"Warning of what?" Zoisa replies, keeping her distance to mollify the snake.
The snake just repeats the phrase, coiling over itself and being watchful if Zoisa gets any closer. It is NOT friendly.
Is everyone else just going as far as Zoisa? Who's staying all the way back? Some folks haven't moved yet.
I'm staying behind Zoisa (though I have a reach weapon if the snake strikes!).
"Be friend?" Zoisa asks the snake, tossing a piece of dried meat towards it as a peace offering.
The snake lets the meat fall onto the floor and it viciously strikes it. Seeing it already dead, it slowly swallows it, and coils around itself hissing the same phrase over and over.
[i]Warning....[/ooc]
Zoisa pouts as the snake continues to be on edge.
"Me leave you alone," she tells it, returning to the others.
"We'll want to avoid that spot. The snake doesn't wanna be friends."
"All right. Can we keep going?" says Arian quietly.
Avoiding the area with the snake, Seyhannah moves forward stealthfully. Stopping when she sees red and yellow stripes of a tent.
The group moves up and past the slave markets, still seemingly raising no alarms. You see a split in the road. To the right is over a river using a small bridge but leads to two buildings. One is roofless Mill while the other doesn't seem to have many features. The other way leads deeper into Kelmarane.
Zoisa takes point, tiptoeing through the traces of the town.
;
Snake is placed on the map.
Zoisa scurries forth and peers with new acuity.
She notices one building [B3] seems constructed well, might be a good place to take a break.
[B4] seems to be stables of sort completely devoid of actual horses.
[B5 seems to be a large mansion of sorts, three stories tall. It would make for a great vantage point.
"Kaspar, make yourself useful for once. Climb that tower and tell us what you can see," Alem commands his familiar, gesturing at the building with his staff.
Zoisa eagerly follows after Kaspar.
The small monkey, followed by the small gnome, make their way to the outside of the tower.
Kasper doesn't seem to notice anything. Zoisa, tries to scale the walls but slips down time and time again. She doesn't seem to notice anything either.
B5 seems relatively safe.
Zoisa glowers at her repeated failures to scale the wall.
"Darnit! How does a monkey climb so much better than me?!" she asks no one in particular.
She waves the others over to the building.
"Coast seems clear!"
With the signal given, Arian quickly advances to join Zoisa. She enters with her pole arm at the ready and scans the corners of the building by habit.
The group hurries into B5 and finds the building in a state of dust but firm structure. As was reported, the building is deserted and for the first time while you were sneaking up here, you feel that you have a place that you can call a checkpoint of sorts, some place to rest or hid in the case of danger, so long as it remains unsearched.
"Let's see if we can get one more building under our belts before we turn back," says Arian.
Josria nodded and whispered, "I still have a good many spells that should prove useful, especially in the heat of battle."
"All right then," says Arian. "Where can we get to from here? Let me see." She peeks her head out to get a look at the surrounding area again.
After surveying the area, she points to the long structure to the northwest, across the way from the colorful canopies by the building the group currently occupies. "I'm going to head over there. Cover me." She scampers across the way and checks for any openings - doors or windows - to the building (B3).
Zoisa follows after Arian, not about to be outdone by someone taller than her.
At this rate, our scouting mission could take a week or more!
While Arian and Zoisa move to the next building, Alem confers with the others. "We have seen very little activity here. It is possible that Kelmerane's current inhabitants are nocturnal, something we may never discover if we only strike out at day. Perhaps we ought make a camp for our scouting party closer to the city?"
"That's possible. I think Alem's idea has strrrrong merrrrit," Josria purred.
Everyone going with Arian, make me stealth checks please.
Zoisa scampers after Arian, loudly kicking up gravel as she rushes to catch up.
Never one for sitting still while others are about, Kaspar tags along. He ambles along quietly, his small feet making no noise on the sands.
Catching up to the others Seyhannah slips between the buildings following, bow at the ready.
Josria was a bit worried that she had let her natural skills at stealth get rusty over the years.
It's a short jaunt over, and thankfully (you guys are very lucky) and make it into [B3] without much difficulty. However, Zoisa did accidently trip. Perhaps a being of keener ears could have heard her...
[B3] appears to be a common house of sorts, an inn for the visitors of Kelmarane who were unable to afford the plush accomodatins of the hostels near the battle market. On close inspection it has sturdy walls and and dound constuction. And ideal resting place for those attempting to flee or invade the area.
"Looks like we could use this space for moving up our base of operations," suggests Arian quietly. "Should I keep going, or do we want to send someone back to let the rest of the crew know that we'll be staying here and continuing to explore tomorrow?"
Looking my around, Seyhannah inspects the area for signs of other creatures using this shelter as well.
After looking around she seems to conclude it to be safe and agrees with Arian.
"I could go back...I wanna see if the worm thing is back!" Zoisa says eagerly.
"All right. Let's start by checking the rest of this building," says Arian as she heads to the northern section that's connected to this inn.
Alem frowns at Zoisa's exuberance for flinging herself into harm's way. "I shall accompany Zoisa to carry the message," he offers. That way, one of us will actually be able to deliver it!
[B5] was your lookout point, so you'll be headed to [B4].
The stables are intact and connected to the [B3] house through a small narrow hallway. Staying inside, you make your way into the stables. No horses, no dead bodies, no-
Wait....what was that?
A figure moves from a pile of hay, pale, his side is wounded but stable. He looks amazingly relieved to see what he hopes are friendly faces.
The man is dressed as an adventurer, his head in a protective helm and his cloak sweaty and ragged.
"Please, can you escort me to safety?"
Seyhannah rests her hand on her sword hilt and walks up behind Faffnyr. Looking around for possible imbush.
The man looks uncomfortable, and you can he has a wound on his leg. Seyhannah doesn't notice anything like an ambush, but the man nods as he sees her look around quickly.
"You're a careful bunch. Good." he chuckles, but his face grimaces as his chest bouncing seems to press on his wounds.
Faffnyr cannot deduce any hidden motives from the man's actions and speech. He seems genuinely glad to see you not immediately attack him.
"My party had....they....I had to flee for my life. This city, it was too much for us."
His face falls, as the memory seems to hit him harder than any pain.
Trying to calm the man down, the catfolk sorceress pats the man's hand, saying, "We arrre so sorrrrry forrrr the harrrrdships you've had to face herrrre. We can help you as best as we can, but what about yourrr frrrrriends? Do you know wherrrre they arrrre? We can trrrry to frrree to them if we can. But firrrrst, what is yourrrr name and how did you get herrrre?"
Seyhannah doesn't say much but her attitude softens toward the stranger. A source of intel couldn't hurt.
She listens for the mans responses, trying not to pile on more pressure.