Remains to Be Seen

## Synopsis

In Season 2, Chapter 35: Remains to Be Seen, we soldiered on through the coastal woodlands until we saw distant signs of upheaval in the forest floor – trunks askew and roots exposed to tell us we were fast approaching the potentially dangerous *sagging caverns*.

With space to maneuver around the least stable parts of the terrain, there was some debate over whether it made more sense to forge through with the intent to backtrack after a night's rest – or to simply make camp now and call the extra time before it got dark a small luxury of inactivity.

Opting for the latter, we tucked ourselves in by a high rocky outcrop that shielded us somewhat from prying eyes – but just to be safe, Orba set down several Alarm spells to make sure nothing stumbled unexpectedly upon us… an especially important bit of caution since we wanted to avoid any sources of light that might draw attention.

As it turned out, not a fire nor our precautionary magic would have much effect at all on the oddities about to befall us; intermittent sounds of leaves rustling, twigs snapping and the occasional breathless whisper.  Even before we took our watches, we had the sense that something unseen was lurking in the shadows – but a lack of obvious hostility (despite being close enough to make a move) made us believe that if we just minded our own business, we'd be left to our devices.

Each turn as lookout became an exercise in paranoia, employing tactics such as pleading and prayer to try and elicit a response from whatever might be out there. Repeated pinging from the alarms made for a restless night for Orba, yet still no act of aggression followed.  If we were in some way being observed or evaluated, there was no way to know for sure – and all our attempts to communicate were met with little more than unintelligible murmurs.

Difficulties with correspondence were apparently the theme of the evening, because when Graven went to use the Sending spell to check on Pocket's progress, his attempts to project the message were stifled – perhaps something to do with our proximity to Finlock Forest and the creature that might lie within.

Morning came and other than some extra vegetation in the vicinity there wasn't much to report, so we trekked in a northeasterly direction and kept our eyes peeled for any of the landmarks described in Emmitt Nesbitt's contract. After locating the crumbling watchtower, we had an idea we were in the right place – a notion confirmed by Erland, who crept forward for a closer look before signaling it was safe to approach.

The sagging caverns consisted of a massive hole in the ground with water pooling at the bottom – a sinkhole caused by erosion that finally collapsed and created the network of caves that now stood before us.  With no dangerous creatures immediately apparent, we anchored a rope and lowered ourselves down – but other than a flock of stirges lingering in a nearby corridor, there wasn't much activity to find.

Still, the contract promised potential spoils such as unique plants and druidic talismans, so we had reason to continue exploring – though unfortunately the terrain was, in places, unforgiving.  Loose rocks along the cavern's ledge sent Orba plunging into the pools below with Erland and Safira tumbling after in an attempted rescue – and Graven had to contend with grasping vines and perilous leaps as he hurried to reconnect with the party.

While swimming to safety, Erland noticed a pattern of swirling sediment in the water that looked like something invisible approaching – and not wanting to hesitate and be caught unaware, made a preemptive strike in wrestling it out onto land.  With Graven's help, they battered the creature until it lay still – and as its true form began to shimmer into view, we waited to see what we'd reeled in.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: six natural ones were rolled in this Chapter. 1 each by John, Jordan, and Riley, and 3 by Anthony.