The Mystery in Bridgetown

Cycle: 498: Day: 82. Season: Stasis.
The two men dry quickly enough as they move and the care taken to check their gear is important and prevents the loss of anything. It still takes a couple of hours to backtrack upstream. When the two arrive at the suspected site, the witch is, of course, no longer there, but the coals of the buried fire are still a bit warm. At least she took care not to leave a burning campfire. Nothing interfered with the arrival and the two think that they are making good time, despite the discomfort of wet clothing.

Cursory examination shows that there is a definitive path leading away from the campsite. It is not possible to know for certain if the two are on the trail of their quarry, but their instincts tell them that they are. As the light of the day begins to fade and evening will soon be approaching, the two have followed the path for several hours and see the light of another campfire begin to glow in the distance. The light is not yet significant as it is not dark, but figures moving in the far distance indicate that there are at least four people at the new site.

Let's go there and find out who are these people. I don't dare to hope that the witch is one of them, but it's possible they saw her. And maybe this time they won't be hostile.
2D10 = [3, 3]

Whisper looks at his friend and nods his agreement, before moving to quietly speak. “I think we should go ahead and approach this encampment, too. Whether they are hostile or friendly, it should be our best option. I will be prepared for hostilities.”

Cycle: 498: Day: 82. Season: Stasis.
The individuals of the party preparing their camp are average in height, a plain brown color, and lithely athletic. There is some variation in coloration and physique, but none would be considered to be dark or pale. Their thin, wispy hair is significantly darker than their skin coloration, which the three females have left unkempt, but the three males have theirs loosely tied back. The group looks to be a hunting party of Rheini adolescents. The fact that they all carry bows makes them dangerous, but they are known to be friendly if approached as such.

With a little deliberation and the fact that the other youths are able to speak some Centrin, the two young men are able to approach peaceably and share their fire. They did see and even speak with a woman who passed through earlier and can say which direction she took after departing. They did not have any conflict with her but knew little of her. They describe her as a Centrin woman but said that she is dressed more like one of their people, which was strange to them, especially that she was decorated with many bone talismans. They took her to be some kind of Bender but were content to keep the meeting peaceable because she offered no conflict.

Wild Jaguar proposes to help with preparing their camp, then to make a trade with these people, and then to keep watch with them during night, before at dawn wishing them good luck and following the witch again.
2D10 = [5, 5]

Whisper thanks the strangers for their hospitality and the information. He will work with Jaguar to help build a rapport with these people. At first light, he will thank them again before continuing on with the quest.

Cycle: 498: Day: 83. Season: Stasis.
Departing on peaceable terms, the two young men continue to follow the suspected path that the witch had taken. The direction of travel is toward the coast, which they think should be two days distant, at most. During the day, normal flora and fauna are noticed but nothing that would cause alarm. Subtle signs of the passage of another person are also seen at random points along the definitive game trail.

As the day begins to draw to a close and the two must begin thinking of making camp for the night, more signs of passage are seen, almost as if the woman is goading them to keep following. She has to know that she is being chased. The environment becomes wetter, the dominant trees change species, and the two youths find themselves having to move more carefully, as they are now within a swamp. As the light of day fades and the two find a drier rise of earth within the wet habitat, they again can see the light of a campfire in the distance. They have definitely gained some ground, but to try to close the distance in the dark with such an unstable substrate could prove fatal. First light would be the first real opportunity to encroach.

"We should not make a fire tonight. From this distance the witch will be able to see it and, if this campfire is made by her, she may suspect that we're following her."
2D10 = [4, 3]

Whisper nods his head in complete agreement. "Surely we can go one night with only eating cold rations. In the morning, hopefully we can bring this quest to its conclusion and that witch to her end."

Cycle: 498: Day: 83. Season: Stasis.
As soon as it is light enough to see, which is predawn, the two young men agree to separate from one another and move toward where they had seen the fire from the evening before. The air is thick with moisture and the temperature is already warm. It had never really cooled during the night, like the wet ground held onto it, somehow. Able to see and pace one another and exchange intentions by hand signal, the two close the distance only to find that the campsite has already been abandoned.

Unnoticed from the day before because of all of the foliage and the fading light of evening, there is a very ancient stone structure near at hand, almost completely reclaimed by the swamp. Various vines and herbaceous plants are growing all over it, making it difficult to distinguish from the surroundings, even when this close. Freshly trampled greenery shows that someone has recently walked around it to the right. Stunned for a few seconds by the sight of it all, the two can see that a fairly low stone wall seems to surround a pyramidal central building. Trees even grow in between the wall and the pyramid. The structure must be ages old.

Following the trampled path the two find that it leads into an opening in the wall that allows access to the pyramid. Lots of the vegetation has been trampled inside the wall, obviously by more than just the one witch. Seeing them and being seen by them, it is not the witch but four Shadowkins that appear to have camped about the middle of the alley made by the separating wall. It is not really possible to confuse the Shadowkin with people, though their respective silhouettes are the same. The ears are slightly higher on the head than those of people and slightly pointed like an animal. Their skin is also an unnatural color, being chalk white, coal black, or stone gray. These four are as gray as the original stone of the building and appear to be young. They are dressed in crude garments, which cover little of their bodies, and armed with crude javelins, topped with stone heads. Shadowkin are not people. They are known to be cannibals. They are about 50 strides distant.