Restoring the Cleric
Following the fight with the carrion worm, the party traveled two days through familiar territory back to the bandit camp and the night passed uneventfully there.
The third day after the battle, they escorted the cleric to the Erastil temple in the forest. Along the way, they avoided some trolls despite Stormbolt’s objections. As the sun set, they arrived at the Temple of the Elk, where they found a herd of elk drinking at the pool.
The cleric was very appreciative of the party for guiding him to the temple. The peace and tranquility of the place radiated between the columns. They camped for the night before heading on after the Stag Lord. The cleric pledged his services at no charge for their efforts.
Traveling Downriver
The lair of the Stag Lord was rumored to be down the river from their position. Toward sunset, they arrived at the rickety bridge across the Thorn River. They made camp on the western bank.
The next day they continued downriver until they reached the ford, but did not cross. Instead they made camp and continued in the morning. They made camp as evening approached.
Reconnaissance
Stormbolt swam down the river and reconnoitered the Stag Lord’s base. An hour or so, the river widened and then opened up into a lake. He did not see anything. He swam upriver until the current became to strong, and then he went overland back to the campsite. He arrived at the camp around midnight and went to sleep.
In the morning, they rode for an hour or so until they arrived at the lake. There were no signs of anything unusual. They traveled the shore to the west toward the forest.
A few hours later, Oostend noticed a fort perched on a hill a far distance inland from the lake. The party moved closer stealthly and Lucee saw inattentive people moving around on guard. Stormbolt made a circuit of the fort and found a gate with a road winding toward it on the side opposite the lake.
Oostend ran into Lucee, who fell down. They paused, but Stormbolt continued forward. About halfway up the hill, Stormbolt saw humanoids burst from the ground and attacked.
They made camp where they could observe the gate and watched the routine. After dark, Stormbolt, Oostend and Lucee sneaked up to observe more closely while Froing watched the horses.