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Allies & Apes

The party cautiously tried to interact with the moonwolf to understand its intentions. They failed to become best friends with it, but they did successfully keep their distance and avoid provoking it unnecessarily. After it passed by, the party decided to continue following the stream bed to find out where it would normally lead. The stream bed took a long, winding loop through the forest that led back to the dark cluster of brambles and ominously looming trees that they had decided not to investigate before. This time, the party decided to brave the dangers of the darker forest. The forest was thick and overgrown, but Din Morat's survival skill let them make good time through the dry stream bed. However, it did not help them avoid an ominous ooking coming from the forest ahead.

The party readied themselves for battle, and were charged by a squad of angry monkeys led by a giant orangutan. The monkeys had a greenish tinge and strangely corroded fur, and the orangutan was visibly smoldering and its fur was charred and patchy. The party cleared out the smaller monkeys fairly quickly, though not without being scalded by their acidic poop. The giant orangutan proved much more dangerous and difficult to kill, and it managed to deliver several vital wounds and stretch the party's resources to the limit before the party wounded it to the point where it retreated.

After the battle, continuing further into the dark forest seemed to be a dangerous prospect, and the party decided to retreat out of the woods to rest. The next morning, with their curiosity undaunted by danger, they decided to press deeper into the forest. Once again, they made good time following the stream bed, and they found the large pond that would normally be the destination of the stream. Unlike the stream bed, the bottom of the pond was littered with partially eaten fish corpses, indicating that the pond had been dried within the past week. In the middle of the pond, an intact backpack nestled in a pair of corpses beckoned invitingly, and Din Morat went up to try to retrieve its contents. They were surprised to feel an electric eel concealed in the pack that lept out and gave them a small shock. Although Din Morat backed away and tried to de-escalate the situation, the rest of the party was still traumatized by their experience with the poisonous snakes and brought a swift death to the eel. The danger did prove worthwhile when the party found the equivalent of 37,000 donuts in gold, a magical breastplate, and a magical longbow. Some experimentation revealed that the breastplate would emit a burst of moonlight whenever its wearer was struck, and Bench McSmashy claimed it.

According to some geographic geometry, the dried pond should be fairly near the center of the dark woods, and Briar's magical senses indicated that the source of the strange magic should be somewhere near that center. Based on that, the party decided to press on a little farther into the center to find out more about what was going on. In the center, they found a huge clearing where a single humanoid in well-crafted full plate appeared to be constructing a small shelter. The clearing also contained a pair of massive cold iron doors that seemed to lead into a cave or tunnel set into a hill. The party was confused by this and wanted to learn more. They sent Din Morat to sneak up to the creature while Briar took the lead in talking, backed by Bench McSmashy in case things turned dangerous.

The figure proved to be a human named Gregory. He is a member of the Nullwardens, which are a group of anti-magic activists centered in Praxis. Many Nullwardens, including Gregory are Nulls - people completely unable to use magic, and who have a strong natural resistance to magical attacks. He warned the party that it was his job to kill mercenaries who tried to enter the Sekerren Ruins locked behind the door, but accurately deduced that the party was not one of the mercenary groups he was supposed to kill for two reasons: first, the party had arrived far too early for them to have come from Praxis, and second, because they clearly had no idea what on earth was going on. The party told him about their escape from Alistair's House of Liberation, and Gregory was concerned about the danger that Alistair posed. The large number of elementally warped animals were also a danger, and Gregory was interested in helping. He said that it was important for them to tell Praxis about what they had found so the guards and Nullwardens could use their information to put a stop to the kidnappings, and seemed to want to help them put a stop to the dangerous magic. However, he was unable to leave his post at the Ruins until the mercenaries trying to get access to it had been dealt with. The party agreed to work with him to stop the mercenaries from reaching the Ruins, and in exchange, he would help them deal with some of their problems. With their plans decided, they worked together with Gregory to build shelters to prepare for the next few days.

Join us this week to deal with highly trained and dangerous mercenaries from Praxis with the help of someone you just met!

Stupid Awards

Briar: "Bench" McSmashy: Anwen Jord: Din Morat: Wei Clumsy Grumpy Wizard:
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