"Yeen? Do you hear that?" Ami asks.
"You made it! How'd you get away from the Roc? I thought you were a goner for sure."
Pent scritches his head for a moment. "The only thing I can think is that Sarah thought it a poor decision to give my life for my camel, so She made sure to block the roc's sockets so I could secret myself away from the nest and back to the cave. I gave the bird my bird, so when we're good and ready, we can go back and avenge my camel."
...
"I'm hearing a baying noise of some sort off in the distance. Kinda regular, but it's getting more and more distant. Now, if I'm asked to be more specific, I'd even go so far as to say there's some hoof noise. Don't take my word for it, though, because I'm like to say things like that, now that ghost camels roam the desert. Its direction is another thing, like it's linked to the valley, and the direction of the Pale Mountains themselves. Then again, it's like to be my mind, and my camel haunting my eardrums with phantom noises."
Ami, heeding the words of the gnome, jumps aboard Yeen...
Quick Ride vs. DC 15
...and only slightly overshoots the saddle, earning a nice jolt to the family jewels. Hoping no one saw that, Ami climbs on Yeen.
Ami listens for what might come next, loading his halfling slingstaff.
I hope its gnolls.
Perception
Aldebert too mounts up and grabs his guisarme.
"Moving away? I wonder if they saw our fight with the roc."
He too goes just outside the cave and has a look around.
Pent watches the halflings, then leans over to Otah. "I'd mount up, too, but I lost my camel. Probably for the best. Couldn't climb it to save my arse, any how. And he spit too much." Pent sniffles.
As Aldebert confirms what Pent has heard, the sound leads the party further into the valley. Yeen soon picks up a sent trail that seems to be heading in the same direction. After but an hour long ride the trail is joined by small piles of what appears to be pack animal feed. With the sun hight in the sky you can see it occasionally peaking out amid clouds with only the narrowest shadows being cast.
"Hey, it's from within that bramble ahead, just behind those rocks. Watch for danger!"
Aldebert proceeds carefully, guisarme at the ready, expecting gnolls on the other side of the rocks.
"Yes, well, no offense, Pent, but I didn't particularly desire to share a saddle with you..." is Mahdi's answer to Pent's thanks.
Mahdi looks vaguely up at what the others are saying about hearing noises and things, but most of his attention is on getting the egg into the boot, and getting the boot into his pack for safe travel, trying to cushion it with extra cloth...
He trails after the others, frowning, one hand trying to get his backpack's hooked latch to close with the boot-and-egg stuffed in there, and is not aware of what they are hearing or seeing.
Aldebert comes around the rock and just sits there, high atop Gretiem. He stares the beast in the eye... and shrugs.
"Hey guys! Come take a look at this! I think we found a new mount for Pent!"
The donkey looks to be ragged with thirst and near laying on the ground as it struggles against the bramble. It appears to have wandered into the tangle trying to retrieve feed, which poured out from the pack secured to its crude saddle. From what can be gathered from the craftsmanship, it appears the lost creature was likely used by gnolls.
Pent falls off the back of Mahdi's saddle, and gets to work, trying to free the donkey. He attempts as best he can to break down the brambles with his dagger, eventually trying to get a hand on the donkey's saddle.
"He's no camel, but he doesn't deserve to be reared by gnolls any longer, that's for true."
The donkey lays down once free of the brambles. Pent easily gets on the saddle, but its clear that the animal won't be getting up anytime soon as it laps desperately at the sand.
Pent brings water forth, praising Sarah for her gifts, and encouraging the donkey to suck it up.
The donkey tries to suck up the water, but sputters it out onto the ground. It then quickly laps up the puddle of water it's spit out. This process continues until the donkey seems much more energetic.
With the donkey watered, it seems willing and able to bear a rider. Though slow at first, the creature seems to find it's place among the horses quickly. The party is able to make up a bit of lost time before having to scope out a place to set up camp for the night.
Aldebert looks for a defensible spot, but has no particular skill in seeing such and so more or less just stops when the sun is low in the sky.
"This OK with everybody?"
"Don't you have a... a trough, or something, for the wretched beast?" Mahdi mutters in distaste at the messy-donkey-watering business...
When the sun starts to set, Mahdi scans the parched surroundings, Sa'amm climbing onto his hand with his wee tail waving as if Sa'amm too could see the region.
"Keeping the water close is probably good for our mounts," he admits.
The river, though shallow from the lack of rain, is still a constant companion as you follow it toward the Pale Mountains.
"That donkey is not my mount. He happens by happenstance to be my mutual survival travel companion. He's happened to accept the water, so he's agreed to a brief arrangement in which I ride atop him to get from here to there, possibly. I'm not going to be held accountable for whatever happens if the donkey gets savaged out here in the dangerous wilderness." Pent waits for everyone to figure out where to lay their heads for the night.
Aldebert takes first watch and sees to the mounts as best he can.
He rises a little on the late side, but moves quickly once rousted and helps with breakfast, or at least helps with the eating, and then breaking camp.
"Do we want to approach by day? I assume we do 'cause most of us can't see well in the dark, but I thought I'd double check."
Deciding that no crocodiles are likely to emerge out of this particular stretch of river, Mahdi settles in for the night for camp, food, and study....
The next day, Mahdi shrugs to Aldebert's question. "We will be in caves," he points out. "At least, if all goes the way we hope it will. Once inside them, it will matter little if it is day or not. We want to try and approach by these back caves and avoid sentries at the 'front door', I believe."
Otah rides with the party, and watches while the gnome finds a camel. Lucky donkey, luckier gnome. he thinks to himself.
He nods along with Mahdi's explanation.
As the party winds down to rest, he pulls out his journal and begins writing about the fight with the giant bird. Once finished, he stows it in his bag and rolls over on his bedroll.
"Wake me up for my watch master halfling." he mumbles as he nods off to sleep.
Pent wakes to his sunrise, like clockwork, but rises somewhat sullenly. He waves to the coming light briskly enough, but he turns his hand back towards his face, allowing him to examine the burn of the reins still red across his palm. He balls his fist, and shakes it in the general direction of the roc nest, marking it again in the air. Deeehd Duck. Ded duck. Dead duk. Done ducked for now, but you done it, and what's done cannot be un. I'll undo you if I get done with my ducks in a row, but my row with you is far from dun. That was my camel's color, you saw it, heard it, smelled it, touched it, then tasted it. You had your senses about you, and my common is incensed by it. You're a lucky duck for your size, and for ours. If I was your size, you would have sized me up much differently, I sez. I'm feeling like I've got 'bout a month to track you back. What's mine is mine. You took it. Didn't even ask. You wouldn't have had my permission, but you would have had my respect, and you wouldn't have my camel. But you're not that kind of bird. You are a dirty, despicable, dastardly, devilish... dead duck.
"Do we want to approach by day? I assume we do 'cause most of us can't see well in the dark, but I thought I'd double check."
"Well, we're tackling gnolls, so I'll defer to your expertise. You halves spent several months stalking them, so you talking about them should make more sense than the rest of us put together, which appears to be more than a whole pair of halves, but isn't, since we're no gnoll killers."
The night brings few surprises. Beyond the surprisingly chilling wind that seems to gust now and then, the heat of the day is held by the rock and sand fairly well during the night. Morning seems to creep amid the peaks, only occasionally does the full light of the sun's rays burst through the valley - shining on the river as if it were the open sea.
Yeen yawns and stretches where he lays halfway atop Ami's head. He tries fluffing his hair, but once awake can't get comfortable again. Instead he wanders the space, pouncing the nothings and the somethings wherever he finds them.
Mahdi shields his eyes with his hand against the morning sun, squinting down the bright sun-reflecting line of water that is the river.
"We'll want to stay to the western fork," he tells the others. "That should lead us into the supposed cavernous area. But there could be many things lurking in the hills... gnolls may be only some of what lairs there. Scorpions-- far bigger than Sa'amm-- desert cats-- not as friendly as Yeen-- serpents, maybe the fire drake's mother... I trust you get the idea."
"Sounds like a good plan."
Aldebert rides on, trying to be watchful for what might attack.
As the sun rises you can make out the Pale Mountain, its figure growing large as you approach. Like a child’s sandcastle carelessly placed before hungry waves that lap against shore, the forgotten temple rests, nestled in the crags of the Pale Mountain. Its crumbling spires and domes bask in the pale grayish glow of the alien twilight of the mountain skies. The scope of such a creation seems implausible in such a remote location, yet it isn’t hard to question why one might choose such a spectacular setting. Indeed, it seems unlikely that there exists another so close to the realm of the gods.
Among the broken stones and empty fountains, dry thorny shrubs poke through packed clay soil sprinkled with shards of bone. The temple would almost appears deserted. Winding around to the west, a fork of the river moves slowly away from the temple revealing a cleft like fanged maw that cuts horizontally through the pale cliff side. A dark fissure lined with stony outcroppings and surrounded by black streaks that stain the earth outside the opening, the stain of sooty residue as if from some great heat. In uneven blasts faint smoke exhales from the crack like the noxious breath of the mountain itself.
Pent's brooding goes a long ways to him being quiet enough not to be the least stealthy in the party. If the donkey is at all noisy, Pent dismounts, and ties him up somewhere out of direct sunlight, and readies his crossbow as the others gather to proceed into the temple.
Aldebert and Gretiem are trying to be somewhat quiet, but as they’re not actually creeping and trying to be super stealthy, I’ll assume we’re taking 10.
Aldebert Stealth = 12
Gretiem Stealth = 16
Mahdi is silent a moment before the sight of the magnificent, if a little awful, temple.
"...that's going to be my retirement home," he announces to no one in particular, as he follows along after the others.
He brightens at the sight of the swelteringly-nasty looking fissure. Heat! Luxurious heatttt. The fumes may not be as welcome to him but he's not thinking about that right now. "Ah, our pleasant destination," he says glibly, then quiets down and, like the others, attempts to approach somewhat unheard and unseen.
It is hard to be quiet or unseen when you are striding towards your glorious, red-hot destiny. Bah! Hiding is for commoners!
...Mahdi does cast mage armor, however. His Destiny may have enemies lurking within it.
"Foolish, putting a castle on the outside of a mountain. Why didn't they just put it inside?"
Dismounting and tying his mount with Pent's, he tries to approach carefully...
...although it sounds as if his stride is a marching band of cymbals.
He pauses as he notes the fissure and whispers to the party, much quieter than his walk, "We're going to burn, aren't we?"
"Oooo, castles within mountains, that would be a sight to see, eh, Odie? You'll have to host an expedition to one of those one of these days." Pent gives up on being quiet, as the gong-wearing dwarf marches in his stride. He eyeballs the upcoming mountain gas.
"Well, we're not rocks, so yeah, we'll need to guard against the gases. We protected enough, Maddie?"
Aldebert rides toward the opening. He looks at Otah, "Yep, I bet we do. All except ol' Mahdi here."
He smiles and heads inside.
Though everyone notices several gnolls off in this distance watching the group, they don't seem to be seeing what they're looking for. Nearing the lined dark fissure the howling winds do little to cool the oppressive heat, which increases as you enter the sweltering cavern. Reeking trails of steam and acrid smoke eddy in the eerie light shed by flickering bluish flame that pops and whistles erratically from a crack in the cavern floor. In the middle of the room, a table made of ancient oak supports a few woven baskets and a decrepit clay bowl.
Weapon Equipped = Guisarme
Conditions = Endure Elements
Summon Mount = 0/1 (full round)
Smite Evil = 2/2 (+2 attack, +5 damage, +2 AC)
Lay on Hands = 4/4 (2d6 healing +1d6 if not fatigued)
Guisarme Attack Mods: BAB +5, Str +2, MW +1, Size +1, (Power Attack -2)
Guisarme Damage Mods: Str +2, Two handed +1, (Power Attack +6)
Hammer Attack Mods: BAB +5, Str +2, Magic +1, Size +1, (Power Attack -2)
Hammer Damage Mods: Str +2, Magic +1, (Power Attack +4)
Spells (caster level 2, concentration +4)
1) Hero's Defiance, Bless Weapon
- - -
Gretiem Lord of the Green
HP: 40/40 AC: 20 (F18/T16) (includes mage armor) Fort: 6 Reflex: 6 Will: 3 BAB: +3 CMB: 6 CMD: 18
Conditions = Mage Armor (1 of 60m)
Bite Attack BAB +3, Str +3 Damage Str +4 (1.5x)
Aldebert rides a little into the chamber and listens to see what he can hear.
...not much
Mahdi shrugs glibly to the question of 'burning' while he ties off his own mount in the shade. "I did say it would be hot," he points out. "Hold a moment, though..."
He gathers the group close, and casts communal endure elements on everyone, excepting himself.
"It won't protect you from outright fire, or from the fumes," Mahdi says, "but it should keep you a little cooler."
He glares off at the gnoll-group, before heading in after Aldebert. If those gnolls come for their horses it will be a long and tedious walk back, but the horses will only suffer in the caverns ahead and get in their way... it is a risk they will have to take. He steps inside.
"....a table is not what I expected to find here," the mage admits. "Give me a moment."
He murmurs a spell to detect magic, glaring at the table, baskets, and bowl.
"A dinner party?"
Otah watches as the mage casts his spells, wondering when the cavern floor will erupt.
"I guess that's one way to start a roast." he mumbles to himself.
Pent thanks Mahdi for his protections, emboldened to investigate the cavern more closely. When the table comes up, he moves towards it, both nostrils straining for a smell of something less fumy. He looks down both tunnels as best he can from the distance he maintains.
The heat of the caverns is noticeable, but bearable with Mahdi's protection. Shade for the mounts is some distance away from the entrance, which makes the bit of rest near the strange table welcome. Though the casting reveals nothing magical in nature, the ruins on the table seem religious in nature.
Perception:
(normal)
(low-light)
(normal)
(low-light)
(darkvision).
Opposed check, 2.
Ami listens to the chitchat about the smelly ass, but then turns his attention away from Pent and towards the new donkey.
Ami and Yeen circle the donkey, checking it out and satisfied it's not a gnolldonkey sent to destroy the party.
* * *
* * *
"Hey, Ami. You even here?! Looks like your mind is wandering, and this is not a good time for it to do so. Heads up, get your head in the game, and head over to that ashy pile of rock that's taken to moving."
Pent shuffles over to the table, and snatches up the rod. He gets down on his hand and knees to get a closer look at the crack, reaching into it to retrieve the certain something if all appears to be safe enough to do so.
He brings the rod back over to Mahdi for his mutual admiration of something bird-footed. "Ooooo, what do you think this does, Maddie? I think, based on the foot alone, that it's meant to kill birds. Rocs are birds. So this rod should probably serve us well to kill the roc. Absolutely."
"Hey, movement like Pent said. Probably just a rat."
Aldebert heads over to the pile (not sure where to go on the map so I move appropriately 10' from the pile). His guisarme is out and ready as he guides Gretiem with his knees.
Standing from the pile of ashy rocks is a small humanoid creature. As it slowly approaches ash falls from its thin, leathery wings, and its head revealing the dirtied white of small horns. Its mischievous smile quickly turns concerned.
"Thems mine. Leave thems be.. e*$4xdi"
Ami follows his brother into the cave, hugging the left/top wall. He looks where Pent says there is movement. In this case, Yeen will be keenly interested, hoping for something small to eat, like a rat, mouse, squirrel, or gnome toadstool.
Perception
"Brother, this is a strange place, is it not?" Ami asks when the small creature approaches. He holds on to Yeen for a moment, wondering about the critter.
"Thems mine. Leave thems be.. e*$4xdi"
Aldebert is surprised at the creature, and it's ability to speak a language he understands... mostly.
He turns to Pent, "Set that, er, chicken leg back on the table won't you? Just for now at least."
He turns back to the little guy, "Greetings! I'm Aldebert, this is my brother Amiamble, that there is Pent and Mahdi, and finally Otah over there."
"And who might you be? Are you a guide or guardian of this place?"
"Thems mine. Leave thems be... <bleep>"
Pent's eyebrows raise to their peaks, as he sets his eyes upon the earth mephit. He taps the wand studiously, looking at Mahdi first. If Mahdi relents, Pent walks the wand back to the table, and reinserts it into the jar. He twists the chicken foot, hoping to make it look more majestic before he backs up.
"Hallo. Sorry, didn't know this place was currently occupied. I'm assuming that's yours, because you say it is, so I'm gonna not say that just because you say it is, that it, in fact, is, is, in fact, yet to be proven. That would be rude. For now, we'll assume it, amongst the fumes here. You seem well suited to be here. I was just telling Odie here that we'd be much better off as rocks, if we're to endure this environment. If you'll endure us for a little, we'd peaceably pass, assuming you'd leave us be, since we're not at all interested in your wand sitting right there, since it's yours and all, and it's probably ill-suited to slay rocs. Not rocks, like you, of course! Why'd something like that be laying around the homestead of a rock like you? That's silly. So, is that really your wand?"