Weeding Heyday 32nd-51 degrees, strong wind, leaves and small twigs in constant motion, flags fully extended
(Royal Expedition in the Swamp-start at room 2, but no progress today, ticks on day one, nothing much day two, insect swarms day three, bobcats and a warnnig sign of dragon territory day four)
Immersion:Social, I give an NPC an order Q: Are all the men sitting together? YES UNE topc-Negotiation over skills
Scene: Waking in my room at the Sword and Toad inn, I quickly pen a missive for my friend Alteetlan before dressing to join my companions downstairs. There is little time remaining if we wish to catch a falling star. The four men are sitting together, the soldiers are questioning Benar about his skill at arms, while he’s questioning why they worth nearly as much as I’d agreed to pay them. The Prophet listens in silence, glaring at them as he slowly scoops boiled oats into his mouth with his bare fingers, rather than using his spoon like a right-minded person would.
I sit down beteween Benar and Wart, who have seemed to save a chair for me, and I smile at my companions as Corvo hops down onto the table to begin pecking at a crust of bread that the Prophet slides towards him.
“Ambar? Wart? About your wage,” I place trade league notes worth 300 crowns on the table in front of them, plus the golden Wyvern pendant that I took from Dryannor’s apprentice. “This is worth well over 500 crowns. This and a full share? Or do I need to sell the pendant myself and bring you the coin?”
-Resale Roll: 75% of value. Insight check on Wart passes-
Ambar picks up the pendant and appraises it thoughtfully, “You are right about it’s worth, but it’s hard to sell something for its full worth in a small village, and certainly not easy to pay for a night’s rest with something so valuable. Throw in a half pound of coin and we are settled.”
“Or perhaps you and I could work something out, and I’ll toss my brother the coin on your behalf?” his brother Wart grins, leering at me with obvious lust in his eyes.
I allow my distaste for Wart’s suggestion to show on my face as I draw out a purse of coins. “Let’s settle this now Ambar. Here are your coins, meet me here this evening in case I must change our plans. Otherwise, I expect us to depart from here first thing in the morning. Benar and…Prophet? Come with me, we need to make some additional arrangements.” I command.
Q: All good? EXCEPTIONAL YES
Benar rises to his feet as quickly as his massive girth allows, but the prophet is much nimbler, pouring the last contents of his bowl into his mouth, much of it spilling down his beard, as he leaps to his feet. “Clothing, haircut and some manners for you,” I scold the man. “Benar, I guess you’ll need to arrange long term lodging for your animals if you don’t wish to sell them. I was thinking we hire a ship to bring us into the swamp from the coast. Bring in a boat, hire a couple of rowers to help out, and a guide.”
Q: Does Benar share his plan? YES
Benar suggests, “The swamp is a day away either by ship or on foot, just a different route. We have the animals already and can more easily retreat the way we came overland, than towards a ship that leaves after it drops us ashore. A couple of pack handlers to watch the animals, and a guide are good ideas though.”
I consider his suggestion, and then agree. “You find us a guide and two animal handlers. I’m going to try to find out more about the swamp. Meet you back here tonight.” I then give him two pounds witch which to hire our help. Then I turn to the Prophet, “And you, buy some clothes, get yourself cleaned up.” I give him ten crowns.
With my purse greatly depleted, the three of us part company and I start looking for a bookbinder or alchemist’s shop. I had hoped to purchase an arcane scroll or two with my coins, but found myself with other more mundane needs, yet, I have resources to trade if something catches my eye!
-City Encounter-Warrior-5 of them, drunk-UNE Topic-Boasting of Treasure Q: Do they already have it? NO
I find and hire a courier to deliver my letter to the capital before resuming my business. Such men are always easy to find near the trade hall.
Then I am lost in my thoughts when I run into a group of mercenaries. They younger men, around my age or a few years older. They stagger in the street, two carry bottles of wine in their hands, while a third has just tossed an empty bottle away. They are boasting that they will soon be rich! “Hey, lady? Want to marry a rich man? Come lay with me and when I return to town, you can live like a queen, for I’ll be rich as the king!” one of them says to me. In spite of my curiosity, I quickly walk past them, and soon find the “The Jolly Manuscript”.
-Generate the Jolly Manuscript using Chat GPT, UNE Topic-previous scene–
“Welcome!” the slender young man behind the counter says as I enter, looking up from a book he is reading. “I hope my friends outside didn’t trouble you too much. They are a bit excited. They think they have discovered the means of unlocking the ancient vaults beneath Aethid Keep. I wish them luck, but none have succeeded before.” he laughs, now how can I help you?”
“Well, by not telling everyone my business for starters,” I say as he laughs, “but I am looking for information about the Rotting Swamp. What lives there, and what should I look out for?”
-Charisma roll 16, unlikely to annoy, he takes it well.- Q: Does he know a lot? YES
We spend the rest of the morning talking about the swamp and it’s various features. Of tribes of frogmen called bullywugs. The great tentacled monsters they worship that dwell in deep waters. The sharks that sometimes swim inland, and the crocodiles that feast on anything they find. The great skull headed dragon Bythius near whose lair the trees all rot and the water burns.
Eventually, I ask if he has any spellbooks or arcane scrolls he’d like to trade, and I show him Hiron’s spellbook as a possible trade.
Q: Does he have product? Very Likely-EXCEPTIONAL YES Persuasion 4 Q: Is he interested in a trade? Very Unlikely-EXCEPTIONAL NO
He looks over the book and then laughs at me, “There is nothing here I haven’t already seen, so there is nothing for me to gain from this trade!” Offer something better and we can talk.
Rolling my eyes, I hoist my pack up and pull out my collection of titles, most of which I obtained in Brewich. I offer “The Sanctified Requests of the Elves, the Mysterious Steppes of Sultar, the Estotirica of Khori, and the Compendium of Kingdoms, and Mypion’s bone puzzlebox. Easily 100 crowns worth of books and art, plus Hiron’s book.”
Q: Is the increased offer of interest? Unlikely-EXCEPTIONAL NO
He briefly shows me a book that he has for sale, and points out the types of spells it contains. Powerful magic, some are spells unfamiliar to me, though nothing appears to be beyond my means to cast, if I had time to study them. But he is still reluctant to make the deal. “Perhaps that enchanted amulet you wear, or one of those rings?” the shopkeeper suggests. But covering the amulet with my hand, I smile and decline.
Ultimately, I end up packing my books back into my heavy bag, and leaving the store with nothing new to study.
-Immersion: see something odd, out of place-Encounter- Soldiers recruiting civilians for an expedition to destroy a dungeon-Act Chat GPT for an idea of the oddity-
As I walk through the marketplace, I see a group of the Duke’s men recruiting a large number of laborers. For a moment, I see all of the men present as walking corpses, but then they are a crowd of ordinary men once more. I stop dead in my tracks, my breath stolen by the sight and my chest feeling hollow inside. Like I felt the first time I tried to understand a necromantic spell…the one I finally learned from Hiron’s book not two days ago.
I approach one of the sergeants, “What you doing?”
-Generate personality, he “appraises beauty” among other things, so Q: is he crude about it? NO-
He looks me up and down, and though he has a subtle smile on his face, he suggests, “We are looking for general laborers to fill in a pit with stone. This is quarry work. We need diggers and teamsters. I suspect it is beneath your skills, and judging from your size, certainly more than your frame can handle.”
“Where is this pit?” I ask. The sergeant tells me it is south of the village of Winshel, but the name doesn’t mean anything to me. “I would advise you to abandon this mission. Otherwise, I fear you will all die before the task is done.” I warn.
Persuasion 18-Q: Does he dismiss me? Unlikely-YES
The sergeant’s face goes white for a moment, and then he laughs, “You jest! The Duke commands the pit be sealed, nobody’s going inside it again.”
With deadly seriousness, I warn him once more, “It is not always who goes in as much as it is what comes out. Do not go there if you value your life.”
I then walk away and continue about my business soon arriving at Taylor’s Hermetics, an alchemy shop. The elderly robed man behind the counter is handing a pouch of herbs and tinctures to an attractive young woman, but he nods at me as I enter and begin looking at the jars upon his shelves.
Q: Does he have a taxidermy rat? YES Q: Does he have any scrolls? EXCEPTIONAL NO
I pick up a jar containing a large preserved rat, and take it to the counter. “Are all of the bones intact?” I ask. He raises an eyebrow, then smiles wickedly and assures me that the entire corpse is present, just dead from poison. For two crowns, I purchase it and conceal it inside my pack in case I might need it later.
-City Encounter-God/Godess-“The Farmer”
As I start walking back towards the Sword and Toad, a weathered, strangely familiar looking old man in simple garb with a wide brimmed hat stops directly in front of me in the street. His eyes seem to bore into my soul. I feel weak.
“What is it you intend to do with a dead rat?” the man asks.
“What?” I ask, taken aback.
The man repeats himself, “What do you intend to do with a dead rat, Mendy of White Tower, daughter of Morgan and Aless Blehar, apprentice of Tegast the Archmage?”
“Who are you?” I stammer, taking a step back, my own face white in fear and shock at the stranger’s knowledge.
“You have been granted a gift, to weave arcane power in this world, and the ability to learn its wonders. Do you intend to raise the dead as puppets and playthings? To embrace the art of necromancy, binding the souls of Tyrants to human remains which should be laid to rest? To risk the souls of those who should be allowed to join their ancestors in the Celestial Chorus?” the old man asks, sorrow and pity in his eyes.
I pull the jar from my bag, and hand it to the old man, “No, elder. I will not perform the dark arts.”
He takes the jar from my hand, and then points to my satchel, “The books? Your studies?”
I pull out my spellbook, and the Book of Souls, and cut from them the pages that contain the necromantic spells. The old man takes hold of the pages, and smiles gently, “Granddaughter, bring our family pride. Do not surrender who you are, or become to pawn to a darker power.” Suddenly, I realize this old man looks much like my father…aand then he vanishes. I am unsure whether I had a vision, or really met my grandfather, but the jar and the pages are truly missing.
I arrive at the Sword and Toad to find Benar and the others waiting for me. The Red Prophet is dressed neatly, with new breaches and a leather doublet. He has a sturdy looking walking stick, and a knife in his belt now. On the other hand, Benar returns the coins I gave him. “None will come with us. The Duke is hiring large numbers of men to fill in a pit for Baron Hayhem, and the few hunters I’ve found who’ve been to the Rotting Swamp have no desire to return to it.”
Wart sneers, “Perhaps you should have trusted one of us with hiring your men? Who wants to serve as guide for a pampered palace aristocrat in a danger-filled swamp?”
Benar bristles at the insinuation of his weakness. Then there is shouting behind us. Looking around, I see two men cursing at each other, ale spilled across both of them! Apparently, they bumped into each other. Fortunately, they calm down and get each other fresh drinks. In a tavern where everyone is armed, that is probably for the best.
“We leave in the morning. We’ll make do with what we have,” I say with firm resolve. We are out of time.
After we eat, I retire to my room to update my journal and read. The loss of two spells is a cruel blow, but my grandfather was right. And to appear to me now, walking among the living, is a warning not to be taken lightly. As I snuff the lantern, I realize there is a bright light shining outside, but the moons are dim. Looking out, I see the red star. It lights up the night. People in the street below stare up at it in wonderment. I feel a sense of foreboding. “Is this my doom?”
—
Weeding Damesday 33rd-58 degrees, strong wind, leaves and small twigs in constant motion, flags fully extended, 3″ of rain all day
(Royal Expedition in the Swamp-Passed room 1 via teleport, but no progress today, ticks on day one, nothing much day two, insect swarms day three, bobcats and a warnnig sign of dragon territory day four, insect swarms and torrential storms day five)
(Elven Rangers-Passed Room 1-stirges, Pass room 1-traps day 1)
(Black Coven-Room 0, no major events day 1,
(Keepers (Passed Room 1, hired Orias the Hunter as guide, +1 on future rolls, clouds of mosquitos, day 1)
(Sea Devils Room 0, Cats and game animals day 1
(Mendy-
Immersion-Sound (I’m gonna say rain)
Scene: Rain pours down in sheets starting just before dawn. There is heavy knocking on my door. Quickly fixing my clothes, I open the door to see Benar in the hall.
“What do you think? We can’t really set off in this rain can we?”
I shake my head, and ask him to come inside,”Let’s talk.” I suggest, beckoning for him to sit next to me on the bed. The bedframe bows beneath his weight and I have to scoot higher up to avoid sliding into him. “The Star may already be in the swamp at this point. We need to head out tomorrow. Today, I am going to try and find us a guide. You just…stay around here. I need you to have my back on this expediton. I’m not sure that I trust Wart or the Prophet. So, keep an eye on them for me.” I ask.
-Persuasion 3-
“If you don’t trust them, we shouldn’t travel with them. Better not to have a sword at all than have it turn against you in your time of need,” Benar warns. I shake my head, remembering Derart’s fate. I warn Benar that we need the men, and if they wish to survive, they will fight alongside us. Just, be careful.
-encounter-government worker shadowing someone-
I head out into the streets, which are deserted because all rational people are inside right now. I start walking towards the cathedral, but on the way, I notice another man walking the same route up ahead of me. Then I realize, there is another person following him. Not so concerned with whether I am aware of it, but taking great care not to be spotted by the first man. I wonder if he is a thief, but decide better of confronting either person.
I soon reach the Dog and Quipper tavern, which looks a bit nicer than the place where we are staying. There is an elf behind the bar, but I cannot tell if it is male or female, for the figure and voice seem masculine, but the clothing is decidedly feminine. Moreso than what I prefer to wear in the field. I ask the barkeep if s/he knows any good scouts for hire who might be familiar with the Rotting Swamp
-Know anyone? Exceptional No- Taproom Encounter-chat gpt to generate five patrons
We talk for awhile, but s/he doesn’t know anyone, or at least, won’t tell me. So I eat some roast duck for lunch and talk to the other patrons. There are some people playing cards at the table next to me, and suddenly, one of the players stands up and accuses another of nicking the cards and cheating. I watch for a bit, hoping the argument won’t become violent, but planning my escape should that happen.
Fortunately, clearer heads prevail and after the chaotic pause and I am able to avoid having to change cheats, “Another tankard dear?” asks the barmaid replacing my drink. She has her eyes on a nearby sea captain who she’s been flirting with for as long as I’d been eating. Meanwhile, he’s been boasting of his journeys to distant lands while a wood legged sailor sitting near him even further embellishes his tales, or reminds listeners that he was there too! As a witness.
I nod towards the cloaked figure in the corner, who has a heavy longbow leaned against the wall behind him. “Who is he?”, I ask the barmaid.
-does she tell me? Unlikely-exceptional yes-
“Oh, we just call him Grimm, because he always is. Best to just let him drink in peace!” she suggests. I tell her to take him another drink.
Q: Does he acknowledge the gift? EXCEPTIONAL YES
When she brings him the drink and points my way, his eyes narrow, regarding me closely. I kind of raise my hands and an eyebrow, but he signals for me to come over and join him for a bit. I get up and walk over to his table.
“I am Mendy of White Tower,” I introduce myself. “I noticed your bow, and wondered if you might be a huntsman? And if you’ve ever been to the Rotting Swamp?”
Q: Has he been to the Rotting Swamp? NO
“Never been there, Mendy of White Tower. Are we done?” Grimm asks abruptly.
I shrug my shoulders and tell him that I guess we must be done. But as I start to turn away, I pause and look back at him, “Do you know someone who could help me?”
Q: Does he know someone? EXCEPTIONAL YES Pursuasion 6 Q: will he tell me? NO
“Yes, I do,” he says. Then returns to his drink as I just kind of stand there in front of him, waiting for him to continue, but it’s clear he doesn’t plan on it.
“Well, what would it take for you to share that information with me? Perhaps to take me to them?”,
Q: Will he accept payment? NO Q: Does anyone else offer help? NO
“For the rain to stop, the gates of hell to freeze over, for me to hate the person badly enough to wish them death in that blasted swamp. I won’t tell you, but thanks for the ale,” he smirks, clearly indicating that our conversation is now over.
Frustrated with the lack of progress, I go back into the street and look for a furrier’s shop.
Immersion Sense:Goosebumps-Encounter-Priest, wants to hire me to smuggle some traditional goods?-
Scene-Negative Alteration- Splashing through the street with rain falling in sheets from above. I pull my cloak tight, but the water cascades from my hood and I shiver from the cold. “Four week with no rain, and then the heavens open up and threaten to wash us into the sea! Makes me wish I’d never left my cell this morning,” a shadow calls to me from beneath a nearby eave.
“You shouldn’t have,” I hear another man growl as he approaches the shadow from behind. The first man cries out and then crumples to the ground, and I look in horror as a flash of lightning reveals the blood soaked knife in the hands of a rough looking man standing over the crumpled body of a young Custodian, whose white robes are now stained in blood.
The killer looks at me, “You saw nothing!” he says as he kneels over the Custodian’s body and starts feeling around for the man’s purse.
“I see your death!” I reply sternly. Alarmed, he looks back up towards me as a fresh bolt of lightning pierces the gloom, but this one flies from my outstretched hand towards him, and he cries out as it rips through his cloak while he tries to dive away. Then he lunges towards me while I step aside, drawing my own dagger for protection. It wasn’t needed. A second bolt of lightning leaves the man still in the cobblestone street. I kneel beside the Custodian and check his pulse. The priest is dead.
I bang on the nearby door, “What is it? I hear from inside over a barking dog. The bolt from within slides open and I see an older half elven woman staring out at me. I point down to the Custodian and the other man.
“We need to bring them inside while I fetch the guard, the one man murdered the priest, and then was struck by lightning…the ancestors had their revenge, I guess?” I say.
-Deception 4, Insight 15- Q: Is she friendly towards me? EXCEPTIONAL YES
“The guards won’t buy that, but just fetch them and I’ll take care of things,” looking down at the Custodian, she mutters, “Oh Coge, what did you get yourself into? I warned you to leave such things alone.”
“What things?” I ask.
She looks up at me, and then pulls something from inside Coge’s tunic. It is a green orb as big as her hand, but as she turns it around, I see that it looks like a dragon’s eye, “He said that this is cursed, and he wanted to smuggle it out of the temple and destroy it. But it looks like the curse caught up to him. If it is found on his body, it will bring shame to his family. But if you take it, well, he says it can also help reveal the future to one who has they eyes to see. Perhaps it will bring you more good fortune than ill.”
I take the orb, and my hand tingles as the relic’s power courses through my veins. “Thank you,” I say, as I tuck it into the pocket of my cloak. Then she urges me to leave quickly, to forget about fetching the watch. That she will take care of it, but that it is best I not be known lest others seeking the orb might learn to look for me.
I cover my head once more and head back into the storm.
I find a furrier’s shop and ask the shopkeeper about trackers familiar with the Rotting Swamp
Q: Does he tell me someone? YES
I soon come to a nearby boarding house. It is somewhat rundown with peeling paint and worn timbers. Stepping inside, I tell the people inside that I’m looking for “Swampfoot.”
Q: Is Swampfoot home? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Does he know where the star fell? YES Q: Is he interested? YES Q: Does he have a couple of laborers to help? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: His daughter? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: He’s bringing is own team’s gear, right? EXCEPTIONAL NO
An older man looks up at me, “Who’s asking?”
I look him over. Theman is old, his grey beard thick, his eyes deep set and tired. “I am Mendy of White Tower. I need a guide in the Rotting Swamp.”
“You are hunting for the falling star that landed there last night, aren’t you?” he asks. I nod my head. “How many men have you got? What are you paying?”
“Four men, two of him are skilled soldiers, the other two still have to prove themselves, and me,” I say. “For wages, an even share of the wealth we obtain, but I can give you a pound as an advance, or to cover costs if we come up empty handed.”
“That’s not a large group. You should be able to move pretty quick though, but if bullywugs, or something worse, comes after us, what are you going to to about it?” He asks.
I raise my hand and allow fire to dance between my fingertips, “Whatever needs to be done to keep my people safe and get us out of there alive.”
He smiles. “Two pounds in advance. I mark the trail and lead the way. If I am not with the troupe, my granddaughter leads the way. She’s about your age and has a lot to learn, but she’s still a better guide than anyone else your lot will have. I’ve got two other men who’ll work as porters for us. I get a full share, my granddaughter and the porters split a second full share. You and your men do the fighting. We handle the trailblazing and camp duties. Agreed?”
“Agreed!” I say, shaking his hand. I tell him where to meet us in the morning.”Do you have tents, horses and gear for your team?” I ask. He laughs and tells me what I need to buy and where to get it from.
I end up trading my silver comb for another pack mule and gear. Then I purchase two more tents and some blankets. Our provisions we’ll just have to stretch. I don’t have anymore coin at this point. I have the animals sent to the stable where Benar has his mount, and where Wart and Ambar’s horses are billeted, then I return to the inn.
Immersion 6th sense- extreme cold-conversation-submission vs last action
Scene:
I join my companions at the tavern and tell them that I have guides and porters who will meet us here in the morning. Benar nods appreciatively at my news, “Well done, milady. I hope your guides are good ones.”
The Prophet looks through me, “Do you have…other news for us? Some portent of the future?”
Wart and Ambar look from the Prophet to me, and Ambar asks what he’s going on about. The Prophet shrugs his shoulders and nods towards me, “Allow Mendy to share her news if she so desires.”
Even though I dried my clothes by magic and sat as close to the fire as I could, I was still freezing. And I resent the Prophet knowing things unknown. I excuse myself, fill my plate, and head up to my room.
Q: Does anyone follow me up? YES -Ambar-
Soon there is a knock on my door. I close the book I am reading and open the door to Ambar. “Is there something wrong?” I ask the man.
“You tell me?” he replies. “If there is some threat to this expedition my brother and I don’t know about, you need to tell us.”
“It’s nothing to do with this expedition. It’s something else,” I say, and pull out the dragon’s eye. “What do you make of this?”
He takes it in his hand, and whistles with admiration. “Hopefully a lot of coin!” he smiles. “That’s what this Prophet fellow was going on about? A polished rock that looks like an eye? Is it magic?” he asks.
“You don’t sense it?” I ask, surprised. He gets a strange look on his face, as though he doesn’t understand what I’m asking. “I’m sorry. I just…I’ve spent most of my life in a tower training to sense and manipulate the weave of magic around us. It’s almost second nature to me, as natural as my sense of smell or hearing, and as tangible and easy to control as your blade must be. It’s powerful, but what power, I am not sure. Time will tell.”
He grunts, and puts it back in my hand, “You’d best keep it safe then. Could come in handy.” As he leaves my room, he nods down the hall, and I see his brother was just outside. They don’t trust me anymore than I trust them it seems. That’s good, I suppose.
Weeding Godsday 34th-49 degrees, modest wind, leaves and small twigs in constant motion, flags fully extended,
(Royal Expedition in the Swamp-Passed room 1 via teleport, but no progress today, ticks on day one, nothing much day two, insect swarms day three, bobcats and a warnnig sign of dragon territory day four, insect swarms and torrential storms day five, wasps and hornets day six)
(Elven Rangers-Passed Room 2-stirges, Pass room 1-traps day 1, Room 2 moral dillema (help Black Coven trigger traps and subsquent ambush, costing several members) on day 2)
(Black Coven-Passed Room 1, no major events day 1, deal with room 1 on Day 2, traps)-numbers depleted
(Keepers (Passed Room 2, hired Orias the Hunter as guide, +1 on future rolls, clouds of mosquitos, day 1, Door 2 is the bramble swamp , several members sickened)-half sickened, +1 on search results each day
(Sea Devils Passed Room 1, Cats and game animals day 1, Room 1 capture guides and sacrifices on raid of nearby village, destroying watercraft Day 2)-numbers depleted +1 search distance each day
(Mendy-Pass Room 1, Obtain watercraft )+1 Search distance, +1 roll for Scout
Immersion-Sense_Hyperawareness E: Progress on ‘I want to discover ancient arcane lore’: the Carrying of Fears
Scene :
A day later than I’d hoped, but finally we are getting underway. Horses and a couple of mules. Our guides are on foot, but that’s alright. We’ll likely stable most of the mounts at Shalwade. The bustling sounds of the town, the splash of footsteps through puddles in the street, the smells of the marketplace…my senses are overwhelmed as we depart.
We pass through the countryside heading towards the swamp. I walk my horse alongside Swampfoot and Littlefoot, reluctant to tower over our two guides. The highway is a muddy mire and had we a wagon, we’d be stuck fast regardless of the size of our team. My own feet sink deep with every step, and Swampfoot chides me, “You have a horse, may as well ride now. No point in losing a boot before you even reach the swamp.” His granddaughter snorts and looks at me in amusement as I take the old man’s advice.
We pass by farmers repairing fences and inspecting damaged crops. Later we pass a group of shepherds who hail us, “Devil’s Run is west of here! You won’t find the raiders here.” I ask what they are talking about, and they tell us a band of Sea Devils, Sahaugin, raided the coastal village, taking captives, and then fled into the swamp instead of back into the ocean like they normally would. I ask how many there were, and they tell us that half a dozen raiders were killed, but many more escaped. Nearly a dozen villagers died and half as many were taken captive. I thank them for the warning, and tell them we are heading into the swamp. Maybe we can rescue the captives before it’s too late.
Q: Do they offer help? NO Q: Are watercraft available? YES E: Progress on ‘When houses fall with the thinning of the veil, evil unleashed’: the Pursuit of The public Q: enough? YES Q: Anyone see an octopus pendant? EXCEPTIONAL NO
We soon arrive at the village Bleakwater, where Swampfoot talks to some of his old friends. He arranges stabling for our horses and mules, and the loan of two boats. “Well Mendy, a pound of gold and we are good!” he says tersely. He sees my face blanche, and asks, “You do have the money, right?”
“Well, I’ve got this silver mirror. This puzzle box, a pound and a half of silver, an these three platinum coins from the days of the Elven kings. Will that be enough?” I ask hopefully. The farmer he’s talking two looks over the proposal and agrees to take our goods. We are soon transferring supplies to the boats and enjoying a hot meal from the village pub, abuzz with news from Devil’s Run. I also hear that there are two other groups of explorers that set off into the swamp the day before yesterday. One from here, the other from Shalwade. I ask if members of either group wore an octopus pendant, and nobody seems to recall anything like that. Ambar asks me why that was important, so privately, I explain to him that it is the symbol of the Cult of Drouzal, and that I’ve had run in’s with them before.
-Immersion, Sense-Losing Balance- Encounter Roll-Story Advance to Room 2-Infiltrate bullywug camp?
Q: do the men wear the heavy armor? YES Progress is made to the thread ‘Unlock the meaning of The Dragon’s Eye’, involving the Release of Nature
Boat 1 Swampfoot, Mendy, Ambar, Prophet, Avan the Porter Boat 2 Littlefoot, Wart, Benar, Dessel the Porter
“Sure you want to wear that heavy armor?” Swampfoot asks my soldiers.
“Crocodile ain’t going to bite through it, and a frogman’s spear won’t pierce it,” Ambar replies as his brother laughs in agreement.
I notice Littlefoot roll her eyes as the old man suggests, “Make sure you don’t fall out of the boat then!” Benar suddenly gets a worried look on his face.
I join Swampfoot, Ambar, the Prophet and Aven the porter in the lead boat. Littlefoot Wart, Benar and Dessel the Porter are in the second boat, which is just as low in the water as ours due to Benar’s size. We are soon pushing off into the marshland.
“How will we find the stones?” I ask Swampfoot.
“We’ll follow these channels and look for signs that something crashed through the trees or set things afire. Or maybe you can pull out a crystal ball or something and lead us right to it.”
On a hunch, I pull out the Dragon’s Eye and begin focusing my attention on it, whispering, “Ostend Revala, Ostend Reva..”
Ambar suddenly leans around my shoulder, “What are you doi…” and the boat tips sharply to one side. As he topples over the side of the craft and into the water, he grabs onto me pulling me down with him!
“Let go!” I holler as I suddenly take in a mouthful of water. Pushing myself free of his grip, I break to the surface and start treading water. There is no sign of Ambar.
Swampfoot begins cursing, and then Ambar suddenly breaks up through the surface, gasping and choking, “Help! Help!” he cries out.
“Stand up you fool!” shouts the scout.
Ambar looks at him, and then at me. I am casualy treading water and cannot anything below, but Ambar carefully stops floundering, and is soon standing still, perhaps on his tip toes, but clearly able to keep his head above water.
“This is the shallow part of the channel. Stay in the boat!” Swampfoot repeats.
I notice Wart and Benar taking off their heavy armor, stripping down to the gambeson’s while Desser secures their equipment lest it get lost in a capsize.
The Prophet and Swampfoot pull Ambar aboard, and he too strips off the heavy armor. Then I climb in after him. With a few words, both of us are dry.
The Prophet then asks me, “The Dragon’s Eye?”
-Perception 8-
Cursing, I jump back into the water to fish around for it at the bottom of the channel. “Crap! I can’t find it,” I say defeaatedly after several minutes.
The Prophet shakes his head, “Are you sure about that?”
Sitting back up in the boat, I pull out my spellbook and begin chanting once more. After several minutes, I see the magical aura glowing at the bottom of the channel. Nobody else can see it, but I can. I dive down and retrieve the orb, bringing it back to the surface.
Suddenly, I have a vision of a smoking hot stone, about the size of a man, surrounded by a group of savage looking frogmen armed with primitive weapons. One of the frogmen, addorned with a fishnet laced with feathers, shells and precious stones, commands the others to carry the stone away on a litter. As they do so, I see the frogmen slowly growing larger and…changing.
I break from my trance. “Guide us forward. Do you know the language of the frogfolk?”
Q: Does he now the language of the frogfolk? EXCEPTIONAL NO
Frogfolk shakes his head, “Blowdart? Arrow? Not really. I understand arrow pretty good I guess, and so do they when it comes up.”
Q: Do they spot us coming in? NO
Swampfoot following my direction weaves us from one channel to another. We have to get of the boats a couple of times to shift from one channel to another, but generally stick to the water. Then the Dragon’s Eye ceases to pulse in my hand as the frogman’s village comes into view as the sun fades from the sky.
Q: Are they celebrating? YES E: Negative for Keepers of the Veil: the Vengeance of the intellectual
“Get your armor on, men,” I whisper. “I am going to try and sneak forward for a better look.”
Swampfoot looks at me and shakes his head. “We’ll wait here. I hope you know what you are doing. There’s a lot of frogs in that village.” I nod, stripping off unncessary clothing. His granddaughter stares at me in surprisce, but Swampfoot is intrigued by how quietly I glide through the the channel. Wart simply gets distracted staring at me as he attempts to don steel, and Benar has to remind him what he’s supposed to be doing.
-Stealth 14, vs Bullywug Passive 10-
I get closer to the Bullywug village, and then summon Corvo to my side to fly throughout it and let me get a close look around the place.
I spot half a dozen frogmen scattered around the village. Huts sit on top of rickety wooden platforms and the water level comes right up to the top of the platform, even over it in some places due to yesterday’s torrent. There are also five human captives. One bound up near a large pit of water that has a bridge over it, and some sort of cage over it with tusks facing downward. The other captives are tied up in a different area of the village. There are guards near both groups of captives.
Q: Do I see the Drouzali markings? Very Unlikely-YES
On one of the men, I see something strange, so I send Corvo to take a perch nearby. There it is! A tattoo across the man’s bare and bloodied chest in the sign of the kraken Drouzal. There is no sign of the starstone.
I swim back to my men.
-Intelligence check 24-
“There are five captives, and no signs of the stone. One of the captives is tied near what appears to be some sort of sacrificial pit. I think they have some sort of “god” trapped inside. My guess is that the stone might have been dropped in there as an offering, but I don’t want to face their god unless I know for sure. I’m not sure how many bullywugs are here right now, but I see ten of them walking around. I’m not sure we can take on this village, and unless someone can speak their language, I think we need to rescue a captive to see if they know where the stone was taken.”
Q: Does anyone object? YES Q: Open assault? YES
Ambar shakes his head, “I think you underestimate my brother and I, and you certainly don’t understand how terrifying a huge ball of flame or a hailstorm that strikes down the entire village midsummer would be to these kind. A quick strike and the village is ours.”
Q: Does the Prophet object? YES
“Steel is a weapon of little effect when wielded by a fool,” the Prophet says, earning Ambar and Wart’s ire Benar leans back and bows out of the discussion.
I look to Swampfoot, “The boats are in a long channel for a quick getaway. Watch out for flies.”
“Alright then, Prophet, I want you to go north about three hundred yards and start some sort of fire. Lots of smoke to draw the eye. Ambar, Wart, Benar, wait here to charge in if I cry out for help. Swampfoot, keep the boats ready for escape. I’m going to see what I can do!” I say.
I mutter an incantation, and now look like a Bullywug to the naked eye, but I have gills beneath my armpits as well, so I don’t even need to breathe. I swim back up to the edge of the village near where four of the prisoners were bound.
-Stealth 16, passive 10, Athletics 16-
I quietly climb out of the water next to one of the huts, and peer around the corner. The closest prisoner is a man 15 feet from me. The other three nearby prisoners are all women. There are two guards in my line of sight.
Q: Does the Prophet get his distractino going? EXCEPTIONAL YES
Then I see the smoke rising up nearby Lots of it, thick and black. The guards look towards the disturbance, and begin croaking loudly, some sort of alarm no doubt.
Q: Does the village wake? YES
Doors burst open from the various huts and frogmen of all sizes step out into the waning light, pointing at the nearby smoke. One with a net laced with feather starts to gather others to come with him, while another leader starts encouraging his people to gather their things. In the confusion, I leap from my hiding place to a spot behind one of the captives, quickly cutting him loose with my knife.
(Stealth 12, good enough, and they are very distracted so it’s easy)
Q: Does he say anything? YES Q: Does he want to rescue his fellows? NO
The man looks at me in surprise, “Who are you? Thank you!”
“Quietly, into the water, swim west. My men wait with boats,” the man nods and slips off the platform.
-Stealth 13,-
I make it to the second captive and cut her free as well, giving her the same instruction.
Q: Does she follow orders too? YES
I follow her into the water.
Q: Did the other captives see? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Do they cry out? NO
Looking back, I see the other two captives looking at me, their eyes pleading for mercy, but they don’t cry out. “Keep going,” I tell the woman, and I go back to aid my enemies.
Stealth 6, BUSTED!
As I am about to cut the third one free, I hear a loud “Croaaak!” and see a large frogman with a feathered crown pointing its spear at me. Three other frogmen are nearby. Two of the smaller ones leap at me before I can really get a shot off at them. “Scutum” I yell as my shield deflects one’s spear, but not the other. My wards flare as the speartip slides away from my flesh. “Tonitro!” I yell, and like a thunderclap, the spell releases sending the four frogmn sprawling across the camp. The chief cries out in pain while his men lie still in the mud. Eyes turn towards me as the frogs realize they are under attack.
“Damn it!” I curse, as I hear Ambar and Wart yelling in the distance to draw attention from me. I hurl a sphere of acid at the chieftain, which rips open his stomach and leaves him bleeding into the mud.
Q: Do the bullywugs panic with the three way assault? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Does the beast escape? EXCEPTIONAL YES
The frogmen are in a panic, with fire to the north, soldiers to the west, and magic on the south side of their camp. They flee to the east carrying what they had salvaged from their camp.
I quickly cut free the other two captives as I hear the sound of timber being ripped apart near the sacrifial pit. I hear the last man screaming in terror as sound of panicked croaking grows louder. The man’s voice is cut short as the three of us dive into the water and start swimming towards safety.
Q: Do the captives make it? YES
Immersion: Skin touch Scene (Negative Alteration):
I pull myself onto the boat, and begin dressing. We retreated a mile from the village to hopefully lose whatever escaped from the sacrificial pool, but the Prophet is nowhere to be seen. Once my clothes are back on, I allow my body to return to its natural form.
“Where’s the Prophet,” I ask my men.
One of the prisoners is confused and says, “He kept going after the elves and bullywugs ambushed us.” Another captive gives her a warning glance.
“Did you see the starstone these bullywugs found?” I ask.
Q: did they see it? YES Persuasion 13 Q: Will they cooperate? YES
One of them says, “Yes, they beat us to it.”
“Where did they take it?” I ask.
“East, deeper into the swamp,” the eldest of them says, “Maggan, is the name they repeated,” she tries imitating the bullywug word.
-History 21-
“Maggan of the Void?” I ask. She smiles and admits that was her guess as well. Everyone else looks at us in confusion. So I explain, “Maggan of the Void is a Tyrant said to have been bound by the elven kings. To look upon him was to gaze into the endless abyss beyond the veil and to lose one’s mind to madness.”
Almar asks, “And this stone we are looking for, has been given to that thing?” I shrug my shoulders and suggest that if a village of bullywugs is no thread, what’s one measly little demon?
Wart chuckles uneasily, while the rest of the company give each other worried looks.
“Anyway, we need to find the Prophet. Ambar, secure the prisoners, Swampfoot, I need your help.” I command.
Q: Does Littefoot volunteer? NO Q: Does Swampfoot object? NO
“You and I can look for him, but we won’t find him in the dark,” looking at his granddaughter, “Cold camp. Don’t let anyone light any sort of fire.” The girl nods as she begins instructing men how to arrange the tents and organizing a watch schedule.
-Camp Concealment Roll of 20, Tracking roll of 1+5=6-
Swampfoot and I search for a good two hours where the Prophet set his fires, but can find no other signs of his passing. In frustration, we return to our companions. Swampfoot having marked the trail to and from the camp. “We need to move before our enemies find this trail, but it’s our best hope of the Prophet finding us before dawn.”
I nod in agreement.
“He’s no friend of yours is he?” the scout pries. I shake my head.
“Are any of these men friends of yours?” he asks, pausing on the trail.
I look at him, and after a long pause respond, “I’d like to say yes.”
We return to the camp in silence.
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