Day 08 (S6)

leaving Riverbend, then meet Boggy Roger

In the morning the Sprite's Lights left early in the morning.
"According the map" started Rina, "Duskford is the nearest city, and it's just across the border into Pennislovica. Looks like it will take at least a whole day to get there, maybe a day and a half."
"Then we better get going!" said Alice.
The party left Riverbend and headed southwest along the road.
The ride was uneventful, with Alice and Aurelius in the back laughing and joking, and Kin and Rina in the front riding in silence.
Once the sun went down they decided to stop and camp along the road.
"Ugh," Rina groaned under her breath, "I'd do anything for a warm meal and a hot guy to go home with right now." Kin heard her, but did not respond. "Do we even have any food?" she asked.
"I have leftover Withersalt bread" said Alice, "there's more than enough for all of us."
"I'll take first watch" said Kin, ignoring the talk about food.
Just then, the sound of someone singing begins coming from the river. A strange, short man came walking up from the river's edge, carrying a whole deer. "Good day, good friends!" he said.
"Who are you?" asked Kin.
"I am Boggy Roger!" he said, "Wherever there is a bog, a river, or swamp - Boggy Rodger will be there!"
Rina was intrigued by this silly man, who spoke in a poem-like cadence. "What can we do for you Roger?" she asked.
"This ole man caught this big deer" he started, "and wishes to share a meal and a fire with friends for the night!"
"No" said Kin abruptly.
"Yes!" said the rest of the party.
"Wonderful!" he said in his typical boisterous fashion. He began carving the deer and cooking pieces over the fire. "Any preferences? Cut, size, fatty, lean?"
"I want the liver" said Rina, "And Khoshekh will take a few scraps - uncooked." She then snapped her fingers and twisted her wrist to summon her Cat-Fey Familiar.
"Haha!" laughed Rodger, "What a delight! Here you are, Kitty!" he threw a few scraps to Khoshekh, who ate them without hesitation.
Rina whispered to Alice, "If Khoshekh is fine, the food is fine."
After a few moments, nothing happened to little Khoshekh, and the party deemed the food to be fine and not poisoned.
"So, you've been everywhere with water?" Rina asked.
"I have been wherever there is to go! Within Asmery, that is. Once you get a bit farther east... people are less friendly to ole Boggy Rodger. The deserts of The Kingdom of Bolgroth and Cofamoso also deter me" he answered.
They shared as much deer meet and withersalt bread as they could - Kin only ate the bread and refused to eat any meat.
"What's your deal?" asked Rina, "He's friendly, he's fun, he fed us for free..."
"I don't trust people who are too friendly" responded Kin.
Rina ignored Kin the rest of the night while Kin was sulking with his back turned to the group. Aurelius passed out as soon as he got done eating.
"Do you know much about the mountains and stuff around here?" asked Alice, "We are looking for some friends of friends who supposedly got lost in mountains to the south."
"To the south is Mt. Ivatim" he said, "To the north are The Giant Hills, to the east is Mt. Luminus. Those are all the mountains this ole man have been to."
"Where might we find information on the southern mountain?" asked Rina.
"Castle Frey has the best library around" he answered.
"And... you said you don't go into Bolgroth?" Rina asked again.
"Ohhh no," he started, "The Kingdom of Bolgroth is unfriendly to outsiders. Castle Frey will have more information on them, as well."
"Did you hear that the people of Riverbend disappeared?" asked Alice.
"They are not the only ones" he said, "Mepul down in Drusk have met the same fate. I have also heard of the same in Mapledale."
Rina pulled out a map and looked at the locations. All three towns were directly out from Mt. Ivatim.

"Not only that," he continued, "every one of the towns got real cold when it happened."
Alice gave Rina a judgmental look, "What?" Rina asked.
"You and your devil are kind of cold, too. Does he have anything to do with this?"
Rina paused and closed her eyes, the reached into her soul to see if she could communicate with Agronoch. She could feel he was listening, and she internally asked, "Is the cold from these bodaks related to you?"
After a moment she heard an answer in her mind in Agronoch's voice, "It ain't me."
Rina shook her head in response to Alice. "He says it isn't his doing."
"Well its time for ole Boggy Roger to hit the hay" Roger said, "thanks for sharing your fire, your meal, and your campsite!" Roger went to the outer edge away from the party and laid straight on the ground to sleep.
Alice went to her bedroll, as did Rina. Kin stayed up until Rina's 4 hour trance was over, then she took 2nd watch so Kin could sleep. She took some of the extra deer meat and slow roasted it somewhat high over the fire to turn it into jerky, just in case they would need it later.

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