The group is assigned a location on the map, and given a copy of the map. "Safeguard this with your lives, destroy it if needed. We will also provision you with food for a week, any more and you will need to supplement with hunting. Given that your destination is almost a week away, this is almost a certainty. We cannot supply more immediately, until shipments of food reserves arrive from the south, we need to prepare for a siege. Of course if you all succeed it will be that much less likely, or easier to survive."
Unless there are further questions or requests, the meeting wraps up and the group is escorted back to their quarters. Hawke seems to nod confidently at the group as you part ways.
Back in your quarters for the evening the group settles in and discusses their quest. You partake of an evening meal and doze off to sleep. In the morning the sentries wake you as some supply and inventory dwarves along with a marshal roll some small carts in with crates of gear and supplies. They unload all the items, looking askance at the groups strange make up, and then present a clipboard with a document to sign for the items. Your share languages has worn off though so you may need to refresh a comprehend languages.
Nathan wakes up and approaches the man with the clipboard. He then casts comprehend languages and reads the document to make sure there is nothing is out of the ordinary. His signature is very fancy and flows beautifully.
"Are we all required to sign, or is brother Nathan's good enough?"
The dwarf looks at the beautiful script of Nathan's signature and his eyebrows raise somewhat and you see his mustache twitch oddly. He stashes the document away which seems to answer Greebins' question which the dwarf doesn't seem to understand, he just looks at the cat man, "Eh?"
They load up the carts and wheel them out and the marshal remains a moment looking at the group before she salutes your group and says "Walk in the Light and the Truth." which Nathan recognizes as a common farewell for Sarenrae worshippers. News of the group's affiliation seems to have spread.
The group assembles their gear, packs their equipment up and then it is done. You finish what food is left in the quarters and then all pause for a moment. This is it, you are taking your leave and heading into the wilds against some vague dangers for a people who begrudgingly took you in. Could be worse you reckon.
You alert the sentries without and they bring the typical armed unit of guards to escort you from the fortress.
Through more tunnels and passageways, many barely large enough for Nathan and Lotham. You reach an underground dock area where a boat is waiting with some marshals to transport you out onto the lake which must connect to this underground waterway. Head Marshal Hawke is there waiting to see you off.
As Nathan passes Hawke he bows and says in celestial, "Walk in the Light and the Truth. Hopefully we will see you again soon." He then walks into the boat ready to go.
"I'm so glad to have shoes again!" Eleanor says testing her boots against the earth.
Coming out of her own little world she turns to the others. "I don't think we could be any more prepared so let's head out."
The group loads into the boat, and it makes it way out from under the fort through an assortment of gates and portcullises and other defenses into the lake where you escorted once again by a patrol boat to the twin towers of defense and then out of the lake, there deposited on the external docks, which have greatly diminished in refugees. The entire tribe of goatlings as well as Tolhemia's group must have made their way over and into the town somewhere.
You look to the skies which are a bit gloomy as the boat heads back to the lake. The group looks to each other and then at the map and starts off down the trails.
(A few survival rolls or knowledge geography or nature as you wish). In the future I can roll these too to speed things along, but sometimes its fun to roll.
The group winds its way north mostly following trails used by the hunters, loggers and miner groups. Using the trails you make solid time and as you walk you decide it may be wise to adopt not only a specific marching order but also a watch for the campsite at night as well as any other situational precautions.
"It may be best if I'm in the middle or rear if necessary. I've no skills relevant in getting us to our destination. When we camp, I would be grateful to have last watch so that I may great the dawn."
"Perhaps I should scout ahead? I believe I may be the stealthiest of the group. And I will take whatever watch you think best."
"Greebins, I will go with you. If something happens we can support each other."
The group breaks for mid-day meal and finds a spot suitable as Rechau and Greebins scout ahead. Resuming the trek north and then peeling a bit northwest as your map indicates your area will swing through the mountains and follow several ravines to take you into the canyons in the black ice mountains several days away yet.
You travel the rest of the day, and make as about solid progress as possible given the terrain. The trails help, but they grow nonexistent as the evening rolls in.
Greebins and Rechau find a suitable campsite for the group and camp is set up. The group feels good after trekking the day and has a concerted goal. A night watch is set of Rechau, Greebins, Lotham, Eleanor and Nathan.
Greebings on your watch you hear off in the distance, in the darkness, the sounds of some animal screaming and then they are cut short. While very likely a coyote killing a rabbit or something, it is unnerving.
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Day 7 - Morning
The night passes without issue, and the group wakes somewhat refreshed and ready for another day of trekking through the wilds. You break your fast, and pack up the camp and all of your gear, loading it up. With actual gear and clothing, the wilderness isn't as bad as the first few days in the world.
You consult the map and set out once again with Rechau and Greebins scouting a bit ahead of the group. Trails become non existent and you make use of game trails occasionally, and other natural features to keep your speed reasonable. None the less, the hilly terrain and underbrush keep the group from going full speed. In time the terrain gets more rugged but luckily less dense forest wise. You set yourselves into a long valley and follow a creek bed where the creek has dwindled to a babbling brook. You see no other people or signs for quite a while, once you notice the remains of a very old camp. You see some deer at a distance once and several times hawks or other birds wheel through the air.
As you follow the creek during the day, it opens into the valley and you encounter a small marshy area where some of the mountains' creeks and snowmelt must pool into this marsh; the overflow manifesting in this small creek spilling out of it. In some ways is reminds you of the mountain lake you encountered in your first days here.
You skirt the marsh to keep from getting wet feet and because the midges seem particularly annoying. Near the end of the day at the north end of the valley, you see something ahead in the reeds. Greebins and Rechau scout carefully close and notice it is a body, facedown in the reeds, a pair of arrows in its back. It appears human sized and is probably human but could be a similar race.
Before investigating further, they report back to the group.
"I think we should survey the area around the body before attempting to remove it or examine it up close. Make sure it isn't being observed."
I'm still here, was in Vegas for the weekend, but now back.
"I agree Greebins. I can provide overwatch while you look around and then examine the body. Allow me a moment to put some protective magics up and I will be ready." Nathan then casts mage armor on himself and get's his bow ready.
Lotham reluctantly assents to the plan. "That is wise. As soon as the coast is clear I want to check him out."
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The group circles up and prepares a defense in case something fishy happens. Greebins slips off into the brush and does a perimeter check.
He spots some large canine type footprints in the mud nearby. It looks like several sets of them. No signs of any creatures though.
Returning and reporting on his findings the group examines the body. Lotham flips him over and it is a human. A man, perhaps in his late twenties. Based on dress perhaps an explorer. He has been stripped of other belongings and his boots. The arrows in his back are smaller and crudely made, the fletching black, perhaps from crows or vultures. The arrow tips are crudely forged, hammered without much care.
The body has been there perhaps a day only but is starting to get ripe in the muck and moist atmosphere.
"Something small is out here. We need to be on guard. I don't think this should deter us from our mission though. Unless... Do you think these creatures could be with the giants?"
Nathan recalls that Hawke mentioned that the giants were also employing other lesser giants as well as other humanoids, probably orcs or other goblinoid races. These could well be goblin arrows, perhaps mounted on worgs.
"Yes. These are the smaller allies the giants have amassed. We should see if we can track this group down and take them out. It will remove some of their scouts and their absence will not be missed too soon I think. Is anyone adept at tracking?"
Eleanor surveys the area but comes up empty. "It seems I'm not really familiar with the terrain just yet."
Seeing Eleanor try to follow the tracks, Nathan tries on his own to see what he can do.
Eleanor and Nathan are both able to follow the tracks. Even though they are getting old, the soft mud makes it easy to see their imprints, there were also multiple animals, making it a bit easier. Even one untrained in survival (Nathan) can follow them.
The group follows the tracks easily, (checking each mile you autosucceed a DC 4 check ) however it requires that you move even more slowly and you are vaguely aware of how swiftly wolves or worgs can move.
The tracks appear to take you in a southwesterly direction, somewhat opposite of the way you were going.
"Hmm, it seems there is nothing on him to provide identification. Let's get him a proper burial so scavengers do not pick his body apart. If possible, we could retrieve the body on our way back to the fortress."
Digging a grave in the mucky area might be difficult, but if you carry the corpse off perhaps a few hundred feet you can find drier ground and can make a cairn of sorts from rocks.
"Elanor, I think we are getting further behind. I may be best to give up on finding this group and continue on with our mission."
"Brother Lotham, let's get him moved to drier ground and put a cairn over his remains."
While Lotham and Greebins work on moving the body and preparing a cairn, Nathan and Eleanor follow the tracks for a bit, but it is obvious they have hours lead and are moving faster than the group can travel even without trackin which slows them considerably.
Nathan and Elanor return to the clearing to find the cairn. "Was there anything to identify him? We won't be able to bring his killers to justice as they are mounted and moving fast. We should continue on to our destination."
The man had no visible tattoos and his killers took anything of interest in terms of jewelry or nice clothing or anything that might have an emblem or embroidery or the like.
"Let us continue on brothers. We will find some form of justice for this person ahead."
The group presses on wary and watchful. By midday you stop for a respite and to eat some. The area is still marshy but you see higher ground in the distance, and will be away from the midges and much soon enough. As you chew on your hard tack, jerky and cheese Rechau notices disturbance nearby, several birds fly from the marshy area, and some dragonflies take flight from nearby cattails.
Rechau heard a 'gloop' type noise in the muck. After everyone stops their chewing to get second listen you hear it again, followed by a hoarse, hissing roar. bread, cheese and druid fruit goes flying at something big lurches from the swamp nearby...
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Bog: If a square is part of a shallow bog, it has deep mud or standing water of about 1 foot in depth. It costs 2 squares of movement to move into a square with a shallow bog, and the DC of Acrobatics checks in such a square increases by 2.
A square that is part of a deep bog has roughly 4 feet of standing water. It costs Medium or larger creatures 4 squares of movement to move into a square with a deep bog, or characters can swim if they wish. Small or smaller creatures must swim to move through a deep bog. Tumbling is impossible in a deep bog.
The water in a deep bog provides cover for Medium or larger creatures. Smaller creatures gain improved cover (+8 bonus to AC, +4 bonus on Reflex saves). Medium or larger creatures can crouch as a move action to gain this improved cover. Creatures with this improved cover take a –10 penalty on attacks against creatures that aren't underwater.
Deep bog squares are usually clustered together and surrounded by an irregular ring of shallow bog squares.
Both shallow and deep bogs increase the DC of Stealth checks by 2.
The regular tan squares of the map are considered shallow bog, with 1' water. The green planty looking squares on the map are deeper bog.
A huge reptilian beast surges from the bog, which in some parts must be even deeper than you suspected to keep such a large creature submerged. With horror you see head after serpentine head all attached to the same body sinuously slip from the water, all eyes fixed on each of you, was the murky bog water rains from the creature as it lunges forth, sizable waves are sent forth threatening to knock you over.
Lotham slowly shakes his head.
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Round 1
Initiative Order:
Greebins 32
Eleanor 18
-------------
Hydra 18
Nathan 17
Rechau 9
Lotham 5
Greebins fur raises involuntarily and he lets out a hiss at the beast emerging from the bog. He quickly draws his pair of kukri gifted to him by Goodwin, adopts a guarded stance and begins a strange mewing chant.
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Eleanor utilizes her strength and grace to close the distance between the beast with blade in hand. Once in range a dark aura surrounds her form as she attacks the multi-headed beast.