The smoke had been the first thing that the scouts noticed as the fireline moved towards them. They might have been able to outrun it for a short while, but the fire raced across the dry meadow and prairie as fast as a man could sprint, only without the need to rest. It would have overtaken them eventually as it was overtaking the second thing they noticed.
A hoard of small animals fled ahead of the blowing smoke, leaping over the little river and the men in it, or else swimming past them and occasionally bumping or brushing against them in their panic to escape. The scouts had chosen the river just in time; less than a minute after they sank down into it the blaze arrived at their firebreak, crackling and burning the dry Leafchange grasses outside of the mud line swiftly down to ash but keeping the heat far enough at bay to protect them. Hawthorn's air magic was able to push the worst of the smoke up and away, circulating enough clean air up from the water's surface that they could breathe, and Zavien's suggestion to wrap their faces with wet cloth protected them from the little that got through the courtesan's magic. Between them, they were able to prevent themselves from suffering any damage.
In the bog, the digging team noticed the smoke far out on the horizon and a worried Tal sent his dragon to check on the scouts. The pale dragon would find them emerging from the river when the ground was cool enough to walk on again. She landed, taking time to snorfle them both - and sneezing at the residual smoke on their clothes - to make sure they were unhurt before she headed back to report to her companion.
Meanwhile, Tal and the diggers continued to build, finally reaching the end of the bog and getting back to the unexpectedly easier job of building the road through the meadowlands again. Their pace increased significantly once they were back on dry land and morale improved!
An unexpected benefit from the prairie fire was that the scouts could now clearly see any difficulties with the terrain, allowing them to move much faster. As the second day drew to a close it quickly became apparent that the time lost in building through the bog would soon be regained when the digging crew reached the fire scar.
The next several days passed without incident as the road progressed along the trail marked by the scouts. They passed out of the fire scar and back into the meadows as they neared the Queen's Gambit and the time came to turn north, but a final obstacle lay in their path: a large field of Cursed Daisies stretched out before them, right where the terrain looked easiest for the road to Mourn. The flowers bobbed malevolently in the breeze, purple-black flowers dying as the season came to a close and releasing an unsettling stench of corruption and decay that sapped the will and left those who got close to them feeling fearful and anxious.
Round 5:
Depending on how you deal with the Cursed Daisies, this is either the final round or the second to last one!
There is no 'right' answer; creative solutions are welcome! Alternatively, the 'safe' way to deal with it would be to go around it, though that will take the road team extra days.
There is no posting order!
Cursed Daisies (Common): Once the calming Sweetgrass, these void-corrupted daisies emit an unsettling aura. Instead of attracting pollinators, they draw in void insects that feed on the life force of anything nearby. Their sickly-sweet scent now conceals the stench of void decay.
A hoard of small animals fled ahead of the blowing smoke, leaping over the little river and the men in it, or else swimming past them and occasionally bumping or brushing against them in their panic to escape. The scouts had chosen the river just in time; less than a minute after they sank down into it the blaze arrived at their firebreak, crackling and burning the dry Leafchange grasses outside of the mud line swiftly down to ash but keeping the heat far enough at bay to protect them. Hawthorn's air magic was able to push the worst of the smoke up and away, circulating enough clean air up from the water's surface that they could breathe, and Zavien's suggestion to wrap their faces with wet cloth protected them from the little that got through the courtesan's magic. Between them, they were able to prevent themselves from suffering any damage.
In the bog, the digging team noticed the smoke far out on the horizon and a worried Tal sent his dragon to check on the scouts. The pale dragon would find them emerging from the river when the ground was cool enough to walk on again. She landed, taking time to snorfle them both - and sneezing at the residual smoke on their clothes - to make sure they were unhurt before she headed back to report to her companion.
Meanwhile, Tal and the diggers continued to build, finally reaching the end of the bog and getting back to the unexpectedly easier job of building the road through the meadowlands again. Their pace increased significantly once they were back on dry land and morale improved!
An unexpected benefit from the prairie fire was that the scouts could now clearly see any difficulties with the terrain, allowing them to move much faster. As the second day drew to a close it quickly became apparent that the time lost in building through the bog would soon be regained when the digging crew reached the fire scar.
The next several days passed without incident as the road progressed along the trail marked by the scouts. They passed out of the fire scar and back into the meadows as they neared the Queen's Gambit and the time came to turn north, but a final obstacle lay in their path: a large field of Cursed Daisies stretched out before them, right where the terrain looked easiest for the road to Mourn. The flowers bobbed malevolently in the breeze, purple-black flowers dying as the season came to a close and releasing an unsettling stench of corruption and decay that sapped the will and left those who got close to them feeling fearful and anxious.
Round 5:
Depending on how you deal with the Cursed Daisies, this is either the final round or the second to last one!
There is no 'right' answer; creative solutions are welcome! Alternatively, the 'safe' way to deal with it would be to go around it, though that will take the road team extra days.
There is no posting order!
Cursed Daisies (Common): Once the calming Sweetgrass, these void-corrupted daisies emit an unsettling aura. Instead of attracting pollinators, they draw in void insects that feed on the life force of anything nearby. Their sickly-sweet scent now conceals the stench of void decay.
