Attack from the Mist
We have been attacked, though I have no idea who the attackers were. We had just dropped anchor at a narrows in order to wait for the mist to clear before navigating the tight quarters. Without warning a desultory volley of arrows launched out of the fog on the north bank and fell among us across the deck. One took me full in the chest but to my surprise I was uninjured. The arrow had no strength behind it, nor did it have a head, consisting only of a slightly sharpened and feathered shaft. More curious than threatened I sought to catch a glimpse of our foes. Then a spear came sailing out of the trees and pinned Jezzo to the mast. I ordered return fire with the crossbows. After a few moments of firing blindly into the jungle’s edge the arrows ceases and I spotted a few pale figures before they disappeared into the deeper shadows under the canopy. We wrapped Jezzo’s corpse and sent him over the side. The crew is wary now, and wants vengeance.
Casa Mezzo
For the most part the river shows no signs of habitation, human or otherwise. Since the attack I am reluctant to call a stop for hunting, since I have no idea what awaits us beyond the dark line of trees. Bezanti is singularly unhelpful; he mumbles about the “deathless,” and mentions the “timeless ones,” but has little else to say. He is looking better than when I first met him, it seems the humid air that enervates the rest of us has done him some good. And now another venerable ancient has joined our crew.
Casa Mezzo is, or rather was, a stopping point for the Commissioned Companies who explore this area for riches. I was expecting to resupply and perhaps gain some information about the area, my own guide being somewhat deficient. According to Bezanti there were some families living here as well; it was a kind of neutral ground where companies could trade, gather news, and find at least the rudiments of civilization.Where all that has gone now, I cannot say.
When we arrived, the place seemed abandoned. The road leading back toward the coast was largely overgrown, while the road leading towards the interior highlands was blocked by a rockfall not far outside the town. Many of the wooden buildings had collapsed but as we investigated a larger stone structure, a sort of keep, we found the sole inhabitant of the village. She is delusional, having lost most of her memory. She acts as though she is a child, and has asked us several times if her parents will be back soon. She says she was hiding from the “pale things that come in the mist.” The building she occupied must have been a storehouse. We’ve retrieved a reasonable quantity of dried goods. Of course we will bring her along, it would be cruel to leave her here alone.
Drifting Wreckage
The banks of the river are growing steeper as we move deeper into the jungles, and we must take extra care now to avoid the rocky cliffs when the river narrows. I am not sure how much longer we will be able to sail the river, though Bezanti claims we will get “far enough.” We shall see what his optimism comes to. This morning as we lay at anchor the lookout’s call alerted us to a mass of drifting debris. Fortunately it drifted wide of our ship and posed no danger to us. The wreckage was a mass of bamboo lashed together that looked like it had burned. My spyglass revealed two bodies caught within the wreckage. They looked to be soldiers, members of one of the Commissioned Companies most likely. I am almost surprised we haven’t seen more signs of them. I understood that there were at least a half-dozen small armies performing the King’s work here, not counting the smaller outfits. Though there were crowds of mercenaries in Valenzi, I had expected to see more signs of life. We shall carry on and perhaps we will discover where those two poor souls were travelling from.
Originally Posted by ChickPea
That Porto Sardis dude at the top left is a bit scary....
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