"It never goes away," Ravenna says, not quite looking at the pair. "But it starts to hurt less, eventually."
Sakuachi nods. "Thank you. I feel a little better now," the young oracle says, reaching to scratch Hildy behind her ears. She turns to watch the city of Skywatch receding in the distance behind you...
Chapter 2: Still Waters
With Ulikuq at the helm and Innumma and Deniigi assisting them, the raft makes swift progress down river. It takes just shy of two days to journey to Winterbreak Bay. Sakuachi is happy to share more about her life in Aaminuit, and Innumma is also forthcoming with tales of the many places in northern Avistan that he has visited.
The waters of Winterbreak Bay are choppy and cold. A dense fog hangs in the frigid air, making it difficult to see more than a few yards past the edge of the raft. The lake seems to push the raft toward the shore, as if repelling anyone from its center. With or without the crew’s direction, it seems as though the Lake is taking you straight to the Jundlan Wrecks.
The morning before you arrive at the Wrecks, Sakuachi tells everyone that she has had a vision in her dreams. She points north, in the direction of the ship graveyard. “By light of the moon, among the tolling of bells,” she says solemnly, as if reciting something from memory, “we must find a weeping mermaid.”
The girl hesitates, frowning. "There was something else. A man," she whispers. "He wore a terrible mask of white fur. He stood at the edge of my dream, writing in a book, like he was taking notes.” She shudders at the memory.
Ravenna places a steadying hand on Sakuachi's shoulder, smiling at her. "Don't worry. You're safe with us."
A stoic, studious, steadfast bronze-colored sprite stands in the raft with his blue eyes forward. The Champion of Mazludeh marks their passage through the rough waters as if born to land.
Ouch! Whoa! Where?what? Ouch! Is that why it's called a boom?
He seems to be perfectly fit for sea....
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Nox and Hildy tried their best to be at ease in the rocking bobbing boat after their initial talks and the few days of travel. The eldest of the sprites seeming to not take well to extensive boat travel, and settling for grumbling about it quietly.
Finally after what seems like an eternity of catalyzing a distain for anything watercraft related he nods to Sakuachi, "We had... or at least I had similar dreams prior to our meeting. That of a stranger in the distance that couldn't help but provoke a certain deep down unease."
Sakuachi nods. "We must keep a watch out for this mystery man, then," she says.
***
At the end of the second day of traveling through Winterbreak Bay, distant shapes slowly coalesce into masts and hulls in the mists ahead. The rough water becomes supernaturally glassy, though here and there the raft bumps into increasingly large ice floes. At the edge of a rather large sheet of ice, the water suddenly opens up, and the mist thins just enough to reveal dozens of half-ruined ships of all shapes and sizes. You have reached the Jundlan Wrecks.
As you drift through the wreckage on your little raft, you float past ships in various states of decay. Some poke out of the floe at odd angles, while others are frozen under large mounds of ice. Occasionally, you spot a rag-clad skeleton at the helm of a ship, its skull surely staring right at you, or the frozen remains of a first mate staring down from a crow’s nest. But the only actual movement you see comes from little whirlwinds of snow kicked up by the wind. An occasional flicker of ghostly light in the distance—will o’ wisps, probably—completes the creepy vignette.
Sylva’s aquatic eyes search for a seaworthy vessel…
A green bronze-colored sprite warily lifts his head up from it leaning over the side.
The fishes are eating well.
His blurry blue watery eyes wander out into the wreck vintage waters to wonder about a boat bigger than this stomach-churning raft....
Ravenna peers out into the gloom, her face just as dark as she fails to spot anything even worth their time.
Another hour of Flanders-ing about the Drowned wreckage, the green bronze-colored sprite spots....
As you sail fruitlessly through the Wrecks, the raft suddenly rocks as four undead sailors suddenly grab hold of the vessel from the icy waters and haul themselves aboard! These creatures reek of the rot and decay of the briny deep. Their eyes glow with ghastly green light, and rotting seaweed, barnacles, and dead sea creatures cling to their bodies. The let out malicious gurgles, as though they were eternally drowning with lungs full of water!
Sir Batman's Green blue eyes stare up, up, up at the putrid skull belonging to a slimy skeleton boarding the boat.
The Champion of Mazludeh promptly pukes!
The Green bronze-colored sprite then enters his Stance and attempts to Shove the freak back into the waters!
Look, Danielson, all wet behind da ears!
Sylva joins the bronze bat, though she prefers hitting over shoving!
“Go back to Hell! HYAAA!!”
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Nox seems rather unusually calm and away when the skeletons arrive, looking more like he was about to get seasick than anything that is until they actually attack and he does puke up a viscous gray liquid which starts to pool in the raft and surround him. The strange quicksilver-like stuff continues to pour from the tiny sprite at a rate which frankly doesn't make sense until a medium sized Gray ooze sits in the boat and jiggles with delight before lashing out at one of the Skeletons with gelatinous fervor.
The bash lands with ferocious vigor and the quicksilver ooze wiggles threateningly towards the other boarders.
Ravenna turns a pale shade of green in the face of the two sprites vomiting around her, but maintains her focus and fires on the incoming undead.
Three of the sodden undead quickly fall to kicks, pseudopods, and bullets. Batman’s foe stands firm, refusing to give ground. It swings its axe at the champion but he blocks with his shield!
Sylva turns to the last foe. “You should have stayed in your grave.”
She strides over to flank.
“Go back to eternal-sleep.”
The undead creature crumbles at the force of Sylva’s precise kicks! Sakuachi’s companions quickly shove the rotten remains overboard.
”Ugh, gross!” Sakuachi groans. ”Let’s keep looking before more of those monsters find us!”
Sylva looks about…
…she thinks, maybe—is THAT???
Nah.
Sir Batman--Reacts--quickly, Raising his Shield at the most opportune moment to block that undead grossest!
The Green bronze-colored sprite then watches in Fascination the prowess of his friends.
That was....Fascinating!
He then vomits over the side.
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Nox blorbs about for a bit before the ooze begins to harden as if suddenly super chilled and breaking away to reveal the sprite within who just huddles back with Hildy. "Guh the weather here will be the death of us. Either of you spot a good boat?" He seems completely oblivious to what had just happened.
It is well into the night when your searching finally bears fruit. You hear the faint sound of sobbing in the distance. "Could it be...? Follow the noise!" Sakuachi says. Her companions steer the raft in that direction.
In contrast to the wreckage all around, the one-masted ship ahead is still upright and looks to be in fine condition, though it’s stuck in thick ice. The vessel’s figurehead, an oaken carving of a beautiful halfling woman with long hair and the lower body of a fish, is the apparent source of the
weeping. Impossibly, actual rivulets of tears stream from the sculpture’s eyes. A nameplate beside the figurehead spells out the ship’s apt name: Mermaid’s Tears. On the ship’s port side, a gangplank has been lowered to create a ramp between the main deck and the ice floe in which the ship is trapped.
"The weeping mermaid. Just like in my vision," Sakuachi says, eyes wide with wonder.
“Ohhhh, that is the saddest thing ever!” Sylva’s own aquatic eyes moisten at the sight. “What can we do?” she wonders.
Sylva is good at getting out of traps. She isn’t sure if her knowledge of getting her little body out of a sticky situation applies to a boat trapped in ice.
But that doesn’t stop her from having a look, and seeing what she can do.
The ship seems seaworthy, despite being hundreds of years old. However, it's not going anywhere while stuck in the ice.
Sylva leads the way onto the deck to have a look around. She approaches the capstan—the winch that raises and lowers the anchor—and sees that it is sports a smiley face in old, flaky paint. Threadbare rags evocative of a pirate's outfit adorn the stout cylinder of wood.
As she gets closer, though, the capstan suddenly begins to spin around, the short ropes attached to its side whipping about dangerously!
Sylva darts in, strikes—
—and braces herself for a beating!
Sylva manages one hit that splinters the construct’s wooden body. It retaliates with its lashing ropes, knocking the sprite down!
Sylva is splayed on her back for a moment. “If I had a rag and some paint remover, I’d wipe that smile offa your face,” she groans.
But by the time she’s finished griping, her flank buddy has surely come to her aid!
Sylva ▶️rises into a hand stand, twirling her legs about to ⏩fight like her foe does!
"What in the hell...?" is all Ravenna has to say, as the mad thing spins to life and attacks her friends. Her reflexes take over, though, and she raises her rifle to her shoulder.
The Green bronze-colored sprites blue eyes brighten as the bigger seacraft bobs into view.
Who's Bob?
The Champion of Mazludeh tidied up a bit before crossing onto the Weeping Mermaid.
She may just need a hug.
Striding about aimlessly the ship, Sir Batman gives a hardy salute to the animated capstan.
Awfully handsy for a fella without hands!
The Green bronze-colored sprite enters his Stance, Raises his Shield and Strides into its space to Flank with Sylva!
Ravenna does not know what sort of construct the capstan might be. Nox bashes it with a barrel lid and Sylva manages kick the thing twice, causing more cracks to appear in its stumpy body!
The capstan takes a moment to patch itself up, jury-rigging repairs with some tools built into its body. It then spins around rapidly, its loose ropes whipping about and lashing both Sylva and Batman!
Sir Batman takes the pegs to the green bronze-colored face as if he were earning money for college! The Champion of Mazludeh does--React--by granting Sylva his Liberating Step!
He then Raises his Shield and attempts to bash some pegs!
Sylva keeps on kicking while her non-kicking leg can still stand. “Die already, you weird tree-zombie!”
Cursing as her gun misfires again, Ravenna slaps the side of the weapon, causing it to discharge accidentally. Fortunately, she happens to be aiming straight at the animated wheel.
Batman and Sylva pummel the capstan, then Ravenna’s accidental shot shatters it to splinters!
A few moments later, the ghost of a halfling man suddenly phases through the door of the captain’s cabin! Legless, with solid white eyes and wild hair, the ghost captain is a frightful sight, and his eerie wailing doesn’t help matters. However, the wail soon transforms into a groan of frustration.
"Arrgh! Sorry about me capstan swabbie's overzealousness. Hope he didn't bang ye up too badly! Welcome aboard the Mermaid’s Tears, mateys! I’m Adney Tinhill, captain of this fine vessel. Me and my crew have been trapped in this godsforsaken ice for more years than I care to count. Now, I don’t know what kind of ship brought you lot to this floe, but I’d hazard a guess you approached the Tears hoping to commandeer a superior vessel!”
“Well, perhaps you’d like to make a deal with this old salt? Here it is, then: help me break free of the ice, and I’ll take you anywhere the water touches!”
The Green bronze-colored sprite gives a thumbs up (before tossing up any cookies, peanut butter and Jelly sandwich and 2 half eaten lolipops).
The Champion of Mazludeh will (if time permits) Lay On Hands the crew us.
After immediately hurting herself, Sylva decides to let Sir Bat handle the healing. She says to the ghostly captain:
“It’s a deal! But while my wounds are being tended, how about I break the metaphorical ice… with a song?”
Sylva strums her banjo and sings a sea shanty while her Musical Accompaniment spell adds backup instruments.
How long will this go on?
How long, indeed…?
Captain Tinhill claps his ghostly hands after Sylva finishes her song. "Brava! Well done, missy! Now then, about me ship: the potent magic of the Jundlan Wrecks is keeping her on ice! Breaking or melting the accursed stuff won't work. But there's somebody who can help--Pholebis!
"She's a naiad, but she's rotten to the core. Not far from here, she built a temple of bones dedicated to some fey sea serpent or other. Pholebis possesses a ritual that allows her to turn entire ships into ghosts. We can use that ritual to free the Mermaid’s Tears. She’s capable of powerful spellcraft, but guards her magic fiercely, and won’t give it up without a fight.
"Defeat Pholebis and free me ship, and I swear to Besmara, I'll personally escort you anywhere you want to go! So? Do we have an accord?"
Sylva takes this to mean, “So we’re asking her to dispel the ice… but she’s probably gonna fight us.” Considering all of the opponents that she and her companions didn’t accidentally kill, she says, “Okay,” and also says a prayer to Shelyn for good measure.
Slapping behinds every 10 minutes, Sir Batman listens to the ghosts proposal.
Sounds indecent. I'm in!
Nox doesn’t know much about naiads. Sylva knows they are amphibious nymphs who protect streams, ponds, springs, and other natural bodies of fresh water. They resist fire and are weak to cold iron. Most are benevolent fey, but some succumb to wickedness.
”Sure, rest! Relax! We ain’t going anywhere!” Captain Tinhill says with a hearty chuckle!
Sylva says of Naiads, “They are beautiful water nymphs who protect nature. Maybe Pholebis isn’t necessarily a bad person, but has her reasons for being so wrathful. But then, that kentauride we met was a serial killer…”
Sylva seems to grow a little pale just mentioning that past foe.
“…appearances can be deceiving is all.” She seems suddenly very interested in finding a place to sleep.
You rest overnight, keeping warm as best you can. In the morning, Captain Tinhill directs you to a chest in his quarters that contain a dagger of venom and a pair of [i]goggles of night.[i] "Take these. It's likely dark down there," the ghostly halfling says. "Also, be sure not to board any other ships here on your way to the temple. Most of those Issian pirate lords aren't as friendly as meself!"
Captain Tinhill gives you directions to the temple on the far side of the Jundlan Wrecks. Sakuachi's companions steer the raft through the wrecks without incident, making the journey in about an hour.
This gray temple is built from the frost-rimed remnants of dozens of shattered hulls and crumbling decks, all held together by makeshift fasteners made from rusty weapons and humanoid skeletons. Tall masts rise up from the corners of the building, each flying a pennant depicting a blue serpent swallowing its own tail.
A single entrance on the west side seems the only way in. Icy blue water pours out holes in the wall on either side of the entryway. The whole edifice looms down on its surroundings from atop a large, thick ice floe.
Sylva looks at the art on the pennants. “They’re sucking their own tails. If that isn’t a euphemism for Narcissism…” She makes another curious glance. “…even if you’re that flexible. Why on Golarion??”
"It's a metaphor for infinity," Ravenna says, scoping the temple out. She points to the western entrance. "Looks like that's our only option."
Sir Batman pauses to study the structure, the architecture, the ambiance of the building before shrugging his bronze-colored shoulders.
They don't make'em like this no more.
The sprite Raises his Shield and enters....
Three wide corridors branch from this intersection. All around, the walls of the temple are made of thick piles of rotting ship lumber, rusty anchors, and crumbling humanoid bones. Like an icy royal carpet, a shallow channel of running water cuts into the ice floe that serves as the temple’s foundation.