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Jerrik can't help but wonder why the Pathfinder Society were called on for such a mission. In any event, he just smiles knowingly and proceeds with the group toward their destination.
Looking at the provisions provided Jerrik says to Farris, Hey, everyone might enjoy a little of that little bottle. As far as anything else, well, if you wouldn't mind holding on to that tent for me I'd be very appreciative. I'm built to travel light.
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Farris eyes the bottle of spirits up warily. "Uh... no thank you," he says with an awkward smile. "I try to live a life of purity, which means abstaining from... such things. But do enjoy it without me."
"Oh, but I would be happy to carry it for you, Jerrik!" Farris says cheerfully, pleased to have a distraction from the alcohol, and will load the bard's tent up with his own stuff.
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Vitor chuckles to himself as Rayne chats with Farris, shaking his head at the half-orc. As the party begins to leave, Vitor becomes distracted by the bottle of brandy, fixating for to long and stumbles over a cobblestone.
Shouldering the gear given him, he stretches his shoulders and hops a little bit, trying to get his new load to balance itself. "I have some torches and a healing wand." Vitor declares as the party heads out the gates.
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Farris frowns at Ezren, seemingly struggling between his pious upbringing and the desire to respect and take heed of the words of one's elders. The mental conflict starts to give him a headache... "I'll... I'll consider that," he eventually says non-committally.
"I have a wand as well," the half-orc says to the group after Vitor does so, fondly patting the silvery wrist sheath on his left arm. Within it, a wand decorated with tiny gold suns and alternating gold-and-white-and-red stripes can be seen. "Do let me know if you need assistance!"
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Argus watches the ribbing that Farris is getting, smiling slightly as the half-orc struggles with the inner conflict.
"Don't let 'em get to you kid. You'll figure things out on your own time."
At the mention of wands and seeing them getting passed around, Argus reaches into a belt pouch to produce another similar wand.
"Hmmm, can anyone else use one of them. I happened to pick up a wand in my travels as well. Can't use it myself, but it might come in handy for patching us up."
The mayor once again speaks to the townsfolk. “I present to you the brave heroes who will follow in Kassen’s footsteps to retrieve the Everflame! Some of them may not return, but I say to you that their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. Go, brave heroes, and do not return until you have the eternal fire.” With that, the mayor points to the south, the direction of Kassen’s tomb. The townsfolk begin
waving goodbye with cold, solemn looks on most of their faces.
With the map provided, you easily find the trail and keep on it. It has been about two hours since your departure from the town. The narrow path winds through the raking claws of the trees, now bere! of their leaves, which crunch loudly underfoot. Up ahead, a fallen tree trunk blocks the path. Suddenly a trio of snarling humanoids leaps up from behind the log, all greenish skin and fearsome tusks and bearing greataxes, bellowing vulgar challenges.
Argus advances and pummels one of the orcs fiercely, causing the smelly creature to collapse in a bloody heap.
Vitor puts on quite the dashing display, their eyes go wide and they are noticeably shaken by the swordlord.
The first orc does his best to gather his courage and charge with his greataxe at Vitor. "Yaaaaaahhhhhhhhrghh!"
But the Vitor is able to dodge the orc's swing, and the greataxe's blade meets the earth.
The other orc steps forward and tries to cleave into Argus. "You'll pay!" he manages to shout at the dwarf.
The orc manages to hit the dwarven brawler, though the blow could have been worse.
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Farris is shocked by the sudden appearance of orcs--but all too soon that emotion is replaced by embarrassment. "W-What?!" he splutters, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "W-Why am I the leader now?! Wait, does that mean you guys are sullied...?"
He turns to the orcs and shouts at them in their shared language. Farris winces, realising his expertise with Orc was crude at best; his father rarely spoke in the tongue if he could avoid it.
"Takoto iho koutou patu! E kore e he me ki ake toto!"
If the orcs don't respond to his words, Farris will draw his scimitar and follow alongside Argus.
Rayne's arrow and Vargus' punch make quick work of the remaining two orcs. Once all three are dead, the bodies fade away - as if they were merely illusions. Within two minutes, no trace of the orcs are left.
The air grows still, and it is coming on early afternoon. The sun is still quite high in the sky, so the group continues to push forward.
The trail leaves the narrow pass and moves into a heavily wooded area.
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Farris blinks at the disappearing orc bodies, but promptly shakes it off. "Well... I'm glad they were only illusions. I would've liked to speak with them before we killed them otherwise. Not all orcs are bad, you know?" He nevertheless deigns to walk on the other side of the trail to Argus, not exactly appreciating the ferociousness with which the dwarf had attacked the orcs...
"Hold on," he blinks in confusion, "how can an illusionary orc hurt you?" Farris takes a good look at where the brawler was struck.
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Argus spits where the last illusion orc was before turning back to catch Farris's eyes.
"That may be, but these ones even if only illusions attacked first. So this was a proper response."
As the trail moves into the heavier forest, Argus pulls out his Wayfinder using it and the map to check on their travels.
Jerris notices that Argus's wounds have disappeared. He shows no signs of injury whatsoever after the encounter.
Jerrik barely notices the faint smell of tobacco smoke, but notices nothing else of import.
The party continues on, making good progress towards the crypt. However, as it is a multiple day journey, the sun is fading into the east. Argus scouts ahead a little and finds a suitable place to make camp for the night. He finds a nice, level spot that is surrounded on three sides by a thicket of bushes, providing the space some protection.
The tents provided to you are easy to set up and before long, a fire is lit and dinner is cooking. Everyone enjoys 'Ration Stew' as much as possible. However, before the party is given a chance to relax, Jerrik hears a howling in the distance. A couple of minutes later, a wolf appears in the clearing, drawn by the aroma of the dinner.
Spooked by Rayne's arrow, Ezren's steely gaze, Vitor's flashing blade and Argus' general stature, the wolf keeps still. It sniffs at the food that Jerrick throws, taking a careful bite while keeping an eye on the party before turning and fleeing the camp.
The wolf does not return and the rest of the night is uneventful, though one or more members of the party feel a little hungry as Jerrik had thrown some of the food at the wolf.
In the morning, you arise from a restful sleep. In the light of the early sun, you notice that your camp spot resembles a location on your map - The Broken Glade.
As you continue onward, the trees begin to thin, revealing a field of short, green grass that leads to the shores of a wide, calm lake reflecting the overcast sky above. A dense fog hangs over the center of the lake, obscuring the far side. Near the shore of the lake, a dark form lies next to the water.
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* Guidance
* Light
* Stabilize
1st
* Bless
* Protection from Evil
* Shield of Faith (D)
Farris sleeps early and rises before dawn, and anyone else awake at that time may see him devoutly prostrating himself a short distance to the east of the camp as the sun's first rays peek over the horizon. He then sits in silent prayer for an hour, shirtless and bathed in the dawnlight, with his eyes closed and hands interlocked. An enormous tattoo of a golden angel-winged ankh can be seen on his back while he goes without his usual armours.
Later, when they continue their march towards their destination, he notices a strange figure lying on the waterside. "A bandit," he murmurs, "by the looks of things... certainly not from this area." Farris mutters a quick prayer for the man's soul before pointing out the well-made sword and gold pouch on his body, but abstains from touching the corpse himself.
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This poor devil has been here quite a spell. Couple months, I'd say. Ezren diligently searches the body and finds a pouch and a well-made shortsword. Aha! Wherever you are now, you're obviously in no need of these any longer. He reaches into the pouch and pulls out a handful of gold coins. Hmm, could've used some of you lot back in town...
Ezren and Farris are able to ascertain all the necessary information about the unfortunate bandit. The calm, clear water of the lake reflects the noonday sun.
The party continues onward to the crypt. After about three hours the trail leads ever deeper into the Fangwood, through a twisting maze of trees and confusing ravines. As it tops a small rise, a broad valley spreads out before it, the opposite side of which looks like a writhing serpent. Yet between the two lies a steep hill sloping down into the valley. A cold rain starts to fall, making the ground slick and treacherous.
You recognize the snake-like part of the valley as 'Serpent Gorge' on your map - the entrance to the crypt is at the far end. However, before you can reach the crypt, you must traverse down this hillside.