"I'm giving it to you because I'm sure that my fate is to die here. Should I survive, I would gladly take it back of course, but that won't happen", bitterly comments Aerys.
A short pause follows, without any of the two girls speaking. Then Aerys says, almost in a whisper: "You know how to recognize beauty in everything. I can see it in your eyes. I hope you'll see some beauty in my book too". Aerys smiles, and while she does the half-elf carefully hidden beauty is clearly revealed: she tries to hide her beauty behind masculine clothes, short hairs and a tricorne hat, but when she smiles she's one of the best women Jesari has even seen. "Now you should go to rest. You don't look so well. I won't disturb you any longer, but I'll come into your tent tomorrow to keep you company if you wish", says Aerys before smiling again and sigh looking at the sea.
Once things had settled in at the camp, Kali'da approached Hakeem and Alexite to plan their next course of action.
"What do ya t'ink we should do? Wait fa' de oda's to recova', oa head out again wit' someone else. I'm okay wit' waitin' on Jesari and Sizara to get dere wits back about 'em, but I didn't know how ya all felt about it," she asked, glancing about at the others around the camp as they went about their business.
"I t'ink Jask said it should only be a couple days befoa' dey up on dere feet. But a couple days can make a big difference in a situation like dis."
Her mind briefly wandered to the ship that held the remainder of her tribe in its cargo holds, drifting ever further away the longer they were here.
Alexite nods, I don't a think a day or two will make a difference, and I would rather everyone be healthy before we leave camp anyway. So I say we stay."
He scratched Tito who had nuzzled in his shoulder, "Besides I think two days would be very helpful. We can hunt and fish and work on befriending the others. This place would be much better if everyone was pulling the same way. Does that sound good?"
The ranger neared the sorceress, "Sorry about making you swim out to the wreck; we'll make sure to avoid that next time we're exploring."
Alexite looks to see that the half-elven woman was not around, "I noticed you've become friendly with Aerys; do you think she'll help out around camp now? What's her story anyways?"
Seeing their rations literally being gobbled up by the castaways, the ranger decided to go out hunting while his others companions recovered their health.
He turned to Sasha, the defacto provider for the group, "I'm hoping you can show me some of the trails you hunted in the past couple of days. I would like to accompany you if you care for some company?"
He checks the straightness of a couple of his arrows and chuckled, "I can;t promise you anything but I'm a pretty decent shot."
The ranger, with Tito on his shoulder, trailed after the huntress. While out and about, the ranger continued to win over his monkey friend with encouraging words and treats. Remembering how he broke the ice with his other companions, he asked, "Cute fellow, isn't he? What about you; did you have any pets while you were growing up? Where is home anyways?"
Kali'da approaches Jask while he's tending to the sick, leaning over him curiously.
"I know a bit of healin' to patch up de wounded, but nothin' like treatin' disease and sickness. It's a skill my teacha' neva' taught me befoa' he fled. Not a good teacha' in de end. Ya mind if I watch ya, maybe pick up a few t'ings as you work?" she asked him.
It was a hole in her education, one she had hoped to remedy at some point. Now was better than never.
Over the next couple days, Kali'da does her best to watch as closely as possible without getting in the way, bombarding Jask with questions and requesting explanations for the hows and whys of his work.
When not doing that, she busies herself with filling the water, helping keep the camp tidy and organized, and in general trying to do something to ease the tensions in the camp.
Her first target? Ishirou. He seems to be causing some problems within the camp, and it would be better to get him on the right side before more issues cropped up.
"Hard to not know where ya goin'. Even harda' when life t'rows t'ings like dis at ya," she starts, gesturing out at the jungle. "I don't want to be here. I don't even want to be wit' dese people. But I got to get back to what I was doin', so I do my best to work wit' de od'as. Better dat den to die here. It's be shameful to die here lyin' down jus' because I didn't want to help de od'as, I t'ink. We need ya. Hopefully we can count on ya." She gives Ishirou a maternal pat/rub on the back.
Jesari's eyes shifted down and away from Alexite when he began asking questions about Aerys, her lips pressing together as her mind frantically began searching for a polite way to give him the answers he desired without betraying the trust she had earned from Aerys. "Well...she's scared - I think we all are - and I get the feeling she doesn't know how to deal with it. And she's...sick. If we can find some viper nettle berries to help her get better, I think the rest of you would see the woman I see." Jesari gave a quick smile, both to reassure Alexite as a quick congratulations to herself for not letting anything sensitive slip out. A light of realization hits soon after, Jesari's eyes growing wider as she remembers an important piece of information. "Oh! Kali'da says the berries grow near rivers by the way. So if we ever run across one, I think we should follow it and see if anything comes up."
***
Jesari wakes up early the next day, already sitting outside underneath the shade of a nearby tree when many of the others awaken in spite of Jask's orders to rest and her own condition. She has made herself seemingly comfortable, her head and shoulders resting against the trunk as she lays down, with Aerys' book propped up against her legs and a hand occasionally lazily reaching up to turn the page. It's only when she spots the stirring of Aerys that Jesari tears herself away from her reading, patting her hand on the ground nearby in the hopes of luring the other woman over.
"Hey, how's my new favorite author doing?" Jesari offered up a cheesy smile before snapping the book shut and sitting up. Jesari's eyes wandered across Aerys' face for a few silent moments before she spoke up, wanting to ask a question that had been on her mind since last night. "You were right last night. I grew up looking for the wonderful parts of life; the beauty in everything and everyone. And I have to ask...why are you hiding yours? This book...your face...you're robbing the world of a chance to get to know a really wonderful person."
============================
- 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Evening
============================
Jask happily allows Kali'da to assist him while he attends Sizara and Jesari. The Garundi man shares a number of practical advises with Kali'da and the two seem to get along pretty well. Jask reveals to Kali'da that he has been doing some researches about Mwangi native populations during his stay in Sothis while he was a young man, and so he manages to get along with Kali'da very well, knowing a bit of her traditions and ways.
During the days spent together, Jask reveals part of his story to Kali'da: he has noticed he motherly attitude, and happily confess to be a father himself, with two sons and a daughter. He was forced to abandon them when he was captured, but everyday he prays for them and hopes they're doing good. Also, Jask shares a number of mantras and focusing chants with Kali'da during the time they spend together in the next two days: he says to have learned these chants during his stay in the Cathedral of Nethys in Sothis, and suggests Kali'da to practice.
============================
- 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Morning
============================
Results:
Results:
Results:
Aerys smiles at Jesari. The half-elf sits near the girl, unwears her hat and gaze at the horizon. Her wonderful raven hairs are cut short. "Maybe because I always lived in a world dominated by men, were being a woman was a weakness. I grew up on my father's ship, and spent almost all my life on ships. Ships are mostly populated by men, and when I became a girl I understood that showing my womanliness was not only a disadvantage but also a danger. By the way I'm not robbing anyone...I just wanted to be respected as any man. But that was before we shipwrecked here. Now nothing matters anymore. We're going to die here anyway". The half-elf looked deeply at Jesari: "But I thank you for you kind words. Your presence is the only think that actually calms me down a bit. I don't what's with you, but...I don't know, I feel like you can understand me".
============================
- 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Noon
============================
It was a long-lasting hunt. Alexite and Sasha had spent more than five hours hunting for the entire group. The girl happily accepted Alexite's help, judging him as a gifted hunter. At the beginning, the two seemed not to be interested to speak, but then Alexite broke the ice.
"Pets? Oh, he's very cute. What's his name? Have you find him during your exploration? Oh, I envy you guys so much! All my life I dreamed of spending my days exploring the untamed wilds of the jungle, and now that fate has given me chance, I'm forced to stay back and look after the others. I know, my presence is essential for their survival, but...". The girl stopped: she clearly tends to speak a lot, and sometimes gets lost in her own speeches. "By the way...Yeah, I had a pet when I was at home. He was called Yellowing and was a dimorphodon. Do you know what a dimorphodon is?, she asked, clearly amused by the chance to test the ranger's knowledge.
============================
- 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Afternoon
============================
Kali'da had spent most of her day with Jask, helping him in attending to the sickened. When Jask decided to take a break, Kali'da took the opportunity to speak with Ishirou: the Tian man was now feeling fine, and Jask had declared him cured.
Ishirou0 listened to Kali'da words, than spitted on the floor. "You're good with words, I have to admit. But I've worked for others all my life, and I won't do it anymore, not without some sort of compensation, if you know what I mean...", Ishirou says filthy looking at Kali'da. One moment after, the Tian man bursted out laughing. "But I've lived too many days and met too many people to not be aware that every woman in this world would prefer giving up his entire house and all of her precious jewels instead of having any sort of contact with me. So I'm fine with that. Just don't ask me to do something for free. I won't. Not anymore. I've already taken your money, but then I got sick and wasn't able to help. I'll be helping for the next 10 days, you can count on that". Ishirou spitted again, and precisely when Kali'da was leaving said: "You're better than the others. You tried to actually speak to me instead of demanding obedience. I appreciated it, even though I know you've done it for a precise purpose".
============================
- 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Evening
============================
When the sun goes down, everyone is back at the camp. Sizara and Jesari are still in their tents, trying to recover from their diseases, but Jask says they'll soon be fine.
Everyone goes to sleep, and this time Ishirou helps with the watch.
Jask has spent a lot of time with Jesari today, and has showed her the same chants and mantras he had teached to Kali'da, suggesting Jesari to practice with them to improve her focus on magic.
============================
- 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Noon
============================"Pets? Oh, he's very cute. What's his name? Have you find him during your exploration? Oh, I envy you guys so much! All my life I dreamed of spending my days exploring the untamed wilds of the jungle, and now that fate has given me chance, I'm forced to stay back and look after the others. I know, my presence is essential for their survival, but...". The girl stopped: she clearly tends to speak a lot, and sometimes gets lost in her own speeches. "By the way...Yeah, I had a pet when I was at home. He was called Yellowing and was a dimorphodon. Do you know what a dimorphodon is?, she asked, clearly amused by the chance to test the ranger's knowledge.
Alexite shook his head while Tito ate a piece of fruit of his hand, "I can't say that I do know what that is. With a name like Yellowing, it must some sort of bird, right? Do they talk?" The ranger continued to ask her about these 'yellowings' and listened intently.
When the conversation died down, he suggested, "I don't think there is a mandate that you stay back at camp. You obviously know what you are doing and are willing to help, which is more that we can say for others. Oh, did I mention that you have a good head on your shoulders. That's another good thing."
He smiled, "Perhaps we can hunt enough in the next day or so while the others recover. Then you can come with us exploring, does that sound good?"
After a long day out in the jungle, the ranger approached Gelik. In a low tone meant to be heard only by the gnome, he asked, "Do you know what a Yellowing is? Sasha here is crazy about these things and I don't know much about them. I was hoping that you had come across them in your travels and could... you know... fill me in and make me look good in front of her."
He winked at Gelik, "Any help is appreciated..."
Date - 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
Time - Evening
============================
Groaning, Sizara finally awakened, seeing Kali'da and Jask taking care of her. She smiles a bit before drifting back to sleep. Her dreams were pleasant and no longer plagued by the fever.
Jesari frowned when she heard Aerys' story and the words she used to tell it. Those were the words of a defeated woman, one that gave up in the face adversity rather than fight for the place in the world she deserved. With a little effort, Jesari scooted herself across the ground until she was nearly shoulder to shoulder with Aerys. Both of Jesari's delicate hands reached out and wrapped around the free hand of Aerys as she looked into the other woman's eyes. "Life is too precious to spend it pretending to be someone that you're not. Earn their respect by being better than them, not by stooping to their level and trying to imitate them. And if that doesn't work? Screw the rules. Get your own ship, find your own all-female crew if you have to, and show all those boys how stupid they are by doing it better than them. Yeah, it's harder...but no one ever lived a happy life by just taking the easiest path. And...
As her voice held onto that last word, one of Jesari's hands slowly snaked itself toward the hat that Aerys had removed, snatching it quickly when the moment was right and hiding it behind her back with a playful smile. "No more hiding. If you're going to die here, at least go out as Aerys and not whoever that other person you created is."
Jesari took a second to look back over her shoulder toward the camp and her fellow survivors, returning to meet Aerys' gaze with a look of seriousness. "They need you; we all need you - the real you. Please...just try. For me?" Jesari gave another quick glance behind her, this time wearing a grin when her body turned back to the conversation with Aerys. "They're not that bad. I promise."
============================
- 28 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Evening
============================
Kali'da is an appreciative student to the art of healing and thanks Jask profusely after each time he allows her to observe his work. But when he teaches her the chants and mantras of his church, she takes on an air of grave seriousness, as if she's just been bestowed a great honor. In her mind, religious practices are not for outsider eyes, but here this man is, willingly teaching her his. She accepts the knowledge like a treasured gift, adding the chants to her daily prayers in the morning at at night to honor the gesture from Jask.
============================
- 29 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Afternoon
============================
Kali'da gives a little chuckle at Ishirou. "Ya not hear me tellin' a grown man what to do. If he really grown, he'll do what's right by him."
============================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Morning
============================
Kali'da packs up her gear once again in preparation for the days travels. According to Jask, the girls would be ready to go again this morning.
"I don't suggest de coast again," she says with a frown to the others once they gather. "At least not unless we get some cloud cova' to ward off de burnin' sun. We ought to try to finish getting a rough lay a' de rest of de island. Head right on t'rew til we hit de far side."
~ ~ ~
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Aid Another: Avoid Natural Hazards
- Maintain the Shelter
Kali'da keeps a careful eye out for danger, hoping they don't run into any more trouble that is going to delay them. She occasionally turns an eye to Jesari and Sizara to ensure they haven't suddenly relapsed into their sickness again. She frequently asks the others how they are feeling, just to be sure no one else is going to get sick either.
Later that evening, she tries to recall what sorts of things Jask had mentioned cause such illnesses and ensure they are removed from their campsite, and at least partially protected from other risk factors.
Gelik shakes his head in answer to Alexite's question, then with a know-it-all expression and his forefinger swinging into the air he says: "Yellowing was Sasha's dimorphodon if I remember correctly. A dimorphon is a dinosaur, my boy, a winged dinosaur, also known as "fangbird" or "vampire lizard" for their unusual combination of differently sharped teeth. It's the size of a big dog, and it belongs to the family of pterosaurs. Some trains dimorphodon since they're very easy to train, and they're often used as guardians by local tribes or kept as exotic pets in larger cities. What else...", the gnome wonders. Gelik's knowledge is astonishing. "Oh yes, its skull...Dimorphodons have a distinctively large skull, yet numerous hollows in the skull keep the creature's waight rather low and allow it grater agility. Oh...And they're poisonous."
"Now you'll have to excuse me my boy but I have a jungle-shower project to work on. It was pleasant to talk about animals once again in such a details with someone willing to listen", the gnome says before extracting his block notes again and getting back to work.
***
"Ahah, you said it like there ever was a real me, Jesari", the half-elf laughed staring at the sun, her wonderful light-blue eyes shining like ice under the sunlight. "I've always been like this. I've never been different. There's no real Aerys to show you: what you can see is the only Aerys I've ever known. Besides, can you imagine what would happen if I let my hair grow long? Ishirou's gazes are already filthy as they are now. Besides, long hairs are a hindrance in combat, a weakness your enemies could exploit. And concerning dresses...Well, I couldn't imagine myself dressed up like a lady or something. I prefer comfortable clothes able to protect me from danger instead of beautiful dresses which draw the wrong attentions and then don't do anything to help you escape them".
Aerys smiled with a bit of sadness in her eyes. "I ceased to be a woman when I became one. One of my father sailors tried to rape me when I was 14. My friend Styrian helped me out and the sailor was punished, but I learned my lesson. If you're not able to protect yourself, you can't affort to show your nature, unless there's someone out there ready to protect you. But my father died and Styrian left. I'm alone in this world, and even though I try as hard as I can to seem strong and indipendent, I can't really protect myself. Not yet."
============================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Dawn
============================
The exploring group is ready to depart again. This time, after a long-lasting talk with Sasha, Hakeem decides to stay at the camp. Sasha will take his place. Hakeem says that alternating seems like a fair choice, and besides he wants to work on ensuring the collaboration of the other castaways such as Ishirou and Aerys. He says he will wait for your return here at the camp, and then he will join again your ranks.
Sasha leaves the task to guide the group to Alexite, while she works on avoiding natural hazards together with Kali'da.
- Avoid Natural Hazards
- Hunt and Forage
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jesari sat in stunned silence, for once completely out of ways to put a positive spin on things or words to use in comfort - if this even were a time for words. Instead, she dropped the hat she had snagged away back into Aerys' lap and turned to face the sun as well, resting her hand on Aerys' knee in reassurance. Jesari stared off into the horizon for what felt like forever, her voice finally filling the silence with a tender and hope-filled whisper. "Maybe someday I can show you a better world."
***
Jesari was up bright and early once again, feeling better just as Jask had predicted. Her things were already packed up and ready to go, with a new distinctly book-shaped lump pressing against the side of her backpack. Before everyone was entirely ready to depart, she took the opportunity to properly introduce herself to Sasha since there had been little time for her to speak with the redheaded woman thus far, both here on the island and on the boat. Jesari found herself looking forward to this second exploration adventure; it would be a nice change of pace to have another human girl her own age around to talk to.
The ranger gathered up his belongings and beamed at Sasha, "See, I told you. It's your time for adventure."
"About your pet. I talked to Gelik about them and he said that they are poisonous, is that right? Have you ever had one of these Yellowings?"
With Tito on his shoulder once more, the ranger led the group of castaways on another exploration.
Alexite will lead the group east and then slightly southeast, trying to stay equidistant from the coastline. So jungle exploration today.
He turned and said, "I think we also need to look for a place to move camp. We can't explore the island and have to come to this same place all the time so finding another campsite will also be part of today's exploration."
He looked around once more before interning into the jungle, "Any questions?"
======================
======================
-
-
-
-
======================
======================
⇒
⇒
⇒
The group begins its travel through the jungle, guided by Alexite. Jesari follows the ranger, aiding him in noticing natural landmarks, keeping a close eye on the surroundings. Simultaneously, Kali'da and Sasha keep an eye out for possible natural dangers, and Sizara takes care of the group.
=========================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Dawn
=========================
The group has traveled for an hour or so, but suddenly Alexite and Jesari realized the direction followed was not exactly the one planned. Confounded by the dense jungle, Alexite has led the group west instead of east. After a quick consult with the Jesari, Alexite decides to change the route, in order to move towards the east as planned.
The group resumes its journey, but once again it's forced to stop.
You are traveling through a rugged path, trying to find a way to head east. You can hear the waves pounding not far from you. The only way to pass the cliff in front of you seems to be an undergound path whose dark entrance is in front of you.
While you're preparing to enter the cave, you fail to notice a strange, sneaky creature similar to a lizard with bright green scales hiding in the vegetation. The lizard silently moves near Alexite, and once you see it, it's already too late. The lizard's body is suddenly surrounded by a crackling electricity, and a moment after the creature tries to deliver an electrical shock to a surprised Alexite.
Alexite is struck by this crackle of electricity.
The worse part is that none of you knows this strange creatures.
- Jesari
- Jesari
- Alexite
- Sasha
- Shocker lizard
- Sizara
Sizara smiled at Kali'da as the shaman kept an eye on her and Jesari to make sure that both weren't relapsing. She didn't know much about her companions and decided that her fever induced dreams, most likely messages from her spirit animal, were telling her to bond with her companions as their destinies were linked together. She was about to ask Kali'da about her people as well as inquire Jesari to share some stories about her homeland when the strange lizard attacked them, zapping poor Alexite.
"What in the names of Shimye-Magalla and Ketephys is that!?"
The elf didn't know what that creature was as she readied for combat.
Not knowing what this creature was or what it was capable of, Jesari found herself fearing the worst. In any case, it was clear that this thing wasn't as much of a pushover as the overly territorial snakes the group had encountered so far. Having made up her mind to end things as quickly as possible, Jesari's hands began to swirl about, leaving a blur of magical energy in their wake. She intoned a few words of power; words that held very little actual meaning to her but were instead more of an involuntary reflex that unlocked things far greater than herself. The only sign that her spell completed was the cloud that glazed over the eyes of the lizard, if only for a second.
If Jesari gets the feeling that her magic had it's intended effect, she will hold up a hand, motioning to the others to hold their ground. "Hang on a second. I think I can talk to it."
Embarrassed by the humbling experience of losing his way in the jungle, the ranger was too preoccupied to have seen the lizard.
The shock brought him to his senses, literally. Tito jumped from his shoulder and scampered up a tree as the ranger tightened the grip on his spear. He responded almost instinctively, by trying to stake the lizard with his weapon.
The lizard doesn't seem to be affected by Jesari's spell. Seeing the creature still showing an aggressive attitude, Alexite tries to stake the creature with his spear, but his attack misses, piercing the ground. A moment after, Sasha moves toward the creature, circumventing it while extracting her cutlass and trying to slice the creature from behind, while flanking it with Alexite.
Unfortunately, also her attack misses. This creature seems very nimble. The shocker lizard, now feeling threatened, resorts to its shock again, this time targeting Sasha.
Sasha is pervaded by a shock, while she screams something in a dialect you don't know.
19/19 (4 nonlethal)
========================================================================
- Jesari
- Alexite
- Sasha
- Shocker lizard
- Kali'da
- Sizara
Kali'da sees her companions struggling with the nimble creature and shakes her head. She positions herself so she's out of the reach of the lizard, not wanting it to take advantage of her lowered defenses while she prepares her spell. Once she's sure she's at a safe distance, she'll utter a foreboding curse as she casts doom.
The ranger positioned himself better now that Sasha was in the fight. Trying to keep the lizard at spear's point, he once more struck with all his might. He wanted to pin the creature to the ground if not outright kill it.
Unsure about sort of create it is, Sizara cautiously approaches it.
Jesari tries to affect again the lizard with her charm person spell.
The creature withstands all the efforts made by Jesari and Kali'da, and is also quick enough to avoid Alexite's spear attack. Sasha tries again to slice the creature with her cutlass.
This time Sasha is able to slice through the creature's flesh with her weapon. The lizard reacts delivering another shock to the red-headed girl.
"Argh!", screams Sasha, "Please, it's not the right time to be shy folks, would you mind to help us with this thing?", she cries out addressing her companions.
19/19 (8 nonlethal)
/19
It seemed their lizard foe was slippery in more ways than one. Jesari grit her teeth in obvious frustration, finally deciding to resort to more mundane means of dispatching her foe. With spear in hand, Jesari stepped forward, stabbing downward at the lizard to hopefully put an end to the electrical attacks against her companions.
"Sasha, watch out!"
Too late, the lizard had shocked the girl again; it was a wonder she still remained standing.
Hoping to finish this once and for all, the stubborn ranger once more plunged his spear. But this time, he decided to use more caution to at least hit the dam reptile.
Sizara roared as she entered a frenzy yelling, "Get away from her you...you...whatever you are!"
Using both hands, the barbaric elf swung her blade at the lizard like monster.
Kali'da moves forward into melee range of the lizard, then swings down on it with her staff.
"C'mon you frying lizard, show me what you've got now!", cries out Sasha before trying to hit the creature once again before it can send another shock to her.
The red-headed girl slices through the lizard's flesh with her cutlass, hurting the creature and forcing it to flee in a desperate attempt to get away from death. While it moves, the creature allows the members of the exploration group to kill it, lowering its defenses while it flees.
Alexite, Jesari and Sasha are able to stop the creature before it can flee. Alexite and Jesari pin the lizard on the floor, while Sasha completes the job cutting the lizard's head.
"Phew, this was a very annoying lizard...", comments Sasha drying the sweat from her forehead with an arm.
Without anyone noticing them, two more lizards, similar in all respects to the one the group has just defeated, sneak behind the party, waiting for the right chance to strike. Fortunately, Alexite has heard a noise at his back and managed to notice one of the creatures approaching. The creature seem to be coming from the shore.
Alexite grunted as he saw the other reptile, "Brace yourselves! There's another lizard."
He cautiously backed into the cave while holding his spear in front of him. "Everyone get behind me and enter the cave but look to make sure there's nothing dangerous there."
He turned to elven barbarian, "Sizara, with me up front. Let's slowly back away. Perhaps there's an exit on the other side of this cave entrance."
She nodded her head although she was still raging with battlelust.
"Understood."
The elven barbarian stop beside Alexite ready to aid him in combat.
Jesari falls in line behind Alexite and Sizara, not wanting to be the one to bear the assault of this second lizard. Once safely inside the cave and behind her companions, Jesari draws her crossbow in anticipation of another fight.
Kali'da takes a few steps back into the mouth of the cave, squinting into the darkness and moving cautiously to avoid any nasty surprises. She keeps her staff held out in front of her defensively.
The group manage to flee in the cave. The strange lizards seem to give up on chasing them immediately.
Led by Alexite, the group resumes its travel after the shocking encounter recently experienced.
Unfortunately, the cave leads into an underground maze of tunnels. Alexite is not so expert in underground orientation, and he experiences some difficulties in leading the group through the disconnected and confusing underground labyrinth. The group spends 2 hours wandering underground before Alexite and Jesari manage to discover a way out and the party can see the light again.
After the scouting party exit the cave, the travel proves much more simple: the party members are able to walk for 4 hours without any interruption occurring.
When the sun goes down, the group finds a comfortable shelter where to rest for the night. The party members alternate in watch duties and sleeping.
=========================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Midnight
=========================
It's your watch turn. Everything is dark and silent around you. Only the burning campfire emanates a tenuous glow. Your mind is still filled with scenes from the fight agains that strange lizard. Suddenly, you hear a shrill, and when you turn to the direction you have heard the noise coming from, you see a huge spider layed down on Jesari's chest. The spider has probably climbed down a web, and now it's aiming to Jesari's neck.
______________________________________
______________________________________
Glad that the strange lizards gave up on them, Sizara was happy to help out the group with her torches. It was a good thing she had brought them along too.
Later that night...
It was the elf's turn at guard duty. While she stood guard she spotted a spider land on Jesari and preparing itself to attack the woman. Realizing that she had to hurry she quickly sounded the alarm, yelling and charging at the spider, hoping to get in range of the spider, or startled it at least.
=========================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Midnight
=========================
Sizara charges forward, trying to istantly kill the spider before it can harm Jesari, even at the cost of having to sacrifice her own defense. The elven girl proves responsive enough to slice through the spider's flesh with great strenght.
The creature istantly focus its attention on Sizara, but it's too wounded to pose a real threat: the elven girl is able to nimbly avoid the creature's bite attempt.
Sizara's screms, together with the sound of battle, have the effect of waking up the remaining group members, except for Sasha who continues to sleep blissfully.
Alexite and Kali'da see a huge spider laid down on Jesari's chest. Sizara is near the creature, her longsword pouring with spider blood. The spider seem to be deeply wounded.
When Jesari wakes up, she finds out her bedroll to be splattered with spider blood. The disgusting ichor filtered through her bedroll and smeared her chest and belly. That was definitely a bad awakening.
______________________________________
• Kali'da
• Sizara
• Alexite
• Jesari
• Spider
______________________________________
Sizara growled like a wild animal as she swung her sword at the creature.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Jesari stirred softly beneath the spider as the commotion pulled her away from her dreams. Her eyes fluttered open wearily at first, finally snapping open fully in abject horror and shock when her mind registered the events taking place around her. As she began screaming, with each one growing louder and more panicked than the last, Jesari's bedroll quickly became a whirlwind of flailing limbs. For a moment, it all felt too surreal, especially upon hearing the echo of her own voice raised to a volume it seldom ever reached. "Get it off! Get it off!"
Jesari did the best she could to escape out from under the spider's weight but found little success. With her weapons out of reach, Jesari did the only thing she could think of to scare the arachnid away: she tightly closed her eyes, grabbed a single leg with both hands, and tried to do the very same thing the creature was planning to do to her only seconds ago.
The ranger awoke to screams. He rolls out of bed and grabs his hunting knife as he gets up.
It was still dark so it was difficult to see but something was not quite right. Did the sorceress have fangs?
Seeing the spider neatly sliced and bitten allowed him to relax his grip. he looks around before asking, "Has anyone been bitten?"
Kali'da wakes with a start and immediately jumps up from her bedroll and grabs her staff from where it laid beside her. She spots the spider on Jesari and cringes; it was disgusting.
=========================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Midnight
=========================
Sizara swings her longsword at the spider, while Jesari bites the creature. In a matter of seconds, the creature dies with a death rattle, pouring another copious dose of disgusting ichor onto Jesari's bedroll.
=========================
- Erastus 1st 4710 AR
- Dawn
=========================
After the spider complication has been solved, the exploring party members return to sleep.
Tonight you had a dream and you have woken up biting your tongue. You can't tell if it was before or after the spider attacked, but there's a creepy connection to your bite against the spider.
You're sitting down in the galley aboard the Jenivere, getting ready for your meal. The ship's cook has given you a steaming bowl of soup, but you drop your spoon. You see that the deck below is covered with seawater up to your ankles, and your dropped spoon has sunk into the water and washed out to sea through a hole. You're forced to lift your delicious bowl of soup to your lips and drink. But something big goes into your mouth as you do so, and you feel a sharp bite on your tongue. You drop the bowl, only to reveal a serpent had hidden in your soup that now dangles from your tongue as it chews furiously. You start awake, biting your own tongue in an attempt to bite through the snake's body.
When they wake up, the group members are ready to depart again, and following Alexite's guide the continue heading southwest.
Today Alexite guidance is efficient, and the group manages to travel almost 4 miles in a row.
=========================
- Erastus 1st 4710 AR
- Morning
=========================
Soon after departing, the group notices a river flowing towards south, and decide to follow its course. After approximately 2 hours of travel, the group has climbed up a cliff and is currently climbing down it. While the group is busy in climbing down, Sizara notices the remnants of a small campfire near the beach, in a place where the group has never been before. Once she revelas the information to the others, the group decides to follow the elf to the site she has spotted. After half an hour of walk, the group arrives in the place Sizara spotted from the cliff.
The remnants of a quickly rigged shelter and evidence of a small campfire sit well above the high-tide line on this narrow, sandy beach.
=========================
- Erastus 1st 4710 AR
- Afternoon
=========================
After coming back to your intended route, you begin to follow the course of the river again. While you do so,you notice a curious patch of plants with bright red thorns on their vines.
A large grove of thorny vines grow on these river banks, presenting a seven-foot-tall wall of green leaves and intimidating six-inch red thorns.
Sasha is the only one to notice a large quantity of bright red berries lying at the center of the patch of nettles and quickly informs you about this. Seems like reaching the berries, however, would require passing through 60 feet of nettles. Now that he can see them, Alexite quickly identifies the berries as viper nettles.
______________________________________
======================
======================
======================
======================
-
-
-
-
======================
======================
======================
======================
======================
======================
======================
======================
=========================
Date - Erastus 1st 4710 AR
Time - Morning
=========================
The remnants of a quickly rigged shelter and evidence of a small campfire sit well above the high-tide line on this narrow, sandy beach.
The rangers smiled at their find. He had been looking for a place to move the camp. It was not very efficient to have to return to the same area as the island was explored.
The first thing he tried to do was determine how old the camp was (and if it was still being used today). Where there fresh tracks? Humanoids? He then looked for any clue as to why these people abandoned the place. He asked the others to keep watch so they wouldn't be surprised by anyone or anything. "Sasha, come help me please. Sizara, you're in charge of watch while we search this place."
If the camp was indeed abandoned, he made a note on his map to be able to find it again.
"What do you all think? Any issues with moving the main camp here?"
=========================
Date - Erastus 1st 4710 AR
Time - Afternoon
=========================
Sasha is the only one to notice a large quantity of bright red berries lying at the center of the patch of nettles and quickly informs you about this. Seems like reaching the berries, however, would require passing through 60 feet of nettles. Now that he can see them, Alexite quickly identifies the berries as viper nettles.
Alexite smiled and announced, "These berries can help with recovery from sickness and even addiction, particularly the sickness caused by alcohol withdrawal."
He looked at the thick wall of thorns and sighed, "But it looks like we'll have some problems getting to them."
He tried cutting into them but it was slow going. He thought of fire.
"Anyone have any ideas?"
==========================
Date - 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
Time - Midnight
After the spider was dead, Sizara breath a sigh of relief at seeing that Jesari was alright.
"Are you okay Jesari? I hope the spider or me swinging my blade at the spider didn't hurt you! And your teeth! I didn't know you were bonded with an animal spirit! This is amazing! When I get the chance I went make you a honorary member of my people!".
The elf smiled and bowed to Jesari many times, speaking in both Elven and Polygot thanking the spirits for their blessings upon Jesari.
=========================
Date - Erastus 1st 4710 AR
Time - Morning
=========================
Later the next day Sizara knew there wasn't much time to properly do the ceremony to make Jesari a honorary Ekujae. But the elf promised Jesari that she would do the ceremony at the first chance she got.
As they continued their exploration of the island, Sizara spotted the abandoned the campsite.
"I guess someone was here. But who I wonder?"
When Alexite asked her to stand guard she nodded.
"Sure but if you need any help searching let me know."
She waited to see what they found as she stood watch.
Date - Erastus 1st 4710 AR
Time - Afternoon
Sizara decided to try talking to Sasha.
"So Sasha what do you think of the jungle? You seemed to enjoy it very much. I wonder of the spirit of the jungle has bonded with you. Which is a good thing. And if you wonder why, don't be. The spirit was probably attracted to your intelligence, skills, courage, and beauty. It is a good thing to be bonded with a spirit. And I remember back on the ship you asked many questions about dinosaurs."
She smiled at this as she continued, "If we ever get off this island I promise you that I will introduce you to my cousin. She is a skilled rider and trainer of dinosaurs. She even tried to show me to ride a raptor and a triceratops."
Sizara laughed.
"I will admit that I wasn't that good at. But you on the other hand will probably do a better job than me. So if you any questions to ask me about my people or the jungle I will do my best to answer them for you."
When they found the viper berries, Sizara shrugged her shoulders when Alexite asked was there a way to get through it.
"I'm not sure. But before we make a decision to cut through them maybe we should gather some. Berries are quite nutritious and we'll need food later on."
=========================
- 30 Sarenith 4710 AR
- Midnight
=========================
Jesari frantically squirmed out from underneath the spider's corpse, kicking the creature in the face several times in her haste to free herself. Her first act of freedom was to crawl onto her knees, coughing and retching from the lingering taste of spider blood. She gives Sizara a sideways glance between coughing fits, raising her eyebrow in confusion. "Spirit animal...? What?" Finally regaining her compsure, Jesari climbed to her feet, pinching at her clothes and looking down at the mess with obvious disgust; it was going to take awhile to get the mess out, even with magic. "Can we just forget about this, please? I don't like to talk about it."
=========================
- Erastus 1st 4710 AR
- Morning
=========================
Jesari's eyes light up at the sight of the campfire, a bit of hope evident in her voice. "Maybe some of the crew survived?" Before getting her hopes too high, however, Jesari waits to hear the news from Alexite and Sasha.
========================
- Erastus 1st 4710 AR
- Afternoon
========================
Upon hearing Alexite's declaration that these were viper nettle berries, Jesari could barely contain a gleeful squeal. Her enthusiasm was quickly put on hold when she sized up the obstacle in front of them though. "I can try magically plucking them from the vine, but I'd still have to get closer."