Chapter 9 - Crossing the Lines

Days 17-18

While their goblin allies tended to their injured and dead, the party disposed of the remains of the wagons and guards. Food from the wagon was dumped down the village well, the wagons themselves were smashed to tinder by Jrak, and the bodies were hidden in the houses of the hamlet. Taking the horses for riding and carrying supplies, they then traveled an hour south into a less inhabited area and made camp for the night under treecover.

When the party awoke the next morning, it was with a renewed vigour. The adventurers all felt as if they were learning and growing with their experiences. They rested the next day to regain their strength for the final stage of their journey back to Wasteward.

When the party set out to continue their journey on the second day following the ambush in the village, their spirits were slightly dampened by light rains which would grow to a steady downpour during the day. Consulting with the map that they had discovered on the wagon driver, they decided to head to the southeast and circle around to approach Wasteward from the south.

Near midday, their travels brought them to a mid-sized village that, unlike most of the previous villages they had seen, appeared to be inhabited. In the poor visibility caused by the rain, the party could not make out whether the distant humanoid figures were villagers or Genasi. Erring on the side of caution, the adventurers kept a safe distance as they circled around the town and continued their journey.

As the party journeyed, warg riders were riding in advance and scouting the flanks. As they made their way through a lightly wooded area in the late afternoon, one of the pair of riders who had been roaming in advance of the party suddenly appeared unexpectedly out of the mist, shouting an alarm. Following swiftly behind him was a man-sized fire elemental, followed by a squad of Genasi warriors. The elemental outdistanced his escort and was quickly slain by the party before his escort could arrive to influence the battle. The adventurers and their goblin allies were more numerous than the Genasi, and quickly fanned out to make use of their missile weapons. When an opening was spotted, a goblin would charge for a mightly blow with his lance. When the final Genasi broke and run, the warg riders quickly followed and finished him off. The Genasi corpses were looted, yielding a small amount of gold coins, a ring inscribed with a fire motif, a small bottle of some unknown type of oil, and a violet gem. The second advance rider was found a short distance ahead, slain by the fire elemental.

The rest of the day passed with to note as the party made its way south. Shortly after the fight, they came upon what appeared to be the main trade road running west from Wasteward. There was little traffic in the rain, but they did spot a Genasi wagon moving along the road with an escort of soldiers. Deciding to err on the side of caution, they allowed it to pass and then made their way across the well-traveled road without being spotted and continued their travels along winding country paths.

In the late evening, after crossing another major road, the party stopped for the night to camp alongside a secluded pond (after first checking the water for any small, frog-like humanoids). Trykaar and Blixhaven volunteered for first watch as the others bedded down for the night. The sun had not yet set when Trykaar spotted movement in some bushes near the camp. Cautiously moving to a better vantage point, he espied a small humanoid shape hiding in the bushes. Acting quickly, he sprinted to catch the figure before it knew it was spotted. What he found was an unarmed and very startled halfling. The poor creature was obviously quite scared of the armed human, but came along willingly when he heard mention of food being available in the camp. Once settled in, he revealed that curiosity had drawn him to the camp from his nearby community. He was able to tell Trykaar enough about the surrounding villages that their exact position could now be pinpointed on the map. He also revealed that the Genasi had appeared in the area about 10 days before, and had been active in looting food and valuables from the surrounding area. While he had heard stories of battles, none had occurred in his small corner of the world.

The next morning, the party awoke to discover that the rain had given way to a thick fog. As they planned the day's route of travel, their goblin allies revealed that they would only be accompanying the party for part of the day's travels, and that they then intended to part company and angle northward towards the likely location of the Legion, west of Wasteward. After so many days away, they were eager to rejoin the fight. The united party set off eastward, making slow progress due to the poor visibility.

After a few hours' travel, the travelers came across the muddy signs that a large number of creatures had recently (since the rain began) beaten a path that crossed theirs. Choosing to continue their course, they soon came across more earth that had been churned to mud. But this time, there were also signs of battle. Bodies, weapons, and various bits of equipment were scattered on the soggy ground in all directions. Evidence pointed to a battle between Legion and Genasi forces.

Proceeding cautiously, the party soon heard muffled voices ahead. Unable to distinguish the language being spoken, Blixhaven cautious crept forward through the fog. Soon, he could see figures, but their infrequent mutterings to each other were still indistinguishable. Creeping further forward, he finally distinguished that they were Genasi, but too late - he had been spotted!

To be continued when the DM has more time.

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