"Whatcha writing about before?" Anakis says to Aluzira between bites of her food. "Was it something important?" She leans in a little closer and lowers her voice, "Was it a secret?"

Aluzira chuckles a little, "no, not a secret.  When I woke up, I remembered a place called Fallshade; I think the people there might have an answer I'm looking for..." she pauses for a moment and then pulls out the piece of paper.  "Here, you can look at it if you like.  I also wrote down some useful stuff Mistress Elicia told me."  The piece of paper is rolled up like a scroll and has writing on both sides in an attempt to maximize its use.

(This is what the paper says.)

"Oooh, Fallshade sounds interesting," Anakis says to Aluzira, then thinking to herself, "I wonder if they can teach me anything to help me with my powers?". 

Anakis comes back from her thoughts and brings her attention back to Aluzira. "I vote we go to Fallshade. We haven't found anything here, maybe we'll find something on the way, or maybe when we get there? Playing with the little toads is fun and all, but I wanna see a BIG one!"

Torrent, by "another patrol", do you mean a repeat of the previous day's foraging excursion or something else?

(I want to range less far from the camp than I did yesterday, so that if something goes wrong, I can get back to the camp quickly.  In that area, I'll go foraging again.  Basically, I don't want either the group to deal with toads without me, or for me to deal with toads without them.  I'll also be spending the time foraging.  I recognize that this will probably make me take a hit on how much I can actually procure, but I don't want to go too far afield when we've seen sign nearby.)

For the result of his foraging to have any significance (gathering 1 or maybe as much as 4 pounds of food if it's available), Torrent would need to travel over an area that extends at least half a league away from the camp, which is too far for anyone to come to anyone's aid should a fight break out, or even to be aware of what's happening in the area of the camp while he's away, so it's a trade-off between foraging and staying in place. 

Fluin will accompany Torrent on his patrolling today, just to have something different to do.

Tarek votes with Anakis on going to Fallshade. "It'd be nice to have a change of pace," he adds. "Plus we might have more success around there than over here." For now, Tarek will join Fluin and Torrent in foraging.

(okay, on that note then, we will still go foraging. )

"It does sound like a good idea," Aluzira says. "But I want to see what Torrent thinks, he knows the toads better than anyone." she watches as everyone starts heading out from the camp.  "Should we join them?"

(If Anakis does want to join the others, Aluzira will follow them too.  Otherwise, she'll stay with Anakis at camp.)

Ulben does not see himself as a fighter so he would go with the group.

Retcon: The exhaustion Anakis experienced after her escape from the city's watchmen was removed by her night of sleep in the barn (short rest).

(I've removed the exhaustion point - Thank you!)

"I'd like to go to Fallshade, but if everyone is going to look around here a bit further from the camp, then I'll go with you guys in case you find something. I don't want to miss out!"

"I think Fallshade'd be a good direction if we dun see the beasts t'day.  I just dun wanna give up the reason we came out here in the first place.  Maybe we kin head out there tomorra mornin'. Do that seem fair ta ya?"

The Clouded Bog sparkles with rime and frost which crunches underfoot as the party trudges through a swirling mist of fine rain illuminated by the morning sunlight. Foraging is scarce at first, as it often is in these winter months, but penetrating farther into the bog promises to offer some good things to eat.

About an hour into your excursion, you come across a marshy, muddy field where a few wild cranberries can be found, frozen on the vine. About 25 feet ahead and to your left is a thicket of dense sedge, while directly ahead of you, about 35 feet away, and extending around to your right is a stand of spruce trees. Coming into view in the midst of the trees ahead of you can be seen a large pool of steaming water, and 70 feet from you, wallowing in the pool and on its far bank, are six enormous toads, each one the size of large horse. They seem to be warming themselves in the pool, and those on the banks are munching on the cranberry bushes which grow around the trees, laden with thick clusters of frozen red cranberries. The giant toads seem to hear and see you at the same moment you notice them, but they make no movement towards you.

"Sorry! Aluzira says quickly in reply to Torrent  "What I meant by seeing what you thought was, does it seem like the toads were headed west?  If they were, then we could do both, but I don't want to go to Fallshade if it means stopping the main reason for being out here.  Really, I didn't mean to interfere with the mission at all, but when I was listening for the toads, I heard whispers of an answer I've been looking for, and then I remembered Fallshade..."  Aluzira pauses, realizing that she's rambling and adds "Toads first," 

When they come upon the toads Aluzira stands perfectly still, eyes wide with awe at there size and number.

Torrent picks some of the cranberries as he listens to Aluzira ramble.  "Well I think that ya may be on ta sommat.  We probly oughta go check it out anyway.  I appreciate'ch'all coming out here with me.  I'd be happy ta return the favor, even iffin it's jus' me.  And I dun mean ta say yer pullin' us off task.  Yer doin' alright by me as far as I kin tell; I dun think yer bein' selfish."  Smelling the hot spring before he sees it, Torrent guides the party towards it, perhaps rewarding their assistance with a degree of warmth.  

Upon seeing the toads, Torrent swears.  "There're more'n I expected.  I only ever saw three at a time.  Alright folk.  Whatta we wanna do here?  I can maybe hurt 'em all a bit at once, but I can't do that alot.  Lookin' around, most of us'll have to get up in their faces.  Ya don't wanna be there, because they'll try ta swaller ya whole.  Other'n worryin' about that, this is a straightforward fight if not an easy one.  I'd prefer not ta take em all on at once, and fightin' fair isn't sommat I'm intrested in.  What's everyone's thoughts?"

(DM:  Would I know of anything nearby that might poison them or give them some kind of disadvantage in fighting us?  Might we be able to bait one away from the others?  )

Anakis sees the giant toads and stops in her tracks. "Wow," she gasps, "That's cool!"

She turns to Torrent. "They can't be that hard to kill, right? I can splash some acid on a couple of them if they're standing next to each other. Or I can slow one down with some frost. Or even use some lightning." Anakis' hand glows with fire ready for a Fire Bolt "Want me to get their attention?"

Ulben would have been distracted and bumped into Aluzira knocking himself backwards, and on to his but, while getting up he would say "what's the big idea of stoppi..." and cut him self off once he sees the toads, eyes going wide and legs starting to shake.

As Tarek comes across the toads, he just stands there in shock. "So... uh... that's what we're supposed to defeat?" Tarek hangs back. "I mean, we could be able to finish them off, but that would be extraordinary if we did." He readies one of his javelins.