Hilmir Enters The Wood

Hilmir sets off early in the morning. He knows it is best to get as far as possible before evening falls. Although he maintained an excellent pace for a while, as the day dragged along his body started to do the same.

While navigating a particularly rigorous passage, where the canopy was so thick that he could barely see, Hilmir stumbled over a rock and narrowly avoided hurting himself badly. Noticing a small clearing nearby, he accepted that it was time to rest. The stars look so different out here, he thought as he looked upon constellations he swore he'd never seen before.

Hilmir was woken up by angry tones in a language he didn’t recognize, and realized that four brown-colored frogmen had snuck into his makeshift camp. The closest one brandished a spear menacingly, while the three behind him cowered in fear holding large rocks. They were chattering amongst themselves.He’d never seen such creatures before. About 3’ tall and clearly quite stealthy to have made it so close before being heard. Their discussion halts abruptly when they notice Hilmir start to move. Almost in unison, they hop back a few steps and hold nervous poses while staring in his direction.EDIT: My bad, accidentally posted this first with Hilmir's name spelled wrong.

The one in front looks at the food, then Hilmir, and places the spear at their side. It nods, accepts a bite, and barks a short command.

A nervous looking frogman hurries beside Hilmir and opens up a small satchel full of various grubs and insects. There are some he's never seen before, but a few he recognizes as safe for consumption.

The other frogmen begin a heated debate, and keep gesturing towards Hilmir. He gets the impression that two are talking about how big and strong he looks, while the apparent leader is trying to get them to settle down.

The Frogmen carefully watch Hilmir’s actions, and clap when he points to himself and the wilderness.

They deliberate shortly, then the leader walks over to one of the large rocks their compatriots were holding and places it on the ground. They proceed to do this a few times, making a small pile.

The leader then points to Hilmir, and makes an exaggerated motion highlighting how much larger he is than the Frogman. Lastly, the leader points to the rocks carried, and makes the same exaggerated motion, indicating a larger size.

After Hilmir’s pantomime, the group gets very animated and exchange excited whispers.

They listen carefully to his apple barrel story, but it is clear that they don’t understand the actual words, just the overall vibe of what Hilmir was communicating.

When the introduction occurs, the leader’s demeanor becomes much more formal. They look at Hilmir and say, "Me… Korban." and tap their chest in a similar manner. Then, gesturing towards the others: "kolosa". Hilmir gets the impression that Korban is saying they’re family, possibly even siblings.

The Frogmen led Hilmir through the woods down several winding paths. It gets steep for so long that he swears they are trudging him up the side of a mountain… but The Absent Wood isn’t attached to any ranges so that doesn’t make sense...

The trek is starting to get difficult. If you want to keep going, you’ll need to roll a STR save. Roll under or equal to your STR stat, you get to the destination a bit tired but alright. If you roll over your STR stat, you get there but take 1 Fatigue.

The grub he ate must have given him a little bit of extra grit, because Hilmir makes it up to the plateau without breaking stride.

There appears to have been a rockslide recently, with several boulders of all sizes blocking a well-trodden path. It appears to lead up to some kind of lookout point above. Hilmir is a bit confused though, he didn't think there was anything at this kind of elevation in The Absent Grove.

The Frogmen point to the boulders and show that their attempts to go over or around just result in more debris filling up the path. They can handle the smaller ones, but there are several large ones in the middle they would never have a shot at.

If you want to move the larger rocks, roll 2 STR saves. If they both succeed, Hilmir clears the major obstacles from the pathway and takes 1 Fatigue. If one succeeds and one fails, Hilmir clears the path and takes 2 Fatigue. If both fail, Hilmir still clears the path but hurts his back a little in the process (nothing permanent or major, but it would be factored into how difficult things may be for the rest of the day).

Korban shows Hilmir a stance that helps keep him steady on uneven footing, which proves extremely effective. Hilmir doesn't only clear the obstacles, but manages to use the largest rocks to build a bulwark that will keep the path clear when the next rockslide occurs. The Frogmen are extremely impressed by this feat, and appear to be celebrating Hilmir's strength, flexing and cheering.Krogan takes Hilmir aside, places their hand across their chest and bows. This appears to be a gesture of their deep appreciation for the assistance offered. The Frogman then points to the freshly cleared path, and beckons Hilmir to follow him up.

Korban thinks for a moment, points to Hilmir, and then uses the stick to point to the south-west corner of the "map". The valley being in the middle, and their current position the north-west.

Korban then uses the stick to point to the south-east corner (on the other side of the valley), and draws an ‘X’. Their face turns gravely serious. That region is dangerous.

They give Hilmir the opportunity to ask any other questions about the map, and then brush it away. Krogan does the appreciation gesture once more, and chirps and order to the rest of the group.

The other Frogmen scurry over, with handfuls of pedals from a flower that grows abundantly on this mountain. Most is dumped into a satchel, but one of them comes over and presents his gatherings to Hilmir and Krogan. Krogan pops one in his mouth and chews enthusiastically, the rest appear to be a gift for Hilmir.

The pedals would take up one slot. Hilmir is being presented with about two days worth, and he gets the impression they wouldn’t last longer than that.

Korban pays close attention to the demonstration and performs the call once softly, using their hand as a makeshift instrument. The time together has been short, but Hilmir can tell Korban feels a true bond.

Korban joins the rest of the frogmen, and the group look to Hilmir one last time and make the appreciation gesture in unison. It is only a moment before a command is chirped, and they heads into the trees to the north.

Hilmir’s travels go smoothly, this area of the wood seems quite peaceful. Once it gets to the early afternoon, he comes across two sturdy clotheslines around a nice looking area where others have set up camp before. They appear to have left behind a heavily dented but perfectly useable pot, and some interesting water canteens made out of large gourds. Thus far, Hilmir has not heard anyone else in the area, only some small animals. The firepit is long cold.

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?"

Travelling to the south-east goes well, it is a quiet route just as Deacon said it would be. When he passes through some darker areas, Hilmir notices that one of the flowers emits a soft aqua colored glow in the absence of light.

He gets to the stream and finds a good spot for a small camp. There are animals in the area, some squirrels and birds, but Hilmir doesn't notice anything much bigger than that. He figures there's about three hours of light left in the day.

While he is gathering firewood, Hilmir hears movement in the brush about twenty paces ahead. It sounds larger than the small animals he's seen thus far, but Hilmir would need to move closer if he wanted to inspect properly.

If Hilmir wants to investigate the area he heard the noise, please roll a DEX and WIL save. Successes/Failures would impact how close whatever it is would be able to get to Hilmir before he notices, if whatever it is decides to do so. Otherwise he can go back to the campsite, or take any other action he'd like.

Another woman with dark hair, a bit older than the pale one, steps out from the same area. She is wearing a leather shirt, and is carrying a satchel.

"Didn't mean to sneak up on ya, not a lot of friends in these woods. We're just passing by... wait did you say frogmen?" She looks Hilmir up and down quizzically. "You know some frogmen? Mister....?" she gestures towards Hilmir with sort of a one-handed shrug.

Elara looks at the ground for a moment, before shrugging to herself as a signal that she had resolved some internal debate. "You don't act like anyone with The Order, and if you have an in with some frogmen I know someone who wants to chat. I'm Elara, this is Dreli."

"It's a bit over an hour from here, and we'll ensure you have a safe area to rest the night. Assuming you're willing to talk to Dani that is... She's in charge of a small group around here." Elara moves closer to Hilmir, and darkens the tone of her voice dramatically, "Crossing her would be a bad idea."

Elara would engage in some casual conversation on the way, partly feeling the pair of you out but also because she's a chatty person overall. In each of your next replies, please include your character's answer to the question "How much experience do you have in the woods?", and up to two questions they would ask Elara.

Elara doesn't pry much, and mostly talks about plants that are unique to the area. She describes an ivy you'll definitely want to stay away from, as well as an edible weed that grows plentifully where the wood is less dense, closer to the valley.

About an hour in, Elara suddenly stops and gestures for them all to get low. She whispers "Up ahead there is the camp, but sounds like something this up."

They move a bit closer and hear a woman talking to someone in a dark red robe. "Took me days to build this hut, how much for you to keep moving?" She sounds like she's made these sorts of offers before. She is tall, and somewhat broad, with blonde hair.

"Been letting too many slide around here lately," the robed figure answers. "Folks been getting too comfortable. Examples need to be made."

Elara moves behind a large tree to the side, and motions the two of you to follow. From here, you can no longer hear details of the conversation, just the overall tone, but they also won't be able to hear you. Elara keeps to a whisper, but speaks with urgency. "That's Dani talking to the fella from The Order," She wipes some sweat from her brow and continues. "There's usually at least two, but I haven't spotted the other one yet."

Elara shakes her head and shrugs, "Usually they take a bribe, sometimes they beat ya, occasionally they kidnap people and try to brainwash 'em into joining their cause."Having been shown the second figure, Elara pitches Dreli and Hilmir with half of a plan: "Me and Dani can handle the close one, if you two can take care of the farther one. You wanna be careful though, they know some magic."

Sneaking up to the farther one will take a successful DEX save from each. A failure will mean one of The Order members will spot you. If you're undetected, you will have the opportunity to roll a STR save to attempt a knock out. Failure on the STR save would result in a hit, but then combat would begin. Just wanted to lay out the stakes if you wanted to proceed that way, you are welcome to come up with a different plan of action.

Hilmir sneaks with incredible ability, and is nearly invisible as he moves towards the robed figure. A hefty rock in hand, he suddenly pops up beside the Order member and strikes him unconscious with one great blow.

Dreli lets Elara know that Hilmir has taken care of distant robed figure, allowing her to move in and execute her half of the plan. She sneaks up behind the threatening man from The Order, and makes a gesture to Dani to catch her attention. Dani subtly nods, and continues talking until she suddenly boots the man in the chest, pushing him into Elara who places him in hold. He is stunned to find himself restrained, and Dani knocks him out with a hard double-handed blow.

The pair celebrate the triumph quickly before Dani starts breaking down the walls of her hut, and Elara walks back to Hilmir and Dreli. "That was incredible! We got to get a move on, they won't be out too long and will come back with friends." She looks at Hilmir, "You're real strong. Why don't you help Dani tear down, Dreli and I will go search the Robes for anything useful."The threat is neutralized for now, is it Dani and Elara's intent to rob the men but leave them where they are. If you don't object to their plan, in addition to anything your character may do or say include the following rolls:

Hilmir, please roll a STR save to help determine how effective you are at helping Dani take down her hut without causing damage.

Dreli, please roll a WIL save to aid Elara in searching the robed figures to determine whether or not you find everything on their persons.

Searching through their possessions, Dreli and Elara find the following items:

- 2 days dry rations (can stack with existing rations so you don't need to worry about taking up any additional slots)
- A total of 16 GP
- A pair of manacles
- Two daggers
- Two strange stones, rounded perfectly, with some kind of arrow carved into the top
- An amulet bearing a symbol associated with The Order
- A Spellbook for the spell FrenzyMeanwhile, Hilmir briefly introduces himself to Dani and helps disassemble her hut. It is an improvised structure, with a framework that can be collapsed simply for easy transportation. While they're working on it, Dani says "Came up with the design myself, can make more but takes a lot of time and space to do it right. Thanks for your help back there, if Elara brought you here she must have a good feeling about both of you."

Looking over the items together, Elara expresses interest in one of the daggers, and one of the strange stones. Dani wants the manacles as she believes it can be used in one of her designs. After splitting the gold evenly (4GP to each of you), neither are interested in anything else but Dani says that she will take whatever you're not interested in to sell or trade.

Feel free to help yourselves to any of the remaining items, remember that you only have 10 inventory slots and when they're all full your HP drops to zero.

While going over the items, Elara takes Dani to the side for a moment and has a brief conversation. They come back shortly after Dreli finishes burying the amulet.

"Okay so Elara has caught me up, and it would mean a lot if I could sit down and have a conversation with both of you." "Dani and I are part of a... " Elara looks to Dani unsure what word to use. "...outreach group." Dani finishes with a smirk. "We're sick of living under The Order's thumb and are getting people together to fight back."

Elara addresses Dreli, "You have some history with The Order, before you came to the woods. That's rare around here an' we think that could be real useful." Then looking to Hilmir, she continues, "And you have history with the Frogmen. We need someone to connect us to a Frogman scout."

Dani steps forward and speaks with an authoritative tone, "It's getting dark and we shouldn't waste our head start. I can get us to a secluded area where we can make a proper camp for the night. If you're in, come with us and we can talk more there. If not, thanks for the help back there."

With that, Dani starts walking away. Elara quickly follows.

After walking for a bit, and taking a few sharp turns, the group approaches a rocky overhang. It is large enough for several people to camp under, while also offering protection from the elements.



Elara picks up a few pieces of wood from a pile that was already there, and gets a fire going. Dani drops the components of her hut off to the side, and gets Hilmir's help to move a couple large logs to use as makeshift benches positioned around the fire in a "V" shape. Elara says "I'll get some food going, y'all sit down and rest. Listen to what Dani has to say."

Dani sits, and beckons Hilmir and Dreli over toward the other bench, "I bet you both have a whole bunch of questions. If I'm asking for your help, least I could do is try to answer some of them."

Dani nods and gets to the point, "We've stumbled upon sort of a ruined temple, rumors are it was built by the Frogmen but they were driven out by The Order. I want to assemble a party to check it out further, and I want to get one of the Frogmen to join us. Problem is, Frogmen don't like getting mixed up in our messes. I hear some trust you?"

Dani carefully listens to what Hilmir and Dani have to say. Her tone is more passionate now, but less authoritative. "The Order get away with what they get away with because they wield a terrible weapon: The Sweepers. Huge golems, powerful enough to rip apart anything The Robes point them at. No one knows how to stop one but something in my gut tells me there's some clues in the old Frogman temple."

She looks at her feet for a moment, before turning to Dreli and continuing. "I've been in these woods for a few years and I still couldn't tell you where they are. But you... you seem to have some background others don't. I'd never go into an Order temple either, but this was built by the Frogmen. We know at one point The Order destroyed it, and sometime after that The Sweepers showed up. That's why I think there must be some clue there."

Dani claps her hands in delight and her entire demeanor loosens up. "Yes! Thank you, this is..." she trails off for a moment, becoming emotional, but clears her throat and continues, "It's easy to lose hope in this place. If we can knock The Order down a peg or two it will inspire a lot of people to push back."

Elara has been preparing a stew, which smells quite nice, and indicates it will take a bit longer to flavor properly. A little more relaxed now that there's an initial buy-in, Dani says, "So how did you both end up in these woods anyway? Anything about this place I can help shed some light on?"

Dani takes in a breath and lets out a deep sigh. "I've only been pushing up against The Order the last couple years, and that's been hell on earth... I couldn't imagine what it must have been like to grow up in that." She then appears to disassociate for a moment, staring into the fire.

Elara chooses to break the awkward silence by addressing Hilmir, "Do you think you could get back to where you met the Frogmen? Humans aren't welcome in their village, so there's hard to come across unless ya catch 'em on a patrol. They're among the quietest creatures in these woods, so that's not easy."

Dani snaps out of her haze, "If you two just came here, there's probably other newcomers... that means Elara and I got some work to do. Hilmir, if we give you and Dreli five days to come back to this spot, do you think you could bring back a Frogman willing to help?"

Elara and Dani glance at each other for a moment, and exchange looks that seem to reflect a silent conversation between them. Elara appears to concede the point to Dani, who answers Dreli, "There's a strange magic coursing through these woods. No matter how far you walk in any direction, and I've tried them all, you find yourself back at the valley." She pauses for a moment and shakes her head, before continuing. "You might not like the woods, but you definitely wouldn't like the valley. Especially not at night, after dusk that's where The Order hang out."

From your current location, the area Hilmir last encountered the frogmen is to the north-east. The valley Dani warned about (which is also the one Hilmir got a view of earlier), is to your east running somewhat parallel. This leaves you three possible paths to reach your destination:

Path A)
Go through the deepest part of the wood from where you are now. The Order does patrols of the woods during the daytime, but they usually stick to the less dense areas. It is also much easier to remain unseen in this part of the woods, but harder to travel through so it would take about 1.5-2 days.

Path B)
Go to the less dense part of the wood, closer to the valley, and walk along the edge of that. The Order focuses most of their energies here, and it's harder to hide here, but it would take about 1.25-1.5 days.

Path C)
Go to the valley, and walk through that instead of the woods. Elara warns that there is an Order settlement there, and at night The Robes guard over it instead of doing patrols in the woods. It would be very difficult to hide because it is quite wide open here, but the travel would be about 0.75-1 day. This means that there's a chance you'd make it through before it got dark, but everything would need to go very smoothly for that to happen.

Decide which path you'd like to take, and overall what your approach would be. Are you marching through and eating rations? How quiet are you trying to be? Etc.

The travel for the first half of the day is uneventful. Dreli and Hilmir notice some small animals, and find some evidence that some larger creatures (about the size of a deer) were recently near, but nothing gets in their way. One thing they notice are traps in some of the trees, several in the area they are in now. They can't tell if something has been caught or not from the ground, but it looks as though many have something small inside. Perhaps a bird, squirrel, or similar.

Do you investigate more in this area, or interact with anything, or keep proceeding at the same pace? If you proceed, it will still take over 1 day total even if things keep going this smoothly, so think about what your intentions are for the period where night begins to fall.

Also, since this is an area under patrol by The Order, roll a DEX and WIL Save each. This will determine how silently you're moving through the woods, and if you manage to spot any of The Robes out on patrol so you can adjust course accordingly. Failures won't necessarily result in a confrontation, but could end up on the path towards one.

The pair keep moving through the woods swiftly, but occasionally Hilmir makes a bit more noise than intended. Dreli spots a trio of Robes from quite far away, your course is adjusted slightly to avoid them costing a little bit of time.

As it starts to get closer to dusk, Hilmir and Dreli recall that the Robes patrol the woods in the day, and the valley at night. Their current path rests between both, meaning that in about an hour the Robes will be leaving the woods en masse and there's a good chance some of them will be coming through this area, but once it gets dark they'll all be in the valley.

Let me know what you intend to do as it gets dark, and what your plan is for the nighttime. The woods are varied in this area, so if you're looking for a certain feature (tree strong enough to climb, big rock, thicker brush, area adequate for camp, stream, etc) as long as it's reasonable assume you can find it nearby.

Also remember that you can always pitch a complex or difficult series of actions as long as it is something possible for your character to achieve. It may involve a series of rolls and there may be risks associated with failure, but you're welcome to think outside the box.

Each of you please roll a WIL and DEX save to determine how hidden you're able to make the spot you find.

Hilmir and Dreli search the area and find a spot with a large rock that can be climbed for greater visibility, that is close enough to a stream to refill supplies without drawing unwanted attention.

While they work together to assemble their camp, the noises from the woods shift as the nocturnal animals begin to wake up. They both see some movement in trees high above them, not directly above the campsite but in the general vicinity.

As the sunsets and darkness comes, Dreli and Hilmir hear a low-chant echo through the woods. It echos around in all directions, making it hard to tell where it is coming from exactly. Perhaps several areas at once.

The two of you work to assemble a hidden camp together, and mostly manage to succeed although moonlight on Dreli's cloak seems to create little glimmers of light from certain angles.
They hide for a few minutes, and hear the chanting fade away. The woods go quiet, then Dreli and Hilmir hear some nocturnal animals begin to chirp to each other. The night has arrived.

Hilmir takes first watch as Dreli sleeps, and notices some movement in the trees above but can't quite make out what it may be. It is somewhat large though, at least two feet wide. The creature, whatever it may be, is moving very quietly. Any noise is coming from the leaves rustling against each other.

While Hilmir focuses on the movement, he sees something leap to another tree, scurry down, and then jump to the ground. He couldn't quite make it out, but knows he saw some type of dark teal tail. Whatever it is seems to be about 50ft away near some brush.

Hilmir also still hears some movement in the trees, behind where he is currently looking.

The movement seems to cycle between three main areas: the area on the ground where the figure dropped, in the trees among the leaves up above, and what seems to be something jumping between two trees somewhere on the other side of the camp. It seems almost like the intent is to distract and confuse. All of the noise is still from the movement though, no growls or barks or anything like that.

Hilmir, please roll a DEX save and WIL save. This will determine what you can figure out from there.

Dreli, please roll a DEX save and WIL save. This will determine if the current commotion wakes you.

Hilmir realizes that the one on the ground is moving in a predictable pattern, but it's just a little too fast for him and he's only able to catch partial glimpses. Some kind of wing, some teal fur, red eyes. It doesn't seem to be getting closer to Hilmir, but keeps jumping in and out of his peripheral vision.

Dreli wakes up hearing some movement in the trees nearby, but also something much closer. Turning around, she notices something going through Hilmir's pack. It is a small teal creature that looks like a monkey, but it has wings.

Realizing that it's been spotted by Dreli the creature jumps backward empty-handed, makes two loud barks.

Having been caught, the one near Dreli scampers off into the woods, and the other two follow suit. The pair of you listen for any commotion for a few moments, but they seem to have left in earnest. This occurred near the end of Hilmir's watch, so you switch for the rest of the night and Dreli's goes by without incident. Just some hooting in the trees far away.

Based on Hilmir's estimations, you should get to the area you last encountered the frogmen in the early afternoon. Note that there are still agents of The Order patrolling this area, it's just not their focus. Let me know how you generally intend on proceeding the rest of the way, and what your actions would be should you hear/see someone or something approaching where you are.

Dreli and Hilmir proceed without any problems for a few hours, until they hear something very large moving through the woods somewhere to the east. You're on the otherside of a hill from it, so they can't see what it is, but it is making a lot of commotion.

Hilmir silently gets to a better vantage point, and sees a massive entity formed of large white rocks held together by some sort of glowing magical energy. Based on previous conversations Hilmir believes it is one of the "Sweepers" he has heard so much about. It lumbers along a path through the woods that appears to be formed by lots of heavy traffic. It somewhat resembles the similar pathways in the valley.

A moment later, Hilmir sees two people in dark red robes walking along the same route having a quiet conversation. They don't take notice of Hilmir at all, and they are going in a different direction from your destination.

The pair of you arrive at your destination, Hilmir can even make out the rocks that he placed several days ago. In your initial look around and listen, neither of you see any signs of the frogmen.

After a few moments, you both hear a call return in the same pattern coming from the north-east, but two short notes are added to the end.

It isn't long before a small brown frogman holding a spear enters the clearing. Until it appeared, Dreli and Hilmir didn't hear it moving through the woods at all. The creature salutes Hilmir, then places its arm across its chest and bows towards Dreli.

This is Korban, the frogman Hilmir has mentioned previously. They point towards the sun, which is getting low in the sky, and half-shrug toward Hilmir as if to say it's getting late, what's going on?.

The frogman looks contemplative for a moment, and then studies Dreli. After a deep sigh, they use hand gestures to indicate that hierarchy may be an issue, such assistance is something that would require special approval.

Seeing that the dark will be upon them soon, Korban uses gestures to offer Dreli and Hilmir lodging for the evening.

Korban leads the way through some winding paths, and before long you reach an area that looks like some sort of modest swamp village.

Two frogmen guards with spears are standing a bit further up the pathway and looking at your group suspiciously. Korban raises their hands up, telling Dreli and Hilmir to wait, and goes over to talk to them. It doesn't sound like any language either of you have heard, but it is getting quite heated and there seems to be lots of pointing in the direction of Hilmir and Dreli.

A few other frogmen appear, drawn in by the commotion. Their murmurs turn to a hushed silence, as an older frogman walks through the crowd. The villagers part making a path for them to walk through, and Korban and the guards go silent as well when they notice them walk up. They have a short yellow beard, are wearing an extravagant vest with all sorts of trinkets.

The older frog exchanges a few short grumbles with Korban, who seems to be communicating quite passionately. They turn to the crowd and order them all to disperse, which they do with great haste. The only ones remaining are Korban, the older frog, and the two guards.

Surprising Dreli and Hilmir, the older frog turns to them and speaks in perfect english: "I am Fenrit, the leader of this village. Korban tells me that he promised you a safe place to rest. We honor our agreements here, so you shall get one, but this other business..." they lean in closer and drop their voice to a whisper, "As a rule, we don't get involved in your conflict. But come inside, tell me more. We might be able to do something."

With that, he motions for Korban to come along as well, and Fenrit leads all of you back to his hut. It is larger than you'd expect inside, and looks like a store with all sorts of items displayed. Weapons, books, tools, a very wide variety of goods of all kinds. Fenrit points towards a table with some stools and tells you to sit, and asks you both if you'd like some tea.

Fenrit listens to Hilmir's explanation, and brings up the main concern, "We have an agreement with The Order. The frogmen stay out of the conflict between your groups, and our village will be considered off limits for their activities. Thus far, The Order has honored that agreement."

He sips his tea and continues. "But the Sweepers are dreadful and destructive blights upon this land, and the temple..." Fenrit gets emotional for a moment, but keeps going "That temple was the holiest place our kind ever knew, and The Order desecrated it in their attempt to seize control of this land."

"I will agree to send Korban with you to aid in this scouting mission, on a few conditions. First: Under no circumstances can he be seen having any sort of confrontation with any member of The Order. Second: Anything taken from the temple, anything at all, must be seen by me. Third: If captured on this mission, you will tell them that you bought Korban from a slaver to the north of the valley."

Fenrit stands up, and gestures around to the wares surrounding him. "I'm not sure exactly what your plan is, but no one in these woods has a wider array of goods in their stock. I noticed you have some interesting items with you. Perhaps if there's anything you need, we can make some kind of deal?"

Fenrit is willing to consider a deal which would give each of you one item from his shop to aid in this quest. You can trade some of your gear/money, agree to handle a small job for him, or a mix of both.

If interested, let me know what sort of item you might be after (you can be vague if you want), and I'll let you know a couple things he'd have available and what the "cost" would be.

Fenrit places the flask on a display shelf behind them, and hands Hilmir the binoculars which come in an elegant protective casing. "These are called Darksight Binoculars. They allow you to see even in the dark, but it's a bit disorienting to look at anything up close."Korban looks over the items and exchanges a few whispers with Fenrit. After a nod, Korban pockets something from the table beside them and retires for the evening so that they can all leave early in the morning. Fenrit has an extra room for each of you, and participates in some polite conversation (but doesn't pry) before heading to bed as well.

In the morning, Korban greets Dreli and Hilmir with some breakfast they can have on the way. It is similar to a fish burrito, but wrapped in a large leaf.

You have the same options for heading back. Go through the dense wood (slower with no patrols), the moderate wood (some patrols, a bit faster), or the valley (fastest but wide open, easily spotted from far away). Additionally let me know if you have any specific plans, or generally just plan to get back to Dani and Elara as fast as possible. At the moment there are three days left to the deadline.

Korban uses a stick to draw a few paths in the dirt, and seems to be strongly suggesting travel through the deepest part of the wood. They puff out their chest a bit, as if to say that they'll lead you through with great efficiency.

In the first few hours you don't encounter anything too notable, although Korban stops for a few minutes to point out an edible plant that is abundant in this area.

About half way through your journey, you all enter a clearing with a circle of stones in the middle. Korban stiffens suddenly, and starts to look around in concern.

Dreli and Hilmir realize that the path they were walking on has vanished, and the trees around them have moved closer together. The five stones in the middle of the clearing hum with a soft white glow, before returning to their normal gray color. The trees around you feel terrible and foreboding.

Korban grabs a stick, and draws a key into the dirt. Then they point to the stones in the middle and shrug.

About halfway through Dreli's sentence, one of the stones glows for just a moment. Upon closer inspection there some are symbols upon them that neither of you are familiar with.

Korban points to the trees, makes an exaggerated mischievous face, uses their hands to mimic the movements of a small creature, and mimes the act of being trapped in a box. Then points to the stones, and acts out opening a door and walking through it.

The stones look quite heavy, and don't appear to have moved from their places in a very long time. Other than the initial glow on all of them, and the quick flash on one while Dreli was speaking, they don't seem to react to you getting closer and looking them over.

After an initial hestitation Korban tries touching one of them, but nothing happens. Frustrated they take a few steps outside of the stones and begin angrily muttering in the frogman language while pacing around. As they gesture towards the trees mid-rant, the same stone that glowed for a moment when Dreli spoke quickly glows again before returning to normal.

The stones each have a unique symbol: ⩣ ⍭ ⍙ ⩯ ⊥ The one with the ⩣ marking (Stone 1), is the one which has glowed twice. Dreli touches the stone and nothing happens, but it is smoother than she expected.

Korban looks somewhat offended by Hilmir's suggestion, and uses their hands to mimic a small mischievous creature. It seems they're saying that the trick is being played by some sort of pixie or sprite.

As soon as the dirt lands on the stone it starts to glow, and when Dreli speaks it brightens for a second. Now, even with no one speaking it remains softly lit.

When Hilmir says "blow", and Dreli says "air" the ⩯ Stone (Stone 4) lights up for a moment. With this additional clue, Dreli blows on that one instead and it too stays lit.

When Hilmir says the word "water" outloud, the ⍭ Stone (Stone 2) flashes and then dims. Having identified the pattern, he pours a bit out of his canteen gourd and the glow persists.

Korban having understood the pattern as well, starts to look around the area picking up sticks.

As Hilmir says "fire", Stone ⍙ (Stone 3) lights up briefly. The remaining stone with the ⊥ symbol (Stone 5), doesn't react to either of the words.

Korban gets a small fire going and drops a flaming stick on the ⍙ stone resulting in a solid glow.

As Dreli and Hilmir speak, "spirit" and "ghost" seem to make the last stone flicker, but it was quite faint and not as pronounced as the other times the stones reacted to words.

Korban puts their hand on their chin and quietly stares at the last stone pondering.

Korban looks down at their feet for a moment, before gesturing to the woods around them and placing their hand over their heart. Then, they point to the sky and shrug. It appears as though they're saying they've never known anywhere different.

Korban looks at the stone before saying the word "morta". The ⊥ symbol and the stone shine brightly for a moment before dimming again.

Dreli and Hilmir turn to Korban, who looks somber and begins to draw something in the dirt. To the left, a figure standing tall and upright. To the right, a similar looking figure on the ground with a knife sticking out of their back. Korban taps the stick on the drawing on the right and says "morta".

The remaining stone shines brightly once again. Hilmir knows instantly what Korban is saying: death.

When Dreli says "sacrifice" the stone lights up strongly again, same as when Hilmir says "killing".

Korban shrugs after Dreli's comment, and uses the shovel to make a small hole in the ground. They put their fingers in and after a moment come up with a handful of grubs and worms.

Dropping the findings onto the stone, Korban utters a few words under their breath and crushes the grubs beneath their feet. The final stone activates with a bright glow.

Just then, a voice from the trees above says "It’s a shame, the alternatives would have been more fun to watch" and you hear laughter echo through the woods and fade away as the trees shift back to normal, no longer a frightening presence.

Looking around, the path you were walking on is visible once again.

The rest of your trip back to Elara and Dani goes very smoothly. Before Dreli and Hilmir left, they were given instructions on how to find some rendezvous points the pair of them use when they get separated. After some drawing in the dirt, Korban was able to guide you back a full two days ahead of the deadline.

Elara and Dani were remarkably impressed by your early return, and saw this as a sign that the upcoming mission would be a successful one. A few introductions and a hearty meal later, Dani gives Korban directions on how to get to the temple ruins. Now that the "where" has been established, it is time for the group of you to come up with the "how".

You've brought Korban back to Elara and Dani, and now is it time to plan the expedition to the temple ruins. It is on the other side of the valley, and the path is regularly patrolled by members of The Order. Based on preliminary observations very few of them actually go into the Temple, so what you need right now is some kind of plan that will allow you to get in and out without being noticed.

In each of your next posts, include some idea or strategy that will help the group of you get in and out without running into any of the Robes. You're welcome to be creative with this, and can ask Korban, Elara, or Dani for whatever sort of assistance you'd like (some kind of distraction, building a trap of sorts, acquiring disguises, etc). Certain things may require rolls, but nothing is "off the table" as long as it's not impossible.

When Hilmir mentions stealth, Korban takes an exquisite bracelet out of their bag and places it upon their wrist. They then utter a command word and vanish before your eyes.

A couple minutes later, Korban re-appears on the other side of the site. They then point to Hilmir and Dreli, hold up three fingers, and point to the bracelet again with a big smile.

After a bit of discussion it seems like everyone is mostly in agreement. Dani wishes you all the best, but says that only Elara will be able to join for the excursion. "I need to stay in these parts for now, but Elara knows how to get there and will be more than capable of setting up some diversions and staying lookout."

As discussed, the plan is for Hilmir, Dreli, Elara, and Korban to head to the ruins (about two days travel). Elara will setup some fires and use luminescent plants to attract the attention of any Robes guarding the ruins, while Korban uses their Invisibility bracelet on the rest of you allowing you to sneak into the entrance. Elara will stay in the area for a full day, after which she will assume you all captured.

The first day's travel goes well, Elara and Korban get along quite well exchanging knowledge about plants in the area. You all find a good spot for camp and split the evening into four watches.

Roll a DEX and WIL save each, to see how your individual watch goes.

During Hilmir's watch, he hears some movement in the trees that he instantly recognized as those monkey creatures from earlier. Knowing their tactics now and how they prefer to sneak up on people, he doesn't let the noise sway him and looks around evenly. He isn't quite fast enough to make them out, but his method was successful at keeping them away. Unable to find and easy opening, they skitter off to find an easier target.

During Dreli's watch, no creatures get near but she hears some hooting in the distance. She's not sure exactly how far away but it never seemed to be getting closer.
Other than that, the night is uneventful. However half-way through the next day, the group will be entering the area of the woods that the Order patrols.

To determine whether or not you encounter any patrols, we'll use a "Die of Fate" from the book. Contrary to saves, it's 1d6 with 4+ indicating good luck and 3 or under indicating bad luck.

The group gets through the day of travel avoiding any of the Robes. It seems that Korban's skills as a guide are truly something impressive.

This is your last chance to make any changes to the plan as previously described, if there are none then roll a DEX save each.

Everyone setup in their positions, Elara sets things off by setting off a series of distractions to attract the attention of the Order members in the area.

The Robes checkout the disturbances, and Korban uses the bracelet to cast a temporary invisibility charm on Dreli and Hilmir. Unsure how long this charge will last, the three of you hurry towards the ruins to investigate further. Dreli and Korban move silently, but Hilmir's gear not so much.

One of the Robes seems wary of the activity, and upon hearing the commotion from Hilmir unsheaths a short sword and beckons another towards him, "Jarret, watch my back" and slowly begins moving towards the three of you looking for signs or whatever made the noise.

A twig snaps under Dreli's feet momentarily grabbing the attention of both nearby guards. Hilmir uses the opening to step in with a deadly maneuver taking down the one who first noticed them. The other Robe, Jarret, is completely surprised and begins to look around in a panic, unsure where the attack came from.

Just then, with the other Robes focusing on putting out one of the fires, Elara tosses a couple of bags into the flames. They burn in a flash, leaving a blue-colored cloud of smoke behind. One by one, that group of Robes begin collapsing onto the ground.

The only Order member in the area remaining upright is Jarret, who is now absolutely terrified.

A moment after the ruins are entered, Dreli, Hilmir, and Korban's Invisibility charm wears off. The main room of the temple has a pool of water, complete with lilly pads, and several sculptures along the walls. It would be difficult to see in the dark, but several of the plants glow softly giving everything a bluish-green tinge. Some of the sculptures are in better condition than others, depicting frogmen, humans, and other creatures in great majesty.


Korban gets emotional as they look around, and wipe tears from their eyes. Inside it is quiet and still, although you'd need to explore a bit farther in to know for sure if you're truly alone.

There are six sculptures: A large bird, an upright dog creature, two frogmen, and two humans. The humans are holding metallic green swords, the bird a metallic green mace, and the dog some metallic green daggers. The frogmen statues aren't holding anything, but there are grooves on their hands where an item could go. The metallic green weapons the other statues are holding also look like they could be removed if someone wanted. There are stone slabs on either side of the room with some additional metallic green weapons, swords, maces, spears, and daggers.

Along one of the walls, Korban finds a carving that depicts a great feast, with many creatures sitting around a large square table. In it are humans, bird creatures, a dog creature, and some frogmen.

Korban looks over the weapons and picks up two of the spears, handing one to Hilmir. They place them in each of the slots in the frogman statue hands, and nothing seems to happen.

As Hilmir experiments giving different weapons to the frogmen, Korban continues around the temple and studies a few more of the carvings. There seem to be several parts of a story. One depicts the various creatures on opposite sites of a battle, one a fortunate harvest for the frogmen, one the shared construction of a temple, and lastly the great feast with all creatures in attendance. The last one was the one noticed earlier.

After trying every combination, Hilmir's attempt with the weapons doesn't seem to have any effect.

Korban assists in taking out the weapons as well. When the last one is removed by Dreli, you all hear a deep rumble from the far side of the room and see some of the stones drop into the floor forming a staircase that leads downward into a dark room.

Moving a bit closer but still keeping some distance, and using the binoculars, Hilmir sees an empty room at the bottom of some step. There is some sort of round pedestal in the middle, the bototm of which is faintly pulsing with a dull green glow. There also appear to be some shapes carved into the wall, but Hilmir can't make them out from here, even with the binoculars. The faint light from the pedestal just doesn't reach far enough.

The pedestal has some ornate carvings and interlaced metals around the top. It also shows signs of damage, especially along three indents that look as though they once housed some kind of stone or gem.

Closer now, Hilmir has a better view of the symbols on the wall. There is a circle with three green dots inside. On the circle’s left, several standing figures. On the right, some trees with several arrows above them, all pointing up. The circle symbol pulses with a soft light, in time with the pedestal on the floor.

Korban nods in agreement with Dreli's comment, and takes a moment looking around the room. First staring at the symbols on the wall, and then running their hands over the metallic edging on the pedestal. As they touch the damaged portions, Korban begins to weep. They take a moment to collect themselves, and angrily walk out of the room.

Let's have each of you roll a WIL save to see if you recall where you've seen the symbols.

Looking over the pedestal again, the symbols along the metal seem strangely familiar. They look close to some of the ones Dreli remembers seeing growing up, but a different dialect— then it dawns on her. They are identical to the glowing symbols she remembers seeing on the Sweepers.

Whatever seemed to be "powering" that pedestal was stolen by The Order... and is what powers the Sweepers.

There is an additional room at the back of the temple, this was what Korban went to check out when they stormed off. They don't seem angry anymore, just matter-of-factly lay out the items that they found just outside the room. It seems like The Order was using it for some light storage. The contents are as follows:

- 3 Spellbooks (Flare, Illuminate, and Raise Spirit)
- A book with notes about the temple and the pedestal
- 5 portions of dry rations
- 5 waterskins, full
- 18GP
- A pair of extremely well made leather gloves
- A jug of wine
- A stone with an arrow on it (the same kind you saw on the Robes you defeated when you first encountered Dani)
- 2 vials of holy water
- 2 ritual daggers with symbols of The Order upon them

Korban seems a bit distracted, they were staring at some of the broken down portions of the temple. When Hilmir asks about next steps, they nod and indicate that figuring out how to destroy the Sweepers and recover the gems will be key. That and research in the book.

Putting the stone on the pedestal doesn't seem to do anything, and Korban shakes their head at mention of camping within the temple. Instead, they suggest taking the book along with a couple of the other items somewhere safe. They point towards the sky a lot and seem worried about being seen if they stay too long.

Korban picks up the gloves, and makes some gestures towards Dreli to ensure she isn't interested first. They also grab two of the green metallic weapons, daggers, before making their way to the exit as well.

As the three of you exit the temple, you see Elara searching a Robed body on the ground while another woman stands beside her holding a recently bloodied sword.

The body belongs to the formerly terrified man, from what you can all see no Robes in the area are standing.

Seeing Hilmir, Dreli, and Korban emerge from the temple ruins, Elara rises and gives a simple wave confirming that the coast is currently clear. "Hilmir, this is..." she pauses realizing that she didn't get a name, or even introduce herself to this new acquaintance "...someone very good with a blade. Helped me take down this one." she adds gesturing to the body before her.

"The other group of them will wake up in about an hour. How did things go in there? Find anything interesting?"

Another woman, about the same age as Dreli, comes out of the woods with her hands up. She's dressed simply but practically, the sort of garb you'd see a farm-hand wear.

"I'm with her... please don't set me on fire or whatever you did to those guys." She slowly walks closer to the group, adding "The name's Tanya. We just escaped from Valleyview."

"They're going to come for us in the morning," Tanya stops coming forward and glances at the two bloody bodies. "And from the looks of things they're going to come for you too. I've only been in these damn woods a week... is anywhere safe?"