zleth

outro/intro after the last patrol in Langston, I said my goodbyes to continue my trip to the Ephenbald’s farm, leaving some of the artefacts I collected or was carrying with me with the town, to prepare for a lighter trip. also took some time to reflect a bit on the experience and conversations with Roy during my trip into the forest and towards the coast. after the last adventure I feel more robust, having had a first round of real battles, and practised archery quite a lot. for me, this is a much preferred approach to using swords when fighting. from spending some time and chats with the druid Roi, I realised the strange feeling I had of connecting with the woods was a preamble to my capability to manipulate the magic essence present in nature and cast some spells. part of it applies to my archery, and now I am able to mark my quarries if I concentrate, allowing me to hit more precisely, causing more damage. this is great! now I feel like a more confident and better archer! also, I thought about survivability. either as recovery food or something else. I could learn to create goodberries, which are a kind of magic snack food, packed with nutrients. say bye to rations! it must feel weird eating so little and feeling satiated and requiring only water, but it could do in a pinch, and it is great not having to worry about acquiring and carrying food supplies. but I would miss a lot the feeling of eating and chewing, so let’s consider it a bit of… emergency rations. and an emergency idea, a Dwarf as hearty as me needs to chew. that would have been interesting, but I realise I can also cure wounds by manipulating the weave of nature magic, either on me or others, which is more flexible. anyway, before leaving, I also asked the new cleric to cast Remove Course on the Silverstar, to recharge it. and left the scrapling claw at Langston, for the militia to use if needed. that’s all, I departed and kept travelling. some of it was lonely, following paths in the forest, or not well frequented roads. part of my journey got me onto busier roads and I accompanied a small caravan for a while. upon making night with the caravan near a trade post, I wandered around and found myself sitting near a bonfire and sharing some wine (finally!) with some explorers. we talked for a long time. they shared their stories and current tasks: they talked about exploring a jungle where rumours say there is an lost ancient city. that expedition is following the steps of a previous expedition that failed, and they need some support: a guide, or perhaps a map. after waking up the next day, with a bit of a hangover, the caravan and the explorers where already gone, but apparently the explorers left too fast: a rider came and enquired about them. it seems there was a map they could use, or they were contacted to deliver. either way, there was some miscommunication, they decided not to retrieve it, or were not aware of. perhaps this rider was another explorer that was late to the party and changed their mind. I am not sure. however it was, I agreed to deliver the map to the expedition into/through the jungle in exchange for an equal share of the treasure (the rider produced some contract, either theirs or a blank one) and a payment advance. money is not that relevant (even if it helps, of course), but the opportunity to explore the jungle and the remains of some ancient civilisation were enticing. did they coexist with nature? what are their stories? so I accepted, took the 75 gp advance, the map, the contract and spend the day getting closer to the jungle. it seemed a fantastic place to get lost and dehydrated due to the heat, and somewhat dangerous due to the (mostly unknown to me) fauna and flora, which was something I could feel from its outer bounds. but I decided to continue (the adventure and the contract are compelling), spend the night in an improvised camp at the boundaries and then march into the jungle at dawn, making a good pace with the goal of joining the explorers before the end of the day. I am tough and very capable to survive alone in nature, but this is new terrain for me, so the sooner I join the party, the better. \page a new adventure begins so that’s where we are… not far from the expedition camp. yes, they had wagons. ummm, that was a very loud trill, I didn’t hear this one before. let’s see what is going on. p74 some lizardfolk are surrounding the expedition (an expedition? perhaps it is not the same). a human, who is seemly the leader, claims to have permission, but maybe the lizardfolk changed their mind (this seems to be their land). there is also some orcish sage/scholar within the crew. there is some exchange of words and hissing, the mention of Z’leth upsets the lizardfolk, or at least rattles them. there is plenty of tension between the two groups and this could explode. time to do or say something. p12 I am new to this discussion (and the overall situation), but I think I should talk to the lizardfolk first, as this is their part of the world. it is clear to me who the leader is for that group (I might be wrong, but they wear multicolored feathers). I clear my throat. “I am Ylbifin Ephenbald, a member of this expedition… I was away when this started, what is the problem, if I may ask?” (16) p62 I made a good argument for de-escalation of the situation, to avoid harm to both sides. it looks like I convinced them, and the expedition leader (the human woman) plays along calling me “the diplomat”. and mentioning the map I carry. yes, this is the expedition I was looking for. p85 the expedition leader is called Rija and the orc is Gigar Garantham, a professor. she cuts the reply of the lizardfolk leader and pushes for the agreement to be fulfilled. the situation though is tense, it looks like a lizardfolk is about to attack? I am not strong to grapple them, and I don’t yet have a connection with anybody, I should just be ready to react if needed. I am expectant. p24 Gigar reacts as a frigthen kitty, and it is Rija who adopts a defensive stance. there is an impasse, during which they size each other. p36 he introduces himself as our guide, Z’ka. it seems I was correct thinking different cultures consider aggression differently. being resolute is not being aggressive. not necessarily. Z’ka is more hunched than other lizardfolk. ah! it must be because he carries a stone tablet on his back. Rija clearly doesn’t trust him, but she exchanges words with Gigar and welcomes Z’ka into the camp. not everybody is happy with this resolution, but there is no fight (even if there is still some tension), which is what I hope to avoid. there might be more to Z’ka than is apparent, he did some gesture on the tablet and there was some deference shown by the lizardfolk leader. they disappear in the jungle, only Z’ka stays. so, the expedition accepts me, Gigar takes the map. each member priorities are clear. p52 Rija takes me to the camp and the conversation between us is short: the camp is set and we will part at dawn. there is food and water, I do not need to worry about equipment for a base camp if we need to create our own trail. I should sleep next to the fire so that the smoke drives the mosquitoes away, and I will scout with her tomorrow. I am left to my own devices. p91 I will talk to Gigar first. p82 Gigar sleeps in a wagon, and he is currently reading inside his improvised “office”. he allows me in. he is reading his own notebook, with glyphs and drawings of… (15 + 2) p64 some odd looking creatures. the glyphs seem notes about “corruption” affecting “water, fruits and flesh”. some other symbols on a more recent note mean “Z’leth”. let’s talk to the rest of the crew. p68 we share a meal and banter, there is tension about the expedition and the journey, let’s dig for info. (6) p72 clumsily, I act too directly, and the topic is brushed off. I didn’t gain any points with the crew (but didn’t lose them either). I leave to talk to Z’ka. p55 he’s on his own, eating. seems to be reading the tablet he carried on his back, now resting on the ground. (4 + 3) p80 I cannot fathom what Z’ka is doing other than eating (I think it might be a magic communication device, or ritualistic at least). he notices me, asks not to be disturbed, taps some word on the tablet while making a cryptic comment, and goes back to reading. p3 Rija. why not checking in with her before sleeping anyway…? she seems to be checking and repacking magical artefacts (black and blue crystals, vials, climbing gear). (11 + 2) p57 I do not recognise anything. she puts the blue crystals in a bandolier, and takes her backpack with her. didn’t find out much about the expedition. it is late, I better find a bedroll to sleep in. p89 I need water (running low, it was hot and I walked a lot). due to the notes (and being a ranger who thinks he can survive on his own) I’ll get water from a stream near the camp, not the barrels (thinking they refer to a curse). p100 water is brownish green and stinks, but nature around it is lush. umm… I’ll drink it. p79 it feels terrible. tastes of sickness! (3 + 3) p2 I am resistant to poison, not disease, and this is some corruption. so I feel immediately sick and vomit, dropping to the ground. a female gnome comes to the rescue bringing fresh water. argh, that was rough. I am poisoned until the next long rest (regardless of dwarven resilience, as this was caused by disease). :: [I need to roll a CON with DC 12 to recover. if not, it continues. that gives disadvantage on attack tolls and ability checks.] \page I am helped back to the camp. p45 after cleaning the waterskin, I fill it from the barrels. Rija talks a bit and I am just destroyed. I rest [in an alternative past, Blovo created 10 Goodberries for the next day. just in case. but the spell choice was retconned] p20 I recover from the poison overnight (9 + 3) after a feverish night filled with the buzzing of the mosquitoes. perhaps the rain that fell helped with that. or the leeches in my boots. well, however it was, I erred and learned. Rija is the one that woke me up. we are scouting ahead, eating rations on the way, while the camp gets ready. I don’t feel very talkative and last night experience prompts me to be more observant. I’ll walk next to her though. p95 we follow some path barely fit for wagons and Rija points to the trees. (17 + 5) p106 the jungle seems thick and corrupted, vines strangling trees, jagged flowers, caws instead of birdsong, rotting flesh bound to the ground. subtle clues hint the direction towards the source of the corruption. somewhere NE. not sure if Rija perceives the same. (13 + 3) p18 a serpent like form is about to drop on us! (8 + 5) p4 the form misses me and uncoils on the ground, two snake heads darting. I move just of reach and get ready to fight. p66 the heads are all mine, while Rija is busy with the tail. I jump to get a bit more distance and attack with my bow. I cast hunter’s mark on it and throw. (21 > 12 -> 14 HP with the mark) the single arrow strikes true through both heads, nailing them to a tree slightly upwards from my head. the long scaly body hangs from there while the tail wriggles. rows of sharp teeth dripping saliva, now harmless if still looking menacing. p51 we put it down. Rija thinks we should carry it back for study, but I am not strong enough for that, so I suggest that it will be better to dissect it. p22 my survival skills should come in handy. (15 + 5) p49 it has extra bones, hardened tumours, oozing fluids… the corruption seems deep. does it have gills? there is also a blue crystal in its chest, glimmering faintly. Rija seems interested in it. it looks similar to the ones she carries in her bandolier, if less glowy, duller. she hands it to me. we pack the samples and find Gigar at the camp. he is eager to study them and moves into the wagon. he doesn’t let us in (Rija wanted to follow him). p88 I spend the rest of the day at the camp eating and waiting. Gigar comes out. he didn’t find anything new, but he is now showing me the map I delivered. p6 it seems to be work in progress, with new notes added. (15 + 4) p96 but the notes are contradictory, useless. there are notes about abnormalities: bird-lizard or, spiny frogs, another two-headed snake. all clustered towards the empty section of the map. towards the NE. South and West seem to be explored or dead-ends. let’s get Z’ka p58 yep, he points and references the NE, and seem to growl at Rija something she understands and nods to. also, something about the sky.it is time to rest for the night. p33 but Z’ka wants to show me something, so I follow him to his area. the tablet is resting against a wheel. I think he sees himself as warrior and protector. the tablet carries the knowledge of his people and the region, the things in the dark we don’t know (but that know us). p69 I don’t know anything about the history of this region (I am just starting to pick bits and pieces now), but this indicates there is/was a civilised society here. (3 + 3) p93 I get that society had access to magical power (and crystals). I cannot tell more. “Is hidden under the under”, says Z’ka. I eat something (would eat a goodberry for a snack and create a new batch if I had access to that spell, but it would be so… joyless). nite! p10 I am rested (this was my second night in the jungle), and wake up to the activity of the camp. it seems Rija and Z’ka left scouting on their own towards the NE. I have been assigned to support Gigar’s investigations. he produces an obsidian amulet representing a winged serpent with feathers instead of scales. Gigar asks me to hold it in order to begin, and he grasps it. p47 some force gathers in the amulet and rushes to my mind. (15 + 3) p81 I get drawn into a very sensorial scene, very powerful energy surge. somehow I still manage to understand that I am not present there, just barely (that is how vivid it is). p65 a mountain is towering amongst the trees, a fast sunrise. this is still the jungle and there is some ceremony with lizardfolk, several thrones with old reptilians raising glowing crystals above their heads. they wear elaborated robes with feathers and jewels. light emanates from crystals on stone posts and pyramids. carved stonework and a… ceiling? a huge crow of adorned lizardfolk with smaller crystals. it all dissipates. I recover my sense, under the expectant gaze of Gigar. p92 Gigar is giddy, eager to know about the vision. and I recount everything, including the location. p37 he saw something similar once they reached the jungle, but most people just got sick and vomited all around. a long interview ensues, until some midday commotion makes us come out from the wagon. p75 Z’ka and Rija are back from the NE. they found wagon tracks and “other signs”. they are bing cryptic and mysterious. a hard journey ensues, going deeper into the corruption to the point where part of the crew cannot take it any more and vomit around. it is all hard labour, mud, rot, and sickness. it is very evident we are getting somewhere dangerous and sick. all of us knackered, it is time to rest for the night, with fresh water. \page p97 but, after a short rest, I wake up in the calm night. something woke me up. there are the usual noises I have come to expect in this jungle. but something doesn’t feel right, something that woke me up. (9 + 3) p31 I hear a slithering sound and a snap. see pinpricks of light reflecting on larger than human eyes. my guess is this are the lizardfolk again. I get ready for battle p14 and raise the alarm, expecting a big contingent of foes. everybody leaps to stand up, and sentries draw their weapons. lizarfolk (I was right) burst from the jungle and attack with nets and clubs. I could run away, but it is time to make a stand and fight. perhaps this could end swiftly. p73 a single foe approaches me. let’s fight! (11 vs 7 + 3 = 10) the lizardfolk is slightly faster than me. brandishing his club he gets close to me and swings it at my head before there is anything I can do. hits me (14 + 4 > 15), knocking my head heavily, but not enough to be worried (3 + 2 HP). feeling the impact I reel back, while loading an arrow. I cast Hunter’s Mark on my quarry, and moves away, avoiding a sluggish reaction blow (3 + 4), and release the arrow from 15 ft. the arrow sinks strong (14 + 7 > 15) and true. it was a single blow (2 + 3 + 3) but it pierced through the armoured skin lodging between the ribs into a lung and perhaps the heart. a bit deeper and it would have ended the fight. wailing, the lizard rushes forward, but the anger is not enough and the pain makes his attack ineffective (10 + 4 < 15), as I can anticipate a bit and narrowly dodge. I drop the bow a few meters away and unsheathe a short sword, thinking of finishing the combat closer, to avoid another attack. but I fail (9 + 5 15 -> 3 + 2 HP) back in the same part of the head. this time I also manage to hit (15 + 5 > 15) and, hit bluntly with the side of the sword, my foe falls unconscious (3 + 3 HP) and the combat ends. p40 the lizardfolk lands on the mud unconscious. after checking he is down, I kick the club away and fetches his bow. looking around, the battle seems lost, with the crew being captured and part of the camp on fire. while I try to decide between engaging or hiding, I get dragged away. p29 Z’ka is holding me. Rija tells me to stop struggling. “what is going on?” Rija and Gigar surround Z’ka. nobody seems injured, but Gigar is unsettled. Rija throws my gear at my feet and, very pragmatically, says she is continuing on and that we can help. Z’ka hints anyone captured will be eaten. Gigar is uneasy, the respectable thing is to help. but the fight is truly lost and we both know it. I am now invested and (like Gigar) I want to find Z’leth. Z’ka releases me and nods, clearly we four have at least one thing in common. I pick up my gear, sheathe the sword, hangs the bow at my back and start following Rija and the rest of this reduced group into the jungle. quite sure they are leading me northeast, even if surrounded by darkened and tangled vegetation. \page chapter 2 p107 the four of us stumble through the jungle, moving fast under a phosphorescent dim light. after an hour, we stop, exhausted. it is time to reassess. I do not have much gear or options: either go back or spend the night alone. other than that, I should stick with this crew. Z’ka leads the way with determination. where to? unkonwn, but the sound of the camp seems to be getting closer, not farther. perhaps my mind playing games. p150 the ground rises gently, but with a lot of undergrowth and skittering insects or animals, nothing very hard. except for Gigar, perhaps. the insects seem malformed or hurt. we plan on finding some shelter, and Z’ka points up the slope: “Caves” my experience surviving in the wild (9 + 5 > 12) p116 helps me to find a large cave, with time to explore it. it is covered behind moss and vines. I can see some markings on the wall and even a skeleton. a human, an elf, or something alike, flesh long gone. it clutches a pack to its side. it is weird that it is so intact, laying in this area with animals and vegetation. at least doesn’t seem “undead”, whatever that means. or at least it doesn’t move when I poke it. searching, I find two blue crystals like those Rija wears (also glowing). a voice startles me, it is Rija at the cave mouth, asking me if I found something in the cave. p162 I decide to keep the crystals for himself. the rest of the group enters, and we decide to stay, even if the corpse doesn’t seem like a good augur. :: [that is where I took a break, back in September 2024] {{wide}} {{wide}} {{wide References: game: D&D 5e 2014 adventure: The Crystals of Z’leth }}

this chronicle is part of the Blovo series