Expedition 3: The Greenwids

Player created map.

Expedition Party: Gregor, Reike, Gossamer

In the time between expeditions Gregor talks to the Governor about starting a post office, who suggests that Gregor is welcome to open a post office, but the town is limited on resources, so it will be up to him. After asking around town for rumors Gossamer learns that a hunter spotted a golden fox. After speaking with the Governor, Reike learns that there is a reward in gold for each member of the original garrison found. 

After hearing of the golden fox Reike uses his Feather Quill to make a map between Stortherhine and the den of the Golden Fox. The den looks to be tucked into a hillside beneath what appears on the map as a giant fallen tree; it looks like it's a couple days' journey into the oak and hickory forest to the west of Stortherhine. 

On the first day of the expedition the party sets out for the forest to the west. The weather is clear and warm and the party is making good time. Once in the woods they discover a holly like plant with silvery white berries, not familiar with the plant they gather some of the berries for further investigation. They continue to travel into the woods and discover that some of their rations have spoiled which Reike attributes to the berries they had gathered so the group gets rid of them.

As they wander in the woods they notice several familiar looking animals but with white luminous eyes. Reike pulls out his knife upon seeing a white-eyed squirrel but it darts away before long. Not long after they spot a woodpecker that appears to be watching and following them. 

After some time they come to a ravine in the forest, with night growing in on them they decide to find a spot to make camp. Reike, has first watch and notices three birds with luminous white eyes watching him. They ask, each only saying one word, “friend or foe” he cautiously says “not foe.” Gossamer has the next watch and once Reike is asleep, the birds which have not left, ask him the same question and he says “we are friends.” During his watch Gregor is asked the same question and he says “friend, friend”

The next morning the weather is clear and warm and the group travels southwest eventually finding a large fallen tree that stretches over the ravine. They attempt to cross, Reike first, he crosses without trouble, but when Gossamer goes he slips and almost falls into the ravine. His companions leap to his aid and Gregor successfully pulls him back on top of the log. They then proceed more cautiously and all make it across. 

On the other side they decide to explore the surrounding area and find some ruins that actually go down the side of the ravine. They find a set of stairs going down into and light a torch and head down. Not long after a curious goblin approaches them and tells them they speak the “ugly tongue” and that they are trespassing. They talk with him for a while and find out that the goblin believes that the animals with the white eyes are broken, that they resist the “goblin king,” and follow “the boar.” The goblin also tells them that the people in the Burning Weald are sick with madness. He gives them rough directions to the goblin king’s castle, and demands payment from them as compensation for their trespassing. The party promises to pay the goblin king when they meet with him. Finally through some clever haggling they manage to trade him for a helmet he is wearing that seems too large for him.

They leave the ruins only to discover that it is already dusk so they relight their torch and decide to travel through the night. Their torch goes out on their way but they make it to a large sycamore grove covered in the brambles of sawtooth blackberry canes. In the middle of the grove is a massive fallen sycamore whose leaves still grow verdantly. Exhausted, they decide to camp on the edge of the grove.   

While they rest Gregor notices a black bear sniffing the ground where they were in the sycamore grove, he wakes Gossamer who approaches it and tries to scare it off, but then notices it is with cubs.  Gossamer makes his way back to the camp and the bear keeps its distance. The party attempts to keep resting and Gossamer sees the bear enter the pit beneath the root ball of the fallen sycamore with its cubs. He assumes that it is its den. On the final watch Reike notices the cubs playing around the “den.” 

By afternoon they have caught back up on sleep and they start to search for the den of the Golden Fox. Reiki eventually finds the den tucked among the branches of the fallen tree. Reike makes it up to the den and snatches five gold hairs caught on some brambles. The party regroups and makes a plan to trap the creature. Gossamer takes Gregor to get some saplings to fashion a box trap, they set the trap near the entrance to the den. They then build a small smoky fire and start to fan the smoke into the den. The fox bolts from the den and is quickly caught in the makeshift trap. Gossamer manages to get some rope around the fox’s neck, they get the cage off, and truss the fox up. It is at that moment that Gregor notices that a white eyed squirrel is watching them. 

He tells his friends but they seem unconcerned. They take the fox back to their camp. There Gossamer makes a minor barricade around the camp with some debris from the surrounding area. They examine the bound fox which does have beautiful fur that seems to be made of the finest gold, but they also see that the fox has luminous white eyes. Before long it is dusk and the group prepares to get some rest. 

The night passes uneventfully until Reike’s watch when the black bear comes charging toward their camp, now with glowing white eyes. It seems the three are surrounded by animals with glowing white eyes which tell them to release the fox, or keep it and be known as foes. After some debate Reike cuts a chunk of fur from the fox and releases it, the bear’s eyes return to normal and it backs away. The moment there is daylight the group breaks camp and tries to start making their way back to Strotherhine. 

They end up getting a bit lost on their way home and find themselves among strange mushrooms that stink like rotting meat but they press onward. After pressing through a full day, and another night they finally find themselves back at the safety of the town. They return to the Culling Hammer and pass out.