Loose threads Goop exuding tree, Watcher's Tribe Kobolds
Participants
Alena Daywalker Tabor Sigurd Kestrel Orvasa Windsong
Locations Avis River Basin
Short summary:
Travelling through the River Basin we encountered a number of large bugs before reaching a strange tree and collecting a sample of its goop.
Full Report
Following up on reports of a tree believed to be similiar to that encountered during the "Getting Antsy" expiditions we - that being Alena, Tabor, Sigurd, Windsong and myself, Orvasa - set off from the city to the Avis River Basin, travelling initially via boat. Shortly after our arrival we encountered the remains of a boar that upon inspection had had its insides consumed by an insect of some kind, one which would have had to be quite large to consume the beast. We decided to burn the remains in case there was some kind of infection that could spread to anything that fed on the little left. It was shortly after this that we were attacked by what I assume to be culprits, a pair of very large bugs - about the size of a husky - that had strange, pulsing and glowing green markings. We were able to deal with them without too much trouble, though Sigurd discovered that they produce a paralytic venom they can inject through their proboscis.
After tending to the wounds that were received during the fight we continued on, Alena able to find a trail that seemed to have been left by a number of bugs. After following the trail for a while we began to hear a buzzing sound similiar to a mosqito - if one rather oversized. We attempted to ambush the bug, but were unable to conceal ourselves well enough and the fight that followed proved to be somewhat more dangerous than the last, with Windsong ending up partially digested and Tabor also taking quite a beating. Our attempts to tend to their wounds didn't go quite so well, and after a bit of searching I led the group away from the trail to a spot out of the path of the bugs to try and better tend to the wounds. After repeated attempts Sigurd and I were able to tend to Tabor's wounds, but Windsong's proved to be beyond us. While we discussed our best course of action we heard voices approaching, which were revealed to belong to three Kobolds of the Watcher's Tribe. Alena and Sigurd were able to speak with them, and were informed that we were in their holy land - a fact they weren't entirely happy with, but knew that we'd leave quicker if allowed to continue with what we were there for. They were aware of the tree and in fact were tasked with watching the land for the 'taint' as they called it and destroying it. They insisted that the charge was theres and that we were too vulnerable to the taint, and warned us to be vigilant. The one that seemed to their leader gave us some enchanted fruit to help us heal before continuing on their own duty.
Returning to the trail we followed it onwards, and found the tree - a twisted thing dripping with green goop, and surrounded by swarms of bugs feasting on the goop. After some discussion we made use of a tactic used during the ant investigation and disguised ourselves with the remains of the mosqito to more easily approach the tree, as well as starting a fire at some distance to draw away as many as we could. Once we were able to examine it closer we decided that we could likely damage the tree, but that we would be unable to destroy it before being swarmed and overwhelmed, so we gathered a sample for the guild and retreated to report.