Solomon had a torch in one hand and was absent mindedly making an obsidian dart dance though his fingers in the other. He scanned the night carefully, but didn't see anything that drew his attention.
"Would you like a torch, Ezri? I have another."
Kilarra keeps pace with the main group about 40 feet to one side, spreading the area the group can search a bit wider.
Rukn notices some tracks leading to and from the camp that have been obscured closer to the camp. Though he does not say anything about them, he does begin to follow them and the others almost without noticing adjust their course to match.
The group follows the trail for quite a distance further, and the tracks are becoming clear enough for everyone to see them. You all begin to feel a tension that you cannot seem to explain; an expectation that something bad will happen even nothing perceptible has changed.
Shortly after, you all hear a the very brief cry of a human child come out of the darkness ahead.
For a second Zhalet thinks the cry she hears is a small child, but then she realizes it's a goat. She moves over to Erizi and tells him "that sound was a goat, certainly the one you're looking for. It's over that way."
...Would you mind helping me look for it?" With Dashki on her heels, Presumably Kilarra heads out in the direction that Erizi came from and begins searching.
Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Kilarra begins moving carefully, choosing her footing so as to make the least sound possible. Unsure of what threat may be nearby she cautiously scouts forward to try and discern what may be toward the sound that Zhalet says is a goat. ....seems like it still sounds like a baby to me but then again I haven't spent very much time around animals so perhaps she is right
Following the cry cautiously, the cacti in the immediate area begin to grow larger and more dense until you find yourself at the edge of a thick stand of large cacti that stretches for a very long way to both the right and left. The sound of the goat bleating in pain is now clear and obvious to everyone, and it seems to be coming from somewhere deep within the cactus thicket.
As your lights shine upon the thicket, the goat's tiny bleats of pain erupt into full volume brays of fear.
"This feels like an ambush," Alexander says. "Stand ready."
The old man twists the head of his cane - and out of the stick slides a thin, but sharp- and utilitarian-looking blade. Even while drawing his sword cane, Alexander mutters an incantation.
I see the goat. It's tied up to a cactus over there in the the thicket. I'm going to go get it before it hurts itself. Anyone else want to come? It's not going to be easy to control it and calm it down.
Zhalet starts making her way toward the goat, careful to avoid cacti.
Rukn puts an arrow on his bow.
-I'm not the best with animals, but I'll cover you.
Thinking about something that could have frightened the goat, he readies himself to follow Zhalet from a distance.
To pass through the cactus thicket to where the goat is tied, you have two options:
On the other side of the cactus thicket, you find yourself upon thin strip of clear ground on the edge of a 15 foot wide ravine. A casual glance over the edge show 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 cactus. The goat is clearly in pain and is covered in cactus quills.
Rukn moves carefully through the thicket.
Rukn stumbles for a second and some thorns sting through his leg. Ouch!
Finally, he manages to get near to where the goat is tied. He looks all over the place for possible threats, and readies to offer Zhalet some cover fire.
Heedless of his own discomfort, and eager to complete his promised task, Erizi tears through the thorns towards the poor little goat.
Zhalet begins picking her way through the cactus field well enough, but her foot finds a loose rock and she slips. She is strangely unable to find her balance and stumbles through the last bit , picking up two nasty stabs from the cactus spines.
She quickly takes a look around the area while rubbing her stabs, then begins trying to shush and calm the goat.
Concern is etched upon Kilarra's face.
they are way too easy a target in there. no easy way to advance, no easy way to retreat...the perfect ambush.
Kilarra draws her bow and gets ready to shoot anything that may present itself as a threat.
Alexander stands next to Kilarra, a sour look on his face.
Rukn, Erizi, and Zhalet have made their way through the cactus thicket to the open space where the goat is tied, suffering a few small injuries . The goat is in a great deal of pain and is yanking at the rope tying it to the cactus.
If you want to calm the goat, you will need a handle animal check DC 15, which can be done untrained in this case since the goat is a domestic animal.
Alternatively, you can attempt to manhandle the goat. A DC 15 Climb, Survival, or Escape Artist check (skills that pertain to using ropes) will be sufficient to untie the goat, or you can attempt to cut the rope with a weapon. The rope's AC is 15.
Keep in mind that you are on a relatively narrow ledge above a 10 foot deep ravine in the bottom of which there is a very large and spiny cactus directly beneath where the goat is tied.
Alexander and Kilarra, you are unable to get a clear view of those on the other side. You can move a bit and try again.
Although she really knows nothing about livestock, Zhalet does what she can think of to calm the goat enough to untie it. Nothing works, and the goat will not let her anywhere near it. Frustrated, she considers simply cutting the rope, but with so many ways for the goat to harm itself in the confined space she doesn't draw her weapon yet.
She calls quietly to Erizi and Rukn:
Do either of you know anything about handling animals?
Alexander shifts slightly, his lips compressing into a thin, pale line.
Erizi looks at the rope... then at his Earthbreaker... then at his pick, realizing that none of them were sharp enough to cut the rope.
"Let's see if I can untie it somehow".
Survival
Survival
"Can someone please hold this rope while I pull here? I think I can undo the knot then"?
Zhalet tries to hold the rope for Eziri.
But she can't.
Seeing that she is not able to get a clear view to watch her allies she shifts slightly.
trying to think of a better way to get a good vantage point she says to Alexander "You wouldn't happen to know how to make yourself or other things float up into the air would you? A higher vantage point would seem beneficial here."
"Not at this time, no," Alexander replies.
The goat seems to lose what little mind it might yet retain, it lets loose a nearly deafening bleat and begins to race around Zhalet and Erizi in circles, trailing the rope behind it and wrapping the rope around their legs.
For Solomon, Dashki, Kilarra, and Alexander, the thicket seems to erupt with noise. Cries of alarm, bleats of terror, and a mighty thrashing of cactus branches can be clearly heard.
Dashki shudders, then seems to steel his nerve, "I am going to go help them; by all the gods of my people, I hate pugwampis."
Dashki begins carefully picking his way through the cacti.
Once he stumbles straight into the open arms of a catis and yelps in pain, but otherwise is able to pick his way through safely.
Acrobatics A
Acrobatics B
"No! Not that rope the other one... Whoa!!!
Solomon managed to make it through the cactus thicket, but not without losing a little blood in the process.
-Damn, I thought Zhalet knew anything about animals... ok, I need to untie this rope or they're all going to fall directly into the cactus.
Rukn carefully tries to untie the rope.
-Be careful with the goat, don't let it down! I'm going to untie it!
Alexander shifts again, senses straining...
Zhalet manages to keep her feet and to keep from becoming entangled in the goat's tether, but in an unlucky moment Erizi overbalances and tumbles off the edge of the ravine. He lands painfully on the cactus, but on its softest, most forgiving spot.
Rukn 9 + 9 = 18
Zhalet 8 + 8 = 16
Solomon 5 + 8 = 13
Dashki 8 + 6 = 14
.
Rukn gets a grip on the rope for long enough to untie it. Sensing an authoritative grasp on the rope, the goat calms somewhat. At least until a tiny shrieking figure lurches up out of a clever hiding spot nearby. The goat begins yanking on the rope, and though it does not cause Rukn to lose his grip, it is clear that the goat is terrified of the creature.
As if the world’s most revolting lapdog had somehow learned to walk on its back legs, the tiny, jackal-headed creature starts shrieking in a strange language and makes a complicated gesture towards Rukn after which a loud ringing sound reverberates through the thicket shaking needles off the cacti.
Ack! Zhalet draws her scimitar!
...just when I thought our whole group was going to be defeated by impaling themselves on cacti...the villains from that play I saw called 'The Savanna Cat King' shows up...or was that hyenas??
Kilarra draws her bow tight and focuses her aim on the creature threatening her allies.
Initiative A
Initiative B
"^*^(*^@$*^(*^(( Erizi fumes as his temper starts to rise.
"Is there any reason we aren't just cutting these things down?" Solomon grumbled to no one in particular as he pulled a few more long needles out of his shoulder.
-Hey! My bow!
-Gosh, I'll let the goat's survival instinct guide her, we're quite in peril ourselves now...
Rukn lets go of the rope and prepares for the worst.
Initiatives:
Pugwampi - 20
Rukn - 19
Zhalet - 14
Kilarra - 12
Solomon - : 8 + 4 = 12
Alexander - : 6 + 1 = 7
Erizi - 5
Round 1
As Rukn's grip on the rope releases, the goat bolts for the caravan bleating in terror. The noises from the goat quickly turn to bleats of pain as it enters the cactus thicket in a panic and it falls silent before it clears the cactus thicket.
The pugwampi cackles in demented glee and dances back from Rukn a few paces as it readies its tiny bow and looses an arrow at him.
The arrow goes wide and the wretched creature gnashes its teeth at Rukn.
-Damn, this goat...
Rukn sees the tiny arrow pass near his head. He checks if his bow is still functioning and grabs an arrow himself. -Lemme show you how it's done, lil' bastard.
Erizi, not trusting his luck carefully climbs the ravine side to get back to the action.
Climb A
Climb B
But finds the loose grass and rocks keep him sliding back down into the ravine... He roars in protest.
Alexander curses as he is unable to properly draw a bead on the enemy. Cautiously, he slashes at a cactus, gauging the difficulty of clearing a path by force.
Zhalet moves to within reach of the awful little creature and slashes at it with her scimitar.
Kilarra lets loose a shot at the nearest Pugwampi she can see
Round 1
Pugwampi: The pugwampi steps back to give itself room and fires an arrow at Rukn, missing him cleanly.
Rukn: Rukn looses two shots at the Pugwampi, one of them catching the little wretch squarely.
Zhalet: Zhalet steps forward drawing her scimitar and aims a slash at the Pugwampi, but a loos rock turns under he foot at the last second throwing her aim wide.
Kilarra: Kilarra fires an arrow at the pugwampi through the cactus thicket, but the dense cacti throw her shot off its target.
Solomon:
Dashki: Dashki continues moving through the thicket carefully. He will be through it next round.
Alexander: Frustration with the impenetrable cacti getting the better of him, Alexander slashes at one of the plants.
Erizi: Erizi tries to climb the side of the ravine, but in a stroke of bad luck grabs a root as a handhold only to have the root tear free. He slides back to the bottom.
Round 2
The pugwampi shrieks in pain and flees in a blind panic. With a certain amount of poetic justice, the horrible thing runs headlong into a nearby cactus. Thorns that were mere annoyances to the rest of you are deadly threats to such a tiny villain and several punch clear through the creature and stand out of its back, glistening red in the light.
You all feel a strange miasma lift from around you as the pugwampi dies, as if the tension of the night has relaxed.
-Damned goat...
-The goat! She went through the cactus! Rukn tries to take the goat out of the thicket before it's too late...
When Rukn reaches the goat, it is still alive, but is unconscious and bleeding from a multitude of small punctures.
Zhalet wanders over to gawk at the ugly little varmint that attacked them and make sure it's really dead. She'll leave the actual collection of the thing to someone else though. Maybe Dashki will do it.
1d20+7=22 Climb
Erizi finally steps back gets a running start, and basically runs up the side of the ravine.
"Which of the gods designed this miserable terrain, and that miserable creature. It amazes me that they have worshipers".
The big man then looks at the scene above him and slowly walks towards the downed Puggy, picking out the thorns he can easily reach, and smashes his Earthbreaker down on it's dead grinning face.
Dashki makes a motion to stop Erizi, surprised by his violent reaction to the corpse of the pugwampi, then flinches back from the gout of blood that sprays out from under the heavy weapon.
What is left behind is .. somewhat .. recognizable. Which you realize is probably a good thing as you were instructed to bring one back to show to Almah.
"Regrettable. I shall have to make an effort to be more useful next time," Alexander says, sighing.