You make camp. Supper is a little bland without the spices from the cooking kit, but it holds body and soul together. Just before dark, you spot a figure approaching. It is about human-sized, maybe a bit larger, with ritualistic tattoos on its face and teeth filed to points.
Chantif stands up from the campfire, steps towards the stranger and leans slightly on his Longspear. "Hail, stranger."
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Rhona nods thankfully at Chantif. Please, don't make me talk to 'em. If it decides to throw some grime-covered spear at me, I'm through. She does put on a friendly smile, however.
The stranger doesn't seem to understand Chantif's greeting. A startled look crosses its face, as if it did not expect to be spotted, and then he runs towards Chantif with his large club raised overhead. Chantif skewers him as he approaches, and the interloper goes berserk. His muscles begin to bulge as a look of pure fury crosses his face. He chokes up on his club, wielding it with both hands, and brings it across in a stroke that is clearly designed to remove Chantif's head from his shoulders. Chantif manages to dodge the blow, however.
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"Oh, come on!" Rhona groans as the wildling attacks Chantif. In no shape or mood for a melee, she draws her longbow and nocks an arrow.
"Not even the heroes in the stories get beset by evil every night." I moan. I stand from my position by the fire and pull out my crossbow and load it.
Umash circles around the assailant: "Looking at this guy I'd rather call it confused than evil...
She downs the single vial she keeps in a separate pouch in her bandolier and her muscles begin to expand with wet popping sounds.
Rhona's arrow goes straight through the stranger's eye, and he falls to the ground.
Seeing the stranger go down in front of her, Umash puts down the vial from her lips and puts the stopper back in. She puts the vial back into its pocket "One day, I promise..." she murmurs, as she pats the closed pocket.
"So, what was that all about?" she asks the group as she stoops down to examine the attacker more closely.
Chantif turns an admiring eye over his shoulder at Rhona. "Well done la--Rhona." He bends over the body and joins Umash in her inspection, "Pretty work indeed."
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I remove the bolt from my crossbow, reset the string and lower myself to a sitting position with a groan, nursing my injuries from the previous night. I leave the others to their examination but say, "I didn't necessarily mean the man just slain was evil, just that we seem to have horrid luck, with someone nearly dying every night. Good shot Rhona, I wish I could use a bow." Then I pick up a smaller branch and start trying to set the end on fire to distract myself.
Rhona smirks proudly at her shot and gives an exaggerated curtsy. "You're right," she says, winking at Drexel. "That was a good shot. In any case, I was really hoping to meet someone friendly on the road for a change, but I guess I should've put two and two together with the sharpened teeth and all." She lowers her bow and shrugs. "Hopefully he doesn't have buddies along looking for him. Should we move him, or what? Personally, I just would really like another night's rest so I don't feel like I got mauled by a huge lizard anymore." A close observer might notice that she shivers a bit. "The less said about that, the better, though."
Chantif helps Rhona move the body as soon as he and Umash finish searching it.
...
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After the excitement I quickly decide to retire as soon as possible to get as much sleep before the next interruption as I can. "Good night all, wake me when it is my turn for watch." I say as I roll into my blanket.
Umash and Chantif find well-made hide armor and club as well as miscellaneous supplies on the intruder's body.
In the morning I study and change my spells for the day: Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Vanish, Mage Armor, Enlarge Person.
"Good thing that I don't need to ward everyone from the weather any longer. Now I can boost our combat efficiency. Chantif, how would you feel about being larger?"
Chantif blinks at Drexel's question. "I am quite large enough, sure."
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I frown slightly, "No, I mean the size of a giant."
Chantif's eyes widen. "You can do that?" He furrows his brow and stares at nothing in particular for a few moments. "That would be useful, I'm sure."
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Rhona inserts herself into the situation with something similar to a glare. "This question goes to Chantif first? What about me? You don't think I would like to be the size of a giant, Drexel?" She snickers to herself at the thought of being twelve feet tall and punting orcs about with ease. "If this is some sort of spell you've got cooking, then yeah, I'd say you've got our support."
I start a little at Rhona's glare. "I just hadn't asked you yet, I was planning to. Eventually I would be able to enlarge more then one person at a time but right now... I am a bit limited in what I can do." I admit as though a little embarrassed by my limitations.
Chantif studies the weather.
"The bloke last night looked to me like a Kuru. They're a rough, nasty lot. They normally hang together. That one musta' been an outcast." He spits. "Or maybe he was out for a few scalps to add to his 'onor, or whatever twisted idea those folk are after."
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"A 'kuru,' eh?" Rhona says with a raised eyebrow. "Call me behind-the-times, but I've never heard of 'em. What are they, some kinda indigenous tribe or something? In any case, he picked a bad fight. I can only feel so sorry for the guy. In any case, he had some decently-made gear; anybody want any of this stuff?"
"I've never heard of their type either and his 'stuff' would be useless to me. Feel free to share it amongst yourselves."
"If we are done this morning then let us be off?" I finish packing my gear and get ready to head out.
The gear is nice enough to fetch a pretty penny in the next town.
Before they leave,
Chantif studies the weather.
The party walks along the trail that leads towards Meston for about half a day until they come to a creek. It looks like the creek would normally be fairly easy to ford, but the rains that caused the flash flood downstream have swollen it to the point where crossing will be difficult. Several fallen tree trunks span the banks, but they are narrow and wet, making them treacherous. There's no way the mules are getting across that way, and it would be dicey for some of the more heavily armored members o the party.
Chantif looks upstream, then downstream. "Maybe there's a way around?"
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Umash looks at the mules and then at the stream. "Alright, how much rope do we have left?"
Chantif counts on his fingers for a few moments, his head tilted back in thought. "Ah, I'd say about a hundr'd feet of hemp, and, ah, another hundr'd an' fifty feet of silk." He looks sidelong at Umash. "What are you thinkin'?"
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The trail has followed the left bank of the creek for some time, so all of you would be aware that things are only going to be worse downstream; upstream might be an option, though.
We might be able to find another way across further upstream.
"If we find a spot narrow enough and we get one of us over to fasten a rope on the other side, we could attach ourselves... and the beasts... to the tether and cross it without risk of getting pulled away."
Rhona nods like she has any clue how to manage the beasts across the river in any case. "I like Umash's plan. Let's go with that. Shall we head upstream and see if we find a spot that fits the bill?"
Chantif looks at the stream for a place with secure trees on other side where Umash or someone else might be able to cross and secure the ropes.
I pale a bit. "I don't do well with water, that is I've never swam... swum... Gone swimming in my life."
"Don't be sweating it Drex. If this rope plan works out we'll get you across safe and easy."
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The party bushwacks upriver for about half an hour. Cresting a hill, they can see the spot where two smaller creeks join together to form the larger creek that the trail would ford. The tributaries seem small enough that Umash's plan seems feasible.
"I'm not a bad swimmer, if I say so myself." Chantif takes off his Armor. Then he pauses. "Hm. I also have a grappling arrow."
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"We could use that, but I wouldn't trust it to hold the animals, so we gt a tether across with the grappling arrow, then one person fords it to fasten the rope properly and then we start getting the animals over one by one." Umash taps her chin, "That would be the safest option. Let's make the silk rope the tether, it will have to take the most stress."
Chantif retrieves the Grappling Arrow, then fires it at the tree on the other side.
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Rhona watches with measured concern as Chantif begins the operation, stopping only to jab Drexel in the arm. "Don't worry too much. Worst case scenario, I can always just toss you all the way across, right?"
I laugh nervously, Eeeh hehe, Sure I guess so. The current looks mighty swift as I stand watching Chantif work.