Chapter 3.3: Orlane in the early morning

Chase pokes his head around the corner and can see that the south-facing wall has a massive gate...which is currently closed for the night. A long tree-lined boulevard leads from the gate down the hill to the village streets below, but each tree casts a shadow of deep darkness, just like the one the heroes are standing in now, so patches of darkness alternate with stretches of smooth path bright in the moonlight.

Ember in the Forest

Except for small patches here and there, the moonlight fails to penetrate the thick canopy of the Dim Forest. ::Must be where the forest gets its name...:: Ember thinks to herself, and considers whether it is worth the risk of detection to kindle some light in her hooded lantern rather than stumbling blindly in the darkness. Who knows what she might blindly walk into in the dark forest? But also: who knows who might see the flicker as she lit the lantern?

Morton and Arya in the Forest

After ten minutes or so of following the Realstream River west in the forest, two things become clear to Arya and Morton: they've seen no sign of Ember emerging from the river on this side, and they are well inside the darkness of the Dim Forest. Morton has had to lead Arya by the hand more and more, as the young human relies on the half-elf's darkvision to navigate. "I think she got away," Arya ventures, whispering to Morton as she gives his hand a squeeze. "Do you think it's safe for me to make some light? I think we're pretty far from the village, and she might see the light to find us."

Eugenios had been woken with a start with the noises coming from outside, wiping the blur from his eyes he looked out the small window of his room. There he had seen crowds and torches, "I thought I’d left this kind of behaviour behind in the city." he muttered as he slips into his clothes including his beloved jacket, scarf and hat. Lastly grabbing his component pouch and jamming manacles and spell book into the other pouch.

Spying the group as he exits the Inn Eugenios decides to follow staying a discreet twenty to thirty feet behind, not trying to hide but not purposefully acting in a way to be seen. His curiosity sparking as the approach the temple and squish themselves against the wall, it is about not he regrets not bring his pack. He moves closing the distance to about twenty feet as the stay there discussing something. The Gnome hoping to catch some of the conversation as he closes the gap . . .

Having convinced themselves that Ember would be fine, Arya and Morton resolve to continue through the Dim Forest for a while to get further away from Orlane. Both of them had rested for much of the daylight the previous day, and though the adrenalin is wearing off, they still have energy to keep hiking for a couple of miles. Arya casts Light and they are able to pick up the pace.

Unfortunately, this attracts some unwanted attention: two humanoid figures appear, stepping from around trees at the edge of the light and moving closer in silence.

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Arya (8/10)
Humanoids
Morton (9/9)

Meanwhile, Ember has been moving through the Dim Forest in the dark, slowly feeling her way along. But this, she realizes with a heavy sigh, in a ridiculous way to travel, and dangerous. There doesn't seem to be any sign of the villagers nearby - there's no lights of torches or lanterns - so she takes out her tinderbox and flint, striking the stone on the pommel of her dagger with practiced ease. The chink-chink-chink of the blows quiet the sounds of small nocturnal creatures scared by the unexpected noise, and then the sparks catch the dry fluff, which the fugitive blows into a quick flame. Transferring that flame to a twig, she lights the wick of her oil lantern and then replaces the shutter. She enjoys the glow for a moment, then adjusts the hood on the lantern to narrow the light so it won't blind her night vision but just illuminate the ground and foliage in front of her. Just as she starts to move, she notices that the ground in front of her is moving.

Some creature had died here recently, and its carcass is covered with hundreds of beetles. Ember is glad that she didn't walk right into them - two steps more and she would have - but they are disturbed by the light and swarming out of the body.

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Beetles
Ember (9/9)

Outside the Temple of Merikka

Eugenios is approaching up the hill toward the tree by the wall where Aanbo, Chase, Lyrel, and Myrtha are standing when Ferranzo plays a very soft trill on his flute and asks "Are you the Dungeon Busters?"
"Yes," Myrtha responds with a hiss, "drop the music, friend, we need not wake the priesthood behind these walls!"

All six PCs see each other and are close enough to talk in whispers/low voices.

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Aanbo (19/27)
Chase (14/14)
Eugenios (8/8)
Ferranzo (8/8)
Lyrel (3/9)
Myrtha (17/18)

"Hey now." Morton blusters, "You don't want to be fooling around with this priestess and mage!" Next to him, Arya brandishes her warhammer in an implicit threat. But the silent figures are unimpressed...and unseeing. For as they approach out of the foliage, Morton sees that they have no eyes, just empty sockets! These are dead things walking, coming implacably with one purpose: to destroy the living!

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14 - Arya (8/10)
7 - Corpse 1, Corpse 2
Morton (9/9)

Round one
(this is followed by round two)

Many of the beetles scurry away from the light. But Ember's skin crawls as the rest skitter toward her in an undulating wave, crawling up her boots and legs, exploring and biting, trying to find the source of heat and hoping that it's more food. Some of the bugs find their way inside her armor...
Ember takes 4 piercing damage!



Ember Disengages from the swarm of beetles, brushing the crawling bugs from her body, and moves away in the darkness, quickly outpacing the swarm of voracious insects.

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12 - Beetles
4 - Ember (5/9)