"I have not heard of such an illness, but my people tend to not get sick often. That does not mean what is causing it is not this evil on the currents. But I am familiar somewhat with plant life... but those names are unfamiliar to me. We should set a good pace," This comment seemed to be directed to Snapper who moves a bit faster now, but not enough they were flying down the waterways. " And we should soon find this source. Hopefully this Arcanist is as good as reported, and with proper respect we can gain their help."
After a little while at the oars, Vilma looks over at Dain and makes the comment "rowing really sucks".
Oh pish tosh! Just get into the rhythm of it, like mining coal in the mines.
A little while later Vilma replies.
"Alright, by extension then, I don't like mining coal either."
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Feh! The first ton is the hardest but the rest just sails on by! Don't knock it till you try it.
"Well, it could be worse," mentions William. "Nobody said Adventuring would be easy."
William can't stand the oars either. But he tried to think of better things to do -- like blowing up zombies.
The group heads out putting effort to the ores reducing the physical fatigue on Salaha's crocodile and Lars is able to keep the boat from hitting any of the rocks that exist within the Dunwich straight. Once past the straight the rowers can relax as no extra effort was needed to move the boat forward through the very sluggish upper Dunwich river. The trip forward was rather monotonous as it consisted of a lot of fog and marsh grasses.
Then after dropping anchor and spending a semi-uncomfortable night aboard the boat, the group, late in the next day, comes upon a rock formation that is obviously the reference to the finger, for as they approached it, it indeed looked like the clawed finger of a hand crookedly pointing off to their right. Deciding to wait and start early the next day, the group drops anchor once more and spends another semi-uncomfortable night aboard the boat.
The next day sees the group heading out easterly, well perhaps -- for it is hard to tell in the fog what direction they are actually heading in. The crocodile is still able to tow the boat from the river into the marsh proper. They have not left the river for very long when the group is hit by a shower of small darts. However, just as quickly as their attackers had launched their attacks they appeared to just as quickly no longer be there. Still in this small rain of darts many of the group gets hit. Salaha and Vilma got hit 4 times, Dáin gets hit 3 times, Lars gets hit twice, and Brand and Travoiril get hit once.
Aughh! What in tarnation? Have we wandered into someone's territory?
As the rain of darts sweeps across the boat, Travoril panics, dropping his oar as he raises his arms to shield his face. Most of the darts miss him, but one sinks into his arm, causing him to yelp in pain.
Cowering behind the boat's gunwale, he calls out to the unseen attackers in Kyolan. "Who's there? W-w-we mean you no harm!"
When he receives no response, however, he straightens back up somewhat sheepishly and retrieves his oar. As the boat is pulled along by the crocodile, the young priest scans the marsh to either side for enemies, his head swiveling back and forth as he searches for any other foes.
Shekla half stood and glared into the fog after the darts peppered her friends. She searched the fog not with eyes alone, but listened for familiar and unfamiliar sounds while she thought through what sorts of things they might have been...
Still she was pretty sure it did not require the creatures to be magically intuned. So they most likely were mostly mundane in nature. Further feeding off of Dáin's comment she realizes that this could be an issue of territorial intrustion, and she highly doubts that Travoril's Keolan is going to be understood by any native of the marsh as it took her several years to learn Keolan after arriving in town.
Paying closer attention to the marshes background sounds she could hear the buzz of insects, the call of birds, and the croaking of frogs. However, she was not skilled in any of these potential languages if they were more than just animal calls.
Salaha slaps at her neck and body, thinking she was getting bitten by insects, but when she felt the dart she knew better. They were under attack by something, but she wasn't sure what.
"Whose there? We mean no harm to you or yours. We are simply traveling the marsh in peace, and if needed will make peace for travel unharmed! We have information!" she calls out, this assuming the darts did not contain anything that would prevent her from speaking.
Shekla grunted, and nodded to Dáin. "Good instincts." She said, by way of appreciation, and maneuvered to the side of the boat nearest the volley, staying low. "Sounds like Grippli. Frog people. I don't know their tongue, doubt they know Keolan. You can try waving your hands about and hope they understand -- they use gestures to trade. For metals and gems."
She shrugged and glanced at the food barrels. "They like fruit too. Or I can see if they might know orc, saurian, or hin, but I doubt it." Shekla shrugged again and waited to see what the others were thinking.
We could give it a try, but I doubt they speak Dwarven.
Hearing frog people, Salaha calls out in a different tongue, one more unheard of by those on land but perhaps the river people knew it. In Aquan she calls out "Be at peace friends, we merely wish to travel through. Have we crossed into your territory without knowledge? We seek information and trade, and will met without quarrel with you. Let us not be enemies but friends."
She hoped they understood Aquan, because she was unsure what other languages she knew that they might.
As the group begins calling out in various languages trying to get communication lines open, Vilma lays down stiffly feeling the effects of the poison coursing through her veins. Travoril feels some stiffness but nothing dramatic. After exhausting all the languages they know amongst them, they hear back from the marsh grass a croaking version of Saurian.
Shekla growled at the response -- and seeing Vilma go down. She practically roared back in Saurian, with full fluency.
"We travel through, not attack! You attacked us! Now you run, let us pass, and we leave you be. Attack again and face fury of Shekla, sorceress of the Dripping Blades, chosen of Luthic!"
As she finished, Shekla drew attention to the brand on her cheek.
There is a long pause and then the voice comes but from a different direction as if the creature had moved some distance.
[dice=Fort]1d20+9
[dice=Fort]1d20+9
[dice=Fort]1d20+9Aughh! What in tarnation? Have we wandered into someone's territory?
"We must have," says William. "If they're undead, play time."
William readies his spell components. "Okay, you out there, you must have a reason to attack us. We mean you no harm, if you are evil or not."
Getting into a shouting match in a boat surrounded by those who really have one up on us is not a good idea. Dain looks like he is trying to adhere to the boat.
Shekla snorted at William. Her shoulders slumped, and her tone felt deflated. Whatever vitriol she felt a moment earlier was gone, now. "Calm down... They are frogs, and they are the size of children." She held her palm about two feet above the the deck for emphasis. "Someone help Vilma. I'll do the talking..."
Shekla switched to Saurian to deal with them; though she clearly mentioned Ulizmila by name.
"Yes, we visit the witch Ulizmila. We not know why she angry, not know she was missing. We need to find her... We were hoping she was still here. Shekla and crew will find Ulizmila."
Again there was a semi-long pause and then the voice came from a significantly different direction although still from the same side of the boat.
William calms down, visibly. He doesn't try to summon, but he might cast shield on himself.
Shekla continued her conversation.
"The crocodile is pulling our boat. Work not war. I not know what other war beast you mean... But thank you. Any help you give will let us find Ulizmila faster."
While awaiting the response, Shekla felt safe enough to spare a moment to explain to the others. "The swamp witch, Ulizmila, the one we're seeing... She's been missing for many seasons. The Grippli are afraid of our 'war beasts' but I told them the croc was working. They're willing to help us get close to Ulizmila's home and avoid dangers, but not all the way -- they said her home protects itself."
Shekla shrugged, and looked to Salaha. "They said they would only help if we send the war beasts away. I made my case that your croc was for work, but until they respond..." She shrugged again.
Again the somewhat same routine, the talker keeps shifting positions before speaking again or after it speaks perhaps.
Potential Recorded RL Food: Baby Elephants, Birds, Crustaceans, Fish, Fruit, Insects, Porcupines, Rats, Sharks, Snakes, Turtles, Snails, Water Buffalos, Zebras, and more
Shekla had a sour expression. She looked at Salaha first. "They won't help unless you send the croc away. And there's a second one stalking us -- they think it is also ours. Can you get rid of it?" Shekla asked their guide.
To avoid upsetting the Grippli, she kept them up to speed.
"Our war beasts are crokdials. I have told the keeper to send them away."
Salaha makes a face, clearly a bit miffed at the creatures unwillingness to help. But she thinks on the words from what she was told, and offers " One is mine to keep with me for the nature has decreed, but the other is merely a friend. I can not get rid of the one from nature. He is connected to me. The larger one I can, but I can also request her to return to her home in peace. What do they offer us in exchange exactly, if the person we seek is missing for seasons? The way of nature is balance, and that seems unbalanced in favor of them."
She was trying to word it politely, given one should respect the territory of others, but to attack without any clear warning or posting of said territory seemed a more tricky.
I don't know if they had any territorial markers or anything. I don't know if they would accept that we didn't know we were intruding.
William, settles down visibly. He didn't have anything to offer at this stage. Maybe he could take some Saurian lessons from Shekla so he could communicate with the Grippli. In any case, despite his zealous attitude about evil, he thought to communicate with his deity.
"Hieroneous, may you help Shekla in bringing about a peaceful resolution to this dilemma," William prayed.
Shekla blinked twice at Salaha's response and stared blankly for a few moments. "Huh..?" She shook her head, missing a few things... She glanced to Dáin and Will in turn, first. "Any markings wouldn't be meant for us, but for other swamp dwellers. An thank you, William. But could you ask Hieroneous to help Vilma, maybe?"
Shekla returned her attention to Salaha. "Ok. The Grippli are willing to guide us through the dangerous swamp, close to the dangerous home that can defend itself. They know more about Ulizmila than we do, and we need to find her. That's why we are here. They didn't ask for food or shiny things or anything else, just send away the animals that might eat them. And when we find Ulizmila, they get their witch friend back, and we might find a cure. Okay?"
"I'm pretty sure that Vilma is alright for right now," said William. "But I'll say a prayer for her."
William was wondering about the grippli and the crocodile that was pulling their boat. He really wasn't worried about Vilma right now. She's safe as long as the boat doesn't rock. But he promised to say a prayer to Heironeous about her. So he silently prayed.
Hieroneous, may your hand guide Vilma.
"I will have mine hang back then, while they guide us through. But make it clear if harm comes to Snapper due to their ignorance, it will be the last time they speak to anyone. I care little for beings unwilling to expand their minds simply because they don't like what they are told."
She was clearly miffed that her companion had to hang behind simply due to creatures being to stubborn to understand the differences between things. No wonder the swamp was out of balance, if this is what the witch dealt with she can understand her disappearing. She would as well if this was her neighbors.
Shekla frowned. "I'm not gonna threaten them for you. They're just afraid of getting eaten! But, thank you for sending both the Crocs away. Just... please try to be nice to the Grippli. To them, they are taking a huge risk trusting us at all."
She turned her attention back to the swamp.
"The crokdials minder is sending them away. Thank you for helping to guide us."
[b]Well it is a big relief that there is no fighting. Let's go, the sooner we are on dry land, the better./b]
Salaha thanks the big crok for helping out and promised to deliver the remainder of the meat promised to it at their pre-arranged spot as soon as possible. She then communicates to her companion to lay low and not be noticed until she contacts it again.
With the crocs seemingly gone, the somewhat timid Grippli make themselves known, or at least a small handful do. Still it is fairly obvious that there are many more than the few that are seen considering the earlier attack.
Lars, with some help gets one of boat poles and begins using it from his sitting position, which frankly would be impossible for anyone but him to do, and begins poling the boat forward, "Someone needs to take the other boat pole and go to the bow and help by directing our path as the tiller will be next to useless while poling."
Eventually one of the bright multi-colored Gripplis crawls up near the bow of the boat and points the way while the others seem to fade back into marsh. Somewhat there after a dock can be seen up ahead, "That dock leads to the witch's house, be the warned it protects itself." With that said it dives into the marsh and disappears below the surface.
The boat soon pulls up to the dock and gets tied off, however neither Vilma nor Lars are capable of making the journey forward, leaving the rest to venture forward towards the shadowy form of a big tree.
William checks his knowledge against the witch's place. He wonders if he heard anything about this witch and her powers.
Dain rushes to get onto somewhat dry land and puts his armor back on before hefting his shield. Perhaps Salaha can help guide us through this area?
After helping get everything settled in, Salaha would consider the party before her, and realized something. None of them seemed to be able to breathe underwater, and that could be an issue. She offers, "I can scout ahead and see what dangers maybe in our way, if you wish. Atleast then we will be prepared, and not caught unaware. I would recommend following a distance behind me, but I am unsure the terrain ahead. Just because the dock exists doesn't mean the path is solid forward."
She would then make ready to move forward with Snapper coming up to give her any guidance possible. She would then use her knowledge and keen eyes to watch for dangers to the party
Salaha slips into the water and swims out ahead slipping stealthy through the marsh grasses and into a more swamp like area. At the other end of the rather long fairly sturdy dock stands a large tree that vaguely resembles a combination of a cypress and a weeping willow but with thicker limbs hanging down into the water. Still, it is not any kind of plant life that Salaha has ever seen nor heard about.
Salaha does happen to spy a camouflaged ladder that leads up into the tree to an equally camouflaged tree houses of a fairly significant size. When she thinks she has spotted everything she notices one of the hanging limbs jerk up out of the water and quickly consume the fish it caught. Apparently each limb that dangles into the water has a venus fly trap like mouth and the limb is more of a throat.
William steps on to the dock. He was an evoker, that was for sure. And his magic was designed to go against evil. The grippli seemed to be different than typical evil, and he hoped that he would not be negotiating with a witch. He prayed to Hieroneous to give him a sign if the Witch they were after was not evil, similarly he could detect evil as one of his spells.
William thumbed through his spellbook. Nothing on detect evil. William audibly sighed. The enemies of Heironeous wasn't here. Maybe that was the sign. "What now?" he asked himself. He looked around for something he could recognize as a landmark.
We wait for her to come back and then head up if she says it is ok.
After observing the tree and the everything she can, Salaha would make her way back to the group, similar to how she approached. If the witch was as powerful as she suspected, the witch probably had other means of detection of guest.
"I have scouted ahead. The wise would not touch the hanging vines, but I have spotted the path up to the house. However, someone wise and strong as this witch is probably aware we are coming, or that we are approaching. We should be clear in our mission to not harm her nor this swamp. This would not be a fight we win."