IC 003 - Expedition to Blackwater Swamp

[sulldawga]

Blackwater Swamp region
Date: Fourthmonth, Fourthday (The Bloom 4)
Time: roughly mid- to late-afternoon

The party is of two minds about how to proceed next but the cautious path wins out and you all turn back east toward The Farms.

It's a short 3 mile walk to Fort Illumination. Your approach within a half mile of the Fort elicits a response on horseback from the Army but you drop a few names like Fort-Captain Nisus back at the Moathouse and you are allowed to proceed without further interruption.

You wouldn't be able to reach the bridge back to Ket before nightfall but it does seem like the trip would be safe. More of a worry is that the gates will be locked again so the choice is to camp here or head for the bridge and camp just short of Ket.

Let me know if you want to interact with anyone in the Fort or if you're just here to camp in relative safety, or if you're going to march all the way back to the Moche.

[Marullus]

Being greeted, Gars ingratiates himself to the guards and the local fort. The knowledge of the sandstone quarry-site is most valuable to this fort, after all, and they're most likely to also have valuable information on what problems they're facing from the swamp...

Negotiation [1d6]=5[1d6]=3[1d6]=3[1d6]=6+2
Roll is 10.

In order:

• warm lodgings for the night
• Intel on their nearby threats
• Ongoing ability to basecamp/sleep here going forward

...I'll also add in ideas from other PCs. Consolidating this action, but not trying to have it be unilateral.

To the others he adds, The wasp nectar will keep, unlike the eggs. But if we can get good concessions for that quarry, this could be a good launching point going forward. Thoughts?

[Rex]

Ciarra

"Good idea, makes sense."

[cybersavant]

Kaithar "I think it best to survey the close areas first and become familiar with them, so when on a longer jaunt we run into trouble, we have relative safety retreating back."

[sulldawga]

Fort Illumination
Date: Fourthmonth, Fourthday (The Bloom 4)
Time: late afternoon

Gars chats up the guards and easily gains an audience with Fort-Captain Wynne. She is happy to learn more about what the party has learned of the wilderness. She seems strangely uninterested in the quarry though.

You can show me on a map where the sandstone is, and I'll send a runner to the Moathouse to report. As for lodging, this isn't an Inn. We don't have rooms for civilians. I can assure you that the grounds outside the Fort are safe for camping. Maybe, uh, camp on the east side, just to be sure. Things come walking out of the darkness more often than you'd think and my boys are likely to kill everyone and sort things out the next morning.

As for intel on nearby threats, Wynne is happy to have someone to talk with. We've been out here a while, don't forget. We set up the Fort over a year ago and have been patrolling for a long time. There's all sorts of crazy shit out there. Boars the size of warhorses. There are several different nature cults out there, led by druids. One of them rides giant wolves. We've heard rumors of lycanthropes, and if I hadn't seen a few corpses that looked like someone took knives to the bodies, I'd think it was just a few drunken troopers telling tales.

There are definitely some bandits in the area as well. They operated with impunity until we showed up. Maybe they were smugglers on the river, I don't know. But if you can find their hideout, I'd pay you a bounty. They've given us the slip more than once.

We've got a small garrison by the lake. The generals think it's the next place the King will allow settlements so we're trying to get an idea of what's around there. They've run into some issues with harpies... that's another problem that I'd pay for someone else to solve. Just watch yourself on the north shore. I think the druids are experimenting. We've seen giant frogs, giant spiders... just a gamut of dangerous shit grown to giant sizes.

We don't go to the swamp at all. I personally believe the rumors of a dragon are real. As of right now, we don't go in and nothing comes out, and I'd like to keep it that way. So don't go stirring up any shit in the swamp.

[Rex]

Ciarra

Ciarra listens and takes mental notes.

[Urson]

Mikhail
Mikhail grumbles and mutters as the group returns to the Fort. He's a bit of an ass about the whole thing, but isn't stupid enough to go out alone. He'll busy himself setting up a campsite.

When Wynne is discussing the rumors they've heard, Mikhail is skeptical. Has you seen any evidence? Pelts, carcasses, bones? If I had a copper for every time I've heard a story about giant animals, I could buy this fort and everythin' inside.

[Marullus]

Gars is grateful and ingratiating for what they're able to learn, even if his effort to avoid using his tent bore no fruit. At the least, Fort-Captain Wynne now knows the name of Ruprect's Rangers. If there's no payment for the sandstone deposit knowledge, he'll offer to tell Fort-Captain Nisus at Moathouse ourselves. Retiring for the night outside the fort (on the east side), he sets up his supplies from Belegroc and makes sure the pinions are fluttering appropriately.

As they have time to discuss that night around the campfire, he asks his companions, "A shame he doesn't seem interested in stone for building. So, options.

• We already met one set of druids in the tower, and we met an eldritch intelligence who is willing to keenly reward us for taking them on, besides the promise of reward from the Fort-Captain back in town. This captain also tells us they're only one of several groups of druids, but I don't think we're likely to make friends with any of them, being the vanguard of civilizing influences antithetical to their ways.
• We have a reward if we find the bandit fort, now.
• There are harpies at the lake... but I think we're rather ill-prepared for airborne foes with our lack of bows. I think we got lucky with the wasps that they were dumb and aggressive and we're not as likely to be that lucky with harpies blundering down where we can hit them.
• Giant creatures are all over, that we've seen, but they say particularly on the northern lakeshore. Unless we need giant meat or giant hides, that doesn't seem profitable for us. Better to seek to resolve the druid problem, or problems, for reward and handle them at the source.
• Then... there's the swamp.
  • Fort-Captain Wynne believes there's a dragon in the swamp. That's something that Fort-Captain Nisus didn't divulge. Certainly a cause for greater caution.
  • Nisus mentioning "bezerkers riding wolves" matches with Wynne citing druids riding wolves. We now have two offers for reward, and Nisus citing them being near the swamp. Not sure if that's more or less fruitful than dealing with the druids in the tower, as far as ordering our priorities.
  • Nisus told us the Bandits are in league with druids, but we don't know which ones, and he said they're also near the swamp. We now know more, with Wynne citing they've sent them to hiding and the real challenge is finding the hidden fort. Finding the fort and sending in soldiers is probably much more in our lane than trying to sack a fort or a tower. A fort needs fresh water - this may align with our goal of finding and following those streams.
  • Knowing there may be lycanthropes near the swamps here, too is a salient threat, but perhaps not one we seek... it may be enough to avoid. Ciarra, do your healing arts provide any hope against such affliction?
• I still desire that we seek along waterways in hopes of uncovering more ancient sites. I am growing more convinced that past the lake and into the hills may be the best route for that.
• Barring that, making for that raised hill in the swamp may give us the best scouting to identify where these other concerns may be found.

What do you all think?"

I am assuming lycanthropes might be Kaither's people instead. But has Kaither confided in us about his own ability to shapeshift?

[sulldawga]

Mikhail
When Wynne is discussing the rumors they've heard, Mikhail is skeptical. Has you seen any evidence? Pelts, carcasses, bones? If I had a copper for every time I've heard a story about giant animals, I could buy this fort and everythin' inside.

Fort-Captain Wynne

Wynne looks down her nose at Mikhail. Didn't you just face off with a group of giant wasps yourself? Why would giant spiders or boars be any different?

She snorts, flaring her nostrils in anger. I've seen the boars with my own eyes. Same with the wolves big enough for riders. Spend enough time here with us and you'll get run down by one yourself. The frogs and spiders I haven't seen but I've gotten reports directly from my troopers down south. They have no reason to lie and every reason to tell the truth.

[Rex]

Ciarra

"I am not surprised, there is much we do not know."

[cybersavant]

I am assuming lycanthropes might be Kaither's people instead. But has Kaither confided in us about his own ability to shapeshift?

no hehasn't; but he does physically react to the the news - -more alert

[sulldawga]

Can I get an update on specific actions that each party member is taking?

[Rex]

Ciarra

Ciarra will remain silent at the meeting after her last comment. Then when the meeting is done she will find a camp spot to settle in where they suggested.

[Marullus]

Can I get an update on specific actions that each party member is taking?

Gars is setting up his tent, extravagant pinions flying, and summarizing all our plot hooks so far, enabling us to have an IC plan. In the morning he packs up and they set out to enact the plan.

IC/OOC, the serious consideration of a dragon makes the swamp a far more dangerous place to blunder in. I and Gars suggest we scout the near-space for the bandit hideout and reach level 2.

[sulldawga]

Fort Illumination
Date: Fourthmonth, Fifthday (The Bloom 5)
Weather: Partly cloudy, winds from the north at 7 MPH, 60 degrees
Moon: Waxing crescent

The party awakens after an uneventful rest outside the Fort. While still somewhat cloudy, it is definitely nicer weather with warmer temps and less wind.

You have a few different options available to you:

• Visit the Moathouse and see if Fort-Captain Nisus has any interest in learning about the sandstone deposit
• Visit Ket and see if anyone else has interest in the sandstone
• Try to sell the giant wasp nectar
• Visit Elder Visant at the Church of Albor and tell him about your encounter with the shrine to Romten
• Return to the wilderness and pursue one of Gars' suggested paths

[Enoch]

Lavin sighs as she settles into camp. "Shame the captain here isn't interested in the sandstone...unless he's just ducking paying us so he can send his own soldiers out to find it for free. Think it's worth going back east to find a buyer for that information?"

[Rex]

Ciarra

"I am not sure it is worth much at the moment so would prefer to continue to explore."

[Enoch]

Lavin nods and leans forward. "The wolf-riding druids sound like an interesting challenge, then."

[Marullus]

Gars nods. "Well, finding the wolf-riders or the bandits is the same course of action - we more thoroughly search the area between here and the swamp proper. The other options being to go to the druid tower and clear it with an application of stealth and force and by doing so appease both the ancient god and get a reward from Fort-Captain Nissus, or delving more directly into the swamp by making for that bald hill we saw to gain more insight into the territory there. Either way, we perhaps try to avoid trouble with the lycanthropes or the presumed swamp-dragon..."

He clears his throat and regroups his thoughts. "If you want to find the wolf-riders, let us check the stream we already found first, from here to the swamp-proper, then we can choose a new course to identify other freshwater sources which might sustain either wolf-druids or bandits until we've done due dilligence on the area here outside the brackish swamp itself. Agreed?"

If we're recruiting new PCs, can we pick them up here that "they found their way across the farms to the fort" or do we need to return to town-proper for them?

[Rex]

Ciarra

"Maybe we should check the travelers and see if there are anyone willing to join us."