It's morning on the 2nd Charday of Charter, 150 AV. It's a gorgeous day; the sun is shining, the sky is cloudless and very blue, and there is a brisk breeze coming off from the ocean. The breeze is welcome, as it's a very warm day.
We wake at the tower, on our way to the Mourning Marshes to check out the trading post run by Sysy the rat person. It's still most of a day's travel to the ruins, so we get up and start preparing to go.
Miriel: "Jim, that story you told last night kept me up."
Jim: "Which one?"
Miriel: "About the ravenous halflings. I was wondering, can we mix something in the food, to slow them down? You said they took the food first, then the horses..."
Jim: "They're really not that dangerous."
Miriel: "Well, you sure scared me with that story."
Jim: "Okay, well, we could probably find something in the swamp."
Milo: "Would we drug the food and leave it around?"
Miriel: "No, we'd throw it to them, like wild dogs."
Milo: "Sounds like a great idea to me."
Jim: "Sure, we can do something."
Paks: "Introduce them to the pleasures of rum..."
Milo: "Do we have any?"
Goldpetal: "Drink makes some creatures more aggressive."
Miriel: "I'm just scared; I want to be prepared."
Paks: "It's getting late; let's continue this while we walk."
To spare the horses, we all walk, leading the horses and cart. Looking south, we don't see anything for miles, just a vast, gently rolling plain.
Goldpetal: "Is there a high point on the way that we can see the ruins from?"
Jim: "It's strange; it's really flat all around the hill that the ruins sit atop. We can go up there and see for miles, though."
Our journey continues through fields broken by the occasional small copse of trees. Once we pass between the two forests, we occasionally see abandoned farmhouses. Jim says they've been abandoned a long time, what with the rat men and the swamp hag in the area.
Around midday, we can see the hill of the standing stones off in the distance. We've seen the usual creatures of the sky and fields, but no people or monsters.
As we approach the hill, Goldpetal looks around for places to hide, in case we have to run from someone at the ruins. There are plenty of little copses. Jim says we obviously don't want to enter the swamp at the end of the day and spend the night there. Delonia agrees, and says that we can use their regular campsite. Goldpetal asks if it can be seen from the hillside; she says no, it's pretty well-concealed, as was to be expected, since they were bandits and smugglers travelling with slaves.
We reach the hill; it's really too high to bring the horses and cart up. Jim asks who's going up, telling us that it'll probably take half an hour to climb the hill. Miriel suggests we could just watch the horses behind us as we climb and all go up the hill. This suggestion is adopted, and we hobble the horses and all head up. After about half an hour we get to the top; we're tired and hot, but it's windy at the top and we cool off quickly.
We see a circle of large old worn stones; some pushed on their sides, some broken, some still standing. In the middle of the circle is an old stone table. Goldpetal and Chuck scan the area for tracks, but they can't see much in the gravel and dirt. Jim calls us over to the table and tells Chuck to look at some dried blood on the table.
Jim: "Chuck, what can you tell from this?"
Chuck looks confused.
Jim: "Look, this blood isn't very old; a couple of months at most."
He explains to Chuck how to judge the age of the blood.
Chuck: "Can you tell what kind of blood it is?"
Jim: "Mammalian, that's all."
On each of the stones is a symbol, a circle with wavy lines radiating from it. Milo counts 12 stones, each with a similar symbol, but with different numbers of radiating lines. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to them. Goldpetal recognizes the symbol as that of Gormoth, the Warper.
Milo: "The Writhing One?"
Goldpetal: "How do you know that? I though his name had been forgotten by mortal men."
Milo: "You hear things. Things to avoid."
Goldpetal: "Have you met his followers?"
Milo: "No, no!"
Goldpetal: "Gormoth the Warper, who took creatures both mortal and non and warped them into vile and hideous forms. It makes sense, for the spider goblins are his, or were - they might not still be."
Milo: "What happened to him after the war?"
Goldpetal: "He was cleft in half and his two halves were placed on the sides of a giant canyon; they reside there still."
Milo: "Where?"
Goldpetal: "No one knows. His followers have been searching for it for many years, for they hope that by sacrificing creatures they can bring his two halves together again."
Milo starts looking carefully around on the ground to see if there's anything we've missed.
Jim: "I know a little about Gormoth, too. He wasn't always so twisted and evil; he was once the lifegiver. The story I heard was that he was the first to create the living races and the other titans were jealous. They were so jealous that they poisoned him; he became warped because this caused him constant pain. Now his followers are always sadists."
Goldpetal: (to Miriel) "Can you consecrate this ground?"
Miriel: "No, that's way beyond me."
Goldpetal: "Oh, I didn't think it was that advanced."
Miriel: "Maybe not, but it's beyond me."
Goldpetal: "Can you at least detect magic?"
Miriel: "Yes." (She does so.) "There are faint traces of strong evil all around. It's very much the feel of the titans."
Paks: "I feel very uneasy; let's go back down."
Before we descend the slope, Jim points out some landmarks: the ocean and the spider wood. To the south, the land slopes down to a marsh, edged with stunted trees. It's not so far, maybe a 90 minute walk. The marsh goes on as far as the eye can see, a soggy land dotted with lakes. Slightly to the north of west, we can see some fields and an orchard or two. Jim identifies this as Kraytis Freehold, the only farmstead this far south. Taron Kraytis, who fought in the battle of Twotrees many years ago runs it.
Goldpetal: "I never thought I'd say it, but I wish Stone was here. He could move these stones easily."
Chuck: "Maybe we could do it?"
Jim: "With a couple of days of work."
Milo: "Could we make the earth softer with spells and tie a rope around one, bringing the horses up to move it?"
Miriel: "Let's just stick to the mission. Delonia, can you point out anything else?"
She points out the road, but we can't see much of where it enters the swamp because of the trees. The road looks little-travelled. The trees look as we would expect swampy trees to look, twisted and dripping with moss.
Delonia points out the area of the campsite in the streambed, but it really can't be seen easily. Milo observes a lot of burned areas among the stones.
Milo: "Could we see a torch up here from the campsite?"
Delonia: "Sure, the top of the hill is visible for miles around."
We head back down the hill towards the campsite, which is about 45 minutes away.
Goldpetal: (to Jim) "Have there been any unusual disppearances in this area?"
Jim: "Yeah, ever since the hag moved in."
Goldpetal: "Are you usre it was the hag?"
Jim: "Well, people assume."
Goldpetal: "How long since someone was seen in the ruins?"
Jim: "No one knows; so few people come this way. We could talk to Taron Kraytis after we visit the swamp - if we can see his farmstead, he could see some lights up here."
Goldpetal: "After we get back from the swamp, we should pull the ruins down."
Jim: "I don't know. It's not so smart to anger the Titans, and it's a big job. Maybe you should get some more druids?"
Goldpetal: "They need to be pulled down."
As we travel, Chuck keeps an eye out for any other people, but we see no one. When we reach the campsite, Chuck suggests camping in slave disguise. We cover our armor with the tattered blankets and set watches; the watches are shared by one of the "guards" and one of the "slaves," as it is the "slaves" who can see in the dark. Goldpetal seems quite terrified after our trip up the hill.
Delonia says they usually have a campfire, so we set a small one. Milo asks to be woken if any strange lights are seen on the hill.
During the third watch, shared by Jim, Chuck, and Goldpetal, the watchers see a light to the east, in the other direction from the hill. It looks like someone holding a lantern. Jim shakes Chuck and tells him to wake everyone up, which he does.
Jim: "I think that's the hag. Get in a circle and keep the fire lit. I think she's going to cast a spell; she won't attack us all together, so keep together near the fire and don't believe in her illusions."
Milo immediately sneaks off. Now we can see her; a fat ugly green female, over seven feet tall, with a big nose, holding a lantern and a sack. Seeing the sack, we remember the stories of her death bag.
Milo sneaks through the shadows, trying to come around behind her. The rest of us draw our weapons and throw off the blankets.
The hag doesn't seem to notice us; she is walking away quickly towards the swamp. Milo follows her at a slight distance. He gets pretty close; he can hear her mumbling to herself. He can't quite make out what she's saying, but it doesn't seem like a spell, just the mumblings of an evil witch. Her lantern is the skull of a rat man. Milo continues to follow her, but the ground starts to get mushy, slowing him down, while the hag, in her element, continues at an ever-more rapid pace.
Paks asks Goldpetal to scan the entire perimeter of the camp while we watch the hag. He doesn't see anything. Paks listens carefully, but hears only the wind.
The hag is moving faster and faster, while Milo moves ever more slowly.
Jim: "Where'd that sneaky guy go?"
The hag has gotten too far ahead; Milo watches and listens for her as long as he can, then heads back to the camp, arriving with very muddy shoes. He reports, telling us that she went southeast into the swamp. The sack didn't move. He says we should follow her now if we're going to. He seems eager to.
Jim: "I don't think that taking on the hag with a bunch of neophytes in the middle of the night in the swamp is a good idea."
Milo: "She can see in the dark?"
Jim: "Have you ever met a swamp hag? Not only can they cast illusions, they also have creatures, such as snakes and panthers, that help them out. I think we should just leave her alone."
Milo: "Do you know anything more about her?"
Jim: "Sure, she's a monster."
Milo: "Did Mormo get along with Chern and Gormoth?"
Jim: "Titan's don't get along with each other at all, or anyone else. Right, Goldpetal?"
Goldpetal: "Yup, they hate each other, and everyone else."
Milo: "Maybe then the swamp hag won't get along with the rat men."
Jim: "That's why we've left her there, as a buffer."
Milo: "We could ask her to help against them."
Goldpetal: "Would you trust her?"
Milo: "As much as you trust me."
Jim: "Swamp hags don't like anyone, either, except as dinner. Whose watch is it next? I'm tired of this guy Milo."
Milo: "I'm astounded that people aren't more interested in this idea."
Miriel: "Milo, we need to rest for the trip to the swamp in the morning. Let's go to bed."
Milo: "Yes, mistress."
We return to bed and the rest of the night passes without incident. Dawn breaks. It's another nice day; still pretty hot for autumn. We're not looking forward to being in the swamp in this heat. We get back on the road, riding in the cart disguised as slaves, with Delonia driving while Paks and Jim walk ahead and Chuck watches behind. The road winds down in to the swamp. The land gets damp, and we can smell the swamp before we see it.
Delonia says we have to stay on the path; Jim agrees. The road gets muddy, and the cart moves more slowly. We reach a small stand of trees; just in front of it is a stand of marsh grass. To the east (left), we see a pair of crossed poles with Slytherin pelts tacked to them. Jim says this is a territory marker for the hag, a warning to the rat men to stay out.
Goldpetal asks who built the road. Jim says that no one knows, but it wasn't always a swamp, and the road is probably from that time, before the war. Miriel asks Delonia what comes next. She says the trading post is still a couple hours down the road. The ground gets muddier and the cart keeps getting stuck. We're constantly slapping at mosquitoes and bugs. Suddenly Jim stops us, moves off to the side of the road, and cuts off a piece of a spiky ferny plant. He says it's called Hag's Tongue, and that the sap will repel bugs. We all smear it on, and it works immediately. He shows everyone how to identify it. Miriel asks about any offensive plants, such as poisonous ones. Jim says to keep an eye out for a plant with a blue flower.
After about half an hour, the path dips through a small puddle, about a foot deep, with a spit of sand off to one side. Paks is about to step onto the dry sand when Jim grabs her. He picks up a rock and throws it into the sand, and the rock slowly sinks - it's quicksand.
Jim: "Let's stay on the path. Chuck, you know how to recognize quicksand now, right?"
An hour later we're still slogging through the swamp; the path isn't straight, it winds around over the few dry spots. As we go around one turn, it winds through a large pond.
As we pass between the sections of the pond, a giant frog suddenly jumps out of the water, aiming to jump on top of Paks, but falling short, right next to her. Another frog shoots it's tongue out from the other side and grabs Goldpetal with it. He is wrapped up with a sticky tongue, and it starts to pull him in.
The frog next to Paks bites her, leaving a nasty wound. The other one pulls part of Goldpetal into it's mouth. He doesn't look good. Milo moves over to where Goldpetal was and throws a dart at the frog, aiming over Goldpetal's head, and hits it. Jim swings both swords at the frog attacking Paks. It's pretty cut up, but still moving. Chuck pulls out his bow and shoots at the frog that has hold of Goldpetal; the arrow goes right through it's head, but it's still chomping on Goldpetal; it's practically swallowed him. Paks points out the healing potion to Jim while slicing at the frog attacking her. Delonia chants and gestures, shooting a magic missile at the frog swallowing Goldpetal. It reels, but keeps swallowing. Goldpetal pulls out a dagger and tries to slash at the frog but doesn't seem to injure it. Miriel throws a sling bullet at the frog attacking Paks and almost hits it.
The frog that has Goldpetal in its mouth spits him out and makes a huge sixty-foot jump back into the water and dives und. The other one follows suit, disappearing into the water on the other side. Miriel asks Delonia about the frogs. She says of course there are monsters in the swamp, but usually if you hit them once they'll go away; they're just trying to get a free meal. She says she's happy it wasn't anything worse.
Jim: "I tried animal friendship on them, but it didn't work; I'm sort of surprised at that."
Goldpetal: "Well, they're unnatural."
Jim looks unconvinced.
Miriel heals Paks and Goldpetal. She then starts to meditate in the cart as it moves down the path; it's about two more hours to the trading post. Chuck looks around to see if we're being watched, because it feels like we are. The swamp doesn't feel at all natural. After about half an hour we reach another wooded area, a little drier. Suddenly a rat man dressed in leather armor and a woolen cloak, with five amber medallions on his belt, steps out onto the path.
Rat man: "Halt, Traitor-Spawn. You're trespassing on the sacred lands of the Syltherin, profaining the holy earth with your presence."
Paks: (aside, to Delonia) "Huh?"
Delonia: (to the rat man) "We're just slave traders, trading slaves to Sysy as usual."
Rat man: I'm the Twilight Warden for this sector. Why wasn't I notified? I didn't hear anything about any humans."
Delonia: "We come here every month. Didn't the trader say anything to you about us?"
Twilight Warden: "This is the land of the Slytherin. You don't belong."
He inspets the cart, and sniffs around all of us. He sniffs Jim, looking at him strangely.
Twilight Warden: "You don't seem like a slave trader."
Jim: "What do you mean?"
Twilight Warden: "Oh, I've smelled Vigilants like you before; I smelled your presence as soon as you entered the swamp."
Paks: "What do you mean? We're mercenaries, we've hired out together for years."
Jim and the Twilight Warden ignore this, concentrating on each other.
Jim: "I've heard of you Twilight Wardens. You're a shallow mockery of the Vigilants."
They stand very still, measuring each other. Suddenly they both cross their arms and draw all four swords simultaneously.
Jim: "Leave this to me!"
Of course we don't; we all draw weapons, but even before we react, they start trading rapid blows. Goldpetal shoots his bow at one of the other rat men near the front of the cart and grazes it. Delonia shoots a magic missile at the Twilight Warden and hits him; he stumbles back a bit, but seems unfazed. Paks steps towards the one Goldpetal shot at, swings and misses. Milo tumbles out of the cart, attempting to move around the rat men in the rear to flank them. He stabs at one with his short sword, but misses. The rat man next to Paks turns and swings at her with his scimitar, hitting her hard. The one behind the cart across from Chuck rushes at him and hits him. The other one goes after Chuck as well, swinging its scimitar and missing. The one Milo went after goes after him, hitting him. The last one heads for Paks from behind, but misses her. Miriel moves to the back of the cart and stabs with her spear at the one Milo attacked, but she misses. Chuck finally gets both swords out and swings at the one that attacked him first, but misses.
Jim and the Twilight Warden continue to trade blows, almost faster than we can see. The Twilight Warden whips his tail around, grabs Jim by the leg, and trips him, but he rolls back to the side of the cart and pulls the rat man down with him, grappling with him on the ground. The horses are panicking, rearing and snorting. Goldpetal attempts to calm them, but they're too afraid of the rat men and all the flashing weaponry. Delonia fires off another magic missile at the rat man in front of Paks, frying it. Paks swings around, stepping away from the horses, and swings at the rat man that was behind her, killing it. Milo moves toward the Twilight Warden and distracts him. One of the rat men behind the cart goes after Chuck again, hitting him. The next one attacks Miriel, but misses. The last one goes after her as well, but misses. Miriel strikes at this one, but misses. Chuck swings both swords, one at each rat man near him, but misses.
Jim stands up and aims a kick at the Twilight Warden, waving Milo away. The rat man rolls away, moving towards the woods. He stands up, and they start trading furious blows again. Goldpetal continues to try to calm the horses, but they are frightened by the smell of blood and start pulling the cart down the path towards Paks, who dives off the path. Chuck and Miriel fall down in the cart, but Chuck and Delonia roll out of the cart to land near Paks. Delonia stands up and shoots a magic missile at one of the rat men that were behind the cart, frying it. Paks charges another, fumbling and missing. Milo flanks the Twilight Warden and attacks it, hitting, but not doing much damage. The rat man in front of Paks attacks her, but misses. The other rushes over to attack her, but misses. Miriel helps Goldpetal calm the horses; they seem a little better, but are still running. Chuck stands up and pulls out his bow.
Jim hits the Twilight Warden and nicks one of his pouches off. The Twilight Warden casts a spell, and vines pull out and wrap Milo up. Goldpetal keeps trying to calm the horses and, with Miriel's help, finally succeeds, stopping the cart. Delonia runs around the rat man attacking Paks and tries to shock it, but can't get hold of it, and stumbles, falling flat on the ground. Milo attempts to struggle free of the serpent vines, but is still held tightly. The remaining two Slytherin attack Paks and Delonia. The one attacking Paks misses, but the other hits Delonia pretty hard. Miriel takes the reins of the horses from Goldpetal. Chuck shoots an arrow at the rat man attacking Paks, but misses. Paks swings at the same one and kills it.
Jim misses the Twilight Warden, who dashes away past Jim towards the pond. Jim swings at him as he passes, but misses. The Twilight Warden starts walking across the marshy water. Goldpetal draws his bow and shoots at the Twilight Warden, but misses. Delonia stands up and tries to shock the rat man again, succeeding and killing it. Milo struggles to break free again, and succeeds. Miriel calls out to everyone to come over to the cart. Chuck moves down the road and towards the Twilight Warden, shooting his bow at it and missing. Paks high-fives Delonia and goes and picks up the pouch the Twilight Warden dropped. Jim touches his medallion and charges up to the Twilight Warden. They start trading blows yet again; the rat man tries the trip maneuver again. They start tumbling around, Jim's medallion falls off, and they both sink into the quicksand.
Chuck howls out "NO!" Goldpetal jumps out of the cart and runs to the edge of the marsh, throwing his fifty foot silk rope towards Jim, but it falls short. Delonia starts searching the bodies of the rat men. Milo runs over to the edge of the marsh. Miriel continues to hold the horses. Chuck runs over and throws another rope to Jim, reaching him. Paks also comes to the edge of the marsh, pulls out her short bow, and shoots at the Twilight Warden, but misses. Jim grabs the rope that Chuck threw out and starts pulling himself out. The Twilight Warden grabs Jim around the neck, pulling out his dagger and cutting the rope. Goldpetal coils his rope back for another throw.
Delonia continues to loot the bodies. Milo throws a dart at the Twilight Warden and hits it, grazing it again. Miriel still holds the horses. Chuck recoils his rope to throw again. Paks shoots her bow at the Twilight Warden and misses. Jim tries to struggle free and swim, but his head goes under, and the Twilight Warden is pulled under as well. We lose sight of both of them. Goldpetal runs back to the cart to get his bow.
Milo grabs the end of Chuck's rope and jumps into the marsh, swimming out and diving down. He grabs someone's hand. Chuck starts hauling on the rope. Paks comes over to help. With Paks' help, Chuck starts pulling everyone in. Milo realizes that it's not a human hand that has hold of his arm; it's a claw. Goldpetal looks around to see if any reinforcements are coming. To the east, in some woods, he sees a black panther watching from one of the trees; it gives him a bad feeling, as if it was somehow not natural.
Milo tries to shake the claw off, but it just grips tighter, and the rope starts to slip through his fingers. Chuck feels the rope go slack, screams out "JIM!" and dives under the water, holding on to the rope. Paks grabs Milo's hand with one hand, holding the rope with the other hand, and tries to pull Milo out, but he slips through her fingers.
Milo feels the claw sliding off his arm. Goldpetal watches the panther. Delonia finishes looting the bodies. Milo tries to take a breath, but sinks under the water again. Miriel hands the reins to Goldpetal, jumps out of the cart, runs over to Paks and grabs on to the rope. Chuck manages to gain his footing. Paks holds on to the rope, though no one now is hanging on to the other end. Goldpetal holds the horses. Delonia comes over to see what's going on. Milo manages to drag himself to dry land, coughing. Chuck gets out, strips off his armor, and dives back in. Miriel takes the horses, Goldpetal grabs the rope with Paks. Chuck feels around, but doesn't find anything; the water is very deep. He keeps searching until he can't hold his breath anymore, but he finds nothing. He's dead, Chuck. Paks pulls him back up. All the people from the water are covered in muck, pulling leeches off.
We regather and discuss what to do. Miriel asks what our point is in going to the trading post. Someone answers that we're trying to stop the trading in slaves. She says we're pretty battered, and we've lost Jim, can we really do it? We discuss resting somewhere, but nowhere is safe. Goldpetal says we're currently being watched. Miriel asks Delonia how many rat men at post. Delonia says she's seen maybe ten or so, but she's never been underground, and there are probably more there. Chuck says we can subdue sysy and get information from her. Paks says we were going to kill Sysy. Miriel wonders again if we can do this alone, especially if we have to get out of the swamp again. We left our other two horses, and Jim's horse Star, at the camp, and these two horses aren't going to let us move very fast through the swamp.
Milo: "Our only chance is to do it now."
Paks: Should we spend the night in the swamp to rest and recover?
Miriel: "We don't have time to recover today; we'd definitely need to spend the night in the swamp.
Chuck: "I don't want to rest in the swamp; it isn't safe."
Paks: "Find a place far from water, spend night in swamp, regain strength."
Miriel: "How are we doing on food?"
Chuck: "I can find fish and waterfowl. Jim (sigh) pointed out some mushrooms we could possibly eat."
Milo: "We could just camp here."
Paks: "Yes, this area seems fine."
Miriel: "We have a long time to wait for dawn."
Milo: "Also, we're being watched by that panther."
Chuck: "Jim mentioned a connection between the hag and panthers. Remember that we saw all those Slytherin (and maybe human) pelts on the crossed poles as we came along the path. Her domain is probably fairly near by."
Milo: "Whatever, we're still being watched."
Chuck: "This close to the trading post, isn't it likely that we'll be spotted?"
Miriel: "Delonia, what kinds of patrols did you encounter on trips before?"
Delonia: "I never saw a rat man patrol before, or much other intelligent life. We usually just ran into a giant snake or spider or something."
Goldpetal: "The Twilight Warden might come after us..."
Delonia: "The guy who we just saw drown in the swamp?"
After more discussion, we decide to rest where we are for the night. Miriel heals Paks and Chuck. Milo searches the bodies and takes five full waterskins. Delonia detects for poison in the water and finds none, though it's not very pure. Milo starts washing with the water from the waterskins. Milo sniffs the rat men's clothing; it smells musky. Miriel, Goldpetal, and Delonia settle in the cart and start to meditate. Milo tries to clean his armor in the cart, but Miriel asks him to move, because of the smell. Chuck and Paks stand watch.
Milo asks Paks what was in the pouch; she looks in and sees a vial. Milo looks to see if it looks like any of the ohter potions we found; it looks really similar to the neutralize poison potion.
We meditate for about four hours. When he is finished, Goldpetal scans the brush for plants with healing properties, poisonous plants, or anything edible. Paks settles down to rest.
Chuck: "Did you find anything good, Goldpetal?"
Goldpetal: "No, I'm out of my element."
Chuck: "Let me look."
He sees nothing. Miriel looks, and can't find anything useful, either. Goldpetal climbs a nearby tree, looks around, and sees nothing but swamp, as far as he can see. There are lots of trees, ponds, and birds.
Paks: "Chuck, what have you done with the bodies?"
Milo: "They're smelling pretty bad; let's throw 'em in the quicksand.
Milo and Chuck dump the bodies. Milo keeps a cloak, and we toss all the scimitars into the cart. We discuss the watch order. Milo goes to sleep in a tree, hanging a Slytherin cloak in a tree further away. Paks and Chuck go to sleep in the cart. Goldpetal climbs a tree again to watch. Miriel and Goldpetal watch, then Goldpetal an Chuck, then Goldpetal an Paks. Nothing happens all night. We refill the waterskins, and Miriel purifies the water.
Dawn breaks.
Paks: "Is it too early to show up at the trading post?"
Delonia: "I'm not sure; we always showed up around 1pm."
Miriel: "We can tell them a story of how we were attacked by frogs, several of the slaves died, and we had to rest before finishing the trip."
Milo: "Delonia, what is the trading post like? Is it a stockade?"
Delonia: "It's a small compound, in a little U-shaped clearing, with hills on three sides. There are a couple of little buildings, which I don't think they live in, given how they talk about the warrens. Sysy's representative usuall meets me in one of these."
Paks: "We don't get to meet Sysy?"
Delonia: "Sometimes."
Milo: "I can sneak up on the outpost."
Goldpetal: "They might just see you and get their guard up - we saw you when you were following us."
Paks: "It would be more suspicious to come in with two slaves than with three."
Chuck: "Maybe he could go in just a little way and then come back."
Miriel: "We should just stick to the original plan."
Milo: "I like Chuck's plan."
Paks: "We should just go straight in, slowly."
Miriel: "Yes."
Chuck searches again, as does Goldpetal. They find enough edible snails and drinkable water for all five of us.
Miriel meditates for an hour to learn a cause fear spell. Goldpetal also meditates. After this, we travel an hour and a half down the road. Then Delonia says that we're just down the road from the compound. Milo again offers to jump out but, Paks says he should stay in the slave role. Paks asks Chuck to set up quick release ropes attaching the horses to the cart. Miriel points out that only Paks and Delonia can talk in the clearing.
As we come into the trading post, we see a few longhouses, made of local reeds and such, and one surprising house, of Veshan architecture. It is the kind that might be seen on any street of Southport; it might have been made by a good Vesh carpenter, though it's a little rundown. There is a well near the entrance, many trees past the well, and some farmlands also on that side, where there may be some tubers growing. The well is an old-fashioned well with a pump handle and some sluices. To the other side of the road, there are seven giant (horse-sized) rats, grazing, and two rat men and a few human slaves herding them around.
Delonia: "Don't worry, they're just grazing the horserats."
Paks: "Do the horserats fight?"
Delonia: "Sure, the rat men ride them when they raid caravans. You must have seen some when they raided yours?"
Delonia call "Ho" and waves; the two rat men recognize her and wave back. Delonia says the Veshan house is the trading house. We lead the cart on up near the door. Some slaves come up to the cart and offer to stable the horses.
Paks: "We're not going to be here very long."
Delonia says now we wait. Shortly a rat man comes out of house. He, like the herdsmen, is a different color from the rat men we've seen before in the swamp during the raid. He has some jewels beaded into his fur, and he's wearing human clothing.
Rat man: "Hey, Delonia."
Delonia: "Hey, Eltron."
Eltron: "We've been expecting you; come on in."
Two rat men helpers guard the slaves while Delonia, Eltron, and the guards go into the meeting house.
Inside, it's just like a cozy Veshan house, with a nice fireplace, though there is no fire, as it's a hot day. The table is set out with mushrooms and potatoes and a pitcher of wine.
Eltron: "Always a pleasure to see you, Delonia. It's nice doing business with you. What have you got for us?"
Delonia: "I'm afraid we ran into trouble in the swamp and lost some slaves."
Eltron: "Yes, it's tough for you humans in the swamp."
Delonia: "Yeah, the giant frogs attacked. Slurped one right in. These new guards aren't so good."
Eltron: "Yeah, what happened to them? They were good drinking buddies."
Delonia: "We had a bit of a falling out and had to part ways."
Eltron: "How's Virilius?"
Delonia: "He's doing well."
Eltron: "Good. It's always good doing business with the de Asuras. So, anyway, for only three slaves I can only give you half as many poisons as I gave you last time. Maybe I can throw in some glitter ink; you seemed to like it."
Meanwhile, Chuck looks around the house. He notices some knotholes in one of the side walls, around eye level. He can't tell if there are eyes in them, but there is no light shining through them.
Delonia: "Speaking of Virilius, he asked me...he had a deal he wanted to discuss a deal with Sysy. I have to negotiate with her and her alone."
Eltron: "You can't talk to me about it?"
Delonia: "I was instructed to talk to her alone for this one."
Eltron: "Okay, but only because you represent one of our best customers. Virilius is Virilius, so I'll go ask my mistress if she'll talk to you."
Delonia: "Thank you."
Eltron: "Enjoy the refreshments."
He leaves them alone in the guesthouse.
Chuck peers through the holes; it's dark on the other side. He looks at the floor for tracks in the dust. He sees that maybe one of the panels in the wall with the knotholes might be a hidden door. He tries to figure out where it would go, but he didn't get a good look at the house from outside. Eltron comes back with someone who we assume is Sysy, and Delonia greets her. She's a little bigger than Eltron, also with reddish fur, with weird patterns shaved out it, and strange trinkets wovene into the rest. We notice that over the fireplace is a banner, with a red and black design of a skull and serpent inside a star.
Sysy: "What is it you want to discuss, Delonia? It's nice to see you again. Let Virilius. know we're very satisfied with our business."
Paks: (steps forward) "Sorry to tell you this, but we're here to put a stop to this business. We've already put a stop to Virilius."
She pulls out her sword and attacks.
Paks swings, but Sysy dodges. Chuck rushes over and attacks Sysy with his longsword and the glowing dagger, but he misses. Delonia steps over and casts color spray on Sysy and Eltron. Sysy appears to be blinded, but Eltron is fine. He sees Delonia is the source of the spell and attacks her. He tries to claw her with his claws and bite her head off, but he misses. Paks swings at Sysy again and hits her hard.
Those outside can see magical lights streaming out of the doorway. The rat men guards turn to look, turning their backs to the slaves. They talk to each other quickly in rat language, then go forward to investigate.
Rat men: "Holy Mormo, what's going on!?"
They draw their weapons and one heads inside while the other looks in the door. Chuck and Paks swing at the one that went in and Chuck kills him. The other one tries to slash at Chuck from the door, but hits the doorframe instead.
Chuck swings at Sysy and misses, falling over, but hangs on to his weapons. Delonia casts burning hands on the three rat men in range. Eltron screams in pain and falls to the floor. The rat man outside the door dies.
Sysy: "I surrender, please, spare my life!"
Goldpetal hasn't heard this. He jumps out of the cart and runs to the door, swinging at Sysy with a scimitar.
Paks: "Hey, stop!"
Miriel gets out of the cart and watches the herdsmen, suggesting that Milo do the same. Paks puts a sword to Sysy's throat.
Paks: "Don't speak, don't move, don't look at me funny!"
Milo runs to the door and calls for us all get inside and close the door.
None of the rat men in the fields seem to have noticed anything strange.
Chuck stands up. Miriel goes over to the house, goes in, and shuts the door. Chuck improvises a blindfold and gag and manacles Sysy.
Miriel: "Let's take her back to Grilliam."
Milo: "Yes."
Paks: "We're in good shape, do we want to clear out this place?"
Goldpetal: "Do we know we knocked out the leaders?"
Paks: "We think so."
Milo: "Do we want to take that chance?"
Paks: "Let's get 'em while we can."
Miriel: "If we stay, we should question Sysy to find out about the defenses here."
Paks: "We can't trust what she would tell us, and she might try to do a spell."
We discuss it for a while; Paks wants to kill as many as we can, as does Goldpetal. Goldpetal says they're unnatural, Paks says there will be fewer chasing us. Milo suggests we vote. Most of us vote to leave immediately. Paks searches Eltron and Sysy and the dead rat man. While Paks does this, Chuck searches the room. Paks finds some vials in a pouch and two rings on Sysy. The rings are both silver; one has a gold circle mounted on it. She also finds three polished rocks and some spell components, which she takes away. Eltron has 40 silver and nothing else on him, even weapons.
Chuck figures out how to open the secret door. He opens it. Milo turns to Delonia.
Milo: "We voted to leave. Help me get her in the cart."
Delonia: "Give me your cloak."
Chuck sees a small standing area, with a ladder going down. Delonia helps Milo get Sysy wrapped in the cloak.
Miriel: "Chuck, shut that door, block it, and come on out."
Sysy struggles and makes some noises until Paks puts a blade to her throat. Milo and Delonia carry her outside. The slaves in the field notice something doesn't seem right. The rat men herding the horse rats ask what's going on?
Paks: "She gave us a rug!"
The rat men don't buy it. They attack.
Milo drops Sysy and runs over to throw a dart at one of the Slytherin, killing it with a shot through the eye. Paks runs over and attacks another Slytherin, but fumbles and misses, falling to the ground. Miriel comes just out the door and looks over at the slaves, who look like they're in shock. She puts her back to the outside wall of the house and watches the slaves and the battle. A Slytherin hits Paks while she's down, injuring her pretty badly. He shouts something in Slytherin; clearly commanding the horse rats to attack. Chuck moves out the door, drawing his bow, and shoots at the Slytherin attacking Paks; he hits it in the side, but it's still standing. Goldpetal comes out and casts entangle at the horserats and slaves. One of the slaves is free, but the rest are entangled. One of the three attacking horserats is entangled, the other two are free. Delonia yells to ask someone to help her to get Sysy into the cart.
The slaves who aren't entangled run for the hills. The leading horse rat charges towards Milo. The other free one is entangled. The first entangled one tries to break free, but does not succeed. The charging horse rat leaps into the air and lands on Milo, pinning him. He bites Milo, who is now unconscious and bleeding on the ground. Paks stands up and swings at the Slytherin, but misses. Miriel runs over to Delonia and tells her to get the rat off Milo so she can heal him. Delonia tells her to convince the slaves to help. Miriel calls to them "In the name of Madriel, join us!"
Five more rat men come running out of the house behind us. Chuck hears the shouting behind him. He shoots at the horse rat on Milo, but misses. Goldpetal steps up to the horse rat and slices at it with the scimitar, cutting it. Delonia steps over to the approaching rat men and casts burning hands on them. The slaves in the fields see the battle and run away from it towards the large building. The horse rats try to break free again, but fail. The one on top of Milo moves to attack Goldpetal and bites him. Paks swings at the rat man and kills it. Miriel casts cause fear on the rat horse and scares it away. The five rat men attack Delonia. One swings and misses, two more connect. Another runs around to strike at Miriel, hitting her with a critical hit. She's not looking good, but she's still up. The other attacks her, but misses.
Chuck shoots at one of the rat man attacking Delonai and kills it. Goldpetal runs over and attacks one of the rat men attacking Miriel and kills it. Delonia drops behind the party and magic missiles two of the rat men, killing both. The horse rat runs away from Miriel and gets entangled. The other two try to break free; one breaks free and runs away. Paks runs over to Milo and performs first aid. She invokes Madriel and feels a healing power coursing through her hands, and Milo stops bleeding and wakes up, groggy. Miriel swings her spear at the rat man that attacked her, but misses. He hits her; she's knocked out. Chuck shoots at the rat man and kills it. Paks gives Miriel the healing potion, but she's still unconscious. Chuck gives her the ohter and she wakes up. She heals herself.
Paks: (to slaves) "We're here to free you."
Slave: "We were well treated here; much better than in human society. Why should we want to be freed?"
Paks: "You want to stay?:
Slave: "People are poor and hungry in human society."
Paks: "We'll take you to a temple. They'll feed you and clothe you."
Slave: "A temple? Who leads the prayers to Mormo?"
Paks: "They pray to the gods."
Slave: "Traitor gods."
Paks: "I think you've heard a distorted story."
Slave: "Well, that's not what Sysy told us."
Paks: "We're taking Sysy with us. Would you like to come wiht her?"
Slave: (frightened) "What are you doing with Sysy?"
Paks: "She needs to come talk to Grilliam."
Slave: "Grilliam? What are you talking about?"
Two of the slaves drop their tools and back away, then bolt. The other one stays.
Slave: "Don't listen to them, I'm coming with you. I remember what it was like; get me out of here."
Paks: "Are there any other slaves who want to come?"
Slave: "I don't know. There are maybe twenty-five others."
Paks: "How many rat men?"
Slave: "I don't know that, either. There's a complex under here, but it's very dark and I can't see in there."
Paks: "Are there hundreds?"
Slave: "Not hundreds, maybe twenty, maybe fifty. It's all the same to me They smell like rats, look like rats, serve us rat food. Get me out of here!"
Goldpetal throws him a packet of trail rations.
Slave: "People food, thank you!"
Miriel heals Delonia and Goldpetal.
Miriel: "Let's get Sysy in the cart and get out of here." We leave the encampment with the slave, who is armed with one of the scimitars.