Dragon of Icespire Peak ***CLOSED***

Minsys, stares Tab in the eyes unflinching.  He raises the knife with the hunk of meat to his mouth and ever so slowly chews without breaking eye contact.  "Kill to protect, kill to survive, kill to eat.  You use from your kill.  The snake, usable meat, skin.  The orc, no good for eat but take of their tools and reforge.  Shows respect and honor for the dead.  It is the way."

Connak nods, repeating after Minsys, "It is the way.  We can't cure the meat, so it will spoil.  But tonight we can eat well."  Connak carefully cleans and oils his shortsword and dagger, putting them away.  Then he retrieves his longbow and inspects it and the string for damage or water absorption.  Taking the time to care for his weapon, he then lowers himself to his knees and begins to meditate.

Short rest hit die:  7

The raft floats around a bend and a sandy clearing on the south side of the river comes into view. Another hundred feet closer and the party can see the logger's camp, though it looks to be mostly vacant except for a curious-looking female elf standing near the small dock jutting out into the muddy water. By her side is a canine-shaped construct, whose hide is reflecting sunlight as if it were made entirely of polished metal.

The old man grabs a pole and nudges the raft over to the dock. The boy hops down from the crates and ties it off as the party takes in their surroundings and observes the lone wanderer in their midst.

Connak hops off the raft to help moor it.  To the elf, he says, "Are you the welcoming crew for the logger's camp?  Any news of orcs around?"

Adjusting the goggles on her head, Tink squints at the elf that has just disembarked and gives him a once over. She then walks over, with Whisker in tow and sticks out her hand, "Hi! I'm Teressa Inigo Nanfoodle Keadle Elizabeth Rockbottom, but you can call me Tinker or Tink for short. Were you supposed to have a welcoming crew? That's pretty unfair! I didn't get one! Actually come to think of it, I haven't seen anyone since I arrived. Maybe they are all out logging?"

With a grunt the half orc shrugs his shoulder.  He looks down at the supplies and loads if snake meat.  "Im gonna check it out.  See if anyone be there," says Minsys.  "Tab," he says and looks the elf up and down.  "Yous should wash up.  Yous dirtier dan me."  With that he grabs a the skins under one arm and begins dragging a box behind him with the other.

Connak shrugs, "So you're not part of the logger's camp.  If they are out harvesting trees, there should still be someone here.  Cooks.  Camp foreman.  People like that.  If this camp is deserted, that's ominous.  As for you... what are you doing by yourself in these woods?"

The logging camp spreads along the south shore of the river, where a dozen tents are arranged on a sandy beach. Near a dock stands a cabin with logs stacked under an awning. Older cabins close by have been torn down to leave only stone chimneys and foundations. A grim silence hangs over the camp.

Anyone who looks across the river will see a wild boar standing on the northern bank in a small clearing. The boar glares in the party's direction suspiciously.

 ** Short Rest - 2 Dice: 6 **

Tabesha'l carefully and daintily steps off the raft and does a little curtsy towards their unusual welcoming committee. Her mannerisms contrast starkly with her appearance: even though the High Elf maiden is holding a gnarled staff topped by a gleaming dark blue stone betraying her arcanist profession and is dressed in full regalia - with a wealth of fluffy skirts and underskirts as well as long robes with embroidered sleeves and lace rims - Tink can guess all this finery must have been an interesting shade of...  maybe purple ? but it now has become almost impossible to tell, because the whole attire is completely saturated with dried blood and some other, even less appealing sort of goo - gall bladder bile or mud is a fair guess, in any case it's definitely dark green in color and retains a waft of dead and rotting things.

Fluttering around the elven mage, and apparently very excited at the whole situation, a small black bat keeps going to and fro.

" So very pleased to make thy acquaintance, Miss Tink. I am Tabesha'l Arwayëne Pananthyr, of the Marshall Palanthyrs of Quessel Tyrith. Perchance thee didst not happen to find a somewhat secluded spot I could take a bath at and change into some reasonably clean items of clothing, didst thee ? We did have a tiny bit of a hindrance on the way down river, I'm afraid... Nothing too awful, but I must say I'm frightfully embarrassed to have to introduce myself to thee in such horrid conditions." she points at her garments with a look of apology.

** I reckon Tab is gonna do a beeline for the circle of tents to the east: there seem to be a secluded space to change clothes, water to wash and even a fire to dry out, if she's lucky...! Investigation 21  **

"Oh don't worry about your appearance, I've seen worse. I mean the infamous Slime-o-Matic incident during my second summer at S.P.R.O.C.K.E.T for instance was way way worse," Tink replies to Tab and gives an involuntary shudder as she revisits the memory. Whisker starts hissing a the mention of the Slime-o-Matic and she bends down to comfort is, "There, there,  girl. Don't worry I won't let you get slimed again. And it wasn't that bad the last time. You were only green for a week and a half. It was much better than the six months the first time."

Speaking rapidly as she stands up, Tink responds to Connak, "Well you see I had heard there was some work in Phandalin and I came over to have a look, but when I got there I was told someone else had already taken the job. So I told myself, now Tink you traveled all this way, you are not going to let a little tardiness get in the way of your dreams right? I mean there is a dragon about! When will I get another chance to study a dragon, I mean if I could recreate Whiskers here as a tiny dragon, those old fogies back at S.P.R.O.C.K.E.T. will definitely have to acknowledge me. I mean just coz I'm bigger than the average gnome doesn't my work is any worse. I mean just look at Whiskers here, isn't she just the most wonderful thing? Built it myself in my first summer clearly the best in the class but did I get to work on the Gnome Ball 2000? No I did not! Said I was too big to fit! What a load of bollocks! I mean it's true but merely a small convenience, I'm sure we could have found our way around it!" Tink pauses to take a deep breath.

Connak listens to another long winded female elf go on and on.  He nods and says, "I believe someone should keep Tabesha'l company as she looks to get herself washed up away from our manly eyes."

Connak will circle the cabin in a counter-clockwise direction, staying 10-15 feet away where possible, while trying to glimpse into the doors or windows.

Investigation: 11

Minsys moves to the campsite closest to the river and puts the crate he had and the meat down by the fire.  He looked around for any movement thinking it odd that no one else seemed to be about.  Then noticed the boar across the river.

Investigation 3

Insight 17

"But but I wasn't finished..." Tink protests as Connak walks away. Deciding to look for more hospitable company, she sets her eye on the half orc. Coming along side him she enquires, "Say...what are you looking for?"

@TABESHA'L: A dead campfire is surrounded by six tents, each containing a bedroll and a mess kit. Further inspection reveals that the tents and bedrolls have been partially dissolved by some kind of acid spray. Footprints and strange marks in the sand suggest several humanoids were killed and dragged down into the sand by burrowing monsters.

@MINSYS: the boar huffs before quickly disappearing into the thick foliage on the other side of the river. Minsys finds the campfire unlit and he is not certain how long it has been since it was actively used.

@CONNAK: The cabin has a wooden floor and is divided into two rooms. Looking through a window, Connak can see that the larger room is cluttered with logging equipment (saws, leather harnesses for climbing trees, and so on). Through the window of the smaller room, he can see a human commoner that has barricaded himself in what appears to be an office. He has pushed his desk against the door and huddles atop it.

Ando helps Corwin and Pell finish unloading the raft. Once they are done, Vaxis and Tink can overhear them talking. The paladin expresses his concern over the unusual nature of the vacant logging camp and offers to escort them to Neverwinter using the raft to travel the rest of the way down river.

Tabesha'l stops dead in her tracks as she notices the state of the tents and the drag marks in the sand. She taps Minsys lightly on the shoulder as she announces:

" Friend Minsys, I daresay there is something of alarming urgency in our immediate surroundings for thy Expertise to consider, besides yonder presence of comestible wild life. If thou wouldst be so kind as to enlighten me on the provenance of said-markings in the sand, yonder - and aren't these burn marks from acid ? How quaint... - I for myself would hazard the guess that these bode none too well as to the survival of the aforementioned loggers, what doeth thee think ?"

After she notices the puzzled look on the half-orc's face she cracks a self-conscious smile, realizing she's lost herself in the High Speech again. " Ahem, of course. I'm sorry. I shall try again: Forget the boar for a minute and LOOK AT THESE !"

Minsys stopped looking at the boar when Tab arrived.  She started to do that word vomit thing and he got bits and pieces.  Eventually she got to the point and asked him to look at something. He turned to what she was alarmed at and took a closer look.

Knowledge nature check 1

"Maybe someone be sick and lose their stomach?" He says

" I do not think so, no..." the elven mage reflected, sniffing at herself again as Minsys' words reminded her of her unfortunate mishap while aboard the raft, " ... unless these loggers' breakfast consisted of pure fire and brimstones. And wouldst thee look at yonder drag marks ? And isn't this blood over here ? It would seem they were attacked, then literally pulled into the sand itself."

She bends closer to the ground to better observe the traces of struggle. " Whatever did this, it is fair to suppose it could well come back and decide to have at us instead. I'd say we'd better go to yonder cabin and find ourselves a defensible terrain.'

Connak walks up to the window and taps on it with the tip of his bow to get the man's attention.  He makes sure to be clearly visible and friendly looking to try and calm the man down.

Vaxis looks unamused at the drag marks.

"Perhaps it was more of HIS kin", he motions at the demonic bat fluttering around Tabesha'l, frost curving from his nostrils.

"Those that consort with demons tend to die of...unforseen circumstances. Or at least have a voice follow them everywhere. When we have time, miss elf, we shall have a discussion on....life choices."

"Now, what matter of fiend did this?"

Ignored by the half-orc, Tink does not seemed phased. Instead she follows him to where a few of his companions are gathered around the drag marks. Piqued by the strange scene, she does not wait to be invited, but instead starts examining it herself,  muttering  "Interesting, it seems that something exerted enough force to overcome the inertia of the victims and displace the sand. To estimate what did this we have to figure out the force exerted, but we know neither the mass of the victims nor the acceleration," Tink frowns in thought before suddenly standing up and looking at Vaxis, "Say how much do you weigh?"