((When it's just a bunch of melee folks swinging on them and no one has fire or acid, it's a whole different game! Ben also got it to where we really only faced half a troll!))

Marshswamp & Lizardfolk alliance formed + 3, 3:30AM, returning back to the lizardfolk cave

Ok, the trolls are dead. Ben, one of them is burnt quite badly, although the other one's skin seems in ok condition (what's a few huge claw marks, puncture wounds and a broken head?!) at least better than the one that was burning in the fire. If he was wondering, of course... :)

Ess says "Dudes. That was gross dudes. Did you hear the one scream when it was in the fire?" Ess kind of gets his composure back, speaking nothing of his actions during the fight. 

Aryte says to the party "Good work. Challenge success! Yes. Fire to kill the trolls." again assuming that you all knew this. Then the lizardfolk yawns. "We continue now? We are almost back. We leave troll bodies for food for crocs, yes?"

Another 30 minutes or so and you'll be back. Let me know if there's anything else you wanted to do at the troll fire camp. If not, once you get back, will you immediately go see the queen and then rest? We can RP that conversation a bit and then go from there with next steps. The Queen would greet you and say "Ah. Yesssss. You're back. Glad to see you weren't eaten by Thousand Teeth. Were you able to complete the mission? Have you the head?"

Aryte would let the party do the talking. 

If the head is provided, the queen would give you the 3 potion of superior healing as promised along with Bimz of course. She'd also reconfirm the 3 week delivery date of the remaining weapons that you owe her along with telling you again about the likely attack on the sahuagin in a months time. "Timing key on weapons, Ben. Yesssss. I trust you." and she looks at all of you. She would say that she has meetings with Marshswamp council to determine what part the marshswamp council and military will play in the upcoming war. She says "Marshswamp council likely ask you for help too." This will all be figured out over the next month while queen Othokent waits for the rest of her weapons and amasses her army consisting of numerous different races. 

As far as Aryte goes, she's going to go her own way and remain at the lizardfolk cave should no one ask her to come with. She'll likely be thrown into the ranks once the various strike teams are formed for the war.

The Marshswamp captain of the ship along with the guard were very happy to wait on the ship while you were gone. 

Happy to RP through the conversation with queen Othokent as well for sure. (mentioning trolls, etc.)

Alliance formed + 3  /  12:00PM  /   Lizardfolk cave

What is next? Return back to Marshswamp? (it is 3 hrs sea travel) Then speak to council, let them know the lizardfolk have their weapons delivered? Or something totally different? The council will likely ask all of you for help with the upcoming events once they discuss things more with the queen, but that will take up to a month to finalize. The council will likely contact you when they and the lizardfolk have finalized a plan.

With that being said, what might you want to do over the next month? I think we can use the Marshswamp Quests thread that Rodgeir made for this. Along with the ones noted in there, there are likely others that will be uncovered should one or some of you want to spend time getting more used to the city, talking to different people, etc. There are also some locations on the 'Marshswamp Region' tab that might have quests attached to them, which might be revealed as the town of Marshswamp is explored. 

https://www.dndbeyond.com/private-messages/160817

I am also getting Korrik's super secret quest in order now and will let you know (well mostly Spider) once it's ready and I'll enter it into the game as a potential quest in a non-forced way. 

Over to you!

((First thing first...))

"Well done everyone, some better than others."

He smiles at everyone but his eyes linger on Ess before moving on to give Kay and Ash nods.

"So. Congratulations to us for having made the marsh safer for..." He kicks a half eaten crab. "Crustaceans. And presumably lizardfolk."

He wrinkles his noise at the burnt corpse before examining the other one and responding to Ess,

"We've dealt with a lot of unpleasant things. Remember the contents of that basilisk's stomach? Which reminds me, Kay, would you mind applying your skinning skills here? I'm sure there is a lucrative market for a troll hide armor or the like. Perhaps vests."

((Let that play out... If Kay agrees he will magic eyes to see if the trolls maybe have something fun inside them.

Did the queen have any humanoid heads on the wall that Ben would have seen? If so he would have Aryte chop of the head to bring back for her as a present. ))

-----

(Ben would see the queen immediately if she was awake, otherwise he'd get some rest and see her in the morning.)

Ben gives a bow to queen Othokent and will have Ess or Kay bring her the head.

"We defeated the menace and bring you it's head, as requested. No one was eaten and Aryte was of great service as a guide and a warrior."

He will look for Aryte to nod respectfully.

"Furthermore we eliminated a pair of trolls far too near your home."

He'll pause to see how much the queen cares about that (and present the head if applicable).

"Moving on to other business, the weapons and armor are our top priority. You'll get them in time."

Ben wonders how Marshswamp will be paying for their help but doesn't comment on it with the queen.

---

Boat ride back he will try to forge the documents for the silks twice more (if needed). He'll give himself advantage on the rolls using enhance ability.

18

17

(Nope!)

He'll also meet with the team to check plans, including scoping out Gellan's house.

He offers to inform the council of the weapons delivery and goodwill mission to kill a crocodile. He'll also chat with Gellan a bit and suggest Gellan have him over to his place to discuss the current situation as well as to receive an early performance of Ben's latest songs. Perhaps a larger dinner with more guests would be in order to listen?

(Let me know if I need a roll for Ben inviting himself (and the rest of the party) to dinner with Gellan!)

He'd also get the baseball sized orb and the dark potion identified and sell the snake and croc hides (and maybe troll hide).

(Let me know if you need rolls for anything else!)

Kay looks a bit dubious at skinning the troll, but if the head's off and the stump cauterized and he's not left doing it on his own, he'll give it a whirl.

Ash would help with the skinning. She’s not an expert in that particular skill, but is pretty decent with a blade, and has a deft and dexterous touch when she needs one…

She’s also not phased by skinning a humanoid. If it comes up, she’s say, “Well most things are roughly humanoid anyway, kind of. I don’t see a huge difference… We’re ALL just animals really… … … When I’m dead, if anyone can find any use from my remains, if any good can come from it, then all the better…”, she says matter of factly.

She let’s Ben take the lead in the rest of the discussions with the Lizardfolk and the Humans. 

Once again, she’s looking forward to a long bath and a brush down. And to change into clean clothes.

Ben will help with keeping the skinning process as clean as possible and responds to Ash,

"My sentiments exactly, though I'm planning on being rich and loved enough that they'll put me in a shrine."

He says only half jokingly.

((I forget what check we'd been using for skinning things?))

((I'm working on the the next post - but in the meantime, I went and checked for the previous skinning roll, and it was either a survival or slight of hand check. Your choice. Korrik can use his knowledge of how leathers are normally cut and processed OR he can use his finer dexterity techniques to help him with the process. With help, either way.))

((Ok, sounds good. I think at one point we might have used 'Cook's utensils' proficiency on some sort of butchering, but that's the same as his SoH.))

Skinning: 13

Persuasion for Gellan (min 20): 17

Performance with eagle's splendor (because Ben is worth it!): 16

Another skinning: 13

A Bardic: 4

Another skinning: 20

Ben, Ess responds "pffffttt yeah, no kidding, right bro? Some better than others that's for sure." and he looks at Aryte and then back at Ben. You see, Ess thinks that Ben is talking about Aryte and not him. (lol). Ess continues to Ben "yeah, true enough bro, but dude, the burning alive thing was my limit on unpleasant things, my homie. Like my gosh man. See its skin melt off its face bro? Damn people inside the basilisk were long dead. This shite happened before our eyes. Anyways... MEH. I'll be fine, bro!"

Ben, the troll doesn't have any magical pings coming from their corpses. There's nothing of interest inside them either if that was checked other than the standard run of the mill troll insides. 

Ben, the queen absolutely had humanoid heads on the wall. Maybe even a troll now that you recall. Aryte is more than happy to cut the head off. "HA! Othokent will love!" and she smiles and you think she's almost humming a giddy tune as she cuts the troll's head off. Not the burned one. "Queen will not like the burned head. Not stay together properly. Head a block of coal now." 

Korrik, even with help, you're not able to get a good cut of leather from the troll that wasn't burned. There were too many claw marks from the other troll, plus a few puncture wounds and so you're only able to get some small ripped up pieces which won't be sellable even to the most desperate of merchant.

Ash, Ess would say "Well, if I die I'd rather not be skinned, but hey that's just me, my homie!"

Ok you all get the long rest back at the lizardfolk cave! Ash, you would've had a nice bath using the water system that they've created just like before. The setting isn't the greatest but it's nice warm water nonetheless. 

The queen is very pleased to see Thousand Teeth's head. Ess would bring it to her. "Uh... here you go, Ma'am." 

Aryte nods respectfully back to you Ben and says something in Draconic to the queen. Then she says something else, kind of glances at Ess, then they start laughing a bit, then they stop. Ess doesn't notice. lol

The queen is happy about the troll news but isn't ecstatic or anything. "Ah. Yes. Trolls. Sometimes camp in the marshlands. Glad you were able to defeat them. A valuable ally you are, Ben. All of you. Right then. I shall await the weapons. I shall await the armor. In meantime I speak with marshswamp council. Discuss matters at hand. We speak again soon. 3 weeks yes."

There are no encounters on the ship ride home. Ben, yeah the seals on the silks are quite detailed and you're still finding it difficult to create fake ownership documents that you're satisfied with. (so 40% left on that forgery kit?)

Alliance formed + 3  /  3:30PM  /   Marshswamp council hall

Ben, the councilmembers are pleased to see you and the party have returned and also to hear about the goodwill mission with the croc. They explain the next steps for them which will be to start discussions with the higher ranked officers from the lizardfolk including queen Othokent herself to see what type of role Marshswamp will play in the upcoming strike against the Sahuagin. The council kind of assume that you are going to help in all of this, but haven't came out and asked you for any specific help yet. Eliander does say "I imagine we will be meeting with the lizardfolk government sooner than later. Should you all want to continue to help us brave heroes of Marshswamp, please continue to have your stay at the Snapping Line at no charge as we begin our planning with the lizardfolk. I do not know what they might be planning, although given what you all have already done for us, I think you will be a valued asset to this campaign and will likely be paid accordi..." and Eda steps in "AHEM! What the captain is saying is that we will LOOK to compensate you SHOULD you want to continue with all of this. Anyhow, we will give word once we have news and next steps. Until then, enjoy your stay at the line." and she gives Eliander a scowl. Eliander continues "Anyhow, we will reach out once we have more details."

Alliance formed + 3  /  4:30PM  /   Marshswamp streets

OK - I think we need to pause here and take stock of what everyone is doing right now and the time. Ben has a bunch of things listed but only one or two of them can happen tonight. Let's go over them now ->

Chatting with Gellan about dinner: this could've happened right after the council meeting as Gellan was there. The minimum 20 persuasion roll does it, and he agrees to a dinner. He would be up for either a larger dinner party (which could include the other party members as well as other guests, or not), or just dinner with you. Which one would you want? We will keep the performance roll of 16 once it's needed. (sorry, I jumped the gun on that!). And also can you confirm you want the dinner tonight?

Check with Eliander about bandit groups: this also could've happened after the meeting. Eliander does in fact have information about bandits. He would tell you that there is a town citizen who has been taken captive by bandits into the Dreadwood forest. Eliander can speak with you about this tomorrow if you are interested in helping. 

Scoping out Gellan's house: how exactly would you want to do this? Like just watch his house? For how long? When?

Baseball sized orb and the Dark potion identified: yes, this could've happened after the council meeting. You'd go to see Captain Xendros and she'd charge 20gp total. Orb of direction     /     Potion of necrotic resistance

Sell the snake and croc hides (and maybe troll hide): yeah, you get into Kiorna Kester's tannery just in time before she closes up shop for the day. Kiorna is keenly interested in acquiring hides from exotic creatures to craft into expensive leather so she is very interested in the croc skin. She likes the snakeskin as well, but she's really looking at the croc. I can't remember if I told you exactly how much she will pay for these types of skins, but it's a lot if I didn't. Given Korrik did a fantastic job with the skinning, Kiorna will offer you 600gp for the croc skin since it's still in good shape and was removed perfectly. She offers you 50 gp for the snakeskin. It's not as in good shape, and she only pays the really high rates for more dangerous creatures. 

Ben also wants to swing by that wizard's tower: that location is about 5km away from the town. Would you want to check it tonight?

Ess will determine what he's doing tonight once we resolve all of the above.

Thanks and sorry if I missed anything!

((Korrik-specific quest is still on my radar. I'm not going to force it but it will be introduced soon. We have a lot of time now to play with! Heck even speaking to locals or bartenders may uncover more quests.))

((there are also the downtime activities that can take place in town which I can review if any of you are interested starting tomorrow in-game. Ess will likely want to work a bit. Back on the docks like he did before. These activities take up a week's time if you recall. Carousing, research, manual labor employment, dock work, mines, mercenary work, etc. etc. etc. please ask for more information if you might want to do that again.))

And what's everyone else thinking about doing over the next little bit?

Alliance formed + 3  /  6:30PM  /   Marshswamp streets

Over to you all!

"No one normal enjoys watching faces burn of living things, Ess. I'm glad to hear you're among them."

At Ess saying he doesn't want to be skinned after he dies Ben will give him a long, appraising look while rubbing his chin to mess with him.

---

"Three weeks. Enjoy your new trophies."

Ben gives the queen a bow.

((40% on the kit? I had it at 60%, thought it was 10% per attempt? If it is 20% per attempt there is only 20% left. Fine either way, just let me know.))

---

Ben will comment the queen has expressed her plans to meet with them soon.

"We'll gladly accept your offer to stay at the Line. I believe we have some short travel planned in the near future but should be back in time to assist in the coming discussions and potentially whatever comes after."

---

+Gellan about dinner - larger party so Ash and Kay can do their snooping without being missed too quickly. Preference on tonight if that works for Ash and Kay.

+Definitely interested in the bandits and 'helping out'.

+Probably check out the tower tomorrow, maybe on the way to Eliander's mission?

((I'll update the loot stuff tomorrow))

Kay will go along with whatever plans Ben has, but will voice a few opinions.

"Someone captured by bandits sound like a good job. And bandits might have a lot of gear to be able to start filling out our order with the Queen."

"If you don't want us ordering with the demon lady, do we have time to go magic shopping in one of the bigger cities or towns?"

"Yes, the bandits are a good opportunity for equipment and to further increase our potential asking price to help the council once we save whoever."

Ben does pause at Kay calling Xendros a 'demon lady' and speech that sounds like he's said something similar many times before,

"Captain Xendros is a tiefling and not a 'demon lady'. She serves a demon demi-lord. There is an important distinction there. I'm a tiefling and in no way affiliated with demons or devils. Beyond the heritage, of course."

He takes breath,

"As to your question, I won't some you from ordering from her. I simply wouldn't recommend it based on what I've learned about her master and those that choose to serve him. That said, I think that once we handle the bandits, and perhaps check out those tower ruins for another smuggling operation, we plan a trip to a bigger town for magical items and offloading the silks. The question is, do we head south or north?"

((Oh, and @Klein I don't think we'll be staking out Gellan's house yet. At least not on Ben's initiative!))

"Oh, fork!" Kay's eyes go wide at his social misstep.

"I meant in reference to her employer, not in reference to her... her. Cause that was your objection, that she was tied to demons and all ..."

Ben waves Kay's apology off,

"It's not a problem, just wanted to be clear on the point."

He changes the topic,

"But north or south to a larger town is something we should consider."

"What's our timetable? When do we need to be back here, that would give us an idea how much travel time we've got to play with. Neverwinter's probably our best bet for selling and buying, but we could try Helm's Hold again on the way. Bandit job takes us a bit in the other direction, but if someone's being held, I think that's the priority. Knock that out tomorrow, stash any arms and armor for the queen here in town, then head north? Maybe check out that tower as we go? How many days did it take us on the way down?"

"Took about a week to get here from Neverwinter. Once there, a couple days to sell and buy and then a week back. It would be doable, even with the bandits, but doesn't leave much room for delays. If we can do everything we need in Helm's Hold we'd save maybe 4 days on travel time. Less selection on magical items though."

((I'm going to move this sucker forward now, but totally happy to retro for Ash! Let me know Grwo!))

When Ben messes with Ess about potentially skinning him, he says "MY DUDE!! That's not funny bro!! Stop it! hahahaha! ha.. ha.. ha   ha" and he doesn't speak of it again. lol

Alliance formed + 3  /  7:00PM  /   Marshswamp streets

Just to confirm, there IS a dinner party tonight, correct? Gellan is all for it given the min. persuasion roll and just the fact that a lot is going on right now in town, specifically with all of you, and Gellan would be most interested in having you all over with some friends to discuss everything over dinner and wine. Is that what Ben wants for tonight? It will be a larger dinner party that would start at 9:00pm. Gives you some time to get back to the line, eat, clean up a bit and whatnot. Also your performance roll is already made for the new songs during dinner. 

Are Ash and Kay going to stake out the place or search it or anything like that tonight? Or are they coming to the dinner? Ess would come too, if you allow it. lol

Oh... Bimz. I think we can assume that you told the council about Bimz being a reward for the croc goodwill? Or if something different let me know. Some of the council might not be comfortable with the pseudodragon initially, but when seeing how calm and domesticated it seems to be along with the fact that it listens to Ben's every word, they kind of relax about it. Bimz could fly around the back of the Snapping Line inn and catch some insects which would keep him fed for the night or you could bring him some food. Will you keep him in your room in the line during the dinner? Or bring him to the party?

I think I will wait to resolve all of the next day stuff that Ben and Korrik were talking about until after this bit. Eliander will likely go over the bandit bit in more detail along with anything else he might have in mind. Heck, maybe he'll be at the party tonight.

Oh, Ben, Hanna isn't back yet if you inquire at the line. She must still be with her friend. She did say she would be gone for a few days and to come back later in the week the last time you spoke. She should be getting back to the town in a day or two according to the person whom she left in charge of the line.

Over to you.