The Brine Slough

Part 2 of the Quest for the Gardener's Rod

As per the instructions delivered by the mysterious stranger, Shroudstar led her party to the Brine Slough, deep in the heartland of Ember Shoals. Once there, they began slogging through the marshland, looking for clues. What could they be?

Then, in the distance, they noticed a stone marker rising from the mud. It appeared to be broken off at the top. The party to approach when one of the members tripped. He cursed, reached down into the mire, and pulled up a broken piece of the stone slab. He was about to throw it back, when Shroudstar stopped him.

"Look at that!" she said. For on the back of the stone a word had been carved out. Then it struck her.

"It's a clue! Everybody scatter around and search the muck for more stones."

The heroes started searching, but then one member called out a warning. Out of the mists loomed a horde of smallish figures carrying weapons. "Goblins!"

With a rush, the goblins attacked the party. The heroes were driven back from the stone slab with no more clues in their possession. Yet they refused to give up the quest. They hacked and slashed, slowly beating the goblins back.

Then they were rewarded by a cry of victory. "Here's one!" cried one of the party, as he stumbled upon a stone. He pulled it out of the muck and returned it to the back lines. Shroudstar used his stealth abilities and was able to sneak behind the goblins, retrieving more of the clues. Finally, the party had pulled 8 stone pieces from the muck; it appeared that they had them all.

"Regroup!" called Shroudstar, and the heroes formed an impenetrable phalanx. Frustrated by their losses, the goblins melted away into the mists.

But what was the clue? Shroudstar joined the 8 pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. This was the writing that was revealed to her:

'Tis not the loneliest, 

Nor is't magic. 

Choose company and ye'll be safe.

As she read the lines, the mists parted slightly. In the distance, Shroudstar could see 3 paths leading out of the Slough. Clearly, the clue referenced the path she needed to take.

"One is the loneliest number," she reasoned. She was unsure of the second line. But company, she thought - isn't it three's company? With that thought, she made her decision.

"We'll take the 3rd path!"

OOC Notes

• This was the first scenario of the quest for the Gardener's Rod. 
• The questers had to retrieve 8 clues (written on a styrofoam sheet that I painted to look like rock) scattered throughout the battle area. 
• Portions of the battlefield were designated as water; players had to wade through them on their knees or at slow speed.
• The heroes had 4 lives but the goblins were unlimited. This was to simulate a horde of goblins descending on the party. Once the party was shattered it had to solve the riddle with the clues it recovered. 
• At first, the questers struggled but we gave them some help (armor points) and they ultimately found all the clues.