"Well my elven friend, if you can somehow conjure me up a ship that can take me back to Danor, great otherwise, I am stuck until either your navy takes the place or mine comes in..." he then shakes his head.
He then turns to Mithas, "I can keep an eye on him, just bring him up here before the tide comes in or he may drown..."
Mithas
Very well thank you
Wintry and Johnathan go downstairs and grab Burton and bring him albeit kicking and screaming up the ladders.
Dupiers points you in the right direction through the mine tunnels, up and up, and out into a massive quarry cut like a scar into a hillside. A worn sandy trail leads from the quarry down the hill, and you continue.
Axis Island is a lush tropical paradise loud with bird calls and monkey screaming. The tall hills behind you and in front of you are covered in trees and the heavy forest extends downhill and across the wide valley below you.
After ten yards of travelling you stop; the muck path ahead has been dug up over a large area. At the mine’s forested exit, however, the
you find a recently made mass grave.
Perception DC 15
tried shooting and hacking at trees, like the forest itself attacked them.
DC20 or Wintry: This could only be the work of the Duchess' dryad allies o ambushed the men and slew dozens of miners.
Johnathan slowly approaches one of the jungle trees and traces marks in the bark, lost in his own world for the moment.
"Air and earth...living..." He murmurs. "If...pointless...rifts between spheres..."
"what are you talking about, lad?" he asks of Jonathan.
"stay away from those trees, they may still be murderous."
"More fey magic I would wager. The Duchess has a lot to answer for."
Or it may very well be the works of some of the less human allies of the duchess. After all. The only thing that is clear is that we are on our won and she has control of this island
perception
Merle continues trudging onward, seemingly in a trance. The memories flooding back to him of the horror he experienced here. He hears someone telling him to stay clear of the trees, and numbly obeys.
"More blood of the innocent to lay at the Duchess' feet. Keep your eyes open and expect trouble."
Lets assume here for a second that both will be watched? the only reason no to take the road would be if we have a survival expert to guide.
and i am a city elf. said Wintry
Merle
Johnathan hurries back to the group.
"Nothing, sorry," He answers Cretien.
He looks towards every odd sound coming from the forest--every bird and monkey, every rustle in the brush. Not so much afraid as curious. Hopefully he won't wander away from the group without anyone noticing.
The air elemental that has been discretely following John through the mines and out along the path rushes through the air to investigate the mass grave. The elemental tries to play with some of the corpses, not very successfully since they are inanimate; the effect is like a kitten playing with a stuffed cat; the elemental does seem to be enjoying itself however.
As you try and work out what happened here, a short, dirty and unbelievably hairy Tiefling emerges from behind a trunk. ‘One of my kind’ he calls out in a hoarse voice looking at Chretien and then seeing Wintry casts a skeptical look. "I am the only surviving miner, I'se called Pierre. The trees attacked us. I should have stayed but I ran as fast as I could and… When I came back…" he points to the grave helplessly.
"The refinery facility at the end of the path, on the main road to access fort, is completely abandoned", Pierre explains." The people that used to work and live there have fled to hide in the forest a couple of hours away to the southeast on the other side of the main road. There are maybe sixty Danorians gathered at a makeshift camp, including some Danori military personnel."
"And whose side, if any, have they cast their lot in with in this conflict?"
Pierre looks at Chretien and says, "The majority are just regular folk but even the soldiers without leadership nor a battle plan. They are with Danor. These fey must be stopped, they just kill people irregardless of being combatants or not... "
"I would rather not involve the Danorans in this. They have been harmed enough and any help they may provide will also serve to heighten awareness among enemy forces. We need to be quiet and infiltrate quickly with our small force."
"I am inclined to agree. If they are alive there, best they be left there for now."
We have our goal and their is a timed issue also
Johnathan watches the air elemental, fascinated, and drops his journal in his hurry to pull it out. After wiping some dirt off it, he writes quickly and even makes a little rough sketch of the air elemental playing with corpses. He seems oblivious to the Danoran's arrival.
"So, how about the road? I am not sure here, correct me if so Johnathan, but I would imagine her allies would be strongest in the forest..." Cretien trails off, in a tone that invites discussion.
"I would think that the forests would be unwatched, as it would be as dangerous to the guards as it would be to those using it. The forest is a deterrent in and of itself, therefore I would suggest that route".
Glad to hear all that.
Johnathan closes his journal and looks to Cretien.
"Yes... yes, they would be, normally. This island is strange. It feels like it's being pulled in different directions. I can't explain it...we should keep moving."
He seems oddly peaceful, considering. Even smiling a little.
"If my vote counts, I'd say the road. Better vision, faster. Remember what happened to the last team that tried the 'unexpected' route. But I'd trust Merle's instinct here, too."
"Trust me when I say this, I am currently out of my element boys. If we where running through the slums and back alleys I would expect everyone to listen to my expert advice. Here I am at a loss and will deffer to those who actually know what they are doing. Anyone been here before?" Ahh yes, of course, that would be mister Merle. So I will defer to his judgements.
"road it is then," Cretien says, glad that the issue is settled.
"Agreed. Do we want to send a scout ahead?"
"Wait". "Did you not hear my words". "The road is where they will be watching".
Pierre leads the way down the beaten track, arms swinging and hands balled-up into fists, he talks to Chretien over his shoulder in short sharp bursts like gunfire.
At the bottom of the hillslope its airless and stifling under the canopy. 'Arret' he commands and sneaks forward alone, returning a moment later. 'Vite!' he hisses. 'Off the path! Follow.' You follow through the jungle, pushing past fronds and sinking knee-high in swampy water, until Pierre finds a good vantage points. Past the trees in front a large section of the jungle has been cleared for a massive factory, surrounded by smaller buildings that look like canteens, officers and workers accommodation. A big sign on one the largest of the four massive chimneys reads Plante 3. Dozens of Danoran workmen are lying dead in the mud. At first the facility seems abandoned, but after a while you see men searching the place methodically and silently, using sign language to communicate, crossbows loaded and cocked, keeping watch on the main road that leads east and west out from the factory. These are Risuri soldiers in uniform, with the distinct patches of the Shale militia: twelve men and a commander.
In a whisper."If you think we can take them I may have an idea that could use spare uniforms."
Cretien whispers "We shouldn't be killing Risuri men. That makes no sense."
Whispers back."If you can think of a way that gets an army in to face another army and take fortifications, and not a single drop of blood gets spilled after both armies meet and fight for their ideals... well I am all ears on this one."
Mithas squats down to survey the situation, "I don't trust our chances of sneaking past. I say we try to lure a few away from the group and take em our piece meal. Preferably in the woods, I don't like our odds against so many crossbows out there in the open."
The Duchess is using Risur military personnel for her own agenda. We should take them out so that be don't have a force behind our back. And i would like to point out that as long as you don't kill them, even if they are in a coma i can bring them back. he replied whipsering back
Johnathan looks from one speaker to the next, and seems overwhelmed. Frankly he's seemed overwhelmed and out of his element since day one, but he doesn't lack for effort--the kid almost enthusiastically throws himself into dangerous situations for the job, terrified the whole way.
GM Rolls
"I think I hear something" says a man wearing a Lieutenant's uniform, "you four come with me"
A group of five soldiers move in your direction.
Merle stands in disbelief as they make for the road despite his warnings. Oh well I'm not taking the lead on this fools errand. I'll stay back here so I can run for the woods if I have to...fools....
Merle draws his weapon, steps slightly off the road looking for cover, and awaits the action of the approaching force.
Cretien will draw his crossbow and move towards the back of the party.
Mithas draws his sword.
Drawing his newly attained pistol, Joseph say a silent prayer. His hands curl around the handle of the weapon, as the weight of it causes his hand to feel heavy and sluggish. Ready for the trouble he is about to come in to he waits patiently. "Well lads, how would we like to start this?"
Johnathan hurries to ready his crossbow, clearly not eager to fire the first shot but supporting the group.