The Wealdath End, commonly shortened by the locals to just Rend, was a forbidding forest with numerous local folk tales passed around about the horrors within. If you believed the local tales then bloodthirsty elves and ancient dragons loomed around every turn. The dead would reach up through the ground and the very trees would jump off their stumps at you. While many locals made their careers inside the forest from gathering herbs and wood to hunting, they did so with caution and no one would travel as deeply inside as the party's directions would take them.

Mayor Osric was able to dig up an ancient map of the area that was able to give direction to the party towards the swampy area of the forest but beyond that it seemed no locals had any idea of what lay within. There were rumor of an ancient castle ruin that had been abandoned a hundred years ago but that was much closer to the Ashford than the swamplands. For as long as the history books would tell the deep forest was guarded by the elves who would permit no such unnatural construction like underground dungeons to be permitted within. Did this mean the ruins predated the elves? Or did something build a lair right under their noses?

Either way the implications did not lead to happy conclusions.

The townsfolk gathered to send the adventurers off with their well wishes. The mayor was there along with Pinna of course to wish her best friends off promising to keep an eye on the village while they were out on fantastical adventures but then she grew cold and started looking around.

"The guards...they're not here. And Father Beledrone is missing..."

She paused and studied the crowd very carefully again.

"Jago isn't here...neither are the Tweeds or Morgouse. Everyone I think may have been taken is missing. Where would they have gone?"

She continued to look around at the crowd as three dozen farmers and townsfolk cheered the party on, offering tidbits of bread, cheese and berries for supplies on their way out. Mayor Osric was busy giving a speech to the crowd that nobody was really paying attention to, something about glory and honor and duty but there was nobody that Pinna had suspected of being a cult member present.


"I've got a bad feeling about this..." she muttered as she confirmed her earlier assessment.

Making sure he had all his gear other than his extra instruments the bard gave a wave to the gathering of people, the sooner they mucked about the swamp and left the better in his eyes. Dropping a hand to the pouch at his waist he felt the vial he had bought the day before secure at hand, with the rather rude awakening the kobolds had heaped upon them he was sure it would be most likely that the swamp would share in throwing something unfavorable their way.

...got a bad feeling about this.

Arthua shook off the ominous feeling between his shoulders. He put on a brave face for the farmers and the families. "Don't worry good people. We will be back..." He turned to the others as he hoped that one of them had positive going on. "Well... Let's be off."

Alyssa was standing half-behind Pinna, hoping to go unnoticed. She was beginning to pick up on  the notable missing folks just as Pinna started pointing out the absences. The little halfling was mostly relieved that the mayor was able to produce a map. She had twin visions -- one, that she would lead the party along the kobold's trail directly to the swamp, to great accolades, and, the other, that she would get them all hopelessly lost. At least the map reduced the chance of that.

Alyssa gave Pinna's hand a squeeze and raised the cowl of her cloak around her head. She was nervous, and she didn't want to sour the mood of the heroic send-off.

When Artura suggested heading out, Alyssa was the first to move. But with her short legs, she wouldn't be in the lead for long. Whatever dangers they might be heading into, she was eager to leave Ashford. It was .... creepy.

Talia also felt a bit unnerved when Pinna mentioned the missing folk, shifting on her feet awkwardly where she stood even as she smiled and waved weakly at the crowd.

Exploring old ruins sounded fun. Killing the kobolds threatening people was a good thing to do. But folks disappearing without a trace, that wasn't fun or good. She just hoped most of the town would still be okay when they got back. She instinctively stayed close to Yry and Alyssa, reassuring herself that her friends, at least, were still there.

The group proceeds into the woods, following first used passages, then game trails and finally having to blaze their own trail through the woods in order to keep going in the right direction. After several hours of slow going Alyssa notices that there is a secondary trail that they could follow instead. While it isn't well marked it has been used quite a bit and seems to be in the direction they are traveling.

Another hour on this trail and Orila points out that there is a bit of fabric hooked onto some thorns. It i just a small patch of black cloth but it seems recent given how unlikely it would stay hooked after a storm or two.

Shortly after that the group finds a fork in their path. A quick investigation of their paths reveals that the path to the left goes further in the direction of the woods and their eventual goal while the other fork hooks sharply and ends up in the overgrown ruins of some long abandoned castle.

It is about time for the party to rest and the ruins would provide a place to rest and stretch but from must a cursory glance it isn't known if there was anything else infesting the ruins.

OOC: Up to you where you want to make camp for lunch. You can either try and camp along a tight forest trail or divert a little bit into some more spacious ruins.

"Thanks for everything, Pinna, this doesn't bode well but we will do what we can and I trust you to keep an eye on things here. Hopefully we will find this serpent thing and put an end to whatever is happening in Ashford."

After perhaps some last minute purchases, Yry is ready to go and gives Alyssa a warm, encouraging smile. Yry trusts that Alyssa will do better than Yry herself would in the same situation and is glad to have her along.

When they reach the fork Yry speaks up, "Aren't those ruins picturesque? Something romantic about how they rise up from the forest." Despite Yry's delicate appearance she seems quite capable to handle travel, seeming no worse for wear so far. "Aren't they lovely, Talia?"