There is time tonight, or tomorrow morning. There's no more incident tonight, so you all complete a long rest and wake in the morning. The convoy sets off northbound again.
(I'll continue later today when I have time, but for the moment you are free to interact during the uneventful next two or three days' journey.)
Nate, feeling rested and ready for some cult-ing, replies to Nub, as quietly as he can "Well... to be honest, that is what we are trying to find out. We know they are headed north, and we know that they have numbers far greater than the ones currently in this caravan. They are looking to spread death and destruction to all who oppose their cultist regime across all of the lands. I spent some time in one of their concentration camps... until Soar, Jalt and Elspeth rescued me. I owe them my life.. and I'm hell bent on getting my revenge on the cultists and all who worship them."
"Do you know anything about the cult? Also, I meant to say yesterday that I was most impressed with your magical abilities. Perhaps once this is all dome with, you could teach me a few things. I draw my power from nature... how about you?"
Nub looks concerned "A concentration camp? That is horrific. I'm sorry, and I'm glad you were rescued. All I know about the cult is that they are dragon cultists, that they have stolen treasure and that they are heading somewhere north with it. I was only contacted at the last minute about it and I think you lot might know more than anyone else about what is happening. I did magic-detection-recon on the cultists' camp the night before last while you were off hunting to try and see whether the treasure is magical. It appears that either the treasure isn't magical, or Azbara Jos is carrying it and it is abjuration magic... or Azbara Jos is using abjuration magic to block detection... so nothing very useful I'm afraid."
Nub brightens up on receiving the praise "Thank you for the compliment. I was actually a bit embarrassed by my magical performance yesterday. I have learned a lot of new magic recently and sometimes I get a bit excited and forget to be disciplined and think through what I am doing. I am definitely happy to try and teach you some of my magic. I inherited my magic prowess from my mother, who taught me the basics before she died [he stops and traces the arcane patterns in his shell when he says this], though I have learned a lot more in the last six months than the entire decade beforehand since I was a wee little hatchling." He focuses up again "Oh and my powers come from the arcane side of the great weave, though I'd love to know more about your nature magic."
Nub asks "Was it you that controlled the weather and summoned the lightening in the fight" a look of awe on his face.
The journey continues along the coastal road between the ocean and the Sword Mountains. Until the late afternoon of the seventh day, when you reach the top of a small hill and you see on the road ahead of you the Mere of Dead Men. It is a chill tangle of trees, brush, boggy ground, standing water, reeds, and cat-tails stretching farther than the eye can see. As you come closer, you see that the road is heading north-east away from the coast in order to circle round the mere rather than pass through it. You camp the night in full view of the mere and the noise of insects and other wildlife that populate it.
If you wish, you can make a History check if you think your character might have heard of the Mere of Dead Men and recall anything about it, especially if your homeland is not too far.
Soar, now happily her chatty self, spends the next few days, filled with a lot of walking, in conversation with other guards and travelers, listening to their stories, finding what they love talking about, offering stories of her own, similar to the stories she told around the campfire the first night.
Freed from trying to pretend she's grumpy Boar, with whatever use that may or may not have been on the caravan, her personality blossoms in the form of a ready ear to listen to people's fears and concerns, hopes and dreams. She's an ebullient, engaging listener, offering whatever well-meaning if not brilliant advice she can. She loves being able to do so, and perhaps there's a side benefit to earning some friends along the way. She even tries talking to some of the cultist guards she doesn't know, not expecting much, but eager to learn what she can, and to see what they might say back to her.
It also provides some cover when she talks to Nub and Nate, speaking quietly to avoid being overheard.
"Nub, I'd love to hear more about those beautiful runes on your shell."When she hears about his mother, her expression pales a bit, and Doomguide Soar comes out. "Loss can feel so deep, easier to just swim down. I also know loss and I'm sorry for yours. Was it before her time? It's sort of my job to be there to help and to talk about this kind of thing, if you want to tal about it. You seem to have found your way fairly successfully since then, I am sure she is still very proud. You're from Neverwinter? So you're familiar with the northlands. I wonder if you've heard of Castle Naerytar, or if you know about the road between here and Neverwinter. There's this roadhouse, but what else? I'd also love to hear about how you got mixed up with Carlon's friends in the first place. We've explained our entry point, and I'm happy to explain anything else. Thank you for your assistance here. My role is usually the one to rush into the fray and take the hits for the rest of you. If there's anything I should know about how you approach combat or scouting, let me know."
She also talks with Nate. "My friend, I can tell you have a lot on your mind. You want revenge. I'll help you get justice. These folks haven't shown many redeemable qualities, so I think we're on the same page there. They kept you in a dark place, and I understand how going through pain and loss and suffering can severely test you.
Looking out over the horizon to the coast, and then back to the trees, she sighs, her normal expression turning a bit cloudy.
"I don't talk about my childhood very often, but I think you and I might have more in common than you'd suspect. I've lost people. Comfort. Safety. A home. Sort of became adrift, almost lost myself. Found myself wandering through the City of the Dead, looking for family, expecting never to leave. Ended up sleeping in front of those big creaky temple doors you might have seen two days ago. They took me in, and something in my mind snapped and I just... let go. Found new purpose somehow. I thank Kelemvor for that, but it doesn't have to be a deity.
She shakes herself, her eyes turning back to Nate, and her expression brightens.
"Anyhow, we were talking about your story. I just want you to keep yourself through this process. You're a true friend and ally. I care about you, and getting you through this. Assuming we make it through this in one piece, what do you want to do once they are defeated? Do you want to go back home? Explore the world? Learn to cook like Nub? Don't learn to cook like me. Bad idea." To break the tension further, she asks for his help in mending her armor where that big hit from the ogre broke a few things. "Thanks for your scouting mission earlier. I know it's not your favorite, but you're the only way we can find out more."
Soar, you've heard it's a dangerous swamp somewhere to the north, best avoided.
Nub, you know a little more. Its name is inspired by the many bodies of fallen soldiers from an ancient battle, bodies that lie underground but still surface from time to time. Aside from that, it's well known that you can't build a road through it, and the High Road has had to be shifted further and further east away from it, because the Mere consumes it over time. It has a reputation for being dangerous and possibly cursed.
Nub explains that the runes on his shell were how his mother taught him the building blocks of arcane magic when he was a hatchling, but he seems confused by Soar's reaction to him talking about his mother/parents dying, and answers "I don't think I understand what you mean by loss? We did not lose them, me and my siblings were with my mother and father when they died." Realising from the look on Soar's face that this has not made things clearer, Nub answers the question "Do not be concerned it was not before their time, both my mother and father lived to just over 50 and my siblings and I got more than 9 months with them for them to teach us what we needed to know to survive in the world." Nub explains that one of his sisters was taught by his father how to fight and call upon Deep Sashelas power to destroy evil, and his other sister was taught by his father how to use a shield and protect others and call upon Deep Sashelas power to heal and that his brother was taught neither how to fight or cast magic, but instead both his parents taught him how to trade and socialise with other humanoids.
Nub explains "the beach where I was born and spent the first months of my life is just to the west of the sword mountains, and south of the Mere of Dead Men, but I've spent a number of years travelling near Neverwinter since. I'm fairly familiar with the north, but often it is the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features rather than any facts about places, as I explored much of it before meeting any other humanoids after leaving the beach" [ Outlander: Wanderer Feature is more useful than I thought.]
He then thinks and says "I have learnt some facts though, for instance, did you know Mere of Dead Men's name is inspired by the many bodies of fallen soldiers from an ancient battle, bodies that lie underground but still surface from time to time? It is dangerous and possibly cursed."
[DM: Would I have heard of Castle Naerytar? History check if needed/allowed: 10 ]
Nub conveniently "forgets" to answer the question about how he got involved with "Carlon's friends" for the moment, as he wants to get to know the party better before speaking about this.
Another thing Soar will try to do is to really fixate on a couple specific objects the cultists have with them. Mundane or interesting. Kelemvor's given her the ability to locate objects and she's going to try to practice over the first few days of travel, to be able to hone in on where they are.
She'd also, one evening off by herself while still near a forest and before the swamp, try casting find steed to summon an elk. She'd try riding it, because, well, that's amazing. She tells it generally what she's doing and who her friends and enemies are. Since it's actually sort of intelligent and she can talk to it telepathically, she'd ask it to head off about a half mile inland, and try to parallel the road over the course of the next few days. Stay out of sight of the convoy and any hunters. No other requests, just to do elk things and stay with the convoy. She'll ask it to come if she needs it, and let her know if it's in danger, and she can dismiss it immediately, and then recast the next day.
His name is Summer. He has flowers and vines woven into his antlers. I hope he's not absolutely terrible at walking in a swamp.
Soar, give me an example of the kind of things you are choosing as your objects to focus on. The cultists carry the kind of objects you might expect of travellers, merchants and mercenary guards, so I won't list them, but maybe let's pick three specific items that you would expect to find.
Your Find Steed works fine, and the elk is summoned. Can you add him into the 'Extras' tab in your character sheet, and roll for HP every time you summon him. A quick google search suggests elks are good in swamps, but depending on the actual swamp conditions it may still be difficult terrain in some cases.)
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Nate responds to Nub about the weather/lightning "Yeah... that was me. It's something I've just learned how to do. Still trying to control it. And... it seems we have another thing in common."
Nate pauses.
"Our mothers are dead."
Nate doesn't really say anything else after that comment and kind of goes quiet, listening to Soar and Nub continue their conversation. He eventually responds to Soar "Thank you for talking about your childhood... I suppose you're right in that we have more in common than I might've thought. I do respect you very much and how you live your life and present yourself. And... god damn you can fight."
Nate thinks a bit about her question "Once we've killed every single last one of them, I may head home to Neverwinter, to see if I can find and seek out the bandits who killed my mother. Yes, this is what I intend to do."
Nate goes all emo-ish again.
"I just need to see them all dead. To pay for what they've done."
Nate still has moments of happiness and joy and there's a twinkle in his eyes in these moments, like when you first met him. However, they are becoming very few and far between, especially as time goes on. It's becoming difficult/awkward to even talk to him without him mentioning revenge and/or something negative.
Nate would've definitely heard of the Mere of Dead Men... many bandits spoke of this place in the camps he was held in as a child outside Neverwinter wood.
Nub is on the verge of answering when a loud call from Ardred signals the end of the day's journey, and the travellers jostle each other as they head towards the campsite that Ardred has indicated.
And so the journey goes on. The party has time to learn more about each other and especially their new tortle comrade.
Travelling on the High Road round the Mere, it's clear that the swamp has not given up its age-old battle with the road, and also that the High Road Charter Company has not made much progress. You have to leave the road and head dozens of feet to the right in order to avoid places where the swamp water, grass and general tangle has swallowed sections of road, creeping out and growing at a glacial rate. One time you come upon a section of road that has clearly been repaired and upgraded within the last few years, only to experience a sudden sinking that has left it inundated with swamp water, overgrown and useless. Ardred mutters at the sight, but dutifully steers the caravan safely round to avoid it. The repaired wagons are holding up well, and the people recover their good spirits from before the ogre attack.
And in the afternoon of the tenth day, there it is before you, a seemingly old but recently repaired building to the side of the road, just beyond the reach of the Mere. Carnath Roadhouse ahead, calls Ardred somewhat redundantly, and the convoy starts to break up and head inside.
The roadhouse is used as a supply depot and wagon park for High Road Charter Company, a place where convoys from the north and south reach and where travellers and merchants can see their goods safely housed while they await a convoy headed onwards. Ardred instructs the labourers where to find their accommodation, their dinner and breakfast, and their instructions for the work to begin tomorrow. He then thanks and pays the guards (including Soar and Jalt) the promised wages for their work, and he congratulates you all on the successful repelling of the ogre attack; he will happily take any of you on as guards in the future, or recommend you to other convoy leaders. As he's speaking in the roadhouse yard, a burly half-orc comes out and stands next to him. When Ardred finishes speaking, the half-orc begins to address the merchants and travellers.
Welcome to the Carnath Roadhouse. The name's Bog Luck, pleased to meet you and so on. I'm the Company Superintendent. Mind yourselves and don't cause trouble, and you're welcome here. Now, we're expecting a convoy from Neverwinter in about six days, no guarantees though. If you want to stay in the Roadhouse, there are rooms you can rent, the rates are reasonable. Otherwise there's a decent campsite just beyond the gates. I hope it doesn't need saying, but I hope nobody's foolish enough to go wandering into the Mere. Don't. If you husband or your kid goes in, don't come running for someone to help you look for them, cause you won't get any help from people here. They're drowned or worse. Move on.
He clears his throat, and seems to be rather enjoying the somewhat shocked expression on some of the travellers' faces. Then he continues: Get your goods offloaded and into the warehouse; he points towards a large building that fills one corner of the Roadhouse site. Don't leave things on the wagons. We've no thieves here, and that's because we don't leave our goods lying around to get stolen. Lumber and ores and cheap, heavy stuff are okay, and you can leave them there. He points to a spot in the yard near the warehouse where a guard is standing, looking very bored. And if you've anything valuable, come talk to me. That's it. Now let's get those goods seen to.
The speeches apparently over, the convoy disperses to its various tasks. What would you like to do?
To help you get a sense of the location, here's a map of the Roadhouse, or at least what you can see of it. For the moment, all you can really see it the large central yard you're standing in, the gate behind you, the three sets of stairs leading up, and lots of doors (all closed). The building in the bottom-right (south-east) corner is the warehouse, or at least that's the ground floor. Most of the Roadhouse appears to have two levels, ground floor and first floor (cause I'm British).
Soar finds any necklace or amulet or jewelry one of the cultists is wearing. Plus some sort of weapon one of the highers-up are using, such as a wizard's staff. And then if she can hone in on one or two items they're carrying in the wagons. A small beat up trunk. A specific wooden crate. A canvas cloth wrapping up some longer item. That sort of thing. So that if needed she could locate the bosses via their items, or the stuff they've been carrying to the castle all this time, should they become separated.
OOC: I'm not sure we know in-character that Nate's mother was killed by bandits? Just the dreams?
Assuming not, Soar will say, "I'm so, so sorry Nate. If you want, I'll help you find justice for your mother. She was definitely taken from you before her time. And these new 'friends' haven't showed anyone evidence yet that they deserve anything other than what you said. I like to keep an open mind on the state of people's souls, but they seem to have dark plans in store for the world and need to be stopped."
She keeps her eyes on him a bit longer, concerned about his dark reactions, however.
Okay, sounds good. Henton, who was their leader coming up from Greenest, wears a leather braceletwhich is clearly visible. A regular cultist has a sword with a distinctive black and gold pommel and hilt. There is one dented cratethat is slightly poking out from the canvas that closes off the wagon; you would be hard pressed to distinguish it from the others by sight, but it does meet the requirements of the spell that you could locate it through magical means.
When approaching the mere, Soar would try divine sense when it got close enough to the road to matter. Any undead pings? She tries not to be fixated on it, but, well, she is.
After Bog Luck's monologue, she mutters to Jalt, and Nate/Nub if they are close enough. "Think we get rooms here and try to keep an eye on... things. Wonder if they're headed north. They must be, right? Hold on, I have an idea."
She walks up to Bog, and offers her hand to shake. "Bog, you can call me Soar. This is an admirable place you have here, in what must be very difficult terrain. Can't imagine. I'd like a room or two, what are the rates? Also, I haven't been up here since my career started as a caravan guard, and I'd like to have a sense of the facilities for future employers. Ardred can vouch for me. Could you give me a tour of the place when you have a chance? Now works for me if it does for you. I'd especially like to see where the high-value products are guarded. That's usually my specialty, so if I'm to recommend the roadhouse to future employers, I'd like to understand what I'm recommending."
During this, she's barely glancing over at the cultists, just wanting to have a sense of what they're doing.
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There is time tonight, or tomorrow morning. There's no more incident tonight, so you all complete a long rest and wake in the morning. The convoy sets off northbound again.
(I'll continue later today when I have time, but for the moment you are free to interact during the uneventful next two or three days' journey.)
Nub completes his usual nightly ritual, setting up Alarm before popping into his shell.
The next morning before setting out for the day, Nub asks Nate as quietly as possible "What do you know about the cultists so far and their plans?"
Nate, feeling rested and ready for some cult-ing, replies to Nub, as quietly as he can "Well... to be honest, that is what we are trying to find out. We know they are headed north, and we know that they have numbers far greater than the ones currently in this caravan. They are looking to spread death and destruction to all who oppose their cultist regime across all of the lands. I spent some time in one of their concentration camps... until Soar, Jalt and Elspeth rescued me. I owe them my life.. and I'm hell bent on getting my revenge on the cultists and all who worship them."
"Do you know anything about the cult? Also, I meant to say yesterday that I was most impressed with your magical abilities. Perhaps once this is all dome with, you could teach me a few things. I draw my power from nature... how about you?"
Nub looks concerned "A concentration camp? That is horrific. I'm sorry, and I'm glad you were rescued. All I know about the cult is that they are dragon cultists, that they have stolen treasure and that they are heading somewhere north with it. I was only contacted at the last minute about it and I think you lot might know more than anyone else about what is happening. I did magic-detection-recon on the cultists' camp the night before last while you were off hunting to try and see whether the treasure is magical. It appears that either the treasure isn't magical, or Azbara Jos is carrying it and it is abjuration magic... or Azbara Jos is using abjuration magic to block detection... so nothing very useful I'm afraid."
Nub brightens up on receiving the praise "Thank you for the compliment. I was actually a bit embarrassed by my magical performance yesterday. I have learned a lot of new magic recently and sometimes I get a bit excited and forget to be disciplined and think through what I am doing. I am definitely happy to try and teach you some of my magic. I inherited my magic prowess from my mother, who taught me the basics before she died [he stops and traces the arcane patterns in his shell when he says this], though I have learned a lot more in the last six months than the entire decade beforehand since I was a wee little hatchling." He focuses up again "Oh and my powers come from the arcane side of the great weave, though I'd love to know more about your nature magic."
Nub asks "Was it you that controlled the weather and summoned the lightening in the fight" a look of awe on his face.
The journey continues along the coastal road between the ocean and the Sword Mountains. Until the late afternoon of the seventh day, when you reach the top of a small hill and you see on the road ahead of you the Mere of Dead Men. It is a chill tangle of trees, brush, boggy ground, standing water, reeds, and cat-tails stretching farther than the eye can see. As you come closer, you see that the road is heading north-east away from the coast in order to circle round the mere rather than pass through it. You camp the night in full view of the mere and the noise of insects and other wildlife that populate it.
If you wish, you can make a History check if you think your character might have heard of the Mere of Dead Men and recall anything about it, especially if your homeland is not too far.
Soar, now happily her chatty self, spends the next few days, filled with a lot of walking, in conversation with other guards and travelers, listening to their stories, finding what they love talking about, offering stories of her own, similar to the stories she told around the campfire the first night.
Freed from trying to pretend she's grumpy Boar, with whatever use that may or may not have been on the caravan, her personality blossoms in the form of a ready ear to listen to people's fears and concerns, hopes and dreams. She's an ebullient, engaging listener, offering whatever well-meaning if not brilliant advice she can. She loves being able to do so, and perhaps there's a side benefit to earning some friends along the way. She even tries talking to some of the cultist guards she doesn't know, not expecting much, but eager to learn what she can, and to see what they might say back to her.
It also provides some cover when she talks to Nub and Nate, speaking quietly to avoid being overheard.
"Nub, I'd love to hear more about those beautiful runes on your shell." When she hears about his mother, her expression pales a bit, and Doomguide Soar comes out. "Loss can feel so deep, easier to just swim down. I also know loss and I'm sorry for yours. Was it before her time? It's sort of my job to be there to help and to talk about this kind of thing, if you want to tal about it. You seem to have found your way fairly successfully since then, I am sure she is still very proud. You're from Neverwinter? So you're familiar with the northlands. I wonder if you've heard of Castle Naerytar, or if you know about the road between here and Neverwinter. There's this roadhouse, but what else? I'd also love to hear about how you got mixed up with Carlon's friends in the first place. We've explained our entry point, and I'm happy to explain anything else. Thank you for your assistance here. My role is usually the one to rush into the fray and take the hits for the rest of you. If there's anything I should know about how you approach combat or scouting, let me know."
She also talks with Nate. "My friend, I can tell you have a lot on your mind. You want revenge. I'll help you get justice. These folks haven't shown many redeemable qualities, so I think we're on the same page there. They kept you in a dark place, and I understand how going through pain and loss and suffering can severely test you.
Looking out over the horizon to the coast, and then back to the trees, she sighs, her normal expression turning a bit cloudy.
"I don't talk about my childhood very often, but I think you and I might have more in common than you'd suspect. I've lost people. Comfort. Safety. A home. Sort of became adrift, almost lost myself. Found myself wandering through the City of the Dead, looking for family, expecting never to leave. Ended up sleeping in front of those big creaky temple doors you might have seen two days ago. They took me in, and something in my mind snapped and I just... let go. Found new purpose somehow. I thank Kelemvor for that, but it doesn't have to be a deity.
She shakes herself, her eyes turning back to Nate, and her expression brightens.
"Anyhow, we were talking about your story. I just want you to keep yourself through this process. You're a true friend and ally. I care about you, and getting you through this. Assuming we make it through this in one piece, what do you want to do once they are defeated? Do you want to go back home? Explore the world? Learn to cook like Nub? Don't learn to cook like me. Bad idea." To break the tension further, she asks for his help in mending her armor where that big hit from the ogre broke a few things. "Thanks for your scouting mission earlier. I know it's not your favorite, but you're the only way we can find out more."
Soar History: 5
Nub history check: 11
Soar, you've heard it's a dangerous swamp somewhere to the north, best avoided.
Nub, you know a little more. Its name is inspired by the many bodies of fallen soldiers from an ancient battle, bodies that lie underground but still surface from time to time. Aside from that, it's well known that you can't build a road through it, and the High Road has had to be shifted further and further east away from it, because the Mere consumes it over time. It has a reputation for being dangerous and possibly cursed.
OOC: oooh, Soar's nemesis, undead!
Nub explains that the runes on his shell were how his mother taught him the building blocks of arcane magic when he was a hatchling, but he seems confused by Soar's reaction to him talking about his mother/parents dying, and answers "I don't think I understand what you mean by loss? We did not lose them, me and my siblings were with my mother and father when they died." Realising from the look on Soar's face that this has not made things clearer, Nub answers the question "Do not be concerned it was not before their time, both my mother and father lived to just over 50 and my siblings and I got more than 9 months with them for them to teach us what we needed to know to survive in the world." Nub explains that one of his sisters was taught by his father how to fight and call upon Deep Sashelas power to destroy evil, and his other sister was taught by his father how to use a shield and protect others and call upon Deep Sashelas power to heal and that his brother was taught neither how to fight or cast magic, but instead both his parents taught him how to trade and socialise with other humanoids.
Nub explains "the beach where I was born and spent the first months of my life is just to the west of the sword mountains, and south of the Mere of Dead Men, but I've spent a number of years travelling near Neverwinter since. I'm fairly familiar with the north, but often it is the general layout of terrain, settlements, and other features rather than any facts about places, as I explored much of it before meeting any other humanoids after leaving the beach" [ Outlander: Wanderer Feature is more useful than I thought.]
He then thinks and says "I have learnt some facts though, for instance, did you know Mere of Dead Men's name is inspired by the many bodies of fallen soldiers from an ancient battle, bodies that lie underground but still surface from time to time? It is dangerous and possibly cursed."
[DM: Would I have heard of Castle Naerytar? History check if needed/allowed: 10 ]
Nub conveniently "forgets" to answer the question about how he got involved with "Carlon's friends" for the moment, as he wants to get to know the party better before speaking about this.
Another thing Soar will try to do is to really fixate on a couple specific objects the cultists have with them. Mundane or interesting. Kelemvor's given her the ability to locate objects and she's going to try to practice over the first few days of travel, to be able to hone in on where they are.
She'd also, one evening off by herself while still near a forest and before the swamp, try casting find steed to summon an elk. She'd try riding it, because, well, that's amazing. She tells it generally what she's doing and who her friends and enemies are. Since it's actually sort of intelligent and she can talk to it telepathically, she'd ask it to head off about a half mile inland, and try to parallel the road over the course of the next few days. Stay out of sight of the convoy and any hunters. No other requests, just to do elk things and stay with the convoy. She'll ask it to come if she needs it, and let her know if it's in danger, and she can dismiss it immediately, and then recast the next day.
His name is Summer. He has flowers and vines woven into his antlers. I hope he's not absolutely terrible at walking in a swamp.
Nub, you have never heard of Castle Naerytar.
Soar, give me an example of the kind of things you are choosing as your objects to focus on. The cultists carry the kind of objects you might expect of travellers, merchants and mercenary guards, so I won't list them, but maybe let's pick three specific items that you would expect to find.
Your Find Steed works fine, and the elk is summoned. Can you add him into the 'Extras' tab in your character sheet, and roll for HP every time you summon him. A quick google search suggests elks are good in swamps, but depending on the actual swamp conditions it may still be difficult terrain in some cases.)
Nate responds to Nub about the weather/lightning "Yeah... that was me. It's something I've just learned how to do. Still trying to control it. And... it seems we have another thing in common."
Nate pauses.
"Our mothers are dead."
Nate doesn't really say anything else after that comment and kind of goes quiet, listening to Soar and Nub continue their conversation. He eventually responds to Soar "Thank you for talking about your childhood... I suppose you're right in that we have more in common than I might've thought. I do respect you very much and how you live your life and present yourself. And... god damn you can fight."
Nate thinks a bit about her question "Once we've killed every single last one of them, I may head home to Neverwinter, to see if I can find and seek out the bandits who killed my mother. Yes, this is what I intend to do."
Nate goes all emo-ish again.
"I just need to see them all dead. To pay for what they've done."
Nate still has moments of happiness and joy and there's a twinkle in his eyes in these moments, like when you first met him. However, they are becoming very few and far between, especially as time goes on. It's becoming difficult/awkward to even talk to him without him mentioning revenge and/or something negative.
Nate would've definitely heard of the Mere of Dead Men... many bandits spoke of this place in the camps he was held in as a child outside Neverwinter wood.
History 16
Then, lastly, to Nub: "Hey... you never mentioned how you know Carlon?" Nate frowns and waits for his answer.
Nub is on the verge of answering when a loud call from Ardred signals the end of the day's journey, and the travellers jostle each other as they head towards the campsite that Ardred has indicated.
And so the journey goes on. The party has time to learn more about each other and especially their new tortle comrade.
Travelling on the High Road round the Mere, it's clear that the swamp has not given up its age-old battle with the road, and also that the High Road Charter Company has not made much progress. You have to leave the road and head dozens of feet to the right in order to avoid places where the swamp water, grass and general tangle has swallowed sections of road, creeping out and growing at a glacial rate. One time you come upon a section of road that has clearly been repaired and upgraded within the last few years, only to experience a sudden sinking that has left it inundated with swamp water, overgrown and useless. Ardred mutters at the sight, but dutifully steers the caravan safely round to avoid it. The repaired wagons are holding up well, and the people recover their good spirits from before the ogre attack.
And in the afternoon of the tenth day, there it is before you, a seemingly old but recently repaired building to the side of the road, just beyond the reach of the Mere. Carnath Roadhouse ahead, calls Ardred somewhat redundantly, and the convoy starts to break up and head inside.
The roadhouse is used as a supply depot and wagon park for High Road Charter Company, a place where convoys from the north and south reach and where travellers and merchants can see their goods safely housed while they await a convoy headed onwards. Ardred instructs the labourers where to find their accommodation, their dinner and breakfast, and their instructions for the work to begin tomorrow. He then thanks and pays the guards (including Soar and Jalt) the promised wages for their work, and he congratulates you all on the successful repelling of the ogre attack; he will happily take any of you on as guards in the future, or recommend you to other convoy leaders. As he's speaking in the roadhouse yard, a burly half-orc comes out and stands next to him. When Ardred finishes speaking, the half-orc begins to address the merchants and travellers.
Welcome to the Carnath Roadhouse. The name's Bog Luck, pleased to meet you and so on. I'm the Company Superintendent. Mind yourselves and don't cause trouble, and you're welcome here. Now, we're expecting a convoy from Neverwinter in about six days, no guarantees though. If you want to stay in the Roadhouse, there are rooms you can rent, the rates are reasonable. Otherwise there's a decent campsite just beyond the gates. I hope it doesn't need saying, but I hope nobody's foolish enough to go wandering into the Mere. Don't. If you husband or your kid goes in, don't come running for someone to help you look for them, cause you won't get any help from people here. They're drowned or worse. Move on.
He clears his throat, and seems to be rather enjoying the somewhat shocked expression on some of the travellers' faces. Then he continues:
Get your goods offloaded and into the warehouse; he points towards a large building that fills one corner of the Roadhouse site. Don't leave things on the wagons. We've no thieves here, and that's because we don't leave our goods lying around to get stolen. Lumber and ores and cheap, heavy stuff are okay, and you can leave them there. He points to a spot in the yard near the warehouse where a guard is standing, looking very bored. And if you've anything valuable, come talk to me. That's it. Now let's get those goods seen to.
The speeches apparently over, the convoy disperses to its various tasks. What would you like to do?
To help you get a sense of the location, here's a map of the Roadhouse, or at least what you can see of it. For the moment, all you can really see it the large central yard you're standing in, the gate behind you, the three sets of stairs leading up, and lots of doors (all closed). The building in the bottom-right (south-east) corner is the warehouse, or at least that's the ground floor. Most of the Roadhouse appears to have two levels, ground floor and first floor (cause I'm British).
Soar finds any necklace or amulet or jewelry one of the cultists is wearing. Plus some sort of weapon one of the highers-up are using, such as a wizard's staff. And then if she can hone in on one or two items they're carrying in the wagons. A small beat up trunk. A specific wooden crate. A canvas cloth wrapping up some longer item. That sort of thing. So that if needed she could locate the bosses via their items, or the stuff they've been carrying to the castle all this time, should they become separated.
OOC: I'm not sure we know in-character that Nate's mother was killed by bandits? Just the dreams?
Assuming not, Soar will say, "I'm so, so sorry Nate. If you want, I'll help you find justice for your mother. She was definitely taken from you before her time. And these new 'friends' haven't showed anyone evidence yet that they deserve anything other than what you said. I like to keep an open mind on the state of people's souls, but they seem to have dark plans in store for the world and need to be stopped."
She keeps her eyes on him a bit longer, concerned about his dark reactions, however.
Okay, sounds good. Henton, who was their leader coming up from Greenest, wears a leather bracelet which is clearly visible. A regular cultist has a sword with a distinctive black and gold pommel and hilt. There is one dented crate that is slightly poking out from the canvas that closes off the wagon; you would be hard pressed to distinguish it from the others by sight, but it does meet the requirements of the spell that you could locate it through magical means.
When approaching the mere, Soar would try divine sense when it got close enough to the road to matter. Any undead pings? She tries not to be fixated on it, but, well, she is.
After Bog Luck's monologue, she mutters to Jalt, and Nate/Nub if they are close enough. "Think we get rooms here and try to keep an eye on... things. Wonder if they're headed north. They must be, right? Hold on, I have an idea."
She walks up to Bog, and offers her hand to shake. "Bog, you can call me Soar. This is an admirable place you have here, in what must be very difficult terrain. Can't imagine. I'd like a room or two, what are the rates? Also, I haven't been up here since my career started as a caravan guard, and I'd like to have a sense of the facilities for future employers. Ardred can vouch for me. Could you give me a tour of the place when you have a chance? Now works for me if it does for you. I'd especially like to see where the high-value products are guarded. That's usually my specialty, so if I'm to recommend the roadhouse to future employers, I'd like to understand what I'm recommending."
During this, she's barely glancing over at the cultists, just wanting to have a sense of what they're doing.