1 February 2019

We continue through the dark lake, with the passages getting narrower and more fungal vegetation appearing, and eventually rocks poking up out of the water. Testing the depth with Autun's 10-foot pole, we detect that the water is getting shallower. Shuushar signals us to stop rowing; the depth of the water is no longer reliably deep enough to handle our overloaded boat. We get out and wade. The water is knee-deep for most of us, but that's thigh-deep for Jimjar and Bree. We find a place to stop for the night. Kais can hear a sound like pages turning in a book far overhead. When everyone is awake he and Autun look around, trying to find the source of the sound. They don't find any sign of what was making the noise, but do find about 6 lbs of trillimac, a sheet-like edible mushroom. They pick it up and as soon as they do, a thumping sound starts in the distance. It continues, and seems like it might be getting closer, so they hurry back to camp. No sooner do they explain to the others what happened than four walking Zurkhkwood appear from the forest. Kais hypothesizes that they are angry about him taking the Trillomark and sets it down in the sand and backs away from it. This seems to appease two of the mobile Zirkwood, but the other two attack. Autun attempts to convey to them that we mean no harm, but although they hesitate for a moment, they then resume their attack. Autun has the sense that they were compelled in some way to do so. One of them whacks Ezri with its blue cap, demonstrating that they can do considerable damage, and the other makes a similar attack on Caius. Bree lights a bonfire under the one attacking Caius. Kais, Jimjar and Autun attack the one battling with Ezri. It is injured by blows from the rogues' shortswords, but manages to get another hit on Ezri which knocks her unconscious. Caius jumps in with encouraging words, which bring Ezri back from death's edge. She again calls her firey sword to deal the death blow to the tree that nearly killed her. Caius manages to avoid further damage, and Autun lands a strike with his axe. Bree calls up a cloud of daggers which ultimately slice the last (mycelial) threads by which this tree clung to life. Caius tends to his own and to Ezri's wounds while Kais and Autun make the best of a bad situation by turning the Zirkwood corpses into firewood. We also find about 10 water orbs and two tall, orange and beige mushrooms. Autun tries to identify them by collecting spores, but ends up breathing the spores and is stunned. Brie manages to use Charm to convince him to follow her away from the mushroom. After a moment, he recovers.

We resume our walk through the lake. The water is getting decidedly warmer, and we cross the outflow of a hot spring.

We eventually find a larger waterway that seems to come from within the fungal forest. We decide to follow it upstream, to try to reach Neverlight Grove. Mostly we can travel in the boat, rowing. We come across an area with fungal trees growing in the water, like mangroves. This area has another extra-gray dwarf. Like the last one, it does not respond to Bree prestidigitating a breeze to fondle its beard. Like the last one, it seems to have metal equipment, but its skin does not look like skin, but rather like it is made of gray fibers. We try to talk to it and it eventually moves to another tree root. We try to follow it, but it just moves back to the other spot. We get the impression that it finds us uninteresting. Careful inspection of the area shows that it moves around quite a lot - there are tracks from its boots on many of the roots. Autun has the sense that whatever is going on with this creature, it is in its natural state - it has no "feel" of disease. Caius tries a spell to dispel disease or poison, and nothing happens, implying that indeed whatever this thing is, it is not an ill or infected gray dwarf. Kais considers lifting some of its equipment to inspect it, but decides to leave well enough alone for now.

We manage to find a bit of land big enough to sleep three at a time, and decide to make camp there for the "night".

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Dreams

Autun dreams of a wedding, and there's a sense of urgency.

Jimjar is playing hide and seek, but can't remember who he is supposed to find.

Shuushar dreams of school. He shows up to class and everyone else is naked.

Bree is going to a wedding, with all her kin. She wakes up to realize that she does not recognize the "dream extras" in waking life.

Caius dreams he is the main character in his favorite childhood book. Upon waking he recognizes that he has had this dream many times before.

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Inventory

+ 6# of trillimac

+ a lot of Zurkhwood firewood

+ 10 water orbs