, and the lock clicks immediately. Opening the chest reveals a true treasure trove of items. However, it is immediiately obvious that some things have been removed from the chest - fireworks and potions, based on the indentations and the rest of the treasures.

There are a total of ten potions of varying colors - five blueish, two aquamarine, and three a pleasant gold. A wand is holstered to the top of the chest with a loop of red velvet, while a plain leather ring is wrapped around its handle.

An incredibly well-crafted chain shirt is neatly folded on the bottom of the chest, while a finely crafted wakizashi lies sheathed next to it, as well as an empty sheath of similar size, presumably for Whispering Shrike. A masterwork chain shirt and wakizashi.

Furthermore, there are no less than fifteen fireworks - eleven of the sorts the goblins used, and four of the kind that Gutwad had fired which had so badly hurt the party when they confronted him. 11 star candle fireworks and four skyrocket fireworks.

Finally, scattered across the rest of the chest's surface area is a vast pile of silver, gold, and jewelry. 3820 sp, 421 gp.

Teruko is far too distracted to care much about the chest or the contents thereof, (although her merchant's eye unconsciously makes note of the quality of both the chest and the jewelry). "Brinewall...my father lived there once, I think. Which I suppose makes sense."

"It seems likely the Licktoads stole their fireworks from here." She glances over the indentations where items should have been. "Seishin, if Tsutamu intended to guard this chest, would the theft have been enough to rouse him? In which case there might be no necromancer, just a yojimbo attempting to carry out his duty."

Kneeling down next to Tsutamu's bones, she bows her head in respect. "If you can hear me, Tsutamu, your duty is complete. Rokuro’s heir has received the message. Thank you." She remains there for another minute or so before she stands.

"I doubt we'll be able to take all the bones with us, but we can bury the others here before taking Tsutamu back to Sandpoint."

Yuto nods slowly to Teruko "I... I wonder about the implications... does... it seems Rokuro was afraid of something and he wanted for his son to run south. Is-is that what we should do now?"

"Per-perhaps we should research what happened at Brinewall... if his enemies really reached Rokuro as he feared, or if the devastation that came was fortuitous and not related, and thus we... you can rest calm about it" says the young man while he eyes the treasures saved from oblivion.
Noted the chest and jewelry values as for Teruko's successful rolls

Yuto takes with care the masterwork chain mail "Do you think it will fit me?"

Perception, Blue Potions: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Perception, Aquamarine Potions: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Perception, Golden Potions: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25

With the chest now open, Hana rummages through it contents. While identifying the wand and magical ring are outside of her area of expertise she is able to make out the qualities of all three sets of potions. "Looks like Seishin won't be needing to save us from the brink quite as often," she jokes she points out the elixirs. "The blue and aquamarine ones help with healing while the golden ones get ready of diseases and the like. Hannah Velerin gave me impromptu lecture on potions at the Rusty Dragon a while back. She can be quite informative when she's drunk."

Her own lecture done, the ninja takes a moment to nod Yuto's way as he puts on his new armor. "It suits you, I think." As if solidarity, Hana spots an obviously well-crafted wakizashi that puts her own to shame. She promptly takes up the fine blade as her own.

Once the short blade is sheathed, she joins Yuto and Teruko in their discussion. "If we want to learn about these 'enemies' of your grandfather and whether their even still around it investigating Brinewall would be our safest bet," she theoretically, not quite sure whole all these recent events fit together. "Of course, it's probably a dead end given that it was abandoned some twenty years, but I imagine Ameiko would still want to look into it, especially if a 'great treasure' is involved."

The thought of Ameiko putting on her trademark adventurous smile when she learns of this newfound mystery idly distracts Hana for a spell before her mind forces her heart back to earth and the present. "Speaking of Ames. We might want to head back to Sandpoint. We've found where the goblins got their fireworks and the Licktoads are probably done for. Besides some more exploring, I think our here mission is complete, right?"

Unable to read the letter, Torra is greatly confused by the discussion, and the name Brinewall is unfamiliar. Still shaken by the revelation that one of the skeletons was that of Yuto's father, the dwarf begins to quietly create graves for the other remains, although she does keep an eye out in case the giant spider returns.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Torra easily shifts aside the earth to create graves for the remaining skeletons that had been purified by Tsukiyo's light, though she doesn't see any sign that the spider will be returning - even keeping an eye up at the ceiling doesn't reveal anything more.

Yuto is happy to translate the letter to Common for Torra.

"Ye-yeah, I am a bit concerned though about going to Brinewall, Roruko seemed to want his son specifically away from there" the young man says nervously while looking worried at Teruko "But yeah, let's come back to Sandpoint. The older ones probably know better what needs to be done"

Caringly, Yuto recovers the bones of his father and puts them into a bag for transport. He will also help carry the chest to the boat outside the cave.

It's a good thing, too, that Yuto helps to carry the chest, as the thing weighs nearly 50 lb. That's about 23 kg, for our non-American players. The group exits the cave into the sunlit Marsh, which... remains as gloomy a place as it had been when they went in.

The heroes manage to lay the chest in Megus' old boat, but swiftly realize would be enormously difficult to row the boat with all five of them, Tsutamu's bones, and the chest aboard simultaneously.

"Well, we can leave the chest in the boat and we all walk on the shore and pull the boat with a rope. Slower than boating, but faster than having to carry the chest on foot," suggests Torra.

Once the letter is translated for her benefit, the dwarf is even more amazed at all the coincidences and turns of fate that had brought all of them together and to this place. The entire thing seems like the plot to one of the novels she loves so much, minus the romance. Ah, but perhaps there was romance, and it's still hidden! Perhaps Teruko is not Lonjiku's daughter, but the secret love child of his wife and Tsutamu! Surprise half-sister to Yuto! No, wait, that didn't work, Teruko was too young. Ameiko, on the other hand... and that would explain the strained relationship between the tavern owner and her late father!

Torra spends most of the return journey spinning fanciful dramas involving the Kaijitsus.

"Good idea Torra" Yuto binds the extreme of his rope to the tip of the boat while the rest of the group secures the chest within.

The young man, used to toil at the Glassworks, offers himself to pull the boat, while others direct it to avoid the rush and reeds of the riverbank.

Despite the gloomy environment and the hard moments just lived, Yuto seems energized as never before "Now at least I know father never returned because he died carrying out his duty. It-it is liberating to have an end for it, and to know in the end he delivered his message" he has a look at Teruko.

"I think we can reach Old Megus, leave the boat there back to his owner, then take the Old Fish Trail back to Sandpoint" Yuto looks at the sky hoping for a respite on the weather while cleaning the sweat from the hard work.

Teruko is distracted while they bury the other skeletons, clearly mulling over these recent revelations. "I can't imagine the disaster at Brinewall was completely unrelated. The timing is too close to be coincidental. But it has been twenty years, so surely no one is still waiting there." Rokuro had said they would wait forever, but that must have been an exaggeration. Right?

There's a tiny twitch of a smile as she looks at Hana. "You're probably right that Ameiko will want to check it out. She's too curious to just let this go." She looks up at the sun, squinting. "Hopefully we can make it back before nightfall. I do not want to spend another night in this marsh."

"I think we can reach Old Megus, leave the boat there back to his owner, then take the Old Fish Trail back to Sandpoint"

"That sounds good to me." She sighs. "Probably for the best we take things slowly and carefully, as eager as I am to get home. That chest and its contents are irreplaceable."

As they all slowly guided the boat from the shoreline, Hana couldn't help but think about their confrontation with Yuto's father. No one had brought her mention of the Clan Nogitsune during the fight and for that she was incredibly grateful. She simply wasn't ready to explain all of that... not yet anyway.

For his part, Seishin is content to just finally leave Brinestump behind.

As it turns out, dragging the boat through the swamp is not nearly as difficult as pulling the chest along, though it is probably harder than just one person rowing away with it. Nevertheless, the group makes decent time towards their destination.

It takes nearly two and a half hours for them to drag the boat around to the bridge on the Witch’s Walk. The journey becomes slightly easier from there, however, as they journey back around the edge of the island on which Megus' shack sits. It takes them nearly half an hour to pull the boat all the way back to the dock, but ultimately, they manage, taking the chest from the raft and making their way back to the Witch's Walk - though they give Megus' shack as wide a berth as ever.

In another hour of trudging through the overgrown path that is the Witch's Walk, the party emerges into the afternoon sunlight, bedraggled and exhausted from their time spent in Brinestump Marsh, but overall triumphant... more or less.

With that, they begin the long (somewhat arduous) journey back towards Sandpoint.

I'll give you all a chance to react to being out of the marsh, and such.

"Finally" in an increasingly good mood Yuto feels like removed from a heavy weight despite being carrying the chest "I... I hope we do not need to come back ever"

The young man profits a stop on the way back to Sandpoint to have another look at the wakizashi's blade "It is sad father had to go through that, but I am convinced his undead transformation was just his way to cling to this world until the message was delivered"

Opening his leather bag he offers a few slices of goat cheese to the group.

"...well, I think that went reasonably well." Seishin taps his spear on the dirt beneath him.

After several days in a swamp Hana finally flexes her arms without the sharp foliage of the marsh to brush against her. "Can't say I'll miss the mosquitos, mud, or humidity. Oh and the constant attack by monsters. That was kind of annoying too," she says with a sardonic smile.

Torra nods at Hana. "I'm feeling very icky, really looking forward to a bath."

The dwarf then adds, looking along the path to Sandpoint.

"I wonder if Cyrus and Arika made it back alright. I am also wondering how the goblins could have stolen fireworks from a locked chest."

Seishin chuckles. "I think you speak for all of us, Torra."

More bedraggled then she's ever been before in her life, Teruko can only nod her agreement with Torra's comment. "A bath sounds wonderful. And clean clothes." She looks down at her outfit, now covered in blood as well as filth. "I do hope these are salvageable."

"Perhaps the goblins picked the lock? They're tricky creatures; it seems like something they could do." She doesn't comment about Cyrus or Arika. It still feels wrong that they left the two to go back to Sandpoint alone, but hopefully nothing bothered them on the road.

You can continue the conversation in spoilers, but I'm moving us on.

The party spends the next two and a half hours walking slowly north along the Lost Coast Road, and as the sun sinks lower and lower in the sky, they arrive at the humble sign reading "Welcome to Sandpoint! Please take a moment to see yourself as we see you." Its mirrored shard is a little bit grimy compared to when they left - perhaps due to the thunderstorm of the previous day.

Terrain Maps updated - I've added a (pitifully small) map of Sandpoint, as well as a pair of Varisian maps to show where in Varisia you guys are. Where do you all want to go?

Teruko's steps slow as they approach the sign. Peering into the mirror, she grimaces in disgust. "Our manor is on the other side of town, but I still think I'd like a bath and change of clothes before going anywhere else. I'm completely unpresentable at the moment." Her cheeks flush slightly. "Also Ameiko would probably have a fit if she saw, well, this." She gestures to her bloodstained clothes.

"Meet at the Rusty Dragon in an hour or so? If anyone gets there before me, please let Ameiko know I'm on my way. Also I'd appreciate if you didn't mention that I got hurt."

She actually still hurt, but she's pretty sure she's stopped bleeding so a high-necked outfit should cover everything. No need for anyone (Ameiko) to worry.

I'm fine with fast-forwarding past the manor trip and to the Rusty Dragon, but Teruko does not want to face Ameiko in what she's currently wearing.

Hana sympathetically nods Teruko's way. She had a mirror on hand as well but was no where near brave enough to check what she looked like when the pungent smell of swamp gas, rats and dead goblin was a sure sigh it wasn't pretty. There was no way she was going to be caught at the Rusty Dragon like that, especially if Ameiko was there.

"Agreed. Getting freshened up a bit would be great. Plus I got to unload these goblin heads for Hosk," she adds matter-of-factly, pointing to her stuffed pack. "And I have to talk to my mom... if I'm not back at the Rusty Dragon in a hour she probably killed me," she says half-jokingly as she heads to the stables and then to home.

I'm also content to fasttrack to the Rusty Dragon.

"Rusty Dragon in an hour," agrees Torra before slinking off side streets towards her home in the northern part of Sandpoint. After the days and nights in the Brinestump Marsh, fighting monsters and goblins and skeletons, it felt surreal to walk through the familiar sights of Sandpoint and see people acting as usual. At the moment, all she wants is to get home without talking to anyone, let her parents know she's still alive, and have a good scrub and a change of clothes.

Good with fast-forwarding as well.

Yuto raises his arm and sniffs his armpit "Haha, well, yes I guess a good bath is on place!"

The young man looks too into the mirror "It is hard to trust it has only been a couple of days... I look..." Yuto observes his own reflection and hardly believes what he sees. The person that left the town was little more than a teenager but now he was an adult already "We... we have gone over such hardships together... endured the weather and the marsh, we defended ourselves, killed when needed, dismantled a goblin tribe and stopped the skeletons discovering an even deeper mystery..."

Taking a long breath he smiles wide relieved to be back home "Ok, the Rusty Dragon in one hour!"

Yuto is quickly back home, leaves his backpack and greets Koya. He quickly updates the woman promising the whole story at the Rusty Dragon once he have had time to wash himself.

"...yes. I'm in dire need of a good wash."

And I need to check on Arika. But not while reeking of a swamp.

The party splits up, each one taking the time they need to get ready to return to the Rusty Dragon.

Upon rejoining one another at the Rusty Dragon, they find the place bustling with its usual prosperity - Ameiko and Bethana are working hard to keep up with it, though not without rest. A few visiting performers are up on the stage, playing decent music, and a warm chatter fills the main hall. Sandru, Koya, and Shalelu are all sitting at the bar, speaking with one another.

When Ameiko notices them, she calls for quiet. "Give a warm welcome to our returning heroes! Thanks to them, the Licktoads have been vanquished!" Her voice is resonant and powerful, and the group is briefly surrounded with applause and cheers.

Once things have calmed down, they are finally able to get the chance to sit and speak with their family and friends.

"What have you got there, Yuto?" Sandru asks, gesturing at the cherry wood and jade chest.

"It looks like you found more than just goblins." Shalelu observes with a slight smile.

Perception?: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Seishin glances at the familiar hooded woman before approaching Shalelu. "That would be an understatement, Ms. Andosana."

"Oh?" Shalelu looks at the chest before turning to more directly face Seishin and the others.

Ameiko, meanwhile rushes to her sister's side. "Teruko... you did great. I met with Cyrus and Arika yesterday, and he said that you were essential in keeping him alive when you fought against Gutwad. But..." She lowers her voice before speaking in Minkaian.

The Rusty Dragon was a little too crowded for comfort, so Torra shelters near her mentor, letting the others update Ameiko as she gives her own report to Shalelu.

"The goblins had some powerful fireworks stolen from that chest that we brought with us. I didn't get hurt too badly, but Yuto almost died several times, and Cyrus as well. Have you seen Cyrus? Did he make it back to Sandpoint safely? Oh, and we met a rat who told us that Old Megus is dead, although he didn't say how she died. He wasn't very friendly, so we left him alone."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Taking a gander at the bustling masses in the Rusty Dragon, Hana was able to spot the mystery woman that they meet on the road amoung the guests. She didn't linger on her for long though.

Perception, Ameiko-Teruko Convo: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Instead, she causally walks up to the bar as if she never left and Hana shots Ameiko an easy smile as she takes up one of the stools. "Heroes? Oh I don't know about all that," she replies with a theatrical amount of playful false modesty. "All we did was save Walthus from a goblin snake, kill one of the worst goblin chiefs on the Lost Coast, save a dashing swashbuckler and an overeager townie from said goblin chief, fight off a swarm of rats, and duel a horde of reanimated samurai." The tavern singer shrugged and checked her fingernails as if she had just finished talking about her breakfast. "It was no big deal really."

She laughed then, though it was pretty obvious that its timbre lacked enthusiasm. "But seriously, thanks for the round of applause, Ames. It was pretty rough out there. And the Battered Shield..." She shook her said sadly and momentarily wondered if she should ask for a drink. "Cyrus probably already mentioned it, but none of them made it beyond him."

She wanted to say more. To mention how a strange mumbling monster took a chunk of her shoulder, how she was nearly bisected by Yuto's undead father, and so much else. She didn't though. Instead she grew quiet for moment and allowed the others to talk themselves.

However, when Ameiko rushes to Teruko, the kunoichi can't help but overhear their conversation despite her conscious telling her that their obviously private family matters were none of her business.

Wonder who the someone is.

In response to Torra, Shalelu flicks an ear, her expression falling into blandness. "Hm. If Cyrus is the name of that young adventurer you rescued, then yes, he did make it back. He went back into the Marsh yesterday to pick up his friend's remains."

Koya looks sharply at Yuto, her eyes narrowing before she smiles. "Well, you seem to have grown from your trials - all of you. Even with the injuries you have sustained."

"Wait, a rat?" Sandru asks, bemused at Torra's last sentence. "A rat that talks?"

Ameiko breaks from her embrace with her younger sister, looking at the group. "Probably her familiar, I'd bet." She looks to Hana, offering her a brief smile. "Not an insignificant list of achievements... though you'll have to share the details now."

A chorus of agreement comes from the others at the bar, save Shalelu and the hooded woman - though the elf does give an approving half-smile.

"And yes, Cyrus did mention that - word's gotten around." Ameiko says with a sigh, her expression hardening slightly. "Adventuring can be harder than it seems from the outside. I guess you all know that now, huh?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Yuto brings the chest to the Rusty Dragon, placing it on the cetnre of the table "Cyrus and Akira make it back safely? Those are good news, I... I felt a bit bad leaving them a-alone..." he looks down and smiles when Koya compliments his growing.

"Well... it was actually quite a deed Hana San. I do not know what would have we done without your bravery... I would have probably run away scared to hide behind a rock" the Tian rubs the back of his head ashamed "Fortunately, the-there was Torra there, her magic kept the enemies going down, while Teruko and Seishin saving us... me multiple times... from sure death..."

Looking at the smallest of the Kaijitsu he puts his hand over the chest "I... I found my father Sandu... what remained of him... but there is something more... something more important" he then looks at the woman the group found in their way to the marsh, and back again to Sandu "You and Ameiko should know about this, but... but we perhaps should talk in a more private place... what we found might put Ameiko and Teruko in quite a danger..."

When the group can find a bit more of privacy, he opens the compartment at Whispering Strike and hands the letter for them to read.

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 18

Feeling significantly better after a bath and change of clothes, (and with the neckline carefully arranged to avoid showing the thin cut there), Teruko smiles at her sister. "Seishin did most of the work, really. Tsukiyo's blessings were quite useful out there." Despite the humble words, a part of her glows at her sister's praise.

Her expression changes to one of concern at she looks at Yuto. "Personally I think Tsutamu was the most important discovery of all. You finally got closure regarding his fate, and we were able to put him to rest. Everything else pales in comparison." She looks back to Ameiko. "But he is right, some of the details would be better shared in private."

Her eyes flicker to the woman at the bar, the one that had made Lonjiku so angry when they'd met before. She's not entirely sure she's emotionally prepared for any more family secrets to be revealed.

"For now I believe a drink is in order. Preferably accompanied by food that's not trail rations." She's not usually much of a drinker, (anything that could make her lose control is worrisome), but at the moment she thinks she could use one.

The others look curiously at the party, but Ameiko swiftly nods. "Alright then, let me get to work on some things." She vanishes into the kitchen, and small talk begins to fill the air once more.

Later in the evening, once the party has eaten and drank their fill and the crowd slowly filters out of the building, Ameiko entrusts the management of the Dragon to Bethana, inviting the party, Koya, Shalelu, and Sandru, into a smaller, more private room. She stops and speaks to the hooded young woman, who nods silently.

"So, what's this about, Yuto?" Ameiko asks, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. When he opens the compartment (noting that he still needs to get the handle fixed), she blinks, before taking the note.

Koya, meanwhile, places a gentle hand on Yuto's shoulder. "Your father?" She asks gently.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

Teruko waits for Ameiko to finish reading before she speaks. "We came across Koras' body in the marsh, and found a nameplate with him. The Kaijitsu Star.. An old shipwreck, lost for over twenty years. I...remembered...father saying something about it. That the Kaijitsu Star and Kaijitsu Blossom had both been lost, and he believed everyone on board had perished."

"At the goblin village we found most of them had been slain already. Only the chief and a few others remained. We discovered why when we entered a back room." She nods towards the red chest. "A stolen chest, with a skeleton standing guard over it. Given the Minkaian design, it seemed likely that the chest had been stolen from one of the shipwrecks. Given how many of the goblins had been slain, it seemed likely there were more skeletons out there. We decided to investigate further." She shifts uncomfortably at that last sentence, deliberately not looking at Hana.

"The goblins had a crude map with three locations circled: two shipwrecks and a cave. The first wreck was the Star, which the Battered Shield had found. The second was indeed the Blossom, although nothing of real interest was there. But in the cave...in the cave we found Tsutamu, along with several other undead skeletons. Even in death it seems they felt honor-bound to protect their cargo, and they did not appreciate the goblins' theft. Tsutamu was protecting something else as well. That letter, which he had hidden in the hilt of his wakizashi." She bows her head in respect for the dead.

"Now you know as much as we do." She forces a thin smile. "As I said, a great deal of family history is coming to light."

Even as Teruko finishes her part of the story, Ameiko grabs her and pulls her out of the room, leaving the others somewhat bemused. As she does so, however, her expression is brighter than it's been in months.

Meanwhile back in the room, Koya chuckles dryly. "I haven't seen her so passionate since, well, last year."

Sandru shakes his head slightly. "It's not like her to be so impulsive. What did the note say?"

For her part, Shalelu keeps her counsel to herself - at least for the moment.

After a moment, Sandru rubs his forehead. "A storm? Is that...?" Koya nods gravely, while Sandru sighs. "I should've known. Too many people lost family that year. I didn't know that the Kaijitsu family lost anyone..."

"You had other things on your mind, Sandru." Koya says gently.

"It's all past now, anyways." He replies, his smile only a little sad. "That storm killed my parents during the flooding. It was, what... 4687? Just a few years before some of you were born." The merchant says by way of explanation.

As the Kaijitsus retreat to another room, Hana can't but agree with Koya's assessment of the elder of the sisters. "It's been a while since I've seen her so excited about something. Ever since that horrible business with Tsuto and her father it's like there's this miserable cloud over her that never truly passes. Even when she's smiling," the kunoichi says quietly, her eyes fixed towards the bar table. "Maybe it never will. It's always harder with family, I suppose. I just... I just wish I could help."

Wanting to suddenly change the subject, Hana quickly turns to Koya and Shalelu, two of the oldest residents in Sandpoint, and asks them a question that's been bugging her since she got back to town. "Do either of you know about a town called Brinewall? Yuto says the place was destroyed twenty years back but that's about all we know. Any more information would be real useful."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Yuto nods timidly to Koya "Yes... we found Tsutamu, he had hold this letter all this time to deliver it to Lonjiku. But now the letter reached his heirs and my father is relieved of his duty" the man avoids explaining they had to fight him "He... he made me realize of all what I lack still... he was a real samurai"

He follows Ameiko with the eyes and agrees with the assessment of her excitement "Yes. She is excited. I am happy the letter that kept Tsutamu on duty is something still relevant. I hope."

"This Brinewall is in the Linorm Kings, far away in the north, by the lands of the witches" the Tian dampens his lips observing the two young sisters "What do you think they want to do now? Their grandparent wanted their father to escape to the south and hide"