Sarenith 24 (Afternoon, Brinestump Marsh)

Like all residents of Sandpoint I had heard of Old Megus, but I’d never actually met her myself. Rumor was that she rarely left the swamp, coming into town only to purchase obscure magical supplies. Most people referred to her as the Swamp Witch and based on Etayne’s reaction when we found her home that wasn’t just a colloquialism (and so it would seem that the Witch’s Walk was also aptly named). Of particular interest to Etayne were the numerous windchimes made of bone that were hanging above the porch, but when asked about them she replied that although they looked familiar she did not understand their purpose.

The shack was in poor shape. Neglect and the elements had taken their toll and the walls were dingy and sagging. Next to it was a partially collapsed shed which had long since given up the fight. No one had lived here in some time.

The ground around the buildings was covered with large rodent tracks which, of course, peaked Qatana’s curiosity and when she heard skittering inside the house it proved too tempting for her to resist. At least she knocked first. When there was no answer, she opened the door—this took some effort because the frame was warped—and went in with Etayne and some of the others close behind. Given the number of tracks on the ground, I chose to stay outside and keep an eye on both buildings from the front. Olmas went around back to do the same.

I heard but did not see the skirmish. Etayne emerged briefly to clean that long spear of hers, the end of which was covered in blood. “Dire rats,” she said with a half-smile when I looked at her quizzically, and then she went back inside without another word.

People surprise you.

Old Megus, it seemed, had died at her own hand. Etayne spent a lot of time examining the remains of her laboratory and had no doubt that there had been a mishap of some sort with one of her experiments. It was kind of a sad discovery. Megus had presumably come out here to live in solitude, but that also meant that she died alone and no one had noticed aside from her ratling familiar. Not that I approve of what she had been doing. Obsessed with transformation magic, her deformed corpse suggested she was mucking with the process of nature itself; it’s the sort of experimentation that taints all of us, especially in countries like Varisia where superstition runs strong.

As for the ratling, the arcane world has low opinions of these creatures but I am pleased that this meeting did not end in bloodshed and that we were able to part amicably. He was, after all, just defending the only home he has known for many decades, and we were the intruders. There was no reason to fight, and he seemed touched by the offer to bury his mistress. He even pulled out an amazing surprise: Old Megus had maintained an astonishingly detailed map of the Brinestump Marsh, and we made a rough copy of it in order to amend and correct our own. It is amazing what you can learn when you just talk to other beings and treat them kindly. Assuming of course, that they are not plotting to stab you in the back as you leave. (I think it also helped a great deal to have Etayne take the lead, for there was a level of understanding with her and Ling that would not have been possible with the rest of us).

One interesting mark on Megus’s map was the cave, which she indicated with a simple skull.

“My mistress said that the cave is very dangerous. Even she never went in there, and she was very powerful.”

Etayne replied, “Your mistress was very wise, and she was right to avoid it. Inside were many skeletons, undead created from the corpses of the crew or passengers on those ships.” Among other things.

He didn’t know anything about the skeletons. When asked if Megus ever dabbled with the undead, he shook his head.

“No. She was only interested in life.”

We told what we knew of the goblin village, the skeletons and their attack on it, and even the faceless stalker and the Warden. We were the oral Swamp Times, delivering the latest news to the denizens of Brinestump. And it turned out he had something to add on these matters, as well.

“I’ve been to this ship, too, which the goblins made up into a house. More goblins came to it one day and they fought each other.”

More mysteries. It explained the corpses, answering one question while raising a half-dozen others. Rival tribes? An exiled group? Not that it mattered.

We were able to walk to the second shipwreck from there which was a pleasant turn of events, but that decaying hulk of a Chelish ship was in much worse shape than the other. Without the benefit of any protection from the elements, there was little left beyond the deteriorating hull frame and remnants of its outer plating. A quick search turned up the nameplate which was still intact but severely weatherworn. A few cantrips cleaned it up enough to see a pair of Tien pictographs, and of course, I recognized the name Kaijitsu (I try not to be stupid in the same way more than once). The meaning of the other would have to wait.

Sarenith 24 (Afternoon, Sandpoint)

If it had not occurred to me that we hadn’t searched the entirety of the goblin village, we might not have encountered the Soggy River Monster. Once again, what the name lacked in originality it made up for in technical accuracy,

It was a foul thing and my magic couldn’t touch it, but there were many of us and just one of it, and now it’s dead. According to the Sheriff, this was one of the Sinspawn, horrid creatures that were discovered along with an ancient Thassilonian runewell under Sandpoint a few years ago. I remember several long, tense, and (I am not ashamed to admit it) frightening nights when the sinkhole had opened up, exposing the long-buried temple to the world above. We could hear unnatural, dog-like sounds coming from within. Eventually, the “Heroes of Sandpoint”, as the town called them (Sedjwick no doubt had a hand in that one), had returned and dealt with it. By then, mom and dad had already decided to move. I guess they had had enough.

Why bring this up? For one, it was interesting. For two, as I said my magic had no effect. None. It’s something we were taught while studying the craft as a warning against putting too much faith in spells as an offensive weapon. Some creatures are just innately resistant to mortal magic. Me? I took home a slightly different message, but it will be some time before I am able to master the alternatives.

Olmas and Anavaru are fierce opponents. Olmas you’d expect, but Ana? It still astonishes me. It shouldn’t, I realize, but when you know someone as long as we’ve known one another your perspective gets skewed. She was always quiet, kind, and funny, and we had quite a few laughs about her camel (I meant “horse” there), and that’s just how I remember her. I certainly noticed when she went from adolescent girl to young woman that-you-do-not-want-to-piss-off, but my head is still stuck a couple of years earlier than that.

She started spending a lot more time out in the wild after her dad was killed. She’d always had this thing for animals and getting away from the city seemed to bring her some comfort. I actually joined her on some of her overnight forays into the hinterlands. Once, we event spent a couple of nights trying to catch a glimpse of the Sandpoint Devil after having heard rumors that it had been seen in the farmlands near Tickwood. In retrospect, that was a really stupid idea but I must have felt safe with her around or I wouldn’t have even considered it.

We went to see Sheriff Hemlock as soon as we returned to town. I was just as happy to be rid of the ears and head we were required to provide as proof of our success as I was to collect the bounty on the same. While this sort of troubleshooter-for-hire work certainly seems to pay well, it does strike me as being particularly gruesome. It is also a little disquieting that you end up profiting off of someone else’s suffering. We are all several hundred gold wealthier than we were before—to the average person, an enormous sum that they will not see in their entire lives—but several less fortunate individuals are still dead.

Sarenith 24 (Night, Sandpoint)

Tonight I showed Ameiko the letter. Ana and I grew up with her so the two of us made plans to meet her at the inn before the dinner rush would leave her too busy to talk in private. We were joined by a couple of the others.

At first, there was that awkward moment that comes from delivering unexpected news where you are having two different conversations at the same time. But as our story reached the Minkai chest, and then the Chelish ship bearing the name Kaijitsu Star, I saw the realization dawning on her. We paused to let the news sink in. I was acutely aware of the sounds from the inn’s common room because the one we were in had become completely silent. There was a long pause before Ameiko spoke.

“A Chelish ship? The Kaijitsu Star? I…I’ve never heard of any of this. It…it doesn’t make any sense…”

“There’s more. A lot more.”

Ameiko looked at me and I continued.

“The footprints led to a cave on the edge of the marsh. Inside, we found over a dozen skeletons wearing Tian Xia style armor. We think they were survivors from one of the shipwrecks, but we don’t know what killed them.

“They animated and attacked as we explored the cave. In a smaller cave next to that was another skeleton, also in Tian Xia style armor, sitting on a jade and cherrywood chest, also of Minkai origin. This skeleton was also undead, only…it seemed to retain some of its will and memories. It pulled a sword from its own rib cage, issued a challenge of some sort to Olmas, and attacked.

“We think the goblins had stolen these chests, and that this is how they got the fireworks. And, somehow, this person returned as an undead and took revenge. He could control the other skeletons, and they raided the village and took this chest back.

“As for the sword, we identified it with magic and it has a name, The Whispering Shrike. It had a loose hilt, and inside the hilt was this letter.”

I slid it across the desk to her as I went on.

“We didn’t know what it was, and of course, none of us understands Tien. So I used a spell to read it. We think it was to your father from your grandfather. If we had known I wouldn’t have done it. I’m sorry.”

Before she started reading, I also showed her the name of the second ship.

“I didn’t have the spell available for the second ship. It’s also Chelish. I recognize Kaijitsu, but not the other pictograph.” (She would eventually translate this as Kaijitsu’s Blossom).

I watched her read. Ameiko does not always hide her emotions well and I could follow her progress just by watching her expression change from one to the next. At one point, she shook her head and, in a frustrated tone, said quietly, “Father, you could have told me…”

Lonjiku was not a pleasant man. Officially, Ameiko did not have many friends when she was growing up and even fewer still were allowed in his home (I was one of those few, but I never felt comfortable there). Unofficially, of course, Ameiko would never let her overbearing father dictate her life and she snuck out of the house so often to do as she pleased that he was either oblivious to it or resigned to her irreverence. I think the only reason she stayed at home was because she was all he had left and her culture has a strong sense of family and duty.

This letter, which she confirmed as coming from her grandfather (or, at least bearing his name), teased her with answers about her father and her family that had been gnawing at her for as long as I’ve known her.

She thanked us for bringing it to her and asked us to join her for dinner that night. She also, mercifully, said we could keep anything that we found out there (I say “mercifully” because it headed off a brewing argument over property and salvage rights, and other quasi-legal matters that were making me sick to my stomach, putting Ana’s, Qatana’s, and my history with Ameiko in conflict with the others). All she wanted was that letter.

Dinner, as it turned out, involved a few more people than we had expected. Joining us in her private dining room, which was packed tighter than I have ever seen, were Koya, Sandru and, of all people, Shalelu. It was obvious we were not there solely to share a meal together..

I’ll be honest. I was not the least bit surprised when, after everyone had finished eating, she announced her intention to travel to Brinewall and pursue this family mystery. I would have done it were I in her position. I also wasn’t surprised at her plan to use Sandru’s caravan to get there. She invited all of us to join her—Brinewall being what it was, it would be foolish to go alone—and from there, the other pieces began falling into place.

I, of course, was going if Ameiko was going and Anavaru was right there next to me. Qatana wanted any excuse to go anywhere. Shalelu would also accompany Ameiko, and that clinched the decision for several of the others. And Koya? Well, Sandru was going and she had practically adopted him, too. When all was said and done, the eleven of us had signed on.

Sandru gave us a quick overview of the trip, a one-way distance of about 500 miles over well-traveled roads that would take roughly 16 days. The last leg, up to Brinewall, was not as busy, but there was still the occasional caravan to and from the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. He did not expect any significant trouble along the way.

His eyes scanned the room as he spoke, finally locking his gaze on mine. “I have a small caravan of three wagons. Though if we need to make some upgrades or additions, we can talk about that now.”

I swear the smug bastard even winked. And, just like that, I had come full circle.

Several years ago I was standing on the bridge just below the Cathedral, idly watching the wash being carried by the river. There was a maple leaf, large and bright green, drifting along in the current and it would hang up on a rock or a log or some foliage on the surface of the water, then break loose in a spin, meandering further downstream before catching on the next. I followed its slow progress towards town and the harbor beyond.

Ameiko had just left Sandpoint, again, and I was fighting this urge to wallow in self-pity after having lost my best friend. It seems so pathetic now, writing that, but when you’re fifteen the world is always ending because of some crisis that years later you learn is just life. I remember thinking at the time that she might be gone for good—though you could never tell with Ameiko—and what was going through my head boiled down to one question: “Now what?”

I had often come to this bridge when seeking solace and for a moment that afternoon I almost had it. It’s isolated in a way, a lightly traveled road on the edge of town. Look to the east and you could imagine you were in the forest instead of downwind from a tannery. I found it relaxing and centering. But as the leaf disappeared underneath the wooden planks of the bridge, I caught my reflection in the water and the bottom dropped out of the day. It was like the scene in front of me was my own personal metaphor.

Mom and dad just assumed that I would join the family business, and it’s not like I had given them any reason to think otherwise. This was worse than choosing or not choosing: it was not even acknowledging that I had a choice at all; just letting it happen. Childhood curiosity, an innocuous “What are you working on?” here and there, was the spark for that fire. They involved me in the simpler logistics early on, and it burned out of control when I proved to be good at it. Really, really good. Cargo manifests, bills of lading, customs forms, capacity planning, legal agreements, insurance, payment terms…even some preliminary passage planning. And I saw my future spread out ahead of me, sitting behind a desk buried in maps, calculations, paperwork, and forms.

The leaf didn’t have any say over where it went. I did. The next morning, I became an active participant in my own future for the first time and chose a path that had nothing to do with the mercantile system.

And yet, here I was years later, taking Sandru’s bait. At least, this time, it was my choice.

Sandru could have done this in his sleep but for whatever reason he wanted to involve me in the process. Or maybe he just got a kick out of putting me up to the challenge. It was all very Sandru, playing mentor, big brother, or uncle as the situation warranted.

Fine. Challenge accepted. Move over and let me work.

Ameiko offered up 2,000 gold of her own in financing. Which, first of all, is one hell of a sign of commitment on her part. We were sitting in the last thing I’d seen her commit to, and that was six years ago. Ameiko just didn’t do “commitment”. On top of that, our little group threw in the bounty from the Soggy River Monster, raising the purse by half. And with that, Sandru and I were off.

We numbered twelve in all, fourteen with Sandru’s drivers. Our caravan was already too small unless you like traveling with no margin for error. There were some efficiency improvements we could make, taking advantage of our collective experience bivouacking around the marsh. On top of that, we could reinforce the undercarriages of the wagons and increase our travel speed. Add in a few other improvements and I estimated we could cut our provisions by 15% and reduce the travel time by 3 days. If we were willing to stop at major settlements and sacrifice some travel time we could also do trading to pay for our provisions as we went.

Our route would take us through Galduria, Wolf’s Ear, Ravenmoor, Roderic’s Cove, and Riddleport. With the time spent stopping to trade in each settlement, we’d need 15 full days for the journey there. The longest leg was the round trip from Riddleport to Brinewall, and we’d need enough provisions for that plus a few days stay and a modest safety margin.

It took us a couple of hours, and I think we bored most everyone to sleep, but when Sandru and I were done we had the following plan:

1. Buy a supply wagon for the caravan here in Sandpoint
2. Outfit all wagons with enhanced undercarriages
3. Buy a second supply wagon once we reached Riddleport
4. Add an enhanced undercarriage to that wagon
5. Hire a third person to drive it

We had also worked out roles for everyone to contribute along the way (scouting, cooking, guard duty, and so on), and ensured that there were backups for each one.

And that is how you plan a caravan.

Tonight I also learned that Qatana remembers some of the fundamentals of the business, despite it having been over a decade. The wonders never cease. Throughout the planning discussion she was pretty alert, even offering her unique brand of helpful advice. (Some of it was actually quite reasonable, such as “If there is abundant water along the way, pack only dry goods like grains, nuts, dried fruits and salted meats” and “Cheese and dairy should be carried in waxed paper or cloth wrapped in damp cloth or stored in damp wood chips”, but others, like “Round wheels roll better than other shapes”, were less so).

Our plan calls for a lot of heavy equipment for a small city like Sandpoint, and it’s not going to come together overnight. Sandru estimates that it will take about a week before we’re ready to depart. Which is good, because I really want to go see my parents. When I left, this was only supposed to be a two-week visit. Gods, how things have changed.

Sarenith 28 (Night, Magnimar)

Tonight I told mom and dad about our trip to Brinewall. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I almost wish I hadn’t done it. I thought they might worry—dad especially—but I never imagined it would end in an argument. I was so angry afterward I just left and spent much of the night down in Ordellia. But i’m getting ahead of myself.

I showed them the fan and the pin, and told them the abridged version of events in the Brinestump Marsh because this was going to be hard enough as it was. In the end, it probably didn’t matter. As soon as I said I was helping charter and plan a caravan trip to Brinewall, and that I was going to be on it, everything just stopped. We sat there in silence for I don’t know how long. I don’t remember the last time I saw mom at a loss for words, or dad looking so…blank. Right then, I wanted to take it back and do the evening over again.

Dad recovered first. He spoke quietly but firmly. It’s a voice I knew well, and my stomach twisted in knots as the words came out.

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

And I realized I didn’t have a good answer. I mean, I did, but how could I explain it? I had been back in Sandpoint for only a few days. What was I supposed to say? That in that time I had reconnected with Anavaru, Ameiko, and Qatana and we were suddenly best friends again? That we’d met some others and gone off on an adventure together, bonding over the blood of goblins, the bones of skeletons, and the hidden beauty of a putrid swampland? That there was a mystery involving an old friend and I wanted to help her find some “closure”? How do you say that without sounding ridiculous? Without sounding like we were treating our lives as disposable?

“Ameiko is my friend, dad. We grew up together. Why wouldn’t I help her?”

“Kali, listen to me: you are talking about Brinewall. Something terrible happened there. Something so terrible that it has been left abandoned ever since. People do not go there for a reason.”

This was true, but not in the way he was implying. All of Varisia had heard about Brinewall. The residents of the castle and town had simply vanished one day, just a few years before I was born, and no one knew what happened to them. Those who were sent to investigate described a disturbing scene of a normal day interrupted as if the whole town had simply stepped out for tea in the middle of what they were doing and never returned. The native Varisians and Shoanti are a superstitious lot and they invent explanations when none are forthcoming. People avoid Brinewall because 20 years of rumor have been fueled by a frontier land that’s bathed in mysticism. Depending on who you ask, Brinewall is either cursed, haunted, or both.

“And that reason may have something to do with her family’s history. She needs to know. She deserves to know.”

“Maybe she does. But you do not need to go with her.”

And if the mood was awkward and tense before, it suddenly got much worse. I knew where this was headed, but I couldn’t stop myself.

“She’s my friend and I am not going to walk away from her.”

“Because she never did the same to you?”

And there it was. I couldn’t keep my temper under control. “That is not fair! Not to her, and not to me!“

OK, fine, Ameiko had left and she had changed, and yes that had hurt. But reducing her life to just this event was wrong, and it was also a cheap shot. The rest of what we said to each other I don’t remember well enough to write down. Let’s just say it was mercifully short, and gratifyingly loud. At least, it felt that way at the time. Now? I just want to throw up. What I do remember is that mom never said a word. Not one word.

It was a long walk to Ordellia but I needed the time to calm down anyway. The district is mostly foreigners and is one of the few places in Magnimar where I actually blended in. I didn’t have a destination in mind, and except for a brief visit to the Rose and Rake I didn’t go anywhere particularly memorable. I just wanted to be anonymous and clear my head, something easily accomplished with a few drinks and plenty of crowds. After a couple of hours alone with my thoughts I was feeling pretty awful about how dinner had gone, what I’d said to dad, and how little I had tried to avoid an argument. So. Mission accomplished, I guess.

Despite its active nightlife, Lowcleft is not the safest place for a woman to be walking alone after dark but the route along the docks would take me twice as long and I just wanted to get home. Like Ordellia, most of the street patrols here are privately funded, only some of Lowcleft’s build their moral foundation on sand or silt. You don’t always know which of them are looking out for you, looking the other way, or just looking for opportunities to be street thugs with a badge and a salary. I got propositioned and catcalled a half-dozen times by an assortment of creeps and lowlifes, including one from that third category. But I am not a complete fool, and Nihali was discreetly watching over me, flittering between rooftops. She was a hole in the night sky; a shadow in shadows. Even I couldn’t see her, and I more or less knew where she was. As I crossed into the neighboring district her agitation told me that someone had decided I was worth following. I was too distracted or lost in thought, and had failed to notice the “victim” sign that had been hung around my neck.

It’s dangerous to start an armed fight in Magnimar. It’s not the city guard so much as the people: the guard will probably only arrest you, but in a city this size there are too many folks that are likely tougher and more deadly than you are. Pull a lethal weapon and you might find that you are woefully outclassed against someone who is all too enthusiastic to emphasize the point. As a woman, though, the rules are a little different because it’s a lower grade of thug and there are no guarantees that they will stop at your money or your jewelry. You need to establish that you will protect yourself by any means possible as soon as possible so why don’t you just move along. I’ve had to do it a few times, but tonight I was not armed with anything other than my dagger and magic is a terrible deterrent because you have to use it for people to get the message, especially when you don’t look the part. Note to self: next time you stomp off in anger, try to plan ahead.

I was already in a mood, though, so I decided to put a stop to this before it even got that far. With Nihali’s distress as a guide, I slowed to let my suitor get a lot closer, waited until I passed through a suitably dark shadow blanketing the street, and tried a new spell I had learned. A temporary pothole opened in the middle of the cobblestone pavement immediately behind me, and a satisfying thump followed by a mental snicker from my familiar told me my friend had tripped and fallen on his face. By the time he had gotten back on his feet I had entered the crowded square at the base of the Seacleft and the Irespan, and my second spell sent fog billowing out around me. In shoulder-to-shoulder people it wouldn’t be obvious who was responsible for that and I let the confusion buy me some time to let it spread and thicken before dropping the spell and turning up the hill to the Capital district. By the time I reached the top the fog below was so thick you couldn’t see more than a few feet, and I no longer had company.

I could officially get my hands slapped for doing that in the middle of town, but as I said I was in a mood and, at any rate, they’d have to catch me first and I didn’t stick around to let some bystander assemble a narrative. I kept moving and reached my parents’ home in Naos a little before midnight. Mom was still up and she knocked quietly on my door just as I settled in and started to write. We talked for a little bit and this time, I managed to stay civil and calm. See? I’m learning.

“I’m not a child anymore, mom.”

“No, you’re not. But your father is allowed to be worried, and he does have a point.”

“I’m not going there alone. There are twelve of us, including Shalelu. We can do this.”

“And how hard did you try to explain that to us, earlier?”

Heart-to-hearts with mom have this way of making me feel bad.

Sarenith 29 (Noon, Magnimar)

Dad and I apologized to each other this morning. Me for starting a fight that didn’t need to happen, and him for making that dig that was a little more personal than necessary. It was fine. We talked it out. I took my own advice (and mom’s) and told him more about our group and what each of us can do, and how we worked together in the marsh, and that seemed to put him more at ease.

There was one moment in that conversation that really stood out, though. He said, “It’s not what you tell us, it’s what you don’t tell us. You hide things from us, Kali. You always have.”

I felt like an open book, then. Just how much did they know?

Dad reviewed my preliminary caravan plans and, surprise, had no changes to suggest. As I said, I am good at this. He wasn’t thrilled about the stop in Riddleport (I got the feeling that Sandru wasn’t, either), but math doesn’t lie and there was no avoiding it, at least not on the way up.

We were able to dig up some maps that would be helpful and he pointed me at a couple of shops where I could find what I’d need to fill in the gaps.