With a little boost, Syndlara makes it to the lowest branches. From there it is easy climbing to a good vantage point.
After Syndlara appears to be securely balanced in the branches, Aycenia walks behind the tree and comes out from the other side with a few carrots. She brushes some dirt off them and feeds them to Gorra.
"Help yourself.." She gestures to the hillside behind her; full of sprouting edibles.
"So you are new here? Come along... don't be scared." she says to Ishirou who is now reluctantly hobbling into the area with Kekkaw's support.
Aycenia continues as she turns back to the group... "I think it would be safest to get off this island as soon as you can. There is more darkness here than the creepy people eaters and the blight. There is some great evil down below... below the reach of my friends' roots and those of the nicer locals." she glares at the indigenous plant next to the blackberry bush.
"There was a druidess who stayed with me decades ago of Mwangi descent." she says 'Mwangi' awkwardly as if questioning her pronunciation... "She told me she had found signs of it... but she got entangled in some mess between a couple natives and some mainlanders. I have not seen or heard from her since."
After looking around for a few minutes from her vantage point, Syndlara begins a less-cautious, more acrobatic descent down the tree, hopping down and catching each branch in gloved fingers before performing a gymnastic swing over the branch and dropping down to the next branch. Ten feet or so off the ground, she lets go of the last branch, does a mid-air somersault and lands on her feet. "Thank you, thank you," she says to no one in particular, mock-bowing at the group. She smiles and fills everyone in on the party's position after a moment's pause. "There's a bay between us and that camp, so we won't be able to make a straight shot of it. But we're about, oh, probably three miles or so away. Probably best to get moving in the morning, though."
Gatherine frowned when Syn talked about moving on in the morning,which was hours away. What if those cannibal bastards devoured poor Jask and whomever else they had captured.
She settled down at the base of the gigantic oak tree while she settled to rest, taking out her gunsmith kit as she set about cleaning and priming her pistols.
"I guess all we can do is pray that those cannibal bastards will hold out on dinner until we can get there to save Jask and whomever else thet've got." the she-dwarf grumbled." I say we take what time got to plan out something that'll blow their manic little minds. Like a heap o' gunpowder!"
Almost gleefully, the plump she-dwarf set about to preparing gunpowder using her kit and whatever materials she had on hand. Along with some custom-made specialized bullets.
Tol and Aycenia have a private word for a few minutes while they both gaze at Gorra sniffing and munching on leafy things on the hill.
Tol returns and speaks with his emotions in check "Aycenia has agreed to watch over Gorra. She will be content here, I think, should things go poorly."
Aycenia walks over as well. "If you are looking for things that might help you fight the cannibals, the druidess's hut is not far from here... just down the hill and another several hundred feet. I believe she left some items there. Barlo is down there... he is pretty grumpy but he'll prob'ly won't mess with you. He'd prob'ly help you too if he'd stop wallowing... the cannibals killed his parents. They were friends of the druidess."
Iolana looks toward the directions Aycenia gave and thinks some moments.
"Maybe it is too early to settle down,but here we are sitting ducks anyway.We could maybe try to pay this druidess a visit, in the hope to get more help. And who is this Barlo?"
"Unfortunately... I don't think she is around anymore. She... Jincy, I called her, agreed to help the few native locals rescue a brother and sister from some rather unfriendly mainlanders. Jincy had learned of the captain's penchant for the occult, and I fear she fell to one of his dark rituals... A week after I saw her last, I am nearly certain I heard her screams..." Aycenia starts looking gloomier again.. "Far too far for me to reach her. I watched the sky grew dark just over there, as I fell retching." She points north northwest.
"Early the next morning, I saw Barlo's mother dragging her injured mate back to Jincy's hut. Sometimes still groggy in the morning I think I hear her washing down by the now nearly dried up ravine, singing praises to Besmara." She sighs with a tired smile of reverie.
They wouldn't have happened.to hired some mercs called the Tears of Grog, these siblings?
Aycenia screws up her face in thought for a moment... "Many years since I have heard it..., but yes I believe so. The mercenaries turned on them when they realized the ones they were hired to remove from the native's village were fellow countrymen. Also... the captain learned of the natives' knowledge of necromancy and voodoo... Juju?" She questions the word. "Anyway... he wanted it."
"Not sure how they all met their ends, but... it wasn't the end. They all came back. And that... is all I know about that."
We should look at da druidess hut. If its near we go now maybe. Who is dis Barlo ya speak of? Human or beast?
Aycenia gives Mugambi an exaggerated look of disappointment. "Human or beast, really? Those are the two options? Barlo, for your information, happens to be a glyptodon. They're kind of like big armadillos... really big armadillos. I remember when there were more than a dozen on this island, but they were hunted by the pirates and cannibals for their shells."
"Go on ahead, I'll wait here." Tol starts unpacking Gorra's saddlebags. "I'd like to climb up and take a look myself, but... I'll wait for a smaller audience. You be careful with that Glyterdon thing, just stay clear of it."
Mugambi means no disrespect Ma, nothing agaisnt da beasts. I ask only because not all of us can speak with plants and animals.
The tribesman nods to Tol before moving to explore the druidess hut.
Who is coming?
I'll be right here,thanks. Tell me when we're moving out to rescue. Right now I'm making some more munitions. I wanna be ready for them cannibals--coz they certainly won't be ready for me!
The plumply she-dwarf chortled,bouncing with mirth at her jest as she mixed ingredients using her gunsmithery kit.
"We need to move all togheter,we are already too small as a group.I'll follow as soon as the others are ready."
"I think whoever is staying here at the Red Oak isn't in much danger, so I'll head with Mugambi toward the tree. Hopefully we don't run into her ghost or zombie-corpse," Syndlara remarks as she steps around the tree to look in the direction of the druid's hut. "One way to find out, though."
With that, she readjusts her feathered crimson-red hat and heads for the druid's hut, apparently assuming that anyone else interested in coming will follow.
The path to the hut of the druidess runs down the grassy hill; alongside the lettuces and rhubarbs. The grass soon thins. The canopy overhead cuts off all but thin ribbons of light. Another hill starts a half dozen feet from the base of the Red Oak hill... though it is little more than a dirt mound.
On the side of the hill facing you is a shallow cave with quite a few blocks of stone strewn about the base of it... like a stone floor which has completely collapsed from erosion, and rolled down the hill.
Lower down the same hill and a few feet to the south, is a hut which looks like a shack from a small fishing or river boat.
In between the two hills - directly downhill from the cave, is a block of stone in the center of a small pool. On the far side of the pool is a creature watching you descend the Red Oak hill. It looks like an armadillo the size of a large dog, with impressive bony plates of armor, and a fat rodent-like tail with spikes at the tip.
Mugambi approuches the druids former home slowly using his magic sight.
Iolana keeps an eye on the armadillo,trying not to look aggressive.She hasn't draw her blade yet.
The hut is a little smaller than 15 feet by 15 feet, and has a door about a foot too small for the doorway. The creature continues to watch... it rears up a bit and sniffs the air, snorts and wanders off toward the shallow cave on the side of the dirt hill.
There are many faint auras coming from the hut... most of them grouped in two places. One floor level, one waist/table height.
I feel magik from da hut. But we should deal with da animal first, Mugambi does not wish to harm a druid's friend. Any ideias?
It is a ancient race of creatures known collectively as megafauna. Although rare, they are completely non-magical, as mundane as a pig. Apart from the apparent physical features, you have been given the impression these glyptodons are as irritable as their smaller cousins, the armadillo.
Regarding druid companions, you know that the animal companions of more potent druids are usually more intelligent than others of their species... you don't know if they can usually understand common speech, and you are not aware of what is passed on to the offspring of one.
"About animals, i only know you are supposed to feed them and make them play.I don't want to hurt it either,but i don't know how we can befriend it.Maybe Aycenia knows something?"
Gatherine gently brushed one of the friendlier and more inquisitive shock lizards away from her eyes as it started licking her eyelashes with a sticky tongue.
Tol started to maintain his armor and gear,polishing it to an almost mirror shine and sharpening both his lance and his battleaxe to a razor's edge with a whetstone.He started humming an old dwarven marching song she remembered the other guards singing from time to time.
Keekaw was busy trying to alleviate Ishirou's rash and his wounded foot the best he could with whatever he had on claw.The Tian man moaned and squirmed in discomfort.
She continued to craft more bullets,cartridges,and gunpowder from her gunsmithery kit.Perhaps she had enough time to make a few makeshift bombs. She doubted those degenerate cannibals or whatever else this island had to throw at them would be expecting that!
Down by the druid's hut, Barlo the glyptodon makes a "Harumph" noise at the interlopers... He then continues shuffling up the stone-littered hill to the shallow cave. He curls up on the floor of the cave and watches the group lazily.
------------
At the Red Oak, Aycenia peers over Gatherine's shoulder to see what she is up to... not knowing the territory had been claimed by one of the baby lizards.
Aycenia peers over Gatherine's other shoulder... nursing a nipped nose. The gunsmithing and ammo packing equipment is beyond her comprehension. "Is that fun? It kind of doesn't look fun"
Through the open doorway of the hut you see a table pushed against the back wall, and underneath a "window" of widely-spaced narrow planks. Next to the table is a teak freight locker set on its end. On the table is a 3foot by 2foot box also teak with a matching stain.
"That spring of water has a odd smell,cannot focus it though.I'ld be careful on our way to the hut"
Syndlara nods, heeding Iolana's warning by giving the body of water a wide berth. Inside the hut, she eyes the locker and box curiously. "I wonder if those came from the same place," she remarks, moving toward the freight locker and looking it over for a lock or handle.
The mention of the bitter smell causes you to notice the bush on the far side of the spring. It is Fenklesprig... a plant which produces toxic berries... when ingested the berries induce serious stomach pain . The foliage of the plant has grown into the water.
The freight locker is locked. Although it is well-reinforced, the wood looks bustable if the lock proves to be too much trouble.
The box has a latched but lockless lid which lifts off. The lid of the box is decorated with woodburning... a skull and crossbones with tentacles emerging from behind the skull. Also on the table, is a bundle of twigs and dry herbs scorched on one end...
Syndlara mutters something about pirates as she looks the freight locker over, keeping an eye out for any hidden trap mechanisms. Once she's fairly certain that there are no traps, she pulls a handful of lockpicks from her belt and starts trying to jimmy the lock.
Gatherine stifled a grin when one of her baby shock lizards claimed her shoulder as its territory and nipped the nosy dryad for intruding.
Oi, I often forget how rare firearms and munitions be. Well, they're like a cross between a crossbow and a sling. And instead of a bit of leather or a taut string to fire a projectile like a bolt or stone, it uses this black powder. It's got a flint inside it to light the gunpowder,which goes off like fire with thunder in it,launching these little metal stones called bullets that punch right through flesh,hide, and armor like its not even there! Those blasts of thunder you heard for the past couple o' days were me firing off me pistols here. I hafta do this everyday or else they'd break or explode in my hands if I try to use them.
The she-dwarf did her best to explain to the puzzled dryad.
You do not detect any trap mechanism.
You do not get it unlocked, but you are pretty certain you will be able to.
Those few priests who do devote themselves to her, generally also are captains of their own raiding ships and have a fierce reputation. Her symbol is the jolly roger, a universal emblem of piracy, normally a white skull and crossbones on a black field.
Besmara, goddess of piracy and da seas.
Avoid that spring outside, its poisoned by Fenklesprig
Syndlara fiddles around with the lock for a short while, her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth in concentration. Finally, she manages to spring the lock with an audible click and cautiously attempts to open the lid.
Inside the freight locker you find mostly woman's clothing... much of which is in poor condition. There are a few coats, boots, gloves and other things in wearable condition... and a few other outfits and accessories which seem to have lasted from being well-made.
At the bottom of the freight locker is an open-top crate with an off-white worsted wool jacket folded on top, two matching seafoam green pommels sticking out, and a scrimshaw amulet...
The box on the table contains a scrivener's kit, a flask with the same skull and bones of Besmara, and a set of dark leather bracers covered in a chaotic pattern of 1-inch iron plates. There is a stack of poems or prayers to Besmara... the Pirate Queen, the Dark Lady.
On top of the prayers... is a barely legible angst-filled note written in globbed ink.
They won't let me return for you to release me, Dark Lady... the smoke only lulls them for so long... They know why I seek my bones. My release would mean their death....
"Huh," Syndlara mutters as she rifles through the freight locker's contents. Pausing for a moment to utter a cantrip (), she reviews the items once again, taking the magical items out and laying them aside on the table nearby.
Gloves
Scarf
Scrimshaw medallion
Matching scimitars
necklace with 3 orangy-gold beads
off-white worsted wool jacket
bracers
"May i take a look too, Syndlara"?
While sorting through the last of the items and clothing, you come across the very same simple dress the odd mwangi witch appeared to be wearing... when you met her on the cliff above the wreck.
While Tol finishes polishing his armor, Gorra noses around the greens... weighing her menu options and taking sample bites.
Aycenia grows bored watching Gatherine pack ammunition, and catches a glimpse inside her bags with a wandering eye and a little effort with the clasp.
"Ohh Where did you get those polished bones? That is creepy."
Syndlara motions offhandedly at the pile of items on the table as she continues sifting through the freight locker. "Be my guest," she replies.