The Logging Camp

The forest is mildly creepy. Tuath keeps us on track and does a wonderful job of finding a path that allows the cart to move. We are three days in when we hit the river. We turn North. Soon, we find the logging camp. The camp is clearly abandoned. We park the cart and give the place a look. There are a couple large groups of tents, a number of cabins that have been smashed, and one building still standing.
 
While checking out the first set of tents, a giant, 12 foot tall, praying mantis bursts from the ground. It’s big but still just a bug. I smack it with my mace. It returns the favor by grabbing me with its mandibles. I fight my way free. The dwarves beat the bug up, taking some damage, which I mitigate as we go.
While this goes on a second bug erupts from the ground. And then a third. I probably should have taken this fight more seriously and started by asking Mitra to bless us and asked him for a Spiritual Weapon. Instead, I play the role of healing battery. It is enough and we kill the bugs. We then opt to be careful, back out of the camp, and rest up before coming back in tomorrow. On the way out of camp, we see that there was a fight in this camp and it looks like the bugs ate the loggers.
 
The next day, we check out the rest of the camp. We even jump up and down in the middle of camp to see if we can get any more bugs to show up (in the theory that it would be better when we were ready for them). Lastly, we check out the standing building. It is a couple rooms. Sure enough, as we start checking it out, another bug climbs out of the floor. We have no problem killing it. In the second room, a back office, we find a sole survivor of the logging camp. It is none other than Tybor Westor. He has been hiding for three days attempting to not move. He is traumatized but unhurt.
 
Tybor recovers enough to start planning to reopen logging operations. We store the supplies we brought and secure the rest of the camp. While we get Tybor to sign for the supplies, he also opts to join us in returning to town. Tuath spends time mucking about in the guts of the bugs collecting trophies. I gather as much of the dead loggers as can be found and give them a proper burial on the edge of the camp.
 
The return trip is uneventful. Harbin is happy enough to see us. We collect payment (25GP per party member) and head for the inn.