Expedition 7: The Burning Weald & The Fields of Moseley

Player created map.

Expedition Party: Lief, Feodor, Gossamer

It is the first day of Balers’ the second month of Summer, and the season makes sure its presence is not forgotten. The day is cloudless with an unforgiving bright sun and a humid heat that clings to skin and fabric. A team of three adventurers make plans to search for a plant they have heard rumors about, it grows in the Fields of Moseley near fresh water. They decide to map a section of an unknown river that will take them into the pine forest known as the Burning Weald, and that they hope will feed into the grassy Fields of Moseley. As dawn breaks they set off on foot with what few possessions they can carry with them.

As they enter the pine forest they find that their previous path is now choked with a red tipped ivy. Unsure of the plant’s nature, but aware of its sinister appearance they decide to try an alternate route around the patch. Morning gives way to afternoon, and soon the afternoon is spent too, but they find themselves at the familiar earthwork spiral they had visited previously. With only a few more hours of daylight the three set up camp and consume a small meal. 

The next morning they awake to an aggressive bright sunny and viciously hot day. The air among the pines is stagnant and sticky with humidity. The only movement in the air is the thick clouds of biting flies and mosquitoes. They travel onward and by the end of the morning they make it to the fast moving river they had seen previously. Running low on rations they decide to try to catch some fish in the river. They have good success, but while working to clean the fish they notice a fetid rotting aroma, and across the river they can see its source.

On the opposite bank they can make out a mound of rotting offal and a clearing dappled with dried blood, it appears that some animals must have been cleaned there. They can also see ashes and burnt wood in several spots, and assume that there must have been fires. They step closer to the river and then notice that above all of this, something is hanging strung between two trees. It is a ghastly wreath of wood and flesh, animal antlers are attached to the top coming off from two points while human arms and legs dangle from the bottom of it. Disturbed by what they see, the three finish working on the fish they caught and tuck back into the pines on their side of the river to find a concealed place to make camp for the night. Nothing disturbs their rest that evening but all three are uneasy and none rest particularly well. 

The next day the weather is still as miserable as the last. The three adventures follow the river, and find that after a bend, it turns almost perfectly south. They continue along the river until they find the charred remains of a small cottage. They cautiously explore what remains of the crumbling structure, finding little of interest until one of them decides to go into the small root cellar beneath what remains of the charred and rotting floor. Tucked in the basement they find a large metal safe, it is rusted badly, but its bands still hold and the locking mechanism still seems intact. They attempt to open it but have no luck, and know that it is too large and heavy to transport without a cart or wagon, so they make note of its location and decide to keep following the river. 

By late afternoon the pine forest finally begins to thin and eventually the grass grows thicker and taller, they think they have made it to the Fields of Moseley. They follow the river for a bit longer and eventually get to a place where another river joins it and the two flow together into a slower moving, but much wider river heading east. Tucked between the two rivers, just west of their confluence, they can see a large building sitting on a bluff. They decide to make camp, and take turns keeping watch to see if they see any signs of life coming from the cathedral-like structure. During the night they see some strange lights and movement behind the stained glass windows, and just before dawn Lief hears a noise that sounds like a scream, but perhaps it is the scream-like call of a fox.

The weather is no better the next morning. The three break camp and begin to search for the plant they had set out to find. Lief had been told about the plant by Strotherhine’s vicar who called it Obsequy Ragwort. She said that it grows in clusters of thin weeds that grow tall near fresh moving water and cold streams. With her description of its bone white flowers touched by crimson veins they are able to identify and find several large patches align the river. Lief is interested in the plant because the vicar said that it is traditionally used in funeral rites and believed to protect against unnatural life after death. They dig up four plants, and attempt to include the root balls, to hopefully plant back in Strotherhine. 

With the sun high in the sky and the plant tucked in their packs they begin to make their way back to Strotherhine. They put the mapping skills to the test and head north, assuming that it will take them to the place in the fields where they found the ruined shrine and well. Fortunately, they have been making good use of their compass and their maps are accurate. By nightfall they see the blacked tree on the hill tucked among spring-fed ponds and lakes. They make camp on the hill.

During the night they hear the sound of laughing children, and see figures wearing skull-faced masks moving just out of sight in the darkness. Feodor decides to toss a chunk of the smoked fish he is eating in the direction of the skull children, as it lands it suddenly disappears, along with the eerie laughter. The remainder of the night passes quietly and the next day greets the three adventurous much more kindly, the day is hot but there is finally a breeze. The group breaks camp and travels north to the ruined tower. 

Once there they check the basement larder for any notes from the goblin they have befriended, and are pleased to find a deck of cards, a set of playing dice, and a note with a bad drawing of what appears to be three pairs of boots. They take all of this leave behind a single gold coin. The group continues to travel north and makes it back to Stortherhine by early evening.