Save or Die: Outcasts: Episode 24

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==Synopsis==
The party head south after lodestones for Magistrate Zerrah from some goblins. Renatus goes on a separate quest for the Magistrate.
The party travel to the south of the kingdom. As they travel in the forest they observe strange behaviour from the animals. The party eventually arrives at the town of Arkveld where they get a guide to help them find a mountain pass on the way to the goblins.
==Recap==
===Starting the Lodestone Quest===
January 17, 1524. The party, except Renatus, head south from Valebrook on a quest from Magistrate Zerrah. They are to get some lodestones from a tribe of Goblins living in the wilderness south of the Hornstead Kingdom. The party will be paid 500 gp for the quest, but given a 50 gp advance. Zerrah expects the goblins to give over the lodestones as tribute. The party are given a tall banner to identify themselves as being on official business for the Magistrate, along with a letter. The banner is a black banner with a green diagonal stripe.
To get to the Goblin Village, the party must go though a mountain pass. The last town before the pass is called Arkveld. It will take 6 days to travel to Arkveld from Valebrook.
The way to Arkveld is more a trail than a road. The party camp at night with a campfire.
Auguste hands out some silver coins to some villager children.
While setting up camp for the second night in the woods the party find a "cluster-fuck of " nearby. The party get ready as Arachis tries out his new spell, and paralyses them all except 2. Arachis studies the paralysed giant centipedes to understand how their venom works. The centipedes are then killed.
===Badger Encounter===
January 20, 1524. On the night of the 3rd day the party are awoken. The guards have heard a noise. It turns out to be 5 . Arachis casts and Grau casts . A badger outside the entangle flees into the forest from the Scare. Grau doesn't want the party to injure the trapped badgers.
When the entangle and scare wears off some of the badgers attack while the rest flee. Arachis casts on one of the badgers. Auguste kills one with his glave. A badger bites & claws a guard, Digi, viciously, killing him.
Grau turns into a bear and fights with the badgers. The party kills off the attacking badgers. 
Auguste apologizes for not killing the badgers while they were held. Grau is saddened by the events. Auguste gets the shovel off the cart and digs a grave for Digi.
Arachis and Grau find the situation odd. Badgers are typically solitary hunters, not pack hunters. Arachis suspects something could be corrupting the forest.
The guard Nilis asks abut how Grau turned into a bear. Arachis claims he polymorphed Grau.
The guards takes Digi's belongings and put them on the cart. Digi is then buried in the grave.
In the morning 3 badges return. Arachis casts on 2 of the badgers, and a last badger flees.
Auguste and Stacy tie up one of the badgers. The first badger wakes up and Auguste kills it. Auguste takes a net and traps the last badger in it. Grau casts .
The badger is angry and vicious, and Grau tries to calm them down. Grau asks what motivated the badgers to attack them. The badger sees itself as the apex who takes what they want. The badger is driven by its hunger. Grau gives the badger some cheese.
Auguste frees the badger from the net. The badger then attacks Grau. Grau turns into a bear, but the badger is fearless. Grau hits the badger, killing them.
===More Strange Animal Behaviour===
The party break camp and travel.
The party continue their journey. At noon on the 4th day they see 11 circling overhead.
January 22, 1524. On the 5th day the party find a pack of 10 boars rutting together. The party back up and do into a defensive posture. Arachis casts the casts and moves close to the boars to inspect them. They appear to be digging something back. Arachis returns, and the leading theory is truffles. Grau and Arachis find it very strange that the boars are working together like this. The party decide it is too dangerous to investigate the boars and continue traveling.
===Arkveld===
January 23, 1524. On the 7th day of traveling the party arrive in the "town" of Arkveld. It is more a village made of wooden buildings than a town. It is ad the edge of the forest beside some plains before the foothills.
The party head to a stone wall where a Voraci Tent is. There is a half-orc Voraci Guard, Me'shun, on duty. The captain of the Voraci local forces is away. Arachis explains their mission from Magistrate Zerrah, and they need a guide to get to the mountain pass. Me'shun directs the Arachis to the local watering hole.
The party arrive at "The Golden Throne", the local poor quality tavern. The food and drink quality is poor. There is a cheerful gnome bard named Clubie plays a fiddle. She asks for tips to perform for the party. Auguste gives her a light stone and Clubie becomes intrigued with it. Eventually Clubie performs a song about Auguste and his good deeds. 
: Rise again Auguste from the shadows you roam,
: Gather your strength and reclaim you throne.
: Under your banner we'll never stand alone,
: Marching to victory, our faith is your own.
After some time the voraci captain of the guard, a human woman named Everpool. Everpool explains the best person in town to be the guide would be Clubie. Everpool is from the Tarnwood Principality, near Vantis Kingdom. She reveals the Nefarious family held out against the inevitable and that is why they were killed.
Everpool said 6 mercenaries a month ago went after the lodestones, and 2 came back. 2 of the mercenaries had been eater by in the foothills. The other died by the hands of an angry .
Arachis reports in the strange animal sightings. Everpool says the deep wood of the forest is expanding, and the light wood is expanding northward. Everpool warns the party against the , who have taken the lives of several of her men.
Auguste gets into an argument over rank with Everpool, and implies that he out-ranks Everpool despite not being in the military himself.
Everpool gives directions to Arachis (using the Sihcara alias) to a nearby restaurant with better food. Everpool then leaves.
The party talk with Clubie again about her being their guide. She knows the way to the valley of the goblins, including where the pass is. Clubie claims that she was one prisoner of the nearby mountain giants, then was freed.
The goblin village is 240 miles away, or 7 days travel on foot. Clubie will change 15 gp for guiding the party to and from the goblin village. Arachis pays half the amount, but will pay the rest when they get back.
===Traveling to the Pass===
January 24, 1524. The next day the party set off from Arkveld for the goblin village. Clubie directs the party not to enter the nearby foothills due to the large colonies giant-ants.
The party travel in the grasslands, at the edge of the foothills at Clubie's suggestion.
The journey goes uneventfully. On the 6th day as they reach the edge of the mountains the party encounter a pack of 10 . The jackals leave the party alone.
January 31, 1524. On the 7th day, the party reach the edge of the mountains. There are 2 passes though the mountains. One pass outside the hills won't allow the party to take the wagon. The pass from inside the foothills is wide enough for the wagon. The party decide to take the pass in the foothills. 
February 1, 1524. After making camp on the 8th day, the camp is approached by 4 . 
==Experience==
No experience given this episode.
Category:Save Or Die: Outcasts Episodes
Category:Save Or Die Episodes
Category:Save Or Die: Outcasts