The catfolk looked at him before shaking her head, saying, "Let us hope they haven't eaten Rrrombarrrd."
It might be the moving shadows, but you aren't even able to tell the tracks are there until Mahk points them out to everyone.
You follow the trail for several hundred feet, at first enjoying the dancing lights Adroushan has provided, but the soon flicker and go out leaving anyone with normal vision to depend on Dashki's torch and Reja's light spear.
With every step you take, you swear the shadows are growing longer, increasingly jagged and reaching for you when you aren't looking, only to snap back into place when you check. Tension rises, and all of you feel as if something terrible is about to happen. And then....
A brief cry of what sound like a human child begins to emanate from the darkness. It seems you're entering what appears to e cactus fields as well, the cry coming from deeper inside the patch.
Adroushan, upon hearing the dreadful sound, wiggles his fingers, sending his dancing lights out toward the sound.
Mahk peers into the darkness, and even with Adroushan lights, he can not see what made the noise, nor determine from the sound what it is. Looking at Reja, "agreed. Nothing good should be living in a cactus field. Let us be careful and check it out."
Josria stared at the field of cactuses for a while weighing the party's options.
After awhile, the catfolk spoke, "I could use my magic to burrrn the field away, but therrre is the chance that I might catch whoeverrr is crrrying in therrre. Burrrning hands is out of the question then. Hmmm...I could simply just use a fierrry rrray to burrrn some the cactuses as we make ourrr way thrrrough the field."
"Ooo, I like the first idea..." Naseem pipes up, then glances up at Reja's stern expression. "Er...but erring on the side of caution and all that is good too, right?"
While similar in tenor, you are relieved to figure out that it is actually only a goats cry rather than a child.
Adroushan sends out his lights, but the cacti patch doesn't let him make out more than about ten feet before his sight is cut off.
The cry is coming from a particularly dense thicket of cacti, and as you all approach it, it soon becomes apparent that it is a goat's cry, and not a child's.
Josria studied the cacti some more.
"Hmm...my firrre magic might work if the cacti werrre drrry but since they'rrre healthy, it won't do much damage. Howeverrrr, since Mahk has a scythe, we might be able to cut ourrr way thrrrrough," she purred as she patted the human on the shoulder.
"Well time to starrrrt cutting some cacti, Mahk."
Just as Mahk realizes that the sound is from a goat, Adroushan's spell lights up the area and he can see that the sound, indeed is coming from a goat.
Looking over the thickness of the cactus field, and how close they are together, he nods to Josria, "yea, easier to cut them down rather than get have to deal with those thorns." He switches weapons from his longbow to his scythe and starts to cut down the nearest cacti.
Adroushan brings up the rear, producing dancing lights, as needed, and directing them around Mahk.
As Mahk goes to work on the cacti, he seems to make good progress cleaving through them like butter... but then....
SNAP!
Mahk holds up what appears to be the stem of a scythe, the bladed portion still embedded in the cacti.
Alayi's eyes widen at the sight. "Oh dear, that isn't going to be much use anymore."
PRD - Scythe
Wikipedia - Picture - Scythe
Scythe
Price 18 gp
Type martial
This weapon consists of a long wooden shaft with protruding handles and a sharp curved blade set at a right angle. Derived from a farm tool used to mow down crops, a scythe requires two hands to use, and is unwieldy but capable of inflicting grievous wounds. Its connotations as a symbol of death due to its association with reaping also make the scythe a particularly intimidating weapon.
Mahk lifts up the two pieces of his scythe. Easily repairable with the proper tools, but for now very inconvenient to use.
How unlucky.
Alayi sighs, swinging her head, side ro side. Looking ahead at the cacti, she frowns. "Guess I'll help as well. A scimitar is no machete, but it should work the same." She states flatly.
Drawing her scimitar as she walks to the cacti. She twirls her blade, once, then twice, before chopping her way into the field.
Josria is a bit puzzled by the scythe suddenly breaking. She wonders and worries.
She casts a simple spell, curious.
"Well hopefully yourrr weapons won't brrreak as well," Josria told Reja and Alayi.
Adroushan winces as Alayi begins ruining her scimitar.
I don't believe that is the proper tool for the job.
And, since, the proper tool broke doing its job,
I wager you will soon be swordless, my dear.
Alayi works quickly on the remaining cacti. She almost finished when she accidentally gets it a bit too stuck into a cacti's trunk. She tugs, and pulls, and strains to free her weapon. And she succeeds! However, the scimitar flies from her grasp, sails through the air, and lands somewhere deep in the cacti fields.
How unlucky.
Before you lies a thin strip of open land at the edge of a 15 foot wide ravine. A casual glance down the edge reveals a huge multi-armed wickedly barbed cactus dominating the ground 10 feet below the ledge, almost directly below where the sad little goat Rombard has been lazily tied to a scrub bush. He's covered with cactus quills and sounds like he's suffered a lot.
Josria hissed when she Alayi's weapon sail through the air.
"That's....just odd. Never seen that happen beforrre," she hisses as she follows the others down the now cleared path through the cacti field.
"And seems that Adrrrroushan was rrrright about being sworrrdless," she adds.
"Ah therrre's Rrrombarrrd. Wonderrr how he got down therrre."
Mahk picks up the two pieces of his weapon, stows and grimaces at it. "Well, at least it is repairable. Dang cactus, doing this to grandpa's scythe." He pulls out his heavy flail and prepares himself.
Turning to Dashki, 'it seems that your pugwampi do exist. This has been the worst luck that I have ever seen!"
Seeing the goat tied to the cactus, "be careful. That goat is tied up so there are creatures about."
Adroushan shakes his head sagely.
Perhaps, tomorrow, I will memorize mending.
To free Rombard by untying the rope, I need someone to roll a dex check.
Watching her weapon goes flying, Alayi begins to curse furiously. Turning back towards the group, Alayi seems to have a shimmering aura as she takes a breath. "Um... Could someone help me recover my scimitar?"
She is completely ignoring the poor goat in the cacti, upset over what just happened.
"I have some rope, if you want to go down after the goat. I'll cover you from here with my bow."
Mahk rummages in his backpack and pulls out a 50 foot length of silk rope. "If needed, I have another 50 feet."
Josria is deeply concerned by all of this.
"Do you think it is wise? What with all of the bad luck we arrrre having the rrrope might snap! Although I do what to save Rrrombarrrd," the catfolk said.
"Josria, you are correct. My scythe is broken, Alayi scimitar is somewhere over there. I don't want to loose my rope also." He stuffs the rope back into his pack and looks around.
"Agrrreed. We best be carrreful. Say didn't Dashki say that Pugwampis cause bad luck? You don't suppose that..."
Josria looks towards where the goat is tied up.
You hear Rombard making goat noises.
Is that....? Yes it is! There's some kind of small jackal creature hiding behind a rock near Rombard! Also, you may read Josria's spoiler.
The goat looks terrified, but your not sure why it is stricken with such fear in this calm cacti patch.
"I wonderrr why Rrrrombarrrd is so terrrrrified. I mean therrre rrreally isn't anything herrre in this cacti patch that he should be afrrraid of," Josria said in wonder.
The catfolk then wondered out loud as to how it got tied to the bush.
Adroushan looks on in annoyance at the goat.
I believe that this is a waste of time. We should be hunting these creatures. Seems to be more of a threat, than rescuing a goat.
He waves his hand.
Besides, it's not going any where at the moment.
"Shush....." says Mahk. Pointing to a rock near the goat, he says softly so his voice doesn't carry far but the others hear (he hopes), "I think that is one of those pugwampis over behind that rock. A small jackal creature." Waving to Dashki, he asks the man "is that one of those pugwampis?"
Dashki isn't sure what you're pointing at, but then as he moves closer, recognition dawns on his face.
"Yes, Dashki utters, "these creatures are surrounded by bad luck. It makes them difficult to kill at times. Not impossible, but most annoying."
Whispering to Mahk, Josria asks, "Tell me exactly wherrrre it is and I can use one of my spells to brrrring him down."
"See that rock over by the goat? It is behind that." Mahk replies to Josria.
Adroushan peers in the direction that Mahk points.
I do believe that this foul environment may be messing with your senses, my good man.
Hissing a bit, Josria replies softly, "I have to see my opponent in orrrder for me to cast my spell."
Josria, now that the pugwumpi is pointed out to you, with your darkvision you could probably see it now.
As for Reja...poor, poor Reja.
She takes a tentative step in the Cacti field and, believing she has proper footing, puts her weight on it. What she was actually stepping on was a dead, hollowed out cacti stump nestled under a bit of sand. It caves in sending her forward on her face. Unfortunately in her surprise, she swings around, the tip of her spear catching Adroushan's clothes and pulls him as well.
Reja, you're prone in the cacti field and take 1 point of damage. Adroushan, make a DC 12 Reflex to avoid being pulled in and taking 1 damage, but you clothing would have a nasty rip in it.
How.....unlucky...
Uhhh!
Adroushan is easily caught unawares, as he tumbles head over heels for Reja.
"Prrrobably the one that gave birrrthed to gnolls, demons, and devils," the catfolk sorceress said.
Lying awkwardly among the stalks of prickly cacti, Adroushan looks as disheveled as he has ever looked.
The magus has a deep frown painted on his face.
That was quite uncivilized!