A3a. Exploring the Pond
This scene takes place in the Mud Pie Pond
Before the players arrive at the scene:
Flax and Gundren are with the party.
The Mud Pie Gang are causing chicanery around the pond
When the players first arrive at Mud Pie Pond, read or paraphrase:
Near the center of the pond, something glides beneath the surface, trailing ripples across the mire.
If the players explore openly, Muck and Bog-Boy watch the players while Puddle continues his swim.
If the players inspect the ripples along the pond and succeed on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, they see a misshapen mound of mud, bearing the rough shape of a wing, briefly breach the surface before vanishing back into the muck.
The first time the players descend to the pond or oak tree, the sound of their footsteps (e.g., a snapping twig or splashing rock) alerts Puddle, whose eyes poke above the water to watch them. A player with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 18 or more notices a pair of beady eyes watching them from the surface of the muck.
One or more mephits emerge to greet them. Proceed to A3b. Confronting the Culprits