It's been some time since your last adventure - trouble and treasure have both been unusually scarce.

But then you heard a rumor in Triboar. It seems that people have been disappearing on the Long Road, on the hundred-mile stretch between there and Longsaddle. A large number of people now, all gone without a trace.

You joined a grain caravan heading north to investigate. The trip to Longsaddle was quiet, with nothing to show for it but sore feet.

Now your party is heading back south on your own. The journey started well, but then the weather changed. A cold gusty wind has come up along with a thick, wet fog. It seems to have gotten dark early too.

Someone - you can't remember who (he was either a dwarf or a gnome) - suggested you push on. It was a bad idea, as the road has disappeared and the ground has turned into a smelly, shallow marsh. You are wet and cold, you have no idea where you are, and you can only see about five feet in front of you.

Just as you have resigned yourselves to a miserable night squatting in the swamp - there, off in the distance! A warm light!

Characters:

Trudging through the marsh, a slight struggle to pull her boots out of the muck with each step, GRIMM, flatly states,  "How lost are we that we ended up in a marsh?  Damn fog.  This had better not be the Evermoors."

Grimm takes a pause to hear if there is anything about aside from the troupe's march through the muck given the fog is too thick to see through.... (Perception (giving two scores in the case there's disadvantage due to the conditions) - 15  or  5  )

Boomer marches along, not paying much attention to his surroundings. He's whispering softly (at least, what he believes is softly) to his battleaxe. "Don't worry Pointy, we'll find some food soon. I'm sure we can find a rabbit nearby. Then we can smash it and have good dinner."

The muck doesn't even faze Boomer as he walks along, now intently searching for a rabbit to smash (Perception (I'll also do two scores just in case) 6 or 9 )

Noticing Boomer talking to Pointy (again), Grimm quickly (and quietly) takes advantage of the dense fog to cast Thaumaturgy on the greataxe creating whispers agreeing readily about rabbits for dinner to emanate from the axehead.

Boomer begins to get more excited after hearing Pointy talk back to him (something which he never stops to think might be odd) and begins to speak to his axe again "We'll smash the rabbit, and then make stew from the rabbit, then we can have rabbit stew, and share some with our friends! Don't worry Pointy you can share. Friends need food rabbits too." Boomer then begins muttering to himself about making a necklace out of lucky rabbit feet.

Traveling farther back in the group, Audin has been straining with every sense to piece the heavy veil dropped by the fog. This is madness, and unnatural. Spotting the light ahead though he stops suddenly, re-considering his ill timed thoughts. The fog had been a major nuisance, but the inviting light appearing out of the mist, that was just weird. Still, weighing the options.....maybe a little odd sure, but at the same time maybe a sign in this otherwise bleak landscape.  He points towards it.

”Guys........” He calls it out hesitantly and lowly. 

Rose looked up and saw where Audin was pointing. "A light! Unless this area is known for Will o' the Wisps and the like luring travelers then that's either other travelers we could join up with or folks in need of our help. We should investigate."

Boomer looks over at Rose, visible excitement coloring his face. "Will there be things for Pointy to smash? Pointy wants to smash a rabbit, but he says he'll smash bad things too." Boomer leans over and whispers to Rose "He has angry issues." Boomer looks at the light and lifts his greataxe above his head. "Let's go friends!" Boomer begins to walk towards the light

Rose nodded sagely at Boomer, amusement sparkling in her green eyes, when he mentioned his axe having anger issues. She followed him commenting "Probably just rabbits, but you never know what you might find to smash." with a soft chuckle.

Nevets having been drink before setting off on foot wakes up in the marsh starts to walk losing the group once he see the light he will tread through.

Nevets: "I don't remember stopping in the middle of a mash. Ugh- So hungover..."

Perception: 18

Contemplating the probability of finding Will O’ the Wisp now that the paladin brought the thought to the front of his mind and hoping instead to find perhaps a nice (and warm!) cabin or other shelter Audin falls in behind them. He gives the Dragonborn talking to his weapon as wide a berth as visibility permits and hopes the sound of battle against any mice along the way does not prove their undoing. 

For the characters coming towards the light:

"You come to a wall of dilapidated stone, covered in decaying thorn. There is a wrought iron gate in the wall with a cheerless lantern (The source of the light) hanging from the frame. The gate appears to be unlocked. Some distance beyond you can see an old manor house, with dull yellow light flickering in the windows."

Boomer turns to the group "Do rabbits live in house now?" He turns back around and peers through the iron gate, trying to see if anything is moving inside or around the house

Nevets: "Ah you guys! How did we end up here. I remember drinking and then I woke up in this Marsh." Swashing the marsh as he walks up to the party.

Boomer must Make a Perception check.

Perception was a 9

Nothing can be seen through the windows of the house. Though, a strange snarling sound can be heard in the front yard. The mist makes it impossible to tell what the source of this sound is.

Rose's ears perked up as she heard a snarling noise and she used her powers of perception to see if she could tell what direction the snarling was coming from and put her hands on her sword and shield ready to draw them at a moment's notice.

Grimm walks up beside Boomer and places a hand on his shoulder, saying in a lowered even-keeled voice, "Boomer, now is the time to be quiet. Silent like death - to catch any prey that may be nearby...." and she cast Guidance to help him on his next ability check.

She investigates the iron gate, lantern, and immediately surrounding section of the wall for any evidence of a name or other identifying marks.  (  Investigation 14  )