C1E11: Labenda Awaits

Travel Continues The Freaky Grey Company opt to spend the night sleeping in their tent along WITH the horses, which makes for a smelly, whickery, but ultimately less stressful experience as they take shelter from the storm. (All except the wolf, who spends the night in the rain.)

Their way forward is blocked by a mighty tree that fell in the previous night's storm. The perfect site for an ambush, which an enterprising crew of bandits tried to take advantage of (and ultimately failed).

The rest of the road trip happens without incident, until the tangled dark mass of Labenda arises in front of you, nestled at the foot of the Silberquel Ridge.

> As you approach the mountain range, you can see the clouds now that have pressed down obscure the peaks of the top of the range. You can see the darkened mountainous form vanishing up into the top, gray, whereas in the distance, sheets of rain that are still coming down much heavier to the north obscure your ability to see further beyond the northward valley to either side of the range. You also see the southern base of the mountains, which is the direction you're heading. You get the sense that the watershed-- that most of the mountain range seems to almost lean to a southward direction, so the watershed of all the rain pours and slides down the mountain to this one central southern area, and there you see the darkened, tangled, thick swamp of Labenda, your destination. > Continuing your path on for a little bit of the morning, eventually you begin to watch as the grasses begin to give way to more dampened, moist terrain. The ground is wet even given the recent rains, and is now becoming sludgy. The path itself, the road, seems to have been well-built and set for this type of travel. But even then, it's starting the hooves of your animals a bit as you ride through, and you can see bits of it are clustering up and leaving pitted marks in the ground behind you. > The rain does eventually begin to subside. However, the edge of the swamp begins to breach the path that you're heading. You begin to see the swamp grasses take over from the hillside. You begin to see the heavy puddles of swamp bog water beginning to appear to the right and left. The trees you're used to seeing here in the middle of the field are giving way to banyan trees and other thicker-trunked, gnarled bases, heavy, thick vine-covered canopies. The insects begin to fill the air with a weird buzzing. > About half an hour or so of travel along the road into the center of Labenda Swamp, the humid air prevents the mounting sweat on your body from evaporating, causing your sweat to pool in your armor in uncomfortable ways. Your breathing is somewhat shallow as you adapt to the moisture in the air around you. The ever present hum of the buzzing insects begins to permeate the atmosphere around you, while the musky stench of decaying plants and stagnant water grow stronger the further in you pass. A very low fog, since it's still relatively early in the day, sits across the surface of the water that's exposed in patches between where the thick roots and soft rotting vegetation seems to be sitting, like a spongy ground. Barelben > As you follow the Bromkiln Byway, your vision pierces the dense tangle of trees and vines to see the distant glow of lanterns just as the sun sets and the evening sky grows dark. Closer still, you make out a strange mismatch of varying levels that make up the village. Whole areas stand on stilts and raised platforms connected by bridges, while much of the city to the eastern side appears to be partly submerged in bog water. The browns, greens, and grays of the marsh itself is reflected in the browns, greens, and grays of the people who now wander the streets, going about their business. Welcome to Barleben, a somewhat miserable-looking, but functional village here in the Dwendalian Empire. As you come off the road, the road gives way into this central district, which looks to be a smattering of stone slabs, cobblestone, and whatever pieces of material were left over from construction that helped fix and maintain a main road here in the central opening before it scatters into the rest of the city. > There are people walking through the streets, including a number of crownsguard. Barelben is still part of the Empire, though these stalwarts look to be somewhat lackluster. At least, their armor isn't as shiny and well-kept as what you’re used to seeing in Zadash. Some of the citizenry that travel slowly through the muck are carrying small sacks over their shoulder from one place to another, or in the process of wandering over to make about their business for the city. They notice you approach, and they're slightly nosey, paying attention to these strangers that came in off the Byway. > There's one older woman going by, who's hunched, has her own hood up, and a long gray cloak. She's wearing a stained linen blouse and says, "What do you want?" Arriving in Barelben, the party asks for a credible inn, and a worn older woman directs them to The Drowned Nest in The Midway Docks, which is the primary business district of Barelben.

The Drowned Nest inn is a simple, elongated single story building. The interior is similarly simple, with only a small bar. The Nest is owned by Uma Cole, a middle-aged female human with a warm smile and a cracked face, who greets the party as they enter. She lets them rooms, stables their animals, and when asked about a guide, points them to The Mossy Door up the street from her establishment.

The Mossy Door > The interior of The Mossy Door is a haven of warmth designed to ward off the chill. There is a merry fire that burns along a wall and a serpentine bar that feels almost organic in it’s curls and whorls as it meanders through the length of the long, narrow tavern. The proprietor clearly has a thing for mushrooms, because the walls are adorned with a colorful collection of sketches, spice grinders, figurines, suncatchers, and all those forms of art that border on junk, depending on the eye of the beholder. Mushrooms clearly feature in her cooking as well, based on the earthy, meaty, umami-filled scents that greet your noses. > The proprietress is an older gnomish woman with a  stocky build, her hair pulled into side buns. Her brown hair is streaked with swaths of grey, creating a contrasting element in her intricate braids. She wears a mushroom painted apron, and colorful wooden beads around her neck. > Her eyes are twinkling green to match the mossy moniker of her establishment. > Welcome to the Mossy Door! Please, have a seat. Name’s Quehana. How can I help ye?” The party establishes that they need a guide, and the nature of their quarry (thanks to Khoraka's new shapeshifting ability). Recovering from her shock at his sudden transformation, Quehana tells them

> “I would hate to see anything bad happen to that lovely young lady. Aye, she came through a couple of days ago.” She gestures to a knot of four or five people at a far table by the fire, engaged in animated conversation, all dressed in shades of grey and green.

> “There are a few folks here I trust. Let me see what I can do.” Quehana approaches the group and engages a youngish woman with bestial features and a short shaggy mop of curly black hair, who is sprawled casually at the table. She motions in your direction. The young woman finishes her drink in a quick swig, stands, stretches, and strolls your direction.

She pulls a Riker Chair Maneuver [https://screenrant.com/star-trek-riker-chair-maneuver-jonathan-frakes-explained/] , taking a seat at your table. Closer up you notice the heterochromia that makes her gaze that much more compelling.

> “Quehana tells me you could use a little help. There are precious few guides who would be so crazy as to seek out ol’ Granny Titchwillow.” > "The good news is, I do crazy. An’ Granny’s got her signposts, if you know what you are looking for. Her place moves around some. Don’t ask me how or why. > But finding it will cost you.” After some (extremely brief) negotiations, the FGC settles on 10 GP a day plus expenses for the scout's help navigating Labenda. When queried as to the princess's travel companions, she mentions Leon:

> The kind of scout who knows an easy mark. But he’s competent enough.