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Heiliger's long-legged stride, encumbered as it is by his armor, is just barely able to keep pace with the little halfling, and certainly not with his more nimble companions. He pauses to jot down a few notes early on, but never having been much for study and writing, his note-taking slackens as the hike wears on and on into the afternoon.
I'll have to make sure to write more when there's something more interesting to write about than trees and some old ruins we can barely see. For now, I'll just enjoy the camaraderie. It reminds me of my old unit....
And with that he slips into a reverie, recalling the days of his past service.
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Avelbane is quite happy on the journey, albeit pretty quiet except for the occasional murmur of conversation to her wolf who strode alongside her, ever alert. She was enjoying the journey, the sightings, and the knowledge gained. She was interested in getting to know her new group, but awkward from a more solitary life.
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Lukas doesn't take any notes as nothing of note had happened. With the hours of hiking Lukas starts to perspire. To combat the heat he rolls up his sleeves and undoes one button of his shirt. Just one button mind you, he still has standards.
I am glad I only had a mouthful of breakfast ale. I am not sure breakfast ale is a real thing.
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"Janira, do you have any extra supplies you would like me to hold on to? Sometimes it's best to spread them out in case one becomes indisposed. Anything cool in there?" He says pointing to her pack with a sly grin on his face. Surely she's picked up all sorts of stuff on her adventures with the Society, let's hope she's as generous as she is cute. He thinks to himself, nearly saying it aloud.
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Janira smiles. "I've got some potions, and some alchemist's fire as well."
The first day of travel passes without incident. Midway throuh the second day, the trees begin getting larger and more numerous, blocking out waht remains of the day's light.
Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.”
Just then, a tree topples over, startling a large swarm of Kortos mosquitoes which begin angrily buzzing towards you!
Bold may post
Shef
Gribbl
Lukas
Mhazruk
Wolf
Avelbane
Mosquitoes
Janira
Heiliger
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And with a gout of flame from Gribbl's wand, the mosquitoes are roasted. Janira smiles, "Excellent job! Though we'd better hurry, it's getting close to sunset." As you press on through the wilderness, you find that many of the trails are overgrown or have had trees fall across them. If someone isn't able to find an alternate path, you might fall behind schedule.
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Or... we could just follow Avelbane. She seems to know exactly where to go.
She's awfully quiet. Maybe she's more used to being alone in the wilderness with her wolf, and not as comfortable with people.
Heiliger joins Avelbane and begins to chat with her during the hike. He politely and gently asks for her insights into the wilderness, tips on surviving out here, and just tries to get to know her and draw her out without being pushy or overbearing.
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I am from the Mwangi expanse. My people live in the jungles and wild lands. Avelbane explained with a small smile before proceeding to give some of the basic details of small things that can help far more than expected in the wilderness and some possible basic things to notice... Odd sounds or lack there of, overturned rocks, bent twigs, and the flow of the life around them. Really paying attention to the small things your senses normally brush off. She also told of some basic history of her travels and life alone... Her and Koda, her wolf. She is far more at home being alone.... But craved adventure and expanded knowledge and loved collecting things both of great and little consequence.
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Aye, Shef, thank you, Heiliger says, taking the whetstone from his gregarious ally.
As he walks along with Avelbane, his hands go through the motions of sharpening his greatsword automatically, smoothly sliding the stone along the edge as if he'd done this a hundred times. The repetition and familiarity centers his mind and thoughts, and he finds himself better able to concentrate on what the young elf woman is saying.
Chuckling merrily as she wraps up, he comments to her, Well, I've no doubt we'll get ample opportunity to find the adventure and knowledge you crave.
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"No matter the point on it now Lukas, this stone will put a fine coating over it to make it that much more deadly. Don't be so stubborn, I'm called the finest prepper in the land for a reason." He says to him, being rather insisting.
That's what I call myself anyway, but who is he to know the difference. He thinks to himself with a smirk at his self proclaimed title.
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"Hand it here. I will have to be careful with it on this spear though. It's sting is worse than it's bite." Rook claps Shef on the back graciously and sharpens his spear delicately to ensure the the container remains in tact.
This seems like a longer trek than I imagined. Hope we get there soon or at least find something exciting.
"Janira, does it look like we are on the right path?"
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Janira nods. "Yes, we'll be there shortly, thanks to Avelbane's knowledge of the wilderness."
Soon, the dense forest opens to a wide clearing at the base of a sheer cliff. Thick vines cover the surface of the cliff stretching 30 feet overhead. “Here! The cave entrance is behind those vines,” Janira says with a broad smile as she walks to the cliff’s face. She pulls back several layers of vegetation to reveal a narrow crack in the cliff’s surface. “This is where I saw the gillmen enter.” As she motions toward the aperture, the surrounding woods come alive with the sound of small animals fleeing some unseen danger and a large creature crashing through the undergrowth. The halfling worriedly remarks, “Quick, take cover before whatever it is spots us!” As if she’d summoned the creature with her words, a massive horned monstrosity emerges from the trees. Standing eight feet tall on a pair of cloven hooves and wielding a tremendous axe, the bull-headed creature roars with unbridled anger when it spots the group. Wisely assessing that a minotaur is beyond her charges’ capabilities, Janira screams, “A minotaur! There’s little chance we can stand against it. Take this bag,” she continues, pulling off her backpack, “and head deeper into the caves. Finish your mission. I’ll lead it away from the caves, lose it in the forest, and join you as soon as I can. Now go! GO!” She heaves her backpack into the cave, casts a spell, and darts off toward the minotaur before turning to lure it away.
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Gribbl seems to waffle between wanting to help Janira and wanting to follow her suggestion... He watches her a moment before turning to the cave a bit dejectedly... As he goes in, he excitedly points out some webbed tracks to the others.. "These are only a few hours old... perhaps we will meet one of these gillmen after all."
Inside the cave he picks up Janira's pack and rifles through it, wondering what she might have left for the party.
to know what Janira cast just before she ran off...
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"Stay alive! We will hold our own in the cave!" Rook growls as he follows the tracks Gribbl pointed out.
If the five of us can't handle it...how can she? Well, I am not dying to find out.
Rook looks lets out a snarl once inside the cave clearly agitated at the turn of luck. He then turns to Gribbl.
"Little one, what is in the bag? We should get our part of the mission underway if she is dealing with the beast out there."
For someone who always puts his survival first it is clear that Rook doesn't like being liable for risking others safety in the process.
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Obeying the orders of his leader without hesitation, Heiliger hustles along behind his allies, keeping one eye on the unfolding battle between Janira and the minotaur and the other on his companions to make sure they all make it safely.
Reaching the cave mouth, he turns back and shouts, "FOR GLORY, JANIRA!" But as he turns away, he sighs, then repeats under his breath and a bit forlornly, "For glory."
Looking up at his teammates, he raises his chin, squares his shoulders, and switches to his best inspirational voice.
"Have Hope, my friends. My grandfather, Holden the Pure, slew dragons singlehandedly. I have no doubt that our brave leader shall prevail in her glorious struggle and join us shortly."
"But what aid did she leave for us in yon bag, good Gribbl?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Lukas takes a step towards Janira but as he sees everyone move towards the cave he follows. Bossing people around people comes naturally to Lukas so he starts shouting, "Everyone get into the cave. Gribbl start looking through the bag and divide up anything useful. You two at the front keep everything lit. If we can make our way through this cave quickly we might be able to get help."
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"Great idea!" Shef says with a large hint of sarcasm toward Lukas as he looks back at his torch and smiles wide enough to touch both ears. Thinking back to the Sargeant in his training barking orders.
Don't be too hard on the lad, he only wants to make sure everyone knows their place. He thinks to himself, hoping if Lukas caught the sarcasm he knew it was lighthearted ribbing. He admired someone willing to attempt taking the responsibility of leading, especially after losing their guide.
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Janira's pack contains a number of potions, wands, scrolls, and other items; all neatly labeled by her in case of emergency.
The tunnel leads under the mountain, water dripping from the stalactites above. The walls are covered with lichen that glows an eerie blue color, giving off a faint light. Petroglyphs of marine animals are scratched into the walls, becoming more frequent the further you go into the cave.
The narrow tunnel twists and turns for several hundred feet before slowly opening to a wider passage. A large flooded hole spans the cave’s width and stretches ten feet down the path. At the bottom of the pit lies a small bundle of cloth.
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"I have a Collapsible Plank that's 10 ft long if that'll reach across. I also have a rope we could knot up." He says digging through his pack pulling out random odds and ends looking for anything useful. "I've got the sconce for my shield so a torch won't take up a hand. I can take the front along side you Rook."
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Gribbl will take the four arcane scrolls (gust of wind, identify, mage armor and obscuring mist, as well as the wand of burning hands.. He hands the wand of cure light wounds and scroll of entangle, and the antitoxin to the druid. he'll hand potions of cure light wounds to Shef and Heiliger if that's okay with all. The potion of barkskin and feather step to Shef. He gives the potion of vanish to Lukas along with an alchemist fire, acid, smokestick, the two sunrods and one tanglefoot bag. TO Marzduk, he hands the other alchemist fire and tanglefoot bag, along with a holy water, smokestick and thunderstone.
"Well, that's everything... if you guys want something different, feel free to trade amongst yourselves." He puts his own new items away, stashing them as needed, the scrolls in his pouch, the wand in his belt.
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"Thank you, Gribbl," Heiliger says, taking the potion from the little grippli, "I dare say that might come in handy."
"I wonder if I could ask a favor of you, though. I bought this small stone that will orbit my head whilst I wield my greatsword. It has no magic other than that, but if you cast a Light spell on it, I'll be able to see much better. Could you do that for me, please?"
Looking over at Shef, he thinks, Holy Smiad, that man is prepared! I've never even heard of such a device as that plank.
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"Please don't be sad, my friend, I understand completely," Heiliger comments soothingly. "Perhaps Avelbane has it prepared. If not, I'll make due with the light from Shef's ingenious shield-torch-holder-thing or the sunrods."
Turning to her, he makes the same request, "Avelbane, if you happen to have the Light spell prepared, would you be willing to cast it on this small ioun stone for me?"
And as he says this, he thinks, Maybe I should have figured this out earlier in our trek, or back in the tavern. Well, my father always said I wasn't exactly the sharpest sword on the rack....
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"Why thank you Heiliger. I do pride myself on preparedness. I would've brought my folding ladder if it wasn't so heavy. There's always a tool for the job, that's what I say. Now excuse me while I make a little warning for Janira and any other would be traveler's."
As he finishes his sentence Shef pulls out a small piece of chalk and as large as he can writes "CAUTION BIG PIT" and draws an arrow toward it.
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"No worries. I got the far side!", returns Rook as he finishes putting his new supplies in the various pouches.
Rook quickly crosses not wanting to be over the pit longer than he has to be.
Hopefully I don't have any unwanted visitors till they are over here at least. I am starting to let adventuring make me reckless.
Rook takes a good look around before grabbing the plank to hold it steady for his companions.
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Shef will be last to cross the plank. Holding it for the others as they cross. Smiling ear to ear as they make their way across knowing he prepped well for the adventure. As he crosses he gives the group a small gymnastics display with a few cartwheels and a backflip at the end. Finishing it off with a gymnasts pose with both arms held high above his head.