Off the Map & On the Record

## **Synopsis**

In Chapter 39: Off the Map & On the Record, the party reeled in Safira from the edge of the waterfall and back under the safety of the catwalk – though the sounds of splashing and sputtering attracted the attention of the guard on duty.  Using the abilities granted by her Wild Ordnance, Safira was able to trick the guard into believing that the noise had come from an animal, and after he had safely returned to his watch – we snuck into the building on the opposite side of the lake.

There we found an out-of-commission recreation room where some stored items in the attic gave us the impression that this particular Harvesting Yard was not currently on good terms with the Mollefaires.  After a moment to collect ourselves, it was time to take the path down behind the waterfall – which was thankfully unpatrolled and gave us the option of entering the camp from either the north or south side of the river.

Noticing that the mounted Black Lion barbarians were not currently policing the ridges (likely due to the discovery of the note calling for their help in the Callouses) it seemed like there wouldn't be a better moment to slip by undetected – so Jillian activated her Traceless Band and we dashed toward the closest portion of the main structure.  We climbed up onto the rooftops without issue and moved, carefully, to the lip of the chimney above the Electrolysis Lab – where Orba volunteered to make the plunge and utilize her darkvision to see what was in store.

After avoiding some kind of acidic substance at the base of the chimney, she gave the all-clear and was joined by Graven and Beezaura – who began to investigate the lab while Orba made sure the connecting hallways weren't hiding any guards who might stumble in and sound the alarm.

Despite not knowing exactly what everything's purpose was, the lab provided useful insights into what kind of volume of Myconid products the camp was producing and where the shipments were headed – and when Graven sensed the opportunity he also hid the two canisters of Necrocylium that Jillian had passed onto him.

On the other side of the compound – Jillian, Erland and Safira had successfully infiltrated the washroom with the glass ceiling, finding it mostly in the same condition as when Erland had scouted it from above.  Believing there was a guard posted somewhere in the vicinity, they took the non-violent approach and used the cumbersome leather suits with the domed, metal helmets to obscure their identity and pose as scientists heading down into the holding pens.

After bypassing the security, the two half-elves aided Jillian through the darkness until they found a way to illuminate the underground cages – bringing them face to face with the imprisoned Myconids held within.  As we wondered what we might learn from the condition of these Myconids, Orba was doing some learning of her own – having discovered a journal kept by someone who was an integral part of the Harvesting Yard's development.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: one natural one was rolled in this Chapter, by Anthony.
* This is the last in-person chapter prior to the 2020 hiatus due to the pandemic. The next episode (Chapter 40) was held remotely.