We spend a quiet night in Ashwell tower – Mahan feels a bit better in the morning.

Nailen chats with Athangild about staying on as reeve – he’s not really with it. Nailen then takes Athangild back up to his quarters to get some clothes, ready to travel back to Dragonsfall. We also take 6 bags of lizardman kit – totems etc.

We depart for Dragonsfall; along the causeway we are attacked – a hail of small javelins! Mahan and Nailen are hit! Nailen’s arm is really sore! We dive for cover on the other side of the causeway. Olsen fires some arrows but the lack of squeaks suggests that he hasn’t hit anything.

We attempt to pacify them by throwing one of the totems we took from Ashwell tower, and leave the bag where we were taking cover. Another volley of spears comes at us but no one is injured. We make it to the gap in the causeway and Nailen wades across first. He throws another totem. A lizardman appears and grabs the totem then scurries back into the reeds. Olsen suggests we throw another totem and then fire arrows. It works but we fail to kill the lizardman.
We return to Dragonsfall. Athangild is shaken by the attack. We don’t present a pretty picture on our return.

We are washed and dressed in clean clothes and join Uther for dinner. We recount our tale. Uther says the lizardmen sound like newtlings – a smaller species. He doesn’t know anything of the marsh light men things… Some discussion with Halvenstrom suggests he knows nothing of the marsh men. We have little to go on apart from the possibility of exploring the channel that passes through the gap in the causeway. Dr H. suggests we should be able to get a punt and a local to propel it for us. We train and heal for a week.

Salmer the boatman appears at the end of the week, ready to take us into the marsh. We load up the punt with all conceivable pieces of equipment. Mahan sits up front with bow at the ready. We reach the breach in the causeway and then turn to the north. The channel appears to be following the edge of the hill on which Ashwell tower sits.

Eventually the channel reaches the base of the hill and seems to enter a tunnel. It is mid-afternoon so we elect to drag the punt out of the water and camp out in the tower. Salmer takes a little convincing that it will be safe, but Nailen convinces him that we will take care of him. From this side we see more houses and it seems that the outer houses are not as burnt as the ones in the centre. At the door into the tower is a human skeleton. On closer inspection it seems to be lashed to wood and have feather decorations – a talismanic warning from the lizardmen perhaps…

Nailen takes this large talisman and dashes it to the ground before striding heroically into the tower. We barricade the outer door behind us then ascend the stairs to Athangild’s rooms, barricading other doors as well.