[CENTER][color=598527][h1]Hither[/h1][/color]
[color=00746b][h2]Queen's Way[/h2][/color][/CENTER]

"[color=ed145b]I think it's safe to say that Bob isn't on their side anymore, at the very least. The rabbits were browbeating the poor thing,[/color]" Aurora answered Brutrumukk's question regarding the Giant Snail. 

She then mentions to the group, "[color=ed145b]I did see something during our rest: A hot air balloon of sorts falling out of the sky. I think it landed close by. It might be something worth investigating. Of course, I'll go with everyone, wherever that may be. Investigation or no,[/color]"

When the party decides to venture forth into the mists, they find no other opposition to face in the swamps and mists before they reach the next destination. 

[hr]

[CENTER][color=00746b][h2]Slanty Tower[/h2][/color][/CENTER]

After a while of walking through the stick mud, the party and snail see a new sight among the swamplands.

A crumbling stone tower rises out of the swamp, leaning at such an angle that it threatens to keel over. Black brambles surround the base of the tower and cling to its lower half. Hanging from the crenellations on the lower side of the tower's peak is a large woven basket at the end of a tangle of ropes and tattered fabric. The basket dangles thirty feet above the surface of the swamp.

Aurora speaks up to the party, "[color=ed145b]That's it! That's the same balloon I saw earlier...[/color]"