You step into the shack, starting in what appears to be a living room. There is a small, cushioned chair, a side table with a couple of books on top and several somewhat damaged potted plants around the room.
To your left are stairs leading upstairs. The upstairs is silent and dark.
Straight ahead of you are two doorways. One appears to lead outside. The other leads into a small room with cages. You think you spy a couple of birds in one of the cages. Exploring that room reveals more cages with live sparrows and mice enclosed.
To your right, you can see what appears to be a kitchen and dining room. A wooden table with a single chair and a simple wood-burning stove decorate this room. Exploring that room reveals a door leading into a smaller pantry that holds several days worth of food and water.
After a few moments of walking through the bottom floor of the house, you hear a soft voice coming from upstairs. "Hello….? Who's there?"
Nami looks at the body of the strange fallen foe, surprised by the sheer violence of the musket. He is clearly impressed by the weapon but saddened by the creatures death when a peaceful solution could have been reached. Those who live by the sword...
He gives Theo an admiring smile and says, "Excellent shot, my friend. I hope this creature hasn't harmed Mr. Proudstump."
The monk peers into the house and follows the others inside, carefully stepping around the fallen monster.
Hearing the voice coming from upstairs, Nami rushes up to investigate. "Who's there? Mr. Proudstump?"
"Serves you right for being such a vile toad." Kallista chirps to her fallen foe as she watches the monsters blood bubble forth from the gaping hole through its throat.
Sheathing her blade and turning to Theo she remarks "So that's the thunderous racket I've been hearing from across town from time to time!" she approaches the tall man, eyeing his wondrous device with no small measure of gnomish awe before stopping short of trying to touch it. Settling instead for watching the smoke puffs drift lazily from its muzzle. "Fascinating weapon. Is it a wand of some sort?"
As she enviously eyeballs the curious device, Theo can only wonder what she'd do to the firearm if left unattended with it for a few hours... or seconds...
Once inside the shack, she sticks close to Tobar's side and tries to pretend that the poor critters in the smaller cages aren't live food for other, more slimy, creatures. Inspecting only a few items as she hovers near the dwarf priest.
At the sound of the voice from upstairs, she startles slightly, and moves near Nami. Whispering to him nervously, "Careful Nami, it might be another of those murderous big-mouth things."
Theo looks a little awkward and embarrassed when complimented, though he clears his throat and adjusts the collar of his doublet. "Why, I... yes, thank you. No, Ms. Firebloom, this is not a wand. This is a musket. A complex mechanism. I do not wish to go into specifics currently."
He turns to the door and the voice that called out, still handling his musket with care. "I pray you are a friend. We have already slain the first ... creature who opened the door after he assaulted us."
You hear a choked cry and a small voice says, "Friend! I'm a friend. Oh, thank the Gods!" Immediately, you hear the patter of small feet running across the floor above. Seconds later, at the top of the stairs, you see a halfling, covered in mud and blood, a wide, relieved smile on his face. "Did you truly slay that wicked beast?" he asks. "Thank you!"
"We made short work of the two-faced scum, we did!" Kallista says proudly, her voice posing a warning to the halfling in the event it might be the fallen monster's partner in crime.
Her mind already filled with visions of lurking serpents, she came up with a clever idea.
"Sorry about asking this Mister Proudstump," she queried the banged up halfling, "but would you mind telling me who the current sheriff of Sandpoint is? You know, just so my easily angered companions here don't accidently kill you thinking you're one of that dead creature on your steps friends?"
She waited for his response and smiled to herself for being able to link the sheriff with the snakes.
"Is ol' Hemlock still in charge? Never did like that guy." Proudstump answers, his face hopeful that his response is accurate. He removes his cloak and offers it to the party as a peace offering. "It's not much, but I'd like to offer you my cloak. It's given me some protection over the years. Also, I invite you to stay at my house. I'll cook for you and give you a place to rest. And I can answer any questions you might have. I'm just incredibly grateful for your help."
"Yep, that jerk is still running things like its his own personal sandbox." Kallista notes sourly, "You know, just so happens he and I don't see much eye to eye either. Nope, nope."
Relaxing as she becomes certain that the halfling before her is truly a halfling, she quickly steps up to tend his injuries.
"I'm not much of a healer in the classical sense," she smiled as she cast her spell on the man, "but this always does the trick."
"What in the heck was that nasty thing anyway? she asks Proudstump as she takes a seat near him that is high enough off the floor that she can avoid any of his slithering company that might approach while she's distracted.
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Proudstump. I must admit some sustenance would be welcome." He straps his musket on his back, and accepts the cloak from the halfling. He studies it for a few moments. "We do have questions that require answers, and will appreciate any information you can offer. I suggest we withdraw to the comfort of your home, rather than stay in the presence of this abomination."
Theo never looks at the dead creature.
The monk greets the halfling heartily and helps him down the stairs and into the arms of his companions. "Glad to be of help. People have to stick together in dangerous times like these." He says as they settle in to chat.
"And dangerous times is what brought us to your aid. There's rumor of goblins stirring in the area, specifically the Licktoad and their chieftain, Gutwad. We're also looking for a trio of boys and their hired mercenaries that could have passed through here. They've gone missing, hunting the goblins. We were hoping you may have information."
Proudstump watches in amazement as his wounds are healed. He openly cries in gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! I thought I was doomed. That...thing...I don't know what it is...it...it...tried to kill me. And I it. Both of us were wounded. I ran into my house - I have something of a saferoom upstairs. It thought I had run into the swamp. It's been here, waiting for me to return, for days now." At Nik'o's question, his eyes go wide. "He didn't LET me live at all. We both tried our hardest to end the other's miserable existence. Well, he had the miserable existence. I was quite content. It is only by the Fortunes that I survived." He sniffs and wipes his arm on his sleeve. He seems to compose slightly.
When Theo mentions food, he makes his way to the kitchen. "I don't have much, but I do make a delicious bread pudding that should fill you up." He goes to work, putting the ingredients together. He moves to his pantry and withdraws some bread, which actually looks quite fresh and delicious.
When Tobar asks about his snakes, he sadly shakes his head. "I think that beast killed most of them, probably." He begins smashing the bread in a bowl, combining it with milk and raisins. He is clearly trying to hold back his tears. "They saved my life, though, they did. They got him a few good times. Didn't know they had that much fight in them. If there are any left alive, they're in that garden through the door. I'll check on them after I finish this up." He gestures to the door leading outside you noticed when you first entered the home.
At Nami's questions, he perks right up. "Why yes, yes, yes. There were a couple of lads who came this way. It was right after my fight with that...that...thing. They came by here, but I was too wounded and scared to greet them. They looked like a fearsome lot. I don't know what they wanted from me, though. And as for you, with the goblins, I only know a little. I try to keep my distance." He finishes mashing the bread, milk and raisins together and doles out equal portions into five wooden bowls. His idea of bread pudding is a little different than typical.
"I know their village can be reached by the Old Fish Trail, south of here. Your best bet is to head back to the Lost Coast Road and hit the trail from there. Or, you could just slog through the swamp. That would take you a while and be a nasty affair, likely. What else do you need to know? Oh, and how's the pudding?"
Kallista begins merrily chowing down on the bowl of bread, milk and raisins without so much as a sniff or sideways glance, and is three quarters done before her host even gets to ask how it tastes.
Looking a bit sheepish, she fixes him a broad smile, a thin trail of white at the corner of her lips and nods, "Positively splendid Mister Proudstump!" slurping up another mouthful while making a mental note not to follow any of the party into Walthus' garden if they are inclined to do so.
"Its absolutely terrible what that wicked little monster did here! I am relieved that you were able to get away from him! Yup! Maybe you should consider getting a more reliable pet if you're gonna stay out here in the boonies, you should. A big dog or two maybe? Much better than snakes they are. Yup they are." realizing she was starting to ramble, she suddenly thought of something her large friend inquired about earlier.
"Say Mister Proudstump, you wouldn't happen to have a spare vial of anti-toxin around by any chance would you?" Kallista gives Nik'o a sly wink after she asks. "What with all your little friends and all. None of them happen to be poisonous I hope?" she asks her halfling host as she looks down at the floor suspiciously. Tucking her feet up safely under her butt, Kallista quickly finishes her food.
Nami sits down and eats the pudding pleasantly surprised at its taste, it's not the best he's ever had, but it beats tavern leftovers almost any day. He's takes it slow, not enjoying the prospect of looking for snakes, alive or dead.
"Horace mentioned a cliff overlooking the swamp, can you see the goblin village from there?"
Proudstump screws up his face as he's thinking. "I know I HAD some anti-toxin, but I'm not sure where I put it. Hmm...and, truly, it's probably not any good. I tried to make my own, but my snakes never bite me. So, it seems unnecessary. Sorry."
At Nami's question he shakes his head "no." "The trees are much too high to spot anything specific," he says. "You can get a sense of the trails and waterways, but not much else."
Kallista shrugs and smiles at her host as he admits to not having any anti-toxin on hand and pushes aside her empty bowl.
"Not a problem, just figured I'd ask. Yup. Oh! and thank you again for the bread pudding Mister Proudstump, it was most tasty!"
Seeing that nobody else had taken the halfling's offered cloak, the fidgety bard picks it up and begins to inspect it.
"What a strange gift." she wondered silently, managing for once to keep her thoughts from spilling out of her mouth.
After only a few moments of inspection, Kallista discovers that the cloak helps improves the wearers resistance.
Kallista's eyes brighten as she discovers the properties of the rich brown cloak in her hands and she carefully folds it places it on the table in front of her, making a note to inform her companions of this discovery as soon as they bid Walthus farewell and continue the adventure.
"The Old Trail sounds like the best plan. It does!" she chirps happily. Jumping down off the chair and looking more than a bit relieved that she wasn't asked to head into the garden to look for runaway snakes.
"Thank you again for the hospitality Mister Proudstump!" she smiles sweetly to her host, embracing him in a cautious hug, lest he still be a bit wounded from his ordeal with the slimy thing on the doorstep, or worse, have a wayward snake hiding in his pockets. Taking the cloak over her arm, she begins to ramble on... "We'll be leaving you now. You take care of yourself and it'd probably be best to get that thing off your doorstep. Maybe Nik'o here could toss the thing into the sea or cut its nasty head off and bring it back to Sandpoint to see if someone there knows what in the heck the crazy bugger is... well, was... Shalelu would likely know! She would! But I wouldn't want to carry some unfortunate monster's severed squash around in my pack for a few days. Nope! A bit unsanitary. It is... and..."
Nami nods agreement, "The fish trail seems the next sensible step. I prefer to stay out of the swamp if there are other options."
The monk would help move the remains off of the old halfling's porch before the group moves on and then thanks him once more for his hospitality adding a bow of farewell.
Theo enjoys the simplicity of the meal, and says little. When the time comes for them to leave, he is the last to rise from his seat. "While I would be interested to know what this abomination is, it is also irrelevant for the time being. I believe it would be better to get on our way today. Mr. Proudstump, I wish to express my appreciation for the hospitality. May we meet again."
He gives Walthus a stiff bow before he treads out into the strange air of the swamp...
You all leave Proudstump, who gratefully begins crying his thanks again, inviting you all back for a bed and a meal if you need it.
You make your way back up the well-traveled trail, which seems just as sinister as it did the first time you traversed it. However, everyone is in mostly good spirits for the first several minutes of the trip.
That ends as Kallista thinks she spots a pale, human-shaped figure watching from a gap in the trees. It disappears from sight before anyone else is able to spot it. After that, all the sounds and movements nearby put the group on edge.
Crossing the rickety bridges is still unsettling, though they do manage to hold the group's weight.
After about an hour, you emerge from the darkness of the swamp and into the open sun of the Ashen Moor. Directly in front of you, you see Horace who frowns slightly with your return. "Everythin' all right?" he asks, a confused look on his face.
"Depends on who you ask, it does!" Kallista replies to Horace, looking a bit nervous and flustered despite her apparent cheerfulness.
"We found Mister Proudstump, near dead from some shape-changing toad-looking monster that attacked us on the doorstep of his house." she reported, heading straight for Sunflower and making sure she is still as high-spirited and headstrong as ever.
"We killed the beast and rid Walthus of its smelly carcass, but it killed most of the poor halfling's snakes and had him trapped in his house for the better part of a few days. It did. Vile thing. Yup yup. Oh! He also saw Karl and the others too, but wasn't able to greet them and doesn't know what became of them either." the gnome continues to babble on as she feeds Sunflower an apple and handful of honeyed oats from a saddlebag.
"And I saw something in the woods shortly after leaving Mister Proudstump's. Rather pale and about the size and shape of a human. It vanished before my friends could get a look at it. The shifty thing. Dunno what it was. Maybe a restless spirit or one of the boys from the first expedition, too scared to come out. It sure poofed in a hurry. Probably saw Theo's muskrat and didn't want a hole the size of one of Ameiko's sweet rolls through its throat." the little bard giggles a bit at the morbid thought and falls silent.
The halfling dismisses the frown of Horace out of hand thinking the man is a bit of a grump. He follows his companions in silence, preferring to walk, bo in hand.
Theo stays quiet as they exit out of the thick, murky swamp. The sight of the pale human has left his eyes glimmering, though it is difficult to tell if it is with curiosity, or fear. Without thinking, he trails after Nami, on foot as well, his hands fiddling in his pockets. The soft rattle of metal against metal can be heard.
Kallista chases after the others, leaving Sunflower behind with Horace again.
Sticking close to Tobar, she keeps ever-watchful eyes on the wood's edge looking for that sly, pale thing that was shadowing them earlier.
"I wonder if it's friendly and just scared?" she thought to herself as she followed behind Nami and Nik'o, munching on a piece of soft cheese from the bundle of food Ameiko had given her.
Nami whistles a tune as they travel through the marsh.
Kallista adds her voice to Nami and Tobar's song.
Singing a very old and simple, yet somehow catchy Hill Dwarven marching chant.