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Theres four locations marked out as possible Ancient City sites, deforested compared to the area around them, all above waterlevel. There are others further off, but marked with "¿?"; these four are the largest.
Looking at them you just get a feeling it's White 'Edds termites, like you have to eat in lean times. The marked supposed Cities and ¿? cities form a rough semicircle; your gut feel is if you go far enough into the forests, nearer their Colonies, you'll find other ¿?s that, with the known ¿?s, make a full circle.
You look at the hill terrain in the middle of that circle. Hills follow a pattern, too, usually. Small hillocks lead to hills, to ridges, then mountains. This hill tallish, but has no buddies, and isn't fatty for its height.
It's not a real hill; it's an earthworks. Old and collapsed and washed by rain.
<span class="mu-i">There's</span> the real city; that, or someplace under there.
"<span class="mu-g">Ey Drood. Needa faivah.</span>"
Your adherence to OpSec impresses him, but really you just can't be bothered to learn the names of peepl that don't matter.
"What do you need, Oats."
"<span class="mu-g">Distracshun. Yez a Drood innya. What zappies yez gotz.</span>"
He's willing to use Mold Earth, Shape Water, Bonfire, Control Flames cantrips for YOU, cast Protection from Poison lvl3 spell, but that's the limit. He's keeping all his other spells for emergencies.
"And I can't leave the post."
You know his language: he's a Rhea. Where there's a meal there's a way.
"<span class="mu-g">Not <span class="mu-i">leave</span> it. Juzt go out for a shit. Who's gonna shidd on yez fer shiddin? Yez don't shidd where yez eats n sleeps do yer. I gotza halfbottle of herby swiggz for yez. N a handy baccy. It'z dry.</span>"
"Eh? Where? Lemme see."
"<span class="mu-g">Do it so'z I come back live. You'll get it then, or me name's not Oats.</span>"
"And if you don't...make it?"
"<span class="mu-g">Den itz last rites fer me. A dedder's request.</span>"
His eyes waters a little. He's awed. Cutthroat Oats is tough nuts.
He agrees after you assure him it won't take more than a Time.
°°°
After a Time's trudge away from the pond, you have him Mold Earth for a bit: each casting moves 5'x5' of soil out of the ground, until the ground's crater looking. While he's busy you clean out the Pouch of old rubbish: fully broke and unusable Stuffs, leftovers, the emptied shidd pot. And a few sticks of HiMaX.
You gently cut up the HiMaX up like carrops, mix them with the rubbish, and throw them about in the crater near the outer rim. You save one wedge of HiMaX, about an inch, and put it at the center of the crator. You cover it wiv da shidd pott, like a pea inna cup.
At the furthest distance he can cast it, 60ft, you have the Drood cast Bonfire on the shiddpott and take cover. The BOOM, contained by the shiddpott, is made several times louder. The shiddpott flies high, straight up, burst and wonky.
The Drood nearly scarpers, but you hold him.
"<span class="mu-g">No! Wun moar."</span>
