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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1658933" data-attributes="member: 1210">Two new pcs, actually. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  This session we were joined by Elder James, who found us through ENWorld!Anyway.......***8:30 am, 5/4/368 O.L.G., somewhere in the Stern Mountains, StrogassThe smoke from the halflings’ fire rises into the air.  Despite the loss of Mama- a loss that affects our heroes deeply- life must go on, and it all begins with breakfast.  The smell of cooking sausages and porridge rises, carried by the morning winds, out across the grassy valley, winding its way through the brush and tickling a sensitive nose.The nose, of course, it attached to a face; that face to a neck, and that to a torso, and so forth.  The face is dirty and unkempt, with hair matted with leaves and twigs; but the body is a familiar size.  Could this be a wild halfling?  Indeed it is.  And following his nose, clutching a stick in one hand, the halfling cautiously creeps closer to our heroes’ small camp.  Smells tasty.  He tromps forward openly once he sees that they’re other halflings.  He wonders if any of them are survivors from his tribe, but once he’s close enough to make out faces he realizes forlornly that it isn’t to be.Still, at least they’re halflings.“Hello,” a little voice pipes up as he approaches.  He’s still acting cautiously, but he’s allowed them to see him.But this one isn’t a halfling- it’s a dogling of some sort!  It stands on two legs, but it looks like- ahhh, a kobold.  Right.  The wild halfling pokes Federico with his stick.“Uh- right,” sniffs Federico.  He ponders for a moment, then rummages in his pack.  He extends his hand, holding something... the wild halfling’s nostrils flare.  “Uh, would you like a biscuit?  It was baked by s-someone very important...”  And the little kobold bursts wailing into tears.The wild halfling pokes the biscuit with his stick.***By the end of breakfast the group has ascertained a little about their savage visitor, but not much.  His name is Jawbreaker; he is traveling alone.  Though he doesn’t seem lost, he seems directionless.  The party tells Jawbreaker dozens of stories about Mama Flapjacks.  They let him sample many of her dishes- or at least, the ones that remain in their camp.  The few last precious samples of her masterful cooking... There are many tears.  Jawbreaker gnaws everything they give him and, though he listens to their stories, he doesn’t have much to say.  But that’s okay; what the clan needs is not someone to tell them it’ll all be okay, but rather someone to listen to them.  They need someone to pour it all out to, and- with his mouth full of food- Jawbreaker is that someone.  Answering only in occasional grunts as he masticates, he plays his role perfectly.After breakfast, the group sets out to examine their situation.  Jawbreaker wanders along behind them picking his teeth and occasionally poking things with his stick.  Federico continues to talk to him, now relating the tales of the group’s recent adventures.  “So now we’re looking for this Asylum of Advanced Mental Treatment,” he finishes.  “But we lost our guide, and now M-m-mama... we don’t know where we’re going!  Can you help us?” he implores plaintively.  “Hmm,” grunts Jawbreaker.  “Okay.”  He shrugs.The party examines the chasm.  It’s deep; as a guess, the group estimates that it’s near to a mile down.  There’s the bridge across it, but it must be a thousand feet to the bottom.  “That’s a long way down,” Airhead Ed murmurs.“How are we gonna get down there?” Federico whines.  “Not more c-climbing!”  He shivers.“We can start with the undead,” Trinia suggests.  “Where did they come from?”“We heard that noise before they came,” Federico remembers.Brother He nods.  “Like a great chain or something.”“They obviously came from somewhere,” the kobold continues.“But where?” wails Ed.“Let’s have a look around,” says Trinia.***2 pm, 5/4/368 O.L.G., somewhere in the Stern Mountains, StrogassThe sun is high overhead by the time the halflings find what they’re looking for.Clearly, a very crude attempt at camouflaging the entrance was made; but the assumption must have been that nobody was likely to be in the little valley in the first place.  A rectangular box, painted green and covered with false grass and moss, thrusts from the ground.  Once it’s in sight, it’s obviously artificial; but the many shrubs and tall grasses and boulders in the vale conceal it from view until the group is nearly on top of it.  When they reach on it, Jawbreaker pokes it with his stick, then knocks on it; it seems to be made of wood. “What do you suppose that is?” wonders Trinia.“It’s some kind of entrance,” Federico answers.“I bet it’s guarded,” Ed whines, and the group falls into a small discussion about how best to enter the place without being forced to sacrifice whoever is first.  Jawbreaker snorts.  He’s been chopping a fair amount of brush up with his axe, and now he begins dragging the wood towards the entrance.  “Fire,” he grunts.There’s a hatch on one end of the structure, with the handle obvious once the outer layer of false grass is lifted up.  Brother He examines it and weighs the odds, but holds off for the moment while the clan’s new friend piles wood around the structure and squats down to start a small fire.“Hey, that’s a good idea,” Federico observes.  He sniffles, still riddled with sorrow over Mama.The group lets the fire burn.2:30 pm, 5/4/368 O.L.G., somewhere in the Stern Mountains, StrogassLaodegan wipes his brow.  It’s starting to feel like summer, even in the mountains.  Not for the first time he curses his guide for having the effrontery to die without guiding him through the mountains.  Laodegan, after all, is a very important man on a very important mission for an even more important man (Daddy).Regardless, he’s lost in the mountains and it was starting to look like he would be getting hungry in another day or three.  But now- well.  Who can say, until he’s close enough to see; but there’s smoke rising, from something on fire.  He moves through the grass towards the fire.  It looks controlled.  Someone is lighting something on fire.Hopefully, whoever isn’t on fire will be friendly and know their place.Next Time: Laodegan meets the party and vice-versa!  And not long thereafter bad things happen...</blockquote>

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