Temerith nods deeply at Bydar's suggestion. "Sounds good."
You decide to return to the Trading Post, and three days later, you arrive. When you Jhod of your discovery, he can barely contain his excitement when you reveal that you have discovered the lost Temple of the Elk. His excitement is lessened, however, when you tell him of the guardian you slew, and of the bear's transformation into what appeared to be a former worshipper of Erastil. Jhod takes the news badly, but indicates he is ready to return as soon as you are able.
Yiv returned to the post a day after you left, then went back into the woods two days ago, so you just missed him. He had killed a large deer for the people at the Post, and everyone says that he seemed to be really happy and energetic at having the freedom to wander the forests at his leisure. Happs has also returned and left again, indicating he is still searching for the gnomes that visited a few weeks ago, and their invisible friends.
The rest of the Post is continuing on as expected, and there is nothing new to report.
- The two men left on their journey to Mivon and should return in a few weeks.
- No responses to the letters, but you didn't expect anything yet. You should start hearing something soon though.
- Arumil, still another week +/- to go before your items are expected.
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Anything else to do at the Post before returning to the Temple?
Bydar attempts to comfort Jhod, "Perhaps in death he has regained your god's favor, one never knows. He seemed at peace. Bring a few extra supplies for whatever you think you'll need over the next few days. After we drop you off, the rest of us plan to explore further on. I hope that's well with you?"
"Perhaps you are right, but by the same token, burying him outside the clearing was a wise move. If Erastil wishes his body to be on sacred ground, he will tell us."
The journey back to the Temple takes three days, and upon arrival, you find it much as you left it. Jhod is ecstatic and begins working like a man possessed to purify the rooms inside the cave, as well as clean out decades of debris. He tells you all that he will remain here for the time being to rededicate the Temple to Erastil, but he will be in touch.
As you all congregate around, a gasp from Jhod draws your attention. Following his gaze, you look through the trees to spot a magnificent white stag looking down upon the group from a hill. It lowers its head once, as if bowing, then sprints off into the dense forest.
Jhod bows his head and says a quick prayer to Erastil before looking at you all with a wide grin, "Thank you, my friends. I do not know if I can ever repay you, but you shall always have shelter here if you need it!"
-----
You are currently in the hex marked "Temple of the Elk". Which direction would you like to go?
The journey back to the Temple takes three days, and upon arrival, you find it much as you left it. Jhod is ecstatic and begins working like a man possessed to purify the rooms inside the cave, as well as clean out decades of debris. He tells you all that he will remain here for the time being to rededicate the Temple to Erastil, but he will be in touch.
"We will let the others know. You may even have some of the men come here for services once the temple is ready," Bydar is truly happy for the man, and hopes he shall be so lucky as to set up a true temple to Shelyn one day.
As you all congregate around, a gasp from Jhod draws your attention. Following his gaze, you look through the trees to spot a magnificent white stag looking down upon the group from a hill. It lowers its head once, as if bowing, then sprints off into the dense forest.Jhod bows his head and says a quick prayer to Erastil before looking at you all with a wide grin, "Thank you, my friends. I do not know if I can ever repay you, but you shall always have shelter here if you need it!"
Bydar smiles at the sight of the stag, and inclines his head slightly in respect. He waits for Jhod's prayer to finish, and nods once more, "It will be nice to have another haven to go to. Forgive us, Jhod, but we have much exploring left to do."
The night spent at the Temple of the Elk is very restful, and you wake up feeling much more refreshed than you expected. It is almost as if you spent the night in your own bed.
The trip southwest is relatively uneventful. You do come across the tracks of several large bipeds heading north, but they disappear into the brush after several yards. The tracks appear to be several weeks old, so it's very unlikely their owners are still around. After spending time investigating, you decide to move on.
Late in the day, you spot two ruined building straddling a ford and shallows in the river. Watching intently, you eventually spot two creatures moving around the buildings. One is a toad-like biped with large bulbous eyes, while the other is a massive frog with two tusks jutting from its upper jaw.
It does not appear that the creatures have seen you.
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You are currently inside the tree line at the bank of the river. There is little cover from the edge of the trees to the buildings, so it would be difficult (but not impossible) to get close without being noticed. Luckily, since the buildings are constructed on a ford in a shallow part of the river, you will not need to swim through the water - it might reach to your knees, but should not hamper your movement very much.
Temerith quietly observes the two frog-like creatures, but can't quite place what they are. His hand moves to his weapon, drawing it slowly and quietly, careful not to draw their attention.
Bydar pauses and looks at the others, then shrugs, having no idea what they're looking at.
Arumil spots the creatures. Knowing what they are as soon as he does.
"The humanoid is a boggard and the large beast is a slurk. Currently I do not know Boggard, so we can not speak with it. Both are no push over etheir so I would suggest we avoid them until we can at least speak with them. Otherwise we are likely to be attacked on sight and if not then we have no way to speak with each other."
Bydar considers, "Attacked on sight? So they're hostile by nature. This could be a problem if there's a whole tribe of them here. I don't speak their language either."
Temerith shakes his head in the negative, as well. "Around?" he suggests, gesturing off in another direction with his weapon, but keeping it low, as to try and remain hidden.
Arumil thinks for a moment.
"I would not say hostile by nature. More like unpredictable and territorial. Normally they are lead by priest that worship demons, but as we have met kobolds outside the norm. I am not so quick to assume that of this one. Still it seems reasonable that he has staked a claim to that area. Maybe with others inside the ruins. Still best avoided for now, as it is not a problem unless we make it one. If their numbers match our own or more so then we would be in a very bad position."
"I would not say hostile by nature. More like unpredictable and territorial. Normally they are lead by priest that worship demons, but as we have met kobolds outside the norm. I am not so quick to assume that of this one. Still it seems reasonable that he has staked a claim to that area. Maybe with others inside the ruins. Still best avoided for now, as it is not a problem unless we make it one. If their numbers match our own or more so then we would be in a very bad position."
"A wise assessment," Arianna nods in agreement with Arumil.
.
"No point in being foolish," Bydar nods softly, "We'll make a note of it and warn others."
The party heads east from the boggard lair in the ruined buildings, into more dense forest. Travel is more difficult than you have seen elsewhere as many of the trees have been blown down. With the forest as thick as it is, there are a number of trees leaning precariously against one another, and you have to choose your trail wisely to avoid endangering yourself.
Around mid-day, several of you notice movement and several clicking sounds coming from over a small ridge. The group cautiously scouts the area, climbing the ridge to peer over. You see what appears to be a large anthill, and several workers leaving and entering the nest. The workers going into the nest carry an array of foliage and plant matter. The line of insects is heading toward the southeast.
Following them for a short while leads you to an area where several trees have been entirely uprooted and blown down. The ants seem to be harvesting the downed trees and you see dozens moving around, over, and under the trees.
The workers you have seen are relatively harmless, not possessing the sting or mandibles of the larger and stronger soldiers. But while they do not attack, if aroused they run to the nest to summon soldiers and drones.
Based on what you can see, the nest is relatively new as many of these ants have shiny carapaces indicating their youth.
This nest could pose a problem, however, as ants are very territorial and usually expand their nests quite rapidly. Going by what you see, you estimate another six months to a year before they expand far enough to threaten other regions .
-----
Let me know if you want to do anything, or if you want to continue exploring.
"Giant ants," Temerith states as they watch the insects work. "Will spread to other areas within half a year." A look of slight worry shows underneath his hood, and he turns to the others. "What should we do?" he asks, hand squeezed around the hilt of his weapon.
"Well, if they're going to be a threat so quickly, then we should probably find a way to thin their numbers now while they're weaker. Frankly, if there were someway to soak the nest in oil and set it on fire, I'd suggest it, but I'm not sure we have the resources. We can leave them, but we'll need to come back in a few weeks if we do. I yield to those of you more versed in the ways of giant insects than myself, mind you."
"I would suggest we warn both Sootscale and Jhod. As well as withdraw for now. Their numbers are simply to great."
"You sure like that dragon, don't you?" Temerith says bluntly.
Without missing a beat.
"I find a being of reason and logic to be a rare thing in these lands. Something to be treasured."
"And I'm sure he doesn't care," the tiefling man states, still watching the large insects.
Arumil chuckles.
"If his thoughts could be predicted by you then I doubt he would have survived to his current age. But it is amusing none the less."
Bydar lifts his eyes heavenward for a moment before saying, "Raxus, Bridgette, Arianna, what are your thoughts?"
"These ants could grow into quite the threat within a year,
if we take it out now, while it's easier to remove may be best."
Arumil takes his eyes away from the ants for a moment.
"Maybe your were not properly informed. Let me explain in more detail."
"Hopefully you understand now. Any direct attack will fail, even if our numbers were even with just the workers it would not be an easy battle. Against even a small hive its a death wish. Their is no need to rush a battle, we have plenty of time. More then enough to create a proper plan to deal with them in a less life costly sense, at least on our side."
"You kill ant hills by flooding them."
"Flooding...mmm."
Leaving the giant ants behind, you continue your exploration in a southeast direction.
The most obvious feature of this region is the massive Thorn River that cuts through the land. The water has formed a small gorge here, and depending on where you are, the floor of the ravine can be fifty feet below you. More ominously, the river rages and tears through the land, with many rapids that easily splash over ten feet above the water's surface. You can tell that getting swept away in this part of the river would be a death sentence.
In one location, an old wooden bridge has been erected to provide access from one side of the gorge to the other. The ravine is fairly narrow at this point, only sixty feet wide. Luckily, the bottom is only about thirty feet below you and the river seems somewhat calm compared to the rapids you've seen in other places.
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You must cross the gorge to exit this hex heading east or southeast.