Into the Swamp

The Vast

The merry band wanders through the lovely late spring weather towards the little village of Edgewise. As they go, they notice that the local gnolls are trailing them at a safe distance. Some investigation seems to indicate that the man-beasts are content with keeping an eye on our heroes for the time being.

It seems, however, that the gnolls have managed to scrounge up an ally of considerable power for Legolars finds evidence that a giant is in the area and apparently travels along with the gnolls.

Eventually the gang reaches Edgewise. After quizzing the local tax collector and a small group of dwarves who run the local smithy they learn that there are indeed some wizards living on an island in The Misty Swamp. Said wizards have been there for about half a year now and are quite popular in the village since they pay with proper coins rather than barter when they come in to buy supplies.

The dwarves also tell that they heard a frightening roar and saw eerie lights from the mists, about where the island was.

Obviusly this must be investigated and our protagonists set out after a good night's sleep. Navigating the swamp takes a while, but eventually they get to the murky lake which is indeed covered by fog and mist. Rista uses her divine magics to ascertain that there is a lingering evil about the place.

Using a swamp boat, loaned by the dwarves, they stake out to the island and finds it to be surprisingly calm. At first it even seems to lack any man-made structures or housing until they discover a tower of some kind. The tower turns out to be a platform on a huge stone tripod. And after some climbing two burnt and blasted corpses are found on the platform. Apparently the platform is some sort of permanent summoning circle and judging from the nature of the carvings and runes drawn in chalk, Jaden thinks they two dead men (likely to be the wizards mentioned in the village) attempted to summon something a bit too big to handle and they got wasted for their foolish effort.

Meanwhile, Said and Legolars snoop around, trying to find something, anything of interest and indeed do find a submerged entry to an underground complex and a carefully hidden boat, presumably belonging to the local wizards.

After some deliberation the adventurers take the plunge and manage to get into the underground passages beneath the island, where the wizards seem to have made their lair.

Dry clothing is found on a nearby shelf, showing that the wizards apparently had used the submerged entrance with some regularity.

Underground things are dark and damp and as the heroes make their way through the tunnels they find the sad, poorly buried, remains of what looks like a previous band of adventurers who've all died here quite some time ago. As they ponder this and their newly acquired loot they find themselves under attack from a zombified ogre! In the narrow confines of the underground passages it is hard to fight the hulking brute and Legolars accidentally puts a few arrows in Rob's back. A blow from the zombie-ogres club fells the moon elf and only the intervention of Brother Gates saves Rob from bleeding to death. Meanwhile, Said and Jaden employ both magics and swordplay to bring the ogre down.

After some badly needed rest and healing the heroes set out again. Strangely enough no one seems to have reacted to the noise of the fight but caution is nevertheless employed by the adventurers. They soon come upon a large chamber containing an underground pool. Only by traversing the slippery rocks laid out in the apparently quite deep water can the other side, and the exit there, be reached. That and getting past the crab-demon on the tiny island in the middle of the pool.

Legolars tests the mettle of the demon with his arrows as Jaden, Rob and Said make their way across the rocks. Said finds himself grappled by the claws of the crab demon who attempts to drag him into the water and drown the calishite. Neither Rob nor Jaden will stand for this and launches a ferocious attack, savaging the demon badly, eventually sending it back to whatever abyss that spawned it.

Brother Gates falls into the water and gets wet.

Once the demon is vanquished the heroes can make their slow way across the rocks and the watery chamber safely. On the other side they find a set of stairs, leading up, into the unknown...

Thus ends this episode.