Wilds - No Damn Good in the Mud

Still chugging through the mud on their way back to Blackpool Maze. Winter is coming, etc.


Start Date: October 9, Year of the Badger, early evening
Start Status: Water walk
Start Location: The Wilds west of the Wood Road

The Turn

"Can we go now?" Raúguey says, after watching Grendor and Dagmarten lose yet another long branch to the stream's heavy flow. "We still have some daylight, maybe we can find a better place to camp tonight upstream."

"I suppose you're right. There's no way to cross here." The half-elf seems a bit put out that no one wants to wait out the flood.

The party moves north, following the stream's course. Sporadic rain still falls, but it seems to be clearing off oh so slowly. They cross a couple of small feeder streams joining the main flow. As expected when moving upstream, the ground slowly rises and a few large boulders and rock outcroppings begin to show amidst the trees. Night finds the party encamped on a gentle slope a short distance from the slightly diminished stream. Rawon and Mordikarr scout around the camp a bit while the others prepare a meal and set up shelter as best they can. "Forest in all directions as far as I can tell," says Rawon when the pair returns.

[October 10] The next morning is chilly and still, with cold fog hovering between the trees. "Wonderful," mutters Durego.

"Look on the bright side, at least it's not raining," says Ohwatoo.

The group gets moving quickly: everyone wants to get moving west again. As before they cross several feeder streams, and after a couple hours, they find a broad spot in the main flow where they can safely cross. Once across the group heads west, hoping to loop out past the various streams and flows that lead down to the main Hembard River. This proves a good choice. The terrain is a bit rougher, but above the lowland floods, so the group can actually keep moving. Slowly. Nightfall finds them on the banks of another stream, smaller and easily crossed.

[October 11] The next morning is even cooler than yesterday, it smells of frost and dead leaves. Clouds move across the skies driven by gusty breezes. "More rain coming," predicts Dagmarten, as the party moves out. They head southwest, hoping to regain the old roadway today. This is known territory, at least to some. The party explored this area on their first trip into the Wilds. They head southwest, winding between hills and through scrubby woods. Eventually reaching the road course, just east of the ruined church. With a clear-ish path ahead, and lowering clouds on the horizon, the group pushes on late into the evening, gaining distance while the way is clear and (relatively) dry. True night sees them a couple miles west the ruined church and the bones that lie scattered about nearby.

They hear the first sounds, distant horns and and the clash of arms, as the first watch takes its places around the camp. "What's that?" whispers Ingvild.

"No idea, but it's distant, back east," answers Maro. "Sounds like a fight."

"Should we investigate?" asks Tesso, still sitting by the camp fire. "Are they getting closer?"

OOC

The noise is distant, probably a few miles away. From the sounds, it's a pretty good sized group.

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