The wagon train

The wagons trundle along over the rough trail being shaped from the rough countryside. Consisting of over 10 large wagons reinforced with magics and pulled by large tailless salamanders and over 50 people the group has had a rough time blazing the trail up to the expedition.
As this is the first major group from the kingdoms, to the west of the expedition, it has a large contingent on guards with a mercenary group of 30 plus acting as the caravan guard and the odd adventurer paired up and used as scouts. Much of the travel has been a mix of exhausting drudgery and occasional frantic activity fighting of beats and the occasional wild tribe.
The Basecamp should be reached within the next several days if the parties druid is correct and you are excited to be done with the trail.

Eddisham you have been paired with a bear beastfolk warrior. The two of you have become the wagon train masters favorite scouts as you always find the easiest routes for the wagons.
Once again today you are ranging ahead of the wagons and need to find the best path. The Basecamp is somewhere to the west north west. To the west you are approaching a river, according to the druids scrying, and to the north are a mix of rolling hills and patchy woods.

The Basecamp is on this side of the river. While the enchanted wagons can and have floated to cross smaller rivers the river to the west is much larger and filled with dangerous beasts, similar to those for have encountered recently. (Dinosaurs)
Originating in the heavily wooded kingdom of your homeland the wagons traveled to the south eastern regions before being forced to leave the roads behind. This was done to reach this lighter wooded area that has been becoming increasingly wet with many more streams and small rivers but less dense foliage. The druid indicated that as your near the river, and Basecamp, you will likely encounter regions of swamp and marshes. To the north is another branch of the river. Though the land by the northern branch is dryer it also becomes increasingly rocky. Your task is a matter of finding the optimal mix of not to rocky, overgrown, or muddy.

Now familiar with this Grund keeps watch while you seek trigger your gift.

Ok Eddisham says quietly to Grund. I think we will run into some kobolds - maybe they are patrolling between the marsh and the hills. I can't predict how they will respond to us. Do you know any good way to get on kobolds good side?

Eddisham thinks about this. He is a quick thinker, but suspects that Grund will not appreciate a rapid answer as a serious one. That makes sense, he responds after two breaths. When the time comes, I will step forward and talk. He wishes that he had the ability to foresee how that will go, but it's good at least to have foreknowledge of the kobolds. He will talk about this with the rest of the guards, who will be with the wagon train about a half mile behind Grund and Eddisham scouting ahead. Maybe they will want to stay a little further back, maybe just at line of sight. That will make an ambush harder to accomplish. Kobolds like to ambush, Ed says to Grund. I think that's right. Have you heard of kobolds ambushing people?

Eddisham persuades the other guards to keep the wagon train a good distance back from him and Grund, near the edge of sight, which in this terrain is about a mile due to the uneven land and the occasional clusters of trees. There are a pair of outrunners to each side of the caravan, more than a bowshot distant. As far as controlling the ambush site, he knows that he will first see a group of six armed kobolds emerging from a small grouping of willow trees at the top of a small rise. So he will keep his eyes open for willow trees, and when he sees them, he and Grund will split to come at the group from two directions.

After relaying having seen signs of kobold activity the guards and other adventurers are alerted to the situation. The guards always stay with the waggons with their patrols keeping them withing easy shouting distance. The other adventurers, of which there are 3 other teams that roam to the left-front, right-front, and rear, shift a to a front, right, and left arrangement with the team to the front consisting of a catfolk scout named Krin ann and elf ranger named Talthis who is able to talk with animals. They have been the next best team to yours at handling the environment and were it not for your precognition you are certain they would have been the lead scouts.
Krin and Talthis will try to stay a bit closer but focus on remaining hidden and keeping an eye out for you and the kobolds. Once you encounter the kobolds Talthis will have one of his companions allert the wagons whey they aproach in stealth or in a rush if needed.

Havings selected the most open terrain sites for the probable encounter (You have learned that the future changes and not to think of your visions as a certainty) you set out. Drwaing on your memories from the scattered scenes of your vision you let Grund do most of the trail blazing and soon pass midday without event. Knowing you are aproaching the kobold area you remind Grund to not look to hard for th kobolds and just stay aware of and avoid potential ambush sights.

After Grund finishes placing the lates marker to indicate the wagons route you and Grund move beyond the sparse corpse of trees. It is one of the few places the wagons will have to move through any kind of tall growth but the guards will make quick worth of the thin young trees needed to be removed for the salamander pulled wagons. Steping out into the knee high grass you feel the wind on your face with even higher traces of water scent on the breeze. Reveling in the feeling for a moment you pause and let your eyes scan the area ahead only for them to freeze as you spot a cluster of wilow atop a low hill to the NW.

Having paused at the treeline, thin as it is, you backtrack a bit, to stay in the cover of the trees, then move north then west. The hill is a long slow rise and wooded on the north and less so on the west side but open to the southe and east. You are curently a bit to the SW still in cover.
Your vision was of the kobolds stepping out to confront you and Grund as you assended the hill in the open from the south. Any change to this approach will likely change how the scene plays out.
How will you proceede?

With a shrug he agrees.
You set out up the hill with Grund being very casual . Nearing the top you call out in common, hoping they speak the trade tongue.
After a few moments 5 kobold step out, one with a large shield ahead of you and two pair slightly to either side with swords drawn. The 4 to the sides are glancing between you and the shield bearer.
Give me a standard test for observations

The kobold glares as your begin retreating and raises a hand but a snapped command from from the brush behind makes him freeze.
The sixth kobold you expected to see, this one in robes, steps into sight. He looks at you then back the way you came and asks You travel with others?

That sounds completely reasonable, Eddisham responds. Grund, can you inform the caravan of this decision please? I will go to meet the ancestor.

No, yes, that's a good point, Eddisham reassures Grund. Listen, friends, he turns to the kobolds, my old friend here, he wants us to stick together. We'll go back and talk to our main group and then the two of us will meet you here to go see the ancestor. Sound good?

OK. We will come with you, to avoid missunderstandings
You start heading back with the kobolds trailing behind about 60'. In a couple of minutes you see the wagons and quickly make contact with the other adventurers and pass the word that these kobolds are here to negotiate but to watch out for more.
Markham, the caravan master, is not happy about payingbut conceeds it is likely better than having to skirmish who knows how many of the kobolds all the way to the expedition base camp. H goes back out with you to where the kobolds waited and counts out the coin after getting and oath of conduct on thei "Great Ancestor" which seems to iritate the shield bearer but reausres Markham. Though he doesn't like the idea of you heading off with the kobods he thinks it may well be agood thing, as long as you return. He spends a few frantic moments trying to pump you full of all the dragon lore he know about dealing with. Mostly it involves showing respect, a bit of fear but not too much, and focusing on not offending the dragon while making no promises you cant keep as the expedition may simply write you off as lost. As you and Grund head out he reitterates he most important thing is to come back and even covertly hands you a small pouch of semi precious gems to gift to the beast.

Your course seems to paralell the path you planned for the wagon for about an hour though you notice you are tending more towards the south. You begin winding you way through thicker and larger marshes untli at last you aproach a hill surounded by thick bog that the kobolds seem to know quite well. It is at this point that you start noticing more kobolds though Grund says he spotted a few earlier on. Once you set foot on the solig ground of the large hill you realize this is no small band of kobolds. Estimating based on the camps you see there are likely several hundred kolbolds camped at the base of the hill.
The trail you folow winds though several camps, with Kobolds hissing in supprise or anger when they see you, then up the hill. Nearing the top you spot a large cavern surrounded by piles of rocks and dirt leading you to believe thie cave was excavated not too many seasons ago. At the mouth of the cave the mage instruct you to enter but warns No lights if you want to live.
The tunnel is steep, wide, and strait enough at first that the lack of additional light is not an issue. However the slight curve of the tunnel eventually puts you in near total darknes before you realize there are "Star Grub", a small worm like creature that gives off faint light in darkness, on the ceiling. With the "stars" lighting you way you continue decending until you reach a large cavern. The ceiling is too high to light much of the cavern floor but you are able to discern the cave floor is very uneven with mounds well over 20 though the size is hard to guage due to the poor light.

As you come to a stop and silence fills the cavern you notice a faint rhythmic low and slow sound of wind.

At you words the breathing changes into a rumble that takes you a moment to recognize as laughter. Then a voice that goes strait to your mind and soul Though the kobolds may claim such as I as their ancestor, no dragon claims them as descendants. It isn't until this point that you realize the words are not in common, yet still understood. Why have you come to"greet" me little ones? A scraping sound is heard and you are suddenly shocked at the appearance of two great glowing eyes.

As you speak you feel your mind growing hazy and lose yourself for a moment till Grund nudges you

Eddisham sighs. Things feel very confusing, lately.

You come out of the fogue with Grund looking oddly at you as you hear the dragon say Remember, the forces at work here are more than they seem.
Ware that you are not caught up in schemes beyond your ability. And warn those people not to get in my way.
With a grating of scale on stone you hear his bulk settle back.
You have been properly respectful and may ask a question now before taking your leave.. At this point you note the pouch of gems is no longer on your person.

Your honor, it would be helpful to us if we knew what you intend to be doing around here. That would make it possible for us to stay out of your way.

I am looking to stop certain parties who are imbalancing the realms. They do this by collecting ancient powerful magics best left alone. In simpler terms, if you find something that alters reality beyond what simple spells may do, leave it alone. If you inform me then I will reward you. If any take these or try to use them I will become very wroth with them!

You continue north until you come across the tracks of the wagons and begin following these. As you walk you note that the mark on your hand no longer burns and looking at it are no longer able to see it. Casting a simple divination you detect the magic has sunk into your flesh. Presumably it will be visible again should you meet any of the dragons people. As you are simply folowing the wagon train tracks you make good time and look to have almost caught up when Grund grabs your arm and signals for quiet as he pulls you behind a nearby shrubery.

One of the smaller beasts suddenly collapses. The other beasts startle a bit then a nearby adult moves to investigate and nuzzles the fallen figure before bellowing in dismay. Soon the small heard moves off at a slow trot.
You recover the body and Grund cleans the carcass before your set out and sub catch up with the caravan

The caravan master is glad to have you back but imediately sends you back to point to help find a way, anxious to rech base camp before nightfall. You encounter more strange large beasts some even largre (dinosaurs) before you reach a region with fewer an fewer hills endin in a swamp. You were told of this earlier and spend a bit of time finding a decent beach head where the wagonc can be rolled down into the river to finish the journey as boats goin up the slow river.

Eddisham's story continues on the docks ink here

Raggy, Ro, and SerenSeren has been paired with Raggy and Ro to try and balance a bit of mystic with the wild. Or at least that is what the wagon train leader said. You both think it has more to do with the fact you tend to make others nervous and they simply saw this as getting both of you away from the rest of them. The pair of you have been tasked with ranging ahead of the main group to scout out any potential troubles. The wagons have made this trek multiple times over the last couple of months so Len, the wagon master, if familiar with the route but he keeps grumbling about the increase in monster activity.

Introduce yourselves to each other and feel free to add to the story. If you have something beyond your character you want to add to the story then go ahead as long as it doesn't conflict with existing story content. I can make minor changes as needed to smooth any minor inconsistencies out.

As neither of you are unfamiliar with the wilds and often out on your own conversation has not interfered with listening to your surrounding but over the last couple od nights you have al least worked out a working understanding of each other.

Raggy's ocasional small kills have added fresh meat to the cooking pot of the wagon you join each night. This has brought you a bit more acceptance from the hard working drivers who are all too wiling to accept any variety to the preserved trail rations.

The pair of you begin to hustle back to the wagons. The rain is unrelenting and the wind is fiercely howling around you. Another crack of thunder directly overhead is so powerful it throws you to the ground. Staggering you rise to your feet deaf and nauseous for the power but move towards where the wagons should be. Suddenly Raggy realizes they are not running on dirt and grass anymore. Almost stumbling he calls out to Seren to look down. Below your feet are clouds. And though you can feel them supporting your weight you also see them shift and can even see through them where they become thin and wispy.

Fear grips you and you try to look around for anything more stable. You are standing on a cloud that is being shredded by the storm but a thicker patch is forwards to your left while below your thinning cloud you can see a larger cloud about 30 feet down that does not seem to be as affected by the violent winds. If you run back the way you came you will be over the larger cloud.

What do you do?
A Retreat to stay over the lower large and stable cloud
B Run towards the thicker stable central portion of your current cloud
C Other

The larger cloud does look much safer but retreating to it would require leaving your currently diminishing cloud and either jumping or falling to the larger one. By lower I mean actually below your current cloud as seen through gaps in your crrent cloud as it is getting riped to shredds where you are and behind you.

Ro is pressing to Raggy's legs whimperingThe cloud will soon pick for you . . .

Raggy will follow Seren into the winds of fate.

The two pairs of scouts are reunited in a thick fog bank in the midst of a violent storm. Two, Raggy and Seren looking a bit panicked while Vlax and Ulkar are more confused and unfortunate on the storm.

Go ahead and give a brief character description so everyone knows the others. You can also begin acting out the scene or let me know if there are any questions

As you pause for a moment winds continue buffeting you so hard you struggle to stand and have to shout to be heard. Lightning cuts the sky again so close that Raggy and Ro instantly increase their cuteness factor by 10 as all their hair stands on end and is tussled by the wind.

No buildings of any kind are evident to your eyes nor any hints to the Border location or state
Hint, those with special sences or traits may discover more information . . .

The howling wind tears the leaf appart, scattering it evrywhere. Oddly though a few remanent, basically powder, seem to twist into a nearly hirzontal cyclone 1 inch wide that twist and winds away. After a few moment the tiny directional cyclone is also ripped apart but not before Raggy realized the direction it lead was slowly changing.

Your head in the direction the cyclone pointed out with Raggy in the lead. No sooner have you stepped out from the thick middle of the cloud then a lightning bolt strikes the could to your right. The following thunder is not nearly so deafening as you would expect for as close and thick as the lightning bolt was but you keep moving until a crackling sound causes you to turn and look where the bolt struck. Up out of the cloud rise 5 forms made of electrical arcs that advance towards you.

ROUND 1
The party moves towards the hope of salvations but apparently feet are not as fast as lighting. Each of the impromptu party is targeted by one of the elementals and the creatures pass right through each of you, including Ro. Somehow after arcing through the party the elementals end up surrounding the part like some sort of living electric fence about 10 feet from your party.

I need each of you to roll a Test Save (2d6) If you fail you are paralyzed and can only stumble a few feet and barely control your bodies from the electrical attack. If you succeed, by rolling at least 1 5 or 6, then you still only get 1 action instead of your normal 2

ROUND 2
Ulkar and Raggy begin digging and find it odd how the cloud ground can feel solid to their feet but to their fingers is more like working with dough. They begin pulling large chunks out of the cloud ground and form a whole about 2 feet deep rather quickly.

The elementals, somewhat dimmed after that last maneuver advance on you arcing out tiny bolts to strike at you. Each of the bolts strike their target

Everyone, including Ro, takes 1 damage
Everyone can now act normally with 2 actions.

Raggy shoots one of the elemental causing it to arc and crackle in an unstable manner. It did not seem to take damage to well. . .

Ulkar and Ro work to dig their way to freefall, umm freedom, with Vlax helping while trying to avoid or block the elemental attacks.

I am assuming Ulkar is just full on digging

While the cloud you stand on at this time, and have been digging though feels solid and blocks your sight you are aware from your earlier walk on the edge of the cloud that it is high in the sky with only other clouds and stormy sky underneath you. Ulkar moves to attack but is unable to stike the crackling elemental form.

As Seren completes the spell something that has never happened occurs. whisps of cloud and ice swirl together around the bones forming a rough form that Seren feels a connection with. The elemental zombie moves to engage the lightning elementals.

ROUND 3
Now fully engaged the elementals arc on the party and Zombie, who is blasted to bits, leaving Ro to continue digging(?)

As Seren slashes his elemental its form blurs, crackles, then explodes throwing him back with scorch marks all over his body.
Seren takes 2 more damage.

You lay into the elementals and cause most to destabilize. The result is a chain reaction causing lighnint to arc between all the elementals and crawling over you as well. But this only lasts a moment before they simualtaniously explode in a massive burst of electricity and boom of thunder. You are flung about wildly and the wolrd faids to chaos, pain, and darkness.

The two pairs of scouts are reunited in a thick fog bank in the midst of a violent storm. Two, Raggy and Seren looking a bit panicked while Vlax and Ulkar are more confused and unfortunate on the storm.

Suddnly your vision blurs and waves of dissyness and a headache cause you to stagger as memories of something that hasn't happend are trying to add themselves to your mind.

You are back to when the two groups first met but remembre everything that "happened" in the furure where you ran to follow the divination.
Have fun with the do over

You move of in another direction, still peeled by rain and strung winds. After searching for a will guided by Vlax and Seren who both seem to have a 6th send on certain things. After suffering for about an hour you find yourself on solid ground with rocks, bushes and trees. The storm is still raging and the wagons are bouquets to be seen.

what's next? Continue searching or wait out the storm? How are you going whatever you decide to do?

You are definitely in the Mortal Lands, you think. The storm has lingering traces of the Border, where the Mortal Realms leak influence from the outer planes. You now come to think of what you just went through as a Border Storm and fervently hope it does not become a regular occurrence.

You are all exhausted and nauseous from crossing planar borders twice, entering the plane of storms and leaving it. Crowding into the little dryness you managed to find you huddle for warmth, sharing blankets and cloaks. Ro becomes everyone's favorite neighbor as his thick fur even out does Raggy's for keeping him warm while wet. You arrange a rough watch and try to sleep. But with the storm and nausea this become difficult for any, except of course for the one who is actually supposed to be alert and on watch.

You wake in the morning to find Ro gone, Raggy knows he has gone to hunt. Likely To stayed up all night to watch over you as you all fell to slumber somehow through the storm. Other than being cold, wet, and hungry it is a beautiful morning. Morning people instantly become happy and expressive while everyone else grumbles about getting dry and fed.

With the last adventure giving everyone a bear death experience everyone texts a bit differently but there is little to do but press on. After everyone is up and you share what little food you have. After a while Raggy returns with a brace of conies downed by his sling. Cooking those traits a bit longer allowing everyone to fully wake and wring dry as best they can they clothing.

You set out well over an hour after sunrise and it didn't take you long to find what is left of the wagon train. Several wagons are fine but a few of are a mix of shattered timber or toppled wrecks. The wagon master is calling orders trying to get things in order to set out. Upon seeing you he instantly orders you to go look for list people. No one has seen the mounted scouts since the storm hit and some people got lost in the storm last night. From what you can tell most, but not all, were pulled into the storm land you visited. Most made it back by simply waiting out the storm.

The two teams separate and begin to search the area for any survivors, or traces of them.

I want everyone to put forward an Obstacle the scouts may encounter and propose a Solution to someone else's Obstacle.

Raggy and Seren manage to help the wagon driver and guard who they find out belonged to the tumbled wagon. It had been picked up in the storm and the men grabbed each other as they were flung about. They landed in the clouds and were chased by some hail elementals util they fell off a cloud but somehow managed to survive the fall.. Both men are extreemly battered and the driver has a broken arm but with with some direction head back to the wagon train gratefulll to the duo for helping them.

Vlax manages to find materials and build a working lever systems freeing the captives. The family has a tale of woe about how the storm washed over them and they were immediately beset by tiny tornados that chased them through the clouds after tearing their wagon apart. With the family so badly shaken Vlax and Ulkar are escorting them back when they find the scouts tracks.
Ulkar spends time and care to ensure the wounded scout moves as little as possible. The families mother steps up to chatter with the guard and hold his hand to distract and comfort him as each cut to the tree drains him of color. Eventually the party makes it back to the wagon train where the guard is looked to and given what medicines are on hand.

The wagon landing project ends up taking up much of the day. Unfortunately as the limbs are cut away and the wagon lowered it slips the last couple of feet and lands with a thud and crack. One of the wheels snapped off the axle at it hit the uneven ground. Luckily a broken axle is a planned on emergency and the wagon master soon has a spare in place and his men replace the wheel.

After a miserable night and a hard days work everyone from the wagon train is accounted for, but not without injury or fatality. The following morning the wagons set out again but late in the morning and only for half a day. The comrade of the scouts having come through the Border Storm together as well as the respect you now feel from the grateful people of the wagons has given you all a boost in you confidence and abilities.

Everyone can add either a new Trait or gained weapon mastery of your primary weapon. Weapon mastery lets you attack with 3d6
Post details and questions to you personal character threads
We will move the story along on Monday

The wagon train continues on, with a wary eye on the weather, and you reach the expedition base. The entire wagon train is on high allert and moving as fast as possible the last day due to known antagonistic forces in the area and leave the hilly forest for a swamp before entering the safety of the base camp walls