We had a short session last night! Not much happened aside from character stuff and travelling so this is mostly going to be an exposition dump. Typing this at my grandmas since my phone is dead so ill edit stuff in when I get home later. [u][b] Day 17[/b][/u] [i]Now with actual daylight! Sort of… The Nerulian Marshes…Wetlands? Swamps, Bogs, whatever. It’s cold, wet, and the sun rarely pierces the grey haze above. Some notes about this land:[/i] [spoiler]-not very large. About 2 weeks travel by foot. -more trees to the north until you go from swamps and giant bugs to jungles and cannibalistic elves -the south is mostly tall grass until it merges with the sea -only one road, the Travelers Road, connecting the Ferneli Empire to the west with the country of Atamar to the east -there’s also a large river winding the center of the land flowing north to south -the natives of these lands, Nerans, are mostly known as travelling traders and entertainers, but they also have a few isolated villages deep in the marshes as well as two large towns. They’re also known in a few circles for trading secrets and fencing stolen goods… I may have worked with them in the past -where the river and the road intersect is the town called the Crossroads, ruled by “The Bandit Queen.” According to Gabby its just an old title for the current owner of the Tavern Palace. -following the river south from there is the town of Darkwater, built on stilts in the deeper waters where the river and the sea meet. It’s a popular stop for sailors since it’s the only port between the two nations for weeks at sea. There is no ruler in Darkwater aside from those with coin to spend. [/spoiler] [i]We began the morning by arguing what to do next. Stubbles and Gabby want to head to the Crossroads and lay low for a bit, Alistair and I want to head back to the Empire and tie up loose ends, Drahg just stood there staring off into the swamps, Maria sat off to the side brooding and taking care of her swords, and RedRoot had no real opinion. Then Drahg suddenly turned to the grouo and growled, “I’m going east,” and began marching into the swamp. Maria shrugged and joined him, followed shortly by RedRoot. The rest of us decided it was probably smarter to stick together for now until we reach civilization again. … We walked for hours. Progress is slow due to the mud and grass…for the others atleast. I just flutter between bushes and shoulders trying to make conversation, I figure if we’re going to be sticking together for a while we might as well get to know each other! We didn’t really get to talk freely with the guards watching us in the Dwarven City. Stubbles loves telling jokes and stories. He’s always smiling and laughing…unless you mention dwarves. He was apparently disowned by his family after a prank went horribly wrong. I feel like under all his smiling personas he’s actually a sad old man… Gabby loves to talk about everything but herself. We still don’t even know why she was locked up in the first place. I doubt it was just for being a Goblin. I suspect she’s a psycho killer and I’m gonna wake up to find everyone else’s throats slit. She’s just too upbeat. Its creepy. Drahg mostly grunts. RedRoot is kind but talks soooo sloooowly. Alistair is an ass. Then there’s Maria. We finally managed to get Drahg to relent so we could catch our breath for a bit and I got to thinking…Maria hasn’t said a single word. Ever. I flew over and perched on her knee to ask if she even could speak. She glared down at me and then pulled her coat and scarf down to reveal three large gashes across her throat. So I cast Message. ([u][b]SIDE NOTE[/u]: I screwed up because Message isn’t telepathic communication but our GM hand waved it away because he liked it[/b]) and told her we could communicate this way. She was surprised at first but then was ecstatic she could finally talk to someone! She told me her story and I relayed it to the rest of the group. She and her father lived outside of a small village in northern Atamar, where they made a living as hunters. A local farmer had hired them to stop whatever was killing his livestock and they had managed to track it deep into the woods. That’s where they were ambushed by a small pack of werewolves. Her father was killed and she would have died too if a group of Slayers hadn’t shown up. They killed a few of them and ran the rest off, but instead of chasing them to finish the job, they stabilized her and took her to a nearby witch. The witch saved her life, but the curse of Lycanthropy had already taken hold. The witch performed a ritual to help her control her inner beast and Maria joined the Slayers using her skills as a hunter with the perks of her curse to protect others from the monsters that prey on mortals…but not everyone appreciated their work. Her group was working in the Empire, tracking down whoever was responsible for missing caravans on a backwoods road. They were traveling with a caravan as mercenaries, using them as bait to lure out their prey, when they were ambushed by them. Just a very well-organized group of bandits. They were prepared for beasts, not men armed with crossbows. It was a massacre…for all parties involved. Maria saw her friends and the merchants dying and lost control. When she woke up, she was in bandages in the back of a prison cart. They didn’t know what she was, they just assumed by her attire and scars that she was with the bandits and sent her to the mines without a trial. And we know the rest. Everyone sat in silence before Drahg actually showed an emotion by sitting beside her and putting one of his massive hands on her shoulder. Even Alistair was moved! We all talked a bit more before Maria suggested her and I do some hunting, I don’t think she likes all the attention. We managed to snag a few rabbits! Brought them back to the camp, prepared them, ate up, and set up watch shifts for the night. Maria and I took first watch because we’re best friends now. I told her my tale, it only seemed fair, and she promised to help me find those responsible for my set up if I help her hunt down the remaining bandits and finish the job![/i] [u][b]Day 18[/b][/u] [i]The night was pretty quiet aside from strange yellow lights moving through the woods. RedRoot says they’re wisps and suggests not following them. We set off again at first light, seeing no signs of civilization until we came to a few trees with odd ornaments hanging from their branches. Alistair, examined them and the surrounding area and then his shoulders slumped as he announced, “Oh shit…we just tripped an Alarm spell…” So I guess I should stop narrating this and actually pay attention now...bye![/i] I ended this like a story instead of a journal entry because I was tired and dumb....also not exactly sure how else to end it anyway since we stopped playing for the night after that event. Meh ¯\_(ಠ_ಠ)_/¯