[Let's Play] The Legends of Skyfall: Monsters of the Marsh

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate the island.

[Beroli]

This small valley looks very muddy, perhaps churned up by the feet of beings carrying heavy loads? Even if not, the cleft might provide a route to an interior.

I feel a little lied to. They didn't discuss the mud or any entrance to the interior at all. Just '9 miles later'. I was hoping for a dry entrance to the dragon's hoard...

But since the moment has passed, let's investigate the island.

Direction phrasing can be confusing in this book, but whether the stream is specifically coming from that cleft or not, "go down the stream to the east away from Dragon's Mount" wasn't likely to mean looking at Dragon's Mount more.

In the interests of not needing to find a way to make camp in the middle of the lake, you make camp for the day now, and set out across the lake the next morning.

The island is little more than a large mud bank, about three hundred feet from East to West and less than half that in width, it nowhere rises more than five feet above the level of the lake.

Two trees grow close together in the approximate centre of the island, and on the Western end close to the water is a heap of timbers in various colours.

Land on the island to investigate it further?
Go down the northeast stream?
Go back down the west channel?
Go down the southeast channel?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 12
Vitality: 20/20
Fortune: 9
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 3 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality).
Provisions: 8 days
Travel time so far: 1 day, 1/2 hour
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate the island further.

[deaddmwalking]

Investigate further.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate further

[Beroli]

You land on the Western edge of the island, push a stake into the muddy shore to moor the canoe, and approach the painted timbers. Although the edge of the shore is muddy it is firmer than the usual water margins in the Marsh, and once you are a few feet from the water's edge the ground is quite solid.

You quickly notice a large number of tracks between the water and the timbers, as of the coming and going of many feet. Some appear to be webbed and some have three clawed toes. You think you recognize the tracks of Frogmen and Lizardmen amongst them.

Reaching the heap of timbers you observe that they have been painted in various colours. Some look like door and window frames, and after further sorting amongst them you come across a nameboard, Marsh Harrier, which you recognize as the name of one of the missing barges.

These timbers look as though they could once have formed the deck-houses of several river barges - quite possibly all the missing ones. There are, however, no signs of the masts, deck-planks or more massive hull-timbers, so you are left with a puzzle: why remove the deck-houses?

As you ponder, a loud hissing disturbs you. Looking up you see that a particularly large Crocodile has emerged from the lake and is waddling up the gently sloping shore towards you. Unfortunately, while the crocodile is slow, it is between you and your canoe.

Fight the crocodile?
Run to one of the trees and climb it?
Try to dart past the crocodile to reach your canoe and escape by water?
Try to lure the crocodile away along the shore of the island so you can reach your canoe?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 12
Vitality: 20/20
Fortune: 9
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 3 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality).
Provisions: 8 days
Travel time so far: 1 day, 1/2 hour
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed

[Thaluikhain]

Run and climb

[deaddmwalking]

I'm afraid it will out wait us if we climb a tree. Vote for lure the crocodile along the shore.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to fight the crocodile.

[Thaluikhain]

I'll change my vote for luring along shore to avoid 3 way tie, though I fear there might be more crocs around.

[Beroli]

Slowly you move away to the North West, leaving the pile of timbers between you and your canoe. The Crocodile waddles eagerly after you, apparently encouraged by your seeming flight, and you back along the Northern shore pursued by your ponderous admirer.

You soon reach the halfway mark, level with the two trees, with the Crocodile about fifteen feet away. Deciding this is far enough, you cut across the centre of the island to the Southern shore and head back to the canoe at your best speed.

A baffled bellow reaches you and, looking back as you unhitch your craft, you see that your erstwhile follower has given up the chase and paused under the trees to express his indignation.

Several other crocodiles can now be seen at varying distances from the island, lying almost awash in the waters of the lake, and you decide not to stay longer. The canoe has drifted aground in the soft mud of the water's edge, and it takes a considerable effort to relaunch it, with your feet skidding beneath you. Paddling out on to the lake, you avoid the other crocodiles without difficulty.

Go down the northeast stream?
Go back down the west channel?
Go down the southeast channel?
Land on the island and climb a tree, though a crocodile will likely notice your approach and consider you prey?
Land on the island and seek battle with a crocodile?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 12
Vitality: 20/20
Fortune: 9
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 3 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality).
Provisions: 8 days
Travel time so far: 1 day, 1/2 hour
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed

[deaddmwalking]

Half vote for going back down the West Channel. It looks like we can retrace our steps, so maybe we can investigate the Dragon Mount more carefully.

[JourneymanN00b]

Sure, I also vote to go back down the West Channel to check out the Dragon Mount more closely.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[Beroli]

This channel flows from the Western side of a lake quite straight for nine miles until it joins the Luna about eleven miles from its confluence with the Sol. Travelling its length takes some four and a half hours. For most of this journey you can see a tall, solitary crag towering above the flat marshland. This is Dragon's Mount, which you know to lie on a bend in the Luna some few miles to the North East.

The Luna is a fairly deep, narrow river which flows out of the Eastern part of Centaur Forest by the small village of Woodbridge. From there it flows South West for four miles through pleasant rolling meadows before entering the Dunmarsh. After another two miles it skirts a high, upthrust crag, known as Dragon's Mount, and a mile further on is joined by a small stream from the East. Then it continues South West for twelve miles to join the Sol.

The Luna flows around the North and West sides of Dragon's Mount, an upthrust crag of black rock which towers several hundred feet above the surrounding Dunmarsh. You have never passed this way before, but have heard ancient legends that it was once the lair of a mighty Green Dragon which roamed the skies above the marsh.

The Luna flows around the North and West sides of Dragon's Mount, an upthrust crag of black rock which towers several hundred feet above the surrounding Dunmarsh. You have never passed this way before, but have heard ancient legends that it was once the lair of a mighty Green Dragon which roamed the skies above the marsh.

If there were any truth in the old tales, it would indicate that there are probably some fair-sized caverns in or beneath the Mount, and you wonder if they might have been taken over by the barge-pirates.

You paddle up and down looking up at the heights above. The sides bordered by the Luna climb almost sheer to the peak, but you can see the mouths of some caves up there. They look rather small for a dragon, and pretty inconvenient for storing cargo, but you suppose some form of hoist might be rigged.

A small unnavigable stream runs into the Luna by the North Eastern corner of the Mount, and apparently emerges from a cleft leading back into the far side of the Mount near the Southern End of the Eastern side. It has carved itself a narrow valley, lined with trees and bushes, along the Eastern side of the Mount, and stretching East and North from there is a large meadow. This small valley looks very muddy, perhaps churned up by the feet of beings carrying heavy loads? Even if not, the cleft might provide a route to an interior.

The waters of the river are deep here. You wonder if there might be an underwater route into the Mount, which amphibious marsh-dwellers might use. It would seem an awkward way to unload cargo, but you are a strong swimmer and should be able to manage an underwater reconnaissance. You have not noticed any particularly dangerous water creatures in the Luna so far.

There are a number of potential sites where you could moor your canoe, depending upon which part of the Mount you intend to search.

The small stream which flows North into the Luna by the North Eastern corner of the Mount has a number of bushes and trees along its course and several at its mouth. This could be a suitable place to hide the canoe if you are heading for the cleft or intending to take a swim. In the latter case you would have to strip down to an undergarment and take only a dagger with you, leaving all your other equipment in the canoe.

The caves you saw were towards the Southern end of the West cliff. The best way to reach those would seem to be from the South West corner of the Mount, where it looks as if there may be a narrow ledge running up the cliff face. About a hundred yards to the South is a small grove of trees marking the Southern extent of the firm ground surrounding the Mount. You should be able to hide your canoe there and carry whatever equipment was needed back to the Mount. You could also use such a base for a swimming investigation - although further away it would have the advantage of being downstream on the return leg.

Two other possibilities are suitable only for a swimmer. There is a fringe of reeds growing precariously along the water's edge right around the North and West sides of the Mount. It might be possible to moor the canoe to them and use the canoe itself as a base for your swimming trips. Otherwise, there is the bank of the Luna opposite the Mount. The meadow continues for a few hundred yards on the other side of the Luna, which has carved its channel some four or five feet below the general level of the land. This bank slopes quite steeply, but there are a number of exposed boulders which would supply both a mooring and some shelter.

Investigate the mouth of the small stream?
Investigate the bank opposite the Mount?
Moor your canoe to the fringe of reeds?
Go to the grove south of the Mount?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 12
Vitality: 20/20
Fortune: 9
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 3 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality).
Provisions: 8 days
Travel time so far: 1 day, 5 hours
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go to the grove south of the Mount.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[deaddmwalking]

That's fine with me.

[Beroli]

You paddle downstream to the grove of trees, some of which overhang the water. There is thick undergrowth between the trees and no sign of local inhabitants. You pull the canoe up on the bank and conceal it.

Taking only your underwear and a dagger, go swimming?
Head along the river bank to the southwest corner of the mount?
Leave?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 12
Vitality: 20/20
Fortune: 9
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 3 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality).
Provisions: 8 days
Travel time so far: 1 day, 5 hours
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed

[deaddmwalking]

Half vote for heading southwest.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head along the river bank to the southwest corner of the mount.

[Thaluikhain]

To the southwest.

[Beroli]

By the South Western corner of the Mount you can see a route up the Western cliff. There is a ledge running diagonally up it which looks reasonably easy to climb and seems to reach nearly all the way.

Climb?
Move Eastwards along the Southern wall of the Mount?
Go back to your canoe?

Name: Andrew Bond
Sex: Male
Expertise: 12
Vitality: 20/20
Fortune: 9
Equipment: Sword, dagger, fifty feet of rope, some torches, flint, steel, tinderbox, 3 doses Potion of Healing (+8 Vitality).
Provisions: 8 days
Travel time so far: 1 day, 5 hours
Deaths: Captured as a slave and worked to death, stabbed with a poisoned dagger, drowned when a dam collapsed

[deaddmwalking]

I'd like to climb.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well climb.