Previously: Chapter 22: Northward Bound
Stocking Up
Looking around the small town, Demetrius decides he needs to fix his armor as soon as possible, as it got quite torn up by the Wyverns. He asks around and is led towards a leatherworker that may be able to help him. On his way there, next to the leatherworker, he notices a young half-elf woman working on some blacksmithing. Putting on his charm, he tries to get her attention, asking if she knows how to fix his armor. She looks at the armor, and says that she only works with heavy metals, and if it’s leather armor he is seeking, he should ask Thokk next door. Demetrius asks for her name, and she introduces herself as Ida. Ida doesn’t seem particularly interested in his advances, so keeps the conversation professional, but does laugh a bit at his jokes. When Demetrius tries to show off his daggers, she seems unimpressed, asking him to be careful, and calls out to Thokk, saying he has a customer.
A large half-orc man comes wandering out the next-door building. He sees Demetrius and his ruined armor, and grabs his shoulder to pull him inside, saying he can help him with his problem. When they enter, he easily tosses Demetrius around to inspect the armor, and having gotten a thorough examination, he says that it would take quite a while to repair, but that he also has a lot of armor for sale. Demetrius looks around, and can see a large selection of various light armors, with Thokk showing off a quick change armor for easily donning and doffing, but it proves too expensive for him.
Demetrius is given a few armors to try out in the back, and when he emerges, he notices that Thokk has moved some stock around, to try to draw attention to the various chairs and tables he has for sale, asking if he is in need of furnishings as well. Demetrius tells him that they are of little use right now as he’s on the road, but Demetrius offers to barter for the armor using some of the hides they have picked up over their journeys. Thokk just stares back at the large pile of various animal hides, saying that unless it’s a particularly rare hide, like a displacer beast or equal, then he could be interested. Demetrius embellishes, and claims to have single-handedly taken down a wyvern or two, and could come back with that hide, which gets Thokk interested. Demetrius makes no promises, but if he finds more wyverns then he will return, and ends up buying new leather armor to replace his destroyed one. As he leaves to rejoin the others, he waves at Ida, who waves politely back.
The Honest Tankard
As Demetrius returns to the party, they have been looking around for a stable to board their horses, but they work mostly on the honor system, with everyone watching over each other's mounts to make sure nobody steals anything. They decide to head for the closest inn, and find a tavern called The Honest Tankard with a hitching post outside, so they leave their cart in the alley, hitch their horses and heads inside.
When they enter the premises, they find that the clientele are mostly humans, some half-orcs, half-elves and elves. Surprisingly enough they can also spot an orc, which is a rare sight to see outside of the Thax'ning Tribes to the north. There is also a mysterious figure sitting in a dark corner, barely illuminated, and in the middle of the tavern some well dressed goblins are eating a meal.
Behind the bar, a half-orc woman is seen cleaning some tankards. She’s wearing an eyepatch, and hanging over the bar on the wall behind her there is a well worn shield, as well as a great axe with some gold trimmings on it. Penny walks up to her and asks if she has any rooms available for the group, and she in a warm and welcoming manner says that of course she does. Granny and Willowbark decide that they want to sleep outside again, but are staying for drinks and food.
The barmaid, who introduces herself as Eliza the Strong, asks the party if they would like a round of the local specialty, Sprigwyn Iced Tea. They ask what makes it so special, and she replies that it has a magical effect, different for each swig. The party is intrigued, and orders a round, but Granny doesn’t like to drink, so she orders a kale smoothie. Eliza leads them to a table, and brings over their drinks.
Drinking the liquor, it tastes quite delicious, and the party immediately notices the various effects that it causes. Demetrius suddenly appears to be dripping wet, and tells the others that he can taste salt water in his mouth. Kal suddenly hears someone speaking incoherently, and realizes that it’s Corn. She gets close to him, but realizes that he just wants food. Penny changes looks, with her skin becoming yellow-green, and her hair turns dark green, while her eyes become orange, and she shrinks a bit. Theren turns completely gray, as if someone drained all the colors from him. Willowbark freezes completely for about a second or two, before coming back, but she didn’t notice anything, indicating that she skipped time for a second or two. Kal tries to feed some to Corn, and as he drinks, he suddenly disappears, and reappears at the next table over. The party laughs at the weird effects, and finds the drink to be quite pleasant at the same time.
The party looks around at the patrons again, with Willowbark pointing out that the fellow sitting in the corner appears to be a firbolg. He has a small bird with him that flies around the tavern before returning to him. She considers going over to talk to him, but has to work up the courage first.
Penny and Kal walk up to the bar to get more drinks, and Kal uses the opportunity to ask her about the shield an axe hanging behind the counter, and she tells her it was from her time as an adventurer, and it’s a way for her to show that she is not to be messed with. Her bar, her rules so to say. Penny tells her that she loved the drinks, which pleases Eliza. She tells them that there is a stronger version for sale that could enhance their powers, but it’s a little more expensive, coming in at 150 gp for a bottle holding nine portions. They tell her they will have to think about it, with their budget being stretched already.
Penny asks Eliza about the goblins that seem to be surprisingly civilized, and she replies that they are on their honeymoon. Penny thinks that is quite beautiful, so she goes over to them, congratulates them on their marriage, and offers to play them a song for free, as a wedding gift. They at first appear quite skittish, being among all the bigger races, but accept, and sit there waiting for her performance.
She starts playing, which causes the whole tavern to pay attention, with smiles all around, and delivers a great performance, prompting cheers and claps from the audience. The goblins however, sit there stone faced during the entire performance, and when she finishes, claps politely in a synchronized manner. The rest of the party figures they probably have been to a theater, and gotten the impression that all applause should be delivered in this manner. Penny thanks them for their time, and wishes them a pleasant day.
Theren goes up to the bar after Penny and Kal have returned to the table, and begins asking Eliza about the rumored mistfields that they have heard a bit about. She tells him that she doesn’t recommend going there at all if they can avoid it, seeing as it is almost impossible to see anything in front of you, even in broad daylight. If they insist on going, keep a fast pace and bring someone who can guide you, or don’t go at all. She definitely recommends leaving the horses behind, as they will only slow them down. Theren says they are quite capable, so he’s not worried, listing wyverns, giants and dragons as having fallen to them. She wishes them luck on their journey.
The Ranger
Willowbark finally shakes off the buzz from the liquor, and goes over to talk to the mysterious firbolg sitting in the corner. As she gets closer and gets a clearer view, she can see that his armor seems to be emanating small tendrils of mists and fog. He has gray skin and a red bushy beard. He doesn’t seem to be very talkative, but doesn’t protest when Willowbark asks to sit down, so she does.
She begins asking him questions about where he is from, considering he is a fellow firbolg, but he counters by asking her where she is from. She sits there for a few seconds, and struggles to remember the common name for her forest, before remembering, telling him she’s from Spiral Woods. He responds by saying he is from the local area around Thielheim. She seems surprised by this, and tells him she assumed he was from one of the tribes, and tells him she’s from the Tribe of Elm. It doesn’t seem to ring any bell, and he tells her that he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
Seemingly annoyed that someone is asking him questions, he tells her that she should know that one does not sit in a dark corner in a tavern alone if one wishes to speak with others., but she counters by saying that he should not have invited her to sit with him. He replies that he didn’t invite her, he just didn’t object when she asked to sit down. She tries to smooth over the tensions by saying her name, but he laughs, saying that’s a funny name, wondering why he chose it. He presents himself as Verkenner.
She asks him what he does, and he tells her that he guides people through the mists. Willowbark tells him that this is a wonderful coincidence, as they just so happen to be traveling through the mists, which prompts him to ask how many they are. When told they are six, with a couple of horses, he tells them he can lead them through for 100 gold per person. Willowbark thinks for a bit, and thinks that she should have the rest of the party here to discuss.
Wandering over to Kal, she tells her that she found a guide who can lead them through the mists for 600 gold pieces in total. Demetrius sneaks up to them to listen, being curious about the mysterious firbolg. Willowbark explains to them that he is a guide, but Demetrius believes him to be a spy. She doesn’t understand what he means, but Demetrius remains suspicious. Willowbark says that she is confused why the word for guide can mean so many things, as the guide in her tribe leads people in a spiritual sense over the physical sense. They realize they have to leave most of the horses behind, considering what Eliza said about them being a burden, only taking a couple to drag the cart.
Penny, having overheard this, orders a beer for Verkenner and walks over to him with it, with the rest of the gals joining him around the table. They try to bargain with him, and he eventually gives in when Theren mentions that they are also looking for flail snails, saying he can have a cut of the profits from that, but Kal tells him that they would rather pay him in gold in that case. Verkenner says that in that case he would require the payment up front. Demetrius suddenly appears, smoking the magical pipe they found in Wave Echo Cave, asking if he would stab them in the back if he gets all the money up front, but he genuinely would not, as far as he can tell.
Verkenner thanks Penny for the beer as he finishes it, and rises, telling the party that they will leave at dawn, and that he will meet them outside the inn. He calls out “Rafik! Come!”, and the small bird they saw earlier comes flying up to him, landing on his shoulder, as they depart. Penny leans back and starts singing a song about being lost in the woods. Wanting to feel fresh before heading out for an extended period, Kal asks Eliza if they have a bath available, and everyone decides to take one except Granny.
To prepare, as they notice that Thielheim doesn’t have any stables, they ask around for anyone to hold on to their horses while they are gone, and they find a farmer who is willing to keep an eye on them. They decide to bring Speed and Henry the Ate with them to the mountains. The farmer says that if they’re not back for a few weeks, he’s going to sell the horses, much to Willowbark’s objections. He tells her that if they don’t come back they can’t stop him anyway. Willowbark tells Penny that they have to return quickly, as she doesn’t want the rest of the horses to be lost.
Guided Tour
The morning after, at dawn, Verkenner is waiting outside the tavern for the rest of the party to wake up, so that they can leave in a timely manner. Willowbark and Granny have woken up early to be ready, and they show up first. Willowbark tries to introduce the horses to him, but he tells them he does not want to remember their names. It makes it easier when they get lost on the way. Granny thinks that’s a bleak way to look at things, as she’s sure they’re all going to make it fine.
When the rest of the party finally wakes up and makes their way outside, they start heading west, with Verkenner scouting ahead, looking for dangers on the road. Rafik, the bird, flies above and helps him look for trouble. As he does this, the journey goes quite well, and they avoid being ambushed by monsters or bandits in the night. Seems Verkenner really knows his way around.
At the end of the second day of travel, they finally reach the beginning of the mist fields, and they are not something that can easily be missed. A few hundred feet from the road there is a wall of mists that reaches as far as they can see. It seems to be contained by an invisible field, but it can be seen trying to reach outwards, but being forced back. In the distance they can see the Twilight Peaks above the field. Verkenner says that they will rest outside the mist fields for tonight, and then try to travel through it in one day, not wanting to go through it at night. As the party sets up camp, Verkenner wanders into the mist fields, and the party can see that he becomes one with the mists, disappearing among them, before returning shortly after, and says he can’t see anything dangerous nearby.
During the night, as the party keeps watch, they can all hear whispers coming from the mists, trying to lure them in. Willowbark asks Penny if she heard them, but Penny just shows her that she has written Kal’s name in the book, making improvements. She wonders out loud how the mists stay in place, and if it maybe is a curse. Verkenner approaches, and says it’s impossible to remove the mists. Many have tried over the years, and that it has been there for as long as he can remember.
During Granny and Verkenners shift, they chat a bit about enjoying their travels, while Rafik and Pip are having a conversation in bird in front of them. Verkenner admits that he does appreciate company, but that he has lost too many people on his travels, so he wishes not to be hurt again. Granny says that it is okay, she’s only died once so far, it’s not too bad. He doesn’t respond to this, but just stares at Rafik and Pip.
Demetrius takes his shift alone, and tries to distract himself from the voices he can hear calling to him from within the mists, being thoroughly creeped out. When he wakes Kal and Theren for the final watch, he tells them to be careful about the mists, as they try to talk to you. They look at eachother, creeped out, and as the keep a lookout they swear they see shadows moving from within the mists.
The Mists
When the rest of the party wakes up to Kal’s cooking, Verkenner seems very eager to get moving quickly, not wanting to be stuck in the mists at night. The party gathers their things, puts them in the cart, with Willowbark talking to the horses, telling them that they have to follow their lead, or they might get lost, and they don’t want that. Verkenner and Granny go first, to lead the rest of the party through the unknown mist that reaches for as far as they can see.
After a while, they come upon the body of a half elf lying next to a large boulder. It seems to be unnaturally skinny, and its lips are cracked, almost as if it has been drained of all moisture, but having a closer look, it seems to only have been dead for a few hours. Kal tries to look around to see if anything is hiding nearby, but she notices nothing. Penny decides to look through the corpse’s belongings, finding a purse, a potion, and a letter. Penny hands the letter to Kal, as she cannot read. It was already opened when they found it, and so she reads it for the rest of the group.
"Ever since Aldo disappeared from us in the mist, I have been inconsolable. I cannot carry on living without knowing what happened to our dear boy. I'm sorry for doing this to you Anslem. If I do not return, do not come looking for me. Carry on living for the both of us. Yours forever, Margery."
As she reads, Demetrius notices that his vision becomes blurry, and suddenly realizes that he is being pulled into the mists, as something drags him backwards. Granny jumps towards him and pulls him back out, but he is clearly shaken by the experience, as something tried to drain his lifeforce from him. Willowbark jumps onto the cart along with Kal. The cleric yells to the others to get on it, as she takes the reins and starts moving the horses.
Theren sees the mists coalesce into a large figure, and tries to shoot it with eldritch blasts, but as the necrotic damage from his hex hits, it just absorbs it. He yells to the party not to use necrotic against the beings, before jumping onto the wagon along with Demetrius. Penny sees Verkenner glide through the mists onto the top of one of the boulders.
In the chaos of the battle, the cart leaves before Penny and Granny manage to get on it. Not wanting to be cornered, Granny climbs on top of the largest boulder, hoping to get a glimpse at her friends, and intercept it on the other side, as the mist-beings are starting to surround them. Verkenner flies through the mists once more and joins Granny on top of the largest boulder, and tells her to be prepared to run, as he looks for the others.
As Penny turns to get around the rock, she can see that the mists are targeting her now, and so she tries to cast a repelling spell at it, causing it to move backwards. Unfortunately, it gets pushed straight into her friends who are trying to escape on the cart. Demetrius notices that it is moving straight towards them, and lunges at it with his dagger, hoping to find a spot where he can get in a hit, but as the mists envelop them, Willowbark notices that Speed falls over, the damage being too much for the horse. Kal creates a gust of wind, pushing the mist-creature away, while Demetrius jumps off the wagon, runs over to Speed, and shoves a healing potion into his mouth before jumping back on. The horse gets back up, and so Kal leads the cart straight north.
Penny, Granny and Verkenner join up, and run as fast as they can while Theren fires at the mists with his blasts, repelling them to the best of his ability. One of the beings disperses, and after about a minute of running, they seem to be in the clear. The party all sits down to catch their breath, not wanting to deal with those things again.
As Willowbark is sitting and trying to calm down, she notices a shape a few meters away. When she gets closer she sees a beautiful lotus-like flower, with dark, nebula-like petals. She tries to detect magic, and notices that it is radiating with divination magic. Surrounding her she also notices that the fog is flowing with necromancy. Penny comes over when Willowbark says she found something. When Penny touches the flower, nothing happens. She then picks it up.
Willowbark recognizes it as a Doom Bloom, a magical flower that can be inhaled when crushed, and if a name or location is spoken, they can see where they are at this moment. This also causes a Doom Bloom to grow where the target is. Both Willowbark and Penny realize that this could be used to check up on their loved ones, but cannot decide at the moment who should use it. They decide to pocket the flower for now, and decide later.