Scout Log Book

The base site was taken from goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears

The Grippli Shaman lives in a large mound to the SW of the swamp entrance. She will exchange rare or magic materials for potions and other minor magic items she creates.
Note: a pontoon bridge has been created to expedite access from the base and bypass the southern loop.

Hobgoblins were spotted excavating ruins in the NE corner of the swamp. They dug up a 5' diameter stone orb etched with arcane symbols. The scouts captured but were unable to hold the site and orb against hobgoblin reinforcements.

A Fey seer was encountered in the NE corner of the swamp
The hobgoblins drove her out after discovering she was working with the Silver Scout team

The island to the East has a fortress of undead guards. Necromancers were performing a ritual in the fortress and using another of the large stone orbs to create a planar passage to the Shadowfell. The ritual was stopped but the scouts were temporarily stranded in the Shadowfell.
A few of the undead maintain their intelligence and have some knowledge of the cities past and have been wiling to share this information. They have a small arsenal of magic they have used when commissioning the tasks they wih done but can not due as they are trapped within the fortress.

An intelligent golem was located in the NW corner of the swamp, west of where the seer used to live. This golem goes by the name of Dean and has vast stores of knowledge as well as some minor magic items it will trade for information or completion of tasks performed for it.
Update: The golem indicates it has knowledge of the remnants and will trade information for materials and services.

A small standing ruin was located on the western edge of the swamp. The area is guarded by bugbears that are working for a giant(?) who lives there.
Update
Alpha team (PC Party) has cleared the ruin and researchers have begun excavating it with the assistance of the grippi though much of it's archeological purity has been despoiled by the ogre magi and his bugbear henchmen.

Increased activity and conflict between the kobolds and goblins west of the swamp. The goblins do not seem to be working as closely with the hobgoblins anymore and stay away from the city remnants.

Cleared a building on the western edge of the swamp of a ogre magi and several bugbear though a couple slipped out the back when they started losing the fight.

Investigated the remnant to the west of the swamp, just south of the river. The remnant is enclosed in a strange shimmering field that prevents entry except by the wall gates. A couple of orc were slain and we rescued the captive grippli who were hiding in a night hags house, having escaped when the orc attacked the hobgoblins. The hobgoblins where holed up down a well and infected with lycanthropy.

After getting information from the clerk Larynda went to the island to clear some of the undead with Big Al. A fight with undead revealed some of them to be more than simple zombies and skeletons, minor undead, as they possessed additional abilities. The fight caught the attention of Quindon who joined the fray. After the fight the fortress was visited and we talked with the commander. After a short rest the cemetery was investigated only to spot something in a two story structure partially submerged out in the river as well as some undead with the robed undead mage. Returning to the fortress for another short rest and a brief look over the are from the fortress tower top. After clearing a few undead Al is left at the river shore to return to the base camp while Larynda and Quindon returned to investigate the cemetery more thoroughly.

Returned to the Remnant that had held the Grippli. The barrier that surrounds the Remnants had a different look and upon passing through it Sirocco temporarily swapped bodies with his Familiar, Sirowl. Returning back through the barrier removed the swapped state. Further investigation revealed that magic was randomly subject to uncontrolled effects.
Heading to the well the party was attacked by a couple of wereboar which turned out to be infected orc. After defeating the orc/boar, with a few magical mishaps, the party went down the well and encountered several werewolf hobgoblins and found another Orb. This one was active and radiating forces that affected magic and induced lycanthropy with prolonged exposure. Dasyra Valdi was locked in a room. He claimed to have been trying to negotiate with the hobgoblins to deactivate the Orb. Once allowed access to the Orb it was quickly calmed and then taken away by the elven artificer.
On the trip home, battered and weary, the party was confronted by some hobgoblins lead by a warlord. He challenged Jax to a duel and claimed he would let the party go either way but if Jax lost the party would answer their questions. A brief battle ensued but the hobgoblin Devastator and Warlord were too much for the already injured party. Taking the unconscious form of Klim they flew off. Before leaving the warlord said he would keep Klim alive so long as the party did not kill the other hobgoblins he left behind.

While searching for Klim on the northern bank of the river the party encountered a large edifice. Seeing some Hobgoblins they believed were holding Klim the party followed. However upon entering they learned this was not a hobgoblin stronghold but a Portal managed by two elves, Dasyra Valdi and Siveril Miarona, for a powerful structure simply referred to as The Tower. The two identified themselves as Wardens of the Tower which had been severely damaged during the Shattering. To mitigate the damage their supervisor, they simply call the Portal Keeper, diverted the overloaded power into independent Planar Foci and then eject them. While this saved the Portal it also crippled it and also ejected the Keeper, trapping the two Wardens in the Tower. Dasyra was only able to temporarily leave the Tower due to one of the Foci, that the party knows as the Orbs, being activated by the hobgoblins or orcs that were fighting over it.
Siveril introduces the tower to the party as an ancient school and training facility. The Tower is neutral ground for all races of the mortal people and open to all. Unfortunately it is somewhat limited due to the damage it has sustained. Repairing the Portal and reconnecting it to the Tower and other Portals would greatly restore its abilities. The Wardens are anxious to begin repairs but require assistance as they can not leave the tower and so ask the party for help. By locating the Orbs, Planar Foci, and informing the Wardens it will allow them to be collected and restored to the tower. They promised to compensate the party for their efforts.

The dark fey have been increasingly a problem for the base. The scouts were sent to investigate the souse of the problem. After finding and conversing with a couple fey, including a dryad in the swamp who seems to sever as a local neutral zone and gossip hub, they were directed to some caverns in the south eastern section of the swamp. The caves were full of dark fey who apparently did not appreciate the invasion of all the forces into this area. After fighting through several groups of these, including the previously encountered quicklings and darklings, a coven of hags was discovered. The hags attacked and a fight commenced. Near the end of the fight a new fey stepped in to stop it. Apparently they were a minor fey lord and came on behalf of the local ruling lord and commanded the fey to cease antagonizing the Expedition and other forces. However before leaving he also instructed the scouts to ensure no fey was attacked or harmed save in self defense lest all fey rise up in anger.

Undead Infestation

Tunnels Under the Docks

Access Node to the Matrix

Mannor

Eldergrove