Adventure 5 -- Travel to Wildcross, Day 1

Cohor remained, propped up against Talea's shack, eyes opened and unblinking. It was dark out, but warm nonetheless; the moon bright, the air still. He saw the figure of a beast move across the the fort's entrance, which caught his attention. He listened intently, and heard muffled snorts and other activity to the southwest. Where he slew a group of those bandits. He stood and crept towards the open gate, reaching for his blade. Only... It wasn't his blade. No, it was mace. Wrought from a beautiful silver-colored metal, black spindling filigree danced around its metal shaft and the macehead. That unsettled Cohor; no one had entered the fort throughout the day and night, much less touched him and swapped out his weapon on his waist. He pushed the discomfort aside, blaming it on Kelemvor. That's been growing easier to do.
 
At the fort gate now, Cohor peeked his head around the log post. He found himself filling with dread, as he stared at the haunches of a large badger. Cursing himself for having left the bodies from yesterday morning so accessible, Cohor inched forward and struck at the creature with his new weapon.
 
The hammer in his hands began to glow a brilliant white, erupting in light as the mace smashed into the badger's side. It turned gnashed at Cohor, who kept it at bay with his shield. Two other badgers rushed over to join their denmate; Cohor steps to place the creatures between him and the palisades. It looks like the other two will close the final distance in a few moments.
 
The light fades from Cohor's weapon, and he strikes again, catching the badger hard in the snout. It collapsed to the ground, just as two other large badgers arrived, gnashing their razor teeth and bladed claws.
 
The second badger took a jarring cudgel to its head, preventing it from breaking Cohor's defenses. Its companion, however, managed to slash Cohor's leg. The dead man managed to club the second badger on the head again, this time causing it to slump to the ground.
 
This third badger was more vicious than the others; it scored another blow as it continued to go low, making it difficult for Cohor to protect his legs. He cracked hard enough with Bonecounter to break the vicious creature's skin. It struck back in a fury, this time leaping in an attempt to shred Cohor in more vital parts.
 
He caught the beast with his shield and threw it into the fort palisade. He finished the predator off with a few skull blows. Cohor retreated back into the fort where he closed the gate and rested on guard until Talea woke.
 
The night drifted along unbothered. Just as Cohor began to worry about the length of Talea's rest, she opened the door to her shack.
 
“Ahhh, she awakes. I was getting worried that you wouldn't.” Cohor says, with his back resting against the palisade by the gate door.
 
She rubs at her eyes. “Believe it or not, being kidnapped by thugs, escaping them, and getting recaptured and nearly killed is exhausting work.” She stretches and yawns. “So you've saved me...after putting my life back into danger by having me lead you here...my home town is destroyed. What now?”
 
Cohor smiles, then locks down, scratching at the earth. “Are you religious, Talea?”
 
She eyes him sideways. “..Yes. Are you, sir?”
 
“I didn't used to be. But I have been... reborn. My views are changing, and some recent experiences have...” He coughs to continue his excuse for such a raspy voice. “Made it quite difficult to deny the existence and involvement of deity in our affairs. Have you experienced any such thing with...” He gestures questioningly, as if to ask who it was she followed.
 
“It is good that you're developing a believing heart. I would hope that you can hold onto these new experiences with more than just your eyes. I will not share my experiences, however. They are mine to share when I please.”
 
Cohor sighs. “Well. I've heard of some city around here. Wildcross? Do you know where that is?”
 
Her eyebrows lift in surprise. “You've never been to Wildcross? It's the only stable place in the entire archipelago.”
 
“The only... stable place?”
 
“Why... yes, of course!” She weaves her forearms back and forth like fishes. “You know, the winding, ever-changing roads? What takes you some place one day, leads somewhere else the next.” Disbelief is painted on her face. “You... really don't know? Are you a foreigner or something?”
 
This is all very concerning. Winding, misleading, changing roads? But he recognized Marxstaff. And the bay. Nothing else, true, and this helps to explain it--but he didn't die very long ago? He certainly didn't remember anything like this in his original lifetime. He grunts. “Yes.” He lies. “A foreigner...”
 
She arches her eyebrow. This time with condescension in her face.
 
“What's that look for? Nevermind... So can you take me to Wildcross? I've got some business there, though I'm not quite sure what yet. I have some things to sell. I've picked up some coin in my gallivanting through this maze-world you've described to me. I could pay you well.”
 
With arms folded she shakes her head. “Take you there? Sure. Join you afterwards? Depends. I can't have you lying to me like you just did, though. If you're not an outsider, then what are you? You can't not be an outsider and not be aware of the shifting roads. So tell me, Cohor. Who are you?”
 
He takes a deep breath. “The experiences I've mentioned. They've had to with Kelemvor...” Cohor the continues to share some details about his experiences in the last few days.
 
Cohor manages to weave his tale in such a way that Talea doesn't take it as some dark, twisted quest to return from the dead and murder his brother murderer. Instead, she pities Cohor and is empathetic towards him. She agrees to help him don his makeup to hide his most notable dead features. She expresses that she, herself, now has no where to go, and little financial means to go on, and so, agreed to travel with and join him.
 
Talea leads them in a direct course to Wildcross the first day, explaining that it may be up to three days before they arrive.
 
Cohor was growing impressed with Talea's ability to navigate through the forest. They had to traverse around a large, wooden gully. They followed the stream that had formed it for some ways where it ended in a swamp. Despite such difficult terrain, she led them, sure-footed through it.
 
While they were slomping through the swamp, several creatures burst out of the murky waters, surprising the two.
 
The star spawn manages to bite Cohor, and one of the Wretched latch on his leg. He fights for consciousness as they quickly overwhelm him. He calls for all of the healing power Kelemvor has to offer. Meanwhile, Talea killed her rat.
 
Cohor disengages and attempts to climb a tree.
 
Cohor clambers up the tree towards safety. One of the wretched is still attached to his leg, continuing to gnaw on him. He's climbed some twenty feet, pulls the critter off and hurls it down towards the ground.
 
Cohor, in a panic, searched around for options.
 
One of the thick branches of this tree seems to have... a brazier threaded onto it? And it's smoking like it was placed there recently... He retrieves it and (no metagaming here; this is an item he won from one of the one-shot events) lights it. It immediately erupts into flame, and a massive fire elemental is born from its flames. It looks at Cohor expectantly.
 
Cohor nods towars the creatures at the base of the tree, and the elemental wafts from the air above the brazier to the ground and starts poking the bad creatures.
 
The Star Spawn drops and rolls to put out the flames.
 
The Fire Elemental's pokes are from the Nine Hells. Its very touches caused Cohor's attackers to erupt in flame. The Star Spawn, after having put out the first round of flames, was consumed by the ones that followed a second touch. One of the Wretcheds collapsed as the flames charred it's hide. Only the last one remained.
 
While Cohor rested and the Fire Elemental just... burned there, creating a scorch spot on the mushy ground, Talea ventured ahead trying to get a better sense of where to go.
 
She identified a path forward, but also found some more rats ahead.
 
Talea quickly dispatches the rats. One managed to chomp on her finger, but the nasty, filthy creatures couldn't avoid her staff strikes.
 
Talea returned to Cohor. The fire elemental had vanished. The small brazier still smoking, and the scorch mark where the elemental had been smoldering some.
 
“That was close... How'd you do that?”
 
Cohor shrugged. “I do not know. Kelemvor seems to be watching out for me; too much has happened for it to be just chance.”
 
As they worked their way through the swamp, they noticed a lizardfolk foraging.
 
The lizardfolk notices the pair. He lets out a harsh hiss, and other hisses respond. A snake falls from a branch above Cohor's head; another is coiled around the lizardfolk's arm.
 
They all come at him with snapping, dripping fangs. Even the lizardfolk; it doesn't even bother using it's clawed hands.
 
Cohor smashes the red snake with Bonecounter. The other snake and the lizardfolk, however, both sink their fangs into him.
 
Cohor smashes the other snake; the lizardfolk snaps at him in fury at the loss of its pets, but Cohor's able to distance himself with his shield. He lands two solid blows on the lizardfolk, a sickening crunch breaking its right arm.
 
Cohor is beginning to feel fatigued. Only boon about this blasted swamp was the shiny baubles Cohor is confident someone will pay for. But they press on, finally escaping the swamp. Eventually, they stumbled upon a man in the woods, who's roasting a rat on a stick over an open fire.
 
“Ho there! Are we getting close to Wildcross?”
 
“Getting close to Wildcross?” He says without looking up from roasting his rat. He's really well-dressed for eating such things. “I suppose so. The roads shift, you know. I've been lost for days. Went out to rendezvous with someone for Lord Burns, and well, I must have ventured to far.”
 
“You could join us! I'm pretty confident we're getting close. Only a day's journey or two.”
 
“Mmmm-yes. That could be nice. I don't much like the look of this meal... Do you have any to share?” He picks at it daintily.
 
“Looks like I've got some dried meat and nuts. Help yourself.” Cohor says, sliding off his pack and searching for the snacks. He realizes he hasn't really eaten in 4 days. And it hasn't really bothered him.
 
“Much appreciated.” The vizier says. “Oh. I will pay for you getting me home. Its hard to sleep without shelter and warmth, you know.”
 
Cohor takes the reigns while Talea and the vizier chat and... he manages to get them lost. He could have sworn they were on a road just before...
 
The sun's beginning to fall. Talea walks straight into Cohor as he stops, confused, in this little clearing. Eerie noises... Then a ghoul and skeleton emerge from the tree line.
 
The group rests for a bit before pushing further into the night. Eventually, they stop to rest. Talea's watch is disturbed by a single skeleton; it appears they've found themselves in a haunted part of the wood...
 
She blocked another strike from the skeleton, but this time her staff smashed into its ribcage. Green light flashed and it seemed to melt away whatever was holding the bones together; it clattered to the forest ground in a spray of bones.
 
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