Last Friday's game was quite interesting. The group decided it was high time they found a homebase for themselves and headed northeast, upriver along the Delimbir in hopes of finding something suitable. A short distance upstream, they noticed lots of dead fish floating belly up. Milo spotted some kind of sickly green scum in the water as well and used a scrap of cloth to collect a sample. Our alchemist was able to figure out that the poison was organic and apparently somehow derived from green slime.

We continued upstream to see what we could find, Milo and Kyra scouting ahead in full stealth mode. Soon spotted something in some bushes and moved to flank after signalling back to the group to stop, stay alert and keep quiet. Milo moved up on the target and saw that it was an elf, apparently from the Mistwood. Unfortunately, Milo doesn't move silent as well as he hides, so the elf figured out that something was nearby but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The next thing the elf knew, Kyra's voice whispered from right next to his ear "Whatcha looking for?" just as Milo stepped into view, quickly followed by Kyra appearing practically out of thin air from behind the guy. Needless to say, that was one startled elf.

The elf recognized the Mistwood pass token Milo wore around his neck and said that we must be those he was sent to find in the town. He says that some poison has begun seeping from beneath the rocks in the Laughing Hollow, a valley about a day upstream. Even the mighty trees of the Mistwood are beginning to die off because of this poison and the King of the Mistwood elves sent him to find us and ask for our help. We agree to look into this, considering that's what we were doing anyway when we ran into him. But now we know where to start looking.
The elven scout says the only thing they know about what may or may not be going on is that a group of "hairy men" (dwarves) went into the ruins beneath Laughing Hollow before the snow started falling last year. A group of "green men" (orcs) was seen going in some time later. The elves have no idea whether these occurences have any connection with the current problem.

Since we're so close to town we head back to warn the town of the poisoned river (the current beat us to it) and to gather supplies and speak with the authorities. While we are gathering support and info (Seems like very few know anything about what might be beneath Laughing Hollow.) we suddenly realize that we might know something connected to this.
We found the body of a dwarf in the Mistwood during one of our earlier adventures and were able to determine that the body had lain there since before the snow fell but no longer than that. We buried the body properly and later contacted the head of the Ironeater clan in Daggerford to see if he might know whom to contact so they know their kinsman was dead. Master Ironeater knew that the dwarf was from the same clan as his brother. When we mentioned that the body had been found to the east (Purposefully NOT mentioning that it was found inside the Mistwood and full of elven arrows.) he mumbled something under his breath about his brother looking for something and saying that he thought it was to the east. Master Ironeater quickly "dummied up" after he realized we had overheard him and we asked a few too many questions. The timing seems to match up a bit too much for this to be coincidence.
Milo and Magnus speak with Master Ironeater. Turns out we were right. His brother did take an expedition to look for some lost dwarven city late last year. He knows little more though because this was really his brother's obsession, not his.

Gareth, our unofficial "mouthpiece" and usually go between with people of rank, is able to get hold of some useful magic scrolls from the temple of Chauntea. Seems they are more than happy to help out an expedition to try and counteract a poison source that threatens the major source of water in these parts.

After gathering supplies, we are back on our way and soon meet back up with the elf scout. We ride on past dark to try and make up some time. The rest of the night passes uneventfully. Partway through the day, the forward scouts spot something up ahead and signal for the group to halt. (Those skill points for Combat Signal Sign Language were well spent.) The scouts see a humanoid up ahead that seems to be eating a dead horse and Milo detects the overpowering odor of rotting flesh. We attack the undead and soon find that it has others in its pack. Other than gagging on the overpowering stench, we come through the fight fairly well. Eren is asked to make use of a prestidigitation spell to clean off the bits of the last ghast, that Milo basically hit three time in rapid succession and the beast practically exploded.

The ghasts were feeding on a horse and rider. Not much on identification left on the rider but the horses saddle does carry the mark of a tack & harness shop in Secomber to the east. We bury the poor soul with proper rites.

Somebody suggests that Milo see about tracking down the ghasts lair, which shouldn't be too far. Their trail isn't hard to follow and Milo soon finds something that would normally seem very out of place. But since the group seems to be looking for some kind of old dwarven ruin, perhaps this isn't so out of place after all. He finds an iron door (Set into a cliff face or hillside, I can't remember.) that leads down into some kind of old worked stairwell and a short bit of hall. The tunnel has collapsed further on and little is found but rubble and bones. Some doubt that this door and passage could have anything to do with the ruins supposed to be under Laughing Hollow, which is still half a day's ride away. But it is pointed out that what we are looking into was said to be a kingdom and therefore may have indeed stretched quite some way. This might be the remains of some escape route or a short cut or back road. Who is to know.

Not us, until next episode.