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[howandwhy99]

And so, once more our brave intrepid heroes descended down the well into Quasqueton. Igor would once again stay at the keep proving his loyalty. It is uncertain what was said to him in private from his reckless foray into the woods by other group members. But Mirel, Kayla, Dram, Dalin, Ben, and Darius all were eager to learn more about this new spot of forest beyond the cavern's other exit. Before beginning Darius asked to check the bottom of the well for any further possible entrances to other levels of Quasqueton.

While no other footholds went past the original entrance, Darius was lowered down by rope over 100' feet to a still pool of water. Checking carefully he spotted movement within. While the others could not see what Darius did, they could hear and felt a tug on the rope as it pulled away hard. Raising Darius back out of the well he said he saw a large snake in the water and that the water was flowing deceptively fast just below the surface. He said this as the group dried him off as the water was also deceptively cold. It was decided no other exits into Quesquaton existed by way of the well.

No encounter occurred in the halls of Quesquaton or the caverns beneath it. Walking outside the first thing the group noticed was the clear sky and the sun's heat on their faces while they stared out from the hilltop. Invigorated to start a new day's adventure, the group set on to exploring the environs around the cave exit. Dram had the best eyes and had spotted a smoke trail in the distance below. A stream was seen flowing right to left in the valley just below the hill.

Scouting from a tree again Dram determined the previous day's guesses were wrong. The cave was in fact facing south. And the spot he took to be the outpost in the distance was not. This meant the hill could be in any possible direction away from Outpost X. "Igor was certainly not going to drop in during one of his surprise visits," Ben thought. The party headed down the southern slope the cave exit faced towards the rolling stream. It was suggested everyone kept the hill in sight in case a person became lost or separated. As they walked the trees thinned out and made for easier travel. Turning to the right they followed the waterway upriver awhile keeping a look out for smoke.

Before they came to the next hill in the ridge Dram spotted the thin tendril of smoke. The band cautiously headed in its direction through a grove of trees. Spotted ahead looked to be around ten humanoid creatures as tall as men. They were dancing around a large old willow tree in a clearing along the riverside. Brother Ben tried to make out the faces of the creatures. They were bloodied about their heads and wore skins beaten into some kind of makeshift armor. Each carried swords and spears while some had crossbows as well. A lithe young woman was in the tree as well wearing only a simple brown dress. “Some kind of worship ritual?” Ben wondered. A mountain lion moved out of hiding in the tree to stand on one of its limbs. The monsters swung weapons at the tree trunk adding to the cuts from before the band’s arrival. Small flames licked from their torches lighting the tree's lower branches.