Casamir's light drives back the darkness and illuminates the area immediately around him. It also reveals a presence in the waters. Seemingly composed of the water, the revealing light highlights the difference between the being and its surroundings, making it visible. Still, if it is a creature, it must be massive. Only tendrils of it can be seen, in the pools of fetid water closest to the group. The tendrils of liquid presence writhe in and out of view, never showing a defined shape.
"I think we might be in over our heads with this thing. The size, the fact that it's underwater, and not to mention that i can barely even see it's outline? Yeah,this seems like something we should come back to deal with with more force. Unless you object, of course."
"There's something metal in that pond. Not sure what it is, though." He thinks for a bit, "Can't even begin to imagine what the thing is in there. Could be a tough fight."
There were legends, memories of her people, tales passed down and lessons learned about the wildlands of Brevoy that Talia knew could be of use -- she just had to tap into them. With a gesture - a drawn eye upon her forehead, and a sharp arcane syllable barked, Talia starts a complicated series of actions to tie into her peoples' past; perception and memory, boosted with her performance, leading - hopefully - to a recollection of what the spring holds.
Talia has heard tales before of creatures representing parts of nature before. Such creatures have existed since before mankind, and have occasionally interacted with them. Nature elementals exist on something of a different plane to humanity, however, and have different motivations and perspectives. That doesn't mean they aren't intelligent -- they are quite self-aware and capable of thought -- but they cannot be communicated with through speech. Language is a humanoid invention.
A battle with a nature elemental is a tricky affair. The creatures have no anatomy to speak of, nor a proper brain. Precise hits and mind control are impossible, as are any attacks that target specific body parts, for a river has none of those. These spirits do not see, exactly. They merely exist as water, and can perceive anything within it perfectly. Aware of the existence of things outside water, the creatures are not helpless to things outside of it, merely blind until the water touches their targets.
In terms of weaknesses, it depends strongly on the type of nature elemental. A mountain elemental, for example, would be struck deeply by a stone to mud spell. Any spell that destroys water is especially effective against a river spirit.
These creatures -- representing rivers -- are not normally hostile. Sometimes they can be mercurial and dangerous, but they never seek to harm others deliberately. Something external must have corrupted it for it to be in its present state.
Gazing out across the waters, Talia frowns, lost in thought. "Strangely enough, this may be the safest place to camp. Near to the waters but near enough to touch them, or be within reach of the spirit. Do you want to stay here or nearby tonight? We may not be bothered by monsters that are aware of this spirit."
Talia squints, trying to make out the metal thing that Cassamir pointed out, and sighs as she can't locate it. "Perhaps the metal thing you see is what has tainted the waters?"
”A very interesting proposal. There’s a chance it realizes we’re here and gives us a rude awakening, but I suppose we might as well take a rest. That metal thing could well be the source of the corruption. If we remove it, well, who knows? Maybe the spirit’ll decide we’re friends.”
"Agreed. If we rest her tonight, we can lay Wulfgar to rest and deal with whatever is the cause of this pollution in the morning. Perhaps we could reason with the spirit, appease it with an offering or some such? I do not know enough about the matter to speak with authority, unfortunately."
The area around the mountain spring does not have much flat, dry ground suited for camping. The spring itself is composed of spongy masses of moss and lichen feeding off of the nutrient-rich spring water. Surrounding the spring are several stunted trees turned black from the corruption. Above the spring are rugged, rocky foothills rising into the mountains. Below the spring is the forest and then the road.
Another spell cast, and Talia's summoned the wildlands knowledge of her ancestors. She surveys the lands around. "I imagine we should camp here, among the stunted trees, or within the cover of the forest."
The most defensible position would be in the rocky mountains above. It would require a climb, and there might be giants or goblins who live up in the hills, but shelter from the elements and protection from forest creatures could be found.
Those camping near the spring itself face some danger, for the spring's corruption is not safe. The nearby wildlife, from the plants to the insects, is affected by the corruption. Based on the behavior of the gators, any of it could attack. On the other hand, Talia finds a nice hollow bush among the copse of trees that offers relatively good shelter.
The safest place is down by the road, about 4 miles away. There the forest has been cleared and human activity keeps away most wandering monsters. Plus, merchants sometimes pass along the road.
Tomorrow it seems like a light rain. Night will bring frost.
"We should make the best of what we can here. If we climb or walk back, were just burning daylight for no good reason. Why don't you see if you can't wrangle up some halfway decent shelter, and I'll gather as much firewood as I can. At least we can keep a campfire going overnight to ward some of the chill off."
Pavo does just that, setting his halberd and pack down wherever Talia deems the best spot, and gathers as much firewood as he can before dark.
Talia realizes just how tired she is, the end of a long, difficult day looming over her like the mountains on the horizon. She nods to Pavo and heads to the hollow bush among the copse of trees that offer good shelter. There, she takes some of the food from her pack left over from the previous day and dispenses it to her companions.
"This will help us shelter against any elements. Tomorrow, shall we try to retrieve the metal thing from the bog, or fight the spirit?"
Talia and Pavo hunker down inside of a bush on the spongy, springy ground that surrounds the spring. Starting up a campfire with scavenged wood in such a damp area isn't easy, but eventually Pavo gets a small one going.
As the evening deepens into night, the frost starts to come. Fall is coming to an end, giving way to winter, and late-season nights are not warm. Without proper shelter, the three surviving mercenaries must hunker down against the cold.
Meanwhile, sunset brings out all manner of insects and spiders, especially mosquitoes. Though at first they are an annoyance, they begin to swarm when they reach larger numbers. Soon there are enough insects that one cannot idly slap them away fast enough. Furthermore, there seems to be something wrong with the bugs. They smell strange and some are missing pieces.
vs DC 15
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Pavo awakens cold, stiff, and miserable.
"I don't think the fire helped as much as I thought. If we are going to stay out like this going forward, we will certainly need better shelter."
The hollow proves a good choice for keeping the cold at bay, but the bug, oh the bugs! They come on, progressively worse, gathering with such mass that they blanket Talia's clothes and pack. It is the smell, though, that is most off-putting. One flies into Talia's nose and she gags, barely able to keep her dinner down.
"I think these bugs are tainted like the gators were. Should we move?"
Casamir finds himself cold and miserable, just like Pavo, teeth chattering and fingers numb. "I...I agree. If only to, brrrrr, warm up some, keep moving. That swarm does look nasty."
[ooc]Man, some rolls.
Woken by the bugs and the cold, our heroes start to pack up their bedrolls and the fire. The bugs, meanwhile, start to bite and sting. At first it just itches, but the pain slowly builds.
Casamir slaps bugs away from himself as he says, ”If we can get whatever’s in there, we might solve the problem of this damn swarm and make Wulfgar’s sacrifice not be for nothing.”
"Back to the road," Talia yells, hoisting her pack over her shoulder and slapping at a swarm of bugs. "There's merchants that come by, so maybe it is safer!"
"I hate the idea of fleeing from insects, but these seem like no ordinary bugs!"
He joins in the others, grabbing his gear and moving towards the road as fast as he can.
Pavo, Casamir and Talia pack up quickly and flee down the hill towards the road. The bugs pursue for only about thirty seconds before they dissipate. Meanwhile, the party is left with a three-hour hike through forested mountains to reach the road. By that time, the party is totally exhausted and falls to the ground for sleep barely after setting up their bedrolls. Any frostbite or bugbites can be simply repaired with Casamir's holy magic before sleep, and nothing attacks party members down by the road.
Sleeping by the side of the road isn't extremely comfortable, and the trio wakes up with achey joints, chill skin, yesterday's foraging to eat, and a merchant's caravan carefully investigating whether or not any of the group are dead.
Two wagons pulled by four horses are escorted by two armed men on horses. Each wagon carries a merchant, and a young apprentice is with them as well, riding in the back. The merchant's apprentice is the one investigating the party's bodies when they begin to wake, which causes him to jump back a bit. "Hey! You're alive!"
This causes his master to come down off the wagon, smiling. This merchant is fat, well-dressed, dwarven, male, and adorned with several pieces of steel jewelry. His braided beard is bound with fat metal rings. He smiles and extends a meaty hand. "Well met, travelers. You look like you've had better rests. Can I interest you in any of my goods, wholesale prices, before I continue onward to Fort Thorn?"
Meanwhile, Wulfgar's body is starting to smell.
Casamir sighs, sadness in his voice, "Most of us, at least. If you've a funeral shroud, one of our colleagues did not fare as well as we did."
"Sorry, friend," Talia smiles, her face reddening as she admits her destitute situation, "We've got - I should say, I've got - not coin, only useless Chelaxian banknotes. Thank you for the wake up. As you can see, yesterday was a bad, bad day. We need to get our friend buried. Can we accompany you back to Fort Thorn?"
The merchant frowns at the notion of a corpse accompanying them. Still, it always pays to get adventurers indebted to you. "Banknotes, hmm? I'd accept those... six silver to the gold, if you're looking to buy. I've no funeral shrouds, but I do have a lovely large blanket that I'd be willing to part with."
He nods at the request to go back to Fort Thorn. "Aye, I'd even make a guard walk to hold your corpse." He silences the guard's protests with a raised hand, then offers it to Talia. "I'm Kraggodan Silverhand. Merchant from the Five Kings. Say, if you're looking for gold, would you be willing to do something for me?"
"I agree, Talia. We need to regroup and rest up, and see if someone back at the fort knows anything about water spirits and polluted rivers. Maybe we can find some other folks looking to do some good around the valley, as well. With Wulfgar gone and no wizard around, we could really use the extra hands."
Pavo plods along, shoulder sagging and feet dragging after the beating they took.
"What kind of task, Kraggodan Silverhand? We're a bit stretched thin at the moment, but services for coin is certainly what we're about."
Kraggodan scratches his chin before responding. "Well, it's just that I've heard this land is rich in darkwood, a rare material in low supply back home in the Five Kings. I would pay handsomely for any darkwood lumber you were able to bring to me at Fort Thorn."
"Darkwood is something we've talked about, certainly. If we come across some to sell, we will keep your name in mind as a buyer. For the moment, I fear we will return to the keep and grieve a bit."
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The dwarven merchant is a little bit miffed that none of the party members want to barter with him at all, seeing that they are so bedraggled and he comes ready with camping supplies available, as well as all manner of mundane and common equipment. He sells lanterns, rope, pitons, and a variety of weapons useful for the wilderness. Also present are food and water, as well as supplies useful for hard work -- caffeine, shovels, hammers, axes, and more.
Still, he allows the party to ride on his wagons the rest of the way to Fort Thorn, which ends up taking most of the day on wagons. It is evening by the time the party returns to the Fort, and the guardsmen are just changing shifts when the wagons arrive. All are ushered behind the safety of the walls quickly, and the wagons parked in Four Wheels Hall so that they might lay out their goods.
Sir Tolgrith takes the news of Wulfgar's loss with a measure of respect. Wulfgar had served valiantly in several battles before falling prey to dangerous local corruption. Tolgrith is aware that the river is polluted, and that it became so very recently. He does not know anything about water spirits, but if anyone asks around they might hear a rumor or a bit of superstition from the commonfolk manning the Fort.
While the party was out adventuring, they find that Tanu and Portia, who had both abstained from venturing to meet the giant, had both left without a word. Knowing that his mercenary corps was a bit small in numbers, Tolgrith would make an offer to the party: If they could present him with a plan of action targeting a threat to the expedition, he would lend them two of his best soldiers.
The party rests for the night in the Fort Thorn barracks before rising the morning of Lamashan 17th. This day, some frost has built up. Around sunrise it is still not warm enough to defrost, and the soldiers are out and about with mittens and hot coffee.
"Well, team, I think we might want to stick closer to home on our next sortie. The giant was placated, so that's great. Maybe the bugbears next? Seems like they're close by, and if we can ambush their ambush, we'll be in a great tactical position."
Talia sighs as she prepares to deliver the news of Wulfgar's passing to Tolgrith. Hopping from the wagon, Talia nods her thanks to Kraggodan. "We appreciate the safe passage. Let us talk and we may need to buy some supplies yet. As for the darkwood - are you looking for felled trees? What if we could procure a grove? What would that be worth? The work would be yours to do, or hire out, but we'd let you know the location and remove any threats nearby."
---
"Aye, Pavo, a tent and some gear would be welcome. Some day, my wilderness skills will fail us. Perhaps we could purchase a mule as well, when one is available, to carry our goods and any bulky things we find worth taking back to the Fort?"
"As for problems to solve next, the bugbears sound good. I'd like to return the spring at some point as well - maybe fully rested we can explore the cause of the corruption and put the spirit at ease?"
---
Making her way to the Boar's Bones, Talia removes the dirt and smell of the road from her clothes with a quick magic bauble, and then climbs up on the tavern's vacant stage, looking around the room to the assembled loggers, merchants, soldiers and Hellknights, here because there's nowhere else in town. "Ahem. I'm in the unfortunate position of singing for my supper. I'm sure others have been at times as well. But, don't worry - I'll earn my meal. I'd like to tell you the tail of Wulfgar, the Gorumite priest, who fell valiantly in battle just yesterday..."
And so Talia begins, filling in details of Wulfgar's life for the crowd, mostly gleaned from tidbits the hulking man had shared on their travels, and filling in the details as needed. She recounts his bravery in the fights they participated in, and ends her tale with a recount of his demise; fictionalized at the ending - in Talia's version, Wulfgar ended the crocodile's unlife just as it ended his, and they tumbled, embraced in death, into the corrupted river. She hopes - and suspects - that her living companions won't mind this elaboration. It is for the best of Wulfgar's legacy after all, and a practice common to all the great storytellers.
After the performance, Talia works the room, using the tale of the corrupted gators to find out if anyone has any local lore about the spring.
"Inded, let us take the fight to the bugbears, but not forget the spring. Wulfgar's sacrifice should not be in vain."
Talia's performance earns a meal on the house, a few scattered copper pieces, and some halfhearted applause. Her performative skills aside, the death of a compatriot on this venture is not the most popular topic.
She then makes her way around the small tavern, speaking with people about local traditions and superstitions. One young soldier tells a story about a river spirit who steals away a hero's love, causing him to drown himself, while an old merchant has one about a spirit arriving in the promised land to bring the water and life.
All agree, certainly, that the spirit is important to local life, and powerful as well.
After receiving their payment, each companion can buy warmer furs and a small, personal tent. Knowing their audience, the merchants over-charge. Each person is left with one hundred gold, in addition to their new tent and clothes.
The bugbears' last attack on the Fort was a few days ago. All the local soldiers agree: no one knows where their lair is, and the creatures are skilled enough at stealth to successfully and repeatedly ambush the workers on the road and merchants traveling.
"At least we have some coin in our pockets and warm clothes. That night out in the mist was miserable. So, let's go hunt some bugbears."
Pavo secures his new purchases to his oversized pack and prepares to head out with their new allies.
"So, Noelle, Marguerite, how should we prepare for you joining us in battle? I seem to be the one who takes the hits, Talia is our spirit-lifter and mage, and Casamir helps to chop the foes and patch us up. Any questions or problems with that sort of tactics?"
Noelle is a young mage, a bit past her youthful prime and without much formal training. She wears practical traveling clothes and is armed with a spear, but is otherwise unarmored. She also carries a number of magical reagents clipped here and there on her body. "I'm not much use in a fight," she says, her voice even and low. "Except maybe once. It would be best if I had some guidance about how to prepare each morning. Otherwise, I am prepared to heal the injured."
Marguerite is swarthy and outdoorsy. She wears breastplate and carries a greatsword as well as a shortbow. "I'm best at hand-to-hand," she says, "but I can attack from a distance as well. I can take a punch, and I know a bit about surviving in the wilds." She gestures to herself and Marguerite. "We're two of Tolgrith's lieutenants. When he takes the fore, we go with him."
"Okay, sounds good to me. I'm thinking with your skills, Marguerite, we can set up and get the upper hand on these bugbears. If they're ambushing folks on the road and trying to take out isolated travelers, we have two options. One; we tail behind someone walking around and wait until the monsters jump them, then we jump the monsters. Two; we present ourselves as the lone travelers and prompt them to come after us themselves. Then, we smash them and hopefully take at least one alive for interrogation."
"Well met, Noelle and Marguerite," Talia says, giving each woman a respectful nod. "Pavo, I like your plan. I'd feel better about being the bait then putting others in that position. Perhaps you and I could be at the vanguard, with Cassamir, Noelle, and Marguerite following a hundred or so feet behind?"
Turning back to the new women, Talia raises an eyebrow. "What type of terrain do the bugbears ambush from? Is it woods, hills, or something else? What are the sightlines? in the spots where people have been attacked?"
Marguerite sighs with some frustration as she answers. She seems to do a lot of the talking for this pair. Noelle seems quiet and thoughtful. "Mostly forest," she says, "Though south of the road, around the lake, it's better described as a bog."
"Visibility is not great. It's hard to see farther than fifty feet with the trees in the way -- unless on the road, of course."
Noelle considers the plan. She thoughtfully taps her chin for a moment, looking up into the canopy, before adding: "Do you think we'll need disguises? We don't exactly look like merchants or workers. Goblins don't like to fight soldiers."
"If I throw a tarp over my shoulders, and use my halberd as a 'wood carrying pole', you think I'd pass for some hunchbacked minion? Talia can fool most eyes, and I can play the part of dumb brute easy enough. Just stash my helm and carry the packs, right?"
Pavo offers to take Talia's baggage and any long weaponry, then arranges his cloak over his shoulders as if carrying a heavy parcel.
"I know it ain't much, but I don't look like an aspirant, right?"
Noelle gives Pavo a skeptical, uncertain look. She declines to respond directly.
Casamir decides not to disguise himself. He carried little to give himself away as a dedicated warrior.
Talia gives her bardiche to Pavo as they discussed, and pulls the rest of her weaponry under her cloak. She stoops as she walks, as if old, and a life of labor has taken its toll.
Pavo's disguise is of course ridiculous, but he was no actor; it would have to do. Or maybe there was another way. "Hmm, perhaps, Pavo, you should stay back a bit and Cassamir and I can be the bait? You can ready yourself to charge the bugbears at first sign of activity?" Of Talia's disguise, she has no doubt it is authentic and convincing - she is a thespian at heart after all!
Once the plan is decided -- Talia and Casamir walking on the road, with Pavo, Noelle, and Marguerite walking out of sight 100' behind them -- the party sets out from Fort Thorn in the early morning. Despite the frost, the weather is pleasant and bright, and the walk is easy.
The forest looms darkly on either side of the road. Here and there, a dark spot of dirt with dead grass evidences where a person has been slain in a bugbear ambush, but no monsters prowl obviously in the morning. It is about 20 miles to the end of the road, where the workers are currently, so a few hours' walk encounters no other humans.
Casamir walks along with Talia, taking in the crisp air of morning, "So, Talia, how did you come to find yourself out in the Vale. You've got the bearing of a noble, yet you keep company with ruffians like myself."