Hail King Gulpa'Gor: Lord of the Muck

Eliander and the majority of the town guard were summoned away from Willowbank. From the edges of the Dreadwood, supernatural threats were beginning to manifest and so Whara deployed Eliander with a contingent of soldiers to meet up with a force of wood elves while they wait for a special orcish unit from Krosstoen.

In the meantime the town is relatively undefended, Councilwoman Berthal and the raptors from her grove maintain tighter patrols around the town but the townsfolk are still increasingly fearful. There have been no updates on what the nearby lizardfolk colony is up to and why they were purchasing weapons from pirates.

The council summoned the party asking them to divide their group, with some remaining in town as guards and the others figuring out what the lizardfolk's intentions were. Councilman Gellen Primewater asked you to use caution when dealing with such potentially savage beings, if their intentions are hostile he informed you not to hesitate in putting them down. This prompted a strong rebuke from Councilwoman Berthal who stated that people say foolish things when they are scared and to not pay any mind to the ramblings of her colleague. She continued saying that Willowbank has coexisted with its neighbors peacefully for a great many years and while caution is appreciated it mustn't evolve into xenophobia. The two argued briefly until Eda called for silence. She asked you to go into this mission with diplomatic intent, that this was a fact-finding mission.

When the party split off Throden, Nessa, Louisa, and Imara formed a team with Kukana and Ned. Before you could leave you had to see about acquiring new weapons for Ned who hasn't gotten new ones since the haunted house. After getting him a dagger and a crossbow. You departed for the colony by land. Reached a marshy grassland you inadvertently stumbled into the backyard of bullywug territory. As froggy faces began appearing from the grass, a large bullywug wearing a wooden crown astride a giant toad emerged. The crowd of bullywugs began to chant. "Gulpa'Gor! Gulpa'Gor! Gulpa'Gor!" they began to shout with deep croaky voices.

Gulpa'Gor, the king of the marsh raised his hands and the chant died down. He spoke some words that sounded like ribbits and proud warriors stepped into the arena much to your confusion. They bowed to their monarch and began to engage in honorable combat with these interlopers. When each bullywug was felled you took special care not to deliver a killing blow. After defeating the king's right-hand-bullywug Arrp the king hopped forward. He surveyed each of your faces and when Nessa bowed he nodded and extended a webbed hand. As you kissed his hand you exchanged glances with each other at this interesting turn of events. The crowd began to cheer for their newfound allies and friends as King Gulpa'Gor summoned forth their most prized treasure to be bequeathed onto the party. He granted you a brilliant bronze helm that allows the user to act freely underwater and see in the darkness.

You reached the lizardfolk lair with Louisa wearing the helmet that is definitely a full helmet and not a cool earring Sarah. You walked through the front door and declared your presence. Some warriors quickly rushed forth with weapons drawn. They demanded in draconic to know why you had barged into their home. When you explained that you were diplomatic envoys and wanted to speak to the leader they required you to turn over your weapons and follow them. As you turned over your weapons and focuses, Ned palmed a dagger and Louisa palmed her crystal. You were taken to a throne room with trophies of all sort of beast and humanoid adorning the walls.

On the throne was an old lizardfolk reading some scrolls of papyrus. He rose as you entered the room and addressed you in common. After brief confusion he introduced himself as Sauriv, a humble advisor to the Queen Othokent. The Queen is off hunting and he explained that you were in luck the guards chose to recognize his authority over the shamans as he is actually quite fascinated by the culture of your peoples. He even studied in a town once, though it was quite strange standing on carved stone and wood rather than warm earth. He said that he believed that you meeting with the Queen could be fruitful although he expressed that he wasn't at liberty to explain why they needed the weapons.

Suddenly massive lizards thrust their way into the room followed by a group of druids. An argument broke out and before you knew it they were demanded you wait for the Queen in jail cells. Sauriv sent an assistant with you that would see to your needs and make sure no harm befell you. And so you were divided into three jail cells, next to Imara and Kukana's cell there was a hulking blue figure with razor sharp teeth that Nessa identified as a sahuagin. The attendent departed to grab food and water and several sea goblins, koalinths entered the jail to heckle the shark-folk prisoner. Instead their attention was drawn to Nessa, who they mocked for her dead queen asking sarcastically how her broken nation was doing. Nessa blasted them with a bolt of eldritch energy and the koalinths attacked. You killed one of them as Louisa shocked them with lightning, Kukana and Imara broke out of their cell, and Nessa continued blasting. Eventually the guard was called and the koalinth began shouting demanding the parties' heads. The lizardfolk refused and the sea goblins responded by shoving them and declaring their diplomatic ties were finished.

A couple hours passed and the party was brought into the throne room again where they met the impressive warrior-queen Othokent. You conversed about your mission and what has occurred in your time at the colony before you pleaded your case that your intentions were nothing but diplomatic. She took a liking to the party and brought up a way your settlements could help each other. The rising sahuagin threat is becoming difficult to contain and if the many peoples of the area do not band together the sea devils may destroy them all. She likes what she sees in your strength and wants to take you on as allies, you agreed to help with this threat and she said that in that case the only thing you need to do is gain the trust of the rest of the colony.

So you all split up on a good will mission. Louisa and Ned cooked up some shark for the masses and held a feast for the commoners in the dining hall. It was a hit and as they left each lizardfolk made a point to nod respectfully and thank the pair in draconic for the meal. Kukana and Imara made a jungle gym for the lizardfolk hatchlings to play in and after some hesitation from the adults the kids began to play. Throden set off to visit the druids and shamans. Their cave chamber, smelled of burning incense and was decorated with a crude cave painting of the World Serpent encircling the whole room. The shamans lectured Throden on the old faith, chastising him for his haste in abandoning the old ways. While this happened twin headed snakes in the room began coiling around Throden's body, sensing his fear as the druids watched intently. In the back of the room a shaman and a warrior were conducting a ritual, where the warrior gave herself to the World Serpent transforming into a lizardfolk render, a large crocodilian that lived and breathed battle. Throden departed unable to persuade the shamans to trust Willowbank.

The Queen bade the party return to their town and return. She has a solution for a job you might be able to complete to win more of her people's trust in addition to the return of their weapons.