I mist you

Lost in the darkening forest, Indigo tries to retrace his steps. He’d been foolish to pursue the orc. He’d assumed he’d just be able to turn around and find the mossy clearing again.

He’d not considered the confounding mist.

Now he’d not only lost the orc but his teammates as well.

Still, he was pretty self-sufficient and he would eventually find his way out.

He was concerned about the others though and wondered if they’d found the magically shrouded orc camp.

Head held high

Zavia hums as she slices through the skin and tough tendons holding the dead Morten’s head in place.

It takes her a while but eventually she’s able to remove it completely and skewer the bloody mess onto the magical spear that was recently used to poison her orcish teammate.

Hoisting it up, she plants the pole into the soft earth outside their tent and smiling, heads back inside.

…

After a few minutes, Charlie Stilton wisely replaces the extremely valuable magical spear with a mundane but serviceable one he found lying around.

Treasure found:

Spear of poison +4 (Lvl:20 125,000gp)

Hide armour: Darkleaf +3 (Lvl:14 21,000gp)

Gloves of piercing (Lvl:3 680gp)

Amulet of health: +3 (Lvl:13 17,000gp)

Cherished Ring (Lvl:14 21,000gp)

Coin bag containing: 243gp, 51sp and 28cp

Unable to see the wood for the cheese

After a brief moment of indecision, the monk Indigo sprints into the undergrowth after the orc warrior. Knowing his memories are suspect, Indigo can’t let the orc wander off alone. He may be a friend and, in his current state, he’d be easy pickings for the various groups of orc hunting mercenaries currently searching these woods.

Meanwhile, still hidden behind some foliage, Charlie Stilton tries to calm his breath while he wracks his brain for answers.

He didn’t just appear here but, for the life of him, he can’t remember the journey or any of the people in the clearing.

One of them had called out to him though, as he ran…

They knew his name…

They weren’t cursing it or shooting arrows at him…

And, as he watches them recover magical item after magical item from the bodies of fallen adventures…

He desperately wants a share of that loot!

Taking a deep breath, Charlie Stilton stands up and walks, in what he hopes looks like a confident manner, back into the clearing.

The other adventurers look around, momentarily losing sight of the monk.

Those few seconds are critical though, as Indigo is lost to them, swallowed up by the same eerie mist and darkness that now holds the unknown orc.

Another fine moss you’ve gotten yourselves into

Standing in the smoldering mess of blackened moss and trees, the adventurers look around at each other.

Dokan recognises Orestes but no one else. Who are the others? Some of them look familiar but he can’t place them.

Something’s definitely wrong here but he can’t discern what it is and so keeps his sword held ready.

The monk: Indigo is less affected but still, slightly disorientated.

Only Zavia and Orestes feel that they are mentally unaffected by the strange plant creature.

They were, unfortunately, too slow to prevent he halfling and the half-orc from fleeing into the surrounding forest.

Perhaps affected by the heat from the flaming oil, the eerie, white mist covering the ground seems to momentarily dissipate.

Several corpses are revealed. Orc-hunting mercenaries by the look of their equipment. They can’t have been dead for more than a few months as they aren't completely covered in the strange moss that seems to be everywhere in this part of the forest.

After a few minutes of mutual reassurance, the four adventures cautiously help themselves to whatever they can find.

Watching from his hiding place, Charlie Stilton wonders who everyone is, how he got there and, most importantly, how he can get his hands on that stuff.

Piggog the orc though, continues to run from the chaotic encounter. Whoever those strange people were, they were no help to him and his quest to rejoin his ancient tribe: The Bone crunchers!