Myrp quickly jumps behind a boulder at the suggestion to hide and sits wondering at Taumata's revelation.
There is so much to learn. I feel so dumb... but at the same time it's fascinating.
The rest of your trip through the River Kingdoms goes without incident, and soon you reach the Brevoy border.
You can pass through an official border crossing. It should not be an issue, but in the often cut-throat house struggles of Brevoy, that is not a guarantee.
You could also find a spot to cross the border on your own with no official record of your entering the country.
The choice is yours.
Nearing the border of his homeland, Khalaros grows a bit melancholy, though not rude. Just preoccupied. As you grow nearer, he says, "We can cross at the 'Crossing, or we can go by way of the wilds with no official record of our presence."
The muscled half-orc shrugs, "While I'm not exactly unwelcome here personally, my family's name can sometimes bring unwanted attention. So my vote would be to head in on our own, unseen. But I'll go along with what the group decides."
Khal reaches down and scratches Grumble's head.
Vasily readily agrees. "It would be better to not be noticed as we enter. It can only cause trouble, and the wilds of Restov are mostly unpatrolled. Risk is low, reward is high."
He does not comment on the reasons he suggests this path.
"Agreed. You make the call. Should we come up with a common background story as to why we're here... just in case we get confronted? We are a rather unusual group to be travelling together".
It's not very hard for the group to find a place to cross the border. It's not as easy to actually cross as it would be taking the road, and it does take a few hours of trudging through wilderness to get back to a road deeper within the country.
For the next few days, you move north until you come to the coast. You'll need a boat to get into the lake itself. How will you try to find one?
Khalaros gives a chuckle, and says, "Not likely, even if any of them somehow have relocated here...unless we could somehow prove it was in their best, vital interest. Would be more likely they'd charge us more to rent one than a local fisherman might."
The half-orc shrugs and asks, "Anyone know if the Pathfinders have a local guildhouse?"
"Perhaps we should just follow the shoreline till we find one of these fishing villages. I'm sure we could somehow convince someone to take us across. Do any of you know how to sail in case we just happen to find an abandoned boat"?
"I've no idea, personally."
Khal shifts his pack on his back and says, "Well, that seems like a good plan, then, Myrp. Off we go, eh?" The ranger begins trudging down along the coastline from their current location.
Myrp simply shrugs and follows.
"Keep an eye out for smoke and an ear out for noise. One thing I've learned since we left Absolom is that usually signal people".
Jikah's eyes nearly pop out of her skull as she witnesses Taumata's grand entrance, and she throws herself to the ground in reverence.
"IT IS AN HONOR AND A PLEASURE TO ADVENTURE AT YOUR SIDE, O NOBLE SCION OF THE DRAGONFATHER!" she shrieks delightedly. "I'veneverseenadragonlikeyoubefore! Areyoudivine?!Isthiswomanyourherald?!" Taumata's cautioning that the troll may not have given up the hunt immediately shuts her up, and she gets back up and cleans the mud from her robes, returning them to their pristine state.
She follows the group's lead the rest of the way to Brevoy, noticeably hovering around Starigati, alternating between pestering her with questions about the bond between her and Taumata and fawning over the two of them .
To Myrp's question regarding boats, she shrugs.
"Back home in the Puddles, most of us used rowboats and rafts to get around the places too deep to wade (which was most places for kobolds like us), but I'm no sailor."
"I am certain a practical fisherman will give us a ride to the place we seek, at least a loyal Rostlander would. One can never really say about the Surtova..."
Whatever else he says is lost in a mumble of words inaudible to the others. When the group sets off, he takes his place at the front rank with
Khalros, keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of negative interaction.
A sharp eyed companion may note that Vasily has removed his family crest pin from his lapel since crossing into Brevoy.
[dice=Perception to notice Vasily removing his family crest pin]
Khalaros claps Vasily on the shoulder and chuckles, "Ahh, Vas, the Surtova aren't all that bad for a ruling family. Just because they started out as rogues, scoundrels, and former pirates made good. Now they're very aristocratic." A small pause, then he grins and adds, "I'm sure they'd be very generous if we ask nicely."
It doesn't take all that long for the group to make its way to the nearest village, though it is around noon when you make it there. After stopping for lunch at the tavern, you make your way to the docks, hoping to find a boat returning from a morning of fishing for you to charter.
You do not find one.
But, you do find a boat, just called Garfish, and its captain and two-man crew. They had been doing repairs to nets and had not sailed that morning. The captain takes very little convincing to take the charter from your group. For him, it's an easy and guaranteed way to make up for the lost half-day of fishing.
It will take most of the day to get to your island, and it will be smooth sailing.
At least it should have been!
However, one of the storms that the Lake of Mists and Veils is known for springs up without warning! Garfish's crew springs to work, and while the ride is rough, you are in no danger of going down.
But the Captain isn't taking risks! As soon as he spots an island, one of the new ones, but not your desitination, he guides Garfish to it, and with your help, the crew partially beaches the ship, to prevent it being torn apart of nearby rocks in the storm, and to let the hull be a windbreak for the group, as the fishing ship lacks any real quarters for the crew, let alone six passengers!
As you all huddle behind the ship, you can see that this island is dominated by the ruins of some ancient building on a far-off hill. When the sun falls, you sometimes see a flicker of light from that building and think you may catch chanting on the wind.
However, it might be your imagination playing tricks on you in the ferocious storm.
What do you do?
Khalaros claps Vasily on the shoulder and chuckles, "Ahh, Vas, the Surtova aren't all that bad for a ruling family. Just because they started out as rogues, scoundrels, and former pirates made good. Now they're very aristocratic." A small pause, then he grins and adds, "I'm sure they'd be very generous if we ask nicely."
Vasily mutters in reply, "My experience with the Surtova is not the same as yours friend. Let's just leave it at that, for now." He tries to respond coldly to a friendly conversation, but it comes across that way nonetheless.
"We are not going anywhere until the storm ends." the Captain tells Stari.
Myrp stands in the rain staring at the ruins. He has done nothing but ask both his companions, and any they meet willing to talk about tales of adventure and intrigue. Perhaps this would give him a chance to experience one of the tales in person. He begins a slow walk towards the ruins.
"Come on brave comrades let's create a tale for the ages".
He pulls forth his shears... He opens and quickly clicks the shears closed and with a quick shiver moves.
"You paid me to take you to another island. I'll wait until it's reasonable to assume you aren't coming back. At least a day."
It's not easy travelling in the weather, and the group gently slopes up, but the terrain is rough and overly sodden from centuries of being underwater, and for most of the trip, which takes a couple of hours, you're not even sure there's anything to find.
That changes when you get within 200 or so feet of the ruin. Not only can you see plumes of smoke, but you can also see the outer wall of a very ruined keep, likely a small Azlanti or Thassalonion outpost before Earthfall 10,000 years ago.
However, what really makes you sure there is something there is closer to you. There are a number of small islands, and each is connected to at least one of the others by small, very recently built bridges. The bridges are made of timber that has clearly been refined, showing that it was bought from a sawmill and brought here.
From where you are, there is just one of these new bridges, and it leads to the first island, and that's all you can tell for now.
Khalaros claps Vasily on the shoulder and chuckles, "Ahh, Vas, the Surtova aren't all that bad for a ruling family. Just because they started out as rogues, scoundrels, and former pirates made good. Now they're very aristocratic." A small pause, then he grins and adds, "I'm sure they'd be very generous if we ask nicely."Vasily mutters in reply, "My experience with the Surtova is not the same as yours friend. Let's just leave it at that, for now." He tries to respond coldly to a friendly conversation, but it comes across that way nonetheless.
Jikah looks back and forth between the two Brevans and her snout scrunches up like a frog puppet.
"Should we have hashed this out before arriving?" she asks. "Peace in the land begins with peace in your hearts after all..."
She mostly hunkers down as the storm blows in, keeping low and clinging to the Garfish. Once they arrive, she hops off and shakes the captain's hand.
"Thank you for your bravery and kindness, Captain. Apsu bless you and Iomedae protect you."
She turns to Starigati.
"Lead the way!" she chirps.
Khal gives a friendly shrug, "Nothing really to hash out. Vas and I have each other's backs, regardless of the attitudes of our Countrymen."
The ranger acknowledges the ship captain's answer with a nod and then heads off after the others. Approaching the first bridge, Khal goes down to one knee near it, inspecting it's construction.
"That's good, very good," Jikah replies with a sigh of relief.
Vasily nods his assent at Khalaros' words. "My disagreement is not with present company. No need to worry about that." He unshoulder his bow, just on the off-chance that the builders of these bridges do not want intruders on them.
"This craftsmanship is considerable for a road that leads to a ruin,": Vasily advises. "Building a bridge is no simple feat. Just getting the footings set is considerable work in itself. I am quite interested to see what's going on inside."
He keeps a weather eye out for signs of habitation, such as footprints, discarded items, or motion at the ruin that might give away just who built these more recent structures.
The bridge is definitely made in the same way people in any normal village would make one. It might not last weeks or months, but it is solid enough to get people - quite a few people, Khal thinks - to the first island, and then to the ones beyond.
The bridge has no railings and is simply constructed, but it's also sturdy.
Vasily can't get an accurate count on how many people passed this way, given the weather and that many footprints overlap, but he'd say at least six. It is probably higher. You can't see any motion in the keep at the current time, but you can see the front wall, hazy through the storm.
Myrp continues forward wishing he had eyelids to blink away the rain. He tries to crouch and stay as unnoticeable as possible.
Exploration Activity Stealth (Avoid Notice)
Perception +6, (Darkvision)
Myrp leads the group across the first bridge and onto the first small island. This island has two bridges leaving it.
The one to the right leads onto a small peninsula that seems to get close to a large tower.
The one to the left is where the tracks go, and from here you can see that this way are three more islands, none overly large, and beyond them, you can see the gatehouse of the old outpost.
"Hmmm, not bad construction," Jikah comments. "Clearly a temporary measure rather than a permanent installation, but good for what it needs to do while it's here. Probably a stop-gap until whoever's moved in up there gets themselves settled."
She follows after the group.
"Remember I've got shorter legs than you mammals!"