After about an hour in this location, the drizzle comes to an end, and the sky is crisp and clear above the bog. The mid-day temperature is barely above freezing, so Ulben's cooking fire and hot meal is a welcome source of warmth.

What are the group's plans for the mid-day?

Tarek will just try to rest and relax, to let his wounds heal.

"I'm good," Aluzira says in response to Torrent's question. "That would work.  Trying to take all of them at once was rather difficult" she adds with laugh trying to lighten the mood.  After eating she sits cross-legged in front of the fire, warming her hands, and letting her mind wander.  "Whose Byron Strongheart?" She asks looking to Tarek.

Torrent will help Ulben with preparation of the food.  He would also start trying to figure out where the toads may have retreated to.  To Anakis, "I don't hate the idea.  I wouldn't want ya ta go alone though.  Not that I don't think you couldn't hold yer own."

"Probably going to have to surprise them next time."  Fluin comments as they settle in after eating.  "Not going to want to come too close to us after that beating I would imagine..."  He has no real plans for the afternoon, but would help out where needed.

(DM question - my fire bolt that missed and flew off into the bushes earlier - did that start a fire at all? Fire Bolt can cause things not worn to catch fire. I'm guessing not a major fire, but would it have cleared some of the brush, and therefore improved visual distance?)

Fire bolt ignites objects rather than elements of the landscape, and even objects would need to be targeted specifically. The mote of fire singed and blackened the leaves on the bushes, which continue to smolder, and roasted some of the frozen cranberries near where the toads made their escape. Any attempt to track them would begin in that area, on the far side of the pool of water. Sighting distances tend to be somewhat short in the bog due to the abundance of vegetation.

The mid-day passes as a feast is prepared from your vanquished foe, from which all may partake. Tarek, if you continue to rest uninterrupted until sunset, you will gain the benefit of a short rest. A note about your equipment load-out, Tarek, assuming you're normally wearing your armor, shield, and weapons, you are encumbered until you relieve yourself of at least one of your javelins. You would also have to keep your waterskin strapped to the outside of your backpack to be able to drop the extra weight as a single interaction. I'll assume that everyone else wears their waterskins on their person. Torrent is the only other member of the party who must drop his pack to become unencumbered.

As the party becomes habituated to the area after your long mid-day meal, it's noticed that in the place where Anakis' bolt has smoldered away the foliage, which was formerly hiding the object, a medium-sized wooden carving in humanoid form, stands overlooking the pool of water.

Aluzira nods in response to Fluin, he makes a good point.  Upon noticing the statue, she walks over to it and looks at it trying to identify who its a statue of if anyone.

Religion: 12

History: 6

(Ah, ok. I was thinking maybe it would burn a bit of vegetation and help with visual distance. All good!)

"Hey that's cool." Anakis goes over to the statue with Aluzira. "Do you know who it is, Aluzira?"

(DM question - is the statue form recognisable? Ie. human, elven etc?)

(Thanks for that tip.)

In response to Aluzira's question, Tarek says, "Byron Strongheart was a noble warrior of Bahamut from centuries ago, even before Ekuepool was founded. To us temple folk, his story is real, and we are told it as history. But to the rest of the civilians here, his story has passed into legend. I'm sure you've heard the story of him defeating Tiamat, have you? To me, Byron Strongheart is a paragon of what I strive to be... a defender of the defenseless, a light in the darkness."

Tarek enjoys the toad legs. Yes, he will try to stay rested until sunset. But if everyone else wants to go out and fight again, that's fine, he'll go with them.

Aluzira listens to what Tarek says with great interest.  "I have heard of Tiamat's defeat, but not much of the story behind it.  I spend a lot of time on the road, and not quite as much time as I'd like in the libraries. That sounds like a very admirable goal; I'm sure you will reach it." Then with a mock scowl adds, "Just don't get eaten first."

"Yeah, it is," Aluzira replies with a smile.  "I'm not sure... I'm trying to see if I remember it from anywhere."

The wooden carving doesn't look like any person you've ever seen before. In fact, its highly stylized, almost geometric form makes it difficult to determine what race of people it's meant to represent, although it does seem to depict a male figure. 

The sun travels westwards over the chilly bog, and the temperature begins to dip as the light wind continues to blow from the west, reminding you once again, Aluzira, of your unanswered question.

There are a few more hours of daylight left. What does each one of you do before darkness falls over the bog? 

I doubt that Torrent would know much about the history, but would he have seen other carvings like this in the woods?

After finishing a meal, Torrent goes to Anakis and says "Hey, you mentioned wanting to scout out ahead.  Do you still want to do that?  I dun wanna get in a fight with the beasties, but if we know generally where they went, it'll be easier to find them in the mornin'.  Whattaya think?"

Yes, as someone who frequents this part of the bog, you could very well have seen carvings like this before.

Aluzira shakes her head "I don't recognize it."  She says, sitting down by the fire.  She pulls out her scroll and finding a place between the words starts making a sketch of the statue.  She pauses for a moment facing the wind and setting sun, before returning to her sketch "Hopefully the answers in Fallshade," she thinks to herself with a sigh.

Anakis nods to Torrent, "We can have a look for them. Hopefully they didn't go too far though!" She starts gathering her things, then adds, "Plus if the sun starts to go down, I can see a pretty long way in the dark, so we should be safe still."

Anakis will head out with Torrent to see if we can find any signs of where the toads have gone.

"Great!  So our goal is simply to figure out where they went so we can easily pick up their trail tomorrow.  I trust your ability to see, but I'd still like to be back shorty after sunset, because my own ability to wander wanes."

Fluin stays in camp, wanting to help guard their campsite in case something in the bog decides to come calling while a couple of the group go to see where the toads went.

Picking up the toads' trail is not a problem since you saw them departing this morning, so you know where to start looking. Tracking them through the bog will take a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check, although the check will have advantage because there are multiple sets of tracks to follow. Which of you is going to try to track them, and what is the other one doing while you travel? Also, if you're trying to be stealthy as you track the toads, let me know.

Survival 24

Stealth (if needed) 5

Torrent will lead the way, following the tracks, and making an obvious trail of broken twigs, piled rocks, etc. which lead back to the camp.  I think we are both trying to be stealthy as well.  We can probably take one of the toads, but surely not five.  At a sign of trouble, we are going to book it back to camp.