Main Camp

Location overview

The Main Camp is a temporary settlement featuring shelters and a small herd, serving as The Party's base. Main Camp experienced a food shortage while The Party was away, but morale improved from strained to stable. Gundugar's team constructed shelter space for four people. Camp teams brought in provisions, resulting in two separate gains of six provisions, and Finnetharyn's survival team added a goat to the herd. The camp serves as a refugee encampment that provides shelter, food for at least a day, livestock for milk, watchposts, shared waterskins for workers, and a communal stash of weapons and supplies.
The following day, the camp received reports about a frantic man and Phaendar. The camp built seven additional shelters, gathered firewood, acquired another goat, and experienced a slight morale dip due to some individuals still sleeping in the cold. A disoriented trader arrived and was left to tend the campfire through the night. Upon returning to Main Camp, The Party noticed the smell of meat as refugees prepared dinner, and Mira announced the meal. Drum, a worker at Main Camp, fell ill with symptoms similar to earlier patients. Jed distributed recovered deer meat at Main Camp. Sick refugees later improved, but Mira then fell ill. The party examined the waterskins at Main Camp, identified a badly treated Shared Waterskin as the likely source of infection, and warned the camp. Aubrin requested new latrines. Heidel led the party to a corpse at a Main Camp watchpost, which had been decapitated. The party followed a trail from the watchpost into the forest. Later, the party brought a Bounty Notice back to Main Camp. Aubrin presented an Improvised Banner at Main Camp, and the party contributed rations to the communal food supply.
The camp is also known as the Main Camp, a hidden cavern system with a single defensible entrance. It provides food, fire, warm beds, and access to underground waterways for alternate exfiltration. The camp shelters refugees and maintains livestock nearby. The Party returned a rescued Militia Veteran to the Main Camp after two days of travel. The veteran was integrated into the workforce as a tracker. Over the following week, the camp maintained stability for the refugees with adequate food and firewood. Nova recovered there, and the camp improved its supplies and concealment. Additionally, the camp acquired thirty provisions from a captured wagon.
Sergeant Escarbinus's Camp is a Fahrak position linked to Sergeant Escarbinus, which sought an alliance with the Zulgaths in exchange for provisions to support the Ironfang Legion. An officer representing Sergeant Escarbinus approached the party's cave to present the alliance offer. After entering alone under false pretenses, a confrontation ensued, resulting in the officer and his troopers being killed. The party recovered the officer's papers, which included a letter proposing the alliance and notes detailing how to reach Cave Camp. Additionally, a map and letter carried by York indicated that multiple Fahrak Scout leaders were independently reaching out to the Zulgaths. The party concluded their day near the location of Sergeant Escarbinus's Main Camp.
In proximity to Main Camp, there exists a location known as Camp Redjaw, a Main Camp situated at the Cliff, accessible by Stair-Top Choke Point. Camp features an eastern palisade, several tents, and a small Watch Post manned by a single Yissti Scout. The sounds of more than a dozen hobgoblins and howling war beasts can be heard in the area. During an encounter, the scout detonated a Blasting Stone to raise the alarm after spotting intruders. Fighting concentrated at the Top Of The Stairs, where reinforcements including bowmen, bugbears, war beasts, Sergeant Scarvinous, a Hobgoblin, and a rat-like bomb-carrier engaged in combat. Scarvinous was killed, leaving only the Rat-Like Defector and the surrendered Captive Alchemist alive.
The Main Camp also serves as a concealed refuge for Phaendar refugees, featuring a central chamber, herds, shelters, and stores of provisions. Main Camp is led by Aubrin and other leaders, maintaining high morale among its residents. A remembrance for unclaimed items is displayed in the central chamber, and residents have reclaimed belongings, contributing to improved morale. During their stay, The Party transferred runes to weapons and replenished provisions. Over the course of a week, Camp leaders organized defenses, herd work, and concealment efforts, while Aubrin convened a council to plan an expedition north.
A temporary Main Camp stood among the trees of the Fangwood, where The Party stopped for the night after traveling north. Wren, Finnetharyn Fimbleshanks, Gundugar Herdtender, and Bruneg took the watches in that order, while Vendel Coldblade slept. During Finnetharyn’s watch, movement in the surrounding foliage revealed two human-sized figures. Gundugar saw two humans in grey and brown ponchos, one pointing toward the camp while the other covered it with a bow. Owl calls brought a ranger down from the trees, with hidden companions nearby. The Party identified themselves as refugees from Phaendar and the militia, discussing forts, dragons, refugees, and the Zulgath caverns, and invited the rangers to seek them out. The rangers then vanished into the forest. After the rest of the night, Party left east toward Fort Ristin.
The Camp Hobgoblins occupied a small gulch camp in the Fangwood. They kept bows and shortswords nearby and cooked an underseasoned stew. During an encounter, Bruneg's charge wounded one hobgoblin, which was finished off by Wren and Arsène. Gundugar set others ablaze, while Finnetharyn attacked from a distance. A blond-haired hobgoblin threw a dagger and shouted about the attack during dinner; another drew a shortsword and cut Bruneg. Wren discovered the blond hair was a wig and killed its wearer with an arrow. The remaining hobgoblins were defeated shortly afterward. Party recovered the Wig of Holding and found little else in the camp beyond their carried gear.
The party later found the old camp they had abandoned a few months earlier. At least a dozen refugees from the caverns had gathered there with other survivors of Phaendar and people the party did not know. The camp had tents but no posted watches, and its people had not noticed the party’s approach. The refugees had stopped hunting and seemed to be worsening; several were sick, and some had moving bumps beneath their skin. After searching for gloss leaf and dealing with hobgoblin deserters nearby, the party returned and prepared an infusion. The refugees resisted at first, but the party got everyone to drink it and stayed to care for them. Within hours, the visible worms stopped moving; after a couple of days, the refugees began expelling them.