<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/60/e6/58/60e658c3314b31d5812cf13ecd13ed08.jpg)</div>OOC Scene 3, Post<br/>It's a mangrove swamp. A few bits and pieces of land are above the water level. However, going anywhere will require getting wet, flying, or some boat. The swamp is rugged terrain for everyone except Eli (flying) and Kalinta (Body like a snake). And yes, nasty things are lurking in the waters of the swamp.<br/><br/><hr/>IC - Wadding through the swap<br/>Kalinta and Darius trudge through the swap, carrying Shade and Frore, respectively, while Eli flits from tree to tree. Kalinta found that her tail made it easy to traverse the shallower muddy bottoms of the swamp. In contrast, Darius tried to stick to the portions above water, or at least where the mud was shallower. Kalinta's pet snake seemed quite at home in the swap and somehow able to slither across the top of the water. A couple of the denizens of the swamp swam towards the party before shying away.<br/><br/>Now that Darius mentioned it, Kalinta could also sense the fragrance in the air with her keen sense of smell. It was an intoxicating smell, fried meat and exotically seasoned.<br/><br/><hr/><div class="floatright">(https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2021/10/14/gettyimages-1295580394_wide-4255eac0dcbdd995c057f6206721807e517d0d6d.jpg?s=1400)</div>IC - Welcome to Zekes<br/><br/>It took a couple of hours of trudging through the swamp. The increase in the scent made everyone a bit hungrier. Finally, the source of the smell came into sight. It was a larger than usual hummock with several mangrove trees. Canopies were strung in the trees, providing shelter from the rain. As well as an odd collection of stumps, boxes, barrels, and mismatched chairs and tables provided seating for an array of individuals as mismatched as the furniture: elves and Humans, Orcs and Goblins, Frog-like creatures (Bullywugs). The group carried a wide assortment of weapons and wore different types of armor. However, it appeared that everyone was armed.<br/><br/>Pride of place went to a large iron cauldron from which the delicious smells emerged. There appeared to be an assembly line, with a partially dissected alligator, a bowl of some batter, and then a series of small cages lowered into the cauldron. The Chef was a large humanoid - perhaps with giant blood. The Chef wielded a pair of blades, a chopping blade, and a big paring knife. He would slice pieces of the alligator and toss them in the batter when someone would roll them and then toss them in a cage. Another cook lowered the cage into the cauldron of boiling oil.<br/><br/>A Bullywug stood at a small counter in front of the kitchen. Seeing the party approach, he called out in a loud voice,<strong>"Welcome to Zekes. Leave your problems and your quarrels at the water's edge."</strong>With the greeting, the various members of the party suddenly realized that they knew a bit about this new world in which they had landed.<br/><br/><hr/>Each character should make an ability check (e.g., History, Nature, Religion) to see what they know about this new world. Characters can even use a relevant Tool Skill (e.g., Herbalism) to gain an advantage on the ability check. A character with Guidance can use the Cantrip to add 1d4 to their specific ability check.<br/>