Despite the predictions of impending ambushes, the night goes by relatively quietly. A rain storm passed through, but even it was comparatively silent. The morning comes with chilled bones and damp clothes and the ruins surrounded by the now ubiquitous fog and mist.

Haznut busies himself with preparing for the day by cleaning his armor as he dons it.

“One of the goblins had that same mud on them. And a drawing of something frog-like. We may be have been beaten there by some more local archeologists. Hopefully they didn’t set up their camp on the ruins themselves.”

Opening one eye just a bit, Samara growls, "What do you mean? Other archaeologists? You mean from now time, not years ago?"

“I mean the goblins. We’re looking for an elementalist’s lair and the goblins have elemental mud on them.”

"They brought with them a piece of uncured hide, which as he said has a frog picture upon it. And from the brand on the hide, it would pass to common fact that our assailants are fhe same ones as who would have claimed Professor Endro's beast of burden...


Saidou rifles through his memories, seeming to pantomime flopping pages as his face goes slightly lax and distant with thought.

Saidou seems intent upon the scrap of horsehide.

Looking a dead horse in the hide.

Saidou's expression is grim. I don't know the details for certain, but the scrap of hide there ... The styling matches the methods used for reverence of a patron deity, and used in rituals to the same. Might be superstition, might be empowered, it's hard to tell."

Vostiun comes over and takes a look at the hide.

Religion: 14
20:15, Today: Vostiun Hephaurio rolled 14 using 1d20+3 ((11)).

Confirming that the hide is indeed still dead.

Kon finally wobbles upright.  Experimentally he tilts his head back and forth slowly, wincing at first and then sighing with relief as a satisfying and audible cracking can be heard.  He ruffles and then smooths his facial fur back into place, replacing the bent and flattened "bed face" with its usual dimensionality.

"I'm more worried we didn't get another visit.  Perhaps we convinced them to leave us alone...  Mind, perhaps they are preparing another nightly ambush at their camp.  Oh..."  He pauses adjusting his armour to his frame to look up at the others, "Elemental mud, associated goblins, hide bearing deific totems...   Perhaps...  They are related...?


Elde Kon rolled 25 using 1d20+8.  Arcana (+1 for goblin noodling)

Attempting to Phoenix Wright the clues to determine whether the lesser elementals might be centered around the goblin camp, and if indeed the camp would likely be the ruins they seek.

This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Tue 10 Oct 2023.

"Oh. too many pronouns, that's the problem. You think the Goblins made camp in the ruins we are looking for?"  Pushing partly erect in her cold, damp blanket, she bares her teeth and snarls, "Well, that would save us a lot of time."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:36, Tue 10 Oct 2023.

So many clues, so little time.

Kon recalls the past clues


"We know the goblins are brutal, having nailed that wolfhound to the tree, and painted markings on it.  Vostiun identified them as the Waterhead tribe, who have an affinity with frogs and boggards.  Then there's the cheer to Gogunta, a demon toad who leads those same boggards."

Kon stands and begins to pace, lost in thought and thinking aloud.

"Then there's the late professor Endro, speaking of the hound.  Beheaded, mutilated really, and left in his campsite.  A prolific note taker to which the Waterheads were not a fan.  But isn't it odd for a lone professor to be out here in the wilds away from safety with just an animal or two as guards?  Even for a scholar that seems a bit absent minded.  And what of his notes, destroyed, but why?  The goblins may dislike the written word, but they were very thorough and deliberate, wrecking even concealed documents so that the next people who found them wouldn't be able to determine their contents.  Maybe they were related to Gogunta."

Kon spins about and points to Saidou, "You yourself experienced visions regarding his notes.  You mentioned anger and betrayal, and a fiend that was amused at the grief and anger you felt."  Kon returns to thinking and pacing, "And then the confusion of "Where your children were."  As a single individual, certainly without family on this trip, why would you think that?  It is possible that the professor did not come here alone at all."

"And then this ruin, this temple to Drugog.  We've found signs of elemental mud strewn about and mephits (scamps, now?) further tying together the idea of Gogunta with the area, but also that this temple was a place of worship constructed near or on a site of elemental attunement." He points off in the direction of the goblin that ran away, the path the group took out and back again, "On our way back last night I had noticed many more signs that the temple grounds are much larger than we thought.  Markings similar to these-" Kon strides over to a large engraved stone and runs a hand along a its weathered surface, "-were hidden amongst the foliage and choked with vines.  And then there's the goblins with the same elemental mud on them as we found near our campsite.  As well as the hide with the frog picture, one that Saidou purports is a sign of reverence to a patron deity."



"It is clear to me now that the goblins worship Gogunta.  It was probably wise that we turned back when we did as invading the camp, spent, and encountering both the bulk of the goblin tribe and demon spawned boggards would likely have ended poorly for us."  Kon turns to face the others, "We can also say that the temple extends far, quite a distance into the marsh, and that the bulk of the temple's place of worship is where the goblins now call home.  There, we will likely find the source of the elemental mud."

Kon lowers his head and furrows appear between his eyes, "What bothers me more is the possibility that the professor was not alone, that he may have travelled with his children, or worse, in search of them.  We found no evidence of them at the campsite, but it makes no sense to me that a scholar would explore the wilds all alone without even signs of mercenaries to guard him.  He may have been arrogant, but even arrogance has its limits.  This points to invitation, desperation, or compulsion."

Turning aside and sitting with his gear once more, Kon readies leaves in his pot with boiled water for a morning tea with their daily rations, "We may have also found what we were looking for, in the end.  Runa had sent us to investigate the ruins supposedly belonging to Voran Earthmane.  While these are likely those ruins, it's clear Voran wasn't the owner of this place.  At best, it was a locus of elemental study for him.  At worst...  A doorway to Gogunta's realm."  He looks up from the pot hung above the campfire, "If the professor was not alone, then time is likely of the essence to rescue the others, if they still live.  If I'm Wright about the temple and its connection to Gogunta, then the goblins may plan to torture and sacrifice anyone and everyone of us as well, and we may see far worse than just a tribe of goblins invading the town.  It's clear we need to investigate, and possibly eliminate, the goblins."  Turning to look toward Saidou, Kon asks, "Is there anything else you can recall about your vision?  It may help us to learn about what the professor was up to."

Some poignant memories.

Saidou's expression as he follows the investigator's thoughts shifts a few times, but does show doubt at several clues.

Finally, he adds when Kon draws a breath to close; "The professor never traveled without two companions. I don't know if I would go as far as to consider them children, but I am not Endro, nor do I know his relationship to his companion hounds. In the nightmare, it may have been for his hounds that i felt loss and confusion..." Saidou shudders again.

"Do you know, of any definition of what Gogunta looks like? The horse-headed fiend, it laughed as the horror flowed, as the dark waters stole knowledge. The glimmers of thought about children, where were my children, might not have been from the knowledge ... But didn't we find at least one of his Wolfhound, staked to the tree and gutted?"

Samara throws a look at Vostuin, "See? They had help from their god, as I said. We absolutely have to take that into consideration."
Scowling as liquid seeps from her blanket as she rolls it up for transport, "And again I suggest we use a more cautious approach, assuming we aren't considering our mission successfully concluded. I mean, we found the ruins, we gathered some intel, that meets our requirements as I understand them."

Kon shakes his head toward Saidou, "Gogunta wouldn't be a horse, I don't think.  The Water Head goblins revere frogs and boggards, so it only stands to reason a deity of theirs would have to be something related to them.  Unfortunately I don't know much about that.  I'm also not aware of any horses that would be involved with elemental mud."  Pausing to think, he continues, "As for the children...  I'm not sure why humans consider animals to be their children.  I suppose it could be, but as you said, at least one of his dogs was killed in a very public way.  There's no chance he wouldn't know about that if it occurred before the end of his life.  And by the looks of things he didn't have much time to worry about someone else before his own untimely end.  No, I still think there's something else we're not aware of."

He turns to Samara next, "And we can't consider our work done, per se.  We were tasked with," he clears his throat, attempting to mimic Runa Hildrsdottir's mannerisms, "'meticulous notes of anything interesting, bringing back any and all artefacts we may find, and properly sketching out the ruins noting where any artefacts were found', which I know extends off into the marsh.  Fixing up this..." Kon waves at the dilapidated enclosure that makes up their campsite, "ruin and documenting a few things around it doesn't meet that requirement.  Where are the altars?  Where are the statues to Drugog?  There are no significant signs here that would suggest this was the main temple.  On the other hand, we were chosen, rather than a team of scholars, or even as escorts for scholars, because there was a high likelihood of trouble being here.  Well, we found that."  He pokes at the pot, observing the warmth of the water and letting it brew some more, "At the least, we should try to learn more about the temple proper and what we're up against before deciding to return.  If we learn that what we're up against is indeed something divine, or demonic more likely, and beyond our control, we'll seek further assistance.  Certainly Runa wouldn't expect us to face down such an overwhelming threat unprepared.  If there are indeed children to be sacrificed however, then we cannot wait until a small army returns in a few weeks or months."

"I got some notes for ya," Samara mutters as she checks and cleans her weapons.

Shouldering her pack, she ticks off items on her fingers, flicking here ears back and forth. "Let's stop and grab some rats for breakfast. With any luck, some goblins will come and sacrifice themselves, meaning there will be fewer at their main camp.
"I would very much prefer if, before we go charging in there, maybe we can draw them out a few at a time once we find said camp, so we're not fighting them all at once?
"Also, what further evidence do you need to know we are dealing with their deity?"

Kon rubs his chin, "Rats do sound good...  I came across a bunch of them when we were chasing the goblin last night.  Since we're heading in that direction, it wouldn't hurt to see what all we can pick off."  Tea poured, he takes a moment to inhale the aroma of newer leaves before sipping some, "I'll take a moment to enjoy a brief snack to work up an appetite for adventure.  Might as well do the same.  Some warm tea will at least stave off the cool marsh for a while."

By popular opinion on Discord, the party will scout out the goblin camp, retracing our steps toward where we left off following the goblin last night

Go ahead and give me your characters planned actions during the attempts to track your way back to the goblins trail. Keep in mind that you were running over a long distance chase at night, so things will look very differently in daylight and after a nights rest.

Elde Kon took note of various statues and pillars on the walk back, noting their similarity to the temple ruins the party is currently inhabiting.  That will get the party at least part of the way I'm sure.

After finishing a light breakfast with tea, Kon quickly washes up his cup and pot.  "So, about the path back.  I'm guessing we don't all remember the way?  As I said, the temple's ruins extend quite a ways out there into the marsh, so we can probably follow those part of the way...  We just need to find them again."

Haznut finishes cleaning and putting on his armor before he eats. “I can try to follow our tracks back at least part of the way. Neither us or the goblin we’re trying to cover them as we went.”

As he rinsed his cup off and passes it to Spirit to dry for storage, Saidou would exhale a deep sigh and think for a few moments. I think my size will come in handy here. Im a lot closer to eye level for any pathfinding trail sign the goblins may have left for navigation.

for Saidou, I'm planning to use as many of the goblin-sized escape paths as I can, following and looking for markings as I go.

How many Familiar abilities do I need to pick, since one will be used for speaking language?

The familiar gets a total of 2 abilities: https://2e.aonprd.com/Familiars.aspx.

The Witch gives it an additional ability: https://2e.aonprd.com/Classes.aspx?ID=16
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:50, Mon 23 Oct 2023.

"Shouldn't be too hard, we crashed through barrier after barrier, should be blood, mud, and debris showing our path, but is that path leading to where we want to go? The creep was well aware we were pursuing, I bet it wasn't leading us back to his cam, but just through every dangerous place he knew about."

“The goblin probably did lead us through hazards but eventually he’d head home. If that’s where their god is, it’s we’re they’d seek sanctuary,” Vostiun says as he gently strokes Sargon’s head. The cat is sullenly curled up and has been silent since last night.

"I agree," Kon chimes in, "while he certainly wouldn't want to run straight home, he would have been running for help.  The trip through the brush was merely to slow us down and prevent us from following him back.  We don't know how close we got, but if we retrace our steps from the trek back last night, I feel we can find clues as to where their camp is at the other end.  It will at the least be in keeping with our mission of mapping out the ruins."

"More to the point, unless I am mistaken, it's the only lead we have got." Samara searches through her Adventurer's kit to see if there is a hatchet or something in there that can be used to clear away brush.
Sighing, "Chalk. I have chalk. not going to do much againsh that brush. You know, I don't think the person who sold me this kit has ever been on an adventure in the wilderness."

“That way you can leave clues for the people who find your body. I mean think how helpful if the professor had left us some written clues that weren’t destroyed by goblins,” Vostiun says as he carefully deposits Sargon into his pack.

The car grumpily mews in response.

"Hey Vos, How is Sargon doing?"

“Sore,” comes a voice from out of Vostiun’s backpack. Vostiun for his part gestures at the backpack.

“Alright, let’s wrap up and get to it.”

Haznut will be tracking the goblins once it becomes relevant.

Saidou quietly packs his things away, seeming to carry on a commentary with Spirit as he does. His eyes have been lingering on details around him as he seems to be trying to restore some of the clues of their presence, from turning the bloody ground and masking it with leaf debris after, to cleaning up some of the projectiles from the night before. It actually looks, in some ways, that Spirit was directing him rather than the other way around, guiding him with knowledge into tracking.

[Language unknown: "Ughilltho ol ivnce ceun rutorttervir t str Theounwhi, Undmanugh ... Ll uronioto his ver elreul ess ol lieiol we has me ble ininil, eroumo. Th p ionenc o tio of ate eaupe ta sti tahiel ngouwh hiic sethe foeknc ... Tasan I lin tinbutughrat ughpr lo is th Ourerater. Si ica allhatrut haeihi ca anttinthe la tiout ivetioherall redos seyin lishe la ounardith fipoil, stnd thles n ekladitril t men li utomol virtertin om.]

Spirit will be helping Haznut with scent and tracking, to find the trail from before. Saidou will be studying the trails found, for more details, landmarks, and ruins left behind- and will be trying to keep a catalogued record of their path from the first shrine ruin on paper. Mapping.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:33, Sat 11 Nov 2023.

Kon rises, pack restored, ready for travel once again, "Alright, let's get moving.  I can help out with mapping as we go."

"Eventually, we will get to a point where the two paths diverge - The trail of their approach last night, and the trail we made pursuing them.  Which way will we go then?"  Samara takes position near the front, weapons drawn, ready to defend the party members who are concentrating on the trail.

Vostiun finishes gathering his pack and gently shoulders it when the others are ready to move out.

Vostiun is going to use the Detect Magic exploration activity to hopefully notice any active magic before we stumble into it.

As everyone is packing up for the journey, Haznut begins looking for tracks in the immediate area of the camp, the hope being to find the trail or trails that the goblins used to arrive at the camp as suggested by Samara. With Spirits help, he is able to locate two trails that deviate slightly from where the camp is.

It appears the goblins came into the camp from the north and then split, with one goblin veering towards the west side of the camp and the other to the east side. The goblin on the eastside was slain, wile the western one ended up being the one the party chased.

His exit trail headed north for a brief distance before veering off to the east, while the trail of the goblins advance on the camp looks to continue to the north. From this split the camp is less than a 100 feet.

Continue backtracking the incoming trail to the north or follow the exiting trail heading east?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:43, Sat 11 Nov 2023.

“It looks like they came from the north and we chased the chased the survivor east. Do we want to backtrack them or follow the trail we took last night?”

"We know we spotted points of interest on the route of giving chase."

"I believe heading East is probably for the best.  We're here to take down notes and map out the ruins, we know there are ruins that way, and we know he was trying to escape in that direction.  Whether it's the long way around or not, we'll find the camp eventually."

"Well, breakfast is that way, but it's past the Wall of Thorns, the Quicksand Pit, the Chasm of Bottomless Sorrow, and... what was it? Was there Giant Ants? I can't remember."

"We don't know how long or where they were scouting before they found us. When it fled, did it know which was was home, and then try to lead us astray, or did it just flee in a random direction then head for home?"

"If I had to guess, I'd guess that it fled in panic, then headed for safety - I don't know how smart these things are, if it would have the forethought to conceal its base from pursuers."

"I think it's more likely it was headed to base than they headed straight here from base, so I say we follow its trail away from here.  The fact that breakfast is also in this direction is pure coincidence."

“East it is,” Haznut says and gets ready to head out.

Change of actions. Cover Tracks until we reach the point where we lost the goblin last night and then switch to Track.

Following the trail back the way they came proves to be slightly more difficult than they suspected. The fog and mist from the night soaked the ground and leaves, virtually removing any of the blood that was left behind. The terrain itself looks much different in the light of day for some, but Haznut manages to keep the party on the right path and avoiding the natural roadblocks.

By early evening the party finds themselves soaked, caked in mud, and a ruin is just visible ahead in the fading light of the setting sun.

The map is up on Foundry. To keep things flowing smoothly we'll be going by combat rounds.

Elde Kon is up.

"Hmm..." Kon puzzles as he looks off to the North and West, "It would seem the clearest avenue would be to just go across here approach from the South, but..."  He looks off to the North East and starts moving toward the nearby patches of surfaced ground, "Let's loop around."


Triple move (25ft x 3 = 75ft)
6 NE (5+10+5+20+10+20)

This message was last edited by the player at 18:20, Fri 05 Jan.

Vostiun moves up near the edge of water and nervously looks over the surrounding water.

Stride: E 1, NE 1, N 3
Seek: Anything that might be hiding in the nearby water.

Haznut is up.

With curses muttered under his breath Haznut shifts his pack around and awkwardly deposits the chest on the ground.

3 Actions to remove chest and retain backpack.

Saidou is up.

I would like to move NE NE E, ending next to my ally, and use Discern Secrets with Vostiun as my target, to grant him and also +1 improve a seek or knowledge check, for trying to spot better solid terrain. Probably Perception/Seek, and will sustain. Third action would be to instruct Spirit to follow Kon and try to ride his shoulder as a spotter.

Saidou would follow to 'Loop Around', his fingers following through the motions as to invoke clear eyes parting the mists of the unknown.

Samara is up

Seeing that no one else is sneaking, Samara will use all 3 actions to move N, NE, NE, NE, NE, NE, ending in the square E of Elde Kon.
Action 1: Move N (25-(5)=20), Move NE (20-(5x1.5)=12.5)
Action 2: Move NE ((25+12.5)-(5x1.5x2)=22.5), Move NE (22.5-(5x1.5x2)=7.5)
Action 3: Move NE ((25+7.5)-(5x1.5x2)=17.5), Move NE (17.5-(5x1.5x2)=2.5)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:48, Mon 22 Jan.

Elde Kon is up

Move NE 3 (10 feet difficult terrain, 10 feet diagonal movement, 5 feet diagonal movement)
Move N 5 (25 feet movement)
Stealth

Elde Kon continues to sneak off to the north.

Vostiun is up

Stride NE 3 (10 feet difficult terrain, 10 feet diagonal, 5 feet diagonal)
Stride NE 3 (10 feet difficult terrain, 10 feet diagonal, 5 feet diagonal)
Stride NE 3

Vostiun slogs through the swamp, following the rest of the party.

Haznut is up

Still cursing to himself, though quietly now, Haznut removes the archeologist's tools from his backpack and places them in the chest.

Remove stowed item and place it in the chest on the ground... 3 Actions?

Haznut continues his unloading of gear.


Saidou is up

Saidou, gazing out across the muck and grime, scowls at seeing how bogged down some of his companions are becoming. "I am not wading out into that until you find a more solid path. My legs are too short to traverse. Spirit, can you smell any path used by goblins or wildlife to safely traverse? Can you guide Kon to it?."

With another gesture, Saidou closes his eyes, seemingly focusing on his mental disciplines so as to invoke subtle knowledge on keenly indexing small details.
Sustain spell, instructing Spirit to Seek and then Aid Kon, and then Discern Secrets on Elde Kon. He can make a Seek or Recall Knowledge with +1, and keeps the +1 like Vostiun does if I sustain.

As Saidou calls out instructions to his familiar across the swamp, Samara feels a tingle as Saidou's magic enchants her.

Samara is up.

Samara calls out as her companions disappear into the distance, "Guys? Are we... not waiting?"
With a somewhat confused look on her face, she gets onto dry land* and hunts around for some way for her companions to follow.
She scans the vegetation to see if an arboreal route is possible, of if vines or rope could be used to swing across.

Move NE
Move E
Seek (path for Saidou and Haznut)
Seek (path for Saidou and Haznut) again if need be

Samara continues her cautious movement, making her difficult to keep track of.


Elde Kon is up.

Double move:  NE, 4N
Take cover behind log

Kon scurries forward from his tree, staying low as he moves over a fallen log and takes cover behind it, glancing about to see if he spots anyone as he goes.

Elde Kon makes it to the log and glances around.

Vostiun is up

Samara holds a hand up in a 'hold up' signal towards Saidou and Haznut while she searches.

Vostiun presses himself against the tree next to him and swivels his head back and forth looking and listening for anything that might be lurking in the swamp while the rest of the party catches up.

Action: Take Cover.
Action: Seek to the East.
Action: Seek to the West.

Haznut is up

Huffing and puffing Haznut wades into the mirky water to catch up to his companions.

Action: Stride NE 5

Saidou is up