The ground shakes as an insect emerges, snapping its claws toward Hrolf. The wolf bites at the insect uselessly. Kari and Fenna both fire at the creature as it busts fourth; Kari’s blast washes against the carapace, but Fenna’s arrow is true, piercing the creature.
The ankheg rises further from the pitted field. Taller than Hrolf or Kari, the creature is almost as tall as Fenna, but much wider. It snaps its mandibles Hrolf at Kari.
Even with Hrolf in the way, the large creature lifts Kari off the ground in it's mandibles.
Round 2
Fenna <- UP NEXT
Kari <- UP NEXT (12 damage, grappled)
Hrolf <- UP NEXT
Ankheg (2 damage)
Hrolf snarled and lunged at the massive insect.
When the ankheg snatches up Kari, Fenna responds by casting Liberating Command and prays Milani grants a good result.
Guided by the avian flight patterns she had observed earlier, Kari twisted in a specific way to escape the insect's jaws.
Hrolf is unable to get a good bite on the massive carapace, but Kari slips from the mandibles of the large ankheg.
Heart pounding, Kari stepped behind Hrolf and healed herself. "I think we might need to retreat!"
"Get on Hrolf and go and fast as you can! I'm right behind you!"
Fenna draws one more arrow and sends it at the ankheg to distract it.
The insects wild flailing is enough to keep Hrolf at bay, but Fenna’s arrow strikes the creature. It scuttles toward the half-elf and strikes out.
It gnaws into Fenna, but she manages to stay free of its grasp.
Round 3
Fenna (13 damage) <- UP NEXT
Kari (12 damage) <- UP NEXT
Hrolf <- UP NEXT
Ankheg (7 damage)
Kari turned and ran, calling out, "Hrolf, heel!"
Hrolf disengaged from the beast and followed Kari.
Once Fenna can see Kari and Hrolf moving away she does the same. She runs in on a different tack though, keeping in the insects line of sight in the hope it will follow her instead of the others.
With Kari on his back, Hrolf bolts to the east. Fenna bolts to the south, and the ankheg creature becomes confused by the separation. The creature dives beneath the soil, but after a few moments, it's clear he's still in pursuit of Fenna. A wide swath of ground mounds up as the chases after her.
Thankfully, the creature moves slower underground. As Fenna outpaces the ankheg , the churning of the tunnel chasing after her recedes about as she crosses the markings for the northern fence posts. In the distance, Hrolf and Kari have turned southward. As Fenna catches her breath outside the barracks, the gnome and her wolf companion join her in the safety of the colony.
Kari rode back to the colony on hrolf and rejoined Fenna. "That thing is nasty!", she exclaimed. "We'll have to prepare carefully and use all our resources to slay that monster.
"What do you think? Should we leave it for now and meet up with the ship, or rest and try to finish it off tomorrow?"
"Yeah, if that had gone any worse than it did, we wouldn't be able to talk about it now."
Fenna uses up her magic healing Kari and herself.
"We're here for the night regardless I think. There's not enough daylight left to be sure we get there before sundown. We're in marginal shape to bushwhack anyway. We could try something tomorrow, but we'd better have something clever in mind."
Kari had to admit that Fenna had a point. "Yeah, I guess you're right. What do you want to do for the rest of the day? I could try to catch some fish, if you'd like that for dinner."
"Sure, fish, and maybe we can find something in the gardens to add to it. Fishing first, and we can check for veggies on our way to a house."
"Hrolf, it's time for some fishing!" Kari announced. She walked down to the dock and retrieved her fishing pole from Hrolf's saddlebags. She selected an appropriate lure, sat down on the end of the dock, and lowered her line into the water.
What started off as a harsh day of: fighting off swarms, fighting underwater wolf-crabs, hiking around town, killing a drunk abberant squatter, and getting bit and slobbered on by a giant insect; finds a way to become a relaxing afternoon.
The storeroom has some very basic fishing gear, and Kari masterfully fills in the gaps. Before long the canoe is away from the dock, and the bay fishing begins. Ever the student, Fenna is fascinated by watching the gnome at work, catching dozens of fish in a few different varieties, all fascinatingly new species the Avistani women had never seen before. After an couple hours of peace, you see the sun dipping lower.
Fenna is perfectly happy to let Kari do her thing. When she realizes the fish are different, she decides to make a record of them. Every time a new type comes up, she draws a sketch of the fish.
Fenna's not a great visual artist, but they're fish, not the hardest things to draw.
"Hey, so we should cook one of each different kind and see how they taste. I'll include a rating with the drawing so it can be a fishing guide for the colony later."
Kari was fascinated at the different types of fish, and was amazed at how bountiful the waters were. After she had caught enough fish for an extra large dinner for the three of them, with some left over for the next day, she said, "That should make for a hearty meal! Let's see what vegetables we can find to complement them."
Hrolf happily ate his fill of raw fish. He loved fish!
As you begin to move among the rows of vegetables in the overgrown gardens, you spot signs of small creatures digging in the soil. Hrolf begins to bark as you see a pair of ankheg nyphs burst into the open in the field ahead.
Battle Map
The nymphs get move first, and move up to attack.
They don't attack as fiercely as their mother, and fail to land a bite.
Round 1
Ankheg Nymph
Fenna <- UP NEXT
Kari <- UP NEXT
Hrolf <- UP NEXT
Hrolf tried to bite the vermin that emerged in front of him.
"Ugh, more of them!" Kari launched a blast of water at the bug in front of Hrolf, then moved up next to it.
Fenna draws her blades and tries to pin one of the skittering insects to no avail.
"This place just has no end of problems!"
Hrolf bites the baby ankheg at his feet, tearing off one of it’s many legs. Kari fires just her water blast at the little insec, but shoots wide trying to miss her companion.
Fenna draws her blades and strikes at the creature, but it maneuver’s too quicklyand she can’t connect.
The nymphs continue their assault.
Both nymphs are able to get an acidic bite in, but can't grab a hold of Hrolf of Fenna.
Round 2
YELLOW Ankheg Nymph (6 damage)
GREEN Ankheg Nymph
Fenna (8 damage) <- UP NEXT
Kari <- UP NEXT
Hrolf (8 damage) <- UP NEXT
Kari stepped over to attack the insect next to Fenna, in the hopes of helping her friend to flank it. She conjured her watery blade and swung.
Hrolf continued to attack the thing in front of him.
More attacks.
The ankheg nymphs drive the hopeful scavengers from the field. There are still a few issues with the colony, it would seem. But at least they had a good "to-do list" to deliver to Ramona.
Kari stopped and recovered her breath. "Even the vegetable patches are deadly here! Let's just make do with what we have."
She returned to their previous quarters and set about preparing dinner. She smoked the fish, and steamed the few vegetables that they had collected.
She ate a hearty meal and talked with Fenna for a while, before cleaning her equipment and preparing for the night's rest. As on the previous night, she took first watch.
Fenna helps out with dinner as Kari needs her, and does what she can to bandage their remaining wounds.
"I think we're going to have to admit we need some help clearing the bugs and start back to the ship tomorrow morning. They'll be wondering what happened to us if we delay longer."
Kari cooks the fish adequately for her and Fenna, but Hrolf prefers his raw. The rain patters lightly on the roof of the Governer's House as the sun goes down, the humid climate makes afternoon showers a common occurance.
The night is rather uneventful, until Hrolf nudges Fenna awake and she realizes her bandages have completely fallen away. The morning comes without incident.
---------------------------
The sun rises on a new day:
Expedition Day 46: 3 Arodus, 4717 AR; Fireday
Kari awoke the next morning and stretched. She was still a bit sore from where the anhkeg had bitten her the day before. She healed Hrolf, who was still suffering from a anhkeg nymph bite.
After making breakfast, she had another look at the magic shirt they had found two days before, but learned nothing new.
After that, she sat out side watching birds for a few minutes, interpreting their flight patterns.
She returned to Fenna and said, "Ready so set out for the ship? I imagine we'll want to follow the coast."
Fenna wakes up feeling cranky. It's still well before sunrise, the previous day hadn't gone great, and her bandage has fallen off.
By the time Kari and her wolf are up Fenna is already prepared to leave. She's merely waiting on Kari.
"Yes, along the coast. Hopefully it will be a quick and uncomplicated hike."
Most of the plant life on the island consists of evergreens. Pines and live oaks make up the majority of trees in the inland forests, with palm trees appearing near the coast. Small evergreen shrubs cover the ground along with short palmettos. The plentiful number of pines and live oaks was crucial to the selection of this island as a colony, as palm wood can be used for constructing log cabins, but otherwise is not ideal for building. The pines and moss-covered oaks share space with magnolias and pecan trees, and mango and papaya trees provide fruit to many of the island’s inhabitants.
The path on the runs mostly along the coast. The bay just outside the colony lets out into the deep sea, and the high cliffs prevent a direct hike along the sandy beaches. The woods are full of sounds of various creatures: boars and monkey goblin sounds, prints and droppings cross your path very often. Still, the path seems to have been marked by the exploratory expedition simply and clearly. After an hour of hiking you push through the trees to the open sky, only to come upon a expansive and breathtaking site.
A massive waterfall flows from inland to the west. Your path crosses a large pool, the eastern shallows let fall off into the sea a few hundred feet below. A few notes made by Lyra Heatherly show you where to cross. As you are leaving the crossing, you spy a pair of boots sticking out from the northern side of the waterfall above. After watching for a few moments, the boots have not moved.
Kari dismounted from Hrolf, bidding him to stay, and moved stealthily forward, towards the boots. She stopped 20 ft away and observed the area.
Kari looked for a way up to the top of the cliff, trying to judge the difficulty of the climb. She looked to either side to see if there might be an easier route around the side.
The face of the cliff is wet and slippery. An easier way up the cliff might be found further off the path.
Kari moved off the path and moved parallel to the cliff, looking for an easier way up. "Hrolf, heel!"
Fenna goes with Kari. While it would be nice to have eyes on the boots the whole time, they are too far up and the person checking them would be too far away for it to make a difference.
While she goes, Fenna keeps an eye out for a long tree branch or thin trunk that could be used as a pole.
"What do you think? One of the colonists? I kind of doubt there's a cobbler on the island otherwise..."
The two of you wander off the path, but after a few minutes, you're not sure if you're lost...
Fenna survives.
Kari tried to make her way back to the path to reorient herself.
Fenna is able to find the direction they came from.
The cliff face to the upper waterfall is runs deep into the forest from this side. The tracks on the boar tracks are starting to grow thicker.