Prologue: May Day! May Day! I'm going down...to Baladar's

[Rex]

Myrrh

"Thanks for sharing. Perhaps I can help with whatever it is, I am a cleric and warrior after all."

[TheMyth]

Baladar (npc)

The trail leading to Baladar's cabin comes from the west, but walking from the east across the fields and from the edge of the copse of trees comes a grumbling man. He is taller and more muscular than average, dressed in chain mail, and equipped with a sword and long bow. His face is downcast, hidden behind his long, scraggly hair.

When he reaches the group he looks up suddenly. "Oh! Hi. Are you here to see me?" he asks as he looks up to gauge the position of the sun.

"It's after noon, Baladar," Vali squeaks. "They saw your poster."

"Oh, right, sure. Sorry. I'm distracted," Baladar apologizes. "If you have been in town long enough, you have probably heard that there are goblins and such annoying people who leave the village. Plus, a small group of explorers went into the Derfingel Marsh a week or so ago and never came back. I need to go to the ruins in the Marsh and see what's going on, but I can't go. The Mayor needs me to go find his daughter. Again.

"Do you think you might be interested in helping me out?" he asks, looking slightly exasperated.

[BaltoBruiser]

Brondulm

Is the mayor paying for finding his daughter? I would be interested in paying work. I don't think finding a bunch of drunks who wanted to pretend like they were herose in the ruins will pay and I haven't had any troubles with goblins. When I do, I will do something about it.

[TheMyth]

Brondulm

Is the mayor paying for finding his daughter? I would be interested in paying work. I don't think finding a bunch of drunks who wanted to pretend like they were herose in the ruins will pay and I haven't had any troubles with goblins. When I do, I will do something about it.

Baladar (npc)

"A good deed is its own reward," Baladar says as if trying to remember something. "I forget where I heard that. But, no. No reward for finding Jilliane and bringing her home. He just expects me to do it for him, just like I did before. She's a good kid, though. One day, I should just help her elope properly with her beau," Baladar rambles.

"There is really no reward for checking out the ruins either. But you get to keep what you find. Well, except for the Finder's Tax the Mayor has started collecting.

"Even the stuff the four missing guys had is up for grabs. The Inn had no way to contact their next of kin, they left no wills, even their proper names weren't clear. The Militia took anything of value from their rooms, and the Innkeeper will store what was left in case anyone comes looking. If they're found, returning their bodies for burial would be proper..." Baladar trails off.

"If you find them alive, maybe they'll reward you for rescuing them," Baladar adds, trying to awkwardly persuade the leatherclad rogue.

[Rex]

Myrrh

"I am Myrrh. I am willing to go to check these ruins. I have felt a calling to come here and I was unsure why, now I feel I know why."

[gurusql]

Anter

"Greetings, my name is Anter. I am willing to journey with Myrrh. I would ask you what should we be expecting to find in the Derfingel Marsh besides these missing souls? Perhaps as a ranger you could give me some insight to the so-called Dearth Monster that I heard was a creature known for its size, great appetite, and ability to completely avoid detection and location that lives in the marsh."

[TheMyth]

Baladar (npc) & Vali (npc)

"Well," Baladar starts hesitantly, I'm not quite sure what you'll find in the ruins. No one has gone out there and ever come back..."

"I was there this morning," Vali interrupts.

"What?" Baladar furrows his brow at the little gnome. "You went alone? Are you stupid?"

"Meh!" Vali waves his hand at Baladar dismissively. "I'm hunting in the marsh almost every day. So I just slipped over to where the ruins are. I'm small and can climb almost any tree. I was there maybe 20 minutes," Vali brags.

"And I didn't get eaten by the ferocious Dearth Monster!" Vali laughs. "I didn't find any dead cow carcasses of sheep bones. No spear-length claw-marks or bloody corpses. I did find some footprints in the mud, though. Small, like goblin or kobold. And one halfling footprint by a broken tower."

[Rex]

Myrrh

Myrrh looks the gnome over suspiciously, "You are a tracker? Do you want to join us?"

[Edeldhur]

Ellith

Myrrh

Myrrh looks the gnome over suspiciously, "You are a tracker? Do you want to join us?"

"Having someone familiar with the area would be very useful" - Ellith reinforced Myrrh's comment, then turned to Anter - "Even if we have a ranger with us?"

Faron nudged his hand with a low woof - "And yes, we would like to join you in this endeavour" - he added.

[TheMyth]

Vali (npc)

"I ain't no tracker like the big Ranger," Vali says to Myrrh and Ellith, "But I'd join you as an equal partner. I'm good with my bow, and as good with stonework as any dwarf. Plus, I can contribute something else..." Vali says as he pulls a crumpled piece of paper from his vest.

"I found this stuck in a bush, probably dropped by someone," the gnome explains as he spreads the paper open on the table, revealing a crude map:

[Darithe]

Lia

"You have had to rescue his daughter multiple times?..." Lia asks with surprise, but then realizing the girl merely wants to escape the thumb of her father quickly changes the subject, "I think having someone with knowledge of the ruins would be a quite a boon." She looks down at the gnome and smiles. Giving the map a quick glance, "Crude is definitely the word for it. Any idea what those words mean?"

[TheMyth]

Vali (npc)

"I ain't smart like a wizard, but I think the words mean a FAT BOSS is somewhere on this map," Vali snarks.

"The map seems like a rough sketch of the ruins," Vali says as he points on the map. "This pointy thing up top is the ruined tower with the halfling footprint outside. Down south here is a hill with a broken stone foundation on top. Over on the east side is some sort of ruined castle. And in the center of what must have been a plaza is a well that sits on a raised square dais,"

[BaltoBruiser]

Brondulm

Starting to get impatient...directed toward Vali: Do you have an idea of what that X on the hump below the FAT BOSS might mark? I have always thought there was treasure where there was an X on a map. Also, it is past noon and we are burning daylight. Are we headed to the marsh to find those fools and claim a reward when...if we bring them back alive? If not, I have an appointment with someone in town.

[gurusql]

Anter

Anter directs his attention to Vali, "Perhaps a better question is how long to the place that this map shows?"

[Rex]

Myrrh

To Brondulm, "The only reward for going to the ruins is whatever we find."

To everyone, "Excellent point Anter, how long to get there?"

[Edeldhur]

As the others converse, Ellith takes a moment to carefully look over the map, trying to reconcile if he knows anything about the region or the area.

(OOC: Probably not, just in case though)

[TheMyth]

Vali (npc)

"From here? Maybe an hour. Hour and a half tops," Vali replies.

"Depends on whether we wanna avoid the militia outpost or not. If not, we can go past the Great Citadel," the gnome says with a chuckle. "Then we can shortcut across the bottom of the hill where the temple is, tread across the open meadowland to woods on the north end of Derfinel Marsh, then skirt to the west around to the trail I found leading into the ruins."

Vali then smiles mischievously. "But if you wanna avoid the militia, we go south through the village until we reach the Boiling Brook. Then, we follow the trail between the Brook and the fenced fields until we reach the edge ofcthe Marsh. This way will take a bit longer," he finishes.

[TheMyth]

As the others converse, Ellith takes a moment to carefully look over the map, trying to reconcile if he knows anything about the region or the area.

(OOC: Probably not, just in case though)

(OOC: is there anything in your RUMORS?

Edit to add: Hey! I just checked my "sent mail" and Ellith's rumors never went through! Expect them soon!)

[Rex]

Myrrh

"Is there a reason why we would want to avoid the militia outpost."

[Edeldhur]

As the others converse, Ellith takes a moment to carefully look over the map, trying to reconcile if he knows anything about the region or the area.

(OOC: Probably not, just in case though)

(OOC: is there anything in your RUMORS?

Edit to add: Hey! I just checked my "sent mail" and Ellith's rumors never went through! Expect them soon!)

Got it. Thanks!