Let's allow Xanda more time to rest. How about Agerron, Majet, Branomonrik, Queslin (double watch)?
Survival
Big Ern's disease save:
Xanda Would/will give a smile to show thanks for Queslin's idea/sentiment.
Working together you find a nice spot to make your camp at, with a soft, but not wet ground, big trees giving you shelter from any rain that might fall and such.
Though the swamp is nearby, Majet notices no signs of more stirges, but that doesn't mean much, out here in the wilderness.
Sure it was. I figure that there is conversation that goes on within the narrative.
Bran will take the watch listed. He will try and stay sharp with his crossbow ready.
Perception
Most of the night is uneventful, though some of you are awakened by loud croaks during the night. From the sounds of it, at least two different types of frogs produce those croaks, but they seem to be some many yards away.
Taking care of the injured and Big Ern, Branomonrik doesn't get much of a rest this night and has a hard time keeping awake during his watchhours.
And so dawns the next day, Pharast 17th.
It promises to be just like the day before, mild wind coming from south, bringing some degrees of warmth with it.
Continue on as planned.
"Hey did anyone else hear loud croaking last night?" Majet asks the others as they pack.
Big Ern staggers to his feet. "Beardo, your tender loving care sucks dog shit. I feel worse than before!"
He struggles to put on his breastplate and clearly has more difficulty hefting his axe (although he hardly looks incapacitated). The red blotches have spread all over his body now.
"I heard it too. I saw no reason to go tromping off into the night while everyone rested, though. But now that everyone's up, I'll go have a look around before we leave."
Perception +2 v Humanoid (human)
Survival +2 v Humanoid (human)
Majet quite fasinated at the idea of a Frog man helps Queslin search
Assist perception
Assist Survival
Xanda glances at certain party members,
"I predict that any 'Frog man' encounter might not end well..."
Big Ern sits on a log and relaxes as Majet and Queslin check around the campsite for footprints and such.
"Perhaps if the Gods liked you more or you were more devote or at lest bathed more often my "loving care" would be more effective." Bran says to Ern. He will do his morning prays and leave it to the others upon where to go.
Agerron helps the others search for footprints, but lack of knowledge hampers him a bit.
survival
"Perhaps if the Gods liked you more or you were more devote or at lest bathed more often my "loving care" would be more effective." Bran says to Ern.
"Maybe if your religion had more sexy acolytes and fewer plug-ugly beardos, I might pray more. At least I might drop down on my knees."
Big Ern winks and punctuates his comment with an obscene tongue gesture.
"Since when have you turned down a female willing to put up with you? beard or no. I have seen the way you look at the mares.' He says with a chuckle as he saddle the horse.
"Perhaps if the Gods liked you more or you were more devote or at lest bathed more often my "loving care" would be more effective." Bran says to Ern."Maybe if your religion had more sexy acolytes and fewer plug-ugly beardos, I might pray more. At least I might drop down on my knees."
Big Ern winks and punctuates his comment with an obscene tongue gesture.
"Admit it, Ern. You could care less what they look like. Of if they're acolytes. As long as they have a pulse, you're happy!"
Having Queslin, Agerron and Majet checking the surroundings of your campsite, you are pretty sure that nothing was near you during the night.
Checking the map over you think to be in the area the frog-man should be. From the sounds of the croaks, they should be somewhere further westward (where the land turns into swamp more and more).
The stag lords fortress is more or less directly south of your position.
Into the swamp. The plan was to come from there to hide our actual point of origin.
Survival
Making way from your night-camp into the swamp, you try to go by the general direction of the croaks heard in the night.
Navigating the marsh is even more difficult, with bogs, undergrowth and other natural barriers leading you to dead ends or away from your intended direction.
Three hours after you rode out, you make out some structures through the trees. It looks like two ruined stone buildings jut from the soggy ground about 200ft. ahead.
You don't make out too much of the surroundings of the buildings yet, due to the distance and obstacles in the way.
So far, you don't notice any life, but that could be caused by the distance and your less than optimal view just as well.
"I'll go in first. Keep me covered." Queslin slowly moves toward the ruined buildings. He keeps his sword at the ready.
Stealth +2 v Humanoid (human)
Big Ern nods and then moans and wipes some sweat from his brow. He grabs his flask of mutagen from his pocket and gulps it back. That seems to perk him up a little bit, although he looks even more porcine afterwards.
Bran just Nods and keeps his crossbow ready.
Sneaking up to the clearing in which the ruined stone buildings are, Queslin notices the ground getting the more soggy, the closer he gets. Closing the distance to the clearing, he has a rather hard time not making too much noise.
Hiding behind trees and bushes the elf makes out some small bodies of open water in the clearing, from which the buildings strech into the sky.
Both buildings have mostly intact walls, as far as the elf can tell, from the direction he sees them.
While the larger structure has only one level, the smaller one has a (sort of) tower.
Besides the usual natural wildlife (some birds and a fox) Queslin doesn't detect much life on the clearing, but he doesn't see into the buildings as well.
Making sure that he hasn't gotten too far ahead of the group, Queslin moves to the closest building and tries to get a look inside.
Stealth +2 v Humanoid (human)
Perception +2 v Humanoid (human)
Sneaking forth to the larger building and looking through a crack in the wall.
Peering in, the elf looks at a large room (roughly 30 by 30 ft.) which seems to take up all the space enclosed within the walls.
On top of the stone slab floor is a mess of rotting wooden planks, decaying furniture and a great deal of mud and dirt.
Looking a bit closer though, Queslin notices a sort of path within the mess, something a medium quadruped creature might have made, repeatedly wandering around in the building.
Following that trail with his gaze, his eyes get pointed to a kind of sleeping place of said four legged mediumsized creature, currently even residing there. It's slime-covered hide looks like that of a toad, but is pink in color, it also sports two walrus-like tusks jutting from its upper jaw.
Unusual as that is, the place it took to sleep is unusual as well, as it is about 10ft up the western wall.
Know: Nature
Queslin will quietly back away from there and scout the next building.
Stealth +2 v Humanoid (human)
Perception +2 v Humanoid (human)
Bran, not being good at the sneaky stuff stays with the others. For once he misses the damned horse as he stands to his knees in the muck. Still Adabar's will be done so he stands in the mud, crossbow ready and waiting for a sign from the elf.
"I'll just rest here for a second..." Big Ern flops down on the ground, panting and puffing.
Sneaking along the walls of the building, Queslin not much of a trouble to get to the building with the tower. Before even looking in, his nose detects a foul stench over the smell of the mud.
Peering in through a crack, he sees the source of the stench being a small cultivation of strangely colored mushrooms within the structure.
The floor here is more worn down and broken up, small splashes of water standing in the cracks.
Broken stone from the walls and upper floor make up for the rest of the space.
"I'll just rest here for a second..." Big Ern flops down on the ground, panting and puffing.
"You're not looking too good, Ern. Maybe you should stay here and watch our packs." Agerron is barely able to keep from smiling, knowing how the porcine man will react to that ...
Majet attempts to get closer and get a better look at things.
Stealth
"...still...kick...your...ass..."
No people, just an oversized, mutant toad.
Queslin returns to the group and tells them what he's seen. (read the spoiler about the slurk)
Majet sneaks up to the clearing and sees Queslin head back.
Taking in the view of the clearing from afar, she turns around with the elf to report back.
The mentioning of a Slurk wakes some memories in Branomonrik.
He remembers overhearing a story, in which his people, the dwarves were responsible of the creation of those frog-beasts.
His ancestors tried to domesticate and breed subterranean frogs as food and labor animals, but the dwarves failed to create suitable livestock.
Majet goes for the clearing and sees Queslin head back.
Taking in a view of the clearing, she decides to turn around with the elf and report back.
The mentioning of a Slurk wakes some memories in Branomonrik.
He remembers overhearing a story, in which his people, the dwarves were responsible of the creation of those frog-beasts.
His ancestors tried to domesticate and breed subterranean frogs as food and labor animals, but the dwarves failed to create suitable livestock.
"Okay, so are we going to chop up this f@%&ing frog or what? Let's haul some ass!"
Big Ern totters to his feet and starts slogging towards the structure.
"I know the beasts you speak of, nasty things. Did you say it looked like they were being used as mounts? What would ride such a beast and where are they?" Bran says, looking around as if expecting ambush at any moment.
Queslin watches Ern amble towards the structure. "Have a bit of patience and I'm sure we'll find out."
"I agree with Queslin, Ern. We should wait and see what turns up. Might make for a harder brawl, but I'm sure that doesn't bother you."
Soon it is decided to keep the clearing under observation. Xanda pulls the short straw to tend to and overlook the horses, while the rest creeps a bit closer to the buildings to have a good sight of things.
Hours come and go, but not more than some wildlife shows itself near the ponds. Branomonrik at that time gets a bit of sleep he was withheld the night before.
Around 3pm it gets interesting though: A single Boggard turns the corner of the tower-building, walking over to the other, where the slurk resided.
What does Queslin know of Boggards?
Know: Nature
Bran will get his crossbow but wait to see what the others do.
Seeing nobody following him, Big Ern lamely staggers back to the rest and begins brewing a new dose of mutagen.
----
By the time the boggard shows up, Big Ern has been grunting, muttering to himself and fidgeting endlessly, not to mention sweating and panting.