"There's actually an inn about northwest," the coachman says. "It's at the edge of the forests surrounding the Mire, so the road is not that bad and the night is not that dark. But, it's in the completely opposite direction to your destination. If you remember, about an hour back we passed a junction in the road. We went further north, but if we turn west at the junction, the inn will be there about an hour's drive. I'll be stopping there after taking you."
"I vote to keep going," Cob says, feeling completely refreshed and even a touch more sure of himself. "As much as I'd like a soft bed, it looks like the stars are out and we can still make some good head way."
"Agreed", Drexon adds. "Perhaps cover of darkness will be a blessing to us as well, and we make our way through the swamp unseen and unheard. Of course, I think Ermeoz and I will end up envying your ability to fly more than usual, Cob".
He starts to dig around in his pack and eventually pulls out the insect repellent he bought for the journey.
“Time is not our friend. We can push on and hope we have a chance to rest when we get there.” Eremoz sits up and pulls out his map. He studies it for a bit any landmarks that they can use to determine where they are once they make their way by foot.
After another hour in the carriage, the surrounding area begins to change. The previously vibrant forests become thicker and dense. The sun is setting beyond the horizon, yet there is an eerie dim glow surrounding this new forest. The carriage jerks about more and more as its moves through the forest. You can hear faint buzzing noise of insects not far away. The slick squelch of the carriage wheels as they hit a mud puddle is a sure sign that you have reached the Umbral Mire.
"This is as far as I can take you," the coachman says as he pulls the carriage to a stop. He seems to have a hard time controlling the horses drawing the carriage. They look uneasy with the dimly glowing forest swamp.
You pull your insect spray, and the effect is quite significant. The faint buzzing you've been hearing suddenly becomes louder before it vanishes completely. The coachman nods approvingly.
"That will come in handy," he says. He turns the carriage around with much difficulty before stopping by your side. "Pardon, good sirs, but, before I leave, there are three things I should warn you about this place. The first is the insects. It bites, and it bites hard. The repellant should ease your journey. The second is to be careful of the lizard-lion. They usually hide in the water before they drag you in. They have an unusually strong jaw. The third is only a superstition amongst the folk in Mantagard, but this mire is a strange place. As you can see, the sun has set but the trees and water are emitting a slight glow. People also swore they have seen a ghost of an old lady carrying a lantern. Just keep in mind that this place is not as safe as the areas around Mantagard. Also, you can just follow the path to Saikhan. It's not passable by carriage, but it should be visible and easy enough to traverse on foot. Do not, and I repeat, do not stray away from the path. Many people had done that and never returned. Even someone familiar with the area can get lost in the mire, like the recently missing herbalist from town."
"I bid you good luck in your travel," he adds as he drives his carriage back south.
{{Now, I need to know who is going in front and who is going in the back. I want the one at the front to make a survival check with advantage from Cob's flight. I also want each of you to roll me a d10.}}
“Thank you sir.” Eremoz checks his Wayfarer’s Band and the trail ahead. “I will take the lead. Keep your eyes up and warn everyone if you see anything.”
He makes sure everyone has their things are in order before marching down the trail.
"A charming place", Drexon comments to the others after the coach has turned back and started the return journey. "I guess we should keep an eye out for that herbalist".
As they start their walk, and with talk of lizard lions, he decides it best to protect himself even now.
He is surprised at the amount of light despite the dark hour, which means they can forego magical means of illumination. As they travel, he sticks close to Eremoz, ensuring he is able to aid his leonin companion in focussing as often as possible.
And whilst Eremoz concentrates on the path forwards, he keeps an eye to the side and an ear behind.
As you walk through the mire, you cannot hear any animals apart from the faint buzzing of insects once in a while. The sight is quite ethereal as you go deeper. The trees have a dim outline of white light, creating a mystical and eerie sight. Once in a while, you see large puddles of water seemingly moving on its own despite the lack of wind. The leaves rustle and sometimes you hear a barely audible whisper of strange words and phrases.
With Eremoz in the lead, you have an easy enough time through the swampy ground. Once in a while, a warning from Cob forces you to take a brief circle around some of the larger puddles and you cannot feel anything but relief when you see one such puddle bubble and sucks in a large and thick fallen tree trunk in less than a quarter of a minute.
About an hour into your journey, Drexon calls for a brief stop when he notices shadows near the roots of a distant tree. The buzzing of insects is louder there for some reason. You don't have to wait long before you see what the coachman has warned you about. A marsh rabbit has hopped near the tree and a large blob of darkness has come out of the roots to engulf it whole before disappearing under the roots again. The buzzing disappears. In the rabbit's place is its bones, gleaming white under the dimly lit swamp.
"Well that is disconcerting", Drexon says as he looks upon on the bones of the once rabbit. "Hold on, let me see if I can light that tree up".
He channels his power through his bloodwell vial and produces four glowing orbs close to the tree, moving them about to try and illicit a response or if not just to illuminate it more.
As the orbs illuminate the tree, the blob hidden between the roots scatter to avoid the lights. You can now see that it is a dense swarm of insects. Each insect looks like little firefly that instead of glowing with a warm light, seems to suck in light to make it almost indistinguishable from a shadow. There must have been hundreds of them hiding there, and while larger animals would feel the sting of their bite, the smaller one would be quickly consumed down to the bone, just like the rabbit.
The buzzing becomes louder as the swarm slowly begins to swirl around the orbs of light, getting closer and closer until it engulfs the orb as if trying to consume it. After swirling around and finding nothing to consume, the insects disperse and join other writhing shadows hiding under the trees. If not for the repellant you've bought, this would have been a difficult start of the journey. But then a thought hit you. How long would the repellant last?
Cob grimaces at the sight of the rabbit being devoured by the piranha like insects.
"The sooner we're out of here the better," he says.
Cob flies up higher to see if he can judge how far they have to go in order to get through the swamp, comparing what's ahead with how far they've come in the past hour since they entered the swamp.
Cob, you cannot yet see the end of the swamp. Even flying above the canopy, you can barely see the coast quite a ways away. As a rough estimate, you are maybe a tenth into the journey. However, as you survey the land from above, you notice smoke coming out from a place to the north. It is reminiscent of the smoke coming out of a chimney.
After another hour into the journey, you are beginning to get the hang of travelling through the swamp. The repellant helps you avoid the insects, and the lights make them shy away further from your path.
At the end of the hour, another warning from Cob stops you from your walk and forces you on a slight detour. It is easy to see the reason this time. A large moose seems to have escaped the swarms of insects but unfortunately walks directly into a quagmire. It struggles to get out, and, with a lot of struggling, it manages to get its two front hooves into solid ground. However, nearly half of its lower body has been slowly sinking into the muddy pit.
"I wonder if the smoke is from the herbalist? Maybe a camp fire," Cob suggests as they continue through the swamp. "Might be a dry spot to take a break, because I think we're going to be at this all night."
"Can you see if the smoke is on the path?", Drexon asks of Cob. "The coachman was very clear about sticking to it".
When Eremoz brings up Dvark and Karm he shakes his head, "An impossible task already, and now we have lost our smartest companion and the one that keeps us healthy".
"I suppose we can only take one step at a time and hope it leads us to what we need. Cob, what happened when Karm passed on? There were crystals or something?".
The smoke is in the middle of a small break in the trees slightly west from the path -- or where you expect the path would be. You think it wouldn't be that far away from the path, but you cannot be sure because the smoke is still about another hour away from your current position.
"There's actually an inn about northwest," the coachman says. "It's at the edge of the forests surrounding the Mire, so the road is not that bad and the night is not that dark. But, it's in the completely opposite direction to your destination. If you remember, about an hour back we passed a junction in the road. We went further north, but if we turn west at the junction, the inn will be there about an hour's drive. I'll be stopping there after taking you."
"I vote to keep going," Cob says, feeling completely refreshed and even a touch more sure of himself. "As much as I'd like a soft bed, it looks like the stars are out and we can still make some good head way."
"Agreed", Drexon adds. "Perhaps cover of darkness will be a blessing to us as well, and we make our way through the swamp unseen and unheard. Of course, I think Ermeoz and I will end up envying your ability to fly more than usual, Cob".
He starts to dig around in his pack and eventually pulls out the insect repellent he bought for the journey.
"Best not forget to apply this".
“Time is not our friend. We can push on and hope we have a chance to rest when we get there.” Eremoz sits up and pulls out his map. He studies it for a bit any landmarks that they can use to determine where they are once they make their way by foot.
Cob will fly up above as they move along, looking ahead for anything that might block Eremoz and Drexon's way along the ground.
After another hour in the carriage, the surrounding area begins to change. The previously vibrant forests become thicker and dense. The sun is setting beyond the horizon, yet there is an eerie dim glow surrounding this new forest. The carriage jerks about more and more as its moves through the forest. You can hear faint buzzing noise of insects not far away. The slick squelch of the carriage wheels as they hit a mud puddle is a sure sign that you have reached the Umbral Mire.
"This is as far as I can take you," the coachman says as he pulls the carriage to a stop. He seems to have a hard time controlling the horses drawing the carriage. They look uneasy with the dimly glowing forest swamp.
You pull your insect spray, and the effect is quite significant. The faint buzzing you've been hearing suddenly becomes louder before it vanishes completely. The coachman nods approvingly.
"That will come in handy," he says. He turns the carriage around with much difficulty before stopping by your side. "Pardon, good sirs, but, before I leave, there are three things I should warn you about this place. The first is the insects. It bites, and it bites hard. The repellant should ease your journey. The second is to be careful of the lizard-lion. They usually hide in the water before they drag you in. They have an unusually strong jaw. The third is only a superstition amongst the folk in Mantagard, but this mire is a strange place. As you can see, the sun has set but the trees and water are emitting a slight glow. People also swore they have seen a ghost of an old lady carrying a lantern. Just keep in mind that this place is not as safe as the areas around Mantagard. Also, you can just follow the path to Saikhan. It's not passable by carriage, but it should be visible and easy enough to traverse on foot. Do not, and I repeat, do not stray away from the path. Many people had done that and never returned. Even someone familiar with the area can get lost in the mire, like the recently missing herbalist from town."
"I bid you good luck in your travel," he adds as he drives his carriage back south.
{{Now, I need to know who is going in front and who is going in the back. I want the one at the front to make a survival check with advantage from Cob's flight. I also want each of you to roll me a d10.}}
Cob looks at the light coming off the forest then back at the retreating carriage and shrugs.
"Well, it was nice while it lasted," Cob says.
He pops up into the air to get a better look around and to make sure he can see the pathway from above.
(Cob d10 - 10 - will leave Survival roll to someone else - being observant is not one of Cob's strengths).
“Thank you sir.” Eremoz checks his Wayfarer’s Band and the trail ahead. “I will take the lead. Keep your eyes up and warn everyone if you see anything.”
He makes sure everyone has their things are in order before marching down the trail.
Survival: 18
D10: 10
"A charming place", Drexon comments to the others after the coach has turned back and started the return journey. "I guess we should keep an eye out for that herbalist".
As they start their walk, and with talk of lizard lions, he decides it best to protect himself even now.
He is surprised at the amount of light despite the dark hour, which means they can forego magical means of illumination. As they travel, he sticks close to Eremoz, ensuring he is able to aid his leonin companion in focussing as often as possible.
And whilst Eremoz concentrates on the path forwards, he keeps an eye to the side and an ear behind.
Guidance (for Eremoz Survival): 2
Perception: 11+5=16
D10: 3
As you walk through the mire, you cannot hear any animals apart from the faint buzzing of insects once in a while. The sight is quite ethereal as you go deeper. The trees have a dim outline of white light, creating a mystical and eerie sight. Once in a while, you see large puddles of water seemingly moving on its own despite the lack of wind. The leaves rustle and sometimes you hear a barely audible whisper of strange words and phrases.
With Eremoz in the lead, you have an easy enough time through the swampy ground. Once in a while, a warning from Cob forces you to take a brief circle around some of the larger puddles and you cannot feel anything but relief when you see one such puddle bubble and sucks in a large and thick fallen tree trunk in less than a quarter of a minute.
About an hour into your journey, Drexon calls for a brief stop when he notices shadows near the roots of a distant tree. The buzzing of insects is louder there for some reason. You don't have to wait long before you see what the coachman has warned you about. A marsh rabbit has hopped near the tree and a large blob of darkness has come out of the roots to engulf it whole before disappearing under the roots again. The buzzing disappears. In the rabbit's place is its bones, gleaming white under the dimly lit swamp.
"Well that is disconcerting", Drexon says as he looks upon on the bones of the once rabbit. "Hold on, let me see if I can light that tree up".
He channels his power through his bloodwell vial and produces four glowing orbs close to the tree, moving them about to try and illicit a response or if not just to illuminate it more.
As the orbs illuminate the tree, the blob hidden between the roots scatter to avoid the lights. You can now see that it is a dense swarm of insects. Each insect looks like little firefly that instead of glowing with a warm light, seems to suck in light to make it almost indistinguishable from a shadow. There must have been hundreds of them hiding there, and while larger animals would feel the sting of their bite, the smaller one would be quickly consumed down to the bone, just like the rabbit.
The buzzing becomes louder as the swarm slowly begins to swirl around the orbs of light, getting closer and closer until it engulfs the orb as if trying to consume it. After swirling around and finding nothing to consume, the insects disperse and join other writhing shadows hiding under the trees. If not for the repellant you've bought, this would have been a difficult start of the journey. But then a thought hit you. How long would the repellant last?
Cob grimaces at the sight of the rabbit being devoured by the piranha like insects.
"The sooner we're out of here the better," he says.
Cob flies up higher to see if he can judge how far they have to go in order to get through the swamp, comparing what's ahead with how far they've come in the past hour since they entered the swamp.
"Agreed", Drexon replies as Cob heads upwards. "I think will keep the lights on from now on, although it does mean I can't help you focus Eremoz".
With that, he starts to direct the glowing orbs to flank either side of them, two in front and two behind, just so there are no surprises.
Cob, you cannot yet see the end of the swamp. Even flying above the canopy, you can barely see the coast quite a ways away. As a rough estimate, you are maybe a tenth into the journey. However, as you survey the land from above, you notice smoke coming out from a place to the north. It is reminiscent of the smoke coming out of a chimney.
After another hour into the journey, you are beginning to get the hang of travelling through the swamp. The repellant helps you avoid the insects, and the lights make them shy away further from your path.
At the end of the hour, another warning from Cob stops you from your walk and forces you on a slight detour. It is easy to see the reason this time. A large moose seems to have escaped the swarms of insects but unfortunately walks directly into a quagmire. It struggles to get out, and, with a lot of struggling, it manages to get its two front hooves into solid ground. However, nearly half of its lower body has been slowly sinking into the muddy pit.
"I wonder if the smoke is from the herbalist? Maybe a camp fire," Cob suggests as they continue through the swamp. "Might be a dry spot to take a break, because I think we're going to be at this all night."
“Maybe.” Eremoz pulls a piton from his pack and ties a quick figure eight to secure it to his rope. “But remember, our priority is the children.”
He pushes on, constantly scanning the trail. “So… what do we do about losing Dvark and Karm?”
"Can you see if the smoke is on the path?", Drexon asks of Cob. "The coachman was very clear about sticking to it".
When Eremoz brings up Dvark and Karm he shakes his head, "An impossible task already, and now we have lost our smartest companion and the one that keeps us healthy".
"I suppose we can only take one step at a time and hope it leads us to what we need. Cob, what happened when Karm passed on? There were crystals or something?".
The smoke is in the middle of a small break in the trees slightly west from the path -- or where you expect the path would be. You think it wouldn't be that far away from the path, but you cannot be sure because the smoke is still about another hour away from your current position.
Cob relays the information about the smoke. “Looks like we’re going to have to pass right by it.”
He’s quiet about Karm for a moment but then shows them the crystal and explains what he saw.
”This is the only crystal that stayed but I get the sense that whatever it is, we’re lacking the knowledge or the strength to understand it.”