Not wanting to recite what may be an actual prayer to the vampire goddess, Becky roughly translates the carvings for Tasrel: "It's a prayer to Zura from the Age of Darkness."
The age following Earthfall: starting in -5293 AR and ending in -4294.
✦ Sacrificial Cave (area K3) * ˚ ✦
Shoals of merfolk sometimes ally with gillmen who live most or all of their lives beneath the water. Gillmen who live mainly on land are less trusted by merfolk, though most merfolk would rather trust a gillman on dry land than any other surface race.
The party decides to rest in the cave and Talath consecrates the shrine of Zura to destroy it. The ceremony scorches the stone, melting away the already worn words making it and Zura's symbol illegible.
✦ Bonetown (area I) * ˚ ✦
Mauro suggests the party explore Bonetown . It's a pleasantly short hike from the cave. The party skirts the beach to get there, admiring the early morning sun and fresh sea air.
Jutting off the north coast of Ancorato is a jumble of massive whale bones, stretching up like columns from the rocky shore. Tattered remnants of tarps, tangled nets, and the collapsed domes of underwater structures are all that remains of what may have been a community of sea-dwelling creatures.
Talath scans the area for anything/anyone of interest.
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Becky experiences a weird dream in which her BFF/Troublemaker Supreme--Medrinnah Harleau--talks Becky into becoming Zura-worshiping cannibals on a lark. The dream's disturbing, but it gets worse when Medrinnah presents the 'main course,' Ramona Avandth! Becky's friend expects the bard to be elated, pointing out, "Now there's nothing stopping you from becoming the colony's leader!"
Becky wakes up, swears under her breath, and tries to remember what she ate for supper a few hours earlier.
**************************************************************************
Later, her head screwed on properly, Becky gawks in wonder at the ruins of Bonetown and its strange mix of squalor and beauty. She pokes around the shoreline searching for clues or valuables--eventually making a second pass with detect magic active--as she screws up her courage to enter the water and explore the ruins there.
"Well, it looks like Tasrel's folk are gone... So no leaving her to their justice. I suppose we may as well search the ruins for anything worthwhile as we are here."
Mauro joins Becky in searching the area both along the shoreline and then underwater. (He will use his Cloak of the Manta Ray to search the underwater structures.)
5 rank +3 trained +1 wis +2 racial +3 Skill Focus
Talath will swim with anyone searching in the water.
Asher will also search in the water to the extent that his ability to hold his breath lets him.
Crispin keeps an eye on Tasrel, and makes a splendid sand castle while the others search.
✦ Bonetown (area I) * ˚ ✦
Crispin keeps an eye on Tasrel while making an impressive sandcastle.
Talath, Mauro, and Asher count less than a dozen structures, all built with frames of whalebone. The structure, similar to yurts, have weather-worn canvas or hide stretched across their bone frames. The tools left behind are simple and nothing of real value.
Bonetown appears empty like Tasrel said it would be. There are no signs of recent activity.
Despite her creepy dream, Becky notices more than her companions. Inside one of the structures, pressed into the sand by a footprint, she finds a dull-gold compass radiating light. The bard realizes someone cast a permanency spell on it after casting Light. Turning the compass over, there's the symbol of a shepherd's crook bearing a sun printed on the backplate.
✦ The Smoking Marsh (area J) * ˚ ✦
you proceed down a well-trodden path towards a swamp. Along the well-trodden path, as the sand turns into dirt, you all find small patches of overgrown farmland. They each only measure five-feet wide and two-feet deep. Becky and Asher easily identify the overgrown areas as herb gardens! There are overgrown basil, bay leaf, dill, oregano, parseley, sage, saffron, tarragon, rosemary and thyme plants. Someone in Talmandor's Bounty might be excited to know of these plants.
Tasrel identifies this area as their medicine woman's garden. She looks sad for a moment, revealing the late medicine woman died in the cave .
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
The well-trodden path ends and Tasrel identifies the direction of the smoking march. You continue that way, making footfall onto patchy, boggy wetlands. The wetlands wind their way through drier and firmer ground, though the terrain is unusual in appearance. The soil is darker than that of normal bogs and marshes, vegetation is brittle, and lifeless trees scratch at the sky like skeletal fingers.
Covered under thick vegetation, the party spots an occasional stone block that may have been part of an Azlanti structure long ago.
Tendrils of smoke curl from bubbling patches of the marsh, and the temperature rises noticeably. Across the marsh, a thin gray haze hangs in the air, stinking of pitch and coal.
From book: Creatures that need to breathe air and that are moving through the Smoking Marsh must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 15 + 1 per previous check) each hour or become fatigued due to the toxic gases and noxious smoke. After creatures become fatigued in this manner, they take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage every 15 minutes thereafter. Once rendered unconscious through the accumulation of nonlethal damage, creatures begin to take lethal damage at the same rate.
Talath scans the area, looking for anything or anyone.
"If we wish to proceed, I would recommend we prepare ourselves for combat."
Asher is willing to proceed since he can hold his breath for a long time without ill effect. He will also try to find a trail that won't impede their movement.
[dice=Survival]1d20 + 9[/ooc]
Becky's excited with her discovery of the compass. Even though it's likely that no one cares, the little brainiac can't help but give a little spiel about how it also functions as a holy symbol of the Azlanti agricultural goddess, Jaidi.
Those classes with Ariel and Urlana are really paying off!
"All this smoke is likely caused by some sort of underground fire," the party's Know-It-All chirps. "The smoke and gas are likely mildly toxic, but only if we breathe them in for multiple hours." After screwing up her courage, the scholarly bard blurts out, "I think we ought to brave them and investigate further! Perhaps wearing cloth masks might keep some of the bad air out of our lungs."
Ok, there is some evidence of azlanti ruins here - those stone blocks. I agree with Becky, we should investigate further. It is possible that masks might help. You are our best healer, what do you think Antaral?"
While we discuss, Mauro will cast False Life before proceeding and conjure his skeletal servant, to have it lead the way...
Asher does a correct roll to pick out a good route.
He also casts Lead Blades.
Antaral searches his healing knowledge to see if he can come up with a way to help against the fumes.
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Antaral steps into the marsh and sniffs the air. Identifying it as toxic and noxious in reality,he states [b]Give me a few before we move on. I can come up with an alchemical booster to our resistances. He proceeds to take 12 minutes and creates Vapors of easy breathe
8 successful total spent 300 gp (includes all tries)
And hands them out to everyone. Keeping the extra for himself.
At Bonetown
"Interesting. That is the symbol of Jaidi. The Azlanti goddess of agriculture. A valuable find." Crispin tells Becky after examining her find.
At the Smoking marsh he sighs in resignation, accepting the remedy Antaral provides. While no happy he can see there are good reasons to go on and follows the party.
.
Before the group enters the marshy area, Talath will gather them together to cast Protection from Evil on Mauro, Becky, Crispin, Antaral, and Asher.
✦ The Smoking Marsh (area J) * ˚ ✦
Talath casts Communal Water Walk on the party, noticing that the ground is quite wet in some places.
From her knowledge of nature, Becky has a good understanding of what the party is up against. She smartly suggests wearing face coverings. The bard knows an item like a filter scarf would be useful here.
Asher casts Lead Blades on his weapon.
Antaral steps into the marsh and sniffs the air. The alchemist is no stranger to fumes and quickly picks up on Becky's initial assessment. He begins mixing ingredients together then hands everyone a jar.
After making various preparations, the party steps foot into the smoking marsh. As you're proceeding, you notice the toxic environment has killed off nearly all the native wildlife, leaving only the most tenacious of flora and fauna behind. A thin haze of smoke shrouds the moor at all times, obscuring sight beyond 15 feet. And the heat coming off of the smoke slowly bakes the moor’s peat and vegetable matter, releasing charcoal into the waters and lending a distinct, inky blackness to the surrounding terrain.
As you're marching, the toxic fumes are billowing up from the ground.
In the distance ahead, you see what looks like a lone Dancing Lights orb shining through the fog.
Even though effected slightly, Antaral decides to wait on using the vapors. He continues to go with the party slowly. Upon seeing the "light" he calls out Show yourself we come in peace.
Talath does his best to not only peer into the smoke but to listen for any sounds of creatures moving.
Becky plods along after the others, occasionally coughing lightly. As the others stop to deal with the strange lights, the teen realizes that her legs seem rubbery and she feels tired and a bit light-headed.
+4 Occultist +2 Con+1 Trait+2 Resistance+5 vapors
5 rank +3 trained +1 wis +2 racial +3 Skill Focus
.
The fumes make Crispin nearly choke for a moment, only the solution supplied by Antaral keeping him from staggering and suffering.
He peers through the haze nervously.
Asher grips his nodachi and hopes it can fend off the apparition if needed.
Becky plods along after the others, occasionally coughing lightly. As the others stop to deal with the strange lights, the teen realizes that her legs seem rubbery and she feels tired and a bit light-headed.
[dice=Becky Beys Fortitude Save (VoEB)]1d20+2+5
✦ The Smoking Marsh (area J) * ˚ ✦
Everyone in the adventuring party except Becky fights off the toxic fumes. The travel makes the bard fatigued.
Talath, Mauro, and Asher's perceptive assessment calculate from the party's traveling that the smoking marsh may span about 3 miles. They think the party is near the center of the smoking march and there is a black lake nearby, black from charcoal from alchemical fires from the toxic smoke.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷
The light doesn't respond to Antaral's confrontation. It slowly starts moving away from the party, deeper into the smoking march. There is an inky-black lake towards where the light is heading.
Collectively, the party thinks the light could be a Dancing Lights orb, an object with the Light spell cast on it, a will-o'-wisp, lantern, or some other light source. The party needs to follow the light to get a closer look.
Talath turns to the others, "I think we should continue. I don't look forward to swimming in a black lake; I can only imagine what might be hiding and living in it."
onward as ever. Antaral says moving forward keeping the light with in sight but remaining cautious.
Becky soldiers on as well, knowing that she doesn't rely on her physical attributes to help her friends deal with the island's dangers.
Mauro thinks of all the ghost stories he's heard over the years and shivers, but seeing as the others are pressing on, he continues as well...
Crispin nods, "lets be wary. Something that wants us to follow it will have a reason. Good or bad."
Asher looks at the light. He looks at his comrades.
Looks like we’re going in, eh?
Becky gives Asher a quick nod and smile. "Fearless as...*cough*...always!"
✦ The Smoking Marsh (area J) * ˚ ✦
The party proceeds, following the light. Amid the fog and stick-bare trees rises a mound of an island bearing an old, gnarled tree that died long ago. Its leafless, twisted branches stretch into the air, and it stands taller than all the surrounding vegetation.
Atop the island is an old, gnarled tree with a tangle of skeletal remains nestled in a hollow at its base. The light moves to the heap of corpses, using its light to reveal the reflective surface of metal among the bones.
Once the party is within 20 feet of the mound, the light extinguishes. As the light goes dark, you are able to glimpse at the light. The smoke makes it difficult to see clearly.
Something happens.
"Round 1"
(water walk, fatigued)
(water walk)
(water walk, lead blades)
(water walk)
(water walk)
(water walk)
Mauro mentally commands his skeletal servant "Fetch the metal in the pile of corpses". As the skeletal servant sets forth, he takes a step to better cover Asher's back. Prompted by paranoid instinct, he calls upon the power of his transmutation implement, speeding his movements unnaturally...
Asher scans the scene.
Asher moves up a bit and off to the side.
Crispin is too distracted by the hazy smoke to see or know anything. :(
When the light goes out, Antaral quaffs a mixture and begins to concentrate.
"I think the light is a will-o'-wisp!" Becky warns her friends. "Its light is out, but it's still there--invisible!"
The teen instills her warning with the magic of bardic performance (naturalist) to aid in battling such a tricky and elusive foe. Then she moves to a position closer to Asher and Mauro so she can help them out in melee wherever possible.
✦ The Smoking Marsh (area J) * ˚ ✦
Becky begins to inspire her companions. Talath thinks the skeletons look humanoid but someone would have to stand next to the corpses to identify them. Asher moves up a bit and off to the side. Antaral quaffs a mixture and begins to concentrate.
Mauro commands his skeletal servant to fetch the metal from the corpses and speeds himself up. His servant shambles over and picks up what looks like a handaxe. Crispin stands prepared but for what he isn't sure.
You hear the lake water sloshing as if something large were moving. Then, through the smoke, a large mass of tangled marsh plants and dripping slime rises on two trunk-like legs, reeking of rot and freshly turned earth! Only Asher
Its massive "head" looks at the area where the will-o-wisp was, then slowly turns towards the party.
Flying around the massive tangle, are eight insectoid creatures with two pairs of bat wings, a tangle of thin legs, and a needle-sharp proboscis. Most of the party would recognize these tiny pests as a flock of stirges. These notorious pests are known to latch onto and drink blood of those unfortunate enough to run into them. Stirge are unbiased blood drinkers so there's a small risk of disease if pricked.
Furthermore, shambling mounds are frighteningly stealthy in their native environments. Blending in with the surrounding terrain, they can lie in wait for days on end without moving, waiting patiently for a potential meal.
While the books you've read about shambling mounds have detailed their special ability to grab and constrict their meals, this shambler looks different. [ooc](It's a variant.) It appears to be covered in thorns which you think may cause bleeding instead of constricting its prey.
Shambling mounds take no damage from electricity.
Round 2
(water walk, fatigued)
(water walk)
(water walk, lead blades)
(water walk)
(water walk)
(water walk)
Bold may act!
As much as Becky fears the will-o'-wisp, she fears the shambling mound worse. "Don't use electricity against it!" the bard squeaks in growing terror. Drawing a small flute from the side of her spell components pouch, Becky taps one end and fixates on a point in space near the shambler, yet far enough away from Asher and Mauro's summoned skeleton. Suddenly, a piercing note erupts in the monsters' midst!