Josef scrambles out, clearing the exit. He wounds Red badly, but it is still alive.
Darian & Joanna can now reach the exit and get out of the tunnel this round. And attack when they do.
Darian finishes scurrying up the tunnel to see the horrors Josef is facing. Not taking time to grab his shield, he takes his sword in two hands and swings for the nearest one.
"Gah! Stop it you stupid spider-people!"
Darian scrambles out of the tight hole and finishes off Red.
With Darian putting down one of them Johanna moves out to assist with the other.
Between Josef, Darian & Joanna the last of the Ettercaps is quickly dispatched.
V8. The Back Door
Thousands of tiny spiders scurry among the strands of sticky webbing that drape the walls of this small cave, and several large web cocoons hang from the ceiling.
An opening leads outside onto a ledge on the southern face of the hill, and two smaller rooms open off the main cave to the east and west. In the rear of the cave, a wide hole drops into the earth.
This small cave sits about 30 feet up the southern side of the hill. It provides an alternate entrance to the caverns, a “back door” of sorts, that can be used to avoid most of the dangers of the owlbear’s lair.
Treasure:
The cocooned body of an unfortunate explorer hangs in the western cave. He still wears his leather armor and his Gloves of swimming and climbing, and the pouch on his belt contains a large amethyst worth 100 gp.
What are you doing now?
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"We should begin returning." Isabel suggests, owlbear cub in her arms. "There's an area to the west we should work through and then we've explored the whole south eastern section. We should head back to Silverhold and resupply before we head out to the west, besides I need to spend some time taking care of this little guy!"
"That sounds like a decent plan, Isabel." Freya says, before cautioning the Baroness, "Keep in mind, as cute and cuddly as he may be now, he still has the potential to grow into a fearsome beast. Training will of the utmost importance if you are to keep him. That being said, I'm willing to help."
"Alright...let's go," Darian says glumly before heading back out of the cave and to the horses. He then rides quietly and alone to a suitable camp site.
The next morning, Darian is still quiet. Clearly the night hadn't done much for his mood. He packs up his tent and bundles it up before placing it on the back of his horse. He mounts up in turn and sits quietly, waiting for someone else to take point as he had dourly told his wife the night prior.
Once Josef is done fighting and bleeding, Lisl is quick to step in and fuss over his injuries.
"I can prepare a little magic to help move along these symptoms in a day," she tells him after checking the bites. "In the meantime just exercise caution. You may experience tremors or some hesitation in your reflexes."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Thank you, again, Lisl. Somehow you always seem to need to patch me up. I would blame Darian, but he looks pretty depressed already. Can you do that minor tricks magic? Maybe green hair would cheer him up?"
"West you said, yes? Let's see the sun rose over there, so . . .." His direction's not perfect, but he heads more W than N or S.
Hex26.
U. Abandoned Ferry Station (Landmark)
Half-collapsed, rotting wooden buildings stand on each bank where the Shrike River branches off of the Little Sellen River.
The buildings have been used as lairs by kobolds, mites, and even a few groups of bandits in the past, but currently they are unoccupied.
The ferry station may be long abandoned, but Darian & Freya both pick up there has been activity here recently. Several boats landed and a large group disembarked then headed northward. The boats have now gone and the tracks are at least two days old, by their heading you estimate they are making for the Gurdrin river ford.
What are you doing now?
(free use of inspiration)
"With a two day headstart, we'd be hard pressed to catch up to them, but we can try if you would like, Darian." Freya says, before admitting, "It's probably worth a try though."
"It seems we would always be chasing down people if we looked into all the tracks found. Perhaps it is time to return as Isabel suggested."
Darian stands up from where he was knelt down studying the tracks. "Johanna's right," Darian says. "We could very likely never catch up to them with them having a two day head start. Assuming we never lost the trail. Let's head back to the city and just keep our ears open for any trouble," he adds stoically. He then climbs back up onto his horse and pulls the reigns to head the horse in direction of the town.
"I trust your judgement, guys. A bunch of footprints in the mud don't tell em anything."
Darian remains quiet on the ride back to Silverhold, his jaw clenched and his eyes constantly on the horizon ahead.
You return to Silverhold late in the day, the bustle of the growing city seems to be as normal. You are met by Kesten who reports no problems.
Darian nods solemnly to Kesten’s report, before dismounting and handing off his reigns to a footman. The way he does it causes the man to look around nervously, concerned about what exactly has Darian upset, though Darian walks quickly into the castle.
On his way in, he unbuckles the straps of his armor as he ehads straight to his and Isabel’s chambers. He takes his breastplate off and flops it onto the bed before unbuckling his sword belt and tossing his blade and shield beside it. He then heads off for Magnus’ room. Once there, he takes his son up in his arms and sits in a nearby rocking chair, gently rocking the baby for several minutes alone.
When Isabel eventually makes her way there, Darian’s softening eyes and face grow stern once again, though he says calmly ”Do you and the others truly think so little of me that you think I lead for some sense of pride or bravado?”
Without waiting for an answer, he looks down at his son and adds ”Is that the kind of example you think I am trying to set for or son?”
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When Isabel eventually makes her way there, Darian’s softening eyes and face grow stern once again, though he says calmly ”Do you and the others truly think so little of me that you think I lead for some sense of pride or bravado?”
Without waiting for an answer, he looks down at his son and adds ”Is that the kind of example you think I am trying to set for or son?”
"I'm worried about you Darian." Isabel replies quietly, not minded to meet her husband with anger. "We're all concerned about you, just as we are about each other. But Darian, you and I are more important than the others. It sounds horrible, but we are the rulers of Silverhold, not them. If we lost Josef or Lisl there are other people out there we could hire. Look at our little kingdom, more people arrive every day. But you and I, we can't be replaced - not easily."
She leans forward to touch his hand gently. "Darian, I love you. More than anyone in the world apart from our son. I worry about you, and I would even if you wore adamantine armour into every fight. But they all care too, and seeing you rushing into battle without the rest of us, without a plan or even telling us what you're going to do! That is reckless. I know you are a good man, a great man even, but we all have flaws and yours is that you rush into things. I don't want you to stop being you, but I do want you to take more care, so that you can be here to set an example to our son."
Isabel's eyes are glistening with unshed tears by the time she's finished talking. "I don't want to lose you Darian, not like we lost Avora and Phineas."
The Marshall checks in with the barracks, looking to see if any of his field troops are in at the moment. He'll make a point of telling them about the tracks that were spotted, where, and which way they were headed, leaving a written message if he must.
The point is to ensure the people actually doing the patrolling know something is/has been going on in that area.
Darian reaches up and places a hand on his wife’s cheek. ”I don’t want to rush into things. But sometimes snap decisions are necessary. If we wait to plan out every fight, then our enemies can take the better position or get the jump on us as we linger. Trust me, I would rather be able to plan out every situation to our best advantage, but you surely know that in the heat of things that’s isn’t possible. And of our group, who else is going to the front line with Josef? Lisl? She is our primary contact with divine healing. Putting her at risk is foolish. Freya isn’t trained in hand to hand combat that I’ve seen, and is better served using her nature magic at a safe distance. Her wolf is helpful, but it lacks tactics. Johanna? She is good with a blade, but doesn’t seem able to go head on with an enemy. And we both know you aren’t good with a sword,” Darian says with a hint of jest in his voice. ”So it falls to me to be fighting on the front alongside Josef. I won’t just let him be the bait for every fight. That is not who I am. I promise you I have no intentions of over extending myself, but with that being said, I won’t order another to put their life on the line for something I’m unwilling to do myself.”
He smiles and brushes Isabel’s hair back behind her ear and adds with a smile ”It’s gonna take more than some wyverns, spiders, and owlbears to take me away from you.”
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Isabel leans in for a long kiss. "I expect nothing less than a Fey Queen to try! And she'd better be ready if she does. Now hand our son over, I haven't seen him for weeks!" She takes Magnus and begins to fawn over her son, telling him all about the cute animal she found and how they'll be really good friends in the future.
Darian hands his son over to Isabel and watches her coo him, taking in the sight for several long appreciative moments. He then steps out to let her have her moment with the child and heads over to a desk, where he begins making some notes and plans. He eventually retires for the night, though not entirely for rest...
Darian had spent the prior couple days making arrangements for the groups prizes to be properly taxidermied and prepared as trophies, as well as a few private bundles that he had had delivered to himself. He then called a meeting of the leadership to meet in the council chamber. As you enter, you see Darian standing and speaking with Akiros, but the two stop when as you file in and take your seats.
Once everyone is present, Darian stands and says ”I would like to apologize for the dour mood I was in at the end of our last venture out. I mistook your concern for my safety for a lack of faith in my judgement. However, as I have already explained to Isabel, while I have no desire to charge headlong into a fight unprepared, I would never ask any of you to do so either if it can be avoided. That is why I have been so insistent on giving Lord Orlovsky my aid on the front line, and will continue to do so.”
He begins retrieving several packs from beneath the table and handing them out to each of you. ”To make up for my behavior, I had some presents made for each of you,” he says. Opening them reveals well made cloaks made of wolf fur. ”They may not be the most stylish, but they will help fend off the Brevish winter chill when the time comes.”
”As to the topic of safety,” Darian adds as he returns to his seat, ”I have asked Lord Ismort here to put together a group of men to act as our personal guard when we are traveling. They will not be acting as enforcers or anything, but they will keep ourselves, our camp sites, and our belongings safe while we are away from Silverhold. Keeping everyone safe has always been my top priority.”
What are you doing now?
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At the usual meeting around the map table it becomes clear that Isabel has been hard at work filling in the new areas they have discovered.
"I propose we head westwards." She offers. "Due west from here to the edge of our chartered lands and then south I think. Examining our borders would be a sensible move in my opinion."
After handing out the gift cloaks, Darian steps over and picks up his son who had been playing on the floor with a bauble. He then walks over to the map and leans over it alongside the others.
"What do you all think of starting here," he says as he points to the map . "We can then snake through the forest and then back down through this unexplored region here..."
"Barring any unpleasant encounters or discoveries, that will clear the region of any mysteries, and hopefully tend to the rest of these ominous requests on the bulletin..." he says as he retrieves the pile of unfulfilled requests from the citizens. "The forest drake is a major concern. The notice states it has already killed some people, so it needs to be a top priority. The troll blood could prove problematic also. I've heard tales of how dangerous they can be. The sap could be tricky, and I've never even heard of a hodag before," he confesses.
He lifts up the last flier and looks at it curiously. "This one from a Miss Teskertin is a bit odd. Has anyone attempted to contact her about what exactly is going on with it?"
Ever happy to be heading out of the city and back into the wilds, Freya agrees with the suggested route.
"Dour mood? It thought it was just Thursday?" The grin and quick duck should serve to reveal the humorous intent.
As he accepts the wolf cloak, he shakes his head with another big smile on his face. "When you said you didn't want to waste anything, you meant it, didn't you? These cloaks are far preferable to wolfskin undergarments, though, I have to admit."
After the retinue is discussed, he shrugs. "Should make much of keeping you safe easier. At least we'll have help if Lisl needs to magic you back together, instead of me, in peace and quiet."
"We keep exploring and expanding and I'm going to have to hire some more men. Your path should be fine."
"Drake worries me. I figure you two should be able to talk the troll into a game of cards and a few brews while we cut him open and collect some blood. I don't like fighting plants. Hasn't gone well. No, I don't know what a hodag is, either. As for the last . . .. Let's just say she's well known in the barracks. Don't know how a small statue could hurt much, though, if we stumble on one."
You travel again, the seasons are drawing on and your new cloaks are a much appreciated touch of warmth in the increasingly cool air.
Hex 3.
The river makes a sharp bend here, widening into a deep pool dotted with lily pads and fringed with waving reeds. Several freshly felled trees lie beside their stumps on the shore of the pool, their crowns dangling in the water among fading tendrils of mist.
You seem to have arrived at a stand off?
Six loggers and their leader are angrily shouting at two of their number, who are facing them while guarding the pond, and the female who is floating in it, 20' from shore with only her head showing.
The female in the pond seems to be a Nixie.
This green-skinned fey has webbed hands and feet. Its hair is the color of seaweed, and is decorated with shells.
Nixie CR 1
XP 400
N Small fey (aquatic)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 size)
hp 9 (2d6+2)
Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +4
DR 5/cold iron; SR 12
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee short sword +5 (1d4-2/19-20)
Ranged light crossbow +5 (1d6/19-20)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +10)
3/day—charm person (DC 15)
1/day—water breathing (CL 12th)
STATISTICS
Str 7, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 18
Base Atk +1; CMB -2; CMD 11
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +9, Craft (any one) +5, Escape Artist +8, Handle Animal +6, Perception +6, Perform (sing) +8, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +12, Swim +10
Languages Aquan, Sylvan
SQ amphibious, wild empathy +12
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Wild Empathy (Ex)
This ability works like the druid ability of the same name. The nixie’s total includes a +8 racial bonus on wild empathy checks.
Lure (Su)
This ability functions just like a harpy’s captivating song. A DC 15 Will save negates this effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Shapeshift (Su)
A nixie can change shape to become any Small or Medium aquatic creature as if using beast shape I (CL 5th). A nixie can maintain this form indefinitely and can return to its normal shape as a free action.
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate water
Organization gang (2-4), band (6-11), or tribe (20-80)
Treasure standard (light crossbow with 20 bolts, short sword, other treasure)
Nixies are guardians of ponds, rivers, lakes, and springs. They prefer dwelling in idyllic places, which they protect from the depredations of predators and careless humanoids. While this often involves confusing enemies and driving foes away, nixies are not afraid of spilling blood to protect their homes—though they prefer not to resort to such means unless completely necessary. Nixies are 4 feet tall and rarely weigh more than 45 pounds.
Nixies avoid combat if possible, using charm person to lead humanoids away from their lairs. They sometimes use this ability to enslave people to act as protectors or help with a task that is simply too big for them to deal with. They cast water breathing on charmed creatures helping with tasks below the surface. Nixies are reclusive and prefer to keep their presence hidden. They make lairs underwater, forming small communities if their numbers are great enough. Legends speak of a secret nixie kingdom at the bottom of a great lake, but no one has yet confirmed its location.
What are you doing now?
Taking in the scene from a distance, Darian signals for their entourage to wait before riding up alongside the other leaders. ”Greetings, everyone! What seems to be the dilemma, here?”
(free use of inspiration)
"It would seem that these men have run afoul of a nixie." Freya offhandedly comments.
Taking note of the downed trees and the two opposing loggers, she adds. "I would guess that she wasn't happy with their work and charmed those two."
Johanna approaches with the others still at ease waiting to see how things play out.
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"Gentlemen, stand down at once!" Isabel commands, sliding off her horse and marching into the middle of the stand-off. "There will be no violence over this!"
"I can easily imagine what has happened here. You," She points to the loggers. "Found a likely stand of trees and decided to start hacking. You," Her finger swivels to the Nixie, "Jumped straight in with magic and made the whole thing worse. Now - two things will happen. One, all weapons are going to be put down - that includes axes and saws. Two, all enchantments are going to be released. Then we can talk about this sensibly. We have many logging camps to the north of here where you can earn a good wage for honest work without destroying a fey's home. Darian, Josef. Would you please explain how things work in Silverhold to these gentlemen? Freya, with me please."
Assuming that everyone does as they are told Isabel proceeds down to the water's edge and beckons the nixie forward.
Lisl is wearing the wolf-fur-trimmed cloak when the group is out again - though she is of few words as usual, she clearly appreciates the thought and the utility of the gift.
She stays back while Isabel and Freya handle the fey, being quite out of her element in that regard.
Josef walks over to the men. "Yeah, that about sums up how things work in Silverhold. The Baroness barks orders, and everyone, Baron included" as he points at Darian, "try to make things happen the way she wants. Thing is, what she wants is for people to live free, and work together to build a better place for themselves and their families. We would love to have you move closer to town and join the logging team. Among other things, they tend to look around a little better before they start cutting and avoid angering the fey. Or other women." He shudders a bit as he finishes talking.
Freya nods and wanders over toward the water's edge with Isabel.
Darian shoots Josef a stern look at his teasing comment.
Now is not the time to be making comments that undermine anyone’s authority!
”So, Gentlemen. Lady,” he says with a slight nod of his head to both concerned parties, ”Perhaps we can make an accord that is agreeable to all parties, as Lord Orlovsky suggests?”
Both parties jump when Isabel snaps out her orders, blinking fearfully as she strides regally into the clearing.
What it boils down to:
The logger foreman. Corax. "I'm just trying to make an honest living. I'm sick of all these motherf!~%ing fairies in this motherf&!$ing forest getting in my way!"
The Nixie. Melianse "I asked them politely to leave. Those trees were here for two hundred years and don't deserve to end up as some peasants slop bucket!"
She adds that she only charmed the two men after Corax threatened to hang her from a tree to drip dry!
The loggers react positively to the offer of work, and pay of course. It would be far safer than wandering the Fey haunted forest.
Melianse however is still upset about the trees and wants them replaced, they have sheltered her pool for centuries after all.
What now?
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"Melianse. We will certainly replace your trees." Isabel promises, grateful that peace can be bought so easily. "Within the month we will send men to plant new saplings. If you are willing we will claim this area as part of our barony and issue strict orders about not logging here. That way your pool will be protected in future. Is that acceptable to you?"
Johanna eases up a bit seeing there will not be a fight. She awaits to see the Fey's response before offering congratulations to the Baroness.
Darian steps over to Corax and says ”And you would be just as defensive as she if say, a band of giants came and started smashing your home for their own purposes, eh? We are going to do our best to coexist with the denizens of this land. And that includes being cautious of where we do our own work. So if you want stable, honest pay, come join us in Silverhold.”
He then turns to Melianse as well. ”Ma’am. I agree with my wife’s offer. Allow your land to fall under our protection, and we will maintain it as a sanctuary for you and yours for us to live in peace with one another. And so long as our people can travel peacefully through them, you and your kin are welcome to peacefully come and trade or visit in Silverhold.”