From the orb streams an arc of electricity toward Banjo: Attack: 13

((if it hits)) Damage: 5 lightning damage

((Banjo, your turn, Tresvar on deck))

"Ack!"  Without time to think, Banjo reflexively casts shield, giving him +5 to AC and narrowly deflecting the incoming lightning attack.

Once he has a chance to collect his thoughts and recognize the danger he and Tresvar face - lured off the path by illusions! - he responds to the lightning attack with an attack of his own.  Banjo flicks his wand foci toward the glowing orb and speaks an incantation.  Magic Missile for 3, 4, 4.  "I read something about these!..." he puffs out with the only time he has left.

Tresvar draws her sword, steps up and attacks. 
21 to hit

10 damage

”what matter of creature is this?  How did we get so far off the road?”  She says with confusion..

Back in the lead wagon Serena has a vivid nightmare about Banjo and Tresvar being lost in the fog, so she puts a protective arm over Livia sleeping beside her.

The orb strobes a piercing blue once as the brutal attack of Banjo and Tresvar dissipates it to nothingness, leaving them in dark, in the fog. 

((If you try to see the lights of the wagons make a perception check. 

If you wish to run toward where you think you saw the wagons before, make a Survival check.

You can aid each other for either, to get advantage.

You can of course do anything else you wish to try... those two are simply examples - because you in the dark, in the fog, in the Mere of Dead Men))

(Best if banjo makes the rolls with help from Tresvar)

"Tremendous!" Banjo exclaims, panting as his voice drifts off into the foggy darkness.  He does a little dance and attempts to high-five the towering Tresvar, settling instead for shadow-boxing her right knee.  "That was a deadly foe we just vanquished, you and I.  Well done, well done Tresvar!"

"And we did it none to soon as I... er I happen to be completely out of spells.  No matter.  I am sure with the Wisp vanquished we can find our way back to the safety of the caravan.  Now let me see..." he trails off, considering their options.  "If you'll consider my recommendation, our prints have sunk a bit into this murky ground.  The bright side to that is we have left a bit of a trail behind us, which we should be able to follow back to the road.  That will leave us far behind the wagons, of course, but without a sneaky Will o Wisp to lead us astray, from the road we should be able to jog back up to catch the wagons in no time at all."  He lifts off his cap and repositions it.  "I suppose we could try to angle through the swamp to meet the wagons where they are now but... to be forthright I am not thrilled at the prospect of blazing new trails through the Mere in the dead of night.  We know the path we came in is safe... or at least nothing there attacked us while the Wisp was baiting us.  I think that is our best bet."

Survival (w/advantage) to follow their own prints back to the road: 20

Banjo and Tresvar  follow their still fresh tracks back to the road easily. They attempt to catch up to the caravan, but they only do so as the sun begins to climb into the sky, burning off some of the fog. The entire night march, they had been hard pressed to keep to the road for they saw many more 'lanterns' bobbing and swaying throughout the swamp.

They climb exhausted into the first coach and fall into the well earned sleep of an adventurer.

Tresvar and Banjo awaken toward late noon and join Serena and Livia in their walk. ((be sure to mark a full rest)) As they eat the rustic travel food prepared in small bowls for walking, they discuss the events of the last evening and how to prevent it for the remainder of the trek around the Mere.

“That was tricky, we will have to make sure to stay on the road in future.    Your spell was perfect.   I’ll watch where my feet are and stay with the wagon tracks”Tresvar says.    She warns the others on the caravan of the danger.  

In the midday, Banjo joins the others after a fitful sleep.  His face is more pensive than normal... perhaps the first time you have seen him truly distressed.  He carries his feed bowl with him but does not eat.

"Good morning.  It is good to see the three of you again.  I've been thinking... after the excitement and thrill of last night's adventure wore off I am left with the painful truth that I made two aggravated errors that put Tresvar and myself in harms way."  He raises the thumb on his right hand.  "First, I allowed myself to be hoodwinked by some parlor illusions and led noble Tresvar off into the dreaded Mere."  He raises the index finger on his right hand.  "Second, I panicked in the initial moment of the attack and used one of my spells without thinking to shield myself from an attack.  While that might seem perfectly reasonable, to one possessed of limited magics the precise control, timing and usage of spells is of critical importance.  I have been reading a bit about those Wisp creatures in 'Ella's journal.  They are undead horrors and by reputation extremely difficult to wound with physical weapons.  By wasting a spell on defense, I could have left us with no way to harm the creature.  It is only thanks to Tresvar's weapon skills that she was able to land the mortal blow before the creature had its wicked ways with us."

He walks on a bit more, silently looking into his bowl of trail mix.

"These were rookie mistakes.  I shall not make them again."  He looks back at everyone, the concern melting away and his now-familiar grin returning.  "So... how should I record this story in the book of records?"

(Continuing that previous conversation...)

Livia watches Serena with a bit of a shock. But, stealing is wrong. She thinks. She doesn't voice these thoughts, though, and when Serena nudges her, she nods. "I will send them a letter. Your advice is much appreciated."

(When duscussing the night's events...)

Livia silently listens, but it's obvious she's listening to Banjo's words with great curiosity. After all, that was a problem that concerned her as well, though the others knew nothing of it yet. She didn't want to attract too much attention to herself. Divine powers one possesses since birth, if used where others could see, is one of the simplest ways to alert her parents. She didn't want her adventure to end yet.

"Oh, don´t be so hard on yourself  Banjo. From what I heard Will-o´-Wisps are dangerous foes, and you both got out of that fight without a scratch, right?  I just hope me and Livia won´t miss out on the action next time." Serena says smiling, putting a supportive hand on Banjo´s shoulder after finishing her bowl of rustic travel food. "About the recording, I don´t think you need much help there really Banjo, being a gnome of many words and having seen the thing first hand, but make sure to not be too modest about your deed this night." Serena says encouragingly.

The four of companions continue to walk on this way, hypothesizing and falling into banter. At one point, the halfling that Banjo had been talking to prior to getting misled, walks right by without as much as a word or look of recognition.

Banjo does a doubletake.  He swivels around and almost drops his bowl.  "Did you... do you all see that fellow there?" he asks, one finger pointing at the passing halfling, the other at his three companions.  "That's the illusion - the person - er that's what I thought I was taking to while I was led astray into the swamp.  I had thought them just an illusion that I carelessly mistook for a member of our caravan.  Is that a real person?  Am I still bewitched?!"

A look of concern spreads across his face.  He sets his bowl down in the road, then slaps himself hard across the face, hard enough that it immediately reddens and his eyes tear up.  He then looks around, at the caravan, at the three of you, and then rubs the side of his face.  "Well, that was painful and apparently unnecessary."

Serena starts laughing. "Don´t you see...it is Sneeze testing us...right Sneeze?" She says the last part a bit louder looking around as if Sneeze was somwhere unseen but within earshot.

Serena's words seem to hang in the air just a little too long. Then there is awkward silence.

Just as one of the companions is about to fill the void with more words, from behind Serena is heard:

"Not so young adventurer. That was no test of my device. Banjo is closest, although some things do not add up."

Sneeze strides forward as if he had been simply resting there all along.

"While what you fought had the form similar to a WIll-'o-Wisp, I doubt it was one... not to question Banjo and Tresvar's prowess, but even a single Will-o'-Wisp would likely have been your doom." He walks in a circle with his hands behind his back... "No, also by the account that Banjo has told, it appears to have shapeshifting abilities. WIll-o'-Wisps cannot manifest such convincing illusions. No, I suspect it was something I have only heard tell of, a juvenile Wisp, what is called a Boggart." Sneeze stops and puts his finger beside his nose and looks Banjo in the eyes, "Yes, lucky you were. You should write that down. I do not believe we have an entry for them in Volo's Guide to Monsters. Well found adventurers, but do let's keep the adventures for Oakhurst." He smiles and walks behind Serena again.

While it looks as if his path would take him around Serena, he does not walk out from the other side. He is, in fact, simply vanished  

"Perhaps we should tie rope to the guards and the wagons by night.", Sneeze's voice drifts in the air.

The remainder of the trip round the Mere is grueling, but no further adventurers get lost due to the companions warnings. Eventually, the caravan arrives at Leilon for a much needed stop. The beasts of burden are refreshed and all travelers are happy to not have to rest while moving.

As the final leg of this trip to meet their contact in Neverwinter approaches, the companions grow eager with anticipation. One of the companions also grows anxious as she knows that her return to Neverwinter is indeed fraught with risk. How will she be able to meet with the contact from within the city. Could other arrangements be made? Perhaps she should seek to speak with Sneeze about it...

((all roll perception checks for the final leg of the trip))

"A Boggart huh, who knew." Serena says shrugging as Sneeze leaves, clearly disappointed over coming to the wrong conclusions. "Well now you really have something to write about Banjo." She adds perking up a bit.

During the rest of the way to Neverwinter Serena continues her training of her protegé, realizing she is a quick learner and soon running out of things to teach about a life as an adventurer. "See, I told you you would be a marksman when we reached Neverwinter." She says encouragingly to Livia as she hits an acorn with her crossbowbolt at one of their rests along the road. Perception:3

At the last stretch before arriving at Neverwinter Serena seeks out Sneeze looking a bit sheepish. "Ahem, I think I failed to mention in my application that I am in fact a wanted woman in Neverwinter. I can assure you I have done nothing more wrong than to annoy the Lord Protector Dagult Neverember, but being the devious tyrant he is I would do best keeping a low profile when there. My own fey illusions will not yet suffice I´m afraid, perhaps you could provide me with some help in that regard so that we won´t be interrupted in our adventure." She asks Sneeze, aware that he might well know everything about her past.