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A month has passed since the start of the expedition; its participants have already had time to get to know one another—some became friends, some not so much, and some remained own their own, in no hurry to open up to others. By this time, many might have become disillusioned with the whole venture, as nothing worthwhile had been found yet. Instead, there were several insignificant skirmishes, mostly with natives—small human-like creatures. However, not a single one of their settlements was found along the way. They are either very good at hiding, or these small groups are simply something like scouting parties. Occasionally, strange animals were encountered, unseen by anyone before.
But a far greater enemy for the expedition members were the insects. There was simply no peace from them. By day, flying and incredibly elusive ones latch onto your skin and drink blood, and by night, all sorts of filth crawl over your body. Sometimes you wake up first thing shaking another own scoundrel off your face. Occasionally, wondrous beetles more than 30 centimeters in length were encountered. They, however, showed no aggression. The rest of the plant and animal world was far more pleasing to the eye. The Wild Lands are home to amazing plants and beautiful creatures.
The head of the expedition ordered his assistant to wake everyone for a brief briefing. When everyone had gathered, he began his speech.
- We are in place, - he declared. - You are likely curious to know how I know this, considering that over the last month we have found absolutely nothing. The fact is, we are not the first to travel this path. During the great march, many people kept records of their progress, and in one of the journals, I found mention of some large structure. Unfortunately, this is our only lead, as there is no more detailed information there. We will remain here for a while, and I place the following task into your skilled hands: locate the structure I mentioned. - He was about to return to his business, but before that, he added, - Horus Harn, I am still waiting to see from you a benefit corresponding to the level of your reward. Even if it ends up being a negative number by the end of the expedition.
During all this time, Xpil spoke to Nemo only once, and she was able to make out only one phrase: "stop Zidar." She also had a strange and very disturbing dream every night. Mirinot paces in place, surrounded by darkness. A million indistinguishable heads whisper something to him, and then he reaches his hand forward. It ends up inside Xpil's chest, and the next moment the old sorcerer rips his heart out of her. The next part of the dream takes place in Dal Shabet. Mirinot approvingly pats a young man on the shoulder, hands the black heart into his hands, and then departs. In the final part of the dream, the shadow cast by this man consumes the entire kingdom.
Gehedge saw this same dream.
Current location: Camp.
Groups: none
Available information: The forest to the north is becoming slightly more friendly; the vegetation is not as impenetrable and looks more like that which the people of the kingdoms are used to. To the south, a huge tree is visible, seen even from here. The east looks even wilder and more hostile than before.
Provisions: plenty (150)
Loot wagon: empty
Expedition members: 15
(I haven't managed to finish writing some things yet, so I'm being a bit of a slowpoke)
Other expedition members besides player characters:
Mearef-de-Lora Silverknight
Being a member of the Silverknight family, this man is the leader of this expedition, and it is in the interest of every participant to preserve his life, for on him depends their receipt of payment upon returning home.
He is knowledgeable in archaeology, geography, and logistics. His other talents, if any, are unknown. From what could be noticed, he is a decent marksman, although his true capabilities are very difficult to assess since he never fights at full strength, leaving the dirty work to others. He speaks rarely; more often, orders or reflections on their progress can be heard from him, which he believes may be useful for the group.
Quetzi
This khontai is a brilliant archaeologist and an excellent expert on the wild lands (at least in theory). And although her main job is to search for and record any valuable information during the expedition, due to her kindness, she has repeatedly helped other expedition members thanks to her medical knowledge. And while she understands that nothing can be achieved otherwise, she is deeply saddened by the fact that the use of weapons is necessary for the successful conduct of this journey.
Roger
Roger's story is quite trivial: he was taken to the front from a young age, and when the war began to end and he was sent home, he suddenly found that there was nothing interesting in the life of a simple peasant. He shamefully admits that then, somewhere deep in his soul, he wished the war would never end. He decided to go on the expedition for this same reason; the Wild Lands promised to be interesting. Being a war veteran, he possesses many useful skills, but first and foremost, he is a first-class scout who can find a target by tracks no worse than an Ankwad shaman.
Ivissa Tant
The owner of the great workshop and his wife could never have children, so they adopted a khontai girl whose parents died during the war with the Confederation. The great workshop with all its knowledge was always passed to the family heirs, and many residents of Dal Shabet were sure that with the death of the lineage, the workshop would die as well; however, the wife of the deceased inventor is absolutely certain that the girl will not only become a worthy heir to the workshop but will surpass her father. Ivissa hardly communicates with other people, but not at all due to shyness—she is simply uninterested in the conversations others can provide. She always has her own thoughts.
Azure
Many people come to Nevermore in search of refuge and a new home, but this woman was born there and spent all her childhood under the guidance of one of the Nevermore Five. It is not hard to guess what knowledge and skills she possesses, and certainly not bedroom ones, as one might think. Otherwise, little is known about her, except that two weeks ago she entered her fifties and that in Nevermore she left her sixteen-year-old son, who, as she noted, "needs to get away from mommy's apron strings." She is a pleasant person to talk to, and even if she feels dislike toward someone, she is unlikely to make it known without reason.
Kelenor
Like Roger, Kelenor is a former military man, but his motives are completely different. He is not interested in adventures and is not concerned with money; he is driven only by the desire to know the truth. Ten years ago, the Confederation troops were once again defeated near Dal Shabet, and since their ships were burned, the attacking side had no choice but to head into the Wild Lands, away from those pursuing them. They should have been left alone and allowed to end their lives in that cursed place, but the commander-in-chief of the kingdom's army could not allow an enemy army to be right next to the capital. The pursuit took about three months, and when the enemy army ran out of provisions, they decided to fight one last battle. Kelenor's detachment emerged victorious but lost many men; however, even more deaths awaited them on the way back. Natives—little devils, monsters—all of them significantly battered the soldiers, but their doom was not them, but a woman. Kelenor remembered nothing about her, only that her hair was an unusual color—pink. When they encountered her, there were just over thirty people left in Kelenor's detachment, and she killed every single one of them. Except for Kelenor; he managed to escape. A decent warrior, also the expedition's head cook.
Raina
A simple mercenary. She is concerned only with the promised reward and nothing more. She swings a hatchet reasonably well; otherwise, her usefulness is limited.
But a far greater enemy for the expedition members were the insects. There was simply no peace from them. By day, flying and incredibly elusive ones latch onto your skin and drink blood, and by night, all sorts of filth crawl over your body. Sometimes you wake up first thing shaking another own scoundrel off your face. Occasionally, wondrous beetles more than 30 centimeters in length were encountered. They, however, showed no aggression. The rest of the plant and animal world was far more pleasing to the eye. The Wild Lands are home to amazing plants and beautiful creatures.
The head of the expedition ordered his assistant to wake everyone for a brief briefing. When everyone had gathered, he began his speech.
- We are in place, - he declared. - You are likely curious to know how I know this, considering that over the last month we have found absolutely nothing. The fact is, we are not the first to travel this path. During the great march, many people kept records of their progress, and in one of the journals, I found mention of some large structure. Unfortunately, this is our only lead, as there is no more detailed information there. We will remain here for a while, and I place the following task into your skilled hands: locate the structure I mentioned. - He was about to return to his business, but before that, he added, - Horus Harn, I am still waiting to see from you a benefit corresponding to the level of your reward. Even if it ends up being a negative number by the end of the expedition.
During all this time, Xpil spoke to Nemo only once, and she was able to make out only one phrase: "stop Zidar." She also had a strange and very disturbing dream every night. Mirinot paces in place, surrounded by darkness. A million indistinguishable heads whisper something to him, and then he reaches his hand forward. It ends up inside Xpil's chest, and the next moment the old sorcerer rips his heart out of her. The next part of the dream takes place in Dal Shabet. Mirinot approvingly pats a young man on the shoulder, hands the black heart into his hands, and then departs. In the final part of the dream, the shadow cast by this man consumes the entire kingdom.
Gehedge saw this same dream.
Current location: Camp.
Groups: none
Available information: The forest to the north is becoming slightly more friendly; the vegetation is not as impenetrable and looks more like that which the people of the kingdoms are used to. To the south, a huge tree is visible, seen even from here. The east looks even wilder and more hostile than before.
Provisions: plenty (150)
Loot wagon: empty
Expedition members: 15
(I haven't managed to finish writing some things yet, so I'm being a bit of a slowpoke)
Other expedition members besides player characters:
Mearef-de-Lora Silverknight
Being a member of the Silverknight family, this man is the leader of this expedition, and it is in the interest of every participant to preserve his life, for on him depends their receipt of payment upon returning home.
He is knowledgeable in archaeology, geography, and logistics. His other talents, if any, are unknown. From what could be noticed, he is a decent marksman, although his true capabilities are very difficult to assess since he never fights at full strength, leaving the dirty work to others. He speaks rarely; more often, orders or reflections on their progress can be heard from him, which he believes may be useful for the group.
Quetzi
This khontai is a brilliant archaeologist and an excellent expert on the wild lands (at least in theory). And although her main job is to search for and record any valuable information during the expedition, due to her kindness, she has repeatedly helped other expedition members thanks to her medical knowledge. And while she understands that nothing can be achieved otherwise, she is deeply saddened by the fact that the use of weapons is necessary for the successful conduct of this journey.
Roger
Roger's story is quite trivial: he was taken to the front from a young age, and when the war began to end and he was sent home, he suddenly found that there was nothing interesting in the life of a simple peasant. He shamefully admits that then, somewhere deep in his soul, he wished the war would never end. He decided to go on the expedition for this same reason; the Wild Lands promised to be interesting. Being a war veteran, he possesses many useful skills, but first and foremost, he is a first-class scout who can find a target by tracks no worse than an Ankwad shaman.
Ivissa Tant
The owner of the great workshop and his wife could never have children, so they adopted a khontai girl whose parents died during the war with the Confederation. The great workshop with all its knowledge was always passed to the family heirs, and many residents of Dal Shabet were sure that with the death of the lineage, the workshop would die as well; however, the wife of the deceased inventor is absolutely certain that the girl will not only become a worthy heir to the workshop but will surpass her father. Ivissa hardly communicates with other people, but not at all due to shyness—she is simply uninterested in the conversations others can provide. She always has her own thoughts.
Azure
Many people come to Nevermore in search of refuge and a new home, but this woman was born there and spent all her childhood under the guidance of one of the Nevermore Five. It is not hard to guess what knowledge and skills she possesses, and certainly not bedroom ones, as one might think. Otherwise, little is known about her, except that two weeks ago she entered her fifties and that in Nevermore she left her sixteen-year-old son, who, as she noted, "needs to get away from mommy's apron strings." She is a pleasant person to talk to, and even if she feels dislike toward someone, she is unlikely to make it known without reason.
Kelenor
Like Roger, Kelenor is a former military man, but his motives are completely different. He is not interested in adventures and is not concerned with money; he is driven only by the desire to know the truth. Ten years ago, the Confederation troops were once again defeated near Dal Shabet, and since their ships were burned, the attacking side had no choice but to head into the Wild Lands, away from those pursuing them. They should have been left alone and allowed to end their lives in that cursed place, but the commander-in-chief of the kingdom's army could not allow an enemy army to be right next to the capital. The pursuit took about three months, and when the enemy army ran out of provisions, they decided to fight one last battle. Kelenor's detachment emerged victorious but lost many men; however, even more deaths awaited them on the way back. Natives—little devils, monsters—all of them significantly battered the soldiers, but their doom was not them, but a woman. Kelenor remembered nothing about her, only that her hair was an unusual color—pink. When they encountered her, there were just over thirty people left in Kelenor's detachment, and she killed every single one of them. Except for Kelenor; he managed to escape. A decent warrior, also the expedition's head cook.
Raina
A simple mercenary. She is concerned only with the promised reward and nothing more. She swings a hatchet reasonably well; otherwise, her usefulness is limited.