Chapter 9, Part II [The Yellow Tail Trail]

[reefwood]

Day 26 - Returning to Briarbog

5:00pm - Staff Sergeant Shaw leads the diplomatic envoy from the lone gate out of New Briar and around the stonewalled city. The first hour through the tall grass covers nearly two-thirds the distance to their destination. Aside from the scattered archers patrolling on top of the stone wall and watching from the occasional tower, no one else seems to even be around to take notice of the foreigners.

6:00pm - The sun is starting to hang low when the envoy reaches the swamp. The ground is soft. The air feels noticeably damper. Wisps of mist rise from the bogs. Staff Sergeant Shaw retraces from memory the path taken by Nimuux. Any signs of settlements are passed at a fair distance, and humanoid shapes can be seen moving about the shanty towns, but none approach.

7:00pm – Sounds of vicious chewing, muffled snorting, and snapping bones emanate from one of the shacks as the envoy approaches. A gruff voice from somewhere inside speaks in Draconic, “Your guests have arrived.” A moment later, Nimuux steps outside. Blood smeared across his snout with tiny white feathers clinging to the thick red mess. Walking behind the wyrmling appears a half-orc. Unarmed yet immense and intimidating. He speaks in Common, "Welcome. We best be moving before too many denizens of the swamp begin to stir."


[OOC: Sunset has just begun. The half-orc will turn out to be Lady Karryx. What I need to know from players is if they want to follow Nimuux on foot or horseback. Also, each PC may bring 1 grunt along, and if so, let me know which one(s). The rest of the envoy will wait at the shacks, or somewhere else if you want them to.

The next post to move the story along will be made by Wednesday afternoon, or sooner if everyone is ready. Though, additional posts to answer questions may be made before then.]

[michael]

5:30pm - Sergeant Shaw addresses his troops as they ride towards the swamp.

"We'll go in on horseback. Four of us will follow our young wyrmling into the swamp. Sweetwater and myself, Private Hunter (my ranger), and Private X (whatever grunt Sahme takes). The rest of you will remain at the shack where we meet with Nimuux."

"Private Y, front and center!" (If Samhe's bard stays behind, it's him. If the bard comes, it's my Fighter 2.) You'll be in charge of the group in the shack. Keep a close watch. If New Briar happens to suspects what we're doing, then we're probably being followed. If you see anyone, just stay out of sight. And let us know." Brion then presses an amulet of sending into the private's hand.

---------

7:00pm - A wide smile breaks across Sergeant Shaw's face as he approaches the wyrmling. "Nimuux, my lad! It's good to see you again!"

He looks over and addresses the half-orc.

"And our greetings to you as well. I agree we should set out soon, but perhaps some introductions are in order before we march into the swamp?" Though his voice is jovial, and his expression warm, the sergeant is wary of this unfamiliar half-orc. They are going behind the back of New Briar, and a stranger tagging along at the last minute is most certainly not welcome.

[reefwood]

7:00pm - Nimuux smiles at Brion, which reveals the sharp teeth recently used to tear apart some creature. Bits of flesh still stuck between them. “Good to see you too,” the wyrmling replies, “and soon the lillycups.”

The half-orc also answers, “Introductions? I take no name in this form. You may address me simply as Ork.” Then, he looks down at Nimuux and says in Draconic, “Manners.”

The wyrmling looks up at the half-orc, puzzled for a moment, and then, leaps over to a nearby pond. He splashes his scaly head into the water and pulls it out free of blood and feathers, “Ready.”

Nimuux takes to the air, and the half-orc follows at a hurried pace. Trudging through swamp is difficult at times, but the riders on horseback are able to keep pace. During the relatively quiet ride, the officers reflect on the words of Captain Whimsir, “We now have a treaty with New Briar. Take no action to endanger it. This foray into the swamp is simply another step toward ensuring its preservation.”

After nearly an hour of flying, Nimuux lands at the edge of a small bog. Most of the surrounding pools of water are murky, but this one is surprisingly clear with a lilly floating at the center. Its purple leaves curled closed. The half-orc speaks up, “Now we wait.” Nimuux lays on the ground with his head level to the flower. Clearly waiting in anticipation of its opening.

The shadows overtook the swamp during the ride, and now the very last traces of light are fading. Not a problem for some members of the group, but the humans and horses will soon struggle to see much of anything.

8:00 - The sun having set, its counterpart now rises above the horizon. Rays of scattered moonlight dart between the gangly trees and rising fog. One shines down onto the clear bog. Within minutes, the petals begin to spread. Slowly. A good half hour passes before the flower is completely open and the “yellow tail” is standing a foot tall. By this point, another flower can be seen some 40 feet away to the southeast - its tail just now rising. Wide-eyed, Nimuux speaks without taking his gaze off the flower, “They continue on. One after the other. I do not know for how long.”

“And you will not learn tonight,” the half-orc says, “It is time for us to head home.” Then, he turns to the officers, “We have led you to the trail, but it is yours alone to take. Best of luck in finding what you seek.”


[OOC: Sahme's Bard mage has been left in charge of the “shack” group with Brion's amulet of sending that I believe has 1 usage left right now, and since Brion already has a Ranger going with the PCs, Sahme's Fighter will be the other NPC following Nimuux. It took about 50 minutes to ride 2 miles east through the swamp.

Anyone using a light source? It is now 8:30pm and dark (50% miss chance), and it is getting foggier as time passes. Horses have low-light vision, so a torch has bright light for 40 ft for them, but for humans, it is just 20 ft. And shadowy light extends for double those lengths. One torch or light spell will be good to cover all the horses with bright light if you stick together but maybe not for all the riders unless you stick super close together.

So yeah, give me a rough idea of what order you want to march if you ride anywhere and who has light sources.]

[michael]

"We thank you for your assistance, brave Nimuux. You as well, Lady Karryx." His guess at the half-orc's identity was only that, but after traveling with them for an hour, Brion felt confident enough to make the guess aloud.

As he watched their guides turn to march home, the sergeant motioned for Private (Sahme's Fighter) to approach. With a word and a touch from his commander, the private's sword began to emit a white light. "Corporal Sweetwater, light Private Hunter's weapon. You two take point. Private Fighter, you take up the rear."

(ORDER: Sahme will take the lead, since he has darkvision. My ranger will be right beside to him, since he's best at navigating the swamp. I'll be ten feet behind them, and Sahme's fighter will be 10 feet behind me. Both of our grunts have Light cast on their weapons.)

[reefwood]

8:30pm - Ork gives Brion a look at the use of the name Lady Karryx but says nothing. He simply steps into a shallow bog. Standing firm for a moment with the water up his knees. Then, the half-orc appears to sink, but it soon becomes clear that he is actually shrinking. And sprouting feathers. His arms turn into wings and begin to flap. Within seconds, a great horned owl lifts out of the ratty clothing that sinks into the murky water. The man-turned-bird climbs into the darkness with Nimuux following close behind.

The “yellow tails” are easy enough to follow, though, they do not lead in a straight line. Usually, the last one reached is within Sahme's view of the next one, but once in a while, a bit of searching is required, and there are never more than a few lined up the same exact direction. It is certainly a winding trail.

The mist continues to rise and thicken as the night goes on, but as visibility lessens, the buzz of insects and frog songs provide plenty of stimulation for the ears.

9:00pm - An occasional breeze causes bushes to rustle or branches to sway overhead. Each such noise or movement is met with caution but turns out to be no creature or other danger. Until a soft splash lands behind the rear rider. Everyone turns their steed toward the source. Several yards through the shadowy mist stands a cloaked figure. Gloved hands pull back the hood to reveal a half-elf. One who Sahme immediately recognizes from the prior evening as the archer who tossed a thunderstone his way on the rooftop earlier in the day before disappearing into the alleys.

The half-elf steps forward into the light. Glints of metal reflect through his half open cloak. On his chest. At his side. With a bow and pack strapped to his back. “I am Whisper. One of your guides and protectors from this point. The rest of the way, however, is not for your eyes.” He takes off the pack, opens the top, and pulls out several small cloth sacks.


[OOC: Whisper wants to place a cloth sack over the head of each Nemedoran solider and horse.
Take 10 on Perception for Sahme (20), Private Hunter (20 in swamp), Brion (14), Private Fighter (10)
The fog is thick enough to cause a 10% miss chance on attack rolls.

The next post will be made Sunday night.]

[Rabbit]

“Protector? Ha, you switch roles rather quickly.” Sahme says to Whisper. His voice has a trace of fake mockery, but his eyes show respect. Whisper has fought with them once before and survived. He also just got the jump on them (that's twice.)

Looking down at the sacks in Whisper’s hand Corporal Sweetwater continues; “And I’m not one to put my neck on the butcher’s block. I know your face. In battle, just yesterday, we took the lives of your comrades. What gaurantee do we have that revenge is not what you seek?”

[OOC: Sahme is putting up a tough front but Shaw knows that Sahme will go with what ever he decides. And my fighter’s name is Private Boho.]

[reefwood]

Whisper steps closer to the group. Almost within reach of Private Boho. His voice remains calm, “I wear different hats as needed, but my aim remains the same, and it is not revenge. Quite the contrary, as you will learn if you allow... us to escort you.” The cloaked half-elf mimics the croak of a frog. Sahme and Private Hunter hear a twig snap behind them. Looking over their shoulder, they see another cloaked figure - a bit shorter and bulkier than Whisper - beside a hedgerow. The broken twig held in a gloved hand. As their gaze returns to the half-elf, Sahme catches sight of another person. This one rising out of a bog to their left and beyond reach of the light. Everyone then notices when several leaves fall slowly between the riders. Looking up, someone high in the branches is waving down with an open hand. Finally, a knock draws attention to one more person perched halfway up a tree trunk to the right of the group. "If it were your lives we wanted," Whisper adds, "why alert you to our presence?"

[reefwood]

9:00pm - Brion rubs his neck. Remembering the iron grip that held him fast during the ambush. Unable to even pray for strength from Gorum. He had been surrounded and at the mercy of these strangers. Yet, they did him no real harm.

Keeping his gaze on Whisper, Brion first addresses Sahme, “Stand down Corporal. We have not come this far to turn around now. We will allow them to guide us for the time being.” The Staff Sergeant then rides up beside Private Boho to address Whisper more directly, “Know that Gorum is the one I truly follow, so should you lapse in your task, I promise that he will take over.” Or so he hopes, despite the stiffness still in his neck.

Whisper hands one cloth sack to Staff Sergeant Shaw and wraps another over the eyes of his steed. The half-elf repeats this process with each Nemedoran soldier and mount. Meanwhile, the other cloaked figures close in on the group. Hoods still up and their faces covered. Each one stopping besides a steed. “Worry not. You are our guests. Give us no trouble, and we will do the same. Now, it is time for us to get going.”

Once the Nemedorans cover their heads, the steeds begin to move. Each presumably guided by a cloaked figure with Whisper leading the way, and the way is even more winding than the “yellow tail” trail. The group seems to never travel for more than a few minutes before slightly altering their course. As the night goes on, it feels like the horses have been led in every possible direction at least twice over.

Much more than an hour has passes until the group finally comes to a stop. Whisper speaks up again, “We are nearly at our destination. The horses cannot continue, but my people will keep them safe. If each of you will dismount and take hold of the rope I hand you, we can continue.”


[OOC: Whisper is proposing to lead the Nemedorans on foot but still head-covered by using a rope for everyone to hold and follow.

The next post will probably go up by the end of Friday.]

[Rabbit]

Sahm keeps silent during the lenghty ride through the swamp. It is not long before he begins to question the amount of twists and turns they are taking. They’re spinning us through the swamp so we loose our way. Clever. As best he can, Sahme keeps track of the route while trying to discount the excessive turns and keep his focus on the greneral direction they are heading.

Without sight he turns his concentration to the senses he still has full use of. The corporal listens to the sounds of his guides and the sounds of the swamp. What changes? Does anyone speak? What do they say? He even breathes deeply through his nose to smell what he can.

“We are nearly at our destination. The horses cannot continue, but my people will keep them safe. If each of you will dismount and take hold of the rope I hand you, we can continue.”

Sahm dismounts and then holds out a hand, “Give me the damn rope.”

[reefwood]

Whisper leads the men on foot through a few more twists and turns before stopping again, “We will climb down a rope ladder. Not far” Leaves and branches brush against bodies to reach a small opening in the ground. Barely wide enough for the bulkier men to fit. Though, the ladder is easy enough to manage, even without sight, by taking it slow and careful. The air grows considerably drier and cooler as the group descends several yards. The bottom area opens up just enough to be comfortable, but the cold, rocky walls are still within arm's reach, and the taller men must take care to keep their heads lowered.

Another half hour or so goes by as Whisper winds the group through a seeming maze of tunnels. Both wider and more narrow at points than the first. Also, a number of them slant down or up, though, none too steep. Eventually, Sahme feels the rope ahead of him go limp, and a new voice speaks up, “Welcome. Please, remove your head coverings”

Standing before the group is a halfling. White hair matches a white robe that is held fast by a purple and black beaded belt. No other items are obvious on his person. Even his feet stand bare against the uneven stone floor. His hands are clasped togher, and he nods politely at the Nemedorans.

The only light comes from the glowing weapons of the Privates, and for the humans, this illuminates a high ceiling, but the only walls in sight are that of complete darkness. Sahme fares somewhat better. Enough to see that the ceiling is actually dome-shaped, and several cloaked figures stand along a ledge halfway between the ceiling and floor.


[OOC: The rope ladder led down a Small opening, so you were squeezing while climbing down. The bottom started out as a 5-ft wide tunnel, but it got bigger a few times, and you also had to squeeze again a couple times.

The ceiling is 30 ft high and dome-shaped. Only Sahme can see far enough into the darkness to see that the ceiling slopes down to a ledge, but as the wall continues to slope further away below the ledge, he cannot see the bottom 10 ft of the wall. It is just darkness to him too.]

[reefwood]

Day 27 - The Follower of Starlight

12:00am - The halfling goes on to explain why he feels that all is not right with the Council. His concern is chiefly raised by unsettling events which have affected those in position to elect the Archcleric. Over the past year, several highpriests in the Ministry have fallen victim to ill circumstances.


[OOC: First, a little lesson/reminder on New Briar government. I meant to post all of this with the introductory info from Chapter 9 but ran short on time, and then, didn't want to overload you with info. Anyway..

The government is run by a 3-person Council:
Mayor Donovan Reegan – elected by citizens
Archcleric Kilvir Stoneroot – elected by the Ministry (highpriest of Abadar)
Guildmaster Prah'el Moonleaf – elected by the Guild House (leader of the Mining Guild)

The Mayor is elected by the citizens of New Briar.

The Archcleric is elected by the highpriests in the Ministry. When it was established, the altars of 7 deities were given a place inside: Erastil, Iomedae, Torag, Saranae, Shelyn, Abadar, Irori (the Pathfinder Rules thread has basic info on all the deities). Major temples (Abadar, Torag, Saranae) have 3 highpriests and minor temples have 1 highpriest. Each highpriest may cast 1 vote for the Archcleric, so the votes each temple can cast depends on their number of worshippers, which can change over time, so the total number of voters can also vary. Highpriests usually hold their rank until they die or retire, as does the Archcleric. Additionally, there are other temples in New Briar, some with more worshippers than the minor temples in the Ministry, but they cannot vote for the Archcleric because they are not in the Ministry, and the largest of these temples is that of Pharasma.

The Guildmaster is elected by the Guild House. Similar to the altars in the Ministry, there are 7 seats in the Guild House, and they are given to the leaders of the most profitable guilds. Each guild elects its own leader, and each seat may cast 1 vote for the Guildmaster. This gives a total of 7 votes, and the number never changes, but the guilds that are given a seat can change every year based on profits, and the leader of each guild can change more or less often than that. The guilds who currently have a seat at the Guild House are (starting with the most profitable) are: Mining, Smiths, Banking, Farmers, Architecture, Weavers, Mercenary. Guilds that have had a seat in the past include: Hunters, Logging, Mages.

You would have received all this info in the briefing before departing for New Briar (all the way in Chapter 8!), and you don't have to memorize it, but it may be useful for understanding what the halfling says.]


Continuing...

A highpriest of Torag left 10 months ago to visit family in Ione. However, the ship carrying Kendrik Phee (human male) never made it to the port city, and there is no evidence of what happened to it. Some speculate that it was attacked by sahuagin raiders, but they have not been spotted venturing this close to shore in years.

A highpriestess of Sarenae was found dead 6 months ago in Briarbog. Diah'ni Lumen (half-elven female) often ventured outside the city to care for those ailing in the shanty town and served as an advocate for those who wanted to return to New Briar but had obstacles to overcome, such as poverty or exile.

The highpriest of Shelyn was exiled 3 months ago. An avid painter and sculptor, Nor'an Oakseed (elven male) was convicted of practicing dark arts. The key evidence was a tome and stash of components for use in a ritual to devote oneself to the evil god Rovagug. Nor'an admitted that some of the components were obtained by him, but that they were for use in making textured paints, and that other components and ritual tome must have been placed in his home by others. There is no word on where Nor'an went after his sentence carried him out of New Briar.

Most recently, a highpriest of Abadar was grievously injured during the rescue operation of a mining accident. One of the deeper mithral mines had a collapse last week, and Ordol Thundersmith (dwarf male) led the effort to reach the trapped miners. A second collapse took the lives of several rescuers, and while Ordol survived, he appears to have suffered major brain injury and will not be able to continue as highpriest. This leaves the Church of Abadar with only 2 highpriests, including Archcleric Stoneroot, until a lower priest is elevated to replace Ordol, though, that should not take long.

Additionally, some of the Mayor's staunchest supporters may now be among the dead in Ione, and links are growing deeper between the Ministry and Guild House. The force sent to help defend Ione included leaders in the militia very loyal to the Mayor, several local heroes that endorsed the Mayor, and a few wealthy citizens who supported his campaign. Some worry that this will weakened the influence of the Mayor among the Council. Meanwhile, the Church of Abadar has always provided priests to assist the Mining Guild which has long had a seat in the Guild House, but just this year, the revived Mercenary Guild has earned a seat and boasts several templars of Abadar and Torag among its ranks. Also, a few priests who serve Torag have opened shops and joined the Smiths Guild.

The halfling does not know exactly to what end these events may lead, but he has grown wary. He worries that the separate branches of government are blurring and that the city is being steered toward valuing order over fairness.


[OOC: The Bard Mage determined the starlight is a reference to Desna - a chaotic good goddess. She was once the disciple of the ancient god Curchanus who held dominion over beasts and travel until he was lured into a trap by the demon lord Lamashtu. The trap weakened him enough for her to steal away his dominion over beasts. This imbued Lamashtu with enough divine power to ascend to godhood but mortally wounded Curchanus - who in turn gifted his remaining dominion of travel to Desna before he died.]


5:00am - After meeting with the halfling, Whisper led the Nemedorans back through the tunnels, up the rope ladder, to their horses, and guided them back to the yellow tail trail from where Staff Sergeant Shaw retraced their path, and they finally arrive back at the dilapidated shacks where Captain Nola Whimsir and the rest of the envoy have been waiting. Pushing their steeds hard through the swamp, they return to main gate of New Briar an hour later as the first rays of daylight peak over the horizon.


[OOC: I kind of fudged the return time during the last session because I couldn't find the numbers. I said 3am, but you actually made it back to the city at 6am. Not that it particularly mattered, especially since you just hung out in the city that day, but just to give you the proper sense of time...moving at normal speed, it took:
- 2 hrs to reach the Nimuux shacks
- 1 hr to reach the first yellow tail
- 30 min waiting for the flower to bloom
- 30 min along the yellow tail trail when approached by Whisper
- 2 hrs blindfolded on horseback
- 1 hr on foot to rope ladder and through tunnels]