Seeing #5 hurt and surrounded and stunned and weaponless, Urza tuns to target spriggan #2 with his draconic pyre.
Scorching Ray: RTouch, bless
to hit damage
"The bigger they are, the easier they fall!"
"I've always thought so," Douena replies complacently from the other side of the fallen foe. Turning toward the stunned spriggan, she stabs at it somewhat half-heartedly with her starknife, obviously a little lackadaisical now that the battle is as good as over.
#5 is engulfed in the fire streaming from Urza's hand. He goes down screaming with the scent of scorched flesh heavy in the air.
#2 stumbles about unable to do anything, while Douena stabs it in the back of the leg. #2 then comes to its senses.
Next Up: Sasha, Makoa, Alton, Untari, Tar'kanas, Lorenz, Shokambe, Jask, Ishirou, Pezock, Urza, Douena.
The hulking fey twists its neck to glance at who prod it with a pointy metal bit, Mahjik's foot shoots out almost vertical to strike the creature with a jaw cracking uppercut-like kick. As the lights in its eyes go out Mahjik renders its death complete with a follow-up stomp with the same foot.
The spriggan lies still after Mahjik's attacks.
Pezock wipes his blade off and then sheaths it. "A good fight!" he declares.
As the last one falls, Tar'kanas sheathes his bow as he moves over to Untari, checking the extent of her wounds. "How do the rest of you fare?" he asks as he dresses her wounds as best he can, yet, finds himself unable to do much more than that.
"Poor little gnomes who got sad and grew too big." Douena looks down on the dying spriggans with sorrow. "Pezock, you got hurt," she scolds. "You have to be more careful. Come over here with Ishirou and Makoa and Mahjik and Shokambe and the cat and ... is everyone hurt?" She gathers everyone who was injured a safe distance from the spriggans and channels.
"No," Tar'kanas responds as a matter of fact. "I believe it was just those you mentioned." Tar'kanas then leads Untari to gather with those that are hurt. "And she is called Untari." Tar'kanas tells Douena as if she had just asked what her name was for the first time.
Thank you, Douena. Thse spriggan packed quite a punch." Most of Makoa's wounds clse up, but he's still injured. "I won't want to fight anymore soon."
Douena's healing fully heals up Shokambe and Ishirou. Only Pezock (of the NPCs) remains injured, but he doesn't seem to care all that much. Nonetheless, Jask comes over and does some additional healing to get people back up to full.
While the others are being tended to, Urza sees if any of the spriggans have any useful items on them.
While the others are being tended to, Urza sees if any of the spriggans have any useful items on them.
As the spriggans die (either from bleeding to death or being dispatched by party members), they suddenly shrink back down to their original size. Each spriggan carries a masterwork halberd and four daggers, and wears a suit of leather armour. On the six bodies, Urza finds a total of three potions, a magical belt, and a magical stone.
-- fail
-- lesser restoration
-- lesser restoration
-- fail
-- fail
When the healing is done, Douena gazes up at Makoa with interest. "What do gnomes taste like, Makoa, when you bit them?"
"I don't think the taste has changed much since they died," Mahjik points, "you could try a quick nibble?"
"I'm not a cannibal," Douena protests, looking a little insulted. "After all, the cannibals on the Shiv ate humans but not Pezock. They probably wouldn't have eaten me, either," she reflects. "And maybe not Makoa and Urza. Or only half of them."
"The cannibals didn't eat me because I was too smart for them," Pezock says. "Whenever they came near me, I scared them away!"
"It wouldn't have been cannibalism, though," Douena argues stubbornly. "It would have been just ... eating."
Not understanding the point of the conversation, "If everyone is ready, it's time to move."
"It wouldn't have been cannibalism, though," Douena argues stubbornly. "It would have been just ... eating."
"Well, maybe not technically cannibalism," Lorenz says, "but it's still basically the same thing. It's still people eating people, which is just disgusting. It's nothing at all like just easting."
"Like old deer meat that's been preserved."
"I wonder if that's what I taste like," Douena muses.
"I wonder if you turn into one of them if you get sad."
"Maybe if we had tried to cheer them up instead of shooting arrows at them," she gives Tar'kanas a hard glare, "we wouldn't have had to fight them. It might be fun to get all big and stompy when I'm mad," she goes on more cheerfully. "I bet everyone would try harder to keep me happy."
Lorenz opens his mouth as if to respond, then shakes his head and turns aside. "Tar'kanas is right. We should get moving."
-- no encounter
-- no encounter
-- no encounter
-- encounter
The remainder of the day's journey is mostly uneventful, apart from Alton stirring up an animal herd or two in search of food. As evening settles in, you start to hear the roar of the river up ahead and can see a few trees and other larger plants and longer grasses near its edge. You find a spot to set up camp and settle down for the night.
That evening, Lorenz finds a moment when Tar'kanas is by himself and walks over to him. He says hello and makes some idle chatter about the weather, and then says, "I know you probably find the group a little bit weird, especially Douena. And Pezock. Pezock's...well, Pezock, you just have to let him be Pezock. Don't let him get to you. Or Douena. Don't let her get to you either. She has some strange ideas about things and takes things really personally if you disagree with her or do something different than she personally had decided you were going to do, even though she didn't actually bother to tell you that's what she decided you were going to do. You just kind of have to humour her a little. Then she calms down and she's fine. Usually. Sort of. She's also utterly obsessed with non-existent tiny bears for some reason."
Tar'kanas raises an eyebrow as he looks at him curiously. "Do not all outsiders act in such a way? My contact with outsiders has been limited, so I know very little about them. And while I admit I do not know of these strange creatures Douena speaks of, and I gather none of them truly exist, she harms no one in believing in them." He pulls out a piece of bread from his pack, tearing a piece off. "I do not find this group odd, I find it... fascinating. And while you see your Douena as strange, there is more to her than that. When we were fighting the giant creatures, she was decisive in her actions and confident in her instruction. You've chosen wisely with her as your voice. And I shall heed your advice, friend." He nods in thanks as he eats.
"Our voice?" Lorenz says, a perplexed look on his face. "Douena's not--" He stops as he glances over at her. "Although I suppose she thinks she is." He sighs.
"Anyway," he says, turning back to Tar'kanas. "You're welcome, and glad to have you part of the group. You've definitely been a big help to us on this part of the journey."
Tar'kanas nods in thanks again for the compliment. "Untari and I shall do all we are capable of to aid this group. I admit I am not use to venturing with a group so large. When a group of our tribe venture out, it usually consist of four, sometimes five if we are to train another. We are more methodical in how we make our approach and...," He looks over at Pezock before turning back to Lorenz, the slightest of grins forming, "and we tend to be much quieter." He tears off another piece of bread and eats.
Looks like I have a few days to figure out what the other items are.
Day 1 Spellcraft Rolls
Potion 1
Belt
Stone
Day 2 Spellcraft Rolls
Potion 1
Belt
Mahjik grins his trademark grin as he sits down next to Ishirou, "Well - I'm not sure how the others feel about the last few days - but I think it is good that we've hit the river now. You can measure travel better by river than by jungle, I think."
Looks like I have a few days to figure out what the other items are.
Potion of cat's grace
Belt of tumblingStone of alarm
He looks over at Pezock before turning back to Lorenz, the slightest of grins forming, "and we tend to be much quieter." He tears off another piece of bread and eats.
Lorenz laughs. "That's probably not very difficult."
Over the next few days, you head due north, generally following the path of the river. You occasionally move away from it when it winds off in another direction, but you always end up following it again when it winds back in your direction. The river gets very gradually wider as you travel. The change is slow enough that it takes awhile to actually notice it. It's also apparently getting shallower as various long reeds and other water plants begin to peak up above the surface.
The plains the river winds through are highly populated with numerous kinds of animals. You even occasionally see some elephants. (No tiny bears though.)
By this day, the mountains to the west are getting shorter and starting to turn into foothills. Shokambe says that it will soon be possible to turn west for the final leg of the journey--sometime tomorrow probably. "A little over a week to cross the hills," he says. "Maybe less if we make good time. Then we'll be where we want to be. Hopefully, finding this Tazion place won't be too difficult."
In the late afternoon today, as you're moving along the river's banks, you spot four women up ahead. Two of them appear to be bathing in the river, while the other two are washing clothes. They don't notice you immediately.
"Perhaps we men won't be welcome, let's send the ladies to ask about the area and for directions."
"Or we can wave at them from a distance? Hey Shokambe - is there some particular protocol or something for these situations in the Mwangi?"
"You're worried we might be interrupting something private?" Shokambe responds. He shakes his head. "Not likely. The heat of the jungles and plains means that we do not have the same feelings of modesty you northerners do. However, our large numbers might be intimidating to them. For that reason, approaching with a smaller group might make more sense so as not to frighten them. I doubt we have anything to fear from them."
"If not private, then perhaps something designated as women only. That is why I suggested that, if we approach them, have the ladies do it. That would also satisfy your suggestion for a smaller first contact team."
"I'll go," Douena agrees cheerfully. "And Sasha... and come on, Jask, you get to be a girl now," she realizes with surprise. She waggles her fingers at Tar'kanas, Mahjik, Urza, Pezock, and Shokambe. "If we need you, I'll whisper. Back up a bit."
Jask seems momentarily perplexed, then smiles. "Oh right! You know, I sometimes forget. Still getting used to it." She follows after Douena and Sasha.
Douena, Jask, and Sasha approach the four women by the river. The two washing clothes notice you first and look up. They call over to their friends in the water, who stop their bathing and peer in your direction. The women seem a little startled, but not frightened.
"Hello," one of the washerwomen says in Polyglot. "Are you travellers?"
"Yes," Douena responds cheerfully in the same language. "I'm Douena, and this is Sasha and Jask. We have some other friends back there," she waves vaguely back toward where the group is concealed, "but we didn't want to intrude with a whole big stompy lot of us. We came from the sea, and we're traveling ... to somewhere. I keep forgetting. Somewhere in the jungle, I think."
"It's to the west of here," Jask says, also in Polyglot. "We need to get around the mountains."
The women smile. "Well, we are happy to meet you," the one who spoke previously says excitedly. "I am Alala and this is Osumare." She indicates the other washerwoman with her. She then points to the women in the water. "Those are Masozi and Zakiyya." The other women nod as they are introduced.
"We don't see many travellers out here," Alala continues. "Only people from nearby villages. You came from the sea, you say?"
"That's ever so far away," Osumare says.
"You must be exhausted from such a long journey," Alala says. "If you wish a place to stay for the evening, our home is not far from here, and we can provide you with food."
"Oh yes, please stay!" Osumare says excitedly.
Douena looks delighted but hesitates out of politeness. "Are you sure? There's, um, a lot of us. Let's see... Pezock and Shokambe and Lorenz and.... How many of us are there, Jask? But we have things we can share, too," she hastens to add, not wanting the women to think she expects them to empty their pantry to feed the whole crew.
"Wise man would not overly dwell on the exposed flesh of maidens as they frolic in the water. How their bosoms heave and glisten in the heat of the sun and their voices entice the birds of the forest to sing with them." Mahjik says. At the sideways glances he responds with, "What? Father Andersin was a very wise man."
"Yeah? Well I never claimed to be wise. I don't mind telling you that I'd like to get a closer look at the exposed flesh of those maidens."
Pezock looks oddly at Urza. "Why?" he asks. "They are repulsive creatures. They don't even have any feathers! Now Captain Zoventai, there was a true beauty! Fiery red plumage she had." He sighs, then looks more closely at Urza. "Then again, you're not much to look at yourself, are you?" He nods knowingly. "I understand now. You cannot acquire a true beauty so you set your standards low. A wise plan!"
Douena looks delighted but hesitates out of politeness. "Are you sure? There's, um, a lot of us. Let's see... Pezock and Shokambe and Lorenz and.... How many of us are there, Jask? But we have things we can share, too," she hastens to add, not wanting the women to think she expects them to empty their pantry to feed the whole crew.
"Eleven," Jask replies. "And two animals."
Alala and Osumare look back in the direction of the rest of your party and their eyes widen. "Oh," Alala says. "Well..."
She trails off as the two swimmers, Masozi and Zakiyya swim over. "That's all right," Zakkiya says, rising up out of the water. She is taller and a little older than the other three women and stands with a regal bearing, even as she towels herself dry. "We might not have enough food for everyone," she continues. "But you are welcome to our hospitality nonetheless."
"Oh yes, absolutely, Zakkiya," Alala says.
"Yes, you're definitely welcome to our hospitality," Osumare pipes in.
"Alton and Untari can probably hunt for themselves," Douena assures them hurriedly. "They're the animals. And I really don't have much of an appetite. It's just nice to meet you. We haven't seen any people since the Mzali, have we? Just monkeys and, well, bigger monkeys," she explains, not wanting to frighten the women by bringing up vampires. "And the sad gnomes who wouldn't talk to us. There hasn't been much talking," she explains. Whispering through her arcane connection with the rest of the group once the bathing women have covered up, she communicates, They've invited us to stay with them, but they don't have a lot of food. Come out nicely, and try not to look very hungry.