GM Lofty's page

I'm going to call it. I've had less time than I previously anticipated to devote to PbP games over the last month, and that schedule isn't going to really let up for a while.

I've come to realize through actual play that Night of the Walking Dead isn't really well-suited as-is for play by post, which I could conceivably fix by altering significant parts of the second act. Unfortunately, that would require more time and effort than I currently have to spare.

The second section as-is really calls for the players to explore and look for clues to piece together the mystery of what's going on, and the response to that hasn't really been enthusiastic.

I do apologize. Had I realized earlier that the adventure was more of a "fixer-upper" and not really ready to play out of the box on PbP, I probably could have done something about it. But for now I'm prepared to let it go as a failed experiment and take a lot of lessons away from it.

My apologies again to everyone and thanks for playing.

Luc gives up the book to the halfling without word or struggle, almost as though he barely sees her.

As Kara inspects it, she sees it's a collection of children's poems, simply titled Verses for Children.

On the inside cover is written, "To Luc, my beloved brother." It is signed "Marcel."

Upon paging through the book, Kara puzzlingly does not see any of the verses which Luc has chanted thus far, and indeed, the contents seem to just be simple rhymes.

"I've only heard him speak one other time. I think those are just nonsensical lines from the poetry book he carries." the priest replies to Kara.

"I never thought to look at them as prophecies."

Shaman Brucian backs up from the group.

With resignation, he quietly says, "Jean brought Marcel's body to me after he died. But there was nothing I could do to help. I — I wasn't strong enough. And then all this happened. The dead rising. I ... I failed this village."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Luc begins chanting,

"In sorcerer the Daegon of house the born, though shall unliving, unlife, life scorn."

"The mother stern of child lifeless found, heralds evil of night a time unbound."

And then he goes silent again.

"Luc's been this way ever since his brother died. I don't know why he's chosen to follow you, but he must sense something in you."

"We should leave here. I'll walk down with you to the church, but perhaps you should go and seek out Jean Tarascon yourselves."

The sky darkens as the clouds roll in heavily and lightning dances across the sky again.

Shaman Brucian gets defensive toward the Old Wolf's question.

"I'm trying to help my village during this terrible time. I just told you everything I know!" he says tersely.

If you still suspect he's holding back information, a high (DC15) intimidation or persuasion roll might help get him to open up.

Meanwhile, Antonius opens the crypt and looks around. The Tarascon mausoleum is undisturbed, apart from signs that it has been dusted fairly recently and tended to.

"It's not locked, and all the crypts here are open to visitors. I doubt you'll find much inside though. The last person buried here was Claudine Tarascon, their mother, and she died years ago." the priest responds.

"No, never. It's only started since." the priest replies to Erial.

Pierot laughs at Kara and offers her a bit if food.

"You know, it's funny, but this reminds me of a couple things I heard about all this strange stuff happening. I heard that red licorice pieces were found by the constable at the scene of four of the people gone missing."

He stuff some bread in his mouth.

"Licorice! Can you believe that?" he chuckles.

He then goes more serious for a moment.

"Also, they found a lot of blood. I guess it wasn't that funny then."

Antonius walks up and studies the Tarascon mausoleum. He notices that it looks to have been undisturbed for a long while. The newest looking addition has a plaque for a Claudine Tarascon.

Shaman Brucian walks up and joins Antonius.

"Too many deaths of late, and the dead rising into a twisted un-life."

"It began about three weeks ago. Marcel Tarascon died, and his brother Luc hasn't been the same since. He's become what we call a 'lost one,' and he retreated into the swamp. I was checking in on him every few days and bringing him food until he found you."

"After Marcel died, the other deaths started. The first was a field worker named Hogarth. He was perfectly healthy one minute, then fallen dead the next, only to rise as a zombie. And others followed. Now I seal the coffins of the recently dead."

"As for Marcel's twin brother Jean, well, I suppose you'll meet him soon. He's also been in mourning, and probably doesn't even know his younger brother has returned. He hasn't suffered the same fate as poor Luc, but this has been very hard for him as well."

"She's a talkie one, isn't she?" the man asks.

"You might find out for yourself if you stick around here long enough. I do my work here during the day, and I'm out by sunset. This whole town is cursed, I tell ya."

"There's got to be what, six villagers missing now? There's talk that the dead rise up at night and take them. I haven't seen it myself except that unfortunate burial the other day."

He points at the Tarascon mausoleum,

"Just over three weeks ago, Marcel Tarascon died. Some say he was killed by the undead, too. Shaman Brucian gave him a funeral, but nobody attended. All the goings-on started after that. The constable's son was the second to die, simply falling to the ground with no explanation."

"Between you and me, I think he'd turned into one of those things too. People going missing in the middle of the night, the dead supposedly rising up. I go straight home at sunset and I don't come out again till dawn. It's all cursed, I tell you!"

He pulls out a small wrapper of cheese and bread and starts eating.

"Don't mind me, but I need a bite before I get back to work. Too much to do and it'll be getting dark before I know it. You want to look around, feel free. Maybe you'll find something."

Just then, you hear a voice call from behind,

"I see you're all still here. And Luc is still following you."

"Good day to you, Pierot. I see you're busy as always keeping things in order here."

You turn and see it's the priest from the other day, Shaman Brucian. He walks up to Luc with a look of concern.

"Still nothing, my boy?"

Luc stares back at him blankly.

You make your way up the hill. The cemetery is surrounded by a 10 foot tall stone wall and an iron gate on the south side, which you recognize from the funeral the other day. The gate is unlocked, and the cemetery appears to be well-tended.

The cemetery itself is filled with mausoleums and stacked vaults above-ground, indicating a high water table in the area.

As you wander around, you see a larger mausoleum with the name "Tarascon" engraved prominently above the entrance. Luc stares up at it with some vague familiarity, but remains silent.

A thin middle-aged man is seen with some gardening tools near the crypt and notices the group.

"Looks all pretty harmless during the day, doesn't it?" he casually asks.

The Constable looks a bit confused at Kara, but seems to buy her story, or at least gives the impression that he considers her non-threatening enough to let the matter go.

She catches up as the rest of the group looks up the hill to the cemetery. It appears quiet and undisturbed, the only movement is some overgrown grasses along the edges swaying in the wind. There doesn't seem to be any more droplets of dried blood nearby.

So what'll it be? Up the hill into the cemetery or back to the bakery?

Old Wolf and Erial begin to follow the blood trail. It leads through a cluster of trees and stops near the church, with the last drops you see close the the hill upon which the cemetery rests.

At that point you cannot see any more drops of blood and the trail goes cold.

"Please, try not to touch anything." the Constable says, sounding irate.

"The problem we have here, is there is no body. Some folks heard screams late into the night and I was called here this morning. All we have is blood."

"And don't eat that licorice. It's the only clue I might have. Louise d'Cann sells it at her bakery, just across the road there."

He points west (toward #2 on the map).

"So since I have you all here, you mind telling me who you are and what you're doing here in Marais D'Tarascon anyway? You caused quite a stir at that funeral yesterday. I'd be inclined to lock you all up if you didn't do me a favor by killing that — thing."

Happy New Year everyone. I've been a bit overwhelmed with the holidays, work and a couple other more demanding games. But let's kick this thing back into gear.

The group takes their leave of Flora's home and returns to the main road.

As the last embers of what passes for daylight in this place fade away, the lightning intensifies across the sky, the accompanying thunder booming in shorter intervals than before, suggesting an actual storm may be close.

You see the residents begin to shutter their homes and businesses and the last pedestrians clear the streets in a hurry. It seems unlikely that you'll get anyone else to supply information this day, and agree it best to retreat to the inn and start again in the morning. As you approach the inn, you see one of the barmaids leaving in haste to head home, likely her shift done for the night.

After several days of sleeping in makeshift camps in the swamp, the simple beds offered at the inn feel heaven-sent, and you remember the creature comforts you thought you'd never again experience after the seemingly endless misery of the last few days.

Morning brings more grey skies and dreary atmosphere, but your spirits are nonetheless lifted by the well-deserved rest. After a simple breakfast, you leave the inn around mid-morning to explore the town further, hoping that the break in the lightning will allow you more opportunities to investigate the mystery that hangs over you.

You explore the other side of the village, beginning with the bakery near the inn (#2 on the map).

As you make your way down the road, you pass a general store (#7) and make a note to return later for supplies. The next building is the blacksmith (#8). Between the blacksmith and the following building, you discover the constable kneeling on the ground.

The constable regards you sternly. Spattered all around him on the ground and walls are flecks of reddish brown. Before him is a large stain of the same substance, apparently dried blood. In the center of the stain is a single piece of bright red licorice.

"You again? I'd hoped perhaps you'd found it wise to leave after that funeral yesterday. But as long as you're here, maybe you can help me look around. There's been a murder here, and it happened last night by the looks of the blood stains."

You wait for several minutes, then finally you hear the lock click on the other side of the door and the sound of a wooden beam moving.

The door opens slowly, and a slightly heavyset old woman with disheveled white hair slowly looks out.

"You've seen them, haven't you?" she says through the crack in the door.

"The foul flesh eaters. They've been rummaging through the cemetery every night."

"My poor Teresa! I haven't seen her in nearly a fortnight! She worked at the Tarascon plantation and didn't return home one night. I'm ... praying that nothing's happened to her."

She trails off in sobbing.

The party finishes their food and drinks and leaves the inn to go speak with Flora. They set off down the main stretch toward the church and cemetery, with instructions that Flora lives at the first house right past the church. Luc follows the group silently.

Clouds roll over the village as it nears dusk. The grayness of the sky starts to darken, with an occasional flash of lightning in the distance.

As the group strolls along, an occasional villager passes by. An older man sees them and walks up, looking around to see if anyone is watching.

"You're here to see about the strangeness in town, yes? I probably shouldn't tell you this, but just over three weeks ago, Marcel Tarascon died. He's one of the folks who ran the plantation here. Some say he was killed by the undead, too."

He pauses for a moment.

"But you didn't hear it from me." he whispers as he wanders away.

An older woman who looked on walks up, obviously having overheard the old man.

"Marcel ain't the only one." she says.

"Been nine others too in the last three weeks. I'll pray for you that you can help us." she adds, before shuffling away as quickly as she approached.

You reach the cottage where Flora lives. As you look around, you see that the door and windows have been adorned with garlic, wolfsbane and holy symbols.

You hear a voice call out from inside, "Teresa, is that you? Have you finally come home?"

The barmaid looks out the front window and points to a neighboring cottage,

"Flora lives over there, she might know something more, except she doesn't speak much with anyone lately, not even me. But it might not hurt."

"You could ask around with some of the other folks who live here. I'm sure other people have smelled it, but nobody wants to talk much about it. And then with the funeral today... goodness!" she exclaims.

He takes a seat with the group and says nothing.

The barmaid looks put off by Erial's questioning and ignores him for now, but gives Kara a friendly smile.

"Well, over a week ago, Francois, a local fellow, well he fell dead right here in the common room. I was taking a break in the kitchen at the time, resting my weary feet near the back door."

"I remember, just before people started hollering in the common room, I got a whiff of some awful odor blowing in from outside. It was kind of like rotten meat — not that we serve any here, mind you — but worse. Luckily, I've got quite a strong stomach. In fact, I was just about to go outside to find out what could be causing that odor when the screams began."

"Then I saw Francois being carted off to be buried. You know, I forgot all about that awful odor until just a few days ago when old Fiora mentioned that she had smelted it, too. I'd lock your door while you're sleeping if I was you. Everybody in the village does now."

She pauses for a moment, thinking.

"I'll understand if you don't want that roast beast anymore dear, but I'll get you those drinks."

The group makes its way over to the inn. You receive some strange looks from villagers on the short journey, but mostly you just see them open up their shops and try to get back to their daily business.

You come upon the Full Moon Inn, which is a large two-story building with attached stable. You enter the inn and get settled, meeting in the common area tavern. It's a large room with a bar and about a dozen tables. Four women are working in the bar tidying up and preparing for the evening.

You notice that currently the staff outnumbers the guests at the tavern, which appears to just be you.

You take a seat at one of the larger tables and get settled in, and one of the barmaids comes up to serve you.

"Hello there. You're that group that showed up at the funeral today, aren't you? Terrible thing that's been going on here … terrible. Can I get you drinks?"

"The Tarascon family founded this village many generations ago. Jean Tarascon runs this village, and Luc here is his younger brother." the priest replies.

"So you found Luc out in the swamp. I was going to set out in a couple days to take him more food. There's been some tragedy within the Tarascon family, but it's not something I can discuss right now."

"You should go to the inn and perhaps stay put for now. I will come by later to check on Luc, but please be gentle with him. This poor young man has been through a lot in the last few weeks."

Ausk throws magical fire at the zombie, and it dies for a second time.

End of combat. Characters get 20XP each.

The priest finishes his prayer and says, "Thank you for assisting, but truly, you should not have interfered in our affairs."

"Well Jeremiah, perhaps now you will be at peace." he says, looking down at the formerly walking corpse.

"I don't know who you all are, or what your intentions are, but I have work to do here putting the dead back into a coffin."

"By the looks of you, you are travelers. The Full Moon Inn is back that way, down this main road and towards the swamp, just a few houses down. You can find lodging there for the night. And perhaps Constable Gremin will be there with some questions for you. Now, if you'll excuse me."

He gets to work dragging Jeremiah's corpse back into the coffin. He pauses and looks back up at the party, and spies the young man who followed them from the swamp.

"Luc? Luc Tarascon? Is that you? What are you doing with these folks?"

The young man remains silent and observes.

Botting Otto to keep things moving.

Round 1
Combat Order: Otto, Erial, Antonius, Ausk, Zombie, Kara, Old Wolf

Otto will draws his shortsword against the zombie, followed by an unarmed strike.

Sword Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Unarmed attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

He misses with his sword but hits the zombie with is hand.

Erial fires an arrow into the zombie.

Antonius then slashes it with his scimitar.

The zombie staggers forward, barely holding together.

Ausk is up next, followed by the zombie, Kara and Old Wolf if there's anything left to fight.

You're still outdoors. The cemetery is right on the edge of town along wilderness, so I'll allow for it to be natural terrain.

Erial Init Adv: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Erial gets to jump ahead in line after Otto and before Antonius.

Revised Combat Order: Otto, Erial, Antonius, Ausk, Zombie, Kara, Old Wolf

Sorry for the post but I have been following along and I have to say this is a great crew and you are doing a great job setting the mood Lofty! Also I will PM DM Default, he run a good game as well.

No worries at all. We're getting some interest, and I'm glad you're enjoying the game so far.

Kara's flames crack the coffin open. It shakes from within and splits open as it falls from the wagon to the ground. The corpse within rises up, it's eyes milky white. It looks around, groaning, and hisses at the group as it begins to advance.

The crowd disperses immediately, including the armored man. The priest stays to watch, quietly but frantically praying from a safe distance.

Kara Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Erial Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Antonius Init: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Old Wolf Init: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (7) + 0 = 7
Ausk Init: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (15) + 0 = 15
Otto Init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Zombie Init: 1d20 ⇒ 12

Combat Order: Otto, Antonius, Ausk, Zombie, Erial, Kara, Old Wolf

Round one

The group is still about 15' away from the zombie.

The attendants move back away from the coffin, and the other villagers start to step back quickly in shock and fear.

The priest and another man dressed in light armor wave their hands.

"Please, don't open it!" the priest shouts.

"We implore you, reconsider what you're about to do!" shouts the armored man.

I’m posting this here on behalf of DM Default, who’s running a Curse of Strahd campaign in which I’m a player.

The campaign is looking for 2 additional players, details from the original recruitment:

- Standard Array or 27 point buy, your choice.
- Everyone starts at 3rd level. - characters just hit level 4, I would assume new players will also start at 4.
- Max hit points first level. For each level after you roll for hit points, or take the average, whichever is higher.
- You are allowed the options listed in the Curse of Strahd Player's Options
- You are allowed to use the Sword Coasts Adventure's Guide, but no race or race variant with flight.
- Please list your flaw, bond, background, etc though you are not confined to the strict text if you have and idea for a character.

Current characters are a Bard, Draconic Sorcerer, Blade-Pact Warlock and Battle-Master Fighter. We had a Rogue who went AWOL, and our Bard is currently dealing with some IRL issues and may be out for a while. We could use at least a Cleric.

If you’re interested, please PM either DM Default or me. I don’t know what his policy is on UA or other material, so you’ll need to discuss with him.

There should be a new recruitment thread going up soon, but I figured I’d get a jump on it to help things along.

The priest pauses for a moment and looks at you.

"Please do not interfere." he says sharply before continuing the funeral ceremony.

He waves his holy symbol over the coffin and whispers, "Jeremiah, be still."

The villagers continue to look on as the bangs continue from within the coffin.

The wagon rolls to the cemetery gate where another man waits and directs them toward an open vault.

You get closer towards the crowd, but keep your distance. Solemn faces gaze at you suspiciously, but no one says a word. The villagers soon return their attention to the priest who stands over a coffin wrapped with heavy chains.

The priest's booming voice echoes throughout the churchyard.

"Friends and family, we mourn the untimely death of Jeremiah d'Gris," he laments.

"Let us take comfort in the fact that he goes to a better place, and let us pray that his eternal rest is peaceful and without incident."

"Jeremiah, you will be missed, but you will not be welcome here again. Depart this plane and go to the next world with our blessing."

The priest continues his liturgy, even though a muffled bang causes him a moment's pause. The villagers flinch but quickly regain their composure. The bang sounds again from within the coffin. The coffin rocks back and forth, but the priest and the crowd ignore it.

The group begins to slowly approach the town, walking down the main drag. You pass by shops that appear closed up, with signs in the windows, "Closed for Funeral" and "Gone to the Church" in the Common language. Even cottages appear to be locked up tight.

From the distance you see the crowd in front of the church follow a wagon that slowly moves toward what looks like the local cemetery.

The group decides to let the strange young man tag along for now, feeling that he may be important to the Vistani woman's prophecy. They set out again on the raft, and within a few short hours arrive at the edge of the swamp.

As you reach the edge of the swamp, you see a clearing with few trees and several houses. You are nearly in disbelief at having finally reached some outpost of civilization. The location does not at all resemble the Sword Mountains, which is where you expected to arrive, but nonetheless you are relieved to be out of the swamp.

For the first time since you've been in the swamp, the storm clouds gather and lightning plays across the sky. Aside from the occasional thunderclap or flash, the storm still does not break, but at this point promises to be spectacular.

Map of the Village - "x" marks your arrival point.

Spying down the dirt road that runs through the center of the village, you see the inhabitants gathered outside what appears to be their church (#9 on the map), despite the impending storm hanging overhead.

The group helps themselves to some of the stored food and water, as the young man simply sits and watches. They rest cautiously through the night, as it has gotten too dark to travel. The storm clouds roll in yet again on schedule, but still do not break.

As morning arrives, bleak and grey again, the group packs some of the food and readies the raft to set out into the swamp, hopeful that they're near the end of it.

The young man gets up from his chair and follows them out, intent to stay with them, though saying nothing. He boards the raft and takes a seat quietly.

As Antonius retreats from the lantern, the young man settles back down again in silence.

Apart from the presence of this strange and clearly disturbed individual, you determine that with the placement of the house and food supplies that it may be an adequate place to rest for the night. Provided that this young man is really as harmless as he appears.

The strange man looks up at Antonius nervously as he sees him fiddling with one of the lanterns.

Antonius does not notice anything particularly unusual, though his inspection does yield that the boxes contain much fresh food, and the barrel is filled with fresh water.

He does notice as he brushes near a lantern that the strange young man winces a bit.

The book in his lap appears to be a book of poems.

When Kara mentions leaving, he seems to move a bit then settles back.

The remainder of you enter the door.

The little house has only one room. All told, more than two dozen lanterns hang from pegs on the wall and sit on the warped wooden floor, flooding the shack with light. To the right of the door, unopened boxes have been neatly stacked against the wall. An open-topped barrel sits beside the boxes.

In the center of the room, facing the door, is a young man. He sits within a circle of five burning lanterns, with his large, blank eyes fixed in place.

The young man is unusually thin and pale, and his long, blond hair hangs limply to his shoulders. His features are tortured. The simple shirt and pants that he wears are clean and fresh. He clutches a small book in his lap, but makes no move to get up or greet you — except to slowly struggle out an incomprehensible phrase,

"The on descend shall evil of night the land, at near is signs of hexad this when hand."

Then he returns to his quiet state, neither speaking nor responding in any way.

Suddenly a rope ladder drops from the doorway. No figure steps into the light to greet you, and not even a shadow passes the open door. The ladder, constructed of wooden steps and thick rope, simply rolls out with a brief clatter of knocking wood. The last step hangs just above the surface of the fetid water, inviting you to climb up into the warm light.

Not quite yet, Old Wolf. Read on.

As you approach the house and get close, you see that it's not actually floating in the air, but just looks that way from the darkness. Four stout poles rise from the swamp, lifting the house some 8 feet above the water. The poles obviously serve to protect the house from rising water and the creatures of the swamp. Other than an occasional croak or cricket song, the swamp around the house is still.

The water around the house is no more than 4 feet deep. From the angle you're looking at on the ground level, you cannot see into the house directly. There are no windows or doors on the sides of the structure, and the back wall holds only a single window, also bare.

You don't see any way to get up to the doorway. The house has no porch and there is no sign of a boat.

As you contemplate Valana's words, eventually the group camps by the fire. Except for Kara, who tempts fate and crocodiles.

Before you fall asleep, you catch Valana's shapely outline in the doorway of the wagon.

She speaks barely above a whisper, but you all hear her clearly.

"Beware the madman," she says. "Beware his blood." and then she closes the door.

You drift off into a deep sleep, and even those of you tasked with keeping watch cannot avoid it.

You all awaken the next morning to the same damp grey weather as the previous days. Your raft and gear are as you left it, but there is no trace of the family or their wagon.

Resigned, you eventually set off into the swamp again, still feeling hopeless about finding your bounty, but at least glad you aren't the only souls in the swamp. And you continue onward.

The trees in this part of the swamp close in around the raft, forming a thick tangle of branches and exposed roots, making progress slow and difficult. Sharp, broken limbs scratch your arms and legs as you push the raft forward, and the wind whistles an odd, lifeless tune as it rushes through the leaves overhead.

As you break through a clump of foliage, a light appears in the distance. It is brighter than a single lantern, warm and inviting in the cold, damp air. The light is not at eye level. It hovers in the dark so that you must look up to see it.

Like moths to a flame, you and your raft slide easily toward the source of the light. It is a small wooden house, hardly larger than a shack. Light spills from its two front windows and a wide open door. The house appears to be suspended in the air above the surface of the swamp, its reflection shimmering in the dank pool before it.

Carloni mutters to the rest of the group, "Is your halfling always this rude?"

He looks at her directly, "Since you are so curious and inconsiderate, my wife is dead! And I would prefer that one as insolent as you not speak of her again!"

He gets up and walks away from the fire, taking a seat at the front of their wagon, with his cloak wrapped around him.

There's very uncomfortable silence for several minutes.

Ryana gets up and gathers the children, "Come, young ones. It is time for you to get to bed." She ushers them into the wagon.

Scarengi stares into the fire for a moment. "Heh. Perhaps it is time for your fortunes then."

"Valana, would you be so kind?" he calls back to the wagon.

The door at the back of the wagon opens to reveal a shapely young woman with dark, expressive eyes. She smiles shyly, then settles nearby, beside the fire.

"This," Scarengi proclaims proudly, "is my beautiful daughter Valana. She will tell your fortune."

Valana gazes at each of you in turn, with the firelight shining in her large, black eyes. "The trouble began when I cast the runes for that quiet and lost young man," she explains sadly. "Perhaps it will end with another casting."

She holds a flat pan in her lap and stone tiles in her hands. Then, after gazing once again into your eyes, she drops the tiles into the pan.

"The lost one has called you!" Valana gasps.

The other member of her family hastily makes a protective gesture.

"The dead will walk with the coming storm, and you must find a way to put them to rest. If you cannot, the rain will turn to blood! It will drown you—you and all of Marais d'Tarascon."

Scarengi quickly ushers his daughter into the wagon. "No charge for your fortune," the old man adds hastily. "It is time to rest after the adventures of the day. Be our guests and sleep beside the fire."

"You're the first folks we've seen in days," Scarengi replies to Otto.

"I'm sorry we can't help more, but there's not been a soul in these parts. There's a village not too far from here, called Marais d'Tarascon. It's at the edge of the swamp, perhaps a half-day's journey."

"But it's not a place to visit on a night like this." He adds, pointing at the clouds above.

Carloni adds, muttering, "Better to stay in the swamp." He ignores Kara's question and does not make eye contact with anyone.

Ryana chimes in, nodding at Carloni's words, "To speak of evil is to invite it to dinner."

"But enough of that," she adds, "Everyone, dig in! We have much stew here!"

She looks at Antonius, "You, come! Eat with your friends!"

As you approach the group, the old man introduces his family, four adults and three small children.

”Please, come and sit.”

He points to a heavyset woman with silver hair and laughing eyes, ”My wife, Ryana.”

”My son, Carloni, and his children” he continues, gesturing to a strong young man with black hair and a matching mustache., and the children around him. Carloni gives a quick disinterested nod to the group.

”His sister Valana is in the wagon.”

Ryana brings forth some extra bowls and begins to ladle stew from a pot by the fire. ”Please, eat. There’s plenty for everyone.”

The Old Wolf opens his awareness to the presence of evil and does not sense any in the immediate area.

The group once again camps for the night and enjoys roasted frog for dinner, though the enjoyment is minimal as their concern and frustration grows. Yet again the storm clouds roll in after dark and the storm never breaks. The night passes without incident though sleep is unsettling.

Morning brings the same damp, grey and miserable landscape. Time starts to lose meaning. Once again you set off in search of either your bounty or some sign that your quest may be nearing completion. The day largely passes without incident, with nary a creature in sight. You start wishing you’d saved some of that frog meat.

As twilight approaches, you see a light in the distance and move closer to investigate.

A little island of dry land rises out of the stagnant water. The light comes from a fire that forms the center of a small camp. In the flickering light, you can clearly see a colorful wagon, two old mares, three colorfully-clad children, and an old woman. A moment later, two men step into view.

One is old and thin, the other young and strong. They settle themselves beside the fire. Then the old man looks up, directing the gaze of his good eye upon you. The other eye is milky and blank. The man smiles and motions with his withered hand, inviting you to join his group.

”Come, weary travelers, warm yourselves by our fire.” he says. ”We shall have dinner soon, and perhaps, there will even be time for a fortune.” he continues with a sparkle in his good eye.

”My name is Scarengi, and this is my family.” he points at the fire and pats the log next to him. ”Come! Come! Join us!”

Round 2

Kara cooks Frog #1 with a fire bolt, then Old Wolf finishes it off. Looks like diced and roasted frog for dinner tonight.

End of combat. Characters get 50 XP each.

Round 2

Old Wolf Stabs bashes Frog #1 with his sword. The frog sputters and groans, barely alive.

Just waiting on Kara

Combat order: Erial, Antonius, Frogs, Kara, Ausk, Otto, Old Wolf

Round 1
Ausk casts a cantrip at a frog and misses.

Round 2
Erial stabs Frog #1 with his shortsword and slices into the creature!

Antonius doubles his efforts against Frog #2 and makes mincemeat out of it! Frog #2 flops into the water, dead.

Frog #1 retaliates at Erial and snaps its jaws at him, narrowly missing!

Frog 1 Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 131d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Frog #2 blows a few bubbles as it sinks into the water.

Frog #3 turns its attention to Ausk and snaps at him, also missing.

Frog 3 Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 111d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Kara -

Ausk returns the favor on Frog #3 and stabs it with his scimitar! The frog's in pretty bad shape but still moving.

Otto jumps in for an assist against Frog #3 and in a spectacular display of overkill slices and tenderizes the meat, leaving less work for dinner prep.

Old Wolf -

Frog #2 & 3 are dead. Frog #1 is wounded but has plenty of fight left. Waiting for actions from Kara and Old Wolf to close the round.

To keep things moving, we'll assume Ausk was also surprised in round 1. Here we go into round 2.

Ausk, you can either take the surprise or post a round 1 action if when you have a chance.

Round 2

Combat order: Erial, Antonius, Frogs, Kara, Ausk, Otto, Old Wolf