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Message: <blockquote data-quote="NiTessine" data-source="post: 683868" data-attributes="member: 475">Eldanna Anaersis peered closely at the three-toed tracks in the mud in the meagre light of the early morning. They had had enough time to fill with water and start caving inwards around the edges. Their depth meant that whoever made them was large and heavy, but their size coupled with the distance between individual tracks told a different tale. The tracks had been left by someone jumping. A ghost of a smile on her lips, the half-elven tracker rose and glanced at her companion."The bullywugs came this way two days ago, at most. They're slowing down their pace now that we're inside the Chelimber Marsh. The frogmen don't think we'd follow them in."Her companion, Vardus, was a man in his forties, clad in short, tan robes, nodded and said noncommittally:"I see."The man's hair was greying about the temples and seemed intent on vacating the premises around the top and the hairline. The unblinking eye and candle of Deneir, one of the gods of knowledge, were embroidered in silver threads on his robe, over the left breast.The half-elf woman sprang up again and started running again, as she'd been doing ever since they reached the marsh and had to leave their horses. Four days back, they'd received a magical message from Twilight Hall in Berdusk, informing that a troupe of bullywugs had raided a caravan bound for Llorkh near in the foothills of the Greypeaks and then headed back to Chelimber. They'd stolen a piece of cargo – a magical dagger (pic 3), apparently - meant for one of the top Zhentarim in Llorkh, and thus Vardus and Eldanna were directed to abandon their position in the small town to fetch the dagger from the bullywugs and bring it to Berdusk for further investigation.So, now they were ankle-deep in the mud of the most dangerous swampland of the Western Heartlands.*  *  *Vardus was only barely able to keep up with his ranger companion, who bounded over the fallen trees and the small ponds of brackish water without any apparent trouble, while the Deneirrath diviner stumbled on the tree trunks and fell face first into the ponds.It was a few hours after Eldanna's analysis of the tracks that she stopped, looking at something. It was still early, and the sun's first rays were just beginning to seep over the horizon."What is…" Vardus started to ask as he made his way to the ranger, but she motioned him to be quiet. When he reached her, he saw the most breathtaking sight. In a river, which Vardus realized must be a subsidiary of the Winding Water, were dozens of swans, floating gracefully over the placid surface of the water. The morning fog obscured their outlines, making them seem ghostly, unreal. Where the rays of the sun hit the fog, it gave them warmly glowing haloes. (pic 4)Eldanna laid her fingers over her blue unicorn pendant (pic 2), a gift from her goddess, and offered a prayer of thanks to Mielikki. It was sights like this in even the most dismal places that reminded her they were still part of the great cycle of nature and home to myriad of animals, not only the vile monsters and frog men. Whispering softly, she said:"Stay quiet. We must circle this place and look for a ford or a bridge."Vardus nodded, and the two rose up and quietly left the sanctuary of Eldath, walking along the the riverbank northward.*  *  *They stopped for a light meal of dwarven iron rations at midday, actually pausing only for long enough to dig the strange slabs of… something from their backpacks. They ate as they walked. The dwarven iron rations had a vaguely stony texture, and tasted accordingly. They were filling, though, so they did not have to eat very much of the horrible things. Vardus fancied he felt his hunger being scared away even as he thought of eating some of rock-hard rations.Their next stop was some three hours later. Vardus had once spent a tenday learning to tell the exact time of the day based on the sun's position on the sky. He felt it was useful, whenever his occupation as a Harper took him from the urban settings he favoured to scour the uncharted wilderness of Faerûn. To alleviate the other problem, he'd also brought a cartographer's kit.Eldanna stood in front of a large stone statue. It was carved in the vague shape of a bullywug. A very… well endowed bullywug (pic 1)."What do you make of that?" she said, smiling."Looks like an idol of Ramenos, the bullywug deity, in some sort of fertility aspect," the Deneirrath answered, managing not to blush. "We must be getting close to their camp. How many raiders would you say there are?""Ten, twelve. Nothing we can't handle. The camp might have more, guarding the women and children, and probably either a strong chieftain or a tribal shaman. So, in all… maybe twenty frog men.""Hmm. Let me get some more accurate numbers."Vardus laid down on the wet ground, grimacing at the feeling. He quietly mouthed the words of a spell, and felt his consciousness soar above the black, twisted treetops of the marsh. Turning around, he saw a gap in the cover of the overhanging branches, and made for it.He saw the dwellings of the bullywugs. They were made of mud and reinforced with wood sticks. The village was dominated by a large stone toad statue, its gaping mouth opening up into a pitch black hole in the ground. A sacrificial pit, Vardus guessed. Presently, the frog men were having some sort of celebration, feasting on the raw carcasses of creatures Vardus could not identify. The mage counted nineteen warriors among them, and a pair wearing ornate headdresses. A particularly large warriors was clad in studded leather armour. The leader, Vardus guessed. Falling down below treetop level with his magical eye, he quickly circled the camp, counting seven sentries. He'd barely seen the last when he felt the spell's duration end and pull his consciousness back to his body.Shaking off the disorientation, the diviner scrambled up from the mud."Nineteen warriors. One leader, two shamans. There are seven guards along the perimeter. I could not see the women and children. They're probably indoors.""Good. We should be able to take them. Clerics first?" Eldanna asked."Yes. They are often powerful summoners, and you don't want to see what they can call up."*  *  *  Eldanna silenced two sentries with her bow. They had hidden well, but not well enough for the sharp-eyed ranger. Both died silently, falling into the marsh. The adventurers were advancing from behind the toad statue of Ramenos, unseen and unheard. Once Vardus had the festive frog men in his sight, he began to cast a spell. His deft fingers produced some guano and sulphur from a belt pouch, and began to works them into a ball as he spoke the spell's words under his breath.They are evil bastards, and would do this same thing to me, given the chance. They killed people to get that dagger. Vardus mentally convinced himself as he unleashed the great ball of fire, landing it directly into the midst of the feasting bullywugs. The explosion and blistering heat killed a dozen immediately, flinging the rest into the mud with grievous burns. Before they could recover their bearings, Eldanna was upon them. Her bow was swift and accurate, killing those creatures who grasped for weapons. One of the shamans rose to a kneeling position, smoke rising from the remnants of its headdress. It began the incantation to Ramenos that would call down servants of his god to smite down the insolent food creatures. It never got that far. Its bulbous eyes widened as the sand-coloured food threw glowing red balls in the air. They fanned out at first, but then all homed in on the hapless shaman, who managed one last choked croak of surprise before keeling over dead.*  *  *The sentries who came to the camp a scant few minutes later found a scene of destruction. Most warriors had been burned to death. The chosen heralds of their god Ramenos were slain. Even their strong leader had croaked, and his powerful dagger, taken from the food creatures, had been taken. It took a moment for all this to sink in the guards' consciousness, after which they fell upon fighting each other for the new chieftain's title.Meanwhile, Vardus and Eldanna were running away from the village with magic-induced speed, already half a mile away. The Zhentish dagger, inscribed with runes of death and darkness, was wrapped in a tight woollen package and placed inside a wooden box in Vardus' backpack. Now, it was just a matter of getting out of the marsh, finding their horses, and travelling a hundred and fifty miles southwards across the plains, over two rivers, and through a forest, and they'd be back in a civilized setting. He was already looking forward to a hot bath.</blockquote>

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