Balani looks on in appreciation at the bond between Nim and his companion as well as the power of his new ally. Not suited to the ministering of the wounded and foolishly short on magical aid, she must rely on Mihai regaining his senses and abilities as she is also sorely injured.
Roused from his induced slumber Mihai sits upright and coughing with bowed head. His lips are tinged with blood when he finally raises his gaze to give a nodded thanks to he who roused him. Forcing himself back to his feet he brings the group together before leading a short prayer to the Walker. As the words are said, a feeling of calm and restoration suffuses the group.
At the sound of the Tragershen's voice, the ape drops deftly from the tree and excitedly approaches the elf. Grinning, he stands tall and beats his chest thunderously, before embracing the startled wizard.
We really need to make sure we are doing a better job of scouting ahead of the main group. We shouldn't be caught unaware, in a bunched group, and exposed like that again in the future. Especially when crossing open ground,or prime ambush spots, like this ford.
I think Balani should take point, with Wic providing backup. I can spend almost all of the day in avian form, keeping to the sky, to provide overwatch.
Nim removes the charm given to him by the village shaman and places it around Wic's neck. The change is obvious as the ape's muscles swell even larger.
"Uuuh!" Tragershen cries in alarm. For just a moment, he thinks the ape may not be Wic after all and the danger real. But after an instant, the elf can tell the embrace is affectionate and not lethal, and returns the hug.
Balani readily agrees to the suggestion that she scout out ahead.
Will we camp here and wait for Nim's return or would you like me to find a better spot?
I don't think this exact spot is best. There may be other raiders nearby...
Nim consults the map and the route ahead, making sure he knows where to find the party. He then accepts Balani's magical pack and loads it with as many gold bars as it will hold. He then grabs as many more as he can carry. Any other requests besides the wands? Potions? Scrolls? Alchemical items?
He then instructs Wic to defend the group until he gets back before transforming into an eagle and taking to the air. He circles higher and higher, checking the area for any threats before turning and heading for Kalabuto.
Balani looks for a suitable site nearby to camp and defend themselves from any possible enemies.
She spends her time during Nim's absence scouting and patrolling the surrounding area. She is rarely seen by the other members except when she comes into the camp to eat and sleep.
You don't have an issue finding two wands of CLW. Please let us know any other items before I move things along tonight.
No requests. Fly safe, birdie.
Once in Kalabuto, Nim goes about quickly finding the items he came for, plus a few others. In particular, he searches for a large set of armor for Wic.
The party follows the Upper Korir river east and it begins to turn away from Mazali to the NE making any further encounters with their raiders unlikely.
The first day goes without incident with Nim gone back to Kalabuto. Wic is a little more distant than he used to be in his old form. Balani spots the huge Gorilla watching the party from a distance though, he seems to be keeping an eye on the group as well. That night is quiet as well, although everyone is still on edge after the ambush at the river.
The next day Balani spots a pack of feral hogs and downs one before they all run off. By the time Nim returns the following night it is cooking on the spit and to everyone's delight makes a very fine meal. He has no problem following your trail by the river...that fact making him a bit nervous in case anyone else is trying to follow you.
Encounter day 6 15%
Encounter day 7 15%
Encounter day 8 15%
Encounter day 9 15%
Encounter day 10 15%
Encounter day 11 15%
Encounter day 12 15%
Type from day 3
perception Balani vs. trap
You are 6 days out from Kalabuto when you hear the Screamiong Jungle before you see it. You notice that the racket from the southern side of the jungle seems to be louder than your side making you are glad you are on this side of the river. There is a game path along this side.
You also make out some spotted tracks, at least 7 days old, of a medium group of bipeds that have followed this path before you. You lose them in and out of the jungle.
Near the end of the day Balani is scouting about 100feet ahead of the group. In the trees above the trail she spots a group of 6 humanoid monkey-looking creatures sitting on branches looking down both ways of the trail. They don't appear to have seen her yet but she didn't spot them until she was right under them.
Make a stealth check please to sneak back to the group. You can also make a knowledge nature check to try and determine what they are.
These are Charau-Ka. Although they call themselves the charau-ka,
these dangerous jungle dwellers are often known to colonists and explorers as ape-men. Legend holds that the charau-ka stem from the demon lord Angazhan, who transformed the bodies of the first humans that tried to wage war against his cult, causing the dead to rise as the first apemen.
Rumors that charau-ka clerics have perfected a hideous ritual to force those slain to reincarnate as new charau-ka are popular tales among jungle explorers—but proof of such a magic spell has yet to
reach civilization.
Today, the charau-ka are one of the most fecund and widespread races of creatures in the Mwangi Expanse. Not all of them serve the Gorilla King or worship Angazhan; some have become feral monsters little more organized than apes.
They are more powerful than an average man but not as powerful as an ogre or such. They are masters at throwing things.
Balani, recognizing the dangerous creatures above her, attempts to sneak back to the main group to warn them.
The creatures don't seem to notice you as you sneak away....the party can feel free to read the spoiler and tell me how you would like to proceed.
You know the ape-men are very evil and won't hesitate to attack and kill you if they see you.
I know of the Charau-Ka...
Do we wish to bypass the threat or ambush them if we can?
CR 2
CE Small humanoid (charau-ka)
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent;
Perception +2
Defense
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 13 (+1 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)
hp 19 each (3d8+6)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2
Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee club +5 (1d4+3), bite +0 (1d3+1)
Ranged rock +5 (1d4+2/19–20)
Special Attacks shrieking frenzy, thrown-weapon mastery
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 13, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 14
Feats Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Throw AnythingB
Skills Climb +14, Fly +0, Perception +2, Stealth +10; Racial
Modifiers +4 Stealth
Languages Abyssal, Polyglot
Special Abilities
Shrieking Frenzy (Su) Once per day, a charau-ka can enter
a state of shrieking frenzy as a free action. While in this
state, a charau-ka automatically fails Stealth checks and
cannot speak or cast spells that use verbal components (or
use items that require command words to activate), but
functions as if under the effects of a haste spell. A charau-ka
can continue shrieking for up to 3 rounds, after which it is
staggered for 1 round.
Thrown-Weapon Mastery (Ex) Charau-ka are masters of thrown
weapons. All charau-ka gain Throw Anything as a bonus
feat. In addition, a charau-ka gains a +1 racial bonus on all
thrown weapons, and the threat range for thrown weapons is
doubled, as if the charau-ka possessed the Improved Critical
feat for all thrown weapons. This effect doesn’t stack with any
other effect that expands the threat range of a weapon.
Nim shares what he knows of the Charau-ka.
Corb could cast web into the tree where they wait in ambush, or I could cast entangle, and then we could hit them with our own ranged weapons. We should outrange them and theirs thrown rocks.
Or we need a way to force them to ground...
Balani gives her opinion based on the ease of going around them.
Monkey-men...?
Feh, sounds like theres more where they came from. I say we show em' we aren't to be hindered. Leave a trail of dead apes behind us and they'll soon get the message.
"My spells can enhance us for battle, but I don't have anything prepared that can confound the creatures."
Monkey-men...?
Feh, sounds like theres more where they came from. I say we show em' we aren't to be hindered. Leave a trail of dead apes behind us and they'll soon get the message.
Or bring more warriors next time... Nim shrugs before resigning to the battle ahead.
Anyone wish to be enlarged for the coming fray?
"Including yourself or Nim?"Tragershen asks, as he draws forth the new wand.
"As you lead I will walk in your wake."
Nim declines being enlarged.
Tragershen will cast Mage Armor on himself. Then as they advance, he'll have out the wand of enlarge person and his metamagic rod. He's planning on casting haste the first round, and then he'll enlarge Kragnir.
Balani tightens her haversack and loosens her bow. I can try to circle around them and we can come at them from both sides. Barring any dissenting voice, Balani makes her way through the trees and tries to sneak around the apes, positioning herself to best take advantage of her bow and cover.
+2 is favoured terrain bonus
The party sneaks up on the Charua-Ka to about 50 feet when Kragnirs noise give you away. With the group expending enough of its resources to swing the battle heavily in their favor, the outcome was barely in question.
01-05 1 person drops 4 people injured beyond Mihai's healing magic
06-15 4 people injured.
16-75 3 people injured.
76-100 2 people injured complete victory
Balani moves into position while Nim, Wic, Corbrius, and Kragnir charge the front of the Ape-men.
While they had one surprise for you, a net trap for beasts or humanoids, it only causes a slight distraction for your assault. They throw all sorts of things at you and their screaming causes them to move as fast as you. Your increased size allows you to reach them in the trees without too much difficulty.
Wic's new form is devastating and between the members of the group you quickly overwhelm them while taking only minor wounds.
You find that they have little treasure.
You use two charges from the Wand of enlarge.
As it is near the end of the day Balani scouts the immediate area for a good camping site for the group.
Balani and Nim agree that the bodies should be moved a ways into the woods, as not to attract predators to the trail, so you make a quick foray into the woods where you dump them off an embankment. You find a suitable camp about a 1/2 mile further up and pass the night without incident.
Cooler than the Bandu Hills, M’neri Plains, and sweltering jungles of the north, typical daytime temperatures in the Screaming Jungle rarely reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, though the humidity trapped beneath the canopy still makes travel uncomfortable.
At night, temperatures drop to a more comfortable average in the mid60s.
Almost every day, usually sometime around 1 p.m., a major downpour occurs that lasts about an hour.
You travel for the next two and a half days before anything of note occurs. Balani is scouting ahead on the trail.
You encounter the following sceen, you are about 100ft ahead of the rest of the group. The trees grow broader and taller here, their gnarled branches rising to a tangled canopy that blots out the sun. Digging into their roots, giant, parasitic corpse-flowers blossom across the forest floor. Littering the banks of the river are several humanoid corpses, their armor and bodies ripped apart as if by large claws.
You hear the below noise as well, although it is closer to you. What do you do? Go straight back to the group? Scout the scene more?
Suddenly, a series of loud slams and crashing noises echo through the jungle, sending small monkeys in the treetops screaming in all directions. The guards and animals shift uncomfortably at the noise.
Nim takes to the air in avian form to go investigate and check on Balani.
At the sound of crashing, Tragershen casts mage armor on himself, but otherwise waits to see what Nim finds.
Balani stops at the noise, her eyes and ears straining for any clue as to what might be the cause of this carnage. Holding her place a few moments she decides to make her way carefully back to the others to regroup and decide on the best course of action.
You see them about 30 feet away. You would have to get closer and make a heal check for freshness but you could also look at tracks around here to get a similar thing, just by a different method.
After the short burst of sound the jungle is quiet for a moment before the normal jungle noses start again. Nim immediately takes off and looks for Balani and the source of the noise.
The sound came from the west or maybe the northwest...you are currently heading NE. You fly north and see Balani standing very still behind a tree. You fly over her and get a view of what she is looking at intently.
You determine that there was a small group of men, 4-6, that came from the north.
A large set of prints...very large, appears to have come from the brush to the west...from the movement you believe a combat ensued and the creature, a large biped, moved away to the west again.
Their gear is still partially intact, weapons and pieces of armor, scattered near the river bank. From the look they may have stopped here and were at the riverbank filling their canteens possibly??? when they were attacked from the state of several packs laying on the ground almost undisturbed.
Nim casts greensight upon himself and flies off to determine the whereabouts of the creature responsible for the carnage below. He wants to know if it poses a threat to our group as well.
Regardless of the spell it only take you a couple of minutes to determine the source of the noise. You spot what appears to be a dire ape, large even for one of its huge kind, sitting amoung some broken trees. It appears to be examining several human heads placed on top of some of the broken trees in a semi-circle.
What type of bird form did you take, something found near these jungles?
Nim perches on the top of a nearby tree and studies the ape, trying to determine if it is aware of himself, Balani, or the expedition itself.
I should try and lead it away from the others if I can, he thinks to himself.