"Agreed."
"I am not a trained tracker, but I am perceptive. I can try to find the tracks, if someone else can follow them."
"So it seems as if our best bet would be to just look for him, as none of us can track very well. We should come up with a more detailed plan once we reach the grove and we have some more information."
"That seems prudent. The area is not so large, although the vegetation may inhibit a rapid search. How close to the grove are we?"
"I'm not sure, I've never been in this forest. We may be traveling for a good part of the day before we reach it. "
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Very well, I shall keep alert."
Nijena keeps her bow at the ready and she and her familiar keep vigilant.
"Let us fan out and examine the camp for details. We should check the tent to see if anyone is in there incapacitated. Any suggestions?"
Nijena makes like she is ready to move if no one says anything.
"That's a sound plan. I will check around the grove."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Nijena searches the tent and looks at the shirt and pants on the clothes line in case the pockets have any clues.
Jonuli walks around the edge of the clearing and then slowly circles his way into the center. At the fire pit he stops to poke through the ashes.
Nolath sees Jonuli start walking around and takes a hint, walking the other direction to make sure nothing is missed,
Nijena finishes her pointed search of the tent and clothing, and then just gazes randomly about the camp to see if she missed anything obvious.
"I found a bag of dirt and gravel. A strange thing for someone to keep. A dagger under his pillow, and an empty chest."
Nijena will up-end the bag of dirt/gravel to see if anything is hidden within.
Nijena will carry the chest out into the daylight, and advise the others. "Look at this chest. Does not the interior look to clean? It is brand new. What does a person out here need a chest for? Who brings a chest camping? And look at these scratches."
Nijena will cast Detect Magic and concentrate for several rounds. Next she will use Mage Hand to examine the chest for false bottoms, triggers, or panels. "I wonder if this is an illusion or this chest contains any tricks."
She examines the scratches to see if she has an idea what may have made them based on size, length, formation, just in case it was an animal.
Jonuli studies the chest as well after casting detect magic. "Yes, this does look strange. And a bag of dirt seems strange too. Did you detect any magic in or on it?"
Claws then extend from his hand and he tries to match them to the marks on the chest.
"Hmm Magic.
Nijena will keep concetrating to determine the aura strength and school of magic etc, taking at least 3 rounds as per the spell.
"Mind if I take a look as well?" Jonuli joins Nijena in examining the chest.
After examining the chest for a minute you hear Gonzo approach, "Well, well, what have we found here?"
"Oh, I see. quite a bit of conjuration magic emanating from this chest; let us see if we can figure out just what this chest does exactly..."
He continues to study the chest.
He seems to be studying the chest for a while. Especially after opening it for the third time. It now seems as if he is just staring into it, scratching his chin.
After a few minutes of his staring he lets out a curious sigh and proceeds to abruptly stick his arm into the chest.
Nijena waits for Gonzo to finish his experiment. She continues to use her mage hand to explore the chest and interior herself examining it, feeling around and seeing if the 'empty' inside is an illusion. After Gonzo mentioned conjuration, she thinks perhaps that the chest could be a portal to somewhere else.
Upon seeing Gonzo about to put his hand in the chest, Jonuli blurts out "That might not.... oh well.
Nolath moves forward, Be careful, we don't know what that could do.
As his arm reaches the inside of the chest, it begins to vanish. More of his arm disappearing the further he reaches in.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Well that is interesting."
"You might want to pull it out and see if you still have an arm"
Not the brightest move in the world.
His grin widens as he pulls out his arm and with it he pulls out cloth shirt. "Just as I had thought, extradimensional storage. Makes sense, there's no way one man could have carried this entire camp by himself; I didn't see a horse or carriage anywhere, besides a horse couldn't fit through parts of that trail, let alone a carriage. This guy knows what he is doing, too bad we don't."
He drops the shirt back into the chest and stands up, brushing the dirt off his pants. By this time the sun had just begun to set and dusk would soon follow.
"We should return the chest back to its place and clean up the pile of dirt, he's got some purpose for it, though what that would be is beyond me,"['b] He shrugs, [b]"He's the hunter, not any of us. How about we settle for the night, analyze any information or clues we may have found thus far, and get an early start tomorrow? Sound like a plan?"
Jonuli nods to Gonzo, "I hope you knew that before you put your hand in there. It does make sense to rest here and start early tomorrow. We should set a watch. I'll be happy to take first or last."
Sounds good to me. Jonuli, if you don't mind then I'd like to take first watch.
"I only require two hours of sleep. I am able to take watch during the darkest hours."
Nijena takes to the air for a brief flight to stretch her wings and enjoy the evening. She will roost in a large tree near the campsite for the night.
"We have not chatted much about each others' pasts on our journey here. What brings you all to these parts to partake of Gonzo's plan?"
"I grew up in a village of those plane touched like I am. I have seen the evil done to them and I'm seeing the knowledge and power to put a stop to it. I had no real plan when I arrived on this continent and Gonzo's outing seemed like a good chance to make some coin."
I'm a more independent kind of paladin, and I've been looking for a way to do some good, and this seemed like an interesting way to do it.
"Might I ask what you were up to before our meeting, Nijena?" He asks, almost immediately regretting his wording as he recalls her penchant for over-explaining.
"I am a servant of Erastil, and I seek to unlock a few mysteries of my past. I am also looking to continue my research and studies of the arcane and divine magics. "
After a slightly awkward pause, "Well, I guess that's all we are going to get out of each other... Good night." and he retreats to his tent.
Nijena goes and perches in a tree and keeps watch, occasionally she will snooze if it is not actually her watch. From time to time she takes to the air and circles into the night sky, her four wings flapping hard as she gains elevation, and then soaring on the wind.
She pondered her new partners and her role she would play in the tasks she had accepted recently. She spent a lot of time organizing and compartmentalizing everything in her mind.
"So, we should put our heads together, figure out what we have found so far, and devise a strategy as to how to go about finding this guy."
Nijena perches near the camp and nods at Gonzo. "Indeed. What do the clues mean to you all? I think the magical chest is curious. Surely it must have been expensive to afford for a hunter. So many items are left here as well. We did not see a sign of a scuffle. He may have wandered off and fell, or maybe had a malady of he heart or brain that sometimes befalls people. We could widen our search..." Nijena scratches at her chin, tapping it. "Hmmm. Why the dirt? Is it part of a ritual? Some other plan? I feel like I need more information to puzzle this out."