[IC] Death & Taxes (Session 2)

It's been a strange trip, but finally you've arrived at the edge of Buzzards' Ford. As your Lizardman guide, Ssyk-ssyk, paddles away in his canoe, you realize it's all in your hands now. Your unorthodox arrival puts you at the "back door" to the village—a direction that only Lizardfolk and poachers would likely come from. Your diligent research has given you some notion of what to expect in the village, but ultimately, the mystery of what happened to tax collector Kelis Isle remains unsolved.

Did he take the back taxes and run, falling back on old habits? Did something befall him in the village? And if so, what?

Then, there's the question of why the village was able to avoid paying taxes for so long in the first place. Are they rebels against the Baron of Cailn? Are they just too small and too far off the beaten track to be worth worrying about? Or have they hidden themselves from notice through some other means?

As dark clouds roll in and a mist spread out from the swamplands, you know it's up to you to find out.

While others discuss the best course of action, Nera slinks around the river bend toward where the Lizardfolk said the town should be. Sure enough, she sees signs of a settlement a few hundred yards in the distance—but the place seems to be protected by sharpened wooden stakes, at least when approaching from this side.

The Catfolk rogue pads closer to the wooden pylons to see if she still might peek between the slats to see what lies beyond them. However, just as she gets within mere feet of the wall, she accidentally steps in a puddle of greenish water, causing an audible splash.Suddenly, a creature launches itself over the wall and into the air, a winged creature like one of the bat-things the Lizardfolk had. A voice calls out from the other side of the fence: "No! Butterbean! Come back!" Nera's not sure, but it sounds like a young boy.

Back at the horse cart, Tronus, Bruv, Nekurr, and Hildar hear some commotion from the direction Nera snuck off to. It sounds like a child crying out in alarm, followed by a forceful whoosh.

Docile or not Nera doesn't wanna stick around, electing to head back to the others.