Date: 26th Midspring, 4E 1396
Current location: Ankley — lower beachside district, arriving around dinner time near an inn and a magic shop by the stairs.

Current Goals: Reach Ankley safely, secure lodging, and scout services (notably a “magic store”) while continuing the broader reclamation push inland from Fort Foothold.

Leaving Fort Foothold with their paperwork already in order—the reclamation signets and travel papers confirmed at the start—the party decides to make for Ankley. The GM reviews the travel tutorial: it’s just one hex to Ankley, downhill, so at a normal pace the trip should take roughly 1 hour 45 minutes (about three to five hours were discussed across paces). The group locks in “normal.”

Before departure, Kara’s to-scale boat map is revealed and admired. The final call on the craft’s dimensions lands at 17.5 ft long by 7.5 ft wide—just big enough to squeeze everyone aboard. Lash is assigned to the crow’s nest due to her small frame.

On the water, there’s some delightful chaos: the “encounter map” becomes an inadvertent “driver of the boat map” as tokens get moved around—prompting the GM to sketch a quick boat token. At one point, the boat is described as having crushed two foes beneath it (cinematic theater-of-the-mind energy), and Lash is given “prime hunting territory.”

Sun management becomes a mini-subplot. Fenric Vale (ever practical) tries to rig shade for Lash by firing a bolt to pin a blanket above the crow’s nest, only for it to thud and send an unconscious body toppling within the nest. It’s a quick, comedic beat—followed later by more sun jokes when Draak calls for Lash to “jump” from the crow’s nest, she hops out…and just eats grass. The party concludes she might now see the sun “everywhere.”

The boat layout and crew positions keep getting tuned as they go. The group jokes about needing a proper boat token and how the draft and spacing make it tough to fit perfectly. There’s playful grumbling from the GM (“this is why I’m not in charge of the boat”), but it all helps solidify how the party will operate aboard their vessel going forward.

After the short over-water trip, the party reaches Ankley near dinner. The GM flags stairs up from the beachside area and points out that there’s an inn and a “magic store” right nearby—cue jokes about “the dinner store” and “the bed store” as priorities shuffle between lodging, food, and shopping. It’s essentially a soft landing and setup scene: get your bearings, pick a place to sleep, and decide whether to hit the magic shop before or after eating.

Upon reaching Ankley, the party quickly found themselves embroiled in conflict. While details of the initial tension vary in tone, it’s clear that words escalated into action, culminating in a brawl within the settlement. Whether sparked by suspicion, mistrust, or a simple clash of temperaments, the locals viewed the adventurers as troublemakers rather than allies.

The fight caused enough disruption that the group’s presence became untenable. Before long, they were escorted out — effectively banished from Ankley. The dismissal carried both frustration and relief: frustration because the party had hoped to gain resources or respite in town, relief because no further punishment was dealt beyond being sent away.

Once outside the gates, the group set up camp in the nearby woods. Fenric used his extensive wilderness experience to craft a comfortable glade-like campsite, complete with a fire and covered shelter. Though it provided safety, the exile from Ankley weighed on the company, sharpening their awareness of the difficulties they would face in this region.

During the long rest outside town, each member reflected on the confrontation in their own way. Fenric sought herbs and useful plants, discovering samples of Iron Root and Whisperleaf, while Draak recreated the tavern fight using rocks as stand-ins for combatants, brooding over alternate outcomes. The forced departure had left the party with little choice but to regroup and press onward, carrying both practical gains from foraging and the sting of rejection from Ankley.