The odd shrunken-head looking necklace responds its eyes flaring red as before, "Please call me Ulizmila, for while by physical body had reached its limits, by spirit has work yet to be done. I must know that you agree to accept the responsibility? By speaking the following words... I agree to accept the responsibility of a proper internment of this body and all that that entails. Once you say that it will begin the ritual, which I will be able to instruct you on and guide you through. For it is not just a passing on of a body but the passing on of a legacy."
"I will help support you with this. It is not every day one is passed knowledge from one old and wise to speak after they have passed. This is a good omen for things to come."
Salaha seems to be relaxed now everyone was up in the treehouse, but she was worried over the exact nature of why the tree stayed hostile for so long. But perhaps this burial will improve it's disposition towards them when leaving.
After Shekla repeats the phrase to the shrunken head-like talisman the silver chain that was held in the corpse's hand falls free leaving the amulet in Shekla's hand with the chain dangling freely. "Yes there are special requirements, the body must be taken to the top of the Great Finger and laid upon the stone pyre, then the words written upon the stone must be spoken so that the body is completely consumed in scared fire. Upon which all the rights to the one that was will belong to the one that is to eventually be passed on to the one that will be. The Great Finger lies northwest of here, and the Grippli know where it is and can lead you too it. They know to respect the wearer of this amulet but treat them well as they can be a great help to you in the future as they were to me in the past. You may safely rest here but do not touch anything until it has become yours, as the defenses of this house will turn on you if you do."
If nothing else was needed from inside, she agreed they should perhaps not rest in the tree it's self, but more near the tree, that way nothing will be touched by chance. It was a great gift they had received the help, but more importantly it was a great gift for Sheila.
Dain heads down the tree and helps set up camp.
William helps set up camp as well!
Shekla pauses the group from descending as she speaks to the tiny head which does not answer. So, she places it on and then speaks to it and then nods as if having received an answer. "Okay the tree is simply a creature with limited intelligence, or basically an animal and while it will not attack me it still may attack you if it mistakes you for a potential meal. So, it might be best if we do not camp within range of the tree. Will you all help me wrap the body?" She pulls a folded white cloth from out from under the chair in which the corpse is sitting and then spreads it partially out onto the floor. Then with the help of others the body is transferred from the chair to the cloth and carefully rolled into the cloth until several layers envelope the body. She then pulls out from under the chair some red narrow sash-like ties and binds the body within the cloth using them.
The group then carefully brings the wrapped corpse down from the tree house and heads back to the boat. Upon arriving at the boat, the few Grippli that are there start croaking excitedly. Where Shekla then says, "They are saying that they are very happy to see that the lady lives by which they mean me. Apparently, this happened once before a longtime ago but it is a story that is told to all of them as they are growing up. They also know a small bit of ground nearby that we can use to camp for the night. Further, Salaha they will trust your pet so you may go get it before or after they take us to that spot of land."
Eventually the group is taken in an easterly direction to exactly what the Grippli's said it would be; a rather small patch of ground roughly ten feet wide by maybe fifteen feet long and covered in tall marsh grasses requiring the party to clear or mash down the grass to make for a useable campsite. During the rest of the day and the early evening, Grippli's come and go bringing food and wine but always giving Salaha’s crocodile a very wide berth. Shekla will inform the group that they call it a war beast because the lizard folk, a good distance south west of here, use them for that purpose.
She also informs them that the great finger is about a good day travel from here through the swamp for the Grippli but they do not use boats and some parts of the swamp are not traversable via a boat. However, they can take us around the swamp but that could take quite a bit longer or not depending on whether or not a clean path through the swamp can be found for the boat. She also states that the Grippli's usually do not go deeply into the swamp as that is where, what they are calling monsters reside, which might just mean larger predators, they do not have any clear descriptions of the monsters. Oh and yes they would much prefer to go around the swamp rather than through it.
William helps wrap the body in a shroud.
Dain help with the body. Going around the swamp sound best, too much deep water. Also, what can the Grippli tell us about the lizardmen? Just how hostile are they?
Shekla does a bit of conversing with various Grippli and she eventually answers Dáin, "Well it appears that they occassionally prey on the Grippli and have a superior force when they do, with some riding war beasts that often eat Grippli that fight back. So most of the time, they just flee and try to hide from them. Further I, or the I that was, often helps them stem some of the predations but it does not stop all of it due to the size of the raiding parties. So it sounds kind of like typical barbarian like activity with clans warring against other clans kind of thing."
" Would it be wise to help out with that issue perhaps after we solve this illness? Lizardmen can be reasonable sometimes, but other times they need removed."
Salaha ask, curious to the thoughts of he party when it comes to this issue of the swamp. Lizardmen did have some intelligence so they could be a disruption of the natural order.
"I'd say we try to negotiate with the lizardmen, see if they see reason," said William.
Shekla says, "As the protector of the Grippli, I know I would appreciate that I but think my first priority will be setting the tree house back in order and getting a better understanding of my new role, as Ulizma has indicated her time here as my mentor after the ritual is limited."
While both Lars and Vilma say the like the idea but will have to wait until after the current mission is concluded prior to giving a solid yeah or nay to going along.
"Then as stewardship as our areas, I will be back to assist with the protection of your people, the grippli. Be that what it may. We will return to help, but the truth is we shall first finish our first mission."
Salaha seems satisfied with this answer, as lizardmen we're not always enemies to her people, but that didn't mean friends either. And they sounded to perhaps be upsetting a natural order, something that clearly bothered her.
After a long night camping in the extremely foggy somewhat damp marsh, the group wakes to the eventual lightening of the fog where visibility finally becomes further than arms reach. Still with the Grippli providing fresh food and wine the group does not need to tap into their food or liquid supplies, although the Dwarf might be tempted to drink something a bit more stought than the wine the Grippli provide.
The next three days are spent aboard the boat, as it travels around the swamp, sticking to the marsh. Thankfully, with the Grippli's help that trip proves to be uneventful and the group arrives at the base of what the Grippli indicate is the Great Finger. All the group can see is a lot of rock which goes up out of sight. Which do to the fog is not all that far. Still there is a place where they can safely beach the boat and the Grippli indicate a path that will eventually take them to the summit.
Dain gets a litter set up so he can carry the body easier as they head upwards.
William will look for an easier way up.
Here are my checks:
William examines the rock formations that he can see and spots something of interest and after a bit of careful climbing he gets up to a small ledge about ten feet above the path. Tucked a bit out of sight, from the barely perceivable ledge is a small opening that leads into the small mountains interior. However, Williams knowledge of Geography tells him that this opening will most likely go in and down rather than in and up, still one cannot always be sure. Still the liklihood of it going up would be slim, further to use this opening, any non-small creature, would have to crawl at best and slither at worst.
William examines the rock formations that he can see and spots something of interest and after a bit of careful climbing he gets up to a small ledge about ten feet above the path. Tucked a bit out of sight, from the barely perceivable ledge is a small opening that leads into the small mountains interior. However, Williams knowledge of Geography tells him that this opening will most likely go in and down rather than in and up, still one cannot always be sure. Still the liklihood of it going up would be slim, further to use this opening, any non-small creature, would have to crawl at best and slither at worst.
"Everyone, I found a small opening," says William. "It's large enough for a halfling to comfortably enter. But for us, not so much."
Couldn't get in there with this body anyway.
" Perhaps I could send Snapper forward in it? Would that be agreeable? That way we can look ahead and yet not risk one of us at first if something goes wrong."
Could work, give it a try. Would he be able to turn around?
I get a -4 to my check to help snapper up, is that true?
I'm not good with animals.
Strength check:
I heard your back crack all the way over here. I don't recommend moving . Dain looks at the no doubt in pain person.
As William goes to help hoist the human-sized crocodile up, his foots slips.
" Here, hold him like this, be calm as you push up, here here..."
As William goes to help hoist the human-sized crocodile up, his foots slips.
Dáin does most of the heavy lifting following Salaha's directions and Snapper is soon at the cave opening.
So, now we have snapper here, what do we have him do?
"Ouch!" says William after falling and letting go of Snapper. "I'm okay, nothing's hurt except my pride."
" We should just see what really is in the hole, just incase something in there we do not wish to attack us. And we may find something worthwhile as well once it is safe."
Hopefully he will be able to get out.
"I agree, it's large enough for a halfling," says William. He looked on as the alligator moved into the small cavern. "But I wonder if Snapper will be able to turn around."