5 |
WIS |
18 |
| Moonflower | |||
Foraging |
| Redpine Swamp | |||
Random Encounter |
[Foraging] You roll an 18 (required 10). Success!
After thinking it over with Moonflower, you conclude that picking lazuberries is your safest bet. And with that settled, you leave the marketplace, and head to the city's eastern gate.
About half an hour's walk later, you reach the southeastern edge of the Amblertan woodlands. Beyond, a vast swamp comes into view, submerging most of the valley, and leaving but a patchwork of grassy uplands and mossy stones to stand upon.
You stop by one of the nearby bushes to inspect it, and find clusters of blueberries growing under the red leaves, some riper than others. Then, you notice that one of them is eye-catchingly more vibrant than the rest.
Moonflower: "Yuh uh! And look! It's hangin' from a different stem all by itself. It's gotta be a lazuberry!"
Moonflower takes a moment to teach you the proper way to pick berries, then you both start gathering. Moving from one bush to the next, and slowly making your way deeper into the swamp, you begin to fill your saddlebags with fruit.
So much so, in fact, that Moonflower's satchel soon becomes full. You agree to help her make room for more by holding onto some of her items.
Moonflower: "Thanks! Here, I think this'll be enough for now."
You get Black Hooded Cloak!
Then, you resume your hunt, and spend the next hour or two in comfortable silence — enjoying the gentle breeze, the echoes of bird songs, and the occasional sweet blueberry snack.
As the sun begins to set, and the chirping of insects takes over the air, you decide to call it a day.
You get 144 Lazuberries!
After comparing your bounties, you find Moonflower's satchel near bursting once more, containing over twice as many berries as yours. You congratulate the bat pony on a successful expedition.
Moonflower: "Heehee! It was fun!"
You agree, and begin to retrace your steps back to the now distant forest line, until your perceptive friend notices a square-shaped stone formation nearby.
Moonflower: "Hey, doesn't that rock look weird to you?"
As you move closer to get a better look, you realize that it is no natural formation, but a structure of some kind — or at least, the remnants of one, long abandoned and reclaimed by the wilderness.
In the shade of the ruins appears to be an entrance, guarded by a couple of medium-sized, completely white creatures. From afar, it is difficult to tell exactly what they are, but the eerie glow of their eyes reminds you of timberwolves.
Moonflower: "Whoa, creepy! What are those things?"
Enter a comment
Actually, I didn't have to, I just wanted to. I'm not even a dad; why am I like this?
We should get at least a full night's sleep before we brave a ruin and a potential fight, if not enough rest to recover completely.
On second thought, we better be careful! They may not be friendly at all. Sneak closer to them using the bushes as cover and watch what they’re doing. There’s a river between us and them, so if worse comes to worse this should give us a head start.
We're weighed down right now, but maybe there is an opportunity for Moonflower to drop her bags for a moment to make an aerial observation.