Hilmir Enters The Wood

Hilmir hears no response to his call. Looking around a bit more he notices some kindling prepared in a little pile near the firepit, but no other items other than the pot and canteens.
He notices a few sets of footprints, doesn't look like anyone left in any kind of hurry though. At least three, hard to say for sure if more.


The canteens look fairly reliable, they are simple in design but appear solid and whole. If placed into his pack, Hilmir doesn't think it would leak.

Hilmir continues in the same direction for a bit longer, and can't quite shake the feeling that he is being followed. Occasionally he thinks he catches a glance of a dark shape, but always on the edge of his peripheral vision.

As Hilmir scans the area, he suddenly hones in on the outline of a man about 150ft away. He is blending in seamlessly against one of the trees, in a wardrobe that perfectly matches the colors of the area.

Let's do a DEX save, if you succeed he doesn't realize that you have spotted him. If you fail, you still see him but he realizes he's been seen.

The man raises his sword straight into the air for a moment, allowing light to reflect off of the blade, and sheaths it.



Then, he puts both of his hands up and takes a few slow steps towards Hilmir before speaking.

"I'm not looking for a fight, but need to make sure you aren't either."

"I am a scout. I don't believe you realize it, but you are strolling towards my community." He walks closer to Hilmir, both to get a better look at him, and so he can speak more quietly.

"Anyone who enters these parts must abide by a few simple rules. If you're not interested in that, I can point you in another direction."

He walks towards Hilmir at a casual pace, while reciting the rules. "Number 1: Disagreements are settled with debate, or settled elsewhere. Number 2: Other than The Exchange, there is to be no gathering in groups greater than four. Number 3: Those who sympathize with The Order, or their cause, are not welcome."

He stops walking, and extends his palms towards Hilmir as if presenting him with an offering. "Any questions?"

He tilts his head to the side for a moment, taking a minute to decide exactly how to respond. "The Order is a cult of fanatics that seek nothing but control over others."

"As for The Exchange, why don't I show you. You said your name is Hilmir, right? I am Deacon." He starts walking to the south, and says "It's about an hour from here, on the way let's hear about some of your travels."

Deacon listens attentively to the stories, and seems to relate quite a bit to that sort of work. He is quieter than Hilmir though, not the talkative sort. Seems to prefer observing and listening. With the apple barrel one though, he bursts into laughter right along with Hilmir.

As they round a path, Hilmir begins to hear other voices. They enter a clearing and see several other individuals standing around a large rock. They seem fairly familiar with each other.



Deacon leans in to Hilmir and explains, "This is The Exchange. It's a sort of auction. Someone places an item at one end, and the others make their offers for an exchange. No money is to change hands, or any agreements for work. Purely items for items, all resolved on the slab."

A middle-aged gentleman starts, and placed a handsaw onto the slab and states, "handsaw". In response, a woman on the other side places a vial down, "antitoxin". Another man looks like he is about to place something up, but changes his mind and raises his fist to the side of his head. The others make the same gesture. It appears to indicate "pass".

The middle-aged gentleman on the 'seller's' side looks over to Deacon and Hilmir. Deacon makes the pass sign, then looks to see how Hilmir responds.

You can participate in The Exchange if you wish, but there is no pressure to do so. It seems to be as much an auction as it is a moment of socialization, where other 'scouts' like Deacon catch up on recent sightings.

Deacon walks over to the slab and exchanges a few short pleasantries, before introducing Hilmir as a "Newcomer to the wood". They are polite but not especially forthcoming, and some appear a bit taken aback by Hilmir's warm demeanor. The Exchange proceeds with fairly mundane items, except for a few that caught Hilmir's eye:

The items placed on the slab for The Exchange that would be most interesting to Hilmir are a cracked spyglass, pitons, and caltrops (the last item is placed by Deacon).From the conversation Hilmir picks up that agents of "The Order", derogatorily called "Robes", patrol these woods disrupting any camp sites or gatherings they come upon. The people participating in The Exchange are a loosely connected collective that works to evade The Order by trying not to stay in any one spot for too long, and exchanging information about the routes commonly patrolled.

As The Exchange wraps up, Deacon lets Hilmir know that he must return to his post, but would be happy to point him towards safe pathways depending on where he is headed next.

"The Frogmen are good friends to have in this wood," he comments. "Most creatures won’t be able to sneak up so easily. The biggest thing to worry about in these parts are Sweepers, and you’ll hear one of those coming a mile away."

Seeing Hilmir’s reaction to an unfamiliar term, Deacon expands. "The Order have control over large automatons called Sweepers. They destroy anything in their path and are not subtle about it. As long as you stay off the main routes, you’d hear them way before they ever got close."

He takes a step towards Hilmir and points to the south-east. "Go that way a bit over an hour and you’ll come across a quiet stream. The Order doesn’t usually patrol that way." Deacon pauses, as if he’s not quite sure how to say the next part.

"Hilmir, I don’t know what circumstances brought you here, but I must tell you something before you go. These woods are not what you think they are." Deacon moves in close and speaks quietly. "Lots of theories. It’s a trial. It’s a test. It’s hell. The only thing they all have in common is the only thing we know for sure: these woods can't be left."

He takes a few steps back, and points to the west. "Walk for two days in that direction, …" then, pointing to the north-east, "...and come out on that side."

"I don’t know how long I’ve been here… but it’s been years since I stopped looking for a way out." He stares at the ground a moment in silence before looking up at Hilmir. "Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?"