Session 11 - Beyond the Swamp
General Summary
Lada, after finishing her business with Anna by helping provide food for her family and watching the kids, left at the bequest of Sister Evdokia to find and help the party, and to deliver a letter to Irina. She offered one of the abbey's dogs to help her track the party by scent - a poorly trained mutt named Sharik. Naturally, Lada took to the beast right away.
The rest of the party, meanwhile, managed to fight off a giant swamp frog creature that has tried to drag Vashti into quicksand.
However, though they planned on leaving the swamp for good, they then heard another, or perhaps the same, swamp frog attempt to drag Lada down under, but Sharik quickly ran to the party to call for help.
At the same time, the swamp frog, ever judgmental, questioned the party as to why they are trying to pass through its swamp. When they mentioned speaking with the volkhvy, it challenges them to a contest of riddles. After guessing its riddle, Ivan offered a much more difficult one, and the giant swamp frog was stumped.
The answer, of course, was the big dipper, a constellation in the skies of Nor'.
The party continued to the Volkhv Encampment , where they met several of their leaders, including a wizened Ratibor, raven-haired Akulina, and mysterious Liubov' . Ratibor claimed to know the family history of everyone in the party. But the party was not swayed by his words; their target continued to be the smith of Aleksandrovka. So, a challenge was presented to the party by the volkhvy; a portal or cave that would reveal their secrets, and answer their questions. If they negotiate the trials, they would meet Khoma, Ratibor promised.
The dog, of course, was left behind, to be kept safe, or so they said, by the volkhvy.
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