The figure stands and steps forward. In the early dawn light, they are revealed to be a human male of middle age, dark hair pulled back in a braid, greying at the temples and a grey-streaked beard resting on their chest. They nod toward Horatio (or is it towards the stick?), and raise one arm vertically, empty palm towards the boat, pulling down their sleeve with the other hand to bare their forearm.

(Can I roll insight to try to discern what the sign means, and what a proper response might be?)

Insight if applicable: 4

11 insight roll to help horatio. if it works, i'll offer advice, if it fails i keep my mouth shut.

Confused by the gesture, Horatio puts down the branch and mirrors it with the same hand, repeating the gesture. In an effort to appear friendlier than he feels, he grins broadly.

It would appear that was an acceptable response, as the figure steps forward and calls out, "Clem'um hearay?"

15 perception roll

"Clem!" Horatio calls over his shoulder. "We have a visitor. One of your marshfolk, I think. He seems to want to come aboard."

Morn rouses, hearing a new voice calling out. Years on the road and he was still not able to sleep soundly and the slightest noise would wake him still. He hops up and carefully makes his way to peek out to where the cry came from.

Sirq, (presumably) well rested, also rises with the Morn. He mistakes the faint calling as another one of his demonic whispers, but quickly puts it off as Horatio announces the arrival of one of the marshfolk. He rubs his eyes and heads toward Horatio to greet the newcomer.

Clem curses softly from inside the cabin, and there's a bit of stumbling until he emerges, pulling on a shirt. Taking in the approach of the fellow Horatio has spotted, he raises an arm and bares the underside of his forearm.

"Hey'um Jogum! Yem beena du'well? Howum's miz'n kizs?", Clem calls out, in what seems to be a warm greeting.

"Szfin, szfin. Yerm boyuns loka de biggrum! Skrong likae dem motta uz! Hahaha!", the bearded fellow calls back with a laugh.

"Yuzm ungr? Fixum breffis.", Clem asks, as he trots down the plank to start building up the banked fire from the night before.

"Yah, weum gotza watuhlizza.", the fellow responds, beckoning and a trio of previously un-noticed other marshfolk emerge, these ones draped in hooded cloaks festooned with bits of dyed cord and frayed twine that makes them almost invisible amongst the vegetation. They push the hoods back as they approach, two of them carrying a large, dead, field dressed crocodilian on a pole. 

As the fire is being built up, and two of the marshfolk begin carving strips of meat from the carcass and threading them on sticks, Clem calls back to the boat. 

"This here's Jogum, we've traded before, he's good people. Think he might be a cousin... or an uncle of some sort. Boy! Bring the tea and the kettle!"

One of his sons rushes to obey, and before long the sizzling meat and steeping tea scents the air and is shared around, Clem gesturing for you to join them. The two of them chat back and forth in the strange dialect, his sons occasionally chiming in or chatting with the other marshfolk.

((They are speaking an odd dialect of Common, with a DC 15 WIS (Insight) or straight INT check, you have no problem following the conversation, and could probably make  yourself understood to the marshfolk. DC 12, you get the general gist, but it goes to fast for you to be entirely sure.))

INT check because Sirq doesn't do Wisdom: 14 (let me know if Jack of All Trades applies to straight checks, if so add +1 to the roll)

((Yeah, still an ability check, just not a named skill, so it would apply, just like it does to Initiative.))

can passive int checks be applied or do we roll for this?

passive investigation is 15

7 int roll

13 insight roll

Morn concentrates as he tries to follow along with the conversation (Insight: 7). But their quick back and forth makes it hard for him to pick up what they're saying. He instead, just sits quietly, eating a light meal and looking over his spell book in preparation for the next day.

Trinjya awakes from Horatio calling for Clem. She is tensed up at first due to their guest, but relaxed a bit when Clem and the stranger are apparently friends. She joins the others at the cookies fire trying to make some sense of the marshfolk's dialect.

15

Trinjya has always been good with words and grew up amongst folk that spoke all Kinds of incomprehensible dialects. After some time, she thinks she got an idea of this one. She introduces herself as Trinjya Lazgural to the marsh folk and asks for their names in return.

They seem delighted to converse with Trinjya, and she is introduced to Hgru, Glef and Torp.

Samael just listens and observes the conversation and chatter around him.

Trinjya ask the three if they know Frankie and if they have seen him or his dog lately.

A string of marshfolk dialogue follows Trinjya's question.

Anyone above 15 on the previous check:

 Anyone above 12 on the previous check:

"is there anything of note to that direction? a landmark, or identifier?" samael asks the natives (19 int roll, f yeah!).