Knowing that Faey is in dire trouble and in danger of losing her life in a way most horrible, I look at the others and decide that in the interest of keeping Faey alive, I will have to take the risk of facing the cannibal alone. Pulling ahead of my friends and using my cat-like grace and nimbleness to maximum effect, I follow the cannibal through the jungle until I can hear sounds of feet moving through muddy patches on the trail and the occassional snapping twig. Summoning more energy from deep within me, my jaws locked in grim determination, I slowly but surely catch up with my quarry.
Drawing my rapier, I overtake the cannibal and jump in front of him to force him to a stop.
Yekskya keeps hustling through the jungle, hoping to catch up with the cannibal and Faey as quickly as possible. He watches in dismay as he gets caught in a dense section of undergrowth and Cat dances ahead, "Keep going, but watch yourself. I'll catch up soon."
Zag lets the others get ahead of him, giving them reassuring nods. As they disappear into the trees, he slows his pace and contemplates for a moment, deciding to focus on finding the trail in case the others lose it on their chase. "If this man was a beast, he would take his prey to a lair, I say...hm..." He begins to investigate the area local to his stopping point, looking for other tracks or trails similar to the kidnapper's, thinking that perhaps there is an encampment or village nearby which would likely mean more tracks.
Survival:
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You keep running through the jungle, doggedly chasing Faey's captor. The trail is thin, and branches whip against your face and rocks threaten to trip you up as you stumble through the night. At one point the cannibal's trail leads you over a fallen log crossing a small river. As you move, you're alert to the various sounds of the night. In your haste, you at times hear creatures moving just out of sight, and at one time you hear a reptilian screech far off to your left.
Slowly, your group gets drawn out. Zaghigoth and Grym fall behind, moving a bit more slowly to better watch the trail the cannibal has left. The rest of you roughly keep pace with your quarry, though without being able to see the cannibal it's hard to tell whether you are gaining or not. In her drive to help Faey, Rowena pulls ahead, and after some time jogging, she eventually sees a shadow hustling through the jungle ahead of her. The moonlight provides just enough illumination for her to see that it's another human, dressed much like the other cannibals you have fought this night. Over his shoulder as he jogs is the slight, prone figure of Faey. She appears to begound and gagged, and unconscious. Despite her tiredness, Rowena draws her rapier and in a daring move of acrobatics manages to leap in front of the native, blocking his escape.
Forced to stop, the cannibal roughly throws Faey down to the ground and draws a chipped scimitar. Three javelins hang at his back, and he holds a small wooden shield. He beats his chest and snarls in a savage language as Rowena lunges forward with her rapier!
Initiative
13 - Rowena
5 - cannibal
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cannibal init
Cat init
Grym survival/track check
Yekskya continues to hustle through the dark jungle. Ahead, he think he hears the sounds of a fight underway, but resists the urge to call out to Cat. I hope she's ok.
Listening to the cannibal's snarling, I have a vague idea of what he's saying, but that might just be the situation we find ourselves in. With a wicked grin on my face: "Forget about it, buddy. You ain't gonna bite her, nor me. As a matter of fact, you've bitten off more than you can chew. And that's gonna hurt. Better give up now, my friends are just behind me." I lunge at the cannibal and strike with the needle sharp point of my rapier, finding a way past his shield but not without the strike being deflected away from his heart.
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Round 1
The cannibal continues to snarl wildly as Rowena dashes forward with her rapier and scores a neat strike to the man's chest. The man grunts and as he works himself into a frenzy you think he may be speaking Infernal, but you're not sure you can decipher his words. The savage tries to skewer Rowena with his chipped scimitar but she easily ducks his wild swing.
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cannibal melee attack
"Listen, buddy. I don't know what crap you are talking, but I'm sure it'd be better if my delicate ears didn't have to suffer through it at all. I suggest you keep your yap shut and just die already, okay?"
Dancing around the cannibal, I feign and stab, trying to find another opening in his defenses. Pointing towards the still form of Faey, lying on the ground like a tossed rag doll, I grin evilly: "You know, I'd like to eat her too, but not in the way you seem to be intending. And for that you'll die, knowing you picked the wrong woman to cross."
Lunging forward, my rapier glitters in the gathering dusk, but this time my attack is far less succesful than my opening move. Cursing softly, I quickly recover my balance.
"You seriously need to work on your sword skills, buddy. But I doubt you'll live long enough to profit from this advice. Oh, and by the way, I was of course only kidding about me eating her. I like her, but she's not my type. I like my girls a little less scarred. Tattoos on the other hand, now there's something I can really appreciate. At least if they're done by a real artist." Seemingly completely oblivious to the cannibal's frustration and without really caring about the fight we're in, I keep chattering while playing with him, taunting him with my swordplay and my words, drawing out the time until the others are able to catch up, so that, together, we can make short work of the lone cannibal.
Yekskya can hear the voices becoming more distinct as he continues through the jungle...well, Cat's voice at least. Must be trying to keep off balance until we can arrive. Maybe she'll finish him.
Yekskya races into view of the fight and snaps off an arrow at the cannibal.
Continuing chattering at the cannibal like we're having a normal conversation instead of a fight to the death, I draw out the confrontation until I suddenly see Yekskya appear in the greenery around the clearing."You know what I mean, right? I don't like those stupid anchors like sailors seem to prefer, for example. But I love to see animals like tigers. Or dragons. If they're done by a master artist they're awesome decorations. Once knew a girl who had a giant snake done, curling all over her upper body. Beautiful. Just like she was. And boy let me tell you, she moved just as sinuously as that snake. Spend many a wonderful night with her. Those were good times. Too bad they're gone. But that's life. Ups and downs. And speaking of which, yours is about to go downhill very fast. Die, you bastard!" Lunging forward, I stab the man in the chest, just as Yekskya's arrow slams into his back.
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Round 4
"Die, you bastard!" Lunging forward, Rowena stabs the man in the chest. He gurgles insanely as drops his scimitar to the ground and staggers back. Just then, Yeskskya and Slicingsong appear on the trail, revealed by moonlight. Yekskya snaps off a quick shot and the man collapses to the ground dead as the arrow slams into his back.
A quick inspection of Faey reveals that she is unconscious and has been roughly bound and gagged. It appears she's received a nasty crack to the head, but apart from that she's alright.
After a few minutes, Zaghigoth and Grym appear, carefully following the cannibal's trail rather than trying to keep up with the rest of you.
Yekskya looks over both Cat and Faey and sighs with relief that neither appear to have any serious wounds. "I think we had better try to get back to camp for the night if we can. I fear the others might try something rash and just make things worse. We can try to figure out where the cannibal was taking her tomorrow."
"Fully agree with you there, Yeks. But first things first. You check and see if that bastard has anything of value with him. I'll see to Faey." Kneeling down by Faey's unconscious form, I produce a wickedlooking dagger from a hidden sheath somewhere on my body. Using the razor edge of the blade I make short work of the ropes that bind the woman, easily removing the gag as well. Checking her vital signs, I let out a sigh of relief when I am certain she's not dead. Though I'm no healer, doing my best to get Faey back on her feet until Slicingsong can take over, seems to be paying off. As the scarred elf's eyes flutter open, I smile reassuringly: "You're safe. He's dead. We're gonna get you back to the camp. Can you walk?"
Yekskya looks over the cannibal's body, checking to see if he is equipped similarly to the others we have slain and if he has anything else with him.
"I guess I missed all the excitement. Come, Faye, lean on me. I can carry you if you get tired."
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You look over the body. In the darkness, you see that he held a small wooden shield, and was armed with chipped scimitar and three javelins. He also wears a red pearl amulet, similar to the other cannibals you encountered. He doesn't seem to have anything hidden on him.
Faey looks up at you all, and you can see weariness and pain in her eyes. "Whoa, where am I? Where did you...humans! There are humans on this island! They grabbed me, I think someone hit me on the head. Where are they? And have seen Jask? We were out looking for food. Is he okay?"
It takes rather a while to get back to the makeshift camp, but as you return you can see that the others have managed to put something together in your absence. The first person you see is Aerys, standing guard over the camp. She seems to be anxiously scanning the jungle for danger, and sighs in relief on your return.
The others are likewise pleased to see you, and especially to see that you have rescued Faey. Jask makes a pallet for the elf to lie down, and he checks her wounds.
Throughout the night, you are alert to further attacks, but to your relief you have no further trouble. Even the strange dreams that have been troubling you of late seem to have diminished. The others appear more rested too, a bit buoyed by your success the night before and so more hopeful for the future. Even Gelik seems a bit better, though still weak as he hobbles about the camp. You see that Gelik still looks concerned, continually scanning the jungle for attack.
"How about a song before bed? This is another song of your people. I cannot claim to understand it. It is swift and upbeat sounding but the words seem sad, even crazy. I do not understand Chamek but it is a fun song.
Tickle me pink
I'm rosy as a flushed red apple skin
Except I've never been as sweet
I've rolled around the orchard
And found myself too awkward
And tickle me green I'm too naive
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
Muffled out and pushed back down
Pushed back through the leafy ground
Time is too early
My hair isn't curly
I wish I was home and tucked away
When nothing goes right
And the future's dark as night
What you need is a sunny sunny day
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
Muffled out and pushed back down
Pushed back through the leafy ground
Don't know where I can find myself a brand new pair of ears
Don't know where I can buy a heart
The one I've got is shoddy
I need a brand new body
And then I can have a brand new start
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
Muffled out and pushed back down
Pushed back through the leafy ground
Monsters in the valley
And killings in the alley
And people fall flat at every turn
There is no straight and narrow
Offload your wheelbarrow
And pick up your sticks and twigs to burn
Pray for the people inside your head
For they won't be there when you're dead
Muffled out and pushed back down
Pushed back through the leafy ground
---
In the morning, Slicingsong will return to the spot where they had found the berries the previous evening and bring them back to the camp
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Around the campfire, the other survivors sit in stunned silence, as Slicingsong's spontaneous song comes to an end. Then, they begin to clap earnestly, thanking Slicingsong for attempting to cheer them up.
From where he is lying down, Gelik's voice calls out thinly, "When I get back on my feet, Shoanti, we'll have ourselves a real singing contest..."
"You have a gift Slicingsong. Thank you." Before turning in, Yekskya sees about getting some time alone with the rest of the group. "Two attacks by these cannibals. I think perhaps we need to see about learning what we're up against tomorrow. What do you all think of trying to scout out their camp and see how large a group we face?"
"Agreed, Yeks. And if I have anything to say about it, we should teach them a lesson that will forever put the fear in their hearts. They should be so afraid of us that they jump off of this wretched island if they just hear us coming."
With a grim look on my face, I settle down on my blanket, making it very clear that I am dead serious about our survival at the cost of a tribe of cannibals.
Through all that transpires, Zag broods thoughtfully on the presence of these cannibals. Upon returning to the camp he reunites with Shiv and heads over to a tree in a more secluded spot and sits against it, idly scratching the scales of the crocodile while puzzling out all he has experiences thus far on this strange island. He thinks on the many shipwrecks and the malign spirits, but most of all the humans. "I wonder if they are native to this place, or some crew run aground and driven to their states by the restless spirits here," he suggests to Shiv. "If this is true...hm, how long before we are affected by it? Might be it is good to get off of this island, I say...Mwangi was not so strange, I think." As Slicingsong starts up his tune, Zag listens intermittently while gazing up to the nightsky, perhaps thinking to find an answer somewhere.
In the morning Slicingsong heads out to where we found the berries the day before and picks a large selection of them, using the front of his shirt as a makeshift carrier.
"These are supposed to be quite useful in ridding a person of their need for drink. Or perhaps eliminating the effects of being without it. I suppose it doesn't really matter. How should we prepare it? A tea? Eaten straight?"
"Eating them as is would be the strongest option, I say, though not the tastiest."
Never having had an addiction to anything but bravado and adventure, I can hardly relate to people depending on drinking as a habit. Though loving a glass of wine, mead or ale, or even several of them, I can easily do without them and a slightly sneering look flashes across my face as I see Slice return with the berries for Aerys. But, knowing better than to comment on the weaknesses of others, I sit down next to Faey, my sneering look replaced by one of genuine concern: "How are you doing now, Faey? Did you get any sleep? Feeling up to traveling today?", though it's not obvious whether my concern is for Faey or her ability to continue our march.
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Slicingsong: In the morning, Jask offers to accompany you to the site where the viper nettles were, where Faey was abducted by the cannibals. The jungle seems oblivious to last night's dangers, with brightly plumed birds, frogs, and insects making a cacophany of chatter in the trees.
Eventually you skirt the edge of a river. A large grove of thorny vines grows along the river banks, presenting a seven-foot-tall wall of green leaves and intimidating six-inch red thorns. You can just see that at the very center of the patch of nettles is a large quantity of bright red berries, but to reach them means braving the thorns.
Rowena: Faey still looks a bit battered and bruised from her mishandling the night before, but Jask's ministrations seem to have eased the worst effects. "I'm doint better now, Rowena, thanks. I think I could walk, we'll have to see. Are we moving on today? I should spend some time replenishing my alchemical supplies, I think I lost a few flasks in the struggle last night." As you talk, Aerys walks by and a flicker of surprise crosses her face as she notices you giving her a sour look.
"Thank you, Zag. I'm sure I could have managed it but these thorns do appear quite fierce. We could probably make swords from them if we had a mind to."
Zag returns with the berries with a toothy grin on his face. "Or arrowheads at the least, I say. We should get these to Aerys."
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Zaghigoth and Slicingsong, Aerys is delighted when you return to camp and reveal that you have successful managed to harvest some of the berries from the prickly viper nettle plant. On seeing the berries, she says she feels determined to kick the alcohol cravings. She also begins to open up more than she has before, on the Jenivere or on the island. "You know something, all my life I've dreamed of having my own ship and exploring the seas. But everywhere I went, people just treated me like some pretty face, and never took me seriously! It made me so angry! After a while, I found a drink here and there helped to dull the anger, but I didn't realize until we ended up here how much of a hold it had on me. Well, no more feeling sorry for myself. Thank you, my friends; now I'm determined to get off this island and get my own ship, and no cannibal or monster is going to stop me!"
Amongst her other revelations, it turns out that Aerys is something of a writer, and eventually she shyly pulls out her great work, a volume containing an epic poem titled The Abendego Cantos . "If you want, you're welcome to read it. In fact, I'd be intersted in what you think of it, it's nearly finished." Additionally, Faey speaks up and posits that the properties of the berries might benefit Gelik's recovery as well: are there any extra?
You now turn your attention back to the situation of the cannibals. Are there more? Where have they come from? What did they want with Faey? You struggle to come up with firm answers, apart from the direction the one cannibal was running with Faey - south.
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Faey know nature
The slight sneer I had reserved for Aerys quickly turns into a warmish smile when I hear the woman tell her story and realize I might have been in her shoes, had I not been born into a well-to-do family that allowed me to pursue my whims and fancies. "Good to hear you realized you're having a problem. Even better that you are now willing to fight it. If you need help, a shoulder or a listening ear, just let me know. Okay? And for what it's worth, my apologies for jumping to conclusions. Friends?" Holding out a hand, I shake Aerys' hand when she takes it.
Squatting down on the sand, I start drawing a rough map of the island while addressing the others. "I know this doesn't look like much, I'm not an artist nor a cartographer. But this is what I make of what we've seen so far of the island. Any ideas on how to proceed? I am all for finding those damned cannibals and putting every last one of them to the sword. I think Faey has no favorable feelings towards them either. Here's where we encountered the ambush party. That's where Faey was taken. And over there is where we freed her. Do you guys see a pattern? Something that's eluding me? From this, I can't see a central point that might be the origin of the attacks. But I really would prefer not to just stumble about in hopes of finding them before they find us."
"Rowena, I think you're right that we don't have enough to go on yet, but several of us are good trackers. I would suggest we return to the site of the ambush against us since that was closer to camp and see if we can pick up any of their trails that might lead to a camp."
Zag looks down at the map and scratches his chin. "Camp would be close to a water source, I say. If we can find a trail leading in the direction these natives came, you could follow a stream or river. I am not so content to...hm... exterminate them. They have attacked us, for truth, but to them we are trespassers in their territory, just like the dinosaurs we battled. It is one thing to defend myself from harm to death - that is the way of the wilds, I say - but just as I would not set out to hunt down all the lizards on the island, I would not seek to kill all of these people, cannibals or no. If they should attack us again, I will not fumble in drawing blood, but I do not see the need to eradicate them from their home. Besides, even the most stubborn of beasts will learn what hurts it. Might be this is the last we see of them now that they have gotten a taste of arrow and steel." He fixes his gaze on the sand-drawn map as he speaks, seemingly unwilling to look at anyone while he speaks his piece. His voice is slightly shaky and he falters over his words a bit, as well. Clearing his throat as he finished, he chews gently on the corner of his lip.
"Neither am I a fan of unneccesary bloodshed, Zag. But I'd rather fight them on my own terms then running ionto another ambush. But that's just me putting in my two coppers. If the rest of you are not willing to do what I see as being needed, then so be it. I'll just keep my eyes and ears at full alert."
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Cat: Aerys reaches out and shakes your hand. "No worries, Rowena. I think I made some hasty judgements myself. I'm happy to see that I was wrong. Here, would you care to take a look at my poem? It's just a hobby, but it keeps me going. And, if you're thinking of going after the cannibals, I can provide a guard for the camp, if you feel we need one."
With the tropical sun rising into the sky, you set off for trail and the sight where you were ambushed last night by the three cannibals. After a close investigation of the tracks in the area, Zaghigoth determines that the savages came up on the trail from the south. You follow the trail south through the jungle; it feels like the trail wends on forever.
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Zag tracking
Slice tracking
Yekskya tracking
Cat perception
Slice perception
Yekskya perception
Zag perception
Shiv perception
stealth
stealth