Douena begins the journey chipperly enough, pleased with the success of her scouting mission. She experiences a brief moment of panic when she is paddling in the river without getting anywhere, but seeing Pezock and Urza having a harder time than she is cheers her up considerably. "Too bad you're a crow bird-man and not a duck bird man," she teases Pezock when he has made it back to solid ground and is shaking water out of his feathers.
Once they are back on the trail, though, and the sun is beating down on her, Douena quickly wilts. She shoots unfriendly glances at Mahjik and Urza, who don't seem to be bothered by the heat, but seems determined to struggle on without saying anything as long as they seem unaffected. The rain does little to perk her up, and as they finally struggle up Aycenia's hill, she throws herself face down in the shade and refuses to move any farther.
"We got lucky - manabed to ambush a cannibal patrol and none of them got away. Douena and Pezock even managed to scout out their village without causing a ruckus. Right now, I think, Desna is smiling on our efforts."
"That's great news!" Sasha exclaims, coming over to greet the group. Little Alton bounces along the ground behind her, apparently having figured out how to walk (although not yet perfect with it). "When do we attack?" she adds with a smile.
"When everyone has recovered from their respective illnesses." Makos says as he lays on the ground to let the rain wash over him.
"I don't think it was all that lucky," Lorenz says. "Our ambush tactics could probably use a little work but the cannibals are really not a great threat in small numbers. Their weapons are pitiful and they wear no armor that I've yet seen."
He smiles a hello to Sasha and Alton. "Douena learned that they anticipate an attack from us tonight. So we're going to give them a little time to wait for us first. The only thing that concerns me is an old woman that Douena said she saw. I don't much like the idea of doing harm to an old woman."
Douena fumbles her butterfly into her hand and holds it up, releasing a burst of refreshing energy. "Believe me," she says grimly, raising her face out of the grass, "that old woman's all excited about the idea of doing harm to us. I believe her exact expression had to do with how well they were going to eat tonight. Plus, she's obviously the priestess of an evil god, controlling undead the way she does. Awful old bat."
"Maybe she draws her evil power from the vindictive ways of evil old women," Mahjik suggests.
"Eventually they will come for us and when they find us, they will try to overwhelm us with numbers. We need to stay vigilant to keep that from happening. We only want to fight them on our terms."
"And we will!" Pezock says. "We shall swarm over them and grind them under our feet! Even the old woman! But first, we plan!" He points to Douena. "You! Short one! Sketch a map of what we saw in the dirt so that the others can see!"
Despite her exhaustion, Douena grins up at Pezock before hopping up and starting to build her model of the cannibal village. "Here, this line I'm drawing is the trail. We don't want to take that, though; they'll have it trapped, plus they have a big lizard standing guard at the top of it. Mr. Duck can be the lizard. Here in the middle is their fire pit; that'll be this flower. Over here is the skeleton pen; we'll assume they'll be out and wandering around. These pearls will be the skeletons; they can roll where they want to. This is the old woman's hut. She's the most important. And she has a monkey." She finishes drawing what she and Pezock saw of the village, then sits back to invite comments from the others about the best ways to approach. "Oh, and this," she plunges the end of the stick she was drawing with into the earth so it stands upright, "is the lighthouse."
"Can you give us a better description of Mr. Duck? Could there be more pearls there than you have out? How many cannibals did you see? Does anybody have any shells or something to be the cannibals?"
Sighing deeply, obviously frustrated by Urza's lack of imagination, Douena nonetheless attempts to be more exact. "Mr. Duck is one of those lizards I wanted to catch to ride, like the ones we killed in the jungle the other day; I think Pezock called them dragons of some kind. There were about six of the skeletons in the pen, weren't there, Pezock? I only have 4 pearls, though. If we go back and kill some more cannibals, I can get some more of them. I only saw about six cannibals too, I think, although I'm sure there were more than what we saw. They were mostly here by the fire pit, although I don't think we can count of them to just sit there until we go back. How many huts would you say there were, Pezock? I know there were at least four, counting the old woman's, but we didn't see the north or west parts of the village at all. Aycenia," she raises up her head to call to the lady of the hill, "was the lighthouse already here when your tree grew? Or do you know when it was built?"
"They should have some champion, or leader, or something - other than the woman. Like when they raid camps. I don't think the old woman would go on these expeditions, so somebody else would be in charge then," Mahjik scratches his head. "Have we heard or seen any evidence for that?"
"Do we have a chance of moving through the jungle without alerting them? If we're going to try to attack the old woman first, we want to be sure we get in quick enough so she can't call the alarm."
Lorenz looks closely at the map Douena drew out. "Did it look like if we attacked the old woman first we'd be able to keep them from surrounding us? I'm not sure how much cover the jungle might give."
He glances at Urza. "I prefer fighting on our terms too, but you must realize that an attack on an enemy's ground is never on the attacker's terms. We'd be better off if they tried to attack us here in force than to storm their home ground."
"Aycenia," she raises up her head to call to the lady of the hill, "was the lighthouse already here when your tree grew? Or do you know when it was built?"
"The lighthouse is old, but not that old," Aycenia says making her way over to the group. "It was built by people who hoped to colonize this island, but it was abandoned before completion. I'm not sure why. The colonists simply left the island. I think something must have happened in their homeland that drew them back to it, but that is only speculation on my part."
"Do we have a chance of moving through the jungle without alerting them? If we're going to try to attack the old woman first, we want to be sure we get in quick enough so she can't call the alarm."
"Not with your stealth abilities," Pezock mutters.
"They should have some champion, or leader, or something - other than the woman. Like when they raid camps. I don't think the old woman would go on these expeditions, so somebody else would be in charge then," Mahjik scratches his head. "Have we heard or seen any evidence for that?"
"Oh!" Douena suddenly remembers. "There was a name the cannibal said to the old woman -- the person who sent him to her. I think I'd heard it before." She thinks for a moment. "Klorak. Isn't that the name the other cannibal gave us when Aerys questioned him? The one he said was their leader?"
"Do we have a chance of moving through the jungle without alerting them? If we're going to try to attack the old woman first, we want to be sure we get in quick enough so she can't call the alarm.""Not with your stealth abilities," Pezock mutters.
Douena sighs. "That's true," she admits. "Maybe our best bet is to send a larger force up the trail to serve as a distraction -- after we've made sure it isn't trapped, of course. Then some of us could sneak around and wait for the cannibals to go attack you, and we could burst out of the jungle and try to eliminate the old woman. I'm sure she wouldn't go where there was fighting; she doesn't get around too well." She sees that hearing that the old woman doesn't move around easily is making Lorenz hesitant again, so she hurries to add, "But you won't have to worry about that. You'll be fighting the cannibals." She pauses a moment. "I didn't see any other women or any children. Is there somewhere else they put their families for safekeeping, Aycenia? Do you know?"
Aycenia shakes her head. "There are never very many children, and the few there are are often deformed due to inbreeding. They kill the deformed children as infants. The land has not mentioned any current children to me. As for the women, there are women in their tribe, but they are much fewer in number than the men. I don't know where they are kept though."
"Oh!" Douena suddenly remembers. "There was a name the cannibal said to the old woman -- the person who sent him to her. I think I'd heard it before." She thinks for a moment. "Klorak. Isn't that the name the other cannibal gave us when Aerys questioned him? The one he said was their leader?"
"That's right," Aerys says. "Klorak the Red the cannibal called him. And he also mentioned a shaman named Malikadna, I think it was. That could be the old woman."
Lorenz nods thoughtfully, scratching at his head.
"If we could figure out a way to draw the cannibals out of the village so we aren't fighting on their ground, that'd certainly be to our advantage. And there are certainly enough of us to split into two groups without too great a risk. Attacking from two sides would also make it difficult for them to focus their attention."
Lorenz smiles with considerable enthusiasm. "I like it! If we have to bring the fight to them, this might be the best way to go about it."
"Ah right. Klorak. If we're very lucky he'll not lead the charge to chase down our distraction group. That would mean we would face maybe... a dozen or so?" Mahjik seems to calculate some things. "Wise man would play to his strength; I think I would be suited to go with the stealth party to take down the old woman. I've been copying Douena for a while and make a pretty good sneak now. I can move faster than most and with a bit of luck I can stun her before she has a chance to act. But I'll need backup to finish her quick enough - if she does command evil magicks she'll not likely leave this world with just a few hits."
"There are the skeletons, too," Douena reminds them. "If Desna smiles on us, they may pen them up again before we attack to keep them out from underfoot. If they're all together, I can weaken them -- maybe even make them lie back down like bones are supposed to, before they can get involved in the fight."
"If I see any skeletons, I'll use my flail." Lorenz shifts the weapon at his waist. "I've noticed that their bones don't like that."
He pauses a moment. "What about that dragon thing?" Lorenz points to Mr. Duck. "You said it was on guard. Did the cannibals make it a pet and just leave it at the front of the village?"
"It was tethered to a tree," Pezock answers, "but no doubt they will let it loose in a battle."
He pats the hilt of his sabre. "Yes, it will die too," he says softly.
Douena sighs a bit wistfully. "If I ever find my lizard egg, I'll name it after Mr. Duck."
"One group causing a distraction while the other sneaks in sounds like a good plan to me," Jask says. "But who should go in each group? Which of us are best at sneaking around? Douena obviously for one."
"She is excellent," Pezock interrupts, pointing to Douena. Then he points to Lorenz: "He is terrible." Then Makoa: "So is he." Then Urza: "So is he." Then Mahjik: "And so is he, even if he claims to have been studying the short one. I don't know about the rest of you. I, of course, am unsurpassed in my ability."
"You're very good, Pezock," Douena tells him with a smile, "but you're going to need someone besides me with you, especially if I have to deal with skeletons. What about you, Sasha? You're quick on your feet; are you quiet on them?"
"Since we plan to have a few days, why not practice? That way, those of us who are better can tutor those of us who aren't."
Lorenz frowns at Pezock's comment. "That is why I stayed in back during the ambush. I know my limitations. I will certainly not be trying to sneak in to the village."
He seeks out Ishirou in the group. "Ishirou, you're a quiet one. Are you skilled at passing unnoticed in matters such as these?"
"Looks like I'll be one of the distractions then. Don't take too long sneaking in Pezock, I'd just hate for you to get into the village and find all the cannibals are dead."
He seeks out Ishirou in the group. "Ishirou, you're a quiet one. Are you skilled at passing unnoticed in matters such as these?"
Ishirou is sitting at the back of the group, watching and listening intently. "I have some skill at such things, although I do not believe I am as skilled as Douena. I am willing to put what skills I have to the test, however."
"You're very good, Pezock," Douena tells him with a smile, "but you're going to need someone besides me with you, especially if I have to deal with skeletons. What about you, Sasha? You're quick on your feet; are you quiet on them?"
"When I need to be," Sasha says with a smile. "I can't promise he'll stay quiet though." She points to Alton, who, as if on cue, squawks loudly.
"Hm," Douena considers, regarding Alton. "Well, they have to have heard a flappybite before, living on this island. They're up on a cliff, so we'll have to hope there are flappybite nests there and little Alton won't sound out of place if he squawks." She pauses. "If I'm going around through the jungle, is there someone else who's good at spotting their traps? If someone steps in one of those on the way up the path, our distraction may go off earlier than we want it to."
"If I'm going around through the jungle, is there someone else who's good at spotting their traps? If someone steps in one of those on the way up the path, our distraction may go off earlier than we want it to."
"I have some skill at spotting traps," Ishirou says with a nod. "However, if I am going with you and Pezock, I will not be able to search for traps on the road as well."
Douena sighs and moves over to a bare patch of ground. "Okay," she says, retrieving the 'lighthouse' from her model village and putting it to use as a stylus once again. She scratches three columns in the earth: "Sneaky," "Not Sneaky," and "Thinks They're Sneaky." "That's Pezock and me in the Sneaky category, and Lorenz, Makoa and Urza admit to being Not Sneaky. Mahjik thinks he's sneaky, and Ishirou might be." She lists the names in the appropriate places, thinks a moment, then adds Sasha to the Sneaky category and Alton to the Not Sneaky. "The group sneaking through the jungle needs to be smaller than the group coming up the path; after all, if all goes well, that's where we hope the main force of the cannibals will be. But I still think it needs to be bigger than just me and Pezock. I may be Sneaky, but I'm not very Hitty." She swishes her barely-used quarterstaff in the air for emphasis. "No offense, Jask, but I'm going to assume you're in the Not Sneaky list," she adds his name there, "and Gelik won't want to go through the jungle and get twigs stuck in his hat so we'll put him over here, too. Aerys, what about you? Do you want to stick with the Not Sneakies?"
Aerys grimaces. "I wouldn't trust myself to be sneaky enough. I'd better go with the not sneakies. But you, Pezock, Sasha, and Ishirou could make a good group. And maybe you should let Mahjik go in the sneakies too." She glances at Pezock and continues before he can say anything. "He may not be as good as Pezock, but I'm sure he can manage well enough."
"Who's in the Not-Sneakies that can spot traps though? Before they step in them, I mean. Makoa's good at finding them when his face smashes into the spikes, but that's a little late to be useful."
"Perhaps I should go with the larger group to help spot traps," Ishirou suggests. "With you, Pezock, Sasha, and Mahjik, there will be four of you. That should be good for a small group."
"Aycenia, do you have any influence that could help us that far away from here?"
"Ooh, you know what you should do?" Douena asks Aycenia excitedly. "You should make all the trees reach down and grab the cannibals and maybe bang them against things!"
Aycenia shakes her head. "I'm afraid that is beyond my ability. If they were to come here, I could make the plants grab and entangle them, but I cannot affect them in their village. It is too far away."
"Too bad," Douena sighs, obviously disappointed. "Aerys, how are you feeling? Any better?"
Aerys holds up her hands, which are still covered in red rashes. Her cheeks and neck remain quite red, too. "Well, I've been feeling a bit better today, a little stronger. But not perfect. And the rashes haven't gone."
Lorenz nods with deep sympathy at Aery's infection. "Well as Urza has been saying, we should probably rest here a while before attacking. That'll keep the cannibals from being as alert -- they can't remain alert forever -- and give us time to be healthy. Besides, I want to hear the rest of Aery's poem and see what Gelik and Jask have to teach us."
"I am certainly itching to finish the poem," Gelik says, straightening his hat. "There is only one segment remaining! I think we've come to a good basic plan. Pezock, Douena, Sasha, and Mahjik sneak into the village to deal with the skeletons while the rest of us create a diversion. We can refine the plan with more specifics over the next day or so as we rest. Agreed?"
Douena sighs. "All right," she acquiesces. "Maybe we'll get lucky and the cannibals will come find us here. I'd like to see Aycenia make the plants grab them. Aycenia, you never answered when I asked if you ever considered putting a swing in one of your trees. We have plenty of time to do it now." She wanders off after the tree-lady, forgetting her pearl-skeletons in the model village.
"Oh," Aycenia says. She ponders for a moment. "I suppose a swing would be all right. Just so long as you don't harm the tree."
"" Douena calls excitedly. "Aycenia will let you build your swing! Hurry!"