[Posted on behalf of Cyrellion]
The lapping sound of water against the River Queen mingled with the cacophony of the Mist Swamps. Clothes still wet from our adventure we left the town and a lot of angry pirates behind us – or so we hoped.
Navigation through the Mist Swamps at night is perilous and can lead many a traveller astray – not to mention the creatures that inhabit these swamps. Darkness can have its advantages. Through my previous experiences and Ahmok's navigation we managed not to veer off course.
Through the night we sailed until the first rays of sun penetrated the thick mists . It wasn't until we found a small sheltered bay that we confirmed we were on the right track. This was to be our first stop to get a chance to stretch our legs and get some shut-eye. Being on a small boat with hardly any room to move around can stretch your nerves – especially when you never know what's going to lunge out of the dark at you.
We made camp. Ellessar confirmed that he cast a spell to ward off creatures from the boat, keeping us save from the alligators and other strange twisted things that lurk under the murky waters.
Sleep did not come easy though, not for the elves at least. Mosquitoes – they are the Sleeper's worst enemy, and in the Mist Swamps these blood sucking monster can grow as large as your fist. You can hear these bastards buzzing from ten paces away and their bites itches like hell, not to mention the diseases they carry.
Finally we were ready to set 'sail' again. We quickly found our bearings , loaded the boat and pushed it downstream.
By this point the swamps were taking its toll on the party. Ellessar quickly started showing symptoms of what's called Quaking Fever. Little we could do for him without proper medical attention. When Ivor fell ill as well we were hard pressed with rowing the boat. I've travelled with many boats-men, and this group wasn't an exception where it comes to being irritated with each other. Luckily this wasn't a pleasure cruise, so at least we could focus on the imminent dangers around us.
That's when we heard voices mixed with lots of oars cutting through the mists. One thing you learn quickly enough in the swamps infested with pirates and slave-traders – get out of their way and well out of sight. Ahmok immediately veered the boat off the main river into the marshes for cover while Ellessar started to chant softly. We were holding our breathes to keep quiet when out of the mists emerged the prow of a large beautifully carved vessel. Giant braziers hung from the sides creating an eerie glow. Shadows shifted and contorted strangely, a chill ran up and down my spine. Prowling on deck there was none other than Rasmusin himself, fully kitted out for combat. We were definitely going to be spotted being so close to a ship with so many men on the lookout! Strangely though they looked right by us. At one point I could have sworn Rasmusin was looking directly at us, but then he turned and ordered something to his men. My hand gripped tighter on my bow and I looked at Ellessar who only nodded sagely with a thin smile. Magic does come in handy!
We waited for some time until the ship was out of site, but decided to stay off the river and navigate through the marshes. Hours passed, tempers continued to rise and Ellessar and Ivor were not getting any better. Ahmok jumped in the water to cool off before he struck someone's head off (which would have made more space on the boat!). As he was paddling through the leach-infested waters he spotted the mast of a sunken boat. Using his innate swimming abilities he dove down to search the ship for any spoils. And a treasure he did find, along with a swamp serpent which took him for a tasty morsel. The two reptiles fought, steel versus fangs until the serpent drifted away in two.
Back on the boat we rummaged through the treasures Ahmok found. A pouch of money and a beautifully carved wooden box which compared to the rot that set into the wood of the boat was untarnished. Within it gleamed four amulets.
By this point the party was not fit to travel anymore. Sickness and wariness forced us to make a camp of hammocks within a canopy of trees.
Windlings. Within these few days we've been harassed enough by them that I can safely say that they irritate the hell out of me. Mutated Windlings – now there's something I wasn't expecting. These little devils had claws that could rend through armour and use some form of dark magic that twists your bone. Several of these vile creatures came flew out of nowhere, faces a mask of horror with their only intent to rend and tear. Hah! Little did they know that they were the excuse we were waiting for to un-cork our pent-up frustrations. We fought back with a fury that sent the little buggers back to the dark plains they were spawned!
With renewed energy – and a few new scratches and bent bones, we rowed through the marshes once again. Our maps – if we were correct in reading them – indicated that we had arrived near the Eye. We confirmed this when we found the ruins of a temple nested on solid ground, on the doorway an eye carved into the rock. A quick search revealed a metallic staff which looked like it once held a large disc. To our surprise, under the thick coating of muck that was stuck to it, the metal gleamed richly. It turns out that we found one of the most precious metals known to man (or so I was told). The Oricalcum as it's called was worth a fortune.
The solid rock that the temple is built on seems to once have been the peak of a large mound, as we discovered from the stairs on both ends which lead down into the water. I believe some more underwater adventures are to come.
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