"I'm always up early," the girl answers. "I don't feel my best right now, but it's the price I pay for overindulgence. I deserve it. I should have just gone home."
She seems to gather her courage before stepping forward to place a hand on the Ameiko's arm. "I would like to say 'Thank you' for asking Shalelu to apologize to me," she rushes out. "You didn't have to do that."
Thanara snarled her nose at the appearance of the trail rations, and audibly gagged at the thought of needing vermin repellent. She goes and waits outside when Ameiko asks, giving a wave to Shayliss before she leaves. When Ameiko exits, Thanara takes the pack and staggers at the weight with a look of panic. She opens the flap and looks inside before saying ”Hang on a second...” before taking it back inside. She sets the pack on the counter in front of Shayliss and says ”Perhaps a new pack that hasn’t had all this stuff broken and leaked into it, hmmm? Thaaaaanks!” she says as she folds her arms and waits with a smirk on her face.
_________
Thanara was full of excitement as she returned to the Rusty, but her stomach sank when she saw everyone else waiting for her. Damn you, Shayliss! I was going to be early until your b~@$% ass threw your tantrum!
She makes her way up the steps and sets the pack heavily on the ground, letting out a huff from the strain.
"Help?" Ahreni asks, moving over to the pretty town girl and hefting the pack easily on one wiry arm. "I can carry some for you." The offer pales a little when it becomes apparent that Ahreni has no backpack of her own...
Shalelu notes to no one in particular after the deputy answers her questions "So dead or run off by this point..." She looks to the others to see if they have any questions for the deputy before the group departs.
”Thanks,” Thanara said without hardly even turning her head towards Ahreni. ”So, how far of a walk is it to these swamps? Thirty, forty minutes?” she asks.
Ameiko smiles at Relisha and places her hand overtop the tiefling's own. "My pleasure. She can be a bit rough around the edges sometimes. You were only trying to help after all."
She pats Relisha's hand twice before pulling her arm away and heading up the steps to go inside. At the top of the steps she faces you all and offers "Please take care of yourselves. I care about you too much to have something bad happen."
Just before closing the door she offers "Get those goblins!" with a cheer and a smile.
Meanwhile outside deputy Cobb takes a moment to think before replying.
"Seems to me that folks, a lot of people actually, avoid the swamp cause it’s real overgrown and there are some nasty beasties in it but" he pauses gathering his thoughts "If I were you, I'd head down to the swamp where those attacks seem to be happening. There is this one Halfling who lives in the swamp, he would probably know where the goblins live."
He pauses and looks towards the roof obviously gathering his thoughts.
"Huh? How far? Couple o hours I'd wager. Depends on how fast you be gettin'" he nods to himself while he thinks on the subject.
Shalelu just chuckles at Thanara's question and shakes her head. She flings her pack over her shoulder and looks at the others as Ameiko heads inside "Guess we should get a move on so we aren't out too late. I'm sure many of you would prefer not to be traipsing around a swamp in the dark..."
Ahreni shrugs on Thanara's pack and prepares to follow Shalelu.
Ameiko smiles at Relisha and places her hand overtop the tiefling's own. "My pleasure. She can be a bit rough around the edges sometimes. You were only trying to help after all."
At the touch of her hand, the rest of Ameiko's words are lost on the poor girl. She just nods wordlessly.
She pats Relisha's hand twice before pulling her arm away and heading up the steps to go inside. At the top of the steps she faces you all and offers "Please take care of yourselves. I care about you too much to have something bad happen."
Just before closing the door she offers "Get those goblins!" with a cheer and a smile.
Relisha stands for a moment looking at the closed door with a silly smile. She touches the back of her hand to her cheek. She turns abruptly and grabs her bag from the ground. "What are we waiting for? Let's go," she says brusquely.
Thanara gives Ameiko a wave before turning and heading out as well, insistently staying at Shalelu’s side.
Since had no questions to add, he gathered his stuff and strapped his shield on his back before following the others. Passing by a barrel of rain water, Olaff once more shoves his head inside, so sharpen his senses.
"You do know that there are easier and neater ways to wash your hair, right?" Relisha comments, shaking off some of the cold water that had splashed on her.
Olaff passes his hands on his wet hair, removing the excess and purposefully waves his hands towards Relisha before drying his hands on his pants. "Yes, I do... as ye arre currious, I'll let ye know that I take a bath everry morrnin' on the larrgerr rriverr vith the complicated name... Turrantarrock? Vell, vatheverr, ye arre frree to join me vhen ve rreturrn."
He reaches his bag for an apple beforre continuing. "No, I've found out that some good cold vaterr help me get thrrough my hangoverr... not as vell as anotherr mug o' ale, but I do not drrink vhen I'm about to fight..." He then points his index to Ahreni just in front of him. "Also, if ye arre botherred by the smell, ye are blamin' the vrong perrson... I'm kind o' new to this town, but I've never saw herr takin' a bath. Therre is even talk in the vagon camp about just tossin' herr in the rriverr, but most arre afrraid to do so..."
Relisha giggles uncharacteristically at Olaff's comments regarding Ahreni's bathing habits. She quickly puts her hand over her mouth and stifles the sound.
Shalelu let's the others chat while she keeps her eyes on the road and the surroundings. She hadn't been to the swamps in some time so she wasn't sure of any new threats that may have surfaced since then, but she knows at least that there could be goblins about.
Cobb bids you fair well and starts for the door of The Dragon but turns back. “Oh. One more thing before y’all set out. Try and watch out fer the Soggy River Monster, will ya? This is something else, no half eaten sheep and what not, one problem at a time. Yeah?”
He opens the door and steps halfway through it before stopping and saying loudly. ”DANG! I almost fergot. Sheriff said if ya’s map the swamp for him he’ll pay you a mighty ransom for it. Something about a thousand gold or somewhere about that. I wasn’t paying much attention. Maybe it was a hundred gold? Bah! It sounded like you are out for the protection of the town though, not the gold? Right? Anyway, head to the old fishing trail. That’s the best place to start.” he chuckles as he heads inside and shuts the door behind him.
As expected, Shalelu’s expertise with the area allows for your group of five to travel towards the old fishing trail that leads into the swamp with relative ease. The weather is warm and the sky is clear as you make your last preparation and head out of town in search of a swamp and some goblin ears.
Following the Lost Coast Road south and staying close to the sea, you skirt the edge of the southern portion of the Ravenroost mountains. The roads continue to wind back and forth and it feels like you are traveling further east and west than you are south. After another mile you turn east through the farmlands of Ashen Moor and follow that for another mile and a half before the road turns south and eventually the swamp begins to appear on the horizon.
As you descend down the path the swamp starts to come into view. The Brinestump Marsh lies ahead of the group like a fog-shrouded terror. Twisted cypress and mangrove trees rise from low-lying ground fog, and the whole area is covered in reeds, thickets, and thorny bushes. The locale is rife with the noise of living things -- birds, frogs, insects, and perhaps larger beasts.
After the first six hundred yards the area begins to change from wide opens fields to an overgrown swamp with dead and dying foliage and soggy terrain that likely contains all manner of possible horrors. In the distance ahead of you appears to be a rickety old wooden bridge. As you continue to walk towards it, there is a large snap of a branch somewhere off to the left of the path, loud enough that the party freezes in its place.
In the direction of the noise of the branch something scuttles off in the underbrush out of sight. As you pivot around to look for the sound of the noise, it becomes painfully obvious how similar the terrain looks out here and how easy it would be to get lost. You all realize that without this path you are on, you would need to be very conscious of directions so as not to lose your way.
As they finally approach the swamp Shalelu pulls out her bow and has it at her side. As they get deeper into the swamp she notes to the others "We should try and find Walthus Proudstump. He is the self-appointed “warden” of the swamp. I think this fishing trail should lead directly to his hut."
As they near the bridge and they hear a sound in the distance she pulls an arrow from her quiver and looks around for any signs of what might be out there. Unlikely a goblin, who knew what kind of beasts may be present. If it seems the threat has passed she will keep the bow in one hand and the arrow in the other to be ready, but continue to lead the group onward.
As Shalelu pulls out her bow, Olaff takes his shield from his back and straps it to his arm and then assumes a rearguard position. He doesn't draws his sword, preferring to keep his hand free.
He then looks around, attentive to the dangers of the swamp.
Having ventured out into the wilderness frequently to acquire herbal components and reagents for various mixtures, Relisha knows the importance of not losing one's way in the woods. She keeps a close eye on the twists and turns they take.
As they move along the path she reaches out and pulls Thanara away from a bush she's about to brush up against. "You don't want to touch that one," she offers quietly. "Not unless you want a nasty rash. That's Witch Hand - see the leaves? It makes for a relaxing tea, though."
Thanara had spent much of the walk actively trying to avoid coming into contact with just about everything, but found the task wholly futile. When Relisha warned her of the bush, she jumped back from it with a start and stammered ”I thought adventures were a bit less...gross...”
Thanara tried to pass the time drawing the map so the others could do the more brutish tasks. But when a noise came from the brush that caused everyone to take up arms, her whole body paled as she turned to face it as well.
Moving farther away from the Lost coast Road, it becomes obvious that neither Olaff or Shalelu are familiar with this particular trail and don't exactly know where they are going. Shalelu is a seasoned scout however, taking charge and leading the party along the trail further into the swamp.
The party moves over the soggy wooden bridge, careful not to step in the spots where the planks are missing. The entire area is eerily creepy and you have expect The Soggy River Monster to leap out from underneath the bridge when you cross it. Fortunately for you however, the party crosses completely uninterrupted.
Once Shalelu points it out, the path is relatively easy to follow and the party doesn't seem to wander from the trail. Thanara dutifully maps the path the best she can and after about 1500 feet another soggy wooden bridge approaches.
More or less identical the previous one, this one is also in rough shape. Shalelu crosses followed by Ahreni and then Relisha. Thanara just steps onto the other side when between one of the missing planks in the center of the bridge a large snake that has a thick, muscular body and dull green scales decorated with dirty brown stripes burst through between the oracle and the sorceress.
Olaff saw this coming, noticing something unusual in the water under the bridge and is quick to respond when the snake appears.
"Snake!" Olaff shouts.
Olaff doesn't think twice before grabbing Tharana by her collar and pushing her to the side... on top of an old log riddled with mushrooms. He then draws his longsword and steps forward, slamming the sword against his shield to draw attention to himself.
"Here, snake, to meee!"
________________________________________
The snake had already set it's eyes on Thanara's beautiful calf muscle. It lunges forward towards her just as Olaff yanks her backwards and the creature slams into Olaff's shield instead with a loud clang. Shaking it off, the snake hisses at the shield and spins around to look for another juicy morsel.
Olaff slashes at the snake, trying to keep its attention on him. "Rrelisha! Back avay! Let the snake come forr me..."
________________________________________
Attack
Relisha steps back past Ahreni as the serpent eyes her. The shifter feels just a slight shiver, as if someone had walked over her grave.
”Hey!” Thanara shouts at being so roughly handled. Then she sees the snake and mutters ”Oh...
She gets up and turns towards the snake, dropping her hands to her sides as electricity and dark energy begins to coalesce along her forearms and crackle along her fingertips. She then points a finger at the snake and a bolt of blue/black lightning strikes it!
__________
Seeing the snake Shalelu immediately recognizes it and she calls out to the others ”Careful, it’s a constrictor. Don’t let it get a hold of you.”
She takes aim and looses an arrow, but winces in pain at motion.
Even with her injuries her aim is true as the arrow strikes the snake.
Ahreni growls deep in the throat, drops Thanara's pack carelessly into the dirt and leaps forward onto the bridge, pinning the snake between her and Olaff. Her face transforms as she goes, elongating into a muzzle as fur burst across her face and she bites at the snake.
Thanara's electrical blast is excellently well aimed and zaps the snake, electricity sparking and cracking all over its body. Instead of attacking with a weapon, hands or feet, Ahreni actually bites the snake with her mouth! Finally Shalelu waits for Ahreni to finish her attack and buries an arrow through a narrow window between the shifter and the snake, drawing even more blood.
The creature is still actively trying to attack your group, but the weakness and injuries are evident as it's attack lacks conviction and it mere snaps in Ahreni's direction.
Relisha pales slightly at Ahreni's transformation and takes a step back, but waits to see what else transpires.
Ahreni keeps biting, trying to puncture tough scales and muscle.
Shalelu grins a bit as the group seems to be reasonably capable so far. She pulls out another arrow and takes aim at the snake once again.
After Ahreni's first bite into the snake, the creature proves extremely slippery and avoids her second snap. Shalelu tries to find an opening, but with the shifter directly on top of the snake she has to pull her shot low to avoid hitting her companions. She pulls the shot too low and it slips past the snake and splashes into the water nearly.
Olaff swings towards the snake but runs into the same problem as Shalelu. With Ahreni all intertwined with the creature he can't find a solid place to bury his blade into it. He swings but drives it to the ground when Ahreni would also be hit by his attack.
Seeing the others fail to hit the thing, sends another arc of lightning at it. It strikes the thing in the open mouth, causing it to convulse and spasm before falling limply to the ground, smoke emanating off its body.
”Ha! That wasn’t so hard!” she says as she steps up and gives Shalelu a smug look.
__________
Relisha looks over Ahreni, insuring that she's uninjured. Once she's satisfied, she steps back out of the way to let others deal with the huge snake's body.
Ahreni is indeed fine, all the blood is the snakes. She drops the body unceremoniously and spits repeatedly into the water as her face reverts to a more normal, human shape.
"Snake blood tastes bad." She comments to no-one in particular, before retrieving the pack she was carrying from the shallow puddle it fell into.
Relisha's abrupt laugh comes out as a snort and she quickly attempts to conceal it by looking at the ground.
Ahreni looks up and her lips curl into a matching grin.
Shalelu stows the next arrow she had pulled when the snake dies, not wanting to linger any longer then necessary she notes to the others "Let's keep moving." as she continues down the path keeping an eye out for any additional dangers.
After the second bridge it's another 1000 feet south on a winding trail to the third bridge. Halfway there you hear a rush of movement around the bend ahead of you, but have no clear line of sight to the target. Readying your weapons you advance slowly, preparing for anything. As you creep forward you find signs of a strangely mutilated animal on the trail, a soggy three-toed footprint slowly filling with water.
In the distance some strange animal calls out loudly and numerous birds take flight away from something on the ground.
After the third bridge the trail turns sharply west, winding around inlets of the marsh. The muddy trail leads up to a swampy lagoon with a view of the open ocean visible just beyond these shallow waters. A an old two-story building roughly 30'x50', its walls soggy with moss and its roof sagging with age, sits on the lagoon’s eastern shore.
Once the snake is dead, Olaff shakes his head at Thanara's commend. "Yes, it vas not, but next time pay morre attention vherre ye step... sometimes it is just dog s*!*, otherr times it is a hungrry snake..." He then sheathes his sword and drags the snake's body out of the water, inspecting it for a couple seconds. "This is a larrge beast... perrhaps ve can sell it's hide once ve skin it... but now is not the time forr it."
________________________________________
When they reach the house, Olaff turns to the others. "I suppose this is the varrden's house... let us announce ourrselves..." He then walks towards the house and gives the front door three good knocks before stepping back and yelling. "VAARRRDDEENN!" Turning to the others, he asks in doubt. "Vhat vas his name again?"
Relisha just shrugs and shakes her head. If the warden had a name, she doesn't know it.
When they come to the third bridge and just miss whatever had been there Shalelu checks the tracks trying to see if she recognizes what might have left it. Either way, after spending a moment looking she hurries the others along.
—————
Shalelu doesn’t mind Olaff going ahead once they reach the house, she continues watching their surroundings for any threats. When Olaff calls out for the man, not remembering his name Shalelu replies. ”Walthus Proudstump is his name.”
Once Shalelu informs him of the warden's name, Olaff adds it to his yelling. "VARRRDDEENN VAALLTTUUSS!"
"Walthus. His name is Walthus," Relisha mutters to herself in annoyance.
One has little doubt that anyone inside of this building didn't miss the loud Ulfen yelling out. Understanding him however, that's a different assumption altogether. Despite the loud volume, no one makes any sign of opening the door. With no windows to look in, you approach the building and begin to look around.
As you close within a few feet of the front door, it opens a few inches and the voice of a smaller male creature with a tinny voice calls out the dark room beyond "Who's there? What do you want?"