Session6A hearing before the CommandantThe party is rounded up and brought into the bottom level of Falcon Tower to sit in judgement under Yadris Klintell, the Commandant of the Lower Baily. A scribe sits at a table with paper and an inkpot in front of him, various books and objects scattered around, and a feather quill poised in his hand to take notes. Soldiers guard the door and the party. Yadris is a well built soldier, as one might expect from a Commandant in the military. He is clean shaven, wears shiny chainmail and a long sword, and has a ring with some red stone on it. Xy liesThe Commandant questions the party; the questioning went along the lines of "Just what the FUCK did you think you were doing?" Xy went into a long tale about her meditations, Sumar-Fareen, the party, etc. Then the Commandant made a sign, and the small egg-shaped stone that Vanessa saw on her entrance the keep was brought forward and put under Xy's chin. As she started to re-tell her story at Yadris' prompting, the stone started to quietly glow. Xy tells the truth (most of it, anyway)The cat being out of the bag, Xy went ahead and told the truth. Or at least, everything she said after that was true. She explained how they were trying to find a way to gain some prestige, and were looking for the rumored "Mines of Chaos" and had heard that there were caverns underneath the Keep. And the party was looking for an entrance behind the waterfall. An easy way out: a QuestYadris is not amused, and assures the party in no uncertain terms that there are no caverns underneath the Keep. He is trying to run a military operation here, and can't have loose cannons disrupting the army's battlemages' spells. A rather hefty fine is levied against the party. Oops. But then, Yadris pauses and gets a thoughtful look on his face. The scribe quietly blots dry his last page of notes, waiting for the Commandant to say anything. Suddenly Yadris barks a command to the soldiers - they are dismissed. After they have filed out, he beckons the party closer to his desk, and suggests that there is perhaps a way they could avoid the fine. The party is all ears. It seems that people have been disappearing in the vicinity of the Fens on the other side of the lake below the Keep. This is not a state the Keep leadership is pleased with, and the party is offered the chance to go on a scouting and clean-up mission, to see if they can find what's been killing people. The party accepts. A trip to the FensArrangements are made, and the party is given - for the first time in a long while - marching orders. After a long argument, Vanessa agrees that the party should all wear hipwaders in the fens, but given the enormity of this fashion faux pas, the party must never speak of this afterward. Joys of boathoodThe party is issued two rowboats for their trip across the lake. ...It turns out no one in the party knows how to row a rowboat. Or swim, for that matter....the lake looks deep. Nonetheless, our heroes arrive on the other side of the lake, and park their boats at the northern edge of the fens. They don their protective swamp-clothing and venture forth on foot! An island in the swampAfter much mucking about amidst the insects and vegetation, watching birds (and maybe other things?) fly overhead, and hearing rustlings and drips in the undergrowth, the party chanced upon a dry spot in the midst of the shallow water...a tiny island with the ruined walls of some structure still adorning it! A rough approximation of the rough map of the island, as prepared by Xy (and later presented to Yadris by the party):  The walls were pretty much falling-down, or were all the way down in places. The party entered by A and found carvings on a stone that led them believe this was some sort of temple. A successful ambushThe party, in an usual show of intelligence, realized there was something under the rubble at B, under some sort of happenstance lean-to created by falling masonry. In an even bigger show of intelligence, they set up an ambush, with the fighters at the ready, and the mage Roger on top of the walls, with his bow out ready to fire. Xy threw a lit stone into the darkness, and as before, got dramatic results. This time it wasn't soldiers issuing out to arrest the party. No, this time it was a pair of hairy monsters bursting out to charge the party! Roger got off an immediate shot, and then found out the hard way that firing from an unstable perch is dicey. In this case, the dice said he couldn't keep his balance, and he started to fall into the rocks below. He had barely enough time to get off a quick "jump" spell, and lept away into the (relatively) soft(er) water, taking only 5 damage. He did manage to hit the creature, tho! The other creatures hit the line of fighters, and it was gruesome and quick. (Xy might have gotten off a quick magic missile?) Oleum skewered one, and Abel sliced deeply into one...and his silver sword /sizzled/ at it cut into the beast. Two dead semi-humanoid wolf-esque monsters lay dead at their feet. The party celebrated with shoulder-clapping and high-fives, while Roger climbed back onto the island, covered in muck, dripping water, and nursing muddy scrapes and bruises. The party eventually searches the lair, and finds:
The Demon GawdThe party explores further and finds a giant idol to some Demon Gawd (located at D on the map). Oleum produced a basic sketch. A rough approximation of the sketch is given here (with plenty of artistic license. Another bit of artistic license is taken on the front of the HM Players Book.).  (The Sketch was later given to Yadris) Noer is interested, but Vanessa is adamant: "NO, NOER. NO." She recognizes the statue as being dedicated to some Demon Gawd, who is thoroughly evil. Further exploration reveals an old camp site with a few scattered objects, heavily damaged by damp. There's a journal with the last pages still barely legable: "...despair and gloom! Leg is fractured. Not going anywhere for the time being. They'll be back tonight. Of that I'm sure. Suddenly my search for the Eyes of Pangyr seems meaningless. What I wouldn't give to be back home in Garvus with..."
Further explorations in the swampThe party continues exploring the swamp, and eventually the fens peter out, as the land reaches up into drier woodlands and heads for mountainous heights. Xy does her best to provide some sort of map of the area, and the party decides to try heading back to the island, because spending a night surrounded by creepy water and buzzing insects is clearly a better idea than camping on the edge in a drier spot. Or maybe there are fewer dragons in the fens. Hard to tell. Anyway... Sleeping by the Demon GawdThe party decides to set up camp next to the giant statue. Noer is interested, but Vanessa is adamant: "NO, NOER. NO." The party sets watches and spend a while gathering as much wood as they can to have fires burning at all the easily-accessible sides of the ruin. Watches:
Early morning noise?Early in the morning, Oleum heard some something on the wall and then some sort of splashing noise in the swamp, and immediately started waking people. Roger looked, and saw what looked to be something sinuous swimming away in the false light of pre-dawn. Noer didn't even bother waking up. Discourse on Keeping WatchDiscussing watch order in as insensitive a way as possible: One-Eyed Matilda "can take a half-watch." Noer on camp safety: "I'll be keeping watch from my tent." Loot gained:
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