A hundred worlds, a hundred destinies illuminated by the great heroes that stride across the lands. Unfortunately, this is the world of Drake the Lesser. Bad Queen on a Worse Day Queen Hypatia had sent a group of us to check out a rumor about a monster dwelling in the Cold Swamps. The Cold Swamps were a thoroughly unpleasant area filled with shallow ponds that made movement difficult and clumps of towering trees that made movement impossible. In addition to me and Drake, Hirt the orc shaman was with us, along with an elemental priest named Cam Shiroon and a trio of boomers named Dave.
Boomers are big, burly, slow-moving guys who carry a live cannon strapped to their backs.
This makes them completely unsuitable for a scouting party in hindering terrain. Unfortunately, the three Daves had sworn some sort of blood oath to Cam a long time ago, so if you were traveling with Cam, you had to bring along the Daves. When the bad stuff started, we were in a clearing near a shallow brook, and Drake was examining what appeared to be the remains of a campfire on the far bank. I was sitting on a rock about 30 feet away, making notes in my journal. The Daves were on the near bank, cleaning their gear.