Wilds - Townies

Ingvar the reeve does his job quickly and efficiently, haggling a bit over some of the jeweled items, but willing to set a fair value. As you progress through the various piles of furs, gold, and jewelry he makes careful notations on his tablet. Ohwatoo does the same on a piece of parchment. The whole process takes over an hour, and the light is all but gone by the time you're done. Ingvar glances at the sky, then at the long list of items on his tablet. "It will take some time to transcribe this and create the import manifest." As he speaks, several guards approach, and trade off with the pair who are hanging around you. Those two head toward the bridge, and as Ingvar continues to speak, they close and lock the gate. "The clerk is gone for the night. This will be on his desk first thing tomorrow. I'm sure you'll want to take care of your beasts and find a place to camp for the night." He gives a nod and goes back into the building.

Wilds - Civilized

The party comes over the ridge with Maro, Grendor and Durego in the lead. The others follow, spread out in case of trouble. They're half-way down the ridge before they draw attention from the people among the tents. Someone nudges an armored guard (?) and points. She looks up, studies the group for a moment, then whistles. A few other guards join her, and move to meet the group as they reach the west end of the settlement. A handful of other folk gather behind the guards, and Maro notes that many of them are armed, a mix of daggers, hand axes, cudgels and other common weapons. "Hold there!" calls the woman in mail, who seems to be in charge. In the fading evening light you can see her shield is emblazoned with the seal of Highcliff Keep. "Who are you and where are you from?"

The Wilds - On the Border

After spotting horse, hound and human tracks in the abandoned village, the party proceeds with more caution. As they continue along the roadway, they note the horsemen came and went the same way. "Could be good, could be bad," muttered Durego. "Maybe Lord Thambar is just beefing up patrols."

"If he's still in charge," answeres Grendor.

The Wilds - The Road Home

Time for a travelogue!

Wilds - East Bound

With the crypts cleared, there is little left to do in Pillar Vale. The collapsed entrances hold some interest, but the party has few tools for excavation, and the wiser party members have finally realized the dire state of their supplies. Even Raúguey's pleas to pick up the cached supplies the group left near Hill Hole fall on deaf ears. Durego says, "We need to head straight back. Odds are we're going to lose at least one mule. If we start losing mules, we can't haul the food we need or the loot we've recovered. We've scored big. Let's get it to safety."

Wilds - Jackpot

With the shades defeated, the party turns its attention to the usual subject, grave-robbing.

The Wilds - Keep your Dead, Really

The party continues to fight the undead shades they encountered in the crypts beneath Pillar Vale

Wilds - A Chilling Development

Durego shoves his way past the front ranks and strides into the room with his holy symbol raised before him. "Begone foul evil. You have no power here. You have no power over my companions. Begone from this place in the name of Erlinga. Begone."

Wilds - [Insert Title Here]

As the others move around the pit, some east, some south, Durego casts a spell (find traps). Rawon waits at the edge of the trap while Maro keeps watch on the north passage at the rear of the group.

Wilds - Back with a Plan

After a night's rest, the group is ready to head back to the crypts, better prepared for their chilling foes.

Wilds - So Cold

Sorely wounded, the party regroups and immediately decides a retreat is in order. Those affected by the chilling aura try to warm themselves while the others gather their arrows and darts. Strom reaches into pale Durego's pack and pulls out the kettle. "Let's make use of this quickly, then get moving!"

Wilds - The Icy Hand of...

Faced with a shadowy undead creature, the party reacts swiftly.

Wilds - Death's Door?

After watching Ohwatoo check the three sarcophagi in the last chamber for magic [none], Maro says, "You know, it's odd there are no inscriptions or writing anywhere in here."

Durego shrugs. "Maybe, maybe not. Most tombs of Erlinga's faithful have little in the way of markings or writing either. Perhaps the statues are markers for those entombed here."

"But we've found many more sarcophagi than statues," says the elf.

"Maybe they're the important people. The others... retainers? Slaves? Guards? Who knows what these people believed," Grendor is keeping watch as Ingvild examines the next set of doors for traps. "We ready to open this door?"

Wilds - Turn About

As the others debate where to go next, Raúguey takes an interest in the statues while Strom Maro,
Ingvild, and Ohwatoo examine the open sarcophagus.

Wilds - Tomb-inated

The group continues to explore the underground complex they've discovered in hopes of finding their lost, dead companions.

The Wilds - Crossroads is Under Attack!

"Be careful," says Dagmarten as he, Mordikarr, and Saurabh watch the others move toward the bowl, scouts in the lead. Ingvild nods, then he and Rawon start their careful descent. The pair circles the entire rim, then circles down, checking each of the doorways as they go. Once at the bottom they check the pool, and Ingvild tests the liquid with a branch. The pair returns to the rim, and the others gather near one of the big stone pillars.

Wilds - Where did Every-body Go?

After viewing the scene at the death camp, most party members want to follow the tracks leading away from the camp to see if they can figure out what's happened to the remains of their comrades. Several members of the group take the time to relieve the mules (and themselves) of some of the excess baggage they're carrying, caching everything beneath a rock ledge and covering it with spare cloaks and piled rocks. The scouts are already on the move. Rawon, Mordikarr and Ingvild take the lead, with Ohwatoo following. The others bring up the rear.

Wilds - Grave Duty

After the tension of the ambush, and the sudden loss of the camp guards, the party has little motivation to move. The scouts, Rawon and Mordikarr, are exhausted, the rest of the party variously tired, grief-stricken or angry. No one is in a mood to move, despite the potential threat of bug men looking for their dead companions. The group sets watch and settles in to wait out the rest of the day and night. "We'll decide in the morning," is all Ohwatoo says after Raúguey grumbles about a plan.

Wilds - Don't Split... Ah Nevermind

After quickly butchering the deer into manageable sections, Mordikarr and Rawon load up half the carcass and head toward base camp. It's been a while since the group has checked in with the guards, and they can grab some cold-weather gear too. The remainder of the group moves away from the main path taken by the bugs and tries to find a reasonable place to set up a temporary camp for the remainder of the night. After eating some fresh food, the spell-casters head to bed while the others keep watch by turns.

The Wilds - Execute!

The bat and the well-laid ambush work, the spider things are caught completely by surprise!