5) Back to the House III: Third time's the charm?

[OGRE MAGE]

CSI: Saltmarsh

Once the wine cellar is searched again and no threats are found, the party changes its mind and heads back up the second story of the house to the as of yet unsearched rooms. The final wing of the upper floor looks a lot like the rest of the dilapidated home. The large crimson stain on the floor still adorns the landing of the steps, some remember their friend Earmulf and the vicious demise that he faced in this wretched place.

Three rooms in total are found and searched. The first is a sitting room of sorts, complete with 2 once fancy but now badly rotting armchairs and a cold fireplace. The next two rooms in the wing were obviously once used as bedrooms. The first room is still intact except for the large hole in the ceiling above. Rain water drips through the roof and leaks through the plastered celling of this room. Chunks of moldy drywall have fallen down and there is a large wet puddle in the middle of the floor of this room. The floorboards look very rotten and totally unsafe to walk on. The last room must be where your now dead friend met up with the assassin Ned Shakeshaft. There is still evidence of someone being held captive in here. Short lengths of rope and twine lay strewn around the floor and a wet gag rag lies on the floor next to them.

Now actually knowing what they should be searching for, the astute members of the group decide to look at the windows in the hallway facing the water. Sure enough, one highest window that looks clearly out over the sea seems to have recent scratches in the wood of the ledge. It looks as though the scratches must have come from the signaling lamp that was found in Sanbalet's quarters. This must be the place where the land based smugglers would signal out to their ship based partners. No sailing vessels are currently seen as the party looks out over the massive body of water.

The rain continues to fall, dripping through the old house in many places. The morning has turned into midday and the rainclouds don't look like they will be clearing up anytime soon.

[Mant72]

Keilif:

"We should set up a watch here at this window, even in the daylight. It is here that we will spot the smugglers before they come ashore."

OM, do we still have the sheet of paper that has the code on it? If so, could you post it again? Thanks!

[OGRE MAGE]

I think Doubtful was the last one to have the lantern and oil box. Because it involved Fire. Did he bring it along? I don't remember hearing that.

The sheet was easy enough to memorize:

IMG_0645.JPG (758.66 KiB) Viewed 1687 times

[ravenn4544]

Ben offers to remain at the window to watch for any approaching vessel. "Well well well - we found a pretty likely spot here, eh? Might be good to have someone here with me that we can take turns watching. Would also be good to have someone here to help react to any likely signalling we will see..."

[wolfpack]

What about the band of undead behind the locked door. do we leave them or destroy their cursed bones.

[Hotgoblin]

Jonas wonders how long the others are going to wait for a ship to come into view and potentially signal us. He knows it is very unhealthy to stay in such a hazardous environment with rotting bodies all around. So, when the others are ready, he will help with the burying of the dead. Jonas pulls a handkerchief out and covers his mouth and nose.

[Scott308]

Umrick Histix, Gnome Fighter

The undead aren't going anywhere. We should take care of the dead bodies first, then we can deal with the undead.

[coil23]

Doubtful

re: signaling lantern

I think Burly started to take it but then replaced items back in the swanky cellar bedroom (ch 2, bottom pg 5 and then top pg 6) so I don't think we have the special signaling lantern. It may very well still be down there though. We can check.

Wasn't it going to be several days until we next expected any signaling from the smugglers? We can certainly come back here tonight to see if there is an incoming signal but we still have much of the day left for other work. Now that we have explored the last known unknowns here, should we clean up the cave network like we planned before?

[ravenn4544]

"I'd say it may be a few days away from when we'd see a ship - but that's a guess based on the turning of the new moon. Who knows what seas the ship may have seen - maybe favorable and it brought them here sooner. It's a safer bet to keep an eye at all times so we aren't surprised!"

[Mant72]

Keilif:

"Yes, a pair of eyes at all times. We shall not be taken by surprise. We have enough hands to spare to take care of the work that needs to be done. We will take shifts."

He turns to Ben, "After we tend to the bodies, I will take second watch."

He makes his way down to commence with the grisly work.

[hedgeknight]

Burly walks around the upstairs carefully and when the offer to return to the task at hand downstairs is made, he readily agrees to go along.

[coil23]

Doubtful

No one should be alone. So which two will stay here on watch for now? I would like to go down and check for the signaling lantern but will stay here for now if most want to go downstairs for the moment.

[Urson]

I will stay here to watch for the smugglers.

[wolfpack]

I will join the elf woman in keeping an eye out in case more brigands decide to attack.

[coil23]

Doubtful nods when two have established they will stay at this watchpost. I will go fetch the signaling lamp from the fancy bedroom and bring that right back so we can have it ready at this post. Then I can join the others in the caves. Just in case things start happening quickly, you remember the signaling code we found, yes?

Doubtful will go down to the brigands' bunkhouse and retrieve the signaling lantern and the oilbox (?) and then bring them back to the two on watch upstairs. When that is done he will join the others in the cave and see what needs to be done.

[wolfpack]

signaling code?

[OGRE MAGE]

All I could find was that Doubtful resisted the urge to take the lantern with the wooden box of candles and oil flasks. Then Burly grabbed "everything else he could carry." Let's just say that the lantern is still in Sanbalet's quarters..........or is it?

After the group figures out where the smugglers conduct their signaling from, they decide to post a watch. Two party members will keep watch at a time around the clock, a rather thorough schedule. Ben and Mai are fortunate enough to draw the first shift. Jervis also volunteers to stay upstairs and watch, making the first pair of "watchers" actually a trio. Jervis reminds the group about the cursed skeletons that have yet to be dealt with. The large gnome comments that they won't be going anywhere soon and that clearing the dead bodies should take precedence.

Doubtful wants to go and retrieve the lantern in case things happen soon. He mentions the signaling code. Jervis is oblivious to any code. The druid says he will return shortly if he finds the lantern, making the trio of watchers actually a foursome.

The others again head back down the rickety stairway, returning to the basement level. As the acolyte of Shileil passes the spot where his friend Earmulf was brutally murdered, he says a quick prayer to the Sea Mother. Jonas doesn't like this rotting place one bit, wishing instead that he was back at the cave opening where he could take a quick dip to moisten his skin. The mildew and other spore like growths that permeate the very air of this old, rotten house are beginnng to make the young mage sick again. He covers his mouth with cloth to at least slow the process.

As you traverse the building, everything seems exactly the way it was when you left the place. The group descends the back stairs again, moves through the wine cellar past the first dead body, and enters the barracks room where all this chaos started just a few short days ago. All is quiet and dark.

Ben, Jervis, and Mai spot absolutely nothing as they stare out over the gloomy sea.

[ravenn4544]

Ben looks out to sea - wondering what his shipmates may be up to now. Repairs complete? ready to make way soon? What a turn of the tide his life his taken these past few days....

Enjoying the quiet of not having to run, fight, or row for his life for the next few hours - he opens up conversation with what comes to mind. From his memory of the signalling code (assuming that's what it is) he scratches it out in the dust for his companions.

"So.. what do you make of this...?"

The parchment

image.jpeg

[Mant72]

Keilif:

With the shore being rocky, the sea priest suggests, "I will walk the bodies into the the arms of The Mother. Her embrace accepts all."

Keilif removes his mail, recites The Water Prayer over the fallen and begins wading the corpses into the sea until the tide receives her bounty.

[Scott308]

Umrick Histix, Gnome Fighter

The gnome will help carry bodies so Keilif can give them a burial at sea.When finished with that task, he intently examines Ben's diagram. Furrowing his brow, he scowls and mutters. Hmm. If we...no, maybe...Oh! I think...no, that can't be it...maybe...what if...

Looking up at Ben, he growls, Are you sure this means something? I can't make heads or tails of it. Looks like a bunch of random scratches on the parchment to me. I have an uncle who is great at puzzles, and I bet he'd be able to figure it out quickly. But, he lives way too far from here to be able to help. That, and he may or may not be dead. I haven't seen or heard from him in decades. You're gonna have to have one of the brainy types try to figure this one out. I'm much better at making bad guys bleed than solving puzzles.