You cross about two leagues' worth of bucolic countryside to travel south from Lauchlein Lake to Lake Pensaris.
At 12 miles long and almost 2 miles long, Lake Pensaris is the largest lake in the county. From Atratus, you know that it's also unusually deep, almost 200 feet down at the center.
Cresting one last hill, the lake's glittering waters come into view. You can see quite a few people along the western shores with fishing nets or fishing lines, and a handful of small boats ply the waters. Atratus explained that Zeke lives in an abandoned beaver dam towards the northern end of of the large lake, and you can tell that this stretch of the waterway is wilder and more strewn with plant life.
Drogan will take the lead into the 'wilderness' of the lake area, letting the others follow the trail he blazes with his sword in hand (Falcata).
Amandine follows whoever's getting them there. She's mostly helpless at navigating through the wilds.
The party approaches the lake's western shore. Across it's broad expanse, you can just barely make out that an old, steep stone wall lines its eastern shore. For the most part, the peasant fishers keep to themselves, but you notice more than a few of them eyeing you warily as you draw near.
The amount of foot traffic around this half of the lake makes it difficult for Dro'gan to pick out any specific tracks. Although clearly fished frequently by the local commoners, Dro'gan recognizes that it remains well populated with fish. Based upon the climate, water temperature, depth, and local geography, he guesses that it plays host to abundant bass, perch, trout, and (of course) catfish.
Dro'gan also recognizes that Lake Pensaris falls within Baron Okerra's lands, so one would presumably need his permission to fish from its waters lest they be charged with poaching. Of course, based upon your knowledge of the baron's temperament, you find it easy to believe that he would allow the locals living on his lands to supplement their meager diets with fish, especially given the hard times gripping the county.
Ever the common folks' champion, Greenly approaches a gaggle of fishermen. "Hihi! What's the like, deal with this place? Do you know Zeke?"
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Something about Greenly's mannerisms and speech prompts the fishers to drop their guard. Despite the company in which she travels, they peg her as not being a noble herself - and thus reckon she's more trustworthy.
"Zeke? He's just an old nut," one of the bearded anglers chuckles. "He used to live down in Pensaris, same as a lot of the blokes that ply these waters, up until about a decade ago. Something snapped in that little noggin of his. He moved to the north side of the lake and went feral as a cat."
Although this fisherman dismisses Zeke as a harmless eccentric, this prompts one of his colleagues to contradict him.
"Zeke ain't no halfling. He just looks like one, like he's wearing a mask," the weathered woman spits. "He's some sorta fey, and not just like those weird gnomes that occasionally come down from the forest. He's like a keeper for the General. Works weird rituals on full moons to keep the beast from rising out of the lake and rampaging through Pensaris."
Greenly soon finds numerous fishermen pitching to her their competing interpretations of Zeke and the General. Overall, though, they fall into two camps. Half of the fishers insist Zeke is just a local kook and that the General is just a very large, very old catfish, whilst the other half believe they are both dangerous fey creatures.
Greenly also hears several fishers claim to have sighted or even hooked the General on occasions over the years. Some of them say that their parents, grandparents, or even great grandparents had tried to land the legendary fish. They give differing accounts of the General's size, with estimates ranging between 6 to 10 feet in length.
Amandine thinks for a while during the time Greenly is gone finding out what she can about Zeke. Eventually she turns to Dro'gan and Meraki. First she pauses, but then decides to go ahead and speak.
"Maybe we should observe protocol carefully. I could go to ask Baron Okerra's for permission to fish while the rest of you figure out how to find the creature."
Amandine doesn't like fishing, but she does like Okerra.
Dro'gan smiles and waves at the other fishermen.
"I don't think that's really necessary, but it might earn us some points with him. Why don't we meet Zeke first ma'am? Then we can talk to Okerra once we have more idea of what this situation really is."
Meraki considers the question carefully before answering.
"I believe Dro'gan has the right of it," she says, before quickly adding "Of course, my lady, you should do what you think is most prudent."
"Of course, you're right, first things first. Zeke."
You feel the eyes of the fishers upon your backs as you make your way north along the lake shore. As if you weren't already a sight, with Amandine and Meraki having the "look of nobles about them," the fact that you are making for the wilder northern shores of the lake - apparently in search of the eccentric hermit - is quite the spectacle for the locals.
The shore becomes an increasing tangle of shrubs, willows, and magnolia trees draping their boughs over the water's edge. This develops into thickening copses of trees crowding out the lakeside from the surrounding hills. Although not nearly as dense as the forest sprawling upon the far banks, it does give this stretch of the lake a much wilder, untamed look than the half closer to Pensaris.
Picking your way through the woods, you begin to hear the burble of water from creeks and brooks that feed into the lake. Based upon what you know, you suspect that tracking down this Zeke likely begins with looking for old beaver dams upon these small waterways.
Stopping at the first stream Dro'gan looks both ways. He then turns to the others.
"I'm not sure...what does a beaver look like again?"
Amandine closes her eyes for a moment, flashing through memories of illustrations in books. She wasn't all that taken with beavers among all the possible animals one might find interesting enough to remember, but she does her best to convey the rough picture in her head.
"Oh, about this long with a streamlined body shape. Amandine holds her hands about 2.5 feet apart. Weighs around 40 pounds on average. Rough brown fur coat all over except the tail which is paddle-shaped. They're cousins or rats, mice, gophers, those kinds of animals. But, I don't think they have easily visible ears. They spend lots of time in water..."
Amandine's knowledge proves quite useful. There are no beaver tracks to be found, since the poor creatures were likely wiped out by local hunters and trappers long ago. However, following other clues she has read about, Amandine soon guides the party to a stream whose flow has been throttled by a carefully constructed heap of logs and branches.
However, you spot a few details that clearly distinguish this as no mere animal den. A set of wet, ragged clothes have been laid out upon the top of the dam to dry in the sunlight. Similarly, a crude wooden rack away from the water's edge is strung with hanging fish left to dry.
Moving forward, Do’gan waves Amandine to stay a bit back. As he approached, he calls out.
“Zeke? Zeke? Please don’t freak out! We come in peace.”
"We're friends of Atratus, Master Zeke," Meraki calls out, trying to bolster Dro'gan's credibility. "She gave us a token of her friendship, if you would like to see it."
Greenly spots a very dirty halfling creeping out of the brush behind Dro'gan, about to hurl a clump of mud and rocks at the bard before he is halted by Meraki's more persuasive appeal.
"Atratus?! Well, why didn't you say so?" he calls out, alerting the rest of the party to his presence. He drops the clump of mud to the ground, then cleans his hands on some broad leaves hanging down from a drooping tree bough.
As he emerges from the surrounding greenery, you become tragically aware that, apart from mud up to his knees and elbows like boots and gloves, he is wearing not a thing.
"My skivvies should be dry by now," he rumbles, swaggering towards the clothes left out in the sun. "I remember how you folk from town get all huffy about having to see my bare rump. Just give me a minute to get dressed. Go ahead and have a seat."
He gestures vaguely, but there's nothing around but moldering logs and damp river stones.
Dro’gan sits politely on a damp river stone, but still keeping an eye out behind him for more mud bearing halflings…just in case.
"T-take your time," Meraki stammers, turning her gaze aside to protect both the halfling's dignity (which he clearly cares not one whit about) and her mind from the sight (which she very much does care about).
Amandine is unperturbed by the naked halfling. It's just anatomy to her and she's seen plenty. She finds a clean dry rock if she can for sitting.
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Greenly hovers by Amandine, setting aside their mutual animosity to seek her advice, a rare moment of acknowledging the other half elf's experience sometimes being more valuable or applicable than her own.
"Heyhey Amandy, uhh- Should we get, undressed to, like, match? What's the polite thing to do here? It's no, right? He's getting dressed and that'd be a weird thing to come back to. But should we meet him halfway? To like, hmm. Make him more comfortable? I usually don't care about the, like, manners or mores of a social occasion, I've, like, been trained for it but it never welcomed me growing up, but here, we're, like, asking for help, y'know? Figured it was worth askin, Idunno."
Surprise shows on Dro'gan's face at Greenly's questions, then he smiles evilly.
"That's...actually very intuitive Greenly. You are correct in thinking that you should pay attention to people like this very carefully and react accordingly. But other than giving me VERY sweet dreams for the rest of the year...there is no reason for all of us to disrobe just yet. Keep that idea in your back pocket however, you never know when such things might come in handy later."
He then winks at her and goes back to looking for a clothed halfling.
Amandine tilts her head to the side slightly, not sure whether what she's hearing from Greenly is sincere or the setup for some kind of attempt to prank her. The randomness and oddness of Greenly's request for guidance makes it hard for Amandine to decide which of the two possibilities is the more likely one.
If Greenly is trying to mess with her, Amandine is tempted to turn the tables on Greenly and make her look foolish. However Amandine decides it's better to proceed as assuming Greenly is sincere.
This halfling character Zeke might turn out to be difficult, and anything that helps keep things on track and easier is best. Besides at worst Amandine is the butt of some joke, which she will ignore since it doesn't really bother her. On the other hand, if she tries to turn things to make Greenly take the pratfall the best Amandine can get is a small win she doesn't care about. At worst Greenly breaks her in half.
"It is good you're considering this Greenly. Little things like this can be important. This time I think we should let Zeke lead us. He is presently getting dressed so we will be more comfortable. It might make him more comfortable if we were to undress, but we can't be sure. He might only be comfortable when he is naked, not when others are. He might also think we are mocking him if we do the opposite of what he has done."
"I think remaining dressed causes no harm. Undressing could cause harm. We should play it safe."
Amandine relays her thoughts on the subject to Greenly in a fully serious manner, only smiling briefly at the end to show her appreciation for Greenly's positive contribution.
There is good that comes from Greenly's question as well. Thinking on the possibility that Zeke may not be sympathetic with their goal of eliminating the giant fish, Amandine takes his time away from them to better prepare to be persuasive.
Meraki's cheeks, already quite a dim shade of purple, somehow darken even further, but she otherwise does not acknowledge that particular turn in the conversation.
Zeke soon returns now clothed, although his ragged and frayed clothes look to be as stiff as leather. He saunters out from his den, but rather than taking a seat, he leans against the wooden bits sticking out from his home and begins rubbing his back against them, much as a bear would rub its back upon a tree.
"So what brings you folks all the way out here?" Zeke asks, still trying to scratch his back upon the branches. "Have you come to make an offering to my master, the General? He is fond of wine or brandy, as well as pretty lasses."
His eyes briefly rove across the party.
"None of you are really my type, but the General and I have never really seen eye to eye when it comes to lasses."
Looking confused, Dro'gan gestures in the halfling's direction vaguely.
"Wine I understand...but what does a giant fish want with women? Distinct conversations on how to deal with scaly skin?"
"Eating Dro'gan. They're for eating. Am I correct Zeke?"
"A good butler knows better than to pry into their master's privacy," he says with a wave of his hand. He moves away from the wooden den and plops down. His stiff breeches creak and crunch as he sits upon the ground.
"Anyhow, I don't know what becomes of the lasses after the General spirits them away to his watery abode, same as the locals he conscripts into his personal army.
"One summer, back when I was just a lad, the General scuttled the pleasure barge of duchess who was visiting from a distant part of the empire. I don't know if he was captivated by the duchess' beauty or enticed by the aroma of all the wine aboard, but he ferried them all down to his home."
Frowning at the halfling's casual nature Dro'gan jumps in with both feet.
"Speaking of which...this is why we are here in a sense: The General. He has been aggressive of late. More so than normal perhaps? You say you do not truly understand what drives the General, but WHAT is he really? Fae creature? A dragon in disguise? A curse placed upon the lake? Or just a really big fish with delusions of grandeur perhaps?"
Amandine turns her face toward Dro'gan and mouths "Drowned" after the halfling refers to the ferry passengers as 'ferried' anywhere.
She can't quite make out whether Zeka really believes the trash he's spouting or euphemizing so he doesn't have to confront the truth, whether it's for their comfort, his comfort, or both.
Upon Zeke's clothed return, Meraki's shyness evaporates, and she studies him closely. Her eyes narrow and her tail twitches once in response to his callousness toward the General's victims, but she doesn't allow it to distract her.
"The General is the lord of the lake, as much a noble as any of them dandies living in their palaces," Zeke says with a dismissive wave of his hand. "A fey? Bah! He was here long before Atratus and her ilk. Now, he may not be a damn dragon, but he's plenty powerful."
Sneering a little, Dro'gan tries to not sound too annoyed.
"Yes...of course. Well then, I think we must ask if you could introduce us in some way to the General? Near the beach if possible. I promise we have left our fishing poles at home..."
Greenly glares at Zeke, who has revealed himself to not at all be worthy of the respect adhering to his comfort level would have shown. She keeps a ready hand on her hilt at all moments, prepared to strike if needed, but upon Dro'gan's request, she steps forward to back it up.
"Yes, we would love to like, give, uh, donations! To the war effort!"
If he becomes squirrelly, she flashes the light of her ring in his face to help put magic between him and them.
Without a way she knows of to break enchantments, Amandine can only think to play along. She believes she can neutralize Zeke without harm to him if it comes to that.
"Yes, can you call The General?
Meraki frowns as Zeke continues to ramble, and she takes advantage of Greenly's distraction to speak with Amandine in an aside.
"My Lady," she says, her voice cautious, "I think he may just be mad. Not as a prophet or disciple might be touched by the divine, or anything of the sort, but just deranged."
"Sure, sure, but you won't find the General along the beach like some noble daytripper down from the city," Zeke says, already walking off to lead the way. "I'll show you one of my master's favorite spots - his lounge or sitting room, if you will."
Zeke leads you eastward, running clockwise around the marshy shores of the lake. The terrain soon dries and rises into rocky shores and cliff faces that hem the eastern edge of the lake. The halfling hermit guides you along narrow paths running along the mossy, ancient walls that block the lake from the rolling countryside sprawling to the east.
Eventually, your guide brings you to a deep, narrow channel running between some of these eastern cliffs. While this location would have been quite difficult to find without a guide, it does seem like a prime feeding ground for a large fish.
The warrior stays quiet for most of the walk, eyes squinting and brow furrowed, obviously unhappy with their host, and upon arrival at the cliffs, Greenly pushes Zeke into the water.
"Oh no, how could that have happened?" she flatly denies. "I'm like, so sorry little fella- I hope the General doesn't eat you or anything."
Not completely callous, she does dangle a rope for him to scrabble back up, but takes her time finding it, trying to chum the water with halfling.
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A brief, cut-off expletive flees from Zeke's lips before his voice turns to a shriek as he falls, landing in the water of the lake channel with a rough splash. He flails about in the deep water for a moment before regaining his senses and keeping himself afloat.
He hurls curses up the cliff face as Greenly lowers the rope. He grows angrier still as she dangles the rope, pretending that it accidentally slips from his grasp a few times before he can grab hold. The halfling hermit then compares her to an elk's mud-caked backside as she whips the rope around, dragging him through the water.
Slack-jawed, Dro'gan looks at greenly with utter surprise.
"Remind me not to turn my back to you...like ever."
He then hedges away from the half-elf along the cliff's edge, drawing a hidden dagger in anticipation of something bad happening after such a betrayal
"There!" Greenly points at the growing shadow of the approaching fish. She yanks the rope back up as fast as she's able, with or without Zeke attached, threading it through a needle's eye on the back of a strange arrow shaped like a fish hook. When the rope is reeled in and attached, she hands one end to Dro'gan and instructs "Hold this, like, tightly! Or hammer it into the ground!"
When the moment is right, she aims and fires.
Amandine doesn't realize what Greenly has done until it's irreversibly done, it's just so unthinkable she can only gawk open-mouthed.
When she finally thinks to look off down the cliff to find Zeke in the water, she notices the shadow as well.
"Hurry!"
Looking both horrified and angry, Dro'gan immediate grabs the rope...
...then wraps the rope around his dagger and slams it into the ground at the best looking location he can find, then sits and braces his foot against the dagger as he pulls the rope taught into his hand.
"What in the 9 Hells has possessed you woman...!"
"Fishing!"
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Meraki is similarly dumbstruck by Greenly's sudden transformation of Zeke into a fishing lure. Still, she hears a tiny part of her mind say, you have to admire the efficiency of it.
Shaking her head in rejection of the notion, she refocuses on Greenly's effort to rescue Zeke from herself. "Please get him out, please get him out..." she whispers.
Greenly's uncanny strength just about rips the rope clear out of Zeke's hands, giving him severe rope burn on top of everything else befalling him on this very ill-fated day.
The sound of his splashing is overshadowed by the surface of the water breaking as the General finally reveals himself. The stories you heard from the locals and even his shadow beneath the water pale in comparison to his full size. This enormous catfish is nearly 20 feet in length!
Its broad mouth yawns open, preparing to gulp down Zeke in a single bite. Suddenly, Greenly's arrow pierces the monster fish's thick, slimy hide. This causes the General to thrash about then quickly turn aside, swimming around for another pass, affording Zeke another moment or two of survival.
With a gust of holy wind, Greenly is encircled by the spirits of her ancestors, perfectly framing her as she dives into the water below. Tho a slow swimmer, the warrior bravely intersperses herself between the fish and the detestable little man, confidently instructing him to mount the fish and climb up the rope still stabbed into it. To further distract the beast, to pull its ire and attention away from its butler, she shouts a sharp bestial whoop, drawing a dagger and thrusting into the beast's underside! As blood spills into the water, the grey-green lights of the dead leave her to surround the creature, pummeling it with an otherworldly wind.
Amandine remains back on her heels in responding to Greenly's very unpredictable acts. When she dives into the water, all Amandine can think to do is grab the rope Greenly abandoned and try to help pull Zeke in.