Chapter Three - Return to the Mournland

37 remains on watch.

Mar 24, 2025 2:52 pm

Vice, fully awake now, juggles distractedly while he stares intently into the forest.

Torhak, The Ironbanded

Madclergy

Mar 24, 2025 6:25 pm

Torhak had barely been awake, but he had learned to fall back to sleep quickly in all his years needing to maintain alertness. So he snuggled back down in his bedroll, letting his warhammer lay beside him like a stuffed animal for a child, and serving the same purpose of comfort.

Meepo

Tasrek

Mar 24, 2025 9:34 pm

Meepo sees the rest wind down and so he settles back down and goes back to bed

Kalli Alran

Mar 25, 2025 6:15 pm

Kalli Alran

With Laulalith awake, it’s now four on watch. The embers of the coals barely light Vice’s chakrams, which only serve to impress Kalli further.

"You are indeed very talented, Mr. Vice.", her bright smile is clearly visible, even in the dim light. She turns to look out into the forest. "Thornwood has strange happenings all the time.", she points out into the trees. "You wouldn’t know it, but the Grey Mists are less than ten miles that way. There are creatures that escape the Grey and cross the Brey over to here. The rebuilding of Arythawn Keep was meant to help protect Thrane from those threats."

Mar 25, 2025 8:23 pm

Laulalith - Agent of house Phiarlan

Vice smiles at the complement. "Thanks, but it's easy to be good at something when your livelihood depends on it." He pretends one of the chakrams is food and mimes taking a bite before returning it into the juggling rotation. "How deep into the Grey do you think we have to go to find your friends?"

Mar 25, 2025 8:34 pm

Laulalith listens to the others as she works on the composition of the ballad she has promised to create for the ghosts.

At Vice's comment, she raises an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, it has been some time since you relied on those talents to keep you fed. And yet you continue to practice. I do think you appreciate your art in its own right."

Kalli Alran

Mar 25, 2025 10:24 pm

Kalli Alran

Kalli lowers her head into her hands as she answers Vice, "I don’t know.", she admits miserably, "There isn’t much hope if we haven’t found them by tomorrow, or the next midday. They would out of supplies by now."

She sits in silence for a while. "If we find no trace of them by nightfall tomorrow, we’ll turn back on the following morning. If there’s any hope, they took shelter in Eston. That’s a half day journey further. Are you willing to go that far?"

Rolls

Kalli perception - (1d20+1)

(12) + 1 = 13

Mar 26, 2025 12:58 am

Laulalith says:

"If I'm not mistaken, it has been some time since you relied on those talents to keep you fed. And yet you continue to practice. I do think you appreciate your art in its own right."

Vice shrugs "That's fair. But I often have to do be doing something. Our old ringmaster said I was 'antsy', which isn't the worst thing anyone's said of me by far. Besides, I should keep my skills sharp, in case scavenger isn't the career for me."

Kalli says:

"There isn’t much hope if we haven’t found them by tomorrow, or the next midday. They would out of supplies by now."
She sits in silence for a while. "If we find no trace of them by nightfall tomorrow, we’ll turn back in the following morning. If there’s any hope, they took shelter in Eston. That’s a half day journey further. Are you willing to go that far?"

"There's always hope. Ugh, did I just say that? I didn't mean to sound like a poet. No offense Laulalith. Let us see what the morning brings and take it from there shall we? I'm cant think much further ahead than that."

Kalli Alran

Mar 27, 2025 6:25 pm

Laulalith - Agent of house Phiarlan

Kalli Alran

Kalli smiles. "I'm usually the hopeful one. Thank you Mr. Vice.", she perks up a bit and waves Laulalith and 37 over. "Alright, here's my plan. If the rest of the night stays quiet, we leave at first light. There's a bridge where the Brey widens. We should make it there by mid-morning. There, we pass through the mists.", she shudders involuntarily.

"The Grey is very different around Lake Arul. Once we clear the mists, we'll be in a shallow brackish swamp. The old forest still somehow survives... I'd rather not know how. Anyway, there's a road on the other side of the mire. That's where we'll start our search. They had a wagon and two horses, we should be able to find some tracks.", she scribbles a simple map and points to two locations she's marked with X's.

"We discovered two safe spots to bunker down, the first is on the north side of the swamp, nearly halfway to Eston. There's a rock outcropping that sits above all the muck. The second is on the outskirts of the city. Parts of the south edge sunk on the Day of Mourning, but there's still some high ground near the road.", she sits in thought for a moment, "If I had to guess, Ikar's crew wouldn't have gone far into the Grey. It's too dangerous just for an ambush.", she points to a spot on her crude map just above the southern 'X'.

"There's a spot here. The roads sinks into the swamp there. Lots of trees for cover, but wagons have to stay the course.", she looks to the others, "What do you think?", she asks.

Mar 27, 2025 7:43 pm

Laulalith shudders at Kalli's description of the road ahead. "What a charming destination. I thought the Grey was bad near Salvation, but this sounds decidedly worse. Will the elemental cart be able to traverse the swampy roads ahead of us? I would hate to see it get stuck."

Mar 29, 2025 8:13 am

OOC:

I think we can fast forward to morning ... or a nightly ambush :)

37

MaJunior

Mar 29, 2025 2:04 pm

37 holds his position. "I trust my companions to fill me in in the morning." His tone is soft, flat. It's as if he's preoccupied.

OOC:

Sentry's Rest does specify "unmoving." I always think of it as "low power mode," so he is aware, and can talk, but it's reigned in.

Mar 29, 2025 6:37 pm

Meepo and Torhak take the third watch and the rest of the night passes without much incident. Sometime during the third watch, Laulalith’s glowing stone bounces off the stoic warforged, landing at his feet.

As dawn breaks, the canopy above begins to glow from the sun’s rays. Kalli stokes the last embers and gets the fire going once more. She make a pot of fresh coffee for everyone and shares her plan with the rest of the group.

As planned, by late morning they arrive at the Arul Bridge.

A massive, two tiered stone bridge that is swallowed by the Grey Mists on the far side. Looking across, the travellers see the waters seem to stir unnaturally, possibly churned by the magic of the enormous barrier or perhaps by something else.

OOC:

Let me know if there’s anything you would like to do before entering the Mournland.

I’ll need a DC 15 Wisdom save as you enter.

Tryne Knight

DrifterDwarf

Mar 29, 2025 7:34 pm

Tryne slowed the coach to a stop as they neared the bridge, his mouth suddenly gone dry at the sight for the wall of swirling Grey Mists.

"Lovely spot for picnic, don't you think."

He takes a slow, steadying breath. "I'm not liking the idea of driving off that bridge in the mists."

37

MaJunior

Mar 29, 2025 7:39 pm

Laulalith - Agent of house Phiarlan

37 gazes across the bridge. It was undoubtedly magnificent in its day. It was a shame craftsmanship like this was in the state it was, but truth be told everything about the Day of Mourning was a shame.

Shaking his head, 37 tried to get ready to proceed.

Rolls

WIS Save - (1d20+1)

(18) + 1 = 19

Mar 29, 2025 8:23 pm

Laulalith places a light hand on Tryne's shoulder. "You won't stray. We've all seen the tricks of the Grey, and you will not be deceived again. I trust in you." She makes a sweeping gesture towards the others. "I trust in all of you."

OOC:

Bardic inspiration (d6) on Tryne, Vice, Torhak, and Meepo (unless you don't want it). If someone can cast Bless then that could also be ... well a blessing

Last edited March 29, 2025 8:25 pm

Mar 30, 2025 1:57 am