Just as you are about to discuss what to do next, the Silversong Champions hear a rustle in the brush some 30 feet away...
An elf with pale hair and the well-worn clothing of an outdoorswoman emerges slowly from the undergrowth, her face wary but her hands held open in a sign of peace. Her gaze slips over the members of the group, stopping briefly at Maysalkirii. "You are the 'Silversong Champions?'" she asks. "They said you had a goblin."
Shalani is greatly saddened by Adele's passing. Anger overcomes her features quickly.
"How could you?!!!! Why did you bring me back to life and not the faithful, upright Adele?!!"
Before she can say much else, an elf walks out of the undergrowth.
She silences herself, though grim anger still rests on her features.
She sits on the ground near Adele's grave, silently mourning Adele's fate and her own.
Hitpoints: 7/33
An elf with pale hair and the well-worn clothing of an outdoorswoman emerges slowly from the undergrowth, her face wary but her hands held open in a sign of peace. Her gaze slips over the members of the group, stopping briefly at Maysalkirii. "You are the 'Silversong Champions?'" she asks. "They said you had a goblin."
Maysalkirii simply sighs, and instinctively looks over to Adele for her to do the talking and justify his presence. Then he remembers...
"We are the remnants of the Champions indeed, however we number one less than earlier today. One of our group has passed on, and we are have just finished interring her for her final journey. I am Dragox, servant of the Dawnflower, Narses is our forest guide, Shalani, while a bit discombobulated at the time controls many fiery powers, and 'our goblin,' Feek strikes mighty blows at evil opponents. He is both a friend and a member of our group," Dragox says greeting the elf.
"Be still Shalani, save your strength. Your system has taken a terrible shock. You know Adele would have never had a day of peace if she had been brought back instead of any of us. She was truly the best of us all."
Peaceful parley established, the elf lowers her hands and takes a more assertive stance. "I am Tahllana Skyhunter of the Tiri Kitor, daughter of Garavin Skyhunter, the Storm Owl," she introduces herself formally. "I was away from Starsong Hill when you were the guests of my tribe, and when I returned and heard that you had embarked to take on what should be our fight, I was shamed that none of my people were brave enough to travel with you. I have come to offer my bow to the cause of ridding these lands of the infestation we have tolerated too long."
"We could certainly use assistance, Tahllana.. The lizard man overwhelmed us in our initial foray into the swamp. Do you have any ideas on the best way to assault their forces? We were sitting ducks in the boat."
"They struck us with a foul alchemist's trick. Poisonous gas. Nightmare Vapor specifically. Had I known the lizardfolk of this swamp were armed with suck tricks, I could have prepared antitoxins."
Shalani attempts to stand up again, although the ordeal has heavily taxed her physically, and she is weak at best.
"In the water, the advantage is theirs," Tahllana replies. "The best way to assault them is to slaughter as many as you can on land before they flee into the mud. If you can make antitoxins," she advises Shalani, "make them. They know they have no chance in a fair fight, so no cowardly tactics are beneath them."
Narses silently helps Shalani to her feet. "None of us were prepered Shalani, and to answer your previous question; Adele would have wanted us to."
"I assume the plan was to make it to the Red Hand forces in the ruins?" she asks. "Would it not be wiser to draw what forces we can out to meet us on our own choice of ground? Eventually we will force our way into their buildings, but let us thin the ranks of their defenders first. I would rather fight their dragon with earth beneath my feet than water."
"I assume your people know this area much better than we do. After today, I don't ever want to fight in the water again. How would you propose we draw them out? Wouldn't there be a chance we could be overrun by a ton of them?"
"We take out the lizardfolk outposts around the lake," she suggests, "and then set them ablaze. We don't go in any particular orders, skip over some, so they can't anticipate us and know which way we are heading. They will split their forces, searching for us."
"I can't speak for the rest, but I say we give your plan a trial tomorrow. We need to heal our wounds and rest before taking the lizardmen on a second time."
Dragox sits for the first time in what feels like forever. "Tahllana, what led you to us, if you don't mind me asking?"
"The river," she shrugs. "They told me you'd taken boats."
Shalani nods. "A rest would be appreciated, and I must try to make some antitoxin along with my normal extracts."
Sense Motive
A native of the area and highly-trained guide, you would have no trouble navigating your way around and through the shallow lake. You can find navigable routes of entry without any difficulty.
"Ah, yes, we did indeed take the river, I suppose," Dragox says slightly warily. Changing the subject, he continues to explore strategy questions. "Do you think we can try your plan out as early as tomorrow? I am anxious to strike again before they add too many reinforcements."
The elf gives Dragox a tight smile. "It's not a very complicated plan. It only requires death and fire, both of which I'm assuming we can supply among us." She gives an unusual whistle, something like a swamp bird's cry, and a tiny owl flutters out of the undergrowth and takes up a perch on her shoulder.
With Tahllana guiding the party, the Silversong Champions are able to traverse the wide and shallow lake with a minimum of inconvenience. The experienced elven guide points out avenues of approach with mostly solid ground and you are able to avoid the lizardfolk patrols.
You occasionally pass lizardfolk encampments. These slightly crooked huts lean on rickety wooden stilts out over the black waters of the lake. About twenty feet in diameter, the huts have wooden walls and a roof of sticks and branches, all covered over with copious amounts of dark gray, rancid-smelling mud. The hut's floor is about htree feet above the surface of th water, and its single entrance can be reached bya crude ladder made of broken branches lashed together with reeds. Lizardfolk warriors and children mill about, seemingly oblivious to your approach.
Adele would be very pleased for Feek to have her boots and gives them to him with love. ;)
Shalani has an extract of fly prepared.
If the Silversong Champions
rested for at least a day before continuing, Shalani healed by 7 hitpoints, regained her spells and extracts, and should have had enough time to at least start making an antitoxin.
Tahllana flexes her bow experimentally as she prepares for the attack, a look of excitement and anticipation on her face. "We hit the outpost quickly and then melt away," she reminds the others. "By the time anyone arrives after the alarm's been sounded, all they'll find will be death and destruction; we'll be on our way to the next target."
Stealth-
Survival-
Survival
Stealth
Taking your time to approach in stealth, you come into view of the lizardfolk outpost. It appears that the structure is not built on solid ground, but support by a framework of lashed poles above the waters of the swamp. Two gangways lead to the large hut, where light from inside is blocked by skins draping the doorways. Several knots of lizardfolk surround cooking fires.
Tahllana is currently hidden behind some brush, with the rest of the Silversong Champions following a distance behind.
Shalani is overcome by rage, surging forward into the murky undergrowth and calling fire to her hand.
"Let me strike them! I will not be caught unawares by their foul devices again!"
Initiative
Initiative 1d20 + 1
Tahllana's head swivels around, her eyes wide and disbelieving as the fire sorceress surges forward. "Is she trying to get us killed?" she demands in a loud whisper, fumbling to get her bow into a ready position.