Kon's head seems to unhinge in half in a gaping yawn, slowly morphing back to a human face with remnants of creamy white hairs along his chin and jaw and orangeish mutton chops.  He stretches a little more and scratches at the side of his face and head, the last of his excess fur vanishing.  "Oh no, how horrible it would be if the people thought that the outsiders were nothing but trouble.  Oh wait..."  He hefts his pack and lumbers ponderously toward the door and down the stairs.

The party heads down to the commons and is served breakfast by Hetrik and Jenny. The mood seems to be a bit more relaxed than the day before, at least from the demeanor of the innkeep and his staff. The breakfast is rather sullen from the perspective of the party as the lack of sleep and the knowledge of a long trek through swamp and forest ways upon weary muscles and minds.

The local farmers that are seen harvesting in the orchards watch you leave though with less interest then when you arrived, the morning mist blankets the town and deepens the chill from the night before and soon isolates you from seeing anything but the trail and trees immediately around you. The few sounds that do reach your ears seem to come wither far in the distance or right next to you, insuring that you are kept on edge as you walk.

The pace is slow as Haznut trudges under the weight of his chest and by midday progress seems to have been far less than expected. The mist has all but burned away, still clinging to the denser tangles of brush and wood. The trail has begun to fade indicating its lack of use and the swamp taking back what it once owned. For now, you all sit on a relatively dry spot just off the trail and snacking on your trail rations, getting a bit of rest before dragging yourselves back onto the trail.

At the rate you're traveling, it is going to take another day-and-a-half to reach the supposed location of the ruins. Feel free to discuss how your characters wish to proceed and let me know in the Discord once you have a plan. If you have any OOC questions you can ask them in the Discord as well.

We are currently in 'EXPLORATION MODE' as far as the game rules are concerned and the appropriate 'ACTIONS' are available.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Sun 18 Dec 2022.

Though he at least attempted to keep up appearances over breakfast, the ordinary ball of cheerful energy has wilted to keep pace with the fading of the mist.  He now sits against the shady side of a rock. His chin has dropped to his chest, and a strip of dried meat (Half-eaten) dangles loosely from his lips.

Sure does suck to have a bog average Con score and a morning full of sensory ghost paranoia to add to the mental exhaustion, am I right? :V  Saidou is just ... resting his eyes.

Kon will engage in the Scout action while the group travels

Vostiun glances around and mutters some words as he draws crimson runes in the air with his fingers.

Sargon naps on a rock nearby.

Vostiun will FOLLOW THE LEADER as we travel. Whenever we stop to take a break he will cast Detect Magic.

Samara says goodbye to Hetrik, Jenny, Pel, and anyone else who is there, thanking them for their hospitality, and wishing them blessings from their Goddess.

On the way out of town, Samara waves at the farmers they pass.
(Is that a smile or a snarl?  Only those nearby and able to read Tail-Swish know for sure)

At break time, Samara gobbles a few bites of food, then naps till it is time to proceed, offering to carry Saidou on her shoulders if he likes.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:49, Mon 19 Dec 2022.

Haznut enjoys his breakfast, thanking his hosts, before getting up to leave with his companions.

Haznut will use the 'Search' action, switching to 'Defend' if he thinks he spots anything potentially dangerous, alerting the group quietly.

Saidou is keeping an eye out, sticking close to his friends and using the Detect Magic exploration action to keep an eye out for any magical auras as well.

Spirit will not be tethered to his master's shoulder today, and is likely hopping andbouncing through the underbrush cheerfully. He was asked to keep an eye out for any tasty snacks or fresh predator tracks, and is keeping an eye and nose on the path with (survival) and (Perception).

After you've finished your lunch you once again set out to find the ruins. It isn't long before the trail is all but completely obscured by the swamp making travel that more difficult. Trudging through sucking mud, shallow pools, and the occasional wall of vines and undergrowth isn't quite the same until later in the day, when the mists return to soak your clothes and spirits.

The growing chill in your bones is a constant reminder that you are no longer traveling as fast as you would like, even given the slower pace of a cautious advance. The early evening fog increases the sense of your isolation from the rest of the world, while greatly increasing your beliefs that you're are certainly being watched. The unfamiliar sounds of the swamp do little to appease these feelings and accurately determining where and how far these sounds originate from is nearly impossible at times.

Travel has been reduced by half again due to Difficult Terrain.

Kon returns to the party with a grim look on his face, "I think we have a problem ahead.  While not strictly bandits, I'm certain there are goblins about."  Looking back the direction he came from, he grumbles, "I saw a large dog, maybe a wolfhound, nailed to a tree up ahead and covered in crude markings.  I'm not sure which tribe, but there's no questioning there are goblins about.  Stay ready."

"Does anyone know anything about Goblin culture?"

"I know a bit.  I mean, I can't tell you what games they play or their secret food preferences, but this wouldn't be the first time I've had to be wary of them."

Vostiun sighs and says, "No, I don’t even speak the language."

Jason do I know the general state of goblin relations in the region? I know some places have a thriving assimilated goblin population. I'm guessing Ustalav isn't one of them

Anyone that is at least TRAINED in the following skills can make a skill check:

Lore (Lepidstadt): Information regarding goblins specifically in that city.

Lore (Ustalav): General Information about goblins in Ustalav

Lore (Goblins): Specific informationabout goblins and their societies.

Society: Very general "common knowledge" about goblins

Religion: Very general "common knowledge" about goblin religion
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:43, Fri 30 Dec 2022.

“Goblins? Culture? Ha! Don’t make me laugh!” Haznut jokes, noticeably out of breath as he keeps up.

Saidou has read all about goblins, from his favorite visual novel series about an armored knight who slays them... Society roll!

23:02, Today: Saidou rolled 7 using 1d20+6 ((1))

"I have been told that my goblin accent is virtually nonexistent and crisp, quite fortunately. If we come across any, I will be able to communicate with them, hopefully with as much vigor as one of their own speakers. They have quite a questionable culture, let me see what I can recall about dogs..."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Sat 31 Dec 2022.

Vostiun thinks for a moment, "Well at least we don't have any dogs."

There's a soft mew of agreement from his backpack.

Lore: Ustalav about goblins within the country.
06:07, Today: Vostiun Hephaurio rolled 23 using 1d20+3 ((20)).
This message was last edited by the player at 01:08, Sun 01 Jan 2023.

"Oh, Saidie, that's great! We will count on your experience, worst case, I guess we can offer them food, that usually goes a long way in establishing a relationship, right?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:51, Sat 31 Dec 2022.

[19:08, Today: Elde Kon rolled 17 using 1d20+6.  Society (Common Knowledge:  Goblin)]

"Technically I'm canine, but I think they'll find me a bit harder to nail to a tree if they try."

The party pauses for a group think exercise.

In reply to Elde Kon (msg # 29):

"I don't think you're going to have any problem, Elde. I'm pretty sure that the reputation for goblins hating dogs is a myth, as I have spoken with a number of respectable individuals of green nature in Lepistadt who seemed appalled by the insinuation that they hated dogs. It's a good thing that we don't have any horse or pony with us though, I seem to recall those being attack-on-sight in Goblin culture. Maybe they associate horse with maligned goblin-slayer knights?"

Saidou shrugs slightly in response to Samara, and seems thoughtful for a moment. "We don't have a lot of extra food to spare to start discourse, nor do we want to start a fight if the goblins would otherwise decide to mind their own business. Best to avoid and leave them be  if we're able. Was the totem dead ahead, or was it off to one side for us to avoid, Elde?"

"I think this is the Water Head tribe. They have a weird fascination with frogs, giant frogs, and boggards and often work with them. They are also particularly sadistic."

Saidou looks alarmed as he turns to Vostiun and narrows his eyes. ""Particularly sadistic tribe? And you know that off of what, exactly?"

Saidou advances about 10 feet, clearly hoping to get his companions on the trail. "With all due respects to you, Vos, this is the exact kind of speciesist talk that I was warned about before. I mean really, it's a swamp, so they have to be fascinated with frogs and boggards? One dog, possibly as innocently done as being hung for dried meat, and we jump to an assumption of some fabled 'water head' tribe that is 'particularly sadistic'?"

Saidou has not left his air quotes without accompaniment, and has added gesticulation to enforce the quotes over 'Particularly Sadistic'.

Look, I know who rolled the 1, and who rolled the 20. But Saidou absolutely does not know! XD

Kon crosses his arms, "I'm going with Vos on this one.  The way that corpse was mutilated, just enough to let onlookers know what they're in for but not enough to make it unrecognisable, it's clear they want people to know they mean business.  And not the economic kind.  It's very clear it was not 'hung to dry meat'.  Particularly with the paint slathered across fur and muscle alike."

Samara looks back and forth between her companions, "So, odds are this group is not particularly nice. That certainly tracks with the villagers' responses - not that we resemble Goblins much at all. So, seems like the best course is to avoid their territory, at least until we have good reason to invade."