Unless the party has other business, the group moves toward (and just to the left of) the dim, twinkling star in the ever-twilit sky, in the direction they are told both the Brigand's Tollway and Downfall lie.

The water level has lowered again since descending the hilltop. The sticky mud of the exposed swamp bottom is difficult terrain; it is slow-going. There are fresh springs that provide plenty of fresh water; if you wish to forage for food, make a Wisdom (Survival) check.

Passing the crook of a meandering stream of murky water, Titaani has a vision in a slowly-rotating eddy. In it, she sees a short, mean-looking old woman wearing a crimson cap, a leather apron, and iron boots using a cleaver to chop meat in a drab kitchen. Staring at it for a moment, it slowly dissolves and then washes past.

Cadwallader:

As Cad picks his way through the swamp, trying to avoid the worst of the sucking mud, he finds himself near the gnome, Titaani, and her giant rabbit mount. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for saving my skin back at the tower. That was some spell, to run off a hungry snake that big. And you say you learned it from a friend? Well, thank you. I don't know how many years I have left -- but then again, who ever does? -- but anyway I'm not ready to end my adventuring just as it got going."

He studies the gnome for a moment. "That reminds me -- I heard you ask Ben's age. If you don't mind my asking -- and I apologize if this is ungracious or rude, but we don't see too many gnomes in our little village, other than those passing through on their way somewhere else -- how old are you? You seem young, but again I'm no judge of these things when it comes to gnomes."

Ben:

Watching carefully as he moves through the swamp with the others, Ben watches for threats as well as potable water, edible plants/nuts/berries, as well as small game they might be able to use.

Perception for threats:  17

Survival for Food and Water:  21

Matilda walks with the others, her hand straying more and more often towards her knife, she is glad to be making progress but troubled...though she does her best to put on a brave face.  As she walks she keeps an eye out for anything edible, hoping to spot cloudberries, marshmallow, bilberries or even chantarelle.

Survival: 4

Stealth:7

Perception: 17

The party slowly continues following the meandering stream through the drained swamp in the direction they were instructed. Its torpid brown waters lazily drift away from the direction of your destination.

Where Matilda finds little, Ben is easily able to find enough berries, fish, and edible greens to feed the whole party for the remainder of the day. He also finds a large and unusual, white and gray eldercap mushroom that smells earthy and delicious.

Ben sees nothing of note in the distance – just more swamp. Matilda does a good job of staying a little distance away from the party and mostly out of sight.

Quote from Mithdraugaer >>

Cadwallader:

As Cad picks his way through the swamp, trying to avoid the worst of the sucking mud, he finds himself near the gnome, Titaani, and her giant rabbit mount. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for saving my skin back at the tower. That was some spell, to run off a hungry snake that big. And you say you learned it from a friend? Well, thank you. I don't know how many years I have left -- but then again, who ever does? -- but anyway I'm not ready to end my adventuring just as it got going."

He studies the gnome for a moment. "That reminds me -- I heard you ask Ben's age. If you don't mind my asking -- and I apologize if this is ungracious or rude, but we don't see too many gnomes in our little village, other than those passing through on their way somewhere else -- how old are you? You seem young, but again I'm no judge of these things when it comes to gnomes."

  Titaani clutches onto her mount as she recieves her vision, temporarily blind. 

"Titania...why do you show me this..." she mutters as Cadwaller comes up to her. "Who...who is..."

Snapping out of it, she turns to listen to the human intently, his words distracting her from what she just saw.  

"You're welcome!" she smiles, blushing a little at the compliment. "And it isn't rude at all to ask my age! I actually turned seventeen just a few weeks ago. So yeah, still pretty young!"

Still traveling mostly parallel to the meandering stream, the characters enter a wet meadow dotted with tiny white flowers.

Horatio steps on something which turns out to be a broken, rusted longsword. Soon, everyone is spotting items protruding from the muddy overgrown field - rusted and broken weapons and armor, along with the decaying bones of the dead - all of it appearing to be decades old, if not older. 

As you take this in, two suits of empty, animated armor suddenly stand up from the detritus. The suits look of elven design, their helmets shaped like stylized owl heads. Both suits are 20 feet away. They remain still, as if examining you.

(Where is everyone standing - who's in front? We know Matilda is keeping a low profile off to the side.)

(( Horatio in front? ))

Horatio, startled by the armor standing on its own, calls back. "Cad... guys... don't steal anything?" 

Ben:

Ben has been moving around and past people, foraging for food and water.  

Clock Position:  10

Ben is currently pulling up the rear of the party, having found some excellent berries and tarrying a bit behind to harvest as many that are ripe as possible before moving on.

Seeing the animated armor, he looks carefully at it—is it rusted like the other broken artifacts of war, here, or is it in good condition?

Cadwallader:

((OOC: Cad hasn't been paying too close attention to how they're moving. He'd just be grouching along in a random order -- not first or last place -- but since he was just talking to Titaani he'd presumably be near her.))

Seventeen?! We have two children with us! Gods, and we're going into trouble?! His thoughts are interrupted by Horatio's call. "Steal anything? I would never -- And what's there to steal in a stinking swamp anyway?" Cad only now notices the sheer number of bones and relics. Yes, he'd seen a couple of broken blades, and that one dented helmet, oh, and there was the shield with a spearhead stuck through it, but it had been mostly rotted away. He'd assumed they were on some trail -- he had no idea how whoever was leading this trek was choosing their path since it all seemed the same muddy mess to him -- and the bits he'd seen were discarded by long-gone travelers. But this was clearly the site of some battle, and now two of its fallen appeared to have arisen. He freezes, ready to run or fight depending on how the others respond.

Both sets of armor turn slightly, in unison, before springing back, as if looking over their shoulders for a moment. Their armor is rusted, corroded and damaged, yet somehow mostly intact. They remain still now, and silent.

Matilda watches from behind a patch of brush, slightly worried but reassured that the armours aren't immediately hostile she begins inching towards them slowly....

Horatio remains in front, carefully studying the two armored entities (or perhaps, armor entities?) Nobody moves. Matilda slowly, carefully, and stealthily approaches from the side. (How close will she get? In front of Horatio?)

Matilda is going to continue creeping forward to try and get a look inside the armour, ( having never seen animated amour before she suspects a trick...if there is truly nothing within she's going to get a little freaked out).

Perception: 7

Dropping her stealth for now, and gently and smoothly creeping forward out of the scrub, something strange happens when Matilda steps in front of Horatio.

Both sets of armor hunch slightly, in unison, and begin to take small, slow steps toward Matilda. Their body language - if that's what you would call it for an entity with no apparent body - does not seem hostile, but rather highly wary.

Horatio:

Seeing the change in the behavior of the strange guardians, Horatio gently walks in front of Matilda, his hands held outward with his palms up in a plaintive gesture. "We're sorry for what happened here, this is awful. My eldest brother died in a war and they never brought his body back either. I was really young, but I remember him. He was kind, strong, and a good person... My friend here, she wasn't sneaking around to take anything or disturb this place in any way. We're just travelers and robbers have attacked us once already. She is being cautious is all... Is there... is there anything we can do to help honor those resting here? It seems wrong to just leave it like this, but your ways may be different than mine, and I know you're guarding them so I'll understand if you just want us to keep moving on." 

Both sets of armor stand up straight again, and carefully step forward toward Horatio. Both hold their hands out, holding their rusty gauntlets palm upward.

Horatio:

"You need us to give you something?" He scratches his head a second, a realization hitting him. "She was sneaking, so you hunched down like her. I held my hands like that and now you're mimicking me. Is that it, you're mimicking our gestures?.. I wish you could talk..."

Ben:

Moving up beside Horatio and mimicking the posture of the suits of armor, Ben stands with hands empty and palms up.

”Well-said, Horatio,” he adds in agreement.  “I get the impression that they can’t talk, but are communicating through body language.“

”I know not what battle you fought in, but we are headed to a battle of our own, to deal with a long-scarfed brigand who steals from people in this area.  As my friend Horatio says, we would be willing to honor your dead if you can show us how.  If not, we can go on our way in peace, circling around this battlefield if you do not wish us to move through it.” says Ben.

Help on Horatio’s Persuasion if he wants it, or Ben can roll if needed.

(( lol - you should roll and I'll give help! ))