"Can you share with us any knowledge on Alek Tercival? Is he alive, and where is he exactly? That information would be of great help to us."
Perception
Ooc: help help help
assist perception -
Nemoris builds a raft while Epik ties up the trog and leaves him in the boat. The party beds down for the night setting watches as normal.
** spoiler omitted **
I'm sure it'll go faster if you guys want to help too. Like I said, I'm not just leaving this enemy behind us tomorrow morning. If Epik wants to leave him in a boat, we're dragging it up off of the water too.
Assist Perception:
Sorry guys, no aid other available on a sleeping perception roll.
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Sorry guys, no aid other available on a sleeping perception roll.
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i know but i was so close
who was on watch when the noise happen shouldn't their perception be lower than the sleeping companions? isn't jenya up watch the evil trog?
Perception
Snore....
"These are disturbing tidings, but we thank you for the warning. What should we call you, angel? And can you be more specific about the location of your false sisters?"
Wings
Who are these false sister? what have they done to Alek?
"You may call me Nidrama and I've already said more than I should. I wish you the best of luck."
And with that she flies off with a flap of her wings.
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As the last man of the watch awakens the party in the morning, you pack up camp and take to the business of releasing the prisoner. However, when you come upon the troglodyte, the stench has changed ... the cleric is dead. At a cursory glance it seems the creature has succumbed to his wounds overnight.
Perception
Inspect the body
"Looks like gods made the decision for us. Are we going to keep the same boating formation, or do we think that wasn't ideal?"
Survival check on the dead trog
and detect magic.
Perception near dead trog -
"Dalamus, we don't need to travel in the boats anymore, we are at the trail that leads to where we think Alek has been"
"Excellent....or maybe not. There could be a lot of enemies on this path, and given our brief meeting with the benevolent one, I think it is going to be a long hard journey. Nemoris, this is your neighborhood...I am much better in the city. I will follow your lead"
Epik nods at Sam and turns to Nemoris, "Alek had to come this way. Nemoris, do you see any tracks by chance?"
Epik prepares to head into the jungle.
I do, it looks like a boat was docked here recently and I see the same armored human tracks that he found at previous incursions, with one notable difference. The individual went in and out along the jungle trail about a week ago and then went in again about 2 to 3 days ago with no departure. I've also seen two different campsites matching each trip.
I'd recommend we follow the trail from 2-3 days ago that has no return.
"Great work Nemoris. You chose and we will follow."
Nowzai will cast mage armor as we set out.
Magma doesnt notice anything out of the ordinary.
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i will bring up the rear as we head out
Epik will follow behind Nemoris.
Following the encounter with Nidrama, the party continues on the hunting trail, single file ... trudging along mile after mile until the sun is particularly high in the sky.
The path continually threatens to vanish completely in the thick leafy arms of the countless plants that press ever inward, only to reopen and widen enough to allow passage without much interference. Brambles and stinging spiny leaves are frequent, sticking to fabrics, and scraping armor, they bite exposed flesh with stinging needles and hooked thorns.
The path gradually eases out of the thick leafy growth, climbing up the side of a low hill. Bushes and plants become less common, and the ground becomes less muddy, offering a thick carpet of moss to walk on. Trees dot the hillside, their own trunks covered with fungus, and branches strewn with hanging moss.
Alongside the path is a clearly visible cave, in the side of the hill. A horrible odor of decay emanates from the interior.
"I thought we would never get out that miserable forest! Looks like we may have found the entrance, but that may also be the smell of Alek. Let's go check it out. Who wants to lead us into the cave?"
Nemoris are there any tracks?
survival
"Did Tercival go in there, or continue on?"
Magma doesnt notice anything out of the ordinary.
** spoiler omitted **
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"I thought we would never get out that miserable forest! Looks like we may have found the entrance, but that may also be the smell of Alek. Let's go check it out. Who wants to lead us into the cave?"
Sam blinks at Dalamus and sighs
Perception Assist -
"I'll lead, if someone can cast light on my sword."
Epik listens at the cave before heading in.
Perception Check:
Survival Check for tracks in and around the cave entrance:
Nemoris and Nowzai hunt and find tracks which Nemoris is able to sift through. He finds the same set of armored human prints heading in and out of the cave, but they're older ... a lot older than the ones you've been following. He finds the 2 sets that you've been following bypassing the cave entirely and continuing to head down the hunting trail as well as the single return set coming back from further north.
Of note, Nemoris also finds some very recent massive tracks of a beast easily weighing a ton and walking on all fours. The feet are 3 to 4 feet across with three long and apparently sharp claws on each of them. He looks up to see Epik starting to head in to the cave.
Hold Epik. The tracks do not show that our quarry entered this cave. If we decide to go in that is fine, but I want it to be an informed decision.
I'll explain what the tracks show, and that there's a 2000 pound beast with huge clawed feet some were very close.
Granted that Epik takes a minute to discuss this with the group, I'll also track the huge prints specifically at least to get a better idea of the direction that it's gone. Survival:
I'm not happy about leaving something like this behind us, but from what we've been hearing, finding Alek is our main priority, haste is of the utmost importance, and the tracks indicate he did not enter recently.
"Nice catch Nemoris! Where do those beast tracks lead, in the same direction as Alek's?"
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The beast's tracks lead into the cave, while Tercival's appear to continue on in this direction... What say you, do we have time to fight some huge beast before we attempt to save Alek?
Knowledge Nature check: Any idea what this creature is?
"We are not here to fight a beast, we are here for Alek. Let's get going, back into the miserable jungle..." Dalamus sighs and starts walking down the path behind Nemoris
"I am good with not attempting to fight a creature that has offered us no harm if our query leads us in another direction, if Alek's trail into that cave is indeed old and we have the newer tracks continuing on, we should just press on. As for leaving this creature behind us, I don't think it will be able to sneak up on us if it is as large as you say."
Leave the creature be I will watch our back trail to see if it follows
Nowzai tries to identify the massive tracks.
"Let us keep moving. If we are lucky, this beast is nocturnal and we will be miles away before it wakens."
"Nemoris, can you create a false spoor, to lead it away from our trail in case it decides to follow?"
Epik nods and follows the others into the jungle.
I can certainly try. The best thing that I know to do is cover our tracks, but I'm not sure how that will work with scent. I can create a trail myself, or we could have Sam thrash through the jungle and fly over to meet us after he's gone a mile or so in the other direction?
Survival Check:
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You continue up the hunting trail slogging back into the jungle. This part seems much less used and far more overgrown than the southern portion. Large fronds slap you in the face as you move through, and the bugs are thicker along the ground as you pass several massive ant and termite hills. The good news is the shade is thick and the heat less oppressive as you move forward.
After a few miles, the smell of smoke and burning wood is thick in the air mixed with the sweet scent of cooking meat. It's coming from off the path to the west through the jungle.
You notice a leaf fall and glance up out of reflex. What you see astounds you. Silent as night, 10s if not a 100 apes moves through the trees. What's odd about them is they carrying sticks and some wear ragged cloaks and carry crude stachels. They seem to be about 3 and a half feet tall and are moving overhead across the path and on to the east, brachiating from branch to branch. One looks down at you and bears its teeth, but doesn't pause for much longer than that. Eventually they pass with nary a change in the jungle sounds.
The hunting trail ends abruptly here and the trees thin out considerably to the north, granting a clear view of the sky. To the north, rolling yellow and brown clouds billow above a jagged, barren horizon. You can just make out the jagged line of the Demonskar's rim brooding at the base if these clouds. The ground itself between here and the rim is strewn with razor-sharp ridges of volcanic glass and jagged stone . Ruined strips of what can only be the metal framework of ancient structures protrude from the ground like broken fingers from a shallow grave. One particularly large structure juts from the ground only 20 feet from the end of the trail. The ruin appears like nothing more than a massive pipe protruding from the ground, its 20-foot-wide, 2-foot-thick frame sloping down into the tortured ground at a gentle slope.
"Huh, that's odd," Jenya ponders as she looks at the pipe. "If Alek had written that landmark on that plate, he wouldn't have called it a cave, he would have called it a pipe. Bet you someone or something else drew that map."