Mystery Plants Circumstance

## Synopsis

In Season 2, Chapter 38: Mystery Plants Circumstance, we waited out the storm with Spud the boggle, who didn't mind discussing his past – though his memories from the time of entering our world were limited to only bits and pieces.  He seemed to have some history involving Lord Raimi Purinoy's castle south of Dylosuun, but the details were fuzzy and we couldn't say for sure who he'd been following around before taking the road east toward the peninsula.

With some time to kill, we cleaned up a few corpses and took a quick look through the giant spyglass, only to discover that rain had been replaced by a rolling fog that limited visibility just as much as the storm.  In the direction of the shore where the battle began, however, we identified a flickering light that was getting closer – and paired with a few blows from a horn, it seemed someone was announcing their imminent arrival.

Our minds went first to potential reinforcements but the signal was familiar to Spud, who told us we'd soon come face to face with "Herringbone" – a ranger and treasure hunter who occasionally paid a visit to the island to receive scouting information regarding bandit activity and movement throughout the area.

She arrived with her capybara pet companion and a healthy dose of skepticism given the carnage on the beach, but with no particular affinity for the bandit clans and assurance from Spud that we'd helped him survive the siege, her attitude was mostly cordial – which was a nice change of pace after our recent entanglements.

Noting that we were a bit worse for wear, Harriet informed us there was a small village just inland from our intended coastal route – and with it came an opportunity to help each other.  In showing us the way, we'd have a place to resupply, which would be more than welcome after failing to get through to Pockets – and by traveling in a group rather than by herself, Harriet could avoid harassment at the hands of some residents who'd been wronged during her last visit.

We said our farewells to Spud, who we hoped would relocate (if only temporarily) to avoid the ire of the bandits – and then set off back across the water… though Harriet did linger behind to reacquire a key she'd sold to the boggle; a transaction and its purpose entirely known to the rest of us riding the waves to the shore.

Before we could even start our journey in earnest, we noticed a few blood hawks circling over the dead bodies that remained – and not wanting these speedy messenger birds to deliver any news to their masters, we made the decision to preemptively shoot them down.  It was a task easier said than done, but Harriet added to our already formidable ranged firepower with her skill in throwing knives – and after eliminating the avian scouts we left the area in haste.

Now moving eastward along the coast, we followed a sandy pass that seemed to be only accessible when the tides were low – and though we were fortunate in our current timing, Orba got a familiar feeling that there were unsettled spirits who had not been so lucky when they attempted the trek in life.

She felt their suffering was both something she could ease and draw power from – and by shifting her pain in a way similar to how she did back in the Acqly Grove, Orba was able to bear the burden of their anguish.  In exchange for a modicum of peace, the spirits promised to help with our attempt to access Finlock Forest when the time came.  During this process, Harriet looked on with fascination – and when it concluded had a few private words with her fellow tiefling, though perhaps not as private as she thought thanks to Safira's improved fluency in the infernal language.

At the foot of a beautiful crownsgold tree, Harriet gave the signal to start moving inland where we soon came to a stone bridge over a fast-moving river… one that she had crossed many times before.  On this occasion, however, a tangled mass of roots, vines and vegetation had inexplicably sprung up in the center of the bridge – and that combined with some whispers and snapping twigs told us we might once again be in the presence of pledgemages.

To let us pass, they demanded we return what we had stolen – a request we might have wholeheartedly denied if we were in better fighting shape.  Instead, we gathered the plants taken from the Sagging Caverns (including what Harriet had separately grabbed herself) and offered them up – though we'd soon find this gesture would not satisfy them and we deliberated over what the pledgemages might be really referring to.

## Trivia

* Natural one count: no natural ones were rolled in this Chapter.